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Website: theaustinvillager.com
Email: [email protected]
Roy G. Perry honored
at Prairie View A&M
RAPPIN’
Tommy Wyatt
Hate
Groups are
increasing
Recently the U. S.
House of Representatives
passed H.R. 1913, the “Local Law Enforcement Hate
Crimes Prevention Act.”
The measure passed on a
249 to 175 vote. That is
not a large margin for a
much needed legislation.
The vote further shows
the need for the bill.
This bill provides
much-needed assistance
in the investigation and
prosecution of hate
crimes, a growing problem in the U.S.
This form of domestic terrorism is designed
to intimidate whole communities on the basis of
personal and immutable
characteristics. This can
spark widespread neighborhood conflicts. Some
say that it is damaging the
very fabric of our society.
The number of hate
crimes in America continues to increase, and
the number of “hate
groups” in the U. S. increased to 926 in 2008, up
54% since 2000. Most of
these groups have not
been identified as hate
groups. They usually
have a very wholesome
name.
H. R. 1913 was
sponsored in the House by
Congressman
John
Conyers (D-Mi) and its
companion bill S. 909 was
sponsored by Senator
Kennedy (D-Mass). This
would expand existing
hate crime prevention
laws and allow the federal
government to assist the
local authorities in the
investigation and prosecution of crimes motivated by hate, regardless
of where and what the victim was doing at the time
the crime occurred.
A “hate group” is defined as an organization
that promotes hate or violence towards members of
an entire class of people,
based on characteristics
such as race, religion,
gender or sexual orientation. The bill would provide money to states to
develop hate crime prevention programs.
Let’s hope that Governor Rick Perry will accept the money and make
sure that it is used to
work on this everpresent
problem. There is no
doubt that Hate Crime
groups will continue to
prosper, even though we
now have a president that
is a member of one of the
affected groups.
In recognition of Roy G.
Perry ‘s professional career
and untiring support of his
undergraduate Alma Mater,
Prairie View A&M University
, the Texas A&M System, System Regents and the University President has honored his
legacy by naming “The Roy
G. Perry College of Engineering at Prairie View A&M University.”
The Roy G. Perry College of Engineering houses six
academic schools, offers eight
undergraduate disciplines
and five graduate disciplines.
Roy G. Perry is a 1978
graduate of Prairie View
A&M University . He is the
recipient of a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Prairie View A
& M University; he is a
Stanford Sloan Fellow and
also holds two Master’s Degrees: the first in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State
University, and, the other in
Management from Stanford
University. Roy ’s motto
throughout his career has
been: “… winning is a
choice!” He believes that in
every task or challenge, an
individual’s attitude determines the majority of the outcome.
Perry has received the
following awards and accolades: Top Fifty Blacks in
Technology; Black Engineer
of the Year for Career Accomplishments; Super Hero in Engineering; Supply Chain Innovator; Most Distinguished
Historically Black College
and University Graduate;
Distinguished Alumni of
Prairie View A&M University; and, Distinguished
Alumni of Iowa State University among numerous other
lifetime achievements.
He has served as the
Chairman of the United Negro College Fund drive for
Central Texas, Chairman and
Founding President of the 100
Black Men of Austin and
Central Texas, and, a member
of the Capital Campaign
Cabinet of Prairie View A&M
University. He is a Life Member of the National Alumni
Associations of Prairie View
A&M, Iowa State and
Stanford Universities . In addition, he is a Life Member of
the NAACP. He is an active
supporter of the Southern
Poverty Law Center and the
Martin Luther King Memorial. His has served on numerous boards and has been
a member of several civic and
community organizations.
Dukes restores Medicaid Medically
Needy Spend Down program
AUSTIN — House Bill
744 authored by State Representative Dawnna Dukes (DAustin) has passed out of the
House Committee on Human
Services by a unanimous vote
of 8 ayes and 0 nays. HB 744
restores the Medically Needy
Spend Down program that
was eliminated in the 78th
session due to budget cuts to
overcome a $10 billion deficit. Elimination of the program resulted in Texans with
high-cost medical conditions
losing vital health care coverage.
Medically Needy Spend
Down extends limited medical benefits on a temporary
basis to uninsured adults
who incur an urgent or
chronic medical condition,
such as a stroke or victim of
an accident. Temporary coverage of these resource-intensive patients through the
Medicaid program reduces
the state’s and local governments expenses.
With the passage of
House Bill 744, the state will
receive federal dollars to provide access to healthcare in a
primary care setting for these
Texans. Local hospitals can
qualify for Medicaid credits
for serving Medically Needy
Spend Down program patients and draw down additional federal dollars, Upper
Payment Limits (UPL), to offset the hospital’s costs for indigent care.
“These Texans and their
families have truly suffered
and have mounting medical
bills many times forcing these
otherwise employed Texans
into bankruptcy. This is a
great step forward in provid-
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes
ing as a last resort to Texans
with chronic illnesses access
to the care they need and deserve to lead the most productive and happy lives possible”, said Rep. Dukes.
Prior to 2003, Texas covered non-aged, non-disabled
parents or caregivers with
dependent children with specific qualifications. These individuals qualified under the
Medically needy spenddown program, which allowed temporary Medicaid
coverage for individuals with
high medical bills whose
wages are too high to qualify
for Medicaid, but whose earnings after medical bills were
subtracted, would have been
reduced to qualifying levels.
The average age of a parent
covered under the program
previously was 34, and working parents could not have
income exceeding $395 per
month for a family of three
after medical expenses were
deducted. The amount was
$275 if the parents were not
working. The family also
could have no more than
$2,000 in resources.
Phone: 512-476-0082
Fax: 512-476-0179
May 8, 2009
Celebrities expected at Huston-Tillotson
University’s Graduation Ceremonies
Sheryl Lee Ralph
(AUSTIN, Texas) — Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, actor
Laurence Tureaud, better
known as Mr. T, and popular
television personality Judge
Mablean Ephriam will be attending Huston-Tillotson
University’s Commencement
Convocation on Saturday,
May 9, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. on
the campus, 900 Chicon
Street. Ralph will deliver the
keynote address, Ephriam
will celebrate the graduation
of her nephew, and Mr. T’s
son will graduate.
Ralph, an acclaimed
veteran of film, television, and
the Broadway stage, received
a Tony Award nomination for
her creation and portrayal of
Deena Jones in the original
“Dreamgirls.” Her extensive
film credits include “Sister Act
II” with Whoopi Goldberg,
“The Flintstones” with Rosie
O’Donell, “The Mighty
Quinn” with Denzel Washington, “Mistress” with Robert De Niro, and Eddie
Lawrence“Mr. T” Tureaud
Murphy’s “Distinguished
Gentleman.” Her performance with Danny Glover in
“To Sleep with Anger” won
her the Independent Spirit
Award for Best Supporting
Actress.
Ephriam was featured
on the popular “Divorce
Court” as the “family law
crusader” of justice during
the half hour daily television
show that held the number
one daytime show rating in
1999. After rendering her first
college keynote address during HT’s 2004 commencement, she introduced several
of her relatives to the institution.
Mr. T is also known as
B.A. Baracus from “The ATeam, which aired in the
1980s. He made the phrase,
“I pity the fool” famous and
started a reality show by the
same name.
This year’s Commencement Convocation will also
feature the Class of 1959 in
Judge Mabelean Ephriam
town for Reunion Weekend
2009 and to witness the conferring of degrees for the Class
of 2009 during Mother’s Day
weekend. Prior to Commencement Convocation, top ranking students will be recognized during the Honors
Convocation on Friday, May
8 at 10 a.m. in King-Seabrook
Chapel. Students on the
honor roll, Dean’s List, in
honor societies, and members
of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities
and Colleges will be acknowledged during the program.
Both programs will feature the
HT concert choir and jazz
combo, under the direction of
Dr. Gloria Quinlan and Dr.
Martin McCain, respectively.
For more information
about Reunion Weekend, honors or commencement convocations, call 512.505.3073, or
visit the Web site at
www.htu.edu. Convocations
are open to the public.
East Austin Stories - University of
Texas Undergraduate Film Screening
AUSTIN, TX – Where in
one night can you experience
a gospel choir, masked wrestlers, ghost stories, gay and
lesbian activists, and ice
cream drivers? These topics
represent a few of the many
projects that will be screened
by the students in the East
Austin Stories documentary
class, a University of Texas
Department of Radio-Television-Film that focuses on local filmmaking in East Austin neighborhoods. These
students will be hosting three
screenings, two on May 14,
the first at 6:30pm at the Family Center of Dolores Catholic
Church, 1111 Montopolis
Drive, and the second at
9:00pm at Café Mundi, 1704
E 5th St., and one on May 15 at
9pm at Kenny Dorham’s
Backyard, 1106 E 11th St. The
screenings are co-sponsored
by DiverseArts and Texas
Folklife with thanks to the
U.T. Division of Diversity and
Community Engagement.
East Austin Stories is a
lively documentary project
created with the purpose of
telling some of too-littleknown stories of people of
East Austin. This semester,
students have collaborated
with residents, businesses
and organizations to create 12
short documentaries that
cover a wide range of topics.
Wesley United is an inspiring portrait of the choir at
Wesley United Methodist
Church that explores how the
act of singing transforms the
service and the choir members.
In TC’s Lounge, you’ll
meet the regulars and
Leeanne Atherton’s “Full
Moon Barnyard Dance
Band,” and find out what
makes TC’s an East Austin
hot spot.
Lucha Libre looks at another local hotspot on the circuit for the popular Mexican
wrestling sport where the
wrestler becomes the persona
of his mask and costume.
Helado follows local ice
cream truck drivers to explore
the world on the other side of
the window from the children
who daily await the arrival
of their favorite Spongebob
ice-cream bar.
In Llévame al Rio, local
residents share their versions
of the traditional tale of La
Llorona, the legend of a weeping ghost in search of her
murdered children – and
even some eye-witness
sitings of the “weeping
woman” roaming through
East Austin.
The Light of Montopolis
explores the art of making
and giving in the life of Florence Ponziono, a 65-year-old
artist in East Austin, whose
art is as much about transforming cast-off objects as it
is being an oasis for adults
and kids in her neighborhood.
This is just a taste of
some of the stories that will
be screened. These projects
will be joining past “East
Austin Stories” documentaries
online
at
www.eastaustinstories.org.
Attached are a few stills from
a selection of projects that will
be screened.
ACC Graduation to Feature
Longtime Legislator
7-10 p.m. Thursday, May 14 | Frank Erwin Center,
1701 Red River St.
commencement at 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 14, in the
Frank Erwin Center, 1701 Red
River St. Nearly 1,800 students will graduate this year,
including summer, fall, and
spring graduates. Approximately 400 of them participate in graduation ceremonies.
Former Texas Rep.
Wilhelmina Delco will give
the commencement address.
Wilhelmina Delco
Delco, who served 20 years in
AUSTIN, Texas, May 6, the Texas Legislature, was a
2009 - The Austin Community founding board member of
College District will hold Austin Community College.
VOTE SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2009
FOR AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL
POLLS OPEN
FROM 7 A.M. TO 7 P.M.
Page 2/THE VILLAGER/May 8, 2009
EDITORIALS/COMMENTARY
Editorial, Commentary or Letter to the Editor Fax to 512.476.0179 Email to [email protected] Mail to 1223-A Rosewood Avenue, 78702
100 Days?
President Obama, Rep. Maxine Waters and Targeted Public Policy
By Ron Walters
NNPA Columnist
In this column, I have
been promoting the need for
targeted policies that are directed to the deep recesses
that afflict the African-American community in so many
areas, especially now that the
financial resources appear to
be at hand to make a difference.
Well, right on cue a
question was directed to
President Barack Obama at
his Press Conference on
April 29, by BET journalist
Andre’ Showell, who asked
him, “…given this unique situation [where Blacks face
double-digit unemployment
and communities of color experience a deep recession]
what specific policies can you
point to that will target these
communities and what’s the
timetable for us to see tangible results?”
The president replied,
“Well, keep in mind that every step we’re taking is designed to help all people. But
folks who are most vulnerable are most likely to be
helped because they need the
most help.”
He used the examples
of unemployment insurance
and health insurance and alluded to his general approach: “…if the economy is
strong, that will lift all the
boats as long as it is also supported by, for example, strategies around college
affordability and job training,
tax cuts for working families
as opposed to the wealthiest
that level the playing field and
ensure bottom-up economic
growth. And I’m confident
that will help the AfricanAmerican community live out
the American dream at the
same time that it’s helping
communities all across the
country.”
However, President
Obama does not seem to understand two vital things.
First, because these vulnerable communities were suffering before the current set of
crises, if they are to be made
viable (and not go back to a
“normal” state of disadvantage), it will take double the
effort. Second, his theory
seems to presuppose that African-Americans and others
have now — or will have equal access to the resources
that he has made possible,
without state and local politics that favor whites and
other groups. So, where are
the supportive tools? Without
them, no targeted strategies
can be successful.
Perhaps the corrective
tools exists in the Congress
where Rep. Maxine Waters
has long believed in targeted
public policy as a most effective way to serve vulnerable
communities.
Most recently, for example, in the debate over fixing the Home Foreclosure crisis in the House Financial
Services Committee, she attached an Amendment to a
bill (HR 1728) that directed 15
percent of the $180 million set
aside for mortgage and housing counseling would go to
organizations that target such
services to minorities and
low-income homeowners.
In fact, in the recent legislative actions addressed to
the financial and housing
sector she has had an influence on several such measures. Two of the most important relate, first to Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mack, the major
housing agencies which now
have a mandate in law to include minorities and women
in responsible positions in the
Agencies work forces. Second, a recent law also directs
the Troubled Assert Recovery
Program (TARP) to include
minorities and women in the
letting of contracts as: asset
managers, servicers, property
managers, expert consultants
and other servicers.
So, it may be that Obama
as president doesn’t want to
do the targeting, but instead,
to appear race-neutral and let
members of Congress direct
the resources to the specific
constituencies they believe
need them.
Well, that’s ok, but I am
still concerned about his
theory of governance where
minorities are concerned. The
Black community was the
only one not to come back
from the 2001 Bush recession
to its pre-recession strength,
so a rising tide certainly does
not lift all the boats.
This flawed theory
emerged recently because
during the last two years of
the Clinton administration
(1998-2000) when black economic growth briefly grew
faster than the rest of the nation. This slogan however, has
not held up as a general rule
of economic growth.
For the Obama theory to
work, the Justice Department
and the Civil Rights offices in
the cabinet agencies will have
to level the playing field by
enforcing a version of affirmative action that conservatives stifled during the Bush
years.
Even for Congressional
targeting to work, Justice will
have to enforce recent laws
that intend for blacks and
other vulnerable groups to
have access to the resources
flowing from the massive financial windfall that is underway. Otherwise, Obama’s
theory is just a slogan that
covers up a multitude of sins.
Dr. Ron Walters is the
Distinguished Leadership
Scholar, Director of the African American Leadership
Center and Professor of Government and Politics at the
University of Maryland College Park. His latest book is:
The Price of Racial Reconciliation (U. of Michigan Press)
By Nicole C. Lee
NNPA Columnist
100 Days isn’t a lot of
time. It feels like just yesterday that I was standing out
on the Mall in the freezing
cold, witnessing history.
What can we tell about the
next three and three quarter
years (or the next eight) of this
presidency by the first one
hundred days? Will Obama
keep his lofty campaign
promises?
For the African World,
the first 100 days have been
both promising and puzzling. Indeed, the first 100
days provided significant opportunities for the new Administration to positively engage with Africa and the
Diaspora. Regrettably, the
Administration has only
taken advantage of some of
the opportunities to change
U.S. policy both with regards
to regional and international
engagement, while leaving
other opportunities by the
wayside.
The dominance of the
U.S. within the international
arena has put us in a unique
position and given us a responsibility to partners and
allies around the world. The
Obama Administration has
been both brave and cowardly in these relations to
date, as we saw with regards
to the U.S. involvement in the
Summit of the Americas and
our lack of participation in
the World Conference
By. Marc H. Morial
NNPA Columnist
‘’Every child in
America deserves a quality
education that will prepare
them to compete in an increasingly global marketplace.’’ - The National Urban
League Opportunity Compact
There is an economic
tsunami rumbling through
urban America, more destructive than anything we
have seen on Wall Street. A
new report commissioned by
the America’s Promise Alliance, headed by Colin and
Alma Powell, shows that
while the national graduation rate has climbed to a still
less than acceptable 71 percent, the average high school
graduation rate in the
nation’s 50 largest cities
stands at a devastatingly low
53 percent – an 18 percent
gap. In some cities, including
Indianapolis, Cleveland and
Detroit, graduation rates are
global economy, it is more important than ever that we produce the most prepared and
best educated workforce in
the world. Every child counts
and every child deserves a
chance to succeed.
That is why the ‘’Opportunity to Thrive,’’ with its
focus on early childhood education and making college
more affordable, is one of the
cornerstones of the National
Urban League’s Opportunity
Compact.
And it is why I was
proud to stand with Colin
Powell when he launched his
drop-out prevention campaign last year. As he said
then, ‘’When more than one
million students a year drop
out of high school, it’s more
than a problem, it’s a
catastrophe…we cannot afford to let nearly one-third of
our kids fail.’’ We agree.
We are encouraged by
the Obama Administration’s
greater investments in early
childhood education, as well
as the President’s call for
higher standards and accountability for schools,
teachers, students and parents. The drop-out crisis requires a relentless effort by all
of us to turn the tide.
It has been said that
‘’history is a race between
education and catastrophe.’’
This new report makes it clear
that to avoid an irreversible
catastrophe, American public
education has a lot of catching up to do.
The Villager, 1223 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702
(512) 476-0082
Fax (512) 4760179
upholding the U.S.’ unjust
and racist immigration policies towards Haitians living
here.
The U.S.’ commitment
to provide $20 million dollars
to help Haiti’s debt service
obligations should cover all
of Haiti’s remaining debt payments for 2009. Hopefully by
the end of this year, Haiti will
have completed the Heavily
Indebted Poor Country
(HIPC) program, permanently canceling most of
Haiti’s debt. And while the
sum offered by the U.S is inadequate to create long term
stabilization, it demonstrates
a positive change.
Simultaneously, one of
the first actions taken by Secretary of Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano was to support of the rapid deportation
of over 30,000 Haitians living
in the U.S. Efforts to grant
Haiti Temporary Protected
Status (TPS), which would
give temporary sanctuary to
Haitians living in the U.S. due
to the economic and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, have
gone unheeded.
Immigration officials
continue to aggressively
maintain they are only enforcing the law and not treating
Haitians more harshly than
nationals of other countries.
As the Administration
is confronted by more complicated issues, what will be the
response? Will the Administration respond to the lawlessness in Somalia that has
resulted in the phenomenon
of the Somali pirates with reflection and a sense of responsibility as President
Obama did during the Summit of the Americas? Or will
it be the “our way or the highway” approach we have seen
so often in Africa.
Nicole C. Lee is the executive
director
of
TransAfrica Forum
Post-Big
otry
ost Blackness
ost-Bigotry
otry,, Not P
Post
Urban Drop-Out Rates At Catastrophic Levels
less than 40 percent.
Doubly disturbing is the
fact that there is an even
wider gap between urban
and suburban graduation
rates. In the metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Cleveland,
Columbus, Ohio, and Milwaukee, for example, urban
students have graduation
rates at least 35 percentage
points lower than their suburban neighbors.
As with too many other
measures of opportunity in
America, this new report
shows that high school
graduation rates are a ‘’Tale
of Two Cities.’’
In largely suburban and
white areas, earning a high
school diploma is the expected norm; in mostly urban,
black and brown communities, it is not.
These inequities and
disparities are putting at risk
the futures of millions of
young people, as well as the
economic future of our nation. We know that education
is the number one predictor
of future success, with earnings rising at each level of
educational attainment, beginning with a high school
diploma.
Conversely, we know
that high-school drop-outs
are more likely to end up unemployed, in jail and living
in poverty. And at a time
when we are facing the worst
economic crisis since the
Great Depression, along with
increased competition in the
against Racism Review Conference.
The U.S. participation
in the Summit of the Americas illustrated a marked
change in the engagement
with our partners in the Western hemisphere. President
Obama’s remarks included a
call for greater relations between the U.S. and Cuba, in
addition to the recent removal of travel restrictions for
Cuban-Americans.
President Obama’s
willingness to publicly interact with, and hopefully
change U.S. rhetoric towards,
Venezuela’s President Hugo
Chavez is also an overdue
and welcome change.
Conversely, the Administration missed a major opportunity to show global leadership by boycotting the
World Conference against
Racism.
The
Administration’s rejection of
the language used in the planning document, even after the
requested changes were
made, served as sufficient
fodder to explain the U.S.
boycott and marginalized the
importance of the actual conference agenda.
While the Administration stated that this action
does not signal apathy for the
global fight against racism
and xenophobia, it has sent
a chilling effect throughout
the developed and the developing world.
We see that an evolving
engagement with the world
seems to have defined President Obama’s first 100 days.
The case of Haiti serves as an
additional illustration of the
Administration’s success
and failure to positively
change policy towards Afrodescendants in this Hemisphere.
In the last four months,
the U.S. has both pledged to
pay for exorbitant Haitian
debts while at the same time
Gary L. Flowers
NNPA Columnist
While on recent travel to
the a conference organized
by National Organization of
Black County Officials I read
a review in the New York
Times Book Review entitled,
“Visible Young Man” by
Toure’ on the novel Sag Harbor, authored by Colson
Whitehead. The novel is set
in the affluent Long Island
Hamptons of New York and
explores the idea of “postblackness” through the eyes
of a Benji, a “Smiths-loving,
Brooks Brothers-wearing son
of moneyed blacks who summer in Long Island and recognize the characters of the
television series ‘The Cosby
Show’”, in 1985.
Here we go again with
the nonsense of “post-blackness “ (see my previous columns: “The End of Black Politics?”; and “Race, Ethnicity,
and Fruit Salad”).
By narrowly defining
what “blackness” is Toure’
set a false dichotomy between
struggle and salaried success. The fact that Toure’
adopts the Eurocentric grammatical rule to lower case the
“b” in Blackness is suggestive. If the use of the word
Black refers to racial classification, why should it not be
capitalized? Less I digress.
Toure’ concludes that
President Obama’s election
as a “post-black” elected official is suggestive new definition of Blackness. He asserts
that “post-blacks can be unapologetic as we reshape the
iconography of blackness” by
expanding beyond the limits
of ghetto, anger, struggle, and
the dogmatic code of the
“hood” by the “60’s street
militancy of the Jesses” (obvious reference to Reverend
Jesse Jackson and other Black
leaders of the Modern Civil
Rights Movement). Blackness
by African Americans has always had an expansive expression.
However, let the record
reflect that use of “Black” to
describe the African Diaspora
was external to the Continent
of Africa. However, internal
to Africa, because all natives
were a shade of Black or
Brown ethnic names/regions
identified groups (i.e. Kushite,
Nubian, Ethiopian etc.).
As Europeans sought to
exploit and enslave Africans
the word “Negroe” evolved
from the etymological root
“Negra” (meaning Black) in
Portuguese and Spanish languages. In 1619, shipping
logues referred to “19
negroes” on the ships arriving in what is now
Jamestown, Va. For 390 years
African Americans have been
dehumanized, sold, raped,
exploited, and vilified because of our Blackness. Yet,
Black people as a shared set
of values of collectivism have
defined Blackness, in the
main, over individualism. For
example, an African proverb
asserts, “I am, because we are;
and because we are, therefore
I am”, meaning there is no
individual advancement
without group advancement.
Black pride is anchored by
awareness of our original
contribution to world civilization, rather than the anger
of an up-from-slavery mentality.
Musically speaking,
the point is exampled by
Black recording artists
“When Will We Be Paid for
the Work We Have Done?”
(Staple Singers); “None of Us
Are Free if One of Us is
chained” (Ray Charles); and,
the prideful, “I am Black and
I am Proud” (James Brown).
Most Black people I
know in all income strata are
unapologetically Black, but
do not want to limited by our
Blackness. We are proud of
our ability to succeed against
societal odds. And knowing
our African past, we are
proud of excellence wherever
opportunity is afforded. Yet,
there is no tension between
affirming our Blackness and
the affluence of owning
beach houses, as Toure’s review suggests. One does not
beget the other.
Toure’ explained that
the term “post-black” emanated from artists who were
displeased about being limited by the title “black artist.”
He seems to miss the point
that there is a difference between Black artists and artists who are Black. Likewise,
there is a difference between
Black leaders and leaders
who are Black. Black artists
and Black leaders focus on
issues or reflections of Black
people.
If artists or leaders
choose not to focus on race
and ethnicity is there choice.
American society cannot,
and should not, seek to be
post-Black. Our nation must
struggle with becoming postbigoted. In the words of Dr.
Michael Eric Dyson,
“America is not post-racial;
we need to be post-racist.”
WOMEN’S DAY OBSERVANCE
AT WESLEY UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
Dr. Laurie Fulker
The Women of Wesley
will host its Annual Women’s
Day Observance slated for
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at the
10 a.m. worship service. Featured guest speaker will be
Dr. Laurie Fluker – Associate
Dean of the College of Fine
Arts and Communication and
Associate Professor of the
School of Journalism and
Mass
Communications
(SJMC) at Texas State University – San Marcos, Texas. The
theme for this year is
“Women Meeting God in Un-
expected Places” with supportive scripture taken from I
Kings 17:7 – 16 and John 4:7
– 10. Other Women’s Day
weekend activities include:
· A Gospel Extravaganza on Friday, May 15,
2009 at 7 p.m. in the Main
Sanctuary
· Women’s
Day
Brunch on Saturday, May 16,
2009 at 11 a.m. in the Lower
Auditorium
Ms. Estella Akins is
chair for this year’s observance, along with co-chairs
Juanita Stephens, Pat Wilkins,
Barbara Williams-Huggins,
and Carla Hoxie. Wesley
United Methodist Church is
located at 1164 San Bernard
and Hackberry Streets. The
Rev. Sylvester E. Chase, Jr. is
the pastor. For more information – contact the church office at 512/478-7008 or visit
our
website
at
www.wesleyunited.org
Please come celebrate
and worship with us.
May 8, 2009/The Villager/Page 3
Lone Star MBC Brotherhood &
Loyalty Month
Lone Star Missionary
Baptist Church, 268 Shiloh
Road ,Bastrop,
Rev. Fred Blackman,
Pastor, invites each & everyone to their
Brotherhood & Mission
Loyalty Month,
12th, 19th, 26th, 2009 @
7:00 PM.
Theme: “Victory in
Jesus”,Acts
2:29-36,
Philippians 4:13
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
@ 7:00 PM
The guest speaker will
be Rev. Stephanie Heard, Pastor of Smith Chapel AME,
Somerville, TX
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
@ 7:00 PM
The guest speaker will
be Sister Dorine Barlow of
Bethlehem Baptist Church,
Bastrop, TX, Rev. L R. Winn,
Pastor
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
@ 7:00 PM
The guest speaker will
be Deacon Robert Simms of
Pleasant Bethany Baptist
Church, Elgin, TX, Rev. Louis
Harrison Jr., Pastor.
Sister Annie Washington – Mission 1 President
Sister Hattie McMarion
– Mission 2 President
Brother Kenneth Hubert
– Brotherhood President
For more information
contact
Sister
Hattie
McMarion @ 512-303-6823 or
Brother Kenneth Hubert
@ 512-303-4304
Check us out on our
website and look
for updates
African Americans
and movement to risist
foreclosure crisis
The UT Center for Community Engagement presents:
“The Housing Liberation Movement:” A Conversation with Max Rameau of
Miami’s Take Back the Land.
The event will be Monday,
May 11 at 6 p.m., 1009 East
11th Street (one Block east of
IH-35).
As home foreclosures
sweep the nation, and as the
number of homeless families
continues to grow, a group of
community organizers in
Miami’s Liberty City—the
city’s predominantly African
American and Afro-Caribbean enclave—are meeting
the crisis with a bold tactic:
Move homeless families back
into foreclosed and abandoned bank-owned properties.
The group is Take Back
the Land, and according its
director Max Rameau, the
premise to their movement is
simple: “It’s immoral to have
vacant homes on one side of
the street and homeless families living in parks on the
other side of the street.”
Take Back the Land is
more than just a squatters
movement. It asserts the human right to housing, while
sustaining the housing stock
and quality of life in vulnerable neighborhoods. Their efforts have gained national attention, with many seeing it
as a common-sense grassroots
response to the present economic crisis.
On Monday, May 11,
join Max Rameau for a conversation on the new “Housing Liberation Movement.”
Sponsored by the UT
Division of Diversity and
Community Engagement
(DDCE), The John L. Warfield
Center for African & African
American Studies—UT Austin.
This event is free and
open to the public.
More Information: (512)
771-8782
Church news, announcement?
If so, contact the Villager at 476-0082
www.theaustinvillager.com
DOUBLE “R” GROCERY
We cash ALL Tax Refund
Checks
HOSPITAL PHARMACY
Serving Austin since 1970
Let us Fill your next Perscription!
SAVE TIME
Check Out
Ask your doctor to call
your prescription in to us
and we’ll have it ready for you
when you get here!
2115 E. MLK Blvd.
512-476-7338
THE AIRPORT FLEE MARKET
Saturdays and Sundays
Austin, Texas 78702
www.PHRX.Net
450l East Martin luther King Blvd.
Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. - Noon
1149 Airport Blvd.
Visit the church of your choice on Sunday
David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
2211 East MLK Blvd.
Office: 512-472-9748
Fax: 512-472-5399
Agape Baptist Church
In “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)
AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love He exhibited is
Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you. For there is no greater love!
Church Services
Sunday Services
Discipleship Training 8:15 A.M.
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
Worship
10:00 A.M.
Rev. Joseph C. Parker Jr.
Nursery services available
Pastor
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church4509
Springdale Road 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281
Sunday
School
9:30 AM
Sunday Worship
11:00 AM
Mid-Week Service
Thursday: Praise, Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PM
Call 454-1547 for Transporation
Website www.agapebcaustintx.org
Rev. H. Ed Calahan
Pastor
JOSHUA CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1006 Yeager Lane, Suite 102-A
Austin, Texas
We invite you to come and worship with us
Sunday Services
Worship
Sunday School
Worship Service
Rev. Jack C. Gause
Pastor
8:30 A.M.
9:45 A.M
11:00 A.M.
6:00 P.M.
Ebenezer Baptist Church
1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax: 512-478-1892
Radio Ministry (KIXI 970 AM
TV Ministry (ACTV. Ch 32)
Bus Ministry
9:00 A.M.
9:00 A.M.
Call 512-478-1875
Rev. Lois Hayes, Pastor
Jesus is Coming Again
The church fellowship where everybody can be somebody!
Sunday Services
Sunday School
Morning Service
Wednesday Service
9:00-10:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M. -12Noon
7:00 - 8:00 P.M.
Floyd Fontenot, Sr., Founder Floyd Fontenot, Jr., Pastor
Imani Community Church
Davis Elementray Auditorium
5214 West Duval Road
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
Worship Service
10:00 A.M.
•Power Hour Bible Study
6:30 P.M.
Imani Complex, 1st and 4th Wednesday
Imani Complex & Office,
11800 Mustang at Duval
Austin, Texas 78727
Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims
AFRICAN ASSEMBLIES of GOD
CHURCH
A growing church ministering to African American and
other nationals
Come worship with us
Sunday Services
Worship Service
Sunday School
Discipleship Training
Worship Service
8:00 A.M.
9:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M.
Wednesday
Rev. Marvin C. Griffin
Pastor
Sunday School
10:00 A.M.
Worship Service
11:00 A.M.
WEDNESDAY Bible Study
6:30 P.M.
SATURDAY New
4930 South Congress Avenue, C-302 512-750-4628 512-804-2537
Member Assimilation 10:00 A.M.
Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
Sunday Services
MaranathA Faith Center
Midweek Prayer Service
7:00 P.M.
Child Development Center
Ages 0-5 years
(Daily) 512-478-6709
Sunday Worship
Wednesday Prayer Meeting
11:30 A.M.
6:45 P.M.
Rosewood Avenue Missionary Baptist Church
1820 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702
(512) 476-8201 Fax (512) 476-5693
“Divine Enpowerment for Bold Ministries”
Weekly Services
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.
Wed. Night Bible Fellowship 6:30 p.m.
The Spencer & Ora Lee Nobles
“Hope Center” (512) 476-6722
Place of Worship
The Church of Glad Tidings 2700 Northland Dr. Austin, TX 78756
For more information, contact Pastor Jonah Ghartey
512-873-8103 [email protected]
Aligned with Matters
of Eternity
St Annie A.M.E. Church
1711 Newton Street
Austin, Texas 78704
Voice mail (512) 444-4509
E-mail: [email protected]
Sunday School
9:30 A.M.
Morning services 10:45 A.M.
Rev. Derwin D. Gipson, Pastor
Rev. Coby Shorter, III
Pastor
We b s i t e :
w w w.rosewoodbaptistchurch.org
Mount Sanai Missionary Baptist Church
5900 Cameron Road
Austin, Texas 78723-1843
(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax
Web Site - www.themount.net
WORSHIP SERVICES
Sunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.
Church School - 9:45 a.m.
Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noon
Wednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m .
“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18
A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor
Page 4/THE VILLAGER/May 8, 2009
Sponsorship
Available
Call for info
476-0082
Youth of Today. Hope of Tomorrow.
Internet safety program for
parents at KLMS
Trip to LBJ Library was awsome
Jaylon Knighten
Campbell Elementary
The Youth Brigaders
took a tour to the LBJ Library
and Museum on Saturday
May 2nd. The first stop, we
went to was the tenth floor
that was a replica of the Oval
office when President
Lyndon Baines Johnson was
in office, then we went to the
fourth floor and watched a
Laser show. It was awesome.
On the third floor there were
exhibits which covered LBJ’s
life, there was a recording of
President Johnson speaking
with Martin Luther King, pictures of President Kennedy
before he was shot and there
was a belt that George Foreman won and he had donated to the Museum to show
his appreciation to President
Johnson. If you never visit the
LBJ Library/Museum you
should try to go.
The fourth grades stu-
A Week of TAKS
Jeremy Henderson
McCallum High School
On Monday, April 27th,
everyone took the Social Studies Taks Test. It was easy and
we got it done. During this
test week, we had two lunch
periods. If you had A-lunch,
then you go, if you had 4th
period you go and also go to
B-lunch. We had our 4th, 5th,
6th and 7th period classes for
the rest of the day. On Tuesday, April 28th, the 9th and
10th graders tested, while the
11th graders reviewed for the
math and science Taks Test.
Afterwards, we watched the
“Game Plan” starring
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
It was an awesome movie to
watch. We had one lunch and
went to our 1st, 2nd and 3rd
period classes.
On Wednesday, April
29th, the 11th graders took the
math Taks Test and it was
kind of easy, but at the same
time hard. Again, we had one
lunch and went to our 5th, 6th
and 7th period classes.
On Thursday, April
30th the final day of Taks
Week, we took the science
Taks Test and it was hard, but
some of it was easy. We had
one lunch and we once again
went to our 1st through 3rd
period classes.
Friday, May 1st was
pep rally schedule, because of
the student/faculty basketball game. It was the seniors
of 09’ vs. The Faculty. It was
also Senior Prank Day. The
faculty won the game. It was
great fun to watch. I’m glad
Taks Week is over. Until Next
Time....
Summer Dance Camp Intensive
Ballet Afrique’s Summer Dance Camp Intensive
allows students of all levels to pursue their passion
for dance in-depth. Students will develop their
dance skills through age
appropriate classes, work-
shops, performances and
field trips.
Now enrolling ages 816 for 2 sessions for June &
July.
For more information,
call 512-228-7060 or go to
BalletAfrique.org
Former Heavy Weight Boxing Champion George Foreman’s Belt.
dents at Campbell are planning a field trip to go to San
Antonio to visit the Alamo on
May 12th, but now that the
Swine Flu virus is spreading
around the State we might
have to cancel or postpone until
a later date.
The Blazin Cardinals won
their game on Saturday 28-18.
HAPPY MOTHER’S
DAY!
HHS Girls Softball team is
in the playoffs
Alonzo Black
Hendrickson High School
The Hendrickson High
School girls’ softball team is
in the playoffs. They will face
Crockett High School at a time
to be announced.
The boys’ baseball team
is having a good year and
stands second in district with
an opportunity to advance to
the playoffs. Recent games
include a 6-2 loss to district
champion Lake Travis, fol-
lowed by three straight victories over Marble Falls, Killeen
and last weekend over cross
town rivals the Pflugerville
Panthers 9-2. The only other
losses this season were to
Anderson High School and
Bowie High School early in
the season.
Hendrickson Hawks’
tennis team will hold its annual banquet next week and
will honor retiring coach
Sammy Courington with a
dinner outing.
All Pflugerville ISD athletes may get a $20 sports
physical 8 a.m. until noon
May 16 at Pflugerville High
School gym.
The PTO will meet 7
p.m. Monday May 11 in the
library.
Pflugerville
Pfilm
Pfestival will be held at
Hendrickson 5 p.m. Friday
May 15.
Do the Write Thing Essay
Contest Finalist
by Bria Good
Kealing Middle School
On Friday, May 1,
2009, I was honored as a finalist in the Do the Write
Thing Contest. Unfortunately, I did not win the national finalist title but at least
I had a great experience and
can hopefully win next year.
The purpose of the
“Do the Write Thing” Contest
was to receive the young
people’s perspective on violence. To qualify, you could
write a poem or essay on violence. In your poem or essay,
you are to answer thee questions; “How has violence affected my life?”, “What are
the causes of youth violence?”, and” What can I do
to reduce violence?” I think
this was a great contest to be
in so not only will people
know how you feel about violence, but you will find yourself and see how well you feel
about violence also. The two
national finalists, Savannah
Kura and Jaquon Rogers have
the chance to go to Washington, D.C. to represent the
Travis County area. Luckily,
all of the finalists had their
papers put together in a book
and will be put in the Library
of Congress.
TAKS IS OVER! The
entire 8th grade I can say is finally relieved that the 4 gruesome TAKS tests we had to take
are finally over and done with.
To go on to high school, the 8th
graders have to pass their entire TAKS test and their entire
core classes (English, Math,
Science, and History). I really
don’t have anything to worry
about so far. I have passed my
Reading and Math TAKS Test
and I’m praying to pass my
Science and Social Studies because I really want to go to high
school next year.
Thank you for reading my article this week. I will
be sure to update you when I
can. Go Hornets!!
Sponsorship Available
Call for info
476-0082
MYEC
Alon Rodgers
Kelly Lane Middle School
An Internet Safety Program for parents will be presented at Kelly Lane Middle
School 6 p.m. Wednesday
evening May 13. The training
is for parents who want information about safety measures they need to know regarding Internet usage by
middle school aged students.
With both Murchison
Elementary School and
Hendrickson High School
looking for new principals
next year we are happy that
Mr. Padavil will stay at Kelly
Lane. He is a great leader for
our school and we are making progress as a school.
The Pflugerville Hawks
Tennis Club will have an end
of season swim party at Falcon Pointe Residents’ Club 37 p.m. Thursday May 14.
Anyone interested in participating in National Junior
Team League Team Tennis
this summer should attend.
Bring a snack to share. Several of our team mates from
this year’s Capital Area Professional Tennis Association
league are moving up to high
school next year so we need
to replenish our middle
school team. We would also
like to begin an after school
QuickStart Tennis team in the
fall so all ages are welcome to
participate.
Back to Back T.A.K.S
Week
Raven Wyatt
Kelley Lane
Let me just ask what is
the first thing you want to do
when you hear the word
T.A.K.S? Moan, groan, piss,
and maybe even wine. I know
I do, teachers always say it
never helps because we still
have to take it. Well it helps
me relive lots of stress. But do
you really want to know what
the letters T.A.K.S actually
stand for??
Well T=is for tiresome
because tired is all that the
test makes you. A= is for annoy because that is all the test
does it annoys the mess out
of you. I mean really you take
several practice T.A.K.S and
CBA’s to get you ready for the
real T.A.K.S, and then when
you get to your testing room
you just want to go to sleep.
But anyways K= is for knowing, you think you know all
the answers, but then you
don’t, and then you do, and
you know after all that thinking your head starts to really
hurt. Finally S=is for sleep, all
you want to do is SLEEP. The
test is so exhausting, that you
want to sleep, I know I do, and
I mean really don’t you? Testing has been going on from
April 27- May 1. I’m talking
about back to back. Monday
was our review day for all the
students to review what they
learned and prepare ourselves for Tuesday. Yes Tuesday the math T.A.K.S I love
math so I was ready to take
the test and no doubts about
failing because I knew I was
prepared. Soon after that exhausting day, was Wednesday another day another test.
Yes the reading T.A.K.S. now
it seems unfair to have two
test back to back and I am talking about a huge, major, life
dependent test that holds our
future. Now reading not so
much of my best subject, but
you know what I had to take
it either way it goes. Now everyone knows the day I pick
up a book and read is the day
pigs fly because reading is my
least favorite subject next to
science. As much as I hate
reading I was still looking forward to the big day. For one
reason only, to prove to myself that I can accomplish
something even if I am not the
best. Thursday and Friday
were the days 8th graders took
both the science and TX History T.A.K.S, not so fun I know.
The only bright side about
that week was no more talk
about the T.A.K.S. I am excited to be done with it all that
I want know is for school to
end we have about a month
left so hopefully it will go bye
quickly. It will for me because
I have tons of upcoming field
trips so I am really looking
forward to that. But to end my
story I would like to say never
doubt yourself. Always believe in you, even if no one
else does.
Austin Symphonic Band — Spring/Summer
Concerts
Mother’s Day Concert in the Park — Sunday, May 10, 2009
— 7 pm, Zilker Hillside Theater Austin
Admission: Free
What better way to celebrate a great day with Mom than by
taking her to a free concert in her honor? The band performs wellknown selections, including marches and show tunes that you and
your Mom are sure to enjoy!
Father’s Day Concert in the Park — Sunday, June 21, 2009 —
7:30 pm, Zilker Hillside Theater Austin
Admission: Free
Marches, Broadway show tunes, and band classics are sure
to please Dad. Bring a picnic supper and spread out a blanket
under the pecan trees at the beautiful Zilker Hillside Theater.
Bastrop Patriotic Festival — Friday, July 3, 2009 — 8 pm ,
isherman’s Park Bastrop
The band makes its annual appearance at this slice of Americana along the banks of the Colorado River. The festival includes
arts & crafts, games, and lots of great food. Marches and fireworks
close out the festival.
Update on Seine Flu in PISD
Student safety and
health is a top priority for
Pflugerville ISD and we are
committed to taking the necessary steps to protect our students. There has been an enormous amount of media coverage regarding the swine flu
and the potential for it to
spread rapidly. Currently,
there are no reported cases of
swine flu in Pflugerville ISD.
The District continues to work
with state and county officials
to ensure the health and safety
of our staff and students.
States and schools
throughout the United States
are taking measures to decrease the risk of spreading
swine flu. Yesterday, on the
recommendation of Dr. David
Lakey, Commissioner of the
Texas Department of State
Health Services, and in consultation with Texas Education Agency Commissioner
Robert Scott, the University
Interscholastic League altered
its schedule of events due to
the outbreak of the swine flu
in Texas. Yesterday, all UIL
competitions were suspended
until May 11.
As a precaution,
Pflugerville ISD has also canceled all extra-curricular
events effective immediately
until May 11. As of Friday,
May 1, the following cancellations and postponements
apply:
All facility rentals
Field trips and other stu-
Marissa Hornsby
Connally High School
dent travel
Non-District use of any
facility except church service
rentals
PTO
meetings,
campusprograms/presentations where the public is invited
Field Days unless totally
operated by campus staff
As an extra precaution,
guests to campuses, including parents, visitors and volunteers, will be asked to sanitize their hands upon arrival
at the campus and will be restricted to public areas of campus – cafeteria, office, foyer,
and luncheon areas.
Due to our population
density, school district communities are susceptible to the
spread of illness. We ask you
to be more conscious of your
health habits and those of
your family members in the
coming weeks. Wash your
hands frequently with soap
and water, especially before
eating, and cover your mouth
if you cough or sneeze. Utilize
a waterless hand washing
product if and when you are
unable to access hand washing facilities. Keep your hands
away from your mouth, eyes
and nose. If you cough or
sneeze into a tissue, deposit it
in a trash can; do not place it
on any surface that others
might touch. Do not come to
work or class if you have any
of the following symptoms: a
sudden fever, body aches and
pains, coughing and/or fatigue.
People who have swine
flu may also experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
and/or a runny nose and sore
throat. The majority of the patients with this flu have reported that the symptoms
are mild and they have recovered fully. If students,
family members, faculty
and/or staff experience
any of the symptoms of
swine flu they should call
their personal healthcare
providers for guidance regarding evaluation and
treatment. PISD is working
with city, county and state
health authorities on this
matter. We will continue to
monitor the situation here
in the United States and in
Mexico. If you would like
more information about
swine flu, please visit the
CDC website at http://
www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.
Southwest Regional Conference Meet in
Beaumont, Texas
May 8, 2009/THE VILLAGER/page 5
The African Diaspors Section
By Tsoke (Chuch) Adjajon
Jewelry Making hobby becomes a profession
Habiba Aida Adjavon
is originally from Burkina
Faso, which is a landlocked
country located in the middle
of West Africa, bordering
Togo, Ivory Coast, Ghana,
Benin, Mali and Niger. She
immigrated from Burkina
Faso to Central Texas where
she attended an English language institute. She later met
and married her husband.
They now have a child. From
her infancy, Aida had developed a taste for fashion which
led her to learn the art of jewelry making. As a child, she
would make bracelet and
necklaces for fun. Aida considered jewelry making as a
hobby. She later realized that
her talent could be used on a
professional level. In 2007,
through the help of her inlaws, Aida enrolled in some
African jewelry making
classes. Furthermore, the
classes have helped her harness her inspiration of jewelry
making.Aida gets her inspiration for making jewelry from
her customers, her African
roots and from European
fashion. When she makes her
jewelry she uses beads, silver,
bronze, real precious stones,
from the African continent.
And then design it according
to the style of European style
fashion. Moreover, her customers tend to give their input while she makes the jewelry. So, each jewelry piece
that she makes is personalized for her customer.Her
plan for the future includes
her to taking more jewelry
classes in order to be able to
work with various types of
precious metals and stones.
She also plans to open a shop
to sell her jewelry. Moreover,
she plans to use the proceeds
to open a non profit organization in West Africa geared
toward helping children.To
order a jewerely contact Aida
Jewerely at (512) 989 2693
May 15,
2009 will be
the 36th
Anniversary
of THE
VILLAGER.
Stay tuned
for upcoming
special issue.
VISIT
EASTSIDE
BOOKS
2415 E. 5TH Street
www.eastsidebooksaustin.com
Fifteen members of the
National Sorority of Phi Delta
Kappa, Inc., Delta Beta Chapter,
traveled to Beaumont, Texas to
attend the 43rd Southwest Regional Conference, April 2-5,
2009 held at the MCM Elegante
Hotel. The host chapter was Orange, Texas, Epsilon Lambda
Chapter with Mrs. Evera Enard
as president. Presiding over the
conference was Sondra
Matthews, Regional Director.
This years’ theme was “Knowledge is Power”. Delegates and
visiting members traveled from
the four state areas of Louisiana,
Arkansas, Oklahoma and
Texas. Many of them arrived for
the Friday evening Basilei ses-
sion.
Educational and Professional Development workshops
were informative and well attended by the members. Outstanding speakers Catherine
Richardson, RN, M.D. Anderson (“Living With Diabetes:
Healthy Eating”); Lydia Scott,
Regional Professional Development Chairperson (“News You
Can Use....News paper Activities”); Anita O’Neal Principal,
San Antonio, Texas (“So You
Think You Want To Be An Administrator”).
At the conference Saturday night was the highlight of
presenting Regional winners.
Delta Beta Chapter earned a 2nd
ACC
Place trophy in Reading Across
the SW; 2nd Place for Soror of
the year Activity Book; 2nd Place
plaque for regional Fundraiser
and a 3rd place trophy for Chapter Activity Book. Delta Beta had
the largest Krinon line for the
Southwest. The Conference was
further honored by the presence
of guest Past Supreme Basilei
Margarete Nelson and Delta
Oliver and several other national
officers.
The Conference concluded with the traditional
breakfast forum, morning workshop service and candle lighting ceremonies.
Annette Stephens is president of the Delta Beta Chapter.
Douglass Club & Honorable Dawnna Dukes
The Legislative and Human Resources Committee o f
the Douglass Club with Sara E.
Campbell (chair) presented The
Honorable Dawnna Dukes,
State Representative, Congressional District 46, as the speaker
for the April meeting for the
Douglass Club meeting at the
George Washington Carver Library. The committee is charged
with keeping the club alert of all
matters of legislation, new city
ordinances and new bills presented by the Texas Legislature.
The Honorable Dukes is a
graduate of Texas A&M University with a major in psychology.
She is also the owner of DM
Dukes and Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in
business resource planning, feasibility and impact studies, etc.
Dukes shared her political and civic duties as a member of the House of Representatives. She went into detail on her
fight to improve public and
higher education, her commitment to increase school safety
and build safer neighborhoods
(L to r) State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, Mary Hurst and Sara E. Campbell.
Photo by Marvin G. Kimbrough.
as well as her efforts to protect
and improve the environment.
She also shared information on
legislation in which she is involved.
As part of the program, Dr.
Marvin G. Kimbrough read the
poem “Frederick Douglass”, by
Robert Hayden (1913-1980), the
first African American to be
named Consultant in Poetry,
now called Poet Laureate at the
Library of Congress.
Dr. Beulah Agnes Curry-
Jones was hostess for the meeting. She, in addition to providing a delicious spring luncheon,
entertained the group with
unique Easter games and
prizes. Providing logistics and
dessert treats were Dr. Gloria
Black, Marjorie Rhone and
President Wardaleen Belvin.
The Legislative and Human Resource Committee consisted of Sara Campbell, Hertha
Glenn, Ida Hunt, Mary Hurst,
Dr. Shirley Sprinkles-Morris and
Beverly Reeves.
Sheryl Cole
Page 6/THE VILLAGER/May 8, 2009
Have You Ever Wanted To Protest Your
Property Valuations?
AProperty Valuations
Protests Public Information
Forum will be held Saturday,
May 16, 2009 3:00 - 5:00 PM
at the University Hills
B r a n c h L i b r a r y, 4 7 2 1
TxTag
LoyolaLane,Austin,TX.
This public information
forum answers basic questions about how the property valuations protest process works, how to file for
American Cancer
exemptions, tax deferrals and
what the time line is to protest property values. It will
also address the meaning of
the 10% CAP, adjustments
you are entitled to, and other
areas of concern.
This forum is in no way
associated with the Travis
County Central Appraisal
District, nor do the presenters represent the Appraisal
Review Board. This is a public service forum presented
by a past member of the
Travis County Appraisal Review Board, along with a representative of the Travis
County Tax Office and members of the Central Appraisal
District.
Presenters are:
ChuckPennie,Tina Morton
& members of the Central Appraisal
District. For more information call:
Chuck at 928-8560.
THISFORUMISFREEAND
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Texans Offered Chance to
Produce Don’t Mess with Texas
TV Commercial
AUSTIN, Texas—The
YouTube generation can help
solve Texas’ litter problem how to get trash from cars to
trash cans instead of the side
of Texas roadways.
Don’t Mess with
Texas® is launching the
Car2Can™ Video Contest, a
first-ever video contest with
the winning entry to air during prime-time television.
“The Car2Can contest
allows Texans to be creative,
funny and share ideas of how
they’d get trash from their
vehicle into where it’s intended to go - the trash can,”
said Doris Howdeshell,
Travel Information Division
Director for the Texas Department of Transportation.
The Car2Can Web site
features two kickoff videos to
inspire Texans to submit their
own original videos:
www.dontmesswithtexas.org/
EMPLOYMENT/BIDS/
PROPOSALS/PUBLIC
INFORMATION/
FOR SALE/FOR RENT/MISC
Employment
Austin
Community
College
New Jobs for the
Week of 05/4/09
Programmer Analyst
Service Center
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m.
- 5:00 p.m.
$3,858-$4,822/Monthly
Job #0904021
Apply at HR
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd.
6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752
Job Line (512) 223-5621
hhtp://www/austincc.ed
EEO/AA/M/F/D/V
JANITORIAL WORKERS
NEEDED
ISS Facility Services, Inc. has openings for supervisory, floor men, and
general cleaners for part-time
evening employment. Apply at ISS
Facility Services, Inc. Austin, M-F,
between 4-6 pm, 8101 Cameron
Road # 304. ISS Facility Services,
Inc. is an Equal opportunity Employer (EOE) and promotes a Diverse Workforce.
Don’t hesitate to
contact us about our
advertising rates.
Call us at
512-476-0082
car2can. In one example, a
group of friends use a giant
slingshot to propel trash
through the air into a
trashcan.
Texans 18 or older can
submit a video (shorter than
two minutes) through June
14, and anyone in the state
has the opportunity to help
their favorite videos get to the
winner’s circle by voting for
them online through July 10.
The winners will be based on
a combination of the input of
expert judges and Texans’
votes.
The grand-prize winner will receive a $500 WalMart gift card and have their
video aired in their local media market during prime-time
television this summer. The
second-place winner will receive a Gibson Epiphone Les
Paul II guitar branded by
Sweet Leaf Tea. The thirdplace winner will receive a
prize package from Sweet
Leaf Tea. Winners will be announced in early August.
“Our Visible Litter
Study, an analysis of actual
litter in our state, last showed
that there were 827 million
pieces of litter on Texas roads,
and this contest is another
way to remind Texans we all
have a hand in the solution,”
said Howdeshell.
Full contest details and
rules are available at
www.dontmesswithtexas.org/
car2can. About Don’t Mess
with Texas.
Don’t Mess with Texas
has been educating Texans
about litter prevention since
1986. TxDOT’s litter prevention program includes Adopta-Highway and a grassroots
partnership with Keep Texas
Beautiful. Don’t Mess with
Texas activities also include
a spring “Trash-Off,” community outreach, a student
litter prevention contest and
a corporate partner program.
For more information, visit
www.dontmesswithtexas.org.
TxDOT’s goals are to
reduce congestion, enhance
safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality and increase the value of
transportation assets. For
more information, visit
www.txdot.gov.
IRS Seeks Applications for
Advisory Council
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced it seeks new members for
the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC), which
provides a forum for IRS officials
to discuss key areas of tax administration with a broad range of tax
and other relevant professionals.
IRSAC members submit a
report to the IRS Commissioner
annually at a public meeting in the
fall.
IRSAC has eight open seats
for three-year terms starting in
January 2010. Applications will be
accepted from May 1 to June 16,
2009. IRSAC members are ap-
pointed by the Commissioner.
IRSAC members represent
a cross section of the tax community. Members are balanced to
include tax attorneys, certified
public accountants, enrolled
agents, appraisers, as well as small
and large small business representatives, among others. IRSAC can
have up to 35 members.
All applicants must
complete an application and
submit to a screening process.
More information and
the application for IRSAC can
be found on the Tax
Professional’s
Page
of
IRS.gov.
Page 7/ THE VILLAGER/May 8, 2009
Villager Sportsville
Gamebreakers gearing up for minor league football season
By George Hardin
SportsBeat
Dennis Jones is a man
with a hearty handshake as
well as a take-charge attitude
that has served him well during the 11 years that he has
been owner of the Austin
Gamebreakers, the minor
league football team that competes in the World Football
League (WFL).
“It’s a completely rebuilding year,” Jones, also the
coach, said on Saturday, May
2. “I lost a lot of players to
arena football and there’s a
separate team in Austin
called the Vipers and I lost
players to that team as well.
We’ve got a lot of young guys
and new guys on the team
this year.”
Jones spoke as he
and his assistants were leading the team through a prac-
GETTING READY—Members of the Austin Gamebreakers undergo an intense practice session at Lyndon B. Johnson High School. The minor league team begins its season May 23 at Yellow
Jacket Stadium. Photo by George E. Hardin
tice session at Lyndon B.
Johnson High School at 7309
Lazy Creek Drive on a sweltering day made more uncomfortable for the players wearing helmets, shoulder and
body pads and other gear.
Minor league players
compete because they like the
game of football and they are
not paid but have to dig into
their own pockets for uni-
forms and other expenses.
“We’ve got Corey
Cooks, wide receiver, who
will be coming back,” Jones
said, “David Seaborn, defensive back, Otis Neal, linebacker, Dante Hunter, quarterback, Jermaine Anderson,
defensive back.”
Cooks, one of the
players who has been with
the team the longest, said, “I
went to Reagan High School,
didn’t get to go to college and
came out here [with the
Gamebreakers] when I was
18, had some ups and downs
but basically I’ve been here
since I was 18, about 10
years.”
Mike Rose, place
kicker and punter for the team,
is another returnee. He said,
“Prior to the Gamebreakers I
played soccer about 16 years.
It [kicking a football] just
comes naturally.” Rose said
he is from Angleton, which is
south of Houston.
“As far as the players go that we have here now
they have a whole lot of
heart,” Seaborn said. Seaborn
played at Dellwood, with the
Red Raiders, at LBJ and Texas
Southern University. He said
this is his third year with the
Gamebreakers.
Also joining the team
this year is Mahalia Revetta
as the athletic trainer. She is a
graduate of Texas Lutheran
University where she earned
a bachelor of science degree
with a major in athletic training. She recently passed the
exam and earned her athletic
training license from the State
of Texas. Earlier she graduated from Bastrop High
School.
Working with Jones as
assistant coaches trying to get
the team ready for its first
game are Matt Cappell, Kenneth Lee, Hosea Nunnally
and Garrie McAfee. The
Gamebreakers open their season with a home game
against the Texas Bulldogs on
May 23 at 7 p.m. at Yellow
Jacket Stadium. After that
there will be three other home
games and six away games.
The WFL championship
playoffs begin Aug. 18 and
the World Bowl III championship game will take place
Aug. 29 at a location to be
announced. For 2010, the
WFL plans to have two expansion teams: the Kansas
City Outlaws in Kansas City,
Mo., and the Arkansas Eagles
in Little Rock, Ark. Other
teams competing with the
Gamebreakers in the South
Division are the Port City Jaguars, Dallas Diesel, Texas
Bulldogs, San Marcos Bucks
and Southeast Texas Demons.
Last year, under head
coach Kerry Overton, who is
no longer with the team, the
Gamebreakers, as defending
champions, won the South
Division championship and
made it to the finals. But they
lost 29-6 to the Oklahoma
Thunder in the World Bowl II
league championship game.
Commenting on the
team’s prospects for the season in view of the players
who moved on, Jones said,
“It’s going to be a long year,
but we’re going to be able to
pull something together. I
think we’ll go above .500.”
Greg Page’s death renews talk of boxing’s dangers
“That boy hit me so
hard it jarred my kinfolks in
Africa.” Muhammad Ali
once said of a promising
young boxer he had been
sparring with. That boxer
was Greg Page, one of the few
fighters
Ali
openly
complimented. Page, speaking about the encounter, de-
ymca
clared, “He wasn’t hurting
me.” Page, who began working as Ali’s sparring partner
early in his career, died in
Louisville, Ky., his hometown, Monday, April 27, at
age 50 after dealing for eight
years with traumatic brain
injury and paralysis caused
by injuries received in his last
Greg Page
boxing match. Funeral services were held Monday, May
4, in Louisville. Louisville is
also Ali’s hometown and both
boxers attended the same
high school. Page also was
known for knocking down
the then-undefeated Mike
Tyson in a sparring match
before the Tyson-James Douglas fight. Page was a onetime heavyweight champion
who rose and then faltered in
his career,
In the March 2001
fight that would be his last,
Page was knocked out by
Dale Crowe in the 10th round
as they fought for the Kentucky state championship.
The bout was held at Peel’s
Palace, a run-down rat- and
roach-infested venue in
Erlanger, Ky., near Cincinnati. The punch to Page’s
head resulted in a traumatic
brain injury. Page fell to the
canvas, suffered internal
bleeding and sustained a
massive stroke. He was in a
coma about a week. His left
side was paralyzed, his
speech impaired and he never
regained his mobility.
In 2007, Page and his
wife won $1.2 million in a suit
against the Kentucky Boxing
and Wrestling Authority, the
authority’s doctor and the
promoter over the lack of adequate medical facilities at the
fight. Page reportedly was
down about 45 minutes before
he was taken to a hospital. No
oxygen was available at ringside during the fight and no
ambulance was on site. The
ringside physician’s license
had been revoked in Kentucky and he only had a pro-
bationary license from Ohio.
The boxing authority also instituted a new policy regarding boxing safety and named
it the “Greg Page Safety Initiative.”
Page was 42 at the
time of the fight with Crowe,
trying to make a comeback,
and weighed 238, while
Crowe was 24 and a rising
star in the ring. Page’s share
of the purse was $1,500. His
career record was 58-16-1.
Page had been viewed
as a boxer who would follow in Ali’s steps. He won
the National Golden Gloves
heavyweight championship
at age 20 in 1978. After turning professional, Page was
defeated
by
Tim
Witherspoon in 1984 in his
first attempt at the World
Boxing Association (WBA)
heavyweight title. In December of that year Page
knocked out Gerrie Coetzee
in the eighth round to win
the WBA
o
Page 8/The Villager/May 8, 2009
Obama Looking for ‘Empathy and
Sojourner Truth Becomes First Black
Understanding’ in Supreme Court Justice
Woman Memorialized at U. S. Capitol
Caption: Women of the National Congress of Black Women gather around the newly unveiled Sojourner
Truth bust in the U. S. Capitol. NCBW President Dr. E. Faye Williams stands in center (green
suit).Credit: The Washington Informer
By. Tiffany Browne
NNPA Special
Correspondent
WASHINGTON
(NNPA) - The decade-long
quest to erect a memorial
statue of Sojourner Truth in
the U.S. Capitol has finally
come to fruition. The bust
was unveiled during a euphoria-filled ceremony
April 28, honoring the abolitionist and heroic activist
for women’s rights who
lived from 1797-1883.
The statue is the first to
honor a Black woman in the
nation’s Capitol. It has been
announced that her memorial will soon be joined by the
bust of Rosa Parks.
‘’Now many young
boys and girls like my own
daughters will come to
Emancipation Hall and see
the face of a woman who
looks like them,’’ said First
Lady Michelle Obama after
unveiling the bronze figure
of Truth. ‘’I hope that Sojourner Truth would be
proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the
first lady of the United States
of America.’’
It was the late Dr. C.
DeLores Tucker, founder
and a national chair of the
NCBW, who led the charge
to have Sojourner Truth memorialized within the Capitol. Tucker introduced Congress to a bill that called for
Sojourner Truth’s inclusion
in the suffrage memorial that
consists of Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Lucretia Mott and
Susan B. Anthony. The bust
unveiled last week, however, is a free-standing work
of art in Emancipation Hall.
austin Energy
NCBW’s
current
Chair Dr. E. Faye Williams
worked tirelessly to bring
the memorial to fruition.
U. S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), [then
Senator] Hilary Rodham
Clinton and Sen. Arlen
Specter (R- Pa.) led the Congressional legislation for the
memorial.
“She didn’t want children to know an untruth.
She wanted the truth to be
told that African American
women were involved in the
suffrage movement,” Lee
told the crowd assembled
for the unveiling.
The program participants included an all-star
line up. Singers Yolanda
Adams, Dorinda Clarke
Cole and Lomax Spaulding
opened the ceremony by
paying musical tribute to
Truth. Bishop Vashti
Murphy McKenzie gave the
official opening with a
powerful blessing. Also,
students from Atlanta’s
Ron Clark Academy gave a
lively musical tribute
through song and dance.
However, the high note was
actress Cicely Tyson reading the famous “Ain’t I a
Woman” speech given by
Sojourner Truth during a
women’s convention in
1851.
The long-awaited historic moment drew a crowd
to the Capitol for the unveiling.
“I’m so excited I let my
hair down,” joked Lee in reference to her latest hairstyle
which strays away from her
most notable style, a
braided up do.
Born into slavery as
Isabelle Baumfree in 1797,
Sojourner Truth escaped to
freedom after her owner
broke a promise to emancipate her. In 1843, a then
Baumfree, changed her
name to Sojourner Truth, telling her friends and associates, “The truth calls me”.
She joined the Northampton
Association of Education
and Industry, a group
founded by abolitionists
that supported women’s
rights and religious tolerance. After the group disbanded, Truth remained a
passionate and a devout
supporter of abolition and
women’s rights.
Betty Long, a visitor
from Pennsylvania, wept
during the unveiling.
Long said, “It shows
that our strength [lies] in
how we are able to press on
and rely on our faith. It also
shows that Blacks are a part
of the forefront for issues
affecting everyone.”
The significance of
Truth’s contributions was
exemplified at the event by
the fact that the unveiling
was led by three women in
political leadership. They
were Now Secretary of State
Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, the
first female speaker of the
House and First Lady
Obama.
Obama concluded, the
“power behind the bust will
not just be in the metal that
delineates
Sojourner
Truth’s face. It will be also
in the message that defines
her legacy.”
President Barack Obama
Special to the NNPA
from the
St. Louis American
(NNPA) - President
Barack Obama has promised the nation that he
would name a Supreme
Court justice who combines
‘’empathy and understanding’’ with an impeccable legal background to
succeed liberal David
Souter, whose unexpected
retirement announcement
set off speculation the next
justice could be a woman,
a Hispanic or both, according to the Associated Press.
Obama, who will be
making the first high court
nomination by a Democrat
in 15 years, pointedly referred to his plan to have
‘’him or her’’ on the bench
in time for the Supreme
Court’s session that begins
the first Monday in October.
‘’I will seek someone
who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book. It is
also about how our laws
affect the daily realities of
people’s lives,’’ said the
president in a surprise appearance in the White
House Press Room moments after speaking with
Souter by telephone. Word
of the impending retirement had leaked Thursday
night.
Obama promised to
consult with Republicans
and Democrats alike on his
choice.
Souter’s retirement
after 18 years gives Obama
an early chance to place
his stamp on the ninemember high court, possibly by naming a minority a second Black or the
court’s first Hispanic - or
a second woman.
Souter, 69, was
named to the court in 1990
by President George H. W.
Bush, a Republican. But on
abortion as well as other
issues, the New Hampshire native quickly
proved himself to be less
than the strong conservative the GOP had expected.
In 2000, he was one of four
dissenting justices on a
ruling that declared Presi-
dent George W. Bush the
winner of the disputed national election.
Democrats, who control 59 seats in the Senate,
will be in a strong position
when Obama’s nominee
arrives for confirmation
proceedings.
Souter, who is expected to return to his native New Hampshire, is
the youngest of three
members of the court who
have figured in retirement
speculation in recent
years. Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg is 76 and recently underwent cancer
surgery. Justice John Paul
Stevens is 89, the oldest
member of the court.
Obama, the nation’s first
black president, made no mention of using race or gender as
a consideration.
The current court has
one black justice, Clarence
Thomas, and Ginsberg is the
only woman. There has never
been a Hispanic on the Supreme Court.
Information from the
Associated Press contributed
to this report.
PA C