Redemption Scholars: Documentary on incarcerated individuals

By Ayesha Hana Shaji Texas Metro News Team

When Lauryn Whitney found out she was pregnant, on her first ultrasound, the doctor told her that she thought it was going to be a baby girl. Whitney was ecstatic. Fast forward to her 20-week ultrasound, the doctors confirmed it was going to be a baby boy. Whitney could not stop crying.

“I remember walking out of the room as we were heading home and my husband stopped me in the hallway and asked, ‘So why are you crying? We're having a healthy baby boy,’” she said. “And my only response was, ‘Yes, I know but I don't know how I'm going to protect him.’”

The mama bear instincts had kicked in. In a day and age where Black men are so blatantly targeted, Whitney said, she knew she was going to have to fight.

Recycling has become an increasingly important aspect of our lives, as we strive to protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. Okon Metals is a family-owned recycling company established in 1909. They’ve one of the largest public recycling facilities in the southwest with 20 acres of land, said Louis Okon, president of Okon Metals.

“We keep about 15,000 tons, which is about 30 million pounds, out of the landfill each month,” he said.

Okon Metals recycles cardboard, non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum, ferrous metals which are different grades of steel, magnets and they