Houston Defender: February 06, 2014

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Volume 83 | Number 14

OPINION MARC MORIAL looks at income inequality

Jennifer Hudson

P8 SPORTS MICHAEL STRAHAN named to Hall of Fame

Before & after

weight loss

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HS ZONE MEASHELL CROSBY plays hard for Wheatley

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL

CHAG’S PLACE

Men & women who paved the way Dr. Mae Jemison

It’s time to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans who succeeded against the odds. Read about Houston’s contemporary history-makers, including astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison. Learn what a member of the Little Rock Nine recalls about the Civil Rights Movement. Find out about local events happening in February.

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Dr. Wanda Mott & Dr. Donald Gardner honored at Top Ladies gala

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Residents seek solutions to crime

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and cable workers,” Boykins explained. “They even broke into my house while I was out hird Ward residents campaigning.” troubled by crime in He added that, “One their neighborhoods neighbor was robbed coming recently gathered at a from the grocery store. She town hall meeting to got home, turned around and discuss solutions. faced two robbers.”

The meeting was hosted by DisAnother resident installed trict D City Councilmember Dwight barbed wire fencing around Boykins and held at Wheeler Aveher house after it was broken nue Baptist Church. Approximately into three times.

300 residents attended the meeting, “It’s just ridiculous,” along with representatives of local Councilmember Dwight Boykins Boykins said. “No one law enforcement. should have to feel like a prisoner in their own “I have received many, many calls with regard to crime in the area, such as doors being home.”

Boykins said one possible solution to the kicked in and people posing as postal workers Defender News Services

problem is assistance from neighborhood law enforcement.

“There is added value of having Texas Southern University and the University of Houston in your backyard, along with the presence of HISD police, constables and HPD,” Boykins said. “We need to pull everybody in to help.”

Boykins is also looking at other council districts to see what efforts they are making to reduce crime that could possibly be implemented in District D. In addition, he is researching how the district can benefit from HPD’s overtime budget.

“The bottom line is, we have to reduce crime in our neighborhood and we have to be aggressive about it. We have to do something before someone gets seriously hurt,” he said.

Texas Children’s breaks ground for The Woodlands hospital Defender News Services

Texas Children’s Hospital kicked off its 60th birthday by looking to the future as officials and donors gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of its new pediatric community hospital in The Woodlands.

Slated to open in 2017, the 548,000-squarefoot, state-of-the-art facility is designed especially to serve children and families, and will offer inpatient and outpatient specialty pediatric care.

“Today, on Texas Children’s 60th birthday, we stand at the forefront of an exciting new time in pediatric health care as we continue to grow, save

more lives and create better futures for children everywhere,” said Mark A. Wallace, Texas Children’s president and CEO. “Our next 60 years start today – here in The Woodlands – with a community hospital built right on this spot.”

The hospital will offer specialty pediatric care in areas that include cancer, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, diabetes and endocrinology, adolescent medicine and physician rehabilitation.

In addition to The Woodlands area, Texas Children’s anticipates serving families in such North Houston counties as Montgomery, Walker, Grimes, Liberty, Harris, Polk, San Jacinto and Hardin.

localbriefs CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE is pleased that the U.S. Justice Department complied with her request to investigate the death of Alfred Wright, a 28-year old Black man from Jasper.

She called his death “tragic and mysterious.”

Wright’s body was found 18 days after he was first reported missing in a location that had allegedly been searched more than 17 days before by local law enforcement officials. “I am confident that the Department of Justice will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into all the circumstances surrounding this tragedy and to take appropriate action necessary to vindicate the federal interest, protect the civil rights of all

Americans, ensure that all persons receive equal justice under law,” Jackson Lee said. Wright’s family has not been satisfied with the findings surrounding his death. An autopsy concluded that Wright’s death was accidental and caused by a lethal cocktail of cocaine, methamphetamine and amphetamine. Wright’s family’s denied he used drugs. ……..A DELEGATION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS and business officials traveled to South Africa to discuss commerce and investment opportunities. The Greater Houston Partnership and Mayor Annise Parker led the delegation, which included State Sen. Rodney Ellis. “This will be the first visit of a Houston mayor to

South Africa in more than a decade,” Parker said. “There is great potential to strengthen the economic ties between us, especially in the energy sector.” Annual trade between Houston and South Africa totaled $1.3 billion in 2012……..

THE TEXAS CHAPTERS OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA Fraternity, Inc. will convene in Houston for a three-day convention from Feb. 13-16 at the Marriott Westchase. The convention features a step-show competition and party on Feb. 14 and the Miss Black and Gold Pageant on Feb. 15. Both events are open to the public. The Alphas will also participate in service projects. For information call (832)-752-0717.

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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 6 | 2014

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national

Obama, companies work to help unemployed

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fake resumes, only changing the employment status of the applicants. eeping his promise to When the period of unemployment act with or without a listed on the resume stretched beyond eight cooperative Congress, months, the study found that the chances of an President Obama recently applicant getting a call back decreased by 45 announced plans to work percent. with business leaders to tackle crippling In a collaborative effort to combat long-term unemployment that disproporlong-term unemployment, the White House tionately impacts African-Americans. outlined a list of “best practices” for hiring Even though Blacks make up to assist major companies in eliminating any roughly 13 percent of the population in barriers to hiring the long-term unemployed. the United States, they account for 23 The “best practices” pledge included percent of Americans unemployed for steps to ensure advertising didn’t “discourmore than six months. Whites make up age or discriminate against unemployed 63 percent of the U.S. population and 51 individuals” and reviewing guidelines in the percent of the long-term unemployed. recruiting and hiring process to make sure The Economic Policy Institute, a that the opportunities for qualified long-term non-partisan think tank based in Washunemployed applicants are consistent with ington, D.C., estimated that 12.7 percent other applicants. of the population went without a job at Companies that signed the pledge also some point during 2013. According to committed to casting a “broad net” to make During a visit to a General Electric facility in Wisconsin, President Obama detailed his opportunity agenda EPI, nearly 20 percent of Black workers which includes creating more new jobs. sure that the long-term unemployed underfell into that group. stood that they would get a fair shot at a job.

Heidi Shierholz, an economist with Council, said that the administration is working to address “the Sperling said that 21 of the 50 largest EPI, wrote on the group’s website that: “Given unemployment potential stigmatization of people merely for the sake that they companies in the United States and 47 of the Fortune 200 comprojections for 2014, it is likely that 17.4 percent of Black workare long-term unemployed and the negative cycle that it creates.” panies have committed to following the “best practices.” Geners will be unemployed at some point this year.”

The White House recently issued a report on long-term eral Motors, Apple, and Walmart, Best Buy, Bank of America, Shierholz continued: “The labor market is improving unemployment citing a study that illustrated the implicit bias that eBay and The Gap clothing company have signed the pledge. extremely slowly for all major groups, but the employment situshadows the long-term unemployed as they search for jobs.

“Many companies and CEOs recognize that this is the ation of African Americans remains at something more akin to For the study the University of Toronto, University of Chiright thing to do for people who are our neighbors and friends,” depression-level conditions.” cago and McGill University researchers applied for job listings in said Sperling. “But it’s also the smart thing to do for the future Gene Sperling, the director of the National Economic sales, customer service, and administrative support using 12,000 of our labor market.”

NNPA News Service

Judge to decide tobacco advertising case NNPA News Service

A “concerned” U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler is expected to soon rule on whether advertising she ordered major tobacco companies to purchase in order to correct their past false statements about the danger of smoking should be expanded to include Black media.

Cloves C. Campbell, Jr., chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), said he remains optimistic that his group will get a fair hearing in federal court.

“Judge Kessler has a reputation for being a fair-minded judge and we are hopeful that when all the facts are presented, she will see that the Black media should be central to any proposed

settlement,” Campbell said.

A proposed agreement was reached between the U.S, Justice Department, the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund and the four major tobacco manufacturers – Altria, R. J. Reynolds, Lorillard and Philip Morris USA – that would place advertising in white and Hispanic newspapers and the three major TV networks. No advertising was planned for any Black print or broadcast media company.

The NNPA and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), two trade associations whose members reach more than 95 percent of African Americans, filed an amicus curiae or friend of the court brief objecting to the proposed settlement.

VOLUME 83 • NUMBER 14 FEBRUARY 6, 2014 Publisher Print Editor Marilyn Marshall Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Art Director Advertising/Client Relations Tony Fernandez-Davila Selma Dodson Tyler People Editor Strategic Alliance Manager Yvette Chargois Clyde Jiles Sports Editors Multimedia Manager Max Edison Tiffany Williams Darrell K. Ardison Online Editor Contributing Writer ReShonda Billingsley Cierra Duncan 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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entertainment

Jennifer Hudson:

Before & after weight loss

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“I’m a real girl,” she once said. “I love to eat and indulge in the things I love to have.”

Though Hudson is proud of her weight loss, she has been vocal about being comfortable with herself regardless of her size.

During a TV appearance, she talked about how she felt after going from a size 16 to a 6. “I liked who I was then and I like who I am now,” she said.

Defender News Services

ince shedding more than 80 pounds, award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson enjoys encouraging others who want to lose weight.

She’s well-known as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers, and wrote a book titled “I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down.”

During a recent visit to Baltimore, Hudson teamed up with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and city to launch the expansion of B’More for Healthy Babies, a Baltimore initiative to give infants the best start possible.

She also talked about becoming healthier adults.

“It’s great to see people motivated to be here and inspired to lose weight,” Hudson said. “It’s one thing to say ‘I’m gonna do it,’ but to actually do it, live what you talk about and get into it and make it happen, I think Weight Watchers is the perfect way to go.”

Hudson discussed getting a fresh start through weight loss. “Take small steps,” she said. “It doesn’t

have to be massive. Just start somewhere.”

Hudson decided to get serious about improving her health shortly after her son David Otunga Jr. was born. Her fiancée, David Otunga Sr., is a professional wrestler, lawyer and actor.

She decided to try Weight Watchers for just one week because she had heard it was easier to follow and allowed her to eat some of her favorite things.

Jennifer Hudson has lost 80 pounds since her Academy Award-winning role in “Dreamgirls.”

what’sup PRINCE is getting good reviews for his rare TV appearance on the Fox sitcom “New Girl,” which aired after the Super Bowl. Prince is a big fan of the show and played himself on the episode. He also sang his new song, “Don’t You Wanna Fall in Love Tonight?”…….. Houston native and rapper SLIM THUG is starring in a new film titled “Red All Over.”

The movie is being shot in various parts of Fifth Ward for two weeks. Other stars include VICTOR LOVE, known for his role in “Native Son,” and DONNA BISCOE of the TV show “Nashville.” The film focuses on the life of a 15-yearold “who is on his way to self-destruction.” Slim Thug portrays the character’s older brother…….. Actress CCH POUNDER has landed a major role in a pilot for “NCIS New Orleans.” She will play an eccentric medical examiner. In

the show, the New Orleans office handles cases in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. Pounder previously played a detective in the police drama “The Shield” and currently has a recurring role in FX TV’s “Sons of Anarchy.” The “NCIS” pilot is scheduled to air in the spring……..MARLON WAYANS will star in and executive produce a new TBS competition series with the working title “Funniest Wins.”

Wayans, along with some of his comedian friends and family members, will set out to find the funniest multi-talented comedian. Contestants include professional and amateur comics. The winner will receive a cash prize and the chance to star in Wayans’ online comedy venue, WhatTheFunny. com……..NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” recently crowned its winner, and it wasn’t one-time “American Idol” RUBEN

STUDDARD. He lost 119 pounds – 25 percent of his body weight – and now weighs 343 pounds. The reality show’s winner, however, lost 59 percent of her body, dropping from 260 pounds to 105 pounds. Studdard was eliminated from the show but still had a chance to win an at-home prize.……..

MORRIS “MORRIE” TURNER, the first nationally syndicated African-American cartoonist, died on Jan. 25 at the age of 90. Turner was the man behind “Wee Pals,” a humorous, ethnically diverse comic strip about a group of friends. “Wee Pals” was known for its “Soul Corner” that often recognized historical Black figures. When Turner’s comic strip debuted in 1965 only two or three newspapers carried it. The number jumped to more than 100 after the assassination of DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

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Jimmy ‘Taboo’ Gomez juggles singing, acting

By KAM WILLIAMS Special to the Defender

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orn in Los Angeles in 1975, Jimmy “Taboo” Gomez began dreaming about show business at an early age. The multilingual rapper, singer, dancer and emcee got his big break in 1995 when approached by will.i.am to form the Black Eyed Peas.

Among the popular hip-hop group’s hits are the Grammy-winning “I Gotta Feeling,” “Let’s Get It Started,” “Boom Boom Pow” and “My Humps,” to name a few. Besides music, Taboo is also the designer of his own line of footwear, Taboo Deltah, and has added acting to his bag of tricks.

Here, he talks about his latest outing as Guillermo in “Jamesy Boy”, a fact-based tale of redemption co-starring Ving Rhames, James Woods and Spencer Lofranco. Although he wants to make more movies in the future, he is currently focused on his own solo album releasing later in the year, as well as on an upcoming tour with the Black Eyed Peas.

KW: How did you get interested you in acting?

T: Well, I had actually been taking acting classes prior to joining the Black Eyed Peas in ‘96. In fact, I originally thought it was going to be my introduction to the entertainment world, because Black Eyed Peas was more of a local, L.A. underground band. I kept up with the acting classes as a safety net, until we took off a couple of years later, after the release of our first album.

Once we started touring, I had to put acting on hold, although I still wanted to act. Fast-forward to 2005, when I made my feature film debut playing a character named Ramirez in “Dirty” with Cuba Gooding Jr. Then I did a movie called “Cosmic Radio” and after that, one called “Streetfighter.” And now, “Jamesy Boy.” KW: How did you prepare to play Guillermo?

T: I really wanted to challenge myself, so that I wouldn’t just be Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas up on the big screen. I did something that’s a no-no in the music industry. I cut my hair. For years, my hair was my stamp.

“Oh, that’s the long-haired guy from the Black Eyed Peas.” But when I did it, it was like a breath of fresh air.

So, I immersed myself into the character Guillermo to the fullest, with intense power, since I wanted to show the world that I’d go that extra mile because I believe in this project and in my acting abilities so much, and because I want to continue to do films.

KW: Did you base your character on a hardened convict you know?

T: Guillermo was kind of a reflection of my family, on my dad’s side. My father came from a gang lifestyle. My brother, who passed away last year, God rest his soul, had been in prison for many years. He had the bald head,

the tattoos, and served as an inspiration for Guillermo, being the closest person to me in prison and living that hard lifestyle. But also, there was an insecurity I saw in him that I brought to Guillermo who was a bully and antagonistic as a defense mechanism.

KW: What’s going on with you musically?

T: I’ve been talking about it since 2008, but my first single is finally coming out in April, “Dumbao.” It’s dedicated to the World Cup. I’m Latino-American, and I wanted to do something that best represents my culture. So, I created this song that’s in Spanish, but has the pulse, rhythm and beat of a Black Eyed Peas song.

Jimmy Gomez, better known as Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, also acts.

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opinion

The great divide of

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income inequality

By Marc H. Morial NNPA Columnist

ncome inequality has become the political buzzword of 2014.

President Obama has made it a central theme of his second term. Both progressive Democrats and conservative Republicans in Congress are making it a focus of this year’s mid-term elections, and leading voices for human rights have called on government and business leaders to take immediate action to close the income gap for the sake of long-term economic and social stability.

Recently, as the world’s elite – leaders from government, business and NGO sectors – gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting, the issue of inequality was atop the agenda.

WEF’s Global Risks 2014 report revealed that the “chronic gap between the incomes of the richest and poorest citizens is seen as the risk that is most likely to cause serious damage globally in the coming decade.”

Another voice was added to the chorus when the Britishbased anti-poverty organization, Oxfam International, released a report in advance of the Davos gathering revealing that the richest 85 people in the world control as much wealth as the bottom half of the global population – about 3.5 billion people.

Commenting on the report, Oxfam’s Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima said: “It is staggering that in the 21st century, half of the world’s population owns no more than a tiny elite whose numbers could all sit comfortably in a single train carriage.

“Widening inequality is creating a vicious circle where wealth and power are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, leaving the rest of us to fight over crumbs from the top table.”

According to the same report, in the U.S., where the gap between rich and poor has grown at a faster rate

than any other developed country, the richest 1 percent of Americans have received 95 percent of the wealth created since 2009 – after the economic crisis – while the bottom 90 percent of Americans have become poorer.

While we are pleased that both sides of the political ping-pong table in the United States are now focusing on the domestic crisis and implications of this global problem, there are disturbing signs that the issue may fall prey to the same kind of ideological posturing that has stymied recent

efforts to create jobs, reduce unemployment, raise the minimum wage and help the long-term unemployed.

In fact, as reported by CNNMoney, almost two-thirds of the delegates surveyed during a debate in Davos said that the widening gap, or what I call The Great Divide “between rich and poor is having a corrosive effect on U.S. politics.”

For example, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sees the problem not as one of income inequality but of “opportunity inequality” and continues to resist efforts to raise the minimum wage.

To be clear, opportunity inequality is alive and thriving in America; but any attempts to separate it from income inequality are divertive and lacking recognition of the cor-

relation between the two.

During a recent visit to Detroit, where unemployment has been above 15 percent for more than a year, Senator Rand Paul said that it would be a “disservice” to the jobless to extend their unemployment benefits beyond the current limit.

In contrast, President Obama has warned that, “The combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the American dream, our way of life and what we stand for around the globe.”

He has called for an increase in the minimum wage – a move the National Urban League has been pushing since 2006 – and an extension of unemployment benefits as first steps in addressing the problem.

In January he announced the creation of five “Promise Zones” in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma that will receive targeted government tax incentives to create jobs and reduce unemployment.

In a message to the Davos attendees, Pope Francis said that “The growth of equality demands something more than economic growth, even though it presupposes it… It also calls for decisions, mechanisms and processes directed to a better distribution of wealth, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality.

“I am convinced that from such an openness to the transcendent a new political and business mentality can take shape, one capable of guiding all economic and financial activity within the horizon of an ethical approach which is truly humane.”

The need is clear. The Urban League has raised this issue constantly over the last several years – and people are finally listening.

We must not let the seriousness and urgency of this problem get caught in the crossfire of ideological warfare.

Americans need policy solutions developed in partnership with corporate, government and non-profit leaders – now.

Awareness is good…action is better.

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9

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Little Rock Nine member

visits Houston

By CIERRA DUNCAN Defender

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he nine African-American students enrolled in a Little Rock, Ark., high school in 1957 played an integral role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Their desegregation of the school made national headlines and became a defining moment in Black history.

Dr. Terrence Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine, spoke from his memoir “Lessons from Little Rock” during a recent trip to Houston. His appearance was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, Southwest Region.

Roberts, now 72, lives in Pasadena, Calif., and is the CEO of a management consultant firm devoted to fair and equitable practices. He maintains a private psychology practice and presents workshops and lectures on an array of topics.

During his Houston appearance, he talked about the 1954 Supreme Court deci-

Terrence Roberts

entering the building. They were not able to attend school until the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne were brought in as escorts due to the intervention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Racism continued

“Once we finally got into school, white kids in the school got up and walked out of the class each time we walked in,” Roberts said. “I thought that was odd because I was so in love with education, I could not conceive of a moment that I would leave an institution designed to help me in that enterprise.”

Roberts, who was 15 when he entered Central High, said he initially believed the racism would diminish due to fewer students in the classroom. He soon found out that those students who remained would be “more fierce” in their actions towards them.

“We were attacked daily,” he said.

“Without the presence of military, I don’t think any of us would have made it through.”

The Little Rock Nine, with the help of Daisy Bates, made history by integrating Arkansas’ Central The students were recruited by Daisy High School.

Bates, president of the NAACP Arkansas sion, Brown v. Board of Education, which resulted in the chapter and a Black newspaper publisher.

Little Rock crisis. The court ruled that separate school sys- Bates’ home became headquarters for the school integration tems based on race were unconstitutional and violated the battle and she remained a supporter of the students. “equal protection” clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

At the end of the school year, eight of the “Little Rock “It was an important marker in time and space Nine” remained at Central High. Minnijean Brown was exbecause the law was now on my side,” Roberts said. pelled due to fighting. This caused the remaining students to “Regardless of what you think about the law, regardless recommit to their vow of nonviolence. of whether you think it’s just or fair or needful, it is now “Once you understand there’s a bigger principle at stake, written. The law now supported Terry Roberts. I had preyou can consider giving up violence,” Roberts said. pared my whole life up to that point for it.”

At the beginning of the following school year, Faubus Once Brown v. Board of Education became law, closed all Arkansas schools in an attempt to stop desegregation.

Roberts said he no longer felt he had to remain subdued Roberts did not want his education to be hindered so he moved about his beliefs on equality. When NAACP with relatives to California and completed his senior year in representatives asked local students to Los Angeles. help integrate Central High School, he “My first grade teacher said you must become CEO of was one of 150 students who initially your own independent learning enterprise and I took her up on volunteered. The number soon that,” he said. “I became CEO of the ‘Terry Roberts Learning dwindled to nine.

Institute’ and I have not given that up.”

“We quickly found out that In 1967 Roberts received a bachelor’s degree in sociology we were not loved as a group, from California State University. He earned a master’s in social primarily by the governor,” welfare from UCLA in 1970 and a doctorate in psychology Roberts recalled. from Southern Illinois University in 1976.

Arkansas Gov. Orval Roberts serves on the boards of the Economic Resources Faubus defied the Supreme Center in Southern California, the Western Justice Center Court’s ruling and placed Foundation, and the Little Rock Nine Foundation. the National Guard at the He is the recipient of the NAACP’s prestigious Spingarn school’s front entrance to Medal and the Congressional Gold Medal for his courastop the Black students from geousness in Little Rock.

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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 6 | 2014 defendernetwork.com

Carter G. Woodson:

The father of Black history

JO I N US “I N CO NV ERS AT I ON” A S S T Y L E E X PE R T CO NS TA NC E C .R. WHI T E & S U PE R M ODE L B E V E R LY JO HN S ON D I S C US S “ T H E I NFLUEN C E OF B L AC K S T Y L E ” !

M ACY ’S H O USTO N G ALLE RIA AT HIDALGO REA DY TO WE AR, LE VE L 2 SAT URDAY, FEB RUARY 8 AT 2PM

Defender News Services

As an author, historian, journalist and educator in the early 1900s, Carter G. Woodson recognized the lack of information available on the accomplishments of African-Americans.

He was determined to help fill the void that existed, and in 1926 Woodson initiated the celebration of Negro History Week. In 1976, the celebration was expanded to include the entire month of February.

Woodson had already compiled an impressive list of accomplishments before the establishment of Negro History Week. In 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).

In 1921, he formed Associated Publishers Press and wrote more than a dozen books, including “A Century of Negro Migration,” “The History of the Negro Church,” “The Negro in Our History” and “MisEducation of the Negro.”

Daryl Michael Scott, the current president of ASALH, said Woodson chose February to highlight African-American accomplishments “for reasons of tradition and reform.”

In those days, African-Americans celebrated the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both of whom were born in February.

“Well aware of the pre-existing celebrations, Woodson built Negro History Week around traditional days of commemorating the Black past,” Scott said. “He was asking the public to extend their study of Black history, not to create a new tradition. In doing so, he increased his chances for success.”

Woodson had a life-long interest in history and education. He was born in 1875 in New Canton, Va. His parents were former slaves.

He earned a high school diploma in West Virginia and bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago. In 1912, he became the second African-American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard University.

In addition to his writing pursuits, Woodson served as a training school principal in Washington, D.C. before working as a college dean at Howard University and the West Virginia Collegiate Institute.

Woodson directed ASALH’s operations from his home in Washington, D.C. He also operated Associated Publishers Press there, and trained researchers and educators. Woodson died on April 3, 1950.

“From the beginning, Carter G. Woodson was of the opinion that a lot of Black people did not have a great enough appreciation of who they were because they didn’t know what they had accomplished,” Scott said.

“But today, Black people care more about history than any other people in America,” he added.

You’re invited to a fascinating discussion hosted by Houston Chronicle Fashion and Beauty Editor Joy Sewing! Don’t miss this entertaining look back at the fashion, designers and attitude that rocked the runways and had an undeniable effect on the way we look and dress today. Find out why award-winning arbiter of culture and style Constance C.R White believes “The single biggest pop culture and style influence on youth and young adults today comes from African American culture”. Afterwards, enjoy a special reception and fabulous fashion!

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH Black History Month schedule of events Hightower High School Theater Arts The University of Houston hosts an Africana Department presents a Black History Month program Aesthetics Conference sponsored by the Houston Arts on February 6, 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. at 3333 Hurricane Alliance on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 9 a.m. at the Harris Lane in Missouri City. The production will showcase County Board of Education Building, 6700 Irvington. two mini plays in addition to poetry, dance, acting and Speakers include filmmaker and author A. K. Asante, singing. Tickets are $2 to $4. Admission is free for actress and producer Charnele Brown and “R&B faculty and staff. Contact: fortbendisd.com.

Divas” producer Fred Davis. Pre-registration is $35; Prairie View A&M University hosts a Brown on-site registration is $50. Contact: uh.edu/class/aas/ or Bag Documentary titled “Black in Latin America with 713-743-2814.

Henry Louis Gates Jr.” on Friday, Feb. 7, at 12:30 in the The African American Library at the Gregory Memorial Student Center Lounge. Contact: pvamu.edu School and Friends of Houston Ebony Opera Guild or 936-261-2123. sponsor a Robert A. Henry Lecture on “What Prairie View’s Northwest Houston Center defines African-American choral literature?” on Bleed: NA Region: US is the site of a presentation on race and sports on Client: Allstate Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 10:30 a.m. at 1300 Victor. Contact: Campaign: Insurance/AA Trim: 9.5” x 6.5” Language: English Friday, Feb. 7 at 3:30 p.m. at the Student News Media Agency Job #: 610-ALAAMNP4002 houstonlibrary.org or 832-393-1440.

Live: NA Notes: None #/AD ID: AHAA0441 Conference Center, 9449 Grant Road. Guest speaker isAD Prairie View A&M University presents the film Date Modified: 01/21/14 3:48 PM Keyline Scale: 1”= 1” CR: Output at: 100% Samuel G. Freedman, a Columbia University journalism “Malcolm X: The Death of a Prophet” on Tuesday, AD Round: Page: 1 of 1 professor and author of “Breaking the Line: The Season Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. in the Samuel Metters Auditorium. in Black College Sports That Transformed the Sport and Films featuring Malcolm X and Professor Henry Louis Contact: pvamu.edu or 936-261-9836.

Gates shown at Prairie NOT TOwill BEbe USED FOR COLOR APPROVAL in February.

Changed the Course of Civil Rights.” Contact: pvamu. View A&M University The University of Houston Clear Lake presents AD: S. Block P: E. Garber AM: J. Norman BM: D. Scampini PC: J. Jenkins edu/news, lasmith@pvamu.edu or 936-261-3311.

Chris Rock’s documentary, “Good Hair,” on Tuesday, of history and author of “The Other Great Migration: The The African American Library at the Gregory School Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. in the Garden Room, Bayou Building. There Movement of Rural African Americans to Houston, 1900sponsors a booksigning and discussion with Dr. Bernadette will be a panel discussion following the film. Contact: uhcl.edu 1941.” It takes place Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. at 1300 Victor.

Pruitt, a Sam Houston State University associate professor or 281-283-2575.

Contact: houstonlibrary.org or 832-393-1440.

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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 6 | 2014

BLACK HIST

Houston’s contemporary

trailblazers make history

named president of the United a law student at T Way of the Texas Gulf Coast. that helped bring Joann Horton served as 2012. the first female president El Franco he Houston area has been home to of Texas Southern University first Black many African-American trailblazfrom 1993-95. She later served 1985, representin ers in recent history. Some have led as president of Kennedy-King political career in universities, performed on the stage College in Chicago and acting state representati and governed cities. Others have vice president of Baltimore served for five ye served in Congress, designed buildCity Community College.

Lois Jean ings and taught students. Here are just 20 who Andrew Jefferson became Black wom have made a difference. first Black state district Harris County Ho Lee P. Brown The late Barbara Jordan judge in Harris County in led the sixth larg Lauren Anderson became the first Black to be 1975. His legal experience intem in the U.S. S promoted to principal dancer at Houston Ballet cluded serving as an assistant istrator of the UT in 1990. She danced with the ballet from 1983 to district attorney and chief asCenter.

2006. In 2007, she became an outreach associate sistant to the U.S. Attorney in Dr. Rod P in Houston Ballet’s education department. the Western District of Texas. dependent Marguerite Ross Barnett became the first He died in 2008. superintendent in Black president of the University of Houston Dr. Mae Jemison Black secretary o in 1990, and held the position for a year and a became the first Black George W. Bush half. In 1991, Barnett took a medical leave of woman to travel in space when perintendent to h absence to seek treatment for cancer. She died in she went into orbit aboard Dr. Zeb P 1992. the Space Shuttle Endeavour graduate o Lee P. Brown served as Houston’s first Black in 1992. She resigned from Health Science C Lois Moore police chief from 1982 to 1990. In 1998 he John Chaney NASA in 1993 and founded and its first Black became the city’s first Black mayor. Brown also the Jemison Group, Inc., a also the first Blac served as New York City police commissioner and technology and consulting District Dental S director of the White House Office of National firm.

Charles P Drug Policy.

Barbara Jordan was television Don Chaney became the first Black head the first Black woman joined KTRK-TV coach of a pro sports team in the South when elected to the Texas State as general manag he joined the Houston Rockets in 1988. Chaney Senate in 1966 and the first Judson Ro and Elvin Hayes were the first Black athletes to elected to Congress from the Black elec play basketball for the University of Houston in South in 1974. In 1976, she cil in 1971.He w 1964. was the first Black woman to served twice as m John S. Chase was the Black to enroll in the deliver the keynote address at elementary schoo University of Texas School of Architecture and the Democratic National Concenter bear his na the first to practice architecture in Texas. He died vention. She died in 1996.

Hattie Ma Dr. Mae Jemison Dr. Rod Paige in 2012.

Nathelyne Kennedy Black sinc Beverley Clark was the first Black woman was the first Black woman to earn significant public office in Hou elected to the Houston City Council in 1989. (Sheila an engineering degree from any university in Texas (Praito the HISD’s school board in 1 Jackson Lee was elected to Council a month later after winrie View A&M, 1959) and the first to become a registered istration building in her honor. ning a run-off). Clark served two terms on Council. She later professional engineer. She founded an engineering firm in ran for several other offices.

Houston.

Sources: Defender Files & Dr. Judith Craven became the first woman named Otis King became Houston’s first Black city attorney of Texas of the Texas State Histo director of Health Care Services for the City of Houston in 1976. He was a professor of law and dean at Texas Women in Texas History” by Br Health Department in 1980. In 1992, she was the first Black Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. As Pitre, blackhistorymakers.com

By MARILYN MARSHALL Defender

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TORY MONTH

ish

Samuel Corn

Paige became the Houston Int School District’s first Black n 1994. He served as the first of education under President and was the first school suhold the position.

Poindexter Jr. was first Black of the University of Texas Center Dental Branch in 1956 k faculty member. He was ck member of the Houston Society. He died in 2012.

Porter became the first Black reporter in Houston when he V, Channel 13. He later served ger of KTSU-Radio. obinson Jr. became the first cted to Houston City Counas re-elected nine times and mayor pro tempore. A Houston ol, library and community ame. He died in 1990. ae White became the first ce Reconstruction elected to uston when she was elected 1958. HISD named its admin. She died in 1993.

News Services, Handbook orical Association,“Black ruce A. Glasrud and Merline

urm John Russw

Madame C.J.

Walker

25 who paved the way

TSU, he participated in sit-ins g about integration. He died in

o Lee became Harris County’s k county commissioner in ng Precinct I. He began his n 1979 when he was elected ive for District 142 where he ears.

Moore became the first man president and CEO of the ospital District in 1999. She gest inpatient health care sysShe later became chief adminT Harris County Psychiatric

Ella Fitzgerald

Part I African-Americans have succeeded against the odds and made history in areas ranging from politics to business to sports. Here are some of the men and women who achieved firsts in the United States: Business

Ursula Burns – first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company, Xerox (2009) Robert L. Johnson – first Black billionaire and founder of BET (2000) Joseph Searles III – first Black on the New York Stock Exchange and partner with Newburger, Loeb and Co (1970) Madam C.J. Walker – first Black millionaire and haircare products entrepreneur (1910) Maggie Lena Walker – first Black woman to head a bank and founder, St. Luke Penny Savings (1903)

Communications

William Banks & George White – first Black owners of a TV station, WGPR-TV in Detroit (1975) Jack Cooper – first Black radio announcer, WSBC-Radio in Chicago (1929) Samuel Cornish & John Russwurm – first Black newspaper publishers, Freedom’s Journal (1827) Harry S. McAlpin – first Black journalist admitted to a White House press conference from National Negro Press Association and Atlanta Daily World (1944) Max Robinson – first Black broadcast news anchor, ABC’s “World News Tonight” (1978)

Entertainment

Marian Anderson – first Black to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera (1955) Count Basie & Ella Fitzgerald – first Blacks to win Grammy Awards for Best Performance by an Orchestra and Best Female Vocal Performance (1959) Halle Berry – first Black to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for “Monster’s Ball” (2002)

he Houston area for over 80 years

Nat King Cole – first Black with his own network radio show, “King Cole Trio Time” (1945) and first with his own network TV show, “The Nat King Cole Show” (1956) Charles Gilpin – first Black actor to achieve stardom for his role in Broadway’s “Emperor Jones” (1921)

Education

Edward Alexander Bouchet – first Black inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (1874) and first to earn a doctorate, Yale University (1876) Fanny Jackson Coppin – first Black female principal, Pennsylvania’s Institute for Colored Youth (1869) Mary Jane Patterson – first Black woman to graduate from college, Oberlin College (1862) Alexander Twilight – first Black college graduate, Middlebury College (1823) Clifton Wharton – first Black president of a major predominantly white university, Michigan State (1969)

Legal

Macon Bolling Allen – first Black licensed to practice law, Massachusetts (1845) James B. Parson – first Black federal judge, Northern Illinois, 1961 Thurgood Marshall – first Black Supreme Court justice (1967) Charlotte Ray – first Black female lawyer, District of Columbia (1872) Jonathan Jasper Wright – first Black judge, South Carolina Supreme Court (1870) Sources: Defender Files & New Services, biography.com, “Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America” by Lerone Bennett Jr.

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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 6 | 2014 defendernetwork.com

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

UH-Downtown creates

center for race studies Defender News Services

The University of Houston-Downtown recently launched its Center for Critical Race Studies (CCRS), housed in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, under the leadership of Dean DoVeanna Fulton, Ph.D. The overall goal of the center will be to produce scholars and citizens who are equipped to critically, actively and effectively engage racial issues confronting a technologically changing, postcolonial world.

Rooted in interdisciplinary scholarship and social practices that attend to race, difference, culture and power, the center will expand and make a unique contribution to foundational work begun at UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies Center.

CCRS will help to prepare each student to become a vital participant in Houston’s social and economic future and the global community at large. The center will serve students, the university and the community through teaching, research, facilitation of public discourse, and the cultivation of social empowerment.

“A core tenet of the center is that knowledge is not solely produced in the institution, that knowledge production happens in communities,” said Fulton. “Therefore, one of the goals of CCRS is to bridge the divide between educational institutions and com-

munities to create useful knowledge and approaches that address critical social justice concerns.”

UHD officially inaugurated the center by hosting its first scholar-in-residence, Brittney Cooper, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert on the African-American culture and assistant professor of women’s and gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University.

Students, faculty and community members attended her presentation titled “When Blackness was in Vogue: Intersectionality and Post-Racial Politics.” The event drew a wide audience from the greater Houston area and increased recognition of UHD as an institution committed to diversity, social justice and progress.

UHD, founded in 1974, is one of four distinct universities in the University of Houston System, and is the second largest university in Houston and the 15th largest four-year, public university in Texas.

One of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country, UHD ranks 33rd nationally for graduating Hispanic students with bachelor’s degrees and 37th nationally for graduating AfricanAmerican students with bachelor’s degrees. Approximately 2,000 students graduate from UHD each year.

For more information about the new Center for Critical Race Studies, visit the uhd.edu.

“it should be the power of our vote, not the size of our bank account, that drives our democracy.”

– President Barack Obama

I t ’ s B l a c k H I s to ry M o n t H ! Let’s celebrate together the

achievements of African Americans in Houston and America — and reflect on the important work that still lies ahead.

I I n v I t e a l l H o u s to n I a n s to join President Barack Obama’s call to Congress to support bipartisan efforts to strengthen the Voting Rights Act. No person should be denied the right to vote. c o n ta c t your member of Congress or sign the NAACP Petition

to Congress at: www.naacp.org/page/s/vra-no-voting-rights.

Warm regards,

P o l . a dv. anni se P ar ke r Cam Pai gn

Mayor Annise Parker

Brittney Cooper, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in African-American culture and an assistant professor at Rutgers University, is the first scholar-in-residence with UHDowntown’s new Center for Critical Race Studies.

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Macy’s hosts Black fashion retrospect

M

Defender News services

acy’s is celebrating African-American History Month with a retrospect on how Black fashion influenced pop culture through the decades.

The event features a conversation with groundbreaking model Beverly Johnson and style expert Constance White. It takes place Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. at Macy’s Galleria at Hidalgo, 5135 W. Alabama.

Following the discussion, there will be a special reception and spotlight on Beverly Johnson fashion.

Johnson, also an actress and businesswoman, made history when she rose to fame as the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in 1974. A year later, she became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of the French edition of Elle.

She was honored in 2006 at Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball along with Coretta Scott King, Rosa

Parks, Tina Turner and other female African-Americans in entertainment, civil rights and the arts. The New York Times named Johnson one of the 20th century’s most influential people in fashion.

Johnson has appeared in several movies and in such TV shows as “Law & Order,” “The Parent ‘Hood” and “3rd Rock from the Sun. She also owns a line of wigs.

White is a veteran journalist, editor and culture and style expert. She is the former editor-in-chief at Essence Communications. She served as style director, brand consultant and spokesperson for eBay, where she developed content and strategies aimed at women.

She was previously the founding fashion editor for Talk magazine, a style reporter for the New York Times and the executive fashion editor for Elle magazine. She began her career at Ms. Magazine as assistant to co-founder Gloria Steinem. She is the author of “Stylenoir,” a book on Black style.

Constance White

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Here’s to tUrNING GreAt CHALLeNGes INto GreAter oPPortUNItY For eVerYoNe. Step by step, America has made important strides toward becoming a more inclusive society. One where everyone has a voice and equal access to opportunity.

At Prudential, that’s an ideal we continue to aspire to every day.

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It’s an ideal that helps drive our organization with the diverse perspectives and talents of our employees, some of whom you see here. It’s reflected in the solutions we create, and in the work we do in our communities.

And it’s an ideal that drives an understanding of the needs of our markets – and innovations tied to those needs.

All to help people meet the financial challenges they face today and tomorrow.

© 2014. Prudential, the Prudential logo, the Rock symbol and Bring Your Challenges are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Prudential Financial, Inc. and its affiliates, Newark, NJ, are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employers and are committed to diversity in its workplace. Prudential is an Employer that participates in E-Verify.

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Join us on a fascinating journey into a past rich with accomplishment, contribution, discovery and invention.

View our Black History E-edition at BlackHistory2014.Defendernetwork.com

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FEBRUARY 6 | 2014 | DEFENDER

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

PBS celebrates Black History Month

Medgar Evers

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Terrence Blanchard

n commemoration of Black History Month and as part of its year-round commitment to provide diverse programming, PBS offers new shows and online content celebrating the African- American experience past, present and future.

In addition to on-air programs, the PBS Black Culture Connection (BCC), an extension of PBS.org featuring black films, stories and discussion across PBS, announces a digital partnership with the Because of Them, We Can™ campaign, which aims to educate and connect a new generation to heroes who paved the way.

In an original blog series called “Behind the Lens,” hosted on PBS.org/bcc, PBS will go behind the camera of photographer Eunique Jones Gibson to tell the rich history of African-American icons through the eyes of our nation’s youth.

“Behind the Lens” is being showcased alongside more than 30 films that will be available for streaming online throughout the month of February.

Film subjects include issues such as AIDS and slavery, and personalities such as President Obama, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Owens and James Baldwin.

“Our Black History Month lineup

Bobby McFerrin

Rosie Perez

delves deep into the stories of notable people and historical topics in a way that’s uniquely PBS,” said Donald Thoms, vice President, Programming and Talent Management.

“We feature the work of diverse and independent producers, which remains a staple of our content offerings year round, and I think our viewers will enjoy and even find a little inspiration from our content this year.”

TV specials include: “Independent Lens: Spies of Mississippi,” Monday, Feb. 10, 9 p.m. The program tells the story of a secret spy agency formed during the 1950s and 60s to preserve segregation and maintain white supremacy. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission employed a network of investigators and informants, including African-Americans, to help infiltrate the NAACP, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

They were granted broad powers to investigate private citizens and organizations, keep secret files, make arrests and compel testimony. The program tracks the commission’s hidden role in important chapters of the Civil Rights Movement,

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Brian Stokes Mitche

including the trial of Medgar Evers and the KKK murders of three civil rights workers in 1964.

“Jazz and the Philharmonic,” Friday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m. The American concert experience highlights two great musical art forms, classical and jazz. Performers include Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin, Terence Blanchard and Elizabeth Joy Roe. The special emphasizes the works of legendary past composers such as Bach and Mozart. Songs are performed with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra from the University of Miami Frost School of Music and National YoungArts Foundation alumni.

“Becoming an Artist, Friday, Feb. 28, 9:30-p.m. ET. The documentary is a tribute to the power of mentoring and the vital role it plays in passing on the artistic cultural heritage from one generation to the next. It features acclaimed artists across various disciplines, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Robert Redford, Rosie Perez, Bill T. Jones, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Kathleen Turner. They work with some of the nation’s most talented students selected by the National YoungArts Foundation.

For more information visit pbs.org.

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Carver, Washington remembered at Tuskegee

By NANCY MURRAY Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

G

eorge Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, two of the foremost African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th century, were born slaves. They were ordinary men engaged in creating educational opportunities for disadvantaged students who were eager to learn.

Carver and Washington shared a belief that education and hard work could overcome any disadvantage. They inspired a generation to strive for success against all odds. You can celebrate the lives and legacies of both men at Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, on the campus of Tuskegee University.

Washington, Tuskegee Institute’s first president, was 25 years old when the doors opened for the first day of classes on Independence Day in 1881. He built the school into a DEFENDER MEDIA GROUP major center for African-American education, hiring the CHEVRON SALUTES HMAAC ADWashington brightest instructors possible, including George HALF PAGEscientist, botanist, educator, and inventor.

Carver, American

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George Washington Carver

Booker T. Washington

Carver moved from his birthplace of Diamond, Mo. to Ames, Iowa in 1891 to study botany as the first AfricanAmerican student at Iowa State University. After completing graduate studies, he was hired in 1896 to oversee the agricultural department at Tuskegee Institute.

Under Carver’s leadership, Tuskegee’s agricultural department became world renowned for innovative research and training techniques in plant biology. Carver developed

new uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans, and pecans by inventing hundreds of products including dyes, plastics, and paints.

President Theodore Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi admired Carver’s work and sought his advice regarding agriculture and nutrition. During his tenure at Tuskegee Institute, Carver established the Jesup Wagon and the Movable School to visit rural farmers and educate them about nutrition and agriculture. Both are now housed at the newly-renovated George Washington Carver Museum.

After visiting the Carver Museum, the next stop should be a tour of the Oaks, Washington’s home. It is a sprawling, Queen Anne style house. It was designed by Robert Taylor, the first African-American graduate of MIT and constructed by students from Tuskegee Institute.

The three-story home contains Washington’s original desk and hand-carved chair, a gift from the parents of Chinese students who attended the institute.

The Carver Museum and the Oaks are centered at the core of Tuskegee University, the only HBCU designated as a National Historic Site.

SALUTES H O U S T O N M U S E U M o f A F R I C A N A M E R I C A N C U LT U R E

John F. Guess, Jr., CEO Board Members Gina Carroll Melanie Lawson Winell Herron Eileen Lawal Elmer Rogers

‘Women of a New Tribe: a photographic celebration of black women” now through February 28, 2014. An artistic dialogue between photographer Jerry Taliaferro and Houston visual artist Robert Hodge.

Cindy Parris Drucie Chase Ursula Hall Marc Melcher

HMAAC is a museum for all people with a focus on the contemporary African American experience of the last 50 years, leading to its multicultural present. The programming and exhibitions at HMAAC informs and includes not only people of color, but people of all colors.

Women of a New Tribe: Now thru February 28th Houston Museum of African-American Culture | 4807 Caroline Street, Houston, TX 77004 | 713-526-1015 | www.hmaac.org

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FEBRUARY 6 | 2014 | DEFENDER

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Beware of tax scams during filing season

W

Defender News Services

ith the start of the 2014 tax season, the Internal Revenue Service is urging taxpayers to be aware that scams using the IRS name proliferate during this time of year.

Tax scams can take many forms, with perpetrators posing as the IRS in everything from e-mail refund schemes to phone impersonators.

The IRS, however, does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.

The IRS also does not ask for personal identification numbers (PINs), passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts.

Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

Additional information on how to report phishing scams is available on the genuine IRS website, irs.gov.

Phishing is an attempt to acquire information such as usernames, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

The IRS offers several suggestions for taxpayers to

help protect themselves against scams and identity theft: • Don’t carry your Social Security card or any documents that include your Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

• Don’t give a business your SSN or ITIN just because they ask. Give it only when required.

• Protect your financial information.

• Check your credit report every 12 months.

• Secure personal information in your home.

• Protect your personal computers by using fire-

walls and anti-spam/virus software, updating security patches and changing passwords for Internet accounts.

• Don’t give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact and are sure of the recipient.

Taxpayers also should be very careful when choosing a tax preparer. While most preparers provide excellent service to their clients, a few unscrupulous return preparers file false and fraudulent tax returns and ultimately defraud their clients.

It is important to know that even if someone else prepares your return, you are ultimately responsible for all the information

on the tax return.

Regulations require all paid tax return preparers to have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).

In addition to making sure they have a PTIN, ask if the preparer is affiliated with a professional organization and attends continuing education classes.

Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of your refund or those who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers.

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The Texas Lottery Commission is committed to including Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) in its procurement opportunities.Your minority or woman-owned company may qualify to be certified as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) with the State of Texas.

For information about state certification and Texas Lottery opportunities, contact our HUB Coordinator, Joyce Bertolacini at (512) 344-5293 or joyce.bertolacini@lottery.state.tx.us

To learn more about the State of Texas HUB Program, visit the Texas Procurement and Support Services web page at: http://www.window.state.tx.us/procurement/prog/hub/

© 2014 Texas Lottery Commission. All Rights Reserved.

IT’S A WINNING IDEA!

20 DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 6 | 2014

defendernetwork.com

Exploring racial stress in schools

Racism and racial stereotyping continue to haunt American society and schools.

R

Defender News Services

acial conflicts often remain hidden at the expense of a healthy school climate and the well-being of students of color, says a clinical psychologist.

That’s one of the findings of Dr. Howard C. Stevenson in his new book, “Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference (Teachers College Press).”

Stevenson, a professor of education and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, has studied racial socialization for the last two decades.

He has shared his insights on such programs as ABC’s” Nightline” and NPR’s “The Tavis Smiley Show.” He has served as a psychologist in poor rural and urban neighborhoods across the country Stevenson says that despite our best efforts to avoid the subject, racism and racial stereotyping continue to haunt American society and schools, particularly predominantly white schools.

Racial stereotypes, he says, undermine the

quality of relationships between strategies. students and their teachers and A healthier and compeamong students within the classtent approach, he says, is to room, and lay the groundwork cultivate racial literacy – the for the academic underachieveability to read, recast, and ment that helps gives rise to the resolve racially stressful stereotypes in the first place. social interactions – by means Drawing on his two decades of storytelling, journaling, of research and clinical practice, relaxation, debating, and role Stevenson argues that the probplaying. lem of American race relations is “Racial storytelling is the rooted not simply in our failure first step toward racial literaas a society to have an in-depth cy,” he writes. “In stories, we meaningful conversation about can relook at our roles, the race, but in our denial and refusal information we were given, to admit to our fears of what such and question or research its a conversation will ignite. authenticity. As each person He says most schools fail to shares his or her own story of act on racial “micro-aggression” racial micro-aggressions, he because the stress of negotiating or she can begin to recast the Dr. Howard Stevenson such conflicts is extremely high. Stress affects racial politics of avoidance from one’s childhood. thoughts, feelings, body reactions, relationships “Storytelling of racial experiences, small and and actions, and racial discourse is so stressful large, makes room for one to see the television, the physically, physiologically, and intellectually that neighborhood, the street corner, the supermarket, instead of facing conflict directly, educators and and the classroom as different contexts of social school leaders perpetuate a set of avoidance coping interactions.”

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Workforce Solutions offers fast, accurate, and regularly updated information about the industries producing the highest job growth in the Gulf Coast region.

In fact, our website offers extensive and current details about the region’s four major industries — education, energy, health care and specialty construction.

The section titled “High-Skill, HighGrowth Jobs in the Gulf Coast Region” provides current academic degree and training requirements for these occupations, along with the number of jobs anticipated in each field by 2020.

Whether you view the high-skill, highgrowth jobs information section or visit the online Career Video Library, we have the means to help you pursue better career opportunities.

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Commentary:

Seattle ‘misfits’ fit enough to win

By GEORGE E. CURRY NNPA Columnist

P

rior to Sunday’s Super Bowl, I told anyone who would listen that I like both the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, so I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed regardless of who won the game. But…I was hoping Seattle would emerge the victor and I will tell you why.

First, because as a former high school and college quarterback, I am partial to teams with a Black starting QB. In Seattle’s case, their first and second team quarterbacks are African- American.

To understand the significance of this breakthrough, for years, Blacks

were not allowed to play quarterback or middle linebacker at major universities or in the pros.

Quarterback in particular was the glamour position and any African American coming up through the ranks as a quarterback was usually converted to a defensive back or a wide receiver, if they made it to the NFL. Regardless of how great a Black quarterback was at an HBCU, for example, he didn’t get a chance to showcase his quarterbacking skill at the pro level. It was as if the scouts thought Black teams played football with 10 men instead of 11. Even a, shall we say, passing look at history would have dispelled that notion.

“Fritz” Pollard was

his brand of football when he was head coach of the University of Southern California (USC).

But my respect for him deepened when I learned he regularly made midnight trips to the ‘hood in an effort to curb gang violence.

Saving lives

professional football’s first Black quarterback in 1920, leading the Akron Pros to victory in the NFL’s first championship game. In the modern era, James Harris, the Grambling great, became the first regular starter for the Buffalo Bills in 1969.

Nearly 20 years

later, in 1988, another ex-Grambling QB, Doug Williams, became the first Black to start and win a Super Bowl. This season was hailed as the Year of the Black Quarterback in the NFL, with nine starting on the third weekend of the season.

The second reason I was pulling for Seattle was their coach, Pete Carroll. I always enjoyed

LA Times columnist Kurt Streeter would later write: “Few know that about twice a month Carroll leaves his comfy digs at USC, hops in the back of a beaten Camry driven by a former gang member and heads to South L.A. neighborhoods where the snap of gunfire and the anguish of death occur with the steady regularity of a metronome. These are not recruiting visits. He’s trying to save lives.”

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NOTICE OF 2014

Harris County Area Agency on Aging Area Plan Listening Session The Older Americans Act (OAA) requires all Area Agencies on Aging develop an Area Plan. The purpose of the plan is to ascertain needs, service gaps, service trends, strengths and challenges impacting older adults. The Harris County Area Agency on Aging (HCAAA) welcomes your participation in our scheduled "Listening Session."

No matter your passion, HCC can help turn your dreams into reality. If you’re just getting started, or starting a new

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chapter, we have the skills and knowledge that meet your goals and your schedule.

HCC has convenient locations and

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Who should attend:  Anyone 60 years old and older  Older persons with disabilities  Family caregivers of older persons  Community service providers  Aging services professionals  Individuals concerned about issues related to older persons  The general public

you waiting for?

Go get it. It’s yours.

Your journey begins here.

Register today at hccs.edu

What to expect:  An opportunity for your voice to be heard (3 minute limit)  An opportunity to complete a Regional Needs Assessment  An opportunity to provide written comments  An opportunity to mail in written comments after the session  An opportunity to make a difference In addition to comments made at the Listening Session, written comments received up to and including the date of the Listening Session will also be taken into account by the Harris County Area Agency on Aging in completion of the Area Plan.

Also an online Needs Assessment Survey will be available from January 27 until February 7, 2014. The survey is accessible at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KSHHLFG . For additional information you can contact Daphine H. Sands at the Harris County Area Agency on Aging at 832-393-4417 or email daphine.sands@houstontx.gov

Learn about our logistics program, and many more at HCC.

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Area Planning Advisory Council (APAC) Thursday, February 6, 2014 Metropolitan Multi Service Center 1475 W. Gray Street Houston, Texas 77019 10:30 a.m. to Noon Patricia Pullins @ 281.200.9228 or @ 832.393.4389

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My third reason for cheering for Seattle is that they’ve often been called misfits, with many socalled experts questioning their ability to play in the NFL. However, one-byone, the players, many of whom were drafted in the low rounds, if at all, have proven their critics wrong.

Case in point: Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, the game’s Most Valuable Player, wasn’t picked until 242nd in the 2011 NFL draft.

Yet on Sunday, he was the star among stars, making nine tackles, recovering a Demaryius Thomas fumble early in the third quarter, and with less than four minutes remaining in the game, intercepting a Peyton Manning pass and returning it 69 yards for a touchdown.

And there was that quarterback who, at 5-feet-11 would never make it in the NFL. At least, that’s what they told Russell Wilson. All he did Sunday was lead his team to a Super Bowl victory in his second year as a pro. When he was younger, he attended a football camp organized

by Peyton Manning. But on Sunday, Wilson was playing as though he was the instructor and Manning was his pupil.

Richard Sherman again proved he is NFL’s best cornerback. After Seattle’s division playoff game against San Francisco, he was depicted as a loudmouth defender lacking class. What the talking heads didn’t say was that he had extended a hand to Michael Crabtree, a gesture that was rejected, before he boasted that the 49’ers should have known better than trying to complete a pass on his side of the field.

For a group of socalled misfits who routed the favored Denver Broncos 43-8, the Lombardi Trophy seems to fit them very well.

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DEFENDER | FEBRUARY 6 | 2014

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Strahan, HBCU colleagues head to NFL Hall of Fame

F

By MAX EDISON Defender

rom the day he retired in 2008 with a Super Bowl title in his back pocket, it was just a matter of time before Michael Strahan received an invitation to the NFL’s Hall of Fame. That invitation came recently for the former Texas Southern University standout.

Strahan will be inducted later this year in his second year of eligibility, and his class will include former HBCU standouts Aeneas Williams (Southern) and Claude Humphrey (Tennessee State).

The HOF class of 2014 also includes Ray Guy, Walter Jones, Derrick Brooks and Andre Reed.

For Strahan, the HOF is the culmination of a stellar career.

In 15 years, all with the New York Giants, he was a five-time All Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. Strahan holds the NFL single season sack record with 22.5. He was selected as a member of the NFL’s Team of the Decade for the 2000s.

Strahan, now a successful TV football analyst and talk show co-host, was thrilled to be selected.

“I’m excited to have made it and to join the other members of the Hall of Fame,” No. 92 said. “And [it’s great] to be inducted with the class I’m inducted in, guys who I admired when I played against them, guys I admired when I watched them, even though they’re from a different era.

“They’re guys of high character. That’s all you can ask for, to be with a group like that, and I’m honored to be with this group.”

He explained the significance of football in his life.

“It’s incredible. Football changed my life, period. And now I’m sure this will definitely change my life as well,” he continued.

“I just think about being recognized as one of the best that’s ever played in the greatest sport in our country, and being respected for the way that you played it. That in itself changes my life. Maybe not for anybody else, but it does for me, and that’s very important to me. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out…

“It’s one of those things that’s overwhelming at first. But once the Super Bowl is over and once I have a chance to sit back and reflect, and have some time off to think about it, then I think all of the emotions are really going to hit me.”

Aeneas Williams enjoyed a 13-year career as a cornerback and safety for the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. A third-round pick to the Cards out of Southern, Williams was an eight-time Pro Bowler and was named All Pro 3 times. He finished his career with 55 interceptions, nine of which he returned for touchdowns.

Claude Humphrey was the first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons (third overall) in 1968 out of Tennessee State. He immediately provided a return on the Falcons investment by being name Defensive Rookie of the Year as a defensive end.

In 13 seasons with the Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, Humphrey was named All Pro eight times and was named to the Pro Bowl six times.

Michael Strahan

Strahan was a defensive standout with the New York Giants and collegiate star with Texas Southern University.

Williams, a Southern University product, played cornerback and safety for the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.

Aeneas Williams

Humphrey was a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles out of Tennessee State.

Claude Humphrey

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sportsbriefs Houston landmark razed

Wheatley coach Ernest Carswell and his “Magnificent Seven” are headed to the playoffs.

Wheatley girls poised for basketball playoffs of the team,” Carswell said. “They’re the motor that makes us go.

One is the carburetor and the other is the gas and they roll.”

Wheatley defeated Cypress Lakes in the finals of the 30th hey are known on the campus of Houston’s Phillis annual HISD Varsity Girls Basketball Tournament last December.

Wheatley High School as simply the “Magnificent Out of a field of 29 teams, Wheatley reigned supreme with Taylor Seven.” named Most Valuable Player while Crosby, Sydney and fellow The reference is to the seven young ladies who Wheatley senior Jordanie Wilson were named to the all-tournacomprise the Wheatley girls’ varsity basketball roster, ment team. a team that is ranked No. 17 in the Class 4A state poll, playoff Now going into the last week of the regular season, the only bound for at least the fourth consecutive season and awaiting a question that remains is playoff seeding and whether Wheatley will Feb. 7 rematch with North Forest, the only school to defeat them be runner-up to North Forest or co-champions. North Forest won in District 21-4A. the first game 45-44.

Wheatley improved to 22-2 on the season and 12-1 in district “The players know that we didn’t play well in the game,” play following a 78-14 victory over Houston Lee at Barnett FieldCarswell said. “We missed layups, free throws and still had house. That followed an 89-24 victory over Waltrip a day earlier. a chance to win the game at the end until we threw the ball “We knew the team was going to be good when last season away. ended,” said Ernest “We’re not going to make Carswell, Wheatley’s any changes for the next game. first-year head coach If we make the corrections and and find out what Wheatley coach Ernest Carswell has after serving three play our normal game, things to say about his players in the postseason. years as an assistant should work out in our favor,” coach at the school Carswell said. located in historic Fifth Ward. “We North Forest and Wheatley will play Feb. lost two seniors who came off the 7 at Mark Anthony Wilkins Pavilion located bench. But we had a lot of experiat Forest Brook Middle School. Tipoff is set ence coming back.” for 5 p.m.

Guards Ariel Taylor and “We know what it takes to get things Meashell Crosby are senior turned around,” Taylor said. “We know how four-year starters. Laura Fairs is to read each other and make things happen.” a senior post player who Crosby said being a four-year starter has been on the varsity has its perks. squad for four years.

“This has been one of the Eryka Sydney is the best experiences of my life,” she only sophomore on said. “I’ve learned how to play the team. Carswell my hardest, keep my head up and recruited senior post observe the court and make good Jessica Hinojosa from choices and plays. the softball team.

“When we do that, then we “Crosby and get all the fame and the glory,” Taylor are the leaders Crosby said.

T

By DARRELL K. ARDISON Defender

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Ariel Taylor

The recent demolition of Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse, the HISD facility located in north Houston where the 610 North Loop and Highway 290 merge, brings the curtain down on an illustrious era. Since opening in 1959, Delmar has hosted all kinds of events ranging from banquets to church services to CPR seminars. Yet its primary function was hosting basketball games, primarily on the high school level, but including collegiate and professional games as well. In the 55 years that followed, the Rockets called Delmar home for two years when they first moved here from San Diego during the early 1970s with teammates Rudy Tomjanovich and Calvin Murphy in tow. The Houston Cougars called Delmar home from 1966 to 1969 when Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney were making headlines. The great Wheatley High School teams under Collin Briggs and Jackie Carr dominated at Delmar in the late 1960s and early 1970s with Dwight Jones and Eddie Owens going on to stardom, as did the unforgettable Kashmere teams under Weldon Drew in the mid-1970s with Karl Godine, Madison Lane, Carl Byrd and Jarvis Williams. The back-to-back state champion Yates teams in 2009-10 left their mark at Delmar. The list goes on and on.

Eisenhower completes climb In 2008, the Eisenhower High School boys’ varsity basketball team won 30 games and the district championship. The Eagles hadn’t posted a winning season since. That streak ended when “Ike” (24-5 overall and 10-1 in District 18-5A) defeated Alief Taylor 53-39 recently to clinch at least a tie for the district crown with three games remaining.

Super Bowl tidbits Super Bowl XLVII was obviously a blowout for the Seattle Seahawks, but there are a few acknowledgements to make before the book is closed. Seahawks second year QB Russell Wilson became the second African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the first “mobile” QB to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. A shout-out goes to former Fort Bend Bush standout and Seahawk offensive tackle Russell Okung. The Alief product protected Wilson throughout the game and gave him time to surgically dissect the Bronco defense. It’s always good to see a local guy represent on the field and show character and class in the locker room.

Burrell acknowledged University of Houston freshman track star Cameron Burrell shows that the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree. The son of track coach and Cougar legend Leroy Burrell recently set a school record in the 60 yard dash with a 6.55 second mark at the University of New Mexico’s Cherry & Silver Collegiate Invitational. His time not only broke the school record, it is the fastest in the nation this season and was a personal best for the Missouri City native and former Fort Bend Ridge Point All-American. For his effort Burrell was named Male Track Athlete of the Week by American Athletic Conference. The Cougar track team is currently ranked in the top 25 by the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association).

Meashell Crosby

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chag’splace

TOP LADIES OF DISTINCTION-HUMBLE Stewart. Kudos to chapter president Shwanda Warner, CHAPTER…..The 27th Annual Western Scholarship gala chair Wondy Weston and co-chairs Pamela Levine gala hosted by the Top Ladies of and Mary Washington for a fabulous Distinction, Inc. Humble Chapter was evening. Congratulations!.....PHI Join Yvette Chargois held at Sage Event Center. For over BETA SIGMA FRATERNITY…The 15 years, the chapter has dedicated men of Alpha Beta Sigma Chapter of Events of the Week an evening to recognize and honor Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. began More photos on defendernetwork.com worthy leaders that are positively their 2014 centennial celebration and See Events on KTRK Ch.13’s Crossroads impacting the lives of youth. Proceeds with Melanie Lawson Sunday Morning @ 11 a.m.

80 years of brotherhood and service from the gala are used to fund the to the greater Houston community by Humble Top Teens of America hosting their annual Orchid Ball gala at activities, scholarships and much more. This year’s the Crowne Plaza Hotel. At this affair, they paid tribute honorees included Drs. Ralph A. Brock, Nichole F. Cole, and thanked long time loyal and dedicated member James Scott V. Collins, Donald Gardner, Wanda Mott, Polly S. Walker, chaplain emeritus who turned 98 years young Sparks Turner, Dezra White and Anjanette Wyatt. last month. Newly elected chapter president Eric Butler All dressed up in their western duds were Faye Bryant, and vice president Ricky Georgetown welcomed guests.

Jackie Pope, Lilly Lacy, Marianne Walker, Regina Attendees included members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Carrington, Kimberly and Dr. Jose Montalvo, Willie Inc., other Greek organizations and numerous members of Mae Evans, Clara Boyd, Dorothy Booker and Connie the Divine Nine Fraternity. Entertainment was provided

Honorees Drs. Ralph Brock, Wanda Mott, Donald Gardner and Dezra White

Chapter VP pastor Ricky Georgetown and chapter president Eric Butler

Michael Black and Paula Adams

Honorees Dr. Anjanette Wyatt and Dr. Polly Turner

Chaplain emeritus James Walker and Fred Hadnot

Dr. Virgil A. Wood and Eugene W. Farooq

by recording jazz artist Joe Carmouche and his band and deejay Master Mixer. Continued success!..... ..THE ENSEMBLE THEATRE…..The Ensemble’s new year began with the opening night and media reception for “The Meeting” written by award-winning playwright Jeff Stetson and directed by Shirley Marks Whitmore.

It’s is a fascinating and eloquent play that depicts the supposed meeting of two of the most important men of modern times, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Differing in their philosophies, but alike in the mutual respect, the two men debate their varying approaches to the same grave social problems, both prepared to die for their beliefs but neither aware of how soon their assassins’ bullets would await them. The theater was packed with board members, season ticket holders and guests that included Dr. Virgil A. Wood and Eugene W. Farooq, who led a lively discussion following the play. Great educational tool for students!.....From Chag’s Place to your place, have a blessed week!

Gala co-chair Pamela Levine, Joyce Jacquet and gala chair Wondy Weston

Carl Moses and Huelin Rigsby

Willie and Mildred Bright and Michael Helm

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