RAPPIN’

Tommy Wyatt

TPA

Vol. 36 No. 20 Website: theaustinvillager.com Email: vil3202@aol.com Phone: 512-476-0082 Fax: 512-476-0179 October 10, 2008

Circulation

CouncilVerification

The Presorted StandardU.S. Postage Paid

Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949

VillagerThis paper can

be recycled 1223-A Rosewood Avenue Austin, Texas 78702A community service weekly Since 1973

The Douglass Club of Austin2008-2009 Season

Three former Univer-sity of Texas Longhorns atdifferent stages of their ca-reers in the NFL have been inthe news in recent weeks—Ricky Williams, CedricBenson and Vince Young.Williams is finally playingagain with the Miami Dol-phins after numerous effortsat a comeback and the re-peated failure of drug tests be-cause of his love of marijuana.Benson, after being cut by theChicago Bears, has gained aplace on the roster of the Cin-cinnati Bengals in wake of thecases he faced in court. Hewas arrested on charges ofdriving a boat while intoxi-cated and about a month laterhe was arrested and chargedwith driving while intoxi-cated. A grand jury did notindict him on either charge.And Vince Young, as this isbeing written, has beenmoved from starting quarter-back to the No. 2 position withthe Tennessee Titans.

Young was in uniformbut did not play in the Titans’game against the BaltimoreRavens Sunday, Oct. 5. KerryCollins was calling the sig-nals as the Titans claimed a13-10 win over the Ravens.Young had practiced lastweek for the first time sincehe had thrown two intercep-tions, hurt his knee in the Ti-tans’ opener September andat first refused to continueplaying in the game. He wascalled a prima donna but itwas the incidents afterwardthat raised concerns aboutYoung’s well-being. Policewere called after Young lefthis home abruptly in the af-

Ex-Longhorns find that NFLis full of detours, diversions

By George E. HardinSports Beat

termath of what was called about of depression and a sui-cide threat. Young later saidthe incident was blown outof proportion.

After the game with theRavens, Young downplayedhis role and said emphasisshould not be on him but onthe Titans with their 5-0record. He said that for nowhis main assignment is back-ing his teammates. Titans’coach Jeff Fisher said as longas Collins keeps winning hewill continue as the startingquarterback.

Williams, resumed playwith the Miami Dolphins forthe first time in more than twoyears, carried the ball 13 timesand gained 39 yards in thegame against the San DiegoChargers Oct. 5. Williams isnow 31 and it has been 10years since he won theHeisman Trophy at UT. Aftersuspensions for failed drugtests on four occasions andafter being forced out of thegame for injuries, Williams istrying to get his career backon track. Williams said lastmonth he was stronglytempted to smoke marijuanaagain but was able to resistthe temptation by meditation,which he said also has a calm-ing effect. He still has to un-dergo nine random drug testseach month. He played for ashort while with the TorontoArgonauts of the CanadianFootball League while he wason suspension from the NFL.

Benson, signed as a freeagent, seemed grateful to geta chance to play for theBengals after attempts to jointhe Houston Texans and theNew Orleans Saints were un-successful. He said earlier

that dealing with his prob-lems “has been a humblingexperience.”

In his first game afterjoining the Bengals’ roster,Benson entered the gameearly in the second quarter asthe Bengals met the DallasCowboys Oct. 5 in Irving.With Cincinnati behind 17-0,Benson took a handoff andgained 6 yards. On subse-quent carries he ran for 2, 10,3 and 1 yards although theCowboys overcame theBengals 31-22. In that gameBenson played against TankJohnson, his former teammateat the Chicago Bears. Johnsonalso was cut by the Bears af-ter being arrested. Johnson, anose tackle, was able to hitBenson a couple of times.

The Bengals, whohaven’t won a game yet thisseason, will play at the NewYork Jets Sunday, Oct. 12, at 1p.m. ET. The Dolphins playat Houston Oct. 12 and the Ti-tans have a bye week.

Williams, Benson andYoung, facing different chal-lenges at the different stagesof their careers, have come incontact with the juggernautthat is the NFL system. Win-ning is the name of the gameand the more a team wins thegreater the profit for the own-ers. Player salaries are theowners’ major expense andowners expect total commit-ment from players and noth-ing that will hinder the teamfrom winning or distract fromthe business at hand. Whensuch distractions happen theplayer finds himself beingcriticized by those who oncepraised him. Then he has along road ahead to rebuild hisreputation.

Cedric Benson - Former UT Longhorn now plays with Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.

The City of Austin hasselected eight veteran fire of-ficials from departmentsthroughout the country ascandidates to head Austin’s1,100-member department.

“The Austin Fire De-partment has proven itself asone of the leading depart-ments in the nation,” CityManager Marc Ott said.“These candidates know thatthey will be expected to up-hold its traditions of fire safetyeffectiveness and communityresponsiveness.”

The eight finalists are:· Randy Bruegman, Fire

Chief, Fresno, Calif.· Jimmie R. Bryant, Fire

Chief, Monroe, La., Fire De-partment.

· Niles Ford, Fire Chief,Lincoln, Neb., Fire and Res-cue.

· Richard Gracia,Deputy Fire Chief of SupportServices, Las Vegas, Nev., Fireand Rescue.

· Noel Horan, AssistantFire Chief/Executive Officer,San Antonio Fire Depart-ment.

· Rhoda Mae Kerr, FireChief, Little Rock, Ark., FireDepartment.

· Raul Reyes, Fire Chief,Greenville, Texas, Fire andRescue.

· Michael Pruitt, FireChief, Longview, Texas, Fire

Department.Candidates will be in-

terviewed next week by ex-ecutive management as wellas community members. Thecandidates will visit variousfire facilities and will attendfocus group meetings withfire employee associationmembers, AFD managementand City department directorrepresentatives. The candi-dates will also undergo a tech-nical assessment with firechiefs from other cities.

In upcoming weeks,the field will be further nar-rowed and City officials willvisit the cities in which theyhave worked. The finalsteps will be to bring backthe finalists for meetingswith the City Council andthe community and inter-views with City ManagerOtt.

The Fire Chief positioninvolves the appointment bythe City Manager and confir-mation by the City Council.

Acting Fire Chief JimEvans did not apply for the joband will resume duties as anAssistant Chief when the newchief is hired. He has super-vised the department sinceMay after the resignation of J.J.Adame.

The nationwide searchwas facilitated by consultantArcus Public.

Field narrows to eightfor City’s next Fire Chief

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT--Friends and neighbors gathered Tuesday night (Oct. 7) at the Wesley UnitedMethodist Church for the “Neighborhood Block party.” They were entertained and had hot dogs andother refreshments. Here they are enjoying the sounds of a local band composed of Donald Jennings(front seated) and Blues Boy Hubbard (back right seated), former members of the house band at the oldCharlie’s Playhouse. Other activities included face paintings for the children and visitations by com-munity members who were invited to get acquainted. National Night Out is designed to Heighten crimeand drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anticrime programs andto send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

The Douglass Club ofAustin begins its 2008-2009season on October 11, 2008with Angela Shelf Medearis asits first speaker.

If you have been in Aus-tin any length of time, youprobably have heard, seen orread about Angela Medearis.You might have met her 18years ago when she intro-duced students of Hill Elemen-tary School to her first book,“Picking Peas for a Penny.”The family of Gloria Black trea-sures the autographed copyMedearis gave to the twins,Margretta and Daniel whilethey were in elementaryschool. Ida Hunt, then the prin-cipal of Blackshear ElementarySchool always made sure toexpose her students to the lifeand works of Medearis. Theauthor, Medearis expressedher own philosophy of writ-ing by saying: “I write the kindof books I always longed to findin the library when I was achild. Every child needs to finda reflection of him or herselfwhen looking for a book in thelibrary or bookstore.”

You might have been inthe audience when Medearis re-ceived the first ever TeddyAward presented by Laura Bushor you may have read about herin “Texas Monthly” or maybeyou saw her on television or inthe daily news. Wherever youare in your journey, Angela ShelfMedearis has touched your lifeor that of someone you know.

She is a “renaissance” womanwith more that 75 books to hercredit. She has writtenchildren’s books, books foryoung readers, articles, playsand poetry. She has writtenand directed several video pro-ductions. She is the founder of“Book Boosters”.

She regularly visitsschools and performs story tell-ing. She has organized exhib-its for the George WashingtonCarver Museum and has pro-duced a Children’s RadioBookmobile for the Universityof Texas.

Ms. Medearis will speakto the Douglass Club audienceon “Diva-tude”, her attitudetoward life.

Medearis, also knownas the Kitchen Diva and culi-nary historian because of herfive cookbooks, her cookingshows and columns dealingwith African and AfricanAmerican cooking as well herrecent expansion with Portu-guese cooking, is married toMichael Rene Medearis withwhom she has co-authoredseveral books and the two ofthem are consultants and writ-ers for Scott Foresman, Scho-lastic and Macmillan publish-ers. She is the mother ofDeanna and the grandmotherof Anysa. Her papers arehoused in the SouthwesternWriters Collection at TexasState University.

The Douglass Club con-tinues its scholarship programfor high school seniors, the GoodCitizenship Award for otherworthy students, its aid for theelderly and victims of natural di-sasters.

The Douglass Club willcelebrate its 103rd year of con-tinuous service to the commu-nity in March 2009. For informa-tion on membership or other ac-tivities, please contact president,Wardaleen Belvin or vice presi-dent, Gloria H. Black.

Angela Self Medearis

Health andWellness

center is neededin East Austin

Huston-Tillotson Universityofficials are working to developthe vision for a state-of-the arthealth and wellness facility tobe constructed on the campusand are seeking input. The pub-lic is invited to “A Conversationwith the Community” onWednesday, October 15 at 6 p.m.in the Agard-Lovinggood Lec-ture Hall on the campus, 900Chicon Street. The facility would serve thestudents, faculty, and staff ofHT as well as the greater EastAustin community at large. Anew track, gym, locker roomsand health center are just a fewof the options being consideredas a part of this vision. This will be the second townhall meeting for the public to givecomments and share ideas on thecenter. Parking is available offChalmers Street, just behind thehall. This center will be a great ad-dition to the community. Wehave not had a clinic in EastAustin since Drs. Roberts andConner closed their operationsyears ago. Dr. Conner was onRosewood Avenue nearAngelina and Dr. Roberts clinicwas on San Bernard. A health center could attractmore medical professionals tothe community. There a numberof African American physiciansand other medical officials in thecity, but few of them are knownby Eastside residents. HT needs to hear from the com-munity as they proceed withplans to build the center.********************************* Earlier this week someone calledwith a question about one of thepropositions on the ballot. I wasembarrassed that I was preparedto give them my views on theseissues. We, like most of you, havebeen spending most of our timeon Presidential election and notenough time on local elections.While the national elections arevery important, our local elec-tions are equally important. Beginning next week, we willstart to make our endorsementson the candidates and our posi-tion on the issues As many vot-ers will be voting early duringthe early voting period (Oct. 20-31), it is necessary them to havethe information that they need inorder to make an informed deci-sion. The last day for voter registra-tion was last Monday. Attentionwill now turn to the get-out-thevote effort (GOTV). During thenext few days leading up to No-vember 4, there will be a lot ofwork done to get the vote out byboth parties. If you think thatyou have had a lot of politicalcalls and other contacts, you havenot seen any thing yet. All ofthe campaigns have a lot of cam-paign information that they willhave to get rid of and they arepreparing to give it all to you.

EDITORIALS/COMMENTARYEditorial, Commentary or Letter to the Editor Fax to 512.476.0179 Email to vil3202@aol.com Mail to 1223-A Rosewood Avenue, 78702

Page 2/THE VILLAGER/October 10, 2008

By Marian Wright EdelmanNNPA Columnist

Judging the Candidates on Their Records

During nearly two yearsof presidential campaigning,the candidates have madeclaims and promises on howthey would perform if they areelected to the White House.Some of the criteria we mightuse to judge a candidate’s fit-ness and temperament forleadership are difficult toquantify. But one concrete andobjective way to assess howcandidates measure up on cru-cial issues is by examiningtheir voting records.

In this election year,when three of the four nomi-nees for President and VicePresident are sitting U.S. Sena-tors—Barack Obama (D-IL),John McCain (R-AZ) and JoeBiden (D-DE)—each has arecord of roll call votes cast inCongress. Each year, throughits Nonpartisan Congres-sional Scorecard, theChildren’s Defense Fund Ac-tion Council selects congres-sional roll call votes to illus-trate how the Members of theU.S. Senate and House of Rep-resentatives voted on key is-sues affecting children andfamilies.

The Scorecard is a toolto help voters determinewhether their lawmakers inCongress have voted in theirinterests so citizens can holdthem accountable when theygo to the polls on Election Day.

I learned the passage,‘’By their works ye shall knowthem,’’ in Sunday School along time ago. And a look atthe voting records of the can-didates, as reflected in theScorecard, clearly reveals whoamong them is working forchildren and who isn’t.Over the last three years, theScorecard has shown that

Sens. Obama and Biden votedwith the CDF ActionCouncil’s position on majorlegislation an overwhelmingmajority of the time—betterthan 85 percent. In contrast,Sen. McCain consistentlyscored under 30 percent.

One of the measures theScorecard included was a billreauthorizing the StateChildren’s Health InsuranceProgram (SCHIP) for fiveyears and increasing fundingfor SCHIP and Medicaid bynearly $35 billion over thatperiod. The cost of the expan-sion would have been fundedby a 61 cent a pack federalcigarette tax increase. Themeasure would have ex-tended health coverage tomore than one-third (3.2 mil-lion) of America’s nine mil-lion uninsured children. Sens.Obama and Biden supportedthe legislation while Sen.McCain voted ‘’no.’’ CDFstrongly urged coverage forall children. Yet even thismodest proposal could notwin enough Republican sup-port, including SenatorMcCain’s, to override a WhiteHouse veto.Senators Obama and Bidenvoted with the CDF ActionCouncil on most other legis-lative initiatives includingsupport for federal budgetpriorities such as increasingfunding for education andhome heating assistance, in-creasing the minimum wageand stopping cuts to the Med-icaid program. They opposedlegislation to give the gun in-dustry immunity from law-suits filed by victims of gunviolence. Senator JohnMcCain voted on the otherside of each of these measures.

Senator Obama’s cumu-lative score over three yearsis 87 percent; Senator Biden’ssince 1981 is 85 percent; andSenator McCain’s since 1983is 28 percent. The scores forthe candidates on the 2005Scorecard were: Obama, 100percent; Biden, 89 percent;and McCain, 22 percent. In2006, it was Obama andBiden each with scores of 100percent while McCain’s scorewas 10 percent. (Since Repub-lican Vice Presidential nomi-nee Governor Sarah Palin

(Alaska) did not serve in Con-gress, she has no comparablerecord.)

In 2007, all of the Sena-tors were traveling on thecampaign trail and had lowerscores than in past years dueto absences. Senator McCain,however, had the lowestscore on children’s issues inthe entire Senate—with only10 percent.On November 4, we will notonly consider the candidacyof three U.S. Senators who arerunning for President andVice President at the top of theballot, but 28 incumbent Sena-tors and nearly 400 HouseMembers who are running forre-election—all with congres-sional voting records con-tained in the CDF ActionCouncil® Scorecard. In 2007,25 Senators had a score of 100percent, while 13 Senatorshad scores of 30 percent orlower. In the House, 173 Rep-resentatives scored 100 per-cent and 132 had 30 percentscores or lower.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theGerman Protestant theologianwho was executed for oppos-ing Adolf Hitler’s Holocaust,said that, ‘’The test of the mo-rality of a society is how ittreats its children.’’ Duringfederal elections, theScorecard is particularly use-ful as an objective measure ofhow well Members of Con-gress met that test by support-ing policies and programsthat benefit the ‘’least ofthese,’’ especially poor chil-dren who are too young tovote and don’t have themoney to hire expensive lob-byists or spread around mil-lions of dollars in campaigncontributions.

I hope the CDF ActionCouncil Scorecard is helpfulto voters as they decidewhether candidates for officepass Dietrich Bonhoeffer’stest. Once armed with this in-formation, they must get outand vote and count for chil-dren. There’s just too much atstake.

Marian WrightEdelman is president of theChildren’s Defense Fund andits Action Council. Visit:h t t p : / /www.cdfactioncouncil.org/.

The only question thatreally remains about the 2008presidential election iswhether working class andmiddle income Whites in theelectorate, as they have doneconsistently since the countrywas founded, choose theirracial prejudice over theireconomic interests in anotherelection.

For a couple of centu-ries, the people with the bigmoney, nearly always in theSouth and more than oftenthan not in the North, havedirectly and indirectly toldworking class and middle in-come Whites that “you maybe poor, you may be barelysurviving; you may be strug-gling to take care of yourselfand your family but you aresuperior to any Black man orwoman because you areWhite.”

And the recipients ofthis con game, in election af-ter election, have listened to

Will Middle and Working Class Whites Once Again ChooseTheir Racial Prejudices Over Their Economic Interests

By. A. Peter BaileyNNPA Columnist

the big money boys and votedaccordingly. And who’s tosay they won’t do it again in2008, despite the obvious fi-nancial rip-off currently onview for all to see. Commonsense says that it wasn’tsubprime mortgages held byworking class and middleclass home renters that is thefoundation for the currenteconomic mess, as the politi-cians and pundits keep re-peating day after day, but thehumongous cost of the war ofchoice in Iraq. Yet none of thepoliticians, including Sena-tors Obama and McCain arefocusing on that. It’s all thefault of naive middle incomeand working class folks whoare the basic cause of thisproblem. Thus the questionagain; will middle incomeand working class Whitesonce again choose their racialprejudices over their eco-nomic interests?

After watching andreading about the reaction ofmany Whites to MichelleObama, I am convinced thatthey are more afraid of herthan of her husband. If hewere married to a grateful, safeNegro such as Star Parker,Condoleezza Rice or AmyHolmes, he would probablybe much more acceptable tomany Whites.

I am even more con-vinced of this after reading afeature article in The Wash-ington Post about Michelle’sancestors. She is descendedfrom those strong Black folksmy grandfather and his

friends used to describe asrace men and race women.This was the highest compli-ment they could pay to some-one. Unfortunately, it is a con-cept that too many Blacks inthis country have abandoned.Michelle Obama is a racewoman. Many Whites sensethis; that’s why they don’twant her in the White House.

Before the Palin-Biden“debate,” I told Obama sup-porters that they shouldn’tcount on Palin being as dim-witted as she sounded duringrecent television interviews.“No one could be that stupidand accomplish as much po-litically as this woman has,”I insisted, “This is a womanwhose high school classmatesnicknamed ‘’Barracuda’’.

She is a skillful, calcu-lating, ambitious, ruthless,one-track minded politicalpro, more similar to SenatorObama than Senator McCainor Senator Biden. She demon-strated that in the “debate.”She was not trying to connectto the electorate in places likeNew York City, Washington,Boston, San Francisco andLos Angeles but to those whovoted for Bush in two elec-tions and to those Whitewomen, who - despite herflaws - see her as a glass-ceil-ing shatterer.

A. Peter Bailey can bereached atapeterb@verizon.net

Trouble the Water

Farrah GrayNNPA Columnist

By Nicole C. LeeNNPA Columnist

The $700 billion dollarrevised rescue bill passed theSenate by a vote of 74 to 25,and House lawmakers voted263 to 171 to pass the bill.President Bush immediatelysigned the historic measureinto law.

The Nation’s economicdebacle has every taxpayer ina chokehold.

Are you feeling angryand frustrated?

The Nation’s economicbust present both challengesand big opportunities for in-dividuals that can keep theirwits about them.

Once they are beyondthe trauma of fear and uncer-tainty, they begin to realizethe powerful possibilities increating their own means ofmaking a livelihood orsupplementing your incomeas a ‘personal financial res-cue plan’.

In many cases thechanges you will come to seeonce on your way to havinga business of your own arenothing short or miraculous.Depression will lift, anxietydissipates, fear of failure con-verts to a newfound self-af-firmation.

Think about what youdo to survive if you weredropped in the middle of adesert? What inner resourceor innate talent would youtap to start and run a part-time business out of our

From blood banking to the modern subway, from jazz to social justice, the

contributions of African Americans have shaped and molded and influenced our

national culture and our national character.

Watching the televisioncoverage of HurricaneKatrina was horrifying. It re-minded me of so many scenesI have witnessed around theworld.

People with no hope ofrescue, begging for help. Ourpeople were alone with nogovernment able or willing torespond.

It reminded me of thecourage these ordinarypeople have and the generos-ity that they provide eachother, even in the worst of cir-cumstances. From Haiti toZimbabwe to the U.S., ordi-nary people overcome racism,deal with pain and death,and find life and hope.There have been a few filmsthat have captured the hor-rors, injustice and racismlinked with HurricaneKatrina. They invoke the an-ger and outrage many of usfelt watching the news cover-age day after day. Despite thefact that you may feel inun-dated with the images or feelthat you know all you need toknow, I urge you to see“Trouble the Water,” a newfilm executively produced byLouverture Films.

Now, in the interest offull disclosure, LouvertureFilms is the brain child of twoof my favorite people - JoslynBarnes and Danny Glover.They created Louverture toensure that the most politi-cally charged and relevantfilms can actually be made.There is no doubt that thiswork is crucial and that thesefilms must be made.

Trouble the Water is adocumentary film directed byTia Lessin and Carl Deal. Thefilm features first hand foot-age of the flooding of the 9thWard in New Orleans, andpoignantly shows how thefamilies and communitiessurvived.

The footage was shot byKimberly Roberts with herhusband Scott by her side.The movie follows their jour-ney post-Katrina to assess allthat had been lost, the re-newal they seek, and the re-demption they build.

Kimberly and Scott arenot the type of heroes Holly-wood wants you to see, butyou will see your own great-ness in their story. You willsee the triumph of dignity andrespect of black people whenconfronted with indignation,indifference and greed.

No matter how muchyou know or have seen, theirstory will touch your heartand intellect. Beware: youranger towards the system andfailed Bush policies will be re-invigorated and you willwant to act. Please, follow thatreaction.

Trouble the Water letsyou know in no uncertainterms that Katrina is still hap-pening. The policies that ledto the worst natural disasterin U.S. history were man-

made. Those policies have notchanged and serve as testi-mony that racism andclassism are alive and well,and affecting our cities, ourcountry and our world. De-spite the lack of media pres-ence, Katrina’s tragedy is stillongoing. People live daily inthe aftermath of the failedpolicies of the governmentelected to serve at the will ofthe people (that some helpedelect).

Even as we look aheadto the election, anxiously an-ticipating the arrival ofchange, there are far too manyof our sisters and brothersbeing left farther and fartherbehind. We must not forgetthem, or their ongoingstruggle, and Trouble theWater serves as an immedi-ate call to action. It requiresyou to question what youhave been told, to seek realtruths, and to engage othersto fight social indifferenceand neglect.

I cannot urge youstrongly enough to go see themovie for the first hand storyof what happened in thosedays, and what has hap-pened in the years since. Itwill transform you even if youknow the whole story.

Go see it because a starhas been born in Kim Roberts,who represents to me the hopefor our generation. See it be-cause today in places likeHaiti, Black men and womenwill sleep tonight, broken un-der the weight of man-madenatural disasters, but theywill rise tomorrow and try torebuild. See it because it mat-ters.

Nicole C. Lee is the Ex-ecutive Director ofTransAfrica Forum.

home?Self-analysis is a fancy

word for “getting to knowoneself.” Armed with self-knowledge, we are able to useourselves more effectively,more meaningfully. To knowour strengths, for instance,gives us direct access to ourpower. A boxer must knowwhat his strengths are.

If his power is in his left,he can use it to his advantage.This goes for our weaknessesand vulnerabilities, as well.We must shore up where wecan and accept the riskswhere we can’t. The object isalways to convert weaknessto power.

This requires hardwork. The great boxers havearms of equal strength—a bal-ance of power. It is rare that aperson is born with equalstrength in both arms; theweaker one has to be broughtup to the stronger one—notan altogether easy task inmost instances.

Self-analysis also re-veals our talents. Talents areoften wasted because they re-main undiscovered. A talentis a precious commodity. It isthe raw material for our cre-ations - our production.It is one of our few natural at-tributes that can be trans-ferred directly into successthat is, if it’s recognized. Tal-ents are often discovered bydoing. The more things we do,the more we finds out aboutour strengths—our potential.

A clear picture of whowe are allows us to see our-selves as a participant ratherthan a victim. We cannotchange the past, but, by com-ing to a better understandingof the whys and hows of whatwe have or have not accom-plished, we can better use theknowledge to our advantagein the present and in movingforward.

Our dreams connect us

to the future. They speak to usof our fears as well as our as-pirations. Just as it is impor-tant to know our vulnerabili-ties, it is also important toknow our deepest desires.Our aspirations too often getthe cold shoulder.

It is sad that we are soeasily discouraged. It is im-portant to realize, too, thataspiring is not the same asgoal setting. Aspiration, in thetrue sense of the word, is aform of self-projecting. It issomething that transports usbeyond the realm of immedi-ate possibilities and momen-tarily suspends us (if we al-low it) above present reality.Aspiration is the “wish upona star” aspect of our lives.

Sometimes when youcome from humble begin-nings you never make plansto accomplish anything or beanywhere at a certain timebecause of the basic chal-lenges you face getting eventhe most basic tasks accom-plished.

Do you know what youwant? What talents, abilities,and aspirations do you haveto achieve your dreams in life?What do your dreams consistof? Are they achievable or un-realistic?’’

What you do should al-ways create opportunities foryour personal growth, yet atthe same time satisfy theneeds of others. For those whobecome self-employed being“on the line” also means be-ing on the road to personalachievement, self-satisfactionand independence. The prom-ises of such a journey areworth all the struggles andsacrifices encountered alongthe way.

Farrah Gray is an au-thor and chairman of theFarrah Gray Foundation. Goto his web site atwww.drfarrahgray.com orfg@drfarrahgray.com.

Break Out of the Economic Chokehold

The VillagerNewspaper

Visit the church of your choice on Sunday

JOSHUA CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

1006 Yeager Lane, Suite 102-A Austin, Texas

Sunday ServicesSunday School 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

WEDNESDAY Bible Study 6:30 P.M.SATURDAY New

Member Assimilation 10:00 A.M.

Agape Baptist ChurchIn “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)

AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love He exhibited isExemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you. For there is no greater love!

Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM

Mid-Week ServiceThursday: Praise, Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PM

Call 454-1547 for TransporationWebsite www.agapebcaustintx.org

Jesus is Coming AgainThe church fellowship where everybody can be somebody!

MaranathA Faith Center4930 South Congress Avenue, C-302 512-750-4628 512-804-2537

Sunday School 9:00-10:00 A.M.Morning Service 10:00 A.M. -12Noon

Floyd Fontenot, Sr., Founder Floyd Fontenot, Jr., Pastor

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church4509Springdale Road 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281

We invite you to come and worship with us

Sunday ServicesWorship 8:30 A.M.Sunday School 9:45 A.MWorship Service 11:00 A.M.

WednesdayEvening Bible Study 6:00 P.M.

Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor

Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road

Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Study 6:30 P.M.Imani Complex, 1st and 4th Wednesday

Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727

Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims

Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax: 512-478-1892

Radio Ministry (KIXI 970 AM 9:00 A.M.TV Ministry (ACTV. Ch 32) 9:00 A.M.Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875

Sunday ServicesWorship Service 8:00 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M. Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709

Rev. Marvin C. GriffinPastor

Rev. H. Ed CalahanPastor

Sunday Services

Wednesday Service 7:00 - 8:00 P.M.

October 10, 2008/The Villager/Page 3

St Annie A.M.E. Church

1711 Newton StreetAustin, Texas 78704

Voice mail (512) 444-4509E-mail: saamechurch@peoplepc.com

Sunday School 9:30 A.M.Morning services 10:45 A.M.

Rev. Derwin D. Gipson, Pastor

Aligned with Mattersof Eternity

AFRICAN ASSEMBLIES of GOD

CHURCH

A growing church ministering to African American andother nationals

Come worship with us

Sunday Worship 11:30 A.M.Wednesday Prayer Meeting 6:45 P.M.

Place of WorshipThe Church of Glad Tidings 2700 Northland Dr. Austin, TX 78756

For more information, contact Pastor Jonah Ghartey512-873-8103 www.allnationschurch@yahoo.com

David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church2211 East MLK Blvd. Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399

Sunday ServicesDiscipleship Training 8:15 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship 10:00 A.M.

Rev. Joseph C. Parker Jr.Pastor

Nursery services available

DOUBLE “R” GROCERY

We cash ALL Tax RefundChecks

Check Out

THE AIRPORT FLEE MARKETSaturdays and Sundays

450l East Martin luther King Blvd.

1149 Airport Blvd.

Serving Austin since 1970Let us Fill your next Perscription!

SAVE TIMEAsk your doctor to call

your prescription in to usand we’ll have it ready for you

when you get here!

2115 E. MLK Blvd.512-476-7338

Austin, Texas 78702www.PHRX.Net

Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. - Noon

HOSPITAL PHARMACY

Rosewood Avenue Missionary Baptist Church1820 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702

(512) 476-8201 Fax (512) 476-5693

Weekly ServicesSunday School 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.Wed. Night Bible Fellowship 6:30 p.m.

Rev. Coby Shorter, IIIPastor

The Spencer & Ora Lee Nobles“Hope Center” (512) 476-6722

Websi te :www.rosewoodbaptistchurch.org

“Divine Enpowerment for Bold Ministries”

Mount Sanai Missionary Baptist Church 5900 Cameron Road Austin, Texas 78723-1843

(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax Web Site - www.themount.net

WORSHIP SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.

“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18

A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor

Rev. Lois Hayes, Pastor

TCEU

By Linda ConnerAustin knows it is Fall

when school starts and theIntergenerational Choir ofWesley United MethodistChurch holds its Annual Mu-sical. They are one of the pre-miere church choirs in Aus-tin, appearing at prestigiousevents such as the GrandOpening Ceremonies of theLong Center for the Perform-ing Arts and the Black His-tory Month Celebration withOssie Davis and Ruby Dee atthe LBJ Library Auditorium.They were personally re-quested by the family of Gov-ernor Ann Richards to sing ather public memorial serviceand by HEB Grocery for theirstatewide vendor convention.

Recently, they hostedtheir annual musical atWesley. Angela IglehartWoods announced that eachyear the musical is dedicatedto a person or group who hascommitted to and supportedthis choir in outstandingways. This year, it was dedi-cated to four “Singing An-gels,” women who were in aWesley choir that predatedthe formation of theIntergenerational Choir. Stillsinging, they are NancyHawkins, Naomi Galloway,Bettye Washington andJohnnie Harris. Each re-

ceived a wood carved Wil-lows Tree angel.

The IntergenerationChoir began in 1977, the yearof its first musical. For anevent that has been happen-ing every year for 31 years,they are to be congratulatedthat their efforts continue tobe fresh, exciting, and differ-ent each year. This year, theytook it even higher. Theirblend of classical, contempo-rary, traditional and jazz Gos-pel; Negro Spirituals andhymns was eclectic but uni-fying. More than entertaining,they delivered a sermon inmusic.

“In all of our appear-ances, our goal is to minister,”said LaMonica Lewis, Direc-tor of Music “to deliver God’s

message. It’s never about per-forming.” True to that, theevent began with a musicalevocation of the Spirit in “MyTribute,” an Andrea Crouchsong, delivered by EllenTisdale and Rodgers andHammerstein’s “You’llNever Walk Alone,” sung byCollier Jennings. CharlesDouglas provided the classi-cal touch with “Canon in DMajor.” Then, the praise arosein “We Offer Praise to You.”There were songs of hope, cel-ebration, thanks, invitationand a blessing of peace. Theentire program was at thelevel of excellence for whichthis choir is known, but it alsoincluded several extraordi-nary moments.

Perhaps because of thishistorical time in America, theNegro Spirituals of a prom-ised hope, possibly soon to berealized, carried a more in-tense resonance this year. TheIntergenerational Choir’s ren-dition of “I’m Gonna Sing til

the Spirirt Moves in MyHeart” spoke of African an-cestors’ steadfastness in abrighter future. When theysang “Give me Jesus,” sing-ing the words “Dark mid-night was my cry, Give myJesus, You may have theworld, Give me Jesus,” theaudience sat in total stillness,spellbound. The torturedsouls of African ancestorscried out in the haunting,slow rolling harmony thatwashed over the sanctuary.At the song’s end, there werea few seconds of total silenceand stillness before the audi-ence was released from theirgrip to applaud.

Another break-out mo-ment came when they playedMarvin Sapp’s recording of“Never Could Have Made It”while James Callahan, fromSt. James Missionary BaptistChurch, ministered in Mime.Words were never spoken insilence more powerfully. Atthe end of the service,Callahan’s Mime took thesong “I Really Love You” to awhole new level of worship,again through the power andemotionality of his fluid move-ments.

When Tim Curry andPerfect Peace sang “Say Yes,”LaMonica Lewis sang asweet echo with such a pu-rity of tone. Jacque Patterson,daughter of Alvin Patterson,joined in with a soft waftinghigh C echo that transcendedthe musical like a orchestramovie soundtrack. It was el-egance in song. The convic-tion conveyed in song byYvonne Tapscott’s renditionof “Surely God is Able” left the

Wesley United Methodist Church’sIntergenerational Choir Takes It Higher

audience encouraged and as-sured.

All of this wastopped off by a full scale, first-class reception with freshmade to order fajitas, with allthe trimmings, cascades offruit, cake and punch pro-vided and served by HEB

Grocery. They manned fivestations with 25 workers.“We sang for them at theirstatewide vendor conven-tion and this was their wayof thanking us,” said JanetHornsby, the Wesley mem-ber who coordinated withHEB.

Choir members sing along with Yvonne Tapscott. From left to right:Tim Curry, Willie Everett, Lawrence Hornsby, Juanita Stephens,Angela Woods and Roslynn Hopkins. (File Photo)

The new Greater MountMoriah Primitive Baptist Churchwill be opening its new buildingsoon on the hill at4907 SpringdaleRoad, where Rev. Nathan J.Robertson, Jr. is pastor. “We commend and congratulateour office manager and Funeral Di-rector Annie Hue WilliamsRobertson (the pastor’s mother),

who received a certificatealong with a donation to bepresented to PastorRobertson Jr.’s Chruch,” syasJerry J. M. Richards. Phillips-Upshaw & Richard Fu-neral Home, 14l0 E. 12th Street,owners, J. M. and Vivien Richardare proud building fund spon-sors of the new church.

Church news, announcement? If so, contactthe Villager at

476-0082

The new Greater Mount MoriahPrimitive Baptist Church to open soon

YOUTH BRIGADERS Youth of Today. Hope of Tomorrow.

Page 4/THE VILLAGER/October 10, 2008

Tayla TerryLamar Middle School

William Purcell, IIIManor Middle School

Do you know what acollege football classic is?Well, I’m going to tell you. Acollege football classic is afootball game that takes placeannually between two his-torical colleges and / or uni-versities. The classics takeplace during the regular foot-ball season and or often ac-companied by battle of thebands, parades celebrity per-formances and other activi-

State Fair Classicsties. The classic game isplayed at a neutral site.

It was so inspiring to seetwo wonderful black collegescome together again for theclassics! Praire View A&MUniversity Panthers andGrambling State UniversityTigers.

Over two million peopleattended this classic affair inDallas, Texas and I was inthat number. I really get moti-vated and look forward to col-lege life when I go to the col-lege games. My mom and dadtell me and expose me to col-lege activities so I can reachmy goal of education.

Take a child to a collegeaffair and get college on theirmind soon. I am a witness itdoes help. Kids and adultsstay off drugs and stay in stayin school, please.

Peace Out,

I’ve been sick for awhile so this is technicallymy first article. This is myfirst article as a 2nd yearYouth Brigade writer. Imissed 2 weeks of school be-cause I had my Adenoids re-moved again! I had them outin 2003, but they grew back.

I had some surgerycomplications and my recov-

2nd Year on the jobery took longer than ex-pected. The good news is thatI’m okay now. Also I was ableto complete my makeup workand I was able to make thehonor roll.

Since I’m a 2nd yearYouth Brigader, I’ll earn ahigher salary for this year’sarticles. Since I’ve been awayfrom school, I’ve missed out onsome current events like theschool dance and back toschool night. Because of this, Idon’t have much to reportabout the happenings at myschool this week. But next time,I plan to have good things towrite about my school.

For right now I justwant to thank my teachers forhelping me catch up on mywork. Lastly, I want to thankmy family, friends, and theYouth Brigade for supportingmy recovery.

On Wednesday, Octo-ber 2, 2008, McCallum’s Jun-ior Varsity football teamplayed its second districtgame against the Lanier Vi-kings. It was very interestedand well played game fromthe first snap of the football tothe last defensive play. Wescored 4 touchdowns in thefirst half. Our amazing of-fense and defense were mon-

McCallum’s JV footballteam’s 2nd district win

sters! Our defense stoppedLanier’s offense from scoringany touchdowns and fieldgoals. We weren’t done withLanier yet. Our offensesscored two more touchdownsand were explosive in the sec-ond half. My defensive groupand I went in the 3rd andfourth quarter and put a hurton the Lanier offense. I madea tackle on the running backon the first play in the thirdquarter. In the fourth quarter,I got a half sack. RobertRodriguez, the other DefenseEnd got the other half sack onthe Quarterback. On the lastdefensive play in the fourthquarter, Jonathan Castillo9got an interception and thegame was over. The final scorewas McCallum-40 andLanier-0. Great job everyone;let’s get ready for the CrockettCougars. Who’s houseKnights house.

Jeremy HendersonMcCallum High School

Kendal E. TravisKealing Middle School

Kealing had theirfirst game against Burnet andput a 20-0 stinging on them.As for the eighth grade it wasreversed. But that didn’tbreak the Hornets pride. TheVolleyball team is undefeated,they beat Burnet and Garcia.Burnet 25-11 and Garcia 25-24, close game huh. As forschool sports as my title saysHornets are on top.

Our school dance is thisweek and I cannot wait for myfirst school dance. My friendsand I are excited, for most ofus it is our first dance. I’m

Hornets on top! BeatsBurnet 20-0

sure we will all come feelingand looking our best.

I am in a program calledAVID, and we had a debateon the topic “Praying inschool and should it remainillegal.” People had somegood arguments. I like howmany of my classmates had agood point on how it shouldbe legal and illegal due to themany types of religious andnon-religious beliefs.

As you can see it hasbeen a good start for all of usat Kealing Middle School thisfirst semester, so let’s keep upthe good work and continueto strive to be the best.

My name is RickyHayes, I am in the ninth gradeand this is my first year writ-ing for the Villager Youth Bri-gade. I attend Manor NewTech High School inManor,Texas.

Manor New Tech isa PEBL based learningschool, which means it’s aProject Based Learning Envi-

by Bria GoodKealing Middle School

Rickey HayesManor New Tech HS

My First Article for theYouth Brigade

ronment. We do a lot of groupwork and we also use com-puters to complete assign-ments. This school opens upmany opportunities for kidsnot offered at some regularhigh schools, but this schoolalso adds a lot of extra stress.It is possible however, to besuccessful at Manor NewTech High.

I hope you enjoyedmy article and there will bemany more to come.

The first six weeks flew right by

Jaylon KnightenCampbell Elementary

Monday will startthe first day of EastsideStory After School Pro-gram where we can godo our homework, takepart in different activi-ties and play until it istime for our parents tocome and pick us up.

Progress reportssent out last week andreport cards go out Oc-tober 22, 2008.

It is time for the Eastside Story

Superintendent PatForgione today announcedthat two additional schools –Webb Middle School and Jor-dan Elementary School –have been added to the AISDREACH – Strategic Compen-sation Program. This bringsthe total number of schoolsparticipating in the compen-sation and support programto 11, as the pilot programmoves into its second year.AISD REACH was developedand designed to advance thedistrict’s ongoing efforts to re-cruit, retain, and reward thevery best teachers and princi-pals for Austin’s schools.

Earlier this summer, 419teachers and principals at thenine schools that participatedin the pilot program earned$1 million in payments. A sec-ond round of payouts will bemade in January 2009, basedon school-wide TAKSgrowth.

“We are pleased to beable to add Webb and Jordanto the schools participating inthis innovative and ambitiousprogram,” said Superinten-dent Pat Forgione. “We areconfident these two schoolswill see benefits from this re-search-based initiative thatwill include improvements instudent achievement and inthe recruitment and retentionof the best teachers and prin-cipals.”

In addition to addingthe two schools, AISDREACH has strengthened theprofessional developmentcomponent of the program.The program has 13 full-timementors working at the pilot’sseven highest-needs schoolsthis year. Eligibility for theprogram has also expandedthis year to include instruc-

AISD REACH PROGRAM ADDSNEW SCHOOLS TO STRATEGICCOMPENSATION PILOT

tional specialists, librarians,and assistant principals. Inaddition, a new assessmentwill be available to improveoptions for measurement ofstudent growth and a newdatabase system for the col-lection of student learning ob-jectives will be added.

AISD REACH is madeup of three program elements:

Student Growth*TAKS Schoolwide

Growth is based on academicimprovement on TAKS usingTEA’s Comparable GrowthIndicator

*Student Learning Ob-jectives (SLOs) are twoteacher developed growthobjectives based on campusand classroom data

Professional Growth*TAKE ONE! ™allows

teachers to submit one video-taped portfolio entry of Na-tional Board Certification

*Mentoring Program forHighest-Needs Campusesprovides targeted support forteachers in years 1-3 of servicefrom veteran educators

H i g h e s t - N e e d sSchools

*New to School Stipendfor Teachers in years 1-3 ofservice at pilot Highest-NeedsCampuses

*Retention Stipend forTeachers in years 4+ of ser-vice at pilot Highest-NeedsCampuses

“The results of the first-year pilot are very encourag-ing and we want to take AISDREACH to the next level,”said David Lussier, Directorof the Strategic CompensationProgram. “We are pleased tohave Webb and Jordan join-ing this program which issupporting and rewardingteachers and principals forinnovation in the classroom.”

(Round Rock, TX) —The members of the Pi OmegaZeta Chapter of Zeta Phi BetaSorority, Inc. invite male andfemale youth to an interestmeeting on Saturday, October11 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at thePflugerville Recreation Cen-ter, 400 Immanuel Drive,78691.

Activities include stepcompetitions, field trips, com-munity service projects, andtutoring for youth ages 5 to 17.Applications are available at

Zeta Youth interest meetingscheduled for October 11

www.orgsi tes .com/tx/piomegazeta and parentsmay call 512-252-0563 formore information.

The Pi Omega ZetaChapter, established in RoundRock, recently celebrated tenyears of service to the commu-nity with activities such asscholarships for students pur-suing higher education, an-nual Black History Month artcontest, prenatal educationprogram, and the annualZydeco dance and step show.

The schedule for the conferences are:Saturday October 18th, 2008- 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Connally High School,Address: 13212 North Lamar, Austin Texas 78753

1st Keynote Speaker: Mr. Patrick PattersonTOPIC: “Managing Diversity on Campus”2nd Keynote Speaker: Pastor A.J. Quinton

TOPIC: “Taking Control of My Life”& Mr. Wayne Williams – “Youth Challenge Message”

Conference Facilitator: Mr. Cliff BrownThere will be 20 Concurrent Workshops for Students,

Parents and Teachers**********

Saturday October 25th, 2008 - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM -Manor High School

Address: 12700 Greg Manor Road , Manor Texas 786531st Keynote Speaker: Mr. Glyn Milburn –

TOPIC: “Effectively Challenging Our Youth”2nd Keynote Speaker: Rev. Dr. Ural H. Hill of TSU –

TOPIC: “Individual Responsibility”& Mr. Wayne Williams – “Youth Challenge Message”

Conference Facilitator: Mr. Bill HopkinsThere will be 20 Concurrent Workshops for Students,

Parents and TeachersConferences are FREE, Refreshments Provided, Door Prizes

Given Away, Free Vendor Tables to Social Service Organizations

There will be two African AmericanMen and Boys Conference’s in October:

The first six weeks forKealing Middle Schoolended on Friday,October 4.Everyone was kind ofshocked because we didntthink it would come by thatfast. The end of the sixweeks was announced atthe beginning of last weekso if any student thatneeded to catch up on anyhomework or late work,thenthey would have time to gethalf credit by the time it’s

time to turn grades in. I feellike I did a good job this sixweeks;keeping up with myassignments,turning my as-signments in ontime,adjusting to my teach-ers, this six weeks was basi-cally a very good start for methis year.

There are moreKealing events as always.The 8th grade football teammade a victory last weekagainst Webb with a scoreof 22-0. The first gamewasn’t very victorious butas you’ve read,we are stilloff to a good start. The 7th &8th grade girls’ volleyballteam have been very victori-ous this year.

Time to take pictures!!Picture day is on October9&October 10. So if you’rechild attends Kealing,makesure they look nice that day.You don’t want to look hor-rible in the 2009 yearbook.Thanks for reading. I’ll keepyou posted. Go Hornets!

MYEC

Sponsordhip

Available

Call for info

476-0082

PASSALONG ••Arts and Culture

Evelyn Martin Anderson

October 10, 2008/THE VILLAGER/page 5

Capital Metro

The Austin Chapter ofthe Black Data ProcessingAssociates launched theirCorporate Partnership Pro-gram to support the HighSchool Computer Competi-tion (HSCC) during the 38th

Annual CongressionalBlacks Caucus, September 24-27th in Washington, DC.Members participating wereSandra Jackson, Vice Presi-dent of Finance, GregoryReeves, Vice President Mem-bership Management andAbraham Joseph, NationalTreasurer and Austin Chap-ter Member. The Annual Leg-islative Conference theme“Embracing the Promise,Realizing the Vision.”, en-couraged community leadersto gather from around thecountry, present shared is-sues, brainstorm resolutionsand establish an action planfor the coming year.

BDPA is a global mem-ber focused organization thatserves the professional well-

Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA)-Austin Chapter attends Congressional

Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference

being of its stakeholders.BDPA remains committed toexcellence and providing awide spectrum of resources tomembers, corporate sponsors,businesses, educational insti-tutions and the community.The organization is a catalystfor professional growth andtechnical development forthose in the IT industry.

BDPA’s Student Infor-mation Technology Educa-tion & Scholarship (SITES)Program for high school stu-dents is a series of hands-ontraining, computer campsand mentoring that culmi-nates with select teams trav-eling to the National HighSchool Computer Competi-tion (HSCC) held in conjunc-tion with our national confer-ence.

Students from acrossthe country match IT skills,competing for college schol-arships. Our College StudentInternship Program partnersour corporate sponsors with

members majoring in Com-puter Science, Computer En-gineering, or an IT-relatedcurriculum. Academiccourses are combined withpractical on-the-job experi-ence to help you prepare forimmediate employment andadvancement. You also canparticipate in our CollegeMentoring Program for assis-tance in career development.BDPA offers many positiverole models who are willingto help students become thenext generation of IT profes-sionals and executives.

Austin BDPA Chapterseeks community supportand partnership with thisprogram that will serve as aplace to network and createcommunity bonds with theyouth of Central Texas. If youneed further information con-tact: Lorna Stewart-Booker@ p r e s i d e n t @ b d p a -austin.org, or P.O. Box270255, Austin, TX 78727

AUSTIN, T.X.– TexasExes agree on one thing: col-lege life rules. And with thekick-off of college football sea-son, many of these alums arefeeling nostalgic for their daysspent on campus. In fact, ac-cording to the Bank ofAmerica® MyExpression™Alumni Survey, 58 percent ofalums would like their kidsto attend the same collegethey did, 57 percent claim thattheir college years were thebest years of their lives and45 percent make annual con-tributions to their alma mat-ers.

Despite the depth ofalumni passion, of those thatdo contribute, only about one-in-four make donations ofmore than $100 annually. Ofthe 55 percent that have yet todonate, nearly four-in-tenclaim the lapse is becausethey have not gotten aroundto it, or that it is difficult tojuggle donations amid otherfinancial and time obliga-tions. Given that two-thirds of

MyExpression™ Search for AlumniPassion Contest to Find

the Proudest Longhornalumni own college-brandedgear, and nearly fifty percentproudly don a college-branded sweatshirt, a college-branded check card that givesback may be just the hassle-free combination of pride andpassion alums are looking for.

For Texas Exes lookingfor another simple way to giveback to their university, start-ing September 2nd, Bank ofAmerica will launch theMyExpression Search forAlumni Passion. The essaycontest will find the Texas Exwho most convincingly andcreatively proves their Long-horn “Hook ‘Em Spirit.” Themost avid Texas Ex will re-ceive a $500 cash prize and a$10,000 donation in theirname to the Texas Exes.

The contest supportsBank of America’sMyExpression alumni check-ing accounts for Texas Exes.With the opening of each newLonghorns account, and ev-ery time a Longhorns checkcard is used thereafter, a con-

tribution is made to the TexasExes.

“People are alwayslooking for easy ways to sup-port what’s important to them.However, prioritizing one’scollege or university among somany other responsibilities –financially and otherwise –can be a tall order,” says SteveGillin, Affinity Banking ex-ecutive. “That’s exactly wherethe Bank of AmericaMyExpression Search forAlumni Passion contest andTexas Exes accounts fit in.We’re excited to give TexasExes these two hassle-freeways to convert their schoolpassion into support for theiruniversity.” For the nearly 50percent of college graduateswho consider themselves col-lege sports fanatics, this con-test may give Texas Exes some-thing to cheer about.

For full details, contestrules and to enter, visit:www.bankofamerica.com/alumnipassion.

Austin, Texas— If youhad ten minutes to talk with thenext president what would yousay? That question will be put tofour leading U.S. foreign policyexperts during “Foreign PolicyChallenges Facing the NextPresident,” a panel discussionhosted by Austin CommunityCollege in collaboration with theKozmetsky Center at St.Edward’s University. The eventis on Monday, October 20 at 7pmat Eastview Campus located at3401 Webberville Road, build-ing 8000, Rm. 8500.

“Our hope is to pro-vide ACC students and the pub-lic with a chance to engage in adialogue with the panelists,”said Gaye Lynne Scott, ACC

ACC Hosts Panel Discussion “Foreign PolicyChallenges Facing the Next President”

Dean of Social & Behavioral Sci-ences. “This is a rare opportu-nity for us to expand our under-standing of complex issues fac-ing the next administration.”

Beyond the global fi-nancial crisis, wars in Iraq andAfghanistan, and nuclear pro-liferation what are the foreignpolicy challenges facing the nextpresident? The public is invitedto join this enriching discussionand share ideas. Admission isfree.The panelists include:· Cynthia Arnson, Di-rector of Latin American Pro-gram, Woodrow Wilson Interna-tional Center for Scholars.Former foreign policy aid, USCongress, 1977-89.

· Philip Brenner, Di-rector of United States For-eign Policy Field, School ofInternational Service,American University.Former staff, US Congress.· Joseph T. Eldridge,University Chaplain, Ameri-can University. Founder andExecutive Director, Washing-ton Office on Latin America,1974-86.· William M.LeoGrande, Dean of School ofPublic Affairs, American Uni-versity.Former staff to U.S. Senate andHouse of Representatives. Contact Brette Lea for more in-formation, (512) 223.7611 orblea@austincc.edu.

(Left to right) Abraham Joseph, Sandra Jackson and Gregory Reeves

Page 6/THE VILLAGER/October 10, 2008

3 Mo Divas

Black Arts

AUSTIN, Texas – Octo-ber 3, 2008 – During NationalBreast Cancer AwarenessMonth this October, theAmerican Cancer Societycontinues to recommendmammograms for all womenage 40 and older every year tohelp detect breast cancerearly. This year alone, an es-timated 182,460 women willbe diagnosed with invasivebreast cancer, and an esti-mated 40,930 will die from thedisease. Breast cancer is themost frequently diagnosednon-skin cancer in women,and the second leading causeof cancer death (after lungcancer).

Although breast can-cer death rates amongwomen have been decreasingsteadily since 1990 due to ear-lier detection and better treat-ments, mammography ratesare now declining accordingto a recent study. This raisescause for concern, as studiescontinue to show that one ofthe most important ways tomake strides in the fightagainst breast cancer is to en-sure that women continuegetting their yearly mammo-gram, which can detect can-cer at its earliest, most treat-able stages.

Unfortunately, mil-lions of women are missingpotential lifesaving breastcancer screening due to lackof insurance. A recent studyin CANCER, a peer-reviewedjournal of the Society, showsthat uninsured and Medicaid

American Cancer Society Stresses Importance of Screeningfor Early Detection and Prevention of Breast Cancer

insured women were about2.5 times more likely to be di-agnosed with advancedbreast cancer than womenwith private insurance. Thisstudy also found that AfricanAmerican and Hispanicwomen were more likely thanwhite women to be diagnosedwith advanced breast cancer,regardless of insurance sta-tus.

In addition tomammograms, the Societyalso recommends the use ofmagnetic resonance imaging(MRI) screening for somewomen at increased risk forbreast cancer. For mostwomen who have a 20 to 25percent or greater lifetime riskof the disease, according torisk assessment tools basedmainly on family history,screening with MRI andmammography should beginat age 30 years and continuefor as long as a woman is ingood health. The Society’sguidelines are a critical stepin helping to define whoshould be screened usingMRI in addition to mammog-raphy, as women at very highrisk of breast cancer can bediagnosed much earlierwhen combining the two tech-nologies rather than mam-mography alone.

The American CancerSociety offers a variety of freeprograms and services to helpwomen with breast cancer.The Society provides servicessuch as transportation totreatment and free lodging

near cancer treatment centers,and offers programs that con-nect recently diagnosedwomen with women whohave survived breast cancerto talk about the experience.The Society also offers a pro-gram that helps female can-cer patients learn beauty tech-niques to address appearanceand self-image during che-motherapy and radiationtreatments. Up-to-date cancerinformation and referrals tolocal programs and othercommunity resources can beobtained by calling the Soci-ety at 1-800-227-2345, 24hours a day, seven days aweek, 365 days a year, or log-ging on to www.cancer.org.

A free mammogram re-minder is available forfriends and family to encour-age the women in their livesto get their yearlymammograms,and can befound at www.cancer.org/mammogramreminder.

The American CancerSociety is dedicated to elimi-nating cancer as a major healthproblem by saving lives, dimin-ishing suffering and prevent-ing cancer through research,education, advocacy and ser-vice. Founded in 1913 andwith national headquarters inAtlanta, the Society has 13 re-gional Divisions and local of-fices in 3,400 communities, in-volving millions of volunteersacross the United States. Formore information anytime, calltoll free 1-800-ACS-2345 orvisit www.cancer.org.

HT’S HISTORY PROFESSOR’S BOOK TELLS MEMORABLESTORY OF A FREE WOMAN OF COLOR

(AUSTIN, Texas)10.2.08 - Huston-TillotsonUniversity’s Professor of His-tory Dr. Janice Sumler-Edmond has released a fasci-nating, intriguing biographyentitled, “The Secret Trust ofAspasia Cruvellier Mirault:The Life and Trials of a FreeWoman of Color in Antebel-lum Georgia.” The narrativeresurrects the life and timesof Aspasia Cruvellier Mirault,a free woman of color, whosestory until now was lost tohistorical memory.

S u m l e r - E d m o n djoined the HT faculty in 2002and teaches such courses as“African American History.”She was instrumental in se-curing a minor in African andAfrican American Studieswhen she served as chair ofthe Department of Humani-ties and Fine Arts. She is alsodirector of the University’sW.E.B. Dubois Honors Pro-gram for high achieving stu-dents.

A historian and a law-yer, she earned her bachelor’sand master’s degrees from theUniversity of California, herdoctorate in jurisprudencefrom the UCLA School ofLaw, and a doctorate degree

in history from GeorgetownUniversity. Recently, Sumler-Edmond attended a summerseminar with the nation’shistory academicians en-titled, “Slavery: Scholarshipand Public History” spon-sored by the Gilder LehrmanInstitute of American Historyand the Council of Indepen-dent Colleges. She wasawarded one of the five 2003-2004 Cross Hemispheric Part-nership grants from theUnited Negro College FundSpecial Programs, Inc. inWashington, D.C. The awardincluded a $50,000 grant anda field trip to Latin Americancountries to form a collabora-tive partnership amongHuston-Tillotson Universityand two universities in LatinAmerica: the TechnologicalInstitute of Monterrey inMexico City, Mexico, and theUniversity of Costa Rica inSan Jose, Costa Rica.

Sumler-Edmond coor-dinated the research of fac-ulty from all three schools indeveloping an African LatinoStudies course that examinesthe history and culture ofAfro-Mexicans and Afro-Costa Ricans.

Sumler-Edmond also

teamed with her husband,Steven, who serves as HT’sDean of the School of Busi-ness and Technology to com-plete “Historical Reflections:A Blueprint for the Future.”The document was re-searched and prepared for theTexas Department of Trans-portation, Austin District, inorder to chronicle key histori-cal aspects of the MartinLuther King, Jr. corridor.People, places, and thingsalong the corridor were cap-tured in print as a means ofremembering and celebratingpast accomplishments, con-templating the present, andpreparing for the future.

She is coeditor of twoprevious books :“Freedom’s Odyssey: Afri-can American History Es-says from Phylon” and“Black Women’s Historyat the Intersect ion ofKnowledge and Power:ABWH’s Twentieth Anni-versary Anthology.”

”The Secret Trust ofAspasia Cruvellier Mirault:The Life and Trials of a FreeWoman of Color in Antebel-lum Georgia” was releasedby the University of Arkan-sas Press.

Life insurance is an im-portant and highly flexible fi-nancial tool. But too often it ispurchased for a specific pur-pose, such as pre mature deathbut, life insurance is morethan that. For example; didyou know you could take ad-vantage of your policy beforedeath? As a result, it may nolonger be the right policy foryour current needs. Pickingthe right policies should bewell thought out and know-ing your options is very im-portant. With your needs andwants in mind, your age,health, lifestyle play a big partin your options as far as whatlife insurance can do for you.

How Does Life Insurance Fit Into My LifeAlso, chances are your life haschanged since you lastbought life insurance. If youhave not taken a good look atyour life insurance policieslately (and if you do not havea policy), you might be miss-ing out on important informa-tion about the performance ofyour policies and possiblegains resulting from morecurrent, cost-effective cover-age. A life insurance reviewis a critical component of asound financial planningstrategy. It begins with basicquestions: Is your existing lifeinsurance policy providingadequate coverage? Have theneeds you applied for ad-equate to your needs today?Is it on track to meet intendedgoals? What is a life insur-ance review? The objective ofa life insurance review is toensure that your coverage isin alignment with your cur-rent financial needs. It takesinto account personallyowned contracts, trust ownedcontracts and employer-pro-vided benefits to give you withand unbiased assessment ofthe adequacy of your cover-age. A life insurance profes-sional can give you a thor-

ough explanation of howyour policy has performed,projected cash values at des-ignated intervals and an as-sessment about the number ofyears that the policy will re-main in force based on cur-rent assumptions. In caseswhere there is a clear advan-tage, a life insurance special-ist can provide you with in-formation on alternative poli-cies. What factors into theevaluation? Your current situ-ation: Have there been signifi-cant changes in your familylife. Have you gotten marrieddivorced or added anothermember to your family? Doyou have now have grand-children who you would liketo provide for? Has there beena change in your employer-sponsored benefits? Are youplanning to fund a child¢scollege education? Is your re-tirement plan adequate tofund your future? There is somuch involved in a life insur-ance policy, the when, thewhy, and the how is very im-portant. And let¢s not forgetabout estate taxes. For moreinformation you may contactDeborah Harris at 512-238-0876 or 512-786-9258

Special to The VillagerBy Deborah Harris

(GIN) - The highly-touted U.S. Africa Commandknown as ‘’AFRICOM’’ be-comes operational this week butappears to have lost significantsupport and funds.

When the command wasunveiled in 2007, President Bushsaid it would help channel USaid in Africa. But its detractorsare growing, both in Africa andthe United States.

’’US Africa Command isnothing more than a device toensure that the US oil industrywill have unfettered access toAfrica’s vast supplies of oil,’’said Mark Fancher of the US-based National Conference ofBlack Lawyers.

’’If anyone in Africa inter-feres with US oil operations, wesuspect that they will be giventhe terrorist label and then tar-

geted for military attacks,’’ he said.Several African govern-

ments, including Algeria and Nige-ria, have refused to host the head-quarters of the command.This month, more than a third of the$389 million the Pentagon requestedfor the new command were cut, inpart because the project has failedto establish a presence in the conti-nent. Only Djibouti hosts a perma-nent U.S. base although Liberia hasagreed to house a base there.

No Deal,Zimbabwe

Opposition Declares

Special to the NNPA from GIN(GIN) – President Rob-

ert Mugabe’s demand to controlall key ministries in the so-called“unity government” could un-ravel the two-week old power-sharing deal negotiated byformer South African presidentThabo Mbeki.

The opposition Move-ment for Democratic Changesays the sitting president is“grabbing all the resource min-istries like finance, home affairs,information and justice… Wewill end up in but out of govern-ment.’’

The MDC also called forfurther mediation as well as Af-rican Union involvement.Under the deal, Mugabe will re-main president, while the MDC’sMorgan Tsvangirai will becomeprime minister. The presidentalso keeps control of the military,while the MDC wants to directthe police.

U. S. Military Plans for Africa Losing Steam

The City of Austin’sSmall and Minority BusinessResources Department willhost a “Certification 101”workshop at 5:30 p.m.Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. Busi-ness owners are encouragedto attend to learn more aboutbecoming a certified vendorwith the City of Austin. Theworkshop will be in theWaller Creek Building, 625 E.10th Street, Room 104.

In addition to becominga certified Minority-OwnedBusiness Enterprise orWomen-Owned Business En-terprise, the City also can cer-tify qualified businesses as a

City to host “Certification 101” workshop for smallminority, women business owners

Disadvantaged Business En-terprise for federal transpor-tation projects.

“The City of Austin isvery committed to our MBE/WBE program,” said StephenElkins, SMBR Director. “Wewant to ensure that everyqualified small businessowner utilizes our program’sresources to help market theirbusiness to the City.”

SMBR assists small mi-nority-owned and women-

owned businesses as theypursue contracting opportu-nities with the City of Austin;encourages MBE/WBEs toparticipate in City contracts;and oversees the City’sMBE/WBE & DBE contract-ing goals in the areas of con-struction, professional ser-vices, commodities, and non-professional services.

For more information,visit www.cityofaustin.org/smbr or call (512) 974-7677.

Vote and the choice isyours. Don’t Vote and the

choice is theirs! Opera

EMPLOYMENT/BIDS/PROPOSALS/PUBLICINFORMATION/FOR SALE/FOR RENT/MISC

October 10, 2008/The Villager/Page 7

NOW HIRING

TEMPORARY CLERKS

REGISTER & APPLY ONLINE AT:

www.usajobs.gov

STARTING PAY:l

GS-4 = $12.73 per hourGS-3 = 11.34 per hour

GS-2 = $10.39 per hour

BENEFITS:

* Paid Holidays

* Paid Training

* Free parking

Austin.recruitment@irs.gov 512-477-5627

New Jobs for theWeek of 10/06/08

Institutional RecordsManager

Service CenterMonday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-

5:00 p.m.Salary commensurate with

experienceJob #0809067

Emergency ManagementCoordinator

Service CenterMonday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.

– 5:00 p.m.$3,499-$4,374/Monthly

Apply at, HR 5930 MiddleFiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512) 223-5621

http://www/austincc.edu EEO/AA/M/F/D/V

AustinCommunity

College

Drivers WantedDrivers:New Pay Increases

Get Pre-hired now!Swift has local CDL training

and employs - dedicated regionaland OTR fleets.800-397-2627

Job #0810002

Early College StartSpecialist

Highland Business CenterMonday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-

5:00 p.m. Some evening andweekend hours.

$2,878-$3,598 – MonthlyJob #0810004

Philip Bell, SamuelCornish, Timothy Fortune,and David Ruggles are justsome of the African- Ameri-can journalists whose namesremain unrecognized by themajority of the Americanpopulation, and Black MediaMonth aims to change that byhelping to expand how weperceive, acknowledge andrelate to Black Media. Takinga page from Black HistoryMonth, Black Media Monthsets out to draw more atten-tion to African-Americanmedia whose significanceand accomplishments haveoften been overlooked. BlackMedia Month is to be a monthlong honorarium of African-American journalists, au-thors, poets, radio stations,television and film. By its end,Black Media Month’s goal isto reintroduce Black media asa viable resource in our everexpanding global economy.Through college anduniversity’s classrooms, li-braries, Internet and newspa-pers, television and radio sta-tions, Black Media Monthmakes its October 2008 debut.

Their mission state-ment: To call national atten-tion annually to the contribu-tions of Black owned andoperated media, past andpresent, during the entiremonth of October.

Philip AlexanderBell, an African-Americanjournalist born in 1808 in

OCTOBER IS BLACK MEDIA MONTHNew York City; Samuel Cor-nish, co-founder ofFreedom’s Journal, the firstBlack newspaper; TimothyFortune, one of the leadingAfrican-American journal-ists of the 19th century, andDavid Ruggles, whose maga-zine the Mirror of Liberty isconsidered to be the first pe-riodical published by a blackAmerican, will take centerstage as the past meets thepresent, and Americans areencouraged to explore BlackMedia in a month long cel-ebration.

Black History Monthwas started by Carter G.Woodson, an African-Ameri-can historian, in 1926 as away to commemorate peopleof African descent. Publisherand owner of the BlackOnline News Network(BONN) and creator of BlackMedia Month, Sharon P.Carson’s, goals relative toBlack media are similar asembodied in Black MediaMonth’s banner: HonoringThe Past, Celebrating ThePresent And EmpoweringThe Future.

The idea for BlackMedia Month was born inChicago Illinois, out ofSharon P. Carson’s observa-tions that while media outletsin general were struggling,Black Media outlets werestruggling even more andtheir struggles were reminis-cent of those that plagued

Black media in bygone eras.As the first and one

of the most celebrated blackowned and operated news-papers in the United States,Freedom’s Journal still facedfinancial setbacks and itslack of readership contrib-uted to its ceasing publicationin March, 1829. Today, Blackowned and operated mediaare faced with similar prob-lems, even while AfricanAmericans are seeing greaterfinancial independence. Astudy by Terry College’s SeligCenter for Economic Growthprojected that Black buyingpower is projected to top 1.1trillion by 2012.

The challenges ofBlack media are many. Lossof readership, declining rev-enue, lack of a wider audi-ence, and advertising are justsome of the factors that havecontributed to the economicchallenges that have facedgenerations of Black media.

The hope for BlackMedia Month is that aspresent journalistic voicesgain prominence, theirvoices and future voices willnot be silenced by the samechallenges faced by those inBlack Media’s past.Sources:African Within,2001, Biography ResourceCenter 2001, Gale Group,Inc, 11, September 2008,h t t p : / /www.africawithin.com/bios/samuel

Special to the NNPA from theWashington Informer

W A S H I N G T O N(NNPA) - “Celebrating Truth:The Year of the BlackWoman” was the theme of the24th Annual Awards Brunchof the National Congress ofBlack Women (NCBW) heldSun., Sept. 28.

The brunch not onlyemphasized heralding theBlack woman, but also con-tributing to the SojournerTruth memorial, which willopen in the Capitol Buildingthis year.

The NCBW awardedthe “Good Brother Award” tothree African-American menwho actively work to make adifference in the community.Rev. Delman Coates wasnoted for his “Enough isEnough” campaign, whichfocuses on eradicating mi-sogynistic messages in gang-ster rap music.

“If we’re going to put astop to this, it’s going to haveto start with the church,”Coates said. “We’re going tocontinue to fight that Blackwomen be respected in thepublic square.”

Washington Wizardsall-star Caron Butler was rep-resented by his wife Andreain his absence, as the team hasbegun training camp in Rich-mond. NCBW Chair, E. FayeWilliams, said that like somany other young Black men,Butler was in trouble with thelaw during his youth, but hasturned his life around. An-drea Butler relayed CaronButler’s ‘3D’s’ to the audi-ence.

“Dedication, determi-nation and discipline,” shesaid, “because those are thethree things that have madehim the person he is today.”

Strategy marketer PayneBrown was also honored.“There is no greater love, nodeeper love, no wider lovethan the love of a Blackwoman,” he said.

D.C. CouncilmemberMarion Barry greeted the au-dience, and civil rights legendDr. Dorothy Height receiveda standing ovation. Also re-ceiving an ovation was ac-tress Bern Nadette Stanis, bestknown for the role of “ThelmaEvans” on the 1970s sitcom“Good Times.”

Caption: Yvette Cade received the Women of Achievement Award forher work in the Fund for Prevention of Domestic Violence at the annualNational Congress of Black Women luncheon on Sun., Sept. 28. Standingto Cade’s left is Sheila Stewart, Radio One, and on her right is Dr. E. FayeWilliams, Esq. Credit: Roy Lewis

Black Women Heralded, Truth Rememberedat NCBW Annual Brunch

NAACP board directorOphelia Averitt recognizedthe NCBW members whotraveled from around thecountry for the brunch, say-ing, “We are all women. Wehave to empower one an-other.” Sheryl Underwoodcame to represent Zeta PhiBeta Sorority, Inc. and sup-port the NCBW.

“Their cause is ourcause,” she said. Entertainers,she said, should take time outto honor the unsung heroes,the “names people don’tknow” such as that of Height.“It’s such an honor for me tobe here,” Underwood added.

Dr. Sakiliba Mines dis-cussed the “State of the Healthof Black Women.” Blacks,Mines said, suffer dispropor-tionately from lupus, arthri-tis and other immune dis-eases in part because of vita-min D deficiency. Blackpeople, Mines said, need to getmore sunlight instead of wor-rying about skin cancer be-cause they have higher levelsof melanin. “We are people ofthe sun,” she said.“Children should also be pro-tected from all the junk outthere,” Mines said. “Let’smake sure they get fish oil fortheir brain, for their heart.”

Mines said it is criticalfor people to cook more andmicrowave less because ofradiation. “Bring health backinto your home,” she said. “Ifyou don’t, you’ll be a part ofthe statistic.”

Also honored was

Yvette Cade, who became ahousehold name after beingthe victim of a very public in-cident of domestic violence in2006. Cade’s estranged hus-band doused her with gaso-line and set her on fire at theT-Mobile retailer where sheworked in Prince George’sCounty, Md. Cade survivedthe attack to become an out-spoken advocate for womenand domestic abuse survi-vors.

Williams, who oncewas a victim of domestic vio-lence, said, “Victims are oftentreated like they are the causeof the problem, but we’re notgoing to do that anymore.”Cade said she didn’t thinkshe’d become an activist fordomestic violence but thanksGod for the opportunity.

“I want to thank So-journer Truth for being atrendsetter in getting Blackwomen the right to vote andnot just thinking about her-self,” Cade said.

In addition to Cade,Rev. Cheryl Moore, JohnnieMae Gibson-Bright, G. JeanDavis and RepresentativeDonna Edwards (D-Md., 4thDistrict) received awards.Gibson-Bright was the fifthBlack woman to serve in theFBI and only one of two fe-male supervisors at the time.The film “Clean Dirt” is basedon her experiences.“Our success is not achievedby us alone,” Gibson-Brightsaid. “We all rode on thebacks of someone else.”

By. Mercia Williams-Murray

DETROIT (NNPA) -Denise Smith has been in a battlewith Wayne State University formore than three years.

On Oct. 2, she was set for ahearing regarding her dismissalfrom the university that couldbegin the process of bringingwhat has become a nightmareto a close.

Smith, who was fired for a“no call, no show,” claims shewas wrongly dismissed andwas under her doctor’s care atthe time of her firing. All the in-formation pertaining to her con-dition was faxed to the univer-sity explaining this, she said.

The university is expectedto file a motion to dismissSmith’s case for “lack of evi-dence.” Depending on the out-come of the hearing, the casecould go to trial in a matter ofweeks.

Smith, whose unemploy-ment extension has run out, saidshe attended her first mediationhearing against the universityalone, without a lawyer.

“I had to fight my owncase; that should have never hap-pened,” Smith said. “I had to seea therapist because of the stressand pain they were putting methrough. I just find it amazingand insulting to say my doctor’sorders don’t count. I kept askingthem to take me off the (computer)keyboard. I sat there until I actu-ally had to have surgery.”According to Smith, a 20-yearemployee and WSU alumnus,she always called in to let her

supervisor know when shewould be off, even when sick.“On my left arm there was a ten-don out of place,” Smith said.“Union rules say you have togive a written warning and thena verbal warning.”

Smith, along with formerWSU employees PatriciaJefferson and Yolanda Davis,believe their termination wasprecipitated by discrimination,possibly racial. Each case cen-ters around a “no call, no show”policy that says if the employeeis absent for three days or morewithout making contact withtheir employer, it becomesgrounds for an immediate termi-nation.

Smith, Jefferson and Davissaid they made contact by fax tocircumvent any possible termi-nation, but Wayne State firedthem anyway.

“They said they receivedthe fax, but they never receivedcontact from me; the doctor wasspeaking on my behalf,” Smithsaid. “They received it.”Smith’s attorney, Steven Fellows,is also representing Jefferson and

Davis.“The fact is that I’m repre-

senting all of these women whohave one way or another experi-enced racial discrimination,”Fellows said. “They said, ‘She(Smith) doesn’t have a case any-way, so we should throw it out.’I suggested all of us get together.I’m representing five; one has al-ready resolved her suit.”Patricia Jefferson, a secretary atWSU who was terminated in2006, felt that her supervisorswere putting undue pressure onher. She was suffering from mi-graines and chest pains.“I was becoming so depressed,”Jefferson said. “At any rate, even-tually (my supervisor) termi-nated me. First she gave me acouple of write-ups, then shefired me. The guy that was themediator had his mind madeup.”

Yolanda Davis, a formeroffice clerk and WSU graduatestudent, was terminated in 2004under circumstances similar toSmith’s.

“I was under doctor’s care;they faxed over the paperwork,”Davis said. “Basically, I wasmentally unstable. They consid-ered that as a no call, no show. Idon’t understand that becauseHuman Resources had beencontacted. It seemed like somekind of discriminatory retalia-tion for their own personal rea-sons. How could they terminateme for no call, no show? I hadbeen there for 10 years. I’d neverbeen written up.”

“WSU filed a motion todismiss the case,” Fellows said.“The motion will be heard thisweek. If the motion is denied,hopefully there will be a trial byOct. 27.”

S. Jay Ahmad, an attorneyfor Wayne State University, saidthe university’s policies areavailable online and in the em-ployee handbook.

“Denise has alleged shewas terminated wrongly fromWayne State in the Alumni Af-fairs department. She was not ter-minated for illicit reasons andWayne State emphatically de-nies her termination was basedon race; she was a no-call, no-show,” Ahmad said. “Her ter-mination was based on her notfollowing university policy.Anyone at Wayne State wholeaves their job for three consecu-tive days is subject to termina-tion. It’s strict. You have to abideby the rule.”

Ahmad said employeescannot use “go-betweens” whencontacting the university.

By. Cornelius FortuneSpecial to the NNPA from the Michigan Chronicle

Wayne State University Faces RaceDiscrimination Charges

Denise Smith

Villager SportsvilleGeorge E. HardinSports Beat

Page 8/ THE VILLAGER/October 10, 2008

By George Hardin

SportsBeat

There are manyyoung men who think theycould play basketball at theprofessional level if they evergot a chance. Many of thoseyoung men were at ConcordiaUniversity Saturday, Oct. 4, tosee if their dreams could berealized as the Austin Torosheld open tryouts. The tryoutstook place in Concordia’smodern Woltman Gym on theuniversity’s new campus innorthwest Austin.

The prospects wentthrough a series of all-dayactivities that included drills,exercises, shooting basketsand one-on-one competi-

tions.Marcus Doss, out to

see if he could make the team,said, “I played at AuburnUniversity and I played semi-pro for the American Basket-ball Association team in Bir-mingham called the Birming-ham Magicians. I’m just try-ing to see what I’ve got. Bas-ketball is my game so I’m go-ing to put up a 100 percenteffort. “ He said he moved toAustin last year but is origi-nally from Mississippi.

A former basketballplayer at the University ofMissouri, Marshall Brown,originally from Marshall,Texas, said, “You just have togo out here and play as hard

as you can and hope they likeyou, hope you’re what they’relooking for.” He added that,“When I was in high schoolat LBJ we went to the statesemifinals.”

Nick Barbas wholives in Round Rock said,“I’m probably one of the fewguys here that didn’t playvarsity basketball in highschool. The highest level Iplayed was junior varsity, atJersey Village in Houston.Then after that I went to col-lege at Duke but I didn’t playthere. I thought I’d show upand see how I compared tothe other guys.”

Among the parentswho accompanied their sons

to the event were JabariWarfield Sr., who said his son,Jabari Warfield Jr., “is an ex-cellent player.”

Jabari Jr. said, “Iplayed basketball at Ander-son and I played up north inMichigan and now I’m backhere in Austin giving it a goodrun, trying to do my best. Inhigh school we won a fewawards. Anderson went dis-trict. I’m actually working toplay basketball and if thatdoesn’t work out I’ll have togo get a 9 to 5 like the rest ofus.”

The Toros are anNBA Development Leagueteam and are owned by theSan Antonio Spurs. TheToros begin their season Fri-day, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m.when they meet the UtahFlash, the D-League affiliateof the Utah Jazz, at AustinConvention Center. Headcoach of the Toros is QuinSnyder. He will be workingwith a new assistant coach forthe 2008-09 season, WendellAlexis. Alexis replaces formerassistant coach Roy Rogers,who became an assistantcoach with the New JerseyNets NBA team. Among oth-ers working with the pros-pects during the tryouts wasCelester Collier, head basket-ball coach at Bowie HighSchool.

In the 2007 tryoutsguard Patrick Fields and for-ward Tim Bush were chosento join the Toros team.

The NBA D-League be-gan its first season in 2001

with eight teams. For the 2008-09 there will be 16 teams play-ing in three divisions—Cen-tral, Southwest and West. TheToros are assigned to the

Southwest Division.Another tryout day

will be Oct. 26 in San Antonioat the S. A. Factory of Champi-ons, 8227 Broadway St.

STRETCHING--Players competing in the Austin Toros open tryouts reach for a rebound at ConcordiaUniversity’s Woltman Gym Saturday, Oct. 4. Photo by George E. Hardin

BOOSTER--Jabari Warfield, Jr. (l) had the support of his dad, JabariWarfield Sr., as he took on the challenge of trying to make the Toros teamon tryout day. Photo by George E. Hardin

RIBBON CUTTING--There will be an official Ribbon Cutting for theopening of the improved Fannie Robinson Park, 206 South Dolan in Tay-lor on Friday (Oct. 10), at 9 a.m. The park was donated by Ms. Robinsonas a gift to the community in the days of segregation. The City of Taylorhas announced that an additional $400,000 in improvement in the park.

Texas Lottery

Hoop dreams are pursued as Toroshold open tryouts