July 10, 2026
AframNews.com
Vol.31, Issue 23
FREE
African-American News&Issues
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
DELOYD PARKER, SHAPE COMMUNITY CENTER CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DR. GLORIA BATISTE-ROBERTS, FORMER NABSW NATIONAL PRESIDENT, TSU HEAD DEBATE COACH BYRON PARKER, ABSW HOUSTON CHAPTER PRESIDENT & TSU SOCIAL WORK PROFESSOR
SOCIAL WORKERS SHAPE COMMUNITY CENTER WITH $25,000 DONATION By: Byron Parker
LEFT: JOHN AND NORMA BRADLEY, SANDRA RHEA AND DALE RASMUS ON THE RIGHT
UNVEILING OF LYNCHING MARKERS
By: Roy Douglas Malonson
On Saturday June 20, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis revealed future plans for Remembrance Park which will span three downtown city blocks. The site will be dedicated to chronicling the legacy of enslavement, racial injustice, and freedom movements. Following the program, the audience gathered outside to witness the unveiling ceremony of lynching markers for four Black men lynched in Harris County: John Walton, (1890) Burl Smith, (1917) John
White (1919) and Robert Powell (1928). A marker titled “Racial Violence in Harris County was also unveiled. The markers were erected in the Harris County Jury Assembly Plaza at the intersection of San Jacinto Street and Congress Street. Their placement was intentional- near the courthouse where these four lynching victims never received their day in court. The unveiling was a component of the EJI Community Markers on pg. 3 Remembrance Project, a grass
Out of the ashes of last year’s devastating tragedy, a pillar of the Third Ward is rising, rebuilding, and being restored. The Association of Black Social Workers of Texas, Inc. (ABSW) Houston Chapter President Byron Parker has officially announced a massive $25,000.00 in-kind donation to the SHAPE Community Center. The contribution comes at a critical time for the historic institution, which lost its community computer lab in a catastrophic fire last year. The donation is a huge upgrade that significantly revitalizes SHAPE’s technological infrastructure. It includes ten (10) state-of-the-art desktop computers equipped with wireless dual-screen monitors, webcams, and toptier processing power. More Than Just Hardware ABSW Houston notes that this is not just a collection of equipment, but essentially a fully functioning, modern computer lab. “When the fire claimed our lab last year, it didn’t just destroy property, it severed a vital lifeline for our neighborhood,” said SHAPE Center’s CoFounder & Executive Director, Deloyd Parker. “This blessing from ABSW doesn’t just replace what we lost; it elevates us into the digital future.” For over five decades, the SHAPE Community Center has served as a sanctuary for education, cultural empowerment, and community organizing. The loss of the original computer lab left a gaping void for local students, job seekers, and seniors who relied on the center for internet access, digital literacy, Read more at and resources. aframnews.com