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My Truth By Cheryl Smith Publisher

Now is the Time! When I received an email with critical voting information, I felt it was necessary to share with our readers. Although the email said, “Tips for students,” it is imperative that everyone have access and information.

SERVING NORTH EAST TEXAS

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Dr. King Paid for Birth of Oscar Winner Julia Roberts By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

In one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last acts of generosity, the civil rights champion and his wife, Coretta, paid the hospital bill for the parents of superstar actress Julia Roberts. It’s a little-known fact that recently surfaced when a social media post from a previous interview Roberts, 55, gave to CBS Mornings’ Gayle King. “My parents had a theater school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers’ Workshop,” Roberts said. “And one day Coretta Scott

King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids.” Roberts’ mother said sure and thus began the friendship between the civil rights leaders and Walter and Betty Lou Roberts. That led to the Kings paying for the birth of the woman who would go on to become an international star. “They helped us out of a jam,” Julia Roberts said. An assassin’s bullet cut down King in Memphis on April 4, 1968. But just months before, on

October 28, 1967, Roberts’ mother went into labor in Smyrna, Georgia. Until now, the story had mostly gone untold. “Grateful that Julia Roberts shared this story with Gayle King,” Bernice King, the daughter of Martin and Coretta, wrote on Twitter. “And, that so many people have been awed by it. I know the story well, but it is moving for me to be reminded of my parents’ generosity and influence.” Added noted strategic advisor Zara Rahim: “Fifty-five years ago, MLK and Coretta Scott King paid for her parents’ hospital bill

VOLUME X

Public urged to donate to new SMU Human Rights Scholarship honoring Thomas Muhammad Julia Roberts

after she was born. Can’t stop thinking about this since I read it.” And writer Christopher “Mr. Christopher” Seals praised the Oscar winning actress. “The fact that Julia Roberts has one of the ultimate civil rights flexes, but never talked about this throughout her career, says everything about her character,” Seals wrote. “I learned this about her last year and was surprised as well.”

I Was Just Thinking... By Norma Adams-Wade Sometime before he joined the ancestors in August this year, the late Thomas Muhammad had said he expected his legacy to be a film he conceived and co-produced about the life of Malcolm X, his personal warrior also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz.

New York to Pay $25 Million to Two Falsely Convicted of Killing Malcolm X Sure there will be those who will say that the ballot is too long and they don’t have time. There’s no time for blaming others for the state of conditions. There’s no time for excuses. Now is the time for all good people to come to the defense of a democracy. Plain and simple, you MUST vote. See MY TRUTH, page 2

By Lauren Victoria Burke

NNPA Newswire Contributor

In 1965, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were wrongfully convicted of killing Malcolm X and spent over 20 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted. Even though the February 21, 1965 murder of Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan In 1965, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were wrongfully convicted of killing Malcolm X in and spent over 20 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted.

See FALSELY CONVICTED, page 3

Superb Women Our Superb Women! By Cheryl Smith Texas Metro News

2021 was the "Year of the Woman," especially the Black Woman! For 10 months we dedicated this space to uplifting Black women and spreading a message that we HON. BRENDA HULL THOMPSON Judge Brenda Hull Thompson is conscientious, well-prepared and knowledgeable about the law. Brenda Hull Thompson is the judge of The Probate Court of Dallas County, Texas. Previously her civil practice focused on estate administration, guardianship administration and family law. The judge attended the University of Maryland, College Park where she received a BS Degree; Boston University graduating with a Master of Arts and Georgetown University, where she received her Juris Doctorate. A former adjunct professor at Texas Wesleyan School of Law teaching mediation and arbitration courses. She was a senior Staff attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. The judge is a member of the Dallas Bar Association, J.L. Turner Legal Society, Legal Services of North Texas and Dallas Women Lawyer’s Association, to name a few. SHe’s also kind and loving! SHERECE BEASLEY-RAY Sherece Beasley-Ray loves to volunteer and participate in community service projects. Born in Statesboro GA, Sherece BeasleyRay attended Bryan Adams High School and recently received her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix.

need to show love and empower people with love instead of destroying them with hate and disrespect. We celebrate Black Women and call them SUPERB! AND WE ARE KEEPING THE CELEBRATION GOING IN 2022! The co-owner of RHOyal Poodle Sisters, LLC, Sherece is an office coordinator/clinical trials .gov administrator for Baylor Research Institute. A member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Sherece is beautiful, talented and supportive; with a smile that will brighten any room. AMY WALLACE STEWART, ESQ. Amy Wallace Stewart has won numerous awards and is lauded for her preparedness, drive and knowledge of the law. A founding partner of Stewart Law Group PLLC, Amy Wallace Stewart hails from High Point, NC where she attended High Point Central High. She studied Law at the University of Missouri after attending Wake Forest University where she majored in speech communication, played basketball and later coached. She enjoyed stints at Estes Okon Thorne & Carr PLLC; White Wiggins, LLP; and Estes Thorne & Carr. A brilliant attorney, she made history participating in the first virtual jury trial. She’s a wife and mother and has been honored as one of Dallas’ Top 50 Women in Law and in 2022 was selected by Texas Lawyer as one of the three Top Attorneys in Texas. She’s the absolute best! LETITIA SPEED Letitia Speed is “officially God’s Apostle.” We also thank this veteran for her service in the army and her continued service for veterans. Currently working for Overcomers and at Veterans Administration, Veterans Assistance Program and Best Choice Notary Services, Inc. Letitia Speed hails from Tyler, TX where she attended John Tyler High School. A former

paratrooper with the 101st Airborne in the U.S. Army, she also worked for the American Heart Association. Letitia attended Texas College, received an associates degree in business management from Dallas College where she was also named Outstanding Management Student of the Year, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Northwood University. She studied Theology at Dallas Baptist University and received her MBA in Human Resources Management from Strayer University. She is currently a doctoral student. A member of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, serving on a regional level, Letitia will uplift your spirits and put a smile on your face. BEVERLY FELLS JONES Beverly Fells Jones is an inspirational speaker, author and coach. An instructor at Jose Silva’s UltraMind ESP Systems and independent associate for Legalshield, as well as owner at Commanding Your Life Coaching and Training; Beverly Fells Jones is a former consultant/ senior instructor at Hewlett-Packard and senior instructor at IBM. She graduated from Rankin High School in Rankin, PA and studied at Dallas Baptist university, receiving her MBA. In 2016 she received the Internet Radio Star Award (IRSA) for Best Podcaster of the Year. This divorced mother of two and grandmother of two loves to travel and “try new and exciting things.” Everywhere she goes she takes that positive spirit and beautiful smile. Check her out at CommandingYourLife.com ROCHELLE BROWN Talk about an infectious laugh, Rochelle Brown knows how to put a smile on your face! Born Ellen Rochelle Brown, in DentonTX., she was a long time award-winning, highly respected television producer and journalist. After graduating from the Dallas Public School System, Brown attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she received her B.F.A.

degree in broadcast film arts in 1971. After completing a summer fellowship at Columbia University in New York City, Brown worked as a news researcher for NBC News in New York City. She was an anchor reporter in New York before returning home in 1978 to work for KDFW-TV as the community affairs director. As executive producer, she created “Insights” a popular public affairs program, which she also hosted. LANESHA GIPSON LaNesha Gipson is using her extensive background in Public Relations and Marketing to help people improve their lives. LaNesha Gipson hails from Fort Worth, TX and she is the owner of Periscope Life Coach. A graduate of Arlington Heights High School, she also attended the University of North Texas where she was active with the National Association of Black Journalists and participated in the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists Urban Journalism Workshop. A wife and mother, LaNesha is a certified Professional Life Coach with supplementary certifications in Happiness and Life Purposes niches. She previously worked as a senior communication specialist at American Airlines and Greyhound Lines, Inc.; as a media relations specialist at National Center for Policy Analysis, and as a PR and Marketing specialist for Affiliated Media Group. Check her out www.periscopelife.com. ODELL LEE Odell Lee is an education professional in Duncanville ISD. Odell Lee has her wellness coach certification and she received a Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters degrees in Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling and Mental and Social Health Services/Counseling all from Dallas Baptist University. A member of the American Association of Christian Counseling, she has served as a board member of the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas, the Celebrating Life Foundation and Women’s Southwest Federal

Thomas Muhammad

The 2017 film – Malcolm X: An Overwhelming influence on the Black Power Movement -- is, indeed, a permanent feather in his cap. But Muhammad’s friends and admirers have decided to take his legacy a stop further. See HUMAN RIGHTS SCHOLARSHIP, page 6

October 2022 Credit Union. Graduate of L. G. Pinkston High, in addition to teaching at Dallas College and Everest College; she has been a case manager for Youth Advocate Progams, Inc. and an educator with Lancaster Independent School District. COLLETTE FLANAGAN She is on a mission and Collette Flanagan is about effecting change. The Founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB), Collette Flanagan is a former IBM executive. In November 2014, she led a delegation of Mothers to Washington, DC, where MAPB held the first congressional briefing to demand a national response to police violence and to press for federal reforms to end abusive, militarized, and biased policing, particularly of African-American and Latino communities. A popular speaker, she is the recipient of two Fellowships: Echoing Green and Black Male Achievement. Collette recently testified before the United Nations Human Rights Council, discussing “racial justice and equality in law enforcement.” MYRTIS EVANS Myrtis Evans is the epitome of a servant leader. The perfect volunteer. Myrtis Evans is the person you call when you want results. Always pleasant and attentive, Myrtis is skilled, knowledgeable and efficient. A legislative aide for Texas Senatorial District 23, she also served for a State Representative. She has also served as a Dallas County Elections Clerk and City of Dallas Senior Affairs Commissioner. A kind and giving person, Myrtis is politically astute and totally engaged. She’s someone you want on your team because she is results oriented and focused. See SUPERB WOMEN page 8