Gubernatorial candidate met with icon Rev. Bill Lawson for
All hail Queen Viola Davis and her outstanding performance in the highly anticipated movie, “Te Woman King.” In case you all missed it, Te Defender hosted a premiere for the movie’s recent debut [visit the Defender website for the recap], and guests gave nothing but positive reviews. The opening weekend results speak for themselves. “Te Women King” claimed the domestic box ofce crown with a solid $19 million on opening weekend. I watched a few interviews with Davis, talking about the importance of showing how Black women can lead at the box ofce. I’ve grown tired of Black-led movies being seen as just “a moment” or a trending topic when it’s so much more than that.
If people choose not to watch this flm, you are sending a clear message to Hollywood that Black women can’t lead the box ofce internationally. I can’t imagine the immense pressure and emotion around the overall reviews of “Te Woman King.” If you ever read this, Queen Davis, please put on your crown and walk that red carpet with pride because I smell an Oscar coming!
Afer all that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been through with the royal family drama, why can’t the world put things to rest? Te duke and duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals in 2020 before moving to the U.S, but returned home to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II while the family prepared for her burial service. Not only does Meghan experience what it means to be treated like a Black woman being married into this
family, but she is also constantly attacked by British tabloids for little things like breathing the wrong way [sarcastically speaking]. In a bonus footage of an Oprah interview, Harry admitted that racism was a “large part” of why they lef the UK. Now that they came back for the ceremony, royal fans are hoping for King Charles III to consider letting Harry and Meghan return to the frm. Let the young couple live!
Military recruitment has been at an all-time low in the U.S. Te fscal year is almost up, and the Army has recruited about half the number of soldiers it set as its yearly goal. With the shrinking number of recruits, international security is a major concern. In an NBC News survey, young Americans said their concerns included emotional or psychological problems. Experts said middle-class parents are encouraging kids to go to college. Te Army attracts recruits with the promise of free college, and Republicans say President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness decision will also put a wedge in recruitment eforts. Te GOP is concerned about not being able to recruit poor young people of color, and many of them enlist because they can’t aford an education.
• OpEd: Why “Te Woman King” boycott is a bad idea.
• Amanda Gorman talks UN poem, fame, future presidency.
• Check out our DN+ channels featuring stories for Black women, Community Central and Under 40.
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Viola Davis in “The Woman King.” Sony Pictures via AP
Laura Onyeneho
Te historic Cuney Homes was awarded a $450,000 Choice Neighborhood Initia tive Planning grant, but some residents have questions about what it means for the future of the site.
Te grant, given by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of Houston, would help replace dis tressed housing with mixed-income hous ing. It would also provide residents with quality-of-life support related to areas such as health, education and employment.
Nearly 600 people live in the historic public housing community in the Tird Ward and some of them wonder if the money could cause problems for them. Verdell Ingram found herself filing for low-income housing nine years ago.
“Nobody has owned, not one resident has owned. It’s not pushed for you to own,” Ingram said. “Tere’s a lot of gentrifcation
here.”Ingram adds more training is needed to understand the redevelopment process.
“At the end of the year you say we are planning, or you turn around, but people don’t know,” said Ingram. “Ten they sign away their rights and not know it.”
Members of Can I Live, a national public housing tenants association, were on hand to equip residents with the information needed during this process.
“Development deals and initial planning grants ofen show families as a focal point for all engagement; however, the truth is, resident needs are rarely addressed,” Racquel W. Jones, CEO and president of Can I Live said. “In most cases, families are ignorant, illiterate and too unlearned regarding the development process and its terminology, timelines and overall value to the local community. While the perception may look ill-will, it may be a simple case of staf and consultants being ill-informed.”
Jones added what’s worse is that HUD allows the Public Housing Authority to waive the rights of residents if the property will remain “afordable housing.”
“This is where it gets tricky. No deal requiring private investment can remain 100% afordable using 100% HUD subsidies. For this reason they mix the development deals with private rents,” Jones explained. “It’s the private rents that change the dynam ics of the deal in its entirety.”
Jones added that private investments
through HUD programs like Rental Assis tance Demonstration should trigger resi dents’ ownership stake in the deal.
“HUD should not allow agencies the right to waive residents’ rights for the places they live, work and play,” Jones said.
Meanwhile Ingram is asking leaders to not rush and to listen to residents.
“We have 560 people...and we have extensive questions. That’s not enough time. Give us enough time to be trained and not be handpicked.”
Te Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has unani mously denied a posthumous pardon of George Floyd for a minor 2004 drug conviction in Houston. Te decision comes 11 months afer the agency initially recommended a pardon before reversing course and rescinding that rec ommendation, citing a procedural error.
In a letter, the board did not explain its reasoning for rejecting the requested pardon. Te letter does not include Floyd’s name, but his attorney, Allison Mathis, confrmed to Te Texas Tribune that his application was the only pardon she applied for. Te letter said Mathis can reapply for the posthumous pardon in two years.
“Tis was a chance for Texas to do a small, good thing: to take an apolitical stance that no matter who a person is, their rights need to be respected and an accurate record of their life is important. Last year the board unanimously rec ommended that Mr. Floyd be granted a pardon, acknowl edging that what happened to him was wrong. I have given no other facts or evidence for the board to consider and it is unclear to me what happened to completely reverse
their decision,” Mathis said in a statement to the Tribune.
Floyd’s 2020 murder at the hands of a white police ofcer in Minneapolis set of a wave of protests against police violence that disproportionally impacts people of color.
Floyd was arrested by embattled former Houston police ofcer Gerald Goines in 2004 afer he was found to have less than half a gram of crack cocaine. Goines said at the time that Floyd had given the drugs to an unnamed person. Floyd ultimately pleaded guilty and received a 10-month sentence in state jail. But Goines has since been accused of repeatedly lying or making up confdential informants to bolster his word against defendants, which was revealed afer a botched, deadly raid in 2019 led to murder charges against the ofcer.
Afer the board suggested Gov. Greg Abbott pardon Floyd last October, the governor largely remained silent on whether he would take the step to issue the second posthumous pardon in Texas history. Roughly two months afer making the recommendation, the board changed its original recommendation, explaining the original decision lacked compliance with board rules.
A man salutes at a mural dedicated to George Floyd, across the street from the Cuney Homes housing project in Houston’s Third Ward, where Floyd grew up and later mentored young men. Houston Public Media/Texas Tribune Houston’s Third Ward awarded grant for mixed income housing. Houston Public MediaTe family of Houston traveling nurse Nicole Linton, who is accused of causing a fery car wreck in the Los Angeles area in August, has launched a new website to tell her side of the story. Te family hopes the website can also promote mental health awareness and give their account of Linton’s struggles with mental illness.
Linton, 37, has been charged with six counts of murder and fve counts of vehicular manslaughter for the crash, afer she barreled through an intersection at 130 miles per hour on Aug. 4., killing fve people and an unborn baby.
On a recently published website titled “Nicole’s Story#Let’sTalkAboutMentalHealth” her older sister Camille Lin ton details her family’s thoughts on the collision and ofers an insight into who her sister is. She also hopes that her sister is being treated fairly both in the public’s eyes, and by the legalCamillesystem.said she created the site to detail Nicole Linton’s years-long struggles with bipolar disorder — issues her family said started in 2018 and were exacerbated by the stress of completing her nurse anesthetist training at the University of Houston during that time.
“Looking back on it, I believe she fell victim to her own drive and ambition,” Camille Linton wrote on the site. “She was achieving one goal afer another with no real breaks in-between. I’m no medical expert but it now seems that the stress of school and other things in her life, triggered or exacerbated some sort of underlying condition.”
Linton’s defense attorneys also state in court documents that she sufered a series of manic episodes and stints in
psychiatric hospitals in the years before the deadly L.A. crash.
“When I see that video, I don’t see Nicole driving...I see her mental illness driving. Something must’ve happened that caused her to completely disassociate with reality,” she said.
Prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office recently filed new evidence recorded by the electronic control unit (ECU) in Nicole Linton’s Mercedes-Benz that rebuts defense attorneys’ claims that Linton may have lost consciousness at the time of the crash. According to prosecutors’ Sept. 9 motion oppos ing a bail reduction and Linton’s release to a mental health facility, Linton was driving 130 mph with the gas pedal
“Tisfoored.NASCAR-worthy performance fies in the face of the notion that she was unconscious or incapacitated,” the fling states. Emergency room doctors treating Linton in the immediate afermath of the crash did not report any signs of seizure or impairment that would indicate a recent loss of consciousness, according to the prosecutor’s motion.
“For the past six weeks, we chose to remain silent out of our deepest respect and sympathy for the victim’s families and allow the facts to come out through the court proceed ings,” the website reads, before sharing additional thoughts of remorse for the victims.
“I understand and acknowledge the pain, anger, frustra tion, and sadness that so many are feeling. I understand and acknowledge how vulnerable people must feel that something like this could happen in such a random way to people who were just going about their day and that their lives were cut short in an instant.”
Brittany Adams, a former student and cafe teria manager at Fort Bend ISD, was sworn in as a district police ofcer on Sept. 19 by FBISD Police Chief David Rider. Adams worked at el ementary school cafeterias for 11 years before deciding to make a drastic career change and become a police ofcer. “I decided to become an ofcer because I want to be that coura geous fgure that I saw in ofcers as I attended Fort Bend ISD as a student,” Adams said. “I want to encourage the students of the district to be the best representation of themselves, while also protecting every person and thing that is a part of FBISD. I love this district, and that is why I returned as an adult and com mitted myself.” Adams’ daughter, who attends Missouri City Middle School, attended the ceremony to pin the badge on her mother.
Nicole Linton appears in Los Angeles Superior Court for arraignment on murder charges stemming from a trafc accident, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Los Angeles. AP
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Two Madison High School students were arrested afer authorities believe they were planning a school shooting. Cornell Santell Tomas, 18, and Damian Arias, 17, are both charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony.
Tomas, a ninth grader, and Arias, both admitted to police that they planned to shoot up the school during lunch because that’s when there were two police ofcers in the cafete ria. Te plan was to lock the exit doors, chain the exit doors and trap everyone inside the school. Tomas’ bond was set at $70,000 and Arias’ bond was set at $50,000. Tey have been released on bond and ordered to stay away from the school.
High schools in Aldine, Houston, Fort Bend and Klein ISDs were the subject of recent unsubstantiated threats of violence. Te FBI is reminding students that all threats will be punished.
Transportation leaders have unveiled a new smartphone app that provides multimodal travel options for the Houston area. Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan said the Houston ConnectSmart app aims to alleviate trafc congestion throughout the region by providing accessible transportation options to users.
Te app can be used to purchase transit tick ets, facilitate carpooling and bike rentals, fnd ideal bike routes and available parking, and access towing services throughout the Houston area, according to the app’s website. Addition ally, the app is integrated with Houston TranStar to allow users access to roadside video cameras to look at conditions along their route.
Te ConnectSmart app will utilize public transit options in Harris, Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Waller counties.
Report: Texas has banned more books than any other state Texas banned more books from school
libraries this past year than any other state in the nation, targeting titles centering on race, racism, abortion and LGBTQ represen tation and issues, according to a new analysis by PEN America, a nonproft organization advocating for free speech. The report found that school administrators in Texas have banned 801 books across 22 school districts, and 174 titles were banned at least twice between July 2021 through June 2022.
PEN America defnes a ban as any action taken against a book based on its content afer challenges from parents or lawmakers. Among the most frequent books removed: “Te Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, a personal account of growing up Black and queer in Plainfeld, N.J.
Te crisis in the city of Jackson, Miss. isn’t over, even if the boil-water advisory was recently lifed. While the state has stopped handing out free bottled water at sites around the city, water pressure still hasn’t been fully restored, and state health ofcials said lead in some pipes remains so worrisome that preg nant women and young children should still use bottled water. Some residents say their water remains too discolored to count on, so now they’ll have to rely on water distri bution by community-run charities or buy water again
Residents,themselves.politicians, experts and activists say systemic racism is the root cause. Jack son’s population has declined since 1980, a decade afer the city’s schools began integrat ing. Many white families lef for the suburbs, leaving less revenue to maintain the infra structure. Middle class Black people then moved out to escape urban decay and rising crime. State and federal spending never made up the diference. Jackson’s population is more than 80% Black and the poverty level is 24.5%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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e phrase “most important election of our lifetime” has been used for seemingly every election over the past 14 years. e crazy thing is, each pronouncement has been correct. And so it is again with literally our citizenship (ability to vote) hanging in the balance of November elections in Texas and elsewhere.
And when US democracy is in trouble, people don’t call Ghostbusters, they call Black women, the demographic that has time and again made the difference in elections near and far.at being said, the Defender asked several attendees at the recent premiere screening of “ e Woman King,” for their take on the upcoming election, and their personal efforts to get out the vote. Here’s what they had to say.
It’s very important because of the issues at hand. You have abortion laws here. You have immigration, our economy. So, it’s very
important we get out to vote; to get out our young people. ey’re trying to redistrict our area. We wanna make sure we get representation for the current people who live in the community. We don’t want redistricting. It’s a lot of things. It’s very, very important.
Carol RosenboroughWe have a lot of key issues that need to be addressed. When it comes to voting rights, that’s still something that is important that still has been attacked through several states, especially the Southern states. Also, we need to be able to have control of the US Senate. And the local elections are also important because that’s how we’re able to change and flip the color of our state. It’s also important because on the local level, that’s where it affects our community the most. So, both elections are important. Also, abortion rights. It doesn’t matter where you stand on it, but there are issues that I feel like need to be addressed when it comes to abortion rights. Because I feel like everybody should have the
opportunity to make their own decision and choice of what they would like to do with their bodies.
Chandra Thornton
This upcoming election is so important because women’s rights have been put on the referendum. Pro-life, pro-choice, it is my choice what I choose to do with my body. And we need to make sure that we vote so that we can have a choice. Because our choices are being taken from us by those in power who have no right to make a decision about my body.
Felicia PichonI think it’s important because it’s a midterm election. It’s typically hard to get voter turnout during midterm elections. I think that’s when one party is able to capitalize off the other party’s complacency.
Candace Blue
I think women should have a right to do whatever they want with their bodies.
Kiara WindonOne of the issues that I have is gun violence, especially for our young Black males. I have two young grandsons, and I’m very, very interested in being sure that they’re taken care of. I’m a preacher, I’m a teacher, I’m an educator and I’m a grandma, and very concerned about them and their wellbeing and their education.
Cloria Thornton
It’s all about social and economic justice, and the only way we will make that happen in our community and at the state legislature is to get out and vote and get those people in office that understand what we need as a community and will get there and fight for us. So, everybody needs to get out and vote.
Emelda Douglas
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Viewers had a lot to say about the calls for a boycott.
They will always boycott things that put us in a powerful or positive light.”Maggie Whatley Green
I’m going to watch it as a movie not a documentary. I’m saddened that we only want see sanitized versions of history.”Angelia Vernon Menchan
Why is it always US boycotting OUR flms? Did people forget a movie is en tertainment? You don’t like it then don’t watch it but why boycott and cause the movie to sufer? We have all of those beautiful, Black, talented women acting their a@&$ of but people want to shut it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and plan to go and see it again. #ItBeYou rOwnPeople” - LaKesa Cox
Vikings pillaged, raped, and killed other Eu ropeans, yet, everyone loves a good Viking story. No one boycotts a good Viking story. We know our history. say enjoy the movie for what it is, and appreciate the strength of Black women. will go and see the movie.” - SK Boon
By ReShonda Tate
While Viola Davis’ “Te Woman King” is kicking butt and taking names, controversy is brewing over the highly anticipated flm. Te movie, which premiered Sept. 16, shocked critics with a $19 mil lion opening weekend take (it was only expected to make $12 million). Tose who saw it are singing the flm’s praises, while those who didn’t are calling for a boycott.
Critics lit into the flm for what they say is the white washing of the history behind some of the characters de picted in the action-packed fick. Te historical flm tells the story of the Agojie, the epic female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries. Viola Davis plays the ferce general, Nanisca, who trains the next generation of war riors to fght back against their enemies.
Te flm appears to celebrate the fearlessness and te
The But truth Palace
Photos by:
nacity of the all-female military unit, but some history bufs weren’t too pleased with the way the movie’s direc tor, Gina Prince-Bythewood, downplayed the Dahomey’s involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Troughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dahomey and their all-female military regiment became notorious for capturing and selling African slaves to Europeans. Be
tween 1851 and 1852, the British imposed a naval block ade on the ports of Dahomey forcing the tribe to end the exportation of slaves from their bases.
Some social media users urged viewers to boycott “Te Woman King.”
Afer the movie premiered, a few critics took to social media bashing “Te Women King’s” production com
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood
pany Sony for “attempting to rewrite” history by leaving the harsh historical fact out of the flm. Some naysayers urged viewers to boycott the action movie, like podcaster Antonio Moore who called it “the most ofensive flm to Black Americans in 40-50 years.” Another user accused Hollywood of “glorifying and whitewashing” the “truth” of Africans being traded into slavery.
Even though the story is rooted in truth, producers want people to understand it is largely fctionalized. Na tive Texan Julius Tennon, who co-produced the movie and is married to Davis, describes it as “edu-tainment,” insisting that the production has “to entertain people” be cause otherwise, “that would be a documentary.”
He said if the movie didn’t entertain, then “people wouldn’t be in the theaters doing the same thing we saw this weekend. We didn’t want to shy away from the truth. Te history is massive, and there are truths on that that are there. If people want to learn more, they can investigate more.”
Ultimately, Davis insists that the movie examines wom en who were forced into battle or faced death. “Tey were recruited between the ages of 8 and 14,” said Davis. “Tey were recruited by the king to fght for the kingdom of Da homey. Tey were not allowed to marry or have children. Te ones who refused the call were beheaded.”
Davis doesn’t seem too concerned with the criticism. Earlier this year, she responded to calls for boycotts: “Don’t come see it, then, you’re sending a message that Black woman can’t lead a box ofce globally, and that you are supporting that narrative.” But speaking with Variety, she focused on the positivity she experienced in the audi ence’s enjoyment. “I saw a TikTok video today of women in a bathroom of an AMC theater, and I don’t think they knew each other. Tey were all chanting and ruminating. Tat cannot be quantifed by words.”
I’m going to watch it because like any other fctionalized body of work - art imitates life. If you are boycotting this movie based on history - you probably should stop watching TV.” - Jan Emanuel
am not calling for a boycott but I have to be honest and say will not watch because I feel some kind of way about a movie that glorifes a vicious tribe that captured and sold the ancestors into slavery.” - Eddgra Fallin
People are so fragile. The movie is brilliant. Everything about it. It’s fction and that’s what took it as. Historical fction...FIC TION based on actual historical time or people. It does not glorify or justify slavery. And loved it. Did people boycott The Last King Of Scotland? Idi Amin wasn’t exactly a nice guy. Do they boycott all these movies about gangsters and drug dealers? All the Scarfaces type movies, Boys In The Hood, etc...??? Denzel won a whole Oscar playing a murderous drug dealer. Although he was a pos, we were supposed to cheer for him I bet. They probably love The God father Of Harlem show, which is a highly fctious account of Bumpy Johnson and the Italian Mob. Nope. No boycott...just when it’s convenient to do so...and it just so happens to be when it’ll hurt Black women.” - Mila Milagros
Read more comments at DefenderNetwork.com. Weigh in on our Social Media pages.
Photos by Snap Kids PhotographyOPED: WHY ‘THE WOMAN IDEA
If we just told a history lesson, which we very well could have, that would be a documentary.”
Viola Davis
I learned early on you cannot win an argument on Twitter. There’s an assumption we’re not dealing with it and we are dealing with it. So I have to live in that confdence. They’re going to see the flm and (see how we dealt with it).”
By Laura Onyeneho
Mayor Sylvester Turner alongside several mayors across the country held an open news conference for the National Nonpartisan Conversation on Voter Rights on National Voter Registration Day Sept. 20. e two-day event took place at the Hilton Americas-Houston bringing together prominent speakers, business leaders, community activists and grassroots organizations to discuss strategies to educate and promote voters rights and provide resources to local leaders to increase civic engagement in their communities.“Whenitcomes to voter registration, that’s nonpartisan. When it comes to the infrastructure by which to vote, that’s nonpartisan, and when it comes to counting the ballots, that should be nonpartisan,” Turner said. “You have six mayors who are hosting, three Democrats and three Republicans and you know what? We all get along.”
Texas is just one of many states that have made attempts to restrict how and when voters cast ballots. Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said about 500 pieces of legislation nationwide were passed to suppress voters
“Werights.Americans must do everything we can to remove those threats, to obliterate the peril, to break down those barriers,” he said.
Mayor Sylvester Turner hold a news conference at the National Nonpartisan Conversation on Voter Rights on September 20, 2022. Photo: Laura Onyeneho
“What we’ve seen across the nation since the 2019 election is a systemic and bold effort to roll back the progress that so many people have marched for died for, and at the very least bled for.”
Mayor Turner said he is working closely with the youth to keep them energized and engaged at the polls.
“ ere are a lot of Black folks in the community who aren’t engaged,” said Michael ompson, Former Fellow of Cities United. “Elected officials need to do more to meet young people where they are. Be on the ground, be authentic, understand where and how young people access and digest news.”
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote launched a nonpartisan campaign that aims to boost youth voter participation ahead of the 2022 midterm election. On Sept. 14, she launched the Vote Future campaign alongside Climate Power. e organization uses research and polling data to influence the national conversation on climate change action. e joint nonpartisan initiative will educate young voters about the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, which incentivizes the domestic production of clean energy sources like solar, wind and clean hydrogen.
“When we look at everything happening in the world today, it’s clear that we need to turn our awareness into action to protect our environment,” said Liza Koshy, co-chair of When We All Vote. “For years, Gen Z has been speaking up and speaking out for climate action, and now we’ll bring even more young people into the conversation both in their communities and at the ballot box with Vote
ParticipantsFuture.”
can use Vote Future’s central online hub to check their voter
When We All Vote Founder and Co-Chair Michelle Obama gives the Keynote Speech onstage at When We All Vote Inaugural Culture Of Democracy Summit in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images.
registration, fi nd polling locations and take a pledge to vote ahead of the 2022 midterm election. When We All Vote and Climate Power held a special event in honor of the initiative.
Beto O’Rourke, candidate for Texas governor, recently met with Reverend William A. “Bill” Lawson at Lawson’s home, seeking campaign advice and general words of wisdom from the founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and longtime civil and human rights activist.Byway of introduction, O’Rourke shared with Lawson his campaign priorities, including protecting “the right to vote, people’s individual rights, [and] whether folks can have access to healthcare or a living wage.”
“I wanna make sure we win this [election] for the people who are counting on us right now, and Reverend Lawson, I’d love to have your guidance and your advice and your help in order to be able to do this,” said O’Rourke.
“I’m glad to be part of the campaign and I hope you can help us get Greg Abbott out of that seat,” said Lawson.
“ e people who are campaigning against you are doing some pretty ugly, off-the-table stuff. I certainly hope that we can get Greg Abbott out, which is a good part of your campaign. And waking up day a er day to another murder means that we are watching a time when guns are more and more available.”
Lawson, acknowledged the difficulty he has at times, with speaking, but said that wouldn’t stop him from letting as many people as possible know who he was supporting for the governor’s race.
“I’m perfectly willing to be heard wherever I can. It will be difficult for me to talk very much, but I’m going to be backing people like you so that at least the city will know how I feel. And just the fact that Dr. Cosby is likewise pushing you, I think that’s going to make a major difference in their minds, so at least we are available and we’re willing to be heard as supporters,” said Lawson.
e two were even finishing each other’s sentences, like when Lawson said, “If you could see the number of people who join Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church every Sunday then you would know…” and O’Rourke chimed in, “It could be the margin of victory” regarding his race against the incumbent Abbott.O’Rourke seemed genuinely appreciative of Lawson’s words.
“I just want to tell you, everything you said came through loud and clear to me, and it was a very powerful push that we needed coming into this final stretch of the campaign. You
won’t know how much that means to me personally and how much it means to our campaign, but I hope a er we win we can come back to tell you how much it means for Texas. And I will take Dr. Cosby’s invitation to come back here to be able to meet with you and to
thank you, and also, this is important to me, to be held accountable for the things that we’ve talked about doing. We’ve gotta get them done. And knowing that I have to answer to you a erwards is a great push and adds urgency to the work that we do.”
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Building on several years of increasing engagement with Africa, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership, will host the City’s first-ever Houston-Africa Energy Summit, Sept 22-23.
“The goal of this summit is to help build relationships and partnerships between African countries and some of the world’s leading energy compa nies that call Houston home, in order to make a real investment in Africa’s energy future,” said Turner.
The event will feature African Heads of State, African Ministers, Houston-based energy executives, and business lead ers from the African continent and the Greater Houston region. The summit will also aim to
enable Houston area companies to better support and profit from Africa’s energy development.
Panel discussions will include “The Future of Global Energy in Africa,” “Building Africa’s Energy Infrastruc ture” and “Investing in Africa: Financial Pathways.”Withthe continent of Africa being home to several of the world’s fast est-growing economies, it’s no wonder Houston seeks to strengthen connections with many of its countries’ leaders.
“As the Energy Capital of the world, we are leading the way in all aspects of the energy industry,” said Turner. “Houston is the headquarters and intellectual capital for nearly every energy industry segment. We take pride in our abundance of human and technical resources in exploration, production, transmission, marketing, supply and new technology to lead the energy transition.”
The conference plans to have more than 18 African nations represented during this two-day gathering, includ ing the President of Niger and Ministers from Botswana, Burundi, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia,
Niger (both Petroleum and Energy), Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, andConfirmedZimbabwe.African ministers include: Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, DRC; Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Equato rial Guinea; Abdoulie Jobe, Gambia; Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghana; Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, Niger; Dr. Aïssatou Sophie Gladima Siby, Senegal; Peter Marcello Nasir, South Sudan; and January Makamba, Tanzania; Some of the individuals joining Turner on the list of featured summit speakers are His Excellency Mohamed Bazoum, President of Niger; Rick Tudor,Energy;chairmanKennedy,ofMidAfrica,Chevron;AndyInglis,CEOofKosmosBobbyCEO,Arte
mis Energy Partners; George Maxwell, CEO of Vaalco Energy; Esi Askinosho, Houston Office Managing Principal, Ernst & Young LLP; Alphonse Ibi Kouagou, executive director, Africa Group for the World Bank Group; and Bob Harvey, president and CEO, Greater HoustonChevronPartnership.Corporation is the summit’s Title Sponsor and Kosmos Energy is the HostSeniorSponsor.executives from many of Hous ton’s leading energy companies will also be in attendance, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Kosmos, ConocoPhillips, CenterPoint, Shell, Calpine, Vaalco, KBR, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Shamaran, and Air Liquid, as well as PortHouston, EXIM Bank, Uni versity of Houston, and the Greater Houston Partnership
“The Houston region remains at the forefront of foreign investment in the energy sector,” added Turner.
Sponsorship and individual tickets are still available for the Sept. 23 Ple nary Session at Houston-Africa Energy Summit: Plenary Session. For more infor mation, contact Mayor’s Office of Trade and International Affairs at motia@ houstontx.gov.
Email: recordsmanagement@houstonisd.org GREATER
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Chi Omicron Omega Chapter of Katy, TX is hosting their annual College is an Option event for high school students.
Te theme for this year’s event is College is an Option: Putting the Pieces Together. Tis free and virtual conference will take place on Sat., September 24, 2022 from 9 am - 12 pm and is open to the public. Attendees will have access to expert pre senters discussing topics such as the ben efts of 2-year institutions, college success and school safety, HBCUs, entrance exams, financial aid, scholarships, securing an internship, how to choose a college major, and entering college and volunteering.
“Tis exciting conference is an amazing opportunity to provide students and par ents with insight into the college admis sions process and get all the information they need to succeed in the college admis sions journey,” said president Racquell Garrett
Dedicated.
to “Service to all Mankind”, Chi Omicron Omega serves Katy, Rich mond, Rosenberg, Cypress, West Houston, and Alief. Chi Omicron Omega prides itself on implementing meaningful pro grams for the community and granting scholarships to deserving students.
For additional information please go to www.chiomicronomega.net or email CIA OCOQ@gmail.com.
The Records and Information Management Department of the Houston Independent School District is preparing to destroy personally identifable information which was maintained to provide educational services for qualifying students. This information includes referral data, notice/consent documents, assessment reports with supporting data, ARD committee deliberations and IEP documents. Records are destroyed 5 years after cessation of services. Cessation of services results when a student graduates, is dismissed from Special Education Services, moves out of district, or drops out of school. Records currently being destroyed are for Special Education students whose services ceased in the 2016 - 2017 school year. Parents/Guardians of these students or the adult student (aged 18 or over), may contact the Records and Information Management Department at 713-556-6055 before November 18, 2022, should they wish to obtain the record being destroyed. These records may be needed in the future for Social Security benefts or other purposes.
Houston ISD Records & Information Management Department 4400 W. 18th Street Building B Houston, Texas 77092
Members of the Chi Omicron Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at Alief Early College.
Senior Pastors Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, the dynamic divine duo who lead St. John’s United Methodist Church Downtown (or St. Johns Downtown), were recently showered with appreciation on Sunday, Sept 18, as members past and present gathered to celebrate the couple’s 30th anniversary in ministry with the church.
e festivities, which took place at St. John’s, located at 2019 Crawford, included their traditional 9 a.m. worship service but with a special flavor that included a lot of reflection, tribute videos shown of Kelly Rowland, Solange, Tina Knowles Lawson and Beyoncé offering words of praise to the duo and a special mini-concert by nationally-renowned gospel artist Brian Courtney Wilson.
Additionally, there were post-service festivities on the grounds with snacks, games and food vendors, and a praise session later that evening featuring scores of artists who have been part of the St. John’s ministry over the years.
When asked to share the most memorable moment in her 30 years of ministry, Juanita Rasmus took it all the way back to the beginning.
“ e most memorable was the first day we got here,” she said. “Rudy called me and he said, ‘Baby, this is the place. is is the place.’ We knew God was calling us to ministry. We didn’t know where it was gonna be. We had a sense it was gonna be urban. We had no idea exactly where and what it would look like. So, that’s been absolutely the image that has guided us and has empowered us in this time, and has for me been the most meaningful. It was the place where we knew that we were called to serve the least, the last, the lost and the le out.”
Reflecting on the 30th anniversary festivities, Rudy Rasmus said, “Today, it was a reminder that we haven’t wasted our time; that we have been here and have touched lives in many cases that we would never, ever meet and even more cases that we’ll never see the outcome. But just to know that our work hasn’t been in vain here over these 30 years.”
“ is church means so much to me because I accepted my call here in 1993,” reflected Dr. Michael Bowie, national director of Strengthening the Black Church for the Future and former pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Dallas. “When I accepted my call, God changed my life. So, I
think it’s a reason, a responsibility, even a right to come back and celebrate 30 years of prophetic and powerful ministry.”
“When Pastor Rudy and Pastor Juanita say, ‘We love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it,’ they mean that,” said entrepreneur Miara Shaw. “I thought I knew what love was, but love unconditional, I truly learned that being part of the St. John’s family.”
And the pastor duo say there’s more ministry moments ahead, including a move into health equity.
“ e possibilities for this place are absolutely limitless, as we see from where we stand right now,” Pastor Rudy said. “We have 30 years of experience that has been purchased
with a lot of heartache, purchased with some pain, and also purchased with some occasional success. And as a result, we think we can combine all of those collective experiences to impact this community even greater on the road ahead.”
“For me, the way the future gets summed up is the way the scripture always sums up the future, Jeremiah 29:11: ‘I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord. Plans not to harm you, but rather plans to prosper you.’ And one verse says ‘Plans to give you a hope and a future you never could have imagined on your own.’ So, for me, that’s what the future is. It’s expansive and it’s yet to even be experienced,” said Pastor Juanita.
Pastor Rudy Rasmus, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Pastor Juanita Rasmus. Photo by Aswad Walker Pastor Rudy Rasmus (far le ) and Pastor Juanita Rasmus (far right) with their daughters Morgan Rasmus and Ryan Rasmus Harris. Photo by Aswad Walker DowntownTraditional public school educa tion, at one point in time, was the only option for many families. With increased charter school options, parents have other choices to pro vide their children with a quality education.Cynthia
Trigg is the CEO and founder of Evolution Academy, a pub lic charter high school that supports at-risk youth. What started as a drop out recovery program has successfully graduated more than 3,000 students since its launch in 2002.
Last month, the Texas Education Agency gave the Evolution Academy a 93 score for its annual accountabil ity rating, a significant victory for the school serving many Black and BrownTriggyouth.spoke
with the Defender about her leadership role and the initiatives that prepare students for life afer Evolution Academy.
Defender: What inspired you to enter the education feld?
Cynthia Trigg: Initially, I had hope of becoming an attorney. During that time [in college], I decided to add general education because the job market wasn’t as promising, and I didn’t know where I would go. One of my mentors was an educator, and [told] me, “When you are a teacher, you’re the CEO of your classroom,” and it stuck with me. Afer college, I landed a position teaching English and history to a gifed and talented class. I could make history come alive, creating a spark for me.
As I progressed into education, I knew that I didn’t want to have an impact in the classroom. I wanted to branch out, so I obtained my Master’s in Education Administration and my teacher certifcation, administration certifcation, and, years later, super intendent certifcation. I’ve had the opportunity to navigate into diferent spaces. It’s been 30 years.
Defender: You graduated from Prairie View A&M University and earned your master’s. How did attending an HBCU help prepare you for a leadership position?
Trigg: It was the intimacy…and the spirit of Black excellence that is required. Early on, as an African American, you’re taught that you will not get it on skills alone. You have to strive for excellence. When I was a teacher, I was relatively young. To get promoted, I became an assistant prin cipal, maybe 26 or 27. I understood that if I was going to be turned down, it wasn’t because I was not qualifed; they would have to fnd another rea son why. I had the confdence that attending an HBCU raises the level of professionalism and expectations of how you represent.
Defender: Evolution Academy launched in 2002. Why a charter school?
Trigg: I started as an assistant prin cipal seeing what we call a cohort. Tat’s a group of 9th graders...So you may start out with a thou sand 9th graders, and then fast forward four years later, and
Google and its parent company, Alpha bet, recently announced the recipients of its third Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, which provides promising African American startups non-equity cash awards of $100,000 to help fuel their businesses.
Two Houston-based firms — ChurchSpace and Enrichly — are among theChurchSpace,recipients.
dubbed the “Airbnb” for churches, creates space and opportunities for local communities by giving churches the platform to convert their empty build ings into revenue-generating resource hubs.
Enrichly uses machine learning, gamifca tion and data automation to make self-esteem improvement fun for K–12 students while providing an on-site mental health curric ulum for schools. They offer youth devel opment courses virtually and in-person to elementary, middle and high school students to increase self-esteem and confdence.
CapitalG, on behalf of Alphabet, announced that it plans to deploy the remaining funds from its $100 million com mitment to Black-led investment frms.
“Te [Founders Fund] has grown into a fourishing community of 176 founders in the U.S. because of the program’s focus on sup porting founders along their journeys beyond a one-time fnancial award,” said Jewel Burks Solomon, head of Google for Startups.
“Te program was intentionally designed to help founders in multiple ways, with non-dilutive funding, tailored mentorship, mental health coaching and more. We are thrilled to strengthen this community by welcoming the third cohort of founders and are excited to see how they continue to grow their business.”
Te goal of the fund is to increase eco nomic opportunity for promising Black
startup founders in the U.S., who receive a disproportionately low percentage of invest ment. In an efort to close the opportunity and wealth gap for Black founders, Google has launched a set of programs designed to open the doors to funding, training for the digital economy and empowering communities.
In addition to the $100K in cash distrib uted to founders, recipients will receive hands-on programming and support from Google, deep mentorship from technical and business experts, access to free mental health therapy, as well as a vibrant commu nity of fellow and former recipients.
ChurchSpace and Enrichly represent an integral part of the growing startup ecosys tem in the region.
“We are a mission-driven, marketplace design to help churches rent out their under-utilized space,” said ChurchSpace co-founder Day Edwards. “We...realize there’s such a heavy burden on church leaders and pastors and all across America. Tere’s this issue happening where church real estate is sitting vacant and unused. So, we come in and we help churches and com munities connect via space.”
“We applied to Google for Black Startups to have the opportunity to gain perspective on how to build a better product and expe rience for our customers,” said Edwards. “We believe that being a part of the program will enable us as Black founders to better lead and build a tech-enabled platform that
is eradicating church underutilization rates across the nation.”
“We’re really about helping church leaders get back to their mission,” said Emmanuel Brown, ChurchSpace’s other co-founder. “We call that ‘mission over maintenance.’ So, we’re trying to clear the path for church leaders and pastors to make more community impact, to rent out their under-utilized properties and church buildings and to focus on the things that matter most to them.”
“Te Google for Startups Black Founders Fund is an incredible opportunity for the growth of our company. Tis support will be used to expand our team and awareness in order to reach our OKRs and KPIs,” said Margo Jordan, CEO of Enrichly.
Te application deadline (Friday, Sept. 23) is quickly approaching for Houston-area entrepreneurs to take part in a high-impact, tuition-free training program designed to help take their companies to the next level.
Mayor Sylvester Turner and Regions Bank are bringing back Inner City Capi tal Connections (ICCC) for a second con secutive year. Te program will culminate locally with an intense training workshop featuring Dobbin Bookman, head of the Owner/President Management program
at Harvard Business School. Additional higher education instructors will also pro vide training that is tailored for the needs of local“Thiscompanies.program presents an excellent opportunity for Houston-area entrepre neurs to engage with experts and become equipped with the necessary tools to grow their business,” Turner said.
“Inner City Capital Connections will empower them to achieve economic mobil ity through entrepreneurship. Small busi nesses are critical drivers of the success of
Houston’s economy, and they have contrib uted to our communities by creating jobs and providing much-needed goods and services.”Representatives of Regions Bank will provide business coaching opportunities during the ICCC event. Further, the training workshop will be supplemented by follow-up webinar and coaching opportunities, all free of charge.Nearly
110 Houston-area small-business owners participated in last year’s inaugural ICCC Houston event.
DEADLINE
Friday, Sept. 23 Apply at iccapitalconnections.org
• Must be an independent, forproft or nonproft corporation, partnership or proprietorship.
• Physical operations located in an economically distressed area or have more than 40% of its employees living in an economically distressed area.
Margo Jordan (lef), Day Edwards and Emmanuel Brown.Robert Sarver says he has started the process of selling the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, a move that comes only eight days after he was suspended by the NBA over
heinitiallyaction,”“isemployees.tileracistmisconductworkplaceincludingspeechandhosbehaviortowardSarversayssellingthebestcourseofalthoughhehopedthatwouldbeableto
keep control of the franchises — pointing to his record that, he claims, paints a dramatically diferent picture of who he is and what he stands for.
“But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible — that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past,” Sarver wrote in a statement. “For those reasons, I am begin ning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.”
Sarver bought the teams in July 2004 for about $400 million. He is not the lone owner, but the primary one. Assuming no other team is sold in the interim, it would be the frst sale in the NBA since a group led by Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith bought the Utah Jazz in 2021 for about $1.7 billion.
It’s not known if Sarver has established an asking price. Forbes recently estimated the value of the Suns at $1.8 billion. An inde pendent report that was commissioned by the NBA last November and took about 10 months to complete found that Sarver “repeated or purported to repeat the N-word on at least fve occasions spanning his ten ure with the Suns,” though added that the investigation “makes no fnding that Sarver used this racially insensitive language with the intent to demean or denigrate.”
Te study also concluded that Sarver used demeaning language toward female employ ees, including telling a pregnant employee that she would not be able to do her job afer becoming a mother; made of-color com ments and jokes about sex and anatomy; and yelled and cursed at employees in ways that would be considered bullying “under workplace standards.”
Once that report was completed, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suspended Sarver for one year and fned him $10 mil lion — the maximum allowed by league rule.
“Words that I deeply regret now over shadow nearly two decades of building organizations that brought people together — and strengthened the Phoenix area
— through the unifying power of pro fessional men’s and women’s basketball,” Sarver wrote. “As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness. I expected that the commissioner’s one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my per sonal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.”
Barely a week later, Sarver evidently real ized that would not be possible. His deci sion comes afer a chorus of voices — from players like Suns guard Chris Paul and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, to long time team sponsors like PayPal, and even the National Basketball Players Association — said the one-year suspension wasn’t enough.
Suns vice chairman Jahm Najaf called last week for Sarver to resign, saying there should be “zero tolerance” for lewd, misog ynistic and racist conduct in any workplace. Najaf, in that same statement, also said he did not have designs on becoming the team’s primary owner.
“I do not want to be a distraction to these two teams and the fne people who work so hard to bring the joy and excitement of basketball to fans around the world,” Sarver wrote. “I want what’s best for these two orga nizations, the players, the employees, the
Our league defnitely got this wrong. I don’t need to explain why. Y’all read the stories and decide for yourself. I said it before and I’m gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn’t right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don’t matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it.”
Lebron James
fans, the community, my fellow owners, the NBA and the WNBA. Tis is the best course of action for everyone.”
Sarver, through his attorney, argued to the NBA during the investigative process that his record as an owner shows a “long standing commitment to social and racial justice” and that it shows he’s had a “com mitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Among the examples Sarver cited was what he described as a league-best rate of 55% employment of minorities within the Suns’ front ofce and how more than half of the team’s coaches and general managers in his tenure — including current coach Monty Williams and current GM James Jones — are Black.
I reviewed the report. I was and am horrifed beandistowardsconductwhatdisappointedandbyIread.Thisespeciallywomenunacceptablemustneverrepeated.”
Robert Sarver Chris Paul and Lebron James. Getty Chris PaulMadison High School junior le tackle Nicolas Golden is a 6-foot-6, 280-pound man-child who blocks with bad intentions on the Marlins O-line.
Whether it is clearing a hole with a pancake block or pulling off the edge, Golden leaves many opponents in terror knowing he could be coming with each and every snap.
In Madison’s 54-0 blowout victory over Sharpstown, Golden wreaked havoc on the Apollo’s defensive front all night. It got to the point where Golden was blocking players all the way to the sideline with their coaching staff.
As a junior, Golden has raw talent, but with the proper training, workout schedule and guidance, he could easily end up as one of those surprise impact players coming out of H-Town when all is said and done.
e Defender spoke with Golden a er the game against Sharpstown to discuss his style of play, keys to success and more.
“I like to be aggressive and go out there and do my thing with my teammates.”
“I just have that drive that I want to play. I’ve got that fire in me.”
“I have been working on kick stepping, placing my hands and my stance.”
“We need everybody. is win [vs. Sharpstown] was a group effort and we have to play for everybody as a key to success.”
Favorite artists: Meek Mill, YoungBoy and Future
“AllShout-outs:mycoaches and my teammates.”
O’Neal and Jason Kelce
By Jodie B. JilesIn the first games of the season, Westfield senior wide receiver DaJohn “DaeDae” Palomo already has 431 total yards and eight touchdowns. And according to sources, Palomo wants to score 21 touchdowns in the next seven games, putting his total TD count at 29 for the end of the season.
Despite taking a 55-25 loss to reigning state champion rival North Shore, Palomo still managed to leave his mark on the game with a touchdown catch from transfer quarterback P.J. Hatter and kick return for a touchdown.
Palomo’s speed is on another level anywhere you put him on the field, and his natural ability to go up and get it in jump-ball scenarios would make you think this kid is always a highlight waiting to happen. IN TERROR
For video interviews and highlights of DaJohn Palomo
In the last decade, more than 50% of all new businesses created were diverse-owned.* It’s why Bank of America has taken an innovative, industry-leading approach to help fuel growth by supporting mission-focused equity funds, Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions, including Agility Bank, Unity National Bank of Houston and PeopleFund.
These partners help women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color establish and grow their businesses, create jobs and improve financial stability in local communities across the
We know that it takes more than a great idea to start and keep a business running. My teammates and I in Houston want to make sure every big believer has the opportunity to achieve and reach their goals.
Hong President,OgleBank of America Houston
Learn more at bankofamerica.com/houston
*“Minority Entrepreneurs.” Minority Entrepreneurs U.S. Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Bank of America, N.A. Member Equal Credit Opportunity Lender 2022 Bank of America Corporation. rights reserved.
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