“America would have to make a diferent choice; to choose to care about people’s humanity versus proft.” Tese are words from Britt White, a sister who, in her 20s was incarcerated in Alabama for fve years. While serving time, and allowed to work at Burger King, the state of Alabama took 60% of every dollar Britt made because she and others were considered property of the state. And yes, convict leasing is alive and well in 2023. By 1898, Alabama “earned” 73% of its revenue from convict leasing. And here we are, 125 years later, and convict leasing is still making state-sanctioned profts of labor stolen from predominantly Black and Brown incarcerated souls. Britt, now an activist fghting to end the “slavery if incarcerated” exception in the 13th Amendment, said, “People I love are denied parole and kept in prison because their physical beings equal capital for so many wealthy people in America.” Y’all, we can’t let her fght alone. Let’s all support the Abolition Amendment.
Blackfolk wisdom says, “Folk can call you whatever they want. What matters is what you answer to.” When people tell you Blacks beneftted from skills learned during enslavement,” they’re calling you and yo’ mama every kind of fool there is. But you don’t have to answer to that nonsense. First, records abound that show that enslavers sought to capture Africans from specifc regions BECAUSE of the skills they possessed (in growing rice, masonry, animal husbandry, etc.). We already had skills, intelligence, creativity, etc. Second, countless millions of our ancestors died penniless, or darn near, skilled or not, because the racist social structure
wouldn’t allow them to profit off their genius in the way the U.S. “free market economy” advertises. So, don’t let them “piss in your face and tell you it’s raining.” Another Blackfolk wisdom nugget for the road.
I recently heard an activist friend start a sentence by saying, “I don’t want to get all conspiratorial on y’all, but…” And I felt that. I’m not one to jump on all the conspiracy trains. But, one, not all crazy theories are crazy. And two, it’s not a conspiracy if they’re doing it right in your face. Case in point: Project 2025. You can visit their website right now. Tey unashamedly announce their intent to make America a fascist nation. Tey lay out their plan for centralizing all power in the president… more specifcally, the next Republican president. Even more specifcally, they’re praying it’s Trump. Tey want to take Congress’s power over the nation’s money and power of all law enforcement and place it in the hands of this GOP president who they’re working to see inaugurated Jan. 2025. And to whom all administration members must sign a loyalty pledge. Not too long ago, if any other democracy-practicing country had a political party talking about removing all checks and balances from their elected leader, thereby making that person a dictator who answers to no one, U.S. media would roast them as a danger to the planet. Lo and behold, that danger is right here. Te call is coming from inside the house.
• Wise ways to manage your credit
• Beyonce, BeyGOOD Foundation support Equality Ball
• HS Sports: Hightower readies for 2023 football season
By Laura Onyeneho
Significant policy changes were made during a tense HISD board meeting on Aug. 10 granting the superintendent increased purchasing authority and more.
Te board’s decisions encompassed a range of impactful measures, including granting the superintendent the power to make purchases of up to $1 million without prior board approval, an amount that is 10 times higher than the previous limit of $100,000. Te board approved a series of policy changes, which included scaling back mandatory meetings with union leadership concerning working conditions. Additionally, the superintendent was given the power to make sweeping changes to magnet programs and waive requirements for principal qualifcations districtwide.
Te proponents of these changes, including Superintendent Mike Miles, argued that they would streamline decision-making processes and enhance overall district efciency.
By Aswad Walker
County Commissioner Rodney Ellis
will preside over the Commissioners Court during the leave of absence taken by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected ofcial for one of the nation’s largest counties.
Te move makes Ellis, an HISD product (B.H. Grimes Elementary, Carter G. Woodson Middle School and Evan E. Worthing High School,) the frst African American to preside over the Commissioners Court.
Asked how he will run the court, Ellis said, “While Judge Hidalgo is away, I will run the Commissioners Court meetings and will seek to do so in the same spirit as the judge, guided by transparency
and inclusivity.”
Te Defender asked if Ellis had specifc issues he’ll focus on during his time leading the Court, and he clarifed that “On matters outside of Commissioners Court meetings, Judge Hidalgo will remain in communication with key county staff and available to discharge her duties as county judge.”
Still, Ellis’ time in the Commissioners Court’s head seat is signifcant, and adds another chapter to his life of public service, which includes being a Houston City Councilmember (District D, 1983 –1988), State Senator (13th District, 1990 –2017) and work he did prior with Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, Ellis’ friend and mentor.
Ellis arrived on the Commissioners Court, following in the footsteps of another local legend, El Franco Lee, the Court’s first Black member. Now, Ellis is filling in for another game-changer, Hidalgo, the frst woman and frst Latina to be elected Harris County Judge. Hidalgo, who announced on Aug. 7 that she is taking a leave of absence to receive treatment for clinical depression, and will be out for the “next several weeks,” did say in a letter to the people of Harris County that she “will remain available in the event of an emergency.” And per Commissioners Court rules, the senior (longest standing) member of the court (Ellis) shall preside in her absence.
“We have gangsters running the school system and they are doing it carte blanche,” said Busi Peters-Maughan, founder of Women Healing and Empowering Women. “Tese are people that were put into positions of power to run amuck.”
During the meeting, a substantial number of demonstrators organized by Community Voices for Public Education, turned their backs to Miles and the board, displaying their disapproval for Miles’ agenda.
“Te board of managers are doing just what they are instructed to do. Tey’re always going to vote 9-0. They will never go against the establishment which is TEA [Texas Education Agency] and the appointed F. Mike Miles,” said retired school nurse Christi Michelle Brewster. “Tis is a sad day in public education.”
Also approved by the board during the meeting was a waiver that allows HISD to hire assistant principals and deans without certifcation for the next three years. Te meeting also saw the green light for certain teachers to instruct without proper certifcation, a move that generated questions from board members but passed with minimal opposition. Moreover, the board approved the rollout of Miles’ “New Education System” which is based on a student state test score-based “pay-for-performance” plan.
Black women have been recognized for their key roles in multiple federal and state elections deemed critical to “saving” U.S. democracy. So, it makes sense that three Black women occupy key positions in eforts to hold twice impeached former U.S. president Donald Trump accountable for crimes for which he’s indicted.
FANI WILLIS
Aug. 14 marked Trump’s fourth indictment, this time in Atlanta on charges he and his supporters attempted to interfere with Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results by demanding Georgia Secretary of State “fnd” enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory in the state. The indictment, which includes 18 other defendants, was brought by Fulton County District Attorney and Howard alumna Fani Willis. Willis remains focused on her case, even amid social media attacks by Trump who calls Willis the “racist DA from Atlanta.”
“Te indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia’s legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia’s presidential election result,” said Willis at the Aug. 14 news conference.
TANYA
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (DC) is the trial judge assigned to oversee Trump’s
criminal charges for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and the same federal judge who rejected his eforts to use executive privilege to withhold White House communications from Jan. 6 Capitol riot investigators. She has also handed down tough sentences against some January 6 rioters.
“Presidents are not kings, and (the)
Plaintif is not President,” Chutkan, the Kingston, Jamaica native wrote.
On Sept. 21, 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Howard alum, accused Trump, the Trump Organization and three of his children, of “signifcant fraudulent and illegal business activity” including infating
his personal net worth and assets by “billions of dollars.”
“Mr. Trump should not get to play by diferent rules,” James said in an Oct. 2023 ofcial statement.
Te state of New York seeks $250 million, to prohibit Trump from moving assets to evade liability and to permanently ban the Trump family from doing business in the state.
Sixty years ago, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
What King aimed to accomplish with the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was to advocate for the
civil and economic rights of African Americans.
On Aug. 26 this year, Rev. Al Sharpton, Arndrea Waters King and Martin Luther King III, joined by other civil rights activists, will commemorate the 60th anniversary of that 1963 march with a program at that same Lincoln Memorial, followed by a march through the streets of D.C.
They will bring together 60 national organizations across races, cultures, and generations as partners of the 60th anniversary of this historic event. Te March will be co-chaired by AAJC, Anti-Defamation League, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Te Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Legal Defense Fund, NAACP, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), National Urban League and UNIDOS.
In his speech, King predicted that the march “will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Yet, in May 1968, while interviewed by NBC News, King said his “dream had turned into a nightmare” and that there was much more work needed to be done.
Sharpton and other organizers see the Aug. 26 commemoration as part of that ongoing struggle for justice.
In an article written for Word In Black, Sharpton, speaking on today’s threats to civil rights gains, said, “We as a country are at a crossroads; do we continue on the path
of progress, or do we revert back to the dark days? Te vast majority are united, and we will raise our voices in unison for a clarion call for fairness and justice at the March on Washington once again.”
VOLUME 92, NUMBER 40 - AUGUST 17, 2023
Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles
Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles
Digital Content Manager Get Current Studios
Managing Editor ReShonda Tate
Associate Editor Aswad Walker
Education Reporter Laura Onyeneho
Sports Terrance Harris
Jodie B. Jiles
Photographer Jimmie Aggison
Social Media Manager
Tia Alphonse Jordan Hockett
Some call us pioneers. Others call us surgeons. Nurses. Paramedics.
Saving lives in the middle of the night at a nationally renowned trauma center. Delivering at-risk babies against all odds, from all across the county.
Year after year, training the majority of the doctors who practice in the most famous medical center in the world.
And, day after day, providing essential care and vital resources to those who need it most in every one of our communities.
You might not know our name. And that’s okay.
YOU’LL KNOW US BY THE WORK WE DO.
Defender News Service
Curtis Graves, one of the frst African Americans to serve in the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction, is being remembered as a political pioneer and civil rights activist. He died in Atlanta at the age of 84.
Graves represented Houston in the State Legislature from 1967 to 1973. He championed such issues as raising the minimum wage, eliminating food tax and incentivizing adoption of minority and disabled children.
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, a former Texas state senator, admired Graves’ determination to make a diference.
“As a high school student, I remember reading about Representative Curtis Graves jumping on his table on the foor of the Texas House of Representatives when the speaker refused to acknowledge him. I was immediately inspired, so much so that I remember being threatened with expulsion for wearing a ‘Vote Curtis Graves’ button at school,” Ellis said.
“From marching alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to his service in the Legislature, Curtis Graves showed a generation of young politicians and activists that no one will give you a platform to fght for your beliefs; you have to take it. Texas is a better place because of his service and his spirit.”
Graves, a native of New Orleans, attended Xavier University before transferring to Texas Southern University. He found his voice as an activist at TSU, where he participated in sit-ins and marches, and helped found the Progressive Youth Association, which advocated for desegregation in Houston.
Afer serving three terms in the Texas House, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor and for the Texas Senate. He worked for George McGovern’s campaign and later moved to Washington, D.C. He landed a job with NASA, where he served as director of Educational Programs and director of Public Afairs. He retired from NASA in 2003 and moved to Tucker, Ga.
Survivors include his wife, Kay, three children and six grandchildren. His daughter Gizelle Bryant stars on “Te Real Housewives of Potomac.”
Beyoncé fans, Sickle Cell Houston is ofering you a chance to win Renaissance concert tickets. Register for their upcoming Amazing Race & 5K/1K event (held at MacGregor Park, Sept. 16) to enter their rafe for two free tickets. To register, visit www. sicklecellhoustonwalk.com.
Bread of Life, Inc., in collaboration with Starbucks and Quest Diagnostics Foundation, presents a free Back-to-School Event and Health Fair Aug.19 at 2019 Crawford St. 77002 at 8 a.m. School supplies and 2,000 backpacks will be given out. Adult wellness check-ups will be available also.
Adults 50 and above, through the HCC Community Learning Program you can enhance existing skills, acquire new talents and passions via workshops on health and wellness, digital literacy, career preparation and more. Visit www. hccs.edu for more information.
Te four Black mayors, leaders of the nation’s largest cities, are being vocal about big issues impacting them, their cities and the county. Here are excerpts from a recent conversation between mayors Eric Adams (New York), Karen Bass (Los Angeles), Brandon Johnson (Chicago) and Sylvester Turner (Houston) from their discussion during a conversation facilitated by NULPresident and CEO Marc Morial, the former mayor of New Orleans.
Here is part two of their conversation, focusing on media, mental health and more.
MEDIA
ADAMS: We have to shif the dynamic and no longer be held captive by the media.
We must do direct-to-consumer communication to show what we are doing every day. Because if you were to pick up the tabloids, you would think all of us are failing, when we have so many successes.
BASS: Afer George Floyd was killed, I remember looking at 100 ofcer-involved shootings, and 30% to 40% of them… it was a mental health crisis because we shredded the mental health system. We allow people to deteriorate into violence, committing a crime, and then they wind up with police encounters. We have to address these issues that result in really negative encounters with police while we hold police ofcers accountable.
TURNER: We have 12,000 to 13,000 thousand people yearly that are coming out of our state criminal justice system, coming back into Houston, Harris County. So, we’ve put together a reentry program because they need jobs and they need housing. And if you don’t provide those things for them, they’re gonna to end up on your streets.
JOHNSON: Chicago is rich in legacy. So, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Chairman Fred [Hampton], who said “Healthcare for all.” He said every child should eat before they go to school. And that comes up in the Black Panther Party ideology and movement that was birthed on the west side of Chicago where I live.
On Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, Congressman Al Green will host the 2nd Annual Slavery Remembrance Legislative Update and Commemorative Breakfast at the Wyndham Hotel (8686 Kirby Dr., Houston, TX 77054) at 8:30 a.m. The freeto-the-public event (Eventbrite registration requited) seeks to provide attendees with the latest news on where Green’s legislation stands—a bill that seeks to implement a National Day of Slavery Remembrance annually on Aug. 20.
Green envisions the annual event helping ensure the evils of slavery are never forgotten and never repeated.
“I am honored to host this historic Slavery Remembrance Legislative Update that pays tribute to the enslaved and their descendants,” said Green. “As a nation, we must acknowledge the horrors of slavery and legislate a future that upholds equality and justice for all.”
Green’s resolution was introduced and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress and recognized by President Joe Biden in 2022. However, the legislation has not yet been passed in the U.S. Senate.
The event will also honor the late State Representative Al Edwards, “Father of Juneteenth” and offer a salute to Houston’s historic Black Press.
D’Quay Williams, a local entrepreneur who plans on attending the event, said such a remembrance is long overdue.
“Our ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears built America,” said Williams. “What’s the holdup with giving us our props?”
The event will spotlight key legislative initiatives, including the legislation creating Slavery Remembrance Day, as well as legislation relating to historical figures John Brown and Nat Turner. Green will highlight efforts to secure Congressional Gold Medals for the enslaved, recognizing their immense contributions as the economic foundational mothers and fathers of America’s economic greatness, similar to what Congress did for Confederate soldiers in 1956.
After School programs are better with the Y.Green
By Aswad Walker
The Houston Independent School District (HISD), which over the years has been no stranger to contentious issues and front-page news, may have had its most drama-filled summer on record.
The Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) takeover of one of the nation’s largest school districts, the appointment of Mike Miles as superintendent after he received less than stellar reviews and a vote of “no confidence” from Dallas ISD, and the myriad of reactions to Miles’ plans to overhaul HISD have made national and international news.
Though Miles’ plans aim to improve low-performing schools and address the achievement gap, they have caused ongoing protests and rebukes. Yet, neither Miles, nor the state-appointed HISD Board which replaced the elected board members, have wavered.
So, what should HISD parents expect to see in schools when their children return to the classroom on Monday, Aug. 28?
Parents can expect to see non-certified teachers in many HISD classrooms. The Board of Managers gave Miles the authority to seek waivers from TEA allowing the district to employ non-certified teachers and administrators (assistant principals) to address what was an overwhelming teacher shortage, brought on in large part by a mass exodus of teachers who left HISD for other school districts because they philosophically disagreed with Miles’ New Education System (NES) direction, including video monitoring of classrooms, scripted curriculums, a hospital-modeled “pay-for-performance” teach evaluation model, etc. The mass teacher exodus exacerbated an already existing issue as many teachers in multiple ISDs left the profession post-COVID. According to Miles, HISD is on track to have teachers in all classrooms. At press time, HISD reported roughly 63 remaining teacher vacancies after starting the summer needing to fill almost 900 spots. If the first day of the 2023-24 school year finds zero vacancies, parents and others are still concerned with the quality of instruction students will receive due to the number of non-certified teachers. Some veteran educators feel Miles’ policies strip teachers of their “superpower”—the ability to find unique and creative ways to reach their students—due to scripted curriculums and what some view as a directive to teach only to state assessment tests.
“I got my degree and I became certified to be a teacher,” said former HISD educator Stephanie Myers. “And to think that they would just hire someone off the street to be a teacher and then entice them with money…it shows what they feel about these communities.”
Miles’ plan to convert libraries in 28 predominantly Black schools into “Team Centers” may have received the most backlash from local community members, HISD parents and even national media. The “Team Centers” will be the rooms where students deemed discipline problems and removed from their classes will go to receive Zoom classroom instruction. Part of this move includes “reassigning” librarians and media specialists.
Cheryl Hensley, the longtime librarian at MacGregor and Lockhart elementary schools, who is now out of a job, views being “reassigned” as “fired” and fears the impact lost libraries and librarians will have on students.
“My first thought is how unfair it is for those kids to take away their lifeline, their lifelong learning, their choice in reading,” said Hensley, who urges parents to check out their children’s schools to see if they still have a library, and one with books, and if their children will have a choice to access those books.
HISD schools will operate on an extended schedule, from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., to offer flexibility for working parents. NES schools will also modify their before and after-school care hours, operating from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., further accommodating working parents. Many see this as a positive move, especially since traditional school hours (students release at 3 p.m.) were created to support an agrarian society of a century past and conflict with the modern 9-to-5 work schedule. However, in late August, employees in HISD’s Human Resources department were told to work overtime without pay, to be available over weekends and to not make travel plans until September. It is not yet clear how HISD’s extended schedule will impact school employees and their pay.
Per an HISD official statement, “The district will choose and purchase curriculum materials [and] provide guidance for lesson plans.”
Several current and former teachers have issues with what they’re calling scripted lesson plans.
“This limits a teacher’s style of teaching. All students don’t learn the same. We have students who can barely read in the eighth grade. Just image introducing them to new material,” said former HISD educator Calvin Mitchell.
Video monitors in classrooms are a prominent feature of Miles’ plan. They will be used to identify “discipline problems” who will then be removed from classrooms and taken to campus Team Centers. However, because of both conscious and unconscious bias shown by countless studies to impact how teachers “see” and interpret the actions of Black students, particularly Black boys, video monitors in classrooms could be extremely problematic. One Yale study asked teachers to observe preschool students and note any who acted out (broke rules). What the teachers didn’t know was, none of the students they observed broke any rules, as the study was really trying to identify which students the teachers focused their attention on. The eye-tracking technology used revealed, to the surprise of no one, that the overwhelming majority of study participants identified Black male students as the biggest rule-breakers (even though no rules were broken). And the technology revealed that the teachers focused their eyes for the vast majority of time on Black boys far more than any other demographic.
Teachers have a worry of their own with the video monitors, as expressed by one HISD educator who asked not to be named.
“That’s Big Brother watching our every move. ‘Are we deviating from the curriculum script? Are we teaching to the test or doing things we’ve done in the past we know work, but aren’t part of the script?’ If so, are they gonna send school police to yank us out of the classroom like on that show ‘Handmaid’s Tale,’” she wondered.
Willowridge, which became the second Ft. Bend ISD high school to integrate when it opened its doors in September of 1979, recently inducted 13 new members into its vaunted Wall of Honor.
“The Ridge,” as it is known by current students, alumni and opponents who fell to their dominating football teams of the early 1980s (going 15-0 and winning the 4A Texas State Championship during the 1982-83 school year), their three-time state champion boys basketball teams and state-winning boys track team, has produced giants not only in sports, but also medicine, politics, the arts and more.
Recently, all attention in the Eagles’ universe focused on this year’s Wall of Honor inductees.
The Willowridge Wall of Honor (WOH) was organized in 2006 under the umbrella of the T.J. Ford Foundation, the result of the vision of T.J. Ford, a former NBA great and 2001 WHS alum. The purpose: to recognize Willowridge’s outstanding academic and athletic graduates whose accomplishments during their high school careers and whose meritorious roles in public and/or private life following high school have brought positive public recognition, credit and honor to the school.
Additionally, the WOH honors WHS teachers and coaches who have made a difference in the lives of Eagles, ensuring that they honor the school motto, “Class and Character.”
“The WOH really supports the programs that are there,” said Frances Plummer, Willowridge WOH, Inc. president. “We want to show the students who are presently enrolled in Willowridge that there are others who came through the very same halls and were able to be successful to go out in life and do great things and then come back and give back. We want the students that are there to emulate that and take pride in their school and also to excel and do their very best.”
Oscar Beltran, a 2018 WOH inductee and current WOH board member, sees the induction banquet as a bi-annual opportunity to call Eagle alumni back to provide much-needed support, as the school currently faces daunting challenges, including dwindling enrollment, scarce athletics program funding and a large number of students and their families who are on the wrong end of the socio-economic ladder.
“I decided to start volunteering for the Wall of Honor because they do a lot of good things for the school,” said Beltran. “And the school right now is just needing a lot of necessities.”
We’re looking for suggestions on how METRO can unite outstanding transit service with housing, mobility and economic development to help enhance the vibrant Eastex-Jensen community.
It’s back-to-school time. Parents and guardians are getting their kids required back-to-school exams and immunizations. However, keeping current with their own adult immunizations is sometimes overlooked. Many adults are unaware that vaccinations they had as children may no longer protect them against avoidable diseases – or that we have newer, more effective vaccines available for some illness they may never have been protected against.
For patients who are pregnant, immunocompromised, or have a health complication, I follow guidelines specific to their condition that may not be the same for the general population.
After reviewing a patient’s overall health, I usually recommend the following immunizations for vaccine-preventable illnesses:
FROM THE DOC “Immunizations are a primary component of your long-term health.”
Dr. Crooms a boardcertified Internal Medicine physician and is the co-managing physician at Tanglewood Clinic. Call 713-442-0000 to request appointments.
1. COVID-19 vaccine. All adults should (by now) have had two primary doses of this vaccine and a booster. If immunocompromised or older than 65, you should have a total of four doses by now. (For patients suspicious about receiving this vaccine, I suggest they receive counseling from their healthcare provider before making a final decision.)
2. Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, with a booster shot every 10 years. The CDC recommends children and adults be vaccinated for pertussis, especially those in contact with newborns.
3. Hepatitis A and B vaccines for adults with immune deficiencies, occupational or lifestyle exposure risks, or who travel abroad.
4. Gardasil 9 vaccine against
human papillomavirus (HPV) is recommended for both genders ages 9 through 26 years and selected adults up to age 45.
5. Measles (MMR) shots (two doses) if born after 1957.
6. Pneumonia shots are especially important for smokers or those with chronic health problems such as diabetes or asthma or older than 65. (Check with your healthcare provider about updated vaccines.)
7. Shingrix, the shingles vaccine for healthy adults 50 and older. (If you’ve had chickenpox, the shingles virus is already inside you.)
8. Seasonal flu shot every year. Immunizations are a primary component of your long-term health. They help protect us from serious, sometimes deadly diseases.
Kelsey-Seybold welcomes new patients and accepts more than 50 health insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and many more.
We have 36 convenient locations close to home and work –and still growing!
In the mid-90s Kemba Smith became world famous for all the wrong reasons— becoming a poster child for the “War on Drugs” and its resulting mandatory minimum guidelines that sentenced the 23-year-old Howard University student to 24 years in prison.
Her story became national news thanks to Black media; more specifically the now defunct Emerge Magazine, and their May 1996 cover story “Kemba’s Nightmare.”
Now Kemba Smith Pradia, the formerly incarcerated, domestic abuse survivor, mother, daughter, author, motivational speaker and executive producer of the movie about her life (“Kemba,” set to be released in early 2024), is a criminal justice reform activist since she was released from prison after serving six and a half years.
The Defender caught up with Smith Pradia during the recent National Urban League Convention in Houston where she spoke about her experiences and the importance of restorative justice.
DEFENDER: Whyisitsoimportant for you to fight for those going through situations similar to your own?
KEMBA: It’s really important because so much was sacrificed for me. Once I received commutation from the President of the United States after serving six and a half years of a 24-year sentence, I knew it was a modern-day miracle. When those prison doors opened in 2000 I knew that I needed to continue to be a human face for this issue and to still advocate for reform. And ultimately I believe that each and every young person doesn’t have to learn from each and every mistake there is to make in life. That they can learn from another person’s story.
I had a sense of survivor’s guilt. Because even though I was able to walk off of I’ll say the plantation… it was really important for me to help push forth criminal justice reform and to end mass incarceration.
DEFENDER: Whatmomentfromyour incarceration sticks out?
KEMBA: I tell people, be careful what you pray for. When I turned myself in six
and a half months pregnant, I prayed and I asked God to allow me to be a voice to prevent other people from going down the same path. And during that time I was in county jail, I gave birth to my son. Five minutes after I gave birth to him, my legs had to be handcuffed and shacked to the bed. Correctional officers were guarding me and I didn’t know when I was gonna physically touch, hold, feel my son again.
DEFENDER: Talk about what had to happen to free you from prison.
KEMBA: It wasn’t of my doing, but it was of God where an article was being written about the war on drugs and it was Emerge Magazines and George Curry. So, I’m very grateful to the media that decided to highlight my story. Basically, what it took for me was the NAACP Legal Defense Fund decided to take on my case pro bono. And Elaine Jones was director of the organization at the time… She said that she was
gonna make sure my case saw justice. But not only was it just her, it was the president of the National Council of Negro Women, the Deltas, the Links. There were several organizations that came on board in supporting efforts to bring me home.
DEFENDER: How did it feel knowing so manywere working foryour freedom?
KEMBA: It wasn’t about just me… Back then, the vast majority of the population within prison were Black women. And these organizations had hoped that my case would set a precedent for others. But unfortunately, there was denial after denial in the court system. So, receiving clemency from the president was my only option, which was a modern-day miracle. And it took very influential individuals that were in the administration, various different celebrity folks that got involved as well.
Prince Tunde
Salawuadeniyi
often reminisces about his days as a young athletic kid in Nigeria who hoped to succeed in international football. He couldn’t imagine how that goal would later transition into him as an accomplished fitness coach and body sculpting guru.
Salawuadeniyi is the co-Founder of Houston’s first Nigerian-owned gym called Ilekan Athletic Club, which means ‘One House’ in his Yoruba dialect. Prince, along with this brother, Tolu, planted the seeds to open a gym location where people can gather together for one common goal to transform their “mind, body, and spirit.”
The Prairie A&M University alum grew his personal brand on campus training more than 400 students over four years providing free fitness classes and hosting seminars to create awareness about the health disparities that impact the community. Now, he continues to take things to another level and hopes to expand his mission.
The Defender spoke with Salawuadeniyi about his journey into the fitness industry and what the community should expect from Ilekan.
audience to learn about you?
who consistently strives to improve himself and others. I love to have fun with every thing I do. I spread great energy and I am a positive person. Even through adverse cir cumstances, I see the good in everything and I channel that into my work.
journey into the fitness industry?
ENIYI: ney started all the way
in Nigeria. We didn’t have access to everything we have now, but for me, it all started from having a strong desire to play soccer at a world-class level. Down the line, there isn’t enough support for such a goal. I was told it was too late for me to play. I was probably 10 years old at the time. I took it personally, and that was one of the driving forces for me.
The second driving force was seeing my parents struggle with diabetes, high blood pressure. African parents don’t like when you put their matters out there but this is real. I feel like it’s not just for me but for others. So, as I got older, I wanted to do everything I could to prevent that from happening.
I got more into training people while I was training myself. While I was on my journey, a lot of people asked for help. That was where I found my purpose. I went to school for mechanical engineering [and eventually] focused on fitness and never looked back.
DEFENDER: What are your goals as a fitness coach?
SALAWUADENIYI: My goal is to impact one family. If I train one person, that person will go around and impact their own
I was a mechanical engineering student at Prairie View A&M University around 2017 to 2018. I was a junior. I realized that with all the requests I was getting, how was I going to balance it all. I wasn’t the smartest in engineering school. I struggled.
I was consistently working all day and night. And then I was spending the little time I had on extracurricular activities on teaching classes for free to help sharpen my skills, while making ends meet. I worked as a sales rep at Coach in an outlet mall. I was doing so much and had no time. I had a big vision that kept me going, and that phase I was going through was not permanent.
DEFENDER: Why is advocating for Black health and wellness in the community important to you?
SALAWUADENIYI: We never realize the life we’re missing out on until we actually get into a health journey. There are so many things that we are faced with, lack of energy, depression, poor eating, and if we became much healthier these things could reduce a lot.
Fitness is one of those things that helped me out. I use to
self-sabotage myself. I use to have low confidence, but fitness gave me the affirmation I needed. In the Black community we don’t take our personal health seriously. We put it aside. What happens over time is the body shuts down, so does the metabolism, and the immune system.
So, by the time you start to realize you need to make change, the person is going through challenges. We pass that mentality down to the children. We need to break these generational curses. The way to start correcting these things is for us to start improving ourselves.
DEFENDER: Talk about the cultural aspect of your programs and events.
SALAWUADENIYI: I’m speechless because we have people who are Hispanic-Americans, and all different parts of the world being a part of something that they might not know about. Seeing people enjoy African culture, Afrobeats and vibes is an amazing experience. Our Afrobeats Bootcamp is a good example of this. Dance is not performative, it’s transformative. It’s a program where the number one agenda is to have fun.
Is focusing on “Mind, Body, Spirit” your approach to holisIlekan means “One House,” and that is my approach. If one of them detaches from the other, we aren’t operating at our best. The goal is to align my body, mind, and spirit to work as one. I can confidently say that if you apply all three to your life, you can apply all three to your Prince Tunde Salawuadeniyi. Courtesy of Ilekan Athletic Club
Prairie View senior running back Ahmad Antoine has been part of an incredible run by the Panthers these past few seasons.
During this stretch, the Panthers have won two SWAC West Division titles and competed in the SWAC Championship Game. But what Antoine doesn’t get is the continued preseason disrespect that seems to always have the Panthers finishing near the bottom of the division and with little to no recognition of their players on the Preseason All-SWAC Team.
It’s no different this season as the Panthers, who finished tied for first place in the division last season and barely missed out on making back-to-back SWAC Championship appearances, are picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the West. The Panthers only have two players on the Preseason All-SWAC Team and both are second team members.
“Every year we come in and I don’t know why but they always have us below where we should be after we beat a few teams that are in front of us,” said Antoine, who along with offensive lineman Arrington Taylor are the only two Panthers on the preseason all-conference team. “We don’t take that easily. We feel like that is real disrespectful, so we are just trying to come and prove to the SWAC what we are about. And we just have to take that one week at a time.”
The Panthers lost some key players from last season’s team that went 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the SWAC, especially on defense, but they return enough talent to warrant a higher ranking. It starts with dual-threat senior quarterback Trazon Connley, who is back for his second-straight season as the starter.
Connley will be protected by an offensive
line that is experienced and deep, with all five starters returning along with four others who made starts up front last season. The Panthers even have some talent back at receiver and tight end, including leading receiver Chris Herron.
Defensively, only four starters return – last season’s top tackler linebacker Keyshawn Johnson, linebacker Tre’Vion Green, defensive back Bryce Turner and free safety Tariq Mulmore -- but that’s where head coach Bubba McDowell and his staff focused much of their recruiting efforts to restock a defensive front and secondary that were both hit hard by losses.
Given the players the Panthers have returning and the job the coaching staff did on restocking talent, the feeling on The Hill is that they will outplay their preseason expectations.
“It’s what everybody else thinks and as I tell my guys, you take it for what’s worth,” McDowell said of the preseason ranking. “We can take it as not a good thing and do
something about it. Or we don’t worry about it and nothing happens.
“I know our guys have been competitive. We can use that as a tool to bring them up, get better and prove everybody wrong.”
Connley agrees with his coach.
“I really wasn’t surprised because they are always hating on PV and disrespecting us. So, it’s just like I kind saw it and I was like, `This again,’” Connley said. “It’s just a matter of proving that we are who we are, and we know who we are instead of letting that bother us because we don’t really care about it. It’s a preseason thought. It’s not what’s really going to happen.”
What the Panthers are aiming for is a third straight SWAC West title and to win the conference championship game which unlocks the door to play in the Celebration Bowl. It all starts on Sept. 2 when they travel to take on rival Texas Southern in the season opener.
The Tigers, who PV romped, 40-23, in last year’s opener, have been picked to finish
third in the SWAC West behind Southern and Alcorn State.
“As I tell them all the time, rankings mean nothing until you actually start playing,” said McDowell, who is entering his second season at the helm and 12th year on the coaching staff. “They put on their pads just like we put on our pads. Now it’s just about what teams are going to go out there and show these writers and everybody that we are a better team. In order for us to do that we have to start fast and finish fast.”
In the meantime, the Panthers are using the low expectations of others as motivation for the season.
“That just lets us know how people think and how they view us,” said Antoine, who had 591 yards and six touchdowns rushing last season. “We come out here, we work hard just like everybody else. We’ve (won the SWAC West) the last two years and you still put us fifth? That’s not a good taste in our mouths. So we are just trying to get that bad taste out by proving everybody wrong.”
Coach James Hudson was on hand at this year’s Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics, teaching kids to compete through the game of chess. With over 30 kids playing in each section, the competition was tough, but Sebastian Rodriguez and others didn’t waver in their belief that they could walk away a chess champion.
“We use chess as a hook to mentor and motivate today’s youth for success. We use a concept called taps (time, attention, patience and strategy for skills),” said Coach Hudson.
Players can take these skills learned through chess to be active, productive citizens in society.
“Chess also serves as a mentoring program to help elevate or assist in your math scores,” said Hudson. “We teach what’s called chess math. Each piece has a value. So, we take the frst letter of each piece, add a mathematical symbol and now we have an equation because we are using letters and numbers, similar to algebra. We target elementary schools. Tat way, when they transition to middle school and high school, they will already be familiar with a letter and number concept.”
Hudson began his journey of learning how to play chess 30 years ago. While waiting to go home, Hudson was invited to play chess, but he refused the opportunity.
“I can remember it like it was yesterday. I sat down in the day room and they said, ‘School, you need to learn how to play chess.’ I said, ‘Nah, I’m ready to go home.’ But one day I eventually sat down and played. I began at one o’clock, and didn’t get up until four o’clock,” said Hudson.
Afer learning how to play, Hudson saw inspiration through the game.
“When I learned how to play, I received direction from God on what to do with chess: take it back to our community, and teach our young people how to make better decisions. I made an F in decision-making. Growing up, I learned by trial and error. Today, we don’t have to learn by trial and error. We can learn through wisdom,” said Hudson.
As Hudson began his jour ney of reaching out to the youth, he met an 11-yearold Gary Jackson, and began teaching him how to play. Shortly after learning, Jack son attended his frst tournament and won a silver medal.
“Chess puts me in a situation where I excel,” said Jack son. “Tere’s a lot of subjects in school and there’s a lot of extracurricular activities.
Not everyone can play sports at a high level. But when it comes to chess, because it’s such an uncommon sport that isn’t taught very ofen, it puts me in a situation where I can be the leader and guide every one in the room,” said Jackson.
Jarrett Doss, a freshman at Worthing High School, was also on hand competing to be a chess champion. He began playing chess when he was nine years old.
“I thought it was a game for fun until I actually began to play and learn the fun damentals. Tat’s when I saw that chess is really a strategy game that could help you with life situations,” said Doss.
Sebastian Rodriguez, a sophomore at Lamar High School, began playing chess fve years ago, and while at the Street Olympics, won frst place in the advanced division.
“Chess is a good mind game. It keeps your competitive edge up. Every move you make, you’re trying to think how would your opponent react to it, and you’re trying to counter that,” said Rodriguez.
DeMeco Moses, a seventh grader at
Tompson Intermediate, had one year of playing chess under his belt. It turns out, that was all he needed to win the youth division.
“Winning felt good,” said Moses. “I learned to play while in middle school. Ten I learned more strategy by playing against
my brother and my dad.”
Chess is one of those games that teaches life skills. Many competed during this year’s Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics, but only the best made it to the end to call themselves champions.
By ReShonda Tate
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black Greek sorority, founded in 1908, continues to make history. Now, the organization has created their very own credit union, “For Members Only”.
The FMO credit union is the first Blackowned, women-led, sorority-based digital banking financial institution in the history
Everyone doesn’t understand the impact we make financially, so you have to start doing things so folks know we know how to control our money”
wealth. Reportedly, plans for the credit union began a few years ago with the idea to create economic health and financial stability for women of color.
Per ESSENCE, only 38 Black-owned credit unions exist, to which two are owned by Black fraternities: Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma.
Register for an upcoming METRORapid University Community Workshop.
METRO invites you to participate in a series of community workshops. These focused discussions will take place over the coming months to develop priorities and preferences for the design and amenities of the project.
August 25, 2023
To register to attend, scan the QR Code or visit RideMETRO.org/UniversityGroup
