T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 10 • Jan. 12 - Jan. 18, 2023
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
Just Wait and See! Well, it’s about that time again. We are about to share who our Person of the Year is. Some might argue that last year’s recipient should be this year’s recipient. And that is okay. We were proud to step out and call attention to the Life and Times of Coach Prime.
Coach Deion Sanders
We felt then and still believe today that HBCUs, as well as predominantly white institutions (PWIs), and so many others benefited from the work that Deion Sanders did at Jackson State University. He had the bully pulpit and he used it courageously to challenge systems that needed to be challenged and bring attention to injustices, inequities and blatant wrongs. Of course he is going to have his critics, and so will we. And life will go on. As a history buff, I love being on the right side of history. In the long run, if HBCUs and PWIs have not learned anything from Coach Prime’s stint at JSU, well that proves even more that they need help and just weren’t ready for Prime Time and never will be if they don’t make some drastic changes. As we move on to this year’s See MY TRUTH, page 6
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James Honored During Dr. King Program
By Joseph Green-Bishop
Texas Metro News Correspondent
One of the most crucial figures in the American civil and human rights movements, Rev. Rhett H. James, who also helped to pioneer significant desegregation efforts in Texas, will be honored posthumously at the 41st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gala, Saturday, January 14 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dallas. Rev. James, who included among his confidants notables such as Dr. King and President Lyndon B. Johnson, invited the civil rights leader to speak in Dallas in January of 1963, to an audience of nearly 3,000. It was the first time that Dr King spoke in the city. The “Trail Blazer Award” will
Rev. H. Rhett James greets Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson at unidentified event in 1962, photographer unknown. Rev. H. Rhett James papers, gift of Gregory James.
be presented to his four children, Pamela James Jones, Cedric James, Steven James, and Gregory James. “Reverend Jones was one of the most brilliant minds that this community has ever known,” said Candace Wicks, a
Congressman Jeffries Becomes a First! By Joseph Green-Bishop
recognition of him is long overdue,” Ms. Wicks said. “There are people in our city who do not know the significance of Reverend James. He is one of the most important citizens in the history of Dallas. He is more See REVEREND RHETT JAMES, page 2
Thompson’s panel recommended criminal charges against Trump By Joseph Green-Bishop
Texas Metro News Correspondent
Texas Metro News Correspondent
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the new Democratic leader in the United States House of Representatives, is the first African American in the history of Congress to lead a major political party. The New York lawmaker succeeds former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will remain in Congress as Speaker Emerita. Jeffries was selected to lead his fellow legislators in a private session in November. A seasoned member of Pelosi’s leadership team, he was elected unanimously. It fell to Jeffries to present the Speaker’s gavel to California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who realized his dream of lead-
Dallas native who serves as vice chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s advisory board. The center is supported by the city of Dallas. “The legacy of Reverend James is important, and proper
Rev. H. Rhett James
With the opening of the 118th Congress Representative Jeffries became the first African American in Congress to lead a major party.
ing the chamber after 14 unsuccessful voting sessions which included shouting matches between those who supported him and others who did not. The contest became so troubling that a physical confrontation nearly took place between See CONGRESSMAN JEFFRIES, Page 7
For the first time in the history of the nation Congress has recommended criminal charges be levied against a president and representative Bennie Thompson, a Democratic Congressman from Mississippi, guided the special congressional committee. After an 18-month investigation that included hundreds of witnesses and nine public hearings, the Thompson-led committee recommended that Trump be charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S government, inciting an insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding and making false statements to government officials. The final decision as to
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson
whether Trump will be criminally charged is in the hands of Attorney General Merrick Garland. The congressional recommendation, however, is not binding on the Attorney General. Not since the televised Watergate Hearings in 1973, has a congressional committee and its chair, received the amount of See THOMPSON'S PANEL, Page 7