I Messenger 4 35

I MESSENGER VOLUME 4 ISSUE 35 May 1, 2015

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OUR FUTURE

Rachel Maxie PAGE 1

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Smart, talented, beautiful, respectful, loving, and so much more!

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Message to the People...

Dear April, I hope Bank of America appreciates you as much as I do!

Just when I had almost given up on customer service I get to talk with April and she restored my faith in high ethical work standards.

Stacey Spencer 6

When I tell you that April was outstanding, that is indeed an understatement.

That woman is phenomenal.

Cheryl Smith

I don’t know that much about her because she was taking care of business and being very courteous despite my constant interruptions to inquire about her life, how she liked her job, etc. I kept trying to interrupt her efforts because actually it was such a joy to get someone on the phone who was knowledgeable, enthusiastic focused on helping and displaying a pleasant disposition. I guess I was just so overjoyed that I wanted to know more about her and what made her tick.

My call to Bank of America customer service was about 9:30 on a Wednesday night. I was ready for someone to answer the phone sounding like they didn’t like their job or that they didn’t know or care that there were hundreds, no thousands, who would love to have their job and income.Instead I got a vibrant, energetic pleasing voice that immediately made me feel good about my experience, or what my experience was about to be.

Cornel West or Michael Eric Dyson 7

April, who lives and works in the D/FW area (I did manage to get that much from her), has been with Bank of America about five years. She brought to mind a former co-worker, Antoinette, who is the receptionist at Service Broadcasting, the parent company of radio station powerhouses K104FM, KRNB-105.7 and then, Soul 73 KKDA-AM. Now at times things could get pretty exciting around the station. Yu could expect the hottest entertainers in the industry to enter the door and there was Antoinette to greet them.

Actually we call her Toni, but I’m trying to be fancy here.

You see, even when I taught at Paul Quinn College, I would use Antoinette as an example of someone who loves her job, appreciates that she has a job and takes care of business.

She has never let on to me if my students were bothering her when they called and explained that I assigned them to call because I knew that whenever they got her, she was going to leave them with a positive, professional impression, no matter what kind of day she was having or what was going on in her life.

Surely you have run across someone before who you wondered why they even came to work. You know the person who seems like they have a miserable life and they are hellbent on making sure yours is the same.

Or, the employee who you practically have to beg to do their job. Then there’s the employee who thinks he or she is getting over on the company, by doing as little as they can; until they are shown the door. Why oh why do they have a surprised look on their face?

That’s my Mama!

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I k now its probably out of order, but a business had a sign posted that read: “All employees are expected to bathe before come to work. Since we have to kiss your ass to get you to work, we want it free of germs!”

Now, I don’t think that April or Antoinette ever have to worry about a negative performance review, that is unless they have the misfortune to get a clueless supervisor. And if that ever happens, I hope someone of sound mind will speak up and support them.

Too often you hear that “good help is hard to find.”

It’s simple, says April: Your work is a reflection of who you are and what you are about. Sadly some people aren’t about la-dee-da. Or, in other words, as some say, “sugar honey ice tea!”

I MESSENGER Cheryl Smith, Publisher Established 2011 IMESSENGER is a tribute to Le Messager, founded by Cameroonian journalist Pius Njawe and The Messenger, an independent magazine, founded by labor activist A . Philip Randolph and economist Chandler Owen.

IM ESSENGER is committed to informing, inspiring, enlightening and provoking thought in a forum that is international. Submissions for publication consideration may be submitted to www.myimessenger.com.

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The doors swing both ways. Wouldn’t it be great if every employer participated in the hit television show, Undercover Boss? Since some folks act as though they have to governed 24-7 to get an honest effort out of them, well.

Good work ethic means that you don’t have to have someone watching over you for you to do your best.

Good work ethic means that your performance level is not determined by your pay check. At least it shouldn’t be. If you don’t feel you’re getting paid what you are worth, seek employment elsewhere, don’t do a less than honorable job and blame your performance on what you are being paid.

Be and do your best. The rewards may not come when or how you want them, but they will come.

If Bank of America and Service Broadcasting have not said it to April or Antoinette, I will.

Ladies, you are absolutely wonderful. Thanks for all you do!

Cheryl I MESSENGER

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Iota Phi Lambda recognizes businesses and entrepreneurs During the Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. - Psi Chapter’s 41st annual Business Awards Luncheon, homage was paid to several honorees and scholarships were given to area students on April 25, 2015 at the Hilton Dallas Centre.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of the Sharon Smith Youth Entrepreneur Award to Rachel Maxie. The talented young lady is a junior at Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Hill, TX. Rachel is the owner of Maxnee Photography.

Her journey as a photographer began first using her cell phone to take photos. Inspired by her stepfather, she began taking photography classes as a high school freshman and last summer she started her business, shooting weddings, graduations, birthday parties and church events. Remember the name, Maxnee Photography. She was also presented with scholarships for her winning entries in the Iota Youth Essay Competition.

Rachel has held her own on panels with other businesswomen. She’s a joy to be around.

April is the month that Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. honors businesses and entrepreneurs.

Observances are held throughout the United States

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Rachel Maxie

and the Virgin Islands to commemorate the legacy of their founder, Lola Mercedes Parker.

Debra Shankle Under the leadership of President Daphne Hornbuckle, the Psi Chapter has made significant strides and won several awards for their leadership and service.

With insightful programs dealing with everything from Civil Rights to economic and financial stability; the members are in the forefront across the Metroplex.

This year’s Luncheon was chaired by V. Reginald Hopkins Barbara Mallory-Caraway Brenda Jackson Napier, who was also named the Southwestern Regional Soror of the Year Barbara Mallory Caraway - Joyce M. Jones for Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. Community Service Award The other honorees were: Jacqueline Blalock Robinson - Joyce M. Jones Emily Barnes - Dorothea N. Hornbuckle Community Service Award Entrepreneur Award Debra Shankle of Coca Cola - Corporate Elizabeth Emmons - Dorothea N. Hornbuckle Achievement Award Entrepreneur Award Cheryl Smith - Outstanding Woman of the Year Tracy German - Dorothea N. Hornbuckle Award Entrepreneur Award Alexis. K. Roberson - Alma F. Mackey Rachel Maxie - Sharon Smith Youth Scholarship Recipient Entrepreneur Award

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Emily Barnes

Jacqueline BlalockRobinson

Tracy German

Elizabeth Emmons

And there was the induction of V. Reginald Hopkins into the Algernon K. Tripp Hall of Fame.

Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., is an international organization whose purpose is to motivate young women to qualify for the many challenges offered by increased employment opportunities. Psi Chapter member Vahnita D. Loud is the assistant Southwestern Regional Director for Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.

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Baltimoreans reflect on Freddie Gray and City

By E.R. Shipp Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper

Bryant of Empowerment Temple that 95 percent of the police are probably doing the right thing. “The bad ones make it look bad for the good ones we have.”

Between the bodacious demands of young people practically demanding that York Road motorists honk their horns to honor Freddie Gray and the curiosity of a young boy asking his buddies, “Did you see the body yet?”, many of those gathered at the Vaughn Greene Funeral Home Sunday afternoon were in the mood to reflect.

When 34-year-old Yvonne Smith last saw Gray, he had told her: “You need to get yourself together.” That was more than seven-and-a-half months ago, when she was still abusing heroin, methadone and prescription drugs. “Before I had an opportunity to show him and tell him that I took his advice, he was gone.” Smith said she and Gray grew up together in Gilmor Homes. “He never thought I would go down that path of life that I did, but he never judged me,” she said.

Sitting near the rear of the chapel, Milton Stokes spoke of the boy he knew in Pop Warner football when Gray played for the Sandtown Wolverines and later at Carver High when Stokes played linebacker and Gray played wide receiver. They were members of Carver’s Class of 2008. “ He was a great kid. He had a lot of jokes, a lot of friends. Never got in no trouble in high school.”

The Freddie Carlos Gray being remembered was not the one depicted in cold court files as someone arrested more than a dozen times on drug charges.

Looking toward the small, almost unnatural looking figure in the open casket that scores of people walked past, Stokes, who now lives in Owings Mills and works in construction, could not figure out why so many police officers thought it necessary to take him down with such force – and how his encounter with them left him dead with a broken spine.

“It’s not just Freddie Gray,” Stokes said quietly.

Because abuses “have been going on for years,” he said, “the city should reconsider who they hire as policemen.”

And then, like so many people inside the chapel and outside, he had a story to tell about unwarranted harassment by the police. In his case, it has happened when he was standing on a Sandtown corner visiting friends. He agrees with his pastor, the Rev, Jamal

Smith, who said she is now in school pursuing an associate’s degree, describes a Freddie Gray who was “always willing to lend a helping hand.”

Others who came to pay their respects did not know Freddie Gray or his family but felt compelled by those “there but for the grace of God” incidents in their own lives.

Shawnell Booker, 22-year-old nursing assistant who lives in Park Heights, said a cousin reached a settlement with the city after being beaten by the police and that she was pulled out of a car and roughed up by an undercover officer last June.

But these experiences have convinced her to become politically active “in every election, big and small.” “My generation, people my age, I think we need to step up. We get enraged and it blows over and we don’t get enraged until something else happens,” she said. “We should step out of that mind frame that we’ll stand in line for Jordans and, you know, stand up for our rights because they don’t take us seriously.”

Eric Brown Jr., 25, has reached a similar conclusion. As he held his 2-year-old niece, Dream Byrd, he waved a sign and yelled at drivers passing by, “Justice for Freddie!”

Brown, who lives a couple of blocks from the funeral home, explained that the “justice for Freddie”

Spencer served as MC for annual youth summit Motivational speaker Stacey Spencer served as Mistress of Ceremonies for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson's annual Youth Crime Prevention Summit at the University of North Texas, 7300 University Hills Blvd., in Dallas, Texas on Monday, April 27, 2015Spencer will also be one of the featured speakers at the event.

The summit, created to explore the challenges faced by youth in Johnson's Congressional District 30, will focus on ways to equip high school students with the knowledge and tools needed to forge a positive path to a productive future. Topics will include identifying the misconceptions of officer roles and the criminal justice system, raising awareness of police partnership with

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(Glitterati Girl photo)

and protection for citizens, identifying citizen rights in compromising situations and how youth can position themselves to succeed regardless of negative circusstances, and how youth can make a positive difference in their community through civic engagement and leadership roles.

Congresswoman Johnson's Youth Crime Prevention Summit dovetails perfectly with Spencer's work as a youth mentor and producer of positive television content.

"With so much violence, negative messages and bad behavior being shown on television these days, we're thrilled to provide a positive alternative to young people who don't engage in destructive behavior," says Spencer.

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actions marked his first time taking such a public stand.

“Something’s got to change,” he said. “We can’t keep allowing this police brutality against our young Black brothers.”

Andre Kennedy, who came to the wake to pray for his community and his city, agrees. But the 47-year-old life-long resident of West Baltimore, who describes himself as a former drug addict, dealer and thief who has been arrested and convicted “numerous times,” does not view police solely as enemies.

He points to where Black people have been killed by other Blacks, “slaughtered by street violence.”

Nearby, he recalled, 3-year-old McKenzie Elliott was gunned down in crossfire while sitting on a porch.

That has convinced him that most people still rely on the police to protect them.

“If the majority of us go back to our homes this evening and things are violated and somebody has been wronged or hurt, we’re going to call 9-1-1. We’re going to call them,” he insisted. “So should we really always shift the blame to one arena or should we begin to look at all arenas?”

While most of those who came out for Freddy Gray and for their city were Black, a noticeable group of White Baltimoreans stood vigilantly in front of the Govans post office building across from the funeral home, holding their own homemade signs with messages like, “Baltimore Is One City” and “We Remember Freddie” and “Black Lives Matter.”

Shannon Curran was there with her husband Joseph Capista, and their children, Moira, 6 and Aoife, 2.

Veterans of anti-capital punishment and anti-war campaigns, Curran explained their support for the Gray family. “We’re one human family and they’re part of our family,” she said. “This is a loss to everyone and hopefully a tipping point for there to be some real transformation.”

Stacey Spencer is a gifted corporate motivational speaker, singer, host, voice-over artist, youth mentor a n d t e l e v i s i o n p r o d u c e r. I n 1 9 9 7 , E b o n y Magazine named her one of the outstanding singles in the country, and the Tampa Bay Business Journal named her its 2011 "Businesswoman of the Year/ Media" for her dedication in producing positive programming. Spencer believes you can achieve any endeavor victoriously "if you prepare for today like there's no tomorrow."

Spencer is also the founder Teen Tyme Productions, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 organization with a mission and vision to help youth gain access to information, resources and opportunities that will help them develop into contributing and responsible members of society.

Through Teen Tyme, Spencer produces the popular television show Just Teens, which is broadcast in multiple major U.S. markets, reaches 36 million homes on TCT Worldwide Christian Satellite, and impacts more than 40 million homes in the United Kingdom via LoveWorld TV.

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t S t a c e y S p e n c e r visit staceyspencer.com. For more information about Teen Tyme Productions visit teentyme.com.

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Curry: Michael Eric Dyson v. Cornel West TRUTH TO POWER

By George E. Curry George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach.

“West is still a Man of Ideas, but those ideas today are a vain and unimaginative repackaging of his earlier hits. He hasn’t published without aid of a co-writer a single scholarly book since Keeping Faith, which appeared in 1993, the same year as Race Matters.”

It’s the academic version of the world heavyweight championship boxing matches between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in Zaire labeled “The Rumble in the Jungle” and the Philippine’s “Thriller in Manila.”

Despite other issues addressed by Dyson in his tome, at its core, this heavyweight fight is personal.

In the interest of full disclosure, I know both Cornel and Michael and count each of them as a friend.

Whatever label you attach to it, the public feud between Professors Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson, two of our most gifted intellectuals, cannot be ignored.

Except for the length of Dyson’s article, the only thing surprising is that he waited this long to reply to West’s attacks on him. And readers had to wait almost until the end of the article to learn what West specifically said about Dyson that so enraged him.

Dyson’s original opus weighed in at nearly 10,000 words – four to five times the length of a typical magazine feature story – and landed plenty of punches to West’s body of work.

D y s o n c h a r g e d t h a t O b a m a ’s inauguration marked “a pronounced and decades-long scholarly decline” for West.

He explained, “It is not only that West’s preoccupations with Obama’s perceived failures distracted him, though that is true; more accurate would be to say that the last several years revealed West’s paucity of serious and fresh intellectual work, a trend far longer in the making.

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“In November 2012, West, friend and mentor, one of the three men whose name is on my Princeton doctoral dissertation, let me have it in the national media.

‘It was during an appearance with Tavis Smiley on Democracy Now, shortly after Obama’s reelection. ‘I love Brother Mike Dyson,’ West said. ‘But we’re living in a society where everybody is up for sale. Everything is up for sale.

‘And he and Brother Sharpton and Sister Melissa and others, they have sold their souls for a mess of Obama pottage.

And we invite them back to the black

prophetic tradition after Obama leaves.

But at the moment, they want insider access, and they want to tell those kinds of lies.

‘They want to turn their back to poor and working people. And it’s a sad thing to see them as apologists for the Obama administration in that way, given the kind of critical background that all of them have had at some point.’”

As Dyson wrote, “West was just warming up.” Dyson CONTINUED, “After a fiftieth anniversary celebration of the 1963 March on Washington on the National Mall, a celebration Sharpton led and at which I spoke, West argued that Martin Luther King Jr. ‘would’ve been turning over in his grave’ at at

Sharpton’s ‘coronation’ as the ‘bona fide house negro of the Obama plantation,’ supported by ‘the Michael Dysons and others who’ve really prostituted themselves intellectually in a very, very ugly and vicious way.’

And recently, while promoting Black Prophetic Fire, West argued ‘the Sharptons, the Melissa Harris- Perrys, and the Michael Eric Dysons … end up being these cheerleaders and bootlickers for the President, and I think it’s a disgrace when it comes to the black prophetic tradition of Malcolm and Martin.’”

West responded to Dyson briefly on Facebook, saying: “Character assassination is the refuge of those who hide and conceal these issues in order to rationalize their own allegiance to the status quo.”

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Dyson responded to West’s response and pushback from other quarters with a second, 2,623-word article in The New Republic.

Regarding his decision to publicly answer West, Dyson, QUOTING old folks who administered public spankings to children, said, “Where you did it is where you get it.”

Of all the issues facing Black America – police murders, poverty, mass incarceration, drones, unfair trade policies, electronic surveillance, failing schools, unemployment, Wall Street power, and Israeli occupation of Palestinians, to use part of West’s list of pressing issues – a heavyweight fight between two prized Black intellectuals is

an unwanted distraction.

Four years ago, I arranged and moderated a conversation between West and Sharpton at a National Newspapers Publishers Association’s convention in Chic It was a cordial and respectful conversation. However, it wasn’t long before West personally attacked Sharpton again.

So I have little hope that a sit-down between West and Dyson would yield anything beyond a temporary truce.

In the end, West and Dyson will be judged not by the amount of flowery venom they can direct at each other – we’ve had more than enough of that already – but whether they can help find solutions for the array of vexing problems that still plague our people.

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Endorsed by The Dallas Morning News

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 the day that can change your life forever!

La Quinta Inn & Suites, 1419 N. US Hwy 67 Cedar Hill, Texas 75104 7:00pm-9:00pm By attending this powerful seminar, you will learn the secret wealth accumulation strategy that is changing millions of lives.

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• Come and join us at this dynamic Seminar where you will learn the secret to: • How to fund a 4 year college education in 1 year • How to raise the capital for any business without borrowing • How to retire in 2 years or less • How to pay off 100% of any debt in 1 year • How to fund a 4 year college education in 1 year • How to pay-off all of your student loan debt in 1 year

Our previous seminar sold out in one day! Don’t miss out on this extraordinary wealth accumulation seminar.

To reserve your seat, contact Shelly Henderson 877-832-0237 Ext. 702 PAGE 9

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Malveaux: A Young Sister ‘Hashtagged’ Me Out of My Silo When a colleague dropped the line, “You can’t hashtag your way to freedom,” I loved it!

I laughed out loud, and promised that I’d not borrow the line, but steal it because I was so enamored of it.

I’ve used it quite a few times since then, and gotten my share of grins and guffaws.

So I used it again and again, always getting the same reaction.

Imagine my surprise, then, when Frenchie Davis, 35, the Howard University alumna who burst onto the music scene with her 2003 turn on “American Idol,” took me to school by telling me she thought my remark was “condescending.”

I didn’t mean to be condescending, just to make the point that there is a difference between tweeting and fighting for change. Hashtags are not votes.

Even if a million people hashtagged #bringbackourgirls, the hundreds of Nigerian young women abducted by Boko Haram are still missing. Frenchie Davis thought my glib remark dismissed a form of communication that young people find effective, a form of communication that raises their awareness.

She is right to point out that electronic and social media is far more consequential today than it was just a decade ago, and that her generation relies on social media more heavily than it does traditional media.

While many people of my Baby Boomer generation use electronic media, we are not as immersed in it as younger folks are. Reality check.

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LAST WORD

By Dr. Julianne Malveaux Julianne Malveaux is a Washington-based writer and economist.

The median age of the African American recorded in the 2000 Census was 30.4, compared to the national mean of 34.4.

As of 2013, the mean age of U.S. born Blacks was 29, compared to a national mean of 37.

That means the average African American is closer in age to Frenchie Davis than to to me.

Members of that generation – too often disdained by their elders for their work ethic, commitment to civil rights, or style of dress – are the ones who will propel the Civil Rights Movement into the future.

So Sister Frenchie was right to call me on my snarly/funny remark about hashtagging to freedom.

If the hashtag takes you to a conversation, and that takes you to action, then the hashtag may be a step in the right direction.

My conversation with Frenchie Davis took place when I moderated a panel on “Race, Justice, and Change,” as part of t h e Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

Emancipation Day commemoration.

By way of background, the Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 paid the owners of 3,100 slaves $300 each to emancipate them; for the past decade D.C.

commemorates this day with an official holiday.

The other panelists, Malik Yoba, Doug E. Fresh, and Mali Music, are, like Davis, socially and politically active artists, who are also concerned with ways to increase involvement in civil rights matters.

Mali Music, 27, was the youngest member of the panel.

His comments about young Black male alienation offered an important perspective in a conversation structured to address voting, policing, and organizing.

I’d not heard of the Grammy Award nominee before, which perhaps reveals the generational silo I occupy.

I’m uncomfortable in my silo.

Uncomfortable with how easy it is to join a conversation about generational differences without embracing generational similarities. “Back in the day,” a phrase I probably should use much less, many of our radio shows or stations were called “The Drum,” after the drumbeat form of communication. Hashtag can rightly be seen as another word for drum.

And getting out of my silo, it’s important that drummers (or hashtaggers) both teach and learn.

How do we get young people

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involved in the Civil Rights Movement? Many already are involved – check them out at #Blacklivesmatter.

More than conversation, this communication has galvanized tens of thousands to stay focused on continued police violence and the attacks on Black life.

The hashtag has connected people planning marches and protests. That’s involvement. Are we insisting that young people be involved in the movement as we know it?

New organizations and movements are emerging, and some younger folks won’t embrace or engage in organizations they consider irrelevant.

Has anyone marketed the contemporary Civil Rights Movement to younger African Americans? Do we feel that we need to? Do we expect people to show up (where?) and roll their sleeves up, task undefined? How do we get young people involved?

Ask them. Sit back and listen, really listen, to their reply. And understand that there are some, not so young, who may also need a nudge to get involved.

I am energized, enlightened, and privileged when I am pushed out of my silo. I am grateful to Frenchie Davis, Malik Yoba, Mali Music and Doug E. Fresh for helping me connect the drums with the hashtags.

The generational conversation is engaging, frustrating, and effervescent. It is an essential part of our movement for social and economic justices, and its many definitions and experiences.

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JOHNSON: Trade Deal is Good for Dallas and high-standard free trade agreement.

Some of these countries lack minimum labor, environmental, and humanitarian standards, all of which President Obama and his chief negotiators strive to address and enforce in the TPP deal.

By Congresswoman Eddie Bernice

Johnson During the coming months, Congress will be asked to consider the most comprehensive and ambitious trade deal of our time. The TransPacific Partnership (TPP) is one of the cornerstones of President Barack Obama’s trade agenda. It seeks to improve the U.S. economy and those of eleven other countries.

Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are dependent upon the comprehensive

Before TPP or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) can be considered by Congress, a trade promotion authority (TPA) bill must be passed.

TPA bills outline Congressional guidance to the administration on trade policy and establish requirements for trade agreements. Many refer to TPA as “fast track” because trade agreements would be sent to Congress for an up-or-down vote with no amendments allowed.

Essentially, this gives the administration the power to negotiate trade deals without Congressional input. Prior TPA bills have established the fast-track measure; however, a TPA bill currently under consideration includes language that enables Congress to reject the fast-track

process if 60 Senators decide that the president ignored negotiating objectives mandated by Congress.

Arguments against fast-track certainly have had some validity.

However, lawmakers in Congress have shown commitment to a TPA bill that includes a strong measure of Congressional oversight.

A free-trade agreement would only help our economy. In 2014, more than 1.1 million American jobs were directly supported by manufactured goods and exports.

In fact, Texas leads the nation in exports and jobs directly linked to them. In 2014, Texas exported $289 billion in goods, and led the nation in manufacturing exports by a large margin.

In 2013, the metropolitan area of Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington exported $27.6 billion in goods to the rest of the world. In past trade agreements, Texas’ main exports were from the oil and gas industry.

The economic expansion of Texas has made our state successful with

agricultural exports, such as beef, veal and plant products, while manufacturing exports now include electronics, chemicals, and machinery and transportation equipment.

The Dallas economy depends on free and fair trade. With four out of five of Dallas’ top export markets covered by TPP (Canada, Mexico, Singapore) and T-TIP (Netherlands), the North Texas export market is integral to any strategy that aims to grow the economies of Dallas and Texas.

These free trade agreements will undoubtedly help the U.S., and enhance a global commitment by our partner nations to improved labor, environmental, and humanitarian standards.

As we negotiate two of the largest trade deals in our history, we must consider the positive impact that international trade has on our state economy, as well as on our national economy and the global economy.

Eddie Bernice Johnson represents Texas’ 30th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. She is the first registered nurse elected to the US Congress.

Johnson issues statement on Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement in honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month: “During the month of May, we celebrate the contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to America’s greatness. Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month provides all people an opportunity to reflect on the rich and diverse cultures in America, and the impact they have had on our society.

America became the great nation it is today because of the contributions of immigrants and immigrant families– from government, education, the arts, politics, military service and many other areas. Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities have played an influential role in shaping American history and they continue to help grow our economy and strengthen our democracy.

I believe that the diversity represented amongst the people of America makes this country great. The customs, traditions and ideals of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders reflect the ever-changing fabric of the American way, now and in the future.

As we celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, I will continue to support and work to establish comprehensive immigration reform that reflects the ideals on which our country was founded—providing a welcoming safe haven of prosperity for people from around the world.”

May God bless and keep you always… the methods with the objectives.

"Our people have made the mistake of confusing As long as we agree on objectives, we should never fall out with each other just because we believe in different methods, or tactics, or strategy. We have to keep in Speaking mind at all times that weSpiritually are not fighting for separation. We are fighting for recognition as free humans inbythis Jamessociety."

A. Washington

Malcolm X

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“Bound and Gagged... bound by fear, gagged by love” in Fort Worth ARLINGTON, TX, — The best dramas center on art that expresses truth-- but with hope for the future.

"Bound and Gagged...bound by fear, gagged by love" is a ruthless journey from tragedy to awareness to triumph graces the stage of Potter's HouseFort Worth for a one-night only performance.

Starring two-time Grammy winner Ann Nesby, grammy-nominated Tony Grant (Love thy Neighbor -- airing on the OWN network) and Tony Hightower (Tyler Perry’s Madea on t h e Ru n ) a n d G r a m m y, “ B o u n d a n d Gagged...bound by fear, gagged by love” walks the delicate edge between pain and responsibility.

Playwright Shannon Whren of Washington, D.C., brings the real issues of domestic violence to bear around a single question: ‘What happens when you're bound by fear, but gagged by love?’ "The reality is that there are many good families hiding terrible secrets that are destroying them from within.

Through this work, I want the audience to see that help and hope are within their grasp, “ said Whren.

Trisha Mann-Grant, former Miss Black Chicago, delivers a mesmerizing performance in the role of Tatum Alexander as she does everything possible to hold on to the decaying life of beaten-down pastor's wife.

Playing to standing-room only crowds in Virginia, “Bound and Gagged...bound by fear, gagged by love” receives its Texas opening in Cowtown."

Carlton McConnell, the play's producer and Managing Director, brings the production to Fort Worth. "A lot of plays are only cliches and melodrama. We take the audience on a journey that is sharp, energetic and real."

With its shocking dialogue and poetic p e r f o r m a n ce f r o m t h e a w a r d -w i n n i n g ensemble cast-- combined with original music from Texas Gospel Music award winner ‘Marquin Middleton and The Miracle Chorale,’ this is a one-night only event that mustn’t be missed."

These are tough times. Many of us exist in a world where friends are ailing with the weight of personal struggles and heartbreaks. The characters you'll meet in our play strike the right note— a note of friendship —their lives intersecting with our own to speak to us in a voice of timeless triumph.

PNMC Links honor area scholars The Plano North Metroplex Chapter (PNMC), The Links, Incorporated honored 11 young people from its service area at a Scholarship Reception on Sunday, April 19 at Gleneagles Country Club.

The students who were honored not only excelled academically, but in keeping with the mission of The Links, Incorporated, they also demonstrated a strong commitment to service.

All of the recipients earned a minimum 3.0 GPA, while engaging in various extracurricular activities and dedicating hundreds of hours in service to various organizations in their communities.

“We believe that quality education is the cornerstone of our community; and it is our responsibility to ensure that young people have access to resources that will enable them to pursue their college and career goals,” said Dr. Gayle Colston Barge, President of the organization.

Eight of the recipients are graduating high school seniors – Johanna C. Baker, Early College High School; Daryle Kennedy Edwards, Plano East High School,

Sydney Minor, Rowlett High Scool; Chisom Ogoke, Plano Sr. High School; Reagan Russell, Creekview High School; Aaron Traylor, R.L. Turner High School; Jaron Traylor, R. L. Turner High School; and Theodora Winter, Garland High School. Awards were also given to three college students – Brianna Beacham, Prairie View A and M University; Ani M. Mayo, Howard University; and Eric Yan, UT – Austin.

Each student received a $1000 scholarship award.

PNMC was established in 1989, and for the past 26 years, the organization has been committed to service that strengthens the community.

This year, members of the chapter have contributed over 4000 hours in community service.

Date: June 13, 2015 Location: The Potter's House- Fort Worth Campus 1270 Woodhaven Blvd. Ft, Texas 76112

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HALL: That’s My Mama!!!

If you’re old enough, you realize that “That's my Mama” was once a television show.

Wikipedia set the scene just in case you don't know what the sitcom was about.

"Set in a middle-class African American neighborhood in Washington, D.C., the program revolved around the character Clifton Curtis (played

by Clifton Davis), a man in his mid-20s who worked as a barber at Oscar's Barber Shop, the family barber shop he had inherited from his late father.

While Clifton enjoyed being a bachelor, his loving, but tarttongued and opinionated mother Eloise "Mama" Curtis, played by Theresa Merritt, wanted him to settle down and find a nice wife."

It was serendipitous for me to recall that the show was set in Washington D. C., which is the twin city to Baltimore, Maryland where the “Mama” America is talking about, makes her home.

I wholeheartedly believe and can honestly say, that if you are a Black man over the age of 30 and have not been to prison you probably had a mother like B’More’s Toya Graham.

Back in the day, a Black mother would go upside your head no matter how old or how big and buffed you got. All Black moms then sang from the same sacred hymnal; “Negro if you ever get big enough to whip my ass you better let me win. Negro, if you touch me in your dreams you better wake up and apologize.”

Quit Playin’

By Vincent Hall Vincent L. Hall is an author and award-winning columnist.

with children would conduct themselves. Some of it was good. But the requisite modus operandi for transforming Black boys to men is often a

Back in the day, a Black mother would go upside your head no matter how old or how big and buffed you got. All Black moms then sang from the same sacred hymnal; “Negro if you ever get big enough to whip my ass you better let me win.

Negro, if you touch me in your dreams you better wake up and apologize.” necessary affront to popular science.

Negro

We got issues that nobody, I mean nobody else has to confront or even consider.

Over the years, parenting academics like Dr. Benjamin Spock, who had no children, set the standards for how others

All Black mothers (and mothers of all races who have Black sons) know that their sons are unconstitutionally guilty until proven innocent.

The original Spirituals!!

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We are unlovable until we show ourselves worthy of the larger culture’s love. We are deemed ignorant and illiterate until we win Pulitzers or win

down angle, but you missed an upshot of the years of labor Toya spent gaining her son’s respect.

The initial confrontation says that she has already set a standard for his behavior; he was shocked that she was there, but not shocked at all that she was demanding better of him.

As Ms. Graham appeared on the CBS Morning Show, the mother of six admitted that while she watched her son among the bad actors, she had one troubling thought; "What are the people at my church going to think?" Sounds like she worships at one of those old school churches that my generation grew up in. A major part of my mama’s parenting was learned at the church house.

During my day, (right or wrong) families hid unwed teenaged pregnancies until after the baby was born. If Bubba went to jail you just said that he got a job upstate. If your loved one was not a member of the church he or she was eulogized at the funeral parlor…Case closed.

When I saw that woman wailing and walking her son back from his sin and into her safety, I immediately cried out; “That's my mama!!!”

I didn’t see his Toya, I saw my Patricia!!

The internal issues of the Tonys for our portrayal of a Black community must be fixed Shakespearian character. the old fashioned way; by (Caution: Othello committed praying Black mamas who pack suicide because harming a a helluva punch. Black mamas White woman can still get a who fight at home and at the brutha lynched) school house can usually avoid the courthouse.

Unfortunately, we got caught up on what the media made us Toya’s son has a long way to see and never discerned the go, but he knows what’s right positives that we did not see. and what’s not. I like his mama The camera provided the beat ‘cause that’s my mama!!

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Loretta Lynch came from a family of activists

After a 166-day partisan political struggle in the U.S. Senate to confirm the first Black American woman to be the attorney general of the United States, finally on the afternoon of April 23, history was made. Loretta Elizabeth Lynch has now been confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 56 to 43 after being nominated last year by President Barack Obama.

I have known the Lynch family for a long time in Durham, N.C., where Loretta Lynch’s father, Rev. Lorenzo Lynch Sr., served faithfully as the Senior Pastor of the legendary White Rock Baptist Church from 1965 to 1993. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave one his famous sermons in 1960 at the White Rock Baptist Church titled, “Fill Up the Jails,” that encouraged nonviolent civil disobedience as the strategic tactic to advance civil rights.

Loretta Lynch, in addition to being well qualified to be the attorney general of the U.S. as an accomplished federal prosecutor and legal scholar, also comes from a strong Black American family that has made outstanding contributions and sacrifices toward the progress of

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Speaking truth to power

By Dr. Benjamin Chavis

Black America for over four generations in North Carolina and throughout the nation.

President Obama made the right decision at the right time concerning Loretta Lynch. The baton is being passed now from Attorney General Eric Holder, who did an outstanding job as the first Black American to be attorney general, to Loretta Lynch at a time when rampant racially motivated police killings of Black people across the nation is escalating.

In addition to critical issues of ending police racial profiling and the unlawful use of deadly force against Black Americans, the new attorney

general will have to confront the growing unconstitutional measures by many state legislatures to suppress and deny the voting rights of Black Americans in particular.

Attorney General Lynch will have to help lead the way back to Congress restoring Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated.

Racial discrimination in housing, health care delivery, mass incarceration, bank lending policies, access to wealth, environmental protection, public education, and unjust policies in higher education opportunities for disadvantaged college students all are crucial matters that Attorney General Lynch will have to confront.

I am confident, however, given Lynch’s proven track record of rising to the occasion in demanding that justice is done, that she will do well going forward.

I wish I could say that I was surprised to see that the two Republican Senators from North Carolina, Richard Barr and ThomTillis, both voted against Lynch, even though they knew of her qualifications and track record of

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leadership.

The attacks on President Obama and on Loretta Lynch were not just politically motivated.

I believe that these attacks were are also racially motivated.

Lezli Baskerville, noted lawyer and president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) stated, “The confirmation of U.S. Attorney Lynch comes at a time when leadership from the Attorney General and the Department’s Educational Opportunities Section is essential to ensuring that states that maintain a higher education system with both public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and historically white colleges and universities (HWCUs) invest in HBCUs such that they are comparable to and competitive with HWCUs relative to their missions.” The past and present racial inequities in education in America have to be challenged anew.

Racism persists in America in part because it is not called out enough. Yes, we have made progress toward racial equality and justice. But we are not there yet. We have not reached the finish line to end racial injustice and inequality. We still have not overcome and we must remain vigilant and vocal and in the quest for freedom, justice and equality.

We, therefore congratulate Attorney General Loretta Lynch and wish her all the best. It will not be easy, but we know and believe that more great achievement and national leadership are on the horizon of the future. Thank you Sister Lynch for making history and for continuing to make a difference.

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NAACP opens Satellite office to receive and document complaints from residents about police brutality and racial profiling (BALTIMORE, MD) -- The Baltimore Branch NAACP, supported by the NAACP Maryland State Conference and the National NAACP office, held a press conference to discuss the latest developments in the death of Freddie Gray. The Association also announced the opening of a new satellite office at 1135 N Gilmor Street that will receive and document complaints from residents about cases and incidents of police brutality and racial profiling to help inform the Justice Department's investigation into issues of police misconduct by the Baltimore Police Department. Trained staff, including representatives from the legal department of the national NAACP office, will be available for complaint intake and to provide training/presentations to the community on “Knowing your Rights.”

From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President and CEO: I would like to begin by offering words of

Cornell Williams

consolation and sympathy to a family that lost their son. As the father of two teenage sons, I can only imagine the profound loss and the heart breaking sense of sadness that comes with losing your child.

This morning, we begin by noting a profound sense of anger. We see a young man, who is not carrying a weapon or drugs.

We are not yet certain about what constituted probable cause such that he was detained, and yet we note that this young man had three crushed vertebrae, that led to a coma and ultimately his death.

There is a sense of anger in this community. But the story of the NAACP over the course of our 106 years is that we have frequently moved beyond anger to action.

We have moved out of a sense of righteous indignation towards a sense of righteous action.

The opening of this satellite office is very much a sense of translating our anger into action.

This office will provide critically needed services at a moment of crises. We are here as the NAACP because Baltimore is our home, and we will stand with it and up for it.

This tragedy is one in a series of tragedies. The anger that we feel in Sandtown and in Baltimore is very much related to the anger that has been felt in Ferguson, the anger that has been felt in Staten Island, the anger that has been felt in Cleveland and the anger that has been felt across the length and breadth of this country. But we have to go beyond anger to action.

From Gerald Stansbury, Maryland NAACP State Conference President: Freddie Gray was a son, a brother, and a friend. He was a 25 year old vibrant and energetic man with his whole life – dreams, hopes, and aspirations – ahead of him only to be cut short. The NAACP will use every tool in its advocacy arsenal to bring about justice in cases where unarmed individuals are killed by police and implore that the Justice Department conduct thorough investigations in cases involving the killing of unarmed individuals by police officers.

And the opening of this satellite center is a step towards bringing those who violate their oath to protect those they swore to serve and protect to justice. The future of Baltimore will be forged by citizens who care deeply about their communities as well as police officers who strive to be seen as both protectors and community partners.

The Maryland State Conference is launching an aggressive advocacy campaign that demands comprehensive criminal

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justice reform. We have called upon Gov. Larry Hogan to call the Legislature into special session to take up Police Accountability Legislation including legislation on body cameras. The State Conference has also asked the Governor Hogan to direct cabinet level resources to the Satellite Office to assist with case management and community development.

From Tessa Hill-Aston, Baltimore Branch NAACP President: We at the Baltimore City Branch are focused on solutions. Our central office is located on 8 W. 26th Street in Charles Village, but we decided create an office closer to the Sandtown community.

We look forward to working with local community activists to provide assistance with voter registration, homelessness, criminal justice Tessa Hill-Aston complaints and expungements. We will also be working the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, civic organizations, sororities, fraternities and the presidents of the surrounding neighborhood associations to ensure that the residents of Sandtown receive the support and the resources that they deserve.

Paul T. Graziano Housing Commissioner, Housing Authority of Baltimore City: I want to thank the NAACP at the local, state and national level for their commitment to this cause. We are happy to be able to help in a small way in terms of accommodating with space here and service. We will continue to work with the NAACP throughout this entire process. My department operates all of the housing programs in the city. Gilmor homes is just a few blocks from here. We are here to ensure that the right thing is done and that we supply whatever support we can.

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Ask Alma… Mama taking over the Wedding Hey, Alma – My friend is getting married, I’m in the wedding and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’s not a “big wedding” type of person, so her mom is taking the reins to plan a giant ceremony.

She went shopping for wedding dresses with her mom, and they picked out a Cinderella-style ball gown – so not her style. As bridesmaids we went shopping together and found the perfect dress for her – it’s simple and understated, and she wants to wear flowers in her hair. But this dress doesn’t really go with the formal-style wedding her mother has planned.

How does she tell her mom she found a “better” dress? I think she looks beautiful regardless, and I want her to feel happy and comfortable on her wedding day, but I also know that picking this other dress will cause so much drama with her mom (and my friend is already trying to avoid as much wedding drama as possible!).

Help, Alma! How do I be a good bridesmaid in this situation?

Ask Alma

Alma Gill’s newsroom experience spans over 25 years, including various roles at U S A To d a y, Ne w s d a y a n d t h e Washington Post. Email questions to: alwaysaskalma@yahoo.com. Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma.

Hey Bridesmaid, My advice: stay out of it. This is not your red wagon to pull. Even if your friend is not a “wedding type” person, it’s still her wedding. She needs to clarify a few things. Now’s the time she needs to let her mama know, she’s no longer wearing her training bra. She has to be truthful with herself and have an honest conversation with her mother. Oh wait, here’s something you can do.

After their discussion, make sure you greet her with a box of tissue or a glass of red wine, depending on her mother’s reaction. Candidly speaking, she should never have allowed her mother to purchase a wedding dress she didn’t like nor wanted to wear. What was that about? There’s something a little bit deeper here that we’re not privy to.

But anywho, after the discussion with her mom, she needs to immediately gather her troops. Your friend can call a meeting and tell every one of her wedding day wishes. Yep, she’s gotta be bold, stand tall in her wedding pumps or bare feet and lead her wedding party to what will be one of the most important days of her life.

If she’s ready to get married, she’s ready to have hard, honest adult conversations that clearly express her wedding day desires.

Honestly though, I’m happy to hear that she’s not a Bridezilla, neither was my niece Leah.

She was what you’d also call a low-key bride as well. My dear sister Kim passed away when she was a teenager, so when Leah allowed me to step into the MOB

role, you better bet I wore that crown and girl I wore it well, LOL. Ain’t nobody got more mouth than me, I’m just sayin, LOL. Leah let me have my MOB fun until we came to a point in the planning process that was make or break important to her.

During our meetings, when I bulldozed, she sternly guided me back to my lane. Not in a mean way, not loud, not argumentative, just firm and sweet. A firm and sweet that required respect and reminded me she was a grown woman.

Don’t get me wrong, when we mothers are on a roll, it stings like a honeybee when we are challenged by our adult children. But, don’t you fret sweetie pie, her mama can handle it and will secretly applaud it.

She’ll recognize, this is where her baby girl’s childhood ends and her adulthood begins.

Bottom line, all her mother really wants, is to see the joy on her daughters face that day. Everything else is just icing on the wedding cake!

Alma

WASHINGTON: Better Him than me Spiritual Speaking By James Washington Is it really possible to put your life in the hands of the Lord? To some modest extent I have experienced the effect of trying to do just that. I can’t say how successful I’ve been but, I ask the question of you because I feel obligated to share the exhilaration. Exhilaration may be a poor choice of words, but it comes close to describing the emotion associated with an honest effort. And, honest effort is again why I ask the question. Is it possible for you to really get inside of what putting your life in the hands of God really means? I can only share with you what I think.

The obstacles in the way of making an honest effort to embrace and step to God are at times huge and obvious. At other times they are so subtle they’re practically indiscernible. For example, pride can get in the way because pride

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has no place in the relationship between you and God. Then the truth be told, pride has no place in your relationships with your fellow man either. To pride, you can always add envy, vanity, greed, lust, selfishness and bitterness just to name a few more impediments to an honest attempt to let God order your steps in His Word. In sports they say it’s not whether you fall or fail, it’s what you do after you fall and fail, because you’re definitely going to do both. Time and again we fall. Time and again we fail. It’s part of the reality of life; also necessary parts of the Christian experience. The question always has been, what do you do next? Is it possible in the context of your reality to get up dust yourself off and try again to put your life in God’s hands? Many of us, including me, especially me, want to

hold on to our own abilities to solve our own problems, cure our own ills (sinful natures) and figure our way out of impossible circumstances by ourselves.

We routinely pass judgment, think and act as if we’re better than others and give God no credit for the many blessings we do have.

The positives (of life) are due to our own ingenuity and the negatives are blamed on everybody else but us. Now let’s see you make the effort. Let go and let God. Submit first and then see what God has to say about your situation.

Without this submission, I don’t think any of us is in a position to first hear and then listen to the Word of God. Y’all know I believe Satan shouts and God whispers. If you’ve ever been whispered to when you think the person speaking is saying something important, then you know your capacity to shut the world up and out. You can be anywhere and hear a whisper, just like a parent who can hear their child’s voice in a sea of young faces on a crowded playground. I believe if we put forth the effort, we can hear God tell us how to give our lives to Him. There is a singularity to hearing God’s Word. He is specific in what He

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says to you as opposed to what He says to me. That singularity becomes a plurality as we begin to understand His message, if not His words. They are intended to have the same effect on each of us. It’s like an optical illusion. Once you finally see it, you can’t from that point on, not see it. Once you get someone else to see it, he or she can’tnot recognize it from that point on either. It is, well, exhilarating. Failure is then only a byproduct of lack of effort.

But the saved make the sincere effort.

It’s not always successful. But it’s always there. The key is to build upon the successes of putting things in the hands of God is take it one success at a time. Do not, I repeat do not dwell on the failures one failure at a time. Therein lies the answer to my original question.

You can do it and God expects it to be done one step, one day and one situation at a time. “So then dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation….”2 Peter 3:14-15.

May God bless and keep you always.

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FiNeSse Consulting Services Staff Development, seminars on Relational Aggression, Conference/webinar presentations, motivational speaking, school and workplace conflict workshops…

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CHERYL’S WORLD

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Tune in to Cheryl’s World on Blog Talk Radio, or call 646-200-0459 to hear informative, entertaining, enlightening and thought-provoking commentary and news with veteran journalist Cheryl Smith on Sundays at 8a.m. , and Mondays at 6p.m., Felicia Shepherd on Tuesdays at 6p.m., Love A Natural Me with Yvette and Amy on Wednesdays at 6p.m., Inside the 234 with Dareia Tolbert on Thursdays at 6p.m., and open lines at noon on Saturday

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Community Calendar May 1

Party @ TAILGATERS SPORTS BAR & GRILL 14831 MIDWAY RD Addison, TX 75001 8:00PM – 2AM We know you’re coming to watch the Fight, but PLEASE do not sacrifice appearance as we STILL reserve the right to be extremely selective.

Beatrice Prior, a girl who must choose to remain with her family or join one of society’s five factions of individuals: the honest, the selfless, the brave, the peaceful, or the intelligent. No registration is required. Doors open 15 minutes prior, and seating is limited. For details, go to the Nicholson Memorial Library System webpage.

May 21

Dock Bookshop will celebrate seven (7) years of service May 1-3, 2015.

North Texas Christian Women's Chamber Power of Prayer Business Breakfast 8AM International House of Pancakes 12750 North Freeway Fort Worth, TX 76177

It’s KKDA Reunion night at Skyline Ranch, 8:30p.m. *****

The FEMALE Entrepreneur Power of Prayer Business Breakfast 8AM I nternational House of Pancakes Restaurant 12750 North Freeway Fort Worth, TX 76177 Fort Worth (817) 676-6074 Dallas (214) 548-2584 Balch Springs Chamber of Commerce 2015 Annual Celebrity Golf Classic 1pm-6pm Waterview Golf Club ****** Mike Epps: The Real Deal Tour Starts: 8:00 PM @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie 1001 Performance Place Grand Prairie, TX 75050 (972) 854-5050

May 2 Go Red Mother- Daughter - Sisterhood Pamper Party & Luncheon 10a-4p The Bristol @ Buckingham 535 Buckingham Road, Richardson, TX 75081 **** A Great Event for The Spring Literary Cafe/Spoken Word - 7PM Irving Arts Center - Suite 200 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, TX Admission: $10 Advance; $15 Day of Event Come spend some time with your family and friends at the Irving Arts Center. Irving Black Arts Council will present an evening of Spoken Word & Jazz with local artists: Stella Alexander, Melani Ismail, Donna Patrick, Michelle Stimpson, Arquilla Todd and Bradley & Bonita Vinson.

Music Provided by Joel McCray, Jazz Pianist * *Exclusive "Red Carpet" Event* Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.

The Most Anticipated Mega Fight of The Century" *Exclusive Red Carpet with 5MadeMen.com* (#1 Ultimate Fight Party) Saturday May 2nd 6pm - Until Seven Essentials Event Center 2021 North Hampton Rd. Suite #175 Desoto, Texas (((Strongly Suggested: Pre-sale Bottle & Table Packages))) Tickets starting at $10 for one week only! **** FIGHT NIGHT 7pm until 2am Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight Watch AND After

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May 24 May 3

DJ LO DOWN LORETTA BROWN aka ERYKAH BADU Live!!!!!

Gas Monkey Live 10110 Technology Blvd (Next To Studio Movie Grill) Dallas,Tx 2pm-9pm

Inaugural Installation to Southwestern Regional Bishop Honoring Bishop Allen D. Richardson Abundant Life Cathedral of Praise Church, 3407 El Benito, Dallas, TX 75212 3:30p.m.

Guest Speaker: Presiding Bishop Eddie L. Moton

May 4 Black Ministers and community leaders have called a 1:00pm press conference for Monday, May 4, 2015 at Holy Tabernacle COGIC to express their sincere concerns with the black community and police relations and the upcoming meeting of the Department of Justice National Initiative for Building Community Truth and Justice to Fort Worth (www. trustandjustice.org). For more information on the matter, contact Rev. Kyev Tatum, president, SCLC at 817-966-7625.

May 7 North Texas Christian Women's Chamber Power of Prayer Business Breakfast 8AM International House of Pancakes 12750 North Freeway Fort Worth, TX 76177

May 14 Dallas County District Attorney Town Hall 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Pleasant Grove Library 7310 Lake June Road Dallas, Texas 75217

May 18 Duncanville ISD is proud to announce its 2015 Teacher of the Year nominees. Winners will be announced at the 2015 Duncanville ISD Staff Appreciation Event in the Duncanville High School Alexander Auditorium on Monday, May 18. The reception begins at 6:30 pm; the program starts at 7:00 pm.

May 19 Free Divergent Screening for Teens Teens ages 13-18 are invited to a free dinner and screening of the film Divergent at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 19, at the Central Library, 625 Austin St. Set in futuristic Chicago, Divergent focuses on

June 20 Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas will host a Prostate Health Educational Symposium on June 20, 2015. Reverend Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, Senior Pastor, and Reverend James L. Fitzgerald, Pastor of Pastoral Care and a prostate cancer survivor, are inviting members of the local community to learn more about the disease and to get free prostate cancer screening.

June 21

May 28

Save the Date!

A Fathers Table 2015

North Texas Christian Women's Chamber Power of Prayer Business Breakfast International House of Pancakes 12750 North Freeway Fort Worth, TX 76177

June 21-26

June 6 JDRF Announces TypeOneNation North Texas 2015 – an interactive Summit to enhance knowledge, increase confidence and provide valuable connections for anyone impacted by Type 1 Diabetes. Sean Busby, an Olympic snowboarder living with type 1 diabetes, will be the special guest speaker for the day.

Time: Registration opens at 7:00am. Events are from 8:00am – 4:30pm Location: Renaissance Hotel; 2222 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207 Cost: $25 per adult and $15 per child 16 and under.

******** May Day Festival Juanita Craft Civil Rights House 11am

and will encourage healthy relationships, through uplifting music, Summer program details, family fun food and entertainment!

Deadline to sign up is May 17, 2015 Love Never Fails……………Love is the Key to Life!

Its time to make things right!

If you really want to be free Love is the Key! HOST SPONSORS LANKFORD AVENUE INC. Marsalis Ave. Baptist Church “Flipped Kouture” Dr. Conrad Alumni Association Together we put the “neighbor” back into the “hood”! lankfordavenue@yahoo.com

Dallas is the host for the June 21-26, 2015 35th National Veterans Wheelchair Games with the theme, “BIG City, BIG Wheels, BIG Heart,” and City of Dallas, VA North Texas and Paralyzed Veterans of America made the public announcement today, encouraging attendance and participation in support of the weeklong Games

June 24 Great Chefs. Great Food. Great Cause.

WHAT: The 2nd Annual Flavors of Dallas is a unique gourmet experience with DFW Top Chefs assembling for a night of exquisite food, fine wines, and elaborate table décor designed by each

June 7 Rev. Yvette Blair Lavallais will be commissioned as a Probational Elder in the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church.

The ceremony is part of the Annual Conference, June 7-9, at St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Plano, TX. It will take during the 7:00 p.m. worship celebration.

June 13 The Potter's House- Fort Worth Campus 1270 Woodhaven Blvd. Ft, Texas 76112 Doors open at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets: Advance: $30.00 At-The_Door:$40.00 VIP: $50.00 **** OAKCLIFF’S SUMMER LOVE FEST! 12-4 pm @ a Park Near You! This free spectacular event will take place in the Oak Cliff Community

I MESSENGER

5/1/15

BR INGING ENLIGHTENING, EDUC ATIONAL, EMPOWERING, INSPIRING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING INFORMATION

May is Lupus Awareness Month

T S

f

w

Some things are hard to explain.

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We offer the solutions.

With more than 15 years experience in businessto-consumer, as well as business-to-business, marketing, Enigma LLC knows how to get results by listening to your needs, goals and objectives.

ENGIMA LLCTN BUILDING TRUST. CHANGING MINDS. INFLUENCING DECISIONS.

DFWMSDC 2013 Supplier of the Year - Category 1 Small Business Administration (E-200) Emerging Leaders Class 2014 TUCK Executive Education at Dartmouth Class 2014 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (Dallas) Class of 2014 Quest for Success 2013 - Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce

enigmallc.com

100 Crescent Court | Suite 700 | Dallas, Texas 75201 | Office: 214-459-8208 | Fax: 214-988-5128

IN MEMORIAM

Cheryl’s World on Blogtalkradio.com at 6p.m.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

I Messenger CHERYL SMITH

FELICIA SHEPHERD

HOST - YVETTE BROOKS

HOSTS: DAREIA TOLBERT

Call in to 646-200-0459 PAGE 23

I MESSENGER

Donna P. Charles 5/20/1958 - 3/23/2012 Elusive Lady #22 Spring 1978 Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., FAMU

5/1/15

BR INGING ENLIGHTENING, EDUC ATIONAL, EMPOWERING, INSPIRING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING INFORMATION “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” . Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Come on PEOPLE! Don’t you CARE?

MAXIMIZE

Your Exposure While We Have Your Audience’s Undivided Attention!

A FAMILY

.

POLICE have not apprehended Pookie the serial rapist.

Aren’t you concerned? Do you care?

We know he has attacked members A guy who hits aof woman can be called lots of things.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,“Man”Inc. is not one of them. and there is a $5,000I MESSENGER reward offered by Crime Stoppers.

J L Your AD in print and in our online editions!

• Your ad will give you an opportunity to salute the spirit of freedom and equality.

• Your ad will include your logo, company information, artwork and a personalized quote commemorating Black History Month 2013!

• Your ad will show your support in the community and regenerate your audience.

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY - ACT TODAY!

VOL XI ISSUE 7 NOVEMBER 15, 2012 www.garlandjournal.com

GARLAND

CIRCULATION*AUDIT*BY

OURNA

VOL.1 NO.16

By Cheryl Smith - Texas Metro News

KENNY JAY REVIEW: MakingBOOK Women Happy!

INTIMATE SEDUCTION

Just+ like+ a+ potential+ target+ can+ not+ immediately+ identify+ a+ predator,+ it+ is+ often+ hard+ to+ point+ out+ the+ victim+of+sexual+assault+or+domestic+abuse.++There’s+ no+ big+ letter+ tattooed+ on+ their+ forehead+ or+ a+ certain+ look,+smell+or+hairdo+that+will+alert+you+that+the+person+ you+are+looking+at+is+the+survivor+of+what+many+have+

NO 2 ISSUE 32 APRIL 19 2013

BRINGING YOU ENLIGHTENING, EDUCATIONAL, EMPOWERING, INSPIRING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING INFORMATION

NO 2 ISSUE 32

APRIL 19, 2013

p.7

BRINGING NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM ACROSS THE STATE AND AROUND THE WORLD

APRIL 1, 2013

Say NO to any ASSAULT

New Voices

Recycle this newspaper when finished reading

Welcome Home Ambassador Ron Kirk!

TEXAS METRO NEWS

Single Mom Chronicles p.12

WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM

Martin named NABJ Journalist of the Year

WASHINGTON**+**+The+Nation* al+Association+of+Black+Journalists+ tually+ dated+ her+ (NABJ)+ has+ announced+ that+ Ro* neighbor,+ was+ land+ S.+ Martin,+ nationally+ syndi* caught+ before+ cated+ columnist,+ television+ host,+ he+ was+ able+ to+ and+radio+and+television+commen* rape+her,+but+the+ tator,+ is+ to+ receive+ the+ organiza* Recycle this assault+ was+ so+ tion’s+Journalist+of+the+Year+award.+ newspaper brutal+ that+ the+ when It+ is+ one+ of+ NABJ’s+ most+ covet* scars+left+behind+ finished ed+ honors+ celebrating+ the+ accom* reading could+ have+ con* plishments+of+black+journalists+and+ tinued+to+assault+ City of Dallasthose+ who+ support+ blacks+ in+ the+ Sanitation Dept. her,+ if+ not+ for+ a+ media.+Martin+was+selected+for+the+ No. 1 serving the African American Community loving+ family,+ award+by+NABJ’s+Board+of+Direc* November 6 - 12, 2008 www.DallasWeekly.com church,+ com* tors. munity+ and+ her+ faith.

G w e n d o l y n+ Debra Mars Jones+ was+ as* The election is over saulted+ by+ her+ step*father.+ + She+ asked+ herself+ the+ * now we can begin son+act+this+way+toward+me?+Am+I+responsible?++Did+I+ Election night coverage on do+something+to+cause+this?++Did+my+caretakers+know+ KKDA focuses on issues

BOOK REVIEW:

THE BISHOP’S DAUGHTER

If you have ANY information, PLEASE call Crime Stoppers City of Dallas Sanitation Dept.

Page 13

No. 1 serving the African American Community www.DallasWeekly.com

April 30-May 6, 2009

INSIDE

TIME TO FORGIVE?

Speaking of People

Ron Price elected to national organization post

Volume No. 56 Issue No. 18

The Long and Winding Road Light rail, Trinity River road highly scrutinized in South Dallas

The Dallas Weekly

years celebrates 56 Black of serving the Community

Timothy Bray, director of the Institute of Urban Policy Research. He helps

YVETTE BROOKS Your Curlfriend!

assault.

April+is+Sexual+Assault+Awareness+Month+(SAAM)+ and+there+are+full*scale+efforts+to+“raise+public+aware* ness+ about+ sexual+ violence+ and+ to+ educate+ commu* nities+and+individuals+on+how+to+prevent+sexual+vio* lence.”

This+year’s+campaign+“focuses+on+healthy+sexuality+ and+ child+ sexual+ abuse+ prevention.”+ +Advocates+ are+ encouraging+“everyone”+to+join+the+conversation+and+ start+talking+about+“healthy+childhood+development+to+ prevent+child+sexual+abuse.”

Almost+two+decades+ago,+January+1,+1996,+Tamecka+ Grate+ was+ violently+ attacked+ and+ her+ recovery+ has+ been+ called+ a+ “miracle.”+ It+ wasn’t+ long+ after+ the+ attack+ before+ the+ valiant+ 24*year*old+ was+ giving+ interviews,+ telling+ of+ the+brutal+assault+that+almost+ ended+her+life+as+doctors+op* erated+for+over+13+hours+to+re* move+a+pair+of+scissors+from+ her+skull.+ If+you+saw+her+today,+you’d+ Tamecka Grate Frazier see+ just+ another+ beautiful+ woman+ who+ is+ in+ love+ with+ her+ life,+ her+ family+ and+ living.+ Ms.+Grate’s+attacker,+Emanuel+Moffert,+26,+who+ac*

Page 10

Volume No. 55 Issue No. 44

INSIDE

877.373.8477 3.23.13 Page 2

FAMU Rattlers victorious

Studies by the University of Texas at Dallas Institute of Urban Policy, United Way and Texas A&M are taking place now to assess the quality of life in the South Dallas community before billion dollar projects involving the new DART Light Rail and the Trinity

National

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

A

Grade: A

Page 4

Metro

“I am deeply impressed with the progress that President Barack Obama has made during the first 100 days of his administration. Already we are seeing evidence of the administration’s plan to dig our country out of recession and develop long-term, sustainable prosperity. President Obama has made two trips abroad, proving to us and to the world that he intends to repair our frayed alliances and restore our international leadership.

Finally, the Obama administration’s code of ethics has brought much-needed transparency and accountability to the White House.

President Obama is delivering on the change that he promised.”

FOUR MORE YEARS

Mavericks surpasses Spurs in playoffs

PRESIDENT OBAMA VICTORIOUS

Available at newstands in Garland, Plano, Balch Springs, Seagoville, Rowlett, Mesquite, Richardson, East and North Dallas

oversee the The Field Research Team which underwent 80 hours of

training in administering the anonymous surveys.

“Over three to four years there are changes in conditions and we want to know how it affects the area.”

Evaluating President Obama’s First 100 Days

Political analysts, both mainstream and Black news media and intellectuals around the country have given their grade evaluation on President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, marked on April 30. Here’s how several people from the local front graded the new president.

Metro 3 Perspectives 5 Community Calendar 6 Lifestyle 12 HBCU Homecomings 19

JOURNA

“OVER THREE TO FOUR YEARS THERE ARE CHANGES IN CONDITIONS AND WE WANT TO KNOW HOW IT AFFECTS THE AREA”

THE HUNDRED DAY SCORE

Why Democracy hangs in the balance

INSIDE

Toll Road are brought to the area. Some construction has begun with the demolition of homes to follow later this year.

At a meeting held by the three institutions, a focus group of sorts dished ideas and findings on the surveys that have told the story of the residents of South Dallas.

“We are measuring conditions that may vary from street to street,” said Dr.

Page 9

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

C

Grade: C “In just 100 days, we’ve seen an alarming acceleration of policies that will take America down the wrong track. The administration has proposed trillions of dollars in new spending, which will result in higher taxes on Americans, while sharply raising our indebtedness to foreign creditors.

On the national security front, I am very concerned about the President’s intention to close Guantanamo without a workable plan to relocate detainees. It is my sincere hope that, moving forward,

the administration will adopt the productive, responsible approach to our nation’s challenges that Americans deserve.”

(The office of John Cornyn of Texas was contacted but did See 100 DAYS, page 19

SPIRITUAL

ETS OF THE SECR

Remebering Joe Hudson Jr. Page 1 0

In having the conversation about building within South Dallas, many issues arise with respect to GWENDOLYNand JONES education business in Ask The Advocate See ROAD, page 19

PROPOSITIONS 1 AND 2 Why YES means no and NO means yes

Dallas is abuzz at the election issues before them on May 9 when citizens are asked to vote on the controverD’LYTE sial & EBONY Convention Music Happenings Center Hotel that is being backed by Mayor Leppert. But what does voting “no” and voting “yes” mean?

It is important to remember that the propositions are to amend the Dallas City Charter which, among other things, gives the MISSpower RAY to acquire city the Going Deep in Roots property fortheany public purpose. The propositions are worded to prohibit the city from acting on these before stated powers.

Therefore, if a citizen would like the city to maintain those powers, they are to vote NO and vice versa.

See VOTE, page 38

VALDER BEEBE That Celebrity Interview

* * ed+ afternoon+ drive+ radio+ programs+ heard+in+the+top+urban+markets.++ Exum,+his+business+manager.

He+ is+ also+ a+ TV+ talk+ Baisden+ began+ his+ career+ as+ an+ New$

See Baisden, page 6

future with President Obama

See Martin, page 11

INSIDE

International

Metro

Page 15

BUSINESS

X-Men Origins: WOLVERINE Movie Tidbits Pg. 12

How to brand you

Nation elects first African

Page 6

Perspectives 4L5 American president , as Barack wins handidly INSIDE PAGES: Community Calendar 6 Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Is gospel music dying?

Page 8

Swagger Puzzle

15

Business

17

Business Food for thought Congresswoman addresses

Page 16

Heart disease remains high on list of illnesses Page 15

CHANGE! Join the rally, See PAGE 7

12

Management blamed for issues

Michael Baisden Oak Cliff Chamber Page 12

Prevent heart attacks

all the Find out on Marvel’s lowdown mutants PG. 12 weirdest

2

Obama3wins election and makes ...

HISTORIC 3

Servicemen

Health

How to avoid the Swine flu

ALL

See Sexual Assault, page 18Curry looks at the George

Michael Baisden leaves airwaves -Skip Murphy moves to slot

+ Nationally+ syndicated+ radio+ York$Times+best*selling+author+with+ personality+ Michael+ Baisden+ an* nearly+two+million+books+in+print.+ nounced+a+hiatus,+from+his+radio+on+ Now+ in+ his+ tenth+ year+ on+ the+ air,+ his+ Facebook+ page.+ Baisden,+ who+ Baisden+ wants+ his+ radio+ family+ to+ commands+a+daily+audience+of+over+ know+he+did+everything+in+his+pow* seven+ million+ listeners,+ said+ he+ is+ * unable+to+discuss+the+particulars+but+ concluded+ that+ a+ deal+ could+ not+ be+ made+on+mutually+agreeable+terms.+ the+air+as+soon+as+possible+in+a+way+ Recognized+as+one+of+the+most+in*

HEALTH

Choose either or

stop+it?

She,+like+so+many+other+young+victims,+was+not+be* Roland S. Martin lieved+**+which+caused+considerable+trauma+as+the+vic* tim+is+twice+victimized.++ Admittedly+some+“victims”+have+lied,+producing+an* “I+ am+ enormously+ thankful+ and+ other+level+of+victims+in+the+wrongfully+accused,+but+ humbled+that+NABJ+has+bestowed+ there+ are+ other+ levels,+ like+ that+ victim+ who+ remains+ this+amazing+honor+on+me+for+my+ silent+ for+ whatever+ reason+ and+ the+ family+ and+ loved+ work+ as+ a+ fearless+ voice+ in+ advo* ones+ of+ the+ aforementioned+ who+ oftentimes+ don’t+ cating+ the+ critical+ issues+ facing+ Page 5 know+what+to+say+or+do. voters+ in+ the+ 2012+ election,+ but+ Now+who+is+the+victim?+ especially+as+they+relate+to+African+ It+ could+ be+ a+ newborn+ baby.+ + Of+ course+ you+ think+ Americans,”+ said+ Martin.+ “I+ hope+ that+this+couldn’t+be+the+case.+Unfortunately+there+are+ Obama’s win may this+honor+serves+as+a+lesson+to+any+ so+ many+ cases+ of+ very,+ very+ young+ babies+ being+ as* young+ or+ veteran+ journalist+ that+ face limitations

Digital Illustration: Joseph Shelby

By Patrice J. Holmes

editorial@dallasweekly.com

SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION PAGE 1

Democrat

!

!

Joyce Ann Brown lost Nine Years, Five Months and 24 Days of her life !

I MESSENGER

Join Mayor Mike Rawlings for The Ten Thousand Man Rally Against Domestic Abuse at 10am on March 23rd at V.S. M CAIN OBAMA Dallas City Hall. (DART exit at Convention Center Station.) It’s time for the men of Dallas to say, enough is enough.

NOVEMBER 4, 2008 ELECTION

Republican

JOHN

C

BARACK

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