T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 10 • Dec. 1 - Dec. 7, 2022
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
Pay the piper I’m thankful for so much. Yes I wake up in relatively great health with an unsound mind, because can anyone really have a “sound” mind in a world with so much chaos, confusion and downright evilness? Did you ever imagine that you would live in a society where mass shootings are met with silence from entities that are benefitting significantly from the sale of guns and ammunition? Can you explain away a mentality that makes it okay to brutalize certain segments of the population without fear of consequence or any repercussion? Why are there empty buildings yet millions live on the streets? Why are foods being manufactured with chemicals that have a devastating effect on our quality of life? Why are drugs being manufactured that while supposedly curing one ailment, cause so many others? I could go on, ad nauseum, but hopefully you get why my mind is “unsound.” Somebody has to take responsibility for the hellacious times that we are experiencing. Are you the victim or the perpetrator? Who is going to take the blame? Who will try to make things better or right? This brings me to my truth. There’s no time for excuses, long, drawn-out explanations or passing the buck. If I woulda, coulda, shoulda doesn’t mean darn thing to the victim. Acknowledgement. Responsibility. Accountability. Atonement. Commitment. Respite. We have to acknowledge See MY TRUTH, page 14
WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM
BICA Legacy Weekend
focuses on Shopping Black By Cheryl Smith Hairstylist and entrepreneur Freddie J. Jones is one of Texas’ brightest stars and while she calls Dallas home, wherever she is, she is reigning supreme in the Beauty Industry. For three days in December, dubbed the BICA Legacy Weekend, at Dallas' Skyline Ranch, December 10-12, attendees will experience what people are talking about across this country
when speaking of the best and the brightest in hair care and the award-winning Freddie J. The impeccably dressed and always stylish Winnsboro, TX native has appeared in competitions, including the world-renowned Bronner Brothers Hair Show. Even then-Mayor Tom Leppert honored her as a trailblazer in the field of Cosmetology because she’s a master cutter, educator, coach, author and platform artist. See BICA LEGACY WEEKEND, page 14
There are ways to help your kids pay for college without raiding your retirement savings Money Talk By Rodney A. Brooks
A few years back I was doing an interview for a radio station. A woman called in who had proudly put her daughter through an Ivy League college. The problem:
She was in her 50s and saved nothing for retirement. I told the woman who called the radio station that she still had options, but they were not great ones. She was probably going to have to retire later or plan on a standard of living in retirement that was less that what she was used to. The fact is that we will do virtually anything for our kids, even to our own financial detri-
ment. More than half of parents in one survey were willing to go into debt to put their children through college. We should certainly find a way to help our children go through college without coming out with massive student debt. But borrowing from our retirement savings or not saving for retirement so you can pay tuition is a bad idea. As many financial planners will tell you, you can take out a
loan for college, but you can’t take out a loan for retirement. If you have nothing saved for retirement, your kids could very well end up taking care of you. As I say all the time, you cannot and should not depend on Social Security – the average monthly check is only about $1,500. Black students generally graduate college with more debt See THERE ARE WAYS TO HELP, page 14
New details: What really happened Negro League player from Dallas enshrined in Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame to Shanquella Robinson? 25-year-old Robinson’s death certificate that said she died Houston Defender within 15 minutes of being inNew information is coming to jured. Instead, the police report light in a case that has garnered excerpt shows a doctor from a attention nationlocal hospital was wide. A police rewith Robinson and port says Shanquella others in the house Robinson was alive for close to three when medical help hours before she was first arrived at the pronounced dead. villa where she was Robinson is a staying with a group Charlotte native who of people last month traveled to Cabo on Shanquella Robinson in Cabo, Mexico. A Oct. 28 with a group Charlotte newspaper obtained of friends. She died a day later. the report, which differs from The death certificate from Mexidetails previously received from See NEW DETAILS, Page 11 By ReShonda Tate
By Norma Adams-Wade Fans and Mexican Baseball League managers knew him as William Serrell. But family and friends of the 1940-‘50s-era Black baseball player knew him only as Barney Clinton Serrell. Wikipedia online encyclopedia acknowledges the confusion over the various names attributed to the star baseballer -- William C. Serrell, Bonnie Serrell, and Barney Clinton Serrell. And no one seems to know where the name William originated. However, once you get past the name mix-up, Serrell’s ath-
Barney Serrell
Gene Serrel
Photo: wikipedia
Photo: Facebook
letic achievements and life story take front and center. Barney Clinton “William “ Serrell was one of seven honorees inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame, also See NEGRO LEAGUE PLAYER, Page 3