October 21, 2010

Houston’s Leading Black Information Sourcewww.defendernetwork.com

Click on Defendernetwork.com

Volume 79 Number 52 October 21 - 28, 2010 | FREE

INTERVIEW

www.defendernetwork.com

Volume 79 Number 47 September 16 – 22, 2010 | FREE

Weekend

Marc MorialIs America Marching in Two Different Directions?

Weekend

FamilyRaising Eager Readers

Click on Defendernetwork.comMonday

Julianne MalveauxRon Walters - A Scholar and a Gentleman

By Kam WilliamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER00

Somalia. The name alone conjures up images ofunbridled destruction, merciless warlords and ruthlessterror. A place where nobody is safe from the atrocitiesof war, and where eight year olds handle AK-47s liketoys. When Forbes magazine recently unveiled their“Most Dangerous Destinations,” Somalia, above Iraqand Afghanistan, topped the list. But it’s also “TheNation of Poets,” where a poem can both inspire peaceand end wars.

Growing up, it was both of these Somalias thatinformed musician/emcee K’naan Warsame, who isforging his own musical path via a unique blend of reg-gae, funk, pop, soul and, above all, hip-hop. Recordedprimarily in Kingston, Jamaica at Bob Marley’s homestudio, his second album, “Troubadour,” includes contri-

butions by the likes of Damian Marley, Mos Def, Chali2na, Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Adam Levine ofMaroon 5.

During his early childhood, the Western music, whichreached K’naan’s ears was pretty much limited to “BobMarley and Tracy Chapman,” until at 10, he becamefascinated by the hip-hop being emitting from a tiny carspeaker. “I had heard a rap verse, but I had no idea whatit was back then,” he recalls.

At 14, K’naan and his three best friends were attackedby warlords, just one of countless indelible images forthe impressionable teenager. Having chased themthrough the streets of Mogadishu, eventually corneringthe boys in an alley, the men began shooting. K’naanavoided injury, but his three friends were brutallygunned down.

Certain that it was only a matter of time before her

Kickin’ back with K’Naan

By Odochi IbeNNPA SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The Congressional Black Caucus istackling the current debilitating joblessness in the Black communityhead-on with several sessions on the connection between educationand employment at its 40th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).The conference will be September 15-18 at the Walter E. WashingtonConvention Center.

Sen. Ronald W. Burris (D- Ill) recently hosted a panel on “ExploringMinority Business Opportunities with the Federal Government.” Sen.Burris, a strong advocate of looking toward the future when it comesto employment, believes Americans should devote time into learningnew technologies and becoming aware of new jobs in the emerging

DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE

The director of financialservices for Harris County hasbeen indicted for theft andfraud. The indictments recentlyhanded down against EdwinHarrison come from allega-tions that he stole from an eld-erly relative, Cecile Harrison

Harrison is responsible for alot of money-related issues inthe county, but his indictmentsstem solely from the allega-

tions against his relative, who’solder than the age of 65.Harrison faces charges of FalseStatement to Obtain Credit,Tampering with aGovernmental Record, Theft,and Misapplication ofFiduciary Property. Three ofthe charges are first degreefelonies that expose Harrisonup to 99 years or life in prison.The fourth is a state jail felony

★INDICTED, Page 3

★CBC Page 3

★K’NAAN, Page 2

★@ defendernetwork.comLet us know what you think adout the Mural Preservationon Friday @ defendernetwork.com. We want to hear from you!

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyDEFENDER

Texas Southern University’s president has come upwith a plan he hopes will put an end to a contro-versy surrounding the painting over of some his-

toric murals on the campus of the historically Black uni-versity. But some students and community memberswonder if his contribution of $50,000 for a Preservationplan is enough to undo the damage. University officialssay they know it’s not enough, but it’s a first step.

“We know $50,000 isn’t enough for the whole project.It’s just enough to bring in a conservator to analyze the

★MURALS, Page 7

By Imani EvansSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

THE DALLAS EXAMINER

DALLAS (NNPA) - The arcane world ofairport concessions contracts has been laidbare, and for some, what they see isn’t pretty.

After hours of sometimes heated discussion,a racially divided city council voted 8-7against a proposal that would have given morethan half of the concession space in a renovat-ed Love Field terminal to the airport’s currentvendors - without a competitive bid - for aterm of up to 18 years.

To the surprise of some long-time councilobservers, the council overruled a recommen-

dation by city staff to extendthe contracts of StarConcessions and HudsonRetail Sales - two firms withties to prominentDemocrats, including StateRep. Helen Giddings andU.S. Congresswoman EddieBernice Johnson - without acompetitive bid.

The essence of the citystaff recommendation that the no-bid contractswould be appropriate given the incumbents’experience, the desirability of minimizing dis-ruptions during the renovation and the busi-ness risks taken by the incumbents, which

included significant capitalinvestments, during a peri-od of uncertainty followingthe 9/11 terror attacks ulti-mately failed to carry theargument.

In the three years sincethe council first embarkedon its Love Field modern-ization plan, the conces-sions contracts have

emerged as by far the most contentious issue,and have led to accusations of politicalfavoritism on both sides.

★AIRPORT CONTRACTS, Page 4

Airport contracts divide DallasCity Council in Race debate

County financialdirector indicted

CBC tacklesunemployment

The Houston community is rememberinga longtime politicalactivist who died Sept. 11,2010. Beulah Shepard,89, made her mark bothlocally and nationally as atireless fighter for civilrights and political jus-tice.

Funeral services will beheld at 10am at GalileeMBC, 6616 D.S. BaileyLane. Pastor EdwinDavis, officiating. Interment: Houston

★SHEPARD, Page 4

REMEMBERING

Beulah Shepard

BeaulahShepard

Save the TSU Muralswww.tsu.edu/givingor contact Wendy Adair

University Advancement [email protected]

Eddie BerniceJohnson

HelenGiddings

H GOAL, Page 3

Weekend Weekend Monday

Harry Alford:Paychecks Not Food Stamps

Health: Fiber Keeps the Doctor Away

Julianne Malveaux:Legislative Stalemate Sparks Monetary Action

Goal: Reduce fire deaths among Blacks

By Brian Stimson Special to the NNPA from

The Skanner Group

The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fight-

ers launched the “No Child Left Alone Fire Safety Campaign”

during Fire Prevention Week, last week, in order to educate Black

people everywhere about the risk of fire in their communities.

Of all children killed in home fires, 38 percent were Black according to a 2008 report by the U.S. Fire Administration. According to the Black Firefight-ers Association:

• African Americans face a risk of fire death almost twice that of an individual of another race

• Spanish-speaking children under the age of five years old comprised an average of 23 percent of all Spanish-speaking people killed in home fires in the

Needed:

Special to the NNPA from the Joint Center of Political

and Economic Studies

Less than three weeks be-fore Election Day, a new analysis shows that African American voters are strategically located in states and districts where, if they turn out in substantial numbers, they could make a difference in who controls the House, the Sen-ate, and up to 14 governorships.

The report, In Anticipation of November 2: Black Voters and Candidates and the 2010 Midterm Elections, was released by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a leading authority on the black electorate that has consistently surveyed and reported on the opinions of African Americans since 1970.

The analysis was conducted

H VOTER TURNOUT, Page 3

Dr. Rice talks about family Condoleezza Rice was born in Birming-

ham, Alabama on November 14, 1954, the only child to bless the loving union of John and Angelena Rice. In spite of the considerable disadvantages she encountered just by virtue of growing up Black in The South during the days of Jim Crow, she somehow managed to overachieve, first academically, and then career-wise.

In terms of credentials, she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974; her Master’s from the Uni-versity of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981.

Dr. Rice is currently a professor of busi-

ness and political science at Stanford Univer-sity and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution. From January 2005 to 2009, she served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States. Before serving as America’s chief diplomat, she served as assistant to the president for national security affairs (national security advisor) from January 2001 to 2005.

She joined the Stanford University faculty as a professor of political science in 1981 and served as Stanford University’s provost from 1993 to 1999. She was a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution from 1991 to 1993 and returned to the Hoover Institution after serving as provost until 2001. As a professor, Rice won two of the highest teaching honors: the

1984 Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 1993 School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.

She has authored and co-authored several books, including Germany Unified and Europe Transformed: A Study in Statecraft (1995), with Philip Zelikow; The Gorbachev Era (1986), with Alexander Dallin, Uncertain Al-legiance: The Soviet Union and the Czecho-slovak Army (1984) and Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family (October 2010).

Here, the previously-very private Dr. Rice reflects about her life while

H DR. RICE, Page 4

The State of Black Houston

Building collaboration to address the challenges, opportunities

By ASwAD wALkERArticle for the Houston Defender

With the ascension of Presi-dent Barack Obama to the most powerful political office in the world, along

with unprecedented numbers of African Americans joining the ranks of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, many have declared America to be in the midst of a post-racial society. Yet, the annual findings and discussion points of the National Urban League’s State of Black America reports and the Tavis Smiley-led State of the Black Union conferences suggest otherwise.

Recently, a State of Black Houston Now town hall meeting was held to focus the discussion on African Americans in the Bayou City.

“The Town Hall was organized by Texas Southern University’s Earl Carl

Institute for Legal and Social Policy and its Mickey Leland Center on World Hunger and Peace, along with the Houston Area Urban League and the NAACP,” stated Jew Don Boney, director of the Leland Center. “In putting this event together, we wanted to model collaboration, and thus asked the Urban League and the NAACP to come on board, which they did.”

According to Boney, the purpose of the Town Hall was to wake people up to the plight of Houston’s African Americans by presenting the facts.

“We operated under the premise that if the Black community and Black leader-ship knew how bad we were really doing they’d be doing something different. For example, Yates, Jones and Ryan Middle School are some of the lowest performing schools in all of HISD, as well as in all of Texas. Regarding the criminal justice system, Blacks are incarcerated at five times the rate of whites in Texas. Regard-

ing voter turnout and participation, during the historic 2008 presidential election 81percent of the registered Black voters in Houston did not vote. Eighty-one percent! That means in Harris County, 19 percent of the registered Black voters actually voted compared to 66 percent Black voter participation nationally. And in Houston our numbers were at 14 percent for the mayoral election,” added Boney.

H BLACk HOUSTON, Page 3

Community leaders from across the city and state received expert reports on issues confronting African-Americans in Houston to determine where we are now. The next meeting will be held in February 2011 to discuss best practices to bring solutions to those issues.

Condoleezza Rice

“We have to ask ourselves the question, where will we be in 10 years from now if we keep doing what we’re doing?” _Jew Don Boney

Status of women report issued

Defender News ServiceA report released by the Na-

tional Economic Council revealed the impact of the recession on women and how the Obama admin-istration’s economic policies benefit American women. The report laid out the economic landscape facing women today and details some of the many ways the administra-tion is committed to making sure the government is working for all Americans especially American women.

An executive summary of the report contended that since President Obama’s first days his

policies have helped stave off a second Great Depres-sion and gott our economy growing again, but job growth is still not fast enough.

Looking at the economic landscape facing women today and the findings were:• Women are a growing share of our workforce, our entrepreneurs, and our innovators. As the majority of college graduates and nearly 50 percent of the workforce, women are in a position to drive our 21st century economy. • An increasing number of women are breadwinners for their families. In almost two-thirds of families led by single mothers or two parents, women are either the primary or co-breadwinner. In two-parent families, with the wage gap and the loss of jobs traditionally held by men in this economy, reliance on a woman’s income in their family budget is even greater. • Since women are nearly 50 percent of the workforce, the reces-sion’s economic impacts on women are even more consequential for the economy than they would have been in past recessions. As a result of the recession that started in De-cember of 2007, women have lost jobs and seen their median annual earnings fall. Further, women have faced increased economic inse-curity as housing prices declined and states and municipalities have cut back on the provision of social services. • Women face a number of longer-term challenges such as the

H STATUS, Page 8

Barack Obama

Black voter turnout

2 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER

family met the same fate, K’naan’s motherwould travel daily through the firefight tothe U.S. embassy in the hopes of securingvisas for her and her loved ones. Despitedaily denials, she persisted, and on the lastday the U.S. embassy was in Somalia,received visas to leave for America.

“You can’t even describe it,” saysK’naan. “It is the most sensational, liberat-ing feeling. There was the weight of a worldof hope on your shoulder that has suddenlylanded. It was only then that I started to getthis certain value of life that I never hadbefore.” With little possessions and noknowledge of English, K’naan and his fami-ly boarded the last commercial flight out ofMogadishu for New York before settling inToronto.

The tunes on Troubadour reflect the sumof K’Nasan’s life experiences. Having spentthe better part of the last two years on theroad, visiting over 50 countries fromSlovenia to Peru to Vietnam to Uganda, thealbum is the sonic document of an artistwith much to share, and disproves rapmusic’s detractors who say that hip-hop hasnothing new left to say.

The CD’s first single, “Wavin’ Flag,” hasbecome an international sensation, and wasthe official anthem of the World CupChampionship hosted this summer by SouthAfrica. Reaching over 150 countries, thesignature song was featured on K’Naan’sFIFA-sponsored Trophy Tour, which saw theemerging rap star spreading his message tosoccer fans in concerts staged all around theworld.

K’naan has also re-recorded new versionsof the track with Will.i.Am and Frenchdance producer David Guetta and a bilin-gual versions with Spanish pop singerDavid Bisbal, French MC Fefe, AI Otsukafrom Japan, Jackie Cheung and Jane Zhangfrom China, Tattoo Colour from Thailand,Nancy Arjam from Egypt, HHP from SouthAfrica, and other artists in Greece, Turkeyand elsewhere.

Kam Williams: Hi K’naan, thanks so muchfor the time.

K: My pleasure.KW: What was the inspiration for Wavin’

Flag?

K: I can’t remember specifically, it wasjust one of those moments when I had amelody in my head and a discontented,melancholy feeling. I just wrote that.

KW: Did it emanate at all from your child-hood?

K: I think everything kinda’ does.Everything is kind of shaped by life in gen-eral, so I guess it does feel like my child-hood might have been an influence. Butthose things are pretty subconscious.

KW: Do you still feel a strong connectionto Somalia?

K: Yes, I have many, many memories,which have impacted my life.

KW: Were you listening to a lot ofAmerican music while growing up?

K: You could live in Somalia forever andnever need music from outside Somalia.There are a lot of different styles and a vari-ety of musical ideas developing right there.

KW: What did it mean for you to haveWavin’ Flag become the anthem of theWorld Cup?

K: I used to get very excited watching theWorld Cup on TV as a child. So, to haveany kind of involvement with the WorldCup is a big, big honor.

KW: Are you a soccer fan and did you play

soccer in your youth?K: Yes I am, and I did play, like most

other children. KW: How have you been received by the

American hip-hop community? K: Great! You can tell from what’s been

happening for me. They’ve all been verysupportive and showing love for what I do.

KW: Where do you think hip-hop is head-ed?

K: I think it will always go through phas-es, like how philosophy in ancient timeswould celebrate the body and the physicalfor a while, then focus on the mind and thespiritual. I think that those phases happen tous as well, and hip-hop is one of the bestbarometers of what is happening, because itreflects the feeling of young people. I seemy music as following the feeling.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what doyou see?

K: [Chuckles] Interesting… I often try tofind the face of my teenage years. I don’tknow whether it’s like this for everybody,but I can’t find it.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?K: It probably would be good if I cooked

more, but I just don’t do it very often. WhenI do, I find it very enjoyable. I made a dish

about a year ago. It was stir-fried vegetableswith Szechuan sauce. I made it a little toospicy, I admit, but I think everybodyenjoyed it, aside from all the sweating.

KW: How do you think African music willinfluence the rest of the world in the com-ing years?

K: I think it’s actually already affectingthe world in a big way now. People justaren’t aware of it. For instance, there’s agreat tune by Coldplay called “StrawberrySwing.” It’s essentially Afro-Pop music.And most of Vampire Weekend’s music isAfro-Pop. Africa has influenced many of thebiggest bands. So, I believe Africa hasalready crept in and changed music in theWest. People just don’t know to call itAfrican.

KW: If you could have one wish instantlygranted, what would that be?

K: Wow! That would be for a sudden shiftin my country from war, distrust and deathto peace, love and harmony.

KW: Are you ever afraid?K: Yes I am, but not of what people ordi-

narily fear, fortunately. My fears are allinternal. I’m afraid of my own self morethan of anything external.

KW: Are you happy?K: Happiness, I think, is one of the most

elusive things on the planet. I believe thathappiness is only appreciated in retrospect.So, I’m always happy, given that I later findout that I was.

KW: How can your fans help you?K: By being understanding of the fact that

I don’t make music for them, but that Imake music that’s about my past and aboutmy most honest internal instincts. Theyneed to understand that more than anythingelse. Wherever I go, it’s not about them, butwhere the music takes me.

KW: What has been the happiest momentof your life?

K: The birth of my first son.KW: Do you have any regrets?K: I guess I do have some regrets, but

none big enough to obsess about.KW: How do you want to be remembered? K: As someone who was always interested

in walking through life in a positive wayand in affecting people in a positive way.

KW: Thanks again for the interview,K’Naan, and best of luck on your world tour.

K: Thank you so much, Kam.

K’Naancontinued from page 1

Musician/emcee K’Naan Warsame is forging his own musical path via a unique blendof reggae, funk, pop, soul and, above all, hip-hop.

OCTOBER 21 - 28, 2010 | DEFENDER

GMBS10NPZ000A LaCrosse_10-88x20.indd Vigilante - Buick LaCrosse Newspaper - A SIZE

010-BCKSNNP0002 N/A 4/c newspaper page

637-153409 N/A N/A

0” x 0” 10.88” x 20” SAFETY: 0” x 0” None 100%

Rose Clay N/A N/A

Sandi Stewart Rose Clay Darlene-Bugaj

...:Volumes:Studio:Documents:Vigilante:Buick:637-153409 GMBS10NPZ000 LaCrosse nwspr:GMBS10NPZ000A LaCrosse_10-88x20.indd

3 9-14-2010 3:05 PM

NOTES: Art is fpo. Schawk to place high-res cmyk art.

IMAGES: 11BULA00052.tif (RGB; 145.83%), 10BUCB00125R_BLA_stk_4c_pos.ai (59.39%)

COLORS:

FONTS: Futura (Bold, Book, Light, Medium; Type 1), Times (Roman; Type 1)

HP

g

YES

g g g

142959A01

A SIZE — 10.88" X 20"

* Map coverage available in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. ©2010 General Motors. All rights reserved. Buick® Buick emblem® LaCrosse®

BEAUTY. FULL. To see it is to want it. Meet the beautifully designed, fully equipped Buick LaCrosse.

From its flowing exterior to its luxurious interior, LaCrosse stands out from the crowd

and puts you in a world of luxury with premium available features like heated adjustable

power front seats, a fully integrated voice- and touch-screen-activated navigation system*

and an eleven-speaker Harman Kardon® 5.1 Matrix surround sound system. That’s

what makes it so beautiful. The 2011 Buick LaCrosse. The New Class of World Class.

��$��LQGG�� 30

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

green industry.The Congressional Black Caucus

Foundation, which funds the legislative con-ference, wants to ensure that the Black com-munity is aware of the changing job market,new jobs and how to prepare for them.

“So many people will never return to thejobs they lost,” said Rep. Elijah E.Cummings (D-Md.), honorary co-chair ofthis year’s events. “It’s our responsibility toincrease their ability to do the jobs that areavailable to them.”

They will be holding several town hallmeetings throughout the week to discussjobs and education, said Cummings.

Elsie Scott, president of the CBCFoundation, said that people need to knowthat federal jobs are available, but it’s nolonger a matter of taking a civic exam andhaving an application read by a supervisor.

“There’re technological advances in thehiring process” Scott said. “A computernow scans each application looking for keywords and phrases and we want the commu-nity to be cognizant of these changes toincrease their chances.”

This year’s conference will also attempt tobreak down the complex new healthcare lawthrough a Cliff-notes-type guidebook. Freehealthcare screenings, panel discussions,and forums on serious medical issues in theBlack community will befeatured. But there will beparticular focus onHIV/AIDS and bone mar-

row donation.The sessions will include “Beyond a

National AIDS Strategy: Next Steps in theFight Against HIV/AIDS in Black America”and “Sister Speak: Reducing HIV/AIDS inthe Black Community” and “Beyond Blood:Bone Marrow Donation Among AfricanAmericans - A Health and WellnessLuncheon.”

“CBC Foundation has an ongoing projectto increase AIDs awareness with fulltimeresearch on how to prevent the spread of thisdisease,” Scott said. “We have a grant fromthe Centers for Disease Control and are par-ticipating with other Black organizations toget out more attention to the public.”

This year the conference will have at leastone workshop focusing on Black women.“But we want all aspects of the communityespecially those at a higher risk to be

informed,” Scott added.Also, for the first time in its history, the

conference is partnering with the NationalBlack Justice Coalition to hold an LGBTleadership summit. The coalition is the onlynation-wide Black gay civil rights organiza-tion.

The goal of this summit is to bring atten-tion to issues pertaining to gays and lesbians;including their fight for equality. The ulti-mate goal is for people to be able to cometogether and have open and honest discus-sions.

Said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executivedirector of the coalition, “Black communi-ties are in crisis. It’s critical that we supportthe empowerment of anyone who desires tocontribute something positive to rebuildingour families, including LGBT people.”

CBCcontinued from page 1

The Houston Defender Newspaper publishedby The Houston Defender Inc. Company (713) 663-6996. The Defender audited by

Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For sub-scriptions, send $60.00 — 1 year, to:

Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston, TX 77288.Payment must accompany subscriptionrequest. All materials covered by 2009copyright... (No material herein may be

reproduced without the written permissionof the publisher).

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 47 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad Walker

WebmasterCorneleon Block

that carries a punishmentof up to two years in stateprison.

Harrison, 54, has notbeen charged in his offi-cial capacity, and the alle-gations do not involveany loss to Harris County.Still, Harris County JudgeEd Emmett said he wantsHarrison removed fromthe job.

“Looking at the impor-tance of that position forthis county, at this time,bond ratings and all thosethings, I think it’s veryimportant that he eitherbe suspended or stepdown in some form orfashion,” Emmett said.

Harrison denies thecharges, saying he is con-fident his innocence willbe proven.

Emmett said if Harrisonwon’t step down willing-ly, he says he plans tomake sure Harrison issuspended until thecharges work their waythrough the court system.

Harrison wife has alsobeen charged.

Indictedcontinued from page 1

The CBC wants to ensure that the Black community is aware of the chang-ing job market, new jobs and how to prepare for them.

Gaddafi Remarkson ‘Blackening’Europe stirs concerns, anger

By Shantella Y. ShermanSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

(NNPA) - In what appears to be a racially incendiarymove, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi,recently offered to stem the steady influx of Africansinto various European nations in an effort to keepEurope white and civilized. Gaddafi told Italian PrimeMinister Silvio Berlusconi on a recent trip to Rome thatthe European Union (EU) should pay him at least 5bneuros ($6.3 billion) a year to stop illegal African immi-gration and avoid a “Black Europe.”

Massaging old racial wounds and growing concerns,Gaddafi hoped to capitalize on fears that millions ofAfricans, who once lived under the subjugation ofEuropean colonial rule and who were made citizens ofthose nations, would continue to migrate to their“Mother Country” impoverished, and without clearmeans of employment.

★GADDAFI, Page 6


Black HoustonContinued from page 1
























EditorVon Jiles



















★GADDAFI, Page 6

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 52OCTOBER 21 - 28, 2010

Tony Fernandez-Davila

2010

Westin Galleria Hotel •

Friday, October 29, 2010

For ticket information call 713-313-1363

US District Judge Kenneth Hoyt

Thurgood Marshall School of Law

Vincent Sanders College of Science

& Technology

Marcus Wiley School of

Communication

Alvin Langley College of Pharmacy &

Health Sciences

John Guess, III Barbara Jordan/Mickey

Leland School of Public Affairs

The Honorable Alicia Hughes

Thomas Freeman Honors College

Sponsors: • Walgreens Infusion & Respiratory Services • Nationwide Insurance

Donald Bond Jesse H. Jones School

of Business

Dr. Bernadette Pruitt Graduate School

Dr. Margaret Stroud College of Education

Dr. Cecile E. Harrison College of Liberal Arts &

Behavioral Sciences

As an example of voter apathy, Boney men-tioned that the Cuney Homes community located across the street from TSU has over 1,100 residents and a polling location on site, yet has only 115 regis-tered voters.

“Regardless of where you look, voter turn-out, health care, or median income where we trail Hispanics, whites, Asians, everybody, we’re at the bottom with no sense of urgency or program-matic solutions to change these realities. Our thinking was we have access to some of the best minds right here at TSU. What can we do about this? Let’s get the facts and present them to civic minded folk who will them be moved to initiate change,” said Boney.

According to Boney and Dr. Marcia John-son, founding director of the Earl Carl Institute, the Town Hall was just one part of a four-part initiative aimed at enlightening Houstonians and inspiring them to action.

Step two will be an all-day conference scheduled for February 19, 2011 when issues that were discussed at the Town Hall, focusing on five areas—family, education, economics, politics and criminal justice—will be further reviewed with an eye on specific solutions to specific problems. Steps three and four involve extensive polling and surveys of Houston’s African-American com-munity regarding their experiences with the issues raised at the Town Hall, and publications featuring articles by authors, intellectuals and community advocates from across the country detailing best practices regarding solutions to problems raised.

“These issues will be addressed by a brain trust of local and national experts, community activists and concerned citizens during the Febru-ary conference,” stated Johnson. “It’s important that we frame our own debates and come up with the solutions to the problems of our communities ourselves. The Earl Carl Institute is glad to act as a catalyst for this kind of change. But we recognize that we can’t do it all ourselves.”

Johnson graded the Town Hall as a success because it met its intended mission of providing participants with statistical data pertaining to the five focus areas. This information was dissemi-

nated during Town Hall presentations by invited speakers as well as via 62-page publication entitled The State of Black Houston Now.

In addition, Johnson viewed the Town Hall as a success for other reasons.

“It was fascinating to see how many new faces and new people were brought to the table by these discussions. It was also important that the individuals and groups who are tradition-ally part of such undertakings were there, but it was especially good to see so many students and young people—the technocrats bringing their issues and go-forwards suggestions,” said

Johnson.Johnson also mentioned seeing small

groups gathering in the hallways between and after presentations, engaging in further conversation.

“There was so much energy and spontane-ous dialogue between people anxious to share their views that we at the Earl Carl Institute dedicated to set up a blog on our website (www.earlcarlinstitute.org) to facilitate ongo-ing discussion,” said Johnson.

Cleveland Gite, one of the committee members responsible for organizing the event,

concurred with Johnson.“The panelists gave compelling infor-

mation and got the audience aroused to ask questions,” stated Gite. “At the Town Hall I saw movement folk, students, business folk, SHAPE, the Urban League, the NAACP, Civi-cus, a new advocacy group aimed at assisting the community to develop its own agenda. And that’s needed—different types together to interact.”

Like Boney and Johnson, Gite emphasized that the Town Hall was just the first step in an ongoing process.

“From an organizers standpoint it was beautiful to see an idea from initial discus-sions actually blossom into an event that was really positive. Now, other steps are necessary to develop a full-blown community agenda because the current political structure really only involves politicians. We need community people involved making decisions that can impact their lives,” shared Gite.

The next step, according to organizers and participants in the Town Hall, is the 2011 conference.

“We want to follow up the Town Hall Meeting with a February conference where we can discuss best practices for bringing solu-tions to issues, bringing in experts from across the country. For example, with the issue of incarceration, when these men and women get out they can’t live in public housing, can’t get a job, can’t vote. They can’t do the things nec-essary to turn their lives around. Yet, in Balti-more, they have a successful re-entry program. Why can’t we do that in Houston? That’s why we will have ongoing conferences on public school education, on the justice system, and other issues, primarily looking at public policy. What we hope to accomplish by this process is to create an enlightened and informed commu-nity. We can’t work our way out of this without an enlightened community. We have to ask ourselves the question, where will we be in 10 years from now if we keep doing what we’re doing?” said Boney.

Pictured in the crowd was Houston City Councilman C. O. Bradford, who attended the packed event at Texas Southern University.

United States, from 2003 to 2007• Children under the age of five

years old account for more than half of all child-fire deaths. These children are usually unable to escape from a fire by themselves.

• More than half of fires started by children playing with fire occur in a bedroom.

Black Firefighters say children should never be left unsupervised at home, even for a few minutes. The risk that a fire starts increases even when a child is being looked after by an older child.

There are many steps parents and guardians can take to protect their homes and loved ones. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the vast majority of fires that lead to death have two causes; cooking

equipment and cigarettes or other smok-ing material. Even when there isn’t risk of a major fire in the kitchen, children are more likely to be scalded or burned by hot food, liquids or equipment than they are to be burned in a house fire.

And the lack of smoke alarms adds a big risk factor. Nearly two thirds of residential fires that kill children occur in homes without a working smoke alarm. The reasons that more African American children die in residential fires is rooted in historic inequities; low-income families are more likely to be victims of fire due to substandard hous-ing, lack of smoke alarms, economic constraints to provide adult supervision and use of alternative heating sources.

For more information about how you can keep your family safer from fires, visit the website http://iabpff.org.

FirefightersContinued from page 1

by David A. Bositis, Ph.D., Senior Political Analyst at the Joint Center, and discussed with a standing room only roundtable of journalists and other political organizations in Washington, D.C. Dr. Bositis said this election could echo mid-term elections in 1986, when significant Black turnout helped Democrats gain House seats and take control of the Senate, and again in 1998, when Democrats picked up governorships in Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia. “There are 20 House seats and 14 Senate seats in addition to 14 gubernatorial races where the Black vote has the potential to determine the outcome of this year’s elections,” Dr. Bositis said.

Widespread predictions that Democrats will endure sweeping losses may be premature, if party leaders are abel to play a strong ground game that includes persuad-ing African Americans to go to the polls in greater numbers than they have in some other mid-term elec-tions, added Dr. Bositis. “The extent of the Democrats’ losses will depend on their ability to turn out their most loyal voters, and no voting bloc will be more important

to them than African Americans. If they can mobilize a strong Black turnout, the Democrats can significantly reduce their potential losses,” Dr. Bositis said.

“It is clear from this analysis that we have not reached the final chapter of the election story in many key states and Congressional districts, and that African American voters could end up being the authors of events, if they match their turnout rates from other re-cent mid-term elections,” said Joint Center President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph B. Everett who moderated the roundtable discussion.

Dr. Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow with The Century Foundation and the Center for American Progress, a renowned political demographer who participated on the panel commented, “This election isn’t over yet. While the so-called likely voter poll results look exceptionally bad for the Democrats, it should be remembered that likely voters at this point in the campaign are just a guess as to who will show up on Election Day.”

Voter TurnoutContinued from page 1

National Cemetery. Shepard was an outspoken

Democrat who moved toHouston from Louisiana nearly60 years ago and lived fordecades in Acres Home, whereshe unofficially known as the“Mayor of Acres Homes.”

“Beulah was a woman ofguts, purpose and presence,”said state Rep. SylvesterTurner, D-Houston. “If shethought it, she said it. She wasdirect. That was BeulahShepard. You didn’t have toguess what she was thinking.She loved politics, she lovedthe process and she loved par-ticipating in the process. If yousought political office, yousought her out. She had thepower.”

Shepard enjoyed rare 24-hour access to Texas governorsand other state and local politi-cians, and was invited to theWhite House a few times,meeting at least a handful ofpresidents, including John F.Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson,Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Shepard, who worked as aconstituent liaison for formerHarris County CommissionerSquatty Lyons for some 20years and then Sen. JohnWhitmire, D-Houston for about10, was gifted at reading peopleand politics at play. In fact, itwas Shepard who convincedTurner to run for political officein the late 80s.

“I told her, ‘Ms. Shepard, Ihave no interest in running. Towhich she replied, ‘You haveno idea what you’re interestedin.’ She was literally the onewho put the idea in my head,’?”he said.

Shepard’s love of politicswas evident in her constantefforts to get people out to vote.

“She knew the value of thevote because she had beendenied the right to vote,”Turner said.

Shepard's survivors includeseven children, 30 grandchil-dren, 24 great-grandchildrenand 10 great-great children.


Shepardcontinued from page 1

“I think what happened is, we’ve been working onthis for three years, even before I came on the coun-cil,” said Councilwoman Carolyn Davis, who votedin favor of the no-bid contracts. “And so I went withstaff recommendation. I’ve always supported staffrecommendation, but we didn’t win. It takes eightvotes to win here at the Horseshoe, and the eighthvote won.”

Hudson is part-owned by Giddings and by a trustthat manages the assets of Johnson. Star is owned byprominent Democratic donor Gilbert Aranza.

To some, it was the direct - some say heavy-hand-ed - involvement of Mayor Tom Leppert that turnedthe tide. In April, Leppert began his campaign to stopthe deals from being approved, calling them toosweet for the incumbents and bad for Dallas’ imageas a fair place to do business.

“These contracts, lasting 19 years, would awardmajor portions of our new terminal to the two incum-bent concessionaires without having been vettedthrough the competitive process. This has short-cir-cuited new ideas and concepts and discouraged com-petitors, including firms owned by minorities,women and emerging entrepreneurs,” Leppert said inan opinion letter.

“I’m hoping that it [politics] did not play a role,”Davis said of Leppert’s involvement. “I want to beable to say that he did it for the city of Dallas.”

Davis, along with six of her council colleagues,was impressed by the incumbents’ track record astenants, their post-9/11 hardships and the unanimousrecommendation of the transportation committee thatthe deal go forward.

“They’ve been through thick and thin out there,”said former Councilman Ed Oakley in support of theincumbents. “They’ve been through the building of

the parking garage, they’ve been through 9/11,they’ve been through the remodeling of the terminal,[and] they’re now going through another remodel-ing.”

Davis expresses similar feelings.“We also felt that they had never missed a pay-

ment, they had paid on-time, and I asked the ques-tion, ‘How much money had these concessionairesgiven the city of Dallas?’” she said.

The answer to her question soon became evident.“They have given the city a lot of money. Lots of

money. If you own a building and you’ve got goodtenants, you just don’t say, ‘Well, I’m going to kickthem out because I think I want someone else who isgoing to give me more or pay me more,’ you tend tokeep the good paying tenant,” Davis said.

“What they were trying to accomplish is encourag-ing the incumbents to stay through the renovation,and then having space in the new terminal at a ratethat was more than what the consultants even recom-mended,” said Oakley. “The remaining space wouldbe bid out, and if [the new tenants’] rates were high-er than what [the incumbents] were paying, theincumbents’ rent would automatically escalate tomatch. How is that not fair?”

In another victory for the mayor, three councilmembers on the losing end of the vote eventuallycrossed over to side with the majority on an 11-4 vote

to put all of the concession space up for bid once theairport renovation is completed in 2014. This madethe final outcome appear less racially polarized.

Both Hudson and Star have been tight-lippedabout how they will respond. Through its public rela-tions firm, Hudson would only disclose, “At thispoint, the Dallas City Council has approved a planfor the allocation and process for awarding conces-sions at Love Field. Hudson will continue to workwith the city staff based on the plans approved by thecity council.”

Aranza of Star Concessions could not be reachedfor comment.

For Davis and others, what stands out about thecouncil’s decision is the second-guessing of citystaff, which Davis says is unprecedented during herthree years on the council.

“This has been the only time since I’ve been on thecouncil, that my colleagues have gone against citystaff,” said Davis. “Remember, coming out of thetransportation committee we voted 10 to 0. Being anewbie on the council, I looked to [the committeechair’s] leadership on what we should do, because Ijust hadn’t been briefed on the Love Field situation.”

Davis’ recollections also suggest that the council’sdeliberations weren’t always as contentious as theyeventually became. Indeed, before the August meet-ing there was literally no argument since the optionto grant the no-bid contracts was the only one then onthe table. It was at the urging of the mayor during theJune council meeting that voting on the proposal bepostponed so that other options could be added.

“There was never an argument. Most of the con-tracts were going out for bid anyway,” Davis said.“We just wanted the incumbents who [had] beenthere through 9/11 to stay there and recoup theirinvestment, with the amount of money they put intothat airport.

Airport contractscontinued from page 1

This is the uptown version.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

small wagon is the answer for buyersseeking fuel economy, safety and ver-satility.

I remember two years ago when wewere heading for Niagara Falls,Canada and Buffalo, New York, theDodge Caliber was the vehicle ofchoice when it came to rent cars.

We test droved the Dodge Caliberfor a week prior to going on vacation.Then when we arrived in Buffalo, theCaliber was our first option as a rentalcar. It seemed like the Caliber was thevehicle of choice.

With a 2.o-liter, four-cylinder enginematched with a continuously-variabletransmission, the Dodge Caliber hadmore enough power to transport useverywhere we wanted to go.

The cargo space was more than ade-quate, and we travel large.

Between my wife and daughter, wetravel with everything except thekitchen sink.

Standard equipment includes airconditioning with automatic tempera-ture control, power windows with dri-ver’s one-touch feature and SIRIUSsatellite radio.

Other standard equipment includesheated front seats, leather-wrappedsteering wheel and tilt steering column.

We drove the 2010 Dodge CaliberUptown from Houston to Austin for theannual high school baseball state tour-nament without incident. In fact, weenjoyed our drive, with smooth ridingon I-10 leading up to Highway 71 intothe state capital.

My partner, Big John, mentioned thatthere was no road noise and the carhandled like a mid-sized sedan. This isa vehicle that lists for less than$20,000.

There is an information display thattells you what direction you’re heading,the temperature outside and how fastyou’re traveling. You can also see whatyou’re fuel economy is and what yourtire inflation-level is.

The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown is acrossover vehicle waiting to happen.

Exterior features include 17-inch alu-minum wheels, power-heated exteriormirrors, fog lamps and a bright frontgrille.

Optional equipment includes a powerexpress moonroof, media center and6.5-inch touch screen navigation win-

dow.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

gets five-star government safety ratingsin the frontal driver, crash passenger,side front seat and crash rear seat cate-gories. It also rates four stars in therollover division.

Warranty coverage includes a five-year or 100,000-mile powertrain limit-ed warranty and 24-hour towing assis-tance.

Big John told me this is a vehicle forcollege students starting out or newly-weds getting out of the starting gate.

I tend to agree

AUTO NEWS By Darrell K. Ardison

CALIBER: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$19,995 (as tested- $22,965)

Engine2.0-liter four-cylinder

Safety equipmentSpeed sensitive power locks

Fuel economy

23 miles per gallon (city), 27mpg (highway)

Estimated annual fuel cost$1,560

2010 Dodge Caliber

By Kathy ChaneySpecial to the NNPA from the Chicago Defender

CHICAGO (NNPA) - Carol Moseley Braunmay put her hat in the ring to succeed outgoingChicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, sources said.

The former U.S. Senator was flooded withcalls on the day Daley made the surpriseannouncement that he would not seek a seventhterm in office –– encouraging her to mull a runfor the mayoral post.

Braun, who made history in 1993 as the firstAfrican-American female U.S. Senator said thatshe is “seriously considering it.”

Braun’s political career spans more than twodecades.

After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office as a

federal prosecutor in Chicago in 1977, she waselected state representative the next year. In 1987she was elected Cook County Recorder of Deed.Five years later, history was made in the U.S.Senate. Braun held the post for one six-year term.She served a U.S. Ambassador to New Zealandand Samoa from 1999 to 2001 under the Clintonadministration.

During the 2004 U.S. presidential election,Braun was a candidate for the Democratic nomi-nation.

Braun currently runs her Chicago-based com-pany, Good Food Organics, the parent companyof Ambassador Organics, which manufacturesseveral products including coffee, food spices,olive oil and tea. She founded the company fiveyears ago.

Moseley Braun considering run for Chicago mayor

Carol Moseley Braun

“I’m hoping that it (politics) did not play a

role... I want to be able to say that he did it

for the city of Dallas.”– Dallas Councilwoman

Carolyn Davis


CATCH THE TSU HOMECOMING PARADE IN DOWNTOWN Saturday October 30th, 2010 @ 9am

See You There!

talking about Extraordinary, Ordinary People, her strikingly-revealing memoir about her childhood. KW: Dr. Rice, thanks so much for the time. I’m honored to be speaking with you. CR: Well, thank you. How are you? KW: Very well, thanks. I really, really enjoyed your book. My first question is, why did you decide to write a memoir focusing on your childhood, as opposed to one about your illustrious political career? CR: Well, I didn’t feel that I could do justice to this story of my parents and their generation, and all that they did to make it possible for me to be who I am, if I sort of just put it at the beginning of a book about my last eight years in foreign policy. I will write that book, in fact, I’m working on it now. But fi rst, I wanted to answer the question I’m most frequently asked: “How did you become who you are?” Well, you had to know John and Angelena Rice. So, that’s what I wanted to help people do with this book. KW: How hard was it to go public with so many intimate aspects of your life? CR: That’s an interesting question because I’m a very private person. But I felt that if I wrote this book, I had to be willing at least to talk about some of my struggles, whether in my personal life, health crises, or the deaths of my parents, because there can too easily be a perception of me that my life just went from A to Z uninterrupted, without any ups and downs, and that’s not a fair representation. KW: I really appreciated how the book really, fully humanized you, because you shared so much of your personal feelings about the significant touchstones in your life. CR: Well, thank you. It was actually fun to write, because I went back to interview people my parents had taught or who had worked with them, and I learned a lot about them that I hadn’t known. KW: How has the Jim Crow Birmingham experience affected your life? How has it defined who you are today? Did this make you more determined to excel? Did it foster greater drive? CR: My parents, I and a lot of my friends growing up in that community, had tremendous drive. There was almost a sense of, “We’ll show them!

We’ll show them that we can be twice as good, despite everything.” I think that was something that motivated people who could have instead been consumed by bitterness and fallen into victimhood. I chalk it up to my parents and grandparents and our whole community that we saw the situation as a challenge to be overcome rather than as something that might prevent us from succeeding. KW: What role has spirituality played in your growth and development over the years? CR: Spirituality and faith are at the core of who I am. I was born to deeply religious parents who were able to give me that rock solid foundation in the church and in my faith, which really has served me so well. KW: How so? What do you mean by that? CR: It’s so much a part of me that it’s almost hard to describe myself in the absence of it. I know that, for me, it means asking for guidance, and that in the toughest times there’s a personal savior that I can rely on. And I’m very grateful to my parents for giving me that. KW: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time. CR: Well, I love to watch football. [Laughs] I actually really love to watch almost any competition with a score at the end. I love sports. I play golf now, which is relatively new for me. I only took it up about fi ve years ago. I also like playing piano, and I love being with my family and friends. KW: Where do you find time for golf and all that, being such a workaholic? CR: I’ve never really been a workaholic. I work very hard, but I also enjoy playing. I think it’s important to have a balanced and well-rounded life. KW: Wendy Wasserstein once explained to her mother how hard it was to have a relationship after she’d won the Pulitzer Prize. What kind of man is out there who can maintain a relationship of equals with a Secretary of State?” CR: Oh, I think

there are plenty of men out there who are capable and accomplished in their own realm. You don’t have to be in the same fi eld. I’ve often been asked, “Didn’t you want to get married?” And of course I wanted to get married, but you have to fall in love and want to marry a particular person. You don’t get married in the abstract. So, although there were people I felt I might have married, it just never happened.

KW: You say you always hoped to marry within your race. Can you answer honestly, Ms. Rice, about your perception of the number of eligible African-American bachelors in your circle? Is there a dearth of Black men? CR: Well, of course, all of the statistics say there are fewer eligible Black men in my circle. But I’ve never thought of it that way. I believe that if the right person came into my life that would have been terrifi c. When I said I had always hoped to marry in my race, I really do mean that. That doesn’t mean I absolutely wouldn’t marry outside of it, but there’s a culture and traditions to maintain, and I have great pride in them, and I always thought it would be wonderful to share that with somebody of my race. KW: Some time ago, there was talk of you possibly becoming some type of advisor to a sports franchise. Did that ever materialize? CR: Well, it hasn’t yet materialized that I went

into sports management, but I haven’t ruled it out yet, either. I only half-

jokingly remarked that I’d love to be the commissioner of the NFL. But as I recently told

current Commissioner Roger Goodell, that job looked a lot more appealing when I was struggling with the

Russians and the Iranians every day. Now, from Northern California, it looks a lot tougher. And it’s a job

that he’s handling very well, by the way.

KW: What was it like for you, as the � rst African-American woman to become Secretary of State? CR: I was

very proud and grateful to be the fi rst African-American woman in the position. I thought it said a lot about our country that we had back-to-back African-American Secretaries of State, Colin Powell and then me. I also thought it said a lot about President Bush that he didn’t see limits on the highest ranking diplomat in terms of color. It’s a hard job, but really the best one in government. KW: After leaving of� ce, re� ecting back on those times, what if anything, would you have done differently, and is there anything that you feel particularly proud of, for having achieved?” CR: Well, there are many things, whenever you look back, that you would’ve done differently. We’re all human. We do our best at the time. I really wish that we had passed a comprehensive immigration bill because that would’ve really helped our country. We came close, but we couldn’t. I wish that after the war against Saddam Hussein we had been more effective at rebuilding Iraq quickly. I think had we done it from the provinces, in, rather than from Baghdad, out, we might have been more successful. I’m very proud that President Bush took on AIDS relief. It was the largest single response by any country to a major international health crisis, and there are millions of people who are alive today in Africa and other developing countries because of that program. And I’m very proud that we stood for the proposition that no man, woman or child should ever have to live in tyranny. We believed in democracy and promoted it. KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for? CR: It would be that no child would ever feel that the American Dream is denied them. KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? CR: A very fortunate and blessed person who still has a lot of living to do. KW: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment? CR: That I’ve found my place in life, that I’m passionate about it, that my talents and my passion have merged, and that I’m trying to do the best that I can. KW: Well on that note, let me say congratulations on � nding your place, and the best of luck with the book and all your other endeavors. CR: Thanks so much, Kam.

Dr. RiceContinued from page 1

Condoleezza Rice

Houston’s top high schoolvolleyball teams continuedtheir winning ways recently.

In the Class 5A division,top-ranked Cypress Woodsswept District 17-5A foesCy-Fair and Cypress Falls toimprove to 26-1 on the sea-son.

No. two Klein Oak, 22-2,defeated Cy-Fair to win theKingwood Tournament cham-pionship.

Cy Woods is currentlyranked No. three in thecoaches’ state 5A poll whileKlein Oak jumped to No.five. Other Houston-arearanked schools include Katyat No. 11 and No. 15 TheWoodlands.

Magnolia is the top areaschool in the Class 4A statepoll at No. three withFriendswood, Brenham andBarbers Hill falling in line atfour through six. Stratford isranked No. nine and upstartPearland Dawson is No. 11.

Dawson is 21-6 after regis-tering a dramatic comebackwin over Deer Park lastweek. The Eagles prevailed19-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-10,15-12 as outside hitterYewande Akanbi led the wayin the match with 22 kills.

After finishing in the top10 at the prestigious PearlandTournament last month,Dawson is serving notice thataccomplishment was nofluke.

Magnolia earned its 20thwin of the season with a 21-25, 25-10, 25-16, 25-15 vic-

Beall is the ManWhat happens when you

blister an opponent for acareer high 195 yards rushingon just 19 carries. You’renamed C-USA OffensivePlayer of the Week and thathonor was bestowed on tal-ented Cougar Jr. runningback Bryce Beall.

Beall scored three touch-downs tying a career best andrattled off runs of 43, 35 and31 yards in helping Houstonto a 54-24 win over UTEP inthe conference opener.Texas Bowl Announces Class

The Texas BowlCommittee recentlyannounced the 2010 class ofTexas Bowl GridironLegends presented byWrangler and Cavender’sBoot City, which includesPro Football Hall of FamersRaymond Berry and JoeGreene, former University ofTexas defensive stars BillBradley and Bob Moses, andAldine native, Texas A&Mstar and former HoustonTexan Aaron Glenn.

Texas Bowl GridironLegends presented byWrangler and Cavender’sBoot City are all individualswho made a significant con-tribution to the game of foot-ball in the state of Texas,either at the high school, col-legiate or professional level.

“This is arguably the deep-est and most star-studdedclass of Gridiron Legends,”said Texas Bowl executivedirector Heather Houston.“Each of these five men leftan indelible mark on thegame in Texas and we areextremely proud to be associ-ated with each of them. Iwant to thank the GridironLegends selection committeefor the wonderful job they’ve

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

Well, it’s only the first game of the season, butyou have to be excited about the way the fight-in’Texans dismissed their old nemesis, the Indy

Colts, last weekend at Reliant. Of course, there was a sell-out crowd that was more than amped up for the kick-off ofthe NFL regular season, which longsuffering Texan fanshope will be their first visit to the playoffs.

You also have to be enthused at the intensity level theteam displayed, which quite frankly has been somewhatunderwhelming on far too many occasions when the teamtakes the field. Normally, the outcome is very predictable,a big fat loss.

No, this was a different group of fightin’ Texans. Ondefense, they came out with a surly attitude, led by his“royal highness of surliness,” safety Bernard Pollard.Even potential All-World defensive end Mario Williamscame ready to dominate, and did just that.

The real key for the squad, that made yours truly simplygiddy with joy, was the way the vaunted Texan offenseperformed. Now we all know that Andre Johnson is one ofthe world’s truly dominant receivers and Matt Schaub is aPro-Bowl QB, who can pass with the best of them. Whatwe were unsure of was if the revamped offensive linecould move folks around in the trenches and provideSchaub with enough time to pass and create running lanesfor running back Arian Foster. Well, I’m pleased to reportthe O-line passed the test with flying colors, for at leastweek one.

Now we know the Texans can score points in bunches,but it traditionally has been an air based attack. Againstthe Colts, they introduced the balanced offense, which fea-tured the running of Arian Foster and the outcome was arecord-setting afternoon.

Consider this: RB Arian Foster’s 231 rushing yards on33 carries (three TD’s) were the second-most on KickoffWeekend in NFL history. He recorded the first 200-yardrushing performance in franchise history. Foster rushedfor 191 yards in the second half and 125 yards in thefourth quarter. Houston’s 257 rushing yards representedjust the second 200-yard rushing performance in team his-tory.

It’s been said over and over again that in order for theTexans to achieve their goals this season, they must fea-ture a more balanced offensive attack. In other words,improve a rushing game that was simply abysmal in 2009.Big back Arian Foster says the team heard the comments,especially his offensive line.

“We’ve heard this whole offseason about how our rungame wasn’t as efficient last year and how if we had a rungame, we could have done this and could have done that,”

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

Several Houston area highschools projected to earn a spotin the playoffs went into theirthird game of the season stillseeking that first victory.

After advancing to the Class4A state semifinals last year,Pearland Dawson was one ofthose schools after losing toClass 5A stalwarts Clear Springsand Conroe Oak Ridge.DAWSON (1-2) vs. NIMITZ (1-2)

Dawson broke into the win-ning column with a 28-0 victoryon the road at perennial 4A pow-erhouse Dayton. The Eagles led21-0 at halftime behind SteveOrisakwe’s three-yard TD run,Tre Oliver’s 11-yard scoring runand an eight-yard TD run byPayton Jones. A 40-yard TD passfrom Garry Kimble to RandallWeeks in the third quarter wasthe only scoring in the secondhalf.DAWSON VS. NIMITZ

The Eagles look to continuetheir winning ways this weekwhen they take on AldineNimitz. The Cougars notchedtheir first win last week by rally-ing from behind on the road todefeat Conroe 13-9. Nimitztrailed 9-6 with less than twominutes remaining in the fourthquarter when Torian Amoshauled in a 65-yard touchdownpass from Flavies Heffner at the1:58 mark to provide the game-winner.

Dawson coach Eric Wells said

he purposefully set up a toughnon-district schedule to help pre-pare for district games down theline. “You have to get throughsome tough games to get better,”Wells said. “There isn’t an easyweek for us.”AUSTIN (2-0) vs MILBY (0-2)

This is an old-fashioned rival-ry game so you can throw therecords out the window.

SFA has a chance to improveto 3-0 after demolishingScarborough 50-0 at BarnettStadium. Mustangs’ quarterbackCasey Davis tossed three touch-down passes and ran for twomore while running back Tavares

Garner rushed for 164 yards andadded two additional scores togive SFA an advantage theywould never relinguish.

Milby will be trying to get intothe win column at the expense oftheir long-time rivals. Buffs’quarterback Lawrence Putmanand dimunitive wide receiverSergio Bautista will have theirteam primed for confrontation.ANGLETON (2-1) vs. ALIEF ELSIK (2-1)

The Wildcats played possum inthe first quarter against Dayton.

In the opening 12 minutes, theBroncos dictated the game’stempo and jumped out to an early10-0 advantage. After a tough 8-

3 loss to Elkins in the 2010 sea-son opener, Dayton couldn’tovercome four first-halfturnovers despite rushing for 178yards in the game’s first 24 min-utes.

Angleton turned the tables inthe second half. Senior quarter-back Quandre Diggs (91 yards on30 carries) scored on a one-yardsneak to cap a 53-yard, 15-playdrive in the third quarter to givehis team a 17-10 edge.

The Wildcats were at it againin the fourth quarter.

Ryan Jackson, who rushed for

★H.S. FOOTBALL, Page 6

Austin (dark uniforms) hopes to improve to 3-0 this week against rival Milby. Here they facedScarborough last week in a 50-0 victory.

★TEXANS, Page 6

H.S. Football Games of the Week

New AttitudeTexans Offense Yields Results

Photos courtesy of the Texans

#1 Right guard Antoine Caldwell, above, (college photo) and left tackle #76Duane Brown, below are key components of the Texan new rushing attack.
















★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6


Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports






























★TEXANS, Page 6



















★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6


Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports






























★TEXANS, Page 6





H EDISON, Page 6

H ARDISON, Page 6

Texans RallyIt was the type of

come-from-behind win that can motivate a team toward the playoffs. That’s how big the Texans 35-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs was. The group showed a special spark of resilience after be-ing totally dominated by the Giants the previous week. The team now heads into the bye week with a bounce in their step and a 4-2 record, which is the best record through six games in franchise history.

The Texans overcame a deficit of 10 or more points in the fourth quarter to win the game for just the third time in franchise history and the second time this season.

In order for a team to be able to come from behind, you have to have a poised , confident QB and Head Coach Gary Kubiak knows he’s got one in Pro-Bowler Matt Schaub.

“I just think we showed tremendous heart and it was all led by our quarterback who is absolutely spectacular,” Kubiak said. “You can’t win games in this league unless your quarterback is special and ours was special. We played pretty damn good on offense.”

With ten days before the next contest against the Colts on the road at Indianapolis, fullback Vonta Leach explains why the Chief’s win was so important.

“We needed to go

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the District 20-5A high school football standings has been the resurgence of the Bellaire Cardinals.

After opening the season with three consecu-tive losses to Brazoswood, Alief Hastings and Conroe Oak Ridge, Bellaire has won four straight games in league play capped off by back-to-back wins against Westbury and Chavez.

The latter was a nail-biting 28-27 verdict that was tied at 21 after three quarters. Bellaire drove 76 yards and scored first in the fourth quarter and then held on for dear life.

Devin Lauderdale picked up a crucial first down with a 29-yard reverse. Then Lauderdale corralled a 29-yard touch-down pass from Denzel Johnson with 11 minutes, three seconds left in the final stanza. Josh Cole’s extra point gave the Cardi-nals a 28-21 advantage.

Chavez answered with an 80-yard drive that included three third-down conversions. The most important came on third-and-19 and the final play of the drive. Quarterback Demun Mercer combined with Derrick Coleman on a 50-yard screen pass to the end zone.

Melvin McAdams broke through to block the game-tying extra point attempt and keep the score 28-27.

So what does a guy have to do to get a break? That undoubtedly was what former Spring Woods All-State performer Robert Ferguson was ask-

ing. After eight solid years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, the former second-round selection from Texas A & M was sitting at home, on the outside looking in, and the phone was not ringing.

Here was Ferguson, a solid contributor on playoff teams as a wide out (6’1”) and special teams warrior, built like a strong safety (225 lbs.) with hands like vise-grips and legs to run with the best of them looking for work in the NFL.

His agent, Brian Overstreet, president of Houston based E Overstreet Sports Manage-ment, offers insight.

“In ‘Ferg’s’ case you have a classic case of the ‘what have you done for me lately’ or ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality in the league,” Overstreet explained. “He signed with Minnesota when he left the Packers because he was familiar with the style of play and the offense because they were in the same division. His first year there, he started most of the year and was very productive. The next year he was told he would have to compete with Sidney Rice, instead he was placed behind Bernard Berrian, who had just signed a big free agent deal. ‘Ferg’ saw his play-ing time cut drastically, when he complained late in the season, he was promised more playing time, but was abruptly released.”

Last year, Robert Ferguson received a late invitation to the Atlanta Falcons training camp. Arriving at the mid-way point of camp, Ferguson played extremely well, helping the team win the last two preseason games, but again politics played a part in who stayed and who was released.

“That was a tough situation to be in, know-ing I was capable of helping the Falcons out,” Ferguson shared. “It ended up being a situa-tion where they wanted to keep a guy who could do punt returns and kickoff

returns. It’s something that I could do, but getting to camp late, I never had an opportunity to display that. At the same time, it was motivating to get out there and have a really good preseason and show I could stay still play the game, I was just waiting on the opportunity.”

Still, the 2009 NFL campaign came and went and no other team stepped

up to the plate to give Ferguson a opportunity.Prior to the 2010 season, Ferguson received

a call, only it was not from the NFL, but from the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL). The league primarily consists of play-ers that have at one time or another played in the NFL. In its second year, the UFL was expanding to Omaha and was being coached by former Boston College head coach and Green Bay assistant Jeff Jagodzinski. Jagodzinski was familiar with Fergu-son and knew he was available. The question was if Ferg would want them.

Worthing volleyball on the riseBy Darrell K. Ardison

No one said it was go-ing to be easy. Yet Worth-ing High School head vol-leyball coach Ali Gonzalez is starting to see marked improvement.

A recent 3-1 victory over Furr had Gonzalez in an almost celebratory mood. Seventy minutes earlier, the odds appeared to be stacked against Gon-zalez and her Lady Colts. Not only were they facing a team that had swept them 3-0 in the first round of district play, but they were also missing one of their key players.

Worthing won a close first game and led 16-6 in the second game before Furr rallied for the win. There appeared to be a definite momentum swing in Furr’s favor. However, Gonzalez was able to calm her troops and win the next two games and the match to improve to 6-5 in district play.

After winning only three matches a year ago, the Lady Colts and their second-year head coach appear to be headed for the playoffs.

“We had a number of goals coming into the season,” Gonzalez said. “I knew that we had to improve our conditioning and I wanted the girls to be exposed to a higher level of volleyball. I also wanted to create more of a family-oriented feeling about the team where we care about each

other as opposed to just players showing up.”Gonzalez introduced her squad to former

Rice University head volleyball coach Debbie Sokol, one of the top volleyball clinicians in the state of Texas. Then Worthing participated in the Lamar Summer League where they basically had to coach and govern themselves.

In the early stages of the 2010 season, Gonzalez signed her team up to play in the Katy Tournament against some of the top teams in the greater Houston area. Worthing faced the likes of Montgomery, Clements, Westside, The Wood-lands and Orangefield.

“After we arrived at the gym, some of my girls asked me if it was a college tournament,” Gon-zalez said. “Then somebody asked if we could just go home.

“I told them we were there to do three things – to learn more about the game of volleyball, to keep our heads up and to com-municate better,” Gonzalez said. “We had already talked about get-ting consistent serving and serve receiving as keys to improving our game.”

Five Worthing varsity players returned from last year, including Janay Williams, Serenity Brown, Dijonna Holiday, Damesha Roy and Malaysia Battle. Gonzalez added Evonne Hall, Jasmine Maryland and Yashamika Harrison from last season’s junior varsity and her eight-member team has continued to improve.

When all hands are on deck, Gonzalez has six starters and two substitutes along with an improv-

ing game plan.A key victory came during the first round of

district play when Worthing rallied for a come-from-behind victory (3-2) over Wheatley.

“That’s when they began to feel good about themselves and realized they were better than last year,” Gonzalez said. “We still have our ups and downs, but from match to match we’ve continued to get better.”

One factor that often works against the Lady

Robert FergusonThe long road back

Ferguson is optimistic and at 30 years old he says, “I’ve got a lot of football ahead of me.”

Worthing’s volleyball team is improving every day and takes a break to pose for the camera.

H FERGUSON, Page 6

H VOLLEYBALL, Page 6















★ARDISON,

★EDISON, Page 6


Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports






























★TEXANS, Page 6






Foster said. “We heard those whis-pers all offseason and you try to shakethem, but that wears you down afterawhile. You can do one of twothings. You can either let it get to youor let it get in you and I feel like it gotin us. We are going to try to contin-ue that moving forward.”

Foster also loves the old-school fla-vor that a power running game givesyou.

“It’s a different feel. You wear thedefense down and like I said, it’s a testof wills,” #23 opined. “Running thefootball is old fashioned. It’s just youagainst them and they know you aregoing to run. We know we’re going torun. It’s just whoever is going to stepup and make a play.”

Drafted in 2009 as a center in thethird round, Antoine Caldwell has set-tled in as the team’s starting rightguard. He explains the prevailing atti-tude within the offensive line and howit leads to success running the foot-ball.

“We’re trying to change the mental-ity. We want to be a physical group,”Caldwell explains. “We want to be agroup you can count on with 4th and1, 3rd and inches, that’s going to get

that first down. When times gettough, we want to be a unit you cancount on, whatever running play it is,inside or outside.”

Fellow line mate left tackle DuaneBrown echoes the sentiments. “We’rea young group in the offensive lineand we wanted to make a statementwith our play,” Brown shared. “Wewant to dictate the outcome of thegame with our play. We’re a youngunit overall, but we’re coming togeth-er at the right time. We know if we puta body on someone, #23 will find aseam and get something positive.”

In addition to aggressive play by theO-line and powerful running byFoster, the third member of the rush-ing trinity is fullback Vonta Leach.Leach was the lead blocker, blowingup linebackers at the point of attack onmost of the key gains by Foster. Makeno mistake about it, Leach loves thephysical style of offense.

“It’s a beautiful feeling to be able topound the ball, even when the opposi-tion knows we intend to run the foot-ball,” Leach beamed. “It wears adefense down when you keep comingat them like that. I think it also sends amessage to other teams on our sched-ule. They’ll see this performance ontape and figure out that we’re for realthis year. Now of course we’ve just

won one game, but it’s important tostart the season off on a positive note.”

Against the Colts, the Texans had a15-play scoring drive in the third quar-ter that consumed 7:57 minutes.Drives like that bring smiles to thefaces of the defensive players, espe-cially linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

“It fires us (defense) up to see theoffensive line push people off theball,” Ryans said. “That’s what I liketo see, our offense just dominate andrun the ball down their throat. Thatmeans when we go back on the fieldwe’re fresh. It gives us extra juice togo out there and do what we have todo.”

With the Washington Redskins nextup on the schedule, Leach cautionsthat the team will not be over confi-dent.

“We know we’re a good footballteam, so we don’t want to get too highafter one big win,” #44 cautioned.“We’ll keep working hard because theRedskins are next on the schedule andthey will be tough at home. We knowour goal for this season. We think weare a playoff team. We just need to goout there and prove it every week, onegame at a time. The Redskins are nextand we know what we need to do!”

6 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDERSPORTS

tory over Kingwood Park.Magnolia was led by Courtney Felinski’s 18 kills while

Paige Holland had 56 assists and two aces. Katzy Randalladded 16 kills and an ace.

The Bulldogs are 20-6 on the season.

Dulles Comes Up Short In Comeback BidDespite trailing by three touchdowns in each of their first

two games against Alief Hastings and Seven Lakes, Dullesdefied the odds and came back to win both games.

This comes on the heels of losing four games in the final61 seconds last season. Three times their opponent scoredthe game-winning score in the final 13 seconds.

So far in 2010, Dulles trailed Hastings 23-0 beforerebounding for a 24-23 victory. The Vikings faced a 28-6deficit to Seven Lakes and then roared back with 15 fourth-quarter points to secure a 36-35 win.

Apparently a 35-20 deficit to Alief Taylor in the Vikings’third game of the season wasn’t enough to get their atten-tion as Dulles suffered its first loss of the season (35-27).

ETC.In a battle of the top two-ranked Class 4A football teams

in the state, No. 2 Aledo knocked off No. 1 Lake Travis 14-10 to snap a 48-game winning streak. The three-timedefending 4A Division I champs were beaten by the defend-ing 4A Division II champions. Travis was one win shy oftying Southlake Carroll’s state record for consecutive victo-ries.

Ardisoncontinued from page 5

done.”Born in Corpus Christi, Berry

earned a spot on the UIL All-Time Texas High SchoolFootball Team after a stellarcareer at Paris High in EastTexas. He went on to star atSouthern Methodist, where hewas an All-SouthwestConference pick in 1954 andwas named to SMU’s Hall ofFame earlier this year. Berrycaught 631 passes for 9,275yards and 68 touchdowns from1955-97 for the BaltimoreColts. He was inducted intothe Pro Football Hall of Famein 1973.

Bradley, nicknamed “SuperBill” for his ability to playseemingly every position well,quarterbacked Palestine High tothe 1964 3A state champi-onship. He played collegiatelyat the University of Texas,where he was a three-time let-terman, moving from quarter-back to defensive back, and wasa team captain in 1968.Bradley was drafted by thePhiladelphia Eagles in 1969 andwas a three-time All-Pro selec-tion before retiring in 1977.Bradley is a member of theTexas High School Football,University of Texas,Philadelphia Eagles and TexasSports Halls of Fame.

Glenn starred in the LoneStar State for nearly his entireplaying career. He was a four-year letterman at Aldine Nimitzbefore moving on to NavarroCollege, where he earned All-Conference and All-Americanhonors as a sophomore. Glennplayed his junior and seniorseasons at Texas A&M, wherehe was a two-time All-Southwest Conference pick anda 1993 All-American. Glennwas drafted by the New YorkJets with the 12th overall pickin 1994 and played there for

eight seasons before joining theHouston Texans in the 2002expansion draft. He was thefirst Pro Bowler in Texans his-tory, and officially retired as aTexan on July 29, 2010. Glennalso played for the DallasCowboys in 2005.

A native of Temple, “Mean”Joe Greene led North TexasState to a 23-5-1 record from1966-68 and was a consensusAll-America pick in 1968. Hewas enshrined in the CollegeFootball Hall of Fame in 1984.Greene was selected by theSteelers with the fourth overallpick in the 1969 NFL Draft andplayed 13 seasons as the mostfeared member of the famed“Steel Curtain,” winning fourSuper Bowls and playing in 10Pro Bowls. He was named tothe All-Pro team eight times,including five first-team nods,and was named DefensivePlayer of the Year in 1972 and1974. Greene was named tothe NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994 and is amember of the Pro FootballHall of Fame Class of 1987.

Moses, a Houston native, let-tered for the University ofTexas in 1960 and 1961.Playing both ways at the offen-sive and defensive end posi-tions, Moses led the Longhornsin receptions during the 1961season and was a consensusAll-Southwest Conference pick.At the end of that year, he wasselected as the OutstandingDefensive Player in the 1962Cotton Bowl when he led adefensive effort that shut downa vaunted Ole Miss passingattack in a 12-7 victory, givinghead coach Darrell Royal hisfirst bowl win. Moses wasnamed to the 1960’s All-DecadeTeam and was inducted into theLonghorn Hall of Honor in2001. Moses was a foundingmember of the Texas BowlBoard of Directors.

Edisoncontinued from page 5

Texanscontinued from page 5

149 yards on 17 carries, broke off a 47-yard run. Rodney Hall followed up witha 25-yard run that set up a two-yard TDrun by Diggs that increased theWildcats lead to 24-10.

The Broncos responded with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown byXavier Baldwin that sliced the deficit inhalf. However, that was the only timethe Broncos touched the ball in thefourth quarter.

Following a disappointing home lossto Friendswood to open the season andrebounding with a 27-24 win overBrazoswood, Angleton head coachFinis Vanover said his team may havefound itself.

“It was a bunch of young men decid-ing what happened at the end of lastyear and in the opener againstFriendswood wasn’t going to happenagain,” Vanover said. “I think you sawthat new team come out in the secondhalf and we got after some folks.”

Elsik jumped out to a 21-0 advantageover Fort Bend Marshall and held on towin 21-14. Jerry Bynum rushed for 316

yards on 33 carries, including TD runsof seven and 65 yards in the first 12minutes to set the tone for the victory.

Caleb Bedford threw a 27-yardtouchdown pass to Demarcus Smith tofinish off the scoring for the Rams.KATY (2-0) vs. BEAUMONT WEST BROOK(3-0)

This shapes up as one of the topearly-season matchups in the Lone StarState.

Eisenhower was one of those highly-touted schools that went into its thirdgame of the season seeking that initialvictory. The problem was it had tocome against West Brook.

The Bruins featured a plethora ofweapons against IKE, including quar-terback Bruce Reyes (209 passingyards, two TDs) receivers Jalen Malone(four receptions, one TD) and JacolbyCunigan (three receptions, two TDs)along with running back Dylan Harvey(32 rushing yards, two TDs).

West Brook led by 27 points at inter-mission en route to a 42-21 victory overthe Eagles.

Katy is coming off a bye week afteropening the season with convincingwins over North Shore and Alief Taylor.

The Tigers tend to give opponents afalse sense of security as in both gamesthe opponent scored first to take anearly lead only to fall prey to an ava-lanche of Katy points.

Donovonn Young is the featured backin a bruising Katy rushing attack that iscomplemented by a punishing defense.YATES (1-2) vs. WHEATLEY (0-3)

Texas Football Magazine pickedthese two schools to win the districttitles in their respective districts.

Yates opened the season with a winover Booker T. Washington. Then blewa 21-10 halftime advantage over BayCity and settled for a 31-28 setback.The Lions never led in a rivalry gameagainst Madison as the Marlinsreceived rushing touchdowns fromDemarcus Willis and Victor Gibson tosecure a 17-7 victory.

Yates first-year starting quarterbackRashad Jackson threw for 121 yardsand a touchdown against Madison.

Wheatley was limited to 144 totalyards against Westbury as the Rebelsprevailed 28-6. The Wildcats’ lonescore came on a 63-yard pass fromXavier Howard to William Jackson.

H.S. Footballcontinued from page 5

NOTICE TOCONTRACTORSSealed bids, in duplicate, addressed toGreater Southeast Management Districtwill be received at 5445 Almeda, #503,Houston, TX 77004, until 3:00 PM, Friday,October 1, 2010. Bids will be publiclyopened and read at 3:30 PM on Friday,October 1, 2010 for furnishing all labor,materials, equipment, and incidentals, asrequired, for the construction of RiversideHospital Area Streetscape Improvementsproject (sidewalk reconstruction andlandscaping) in Houston, Texas. CON-TRACT DOCUMENTS may be examined atthe following locations: (1) Dodge Reports,10606 Hempstead Road, Suite 110, Houston,TX 77092;(2) AGC,3825 Dacoma,Houston,TX77092; and (3) Houston Minority BusinessDevelopment Ctr, 2900 Woodridge, Suite310,Houston,TX 77087. The right is reserved,as the interest of the Owner may require, toreject any and all bids,and to waive any infor-mality in bids received. Plans, specificationsand bidding documents may be obtained atthe office of the Engineer, ESPA CORP, Inc.,7120 Grand Blvd., Suite 100, Houston, Texas77054 for a non-refundable fee of $40.00 perset. Make checks payable to GreaterSoutheast Management District. A pre-bidconference will be held at GreaterSoutheast Management District, 5445Almeda, #502, Houston, TX onWednesday, September 22, 2010 at 2:00PM. It is requested, but not mandatory,that each bidder be represented at thepre-bid conference.

CLASSIFIED


Arian Foster has been the major benefactor of the Texans new offensive scheme.

“Tomorrow Europe might no longer be European,and even Black, as there are millions who want tocome in,” Gaddafi reportedly told a European newsagency. “We don’t know what will happen, what willbe the reaction of the white and Christian Europeansfaced with this influx of starving and ignorantAfricans.

We don’t know if Europe will remain an advancedand united continent or if it will be destroyed, as hap-pened with the barbarian invasions,” Gaddafi said.

Historian Abdulmolsen Ali said that the precariousnature of relations between Gaddafi and leaders ofAfrican countries, particularly those with largeMuslim populations, remains influx. In fact, Ali sug-gests that while Gaddafi may speak to racial fears inorder to press these nations for funds, the monieswould largely benefit the Africans themselves.

“Col. Gaddafi has repeatedly said he wants to usethe monies supplied by countries within theEuropean Union to strengthen the infrastructure andeconomies of the African countries where the illegalimmigrants are coming from. Is it that Gaddafi isracist against Africans? Maybe. No one knows what

is in another man’s heart, but if the billions he isseeking annually from each of these countries is pro-vided, the entire African continent may be able tosupport itself without European influence,” Ali said.

Italy has already provided Gaddafi with funds tohave Libyans intercept Africans at sea and eitherhold them in Libya or return them to their respectivecountries. Italy has received sharp criticism forallowing Libyans to detain or deport without properscreening.

“In many instances these Africans have no permis-sion to be in the country; however, in just as many

instances, these are Africans who were made Italian,British and French citizens under colonization,” Ali,58, said.

“These men and women or their parents havefought in European wars on the side of England,France, Germany and Italy, and now that their ownlands have been stripped of natural and materialwealth – often by these Europeans – they have noplace to go. It seems ironic that the same paternalis-tic governments who subjugated them because theywere ‘child-like’ now wish to disown their child-cit-izens.”

Slowing the migration of Africans to Italy to atrickle seems vital to the Italian economy of late. TheEuropean Commission figures estimate that thenumber of illegals being denied entry at Libyanhands fell in 2009 to 7,300 from 32,052 in 2008. Col.Gaddafi has forged close ties with Italy since afriendship treaty was signed two years ago. It soughtto draw a line under historic bitterness betweenLibya and Italy, its former colonial master.

A confidential internal security report from EUpolice and border agencies, reportedly leaked to theStatewatch whistleblower, said that 900,000 illegalimmigrants were entering the EU every year.

Gaddaficontinued from page 3

Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

FergusonContinued from page 5

NOTICE OF SCHOOL TRUSTEE ELECTION FOR THE

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

To the registered voters of the Houston Independent School District:Notice is hereby given that an election will be held in geographic districtVIII of the Houston Independent School District on the 2nd day ofNovember, 2010 between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M., for the purpose of electing a trustee from each of the following districts:

• Geographic District VIII held by Diana DavilaPolling locations for District VIII will be the same as the regular HarrisCounty polling locations for general elections within that district.Early voting will be held at the location designated in this Notice fromOctober 18, 2010 through October 29, 2010. Any eligible voter may voteat any one of the early voting locations.Questions regarding this election may be directed to Houston ISD telephone number 713-556-6212.

NOTICE OF TRUSTEE ELECTION STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF HARRISHOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Board of Education of the Houston Independent School District hereby gives notice of an election to be held on November 2, 2010 for thepurpose of electing a trustee in geographic district VIII.The polls for said election shall be open for voting from 7:00 A.M.to 7:00 P.M. on November 2, 2010. The Board of Education designates the following regular Harris County polling places in Harris County electionprecincts that contain territory from the District as polling places for the election:

The Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston Street, FirstFloor, Houston, Texas 77002 is designated as the main early voting place,and Ms. Beverly Kaufman, Harris County Clerk, is hereby appointed clerkfor early voting in the election. Requests for ballots by mail should bedirected in writing to Ms. Beverly Kaufman, Early Voting Clerk, P. O. Box1525, Houston, Texas 77251-1525. Requests for ballots by mail must bereceived no earlier than September 3, 2010 and no later than the close ofbusiness on October 26, 2010. Early voting by personal appearance will be held Monday, October 18,2010, through Friday, October 29, 2010. Dates and times for early votingby personal appearance shall be as follows: Monday, October 18, 2010through Friday, October 22, 2010, from 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.; Sunday,October 24, 2010, from 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.; Saturday, October 23, 2010and Monday, October 25, 2010 through Friday, October 29, 2010, from7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Precinct Voting Location Voting Address 0001 Crockett Elementary School 2112 Crockett Street0002 Crockett Elementary School 2112 Crockett Street0003 Hogg Middle School 1100 Merrill Street0009 Settegast Park Community Center 3000 Garrow Street0010 Neighborhood Centers Inc Ripley House Campus 4410 Navigation Boulevard0011 Eastwood Park Community Center 5020 Harrisburg Boulevard0016 Harris County Courthouse Annex 44 1310 Prairie Street 16th Floor0019 Dodson Elementary School 1808 Sampson Street enter

Jefferson0020 Houston Community College Central Campus 1300 Holman Street0026 Cage Elementary School 4528 Leeland Street0027 Eastwood Academy Charter High School 1315 Dumble Street0030 H O A P V Community Building 1600 Allen Parkway0032 Randalls Mid Town 2225 Louisiana Street0033 Wharton Elementary School 900 West Gray Street0034 The Lovett Inn 501 Lovett Boulevard0037 Grace Lutheran Church 2515 Waugh Drive0052 West End Baptist Church 802 Shepherd Drive0055 Saint Marks United Methodist Church 1615 Patterson Street0058 Love Park Community Center 1000 West 12th Street0062 Denver Harbor Park Community Center 6402 Market Street0071 Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School 5410 Cornish Street0079 Charles Eliot Elementary School 6411 Laredo Street0080 Judson Robinson Elementary School 12425 Woodforest Drive0162 Woodland Acres Elementary School 12936 Sarahs Lane0163 First Baptist Church of Jacinto City 10701 Wiggins Street0164 Clinton Park Community Center 200 Mississippi Street0187 Port Houston Elementary School 1800 McCarty Street0200 West Gray Adaptive Recreation Center 1475 West Gray Street0202 Wheatley Senior High School 4900 Market Street0218 Henderson Elementary School 1800 Dismuke Street0229 Jacinto City Senior and Multi Purpose Center 1025 Oates Road0259 Pleasantville Elementary School 1431 Gellhorn Drive0331 Harris County Courthouse Annex 44 1310 Prairie Street 16th Floor0343 Houston Gulf Coast Building & Construction Trade 2704 Sutherland Street0369 Woodland Park Community Center 212 Parkview Street0374 Knights of Columbus Hall Council 5077 5309 Oates Road0501 Mount Sinai Baptist Church Family Life Center 902 West 8th Street0528 Clinton Park Community Center 200 Mississippi Street0560 Scroggins Elementary School 400 Boyles Street0675 Crockett Elementary School 2112 Crockett Street0680 H O A P V Community Building 1600 Allen Parkway0681 H O A P V Community Building 1600 Allen Parkway0710 Saint Lukes Missionary Baptist Church 714 Detering Street0741 Memorial Elementary School 6401 Arnot Street0769 Jacinto City Senior and Multi Purpose Center 1025 Oates Road0789 Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School 5410 Cornish Street0797 Knights of Columbus Hall Council 5077 5309 Oates Road0806 Knights of Columbus Hall Council 5077 5309 Oates Road0808 Randalls Mid Town 2225 Louisiana Street0810 Port Houston Elementary School 1800 McCarty Street0811 Scroggins Elementary School 400 Boyles Street0816 Saint Francis of Assisi Church 5102 Dabney Street0818 Knights of Columbus Hall Council 5077 5309 Oates Road0821 Northshore Friends Church 1013 Maxey Road0838 Clinton Park Community Center 200 Mississippi Street0856 Settegast Park Community Center 3000 Garrow Street0857 Clinton Park Community Center 200 Mississippi Street

Early voting will be conducted at the following established Harris County early voting locations:

LOCATION ADDRESS City ZIPHarris County Administration Bldg 1001 Preston, 1st Floor Houston 77002Champion Forest Baptist Church 4840 Strack Road Houston 77069Lone Star College University Park 20515 State Hwy 249 Houston 77070Crosby ISD Administration Bldg 706 Runneburg Road Crosby 77532Kingwood Branch Library 4400 Bens View Lane Kingwood 77345Baytown Community Center 2407 Market Street Baytown 77521Harris County Courthouse Annex # 25 7330 Spencer Highway Pasadena 77505Freeman Branch Library 16616 Diana Ln. Houston 77062Cypress Top Park 26026 Hempstead Hwy Cypress 77429Tomball Public Works Building 501 B James Tomball 77375Townwood Park 3403 Simsbrook Houston 77045Franz Road Storefront 19818 Franz Road Katy 77449Nottingham Park 926 Country Place Dr Houston 77079Lac Hong Square 6628 Wilcrest Dr Suite A Houston 77072Metropolitan Multi-Service Center 1475 W. Gray Houston 77019City of Jersey Village City Hall 16327 Lakeview Dr. Jersey Village 77040Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center 1414 Wirt Road Houston 77055Bayland Park Community Center 6400 Bissonnet Houston 77074Tracy Gee Community Center 3599 Westcenter Dr. Houston 77042Bear Creek Park Community Center 3055 Bear Creek Dr Houston 77084Acres Homes Multi-Service Center 6719 W. Montgomery Houston 77091Hardy Senior Center 11901 West Hardy Rd. Houston 77076Northeast Multi-Service Center 9720 Spauling Houston 77016Octavia Fields Branch Library 1503 South Houston Ave Humble 77338Kashmere Multi-Service Center 4802 Lockwood Dr Houston 77026North Channel Branch Library 15741 Wallisville Rd Houston 77049Galena Park Branch Library 1500 Keene Street Galena Park 77547IBEW Hall # 66 4345 Allen Genoa Road Pasadena 77504H.C.C.S. Southeast College 6815 Rustic Houston 77087Fiesta Mart, Inc. 8130 Kirby Houston 77054

HouDef_Trust_2010 10/18/10 5:07 PM Page 1

EdisonContinued from page 5

ArdisonContinued from page 5

into the bye week with a win, with something positive while we prepare to play in 10 days,” Leach explained. “It’s great for our morale, especially the way our offense performed in the second half.” Following the bye week, the Texans face Indy, San Diego, Jacksonville, the Jets and Tennessee in successive weeks. The home team is currently tied for first place in the competitive AFC South. PV Elevates NorthernRecently, PV announced they were elevating associate head coach and defensive coordinator Heishma Northern to the position of head coach in-waiting. If current Prairie View A & M head coach Henry Frazier III decides to depart the program within the next three years, Northern would automatically be elevated to head coach.“Coach Frazier and I discussed

this some time ago and believe that Northern has been a big part of our success and would be a great leader for us in the future,” said Prairie View A&M Director of Athletics, Fred Washington. “We wanted to find a way to express to him that we know he has had and will continue to have options but we definitely want him to remain a Panther for years to come.” A 14-year veteran on the collegiate level, Northern has moved the Panther defense to new heights in his six-year tenure at Prairie View as the team’s defensive coordinator. Under his watch, P V’s defensive unit has produced several All-Americans in addition to ranking near the top of several statistical categories on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). As a result of the unit’s success, Northern was named the 2008 Division I-AA Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com and has participated in the NCAA Champions Forum and NCAA Expert Coaches Academy. He has also completed an

NFL training camp internship with the Oakland Raiders. “My hat goes off to Prairie View A & M for committing to Coach Northern because he has paid his dues,” said Frazier. “He’s ready to be a head coach on the collegiate level and the Prairie View A & M program would be in capable hands under his watch.” Northern is a native of Baton Rouge, La. and a 1996 graduate of Southern University with a degree in mathematics. He began his coaching career in at Glen Oaks (La.) High School before moving on to the collegiate level at Morehouse College. After a stint at Morehouse, Northern moved on to Grambling State and spent seven seasons there as the team’s defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach, running backs coach and special teams coordinator. Northern has collected a total of five SWAC Championships with one coming as a player in 1993 and four as a coach (2000-2003, 2009).

The Lobos got the ball back with 3:53 remaining in the contest and drove to the Cardinals’ 22-yard line.On third and fourth downs the Bellaire defense stiffened with the help of Keith Ewing, Okoye Kemp and Duce Haskin to

deny Chavez any further yardage.Three schools are still undefeated in District 20-5A play, including Bellaire, Lamar and Madison.Bellaire will square off against Lamar, Saturday, October 23 at Delmar Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The Cardinals will face Westside next week before ending the regular season against Madison on Nov. 4 at

Butler Stadium (7 p.m.).The Cardinals were picked to finish fifth in many preseason polls. What do the naysayers have to say now?Other key matchups in week eight of the regular season include Sterling-Waltrip, Austin-Reagan, Madison-Westbury, Washington-Wheatley, Chavez-Westside and Kashmere-Worthing.

“I encouraged him to go,” Over-street said. “I felt it would afford him a chance to get a lot of repetitions and pro-vide a fresh body of work for the NFL scouts to see. In addition, the people in key posi-tions within the league are all former NFL guys who still have a lot of contacts within the league. At Omaha, Coach Jagodzinski has been with the Packers and Falcons. The GM, Randy Mueller has served in the same capacity with the New Orleans Saints.”

Overstreet didn’t have to do much of a sales job. Ferguson understood what a positive opportunity playing in the UFL could be.

“I think it was just a sound decision so when you do get that call (NFL) it will be an easy transition,” #89 opined. “No matter how you train or who you train with, it’s dif-ficult to simulate football and stay in football shape. By coming to the UFL I get a chance to stay in football shape, play against NFL quality competition and get some good, up to date film for the scouts (NFL) who haven’t seen me in a while. Hopefully, I can open some eyes for some folks who may have forgotten what I’m capable of doing. It’s just a good opportunity.”

So Ferguson agreed to take the plunge and give the UFL a try and so far the results have been nothing short of spectacular. He has quickly shown he is the league’s most dominant receiver.

“I had Robert in Green Bay so I know what kind of guy he is,” Coach Jagodzinski said. “He’s done a great job here.”

Nighthawk receiver coach Roger Hughes acknowledges that Ferguson has been an asset with his play and his ability to be a team player.

“He knows everything we’re doing. He’s worked in the system before. He under-stands the language and he understands the

terminology,” Hughes explained. “He ends up being the second coach on the field, and that increases the learning curve exponen-tially for all the other players.”

Longtime NFL TV announcer and cur-rent UFL TV analyst Paul McGuire is even more effusive in his praise for Ferg’s play in the UFL.

“Ferguson is the biggest difference maker in the league,” McGuire said during a recent broadcast.

For the benefit of sports fans in Houston who haven’t watched a UFL game and questions the quality of play, Ferguson explains what you’ve missed.

“The quality of play is really high. I think the only difference is there is not as much depth as the NFL. Most guys have NFL experience. We’ve got guys that have been Super Bowl winners and guys that have

been to multiple Pro Bowls. You have a lot of guys like myself who are just looking for another crack at the NFL, so it’s extremely competitive.”

At a time when many of the NFL’s top receivers spend more time ranting and raving in front of the camera, with apparent focus more on “me” than “we,” you have to root for a guy like Robert Ferguson.

“At the age of 30, I think I’ve got a lot of football ahead of me,” Ferguson shared. “I don’t want to count myself out as far as not getting a break, maybe that break is right around the corner for me. I just continue to be me and keep my personality the way it is. Those guys with the “me” attitude, it will work itself out. I just prefer to just work hard. I think it will work out for a guy who’s willing to work hard, keep their head up and do the right thing, like myself.”

After eight years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, Ferguson is staying active while he awaits the call to come back.

One factor that often works against the Lady Colts is their lack of height.

“We’re not only the shortest team in District 22-4A, but the shortest team I’ve seen all season,” Gonzalez said. “One area that we’ve definitely improved in is utilizing other options.

“If taller girls are neutralizing our net attack, we can switch to a back-row attack. We’re just more consistent across the board,” she said.

Gonzalez believes her team has bought into the new direction and no player exem-plifies that more than Evonne Hall. “She has improved her game and adds the most support when it comes to the team concept,” Gonzalez said.

Worthing has one remaining district contest against Booker T. Washington before setting its sights on the postseason. District 22-4A consists of seven schools from the Houston Independent School Dis-trict (HISD), including Worthing, Washing-ton, Wheatley, Jones, Kashmere, Furr and Scarborough.

“I really believed that we could finish among the top three in our district if every-thing fell into place,” Gonzalez said. “I re-ally like the looks on their faces right now.”

Gonzalez grew up in the Houston area and attended St. Agnes Academy where she played volleyball for four years and earned all-state honors in two of those seasons. She went on to Trinity University and her col-legiate career was curtailed due to an injury.

Her resume’ includes playing for Debbie Sokol’s club team, working six years with Sokol in a number of capacities

and doing some volunteer coaching at the Judson Robinson Jr. Community Center.

“I’ve told my girls that the only way to improve from year-to-year is to compete in club volleyball,” Gonzalez said. “Some of those clubs can be pretty expensive, but I know of a few that aren’t. Some of our players will be trying out for club teams in November.”

VolleyballContinued from page 5

The Worthing lady colts enjoy playing together and are up for the challenge.
























EditorVon Jiles



















★GADDAFI, Page 6

OCTOBER 21 - 28, 2010 | DEFENDER 7

Audrey, Rev. Bill and Roxanne Lawson John Guess, Jr., Playwright Sarah Jonesand Melanie Lawson

Lindsey, Lou and Linda Lorrell Gregory Ayesh Mutope and Calepha Johnson

Gail Smith, Rhonda Adams and Florence LoveMichael Helm and Roxanne Chargois

AN EVENING WITH ASTAR……..Tony Award winning play-wright and performer, Sarah Jones, treatedHoustonians with her multi-character soloshow “Bridge & Tunnel.” The show wasoriginally produced off-Broadway byOscar-winner Meryl Streep and went on tobecome a critically acclaimed, long-runninghit on-Broadway. In this stirring production,she examined Jewish and African Americanrelations in America that was developedespecially for the final event of a fabulousdebut season for the Houston Museum ofAfrican American Culture (HMAAC). Noone can reflect on that better than Sarah,who is a product of a Black father and aJewish mother. HMAAC has had anincredible first season and is quickly estab-lishing itself as a place that attracts nationaltalent and initiates thought-provoking dis-cussions about people, places and times.Spotted at the show included MelanieLawson, HMAAC Chairman of the Boardof Directors, John Guess, Jr.HMAAC/CEO, Rev. Bill and AudreyLawson, Roxanne Lawson, VanessaWilliams, Alyce Coffee, Vanessa Gilmore,Sharon Owens, Roxanne Chargois, LisaChargois, Janice Beal, Linda, Lindseyand Lou Gregory, Michael Helm, EllenRay, C. B. Claiborne, Carole Pinkett andCarol, Carolyn and John Guess, III.Fabulous Show!.......PUMP-A-LICIOUS…….Putting their best foot for-ward, about 200 ladies attended the 2010Kick Out Kidney Disease Luncheon bywearing their pump-a-licious shoes. Theevent was chaired by Merele Yarboroughwho knows first-hand about this terribledisease and the need to kick it out of exis-tence. On the scene were Terri Phillips,Board Chair/National Kidney FoundationServing Southeast Texas, Nicole Sonnier,Regional Vice President, Crystal Wright,Marion Johnson, Myra Rega, PhyllisWilliams, Clarease Yates, Keryl Douglas,Regina Carrington, Gail Smith, RhondaAdams, Florence Love, Ebele Iloanya,Stacy McIntosh and Elouise Jackson, toname a few. Adding a special touch to theluncheon included greetings from DeborahDuncan, KHOU Channel 11 Great DayHouston, HFD poster-boys Errick Presleyand Aaron Bond and a fabulous fashionpresentation by Neiman Marcus.Continued Success!.....MENTORINGMIXER………To kick-off the 2010 BlackExpo, the Houston Area Urban Leaguehosted a mentoring mixer welcomingSusan L. Taylor, Publisher Emeritus ofEssence Magazine to the city and honoringfive outstanding mentors. The honoreesincluded Charles Savage, ExecutiveDirector of the Fifth Ward EnrichmentProgram, Algenita Scott-Davis, ExecutiveDirector of Houston Habitat for Humanity,Lawrence Allen, Director/Special Projectsfor HISD, Dr. Jonita Reynolds, CEO /GulfCoast Community Services Association andDr. Frazier Wilson, Vice President/ShellOil Company Foundation.Congrats!......NEWEST CHAPTER…..The recently organized Cy-Fair Chapter ofthe National Women of Achievement host-ed their first event, “Sister II Sister” Health& Wellness Breakfast at Good HopeBaptist Church. In addition to a deliciousbreakfast, the guests were treated to a paneldiscussion presented by Venisha Shepard,nutritionist, Dornne Burnside, pharmacistand Officer Rachelle Holman. Althoughnew, the chapter has already surpassed theirexpectations in providing service to the eld-erly, veterans, youth and women. Shouldyou wish to join the chapter, contact HelenJohnson at 281-852-4405 or ChapterPresident Anne Harris at 713-937-3320.Congratulations and continued suc-cess!........ KUDOS…….Mt. Horem BaptistChurch family and Minister Thomas F.Freeman celebrated their 60th AnnualWomen’s Day Program…….Houston’s firstAfrican American Congregational Churchand Senior Pastor Rev. Myron E. Cloydcelebrated its 106th year of service with adedication and unveiling of the OfficialTexas State Historical Marker presented bythe Texas Historical Commission and theHarris County Historical Commission andMayor Anise Parker has been named oneof “The World’s Most Influential People”by Time magazine…….. Have a great weekand remember to watch CROSSROADS onChannel 13 Sunday morning with MelanieLawson for your event covered by Ms.Chag. Also check out our website atdefendernetwork.com to view the “Eventof the Week.”…..From Chag’s Place toyour place, Ciao Darling!

8 MAY 23 – 29, 2010 | DEFENDER

Ellen Ray and C. B. Claiborne

Ebele Iloanya and Stacy McIntosh

Chair Lady MereleYarborough and Honoree

Myra Rega

Terri Phillips and Deborah Duncan

Nicole Sonnier, Errick Presleyand Marion Johnson

John W. Johnson, Jr. and Linda Johnson

Arlener Poydras, Susan Taylor and Phyllis Bailey

Dr. Jonita Reynolds and Dr. Frazier Wilson

Kicking Out Kidney Disease

Yvette Pawnelland Deanna Santiago

Joe Arrington and Jerome Love

Charles Savageand Algenita Scott-Davis

YOUNG LEADERS OF TODAY - FUTURE LEADERS OF TOMORROW……KIPP Third Ward campus recently celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Bob Lanier Campus, home of KIPP Liberation College Preparatory, located at 5400 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. KIPP’s mission is to empower students academically, intellectually and socially, thus enabling them to succeed in top-rated high schools and colleges and contribute to the social and economic improvement of their own community and the world beyond. Judging from the student’s participation before, during and after the ceremony, we can all be assured that we will be in good hands. The success of this campus can be attributed to Principle Pamela Farinas, staff, parents and volunteers who have established this unique education center for hundreds of students. The smiles on the faces of former Mayor Bob Lanier, Elyse Lanier, Courtney Lanier Sarofim, Mike Feinberg, Ken Goeddeke and Kevin Robins, said it all. Others in attendance at the event included Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Council Member Jolanda Jones, Constable Mae Walker, Cardinal Aswad Walker, Bishop Onika Sala, Rev. Cynthia Barton, Gerald Womack, Licia Green Ellis, Beverly Harmon, Rick Lowe, Deloyd Parker, Alan Bergeron, Michale Williams and Robin and Kervis Thornton, to name a few. Congratulations and Continued Success!..........WOMEN ON THE MOVE…….Texas Executive Women recently honored 10 outstanding women at their annual luncheon held at the InterContinental Hotel. The focus of the event was to celebrate the accomplishments of women in their professional and community activities. This year’s honorees included our own Charleta Guillory, M.D., F.A.A. P., Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Associate Director of Level II Nurseries and Director of Neonatal Perinatal Public Health Programs, Texas Children’s Hospital and Winell Herron, Group Vice President, Public Affairs, Diversity & Environmental Affairs, H.E.B. Spotted at the event was Charleta’s 101 years old mother, Lucille Guillory, Winell’s husband, Doug Herron, Jackye Alton, Rhonda LeBlanc-Williams, Kimberly Williams, Carole Pinkett, Sharon Owens, Clarease Yates, Genoria Boykins and Mariane Walker, to name a few. We salute both of you!........ALMIGHTY DEBT – A BLACK IN AMERICA SPECIAL…….Every leading indicator - unemployment, income, wealth, educational attainment, homeownership and foreclosures, demonstrates that the African-American financial foundation is crumbling at rates that are comparatively worse that other segments of the U.S. population. CNN’s anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien has prepared a documentary that will premiere on CNN, Thursday, October 21, 2010. Houstonians were treated to an advance screening that was hosted by City Controller Ronald Green at the Houston Museum of Natural Science IMAX Theatre. Soledad, along with CNN Commentator Roland Martin, CNN Business News, Stephanie Elam and DeForest Soaries, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in New Jersey where the documentary is told through the experiences of his members, conducted a panel discussion following the screening. Janette Cosley, Kym King, Kim Davis, Phyllis Bailey, John Guess, IV and Eileen Morris are just a few of the hundreds in attendance. A Must Watch Program!......Have a great week and remember to watch CROSSROADS on Channel 13 Sunday morning with Melanie Lawson for your event covered by Ms. Chag. Also check out our website at defendernetwork.com to view the “Event of the Week.”…..From Chag’s Place to your place, Ciao Darling!

Bishop Anika Sala, Rev. Cynthia Barton and Cardinal Aswad Walker Council Member Jolanda Jones and Constable Mae Walker

Kervis and Robin Thornton and Ken Joeddeke Principle Pamela Farinas, Former Mayor Bob Lanier and Elyse Lanier

Alan Bergeron, Deloyd Parker and Michael WilliamsBob Lanier, Courtney Lanier Sarofim, Elyse Lanier and Mike Robins

Pamela Farinas, Mike Feinberg and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Students Vanderious Trice and Delynn Paige Ewing

Honoree Winell Herron and Doug HerronJackye Alton, Rhonda LeBlanc-Williams, Winell Herron and Kimberly Williams Lucille Guillory and Honoree Dr. Charleta

Guillory

CNN Anchor Soledad O’Brien and CNN Correspondent Ronald Martin

Janette Cosley and Kym King Pastor DeForest Soarles, Jr. and City Controller Ronald Green

National Cemetery. Shepard was an outspoken

Democrat who moved toHouston from Louisiana nearly60 years ago and lived fordecades in Acres Home, whereshe unofficially known as the“Mayor of Acres Homes.”

“Beulah was a woman ofguts, purpose and presence,”said state Rep. SylvesterTurner, D-Houston. “If shethought it, she said it. She wasdirect. That was BeulahShepard. You didn’t have toguess what she was thinking.She loved politics, she lovedthe process and she loved par-ticipating in the process. If yousought political office, yousought her out. She had thepower.”

Shepard enjoyed rare 24-hour access to Texas governorsand other state and local politi-cians, and was invited to theWhite House a few times,meeting at least a handful ofpresidents, including John F.Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson,Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Shepard, who worked as aconstituent liaison for formerHarris County CommissionerSquatty Lyons for some 20years and then Sen. JohnWhitmire, D-Houston for about10, was gifted at reading peopleand politics at play. In fact, itwas Shepard who convincedTurner to run for political officein the late 80s.

“I told her, ‘Ms. Shepard, Ihave no interest in running. Towhich she replied, ‘You haveno idea what you’re interestedin.’ She was literally the onewho put the idea in my head,’?”he said.

Shepard’s love of politicswas evident in her constantefforts to get people out to vote.

“She knew the value of thevote because she had beendenied the right to vote,”Turner said.

Shepard's survivors includeseven children, 30 grandchil-dren, 24 great-grandchildrenand 10 great-great children.


Shepardcontinued from page 1

“I think what happened is, we’ve been working onthis for three years, even before I came on the coun-cil,” said Councilwoman Carolyn Davis, who votedin favor of the no-bid contracts. “And so I went withstaff recommendation. I’ve always supported staffrecommendation, but we didn’t win. It takes eightvotes to win here at the Horseshoe, and the eighthvote won.”

Hudson is part-owned by Giddings and by a trustthat manages the assets of Johnson. Star is owned byprominent Democratic donor Gilbert Aranza.

To some, it was the direct - some say heavy-hand-ed - involvement of Mayor Tom Leppert that turnedthe tide. In April, Leppert began his campaign to stopthe deals from being approved, calling them toosweet for the incumbents and bad for Dallas’ imageas a fair place to do business.

“These contracts, lasting 19 years, would awardmajor portions of our new terminal to the two incum-bent concessionaires without having been vettedthrough the competitive process. This has short-cir-cuited new ideas and concepts and discouraged com-petitors, including firms owned by minorities,women and emerging entrepreneurs,” Leppert said inan opinion letter.

“I’m hoping that it [politics] did not play a role,”Davis said of Leppert’s involvement. “I want to beable to say that he did it for the city of Dallas.”

Davis, along with six of her council colleagues,was impressed by the incumbents’ track record astenants, their post-9/11 hardships and the unanimousrecommendation of the transportation committee thatthe deal go forward.

“They’ve been through thick and thin out there,”said former Councilman Ed Oakley in support of theincumbents. “They’ve been through the building of

the parking garage, they’ve been through 9/11,they’ve been through the remodeling of the terminal,[and] they’re now going through another remodel-ing.”

Davis expresses similar feelings.“We also felt that they had never missed a pay-

ment, they had paid on-time, and I asked the ques-tion, ‘How much money had these concessionairesgiven the city of Dallas?’” she said.

The answer to her question soon became evident.“They have given the city a lot of money. Lots of

money. If you own a building and you’ve got goodtenants, you just don’t say, ‘Well, I’m going to kickthem out because I think I want someone else who isgoing to give me more or pay me more,’ you tend tokeep the good paying tenant,” Davis said.

“What they were trying to accomplish is encourag-ing the incumbents to stay through the renovation,and then having space in the new terminal at a ratethat was more than what the consultants even recom-mended,” said Oakley. “The remaining space wouldbe bid out, and if [the new tenants’] rates were high-er than what [the incumbents] were paying, theincumbents’ rent would automatically escalate tomatch. How is that not fair?”

In another victory for the mayor, three councilmembers on the losing end of the vote eventuallycrossed over to side with the majority on an 11-4 vote

to put all of the concession space up for bid once theairport renovation is completed in 2014. This madethe final outcome appear less racially polarized.

Both Hudson and Star have been tight-lippedabout how they will respond. Through its public rela-tions firm, Hudson would only disclose, “At thispoint, the Dallas City Council has approved a planfor the allocation and process for awarding conces-sions at Love Field. Hudson will continue to workwith the city staff based on the plans approved by thecity council.”

Aranza of Star Concessions could not be reachedfor comment.

For Davis and others, what stands out about thecouncil’s decision is the second-guessing of citystaff, which Davis says is unprecedented during herthree years on the council.

“This has been the only time since I’ve been on thecouncil, that my colleagues have gone against citystaff,” said Davis. “Remember, coming out of thetransportation committee we voted 10 to 0. Being anewbie on the council, I looked to [the committeechair’s] leadership on what we should do, because Ijust hadn’t been briefed on the Love Field situation.”

Davis’ recollections also suggest that the council’sdeliberations weren’t always as contentious as theyeventually became. Indeed, before the August meet-ing there was literally no argument since the optionto grant the no-bid contracts was the only one then onthe table. It was at the urging of the mayor during theJune council meeting that voting on the proposal bepostponed so that other options could be added.

“There was never an argument. Most of the con-tracts were going out for bid anyway,” Davis said.“We just wanted the incumbents who [had] beenthere through 9/11 to stay there and recoup theirinvestment, with the amount of money they put intothat airport.

Airport contractscontinued from page 1

This is the uptown version.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

small wagon is the answer for buyersseeking fuel economy, safety and ver-satility.

I remember two years ago when wewere heading for Niagara Falls,Canada and Buffalo, New York, theDodge Caliber was the vehicle ofchoice when it came to rent cars.

We test droved the Dodge Caliberfor a week prior to going on vacation.Then when we arrived in Buffalo, theCaliber was our first option as a rentalcar. It seemed like the Caliber was thevehicle of choice.

With a 2.o-liter, four-cylinder enginematched with a continuously-variabletransmission, the Dodge Caliber hadmore enough power to transport useverywhere we wanted to go.

The cargo space was more than ade-quate, and we travel large.

Between my wife and daughter, wetravel with everything except thekitchen sink.

Standard equipment includes airconditioning with automatic tempera-ture control, power windows with dri-ver’s one-touch feature and SIRIUSsatellite radio.

Other standard equipment includesheated front seats, leather-wrappedsteering wheel and tilt steering column.

We drove the 2010 Dodge CaliberUptown from Houston to Austin for theannual high school baseball state tour-nament without incident. In fact, weenjoyed our drive, with smooth ridingon I-10 leading up to Highway 71 intothe state capital.

My partner, Big John, mentioned thatthere was no road noise and the carhandled like a mid-sized sedan. This isa vehicle that lists for less than$20,000.

There is an information display thattells you what direction you’re heading,the temperature outside and how fastyou’re traveling. You can also see whatyou’re fuel economy is and what yourtire inflation-level is.

The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown is acrossover vehicle waiting to happen.

Exterior features include 17-inch alu-minum wheels, power-heated exteriormirrors, fog lamps and a bright frontgrille.

Optional equipment includes a powerexpress moonroof, media center and6.5-inch touch screen navigation win-

dow.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

gets five-star government safety ratingsin the frontal driver, crash passenger,side front seat and crash rear seat cate-gories. It also rates four stars in therollover division.

Warranty coverage includes a five-year or 100,000-mile powertrain limit-ed warranty and 24-hour towing assis-tance.

Big John told me this is a vehicle forcollege students starting out or newly-weds getting out of the starting gate.

I tend to agree

AUTO NEWS By Darrell K. Ardison

CALIBER: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$19,995 (as tested- $22,965)

Engine2.0-liter four-cylinder

Safety equipmentSpeed sensitive power locks

Fuel economy

23 miles per gallon (city), 27mpg (highway)

Estimated annual fuel cost$1,560

2010 Dodge Caliber

By Kathy ChaneySpecial to the NNPA from the Chicago Defender

CHICAGO (NNPA) - Carol Moseley Braunmay put her hat in the ring to succeed outgoingChicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, sources said.

The former U.S. Senator was flooded withcalls on the day Daley made the surpriseannouncement that he would not seek a seventhterm in office –– encouraging her to mull a runfor the mayoral post.

Braun, who made history in 1993 as the firstAfrican-American female U.S. Senator said thatshe is “seriously considering it.”

Braun’s political career spans more than twodecades.

After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office as a

federal prosecutor in Chicago in 1977, she waselected state representative the next year. In 1987she was elected Cook County Recorder of Deed.Five years later, history was made in the U.S.Senate. Braun held the post for one six-year term.She served a U.S. Ambassador to New Zealandand Samoa from 1999 to 2001 under the Clintonadministration.

During the 2004 U.S. presidential election,Braun was a candidate for the Democratic nomi-nation.

Braun currently runs her Chicago-based com-pany, Good Food Organics, the parent companyof Ambassador Organics, which manufacturesseveral products including coffee, food spices,olive oil and tea. She founded the company fiveyears ago.

Moseley Braun considering run for Chicago mayor

Carol Moseley Braun

“I’m hoping that it (politics) did not play a

role... I want to be able to say that he did it

for the city of Dallas.”– Dallas Councilwoman

Carolyn Davis


Voting Empowers Us AllBy Judson Robinson III

President and CEO, Houston Area Urban League

Carolyn Scantlebury, President, Houston Chapter of

the National Association for the Advancemnt of Colored People

Are you a Democrat, a Republican or an indepen-dent? Are you leaning to-ward the Tea Party or some-where in between political philosophies? We really aren’t concerned with your affiliation or leaning. What we care about are neighbor-hoods, the greater Houston community, our vast and growing Harris County, the great State of Texas and our country, the United States of America.

We care that compared to a little over 20 years ago when the US was first, we are now ranked 9th among industrialized nations with citizens with a high school degree (Adults age 25 to 34). Closer to home, Houston – the fourth largest city in the nation with one of the nations largest school districts – has a 20 percent dropout rate according to various measurements.

We care that Texas ranks 46th out of 50 in the nation in terms of our healthcare systems overall performance. We care that

poverty is at its highest rate in more than 50 years. We care that unemployment remains a problem and that many of the jobs we need for Americans are now overseas.

What local, state and national policies are driving these inequities and the de-cline in our quality of life? We propose that the answer lies in questions we should ask ourselves each time we enter the voting booth.

This year, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2, and if you care about your commu-nity, you will cast your vote.

Our social, health, hu-man services and other na-tional policies are developed and funded through our U.S. senators and representatives. So who decides who sits in Congress?

Our educational, em-ployment and other state policies are prioritized and funded through the State Legislature. Who decides who represents you in Austin?

Our environmental quality, infrastructure, sani-tation and safety are often decided by area officials. Who decides who represents us at the city and county levels?

Finally, protecting our

families against crime is often left to the judicial system, and if you look at a sample ballot for the November election, you will observe that our judiciary starts at the local level and moves through the county and on to the state. Who decides who protects us and ensures that we get equita-ble treatment under the law?

The answer is obvi-ous. We – the citizens of this city, county, state and country – are responsible for voting candidates into office to pass laws and policies for us.

Consequently, when we ask how we got into this “mess,” we already know the answer. We left all the decision-making to those we put into office by not holding them accountable. Or, we chose to sit out an election and a politician with limited or no interest in you, your family or the community at large, beat out the better candidate.

We encourage you to show how much you care about yourself, your family and your community by vot-ing in this election.

Show that you care

about how the flooding in your neighborhood should be prevented or how new census figures will impact redistricting. Vote your posi-tions on traffic safety con-cepts and your willingness or lack there of, to pay for long term financing strategies for needed infrastructure proj-ects. Show how you care that the judges on the ballot are willing to help develop criminal justice policies and procedures aimed at train-ing – rather than warehous-ing – young Hispanic and Black men who are dispro-portionately incarcerated and

wasting their valuable hu-man capacity to contribute to society in a positive fashion if aptly prepared.

There is one more thing to remember. All of the candidates running for office have opinions and posi-tions on many of the issues identified here. Visit their websites and investigate their platforms, attend a community meeting or de-bate and please early vote to avoid the lines on November 2nd. It’s another way to help empower yourself and your community. Please vote, it Empowers Us All.

wage gap and female underrepresentation in higher levels of man-agement. Further, specific groups of women like single mothers, older women and minorities face additional challenges.

The Obama Administration pointed to implemented and pro-posed policies that form a comprehensive plan to support women at all stages of their careers as part of their accomplishments. The Administration’s policies will:• Promote economic expansion and job growth for women- SBA loans are three to five times more likely to go to women and minorities than traditional, conventional small business loans. More than 12,000 SBA Recovery Act loans have gone to women-owned small businesses, driving $3 billion in lending support into their hands to help them grow their businesses and create jobs. - An estimated 2.9 million women who had been unemployed for more than two months were hired by employers who qualify for payroll tax exemptions under the HIRE Act.- The Recovery Act and the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assis-tance Act have played a critical role in saving jobs in the education and healthcare sectors where women make up more than three-quarters of professionals. This fall over one hundred thousand teachers, the majority of them women, returned to their classrooms because of these laws. - The TANF Emergency Contingency Fund has provided more than 250,000 jobs to parents and disadvantaged youth. • Train and educate women for quality jobs- With affordable tuition, open admission policies, flexible course schedules, and convenient locations, community colleges are particularly important for women, who comprise 56 percent of enrollees. The Recovery Act funded workforce training programs, and work study funds to help community college students pay for their education through employment. - Women, as the vast majority of nurses and about half of all medical school enrollees, particularly benefit from the President’s policies on healthcare workforce development. The Affordable Care Act provides $320 million in grants for a variety of targeted training programs. • Support working women at home and in their jobs - The Recovery Act’s Making Work Pay Tax Credit benefited 74 million middle-class women in 2009. The average woman received $600 more in her pocketbook.- The President proposed nearly doubling the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle-class families. - The President is committed to the issue of workplace flexibility and proposed funding to help states start their own paid leave pro-grams and is working towards establishing the federal government as a model employer. - To supplement the wages of low income working women, and especially working mothers, the President supported the expansion of the EITC in the Recovery Act that helped 14.8 million women in 2009.- The President is committed to equal pay for women. The first bill he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act; he established the Equal Pay Task Force; and he strongly supports the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the Senate. - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by Wall Street Reform will help women make smart financial choices by empowering women through financial education and financial literacy.- Women’s health security is an essential part of their overall economic security, facilitating job mobility and economic growth. The Affordable Care Act protects women from insurance company abuses and makes health insurance more affordable. • Support women in retirement and between jobs - Social Security plays a vital role for women who represent 58 percent of all beneficiaries. This is why the President is committed to protecting and strengthening it, while fighting privatization – a step that would not only weaken Social Security overall but would specifically undermine many of the features that provide protec-tions for women.

StatusContinued from page 1

October 21, 2010

Documents

Transcript of October 21, 2010