I Messenger

VOL IX NO 48 JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER TEXAS METRO NEWS

CHERYL SMITH

MIKE WILSON

COLLABORATION THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS PARTNERS WITH BLACK-OWNED TEXAS METRO NEWS

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 Allana Barefield Andrew Whigham III Anthony Council Ashley M. Moss Chelle Wilson Cierra Mayes Dareia Tolbert Dr. Felicia N. Shepherd Dorothy J. Gentry Eva Coleman 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

& 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.

JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

Our babies are dying, where are our friends?

OUR VOICES NABA’A MUHAMMAD

The governor of Georgia has called in the National Guard. Tears are flowing in Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore and other cities as pain over the deaths of Black children lost to gun violence burns deep in the hearts and souls of Black folk.

Despite the pain, questions must be asked, like where are the police? In Chicago, cops decided not to come to work or not work during recent bloody spikes of violence. Upset with calls for greater accountability, the boys in blue decided they would show the city by not showing up. Police officers in New York and Chicago, cities with long histories of torturing Black people and records of killing Black children, women and men, threatened to abandon their posts over the July 4 weekend.

Heavy violence in Chicago made national headlines, calls for “blue flu� over the July 4 weekend did not. A reporter for the CBS News affiliate reported June 22 about “a new push by members of the police union to get officers on the street to stand down—and even stay home.�

The police union president supported the officers’ actions—or rather inaction. “In the first 28 days in June, the number of murders was up 83% compared with numbers from the same period in 2019, Chicago Police Department statistics show. And the number of arrests was down 55%, street stops fell by 74% and traffic stops dropped by 86%,â€? the Chicago Sun-Times reported July 1. John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, told the Sun-Times, “I’m not telling them not to do police work ‌ But I hope they just slow down and decide ‘Is this necessary?’ before they do it.â€? “Citywide, the number killed or wounded in shootings in June rose 110% — to 541 victims — compared with June

2

2019. Meanwhile, there were about 3,330 arrests, a 55% decline, and about 3,800 people were stopped on the street, a 74% drop. Gun arrests, though, were up 45%,� the Sun-Times noted.

While the conduct of cops in this crisis ought to be questioned, the real question is where are our Jewish friends?

Why? Because every effort by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam to stop Black people from killing one another has been met with vicious, deliberate Jewish assault and sabotage.

Eight years ago, when the Minister led the men of the Nation into streets to promote peace and lessen tension it was Jewish groups who fought against the peacemaking. Even then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is Jewish, said Nation of Islam efforts to bring peace were welcome in a city with a 40 percent spike in homicides in 2012.

But Jewish groups’ nonstop smear campaigns push the anti-Semitic lie and try to put a hate jacket on a man trying to save lives. And, they can’t prove their lies.

It is not unexpected; the Jewish groups have tried to paint Min. Farrakhan with the anti-Semitic tag since 1984. It started with Zionist groups opposed to the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s call for a balanced Middle East policy during his historic first run for the White House.

It was also Jewish organizations that forced security companies owned by individual Muslims out of public housing in the 1990s at the expense of Black life.

They literally forced congressional hearings where the companies like N.O.I. Security were shown doing good jobs.

But the American Jewish Committee and others pressed federal lawmakers to withhold federal money from local public housing authorities. The local agencies, unable to survive without federal funds, killed the contracts.

The killing of Blacks in public housing complexes soared and our Jewish friends said and did nothing.

Continued on page 31

myimessenger.com

INSIDE

MY TRUTH

QUIT PLAYIN’

THE LAST WORD

It was at the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in March 2015 when I last visited Selma, Alabama. Full disclosure: I was brought into Selma to handle the media (local and national).

How we live our lives has a direct bearing on what history has to say about us. United States Representative John Lewis and lifelong activist Reverend Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian left

Nero, the Roman Emperor who legendarily fiddled while Rome burned is a symbol for an irresponsible, ineffective, and callous leader who shows indifference to people in crisis.

p4

myimessenger.com

p8

3

p9

JULY 31, 2020

MY TRUTH

by Cheryl Smith, Publisher

Time to stop punishing

Selma On Edmund Pettus Bridge during 40th Bloody Sunday commemoration

It was at the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in March 2015 when I last visited Selma, Alabama. Full disclosure: I was brought into Selma to handle the media (local and national). Still, I was excited about being involved with JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

such a historic commemoration of that 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The likes of Dick Gregory, Harry Belafonte, Hon. John Lewis, Xernona Clayton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Hon Max-

4

ine Waters, George Curry, Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, Amanda Fitzpatrick, Dareia Tolbert, Danny Glover, Santita Jackson and the Obamas were all there.

Ten years earlier I visited Selma and was awarded the “Invisible Giant” Award from the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute. Talk about honored.

I can’t thank board member Thomas Muhammad enough for the role he played in not only sharing Selma with me, but also the naming of me, as an “Invisible Giant.”

The original “Invisible Giants” served as foot-soldiers of the struggle for voting rights and marched in the Selma to Montgomery Marches of 1965, the “Bloody Sunday March,” and the “Turn Around Tuesday March.”

Thomas, who I have known for decades, praised my work as a journalist in dealing with and fighting for those issues impacting Black people; as did those valiant men and women who came before me. As they introduced me at the awards program, they compared my journalistic contributions to Ms. Oprah Winfrey!

The Invisible Giant award is an honor I cherish because in addition to those from Selma and around the world, I joined the ranks of other “giants” who have been recognized from right here in Dallas County, Texas: the Rev. Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr., Dr. Frederick D. Holmes III, Hon. Diane Ragsdale, Judge Marylellen Hicks, Hon. Kathlyn Gilliam and Ghulam Warriciah.

The year I was honored, which was at the 40th anniversary commemoration, I was also with civil rights notables and honorees Amelia Boynton Robinson, Claudette Colvin and Susan L. Taylor.

During that first trip to Selma, I even ran into old friend, Chuck D of Public myimessenger.com

WE NEED TO MAKE THIS MOMENT A MOVEMENT BY MAINTAINING MOMENTUM THE BLACK CARD BY TERRY ALLEN

My good friend, Jewel Diamond Taylor says, “Your main thing is to make sure your main thing stays your thing.”

So, the point of my column and Jewel’s quote is to keep the main thing front and center. ... In short, the quote is about staying focused on the main thing, and not be distracted by all the other things popping up around you. I am excited about the chants for remove, reform and defund but those shouts signify our collective response to this moment sparked by the eight minutes forty-six (8:46) second death of George Floyd. We must now make this moment a movement so we will not have to revisit this again.

We can applaud all those corporations that have symbolically denounced systemic racism as well as stepped up to pledge

My Truth, Continued...

Enemy, who was visiting the museum!

I have learned so much about Selma and the struggle. I am so thankful to Thomas, Selma, those who fought for US then and those who continue to fight today.

Which brings me to my truth.

America has never thanked Dallas County, Selma, Alabama. Instead, the city of what was then a revolution has actually been punished!

Yes, significant strides were made because of what happened in Selma. The world saw, just as they did with the myimessenger.com

huge dollar amounts aimed at racial equity. Yet, WE must control the narrative. We must invest in our wealth creation. We must save ourselves to make this moment a movement.

Many of those dollars will be difficult to obtain and we will give up. When we do not obtain the dollars set aside by enlightened institutions then it will be perceived as a buffer response to our moment. We will never get to a movement unless we own this moment. We cannot allow for our Diaspora to get back to “racism” as usual status.

In the words of my mentor, George Fraser, “Black people have to save Black people.” Our success will never stay top-ofmind by any other race than us. We must maintain this global momentum.

Donating money to nonprofits, establishing unattainable loan funds and creating diversity & inclusion departments will not make up for our missing 40 acres and a mule. It will not rebuild our Wall Streets.

Home ownership (40 acres) is the first step American families took to build wealth.

murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the savagery of racism.

I can just imagine what people think of when they hear someone talking about Selma, Alabama.

Usually, since I have visited, I think of Lainnie’s. Talk about good food!

I also think about good folks who have come from there, like LaWonda Peoples and Judge Remeko Edwards.

But what I have noticed during my visits was a city stuck in time. This is not an attempt to throw shade. I toured the city and viewed a city that helped cities across the country grow, only to see their city remain the same.

It seems as though America said that despite all the

Business ownership (the Mule) is the second step Americans use to build wealth.

We must mandate that these corporations create revenues infused line items for multiple years not just one.

Let’s create opportunities for us. How about technology and entrepreneurial development for young Black men? Can we make a sizable dent in the income/wealth gap in Black communities thereby creating Black prosperity while simultaneously reducing the pipeline to prison paths in our neighborhoods. We must make investments in ourselves and our businesses. So, join me and my Good Trouble Mentoring Program for young Black men and women. Those are my thoughts. Now yours?

In closing, please if we use our collective faith to guide our steps, we will have a movement from this moment. We can then give ourselves a High Five! Please email me at the paper and tell me you are with me. Terryallenpr@gmail.com Terry Allen is a multi-media journalist and board member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

pain and suffering inflicted previously, with change, there was more paying to do, “OK, we’ll give you concessions, but somebody is going to pay in a big way.”

Selma, Dear Selma!

Sadly, what I have seen with Selma is that in a city with, according to the 2010 Census, a population of just under 21,000 has today an African American population that is 80%, but back in the 1960s it was 50%.

In Selma, about one in six live below the federal poverty line; school dropout rates teeter around 30 to 40 percent; and less than 20% of residents have a bachelor’s degree.

With an overall poverty rate of almost 30%, at least

5

39.1% of African Americans in Dallas County (AL) are living in poverty with 33.5% receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or food stamps, and 43% of children living in poverty.

What the heck happened or didn’t happen.

I’m not airing dirty laundry. I’m making a plea.

On this Black Agenda I keep hearing about, we need to include: “HELP SELMA.” Let’s face it. Selma helped make this country better, and the only time we look to Selma is for annual commemorations or as we did this past weekend, to honor giants like Rep.Lewis.

We owe Selma.

Shame on us.

JULY 31, 2020

Marc Anthony Curls

hair product resembles popular brand

By ALLANA J. BAREFIELD Texas Metro News Hair is always a hot topic.

Black hair is definitely hot!

Black hair care giants have long been a mainstay, benefiting from their knowledge of Black hair.

Corporate America definitely realizes that Black hair care is big business and with more and more women deciding to divest from using chemicals to straighten their hair, the natural hair care market is booming and profitable.

Mahisha Dellinger is currently one of the largest natural hair care brands with a deep footprint in the market, not just because of the quality products, but also her philanthropic efforts and dedication to mentoring.

As the owner of the Dallasbased hair care brand CURLS, Dellinger recently posted JULY 31, 2020

Mahisha Dellinger

on Facebook expressing her concern when another company released products that clearly resemble her brand.

She wrote, “I am so sick and tired of companies trying to RIP OFF of successful black brands.” She also posted three pictures of her products CURLS and Marc Anthony products side-by-side.

Both of the products have similar colors, bright yellow and light blue intertwining.

If a shopper did not focus on the names and went into the store wanting CURLS then

I MESSENGER

Strictly Curls

they could easily pick up Marc Anthony products instead.

“Look at this mess! Yet your people claim it looks ‘nothing alike’ and that you didn’t know who we were,” continued Dellinger.

Facebook users commented on Dellinger’s post expressing their displeasure of the clear infringement and their support for CURLS. For user Ayingi Jones-

6

Kimble she wrote, “wow despicable, I love your product. Those look ugly they couldn’t trick me.”

Dellinger is not only in the hair care business. She’s a best-selling author and TV host on Oprah Winfrey Network where she focuses on helping female entrepreneurs take their business to the next level.

Stay tuned for updates. myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

7

JULY 31, 2020

Too much to Say! QUIT PLAYIN’ VINCENT L. HALL History has a way of enveloping lives and legacies. How we live our lives has a direct bearing on what history has to say about us. United States Representative John Lewis and lifelong activist Reverend Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian left more than we can say grace over.

The fact that the two men died so closely is enriched by the reality that their sojourns were even more closely aligned. Ernie Suggs of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution painted the portrait of their tethering.

“In 1963, they were famously arrested and sent to one of the most brutal prisons in Mississippi for daring to use a “whites only” bathroom. In 1965 in Selma, they were each brutally beaten just a month apart while trying to register Black voters and bring attention to the generational plight of disenfranchised Blacks.

And last Friday, the Rev. C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis died within hours of each other.

“They walked together, talked together and strategized together,” Willie A. Watkins said. “They took the beatings that others didn’t and survived unafraid. God took them at the ages of 95 and 80. And now here they are in the same room — together!”

C.T. Vivian, who was once called the “Greatest preacher to ever live” by his co-

JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

hort, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was on the road to legacy early. At age 23, on his first professional job, he began a litany of civil rights actions worthy of being chronicled.

The target in 1947 was to sit-in at Barton’s Cafeteria in Peoria, Illinois. By 1960 Vivian had teamed up with future leaders at Nashville’s American Baptist College to convince the city that its racial policies were wrongheaded. Flanked by Diane Nash, Bernard Lafayette, James Bevel, James Forman, and John Lewis; they were successful in getting the mayor to issue a public statement admitting that racial

discrimination was a moral failing.

In a book, he would later write, “Black Power and the American Myth,” Vivian expounded on the strength of Dr. King’s strategy. “It was Martin Luther King who removed the Black struggle from the economic realm and placed it in a moral and spiritual context,” Vivian wrote in his book. “It was on this plane that The Movement first confronted the conscience of the nation.”

John Lewis is widely known for the

8

beating that he suffered on Bloody Sunday. He was one of the worst among 58 people treated for injuries after police were unleashed on Montgomery, Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. However, historians will note that Lewis spent his life beating up on racism, sexism, ignorance, and hatred.

In 1961, Lewis was one of 13 Freedom Riders who were assaulted four years before Bloody Sunday. On May 9, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Lewis was beaten viciously. One of the Klansmen later admitted what happened.

“The bus pulled in. He (Lewis) got out and started over there to the door,” said former Klansman Elwin Wilson in 2010, adding that he started beating Lewis when he opened the door to a “whites only” waiting room. “I remember him laying there, and it was blood on the ground, and somebody done called the police.”

In 2009, Wilson found Lewis and apologized. Lewis accepted it.

The 1961 picture that shows both Lewis and Vivian jailed at the same venue was a prophetic foretelling of their paralleled existences. Both would go on to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor. Both of them would die within hours and be buried within days of one another.

History has a way of enveloping lives and legacies, and there is more of Lewis and Vivian than these dedicated column inches will allow me to say.

Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and award-winning columnist.

myimessenger.com

Adding fuel to the fire of our

pandemics THE LAST WORD DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

Nero, the Roman Emperor who legendarily fiddled while Rome burned is a symbol for an irresponsible, ineffective, and callous leader who shows indifference to people in crisis. The great Rome fire took place in the first century AD. The fiddle wasn’t invented until the 11th century, so it is unlikely that the hedonistic emperor played the fiddle while his city was burning. More likely, he was engaged in some trivial or sybaritic act, regardless of the crisis.

Our 45th President puts Nero to shame. Our country is burning, with COVID cases rising, racial tensions rising. The President is pouring fuel on an already-flaming fire with his callous indifference, ineffective leadership, and irresponsible proclamations. He has so utterly failed to provide a national plan to combat corona that Republican governors have called him out. Notably, Maryland governor Larry Hogan, who chairs the National Governor’s Association, excoriated Mr. Trump in a July 16 Washington Post op-ed noting that our president seemed “more concerned about boosting the stock market or his reelection plans.” That’s fiddling while Rome burns.

Forty-five fanned the flames of fear and uncertainty about COVID 19 with false comments about the virus. First, he said it was going to go away, and that it was no more severe than the flu. Then he suggested a drug, hydroxychloroquine, that has proven myimessenger.com

to be ineffective. Then he “jokingly” suggested Lysol or bleach to cure the virus. He has prioritized the economy over human lives, urging governors to open their states up for commerce, even as the number of COVID cases has risen. Still, he and his Education Secretary are urging the full reopening of schools for full-time in-person instruction, even though the numbers suggest otherwise. They are saying they schools that fail to meet their demands will forfeit federal dollars—fuel to the fire.

Since the economy closed in late March, there has been plenty of time to develop a coordinated response to COVID 19, develop a back-to-school plan, and get school districts the additional resources they need to serve our nation’s young people effectively.

Instead, he says he is leaving it to the states, just like he left the acquisition of personal protective equipment to the states. Why doesn’t he do his job instead of playing golf?

Fiddling while Rome burns, the President and his daughter Ivanka, are auditioning as shills for Goya Foods. The president photographed in the Oval Office with an assortment of Goya Foods and a maniacal grin.

The First daughter posted a picture of herself, holding a can of black beans.

More than 135,000 people are dead, and the first family is hawking beans!

The President’s comments on both masks and race are incendiary. It is irresponsible to making face coverings a matter of individual choice while COVID infections are rising.. Politicizing masks causes tension among citizens who share public space. In Tulsa, Rev. Robert Turner has rallied for reparations every Wednesday for the past two years. On July 15, a rab-

9

id anti-mask white mob surrounded him, poured water on him, called him “boy,” and assaulted him. Confederate flag-loving Trump has empowered these racists to behave horribly.

And the president’s idiocy on the Confederate flag suggests he does not know history. His refusal to utter the words “Black Lives Matter” reminds us (but we already knew) that he doesn’t think Black Lives Matter. His request that NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace apologize for reacting when he found a noose in his area was spacious. His response to a CBS interviewer who asked him about Black people’s police shooting was to note that white people are shot by police, too. “More white people, by the way,” the deflector-in-chief said. Black people are 2.8 times as likely to be killed as whites, but perhaps the president does not understand the concept of dis-proportionality.

Since the president refuses to develop a national plan to address the corona pandemic, even as the death toll increases, deaths increase, let him hawk beans. He is far more adept at that task than he is at running the country.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an author, economist, and social commentator.

JULY 31, 2020

Your Scalp Can’t Breathe ABOUT YOUR HAIR BY DR. LINDA AMERSON

Scalp health is vital to healthy hair growth. Consumers have many accessory options available to make a hair fashion statement.

Are you taking risks to be a fashionista or fashion king?

Listed are a few contributors for men, women and even children.

• Your scalp can’t breathe because it has layers of dirt, sweat and heavy

oils. Shampoo your hair as often as necessary to remove accumulation of everything on your scalp.

Don’t be lazy during any season. Develop a pamper routine for your hair and scalp.

• Your scalp can’t breathe because you wear a hat daily for outdoor occupations. There are exceptions for construction workers, lawn businesses, painters, etc. Hats worn for corporate jobs, are usually not worn in the office. Military personnel also wear hats while on duty. Baseball caps are worn by many males

EDUCATOR’S FORUM Saturday, August 8, 2020 11:00am Blog Talk Radio 646-200-0459 Texas Metro News FB Live

What are teachers talking about?

Is it SAFE to go back to school?

Joann Dickerson

LaQueta Sturns-Brew

Debra Brown- Sturns

Cheryl Jackson

Tolernisa Butler

Magnolia

Larry Davis

to conceal hair thinning and alopecia conditions.

Women also, may wear various hats to sport their fashionista style.

• Your scalp can’t breathe because women wear lace frontal wigs, glue to their hair line for weeks at a time. We do not recommend this…image over scalp health is not a wise choice. In addition, a wig worn all day and sleeping in it. Oh My! No, Stop it!

Take your wig off at night and allow needed blood flow to your scalp.

• Your scalp can’t breathe because women wear scarfs 24/7. There are limitless scarf designs available for women and transgender people. Beware of wearing your scarf too tight around the hair line and nape areas. You can make it secure, without a concern of it falling off.

Remove the scarf at home.

Then there is the night sleep scarf or cap.

• Your scalp can’t breathe because men wear a durag 24/7. This is not a fashion statement men. You are trying to make waves

Tune in as educators from around the country discuss COVID-19 and how educators and students are impacted.

JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

Art: Derek Payne - DPI Graphic Design

that you do not have naturally…trying. Men may also choose to keep your ‘man weave’ in place overnight and use excessive ‘black ice’ spray color.

• Your scalp can’t breathe because of scalp odor. Yes, your scalp can hold odor from scalp excretions of sweat, and certain occupations are the reasons for hair and scalp odor. Children are active, and older children…preteens and teenagers may be involved in athletics. Parents, it is ok to be the enforcement officer. To avoid them being a target of social embarrassment and bullying, give your child the ‘I’m not playing with you look.’

They will never ‘forget’ to shampoo their scalp and hair regularly.

Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, 817 265 8854. #39yr Veteran Hairandscalpessentials.com

10

myimessenger.com

Hall’s Honey Fried Chicken

(214) 371- 3020 4845 S Lancaster Rd. Dallas, TX 75216

Hall of Famer

myimessenger.com

11

JULY 31, 2020

COLLABORATION:

The Dallas Morning News partners with Black-owned Texas Metro News for content, events and training The partnership will allow Texas Metro News to publish stories free of charge, while helping boost The Dallas Morning News’ coverage of communities of color.

Copies of The Dallas Morning News roll off the presses at the company’s printing plant in Plano. Under a new partnership, The Morning News will pay a consulting fee for Texas Metro News journalists to help with sourcing, story idea generation and more.

Credit: Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer

By CHARLES SCUDDER The Dallas Morning News Special to Texas Metro News In an effort to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas, The Dallas Morning News is partnering with Texas Metro News, a Black-owned publication that JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

covers news and issues in Dallas’ Black community.

The agreement will allow Texas Metro News to publish articles from The Dallas Morning News at no charge, while The Morning News will pay a consulting fee for Texas Metro News journalists to help with sourcing, story idea generation and more.

12

“They don’t and won’t ever pay us anything,” said Mike Wilson, editor of The Dallas Morning News.

The partnership comes as The Morning News expands community-based coverage through its website and local newsletters, targeted for specific geographic communities across North Texas. Currently, the initiative serves myimessenger.com

Mike Wilson, editor of The Dallas Morning News, photographed on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019, in Dallas.

Credit: Smiley N. Pool:The Dallas Morning News Smiley N. Pool:Staff Photographer

Allen, Arlington, Colleyville, Frisco, Garland, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Irving, McKinney, Mesquite, Oak Cliff, Plano, Richardson and Southlake.

Wilson and North Texas editor Jamie Hancock, who oversees the local initiative at The Dallas Morning News, said they recognized that coverage from the newspaper had not been as strong in some of those communities, which is why they reached out to Texas Metro News.

“We came to that with a full awareness that we haven’t been around those communities as well as we could have through the years,” Wilson said. “We’re coming into it humbly.”

Cheryl Smith, the editor and publisher of Texas Metro News, said she appreciated that editors from The Dallas Morning News approached the relationship as an opportunity for both publications to improve their journalism. It would not be just about checking a box for diversity, she said.

“Our team knew it wasn’t a light decision; it wasn’t tokenism,” Smith said.

“The Morning News wanted journalism.”

Smith started Texas Metro News in 2012. The printed newspaper has a weekly circulation of 5,000, and the staff also reports daily in newsletters and podcasts online. She said the partnership with The Dallas Morning News myimessenger.com

will help her staff better serve its readers.

“If you want good, solid journalism, collaboration is key,” Smith said.

“We’re trying to shed light and show the Black experience, but we’re also saying you don’t have to be Black to appreciate it.”

The two staffs are already meeting weekly to discuss stories and opportunities for collaboration. Readers of columnist Norma Adams Wade, for example, can see her columns monthly in The Dallas Morning News and weekly in Texas Metro News.

Hancock said Smith has helped Dallas Morning News reporters cover important topics in southern Dallas such as “shingle mountain” in southeast Oak Cliff and a recent story about how a Black-owned business is responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

“She knows everybody in the community and has relationships with everybody,” Hancock said, “and we want to leverage that and do whatever we can to help them grow their business.”

Smith is also an officer in local and national journalism organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists. Editors at The Dallas Morning News first connected with Smith through local NABJ programs, including training sessions for ear-

13

ly-career journalists at Paul Quinn College, Wilson said.

Journalists from Texas Metro News are participating in professional development and training programs offered for Dallas Morning News reporters. Wilson said that when it is safe for public gatherings to resume, he hopes to work with Texas Metro News to plan in-person events for readers and subscribers.

As part of the national conversation about racial equity in America, newsrooms across the country are finding new ways to boost coverage of communities that previously have been overlooked. For some, that has meant creating new positions for diversity reporting, or devoting other resources to covering Black issues.

Wilson said the partnership with Texas Metro News will help The Dallas Morning News meet its own goals for improving the diversity of its coverage.

“It’s something here that it was time to do,” Wilson said. “The Black press in Dallas has always been an important news source.”

The Dallas Morning News has a similar reporting partnership with KXAS-TV (NBC 5), wherein the newspaper’s journalists appear on the TV station to promote articles. The TV station also provides video for stories on dallasnews.com.

The newspaper is also expanding its coverage of southern Dallas. Report for America fellow Brooklynn Cooper joined the newsroom in June; Report for America places young reporters in local newsrooms across the country.

Carrington Tatum also currently reports on southern Dallas.

Charles Scudder, Staff writer. Charlie Scudder is a general assignment reporter and has worked on the features and news desks for five years. He’s also an adjunct professor at UNT’s Mayborn School of Journalism. Raised in Colleyville, he is a graduate of both Southern Methodist University and Indiana University. cscudder@dallasnews.com @cscudder JULY 31, 2020

Wear your Mask…Yes! Even in the Store

Washington, Roberts featured in new drama

By ALLANA J. BAREFIELD Staff Writer

By ALLANA J. BAREFIELD Staff Writer

Everyone is looking for something new to watch or binge-worthy, due to COVID. And you’re in luck.

Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts are hitting the big screen together again, according to Variety.

The duo first appeared together in “The Pelican Brief,” that debuted in 1993.

Now 27 years later they are back at it with another drama, “Leave the World Behind.”

This movie is based on an upcoming novel from Rumaan Alam and scheduled for release this fall from the publishing company HarperCollins, through their imprint Ecco.

COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere. That’s our reality and the sooner everyone realizes that we’re in a global pandemic, then the sooner we will flatten the curve.

Texas is going backwards and for some reason people don’t want to take this virus seriously.

By wearing masks, consistently cleaning our hands, staying six feet apart, and disengaging from social activities; we can increase our chances of going back to normal.

Denzel Washington

The storyline focuses on a blackout in the city where two families have to get along and intertwines themes such as race and class.

Companies such as MGM and Apple bid on the project but Netflix prevailed. The response on social media so far has been positive. People are excited to see these talented, but familiar faces back together. The bonus is the duo is coming right into their homes.

Princell Hair joins The Black News Channel

By ALLANA J. BAREFIELD Staff Writer

DPD issues changes to protest protocol

Congratulations are in order!

Princell Hair has been named President and CEO of The Black News Channel (BNC), the nation’s first 24hour news network to focus on diverse stories regarding the Black community.

Hair grew up in South Florida and began in local news.

He became Vice President of CBS Television Stations group and was Executive Vice President and General Manager of CNN-US. Hair even went to Boston in 2016 to spearhead NBC Sports

By ASHLEY MOSS Staff Writer Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall has issued new guidelines to ensure that peaceful protests continue peacefully in the city. In an updated general order issued on Wednesday, Hall noted several changes to the department’s policies towards protests, including restrictions on the use of tear gas and other projectiles, like pepper balls.

Chief Hall’s order will dramatically limit the use of these tools in future peaceful protest situations.

The Chief did distinguish that criminal acts and attacks on people could warrant tear gas with approval.

In a statement, Chief Hall noted: “SWAT must continue to have reasonable and necessary tools in its continuum of force options.

There will now be limits on their JULY 31, 2020

Photo courtesy of Police Chief Renee Hall/Twitter @ChiefHallDPD

Police Chief Renee Hall

appropriate use. They can be used to control violence but not peaceful demonstrations.”

The Dallas Police Department began making changes in June, and is not the only one making changes - police departments all across the country are reexamining their use of tools often used to subdue protestors, commonly known as “kinetic impact projectiles.”

DPD deployed these tools during Dallas protests in early June.

I MESSENGER

To wear a face-covering can reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Many retailers such as CVS and Walmart made the decision to enforce the mask policy and that directive became in full effect on July 20 nationwide for their stores. But for Target Stores, they are implementing the policy on Aug 1.

This helps to protect customers and makes employees to be safe.

Everyone has to go shopping during this time to buy necessities but shoppers shouldn’t be scared to go into the store.

Think about others. Wear your mask.

Photo courtesy of NNPA/Black News Channel

Princell Hair

Boston as Senior Vice President and General Manager.

A graduate of Florida International University in Miami and earned a degree in Bachelor of Science and then went to Goizueta Business School at Emory University, where he received a Masters degree in Business Administration. He is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

The NABJ/NAHJ Virtual 5K race website is live!

As the members of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) plan to convene virtually, the tra-

14

dition of the Healthy NABJ 5K Race doesn’t stop, even during a pandemic and joint convention year. This 2020 race reinforces the commitment of both Continued, next page

myimessenger.com

Continued... organizations to the health and wellness of #NABJ and #NAHJ members.

Proceeds will benefit the NABJ JSHOP high school program.

The NABJ JSHOP is an opportunity for high school students all over the country to experience a hands-on journalism workshop in conjunction with the NABJ national convention.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. mourns loss of 24th Intl President, Dr. Eva Lois Evans

Class of 2020 is rolling with the times!

Although many are preparing for the upcoming school year, I Messenger Media Lifestyle & Culture editor Eva D. Coleman plans to continuously celebrate the Class of 2020.

She was happy to hand-deliv-

The organization notified its members via email late in the evening on July 21 and has since released the following on social media: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our 24th International President Dr. Eva Lois Evans. Her sweet, sweet sisterly spirit and [sic] epitomized the Alpha Kappa Alpha woman. Her warm and loving personality will always be remembered.�

Dr. Evans served as International President from 1994 to 1998.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. had its humble beginnings as the vision of nine college students on the campus of Howard University in 1908. Since then, the sorority has flourished

er gifts to her media students, longtime friends and others who invited her to their graduation drive-by celebrations.

They received a custom shirt containing a logo she designed.

Photo Credit: Western Michigan University College of Health and Human Services

Dr. Eva L. Evans

into a globally-impactful organization of nearly 300,000 college-trained members, bound by the bonds of sisterhood and empowered by a commitment to servant-leadership that is both domestic and international in its scope.

Fund supports local business Guns and Roses Boutique has been a staple in Dallas, TX for more than eight years.

On Friday, May 29, 2020 the boutique was destroyed by selfish looters who took advantage of the protest. The restoration of Guns and Roses Boutique starts NOW! Princess Pope, owner and leader has been a prominent pillar in the community, and often praised for her support.

As a fashion industry leader, she provides education and mentorship to aspiring myimessenger.com

fashion designers and entrepreneurs.

A donation campaign was started to help cover damages to Guns and Roses Boutique.

The donations will be spent to cover any expenses the insurance does not cover, including but not limited to: inventory, property damage, merchandise and loss of use for the business.

The GoFundMe link is https://gf.me/u/x5qxji for Rebuild Guns and Roses Boutique.

15

Princess Pope stands in front of her boutique shortly after fending off looters JULY 31, 2020

www.grandpasecret.com

Please wear your mask and wash your hands!

JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

16

myimessenger.com

myimessenger.com

17

JULY 31, 2020

JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

18

myimessenger.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!

myimessenger.com

19

JULY 31, 2020

Natural hair/ancestral guru cleanses South Dallas confederate cemetery I WAS JUST THINKING...

By Norma Adams-Wade

Texas Metro News

Isis Brantley is better known for blazing trails with natural hair than engaging the moon to bring peace in a South Dallas/Fair Park Confederate cemetery.

But Brantley –one of, if not, Dallas’ leading natural hair care salon and training school owners -- is not known for walking away from a challenge with good cause.

The hair care and African ancestral guru has taken on the task of informing a South Dallas community and the public about what she sees as the need to cleanse and transform any negativity that may still linger in a small, overlooked confederate cemetery in the predominately African-American area.

The long-standing but little-known site is the Confederate Cemetery at 4225 Electra St. between Reed Lane and Pine Street in this South Dallas/ Fair Park neighborhood. With no identifying nameplate for years, many locals speculated that it was a pet cemetery. The site’s origin is linked to the Dallas Chapter of the United Daughters of the confederacy, a women’s organization that helped wounded and needy Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and whose parent body formerly organized in 1894.

Currently and in recent years, the Daughters group has spoken against racist acts and rhetoric and attempted to set a conciliatory tone while sustaining its purpose to honor their Southern ancestors who members say bravely fought to preserve their land and economy during the war. Brantley said she would welcome a public conversation with group members. Meanwhile, she said she plans to do a cleansing rite at other Confederate cemeteries in traJULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

Isis Brantley, owner/operator of Naturally Isis hair salon and a braiding school

ditionally African American neighborhoods once she completes researching their locations.

“I accidentally ran across it (the cemetery) while in the neighborhood visiting my aunt,” Brantley said. “I really never noticed it before but it caught my eye this time.”

Brantley, aside from using her innate natural hair skills, has studied and trained in African ancestral ceremonies and spiritual rites. She said the cleansing idea came after she and a friend walked over and looked at the cemetery. Various headstones showed that some of the confederate soldiers and their families who were buried there had been born as early as the 1820s and

20

were buried there in the early 1900s.

She said she thought about the irony of a confederate cemetery in a now predominately African-American community considered to be middle-to-lowincome. She said she thought about how society currently is awakening to the injustices that still linger from the Civil War and the South’s attempt to break away from the Union to preserve the Southern way of life that included the institution of slavery.

She said the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man by an Anglo police officer in Minneapolis was an example of a lingering aftermath of slavery and oppression.

So, she took it upon herself to rally myimessenger.com

a small group of friends and relatives for a spiritual cleansing ceremony, called “smudging,” designed to rid a space of negative energy and bring peace and healing. She chose the date and time of 8:30 p.m. Sunday, July 19 because, as part of the ritual, it was the night of the July new moon – when the moon is invisible from earth and cleansing energy is strong. The age-old practice is kin to burning incense and traced back to various cultures and religions including Native Americans and the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Elements of the rituals may encompass fire, water, air, and earth. Brantley added a prayer for peace to her ceremony.

I was just thinking...is there value for the nation in Brantley’s spiritual cleansing –and prayer -- to change hearts and minds? This while we also make -- as the late iconic Congressman and civil rights warrior John Lewis said -- “good trouble” in our peaceful protests and challenges to seats of power.

Can we combine open-minded elements to make a powerful potion that allows us to see common humanity behind the façade of our perceived enemies? You can’t dig up the dead in a sacred cemetery.

But maybe, just maybe, you can cleanse the air around it.

Entry to Confederate Cemetery, Pine St., Electra St., Reed Ln. in South Dallas/Fair Park

Isis Brantley is owner/operator of Naturally Isis natural hair salon and the trailblazing Institute for Ancestral Braiding training school. Her businesses began in South Dallas/Fair Park, moved to Oak Cliff, and now are at 17290 Preston Road #104 at McCallum Blvd. in North Dallas. Phone 214-3293820. Website www.naturallyisis.com. Email naturallyisis@yahoo.com.

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 myimessenger.com

21

JULY 31, 2020

THAT CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

Valder Beebe Show Dr. Richard Besser

By VALDER BEEBE The world-wide pandemic continues to be the central focus as the Valder Beebe Show invited Dr. Richard Besser, into the studio to clarify aspects of COVID19, how public health is the roadmap to a safe and equitable economic recovery, and why it’s important that Americans hear from public health officials daily during a pandemic.

The United States is experiencing a massive surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, overwhelming local healthcare systems and forcing several states to delay their economic recovery efforts.

Compounding the problem is the politicization of the pandemic. Public health officials have been harassed and threatened, and some policymakers have based reopening decisions on political whims rather than sound science. It is more critical than ever that government and community leaders follow a public health roadmap to economic recovery.

To do this, we must understand how the pandemic is playing out at the neighborhood level, ensuring that all people are considered and cared for—particular-

ly people of color and essential workers who continue to die at disproportionately higher rates. Today, data collection efforts are woefully inadequate, and as a result, communities across the nation remain in the dark about how this pandemic is truly playing out; complicating efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Dr. Besser, who is also president & CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—explains that “data deficits that vary greatly state to state and locality to locality will lock in our disturbing status quo,” which will further exacerbate reopening efforts that have been “erratic, unsafe and profoundly unjust.” He urges data collection efforts by race, ethnicity, age, sex, and ZIP code, and he calls for federal funding for states and localities so they have the resources to implement the stronger collection protocols. Dr. Besser notes that the CDC and local health departments need adequate funding and support to use their public platforms to share timely and critical information to

MO’ BETTAH WINGS

$5 Daily Specials 10% Teachers Discount JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

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

22

Dr. Richard Besser

keep Americans safe and guide ongoing recovery efforts. Dr. Richard Besser - publicists provided text in conjunction with the Valder Beebe Show VEB: Dr. Besser can you give us an update on COVID-19?

RB: Valder, I think we are in a really good situation right now with COVID19.

The reason I say this, we are seeing a clash in public health messages. Some officials are saying this is a critical time.

You will hear other leaders saying this is going to go away. This is not going to go away. I like to refer citizens to local public health officials, this will tell us what is going on in our own communities. I like also, going to the CDC web site.

VEB: What kind of local information can we find?

RB: Information about current polices, about business, school and work place status……Complete interview: soundcloud.com/valderbeebeshow ValdeBeebeShow.com broadcasting to a national audience on KKVI FM Radio, Streaming TV, Social Media, Print Publications.

Valder Beebe hosts the Valder Beebe Show on FM and streaming TV: ValderBeebeShow. com, 411RadioNetwork.com; SoundCloud. com/valderbeebeshow FM Broadcast: KKVI FM 89.9, KRER FM 102.5; Streaming on ROKU & Amazon Fire: YouTube/ValderBeebeShow; VBS affiliate broadcasters; BMIA, PChatman Network [Roku TV].

myimessenger.com

To fight COVID-19, generously apply common sense!

By ROYCE WEST Texas Senate Minnesota police officer J. Alexander “Alex” Kueng is caught in an unimagined racial bind.

Kueng (pronounced “King”) is one of the lessknown, four cops accused in the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd – a handcuffed, unarmed Black man whose death in a Minnesota neighborhood is now sadly legendary.

Rookie officer Kueng, 26, is in a bind because he himself is half-Black. National media reports that his mother is White. His father is Nigerian.

Kueng has four adopted, African-American siblings.

Some national media also have reported that a few of Kueng’s relatives say that ironically, he became a police officer because he wanted to help protect Black people from abusive officers – having seen such behavior as a younger male. Reports say he thought he could best accomplish change from inside a police force. In a baffling twist of fate, his goal apparently did not work out as planned.

In a June 27, 2020 New York Times piece, reporter Kim Barker quoted Kueng’s mother quoting her son: “He said, ‘Don’t you think that that (change) needs to be done from the inside?’” The mother is quoted as saying. The piece said Kueng and his family even volunteered at a Haiti orphanage after the devastating 2010 earthquake. And it said that one of Kueng’s sibmyimessenger.com

lings is a devoted Black Lives Matter supporter.

So, what happened?

Floyd’s death has been described repeatedly as one of the most heartless killings captured on video by a witness and put on social media for all the world to see.

Some observers could even construe the KuengFloyd clash as Black-on-Black crime. Yet, what observers make of the situation is unpredictable.

I was just thinking, ...sociologists say cultures manage best when they learn to live together. But in the Floyd killing, cultures converged for an unfathomable tragedy.

The victim and officers were a mixture of misfortune.

Kueng is in a bind because he was the youngest and newest officer in the squad, having gone out on only three previous assignments. Of the other three officers, one is Asian (Tou Thao, 34) and two are White (Thomas Lane, 37, and Derek Chauvin, 44).

Chauvin, of course, set the tone for the racial carnage. He was older and had a 19-year career wearing the blue uniform.

The details are history-book copy by now: The infamous Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck, mashed to the ground, for eight minutes, 46 seconds. Before Floyd died, he repeated many times, “I can’t breathe!”

Police records say Kueng restrained Floyd’s back. Lane held down Floyd’s legs. Officer Thao stood watch to halt interference from onlookers.

During the killing, the officers seemed not to object.

Defense attorneys claim, though, that Kueng said to fellow officers, “You shouldn’t do that;” and that Lane said, “Shall we roll him ever?”

Police reports say Chauvin told them to remain as they were.

Chauvin is charged with third-degree murder. The other three officers with aiding abetting. The three lower-rank officers deferred to Chauvin, although, surely, they must have sensed his derangement. The longstanding brotherhood of silence and rank intimidation won out. In still another strange twist, reporter Barker’s New York Times exposé states that Chauvin had been Kueng’s field training officer after Kueng graduated from the

23

Sen. Royce West

Police Academy in December 2019 – maybe explaining more reason why Kueng kept silent.

He who reportedly wanted to change the system from within got swept into the system instead. Twist of fate? Perplexing racial conundrum? Hopefully a fair jury will reach a just conclusion.

JULY 31, 2020

214-421-5387

Two Podners Bar-B-Que & Seafood 1441 Robert B Cullum Blvd.

Dallas, Texas 75210 JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

24

myimessenger.com

“We are open for carryout.

We care about our customers and our community and we thank you for your business during this difficult time.�

Hours of business: Monday-Thursday 11:30 am-9:00 pm.

Friday 11:30 am-10:00 pm.

Saturday 12:00 pm-10:00 pm.

(469) 899-7927

140 S Clark Rd Cedar Hill, TX 75104

3309 S Malcolm X Blvd

Call orders in (214)-859-3472

Dallas, TX 75215

myimessenger.com

We run specials Monday-Thursday

25

JULY 31, 2020

3917 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. Suite 103 Dallas Texas 75237.

469-399-0096

Open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-8p.

During this pandemic we are still open for call-in and pick up orders. We have specials Tuesdays $5 burger baskets with fries and Wednesdays $5 chicken strip baskets with fries. Our menu is filled with so many delicious items. We have Bar-B-Q plates, Crab boils and so much more. We would love to serve you.

6090 Bonnie View Rd Dallas, TX 75241 Hours of services may differ

Phone: (214) 372-6321

JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

26

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

27

JULY 31, 2020

What’s on Miles’ Mind?

“TROOPS”

OUR VOICES BY MILES JAYE

You wake up, say your prayers, and make your bed.

You brush your teeth, shower, and get dressed. You Keurig a coffee into your favorite travel mug, grab your keys and purse and leave the house. Start the car, start your morning praise JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

music, and pull out from the driveway. You’re heading down the street toward the main road; but off in the distance… long before you reach the intersection, you notice something strange. The traffic leading toward the intersection is backed up and traffic on the main drag seems a bit unusual. What’s going on-- an accident?

As you get closer, it appears someone is directing traffic--

28

someone in uniform, looks like Army fatigues. All traffic is diverted to the right. When you reach the intersection, you’re directed to make a right turn, just as the cars before you did-- but you can’t seem to make sense of what you’re witnessing.

First of all; why is a uniformed soldier posted at this intersection? More importantly, why is a convoy of military vehicles stretched along your myimessenger.com

otherwise familiar roadway, as far as the eye can see? You’re halfway to the next intersection where you see another soldier directing traffic, but before you reach the corner, a soldier runs to your driver side window, directing you to make a sharp right into the service station. Okay now, what’s going on?

Startled by the abrupt appearance of someone at your window, you turn in and pull up to what looks like a checkpoint. “Roll your window down please ma’am. License and registration please.” The young soldier spoke with feigned authority-- the lack of experience was noticeable, it was obvious.

You detect a bit of nerves, coupled with the high pitch of his rushed command, what you do not notice is military insignia.

This is a military town.

Everyone here is familiar with uniforms. You may not know all of the ranks, but you know the basics, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, Army, or Air Force on one pocket flap, last name over the other, but these uniforms had no identifiers, no insignia. Who were these soldiers dressed in combat gear, riot gear-- camouflage fatigues, face masks, the whole nine?

They were dressed for business.

You lower your window, but before handing over your ID, you ask for his. “Who are you? What’s going on?” You know you asked politely, but myimessenger.com

you could hear the anxiety, the nervousness in your own voice. Ignoring your request for an explanation, he barks, “Ma’am. license and registration please.” Nervous tension turns into indignance, attitude, “Sir, I simply asked you what’s going on? Why did you pull me over? Why are you checking IDs? Are y’all looking for somebody? Who are you?”

“Ma’am, I’ll have to ask you to exit your vehicle.” He pulls on the driver’s door but luckily it was locked. Now your anxiety has turned to cold fear. You should have called someone as soon as you saw something going on. You should have made a U-turn before reaching the main road. Now it’s too late! Just give him the ID, you haven’t done anything wrong.

“Here! Take it, here’s my license, registration and my insurance card, but I still don’t know what’s going on. I know I haven’t done anything…”

You lowered your window to pass him the ID, but he reached in to unlock the door.

He pulls it open and grabs you by the arm to snatch you out of your car. “Wait! Wait a minute!

What are you doing? Let go of me! Take your hands off of me.

Help! Somebody, help me!”

Thank God, you see someone rushing toward you to put a stop to this foolishness, this madness. You’re thinking, ‘thank God!’ Coming to your rescue is someone dressed exactly like the first guard, but he’s not

29

coming to save you.

They forcibly remove you from your vehicle, with the car still running, purse and cell phone still on the front passenger seat, radio still playing gospel music, and whisk you off to an unmarked van across the parking lot.

The door slides open, the only words you’ve heard were, “Stop resisting, you’re being detained.”

No explanations, no answers to your barrage of questions, just the sound of the van starting, shifting into gear, then pulling off.

It’s daytime, but it’s dark inside the van. Your eyesight is blurred from tears. Your heart is racing, and your mind can only process one thought-God please let this all be a bad dream, but it’s not a dream… it’s a nightmare!

Trump’s Troops have descended on your city, your neighborhood to restore order.

Who are they, where are they taking you? Who will know how to find you? Will they find you? What’s going to happen to you?

This is America! Portland today! Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, tomorrow.

Maybe your town will be next.

Ready?

That’s what’s on my mind!

Website: www.milesjaye.net Podcast: https://bit.ly/2zkhSRv Email: milesjaye360@gmail. com JULY 31, 2020

16

MAY 20, 2020

Virtual and liVe Community Calendar

July 29 Hollywood Live!

With Michael “Hollywood” Hernandez and Co-host Shavonda with a “V” Fields, Guests: Singer Allura, Comedian Lisa Love, Singer Ja’Daku on Hollywoodlive.com. From 2 pm – 4 pm.

changes in the housing market. The webinar shows how to buy your first home in the Era of COVID-19. Guest Speakers: Isaac Ricard, Realtor and Brian McCauley, Sr. Loan Originator.

7:00 pm-9:00 pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.

Positive Reflections Ministry Free Groceries (Includes meat, non-perishables goods & produce while supplies last) location: Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1910 N. St Augustine Rd. Dallas from 9 am to 1 pm.

Call 214-208-5536

100 Women March Everyone is welcome! It will center black voices, black stories, and black solutions. We will be marching from Dallas City Hall to the Frank Crowley Building beginning at 7PM. Masks Required! At the City of Dallas, 1500 Marilla St. 6:30 pm- 9:30 pm.

Meet A Black Mental Health Professional: “We Are Here,” hosted by Dr, Tanisha Guy & Megan Pickens, LPC-S. 7 – 9 pm. The event will introduce you to 20 Black mental health professionals.

Register: Eventbite.com.

Smart Summer: Children’s Story time with Clarice Tinsley, online event, https://dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com/events/smart-summer-childrens-storytime-clarice-tinsley-0. Tickets: dallaslibrary.librarymarket.com. Stories for kids with Clarice Tinsley from Fox4 News.

Black Pandemic Virtual Form host New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Forth Worth. 2:00-3:30 pm.

Moderator Pastor K.P. Tatum. Register: RO6HHSRD@hhs.gov.

The U.S. Census Bureau has openings for part-time, year-round survey interviewers. Includes 20-40 hrs a month $16.12 per hour & $0.575 per mile. Email: name, phone, full address, county to denver.recruit@census.gov. Bilingual english/spanish speakers.

Texas Women’s Foundation Leadership Forum Virtual Series. Texas Women’s Foundation recognizes the amazing leadership of the Maura Women Helping Women and Young Leader Award recipients.

Moderated by: Jana Etheridge Capital One. Tracey Doi. 10:00 am. Tickets: txwf.org.

Dallas Virtual Career Fair and Job Fair. 10:00 am6:00 pm. Online event. Find a better job at our FREE Dallas Virtual Career Fair. It is a must attend. Meet with top hiring companies in Dallas. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.

July 30 Tri-Cities NAACP. Special Called Meeting. At 7:00pm. Via zoom conferencing system: https://shsu.zoom. us/j/97655021370 Dial In Number: (346) 248 - 7799 Meeting ID: 976 5502 1370.

If you can not be on the conference call please email Romeal.naacp@gmail.com.

Being Black and Blue Form hosted by Dallas College Mountain View Campus, Dallas College Eastfield Campus. Online event: http://blog.dcccd.edu/2020/07/being-black-andblue-a-student-forum/ 3:30 pm- 4:30 pm.

Thursday Night Live hosted by The Black Academy of Arts and Letters. 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Online event: www.facebook.com/tbaaldallas.

July 31 The Pathway To Home Ownership: First Time Home Buyer Webinar Online event. There have been

JULY 31, 2020

Friendship-West Presents Spiritual Care. Hosts Be Made Whole Counseling Center. Fridays Spiritual Care of our souls helps to encourage us through difficult times.1:00 pm CDT via Zoom: Click the link below: https://zoom. us/j/8567036848? Access Code: 856 703 6848.

August 2

3rd. Annual Dallas Pizza Fest Hosted by 2020 Dallas Pizza Fest Live at Deep Ellum Art Company 3200 Commerce St. 12:00 pm-9:00 pm. Tickets: www.prekindle.com.

Rhythm and ReVERB Pull-Up Edition (Best Sunday Social Distancing Happy Hour) at Heroes Lounge 3094 N. Stemmons Fwy. 4:00 pm-6:00 pm. You will be able to enjoy the drumming and music from your car and order drinks and food from your vehicles. Event will stream live on Instagram and Facebook. Verb_Kulture on Instagram and Verb Kulture Ent. on Facebook.

August 3 Marvelous Marriage Mondays at Friendship-West Baptist Church 2020 W. Wheatland Rd. 7:00 pm-8 pm. Helping Marriages be More Marvelous! Register online at https://friendshipwest.zoom. us/meeting/register/upcpcOmhqz4rqNU-lYrUaJHUISSKLziBMg Janet Jackson in Concert Black Diamond World Tour 2020 host Country Concerts USA at American Airlines Center 2500 Victory Ave. 8:00 pm. Tickets: www. ticketgrow.com.

August 4 Glenn Heights City Council Meeting, City Hall 1938 S. Hampton Rd. Glenn Heights 7:00 pm-9:30 pm.

August 1

August 5

Dallas PV Alumni Annual Membership Drive thru Picnic Hosted

by Dallas PVAMU Alumni Chapter. Stop by to pay your annual dues $50. 11am.

Drive thru to receive your goodie bag. Not attending or wanting to pay dues in advance? Text dallaspvalumni to 97000.

Hollywood Live! With Michael “Hollywood” Hernandez and Cohost Shavonda with a “V” Fields, on Hollywoodlive.com. From 2 pm – 4 pm.

Live Music at The Warehouse Lounge Who DAQ Daiquiris host Jim Austin 1125 E. Berry St. Ft. Worth 8:0011:00 pm. Celebrate With Us. Featuring Natural Change. Tickets: www.jimaustinonline.com

SoulJazz Thursdays Under The Stars feat. Natural Change at 813 Sandaga, 813 Exposition Ave. 8:00 pm12:00 am. Bring your lawn chairs and come enjoy the sounds of Natural Change Under the Stars. Food Truck, BBQ, Hookahs, and Cigars. Doors at 8PM. There is limited seating available.

More info: visit www.sandaga813.com or email info@sandaga813.com.

First Saturday Harvest Project Food Rescue, Free Fruits and Veggies, at Pan African Connection 4466 S. Marsalis Ave. 10:00 am-3:00 pm. Free Fruits and Veggies until their gone. Call 214943-8262.

August 6

August 2-9, 9-15 111th National NAACP Convention. Over the course of two weeks, the NAACP Virtual Convention will provide two modules, one tailored to our members, and another open to our supporters and activists at large to convene critical discussions. For more information: www.naacpconvention.org.

I MESSENGER

BLACK LIVES MATTER #NationBuilding w/ Michael Sorrell, at 12:30 pm. CDT, Wednesdays on Facebook & Twitter. Follow Paul Quinn College’s President, Michael Sorrell on all social media platforms. @MichaelSorrell on Twitter & Instagram and @Michael J. Sorrell on Facebook.

A Message For You, with Anthony Council Morehouse student and I Messenger Media intern. Tuesdays at 11am Anthony brings that perspective from those born in this century. Live on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews & Blog Talk Radio.com Join the conversation.

Andrew’s World with host Andrew Whigham III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8 am.-10 am. Sundays Tune in for thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news and commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459 The Stimulus Show, hosted by Cheryl Smith publisher of Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger. She is a FAMU grad and secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists. Join in on Facebook/@CherylSmith and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am Mondays. Call 646-200-0459.

SIP and Eat with LaShante’ “The Lifestyle Chef.” LaShante Williams, Every Thursday at 7pm CST on FB live and IG live and https://www.instagram.com/ lashante@thelifestylechef/

A Message For You, The Stimulus Show with Marva Sneed from11 am -1 pm. CST, Wednesdays and Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com.

Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

A Message For You, with I Messenger Media multi-media journalist Allana Barefield and the legendary Norma Adams-Wade. Mondays at 11am. Live on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews & Blog Talk Radio.com Join the conversation.

30

myimessenger.com

Babies,

from page 2...

No matter what, the Anti-Defamation League, Alan Dershowitz, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Jewish organizations dredge up these false and scurrilous charges.

They don’t care if Black children die—and they don’t care if they are lying.

We should.

Black folks should care enough about our own suffering, our own children, our own future to reject this constant interference that leads to the loss of Black lives. What would our neighborhoods look like had the Minister and the Muslims been left alone to pursue peace in public housing since the 1990s? What would Chicago and other cities look like if the Minister

had been left alone to teach and raise our people, dispensing wisdom and promoting peace?

Jewish friends? No. These individuals and organizations are our enemies intent on pursuing their agenda and forcing their views and beliefs down their throats. That is to be expected.

But there are final questions for Black America: Do you really love your children?

Do you really love yourself?

Are you still slave-like in your desires to be accepted by people who care nothing for you?

Do Black Lives Matter to you? If so, why would you allow others to stop a man who has devoted his life to stopping us from killing us?

Naba’a Muhammad is editor in chief for The Final Call newspaper.

Find him on Facebook and follow @RMfinalcall on Twitter.

We’re open and ready to serve you!

Elaine’s

Jamaican Kitchen

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

myimessenger.com

31

JULY 31, 2020

32

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

I Messenger

Do you know this man?

POLICE have not apprehended “Pookie” the serial rapist.

We know he has attacked members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and there is a $5,000 reward offered by Crime Stoppers.

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?

877-373-8477 JULY 31, 2020

I MESSENGER

32

myimessenger.com