VOL XVIII ISSUE 18 APRIL 17, 2019
MY TRUTH Cheryl Smith Publisher
Celebrating Women
Have you ever met someone you thought was brilliant? This person’s brilliance is so alluring and fascinating that you can’t help but think that some of the brilliance is rubbing off on you the more you are in that person’s presence. Over the years, I have met so many who I have said that I know their IQ is considerably higher than mines. And that’s okay. There are probably those who say it doesn’t take much to have a higher IQ than I, and that’s okay too.
Cheryl Wattley
There’s something to be said about those who have scored high on standardized tests, but also score high on life’s tests. There are the ones who have book sense, common sense and street sense, as opposed to those who have no damned sense! Which brings me to my truth. Cheryl Wattley is the superstar, the person who scores high in all areas. Smart, intuitive, well-prepared, and fearless in her conviction and purpose. For those attorneys who have been in the courtroom with her, they know they have a more than formidable opponent. She is bad! I have sat in the courtroom and said a silent prayer that she was on my side because I really felt as though she would have annihilated me! Cheryl also has a kind heart. There’s nothing phony or pretentious about her. She stands on her own truth and any decision she makes, she’s strong and bad enough to back it up. Her unwavering support of the causes she champions is commendable. And she isn’t loud and boisterous about her brilliance, so if you think about stepping to her, and you don’t think twice and back it up and reverse it; well then I feel for your jugular! You know you are on a solid foundation when she backs you. Currently Cheryl is the Professor of Law and Director of Experiential Education at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. Previously she taught at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. I hope UNT realizes what they have in Cheryl. I have met several of her students and they love and respect her. They seem to realize that they have not only a great teacher, but a great legal mind right at their fingertips. We have some great men and women sitting on judicial benches currently, but those with real insight know that Cheryl Wattley should have been sitting on a federal bench decades ago. Just reflecting on the shenanigans that deprived her and to think about some of the people getting lifetime appointments under the country’s current leadership makes me want to puke. Cheryl is really proud of her students and seeks every opportunity to share resources to help them become better lawyers. She’s the type of professor who brings pride to the profession and passion, preparation and wisdom into the classrooms. Her students are the beneficiaries of a nononsense approach to understanding a system that has definitely had its challenges and has definitely been used to benefit the rich and privileged while causing irreparable damage to the downtrodden and unfortunate. Having Cheryl in your corner, in your classroom, on your side, or in the courtroom; kinda balances the scales of justice because See MY TRUTH, page 5
QUIT PLAYIN’
By Vincent L. Hall
Trump, Racism and Low IQ! “Donald Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough, your IQ can be very low and you can still intrude into American politics,” George Will said. This was Will, the intellectual pundit bemoaning the 2012 cycle that featured Obama v. Romney. At the time, none of us knew
that God would allow Satan to plague this nation under the guise of a Trump presidency. But Quit Playin; I prophesied that Donald’s only Trump card
was the Race card in 2012! My conjecture was simple. The hypothesis had been made and the conclusion was obvious. From the antics of the Jerry Springer Show to the unvarnished and wanton callowness that shows up on “Reality television”… ignorance See QUIT PLAYIN, page 5
Andrews Bowers voices concerns about House Bill 2
State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers (HD 113) has some key concerns regarding House Bill 2, which would cap the property tax rate at 2.5% and require voter approval if a local government wanted to increase their property taxes above the 2.5% cap. Representative Bowers cited feedback from her district regarding the negative ramifications her constituents would experience should the Bill pass as the source of her concerns. “After speaking with the leadership in the cities that I represent, we all agree that HB 2 presents some big concerns for us and the future of our district.
Rep. Andrews Bowers
The communities in my district have experienced major growth over the past few years, a trend that is only expected to continue. We believe that a cap on property taxes would curb highgrowth communities’ ability to meet local needs. “If we are unable to meet the needs of our growing commu-
nity, it would prove damaging to all residents and businesses in the area.” The biggest issue with the property tax cap is it would leave local governments unable to meet the needs of their communities. Cities rely on the revenue generated from property taxes to provide essential services and funding for things like public schools, public safety, transportation infrastructure and organized recreational activities. In addition, individuals who risk their lives on a daily basis to serve and protect our communities, such as police officers and firefighters, rely on
A recent study by the Urban Institute reports that in communities across the nation home prices and rents are exceeding the reach of an increasing number of households. “For every 100 extremely lowincome households, there are only 29 adequate, affordable, and available rental units. That means two parents who both work minimum-wage jobs might wait years to find a safe, affordable place to live with their two kids,” the report states. According to Michael Washburn, president at Exit Realty of the Carolinas, based in Charleston, S.C, there are a number of troubling factors
that contribute to this problem. “Rules and regulations that govern where and how housing developments can be built,” Washburn said, “vary widely from one municipality to another. Government and the private sector have to come together to streamline the process of building homes and apartments,” he adds. One possible solution to dealing with this problem, says Washburn, is offering developers property tax
incentives that make it possible to reduce the cost of land acquisition. Another more long-term answer is expanding public transportation. Modern light rail systems enable residents to have a reliable, economical commute from areas where housing is more affordable to areas where their jobs might be located. “It doesn’t help much to have an affordable rent,” Washburn said, “if you have to buy a car and pay all the costs associated with buying gas, maintenance and insurance.” This growing lack of affordable housing is particularly acute in Charlotte, NC, said LaWana Mayfield, who represents District 3 on Charlotte’s City Council, because of rapid See AFFORDABLE, page 2
Garland ISD’s Hall of Famers By Anny Sivilay asivilay@starlocalmedia.com
Garland ISD recognized 14 Gale Fields Award nominees during Tuesday night’s Board of Trustees meeting, as well as Garland High School head softball coach Jennifer Sisson, who will be inducted into the Garland Sports Hall of Fame; she is one of four new inductees. Sisson was recognized for her impact on sports in Garland ISD, as well as the tricities. Coaching at GHS since 2004, she became the head softball coach in 2013 and the girls athletic coordinator in 2015. The Gale Fields Award recognizes students who
Fourteen male and female athletes representing all seven Garland ISD high schools will be honored by the Garland Sports Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Caren Rodriguez/Garland ISD
excel in and out of athletics, demonstrate leadership among their campuses and teams, as well as give back to their communities. Every year one male and one female athlete from all seven high schools is chosen as a nominee, and two of the 14 nominees will
By Chelle Luper Wilson
Black Heroes
“The Need for Heroes” by Langston Hughes was featured in a 1941 issue of The Crisis. He was bothered by the overwhelmingly negative images of African Americans in the news, movies, and books, as well as the growing erasure of Black heroes from the iconic—like Denmark Vessey and Mary McLeod Bethune, to the not so well known like Sam Solomon, who in 1939 led the first African Americans to vote in Miami, and Roscoe Dunjee, who in 1915 started the Black Dispatch newspaper in Oklahoma City to challenge and expose racism and violent attacks on the community. Hughes believed heroes like these would never make the news, writing “Why bother with the [news] at all? Look around you for the living heroes who are your neighbors— who may or may not always speak perfect English but who are courageous, straightforward, strong…and whose words and thoughts gather up what is in our own hearts and say it clearly and plainly sitting quietly in a chair in front of you.” I remembered Hughes’ words as I began to read all the articles and tributes celebrating the life and legacy of Nipsey Hussle. I was saddened that I didn’t know more about Nipsey, his story, and all of his accomplishments before his passing. From major national news outlets to local dailies, the “everyday hero” is featured all the
See ANDREWS, page 5
Shortage of Affordable Housing
By Christopher G. Cox Publisher and Managing Editor www.realesavvy.com
WORDZ OF WILSON
be named winners during the annual Garland Sports Hall of Fame banquet on April 17. The winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The nominees for Garland High are Isabel Borrego, a two-sport See GISD, page 5
Grammy nominated recording artist, activist and entrepreneur, Nipsey Hussle.
time. Recently, I’ve seen stories on a high school principal who installed washing machines, so his students wouldn’t miss school because of dirty clothes; a nurse that adopted a baby who had been in the hospital for over a year without any visitors; and a chef who left his Michelin star rated restaurant to try and add some flavor to school lunches in New York. These are all heroic efforts, to be sure, but so are Nipsey’s. That leaves me to wonder, why are so many just learning about his heroics? My mother used to always say, “Give me my flowers while I live.” I view her words a little differently now. Nipsey Hussle’s transformative work in community development, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and, efforts to end gang violence will be recorded in the Congressional Record, but all of this comes posthumously. I believe celebrating our heroes does as much for us as it does them. Most who put in work to improve our communities, using whatever resources they have, don’t do it for flowers, applause, or any other recognition. However, is it too much to ask of ourselves to let them know they are seen and valued? “We have a need for heroes,” writes Hughes, “[heroes] that will encourage and inspire our youth…to move and stir them to be forthright, strong, clear-thinking, and unafraid.” I believe we have just that kind of hero all around us. Nipsey Hussle may not have ever described himself as a hero, but his mission to transform the community that he both loved and lived in was heroic. Let his sudden loss remind us to honor the Nipsey Hussle’s right here in our own neighborhoods, schools, churches, rec centers, community organizations, sororities, and fraternities. If we look, they are there. We will find them doing the important work Nipsey embodied in life and death, “more faith and less fear… talking about dreams. Better to do it and let it be seen, cause then it’s clear.” Chelle Luper Wilson is a motivational speaker, writer and international secretary of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.