Houston Style Magazine Vol 33 No 52

Publisher Francis Page, Jr. fpagejr@stylemagazine.com

Associate Publisher Lisa Valadez lisa@stylemagazine.com

Managing Editor Jo-Carolyn Goode editorial@stylemagazine.com

Social Media Editor/Videographer Reginald Dominique reggiedominique@me.com

Sports Editor Brian Barefield brian_barefield@yahoo.com

Food Writer Alex Jack alexandriajack1991@gmail.com

Arts Writer Kathleen Coleman kathleen@stylemagazine.com

NATIONAL WRITERS

Jesse Jackson jjackson@rainbowpush.org Roland Martin www.rolandmartin.com

Judge Greg Mathis www.askjudgemathis.com Erynn Haskins editorial@stylemagazine.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Mike Munoz artrepreneur91@gmail.com

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©2022 Houston Style Magazine, a Minority Print Media, L.L.C. Company. All Right Reserved. Reproduction in whole or within part without permission is prohibited. Houston Style Magazine has a 2019 Audit by Circulation Verification Council (CVC). Houston Style Magazine is a member of the Texas Publishers Association (TPA), Texas Community Newspaper Association (TCNA), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Independent Free Paper of America (IFPA), Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) and Members of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP). National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.), Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (HHCC), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Latin Women’s Initiative (LWI), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and Supporters of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP)

COMMENTARY THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

By Jesse Jackson, National Political Writer

suffering the horrors of war, and growing concern that the war may escalate to direct conflict between nuclear powers, he reminds us that “blessed is the peace-maker.” In an age of global pandemics, good will to all is not merely a holiday slogan, it is a survival imperative. Ignoring the climate crisis that increasingly threatens all of God’s creation now costs us daily in lives, in the destructions of extreme weather, in economic disruptions that already displace millions from their homes.

In this last week before Christmas, millions of people across the world are preparing to celebrate. Families will gather; music will be in the air. Christmas has become a holiday, a time for exchanging presents and cards, for seeing friends and family. It is a commercial bonanza, with people straining their budgets to buy gifts, and merchants rolling out bargains to lure people to spend more. For too many, it is a difficult time, particularly for the cold and hungry, those separated from families, those alone or imprisoned or sick.

So, each year, I take this moment to recall the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is literally the mass for Christ, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, a time for prayer, for reflection, for service. The story of Jesus speaks to us still this day. He was born under occupation. Joseph and Mary were ordered to go far from home to register with authorities. The innkeeper told Joseph there was no room at the inn. Jesus was born on a cold night, in

a stable, lying in a manger. He was an “at risk” baby. His earthly father was a carpenter, a worker, not a prince or a banker.

He was born at a time of great misery. Prophets predicted the coming of a new Messiah who would rout the occupiers and free the people. Many expected a mighty warrior like the superheroes of today’s movies. Fearing the prophecy, the Roman King Herod ordered the “massacre of the innocents,” the slaughter of all boys two and under in Bethlehem and the nearby region.

Jesus confounded both Herod’s fears and the people’s fantasies. He was a Prince of peace, not of war. He gathered disciples, not soldiers. His ministry, as written in Isaiah 62:1 was “the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” We will be judged, he taught us, not for our wealth or our armaments but by how we treat “the least of these,” how we treat the stranger on the Jericho Road. He called on us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick,

comfort the refugee. He threw the money lenders from the Temple, and gathered the discarded, the disdained, the disabled around him. He became a great liberator through his teachings and his example, not his sword. He converted rather than conquered. He accumulated no worldly wealth, held no official position. The powerful feared his teachings and plotted his crucifixion. Yet he succeeded beyond all imagination to transform the world. The Prince of Peace, he taught us that peace is not the merely absence of violence; it is the presence of justice and righteousness. Today his teachings remain compelling. Already this year, 42,731 people have died from gun violence. Jesus call for non-violence over violence offers the only way out. At a time when many feel threatened by refugees and immigrants, his call to care for the stranger on the Jericho Road reminds us that “blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” With Ukraine and other countries

This year, the fear of crime and violence has led many to call for a new crackdown, for locking up more people. Yet we already imprison more people than any nation in the world. Each year, my family and I visit Chicago’s vast prison, seeking to offer some small comfort to those separated from their families. Each year, we call on officials to exercise mercy, particularly on those locked up for non-violent crimes.

We should not let the deeper meaning of Christmas be lost in the wrappings. While Jesus was not a partisan or a politician, his birth and his ministry were immensely political – both in the expectations of the people and in the fears of the powerful. Yet, instead of turning us on one another, he called each of us to our highest selves, our better angels. He demonstrated the world changing power of love. This Christmas, this surely is a message not merely to remember but to practice. Merry Christmas, everybody.

You can write to the Rev. Jesse Jackson in care of this Newspaper or by email at: jjackson@rainbowpush.org

Medicare wants to remind you that flu and COVID vaccines are available at no cost to you and will help prevent you from getting seriously ill. Get vaccinated today.

Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

REAFFIRMING SOLIDARITY

BETWEEN BLACKS AND JEWS IN AMERICA

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.

Iwill not be silent on the issues of racial hatred, violence, and prejudice. I am speaking out publicly in support of the recent call by billionaire African American business leader and philanthropist, Robert F. Smith, to stand up against the resurgence of racism and antisemitism in America.

Blacks and Jews in the United States have had a long history and tradition of working together and sacrificing together for freedom, justice, equality and equity. Lest we forget that we have marched together for over a century. We have shared blood together. And we have died together for the cause of freedom in the Civil Rights Movement.

Both of our communities today increasingly are the targets of violent hatred, ignorant stereotypes, and a demonic supremacist ideology. Racism and antisemitism are twin evils that cannot be ignored or trivialized.

In a recent full page paid advertisement in The New York Times, Robert F. Smith affirmed, “At a time when racism and antisemitism are on the rise, I am determined to partner with leaders from all faiths to recognize ‘Fifteen Days of Light’. We are unifying to celebrate Chanukah and Kwanzaa together, and encourage communities nationwide to join us in our support for one another.”

“Fifteen Days of Light” is a timely national opportunity to do what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prophetically defined as the development and establishment of a “Beloved Community.” Dr. King envisioned that this would be

a nationwide multiracial community where there would be no racism, no antisemitism, and no hatred toward anyone. All people, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or faith would live together with mutual respect and unconditional love for all.

As we prepare to go into 2023, disunity between Blacks and Jews is ahistorical and counterproductive. We cannot afford to be nonchalant or indifferent. Smith’s statement to encourage participation in acts of remembrance across the nation celebrating both Chanukah and Kwanzaa together over a 15-day period this month reminded me of the need to reaffirm the solidarity between Blacks and Jews.

I attended the historic 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his eloquent and transcendent “I Have a Dream” speech. I recall the strong advocacy from Jewish leaders like Arnold Aronson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights that supported Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the NAACP, and other civil rights organizations at the March on Washington.

That day I also remember hearing from a dynamic young freedom fighter named John Lewis who emphasized the urgency for racial equality. Then there was a young Jewish folk singer named Bob Dylan who performed at the March a haunting song he wrote about the tragic assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Mississippi. On that sunny day in

August of 1963 in Washington there were other freedom movement speakers that included a number of prominent Jewish voices from across the country, including the outspoken Rabbi Joachim Prinz, who spoke about “the shame and disgrace of inequality and injustice” facing the Black community.

Later that year in November 1963 Dr. King joined with theologian Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel at the United Synagogue of America’s Golden Jubilee Convention in New York City. King and Heschel pledged to work together to end racism and antisemitism.

In 1965 when Dr. King, John Lewis, Hosea Williams and other civil rights leaders marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, the historic Selma to Montgomery March, for voting rights, Rabbi Heschel was there marching shoulder to shoulder in solidarity.

The Black community and the Jewish community share a long, shared history of struggle and fighting for civil rights – from August and Henrietta Bondi’s home in Kansas being used as a stop on the Underground Railroad to Jewish organizations participating in the protests following the murder of George Floyd and the acceleration of the Black Lives Matter movement. According to recent national law enforcement data, today there has been an unprecedented increase in hate crimes targeted against Black and Jewish communities.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2021 was the highest year on record for documented reports

of harassment, vandalism and violence directed against Jews since the organization began tracking incidents in 1979.Thus far in 2022 the incidents of antisemitism have not declined but have steadily increased.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) has documented a constant increase in racially motivated attacks on Black people throughout the United States during the past decade. All forms of racism and antisemitism should always be challenged relentlessly. Dr. King said it best, “We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish together as fools.”

Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Chairman, Carnegie Hall, is taking the right stand at the right time. Smith stated in the ad, “Michael Eric Dyson recently wrote that ‘…African Americans and Jews are passengers on the same ship facing the ferocious headwinds of bigotry and hatred.’ It is time to put aside differences and shift our focus to the shared values that bring all Americans together as God’s children.”

Black and Jewish friends, neighbors and colleagues coming together to #lightthecandles.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and is Executive Producer/Host of The Chavis Chronicles on PBS TV stations throughout the U.S. and can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org.

45TH MLK JR. PARADE, FESTIVAL, &

WEEKEND CELEBRATIONS

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

The Black Heritage Society, in partnership with the City of Houston, is having its 45th Annual Original MLK Jr. Day Parade & Festival on Monday, January 16, 2023, beginning at 10 a.m. The 45th MLK Jr. Parade is free to the public and is held downtown starting on Lamar @ Smith Street. The MLK 2023 theme is “Climbing the Mountain to a Better Future.”

This year, the Black Heritage Society has selected Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to serve as Grand Marshal. The Co-Grand Marshals are Rev. Dr. Derek King, nephew of Dr. MLK Jr., Dr. Camille Cash, Houston Plastic Surgeon; and a Memorial Tribute to the Late John Bland!

“The 2023 Original MLK Jr. Day Parade will be the last one held during Mayor Turner’s administration, and the Black Heritage Society believes he is a wonderful representation of Dr. King’s dream. Over the past seven years, Mayor Turner has led our city through natural disasters, pension reform, and creating a more resilient Houston for the future. He also will leave a legacy of unity – bringing together diverse people in our city and putting Houston on the global stage,” said Teresa Brewer with the Black Heritage Society.

The MLK Festival is held immediately following the parade and ends at 5 p.m. at Hermann Park Square at Houston City Hall and is free to the public. The children will enjoy a Day of Service learning about Dr. MLK

Jr. There will be food trucks, vendor booths, live music, DJ, youth activities, and more.

The MLK Weekend celebration also includes the Black Heritage Society Gala. The Gala is being held on Saturday, January 14th, at Embassy Suites Katy, 16435 Katy Fwy, Houston, Texas 77094. This evening of elegance will start with a red-carpet reception at 6 p.m., and the Gala begins at 7 p.m. The world- renowned Kashmere Reunion Stage Band will entertain the guests.

The honorary speaker is Dr. Derek King, and the keynote speaker is Mayor Sylvester Turner. Also, the Black Heritage Society youth King and Queen winners will be present at the Gala! The tickets are $100.00 per person and $ 50.00 for children. You can purchase tickets online at the following link, https://blackheritagesociety.net/ tickets. The Gala attire is Cocktail or Semi-formal.

The other weekend MLK Celebration is the Gospel Fest Concert on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at Green House International Church, 200 W. Greens Road, Houston, TX 77067. The doors will open at 1:30 p.m. with vendors participating with the Gospel Fest Shopping and the Gospel Concert starts at 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. We are excited about the concert line-up, which includes Pastor Robert Morris, Disciple of Christ, Pentecostal of Katy, Marcus Jordan & Divine Favor, and the special guest gospel recording artists are James

Fortune, Zacardi Cortez, and Endurance.

The MLK Jr. Day is a Federal Holiday and is cherished and supported by many diverse communities. We invite all media, churches, community leaders, elected officials, schools, non-profits, professional and social organizations, fraternities, sororities, and businesses to join us for the 45th Annual Original MLK Jr. Day Parade and Festival.

The Black Heritage Society is pleased to announce that Radio One is again joining them as the official radio partner for the parade. The Radio One stations participating are Majic 102 FM, 97.9 FM The Box, and KROI Praise 92.1.

Read More at StyleMagazine.com

In an effort to further build trust with the community, the HISD Police Department is implementing a new way for the public to report incidents.

The Axon Citizen for Communities portal is now active on the department’s web page. The new system allows HISD Police to receive video evidence captured by community members through a public submission form.

The information provided by citizens will assist officers in solving crimes.

“Confidence in the police department improves community interactions, enhances communication

HISD POLICE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES CITIZEN REPORTING TOOL FOR INCREASED SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

and promotes shared responsibility for addressing crime and disorder,” said HISD Police Chief Pedro Lopez.

The department hopes to bridge the gap between citizens and police by creating a new avenue for community members to assist the department directly.

To use the Axon Citizen Evidence Submission Portal, click Submit Evidence at the bottom of the page. After you enter your information, click Send Link. A private link will be sent to your email which will take you to a website where you can upload evidence files. After uploading is complete, click Sub-

mit, and you’re done! The private link for submissions expires after three days. By using Axon Citizen, you voluntarily provide the HISD Police Department with certain contact information, including your name, birth date, address, and phone number.

The department may use your contact information for a variety of purposes, such as contacting you with questions about your submission. Any evidence submitted becomes the property of the HISD Police Department and may be used as evidence.

HISD also recently invested in

FT BEND ISD PARTNERS WITH HARVEST METHODIST CHURCH

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

Leaders from Fort Bend ISD and Baines Middle School officially held a ribbon cutting for a resource room at the school, made possible by an exemplary partnership between the campus and Harvest Methodist Church. The room is called the Longhorn Locker, and is set up to provide students with clothing items, food, and school supplies. It is the only exemplary partnership space in the Ridge Point High School feeder pattern, and serves students at not only Baines but also at neighboring campuses. School counselors and district social workers are instrumental in connecting students with needed items.

Along with Dr. Christie Whitbeck, members of the FBISD executive team and Baines administrative staff, Harvest Methodist Church Pastor Ben Lohmer and Director of Outreach and Missions Sarah Boyd were in attendance

at the ribbon cutting.

“The support is just phenomenal,” Executive Director of Collaborative Communities Payal Pandit Talati said. “We are so appreciative of what Harvest Methodist Church has provided right across the street in making this happen.”

Staff report that more than a dozen students utilize resources from the Longhorn Locker every day. While Baines is located within what is considered an affluent area in Fort Bend County, principal Elizabeth Williams remarked that it is incorrect to assume that there is no need among her students. “I think what’s most interesting about our Longhorn Locker is that people assume that because Baines is inside of Sienna, we don’t have that need, but we do have that need here,” she said.

An exemplary partnership is a model and sustainable relationship

between a school or feeder pattern, a community partner and the District’s Department of Collaborative Communities that measures impacts on students and families in support of the district’s mission. Partnerships are vetted through Collaborative Communities to ensure fit, roles and goals align and include the establishment of resource rooms on campuses similar to the district’s Shared Dreams space where students have access to clothing and shoes, hygiene items, food and school supplies.

the Axon Body Worn Camera program to further cement the department’s commitment to transparency. Video recorded by body cams helps protect police officers and citizens against false accusations, claims of misconduct, or abuse and increases officers’ transparency and accountability.

For more information, check out the department’s policies and procedures at www.houstonisd.org.

MARTIN HONORED

AT HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE ANNUAL CHAMPAGNE & RIBS FUNDRAISER

By

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) pop the champagne last night as they rolled out the red carpet for their annual Champagne & Ribs Fundraiser hosted by Houston's own, Grammy Award Winning Writer/Producer, Bryan-Michael Cox. The lavish night set out to raise funds for the Houston community to be able to continue to enjoy the museum free of cost, was a

photographers pushing against accepted narratives and telling complete histories.

Sounds provided by Dj Def Jam Blaster and Neo-Soul artist Sam

Thousand kept the party going as guests enjoyed tasty ribs both honey-glazed and original with a potato bar and salmon bites on the side.

HMAAC Chief Operating Officer, Davinia Reed, presented the night's honorees Fox 26 news anchors, Jonathan Martin and Isiah Carey with their awards while thanking them for their continued support of the museum. While accepting their awards Isiah Carey quoted his famous viral tag line "Get Me Out Of This Country Town!". Sending the crowd in an uproar of laughter.

Read More at StyleMagazine.com

StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

HMAAC Leadership Staff pictured with Honorees Isiah Carey and Jonathan Martin of Fox 26

For Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas the open enrollment period is one of the most wonderful times of the year. It’s the opportunity to not only showcase the multiple health plan options they offer, some with a $0 copay with qualifying subsidies, but it’s also a time to shine a light on the health care provider’s wide-spread efforts to make available the health benefits and resources Texans need the most.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is so much more than just a health insurer. Their assistance doesn’t end when they sign up eligible resident with the right plan for their family. Over the course of the year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas also awards grants to various organizations across the State of Texas that support families, especially the healthcare needs of underserved communities.

One such program is its Healthy Kids, Healthy Families initiative, which each year provides support to local nonprofit organizations across the Lone Star State.

“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is committed to expanding access to quality, cost-effective health care,” said Jim Springfield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas president. “We are proud to offer affordable, quality health plan options in every zip code in Texas’ 254 counties, just as we have since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace first opened.

The Children’s Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT) is one of many organizations supported by a Healthy Kids, Healthy Families grant. CRIT is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit orga-

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS MEETING THE HEALTHCARE NEEDS OF THE UNDERSERVED

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

books and information to guide her.

According to the American Diabetes Association, “The majority of people have type 2 diabetes, but an important minority have type 1 diabetes (~5%),” like Allyson. “Contrary to popular belief, type 1 diabetes is not a childhood disease. It occurs at every age, in people of every race, and of every shape and size.”

Once a family is sent home, the care doesn’t stop. “We give the family time to let them work on everything we talked about in the hospital to let it set in,” Mota said. The hospital remains a resource once they go home.

The open enrollment period for the Marketplace ends Jan. 15, 2023. For coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2023, you must enroll by Dec. 15, 2022. Some changes to note for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas in 2023 include:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is expanding the MyBlue HMO℠ Plan, a high-performance, lower-cost option, into six additional counties.

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) this year means more people will again qualify for subsidies to help pay for their health insurance.

nization that offers comprehensive rehabilitation services for children with neurological, muscular, and skeletal disabilities.

Take the case of 71-yearold Marcela and her nine-year-old great-granddaughter, whom she has custody of and brought to get treatments at CRIT for a disability she was born with that didn’t allow the right side of her body to develop correctly. She requires therapy to learn how to walk and talk in addition to occupational and physical therapy, said her bisabuela (great-grandmother).

CRIT was an organization the grandmother volunteered for when she was in Mexico. “Who would have thought one day my family and I would be in need of their services.”

Having been with CRIT in San Antonio for about five years and watching her great-granddaughter go through a difficult but necessary surgery, Marcela said she’s noticed significant improvements and seen first-hand the major benefits CRIT provides to its patients.

Every day Marcela sees improvements in her great-granddaughter’s speech with the aid of her communication device provided to them by CRIT. She’s also seeing physical improvements she’s made through occupational therapy and being able to grab things and move them around as she gains strength in her legs.

The staff and doctors at CRIT have been a tremendous support to the family, said the grandmother. “It is an unconditional support that they give to everyone, and I can’t thank them

enough. CRIT is a place of hope, and children and their families come to CRIT with that hope as well.”

El Paso Children’s Hospital is a long-standing organization that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas has supported since 2017.

For five years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas has awarded grants to El Paso Children’s Hospital through its Healthy Kids, Healthy Families initiative that has added groundbreaking support in its expansion of diabetes programs offered to patients. A partnership resulting in the care and impact of close to 2,250 children.

Crystal Tapia’s 10-year-old daughter Allyson was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. One afternoon, Allyson began to feel unwell. Her mother took her to the hospital, unaware that the health episode she was suffering from was due to her elevated blood glucose level of 600. “I was just thinking she was sick; she had the flu. Honestly, I had no idea what was going on,” said Tapia. “I saw some symptoms a week prior but I didn’t connect the dots that it could have been type 1 diabetes.”

They spent four days in the ICU at El Paso Children’s Hospital, and from day one, Tapia said there was not one bad experience while Allyson was in their care. “As you can imagine, I had no idea what to do, what’s next, what I have to do, what she has to do, what I have to look out for, and they helped us through every single step,” Tapia said. She was grateful to all the nurses and doctors, especially a nurse namedEduvina Mota, for walking her through the process, holding her hand, providing

Additionally for 2023, according to the Biden Administration, it’s estimated that up to 1 million people will become newly eligible for tax credits to help pay for their ACA plans.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas knows how important it is to choose the right health plan for your family and offers multiple resources to help families make the best choice. Virtual open enrollment seminars will also be held across Texas with Think Blue representatives who can provide guidance in English and Spanish. For more information you can also call 866-4277497, Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–5p.m. CT.

“We are committed to ensuring that every Texan has access to affordable healthcare coverage throughout their healthcare journey,” said Springfield.

H Mayor Turner's Media and Friends Holiday Party H H

Houston City Hall H

TAKE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS on a magical journey and discover new hope for the future! Going out to see Shen Yun’s elaborate stage production in person is an amazing lifetime experience. You are part of the magic.

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Shen Yun’s deeply moving and beautiful works are inspiring millions around the world. Powerful, uplifting, heartwarming, unforgettable—these are the words viewers use to describe their experience.

“This is the best I have ever seen. It was so uplifting. It spoke to everything that is good in this world.”

—Glen Duncan, Grammy Award-winning musician

“I am so blessed to watch it. I felt a very strong, beautiful energy.”

—Paige McNamara, dancer

“Absolutely the greatest of the great! You have to see it to believe it.”

—Christine Walevska, master cellist