GREATER HOUSTON EDITION African-American News&Issues
May 24, 2024
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
Vol. 29, Issue 19
FREE
We the People We need to start holding each other accountable. - Roy Douglas Malonson
State Representative Senfronia Thompson
TRAILBLAZER IN TEXAS POLITICS
By: Sharon C. Jenkins
THE VISION UNVEILED By: Shelley McKinley, Ed.D.
Booker T. Washington (BTW) High School – Houston ISD, named after the most influential spokesman for Black Americans between 1881 and 1915, is working to achieve what other schools aspire to do which is graduate global citizens. Building on their partnership between the Rydings College in Zimbabwe, Africa, along with support of elected officials and the BTW 125 Committee, Principal Dr. Carlos R. Phillips II allows his students to solve global issues through engineering. Recently the school unveiled a commissioned life-sized statue of Booker T. Washington in the BTW HS Plaza to cel-
ebrate the school’s illustrious history as well as share ‘The Vision’ with the community. The oldest living male and female graduates of BTW HS, Rev. Dr. F.N. Williams (c/o ‘1945) and Pastor of Antioch M.B.C, and Mrs. Charlotte K. Bryant (c/o 1948), Executive Director of the Blue Triangle MCA, Inc., were on hand to pull the cords at the unveiling. Rev. Dr. F.N. Williams exclaimed, “BTW! There ought to be some shouts in this house, the greatest high school in the United States of America!”
Vision on pg. 3
Senfronia Thompson is a name that resonates with the echoes of history and the relentless pursuit of justice and equality. Growing up in Houston, Thompson’s journey from a college student at Texas Southern University to a revered state representative is a testament to her enduring commitment to civil rights and social justice. Her experiences during the turbulent times of segregation and the civil rights movement have profoundly shaped her career and life. Early Life and Education Thompson’s formative years were marked by the harsh realities of segregation. As a college student at Texas Southern University, she was thrust into the forefront of the civil rights movement. The pivotal moment that ignited her lifelong activism was her participation in a sit-in at a segregated drugstore. She recalls, “During those days, everything was segregated.
Trailblazer on pg. 6