T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 9 • July 8 - 14, 2021
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
Austin, we are watching Legislators are returning to Austin for a special session today. Some of the topics Texas Governor Greg Abbott hopes to achieve what he considers a favorable outcome are: prohibiting transgender people from participating in sports leagues that conform to their gender identity; teaching critical race theory; barring doctors from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs by mail or delivery service; social media censorship; and, early voting. If you pay attention to reports here, and almost any other place, about the 87th Legislative Session, you will discern that it won’t be a pleasant experience for many and especially the Democratic legislators. Vitriolic, tumultuous, stressful, challenging and mean spirited are just a few of the words used to describe the gathering in Austin earlier this year. One legislator said it was the “worst session I experienced in my six terms.” As we navigate through life, living with COVID 19 and gearing up for the midterm elections in 2022, you can’t help but feel a little anxiety. You’re about to be deluged with literature from candidates good and bad. You’ll be courted and challenged, maybe even threatened and antagonized. Or, possibly hoodwinked, if you don’t do your homework. Whatever the case, it is imperative that citizens start being more aggressive and informed so they can hold elected officials accountable, They must ask their elected officials to choose people over party and leave petty ways behind. There is too much at stake and the people should not be on the losing end.
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In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in the name of Jewel Davis Hill and sent to Huston-Tillotson University, her beloved Alma Mater (designating on the check that it is in her name): Huston-Tillotson University President’s Office c/o Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette 900 Chicon Street Austin, Texas 78702
Jewel Davis Hill
Donations can also be made online at (being sure to designate it in her name): https://htu.edu/general-fund
Meg-A-mazing The Potter’s House celebrates 25 years in Dallas
By Eva D. Coleman
Lifestyle & Culture Editor
Megachurches. Like them or not, there’s no denying the impact The Potter’s House, led by founder Bishop T.D. Jakes, has on the world. From individuals, couples and families to students, the formerly incarcerated and more, Bishop Jakes has come a long way from his first church, Greater Emmanuel Temple of Faith, founded in 1980 in Montgomery, West Virginia. A Fourth of July, Sunday morning celebration of 25 years in Dallas delivered the artistry of ministry, worship and praise. “We got a whole lot done in 25 years,” Bishop Jakes told the massive crowd in
attendance and those tuned in via live stream. Throughout the celebration, a hush came over the room as attendees smiled and swayed as Gospel great and featured musical guest Yolanda Adams sang her classic hit, Open My Heart. The Potter’s House members Pat Smith, Marvin Jones, Ayoka Lawson and Steven Sledge served as emcees, leading attendees through a journey that featured video tributes, vignettes of leaders impacted by the ministry and a series of clips from past services showcasing Bishop Jakes and many others. Smith is a 24-year member and ordained elder in the church, while Jones is a member known for his portrayal of Tobias Whale in the CW series See CELEBRATION, page 14
Bishop T.D. Jakes at The Potter’s House 25 Year Celebration
SMU Perkins five Black trailblazers changed face of campus – Part I
(Lt to Rt) A. Cecil Williams, James Lyles, James Hawkins, John Elliot, Negail Riley
I WAS JUST THINKING... By Norma Adams-Wade It was the early-1950s when lily-white began to fade as the only skin color seen on
campus at Southern Methodist University in North Dallas. That change was significant but not so remembered or discussed today. One has to dig deep to find much mention about the first five Black Southern Methodist University students. The time was 1952 – two years before the U. S. Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling
that ended segregation in public schools; at least legally on paper, though not much in reality. Rummaging through some local history documents, I ran across an utterly fascinating recollection of how AfricanAmericans became a part of the SMU student body that one researcher called “lily-white.”
Credit: SMU Perkins Bridwell Library
The pioneering Black students largely kept their distance from the main student body, yet successfully achieving their goal to graduate and claim their place in history. The five men were graduate students from other schools who entered SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, a private, See THINKING, page 3