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Volume 83 | Number 43
AUGUST 28, 2014 |FREE NEWSTALK
N O M A D . R J S N W AYA Family legacy continues
SHEILA JACKSON LEE supports Riverside Hospital
P2 NATIONAL MICHAEL BROWN eulogized in St. Louis
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H PAGE 5
OPINION ALGENITA DAVIS wants E.O. Smith to remain
P9 SPORTS
Fighting for 5th Ward The Historic Wheatley/E.O. Smith Preservation Coalition is fighting to preserve a piece of Fifth Ward history located at 1700 Gregg Street. Coalition members oppose HISD’s decision to demolish the building that once housed Wheatley and E.O. Smith schools. See why they’re against the move. H PAGE 6
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DARRELL ASBERRY optimistic about TSU
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DEFENDER | AUGUST 28 | 2014
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Effort made to restore Riverside drug program
C
ongresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee recently met with members of the Riverside community and the Texas Department of Health to plan an agreement that would restore the Barbara Jordan Recovery Center and to improve Riverside General Hospital. The recovery center will be temporarily closed for maintenance and major repairs but the state of Texas has agreed to work with Jackson Lee and the Riverside community to restore the center’s existing programs or create the possibility of new opportunities for the center and its employees. Riverside has been swamped with financial mismanagement allegations. Recently, the facility surrendered its
substance abuse treatment license as part of a bid to stay in business in a severely reduced capacity. The hospital will stop drug abuse and psychiatric treatment immediately and only provide detoxification services. Dr. Kyle Janek, the Texas Health and Human Services executive commissioner, traveled to Houston to tour the facilities firsthand and assess its operating difficulties. “They are part of an important safety net for us and before we take a dramatic action, I wanted to see myself what was going on,” he said. “I told them I could not justify letting them stay open as a facility, nor can I justify state dollars going for care there. “Now they have to focus on what
they can do with the resources they have. There is a lot of interest in making sure this hospital survives.” Jackson Lee said the survival of the facility is crucial. “The facilities under the Riverside General Hospital system are in our neighborhoods and serve the difficult health needs of our community,” she said. “We must continue to rally around the re-opening of the Barbara Jordan Recovery Center and the longevity of Riverside General Hospital. My office is strategically involved in fighting for the restoration of federal and state
government support working with the various health agencies.” She added that the hospital’s employees also rely on the facility. “This issue involves important health care for our community and important health care jobs,” said Jackson Lee. “We will continue to work to ensure good health care and I call upon our community to continue to rally around the Riverside General Hospital system and its employees to ensure the recreation of these important jobs and access to excellent health care for all.”
Health systems fight breast cancer together Memorial Hermann Health System and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a partnership to provide a new level of specialized breast screening at a network of community breast care centers in the greater Houston area. Starting in late November, MD Anderson will
become the exclusive provider of professional breast radiology services for five of Memorial Hermann’s 10 breast care centers. Under the agreement, the breast screening network will offer screening and diagnostic services, utilizing existing Memorial Hermann facilities and
technical resources, including equipment and staff. MD Anderson breast radiologists will interpret the screening or diagnostic images, perform biopsies if needed and consult with patients and physicians. For information visit memorialhermann.org/ ScheduleNow or call 877.70.MAMMO.
localbriefs THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON Board of Regents recently named a new leadership team. The board chair is Tilman Fertitta, vice chair is Welcome Wilson Jr. and secretary is Beth Madison. Fertitta, president and CEO of Landry’s Inc., succeeds Jarvis Hollingsworth as the board’s chair. “I want to thank the board for the honor and privilege of serving as your chair,” Hollingsworth told regents. “I am moved by your confidence in my leadership, and I look forward to supporting your new officers in the next fiscal year.” A native of Galveston, Fertitta attended UH’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management…….. THE ONLY BLACK
CEMETERY in League City, Magnolia Cemetery, received the Galveston Historical Society’s Sally B. Wallace Preservation Award. Two local researchers, Melodey Hauch and Lanny Martin, began a research project in 2006 when they first visited the cemetery. Over the past eight years, using Texas death certificates and newspaper obituaries, they added the names of persons buried in unmarked graves. To date they have logged 582 burials with 444 unmarked graves. Existing tombstones date from 1905 to 2014. Military burials include one Union Army veteran and an original Buffalo Soldier, Elic Winfield……..HISD will provide a new text message alert system begin-
ning Sept. 9. The system from School Messenger will allow HISD officials to quickly notify parents, middle and high school students, faculty and staff members about district and campus emergencies and other important events. “When time is of the essence, texting is the way to go,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. The system will be used to notify users about school closings, lockdowns, stranger dangers and other events. Parents may register their secondary students’ cell phone numbers so that high school and middle school principals can text their students directly regarding emergency situations. For details visit www.houstonisd.org/texting.
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AUGUST 28 | 2014 | DEFENDER
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3
Excerpts from Rev. Al Sharpton’s eulogy God’s judgment
“Religion ought to affirm what we are doing, not being an escapism from what is done. And some of us are so heavenly bound that we’re no earthly good. Before you get to heaven, before you put on your robes, before you walk down the street, you’ve got to deal with the streets in Ferguson, in St. Louis. God is not going to judge you by your behavior in heaven. He’s going to judge you by what you do on earth.” The body of 18-year-old Michael Brown is loaded into a hearse following services in St. Louis. The unarmed Black teen was gunned down by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo. (Photo by Lawrence Bryant, St. Louis American).
Michael Brown
laid to rest in St. Louis
A
St. Louis American Staff
fter more than two weeks of unrest, thousands of mourners showed up to pay their respect and support the family as they bid farewell to Michael Brown, the young man who has managed to become an international symbol against excessive force and brutality at the hands of police. Protests, demonstrations, marches and moments of solidarity had been nonstop since Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Brown on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo. But on the day of his funeral, mourning and being a collective shoulder to lean on was the sole agenda for those who gathered to pay their respects. Both the media staging area and the line to gain entry into the sanctuary at St. Louis’ Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church started to form well
VOLUME 83 • NUMBER 43 AUGUST 28, 2014 Print Editor Publisher Marilyn Marshall Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Sports Editors Advertising/Client Relations Max Edison Selma Dodson Tyler Darrell K. Ardison Multimedia Coordinator Local Coordinator LaGloria Wheatfall Cierra Duncan Online Editor Interns ReShonda Billingsley Jazzi Black Art Director Michael Roman Tony Fernandez-Davila Velyjha Southern 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).
before daylight. Thousands would enter – some estimate as many as 5,000 – including attendees in the sanctuary and at least two overflow areas. Thousands more would have attended had there been guaranteed space. It was announced by officiating pastor Rev. Michael Jones that an estimated 600 of those in attendance were family members. In addition to Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy, other nationally known personalities in attendance included Spike Lee, Tom Joyner, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Congresswoman (and St. Louis native) Maxine Waters, Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dog), David Banner, Pastor Jamal Bryant, Rev. Jesse Jackson as well as two of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s children. Three White House officials were in attendance – including Broderick Johnson, head of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force. He was joined by Marlon Marshall, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement. Marshall, a St. Louis native who attended high school with Brown’s mother, was joined by Heather Foster, who is also from the office of Public Engagement. Even with the star-studded list of attendees, Sharpton’s soul-stirring eulogy for a teen that had his life snatched before he could have a legacy worth noting was as poignant as it was impossible to ignore. “We should not sit here today and act like we are watching something that is in order,” Sharpton said. “In all of our religious and spiritual celebration, let us not lose sight of the fact that this young man should be doing his second week in college.” There were images of Brown dressed in his Normandy High School red and green graduation regalia as Sharpton delivered a message that not only drove home the tragedy, but issued a charge to not let Brown’s life or the two weeks of protest be in vain.
America’s problem
“This is about justice. This is about fairness. And America is going to have to come to terms when there’s something wrong that we have money to give military equipment to police forces, but we don’t have money for training, and money for public education, and money to train our children.”
Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during homegoing services for Michael Brown. (Photo by Wiley Price, St. Louis American).
True Blackness
“We have to be outraged by our disrespect for each other; our disregard for each other; our killing and shooting and running around gun-toting each other… Some of us act like the definition of Blackness is how low you can go. Blackness has never been about being a gangster or thug. Blackness was no matter how low we were pushed down, we rose up anyhow. Blackness was never surrendering our pursuit of excellence.”
To the family
“I want to say to the family, you got some difficult days. It won’t be long before the crowds will be gone. These cameras will go on to another story. But I want you to know that there is a God. A God that I’m told Michael believed in. And He requires of you to believe in Him. And if you trust Him, He’ll give you strength that you didn’t know you had.”
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What do “Bring Back Our Girls,” “Justice for Trayvon” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” have in common? They’re all rallying cries that began on social media. And when big things happen through social media, Black people usually lead the charge. Internet activism, also called “hashtag activism,” is an emerging side effect of the digital age, as ordinary people take to social media websites to organize and agitate. Today, Black people use sites such as Twitter and Facebook at higher rates than other groups. Last year, the Pew Research Center found that 29 percent of all Black Americans who are online use Twitter, and 76 percent use Facebook, compared to 16 percent and 71 percent of whites, respectively. On Twitter, the trend has led to the term “Black Twitter,” in which a conversation among AfricanAmerican users can and often does become the dominant conversation on the site. And Black people are using this ability to dominate to drive awareness to racial issues and spur action. Twitter is a website that allows users all over the world to send and respond to public messages, or Tweets, in real time. Users can also create and use hashtags, denoted by the pound sign (“#”). Hashtags communicate an idea, and allow Tweets to be grouped together, creating a global, real-time public conversation around that idea. In 2012, Black Twitter produced #JusticeforTrayvon to discuss and spotlight the murder of Trayvon Martin, and the lack of law enforcement attention on his assailant, George Zimmerman. The hashtag grew into an online petition calling for Zimmerman’s arrest, then spilled into the real world to become the rallying cry. The mobilization around #JusticeforTrayvon eventually led to Zimmerman’s arrest, two months after the shooting. The subject of social media organizing often begs the question: What good does this do offline? There’s a bit of debate about whether hashtag activism is activism. Yesha Callahan, current editor of The Chatterati, points out that social media can be the springboard, but should not be the final destination.
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Continuing family tradition
Damon Wayans Jr. KW: Your dad has a reputation for being a bit of a disciplinarian. Is that true? amon Wayans Jr. DW: He was definitely a is a member of disciplinarian when we were the famed Wayans growing up. It was almost as if he family, creators of went off to play Major Payne in the the groundbreaking movie, and stayed in character after TV series “In Living Color,” the he got back. He would make us do “Scary Movie” franchise, and sit-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks much more. every morning when we woke up. If He is the oldest son of Damon we got anything below a B grade, he Wayans Sr. and nephew of Keenan would shave our heads and make us Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, wear a suit to school. He’s a pretty Kim Wayans and Marlon Wayans. intense guy. Damon Jr. made his film KW: You wouldn’t believe how debut in “Blankman,” a superhero many people I’ve interviewed over comedy that starred his father. the years have told me they broke He also appeared in his dad’s into show business with the help of series “My Wife and Kids” before one of the Wayans. striking out on his own as a standDW: That’s awesome. I guess up comic on Def Comedy Jam. the Wayans gave me my first He subsequently made break, too. Wayans family member Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson play fake police officers in “Let’s Be Cops.” such movies as “Dance Flick,” KW: What is your guiltiest especially once I heard that Jake Johnson was in the “Marmaduke,” “Someone Marry pleasure? mix. We get along really well and make each other Barry” and “The Other Guys.” More recently, he has DW: That TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins and laugh a lot. So, I was like, “If you do it, I’ll do it.” starred on the sitcoms “Happy Endings” and “New Dives.” I always want to eat that food whenever I And that’s how we got involved in the project. Girl.” watch it. KW: I recently read that “In Living Color” Here, he talks about his new film, “Let’s Be KW: Let’s say you’re throwing your dream might be coming back to TV. Cops,” currently in theaters. He co-stars opposite dinner party. Who’s invited and what would DW: That’s cool to hear if it’s true. I know that Jake Johnson, a fellow cast member on “New Girl.” you serve? they tried to revive it a year or so ago, but it didn’t They play friends who dress as police officers for a DW: I’d serve corn chowder bisque…I’d invite really pan out. costume party and take their roles too far. Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K. and all these people who KW: How hard is it hailing from such a talented make me laugh. I would sit at the head of the table KW: What interested you in “Let’s Be Cops?” and famous family? DW: I guess it was the concept, which was and say, “Make me laugh or get out of my house.” DW: It’s not really hard. They’ve encouraged me similar to a buddy cop comedy, except they’re KW: What advice do you have for anyone who the whole way, since we see a win for any one of us not cops. So, it’s sort of a fresh take on the idea. wants to follow in your footsteps? as a win for all. So, if I’m doing good work, and they I was actually a little curious about why it hadn’t DW: If you have the ability and want it bad approve of it, I’m happy. been done before, but I was definitely interested, enough, do it! By KAM WILLIAMS Special to the Defender
D
what’sup JADA PINKETT SMITH returns to TV this fall in the Fox series “Gotham,” based on characters from Batman comic books. She portrays a villain named Fish Mooney, and her character was created just for the series. She describes Mooney as “an up-and-comer in the criminal world” who wants to take over Gotham. Smith previously starred in the TNT drama “HawthoRNe,” which was canceled after three seasons……..Death Row Records cofounder SUGE KNIGHT and two other victims are recovering from gunshot wounds after a shooting at a party hosted by CHRIS BROWN. The party was held at 1Oak, a club in West Hollywood, prior
to the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA). Brown’s representatives released a statement that said, “This incident did not involve Chris. He has and will continue to cooperate with the investigation.” Knight’s relatives also released a statement. “The family of Suge Knight asks that you keep Suge in your prayers and to stray away from the negativity portrayed by the media,” they said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said as many as 20 people witnessed the gunfire but no potential witnesses have come forward…….. BEYONCÉ, JAY Z and their daughter BLUE IVY CARTER were one big happy family during
the VMA show, despite rumors that the couple’s marriage is in trouble. Following an emotional performance, Beyoncé was presented the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award by her husband and daughter……...PRINCE will release two new recordings in September – a solo album titled “Art Official Age” and an album with the group 3rdEyeGirl titled “Plectrumelectrum.” The albums mark his return to Warner Bros. Prince split from the label in the ‘90s and wore the word “slave” on his face in protest of his record contract. He worked out a deal with the label where he now owns the masters to his recordings.
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coverpage
Members of the Wheatley-E.O. Smith coalition include (l. to r.) Rev. Jeffrey Latson, Algenita Scott Davis, Dr. Youletta Jayne McCullough, Iris Williams, Jackie Ray, Pauline Franklin, Ida Powell and Kathy Blueford-Daniels. Seated is Dr. Etta Frances Walker.
Wheatley/
Coalition fights to save 5th Ward history
T
he Historic Wheatley/E.O. Smith Preservation Coalition is fighting to preserve a piece of Fifth Ward history located at 1700 Gregg Street. The coalition consists of the Phillis Wheatley Metropolitan Alumni and Ex-Students Association, Wheatley High School Alumni Wall of Fame Committee, and concerned citizens who oppose the decision to demolish the building that once housed Wheatley and E.O. Smith Middle School. The coalition believes razing the structure would be destroying a Fifth Ward landmark. “We want to preserve our African-American heritage and history,” said Dr. Jayne McCullough. “This is one of the oldest historical structures in Houston. It is the only place where Negroes were able to go to school in the Houston Independent School District [before statesanctioned segregation ended.]” HISD plans to demolish the current structure and use the property as part of the new Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy (YMCPA) campus. District officials say the building has been vacant for a few years and is no longer suitable for a 21st century education. The coalition disagrees, noting that Devry University used the structure until 2012 for distance learning. Coalition members believe HISD does not want to spend the money to make further renovations. “That’s my concern,” said Pastor Jeffrey Latson of Bringhurst Street Good News Church. “They say the building is not useable but they’ve had all those people in it.” According to Preservation Coalition leader Algenita Scott Davis, HISD has a “pattern of refusal” when it comes to alternative uses for buildings they plan to repurpose or demolish. “The partners are out there,” she said. “It’s just HISD has refused to work with them. They have made up their mind they are going to do this. “The school board has said ‘we have made our decision.’ That says it all. They have decided that is what they are going to do irrespective of what anyone else says,” Davis said. Instead of being demolished, the coalition would like for the structure to remain functional and offer community children an educational outlet.
SET
“This area does not have a public library,” said local activist Kathy Blueford-Daniels. “Not only could the building be inclusive of a museum for Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland and all the other greats that have come through Wheatley, a portion of it could go to a library.” HISD plans to build the YMCPA new campus at 1700 Gregg. YMCPA new student population will include children from across the HISD school district. Members of the coalition say less than 1 percent will come from the Fifth Ward area, which means the majority of local children will be marginalized and the school “will not serve the neighborhood.” “I have an emotional attachment to the building because it is African-American history,” Blueford-Daniels said. “E.O. Smith/ Wheatley/H.P Carter are our history and we have very little of it left in our community. We’ve got to retain something for our future.”
DEMOL
By CIERRA Defe
Projected future The demolition of Wheatley/E.O. Smith is part of HISD’s plan to build a new facility for the Young Men’s College Prep Academy (YMCPA) campus. Houston’s voters approved a $1.89 million bond in 2012 to replace and repair 40 HISD schools, including 29 high schools. HISD has budgeted $28.6 million for YMCPA. Harrison Kornberg Architects designed the new YMCPA campus. The facility will be an enclosed campus between Lyons Avenue, Gregg, Bringhurst and Rawley Streets. “It is challenging to create new facilities while respecting the past,” said James Harrison, principal architect with Harrison Kornberg. “Oftentimes when that does happen and when you are in a position to do that it’s looked at as more of a historic preservation.” Construction on the new campus is scheduled to begin in early 2015. The new facility will be designed to accommodate 900-1,000 students.
A rendering shows the new young men’s ac
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HISD says structure is outdated
/E.O. Smith
FOR
LITION
A DUNCAN ender
cademy.
he Houston area for over 80 years
forward, not erase the history, but As HISD moves forward with preserve what we can.” plans to demolish the former Skillern-Jones said that students Wheatley/E.O. Smith building later today require more technology in the this year, the district says demoliclassroom than generations before tion is not about erasing history but them. She says the building located at providing students with the best 1700 Gregg, which residents are trying educational facilities possible. to save from demolition, may have HISD plans to use the property worked in the past but will not work for as part of the new Young Men’s Coltoday’s classroom requirements. lege Preparatory Academy cam“Our kids need technology,” she pus. Moving the school to a new said. “They are no longer as literary but enclosed campus between Lyons more aesthetic; they need hands-on lab Avenue, Gregg Street, Bringhurst and instruction. They need Internet that and Rawley Streets is also designed connects instantly. This building does to help revitalize the area and bring not promote or sustain any of that. The students back to Fifth Ward. Trustee Rhonda Skillern Jones According to HISD Trustee electrical system cannot even handle Rhonda Skillern-Jones, who represents the area, the amount of light these kids need to do what they the current structure cannot handle any renovations need to do.” needed to upgrade and sustain educational needs. Skillern-Jones said she understands the histori“This community is being rebuilt and revitalized cal significance of the building. and we have got to keep progress moving with what “Even if we left the building there, at no point is happening here,” Skillern-Jones said. “The only will it ever be sustainable to move students in,” way to bring back economic sustainability is to move she said.
School building has rich history E.O. Smith School was originally Phillis Wheatley High School, which opened in 1927 at 3415 Lyons in Fifth Ward. Ernest Ollington Smith, a noted educator and education activist, was hired as Wheatley’s principal. A new structure was constructed in 1929 adjacent to the Lyons location. It faced west and the address became 1700 Gregg Street. Within 10 years Wheatley had 2,600 students and 60 teachers. Smith encouraged extracurricular activities such as athletics, music, auto mechanics and home economics to prepare students for life experiences and to provide them with job skills. Wheatley became so crowded that students attended in shifts. In 1949, the Wheatley Senior High School moved to 4900 Market Street, leaving grades 7 through 9 at the Gregg Street location. The Gregg/ Lyons campus became E. O. Smith Junior High School, named for the former Wheatley principal. Subsequently, the original campus name was later changed to E.O. Smith Middle School housing grades 6 through 8. In 1979, the E.O. Smith site was renovated to permit the historic
Gregg/Lyons Street structure to be repurposed and named HP Carter Career Center, a center for alternative learning. The entrance of the building was earlier moved to 1701 Bringhurst, and the renovated property became the Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy. DeVry Advantage Academy opened at the historic Gregg/Lyons location in 2011 and was ordered closed by HISD in 2012. The Museum of Cultural Arts Houston occupied the building in 2013. Over the years, the Wheatley/Smith building produced numerous outstanding graduates, including the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the late Congressman Mickey Leland, former heavyweight champ George Foreman, County Commissioner El Franco Lee, State Rep. Harold Dutton, former Brown University President Ruth Simmons, former NBA player Dwight Elmo Jones and musicians Joe Sample, Illinois Jacquet, Archie Bell, “Stix” Hooper and Hubert Laws. Houstonians who oppose the demolition of Wheatley/E.O. Smith describe it as one of the most significant, historic structures in the city.
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Young chef wins national competition By JAZZI BLACK Defender
Houstonian Kasey Bennett and his family will share their story on the annual MDA telethon.
Houston youth featured on MDA telethon
K
have graciously agreed to tell their compelling story,” said MDA President and CEO Steven M. Derks. “MDA’s mission continues to seek urgent lifesaving and life-enhancing programs for all who are affected by a muscle disease.” The Bennett family is one of five MDA families who will tell their stories of survival and hope during the 2014 broadcast. MDA maintains clinics for area children and adults with neuromuscular diseases at the MDA Neuromuscular Clinic at Methodist Neurological Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital, both located in Houston. MDA’s first Labor Day weekend telethon was broadcast in 1966 on a single New York station and has become the most successful fundraising event in the history of television. The show, with its iconic host Jerry Lewis and with help from a legion of top celebrities and entertainers, has raised millions each year to provide life-enhancing support and services for the families MDA serves. In addition to funds contributed by the public, substantial support also comes from MDA’s family of national sponsors, whose work throughout the year on behalf of MDA will be recognized on the telethon. At the community level, MDA is planning telethon premiere parties with hundreds of local groups to rally support for the more than 1 million Americans it helps with lifesaving support and services.
“MDA’s mission continues to seek urgent lifesaving and life-enhancing programs for all who are affected by a muscle disease.”
Frehdee Gatewood won a gold medal in the NAACP ACT-SO competition. Her winning appetizer was a stacked strawberry spinach salad. T:4.79”
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T:3.25”
asey Bennett, a 13-year-old from Houston, will be featured on the 49th annual national broadcast of the MDA Show of Strength Telethon on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. on KTRK-Channel 13. Kasey, along with his parents Brandy and Raymond, will share their “story of strength” in a videotaped profile during the two-hour broadcast of the MDA telethon. The teen was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a degenerative muscle disease characterized initially by muscle weakness in the hips, legs and shoulders. It involves progressive degeneration of voluntary and cardiac muscles; weakened cardiac and respiratory muscles severely limit life span. Kasey and his family benefit from MDA services including summer camp, a multi-disciplinary clinic, a support group, and loaned medical equipment. When he’s not enjoying outdoor activities with friends and family, Kasey loves serving as a local MDA goodwill ambassador and participating in motivational and disability awareness efforts in the community. While Duchenne has stolen Kasey’s ability to play football, he hopes to one day become a football coach. “The Bennett family reached out to MDA for help and we are thankful that they
Frehdee Gatewood realized how cooking could bring people together at an early age. By the time she was in the 8th grade, she decided she wanted to pursue a career in the culinary arts. Frehdee, a recent graduate of Wunsche Senior High School in Spring, is well on her way to achieving her goals. After weeks of preparation, she won the NAACP ACT-SO grand title in the culinary competition. ACT-SO stands for Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. The program is designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among AfricanAmerican high school students. It includes 26 categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, business and performing and visual arts. With the help of her mentor Chef Miguel Rodriguez, Frehdee was able to push beyond expectations and
bring home the gold medal. “I love his willingness to work with any, and everyone,” Frehdee said. “He pushed me to try new things.” Rodriguez said one of Frehdee’s greatest attributes is her passion for cooking. She plans to gain more expertise and experience while studying at the Culinary Institute of America in the fall. Growing up, Frehdee spent countless hours in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. Instead of going outside to play, she preferred to watch noted chefs such as Alton Brown and Emeril on television. Her favorite cuisine is Asian, though she has a fondness for a variety of foods. In the long run, she hopes to open her own restaurant in Houston. Frehdee has some advice for others with an interest in culinary arts. “If you have the heart for it, and you’re willing to put in hard work, go for it. I love cooking, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
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opinion
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Policing the police By JULIANNE MALVEAUX NNPA Columnist
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xcept for the Good Lord, everybody has someone or something to “check” him or her. Unfortunately, President Obama has an unresponsive Congress to check him. Elected officials are checked by voters and the Securities and Exchange Commission usually checks corporate crooks. Everybody has to answer to somebody. There are consequences for everyone – except the police. This is the police mentality: I have the power and you don’t so just shut the hell up and submit to any outrage. I have a badge and you don’t, so I have the right to stop you while driving because you are too Black and too young to have this new car. I have a right to stop you while you are running for the bus because you might, just might, have been running from a robbery. I have the right to harass you while you are standing still, just because. I have a right to talk to you rudely and belligerently. My badge gives me the ability to violate your rights.
People of color have been gagged by the put up or shut up form of police brutality for far too long, being forced by fear to close eyes and ears to the beatings and killings of our people for any reason. When African-American southerners came west during World War II because work was plentiful, Oakland was among the cities that looked south for their new white police officers, people so adept at
harassing Black people without reason that they didn’t need to be trained. One of the reasons the Black Panther Party was started was in resistance to police brutality. At one point, Panthers and other legally armed citizens with books of law, chose to help them evaluate police officers by following them as they so-called patrolled the streets. This did not stop police harassment, but it put a spotlight on it. In 2003, the Oakland Police Department agreed to reforms, but they have come so slowly that a federal judge is now supervising them. Oakland is not the only police department that is deficient, but what ties Oakland, Calif. to Ferguson, Mo. is police mentality, not just brutality. How to stop the mentality that leads to brutality? Require every police officer to have a body camera, and invalidate the arrests of those who do not wear one. Require every police vehicle to have a video camera. Stop this madness by requiring electronic police supervision now. The police should be policed. They should have a system that checks them and protects us.
HISD should NOT demolish Wheatley/Smith structure
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By ALGENITA SCOTT DAVIS
he year 2014 marks another year of substantial population growth in the City of Houston. Central city neighborhoods, such as Fifth Ward, are experiencing an upswing in housing starts and new commercial development plans. It’s time to prepare for the future. In many neighborhoods, HISD has refused to plan for this boom. In fact, the district is demolishing usable classroom space, destroying structures instead of updating them, and selling land without foresight for requirements of the future. As an example, HISD is tearing down the historic Phillis Wheatley High and E. O. Smith Junior High Schools structure. There is no need to demolish hundreds of thousands of square feet of teachable space in the historic structure at 1700 Gregg Street. Originally named for 18th century poet Phillis Wheatley, the high school building was constructed to serve a student body that grew to over 3000 students. When converted to a junior high school, the campus was named for former Wheatley principal Ernest Ollington Smith. Included in HISD’s 2012 bond projects is an updated budget allocation of $28,675,000 for the “transforma-
tion” campus of the E.O. Smith Education center. This five-block area currently houses the Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy (YMCPA). The plans for the new facility will accommodate 9001000 students, yet the part of the school used by YMCPA last semester had a roster of less than 300. On Aug. 7, HISD Board President Juliet Stipeche and Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones proudly announced that the new “transformed” campus would be named for our beloved Congressman, the late George Thomas “Mickey” Leland. But, must we demolish the place where he learned? The plans for updating the campus call for the destruction of the building originally constructed to house Wheatley students. Their first building was a smaller McGowen Elementary School site. When HISD opened its third upper grade location for “colored” students it converted the campus to a high school where graduates of Crawford, Bruce and Atherton elementary schools could progress. All of these original buildings have been destroyed and replaced. Only the building constructed in 1929 for Wheatley students stands as a testament to the Lyons Avenue-centered community of Fifth Ward. It is the last remaining public structure from its era.
The Wheatley/Smith building is a stately edifice. It was a “home for achievement” in which demands of excellence were daily emblazoned into young hearts and minds, including that of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. The demolition of the building was not made clear at the time the 2012 bond proposal was placed on the ballot. The 1929 structure qualifies as a historic building. Why can’t HISD update this magnificent structure? The Wheatley/Smith building was updated with Internet and other equipment to house DeVry University. A $2 million library was added to the YMCPA two years ago. It will also be demolished. Several years ago, the City of Houston offered restoration funding for a public library on the site. Houston Community College has initiated interest in a collaboration to repurpose the structure. HISD should renew and accept some of these opportunities. Algenita Scott Davis is a Wheatley High School graduate, an E.O. Smith graduate (Gregg Street) and an organizer of the Historic Wheatley/Smith Preservation Coalition. Her mother, Althea Lewis Renfro, and grandmother, Cornelia Breeler Lewis, attended Wheatley in the historic building. Davis is past president of the National Bar Association and Houston Lawyers Association. She is a visiting professor at the TSU Jesse H. Jones School of Business.
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New season, new beginning for TSU Coach Darrell Asberry says the Texas Southern University Tigers have the talent to win their division.
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By MAX EDISON Defender
here is an odd sense of optimism coming from the campus of Texas Southern University in anticipation of the 2014 football season. A clever smile on the face of head coach Darrell Asberry gives you the feeling that he knows something about his team you don’t. It is the beginning of a new Homer Causey era in Tiger football, and a winning defendernetwork.com season is the new order of the day. Is trouble ahead for Robert Griffin III? Free from years of NCAA sanctions that limited scholarships, practice time and spring practices, the Tigers feel that this is the year they reestablish a tradition of winning. TSU returns 10 offensive starters and nine defensive starters from a team that was 2-9 overall in 2013, 2-7 in SWAC conference play. The Tigers open the season with conference rival Prairie View in the Labor Day Classic on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 4 p.m. at NRG Stadium. “Our goal is to win the West Division and I feel we have the talent to do it,” Asberry said. “Our APR [academic progress rate] problems are behind us. We had a good spring and summer and so far our fall workouts have been very good. That gives me a reason to be optimistic about our chances.” Asberry is quick to acknowledge an important intangible in this year’s team that gives him a reason for optimism. “Our attitude is so much better; any team that wants to win a championship has to have the right attitude. You can have all the talent in the world, but without a winning attitude it’s going to be hard to be successful. So far, in my observation, I think we have the talent and a great attitude.” Offensively, expect quarterback Homer
Fred Plummer
Quarterback Causey begins his second season as signal caller.
Causey (junior, 6-feet, 190 pounds) to be more comfortable in his second season as the Tiger signal caller. Fred Plummer (senior, 6-feet-1, 190) and Malik Cross (junior, 5-feet-11, 190) have the potential to be explosive playmakers at the receiver position. Daveonn Porter (senior, 5-feet-9, 175) will lead the Tiger rushing attack. Marvin Hollie (senior, 6-feet-3, 325) will anchor a talented offense line Le’Tevin Wilcox that should give Causey the time he needs to work his magic. The backbone of the 2014Tiger campaign will be an experienced defensive unit. Defensive end Amir Bloom (junior, 6-feet-4, 245) and cornerbacks Brandon Thomas (senior, 5-feet10, 190) and Tray Walker (senior, 6-feet-2, 190) have all been selected as preseason All-Conference performers. Senior defensive back Le’Tevin Wilcox (5-feet-11,185), a three-year starter, has seen the highs and lows of the program. As a freshman he was part of the squad that won the conference title. He has also seen the program ravaged by NCAA sanctions. He acknowledges the similarities he sees in this year’s group and the championship team. “We had a lot of senior leadership on that championship team, something we haven’t had since then,” Wilcox said. “We have that this year and the older guys have been trying to instill a winning attitude in the younger guys. We want to leave the program with a good foundation based on winning football.” “The expectations for the team are high,” Wilcox continued. “We’re trying to have the No. 1 defense in the nation. We’ve done it before. Coach Asberry always says he wants the greatest show on turf with the offense, so the expectations are very high on both sides of the ball.”
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High school football changes only cosmetic By DARRELL K. ARDISON Defender
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his is called much ado about nothing. The changes in store for the 2014 high school football season have raised eyebrows in some quarters throughout Texas, as the games begin in earnest at venues ranging from El Paso to Dallas-Fort Worth and stretching down I-45 South to Houston and the rest of the Gulf Coast region. Granted, the long talked about dawning of Class 6A is upon us. Yet it’s not the super class of behemoth schools with enrollments of 4,000 and above that it was rumored to be. Class 5A has been renamed with Dawson head coach Eric Wells will lead his Eagles from flourishing in Class 4A to the an additional digit so that six-man state’s new large-school classification. football can be known as 1A. All Class 4A will be pre-divided into Division I and the other classes just moved up a number. Division II schools based on student enrollment from What about the loss of week zero? Over the last 10 the outset of the season as opposed to splitting the four years, the University Interscholastic League instituted a schools from each district that qualify for the playoffs at plan to ensure every team gets a week of rest (bye week) the conclusion of the regular season. during the season. So the week before the official start This change was made to group similarly sized of high school football season was affectionately dubbed schools together. Class 4A Division I will feature “week zero” so that coaches could opt to play a game a schools with an enrollment between 1,059 and 686 while week early and rest later in the season, preferably right Division II schools range from 685 to 456. In the past, before district or league play begins. Class 4A playoff games would As of the 2013 season, match school with only a handful of schools defendernetwork.com routinely close to 1,000 students against don’t play during week zero. Manvel, Westfield in marquee opener schools with half that many. But don’t despair, week zero One of the drawbacks is is still there. Now it is called that 4A schools located within week one and the regular season ends in week 11 instead the same area may not be in the same district which of week 10. creates travel issues. Then the postseason (playoffs) will begin, and the That means that perennial state championship race for state championship week in late December at contender La Marque is now grouped with Kashmere, AT&T Stadium in Arlington will truly be underway. Scarborough and Worthing of HIDF in District 10-4A Pearland Dawson is one of a handful of schools Division II. statewide that is making the jump from Class 4A to Class District 11-4A Division I is comprised of annual 6A. Dawson joins District 22-6A along with Manvel, postseason qualifiers Navasota and Sealy along Alvin, Pearland HS and Pasadena ISD entries Dobie, with HISD’s Furr, Wheatley, Sterling and Booker T. South Houston, Pasadena Memorial, Sam Rayburn and Washington. Pasadena HS. This is the only district in the state that has “I don’t like it, I’m totally against it,” said Navasota three schools that played in a regional final last season. head coach Larry Fedora. “I think they need to treat 4A There is a change worth discussing. For the second just like 5A and 6A. They need to put us all together and year in a row, Class 4A will be impacted by a real rule then take the two bigger schools and put them in one change. As the classification with the least amount bracket while putting the two smaller schools in another of schools, the UIL approved the addition of a fourth bracket. playoff team last year (2013). Now another makeover is “This way is very confusing and frustrating,” in store. Fedora said.
AUGUST 28 | 2014 | DEFENDER
sportsbriefs Katy ready to rebound The Katy Tigers appeared to have Cedar Hill right where they wanted in the 2013 Class 5A Division II state title game at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium. Katy led midway through the fourth quarter en route to the school’s eighth state football title and second in a row over Cedar Hill. Two turnovers and a botched punt in the final six minutes gave Cedar Hill a 34-24 championship win and dealt Katy its first loss since the 2011 season. While Katy was watching the title slip away, Cedar Hill players let the Tigers know about it. In case Katy needed extra motivation for the 2014 season, Cedar Hill provided it. “We didn’t finish last year so we’re using that for incentive in the offseason and during our practices,” said Katy senior running back Rodney Anderson, who forms a terrific 1-2 tandem with junior tailback Kyle Porter. Garrett Doiron will settle in as the full-time quarterback. Katy’s defense will be led by perhaps the top secondary in the state with Colin Wilder, Jovanni Stewart, Travis Whillock and Paddy Fisher earning alldistrict honors last season.
Lamar has new mascot, cast Lamar lost 53 lettermen and the Redskins’ mascot from last year’s talented senior class that included Darrell Colbert (SMU) and John Bonney (Texas). The good news is that Texans’ head coach Tom Nolen returns a bunch of other talented kids that he feels good about. Holton Hill, Ronnie Wesley, Trey Duncan, Trey Jones, Ronald Collins, Elijah Levy, Logan Latin and Jarrett Villery are a few of them.
Chicago wins, loses Hats off to the Chicago/Jackie Robinson West Little League team. They won the U.S. Little League Championship before falling to the team from South Korea in the World Championship 8-4. Jackie Robinson, which ousted Pearland East, is the first team from Chicago since North Roseland in 1967 to qualify for the championship and the fourth finalist from Illinois, which doesn’t own a title. They became the first allBlack team to ever win the U.S. championship. They have become the darlings of the city of Chicago and the national media. Hopefully they will inspire other African-American youngsters to consider baseball.
Trouble for RG3? Despite having a clean bill of health and a new offensive-minded head coach, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has looked like anything but a franchise QB in the preseason. The former Baylor Heisman Trophy-winner has appeared to be indecisive in the pocket and continues to make himself vulnerable to big hits by scrambling instead of dumping off the ball to safety valve receivers and holding to the ball too long in the pocket. To make matters worse, back-up QB Curt Cousins has looked sharp in all three preseason games and some in D.C. have not been bashful about expressing the obvious. “Let’s stop beating around the bush,” former Washington QB Joe Theismann said recently. “Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has.” The Texans host Washington in the season opener on Sept. 7.
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