VOL. XXXIII • SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
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Special session requested after two mass shootings Cotton Pickin’ Proud
Raising Black Millionaires
State/Metro Pg 2
By CASSANDRA POLLOCK and CHASE KARACOSTAS The Texas Tribune
Democrats in the Texas House are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to convene a special legislative session to address gun violence – a move designed to place even more pressure on the state’s top GOP official to act in the wake of two deadly mass shootings just weeks apart. A letter to Abbott was delivered Wednesday morning, hours before the House Democratic Caucus hosted five news conferences across the state to discuss “protecting Texans from gun violence.” The letter, which also included several gun-related legislative proposals, was
Texas House Democratic Caucus during a press conference earlier this year. – Photo by Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune
signed by 63 of the 66 members in the caucus. The caucus requested Abbott include issues such as “closing the background check loopholes” and “banning the sale of high-capacity magazines” in a special session agenda, along with “enacting extreme risk protective order laws and closing existing loopholes in current protective order
laws,” “limiting the open carry of certain semi-automatic long guns” and “requiring stolen guns be reported to law enforcement.” The request comes days after a gunman killed seven people and injured 22 others while on a rampage in Odessa and Midland. That shooting happened four weeks after a massacre in El
Paso left 22 dead and more than two dozen wounded. The Legislature does not convene again until 2021. Abbott, who has the sole authority to call both chambers back to the Capitol before then, tweeted Sept. 4 afternoon that he planned to announce “legislative considerations next week and executive action this week.” He added, “Legislators can be part of the process or part of the problem.” Democrats said Sept. 4 that waiting another year and a half to address gun violence in the state will endanger Texans. “This is the kind of thing our constituents are telling us they want us to tackle, and they want us to tackle it
See Shootings Page 11
Broadnax shares 2019-2020 budget amendments
City Manager T.C. Broadnax discusses his budget amendment before the Dallas City Council, Sept. 4. – The Dallas Examiner screenshot from city of Dallas video
By DIANE XAVIER The Dallas Examiner
The Dallas City Council heard a briefing about the proposed fiscal year 20192020 budget amendments at its Sept. 4 City Council meeting held at Dallas City Hall. Manager T.C. City Broadnax began the presentation discussing his proposed draft amendment, item 54, for City Council consideration. “I believe that the current amendment ensures sustainability for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, the second year of the biennial,” Broadnax said. “It keeps the property tax
rate at the fiscal year 2019 rate of 77.67 [cents] per $100 in valuation, rather than increase it by one-third or one cent as initially proposed. It does restore the basic human and social services that Dallas residents have voiced as a need, and it continues to make the momentum to make Dallas a more ethical, excellent and equitable city. “It does continue funding the many services and offices of community care that address the drivers of poverty, provides senior services that were being transferred from CDBG [Community Development
See Budget Page 11
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New laws that may impact you, your community AP file photo
By MATTHEW WATKINS The Texas Tribune
This month, 820 new laws passed during the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature will go into effect. They range from the huge – a $250 billion two-year budget – to the symbolic – a number of bills to rename parts of Texas highways. Here’s a sample of several that will impact Texans’ lives: The 2020-2021 budget: The state’s two-year budget calls for spending roughly $250 billion on priorities including public school funding, teacher salaries and early childhood intervention programs. The Born Alive Act: This law, House Bill 16, requires doctors to treat a baby born alive in the rare instance of a failed abortion attempt. A new smoking age: This new law, Senate Bill 21, will raise the age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. Defunding abortion providers: This measure, Senate Bill 22, will prohibit state and local governments from partnering with agencies that perform abortions, even if they contract for services not related to the procedure. No more Driver Responsibility Program: This new law, House Bill 2048, will eliminate this much-maligned program, which critics have said traps low-income Texans in a cycle of debt. It had survived past attempts to kill it because money from fines helps fund the state’s emergency trauma care system. The bill
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Business Pg 8
offers alternative funding sources for trauma care. New rules for female inmates: House Bill 650 makes a series of changes to state law that are designed to make state prisons more accommodating to female inmates. The bill will ban the shackling of pregnant women, require a trauma screening of each incoming female inmate and require the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to study the effects of visitation policies on women and their children. Free speech on campus: Senate Bill 18, filed in response to concerns that conservative voices were being stifled on campus, requires schools to allow people to engage in “expressive activities” in outdoor common spaces. An attempt to stop telemarketers: Starting Sunday, telemarketers will be banned from calling Texans using fake numbers that show up on the recipient’s caller ID. Fighting surprise medical bills: Senate Bill 1264 aims to prevent Texans from being hit with surprise medical bills when their health care provider and insurance company can’t agree on a payment. The measure ushers the disputes into a stateoverseen arbitration process, keeping patients out of the fight. Lemonade stands: Neighborhoods and cities will no longer be allowed to enact regulations that block or regulate children trying to sell nonalcoholic drinks like lemonade on private
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property. Support for this new law grew after police in the East Texas town of Overton reportedly shut down a lemonade stand by two young siblings who were trying to earn money to buy a Father’s Day present. The right to pump breast milk: Starting Sept. 1, Texas law made clear that women can pump breast milk wherever they want. Previous law allowed breastfeeding anywhere but didn’t specify pumping. Carry your handgun during a disaster: House Bill 1177 will allow people to carry their handguns – even if they are unlicensed – in the week after the governor declares a natural disaster. Seller’s disclosure for houses in a floodplain: Senate Bill 339 expands the rules for selling property to require disclosures when a home is in a 500-year floodplain, a flood pool, or in or near a reservoir. They must say whether the home has flooded in a catastrophic event. No more stealing packages: Thieves who steal packages from people’s front porches will start facing stiffer penalties. Penalties range from a Class A misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, depending on the number of addresses mail is taken from.
The Indigent Project – Part IV: Speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves
Boxes of case files at the Harris County public defender’s office in Houston. – Photos by Trevor Paulhus/The Texas Tribune and Texas Monthly
By NEENA SATIJA The Texas Tribune and The Texas Monthly
Drew Willey fumed as he left Galveston. In the weeks after Judge Jack Ewing first removed him from his cases, he’d been so upset that he’d filed a complaint with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, listing the canons of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct that he thought Ewing was violating, “Most importantly, Canon 3, C. (4) by failing to exercise the power of appointment impartially and on the basis of merit.” Now, as he saw it, the judge had spelled out in his own words what Willey had suspected all along: There were poor defendants who were not getting a fair shake. He knew what some of his
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Inside
State/Metro . . . . . . 2
National . . . . . . . . . 3
Increasing Black Homeownership
Editorial . . . . . . . . . 4
National Pg 3
Perspectives . . . . . 5
Health . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LifeStyle . . . . . . . . . 7
Bobby Blanchard/The Texas Tribune contributed reporting.
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lawyer colleagues would say – that he was too idealistic. The state commission was notoriously opaque. And the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, which Willey also filed complaints with – over Galveston’s jail docket – couldn’t do much either. Two years later, one of the attorneys was still receiving the second-most juvenile cases of any lawyer in the county. “It takes a lot of sacrifice, having that fight,” said Brandon Ball, a lawyer in the Harris County public defender’s office who has worked with Willey. “They beat you down. They beat you down. They beat you down.” But the fight is what had attracted Willey in the first place After majoring in
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Page 2 September 12, 2019
Around the State The Dallas Examiner
DALLAS As part of the Dallas City Temple SeventhDay Adventist Church 100-year celebration, the DCT 100th Anniversary Committee will present the DCT 100th Anniversary Golf Tournament, Sept. 15 at Grand Oaks Golf Club, located at 3502 Country Club Drive in Grand Prairie. The tournament will benefit the Southwest Adventist Jr. Academy, the oldest Black Christian academy in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. For more information, email CJ Henry at dct100@dallascitytemple.org or visit www.dallascitytemple.org. DALLAS The Martin Luther King Community Center has begun hosting a rotation of chefs to provide cooking demonstrations and healthy cooking alternatives on the first Saturday of every month. Each month, chefs will provide the community informational programming that compliments their experience in receiving free food from the Fresh Produce Distribution Center at the center. Upcoming demos include notable culinary masters from some of Dallas’ most reputable restaurants like CBD Provisions, Café Momentum, Commissary and many more.
STATE/METRO
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Sankofa Garden Homes: Cotton pickin’ proud, 1619-2019
By CLARENCE GLOVER Sankofa Gardening Homes
“The institution of slavery turned a poor fledgling nation into a financial powerhouse, and the cotton plantation was America’s first big business. Behind the system, and built into it, was the whip.”
– 1619, Episode2: The Economy that Slavery Built, a New York Times podcast, Aug. 30
As I write this month’s article, I realize the paradoxical nature of the phrase “cotton pickin’ proud.” Some may say that I am out of my cotton pickin’ mind. What is there to be proud of when talking about picking cotton? At the heart of Sankofa Garden Homes articles is an appreciation for the land – an attempt to help African American people once again embrace the value of growing our own food, while recognizing the injustices and impact of slavery and Jim Crow. Is is an attempt at helping us realize that we have been at the very heart of the green movement ever since we were brought to America as free and cheap labor to work the land. This year, America pauses to recognize the 400-year observance of the 20 Africans from Angola brought to America by the Portuguese and sold to the English that would eventually lead to the establishment of chattel slavery. Aug. 15, 1619, would prove to be a turning point in world history and the beginning of a multicultural experiment that we are still experiencing to this day. As we enter into the cotton season, I want to draw attention to the importance of cotton in the building of America’s economic system and the establishment of Texas, which was founded on the institution of slavery and the production of cotton. It is during this season that I proudly go to the cotton fields and pick cotton. It is my way of acknowledging the thousands of African men and women and boys and girls who picked cotton for free or for very little money, while affirming that it was not
Professor Freedom picks Texas low cotton. – Photo courtesy of Sankofa Education Services
cotton that was the problem, but rather the conditions of slavery and Jim Crow. I also use the cotton to educate African Americans about the importance of owning our own land and raising a commercial crop that can benefit us financially. Many African American farmers are working to hold on to the farmland they have, while many other African Americans are returning to their family farmland in the South. Either way, we must maintain and pass on the agricultural knowledge and skills our ancestors used to build America’s economic foundation. We can and must work to build an economic foundation for African Americans. Texas played a unique role in the evolution of chattel (property) slavery and cotton. According to the Texas State Historical Association, “Texas was the last frontier of chattel slavery in the United States. In the fewer than 50 years between 1821 and 1865, the ‘Peculiar Institution,’ as Southerners called it, spread over the eastern twofifths of the state, an area nearly as large as Alabama and Mississippi combined. Slavery thus linked Texas inextricably with the Old South. “There were a few slaves in Texas while it was a Spanish province, but slavery did not really become an institution of significance in the region until the arrival of Anglo-American settlers. The original empresario commission given Moses Austin by Spanish authorities in 1821 did not mention slaves, but when Stephen F. Austin was recognized as heir to his
father’s contract later that year, it was agreed that settlers could receive eighty acres of land for each enslaved person they brought to the colony. The motivation for bringing slaves to Texas was primarily economic – using their labor to grow cotton, which by 1820 was the most valuable commodity in the Atlantic world. To Anglo-American slave owners, slavery was a practical necessity in Texas – the only way to grow cotton profitably on its vast area fertile land. Stephen F. Austin made this clear in 1824: ‘The principal product that will elevate us from poverty is cotton,’ he wrote, ‘and we cannot do this without the help of slaves.’” While slavery and cotton are certainly a part of Texas’ founding history, the story does not stop there. After Juneteenth (June 19, when Texas received news of the Emancipation Proclamation), the institution of Jim Crow took up where slavery left off. The state would have to find ways to continue building on the economics of cotton and Africans as cheap labor. It would be Dallas that would rise to play a pivotal role in the cotton industry after slavery and during the Jim Crow era. In the D Magazine article, Dennis Gordon King: The Man Who Tried to Save Dallas’ Cotton Industry, Connell R. Miller writes, “Beginning in the early 1830s, when James Bowie built a cotton mill in what would a few years later become the Republic of Texas, that industry grew into the state’s largest cash crop, annually supplying 25 percent of the country’s
cotton needs. By the second decade of the 20th century, there was no doubt that cotton was truly king; Dallas was its palace and the Dallas Cotton Exchange considered its throne. The 17-story building on the corner of North St. Paul and San Jacinto streets housed buyers and brokers who daily transacted more business than similar exchanges did in Memphis and New York City.” The backstory to this period when cotton was king in America and Dallas would be, who picked the cotton during the early 20th century? Certi-Pik USA, a premier cotton picker parts manufacturer, gives a brief history: “Prior to the 1930s, cotton harvesting was done entirely by hand – it wasn’t until a man named John Rust came up with a ‘harvesting locomotive’ in the late 1930s that any semblance of harvesting innovation became a reality.” The 1940s would see Rust’s cotton picker go through several changes, while the primary source of picking cotton during this time would still be African American cotton pickers. Certi-Pik USA would further assert: “Fast forward to 1980 and along comes John Deere: This is where tremendous improvements began to take form, and cotton harvesters would quickly become the focus of mass production.” I feel it would be safe to conclude that, for the greater part of American history, African Americans were the principal source of picking cotton. It was during these years that America built an economic empire that would build other industries. As we reflect on 400 years of African presence in America, 16192019, how does America reconcile our hard work with our financial condition? Something to consider as we muse on 400 years in America. Reparations? Clarence Glover, known as Professor Freedom of Sankofa Education Services, provides the Sankofa Garden Homes column. He can be at clarenceglover reached jr@aol.com.
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NATIONAL
Page 3 September 12, 2019
NAREB strategy to increase Black homeownership TriceEdneyWire.com
The new “commander and chief” of Black homeownership in America recently released a new strategy for raising the numbers of Black homeownership, which have plummeted to percentages below the time of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. But accomplishing that fete could prove more than daunting as the 2019 State of Housing in Black America report reveals the situation to be at crisis level, according to leaders in Black homeownership. “Someone needs to proclaim and declare a cease and desist on the declining rates of Black homeownership. Someone needs to bring some programs and highlight this epidemic, this crisis in our community … I pray that I am up to the task,” Donnell Williams said in a recent interview, following his swearing in as the 31st president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, a 72-yearold organization founded to secure “equal housing opportunities, regardless of race, creed or color.” A member of NAREB for 16 years, Williams, owner of Destiny Realty and the largest independent Black real estate broker in the state of New Jersey, described himself as “boots on the ground” – a posture from which he is able to see up close and personal the hindrances and obstacles to Black homeownership and how to fix them. The SHIBA report, researched primarily by the Urban Institute and released annually by NAREB in order to “shed light on the public policies, private sector practices and other systemic disparities preventing Black Americans from purchasing a home of their
choice,” reported this week that “all gains in Black homeownership that had been achieved between 1968 and 2004 had been erased by 2018.” The following are just some of the chief findings: • The homeownership rate for Black households stood at 40.6% in the second quarter of 2019 – a full percentage point lower than 2018’s second-quarter rate of 41.6 percentage points. The current homeownership rate for Blacks is currently below the 1968 level of 40.9% at the time of the passage of the Fair Housing Act. • Homeownership for non-Hispanic Whites stands at 73.1%, down from its high of 76% in 2004. • Blacks have experienced the most substantial loss of homeownership since 2004, declining more than 8.5% points, or 17%, as compared to the less than 4% decline for non-Hispanic Whites. In other words, Blacks have lost more than four times the share of homeownership as non-Hispanic Whites since 2004. • Half of all Blacks born between 1956 and 1965 were homeowners by the age of 50. Blacks born between 1966 and 1975 have a homeownership rate of just above 40% and are thus unlikely to achieve a 50% homeownership rate by their 50th birthdays. Black millennials, if current trends continue, may fail to achieve a homeownership rate of 40% by the age of 50. • The gap in homeownership rates between Blacks and non-Hispanic
NNPA Stock photo
Whites is larger now than it was in 1934, the year of the enactment of the Federal Housing Administration and the start of the modern housing finance system.
SHIBA places the plummeting levels of Black homeownership squarely at the feet of loan denials, largely because of debt-toincome ratio and credit scoring. “For Black applicants, overall denial rates for home purchase loans were double those of non-Hispanic White applicants – 18% versus 9%, unchanged from 2016,” the report stated. “The Black denial rate for conventional loans is down significantly from its high of 36% (versus 19%) at the height of the foreclosure crisis in 2008. Debt-to-income ratio was the most common reason for denial reported for Black applicants – at 31% compared to 20% for nonHispanic White applicants. Credit history was the second most prevalent reason for denials among both Black applicants (25%) and non-Hispanic White applicants (20%).” Williams said he believed he has a winning strategy that will take up arms
against the key hindrances. He was set to release that strategy this week during a press conference and conversation with national leaders. Among the key programs and initiatives, according to a NAREB release this week: • “House Then The Car” – A campaign targeted to the 1.7 million American millennials and Generation X populations who make over $100,000 per year and who are homebuyer ready but are currently renting. • Realtist Opportunities For Seasoned Individuals – An initiative that addresses the holistic needs (buying/selling real estate, life insurance, retirement, health insurance, etc.) of people over 40 years of age, or parents of any age. • Civic Engagement – A program that identifies and cultivates a host of “allies” that expand beyond established networks of partners and faith-based communities. These allies would include Black Chambers of Commerce, Greek organizations, minority professional organizations and more.
Donnell Williams, NAREB President – Photo courtesy of TriceEdneyWire
“This is a moment in our history to demand a cease and desist in the denial of equal access to mortgage credit and homeownership for the nation’s Black Americans,” Williams concluded in a letter as part of his Message from the President in the SHIBA report. “After you have read our report and are armed with both an understanding of the barriers faced and solutions required, I encourage you to support NAREB’s efforts. Whether you are a policymaker, regulator, mortgage lender, real estate professional, housing or civil rights advocate, faithbased leader, trade association executive, nonprofit organization representative,
housing counselor, Black head of household or student, there is a place for you on our team. NAREB’s work is guided by three words: educate, empower and mobilize. With these three words as our guide, NAREB is confident it will succeed in increasing Black homeownership and wealth in America.” The NAREB’s annual “State of Black America” forum will convene at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2019 Annual Legislative Conference today at 2 p.m. During the forum, Williams will announce an aggressive program to reach out and encourage Black millennials to consider, or reconsider, homeownership as a wealth-building tool. “Statistics show that there are 1.7 million Black millennials making $100,000 or more and could improve their financial futures with homeownership or participation in real estate investment opportunities. NAREB is determined to reach them with messages that rebut, yet improve, some of their current lifestyle choices,” he said. “One clear message to millennials: Think about a house before you buy the car.” As he explained, wealth building is all about smart choices. Dreams need not be deferred. Homeownership is possible and still desirable as a wealth-building tool. NAREB, with its nationwide network of predominantly Black American real estate professionals, are here to help find the wealthbuilding pathways that best suit lifestyles and incomes.
Page 4 September 12, 2019
All-American gun epidemic continues to threaten our children By MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN Children’s Defense Fund
It happened again. On Aug. 31, a gunman in West Texas armed with a semiautomatic weapon killed seven people and injured 25 others. One of the victims was 15-year-old Leilah Hernandez, who had just celebrated her quinceañera in May. Her friends remembered her as someone who “could turn a bad day into a good one.” She was walking out of a car dealership next to her 18-year-old brother Nathan, who’d just bought a truck he’d been saving up for. Nathan tried to shield her in his arms but was shot and injured too. Seventeen-month-old Anderson Davis was injured in the face and chest by bullet fragments as she and her twin brother sat in their car seats. These were just three of the children and teens killed or injured by guns on average every day in America. Every 2 hours and 34 minutes a child is shot and killed by a gun. Some have been victims of mass shootings, while others died from accidental shootings, suicides, domestic or community gun violence. Although the majority of young gun victims are White, Black children and teens are disproportionately at risk and are four times more likely to be killed by guns than their White peers. St. Louis, Missouri, is among the communities devastated by an outbreak of gun violence killing Black children. At least a dozen Black children have lost their lives there from gun violence since April. Two-year-old Kayden Johnson and his 18-year-old mother Trina’ty Riley were both killed inside their home. Three-year-old Kennedi Powell was outside her home eating pizza when someone in a passing car opened fire. Kennedi was killed and a 6-year-old was critically injured. Ten-year-old Eddie Hill IV was a bright student who dreamed of becoming a doctor or engineer. Eddie was shot and killed in July standing outside his home. Seven-year-old Xavier Usanga was killed by a stray bullet playing in his backyard with his sisters the day before he was to begin second grade. Mourners brought Captain America and Iron Man action figures to Xavier’s vigil. Kristina Curry, Myiesha Cannon and Jason Eberhart Jr. were all 16 when they lost their lives. Kristina, who loved to sing, dance
and garden, was killed in May. Myiesha, an honor roll student, was killed in June. Jason, killed in August, was a gifted athlete who hoped to play football in college like his older brother. Eight-year-old Jurnee Thompson was shot and killed after a fight broke out at a football jamboree she was attending with her cousins. And 15-year-old Sentonio Cox was found shot dead near a path he and his twin brother often used as a shortcut home. Rev. Starsky Wilson, who chaired the Ferguson Commission, is CEO of the Deaconess Foundation and a community leader in St. Louis. His 9-year-old son Mason is one of many St. Louis children affected by gun violence. Mason told a reporter through quiet tears last week, “It makes me sad, and it makes me worried a lot.” In July, Mason and 170 other children attending the Deaconess Foundation’s CDF Freedom Schools program brought letters and messages to St. Louis’ City Hall officials describing their fears and urging adults to enact stronger laws to protect them. When will adults stand up to protect children over guns? After mass shootings at two Walmart stores in August, including El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed and 24 injured by a gunman echoing President Trump’s hateful antiimmigrant rhetoric, Walmart announced Sept. 3 it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and assault-style weapons and ask customers not to openly carry guns in its stores – a small, long overdue step that was predictably opposed by the National Rifle Association. It is way past time for lawmakers to stop letting the NRA be in charge of national security and listen to the majority of Americans who want commonsense effective gun violence prevention measures enacted now. The House of Representatives has passed several measures to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat, but the Senate has refused to vote on these measures to keep children safe. Please raise your voice with urgency and persistence and use your vote to ensure your congressional leaders protect child lives over guns.
Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund whose mission is Leave No Child Behind. For more information, visit http://www.childrensdefense.org.
EDITORIAL
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Attitudes about gun safety are changing, but Senate leadership is mired in the past By MARC H. MORIAL National Urban League
“The biggest movement and shift that we’ve seen in this culture is simply because of the victims. When victims and survivors are coming to the legislative bodies and they’re telling their stories and they’re appealing, we’ve seen movement. We’ve seen movement. And so it’s a matter of changing one mind and one heart at a time. You change the culture, and the policy change comes right on the heels of that.” – Congresswoman Lucy McBath, mother of 17-yearold Jordan Davis, who was shot to death in an argument about loud music.
to vote on bills, passed by the House of Representatives, that would expand background checks to private sales and extend to at least 10 days the amount of time firearms dealers must wait for a response from the background check system before the sale can proceed. A ban on military-style assault weapons, in effect from September 1994 through 2004, was associated with a 25% drop in gun massacres and a 40% drop in fatalities. About twothirds of American support a ban on military-style assault weapons. But a bill to restrict the sale of militarystyle assault weapons remains mired in the Senate Judiciary Committee. One of the people who should have failed a background check to buy a handgun was Dylann Roof of Columbia, South Carolina. Because the check was not completed within three days, Roof was able to buy a gun. A few months later, Roof shot and killed nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. One of the people who was prevented from buying a gun because he failed a background check in 2014 was Seth Ator of Odessa, Texas. Ator had been com-
‘‘ ’’ The facts on gun safety are clear. Since 1994, background checks have blocked over 3.5 million gun sales to felons, domestic abusers and other people who aren’t allowed to have guns under existing law. About 90% of Americans support background checks for all firearms sales. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to allow the Senate
Black History Fact
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Dallas Examiner
Seneca Village was the first prominent Black community in New York City. The neighborhood, filled with prospering Black families, had 70 wood and brick homes and clean spring water obtained by the 50 percent of African Americans property owners in the area. In 1853, the many African American people who lived in Seneca Village were displaced by the New York State legislature for the creation of a park. Today, the park, known as Central Park, is a popular tourist site where an established Black community once lived.
Source: CentralParkNYC.org; MCAH.Columbia.edu; NPR.org
mitted to a psychiatric institution in 2006 because he was deemed a danger to himself and/or others. Because of a loophole in the law – a loophole that would be closed by the Housepassed Bipartisan Background Checks Act – Ator was able to purchase an AR-15 style rifle through a private sale. Ator used that rifle to shoot nearly 30 people in Odessa and Midland, Texas, on Saturday, killing seven and wounding 22. There were six other mass shootings in the United States on Saturday, leaving five more dead and another 20 injured. There have been 287 mass shootings in 2019 – more than a shooting per day. There have been 10,018 deaths and 20,061 injuries from gun violence this year, and that’s not even including suicides by firearms, which claim about 23,000 lives each year. Stopping gun violence is now the third most important issue for voters, after health care and immigration, according to a recent poll. The ongoing epidemic of gun violence prompted Walmart to stop selling handgun ammunition and “short-barrel rifle ammunition,” such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber, that
can also be used on assaultstyle weapons. Walmart and Kroger also have requested that customers not openly carry firearms in their stores. These decisions mark a significant turning point in the effort to protect Americans from gun violence. Senate leaders have, instead, chosen to continue along the path of cowardice. As the House passage of the background bill and the Walmart and Kroger decisions demonstrate, the firearm industry is losing its stranglehold on our political and legislative institutions. But not fast enough. As long as Senate Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to consider the commonsense gun safety laws passed by the House, it’s clear his loyalties lie with the gun lobby and not with the American people. We must do everything we can to urge the Senate to do its job. Call 202-224-3121 to speak to your senators and let them know they were elected to defend your safety and your family, not the profits of the gun industry.
Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League. He can be reached through http://nul.iamempowered.com.
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PERSPECTIVES
Page 5 September 12, 2019
Beyond the storm: Displaying humanity By EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
U.S. House of Representatives
Hurricane Dorian was ruthlessly nightmarish for three days last week, devastating the people of the northern islands that make up the Bahamas, located just 50 miles from the coast of Florida. Some witnesses say it seemed as if portions of the Bahamas were swallowed by the ocean, with waves rising 20 feet above sea
level and waters rushing to destroy the second floors of many dwellings where families lived. In the midst of the Category 5 storm, one Bahamian man, himself blind, lifted his disabled son onto his shoulders and walked for what seemed like an eternity in waters that reached his chin to the safety of his sister’s home many feet away from his own. Nearly 80,000 people have been left homeless, thousands of homes have been destroyed and countless numbers of futures
have been placed on hold or ruined. Property damage has risen into the billions because of a storm whose winds reached 200 miles per hour at its worst. To their credit, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Jamaica and Canada have come to the aid of the people of the Bahamas, mostly descendants of captured Africans who were taken there as slaves by the British during the 18th century. Relief agencies such as the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, Direct Relief and
World Vision are providing nutritious food, clothing, transportation, drinking water and temporary shelter to people of the island nation, which gained its independence from Great Britain in 1973. A large number of faithbased institutions, businesses, social and fraternal organizations and individuals are involved in assisting the Bahamas and its people as they attempt to reorganize their nation and their lives, having been unhinged by an unprecedented storm during a period when the
world’s oceans are warming and storms such as Dorian are becoming more frequent and life-threatening. And while it has been heart wrenching to see the storm and its aftermath, it is encouraging to witness the response of nations and people to personal tragedy of horrific proportions. Neither nation nor people know the time or the day when sunlight will be shut off from us. It does, however, bring great comfort to know that we live in a world in which people are eager to come to the assis-
tance of others. I applaud those that have stepped forward to help the Bahamas and am prayerful that the pain that Dorian has brought into their lives will not endure, and that they will once again be safe and know the warmth and quiet that was once theirs in the lovely place they live. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives.
The racist definition of crime, sentencing By SUSAN K. SMITH Crazy Faith Ministries
Actress Felicity Huffman made a plea for leniency as she faced sentencing for paying $15,000 to rig the SAT scores of her daughter. She said she was “just trying to be a good mother” and added that she believed her cheating was “giving her daughter a fair shot” to get into the colleges she believed her daughter would want to attend, as recorded by CNN. She doesn’t want to go to jail. She probably doesn’t believe she deserves to go to jail, because by her own admission, she was “just trying to be a good mother.” Black mothers, however, have gone to jail, not for paying to rig their children’s SAT scores, but for sending their children to better
school districts. Kelley Williams Bolar spent 10 days in jail, then placed on three years’ probation and ordered to pay $30,000 in back tuition for sending her child to a better school in Ohio, according to ABC News. In Connecticut, Tanya McDowell was sentenced to five years in jail for sending her son to a better school in a district not in alignment with the district in which she lived. Reportedly, her jail sentence included some time for drug offenses, according to a Refinery29 article. At the time she registered her son in the district, McDowell was homeless. After her arrest for sending her 6-year-old son to the Norwalk school district, she was arrested on drug charges and also picked up a charge of grand larceny. She received as 12-year suspended sentence on the drug charges. While the “good character” of Huffman is being touted, it is notable that these Black mothers were demonized and criminalized for
wanting to be “good mothers,” as Huffman said she wanted to do. While Huffman wanted to make sure her daughter got into a “good college” and wanted a “fair chance,” both Bolar and McDowell wanted the same thing, but on a different level. The elementary schools in the districts they lived were not good. A fair chance for them included being in a school where they learned the basics, which would make them competitive in applying for colleges years later. “Fair” for Huffman and the other wealthy parents who may have spent all of their parental years paying their way and the way of their children into places they’ve wanted to be is far different from what is fair for Black, Brown and poor people whose children too often are forced to attend schools that offer substandard education. It is regrettable that this country does not see the worth of Black, Brown and poor people. It is equally
regrettable that in this country, the crimes committed by wealthy people are considered less problematic than the crimes committed by poor people. Historically, in this country, poverty has been viewed by the wealthy White people in control as proof of the genetic inferiority of certain groups of people. Consistent with proponents of the American eugenics movement, crime was viewed as a “group phenomenon” and an “inherited family trait,” according to Edwin Black in his book, War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race. In that same book, Black noted that “when robber barons stole and cheated their way into great wealth, they were lionized as noble leaders of the day, celebrated with namesake foundations and honored by leatherbound genealogies often adorned with coats of arms. It was the petty criminals, not the gilded ones, whom polite society perceived as
the great genetic menace.” Black, Brown and poor mothers wanting their children to get the best education possible is not viewed as them being good mothers, but serve as yet another way to label them as criminals and a bane to society. The shortsightedness of this worldview is troubling, but it is as baked into the White American mindset as is the belief that being wealthy and White is an automatic indication of one’s superiority. It will be interesting to see what “time” Huffman gets. It is doubtful that it will be significant, which will be the most troubling part of this story overall, and proof of what Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has noted, “It is better to be rich and guilty than poor and innocent.”
Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith is the founder and director of Crazy Faith Ministries. Contact her at revsuekim@sbcglobal.net.
Why would HUD gut its own disparate impact rule? By CHARLENE CROWELL Center for Responsible Lending
Whatever happened to the American dream of owning a home and giving your children a better life than you experienced as a child? Is this “dream” being deferred or denied? In 2019, these questions are as timely as they are timeless. Beyond rising housing costs for would-be buyers and renters alike, serious doubts are emerging about the nation’s commitment to the letter and spirit of fair housing laws, related enforcement and regulations supporting both. Today’s Black homeownership rate is 41.1% – lower than it was when the 1970 census showed this same data point at 42%. Since 2013, the disparate impact rule has ob-
jectively examined the effects of business practices with lenders, landlords, insurers and real estate professionals against the provisions of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The rule required that a plaintiff must establish a discriminatory effect in policies and/or practices, before the defendant(s) would bear the responsibility of proving their own practices were nondiscriminatory. But in the Aug. 19 Federal Register, HUD proposed a new rule that would expand the disparate impact rule into a five-step process that would shift the burden of proving discrimination nearly exclusively to plaintiffs. By proposing that third parties test practices against algorithms to determine fairness, defendants in fair housing cases could later move for dismissal and/or be shielded from liability. “Secretary Carson has proposed a rule that represents
yet another egregious step by this administration toward the dismantling of key civil rights protections in America,” said Congresswoman Maxine Waters in reaction. The veteran lawmaker is also the chair of the Housing Financial Services Committee. “The proposed rule would make it substantially more difficult for victims of housing discrimination, including persons with disabilities, families with children and racial minorities, to prove their case in a court of law and thereby hold bad actors accountable for their actions.” Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney was even more direct in a Twitter post: “What is wrong with Ben Carson? You can’t expand housing rights by limiting civil protections. The ‘D’ in HUD doesn’t stand for ‘Discrimination.’” During the Capitol Hill testimony in spring, Nikitra
Bailey, an EVP with the Center for Responsible Lending, also underscored the importance of disparate impact in fair housing. “Disparate impact analysis encourages creative approaches that both increase effectiveness and inclusion,” Bailey testified. “This process and the value of disparate impact analysis was recently pointed out and endorsed by the largest personal loan company in the country, Lending Club.” Other organizations actively engaged in opposing HUD’s proposed rule reversal include the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Fair Housing Alliance. Between now and Oct. 18, concerned citizens, advocates, organizations and others have a brief opportunity
to stand up and speak out against the Carson proposal. Once this 60-day public comment period concludes, HUD will have the green light to move forward as planned or modify its proposal. How long the remainder of the rulemaking process lasts will be a HUD decision. Before the Fair Housing Act’s enactment, local zoning laws across the country supported segregation and redlining Black communities to exclude borrowers from mortgages and home improvement loans, along with a litany of real estate practices that denied Blacks and other people of color opportunities to build family wealth. Particularly by omitting Black neighborhoods from multiple listing services, door-to-door blockbusting practices inflamed racial tensions with warnings of lost property values if integration was to occur. Additionally, many neigh-
#MeToo doesn’t count against abusive cops? By RICHARD B. MUHAMMAD
Trice Edney Communications
Over the last three years, there has been an explosion of stories, prosecutions and demands that men – powerful men – be held accountable for the sexual abuse of women who are in vulnerable positions, often seeking employment or job advancement. Lawmakers have lost positions, movie producers and celebrities have faced prosecution, CEOs have resigned, lawsuits have been filed, documentaries made, and demands made for greater accountability and punishment for those who violate women and their rights. The #MeToo movement has highlighted these destructive behaviors and demanded immediate action – even without a trial or due process. Yet one group, a group with the most power to compel compliance, seems almost exempt from discussion and almost exempt from full prosecution: police officers. Armed with badges and guns, officers have the ability to take freedom and take lives at any moment. What could be more scary than abusive cops? What could deserve more attention than the instances in
which cops sexually assault women? Shouldn’t the National Organization for Women, #MeToo activists, advocates and high-power lawyers be shouting about such cases from the mountaintops? It’s not happening, and cops continue to abuse women and continue to walk away with “penalties” that are baffling and horrifying for their lack of accountability. Take the case of Anna Chambers, who was 18 years old when two New York cops, Eddie Martins and Richard Hall, raped her in a police van. “The young woman had been detained, handcuffed and taken into the officers’ unmarked van, having been found in possession of a small amount of drugs. Chambers performed oral sex on both officers and had vaginal sex with Martins. Then the cops left her on a corner,” reported The Intercept. Chambers recently “learned that the two former New York Police Department officers who had raped her while on duty would serve no jail time. The two cops, who resigned after the incident involving the teenage girl, were sentenced to five years of probation after they pleaded guilty to 11 charges, including bribery and misconduct. Both men admitted to having sex with the teen while she was held in their custody in 2017, an act that, thanks to Chambers’ case, now constitutes
rape under the law (and always constituted rape under any moral reading of the word),” the online news outlet reported Aug. 30. In 2017, “state law did not assert the most obvious of facts: that a person in police custody cannot consent to sex. The egregious legal loophole has since been closed, but it was too late to benefit Chambers, or to stop Martins and Hall from getting away with rape. All rape charges against the officers were dropped in March as prosecutors questioned Chambers’ credibility – an issue that should have had no bearing in a case with such clearcut facts.” This is what passes for justice in America? So not only do cops get to kill at will in this country, they also get to rape, rob and pillage too? Not only was the sentence horrible, but the whole court process smelled corrupt, as neither the young woman nor her lawyer knew about the hearing for the cops and a plea deal in late August as they prepared to be in court in early September. The lawyer “only learned about the officers’ plea deals when he was called by a New York Post court reporter, who in turn had been tipped off by a court clerk. The secretive hearing was the latest insult poured upon Chambers’ injurious criminal justice ordeal,” said The Intercept. The problem isn’t limited to New
York. A few years back, controversy exploded on the West Coast after a teenager’s involvement with San Francisco Bay Area officers came to light. The young woman, who was selling sex, said she had been involved with over 20 officers in five different departments. And, she said, some of these encounters took place when she was under age. A few officers were disciplined and at least four lost their jobs. But prosecutions fell off as the young woman refused to testify in other cases. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals recently rejected an appeal of a 263-year prison sentence handed down to Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer convicted of assaulting Black women while on duty. In 2015, he was found guilty on 18 charges involving seven women and one girl. He is also not the only one. “In a yearlong investigation of sexual misconduct by U.S. law enforcement, The Associated Press uncovered about 1,000 officers who lost their badges in a six-year period for rape, sodomy and other sexual assault; sex crimes that included possession of child pornography; or sexual misconduct such as propositioning citizens or having consensual but prohibited on-duty intercourse,” the newswire reported. “The number is unquestionably an undercount because it represents
borhoods enforced restricted covenants that explicitly excluded families of color from ever buying property in designated areas. The irony is that despite more than 50 years of fair housing being federal law, not only does housing discrimination persist, the federal agency charged to defend it seems to have forgotten its own mission. “HUD is looking for a problem that does not need a fix,” added Bailey, speaking directly to the proposed disparate impact revision. “Even the lending industry supports disparate impact and uses it as a tool to create fairer and more profitable lending.” So exactly whom is HUD serving?
Charlene Crowell is the communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.
only those officers whose licenses to work in law enforcement were revoked, and not all states take such action. California and New York – with several of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies – offered no records because they have no statewide system to decertify officers for misconduct. And even among states that provided records, some reported no officers removed for sexual misdeeds even though cases were identified via news stories or court records.” Another AP investigation in 2016, found “officers across the country misuse confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, business associates, neighbors, journalists and others for reasons that have nothing to do with daily police work.” Despite immense power and abuses of power, there is little effort to make an example of officers who cross the line into criminality. Excuses are made, unions howl about “good” officers being targeted and rarely is there a definitive statement that violation of the law makes you a criminal and it doesn’t matter that you had a badge. So the abuses, the terror and the injustice continues under the color and cover of law.
Richard B. Muhammad can be reached through www.finalcall.com.
HEALTH
Page 6 September 12, 2019
The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com
Counseling Corner Mental health providers shine
Taking parent-teen disagreements down a level
American Counseling Association
If there’s a teen in your home, odds are overwhelming that there have been parent-teen disagreements, perhaps even hot and heavy fights. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Parents and their teens disagreeing is a normal part of the developmental process. Young children easily accept the blackand-white rules we create for them, “No snacks just before dinner.” But as our children grow up, they begin to learn that not everything is an absolute and that there are often shades of gray or alternatives. The result is that they will increasingly question and test us. It may be frustrating for parents, and often the fuel for parent-teen arguments, but it’s actually a healthy, normal part of becoming more mature. While only time will make that questioning and testing disappear (and even adulthood may not stop it), there are ways you can keep the disagreements from getting out of hand now. A starting point is simply accepting that as your child grows, he or she will instinctively question rules and decisions, and often want to debate you. When you can accept that this is just naturally going to take place as your maturing child seeks more independence, it can be easier to not let such occurrences make you angry and frustrated. Instead, try to de-
velop techniques to avoid the fights. One key is taking a nonaggressive attitude in disagreements. If your immediate response to your teen questioning your judgment is one of anger and zero compromise, you can probably expect the same back in response. Instead, stay calm, use a rational tone of voice and make it clear you’re willing to listen and discuss. Setting that example helps your child understand that you expect the same sort of response from him or her. You’ll want to avoid words and accusations that put your child on an angry defensive. You’ll want to control your anger, and instead consider options and compromises that both of you can live with. When you disagree with something the teen has done or wants to do, make it very clear you’re disapproving of the behavior itself, not your child. Questioning and disagreeing is a regular factor in growing up and learning to be more selfsufficient. When disagreements occur, understand why, stay calm and noncombative, and you’ll avoid major fights that end in hurt feelings and distrust of each other.
Counseling Corner is provided by the American Counseling Association. Comments and questions can be sent to acacorner@counseling.org or visit http://www.counseling.org.
spotlight on rising rates of suicide
Special to The Dallas Examiner
From preteens to seniors, suicide rates are rising in the U.S. The latest data shows an alarming 33% rise in the rate of death by suicide between 1999 and 2017. In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that America’s suicide rates are at the highest level since World War II, up from 10.5 to 14.0 per 100,000 people. “The trend is very concerning and should be a red flag for everyone – parents, families, health care providers, mental health professionals, educators, community and church leaders and policy makers,” said Rebecca Corona, PhD, lead psychologist at Parkland Health & Hospital System. “It’s vital that we raise the level of awareness about the risk of suicide and educate people because suicide is preventable.” During National Suicide Awareness Week, Sept. 8 through Sept. 14, mental health providers at Parkland will host a booth outside the cafeteria at Parkland Memorial Hospital, providing information about suicide risk and prevention for Parkland staff, patients and visitors. The entire month of September is designated as National Suicide Awareness Month, a time to talk openly about this subject that is too often kept in the shadows. Here are some concerning facts about suicide provided by the CDC and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: • A 53% increase in suicides among girls and women between 1999 and 2017, from 4 to 6.1 per 100,000. • A 26% increase in suicides among boys and men between 1999 and 2017, from 17.8 to 22.4 per 100,000. • Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 34, and fourth leading cause among people ages 35 to 54. • In Texas, the suicide rate increased by almost 19% from 1999 to 2016. On average, one person dies by suicide every 2 hours in Texas; more than twice as many people died by suicide in Texas in 2017 than in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents; suicide is the second leading cause of death in Texas for ages 15 to 34.
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Adults between the ages of 45 and 54 are at highest risk of taking their own lives, followed by elderly people 85 and older. But according to a study published in JAMA, a significant increase in suicide rates occurred among 15- to 24-year-olds between 2000 and 2017. The No. 1 question people ask about those who attempt suicide, according to experts, is: Why? “The reasons that people attempt suicide are more understandable than people may think,” Corona stated. “Although psychosis and substance abuse often play a role, severe depression is a leading cause of suicide. But many people are not aware that depression, like psychosis and substance abuse, is almost always treatable.” In 2015, Parkland became the first health system in the nation to administer a universal suicide screening program to identify persons at risk and help save lives through early intervention. The program screens not only adults but also youth, ages 10 to 17, regardless of their reason for seeking care. Since initiating the program, more than two million suicide risk screenings have been completed with patients in Parkland’s Emergency Department, Urgent Care Center, inpatient units and Community Oriented Primary Care health centers. “Knowing the symptoms of suicide risk and taking steps to talk to a person, regardless of their age, about whether they are having thoughts of suicide, can literally save someone’s life,” said Kimberly Roaten, PhD, director of quality for safety, education and implementation for the department of psychiatry at Parkland and associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “A suicide attempt is a cry for help that can have disastrous consequences,
but should be a sign for family and friends to take action. A teenage girl may ingest a bottle of pills because she feels lonely or bullied, with tragic results. Whether it’s a senior citizen who feels isolated or a school-age victim of cyberbullying, we can watch for warning signs and intervene before it’s too late.” Experts say everyone should be aware of potential suicide warning signs: • Feeling like a burden • Being isolated • Increased anxiety • Feeling trapped or in unbearable pain • Increased substance or alcohol use • Looking for a way to access lethal means such as a firearm • Increased anger or rage • Extreme mood swings • Expressing hopelessness • Sleeping too little or too much • Talking or posting about wanting to die • Making plans for suicide If you are worried about someone, speak up, Roaten advised. “Let them know you’re concerned. Ask if they’ve thought about getting help and reassure them that seeking help is a sign of strength. Let them know they’re not alone, that you’re there for them. Evidence shows that asking someone if they are thinking of harming themselves does not lead to increased risk of suicide. In fact, most people feel grateful that someone has expressed concern. “Research shows that suicidal crises tend to be brief. When suicidal behaviors are detected early, lives can be saved. There are many resources, from suicide crisis hotlines to mental health providers at Parkland and throughout the community who stand ready to help.”
The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com
LIFESTyLE
Creative ideas for a power-packed lunchbox Family Features
Packing and prepping wholesome lunches doesn’t have to be a chore. You can kick health into high gear this school year with new ideas to make creative, nutrient-rich meals. Fit to satisfy various dietary restrictions, the Power Your Lunchbox program offers kidfriendly options and allergysensitive selections. The program, which is dedicated to helping families make healthier lunches during the school year, features more than 80 registered dietitian-approved, family-tested meal ideas with produce as a focal point. Consider skipping the typical sandwich, chips and apple. Instead, it only takes a few minutes to embark on a creative approach to lunch. Get the kids involved by having them use small cookie cutters to make fresh fruits and vegetables into fun shapes. Try complementing the produce with wraps or soups to add extra excitement to typical lunchbox fare. Regardless if your child is a picky eater or is on the more adventurous side, bento box lunches such as Turkey Taco Salad Bento Box and Chinese Mandarin Pasta Salad Bento Box can prove to be satisfying, power-packed meals. For more lunchbox inspiration, visit http://www.poweryourlunchbox.com.
Photos courtesy of Family Features
Turkey Taco Salad Bento Box
Prep time: 10 minutes Servings: 1
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce 1/4 cup cooked turkey meat, seasoned with taco seasoning 2 tablespoons shredded cheese 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered 2 tablespoons guacamole 1 ounce tortilla chips
Chinese Mandarin Pasta Salad Bento Box
Prep time: 20 minutes Servings: 1
16 ounces rotini pasta 6 mini sweet peppers, sliced 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented 3 green onions, sliced 2 cups baby spinach, chopped 1/2 cup matchstick carrots 1/2 cup sesame ginger dressing 1/4 cup chow mein noodles 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced 1/2 cup steamed edamame
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. In large bowl, mix pasta, peppers, oranges, green onions, spinach, carrots and dressing. Toss to coat well. Top with chow mein noodles. Place in lunchbox with kiwi and edamame.
Assemble taco salad with lettuce, taco meat, cheese and tomatoes. Place in lunchbox with guacamole and chips.
Page 7 September 12, 2019
Soul Rep Theatre kicks off 13th season with theme, ‘Black Men Illuminated’
Special to The Dallas Examiner
Soul Rep Theatre Company will kick off its “lucky” 13th season of plays – SOUL TO KEEP – with its rebranded biennial new play festival in memory of the late and celebrated playwright and professor, Dr. Ted Shine. The inaugural Shine Play Festival will feature 10 short plays written by local, national and international playwrights with the theme “Black Men Illuminated,” Sept. 26 to Sept. 29 and Oct. 4 to Oct. 6 at the South Dallas Cultural Center, located at 3400 S. Fitzhugh Ave. in South Dallas, adjacent to Fair Park. Additionally, the play festival will include a performance of Shine’s one-act play, Shoes. “At a time when the world is dimming the contributions and presence of Black men, Soul Rep Theatre is putting the spotlight on their stories,” said Guinea Bennett-Price, Soul Rep cofounder and co-artistic director. “It is our responsibility to celebrate, to honor and explore the complexity, beauty, brilliance and struggle of Black men on our stage.” An ensemble of over a dozen local actors will perform the 11 plays that will be directed by area directors and Soul Rep company members Guinea Bennett-Price, Tonya Holloway, Anyika McMillan-Herod, Nedra James, Ashley Oliver, Dee Smith, Ed Smith and Richard Quadri. The short plays featured will range from historic dramas to “absurd farces.” Dear Bruh by Atlanta-based writer Shemetra Carter is a seriocomedy about two sharecropping brothers. Gab Irish-Like is a comedy by Rex McGregor, a New Zealand-based writer. Houston writer Jared La’Pread’s heartwarming play Harlem centers around a young man coming to terms with his sexuality. Honest Abe, a short historical drama by Dallas writers Camika Spencer and Kyndal Robertson, was inspired by Abraham Bolden, the first African American Secret Service agent assigned to the Presidential Protective
Photo courtesy of Soul Rep Theatre
Division, who was appointed by John F. Kennedy in 1961. Lessons From Einstein, written by Houston-based writer Eric C. Jones, is about a fictitious and fortuitous meeting between Albert Einstein and a Black Pullman porter. Prolific Oklahoma City playwright La’Charles Purvey’s Like Fireflies explores memory and the relationship between mothers and sons. New York playwright Seth Freeman’s clever short play The Pivot puts a lens on racial discrimination in the workplace. The Way It Was/The Way It Is, written by Erin Malone Turner with story by Shelly Williams, is a powerful drama about a father and son trying to reconnect after the father’s incarceration. Tinder-Sucka by Inda Craig-Galvan, a stage and screenwriter in Los Angeles, is a hilarious anachronistic farce about relationships and technology told with a blaxploitation flair. Dallas-based playwright Steven Young’s Under The Overpass is a riveting drama set in the shadows of the Dallas skyline between a homeless man and a driver who accidentally disrupts his life. Ted Shine’s Shoes is set in Dallas during the 1960s and centers around three teenage boys choosing between school and style.
BUSINESS
Page 8 September 12, 2019
The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com
Raising Black Millionaires
Entrepreneur creates flashcards that teach children about Black millionaires and billionaires BlackBusiness.com
Raising Black Millionaires, a New Orleans-based media company, has just released its first volume in their series of Raising Black Millionaires Flashcards to empower parents and educators of Black children with an effective and easy tool that builds self-confidence, high self-esteem and limitless earning potential for all ages. The blog turned media company produces infotainment products and resources to help raise Black children to be wealthy and maintain wealth, and they’re causing huge mental shifts for Black families and classrooms across the nation. “When Robert F. Smith announced that he was paying off the student loans for those graduates from Morehouse, everyone raced to Google him and find out who this man was … this Black man, at that … who could even do something so big; and what in the world does he do to make all of that money?” said founder Thiah Veona Muhammad. “I think it’s imperative that we, as Black people, know who our millionaires and billionaires are, more specifi-
cally those who are in business and are nonentertainers/athletes. Showing them real examples of people who look like them, making millions in various industries, will not only help them to identify themselves as people of greatness, but it will introduce them to industries that they likely have never been exposed to before, giving them more career choices.” With a weekly podcast and upcoming television show that familiarizes the world with some of our community’s business giants, the company foresaw that these flashcards could provide a roadmap for helping our youth discover their own greatness and build self-confidence through the discovery of that in others who are living in their greatness today. Each deck is composed of 52 cards that features today’s Black millionaires and billionaires who have made their millions in various industries, through business and enterprise. Designed to introduce children to a new millionaire each week, the front of the cards feature a picture of a Black millionaire, along with their social media handles and website. The
Thiah Veona Muhammad, founder of Raising Black Millionaires Flashcards – Photos courtesy of BlackBusiness.com
back shares information about their background, education, honors, organizations/boards, and any books or products they’ve created from which children, parents and teachers may benefit. “We wanted to create a flashcard that sparks an exploration into our giants in business who are making some remarkable moves and accomplishments, most of which our community has no knowledge. We feel that this is essential to do, because our children need to see Black people who acquired wealth through means other than entertainment and sports so that their worlds of opportunity could be broadened, and any existing selflimiting/self-defeating images
could be combated by them seeing people who have wealth and look just like them. With that in mind, the cards were designed for them to learn about one new person each week, by starting with the card, then looking the person up on Google, following them on social media, and viewing their speeches or interviews on YouTube or podcasts.” “When Robert F. Smith announced that he was paying off the student loans for those graduates from Morehouse, my first thought was that this man is one of a handful of ‘our’ billionaires in this country. All Black people in America should know who he is, and we wanted to provide a resource that would make knowing
easier. We’re certain that these cards will give parents and teachers tools that will help them to help our children.” While the flashcards are a new release, Raising Black Millionaires has been creating fun educational content for several years. They have a blog that provides parents with easy-to-use tips on how to develop children’s financial literacy, business knowledge, wealth mindset and much more. After the successful release of their first book, How To Raise Your Black Child To Be A Millionaire: Child-rearing Secrets of the Black Elite, in 2015, the company started the Raising Black Millionaires Podcast where Muhammad interviews Black millionaires to find out the childrearing techniques and strategies their parents used to get them to their various levels of success, and which of those same techniques they’ve used in rearing their children to continue their legacies. The company is on schedule to begin filming their television show this fall. Learn more at http://www.raisingblackmillionaires.com.
Responsible development in Opportunity Zones Special to The Dallas Examiner
WASHINGTON – On behalf of the city of Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson accepted a $920,000 grant Friday intended to drive responsible development in Opportunity Zones. The Opportunity Zones program – known as OZ – was authorized by the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. The program aims to drive capital to support new businesses and investments in targeted census tracts by providing investors with tax benefits, including a deferral of capital gains taxes.
Dallas is home to 15 OZ census tracts – including Hensley Field, the Cedars, West Dallas, the Oak Cliff Gateway and the Lancaster Corridor – with a population of about 76,000 residents in these areas. Dallas was one of four U.S. cities added Friday to the Rockefeller Foundation’s Opportunity Zone Community Capacity Building Initiative. Washington, D.C., Oakland and St. Louis are the other cities to receive the grants. The foundation previously announced Atlanta and Newark as grant recipients.
“It was an honor to accept this very generous grant on behalf of our great city today,” Mayor Johnson said. The two-year grant will provide the city of Dallas with funding for a Chief Opportunity Zones officer, two community engagement specialists and technical assistance from a national Opportunity Zone Technical Assistance team. The Chief Opportunity Zones officer will work across city departments and at the community level to engage and inform residents about Opportunity Zones
and how they can get involved as potential partners, project sponsors or investors. Investment in federally designated Opportunity Zones does not require city approval. However, with the foundation’s support, the city of Dallas will execute several tactics to help to mitigate the negative effects of developmentcaused displacement, commonly referred to as gentrification. Among the strategies is identifying building regulations and land use policies that may serve as barriers to
the production of affordable housing within Opportunity Zones. Increasing employment opportunities, supporting small businesses and addressing skills development for in-demand careers are important components of the city’s effort to address affordable housing needs. “I’m very excited about the prospect of Dallas partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation to ensure that Opportunity Zones in our city benefit not only investors, but also those in our community who have not sufficiently shared in
the economic boom our city has experienced,” Mayor Johnson said. “The Opportunity Zone initiative will serve the residents of Dallas well, comour plementing neighborhood vitality programs to ensure local involvement and informing investments with community wisdom,” said Michael Mendoza, chief of economic development and neighborhood services. A resolution to officially accept the foundation’s grant is on course for the Dallas City Council’s Sept. 18 agenda.
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Willey,
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business at the University of Texas at Austin and pursuing a master’s in tax accounting, he’d enrolled in law school to become a tax attorney. A summer internship at the University of Houston’s death penalty clinic changed that plan. Willey was assigned to the case of Marvin Wilson, a 54-yearold mentally disabled Black man from Beaumont who had been sentenced to death in 1994 for the murder of a police informant. Wilson claimed he was innocent, but the clinic’s lawyers hoped to spare him death by focusing on his mental fitness. Willey was tasked with retyping the transcripts from Wilson’s trial. As he worked through them, he grew troubled by what he felt were grave missteps by Wilson’s attorney. The state
claimed, for example, that both the victim and the murderer were Black. But a strand of Caucasian hair was found in the victim’s hand, a fact that had not been explored. He took it upon himself to investigate Wilson’s case, even interviewing witnesses in Beaumont – an impulse that exasperated his bosses, who needed his focus on other matters. When Willey visited Wilson on death row, he was struck by Wilson’s positive outlook. “You’re not giving up,” Willey remembers thinking. But by Aug. 7, 2012 – the day Wilson was to be executed – all of the appeals on his behalf had been denied. That evening, Willey drove to a Bible study he regularly attended. At sundown, as the study leader cracked open a Bible, all Willey could think about was how Wilson was strapped to a gurney, drawing his last breaths. He was staring at the floor, lost in thought, when the leader read the
Boxes of case files overflow at the Harris County public defender’s office in Houston. – Photos by Trevor Paulhus/The Texas Tribune and Texas Monthly
night’s passage, Proverbs 31:8-9. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. … Defend the rights of the poor and needy.” The words hit Willey like a lightning bolt. His calling wasn’t tax law, he realized. It was to defend the poor.
“My jaw was on the floor,” he said. “That message was my new guide in life.” Willey signed up for a mentoring program through the public defender’s office. After graduating from law school, he worked for a criminal defense attorney in Houston before getting on the appointments list in Galveston and Fort Bend counties. His ultimate hope was to work in Harris County, which he figured could use the help: Its lawyers were notoriously overburdened, and its judges had come under fire in the media for cronyism. But Willey needed experience, so he focused on his work outside Houston. Still, he thought often of Wilson, whose photo he kept in his home office. There had to be another way of doing this work, he mused. In the fall of 2015 – as he was looking into the Wayne Lucas case – the answer came to him. A few defendants in Harris County had heard that he represented poor clients and called him from county jail; they wanted to know if he could take their cases because they weren’t hearing from their court-appointed lawyers. Willey turned them down. Without being appointed, he had to work pro bono, and he couldn’t afford to do so. Then, driving one afternoon, he had an idea: What if he could raise funds for the cost of defending cases? On Jan. 17, 2016 – just before Martin Luther King Day, a deliberate choice – Willey gathered friends and family at a restaurant and announced his plan: He was starting a nonprofit called Restoring Justice. That spring, as his conflict with Ewing began to heat up, Willey threw himself into the nonprofit, filling out paperwork and enlisting board members. He also took on one of its first clients, a soft-spoken 27-year-old named Maurice Johnson, who was in jail for sexual assault of a minor.
Johnson claimed that the victim, his girlfriend, had lied about her age, but he’d pleaded guilty after being told by the investigator that she and her father would testify against him. court-apJohnson’s pointed lawyer, Ruth Yvonne Burton, had not visited him in jail; they’d spoken only on days when he appeared in court. When Willey got the investigator’s notes, he realized that the investigator had never interviewed the victim or her father, that the victim had admitted to the police that she’d lied to Johnson about her age, and that the father had agreed to accept a lesser charge against Johnson – a fact that Johnson had not been told. At the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor asked for a sentence of 15 years. Willey persuaded the judge to give Johnson three. Burton was paid for work on 361 felonies in fiscal 2016. When I reached her in a brief phone conversation, she defended her caseload, pointing out that several investigators worked in her office. “I don’t encourage anyone to plead,” she said. “I will tell them what the facts are.” When it came to Johnson, she said, not knowing the girl’s age was not a defense. “That doesn’t make you not guilty,” she said. As Willey saw it, though, having all the facts still made a difference. “It matters in how you negotiate for someone, in how you set punishment,” he said. “It matters a lot.” Willey had known that Burton had a high caseload, but it wasn’t until months later that he realized just how high. He was at his desk one day, poring over the TIDC website, when he discovered that the agency not only issued caseload guidelines – as he knew – but also collected detailed data for all lawyers doing indigent defense. Willey was shocked. He’d
figured only a handful of lawyers didn’t have time for their clients, but there were scores of them – and not just in Harris County. Court-appointed lawyers all over Texas had workloads two or three times the recommended limit. “It was kind of a hallelujah moment,” recalled Willey. “I suddenly had this objective checkpoint on adequacy of counsel.” Now, it dawned on him, he didn’t have to rely on referrals or calls from jail. Thanks to the database, he could figure out who most needed help – and go after those clients himself. In October 2017, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct voted to dismiss his complaint about Ewing. “In its discretion, the Commission determined that the judge’s conduct in this particular instance, while not necessarily appropriate, did not rise to the level of sanctionable misconduct,” ruled the agency. “The Commission remains confident that the conduct will not occur in the future.” Willey shook off his disappointment and doubled down on his nonprofit. That same month, he received a phone call from Charlie Gerstein of Civil Rights Corps. Gerstein was calling for advice on a client. The conversation later turned to indigent defense. Most lawsuits on behalf of the poor, said Gerstein, went after high caseloads and inadequate resources, but lately he’d been thinking about judges. If a lawyer faced resistance from a judge, then it didn’t matter if he had all the resources in the world. Gerstein asked, what if there was a way to address judges’ retaliation against lawyers who tried to adequately defend their low-income clients? “Wait a second,” Willey replied. “That happened to me!” His and Gerstein’s minds began to race. Willey had been trying to bypass the system through his nonprofit, but maybe, it occurred to him, there was something bigger he could try. Five months later, with Gerstein as his lawyer, Willey filed a lawsuit against Ewing.
Disclosure: The University of Texas, the University of Houston and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism.
SAVE THE DATE
Oct 21
Meet the Candidates
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Budget,
continued from Front Page
Block Grant], and it continues our earned income tax credit program that were being transitioned from the office of economic development, as well as it continues the teen pregnancy prevention programs. Rather than reducing at great and sacrificing many of the offices that were providing some of the other services and initiative support, such as the business diversity and equity and ethics as well as welcoming communities in innovation areas, the amendment lays out several other strategic and targeted reductions in those areas that again will preserve and allow for the tax rate not to exceed 77.67 [cents].” Broadnax said the goal is to achieve financial sustainability and that the amendments from the Aug. 26 discussion resulted in a budget shortfall of over $5 million in fiscal 2021. “Amendment 54 will balance both years of the biennial budget,” Broadnax said. “With SB2 becoming effective next year, the city cannot begin the budget process with a shortfall, because that would result in greater core service reductions.” Broadnax said rather than reduce several offices within the
Shootings,
continued from Front Page
now,” state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said at a news conference at the Texas Capitol. “We should not sacrifice any more Texas lives simply to accommodate a legislative calendar.” On top of that, Howard said, the next session will be bogged down with fights over redistricting, further polarizing the state and reducing the chance for consensus on gun safety legislation. As the news conferences played out Wednesday, Ab-
Dallas City Council reviews budget amendments, Sept. 4. – The Dallas Examiner screenshot from city of Dallas video
management services department by 20%, Amendment 54 will make more strategic reductions that will not hinder the momentum or impact current initiatives such as business diversity, equity, ethics, welcoming communities and innovation. He said they would also continue programs needed to make Dallas a better run city. “The approval of Amendment 54 will provide City Council all of the items that were indicated as a priority through the straw vote process, including: the tax rate not to exceed 77.67 cents, reductions in nondirect delivery programs, funding for a fire ladder truck at Fire Station #18, PKR Youth Access Program, PKR AfterSchool Program, a subsidy for an additional football game at the State Fair, additional planners in Sustainable Development and Construction,” he said. “It will
bott’s office responded to the party’s call for a special session, likening the move to a “helter skelter approach that hastily calls for perfunctory votes that divide legislators along party lines. “Governor Abbott made clear in Odessa that all strategies are on the table that will lead to laws that make Texans safer,” Abbott’s spokesperson said in a statement. “The Democrats who are part of today’s partisan pitch can be part of the bi-partisan legislative process announced yesterday that is geared toward achieving real solutions, or they can be part of politics as usual that will accomplish nothing. Legislating
also include reallocation of within Homeless funding Solutions to focus on unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness and a path forward to begin addressing Shingle Mountain and other land use and zoning matters.” Elizabeth Reich, chief financial officer, said changes to the budget are in Dallas Fire-Rescue personal expenses, reducing those from $2.2 million to $1.8 million, thereby adding a use of funds of $238,000 to expand the library hotspot program, and adding a use of funds of $162,000 for tax rate reduction. The amendment is still balanced. The budget amendment also included library hotspots and services. City Council member Jaime Resendez for District 5 asked city staff what they are doing to get the word out that the services of the library hotspots are
on tough issues is hard and takes time. If Democrats really want to change the law, they need to stop talking to cameras and start talking to colleagues in the Capitol to reach consensus.” Later Wednesday, during the Democrats’ press conference in El Paso, members there pushed back on the governor’s assertion that Democrats needed to start speaking with colleagues instead of posturing for the cameras. State Rep. Joe Moody, the House speaker pro tempore, said the group has been reaching across the aisle on this issue since the Aug. 3 shooting. “We didn’t ask for cam-
available. Joey Zapata, assistant city manager, said his department is getting the word out about libraries offering internet services through hotspots. “We will be communicating with all our partners that are libraries. Our libraries are like little community centers, so we will be spreading the word through our friends groups and all the groups that come through there as well as the public school system, which we are aware are also piloting hotspot programs, and we will work with them to best get the word out,” Zapata said. The locations that will have these pilot hotspot programs are Dallas West, Martin Luther King, and Highland Hills communities. Resendez said he would like to see these hotspots available in Southeast Dallas as well.
eras to come to El Paso on Aug. 3,” Moody said. “But that’s what happened to us. Our community voice needed to be heard and needed to heal – but we need action.” Moody, who on Wednesday was tapped by House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, RAngleton, to serve on a select committee to study gun violence and prevention, said the El Paso delegation has been in conversation with Abbott since the shooting happened. “We appreciate the attention that he’s given to our community,” Moody said. “To bring people together you have to hear what they say. That’s how you get
Carolyn King Arnold of District 4 said it was a travesty that communities in the Southern Sector have been underserved for more than 30 years. “We need to begin lobbying our state and federal officials to deliver,” Arnold said. After reviewing the proposed budget amendment, council member Lee Kleinman of District 11 wanted to lower funding to several of the city programs such as those with the Office of Homeless Solutions by $6 million in order to bring the tax rate down, but his proposal was rejected. Arnold said she took it as an insult that Kleinman wanted to cut services in her community, and member Cara council Mendelsohn of District 12 was also not happy about Kleinman’s proposed cuts to the Office of Homeless Solutions. “I can’t think of anything worse to do,” Mendelsohn said. “We are underfunding homelessness as a city, as a county and as a state. We have extremely vulnerable families, veterans; we have chronic, situational; we have youth, seniors, LGBT, medically fragile; and there is a lot of services we don’t even have in our spectrum and our safety net, so this is almost outrageous.” The City Council unanimously approved Broadnax’s proposed amendment budget, which is set to be adopted on Sept. 18.
people to come to the middle.” As Democrats have repeatedly urged Abbott to call a special session on the matter, the governor – along with other GOP leaders – have formed various entities to help explore longterm responses. After the El Paso shooting, Abbott assembled the Domestic Terrorism Task Force and the Texas Safety Commission. And on Tuesday, Bonnen and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced they had formed interim select committees to study mass violence prevention and community safety. Bonnen on Wednesday announced the 13 House
members who will serve on the select committee and directed the newly formed panel to begin studying an array of issues related to gun violence and prevention, such as evaluating “options for strengthening enforcement measures for current laws that prevent the transfer of firearms to felons and other persons prohibited by current law from possessing firearms” and considering “current protocols and extreme risk indicators used to identify potential threats.” Julián Aguilar/The Texas Tribune contributed reporting from El Paso.
Page 12 September 12, 2019 Now-November 24 The Village Coop neighborhood market, including up to 35 vendors selling locally grown foods and goods, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Friendship-West Baptist Church, 2020 W. Wheatland Road. For more information, contact Danielle Ayers at 972-228-5200.
Now-November A Shared Border, an exhibit on how the diverse cultural landscape of the Texas and Mexico borderland has caused different cultures to blend and innovate, will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at the Dallas Historical Society, 3939 Grand Ave. For more information, visit http://www.dallashistory.org/exhibitions.
Sept. 21 to March 1, 2020 The Kinsey Collection, a groundbreaking exhibit featuring 150-
September National Food Safety Awareness Month www.foodsafety.gov
National Baby Safety Month www.jpma.org
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month www.recoverymonth.gov
12
The Black Media Mixer, an opportunity for black businesses and brands within the community to mix and network with local Black media, will begin at 7 p.m. at 4TheCultureStudios, 115 N. Carroll Ave. For more information, email pr@jeniropr.com.
13
Dallas Hunger Summit, hosted by the Coalition for Hunger Solutions, will bring together hundreds of local organizations working to eliminate hunger in Dallas from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. at Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center, 1403 Washington St. Speakers will provide the latest in policy and practice. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co m/e/2019-dallas-hungersummit-tickets65957800557. For more information, contact Wyonella_hendersongreene@baylor.edu.
14 STEM Saturdays, “Se-
cure the Bag: Cyber Security and Entrepreneurship,” an event where students can explore foundational cybersecurity principles, security architecture, risk management and emerging IT technologies, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Friendship-West Baptist Church, Room D106, 2020
CALENDAR COMMUNITy
ONGOING EVENTS
plus works of art, photos, rate documents and more, celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black Americans from 1595 to present day, will be open to the public at the African American Museum, 3536 Grand Ave. For more information, visit www.aamdallas.org.
Oct. 10 to March 22, 2020 Origins: Fossils From the Cradle of Humankind, an exhibit including fossils of two recently discovered ancient human relatives being brought to the U.S. for the first time from South Africa, will be open to the public at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2201 N. Field St. For more information, visit www.perotmuseum.org. Mondays-Wednesdays Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing/
W. Wheatland Road. For more information, visit www.friendshipwest.org.
Treatment, testing and treatment for STIs, HIV, Hep C and other sexual infections, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Prism Health Clinic, 4922 Spring Ave. For more information, call 214-421-7848.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays Sittercise, a low-impact class that can be done from your chair, is offered from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. at Methodist Charlton Medical Center, 3500 W. Wheatland Road. For more information, call 214-947-7777.
First, Second & Fourth Tuesdays Free legal services will be available at 5 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Blvd. For more information, call 214-748-1234.
14 State-City Joint Town
14 You, Me & He, a musi-
cal stage play to bring awareness to Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, will take place at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman St. For more information and tickets, call 323-801-6335 or visit http://youmeandhe.brownpapertickets.com.
14
Mentoring Session: Youth eSteam Fair, sponsored by the NETwork Black Integrated Communications Professionals, where students will be exposed to enrichment exercises that bridge the digital divide and help prepare a new workforce, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com.
14 K-9 Chief on the Beat
Health & Safety Fair, offering free food, health services, pet adoptions and more, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reverchon Park Recreation Center, 3505 Maple Ave. Bring your dog to meet the K-9 police officers and see how they are trained and the work they do. For more information, call DPD at 214-671-4045.
14
Free Vision Clinic, where glasses will be available at no charge for some patients, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1819 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Vision screenings will be done by appointment. There are no income restrictions. For more information, call 214-4265468.
Hall Meeting, hosted by state Rep. Yvonne Davis and Dallas City Council member Casey Thomas, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Dallas Executive Airport Business Center, 5303 Challenger Drive. For more information, call 214-941-3895.
14
“Can We Talk?,” a free event for high school students, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2929 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. – Bldg. A. Workshop topics include: Understanding Your Rights, Anti-Bullying, Adulting 101, Importance of Higher Education. Complimentary lunch will be provided with RSVP. Register online at www.CWTYouth.Eventbrite.com. For more information, visit www.dallasmlkcenter.com or call 214-670-8418.
16
Skill Quest Career Readiness, a free workforce readiness program presented by Community Council of Greater Dallas, will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at West Dallas Multipurpose Center, 2020 Fishtrap Road. For more information, visit agronstal@skillquestcareers.org or call 214-879-9950.
17
Skill Quest Career Readiness, a free workforce readiness program presented by Community Council of Greater Dallas, will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more information, visit agronstal@skillquestcareers.org or call 214-879-9950.
18
Free Legal Clinics, legal advice and consultation on civil matters pre-
The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com
Tuesdays & Thursdays Free SkillQuest Career Readiness Classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more information, call 214-879-9950 or email sgronstal@skillquestcareers.org. Wednesdays State Fair Job Assistance will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Library, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. - Bldg. C. For more information, call 214-708-2739 or visit www.dallasmlkcenter.com.
Wednesdays The MLK Fresh Produce Distribution Center will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin
sented by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for Dallas County residents who meet certain financial guidelines, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at FriendshipWest Baptist Church, 2020 W. Wheatland Road. For more information, visit www.dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org.
18
MLK Fresh Produce Distribution Center, providing fruits, vegetables and dry goods to the surrounding community at no cost, will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more information, contact 214-670-8418.
18 2019 College Fair will
be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St. For more information, visit http://www.gotocollegefairs.com or contact Dallas ISD Counseling Services at 972-925-8954.
Luther King Jr. Blvd. - Bldg. A. For more information, call 214708-2739 or visit www.dallasmlkcenter.com.
Wednesdays State Fair Job Assistance will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Library, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. - Bldg. C. For more information, call 214-708-2739 or visit www.dallasmlkcenter.com.
Wednesdays The MLK Fresh Produce Distribution Center will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. - Bldg. A. For more information, call 214708-2739 or visit www.dallasmlkcenter.com.
more information, contact Felicia Gummi at 214944-1955 or fgummi@texanscan.org.
20 “A Musical Night of
Compassion,” an evening of symphonic music and song by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and The Potter’s House choirs, featuring Grammy Awardwinning singer Anthony Hamilton, will start at 7 p.m. at The Potter’s House, 6777 W. Kiest Blvd. The concert is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information, call 214-331-0954.
21 Annual Freedom Fund
Brunch and Silent Auction will begin at 9 a.m. at the Hyatt Place, 5101 N. President George Bush Highway, Garland, 75040. For more information, visit www.garlandtxnaacp.org.
21
19
Free Legal Clinics, legal advice and consultation on civil matters presented by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for Dallas County residents who meet certain financial guidelines, will begin at 5 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 4105 Junius St. For more information, visit www.dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org.
20 Texans Can Academies – Dallas Cares for Kids Luncheon, honoring Maurine Dickey and recognizing individuals who exemplify family and community leadership while benefiting the students at Texas Can Academies’ six Dallas-area campuses, will be held at 11 a.m. at the Belo Mansion, 2101 Ross Ave. For
Sisterhood Call to Unity Conference, whose mission is to unite women for a time of healing, restoration and empowerment, will begin at 9 a.m. at the Texas Star Golf Course and Conference Centre, 1400 Texas Star Parkway, Euless. For more information, visit www.prayhers.com.
21 Falling for Pink, a free
health fair where visitors can receive vital information about breast cancer and resources, will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Methodist Charlton Medical Center, 3500 W. Wheatland Road. Free bra fittings and mammograms are available but must be scheduled in advance by calling 972-992-7621.
24 Lunch & Learn with
a.m. to 1 p.m. at Zan Wesley Holmes Outreach Center, 4600 Spring Ave. For more information, call 214-324-4443.
24
Free Legal Clinics, legal advice and consultation on civil matters presented by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for Dallas County residents who meet financial guidelines, will begin at 5 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Center Core Services Building, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 122. For more information and scheduling, visit www.dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org.
25 National Women’s Health Fitness Day 25
National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
24 District 3 Community
Meeting, hosted by Councilman Casey Tomas and Dallas Economic Director Courtney Pogue, will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center at RedBird, 3662 W. Camp Wisdom Road., Suite 2044. For more information, visit, https://www.dallasecodev.org.
25 “Find Out What Fra-
zier House Has to Offer,” hosted by Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Division of Women and Infants’ Specialty Health, will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Frazier House, 4600 Spring Ave. For more information, visit info@zwhjcoc.org or email info@zwhjcoc.org.
Shaylon Scott, “Financial Services for Social Good,” will be held from 11:30
Disclaimer: The Dallas Examiner makes every effort to accurately list all calendar events. However, The Dallas Examiner bears no responsibility for schedule changes and/or cancellations. Contact information on each event listing is provided for the public for confirmation and additional information.
Send your calendar events and a photo no less than two weeks before your event:
Email: calendar@dallasexaminer.com
CLASSIFIEDS
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MISSING Tory Brooks
DOB: Jan. 6, 2004 Missing Since: June 13, 2019 Age Now: 15 Sex: Female Race: Black Height: 5’8” Weight: 130 lbs Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Brown Missing City: Lancaster NCMEC Number: 1360710 Additional informaton: Tory was last seen on June 13, 2019.
Anyone having information regarding this missing youth should call the Lancaster Police Department at 972-218-2711.
Every 40 seconds, a child is reported as "missing," according to several government and missing children's reports. And the number of missing African American children has increased from 25 percent to 33 percent. This is not only a crisis for the families of the missing children, but for our community and our country.
The Dallas Examiner has made it its mission to post missing children in our community, as reported by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, each week. Anyone having information regarding this child, should contact National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST. For more information or to view more missing children in your area, visit www.missingkids.com.
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Scholarships
Texas Grant Program The Texas Legislature established the TEXAS – Towards EXcellence, Access and Success – Grant to make sure that well-prepared high school graduates with financial need could go to college. To receive a basic initial award through the TEXAS Grant Program, a student must be registered with Selective Service, or be exempt, demonstrate financial need, be classified by the institution as a Texas resident, have not been convicted of a felony or crime involving a controlled substance and be enrolled at least three-quarter time as a Baccalaureate student who graduated from an accredited public or private high school in Texas, completed the Foundation, Recommended, or Distinguished Achievement high school program (or the equivalent) and, enrolled in an undergraduate degree or certificate program at an approved institution within 16 months from high school graduation. Deadline: Varies Contact: Scholarship Committee Student Financial Aid Programs P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711-2788 888-311-8881 Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program The purpose of the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program is to provide grant aid to financially needy students enrolled in Texas public two-year colleges. To receive an initial award through the TEOG Program, a student must be registered with selective service, or be exempt; be classified by the institution as a Texas resident and be enrolled at least half-time. Deadline: Varies Contact: Scholarship Committee Student Financial Aid Programs P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711-2788 888-311-8881
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