The Dallas Examiner headliners for Oct. 3

VOl. XXXiii • OCTOBER 3, 2019

50 cents

Funding granted to tackle the city’s high teen pregnancy rates The impeachment inquiry

speaking Up: Mental Health

Health Pg 6

From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton spoke at a January news conference addressing property tax reform. – Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Property tax relief in Texas, perhaps –

but not right away – AnAlysis –

By ROss RAMsEy The Texas Tribune

While trying to limit the annual growth of property taxes in Texas, the Legislature gave local governments an incentive to raise taxes nearly 8% this year. Maybe it was unintentional, but the state gave the locals a reason to raise property taxes faster than they would have without state action.

As with car dealer’s TV spots or commercials for a year-ending sale at a furniture store understands how this works: It’s a classic closeout sale. You tell the customer there’s a big change right around the corner – a new model year, higher prices, new rules. And you add that there’s a better deal for anyone who acts quickly, to help the dealer clear the car lot, to assist that poor furniture store owner who wants to reduce inventory before the new year begins.

“Act now and save!”

Legislators know that stuff, too, but it’s not clear they were thinking about it. In their most recent session, they passed, with a great deal of self-congratulation, a new law that requires local governments – not including school districts – to get permission from voters for any property tax revenue increases of more than 3.5%.

The city or the county can raise more, but only if voters approve. And there’s an exemption for community colleges, hospital districts and small government entities.

Before that law passed, the limit was 8%. This is the last calendar year when that older limit is in effect. Those local governments argued, unsuccessfully, that the state’s newly imposed limit would hobble their efforts to keep up with growth and operating costs. They have some thirdparty support for that view; Moody’s Investor Service said in a report this year that the legislation would lead to minimal homeowner savings but would “hurt local governments substantially.”

You see why the governments would jump?

Act now, and revenue from property taxes can go up 7.99% without a public vote.

Next year, the maximum increase without going to the polls will be 3.5%. And unlike current law, which requires citizens to petition for a rollback before a vote, the new law makes the public referendum automatic.

Act now!

A number of those governments are taking advantage of this, which will mean higher tax bills for some Texans and might keep legislators seeking reelection in

See Tax Relief Page 2

Read…

Perspectives Pg 5

By DiAnE XAViER The Dallas Examiner

Dallas’ teen birth rates are higher than the national average, with certain ZIP codes having even higher rates, according to the statistics from the city of Dallas.

The Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty also identified teen pregnancy as one of the major drivers of poverty.

In an effort to help combat the issue, the Dallas City Council approved funding during its Sept.

25 meeting for two programs that can help. Council members voted in favor of authorizing two one-year service contracts for teen pregnancy prevention/youth development programs with After-School AllStars in the amount of $125,000.00 and Just Say YES – Youth Equipped to Succeed – in the amount of $125,000.00.

Dallas City Council focuses on the high rate of teen pregnancies in certain ZIP codes. – Screenshot by Robyn H. Jimenez from City of Dallas video

After-School All-Stars program was awarded the funding to help students and their families at Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory Academy and Life School Oak Cliff Secondary Academy with youth development and teen pregnancy prevention programming.

The after-school program focuses on these schools because they each have several risk factors present for academic underperformance and

teen pregnancy, according to Nadia Chandler-Hardy, assistant city manager and chief resilience officer for the city of Dallas.

“The two schools targeted have 90% and 79% economically disadvantaged and 86% and 65% of their students considered “at risk” respectively,” Chandler-Hardy said.

The program plans to partner with the North Texas Alliance to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy in Teens in

From right: Allison Jean (mother), Botham Shem Jean and Alissa Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger is escorted from the courtroom after she was Charles-Findley (sister) – Photos found guilty of murder by a 12-person jury in the 204th District Court at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 1. – Photo by Tom Fox/REUTERS courtesy of his social media

Former police officer Amber Guyger found guilty of murder in shooting of Botham Jean WFAA-TV

(The Texas Tribune) – A Dallas County jury found former police officer Amber Guyger guilty of murder Tuesday morning.

Guyger, who shot and killed Botham Jean, an unarmed 26year-old Black man, in his own apartment, said she mistook Jean’s fourth-floor apartment as her own and thought he was a burglar. Guyger, who is 31 and White, lived one floor directly below Jean. She was off duty, but still in her uniform when she shot him.

His death – and her subsequent trial – grabbed national attention and sparked a passionate conversation throughout the city and across the nation about race, policing and gun violence.

The jury reached its decision the day after closing arguments were presented. Guyger’s trial now turns to the sentencing phase, and both the Jean and Guyger families will be allowed to testify. In Texas, a murder conviction can result in a sentence ranging from five years to life in prison.

Though court resumed later that afternoon for the sentencing, the trial was scheduled to continue Wednesday morning.

Jean’s final moments Guyger parked on the fourth floor the night Jean died and walked to his fourth-floor apartment, which was directly a floor above her own.

Several residents of the South Side Flats, where Guyger and Jean lived, have testified that they’ve also parked on the

Support…

See City Council Page 3

Patricia Ryan teaches a classroom of female inmates inside the Mountain View prison in Gatesville as part of a reentry program. Part of the full-day programming focuses on computer and office skills, practicing interview techniques, customer service training, and dealing with stress and safety in the workplace. – Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune

Botham Shem Jean, who was killed in his apartment by an offduty police officer.

By TAsHA TsiAPERAs and BRADlEy BlACKBURn

order to connect teens and their parents to pregnancy prevention outreach services.

Just Say YES was awarded the funding to help with teen pregnancy programs in the West Dallas, Oak Cliff and Victory Meadows area schools.

“Just Say Yes – Youth Equipped to Succeed – was awarded this money in order to provide educational programming to teens, with a focus on building knowledge and skills needed to graduate high school without becoming teen parents, workforce training opportunities and connect them with services, programs and resources to reduce their likelihood of becoming teen parents by helping them achieve their full potential,” Chandler-Hardy said.

wrong floor of the parking garage and even walked to the wrong apartment door.

Jean, who worked at the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, was sitting on his couch eating vanilla ice cream topped with crumbled chocolate chip cookies and watching TV when Guyger mistakenly walked into his apartment. His laptop was open. It appears he had AirPods in his ears. He was dressed comfy, in shorts and a T-shirt.

Jurors were shown dozens of crime scene photos of Jean’s and Guyger’s apartments. They also watched videos showing the walk from the parking garage through the apartment hallways for both the third and fourth floors.

There was a bright red doormat outside Jean’s apartment.

His apartment was the only one with such a noticeable doormat on the third or fourth floor.

Guyger’s keys were in Jean’s door when the first officers arrived. The doors at the apartments take an electronic lock, which turns like a normal key.

Jean hadn’t locked his door when he returned home from running an errand. The door wasn’t fully closed and latched the night of the shooting.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys had different theories about where Jean was when he was shot. Prosecutors said he was still sitting on the couch when Guyger shot him. Defense attorneys say Jean was walking or lunging toward her when she pulled the trigger.

Guyger’s response An arrest warrant for Guyger said she performed first aid on

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Jean, but evidence presented during the trial has not shown that to be the case.

Guyger was outside Jean’s apartment when the first officers arrived, body camera footage showed. There was no blood found on her uniform, which was collected after the shooting.

She texted her partner twice while she was on the phone with 911. Court testimony revealed she and her partner, Martin Rivera, had been in an intimate relationship. They had been sending steamy text messages to each other throughout the afternoon and evening.

While on the phone with 911, Guyger texted Rivera, “I need you … hurry up” and “I f----d up.”

Guyger’s testimony Guyger was the first witness called to the stand by the defense last week. She became emotional several times on the stand as she was questioned about her actions before and after she fatally wounded Botham Jean inside his apartment.

“I feel like a piece of crap,” she testified. “I hate that I have to live with this every single day, and I ask God for forgiveness and hate myself every single day.”

While Guyger said she was shocked after realizing she was in the wrong apartment and had just shot “an innocent man,” the prosecution questioned why she didn’t call for backup from the start when she heard movement inside the unit.

The prosecution also alleged Guyger seemed more focused

See Botham Page 3

214-941-3100

Prison to pay check New Texas prison program could help women obtain a job before leaving the system

By JOliE MCCUllOUGH The Texas Tribune

GATESVILLE — Tears often filled the eyes of the women in this Texas prison town as they prepared for their upcoming release from the system after years or even decades of incarceration.

The women sometimes wiped them away as they recalled trauma and grief they’d long ignored in a harsh prison environment.

But their eyes also welled up when they expressed gratitude for a new program they hope will keep them from ever coming back to this or any other lockup.

At the Mountain View Unit west of Waco last week, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice unveiled STRIVE, a new reentry program for women soon to be released from prison. Its main goals are to help imprisoned women address and heal from trauma tied to their criminal activity and leave prison with jobs already waiting for them. It’s a small program, with only 31 women in the inaugural class, and lasts a relatively short 12 weeks. But in the four weeks since it began, women said they felt changed.

“We’ve done healing trauma, opening up stuff we’ve already left there for a long time,

See Prison Page 7

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Research: Homelessness is a crisis

Editorial . . . . . . . 4 Perspectives . . . 5

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www.dallasexaminer.com

Page 2 October 3, 2019

Special to The Dallas Examiner

DAllAs The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, a joint initiative of the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, will hold 11 free Legal Clinics this month for Dallas County residents who qualify. All clinics begin at 5 p.m., with the exception of the Veteran’s Clinic, which begins at 1:30 p.m.

Clinics are as scheduled below: • Oct. 3 at Grace United Methodist Church, 4105 Junius St. • Oct. 4 (available for veterans and their families only) at 1:30 p.m. Veterans Affairs Medical Center SCI Center, 4500 S. Lancaster Road • Oct. 8 at Martin Luther King Jr. Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Blvd.

• Oct. 10 at 2828 Fish Trap Road • Oct. 15 at St. Phillip’s Community Center, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. • Oct. 16 at Friendship-West Baptist Church, 2020 W. Wheatland Road • Oct. 17 at Grace United Methodist Church, 4105 Junius St. • Oct. 17 at Salvation Army, 451 W. Avenue D in Garland • Oct. 22 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Blvd.

• Oct. 24 at 2828 Fish Trap Road The clinics offer free legal advice and consultation in civil matters for those who qualify under Legal Aid’s income eligibility guidelines. Applicants are asked to bring proof of income, identification, legal papers, etc. with them to the clinic. For more information, log on to http://dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org.

DAllAs More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 16 million fam-

sTATE/METRO

Around the State ily members and friends provide care to people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Texas, there are more than 390,000 people living with the disease and 1.4 million caregivers, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The association will host its annual Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s in an effort to end Alzheimer’s. The walk will take place on Saturday at Dallas City Hall Plaza, 1500 Marilla St. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. and the walk will begin at 9 am.

During the event, participants will honor those affected by Alzheimer’s disease with Promise Flowers during the poignant Promise Garden Ceremony – a display of hope to represent the personal reasons participants join together to fight Alzheimer’s.

Over 3,000 people are expected to attend the 1-mile walk hosted

by Hanna Battah, KDFW FOX 4 Good Day anchor.

Jennifer Bowring, Alzheimer’s Association Director of Development, said the Dallas Walk brings everyone together to fight a common cause.

“Nearly 400 thousand Texans are living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Bowring said. “Texas ranks 4th in the number of Alzheimer’s cases and 2nd in Alzheimer’s deaths in the nation. Dallas is the home of world champions and every single person walking is also a champion.”

In addition to the walk, attendees can visit the Alzheimer’s Research Emporium and meet local Alzheimer’s researchers who are working to unlock the secrets of the disease. Children who accompany can participate in an enhanced family friendly Kid’s Zone. Also, pets on a leash are welcome at the Dog Zone.

An Uber/Lyft drop site is available at 1600 Canton St. Additionally, people can ride DART and disembark at either the Union or Akard station to walk to the event.

Participants can join a team or register to walk as an individual at

http://www.alz.org/walk.

DAllAs The State Fair of Texas will celebrate the Fifth Annual Day of Inspiration and Gospel Sunday.

Grammy Award-winning Artist Tye Tribbett. Season nine BET Sunday Best winner, Melvin Crispell III, will share the Chevrolet Main Stage as a headliner. Performances will be held at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Tribbett will also have a solo performance at 6 p.m.

The performances will showcase a 100+ voice ecumenical mass choir, Grammy and Stellar-nominated producer Myron Williams, national recording artists Gene Moore and Jonathan Traylor, as well as a host of other artists, including a praise team made up of children from the St. Paul United Methodist Church Ignite Kids Worship Workshop. The day will also feature Ordered Step Productions, a nationally known liturgical dance troupe.

In between the performances, the 2019 Juanita Craft Humanitarian Awards will take place at 4:30 p.m. The award in named in honor of Juanita Craft, who was a tireless advocate for civil rights and played a pivotal role in integrating parts of Dallas, including the State Fair of Texas. The awards program recognizes individuals who continue the legacy of Craft through advocacy for civil rights in our community.

The event is free with admission into the fair. Half-price admission is available for those who bring an empty Dr. Pepper can after 5 p.m.

For more information, visit http://www.bigtex.com.

DAllAs States of Black organizers announce an innovative Social Justice Art Experience will be the closing event for the Speaking Truth To Power Conference, Oct. 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Friendship-West Baptist Church.

The 2-day conference, hosted by Dr. Frederick Dr. Haynes III, sen-

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

ior pastor of Friendship-West, will begin Oct. 10. It is a movement to equip church leaders and community activists to fight for social justice. Event organizers believe that the Social Justice Art Experience will create a space and place to visually see and interpret some of the teaching that will take place during the workshops and plenary meetings. More than 300 hundred registrants are expected to participate in the exhibit and conference.

States of Black is an artistic movement to bring awareness to systemic American injustices toward the African American community.

“This is sort of political art experience on steroids,” said Jamacia Johnson, States of Black Curator.

“We have some talented artists in Dallas who will display their expressions of social injustices, mass incarceration, economic disparity, racism, education and a myriad of other themes through illustrations, painting, music and more.”

Johnson, who is a millennial business owner and artist, said her hope and focus for this experience is to use what Is happening in the landscape of the United States, as it relates to the disparity of treatment of African Americans and other minorities seen daily in an expressive way.

“Art and music are mediums to allow us to pay attention to very difficult topics,” Johnson explained. “I believe States of Black, through the art and the storytelling will spur action by persons experiencing. We are hoping that people will move to do something as we embark upon another election in 2020. I hope my generation will exercise their right to vote. As a young person, its important for me to do something for my generation to make a difference – Art is my way.”

The event is free to registrants of the conference. A limited number of free tickets are available to the community but registration is required.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.statesofblackdallas.eventbrite.com.

Tax Relief,

continued from Front Page

2020 from claiming they acted to cut your taxes or provide tax relief. Not all local governments are taking advantage of this 8% solution, but some big ones are. According to the Houston Chronicle, the list of governments taking or considering the high-tax road includes Harris, Tarrant, Travis, El Paso and Webb counties, and cities like Austin, El Paso, Arlington and Corpus Christi.

“I think a lot of cities and counties know that we are putting them on a diet, and they are going on one last bender before it happens,” State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, told the Chronicle. He was the House sponsor of the property tax law.

The actual taxes will vary, depending on location and what the local governments are doing. The biggest part of the property tax bill – for local schools – isn’t subject to the new limit. But the rest of the bill is. It is expected to arrive by the end of the year.

It’ll also show what the bill was last year, so residents can do the math and see whether they’ll get any promised property tax relief now, later or at all.

One sponsor of the legislation, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, told The Dallas Morning News last month what some local governments were up to.

“No question. They’re trying to build an increase before the law takes effect.”

He indicated his displeasure and he knows the ins and outs of property taxes as well as anyone in the Legislature. And politicians are supposed to have a pretty good grip on what effect their new laws will have.

This one will limit the growth of property taxes – after it gives local governments one last chance to get a bigger revenue increase before the end of 2019.

Act now!

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

Botham,

continued from Front Page

on herself than Jean, pointing out that she didn’t properly administer CPR and sent messages to her former police partner before officers arrived on the scene.

“All this talk about a sad mistake, when the rubber meets the road, you intended to kill Mr. Jean,” prosecutor Jason Hermus said.

“He [Jean] was the threat, yes, sir,” she replied of what she thought at the time of the shooting.

“You intended to kill Mr. Jean,” Hermus asked.

“I did,” she testified.

What the jury was considering The jury considered whether to convict Guyger of murder or manslaughter. Part of the deliberations was to determine whether Guyger reasonably thought she was inside her own apartment at the time of the shooting and whether a reasonable person in her position would have shot Jean in self-defense, as she alleges.

The former officer was initially taken into custody on a manslaughter charge but was later indicted on a murder charge. Murder carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

Manslaughter, which is a seconddegree felony, carries a sentencing

City Council, continued from Front Page

“In addition to targeting

range of two to 20 years. If Guyger is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to less than 10 years in prison, she could receive probation.

There is a precedent in police shootings to include a lesser charge of manslaughter.

In the case of fired Balch Springs Officer Roy Oliver, the jury was given the option to find him guilty of murder or of manslaughter in the death of Jordan Edwards. The jury ultimately convicted Oliver of murder.

The Castle Doctrine On Monday, Judge Tammy Kemp allowed jurors to consider the Castle Doctrine in their deliberations. In general, such laws state people are allowed to use deadly force without retreating first in their occupied homes, vehicles or workplaces. Texas passed a Castle Doctrine law, removing the duty to retreat in one’s home in 1995.

In 2007, Texas passed a law that goes further than the Castle Doctrine. The Texas law removed the duty to retreat for people who are attacked, as long as they have the “right to be present at the location where the force is used.” In other words, Texans are allowed to use force in self-defense before retreating as long as they are not intruding on private property. youth ages 20 and younger, youth living in poverty, the program will also make a special effort to reach foster care youth, youth in

Black and blue Unlike many headline-grabbing cases of officers killing unarmed people of color, Guyger was not on duty when she killed Jean. And, according to testimony, she thought he was an intruder in her home.

But Dallas’ Black community has closely followed each step of Guyger’s trial. Changa Higgins, a community activist and leader of the Dallas Community Police Oversight Coalition, said it’s hard to ignore the history of American law enforcement officers killing unarmed people of color without being prosecuted or convicted.

“This case is kind of different.

The circumstances, the way she took his life are so blatant, whether it was an accident or not,” Higgins said. “This case shows us that Black lives can be taken in this way, even when you are doing everything in life the way you are supposed to.”

A “beautiful person” Jean’s family members have been in court every day to listen to the testimony. Hundreds gathered in a Dallas ballroom Sunday night – which would have been Jean’s 28th birthday – to honor his life at a “red tie” event. Red was Jean’s favorite color. The event also raised money for the Botham Jean Foundation.

“We are strong because there’s no other choice but to be strong,” said

the juvenile justice system and homeless youth.”

Jessica Galleshaw, director of the Office of Community Care for the

Jean’s mother, Allison Jean. “We are hoping that this week we get a birthday gift for Botham, and that will be justice for him.”

Allison Jean said it has been extremely difficult to be in the courthouse for the trial, as attorneys replay body camera footage and detail the final moments of her son’s life. Friday, she was there to hear directly from Guyger as she gave her emotional account of the event on the stand in her own defense.

“My son was a beautiful person.

And the way he died was just wrong,” Allison Jean said.

Contributions to the Botham Jean Foundation will go toward projects Jean was supporting while alive, including efforts to provide clean drinking water and combat poverty around the world.

“We will do it for him,” said Jean’s sister Alissa Findley.

After the ‘guilty’ verdict “Nothing will bring Botham back, but today his family has found some measure of justice.

What happened on Sept. 6, 2018 is clear to everyone: This officer saw a Black man and shot, without reason and without justification,” Lee Merritt, one of the attorneys for the Jean family said in a statement after Guyger was found guilty.

“We believe Botham's life mattered, and we want to see a sentence that reflects that.”

city of Dallas, explained the background and history of the issue. item is a “This continuation of the $300,000 that was first allocated in the fiscal year of 2018,” Galleshaw said.

“That funding was awarded to the North Texas Alliance to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy in targeting a Teens, campaign that really was built out where they were developing materials for paid social media outreach and other things to do educational outreach and public awareness in order to target teen pregnancy prevention. We were looking at 2019, and we wanted to do something that would support teens in a little bit of a different way. So we retargeted the funding to have a youth development component, because research shows that youth who have a clear picture of their future and feel like they are really working toward something are much less likely to engage in risky behavior and much less likely to end up pregnant. This was allocated in that way so that we can continue to support the outreach, but primarily these two contracts are focusing on the youth on healthy decision making, positive choices, meaningful relationships, social and emotional learning, leadership and peer connectedness.”

Both programs will also have a peer mentoring model and specialized development assessment tools.

Council member Carolyn King Arnold of District 4 was concerned about the lack of diversity represented on the board of After-School All-Stars, who have 17 board members, of which there are three African American members, one Latino member, one Asian and the rest White.

“The district as it relates to Dallas ISD, Latinos are predominant, but the board

Page 3 October 3, 2019

After the jury handed down a conviction Tuesday, the court turned to the punishment phase of the hearing. The jury heard from character witnesses for Jean and Guyger, with both parties' parents speaking to the jury.

In a closing statement, a Dallas County prosecutor asked the jury to hand down a sentence of no less than 28 years, symbolic for how old Jean would have become days ago.

In Texas, a murder conviction can result in a sentence ranging from five years to life in prison.

After deliberating for one and a half hours, the jury sentenced Guyger to 10 years in prison.

“In light of today’s verdict, it is important to remember that no single court decision can remedy all that ails our society” and true justice is a result of “deliberate, systematic changes,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement.

“That’s why more than 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’”

He added that while the Jean family will never be the same again, the verdict may bring some closure.

This article was originally published as three separate articles.

Juan Pablo Garnham and Stacy Fernández of The Texas Tribune and Rebecca Lopez of WFAA contributed to this story.

side doesn’t reflect the diversity,” Arnold said.

“That is one concern I have is that if we are going to put money into these programs, it’s all about building relationships, and if you can’t relate then you can’t move the program, the needle, so you just end up spending money. I am for the educational component of this, and I think it would best serve DISD because I know their population and I know they are in a better position to make that investment. I will not vote for this project.”

Council member Lee Kleinman of District 11 also voted against this measure.

“Just advertising abstinence, I just cannot honestly believe that that’s not going to have any success or move the needle,” Kleinman said.

“And quite honestly, colleagues, this is out of our wheelhouse. Our job is to pick up the trash, provide public safety, give clean water, not socially engineer. Education is the job of the schools, the parents, and this amount of money I can’t even imagine that it will make a difference.”

Council member Adam Bazaldua of District 7 disagreed with Kleinman and Arnold and supported this item on the agenda.

“This has been identified as one of the nine drivers of poverty and it is our job to invest in our next generation,” Bazaldua.

“The most efforts we can put into to address the root causes of poverty is how we are going to reimagine public safety.”

Council member Omar Narvaez of District 6 also supported the measure.

“If we are able to mentor our youth and make sure they get the support they are not able to get because of the area they happen to live in, and don’t have the opportunities to succeed and get out of that poverty, which ends up causing and creating more children to

end up in the school-toprison pipeline, and that is something we can no longer accept as a council and as a city,” Narvaez said. “We must be in partnership with our schools site within the city of Dallas, whether its Dallas ISD, CarrolltonFarmers Branch, Irving ISD and Richardson ISD. Every one of those school districts have children that are faced with issues and situations that they sometimes cannot overcome. When it comes to teenage pregnancy, the state of Texas is at the highest level of teenage pregnancy and the highest level of repeat teenage pregnancy. This is one of our drivers of poverty and we must address this.”

In other city news, former Dallas Mavericks all-star NBA player and champion, Dirk Nowitzki, was honored by the city.

The City Council voted in favor of changing the name of Olive Street, between North Field Street and Victory Avenue, to Nowitzki Way. “When you think about someone who has made Dallas home, who has had an international impact on the city, I don’t know of a person who has made a larger impact, and as a sports figure who has become more of a humanitarian,” council member Casey Thomas of District 3 said. “As a city, let us honor someone who has honored us with his service and character on the court.”

Former Dallas Maverick and NBA champion Jason Terry, who played with Nowitzki, said this is a great way to honor a living legend.

“As great of a basketball player Dirk is, he is that much more of a human being and serves as a role model for the youth of Dallas and, yes, Nowitzki Way should be the street,” Terry said.

Page 4 October 3, 2019

Protect the children not guns By MARiAn WRiGHT EDElMAn Children’s Defense Fund

“Sometimes, I sit back and I have to escape from what I see and hear every day.”

I hope this opening line of 11-year-old Milwaukee Sandra Parks’ award-winning essay on gun violence will make enough adults wake up and act to stop the slaughter of children.

An aspiring writer, Sandra entered her school district’s Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest in sixth grade with Our Truth, her devastating account of growing up in a neighborhood and nation terrorized by guns.

“We are in a state of chaos,” she wrote. “In the city in which I live, I hear and see examples of chaos almost every day. Little children are victims of senseless gun violence.”

Two years later, on Nov. 19, 2018, Sandra became a victim of the senseless gun violence she described in her essay when she was struck by a stray bullet watching television in her bedroom. She died at 13, with so much of her life left to enjoy.

She begged for adults to act to protect children from guns – a plea the Children’s Defense Fund has been making since 1994, when Chicago inner-city children told us their greatest fear was dying from guns during a focus group we conducted with Hart Research Associates. We then began our Protect Children Not Guns campaign with brilliant pro bono help from a great Minneapolis ad agency Fallon McElligott Rice, now Fallon Worldwide.

After the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, the Children’s Defense Fund published ads featuring searing images like the student falling from a window into the waiting arms of police officers in riot gear with the caption: “Remember when the only thing kids were afraid of at school was a pop quiz?” Every ad and poster carried the same message: It is time we protect children instead of guns.

Yet, in the 20 years since we began our campaign, an entire generation of children has grown up fearful of gun violence as adults refused to act to protect them. Children and all of us have learned over and over again there are no guaranteed safe spaces in our country where hate, bigotry and terrorism continue to collide with unfettered access to weapons of war. We cannot worship, go to the movies or other public spaces, shop for groceries or sit in our homes with security from gun violence.

CDF’s new Protect Children, Not Guns report analyzes the latest fatal and nonfatal gun injury data for children ages 0-19 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It continues to reveal a shameful crisis worsening in a nation that refuses to protect children and teens from the scourge of gun violence: • 3,410 children and teens were killed by guns in 2017 – the greatest number since 1998.

• 21,611 children and

teens were killed or injured by a gun in 2017 – one every 24 minutes.

• Gun violence was the second leading cause of death among children and teens of all races 1-19 years old and the leading cause among Black children and teens.

• Gun violence killed more children and teens than cancer, pneumonia, asthma, influenza, HIV/AIDS and opioids combined.

• Homicide is the leading cause of gun deaths among children and teens.

• Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native children and teens are disproportionately likely to be killed or injured with guns.

• Guns killed more than twice as many preschoolers as law enforcement officers in the line of duty in 2017: 93 children under 5 were killed compared with 42 law enforcement officers in the line of duty.

• Children were not safe from guns in every state between 2008 and 2017.

Deaths ranged from 18 in Hawaii to 2,977 in California.

• The deadliest states were Alaska and Louisiana, with about 8 gun deaths per 100,000 children and teens annually – more than twice the national rate.

• Since 1963, four times more children and teens were killed with guns on American soil than U.S. soldiers killed in action in wars abroad.

• U.S. children and teens are 15 times more likely to die from gunfire than those in 31 other high-income countries combined.

This continuing indefensible gun violence against children should shame us all. How many more child shootings is it going to take for enough decent people to stand up and say enough and protect every child’s right to live? Inaction is not an option.

I hope every parent, grandparent, youth, teacher, faith and political leader will step up to the plate and act to pass common sense gun violence prevention measures a majority of Americans support.

I am deeply grateful that on Sept. 26, 1,000 children and parents with Jack and Jill of America, Inc., of which I am privileged to be an honorary member, took copies of Protect Children Not Guns 2019 to their members of Congress on Capitol Hill asking, “Does my life matter to you?”

The answer cannot continue to be no.

Please read CDF’s latest report and demand your lawmakers read and respond with urgent and long overdue action.

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.

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Memo to candidates: We need a plan for the affordable housing crisis

By MARC H. MORiAl National Urban League

“The lack of affordable housing is perhaps the greatest challenge to successfully ending homelessness and lifting millions of people out of poverty. … This administration’s callous attempts to rollback funding for affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs has left more than half a million people without shelter on any given night. So long as there is a national housing shortage, the American dream remains largely deferred.”

Americans spend more than half their income on rent.

Yet the candidates for president are largely silent on the issue of affordable housing. During the most recent Democratic debate, not one of the candidates shared a plan for addressing this crisis.

The National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s “National Housing Wage” for 2019 is $22.96 for a modest two-bedroom home and $18.65 for a modest one-bedroom home. That’s how much a full-time worker must earn to afford a rental home at fair market rent without spending more than 30% of income on housing.

The average renter’s hourly wage is $5.39 less than the national two-bedroom Housing Wage and $1.08 less than the one-bedroom Housing Wage, according to the NLIHC. The problem is even worse for Black and Hispanic households, who are much more likely to be both cost-burdened and low-income. Twenty percent of Black households and 16% of Hispanic households are extremely low-income renters, compared to just 6% of White households.

Even households who are

not low-income are affected by the affordable housing shortage. The foreclosure crisis of 2008 exacerbated the shortage of affordable housing, forcing families out of the homes they lost and into the already tight rental market. Those families who have recovered from foreclosure are competing for affordable homes to buy. And fewer of those homes are available because members of the older generation are living independently in their homes much longer than previous generations.

Confronted with a crisis of this magnitude, it is nothing short of astonishing that the Trump administration – for the fourth year in a row – has proposed drastic cuts to affordable housing programs.

The poorest renters who live in subsidized housing would see rent hikes. The Community Development Block Grants program would evaporate, as would the Public Housing Capital Fund, which is used to maintain and improve public housing buildings, HOME Investment Partnerships, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative and the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity program.

‘‘ ’’ – U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley

Housing affordability in the United States is undeniably a crisis. Home prices are rising at twice the rate of wage growth. According to the most recent statistics, nearly half of renters are considered cost burdened, meaning they spend 30% or more of their income on rent. About 11 million

Black History Fact

God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Dallas Examiner

Ralph Bunche was the first African American to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche was given this accolade for his mediation skills after arranging a cease-fire between Israel and Egypt during World War II. The United Nations mediator received the Peace prize in 1950, the following year of the signing of the Armistice Agreement. Bunche also became known as the first African American to hold top position in the UN and became an active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement while holding a high government position.

Sources: Wikipedia; PBS; nobelprize.org

Communities depend upon these vital programs for community development funds.

These policies are destructive, for American families and for the American economy, and countering them should be a top priority for the candidates vying to oppose President Trump next year. Yet the public debate has virtually ignored the fundamental issue of affordable housing.

The National Urban League has championed safe, decent and affordable housing for more than a century, but without a comprehensive plan to address the crisis, our work is at risk. We call upon every candidate to elevate the issue during these important debates and over the coming months. Housing is a fundamental right, and our political process must recognize that right.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League. He can be reached through https://nul.org.

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Page 5 October 3, 2019

Trump and the impeachment inquiry

By EDDiE BERniCE JOHnsOn

U.S. House of Representatives

It is not without significance that the majority of members in the United States House of Representatives have taken the extraordinary stop of launching an impeachment inquiry into the presidency of Donald J. Trump, focusing on a phone conversation that he had this summer with the president of Ukraine and the activities of those who were

allegedly acting on behalf of the administration to conceal the conversation.

I have joined others in asking the president to turn over requested information concerning the phone call to the House Intelligence Committee where the inquiry will be held, and I am hopeful that the president and those around him will be forthcoming.

If the Intelligence Committee determines that the president participated in impeachable offenses, it will then forward its report to the full House where a vote will be taken on whether or

not to impeach Trump. If a majority of the House members vote to impeach, the matter will be sent to the U.S. Senate where a trial will be conducted. A president can be removed only if two-thirds of the Senate votes to oust him or her.

Only three presidents in our nation’s history have found themselves facing impeachment. It is a very serious matter. But it was placed in our Constitution by the nation’s founders as a remedy to keep our nation and its government safe.

Specifically, the Intelligence Committee will at-

tempt to determine whether or not during conversations with foreign leaders President Trump made promises or threats that undermined the security of the United States in return for personal gain.

A former official with the Central Intelligence Agency, who has sources in the White House, has alleged that during the phone conversation with the president of Ukraine, President Trump used his authority to solicit information on political opponents that could be used against them in next year’s election. If the offi-

cial’s complaint is accurate, the president’s conduct was unlawful.

Also, the complaining official, known as a whistleblower, protected by a federal law, has stated that he was told that President Trump and his operatives sought to keep the conversation with the Ukrainian president private by having its contents placed on a separate server in the White House where it would not become public.

The whistleblower’s complaint was passed on to the acting director of national intelligence who described

the report as “urgent and important.” He said that the whistleblower had acted in good faith and had followed the law.

This is a sad time for our nation and our government, but we must protect our democracy. Thus, we must move forward!

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. She also chairs the House committee on Science, Space and Technology.

Why evangelicals love Donald Trump By sUsAn K. sMiTH Crazy Faith Ministries

In spite of all of the bad news – morally, economically and politically – that has come out about Donald Trump from the moment he announced his intention to run for the presidency, nothing has been bad enough for his “base,” which includes a wide swath of White evangelicals, to desert him.

If you have been one who has understood the Christian right as the torchbearers for morality, family values and fundamentalist religious practices, you might be confused.

How is it that a group of people who set themselves up as paragons of virtue seemingly renounced their support of their values in favor of a man who seems to have none of what they said they stood for?

The Rev. Leslie Wilson, director of the African American Ministers’ Leadership Council and African American Religious Affairs at People For the American Way reminds people that the evangelicals use the Bible – specifically

Isaiah 45 – as their proof that Trump has been sent to the office of president by God. In that chapter, evangelicals remind Christians that God sent Cyrus to take control of Jerusalem.

Cyrus was an enemy of Jerusalem and of the Israelites, and yet God used Cyrus to rein the Israelites in.

Verse 13 of that chapter has God saying, “I have aroused Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his paths straight; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward.”

Evangelicals remind us that biblical commentary says that the military victories of Cyrus will include the release of exiled Israelites and the restoration of Jerusalem. The bonus of all of this is that heathen, pagan nations will acknowledge that God is the one true God. Verse 14 may even serve as further biblical support of the oftenrecognized racism of White evangelicals, as it reads, “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, tall of stature, shall come over to you and be yours, they shall follow you, they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.”

In other words, evangelicals be-

lieve that Trump is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and that he is being used by God to bring about God’s purposes.

Dr. Anthea Butler, an associate professor of religious studies and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania, writes that “White evangelical support of Mr. Trump is still at 73%, and more than 80% … voted for him in 2016,” as reported by NBC News.

The origin of the White evangelical base, Butler reminds us, lies in the schisms that happened in many areas when the rightness of slavery was being debated in the 1850s.

There were schisms among the Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians (see Forrest G. Wood’s The Arrogance of Faith) who, says Butler, “defended slavery through their readings of scripture.”

Evangelicals, many of whom were wealthy slave owners, were often members of the Ku Klux Klan and “approved of and/or participated in lynching.” The crosses burned by the KKK, she says, were symbols of white Christian supremacy.”

This group of people call on the name of Jesus and claim to be Christian, but the Jesus they call

upon is not the same one upon whom Black and Brown people call. Trump reflects their values and beliefs; he appeals to their sense of victimhood, a by-product of white supremacy. They believe they were made superior by God because of their color, and they believe the “invasion” of this country by people of color has caused them undue and unfair harm. They are afraid of losing their privilege as White people.

The religious group, which seemed so devoted to family values, is running scared. Families are important as long as they are White.

These people who say they love God are in favor of family separations, they support the ban of immigrants of color from this country, and though they profess to love Jesus, they seem perfectly fine with ignoring Jesus’ commands for us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

People of color and people from other, non-White countries, it seems, are not their neighbor and, therefore, they have no obligation or responsibility to treat them as worthy children of God. Trump, even in this season of turmoil caused by the revelations of his actions, which have spurred an impeachment problem, is still rid-

ing high among White evangelicals. They may see him as a modern-day Cyrus, and they are OK with that. He was sent, they believe, to save the “true” believers – which they believe they are.

Even as White evangelicals are clear about why they love and support the president, the progressive Christians need to be just as clear about why it is problematic to not love and support him, and say it out loud and frequently. Being silent and thinking that this blanket support will erode is unrealistic.

People in power will do all they can to stay in power, and what we are seeing now is that battle in real time.

Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith is the founder and director of Crazy Faith Ministries. She is available for speaking. Contact her at revsuekim@sbcglobal.net. Her latest book, Rest for the Justice-Seeking Soul, is now available for preorder through Barnes and Noble at http://bit.ly/restbn or through Amazon at http://bit.ly/restamazon.

Research finds homelessness is a national crisis By CHARlEnE CROWEll Center for Responsible Lending

For more than a decade, economists, lawmakers and others have heralded the nation’s economy. Often citing how unemployment has declined as new jobs have been created, or that Wall Street trading and major bank profits have risen, some might be led to believe that all is well in America.

But as Sportin’ Life in the folk opera Porgy and Bess sang, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

On Sept. 16, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, joined by state officials representing cities and counties, wrote a letter that urged President Donald Trump to recognize homelessness as a “national crisis decades in the making that demands action at every level of government.”

“Mr. President – shelter solves sleep,” wrote the

California officials, “but only housing solves homelessness.”

Gov. Newsom and company were absolutely correct.

State and local officials across the country also reckon with limited resources to house the nation’s halfmillion homeless and its accompanying persistent poverty. Whether eastward from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, New York and Boston, or westward from Los Angeles to San Francisco and Seattle, or even other locales – America’s homeless are a visible presence that not everyone has been a part of an economic recovery.

In 2018, 67% of America’s homeless people were individuals. The remaining 33% were families with dependent children, according to a report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Further, according to a new 2019 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Our nation is currently in the midst of a long period of economic

expansion. Yet stagnant wages, rising housing costs and inaccessible job opportunities keep many children and families trapped in impoverished communities. And despite economic growth, we have not seen significant reduction in poverty.”

The Casey Foundation report also found that between 2013-2017, Black and Native American children were the most likely to live in concentrated poverty. For example, half of Michigan’s Black children live in high poverty.

Other states where child poverty runs the risk of homelessness are Mississippi (43%), Ohio, (43%), Pennsylvania (42%) and Wisconsin (44%).

Yet despite the availability of homeless and poverty research, HUD Secretary Ben Carson sent Governor Newsom a stark rejection of California’s appeal for federal financial assistance to alleviate California’s homeless.

Carson’s Sept. 18 reply said in part, “California

cannot spend its way out of this problem using Federal funds. … More vouchers are clearly not the solution the State needs. To address this crisis, California must reduce its regulatory burdens on housing.”

Advocates for homeless and low-income people strongly disagreed with Carson’s assessment.

“We know that the No. 1 cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing,” said Megan Hustings, managing director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

“Consumers are already struggling with crushing debt from student loans and medical expenses, or facing triple-digit interest rates when they attempt to access small-dollar loans,” noted Marisabel Torres, director of California policy with the Center for Responsible Lending. “When they also have to pay some of the highest housing costs in the nation, it is unfortunately unsurprising that there are such large num-

bers of homeless people in many of California’s large cities. California’s homeless may be the largest by state, but the problem is a national one that deserves to be recognized and acted upon.”

In 1987, there was an expression of national will to respond to America’s homeless through enactment of the McKinney Homeless Act. That statute created the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness dedicating the ongoing support of 19 federal agencies to prevent and end homelessness. HUD is one of the participating agencies.

The Council on Homelessness even has a written plan, Home, Together, that lays out federal remedies over the fiscal years of 2018-2022.

“Crisis services are the critical frontline of communities’ responses to homelessness, helping people meet basic survival needs while also helping them swiftly secure permanent housing opportunities,” according to the 2018 report by the Council on

Homelessness.

Someone should give Secretary Carson a copy. And if that takes a while, here’s what Congresswoman Maxine Waters advised the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee in June: “In the richest country in the world, it is simply unconscionable that this many of our neighbors across the country are living without a place to call home,” said Waters. “Several communities have experienced severe increases in their homeless populations, further illuminating that homelessness is a crisis. The federal government must recognize the national crisis at hand and support communities and local service providers who are on the streets helping.”

Charlene Crowell is the communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Meet the new anti-labor secretary: A corporate lawyer named Eugene Scalia

By MORRis PEARl

Patriotic Millionaires

This week, barely noticed amidst all other, bigger headlines in Washington, the Senate confirmed a labor secretary who will be a disaster for working people. A corporate lawyer by the name of Eugene Scalia, with an anti-labor, anti-worker record longer than the list of labor complaints against the Trump organization, will be the country’s top authority on protecting workers and fighting for labor rights.

In other words, the fox is now guarding the henhouse, and we should all take notice.

Though his record is long, some of the more egregious anti-labor blots on Scalia’s record stand out amidst the muck.

In 2001, President Bush appointed Scalia to a lower position in

the Department of Labor, but Senate Democrats at the time refused to confirm him. Why? Because of his vocal opposition to policies that protect workers from on-the-job injuries and a series of old essays arguing that employers shouldn’t be liable for “quid pro quo” sexual harassment in the workplace and that calling a woman an “incompetent, stupid, female b----” also did not constitute harassment.

Scalia only stayed a little less than two years at the Labor Department after he was appointed during a Senate recess, and after that, he joined the world of corporate law. In his long, storied career in private practice, he most often defended major corporations like Walmart, MetLife and some of the top Wall Street firms against complaints by unions, labor groups and the government.

In 2006, he won a case for Walmart that stopped them from having to give more health care benefits to their employees. In 2012, he won a

case for a finance firm against the Securities and Exchange Commission that would have given Wall Street firms more public oversight.

In 2016, he successfully argued that the government failed to take into account the costs to MetLife of enhanced oversight as a “too big to fail” institution.

In 2018, he argued against the fiduciary rule. During the Obama administration, the Labor Department made a rule that people advising you on investing your IRA and 401(k) money had to give you advice that they believe is in your best interest. The financial institutions argued that in order for them to make sufficient profits, they had to be allowed to give you advice that they know is bad for you, but will result in higher fees (and more profits) for them. Scalia won the case when a judge agreed with him that the fiduciary rule was “an arbitrary and capricious exercise of administrative power.”

At every turn, Eugene Scalia has

proven himself to be on the side of big corporations and Wall Street. He has never advocated for the workers who struggle for basic rights or for the millions of Americans decimated by the 2008 financial crisis.

But as secretary of labor, he’ll be charged with representing those same interests he spent nearly two decades ripping apart.

The only people he’s been interested in protecting are those who can pay a pretty penny for his services. So why does the Trump administration want him in charge of a department that is supposed to protect workers?

Because they don’t believe that workers rights should be protected.

Trump and his Republican party believe in an appeasement policy – that workers have jobs only by the munificence of their employers, and thus workers should simply appease the greed of the employers and be grateful to have any job at all, rather than stick up for their rights and risk angering their bosses.

For too long, our political system has prioritized the interests of the wealthy at the expense of regular, hardworking Americans. Scalia will undoubtedly be yet another stooge for rich and powerful interests at the very agency designed to curb that influence. There’s absolutely nothing in his record to show that he cares at all about the needs and interests of the American worker, and he is now supposed to be their number one defender.

Scalia is not the man Americans need, and yet, for all their hardearned sweat and labor, he is the labor secretary they’ll get. It’s an absolute betrayal to the American worker.

Morris Pearl is a former managing director at BlackRock, Inc. and chair of the Patriotic Millionaires, a coalition of high net worth Americans concerned about the destabilizing concentration of wealth and power in the U.S.

HEAlTH

Page 6 October 3, 2019

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

niH announces winners of high Counseling Corner school mental health essay contest

Caregiver burnout is a very real problem

American Counseling Association

A caregiver, someone involved in assisting others with activities of daily living or perhaps medical issues as well, come in two different forms. Professional caregivers are paid to provide assistance in a variety of settings ranging from the person’s home to some type of care center.

However, there are also an estimated 44 million or more informal caregivers who are providing unpaid care to a child or adult, often on a daily basis. The caregiver may be a spouse, a relative or just a close friend, there to help a loved one who can no longer take care of their daily needs on their own.

Providing such basic help to someone close to you can certainly be rewarding, but at the same time can also be difficult and demanding. A recent study of family caregivers found that almost half reported being “somewhat stressed,” and more than a third were “highly stressed.” Caregiving, especially if it is full time, can become overwhelming. It’s important to try to minimize that stress in order to avoid caregiving burnout.

A starting point is simply to remind yourself that what you are doing has value, not just emotional value, but also real, measurable economic value. It’s been estimated that family caregivers annually provide more than 37 billion hours of care, worth an estimated $470 billion.

Another key to avoid-

ing burnout is not to isolate yourself. Talk to family and friends about the stresses you’re facing and seek advice, support and help when it’s offered. You might want to look online for some of the local and national caregiver support groups that offer advice and information, and can help connect you with others in a similar position.

You also have to be practical. On one level that means being as organized as possible to make your caregiving work a bit less stressful.

But on another level it means recognizing that you aren’t super-human.

You need a break every now and then and must find time to take care of your own health.

Check with your local hospital or senior center to find out what they offer to support caregivers. Many communitoday provide ties transportation services, home care, meal assistance and adult day care centers. Any such services can help reduce the stress and anxiety most caregivers face, and allow them to better assist those who depend on them.

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.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The National Institutes of Health announces 10 winners of the “Speaking Up About Mental Health! This Is My Story” national essay challenge, which was designed to spur conversations among youth about mental health and encourage them to seek support for themselves and others.

“Only about half of young adults with a mental illness receive treatment,” said Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health. “We issued this essay contest to jump start a conversation about the impact of mental illness among high school teens, barriers faced when seeking treatment, and innovative approaches to overcome those barriers.”

The NIMH and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, both part of NIH, led the contest in collaboration with the Calvin J. Li Memorial Foundation. A panel of judges from NIMH and NIMHD and the award-approving officials selected the winning essays based on their organization, creativity, clarity and quality of writing. Selected from more than 160 entries from 38 states and Puerto Rico, the essay winners and those receiving honorable mention awards addressed the challenges of stigma, fear and improving mental health education and treatment, particularly in vulnerable populations. NIH will award cash prizes to the contest winners and certificates to those receiving honorable mention.

Although the contest was open to all high school students nationwide, it started as part of the Healthy Mind Initiative, which aims to increase mental health awareness and promote suicide prevention in Asian Ameri-

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can and Pacific Islander youth. The goal of the initiative is to reach a population that may view mental health care negatively, or may not consider it at all, due to stigma, lack of awareness and education, or differences in cultural conceptualization of mental health.

The essays are available at https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/p rograms/edu-training/ hmi/winners.html.

“I found the creative solutions from this diverse group of teens to help raise awareness of mental health challenges that many of our young people encounter to be a reason for optimism that we will reduce the burden of mental illness in the future,” said NIMHD Director Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D. “These essays can motivate all teenagers to address the gaps in mental health care that youth and young adults face, especially those from racial or ethnic minorities, disadvan-

Andrew from Maryland, one of the contest winners of the “Speaking Up About Mental Health! This Is My Story” national essay challenge, wrote Improving the Treatment of Mental Illness in the Black and African American Community.

taged communities and sexual gender minorities.”

For anyone in crisis and in need of immediate help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline through https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org and 1-800-273-8255 is available. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact to the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800799-4889. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the

Lili from Maryland, another contest winner of the “Speaking Up About Mental Health! This Is My Story”, wrote Rising Up: Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Suffering in Silence. – Photos courtesy of the National Institutes Minority of Health and Health Disparities

nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network, where trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. If the situation is potentially life threatening, callers should dial 911 or go to a hospital emergency room immediately.

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

Prison,

continued from Front Page

stuff we don’t usually like to talk about,” said Candice Diaz, 29, her eyes misting as she logged on to a work-resource website in a prison computer lab. “It opened up a lot of doors. The other units, it’s just prison.”

Diaz said she has been in and out of custody since she was 17. She’s currently serving a three-year stint after violating probation conditions handed down when, at 22, she and five men were convicted in an aggravated assault and robbery.

Looking back on her past, Diaz largely blames drug addiction and a childhood spent enduring abuse and abandonment. She wants better for her children, ages 14, 11 and 3, who she says have already noticed her growth in the program when her mother brings them to visit. “[Before,] I would come out, and it wasn’t enough to provide for my kids,” she said, referencing her turns back to criminal behavior.

“Now I don’t have to do that. I don’t have to worry about getting a job or where I’m going to sleep.”

Diaz is set for release on parole in December and already took a prison class on business computer systems before STRIVE. She hopes to get work as an office administrator or receptionist, she said. And although she had eight weeks left in the program, she was online last week looking at job postings.

“I felt like I was at home,” she said, laughing, about first logging online in the program – the first in TDCJ to provide internet access, according to officials. “I got my own Gmail account!”

More than 12,000 women were incarcerated in Texas prison facilities as of August 2018, and nearly 11,000 were released from state custody in the preceding year,

according to TDCJ. Texas has a relatively low recidivism rate compared with other states, with about 20% of those leaving state prisons being reincarcerated within three years. That number is 15% for women. (More than 40% are rearrested within the same time frame.)

But the increasing number of women in a male-dominated prison system has raised criticism over a lack of opportunities at women’s prisons. This year, state lawmakers passed multiple bills to improve gender-specific services, including a measure requiring the agency to adopt more educational, vocational and reentry programs geared toward women.

With the creation of STRIVE, an acronym for Strength Through Restoration, Independence, Vision and Empowerment, prison officials said they chose women they determined would have a higher risk of ending up back in prison without additional support.

It’s free for the women, and officials said the agency hired a couple of new employees, though it’s mostly run with existing staff and equipment. As the program grows – the agency aims to double it by the end of the year – officials said women in state prisons will be eligible if they aren’t in high-security custody or other treatment programs.

A key goal of the program is for each woman to have a job waiting for her when she gets out, according to TDCJ’s executive director, Bryan Collier. Part of the full-day programming focuses on computer and ofskills, practicing fice interview techniques, customer service training, and dealing with stress and safety in the workplace.

The women are also given internet access to look for jobs, set up professional email accounts, and work on their resumes and portfolios.

The program will host a job

fair in November, and each woman will leave prison with a work portfolio and at least one professional outfit, according to prison officials.

But criminal justice reform advocates often note that employment is not the only key to success outside of prison. Often, women must also be able to form new relationships with their children and address the trauma or problems that landed them in the system in the first place. A 2018 report from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition found 58% of women in Texas prison facilities said they were sexually abused or assaulted as children, and 82% said they had experienced domestic violence or dating abuse.

“Our interest and our focus is just on helping them succeed, giving them the tools that they need and giving them the support so that we have a good handoff,” Collier told agency staff and volunteers in the prison’s chapel last week. “Jobs is a critical piece of that, but that’s not all of that.”

The other major part of the program is a trauma-informed class that lasts more than three hours a day. It pulls from curriculum tailored toward women in the criminal justice system and is taught by Patricia Ryan, a former prison sergeant who is now a case manager. She teaches coping strategies, self love, and the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. But progress starts with getting the women to open up about their long-buried wounds.

“We start talking and they start realizing, ‘Oh, it really did affect me,’” Ryan said in the prison’s short STRIVE hallway soon after having to practice relaxation with a woman who began crying in her classroom. “Many of these women, they did their drugs or they drank to mask that pain.”

She said one hurdle to overcome is that these

women spent years in prison, where the mentality is often to look out for yourself and not offer or ask for help.

“We had to get them out of the TDCJ mindset,” she said.

More than a number Sylvia Rice, 40, has been in prison since she was 19. She was sentenced to 25 years in 1999 for murder, convicted for her involvement in her grandmother’s death. Her boyfriend at the time, the father of her two children, the first of whom she had at 15, lived with Rice and her grandmother. He shot the woman twice in a planned attack motivated by money, according to Rice’s sister.

Rice, who is quick to smile and toss her head back in deep laughter, choked up when talking about her grandmother’s death, saying it still “eats me up.” But the program has helped her atone for her crime and not be defined by it, letting her instead plan for a future in which she hopes to help others.

“I was so insecure, and I thought he was the only man who would ever love me,” she said of her children’s father. “A lot of times with women, it’s hard for us to move on, so we go to the relationships we were in. …

[Ms. Ryan] wants you to be the woman you can be.”

Rice’s sister, Katharin Rice-Gillis, told The Texas Tribune last week that they were abused and raped as children in foster care before their grandmother adopted them. Although Rice-Gillis turned to the military, her younger sister walked a different path.

When she first got to prison, Rice said, she acted out and took on a tough prison personality. But she grew. She worked for years on rebuilding her relationship with her sister and joined a faith-based healing program. She was granted parole this year. At first she was anxious as her December release date approached.

“I didn’t know how I was going to function in society because I’ve been here some two decades,” she said.

Now she laughs while retelling stories of learning in STRIVE how to turn on the computer and use the internet.

“I’m learning to do emails!” she yelled excitedly. “I did my first email yesterday!”

The practical skills are crucial to Rice, but the emotional treatment and community are paramount. In STRIVE, the 31 women rotate through three classrooms in their own wing of the prison. They all live in one dorm, marked at the door with a sign that says “You are about to enter an empowerment zone.”

The bright white walls of the dorm, which unlike most of the unit is air-conditioned (a point excitedly highlighted

by Diaz), is covered in inspiring messages and bulletin boards filled with information on employee rights.

And though the STRIVE women are still dressed in typical prison whites, their shirts have a key distinction: their names are sewn onto them.

“Being allowed to go into the STRIVE program kind of humanized her and made her feel like she mattered for the first time in 20 years,” Rice-Gillis said of her sister.

“They no longer refer to her as Inmate 86-whatever, they call her by her name.”

Advocates who have highlighted gender disparities in the prison system are encouraged by the creation of the STRIVE program, but it’s the initial “prison mindset” and treatment outside of the program that concerns them. The reentry process should start on day one of incarceration, they say, not 12 weeks before release.

“It sounds great, the problem is it’s starting too late,” said Michele Deitch, a senior lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin law

Page 7 October 3, 2019

school who studies prison and jail conditions, especially for women. “If things had been happening to them for the last 21 years while they’ve been locked up, and they’ve been treated a certain way, and now we’re going to start treating you differently… we’re relying on this last 4 months to do all of that hard work.”

Ryan acknowledged 12 weeks is a short time frame for substantial healing after being in the prison system so long, but said she had already noticed growth in four weeks. She said it doesn’t end at 12 weeks – the women can continue to reach out.

Lindsey Linder, a policy attorney and author of the report on women in prison for the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, said the program seems like a good pilot, but she hopes it can grow exponentially to include more than just 31 women at the very end of their sentences.

“It’s great that they’re doing this, and I think we need more and more and more of this,” she said. “I don’t see any reason why this needs to be a short term, pre-release program – I think it should just be the way we respond to people in the system.”

Prison officials said they hope to further grow STRIVE, and that the initial program will be tweaked as they learn from their first class of women. For those in it now, however, confidence is high.

“I’ll bet you anything these women are not going to come back,” Rice said, smiling.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter 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.

Page 8 October 3, 2019

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

MISSING Caden Chavis

DOB: June 5, 2002 Missing since: March 9, 2019 Age now: 17 sex: Male Race: Black Height: 5’6” Weight: 160 lbs Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown Missing City: Houston nCMEC number: 1352023

Anyone having information regarding this missing youth should call the Houston Police Department at 713-884-3131.

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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Internships

Internship at The Dallas Examiner Internships are available throughout the year for students enrolled in journalism, writing or design classes.

Applicants must be reliable. Hours are flexible. These are not paid positions but will allow students to gain practical, on-the-job experience. Students interested must e-mail their resume and three writing or design samples.

Contact: rjimenez@dallasexaminer.com Subject Line: Internship

Aetna Internships Aetna offers internships to smart, energized people who are ready to make a difference in the working world. Aetna prides itself in a richly diverse workforce

ClAssiFiEDs Internships (continued)

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Opportunities for students and recent graduates exist across all Aetna functions, offering meaningful work, in-depth training programs and best-in-class experience. Specific positions and requirements vary by area, but dedication and a passion for excellence are a must.

Contact: www.aetna.com/working/students/index.html Internships At Shell As a Shell intern, you’ll benefit from regular and structured performance evaluation from your mentor and direct supervisor. You’ll also receive direct feedback to help you to enhance your strengths and build on any areas for development. Learn more at http://blackstudents.com.

American Express American Express is committed to attracting the highest-caliber graduates to lead and grow our business into the future. Not just academics, but individuals with intellectual curiosity, passion, flexibility and drive.

Learn more at http://blackstudents.com.

Internship at Marriott Marriott offers paid internships that provide true hands-on work experience to prepare interns for leadership in the professional world. Participants will focus on one professional area, with possibilities to explore other business operations. Learn more at http://blackstudents.com.

State Farm Internship Program State Farm’s Intern Program is an introduction to the nation’s largest auto insurer and a major financial services provider, plus much more. The objective is to provide you with a meaningful work experience and a preview of the type of work you would do as a fulltime employee.

Learn more at http://blackstudents.com.

Google Technical Internships Build new features and improve our products (and get some extra guidance along the way). Start dates are flexible and are offered year-round, but you’ll need to commit to at least three months of full-time work.

Locations vary, within and outside the United States.

Deadline: varies Contact: http://www.google.com/about/careers/ students IHUD Pathways - Presidential Management Fellows Program Program is a flagship leadership development program at the entry-level for advanced degree candidates. Created more than three decades ago, the Program attracts and selects from among the best candidates and is designed to develop a cadre of potential Federal Government leaders. Here are some key provisions of the PMF Program.

Eligibility: • Individuals who have completed within the past two years, a qualifying advanced degree (e.g., masters or professional degree).

• An individual may apply for the PMF Program more than once as long as he or she meets the eligibility criteria. However, if an individual becomes a Finalist and subsequently applies for the PMF Program during the next open announcement, the individual will forfeit his or her status as a Finalist.

Location: Washington, DC Contact: Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer Special Employment Programs Office www.usajobs.gov 202-402-6838

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Page 9 October 3, 2019

Real Estate

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 threequarter 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 ABA Diversity Scholarship The Diversity Scholarship focuses on broadening the number of traditionally underrepresented groups in the management and operation ranks of the transportation, travel, and tourism industry.

Eligible candidates must have completed, at a minimum, their first year of college at an accredited university; must have a declared major or course of study relevant to the transportation, travel, and tourism industry; and must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA. Applicants are required to submit a 500-word essay discussing the role they hope to play in advancing the future of the transportation, motorcoach, travel, and tourism/hospitality industry. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website.

Deadline: varies Contact: American Bus Association 700 13th Street, NW Suite 575 Washington, DC 20005 800-283-2877 https://www.buses.org/?/aba-foundation/ scholarships/diversity

Cheryl D. Conkling Memorial Scholarship Battling the physical hardships of gamma globulin anemia and hearing loss, Cheryl Conkling loved and excelled in education and music, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. This scholarship is named in her honor to support students with hearing or other physical hardships who have demonstrated a love for education. It is only open to students who live and/or attend school in Windsor, Colorado; Conroe, Texas; Wilkinson County, Mississippi; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; or West Feliciana Parish in Louisiana. Students must be a high school senior enrolling in an accredited college or university in the fall when the scholarship is awarded.

Preference may be given to students with hearing or other physical impairments, students not receiving other substantial aid, and/or students in Louisiana.

Deadline: Varies Contact: Scholarship Committee 100 North Street, Suite 900 Baton Rouge, LA scholarships@braf.org 225-387-6126 www.scholarships.com

Children of Disabled or Deceased Public Servants Scholarship The Children of Disabled or Deceased Firemen, Peace Officers, Game Wardens, and Employees of Correctional Institutions Scholarship provide a benefit to the children of eligible persons who have been killed in the line of duty prior to September 1, 2000, or who have been disabled in the line of duty. Applicants must apply before their 21st birthday (age 22 if a participant in a special education program under section 29.003); must have had a parent who was a paid or volunteer fireman, paid municipal, county, or state peace officer, or a custodial employee of the Texas Department of Corrections, or a game warden and be the child of a parent who suffered an injury, resulting in disability or death, sustained in the line of duty. Applicants must also enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e. a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its costs). A person may receive an exemption from the payment of tuition and fees only for the first 120 undergraduate semester credit hours for which he or she registers or age 26, whichever comes first.

Must attend a public Texas college/university.

Deadline: Varies Contact: Scholarship Committee Student Financial Aid Programs P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711-2788 888-311-8881

Advertise your Classified Ads today! Call 214-941-3100

CAlEnDAR COMMUniTy

Page 10 October 3, 2019 October 1-31 Amazon Hiring Event, a job fair to fill full-time positions starting at $15 an hour, weekdays, no walk-ins, must apply at https://amazon.force.com. 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 So-

October

national Breast Cancer Awareness Month www.nbcam.com

Brain injury Awareness Month www.biausa.org

AiDs Awareness Month www.blackaids.org national Domestic Violence Awareness Month www.ncadv.org

national Hospice Month www.whitehouse.gov

OnGOinG EVEnTs

ciety, 3939 Grand Ave. For more information, visit http://www.dallashistory.org/exhibitions.

now–March 1, 2020 The Kinsey Collection, a groundbreaking exhibit featuring 150-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

nesses among youth, adults and seniors, hosted

by St. Luke Community United Methodist Church, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 5710 East R. L. Thornton Freeway. For more information, call 214-821-2970.

5

The Exciting Singing Hills Baptist Church – Community Health, where Parkland will provide education and information from North Texas Poison Center, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Singing Hills Baptist Church, 6550 University Hills Blvd. For more information, email Banita Jones at banitae320@tx.rr.com or call 972-835-0810.

6 1 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.

3

Oasis Center Orientation will begin at 11 a.m at Frazier House, 4600 Spring Ave. Oasis Center is a faith-based nonprofit organization that assists at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals transition back to society.

Class starts on Oct 7. For more information and to register, contact mlee@oasisctr.org.

“A Day of Inspiration and Gospel,” featuring Tye Tribbett and more, will be held at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the State Fair of Texas, 1300 Robert B. Cullum Blvd.

6-12

National Safety Week

Fire

8 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.

8 “Small Businesses – Get

5 Mental Health Symposium, showcasing speakers, workshops, panel discussions and exhibitors focused on the causes and treatment of mental ill-

Ready, Set, Grow,” Session 3, hosted by PeopleFund and ZWHJCOC, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Frazier House, 4600 Spring Ave. For more information and to register, visit zwhjcoc.org/classes.

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/ 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 & 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,

10 & 11 Speaking Truth

to Power Conference, an event to equip and empower church and community leaders and stakeholders to ignite a spirit of revival for churches, fight the hostile takeover of gentrification with strategic plans for organizing and developing our communities, and educate our people to join the fight for reparations and justice, will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Friendship-West Baptist Church, 2020 W. Wheatland Road. For more information and to register, visit /www.friendshipwest.org/events-registrations or call 972-228-5200.

11

Shop Black Dallas Marketplace, a monthly community outreach initiative geared at shining a spotlight on the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of local Black businesses and business owners, will be held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lofty Spaces, 816 Montgomery St. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.

11 New Friends New Life

Annual Luncheon with Jada Pinkett Smith will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Omni Dallas Hotel Downtown, 555 S. Lamar. St. To reserve a table or for more information, call 214-217-8650 or visit newfriends.org/luncheon.

12 WellMed Senior Activ-

ity Center Block Party, a celebration for Medicareeligible individuals, will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at WellMed at Redbird Square, 3107 W. Camp Wisdom Road, Ste. 170.

For more information or to register, call 972-942-7700.

The Dallas Examiner www.dallasexaminer.com

call 214-947-7777.

1st, 2nd & 4th 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.

1st & 3rd Tuesday CitySquare’s Hospitality Program, a free 6week hospitality training program, will begin at 10 a.m. at CitySquare, 1610 S. Malcolm X Blvd. – Bldg. 100. For more information, contact Dana Branch at dbranch@CitySquare.org or call 214-823-4409.

Tuesdays & Thursdays Free SkillQuest Career Readiness Classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Martin Luther

12 “It’s All About You” –

Breast Cancer Awareness, a health education fair hosted

by Parkland Hospital for ages 16 and up with no cost mammogram screenings, will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Light of the World Church of Christ, 7408 S. Hampton Road. To register and ensure eligibility for mammograms, call 214266-4398.

12 “Boys Becoming Men

of Distinction,” from the Project MALE Program, a kick-off created to help ensure student success for African American males in kindergarten through junior high, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University of North Texas Dallas, 7300 Highland Hills Drive. For more information and to register, visit www.projectmaleprogram.net.

12 City of Dallas Water

Utilities Health Fair, where Parkland’s Women and Infants Specialty Health division will offer Family Planning education, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge, 106 Continental Ave. For more information, email Matthew Yates at matthew.yates@dallascityhall.com or call 214243-1131.

12 Comprehensive Health

Risk Assessment, hosted by state Rep. Yvonne Davis and CVS Health, will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 2420 W. Wheatland Road. Assessment includes blood pressure, body mass index, glucose screening and total cholesterol screening. Free to the public. For more information, contact Rep. Yvonne Davis at ydavisfortexas@aol.com.

King Jr. Community Center, 2922 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more information, call 214-879-9950 or email sgronstal@skillquestcareers.org.

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.

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

17

13

“Touching Lives for 100 Years,” DCT 100th Anniversary Gala, a blacktie affair celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dallas City Temple SeventhDay Adventist Church, will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Highland Dallas, 5300 E. Mockingbird Lane. Proceeds benefit the Southwest Adventist Junior Academy, the oldest Black Christian academy in the DFW metroplex. For more information and tickets, visit www.dallascitytemple.org.

14

Columbus Day (observed)

14 “Faiths in Conversa-

tion,” presented by the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, a monthly event approaching relevant topics of faith from academic and accessible perspectives, will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Thanksgiving Square, 1627 Pacific Ave. Audience participation is encouraged. For more information, contact info@dallasinstitute.org.

15

“Small Businesses – Get Ready, Set, Grow,” Session 4, hosted by PeopleFund & ZWHJCOC, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Frazier House, 4600 Spring Ave. For more information or to register, visit zwhjcoc.org/classes.

16

“A Book Group for Young Professionals,” for young professionals wanting to connect with others through literature, in-depth conversations presented by the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 2719 Routh St. For more information, contact nfo@dallasinstitute.org.

“Getting Work Ready” Job Training Vendor Fair, hosted by council member Casey Thomas II, will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center, 5150 Mark Trail Way. For more information, contact Chris Soto at 214-6700777 or richard.soto@dallascityhall.com.

17

“Ready for Work” Workforce Development Panel, a discussion on bridging the workforce gap in Southern Dallas, hosted by council member Casey Thomas II, will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center, 5150 Mark Trail Way. For more information, contact Chris Soto at 214-670-0777 or richard.soto@dallascityhall.com.

17 College Fair, presented by Cedar Valley College and Lone Star Sports, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Cedar Valley College Gymnasium, 3030 N. Dallas Ave., Lancaster. For more information, contact CFannin@LonestarSports.com or call 214641-1987.

17

Business Women’s Empowerment Series, “How to Network with Sisters to Make A WinWin!” will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Friendship-West Baptist Church, 2020 W. Wheatland Road. These sessions are designed to empower and equip women and women business owners to become more productive and effective in their businesses. For more information, please contact wow@friendshipwest.org.

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