May 3, 2020
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
R.I.P
Vol. 25, Issue 15
HON. ALBERT ELY EDWARDS
By: N.L. Preston
BlacK Press anD coViD-19
By: N.L. Preston
HOUSTON - It is commonly said that journalists work on passion; working around the clock as the truth tellers bringing you the daily updates during the floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, battlefields of war and, as with today, health crises. And oftentimes, these dedicated journalists are putting themselves in the elements and on the front lines for little or no money - and more often these days, for free. Why? Because the economic downfall due to the coronavirus has had an even greater impact on the already diminishing print news industry. And when it comes to minority publications, things are even more brutal. “The black press is needed more now than ever to educate the black community, which has been totally miseducated
“Together, we can face anything. We will not shut down.”
since integration,” said African-American News&Issues publisher Roy Douglas Malonson. “We will continue to stick to our mission, to address the current and historical needs affecting our community.” An estimated 1,800 newspapers closed between 2004 and 2018 after the number of people buying print editions dropped, and now during the pandemic, it appears most small publications - especially minority-based ones - will be phased out altogether. “An extinction-level event will probably hit the smaller ones really hard, as well as the ones that are part of the huge
chains,” said Penny Abernathy, the Knight chair in journalism and digital media economics at the University of North Carolina. In 2018, Abernathy released a study citing that 1,300 US communities have completely lost news coverage, thus creating “news deserts” – where local information and scrutiny of elected officials is non-existent. That is not our business model. Without fear or favor, AANI vows to keep circulating our printed newspapers, servicing the needs of our most vulnerable community members - those who do not have access to the internet and digital media. We will not only continue to bring the coverage needed to aide in the fight against the pandemic, we will still call on and call out our city, state and congressional leaders, etc. when necessary. “We are bold and unapologetic in our news coverage. Because of our growth and distribution when we first started, Sylvester Turner was all over us to get exposure, now that he is mayor, he is leaning toward the other papers he feels has more glamour,” Malonson said. “While I respect how is he is leading this great city of ours during the COVID-19 crisis, I have taken issue with some of the community initiatives he’s launched. Despite it all, this paper will keep its fingers on the pulse of the community and tell readers what they need to know.” Several Houston media outlets, specifically those servicing the Black community like the Houston Defender and Forward Times, have launched campaigns asking for either public donations and/or deciding to use only the online versions of their publications, offering no print editions due Cont’d on page 2
HOUSTON — Hon. Albert Ely Edwards, the former state representative who introduced the bill that helped make Juneteenth a state holiday, has died. He was 83. The former Democratic legislator served south Houston’s House District 146 from 1979 to 2007, and again from 2009 to 2011. As noted on Historymakers.org, Edwards was born in Houston on March 19, 1937. He was the sixth out of sixteen children born to Reverend E. L. Edwards, Sr. and Josephine Radford Edwards. He graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School and attended Texas Southern University, earning his B.A. degree in 1966. At the age of 41, Edwards entered politics and was elected to the Texas State Legislature from Houston’s House District 146. His first major goal was to ensure the establishment of a holiday that recognized the emancipation of slavery. In 1979, legislation recognizing Juneteenth Day passed the Texas State Legislature and was signed into law. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an annual holiday in 14 states of the United States. Celebrated on June 19th, it commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. While serving in the legislature, Edwards also founded his own real estate company. Though deeply involved with local issues, Edwards re mained active in many issues outside the Texas State Legislature. In 1983, Edwards was appointed as a member of the board of Operation PUSH. Edwards also served as the Texas State Director of Reverend Jesse Jackson’s two presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. In 1986, Edwards also founded Operation Justus, a community faith-based organization that serves as a referral service for persons with social problems and concerns. Edwards was also arrested in Houston and went to jail for peacefully demonstrating against apartheid in South Africa in 1987. Edwards left the Texas legislature in 2007 after 28 years of serving the people of District 146. As a veteran member of the Texas Legislature, Edwards served on three influential committees. He was the Chairman of the Rules and Resolutions Committee, Chairman of Budget and Oversight of the Ways and Means Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee.
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
2 AFRAMNEWS.COM
May 3, 2020 Partin’ the Waters
Tristar
Griselda Ramirez: Production
By Omowale Luthuli-Allen
Follow the science, ignore the noise, focus on the signal Office: (713) 692-1178
In March of 2016, the New York Times featured an article that was prophetic about the future of the United States and world regarding an emerging existential threatPANDEMICS. Authors Osterholm and Olshaker posited that MICROBES, GERMS would be the deadliest of enemies that we face. No, it is not a Chinese virus. Senator John Cornyn, it is not a Chinese bioweapon. The bird flu was initially detected in Washington State, USA and British Columbia, Canada. A source could have been migratory birds, but we don’t call it the Canadian or USA flu. Neither do we call the Swine Flu the Mexican flu. Every day on our planet, 8 billion people are in close proximity with 20 billion live chickens, 400 million pigs, bats, birds, camels, snakes, etc. Mega markets have these wild animals available for the food supply. The Coronavirus is part of the same family of viruses that gave us SARS. Carnivores, plant-based eaters, we have a problem in that the viruses are leaping over or penetrating the shield in a deadly way between animals and human beings. The NYT article stated that the 1918-19 Spanish flu might have killed more people than all the wars of the twentieth century combined. In 2015, Bill Gates is on record predicting a PANDEMIC. The POTUS 45 was informed by Mr. Navarro, his trade adviser that a Pandemic was near in January 2020. This advice ran counter to the narrative of POTUS that the virus would mysteriously vanish in a few days. Many of us were taught in the 60’s and 70’s that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. POTUS and his fossil regime were working overtime to dismantle the achievements of one of the most consequential presidents in US history – Barack OBAMA. The Obama administration
successfully managed a national and global response to Ebola and H1NI and was rewarded by massive cuts to the disease barrier programs. It is an abomination when cripples hate dancers. The long and short, the takeaway is that infectious disease can wipe us out and the weak national COVID-19 virus response is costing us lives. At least three to four things are required. •Follow the science. Ignore the noise and focus on the signal. The science is represented by IN GOD WE TRUST Dr. Anthony Fauci and Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams. Social distancing and other precautions appear to be flattening the curve. Governor Mario Cuomo has emerged as a credible messenger and NYC is the epicenter and standout example of governmental and personal accountability. Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Lina Hidalgo will remain credible messengers if they follow and respect the science. Let’s stay the course. •Hang on to the world as it spins around. Don’t let the spin get you down. Thank you, Donnie Hathaway. Find your power, strengthen yourself and family. Find new ways to communicate and interact. Choose togetherness over isolation, anxiety and depression. Deepen your convictions and faith. Cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in your family. Donate to the food bank. MSNBC reminds me that Jesus rode an ass into Jerusalem, continue your Bible, Torah and Holy Quran studies, but keep your ass out of temples, churches, mosques and synagogues until the word is given by the scientists. Reject Pastor Sandy’s admonition to not take a Corona vaccine or therapeutic. Break every chain. •The vote was bought by blood, sweat and tears. Get prepared to vote for the qualified in November 2020. Let’s be slow to surrender our freedoms of speech, assembly, the right to be brought before a judge if you are arrested (habeas corpus) for they will be hard to recover. Vote if you must send your vote by carrier pigeon. •Ask for discernment to detect con men and wolf in sheep’s’ clothing. I can see no harm being done by sending a message to the first lady, Melania, thank you for wearing a mask. To contact directly, please send email to oluthuliallen@ gmail.com.
Press, cont’d
to the loss of advertisement dollars. Other Black-owned community newspapers, including the Washington Informer, Atlanta Voice, Texas Metro News, Seattle Medium, and Virginia’s New Journal & Guide are also fighting to stay afloat during these trying times. We have decided to bite the bullet, relying on Faith and our unwavering dedication to serve. Many of our readers are not typical internet users and still rely on the traditional newspapers in order to get their information. Today, with all the COVID-19 daily updates and adjustments, we feel our responsibility is to make sure those who are out of the “digital” loop, still remain in the loop of valuable information affecting the community for overall health and safety. It is a tough decision as we, too, are feeling the financial strain, along with other print publications
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION around the country. According to information released in The Guardian, Gannett, the largest local newspaper owner in the US, has lost 94% of its value since August 2019, much of that loss coming since mid-February. The company said it would furlough staff across most of its newsrooms for one week each month, in what one newspaper union described as a 25% pay cut. In Louisiana, one of the states suffering the most from the coronavirus, the Times-Picayune and the Advocate furloughed 10% of its 400 staff, and switched the rest to fourday work weeks. The Plain Dealer, a daily newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, laid off 22 newsroom staff – including its health reporter. And in Seattle, the weekly Stranger magazine said it was suspending publication, and temporarily laid off 18 employees. The Tampa Bay Times, Florida’s largest newspaper, has switched to a twice-weekly
print edition after it lost $1m in advertising due to coronavirus. Even Playboy Magazine recently announced its spring edition would be its last print magazine, saying the “disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain” accelerated growing concerns about sustaining a print product. We at AANI have decided to temporarily reduce staff and lower the number of pages in each print edition, choosing to focus on what we feel are the most significant “news you can use” headlines. Keeping our print publication in circulation not only benefits our community, it strengthens our commitments to our large and small advertisers who rely on the community for business. Extended coverage can be found on our digital platform, AframNews.com. “Together, we can face anything. We will not shut down,” Malonson said. - AANI
MASK ON during COVID-19
By: Dr. Fatima Ogunlana HOUSTON - As COVID-19 continues to affect our country every second, minute, hour, day, week and month, one might be wondering if you should be wearing a mask. COVID-19 is a virus and as a virus, the human naked eye can’t see where the virus has been. The virus tends to spread from person to person via respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or even talking. Since one can’t see the virus/droplets, one has to take precautionary measures to prevent yourself from obtaining COVID-19. Harris County mandated everyone to wear a mask from ages 10 and older in public which went into effect on April 27, but Governor Greg Abbott lifted those restrictions. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said violators caught not wearing a mask would
be fined $1,000, but Abbott said his orders superseded that, confirming local officials cannot impose penalties on residents who violate rules about wearing masks in public. “We strongly recommend that everyone wear a mask,” Abbott said at a press conference while announcing his plans for reopening Texas. “However, it’s not a mandate. And we make clear that no jurisdiction can impose any type of penalty or fine. • MASK ON ALL THE TIME if you are around others and especially if you are out in public • Wearing a mask/cloth mask/scarf/bandanna protects you from spreading COVID-19 to others especially if you don’t know that you have it. • If you have any medical issues (diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, asthma, COPD, smoker, etc.) it is very important to wear a mask due to you being high risk of contracting Covid-19. • If you are elderly or even pregnant it is also very im-
portant to wear a mask. • Try not to wear mask tended for healthcare workers since some areas of the country have a shortage • Make sure to wash your hands for at least 20 minutes with soap and water • If no soap and water, you can use a hand sanitizer with 60% or more alcohol • Continue to Keep Social Distancing • You may notice when you are at the grocery store you see place markers on the floor for you to stand at to help maintain 6 feet from the customer in front and behind you to help prevent the spread of the virus. • Stay at home as much as possible • Continue to follow the orders of your local/ state/ national government. • Keep up to date with your local news outlets for the latest information As always, be safe. **This column isn’t intended to replace the advice of your physician/specialist.** - AANI
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