April 19, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
on the Front LIne WIth hPd’s troY FInner:
HOUSTON - As he has for the last 30 years, Troy Finner continues to “beat the streets” of Houston, and one thing is for certain, the executive assistant chief of the Houston Police Department has not been “beaten by the streets,” and is on a mission to help the city win the war of not only crime, but an unseen enemy that’s crept in. The veteran officer is taking it personal. “What people don’t realize is that I roll around this city by myself at all times of the day and night because I want to get a true picture of what’s out there,” Finner said. The class of ‘85 Madison High School graduate was born in Fifth Ward, but grew up in Houston’s Hiram Clarke area. One of six children of Leroy Finner Jr. and Nobia Finner, the father of five is known and respected -- not only for his no-nonsense approach to law enforcement, but for his giving
“I understand the pain of loss.”
spirit and genuine care for the people he meets. In one word - he’s “relatable.” Finner lost his oldest sister to Lupus in 2004, and two of his nephews to gun violence. “I understand the pain of loss. It helps me to understand what families go through,” he said. That’s part of the reason he is on the front line every day trying to ensure that Houstonians don’t experience anymore
COVID-19 AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY:
WHY ARE WE DYING?
-- potentially preventable -- deaths from the pandemic that has the entire world on standstill. “COVID-19 has put everybody on notice. God is trying to get everyone’s attention. No matter what neighborhood you live in, what race you are, what religion you are, it affects us all,” Finner said. Finner applauds the work of our local leaders who have been working around the clock, arm in arm, to keep everyone safe. “Let me commend Mayor Sylvester Turner, he’s been through so much with other crises. He’s not a rookie at this and is doing an outstanding job,” Finner said. “And Sheila Jackson Lee, as she always does, has stood up tremendously getting more testing sites.” But he’s most proud of the leaders he serves with every day. He calls them his “brothers.” “I am proud to serve with Chief Art Acevedo. Never underestimate his love for law enforcement and love for people,” Finner said. “And my colleague, Executive Assistant Chief Matt Slinkard, what a great partner. We are the two #2’s under the chief.” He praises the work of the other first responders on the front lines, while praying that conditions improve. “The most difficult thing for me is seeing our brave firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement and medical teams in need,” he shared. “It’s the worst feeling in the world when you know we don’t have enough PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] for our people in the field. They were trained to save lives, but now their lives are at risk. They’ve continued
HOUSTON - COVID-19. Coronavirus. Those two scary words have been in the headlines of every major and minor media outlet, with more than two million confirmed cases worldwide and more than 100,000 deaths. And here at home, data released shows that Black Americans are dying from the novel coronavirus at disproportionately high rates. “Health disparities have always existed for the African American community,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a recent White House press briefing. “Here again with the crisis, how it’s shining a bright light on how unacceptable that is because, yet again, when you have a situation like the coronavirus, they are suffering disproportionately.” Fauci also noted the health issues that are hampering African Americans. “The diabetes, hypertension, the obesity, the asthma — those are the kinds of things that wind them up in the ICU and ultimately give them a higher death rate.” Another obvious issue tied to health issues is lack of health coverage. Data shows 11% of Blacks are uninsured, against the national rate of 7% in 2017. Some Blacks don’t know they have these underlying issues because, with less access the health insurance, some conditions remain undiagnosed until it’s too late. Employment is also a key factor. Many blacks hold service jobs, such as grocery clerks, fast food employees, city workers and even bus drivers. Those jobs don’t provide the luxury of working from home, in alignment with the “social distancing” recommendations. These workers are put directly in the line of fire. Walmart made headlines after two of its employees from the same store died from related COVID-19 exposure, and some workers were crying out on social media, saying they felt pressured to report to work, and not allowed to wear masks. Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove died from coronavirus just one week after releasing a video-- which went viral -- voicing concerns over a coughing passenger getting on the bus. “For us to get through this and get over this, y’all need to take this seriously,” he said on the video. “There’s folks dying out here.” Where a person lives is just as much of a concern as health care.
Cont’d on page 2
Cont’d on page 2
“sIt YoUr BUtts doWn!”
By: N.L. Preston
Vol. 25, Issue 13
WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY • AVOID PUBLIC SPACES OR EVENTS WITH MORE THAN 10 PATRONS • SANITIZE AND STOCK UP • AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH • PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE
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April 19, 2020 Partin’ the Waters
Tristar
By Omawale Luthuli-Allen
Arts and the movement
Office: (713) 692-1178
Art can be collective, committing or functional or art can be just for art’s sake. Often the lively arts, music, song, dance and the theatrical arts can be tools to raise awareness about social movements that aim to change the status quo. So can the visual arts be a companion tool to sharpen the fighting capacity of those for fighting change. Art can increase the I SHALL NOT BE MOVED RESOLVE. In 1955, The Little Rock Central nine faced down bayonets and white mobs in an effort to desegregate Central High School. The recalcitrant and racist Governor Orval Faubus threw down the gauntlet and faced off with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the NAACP, CORE and other rams poised to assault the remnants of the peculiar institution of slavery. Charles Mingus, composer and jazz (Black Classical Music) took to the field with the composition Fables of Faubus, which ridiculed Faubus for being “so ridiculous.” The composition probably did not do much to move Faubus, but it advanced the resolve of black America to smash desegregation. We do know that the mobs dispersed when President Eisenhower ordered the guards to fix their bayonets. Mingus was not the only musician to write “fire music.” Who can forget “A Raisin in the Sun”, by playwright Lorraine Hansberry. The TV production starred icons Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and a young Lou Gossett. With the support of the government real estate moguls, white citizen mobs joined in an unholy alliance to establish restrictive covenants to keep black people from moving and living in the neighborhoods of their choice. These exclusive social devices became the forerunner of redlining and other practices for insuring that we were locked in slums and ghettoes with tangled webs of pathology. The blin-
dingly talented and beautiful Ms. Hansberry brought to the stage a black family who decided to pay the cost by sacrificing comfort and money for dignity. Raisin in the Sun was subversive to the existing social order and psychic liberation to all those impacted by restrictive covenants and redlining. Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach were two of the earliest artists to take the pulsating rhythms and captivating harmonies of jazz and produce Freedom Suite, which reflected the rising nationalist and freedom sentiments of the black masses. A flood of consciousness music became entrenched in the mindset of artist-intellectuals and the dam burst. Most baby boomers and generation Xers will bristle when they hear Sam Cooke opening the freedom spigot with A CHANGE IS GOING TO COME. Around the time that Goodman, Schwerney and Chaney were murdered in Mississippi, hundreds of students of conscience were pouring into Lowndes County and the Black Belt to launch a new phase of struggle. Nina Simone, our black princess went along to the Black Belt with the haunting Mississippi GODDAM, and I WISH I KNEW HOW IT FELT TO BE FREE. These songs were derivatives of Billy Holiday singing about STRANGE FRUIT on southern trees. Curtis Mayfield launched a cache of songs such as WE ARE A WINNER AND THE SOUNDTRACK FOR CLAUDINE. Sails were put beneath the anti- Vietnam War ship by Marvin Gaye and his not to be matched WHAT’S GOING ON LP. Mari Evans, Amir Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, Don L Lee picked up the pace of the Harlem Renaissance writers and developed a newer aesthetic that enabled society to view the black presence in a different manner. Great novels came forth by young and old black writers. The 2000’s will include the name of Attica Locke and Terry McMillan and, of course, the great one Tony Morrison. Conscious ART opens the pathway and broadens the vision of poets and seers and the ordinary brother and sister. The black aesthetic is even better when we own our own cultural houses. VIVA Eileen and THE ENSEMBLE!
Front Lines, cont’d
to fight through it around the nation, and a lot of them have died.” Finner said what’s more disturbing than the global pandemic, is the crime and lack of regard for human life while so many are struggling. “Sit your butts down! Understand we all need to be together on this, practice social distancing and don’t be out here committing crimes,” he said. Finner’s most recent heartbreak came when Jordan Allen Jr. was shot and killed in southwest Houston. The 5-year-old was on his apartment balcony with his family, filming a Tik Tok dance video, when he was struck by a stray bullet. “Let me tell you, his mother, what a strong young woman,” Finner said. “While she is under the shock of losing her son and knowing she can’t properly bury him in a larger homegoing celebration due to coronavirus, she
COVID-19, cont’d
According to Pew Research, Black and Latino families live in crowded multigenerational homes at much higher rates (26% and 27%, respectively) than white families (16%). More than 60 million Americans live in multigenerational homes, where young asymptomatic people might put their older relatives at risk. In addition, Black and Latino homes are more likely to be in communities with worse air quality, according to the American Lung Association, driving up rates of asthma, another risk factor for severe cases of COVID-19. A recently released Harvard University study suggests that counties with worse air quality standard would see an increased corona-
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
has so much spiritual maturity. She told me, ‘God is going to get me through this. I believe in God and I know that my son’s death is going to help other people in some kind of way.’ If you want to look for hope, That’s it.” Finner said that Jordan’s father is also a strong and proud man. The family is law-abiding and was not doing anything wrong when they became victims. Even in the darkness, there are many who are continuing to show what #HoustonStrong means. “You do have some people - it’s just in them -- who won’t comply, and you have to get out there and threaten them with tickets, but the great majority in our neighborhoods are complying,” Finner explained. “People are scared, but we know how to get through tough times. People in Houston are very hard working and proud. We don’t give excuses; we continue to get up and fight.” As always, African-American News&Issues asked
what advice Finner wants to share with the youth. “I would tell young males to pay attention to who you are hanging with, your location and the time of which you are there. I call it the triangle,” Finner said. “If you are at the wrong place, at the wrong time of day and with the wrong people, it could end up deadly. You can take away any part of that and it could be alright, but when all three get together, not good.” And his philosophies about life? “Just try to help somebody every day. Give somebody a hand up -- that empowers a person, not a handout -- that does not get them to the place where they need to be,” he said. “For me, it’s not about my title, it’s about the relationships I have with people. When I came to this department, I came as Troy Finner, and when I leave, I will leave as Troy Finner.”
virus death rate. Another issue is just basic distrust in the government and the health care system. Who could ever forget the Tuskegee experiment, when over the course of 40 years, the U.S. Public Health Service allowed syphilis to go untreated in hundreds of African American men in order to chronicle the progression of the disease? But despite all these concerns, health experts, elected officials and even celebrities are encouraging everyone to take this pandemic seriously and do all they can to remain healthy. “I’m here today to tell all minorities, this virus, you can get it and you can die from it so make sure you do everything
you are supposed to do. Stay at home,” said Earvin “Magic” Johnson to CNN on the disparities of the pandemic and the Black community. “I’m hearing they’ve been having card parties around the country. You can’t do that. You have to stay at home with your families and keep yourself a safe distance from everyone else. That’s very important. Get your masks, get your gloves and stay safe.” The Lakers Legend, who became the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic - said he has been watching classic NBA games and binging out on his favorite TV shows. Heed all health advice from the experts and social distancing is key. Whatever you can do, stay safe.
- AANI
- AANI
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
April 19, 2020
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eILeen J. morrIs
HOUSTON -- Acreage Home resident Eileen J. Morris is the Artistic Director of Houston’s The Ensemble Theatre, one of the largest African American theatres in the world that owns its facility with over a $2 million budget. A native of Chicago, Illinois, she attended Northern Illinois University (BA, 1977) where she majored in Theatre and minored in English. She also has a certificate in Theatre Management from Dartmouth College (1998). Her professional career in the arts was just beginning when she relocated to Houston and met The Ensemble Theatre founder George W. Hawkins. They bonded through their passion to develop a space in Houston where African American artists could come together and hone their skills. Her work with Hawkins spanned from 1982 until his death in 1990. Eileen has produced over 87 productions, which include eight world premieres, over 64 regional premieres and has directed over 82 productions throughout her career. In April, she will receive the USITT Thomas DeGaetani Award for her contributions to the performing arts community in Texas.
She received Broadway World Houston’s 2018 Best Director Award for Sassy Mamas and the 2016 Houston Press Theater Award for Best Director of August Wilson’s Fences. In 2017, she was named one of Houston Women Magazine’s 50 Most Influential Women. That year, she also received the Black Theatre Network’s Larry Leon Hamlin Award and the BCCM Kim Kupp Award. Eileen is among five female artistic leaders recently selected as the first in the Nation awarded part of a $1.25 million gift of The Pussycat Foundation and Northern Stage in support of women artistic directors in professional theaters across the United States. Each of the Artistic Directors chosen for the BOLD Circle (The BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle grant) has demonstrated artistic excellence and a deep impact on community. The leaders have also demonstrated a strong history of mentoring, and will work together to elevate the next generation of artistic directors. Eileen currently serves as secretary on the board of the Theatre Communications Group. She also serves as board member,
secretary and Cultural Arts Committee Chair of the Midtown Management District, consultant of the Black Theatre Network and is a newly appointed advisory board member of the Houston Cinema Arts Society. Her most recent Ensemble Theatre directing credits include School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play, More Than Christmas, Freeda Peoples, Too Heavy For Your Pocket, ‘da kink in my hair, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Eighth Day of the Week, Front Porch Society, Sassy Mamas, Plenty of Time, Detroit ’67, What I Learned in Paris, Women in the Pit, and By the Way Meet Vera Stark to name a few. Eileen also has numerous directing credits in Pittsburgh, directing annually at Pittsburgh’s New Horizon Theatre. Notably, Eileen holds the distinction of being the only woman in the country to direct eight of August Wilson’s 10-play American Century Cycle. This August Wilson quote embodies her creative journey: “Art does not change the world; it changes people; and people change the world.” www.ensemblehouston.com. - AANI
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April 19, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
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