Front page 1 - The Villager

Presorted Standard
U.S. Postage Paid
Austin, Texas
Permit No. 01949
This paper can
be recycled
Vol. 36 No. 39
Website: theaustinvillager.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 512-476-0082
Fax: 512-476-0179
February 27, 2009
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2009
“The quest for Black citizenship in the Americas”
Azie Taylor Morton appointed U. S.
10th Annual
Community
Treasurer by President Jimmy Carter
RAPPIN’
Tommy Wyatt
Heritage
Festival
this weekend
at HT
What an exciting
month this was!
Black History Month 2009
was a very exciting time for me.
While we were trying to concentrate on the history of the past,
we were involved in the history
in the making.
Barack Obama completed his
first month in office on February 20, but you would have
thought that he had been in office a lot longer. During that time,
he held his first press conference, he received approval of
the Stimulus Package that he
had proposed, he laid out a plan
for the country and a few days
later, spoke to a joint session of
congress and told them and the
people of America about his
proposal. Later this week the
president will present to congress his budget for the coming
year.
On the home front, we focused
our attention on the Black History makers who walk among us
every day. For the last four
weeks we have talked about the
men and women who have made
milestone contributions to our
community by their community
service. We could cover only a
handful of these citizens, because the list is too long to cover
all of these citizens.
We concentrated on some of
the many first that have taken
place in our community since the
late 60’s. While we concentrated
on the big Civil Rights Marches
that were going on around the
country, there were a number of
efforts going on in our community and communities around
the country. We must remember that all politics are local. We
make our case for national issues by the actions that we take
at home.
We must remember that whoever the national leaders is, they
are only the face of the movement. The real action takes place
at home. While many are looking for help from the Obama administration, they would be better served by trying to work with
the local leadership to get the
problems solved. For example,
the stimulus money will be distributed through the organizations that are in place now.
There will be no new organizations created to work on our
current economic and employment problems. Whatever
money is allotted for our community will be sent through our
City Council or our County Commissioners Court. Other monies
will be secured from the state.
So, it is imperative to start now
to communicate with these officials
to have an input as to how that
money is spent. We must do it now.
We cannot wait until all of the
money is gone, before we make our
wishes and needs known.
We are not going to solve any of
our problems by calling Radio Talk
Shows and complaining. The President is expecting for all of us to be
hands on citizens and not “Arm
Chair Quarterbacks”.
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes
Austinites are invited to
join State Representative
Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin),
ProArts
Collective,
AMERIGROUP Community
Care and Huston-Tillotson
University for the 10th Annual African-American Community Heritage Festival on
Saturday, February 28, 2008,
from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on
the grounds of historic
Huston-Tillotson campus, located at 900 Chicon Street in
East Austin.
The 2008 AfricanAmerican Community Heritage Festival is a free event
with activities suitable for all
ages. This festival is the pinnacle of Austin’s celebrations
of Black History Month and
the rich culture AfricanAmericans contribute to the
Austin community every
day.
Azie Taylor Morton is
distinguished as the only African American ever to hold
the post of Treasurer of the
United States. Appointed by
President Jimmy Carter on
September 12, 1977, Morton
served as the United States’
36th Treasurer until January
20, 1981. Along with the Secretary of the Treasury, the
Treasurer must sign Federal
Reserve notes before they can
become legal tender, thus
Morton’s signature was on
U.S. currency for three years.
Her work as U.S. Treasurer
was preceded by many years
of public service, and her upstanding character and giving spirit are well known in
her Texas community. In
spite of an underprivileged
childhood, Morton’s amazing
accomplishments along with
her gracious spirit give hope
to those less fortunate. “It isn’t
luck, and it isn’t circumstances, and it isn’t being
born a certain way that causes
a person’s future to become
what it becomes,” Morton said
in the book Chicken Soup for
the Soul at Work. Her life’s
work is a strong testimony to
her belief that a person can
accomplish anything they set
their mind to.
Azie Taylor was born
on February 1, 1936, in Dale,
Texas, to Fleta Hazel Taylor.
Morton said in a speech to the
student body of a small college in South Carolina (as
quoted in Chicken Soup for the
Soul at Work), “I was born to a
mother who was deaf and
could not speak. I do not
know who my father is or was.
The first job I ever had was in
Work.
Azie Taylor Morton served as U. S.Ttreasurer
a cotton field.” Morton was school at the University of
raised by her maternal grand- Texas, her admission was
parents, and because there denied on the grounds that
was no high school for Afri- she did not have enough uncan Americans in Dale, she dergraduate courses. Her adattended high school at a mission was then denied for
charity-sponsored school for the undergraduate courses
black children in Austin she needed based on Texas
called the Texas Blind, Deaf, University’s policy of not aland Orphan School. She lowing African Americans
graduated there at the age of into its undergraduate pro16 with high grades, and en- grams. In spite of this emorolled at Huston-Tillotson, an tional setback, Azie began a
all-black college in Austin, fulfilling and successful fortywhere she graduated cum five year career. “Nothing has
laude with a Bachelor of Sci- to remain the way it is if that’s
ence degree in commercial not the way a person wants it
education in 1956. Although to be,” Morton was quoted in
she applied to graduate Chicken Soup for the Soul at
Small Personal Item Belt Developer Inherits
Go-Getting spirit from Civil Rights Grandfather
Inventor Kim Overton is the Granddaughter of the late Volma
Overton, Sr.
Austin, TX – February
24, 2008 – Effecting change in
the world is nothing new for
Kim Overton. The granddaughter of Volma Overton,
Sr., an influential figure in
Austin’s Black Civil Rights
movement, Kim’s upbringing
infused her with a proactive,
can-do attitude. So when the
frustration of cumbersome
keys got in the way of her
daily run, she set about rem-
edying the situation. Soon after, the SPIbelt™ was born.
Short for “Small Personal
Item Belt,” the SPIbelt™ frees
up the hands and body for fitness, running and travel. This
patent-pending, non-bounce
creation expands to securely
hold all the items on-the-go
individuals need at their disposal. Fitness fanatics, runners and travelers who would
like to take their iPods™,
Blackberries™, keys, medical
supplies, money, credit
cards, wallets and passports
with them without getting in
the way can learn more about
the SPIbelt™ online at
www.spibelt.com.
As the nation celebrates
Black History Month, several
key names deserve mention.
For Austin, Texans, that list
of notables would be incomplete without Volma Overton,
Sr. on it. From 1963 until 1983,
Overton served as President
of the Austin chapter of the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP). During that
tenure, he was vitally influential in desegregating the
city’s schools. Forty-five years
later, the Overton name is still
making a revolutionary impact on the world. The civil
rights torch has been passed
down through the generations, where Kim Overton, his
granddaughter, is now picking up the go-getting entrepreneurial baton.
The founder of Overton
Enterprises, Kim Overton’s
product offerings include superior non-bounce belts and
bands for fitness, running
and travel. Developed just
two short years ago, the
SPIbelt™, the company’s flag
See SPIbelt page 7
Morton spent a short
time teaching at a state-supported school for delinquent
girls after she graduated from
college in 1956. After this, she
returned to her alma mater to
serve as assistant to the president of the college for a short
time. In 1957 she applied and
was hired as a staff member
for the new Texas AFLCIO, a
major labor union. She later
moved to Washington to
serve on President John F.
Kennedy’s Committee on
Equal Employment Opportunity, beginning twenty years
of service in the public sector
that culminated with her appointment in 1977 as Treasurer of the United States. As
Treasurer, Morton was responsible for the receipt and
custody of government funds.
Morton also served on
several important foreign affairs committees during her
political career. She was a
member of the American Delegation to Rome for the Enthronement of Pope John Paul
II, and chair of a People to
People Mission to the Soviet
Union and China. She was
also an Election Observer for
the Presidential elections in
Haiti, Senegal, and the Dominican Republic, and a representative to the first African/African American Conference held in Africa.
Mission to the Soviet
Union and China, chair; First
African-American Conference
in Africa, representative; National Democratic Institute,
board member; Citizens Fund,
board of trustees, 1991-2001;
See Morton page 5
City Solid Waste Disposal Dept
Helps Slum Lords Turn Wentworth
Street and Gar Creek into “Dumpster
City”!!
Adrienne Rison-Isom
Contributing Reporter
City Solid Waste Services Assistant Director,
Daniel Cardenas said, “ It
was the determination of the
City, that the best way to deal
with the trash situation in that
area was to place dumpsters
there”. This was the response
after over 8 months of complaining about large commercial dumpsters which were
placed half covering the side
walks in front of many four
plexes: lined up on the streets
of Wentworth, and Gar Creek
in the 78724 zip code, as a
permanent solution to take
care of the trash situation in that
area.
When focusing on
who made this direct determination, Cardenas stated,
that this was the response,
and decision of Solid Waste
Director “Willie Roads”, after Cardenas tried to follow
up on this action which is an
atrocity to the neighborhood.
This statement made February 24th, followed an interview with Mr. Mark Gonzalez
(Supervisor) who stated that
they have had many complaints about the overflow of
dumping in and outside of the
dumpsters. This evidently is
attributing to a nasty dangerous situation.
See Dumpster page 5
Page 2/THE VILLAGER/February 27, 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
A Solution to the Roland Burris Mess
George Curry
NNPA Columnist
Roland Burris should
borrow a page from Republican Senator Judd Gregg of
New Hampshire, President
Obama’s short-lived pick to
become Commerce Secretary,
and agree to resign his Senate seat immediately on the
condition that he be replaced
by another African-American.
The embattled Illinois
senator has been in office
shortly more than a month,
but is facing increasing calls
for his resignation in the
wake of disclosures that he
has been less than forthcoming about his attempts to
raise campaign contributions
for impeached Gov. Rod
Blagojevich in exchange for
being appointed to the U.S.
Senate.
Burris was selected to
fill the remaining term of
President Barack Obama,
which is set to expire in two
years. The Senate Ethics Committee has been asked to investigate Burris and perjury
charges have been referred to
Illinois prosecutors for possible action.
It’s time to pull the plug
on this soap opera and the
quickest way to turn the lights
out is by getting Burris to do
something many have already accused him of doing –
cut a deal.
I know there are some
who will say that Burris
should resign with no strings
attached. I agree in principle,
but doubt that he’ll leave voluntarily without some preconditions. Hence, my proposal that he leave, be replaced by another AfricanAmerican, and in 2010, let the
voters of Illinois decide who
should succeed the man who
succeeded Barack Obama.
Invariably, conservatives will
call my proposal to end the
standoff racist because it
seeks to keep at least one African-American seated in the
otherwise all-White Senate. In
the larger scheme of things,
this is no different than Senator Gregg agreeing to give up
his Senate seat with the stipulation that a Republican replace him to avoid giving
Democrats a critical 60-vote
edge. Of course, the circumstances are different but in the
end, it’s about the same thing
— retaining political power.
New Hampshire Gov.
John Lynch, a Democrat,
agreed to play the game, naming Bonnie Newman, Gregg’s
former chief of staff, to replace
him. But Gregg had second
thoughts and decided to stay
in the Senate.
I’m glad Gregg decided
to stay put rather than head a
department he once voted to
abolish. With the 2010 census
fast approaching, he is not
one who could be trusted to
oversee the official enumeration of Americans. With a
record of supporting
NAACP-backed positions
only 24 percent of the time –
earning him a grade of F – in
the 110th Congress (20072008), Gregg’s appointment
raises question about
Obama’s judgment.
The same three Republicans who backed the
administration’s stimulus
program – Olympia J. Snowe
and Susan Collins of Maine
and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania – were the only members of the GOP to receive a
passing grade on the NAACP
Report Card. The two Maine
senators earned Bs and Specter received a C. Every other
Republican in the Senate
earned a D or F. Instead of
picking a moderate Republican, Obama went for someone
who votes against AfricanAmerican interests more than
75 percent of the time.
The issue with Burris is not
his voting record, but his veracity.
The Black community
rallied around Burris because
they believed that he was untainted and had steered clear
of any pay-to-play deals with
Blagojevich before the gover-
nor was booted from office.
We were obviously misled.
Burris keeps changing his
story and each time he does,
he sinks deeper and deeper
into a hole.
In a Jan. 5 affidavit,
Burris declared “there was
not any contact between myself or any of my representatives with Gov. Blagojevich or
any of his representatives regarding my appointment.” He
was pressed on this point
several days later by the Illinois House impeachment
committee. Rep. Jim Durkin
asked Burris about six people
close to the governor and
whether he had any contact
with them. After consulting
with his lawyer, Burris replied, “I talked to some
friends about my desire to be
appointed, yes.”
The only “friend” he
identified was Lon Monk, the
governor’s chief of staff. Following up, Rep. Jill Tracy
asked: “So you don’t recall
that there was anybody else
besides Lon Monk that you
expressed an interest to at that
point?”
Burris: “No, I can’t recall…”
In an amended affidavit that some contend was
submitted after Burris learned
that some of his conversations may have been taped by
federal prosecutors investigating the governor, Burris
acknowledged that he had
been in contact with six
Blagojevich associates, including his brother, Rob, who
asked Burris on three different occasions to raise money
for the governor.
Speaking to reporters
On Feb. 16, Burris acknowledged that he attempted to
raise money for Blagojevich,
but the people he approached
were not interested in giving.
This embarrassing saga has
gone on much too long.
Enough is too much.
Burris needs to resign and if
it takes appointing an African-American successor to
make him go away sooner,
let’s make a deal.
George E. Curry, former
editor-in-chief of Emerge and
NNPA News Service, is a keynote speaker, moderator, and
media coach. His web site is
www.georgecurry.com.
Economic Crisis Puts Children at Risk
By Marian Wright Edelman
NNPA Columnist
In the middle of all the
headlines and 24-hour news
reports about the economic
crisis, one critical story is just
beginning to be told.
Four days after Christmas, the Washington Post ran
this article: ‘’Child Neglect
Cases Multiply As Economic
Woes Spread.’’ In the article,
area child welfare workers
talked about the noticeable
rise in the number of child
abuse and neglect investigations. Many of the new neglect cases were connected to
families trying to make do
without heat, electricity or
necessary medical care, like
asthma medications and
other basic needs.
An emergency room
doctor at Children’s National
Medical Center in Washington, DC, worried about a recent jump in the number of
children coming in with
bruises, broken bones and
burns, and colleagues in other
cities told her they’d noticed
the same thing.
Operators at child
abuse prevention hotlines
were also hearing from growing numbers of parents
whose financial problems
were pushing them over the
edge and making them lose
control around their children.
The child welfare ex-
By. Marc H. Morial
NNPA Columnist
The perennial debate
about the need for Black History Month has intensified
this year as the shock and
awe of America electing its
first Black president still reverberates across this land.
Even before Barack Obama
achieved that extraordinary
breakthrough, there were
some who questioned the necessity of a special month to
recognize the many unknown and unsung achievements of African Americans.
With Obama as President, the logic goes, we have
now achieved Dr. King’s
dream of a non-racial
America where everyone is
judged by the content of their
character, not the color of their
skin. I wish it were so.
All one needs to do is
look at the glaring disparities
between Blacks and Whites
in income, employment, incarceration rates, educational
self-esteem among historically oppressed people; and
second to remind all Americans that in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds,
our diversity is our greatest
strength.
It is fitting that the first
Presidential Proclamation issued by Barack Obama is one
that recognizes National African American History
Month.
He writes, ‘’The belief
that…the dreams and the
promise of our nation… might
one day be realized by all of
our citizens gave African
American men and women
the same sense of duty and
love of country that led them
to shed blood in every war we
have ever fought, invest hardearned resources in their
communities with the hope of
self-empowerment, and to
pass the ideals of this great
land down to their children
and grandchildren.’’
Eight years after the horrific events of 9-11, the American spirit is again being put
to the test with an economic
crisis that is being compared
to the Great Depression. We
need to look no further than
the lives of great men and
women like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B
Dubois, Thurgood Marshall,
Whitney Young, Rosa Parks,
Martin Luther King and
Barack Obama for a sense of
certainty that this too, ‘’we
shall overcome.’’
for immediate relief, and shoring up states’ capacity to offer them the health coverage
and range of social services
and supports they need—all
improvements included in the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act being voted on
in Congress.
The Child Tax Credit
and Earned Income Tax
Credit improvements and the
new Make Work Pay Credit
in the recovery package will
help get money into the hands
of families that they can
spend quickly for basic needs
for their children and themselves. Families also will benefit from anticipated expansions of housing and job
training opportunities.
Special help is needed
at the federal level and in
states and communities to
strengthen supports for already vulnerable families
challenged by substance
abuse, mental health and domestic violence, and to increase significantly staff and
services to help prevent and
treat child abuse and neglect.
Faith communities and
other community-based organizations must provide special outreach and help with
children during these challenging times, and we must
not forget the important supportive roles we can play,
neighbor to neighbor and in
our own families, to ease pressures on stressed-out families. We know what works to
help keep children safe. But
this help needs to come soon.
Children in danger and at risk
right now can’t wait.
Marian
Wright
Edelman is president of the
Children’s Defense Fund. For
more information about the
Children’s Defense Fund, go
to
the
website
at
www.childrensdefense.org.
From blood banking to the modern subway, from jazz to social justice,
the contributions of African Americans have shaped and molded and
influenced our national culture and our national character.
Majesty and Misery: The Richness of Lift Every Voice
Black History Month - Needed Now More
Than Ever
a dual purpose: first to build
achievement and health status to see that race still matters in America. Equal opportunity is still part of the unfinished business of American democracy.
In 1926, after centuries
of Blacks being excluded, not
only from the mainstream of
American life, but also from
the textbooks in our schools,
the African American historian, Carter G. Woodson did
a service to all Americans
when he created Negro History Week, which was expanded to Black History
Month in 1976. Woodson’s
vision was one of unity and
inclusion.
He said, ‘’What we
need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the
history of the world void of
national bias, race, hate and
religious prejudice.’’
That is a goal that
America is still struggling to
achieve.
In fact, legislatures in a
number of states, including
New York and New Jersey,
have recently passed laws
mandating or encouraging
teachers to broaden their history courses to include more
ethnic, racial and gender diversity. That is why we still
recognize March as Women’s
History Month, May as Jewish American History Month,
September 15 to October 15 as
Hispanic Heritage Month
and February as Black History Month.
These celebrations serve
perts interviewed in the article
agreed that economic stress
puts already fragile families,
like those facing domestic violence or substance abuse, at
even greater risk. Families
who may have seemed fine
only a few months ago are also
in danger. Linda Spears, vice
president of the Child Welfare League of America, told
the Post she is seeing cases of
‘’middle-class families living
in their cars, so afraid of losing their children that they
tell the children not to tell anyone they’re homeless…. In
late winter or early spring, I
suspect we’ll just begin to see
the impact on kids.’’
The same stories are
quietly popping up in many
communities across the country. Children are already directly affected by the nation’s
economy. Between 2006 and
2007, the number of poor children grew by 500,000 to the
current total of 13.3 million.
That number is expected to
increase even more as the full
impact of the recession is felt.
And even before
America reached a full-blown
economic crisis, we already
were experiencing a child
abuse and neglect crisis. In
2006, more than 900,000 children were abused or neglected, and 40 percent of
those children got no help after their initial investigation.
Now the threat is even
greater as child abuse and
neglect together become one
more indicator of how Americans are responding to the
current pressure, stress and
insecurity.
Action is needed at all
levels. In Congress, steps
hopefully will be taken soon
to alleviate stress on families
by extending unemployment
insurance benefits, getting
food stamps to more families
By. Julianne Malveaux
NNPA Columnist
When I learned that
Senator Dianne Feinstein
would be charged with the
inaugural arrangements I
prayed. I prayed that our San
Francisco sister would be as
sensitive, as I was, to the moment and the meaning of the
Negro National Anthem and
to the possibility that the San
Francisco Boys and Girls
Choir might sing that song.
Yes, I know that I was
delusional. President Barack
Hussein Obama is the president of the United States of
America, not of Black
America. That means that our
president might demur on
making racial gestures, singing the right song, in the right
tenor. I did not expect President Obama to sing the Negro National anthem. But I
prayed someone would sing
it.
While no one sang it,
one many parsed it. The Rev.
Joseph lowery was the unwitting answer to my prayer.
When he lifted up the words,
god of our weary years god of
our silent tears, he put the
words of the Negro national
anthem in the inaugural mix.
I will always be grateful to rev. lowery for his
words, but also to president
Obama for bringing Rev.
Lowery to the table. I revel in
the history, in Black history,
in the afterglow.
While I revel, media colleagues align themselves in a
different space. They write
that they don’t need Black
history, and as I read them, I
swear I am going to go running down the streets and
sidewalks in sheer hysteria.
Of course we need Black
history, this manifestation of
Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s vision. Now we are actually
openly talking about AfricanAmerican people, history and
possibility. Should we just
forget Black history because
an African-American man is
president of the United
States? Or should we wait
until our nation’s statuary,
and our K-12 curriculum begin to reflect our cultural energy.
If you ride around our
nation’s cities and towns you
will find statues that suggest
that we lift up those who make
outstanding contributions.
Why are there not more African-Americans in the mix?
Even if there is someone to
concede that history is being
made right this minute, who
will correct the statuary?
When do we get to lift up the
likenesses of Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Patricia Roberts Harris, and the other African American women who
have made a difference in our
world?
Until these women are
as elevated as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln,
Thomas Jefferson and john
Adams, it makes no sense to
consider eliminating Black
History Month.
Why would some eliminate? They say that Black history month means segrega-
tion. The real segregation i
the way our history book
were written, the fact that ev
ery high school book had a
page or two on slavery, usu
ally illustrated as a Black man
who looks d like a recent es
capee from and uncle Ben’
rice box, a page that had aun
lemma’s closest companion
illustrated, a book that reduced
slavery into a paragraph o
two, a book that failed to cap
ture the nuances of slavery –
the reality of those slaves tha
purchased themselves, the
complexities of the lies of those
who navigated freedom, the
challenges of those who were
related to those who actually
owned them.
Attorney General Eric
Holder was on point when he
indicated that we are afraid to
confront our very foundations
And our fear has given fuel to
the fear of others, cowards
who would suggest that we
should eliminate Black his
tory month because they think
the racial world is now flat.
Not flat, our world beg
for a conversation, and unti
we clear the air the conversa
tion will be, perhaps, ap
proached during Black history
month. We have elected an
African American ma as presi
dent of the United States, bu
we have not fixed every his
tory book nor captured all o
the nuances of African Ameri
can heritage and history.
How many White folk
know the words of the Negro
National Anthem – Lift Every
Voice and Sing. How many o
those trying to slam the doo
on Black history – Black and
White – understand the rich
ness and reality of the Negro
National Anthem?
Julianne Malveaux can
be
reached
a
[email protected]
February 27, 2009/The Villager/Page 3
CAPITAL CITY CHAPTER OBSERVES
NATIONAL MENTORING DAY
14th Pastor
Appreciation
Celebration
Olivet Baptist Church
will have its 14th Pastor Appreciation Celebration honoring Pastor Kennedy Young,
Sr.
On Friday, March 6 at
7pm will be the Pastor’s Appreciation Fellowship Dinner
at Buca Di Beppo Restaurant,
3612 Tudor Blvd. The cost is
$25 per person.
On Sunday, March 8 at
10am will be the Pastor’s Appreciation Worship Service
with special guest Pastor
Kennedy Young, Jr. and the
College Hill Baptist Church
family of Tyler.
Juneteenth Celebrations Weekend 2009
On June 19, 2009, there
will be the Hazel Obey Tribute Parade at 6:30 p.m. on
Loyola Lane.
On June 19-21, 2009,
there will be the Tyrone
Johnson 6th Annual Girls
Basketball Showcase at the
Delco Center.
On June 20, 2009, it’s the
6th Annual Alvin Patterson
Battle of the Bands & Drumming Competition at 6:00 p.m.
at Nelson Athletic Stadium.
The Capital City Chapter of Top Teens of America
observed their annual
Mentoring Day on Sunday,
February16, 2009. Top Teens
of America is sponsored by
Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc.
(TLOD)
Seventy Top Teens
chapter members, Top Ladies, Lords, and parents attended worship service at
David Chapel Missionary
Baptist Church, where Dr. Joseph C. parker, Jr. is Pastor.
Immediately following worship service, the Teens and
their mentors attended a lun-
Our web site
www.theaustinvillager.com
cheon at Texas Land & Cattle
restaurant.
The purpose of this annual event is to focus on interests and relationships between the Teens, Ladies, and
Lords. The role of the TLOD
and Lord mentor is intended
to be a supportive, empowering, and proactive partner in
the lives of their teen mentee.
During brunch, teen mentees
interacted with their mentors
and learned bits and pieces
of valued information from
their mentor that has surely
connected each to the other.
The Capital City Chap-
ter of Top Teens program of
work includes many SERVICE projects: service to senior
citizens, beautification of the
community, sponsoring a
healthy choices conference,
March of Dimes, literacy, and
service to all youth and adults.
Capital City Chapter
Top Teens have dedicated advisors, Lady Wanda Johnson,
Lady Roye Reeves, Lady
Kathy Black, and Lady
Tamara Miller. Lady Delois
Hall serves as President of the
local Capital City Chapter of
TLOD.
Church news, announcement?
If so, contactthe Villager at
476-0082
Leadership Austin Launches 2009
Essential Class
February 24, 2009–
Leadership Austin announces the 2009 Essential
Class with 54 of Austin’s
most exceptional community
leaders.
From September, 2008
to May, 2009 the Leadership
Austin Essential Class, selected for their community involvement and diversity, meet
monthly in various locations
around Austin to discuss regional issues, enhance leadership skills and develop a
strong network to encourage
innovative, collaborative solutions to the challenges facing
the Austin community. The
2009 Leadership Austin Essential Class is supported by
Seton Family of Hospitals.
“This year, Leadership
Austin celebrates 30 years of
preparing strong community
leaders for Central Texas,”
says Heather McKissick,
Leadership Austin President/CEO. “We are proud of
the 1,400 Leadership Austin
Alumni who are making a
direct impact in our communities every day..”
Leadership Austin is
proud to announce the members of the 2009 Class and to
feature 6 outstanding members of the African American
Community, they are Angie
Castilleja, Make-A-Wish
Foundation, Peter Daniels, A
New Entry, Inc., Craig Moore,
Travis County District
Attorney’s Office, Tina
Prentice, St. David’s Community Health Foundation (not
shown in photo) , D’Andra
Ulmer, grand beginnings, inc.
Pat Wilson, First Marathon
Financial.
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.
Pastor
Nursery services available
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church4509
Springdale Road 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281
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
Sunday Services
Sunday School
10:00 A.M.
Worship Service
11:00 A.M.
WEDNESDAY Bible Study
6:30 P.M.
SATURDAY New
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
JOSHUA CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1006 Yeager Lane, Suite 102-A
Austin, Texas
4930 South Congress Avenue, C-302 512-750-4628 512-804-2537
Member Assimilation 10:00 A.M.
Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
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
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.
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
The Spencer & Ora Lee Nobles
“Hope Center” (512) 476-6722
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/February 27, 2009
Sponsorship
Available
Call for info
476-0082
Youth of Today. Hope of Tomorrow.
The 2nd Football Test is Complete
Jeremy Henderson
McCallum High School
This
week
the
McCallum football team did
its second test. This second
test was important, because it
showed how much we have
progressed in our work-outs
for the past 6 weeks. We began our testing on Tuesday,
with bench press. Everyone
was prepared and got their
lifts in and did very well.
Then on Wednesday, we did
squats and everyone did great
and did their lifting. On
Thursday, the juniors did not
test on incline, because we
had to sign up for the SAT or
ACT, but everyone else did lift
and did well. Finally, on Friday the juniors did both our
incline and power cling test
and were awesome. Everyone
else did power cling test and
were super. This was a very
cool week and everyone did
an amazing job on their testing. We worked very hard to
get better and prepare for the
upcoming football season,
which will be dedicated to
Coach Honeycutt. Next week
everyone will have a new lifting group and will be lifting
and working with different
people. Once again this was
a terrific week. To all my football teammates keep up the
good work. Go Knights!!!!
KLMS staff meets with
next year’s students
Alon Rodgers
.
Kelly Lane Middle School
KLMS staff met with
all incoming 6th graders
last week at their elementary schools. Students are
seeing their choice sheets
for next year and there is
something new: combining Pre AP Math and Pre
AP Science and Pre AP
Language Arts and Pre AP
History. This applies to all
grades levels. This should
encourage more participation in the Pre AP program.
6th graders and 7th
graders choose 3 electives
(one of which must be PE);
while 8th graders choose 2
electives and PE is not required.
The PTA met last
week. In Old Business, the
PTO bought a podium for
the school. Kristi Gardner
is covering the $75 shipping charge. Kim Kinsey
and Darlene Cross have
each donated an ice chest
to the school.
In New Business the
Kelly Lane will participate
in the Hendrickson HS
Hawk Hustle – Sat., March
7. KLMS PTO gave $200 to
HHS Senior Celebration.
The hustle is raising money
for the senior celebration. If
a team comes together, the
KLMS PTO will cover the
entry fee. The PTO will sell
shirts at 6th grade parent
night, Feb. 17. Everything is
$10.
Treasurer’s Report Balance is $1,019.51.
Pflugerville Hawks
Team Tennis had their first
match
Sunday
at
Riverplace Country Club.
The team is made up of
Nathan Albers, TJ McCrea,
Janae Smith, Austin Halk,
Ricky Dobbs, Jordynne
Williams, Justyce Williams, Jacob Baird, Anthony Broccolo, and
Ashley Bedford. All team
members are returning and
show great improvement
from last year in the Capital Area Professional Tennis Association League.
Team results from the meet
were encouraging — we
won four out of eight
matches — against a very
strong country club team
with a pro coach. Practices
are Tuesday and Thursday at Falcon Pointe from
4-6 p.m. There is still time
to join the spring season
and compete against the
best tennis players in the
region.
The Hawks can now
cheer “We Believe”
Alonzo Black
Hendrickson High School
Hendrickson Hawk’s
can now cheer “We Believe”
once again thanks to the success our boy’s basketball
team. The Hawks went into
their season with high expectations, and after a shaky start
achieved what everyone
knew they could. The
Hendrickson basketball team,
after going into district with
a 10-12 record, came out with
an 18-14 record and the district crown.
The Hawks began the
season short of two starters
who were still deep into the
Hawk’s football playoff run.
Apparently the chant “We
believe!” carried over from the
football playoffs to the basketball courts. The Hawks district resume consists of a win
at district rival, Lake Travis,
on their home court.
Hendrickson played Reagan
High School at the Delco Center Monday February 23rd.
Plans for Pflugerville
ISD’s fourth high school came
into focus through a series of
public events recently. Rather
than creating a comprehensive high school with sports
and electives included, the
1,500 to 1,800 student school
will be focused on career education and college readiness.
School officials say this will
be the first such campus in the
region, but they visited other
Texas schools as models including Wunsche High
School, Ben Barber Academy,
and Irving Academy in
Spring, Mansfield, and Irving, respectively. Students
will remain at their home
campus for electives. The
school is planned to open in
2012 or 2013.
Four Hendrickson students were commended in the
National Merit Scholarship
Program: Samuel D. Johnson,
Nathan Jones, Vincent
Margaretich, and Lloyd Price.
Carter G. Woodson, Founder
of Black History Month
Lexus Wren
KIPP
Do you know who
Carter Godwin Woodson
was? A historian, educator,
author, and publisher. Born
in 1875 in New Canton, Virginia. The son of freed slaves,
Woodson worked as a sharecropper and a miner to help
his family. He began high
school in his late teens and
proved to be an excellent student. Woodson went on to
college and earned several
degrees. He received a doctorate from Harvard University
in 1912- becoming one of the
first African Americans to
earn a Ph.D. at the prestigious
institution. Woodson lobbied
schools and organizations to
participate in a special program to encourage the study
of African American history,
which began in February
1926 with Negro History
Week and was later expanded
and renamed Black History
Month. I am sure there are a
few people in the community
that did not know that!This
month my school had a Black
History program and the African Americanl ratio is a little
low at my school, so it was
not that huge. I would like to
help change that maybe have
food, music, a small show.
However we made a African
American history timeline
and evaluated a few African
American songs, we had to
find meaning in the songs
(which was cool), in another
class we talked about segregation, learning that there is
voluntary segregation. I think
we need March and April to
learn a little more! Thanks
KIPP but I am thinking of a
huge celebration in the future.
‘UNIVERSITY DAY 2009’ SCHEDULED
AT HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY
MYAC
(AUSTIN, Texas) —
High school students and
their parents are invited to
University Day 2009 on Saturday, February 28, on the
campus of Huston-Tillotson
University, 900 Chicon Street.
University Day, beginning at
9 a.m., provides prospective
students the opportunity to
visit the campus, meet faculty
and staff, obtain information
about majors, and receive
scholarship and financial aid
information. This year’s event
is held in conjunction with
Homecoming 2009 activities.
A campus tour, step
show, and other activities are
planned during the event that
is free to all. To register for
University Day, go to prospec-
tive students on the
www.htu.edu Web site, call
Enrollment Management at
512.505.3028, or send a message to [email protected].
Starting at 1 p.m., the
public is invited to the Tenth
Annual African American
Community Heritage Festival, sponsored by Texas State
Representative Dawnna
Dukes. The event, held for the
past few years in conjunction
with University Day, features
performances by youth
groups, merchant vendors,
mobile health services, face
painters, jugglers, balloon
twisters, and more. The Heritage Festival concludes at 5:00
p.m. and there is no charge to
the public.
The First Track Meet
Michelle Gordon
McCallum High School
The McCallum track
season has started and our
first meet is on Saturday, I am
nervous because I will be
running against girls that
have been running varsity for
the longest and this is my
first year running varsity. I’m
excited because I love to run
and compete and seeing
others competing. My favorite
events are the 200 meter dash
and the 4 by 1 relay. I think
the first couple of meets will
help my team become
prepared for District which is
really important! Overall I
think we’re going to have a
good, strong team. I wish the
best for all teams and may
your season be the best!! God
Bless and Stay in School!
Michelle Obama Host Black
History Month For Kids
Toni Nelson
KIPP
While Barack Obama
is busy trying to swiftly solve
our nation’s economy crisis,
his wife and First Lady is doing her part for the kids.
Michelle Obama hosted a
Black History Month celebration for nearly 200 6th and 7th
grade students from D.C.
schools in the East Room of
the White House on Wednesday (February 18) which also
featured a performance by
Sweet Honey in the Rock, an
award winning female
acappella ensemble. After an
introduction by the White
House’s longest serving employee, Chief Usher Admiral
Rochon, Mrs. Obama spoke to
the students about how hard
work can take you anywhere
you’d like, even to the White
House like the President. The
First Lady encourged the students to visit the White House
often, because she said it
should be a place of “learning and for sharing new and
different ideas, sharing new
forms of art and culture, and
history and different
perspectives.”I wish I could
have been there!! It sounds
like a very nice program the
kids had a historical chance
to enjoy, they were in history
and may not have even
thought about it!
I would like to help improve the “Black History”
celebration at my school for
the next year even if I transfer
to a different school I would
still help out at KIPP for the
Black History month program. This is KIPP’s High
School first year so if anyone
would like to donate information and items log in to our
website.
YMCA OF AUSTIN CELEBRATES RICH AND
LITTLE-KNOWN HERITAGE
In 1853, Anthony Bowen,
a former slave, minister and first
person of color to work in the
United States Patent Office,
founded the nation’s first YMCA
dedicated to serving AfricanAmericans. Becoming part of a
movement that sought personal
and community growth
through healthy spirit, mind
and body, Bowen began an effort that has continued to enrich
the diversity and spirit of the
nation’s 2,617 YMCAs.
In Austin, as in more than
10,000 communities across the
country, the YMCA of Austin
celebrates the richness of that diversity.
The YMCA of Austin was
founded in 1953 and, today,
serves over 30,000 members and
provides youth, adult and family programs for more than
80,000 individuals through
eight branches in Travis and
Hays counties. In addition, the
YMCA of Austin provides
afterschool child care at 18 elementary schools in four school
districts, and operates Learning
Centers at six City of Austin affordable housing complexes.
YMCA Milestones in African-American History Include:
· In 1900, black communities started 21 African-American
YMCAs with 53 college chapters.
In 1915, an association organized in Chicago to “study
Negro Life,” led to the creation
by the Wabash YMCA of a Negro History Week—the forerun-
ner of today’s Black History
Month.
· By the mid-1920s, in a still
segregated era, there were 28,000
black members at 51 city YMCAs
and 128 chapters at AfricanAmerican colleges around the
country. These facilities received
wide support from millionaire
industrialists George Foster
Peabody, John D. Rockefeller
and Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
· YMCAs provided service
to both black and white troops,
even though the U.S. Army remained racially segregated.
· In 1919, YMCAs established an Interracial Commission to assist black troops returning home from World War I.
“Rosenwald” YMCA buildings
served 25 African-American
communities, including clean,
safe dorm rooms and eating facilities that were a boon to African-American travelers—especially servicemen—who were on
the road during a segregated and
discriminatory era. After World
War II, there was increased emphasis on eliminating racial segregation in YMCAs.
· In 1946, the YMCA
national office urged existing YMCAs, each one an independent association, to
eliminate racial discrimination, and new YMCAs were
organized on an interracial
basis.
· The YMCA national
body officially banned segregation in 1967.
City Solid Waste Disposal Dept Helps Slum Lords Turn
Wentworth Street and Gar Creek into
“Dumpster City”!!from page 1
February 27, 2009/THE VILLAGER/page 5
Blacks In The Military Before
Desegregation and good humor in adversity,
By Chuck Pennie
Special to The Villager
A typlical day around the neighborhood is littered with trash and debris.
Wentworth and
Gar Creek is a residential
neighborhood of duplexes
and four plexes. The neighborhood which once was
beautifully maintained, is
now become the site of dozens of badly managed duplexes, and four plexes run
by absentee land lords who
for the most part live in California and Chicago. Beside
the poor landscaping and
management of the exterior
premises,
now
unimaginably, somehow,
these absentee landlords
reached an agreement with
the City of Austin Solid Waste
Disposal Director, “Willie
Roads”, and Texas Waste
Disposal, to initiate a money
contract to pay Texas Waste
Disposal to place, and maintain dumpsters in front of at
least every other four plexes
in that neighborhood.
It has become a regular occurrence that there is
trash left such as; couches,
industrial / commercial
waste from contractors, and
other discarded furniture not
by tenants, but other people
coming from everywhere to
take advantage of a free dump!
“The trash remains there. The
stench mixed with residential
trash is unimaginable!
Usually, when
dumpsters are installed in
apartments they have an enclosed area, where the
dumpsters are out of site, or
concealed, so as not to make
an unsightly look to the
façade of the living quarters.
The Wentworth and Gar
Creek four plexes were constructed decades ago. They
were not built with an area to
contain dumpsters. Someone
stated that before the
dumpsters, they noticed dogs
were getting into the trash and
making a mess. In this case,
why not call the dog catcher
and eliminate the problem of
stray dogs? Or, why not just
build a small gated area to
contain resident’s trash cans.
The street appearance is now
an ugly eye sore that residents say they hate.
Multiple residents
said, “ They need to get rid of
these dumpsters!” “Texas
Waste Disposal says they will
not pick up the trash that is
dumped outside the containers, the landlords have to have
the maintenance people put
the trash in the dumpster.” A
resident who lives across the
street says he has to look at
the mess all of the time. He
stated, trash which contained
everything from shards of
glass to metal, couches, sheet
rock, wood, and other dangerous items have been left in
piles on the ground outside of
the dumpsters for over two
weeks.
The landlords continue to do a poor job of upkeep, and continue to collect
lots of rent. Ray Rauisn who
was sat across the street with
friends stated, “They don’t
empty the trash enough. We
are people too!” He continued
talking about the bad living
conditions created by the ugly
dumpsters: While other residents stated that they cannot
have any kind of things like
outings, or bar-b-ques, because the filth and stench is
so bad that they would not
dare to even have anyone over
to entertain. Adding to the
comments a gentle stated,
“When I want to sit outside I
go across the street and visit. I
can’t sit in front of my house”.
He continued stating that
some days people pull up
across the street with trailers
full of trash containers from
other people’s neighborhoods
and load up the dumpsters
there! The dumpsters give the
appearance of a neighborhood that is dumped on, neglected, and not cared about
by the City.
It would appear that
someone has a trash pickup
business in other outlying
neighborhoods, and is making a business out of using
Wentworth containers as
their dumping site. A person
who has been a health caretaker for a resident, and has
been coming over to
Wentworth for several years
stated,
“These
trash
dumpsters are a mess, and
they stink. Every one who
does not live here is dumping
trash! The people who do
property management are allowing people to pull up here
with trucks, and even dump
their trash here!” An elderly
resident said, “My grandchil-
Febr
uary is Blac
k
bruary
Black
History Month, but
we should cele
br
ate
celebr
bra
Blac
k History e
very
Black
ev
da
y! W
e rrecor
ecor
d tha
day!
We
ecord
thatt
history w
eek
ly!
week
eekly!
dren can’t play out here; how
can they? There is trash every
where”. Another resident
stated that, “My grandson
cannot even walk the side
walk to get to the school bus :
How can he?” (He is six
years old)
In the summer
months the stench was so bad
from boiling trash in over 20
dumpsters, that it reached the
homes off Decker Lane. A local resident opened the door
one morning and thought the
smell was coming form the
290 City Dump site, until she
went on her daily jog in which
Wentworth was part of the
route. The stench got so
strong as she reached the
dumpsters her eyes and nose
began to burn. She stated, “I
don’t know how the residents
can stand it. It is an insult to
think people should live with
this kind of treatment, defacing their homes, turning them
into an eye sore; where their
families can’t play outside in
wholesome conditions in a
clean, and clean air environment free from filth and odors.
It seems the object is to make
an ideal situation only for
greedy, money concerned
(only), landlords, who just
want to collect more rent and
don’t care how their property
looks, or what conditions
their residents live in.” Lastly,
residents say the dumpsters
have been set on fire several
times in the summer.
Where, in any neighborhood in Austin, would this
be acceptable? Solid Waste
Director Willie Rhodes supposedly has been involved in
a plan to develop ways of bettering the environment concerning waste disposal. This
entailed drafting a plan (2008)
to create a 40 year “zero waste
plan” for the city. This entails
a multi-faceted approach the
Austin solid waste services is
working on making it a reality. In October 2008, residents
were to receive larger recycling bins that will accept a
wider range of items as part
of the Single Stream system.
The city is also proposing a
innovative centre known as
the Green District.
What is Rhodes doing in Lake Side, on
Wentworth, and Gar Creek?
Not only has he left it out of
the plan, but this is possibly
the worst thing the Solid
Waste Department could do
to a community. Another resident stated, “He just created
a magnet to draw people who
want to dispose of their junk”.
The Solid Waste Department
says, “It was the determination of the City, that the best
way to deal with the trash situation in that area was to place
dumpsters there”.
May 15, 2009 will be the 36th
Anniversary of
THE VILLAGER.
Stay tuned for upcoming
special issue.
During the American
Civil War 180,000 blacks
served in the Union Army.
During the summer of 1866
the United States Congress
reorganized the regular
army. In March 1866 the
Senate, debating the army
bill, accepted an amendment
from Benjamin F. Wade
which allowed for regular
army black regiments. The
post Civil War Army initially
had a strength of 57,000 and
experienced a long decade of
decline settling at a troop
level of 26,000 by 1876.
Congress recognized the
military merits of black
soldiers by authorizing two
regiments of black cavalry;
the 9th and 10th Cavalry,
along with four black infantry
regiments, the 38th, 39th,
40th, and 41st. In March 1869
the four infantry regiments
were consolidated into the
24th and 25th Infantry
regiments.
The two cavalry and
two infantry regiments were
composed of black enlisted
men commanded by white
officers. Only a handful of
black officers existed, such as
Henry O. Flipper who
became the first black
graduate of West Point in
1877. From 1866 to the early
1890s the buffalo soldiers
served at a variety of forts and
posts throughout Texas and
southwest. They participated
in 168 or almost 13 percent of
the 1,296 skirmishes and
battles between 1866 and
1897. Between 1869 and
1890, during the Indian war,
black soldiers won fourteen
Congressional Medals of
Honor, nine certificates of
merit, and twenty-nine orders
of honorable mentions.
Despite their valor white
citizens objected to black
soldiers stationed in their
towns, the Army consistently
stationed the black units
along the frontier, instead of
an eastern appointment.
Some of their more notable
assignments were the
restoration of order in the
wake of the Johnson Country
cattle war in Wyoming
(1882), and in Chicago
Pullman strike (1894).
During the Indian
Wars (1865-1890), The United
States Army was deployed to
hundreds of isolated forts
and posts throughout the
West, with little more than a
company of infantry or
cavalry present. This
isolation bred a strong sense
of camaraderie. The officers
and men often felt part of an
extended family that relied on
its own customs, rituals, and
sense of honor separate from
that distant civilian world or
from the very different
military society “back east.”
Chaplain George M. Mullins
of the 25th Infantry in 1877
said, “they are possessed of
the notion that the colored
Arts
and
people
of the whole
country
are more or less affected by
their Culture
conduct in the Army.”
When
Black
Evelyn
regiments
were established
most Martin
white officers were
convinced that blacks were
Anderson
mentally inferior and could
not make good soldiers.
Some officers even requested
assignment at a lower rank
in a white regiment rather
than accept appointment to
a “colored regiment.”
However, white officers
became very loyal to their
“buffalo
troops.”
A
memorable and wellpublicized incident occurred
at Fort Leavenworth in 1867.
The post commander, Col.
William Hoffman, ordered
the Tenth Cavalry not to form
on parade so close to his men
of the Third Infantry. Colonel
Grierson sprang to the
Tenth’s defense, and the two
colonels engaged in a heated
dispute in front of the
assembled
command.
Although most Anglo officers
of black regiments took great
pride in their units, in return
they
suffered
social
condescension, if not
ostracism from the rest of the
officer corps. Despite
discrimination, there was
equality in pay as both black
and white soldiers received
a basic starting pay of $13 a
month for a private.
According
to
historian Robert Utley,
blacks brought to the Army
certain strengths and
weaknesses that reflected
their heritage of Slavery and
subordination. Almost all
were illiterate, throwing on
their officers the burden of
paperwork. Further, few
possessed the mechanical
skill necessary for the daily
functioning of a military unit.
Lack of resourcefulness,
initiative, and a sense of
responsibility made them
more dependent upon good
leaders than white soldiers
and less effective when
acting individually. At the
same time blacks excelled in
discipline, morale, patience
PASSALONG
••
physical endurance and
sobriety. Above all they
performed well on campaign
and in combat.
The 1880 annual
report of General J. M.
Schofield, Superintendent of
the Military Academy,
illustrates the racial and
patronizing view many
whites had about black
officers. He stated, “To send
to West Point for four years’
competition a young man
who was born in slavery is to
assume that half a generation
has been sufficient to raise a
colored man to the social,
moral, and intellectual level
which the average white man
has reached in several
hundred years. As well might
the common farm horse be
entered in a four mile race
against the best blood
inherited from a long line of
English racers.” All the
NCOs, however, were black,
and enjoyed considerable
prestige
in
black
communities. Because blacks
had few opportunities in
civilian society, many able
men enlisted and proved to
be superb Indian fighters. (In
the 9th Cavalry, eleven
noncommissioned officers
won the Medal of Honor
during the regiment’s long
campaign against the
Apaches in the Southwest.)
Despite
racism
African American were eager
to join. “The soldiers
themselves welcomed the
assignment
as
an
opportunity to demonstrate
their ‘soldierly qualities’ and
to win respect for their race.”
Black regiments achieved
distinction for their role in
campaigns against the
Indians in the West and
acquired an enviable combat
reputation.
Elements of the four
black regiments served during
the Spanish American War,
the Philippine insurrection
and John J. Pershing’s 1916
punitive
expedition.
Increasing racial tension in
society-exemplified by the
Houston Riot of 1917- marked
the end of the buffalo soldiers
as combat units. None of the
so called buffalo soldier
regiments were sent to France
during World War I. By World
War II the 9th and 10th
cavalries were disbanded, and
their personnel transferred to
service units. The 25th Infantry
was deployed to Korea at the
start of the conflict however by
the armistice the United States
military was desegregated.
Azie Taylor Morton appointed
U. S.Treasurer
from page 1
Austin Housing Authority, board o f commissioners,
1999-2001.
At
home, Morton
served on the Austin Housing Authority Board of Commissioners (HACA) from 1999
to 2001. On the PRWeb Web
site, James L. Hargrove, Executive Director of HACA
said that Morton “was a leading voice in the push for
awarding scholarships to
low-income residents.” Consequently, the HACA set up
the Azie Taylor Morton
Scholarship Fund after her
death, donating $5,000 in her
name to provide scholarships
for low-income students attending Huston-Tillotson
College. Through this scholarship Morton will be remembered as a person who worked
across racial, religious, and
ethnic lines, and loved working with young people. In the
Austin American-Statesman
newspaper, Lavon Marshall,
friend and colleague of
Morton, said, “She tried to
share with them her hardships growing up and tried
to encourage them to do better.”
In addition to her politi-
cal career, Morton was one of
the directors for a company
called HIV-VAC, a Nevada
corporation that conducts
HIV research. She also served
on the Citizens Fund Board
of trustees for ten years, from
1991-2001, including five
years as chair. At the time of
her death, she was manager
of Ram Bookstore, an independent store that served
Huston-Tillotson students.
She was president of Exeter
Capital Asset Management
Co., and a member of
Schlotzsky’s Deli board of directors. She had also previously served on the boards of
Wendy’s Old Fashioned
Hamburgers, St. Edward’s
University, the National
Democratic Institute, and
Austin Children’s Museum.
“She was a no-nonsense kind
of woman but at the same time
a caring woman,” said Texas
state representative Dawnna
Dukes in the Austin AmericanStatesman. “She taught you
that you could be a woman
and an African American
and succeed regardless of the
obstacles before you.”
Azie Taylor married
James Homer Morton on May
29, 1965. The couple had two
daughters, Virgie Floyd and
Stacey Hurst, who later
brought them two granddaughters and three greatgrandchildren. James Homer
Morton died in January of
2003. Morton’s daughter
Stacey recalled in a prizewinning essay posted on the
Soulciti Web site that her
mother used to invite students into their home who
were unable to spend holidays with their families, and
to provide furniture, clothing,
and gifts to students who
could not afford them. She
did all of these good deeds,
and “asks for nothing in return,” her daughter wrote.
“My father passed away in
January 2003,” Stacey says,
“and she has suffered the loss
of her life companion of 37
years. In the midst of the
mourning, she is managing
to financially support the
weddings of both my sister
and myself—within the same
year—despite the loss of financial support provided
from my father.” Azie Taylor
Morton passed away only
months after her husband, on
December 7, 2003 from complications of a stroke.
Page 6/ THE VILLAGER/February 27, 2009
Villager Sportsville
Elgin Baylor’s NBA suit draws widespread comment
By Geor
ge Har
din
Georg
Hardin
Spor
tsBea
SportsBea
tsBeatt
Elgin Baylor, longtime
general manager of the Los
Angeles Clippers, in filing
suit this month against the
team and the NBA after being
relieved of his duties, is claiming he was subjected to a hostile working environment and
is alleging discrimination. He
is 74 years old and had been
general manager for 22 years,
until last October, and said he
found out in 2008 that coach
Mike Dunleavy had been told
in secret to take over some of
Baylor’s duties as part of a
scheme to force Baylor out.
He contends he was underpaid and that his age and his
race led to him being replaced
as general manager.
Baylor became one of the
early black stars in professional basketball after the
NBA convinced him to leave
after his junior year at Seattle
University to make himself
available for the draft. He had
led Seattle to the Division I
championship. He was the
No. 1 overall pick of the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958 and
went on to become Rookie of
the Year after being fourth in
the NBA in scoring with 24.9
points per game. After the
1959-60 season ended the
Lakers moved to Los Angeles.
The Minneapolis Lakers were struggling before
Baylor came on board. Bob
Short, owner of the Minneapolis Lakers, once said in an
interview, “If he had turned
me down then, I would have
been out of business. The club
would have gone bankrupt.”
The year before Baylor joined
the Lakers the team had a 1953-record. During his first season the Lakers moved up
from last place in the league
to play in the NBA finals, only
to lose to the Boston Celtics.
Commentators have
been weighing in on Baylor’s
suit with a wide range of
viewpoints. Larry Elder, the
black Republican activist and
former TV talk show host,
said, in an open letter to
Baylor that he is guilty of playing the race card. Elder,
known for writing the book,
“Stupid Black Men: How to
Play the Race Card and Lose,”
said he formerly admired
Baylor but believes Baylor’s
suit is without merit. Elder
said if Baylor believed he was
being discriminated against
he should have quit.
Another approach was
taken by Doug Kirkorian of
the Long Beach Press-Telegram, who said, “The merit of
Elgin Baylor’s employment
discrimination suit against
the NBA and Los Angeles
Clippers owner Donald Sterling is uncertain and will be
decided in a court of law. The
merit of Elgin Baylor as a
player, as well as a human
being, is certain and long ago
was decided in the court of
public opinion.”
Kirkorian continues in
saying, “I have no idea how
this suit will be resolved, but
Elgin Baylor, always circumspect in his utterances and
always a person who has
avoided controversy, suddenly has thrust himself into
a high-profile scenario.
“All I do know is that
Elgin Baylor
Athletes, coaches get awards
at Jaguars’ football banquet
By George Hardin
SportsBeat
Christopher Sanders,
speaking at the Lyndon B.
Johnson High School Football
Banquet, said when he was
growing up he would admire
professional athletes and
wanted to be like them. He
was speaking at the annual
banquet held Saturday, Feb.
21, at the Sodehxo (BAE Systems) complex on Tracor
Lane. Sanders urged the athletes to be aware of their behavior because of the presence of younger students.
“You never know who’s
watching you,” Sanders said.
“They’re not just watching
you on the field when you’re
scoring touchdowns they’re
watching you off the field.”
He also talked about the time
when he was a student at LBJ
and a college coach he
wanted to impress came on
campus. “ ‘I want to see how
the kids react when they’re
not doing too well,’ “ Sanders quoted the coach as saying. Then Sanders added,
“When you’re winning 40-0
and nobody gets hurt,
nobody’s tired, everybody’s
running around happy” it
really does not show what
kind of person you are. How
you behave when things are
not going well shows what
kind of person you are.”
He urged his listeners
to strive to be great, not just
good. “The difference between
good and great is that great
does the little things that good
won’t do. Great students want
that A. Good students settle for
a B. Great students do whatever it takes to be the best. How
much gold you’ve got around
your neck doesn’t determine if
you’re a man. How much
money you’ve got in your
SPEAKER—Christopher Sanders, an LBJ High School
graduate who formerly played with the Houston Oilers and the
Washington Redskins, talks at the school’s annual football banquet held Feb. 21. Photo by George E. Hardin.
the Elgin Baylor I’ve known
well all these decades
wouldn’t pursue such a
course unless he felt he was
seriously wronged.”
Baylor was chosen for
the NBA First Team 10 times
and was named an NBA AllStar 11 times. In 1977, he was
elected to the Basketball Hall
of Fame. In 1980, he was selected to the NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Sports historian Elliott Kalb
ranks Baylor as 13 on the list
of the 50 best basketball players of all time.
Baylor sustained a serious knee injury during the
1965 Western Division playoffs and was forced to retire.
Baylor has a long history of rebelling against racism. In 1959, when he and two
black teammates, Ed Fleming
and Boo Ellis, were refused
rooms at the Daniel Boone
Hotel in Charleston, West Va.,
he refused to play in the game
against Cincinnati. The Lakers lost. As a result, the NBA
became more proactive in
seeking fair treatment for
black players.
Just last Sunday Kobe
Bryant surpassed Baylor’s
record for 20th place in NBA
career scoring. Bryant
scored 28 points as the Lakers beat Minnesota 111-108,
bringing his career total to
23,164.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -
Did You Know?
COACH—Demo Odems speaks about the football program
at LBJ High School. Seated is Patrick Patterson, LBJ principal.
Photo by George E. Hardin
pocket doesn’t determine if
you’re a man.”
Sanders graduated
from LBJ in 1991 and said he
and Demo Odems, athletic
director and head football
coach at LBJ, had been friends
since early childhood. Sanders played at Texas A&M
University for five years and
was in four bowl games. After that he was with the Houston Oilers and the Washington Redskins. “I love for kids
to be in athletics,” Sanders
said, “because it shows them
character, it shows them teamwork, it shows them how to
be leaders. You see a lot of athletes getting into politics like
Kevin Johnson who once was
a professional basketball
player. Now he’s the mayor
of Sacramento.”
Also making remarks
on the program were Derrick
Grant, another LBJ graduate,
and Patrick Patterson, LBJ
principal. Patterson talked
about how he was looking for
a new coach after Claude
Mathis left for another position and was determined not
to select Odems, who had an
0-10 record at Johnston High.
But after talking to Odems,
Patterson said he decided to
hire him because Odems was
superior, “far and above” the
35 other applicants for the job.
Odems said in an interview about the past season,
“We won the district championship—finished 7-4. We
got beat in the first round of
the playoffs. But it was a
learning experience for us.
We’re excited about next year.
We’re losing a lot of seniors
but we’ve got a good group of
seniors coming back.”
This was Odem’s first
season as head coach of the
LBJ Jaguars. Earlier he was an
assistant coach at the school,
from which he graduated.
Awards were presented
to athletes, coaches, trainers,
cheerleaders and others who
worked to make the season
successful. The players who
signed letters of intent to play
college football and won
scholarships also were recognized. Besides Odems, among
those who presented the
awards were Rob Delgado,
Booster Club president, and
Alta Moore, Booster Club vice
president.
Baylor’s career
average of 27.4
points per game is still
the best ever for a forward and the third highest all-time, only behind
Michael Jordan and Wilt
Chamberlain.
Casino Trip
(Austin’s Villager and Nokoa newspapers are included in this edition!)
To order your copy, Call (512) 476-0082 or go to our
website: www.theaustinvillager.com
Murdoch’s apology over “chimp”
Local AKAs Welcome New Members
cartoon follows 100,000 letters, planned
confrontation at his residence
February 27, 2009/The Villager/Page 7
The national civil rights
organization ColorOfChange
.org said today that it had coordinated with NYPD to conduct a public confrontation
outside Rupert Murdoch’s
residence over his lack of action regarding The New York
Post’s controversial ‘chimp’
cartoon. The group had also
communicated with the building staff at his current residence on 5th Ave.
More than 110,000
ColorOfChange.org members
have sent emails to The Post’s
publisher that were also addressed to Murdoch. The
emails demanded a genuine
apology and the firing of the
editor who approved the cartoon. The group’s plan was
to confront Murdoch with
paper versions of the emails
it had collected since Thursday.
James Rucker, Executive
Director
of
ColorOfChange.org, responded to Murdoch’s apology. “It took Murdoch and the
Post’s top editors almost a
week to understand why
people were upset. Murdoch
hasn’t said what he’ll do stop
this from happening again,
or address a longstanding
pattern of vicious attacks on
black leaders at other News
Corp outlets like Fox News,”
Rucker said. “There’s a
culture of insensitivity and
willful ignorance around
issues of race that can only
change through leadership
change,” Rucker continued. “Rupert Murdoch
should start by firing Col
Allan, and issuing a strong
statement that he won’t
tolerate this kind of behavior at any of media outlets
he owns.”
With more than a half
million
members,
ColorOfChange.org is the
largest African-American
online political organization in the country.
STATEMENT OF NAACP PRESIDENT AND CEO BENJAMIN
TODD JEALOUS ON PUBLIC APOLOGY FROM NEWS
CORPORATION EXECUTIVE K. RUPERT MURDOCH
We welcome Rupert
Murdoch’s statement that the
New York Post will endeavor
to be more sensitive to the
communities it serves, but unfortunately his apology fails
to answer how the Post will
do so.
Mr. Murdoch could resolve this unfortunate situation in 15 minutes by meeting
to develop substantive measures to ensure that this type
of incendiary incident does
not happen again.
Mr. Murdoch’s apology
comes only after almost a
week of tens of thousands of
expressions of outrage and
disgust from people across the
country. The offenders are still
on staff and there are no measures being taken to increase
diversity in its newsroom.
The apology from Mr.
Murdoch is sadly too little, too
late and we call on Mr.
Murdoch to take the steps
needed to assure that the
New York Post can practice
more responsible journalism
and truly be sensitive to its
community, in the future.
The New York Post and
Fox News have a history of
racially insensitive reporting.
With the support of the editor
in chief, the cartoonist Sean
Delonas has published numerous vile cartoons tinged
with racism. Fox News was
widely criticized during the
elections for calling Michelle
Obama “Obama’s baby
mama” and terming the affectionate and common fist
bump between then-candidate Obama and his wife, a
“terrorist fist jab” at a time
NAACP CEO Ben Jealous
when death threats against
the candidate were at an all
time high for any presidential candidate.
The New York Post
stands alone from most daily
newspapers in refusing to
report its diversity numbers
to the American Society of
Newspaper Editors. One has
to wonder how many Hispanic or African American
reporters and editors are
working at the New York
Post? Clearly, with more diversity in its newsrooms, it’s
likely the paper would have
been able to understand the
deeply offensive nature of the
cartoon. Our guess is that the
numbers are abysmally low
for a newspaper serving a
city with a population as diverse as New York.
It is hard not to interpret
the cartoon, which was juxtaposed to a photo of President Obama, as an encouraging sign to those who would
assassinate our 44 th president because of the color of
his skin. The depiction of two
EMPLOYMENT/BIDS/PROPOSALS/PUBLIC
INFORMATION/
FOR SALE/FOR RENT/MISC
Request for Proposal
VRW Construction
Company, Inc. is soliciting
proposals from Minority Owned
Businesses and Women Owned
Businesses for the AISD Renovations at Summitt Elementary School
and Wooten Elementary School
Project, No. G08-0025-GROUP. All
subcontractors including all City of
Austin qualified MBE/WBE are encouraged to submit proposals.
Timely submission of your proposal
is appreciated.
Drawings, Specifications,
and addenda (if any) are available
for viewing at The Office of the
Project Architect Jackson Galloway
Architects, PLLC; Morales & Associates, Architects, Inc. at 2705
Bee Caves Road, Suite 230, Austin,
TX for a $75 deposit. The deposit
will be refunded upon return of the
documents in good condition to the
Office of the Project Architect
within 72 hours of the opening of
bids. They are also available for
viewing at VRW Construction offices.
Bid Date: Thursday, March
5, 2009
Bid Time: Prior to 2:00 PM
CST
Contact: Roland Barker
Phone: 512.282.5406 extension 851
Fax: 512.282.0164
MB/WBE
“Austin Canyon Corporation is requesting certified COA
minoritysubcontractor bids for the
Dittmar Gym Enclosure bidding 2/
26/09. Call 327-3135 or e-mail
[email protected] for specific
information.”
Employment
Drivers Wanted
Drivers:New Pay Increases
Get Pre-hired now!
Swift offers local CDL training
and employs - dedicated regional
and OTR fleets.
800-397-1908
Request for Bids: RogersO’Brien Construction (R-O) is soliciting subcontractor and supplier
bids for the Jester East 4th & 6th
Floor Maintenance and Interior
Finishes – Beauford H. Jester
Center (RFP# 09CSP009). Bids
are due to R-O by Tuesday, March
10th before 2pm, and may be submitted by fax at 512-486-3801 or
email
[email protected]. Contact Lorena Liendo
at 512-486-6317 for more information on procurement of plans, specifications and other contract documents. R-O reserves the right to reject any or all bids. R-O is an Equal
Opportunity Employer. All MBE/
WBE/HUB subcontractors and suppliers are strongly encouraged to
submit bids.
police officers shooting down
the primate is deeply troubling to communities who
struggle daily with suspicious police killings. The National Organization of Black
Law Enforcement Executives
(NOBLE) has also condemned the cartoon calling it
“despicable, insensitive and
easily interpreted as racist.”
Good police officers all
around the country should be
dismayed by this slur on their
character. African Americans
have historically been compared to primates as a way to
dehumanize the entire group.
We were called monkeys
while we were being brutally
lynched and denied equal
civil and human rights. In
fact, a 2008 study published
by the American Psychological Association found that an
association between primates
and African Americans still
exists among many white
Americans.
We hope that Mr.
Murdoch will make good on
his apology and agree to make
the needed changes in the
newsroom and its policies.
Founded in 1909, the
NAACP—the nation’s oldest,
largest and most widely-recognized grassroots–based
civil rights organization—is
celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Its more than
half-million members and
supporters throughout the
United States and the world
are the premier advocates for
civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal
opportunity in the public and
private sectors.
Members of Beta Psi
Omega, the Austin Graduate
Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated,
the first national Sorority organized by Black women on
January 15, 1908 on the campus of Howard University in
Washington, D.C., welcomed
four new members to the Sorority and to its local chapter. These
four new members have joined
the ranks of millions of women
dedicated to the commitment to
service to all mankind. The four
new members are Karon Box,
Denise Davis, Chasity Fleming,
and Kaneisha Black Hill.
Karen Box is married to
Mike Box and is the mother of
Britney Paige Box. She is a member of Greater Mt. Zion Baptist
Church and serves as a deaconess. She holds a B.B.A. in Management from St. Edward’s University. She is the Director of Supplier Diversity for Seton Family
of Hospitals, a graduate of Leadership Seton and participates in
Seton’s Mentorship Program.
Karen has served the community in many capacities but particularly as a change agent for
minority and women businesses. She serves as the Associate Chair of Jack and Jill of
America Incorporated, Austin
Chapter and is a member of the
National Council for Negro
Women.
Denise Davis is married
to University of Texas at Austin (“UTA”) Professor Ian
Hancock and has two children. She received both her
Bachelor of Arts Degree and
Juris Doctorate Degree at
UTA. She has been a licensed
attorney since 1993 and has
had a distinguished law career. She has served as general counsel for former Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff,
General Counsel to former
Chief Justice Tom Phillips,
and as House Parliamentarian/Special Counsel to the
Texas House of Representatives (1994-2007; 2009Present). She has also worked
in private practice at the law
firm of Baker Botts, LLP, in
corporate law. She serves as
Regional Parliamentarian for
Jack and Jill, Incorporated and
is a member of Links, Incorporated.
Chasity Fleming received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer
Engineering Technology
from Prairie View A&M
University. She works in
the Product Package Engineering Department at
Freescale Semiconductor,
where she was one of the
chosen few to be admitted
in their Engineering Rotation Program. Her commu-
nity involvement includes
volunteer service with the
Capital Area Food Bank,
Meals on Wheels, Habitat for
Humanity, Salvation Army,
Town Lake Animal Shelter,
Austin Groups for the Elderly,
and INROADS, a non-profit
organization with a mission
to develop and place talented
minority youth in business
and industry and prepare
them for corporate and community leadership. She is
currently pursuing an MBA
at Texas State University. She
is a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and currently resides in Austin, Texas with
husband Keith of three years.
Kaneisha Black Hill is
a Business Officer with the
Texas Health and Human
Services Commission in
Houston, Texas. She is a
graduate of Prairie View
A&M University, where she
received her B.B.A. in Management. Her community
involvement includes volunteer service with Smart
Girls, the Ronald McDonald
House, and Habitat for Humanity. She is also a member of Phi Beta Lambda, Epsilon Beta Chapter. She is
married to Gerald Hill, II,
and they are members of
New Faith Church in Houston, Texas.
Transforming the World in the Blood – and
the Belt – for SPIbelt™ Creator from page 1
ship product, is available in 22 adult and six kid
color combinations, and coordinates with any outfit, making it versatile for fitness, casual and business attire alike.
Fully expandable, it securely
accommodates all the personal items today’s on-the-go
individuals require.
“Growing up around
my grandfather and recently
living with both of my grandparents in Austin had a profound impact on who I am
today,” says Kim Overton,
creator of SPIbelt™. “Although I can’t come close to
leaving the kind of civil rights
impact on the world that he
did, I am following in his footsteps and providing people
with a way to make their lives
easier, while keeping my pro-
duction local and giving equal
opportunity to my employees. I give a lot of credit to
my grandfather for my entrepreneurial spirit and it’s an
honor to be keeping his
name alive.”
Runners, fitness fanatics, travelers and other indi-
viduals who need to free up
their hands without giving
up all their gadgets can see
the full line of Overton Enterprises’ products online at
www.spibelt.com. Interested
media may arrange a meeting
with SPIbelt™ creator, Kim
Overton, by calling (512) 5146045.
NOTICE TO SUBCONTRACTORS
Capital Excavation Company is soliciting bids from MBE
and WBE owned Businesses for the
following City of Austin: (GROUP
1 STREET RECONSTRUCTION
& UTILITY ADJ. PH. 2) Fax your
bid to (512) 440-0844. Capital Excavation Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We request
that all bids be in by March 4, 2009
by 5:00 PM.
BL
A CK REGISTR
Y
BLA
REGISTRY
2009
NOW BEING
COMPILED
DEADLINE IS
MARCH 9
CALL NOW
FOR
APPLICA
TION
APPLICATION
(512) 476-0082
Te xas Lotter
Lottertt