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VOL. 22 ISSUE 4
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American News&Issues
Joy DeGruy, Ph.D Researcher, Educator, Author & Pre-
Martin Luther King, Jr. March 14, 1968 Now certainly, it's very important for people to engage in self-help programs and do all they can to lift themselves by their own bootstraps. Now I'm not talking against that at all. I think there is a great deal that the Black people of this country must do for themselves and that nobody else can do for them. But we must see the other side of this question. I remember the other day, I was on a plane, and a man started talking with me, and he said,
Editorial&Opinion
On the Myth of the “BOOTSRAP PHILOSPHY”
"I'm sympathetic toward what you're trying to do, but I just feel that you people don't do enough for yourself." And then he
went on to say that my problem is, my concern is, that I know of other ethnic groups that came to this country, and they had problems, just like Negroes do, and yet they did the job for themselves--they lifted themselves by their own bootstraps. Why is it that Negroes can't do that? And I looked at him and I tried to
Roy Douglas Malonson Chairman Shirley Ann Malonson President/C.E.O. Chandra Jarmon
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Darwin Campbell
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General: news@aframnews.com Ads: sales@aframnews.com Website: www.aframnews.com African-American News&Issues is published by African-American News & Issues, Inc., 6130 Wheatley Street, Houston, Texas 77091, (713) 692-1892. Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 9am - 5pm. The entire contents of the paper are copyrighted by African-American News & Issues, Inc. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the publisher. African-American News&Issues is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the publisher. African-American News&Issues assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other material, unless accompanied by a self-address stamped envelope.
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talk as understanding as possible, but I said to him that it does not help the Negro for unfeeling, sensitive White people to say that other ethnic groups that came to the country voluntarily maybe a hundred or a hundred-andfifty years ago have gotten ahead of them, while he was brought here in chains involuntarily almost three-hundred-and-fifty years ago. I said it doesn't help him to be told that, and then I went on to say to this gentlemen that he failed to recognize that no other ethnic group has been enslaved on American soil. Then I had to go on to say to him that you failed to realize that America made the Black man's color a stigma--something that he couldn't change. Not only was the color a stigma, but even linguistic then stigmatic conspired against the Black man, so that his color was thought of as something very evil. If you open Roget's Thesaurus and notice the synonym for black, you'll find about a hundred and twenty, and most of them represent something dirty, smutty, degrading, low. And when you turn to the synonym for white,
about one hundred and thirty, all of them represent something high, pure, chaste. You go right down that list. And so in the language, a White life is a little better than a Black life. Just follow: If somebody goes wrong in the family, we don't call him a white sheep, we call him a black sheep. And then if you block somebody from getting somewhere, you don't say they've been whiteballed, you say they've been blackballed. And just go down the line. It's not whitemail, it's blackmail. I tell you this to seriously say that the nation made the Black man's color a stigma. And then I had to say to my friend on the plane another thing that is often forgotten in this country-that nobody, no ethnic group has completely lifted itself by it own bootstraps. I can never forget that the Black man was free from the bondage of physical slavery in 1863. He wasn't given any land to make that freedom meaningful after being held in slavery 244 years. And it was like keeping a man in prison for many, many years, and then coming to see that he is not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted. [Interruption] Alright, good night and God bless you. I was about to say that to have freed the Negro from slavery without doing anything to get him started in life on a sound economic footing, it was almost like freeing a man who had been in prison many years and you had discovered that he was unjustly convicted of and innocent of the crime for which he was convicted, and you go up to him and say now you're free, but you don't give him any bus fare to get to town, or you don't give him any money to buy some clothes to put on his back or to get started in life again. To continue reading online visit Source: JoyDegruy.com & Facebook Page
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 -19, 2017
A Lesson in Black History Charles M. Blow Author, Political & Social Analyst
Last week at a supposed Black History Month “listening session” at the White House, Donald Trump made this baffling statement: “I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Reverend King, so many other things. Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job that is being recognized more and more, I notice.” It sounded a bit like he thought the inimitable Douglass, who died in 1895, was some lesserknown Black leader who was still alive. When Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked what Trump meant by his Douglass comments, Spicer responded: “I think he wants to highlight the contributions that he has made. And I think through a lot of the actions and statements that he’s going to make, I think the contributions of Frederick Douglass will become more and more.” Assuming that the “he” in that sentence refers to Douglass, these numbskulls are actually referring to him as a living person and have absolutely no clue who Douglass is and what he means to America. Social media had a field day with this, relentlessly mocking the team, but for me the emotion was overwhelming sadness: How could the American “president” or a White House press secretary, or any American citizen for that matter, not know who Douglass is? Let’s be absolutely clear here: Frederick Douglass is a singular, towering figure of American history. The entire legacy of Black intellectual thought and civil
rights activism flows in some way through Douglass, from W.E.B. DuBois to Booker T. Washington, to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to President Barack Obama himself. Douglass was one of the most brilliant thinkers, writers and orators America has ever produced. Furthermore, he harnessed and mastered the media of his day: Writing an acclaimed autobiography, establishing his own newspaper and becoming the most photographed American of the 19th century. Put another way: If modern social media existed during Douglass’s time, he would have been one of its kings. Douglass also was a friend of Susan B. Anthony and an advocate for women’s civil rights as well as the civil rights of Black people, understanding even then the intersectionality of oppressions. In fact, the motto of his newspaper, The North Star, was “Right is of no Sex — Truth is of no Color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all Brethren.” But perhaps one of the best reasons Trump and Spicer need to bone up on Douglass is to understand his relationship with Abraham Lincoln and to get a better sense of what true leadership looks like. Douglass was a blistering critic of Lincoln from the beginning. In Lincoln’s first Inaugural Address, he quoted from one of his previous speeches in which he had said “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists,” and he went on to defend the Fugitive Slave Act, promising the slave states full enforcement of it as long as it was on the books. This incensed Douglass, who said of the remarks: To continue reading online visit Source: NYTimes.com
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2017
Editorial&Opinion
The GOP Has the Gall to Scream About Obstructionism Earl Ofari Hutchinson Author & Political Analyst
“I don’t remember us treating their nominees this way,” This is what an apoplectic Utah GOP Senator Orin Hatch raged at his Democratic Senate colleagues when they had the temerity to boycott confirmation hearings on two Trump appointees. Hatch, of course, had to feign righteous anger, indignation and disgust at what be branded the Democrat’s obstructionism in refusing to show up for a possible vote on the nominations. That’s tantamount to a bank robber railing with indignation at their bank account being plundered by an identity thief.
Hatch knows full well how the obstruction game is played. The moment that former President Obama set his toe in the White House in January, 2009, Hatch’s titular arty leader, Senate Minority and later Majority leader Mitch McConnell, openly and loudly boasted that he would make him a one term president. The GOP’s far more telling aim, though, was to make his presidency a failed presidency. To do that, the GOP wielded the one formidable weapon that it had. That was the power to say no to any and everything that Obama proposed. That especially included his appointees. If the GOP screeched loud and
long enough and muddied the stream with much misinformation and disinformation about a top Obama pick it might get the nominee canned. The near textbook example of that was the GOP’s full-throated assault on the possible nomination of UN ambassador Susan Rice to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Rice was lambasted from pillar to post as too weak, too conciliatory, and too dovish on the issues of military defense and terrorism. Obama withdrew her name. Many of Obama’s picks fared no better, the GOP controlled Senate in 2015 confirmed fewer of Obama’s picks for all positions then it did for any other president in the previous thirty years. This was child’s play, however, compared to the GOP’s massive just say “no” to Obama’s judicial picks. Here’s some embarrassing numbers. In George W. Bush’s last year in office, 2008, the Democratic Senate majority confirmed 23 federal district court and four appeals court judges. This was pretty much the norm through every year of Bush’s two term tenure. He would nominate judges as vacancies occurred just as all presidents have done and they would be with routinely confirmed. In fact, Reagan, Bush Sr. and even Democrats Jimmy Carter and Clinton had nearly twice the number of their judicial picks confirmed with the Democrats with almost no dissent to any of them approving their confirmation then Obama toward the end of their tenures Hatch and the GOP radically changed the game with Obama. He got the grand total of one circuit judge confirmed in 2015 and 2016, and a paltry number of district courts judges. The GOP slowed the Obama appointment and judicial train to a virtual halt by using every parliamentary trick at its disposal—filibuster, To continue reading online visit source: HuffingtonPost.com
African
American News&Issues
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But… He is Still the President!
Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States of America, once made a statement that I just can’t say that I agree with. In it he exclaimed, “When the president does it that means it’s not illegal.” I can’t state that I can second this thought, because I believe that we have to hold our leaders accountable, just as those they lead must be held accountable – or pay the price. This statement uttered by President Nixon does not reflect the value of ethics, morals and founding principles that a nation should strive to live by. Because when we say that nothing the president does is illegal it separates the “Haves” from the “Have-Not’s”. I respect authority to the fullest extent. But there has to be a line where even the highest of officers are subject to living up to certain moral standards especially if you are operating under a public platform in a nation as massive as the USA. Hence, I thought about this statement in reference to our current president, Donald Trump. The president is the president and he’s my president whether I like it or not. But I don’t like what he is trying to do to the legacy of former President Barack Obama. I believe that he has the potential and that there is a possibility that he will and can do great things. It is very obvious that he has his own agenda and his own plans, which as the president of the country you are supposed to. But what I do not agree with is him hurting people in the process. Just last week John Hayward wrote an extensive article in reference to President Trump bashing President Barack Obama. The thing is, that President Trump attacked President Obama’s efforts in regards to the African-American culture. Of all of the questions that were asked, the choice was made to associate President
Obama’s presidential legacy with non-fulfillment Dr. King’s dream. I saw the entire scenario as a complete attack on two of the most influential leaders that have ever belonged to the African-American people, as well as the African-American culture on a whole. The Breitbart News Network article begins with a question posed to President Trump by an ABC News reporter, George Stephanopoulos. Apparently, Stephanopoulos asked President Trump, “What he would say to Americans, especially African-Americans, who believe Dr. King’s dream has not been achieved?” President Trump’s response is immediately recorded as noted in the following statements. “Oh, I agree with them, and especially under President Obama.” He went on to state, “We have
an African-American president and the Black youth, the AfricanAmerican youth, has essentially all never done worse. You look at the unemployment in the ’50s. You look at African-American people that are 30 and 35 and 40, in the height of their strength and lives, and they’re doing horribly. President Obama, an African-American, has done a terrible job for African-Americans.”
I would like to make a brief example of what I am trying to convey here. It is never a good idea to criticize your predecessor in regards to a position that you have yet to “get your feet wet in”. It is easy to talk about someone if you have never been in the position that they are in. But when you are embarking on that same mission yourself, you have no idea what curves are up the road for you. Now, during the era of President George Bush,
We MUST Understand By Roy Douglas Malonson, Chairman
everybody had something to say about his leadership skills and the things that transpired during his presidency. The one person that I never really heard say anything derogatory towards our former president was President Obama. That is something that I have since learned to appreciate about him, as a man. I believe he chose the lesser role, which was a smart choice. He chose to embrace the man that had just walked the journey that he was starting, when he took office in January of 2009. At the end of the day, no matter what anyone says about President Barack Obama, there were just certain attributes and values that he and his family demonstrated that were priceless and far different from any other president. We MUST Understand that the way we handle situations when we are placed in leadership positions, says a lot about our leadership style and ultimately tells people who we are. As it is, not only is the entire world watching what we are doing as a nation; but above all our future which is far most importantly, is watching. I always say that, ‘Children are like little magnets, they pick up everything you do or say.’ It is bad enough that mainstream media, the entertainment industry and other outlets have presented a mighty sad display for our future, in some cases. The way I see it is that, the last place our children need to see bad examples being set is in the governance of the country. Read More columns online @ AframNews.com! TX-3
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African
American News&Issues
Cover Story
Emma Primas FROM PAGE 1 Obama, the nation’s first African-American "Success is to be measured not so much by President. the position that one has reached in life as by the EARLY DAYS obstacles which he has overcome while trying to Growing up, Primas remembers how life succeed." -- Booker T. Washington was not as easy then compared to the modern conveniences of today. HOUSTON- It was reported on in the Afro“There were not cars for us at the time,” she American Newspaper on January 5, 1906 that said, “Most just walked everywhere we went from a truly remarkable, African-American woman the fields to the store. To school, church and back named Mary McDonald. McDonald died at the home.” ripe old age of 135. She added that the day in the life did not She was not just any woman, but the oldest include having a Black Woman in America at the time. Her origins regular job to go to dated back to her birth on November 14, 1770 in with decent pay. It Pennsylvania. meant hitting the According the records kept by the Home for fields at sunrise and the Aged and Infirmed Colored Persons at the working all day with time, Mary was born in Frogtown near Valley no guaranteed salary Forge. As a young girl, she recalled at the age of four cause you had to take the whatever money years how she was placed in the family of Reese you got paid. Howell and remembers the years 1777 and 1778, Early life when the Revolutionary forces were camped consisted of working near Valley Forge under the command of General in those fields and George Washington. going to school was She also reportedly remembered some who Harlem Renaissance resided in the Valley Forge area, including the prominent man Isaac Walker and his family. The Daughters of the American Revolution not a giant priority until much later because family survival was dependent upon everyone doing (DAR) organization verified her accounts and their part from the least to the eldest. showed that she gave accurate descriptions and As a teenager, her favorite subjects in school details of the skirmishing of the Continental Army Philadelphia neighborhoods and how "the were reading, arithmetic and geography. Primas also reported going to school and working and after school, she would go to the homes of Whites and wash dishes earning up to $3 per day. She also noted that families were closer knit and everyone knew each other and had a stake in the kids being raised there. As a community, Primas detailed how children were brought up during her childhood era. “Folks helped raised each other’s children,” she said. “If the children were misbehaving, people would deal with it and tell the parents and Emma Primas & Ruby Mosley more discipline would be coming.” Primas said trying times and strained race soldiers were always going up and down the road relations made Black families closer and resulted dressed in all buttons.” She often talked about in many communities using the village concept to how the soldiers came around twice a week to teach and raise its generations of youth. collect the provisions prepared for them and how She said it was during that time that her life all the women in the neighborhood gave food to philosophies were being molded and cemented. the patriots. “I learned a lots about life from them,” she said. “I also believe the teaching and the hard A STAR IS BORN work prepared me the what was going on and Just one year after McDonald’s historical and celebrated Homegoing, Emma Primas was born. what was ahead.” Among some of those were how to comPrimas, now 111-years old, grew up in Cold Springs, in the East Texas rural area just off Texas municate with others, manage money and work Highway 156, about 63 miles north of Houston in smarter. San Jacinto County. JIM CROW She is indeed one of Houston’s oldest resiJim Crow is a practice or policy of segregatdents and like McDonald has seen the changes in ing or discriminating against Black people, as in history from the cotton and sugar cane fields to public places, public vehicles, or employment. Jim Crow Segregation, the KKK and Barack TX- 4
Race relations were under stress with riots and division were prevalent in the North and the South as Primas was coming of age. In 1906, a riot, known as the Brownsville Affray, breaks out between African-American soldiers and local citizens in Brownsville, Texas. A local resident is killed. In the coming months, President Theodore Roosevelt discharges three companies of African-American soldiers. In Atlanta, the race riots there breaks out on September 22 and lasts for two days. Ten AfricanAmericans and two Whites are killed as a result. Again in 1908 in Springfield, Illinois, race riot broke out in August. This race riot is considered the first of its kind in a Northern city in more than 50 years. In 1917, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) organized the largest civil rights protest in United States’ history. In New York City with an estimated 800 children, led 10,000 silent marchers. The marchers moved silently up the streets of New York City holding signs that read, “Mr. President, why not make America safe for democracy?” and “Thou Shall Not Kill.” The purpose was to highlight the importance of bringing an end to lynching, Jim Crow laws and violent attacks against African-Americans. RIOTING/RACIST 20s The 1920s, often called the Roaring Twenties, is synonymous with the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance. African-American musicians, visual artists, and writers were able to achieve great fame and notoriety for their work. However, African-American communities continued to be ravaged following racism and riots. In 1921, the Tulsa Race Riots begin on May
Black Wall Street Businessmen 31. When the riot ends the following day, an estimated 60 African-Americans and 21 White residents are killed. In addition to these casualties, the African-American business district known as Deep Greenwood is destroyed. Two years later in 1923, the Rosewood Massacre occurs . According to Blackpast.org, The massacre was carried out in the small, predominantly Black town of Rosewood in Central
TEXASTexas • FEBRUARY 1312-18, - 19, 2017 • August 2013
Florida. The massacre was instigated by the rumor that a White woman, Fanny Taylor, had been sexually assaulted by a Black man in her home in a nearby community. A group of White men, believing this rapist to be a recently escaped convict named Jesse Hunter who was hiding in
During Great Depression Rosewood, assembled to capture this man. At least six Blacks and two Whites were killed, and the town of Rosewood was abandoned and destroyed. EARLY BRIGHT SPOTS The Black Swan Phonograph Corporation was founded as a company and is the first African-American record company in America. Also, the Binga State Bank was established in Chicago by Jesse Binga. It was the largest African-American bank in the United States before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Between living with not voting rights, dealing with racism and the Great Depression, Primas learned a number of lessons that helped shaped the next 90+ years of her life. THE GREAT MIGRATION After becoming an adult, Primas became part of the Great Migration that lure some Black to the North looking for opportunities, while others went West to find prosperity. According to About Education.com, the Great Migration was the relocation of more than 6 million African-Americans from the southern United States to cities in the North, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. The migration was a result of Jim Crow segregation laws and poor economic opportunities in the south for African Americans. Because the KKK was still operating underground operations in lynching and violence against African Americans. The violent acts helped prompt The Great Migration. As the movement moved into the later years, African Americans moved west to cities like Los Angeles where movie production and roles promised some blacks a rising future. To continue reading visit us online @ aframnews.com By: Darwin Campbell
Education
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2017
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Read us online! www. aframnews. com
Lone Star College-Victory Center Local Author To Discuss Her Father’s Pivotal Role During The Civil Rights Movement
Patrick, A Civil Rights Pioneer,” which focuses on her father, Civil Rights pioneer Charles Patrick and how he tackled corrupt police powers in the deep south in 1954. Dorsey’s speaking engagements are part of LSC-North Harris’ Black History Month calendar of events.
By Mignette Y. Dorsey
Author, former journalist and Lone Star College-Greenspoint Center English professor Mignette Dorsey, will discuss her book “Speak Truth to Power: The Story Mignette Y. Dorsey of Charles
The story developed in 1954 in segregated Birmingham when Patrick was assaulted by two white policemen. The incident sparked rare unity among white and black citizens alike, demanding for the officers to be terminated from their positions. In an unprecedented move, the two policemen were fired and an F.B.I. investigation was conducted. These series of events resulted in a federal indictment and justice was served to Patrick’s assailants.
is American History
Monday, February 13
Black Men In Education Presented by Dr. Hilton LaSalle 11 a.m. LSC-Greenspoint Center, Room 106 250 N. Sam Houston Pkwy E. Houston, TX 77060
Dorsey has three events scheduled: Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. at the LSC-Victory Center, room 102, 4141 Victory Drive; Monday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. at LSCGreenspoint Center, room 306, 250 N. Sam Houston Parkway East; and Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the LSC-North Harris Library GroupSpot, Third Floor, 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive. These events are free and open to the public. Author Mignette (Patrick) Dorsey’s passion to share her father’s story developed at an early age, as she is
the youngest daughter of the book’s main character, Charles Patrick. Her book, which took fifteen years of research to write, looks into the inner workings of civil rights attorneys in the early 1950s and features other unheralded white and black Americans who have made an impact on history. Charles Patrick died in 2014 at the age of 96 and played a pivotal role in the early part of the Civil Rights Movement. Now, through the words of his daughter, his story still lives on.
Celebrate Black History Month at LSC-North Harris and its Centers. Monday, February 20 Black Men In Education Presented by Dr. Hilton LaSalle 11 a.m. LSC-Victory Center, Room 102 4141 Victory Drive Houston, TX 77088
Thursday, Feb. 23
Women of Color Panel: The Impact of an Advanced Degree Presented by Amber Moore, Sandra Velazquez, Terranye Overshown and Lashun Griffin Noon, LSC-North Harris Student Services Building, SB-204 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive Houston, TX 77073
For a current list of events, visit: LoneStar.edu/BlackHistoryMonth LoneStar.edu/Victory-Center AANI_9.6x9.6_Feb2017.indd 1
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African
American News&Issues
Education/Youth
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2017
The Eagle’s Nest Newspaper
Black Kollectibles & F lowers New Display Magnets
MISSION STATEMENT
“The faculty and students of Booker T. Washington High School for the Engineering Profession are striving for the successful outcome of its students through learning, companionship, research, and diligence.”
Giving an Eagle Welcome to Mr. Somto
I personally couldn’t have imagined it to be any better.” Veronica: What has surprised you most since you have been here? Mr. Somto: “The school is very different from how I thought it would be. It has been wonderful. The students are so engaging that they are the first thing I think of in the morning. I am excited about teaching my classes, especially during this time in history, and it makes me smile to think about the decision that I have made.”
e Availab!l Now
Magnet Size 2.5” x 3.5”
Mr. Igbelina Somtochukwu By Veronica D, BTW Student As we say goodbye to our beloved and passionate teacher, Ms. Thomas, who has taken on a new role here at Washington High School, we say hello to our new teacher, Mr. Somto. He is a young, energetic teacher who was born in Nigeria and graduated from the University of Houston. He has come to us ready to take on the challenge and reward of being a full time social studies teacher. I had a chance to get to know our newest Eagle a little better.
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Veronica: Why did you choose to become a teacher? What attracted you to this career field? Mr. Somto: “I believe I can make a difference in a student’s life and believe that students should be able to learn something new every day. That is what I have set as a goal for my classroom this school year. Ms. Harris and Ms. Haynes interviewed me, and they convinced me to come teach at Booker T. The passion and love Mrs. Thomas had for her job and students was actually what made me want the job even more.” Veronica: Are you a role model? Mr. Somto: “I feel I can be a great example or in other words, be a role model to the students here at Booker T. Washington. So far, BTW has been an amazing experience for me. The students are great, and I kind of know what they are going through as young adults. I can relate myself to each and every one of them. As for the staff, I feel very welcomed. When I walk down the hallways, lots of teachers have asked how I was doing and everyone is willing to help with ideas and advice.
Veronica: Who or what has motivated you to continue striving for success? Mr. Somto: “My dad is the one person who has motivated me to remain focused to do my best. Being born in Nigeria and seeing my dad make the decision to give up financial security there to begin anew and start from the bottom in a new country keeps me driven to give my all every day. When I think about his sacrifice, it motivates me.” Veronica: Do you think the recent election has inspired or deterred students from wanting to learn about American government? Mr. Somto: “I think a little of both. They have so many opinions and yes, some have questioned the purpose of voting at all; however, it made for some very good discussions. It gave me the opportunity to explain the Electoral College and the importance of congressional elections.” Veronica: Last but not least, Mr. Somto, what is your impression of Washington High and what should we remember about you? Mr. Somto: “I have nothing but positive statements for our principal, Dr. Phillips, and my new school. Dr. Phillips truly, truly cares about the students and shows it. It is a pleasant surprise because out of all the schools I have been to where I see how nobody really cares and people just want to get it over with and go home, here you can actually see how every single person cares about the students’ well-being. I am pleased to be here and want students to know that my door is always open to them. I am elated and excited about the opportunity to inspire our next generation of leaders.” The student body would like to give a big Eagle welcome to Mr. Igbelina Somtochukwu!
te and size of Ad to run in AAN&I’s Greater Houston edition. EDITION DATE: February 13 - 19, 2017 (Vol. 22 Issue 4) EDITION DATE: February 20 - 26, 2017 (Vol. 22 Issue 5) T •F 13 - 19, 2017 exas
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Marketplace Heading: MONDAY FRIDAY Public Notice Obsidian Theater The Irritated Passing Strange Genie of Soufeese - Ayo Houston Community College Contact Information 3522 White Oak Dr. Kimathi Request for Proposals (RFP) Name: Art Lopez Houston, TX 77077 The 2017-2021 Black Parking Lot & Parking Garage Beginning at 8pm Cleaning Services Project No. Agenda Phone: 713.718.7463 For more info contact: 17-47 (Re-Bid) Fax: Shrine Cultural Center 832-889-7837 Email: arturo.lopez@hccs.edu 5309 MLK Jr. Blvd. Sealed proposals will be received in ObsidianTheater.org Procurement Operations (3100 Main Houston, TX 77021 Address for Tearsheet/Copies: Street, Room No. 11A06, Houston, Beginning at 7:30pm 3100 Main Street Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local For more info contact: This should be Houston, Texas 77002 time) on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. 832-408-1071 your Event! SATURDAY AD COST email us TODAY! Documents can be obtained at: The Center for the www.hccs.edu/procurement. news@aframnews.com Healing Of Racism. 4 weeks in advance! Dialogue: Racism Cost to run ad for 1 week FRIDAY $136.80 3412 Crawford St. Ali Olu David Houston, TX 77004 MONDAY Prayers of Our Ancestors From 9am -4:30pm Dallas Black Dance TOTAL NET COST forCenter 2 weeks: Shrine Cultural For more info contact: Theater 5309 MLK Jr. Blvd. $273.60 cfhr1@juno.com Relentless Excellence Houston, TX 77021 Hobby Center SATURDAY Beginning at 7pm 800 Bagby St Music Ministry For more info contact: Houston, TX 77002 of Charity Fellowship 832-408-1071 Starts at 8pm Baptist Church For more info contact: Praise Benefit SATURDAY Please sign for approval and faxConcert back to 713-692-1183 713-315-3525 5144 Sam Houston Pkwy Anthony Deprey TheHobbyCenter.org by 12 NOON Wednesday theTXweek Houston, 77015 before Monday Jackson THURSDAY Beginning at 5:30pm 4th Annual Houston Greater Houston For more info contact: Creole Festival and Black Chamber 832.656-4184 Mardi Gras Parade CharityFBC.org O#112784 7th Annual Houston Discovery Green Black Leadership Forum” 1500 Mckinney St. University of Houston SATURDAY Houston, TX 77010 4188 Elgin St. Tiffany Parker Starts at 8am - 9pm Houston, TX 77004 Parkers Vender Showcase For more info contact: From 6pm - 9pm Westin Hotel Galleria 713-235-0156 For more info contact: Woodway Hall 3 SATURDAY www.eventbrite.com 5060 West Alabama St. Elevation THURSDAY Houston, TX 77056 Ressurect Allah AD Players From 12pm - 6pm The Taste of Black To Kill A Mockingbird For more info contact: Houston Food Tour Date 346-907-9424 AD Players New Theatre Metro Park and Ride 5420 Westheimer Rd 6220 Southwest Houston SATURDAY Houston, TX 77056 Freeway Houston, TX Baba Ifalade Starts at 7:30pm 77074 African Style Urban For more info contact: From 1pm - 5pm Gardening in America 713-526-2721 For more info contact: From 10am - 12pm SUBSCRIBE NOW! 832-707-5057 For more info contact: FRIDAY EventBrite.com SATURDAY Houston Symphony SUNDAY Houston Alumni A Salute to Stevie Professor James Small Greek Show Wonder Black Spiritual & 1st Annual Houston Alumni Jones Hall Economic Awakening Greek Show 615 Louisiana St. Shrine Cultural Center Sawyer Auditorium Houston, TX 77002 5309 MLK Jr. Blvd. 3100 Cleburne St Beginning at 8PM Houston, TX 77021 Houston, TX 77004 For more info contact: Beginning at 5pm Beginning at 7pm 713-227-3974 For more info contact: For more info contact: HoustonFirstTheaters.com 832-408-1071 EventBrite.com
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Did You Know...
Carter G. Woodson (1875 – 1950) : Born in New Canton, Virginia, Woodson became the one of the first African Americans awarded a Doctorate from Harvard. He later invested his work into African American history by establishing the recognition of Black History Month and making it a nation wide institution. He is also the writer of “The Mis-Education of the Negro” published in 1933. Hattie McDaniel (1895 - 1952): Born in Wichita, Kansas, McDaniel became best known for her character in the movie “Gone With The Wind” as “Mammy”. Because of this role, McDaniel was a received an Oscar award in the year of 1940 for being the best supporting actress. She was the very first African American to receive an Oscar Award. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. (1887 -1940) : Was a social activist born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica. A self-educated man, Garvey was responsible for the creation of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) which was dedicated to the promotion of African-Americans and resettlement in Africa. The Black Star Line Steamship Corporation was developed under UNIA in the year of 1919 in which is was established to provide “efficient modes of transportation, communication and trade among Black people” not only locally but world wide in order to “enhance the stature, self-image and pride of the communities”. Mary Mahoney (1845 – 1926) : Born in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, Mahoney is most famous for being the first African American to have studied as well as worked as a nurse in the United States. She graduated from nursing school in the year of 1879. Mahoney was also the cofounder of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908, which would later merge with the American Nurses Association in 1951. Oscar Micheaux (1885 – 1951): Born in Metropolis, Illinois, Micheaux
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Black History was an African American author as well as an independent producer and film director and had produced over 44 films silent and sound. He has been recognized as the “first major African American filmmaker” during the first half of the century and was also deemed as the “most prominent producer of race films”. Kathy Hughes (1947) : Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Hughes has successfully become an African American entrepreneur as well as a television and radio host and business executive. She is responsible for the founding of Radio One which was established in 1999. Because of this, she became the first African American woman to “head a publicly traded corporation”. She is most known for her radio show “The Quiet Storm” that debuted on Howard University's radio station and features Howard University's very own Melvin Lindsay. John Henrik Clarke (1915 – 1998) : Born in Union Springs, Alabama, Clarke was well known as a Pan-Africanist writer, professor, pioneer and historian who was responsible for the development of Africana studies within academic institutions within the 1960's era. Queen Nzinga (1583 – 1663) : Also recognized as Njinga Mbande or Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande, she was a queen to the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola. During the 17th century, Mbande became the ambassador after declaring a “proclivity to tactfully diffuse foreign crisis” against the Portuguese fortress of Ambaca. James H. Cone (1938): Born in Fordyce, Arkansas, Cone is best known as an American theologian and also recognized for his Black Liberation Theology. In 1969 he wrote “Black Theology and Black Power” which became responsible for a new understanding and comprehension of the distinctiveness of theology within black churches. Francis Harper (1825 – 1911): Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Harper is best known to have been an abolitionist, author, poet as well as a suffragist. She was also responsible for helping escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad. In 1853 she started a career as a political activist and a public speaker for the American Anti-Slavery
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 -19, 2017
Society. Octavius Valentine Catto
(1839–1871) Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Catto was a Black civil rights activist in Philadelphia as well as a well known educator to male students at the Institute for Colored Youth. He also became recognized as a top cricket and baseball play in Philadelphia -during the 19th century. Barbara Charline Jordan (1936 – 1996) A Houston, Texas native, Jordan was an American politician, a lawyer, an educator and a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. She became the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African American woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives. Infamous for her statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearing for the impeachment processagainst Richard Nixon, she also became the first African American woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. She later became a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was a member of the Peabody Award Board of Jurors. Joshua Houston (1822 - 1902) Originally born in Perry County, Alabama, Houston was brought to Texas in the year of 1840 and was owned by President of the Republic of Texas,Sam Houston. He was encouraged by Sam Houston to read and write. Joshua Houston was freed in 1862 and from then on established the Union Church which was Huntsville, Texas’s first Black institution. Soon after that, Houston entered local politics in which he served as an alderman in Huntsville as well as county commissioner of Walker County. Bessie Coleman (1892 -1926) A native of Atlanta, Texas, Coleman was the first woman of African American descent and the first of Native American descent to have held a pilot license in which she obtained in 1921. She was the first civilian licensed African-American pilot in the world. She toured the country parachute jumping and giving lectures to raise money for an African-American flying school, she also began to work as a stunt pilot in the year of 1922. She would later earn the name “Queen Bess”. She was the first civilian licensed African-American pilot in the world Sources: BlackHistoryStudies.com ; Biography.com ; GreatBlackHeroes.com
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2017
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Business
Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development February Luncheon
Texas • February 13 - 19, 2017
Coordinator of the Acres Home Chamber presented certificates to new members of the Chamber. The new members of the Chamber recogCharles Wright, Robert Young, Albert Newsom, Guy Johnson nized were Frost Roy Douglas Malonson, Warren Fitzgerald Muhammad, Anthony Stewart, Edwin Davis, Andrea Cooksey, Bank, Unique Kids works. “The teens here will be able to act out a civil case and Junell Cain, Charles Wright, Gloria Collins, Albert Newsome, Guy Johnson, Birda Gore, Robert Young, Learning Center learn about the legal process, and this will hopefully keep and C.O.G.I.C. our children away from the legal system. It is about reaching On Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 11:00 a.m., the Acres Ministries Inc. Certificates were also presented to the our kids and teaching them what is important,” said Carter, “I Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development alumni members of George Washington Carver High School. would like to invite everybody to participate in these events, hosted its monthly luncheon inside the Beulah Ann Shepard The most memorable certificate of the afternoon was the this is a community event that is about reaching out to our kids Building. This month’s luncheon was sponsored by AfricanChamber’s very first Honorary Centennial Certificate and and adverting them to something good.” Mr. Carter proceeded American News&Issues Newspaper, Shirley Ann’s Flower Membership Certificate given to Acres Home Community’s to close out his speech by recognizing his Supervisor of the very ownEmma Primas who has turned 111 years old this year. After the certificates were presented, the guests and members were served a delectable lunch catered to them by Krab Kings, which started in 2015 here in Houston and now has 10 locations. The guest speaker of the afternoon was Eric William Carter, from Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1. Mr. Carter demonstrated to the crowd the importance of the Justice of the Peace Court. “The Justice Court is the lowest county court in the state,” explained Carter, “We handle small Pamela Jones, Terrell Holiday, Eric William Carter, Edna civil matter cases from traffic tickets to small criminal matters.” Griggs Carter went on to further express that, “The Justice of the Warren Fitzgeral Muhammad, Eric William Carter, Andrea Peace Court is really the people’s court, it is a place where Cooksey, Edwin Davis, Roy Douglas Malonson Shop, R&S Deer and Cattle Ranch and Lonestar College. an everyday individual can have their case heard. It is often The luncheon opened up with a warm and welcoming greeting times the first place and the only place where people can have Family Court, Mary Marks. from none other than Mr. Roy Douglas Malonson himself. their cases heard. It is a low cost option where people want Following Mr. Carter’s speech was a closing speech The luncheon kicked off with a raffle given by Mr. Malonson. to have their cases resolved and it is not necessary to have given by Mr. Malonson, in which he touched on the Following the raffle, the event proceeded with importance of being able to reach out to our youth an opening prayer conducted by Paster F.N. to make them better individuals within our society. Williams II of Antioch Missionary Baptist “We as the adults and the parents to these children Church. Although the crowd in this room was have to get it together, because we are the ones who large, each individual who attended was able are destroying our kids,” said Malonson, “we have to to stand up and introduce themselves to other hold ourselves accountable. Another thing we need members of the chamber, a familiar ice breaker to stop doing is running to these teaching jobs, most for new comers as well as new and old mempeople get a teaching job just to get a paycheck but bers to become acquainted with one another for a lot of these people are not built to teach children.” better networking. There was a wide range of Mr. Malonson’s speech was one as a simple reorganizations within the room including memRoy Malonson, Warren Fitzgerald Muhammad, Anthony Stewart, Edwin Davis, Andrea minder that we as adults are the ones responsible for bers from All Nations Church (Acres Homes), Cooksey, Jessica Leone, Yolanda Oliver, Sandra Peavy Mosley the future of a child’s behavior and how they contribute Houston Community College, Unique Kids an attorney there and by large most people are representing their behaviors and actions to our society. Learning Center, Lonestar College Victory Center, Booker their cases on their own.” Carter also admitted that the Justice Mr. Carter was then acknowledged by the Chamber T. Washington Court is often times the first place in which youths first enHigh School counter the justice system in which some of the cases involve Alumni, as petty theft and shoplifting, altercations within the schools or a well as George simple traffic ticket. Although many adolescents and young Washington adults may end up in the court for negative reasons, there is Carver High also a positive outlook to it all to help break and lessen the School cycle of such circumstances brought to the court. Carter is Alumni just to looking to create a program known as the Teen Court Program name a few. in which teens will be able to participate in the court in what Mr. Anthony To Continue Reading: AframNews.com; By:Shari Holloway is known as “mock trials”. This program will be designed to Rodney Sullivan, Roy Douglas Malonson, Stewart, Photos By: LaToya Hamer and Anthony Stewart help the teens to learn about the law and how the system Charles Smith, Roy Mirant Chamber TX - 10
TEXAS • FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2017
AframNews Community Speaks to Share Their Love. Answering the following: 1 - How did you meet? 2 - How long you have been married and what do you love most about being married? 3 - What advice would offer regarding preparation for marriage? 4 - Short advice on how to stay
1. We met at Starbucks while purchasing a morning cup of coffee. 2. We will be married a year on March 20, 2017. Being in love and married to your best friend is awesome and we're Michelle officially partners now. Neely-Wilson 3. We would suggest & Reginald Wilson extensive marriage counseling in preparing for marriage to assure that both of you have the same goals and expectations of your marriage. 4. Don't expect perfection. Learn to listen, be forgiving, compromise, support each other and stay in love. 1. We met at our workplace in Nashville, TN 2. We will be married 15 yrs in April 2017. What we love most about being married is the "great" friendship we developed first & have kept in all the years. 3. Premarital counselKatherine & Paul ing is what we did. Weeks and weeks of it. We recomMastin mend doing that with your pastor or counselor. Be open and available to allow yourself to love and be loved. Don't close your heart due to fear. You lose if you fear it. 4. Staying married is a lifetime commitment and compromise. Divorce is NOT an option when you marry 1. We met on the website Plenty of Fish in February 2011 2. We are going on five years in November. We have been married for 4 years 3. Pre-marital Krystol and Hal Allen counseling is great. Figure out how to communicate with everything. Big weddings are a trap, have a small wedding because they are unnecessary. Small weddings are humbling 4. Work out your issues by communicating. Keep the mindset that they are all you have and that if you lose them you have nothing
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1. I initially met my husband at the Muhammad's Mosque #45. I was a new convert. I would notice how happy-go-lucky he was and how much of a hard worker he was cleaning and maintaining the inside of the mosque. 2. I have been married Kosala and Sadiyah Karriem for over 8 years. I love being married because it gives me a safe place to truly be who I am and to receive the spiritual, mental, and physical support that allows me to develop into a better person to service humanity. It is my place of refuge. 3. Take away all the intoxicants (i.e., sex or sex acts) that stops you from clearly knowing what it is you desire in your mate. Go in with a sober mind because if you see red flags in the beginning then you can break off the courtship without having a soul or energetic connections that may otherwise stop you from making a wise choice in a mate. Develop in yourself the person you desire in a mate. Don't wait until you are married to possess the qualities of a good husband or wife. There is no better time than now. Finally, go in with clear expectation of what you desire in your mate. Many marriages break down because of unmet expectations. 4. Be willing to evolve and keep divorce off the table. Do not use divorce as a weapon to get what you want and be in control. Go in and stay in knowing that good or bad we must find a way to unite as one.
Congratulations On Your Engagement Dr. Stacey N. Jones and Terence J. Reed! African-American News&Issues Remembers (February 16, 1963 - February 2, 2017)
Sam C. Guess was Chief Operating Officer of Johnson Funeral Home. He also was the first of his generation to lead the 83 year old family-owned business. He served a board member of the Houston Metropolitan Funeral Directors, the Independent Funeral Directors Association of Texas (President) and as a member of both the Houston Funeral Directors and Morticians Association. He was a proud member of Pilgrim Congregational United Church. Sam is survived by this wife of 24 years; Susan Harvey Guess, two sons; Sam Elliott and Stephen, mother; Freddie, and two brothers; John(Melanie) and Fred. He will lie in state on Wednesday, Feb 8, 2017 from 1pm to 9pm, wake services beginning at 6pm to 9pm in the Chapel of Johnson Funeral Home. Celebration of life on Thursday, Feb 9, 2017 at 11am at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ 3115 Blodgett, 77004.
LEGENDARY PICTURES AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENT A LEGENDARY PICTURES/ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION A FILM BY ZHANG YIMOU MATT DAMON “THE GREAT WALL” JING TIAN PEDRO PASCAL WILLEM DAFOE AND ANDY LAU VISUAL EFFECTS COSTUME MUSIC COBY RAMIN DJAWADI PRODUCERS ERIC HEDAYAT ER YONG ALEX HEDLUND SUPERVISOR PHIL BRENNAN DESIGNER MAYES C. RUBEO PRODUCTION DIRECTORS OF EDITORS MARY JO MARKEY ACE CRAIG WOOD ACE DESIGNER JOHN MYHRE PHOTOGRAPHY STUART DRYBURGH ASC ZHAO XIAODING PRODUCED EXECUTIVE BY THOMAS TULL p.g.a. PRODUCERS JILLIAN SHARE ALEX GARTNER E. BENNETT WALSH LA PEIKANG ZHANG ZHAO STORY CHARLES ROVEN p.g.a.SCREENPLAY JON JASHNI p.g.a. PETER LOEHR p.g.a. BY MAX BROOKS AND EDWARD ZWICK & MARSHALL HERSKOVITZ DIRECTED BY CARLO BERNARD & DOUG MIRO AND TONY GILROY BY ZHANG YIMOU A UNIVERSAL RELEASE © 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IMAX® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF IMAX CORPORATION.
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