INTERVIEW

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Volume 79 Number 46 September 9 – 15, 2010 | FREE

Weekend

Joseph PhillipsIs America Only for White People?

Weekend

HealthWhy Americans Don't Use Condoms.

Click on Defendernetwork.comMonday

Julianne MalveauxEight Weeks to God

By Kam WilliamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Corinne Jacqueline Bailey was born in Leeds, England onFebruary 26, 1979, the eldest of three girls to bless the unionof her British mother and Caribbean father from St. Kitts. Asa child, she studied classical violin at school, and only sangin the church choir, until she formed an all-female rock bandat the age of 15.

Corinne went on to major in English at the University ofLeeds, and after graduating in 2000, took a job as a hatcheck girl at a local jazz club. It was there, while sitting inwith various bands, that she developed the sultry, soulfulvocal style, which would become her trademark. It was alsoat the pub that she met saxophonist Jason Rae, the lovewhose last name she would take when they married the verynext year.

In 2006, she released her self-titled debut CD containingsuch hits as “Like a Star” and “Put Your Records On” to

rave reviews, earning Grammy nominations for Record ofthe Year, Song of the Year (“Put Your Records On”) andBest New Artist. Sadly, tragedy struck a couple years later,when her husband passed away unexpectedly..

A period of withdrawal from the public eye to grieveended when Corinne reemerged in 2010 upon the release ofher second album, “The Sea,” a relatively-sober CD in com-parison to the light and breezy collection of melodies on herinitial offering. Recently, she reflected with me about herlife and her career, in ce0lebration of her PBS special, “Livefrom the Artists Den,” a concert recorded at the HiroBallroom in New York City.

Kam Williams: Thanks so much for the time, Corinne. I’mhonored to be speaking with you.

Corinne Bailey Rae: Thank you. KW: Did you have fun shooting the “Live from the

Artists Den” concert in New York?

Corinne puts her record on

SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

THE ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

(NNPA) – Former AtlantaMayor Andrew Young hasweighed in on the arrest of T.I.,claiming the rapper may havebeen stopped for “DWB -Driving While Black.”

T.I. and his wife Tameka“Tiny” Cottle were arrested afterthey were stopped in the rapper’sMaybach on the Sunset Strip inWest Hollywood, for allegedlymaking an illegal U-turn.

Police allegedly smelled theodor of marijuana, searched thevehicle and uncovered a smallamount of ecstasy and what isreported to be meth-ampheta-mines.

Young questioned the police’sinitial intent when they stoppedthe chart-topping rapper/actor,who recently starred in the #1 hit

By Joseph WrightSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

OUR WEEKLY NEWS

(NNPA) - CongresswomanMaxine Waters was the keynotespeaker at a recent forum designed tohelp Black and other non-white busi-nesses, as well as those run bywomen, gain greater access to majorbanks and brokers to help sustain andestablish their corporations.

“Since the recession really tookhold in December2007,” the con-g r e s s w o m a nexplained, “about2.3 million homeshave been repos-sessed by banks.Currently, aboutone in 10American house-holds, with a mort-gage, is at risk of

foreclosure.”According to Waters, the non-

white communities across the UnitedStates suffered the most in this eco-nomic downturn because African-American and Latino families repre-sent more than half of all Californiaforeclosures. This data came from theCenter for Responsible Lending,which also notes that African-American and Latino foreclosurerates, respectively, are more thandouble those of white borrowers in

★WATERS, Page 7 ★T.I. CASE, Page 7

★CORINNE, Page 2

MaxineWaters

DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE

The NAACP is hoping a national cam-paign will help “Put America Back to Workand Pull America Back Together.” Aimedat addressing the needs of underservedcommunities throughout the country, theNAACP says the national campaign is inresponse to the floundering economy, newassaults on civil and human rights, anddeclining public school systems.

“The past two years have been marked

by major progress despite massive chal-lenges, and a worrying resurgence of far-right activity, urging massive resistance toour momentum. We must keep pushing for-

ward. We have come too far to let our-selves be turned back now,” says BenJealous, president of the NAACP.

Tens of thousands of Americans from allbackgrounds and states are expected torally at the Lincoln Memorial inWashington, D.C. on October 2 in supportof the One Nation Working Together move-ment.

One Nation Working Together is a coali-

★ONE NATION, Page 7

Former Atlanta mayorAndrew Young, officiated theJuly wedding of rapper T.I.

NAACP working for One NationOne Nation Working

Together MarchWashington, DC | 10-2-10

www.onenationworkingtogether.org202-263-4568

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyHOUSTON DEFENDER

Many people look forward to their golden years – toretirement, travel, and enjoying time with family.But with a failing economy, a looming threat

against Social Security and an uncertain future, more andmore seniors are having to chart a new course for the rest oftheir life.

“More of our grandparents may be working a cashier’sline, waiting tables or preparing lessons for the first day ofschool,” said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO,which is working for the rights of grandparents. “Rememberthose happy TV commercials of seniors having the time oftheir lives, retiring in comfort and dignity after a lifetime ofwork? They’re a dying dream for most older Americans. Andthat’s something we can’t let happen. We have to find a wayto make sure older Americans are honored as grandfather andgrandmother of the year, rather than employee of the month.”The diminishing retiring dream

With the average retirement age at 65 and increasing,Americans are already working longer than their counter-

★GRANDPARENTS, Page 8

Watersfights forBlacks

Andy Youngtalks aboutT.I. case

GRANDPARENT CAREGIVER SERVICE EXPO

■ Sept. 10

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

■ Depelchin Children’s Center

4950 Memorial Drive.

■ Registration info:

281-855-56000

THE CHANGING ROLES OF

GrandparentsWorking, parentingreplaces retirement

2 SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDER

CBR: I really enjoyed recording it, yeah. I hadgreat time in front of a really appreciative audi-ence. The way that it was recorded was reallyunobtrusive, so we really kind of got lost in themoment. So, yeah, I loved it.

KW: Do you have a special affinity for NewYork?

CBR: Yes, New York was definitely one ofthe first gigs we did in America. And that wasalso my first chance to get to New York. So,the first time I ever saw it I was playing there.It’s all tied up for me, playing in America forthe first time, being in New York, experiencingthis different culture, and finding this coolplace to hang out. So, I always love comingback to New York.

KW: Who were your musical influences?” Letme guess, Billie Holiday and Al Green? Youremind me of a combination of them.

CBR: Wow! I definitely love Al Green’ssinging, how vulnerable and delicate it is, andhow there’s a lot of texture to his voice. Andsimilarly, Billie Holiday has a great deal of tex-ture in his voice. She was an amazing find forme at 11 or 12 when me mum started playingher records for me. I remember being a littleannoyed that I hadn’t discovered her voicebefore, because I always had so much texturein my voice, and always loved singing, butnever really considered myself a singer becauseof that croakiness, which I’d never heard inanother singer. So, I was always trying to getrid of that croakiness. Then, Billie Holidayarrived like a real lightning bolt letting meknow that there was a place for me. In fact,there’d been a place for me all along. And laterI appreciated singers like Bjork, who was reallyspecial to me, and Macy Gray and ErykahBadu. They were all influences in the sense thatthey give you more confidence in your abilities.I also love Sly and the Family Stone and JimiHendrix. Jimi singing’s so casual, and hisphrases amaze me. And when I was a teenager,I loved Nirvana’s kind of homemade music,and Belly and the female indie scene. It wasamazing to me how their songs could be daintyand small, yet still have value.

KW: When you say “homemade” music, itmakes me think of your Grammy-nominateddebut album, a masterpiece which you man-aged to make on a shoestring budget. How didyou achieve that?

CBR: Wow! Thank you very much. I guess

we worked on it a lot, did a lot of the playingourselves, did a lot of layering, and we calledin a lot of favors. For instance, we’d ask afriend to come over and play bass on a fewsongs. And we couldn’t afford drummers, sowe began trolling for different drums sounds,and we kind of intricately pieced them together.So, it was really time consuming, but in a wayit was good because you had a great deal ofcontrol over what was happening in all the dif-ferent sections. Yeah, if you have the time tomake a record like that, I think it’s a good wayto work.

KW: By contrast, I found it interesting to hearyou on stage say that you sort of just foundyourself singing the songs that you put on yournew album, “The Sea,” that that’s how theycame to you, rather than by composing them ina conventional manner.

CBR: Yeah, it was weird. I felt with thisrecord I wanted to work on my own. I was sortof making it up as I went along. I wasn’t tryingso hard. When I was playing the chords, I wasjust kind of singing things out, sometimesrecording it, but sometimes not, and justsinging along. And it’s the stuff that stuck that Ifelt the song was meant to be. Other times, I’dbe walking around the house singing somethingnew, and say to myself, “Now, what was that?”And it eventually ended up on the album. Ithink because other people weren’t involved, itwas a much less conscious process. It was justme in a room playing my guitar, and with allthis stuff coming out… trying to sing wordswithout thinking about what they meant or put-

ting a filter on them. That was really an impor-tant part of the process.

KW: That’s funny, because the first albumsounded so effortless, while the new one hasso much emotional depth, I would haveguessed that the second was the result of amore work-intensive process.

CBR: Yeah, when you write breezy melodies,you really have to think about it. I love melodicmusic, but it’s definitely more of an effort forme. It’s a skill I’d like to develop further,maybe for my next record.

KW: What age were you when you studiedviolin?

CBR: I started when I was about six, and Istudied it until I was 16. I played in youthorchestras.

KW: Were you good at it?CBR: Maybe the first five years or so I was

really good for my age, and stood out. But thenit started to catch up with me, and I started tostruggle, because I never could afford privatelessons.

KW: Do you think the music industry sufferedan irreparable period from Napster and otheronline downloading sites, and from the musicindustry’s obsession with appearance over sub-stance, or do you think there’s hope for hearingmore and more creative musicians like your-self?

CBR: I think the industry really suffered frommusic being available online because it madeyoung people feel, “why should you pay formusic, if it’s so readily available for free?”

KW: Do you prefer performing in a large sta-

dium or in front of a small audience?CBR: I guess I’ve played a few massive gigs,

and they’re a thrill if they go well. But I mostlyprefer to play more intimate venues where youcan see everyone and everyone can see you. Irecently did a concert in Switzerland, wherethey actually had a couple of huge screens oneither side of the stage. It was strange, becausewhen you look out into the audience, no one’slooking at you. Everyone’s looking to the farleft or to the far right. I found it quite discon-certing. So, I much prefer when everyone cansee me and vice-versa, up to 3,000 or 4,000people. After that, it gets too big.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do yousee?

CBR: I always think it’s weird when you seeyourself in mirrors. I try not to look in mirrors.I think people can overanalyze how they look.When I do look in the mirror, I feel like I didn’tthink I looked like that. I don’t like looking atmyself so much. I’m not one of those peoplewho poses in front of the mirror.

KW: You’re from Leeds. Also from your home-town is Mel B of the Spice Girls. Have you evermet her?

CBR: I’ve never met her. But I have met hersister, Danielle a few times, because she attend-ed the same acting school as my sister, RheaBailey, who is also an actress.

KW: What music are you listening to? CBR: I’m listening to Erykah Badu’s new

record. I really like that. We went to a listeningparty for that, and I just love it. I’ve got it onvinyl, which is a real pain, because we’re sortof in and out of airports, and I have to pack itin my suitcase.

I also listen Fresh, the Young Natives, and toan American singer named John Grant,

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?CBR: I like to cook stews and things, dishes

where the heat does all the work. So, it’s justlike chopping and flaving. Veggie chili wouldbe my favorite thing to cook because it’s reallygreat but not much work.

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

CBR: For increased tolerance of individualityamong people. It’s all of our world.

KW: What do you want your legacy to be? CBR: Professionally, writing good songs.

Personally, I’m not sure yet. KW: Corinne, thanks again for the interview,

and best of luck with the album and the tour. CBR: Oh, thank you very much.

Corinnecontinued from page 1

Photo:Nicole Nodland

Corinne Bailey is bouncing back from the tragic death of her husband with her latest album, "The Sea."

SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

4 SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDER

With the bi-annual re-alignment of Texas publichigh schools moving long-time Class 5A Houston areafootball powerhousesHumble and Galveston Ballinto 4A, it becomes moreincreasingly difficult to rankthe later division.

Yet the Defender hasnever been a publication toback away from a goodchallenge.

No. 1 – Friendswood flat-tened Angleton 49-28 on theroad in week zero beforejourneying to Deer Park’sClyde Abshier Stadium totake on Class 3A power-house West Orange-Starkand defeating the Mustangs35-34.

Quarterback PeterMaetzold passed for twotouchdowns and suppliedthe game-winner with a one-yard TD run with 30 left inthe fourth quarter.

No. 2 – Angleton rebound-ed from a tough home lossto Friendswood by holdingoff 5A power Brazoswood27-24 to even its record at1-1.

Quandre Diggs scamperedinto the end zone from sixyards out with 51 secondsleft in the game to give theWildcats’ the victory. Diggsfinished with 133 rushingyards and two touchdownsand added 74 passing yards.

Panthers Classic WinMemo to self: Never, ever

play poker with PV Pantherhead coach Henry Frazier.Nobody looks down the bar-rel of the gun and neverflinches like the DC native-turned-gangster Coach of theYear. Knowing full well histeam’s best player, All-American quarterback KJBlack would not play in theLabor Day Classic; Fraziernever said a mumbling word.Through all of the luncheons,press conferences and radioshows leading up to thegame, Frazier’s lips weresealed. Then, when thePanthers offense hits the fieldat Reliant, BAM, out trots#18, back-up QB JonathanTroast. The amazing thing isTroast’s (a JUCO transfer)name doesn’t even appear inthe 2010 Panther prospectus!Honestly, some in the pressbox that don’t regularly coverthe Panthers did not knowthat he was not KJ. Ironicallyenough, since KJ is Blackand Troast is white.

Now, of course yours trulywas familiar with Troast,because Coach Frazier hadhipped me to him, but I did-n’t have any idea he wouldplay, let alone start.

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

The Texans begin the 2010 regular season thisweekend against their arch-nemesis and divisionalrival, the Indianapolis Colts. The mantra aroundthe Texan camp this offseason is “playoffs orbust.” Coming off their first winning campaign infranchise history, the team seeks to take the nextstep toward the playoffs. The first step to that endis to improve their record in their own division.Last year, they were a dismal 1-5 in AFC Southcompetition.

A major factor in determining just how good the2010 Texans will become is the play of their tal-ented, yet youthful cornerback tandem. Cominginto his second season in the NFL, former NewMexico standout Glover “GQ” Quin (6’ 203 lbs.)has emerged as a starter and will be paired withthis year’s top draft pick (20th overall) KareemJackson (5’10” 197 lbs.). This pair will be theyoungest starting tandem in the league. Will theybe the next Hayes and Haynes (Raiders) or Lottand Wright (49ers)? We’ll find out soon enoughwhen Dr. Peyton Manning makes a house call toReliant Stadium.

For Glover Quin, an unheralded 4th round pick(112th overall) in 2009, a year has made a tremen-dous difference. Quin was part of the elite group ofplayers who were casual observers for the pre-sea-son finale against Tampa Bay. This year was a farcry from last year when he was vying for a rosterspot.

“It definitely feels a lot different not having togo home and sit around the house stressing, think-ing about what’s going to happen tomorrow (cutdown day),” he recalled. “I’m glad that I had achance to be in this situation this year. To keepthings in perspective, we have situations whereone year, guys are fighting for a job and the nextyear, they’ve got a roster spot made, and the fol-lowing year they’re fighting to make it once again.

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

When opponents take an earlylead on top-ranked Katy, little dothey know that the Tigers havethem right where they want them.

Katy scored the final 44 pointsin a season-opening 44-6 rout ofperennial powerhouse NorthShore. The Tigers trailed AliefTaylor 20-7 in the second quarterbefore reeling off 38 unansweredpoints to secure a 45-20 victoryover the Lions the following week.

An ability to answer the bell isjust one of the reasons why Katy isthe Houston Defender’s No. 1-ranked high school football teamgoing into the third week of theregular season.

Other reasons include a ruggeddefense that adjusts nicely at half-time and has let to allow any sec-ond-half points through twogames. Another is a veteran offen-sive line that bludgeons opposingdefenses and yielded two 100-yard-plus rushers against Taylor.

Donovonn Young ran for 134yards and scored four touchdowns,two in each half, as Katy systemat-ically tore apart another qualityopponent.

“They were coming strong offthe edges and the inside was wideopen,” Young said. “Once my full-back (Joey Chapman) got throughthe line, I just followed him. He

made things happen for me.”Good things also happened for

Katy sophomore running backAdam Taylor, who gained 146yards on just 10 carries in his sec-ond varsity game. Taylor romped66 yards for a touchdown late inthe third quarter to give the Tigersa 31-20 advantage going into thefinal 12 minutes.

“I was a little hesitant to hit thehole against North Shore because Ihad a good case of the jitters,”Taylor said. “But this week I wasgoing full speed at all the holes.”

The Katy defense had troublecorralling Taylor quarterbackJordan Are’ in the first half as hedirected the Lions to scores ontheir first three offensive posses-sions. Are’ completed 7-of-12passes for 71 yards and a touch-

down in the first half.However, Katy limited Taylor

to a mere 21 net yards in the sec-ond half as Are completed onlyone pass in the third and forthquarters.

“Taylor converted eight-of-nine third-down opportunities inthe first half,” said Katy headcoach Gary Joseph. “Everythingthey were throwing up there theywere converting even though wewere right there with them. Ourkids had to keep their composure.”

Katy goes on the road for a keyearly-season encounter at highly-ranked Beaumont West Brook onSept. 18.

No. 2 – The Woodlands had togo two overtimes before finallysubduing Hightower 46-39 atWoodforest Bank Stadium to

improve to 2-0 on the season.The Highlanders defeated a

school from Mexico (MonterreyTech) to open the season, but faceda whole different challenge fromthe Fort Bend ISD member. TheWoodlands led 32-24 with oneminute, 14 seconds left in regula-tion.

Yet Hightower quarterbackBralon Addison converted twofourth-and-four opportunitiesbefore finding a wide-openCameron Bolton for a 59-yardtouchdown pass on a busted playwith 13 seconds left in the fourthquarter. Addison added the two-point conversion to send the gameinto overtime.

Highlanders’ quarterbackJoseph Schneider had a big gameof his own and completed a 29-yard TD pass to Jackson LaPlant inthe first OT to counter a 14-yardrun by Hightower running backJohn Parrham.

Schneider finished off a 214yard, four-touchdown game whenhe escaped a possible sack onthird-and-goal from the nine-yardline and fired a strike to Max Wardin the back right corner of the endzone.

The Highlanders travel toStrake Jesuit on Sept. 10.

No. 3 – Cinco Ranch runningback K.C. Niemchi opened the

★RANKINGS, Page 6

★YOUNG GUNS, Page 6

Defender H.S. football rankings

Quin and JacksonYoung Guns in the Texans Secondary

Photo: Houston Texans

#29 Glover Quin is expected to make plays in the Texan secondary.

The Defender announces the top ten high school football teamsfor the 2010 season.

6 SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDERSPORTS

No. 3 – Brenham pummeled Lamar Consolidated 28-3 asrunning back Troy Green rushed for 137 yards on 26 car-ries and scored two touchdowns. The 2-0 Cubs overcamea sluggish start and a 3-0 second-quarter deficit to scorethe final 28 points of the contest.

No. 4 – Humble opened the season with a 14-12 victoryover Channelview.

No. 5 – Montgomery/Yates/La Marque – Montgomeryimproved to 2-0 with a 35-19 victory over 5A powerSpring. Yates fell to Bay City (31-28) after owning a 21-10 edge at halftime. The Lions are now 1-1 on theseason. La Marque improved to 2-0 after demolishingWheatley 48-7.ETC.

The Woodlands running back Daniel Lasco missed histeam’s double overtime victory over Hightower with anankle sprain.

Lasco, who has committed to the University ofCalifornia, isn’t expected to miss much time and mayplay against Strake Jesuit this week. Lasco was injured inthe first quarter of the season opener against MonterreyTech.

Ardisoncontinued from page 5

Now imagine going into a critical conference game with aback-up quarterback who has never taken a snap in purple andgold and expecting to win against the SWAC’s #1 defense(TSU, 2009). Well, that’s exactly what the Panthers did.

Even though Texas Southern more than doubled thePanthers in total offense (373 yards to 148 yards) the Panthersstill found a way to win the game 16-14. In the words of for-mer Rocket coach Rudy Tomjanovich, “never underestimatethe heart of a champion.”

“We knew KJ wasn’t going to play back in May, but it wasnot for anyone else to know,” Frazier revealed in post gameremarks. “That’s why we were able to sign Jonathan Troast inJune. He’s a good football player and played well for ustonight. We expect KJ back by Alabama State (9/18). I’ve gotto take my hat off to my football team. TSU played hard.

They’re (TSU) a good football team with a great defense thatreally kicked our tail. All in all, this team showed the heart ofa champion. That’s what, 9-10 SWAC wins in a row.”

Of course Frazier was all smiles about the play of his “bendbut don’t break” defense, coordinated by Coach HeishmaNorthern.

“If you think about it, for the last four to five years ourdefense has led the conference in points allowed,” Fraziercontinued. “We may give up yards, but that’s the way we playdefense. I don’t really care about yardage, I care about points.If you can’t score, you can’t beat us.”

The Panthers went a long way toward showing why somany experts believe they are the team to beat in the SWAC.Winning a rough, tough, bare knuckles contest under adversecircumstances is what provides the motivation that can guidea team throughout a difficult season. Remember if you’re atthe poker table and Frazier sits down, get up and simply walkaway!

Edisoncontinued from page 5

There’s a lot of work still to be done, so youcan’t get complacent or think, ‘I’m bigtime’.”

So how does one go from 4th round selec-tion to NFL starter in just one year? ForQuin, it was simple, hard work and prepara-tion.

“I just work and study,” # 29 explained.“If you put in the work and you’ve studiedthe game to know what you do and how to doit and you have the work ethic to back it upwhenever your number is called and younever know when it is, then you’ll be readyto perform. A lot of situations happen towhere people’s numbers are called andthey’re not ready and they miss their oneopportunity. With this league you neverknow when an opportunity is going to comeand if you miss it, you don’t know when or ifit’s going to come again. You need to beready whenever you get a chance. You haveto prepare like a starter, because everybodyin this league knows you’re just one playaway.”

That level of preparation is something thathas impressed defensive coordinator FrankBush.

“He’s a tough, smart young man, who hasa knack of always being well prepared men-tally to play the game,” Bush observed.“There are a lot of talented guys in thisleague, but in order to really perform consis-tently you must prepare yourself. GQ hasdone that and as a result he’s a starter for us.”

Defensive back coach David Gibbs goes astep further in his praise of Quin.

“Glover plays like a 10 year veteran, so tome, he’s not a one-year guy,” Gibbs said. “Ithink he’s such a great role model for thoseyoung guys. I tell them all the time:

Whatever he does, I would do. Whatever heeats, I would eat. He’s done a remarkablejob.”

Of course, Glover is glad to have theendorsement of his coaches.

“It’s a great feeling to know the coachestrust you,” Quin shared. “I think that comesfrom every day in practice and in meetingsyou’re working hard. In practice, you’reworking, even if the play is coming at you ornot. When they turn on the film, they see youdoing the right thing. In the meeting roomyou’re taking notes. When they ask a ques-tion, you know the right answer. All that stuffpays off when you get in the game. They(coaches) trust you because they’ve seen youdo things over and over and it’s pretty muchsecond nature. They develop a trust levelwhen they see it all the time. When they see

it today and then don’t see it again for twomonths, they might say he’s got the ability,he just don’t do it every day.”

For Kareem Jackson, this time last year hewas preparing for his Junior season at theUniversity of Alabama, a season that wouldultimately see Jackson and friends win anational championship. Now in the span ofabout seven months he’s starting on a play-off contending team in the NFL, mind bog-gling to say the least.

“It’s definitely a dream come true. As akid, from junior high school to high schooland all the way through college, this is whatI worked for. This was always my goal andit’s the ultimate goal as an athlete. To be ableto live this dream is a great experience forme and my family.

Make no mistake about it, Bush thinks

Jackson has the skill set to be a very produc-tive NFL player.

“Kareem is a very talented young guy thatcomes from a background at Alabama wherehe’s been very well coached,” Bushexplained. “He played on the big stage andperformed very well. He’s a confident guy,which is what you need to play on this level.We’ve been very pleased with his progress.”

Veteran strong safety Bernard Pollard isconfident that the team can reach their goalswith the tandem of Quin and Jackson.

“Glover has done a great job. He hasshown up and practiced his butt off. He actslike a veteran,” Pollard opined. “Kareem hasdone a great job preparing himself, so heknows exactly what’s going on.Communication will be the key to our suc-cess in the secondary. Eugene (Wilson, FS)and I will make sure we stay share our yearsof experience with them throughout thegame, so I think we’ll be fine.”

Kareem has been able to measure hisprogress from OTA’s to the end of trainingcamp and feel good about how far he’s come.

“Now that I know the defense, I noticethings before they happen. Now I can justreact instead of being out there thinking,”#25 said.

“I want to earn the trust of my coaches andteammates by showing I’m capable of doingthe things that need to be done on the foot-ball field from week to week. I want to beable to take any game plan and apply it onthe field.”

Of course, with such limited tenure in theleague, Jackson realizes that there will be abull’s eye on their backs, but he has a reme-dy for that.

“We can stop a lot of that with our play. Ifwe come out and play hard, be real physicaland just show that, hey, you might not wantto throw over here.”

Young Gunscontinued from page 5

scoring with a 54-yard TD romp as theCougars improved to 2-0 on the seasonwith a 27-15 victory over Cypress Ridge.

No. 4 – Beaumont West Brook clob-bered Beaumont Central (55-7) in the2010 season opener (week zero) beforeclosing out Beaumont Ozen 28-6 in weekone.

Dylan Harvey (12 carries for 72 yards)and Percy Johnson (15 carries for 111yards) rushed for two touchdowns apieceto lead the Bruins.

A big home date against top-rankedKaty awaits on Sept. 18.

No. 5 – Clear Springs has become oneof Region III-5A top programs in less thanfive years after advancing to the regional

final against Katy last season.The Chargers improved to 2-0 with a

44-37 victory over Bryan last week.No. 6 – Pearland has introduced the

Houston area to a long list of quality run-ning backs over the past decade.

Dustin Garrison is the latest and the 5-foot-8, 161-pound senior weaved his waythrough the Kempner defense for 212rushing yards and four touchdowns to leadthe Oilers to a 41-27 victory at MercerStadium.

Garrison turned in scoring runs of one,61, one and 16 yards. His first TD run wasset up by a 46-yard run sprint, while he hadthree other runs of 30 or more yards.

No. 7 – Westfield’s Kreigan Bridgesreturned the opening kickoff 92 yards for atouchdown and then was called on as abackup quarterback late in the game andguided the Mustangs to two key first

downs to secure a 27-17 victory overMemorial.

No. 8 – Lamar quarterback BramKohlhausen tossed a game-winning nine-yard touchdown pass to CarringtonThomas with four seconds remaining inregulation as the Redskins held off Elkins26-22 at Delmar Stadium.

No. 9 – North Shore waylayedEisenhower 68-20 to even its record at 1-1after being demolished by Katy in the sea-son opener.

No. 10 – Hightower/Klein – TheHurricanes lost a heartbreaker in doubleovertime to The Woodlands. Klein toppledKaty Taylor 28-7 as senior defensive backEric Rowe pilfered a pair of interceptionsand returned the first one 96 yards for atouchdown.

Rankingscontinued from page 5

CLASSIFIED

LEGAL NOTICENeighborhood Centers Inc. (NEIGHBOR-HOOD CENTERS INC.), a non-profit humanservices organization, announces aRequest for Proposal (RFP) #10-16 for CostReduction Services. The “optional” VendorsConference is scheduled for Tuesday,September 21, 2010 @ 10:00 a.m. (CST).The deadline for submitting a proposal isThursday, October 14, 2010 by 12:00p.m. (CST). To receive RFP #10-16 e-mailKaamilya McCullough, SupplyManagement Coordinator, at kmccul-lough@neighborhood-centers.org.

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS INC.ENCOURAGES SMALL, HISTORICALLY

UNDERUTILIZED AND MINORITY OWNEDBUSINESSES TO APPLY.

PUBLIC NOTICERecord of Decisionfor United States

Highway 290A Record of Decision (ROD) has beenissued for the Final EnvironmentalImpact Statement (FEIS) for UnitedStates Highway 290 (US 290) from Farmto Market 2920 (FM 2920) to InterstateHighway 610 (IH 610) Harris County,Texas. US 290, as proposed, is three tofive main lanes in each directionthrough Harris County from FM 2920 toIH 610, a distance of approximately 38miles. The improvements include two-or three-lane frontage roads,a four-lane,two-way, managed lane facility and anAdvanced High-Capacity Transit reservealong the Hempstead Road Corridorfrom IH 610 to near the future GrandParkway/State Highway 99, and bicycleand pedestrian improvements.The ROD is available for viewing orcopying at the Texas Department ofTransportation (TxDOT) website:www.txdot.gov; at the US 290 ProgramOffice website: www.my290.com, at theTexas Department of Transportation’sHouston District Office located at 7600Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas; atthe US 290 Program Office, 2950 NorthLoop West Suite 1150, Houston, Texas.For further information, please contactLarry Blackburn, P.E.at (713) 354-0871 orPat Henry, P.E. at (713) 802-5241.

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 46SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad Walker

WebmasterCorneleon Block

Photo: Houston Texans

#25 Kareem Jackson returns an interception against the Cowboys.

movie, “Takers.”“There’s another culture in

L.A. that I don’t understand,”Young told The AtlantaJournal-Constitution. “Mostpeople in Los Angeles wouldwonder why he was stopped. Idon’t know why they shouldhave been stopped ... When aBlack man is stopped and notspeeding … you call that driv-ing while Black.”

Young, who officiated T.I.’s

wedding to Tiny in July, alsocounseled T.I. after the rapperpleaded guilty to federal drugcharges.

T.I. immediately notifiedhis probation officer of thearrest, as required by thetermsof his probation. At presstime, T.I. is heading back toAtlanta. He will most likelyhave to appear in court whereJudge Charles Pannell Jr.could revoke his probationand send the rapper to jail.

“T.I. is going to be back onhis way to Atlanta in the next

24 hours,” Don Samuel, oneof T.I.’s lawyers, told theAtlanta Journal-Constitution.“It’s almost certain he’ll end

up appearing before the courthere. But without knowing allthe facts, it’s premature tospeculate what the court is

likely to do.”According to the terms of

T.I.’s probation, the rappercannot possess or use any nar-

cotic, or frequent any placedrugs are sold, used or admin-istered.

T.I. casecontinued from page 1

SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDER 7

tion of more than 170 human and civilrights organizations, labor unions,and environmental, ethnic, peace,youth and student, and faith-basedorganizations. Their objective is torefocus the national priorities andsecure greater investments in the wellbeing of all Americans.

“One Nation Working Togetherhappens at a historic moment in thiscountry,” says Jealous. “We havesparked a coalition that is truly repre-sentative and united – conservativesand progressives, immigrants andnative born people, college studentsand senior citizens, veterans andpeace activists, believers and non-believers, unemployed and CEOs.Together with our allies in the civiland human rights community, theNAACP and our allies have advancedan agenda that has successfullyincreased rights for women at work,expanded healthcare coverage to tensof millions of Americans, cut the sen-tencing disparity between crack andpowder by more than 80 percent,saved more that 150,000 teacher’sjobs, and created more than 3 millionmore jobs throughout the economy.”

Jealous points to the fact that eightmillion American jobs have been lostand not replaced, more than 2.5 mil-lion Americans have lost their homesand five million are at high risk of los-ing their homes, schools are closing atunprecedented rates, and Americanscontinue to be imprisoned at analarming rate.

“In each case, people of color aregenerally worse off, and blackAmericans are bearing an especiallyhigh portion of the burden,” he said.“Simultaneously, far-right extremistshave found their way back into thenation’s political discourse andhelped reenergize a retrograde agendathat includes attacks on every pillar ofour civil rights protections from theVoting Rights Act to the Civil Rights

Act to the 14th Amendment itself.Now is the time to get everyone offthe sidelines and back on to the battle-field.”

Joining in the battle will be theHouston Branch of the NAACP,which, as part of the movement,recently held a job fair consisting oflocal companies that have current jobopenings and are sensitive to theneeds of underserved communities.Some of the 20 employers includeFedex, Adecco, FBI, CVS,HydroChem, HISD, WorkForceSolutions, Comcast and VITELCommunications.

“With nearly 10 percent of U.S.workers unemployed and an econom-ic recession that drags on, the time forAmericans to stand up for us is now.We will get all the changes we werepromised” says Carolyn Scantlebury,President NAACP Houston.

The NAACP staff provided resi-dents with assistance in completingonline job applications, interviewingtips, and resume preparation for thosewho need assistance.

Jealous says the local efforts nowwill hopefully lead way to nationalefforts later.

“This mobilization on October 2,2010, will wake up our communities;make visible our unity, resolve, andmajority; re-energize every activistwho joins us; and change the nationaldiscourse in ways that will remind ourneighbors that the 2010 election mat-ters,” he said. “This mobilizationwill set the stage for turning out ourneighbors on November 2, 2010. Itwill pay dividends in expanding andempowering our base of volunteersfor voter mobilization. This mobi-lization will make real progress possi-ble beyond 2010. It will ensure ouragenda is empowered in the nextCongress (as it was in this one) byallies who came together and madetheir demands known BEFORE theelection.”

One Nationcontinued from page 1

California.On the business side, the Black community has been impacted

by the disproportionate distribution of foreclosed properties givento brokers from outside of Black areas for resale. Many Black-owned real estate offices have been forced to close down theirbusinesses because of the disparities. “These are a couple of (the)reasons why I have worked so hard to help to offer more solutionsto the problems facing our community,” Waters told those inattendance.

“We all reached out to [Rep. Waters],” Inglewood Century 21owner Denise Woods said. “Some of us reached out individuallyto her as real estate professionals; African-American real estateprofessionals. Then we decided we would come together as agroup for the whole organization . . .

“We told her what we were dealing with as far as the financialinstitutions were concerned in the distribution of their resale (and)their foreclosure properties, because we [African-American realestate brokers] were being excluded. . . . the banks were usingagents from outside of [the Black community].”

Within President Barack Obama’s Wall Street Reform bill wereprovisions authored by Waters that establishes a $1 billion pro-gram with The U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD) to provide low-interest loans to unem-ployed homeowners in danger of losing their homes.

CEO Mark Alston of Alston and Associates MortgageCompany applauded the efforts of the congresswoman. “I amproud to say that I am the friend of someone who will stand upfor those in our community,” Alston said. “I started looking at thenumbers and the data (regarding Black businesses and Blackforeclosure rates). After I saw the data, I got (angry). The econo-my and the recession has got me in a corner, I thought. I’m tiredof working hard and not being able to go to the dentist. That iswhy this meeting is important.”

Alston emphasized that the Black community and its business-es need to understand what steps are necessary to remedy theproblem of foreclosures. In addition, he pointed out the need tounderstand what policies and laws are in place to help those busi-nesses and homeowners who face troubling situations due to lackof finances.

Alston said, “You need to understand that you as a homeown-er or business owner are not in the fight alone. You have peoplein government like [Waters] fighting for you.”

The corporations and businesses attending the summit includ-ed Citibank, Chase Bank, members of the Consolidated Board ofRealists, and representatives from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Waterscontinued from page 1

The past two years have been marked by majorprogress despite massive challenges, and a worryingresurgence of far-right activity, urging massive resist-ance to our momentum. We must keep pushing forward.We have come too far to let ourselves be turned backnow

We must be bold and aggressivein turning this situation around andwe cannot remain quiet in the faceof such clear and imminent danger.Our faith tradition teaches us to runand not get weary, walk and notfaint. We have made greatprogress and many strides, but wemust press forward because ourwork is not simply for us-but forthe future of our children and their children.

The history of the NAACP and our allies has alwayscalled on us, in the face of disparity, injustice, and risinghate to build big diverse coalitions that dream bolddreams and win big victories. Mobilization is our corevalue. Building big coalitions to fundamentally pushAmerica forward has always been our guiding principle.

This One Nation effort is unifying the civil and humanrights community, student activists, faith communities,

immigration activists, small business leaders, and laboractivists behind a common agenda for increasing oppor-tunity in America, by:■ Increasing job creation■ Defending and enforcing civil rights protections,

including ending racial profiling■ Increasing support for pub-lic education from pre-K to post-col-lege■ Increasing access to creditfor small businesses and bankruptcyprotection for homeowners■ Ensuring every worker hasa voice on the job■ And fixing our nation’sbroken immigration system.

Fighting for educational equality, equal protectionunder the law, good jobs, economic empowermentand labor rights all are central core values of ourwork in the past, present, and will continue to be thecornerstone surely in the future. Bringing attentionto disparities is a key mandate of our constitution.This why we must mobilize. This is why we musthold on to victories and press forward with hope

Why we are marchingon October 2nd

One Nation. One Dream. OneNation Working Together

For All Americans.

For information on how to get onthe bus with us go to NAACP.orgor onenationworkingtogether.org

COMMENTARY

By Benjamin Todd JealousNAACP NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Hundreds of unemployed people and their supporters attend a Sept rally in New York to demandthat city, state and federal govt. representatives make getting people back to work their number onepriority.

parts in other developed countries. Over a thirdof workers now plan to retire later than age 65,compared with just 12 percent in 1995.

For decades, millions of workers were able toachieve retirement security through a combina-tion of Social Security benefits, employer-pro-vided pensions and personal savings. Over thepast 30 years, corporate and public policieshave stunted personal savings by driving downwages, and the Wall Street binge shrunk retire-ment accounts virtually overnight. Thirty-sixpercent of American workers have less than$10,000 in retirement savings. With the contin-uing jobs crisis, experts predict those disturbingstatistics will not change anytime soon.

As a result, 76 million baby boomers facewaning prospects for a secure retirement, andeven young Americans express concerns aboutretirement security.

“In this insecure environment, it’s no surprisethat many people wonder if Social Security willbe there when they retire,” said Trumka. “Onething is clear: Americans don’t want to seeSocial Security cut - and they can’t afford it.”

Then, there are those seniors who are beingforced to take early Social Security because ofthe economy. After more than two years with-out full-time work, Leo Crayton filed for SocialSecurity benefits this spring before reachingfull retirement age.

“I didn’t have a choice,” said Crayton, aMissouri City resident, who just turned 62. “Ifilled out hundreds of applications. There’sabsolutely nothing out there.”

Crayton joins the growing ranks ofAmericans who are forced to seek early SocialSecurity benefits because of high unemploy-ment and the weak economy. More than 72 per-cent of the 2.74 million people who filed forSocial Security benefits in 2009 opted in beforereaching full retirement age, according to theSocial Security Administration. The jump innew filers occurred as the full Social Securityretirement age increased last year from 65 to66.

Crayton was laid off from his job in February2008, and he had exhausted his unemploymentbenefits before turning to Social Security. Hecollects $809 a month in benefits, which is$229 less than he would have been eligible forif he waited until age 66 to apply. SocialSecurity benefits permanently run about 25 per-cent less for people who file early.

People in Crayton’s age range have a hardertime finding work after a layoff than the overallpopulation, according to AARP, an advocacygroup for senior citizens. About 53 percent ofjobless people age 55 and older have beenunemployed for more than six months, com-pared to about 45 percent off all workers,AARP reported.

“Is it better to be semiretired than unem-ployed,” Crayton said, “especially if you’re noteven sure how much longer Social Security willeven be around.”Parents again

Another challenge many grandparents arefacing – parenting the second time around.

In 1980, four percent of children under 18were living in a grandparent(s)’ home. By1996, six percent were living in that situation.Over one-third of these children, or 1.4 million,were being raised solely by their grandparents,without the presence of either parent.

According to the 2008 Census, 6.2 milliongrandparents live with their grandchildren, upfrom the 5.8 million who did so during the pre-vious Census count. After native Hawaiians,Blacks have the highest proportion—eight per-cent—of adults living with their grandchildren.In Texas, the statistics are even greater.

There are 448,439 children living withgrandparents in Texas, making the state secondin the nation (behind California) for the highestnumber of children in grandparent-headedhouseholds, said a spokeswoman for the AARP.

In Harris County, there are 43,000 childrenliving in a house headed by grandparents,according to the City of Houston. These grand-parents are raising their grandchildren eitherbecause their own sons or daughters are incar-cerated, abusing drugs or alcohol or both, havea mental illness, have left a spouse because ofdomestic violence, lost their jobs, or have gonethrough a divorce.

“This is a far cry from just spending a sum-mer with grandma,” said Naomi Weathers withBlackGrandparents, a support group for grand-parents raising grandchildren. “Nearly half ofBlack grandparents who take on the care-givingduties keep their charge for five years orlonger.”

Although Hispanics in Harris County leadthe pack with the number of grandparents car-ing for their grandchildren (45 percent), grand-parents parenting their grandchildren transcendall socioeconomic groups, geographic areas andethnicities. As more grandparents are findingout, raising their children’s children is a job thatcomes with its fair share of challenges. Amongthem: poverty, delaying retirement or quittingwork early, inadequate housing, inadequatetransportation, and poor health,

Lena Bean, education and training coordina-tor for the Texas Southern University Center onAging and Intergeneration Wellness, said

grandparents may assume a parenting role for avariety of reasons, most of which revolvearound problems related to the child’s parent.Increasing numbers of grandparents are provid-ing permanent care to their grandchildren as aresult of divorce, substance abuse, child abuseand/or neglect, abandonment, teenage pregnan-cy, death, HIV/AIDS, unemployment, incarcer-ation and mental health problems. The reasonswhy grandparents raise their grandchildren arevaried, but all result in a great deal of responsi-bility for the grandparent who takes on the task,Bean said.

“You’re looking at retirement at age 65.You’ve worked hard all your life. You love yourgrandchildren and you don’t want them on thestreet. Grandparents often find themselves say-ing, `just bring them over and I’ll keep them,’not considering the cost and health issues,”Bean said.

Often, grandparents are not given legal cus-tody of their grandchildren and consequentlyencounter a host of difficulties, includingenrolling the children in school, making med-ical decisions, receiving government assis-tance, and legal issues.A legal nightmare

The legal issues that grandparents raisingtheir grandchildren must cope with depend onthe type of care they are providing — specifi-cally, whether they are ‘custodial,’ ‘livingwith,’ or ‘day care’ grandparents. Custodialgrandparents either seek or are forced to enterinto a legally recognized relationship with theirgrandchild. This is a serious step for thegrandparent; it means that he or she will haveboth physical and legal rights and responsibili-ties for the child.

Ronald Esposito, a staff attorney for LoneStar Legal Aid, which advises grandparents incustody cases, says that before a lawsuit can befiled seeking permanent custody, grandparentshave to establish finding.

“One of the first things that we have to dealwith in representing grandparents,” Espositosaid, “is asking questions like ‘are the childrenliving with you now?’ or ‘have the childrenlived with you in the past?’ The courts limit thegrandparents’ ability to interfere in the lives oftheir children’s children unless they’ve hadsome sort of standing in that they’ve had thegrandchildren for a period of time.”

Esposito said that once a case goes tocourt, the judge would decide if the grandpar-ents are what’s best for the child.

“Are the grandparents healthy enough? Dothey realize what they are getting into? Thatthey’re taking on the role as a parent andthey’re going to have to everything they did toraise their children. And at their age, are theyable to do it? Can they do it? Can they finan-cially afford it? Of course the courts are goingto order child support from both parents butthey have to deal with that issue as well.”

Esposito says that grandparents, even whenthey have custody of their grandchildren, do notqualify for a lot of federal assistance if theirhousehold income is above the poverty line.And the only financial assistance many of themcan depend on is child support, which theymost often don’t get.

Weathers said grandparents can face somepersonal issues as well.

“There can be some confusion about theirrole with their grandchildren. Do they take thestern, firm parental role, or the loving, carefreegrandparent role? Some grandparents feel badabout losing the role of the traditional grandpar-ent. There’s also a loss of personal freedom andthe normal challenges of raising grandchildren..Raising kids at any time of life can be verystressful. Raising kids a second time aroundwhen you are elderly, not in good health, andnot expecting it can be overwhelming.Common tasks such as getting grandkids readyfor school or helping them with homeworkbecome stressful. Dealing with grandkids whoare failing classes, skipping school, or receivingdetentions or suspensions adds even morestress.”

Amid these challenges, millions of grandpar-ents continue to raise their grandchildren.

“These grandparents are heroes, providing

love and care to children who would have oth-erwise been cared for by strangers in fostercare. Through giving care, grandparent care-givers can gain a purpose for living, love andcompanionship, feelings of appreciation, hopefor the future, and satisfaction of blessing a lifeof a child,” Weathers added. Help in trying times

Recognizing the need to provide seniors withassistance in these trying times, The HoustonDepartment of Health and Human Services, inpartnership with the Harris County AreaAgency on Aging, along with Texas AgriLifeExtension is sponsoring a free expo targetinggrandparent raising children. The 2nd AnnualGrandparent Caregiver Service Expo is set forSept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DepelchinChildren’s Center, 4950 Memorial Drive.

The expo will provide information abouthealth care options, child and older adult men-tal health and living healthy on a budget. On-site assistance will be provided to help grand-parents seeking health coverage and other serv-ices for themselves and their grandchiåldren.

“Grandparent and other relative caregiversassume an awesome role, both rewarding andchallenging. They are unsung heroes and hero-ines committed to keeping children connected

to their families. As many of these caregiversare not connected to child welfare or socialservice systems, this Expo provides informa-tion and assistance they may not have knownabout or had access to,” said Dr. ClemeliaRichardson with the Harris County Departmentof Health and Human Services.

The event will also offer participants legalassistance including information and counsel-ing about wills, advance directives and conser-vatorships. Grandparents raising their grand-children will share their stories of trials and tri-umphs. Healthy food demonstrations and paneldiscussions on the relationship between dietand chronic disease are also scheduled.

“A unique component of this Expo is thatcaregivers may receive on-site service assis-tance regarding health benefits, legal matters,and even recreation for their grandchildren.There is a committed group of partners assist-ing with the Expo,” Richardson said.

Participants will receive continental break-fast, lunch and door prizes. Registration is lim-ited to the first 200 people. For more informa-tion or to register, call 281-855-5600.

8 SEPTEMBER 9 – 15, 2010 | DEFENDER

Grandparentscontinued from page 1

There are approximately 43,000 grandparent caregivers in Harris County (based on U.S.Census figures).

HARRIS COUNTY GRANDPARENTS RAISING CHILDREN

28% African American

45% Hispanic

24% White

3% Other

Source: Harris County Dept. of Health and Human Services