I Messenger

JUNE 12, 2020

VOL IX NO 42

I MESSENGER

REV. DR. SHERON PATTERSON

CONTINUES TO BE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS

GEORGE FLOYD

IS KILLED BY A POLICE

OFFICER

COLIN

KAEPERNICK

TAKES A KNEE

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

JUNE 12, 2020

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This must stop!

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

In his poem “No Man Is an Island,�

John Donne wrote, “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.�

I’ve always been involved in humanitarian issues and the universality of justice. This past week has been exceptionally difficult for me and anyone else with even an iota of human compassion. Two unnecessary murders of black men have monopolized our airwaves and will be the topic of discussion for the foreseeable future. The current social turmoil pushes me to the limits of my endurance.

On Sunday, May 24, readers of The New York Times were greeted with a front page listing the names of 1,000 COVID-19 victims. Following was the announcement that the United States had surpassed the unwelcomed milestone of 100,000 deaths.

While shocking and heart-rending numbers, I’m sure others were woefully desensitized to the full scope of loss from COVID-19.

To put these COVID-19 numbers into perspective, a comparison to the Vietnam War isn’t unreasonable. By official measure, the number of American deaths in Vietnam was 58,220. That number was matched and surpassed in late April for COVID-19 deaths.

Reaching the 100,000 milestone signifies a point of nearly doubling the loss of life in Vietnam. The greater tragedy is that it took U.S. forces 19 years in Vietnam to reach 58,000. We’ve nearly doubled that number in three months with the coronavirus.

Arguably, had the Trump administration begun efforts to combat this virus one week earlier, the loss of life could have been reduced by 36,000, according to health experts. Instead, we add those names to the list of those we’ve lost.

Although not lost to COVID-19, one other name must be added to those we have lost – George Floyd.

By now, most Americans have seen the video of Mr. Floyd being suffocated by a Minneapolis police officer who applied near-total force of his body to Mr. Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes. During that time, Mr. Floyd repeatedly begged for mercy and, probably from past life lessons, remained respectful to the police. Mr. Floyd even addressed his assailant as “Sir.�

In an MSNBC interview, Princeton University Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. described this problem as one of African Americans having to live under the “trauma� of the coronavirus and the “terrorism� of lawless policing.

Those who have lost relatives or friends to the coronavirus, or even had relatives or friends contract the disease, understand the trauma and uncertainty of living under the threat of the disease.

There is genuine trauma in wondering, “Who’s next?� or “How can I avoid it?�

If one cannot understand the terrorism that Professor Glaude describes, imagine being apprehended, tried and executed by a rogue police officer. A store owner called the police with an allegation of Mr. Floyd passing counterfeit currency.

Whether he attempted to pass bogus money or not, there is no charge of counterfeiting that results in execution.

George Floyd joins Eric Garner, choked for selling single cigarettes; Ahmaud Arbery, killed for jogging; Tamir Rice, killed for playing as a 12-year-old child would; Trayvon Martin, killed for walking home wearing a hoodie; Emmett Till, killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman, and on and on.

George Floyd endured suffocation and ridicule to the point of his death. These killings are the result of ideation that denies the humanity of the victims. They cannot be excused because of mental illness. They are deluded expressions of superiority and control over selected victims. This must stop! We need no more names on this list.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women and Host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke� on WPFW-FM 89.3.)

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INSIDE

MY TRUTH

THE LAST WORD

QUIT PLAYIN’

I’ve been in some uncomfortable situations during my lifetime, but I have survived. There are times when I thought I couldn’t go on, and still I was able to persevere.

Andrea Harris was not well-known, but she should have been.

She was the co-founder of the North Carolina Institute of Minority Business Development

Back in 2009, Steve Mnuchin and a volt of capitalist vultures bought California’s IndyMac bank.

p4

p9

p6

Parkland accepting personal protective equipment donations Items must be new and unopened With news reports showing the increasing need for personal protective equipment (PPE) at hospitals across the county, members of the North Texas community have been reaching out asking officials at Parkland Health & Hospital System what they can do to assist.

It’s simple – you can donate new and unopened PPE to Parkland.

Those items include: • • • • •

N95 masks (Medical Grade) Surgical masks Industrial masks Surgical caps Medical protective gowns (water resistant) • Foot/shoe covers • Medical latex-free gloves

• Eye protection goggles • Medical face shields • Powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) and PAPR hoods • Hand sanitizer (all sizes) • Antibacterial soap • Disinfectant wipes

Items can be donated Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Parkland’s Logistics Building, 5223 Tex Oak Ave., Dallas, TX 75235.

For additional information about donating PPE please email Pamela Bryant at pamela.bryant@phhs.org myimessenger.com

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JUNE 12, 2020

MY TRUTH

by Cheryl Smith, Publisher

THE VERY LAST! Black people are tired of being murdered I’ve been in some uncomfortable situations during my lifetime, but I have survived. There are times when I thought I couldn’t go on, and still I was able to persevere.

Over the years, I have overheard folks say they couldn’t bring themselves to watch a movie, especially those relating to slavery. I always wondered how they’d feel if they had to experience the savagery of that peculiar institution called “slavery.”

Which brings me to my truth.

I felt my heart beating faster and faster as I watched the video of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin steadily applying pressure to the neck of George Floyd, until he killed him. Every time I think of those eight minutes and 46 seconds, I want to hug Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old who remained focused and captured the atrocity.

On Friday, June 5, JUNE 12, 2020

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Photo credit: Darnella Frazier’s video

Minneapolis police officer presses knee on George Floyd’s neck.

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Photo credit: Messenger

Rev. Dr. Sheron Patterson laying on Dallas City Hall Plaza for 8 minutes and 46 seconds during program for George Floyd.

Members of Clergy kneel.

2020; it was during the 8 am hour at Dallas City Hall and it was close to 90 degrees on the plaza. In a program that included several members of the clergy and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson; Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed the day as George Floyd Remembrance Day. My heartbeat once myimessenger.com

again began beating fast as the time came for eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence in Mr. Floyd’s honor.

Dr. Sheron Patterson, Sr. Pastor of Hamilton Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX, was the officiant of the program and she immediately took to the ground where she laid for the duration. It

wasn’t a publicity stunt.

Dr. Patterson is the real deal. She is involved, she cares and she works hard. The daughter of a police officer, she is the change we need and she works for it.

It was a time to really think about Mr. Floyd.

We didn’t feel the pressure or pain that he endured; nor the uncaring, aloof attitude of his mur-

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derer, who was joined by three other officers.

What we felt then was minor. But what we are feeling is real and we must continue applying pressure and calling for change.

A sign captured at an Orlando, FL by photojournalist Richard Moore said it all, “You … ed with the last generation!”

JUNE 12, 2020

Who’s Lootin’ You??

QUIT PLAYIN’ VINCENT L. HALL

Back in 2009, Steve Mnuchin and a volt of capitalist vultures bought California’s IndyMac bank.

IndyMac fell from its perch in 2008 when the foreclosure crisis popped up, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) went down. These modern-day robber barons picked up a bargain for $13.9 billion with a 10% cash down payment.

“Mini-Me” Mnuchin tooled a foreclosure machine and looted the taxpayers for no less than $200 million, according to a Huffington Post 2017 article.

“No such luck, of course, for the bank’s ordinary borrowers.

During Mnuchin’ s reign, IndyMac carried out more than 36,000 foreclosures, tossing former homeowners (including activeduty military servicemen and women) onto the street without hesitation or pity, by any means necessary.

Mnuchin and his billionaire posse “rushed delinquent homeowners out of their homes by violating notice and waiting period statutes, illegally backdated key documents, and effectively gamed foreclosure auctions.”

No wonder Trump tapped his “Mini-Me” for his cabinet. Looters of a feather flock together!

During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton debated whether the “billionaire braggart” filed for bankruptcy four or six times. She was correct; JUNE 12, 2020

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he looted the taxpayers six times. The Washington Post Fact Checker bore out her claim.

“Trump’s companies have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which means a company can remain in business while wiping away many of its debts. The bankruptcy court ultimately approves a corporate budget and a plan to repay remaining debts; often, shareholders lose much of their equity.

Trump’s Taj Mahal opened in April 1990 in Atlantic City, but six months later, “defaulted on interest payments to bondholders as his finances went into a tailspin,” the Washington Post’s Robert O’Harrow found.

In July 1991, Trump’s Taj Mahal filed for bankruptcy. He could not keep up with debts on two other Atlantic City casinos, and those two properties declared bankruptcy in 1992. A fourth property, the Plaza Hotel in New York, declared bankruptcy in 1992 after amassing debt.

PolitiFact uncovered two more bankruptcies filed after 1992, totaling six. Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts filed for bankruptcy again in 2004, after accruing about $1.8 billion in debt.

Trump Entertainment Resorts also declared bankruptcy in 2009, after being hit hard during the 2008 recession.

Why the discrepancy? Perhaps this will give us an idea: Trump told Washington Post reporters that he “counted the first three bankruptcies as just one.”

Amazon CEO and the man soon slated to become the world’s first trillionaire loots the U.S. Post office when he’s not cannibalizing diverse markets. Trump tweeted that the “U.S. Post Office will lose $1.50 on average for each package it delivers for Amazon.” His math was fuzzy, but experts project that Bezos pockets at least a few billion extra dollars per annum.

Jeff Bezos conceded to CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell that Trump and others are not entirely off base. “I didn’t have to build a transportation network to deliver the packages.

It existed: It was called the post office,” Over the past weekend, there was a significant and pronounced problem with low-level looters. We clutched our collective pearls as we watched two-bit opportunists take things they neither needed or wanted. It happened during the protest, but looting never shows up on anyone’s pre-protest planning sessions.

So why do you bitch and moan about crumbs when the professional looters are stealing your loaves? see QUIT PLAYIN’, page 16

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So now can we hire Kaepernick back?

I WAS JUST THINKING...

By Norma Adams-Wade

Football great Colin Kaepernick’s takea-knee gesture is now famous as a rallying cry around the world against police brutality, racial injustices, and the killing of citizen George Floyd.

I was just thinking... does this mean that we now can get the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback rehired by his former team or as an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) by another?

The talented, caring and socially-savvy star athlete has made it clear throughout his National Football League career troubles that playing professional football is what he wants to do.

Instead, politics and the League’s quest for sponsorship money and approval by conservative fans got in the way.

But a recent Black man killed by a White cop has unwittingly catapulted Kaepernick’s fight against police brutality and the killing of unarmed Black men and women to the top of daily newscasts, and front and center in endless social media posts.

Minneapolis white police officer Derek Chauvin, 44, was fired myimessenger.com

and arrested after a bystander’s cell phone video recorded him on May 25 committing a horrendous, fatal offense. Chauvin pressing his knee for eight minutes, 46 seconds on the neck of George Floyd, 46, -- an unarmed Minneapolis Black man who died after pleading that

The officer was arrested and his lesser, original charge ultimately was upgraded to 2nd-degree murder. Three other officers were fired and later charged as accessories.

If you don’t know Kaepernick’s back story by now you probably have been under a rock or asleep beside Rip Van

Photo credit: AP

Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem.

he could not breathe.

Floyd was suspected of paying for a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill at a nearby retail store. His death sparked daily protests and riots.

Winkle. The player, fondly known as Kap, was the 49ers’ quarterback from 2011 to 2016 and led the team to several Super Bowls, although they ultimately lost. Later, Kap’s

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standing with the franchise plummeted after polarizing reactions to his kneeing began. He ultimately opted out of his contract, became a free agent, but no team has picked him up. He has made it clear that he still wants to play.

Since the George Floyd killing, much has been made about the link between two kinds of kneelings – Kap’s kneeling to save lives, the cop’s kneeing to end one.

Perhaps Kaepernick’s heroic kneeling might lead us to substitute the Black National Anthem to be sung at the opening of each NFL game instead of the traditional National Anthem. The BNA words and lyrics, written by two historic brothers – James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson -- carry a significant, needed message: “Lift ev’ry voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring.

Ring with the harmonies of liberty. ...Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won!”

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

JUNE 12, 2020

Babylon Confusion in 2020 FAITHFUL UTTERANCES

BY DR. FROSWA BOOKER-DREW

This has been a difficult week.

Processing my feelings—my pain, my anger, and my disillusionment.

It was like a rollercoaster of emotions and I found myself relieving my own experiences while juggling the frustration of my young adult daughter and my elderly mother. We have all had experiences with racism. In a recent Facebook post, I shared my recent encounter with being stopped by a State Trooper earlier this year. I was driving back from visiting my daughter in college and I jumped in front of a state trooper. I wasn’t speeding, just trying to get home. I was pulled over and I couldn’t understand why. He said I didn’t have a front license plate. I informed him it was a rental car I was returning the next day. He then accused me of drinking because he smelled alcohol in my car. I reached down to pick up the hand sanitizer that had fallen on the floor. I was then interrogated about why I rented a car and why I wasn’t driving my car. When I replied I don’t drive my car long distances because it’s older, he then asked me how old it was it. Questions that were in my opinion, intrusive. After running my tags, he found nothing. I drove away shaking and angry. This was the same county Sandra Bland was killed in. All I wanted to do was go home safely, alive. I ultimately JUNE 12, 2020

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filed a report with the Inspector General’s office and spoke with some others in leadership about my experience. I was blessed to use my voice.

George, Breonna, Sandra, Eric, Philando, Trayvon, Aubrey, Tamir, Jordan and so many others did not have that opportunity. I could tell you stories about being stopped in in different parts of Dallas. And it does not matter that I have a PhD, say the right things, do the right things--because of the color of my skin, assumptions are made about me. It has been heartbreaking listening to friends as we share our fears for our loved ones. Terrified of them jogging, bird watching, leaving parties, listening to music in the car, going to the store, sitting in their homes. A friend said his 13-yearold grandson asked if he could be taught how to deal with the police because he does not want to die.

It is painful to prepare your kids for the first time they’ll be called the ‘n’ word or stopped by authorities or mistreated because of their skin color and worry every time they are out, if that will be the last time you see them.

My story is the story of many of our people. We know racism, discrimination, and hate. What makes it overwhelming is that this pain and hurt is generational.

I have listened to the stories of my mother witnessing police brutality when she was a young woman or watching my grandmother as a senior citizen being called gal by a younger white woman when I was a girl. We carry this pain not only in our minds and spirits, but

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it is carried in our bodies. The stress is overwhelming and has both physical and psychological impacts on our well-being which is well-documented in Science.

Despite what I am feeling, throughout this entire season, I have been reminded of Babylon in the Bible. I strongly believe there are some nuggets of knowledge for us to examine.

Babylon is mentioned several times beginning in Genesis 11 with the Tower of Babel. It was in this place that people became unable to understand one another because God confused their languages.

They were trying to build a tower to reach the heavens. Babylon is mentioned several times throughout the Bible especially during the time of exile of the Jews in the book of Jeremiah: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the see FAITHFUL UTTERANCES, page 17

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Andrea Harris and the fight for minority business THE LAST WORD DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

Andrea Harris was not well-known, but she should have been. She was the co-founder of the North Carolina Institute of Minority Business Development, an advocate for social and economic justice, a champion for historically Black colleges and universities, and a Bennett Belle (Class of 1970) who passionately loved her college.

After a brief illness and a stroke, she made her transition on May 20. The death of the well-connected woman who made it her business to link others together has drawn tributes and accolades from former North Congresswoman Eva Clayton, from other North Carolina legislators, from many of her Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters, from her alma mater, Bennett College (www.bennett.edu), from the Minority Business Development Agency (https://www.mbda.gov/news/ news-and-announcements/2020/05/ remembrance-legacy-ms-andrea-harris) and from her beloved Institute.

A community organizer before she was a minority business advocate, Harris was a little woman with a big voice that she did not mind using for advocacy. For many years, she convinced the North Carolina legislature to fund the Institute of Minority Business Development. At 5’1”, Andrea was a compact hurricane, a force to be reckoned with. And she was a friend.

I was so sorry to hear of transition.

We talked at least a couple of times a week when she was a trustee at Bennett College and I was its President. More recently, we might spoke infrequently and no matter how much time passed between our conversations, either of us myimessenger.com

felt free, at any time, to pick up the phone to chat or ask for a favor.

The news about the ways the coronavirus has affected Black and other minority business would undoubtedly have prompted a conversation with brainstorming, commiseration, advocacy, action possibilities, and possible solutions.

When I read the news that the corona-imposed recession has wiped out more than 40 percent of Blackowned businesses nationally, I thought about Harris and passion she brought to her advocacy. And I thought about the “bailout” has shortchanged minorityowned businesses, many who saw their requests for funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) be declined.

I imagined that Andrea would have called her friend, former Bennett faculty member and Congresswoman Alma Adams to push for set-asides for minority business. I imagined her calling another mutual friend, Rev. William Barber, to weave the minority business cause into his advocacy for social and economic justice.

Harris would not be surprised, just as I am not, that Black-owned and other minority businesses got the short stick of bailout funds and that such a large number of Black-owned businesses (more than any other racial or ethnic group) are imperiled by the coronavirus recession.

The massive hit Black-owned businesses took is partly a function of the industries, including personal services, that minority businesses are concentrated in. It is also a function of the precarious position of minority businesses, many of which are underfunded, with unequal access to capital and market discrimination.

People like Andrea Harris fought

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hard for the right of minority businesses to thrive. And she believed in helping young women, especially her Bennett Belles, to learn about entrepreneurship.

She helped us set up a summer entrepreneurship program for high school students, helped establish an entrepreneurship minor, and took many fledgling businesses under her wing.

We need more advocates for minority business. Most Black-owned businesses have but one employee. Many are unable to provide essential job benefits –health care, sick leave, and more. More Blackowned businesses need more access to capital. Coronavirus has heightened our

Andrea Harris

awareness of inequality in employment, income, occupational status (22 percent of nurses’ assistants are Black women, and another 22 percent are Latina), health status, housing status, and more.

While the Small Business Administration did not initially collect demographic data on who got bailout money, instinctively, we know that Blackowned businesses were less likely than others to get funding.

Andrea Harris’s life work was about promoting Black business. As these businesses are being harder hit than see MALVEAUX, page 11

JUNE 12, 2020

You may not have

Dandruff ABOUT YOUR HAIR

BY DR. LINDA AMERSON

Is Your Scalp Constantly Flaky?

Many consumers automatically assume they have dandruff when they see a scaly condition on their scalp. The term “dandruff� is a rather loose term that consumers give to all scaly conditions of the scalp.

Everyone has microorganisms on the skin and scalp, which is termed the normal skin flora. In some cases, these microorganisms multiply at a more rapid rate, further affecting the skin and scalp regeneration process, showing thicker scales on the eyebrows, inside and outside of the ears, forehead and scalp. Furthermore, some of the scaly conditions are combined with inflammation, erythema, scalp discoloration, and excessive itchiness.

Is all dandruff alike?

It is possible for a consumer to have a scaly scalp disorder and not have knowledge of it.

Some consumers may assume JUNE 12, 2020

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they have dry scalp, or that a scaly scalp is some thing they inherited from their parents, thus trying numerous over the counter products with no results. This occurs because, in many cases a consumer may have two or more scaly scalp conditions and the over the counter product is only effective in treating only one of the scaly conditions, while the other scaly conditions require a different treatment.

A dry scalp condition is not the same as dandruff. This condition does not result in scales that you can lift or move on the scalp. Most importantly, a dry scalp is best corrected with moisture -- not heavy oils or pomades applied to the scalp. Heavy oils or pomades can clog the pores of the scalp, further resulting in slow hair grow.

Seborrheic Dermatitis can be either dry or oily scaling on the scalp.

Pityriasis Ameantacea is a severe scalp condition.

Do your flakes look like layers of corn meal? All scaly scalp conditions can range from mild to severe and can be listed as pityriasis capitis, atopic eczema, pyrogenic granuloma, or seborrheic eczema to name a few.

Please DO NOT attempt to make a self-diagnosis.

Other factors of scalp disorders

In addition, contributor to scalp disorders include: a poor diet, medications, health conditions, fluid retention, and stiff hair designs & braids (worn for two weeks or longer). Actually 98% of Americans are nutritionally deficient, which also affects scalp Scalp Conditions health.

To conclude, are you tired There are actually several types of unattractive scaly scalp of feeling embarrassment or conditions. I have listed a few ashamed when scales appear on your scalp, and/or shoulders, scaly scalp conditions below: Psoriasis is a common scaly eyebrows, forehead, ear area, scalp disorders that affects clothing or neckline area? Help is people at all ages. Get an accurate available. diagnosis from a scalp specialist expert for all scalp issues.

Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, 817 265 8854. #39yr Veteran Neurodermatitis is a disorder Hairandscalpessentials.com that usually occurs in women.

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Hall’s Honey Fried Chicken (214) 371- 3020

4845 S Lancaster Rd. Dallas, TX 75216

MALVEAUX, from page 9...

Hall of Famer

others by the corona recession, many of us know that our feisty friend would roll her sleeves up and dig in to offer advocacy and provide solutions for Black-owned business.

Amid a national pandemic, some don’t think we should talk much about race. But if we are all in the same boat, some folks are riding, while others are rowing.

Harris would be one of those who would focus on the rowers.

In tribute to her, we should all be advocates for Black-owned businesses, and direct some of our dollars their way.

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

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JUNE 12, 2020

Katharine Reed Fain January 19, 1917 - June 5, 2020

“Being here 100 years, you see a lot, you go through a lot. We just want Freedom.”

On January 19, 1917, Katharine Reed was born to the union of Makum Buck and Annie Cornella Davis Reed, in the Beulah Community of Elkhart, Texas.

She attended school and church in the same building and graduated as an 8th grader; the highest level a Negro could attend school in the 1930s.

Katharine married Leo Fain in September 1933.

The happy couple and son Hosea L. G. Fain lived in a two-room house within the same community in which they grew up.

While Leo was working, Katharine slipped off and got her first job because she viewed their marriage as a partnership. In conversations with family members, she shared stories of her witnessing the terrible deaths of Blacks, but she continued working to build a stronger family.

Katharine persevered and with strength, wisdom and faith in God, she remained focused JUNE 12, 2020

and eventually in 1970 became employed fulltime as an aide for Dr. Jack Thompson’s Medical Clinic in Palestine,

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faithful until her health failed.

Many days members heard Katharine singing one of her favorite songs, “I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.”

Katharine is preceded in death by her husband, Leo Fain; son, Hosea L. G. Fain Sr.; grandson, Gary Wayne Fain; parents, Makum Buck Reed and Annie Cornella Davis Reed; one sister, Ann Micheaux; and two brothers, Edgar and Ed. She leaves to cherish her memories, her dedicated daughter-in-law, Ester J. McDonald Fain; five grandchildren, Rose Fain Winters, Grand Prairie; Hosea (Jacqueline) Fain Jr., Dallas, Texas; Dapheny Fain, DeSoto, Texas; Alecia Fain, Red Oak, Texas; and Caryn (Robert) Warren, Grand Prairie, Texas; a sister Henrietta Bailey. Eighteen great grandchildren and 17 great, great grandchildren; one great, great, Texas.

Katharine united with great, grandchild; and a the Beulah Baptist host of nieces, nephews, Church when she was 5 cousins and friends of years old and remained all ages, and races.

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A call for change, a call for justice

By Royce West Texas State Senate

2014 and Eric Garner in 2013. All whose lives ended unjustifiably, Many Americans have most with those responbeen moved to stunned sible not facing the type resignation that yes, po- of legal consequences lice misconduct exists that persons not wearafter viewing the final ing badges would if they nine minutes of George took the life of anothFloyd’s life. But for too er. But even rare guilty many African Americans, it’s another verse of a song that mainstream America has not wanted to hear Just two weeks earlier, 26 year-old Breonna Taylor was shot to death by Louisville police while in her own bed, the result of questionable, no-knock warrant tactics. In Fort Worth last October, Atatiana Jefferson’s life was Sen. Royce West ended by an officer who fired rounds through her verdicts do not erase window, while on her the pain felt by family property unannounced. members over lost loved And in 2018, former Dal- ones. las officer Amber Guy- It’s time, past time for ger ended a promising changes to laws on the future far too soon for use of deadly force by Botham Jean. those sworn to uphold Too many of us were left the law. It’s time to rethinking that ‘Black folks spect and value the lives can’t feel safe anywhere; of Black and minority not even at home.’

Americans. It’s also time No, these stories are not for leaders who are not new. We remember the Black or minority to stop deaths of Jordan Ed- acting like these heinous wards in Balch Springs acts, administered by the in 2017, Walter Scott in hands of law enforce2016, Philando Castile ment, do not happen and Alton Sterling in or have not occurred.

2016, Michael Brown in Sadly, the blind eye of myimessenger.com

denial, indifference and maybe even complicity, has been around for centuries and seems renewed in recent days.

Those motivations are why I authored SB30, The Community Safety Education Act in 2017, which instructs officers and citizens on how they should respond during interactions with law enforcement – hopefully for reasons of self-preservation. The bill’s language has been incorporated into Texas’ drivers’ license exams, along with driver training, defensive driving courses and law enforcement instruction.

For the same reasons, I authored body camera legislation in 2015and passed Texas’ first statutes that prohibited racial profiling by law enforcement and placed cameras inside patrol cars in 2001.

But none of these tools, nor broad daylight, or eye witnesses, was enough to save the life of George Floyd from the gross callousness of four Minneapolis policemen.

Historians’ credit dinner time video of police dogs and fire hoses aimed at peaceful demonstrators with assisting the passage of Civil Rights leg-

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islation in 1965. It also took an awakening of the conscious of white Americans to confirm that what they had witnessed was undeniably wrong.

Sixty-five years later, we’re still on that long, winding, partly-paved road to justice that has left some travelers stranded.

I am committed to help pave that road. I’ve met recently with local activists and Dallas officials with the goal of creating new tools or sharpening the old ones, so that together, we can find a fix that will deliver fair and equal treatment under the law for all Americans. Days ago, the U.S Supreme Court said that the legal concept of qualified immunity needs to be revisited.

Even Justice Clarence Thomas agrees! What can you as citizens do?

Remain vigilant. Speak out. And most of all VOTE. We need your help!

Vote to elect officials who will hold accountable those who violate the public good; no matter what badge they wear or office they hold. All Americans deserve the right to breathe.

JUNE 12, 2020

We are not disposable,

we are essential THE BLACK CARD BY TERRY ALLEN

Thanks, you readers, for your loyalty to I Messenger and my column as it is being read all over the world. Your feedback has confirmed that the paper, the column and the information is what is needed in these times.

Before I get focused on our essential value, I want you to pause to remember Mr. George Floyd and pray for our cities and all of our citizens.

Now. I want to assure you that I understand that your time is a priceless resource and being alone with our thoughts can be an alarming place for some of us, especially when the public has treated African Americans as if we are disposable.

Black Americans have a greater risk to loss from health and economic disparities than our mainstream counterparts as we account for more than half of the COVID-19 cases and over 60% of the deaths nationwide.

One reason is Black workers account for more than 80% of essential frontline employees in the health, retail, delivery and warehouse jobs in the USA. Also, most of these jobs are on or under the poverty level, subjecting people of color to restricted access to healthcare, work leave, health insurance and self/employer provided PPE. JUNE 12, 2020

I MESSENGER

And some neighborhoods of color are food deserts, underserved transportation pathways and higher-priced retail products for same basic staples in other areas. In summary, many Black people, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, are also in the midst of a RACIAL pandemic.

Many Blacks have to go to work; cannot shelter at home and live in neighborhoods that may have less life-enhancing environment than our counterparts.

So, let’s call a “thing” a “thing,” acknowledge it, and recognize that “thing” dwells within our world. I am a Black man with an adult Black son and I live in fear for my life every day.

In the words of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “You cannot out concern me!” My son, my nephews, my male cousins and I have a different code of conduct and rules of engagement than our counterparts.

Racism is a greater pandemic for us than anything else. We are forced to work inside a world built by institutionalized racism. From enslavement and experimental medical trials, to legal genocide and redlining the US has a long history of using our labor and contributions for free.

We need an overhaul of our community to combat all the underlying issues that affect us. So, if you did some soul searching over the past couple of months, what can you do collectively to pull back the curtain; identify racism at all levels; and make masterful

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steps to end the cycle once and for all?

My grandmother would say; “Beloved, nothing can be dealt with until we actually DEAL with it.” So, let’s please put together steps to empower us to end racism in our lifetime. I believe in reparative concessions.

If we dig deep enough, most of us can find build a collaborative process to help topple racism. I am going to add one issue we can work on right now. People of color, stop undermining our own and practicing self-hate and self-sabotage to make sure our voices are snuffed out. Every day, I have to defend my experience to some Black person who undermines my fight; who thinks racism is my fault and I can overcome it!

How many of you advertise with Black newspapers and require that mainstream manufacturers advertise? For example, how many of you have gone to a Black business owner who failed to get your ”it” right and you 1) did not say anything 2) did not return nor let them know 3) and trashed them to others and 4) went to another non-Black business owner; got treated the same but stayed?

Don’t lie!

Words are powerful. We can use them to affirm ourselves or they can lead to self-sabotage. We are not disposable we are essential.

What can you do to contribute to our success?

Terry Allen is a multi-media journalist and board member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

myimessenger.com

Pray for Current College Students

By Eva D. Coleman It all comes down to structure and frame of mind. We did a turnaround road trip to Houston on June 3, 2020 for my favorite University of Houston architecture student to gather her belongings and supplies from the building

Cecily Coleman returns to University of Houston to pick up her belongings

Cecily Coleman

which served as her second home beyond the dorm.

“The vibe is way off,” my child said right before exiting the car to go inside. She had a one-hour window to get all of her stuff, by herself, due to limited access. She conquered the mental anguish of this second campus visit since COVID like a pro.

I pray for all current college students who feel misplaced. I’m confident that all of the pieces will come back together, stronger and more fortified than ever before.

They have to. I’ve done my best at providing Cecily with a firm, unshakable foundation.

She’s built for life. - The Widow Files

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.

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Princess Pope stands in front of her boutique shortly after fending off looters JUNE 12, 2020

www.grandpasecret.com

QUIT PLAYIN’, from page 6...

The Native Americans watched as their land was looted. The Africans had their dignity, and the duty of their handiwork looted.

Asian immigrants built the rail system while being held in camps.

The Mexican immigrant was lured to “Great America” to undercut the wages of all of the above and poor whites.

Americans are looted continuously by a consortium that includes corporate giants, lobbyists, the U. S. Congress, and the greedy rich. Savvy and sadistic politicians like Nixon and Trump JUNE 12, 2020

convinced you that looters are coming for you. All the while, they rob you blind.

We can agree that the idiot who broke the plate glass window at Target to get a handful of nothing is deplorable. What, then, do you call looters who reverse-mortgaged your grandfather, a disabled veteran out of his home?

Looters? Man miss me with that bullshit!

You better discern who’s looting you!

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

I MESSENGER

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myimessenger.com

FAITHFUL UTTERANCES, from page 8...

Please wear your mask and wash your hands!

dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29: 4-14 Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the Founder and CEO of Soulstice Consultancy, specializing as a Partnership Broker and Leadership Expert for companies and organizations to thrive with measurable and meaningful impact.

She also is the VP of Community Affairs and Strategic Alliances for the State Fair of Texas.

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Friday 11:30 am-10:00 pm.

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I MESSENGER

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JUNE 12, 2020

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MAY 20, 2020

VIRTUAL CALENDAR Virtual Community Calendar

June 10-11, 2020 Virtual Small Business Expo 2020 From 10 am – 6: pm. FREE ATTENDEE TICKET Register: Eventbrite.com/ virtual-small-business-2020expo.

June 10, 2020 A Message For You, The Stimulus Show with Marva Sneed.

Guest: South Dallas Café from 11 am -1 pm.

CST On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

Women’s Issues Town Hall with Royce West & Rep. Victoria Neave. Focusing on issues that impact women.

7 pm-8 pm. Register: www. mobilize.us.

Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger. She is a veteran journalist and FAMU graduate, who currently serves as Secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists. Join in on Facebook/@ TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am- 1pm. Questions ask Cheryl at 646-200-0459

Garland ISD Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremonies, Lakeview Centennial High School at Williams Stadium 510 Stadium Dr. Garland. 8 pm. For more information and all of the details: garlandisd.net/graduation.

National Coalition of a 100 Black Women, Inc Dallas Metropolitan Chapter 2020 Barbara Jordan Civic Engagement Webinar Series an engaging series aimed at educating our communities on the impact of civic engagement legislation. Topic: The Impact of Planning a legislative Day at 7 pm. Register: www.ncbwdallas.org.

June 12, 2020

Ask Dr. Amerson ‘Auto Immunity and Alopecia Areata’ at 11am CST on DfwiRadio.com Expert guest is Author & Transformational Coach Sandra Dubose, who will share her testimonial; we will discuss other alopecia categories. Tips on hair care, scalp care, & alopecia. #ScalpDoctor #39yrveteran #7yrhost Hollywood Live! With “Hollywood” Hernandez, CoHost Shavonda with a “V” on Hollywoodlive.com from 2 pm-4 pm. Guest: Eve Wooten & Samanthea Hunte.

Virtual Community Conversation-WOW Dems and NDTDW with Sen. Royce West. Join Senator Royce West on a Virtual Community Conversation across Texas by attending this virtual town hall! This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Senator West’s experience, his vision for Texas, and ask questions. Register: www.mobilize.us 7pm CST. Garland ISD Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremonies, Rowlett High School at Williams Stadium 510 Stadium Dr. Garland.

8 pm. For more information and all of the details: garlandisd.net/graduation.

From Marva with Love with Marva Sneed 11:15 am. David Reeves, Community Engagement Manager of Education is Freedom. 12:00 LaShante Williams, How to prepare healthy meals, so that we won’t blow up because of COVID -19? 12:30 pm. Machelle Allums, African American Insurance Agents Organization Vice President of DFW NAAIA. From 11 am-1 pm. Live on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com.

Garland ISD Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremonies, Naaman Forest High School at Williams Stadium 510 Stadium Dr. Garland. 8 pm.

For more information and all of the details: garlandisd.net/graduation.

NBPRS Dallas and NABJ Media Related Task Force presents the “Virtual” Happy Hour with host Terry Allen. Sunday 5:30 pm CST. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpIpcumvrD4jCjxEQOkkv1R6jaqJ1yhGw. Bring your best drink and enjoy the best in online networking!

Garland ISD Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremonies, North Garland High School at Williams Stadium 510 Stadium Dr. Garland. 8 pm. For more information: garlandisd.net/graduation.

Virtual Community Conversation-East Texas.

Join Senator Royce West, on a Virtual Community Conversation across Texas by attending this virtual town hall! Learn more about Senator West’s experience, his vision for Texas, and ask questions. 4 pm. REGISTER HERE: www.mobilize.us

June 15, 2020 A Message For You, hosted by Cheryl Smith, publisher of Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger. She is a veteran journalist and FAMU graduate, who currently serves as Secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists. Join in on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am- 1pm. Questions ask Cheryl at 646-200-0459.

NNPA’s Live Publishers Broadcast Hosted by Stacy M. Brown Journalist/Correspondent 12pm CST 1pm EST. Live on Facebook/Black Press USA, Vimeo, and YouTube. Tracey Williams-Dillard- Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Willard Jackson- Ebony Magazine, Daryl Evans- Cleveland Call & Post, James Madison - Florida Sun.

June 13, 2020 A Message For You. I Messenger Media is continuing to provide thought-provoking, informative, enlightening, entertaining news, and commentary. 1 pm. on BlogTalkRadio.com.

NNPA’s Live Publishers Broadcast Hosted by Stacy M. Brown Journalist/Correspondent 12pm CST 1pm EST. Live on Facebook/BlackPress USA, Vimeo, and YouTube. 7 Kevin Seraaj- Orlando Advocate, Ruth Hopkins- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley Journal News, Terry B. Jones - Data News New Orleans, Thurman Jones- North

III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8 am.-10 am. Tune in for thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news and commentary. Join the conversation at 646200-0459 on Andrew’s World.

Garland ISD Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremonies, Garland High School at Williams Stadium 510 Stadium Dr. Garland. 8 pm. For more information and all of the details: garlandisd.net/graduation

Virtual Community Conversation-North Central Texas. Join Senator Royce West on a Virtual Community Conversation across Texas by attending this virtual town hall! This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Senator West’s experience, his vision for Texas, and ask questions. 6 pm – 7 pm. Register: www.mobilize.us.

June 11, 2020

A Message For You. I Messenger Media is continuing to provide thought-provoking, informative, enlightening, entertaining news, and commentary. 1 pm. on BlogTalkRadio.com.

A Message For You, hosted by Cheryl Smith, publisher of

Andrew’s World with host Andrew Whigham

June 17, 2020

JUNE 12, 2020

June 14, 2020

I MESSENGER

Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST. On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Call in and join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

Ask Dr. Amerson Listen to our Father’s Day segment ‘Motown Sounds’ on Ask Dr. Amerson, with musicians Legacy 4 Band and Music producer Phazz Clark at 11am CST. Healthy tips for hair care, scalp care, alopecia and more on DfwiRadio.com & FB Live.

Virtual Community Conversation-North East Texas. Join Senator Royce West on a Virtual Community Conversation across Texas by attending this virtual town hall!

This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Senator West’s experience, his vision for Texas, and ask questions. 7 pm – 8 pm. Register: www.mobilize.us.

June 18, 2020 A Message For You, hosted by Cheryl Smith, publisher of Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger. She is a veteran journalist and FAMU graduate, who currently serves as Secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists. Join in on Facebook/@ TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com at 11 am- 1pm. Questions ask Cheryl at 646-200-0459.

Virtual Community Conversation-South Central Texas. Join Senator Royce West on a Virtual Community Conversation across Texas by attending this virtual town hall! This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Senator West’s experience, his vision for Texas, and ask questions. 6 pm– 7 pm. Register: www.mobilize.com.

National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc Dallas Metropolitan Chapter 2020 Barbara Jordan Civic Engagement Webinar Series an engaging series aimed at educating our communities on the impact of civic engagement legislation. Topic: Becoming a Delegate or Precinct Chair at 7 pm. Register: www.ncbwdallas.org.

Valder Beebe Show That Celebrity Interview, daily shows on 411RadioNetwork.com & SoundCloud.com/valderbeebeshow; On-Demand (schedule) YouTube.com/ valderbeebeshow.

June 16, 2020 A Message For You, with Anthony Council Morehouse student and I Messenger Media intern. Anthony brings that perspective from those born in this century.

Live on Facebook/@TexasMetroNews and Blog Talk Radio.com Join in on the conversation.

Dallas Gazette.

A Message For You, “The Stimulus Show” with Marva

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myimessenger.com

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JUNE 12, 2020

JUNE 12, 2020

I MESSENGER

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myimessenger.com

That Fake $20 Bill Might Buy True Police Reform THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

BY THOMAS MUHAMMAD

I do not pretend to be a divine man, but I do believe in divine guidance, divine power and in the fulfillment of divine prophecy. I am not educated nor am I an expert in any particular field...but I am sincere and my sincerity is my credential!”

Malcolm X, March 12, 1964.

I used this quote by Malcolm to illustrate his honesty in challenging the civil rights leaders then to demand human rights. He reasoned that when you are seen as a fellow human your civil rights are given!

Listen to the vast majority of young Black protesters they are screaming that all they want is to be treated as human beings!

We are once again at a place when the plight of America’s Black masses has engulfed the world! This time people all over the world are taking a knee in an attempt to show solidarity with the image made famous by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who sacrificed losing his job spotlighting police abuse of Black Americans at the hands of white police officers.

There are now tons of images of police chiefs and ordinary officers taking a knee, some alongside protesters and one must admyimessenger.com

mit that yes it’s an awesome sight.

But to young folk on this emotional ride; don’t forget what brought you here!

Remember it was police murders and abuses; particularly of innocent Black males that has to stop now! In this moment of high visibility you must work toward a solution because a different, hateful emotion will soon follow this one and you’ll be right back where you were before George Floyd’s brutal death!

That horrendous image of a smirking and callous look on the face of Officer Derek Chauvin as his knee shoved in the neck of Brother Floyd, literally choking out his life out was akin to what many of us 1960s children saw on Emmett Till’s face as he lay in his coffin at his funeral.

Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, after being accused of offending a white woman in her family’s grocery store. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, demanded that he have an open casket funeral because she wanted the world to see what white bigotry did to her innocent son! Malcolm X went around the nation speaking and showing that picture to Black audiences to highlight hatred of Blacks in America!

And as a veteran of hundreds of protests, my life experiences have taught me that what is important in these types of events is to use this existing moment to come up with a solution that would avoid a

23

recurrence.

Let’s take that fake 20 dollar bill Floyd was supposed to have had and buy Strong Citizens Police Review Boards, complete with subpoena and investigative powers, with a solidly-financed budget for major cities across America!

By now it should be perfectly clear that police should never be allowed to investigate themselves, especially in possible murder charges or other types of physical abuse cases.

Here’s a case in point!

Officer Derek Chauvin had had 18 offenses lodged against him during his 18 years of working on the force, but not one complaint stuck until that faithful day when 17-year-old Darnella Frazier taped him committing a crime — taking Brother Floyd’s life.

A strong police review board of empowered citizens probably could have caught him on his second offense and gotten the department to terminate him from the force.

My long-time friend, Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison, now has formerly charged all four officers; including upgrading charges of Chauvin to 2nd degree murder. Justice seems assured!

But as Attorney Ellison warned the people of his state that this isn’t a slam dunk case, and based on my experiences he’s damn right! White juries have historically let cops off even in murder cases see STRUGGLE CONTINUES, page 24

JUNE 12, 2020

STRUGGLE CONTINUES, from page 23...

as horrible as the Floyd case.

A strong police review board, with the type of powers cited above, is the best answer for the future.

And yes be pissed off with President Donald Trump for his lack of feeling and his lack of calling for change in America’s policing tactics!

But, please folks don’t get caught up in the emotional partisan crap that political opportunists are trying to spread!

Let’s be honest!

Former President Barack Obama and Joe Biden, his Vice President, didn’t prioritize solving police abuse during their administration. In fact many of the names of Black people who suffered at the hands of police abuse happened under their watch!

The repercussions from a lack of actions climaxed into the stark killings of five white police who were systematically sniped from rooftops in downtown Dallas along with police ambushes throughout America done by Black ex-army soldiers.

Black Lives Matter was first birthed during the Obama/Biden administration in 2012 and lasted till the end of their term in the White House.

Beginning with Michael Brown to Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, and young 12-year-old Tamir Rice: killed while playing with a water pistol in a park.

Black ex-soldiers went on killing sprees seeking to revenge police JUNE 12, 2020

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killings. And you can best believe that if nothing meaningful comes from this latest killing those types of events happen again.

Biden is promising to create a National Police Oversight Board, should he be elected in November.

On that I’ll simply quote Brother Malcolm, “Time will tell!”

Let’s face it the reality is that video of Floyd’s killing and the fact that there are millions; primarily young White kids out of schools, unable to work and therefore have plenty of time on their hands, is the main reason these protests have been tremendously huge and have grown to world popularity. It’s also why the protests are peaceful and white cops are not wholesale killing protesters!

It would be very difficult to get away with that in the public. If they did there most definitely would be hell to pay from even white bigot conservatives!

In Dallas we collected 20,000 signatures in 1989 and placed a vote for a strong police review board on the ballot and we lost big time; because of a campaign led by the Dallas Police Association.

I will never forget how some Black elders in Black South Dallas told me, “Honey I’m gonna vote against you cause baby we need the police and y’all trying to get rid of em!”

It was a pure lie, but we were defenseless against the police union and its heavily-funded war chest that ran ads convincing seniors we were trying to close the department.

And if there’s one thing that has remained constant in the battle for true police reform is that white police unions everywhere will always stand in protection of bad cops and yes even bigoted cops

24

like Chauvin.

Don’t get me wrong, police are needed.

So you don’t believe we do? Tell me what would you do, if you left your home only to return and your home or car has been robbed.

Now tell me who you gonna call, the New Black Panther Party?

I love my dear brother, Aaron Michaels, a founder of the New Black Panther Party, but should I believe he can find and arrest the perpetrators that robbed me? Do you?

Hell no, he couldn’t!

Police are needed or there would be pure chaos right? We just simply want them to be held accountable to all of their taxpaying citizens, and not kill us over petty bul$/@;#t or physically abuse citizens, simply because some officer is having a bad day!

Of course there are some of my dear friends and comrades who are calling for abolishing police departments! And I’m saying okay I could be for that. But first you gotta convince me that crime could be eradicated without them.

I strongly believe it is the most crucial time for getting real police changes while America’s heartstrings are beating with the rhythm of police reforms.

Now is the time to spend that fake 20 dollar bill that cost a wonderful life; and buy some true police reforms before some fake civil rights political opportunists take charge and pull a con on ya!

Take this advice from an old protest veteran, Homey!

Until then the Struggle Continues…

Thomas Muhammad is Chairman of the National Black United Front(NBUF)- Dallas Texas Chapter

myimessenger.com

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JUNE 12, 2020

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JUNE 12, 2020

I MESSENGER

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Dr. Amerson adapts to Temporary Business Closure Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, has adapted to the temporary closure of LA's Hair and Scalp Clinic. We continue to offer our award-winning products to consumers. Our exclusive products are manufactured by a facility in Garland, TX. Premium quality natural ingredients are used to assist with dry, oily, itchy, flaky, inflammed scalps, as well as hair breakage, hair thinning and regrowth.

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JUNE 12, 2020

The Church and COVID-19 On “From Marva with Love,” we recently heard from Pastor Roy F. Jones, II, Pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Austin, TX. He is an extraordinary man of God who possesses a unique style of preaching and teaching the word of God with humility, power, and relevance. Pastor Jones is married to Willie M. Wooley, and they have a son Roy F. Jones, III. MS: Pastor Jones, you were called to be a minister in 1997.

How long after that, did you become a pastor?

RJ: I announced my call in 1997. I preached my first sermon in March of 1997, and my pastor that was 93 years old, passed in 1999 and I became the interim pastor in 1999, and about 21/2 years later, I became pastor. About three weeks ago, we celebrated 20 years as a pastor.

MS: How has it been pastoring? Have you experienced growth?

RJ: From my standpoint, I have grown. I’ve matured, and also, you learn that the most significant thing you’re doing is for the Lord, ministering. I have baptized children, and now I’m baptizing their children and watching their children grow. It has been a phenomenal experience. That you play an essential aspect in people’s lives, God would have you play a significant part in their lives’ baptism, marriage, and sometimes even JUNE 12, 2020

I MESSENGER

From Marva with

BY MARVA SNEED

Pastor Roy F. Jones

grief, you’re there. So what a joy and a blessing that God would have you in their lives.

You become family, and that’s the greatest blessing that anyone can have.

MS: How are you handling the challenges of helping your parishioners during this COVID pandemic?

RJ: One of the things we’ve done, and of course, when everything hit, it was complete

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chaos for every pastor because it’s new to everybody, not just pastors, businesses and everything. But one thing that I realize with social media and everyone on the internet, that there needs to be structure. So one of the things we do is Zoom. We still have our Sunday school meeting in the morning. I’ll come back and preach from my sanctuary in my house at the 11:00 hour so people can have structure cause if they don’t, folks will get on the internet, and what will happen is they will get stuff from everywhere. When I grew up, my mother and my grandmother taught me that you don’t eat at anybody’s table. With so much out there, you have to make sure that you give them the proper meal or (word of God) so they don’t eat everywhere because they could get food poisoning depending on where you eat.

Pastor Jones shares even more about the challenges of the COVID pandemic. To hear the full interview go to BlogTalKRadio.com Link: https:// bit.ly/3aCmWyA. Tune in to “From Marva with Love,” Fridays from 11 am-1 pm.

So stay tuned to Texas Metro News, Garland Journal, and I Messenger to read what Sports Editor Dorothy Gentry is sharing. To hear the full interview go to link: https://bit.ly/3aCmWyA BlogTalkRadio.com/Cheryl’s World to From Marva with Love.

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DSO, DBDT ANNOUNCE PERFORMANCE, TO HONOR GEORGE FLOYD The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) and Project Unity will hold a public concert to honor those who have lost their lives to racial violence and injustice – most recently, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Dallas’ Botham Jean.

The November 11 concert is a fundraiser for Project Unity, an organization founded by Pastor Richie Butler of St. Paul United Methodist Church. Project Unity works to unify Dallas by implementing community-building programs to help heal race relationships between law enforcement and Dallas citizens. The DSO and Project Unity partnered in 2019 for the inspiring Gospel Goes Classical concert.

“The events of recent months have been devastating and painful. We have reflected on how we as an organization can respond, and, with the magnitude of the crisis, we have more questions than answers,” said Kim Noltemy, of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. “How can we take a leadership role as an arts organization and respond in a meaningful way? How can we expand the DSO’s inclusivity on every level, and what can we do to build consensus to move forward to unite people of different backgrounds, races and ethnicities? As a first step, this concert will use music to unite and heal and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and deserved to be honored on a national level.”

“Since its founding in 1976 by Ann Williams, Dallas Black Dance myimessenger.com

Theatre has been committed to bridging cultures and will continue to educate and use dance to define our identity and values to advance a more just society,” said Melissa M. Young, Artistic Director.

Zenetta Drew, Executive Director of DBDT and member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Board of Governors added, “We are pleased to work with the DSO and Project Unity to honor those who lost their lives but who will be remembered and inspire us all to be catalysts for critical change in our communities.”

“The events of the past few weeks have left us hurting as a community with deep wounds that have been re-opened,” said Pastor Richie Butler. “It is in these times that we look to each other to make real change that is more than words on a page.

Project Unity’s mission is to bring the community together and to listen to everyone. With the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Black Dance Theatre, we will gather to do just that.”

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The program will include musical and dance performances and remarks from prominent Dallas leaders. The DSO will commission a new work for the occasion from Quinn Mason, a Dallas-based Black composer currently studying at SMU, to be premiered at the event. Students from the DSO’s Young Strings program, a 28-year old education initiative designed to increase diversity in America’s orchestras, will also perform.

“I am completely committed to moving the organization’s inclusion and diversity efforts forward as quickly as possible,” said Ms. Noltemy. “In recent years, the DSO has committed to authentic inclusion in audience development, education activities, board diversification and building on our inclusive hiring and business practices, but we have much more work to do.”

Tickets go on sales in August, and all social distancing and CDC guidelines will be practiced, both on the stage and in the audience.

JUNE 12, 2020

LL Cool J is Mad as Hell Legendary rapper’s tirades lead to blistering lyrics on current events

By Eva D. Coleman

oters and looters rock the country following the senseless murder of LL Cool J is hard as hell George Floyd.

Battle anybody I don’t care who LL made headlines and recently you tell experienced some backlash over I excel, they all fail wondering and asking what parGonna crack shells, Double-L ents of bi-racial children are saymust rock the bells ing during this time of unrest.

“What does the parent of a bi These famed lyrics by James racial child say to that child about Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J, from his 1985 song “Rock systemic racism? I’m curious.. I’m the Bells” ring true during the cur- a black man.. my mama was very rent state of affairs in the United clear. What do you say?” he asked States of America as protesters, ri- via Twitter.

JUNE 12, 2020

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This backlash caused LL’s anger to swell, and he let it all out during a live social media tirade where he often kept misplacing the word “neck” for “knee” all throughout as he responded to the image of George Floyd being pinned down

by Derek Chauvin in the tragic occurrence in Minneapolis, MN. A reply to a post LL made on his Instagram page of which he included protest photos captioned with “This is what America looks like on May 30th 2020” had the rapper come out of his “Ladies Love” character in his response back to the Instagram user, calling her a “hoe.”

LL came back even harder with raging lyrics that cut deep, showcasing his expert lyricism while expressing his anger and pain.

He starts by saying, “For 400 years you had your knees on our necks. A garden of evil with no seeds of respect.”

Staring squarely into the camera with watery eyes, his delivery references many injustices and cleverly weaves in names with play on words of many African Americans who have been slain, including many more besides the recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

“Sandra wasn’t bland, they hated Mike cause he Brown. Trayvon should have had an Aston Martin ridin’ around,” were verses he spit.

LL ends his powerful a cappella freestyle with “Black lives matter.

Forever.”

And they do. myimessenger.com

Hanging with Hollywood THE BLACK GODFATHER MOVIE REVIEW BY HOLLYWOOD HERNANDEZ

June is Black Music month and just in time for the celebration is a NETFLEX documentary by director Reginald Hudlin, THE BLACK GODFATHER. It’s an amazing story about African American Clarence Avant who is probably the most influential man in Black Music who you have never heard of. Amazing is the only word to describe the impact he’s left on Black Music and culture.

He began as a manager in Harlem in the late 1950s and only recently received his recognition with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019, at 84 years old. The names and the stories involved with his help to achieve success read like the history of Black Entertainment.

He worked in nightclubs helping to give legitimacy to artists like Sam Cooke and Dinah Washington and is credited with amazing deals with artists like Jam and Lewis, L.A. and Babyface, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones; and he even had a hand in brokering a deal to get Barack Obama the Democratic nomination for president. His daughter got her father’s blessing to work in Obama’s campaign. Even though he thought Obama would lose he is given most of the credit for getting the first Black president in office.

The loving story shared by all myimessenger.com

of the famous artists, athletes and politicians is an amazing and inspiring story of a man who always gave a “hand up” to African Americans who needed a hand. Even former president Bill Clinton talks about how Avant gave him the strength to keep going when Republicans were trying to kill his legacy and get him out of office. He says Avant advised him to stay the course and do his job.

There are so many jawdropping stories about artists who needed help and who got it from Clarence Avant. When Biggie was killed in Vegas it was Avant who got Puffy out of town by car so he wouldn’t be in public, catching a flight.

Puffy gives him credit for saving his life.

In another story Michael Jackson cut a soundtrack for the movie of ET and didn’t have permission from a rival record label to release it. Avant brokered that deal to get it released, leaving Michael so impressed that he hired Avant to be in charge of the Bad Tour.

The stories go on and on but Clarence Avant’s life story is a very enjoyable tale.

It’s on NETFLIX and on “My Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate THE BLACK GODFATHER a JUMBO!

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We’re open and ready to serve you!

Elaine’s Jamaican Kitchen

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

JUNE 12, 2020

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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 JUNE 12, 2020

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