Houston Defender: January 03, 2013

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U.S. BRIEFS LISA JACKSON resigns as EPA administrator

P4 ENTERTAINMENT JAMIE FOXX speaks out about ‘Django’

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Volume 82 | Number 10

Controlling

gun

violence

H Page 6

P8 SPORTS OPINION

ANDRE JOHNSON gets better with time

P10 CHAG’S PLACE

New Year resolutions for Houston George Thomas, Dr. James George Thomas, James Ward, Marie Bosarge, Wanda Adams at 12 Tastes of Christmas

It’s the start of 2013, and six local leaders have high hopes for Houston in the New Year. Discover which elected official resolves to help move the city forward. Find out how one councilmember plans to use his time and talents. Read a community activist’s message to African-Americans.

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DEFENDER | JANUARY 3 | 2013 |

Retired teacher Althea Lewis Renfro dies and Hohl Elementary Funeral services Schools in HISD. She were recently held for served as a musician at Althea Lewis Renfro, Greater Mount Olive who died Dec. 27 at the Baptist Church and Zion age of 85. Mrs. Renfro Hill Missionary Baptist taught school for 40 Church. She wrote more years and served as a than 300 poems and sevchurch musician for eral gospel songs. more than 30 years.

Mrs. Renfro was She was the mother actively involved in Zeta of Algenita Davis, Phi Beta Sorority, the Naexecutive director of The late Althea Lewis Renfo tional Teachers AssociaHouston Habitat for tion, National Education Humanity.

Mrs. Renfro was born Althea Belle Association, Houston Retired Teachers Association, YWCA, LaVioleta Social Lewis in 1927, and affectionately called “AlphaBelle.” She graduated & Charity Club, Channel Ladies Social from Wheatley High School in 1942 at Club and the Order of Eastern Star the age of 15. She earned a bachelor’s Lodge. degree from Houston College for NeShe was preceded in death by groes in 1947 and a master’s in educaher husband Deacon Porter Renfro Jr. tion from Texas Southern University in Survivors also include her son, Jacky 1952.

Neil Scott, three grandchildren, and numerous family members, friends and She began her teaching career in former students.

Anahuac and later taught at Crawford

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Faces of Black Houston

What will these ‘Faces’

We keep Houston working. enroll today at hccs.edu

The reasons people choose HCC are as diverse as the Houstonians we serve. And no institution does more to get students where they’re going faster than HCC. We keep Houston working with affordable tuition, innovative courses, and convenient locations.

Defender Fall 2012 .indd 1

12/4/12 9:14 AM

reveal to you?

E

ach of us has a story. Some of them reveal moments of struggle, of heartache, of triumph, of resiliency, of joy.

The man on the bus sitting next to you could volunteer at the children’s hospital every weekend. The bank teller could double as a burlesque dancer by night. The woman speaking loudly on her cell phone could be speaking to one of her three hearing impaired children. Whatever the story, everyone has their own to tell.

With the Faces of Black Houston project, we invite you to step inside the lives of those you’re with every day but never truly see.

We have compiled a series of profiles that give everyday Houstonians the ability to be seen and heard.

Debuting in February 2013

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JANUARY 3 | 2013 | DEFENDER

newstalk Resolutions for a

better Houston

By ASWAD WALKER Defender

It’s a New Year, and in addition to their personal resolutions, local political, religious and community leaders have high hopes for the Bayou City in 2013. Following are their resolutions for a better Houston.

The leaders are listed in alphabetical order.

3

Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan teaches us that prophecy is history written in advance. My 2013 resolution is to help Black people, particularly those in the greater Houston area, see and fulfill their place in divine prophecy.”

Bishop D. Kimathi Nelson

Sheriff Adrian Garcia

Councilmember Larry Green

Sheriff Adrian Garcia

“In the coming year, the Sheriff’s Office will work to tackle three main challenges. First, in January 2013 the Texas Legislative Session begins, and we will work Minister Robert Muhammad to protect existing levels of state funding for mental health services and people with mental illness, and hopefully have even more funding added.

Secondly, it is hopeful that Harris County Commissioner’s Court Mayor Annise Parker will finally recognize that privatizing the Harris County Jail is not a wise move to make on behalf of taxpayers of Harris County, and that this issue will finally be put to rest.

Lastly, I hope the local economy will continue to improve so that the sheriff’s office can continue to fill vacancies that have gone unfilled during a nearly three year forced county-wide hiring freeze. Harris County continues to grow and so must the resources to provide for the services the community needs to keep the county safe.”

opportunity for more economic development, and make sure our neighborhoods remain State Rep. Sylvester Turner safe. So with the onset of a new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone for the Hiram Clarke and Fort Bend Houston communities, we are well on our way. My resolution is to use my time and talents effectively to reach these goals and with the great progress of 2012, I feel certain we will be successful.”

Councilmember Larry Green

Minister Robert Muhammad

“My new year’s resolutions for 2013 begin and end with the ever present goal to continue to work smart to improve the District K community that I was elected to serve. To do this, I intend to aggressively push for and support policies and programs that move our district forward.

I told my voters when I was campaigning for their vote that I would work to make sure that District K received its fair share of city resources, provide an

Bishop D. Kimathi Nelson

“It is my hope that 2013 will provide the world, but particularly Black Houstonians, with the enlightenment necessary for rediscovering our place in history as God’s first born; reclaiming the best of our ancient and current culture and apply its teachings to offer solutions to today’s problems; reviving our communities remembering that we can do more together than we can apart; recommitting to the principles of self-determination, especially in economic affairs; and rediscovering our most basic religious obligations.

[Those obligations are] first, to become our best selves by doing everything possible to maximize our potential and grow our talents, and second, to apply our skills and gifts to the doing of God’s will and the betterment of our communities.”

Mayor Annise Parker

“As mayor of this great city, I resolve to continue moving Houston forward, building on the great progress we’ve made in improving Houston’s economy and creating jobs. 2012 was a very successful year for Houston. We were the first city to emerge from the nation’s recession, restoring jobs lost and adding even more along the way. I’m very thankful for these accomplishments and anxious to achieve more positive news in 2013.”

“In 2012, we achieved the Black elites’ greatest integrationist aspiration – re-electing America’s first Black president. We must now turn our focus to economic self-sufficiency to lift ourselves out of poverty and want. Government cannot do this for us. We, in Houston, must prepare our Joshua and Caleb generation, who were born in the wilderness and know not Pharaoh, to lead us into the ‘Promised Land.’

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the

State Rep. Sylvester Turner

“I would like to wish all of my constituents in District 139 in northwest Houston, a successful, prosperous and safe year. I intend to do all I can in this upcoming legislative session to fully represent all constituents in my district and to serve them to the best of my abilities, including the following: • Fully appropriate the System Benefit Fund for low-income electric customers. Currently, there is over $850 million sitting in the [fund] that has been collected from a fee on electric utility customers. For several sessions, I have attempted to push the Legislature to fully appropriate the millions of dollars sitting in this fund and to use it for its intended purpose which is to help seniors and low income persons with their utility bills.

• A successful and inspiring African American Legislative Summit to be held Feb. 25-27 in Austin. As chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, I am again spearheading the summit this year. The theme of the upcoming conference is ‘The Building of our Community Starts with Me.’ • A successful, safe and fun Annual Family Fun Day to be held on April 13 at Sylvester Turner Park.”

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DEFENDER | JANUARY 3 | 2013

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national

U.S.briefs

Wilmington 10 pardoned NNPA New Service

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue recently granted individual pardons of actual innocence to all members of the Wilmington Ten. Perdue’s pardons legally mean that the accused did not commit the crimes for which they were convicted.

The Wilmington Ten – nine Black males and one white female – were activists who, along with hundreds of Black students in North Carolina’s New Hanover County Public School System, protested rampant racial discrimination in 1971.

In February of that year, after the arrival of Rev. Benjamin Chavis to help lead the protests, racial violence erupted, with white supremacists driving through Wilmington’s Black community, fatally shooting innocent people and committing arson.

A white-owned grocery store

Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis

in the Black community was firebombed, and firemen came under sniper fire. A year later Chavis and the others were charged with conspiracy in connection with the firebombing and shootings.

The 10 were falsely convicted,

and sentenced to 282 years in prison, some of which they each served.

In 1977, after years of failed appeals in North Carolina courts, the three state’s witnesses recanted their testimonies, admitting that they perjured themselves.

In 2011, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) voted to pursue pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten. After a series of NNPA stories the mainstream media began editorially pushing for a pardon.

In addition, Change. org, the NAACP and the Wilmington Ten garnered over 144,000 petition signatures for the cause.

Chavis told the Wilmington Journal, “This is a great day for the people, and the movement.

This is a very rare victory.”

Fiscal cliff deal approved Defender News Services

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the fiscal cliff deal in hopes of avoiding a series of spending cuts and tax hikes scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1.

The Republican-dominated House approved the deal by a 257-167 vote after the Senate passed the measure by a vote of 89-8.

President Barack Obama thanked Congress and Vice President Joe Biden for getting the bill passed, and labeled the legislation a victory.

“A central promise of my campaign for president was to change the tax code that was too skewed towards the wealthy at the expense of working middleclass Americans,” Obama said.

“Tonight we’ve done that.”

Economists had warned that the scheduled tax increases and spending cuts would have plunged the economy back into a recession. Obama said that will not happen thanks to the new legislation.

“Under this law, more than 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses will not see their income taxes go up,” he said. “Millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their kids and send them to college.

“Companies will continue to receive tax credits…and 2 million Americans who are out of work but out there looking are going to continue to receive unemployment benefits as long as they’re actively looking for a job,” Obama said.

Fast facts • The term “fiscal cliff” describes what would have happened if Congress had failed to come to an agreement on budget cuts or tax increases scheduled to take effect at the end of 2012 and early 2013.

• The bill passed by Congress will keep benefits flowing to 2 million unemployed workers and shield millions of middleclass taxpayers from tax increases set to take effect this month.

• It also will let tax rates rise on wages and investment profits for households earning more than $450,000 a year.

LISA JACKSON, the first African-American to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said she is resigning her position to make room for “new challenges, time with my family and new opportunities to make a difference.” Jackson, a chemical engineer by training, faced repeated battles with industry groups and GOP lawmakers during her four-year tenure. President Barack Obama praised Jackson’s leadership. “Over the last four years, Lisa Jackson has shown an unwavering commitment to the health of our families and our children. Under her leadership, the EPA has taken sensible and important steps to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,” he said……..

IN 2060 AMERICA WILL BECOME a true melting pot of ethnicities and races. According to projections released based on the 2010 Census, minorities – including Asians, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans – are expected to comprise 57 percent of the population, 20 points higher than their current population. The projections show that the Hispanic population will more than double and represent a third of the 2060 U.S. population. Today, Hispanics represent about one in six Americans. “The projections indicate that the population will be much more diverse particularly in terms of the Asian and Hispanic populations,” says Margaret Simms, a fellow at the Urban Institute ……..CHICAGO’S ALARMING MURDER RATE intensified as the city logged its 500th homicide of 2012 during the last week of the year. Police said the murder victim was an alleged gang member.

The last time the city reached the 500-homicide mark was in 2008, when the year ended with 512 killings. In 2011, city records showed Chicago had 435 homicides. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said the current murder rate “is reflective of the gang violence and proliferation of illegal guns” that have plagued some of the city’s neighborhoods.

VOLUME 82 • NUMBER 10 JANUARY 3, 2013

Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Advertising/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Print Editor Marilyn Marshall Online Editor ReShonda Billingsley

Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila People Editor Yvette Chargois Sports Editors Max Edison Darrell K. Ardison Contributing Writer Aswad Walker

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender is audited by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2012 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).

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JANUARY 3 | 2013 | DEFENDER

States closing prisons as inmates decline NNPA News Service A report released by the Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C., based nonprofit that advocates for prison reform, shows that in at least 13 states – including Texas – there has been enough of a decline in the state prison population to begin closing some facilities.

In addition to Texas, the states noting inmate declines are New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

The study shows specialty courts, alternative sentencing and other diversionary programs are having an impact on state prison populations. The report, “On the Chopping Block 2012: State Prison Closings,” showed that sentencing reforms and changes in parole revocation policies have also been contributing factors in the overall reduction.

“As a result, state officials are now beginning to close correctional facilities after several decades of record expansion. In 2012, at least

six states closed 20 prisons, potentially reducing prison capacity by over 14,000 beds and resulting in an estimated $337 million in savings,” the report said.

“This year’s prison closures build on closures observed in 2011, when at least 13 states reported prison closures and reduced prison capacity by an estimated 15,000 beds.”

The closing of state prisons means not just reduced spending costs and savings, but also the possibility of increased

revenues. In Illinois for example, the Thomson Correctional Center will be sold to the Federal Bureau of Prisons for $165 million to house federal inmates.

According to the study, major changes in policies and practices have contributed to the decline. The report stated that from 2004 through 2009, 36 states instituted 97 policy changes that included relaxing mandatory minimum sentences and changes in sanctions for parole violators.

HAPPY NEWS

Revision #

Student loan payment plan launched

MEDICARE

PART D

Defender News Services

Output date

Status

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced a new repayment plan that could lower monthly federal student loan bills.

The plan, known as Pay As You Earn, caps monthly payments for many recent college graduates at an amount that is affordable based on their income.

The option follows through on President Barack Obama’s promise to provide student borrowers with relief on their student loan payments and help them responsibly manage their debt.

“We know many recent graduates are worried about repaying their student loans as our economy continues to recover, and now it’s easier than ever for student borrowers to lower monthly payments and stay on track,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The Pay As You Earn plan caps payments for Federal Direct Student Loans at 10 percent of discretionary income for eligible borrowers, and the department estimates as many as 1.6 million direct loan borrowers could reduce their monthly payments with the plan.

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Ask for more information in the pharmacy. *Vaccine subject to availability. State, age and health condition-related restrictions may apply. See pharmacy for details. Medicare Part D plans cover shingles and Tdap vaccines, and MA-PD plans generally cover shingles and Tdap vaccines. Flu shots are covered by Most Medicare Part B plans and Select MA-PD plans. † Points cannot be earned in AR, NJ or NY. For complete Terms and Conditions, please go to Walgreens.com/Balance.

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DEFENDER | JANUARY 3 | 2013

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cover

Leaders offer solutions As America continues to cope with the deadly school shooting that took 26 lives in Newtown, Conn., members of the African-American community are among those calling attention to the problem of gun violence.

Statistics show that the United States has the highest rate of firearm deaths of any developed country. The Centers for Disease Control Congresswoman reports that in 2010, Sheila Jackson Lee more than 30,000 Americans died from homicides or suicides using firearms. Of those who died, 2,694 were children or teens.

In 2012 alone, there were 13 public mass shootings resulting in 79 deaths.

They included the July 20 massacre at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, where James Holmes killed 12 people – including a 6-year-old girl – and injured 58 others.

Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said America must be spared the grief that comes with gun violence, such as the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

“There are no words to express the horror of the senseless violence aimed at our children in what should be a safe place of learning,” Jackson Lee said. “My heart aches as a parent…it is hard to think of what the families of the victims must be going through in Newtown.”

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, said America must come to its senses.

“Today, one child or teen will experience gun violence every 30 minutes and die from it every three hours,” Edelman said.

“What have we become as a people when even in the face of such sin and suffering, we continue to protect guns before children? Will the slaughter of six- and seven-year-old children finally bring us to our senses?”

The gun debate

Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said that America must get its priorities straight.

“When little children in their classrooms are not safe from gun violence, it’s time for a serious reexamination of our national priorities.” Morial said. “The physical safety of America’s children is far more important than the political safety of America’s elected officials.”

Contro Marc Morial

Taking steps

Marian Wright Edelman

Gun control advocates often point to the proliferation of firearms in the United States as a factor in gun violence.

An analysis by CNN found that Americans own one-third of the guns on the planet even though they account for less than one percent of the world’s population.

A 2011 Gallup Poll found that 47 percent of American adults have at least one gun in their homes or elsewhere on their property.

Opinions vary, however, on using gun control as a means of controlling gun violence.

A Gallup Poll released after the Newtown shootings found that 42 percent of Americans thought banning the sale of assault and semi-automatic guns would be “very” effective in curtailing mass shootings, compared to 36 percent, “not” effective; 21 percent, “somewhat” effective; and 1 percent, no opinion.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), which has 4 million members, is calling for armed police officers to be posted in every American school.

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” said Wayne LaPierre, president of the NRA. LaPierre also blamed video games, music videos and movies for exposing children to a culture of violence.

Edelman, however, said the “slaughter of innocents” occurs because America protects guns before children and other human beings.

“Funded by a $12 billion gun industry, the gun lobby resists even the smallest and easiest measures advanced to protect children’s lives,” she said.

As part of a national effort to protect American lives in general, President Barack Obama asked Vice President Joe Biden to oversee a task force on gun violence. The task force will develop a set of concrete proposals that Obama will present to Congress.

Obama noted that controlling gun violence is a complex issue. “There’s no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence in our society,” he said.

“We’re going to need to work on making access to mental health care at least as easy as access to a gun. We’re going to need to look more closely at a culture that all too often glorifies guns and violence,” Obama said.

Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees, has been an advocate for more gun safety laws since her arrival in Congress. She said such legislation is definitely needed, and listed five steps Congress should take: 1. An immediate ban on all assault weapons 2. The closing of gun show loopholes 3. A more structured mental health support system for families that will allow them to get immediate assistance 4. A look at the design of primary and secondary schools which might require reinforced bullet-proof windows and reinforced secure entrances 5. The expansion of state laws holding adults responsible for securing their weapons “This Congress must rise above partisan politics and now come together to pass these important gun safety laws,” Jackson Lee said.

“The safety of America and its children should be at the forefront…”

Morial called for a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban, along with a comprehensive review of all gun laws to close loopholes and strengthen enforcement.

“I believe that even the most ardent defenders of the Second Amendment want to find a way to keep military-style assault rifles out of the hands of violent criminals and the mentally unstable,” Morial said. “We must seize this moment of national unity and work together for a solution.”

gu viol

By MARILYN Defe

defendernetwork.com • Serving th

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olling

un lence

Sandy Hooks Elementary School children flee from harm’s way.

Deadliest U.S. school shootings Defender News Services

Before Sandy Hook, there was Columbine. The tragedy occurred on April 20, 1999, when students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. They killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 26 others before taking their lives in the school library.

The shooting remains the deadliest to ever occur at an American high school and sparked debate over gun control and violence involving young people. The United States has been the site of nine more school massacres since Columbine.

March 5, 2001 – Charles “Andy” Williams, 15, killed two fellow students and wounded 13 others at Santana High School in Santee, Calif.

Oct. 28, 2002 – Robert Flores Jr., 41, a student the University of Arizona nursing school, shot and killed three of his professors before killing himself.

March 21, 2005 – Jeffrey Weise, 16, shot and killed five schoolmates, a teacher and an unarmed guard at a high school

N MARSHALL ender

on an Indian Reservation in Minnesota before killing himself.

Oct. 2, 2006 – Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, shot to death five girls at West Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County, Penn. and then killed himself.

April 16, 2007 – Seung-Hui Cho, 23, shot and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. before committing suicide.

Feb. 14, 2008 –Former student Steven Kazmierczak, 27, fatally shot five students and wounded 18 others at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., before committing suicide.

Feb. 27, 2012 –T.J. Lane, 17, killed three students and wounded two at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio. His murder trial begins Jan. 14.

April 2, 2012 – Former student One Goh, 43, killed seven people at Oikos University in Oakland. He was found mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Dec. 14, 2012 – Adam Lanza, 20, killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Lanza fatally shot his mother before the massacre. He committed suicide at the school.

How to survive a mass shooting If you are in a public place and a shooting breaks out, there are ways to increase your chances of survival. The Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and the Homeland Security Department have produced a video that offers a guide to confronting such a scenario.

It’s titled “Run. Hide. Fight.” and it can be viewed at www.readyhoustontx. gov/videos.html. The video offers the following advice on what to do if an active shooter is in your vicinity.

Run • If there is an escape path, attempt to evacuate.

• Evacuate whether others

he Houston area for over 80 years

agree to or not.

• Leave your belongings behind.

• Help others escape if possible.

• Prevent others from entering the area.

• Call 9-1-1 when you are safe.

Hide If there is not an escape path: • Lock and/or blockade the door.

• Silence your cell phone.

• Hide behind large objects if you can’t find a safe room or closet.

• Remain very quiet.

• Your hiding place should be out of the shooter’s view, provide protection and not trap or restrict your options for movement.

Fight As a last resort, and only if your life is in danger: • Attempt to incapacitate the shooter.

• Act with physical aggression.

• Improvise weapons.

• Commit to your actions.

When law enforcement arrives • Remain calm and follow instructions.

• Keep your hands visible at all times.

• Avoid pointing or yelling.

• Know that help for the injured is on its way.

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DEFENDER | JANUARY 3 | 2013

entertainment

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Jamie Foxx

speaks out about ‘Django’

By KAM WILLIAMS Special to the Defender

Actor, musical artist and comedian Jamie Foxx is one of Hollywood’s rare, elite multi-faceted performers.

He was last seen in “Horrible Bosses” and also lent his vocal talents to the popular animated adventure “Rio.” He recently executive-produced a sketch comedy series called “In the Flow with Affion Crockett” as well as “Thunder Soul,” a documentary chronicling the achievements of Houston’s Kashmere High School Stage Band.

In addition to his outstanding work in film, Foxx has enjoyed a thriving career in music. In 2010 he released his fourth album, “Best Night of My Life,” featuring Drake, Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross, T.I., and other artists.

Foxx and T-Pain’s No. 1 song “Blame It” off of his previous album, “Intuition,” won Best R&B Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2005 Fox won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the legendary Ray Charles in “Ray.” His big-screen break came back in 1999 when Oliver Stone cast him as a star quarterback in “Any Given Sunday.”

His additional film credits include “Dreamgirls,” “Ali,” “Miami Vice,” “Booty Call” and an Oscarnominated supporting role in “Collateral.”

Foxx first rose to fame as a comedian. After spending time on the comedy circuit he joined Keenan Ivory Wayans, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans and Tommy Davidson in the landmark Fox sketch comedy series, “In Living Color.”

In 1996 he launched his own series, “The Jamie Foxx Show,” on the WB Network.

Here, he talks about playing the title role of a slave-turned-bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”

KW: What interested you in “Django Unchained?”

JF: Quentin Tarantino… Leonardo DiCaprio… Samuel L. Jackson…

Christoph Waltz… Kerry Washington… Oh, man! It was like an all-star team. What’s funny is that I didn’t know anything about Django, and I was hearing all this buzz and then I saw online how the biggest actor in the world, Will Smith, was going to work with Quentin Tarantino. And I was like, “Damn! There’s another project I didn’t know nothing about.”

But luckily, I somehow got a chance to meet Quentin and read the

script which I thought was brilliant. Next thing you know, I was in a room talking with him about trying to make it happen.

KW: Did you have any reservations?

JF: I didn’t have a knee-jerk reaction like some people did to the language and the violence. My stepfather was a history teacher at Lincoln High School in Dallas. So, I was already familiar with the N-word and the brutality of slavery.

What I was drawn to was the love story between Django and Broomhilda and how he defends and gets the girl in the end. I thought it was just an amazing and courageous project.

KW: In this film you turn the docile stupid Black man myth on its head. You also portray the enduring love of a Black man for his woman.

JF: Most definitely. When you see the slave who’s been chained and whipped with no way out, and he finally catches up to this, some people call that revenge. But I say, “No, it’s righting a wrong at that time.” You’ve been wronged for so long, and here’s your karma personified, standing in this funny blue suit. And on the end of that suit is your maker. You’ve never seen that in a movie before, at least not when it comes to slavery.

Ordinarily, when the slave gets a chance to hold the whip or the gun, they start singing a hymn or doing the speech about “If I do this, I’ll be as bad as you.” We come out with a mixtape, and that’s it. But with Quentin Tarantino, it’s just like a regular Western. The bad guy has to pay, and the good guy gets his woman.

KW: Have you seen the film with a Black audience?

Were people talking back at the screen?

JF: Yeah, they were yelling like crazy.

KW: It seems like there isn’t anything you can’t do. Is there any chance that directing will be something you may try next?

JF: We’re doing a directing thing with Canon and Ron Howard, a special where we have people send in pictures. I would also like to direct some comedies with people like Chris Tucker, Kevin Hart and Mike Epps, and go to work with them on some fun stuff.

KW: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

JF: I would be an eagle.

KW: How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?

JF: Guys don’t adapt as well as women do to getting their heart broken for the first time. It’s tragic. I really wanted to be in love, get married, have kids and buy a wood-paneled station wagon for the family. But it didn’t work out, and, boy, it wrecked it.

KW: Would you mind coming up with a Jamie Foxx question I could ask other celebrities when I interview them?

JF: If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do? Would you do the bad stuff, you never got a chance to do, or would you do good stuff to make sure you make it into heaven?

KW: You have so much fun singing. What would be your dream band, if you could select the members from any group?

JF: I would start with Prince, and then Questlove and Buddy Rich on the drums, Rick James on the bass, and Herbie Hancock on the piano. The horn section would be Miles Davis on lead trumpet, with Wynton and Branford Marsalis. I’d have Santana on lead guitar and Sheila E. doing percussion. My height man would be Jerome [Benton] from The Time, and my singing group would be New Edition. There it is!

Jamie Foxx talks about his role Quentin Tarantino’s controversial film.

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JANUARY 3 | 2013 | DEFENDER

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Defender launches ‘Faces of Black Houston’ have to say. I want to make the community aware of our community.”

For daycare owner Hattie RobWe spend our entire lives inson-White, who is also featured in in the presence of others. We the series, participating in the project see them in the car next to us at generated in her “a spirit of humility.” the stop light, walking past us “I was very glad to have the in the grocery store, or in front opportunity to tell my story because of us in line at the movies. But I think what we do with children is as fast as the world moves, we very important and there is such a rarely have an opportunity to critical need for quality care for chilget to know the people we share dren,” she said. these minute moments of our By tuning into this bi-weekly lives with. series you will be able to meet the The man on the bus sitting people in your community and put next to you could volunteer at a name to some of the faces you see the children’s hospital every each day. weekend. The bank teller could “The reason a project like Faces double as a burlesque dancer of Black Houston is so important is by night. The woman speaking because it has the potential to help us loudly on her cell phone could grow as a community,” said Tiffany be speaking to one of her three L. Williams, the project’s creator hearing impaired children. and lead producer. “When you get to Whatever the story, everyone Se7en The Poet (left) and daycare owner Hattie Robinson-White are featured in Faces of Black Houston. know the people around you, when has their own to tell. you truly hear their stories, you can Some of these stories reveal Experience ‘Faces of Black Houston’ in February 2013 at benefit from the lessons they’ve moments of struggle, of heartache, of triumph, of relearned and grow yourself. siliency, of joy. But how can we know these remark“In turn, you can help others. Be it wisdom, kindable stories if our lives zoom past each others’ every ness or inspiration, we all have something to offer and day, never stopping to even say hello? experience the project. You never know who you might see.” gain from a project like this.”

With the Defender’s Faces of Black Houston One of the “Faces” you’ll see is that of Se7en The Poet, Se7en said as a culture we should do better at practicing project unveiled this month, we invite you to step inside the who works as a counselor by day and a poet by night. One of cooperative economics. lives of those you’re with every day but never truly see. the reasons he decided to be part of the project is because he “If more people knew what other people did and what By placing still photographs over audio interviews, wanted to make more people aware of his craft and what it resources they had to offer, we may have a synergy where we have compiled a series of multimedia projects that give has to offer.

I’m investing in you and you’re investing in me and we’re everyday Houstonians the ability to be seen and heard.

“I want people to know my poetry,” he said. “I want po- building each other up.

“The Defender is pleased to enhance its coverage of ets who are getting on the mike, putting out CDs and DVDs “I feel Faces of Black Houston will help us expedite this the African-American community through Faces of Black and books to know there is a market for what they’re trying process.”

Houston,” said Publisher/CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles. “We to do and there are people who want to listen to what they invite our readers to log on to www.defendernetwork.com to Defender News Services

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UNCF ‘Evening of Stars’ airs Defender News Services

Minority education will be in the spotlight when the annual “UNCF An Evening of Stars” comes to national TV. It can be seen on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 9 p.m. on BET. It is hosted

by Anthony Anderson of NBC’s “Guys With Kids.”

Special guests include Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, Charlie Wilson, Keyshia Cole, Trey Songz, Tyrese Gibson, Eric Benet, Tracee Ellis Ross and Keenan Ivory Wayans. The program is presented by Target.

“UNCF is delighted that Anthony Anderson has agreed to make our cause his cause, introducing the stars who will grace the ‘Evening

of Stars’ stage,” said Michael thing to waste.” The organizaL. Lomax, UNCF president and tion enables more than 60,000 CEO. students each year to attend colLomax added that those stars lege, and helps increase minority include “the high achieving studegree attainment by: dents who, thanks to UNCF, are • Awarding more than getting the education they need 10,000 scholarships and internto compete in the 21st century ships each year economy. The country is fac• Providing operating funds ing a crisis in African-American for its 38 member colleges education, and UNCF and BET • Serving as a national advoAnthony Anderson are determined to do something cate for education about it.”

The annual televised proUNCF is the nation’s largest minority edugram began as “The Lou Rawls Parade of cation organization, and lives up to the ideal Stars.” By the end of its era, the telethon had expressed in its motto, “A mind is a terrible raised approximately $156.6 million.

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10

DEFENDER | JANUARY 3 | 2013 defendernetwork.com

sports

Texans Andre Johnson

Getting better with time

Andre Johnson is the face of the Houston Texans franchise.

By Max Edison Defender

He is without question the face of the franchise.

The single most consistent player in team history, Andre Johnson has been everything the Houston Texans thought he would be.

Johnson was the No. 3 draft pick in the first round (2003), the second season of the franchise’s existence. He is universally regarded as one of the NFL’s most dominant receivers, and in his 10th season, the dividend on Johnson stock has never been higher.

After an injury-plagued 2011 campaign, Johnson has returned to form. The franchise’s all-time receiving leader in every meaningful category has returned this season to have another outstanding year.

He has 100 catches for 1457 yards through 15 games. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month in November and was recently named to his sixth Pro Bowl.

Texan receiver coach Larry Kirksey has had the pleasure of working with Johnson on a daily basis for six years and still marvels at his approach to his craft.

“His work ethic is unbelievable,” Kirksey said. “He wants to be one of the best receivers to ever play this game and he knows the way to accomplish that is through hard work and productivity.

He’s passionate about the game, yet very unselfish and a joy to work with.”

As good as Johnson has been throughout his illustrious career, there were some in the media who openly questioned if he had lost a step or two and if the best days of his career were behind him at age 31.

It’s a thought that causes the normally understated Johnson to bristle.

A 14-catch, 273-yard performance against Jacksonville earlier this season should dispel any such foolish notions.

“It was surprising to hear some of the things that

were being said,” Johnson said. “I always knew I could go out and still play and play at a high level.

I knew with time and getting back into the routine that I could come out and be productive. This year I’ve made the most of that opportunity.”

The Texans are enjoying their most successful season in team history and a healthy Johnson is a key to the team’s success. Yet Johnson contends the

Johnson is one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL.

“He’s passionate about the game, yet very unselfish and a joy to work with.”

tough times had their purpose.

“It [current success] makes you appreciate all the things you been through, all the rough times,” Johnson said. “I’m just enjoying every moment of it.

I don’t take anything for granted. You can be on top one year and at the bottom of the barrel the next. I’m just cherishing every moment of this and trying to take advantage of every opportunity we get.”

As a member of an undefeated national championship team at the University of Miami, Johnson was accustomed to winning. It took nine frustrating seasons, but with back-to-back AFC South division championships and playoff berths, Johnson is starting to see some similarities with the Texans and his alma mater.

“The feeling that we can go out and play with anybody and beat anybody is a great feeling. We had that back when I was at Miami,” he said.

“I couldn’t say that we always had that feeling around here, but we’ve gotten to that point now. The main thing now is just being consistent, executing our game plan and getting off to fast starts.”

As dominant as Johnson has been on the field, he has been just as productive off the field through his Andre Johnson Foundation. He has raised money and given thousands of dollars in scholarships to students locally and in the Miami area.

His foundation has also sponsored food drives during the holidays, back to school clothes and supply drives and Christmas shopping sprees for disadvantaged youth. The foundation is the fulfillment of a promise Johnson made to himself.

“I always said that if I ever made it I would always give back to the community where I’m from and the community I’m playing in,” Andre said. “A lot of times kids don’t get a chance to see professional athletes that they admire in person. I’m in a blessed situation so I feel its incumbent for me to go out and bless other people.”

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JANUARY 3 | 2013 | DEFENDER

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h.s.zone

sportsbriefs

Championship Saturday

Houston area shines

Nolen Coach of the Year Lamar High School head football coach Tom Nolen has been selected the Houston Touchdown Club’s Coach of the Year. Nolen guided the 15-1 Redskins to a berth in the Class 5A Division I state championship game against Allen. The only other HISD coach to win the award was Ray Seals of Madison in 1998.

Navasota claims 3A title The Navasota Rattlers took over the state’s No. 1 state Class 3A ranking three weeks into the regular season and played that way the remainder of the season. In the final game of the 2012 season against Gilmer, Navasota scored touchdowns on four consecutive first-half possessions en route to a 39-3 victory in the Class 3A Division II championship game at Cowboys Stadium. The 16-0 Rattlers won the school’s first state football title. Austin Collins was named the offensive player of the game after rushing for 96 yards on four carries, catching three passes for 64 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

By DARRELL K. ARDISON Defender

ARLINGTON – The pride on Zelt Minor’s face was evident to any of the 48,379 fans who witnessed the hardfought game.

As teammates began to shed tears in the aftermath of Lamar’s 35-21 loss to Allen in the Class 5A Division I championship game at Cowboys Stadium, Minor moved to console each one of them. There was no shame in failing to complete the job the Redskins had set out to do.

Five schools from the greater Houston area earned the right to play for a state high school football title on “Championship Weekend” in Arlington and despite a 14-point loss, Lamar had done more than its part to make its faithful “Houston Proud.”

The score was tied 21-21 with two minutes, four seconds left in the third quarter.

“We’re not happy with the outcome, but hey, we made it. We worked hard for this,” said Minor, who recorded six tackles, including three for losses and a sack in the contest.

“I’m proud of every last one of them.

I always tell them there will never be another team like this one. Some of the guys are taking it hard, but we made it to state.

“We proved that you better not overlook us,” Minor said. “We work as hard as everybody else does. I don’t know what to feel right now. I just hate it’s my last high school game.”

It had been 20 years since a Houston Independent School District banner flew at a state championship football game. Yates lost to Temple in the 1992 final. It has been 27 years since an HISD school won a state title in football. The 1985 Yates Lions are considered one of the greatest high school teams ever assembled in Texas after demolishing Odessa Permian 37-0.

There was a 32-year drought for HISD schools winning state football titles before 1985. Lamar won the school’s only state football title in 1953.

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East Bernard wins 2A

The Katy Tigers celebrate their 2012 state football championship.

Ty Slanina accounted for five touchdowns to lead East Bernard to a 56-14 victory over Corsicana Mildred in the Class 2A Division II title game. Slanina was named the offensive player of the game after rushing for 155 yards, including a 76-yard TD run in the third quarter. Linebacker Cody Rosales was named the game’s top defensive performer. The Brahmas defeated Hempstead, Rice Consolidated and Refugio on the way to a 15-0 record. It is the school’s first state football championship since winning the Class A title in 1977.

Cougars honored

Lamar defensive lineman Zelt Minor is proud of their season.

Lamar coach Tom Nolen accepts the Class 5A Division I runner-up trophy.

In 2011, the Houston area sent four schools to state title football games and only Spring Dekaney brought home a championship trophy.

It marked the most Houston area schools to advance since 2003 (five), when North Shore defeated The Woodlands in the 5A Division I title game.

Three schools from the Houston area claimed titles in 2012, including Katy (5A Division II), Navasota (3A Division II) and East Bernard (2A Division II).

A crowd of 42,621 watched Katy outlast Cedar Hill 35-24 in the 5A Division II state title game. Trailing 24-21 with nine minutes, 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Katy running back

Adam Taylor scored his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the game on runs of 56 and 42 yards, respectively.

Taylor was named the game’s offensive MVP after rushing for 277 yards on 30 carries. Katy defensive lineman Matt Dimon was selected the game’s defensive MVP after combining for two quarterback sacks and recording five overall tackles.

Katy claimed its seventh state football title and has now played in eight championship games since 1997.

“We always have a target on our back and we get every team’s best shot,” Dimon said. “We weathered the storm and now we’re 16-0 and state champions.”

Despite a disappointing 5-7 record (4-4 in conference), seven University of Houston players were named to the Phil Steele All-Conference USA Team recently released. Four of the seven received first-team honors – offensive lineman Jacolby Ashworth, linebacker Phillip Steward, cornerback D.J. Hayden and punter Richie Leone. Running back Charles Sims and linebacker Derrick Mathews took home second-team honors while cornerback Zach McMillian was named to Steele’s third team.

Avery Johnson fired Janet Jackson must have been right when she asked, “What have you done for me lately?” Just 24 days after he was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for November, Brooklyn Nets head coach Avery Johnson was fired. The Nets’ record at the time of the dismissal was 14-14. They had won 11 of their first 15 games en route to their best start in franchise history. Johnson was blindsided by the action. “You never think when you’re a .500 team and then you’re going into two more home games at home that something like this would happen,” Johnson said. Reports out of Brooklyn were that Johnson and star point guard Deron Williams were not seeing eye to eye, so Johnson had to go. “To pinpoint this all on Deron is not fair. He was not the deciding factor in this decision,” general manager Otis King said. “In talking with ownership we didn’t like the direction we were going.”

Johnson was in the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract.

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DEFENDER | JANUARY 3 | 2013

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chag’splace

attendance. Prior to the debutante ball, the young ladies HAPPY NEW YEAR!.........We wish all of you a Happy were treated to several luncheons, one of which was held at New Year filled with good health, happiness and many Tony’s and hosted by Darlene and Dr. Mark V. Edwards. blessings. Before we begin 2013, Ms. Chag must tell Truly a beautiful tradition. We salute you about all of the happenings in Treasure and Faith!.....SANTA VISITS December, 2012, so here goes……….

Join Yvette Chargois THE CHILDREN…..The Ensemble GENERATIONAL DEBUTANTE Events of the Week Theatre hosted the 12th Annual Santa-atBALLS…..It all began in the midMore photos on defendernetwork.com the Ensemble community service event 1950s, when Mr. and Mrs. Robert See Events on KTRK Ch.13’s Crossroads benefiting underserved youth. It was a Holiday presented their daughter, with Melanie Lawson Sunday Morning @ 11 a.m. day of entertainment and activities with Gertrudejane Holliday at the Pilgrim toys and books provided to each child.

Temple in downtown Houston. Her Attendees came from a variety of school escort was John Stone from Tampa, programs and organizations offering social support services, Fla. They later married and Gertrudejane and Dr. John including Woodson Elementary, CPS, KIPP Peace Academy, Stone presented their daughters, Faith Marie and Enid DeChaumes Elementary School, Chinese Community Center, Karen Stone, in 1976, at the Warwick Hotel. In keeping Ser Ninos/Mishka Helps, Mission of Yahweh, Kings Row and up the tradition, in December, 2012, Dr. Faith Stone Gregg Elementary. A special thanks goes to organizer, Renee and Dr. Enid Stone presented their daughters, Treasure Logans and volunteers Santa Claus (Don Hudson), Mrs. Gertrudejane and Faith Ellamiare Stone in the Crystal Claus (Anna James), Katishia Cosley, Shelly and Adewale Ballroom of the Rice Hotel with over 300 guests in

Dr. Faith Stone and Faith Ellamarie Stone

Renee’ Logans, Xavier Samuels and Dr. Bonnie Word

Terrance Bolden, Dr. Sonny Ohea, Donte Newman, Dr. James Ward and Jordan Donald

Dr. Enid K. Stone and Treasure Gertrudejane Stone

Adeluis-Adeluyi, Saundra Wiley, James LeBeck, Marina Rubio, Lisa To, Mishka Baldwin and Carla Campbell.

Several sponsors include the Ensemble Guild, Port City Chapter of The Links, Inc., Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Schlumberger, Chevron, Reliant and Spectra Energy, to name a few. Great event !.....

TWELVE TASTES OF CHRISTMAS…..Labeled as the “Holiday Party of the Year,” the Defender and KTSU-FM hosted the annual Twelve Tastes of Christmas at the Bayou City Event Center. Mixed with joy, the smell and aroma of cedar and the taste of delightful food catered by Chefs Lisa Green, Ken Senegal, Patricia Swayzer and Joseph Hopkins, coupled with good music made a fabulous party.

In addition to all the festivities, KTSU-FM and the Defender join together to award five scholarships to students attending Texas Southern University School of Communications and presented a special award to music philanthropist Marie Bosarge. A wonderful way to end the year!.....From Chag’s Place to your place, have a blessed week!

Darlene Edwards, Faith, Treasure and Gertrudejane Stone

Saundra Wiley, Dr. Bonnie Word, Marianne Walker, Dr. Rhonda Jordan, Dr. Kenya Steele and Dr. Taila Collier

George Thomas, Dr. James Ward, Honoree Marie Bosarge and Councilwoman Wanda Adams

Don Hudson (Santa Claus), Ambrell Jarvis and Anna James (Mrs. Claus)

Annie Mae Winston and Dr. James Ward

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