December 9, 2010

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Volume 80 Number 7 DECEMBER 9 - 15, 2010 | FREE

INTERVIEW

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

Weekend

Marc MorialIs America Marching in Two Different Directions?

Weekend

FamilyRaising Eager Readers

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Julianne MalveauxRon Walters - A Scholar and a Gentleman

By Kam WilliamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER00

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

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

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

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

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

Certain that it was only a matter of time before her

Kickin’ back with K’Naan

By Odochi IbeNNPA SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

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

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

DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE

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

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

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

★INDICTED, Page 3

★CBC Page 3

★K’NAAN, Page 2

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

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyDEFENDER

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

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

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

★MURALS, Page 7

By Imani EvansSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

THE DALLAS EXAMINER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

★AIRPORT CONTRACTS, Page 4

Airport contracts divide DallasCity Council in Race debate

County financialdirector indicted

CBC tacklesunemployment

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

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

★SHEPARD, Page 4

REMEMBERING

Beulah Shepard

BeaulahShepard

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

University Advancement [email protected]

Eddie BerniceJohnson

HelenGiddings

Weekend Weekend Monday

Julianne Malveaux:Some Want Jobs for Christmas

Food:Holiday Cooking for the Heart

George Curry:Limbaugh and Huckabee Propose Airport Groping of Obama Girls

H WILSON, Page 3

Brian Courtney Wilson Is “Already Here”

After Dark Program

Bread of Life offers homeless an alternative

According to projected 2010 Census numbers, Houston will be the 2nd or 3rd largest city in the U.S. Because of Houston’s current demographic breakdown Rice University professor Stephen

Klineberg argues that the Bayou City is a microcosm of the country and reflects the U.S. of the future. If Dr. Klineberg’s social forecast is correct, both good and bad news await the nation. Because of the educational opportunities and international realities, Houston is viewed as a city with un-limited potential. Yet, regarding its treatment of the homeless, Houston was declared in recent years by the National Coalition for the Homeless one of America’s meanest cities. With Houston’s homeless population growing in proportion to the country’s eco-nomic troubles, an already large problem is only getting larger. Yet, Bread of Life, Inc., a non-profit arm of St. John’s Downtown church, has added to its ministry of services to the homeless by be-coming Houston’s first homeless program to open through the night for what’s called its After Dark @ Daybreak Program.

After Dark at Daybreak, locat-ed at 1703 Gray St., is an initiative that provides services to roughly 150 homeless individuals a day when most service providers are closed. The key component of After Dark is the time of service available to the homeless community. The program

Death penalty hearing halted

Brian Courtney Wilson

Art Project-HoustonA way to help Bread of Life After Dark Program

When Juanita Rasmus, co-pastor of St. Johns Downtown, was diagnosed with cancer, she was thrown for a loop. With no family history of the disease and no other indicators that she might be susceptible to it, she never suspected that a trip to the doctor to check on an indi-gestion problem would result in discovering that she pos-sessed an 8 centimeters-wide tumor in her kidney—and a form of cancer so rare (muci-nous spindle cell carcinoma) that only 77 people have ever been diagnosed with it.

A major component in her healing regiment was her regular visits to the Cenacle Retreat Center, a Catholic retreat

center located at 420 N Kirkwood Rd. (77079), where Pastor Rasmus participated in prayer, meditation and regular art ses-sions. Through her art therapy Rasmus discovered a healing

H ART PROJECT, Page 7 H AFTER DARK, Page 7

Defender News Service

In an unprecedented move, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has granted a stay in a Hous-ton hearing on the con-stitutionality of the death penalty in Texas.

The hearing was requested by John Edward Green Jr., an African-American facing a possi-ble death sentence if con-victed of fatally shooting a woman during a June 2008 robbery. Green’s lawyers want to show that the way death penalty cases are handled in Texas creates a risk that innocent people will be executed.

It was last spring when

Kevin Fine, the presiding judge over the hearing, declared the state’s death penalty unconstitutional. Under heavy criticism, he later clarified and then rescinded his ruling.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Of-fice had filed an emer-gency appeal, arguing that Fine had overstepped his boundaries. Prosecutors told Fine that they would not participate in the legal proceeding and would “stand mute” during the hearing, which means they are refusing to take part, opting instead to plead their case to the appeals court.

The Court of Criminal

H HEARING, Page 4

Pres. Obama looks to reduce deficit

Special to the NNPA from the

AFRO-American newspapers

In an attempt to re-duce the national deficit and improve his po-litical standing, President Barack Obama is making bipartisan moves, which so far has been met with mixed reviews by congressional Demo-crats.

The president opened last week with a direc-tive for a two-year salary freeze for

federal employees, which is expected to save $2 billion for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, $28 billion during the next five years, and more than $60 billion during the next 10 years.

Non-voting Con-gresswoman Eleanor

Holmes Norton, D- D.C., hailed the move, saying that Obama had already

staked out the high moral ground in Janu-

ary 2009 by freez-ing the pay of his

staffers long be-fore proposing

a similar move for the rest of the federal govern-ment.

H DEFICIT, Page 4

by Morgan LynchDEFENDER

He’s the top recording artist who is quickly making a name for himself. Brian Courtney Wilson’s musical talent has garnered national attention with his

first release “All I Need” as the longest-running cur-rent single on the Billboard Hot Gospel Song charts (70 weeks). And, his latest single “Already Here” off the newly-released “Just Love” Deluxe Edition is in stores now.

Born in Chicago, IL, Wilson gave up a lucra-tive career in pharmaceuticals to pursue music. He began by working in the music ministries of two major Houston churches, giving him the experience required to launch his blossoming music career. In an exclusive interview with the Defender, Wilson discussed the Monday blues, redemption, and the direction of Gospel in the Pop music era.

Defender: How are you feeling now that your music has debuted on the Gospel charts and you’ve been named a break-through artist of 2010?

Brian Courtney Wilson: That’s great news. Much better than people not knowing who you are. [laughs] When you do music it’s better to have some notoriety than not, so that’s good.

Defender: Your label, Music World is relaunch-ing your “Just Love” CD and making it a deluxe edition. What is so special about the album this time around?

Wilson: We added five new songs. One of them is a Christmas song, actually, so it’s ap-propriate for the season. It’s a remake of “This Christmas.” And the five new songs, the lead song from it is “Awesome God,” which is a great regional song here in Houston. It’s played for several years and we remade it and we’re going to put it out nationally and it’s already charted in the top 25. So, people are responding well to it and

we also give forty minutes of DVD footage from Bishop David G. Evans church, where we did

By Aswad Walker, DEFENDER

n Name: Brian Courtney Wilsonn Hometown: Chicago, IL; but now Houston-basedn Occupation: Singer; Cultural Music Director for St. John’s United Methodist Churchn Birthday: Nov. 1n Education: University of Illinois, Bachelor’s in Liberal Artsn Accolades: Just Love- #1 Christian Music Trade Association’s Inspirational Album chart, #2 Billboard Top Gospel Album chart, and #6 Billboard’s Top Christian Album chart; Gospel Music Association Dove Award nominee.

PROFILE

The next Art Project is scheduled Thursday, December 16 at 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bread of Life, Inc, 1703 W. Gray Street. Donations are welcomed.

2 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flag?

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

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

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

KW: Do you still feel a strong connectionto Somalia?

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

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

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

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

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

KW: Are you a soccer fan and did you play

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KW: What has been the happiest momentof your life?

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

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

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

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

K: Thank you so much, Kam.

K’Naancontinued from page 1

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

DECEMBER 9 - 15, 2010 | DEFENDER

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

green industry.The Congressional Black Caucus

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

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

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

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

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

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

row donation.The sessions will include “Beyond a

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CBCcontinued from page 1

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

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

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

reproduced without the written permissionof the publisher).

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 47 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad Walker

WebmasterCorneleon Block

that carries a punishmentof up to two years in stateprison.

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

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

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

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

Harrison wife has alsobeen charged.

Indictedcontinued from page 1

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

Gaddafi Remarkson ‘Blackening’Europe stirs concerns, anger

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

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

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

★GADDAFI, Page 6


a concert there. And, I think it’s good. It actually was relaunched on October 5th and it debuted at number three on the chart again, so I thought it was a good look.

Defender: What was the inspira-tion behind one of the songs off of your album “Monday’s Pain?”

Wilson: I am a recovering church-a-holic, that’s the way I’ve been talking about it and basically you know as much as I love church, what I loved about church when I first started going to church was like how good it made me feel. You know the singing in the choir and the shouting. You know if you’re in the ministry…the affirmation of the people are all always like “Aw man, you’re doing a great job” and that feels good and what would happen on Monday for me was the feeling would go away. It was like I would have these highs and that’s the first line of the song “When highs turn to lows and the doubt in me grows.” And so that song is just a lament to God, just praying that somehow I can make the connection between what I was feeling on Sunday and everyday life on Monday to Saturday.

Defender: Producer Stan “STAN-tastic” Jones has worked with Marvin Sapp, The Williams Brothers and Yolanda Adams. And, he has produced your new album. What was it like working with him?

Wilson: It was great. He was very personable and patient and he just allowed me to be myself you know and that was the main thing for me. If I had any trepidation go-ing in working with a producer who was going to try to mold me into something that I really didn’t feel comfortable being. And he took the time to find out who I was and allow me to be myself.

Defender: You’ll be performing on the “American Heart Association’s Power to End Stroke Tour.” Are you excited about this venture?

Wilson: It was great. I got a chance to work closely with Marvin Sapp in particular and just kind of watch him go about his business in a professional and excellent manner especially given what he is dealing with. It was a real learning experi-ence for me so I really enjoyed that.

Defender: Who are your musical influencers?

Wilson: I have several. I’m a big admirer of Fred Hammond’s music, especially his “Pages of Life.” I just love that record, espe-cially as I was becoming a disciple of Christ that was a very informative record for me. And, I enjoy listening to Donny Hathaway. I listened to

him singing in college and a girl that I had a crush on told me that I sounded like Donny Hathaway and before that I had never heard of him. But, I went and looked up all his music after that and I tried to mimic my style after him when I was in college. Hopefully, now I have developed my own sound but he was someone I really listened to in college.

Defender: Gospel music is really crossing over into the main stream. Do you feel that it will touch people and save souls or just blend entirely into popular music?

Wilson: It’s probably a little bit of both. You know that just doesn’t happen for gospel music, but it hap-pens for secular music. There was a song back in the day, I think Ice-T or somebody did this song called ‘I’ll beat that…with a bat” do you remember that song? And I would always marvel at how all the women would get up, get on the dance floor and would go crazy over the song. And I’m like “Do y’all hear what this dude is saying on this song?” And so I think a lot of times people tune out the words if the beat is something that facilitates what they want to do. And that just doesn’t happen for fast songs, it happens for slow songs, too. If the music facili-tates a feeling that they want to feel at the time then they’ll just go with it. I think the miracle that happens with gospel music is that hopefully

you have lyrics that have planted the types of seed in the music that if the person just happens to pay attention they’ll catch it. And they’re all types of reasons why a person will hear a song at one point and miss it and at another point they’ll hear it and it’s like, ‘Oh wow, I got it now’ and it changes their life. I applaud anyone that uses music to reach as broad an audience as possible. Even if that audience doesn’t get it right away, doesn’t mean they won’t get it a year from now.

Defender: Do you feel that people place high expectations on you as an artist and a person because you are a man of religion?

Wilson: They probably do but I don’t think they place anymore higher expectations than I place on myself to be honest with you so it’s not really a factor. At the end of the day I want to please my wife. I want to make sure that I’m honoring her and she’s happy and honor my fam-ily’s name you know in the street and that’s it. And hopefully doing what God is calling me to do.

Defender: You have a multi-cultural background. Do you feel like it played a part in your formation as an artist?

Wilson: You know I grew up in working-class Chicago and I went to a white school, and I went to a predominantly white college. I remember I met my first teacher in college, the choir teacher and she

said “Brian, you already know how to sing. What you need to be getting out of this experience is discipline.” How to discipline yourself to do whatever you need to have done and so that’s what college does for you like when you can graduate, show up for class on time. If you can, you learn the discipline that you can take into the rest of your life so that’s part of your formation. I think being around white people, you learn that not everybody thinks like black people so if you’re trying to com-municate you need to understand that there may be misinterpretations if you say it a certain way. So you become sensitive that not everything you say means the same thing to other people. And hopefully, as a songwriter that can broaden your song writing and make you con-scious of that when you deliver a song

Defender: How did your time at Windsor Village United Methodist Church and St. John United Meth-odist Church enhance you?

Wilson: Windsor allowed me to volunteer in their music ministry and actually ventured from there to lead in worship an outreach service that they were doing and so I was writing songs for that service and some of the songs I sung were already on my record here in particular. The “Awesome God” came from a recording session we did at

Windsor so that was cool. St. John’s was the first professional music ministry position that I had. I was responsible every week for helping to design the worship service and making sure it went over right and that the volunteers rehearse properly. All of those things basically gave me opportunities to make mistakes on Sunday and try it again the next week and then figure out what my voice was. What was I really trying to say? And who am I saying it to? And what mat-ters to me? Those things were important.

Defender: In your bio it says that you weren’t always saved. What kind of breakthrough did you have to find God?

Wilson: I had made some mis-takes, but I had to look at myself and realize that I was going to be who I said I was as a Christian.

Defender: You walked away from seven years in the pharmaceuti-cal industry to pursue music. What gave you the courage to follow your dream?

Wilson: I felt miserable on the job. I felt like I have to give my kids an example of somebody that did exactly what they were called to do and not just what they were do-ing because they were afraid of do-ing something else. I wanted to set an example. St. John’s was giving me an opportunity to come on staff

and do some music there. So that was a way to supplement my in-come, it was a significant decrease but it wasn’t like I’m just stepping out, I’m going to start rapping somewhere. They were giving me an opportunity to supplement my income while I was doing what I really wanted to do with my music ministry standpoint. It was critical that they allowed me to do that.

Defender: What do you hope your music conveys to people?

Wilson: The album is called “Just Love” and shows that it’s okay to just love like even when you can’t see what the next step is going to be the Bible says that love is a multitude of sayings…to follow what you love, to do what you love, and show love and I think that makes a lot of things okay. But, also you got to have the courage to accept love. Because a lot of times we start to feel guilty because of the mistakes we made or offenses that you’ve caused to other during the past so that people are trying to show you love by moving forward you can’t recognize it or accept it the right way. So, you’ve got to get to a place where you accept love because that’s help. Help cometh; and everybody needs help. No man is an island.

Defender: So, Brian Courtney Wilson, are you ‘already here’?

Wilson: [laughs] Yes! I’m fully present!
























EditorVon Jiles



















★GADDAFI, Page 6

VOLUME 80 • NUMBER 7DECEMBER 9 - 15, 2010

Tony Fernandez-Davila

2010

WilsonContinued from page 1

National Cemetery. Shepard was an outspoken

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Shepardcontinued from page 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aranza of Star Concessions could not be reachedfor comment.

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

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

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

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

Airport contractscontinued from page 1

This is the uptown version.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

dow.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

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

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

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

I tend to agree

AUTO NEWS By Darrell K. Ardison

CALIBER: HIGHLIGHTS

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

Engine2.0-liter four-cylinder

Safety equipmentSpeed sensitive power locks

Fuel economy

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

Estimated annual fuel cost$1,560

2010 Dodge Caliber

By Kathy ChaneySpecial to the NNPA from the Chicago Defender

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

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

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

Braun’s political career spans more than twodecades.

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

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

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

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

Moseley Braun considering run for Chicago mayor

Carol Moseley Braun

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

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

for the city of Dallas.”– Dallas Councilwoman

Carolyn Davis


HearingContinued from page 1

n MSRP base price – $35,700 (as tested - $37,315)n Engine – 4.0-liter V6n Transmission – Five-speed automaticn Fuel economy – 17 miles per gallon (city), 22 mpg (highway)n Estimated annual fuel cost - $2,081 (based on 2.60 per gallon)

SPECS

AUTONEWS By Darrell K. Ardison

Appeals said all parties will have 15 days to respond to the stay by drafting legal briefs with their stated opinions. Prosecutors and defense lawyers will now argue whether the hearing should take place. The district attorney’s office said in its brief that Fine was exceeding his authority by allowing evidence re-garding flaws in past death penalty cases to decide issues in Green’s case. Arguments at the appellate court could end or may just delay what has turned in to a full-fledged accounting of the safeguards of the procedures available used to con-vict and execute inmates in Texas.

John Edward Green Jr. is awaiting trial on charges he fatally shot Huong Thien Nguyen, 34, of Houston, and wounded her sister My Houng Nguyen dur-ing a June 2008 robbery. Green, 25, could face the death penalty. His attorneys have said Green is innocent, but the hearing was less about Green’s case and more about whether Texas has executed in-nocent people because of a flawed system.

Richard Burr, Green’s defense attorney, says it’s crystal clear that the evidence used against his client is the same evidence that wrongfully convicts innocent people. Greens’ attorneys point to two Texas men: Cameron Todd Willingham and Claude Jones. Both men were execut-ed, but recently surfaced evidence indicates they may have been wrong-fully convicted.

“I think that if the courts stop this from happening, I think there will be a backlash: public backlash that demands something different to happen,” Burr says.

The halt came just hours before Barry Scheck from the Innocence Project was supposed to walk into that courtroom. His group has freed several men who were wrongly con-victed. He was at the airport in New York getting ready to board a plane to Houston when we were able to catch him on the phone.

“It’s an unfortunate situation because the people of the state of Texas and across the country want to hear the evidence,” Scheck said. “It’s an important issue and we have a lot of proof we’d like to put before the court that makes our case and we haven’t had an opportunity to do so.”

However, not all Demo-crats are as supportive as Norton. Rep. Donna Edwards, D-MD, said the freeze is unfair to federal employees, who should not have to carry the burden. “I am disappointed that Presi-dent Obama’s proposal for a two-year pay freeze for federal employees comes without additional steps to share the burden and sacri-fice of reducing our federal deficit,” Edwards said in a statement. “Unfortunately, our civil servants will continue to work alongside contractors, including mili-tary and defense contrac-tors, who will not see their pay frozen. Our dedicated public servants are willing to do their part, but they should not bear this burden alone.”

The pay freeze proposal comes as Obama works with congressional Repub-

licans to extend tax-cuts for every American family, a move that would also intro-duce new spending into the economy. The issue boiled over to the point that Senate GOP members said they would block any legislation until the tax-cut situation was resolved.

“Republicans have pleaded with Democrats to put aside their wish-list, to focus on the things Ameri-cans want us to focus on,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R.-KY, said on the Senate floor. “They’ve ignored us. The voters repudiated their agenda at the polls. They’ve ignored them.”

Seeing that things were at an impasse, Obama reached out to the Repub-licans, and in return for extending Bush-era tax cuts to certain wealthier individu-als, asked for an extension in unemployment benefits and another year of his “Making Work Pay” tax cut for work-ing households.

“Our hope and expecta-

tion is that unemployment insurance--something that traditionally has had bi-par-tisan support—is something that once again will be dealt with as part of a broader package,” Obama said.

However, his potential alliance with the Republi-cans has not been embraced by Hill Democrats, who still want to see a repeal of the Bush tax cuts. House Democrats, in a flurry designed to demonstrate support for the middle class, passed, in a 234-188 vote, a bill that would make the tax cuts permanent for families earning less than $250,000 a year but ending the cuts spawned during the Bush years for the wealthiest two percent of Americans.

“I look forward to work-ing with my Congressional colleagues and President Obama to implement ad-ditional steps to reduce our deficit, starting with allowing tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans to expire,” Edwards said.

DeficitContinued from page 1

2010 TOYOTA 4RUNNER TRAIL 4X4 V6

A recent presidential candidate once proclaimed that it was time for a change.

The good folks at the Toyota Motors Corpora-tion must have been paying attention.

I’ve always considered the Toyota 4Runner as one of the most athletic, off-road-capable vehicles available to the U.S. general public. The 2010 edition, while still keeping to its definitive core, has taken a step to the mild side.

For those of us that enjoy the sports utility vehicle mantra, yet do the abundance of our driving on-road, this is a most invigorating update.

No longer are 4Runner passengers closely grouped together like sardines in a tin can. The days of 4Runner occupants feeling like they are aboard a ride at the amusement, or on the back of a grasshopper or spider on the prowl are over.

This is a more sophisticated 4Runner, with a gentle on-road ride that can still overcome any off-road obstacle in its path.

Will miracles ever cease?The exterior aesthetics have evolved so that

the 4Runner appears to be a larger, more refined SUV, closer in kin to the Toyota Highlander and a major step away from the Rav4. No disrespect meant to the Rav4.

Even the Trail model of the new 4Run-ner has more interior room than its predeces-sor. How about a power tilt/slide moonroof with sunshade, rearview mirror with integrated

backup camera monitor, sliding rear cargo deck and power adjustable front and passen-ger seats with water-proof fabric?

The exterior is highlighted with a front hood scoop, rear privacy glass, fog lamps, black front and rear bumpers, overfend-ers, mudguards, front grille and rear license handles along with heated exterior mirrors.

Lighting fixtures have been updated in both the front and rear and there’s a black utility roof rack with a rail system.

In short, the all-new 4Runner is a more user-friendly vehicle while retaining its vigor for

the off-road. As usual, there’s an abundance of power

with a 4.0-liter V6 engine that produces 270

horsepower and 278 pounds-per-foot of torque. A five-speed automatic transmission flawlessly completes the powertrain.

Safety features includes vehicle stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, driver and front passenger advanced air bag system, driver and front passenger knee and side air bags, front and second-row roll-sensing side curtain air bags and tire pressure monitor system.

The Toyota 4Runner has come full circle and I enjoyed all the new innovations. Maybe you will too.

2010 TOYOTA VENZA FIVE-DOOR SUVFor nearly a decade, I’ve had the

enviable opportunity to test drive and write about some of the best vehicles available to the general public.

During that time, different terms and phrases have invaded the automobile industry and for the most part, I’ve had a fairly good understand-ing of most of them. A few examples would be SUV (sports utility vehicle), SRS (supplemental restraining system), bluetooth (hands-free telephone) and LATCH (lower anchor & tethers for children).

Yet it took driving the 2010 Toyota Venza five-door sedan/SUV for a week to finally come to grips with the term “crossover.” I was kind of in the ball park in that I thought it meant a car that wanted to be a SUV or vice versa.

The vehicle’s window sticker further clouded the issue by listing the Venza as a five-door sedan with a fuel economy estimate for SUVs.

SNAP! I think I’ve got it.A crossover is a sports utility vehicle on a car plat-

form as opposed to the normal SUV that rides on a truck platform. Does that make sense? Most SUVs sit high off the road and can be taken off-road. The crossover borrows many of the SUV features, yet remain a car at heart.

When my relatives from Louisiana visited recently, they wanted to visit one of our ailing kinfolk that lives crosstown. We’re talking about a 70-mile round trip from

southeast Houston. I didn’t even bat an eye.We loaded up the Venza (five adult passengers) and

headed for FM 1960 near Ella boulevard.It took less than 40 minutes to get out there on a

Saturday afternoon as the 3.5-liter V6 engine matched with

a six-speed automatic transmission (with manual mode) performed flawlessly.

The best way to make occupants that aren’t used to riding with you feel at ease is to make it smooth and leisurely – no sudden stops or quick lane changes. Fortunately the remainder of the traffic played along. The electronic power steering (EPS), 20-inch alloy wheels

surrounded by Michelin tires and four-wheel independent suspension were key role players as well.

Interior conveniences included front dual zone auto-matic climate control system with air filter, reclining fold-flat

60/40 rear seat with armrest and one-touch fold-flat function along with rear personal reading lamps and air vents. There was more than ample legroom for everybody and the air conditioning got downright cold on a day that the tempera-ture hit 99 degrees.

My relatives thoroughly enjoyed the panoramic glass roof with front power tilt/slide moonroof, comfortable leather seats and satin mahogany wood-grain style interior trim.

The Venza’s Star Safety System includes vehicle stabil-ity control with traction, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist, driver and front passenger advanced front air bags, driver and front passenger seat mounted side air bags, side curtain air bags and driver knee air bag along with a direct tire pressure monitor system.

With five-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) government safety ratings in four categories and a four-star in another, the Venza is one of the safest vehicles on the road. The 2010 Venza earned five stars in the front driver, crash passenger, side front seat and crash rear seat categories. It also received four stars in the rollover division.

I was familiar with how to get to our destination, but a reliable voice-activated touch-screen DVD navigation system with JBL synthesis surround sound and four-disc in-dash CD changer with integrated XM satellite radio was at our disposal.

While riding in the lap of luxury, we were also getting good gas mileage. Thus, the idea of a “crossover” had finally sunken in. I can tell a story now.

Well I guess I just did.

n MSRP base price - $28,100 (as tested - $36,864)n Engine – 3.5-liter V6n Transmission – Six-speed automatic (with manual mode)n Fuel economy – 19 miles per gallon (city), 26 mpg (highway)n Estimated annual fuel cost - $1,774 (based on $2.80 per gallon)

SPECS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beall is the ManWhat happens when you

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

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

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

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

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

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

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

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

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

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

Dawson coach Eric Wells said

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

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

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

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

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

The Wildcats played possum inthe first quarter against Dayton.

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

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

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

The Wildcats were at it againin the fourth quarter.

Ryan Jackson, who rushed for

★H.S. FOOTBALL, Page 6

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

★TEXANS, Page 6

H.S. Football Games of the Week

New AttitudeTexans Offense Yields Results

Photos courtesy of the Texans

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
















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★EDISON, Page 6


Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports






























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H ARDISON, Page 6 H HOUSTON Page 4

Katy Tigers exemplify excellence

Marcus WrightThe Backbone of Texas Southern

5

Labor Day Classic Dead?Recently, the 2011 MEAC/

SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney announced they will feature Bethune- Cookman of the MEAC against Prairie View A&M of the SWAC Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The yearly event, which features teams from two prominent Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) leagues, will be aired on an ESPN net-work, which will be announced, along with a kickoff time, at a later date.

The seventh annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge will be the first meeting between Bethune-Cookman and Prairie View A&M, and also the first time the programs will be participating in the event. Bethune-Cookman is having one of its most success-ful years with a 10-1 record. Prairie View A&M finished the year with a 7-4 record, winning the 2009 SWAC title with a 9-1 mark.

Each year, the game pits a MEAC team against a SWAC opponent at a neutral site located within the footprint of one of the conferences. Several additional events will take place around the game, including a high school career panel and the halftime Battle of the Bands.

“As a company commit-ted to diversity, we are proud to sponsor the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney and continue our support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” said Eugene Campbell, vice president of mi-nority business development for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We look forward to welcoming the players, coaches and fans


One thing you can say about Texas Southern head coach Johnnie Cole, he’s a man of his word. Cole, a former TSU quarterback and successful offensive coordinator, turned head coach, has always been known for explosive offensive game plans. His famed HOBO (High Octane, Big play Offense) has been know to light up scoreboards like a Fourth of July display.

So, forgive me if I didn’t quite believe him when he proclaimed in early August at football media day that this year the Tiger offense would feature a power running game. Sure Coach, when pigs fly! Well, I’m pleased to present this aerial swine advisory! TSU is running the ball and running with the type of success that would make Woody Hayes or Darrell Royal blush. The Tigers are rated the conference’s #1 rushing unit, amassing 2331 yards on 538 rushing attempts (4.3 ypc) with 23 rushing touchdowns.

The centerpiece of that rushing attack is redshirt Jr. Marcus Wright (5’10” 210 lbs.). The Dayton, Ohio native has rushed for 1089 yards on 224 carries (4.9 ypc.), with 8 TD’s. In addition to Wright (#2 in SWAC) TSU boasts a combined 3 players in the SWAC’s top 10 rushers. QB Arvell Nevel is #9 (529 yards on 115 carries, 8 TD’s) and Martin Gilbert is #10 (470 yards on 101 carries, 3 TD’s).

That being said, Wright and his rushing prowess have become the backbone of the offense. The Tigers head into the conference championship game having won seven consecutive contests. Marcus Wright has had six consecutive 100 yard rushing games. A coinci-dence? I think not. Of course, the success that Wright has enjoyed comes as no surprise to coach Cole.

“I told you back in August we were going to run the ball, but apparently you didn’t believe me,” Cole recalled. “The reason I was able to say that was because I knew what kind of running back Marcus could be. He played as a freshman my first year here, but he was redshirted last year. He came to me this summer and told me he was ready and I believed him.”

For Wright, a low key type, the decision by Coach Cole to pound the ball was a far cry from the offense he participated in as a freshman.

“I was real surprised when he said it,” Wright recalled. “My freshman year (Cole’s first) we never ran the ball. Coach would say we want to score on every play, so running was a little scarce back then.”

Wright explains why the redshirt year last year has helped develop him into the runner we see today.

“I wasn’t prepared mentally as a freshman,” #23 admitted. “Coming into my freshman year I made a lot of mistakes, little young stuff. I had a lot of growing up to do, being away from home and so far from home. I think the time off helped me mature.”

H WRIGHT, Page 6THE REGION III FINALS:Pearland came into the Class

5A Division I Region III final against four-time regional finalist Katy with the knowledge that you can’t beat the champion on style-points alone. You must do it on the scoreboard.

Before a crowd of 41,368 at Rice Stadium, Pearland’s outstanding two-way performer Sam Ukwuachu, rose above Katy’s tenacious secondary defense and hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trey Anderson with 47 seconds remaining in regulation to seal a 38-35 victory and a berth in the state semifinals.

Just as they had in last-minute wins over Spring Branch Memorial, Clear Springs and Bra-zoswood during the 2010 season, the Oilers rose to the occasion when the game was on the line.

“We definitely weren’t pan-icking,” said Pearland head coach Tony Heath. “We have been there before, and I felt like we still had a fighting chance.”

Needing only a field goal to tie the game and send it into over-time, Katy quarterback Brooks Haack tossed a deep pass that was intercepted by Dustin Garrison with six seconds left on the clock.

Garrison, Pearland’s star run-ning back with more than 2,300 rushing yards on the season, had been installed as a defensive back on Katy’s final offensive series.

“I’m going down swinging with my best players on the field,” Heath said. “It might have seemed strange at the time, but he (Gar-rison) made a big play when we needed it.”

Unbeaten Pearland (14-0) faces San Antonio Stevens (11-4)


When Katy survived its most competitive game of the 2010 high school football season before a sold-out crowd at Pasadena Veterans Memorial Stadium, how could you doubt them?

After dispensing of perennial Houston area powerhouse North Shore 44-6 in the season opener at Galena Park ISD Stadium, the handwriting appeared on the wall. Yet fellow unbeaten Pearland awaited in the Class 5A Divi-sion I Region III final at cavernous Rice Stadium.

Katy had answered all ques-tions leading to a No. two state ranking and leading up to a re-match with the Mus-tangs in a regional semifinal matchup.

“It’s win or go home,” North Shore offensive line-man Sedrick Flowers said. “There’s an element of survival going into this game.”

North Shore (12-2) trailed 26-21 early in the fourth quarter and faced a fourth-and-goal at the Katy two-yard line when quarterback Keenon Gibson connected with wide-open receiver Chris Dever in the end zone. Following a failed extra-point attempt, the Mustangs clung to a 27-26 advantage with 11:19 remaining in regulation.

It marked the first time all season that Katy trailed in the final stanza.

Katy marched 70 yards in nine plays after the ensuing kickoff, and quarterback Brooks Haack tossed a 22-yard TD pass to wide receiver Jordan Thompson for a 32-27 lead with 7:06 left.

“We’d been running a break route out there, and they covered it twice really nicely,” Haack said. “So we decided to fake the break and keep (Thomp-son) going straight.

“It was a great call, and it worked to perfec-tion.”

Katy’s five-point win added credence to an already errorless ledger.

North Shore wasn’t the same team that the Tigers had embarrassed in the season opener, but neither was Katy.

With the combination of running backs Dono-vonn Young and Adam Taylor, the Tigers had combined for 3,346 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns going into the rematch with North Shore.

The Katy defense had been remarkable, allowing only 14.4 points and 217.5 yards per game through 12 outings.

With a season on the line and state champi-onship hopes hanging in the balance, Katy’s defense came up with its biggest stop of the season, holding the Mustangs without a first down as Gibson misfired on a critical fourth-and-five from their own 47-yard line with one minute, 20 seconds left in the game.

“These are the moments that we thrive for,” said Katy senior linebacker Grant Clifton. “When the game is on the line, it’s time to step up, I wouldn’t want anybody else out there.”

Katy appears to raise its level of play against outstanding com-petition.

In their meet-ings with state-ranked North Shore, Beaumont West Brook and Cinco Ranch during the 2010 season, the Tigers won by a combined score of 177-57. They were clearly the most dominant team in the greater Houston area.

“Our motto this year has been ‘Battling back.’” Clifton said. “Whenever you play a big-time oppo-nent, you have to step up your game or it’s going to get ugly.”

North Shore (11-2) was left agonizing over failed opportunities.

An interception and a failed kickoff recov-ery were two miscues the Mustangs would regret.

“When it’s all said and done and you look back

# 23 running back Marcus Wright has paced the Tiger offense

Katy prepares for a crucial first down in regional semifinal game against North Shore.

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CLASSIFIEDS

of these great schools to what promises to be a weekend of outstanding football at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium and magi-cal memories at Walt Disney World Resort.”

The inaugural MEAC/SWAC Challenge in 2005 showcased the MEAC’s South Carolina State against Alabama State of the SWAC, with South Carolina State taking the 27-14 win. The 2006 contest featured an overtime game with the MEAC’s Hampton defeating the SWAC’s Grambling State 27-26. In 2007, the SWAC won the series for the first time, as Southern beat Florida A&M 33-27.

The 2008 event moved from Birmingham’s Historic Legion Field to its current home of Florida Citrus Bowl Sta-dium. The MEAC reclaimed the MEAC/SWAC Challenge crown, as Hampton topped Jackson State 17-13. For the

fourth time in five years, the MEAC prevailed again. South Carolina won 34-31 in the clos-ing minutes over Grambling State. In last year’s challenge, Southern won the SWAC’s second crown, beating Delaware State 37-27.

“The SWAC is excited to have Prairie View A&M represent the league for the first time at the 2011 MEAC/SWAC Challenge,” said Duer Sharp, SWAC commissioner. “It is a testament to the excellent coaching job Henry Frazier and his staff has done in leading the Panthers back among the elite teams in HBCU football. The support that PV fans have shown through this resurgence has been impressive, and I expect to see a lot of purple and gold in Florida to open the season next year. As always, the SWAC is grateful of the tremen-dous support given this game by ESPN, Disney Resorts and the City of Orlando.”

Now, on one hand we are elated for Prairie View, but a quick glance at the schedule

shows this game will be played over the Labor Day Weekend. So is the Labor Day Classic dead? No question!

Texas Southern athletic director Charles McClelland expresses his condolences over the passing.

“I got the first notice of it (PV game) through the official press release. When I saw it I was shocked and saddened because it definitely signals the end of the Labor Day Clas-sic. It’s kind of unfortunate for Texas Southern because we’re put in a situation where we have to adjust and try and find an-other opponent. To lose a game that we’ve played in for over 25 years is definitely shocking and I’m saddened by it.”

Stay tuned.

Former Hurricane gets the CallHouston Dynamo Acade-

my defender Sebastien Ibeagha, a freshman at Duke University, has been added to the United

States U-20 national team roster for the upcoming Torneo de las Americas in Kennesaw, Ga., U.S. Soccer announced recently.

Ibeagha, a 2010 graduate of Fort Bend Hightower High School in Fort Bend ISD, has been part of the Dynamo Acad-emy since his family moved to Houston in 2008. In 2009, he trained with the Dynamo first team, captained the Academy on its European tour, and was named Dynamo Academy Player of the Year. Last year, he was named to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Central Starting First XI for the 2009-10 season after leading the Dynamo Academy to the postseason.

In his freshman season at Duke University this fall, Ibeagha started 15 of 20 games at center back, missing starts only due to injury, and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team.

Of course, the being “so far away from home” can be attributed to his head coach, a fellow Dayton na-tive who convinced Wright that Houston was the place for him.

“We’re from the same neighborhood, same elementary school, same high school, Dunbar High in Dayton,” Wright proudly shared. “I looked at Coach and saw that he had been successful, coming from my neighborhood. My parents were sold on him, so I thought I would give it a try. He seemed like a genuine guy.”

Even with that, how did such a solid player escape so many mid-west-ern schools and land on Cleburne Street? Wright continued.

“I wasn’t heavily

recruited as a running back coming out of high school. I played “Will” linebacker and strong safety in high school and most schools wanted me to play defense. I started on defense as a sophomore in high school. I also was the back-up fullback as a sophomore and the starting fullback my Jr. year. Finally, coach gave me a chance to be the start-ing running back my Senior year and I took it and ran with it.

While most players would prefer to give a lick by playing on defense, Mar-cus views it a different way.

“Offense has always been where my heart was at. Defense was cool, it came natural, it was more instinct, offense you have to think a little more.”

Even though he didn’t play last year, Wright is not surprised by his level of success in 2010.

“I asked the Lord to

bless me in all the things I do; that was my daily prayer. I kind of saw it (suc-cess) coming. I knew it was going to come.”

With his success as a rusher, Wright doesn’t get overly concerned with teams keying on him. He knows he’s got help.

“It’s always good to be respected as an athlete, as a player, but my basic mentality hasn’t changed. In this offense you’ve got lots of weapons. If a defense puts extra men in the box, Arvell is an excel-lent quarterback who can hurt you with his legs or arm. We can always throw the ball. We have excellent receivers. Our offensive line is doing a fantastic job

creating space for me, so whatever the defense does we’ll be prepared.”

The Tigers play for all the marbles Saturday in the SWAC championship game and Marcus Wright, for one, can’t wait.

“Man I’m like a water pipe waiting to bust!” #23 shared. “The anticipation is making the day long. They (ASU) have one of the best defense’s I’ve seen this year. If we play like we’re capable, just play our game, we’ll be victorious!”

WrightContinued from page 5

Saturday at 4 p.m. in the San Antonio Alamodome.MEMORIAL OVERCOMES CYPRESS WOODS

Defensive back Brett Strake’s interception of Cypress Woods quarterback Colston Huntsman with under four minutes to play helped Memorial outlast the Wildcats 48-45 in a 5A Division II Region III title game at Tully Stadium.

Memorial (9-5) advances to the state semifinals for the first time since 1979. The Mustangs will play Cibolo Steele at 4 p.m. Saturday at San Antonio’s Heroes Stadium.

The Mustangs’ starting offensive line of Dylan Guthrie, Thomas Salazar, Mousa Ab-ouAwad, Clayton Eddy and Adam Bateman enabled Memorial to gain 534 rushing yards in the contest. Quarterback Wayne Tay-lor had 27 carries for 334 yards and running back Boomer White added 200 yards on 29 carries.

LA MARQUE COUGARS CORRAL MANVEL MAVERICKS

Trailing by one point at intermission (22-21), La Marque outscored Manvel 23-6 in the sec-ond half to secure a 44-28 victory in a Class 4A Division II Region III final in Angleton.

La Marque forced Manvel to punt twice in the third quarter. The Cougars scored 10 points off those change of possessions to assume a 31-22 advantage.

Cougars’ quarterback Emanuell Williams completed 17-of-24 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. He added 63 rushing yards.FRIENDSWOOD BESTS MONTGOMERY

Friendswood quarterback Peter Maetzold passed for 396 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Mustangs past Montgomery 49-28 in a Class 4A Division I Region III final at Rice Stadium.

Lake Travis and Friend-swood will meet in a state semi-final matchup Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

ArdisonContinued from page 5

at it, you’ll feel bad about those mistakes that we made,” said North Shore head coach David Aymond. “I’m not trying to take anything away from Katy. They are a great football team and I hope they win it all.”

The stakes only got greater for Katy with Pearland awaiting in the Class 5A Divi-sion I Region III championship game. It marked the fourth consecutive appearance for Katy and Pearland’s first since 2006.

Pearland advanced with a 54-7 victory over Cypress Creek in the other 5A Division I Region III semifinal contest.

In the first half against Cypress Creek, the Oilers scored six touchdowns and took a 40-0 advantage into intermission. Pearland had three rushing TDs, one TD pass, a fumble recovery for a TD and an interception return for a TD in the first 24

minutes.Backup running back Jackie

Robinson played the entire second half and amassed 78 yards on 14 carries along with a touchdown.

Pearland’s defense limited Cy Creek to 12 first downs and 215 yards total offense.

“We played a very complete game and everybody stepped up in all three phases of the game,” said Pearland head coach Tony Heath. “To be able to still coach these players at this stage of the season is special.”

“I told our guys that a lot of people don’t know what happens on the inside of this team,” Heath said. “There have been stories about our defense, but we know how hard every-body on this team works. We know that it takes everyone on this team playing well to win games.

“We know what it takes to get here,” Heath said.

TigersContinued from page 5

Katy players prepare to take th field against North Shore in regional semifinal.
























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DECEMBER 9- 15, 2010 | DEFENDER

After DarkContinued from page 1

opportunity she wanted to share with others.“Art was a part of my healing journey,” said Rasmus. “The

power I experienced I wanted to incorporate into the After Dark program, the component of Bread of Life, Inc. that provides ser-vices to the homeless community when most service providers are closed.”

Hence, was born the Art Project-Houston, a therapeutic art program for the homeless community of Houston and those concerned about their plight. The program’s goal is to tap into the power of creativity and its ability to restore individuals to mean-ingful and productive lives. The project was launched on August 12, 2010 with a workshop consisting of over 85 artisans including clients from the Bread of Life emergency shelter, Temenos Place Apartment residents (a transitional to permanent housing program), art patrons from the community and members of St. John’s Down-town. The donations and art purchases of art patrons and members of the general public interested in supporting the initiative, help fund the program.

Art teachers guide participants through the process of painting

a picture by a famous artist. And though some enter the workshops wary, they leave out believers.

“One reluctant woman came in unsure how the workshop was going to help, but she left saying that she felt like a little girl for the first time in a long time,” said Rasmus who envisions participants

transitioning from asking for handouts on corners to becoming “ART-trepreneurs,” artists on corners like in Paris and New Orleans.

“The August class was filled with After Dark clients, patrons we’ve asked to donate to the program and Bread of Life staff; and you couldn’t tell who was who. There was so much peace in the room. Clients came in with that beaten down look but they left glow-ing,” said Rasmus.

The Art Project-Houston’s ultimate goal is to provide homeless artist an opportunity to make their own trade by creating, displaying and selling their art as a collective body through art exhibits in coffee houses, galleries and other venues around the city.

“During the sessions there is no mention of God. But if God is the creator, through art we tap into His creative power,” said Rasmus who plans to have four paint parties in 2011

The next event is December 16, from 1:30pm – 4pm at the Bread of Life, Inc. (1703 W. Gray St.). Those who want to donate to this effort can do so by visiting www.theartprojecthouston.org.

“We’re asking for a $100 donation. This sponsors an After Dark resident so they can paint along with the donor. It’s a two-for-one holiday gift. Plus, when participants leave at 4pm they will leave with their own masterpiece. This, in my mind, is a wonderful way we can empower people,” added Rasmus.

Art ProjectContinued from page 1

runs from 4pm to 7am and offers its clients the fol-lowing services: evening respite (a place to sleep), hygiene services including access to showers and laundry services, case resolution services, hot meals (dinner and breakfast), referrals to mental health, sub-stance abuse, and other social services. Doors open at 2pm for those individuals participating in the Bread of Life’s anger management, job development, life skills, and culinary arts programs.

To participate in the After Dark initiative clients must complete a Client Assessment, sign up for vol-unteer service and clean-up opportunities and meet with a Case Resolution Specialist.

During a presentation on Houston’s homeless, former City Councilmember Ada Edwards, a long-time advocate for the rights of homeless individuals, said that myths about the homeless need to be shat-tered in order to get more Houstonians involved in eradicating it from our society.

“Though there are many different profiles for who is homeless, most of us lump them all into one pile—individuals too lazy to get a job,” said Edwards. “However, women and children make up a large portion of the homeless. The mentally ill who have either not received care or who have been released from care to the city streets make up a large segment of the homeless. Veterans returning from foreign battlefields with medical issues and many

with an inability to find steady employment make up the homeless. The family breadwinner who is now unemployed and experienced foreclosure with his or her family makes up the homeless. There are many realities when you speak about the homeless.”

Deborah Bonner, Volunteer Coordinator of the After Dark program, echoes Edwards’ sentiments.

“The myth that must be dispelled is that every homeless person is a drug addict or alcoholic,” said Bonner. “Many are suffering from severe depression and unable to work.”

Bonner has witnessed a drastic change in the homeless population due to the economic recession.

“I’ve seen people with degrees, middle manage-ment; they all have stories. They were downsized, divorced, foreclosed upon. Many can’t find work because they’re overqualified. Some work as day laborers but that won’t get you an apartment,” said Bonner, who has also notice a marked rise in the Asian and Muslim population.

Traditionally, local and federal officials concentrated their efforts on serving those deemed the chronic homeless, men and women living in shelters and on the streets. However, with the recession has come the growing presence of homeless families with children. Recognizing new realities, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development broadened its definition of homeless in 2009 to include people facing severe economic hardships and who have ended up homeless because of a job loss, home foreclosure

or eviction.According to a recent daily newspaper article

in August 2010, there are 5,404 homeless children in Houston, a conservative estimate that still nearly doubles that of 2009’s count. These thousands of homeless children, 17 and younger, live with a homeless parent, resting in whatever place they can find. Additionally, a large number of these “hidden homeless” attend HISD schools. Though this year’s numbers have yet to be officially tabu-lated, 2009 saw HISD serve nearly 3,500 home-less students.

Local social service agencies like the Star of Hope Ministries and the Northwest Assistance Ministries report dramatic increases in homeless families seeking shelter and other services.

“Homelessness is a social problem that we choose to allow. The real thing missing from eradi-cating homelessness is the will of the people. The more individuals see the human face of homeless-ness and not just the mythic stereotype, the more I believe will be moved to do something about it,” said Edwards.

Members of the After Dark initiative are doing their part to make a difference, but are open to more helping hands. Volunteers are urged to fill out an online volunteer form at www.breadofli-feinc.org or call 713-650-0595 for more informa-tion.

“People think they have nothing to give or share, but they have so much more than our

clients. You come to give to others and leave receiving so much more,” said Bonner

home foreclosure or eviction.According to a recent daily newspaper article

in August 2010, there are 5,404 homeless children in Houston, a conservative estimate that still nearly doubles that of 2009’s count. These thousands of homeless children, 17 and younger, live with a homeless parent, resting in whatever place they can find. Additionally, a large number of these “hidden homeless” attend HISD schools. Though this year’s numbers have yet to be officially tabu-lated, 2009 saw HISD serve nearly 3,500 home-less students.

Local social service agencies like the Star of Hope Ministries and the Northwest Assistance Ministries report dramatic increases in homeless families seeking shelter and other services.

“Homelessness is a social problem that we choose to allow. The real thing missing from eradi-cating homelessness is the will of the people. The more individuals see the human face of homeless-ness and not just the mythic stereotype, the more I believe will be moved to do something about it,” said Edwards.

Members of the After Dark initiative are doing their part to make a difference, but are open to more helping hands. Volunteers are urged to fill out an online volunteer form at www.breadofli-feinc.org or call 713-650-0595 for more informa-tion.

St. John’s Downtown Co-pastor Juanita Rasmus wants to share the healing journey she received from art with others to benefit the homeless.

National Cemetery. Shepard was an outspoken

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Shepardcontinued from page 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aranza of Star Concessions could not be reachedfor comment.

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

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

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

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

Airport contractscontinued from page 1

This is the uptown version.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

dow.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

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

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

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

I tend to agree

AUTO NEWS By Darrell K. Ardison

CALIBER: HIGHLIGHTS

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

Engine2.0-liter four-cylinder

Safety equipmentSpeed sensitive power locks

Fuel economy

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

Estimated annual fuel cost$1,560

2010 Dodge Caliber

By Kathy ChaneySpecial to the NNPA from the Chicago Defender

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

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

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

Braun’s political career spans more than twodecades.

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

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

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

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

Moseley Braun considering run for Chicago mayor

Carol Moseley Braun

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

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

for the city of Dallas.”– Dallas Councilwoman

Carolyn Davis


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

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

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

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

8 MAY 23 – 29, 2010 | DEFENDER

Ellen Ray and C. B. Claiborne

Ebele Iloanya and Stacy McIntosh

Chair Lady MereleYarborough and Honoree

Myra Rega

Terri Phillips and Deborah Duncan

Nicole Sonnier, Errick Presleyand Marion Johnson

John W. Johnson, Jr. and Linda Johnson

Arlener Poydras, Susan Taylor and Phyllis Bailey

Dr. Jonita Reynolds and Dr. Frazier Wilson

Kicking Out Kidney Disease

Yvette Pawnelland Deanna Santiago

Joe Arrington and Jerome Love

Charles Savageand Algenita Scott-Davis

Hester House Kids, Alvin Byrd, Patricia Prather, Ms. Chag and Wiley Henry Jennifer Holmes, Honorees Mayor Annise Parker and Melanie Lawson and Bruce Austina

Jose Grinan and Jodie Jiles Joy Kaplan, Gina Carroll and Daphne Bernicker Michelle Collier and Patricia Prathera

Gale Britton Marian Heard

Pastors Mia Wright, Juanita Rasmus and Connie Jackson

Joanna Reed and Constance Charles

Suzan Johnson Cook

Charlene Miller and Roosevelt WeeksCongresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Mayor Annise Parker

Dr. Rhea Lawson and Jason Few

Jason Few and Mayor Annise Parker

Bobbie Glover, Monica Walker, Gwen Brown, Belzora Slider and Le Roy Jones

Entrepreneurs Genoria Boykins and Sharon OwensSandra Beridon, Sandra Arceneaux, Danette Isaac, Phyllis Bailey and Craig Gay

ON THE MOVE……..The Julia C. Hester House (JCHH) is definitely on the move. Their 2010 Annual Awards Luncheon was held at The Houstonian Hotel and was packed with supporters. The organization was founded in 1943 and historically has provided resources and services that have empowered the 5th Ward Community to take personal responsibility for overcoming obstacles of poverty and improving the quality of their lives. Today, they continue these efforts in working together to create pathways that reduce social inequalities and help families in crisis through a variety of services. Honorees this year included Mayor Annise Parker who was presented with the Leadership Award and Melanie Lawson, Anchor, KTRK ABC 13 was presented with the Legacy Award. Showing their appreciation for the work being done at JCHH, supporters included John Guess, Michelle Collier, Patricia Prather, Alvin Byrd, Wylie Henry, Saundria and Jerome Gray, Licia Ellis, Jodie Jiles, Dr. Albert Lemons, to name a few. We salute Board Chair Bruce Austin, Executive Director Jennifer Holmes, and Board Members Daphne Bernicker, Gina Carroll and Joy Kaplan for making this luncheon a success. Congratulations and continued success!..........DESTINED FOR SUCCESS…..The Prudential Insurance Company of America hosted an empowering conference on financial wealth and wellness titled, “Destined For Success” at St. John’s United Methodist Church. The conference was free and designed to bring hope to Houston for the holidays. Their was not an empty seat in church. The ladies listened to several dynamic speakers who inspired them to live the unlimited life every woman is destined for. Presenting this wealth of information included Suzan Johnson Cook, Author and Motivational Speaker, New York, NY, Gale Britton, Vice President of Recruiting & Selection with Prudential, Newark, NJ, Pastor Juanita Rasmus and Connie “CJ” Jackson, Radio Host, Houston, TX, and Marian Heard, President and CEO of Owen Hill Partners, Boston, MA. The attendees are now truly destined for success. Great Conference!.........THE TRADITION CONTINUES…MAyOR’S HOLIDAy CELEBRATIONIt snowed last year and if Ms. Chag remembers correctly, it rained the year before, but this year the weather was perfect for the Mayor’s Holiday Celebration that began with the lighting of the official holiday tree at City Hall. The hugh crowd marveled at the burst of fireworks display that began when Mayor Annise Parker and Jason Few, President of Reliant Energy and Executive Vice President of NRG, flipped the switch. The crowd was entertained with several groups of performers including Eddie Levert, a founding member of the R&B group the O’Jays, who was the headliner at the event………ANOTHER TRADITION………..Friends gathered to celebrate “Birthdays of the Fall.” This group of ladies and two men, get together each year for fellowship to kick off the holiday season. This year’s celebration was held at La Maison in Midtown, an urban bed & breakfast, that’s owned by Houston’s newest entrepreneurs, Genoria Boykins and Sharon Owens. If you want to treat yourself, then you should book a room and enjoy the beautiful ambience. They’re located at 2800 Brazos @ Drew and their website is www.lamaisonmidtown.com. B-Day folks included Danette Isaac, Vanessa Gilmore, Marie Bogan, Gwen Brown, Doris Broome, Phyllis Williams, Phyllis Bailey, Sandra Beridon, Alice Otchere, Sharon Owens, Le Roy Jones, Craig Gay and yourstruly. Happy B-Day All!.......... Have a great week and remember to watch CROSSROADS on Channel 13 Sunday morning with Melanie Lawson for your event covered by Ms. Chag. Also check out our website at defendernetwork.com to view the “Event of the Week.”…..From Chag’s Place to your place, Ciao Darling!

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December 9, 2010