IMessenger VOLUME 8
APRIL 5, 2019
ISSUE 33
CASUALTY OF WAR
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Established 2011 CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.
April 5, 2019
POL ADV., ERIC JOHNSON 2
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INSIDE
IN MEMORIAM
LIFESTYLE
ENTERTAINMENT
Services for Lonnetta Shantelle Elizabeth Tucker will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 11am at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas.
The Valder Beebe show interviews American television personality, model and social activist Ananda Lewis of TLC’s “While You Were Out”.
Grammy nominated artist Nipsey Hussle, exemplified the true culture of hip-hop: a revolutionary, un-apologetic, and standing for the people.
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MY TRUTH by Cheryl Smith, Publisher
Celebrating Women
Years ago I interviewed a young lady who was a cancer survivor. She had such a wonderful spirit and was so positive. She said that having cancer made her reevaluate her life and determine what was really important. And she realized that she didn’t have time to major in the minors. She didn’t sweat the small stuff. I guess you could call her self-actualized. Going through her health issues made her see that life is not promised so she valued every day. She didn’t have time for what others might call “foolishness.” She gets what this thing called “life” is. Which brings me to my truth. I don’t know if Bernice J. Washington has had serious challenges with health or life but when you see her, she gives the impression that she “gets it.” I smile every time I see that lady! I don’t care what I am going through or what just happened Bernice J. Washington brings joy into my world. An orator’s orator, this Southern
about anything she is involved in. She loves Southern University. She loves Alpha Kappa Alpha. She loves the Links. She loves St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church. She loves the Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Community Outreach Center. And, she says she loves me! Her commitment continues as she approaches 50 years of marriage to Lt. Col. (Ret) Lymon Washington! And And guess what? Bernice J. Washington is smart, too! She has a lot of initials after her name! Bernice J. Washington earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Missouri; is a registered Medical Technologist, MT (ASCP) Research Hospital and Medical Center-Kansas City, Missouri; and has a Bachelor of Science in Bacteriology/Microbiology from Southern University-Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The CEO of BJW Consulting Group, she is also a Certified Master Coach by the Behavioral Coaching Institute and a
Improvement Program-TRIP); Regional Transportation Council of North Texas; Salvation Army Board (Chair Management Services Committee); Texas Healthcare Trustees and Women Corporate Directors. When you think about the people you come into contact with; as you get older, you have to start weeding out the interactions with folks that drain you instead of helping you to grow and flourish. If you are not careful, some people will suck the life out of you. Bernice J. Washington lifts as she climbs. I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about her. Please know, if I do, I am going to shut them down. Not because I don’t believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but what is their motivation? What is their end game? And then too, it
member of The International Coaching Council (ICC). Bernice J. Washington is a veteran trustee having served on Texas Health Resources Boards for more than 20 years. She has served on more than 18 other boards of directors holding major leadership roles on most. She has served as a member of DFW International Airport Board of Directors (Chair $2.7 Billion Terminal Redevelopment
probably isn’t true! When you have someone as positive and uplifting as Bernice J. Washington and someone wants to tear them down, someone has to stand up and shut down the madness. I am that person. Now, you are probably asking, “why does she keep saying her entire name?” Well if you have ever heard Bernice J. Washington, speak, you get it. If you haven’t, just know that it’s an experience and she’s sure to put a smile on your face. And just think, there are some people who make you shake your head, roll your eyes or suck your teeth. So it’s great to have someone who when you are in their presence, positive energy flows, your stress level is at a safe point and you feel GOOD! Bernice J. Washington is example of someone who is definitely using the blessings that God has given her. And I am blessed to know her!
If you need her to show up, she is going to show up and show out!
University diva is an eloquent speaker who is meticulous in her dress and presentation. If you need her to show up, she is going to show up and show out! She’s going to be prepared and will look absolutely fabulous. Bernice J. Washington honors commitments and she doesn’t get into things to be seen or for glory; she in for the long haul, to make a difference and make things better. Talk about longevity and commitment: Recently she celebrated 50 years as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is a member of Leadership Texas Alumnae Association (Former Regional Director-Life Member); Leadership Plano; Southern University Alumni Association (Life Member); Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Life Member); The Links, Inc.; NAACP (Life Member); and St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church. Bernice J. Washington is passionate myimessenger.com
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April 5, 2019
COMMENTARY by Dr. Julianne Malveaux
THE MYTH OF MERITOCRACY
William Singer is going to jail. He’s the man who masterminded the college cheating scandal, collecting more than $25 million in bribes between 2011 and 2018 for helping the children of millionaires get into college through what he called “the side door.” More than 50 people got caught up in his scam, including a couple of well-known actresses, and some not so well known corporate CEOs who were willing to pay big money to get their unqualified children into elite colleges like Yale, Georgetown, and Stanford. Singer’s unsavory antics were outrageous – hiring people to take ACT and SAT scores for young people, photo-shopping photos onto athletic bodies, lying about student’s background and athletic prowess. It boiled down to creating opportunity for young people who are already endowed with the blessing of their parent’s wealth. It flies in the face of the notion of meritocracy. If you are surprised by this entrance-buying scheme, you are deluding yourself, though. Wealthy people have been buying their children’s admission to elite schools for years; they just did it the legal way. They gave substantial contributions to colleges and then asked for a place for their children. Or, they took advantage of the legacy preference (affirmative April 5, 2019
action for white people) to get their children in. So Singer called himself “the side door” to admissions, with traditional admissions being the front door, and large contributions being the back door. We in the African American community are clear that the front door has often either been closed to us or slammed in our faces, while we lack the wealth to enter the back door or side door. The fact that money buys admission, either through the back or side door makes the notion of “meritocracy” a bad joke. Meritocracy suggests that people hold power (or have access to things like jobs or college seats) because of their ability, but the current leadership in these United States suggests that meritocracy is a myth. It’s not just that our 45th President seems to lack the ability to behave himself (witness the attacks on John McCain), read a briefing book, or do his job correctly, it’s that he has found a gaggle of miscreants to make and implement public policy. That Betsy DeVos (Devoid of good sense) runs the Department of Education flies in the face of meritocracy. That the man who lives in the House that Enslaved People Built brought his law-breaking daughter and son-in-law onto his staff as “senior advisors” flies in the face of meritocracy. That the administration is actively seeking appeals court judges whose primary qualifications are their youth and conservatism flies in the face of meritocracy! Alison Rushing, at 37, has not even practiced law for a decade but is
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now a member of the US Court of Appeals in the 4th Circuit. That court covers North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina and Maryland, and convenes in North Carolina, where Ms. Rushing has not even passed a bar exam. But she has a lifetime appointment to the court! What meritocracy? The college cheating scam is a counterpoint to the myth of meritocracy, but African American people are clear that meritocracy has never worked for us. Even those who get into school “the old fashioned way,” through the front door, come to the door with myriad advantages that many African American students, especially poor, working class and first generation Black students do not have. They’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on prep courses. They’ve used alumni-rich networks for recommendations and advice. They’ve taken advanced classes (International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement) that are not available at all schools, especially inner-city schools. The playing field has never been level, nor has there ever been a meritocracy! Here is the real tragedy – millions of African American young people can’t afford to go to college, no matter what their merit or ability. When they graduate, many face a hostile job market, and often experience pay discrimination. Not to mention the fact that even walking while Black might get you shot if the wrong police officer finds your walk “threatening.” Meritocracy? Please.
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COMMENTARY by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
Shame on you, Mr. President! It is shameful that President Trump and his allies continue to do all that they can to deny affordable healthcare to the people of this country. Unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act in Congress they have now turned to the courts, asking the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to sustain a lower court judge’s ruling that declared the popular legislation unconstitutional. Now, the president has proclaimed the party he leads as the leaders of healthcare reform. Nothing could be further from the truth. The decision to intervene in the litigation was made after a meeting in the White House in which President Trump was persuaded by his acting chief of staff, former Republican Congressman Mick Mulvaney, to once again attempt to terminate the law. While a member of Congress, Mr. Mulvaney, was a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act which benefits approximately 21 million Americans who are now able to purchase health insurance through exchanges established by the law, or because they are eligible for Medicaid. If the president and his allies are successful
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more than 100 million Americans who have pre-existing conditions will have difficulty finding an insurance company to carry them. They will be faced with skyrocketing insurance premiums. The very same president who has declared at political rallies that he believed that people with pre-existing conditions should be protected is now turning his back on them. Now, he is asking a court to take away the protection these people have. Mr. Trump is well aware, or should be, that Republicans have no meaningful plans for healthcare coverage. What they are attempting to do is unconscious able. At the root of the administration’s position is an ugly attempt to demonstrate to his base that Mr. Trump can be counted on to keep promises that he made during the 2016 presidential election. One of them was to repeal the Affordable Care Act. While the president and the Republicans who follow him are only interested in taking health care coverage away from Americans, Congressional Democrats are working hard to improve the Affordable Care Act, and to protect it from its detractors.
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Democrats have introduced legislation that will lower healthcare premiums, give added protection to people with preexisting conditions and prevent the sale of unreasonable and ineffective insurance plans by those who make it their business to take advantage of people seeking coverage. We are the party of healthcare reform, and the people of this country can count on that. Unlike our colleagues in the Republican Party we are a party that has consistently fought for healthcare coverage. We will not allow the progress in healthcare reform to be gutted. We will fight any attempt to harm the American people. *Congresswoman Johnson represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also chairs the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
April 5, 2019
WHO’S WHO in Black Dallas
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COMMENTARY
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Revised December 8, 2018
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April 5, 2019
QUIT PLAYIN by Vincent Hall
Madam, Mister, Wannabee… Dallas Mayor! To the Honorable whoever is next mayor of the 9th largest city in these United States. As a native Dallasite who can name every mayor since 1968, including the two who held the position in an “Acting” capacity; I’ve heard all the pitches. Please don’t throw them in 2019. Give us something new. Give us something we really want. Give us some promises that you will help the poor. I don’t want to hear about venture capital, I want to hear how you are going to improve human capital. Give me your 10-point plan on what can be done for the poor who are wandering, working or both. Save that law and order/public safety rant. Explain how you can relieve some of the challenges the working poor have with Scofflaw Laws, Surcharges, SR22’s, failures to appear and selective prosecution. Cajole me with a plan that gets the debt collectors from “Linebarger et al” off the collective derrieres of the marginalized who can’t afford a legal rebuttal. Put the shift-working cartels of panhandlers off the corners and onto real jobs. Put the “day traders” who walk miles with recyclable metals in discarded luggage, baby carriages and “borrowed” grocery carts on stable employment. They endure heavy burdens for miles, but can’t tip the scales sufficiently to buy a day’s ration or a night in an overcrowded shelter. Many of them possess a better work ethic than the gainfully employed. What’s your strategy for reducing the growing number of heroin April 5, 2019
addicts, crackheads, opioid abusers, K2 victims and alcoholics? The police are underpaid and spend more time doing social work than law enforcement. Some commit crime because three days on a two-inch jail futon are better than a cement mattress, eight-inches thick. One-quarter of Dallas’ children are poor. Shelters are full because the average rent is $1156 per month. Dallas is 97% occupied, and “affordable housing” is a rouse. HUD Secretary Ben Carson don’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. “Resident” Donald Trump don’t know his ass from the 18th hole at Mar-A Lago. When was the last time you heard Trump mention the poor? All politics are local…It’s on you!! Mayor Rawlings, who was the “Homeless Czar” before his turn at the horseshoe, is a good man and a decent mayor. But Dallas has never outgrown its Park Cities patriarchy. It’s that crowd that handpicks its favorite minorities as cover, while it maintains 98% of public sector bidding and benefits. The White Citizen’s Council ain’t remodeling, they’re just retooling. Dallas is the Polaroid snapshot of polar opposites; its either Steuben Glass or shattered glass; towering cranes or razing bulldozers. Rawlings may have honestly wanted to “Grow South,” but that fizzled. Going any further south than Trinity Gardens is scary for the “city fathers.” Dallas grew West by a patented process; I call it “gentrification light.” The only sign that you aren’t welcome anymore are the dollar signs on your
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tax statements. Dallas does it up North too, by infilling middle-class neighborhood lots with menacing mini-mansions. Dallas needs a strong mayor in this weak-mayor system. We need someone willing and willful enough to challenge Dallas’ age-old façade of being an “International City.” We need someone who can loosen the stranglehold that the Dallas Citizen’s Council has had since long before Fritz Von Erich’s bloody “Iron Claw.” Someone has to be honest enough to admit that mayors and politicians actually have little to do with economic growth these days. Maynard Jackson and Richard Daley had that heyday. Elected officials can crank the engine and steer where the money goes, but real growth is a bottom up proposition. The poor can’t pay fines because they can’t get jobs, because they can’t get a driver’s license, because they couldn’t pay their fines! Dallas is a “thriving metropolis” where mass transit is a joke. How do you expect the homeless to get to jobs, needed healthcare or grocery stores? Fifty one years ago to the day, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in a city that was plagued with poverty, underpaid workers and distilled racism; a place, much like Dallas today. My question is simple; will it be your campaign or the “Poor People’s Campaign?”
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Wordz of Wilson by Chelle Luper Wilson
Controlling Imagery In 1850, a Harvard professor commissioned photographs for a study. The pictures, or daguerreotypes, as they were then known, were of Renty and Delia, father and daughter. The images were not meant to represent family life nor reflect the strength and beauty of African Americans at that time. The professor commissioned these pictures to support his racist argument that Black people were not only inferior but of an entirely different origin than whites. Renty and Delia were enslaved persons. Without the freedom to consent, Renty and Delia were stripped to their waists, positioned in both front and side views, and photographed. While now housed in a campus museum, the images of Renty and Delia have continuously been used in magazines, journals, and other publications. In a 2017 Harvard conference on the links between academia and slavery, Renty’s image was used on the program cover and projected onto a giant screen as the backdrop. Currently, Renty’s image is featured on the cover of a $40 anthropology book available at Harvard. One could argue that not only has Harvard maintained, but they have also profited from these images for nearly 170 years. myimessenger.com
I never thought in my lifetime, there would be serious debate around reparations and what those reparations might look like. Yet, here we are. From politicians to barber shop patrons, everyone has opinions on what 40 acres and a mule would look like today? University of Connecticut researcher, Thomas Craemer, estimates reparations could cost: between $5.9 trillion and $14.2 trillion. This calculation does not include intellectual property, images, nor the many bodies sacrificed to “medical research.” It’s based on Craemer’s valuation of enslaved labor and services provided in relation to America’s accumulation of wealth. Considering how the many contributions of African Americans have been minimized, erased, or stolen and credited to another, how do we also calculate the value of the nontangible? In keeping with the African tradition of oral storytelling, Tamara Lanier’s family, passed down from one generation to the next, a story about their ancestor who was taken from his home in the Congo and enslaved in South Carolina. He defied the law by teaching himself how to read and then teaching others. Lanier’s greatgreat-great grandfather was named Renty; she believes he is
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the same Renty from the Harvard photographs. Lanier has filed a lawsuit claiming wrongful seizure and possession, arguing that Harvard has been “shamefully” and illegally profiting from the images because Renty and Delia, as enslaved persons, were unable to give consent. The complaint also alleges failure of the university to recognize her as a direct descendant. Harvard has not yet commented on this complaint. In an interview with the New York Times, Lanier’s attorneys state she is seeking a jury trial and unspecified punitive and emotional damages. However, what she wants most is possession of and the rights to these ancestral photos. The refusal to relinquish control of these images to Lanier reeks of residue from a time when marriages by enslaved persons were not recognized; therefore, neither were their families. Renty and Delia have been subjected to bondage, physical and material, for going on two centuries. I hope they will be able to go home soon, so their souls can finally rest in peace. After all, nothing is more valuable than freedom. April 5, 2019
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April 5, 2019
OBITUARY
Lonnetta Shantelle Elizabeth Tucker Lonnetta Shantelle Elizabeth Tucker was born to Shelia and Lonnie L. Tucker on April 21, 1975, at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Shantelle accepted Christ as her Savior having been baptized by the late Rev. Caesar Clark. She was a member of Good Street Baptist Church. Shantelle returned to her heavenly home on March 21, 2019. Shantelle attended Pearl C. Anderson, Dobie Primary School and St. Peters Academy, and followed her mother’s footsteps by graduating from Lincoln Humanities & Communications Magnet High School class of 1993. She was a member of the National Honor Society, cocaptain of the Lincoln Tigers Purple Flash Drill Team and a communications specialist under the tutorage of Dr. Louie (Wolf) White and Cheryl Smith who were instrumental in her developed interest in communications. Shantelle went on to attend Midwestern State University before transferring and ultimately graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington with her bachelor’s degree in Communications. While attending UTA, she pledged and became a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). She worked in various positions April 5, 2019
in communications but enjoyed the most, her passion for teaching young children. Shantelle was employed by Dallas ISD as an educator at Truett Elementary at the time of her passing. To cherish her memory are: the love of her life David Arnold; son and daughter David Arnold, Jr. and Chasity Arnold; grandson Zachariah; mother Shelia Tucker (Ken Carter); brother Lonnie Johnson-Tucker (Kendra) and father Lonnie L. Tucker, three siblings Brandon, Hally and Holly; sister Susie Battie (Derrick); stepbrother Burch M. Carter; her Uncles Larry and Angelo Tucker of
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Dallas and Frank Edwards of Northridge, California; her Aunts Candy Johnson of Northridge, California, Peggy Tucker of Houston, Wanda Davis, Denise Kizzee (Victor) and Alice Johnson (Kenneth) of Dallas; godmothers Melba Gardner Ashbury and Artura Richardson Taylor and a host of nephews, cousins, and other loving relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her grandparents, Tommy and Elizabeth Johnson; Lonnie and Eula Tucker, mother-in-law Mon Dora Mae Arnold, aunts Mae F. Edwards and Barbara Wade and uncle, Tommy Johnson, Jr . myimessenger.com
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April 5, 2019
FEATURE Jihad Hassan Muhammad
Black women under attack, will Black men stand up or stand by? “The world is in the condition that it’s in because the world disrespects women.” - The Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan
In the early hours of the morning Thursday, March 21, 2019, a Black woman, L’Daijohnique Lee said she feared for her life, as she suffered a heinous assault by a gun-wielding White male, identified as Austin Shuffield, in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas, TX. The cell phone video of Shuffield knocking Lee’s phone out of her hand and punching her repeatedly has gone viral. During the attack, Ms. Lee said she was attempting to call the police after Shuffield brandished a weapon and then shouted racial slurs because of the way she parked in a space. Ms. Lee was brutally beaten by the man, culminating with her hospitalization for cranial swelling and post-concussion syndrome. Shuffield, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor charges: assault causing bodily injury, intoxication, and interfering with an emergency call, of which he was released from jail , shortly after, on $1500 bond. The Dallas community was responded immediately with outrage; resulting in numerous protests because he did not receive felony charges for the assault, the presence of a firearm, and the hate speech toward Ms. Lee. This is just one of several incidents in recent months which by way of cell phone videos show Black women being atApril 5, 2019
tacked with no one arriving to aid them. Throughout social media and the Black community alike many are beginning to wonder why Black men standing by while Black women become targets of verbal and physical abuse. Atty. Lee Merritt, who has been retained to represent Ms. Lee, called men to action to
been held to ensure Shuffield is re-arrested and re-charged. In Dallas, late Thursday felony charges were filed against Austin Shuffield for his alleged attack on L’Daijohnique Lee. Atty Merritt said this via his social media accounts, “We are pleased to learn about the additional felony charges against Austin Shuffield referred to the
L’Daijohnique Lee show solidarity with Ms. Lee. He posted via his social media platforms, “The black woman is the most unprotected person in America,- Malcom X. If that is the case, it has to change. I’m calling on black men to stand with me and to stand up for the equal protection, respect and support of our women. This is not just a rally or protest. I am calling for a community forum where we pool together our skills and resources to lay out a specific plan to ensure our sister Dai Lee gets justice and to prevent any incident like this from happening again. This is our community. These are our women and #ITSONUS!” Protests and rallies have
Dallas County District Attorney’s office by the Dallas Police Department detectives. Ms. Lee will fully cooperate with District Attorney John Creuzot who has indicated he would like to interview her directly in order to ensure a thorough presentation to the Grand Jury. Merritt believes that hate crime charges will be added when DA Creuzot interviews Ms. Lee. Some say additional details from the DA investigation will warrant hate crime enhancements as well. Men have been active throughout Dallas coming to the aid of Ms. Lee. Activist and Minister Dominique Alexan-
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der, of Next Generation Action Network, is one the leaders of such protests and community activity. “Austin Shuffield was a known neo Nazi. There is a root to Austin Shuffield, he felt like he was going to get away with it, he felt like he had the authority to beat that Black woman down,” said the minister at a protest at Dallas City Hall. According to the Minister, so many times the “city of Dallas makes people think that when the videos go viral it is an isolated incident, but that these are not isolated incidents.” He continued, adding that his organization has become a hotline of sorts, getting a barrage of calls in regards to similar racist attacks that he says city officials are not much concerned with. “This city is made of companies worth over a trillion dollars, and the city can’t seem to address simple humanity,” Min. Alexander said. He said he wants Blacks to be able to walk down the street like their White counterparts, and until that happens protests will continue until Black women feel safe in the Deep Ellum district and everywhere else. As far as protecting Black women from attacks, longtime Nation of Islam student captain, Dennis Muhammad, says men must be retrained. Muhammad trains men to help protect communities all across the country with his Peace Keepers organization. Referencing the Dallas assault, the brutal attack of the myimessenger.com
elderly Black woman on the subway in New York where she was kicked repeatedly by a Black man, and incidents involving the assault of Black women in McDonalds and other places; Muhammad had this to say, “For the last maybe six months we have watched an increase on the attack of women, particularly Black women. We are seeing in my opinion not that you can just punch, kick and assault a Black Woman but you can be assured a Black man ain’t doing a damn thing about it.” He continued, Everyone of us who are men cringe when we look at those videos. We all say ‘it would not have happened if I was there.’” Capt. Muhammad said often you see Black men in attendance in these videos standing by as Black women get brutally attacked. He says the current climate bears witness to why the Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan called on 10-10-15 for 10,000 Fearless Men. “We have not heeded his call so now we are suffering. Now we see that if we would have organized 10,000 Fearless Men in every city almost four years ago then we could have been a great deterrent to some of these assaults on Black women.” the veteran Nation of Islam captain said. Davonte Peters is a hip-hop activist and candidate for Dallas City Council representing District 3 and he has been on the frontline of the protests and rallies for justice for Ms. Lee. He said he thinks the effects of slavery are alive and well and why some men are not standing up. “We are in the process of getting our mind right from institutional racism as men, but we must, in making sure they are safe we are helping to assist them in becoming armed, if Black men are not present so myimessenger.com
they can defend themselves,” said Peters, adding that he thinks Willie Lynch is a huge weapon in the crippling of some Black men. “It is a lack of respect and unity, Willie Lynch, people debate if he existed or not, that Lynch syndrome is effecting us, where we are divided and conquered and disrespectful of our women ourselves so I believe with a lot of the men standing by this is what stops them from acting.” Peters says his generation has very little respect for wom-
Dr. Brenda Wall en, and work has to be done to change this so Black men will act on behalf of their women. Dr. Brenda Wall is a clinical psychologist, who has studied for close to 40 years the plight of Black people in America and how Blacks deal with the mental pain of racism. She gave an analysis on how the Black woman has been under terror since she got to America. “Black women have been under attack since we got here, it is an American culture. I think it is becoming more prevalent with others seeing how we treat our women and girls.” Dr. Wall emphasized that Black men have not stepped up to do what should be done to be in unity with Black women because the effects of slavery are alive and well for Black men and women. “It started over 400 years ago with their
evil and inhumane treatment of us and we certainly see the residual impact on our families and community today.” Dr. Wall pointed out that sometimes the horrors of the Black experience in America will immobilize and restrict one from acting even when they know they should. Could this be why Black men are seemingly standing by in this new viral age as women are being berated and assaulted? “We have to look at the shock value when a weapon is involved, that puts the mind in crisis mode, and people are not likely to interfere without being trained to do so, as well as recognizing the trauma and systematic assault on a unique people,” said the doctor, as she cautioned taking into consideration what the Black man’s over four century treatment in America has been like, and that it does affect his ability to act. “Our family structures have been destroyed, and many or our men have been abused, or have witnessed abuse, this immobilizes action as well. We have to have family structures that are free of violence of any kind. It reminds me of one my favorite lectures by Minister Farrakhan where he said his children never saw violence in the house. We need this” said Dr. Wall. “Eight women a day are abused, 1 out of 3 women are physically or sexually assaulted on a global scale, that is rooted in how the world sees women. We must change that to help get to a solution.” Capt. Muhammad pointed to media involvement in the violence we see. “Worldstar has made acts of violence entertainment, our young people see that the more you video tape these things the more popular you get. We need to shut Worldstar down and any other platform that allows this.
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We need to push a law that says if you record acts of violence without simultaneously calling 911 you will be charged with aiding and abetting a criminal.” Muhammad said that while it is painful, these attacks present a great opportunity to organize and mobilize Black men. He, along with the Peace Keepers will be in New York working to make neighborhoods safer for the next upcoming months. Nation of Islam’s Muhammad Mosque No. 48 plans to help the community become safer. Alshaheed Muhammad, student minister of the mosque said, “As The Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan has said we must make our communities a decent place to live. It is a lack of training in our community, we are not trained to protect ourselves, The Nation of Islam has a track record for the last 88 years with training men to defend and respect our women. Here at Muhammad Mosque 48 we do have a plan of action to protect our women,” J Prince, hip-hop mogul, and founder of the Houston’s Rap-A-Lot Records took to his Instagram with what seemed to be outrage in regard to the assault of the Ms. Lee, saying, “In a nut shell, all I’m saying is Men, let’s protect our women and let’s create a movement called #BeatAMansAssThatsCaughtBeatingOnWomen
Publisher’s Note: Yes, we have been taught in journalism schools to use the word “alleged.” Fortunately for many victims, cameras are helping to stop the insulting of intelligence and the word alleged now seems blatantly insulting. Who are we to believe, you or our lying eyes? We at I Messenger Media appreciate that there is a presumption of innocence, but too often, even with video, people are getting away with assault, or worse, murder; when we have the tape! We are not buying into the foolishness. No “alleged” here, Austin Shuffield savagely attacked L’Daijohnique Lee in Dallas, TX.
April 5, 2019
SPORTS Dorothy J. Gentry
Mavs’ Porzingis being investigated by NYPD for alleged rape
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n Saturday, The New York Post reported that the NYPD is investigating a rape claim against the Dallas Maverick’s Kristaps Porzingis that occurred when he was a member of the New York Knicks, the team that drafted him #4 overall in the 2015 NBA draft. The 23-year-old Porzingis played for three seasons in New York. He tore his ACL in February 2018 and has not played since then. He was traded on Jan. 31 to Dallas in exchange for the Mavs’ Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and a pair of future draft picks. Shortly after the news of the investigation broke, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Woj) reported that the Mavericks organization was reportedly informed of the 2018 rape allegation against Kristaps Porzingis prior to the Jan. 31 trade. According to Wojnarowski, the Mavs were told about a pending rape allegation against Porzingis during the trade call to finalize the April 5, 2019
deal that would bring him to Dallas. Woj also reports that the NBA League office was also aware of the allegations at the time.
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According to the Post story, the claim against the 7-foot-3 Porzingis allegedly occurred in his penthouse in Manhattan on Feb. 7, 2018, myimessenger.com
just hours after Porzingis suffered an ACL tear vs. the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Law enforcement sources in the report said the alleged victim -- a woman in her 20s and who lived in the same building as Porzingis at the time -- reported the claim. The woman alleged Porzingis visited her apartment at 2 a.m. before she accepted an invitation to Porzingis’ penthouse, where the Porzingis allegedly threw her down and raped her. Per the report, the Post reported, the accuser told law enforcement that she discussed receiving hush money from Porzingis in the form of $68,000 for her brother’s college tuition. The NBA star allegedly agreed, but later went back on the promise. ESPN’s Ian Begley obtained a statement from Porzingis’ attorney, Roland G. Riopelle, that is below:
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“We are aware of the complaint that was made against Mr. Porzingis on Friday and unequivocally deny the allegation. We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on December 20, 2018, based on the accuser’s extortionate demands. We also alerted the National Basketball Association months ago and they are aware of the ongoing investigation of the accuser by federal law enforcement. We cannot comment further on an ongoing federal investigation. Please refer any questions to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the National Basketball Association.” The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday evening that Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, in an email, to them said: “We have been instructed by federal authorities not to comment.” Porzingis (7-3, 240) holds career averages of 17.8
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points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 31.0 minutes per game in 186 games (185 starts) with New York. He averaged a career-high 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and a career-high 2.4 blocks in 48 games (all starts) for the Knicks last season en route to being named a 2018 NBA All-Star. Kristaps appeared in 72 games (all starts) for the Knicks as a rookie in 201516, averaging 14.3 points, a career-high 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 28.4 minutes on his way to being named to the 2016 NBA AllRookie First Team. A native of Liepaja, Latvia; Porzingis began his professional career with Spain’s Cajasol Seville. He was a two-time recipient of the ACB All-Young Players Team (2014, 2015) and was also named a EuroCup Rising Star in 2015.
April 5, 2019
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LIFESTYLE by Valder Beebe
That Celebrity Interview:
TLC Network’s “While You Were Out” Ananda Lewis Its springtime! A time for renewal of mind, body and spirit after a long affair with winter. I am asking all of us to be grateful that God has brought through the change in seasons to spring. Live Life Divinely. In the early 2000’s, Ananda made a conscious decision to step away from the camera in order to dedicate herself to caring for her ailing grandmother during the final two years of her life. In 2008, she pursued her true passion for building and earned an AS in Carpentry, honing her skills in furniture artistry and construction. In 2017 she hosted Change My Space on HGTV, began the non-profit Love Builds to help single moms and the elderly with home renovations and necessary improvements at no cost, and is currently in the planning stages for her passion project of building innovative housing communities for single moms and their children. Ananda’s first priority, and favorite job EVER, remains being a doting mother to her 7-year-old son. Ground-breaking MTV myimessenger.com
Veejay and talk show host Ananda Lewis is returning to television in the revamped home design series While You Were Out. The show follows a cast of designers transforming a room behind a surprised loved one’s back. Ananda is uniquely qualified to host.
VBS: TLC is bringing fun and interesting shows. Give us While You Were Out, details. AL: The all new While You Were Out, we’ve super-size it. We’ve moved from one house to two homes per show. We’ve move from a $2,000 budget to a $10,000 budget. VBS: You have the best of the best from HGTV and TLC, who
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did you attract as your design teams? AL: This time the audience will see some of their favorite designers all in one show. We have Sylvia & Ty, Frank & Vern and Sabrina Soto and Carter, from TLC. From HGTV, Hillary & David (Love It & List It), Mena & Karen (Good Bones) Bristol and Aubrey (Flip or Flop Vegas), Nicole (Rehab Addict). They go from empty rooms to brilliant space. You’ve got to watch While You Were Out and see for yourself…….. Visit SoundCloud.com/ valderbeebeshow to hear the complete interview with Ananda Lewis
ValderBeebeShow.com, 411RadioNetwork.com, Youtube.com/valderbeebeshow, 411RadioNetwork.com; Podcast audio: Soundcloud.com/valderbeebeshow, Soundcloud.com/kkvidfw, 411RadioNetwork.com, PChatman Streaming TV Network and VBS affiliate broadcasters. Now available on 411RadioNetwork App
April 5, 2019
NIPSEY HUSSLE by Jihad Hassan Muhammad
Exemplifying the true Culture of Hip-Hop
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ince the inception of hip-hop, the culture has been infused with not just telling the narrative of the downtrodden masses, but also making it better for them and the neighborhoods they dwell in. April 5, 2019
This has been a part of the hip-hop culture from day one, in the South Bronx when DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa brought into existence this now global culture called hiphop. Nipsey Hussle embodied the true function of hip-hop for a generation that some say forgot what true hiphop is. He spoke of buying up the block where you live and the unity of Black people, in his actions and his music—messages not commonplace in today’s “mainstream” rap music. His brutal murder in front his Marathon Clothing Store has rocked the hiphop community, and many others alike. The responses poured out on social media. Sean (P. Diddy) Combs, hiphop mogul had this to say via Instagram: “Nipsey represents change, he represents evolution, he represents everything our culture needs to embrace, Black ownership. Black love. Black wealth.” While rapper TI referred to Nipsey as royalty. “A true King that will forever live on Rest in peace Nipsey.” Via Instagram. The sports world was shook with hurt and pain for a man who did so much for hip-hop as well. NBA star Lebron James said he and “Nip spoke the other day.” “This One Hurts Big Time,” he said. “This is so painful!”
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Former NFL player and activist Colin Kaepernick was also saddened by the sudden killing of Nipsey, saying via Twitter “@ NipseyHussle was doing great work for the people. Keep his legacy alive by carrying on his work! Sending love to his family. Rest in Power King.” As much as the condolences, sadness, and pain greatly circulates and trends throughout social media, the outrage and talk of a conspiracy to kill Nipsey is also ever present. A meme can be widely found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with Nipsey Hussle’s words from his interview with Black conscious influencer, Tariq Nasheed. “If I die over this documentary y’all better ride for me.” The documentary Nipsey was working on was about the 1985 trial in New York, where renowned natural pathetic health guru, Dr. Sebi proved that he cured AIDS in their courts. Sebi who was first introduced to many by Lisa Left Eye Lopes, from platinum-selling music group TLC, died under what many called mysterious circumstances in Honduras in 2016. Lopes met an unfortunate death as well in an accident while visiting Dr. Sebi. In Nipsey’s last interview with the Power 105’s Breakfast Club, co-host Charlemagne asked Hussle about Dr. Sebi’s death. Charlemagne: “Why do myimessenger.com
you think they killed Dr. Sebi?” Nipsey: “Why they kill all holistic doctors, he was short-stopping they grind.” He further talked about how the pharmaceutical companies do not look upon anyone favorable that stops their money. On Instagram, entertainer Nick Cannon preluded to finishing Nipsey’s work, saying, “It’s a marathon so I’m picking up the baton.” James W. Muhammad of Dynasty Hip-Hop Mentoring Program, had this to say of Nipsey’s legacy. “Artists who rise up from the streets and evolve in hip-hop always have a target on their back. To prove it, racism exists on five major pillars: real estate, banking, judicial, education, and media. When our artist transcends on those levels the media’s job is to destroy them so we will not awaken. The Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan has said that they made a vow to destroy all avenues that help and awaken the once slave.” Dynasty has for more than 13 years getting youth off the streets with the culture of hip-hop, utilizing it to resolve conflict in St. Louis and now in Dallas. Akwete Tyehimba is the owner of one the country’s largest Black bookstores, Pan African Connection. Nipsey affectionately called her mama on his visits to Dallas where he would share his vision of helping
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his community and transitioning from the streets to a new person. “About a month ago he came to the store and we embraced and talked about revolution and change for our people. He was so real and authentic. He had a strategy and a plan that he was not forcing down the throat of the people, he was introducing the youth to information that would transform them,”said Tyehimba, adding that Hussle told her how going to Africa changed his life. Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad, of Houston, is the Student Regional Minister of Min. Farrakhan. He expressed that conspiracy may not be the case. “The hip-hop artists are our gold and diamonds, they are our natural resource, that must be protected regardless because they influence millions of people, and when they marry wisdom and action with their message the enemy consider them dangerous. All of our stars that begin to awaken, something happens to them, are we seeing a pattern here, it’s not a conspiracy if it’s true,” he declared. Amin Imamu Ojuok is a community activist and African-centered educator, teaching youth throughout America. Ojuok, of Fort Worth, TX has worked closely with Houston mogul J. Prince, founder of RapA-Lot Records. He sees the power in hip-hop when evolvement takes place, and the hidden hands of those
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outside of the community work to destroy good works. “Watching Nipsey, and working closely with J. Prince, the true profiteers of the criminalization of the culture are not just the label heads, but the prison system, and now, the gentrifiers. “There is a renewed sense of ownership and responsibility being promoted, and exhibited by moguls like Mr. Prince and others that absolutely interrupts the economic agenda of those that benefit from Black failure. “Unfortunately, those that are fighting to save our communities are painted as the problem, which creates an atmosphere of doubt around them that makes sustaining relationships with the broader movement difficult,” said Ojuok. Hip-hop legend, Nas spoke of the dangers Nipsey had to face, via Instagram. “It’s dangerous to be an MC. Dangerous to be a b-ball player. It’s dangerous to have money. Dangerous to be a Black man ... So much hatred. We live like our brothers and sisters in third world countries live. Right in America ... It’s so deep-rooted. It’s not a easy fix. Hard to fix anything when kids are still living in poverty. I ain’t shutting up though, Nipsey is a True voice. He will never be silenced.”
April 5, 2019
ASK ALMA Help My Brother Dear Alma, Can you help me please! My brother whom I love dearly, and we are very close. he is marrying a woman from another country that he met on the internet. He said it was a international dating site but I don’t believe him. I think it’s like a foreign bride kinda thing, but I’m not sure. anyway, he is marrying this woman in a month and it’s nothing we can do about it. I just don’t get it. My brother is smart, and he has a good job. He’s been married before and he has one son who is an adult. My mother and I are baffled, and we just do not understand why he would chose to do this sorta thing. I can’t imagine not maintaining the relationship my brother and I have, so that’s not an option. I just want to find the right words to talk him out of this mess. This is just not something we do in our family. I’m sure there’s a nice woman closer to home he can date, and we can meet and they can start a nice relationship. My mother is worried something awful will happen to him because he is such a very nice man. Please tell me how to explain to him this is the worst decision he could ever make and in a way that he doesn’t get mad at us for not supporting him. Thank you. Signed, Anonymous April 5, 2019
Hmmmm Sista Saint Stay-away-frommy-brother, I don’t really see a problem here, but I do see a situation that’s weighing heavily on your pinched nerve. Obviously, his upcoming nuptials have you tied in a tizzy. Your brother, a grown man, has the audacity to marry a woman that you have not approved – say it ain’t so! The nerve of him, what is he thinking, LOL. Here’s where I give it to you strait, cause I know you can handle it. My answer deals with you not your brother. Hold on, I can see your eyes rolling back as you start to fall out your chair, LOL, but it’s the truth. You know how we sometimes watch something from the outside looking in? You can see everything that’s wrong, spot enough red flags to circle the globe twice and you wonder why the person you love is oblivious. I know, I feel you, but this is not your pony to ride. Brides for hire ain’t my thing either, but who are we to judge. If that’s what your brother is into, I’m sure he’s ready to line dance to this lazy side of hopefulness. Cause that’s what it is, lazy. when you take this route, you aren’t taking the time to get to know a person in person. There’s no occasion to get together, meet a smile across the table and figure out what you two have in common. For me, it’s basically a purchase, but again, who are we to judge. And on that note, I’ll keep it
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moving. Respect your brothers wishes. Don’t go to the wedding with all your shade and attitude. Learn to mediate, read the word and get rid of those feelings - your inside emotions regarding your brothers decision. It’s not about you, it’s about them. All you can do is be prayerful and keep and eye on him and make sure they’re happy. Give them the respect you would want if the tables were turned. You never know, this could be a great migration match (I don’t think so) but I can’t tell the future, LOL. We’re gonna pray on it, you, me and some prayer warrior “Ask Alma” readers. We will wish them all the best while you hurry up and go sign up for a yoga class. 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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April 5, 2019
Hanging with Hollywood
SPIRITUAL AND CRYSTAL ADVISER Veronica Perez
FEATURED STAR: PISCES - The Fish - 02/19 - 03/20 Your health is a big deal; make sure you are not neglecting it. Inspiration/Influence: Taking positive steps to keep your body and soul healthy. Lucky Numbers – 22.06.19.44.25.11 ARIES - The RAM - 03/21 - 04/19 Your inner strength is matching your outer; it is much easier to take care of all kinds of business. TAURUS – THE BULL – 04/20 - 05/20 Struggles in family or at work. You need to keep your end; this is not the time to allow them to win. GEMINI – The Twins - 05/21 – 06/20 Your mentality has been sharp lately, it’s a good time to start a new class and gain more knowledge. CANCER – The Crab – 06/21 – 07/22 Spend your money wisely, let it sit and collect . Use this time to re-direct your energy to nature. LEO – The Lion – 07/23 – 08/22 Greater achievements came unexpectedly. You were surprised but ought not be, enjoy the victory. VIRGO – The Virgin – 08/23 – 09/22 Be more flexible with your time, others are counting on you. Make most of your energy, as you have too much to do. LIBRA – The Scales – 09/23 – 10/22 Perfect time to give small token of your affection. Spend time with friends they need you to do right by them. SCORPIO – The Scorpion – 10/23 – 11/21 New challenges are coming, you need them, start your step up “game” now. SAGITTARIUS – The Archer – 11/22 – 12/21 Time to kick back and enjoy good times, parties or casual hangouts. CAPRICORN – The Goat – 12/22 – 01/19 Work issues are worse than ever, make a power play or wait on someone else to do it. Go for it! AQUARIUS – The Water Carrier – 01/20 – 02/18 You need to find compromise with someone important, it very well could be yourself. Daily Oracle Reading: Ask and it is given: Your thoughts about him/her are only an inner self reflection and truest feelings of self.
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR COMMUNITY CALENDAR
MLK Remembrance Ceremony at MLK, Jr. Recreation Community Center 6pm-8pm. 51st Anniv. Assassination of Dr. King. Speaker Dr. Michael Bowie, Jr.
Relationships & Side Hustles at The Westin Galleria 13340 Dallas Pkwy, 7pm.
Tri-Cities NAACP Candidates’ Forum at Graceland Community Baptist Church 310 S. Clark Blvd. Cedar Hill. 6:30pm-9pm. Moderator: Charles O’Neal.
Transform Dallas A Citywide Work Day Volunteers Needed! House Painting, Landscaping & Crime and Safety Projects. Register Online at www.friendship.org.
Thursday Night Comedy Showcase Hosted by: Stephanie Michelle at Club Odyssey 7439 S. Westmoreland Rd. 8pm.
A Community Conversation with the City of Garland at the Goldie Locke Community Room in the Charles E. Duckworth Building, 217 N. Fifth St. 10am-12n. Info: CMC@GarlandTX.gov.
Child Abuse Month Recurring Events Feeding The Needy Hosted by: Hollywood Hernandez Live 1698 Corsicana St. Dallas. 3pm-5pm. Marvelous Marriage Monday’s at Friendship-West Baptist Church 2020 W. Wheatland Rd. Dallas. 7pm-8:30pm 1st & 3rd Monday Info: covent@friendshipwest.org. Black Dance Aesthetics with Michelle Gibson at South Dallas Cultural Center 3400 S. Fitzhugh Ave. Tickets & Times: www.artandseek. org 3-23-4-13.
Dallas Start up Week: A Fashional by Frank Chat w/ Rent my Wardrobe at We Work Thanksgiving Tower 1601 Elm St. Host: Leah Frazier. Tickets: dallasstartupweek. com.
April 5
Down for the Count “One Act Play Festival” at Bishop Arts Theatre 215 Tyler St. Dallas 3-21-4-7. Tickets: www.bishopstheatre.org. Hamilton in Dallas at Music Hall Fair Park 909 1st Ave. Dallas Dates & times vary. Tickets: allmusicaltickets.info 4-2-5-5-19. Bubbling Brown Sugar at Jubilee Theatre 506 Main St. Ft. Worth. 8pm-10:15pm. Tickets: www.jubileetheatre.com March 22- April 28.
April 3 Carter G. Wilson dies 1950
2019 National Pan-Hellenic Council of Dallas Meeting at African American Museum 3536 Grand Ave. 6:30pm-8pm. Dallas Mayoral Forum {D10} Host: 100 Women of Lake Highlands at Oak Highlands Brewery 10484 Brockwood Rd. 6:45pm-9pm.
Annual Wine & Chocolate Tasting Host: AKA Chi Zeta Omega Chapter at Chocolate Secrets 3926 Oak Lawn Ave. 6pm-10pm. Vendor Village 7 at Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development 1402 Corinth St. Dallas. Seminar 9am-5pm., Expo 9am-7pm., Job Fair 9am-5pm. Info: vendorvillage7.com. A Glimpse at Greatness: Game Changers Dinner Reception at Global Life Park 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington. 7pm10pm. Tickets: Eventbrite. First Fridays “Dress to Impress” Style & Class at Cedar Canyon Ranch 4523 University Hills, Lancaster. 7:30pm-2am.
Community Resource Workshop Section 8 to homeownership, Host: Candidate Ruth Torres at PM United Methodist Church, 8301 Bruton Rd. 10am. Torres4PleasantGrove.com.
Wednesdays Swing Dance Class at Allure Jazz & Cigar Lounge 110 S. Cockrell Hill, DeSoto. 7:30pm-9:30pm. Instructor: Lady Champagne. Free before 8pm.
Lethal Force: Last Resort Host Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at Dallas City Hall 1500 Marilla St. 8:30am-1pm.
April 4-7 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play Tour at the Theatre at Grand Prairie 1001 Performance Pl. Tickets: 972-8545050.
April 4 Dr. Martin Luther King Shot in 1968 at The Lorraine Motel
Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll Adult Skate Party DFW Edition at Rollerworld Northeast 5817 Denton Hwy., Haltom City 8pm11pm. Ticket: www.instaseats.com.
Reggae Sunday Brunch at Hero’s Lounge 3094 N. 35 Fwy. Dallas. 11am3pm. Sundays: Caribbean Breakfast & Lunch.
April 8 Monday Night Politics Meet the City Council Candidates District 6,13&14 at African American Museum 3536 Grand Ave. Dallas 6pm.-8pm. Presented by : Dallas Examiner.
Dallas City Candidate Mayor Forum at Cliff Temple Baptist Church 125 Sunset Ave. 5pm-8pm.
April 9 IHCC Café con Nosotros at IHCC 135 S. Jefferson St. Irving. 8:30am-9:30am. Info: www.irvingHCC.com.
Enjoy a Short Stack for a Tall Cause Host: AKA Sorority Applebee’s Bar & Grill 3565 Frankford Rd. Dallas 8am-10am. Cocktails & Conversation Host Jackee Harry at TBAAL Bruton Theatre 1309 Canton St. 8pm.
Caravan: A Community Discussion at DBDT 2700 Ann Williams Way, 12pm-1pm.
Soul Jazz Thursday’s at Sandaga 813, 813 Exposition Ave. Dallas. 8pm-12am.
2019 Jowanda E. Jordan Festival of Negro Spirituals at St. Luke “Community” UMC 5701East R.L. Thornton Fwy. 3pm.
Karaoke Night $2 Tuesday’s at Hero’s Lounge 3094 N. 35 Fwy. Dallas. 7pm-2am. Tickets: eventbrite.com.
90’s & 2000’s Hip-Hop-R&B Party at Foundation Room 2200 N. Lamar St. 10pm-2am.
Adult Easter Egg Hunt 2019 at The Juicy Pig 4526 Cedardale Dr. 2pm-7pm.
SkatePark Design Workshop at Audubon Recreation center342 W. Oats Rd. Garland. 6pm.-8:30pm.
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April 11 Percy Julian DOB 1899
The Stormproof Way To Build Your Brand Host: Tresa Chambers at Microsoft Store North Park Center 8687 N. 75 Fwy Suite #1612, Dallas. 7pm-9pm. Register: www.meetup.com/ entrepreneur-brandstorming.
RBCA Happy Hour: with WSP Sr. Communications Manager at RBCA 2627 MLK, Jr. Blvd. Dallas. 6pm-9pm.
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Rising Excellence Host: Soluna Festival & DBDT at Moody Performance Hall 2520 Flora St. 7:30pm-9:30pm. Tickets: www. attpac.org.
April 13, 2019 Thomas Jefferson Birthday
Gigantic Gospel Concert 2019 a J. Spivey Production at friendship-West Baptist Church 2020 Wheatland Rd. Dallas. 3pm tickets Friendship-West 972-228-5200. The Food for Soul Experience Dallas Independent Artist Showcase at Athletic Zone 423 Singleton Blvd. Spring Bling 2019 Host: Elite Social Lounge at Swayz 9750 Walnut St. Dallas. 8pm-1am. Tickets: PayPal. eslelite40@ gmail.com. 2019 Hall of Fame Class at the African American Education Archives and History Bobbie L. Lang Luncheon at Hilton Garden Inn 800 N. Main St. Duncanville. Info www.aaeahp.org Tamar Braxton at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd. Irving. Via Live Nation 7:30pm.
Soul Jazz Thursday’s at Sandaga 813, 813 Exposition Ave. Dallas. 8pm-12am.
IHCC Hora De Poder at Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 135 S. Jefferson St. Irving. 9am11am. Info: www.IrvingHCC.com.
Thursday Night Comedy Showcase Presented by: Stephanie Michelle at Club Odyssey 7439 S. Westmoreland Rd. Dallas. 8pm.
Tacos & Tequila All School, Old School, City Wide Class Reunion & Adult Skate Party at Cedar Hill Roller Rink 202 Main St. Cedar Hill. Tickets: (214)296-7355.
2019 Bond Informational Meeting Referendum proposals voters will consider in the May 4 election at Audubon Recreation Center, 342 W. Oates Rd. Garland. 6pm.
2019 Debutante Information Assembly at UTA College of Business Room 150 701 S. West St., Arlington. 3pm.-5pm.
Apollo Dallas Style at Hall Of State in Fair Park 3839 Grand Ave. 7pm-9pm.
April 12-13
DBDT Presents: Encore! Rising Excellence Featuring My’kal J. Stromile at Moody Performance Hall 2520 Flora St. Dallas. 7:30pm.
April 12, 2019
The Jazz Jam at Jazz BeCuzz Art Center 9319 LBJ Fwy. Ste. #120. Tickets: via Eventbrite.com.
Fwmbcc Friday Business Mixer at Nana’s Kitchen 7403 John T. White Ft. Worth. 5pm-7pm. Tickets: www.business. fwmbcc.org.
April 11-12 Eliminate Tobacco Use Summit 2019 at AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center Austin, TX.
Herbie Hancock DOB 1940
Firewheel Twilight Camp Restaurant Night at Panera Bread 200 Town Center Blvd. Garland. 4pm-8pm.
Feel Good Fryday: Bingo n Beats DJ So4Kis at Mickey’s Sports Bar & Grill 3758 S. Carrier Pkwy. Grand Prairie. 7pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.
African Chamber and Americas Chambers for Business Luncheon at DFW Minority Supplier 8828 N. 35 Fwy. 11am1pm. Info: Michael Fant 817-317-1277.
Poetry Smash at TBAAL 1309 Canton St. 7:30pm-9pm. Tickets: 214-7432400.
Paul Robertson DOB 1898 Activist, Scholar, Actor & Opera Singer
2019 Spring Fling at Pleasant Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1910 S. St. Augustine Rd. Dallas 11am-3pm.
Wednesdays Swing Dance Class at Allure Jazz & Cigar Lounge 110 S. Cockrell Hill, DeSoto. 7:30pm-9:30pm. Instructor: Lady Champagne. Free before 8pm.
National Girl Me Too Day – Absolutely You Empowerment Expo at E. H. Hereford University Center 300 W. 1st St. Arlington. Tickets: eventbrite.com.
Ja Rule Throw Back Party at Texas Live! at Arlington Back Yard 1650 E. Randol Mill Rd. Tickets: Evenbrite.com.
April 6
Billie Holiday Blues Singer DOB 1915
Dallas Job Fair at Embassy Suites Dallas Market Center 2727 N. 35 Fwy. 11am-2pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com. RSVP.
Willow Grove Baptist Church Grief Counseling at 1222 W. Kiest Blvd. Info call, Kim Fincher at 214-371-7325. 5:30pm.
Diamond FELLOWSHIP at New Harmony Church 200 Rea Ave. Lancaster. 7:30pm-10pm.
Veterinary Technology & Career Expo at Cedar Valley College 3030 N. Dallas Ave. Lancaster. Building M. 12pm-3pm. RSVP: sgregoire@dcccd.edu.
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden Debut of Tom & Phyllis McCasland Horticulture Center 2825 Eastpoint Dr. Mesquite. 1:30pm.
April 7
April 10
Happy Birthday to Team Member and our Friend Lisa Turner National Global Impact Day 2019 at Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career & Tech. Center 2101 Browning Dr. 7pm-8pm. 90’s & 2000’s Hip-Hop-R&B Party at Foundation Room 2200 N. Lamar St. 10pm-2am. Fridays Happy Hour with Don Diego at Chocolate Lounge Exclusive 4222 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. 6pm-8pm.
South Dallas Bus. & Prof. Women’s Club 56th Annual V. Alyce Foster Trailblazer Awards Luncheon at Hilton Anatole Hotel 2201 N. 35 Fwy. 2pm. Speaker Patricia “Pat” Smith. Celebrate Garland’s Arts Heritage at Downtown Garland Historic Squaren 4pm-9pm. Free. Music, Food, Mechanical Bull, & Exhibits. Easter Egg-Stravaganza at Zeiger Park 400 Eagle Dr. DeSoto. Begins at 11am. Under 3 up to 9. Register: 972-230-9655. Earth Day Celebration Go Green Garland at Garland Recycling Center 1426 Commerce St. Garland. 11am.-3pm. 2019 Bond Informational Meeting Referendum proposals voters will consider in the May 4 election at North Garland Branch Library, 3845 N. Garland Ave. 2pm. GoalFriend Brunch at Business Lounge 13740 Midway Rd. Dallas. 11am-2pm. Tickets: Eventbrite.com.
April 5, 2019
April 5, 2019
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