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Diana Ross Featured on Tom Joyner
Foundation Fantastic Voyage®
RAPPIN’
Tommy Wyatt
The Tom Joyner Foundation
Fantastic Voyage®
is presented by Ford.
DALLAS, TX - Diana Ross will be a featured headWill Black
liner on the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage®
presented by Ford cruise with a special “Evening UnOfficer be
der the Stars with Diana Ross.” The original Party with
thrown under a Purpose® that sells out annually will also feature
Charlie Wilson, Patti LaBelle, New Edition, and
the bus?
Austin, Texas is one of Jazmine Sullivan as it sets sail to support students at
the cities in America who has Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Fanhad a history of unarmed tastic Voyage will take place on the Carnival Breeze
Black men being killed at the departing from Miami April 23, 2016. The customized
hands of Austin Police eight-day itinerary includes visits to St Thomas, St.
officers. For a number of Maarten and Grand Turk includes guest activities, emyears, it was expected that at powering seminars, theme nights, and day parties.
The Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage® preleast one such shooting
would occur each summer. sented by Ford is hosted by renowned radio personalWe were, sadly, not dis- ity and philanthropist Tom Joyner and is the longest
appointed, as the list grew standing music themed and empowerment cruise. The
exciting line-up, that generally books over 60 enterlonger each summer.
The NAACP called for an tainers, includes the aforementioned Diana Ross,
investigation by the U. S. Charlie Wilson, New Edition and Patti LaBelle; as well
Justice Department. They as Johnny Gill, Angie Stone, Jazmine Sullivan, Faith
investigated the situation and Evans, Total, 112, Carl Thomas, The Bar-Kays, Con Funk
gave a set of recom- Shun, Switch, Brick, Steve Arrington, Tony Terry, Glenn
mendations to the Police
See VOYAGE RAISES MONEY FOR HBCUs, page 2
Chief.
However, the
situation did not change.
Each time such an incident
happened, the community
was told to wait for an
investigation of the situation.
After a month or so, the
community was told that it
AUSTIN, TX - Two tool for locating affordable
“was a good shoot.” And the days of engagement, healthcare for minorities
office that was placed on brainstorming, and com- in distressed socioecoadministrative duty during puter programming re- nomic situations. The
the investigation was sulted in the V for Ven- mobile application allows
returned to active duty.
detta team of Cydnei users to enter a price
The most recent Police Mathis and Osahumen range for the health sershooting had one of the Aghasomwan creating the vices that they can afford
shortest investigation winning mobile applica- in order to identify the
periods of them all. What tion at the Huston- closest clinic within that
makes this case different is Tillotson University Sec- range. The app was dethat the Officer is African ond Annual <div> signed to improve minorAmerican and the victim hackathon.
ity accessibility to health
was also African American.
Mathis, a 10th care.
All of the other shootings grader at Eastside MemoV for Vendetta was
have been by Anglo rial High School and one of seven teams that
officers who killed African Aghasomwan a first year converged upon HustonAmericans.
HT student, created a T illotson University’s
On February 8, Officer mobile application as a Downs-Jones Library for
Geoffrey Freeman shot and
killed 17 year old David
Joseph. The youth was
reportedly naked and
unarmed. But Officer
Freeman said that he shot
Joseph because he feared for
his life when Joseph charged
AUSTIN, TX - The on the block. Dawlett’s vihim.
area just east of Interstate sion for One Two East is
The police chief has set a
35 between 11th and 12th truly a unique one.
disciplinary hearing for
Streets has long been a
A
long-time
Freeman in the next few
source of interest to Austinite, Dawlett is fully
days. He is said to have
neighborhood leaders. committed to preserving
violated – neglect of duty,
The community and city the integrity and character
use of force and treatment of
planners have hoped for of the neighborhood. To
suspects who appear to have
the space alongside I-35 better understand the po“excited delirium.” Freeman
to provide mixed-use liv- tential impact, he spent a
could face disciplinary
ing, affordable housing considerable amount of
action or dismissal.
and a full-service super- time on the East Side,
Whatever the outcome
walking the streets and
market.
of this case, it appears that
Local developer speaking to neighbors,
there needs to be more
Haythem Dawlett has a small-business owners
training with officers on
plan to provide all of that and community leaders.
how to use some of the
and much more. Dawlett
He envisions two
other tools that they have
is currently developing separate buildings with
on their belt. Lethal force
One Two East, a mixed- one providing living for
should always be the last
use apartment complex active adults 55 and older
resort.
March 18, 2016
INSIDE
Physicians advance
neuroscience for
mental health victims.
See COMMUNITY
Page 3
Hollywood starpower
launched
SXSWedu series.
See LIVE
Page 5
Diana Ross performs an exclusive
“Night Under the Stars” on the 2016
Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic
Voyage presented by Ford.
V for Vendetta Created the Winning
Mobile Application at the Second
Annual HT Hackathon
Activists host
candid community
solutions forum.
See JUSTICE
Page 6
two days to work with
technology industry professionals from Dell Inc.,
Entelo, Dev Bootcamp,
Google, Google Fiber, Six
Flags Entertainment Corporation, and The Big Machine. The teams paired
with mentors to build
websites and develop mobile applications to solve
problems in the business,
education, health and fitness, and entertainment
sectors by the end of the
process.
Guided by Autumn
See PROGRAM, page 2
Interest in New Neighborhood
Development Grows as Community
Amenities are Detailed
and the other without age
restrictions. The average
age of the tower resident
is believed to be 78. Along
with the market-rate rentals, Dawlett is offering to
provide affordable housing.
The retail level will
feature a supermarket,
which is something the
neighborhood has been
lacking for years. The plan
may include an on-site
pharmacy, either within
the supermarket or the
complex. Dawlett says
three grocery chains are
interested in the project.
The plan would generate
more than 100 permanent
jobs. Steve Drenner, the
Austin lawyer representing Dawlett, said the grocery store and senior living
units are part of city development plans for the area
since 1991.
Dawlett’s group also
conducted a traffic flow
study to better understand
how increased traffic
would affect the neighborhood. One result of that
See PROJECT, page 2
Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016
THE COMMUNIQUÉ
The Tom Joyner Foundation started
its annual voyage to raise money
for HBCUs in 1999 continued from page 1
Jones, Michael Cooper, Jon B, Case, Christopher
Williams, Bone Thugs-nHarmony, DJ Quick, Rakim,
Big Daddy Kane, Rob Base,
Black Sheep, Dana Dane,
Kwame, DJ Kool, Joeski
Love, Positive K, Mr. Cheeks,
Whodini, Harold Melvin’s
Blue Notes, Eddie Holman,
Blue Magic featuring Ted
Mills and Russell Thomkins
Jr.& The New Stylistics.
Returning as the title
sponsor of the cruise is
Ford. Ford’s sponsorship of
the Fantastic Voyage is part
of Ford Motor Company’s
overall support of education
in the African American
Community. Each year, Ford
invests millions of dollars in
educational programs that
include scholarships, innovative elementary, middle
and high school programs,
STEM initiatives and other
opportunities. Since the
company was founded
more than a century ago,
Ford has remained strongly
committed to providing
pathways to success in the
African American community.
The Tom Joyner Foundation started its annual
voyage to raise money for
HBCUs in 1999 as the first
to ever charter and program
an entire ship. Now in its
17th year, The Tom Joyner
Foundation Fantastic Voyage presented by Ford is the
only charter that promotes
philanthropy in an environment that is fun and uplifting.
For more information
on The Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage® and
a full list of entertainment
please visit the website
BlackAmericaWeb.com.
Itinerary, schedule and performances subject to
change.
www.theaustinvillager.com
The project is in City Council member
Ora Houston’s district continued from page 1
study is that no truck
access will be allowed on
Branch Street. This street,
adjacent to the complex,
would be widened and the
heritage oaks that run
along it would be protected. In addition, all residential and complex parking would be underground
or screened.
Dawlett previously
stated that he plans to contribute $250,000 toward affordable housing initiatives.
Currently, zoning
regulations prohibit the
extra height required to
accommodate the supermarket, the pharmacy, the
active adult living and
other amenities. An additional 35 feet of height
would need to be approved
by the City Council.
The project is in City
Council member Ora
Houston’s district.
While the additional
height and density requires zoning changes,
Dawlett is committed to
the vision, because he
truly feels that he is providing value to the neighborhood. “It would be
easier just to accept the
original zoning limitations,
but I want to do what is
best for this community,”
Dawlett said. “The additional height allows for the
supermarket, provides permanent jobs, a pharmacy,
affordable housing, better
landscaping, hidden parking, senior living and additional amenities for the
buildings and the community. As someone who
loves this city, I truly want
what’s best for the people
who live here.” Previously,
Dawlett has donated land
for libraries and schools.
The Planning Commission approved the
project with conditions on
February 9th and is scheduled for City Council on
April 14th.
For people interested
in learning more about everything One Two East has
to offer the community
and to contribute their
opinions, the Town Hall
meeting will be held on
March 29 at the Lucky Lady
Bingo Hall located at 1107
N Interstate 35 Frontage
Rd at 6:30pm.
The program is the only youth and diversity-focused
Hackathon in the USA that is 100% organized and
operated by students of color continued from page 1
Caviness, HT’s Interim
Director, W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program, this is the only
youth and diversity-focused
hackathon in the United
States that is 100 percent
organized and operated by
students of color. Its mission is to assist millennials
of color in recognizing that
they can be more than consumers of technology—they
too can be creators, innovators, and disruptors of
tomorrow’s technology.
More than 150 participants engaged in applications to disrupt the busi-
ness, education, health
and fitness, and entertainment sectors.
Last year’s winner during the inaugural hackathon
created an app named
“Pipeline” that aimed to
solve the School-to-Prison
Pipeline that impacts predominantly African American and Latino youths, in
this country. Next year’s
event is scheduled March
11-12, 2017 on the HT campus.
In addition to HT
President and Chief Executive Officer Colette Pierce
Burnette sharing words of
encouragement, other
special guests included:
Leslie Miley of Entelo,
Whitney O’Banner of Dev
Bootcamp, Amina Sawyer
of Google Fiber, Kyle Ali of
Google, Ariel Bruce of
Google, Lynette Barksdale
of Google, Lisa Martinez
of Google Play, John Gray
of Six Flags Entertainment
Corporation, Melissa
McLeanas of Six Flags,
Garrett Osumah of Six
Flags, and Mark and Tracy
Thompson of The Big Machine
www.theaustinvillager.com
THE BULLETIN
Across Our Community,
More Progress Is Needed in
Mental Health Care
Happy 106th Birthday
William Lawson, MD
For much of history,
psychosis was considered
a result of demon possession.
In the United States,
slaves were diagnosed
with such disorders as
draptomania, described
by American physician
Samuel A. Cartwright in
1851 as a condition that
caused black slaves to flee
captivity.The mentally ill
were routinely imprisoned
and only later put in primitive treatment facilities,
where many were subjected to barely tolerable
hot- and cold-water baths,
inoculation of malaria, and
even the severing of brain
connections with an ice
pick.
Obviously, mental
health care has improved
with time. With advances
in neuroscience and increased emphasis on the
worth of people, individuals began to receive relatively targeted medication, doctors avoided prescribing long hospital
stays, and a community of
mental health professionals arose with a focus on
truly healing patients and
returning them to the
community.
Nevertheless, the
mental health challenges
facing communities across
the United States remain
stark – it’s a grim likelihood that future genera-
tions will look at our
present systems of care
with the sort of shock and
regret with which we view
the past.
In other countries –
even places with much
less technology and resources than is found in
the U.S. – individuals are
cared for with strong family support and sometimes
experience better health
outcomes, while in the
U.S., family members often are separated from
patients, who receive new
treatments but still experience worse outcomes.
Unemployment
and
homelessness are common. More disturbing, the
mentally ill are too often
demonized as a source of
community violence, even
when they are far more
likely to be victims than
perpetrators.
These issues are especially relevant to people
of color, who suffer unacceptable disparities in
mental health. African
Americans are more likely
than whites to receive the
least optimistic diagnoses.
In these communities,
schizophrenia is consistently over-diagnosed,
while more manageable
conditions such as depression or post traumatic
stress disorder are often
under-recognized or misdiagnosed – resulting in
higher incidents of seclusion, restraints and involuntary commitment, and
lower levels of support for
patients and their families.
This is a big reason
why African American and
Hispanics are far more
likely to be arrested and
incarcerated than whites,
and why jails have become
such tragically overused
centers of mental health
care. It contributes to the
deaths of Africans Americans, some of whom appear to have mental disorders, at the hands of law
enforcement. And it helps
explain why, at times,
these generations of mental health advances feel so
illusory.
So it was especially
uplifting to attend the
See STIGMA, page 7
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5305 Cloverdale Ln, Austin, TX 78723, Saturday 26,
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Happy 101st Birthday
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born March 12, 1915. She
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with her. Proverbs 8:11.
Happy Birthday mom! We
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EAST SIDE BAPTIST 25TH
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Please join East Side Baptist Church as we celebrate our 25th Church Anniversary March 20 at 3:30
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THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016 ~ Page 3
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Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016
YOUTH BRIGADE
www.theaustinvillager.com
Youth of Today
Hope of Tomorrow
Hackathon
College Visit
beneficial.
The program is from
7:30 am to 11:00 pm the
first day and the second is
7:30 am to 8:30 pm the
second day. They feed you
breakfast, lunch, and dinner
through out the days and
they bring snacks and drinks
to help you while you're
working. We made an app
that contained black films
Damon Luckett II
only because we thought it
Hays High School
would be beneficial to
On Saturday, I went people who struggle finding
to the 2nd annual Div black films on things such
Hackathon for my second as Netflix, Hulu, etc.
time. I got there already
I would recommend it
knowing how much work I to any body that is in techwas going to have to put nology or just like to make
in so I got comfortable and new things. You get to meet
had fun. The Hackathon is a lot of cool people and have
basically a place where a lot of fun. The Div
people from different back- Hackathon is one of the
grounds of life get together greatest opportunities you
and compete in who can could ever take advantage
make the best app that is of!
ited because I hadn't been
looking at many colleges
in Texas other than University of Texas at Austin (of
course).
Over the course of
the day, we went to about
four sessions dealing with
chemical engineering,
chemistry, and engineering in general. We were
evn able to tour most of the
Jarian Galloway
campus.
Harmony Academy
That visit made my
On Saturday, Febru- parents and I realize that
ary 13th, Texas A&M had graduation, college, and
their annual open house my future were all apwhere prospective stu- proaching faster than we
dents and current students thought!
could go to different sesAll in all it was amazsions pertaining to their ing to see and experience.
interests.
I could even end up being
My parents and I vis- an Aggie!!
Should Ukraine join the EU
My Spring Break
ana has four seasons:
crab, crawfish, oyster, and
shrimp. It is now crawfish
season.
On the ride to Baton
Rouge, I will watch dvd
movies, take naps, and listen to the radio. When I
get there, my family has
a lot of things planned for
Ava Roberts
Spring Hill Elementary me. My grandma will take
me fishing. My cousins
March 14 is the week will let me eat lunch with
of spring break. My fam- them at school. But most
ily is going to Louisiana. of all, I will eat lots of
My Mom says that Louisi- crawfish!
Cruises
Genesis Stiggers
Elgin Middle School
A cruise is a fun, exciting way to spend a vacation. It’s full of activities and
games that will fill your day
from the moment you wake
up, to the time you collapse
with exhaustion. There are
some really good cruises
out there and for spring
break, my family is going on
one of the top cruises in the
country, The Royal Caribbean. The preparation for
the cruise will be very pretentious, but I can make it
in time.
Before we even get on
the ship we will be going in
various type of transportation. We will first go to Austin and take the Amtrak to
Houston, after that we will
spend the night at a hotel,
then, to top it all off we’re
taking a airplane to take us
all the way to Orlando,
Florida, where we will take
a shuttle to the cruise ship.
With all that transportation
it’s will be dangerous for us
to trust the different modes
of movement with our luggage, which is why we plan
to carry our luggage with us
wherever we go. I love airplanes and when my mom
told us we were going on
one, it made my vacation
that much sweeter.
Because we are going
to go so far carrying our luggage we have to pack
lightly so we won’t die of
lugging heavy weights
around. It’s going to be a
fantastic trip and finally a
time to sit back and relax.
Wearing a comfy outfit
along with hanging out with
my family is the perfect way
to spend such an important
week off of school. After all,
star testing, band UIL, and
exams are coming up soon
and I need something, anything to get my mind off of
it. Next time you see me, I
will be able to say I went on
a cruise, keep reading my
articles, because I’ll tell you
about my trip in two weeks.
Zachariah Washington
Crockett High School
Joining the European Union means that
a country must follow
t h e E u ro p e a n Un i o n
laws and that country
must follow the Criteria.
Ukraine best fits the criteria to join the EU. Human rights in Ukraine are
better than they were
back in the 20th century
when Ukraine was a part
of the country The Soviet
Union who treated their
citizens horribly. The Soviet Union was a one
party state and a Communist Country that limited there citizens and
the entire population
was mobilized to support of a state Ideology.
Still today Russia limits
their citizens to what
they can do and what
they put on the Internet.
Ukraine is definitely
ready to join the EU
compared to the other
Turkey and Serbia.
We
find
t h at
Ukraine is the best fit
for the EU position.
They have caught our
attention because the
Ukrainian religion fits
the Idea of the key religion of the members in
the EU’s faith. The key
religion in Ukraine is
Eastern Orthodox. It is
not exactly Christian but
it is better than the religion in Turkey. In Turkey 97% of the population is Muslim and the
EU doesn’t want a full
Muslim country in the
EU because it doesn’t
really follow the religion that most European countries follow.
Women in Ukraine
have the same Constitutional rights as men but
are still talked about in
the work place. This
situation is positive
and Negative because
countries in the European Union like Germany, England, Spain
and France both men and
women have same and
equal rights. In Turkey the
fight for women’s rights
is still on and the women
in Turkey do not have
equal rights as in compared to Ukraine, Ukraine
is leaning towards the
more modern approach to
the situation.
In Ukraine reformed police department is taking selfies
with locals while on
duty to show the world
that about the new Police department. This is
Positive for Ukraine to
get that EU position.
Ukraine is trying to show
the world that they can
notice a problem and fix
it and that is what the European Union is looking
for a country that can do
that and Ukraine fits that
spot perfectly.
Ukraine is ready to
join the European Union
compared to Serbia and
Turkey. The reasons why
are the equals rights that
Men and Women have in
Ukraine, The Ukrainian
police reform, The human
rights now compared to
Russia and the religion
that Ukraine shares with
the countries in the EU
compared to Turkey. It
would be a dumb mistake
if Ukraine was not the
next country to come into
the EU.
How to be successful
Malakhi Washington
Cunningham Elementary
Do you know what
being successful is? Do
you know what the word
successful means? Success to me means having
an accomplishment that
you shoot for, and it comes
true. Being successful
also means that you never
HustonTillotson
University
Qualifies for
Prestigious
Honda Campus
All-Star
Challenge
National
Championship
Tournament
Quiz bowl team will
take-on the nation’s
brightest HBCU
students in California
this April
AUSTIN, Texas —
Huston-Tillotson University
has qualified to compete at
the Honda Campus All-Star
Challenge (HCASC) National
Championship Tournament,
a prestigious competition
that showcases the academic prowess of the
brightest students from
America’s Historically Black
Colleges and Universities
(HBCU). Forty-eight student
teams have qualified for
this year’s National Championship Tournament,
which will run from Saturday, April 2nd through Monday, April 5th in Torrance,
CA.
Approximately 76
HBCUs vied for a spot at the
Nationals. After seven
qualifying tournaments
held in early February, 48
emerged from the group,
earning the opportunity to
compete for the title of “National Champion” and a
$50,000 institutional grant
from Honda. Team HT is
comprised of Captain
Andranique L. Green, Lynn
G. Nanjala, Darrion
Jemerson, and Olivia Thomas. Dr. Alaine S. Hutson,
Associate Professor of History, is the coach. Green and
Nanjala are returning members and Joshua Jones competed on the team during
the qualifying rounds.
give up and you always try
again. Some people give
up on their first try because they are not trying
their hardest or they somehow failed and do not
want to try again.
The key to being successful is to always keep
trying. You also have to put
your heart into whatever it
is that you are trying accomplish. Another thing
about being successful is
that you have to patient.
Everything happens in its
own time. I would love to
be successful one day in
being a professional
dancer. I love to dance and
my dream is being on a big
stage somewhere as a career as well as teaching
others how to dance.
“Huston-Tillotson University students overall
have set a high bar with national wins in several competitions,” said Colette
Pierce Burnette, HT President and Chief Executive
Officer Colette Pierce
Burnette. “This year’s team
is following in the footsteps
of a team that barely missed
the playoff for the
University’s best showing in
2015. We anticipate a strong
academic challenge to the
finish.”
“Earning a seat at the
National Championship
Tournament is no easy feat,
and we congratulate each
and every student for displaying the drive and determination necessary to do
so,” said Steve Morikawa,
Vice President, Corporate
Relations and Social Responsibility, American
Honda. “Over its 27-year
history, Honda Campus AllStar Challenge has become
a multi-generational community event, and we look
forward to hosting the students and providing their
families with an opportunity to watch them compete
in California.” The final
round of the 2016 National
Championship Tournament
will be live-streamed on
Monday, April 4th starting at
12:00 ET on HCASC.com.
HT’s 2015 team barely
missed the playoffs with 32 in round robin play for
their best showing. HT has
been a consistent player in
the tournament since the
late 1980s, earning approximately $52,000.
For more information
on the 2016 HCASC, including a full list of the 48 qualifying
teams,
visit
www.hcasc.com.
www.theaustinvillager.com
THE COURIER
THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016 ~ Page 5
Andy Roddick, Brooklyn Decker, and Austin Officials Join
Austin Teachers & Students At “Think It Up Live”
Think It Up Live innovative learning ideas.
Brings Spirit of SXSW to Roddick, the founder of
Local Austin Students the Andy Roddick Founand Teachers At Think It dation and retired tennis
LOS ANGELES - Up Live, student-teacher star, and well-known
PRNewswire-USNewswire teams across Austin “Grace and Frankie” ac— Think It UpTM, the new came together to pitch tress Decker, listened as
initiative from the Enter- VIP judges and Austin- students put their best
tainment Industry Foun- based husband/wife ideas forward at this scidation (EIF), joined Brook- couple Andy Roddick and ence fair-meets “shark
lyn Decker, Andy Roddick, Brooklyn Decker on their tank”-type event deAustin officials including
Independent School District Superintendent Dr.
Paul Cruz, and hundreds
of local students and
teachers on March 10th
during SXSWedu for the
second in a national series of Think It Up Live
pitch
competitions.
Alongside a panel and
booth activation on-site
at SXSWedu, the live
pitch event was designed
to empower students,
celebrate teachers and
build optimism about
what ’s possible in
America’s classrooms.
The event drew students
Local Austin students at EIF's Think It Up Live
and teachers from 24 traditional district and pub- Event at David Crockett High School on March 10,
lic charter schools in Aus- 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty
Images for EIF)
tin.
Naomi Richard
The Austin Villager
Newspaper
Carol Burnett
inducted into the
Austin Film Society’s
Texas Hall of Fame!
Naomi Richard | The Austin Villager Newspaper
On March 10, 2016,
Carol Burnett was inducted
into the Austin Film Society’s
Texas Hall of Fame.
Carol Burnett is on of
my favorite sketch comics of
all time. I grew up watching
her on television and she always made me laugh. Seeing
her comedy shows, Mama’s
Family, The Carol Burnett
signed to promote empowered, engaged learning.
The winning team
was selected from a
group of 50 teams and
came from Ann Richards
School for Young Women
Leaders, and received
$1,000 to fund their
project, which created a
produce spoilage tracker
to reduce food waste. All
participating teams received $100 in funding
credits to kick-start their
projects.
All funding credits
are applied once teachers will post projects at
ThinkItUp.org – a first-ofits-kind platform available to all public school
students and educators
(grades 7-12) in partnership with DonorsChoose.
org, the popular teacher
crowd-funding charity. To
help bring to life more student-powered, teacherled projects, Think It Up
covers half each of each
proposals total cost by
EIF’s supporters, including
Ashoka’s Start Empathy
Show and more was a delight. She is just a funny
woman and grew up in a
man’s world for sure!
To my delight, I was
able to see Ms. Burnett in
person during the 2016
Screen Actor Guild Awards®
in Los Angeles, California in
January. Her presence on the
red carpet was amazing and
she pulled her ear for us as
we took her picture. This is a
trademark of her comedy
shows.
After returning home
from the award season in Los
Angeles, I found out that Ms.
Burnett, a San Antonio native, would be honored by
The Austin Film Society! I immediately thought, “Could
life get any better. My idol
was coming to Austin!”
As fate would have it, I
was invited to the Austin Film
Society’s press conference
held at the Gibson Showroom. Moderated by
Variety’s Executive Editor
Steven Gaydos, the press
conference included Texas
Film Awards honorees Carol
Burnett, Jesse Plemons,
Chandra Wilson and Michael
Barker. Austin Film Society’s
Artistic Director, Richard
Linklater, and SXSW’s Head
of Film, Janet Pierson, also
Brooklyn Decker and Andy Roddick at EIF's
Think It Up Live Event at David Crockett High
School on March 10, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo
by Rick Kern/Getty Images for EIF)
initiative, ExxonMobil and
the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, with the rest
raised through crowdfunding.
The event follows
the success of EIF’s inaugural Think It Up telecast that aired in September, and first Think It Up
Live event in Denver held
in December.
Legendary comedic actress Carol Burnett
stops for a photo with Austin Villager
Entertainment Reporter Naomi Richard.
Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images.
took part in the conversation.
To my surprise, I was
one of five reporters permitted to ask questions during
the press conference, and of
course I immediately directed my question to Ms.
Burnett. “When I was growing up and had a bad day, was
depressed and in despair, I
could go home and watch
your show and by the end I
had no concept of what my
problem was. So my question to you today is, who
makes you laugh?”
Ms. Burnett, “I’m a
sucker. I’m a great audience.
Who makes me laugh? Well,
still today Steve Martin does,
certainly Amy Poehler, Tina
Fey, Christian Wick. I’m into
the sketch performers because that’s what I was...am.
I like to lock eyeballs with
people. I was never one to
do stand up. So that’s not
necessarily my interest, but
when I see a good sketch
performer…Morley Short,
Maya Rudolph. Those
people, they make me
laugh.”
What an honor, to have
The Austin Film Society in
conjunction with South-BySouthwest, bringing such
major Hollywood Star Power
to the ATX!
Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016
HEADLINES
www.theaustinvillager.com
by Tsoke
(Chuch) Adjavon |
Villager Columnist
Connecting the Dots For Justice
On March 10, 2016 a
group of Central Texas
community activists, business leaders, and intellectuals came together to discuss ways, on how various
organizations can connect
the dots that would make
them more efficient. The
event was held at Huston
Tillotson University which
sought to enlighten students also. According to
the organizers, it was a
“candid discussion about
solutions to racial injustice, poverty, poor education, conflict resolution
and the need for unity.”
At this event, there
were numerous panel
members who sought to
cover various aspects of
community activism. For
instance, Bertha Delgado
the President of an East
Austin neighborhood
spoke on the need of the
African American and
Connecting the Dots for Justice Panel. Pictured from left to right are; Gina Tillis, Rachael Neal PHD,
Robert Muhammad, Bertha Delgado and Stephen. Photo courtesy of Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
MARCH 19 |
AUSTIN
BLACK
BLOGGERS
COWORKING
SESSION &
ONLINE ADS
DEMO
Austin Black Bloggers are getting together
to do the work. We'll be gathering again at
Patchwork Austin in the Mueller area for a 4hour co-working session.
Don't have your own project to work on?
No problem, you can QUIETLY look over the
shoulder of the founder of the Blogging While
Brown Conference while she creates and
launches ad campaigns on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram.
For More Information call 512.853.8686
Terrorists Attack the Ivory Coast
President of the Ivorian Community of Central Texas,
Mr. Ndri and Mrs. Ndri. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon | Villager Columnist
Early Sunday morning, a group of terrorists attacked the nation of Ivory Coast
in West, Africa. The terrorist strike was at Grand Bassam, a very popular tourist
location. Furthermore, the terrorist strike and killed 16 civilians and 3 military personals, along with harming 30 other civilians. Among the dead included four Europeans and Africans. Moreover, terrorists like to strike tourists destinations because
they believe that killing Americans and Europeans visitors will make a greater media coverage. The terrorists attacks have left numerous bewildered as to why such
an act can occur?
For a very longtime, the Ivory Coast has been spared from the terrorist acts.
While its neighbors were struck numerous times by terrorist acts, the Ivory Coast
was not. For instance, both its neighbors to the north Mali and Burkina Faso were
attacked very hard by a group of terrorist before the Ivory Coast. In Mali, the terrorist killed over 20 people at a hotel that caters to foreigners. In addition, the nation of
Burkina was also attack in which 29 people died.
Over the years, terrorist groups have decided to attack African countries as a
part of their war on terror. Terrorists have chosen the African continent due to porous borders and also availability of numerous soft targets. First of all, most borders
between various African countries are not well guarded; therefore, terrorists can
infiltrate very easily. In addition, there are numerous soft targets such as hotels and
other tourists’ destinations that are not well guarded also. Consequently, these African countries should start increasing the security of their countries.
Latino/Hispanic communities to unite. Moreover,
this unity would allow
both communities to better fight against certain issues, such as, police mistreatment, imprisonment,
and gentrification.
After the panel members spoke, the floor was
open to a Question & Answer session. During the
Q& A session, one of the
attendees asked of how
the various groups can
come together? One of
the panel members mentioned that, “Conflict resolution skills would help
groups find common
grounds.” Moreover, Central Texas community
groups have been able to
make some significant
changes. For instance, a
group like Diaspora Vote
has managed to get
people registered. Now
the event like “Connect
the Dots for Justice” can
help this group work with
other groups to have a
greater impact.
Democratic Party
Primary Election Results
by Tsoke
(Chuch) Adjavon |
Villager Columnist
Although Constable
Danny Thomas is the incumbent, he came in second during the Democratic Party Primary elections. In other words, Mrs.
Janie Serna the challenger
came in first. Despite Mrs.
Serna coming in first, she
failed to win the majority
of the vote or the 50% and
1 vote needed to stave off
a runoff. Now, the race will
go into a runoff between
the incumbent Constable
Danny Thomas and the
challenger, Mrs. Janie
Serna.
In the runoff, the dynamic of the race will
change because there will
be two contestants rather
than three; so there will be
extra votes to secure. In addition, Rick Schumancher
another challenger who
came in 3rd can sway the
outcome of the election either
way.
If
Mr.
Schumancher endorses a
candidate then, that will
sway the race in the favor
of that person. For instance,
Keep Austin
Real: Capital
City Black Film
Festival Gears
up with Diverse
Film Offerings
The third annual
Capital City Black Film
Festival is back and better than ever Aug. 13 to
Aug. 15 at Austin’s
Palmer Events Center.
The screens will feature
more than 60 films in two
Constable Danny Thomas
Mr. Schumancher received
about 25% of the votes
which means that whoever
gets his voters will win.
Moreover, it is not
the first time that Constable Danny Thomas will
go into a runoff election.
In other words, he has
managed to squeeze a win
in the other runoff elections. Unlike the other
times, there are numerous
community leaders who
are backing the challenger.
Consequently, Constable
Danny Thomas will have to
work harder to win.
days, with both featurelength and short-films in
nearly every genre: romance, action, drama,
comedy, horror, documentary, post-apocalyptic.
Events
kick-off
Thursday night with the
Harlem Lights! reception,
which will be adorned
with rare photographs,
film clips, live music and
local actors. Austin-based
actor and producer Julius
Tennon (Small Soldiers,
Dazed and Confused,
Faster) will host a presentation by the Austin History Center celebrating
Austin’s Harlem Theatre
and Blacks in film, along
with a presentation of
the classic film Cabin in
the Sky, starring Lena
Horne.
The festival’s film
lineup is powerfully revealing: Black Film is real,
and it means depth, variety,
relationships,
beauty, and smart perspectives. The line-up explodes any notion that
Black Film is a synonym
for Tyler Perry. At the
same time, these are not
(white) films with Black
characters. There’s noticeable diversity among
the actors, but the films
are bound by a black
thread. Also clear is the
presence of women as
writers, producers, directors and actors in Black
Film—and not just in a
few films or a few kinds
of film. They are interspersed throughout from
top to bottom, just like in
the real world!
www.theaustinvillager.com
CLASSIFIEDS
THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016 ~ Page 7
EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATION
FOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS
TCRP Dismisses
Jail Call Lawsuit
On April 29, 2014, the
Texas Civil Rights Project
and others, filed a federal
lawsuit against Travis
County, The Sheriff’s Office and other Travis
County Elected Officials
concerning the alleged recording of attorneys’ telephone calls at the jail.
We are pleased to inform everyone that on Friday, March 11, 2016, all
claims against all Defendants, including Travis
County Sheriff Greg
Hamilton and the Sheriff’s
Office, were finally dismissed. The Parties to this
lawsuit have entered a
settlement agreement resulting in dismissal of the
lawsuit. Prior to entry of
the settlement agreement, the Plaintiffs dismissed their claims against
Sheriff Hamilton and the
other Travis County
Elected Officials, and
amended their lawsuit to
acknowledge that there
was no evidence of knowing or intentional wrongdoing or misconduct by
these officials or their offices, including the
Sheriff’s Office. The Plaintiff attorney organizations
also agreed to inform their
members of how the jail
phone system works and
how to use it properly.
Sheriff Greg
Hamilton said, “We accept
Blacks
Playing
Men’s
Hoops,
Football
Lag
Behind in
Degrees
that there are policy refinements that make the
process better. Additionally, the instructions for
how the system works will
be made clearer for the
attorneys using the system. We will be updating
our website and making
the instructions clearer for
all involved. We are also
pleased that, pursuant to
the settlement, the Plaintiffs acknowledge there is
no evidence of knowing or
intentional misconduct or
by: Errin Haines
wrongdoing by Travis Whack Associated Press
Elected County Officials,
PHILADELPHIA (AP)
and further, no taxpayer
— Young Black men playmoney was paid to Plaining basketball and football
tiffs to resolve this lawfor the country’s top colsuit.”
lege teams are graduating
at lower rates than Black
male students at the same
schools — despite having
financial and academic
support that removes
common hurdles preventing many undergraduates
from earning a degree, a
new report has found.
YMCA Obesity
Program
The YMCA of Austin is the first YMCA in the country to partner with MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition,
Do It! in offering a childhood obesity intervention program for children and their parents.
Through generous grants from St. David’s Foundation, the YMCA will be offering programs over the
next year at different locations, including YMCA of
Austin and community locations. Each program lasts
10 weeks and meets twice per week, typically a weekday evening and Saturday morning. Parents must attend with their child.
Children must be ages 7-13, overweight or
obese, and may not be suffering from diabetes or
debilitating asthma. Physician consent must be
granted before program participation. One parent
must be able to participate with their child in each
session.
Take the first step toward a happier, healthier
family. Register today! Call 512-236-9622 or email
[email protected].
Program Starts April 2016.
http://www.austinymca.org/programs/childhood-obesity-intervention
See PLAY, back page
VIVA BASEBALL!
HBCU Celebrates Latino Heritage
Rams Baseball March 19 Double Header
AUSTIN, TX - Saturday, March 19, fans are invited to Historic Downs Field, 2816
E. 12 St., to cheer on the Huston-Tillotson Rams as they play a double-header against
LSU Shreveport. Gates open at 11 a.m., and the game starts at 12 noon.
“We’ve invited the Libertad Orquesta Salsa Band to play during the
break between games, because the Latino community has a special relationship
with baseball. We want all of our fans to feel apart of the community spirit we’re
building at Downs Field,” says Lisa Byrd, Executive Director of Six Square – Austin’s
Black Cultural District.
Downs Field is the past home of the Negro Baseball League’s Austin
Black Senators, and has hosted baseball greats such as Satchel Paige, Willie Wells,
and Buck O’Neil, and countless other players who went on to contribute to America’s
Major and Minor League Baseball.
In 2013, Downs Field was designated a historic landmark by the Texas
Historical Commission. Today, it is home to the Huston-Tillotson University Rams
baseball team and the Austin Metro Baseball League.
When:
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Gates open at 11 am, Game starts at noon.
Where: Downs Field
2816 E. 12th Street
Austin, TX
Who:
Huston-Tillotson Rams v. LSU Shreveport
Libertad Orquesta Salsa Band
Such programs are important despite
misconceptions and stigma surrounding
mental health continued from page 3
16th Annual Central
Texas African American
Family Support Conference last month.
The conference,
hosted by Austin Travis
County Integral Care
(ATCIC), provided information and educational opportunities to consumers, families and the community
about mental health,
chemical dependence, cooccurring disorders, and
physical health issues. It included scientific presentations, student poster sessions, first-party accounts,
and interactive workshops.
Roughly 500 people of all
races came together to
learn, share personal experiences and promote collaborative efforts.
Such programs are
important, especially in
the face of the persistent
misconceptions and
stigma surrounding mental health. Unfortunately
and in the face of evidence
to the contrary, too many
people still believe that
people struggling with
mental health issues are to
blame for them – that dangerousness is rampant, recovery is rare and treatment is ineffectual.
But there are reasons
for hope. One is the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference. Another is the
historic collaboration between Huston-Tillotson
University, the Dell Medical School at The Univer-
sity of Texas at Austin, and
ATCIC to address mental
health disparities across
Travis County, in part
through the development
of the Sandra Joy Anderson Community Health
and Wellness Center on
the HT campus.
These sorts of vital
efforts promote mental
health literacy, reduce
stigma, and increase access to mental health services. They deserve the
community’s support and
must be expanded.
In the future, mental
health will be treated
much sensibly, humanely
and equitably than it is
now. We need to move
toward that future as
quickly as possible.
New Jobs for the
Week of 03/13/2016
Technician, Culinary Arts Lab
Eastview Campus
Job# 1603004
Faculty, American Sign Language
& Interpreter Training
Rio Grande Campus
Job# 1603001
Specialist, Workforce Tutoring
Eastview Campus
Job# 1602013
Apply at HR
Middle Fiskville Rd.
6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752
Job Line (512 223-5621
hhtp://www./austincc.ed
EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V
Austin Community College
District (ACC) is soliciting
proposals from qualified firms to
provide Media Buying Services.
Request for Proposal
(RFP) No. 915-16007VJ
All proposals must be submitted to
ACC Purchasing by no later than
Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:00
p.m., Central Time. Solicitation
packages are available on the ACC
Purchasing website at http://
w w w. a u s t i n c c . e d u / o f f i c e s /
purchasing/advertised-solicitations
or in the ACC Purchasing Office
with advance notice (512) 223-1044
between the hours of 9am and 4pm
CST, Monday through Friday.
A mandatory pre-proposal meeting
is scheduled for March 23, 2016 at
2:00 pm CST, at the ACC Service
Center, Rm 168.
All proposals must be sealed and
returned to the ACC Purchasing
Office, ACC Service Center, 9101
Tuscany Way, Austin, Texas 78754,
by the date and time indicated
above. Electronically transmitted
bids will NOT be accepted unless
otherwise stated in the documents.
The ACC Board of Trustees
reserves the right to reject any and/
or all responses and waive all
formalities in the solicitation
process.
**NOTICE OF HOLIDAY
CLOSURE** ACC will be closed
for the College spring break from
March 14-18, 2016. Offices will
reopen on Monday, March 21,
2016.
Austin Travis County Integral
Care is currently soliciting
proposals through a Request for
Proposals (RFP) process for Bank
Depository Services. RFPs may be
sent electronically, by contacting
Brody Ballard at brody.ballard
@atcic.org or (512) 440-4022
beginning March 7, 2016. The
deadline to submit a proposal under
the RFP is 4 p.m. CST on April 11,
2016. Historically Underutilized
Businesses, including MinorityOwned Businesses and WomenOwned Businesses, are encouraged
to apply.
City of Austin Featured Job
Opportunities
The City of Austin is currently accepting
applications for the following positions:
• Public Event Worker, (15 Temporary
Positions)
• Community Recreation Activity
Specialist
• Lifeguard (100 Temporary/Seasonal
Openings)
• Facility Service Coordinator
• IT Application Developer Senior and IT
Application Developer (2 Openings)
• Street & Bridge Operations Crew Lead
• Power System Engineer Senior
Please visit the City of Austin employment
website at www.austincityjobs.org to view
requirements and apply for these and other job
opportunities. We encourage you to check the
employment website often as new job
opportunities are posted daily.
If you have any questions or need assistance,
please call 512-974-3210 or email us at
[email protected].
The City of Austin is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
City of Austin
Purchasing Office
The City of Austin Purchasing Office invites
you to view current bid solicitations at https://
w w w. c i . a u s t i n . t x . u s / f i n a n c e o n l i n e /
vendor_connection/solicitation/solicitations.cfm.
Vendors are encouraged to register on-line in the
City’s Vendor Self Service System. Once your
company is registered, you will receive notifications about new bid opportunities. For additional
information regarding current bid opportunities
or Vendor Registration, please call the Purchasing Office at 512-974-2500.
For information on the City of Austin’s Minority Owned and Women-Owned Procurement
Program and the certification process, please
contact the Small & Minority Business Resources
Department at 512-974-7600 or visit their website
at http://www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 18, 2016
THE DISPATCH
President Obama picks Kansas to win
in his NCAA Tournament bracket
President Barack
Obama has the Kansas
Jayhawks cutting down the
nets with a win over North
Carolina in the final NCAA
bracket of his presidency.
Obama is most intrigued by
the East, where he thinks
some of the best games of
the tournament could play
out. To this end he has
North Carolina meeting
Kentucky in the Sweet 16,
which we all agree would
be magical. When it came
time to the National
Championship the president said "Bill Self owes
me!" referring to several
times the Jayhawks have
been Obama's pick and
come up short. He's going
with them again in 2016
and thinks they have the
steady game that can take
down North Carolina in
what he calls "a squeaker."
“You're going to graduate me, or
I'm not going to play for you.”
continued from page 7
In this Aug. 6, 2011, file photo, University of Alabama students receive
their diplomas during the morning commencement ceremony for spring and
summer graduates at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. While 58 percent of black male undergraduates at the 65 schools in the Power 5 conferences got degrees within six years, 54 percent of black male student-athletes
at the same schools graduated, according to an analysis of the 2014-2015 academic year by University of Pennsylvania researcher Shaun Harper. (Michelle
Lepianka Carter/The Tuscaloosa News via AP, File)
While 58 percent of
Black male undergraduates at the 65 schools in
the Power 5 conferences
got degrees within six
years, 54 percent of Black
male student-athletes at
the same schools graduated, according to an
analysis of the 2014-2015
academic year by University of Pennsylvania researcher Shaun Harper.
Harper said the
graduation gap represents
a wide and systemic issue
worse than isolated scandals seen on individual
campuses.
“It happens just
about everywhere,” said
Harper, director of Penn’s
Center for Race and Equity
in Education. “Generations of young Black men
and their parents and
families are repeatedly
duped by a system that lies
to them about what their
life chances are and what
their athletic outcomes
are likely to be.”
Just as the attention
of the sports world shifts
to March Madness, the
home page for the NCAA’s
website features data on
how few student-athletes
are drafted to play professional sports, promoting
its efforts to educate college players. The NCAA
men’s and women’s basketball tournaments begin
this week.
According to estimated data from the
NCAA, only 1.2 percent of
college men’s basketball
players are drafted by the
NBA and only 1.6 percent
of college football players
are drafted by the NFL.
“Although there is a
great deal of interest in
basketball this time of
year, we think it is important to remind fans of
what our mission is — to
provide student-athletes
educational opportunities
that will last a lifetime,”
Bob Williams, NCAA senior vice president of communications, said in a
statement to The Associated Press.
The statement also
said graduation rates rose
13 percentage points in
football and 15 percentage points in basketball for
Black student-athletes at
all Division I programs between 1995 and 2005.
Nationwide, Black
men comprise 2.5 percent
of undergraduate students, but make up 56 percent of college football
teams and 61 percent of
men’s college basketball
teams. Harper says college
is failing a large number of
these students, who also
graduate at lower rates than
student-athletes overall (69
percent) and undergraduates overall (75 percent) at
these schools.
A recent NCAA report
on graduation data shows
the graduation rate for
Black male players at all
Division I basketball programs was 72 percent for
the class that started in
2008. For football, the
number was 69 percent.
On its website, the NCAA
says graduation rates are
higher than ever, and 15
percent of student-athletes say they wouldn’t be
in college without sports.
But the numbers
don’t hold up when looking at the NCAA’s main revenue-generating sports at
elite programs.
“When coaches are
looking for the best ath-
letic talent, that’s what
they’re looking for,”
Harper said. “They’re not
really concerned with academic talent.”
Harry Swayne, who
played football at Rutgers
University for four years
before a 14-year NFL career from 1987 to 2001,
said he saw the shift in
mentality from the idea of
college as a path to education to a pipeline to a
professional sports career.
“Statistically, more
than likely, they won’t
make it,” Swayne said.
“We don’t want to talk
them out of their dreams;
we just want to give them
some reality, too. We want
to introduce them to some
other possibilities for
when football is over, because it is coming to an
end sooner than they
think and sooner than
they’re ready for.”
Swayne said schools
should look at studentathletes more as people
than players, and help
them prepare for life beyond the game.
Harper said the solution is less likely to come
from colleges than parents
whose children are being
recruited. He encouraged
families to ask coaches
about their overall student-athlete experience
before committing to
schools.
“Sometimes, young
men get so excited about
the prospect of playing for
a particular place and
coach,” Harper said.
“We’re going to have to
see more student activism, where Black players
say, ‘You’re going to graduate me, or I’m not going to
play for you.’”
onetwoeast
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