VOL.8 NO. 40
July 15, 2020
See Election Coverage at
Please wear your mask and wash your hands!
www.texasmetronews.com
MY TRUTH
By Cheryl Smith,
Publisher
Social distancing/ healing dinner Have you ever second-guessed yourself and then found you had the best time of your life?
Chef Cassondra with Trey, who was celebrating his 50th birthday!
Sometimes you just don’t know what’s down that road, around that corner or over that mountain. You just have to have faith. Well, we’ve been social distancing for the past five months and in addition to the experience being challenging and frustrating; it can also be frightening and depressing. So, when you find yourself in an uplifting situation, it’s worth celebrating. Which brings me to my truth. Even as I got dressed for this special birthday dinner I had reservations. Sure I had been looking forward to visiting Diane at her new home, and the thought of being served a fivecourse meal by Chef Cassondra; was definitely a positive one because I have eaten her see MY TRUTH, page 15
Thousands view NNPA’s First Virtual Convention
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
The first virtual convention in the 80-year history of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) earned a thumbs-up from partners and sponsors. The successful event’s website, vitualnnpa2020.com, generated more than 55,000 page views two days. Several hundred thousand additional impressions were generated by social media posts and livestreams on Facebook and YouTube.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis
“We share in your excitement and applaud your efforts in successfully executing the first virtual NNPA Annual Convention,” Lester Booker, of General Motors Communications, wrote in a congratulatory email
to NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “Over the past two days, I’ve had the opportunity to view some of the convention and was impressed with its content, execution, and professionalism.” “The NNPA overall is pleased with the impact, the reach and the engagement across the United States and throughout the world for our first virtual convention,” NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., said. “This represents a tremen-
Apologies are nice but investments are better By Harrison L. Blair, President Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce To be honest, it’s difficult to work through all the “I’m so sorry” & “just checking in” calls and text messages from my white friends and colleagues.
see NNPA, page 12
Martin joins BIN: Black Information Network as on-air commentator “#RolandMartinUnfiltered” Podcast on iHeartPodcast Network New York, NY – July 14, 2020 – BIN: Black Information Network, the recently launched 24/7 comprehensive national audio news service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with
I WAS JUST THINKING By Norma Adams-Wade
Minnesota police officer J. Alexander “Alex” Kueng is caught in an unimagined racial bind. Kueng (pronounced “King”) is one of the less-known, four
Roland Martin
a Black voice and perspective, announced Monday that acclaimed American journalist, Roland S. Martin, has joined the network as a commentator. Martin will exclusively curate custom commentary segments for BIN to be broadcast daily throughout the network’s 24hour news feed.
I feel you, I really do. It is ok to check on your Black friends. We appreciate you professing your disdain for white supremacy and the general awakening that’s
see MARTIN, page 6
see INVESTMENT, page 7
Harrison Blair
Race rears its head in odd police twist 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 abusee THINKING, page 5
Minnesota rookie police officer J. Alexander “Alex” Kueng.