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December 15, 2017

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December 15, 2017

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SILENT KILLER: Oil and Gas Companies hurting Black communities

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December 15, 2017

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NAACP makes major changes that impact tax status

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Derrick Johnson

By Lauren Victoria Burke

NNPA Newswire Contributor

After being eclipsed in recent years

by Color of Change, Black Lives Matter and other younger, more tech savvy and politically-pointed groups, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization will change its tax status.

The group’s leaders said that the new tax status would allow them to be more aggressive politically During a call with reporters, NAACP officials announced that the civil rights group will transition from a 501(c)(3) to a 501(c)(4) designation.

The change will allow the organization to be more partisan and politically focused.

However, the tax designation does not allow political work to be the “primary activity� of the organization.

Even though the NAACP is 108 years-old, the organization is struggling to modernize and stay relevant in a rapidly-evolving, social media-driven landscape that requires speed and strategic communications skills.

In October, the NAACP named Derrick Johnson as its president; Johnson was elected by the NAACP’s board to serve for three years.

In a statement announcing John-

son as the new president, Leon Russell, the board chairman of the NAACP said, “As both a longtime member of the NAACP, and a veteran activist in his own right—having worked on the ground to advocate for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, along with championing countless other issues—Derrick also intimately understands the strengths of the Association, our challenges and the many obstacles facing Black Americans of all generations, today. I look forward to continuing to work with him in this new role.�

Russell continued: “In his time serving as our interim president and CEO, Derrick has proven himself as the strong, decisive leader we need to guide us through both our internal transition, as well as a crucial moment in our nation’s history.

With new threats to communities of color emerging daily and attacks on our democracy, the NAACP must be more steadfast than ever before.�

Johnson is a native of Detroit, Michigan who lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

He is a long-time member of the NAACP, who was elected Vice Chair earlier this year and served as the interim president after Cornell Brooks was forced out.

Johnson attended Tougaloo College before earning a juris doctor degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston.

The NAACP ousted Brooks in the spring of this year, a few months before the group’s annual convention in Baltimore.

Lauren Victoria Burke is the White House Correspondent for the NNPA Newswire, author and political analyst. Lauren is a frequent guest of “NewsOne Now� with Roland Martin. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.

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SILENT KILLER: Oil and Gas Companies hurting Black communities

By Cheryl Smith IMM News

Fence-line communities: are communities that are next to a company, industrial, or service facility and are directly affected in some way by the facility’s operation (e.g. noise, odor, traffic, and chemical emissions).

Most fence-line communities in the United States are Dr. Mark Mitchell low-income individuals and National Medical Association communities of color who experience systemic oppres- These toxins are not only consion such as environmental tributing to the ozone level, but also increased medical and furacism.

Fumes Across the Fence-Line

Some would say that these communities are definitely on the other side of the railroad tracks—the area where there are more dirt roads, liquor stores and food deserts—the hood!

The National Medical Association, Clean Air Task Force and NAACP co-released a report in November that unfortunately was overlooked during many news cycles although the findings were significant when you consider the number of African Americans impacted.

In a 34-page report, Fumes Across the Fence-Line: The Health Impacts of Air Pollution from Oil & Gas Facilities on African American Communities, the results are alarming to say the least.

According to the report, the oil and gas industry dumps 9 million tons of methane and toxic pollutants into the air each year.

neral bills.

“African Americans are disproportionately exposed,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell of the National Medical Association. “Deaths are increasing, and there are more cases of asthma in children and cancer in adults.”

Oil and gas is big business, especially in Texas, and other states like California. “Just because the oil company brings jobs and other benefits, doesn’t mean it can do it at the expense of my health and well-being” said Charles Zacharie, of Los Angeles.

Residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area should definitely be alarmed, Dr. Mitchell warned.

“Dallas is the number one location in the U.S. where African Americans are exposed to these fumes,” he said, adding that it is estimated that African American children are losing about 6000 school days because of illnesses associated with the oil

and gas leaks.

Until 2015 many of those children found themselves before a judge, with their parents, facing fines and possible detention. Even some parents were fined, or directed to attend after school sessions with their children.

This is definitely an area of concern because of the high Texas truancy rates, as well as children born with learning disabilities; although health issues were not a consideration in a U.S. Dept. of Justice report that looked at truancy in Dal-

las County, instead focusing on “poor school climate and inadequate identification of special education needs to teen pregnancy, negative peer influence, child abuse or neglect, poor academic performance, low school attachment, and students’ lack of self-esteem.”

Then there are the deaths that must be considered. African American children are more likely to die from asthma than white children (one per 1 million versus one per 10 million, See OIL AND GAS next page

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Oil and Gas Companies harm Black Communities continued from previous page

respectively).

Oil and gas leaks are the issue, a critical one that must be addressed. “The life-threatening burdens placed on communities of color near oil and gas facilities are the result of systemic oppression perpetuated by the traditional energy industry, which exposes communities to health, economic, and social hazards,” reads Fumes Across the Fence-Line.

Because natural gas does not have an odor, experts say, people don’t know they are being exposed. Odorless and silent, but deadly.

The report points out that African Americans are exposed to 38 percent more polluted air than Caucasian Americans and they are 75 percent more likely to live in fence-line communities than the average American.

And there are many symptoms associated with different air pollutants, including nausea, headaches, asthma attacks and dizziness.

Texas has the dubious distinction of having two cites on the the list of Top 10 States by African American Population Living within a Half Mile Radius of Oil and Gas Facilities.

“Common sense would suggest that a pipeline carrying a highly flammable substance and a massive polluting industrial facility should not be placed in any residential community, much less an environmental justice community” – Congressmen Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., John Lewis, Hank Johnson Jr., and David Scott in a 2015 response to the Saber Trail Pipeline Project in Alabama, Southern Georgia, and Central Florida.

Identifying the problem was important and offering solutions is equally important, says Dr. Mitchell. “We are concerned about the health of our communities.”

The report makes several recommendations: 1. Facilities should not be lo-

Councilman Tennell Atkins’ annual Home for the Holidays Campaign Kickoff Dallas City Councilman Tennell Atkins and community partners kicked off the 9th annual “Home for the Holidays” toy drive and adopt-a-family campaign this week.

The need for the “Home for the Holidays” program continues to grow in South Dallas’ District 8 with more families facing tough economic times. The goal of the campaign is to bring holiday joy to as many families as possible.

cated in residential areas 2. Make sure any and all facilities are maintained properly 3. Hire people in the communities to monitor and fix facilities where there are leaks.

Dr. Mitchell says Texas can follow the lead of California and Colorado with better guidelines and by reducing the amount of exposure to citizens.

“We have to educate our elected officials and encourage them to support technology that can reduce the amount of exposure and protect our population,” he continued. "We have to educate others and talk about this issue more."

Unfortunately in communities that are not as educated, there is an assumption that it is normal to have asthma or cancer. That is not the case said, Dr. Mitchell, “Our communities are suffering. There are more cases of cancer like blood, lymphoma

and leukemia."

Churches, organizations, businesses, community groups, politicians, healthcare professionals, and friends need to be discussing this issue. These death traps need to be located exposed and dealt with.

It's simple, Dr. Mitchell concluded, "If there is a leak underground, you can usually tell because grass does not grow in those areas. But the greatest indicator of where they (oil and gas leaks) are located is the percentage of people of color.”

This report is available online at: www.naacp.org/climate-justice-resources/ fumes-acrossthe-fence-line http://catf.us/resources/publications/ les/FumesAcrossTheFenceLine.pdf www.oilandgasthreatmap.com to find out if you live in an area where you should be concerned.

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Rev. Jackson announces Parkinson’s Diagnosis

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor) Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis caught many by surprise, but those who know him said they’re confident that he’ll overcome the life-threatening challenge before him.

“He’s in the rumble of his life, but he’s rumbled some big foes before,” said Vincent Hughes, a Democratic state senator from Pennsylvania who campaigned for Jackson in 1984 and again in 1988. Hughes said that Jackson’s campaigns were birthed in the Black empowerment movement that followed the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. “I’m one of those African Americans, who took office and was a part of that issue of ‘protest to power’ and Rev. Jackson was, in many respects, our leader and he still is.”

More than anyone else, Jackson opened the door for the election of Barack Obama, the first African American President of the United States, said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

Chavis was one of Jackson’s contemporaries during the Civil Rights Movement. “Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., is a living, global civil rights icon. As a colleague in the Civil Rights Movement dating back to the 1960s and under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have personally witnessed the selfless sacrifice and dedication of Rev. Jackson.”

Chavis continued: “For all who have cried out for freedom justice and equality, the news of his Parkinson’s disease should only serve to re-dedicate a movement now for healthcare equality for all, not only as a civil right, but as a human right.”

On Friday, November 17, Jackson, 76, issued a statement informing the world of his illness.

In the statement, Jackson recalled his foray into activism, being arrested on July 17, 1960 with seven other college students who advocated for the right to use a public library in his hometown of Greenville, S.C. He said that he remembers the arrest as if it happened yesterday and it was a day that forever changed his life.

“From that experience, I lost my fear of being jailed for a righteous cause. I went on to meet Dr. King and dedicate my heart

Rev. Jesse Jackson and soul to the fight for justice, equality, and equal access,” said Jackson, whose multiracial National Rainbow Coalition grew out of his work in the 1984 presidential campaign.

He said he resisted interrupting his work to visit a doctor, but his daily physical struggles intensified and he could no longer ignore his symptoms.

“After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” Jackson said.

Rev. Al Sharpton issued a statement saying that he spent time with Jackson and his family in New York, as Jackson made the announcement of his illness.

“As I watched him, I was reminded of the greatness of this man,” Sharpton said. “Reverend Jackson has changed the nation and served in ways in which he never got credit.”

Maynard Eaton, a journalist and national director of communications for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, called Jackson a legendary and fearless civil rights champion.

He said the disease may slow Jackson, but won’t stop him.

“Activism and civil rights are in his blood.

As a journalist, Jesse Jackson has been a treat and joy to cover and write about,” said Eaton. “He has been a civil rights darling and media maverick…Jesse Jackson is a quintessential and preeminent civil rights activist of our time.”

Even though Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurological condition, it is very treatable, said Dr. Nabila Dahodwala, an as-

sociate professor of neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

“A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease does not necessarily mean that you must make drastic changes, but every individual is different in how they are affected, how they respond to treatment and how they choose to spend their time,” Dahodwala said.

Ihtsham ul Haq, an expert in neurology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, said he believes Jackson will do well.

“Though each patient’s journey with Parkinson’s disease is a little bit different, thankfully for many the symptoms are often well-managed with medication, said Haq. “The hallmark of the disease is the slow loss of dopamine in the brain, which unlocks our movement.”

Haq continued: “As patients begin to produce less of it they show the slowness, stiffness, and tremor that typify the disease.

Replacing dopamine usually substantially alleviates these problems.”

Leslie A. Chambers, the president and CEO of the American Parkinson Disease Association, said making appropriate lifestyle changes and focusing on physical therapy will go a very long way to helping Jackson live the best life possible, in spite of the disease.

“Since its a lifelong chronic illness, the American Parkinson Disease Association encourages people with Parkinson’s to seek out a top notch medical and healthcare team, which includes a movement disorders specialist physician and allied healthcare providers and protect and defend their overall health status with a nutritious diet, physical therapy and safe, effective daily exercise programs, as well as emotional and social support from family, and professional care partners-givers,” Chambers said, adding that the association extends heartfelt wishes to Jackson.

Dorothy Leavell, the chairman of the NNPA and the publisher of the Crusader Newspaper Group said that even though Jackson is in for the fight of his life, she warned that Parkinson’s disease had met its match.

“This is a major blow, but it’s not the death knell,” said Leavell. “We will keep working and encourage Jesse with all he’s done for us and continues to do.”

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR December 15 Hamilton Park United Methodist Church - The Coalition of Churches in prison Ministry’s Gift of Light for 8400 inmates in Beto, Michael and Boyd Units.

EVENTFULLY YOURS PRESENTS 2018 NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH at 8:00 PM Eventfully Yours Special Event Venue, 7640 NE Loop 820,Suite 110 North Richland HIlls, TX 76180

Marty Jo Taylor along with Larry Moses Sr. on what you should do when stopped by police, how to handle tickets and more.

African American Museum 10-11am

January 1

Masquerade Winter Engagement. Hosted by House of Royale at Lofty Spaces 816 Montgomery Street,

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Discover Dallas ISD will take place over two weekends at four different locations: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2 Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St., Dallas Skyline High School, 7777 Forney Rd., Dallas 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9 Emmett J. Conrad High School; 7502 Fair Oaks Ave., Dallas Alfred Loos Field House; 3815 Spring Valley Rd., Addison Admission and parking are free at all four locations. For more info, visit dallasisd.org/discoverdallasisd.

Last Day of Kwanzaa January 6

December 16

100 BLACK MEN OF GREATER DALLAS / FORT WORTH ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY AND TOY DRIVE Saturday at 8:00 PM 7 for Parties 150 Turtle Creek Boulevard #107 Dallas, TX 75207

December 26 First Day of Kwanzaa December 31

January 28

Dallas, Texas 5:45p The Royale Masquerade Ball will be held in Dallas,Texas to showcase the best high fashion and upscale designers. There will be High Fashion, Runway, Commercial and print models featuring many couture collections. We have 8 Featured designers From New York, Dallas, Paris, and Tampa. The Masquerade will be held in Dallas as a PRIVATE engagement

February 17

YOGA N DA HOOD: ALL GUCCI MANE EDITION 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM (CST) Flow Fitness 2630 Aero Drive Grand Prairie, TX 75052

January 13 Tickets, The Law and Lawyers This show is focusing on what to do when pulled over, how to handle traffic tickets.

As most of us just pay the fine and move on taking the hit with our insurance policies. But are there other things you can do? Attorney

Sommore, Arnez J, Earthquake, George Wallace, and Bruce Bruce Festival of Laughs Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Pl, Grand Prairie, Texas 75050

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Remembering Joseph Smith 1927-2004

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HALL: Don’t Impeach Him...Yet!!!

Reading between Bernie’s lines isn’t always easy.

But this time Sanders is saying, “Don’t impeach him…yet!!! Let me give you three reasons to con-

Democrats an unnecessary loss.

We sat on our “Blessed Assurances” and allowed the “Grand Old Party” to outsmart us.

They knew the Trump brand was putrid, but they held their noses and went with him. Meanwhile, liberal Whites got lost in the fog, Hispanics underperformed or bought the Kool-Aid, and African Americans fell for that

ized that we are only 13% of the voting population.

The only chance we’ve had since LBJ signed the Civil Rights Bill is the Democratic Party.

If nothing else the Democratic Party will give anybody and everybody a fighting chance.

And that’s all any minority opinion is owed by this constitution, a fighting chance. Black folks get their feelings hurt too

sider.

First and foremost, the Democratic Party fully deserves this season of despair and disillusionment.

As Hillary Rodham Clinton said in 2006; “Democrats want to fall in love, while Republicans fall in line.”

We live in this age of instant gratification, but we need to suffer a bit longer.

Elections have consequences…remember?

They say perfection is the enemy of progress and the need for purity caused

same old foolishness.

You know the old line that White Republicans and the hand full “coloreds” in their camp always drag out…”The Democratic Party takes the Black vote for granted.”

Before you agree out loud and in public, realize that it’s about the most politically ignorant statement you could ever make.

Strategically, there are no choices. The GOP locked Blacks out in the late 1960’s when they real-

easy and too often, but it’ll take a few generations to forget how we blew it in 2016.

Secondly, if you find Trumpism unbearable, you don’t realize how much a politically savvy Mike Pence would have accomplished in year one, controlling the House, Senate and Oval Office.

ObamaCare would be dead, gay marriage would be on life support and the trickle-down tax plan would have you sick by

QUIT PLAYIN’

By Vincent L. Hall

Bernie Sanders, one of the few U.S. Senators who reporters brand as “Progressive” has his Conservative detractors and some in the Democratic Party.

H owe ve r, Sanders issued an admonishment on NBC’s Meet the Press that I had to agree with.

“Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday w a r n e d against “jumping the gun” in pursuing impeachment charges against President Donald Trump and maintained that any potential proceedings should not be partisan.

“I think there is a process that has to be followed,” the Vermont independent said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” urging Democrats to wait for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation on Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election to play out before starting any kind of formal impeachment process.”

now.

Mike Pence is no John F. Kennedy; but he’s no dumb ass Donald Trump either.

The final argument for delaying the demise of “The Donald” is my own and would probably be considered sinister by most.

Trump is a thin-skinned, whiny-assed, insecure brat. Over the next 24 months or so, I want to watch him endure the pain that he has unleashed on the world. In the good old days, you would never fry or microwave a political foe; you boil them…a slow rolling boil.

Donald Trump neither believes nor understands karma, but history tells me that there is a Mack Truck waiting at the end of his dark tunnel.

The great Roman poet Ovid said it best; “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” Between the slow drip and the boil, the hollow stone we know as Donald Trump will disintegrate and dissipate.

Don’t impeach Trump... yet!! Let him simmer and stew until he’s ready to be served.

Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist and award-winning journalist.

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December 15, 2017

NOV. 21 THRU JAN. 7

FAIR PARK DALLAS

Magical Lanterns.

Lifetime of Memories.

Magnificent Holiday-Themed Lanterns Two Million Lights Snowball Throwing Games Santa’s Artic Slide Live Performances World-class Acrobatic Shows & More

PURCHASE TICKETS:

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MUHAMMAD: Alabama, Mississippi … Damn!

By Askia Muhammad

The lyrics of the song introduced at Carnegie Hall in 1964 by the genius Nina Simone are just as true today as they were 53 years ago: “Alabama’s got me so upset, “Tennessee made me lose my rest, “But everybody knows about Mississippi, goddamn…”

Alabamians actually boast, when folks complain about that state’s worse-thanThird-World living conditions: “At least we’re not Mississippi.”

Indeed, in every demographic category — infant mortality, life expectancy, literacy, etc. — Alabama ranks 49th of 50 U.S. states in every bad measurement.

Only Mississippi has a lower quality of life than Alabama.

But this month, in a bit of role reversal befitting only the Jim Crow South, Alabama stands to elect a creepy judge who would have been lynched several times for the behavior he’s accused of with girls as young as 14, if he were black. In Mississippi, a black man simply looking at a white woman could get

lynched for a crime known as “eyeball rape.”

But Roy Moore, a Bible-thumping holy moralist who was removed twice from his position as chief judge of the Alabama Supreme Court, stood as a formidable candidate for the U.S. Senate, when he should have been run out of the state like Richard Pryor’s character “Mudbone” who had to leave the South to save his life.

President Trump has a part in this drama. After backing his Republican opponent in the primary, The Donald has now gotten on board, endorsing and campaigning via robocall for Moore, who has been accused by eight women — whose accounts were corroborated by 30 more witnesses — of predatory, abusive sexual behavior 34 years ago when the women were girls, between the ages of 14 and 18.

White Republicans back Moore, even those who claim that evangelical Christian teachings and beliefs guide their lives.

They would rather have a pedophile who professes the 10 Commandments, rather than a Democrat, or any other kind of liberal.

Inside a recreated jail cell where civil rights workers

were imprisoned in the 1960s, there was a checker board.

It was made of bread given to inmates at the state prison, the red pieces were marked with blood from the beatings the innocent volunteers endured. Near there, the president spoke.

“The Civil Rights Museum records the oppression, cruelty and injustice inflicted on the African-American community,” 45 said.

“The fight to end slavery, to break down Jim Crow, to end segregation, to gain the right to vote, and to achieve the sacred birthright of equality here. And that’s big stuff. That’s big stuff. Those are very big phrases. Very big words.”

But the Pres was snubbed by many officials.

Jackson Mayor Antar Chokwe Lumumba, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who represents Jackson, and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (DGa.) all stayed away, attending an alternative event at another location.

“I believe that Trump’s presence is a distraction,” Lumumba said. “His policies don’t reflect his statements that this is a movement that will bring people together.

Trump has not demonstrated a continuing dedication to the ideals the civil rights movement upholds. I didn’t want to share the stage with Trump.”

So even as worrisome as Mississippi has been lo these many, many generations, in 2017, Alabama just might be even more loathsome a place than Mississippi, with this implacable white political mindset which literally has made what everyone knows to be “evil fair seeming,” as the Scriptures describe their wicked behavior.

What is amazing about this contemptible set of circumstances — 45 is “draining the Washington swamp” and filling it with alligators — is the brazenness, the open contempt for any kind of common decency these characters exhibit.

Moore and 45 grew up about the same time, thousands of miles apart from each other, but both grew up to be dangerous sexual predators, who grope and feel women at will, and who lie about as quickly as they take their next breath.

If I may paraphrase Miss Nina Simone here: Alabama, Mar-a-Lago, Mississippi, goddamn! And I mean every word of it.

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Another Health Program Taken Away: Will the CHIP Program Receive Reauthorization Funding?

By Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Ever since its inception, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has been vital in ensuring our nation’s most vulnerable children have the opportunity to have a healthy and fulfilling childhood.

The legislation has been reauthorized multiple times with broad bipartisan support.

However, the current Republican-led Congress is threatening to put children in our district in danger of losing this essential service.

CHIP, signed into law in 1997, provides health coverage to children of low-income families and pregnant women who have an annual income that is above the Medicaid eligibility levels but have no health insurance. For example, to qualify for Medicaid in Texas, the

maximum yearly income for a household of one is approximately $24,000.

Under the CHIP program, the federal government matches the state between 65 and 100 percent.

However, until this year CHIP had always received bipartisan support for funding. Neverthe-

30 at risk of losing their health care.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has requested an extra $90 million from the federal government’s redistribution funds, that is used to assist states with a funding short fall, to fund the program through February.

less, in September 2017, federal funding expired for this program leaving nearly 9 million children and mothers at risk of losing health insurance.

Texas will exhaust its federal funding in the upcoming year causing the state to notify over 400,000 recipients (nearly 45 percent of children in the state) that their insurance will expire on January 31, 2018 including approximately 40,500 constituents in District

Though this is a temporary fix, it does not solve the problem; Congress must reauthorize funds.

Although I have been a longtime supporter of the CHIP program, the partisan bill passed by Republicans this fall takes away from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare.

Specifically the state of Texas would lose over $13 million in funding from the ACA Prevention Fund under the Republi-

can bill. However, I will continue to work diligently with my colleagues in Congress to secure these necessary resources for CHIP. Recently, I signed on to cosponsor H.R. 4541, the Champion Kids Act of 2017, that will address this issue by reauthorizing CHIP, Community Health Centers, and other important public health programs while funding them by shifting the timing of prescription drug payments to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans.

I have also joined my Texan colleague, Congressman Beto O’Rourke, in a letter to the House and Senate leadership urging them to work urgently in a bipartisan manner to extend funding for CHIP because it will negatively affect middle and working class families.

Since its inception, CHIP has been a focus point in bipartisanship and so Congress should continue fighting to ensure that our nation’s most vulnerable populations have affordable health care.

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MALVEAUX: When Will There Be Zero Tolerance for Racism?

The Last Word

by Dr. Julianne Malveaux

Congressman John Conyers was the first politician to leave his job after the #MeToo hashtag galvanized women to speak up about sexual misconduct, harassment and more.

Too bad that impetus did not float up to the top, when an avowed grabber of women’s genitals was elected to lead this country.

Too bad, too, that the many members of Congress who have paid accusers out of a taxpayer-funded slush fund have not been unmasked. We know some of the names. Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold (R) arranged to have his former communications director paid $84,000 (more than three times the $27,000 Conyers is said to have paid). He has not resigned, nor have Congressional Republicans, including leader Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), called for his resignation. He says he will pay the money back. Right.

As a woman I am cheered by the #MeToo

movement, although I am also chagrined by the myopia about women of color and sexual harassment/rape/more.

In 1944, Recy Taylor was viciously raped by seven white men who never paid a price.

Our civil rights icon, Rosa Parks, was an NAACP investigator in this case, as chronicled

by Danielle McGuire in her book, “At The Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape and Resistance” (Vintage, 2010). And the first case in which the Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment was a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was brought by an African-American woman, Michelle Vinson, in the case Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (1986).

The high-profile white women who are talking about workplace sexual harassment and assault really need to acknowledge the many ways that African-American women have been systematically abused and systematically ignored — and sometimes con-

spired against — by their white “sisters.”

Perhaps I quibble, but this overwhelming stand against sexual misconduct (and more — getting nude in front of your staff is not misconduct, nor is forcible kissing, nor is grabbing by the you know what) makes me wonder when there will be a similar groundswell against racism and racial harassment in the

Congressman John Conyers

workplace.

Numerous cases of nooses being displayed in workplaces have been reported in the last decade, so many that a law journal published an article titled, “Does One Noose in the Workplace Constitute a Hostile Work Environment?

If Not, How Many?”

One isolated incident is not enough, the article opines. What about one unwanted kiss, one abusive grope?

Why do nooses get to be seen as “jokes,” while unwanted kissing is seen as an occurrence of zero tolerance?

I’m not ever, ever, ever going to excuse sexual perfidy (and more) in the workplace, but I do wonder why we can wink, nod and grin about racial workplace misbehavior while we stand our ground about gender.

I wonder why so many say “just kidding” or “didn’t know” when they are racially insensitive, and nobody calls it, but they are willing to call it on gender.

If you look at the Senate and the House of Representatives, the paucity of people of color as senior staff is amazing, as documented by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Surely, there is no shortage of highly qualified African-Americans and Latinos who could work for Congress. Why aren’t members of Congress calling each other on their racial myopia?

Perhaps racism and racial harassment are a little more complicated than sexism and sexual harassment. Half of the population, after all, is female, and while women’s rise up the hierarchy in corporate Amer-

ica, politics, the media and entertainment is slow, it has been steady enough that powerful women are now able to call men out on their misbehavior, with women demanding resignations of (some) misbehaving men.

Too few white men and women, at the same time, have been willing to apply the same “zero tolerance” to employment matters regarding race.

There should never be another noose laid on a Black employee’s desk or displayed in a workplace.

There should never be another intimidating Confederate flag flying in a Black person’s face.

There should never be another opportunity for an employee (or fellow student, or faculty member) to talk about picking cotton.

There should never be another blackface performance, anywhere.

And there should never be another person who talks about zero tolerance around workplace sexism to accept any whisper of workplace racism.

If John Conyers had to go, so should Franken.

Otherwise, we have accepted a racial double standard that is untenable.

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December 15, 2017

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Best Left Unsaid Unspeakable truths reveal connectivity in movie Wonderstruck

By Eva D. Coleman

A young boy looking for his dad in the late 70s. A young girl looking for her

mom in the late 20s. There’s 50 years between their aspirations of finding a missing piece to their puzzled lives, and then, they find each other.

Based on the novel of the same name, Wonderstruck cleverly weaves these two tales together, giving the audience a taste of nostalgia along the way. The film also evokes use

and non-use of several senses.

Ben, played by Oakes Fegley, was being raised by his

mother who went mum at any mention of his father. It was something she chose not to speak of or share details about with him. His mother passes away, and after discovering clues in their home, he sets out to find his father. Before his journeyed disappearance from a relative’s care, an act of nature causes him to lose his hearing. The absence

of sound does not stop him from seeking answers in circa 1977 New York City.

In a separate storyline featured in black and white, Millicent Simmonds plays Rose who is deaf. She’s being raised by her father in circa 1927, whom solely based on visible character emotions, the viewer may determine him to be not so nice. The silent film aspects, including music and imagery, take the audience to a place of sadness, pity, joy and laughter…with instances of Rose’s obsession with a silent film star (played by Academy Aw a r d - Wi n n i n g actress Julianne Moore) displayed on screen as she too watches her in film.

As she longs to be a part of this star’s world, she sets out to join her in New York City. We later learn the star is her mom.

There’s so much in the middle of this movie.

Suspense, trepidation, a friend’s trust and second-guessing

what’s to come constantly produces swells of the mental psyche. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions…with at numerous times, little to no dialogue.

It speaks volumes when it’s revealed towards the end that Ben and Rose are related. Their union brings a sense of relief.

Wonderstruck takes us to different time periods experienced by two characters.

As a moviegoer you’ll get to experience sensory overload, while appreciating the beauty of words not spoken.

It clearly exposes the power of personal interpretation.

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December 15, 2017

Five Tips to Stress-Free Homeownership from the Experts

By Christopher G. Cox (Publisher/ Managing Editor, realesavvy.com)

For most people, the decision to purchase a home is the single biggest financial commitment they will make in a lifetime of decision-making. The decision to buy a home, especially a first home, involves so many competing factors, that it can cause high levels of stress and anxiety.

As stress-inducing as a home purchase can be, there are things that a prospective homeowner can do to minimize potential headaches.

Ruth Hudspeth, branch manager for Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, says the number one thing homebuyers need to do is be prepared.

Know your finances first.

“A homeowner should be able to enjoy their new home without being overburdened by the financial commitment. Like any other big decision, however, that takes some planning.”

Hudspeth said. “You have to take the time to understand your credit score, your capacity to qualify for a mortgage loan and what your budget will be.”

Hudspeth, who has degrees in economics and business administration, recommended that individuals moving from a rental property into a home set aside the difference between the mortgage payment and the rent payment and put that money into a separate account.

“If, for example,” she noted, “your mortgage payment is going to be $1,000 a month and your rent has been $500, pay yourself the $500 difference for a while and see how well you handle it.”

A lender might be able to tell you the amount of the mortgage loan you can qualify for, but he can’t tell you how much paying that mortgage will affect your lifestyle.

Learn as much as you can about the process of buying a home.

“Buying a home is a big deci-

sion,” said Hudspeth. “It doesn’t make sense to wait until you are too close to making that decision to educate yourself.”

Dr. Kimya N. Dennis, a criminologist, who does work in demographic and cultural variance in mental health, agreed that careful preparation is the key to reducing the stress associated with getting into the housing market.

“I encourage people to take time to communicate with everyone involved in the process of purchasing a home,” Dennis said. “There needs to be open and honest discussion that weighs all the pros and cons.”

Take a hard look at your quality of life.

Dennis added that long- and short-term economic goals, location and commuting time, quality of the construction and access to public transportation should also be discussed.

Dennis emphasized the importance of carefully reviewing and understanding all the documents required to purchase a home. As part of that process, she suggested that taking advantage of low- and no-cost programs designed to educate homebuyers, such as those offered by the local affiliates of the National Urban League, as well as other community organizations.

Ask plenty of questions.

“If you want to keep your anxiety level low, you can’t be afraid to ask questions,” said Dennis.

“As basic as it sounds, sometimes you just have to take a few minutes to pause and breathe.”

Remember to breathe.

She explained that a common reaction to anxiety is holding one’s breath, especially just before making a big decision.

Dennis concluded: “You might be surprised to find out how much it helps to just stop and take a few deep breaths when decisions threaten to become overwhelming.”

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The one who got away Ask ALMA Dear Alma, I’ve been married for over 10 years and I’m very happy with my husband and two kids.

My husband is very kind to me.

My kids are very well behaved and we have a good life. Before I got married I was in love with a man who said he would never get married and he didn’t want any kids.

I always hoped that he didn’t mean that and would marry me but he never did. After more than a year and a half, we broke it off and I met my husband and got married.

After I got married I would see him from time to time and he stayed in touch with my brother.

When he and my brother would go out, he would always ask about me to see how I was doing.

Recently my brother told me that he said he should have married me.

I know you’re gonna think I’m crazy but I can’t stop thinking about him.

I think we need to have a conversation because I have so much I want to say to him.

I am trying to figure out my best option.

I could email him or reach out on Facebook.

I was thinking I could ask him to meet me. How should I contact him in a way that’s the most respectful?

Name withheld Dear Name Withheld,

Excuse me, did you say respectful? What exactly is respectful about a married woman trying to reconnect with an ex?

Because that’s basically all you’re trying to do. You wanna know how I know – cause I thought the same thing.

And when I did, I asked my BFF Neasy about it. Yep, I wanted to contact my old “here he comes, I can’t breathe” high school crush named Poopie.

Girl, it was a crush like no other, LOL. Like you, I was happily married, life was good, and all I wanted to do is let him know just how much I truly loved him.

I did my best explaining and exasperating my heart and soul to Neasy and you know what she asked me: Why? Yep, just that simple. So now I’m asking you.

Why? What if he misunderstands your actions? Is it worth your marriage, the love of your husband, the happiness of your children? If he wanted to marry you, he would have.

Ain’t no truth in shoudda, cudda, wudda.

Stop romanticizing over what

you wish could have happen and live in what is happening. What is happening is that you have a loving husband and father to your children.

If circumstances were the other way around and your husband wanted to have a conversation with an ex, girl pleez, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

You’d be accusing him of all kinds of disrespect!

Turn your twinkle toes towards what’s real and watch the video, live version of Whitney Houston, “All the Man I Need” and fall back in fabulous love with your husband.

My favorite is the one with her in a beautiful red gown, Kirk Whalum’s on the sax. It’s the concert she did for our troops. Girl, rewind it two or three times if you need to.

All the romance and attention you’re looking for is already living inside your home.

You just need to breathe new life into it.

Let that other man go, that conversation and action of sharing words, just isn’t worth the risk of losing your happy home.

I never contacted Poopie and I’m perfectly fine with that decision.

Give it some time and you will be, too.

If not, go find a BFF you can confide in, who’ll keep you on track, named Neasy!

Alma

Alma Gill’s newsroom experience spans more than 25 years, including various roles at USA Today, Newsday and the Washington Post. Email questions to: alwaysaskalma@gmail.com.

Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma.

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Giving Thanks Before Thanksgiving Holiday Victoria Bruce (Lone Star High School), Maddie Cargile (Wakeland High School), Jonathon Depriest (Lone Star High School), Mari Forbes (Independence High School),

Kate Furney (Wakeland High School), Jared Gonzalez-Yapp (Wakeland High School), Madison McFarlane (Heritage High School), Kennedy McGilvery (Lone Star High School)

Frisco ISD-TV 2017-2018 Crew (L to R: Victoria Bruce, Jared Gonzalez-Yapp, Jonathon Depriest, Madison McFarlane, Darrin Sohm, Lauren Goodman, Kate Furney, Josh Laulom, Mari Forbes, Kennedy McGilvery, Maddie Cargile)

A crew that works together is honored together

named, with Frisco ISD-TV coming in sixth.

“Seeing my crew automatically grasp hands along their row as they antic-

honor. Having been named four-time Pacemaker Finalists (2010, 2013, 2015, 2016) and two-time The Journalism EdPacemaker Winners ucation Association (2010, 2013) in the (JEA) / Nationpast, Frisco al Scholastic ISD-TV has Press Associwon numeration (NSPA) ous awards Fall National from NSPA for High School excellence and Journalism outstanding convention was achievement held November in high school 16-19 in Dallas, broadcast proTexas. With gramming.

Best of Show 6th Place Certificate close to 5,000 2017-2018 Frisregistrants in co ISD-TV crew attendance, Frisco ipated the results members are: ISD-TV is honored to really touched my Senior Producers / have received national heart,” Frisco ISD-TV Senior Editors Lauren recognition.

Executive Producer Goodman (Reedy Frisco ISD-TV enEva Coleman said. “It High School), Josh tered the Best of Show proves we’re all in this Laulom (Wakeland contest where broadthing together,” she High School), Darrin cast teams bring in a added.

Sohm (Reedy High program to compete NSPA awards the School) with other schools.

Pacemaker, scholastic Ten places were journalism’s highest Producers / Editors

Frisco ISD-TV 6th Place on NSPA Screen

Frisco ISD-TV Crew Holding Hands Anticipating Results

Frisco ISD-TV Eva Coleman with Senior Producers (L to R: Eva Coleman, Darrin Sohm, Lauren Goodman, Josh Laulom)

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Confidence Plus Discipline Equals Power Spiritually Speaking

by James A. Washington

I have two words for you today; confidence and discipline. Both of which, when viewed spiritually, exude Godly principles. Put this on the Holy Spirit, but discipline is an amazing thing.

When applied to faith, be it natural or supernatural, the result is spiritual confidence. Spiritual confidence and discipline, without ego or arrogance, gives you an attitude of awareness and knowledge and dare I say power?

The example I’d like to use is of those saints in the Upper Room, when the Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost and instilled everyone there with well, confidence and discipline.

These people ultimately came to demonstrate a level of faith that was used via the power and grace of God to spread the Word of God all over the world. If you look at the before and after of this Pentecostal happening, you’ll begin to see my point. Prior to this,

the faithful were huddled in secrecy, being faithful to the belief that what Jesus had told them, was indeed true. God would send another.

That ‘Other” turned out to be the Holy Spirit, who imbued them with more of what they already had.

Now their confidence in the truth of Jesus, coupled with their discipline to spread that word, manifested itself in their ability to communicate the gospel to the world.

The world has not been the same since.

The question then becomes, in what is your confidence and discipline based? Where do you get the necessary power to have your gifts fortified?

Does your faith give you the strength to acquire the discipline necessary to know what you should be doing in the Lord’s name and then do it?

I believe the result is the power to know that you can do anything through Christ Jesus, provided you were called to do it. I also believe scripture illustrates to us that without spiritually based discipline, it is practically

impossible to stand up to the trials and tribulations of life, but also impossible to withstand the temptations that seek to control our sometimes out of control behavior.

The good news here is that wherever the Holy Spirit resides, change will occur, the right kind of change.

Of those anointed in the Upper Room, many were faced with the opportunity to make their lives easier, if they would simply maintain the secrecy of their faith. Spiritually based faith and confidence gave each the power to boldly speak the truth. Remember Peter denied Christ three times without confidence.

Some would call that cowardice. After Pentecost, he was buoyed by confidence and discipline. Power is the Word that comes to mind here.

You remember Paul at Ephesus? “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”

Acts 19:6. Here, these twelve men were already baptized but knew nothing of the Holy Spirit. Af-

ter, we are told, they began to preach the gospel.

Can’t you see the power gained and their growing confidence?

There is nothing restrictive about this kind of discipline. It is in fact quite liberating. They knew that they knew the same way we know that we know. It’s that change thing again.

It’s called being set apart and not having to apologize or keep it a secret. I believe it lets us stand up as Christians in the face of criticism, adversity and temptation.

We may still fall, but we will not fail because our infrastructure has been fortified.

Let me be clear. I believe that discipline coupled with confidence invites the Holy Spirit to take up permanent residence in your soul.

It’s what I’m looking for and what I’m praying for, for me and for you. And look out world when that happens.

Like someone once said to me, I’m a different kind of soldier. Believe it or not, so are we.

May God bless and keep you always.

James

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December 15, 2017

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NABJ Mourns the Passing of Iconic Journalist Simeon Booker

Simeon Booker in 1982. Photo by: Fred Sweets/The Washington Post

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) mourns the loss of Simeon Booker, a pioneering journalist, author and chronicler of the Civil Rights Movement.

Booker, the Jet reporter who brought the 1955 murder of Emmett Till to the forefront of national news, died Dec. 10 at the age of 99, in an assisted-living community in Solomons, Maryland. His wife, Carol, confirmed his death to the Washington Post.

"Simeon Booker's remarkable career, spanning more than six decades, reminds us how important chronicling the truth and speaking truth to power via the written word is," said NABJ President Sarah Glover.

"Booker's reports during the Civil Rights Movement shed light on the country's ills, bringing much-needed perspective; and he did so all while risking his own life to tell the story. Simeon Booker is a role model for black journalists and his life's work is an example of media excellence that all journalists should strive for."

Booker joined the Washington Post in 1952 and was the first full-time black reporter. He left to become the chief columnist at Jet magazine and the Washington bureau chief for the Johnson Publishing Company.

"God knows, I tried to succeed at the Post. I struggled so hard that friends thought I was dying, I looked so fatigued.

After a year and a half, I had to give up. Trying to cover news in a city where even animal cemeteries were segregated overwhelmed me," Booker said of his time at the Post.

Bryan Monroe, editorial director of Ebony and Jet magazines from 2006-2009 and former NABJ President remembered Booker as the quintessential reporter.

"Mr. Booker knew the facts, he knew his audience, and he would not be stopped," said Monroe. "He was a kind soul who will be missed by all of us."

Booker began his journalism career in the 1940s working for Black Press publications in Cleveland and Baltimore. As racial tensions rose throughout the nation during the 1950s and '60s, he told riveting stories, about the struggle between Civil Rights activists and segregationists.

Booker, the only journalist to make the trip with the first Freedom Riders as they protested transportation segregation laws in 1961, also covered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington in 1963, and marched alongside protesters at the 1965 Selma March. Booker brought the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the millions of Jet and Ebony readers across the nation.

After 65 years of chronicling the broad spectrum of the black experience, Booker re-

tired in 2007. In 2013, Booker completed his memoir, Shocking the Conscience: A Reporter's Account of the Civil Rights Movement. His work allowed many black people to see themselves, and the things that were important to them, reflected in the media.

Booker was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2013, won a Neiman Fellowship to study at Harvard and received the George Polk Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Booker was nominated this year by 17 members of Congress for the Congressional

Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, according to The New York Times. He also mentored aspiring student journalists at Howard University.

Marlon A. Walker, NABJ Vice President Print said, "Simeon Booker's death is felt around the world.

His significant contributions to our industry and humanity are monumental and his life's works should be shared and taught in classrooms, community centers and organizations, as an example of excellence."

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December 15, 2017

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December 15, 2017

Do you know this man?

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POLICE have not apprehended “Pookie” the serial rapist. We know he has attacked members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and there is a $5,000 reward offered by Crime Stoppers.

HE IS A SERIAL RAPIST

He targeted members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. but this is more than about a sorority. We’re talking about a community.

Come on PEOPLE! Don’t you CARE? Will it matter when it is your sister, mother, aunt or grandmother or maybe YOU?

877-373-8477