By David WilfongNDG Contributing Writer

The Monday Night Politics (MNP)forum presented on Feb. 12 by theDallas Examiner at the AfricanAmerican Museum in Fair Park of-fered some spirited debate, a fewgaffes, and a look at some often-ig-nored races which are pivotal in guid-ing the direction of the future.

The fiercest debate of the eveningcame in the race for the unpaid posi-tion of Democratic County Chair,which pitted incumbent Carol Dono-van against Chris Hamilton. The “ele-phant in the room” was the recentmove by Republicans to try and strike128 Democrats from the ballot be-cause Donovan did not personallysign their applications.

Donovan defended her time ascounty chair by pointing to the mostrecent presidential elections.

“We won Dallas by 62 percent,”Donovan said. “That’s the largestDemocratic vote in history.”

Donovan also pointed to the De-mocrats have fielded candidates in allcounty-wide races, a record level ofdonations, and having turned thecounty Blue back in 2006. All ofwhich she says points to excellentleadership in the party. As for the Re-publican lawsuit to remove Democ-rats from the ballot, Donovan said she

had not personally signed the appli-cations because “I am not legally re-quired to sign them.”

Hamilton, who agreed the Repub-lican lawsuit is without merit,nonetheless saw it as a failure on thepart of the party.

“It may not be required that you tieyour shoes for last leg of the relay, butit’s a good idea,” Hamilton quipped.

Hamilton, a lawyer who has beenactive in union organizing, protests ofthe Muslim ban and environmentalaction, represents the growing “pro-gressive wave” of the DemocraticParty and said the progress of the

party in Dallas is in spite of localleadership, not a result of it. Hepointed to swing seats which wereclaimed by Republicans in recentelections, saying the party should beable to sweep elections at the countylevel convincingly.

County Court 4The race which was expected to

generate the most fireworks, thejudge’s seat in County Court-at-Law4 between incumbent Ken Tapscottand Paula Rosales, was spirited butcivil. This is one of four races where

Volume XXVIII, Number VI

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People In The News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Op/Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Carrollton / Irving / Plano . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12Church Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

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INSIDE...

February 15-21, 2018

See Page 2

See MNP, Page 7

Monday Night Politics forumoffers glimpse of Dem divide

in upcoming primaries

People In The News…

Amelia Ashley-Ward Dr. Rosemary Jackson

READERSSOUND OFF!!!

See Page 2 to see whatNDG readers are sayingabout the latest news!

Dallas judgecalls for bail

reform-See Page 3

Parklandnurses earnhigh marks

-See Page 4

Good newstravels fast in

District 6

The high costof Dallas’ cash

bail system

Women savethe day in

Black Panther

Sister Tarpley:Black History

Month

-See Page 6

-See Page 8

-See Page 9

-See Page 15

Suzanne Smith (center left with microphone) was the only candidate appearing for the racein the Texas State Board of Education. With the race not getting the attention of others,Smith took her time to help audience members understand the importance of this often-

overlooked office. (Photo: David Wilfong / NDG)

MichelleObama to

speak in Dallas-See Page 5

EARLY VOTINGFeb. 20 - March 2

ELECTION DAYMarch 6

A word in support ofmusic education(Editor’s Note: NDG is

giving away tickets to seethe musicans Black Violinperform on Friday, March9 at 9:45 p.m. at AnnetteStrauss Square.Music education is im-

portant to the talentedteam, so they often performfor students and campaignfor awareness of the impor-tance of music educationwhich is often underfundedin public schools.For an opportunity to

win tickets, become a mem-ber of our Facebook com-munity by liking the pageand tell us what do you be-

lieve students gain from anopportunity to studymusic? Below are the re-sponses received via Face-book. Readers can still visitour Facebook page, jointhe community by liking thepage and answer the ques-tion for a chance to wintickets.)

We have ExtradinaryMusicians, Singers, Bands,from Jazz, Opera Blues

Folklore. Choirs, Famousand none famous. We comefrom a true history of beingenslaved and with music ithelped us through the dev-astation of it. (Glory) un-derground railroad har-monica. From our Ances-tors each ordeal. And pass-ing information to eachother. Music is everydaylife. Enriching our childrenwith it gives inspiration andfuture leaders. Writers Per-formers .Children can ben-efit from it by learning howto read music and broadenan area of development.We survive by music . Hav-ing it apart of Education isapart of art. It leads to cre-

ativity and allow you makeit your on.

My favorite movie is Sis-ter Act .It was theraputicand healed hurting childrenby uplifting a wonderfuldiscovery with words. Po-etry Dance Instruments.Keeping music alive andinvesting in our childrenfuture for generations tomaster and teach one reachfor the Stars. Though thegift of music.

-- Latonya Muchvia Facebook

To share youropinion visit

NorthDallasGazette.com

(Black PR Wire)CHICAGO -- The family ofDr. Rosemary RobinsonJackson, Ph.D., Chicago ed-ucator, business woman andcommunity leader, an-nounced today that she diedWednesday at the age of 71,succumbing to cancer. Serv-ices will be held in Chicagoat Christ Universal Temple,11901 S. Ashland Avenue,on Friday, February 16,2018, at 11 a.m.

Born December 22, 1946on Chicago’s West Side, Dr.Jackson’s first love and life-long passion was education.She received her Ph.D from

Loyola University and M.A.degrees from both NationalCollege of Education andDePaul University. Shetouched countless lives, be-ginning her career as an Eng-lish teacher at her alma

mater, John Marshall HighSchool. She went on to teachat Hyde Park High School,Kennedy King College, andDePaul University.

Dr. Jackson served as vicepresident, EducationalMedia and Distance Learn-ing at the City Colleges ofChicago, Kennedy-Kingfrom 2007 to 2010. Her dis-sertation, “The Social Con-struction of Linguistic Real-ity: A Case Study Exploringthe Relationships amongPoverty, Race, and Remedia-tion in an Urban CommunityCollege,” was formulatedfrom her life’s work helpingyoung students in Chicagoexplore their educationalpossibilities.

Dr. Jackson was the vice-chairman and chief adminis-trative officer at Chicago-based Central City Produc-tions, the business she helpeddevelop with her lifelongpartner and husband DonJackson, company founder,chairman and CEO. CentralCity Productions is bestknown for producing theStellar Awards. She lever-aged her passion for educa-tion through her involvementas Research Director and As-sociate Producer of BlackCollege Quiz and HispanicCollege Quiz – two nation-ally-syndicated televisionprograms developed by Cen-tral City Productions.

Beyond her love for edu-

cation, Dr. Jackson remainedactive in her local commu-nity and was committed topublic service through hersorority, Delta Sigma ThetaSorority, Inc. for which shechaired several committeesduring her 50-year tenure asan active member. This lovefor the sorority is shared byher daughter Rhonda, who isan active member today. Incelebration of her life and inhonor of her beloved DeltaSigma Theta.Dr. Jackson issurvived by her beloved hus-band of 52 years Don, hermother, Rosalie Gray, sib-lings (Carrie Murphy, ErmaGray Davis (Dan), CalvinGray (Ruth), her daughterRhonda Jackson Sams

(Ray), her son Baba Dainja,grandchildren Donovan,Dain, and Riley Rose, nieces,nephews, and a host offriends.

Dr. Jackson’s smile will betruly missed by her familyand friends who fondly re-member her beautiful andloving spirit.

In lieu of flowers, theJackson family is requestingthat donations be sent to:

The Dr. Rosemary R.Jackson Scholarship Fund

c/o The Chicago AlumniChapter

Delta Sigma Theta Soror-ity, Inc.

P.O. Box 8235Chicago, IL 60680

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Contributor

The irony of a recent SanFrancisco Board of Supervi-sors decision to appointMark Farrell, a White ven-ture capitalist, as actingmayor, and how it playedout, still rubs Amelia Ash-ley-Ward the wrong way.

The board’s decision re-sulted in the removal ofLondon Breed from that po-sition, who was the firstAfrican American woman toserve in that post.

“Here we are in a citythat’s supposed to be so pro-gressive and then you watch

about 50 White progressivestell this young, Blackwoman that they don’t wanther, because she’d have toomuch power and she’d havethe advantage of running formayor; that’s B.S.,” saidAshley-Ward, the new

NNPA Foundation chair andpublisher and owner of theSan Francisco Sun-Reporter.“When did a Black womanraised in public housing getan advantage over anyone?London Breed isn’t beggingfor hand-me-downs, but thisis another reason that theBlack Press will live forever,because of injustices likethis and my newspaper willkeep this on the front pageand we are going to call itlike we see and no one elsewill do that.”

A single mother, Ashley-Ward raised her son, Evan,alone since he was sevenyears-old.

His father died when Evanwas 15, but Ashley-Ward’s

relentless push to keep herson from being just anotherstatistic has helped him tobecome an Emmy Award-winning television newswriter.

Born in Magnolia, Missis-sippi, Ashley-Ward and herfamily moved to San Fran-cisco, where her mother en-couraged her to apply for ajob at the San FranciscoSun-Reporter; that’s whereshe met the legendary Dr.Carlton Goodlett, whoowned the newspaper.

“At that time, we wereabout bringing somethingback to the community andmy mother used to alwaysread the Sun-Reporter, soshe said told me to go and I

went,” Ashley-Ward said.Goodlett promised her a

permanent job once she ob-tained a college degree.

In 1979, she graduatedwith a degree in journalismfrom San Jose State Univer-sity, where she also studiedphotojournalism at San JoseState University.

Goodlett hired Ashley-Ward full-time after shegraduated.

“I had a flair for writingand I was a photographer,who basically wrote with acamera,” said Ashley-Ward.“I was sort of a two-for-onedeal in that I could write andtake pictures.”

In just five years and aftermany achievements and ac-

colades, Ward earned a pro-motion to the post of manag-ing editor. A decade later,after Goodlett left the news-paper, Ward was promotedto publisher.

Her awards included the1980 Photo journa l i smAward from the NNPA; the1981 NNPA Feature WritingAward; and later, the 1998NNPA Publisher of the Year.

After taking over asowner and publisher in1997, Ward received theWoman of the Year awardfrom the San FranciscoBlack Chamber of Com-merce. In 1998, Ashley-Ward won NNPA Publisherof the Year.

People in the News www.NorthDallasGazette.com

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2 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Amelia Ashley-Ward

Dr. Rosemary Jackson

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

NDG Readers Sound Off...

By Judge Brandon BirminghamNDG Guest Contributor

The Texas Constitution ismissing something. Let's fixit.

The day after Valentine's,the Texas Constitution turns141 years old. Ratified in1876, it is the 5th Constitu-tion in our State's history.We enjoy the right to freespeech, the freedom of reli-gion, and the right to a jurytrial to name a few. Theserights form the foundationof our system, and are en-joyed by everyone. Law-makers and Judges must fol-low these commands inevery decision, every step ofthe way.

Since 1876, there havebeen 666 proposed amend-ments, 484 of which becamelaw. I say we change thosenumbers to 667 and 485.Why? Because we need toaddress a major problem inour criminal justice system:Bail Reform.

Here’s what I propose asamendment 667: "A person

otherwise eligible for bailshall not be detained pre-trial solely because of finan-cial inability to pay."

In other words, peopleshould not be in jail await-ing trial simply because theyare poor. Should they re-main in jail Pre-trial becausethey are dangerous? Yes. Aflight risk? Sure. Poor? No.

It's a simple declaration Ithink everyone agrees with,even people on oppositesides of the aisle. Take, forexample, the DemocraticSenator from California,Kamala Harris, and the Re-publican Senator from Ken-tucky, Rand Paul. Last sum-mer, they wrote the PretrialIntegrity and Safety Act, thegoal of which is to makesure people in jail awaitingtrial in the Federal System

are not there solely becausethey are poor.

Even here in Texas, the 6-term Republican Chief Jus-tice of the Texas SupremeCourt, Nathan Hecht, sup-ported legislation to makesure people in jail are notthere solely because they arepoor. He even invited me, anelected Democrat, to be a

part of "Team Texas" inOctober, and t ravel toKentucky. We met withSupreme Court Justices,prosecutors, trial courtjudges and policymakersfrom all over the Country tolearn about bail reform, andhow different States arehandling these major bail re-form issues:

• How do we fairly andobjectively determine a per-son’s risk to the community

and their likelihood to flee?• How quickly after arrest

can we have a bail hearingwhere the accused is repre-sented by a lawyer and theprosecutor has an opportu-nity to be heard?

• How can we use tech-nology and staffing insteadof the incarceration to en-sure a person shows up forcourt to answer to thecharges?

These days, I can’t thinkof much politicians or pol-icy-makers agree on, butthis is one, and it’s time wetook advantage of it. Why?Because jails are made forpeople we are afraid of asdetermined by their con-duct, not their bank account.

Brandon Birmingham isthe Presiding Judge of allFelony District Courts inDallas County. Contact himon all social media at@JudgeBirmingham, or byvisiting his courtroom onthe 6th Floor of the FrankCrowley Courts Building inthe 292nd Judicial DistrictCourt.

www.NorthDallasGazette.com Op-Ed

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North Dallas Gazette assumes no responsibility forunsolicited material and reserves the right to edit and make

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The North Dallas Gazette, formerly Minority Opportunity News, was foundedin July 1991, by Mr.Jim Bochum and Mr.Thurman R. Jones. North DallasGazette is a wholly owned subsidairy of Minority Opportunity News, Inc.

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 3For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

“Do what you say you aregoing to do ... when you say

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P.O. Box 763866 - Dallas, Texas 75376-3866Phone: 972-432-5219 - Fax: 972-509-9058

Guest Op-ed: It is time tofix the Texas bail system

NFL season marred by controversyBy Bill Fletcher, Jr.NNPA Columnist

I was thrilled that thePhiladelphia Eagles de-feated New England inSuper Bowl LII. This sea-son, however, I took a com-plete break from watchingthe NFL and, as a result,missed the game com-pletely.

While the coup de gracewas the exiling of quarter-back Colin Kaepernick bythe NFL owners, I have toconfess that this break hasbeen coming for a while. In2013, when it was an-nounced that Heisman Tro-phy winner and former Dal-las Cowboys and DenverBroncos player TonyDorsett had been diagnosedwith chronic traumatic en-cephalopathy (a brain dis-ease afflicting many formerfootball players) I took it

very personally. Dorsett andI are the same age and therewere ways that I felt as ifwe were old friends, despitenever having met. Watchinghim on television, year afteryear, it almost felt as if wehad grown up together.

Dorsett’s diagnosisbrought home the cata-strophic side of football, aside that I had both ac-knowledged and denied foryears. But when it afflictedsomeone with whom I iden-tified, it became very real. Itled me to question mychoices, including, had Ihad a son, would I havesupported or opposed theirplaying college and/or pro-fessional football?

Of course, the 2017 NFLseason confronted an addi-tional crisis with the appar-ent blacklisting of ColinKaepernick as a response tohis protests against police

brutality and injustice in theBlack community. Thisblacklisting touched a rawnerve for much of BlackAmerica. My mother, whocan outdo about anyonewhen it comes to being afootball fan, refused towatch any football this sea-son. I was stunned, to behonest, though I knew thatshe was a staunch supporterof Kaepernick. As far as shewas concerned, enough wasenough.

I get the feeling that theNFL is standing on the edgeof a major crisis. The com-bination of the injuries—and how the NFL has ad-dressed them—and theprotests, into which DonaldTrump has intervened, haveraised questions about thefuture of professional foot-ball. Are football players tobe our so-called gladiators,used up and spit out by a

system flowing in money?Are football players—andother athletes—supposed tobe mindless performerswho are not entitled to ex-press their views, evenwhen such an expressiondoes not infringe on therights of others?

These seem to me to bethe questions confrontingthe owners; the NationalFootball League PlayersAssociation (the union thatrepresents the players); andthe fans. And it is the fanswho, unfortunately, regu-larly tune out on any of thetruly burning issues con-fronting the players on anygiven Sunday.Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a

talk show host, writer andactivist. Follow him onTwitter @BillFletcherJr,Facebook and at www.bill-fletcherjr.com.

Here’s what I propose as amendment667: "A person otherwise eligible forbail shall not be detained pre-trial solelybecause of financial inability to pay."

Cancer is one of thebiggest killers in the world.The various forms of canceraccount for millions ofdeaths each year. Even inadvanced countries like theU.S., the disease is still amajor challenge for healthproviders. And the localarea is certainly not im-mune.

Dallas is ranked number3 in the United States forhaving the highest rate ofbreast cancer among

African American women.All too often the supportsystem for African-Ameri-cans dealing with cancer islacking. Two local groups

are seeking to improveawareness of how cancerimpacts the community.

On Saturday, Feb. 17from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.,

two non-profits - Pretty 'NPink Dallas and CancerSupport Community NorthTexas - are partnering toprovide a free symposiumto provide expert voices, re-sources and support cultur-ally tailored to African-American women.

This "ask the expert"forum aims to provide prac-tical help to supportAfrican-American womenfacing cancer, as well assurvivors and their families.

The event will feature: • Desiré S. Taylor, Ph.D.

- an oncology psychologistat Baylor, who'll talk aboutthe side effects of treatment

• Trent Alexander - a cer-tified anger managementspecialist at Positive Influ-

ences, who'll address caringfor the caregiver

• Genetic counselor - stillbeing confirmed, from UTSouthwestern

• Other experts from Can-cer Support CommunityNorth Texas

Fifteen registered nursesat Parkland Health & Hos-pital System are amongthose being honored as2018 Dallas/Fort WorthGreat 100 Nurses. The pro-gram has been celebratingnursing excellence for 28years, honoring nurses fromall practice areas includingacute care, sub-acute care,school nursing, nurse lead-ers, academics and more.

The Parkland RNs earn-ing recognition are: AngelNewman, CelestineAnyanka, Janice Lankford,Joanne Muturi, LuAnnMcKee, Phyliss Dyess-Nu-gent, Robin Harding, SaydaMajor, Scott Meyers, BJHarms, Jean Lovell, KarenWatts, Mercy Alexander,Amarech Messelu andLaShonda Rice.

The Parkland nurses wereselected from more than750 nominations submittedby patients, families, col-leagues, teachers and co-workers for the annualaward. All the 2018 DFWGreat 100 Nurses will berecognized during a recep-tion and dinner on April 18at the Morton H. MeyersonSymphony Center.

“Parkland nurses person-ify the compassion, skilland commitment to excel-lence required in today’sprofessional nursing prac-tice. Their dedication toserving our community istruly inspirational as theyseek to support and care forour hundreds of thousandsof patients, many with com-plex and special needs,”said Fred Cerise, MD,MPH, Parkland president

and CEO. “We are proud ofour Great 100 Nurses andgrateful for their many con-tributions to Parkland’s pa-tients and to advancing theirprofession.”

“We continuously striveto make Parkland a greatplace for nurses to work,develop their professionalskills and provide excellentpatient care. This recogni-tion by Great 100 Nurseshonors our team’s commit-ment to making a differencein our community,” said

Karen Watts, MSN, RN,NEA-BC, Executive VicePresident and Chief Nurs-ing Officer.

The Dallas/Fort WorthGreat 100 Nurses awardscelebration was founded in1991. Beth Mancini, PhD,RN, Parkland’s formerChief Nursing Officer, wasone of the founders whoserved as chair and emceedthe event for 18 years.

When she initiated thelocal celebration, Dr.Mancini said, “We wantedto present nursing in a posi-tive light and to encourageindividuals to considernursing – the worth of nurs-ing – and to create scholar-ships so that individualscould go to nursing schooland better meet the health-care needs of our commu-

nity.”The Great 100 celebra-

tion raises the awareness ofthe contributions of nursesto patient care, research,leadership, education andcommunity service of morethan 46,000 nurses practic-ing in the DFW area. In ad-dition, the celebrationbuilds the image of nursingthrough positive reinforce-ment of the profession as ascientific art and the recog-nition of those who exem-plify excellence.

To learn more abouthow to become a part ofDallas’ top nursing team,please visit www.park-landcareers.com. For moreinformation on the Dal-las/Fort Worth Great 100Nurses, visit www.dfw-great100nurses.com.

Health www.NorthDallasGazette.com

4 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Adam Jones / flickr

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Fifteen Parkland nurses among DFW’s Great 100

Non-profits offer cancer symposium scheduled for Feb. 17

Women’s FoodserviceForum (WFF) announcedformer First Lady MichelleObama will join the organi-zation’s annual conference,March 4-7 at the Hilton Ana-tole Hotel. She is scheduledto participate at the closingsession on Wednesday,March 7.

In its 29th year, WFF’sALDC brings together morethan 3,000 food industryprofessionals, from emerg-ing leaders to C-suite execu-tives. For three days, partic-ipants can choose from morethan 30 leadership develop-ment workshops and listento more than 50 best-sellingauthors and leadership ex-perts. The conference con-venes representation frommore than 200 food industryFortune 1000 companiesthat have made a commit-ment to support the ad-vancement of women lead-ers.

“We are thrilled that Mrs.Obama will join us and ourother esteemed speakers,”said Hattie Hill, President &CEO, WFF. “She is a charis-

matic and inspiring rolemodel that embodies thelimitless possibilities that wewant women in the food in-dustry to aspire for,” addedHill.

“As WFF’s incomingBoard Chair, I am honoredto step into this role at such ahistoric time in our country,when achieving gender eq-uity has become a spiritednational conversation,” saidSusan Adzick, Senior VicePresident of Sales andStrategic Relationships,McLane Foodservice, Inc.“Through our annual confer-ence, we are inspiringwomen in the food industryto break through barriers and

gain the confidence andcompetencies to achievetheir highest aspirations,”added Adzick.

Michelle RobinsonObama served as First Ladyof the United States from2009 to 2017.

As a transformative FirstLady, Mrs. Obama launchedand led four key initiatives:Let’s Move!, to address thechallenge of childhood obe-sity; Joining Forces, to sup-port veterans, service mem-bers and their families;Reach Higher, to inspireyoung people to seek highereducation; and Let GirlsLearn, to help adolescentgirls around the world go to

school.Before becoming First

Lady, Michelle Obama at-tended Princeton Universityand Harvard Law School.She started her career as anattorney at the Chicago lawfirm, Sidley & Austin, where

she met her future husband,Barack Obama. She laterworked in the Chicagomayor’s office, the Univer-sity of Chicago, and the Uni-versity of Chicago MedicalCenter. Mrs. Obama alsofounded the Chicago chapter

of Public Allies, an organi-zation that prepares youngpeople for careers in publicservice

The list of speakers andsessions confirmed to datecan be found here:https://aldc.wff.org.

Community

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 5

www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Michelle Obama to appear at local forum in March

USDA / Flickr

Perhaps, the most gratify-ing part of serving District 6is celebrating the student andfaculty wins along the way.And while countless unher-alded victories occur in ourclassrooms and on our cam-puses every day, it’s impor-tant that we pause to ac-knowledge the ones thatmanage to surface to the top.

School counselors areoften the unsung heroes in

education. Their value is im-measurable, as they providesupport to our students andtheir families, ensuring ahealthy and successful learn-ing experience for everychild. I’m elated that the tire-less efforts of two elemen-tary school counselors inDistrict 6 have been dulynoted. Kailee Mitchell,counselor at Maria Moreno,and Rashunda Mendy, coun-selor at Thomas Tolbert, re-ceived the Lone Star StateBronze Award from theLone Star State SchoolCounseling Association.Both counselors were recog-nized for their excellence in

advocacy, leadership, collab-oration and systemic change.

Another District 6 bigstage win goes by the nameof Karina Flores. A studentat Clinton P. Russell Ele-mentary School, Flores isamong the top 18 Dallas ISDspellers who have advancedto the County Spelling Bee.A standout competitoramong 138 students from 77schools, she will competefor a chance to win morethan $50,000 in scholarshipsand prizes at the NationalSpelling Bee in Washington,D.C. What a wonderful op-portunity for District 6 tounite as we root for the suc-

cess of our very own.And speaking of our own,

I want to ease the uncer-tainty that many District 6families face due to recentchanges to the DACA (De-ferred Action for ChildhoodArrivals). Dallas ISD iscommitted to following thelaw and providing a highquality education to all stu-dents regardless of their im-migration status, ethnicity,national origin, language,race, religion, sexual orien-tation, gender, gender iden-tity, disability, or socioeco-nomic status. Our top prior-ity is to provide a welcom-ing and protective environ-

ment for all students andstaff.

Looking AheadEleventh graders who at-

tend a Dallas ISD highschool will take the Scholas-tic Aptitude Test (SAT) dur-ing the school day onWednesday, March 7. Inpreparation, students mayaccess free personalized les-sons at satpractice.org. Allstudents are encouraged totake advantage of this re-source to improve testingperformance and best posi-tion themselves for admis-sion to top-choice collegesand scholarship opportuni-ties.

Mark Twain LeadershipVanguard is expanding tofourth through eighth grademagnet campus by 2020.The school is currently ac-cepting applications forgrades four through six. Theapplication deadline is Feb-ruary 28. I’d like to inviteparents to attend the Infor-mation Session and OnsiteApplication Workshop onWednesday, February 21 toget questions answered andcomplete an application. Theinfo session and workshopwill be held at the MarkTwain campus located at724 Green Cove Lane, Dal-las, Texas 75232.

6 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Education www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

JoyceForeman

Dallas ISDDistrict 6Trustee

Good news travels fast in District 6

DCCCD partners with NXT Fest to help DISD students at free eventLife after the 12th grade

can be daunting for any stu-dent. But students in Dallas’southern sector can findguidance and support at anupcoming free conferencecalled NXT FEST at FairPark on Sat., Feb. 17.

The Dallas County Com-munity College District andDCCCD’s Las Llaves delExito program have joinedforces with many other areapartners for NXT Fest, pre-sented by the State Fair of

Texas and Fair Park. Theone-day event will be heldfrom 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in thenewly-opened Briscoe Car-penter Livestock Center atFair Park; the address is 1300Robert B. Collum Blvd. inDallas. Sign-in and breakfaststart at 9 a.m.

The goal of the event is tohelp public high school stu-dents make decisions aboutcollege and introduce themto businesses and organiza-tions that can help them build

strong futures.The conference will pro-

vide students with network-ing opportunities, free break-fast and lunch as well asschool supplies. It also willfeature empowering speak-ers, a free clothing boutiquefor uniforms, financial aidworkshops and scholarshipinformation. College repre-sentatives will be on hand toprovide information and an-swer questions, too.

“The goal of NXT Fest is

to empower students to helpthem make the best decisionspossible about what they’regoing to do with their livesafter high school,” saidMolly Bewley, DCCCD’s di-rector of outreach. “It’s a bigstep planning what you wantto do with your life. The con-ference will play a role inhelping them figure out the

next steps toward their futuregoals and dreams.”

Space is limited, and allstudents must register in ad-vance. The first 300 studentswho sign up will be enteredin a drawing for tickets toJMBLYA. All students whoregister and attend mustbring their valid DISD IDand enter through Gate 2 for

parking and drop-off.For more information and

to register, visit: https://big-tex.com/NXTFEST/

members and their fami-lies; Reach Higher, to inspireyoung people to seek highereducation; and Let GirlsLearn, to help adolescentgirls around the world go toschool.

McKinney Public Library offersonline continued education classes

The McKinney Public Li-brary System recently ex-panded its services to offercontinuing education units(CEUs) through UniversalClass. Through the library’swebsite, patrons can registerfor more than 500 learningcourses in over 30 subjectareas accredited by the Inter-national Association forContinuing Education andTraining (IACET).

All courses are designedand led by professional in-structors to build deeper un-derstanding and mastery ofthe subject matter. Eachcourse includes videos, as-signments, quizzes, tests,

and options for social mediainteraction with other learn-ers. Patrons may take up tofive classes at a time andlearn at their own pace.

From technical courses oncomputer software and digi-tal photography to account-ing and creative writing, ahuge range of topics is avail-able. Universal Class offerscourses in exercise and fit-ness, entrepreneurship, artsand music, home and gardencare, cooking, computersand technology, health andmedicine, homeschooling,job assistance, law and legal,parenting and family, pet andanimal care, plus hundreds

more.“Universal class is a great

resource for library memberswho desire to learn newskills or prepare themselvesfor careers in specific fields.The online class structurealso allows busy students tolearn at their own pace andstill receive continual feed-back from instructors,” saidSpencer Smith, Director ofthe McKinney Public Li-brary System.

This free service is acces-sible to all active library cardmembers. For more informa-tion on how to access Uni-versal Class, visit www.mck-inneypubliclibrary.org.

LET US HEAR FROM YOU!Send stories and suggestions to editor@northdallasgazette.com

local media reports have sug-gested white male incum-bents were recruiting femaleopponents to dilute the votefor women of color whowere challenging them in theprimaries. Unlike earlier fo-rums, the issue was neverbrought up during the pres-entation.

Tapscott has worked incivil law for 20 years andmade the case Rosales wasunqualified for the office sheis seeking. He told the audi-ence that no judge has takenmore cases to jury verdict inthe past 11 years than himand that as a Democrat hehad donated more than$100,000 to the party duringthat time. Rosales, who hasworked in various areas oflaw, and has lived in threecountries and speaks threelanguages, delivered a sharprebuke to that assertion.

“When you practice in onearea of the law you developwhat’s called ‘a tunnel vi-sion’,” Rosales said. “Youcan only see one specificarea. When I’ve practiced infamily law, in immigrationlaw, in civil law, in criminaland international law – Iworked on all kind of cases –I realized that the vision ex-pands when you are able tosee that the exercise, or themechanics of analyzing acase, of researching a case,of proving your case, are thesame.”

Tapscott referred toObama in his closing re-marks, stating that no onewould have voted for himjust because he is Black, butbecause he was “a seriousman.” He again tried to re-mind the audience of his loy-alty to the party and the levelof his donations, but the au-dience had begun to drownhim out.

Following the forum, re-

ports appeared on Facebookclaiming Tapscott had ad-dressed the primarilyAfrican-American audienceas “you people.” However,these reports are false.

Board of Education –District 12

Suzanne Smith was theonly candidate appearing be-fore the MNP crowd to ad-dress the race for the TexasState Board of Education.She is vying for District 12.

“We’re talking about a lotof races and a lot of candi-dates here,” Smith said. “ButI actually believe that thestate Board of Education isthe most important thing onthe ballot this time.”

Smith reminded the audi-ence that the board of educa-tion makes decisions on text-books, which have comeunder fire in recent years fora variety of reasons, not theleast of which is how somehave portrayed the historicexperience of African Amer-icans. Smith also pointed outthat due to the buying powerof Texas, school textbooksedited for the demands ofthis state are also used inother, smaller states.

She is also concernedabout the performance ofcharter schools. Criticized bymany, Smith conceded char-ter schools are a part of thelaw, but she intends to makesure charter schools meet thesame standard required ofpublic schools.County Criminal Court 3

In the race for DallasCounty Criminal Court-of-Law, Symone Redwine andAudrey Moorehead ap-peared at MNP to address theaudience.

Redwine has the paydayloan industry in hercrosshairs, and is particularlydisturbed at what she calls,“using the DA’s office as a

personal debt collector,” re-calling a client she had whoencountered difficulties up toand including getting a jobbecause a payday loanagency had filed theftcharges on her due to an out-standing debt.

Moorehead told the audi-ence that payday loan casesrepresent less than 1 percentof the docket in the court,and that bail reform is themost significant issue in thejudicial races today. She saiddefendants need to be evalu-ated regarding their likeli-hood to re-offend or as amatter of public safety, andthat unnecessarily high bailamounts also lead to diffi-culty in finding employment.

When asked about theirexperience in trying cases incourt, Moorehead stated,“My very first jury trial was

for aggravated sexual assaultof a child, and that was avery difficult trial.”

She said she had workedmany trials as a second chairand had extensive experiencein other court proceedingslike motions. She has servedas the lead counsel in at leastfive jury trials.

Redwine countered say-ing, “I feel like if you cancount the number of casesyou have done, you haven’tdone enough,” later adding,“I have practiced criminallaw in two states.”

U.S. House – District 30Two of the three candi-

dates vying for the U.S.House of Representatives inDistrict 30 were present onMonday, as the forum forthat office was rescheduledfrom an earlier date. EricWilson and Barbara Car-

away are challenging incum-bent Rep. Eddie BerniceJohnson for the seat. Johnsonwas not present at the forum.

Wilson, a journalist bytraining, says he considershimself a “geo-political can-didate” and points to his far-stretching experience as astrength for his candidacy.

“I’ve seen the community,I’ve lived in this community,Dallas is suffering from colo-nialism, oppression, I’veseen it first-hand so no onecan deny that fact in mymind,” Wilson said. “Andnow I want to apply some ofthe things that I’ve seen as ajournalist around the worldto try and help heal our com-munity and bridge our com-munity – both Blacks, whitesand Hispanics. But we haveto do that together.”

Caraway says stagnation

in District 30 is among themost challenging of any dis-trict in the country and thatpoverty leads to other ancil-lary issues. She identifiedherself with the progressivemovement in the party andsaid she expects to be one ofmany “new faces” in Con-gress after the midterm elec-tions.

“Most people have givenup but I will not,” Carawaysaid. “Because the issues thatwe face are very, very real.Mass incarceration, poverty,no infrastructure, no jobs, notransportations system, I’masking you to send me toWashington to not only makea difference, to make achange.”

The primary election isMarch 6. Early voting beginson Feb. 20.

Whether it's accidental orintentional, litter happens,and if it's not picked up, itwill find its way into thestorm drains which lead di-rectly into our creeks, water-ways and eventually ourwater supply.

It's up to us to avoid litter-ing and help out by picking

up where we can. If everyperson in Plano picked upjust one piece of litter everyday, that would equate to amillion pieces of litter beingpicked up in less than a week.

There's always an opportu-nity to be part of the solutionby volunteering for LiveGreen in Plano's fun, pur-

poseful litter cleanup eventswhich are perfect for individ-uals, families, corporateteams and faith-basedgroups. Some of the opportu-nities include:

The Great AmericanCleanup and After-Party:This Citywide cleanup eventruns from 9 - 11 a.m., Satur-

day, April 14, and the beachthemed after-party forcleanup participants will fol-low immediately. Individualand team registration opensMarch 1. Free t-shirts for par-ticipants are limited - so reg-ister early. Last year, morethan 1600 volunteers partici-pated and collected 972 bags

of litter weighing nearly 10tons.

For other cleanup opportu-nities throughout the year,you may join one of our staff-lead cleanup events or organ-ize one on your own. Eitherway, we'll help you identifythe area that needs cleaningand provide cleanup supplies

such as trash bags, gloves andlitter pick-up sticks. Groupsof 25 or more can book ourCommunity Cleanup Trailer,.

For more information or toregister yourself or a volun-teer team for upcomingcleanup events, visitplano.gov/cleanups or call972-769-4369.

Arts & Entertainmentwww.NorthDallasGazette.com North Dallas: Carrollton / Irving / Plano

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 7For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

City of Plano invites residents to participate in clean-ups

MNP, continued from Page 1

By Joe FarkusNDG Contributing Writer

Criminal justice reformhas, in recent years, becomean unavoidable issue incommunities across theUnited States. For many,these conversations are longoverdue and considering thestartling statistics regardingissues of justice and crimi-nality, specifically Texas; itserves as no surprise thesematters uniquely touchAfrican American commu-nities. According to a U.S.News ranking, Texas cur-rently has the 7th highest in-carceration rate in the na-tion with more than 142,000inmates housed in thestate’s prisons. As recentlyas last year, the state wasfound to spend more moneyper day to house inmatessitting behind prison barsthan on students sitting be-hind school desks.

News of a federal judgein Houston ruling againstHarris County’s bail sys-tem, finding its high bailrates for low-level and oftennon-violent crimes discrim-inatory toward homelessand low-income offendersback in April of 2017sparked even greater con-versation regarding bail andsentencing reform. DallasCounty was sued at the endof January by six defen-dants sitting in jail facingmisdemeanor and felony

charges; they contend thatdue to their inability to paythe bail set in their cases,they unfairly remain in cus-tody. Activist organizationshave joined the federal law-suit.

According to the TexasCriminal Justice Coalition,more than half of the indi-viduals sitting in a Texas’county jail is in pretrial jaildetention – essentially, theyare sitting in a cell for acrime for which they havenot been tried and con-victed. In Dallas County,that number is much higher.Seventy-one percent of thecounty’s jail population is inpretrial status. Nearly 3 outof 4 people in a DallasCounty Jail is sitting in thatcell presumed innocent.Even Harris County, whichhas a higher jail population,cannot compete with thatnumber.

So, why is that number so

high? Currently, bond forthe average misdemeanorsits around $500. The num-ber creeps up ever higherthe more serious the charge.Many low-income individ-uals and homeless citizenscannot afford their bail.

The estimated cost to in-carcerate pretrial defendantscharged with a misde-meanor alone is $26,432 perday. When you factor in therest of the pretrial popula-tion, the expenses rise to anestimated $225,321 per day.Over the course of a year,that totals more than $82million of taxpayer moneyper year spent on housingDallas County’s pretrialpopulation behind barsawaiting their day in court.Several Dallas countyjudges and judicial candi-dates have ideas on poten-tial ways to fix a brokensystem.

“The current system is

based on type of offenseand criminal history,” JohnCreuzot, a retired judge cur-rently running for DallasCounty District Attorney,told the North DallasGazette (NDG). “Dallasshould screen every ar-rested individual for risk.”

“Risk factors should bethreefold,” he explained,“Risk to not appear; risk tocommit a new crime, andrisk to commit a violent of-fense. These factors arebeing tested around thecountry and be adapted toour local needs.”

Judge Brandon Birming-ham, currently the PresidingJudge of the Felony DistrictCourt, told NDG he is push-ing for alternatives to thecurrent cash bail system,which he is convinced is“fundamentally unfair tothose with no money” and“offends due process.” LikeCreuzot, he proposes insti-tuting risk assessment in de-termining bail, in additionto allowing for pre-trial re-lease for those with ties totheir community for thosedeemed as low risk.

Birmingham cites the bi-partisan support nationallyfor such an alternative fromelected officials as ideolog-ically diverse as RepublicanKentucky Senator RandPaul and Democratic Cali-fornia Senator Kamala Har-ris. Both Senators intro-duced a bipartisan bill, The

Pretrial Integrity and SafetyAct of 2017, last year whichwould incentivize states toenact many of the reformsjudges and criminal justicereform advocates like Birm-ingham and Creuzot sup-port. While cash bail wouldremain an option, providingalternatives for those whocannot afford the high costof bail and deemed as a lowrisk to the community, ap-pears to be a proposal gain-ing traction.

Despite signs of willing-ness among elected officialsto push for such reforms, re-

sistance remains at the topof government. While theObama administration sup-ported reforming the crimi-nal justice system (amongthe issues targeted was bailreform), the current Attor-ney General, Jeff Sessions,has been a career-long op-ponent of any changes tothe current bail systemstates like Texas and coun-ties like Dallas currentlyhave. Whether resistance orpressure from the JusticeDepartment will preventprogress on bail reform isyet to be seen.

8 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Feature

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

www.NorthDallasGazette.com

Paul Sableman / Flickr

Freezing temps can’t chill Oak Cliff’sMardi Gras spirit...

(At left) Bringing up the end of the parade was a group ofbona fide New Orleans musicians, providing tunes for the tra-ditional "second line" to march down Davis St. in Oak Cliff.(Above) Wild costumes and elaborate floats, such as thisgroup from Christ Episcopal Church, are the norm for theelaborate celebration that takes place in Oak Cliff every year.

NDG Photos by David Wilfong

8

, & 4th, 2018d, 3rch 2ndraM

The high cost of Dallas' current cash bail system

By Ruth FergusonNDG Editor

Does Black Panther liveup to the hype which hasbeen building for months?In a word - yes! There areno noticeable missteps fromthe acting, the story, the ac-tion to the costumes andcinematography. Of course,Chadwick Boswell doesfine as the Black Panther(T’Challa), but a little of histhunder is stolen byMichael B. Jordan as hisnemesis Erik Killmonger.The list goes on of the men,including the director andco-writer, Ryan Cooglerwho add to the brilliance of

Black Panther, but the realstars of the story for mewere the women.

I can not recall a moviewhich has celebrated the in-

telligence, loyalty, andstrength of African Ameri-can women in the way seenin this film. In other movies,they have spotlighted our

resilience, kindness, empa-thy and how smart we are.But in Black Panther, to beportrayed as the Dora Mi-laje, warriors dedicated toprotecting the king, takes itto another level. For achange, we are not merelythe kindhearted, wise friendor housekeeper. But havingthe women in this positionof power reflects a differentworldview of how women,in general, are seen, and un-doubtedly for AfricanAmerican women.

Only time will tell howseeing powerful womensuch as Okoye (DanaiGurira) leading an elite mil-itary team or a tech genius

such as the young princessShuri (Letitia Wright) willshape how the way littleBlack girls see themselvesand what they can become.

Another winning formulain this movie is the celebra-tion of Africa and Africanculture. Wakanda, the fic-tional African country, is aplace you want to visit andexperience. How manytimes have you seen amovie showcases anywherein Africa portrayed as a po-tential travel destination?Go ahead and name one, Iwill wait?

Finally, the deliberateprocess Ruth E. Carter usedin designing the costumes

in Black Panther adds to therichness of the film.

Carter in earlier inter-views has shared that an-cient African tribes inspiredthe outfits of the differenttribes. Carter said she drewinspiration from the leather-work of South Africa, thereds and golds used by theMaasai tribe and muchmore. But Carter also didnot want to make thesewomen female versions ofmale warriors; their beautyis never diminished.

Bottomline, there are somany reasons to see thismovie - it is a film and cul-tural experience not to miss.

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 9

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Marvel Studios

The ladies of Black Panther save the day

Thurgood brings history to lifeBy D. PrescottNDG Guest Contributor

Thurgood, on stage atBishop Arts Theatre, is aone-man production spot-lighting the career andthoughts of a Black historylegend. George Stevens, Jr.wrote the play with SelmoreHaines III bringing to lifethe words of the vaultedlawyer. His delivery capti-vated the audience from themoment Haines stepped onstage and brings the legendto life.

While many are aware ofthe career of Marshall, whothrough his leading the caseof Brown v. The Board ofEducation helped to change

the American landscape for-ever with the desegregationof public schools. He wenton to serve as the firstAfrican American U.S. So-licitor General and laterSupreme Court Justice in theUnited States. Unfortu-nately, these two facts arethe extent that most of usknow about Marshall.Through the efforts ofStevens and Haines, audi-ences leave feeling like theyfinally know a little moreabout the man himself.

One of the scenes particu-larly moving was Thur-good’s reflections on howfelt about being called the N-word, sharing why he was soupset by the word. We also

discover that while he re-spected Rev. Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr., he did notalways share the same view-point.

The legend becomes moreof a real man the audiencecan relate to as the story ofthe tragic loss of his firstwife and child unfolds. ButMarshall was able to findlove again, and together theyhad two sons who would bewhat he remained veryproud of throughout his life.

Thurgood is on stage atBishop Arts Theatre throughFeb. 28; tickets are $18 inadvance and $22 at the door.For performance times andtickets, visit bishopartsthe-atre.org.

Kevin Hart returns to Dallas in OctoberKevin Hart has announced

he is expanding ‘The KevinHart Irresponsible Tour,’adding over 100 new datesacross the U.S., Canada, Eu-rope, Australia and Asia.Produced by Live Nation,the new dates will kick offMarch 23 in Baltimore, MD.Dallas fans will have achance to enjoy the showon Oct. 26 at the Ameri-c a n A i r l i n e s C e n t e r .Tickets are available atLiveNation.com.

2017 was a banner year

for Hart, his memoir I Can’tMake This Up: Life Lessonsdebuted at Number One onthe New York Times Best-seller list and remained onthe list for ten consecutiveweeks.

The book also toppedrecords on the Audible plat-form, selling over 100,000copies in the first five weeks.Earlier in the year Hartvoiced a title character inCaptain Underpants: TheFirst Epic Movie. To close2017, Kevin appeared in the

Sony reboot of the classicfilm Jumanji alongsideDwayne Johnson and JackBlack. Jumanji has beenKevin’s highest grossingbox office release to date,the movie has made over$800 million worldwide.

Hart’s newest businessventure is his digital plat-form the LOL NETWORK -Laugh Out Loud, the com-edy brand and multi-plat-form network founded byHart in partnership globalcontent leader Lionsgate.

Car Review

10 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

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Nissan announces collaboration with Disney’s ‘A Wrinkle In Time’NASHVILLE, Tenn. –

Nissan North Americatoday announced its collab-oration with Walt DisneyStudios Motion Pictures forits forthcoming film “AWrinkle in Time” based onthe classic 1962 novel byMadeleine L’Engle. Thefilm’s star-studded cast in-cludes Oprah Winfrey,Mindy Kaling, Reese With-erspoon, Chris Pine andStorm Reid, and hits the-aters on March 9.

“This epic adventurewhich takes audiencesacross dimensions of timeand space depicts a worldwhere intergalactic travel ispossible ,” said JeremyTucker, vice president, Mar-keting Communications &Media, Nissan North Amer-ica. “It’s fitting that the all-n e w N i s s a n L E A F ,equipped with Nissan’s lat-est advanced technologies,makes an appearance in thefilm. Nissan is proud to sup-port “A Wrinkle in Time” aswell as its cast and directorwho are working to imagine

tomorrow, today.”2018 Nissan LEAF to

appear in “A Wrinkle inTime”

Science and break-through technologies playan important role in “AWrinkle in Time.” Nissan isthe world leader of electricvehicle sales, selling morethan 300,000 units since itsfirst introduction in 2010.As the halo vehicle for Nis-san Intelligent Mobility, itwas a natural tie-in for theall-new Nissan LEAF to bein the film.

The all-new 2018 NissanLEAF further strengthensNissan’s position as theglobal leader in zero emis-

sion electric vehicles (EV).The best-selling electric carof all time has been com-pletely reinvented for itssecond generation, combin-ing greater range with a dy-namic new design. The newNissan LEAF also comeswith Nissan’s latest ad-vanced technologies, in-cluding e-Pedel and ProPI-LOT Assist, to create the ul-timate EV package.

Nissan is also workingwith Walt Disney StudiosMotion Pictures and thefilm’s director, Ava DuVer-n a y, t o p r o m o t e t h e“Searching for the Next Vi-sionary Filmmaker.” Thecontest seeks to inspire in-

novative directors – espe-cially female filmmakers –to step up and share theirvoice. To enter, aspiring di-rectors ages 18 and up mustsubmit a two-minute videoshowcasing their journey asa filmmaker. ,

“Be a Warrior.”*One lucky winner will re-

ceive $100,000 from Nissanto create their own film, atrip to Hollywood to attendthe world premiere of “AWrinkle in Time” and meetwith DuVernay, plus an all-new Nissan LEAF. Visitw w w. AW I T F i l m C h a l-lenge.com to submit yourvideo and to access officialcontest rules*. Contest endsFebruary 2.

“Be a Warrior.”*One lucky winner will re-

ceive $100,000 from Nissanto create their own film, atrip to Hollywood to attendthe world premiere of “AWrinkle in Time” and meetwith DuVernay, plus an all-new Nissan LEAF. Visitw w w. AW I T F i l m C h a l-lenge.com to submit your

video and to access officialcontest rules*. Contest endsFebruary 2.

“Nissan is committed tostorytelling that makes adifference and this opportu-nity to help the filmmakersof tomorrow aligns withthis commitment,” Tuckernoted.Nissan “Forward FasterClass” celebrating Black

History MonthAva DuVernay is the first

woman of color to direct alive-action film with a pro-duction budget over $100million. To celebrate othervisionary African Ameri-cans, Nissan and DuVernayare rolling out the “ForwardFaster Class.” This series ofdigital video vignettes willfeature the insights of for-ward- thinking Afr icanAmerican influencers shar-ing their tips for other self-starters looking to blaze apath to success. These vi-gnettes will debut in mid-February during Black His-t o r y M o n t h o n N i s -

sanUSA.com.“For Nissan, Black His-

tory Month represents theopportunity to celebrateAfrican history and historymakers while keeping aneye on what’s yet to come,”says Lanae Jackson, Nis-san’s Multicultural Market-ing Manager. “The ‘For-ward Faster Class’ does justthat.”

*NO PURCHASE NEC-ESSARY. Open to legal res-idents of the 50 US/DC, 18years & older only. Void inU.S. territories/possessions& where prohibited. Ends2/2/18 at 6:00:00 PM PT.For Official Rules and com-plete details, including prizedescription, visit www.AW-ITFilmChallenge.com.Limit one entry per person.Sponsor: ABC, Inc. d/b/aWalt Disney Studios Mo-tion Pictures, 500 S. BuenaVista Street, Burbank, CA91521. Sponsor reserves theright to substitute any por-tion of the prize in its solediscretion.

By Charlene Crowell

(NNPA) In recent days,threats to the nation’s hous-ing finance system haveemerged. At the center ofthe controversy are two keyissues: the obligation ofmortgage lenders to ensurebroad mortgage credit forall credit-worthy borrowers,and secondly, whether thenation will enforce its ownlaws banning unlawful dis-crimination.

On February 2, a leakedSenate proposal to overhaulthe secondary mortgagemarket’s government-spon-sored enterprises (GSEs),Fannie Mae and FreddieMac, would drop importantaccess and affordabilityprovisions that now governthe system. For example,the GSEs now are requiredto always serve all markets,as well as have in place af-fordable housing goals.

The proposal from U.S.Senators Bob Corker (TN)and Mark Warner (VA) wasquickly and unanimouslyrejected by a broad coalitionof civil rights and housingadvocates that included: theLawyers’ Committee forCivil Rights Under Law,Leadership Conference onCivil and Human Rights,NAACP, UnidosUS (for-merly the National Councilof La Raza), NationalCoalition for Asian PacificAmerican Community De-velopment, National FairHousing Alliance, NationalCommunity ReinvestmentC o a l i t i o n , N a t i o n a lUrban League, and theCenter for ResponsibleLending (CRL).

“Ten years after the 2008Housing Crisis, it is dis-heartening to turn the sec-ondary mortgage marketback over to Wall Street,”wrote the coalition. “Whocan forget the 7.8 millioncompleted home foreclo-sures and trillions of dollarsin lost family wealth?”

“Many American stillface immense housing chal-lenges,” the leaders contin-ued. “This ill-conceived ap-proach places the risk on thebacks of hardworking fami-

lies who already rescued thebig banks.”

The draft legislation alsofell short for MassachusettsSenator Elizabeth Warren, amember of the Senate Com-mittee on Banking, Hous-ing, and Urban Affairs.

“I appreciate the dedica-tion Senators Warner andCorker have shown to ad-dress this critical issue, butthis draft isn’t even close toa solution that works forfamilies who hope to buyhomes, said Warren. “Thisbill would end up creatingmore problems than itsolves.”

As early as 2008, Con-gress moved swiftly toenact the Housing and Eco-nomic Recovery Act. Thisbipartisan legislation pro-vided strong regulatoryoversight of the housing fi-nance system and broughtforward important afford-able housing goals to ensurethat hard-working familieswould be able to accessmortgage loans. But with

the housing market’slengthy path to recovery,many have renewed callsfor legislative reform ofFannie and Freddie. Andjust as the GSEs are nowpledged to serve the entiremarket, some want to takeway to take away the sys-tem’s access and affordabil-ity requirements. That kindof change would harmBlack families and commu-nities, as well as other low-wealth families.

“The big-ticket items thatwe are looking for is the na-tional duty-to-serve and af-fordable housing goals thathave a regulator able to en-force those,” said ScottAstrada, CRL’s Director ofFederal Advocacy.

Days later, on February 5,Mick Mulvaney, the WhiteHouse hand-picked ActingDirector for the ConsumerFinancial Protection Bureau(CFPB) announced hewould move the Bureau’sstaff for its Office of FairLending and Equal Oppor-

tunity (OFLEO) directlyunder his control.

The Dodd-Frank Actmandates that OFLEO per-form “oversight and en-forcement of federal laws toensure the fair, equitable,and nondiscriminatory ac-cess to credit”

By moving fair lendingexperts to the CFPB’s Di-rector’s office, to focus in-stead on consumer educa-tion and coordination, thereare real concerns that theOFLEO will be unable toperform its enforcementand oversight mission..

“This action could openup the floodgates on lend-ing discrimination, whichwould damage the abilityfor people of color to build

wealth,” noted DebbieGoldstein, CRL’s ExecutiveVice President. “One of thereasons the CFPB was es-tablished was because lend-ing discrimination targetedpeople of color with preda-tory, high-cost loans that ledto foreclosures.”

Mulvaney’s personnelshift is yet another consis-tent sign that the nation’s fi-nancial cop-on-the-beat iswalking a new patrol

Since assuming unlawfulleadership at CFPB, Mul-vaney has also dropped alawsuit against predatorypayday lenders, supportedrepeal of the Bureau’s autolending guidance that tookdirect aim at pervasive anddiscriminatory practices.

He has also made clear hisplans to reopen rulemakingunder the Home MortgageDisclosure Act (HMDA).

HMDA is a federal lawthat requires most financialinstitutions to provide mort-gage data to the public. Itensures that mortgagelenders are serving thecredit needs of communitiesin which they are located.The annual HMDA report isthe only comprehensive onethat enables a comparisonof private mortgage lendingcompared to that of govern-ment-backed mortgageslike FHA, VA and USDA.This report is also uniquefor its tracking of mortgage

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette |11

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Marketplace

Purchasing AgentA Successful Construction Company inthe Mid-cities area has an immediateopening for a motivated individual report-ing to the Operations Manager. Idealcandidate will have 3 years’ experiencedealing with purchasing guidelines, in-ventory contraol, negotiation with ven-dors, a positive attitude, highly organ-ized, ability to multi-task, have strongcomputer skills, organized, and be a self-starter. Knowledge of Vista and bi-lingualis strongly desirable. We offer a competi-tive salary, good benefits and a profes-sional environment. Interested candi-dates please snd your resume along withsalary history/requirements to:

Monte HoodP.O. Box 370

Euless, Texas 76039mhood@reynoldsasphalt.com

EOE

See HOUSING, Page 16

Access to safe, decent and affordable housing threatened

12 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Marketplace College Educated Readers read the NDG. Contact Marketing at 972-509-9049 for Career Opportunity Advertising

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

First Baptist Church Garland celebrates 150th anniversaryOn March 8, 1868, 16

members of the Duck Creekcommunity officially organ-ized Antioch Baptist Church.That small congregationeventually grew into what isnow First Baptist Church ofGarland, which will cele-brate 150 years of worship-ping Jesus Christ and servingGod’s purpose with a specialweekend of music, praiseand fellowship Saturday andSunday, March 3-4, 2018.Members past and present,as well as visitors, are en-couraged to join the celebra-tion.

Saturday, March 3 willfeature FBCG’s music min-istry, including the orchestra,choirs, handbells and pipeorgan. Directors, membersand accompanists past and

present will rehearse thatmorning and present a con-cert at 1:30 p.m. The concertwill be followed by a recep-tion in the McDonald Activ-ity Center.

All services on Sunday,March 4 will include specialmusic and recognition. Thevarious church ministrieswill host a Meet & Greet re-ceptions from 3 to 5 p.m.throughout the church facil-ity. Each reception will fea-ture memorabilia displays,photo albums and specialguests.

Senior Pastor Dr. GregAmmons says, “For 150years, God has blessed andused this congregation to im-pact the community andarea. Just two years after itsinception, the church got out-

side of its own walls andreached out into the area byforming Pleasant ValleyBaptist Church. Today,through the FriendshipHouse, Hope Clinic, andother ministries, the FirstBaptist Church of Garlandcontinues to impact the com-munity and beyond. It is achurch with a tremendousheritage. God has certainlybeen faithful.”

Historic OverviewAntioch Baptist Church

first met in a schoolhouse onDuck Creek. As its member-ship grew, the congregationbuilt a new building near thecurrent location of CentralPark, and eventually movedto what is now GlenbrookDrive and Avenue D in 1890.

In 1904, the congregation

split over ongoing differ-ences, creating a second con-gregation called First BaptistChurch. The two churchesstood yards apart. Their lead-ership and members contin-ued to work together onmany issues. By 1915, thetwo churches reunited to be-come Garland BaptistChurch and combined theirresources.

As Garland grew, so didthe possibility of additionalBaptist churches. GarlandBaptist Church officially be-came First Baptist Church ofGarland on Oct. 9, 1946. Thecurrent worship center wasdedicated in 1953. Addi-tional structures were addedto house Sunday School andother activities in the late1950s and early 1960s. The

next major expansion camein 1980 when the educationalfacilities were completed anda chapel, office suite andmusic suite were added.

The worship center wasrenovated and a beautifulpipe organ was added. TheMcDonald Activity Centerwas completed in 1996.

While the physical facili-ties grew, so did the church’soutreach and ministries.FBCG now holds three Sun-day morning worship serv-ices in English with one ad-ditional service in Spanish.Bible study is available dur-ing two sessions each Sun-day for all age groups.

Today, FBCG has a mem-bership of more than 3200,with vibrant ministries to

help our members grow intheir faith and serve the Lordwith excellence.

The vision of First BaptistChurch of Garland states thattheir goal is to glorify God asa loving, welcoming com-munity of faith, mobilized toengage all cultures and gen-erations of

Garland and the surround-ing area while leading themto become followers ofJesus, encouraging theirgrowth toward spiritual ma-turity and sending them outto impact the world in Jesus’name.

For more informationabout the 150th anniversarycelebration, visit www.fbc-garland.org or call 972-276-7194.

The Home Depot announces the 2018 Retool Your School grant program for HBCUs(Black PR Wire) Atlanta,

GA, January 29, 2018—TheHome Depot, the world’slargest home improvementretailer, today announced its2018 Retool Your School

Grant Program. Now, in itsninth year, the programawards accredited Histori-cally Black Colleges andUniversities (HBCUs)grants to use toward creat-

ing sustainable renovationsand additions to their cam-puses.

The Home Depot hasawarded $1.8 million toHBCUs since the program

launched in 2009.Schools seeking to partic-

ipate in the contest can enterin either of two ways.

1. A nomination processfor HBCU faculty, staff, stu-

dents and community sup-porters to nominate theirHBCU to participate in theprogram via Twitter and/orInstagram using the school’ssponsor-provided hashtag,

which can be found at re-toolyourschool.com. Ac-credited HBCUs with aminimum of 100 nomina-

See HBCU, Page 14

Feb. 20, March 20,April 20

PetSmartHiring Event

PetSmart is looking forpet lovers to work at theirdistribution center in Ennis.The positions are full-timedirect hires, not temp posi-tions. Within the first sixmonths you can earn up to$17.94 and enjoy paid timeoff 90 days from hire,health, vision and dental aswell 401k saving plan. After100 days you receive a$500 retention bonus; andeligible to receive $500 forreferring a friend for hire.They are located at 2880 S.Oak Grove Rd. in Ennis.Open interviews are held onthe third Tuesday of eachmonth from 8 a.m. – 10a.m.

Feb. 24Harmony SchoolsHarmony Public Schools

offers a competitive salaryas well as a full benefitsplan. They value longevityand performance over timethrough Harmony's CoreValues, and 20/20 programand opportunities providedfor performance increases.HPS invests in developingleaders through high-qual-i ty programs, effectivecoaching, and ongoing pro-fessional development.

Harmony Public SchoolsJob Fair DFW District Of-fice is scheduled for Feb. 24from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at

12005 Forestgate Drive,Ste. 110, in Dallas.

Feb. 21Medical City

If you specialize in L&D,NICU, Antepartum, MotherBaby/ Couplet Care or otherwomen’s care, Medical CityHospital is seeking staff attheir new Women’s Hospi-tal, opening this spring.They provide care forwomen at all stages, fromgynecological needs tolabor and de l ivery tomenopause management.The job fair details are:

Medical City Children'sHospital Atrium (In PersonEvent), 7777 Forest Ln,Dallas, TX 75230, Wednes-day, Feb. 21 from 4 p.m. - 8p.m.

Vir tual Chat Event -Wednesday, Feb. 21 from11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Feb. 22DPSG Hiring EventThe National Black MBA

Association’s DFW Chapterhas teamed up with Dr. Pep-per Snapple Group (DPSG)for a unique recruiting ex-perience. Anyone looking tojoin a diverse team andmake a splash with your ca-reer, sign up for an on-de-

mand video interview withDPSG potentially secure aninterview on-site. The eventis scheduled for Thursday,Feb. 22 from 5:30 p.m. – 9p.m. at 5301 Legacy Dr. inPlano.

Here are the steps:• The DPSG Recruiting

team will review and evalu-ate 100% of the submittedvideos

• Strong candidates forcurrent/upcoming opportu-nities will be shared withhiring managers

• DPSG will reach out foran opportunity to secure anon-site interview on Febru-ary 22!

Everyone is welcome toattend for an informationalsession on Dr. Pepper Snap-ple Group. For more detailsvisit Eventbrite.

DFW Job FairDFW Airport Job Fair

will be hosted by ABM Avi-ation in Irving on Feb. 22from 9 a.m. – Noon at theirlocation at 4425 W. AirportFreeway, Ste. 220. Anyoneinterested in attending are

invited to text your nameand time to 817-919-8010 /972-342-7058 to confirmyour attendance. The posi-tions they are seeking to fillinclude:

• Airline Passenger Assis-tants

• Aircraft Cabin AgentsCandidates must be will-

ing to work on weekends.Paid training, medical bene-fits, 401K and more are of-fered.

March 5Military

Hiring EventA free hiring event for vet-

erans, transitioning militarypersonnel, National Guardmembers, reserve membersand spouses is scheduled forMarch 5. The seminar kicksoff at 10 a.m.

“Ready, Aim, Hired: Howto Make Sure Your CivilianJob Search Hits the Target --Using Technology to Get theRight Job Faster” and is pre-sented by MyComputerCa-reer. It will be held at AT&TStadium located at OneAT&T Way in Arlington.

This seminar is intendedto show job seekers how towork smarter to secure inter-views. Learn how to preparea job search system that willcreate a list of target em-ployers and how to connectwith these employers to se-cure interviews.

Register separately for theseminar at rmvets.com/mcc_dallas18.

March 7Sales & Management

Career FairDallas Professional Ca-

reer Event - Sales & Man-agement Specific will behosted by HireLive onMarch 7 from 9 a.m. – 12:30p.m. This is an opportunityto interview face to face with15+ Fortune 500 and Indus-try Leading companies seek-ing talented, experiencedand enthusiastic sales, retailand management candidates.

The job fair will be heldat Sheraton Dallas Hotel bythe Galleria at 4801 Lyn-don B Johnson Freeway inDallas. Parking for 2-4

hours will cost $5. EmailYour Resume To: 17947-21-mh2006@apply.max-hire.net.

March 21Diversity

Hiring EventThe 18th Annual Diver-

sity Employment Day Ca-reer Fair features employersseeking a diverse and inclu-sive staff. This event is freeand open to the public 18years of age and older. Mul-ticultural/Bilingual, Peoplewith Disabilities, Women,LGBT, Veterans and Maturecandidates are encouragedto attend.

The positions availablerun the gamut from entry toprofessional level for com-panies such as Union Pa-cific, LKCM Radio Group,Citibank, FedEx Ground,the FBI and more. Inter-ested applicants can visitfacebook.com/CityCareer-Fair to register for the eventat the Holiday Inn Confer-ence Center at 6055 LBJFrwy. in Dallas from 11a.m. to 3 p.m.

Attention Suppliers of Goods,Services and Construction

Review Competitive Opportunities athttps://garlandtx.ionwave.net

www.garlandpurchasing.com

972-205-2415

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 13

Advertise Career Opportunity 972-509-9049 Career Opportunity

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

DO YOU WANT AN EXCITING ANDREWARDING CAREER?

PURSUE A CAREER AS A POLICEOFFICER OR FIREFIGHTER!

• Competitive wages• Array of benefits

• Education incentive pay• ...and more

REGISTER ONLINE TO TAKETHE CITY OF IRVING’S NEXT

CIVIL SERVICE ENTRANCE EXAM

www.cityofirving.orgThe City of Irving does not discriminate on thebasis of race, sex, religion, age or disability inemployment or the provision of services.

Upcoming DFW area job fairs

Paid Internship opportunityfor writers, college students

in the Dallas AreaThe North Dallas Gazette has an internshipposition available. Thegoal is to provide stu-dents and aspiringwriters an opportunityto gain published clips,experience and pro-fessional feedback.The position is for upto 20 hours a week at $8.00 per hour. Appli-cants must have reliable transportation.

Send resume and writing samples to:businessoffice@northdallasgazette.com

Sprint proposes to collocate wireless communicationsantennas at a top height of 145-feet on a 145-foot build-ing at the approx. vicinity of 1600 Commerce Street,Dallas, Dallas County, TX 75201. Public comments re-garding potential effects from this site on historic prop-erties may be submitted within 30 days from the date ofthis publication to: Trileaf Corp, Trileaf Corp, Andrew,a.bray@trileaf.com, 2550 S. IH-35, Suite 200, Austin,TX 78704, 512-519-9388.

tions will thenqualify toenter the voting period.

2. Schools may accept thenomination or opt-in to theprogram via the nominationapplication link found in theeBlast to each of theschool’s President and Pointof Contact. Within the nom-ination application, a schooladministrator must provideprimary contact informationand official school logo tobe included on the websitefor voting.

Nominations must be

submitted between January29, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. (mid-night) EST and February 22,2018 at 11:59 p.m. EST, toenter the voting period.

Voting begins February26, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. (mid-night) and ends April 15,2018 at 11:59pm.

During the voting period,there are two ways to vote.

1. Votes can be cast anunlimited number of timesonline at www.retooly-ourschool.com

2. Use your school’s

unique, designated hashtagto cast unlimited socialvotes through Twitterand Instagram (hashtagscan be found at retooly-ourschool.com).

Nine schools receivingthe highest number of votesduring the voting period willadvance to the final roundand submit their campus im-provement project propos-als. A panel of distinguishedjudges will evaluate eachschool’s proposal.

Judges will consider thequality of each proposal andthe school’s ability to exe-

cute the project within thespecified budget. Proposalsfor all three grant levelsmust highlight how eachproject will make a lasting,positive impact on theHBCU campus.

A total of $360,000 willbe granted to the nineHBCUs with winning pro-posals. The schools will becategorized in one of threeclusters, based on eachschool’s student population.Each cluster will have threewinners vying for one$50,000, one $40,000 andone $30,000 grant.

BETHEL BIBLEFELLOWSHIP,CARROLLTON

(A PLACE TO BELONG)

NOTICE: Pastor Woodsonserves the community byproviding “ProfessionalTherapy and CounselingServices” on a “SlidingFee” scale. To schedule anappointment call the Pas-toral Counseling Center at972-526-4525 or email thechurch at www.bethelbible-felloswhip.org

Discover Hope and Help fordaily living; and, you don’thave to be a member tocome. The Connect-2-Re-flect (C2R) meetings areheld in comfortable and re-laxed homes, one in Car-rollton and one in Plano, re-freshments are served. Callthe church for details.

February 18, 9:45 a.m.You’re invited to our“Prayer and Meditation” at9:45 am. You will beblessed and inspired. Youdon’t want to miss this aswe celebrate service to God,our community and allmankind.

February 21, 7 p.m.Join us in Wednesday’sPrayer and Bible StudyClass with Senior PastorWoodson, Pastor LarryGardner, Pastor Bernadette,Minister Brenda Patterson,and others conducting anew study on the book of

Ephesians with supportingchapters and verses. Spiri-tual maturity is God’s desirefor you; it’s Time to Growin the Word of God.

Dr. Terrance Woodson,Senior Pastor1944 E. Hebron ParkwayCarrollton, TX 75007972-492-4300w w w. b e t h e l b i b l e f e l -loswhip.org ______________________

FELLOWSHIPCHRISTIAN

CENTER CHURCH INALLEN

“THE SHIP”

February 18, 8 a.m.Join us in our SundayMorning Services as wepraise and worship God inthe Joycie Turner Fellow-ship Hall; followed by ourSunday Worship Services;and bring someone withyou, you will be blessed.

February 21Join us in our Wednesday’s12 Noon-Day Live, Prayerand Bible Study and/or ourWednesday Night Live,Prayer and Bible Study at 7p.m. to learn more aboutGod’s Word. Be encour-aged by God’s plan for yourmaturity and His glory; andmost of all; be prepared togrow.

Dr. W. L. Stafford, Sr., Ed. D.Senior Pastor1609 14th Street

Plano, TX 75074Future Building location is2450 K Avenue #300 Plano, TX 75074972-379-3287www.theship3c.org______________________

INSPIRING BODY OFCHRIST CHURCH,

Let’s Go Fishing!MATTHEW 4:19

February 16, 7 p.m.All men are invited toMen’s Ministry meetingeach Friday night at 7 p.m.,(IBOC promotes proactivemale leadership.)

February 18, 10 a.m. You’re invited this Sundayas we praise, worship,honor and magnify God’sHoly name in songs and thespoken word.

February 19Join us in Monday Schoolas we grow in God’s Wordand learn what God has tosay to us.

Pastor Rickie Rush7701 S Westmoreland RoadDallas, TX 75237972-372-4262www.Ibocchurch.org______________________

MT. OLIVE CHURCH OF PLANO (MOCOP)

(Uniting the Body ofChrist Among Nations)

February 18, 10 a.m.Join us for Morning Wor-

ship Service as we praiseand worship God for HisHonor and His glory; anddon’t forget to comeback at7 p.m. for our BrazilianChurch.

February 21, 7 p.m.You’re invited to ourWednesday’s Bible Studyclass; you will learn whatGod has to say to us. Cometo be encouraged by God’splan for your spiritualgrowth and His glory.

Pastor Sam FenceroySenior Pastor andPastor Gloria Fenceroy300 Chisholm PlacePlano, TX 75075972-633-5511www.mocop.org______________________

NEW MOUNT ZIONBAPTIST CHURCH(Abiding in Christ)

February 18, 7 a.m.Join us for our Early Serv-ice or our Morning WorshipService as we praise andworship God, you will beblessed.

February 21, 7 pmJoin us at our Wednesday’sIntercessory as we pray toGod for others. Call thechurch for details for de-tails.

Dr. Tommy L. Brown, Ed. D.Senior Pastor9550 Shepherd Road Dallas, TX 75243

214-341-6459nmzbcofdallas@aol.com______________________

SHILOH MBCIN PLANO

(WHERE COMMUNITY BECOMES FAMILY)

Come and connect to Godthrough Shiloh; grow inChrist through the study ofGod’s Word; and Serve Godthrough service to eachother and to the world.John 12:26.

February 18, 2018You are invited to ourmorning worship at 10 a.m.Sunday School will begin at8:30 a.m. We would love tohave you at our services.

February 21, 7 p.m.You’re invited to ourWednesday’s Bible Study tolearn more about God’sWord. Come and be en-couraged by God’s plan foryour maturity and growth;it’s all for His glory and Hishonor. We are, “Growing inChrist through the study ofHis Word.”

Our church ministries offeropportunities for motivationand growth; join us and see.Be blessed of the Lord.

Dr. Isaiah Joshua, Jr.Senior Pastor920 E. 14th StreetPlano, TX 75074972-423-6695www.smbcplano.org

14 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Church Happenings www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Church Happenings is a weekly calendar of religious services produced by theNorth Dallas Gazette. To make additions or corrections to the calendar, contact:

religion@northdallasgazette.com

NDG now has a “Special Advertising Package” forchurches and non-profit organizations that need to letthe community know about your Special Event.

Opportunity You Can Measure...

Church Events• Church Anniversary• Pastor’s Anniversary• Women’s Day• Men’s Day

Non-Profit Org. Events• Fundraisers(Concerts)• Special Events(Personal or Community)

Special Rate $199(Black & White, per insertion)

Ad size - 4.905”x 6”(Quarter Page, B&W)(NOTE: Color Ad $75 extra per inserion)

Production disclaimer - NDG ad meake-ready is not included in promotion.

Layout/production of “copy ready”ad will be a nominal extra cost.

E-mail ad copy to:Marketing@NorthDallasGazette.com

or call our Marketing Department today!

972-509-9049

HBCU, continued from Page 12

Note: At the AnnualBlack History Program atBethel Bible FellowshipChurch, ChristopherHunter talked about andshowed a video of his dis-sertation; The History ofBlack Churches Architec-tural Designs. And, moreBlack History facts below:

Robert R. Taylor, aBlack architect, was bornin 1868 in Wilmington,NC, he came from a mid-dle-class family. His fa-ther, Henry, was the son ofa White slave owner and aBlack mother.

The elder Taylor hadbeen allowed to go intobusiness for himself be-fore the Civil War, build-ing cargo ships for traderoutes between the UnitedStates and South Americathrough the Caribbean.

He also built many com-mercial and residential ed-ifices. Young Taylor’searly schooling took placeat the Williston School andthe Gregory Institute, aschool for Blacks operatedand maintained by theAmerican Missionary As-sociation.

After graduating, he

worked in his father'sbuilding trade businesswith his sights on Massa-chusetts Institute of Tech-nology (MIT).

He was admitted to theregular freshman class onSeptember 23, 1888, al-though a couple of yearsolder than the averagefreshman because of hiswork with his father.

Taylor was one of ahandful of students fromthe South. Even the south-ern Whites encounteredprejudice but Blacks evenmore so.

Few Blacks were part ofthe MIT community in itsearly years, even thoughfounder, William BartonRogers, had shown a keeninterest in issues relatingto race.

Taylor’s record at MITduring the four years he at-tended, 1888-1892, wasabove the class average;he earned honors intrigonometry, architecturalhistory, differential calcu-lus, and applied mechan-ics, he never failed acourse.

He was twice recom-mended for the LoringScholarship, which he heldfor two consecutive aca-demic years.

Taylor was the firstBlack person to receive anarchitecture degree fromthe Massachusetts Instituteof Technology (MIT).

After graduation, hemarried Nellie C. Taylorand worked as an architectand educator at TuskegeeInstitute nearly until the

end of his career. Taylor designed most

buildings at Tuskegee builtbefore 1932, including theoriginal Chapel and the li-

brary, between the years1899-1902.

For a short period, hewas employed by a Cleve-land architectural firm.Some believe he had dis-agreements at Tuskegeewith the dictatorial style ofBooker T. Washington.

Though he could havebeen better employed else-where, he retired fromTuskegee in 1935.

Throughout his life,Taylor retained a deep re-spect for MIT. In 1942, hewrote to the secretary ofhis MIT class indicatingthat he had just been re-

leased from treatment foran unspecified illness atthe Mayo Clinic inRochester, MN.

"Thanks to a kind Prov-idence and skillful physi-cians," he said, "I ammuch better now." Taylorlived his life as one offaith to his race.

Taylor collapsed anddied on December 13,1942 while attending serv-ices in the Tuskegeechapel that he had de-signed and considered hisoutstanding achievementas an architect.

February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 15

www.NorthDallasGazette.com Church Directory

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Send email to: businessoffice@northdallasgazette.com to sign upfor Sister Tarpley's weekly elec-tronic newsletter.

Black History Month

Robert Robinson Taylor becomes 38th Honoree into BlackHeritage Stamp Series on February 12, 2015

North Dallas Gazette takes a moment toreflect on the past with

Historical Perspectivesfrom Sister Tarpley

Hear what it was like growing up in a very dif-ferent Dallas when Booker T. Washington wasa black school. Sister Tarpley graduated frmthere and went on to college and later became

a city councilmember in Carrollton.

Look for NDGTV at NorthDallasGazette.com

lending and denials by raceand ethnicity. This uniquefeature enables policymak-ers to discern discrimina-tory trends.

As 2018 commemorates

the 50th anniversary of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.’s as-sassination, we must remainvigilant in the fight for ac-cess to safe and affordablemortgage loans – for many

consumers, the single,largest investment of theirlifetimes.

With hard-fought anti-discrimination laws nowunder assault, this genera-tion has a duty to protectand defend all civil rights

laws. Failure to do so wouldbe to forget that the nationenacted the 1968 Fair Hous-ing Act for this very pur-

pose. Charlene Crowell is the

deputy communications di-rector with the Center for

Responsible Lending. Shecan be reached at Char-lene.crowell@responsible-lending.org.

16 | February 15-21, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Book Review www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

What if your entire futurewas mapped out for you?

All you’d have to do isshow up, keep your noseclean and your mouth shut.But what if you couldn’t?What if the color of yourskin had some bearing on it,and your outrage and needfor understanding made youspeak up? As in the newnovel, “Dear Martin” byNic Stone, WWMLKD?

It was supposed to havebeen a nice thing.

When Justyce McAllistersaw his ex-girlfriend, Melo,next to her car, drunk andhalf-dressed, he knew therewas no way she could drive

herself home and he wasn’tabout to leave her in thatneighborhood. She holleredwhen he took her keys. Shesmacked him as he pouredher into the passenger’sseat, which was nothingcompared to what happened

when the cops stopped andcuffed him, thinking that hewas hurting Mel, whoseskin was more light thanBlack.

He’d never forget the feelof those cuffs, which ledhim to a search for under-standing through the wordsof Martin Luther King, Jr.Justyce felt that if he couldlive like Martin, he mightbe able to tolerate thingslike being guilty untilproven innocent because ofhis race.

He might also be able towithstand guys like Jared,who was in Justyce’s debateclass. From his head to histoes, Jared was racist, hid-ing behind fake equality in

his pathetic arguments andcomplaints about reversediscrimination.

Couldn’t everybody seethrough people like that?

No, Manny couldn’t.Manny was Justyce’s bestfriend but he was Jared’sfriend, too, which wassomething Justyce couldn’tunderstand. He didn’t getwhy Manny agreed withJared’s comments or whyhe hung out with Jared’scrowd. Manny was Black.He had a cousin who wasgang-banging but he stayedfriends with a fool.

No matter. Justyce hadhis own issues and he won-dered what Martin woulddo. Surely, Dr. King would-

n’t stay quiet about racialprofiling. Would Martin fallfor a white girl? And this:Martin chose to be nonvio-lent, but what about every-body else?

What can you say about abook that surprises, givesyou goosebumps, makesyou happy, and then makesyou sad? If it’s “Dear Mar-tin,” you say, “Yes, please.”

Through an observantnarrator and the spot-onvoice of a teenage boy, au-thor Nic Stone takes na-tional news and gentlytwists it into a believabletale that’s smooth andsomewhat unruffled until –bam! – Stone drops a gigan-tic stone into the story. If

you haven’t fallen for herperfectly-created charactersby that point, she’ll haveyour compete attentionthere.

What happens next, andnext after that, is unex-pected – don’t even try toguess – and it’ll have youturning pages. Indeed,you’ll absolutely need toknow how this tale ends andhow a man who’s been deadnearly five decades im-pacted it.

This may be one of themost truthful, chilling nov-els your teenager may readthis winter, but you need tofind it anyway. “Dear Mar-tin” is a winner, and what ifyou miss it…?

NDG Book Review: Dear Martin is one not to miss

HOUSING, continued from Page 11

MediBookr launches mobile app for healthcare provider shoppingMediBookr, the online

healthcare guidance and an-alytics platform, has an-nounced the launch of itsmobile app platform thatguides employees in explor-ing m e d i c a l s e r v i c e sand ass i s t ing them inmaking informed deci-s i o n s w h e n s e e k i n gbest-value providers.

“Consumers today wantbetter resources to comparehealthcare options specificto their needs, insurance,and budget,” said SunnyNadolsky, CEO of Medi-Bookr. “Therefore, we havedeveloped an innovativeplatform for consumers tosearch and select services di-rectly from their mobile de-

vice. We are excited to offerthis extension from the ex-isting online platform somembers can search whileon the go.”

The MediBookr app is afree service for employeesof organizations that havechosen to include Medi-Bookr with their medicalbenefits package. It assists

members in navigating thecomplex network of health-care providers and processesby providing easy access toa broad network of providersin their preferred location,the ability to review both in-surance and cash bundlerates, and compare qualityprovider ratings. In addition,this all-in-one platform al-

lows patients to book andtrack their appointments di-rectly from the app to ensurethey are saving time andmoney.

Furthermore, the app inte-grates real-time feedbackfrom select sources to pro-vide real patient experiencesthat can help members findthe best suited provider and

ensure they have a positiveexperience. After receivingservices, members can theneasily rate their own experi-ence via the app for others.Members can access the mo-bile platform by download-ing the app to their smart-phone by searching “Medi-Bookr” in the iTunes AppStore or Google Play Store.