Texas Metro News 5-13-21

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By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER

Women don’t get a break.

Especially Black women.

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SDBPW’s Club hosts Annual V. Alyce Foster Trailblazer Awards

South Dallas Business and Professional Women’s Club Members 2020

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

I hope you’ve paid attention to the chatter following the “bombshell” announcement by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has decided not to seek another term this Fall.

Full disclosure. I have mad love for the Mayor.

On a number of fronts our lives parallel: roots in Crawfordville, GA; attended Florida A&M University; Journalism majors; pledged the Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and, we are both mothers, but not by birth.

So, some may want to stop reading now because “Cheryl is going to be biased” and to those critics, I have two things to say: first if you think the majority of stuff you read and see does not have biases embedded within, well I say “chile please” and; secondly, the longer I live and the more I have to live with things like COVID, Trump, and self-haters who tear their people down, I say, “don’t come for me unless I send for you!”

See MY TRUTH, page 7

http://www.aclutx.org/ http://www.facebook.com/acluoftexas http://www.twitter.com/aclutx

TRAILBLAZERS!

• Vol. 9 • May 13 - 19, 2021

MY TRUTH

ACLU

Texas

Dr. Lindy Perkins - 33rd President

Hon. Willie Brown, Keynote Speaker

Pres. Perkins with Past Presidents 2020

The national award-winning South Dallas Business and Professional Women’s Club will host its 57th Annual V. Alyce Foster Trailblazer Awards Program Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 12noon. The virtual affair features the Honorable Willie Lewis Brown, Jr., former mayor of San Francisco, CA as the speaker.

The theme is “Continuing A Legacy of Strength, Courage and Dignity” and the event is free and open to the public. Go to Eventbrite.com and register for access to the Club’s signature event.

Almost six decades ago, one of the South Dallas Club charter members, Mrs. V. Alyce Foster, was tasked with introducing ways of financing Club projects and scholarship funds.

She chaired the Budget and Finance Committee and they “carried the idea of a Trailblazer Awards [event] to the Club for approval.”

Now, 57 years later, Club President Dr. Lindy M. Perkins, the 2021 Trailblazer Committee, and all the distinguished Club members have poured their time, finances and energy into months of planning to ensure that this year’s virtual Trailblazer Awards Program is a memorable occasion.

See TRAILBLAZER, page 8

John Lewis Voter Advancement Day of Action Votercade

By Texas Metro News Team

Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III

As hundreds gathered at Dallas City Hall to kick off the John Lewis Voter Advancement Day of Action Votercade, Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III of Friendship-West Baptist Church decried voter suppression efforts by legislators and urged citizens to become engaged to fight against those attempting to continue a long history of disenfranchising voters.

Joined by UNT Dallas College of Law Professor Cheryl Wattley, who spoke of the legacy of Congressman Lewis, and law student Ideisha Shanklin, ralliers carried signs

Hands off Our Vote! Defeat Voter Suppression and stood in solidarity as speakers provided a history lesson on the voting rights of America’s Voters of Color and Youth Voters. Organizers of the event collaborated with about 100 like events across the nation addressing how voting rights are under attack nationally by state legislators introducing and passing laws to suppress their participation in elections. They also called for passage of the For

the People Act (H.R. 1), the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4), D.C. Statehood and address the filibuster to do so.

Dr. Haynes also called attention to big business involvement in funding efforts to suppress the vote and said money should not be spent with those businesses that support and fund legislators and legislation that suppresses the vote.

The press conference at City Hall was the beginning of the efforts which was followed by the “Votercade” to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center, for the Empowerment Celebration.

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• Vol-9

• May 13 - 19, 2021

BRIEFS

COVID-19 vaccination clinics open in Dallas District 4

WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM LEGAL NOTICE Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for Two Permits

Dallas City Council Member Carolyn King Arnold spoke at Bethel ME Church about a partnership with Walmart to open two COVID-19 vaccination clinics in District 4. The vaccination clinics offer doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and no appointment is necessary, but the minimum age requirement is 18.

The clinics opened at Bethel AME Church, 1638 E. Ann Arbor Ave., Dallas, TX 75216 and the Beckley Saner Recreation Center, 114 W. Hobson Ave, Dallas, TX 75224

1. (BG) Wine and Beer Retailer's 2. (FB) Food and Beverage Certificate by Mr. Toby Mickle / entity dba: Mickle Chicken LLC Trade Name: Mickle Cajun Kitchen Hours of Operation are: 11am - 7pm (No late hours) To be located at: 3203 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. Dallas Tx 75237 Suite # 3203 Officers of said Corporation are: Mr. Toby Mickle / (No Partners)

Ed Bell Construction Company An Equal Opportunity Employer May 3, 2021 Ed Bell Construction is a Dallas based heavy highway contractor doing business in the North Texas market since 1963. With clients such as TxDOT, Dallas County Public Works, and the Cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Richardson and Mansfield (plus many others), we have a strong backlog of work in the highway market locally.

We are currently hiring for the following positions: • • • •

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Publisher : Cheryl Smith Editor: editor@myimessenger.com

Dozer Operator (Earthwork) Loader Operator (Earthwork) Excavator Operator (Earthwork) Motor Grader Operator (Earthwork)

Available: multiple openings Rate: Negotiable Must have own transportation Years of Experience required will vary, from 6 months to 2 years (depending on position) Physical and Drug Screen Required Must have a Clear Background Must be at least 18 years old (CDL Driver, 21 yrs) Must APPLY IN PERSON at 10605 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75220 from 7am-11am Mon-Fri. Please visit our website: www.edbellconstruction.com/careers Or email your resume to: careers@edbellconstruction.com

Address: 320 S.R.L. Thornton Freeway Suite 100 Dallas, Tx 75203 Website: www.texasmetronews.com Phone: 214-941-0110

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.

WASH HANDS WEAR MASK

MICKLE CAJUN KITCHEN 3203 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. Dallas, Tx 75237 Next Door to Java Lavender / Health & Nutritional Bar & Restaurant micklechickenllc@gmail.com 469.399.0007 Gumbo Ln.

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Parkland to host mobile vaccination event in Northwest Dallas 500 doses to be administered at event Parkland Health & Hospital System will host a mobile COVID-19 vaccination event on Saturday, May 15 in Northwest Dallas. Individuals over the age of 16 can receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine without an appointment between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at David G. Burnet Elementary School, 3200 Kinkaid Dr., Dallas, 75220. Individuals will need to bring a valid ID and minors must be accompanied by an adult. Parkland will return to the site at the same time on Saturday, June 5 to administer the second dose. Individuals can also go to Parkland’s drive-through vaccine sites at Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St., Dallas, 75232, or Dallas College-Eastfield Campus, 3737 Motley Dr., Mesquite, Dallas 75150 to receive their COVID-19 vaccination without an appointment between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday – Saturday. Both sites are open to those with an appointment from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The locations are closed on Sundays.

• May 13 - 19, 2021

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Texas Democrats on “Infamous Anti-Voter Senate Bill 7” AUSTIN, Texas -- Senate Bill 7 (SB 7) passed the Texas House last week and is likely heading to a conference committee this week to reconcile the Senate and House versions. Now rolled together into one shadily crafted, doubly damaging voter suppression bill, Republicans’ SB 7 and House Bill 6 have received national attention for being a barefaced attempt to resurrect Jim Crow. However, racist and harmful as they are, these bills are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Republican efforts to make voting harder for Texans. Texas Republicans have introduced a staggering 80-plus voter suppression bills this legislative session. Some of these include: • SB 1340, which could stop over 100,000 eligible Texans from registering to vote, potentially disenfranchising over 10 percent of new would be registrants. SB 1340 would require many Texans to provide documentary proof of citizenship before being registered to vote, introduce delays

between when a voter submits their registration form and when they can actually vote, and enshrine into law parts of Texas’ failed illegal voter purge from 2019.

• SB 1114 codifies the voter purge from a few years ago -- which was shot down by the courts -- targeting newly naturalized citizens, who are mostly Latino and Asian-American in Texas.

• HB 4507 would require Texas to separate its voter rolls for federal elections if federal law required the state to make voter registration more convenient for Texans. This would mean tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Texans would be registered and eligible to vote only for their members of Congress, Senators, and president, but not state legislators or local officials.

It is up for a vote on the House floor Wednesday.

• SB 1529 would create a new intermediate court of appeals that is elected See ANTI-VOTER BILL, page 13

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• May 13 - 19, 2021

The Question is…

WAKE UP AND STAY WOKE

By Dr. E. Faye Williams Question: “To defund or not to defund?” From my perspective, I see that question as a distraction from the “real” issue which is, “How do we reform ‘policing’ into true public safety?” I concur with those who advocate a realignment of law enforcement budgets to incorporate the employment of mental health and counseling personnel.

De-escalation must be incorporated into the police culture. When other options are dismissed and the first instinct is the use of lethal force, I call it murder. Incorporating these options, we might then be able to bring this cycle of Blacks being murdered by police to a necessary end.

Many learned analysts state their belief that “modern policing” evolved from the activities of the pre-Civil War slave-catchers. I will not argue, but I see post-emancipation as white America’s greater conundrum.

What to do with and how to manage free Negroes became their larger question. Social norms provided partial answers — separate segregated residential areas and restrictive social interaction. Policing provided the other answer — keeping the niggers where they belong — away from them.

Formerly enslaved people were an estimated 20% of the post-Civil War South population. There was fear of Black retribution. Wherever Blacks congregated, it was the norm to perceive them as ignorant beasts.

From the largest cities to the smallest towns, Black populations were confined to urban ghettos or “across the tracks,” with police serving to maintain the distance. From the beginning, “policing” for Blacks in policy and practice equaled “control,” not protection and service.

The civil rights era brought significant dissonance into the ranks of law enforcement. As the barriers and restrictions to social interaction gradually began to erode, “control” became an activity more difficult to define and justify. Exposure of police violence through the nati-

onal media (i.e., the March on the Edmund Pettis Bridge) gave rise to fewer Americans willing to accept police abuse. Law enforcement was fortunate in that the “majority opinion” gave them the benefit of the doubt to act as they felt appropriate.

They continued violence with renewed vigor.

Martial organizations generally form concretized cultures that change very slowly. When examined, military and police are shown to practice more rigid adherence to standardized procedures and practices. The old within the ranks of law enforcement teach the young and express the expectation an attitude of “we’ve always done things this way.” Training Officer Derek Chauvin is a prime example.

Technology has been a godsend in the fight against police brutality.

Smartphones make everyone who has one a potential videographer, and the truth of what we can see destroys a lie almost every time.

Since the filming of the Rodney King beating, video recordings have increasingly become a primary weapon in countering police misconduct. It has increased the confidence of every law-abiding Black citizen to resist police abuse.

It is my belief that the resultant loss of “control and power” has created a smoldering hostility in those inclined to use excessive force. Like the arrogance of Chauvin perched on the neck of George Floyd, many exercise a warped and distorted right to do what they want to demonstrate, to all who witness, continuing unlimited control.

As always and for what it is worth, I will attempt to offer a remedy. We must remember and acknowledge!

First, we must remember that, even during the depths of enslavement, we used our minds to frustrate the evil intent of our enemies. Without prejudging, we must acknowledge that the operational principle of any officer we encounter MAY BE “control with hostile intent.” Like a chess player, when faced with such evil, we must have the knowledge to anticipate and counter the actions of our adversaries. We must then acknowledge that, for us, “Officer Friendly” rarely exists.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her via www. nationalcongressbw.org.

Message to Grads:

Spend Nine Minutes and 29 Seconds to Make a Difference TO BE EQUAL

“If we can lift Black lives from the margins of society, we can lift all lives.”

– USC Law Professor Jody David Armour

By Marc Morial This week, I had the honor of delivering the commencement address at Tennessee State University.

Like many historically Black colleges and universities, TSU was born in the crucible of the age of segregation. It was born at a time when our forefathers and foremothers were escaping from the throes of the Ku Klux Klan. They were escaping from the pandemic of lynching which was sweeping the South. If they lived in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s, they may have had a chance to vote. A chance to hold public office. A chance to own property. Then in the late 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v.

Ferguson that legal segregation did not violate the U.S. Constitution.

For the sons and daughters of enslaved ancestors, that represented a great betrayal.

And in those times, just imagine the courage it took, the determination it took for the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, of our enslaved ancestors, to aspire to a college education.

That entire generation, faced with this betrayal, didn’t cover, and they didn’t quit.

They created great, historically Black colleges and universities. They created the NAACP and the organization I’m proud to lead, the National Urban League. They created the Alphas, the Kappas, the Omegas, the AKAs, the Deltas, Zeta Phi Beta, and all the rest.

They created organizations of Black doctors, and nurses, and

lawyers. And they were determined to strive against those difficult times.

What does that have to do with today? Well in 2020, the year just ended, our lives were upended by an invisible virus, an enemy we couldn’t see and we couldn’t touch. But it could see us, it could touch us, it could infect us, and it did kill us.

And our lives were upended, by nine minutes and 29 seconds of a knee on the neck of our brother George Floyd in Minneapolis. Nine minutes and 29 seconds that ignited a new flame of activism.

All of this presents a question to the Class of 2021 – a class that has withstood a year of virtual instruction, a massive wave of job loss, interacting from behind masks at a distance of six feet. The Class of 2021 has seen family members and friends fighting for their lives on ventilators. The Class of 2021 has overcome this invisible virus, and the challenge of those nine minutes and 29 seconds.

And that question is: What will you do now? Will you become spectators, or will you

seize the moment?

My charge to the Class of 2021 is to commit to nine minutes and 29 seconds each day to the fight for social justice and civil rights in this country.

Nine minutes and 28 seconds, spent urging the United States Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Nine minutes and 29 seconds spent telling states like Georgia: we will not be silent while you suppress our votes. Nine minutes and 29 seconds a day reaching back to your high school or community, serving as a role model and a guide for another young person.

Nine minutes and 29 seconds, every day, to honor the memory of George Floyd and all the men and women who have lost their lives to racially-motivated police violence. To honor the memory of the lives lost to structural racism in our health-care system during this awful pandemic.

Whether we graduated this week or 50 years ago, we all stand on the shoulders of the brave men and women who came before us, the men and women who built great universities in the crucible of Jim Crow, men and women who had the audacity to seek a college education against all odds.

We all should remember their courage and carry it with us as we work to build a nation without racism, without poverty, and without bitter division.

Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.

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• Vol-9

Spackling the Holes in Your Soul FAITHFUL UTTERANCES

By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew My daughter needed my help this weekend. She has some holes in the wall of her apartment and needed to get them covered. When she first moved, it was important for her to decorate her room with pictures and lights.

Realizing that she would be charged when she moves out, she had to hide the evidence of puncturing the walls. Spackling paste was a necessity. As we searched the aisles of a local store, we had to find the correct tools to apply the spackle to the wall.

Spackle is a putty that allows you to fill holes and small cracks. What makes it special is that it dries quickly and covers up the damage created.

Spackling does not just apply to walls. Life is messy, complicated, and sometimes painful. Life circumstances can create holes in our spirits leaving us exposed and struggling in our hearts and minds. Instead of addressing the root cause of the wound, we often soothe it with temporary coverings. These temporary coverings can start off small.

It is taking a bite of something decant here and there. It is smoking (legal or not) because it calms us down. It is drinking a few glasses of wine before we go to bed to relax. If we are not careful, these small moments of pleasure increase and become full blown addictions, but never really addresses the traumas that we endure.

More and more organizations are becoming aware of trauma and its impact on its clients.

Instead of focusing on what is wrong with a person, it focuses on what happened to a person. Yet, I do not think many of us think

about all of the traumas we have encountered especially as Black people in America.

We experience triggers and are re-triggered often without even knowing it.

We do not feel safe. Our trust has been broken and transparency is often nonexistent until caught on camera.

As much as the church recognizes the need for healing, it is imperative that we acknowledge the trauma.

It also means that many churches must pay attention to the trauma they have also caused through ‘church hurt.’

Trauma is not new.

Throughout the Bible, there are examples of Jesus healing those who were blind. Some believed their blindness was just something that happened, others saw it as a sin the person

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

(Isaiah 53:5) committed or that someone else sinned and their decision impacted the person. In John 9: 3, it states, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

In Matthew 9:27-29 there is another example of Jesus healing the blind: “27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe

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that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” No matter how it happened, they were still wounded and suffering from the trauma of blindness. They knew they needed healing and something different.

When we hide our wounds with our choice of spackle, we are ultimately experiencing a form of blindness. We are unable to really see how the pain is impacting our lives and those around us. It is important to acknowledge our situation. Instead of covering it up, own it. It isn’t about staying focused on the wound.

It’s about focusing on the healing beyond the emotional or physical.

Our wounds impact our spirits. Are you crying aloud for help and going after your healing at all costs because you realize you deserve more than spackle as a cover? Do you believe that it is possible to receive healing and knowing that your belief will determine what happens?

Believing that God is more than able “to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…”

(Ephesians 3:20-21) Are you working in your own power or in the power of God? If you are working in your power, the spackling putty will only temporarily address the issue. Real healing begins in recognizing that it is available for you-- “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Realize the trauma, go get your healing and leave the spackle where it belongs.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the host of the Tapestry Podcast and the author of three books for women.

She is also the Vice President of Community Affairs for the State Fair of Texas. To learn more, visit drfroswa.com.

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• May 13 - 19, 2021

OLDER S N A C I R E M A MONTH N O I T A R B E C EL A SPECIAL DRIVE-THRU ENGAGEMENT!

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• May 13 - 19, 2021

Virtual and liVe Community Calendar National Foster Care Month Mental Health Month Lupus Month May 13-16 Jubilee Theatre Presents Pooled by Moses T. Alexander Green. Tickets: Box Office if you have any questions, Tuesday-Friday 12pm-5p as 817 338-4411.

May 13 AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for Better Sleep. Reg: https://bit.ly/3dswZtO. 9-10 pm. CDT. The Crimson Connection B.O.S.S. Edition: Scholarships. Event by Southwest Dallas County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Facebook Live at 10 pm CDT. Reg: https://bit. ly/3xTPjV0.

3rd Annual Pizza Fest, host Dallas Pizza Fest.

At Bottled Blonde Dallas, 505 N. Good Latimer Expy. 12-8 pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.

Watch My Shoes Rooftop Day Party @ Lava Cantina 5805 Grandscape Blvd. The Colony. 2-8 pm. Tickets: maturepartycrowd.com AKAnomics: Maximize Your Personal Wealth. Host Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Sigma Omega Chapter. 9-10:30 am CDT. Online: regionsbank.webex.com.

Neo-Soul Day Party. Event by Young Black Entrepreneurs Networking. One Love Lounge Caribbean Restaurant, 2315 S. Cooper St. Arlington, at 3 pm–8 pm CDT. Tickets: $10 https:// bit.ly/3gWWq8S. Cheryl’s World Presents Debra Brown-Sturns.

Guest: Cassandra Rowe LPC-S. On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com.

Call in and join the conversation at 646-2000459. 12-2 pm.

Racial Healing Book Club, Spring 2021. Event by South Florida PoC, 6-7:30 pm CDT. Event via Eventbrite.com.

Master 5 Money Questions for Women: Take Control of Your Financial Future Event by The Saint Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 10 am-12 pm. Reg: by Fri. 5-14 at bit.ly/FinancialFortitudeWorkshop.

Friendship West & Hunger Busters partnership Food Give Away Drive-Thru & Walk Up Distribution at 2020 W. Wheatland Rd. 10 am.

DeSoto Military Appreciation. Event by City of DeSoto, Texas - City Hall, 211 E. Pleasant Run Rd. 4:30-5:30.

May 14 From Marva with Love, with Marva Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

M.A.D.E. Dallas host Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood. 4-8 pm.

DFW Apartment Industry Career Fair. Event by InterSolutions at The Regent Apartments, 17717 Preston Rd. Dallas. 11 am-2 pm. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3uHI7ck.

Jazz-N-DVille, On the Patio at Mudhook, 106 Main St., Duncanville. 6-7:15 pm.

Tank at Club Flirt, 3008 E. Pioneer Pkwy Arlington 9 pm -2 am.

May 15 Happy Birthday to Norma Adams-Wade AARP Texas Meditation Series: Meditation for How to Meditate. Reg: https://bit.ly/3dswZtO. 2-3 pm. CDT. Southern University Alumni Federation-Dallas Chapter Presents The 38th Annual Bayou Bash. Drive-Thru Edition.

4-8 pm. At the African American Museum, 3536 Grand Ave. Dallas. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.

DFW Grown & Greek Day Party, HBCU Alumni United Edition.

3- 8pm @ Local Tap & Table, 3333 Harry Hines Blvd #100, Dallas. At RSVP Free Admission at www.LocalTap.eventbrite.com.

May 16 The World According to Drew, host Andrew Whigham, III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. It’s thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459.

Ubuntu Market for Small Business. Malcolm X Edition. Hosted by Pan African Connection, 4466 Marsalis, Dallas. 12-5 pm.

For vendor Info: Email: adjwoahogue@ yahoo.com or call 214-943-8262.

The Case for Reparations: An Online Presentation. Event by Melaneyes Media and Walk On The River Online Event at 7 pm CDT. Tickets: bit.ly/2021-reparationsMM. Sunday Drum Circle. Hosted by Pan African Connection, 4466 Marsalis, Dallas. 2:30-4:30 pm. Email: Panafric@airmail.net Grand Rapids Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. presents May Week Scholarship Celebration. Online: 2021mayweek. eventbrite.com. 2-3:30 pm. CDT Love & Sip 2. Event by In The Spirit Entertainment, LLC and Foundation, Inc. Online Eventbrite.com. 1-6 pm. CDT.

May 17 Burnet Elementary Neighborhood Park Celebration. Event

by Texas Trees Foundation. Coffee in the Park 7:30 am, Community Picnic 6:30 pm, and Art and Park Tour 6:30 pm. David G. Burnet Elementary, 3200 Kinkaid Dr. All The Way With Dr. J, host Kyev & Tonya Tatum. Dr. Jared Williams Ft. Worth City Council District 6. At 8717Garden Springs Dr., Ft. Worth. 6-8-pm. Info: Tonya Tatum, 817-313-8215.

May 18 THE DOC SHEP SPEAKS SHOW! From 11 am. CST on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, @fnsconsulting, and You Tube @ docshepspeaks The Jirah Nicole Show with Jirah Nicole Mickle. From 11 am-1 pm. CST Tuesday’s on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews & BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

Stacey Abrams in conversation with Joshilyn Jackson. Event by Decatur Book Festival.

6 pm CDT. Eventbrite.com.

A Real Conversation With Sunny Hostin. Hosted by Harriette Cole Host AARP Black Community Online at Facebook.com/AARP Black Community at 4 pm CDT.

May 19 I Was Just Thinking with Norma Adams-Wade. From 11 am -1 pm. CST On Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646200-0459.

Ask Dr. Amerson with Dr. Linda Amerson.12 pm. CST @DFWiRadio.com, and Live on Facebook @DrLindaAmerson Malcolm X: The Visual Guide. Event hosted by 360 Collective. Online with Facebook.com/360 Collective Live. 7 pm. CST. Spring Membership Meeting host National Forum for Black Public Administrators North TX. Online: Eventbrite.com. 2 pm.

May 20 Happy Birthday to Ashley Moss SoulJazz Thursdays Feat: Natural Change Band at Sandaga 813, 813 Exposition Ave. 8 pm-12 am. Visit: sandaga813.com.

Linny Nance and The Network at The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St. 7-10 pm.

May 21

M.A.D.E. Dallas host Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood.

4-8 pm.

From Marva with Love, with Marva Sneed. 11 am -1 pm. CST, Fridays on Facebook Live/@TexasMetroNews, and BlogTalkRadio.com. Join the conversation at 646-200-0459.

BlackTOP Healing Circle. Event by Texas Organizing Project. Reg ASAP: us02web.zoom.us. 6-9 pm. Info: Terrance “TK” Koontz, Tkoontz@texasorganize.org

May 22 Cheryl’s World Presents Debra Brown-Sturns. On Facebook.com/Texas Metro News and BlogTalkRadio.com. 12-2 pm. Join the conversation 646-200-0459.

The Taste of Fort Worth at 3823 E Loop 820 S, Fort Worth.

Event by Shoedacious Shoes. 12 pm. Tickets: https://bit. ly/3hiSCPK. Delta Authors on Tour. Event by Detroit Deltas. Reg. At: bit.ly/MidwestDAOTReg. 12-2 pm CDT. For info: ArtsandLetters@DetroitDelta. org.

Dinner en Rouge A Signature Event.

Event host D’Estee, Inc. A Non-Profit. And Chicago Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Tickets: https://bit. ly/3o8nnrU. 6-9 pm CDT.

May 23 Happy Birthday to Anthony Council The World According to Drew, host Andrew Whigham, III on BlogTalkRadio.com 8-10 am. It’s thought-provoking, enlightening, informative, and entertaining news commentary. Join the call at 646-200-0459.

Sunday Drum Circle. Hosted by Pan African Connection, 4466 Marsalis, Dallas. 2:30-4:30 pm. Email: Panafric@airmail.net

BLACK LIVES MATTER

• Vol-9

Who said ‘Never say Never?”

WHAT’S ON MILES’ MIND

By Miles Jaye Who said never say never?

Who claimed it was wise to never say never? Never is a powerful term. Never precludes the opportunity or possibility of a particular thing taking place at present, or more importantly, in the near or distant future.

Never, say never? The inability to affirm or to swear never is an indication of an inability to, or prediction of, failure to honor an oath, pledge or promise to others or to oneself.

An oath is by definition a promise, commitment, vow, or a pledge. Doesn’t “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands-- one Nation, (Under God), indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” assert, I will never betray my country?

Consider the irony of this police officers’ oath. He or she pledges to never betray their integrity. “On my honor, I will never betray my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to

hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always maintain the highest ethical standards and uphold the values of my community, and the agency I serve.”

One could argue that Donald Trump betrayed his country and should have never been elected President. The dystopia brought on by the Trump kleptocracy is at best inexcusable and at worst, irreversible. The damage inflicted on this already struggling Democracy by him, his family and his criminal miscreant cronies is immeasurable. The setbacks to human and civil rights are beyond any analytic diagnostic. It should have never happened. He should have never happened to us. He should never have been given keys to the White House.

One could argue that President Donald Trump revealed the true nature and depths of ignorance, prejudice, xenophobia, institutionalized racism, and systemic stupidity camouflaged as heritage and American tradition. I would argue, the true danger in Trumpism is that it reveals, promotes, and endorses the true nature and depth of ignorance, prejudice, xenophobia, institutionalized racism, and systemic stupidity camouflaged as heritage and

American tradition. Trumpism continues to provide agency and legitimacy to the likes of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Trump’s bigotry supplies encouragement and imparts permission to the passionate, and far too prevalent, violent racists among us. He fuels the engine of fear of a browning America and the frustration brought on by a diminishing white middle-class and the white privilege it engenders.

Why continue to write about Donald Trump? Because it should give rise to a public outcry-- never again. Trump exposed America’s vulnerability to greed, conspiracy and criminal enterprise and he hasn’t gone away. His movement remains alive and well. Unprotected by the Constitution, a common sense of decency, and absent a spirit of equity as outlined by the Declaration of Independence, we were caught with our skirt up with a trail of toilet tissue hanging from our rear-- our behind exposed to the world. He was openly mocked; we were openly mocked, so let’s say it loud and say it together…

NEVER AGAIN! That’s what’s on my mind.

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

Who is Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms?

Keisha Lance Bottoms is the 60th Mayor of Atlanta.

A daughter of Atlanta, Mayor Bottoms is committed to realizing her vision of One Atlanta – an affordable, resilient and equitable Atlanta – which stands as a model city for both commerce and compassion.

A lifelong public servant, Mayor Bottoms is the only Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government, serving as a judge and City Councilmember before being sworn in as Mayor.

Leading with a progressive agenda focused on equity and affordable housing, Mayor Bottoms serves as Chair of the Community Development and Housing Committee and the Census Task Force for the United States Conference of Mayors.

Georgia Trend magazine named Mayor Bottoms the

60th Mayor of the City of Atlanta 2020 Georgian of the Year.

Among Mayor Bottoms’ notable accomplishments to date include the establishment of the City’s first fully-staffed Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the appointments of a LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator and a Human Trafficking Fellow, the citywide elimination of cash bail bond, the closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center to ICE detainees, and the rollout of the most farreaching financial transparency platform in the City’s history – Atlanta’s Open Checkbook.

In 2020, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights (LCCR) Under Law awarded Mayor Bottoms the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award in recognition of her equity-

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driven leadership to help guide and protect marginalized communities.

In October, Mayor Bottoms was named one of Glamour’s 2020 women of the year. Mayor Bottoms was honored as a BET 100 Entertainer and Innovator of the Year in 2020, and named Smart Cities Dive’s 2020 Leader of the Year.

Under Mayor Bottoms’ leadership, the City of Atlanta led the historically successful staging of Super Bowl LIII, which included unprecedented community benefits – a $2.4 million renovation of John F. Kennedy Park on Atlanta’s Westside, more than 20,000 trees planted throughout the community and the seamless coordination of 40 federal, state and local public safety agencies.

A product of Atlanta Public Schools, Mayor Bottoms graduated

from Frederick Douglass High School and received her undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law. An active member of the community, Mayor Bottoms is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Jack and Jill of America, The Links, Incorporated, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She has also served on the board of Families First and shares her personal story of adoption and advocates on behalf of adoption and foster care.

Mayor Bottoms is the daughter of Sylvia Robinson and R&B icon Major Lance. She resides in historic Southwest Atlanta with her husband, Derek W. Bottoms, their four children- Lance, Langston, Lennox and Lincoln, and their family dogs Ace and Zeus.

• May 13 - 19, 2021

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My Truth from page 1

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

In three words: I’m not apologizing.

In another eight words, I’m sick of people tearing Black women down.

We’re too strong, weak, mean, angry, et al. I can’t go on because I get sicker with every adjective.

Black women catch hell from all sides and angles and then the ones who should be the most supportive are the biggest damned critics!

OTHER WOMEN! No, let me call it like it is — OTHER BLACK WOMEN! Which brings me to my truth.

It was frustrating to hear and read comments as folks far and wide speculated about why Mayor Lance Bottoms would not seek another term. There was talk about President Biden, a large drugstore chain job, pursuit of another office, etc. Atlanta’s rising crime rate, jail issues, investigations of previous administrations, and more were fodder for those needing something to say. There was also talk of her being “tired, angry,” and yes, “salty.”

In her video, the Mayor talked about challenges and triumphs.

She definitely had to face some situations that no one could have prepared her for because there’s no one else alive who has encountered a pandemic of the magnitude of COVID-19 and it is so disingenuous to hear people try to reason that COVID -19 is not having an impact on everything.

It’s been challenging for leadership and I know folks have to have something to do, so they speculate.

It makes them feel good inside.

But haven’t you learned anything from the death of actor, humanitarian Chadwick Boseman.

Da 5 Bloods co-star Clarke Peters, following Mr. Boseman’s death, said he recalled seeing his co-star being pampered on the set and thinking, “maybe the Black Panther thing went to his head.”

Mr. Peters said he regretted those thoughts, because at the time he didn’t know that Mr. Boseman had

been battling colon cancer for the past four years.

We don’t know Mayor Lance Bottom’s journey. What we do know is that she has some serious receipts and if you do the homework her legacy is intact because she has served in numerous capacities throughout her lifetime and prayerfully she has many more decades to go.

Heck, if she wants to put her law degree to work to serve, joining the likes of Atty. Ben Crump; or if she wants to put that J-School degree to work, doors are open even right here at Texas Metro News; or if she wants to stay home with the children; teach at FAMU’s Law School or she can go back to the bench as a judge; assume a leadership post with Delta Sigma Theta; or, become a college, preferably HBCU, president; it’s her life, her journey.

Get yourself some business, because when your time is all said and done, will it have been spent talking about what others have done or will you have done something worth celebrating or sharing in history books?

Wow! Yes, I am here in Texas with enough issues of my own as I am sure I am going to be accosted by some unsuspecting person who comes for Fort Worth Mayoral Candidate Deborah Peoples as she faces a candidate in a runoff election where if elected she will become the Cowtown’s first Black female mayor.

Heck. First Black mayor!

Unfortunately Ms. Peoples, is dealing with some of the same hateration where folks just have something negative to say.

I’m not saying don’t criticize.

What I am saying is “know what you are talking about.” Bring receipts or shut up.

If you want help living a life without regrets: you can begin by pledging to stop being so damned judgmental!

Mayor Keisha is living her life.

Live yours.

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• May 13 - 19, 2021

South Dallas Business and Professional Women’s Club

Trailblazer Committee 2020-2021

President Perkins with South Dallas Youth Club

1st Vice President Ollie Gilstrap, President Perkins and 2nd VP Katrinia Bivins

Pat Carroll (center) Trailblazer Chair Brenda Murphy and Ella Johnson, Co-Chairs

President Perkins with Ombudsmen 2020-2021

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MetroNews 9 South Dallas Club’s 2021 V. Alyce Foster Trailblazer Award Honorees

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• Vol-9

• May 13 - 19, 2021

Camryn Makenna Upshaw Youth Achiever Award

Xavier Coleman Man of the Year

Cheryl Wyatt Professional Woman Award

Staff Sgt. Homer Hogues Meritorious Service

Cynthia Marshall Trailblazer

Dana M. Franklin Holden Woman of the Year

Debra Peek-Haynes Sojourner Truth Award

Gwendolyn Lawe Trailblazer Award

Judge Dominique Collins Ombudswoman Award

Stephen Mason Trailblazer Award

Mary Jo Evans Community Service

Rev. Oscar Epps Humanitarian Award

Minister Clara Crear Volunteer Service

Montanna Mitchem Mabel Meshach White Business Woman Award

South Dallas Club’s 2021 Scholarship Recipients

Aislynn George Yvonne A. Ewell Townview

Chloe Brackens Yvonne A. Ewell Townview

Javon Brown DeSoto High School

Elsabet Samuel Lakeview High School

Lakyria Jones Yvonne A. Ewell Townview

Erin Renfro Duncanville High School

Macie McCorkle Duncanville High School

SDBPWC Executive Board 2020

Evan Davis Yvonne A. Ewell Townview

Michelle Kalu DeSoto High School

Jada Leonard Village Tech Schools

Shannon Lewis Cedar Hill High School

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• May 13 - 19, 2021

Wrath of Man Deciding to Move On AT THE MOVIES

By Hollywood Hernandez WRATH OF MAN has Jason Strathan cast in the familiar action/adventure role, which he plays so well. Strathan teams up with action film director Guy Ritchie to play the kind of roles they are both good at.

Strathan plays a character simply known as H who has a mysterious past and goes to work for a truck delivery company that hauls millions in cash to companies all over the Los Angeles area.

Early in the film, while off duty, H is called in on a heist with his teenage son in tow. His son is killed during the robbery and he spends the rest of the film looking for revenge on the man who murdered his son.

Ritchie has a unique directing style where he puts together a tight nite group of actors who seem to improvise the scenes to the point where you never know what’s going to happen next.

It’s a very creative way to tell the story.

There’s plenty of gunplay and violence in the film and the movie earns its R Rating. The movie is based on a French film called Le Convoyeur, which came out in 2004, and it has a little bit of humor at the start but it winds up with a very serious ending of the film.

Neither Strathan or Ritchie is at their best in the film, but overall WRATH OF MAN is a very entertaining action/adventure film. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” WRATH OF MAN rates a LARGE.

a little more time with this sorta thing, doesn’t it?

While working through the heartache, keep in mind ASK – after a break-up, we think…

ALMA and ponder…and reminisce… about how we wish it could

By Alma Gill have been. I call that the Dear Alma, coulda, shoulda, woulda I have been with this stage. Since you will be person for six years, and thinking about it, for a little we’ve had our up and downs, while anyway, put yourself like any relationship. We are on the path of thinking about living apart but he still wants the real deal of what’s been us to keep our friendship. I happening for the past six don’t, because he needs to get years. Write it down. That himself together financially way, you can recall and and mentally. reread what Basically, I feel "Some people stay really happened if someone truly in an unfulfilled and how it made loves you they relationship for you feel. will do whatever Now, the next the sake of being it takes to be with step toward the person. He’s in a relationship, moving on – just not moving and that’s never a take the time to fast enough for healthy decision." refuel. I’d suggest me. I do love him focusing on and want to be with him, but what brings you strength. If I can’t wait any longer. Now there’s a particular minister my problem is trying to move or motivational speaker you on and forget him. What’s the like, listen to them, every best way to handle this? day. If you like to walk, run, Anonymous dance, workout, swim, do that for yourself – every Dear Anonymous, day – or as much as you can.

Six is the magic number. Download your best pickSo you’ve been with him me-up songs on your iPod, for six years. You guys don’t and listen to them. Hum live together; you aren’t along and take it all in. engaged, and he needs to Let’s imagine you’re get it together. He wants to preparing to take a long continue a “friendship,” but road trip. Close your eyes, you want more, and since he see yourself at a gas station; hasn’t obliged, you’re ready you’re filling up your tank to move on.

– a red sports car, I hope, First, I applaud you for LOL. Do the same for your making the decision to break heart – refuel. Keep busy, it off, redefine, redirect find a new hobby. How about and find your joy. Some volunteering at church, with people stay in an unfulfilled the elderly, a charity, or with relationship for the sake kids? Take the focus off him of being in a relationship, and focus on you. Use this and that’s never a healthy time to allow yourself to work decision. on being the best person you Truth be told, let’s give him can be who without a doubt credit: a friendship is all that is taking the time to live her he wants, and a friendship life to the fullest. You can do is all that he has to offer – it! to you. You, on the other Alma hand, have decided that’s not enough, and that’s okay. You Alma Gill’s newsroom exknow you better than anyone perience spans more than 25 including various roles else. By making the decision years, at USA Today, Newsday and to break it off and move on in the Washington Post. Email your mind, all you need now questions to: alwaysaskalma@ Follow her on Faceis for your heart to catch on. gmail.com. book at “Ask Alma” and twitter That ol’ heart always takes @almaaskalma.

The Black Beauty Industry– A Backbone of Our Community LOS ANGELES SENTINEL – Historically, the Black community is resilient and strong in the face of adversity. From the way we do hair and provide personalized care to the community we create around that tradition, are some of the many things that make Black salon so special. For generations, barber and beauty salons have been a safe haven for education and solidarity.

For many Black women the hair salon is an attainable means of community, support, and all-around self-care. The salon is a renowned place where we can discuss the chronicles of our day-to-day lives to local news highlights from the comfort of a salon chair.

are some of the many things that make Black salon so special. For generations, barber and beauty For many Black women the salons have been a safe haven for hair salon is an attainable means education and solidarity. Howevof community, support, and all- er, it’s important to note that the around self-care. The salon is a Black hair industry is employed renowned place where we can dis- predominantly by workers that are cuss the chronicles of our day-to- overworked and underpaid. Salon day lives to local news highlights workers have remained dedicated from the comfort of a salon chair. to their industry out of passion for As COVID-19 brought the craft, despite the the world to an abrupt challenges of being stop, many professionuninsured and overal Black hair stylists looked in the height of faced a challenge with the current COVID-19 how they would conpandemic. The COVID tinue to support themaftermath has left Afselves and service their rican Americans in customers. In South the hair care business LA where barbershops under financial stress, Astrid Williams and salons are cultural given the inconsistent Courtesy photo hotspots and gathering stay-at-home orders places the lockdown has hit both and social distancing restrictions the hairstylists and the communi- that limit clientele. ty hard. Many Black barbers and Since the onset of the coronavihair stylists went underground to rus, our local hair salons and barsupport themselves during the bershops have remained resilient shut-down and they have slowly through the trials of the pandemic begun to return to their salons with in unforeseen ways. In this coma newfound sense of community. mentary, we look to uplift a couple Historically, the Black com- of their stories in appreciation for munity is resilient and strong in all they have done to hold our comthe face of adversity. From the munities together through these way we do hair and provide per- trying times. The hair stylists who sonalized care to the community were interviewed for this story prewe create around that tradition, See BLACK BEAUTY, page 11

By Astrid Williams & Kaela Thomas The Los Angeles Sentinel

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• Vol-9

• May 13 - 19, 2021

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BIG MAMA SAID:

“Baby it will be OK, DMX had a Big Mama” BLACK CARD

By Terry Allen I am amazed at how many times, even during tragedy, Big Mama said, “Baby it is going to be ok!” What is amazing is how many times she was right! I recall with strong emotion how many times I have called her and/or sit with her to listen.

Yet Big Mama sensed that she needed to ask the right questions and use her “Mother Wit” to tell the right story so her listener could see that no matter what the situation was, at the end, it will be OK! My grandmother, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen had a built-in audience of listeners. I called them her clients because her back porch was a gathering place for her to render her healing stories to all who stopped bye.

She had Tele med before there was a pandemic because when I could not be on the back porch, I could be on that telephone listening to her God-driven playbook.

Her immediate patients consisted of her three sons and three daughters, 16 grandchildren, 50 great grandchildren, 38 great-great grandchildren, seven great great-great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and bonus family members. Her ‘bonus’ family members were people on their life journey whom she helped.

I remember, in particular, Mr. Henry. I am not sure how he came to the back porch. After she heard his story, he stayed with us throughout my childhood. I remember her telling him, “Henry you can stay with us! It ain’t the Hilton but it’s a room for you to lay your head without worry!”

She was my OK person. No matter what turmoil I was going through she would weave a bi-

Black Beauty from page 10 ferred to remain anonymous out of anguish for dismissing regulations and fear of fines. They shared their concerns with the myriad of issues surrounding financial constraints and uncertainty. One salon owner interviewed shared, “I’m only taking regulars and not fully open” as a need to continue to earn a living and produce income. Another hairstylist shared a detailed account of her experience as a full-time stylist in the midst of the pandemic, she spoke

praises of her faithful clients that remained in contact with her for at-home hairstyling tips. She kept productive with her time by continuing to educate herself in her craft, specifically by taking braiding and manicuring classes online. Even through the chaos of the COVID-19 crisis, she was able to name some meaningful lessons – “I’m not buying as many products as I used to, because I realized I could make a lot of the things I was purchasing on my own.”

blical tale of wisdom. At the end of that story, you were emotionally strengthened and knew it would be OK! Hands Down!

When Mr. Henry died, he had never reconciled with his family and I felt bad about that. Big Mama said, “Son keep your first mind because Henry is walking with his First Father now in heaven, I can assure you, he is ok!”

She had been right all these times so I had no worries. I feel that wisdom when they talk

about the sudden tragic life of Earl Simmons, a.k.a. DMX. The focus seems to be on his demons, not his victory.

There seems to be a failure to praise his spiritual imprint on the lives of all of us with his healing messages infused in his music while reflecting his journey!

DMX died. He had no imitators because there was no way to mimic the life journey that forged him. He was a gigantic

The local non-profit, Black Women for Wellness is an advocate for our community and longtime supporter of Black businesses in the local community. They have worked closely with the professionals in the Black beauty industry. Along with the new guidelines and regulations for shop reopenings they have supported Black businesses by providing personal protective equipment to offer shop owners face shields, masks and sanitation materials. We want to continue to be a support to those that have been adversely affected by the impacts

of the pandemic and continue to help uplift our community during this time that we need it most.

Black beauty salons are the backbone of our community. Black salons serve as a place of refuge in a world that often negates Black women’s value, and the beauty is that the limits of a salon are boundless. We would like to recognize the contributions of Black beauty professionals for their dedication to the industry and resilience in remaining strong during these challenging times we are facing. Black beauty professionals are central to our com-

self-starter and a healer. Even when DMX was the most popular rapper on the planet, he was a class of one! He was a Ruff Ryder who brought healing and unapologetic blackness at all times. He ruled his stage and wordsmith domain. His successes felt more like a purging than a victory. Although he was a vessel for profound pain, he also healed his listeners. In his latest video “I Miss You” featuring R&B icon Faith Evans, he said his great grandmother said to him, “Baby It’s Gonna be OK.” Amen!

I thank Big Mama today for reminding me that when death occurs, it has its OK quality. Big Mama, I am ok with the transition of DMX. Please tell him I said hello when he gets up there with you and his own Big Mama.

Terry Allen is an award-winning media professional, journalist, and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of City Men Cook and 1016 Media. Reach him at terryalllenpr@gmail.com

munity and are appreciated now and evermore.

Dr. Astrid Williams works as the Environmental Justice Manager for the non-profit, Black Women for Wellness.

Astrid has an extensive background in public health. Dr. Williams’ background spans the fields of chronic disease, maternal and reproductive health.

Kaela Thomas works as the Environmental Justice coordinator for the non-profit, Black Women for Wellness.

Thomas is a recent graduate from UT at Austin, with a B.S. in Nutrition and Public Health. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health, with a specification in Environmental Epidemiology.

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• May 13 - 19, 2021

Former NJ governor speaks on COVID-19 THAT CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

By Valder Beebe During the Trump vs Biden elections, I remember former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s announcement that he had COVID-19. I’ve wondered, if he knew where he contracted the COVID virus?

What circumstances made him vulnerable to contracting COVID19?

Well….recently Governor Christie became my interview guest in the Valder Beebe Show studio and I had the opportunity to ask him my inquiries and for him to tell his story about his personal interaction with COVID-19.

Gov. Chris Christie

Christie and IDSA medical expert Dr. Larry Martinelli, Providence/St. Joseph Hospital, Lubbock, TX. discussed COVID Vaccine awareness and an action campaign; the “It’s Up to You” campaign. In an effort to reach communities with lower confidence in the vaccines, like conservatives across the U.S., the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative have partnered with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to urge all Americans to get themselves and their family members vaccinated.

Over the last few months many conservative organizations, including the Southern Baptist Convention and the Heritage Foundation are coming forward to announce

their support for COVID-19 vaccines as well.

The “It’s Up to You” campaign is a message about getting the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines is important regardless of political beliefs or affiliation.

Gov. Christie is specific and revealing with me [Valder] about his personal experience with COVID-19. Governor Christie & Dr. Martinelli’s publicists provided text in conjunction with the Valder Beebe Show.

VBS: Tell my audience more about the “It’s Up to You” campaign and your personal COVID19 survival.

DRM: I think the first think to keep in mind that these vaccines are extremely effect and safe. As millions and millions people are getting them we are confirming how well they work and how safe they are. What every your political belief. What every your place of where you live the vaccines are there not just ourselves but those around us. our parents, our grandparents our young children. To help us get back to what we miss; being able to sit down and share a meal with family and friends or to attend and event. I will add that I too had COVID19. I’m a COVID survivor and in looking back, that is not something I want to go through again.

VBS: Governor, would you give us the personal details of living through COVID19? Your experience with COVID-19 rates you as an expert.

GCC: I got COVID-19 at the safest place in America, at the White House. This is how random COVID19 impacts Americans. I was being tested every day as I was at the White House helping to prepare President Trump for the debates then…….

Former N.J. Gov Chris Christie’s complete interview…… SoundCloud.com/valderbeebeshow; more interviews: YouTube.com/ valderbeebeshow: Broadcasting to a national & global audience: ValdeBeebeShow. com ; KKVI FM Radio, KRER FM, 411RadioNetwork, Streaming TV, Social Media, Print Publications I MESSENGER, Texas Metro News, and Garland Journal News.

Anti-Voter Bill from page 3

statewide and has exclusive jurisdiction over cases for which the state, a state agency, or a state official is a party. At its core, this is a partisan gerrymandering of the state appellate courts for cases seeking to hold the state government to account.

• HB 4044 / SB 1113 coerces registrars to cancel voter registrations, even if they believe the registrations are valid and accurate.

• HB 4364 would give poll watchers free rein in the polling place, making it next to impossible to remove them even for causing serious disruptions -just like the original SB 7 and HB 6 did.

• HB 3281 makes it less likely mail ballots will be counted, by requiring mail ballots to be mailed by the fourth day before the election and received by the election official the day before Election Day. Current law requires the ballot be postmarked by 7pm on Election Day and received by 5pm the day after Election Day. • HB 3556 bans online training for volunteer deputy registrars. These are community members who want to help people register to vote. They would now be forced to attend one of the infrequent, inconvenient training options most counties only offer during the work day on weekdays.

• And last but not least, Senate Bill 7.

This bill is a coordinated attempt to plunge Texas back into the dark days of Jim Crow, with provisions to clear a path for Jim Crow-style voter intimidation and slash voting locations and hours -- disproportionately affecting voters of color, Texans with disabilities, and working people.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said, “With less than one month left on the schedule for Texas’ 87th legislative session, Republicans are ratcheting up their voter suppression efforts even more. Last week, they used a dirty maneuver to combine SB 7 and HB 6 so that they can fast-track this into becoming law and cherrypick the worst parts of these bills behind closed doors. These racist bills are just two of more than 80 voter suppression bills Republicans have filed this session -- in a flagrant attempt to plunge Texas back into Jim Crow.

“We still have time to stop Republicans from destroying our democracy. Our right to vote is on the line -- especially for communities of color, voters with disabilities, and working Texans, who are being blatantly targeted by Republicans. We are urging Texans and members of the press to hold Republicans accountable and keep the spotlight on the full slate of anti-voter bills the Texas GOP is sponsoring, before it’s too late.”

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Urban One Honors 2021:

• May 13 - 19, 2021

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“Women Leading the Change”

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “These women aren’t the Real Housewives of you name the city.

These women are working on improving the lives of Black folk,” media mogul and entrepreneur Cathy Hughes said in a recent interview. Please encourage your young women to watch this show. We don’t know who the next Kamala Harris will be, a Black woman who became the nation’s first woman vice president or someone who changes the voting structure like Stacey Abrams.”

The show will also pay tribute to Hughes’s mother, who before becoming a wife and mother, was a famed trombone player who played with an all-girl, integrated swing music band called the International Sweethearts of Rhythm in the 1930s and 1940’s.

By Keith L. Alexander NNPA

For media mogul and entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, this year’s Mother’s Day was difficult.

Last July, Hughes’s mother, Helen Jones Woods, 96, died from complications of COVID-19. For the 74-year-old Hughes, multi-millionaire founder and chairperson of Urban One Inc., this year marks Hughes’s first Mother’s Day without her mother present.

And while many might consider those individuals able to spend more than seven decades with their mother as fortunate, Hughes said such longevity also created a startling realization. “The longer God blesses you with having your mother in your life, the more difficult it is to adjust to life without her,” she said.

It was during Hughes’s mourning, that she birthed an idea to not only celebrate her mother’s life with a national TV program, but to also celebrate and honor the lives of other African American women who -specifically during the pandemic – worked at protecting and spotlighting Black Americans.

On Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 9 p.m.

(EST) Hughes’s cable TV networks, TV One and its sister network CLEO-TV, will air the network’s annual “Urban One Honors”

celebration. The two-hour program this year will be a first; all honorees are African American women. The show is themed “Women Leading the Change.”

Hughes said the women honored left an indelible mark on the country last year, one of this nation’s darkest and most challenging periods in American history due to the deadly pandemic.

The show is co-hosted by Grammy-award winning singer and syndicated gospel radio show host Erica Campbell and award-wining journalist and news commentator Roland Martin. The recorded, virtual awards show will feature live performances by R&B saangers, Avery Sunshine and Jazmine Sullivan, gospel powerhouse Le’Andria Johnson and legendary rapper, Da Brat.

The program will honor six Black female leaders in business, politics, journalism and humanitarian efforts including Atlanta’s political powerhouse and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Stacey Abrams and Rosaline “Roz” Brewer, chief executive officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance and the nation’s third Fortune 500 company ever led by a Black female executive. The program will also honor the four African American, Greek sororities; Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. The show will also pay tribute to Hughes’s mother, who before becoming a wife

and mother, was a famed trombone player who played with an all-girl, integrated swing music band called the International Sweethearts of Rhythm in the 1930s and 1940’s. Hughes called her mother’s group, “the original Freedom Fighters” who traveled by bus through the South playing for audiences and even played clubs overseas. At one point, white and Hispanic band members had to wear dark makeup to look like their Black bandmates to avoid being stopped by police for promoting integration, Hughes recalled. The segment will be introduced by a longtime fan of the group, political activist, author and college professor Angela Davis.

Hughes’s excitement about the upcoming evening is electric. An hour before “Urban One Honors” airs, TV One will broadcast an exclusive, hour-long interview with legendary rapper DMX. The interview was recorded for the network’s weekly show “Uncensored” about three weeks before DMX’s sudden death April 9 at age 50. The show’s producers said DMX spoke, at times through tears, about his life, his music and his legacy. The producers said hearing DMX’s commentary just weeks before his death, is more sobering and haunting today.

After the celebration of one of the kings of rap music with “Uncensored,” the TV network will then celebrate its queens with the “Urban One Honors.”

“I think it’s going to be the biggest night in TV One’s history,” Hughes exclaimed.

Hughes, along with a group of Urban One executives chose the honorees because they wanted viewers, especially young girls, to see Black women who were not celebrated singers, dancers or actresses, but instead who were ideological firebrands, making differences in their communities and around the nation.

“These women aren’t the Real Housewives of you name the city. These women are working on improving the lives of Black folk,” Hughes said in a recent interview.

Please encourage your young women to watch this show. We don’t know who the next Kamala Harris will be, a Black woman who became the nation’s first woman vice president or someone who changes the voting structure like Stacey Abrams.”

Hughes described Abrams as “voting

Cathy Hughes with her mother, Helen Jones Woods, who died last July.

rights champion” who not only changed the political landscape of Atlanta, but also helped ensure all voters were recognized on behalf of two U.S. Senate Democratic candidates and helped flip Georgia from majority Republican to majority Democrat.

When Walgreen’s selected Spelman College graduate Roz Brewer as its newest CEO in January, Brewer became the nation’s second Black female executive to ever lead a Fortune 500 company. Before being tapped by Walgreen’s, Brewer served as chief operating officer for Starbucks. Prior to that, she served as CEO of Sam’s Club which is owned by Walmart. In 2009, Ursula Burns, became the nation’s first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company when Xerox Holdings selected her as its CEO. Burns retired in 2017. The third Black woman CEO to lead a Fortune 500 company, Thasunda Brown Duckett, was named president and CEO of the reti-

rement and investment managing company TIAA in February, a month after Brewer.

The TV One program is also honoring Ala Stanford, a Philadelphia-based physician and surgeon who last year founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and used her own funds to ensure Black residents of the city – a group that was quickly becoming Philadelphia’s hardest hit by the pandemic – were able to be tested for the coronavirus.

Urban One, is based in Silver Spring, Md. about 30 minutes from downtown Washington, D.C. Last year, Hughes and other Urban One executives watched as Kim Ford, president and chief executive of Martha’s Table, provided healthy meals and fresh produce to needy residents in the nation’s capital during the pandemic.

For more than 40 years, Martha’s Table has ensured the neediest of Washington See URBAN ONE HONORS, page 16

Hughes, along with a group of Urban One executives chose the honorees because they wanted viewers, especially young girls, to see Black women who were not celebrated singers, dancers or actresses, but instead who were ideological firebrands, making differences in their communities and around the nation.

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Persistence, patience, preparation key to success for Maxey Garland native and Philadelphia 76ers’ guard, Tyrese Maxey, has partnered with respected Coach Josh Woodson to create AAU team, Max Levels Elite, to teach technique and showcase talent.

Based in Garland, Max Levels Elite will incorporate off the court skills to help the players sustain long term success on and off the court, with team jerseys displaying the “Day by Day” motto to remind the team and fans that good things come to those who are persistent, patient, and prepared.

With a passion to give back to his hometown community and a personal connection with AAU himself, Tyrese said he created Max Levels Elite as an organization to create the next generation of future athletes,

future leaders and the next generation of men with education at the core of its foundation.

At no-cost, today’s male youth are learning the fundamentals of being all-around leaders on and off the court; through honesty, hard work, consistency, coordination, integrity and other viable skills that are at the core of being a leader.

At Max Levels Elite, the belief is that while basketball can provide an opportunity to play at a college or professional level, a “day by day” mentality coincided with hard work is key.

In partnership with local Dallas AAU coaches who had an influential impact in Tyrese’s life, along with a partnership with the Amateur Athletic Union; Max Levels Elite provides an exemplary program for elite

As a South Garland junior Tyrese Maxey was the 2018 Dallas Morning News boys basketball player of the year.

Credit: Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News

players who desire to be better prepared for high school and/ or collegiate level programs.

Athletes connect with collegiate trainers and coaches, as well as everyday mentors, as Max Levels elite provide exposure to better prepare participants for life, academics and athletics.

Together in partnership with AAU, Max Levels Elite is operated by local Dallas AAU Program Director Woodson, along with three other well qualified NCAA certified head coaches: Terrelle Woody, Vic Cochran, and Dominque Parker.

For more information on Max Levels Elite visit www.tyresemaxey.com or contact, Program Director Josh Woodson at (coachjosh@tyresemaxey. com).

Garland’s own Tyrese Maxey announces AAU Team, Max Levels Elite Max Levels Elite, a 501c-3 non-profit basketball organization, is endorsed by Mr. Maxey and aims to provide an elite basketball program to create exposure for high school age teams for potential collegiate and professional recruitment.

By providing the necessary resources, Max Level Elite’s overall goal is to create an exemplary program for elite players at

no-cost who desire to be better prepared for high school and college level basketball.

According to the Max Levels Elite team, basketball “can provide an opportunity for some to play at the college or professional level,” but also believe that education, hard work and a “Day by Day” mindset is key to each student athlete’s success.

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Urban One Honors from page 13 residents had healthy meals and clothing.

Martha’s Table was named after the Biblical figure Martha who offered food to Jesus when he visited the home she shared with her sister Mary.

As a youth growing up in Washington, Ford volunteered serving and handing out meals with the non-profit organization. Then in 2019, she was chosen as the company’s president and chief executive.

Prior to being named Martha’s Table chief executive, Ford served as deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education where she oversaw management of more than $2 billion in career and technical education, adult education, correctional and re-entry education and community college initiatives for more than 25 million students a year. Ford previously served as a member of President Obama’s Recovery Implementation Office, which was responsible for implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Last year, Martha’s Table reported a 400 percent increase in need from users, as thousands of residents sought assistance for themselves and their families enabling the program to feed as many as 2,200 residents a day, Martha’s Table reported recently.

Another honoree, Robin Rue Simmons, is an alderman in Evanston’s fifth ward in Louisiana. A champion of Black residents in the city, Simmons was elected alderman

in 2017. Simmons then led Evanston to becoming the first U.S. city to approve a reparations program. Since taking office, Simmons led the passing of the nation’s first reparations program, which will be funded by the first $10 million of Adult Use Cannabis sales tax revenue. Simmons is also the director of the city’s innovation and outreach at Sunshine Enterprises, which has supported more than 1000 neighborhood entrepreneurs – 98 percent of whom are African American and 74 percent of whom are women – in starting or growing their own business ventures.

Also being honored is New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Hannah-Jones covered racial injustice for the Times’s magazine before convincing the paper’s top editors to create an entire investigative series tied to the U.S. slave trade. The enterprise was called the 1619 Project which was published by the magazine in 2019. Last year the project won Jones the coveted Pulitzer Prize. The series is now the subject of a documentary produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films and Lionsgate and is scheduled to air on Hulu.

“We wanted to spotlight Sisters who were getting the change accentuated and making sure the change occurs,” Hughes said.

The show will also feature several noted Black men honoring the sisters. Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson makes his debut appearance on TV One.