Houston Defender: March 10, 2011

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onal Black Caucus is the Black community on between education ve Conference (ALC). 80 Number 19 WalterVolume E. Washington

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MARCH 10 - 16, 2011

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a panel on “Exploring ral Government.” Sen. e future when it comes vote time into learning w jobs in the emerging

Budget cuts Black employees hit the hardest? ncial dicted ★CBC Page 3

Save the TSU Murals www.tsu.edu/giving

Racial tension sparked by GOP

By ReShonda Tate Billingsley DEFENDER

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exas Southern University’s president has come up By ReShonda Tate Billingsley By AFRO Staff or contact Wendy Adair Defender with a plan he hopes will put an end toBlack a controlawmakers at University Advancement An estimated $130 milversy surrounding the painting overa of some hisrecent House hearing lion shortfall in the city of Adair@tsu.edu accused Republicans toric murals on the campus of the historically Black uni- of Houston could mean some attempting to ignite racial versity. But some students and community members nst his relative, major cuts inwho’s crucial areas friction, following GOP that of could 65. send more wonder if his contribution of $50,000 for aclaims Preservation n the- cuts age that illegal immithan 2,300 city employees to plan is enough to undo the damage. University officials aces charges of False grants in the U.S. take jobs Delesa O’Dell Thomas, former principal of M.C. the unemployment lines. And say they know it’s not enough, but it’s a first step. from African-Americans, to Obtain Credit, Williams Middle School, will take the helm of the since Houston’s city governthe Associated Press reAllknow Female College Preparatory “We $50,000 isn’tAcademy. enough for the whole project. g with a ment and employee base is ported. The hearing on ilIt’s primarily Black and Hispanental Record, Theft, E. O. Smith Middle School campus will house the male academy and continue its just enough to bring in a conservator to analyze the legal immigrants and their rich historical tradition. The application process is now open. ic, minorities could Misapplication ofbe hit the impact on ★MURALS, Page 7 hardest. Property. Three of minorities Mayor was held es are first degree Annise early in hat expose Harrison Parker March. says the ears or life in prison. “I am shortfall h is a state jail felony concerned Let us know what you think adout the Mural Preservation requires by thefrom you! on Friday @ defendernetwork.com. We want to hear “extremely majority’s tough, if Emanuel Cleaver II ★INDICTED, Page 3 attempt Mayor Annise Parker not brutal” to manufacture tension bedecisions. tween African-Americans “I am proposing a sliding and immigrant countries,” scale of cuts ranging from said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver 5 percent to 27.26 percent, II (D-Mo.), chairman of with what I consider our most the Congressional Black essential life and safety serCaucus “It seems as Dameion Crook will serve as the principal for the All vices -- police, fire, municithough they would like for Male College Preparatory Academy. pal courts and solid waste -our communities to think being on the low end of that about immigration in terms scale,” Mayor Parker said of ‘us versus them,’ and I All-Male College Preparatory Academy. The Houston community is remembering Other departments, inBy Aswad Walker dation by city staff to extend included significant capital reject that notion.” Delesa O’Dell-Thomas, former principal of M.C. Wila longtime political Defender cluding the mayor and counCritics also said Reliams MiddleaSchool, will head the girls’ school, officially the cilcontracts of Star investments, during perioffices, must cut spending activist who died Sept. 11, In an effort to improve the educational outcomes of Houspublicans disregarded their named the All-Female College Preparatory Academy. Concessions Hudson od of uncertainty following by more than and 27 percent, she 2010. ton Independent School District students, the district’s own failure to support af“Our school will start with grades six andBeulah nine, neverShepard, said. Retail Sales - two firms with 9/11 terror attacks ultiboard approved two new single-gender schoolsthe late last made her mark both firmative action, job trainexceeding 100 students per grade,” 89, said O’Dell-Thomas. If the proposed cuts go ties to prominent mately failed to carry the year. The all-female and all“We will offer a private locally and nationally asing, a college financial and through, the fire department male academies will begin Democrats, including State argument. other schooltireless education in a public fighter for civil programs tailored for would lose $25 million. HPD operations in the fall. minority employment. school setting and focus on Rep. would Helen In the three years since be outGiddings $30 million. and rightssubject and – political jus- Rep. Elton Gallegly Both schools seek to the C-STEM comU.S. Police Congresswoman Eddie the council first embarked Chief Charles Mceducate students using teach(R-Calif.) explained his puters,tice. science, technology, Clelland said that- would hurt a Bernice Johnson without on its Love Field moderning Helen methods that mesh Eddie with the Bernice belief engineering and mathematFuneral services will be that those most afthe department Giddings competitive bid. because 95 ization plan, the concesdifferent learning styles of Johnson boys fected by the surge in the ics.” held at 10am at Galilee Beaulah percent of its budget is perand girls in order to stem the tide of alarming drop-out number of illegal immiO’Dell-Thomas believes that single-gender education The essence of the city sions contracts have MBC, 6616 D.S. Bailey sonnel costs. He said the deShepard rates, contracts especially amongemerged Black and Latino grant workers are lowoffers marked advantages learning environstaff partment recommendation that the no-bid as bystudents. far the most contentious issue, over a co-ed is already working Lane. Pastor Edwin Nationally, the number of urban districts operating skilled workers. ment. would appropriate given the schools incumbents’ and have led to model accusations of political withbe a shortage of officers on that employ the single-gender education Davis, officiating. Interment: “Our focusHouston should “Boys and girls learn differently. Teachers will be the streets.the desirability of minimizing experience, favoritism on have bothused sides. is growing. Itdisis a model private schools for be on ensuring every… hired who possess the ability to teach effectively to the that’s decades, one that HISD will offer free of charge. ★SHEPARD, Page 4 to ruptions “There’s duringnothing the renovation and theand busiAmerican who is willing way girls learn. Small class sizes will also be an advangoing to be off the table when Dameion Crook, an educator with experience in the work has a job instead of tage for our students,” said O’Dell-Thomas, who believes ness I risks bypercent the incumbents, which ★AIRPORT CONTRACTS, Page 4 have to taken meet a five classroom and as an administrator, will be the principal [filling] jobs with foreign the environment will improve student focus and academic reduction. And that includes of HISD’s all-male school that seeks to erase the minority laborers,” Gallegly said at curiosity. layoffs,” said McClelland. male achievement gap. The school is tentatively named the the hearing, according to the AP. “Immigrants often H BUDGET CUTS, Page 5 H HISD, Page 2 compete for jobs with lowincome laborers.”

HISD

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ontracts optimistic divide Dallas about uncil in Race boys, girlsdebate schools

REMEMBERING

Beulah Shepard

Direct all questions about the schools to 713-556-7102

INTERVIEW

Kickin’ back with K’Naan

Salli Richardson-Whitfield enjoys juggling roles

butions by the likes of Damian Marley, Mos Def, Chali 2na, Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Adam Levine of CONTRIBUTING WRITER00 Maroon 5. During his early childhood, the Western music, which Somalia. The name alone conjures up images of reached K’naan’s ears was pretty much limited to “Bob By Kam Williams Onruthless TV, she currently portrays Dr. Allison the script? unbridled destruction, merciless warlords and Marley and Tracy Chapman,” at 10, heroles became the SyFy Network’s hit series “Eureka,” you don’t pass up that give SRW: Well,until terror. A place where nobody is safe fromBlake the on atrocities fascinated by Imthe hip-hop being emitting from a tiny orn in Chicago on Nov. 23, 1967, Salli for which she was nominated for an NAACP you the opportunity to stretch and to grow. For car of war, andRichardson-Whitfield where eight year handle age AK-47s likeother television credits include a burstolds onto the Award. Her Black actresses in Hollywood, these kinds of speaker. “I had heard a rap verse, but I had no idea what toys. Whensilver Forbes recently their screenmagazine in 1993 in “Posse,” an unveiled starring role as attorney Viveca Foster on “Famparts are few and far between. Our writer/direcit was back then,” he recalls. African-American Western directed by ilyabove Law,” and recurring roles on “CSI: Miami,” “Most Dangerous Destinations,” Somalia, Iraq tor, Ava DuVernay, did a beautiful job of creating AtBlue.” 14, K’naan his three best friends were attacked co-starring Mario Van Peebles. “Rude “The Awakening” and “NYPD In addi- and a multi-dimensional character that shows a Black and and Afghanistan, topped the Her list.resume But it’s also bycritically warlords, just one of countless reveals extensive work since then in television, she guest-starred on the acclaimed woman at a crossroadsindelible and how sheimages keeps her for Nation of Poets,” where a poem can both tion, inspire peace film and theater. series, “House,” and voiced the impressionable character of Elise the teenager. chased them balance when Having the unexpected happens in life. The and end wars. Salli starred opposite both Denzel for the animated series “Gargoyles.” film explores love, loss, loyalty and life in general. through the streets of Mogadishu, eventually cornering Growing up, itand was these SomaliasSalli that Washington Willboth Smith,of playing their resides in Los Angeles with her husband, I couldn’t pass it up, even though it scared me a the boys in an alley, the men began shooting. K’naan wives in the films “Antwone Fisher” and “I actorwho DondreisWhitfield, and their two children, little. I wondered, “Could I do this?” I’m glad I informed musician/emcee K’naan Warsame, avoided injury, but stepped his three brutally Am Legend,” respectively. And she happily Parker and Dre. Here, she talks about her new in andfriends tried. I’mwere very proud of what we forging his own musical path via a unique blend of reggunneddrama down. juggles big studio assignments with interestfilm, “I Will Follow,” an ensemble directed made with this film. gae, funk, pop, soul and, above all, hip-hop. Recorded ing independent features such as “Black Dyna- by Ava DuVernay. KW: How did you of prepare the roleher of Certain that it was only a matter timeforbefore primarily in Kingston, Jamaica Bob Marley’s home mite,” “Pastor Brown” and “We the at Party.” KW: Why this film? What attracted you to Maye? studio, his second album, “Troubadour,” includes contri★K’NAAN, Page 2 By Kam Williams

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H RICHARDSON-WHITFIELD, Page 2

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