april 20, 2018 kendrick lamar, inside celebrates 1st ... · rapper kendrick lamar’s “damn.”...
TRANSCRIPT
INSIDEApril 20, 2018
This paper canbe recycled
RAPPIN’Tommy Wyatt
TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION
Presorted StandardU.S. Postage Paid
Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949
www.TheAustinVillager.com
Vol. 45 No. 48 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected]
ALDRICH 51CELEBRATES
GRAND OPENINGIN MUELLER
Mueller’s Aldrich 51 Housing.Photo by T. L. Wyatt
DMA Development Company Focusing onAustin’s Emerging Workforce
AUSTIN, Texas – DMA Development Company, LLC(DMA) and the Austin Housing Finance Corporation(AHFC) celebratED the grand opening of Aldrich 51 atMueller. Monday, April 16, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Aldrich51, a mixed-income, mixed-use facility will providemore diverse options to Central Austin’s youngworkforce families and individuals. This is DMA’s sec-ond affordable community at Mueller and builds uponthe success of DMA’s award-winning Wildflower Ter-race development, a predominately affordable multi-family community for seniors, which opened in 2012.
See AFFORDABLE WORKFORCE, page 7
Kendrick Lamar,1st Rapper to Win
PulitzerBy The Associated Press
Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prizefor music for his album “Damn.”
(Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN.” has wonthe Pulitzer Prize for music. It’s the first non-clas-sical or jazz work to win the award.
The Pulitzer board on Monday called the al-bum a work that captures the complexity of Afri-can-American life.
Lamar has been praised and lauded for hisdeep lyrical content, remarkable live performances,and his profound mix of hip-hop, spoken word,jazz, soul, funk, poetry and African sounds.
His major-label albums “good kid, m.A.A.dcity,” “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN.” becameworks of art, with Lamar writing songs aboutblackness, street life, police brutality, perseverance,survival and self-worth.
His piercing raps helped him become the voiceof the generation, and easily ascend as the leaderin hip-hop and cross over to audiences outside ofrap, from rock to pop to jazz.
2018 CLASS OF TEXASYOUNG MASTERS
PRESENTED AT AUSTIN’SZACH THEATRE ON APRIL 16
Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Photo source:www.facebook.com/dallasblackdance
AUSTIN, TX - The Texas Cultural Trust andTexas Commission on the Arts (TCA) presented the2018 class of Texas Young Masters during an awardsceremony on April 16th at ZACH Theatre with hon-orary chair First Lady Cecilia Abbott and event chairsAshley Covert, Gerardo Interiano, Maya Smart, andNatasa Valocchi.
Texas Young Masters is a joint initiative betweenthe Trust and TCA, which recognizes 8th through11th grade students who demonstrate artistic excel-lence in dance, theater, film, music, media, and liter-ary and visual arts. Every biennium, the programgrants 15 students with $10,000 multi-year awardsto enhance and build their professional artistic stud-ies and provide access to developmental opportuni-ties before college.
The 2018 class of Texas Young Masters recog-nized the vibrant ceremony which featured perfor-mances by Texas Young Masters alumni. Theevening program also highlighted performances bythe GRAMMY award-winning choral ensembleConspirare, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, an origi-nal composition by composer Allen Robertson andartwork by and discussion with Cruz Ortiz. To closethe show, Texas’ legendary singer-songwriter andguitarist Joe Ely delighted guests with a taste of Texascountry honky-tonk and rock and roll.
SeeTHE 2018 CLASS OF YOUNG MASTERS,
page 2
A Look at Claims ofBlack Bias in US
Restaurants
ROB WILSON/SHUTTERSTOCK
By The Associated Press
By Naomi Richard | VILLAGER CONTRIBUTOR
Starbucks is only the latest U.S. food chain to comeunder scrutiny because of the way Black people weretreated at one of its locations.
Some companies have been accused of systemicracism; others have faced complaints about isolatedoccurrences. Allegations of discrimination against mi-norities go back decades and include:
DENNY’SDenny’s, with more than 1,700 restaurants, agreed
to pay more than $54 million in a landmark settlementof racial discrimination claims with the Justice Depart-ment in 1994.
Thousands of Black customers alleged they wererefused service, forced to wait longer than White cus-
See CRACKER BARREL, page 2
OPINION:Go Vote!Somebody Paid
the Price!
By Jeffrey L. BoneyNNPA Newswire Contributor
All you have to do iscrack open a history book,or sit with one of our ex-perienced elders, and youwill learn about the manysacrifices made by peopleof all races in order to en-sure Black people ob-tained the uninhibitedright to vote.
No other group ofpeople in America havebenefited more from thesacrifices made by somany people who fought,bled and died fighting forour freedom and the rightto vote, as Black peoplehave.
The freedom BlackAmericans experience to-day came with a significantprice tag attached to it,and that freedom has defi-nitely not been free. Somuch blood has beenshed, and so many liveshave been lost—all for ourfreedom and for the pre-cious right to vote.
In fact, if you add upthe number of Americanswho died in World War I,World War II, the Ameri-
SeeVOTER
INTIMIDATIONpage 6
Councilmen push formaximum sentence
on drug offense.See HARSH
Page 6
Civil rights leadersweigh-in on
education equity.See ESSA
Page 5
Good news forhomeless vetsSee HACA
Page 8
Friday isBlack Business
Day at theCapitol.
Just a reminder that TheTexas Association of African-American Chambers ofCommerce (TAAACC) ishosting Black Business Dayat the Capitol on Friday April20, 2018. It is an all-dayevent at the State Capitoland will be an effort toinform African Americanbusinesses of some of theissues that will be on theupcoming legislativeagenda. They will also bereviewing what actionsshould be taken to includeminority businesses in theprocess. Each year the legislatureset aside millions ofdollars in support ofminority businesses.However, they do not tellthe different departmentshow to spend the funds.So the agencies requirethese businesses to qualifyas Historically Under-utilized Businesses(HUB) to be eligible toreceive this fund throughcontracts that are let by thedifferent agencies. Being HUB certifieddoes not make youautomatically eligible toreceive these contracts.Each agency usuallyselects outside agencies todo the purchasing ofgoods and services andmake their recommen-dations to the Department. While Black Texanscontribute their fair share oftaxes in our state, Black-owned businesses earnedonly 1.3% of the dollarvalue of contracts awardedin the most recent biennialbudget. The Texas AfricanAmerican Chamber ofCommerce is looking forways to correct this issue. TAAACC is inviting theentire business communityto come out and share theirinformation. However, it is an issuethat needs to be attackedTOGETHER to effectpositive change. For moreinformation about theevent, visit [email protected].
Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com
The 2018 Class of Young Masters:Antonio Ajero, 8th Grade, Nacogdoches, Mike
Moses Middle School, Music/PianoNoah Avelar, 11th Grade, Corpus Christi, Vet-
erans Memorial High School, Music/PercussionTobi Berman, 11th Grade, Fort Worth, North
Crowley High School, Musical TheaterRiley Canterbury, 9th Grade, Dallas, Booker T.
Washington HSPVA, DanceJoziah German, 9th Grade, Dallas, Booker T.
Washington HSPVA, DanceElizabeth Heyns, 11th Grade, Lantana, Guyer
High School, Visual Arts/Special Effects MakeupMikayla Johnson, 11th Grade, Floresville,
Edgewood Fine Arts Academy, TheaterMegan Lin, 11th Grade, Plano, Liberty High
School, Music/ViolinLauren Mathews, 9th Grade, Katy, Seven Lakes
High School, Music/CelloAisha Mpiana, 11th Grade, Dallas, Booker T.
Washington HSPVA, Visual ArtsAva Noble, 11th Grade, Dallas, Booker T. Wash-
ington HSPVA, DanceIsha Parupudi, 11th Grade, Friendswood, Clear
Springs High School, Dance/Indian ClassicalDance
Ian Stripling Jenson, 11th Grade, Austin,McCallum Fine Arts Academy, Music/Violin
Leif Tilton, 9th Grade, Austin, James Bowie HighSchool, Music/Classical Guitar
The 2018 Class of Young MastersCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Photo source: www.facebook.com/dallasblackdance
Lauren Yang, 11th Grade, Sugar Land, DullesHigh School, Visual Arts
“The Texas Culture Trust is pleased to rec-ognize another deserving class of Texas YoungMasters,” said Heidi Marquez Smith, executivedirector of TCT. “This class represents what can
be accomplished with commitment to a craftwhen given support and developmental oppor-tunity. We are confident that those chosen willgrow in their disciplines and succeed on theirjourneys to becoming the next legends ofTexas.”
tomers or over-charged at Denny’s restau-rants nationwide.
The agreement wascalled the largest settle-ment ever under federalpublic accommodationlaws. Denny’s promised totreat all customers equallyin the future under thesettlement, but incidents
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Cracker Barrel agreed to pay almost $9 million in 2004 for mistreatment of African-Americans
Protesters gather outside a Starbucks in Philadelphia, Sunday, April 15,2018, where two black men were arrested Thursday after Starbucksemployees called police to say the men were trespassing. The arrestprompted accusations of racism on social media. Starbucks CEO KevinJohnson posted a lengthy statement Saturday night, calling the situation“disheartening” and that it led to a “reprehensible” outcome. (AP Photo/Ron Todt)
have continued.Just last year, the
company apologized andworkers at a franchise res-taurant in Washingtonstate were fired after agroup of Black young menwere forced to wait andthen were asked to prepayfor food.
CRACKER BARRELCracker Barrel
agreed to pay almost $9million in 2004 to settleallegations the restaurantchain mistreated Blackcustomers and discrimi-nated against Black work-ers.
More than 40 plain-tiffs in 16 states allegedBlack people were de-nied service, assigned tosegregated seating, sub-jected to racial slurs andserved food from thetrash. Also, about adozen employees com-plained that Black work-ers were segregated fromWhite workers and gen-erally received “back ofthe house” assignmentssuch as cook and dish-washer.
Also in 2004, thecompany settled a JusticeDepartment lawsuit in an
agreement which includeda finding that Black cus-tomers at many of thecountry-themed restau-rants were treated poorly.
Cracker Barrel hasabout 650 restaurants in45 states, according to itswebsite.
IHOPIHOP, run by Interna-
tional House of PancakesLLC, apologized last monthafter a waitress askedBlack teenagers to payupfront for a meal at a res-taurant in Auburn, Maine.
The chain, with morethan 1,750 locationsworldwide, said it had“zero tolerance” for dis-crimination. IHOP Presi-dent Darren Rebelezcalled the episode an “iso-lated incident” and saidthe restaurant was reach-ing out to the teenagers toapologize.
Rebelez said “appro-priate disciplinary actions”would be taken.
The restaurant man-ager said there had beenproblems with teenagerswalking out without pay-ing for meals, but that thewaitress’ actions werewrong.
APPLEBEE’SApplebee’s apolo-
gized, fired workers andclosed a restaurant in In-dependence, Missouri,where two Black womensaid they were falsely ac-cused of not paying formeals in February.
Two women posted avideo online showing arestaurant employee, apolice officer and a mallsecurity guard confrontingthem for “dining and dash-ing” during a previousvisit, which the womendenied.
The video showed thepolice officer laughing atone point and waving atthe person with the cam-era. The city said it hadreviewed the officer’s con-duct but would not com-ment on the findings.
The Kansas City Starreported it was unclearwhether the restaurantclosure was directly re-lated to the racial profilingincident because the mallwhere the Applebee’s waslocated was scheduled fora foreclosure sale.
Applebee’s has al-most 1,970 franchise res-taurants.
Joel B. BennettAttorney-At-Law
PROBATE, WILLS,ESTATE PROBLEMS and REAL ESTATE
www.joelbennettlaw.com
JOEL B. BENNETT, P.C.2939 East 12th StreetAustin, TX 78702
512.476.8595 T512.476.8834 F
AUSTIN, TX - The Austin Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. is hosting the24th Biennial Beautillion Ball. Please add the following information to your Eventson your website and radio stations.
The 24th Biennial Beautillion Ball culminates an intensive, seven-month pro-gram that provides mentoring, education, and social enrichment for college boundAfrican-American males from the Greater Austin area.The purpose of the BeautillionBall is to showcase the achievements of these young men and to reward them withscholarships and a technology package. These distinguished “Beaux” pay tribute tothe community and to their mothers with a breathtaking waltz. The night is madeeven more enchanting by the lovely “Belle” who escorts each “Beaux”.
The entire Greater Austin community is invited to support these youngmen and their families! Proceeds from the Beautillion Ball support local and na-tional 501(c)(3) charitable organizations in the Greater Austin community.
The Austin Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. was chartered in June 1953.Throughout its fifty plus years, the Austin Chapter has worked to fulfill its servicemission to the community through group activities as well as chapter projects. TheBeautillion Ball, begun in 1972 and presented biennially, has become our signatureevent in the Austin community. It is also our main fundraiser that has, over the past35 years, raised funds for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the George Wash-ington Carver Library & Museum, the Austin Children’s Museum, and the Jack & JillFoundation.
To learn more about the Beautillion or to become a corporate sponsor goto our website at https:// jackandjillofaustin.org/.
24th Biennial Beautillion BallDate and Time: Sat, June 16, 2018 | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM CDT
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 4509 Springdale Road Austin, Tx 78723Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281
Christian Web Site-stpetersaustintx.ning.com
[email protected] PLACE WHERE WE STEP OUT ON FAITH.
COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH USSunday School 8:45 a.m.
Praise and Worship 10:15 a.m.Wednesday Bible Study 12:00 p.m.
and Praise /Bible Study 6:30 p.m.(to include Children’s Choir Rehersaland
Bible Study with age appropiate Activities)Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor
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 Heexhibited is Exemplified.” 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 Service Thursday: Praise,Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PMCall 454-1547 for Transporation
Website www.agapebcaustintx.comRev. H. Ed Calahan
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 Life Group 6:00 P.M.
Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727
Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims
Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751
Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am
Romans 5:1 Therefore,having beenjustified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
This life, therefore, is not righteous-ness, but growth in righteousness; not health,but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest,but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be,but we are growing toward it. The process isnot yet finished, but it is going on. This is notthe end, but it is the road. All does not yetgleam in glory, but all is being purified.
--- Martin Luther
Kenneth Hill, Pastor
1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023
Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org
Globalizing the Gospel
A Ministry That Ministers
Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor
OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH
Felix Bamirin, PastorGRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Experience Grace For Life
(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building, behind Wells Fargo)
Call: 682.472.9073 l Email: [email protected] lVisit: www.gracewaycca.org
JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758
SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.
Mount Sinai 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
Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax 512-478-1892
WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M.Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709
Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875
Worship Service 8:00 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.
Sunday Services
DOUBLE
GROCERY“R”
450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out
Country Boyz Fixin’s4140 E. 12th Street, Austin, TX 78721
Featuring Fish, Poboys, Hot Wings, Pork Chops,Homemade Gumbo, Shrimp and Alligator
DINE IN OR ORDER TO GOMon - Friday 11 am - 8 p.m.Saturday - 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Closed SundayCall (512) 928-5555
www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018 ~ Page 3
We Want YOU!Advertise With
TheVILLAGER
New Lincoln Missionary Baptist Church2215 E. 8th St., Austin, TX 78702
DAVID CHAPEL Missionary Baptist ChurchSUNDAY
Christian Education 9:15a.m. | Worship 10:30 a.m.Nursery Available
WEDNESDAY |Worship 1st Wed. monthly 7:00p.m. | Bible Study 7:30p.m.
Dr. Joseph C. Parker, Jr.Senior Pastor
2211 East Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.Austin, TX 78702
Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399Website: www.davidchapel.org Email: [email protected]
“A Church with a Heart for The Community”
Going to Higher Heights,Trusting God along the way.
Sunday School 9:00amBTU: 10:00am
Morning Worship - 11:00 amChurch Phone (512) 477-2714
Cell Phont (512) 585-0744Email:
[email protected] Rev. Darron E. Patterson
Pastor
Pastor J.R.Roberson &First lady Lillian Robertson
(979)542-2784 Church& (979) 540-6352 Hlme
BETHEL-ST. PAUL UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH877 W. Hempstead, Giddings, Texas 78942
Weekly ScheduleSunday School 9:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m.Wednesday Night Bible
Study 6:00p.m.
Dr. Ricky Freeman,Pastor
GO YE EVANGELISTIC GOSPEL MISSION(Arena of Refuge and Liberty)
Venu: Super 8, 8128 N. Interstate 35Austin, Texas 78753
CHURCH WEEKLY ACTIVITIESSundays: Sunday Celebration 9am - 12 noon
Wednesdays: Systematic Bible Study 6pm-7:30 pmFri: “I Believe in Miracle” Prayer Meetings 6-7:30
Join Operation PUSH Prayerline Team EveryFriday @ 6:pm
REV. SAMUEL EHIMEN, Minister in-chargeTel: 512-506-1645
And located in the“HAIR BY NICOLE”
Salon at4122 E. 12th Street,Austin, TX 78721
Specializing inall kinds of Hair Services.
For appointmentcall (512) 542-3384 Joshua Castille
COIFFURES BY CASTILLEI’M BACK!!
DavidChapel
MissionaryBaptistChurch
toCelebrate
94Years!AUSTIN, TX - David Chapel Missionary Baptist
Church invites the community to their service of Thanks-giving and Praise as the church celebrates its 94th ChurchAnniversary on Sunday, April 22, 2018 during the 10:30a.m. worship service. Rev. C.W. Wallace, Senior Pastorof the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas willserve as the guest minister. The commemorative anni-versary worship will center on the theme “Faith in Ac-tion: Advancing the Kingdom,” using the scriptural ref-erence from James 14:20. David Chapel is a church witha heart for the community where. Joseph C. Parker,D.Min., Esq. is the Pastor. Contact the church for moreinformation at (512) 472-9748 or visit the website atwww.davidchapel.org.
FBC's 151stCHURCH
ANNIVERSARYOur FIRST BAPTIST
CHURCH FAIMILIES, cor-dially invite everyone tohelp us raise the PRAISE &Worship at our 151stCHURCH Anniversary, Sun-day April 22,2018, at3:30pm. Special Guest;Rev. Dr. Jimmy D. HUNTER,Pastor of Toliver ChapterMissionary Baptist Church,in Waco, Tx.
First Baptist Church,is located; 4805 HeflinLane, Austin,Tx. Rev.Danny Thomas Sr., Pastor.
Women’s Resource Fair“Free Health Care and Haircuts”
With free childcare provided on-site!
AUSTIN, TX - The eleventh annual Women’s Re-source Fair is on Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 9:00AM -1:00PM at the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center, 1300Lavaca Street. The fair provides entirely free resourcesto local women and children in need and is proudlyhosted by the Austin Young Lawyers Association.
The fair offers free: Confidential Legal Assistance,Medical Care (including mammograms, pap smears,well women exams, and wellness visits), Mental HealthServices and Spiritual Counseling, Job Skills, Educa-tional, and Employment Counseling, Social Services Pro-vider Fair, Financial Counseling, Haircuts, ClothingCloset, Childcare on Site, Breakfast and Lunch Providedfor Attendees.
There are no income qualifications or prerequisitesto attend. All women and children are welcome. Youdo not need to RSVP to attend the fair. Se habla Español.
AYLA is excited to report that over the past tenyears, the event has helped nearly 2,800 women andchildren in our community.
Please contact [email protected] you would like to volunteer, host a booth at the socialservice provider fair, or with any questions. Check outour webpage:
http://www.austinbar.org/young-lawyers/projects/womens-resource-fair/
Ashé Arts: Creating Majestic Artin Unlikely Circumstances
Austin, TX – Ashé Arts has returned with it’s sec-ond event on April 21st and 22nd at 8PM. “The Pro-cess” is an event narrating the magical way that co-artistic directors Sadé M. Jones + Zell Miller III work.The event will include performances by the Ashé Col-lective, a sneak peek into the creative process in liveaction, and a special performance by the dynamic duonever seen before.
The previous event, Melanated Chrysalis, we thedebut of the organization to the city. With an amaz-ing turnout, Austin was treated to a story of meta-morphosis that painted a picture of one person’s ex-perience inside the cocoon — encouraging others tobe comfortable in their discomfort during metamor-phosis. Now, the artistic directors will give you a lookat how they use the performing arts to facilitate trans-formation in others. Zell Miller III says it will also be adebut of the Ashé Collective — a group of talentedBlack artists who have embraced the unique use ofart as a tool.
Not only will you be treated to an in-depth lookat the internal work of the organization, you will alsoget to see the Artistic directors perform on stage to-gether. “This has never been done before. We bringa lot of power to the stage individually, so I’m ner-vous about what will happen when we combine”, saysSadé M Jones. They have been working together for9 years, but have yet to actually play together onstage. Ashé Arts has partnered with the City of Aus-tin Convention Center to change the scenery to theAISD Performing Arts Center which is a beautifulvenue right in the bustling Mueller area. “We are verygrateful for this opportunity and excited to see thecrowd”, says Jones.
April 21st + 22nd @8PM | AISD Performing ArtsCenter | 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.
PROTECT YOURPRIVACY WITH
DOCUMENTSHREDDING AT
FROST BANK1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Thursday, April 26
North AustinFinancial Center
111 E. Anderson LaneAustin, Texas 78752
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Saturday, May 5
East 7thFinancial Center
2421 E. 7th St.Austin, Texas 78702
Free & open to the public.
Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow
Kappa Alpha PsiFraternity, Inc
Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com
Kennedy GeorgeWeiss High School
Back to the Future
I recently watched aback to the future mara-thon with a group of myfriends. I had never seenback to the future before
A Quiet Place Reviewso I was super excited towatch all of the movies forthe first time at a friendsbirthday party.My favoriteone was definitely the firstone. The trilogy had myfriends and I thinkingabout time travel and.theconsequences of it beingin the wrong hands. Wealso wanted to bring backsome of the vernacularfrom the movie.
Last Tuesday, myfriend and I dressed likeMarty Mcfly at school.Shelooked more like him thanI did because she had anorange vest and I had ablue one.
The new movie “AQuiet Place,” was releasedin theaters on April 6,2018. “A Quiet Place” is adramatic thriller that starsJohn Krasinski and EmilyBlunt.
The film is about afamily of four who must livein complete silence toavoid alien creatures thathunt exclusively by sound.Even the slightest noisecould cost them their lives.The family refrained fromusing any appliances ordoing any activities thatmay result in noise being
Ira “T.J.” WilliamsCedar Ridge H. S.
Kamryn MackKipp Leadership Elem.
made.The film is an intelli-
gent and original take on ahorror movie. While mostof the movie was withoutdialogue, it still kept theaudience on the edge oftheir seats. John Krasinski,who also directed the film,proved to be an excep-tional actor in this film.Making the transition froma comedic actor to a dra-matic actor is one of thetoughest accomplishmentsto do in Hollywood. How-ever, Krasinski did it withease in this film.Krasinski ’s wife, EmilyBlunt, gave an incredibleperformance as well.
I would recommendthis movie to people 13-years-old and older. Themovie is very intense andhas realistic special ef-fects. While there is novulgar language featuredin the film, there are a lotof scary images and sus-penseful moments. “AQuiet Place” is entertain-ing, thrilling, and a ridefrom start to finish.
Exploring H-Mart
Last Sunday, I got tovisit H-Mart. For those ofyou that don’t know whatthat is, it’s basically anAsian market, where youcan shop and eat. It was atasty discovery. I hope youenjoy my article.
First, we went shop-ping. There was a lot ofunique fruits, drinks, andcandy. My mom got somenoodles, which she loves.In the fruit section, we sawmangoes, honeydew,
dragon fruit, and muchmore. In the veggie sec-tion, the veggies are freshand there’s a good selec-tion of vegetables. The pro-tein section has good fish.The fish there is fresh. Like,caught in the wild fresh. So,the fish must be prettygood. It even has alivecrabs in a container, for thepeople to see. On top ofthat there was octopusesin a tank.
It even had a certainplace where you can eat. Iate the chicken and rice. Itwas good, even better withsoy sauce. While we atethere was a live band play-ing. It was so happy andlively in there. Anyway, thefood was good.
My experience at H-Mart was unforgettable.From the shopping to thefood, this was an unforget-table experience. I hopeyou enjoyed my article.
Tyler AllenGus Garcia YMLA
Averill ToppsStephen F. Austin H.S.
Ruby GeorgeRiojas Elementary
My First Business
I decides to make aslime business at myschool because I thought
UIL Competitions
that it was a way to earnprofit, and have fun. Imake order sheets, andgive it to the people thatwould like to buy some. Sofar I’ve made a lot ofmoney, so I will continuethis for a long time. I loveto make slime, and so doesone of my friends, so whenshe asked to be a part ofmy business, I couldn’t sayno!
This is a for real, forreal business. I scheduleda meeting for the two of us,I set up my own desk, weare taking this seriously!
Saturday I had to get upearly and be at the school by6:00 A.M.. The bus took usto Marble Falls for the com-petitions. The one I was inwas called the "ModernOratory Academic" compe-titions. This was my first at-
tempt at speaking in front ofan audience. Few studententered into the that cat-egory. I discussed the"Opioid Crisis" The schoolwe competed against wereBedichek, Marble Falls,Murchison and Small. I ad-mit that I was very nervous.I didn't win. But next time Iwill be better prepared. Iwas very impressed withMarble Fall Middle Schools.The school was huge.
That school had con-cession stand inside the caf-eteria. It had all the goodsnack foods. The stand wasopen each school day. I wasthinking that maybe nextyear I would try the Chesscompetitions. I was told thatI should start practicingmore because it would bequite intense. eSTEAMed
Hello Everyone,On Saturday, March
14, 2018, I attended finalsession of the eSTEAMedYouth Program sponsored bythe Austin Chapter of theLinks, Incorporated. I’m sureeveryone is wondering whatis eSTEAMED.
Let me tell you all abouteSTEAMed. eSTEAMEDstands for Science, Technol-ogy, Engineering, Art andMath. eSTEAMed Youth Pro-gram was a five monthmentoring program that fo-
cused on increasing studentparticipation and excitementin science, engineering, artsand technology field. Also, theprograms mission and goal isto prepare African-Americanstudents to gain an interest incollege. Some of theeSTEAMed Youth programactivities included exploringcareers in the Arts, Medicineand International Business,just to name a few.
For me, the eSTEAMEDYouth program achieved hismission in that the multipledisciplines I was exposed topeaked my interest in tech-nology and science and I willprovide more informationnext week on the specificactivities we were exposedto. Stay tuned.
Thank you AustinChapter of the Links, Incor-porated for putting togetherthis interesting program andhopefully there will aneSTEAMed Program nextyear!
Future Problem Solving State Competition
Saturday, the 15th, Iam up at the same time asI would be on a school day.I prepare to be taken toschool. I arrive at schooland board the school busheading to San Marcosalongside some of my fel-low classmates. We arriveat an Embassy Suits hoteland locate our coach (sci-ence teacher). Our coachgives us directions and wewalk into a large roomwith many other kids ourgrade level and younger.When we arrived at thehotel, we were givenplacement cards for thetable we should sit in. Mygroup and I sat in our as-signed seats and waitedfor the competition to be-gin. The objective of thecompetition is for elemen-tary, middle, and highschool students to com-pete against each other intheir groups by solving aproblem that could possi-bly come up in the future.
The problem that everyonewas given this year, is thatin the future, everyonelives in these specific typeof buildings were they livevirtually and rarely leavethe buildings. All of theirpersonal information is in“The Cloud.” The problemis that hackers are stealingidentities and personal in-formation. People living inthe buildings on a highereconomic status pay forextra security and have alower chance of fraud. Theway we solved this prob-lem was by saying that wewould propose a law stat-ing that all business haveto offer security at thesame level no matter theperson’s socioeconomicstatus and cost and pricedepends on their income.The process of the compe-tition is very challenging.We have about two hoursto complete it. We start byreading the future scene,then begin creating prob-lems and solutions for it,then we have to pick, rank,and write about the prob-lem we choose in para-graph form. Everyone haddifferent solutions as weall have different perspec-tives. I feel that my teamand I have a good chanceof success. We are scoredon; if our writing formatwas correct and if our so-lution is good and reason-able. I hope at least one ofour school teams (3 com-peted) won. The resultscome in soon!
SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards
Theater Class
This week in Theater wehave been planing for a project
Joshua MooreManor New Tech M.S.
that we are starting this week.For this project we are goingto have to sell a product madeout of foil.
For my group we decidedthat we were going to havesome sort of chip that goes in-side of your brain and helps withmemory and helps with yourvision. We haven't really dis-cussed what the product is go-ing to look like and how weregoing to sell it, but I hope weend up getting a good gradeon this and have fun while do-ing it .
Are school uniformsbeneficial? School uniformsrestrict students’ freedomof expression. The firstAmendment of the U.S Con-stitution guarantees that allindividuals have the right toexpress themselves freely.Clothing is also a popularmeans of expressing sup-port for various socialcauses and compulsory, butuniforms largely removethat option.
School uniforms canpromote conformity over an
Jada StoneKealing M. S.
individual. Chicago juniorhigh school student KyleSumter wrote in thehuffington post, “they de-cide to teach us aboutpeople like Rosa Parks, Su-san B. Anthony, and BookerT. Washington… We learnabout how these peopleexpressed themselves andconquered, but we can’teven express ourselves inthe hallways.” Schools arenot letting students“ ex-press themselves in theway they want to.
Focusing on schooluniforms takes attentionaway from finding genuinesolutions to problems ineducation spending timeand effort implementinguniform policies may de-tract from more effectiveefforts to reduce to reducecrime in schools and booststudent performance.
In conclusion,schoolsshould let students expressthemselves in whateverway they want.
School Uniforms
www.theaustinvillager.com THE COURIER THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018~ Page 5
Kayla WinnManor New Technology
Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.
Erika LipscombManor Middle School
Betting on Bitcoin
There’s a good chanceyou’ve heard of bitcoins,and if you have, you’veprobably seen them associ-ated with high risk andcriminal activity. But what isa bitcoin exactly, and whyare bitcoins so popular? Abitcoin is a unit of a digitalonline currency producedby computers all over theworld and kept track of bya ledger that every com-puter on a distributed net-work has access to. Thebitcoin currency uses cryp-tography (basically thescrambling of data) to con-trol the creation ofbitcoins and secure trans-actions. Bitcoins can betransferred from com-puter to computer usingfree software without hav-ing to pass through somecentralized institution likea bank. For a long time,bitcoins were transferredwithout any governmentregulation at all.
Bitcoins have grownin popularity because they
provide a quick, cheapway to move moneyaround. If you wanted tosend some money to afamily member in anothercountry using a traditionalbank, you would have togo through your bank,your government, theirgovernment, and theirbank. All of this takes timeand there are fees associ-ated with the process thatcan be tough to pay ifmoney is tight and yourfamily member reallyneeds the money. Instead,you can just send bitcoinsover the internet immedi-ately. The system is veryhard to hack due to itsblock chain layout, whichprevents data modifica-tion because the ledger isshared by every computer.
But there are signifi-cant problems withbitcoins. Bitcoin users areanonymous and have lessgovernment regulations,leading to the use ofbitcoins to purchase illegalgoods online. The value ofa bitcoin has proved quitevolatile. The overall trendis an increasing rate, butthe value of a bitcoin couldeasily crash at any mo-ment. It’s like purchasing aparticularly risky stock onthe stock market. Bitcoinsare an exciting new devel-opment and may becomethe future of money ex-changes, but for now, bet-ting absolutely all yourmoney on bitcoins isn’twise.
STAAR Testing
ELA and math areout of the way, but thisyear we have science andsocial studies. One of thenot so good things aboutbeing an 8th grader.
Anti-Bullying
Bullying happens allaround the world in allschools. Many kids havetaken their lives or havedepression because ofsomething someone didor said to hurt them. Bul-lying is a very serious mat-ter that some kids don’ttake seriously, but Manorhigh school is trying to pre-
vent that from happening.Manor High School hasbeen promoting the NoPlace for Hate campaign.They have been giving stu-dent surveys on googleforms with questionsabout how many timesstudents have been bul-lied every week. Theschool is finally findingways to prevent bullyingfrom happening in theschool.
Yes, most teens playaround and make jokesabout people but in theend they hurt them eventhough they laughed at itwhen they said the joke.Manor High School is try-ing to teach students to bemindful, because younever know when a per-son is hurting.
Though I do wonder if itis going to be the samething in high school. Allthese end of the year lasttest have come by quickly.Matter of fact, this wholeschool year went by sofast, it feels like yesterdaywas just the first day backto school. All of the teach-ers jinxed it and said it wasgoing to go by fast.
Then in a few moremonths, high school thereis. I’m not ready for highschool or growing up yetbut I am ready for the nextSTAAR tests and I know I’mgoing to pass.
@TheVillagerATX
ESSA DEMANDS FULL TRANSPARENCYON K-12 EDUCATIONAL FUNDING
By Lauren Poteat(NNPA Newswire
Contributor)
Public school sys-tems throughout the na-tion will now be requiredto be a lot more transpar-ent when it comes toschool funding.
According to thefederal Every StudentSucceeds Act (ESSA),signed into law by Presi-dent Barack Obama in2015, all public schoolsnationwide, will be re-quired to give fully-de-tailed reports on howand where they spendinstitutional funding.
The ESSA report-ing requirement forschool funding begins inDecember 2019, andsupporters of the rule,including the NAACP,believe it will help toencourage greater edu-cational equity, particu-larly among schoolsserving large numbersof Black and Hispanicstudents in low-incomeneighborhoods.
“We need more eq-uitable and adequatefunding for all schools
serving students ofcolor,” said VictorGoode, the educationdirector for the NAACP.“Why? Because educa-tion funding has beeninadequate and unequalfor students of color forhundreds of years. Sec-ond, privatization forcesare working to eliminateour public schools and,with it, transparency,public accountabilityand access to all.”
Goode said thatESSA requires a break-down of how studentneed is met with a focuson equity over equaldistribution for funding.
Goode continued:“That explains the rea-
son behind the school-by-school, per pupilspending report. Thiskind of public transpar-ency is a good thing andcan help provide moremeaningful parentaland community engage-ment, which is also es-sential to accountabilityand achieving educa-tional equity.”
According to theBrookings Institution, anonprofit public policyorganization, based inWashington, D.C., thatconducts research onsolving societal prob-lems locally, nationwideand globally, to dateminority students arestill far more less likely
than White students tohave adequate schoolresources.
In addition, theBrookings Institutionreported that schoolswith predominantlyBlack and Hispanic chil-dren, on average, arenearly twice as large asWhite schools—reach-ing an estimated 3,000students or more inmost cities, with lower-quality curriculum of-ferings and less quali-fied teachers (in terms oflevels of education, cer-tification, and trainingin the fields they teach),all of which George H.Lambert, Jr., presidentand CEO of the GreaterWashington UrbanLeague, believes can berectified through ad-equate funding.
Lambert said thatany discussion on edu-cational equity shouldacknowledge the enor-mous achievement gapsthat still plague Blackand Hispanic students.
Learn more aboutthe Every Student Suc-ceeds Act atwww.nnpa.org/essa.
Africa-America Business ConferenceWed April 25 at 3:00 pm | Fri April 27 at 9:00 pm
Crowne Plaza Austin, 6121 N Interstate 35
Brand Me International, Black Women In Businessand the City of Austin have joined forces to create a 3-Day Conference that unites African and American busi-nesses. We are excited to bring dignitaries and dynamicbusiness owners from SA, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Tan-zania, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Ethiopia.Mayor Steve Adler will be among the amazing guestspeakers that will empower and encourage those whoattend. There will be tons of networking opportunities,African and American Vendors (Women and Men) anda dinner fit for Kings and Queens!
Black Women In Business will launch in South Af-rica in 2018, and we look forward to building a bridge
between African and American businesses. This is anevent for EVERYONE. And, we would love to have youattend.
Please visit our website if you would like to be-come a sponsor, vendor or purchase tickets. [email protected] for additional ques-tions.
If you’re in business, you can’t afford to miss this!#WeAreBetterTogether
Night of Games Game Night at Art For The People on Friday,April 27th, from 7:00-9:00 pm at Art for the People,1711 S. 1st Street – come on over to Art for thePeople for the Night of GAMES
Who is ready to play?!! GAME ON!*Check out our fabulous exhibition, Art of Cel-
ebration!**Shop through items in? ?the artisan market!**Sip on a kombucha cocktail** PLAY GAMES such as Tellestrations + Mur-
der Mystery Party + Battleship + Jenga + What doyou Meme + UNO + Cards Against Humanity +Read Between the Wines + Cards!
(We will have one family friendly table, therest of the game stations are for adults)
Relay For Life is a grass roots, community-based team event. Join us on April 27 for the East AustinRelay for Life Cancer Walk at Huston-Tillotson University 900 Chicon St. from 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.We will see you there!
Cultural Lounge’s aim is to promote an atmosphere for sharing ideas, thoughts, and concerns on issuesrelevant to the Black Community in Austin.
Our speaker is Amanda Johnston. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the Universityof Southern Maine. She is the author of two chapbooks, GUAP and Lock & Key, and the full-length collectionAnother Way to Say Enter (Argus House Press).
Thursday April 26th at 6:30 pm | George Washington Carver Museum, 1165 Angelina St.
First lady Michelle Obama visiting elementaryschool children during lunch.
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com
can Revolution, theWar of 1812, all of thewars with the Indians, theMexican-American War,the Spanish-American Warand the Korean War, thatnumber would not be aslarge as the total numberof people who died alonein the Civil War fighting toend slavery.
After the Civil War,many Whites migratedfrom the North to theSouth in order to helpBlack people thrive in thenew Reconstruction gov-ernments. Many of thoseWhite abolitionists ran forpolitical office and won.Several Black men werealso elected to the U.S.Congress and the Southeven elected some Blacksenators. These politicalgains and the progressmade by Black people, asa result of the Reconstruc-tion governments in theSouth, angered manySouthern Whites.
Confederate Armysupporters like LieutenantGeneral Nathan BedfordForrest, and others, madeup in their minds that if theywanted to re-establish con-trol and dominance overBlack people in this country,then they would have tostop Black men from votingby any means necessary.
Nathan BedfordForrest and several of hiscolleagues helped form theKu Klux Klan (KKK), wherehe served as the first GrandWizard. The Klan worewhite robes and pretendedto be the ghosts of deadConfederate soldiers in or-der to strike fear into thehearts of anyone, they en-countered. Members of theKlan did not want to be rec-ognized, so they worehoods to cover their faces,primarily, because many ofthe members of the Klanwere prominent citizens
and local authority figures.At night, the Klan
would hang signs warningBlack people not to voteand threatened to kill anyBlack man who voted. Tofurther frighten Black vot-ers, the Klan would gathertogether in their costumesand place a large woodencross in front of a Blackman’s home and set it onfire. This served as a warn-ing to any Black man whodecided to vote in the nextelection. If a Black mandefied the Klan and re-fused to adhere to theirwarning, he was lynchedfrom a tree so everyone inthe city would see him andhave second thoughtsabout attempting to votein future elections.
The Klan quickly grewacross all Southern statesand Black people were vul-nerable to this heinousactivity and their viciousattacks. Due to the con-stant harassment and bru-tal killings by the Klan,Blacks began to slowly dis-miss voting. As a result,Black people began losingpolitical representation, aswell as the political ad-vancements they gainedduring Reconstruction. Astime progressed, futuregenerations of WhiteAmericans began to slowlyforget the struggles ofBlack people and were notas vocal or as dedicated tothe plight of Black peoplein the South as they hadbeen in the past.
If you fast-forward inthe history books, you cansee that Black voter intimi-dation and Black voter dis-enfranchisement contin-ued well beyond the bla-tant actions of the Klan.State governments in theSouth joined the party andbegan passing sweepingnew sets of laws called“Jim Crow” and those laws
were designed to separateWhite people from Blackpeople.
Blacks could not eatin the same restaurants asWhites; there were sepa-rate schools for Black andWhite children; Blackscould not drink water fromthe same fountains asWhites; Blacks had to sit inthe back of the buses,whereas Whites could situp front; and Blacks couldnot ride in the same car-riages as Whites on thetrains.
All in all, this blatantform of voting disenfran-chisement has signifi-cantly impacted the well-being and livelihood ofBlack people for centuries.
So, why has it been soimportant for otherpeople to make it difficultfor Black people to vote?
The reason, to me, isquite simple. Those whoseek to disenfranchiseBlack people from the vot-ing process know exactlyhow important voting is.Those who seek to disen-franchise Black peoplerelative to the voting pro-cess know the profoundimpact that it has at everylevel of government—lo-cal, state, and national.
More importantly,those who seek to disen-franchise Black peoplefrom the voting processknow that voting is sopowerful that those in po-litical positions of powerare able to direct neces-sary and critical resourcesto select areas. They arealso able to ensure thatselect people are ap-pointed to key positions.
Nearly everythingthat impacts our dailylives, in some way, is influ-enced by an elected offi-cial or someone who isappointed by them. Theseelected officials draft
policy, introduce legisla-tion, and vote on bills, thateventually become laws.
Whether voting forthe judge, who has thepower to sentence yourloved one to a lengthyprison sentence or votingfor the judge who has thepower to determine childsupport payments andvisitation rights throughthe family court—one ormore of these elected of-ficials will impact your lifein some shape, form orfashion throughout yourlifetime. Every elected of-ficial yields power andsome level of influencethat we as Black peopleshould never ignore ortake for granted.
It doesn’t matterwhether you believe yourvote matters or not—andit most certainly does—you will have to adhere toany law voted on by thosewho’ve been elected torepresent you. There isabsolutely no level of com-plaining or reactionary re-sponse that will changethat.
There are no acceptableexcuses when it comes to vot-ing. Either you do it or youreap the consequences. En-gaged citizens must seek tounderstand politics if theywish to better understand theimpact of the laws and deci-sions that politics produce.
I can only wonder,however, if many of ourpolitical martyrs, who sac-rificed their very lives forthe right to vote that weshould all appreciate to-day, are flipping over intheir graves as they lookupon much of our squan-dered voting potential andoverwhelming collectivepolitical apathy.
Maybe this electioncycle will prove to be dif-ferent, however. At least Ihope it will.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Black voter intimidation and disenfranchisementcontinued well beyond actions of KKK
Bridges To HopeA Free Mental Health Training for
Faith Community Leaders Because religion and spirituality often play a vitalrole in healing it’s not uncommon for families andindividuals experiencing mental health issues to turnto a faith leader first for help. Yet faith leaders, staffand key outreach volunteers are often lacking theinformation, education and resources to be the “bridgeto hope” needed as people navigate serious,sometimes life-threatening, mental health issue. If your community is ready to build bridges to hopefor families and individuals living with mental illness,this is a perfect introductory 3-hour training, whichfeatures: 1. An informative overview of prevalentmental health myths and common symptoms ofmental health disorders. 2. Simple ideas for building“bridges to hope” for your faith community. 3. Atool kit of community mental health resources 4. Atool for developing an action plan to address the needsin your community.
For more information contact: Megan AlvaradoCommunity Education Coordinator
[email protected] ext. 100
Registration Required: namiaaustin.org/bridgestohope
Pflugerville Democrat Endorsement Meeting
Saturday, April 14,2018 the PflugervilleDemocrats organized a can-didate forum for those run-ning for the Pflugerville In-dependent District SchoolBoard. This forum wasopened to the candidaterunning for Place 1, whichhas 3 challengers runningfor this position. In otherwords, Place 1 is an “openseat” in which any chal-lenger can win. At first, thecandidates were askedquestions by the moderatorand eventually it was
opened up to the attend-ees.
There were numerousquestion asked. However,one of the questions thatwere asked by an attendeeto the candidates dealt withschool discipline and race.One of the attendee askedthis following question:“Why Blacks Students whocommit the same incidentas their White Counterpartare giving harsher disciplinesentence?” Moreover,none of the candidates an-swered this questioned.
The Pflugervilleschool board election willbe held May 5, 2018. How-ever, early voting will be
from April 23rd to May 1.In this school board elec-tion, there are about 3 can-didates running. These threecandidates are: CharlieTorres, Mary Kimmis, and
Pictured left to right are: Brian Allen and CharlieTorres. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist
Brent Allen. Moreover, theyare running for Place 1. Fi-nally, the Pflugerville Demo-crats decided to endorseCharlie Torres for PISD boardmember Place 1.
Omar Kadir for WilliamsonCounty Treasure
by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon | Villager Columnist
On March 6, OmarKadir became the officialDemocratic party nomi-nee for the WilliamsonCounty Treasure position.Omar Kadir who has abackground in the field ofaccounting believes thathe can bring his expertiseand knowledge in the of-fice of County Treasure.Not only does he want tobring his knowledge butalso bring equity to countygovernment. According toOmar Kadir, “ I am a pro-gressive Democrat candi-date running forWilliamson County Trea-surer in order to bringback balance, equity, andjustice to our govern-ment.”
In the past 5 years,Democrats have workedhard to make WilliamsonCounty a competitive one.This is the first time, theWilliamson County Demo-cratic Party has filled up90% of the races with can-didates. Moreover, thatwill guarantee very com-petitive races throughoutthe county. Starting fromthe Williamson CountyJudge position to theWilliamson County Trea-sure race, Democrats havefilled up the “slots” withcandidates.
Moreover,Williamson County Demo-crats have proven thatthey can win races. Nearly2 years ago, WilliamsonCounty Democrats wontwo seats on the CedarPark race. Just last month,Democrats won a seat onthe Round Rock City Coun-cil. In other words, Demo-crats have turned a very“red county” into a“purple county”, which,means that the county hasbecome a battleground.Moreover, it is the demo-graphics that have helpedto change WilliamsonCounty into a “purplecounty.”
Omar Kadir
Pflugerville Harsh JailSentence Measure Fails
Mike Heath,Pflugerville CityCouncil Member
Thursday, April 12,2018, a proposed item writ-ten by Council Member MikeHeath, which, was supportedby both Council MemberRudy Metayer and CouncilMember Jeff Marsh made itto the Dias of the PflugervilleCity Council. According toCouncil Member Mike Heath,the proposed item # 10 callsfor “pushing judges to alwaysissue the maximum sentencefor every drug crime and ev-ery violent offense.” In otherwords, the item called for aharsher sentence when drugsare involved in the offense ofa crime.
According to E-Activist,“The resolution makes theassumption that longercriminal sentences result ingreater public safety, andthat has been proven wrongas well. For someone fight-ing addiction, access totreatment and other help inthe community will do farmore to reduce recidivismthan a maximum two-yearstint in the state jail system.Currently judges have thediscretion to decidewhether jail time or proba-tion with drug treatment
will be better for both thecommunity and the indi-vidual addict.”
Moreover, numerousconcerned citizens went tothe Pflugerville city councilto speak against the pro-posed item. Furthermore,the item was filled with falsehood. According to John alocal activist, “ the resolu-tion states that both crimeand drug use are on the rise.In fact, crime in the greaterAustin area is at thirty yearlows and Pflugerville is asafe city.” As a result, themajority of the Pflugervilleunderstood that item 10was bad. Consequently, theproposed item was with-drawn because the rest ofthe council were going tovote against it.
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist
Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.
6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed
EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V
EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS
www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018 ~ Page 7
Are you interested in doing businesswith the City of Austin?
We are here for you!City of Austin
Purchasing OfficeVendor Registration
www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasing
For information on the City of Austin’s Minority/Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600 orvisit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR CHSCONCESSION STAND PROJECT
Pflugerville ISD will accept proposals from qualified constructionfirms until 2:00 p.m., May 03, 2018, in the lobby of the PfISD
Administration Building. Address all submittals to:Craig Pruett
Pflugerville Independent School District1401 West Pecan
Pflugerville, Texas 78660The anticipated budget for this project is approximately $250,000.
The scope and schedule for the project as currently defined aredescribed in the Proposal Documents.
Proposal documents may be obtained by contacting the PflugervilleISD Purchasing Department by email at [email protected].
Pflugerville I.S.D. reserves the right to waive any formalities and toreject any or all Proposals.Project Schedule of Events
· Request for Proposals Release 04-16- 2018· Due Date for Proposals 05-03-2018, 2:00 p.m.· Board Approval Expected 05-17-2018· Notify Firm 05-18-2018· Begin Construction 06-11-2018
· Expected Completion Date 01-25-22019
Integral Care is currentlysoliciting proposals through aRequest for Proposals (RFP)process for Group Health, Dental,and Vision. RFPs may be sentelectronically, by contactingValerie Hamstra [email protected] or(512) 930-8342 beginning April5, 2017. The deadline to submita proposal under the RFP is 4 p.m.CST on April 24, 2017.Historically UnderutilizedBusinesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned Businesses, areencouraged to apply.
“The Pflugerville IndependentSchool District will open
Proposals for:Employee Medical Insurance
Programon Friday, May 18, 2018
@ 2:00 p.m.All proposals may be submitted
(by mail or hand carry) to: Pflugerville ISD 1401 West Pecan Pflugerville, TX 78660
Attn: Craig PruettProposals may be picked up inperson or downloaded from the
PfISD website at:www.pfisd.net. Contact Craig
Pruett at [email protected].
“The Pflugerville IndependentSchool District will open
Proposals for:District MAC Physical Access,
Alarm and Paging Systemson Thursday, April 27, 2018
@ 2:00 p.m.All proposals may be submitted
(by mail or hand carry) to: Pflugerville ISD 1401 West Pecan Pflugerville, TX 78660
Attn: Craig PruettProposals may be picked up inperson or downloaded from the
PISD website at: www.pfisd.net.Contact Craig Pruett [email protected].
New Jobs for theWeek of 04/15/2018Administrator, Contract
Service CenterJob# 1804011
Technician, Heating Ventilation &Air-Conditioning
Service CenterJob# 1804012
Coordinator, Student LifeRound Rock Campus
Job# 1804014Coordinator, Communications/
Social MediaHighland Business Center
Job# 1804016Coordinator, Senior Media
RelationsHighland Business Center
Job# 1804017Faculty, Radio-Television-Film
Northridge CampusJob# 1804021
Specialist, Student LifeRound Rock Campus
Job# 1804013
Leasing is underwayand this special event willcelebrate not only thosewho have already movedin but also those that areplanning to call Aldrich 51home. Residents andsoon-to-be residents willhave the opportunity toparticipate in family-friendly entertainment in-cluding face painting, bal-loon artistry and a photobooth. Refreshments willalso be served from sev-eral food vendors.
“Aldrich 51 is one ofthe first affordableworkforce communities inAustin to locate amidst5,000 service jobs. Ourresidents can walk or biketo work and spare them-selves the agony of a longcommute,” said DMACompanies PresidentDiana McIver. “Moreover,
Aldrich 51 is one of the first affordable workforcecommunities in Austin to locate amidst 5,000 service jobs
Mueller’s Aldrich 51 Housing. Photo by T. L. Wyatt
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
our residents have accessto the way of life so uniqueto Mueller – the parks, thetrails, the shopping and allthat this community has tooffer in a close proximity.”
Situated in the heartof Austin’s Mueller neigh-
borhood, Aldrich 51 is con-veniently located tonearby employment cen-ters, service and retail es-tablishments, includingDell Children’s MedicalCenter of Central Texas, H-E-B, the Seton Family of
Hospitals AdministrativeOffices and Mueller’s Re-gional Retail Center. On-site amenities include amedia room, coffeelounge, fitness studio,community room, swim-ming pool and much
more. The four-storycommunity offers stu-dios, one-, two- andthree-bedroom units, aswell as garage parking forbicycles, motorcycles andcars.
DMA Companies,
along with other apartmentdevelopers, have madecommitments to providinglong-term affordable rentalhomes. As part of theMueller Affordable HomesProgram, 85 percent of the240 units will serve youngfamilies, working couples,single parents and olderadults who earn 30 to 60percent of Austin’s MedianFamily Income (MFI), whichranges from $16,000 for asingle person to $51,500 fora family of four.
We wantYOU!
AdvertiseWith The
VILLAGER
TheBreakfast
ClubEVERY FRIDAY
8 AM - 9 AMwww.KAZIFM.org
Austin Community College (ACC) District is requestingproposals from interested firms for the purpose of selecting aTexas Department of Licensing and Regulatory (TDLR)Services approved Electrical Contractor to provide materialsand services to address the needs of ACC District-wide forscheduled Buildings and Grounds Projects and for immediateand emergency services.Request for Proposals (RFP): 910-18-0017-00-S-DG-RFPAll responses must be submitted to the ACC PurchasingDepartment by no later than Thursday May 10, 2018 at 2:00P.M., Central Standard Time (CST).Solicitation information and packages will be available on theACC Purchasing website at http://www.austincc.edu/offices/purchasing/advertised-solicitations or in the ACC PurchasingOffice with advance notice at (512) 223-1044 between the hoursof 9:00 A.M., and 4:00 P.M., CST, Monday through Friday. Allresponses must be sealed and returned to the ACC PurchasingDepartment located at ACC Service Center, 9101 Tuscany Way,Austin, Texas 78754, by the date and time indicated above.Electronically transmitted responses will not be accepted unlessotherwise stated in the documents.A pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for April 26, 2018; 10:00A.M., at ACC Highland Business Center, Room 401.0.
DPR Construction is soliciting proposals from all qualifiedSubcontractors and Material Vendors for the Building 3 bidpackage as part of the Charles Schwab Corporate Campus projectlocated at 2309 Gracy Farms Lane in Austin, Texas. Proposalswill be accepted on or before May 8, 2018 at 2:00 PM CST.Trade work includes Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing,Earthwork, Erosion Control, Utilities, Concrete, Rebar, FireProtection, and Cranes and Hoists.Subcontractors and Material Vendor are encouraged to attendthe pre-proposal conference on April 26 @ 9:00 AM CST heldat DPR’s office at 9606 N. Mopac Suite 300, Austin TX 78759.
DPR Construction is an EEO Employer and all HUB and M/WBE Subcontractors and Material Vendors are stronglyencouraged to submit proposals for this project.
“The PflugervilleIndependent School District
will open Proposals for:Golf Equipment & Supplies
on Tuesday, May 8, 2018@ 2:00 p.m.
All proposals may besubmitted (by mail or hand
carry) to: Pflugerville ISD 1401 West Pecan
Pflugerville, TX 78660 Attn: Janie Ornelas
Proposals may be picked up inperson or downloaded from
the PISD website at:www.pfisd.net.
Are HBCUs in jeopardy? By ReShonda Billingsley
Since their inception,historically Black collegesand universities (HBCUs)have educated countlessBlack doctors, lawyers,theologians, entrepre-neurs, journalists, teach-ers, entertainers politi-cians and other profes-sionals. Noted alumnirange from Dr. MartinLuther King Jr. to OprahWinfrey to Houston’s ownlate U.S. Reps. Barbara Jor-dan and Mickey Leland.
Yet despite a spike inenrollment at many of thenation’s 101 accreditedHBCUs eight years ago,those numbers now ap-pear to be on the decline.
According the Na-tional Center of EducationStatistics, HBCU enroll-ment hovers at about300,000 students nation-wide. That number rose toabout 325,000, in 2010,the year after BarackObama became president.
Today, the tide seemsto be shifting. In the fiveyears following that 2010spike, enrollment declinedby 10 percent, comparedto a 4 percent drop for allcolleges during that pe-riod, federal data shows.
Between 2010 and2015, 20 Black collegessaw enrollment plummetby more than 25 percentand only 22 Black collegessaw increases during thattime. In Texas, enrollmentis down at many HBCUs.
Texas Southern Uni-versity President Dr. Aus-tin Lane is among the lead-ers hoping to reverse thattide. Lane said he wants toexpand enrollment to15,000 students by 2020.Current enrollment is
10,237 students.At least five HBCUs
have closed since 1988, in-cluding Natchez Junior Col-lege, Morristown College,Mary Holmes College, LewisCollege of Business and St.Paul’s College. ConcordiaCollege in Selma will closeits doors at the end of thespring semester.
Some college financeexperts predict that doz-ens of HBCUs will disap-pear in the next 20 years.
“I use a phrase thatgot me in trouble. Afterseven and a half years inthis space and seeing adecline overall, my phraseis, ‘I am hopeful, but not
optimistic,’ “ said JohnnyTaylor, former president ofthe Thurgood MarshallCollege Fund, which sup-ports public HBCUs. Taylorbelieves as many as one-quarter of HBCUs will notsurvive the next two de-cades.
Overall, Texas HBCUsgraduate fewer than 30 per-cent of their freshmenwithin six years. That is thecase at more than half ofHBCUs; the six-year gradu-ation rate for all U.S. col-leges is 59 percent. PaulQuinn College in Dallas isthe first HBCU to be nameda “work college” by the U.S.Department of Education.
Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/April 20, 2018 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com
HACA Receives 25 New Vouchers to Help HomelessVeterans Find Permanent Homes
The Housing Authorityof the City of Austin (HACA)has received 25 additionalvouchers from the U.S. De-partment of Housing and Ur-ban Development (HUD),bringing the agency’s totalHUD-Veterans Affairs Sup-portive Housing (HUD-VASH)Program allocation to 489.The distribution is part of anongoing effort by HUD andthe U.S. Department of Vet-erans Affairs (VA) to end vet-eran homelessness.
The HUD-VASH Pro-gram combines rental assis-tance from HUD coupledwith case management andVA clinical services. HUD-VASH reduces veteranhomelessness by providingfunding for both the housingand supportive services for
thousands of veterans na-tionwide, including those liv-ing in the capital of Texas.
“These vouchers arethe least we can do for vet-erans in Austin who haveselflessly served our country,but now have nowhere tocall home,” said HACA Presi-dent and CEO MichaelGerber. “This program allowsour community to betterserve those who are strug-gling with homelessness andinsufficient services.”
In the HUD-VASH pro-gram, VA Medical Centers(VAMCs) assess veterans ex-periencing homelessness be-fore referring them to localhousing agencies like HACAfor these vouchers. Decisionsare based on a variety of fac-tors, most importantly the
duration of homelessnessand the need for longerterm, more intensive sup-port in obtaining and main-taining permanent housing.The HUD-VASH program in-cludes both the rental assis-tance the voucher providesand the comprehensive casemanagement that VAMCstaff offers.
Veterans participatingin the HUD-VASH programrent privately owned hous-ing and generally contributeno more than 30 percent oftheir income toward rent.Since 2008, more than87,000 vouchers have beenawarded nationally, andmore than 144,000 home-less U.S. veterans have beenserved through the HUD-VASH program.