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RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’Tommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy Wyatt

Vol. 41 No.6 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: vil3202@aol.com June 28, 2013

(Austin, TX - June22, 2013) - BASS,RHYTHM and DANCE!Saturday evening, fam-ily, friends and fansabundantly filledNelson Athletic Sta-dium to observe the

10th ANNUAL BATTLE Of The BANDSHONORS AUSTIN’S FINEST

10th ANNUAL BATTLE Of The BANDSHONORS AUSTIN’S FINEST

by Angela Wyatt eventful annual celebra-tion; Alvin PattersonBattle of the Bands andDrumline Competition.The humorous Mr. Ken-neth Thompson was themaster of ceremoniesfor the night. Thompsonhad the crowd on their

toes and laughing non-stop, from singing tobusting out a few dancemoves and crackingjokes.

The 10th annual cel-ebration served as a spe-cial youth platformwith, invocation given

by Isaiah Mitchell(Dessau MiddleSchool), Color GuardPresentation displayedby the Bedichek JuniorMarines of Austin,Texas, and the NationalAnthem vocalized by

Photo by Angela Wyatt

See B.O.B., page 2

ELLIS: SupremeCourt OKs Jim

Crow Voting Laws

ELLIS: SupremeCourt OKs Jim

Crow Voting Laws

Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston)

“21st Century Plessey v. Ferguson” gutsVoting Rights Act, endangers voting

rights for millions(Austin, Texas) -

Senator Rodney Ellis(D-Houston) blasted theUS Supreme Court's 5-4decision to gut the Vot-ing Rights Act and en-danger the voting rightsof millions of Ameri-cans.

The Supreme Courtdeclared Section 4 –which determines thecriteria for which statesand jurisdictions aresubject to preclearanceof voting laws by the USJustice Department offederal court-- unconsti-tutional. This rulingmeans that discrimina-tory voter ID laws andracially gerrymanderedredistricting maps arenow permissible acrossTexas and the entireUnited States.

“It is an outrageous

and nonsensical ruling,“said Ellis. “I don’tknow what Americathose five SupremeCourt justices are livingin to be able to pretendthat deliberate and bla-tant attempts to disen-franchise people ofcolor at the ballot box donot exist. This is Plesseyv. Ferguson for the 21stcentury and will godown in history as oneof the most wrong-headed and out-of-linedecisions of the modernera.”

While the decisionguts the Voting RightsAct, it does permitCongress to re-enactthe preclearance re-gime by simply enact-ing a new formula thatcomplies with the Rob-erts decision. The Vot-

ing Rights Act wasmost recently reautho-rized in 2006 – 390-33in the GOP House and98-0 in the GOP Senate– and signed by Presi-dent George W. Bush.

In 2011, the Texas Leg-islature approved so-calledvoter ID legislation that willmake it significantly more dif-ficult for potentially over onemillion eligible Texas votersto exercise their right to vote.The legislation establishedsome of the most restrictivevoting laws in the nation. Thelaw -- opposed by groupsranging from AARP toMALDEF to the NAACP andLULAC -- requires voters to

show picture identification inorder to vote. The racially-discriminatory redistrictingmaps passed in 2011 couldnow be put into effect.

“I hope that theUS Congress will im-mediately revamp theVoting Rights Act tocreate a formula whichtakes into account cur-rent and historical dis-crimination and biaswhile meeting the re-quirements the Su-preme Court has setout,” said Ellis. “Con-gress must act now toprotect the votingrights of millions ofAmericans.”

Terry McMillan Rocksat the 7th Annual AABF

What Color is Your Ink?

Shirley A. Hammondfollow her ontwitter.com/

@xtremeridewish1

Good luck findinga place to park or evenchoice seating in theBoyd Vance Audito-rium on Saturday, June22. Runaway block-buster author TerryMcMillan was in Austinfor the 2013 Austin Af-rican American BookFestival. She drew such

a massive crowd, thatmany overflow fanswere seated in the ad-joining dance studiowhere they watched aprojected simulcast ofher session. Many hadto park in the most re-mote section of theparking lot at CarverMuseum and Library,not to mention wait inlong lines to buy orhave her autograph oneof her books. If theyminded, this was notevident. The full capac-ity crowd found out thatthe witty, direct,relateable and person-

able qualities which arethe hallmark of many ofMcMillan’s best-sellerbook characters aremore than a glimpseinto the author’s ownmany-layered personal-ity.

McMillan’s accom-plishments are nothingto gloss over. She hasgarnered such rave re-views for her books;have had titles on #1New York Times best-seller list, and had twonovels adapted intomovies with A-listertop-billed actressessuch as Angela Basset

and the late WhitneyHouston in key roles.

She announced tothe audience that her2001 book, “A Day Lateand a Dollar Short”(New American Library)will premiere as a Life-time Movie Networkproduction starringWhoopi Goldberg. “It’sgot like some real meatto it,” she shared.

The novelist readexcerpts from her up-coming book, with anunsurprising title, con-sidering that the nativeof Port Huron, MI wroteit. Full of bracingly frankhumor, “Who AskedYou?” is scheduled tolaunch in September. Asshe read hilarious inter-ludes from the book,

she drew effusivelaughter. She sharedsome highly believableconversational dialogueand other content fromthe book. Much of herreading centeredaround a little boy as heshared his sometimesfrank and occasionaljaded view of his familylife with his grand-mother. “I just tried toput myself in a kid’sshoes,” she stated. “I’vebeen around kids, and Isort of know how theytalk.” Although she said14 other characters areincluded in the book,she mentioned that thegrandmother shows upin every chapter.

See McMILLAN,page 2

Because diversityis critical to our

becoming America’sbest public university,we will continue todefend our policy.See APPEALS

Page 5

A.J. Snipes presents4th of July Gospel

extravaganza.See DECLARATION

Page 3

Elimination of PIUfunding will result inover-looking publicofficials alleged of

malfeasance.See TRAVIS

Page 4

Fundamentals of loveand learning to be

your own boyfriend.See GENERATIONS

Page 6

You Win One,You Lose One!

This week the United StatesSupreme Court acted on two casesthat will have an effect on Texas.Both cases have been in the makingfor some time and finally reachedthe high court.

The first case was Fisher v.University of Texas. In this case,Ms. Fisher, a white student, chargedthat she was not admitted to UTwhile a less qualified African Stu-dent were admitted. It should bepointed out that there were manyWhite students who also had lowerentry level scores than Ms. Fisherwho also were admitted.

The court ruled in favor ofequal opportunity in higher educa-tion. In doing so, the court preservedits past holding that a diverse learn-ing environment benefits students,our workforce, and the country as awhole. UT currently operates un-der the Top 10 rule that declaresany student that finishes in the top10% of their class at their highschool is eligible to enter UT. How-ever, that rule is now being chal-lenged to determine if it is adequateto assure diversity at the school. Adecision will be made later to seewhether or not to continue that po-lice or put another system in place.Whatever the system, the court be-lieves that race can be a factor. Atthe present time, enrollment of Af-rican Americans continue to decreaseas other races continue to increase.It appears that the Hispanic stu-dents are having the largest increaseat the university.

The other case concerned theVoting Rights Act. The SupremeCourt struck down Section 4 of theVoting Rights Act. Texas is amongthe states that require that anychanges made in their voting lawsmust have clearance from the Fed-eral Government or in FederalCourt. The Voting Rights Act wassigned into law in 1965 and has beenextended several times over the last48 years.

Many feel that taking Texasand the other states from under thisprovision will return to the old sys-tem where minorities are discour-aged from voting. Many methodshave been made in the past to dis-courage minorities from going to thepolls.

In Texas, we are in the middleof a redistricting effort that couldhave a dramatic effect on the votingprocess. Already, we are operatingunder a system that breaks upTravis County in to four differentcongressional districts. The newlines, if approves, would keep thatsystem in place.

Also, Austin is in the middleof designing a 10-1 plan for our citycouncil elections. Many believe thatwithout pre-clearance from the Fed-eral Government, African Ameri-cans will not have a chance to electan African American from an “Afri-can American Opportunity” dis-trict.

This is the last year for the6-1 plan. where we elect councilmembers from six districts and theMayor. The new plan will have 10districts and the Mayor. But withthe outward migration of African,it is doubtful whether or not therewould be enough African Americansin any one area to gurantee the elec-tion of an African American to anyof the districts.

We will be watching this pro-cess closely. We must also get in-volved in the process to make surethat it is fair.

Page 2 ~ June 28, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

THE COMMUNIQUÉ

Zoya Eckhart (VistaRidge High School). Theaudience was serenadedby Judy Arnold-Huntersinging the AfricanAmerican NationalHymn. Special guest per-formances from the Aus-tin community: The Uni-versity Hills Line Danc-ers Groovers and TheAustin CommunitySteel-band All Start. A sig-nificant tribute from theAustin All Star Band per-forming “Talking in yoursleep”, honoring the late

B.O.B. BRINGS IN BANDS FROM ACROSS TEXAS, MISSOURI & LOUISIANA

continued from page 1 Alvin O. Patterson, M.Ed.Exceptional recog-

nition was given to theindividuals of AustinISD, Manor ISD,Pflugerville ISD, andRound Rock ISD. Alsohonored were GreaterHouston All Star Band,Tekoa Academy, TravisCounty Sheriff’s Office &Precinct One. All of theaforementioned entities,who have given theirtime, energy and them-selves to make our com-munities better for allchildren over the last 10

years, received TheGolden Trumpet Award.In addition, an honorablemention to the family ofJoyce Adejumo, owner ofMitchie’s Gallery, wasgiven.

Building the inten-sity, Austin Toros NBAD-League flung count-less shirts into the sta-dium for people tocatch. Speculators rang-ing all ages were givenred wrist bands at ran-dom once entering thegate, not knowing theywould be called down

to the field to partici-pate in an ambush com-munity dance line up,jigging to the hip-hopsong “The CupidShuffle”. Finally themoment everyone hadbeen awaiting. Six meri-torious and phenom-enal bands took centerfield, the procession fea-tured: Tekoa AcademyDrum Cor-Line of PortArthur, TX; Manor AceDrumline of Manor, TX;Kansas City MarchingCobras of Kansas City,MO; Louisiana Leader-

ship Institute All StarBand of Baton Rouge,LA; Austin All-StarBand of Austin, TX andHouston United MassBand of Houston, TX.Each band showcasedtheir over all unique tal-ent and skills. Follow-ing such hype and enter-taining performances, itwas time for what ev-eryone had been hold-ing their breath for, theDrumline Competition.Every drum section ofthe bands assembledacross the football field

to battle it out. Begin-ning with five drumcores, each round re-sulted in eliminationuntil there were twolines standing, AustinAll-Star Band and theLouisiana LeadershipInstitute (LLI) All StarBand battled head tohead, ultimately therecould only be one win-ner and LLI All StarBand were titled 1st

place. Congratulationsto all participants andkudos for an outstand-ing show.

Photo by Angela Wyatt

The AmericanBook Awards winnerposed comfortably atthe podium, almost as ifreading to a gatheringof friends and family ona front porch. She toldthe audience that shedoesn’t think in terms ofthe color of authors, butstated that she doesread other AfricanAmerican writers.

“A lot of peopleread my work,” the en-gaging novelist added.She also educated theaudience about thegenre referred to as popliterature, which ispopular literature. Sheexplained that while shehas not striven to be acrossover writer, theuniversal things whichhappen to the charactersin her stories causedthat dynamic to occur.She did defend her sto-ries as unpredictable.

Her rumbly read-ing voice projected wellas she awesomely chan-neled the characters ofthe upcoming book inthe first person point ofview, peeling back thecurtain to showcasetheir humanity. Citingclassic authors such asHemingway andFaulkner as authenticwriters whose charac-ters were known forstrong voices, she said,“I write in a voice my

McMILLAN: “I WRITE IN AVOICE MY CHARACTERSSPEAK IN” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

characters speak in.”She also revealed thatshe doesn’t alwaysknow how her storieswill end. Although shealluded to the fact thather upcoming book isfinished, she cliff-hungthe ending and withheldthe delicious pieceabout how one belovedboy in the story turnedout.

Another revelationwas that she doesn’tneed music, candlesand all that jazz in orderto write. She said sheneeds to be able to hearherself. “I do a lot ofhomework before I geta chance to find outwhat makes them tick,”she said of her charac-ters. “I get to be that per-son and I lose Terry. Ihave to be very quiet todo that.” When askedwhere her characterssuch as Luther comefrom, she pointed to herhead, where her abun-dant tresses were of acolor she later describedas intense red.

She described writ-ing in words similar tothose she’s used at othertimes and places. “It’slike praying on paper.”She spoke of the beautyof capturing stories. Shealso said that writing isnot something one talksabout, it’s somethingone does.

She stated that shehas a short story collec-tion dating back to 1989,and referred to them asperfect for travel. “Ilove short stories,” sheconfessed. By a show ofhands in the audience,she found fellow loversof this special genre.She said the conflict insuch stories comequickly, which she cred-ited as an effective wayto write. “I don’t haveall day...” she stated, asshe praised the shortstory for cutting to thechase. She pointed outthat, ultimately,”Agood writer is a goodwriter.” She said shewas once so enthralledwith how well a bookwas written that shecried, called someone inanother time zone, andthrew the book on thefloor - because she wasso happy that the authorgot it, could see it, andeffectively put it on pa-per. “We have so manystories that need to betold – honestly,” shesaid.

She stayed for awhile after the massesdeparted, not with-holding her trademarkfresh sassiness as shechuckled and showedlove and appreciationfor her adoring fans.Some of that crowdposed for pictures with

her, others threw theirheads back andlaughed at her sharpwit and quips.

During her visit,she held a baby, pro-vided her autograph ona bookmark for a little

girl, received a gift bagof goodies from an ap-preciative fan, and evenstopped to shake ayoung girl’s hand as shewas getting into the carafter the event was over.Many hung onto her ev-

ery word, watched herwork her unique styleand took a catalog ofpictures of her on theirsmart phones. After all,she was Terry McMillan– and that’s nothing tosneeze at.

NationalParks Month

July is declaredNational Parks and Rec-reation Month. Thisyear’s theme is “Love

Your Park and Recre-ation”. Park patrons maypick up a “pin card” atany Austin Parks andRecreation facilitythroughout the City.The pin card will allow

patrons to express theirlove for their favoritepark, and the cards willalso include facts aboutthe local Parks System.For additional informa-tion. call 512.974.6700

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/June 28, 2013 ~ Page 3

CHURCH & TOWN BULLETIN

If you have church newsor

to have your church included onthis page, send information to

vil3202@aol.comor

call 512-476-0082.

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

Sunday Services Worship 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

Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875

Dr. Ricky Freeman, Pastor

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

True Hope Apostolic ChurchThe Apostle Gerald E. Loveless, Senior Pastorwww.thcm.org 8863 Anderson Mill Rd.

Austin, TX 78653

512-744-5851 Cell

512-547-HOPE Church

512-767-4979Assistant, Elder Walker

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.

Rev. Lois Hayes, Pastor

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 4509 Springdale Road Austin, Tx 78723

Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281Christian Web Site-

stpetersaustintx.ning.comstpetersaustintx@att.net

THE PLACE WHERE WE STEP OUT ON FAITH.COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH US

Sunday 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.orgRev. 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

DOUBLE

GROCERY“R”

450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.

*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out

Damon LuckettSales Consultant

Charles Maund Toyota8400 Research Blvd.

P.O. Box 1608Austin, TX 78758

(512) 458-2222damon_luckett@

charlesmaundtoyota.com

7801 N. Lamar Blvd,Suite D 102,

Austin, Texas 78752

Worship: Sunday--10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Tuesday Bible Studies--7:30pm - 9:00 pmFriday Prayers--7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

The Church of Pentecost, USA Inc,Austin offers a wide variety of opportuni-ties for children, youth, adults, and olderadults to be involved in worship, spiritualgrowth, education, community outreach,and making a tangible difference to thosein need in our community. You too, canmake a positive difference in our commu-nity through your prayers, your presence,your gifts, your service, and your witness.Tel: 512 302-1270

Leading People to Experience God’s Love, Know Jesus Christ & Grow in His Image

The Church of Pentecost

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

Anthony J. Snipes cordially invites you to a 4thof July Gospel Celebration, which will be held onthe Sunday of July 7, 2013 at the Carver Museumbeginning at 11 a.m. This event is free to the public.Snipes is privileged to welcome to Austin again histwo sisters, Alesia Snipes Sanders and JacquelineJohnson, who are both recording artists, as well asmy mother Buford Snipes, who is an author andrecording artist. Snipes will provide two selectionsin additional to the Shedrach Rowry and the Levitesperformace. Last but certainly not least, Dr. MarkWashington will be bringing the word. All arewelcome to join in on the celebration!!!

DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE

Rehoboth Wellness Garden of Eden5303 Samuel Huston Ave

Austin Texas 78721Spring is in the air,

come celebratethe season with us at

GARDEN of EDEN

GRAND OPENING June 29, 2013at 10am-12pm

Rev. Ray Hendricks (Pastor)Angela Bigham (Wellness Director)

www.wellnessgarden.orgphone 512/554-9086

email:angelabigham@wellnessgarden.org

Shiloh Primitive BaptistChurch, 385 FM 20,

Bastrop, TX., Elder LarryWashington, Pastor,

cordially invites each andeveryone to "A Tribute ofService & Love" honoringSister Doris Howard, whois resigning as musician,

1990-2013, Saturday,June 29th @ 4:00 PM.

The program will consistof choirs,solos, tributesand expressions. For

more information contactSister DemetriaWashington @512-303-3609!

SPBCANNOUNCEMENT

Walk Texas – Active Austin 10-Week ChallengeMake exercise a habit. Take the free Active Austin 10-Week Chal-

lenge. Sponsored by the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Ser-vices Department, the Walk Texas- Active Austin fitness program willkick off the next 10-Week Challenge with a brief orientation on Saturday,July 13, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at:

Terrazas LibraryConference Room1105 East Cesar Chavez, Austin 78702Bus Routes: 17, 21, 22, & 320 (512) 974-9980

The Active Austin 10-Week Challenge is a free program offered fourtimes a year to encourage everyone to become more physically active.This challenge will start in July and end in September. You can join as afamily, a group, a worksite, or as an individual. Anyone who lives orworks in Austin/Travis County can participate. The program providesthe structure, so you can start a walking group, bike club, swim club,skate club, dance club, etc. Physical activity options are limitless and theprogram helps you stay motivated, meet new people, and have fun beingactive. To register, contact Sabrina McCarty at 512-972-5463, or emailsabrina.mccarty@austintexas.gov.

DiverseArts Culture Works is pleased to present this month’s East EndFourth Fridays! The community-focused, family-friendly celebration of art, mu-sic and community in East Austin. This month’s event will take place at KennyDorham’s Backyard on Friday, June 21 starting at 7pm.

This month attendees will be treated to live music by the soulful LZ Love,the melodic East Side Blues Syndicate and the young but equally talented Mid-night Skyline. Also, food will be available for purchase

For more information call 512.477.9438

Page 4 ~ June 28, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

CITY ~ STATE ~ NATIONAL ~ WORLD

As Governor Perrywas signing the budgetfor the entire State ofTexas, he vetoed thefunding of the IntegrityUnit, which, is housedby the Travis CountyDistrict Attorney Office.Moreover, GovernorRick Perry usage of theline-item veto for theIntegrity unit meansthat funding will ceaseof August 31, 2013 andwill not be renewed foranother two years,when the Texas Legis-lature meet again.Since the governor hasrefused to fund it, the

Perry Defunds Travis County Integrity Unitby Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

Travis County DistrictAttorney must findother methods to fundthis department, un-less, it cease all of itsinvestigation.

Moreover, the de-funding of the IntergrityUnit would not be ableto investigate any typeof alleged misconductfrom a public official.Currently, the IntegrityUnit is responsible tohold public officialthroughout the entire ofState of Texas account-able for any type of mis-conduct or wrong do-ing. For instance, the

PIU successfully pros-ecutor former Con-gressman Tom Delaydue to the lack of trans-parency of his cam-paign finance. How-ever, the defunding ofthe PIU would meanthat State of Texaswould hardly investi-gated public officialwho are alleged of mis-conduct.

Since the Governorhas decided to veto thefunding of the PublicIntergrity Unit, theTravis County wouldeither have to close thisunit or find other meth-ods to fund this Unitthat covers the entireState of the Texas. Ifthe PIU closes, then it

would have to layoffcertain lawyers whoinvestigate these al-leged misconduct.However, the TravisCounty District attor-ney may ask TravisCounty CommissionerCourt to fund the PIU.If the Travis CountyCommissioner Courtdecide to pay for it,then it must allocate3.6 million to the Pub-lic Intregity Unit.

Consequently, theTravis County Commis-sioner Court wouldhave to increase the taxrate of all Travis Countyresidents to fund a pro-gram that is meant toprosecute public officialthroughout the Texas.

Governor Rick Perry

Former Congressman Tom Delay

When the regurlartexas legislative ses-sion ended, GovernorPerry and the Republi-can leadership decidedto call a special ses-sion. This special ses-sion was suppose todeal with the redistrict-ing of both the legisla-tive and congresioonallines, however, thegovernor also includedthe issue of abortation.As a result, the specialcalled session alsoserved as cultural waramong republicansand democrats. Inother words, the legis-lature has veered ofcourse so that the gov-ernor can solidify hisconservative bases.

Moreover, the par-tisan abortion bills

Anti-abortion crowd assembled at the Texas StateCapitol in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of NickSwartsell

Texas DemocratsFight to Over Rule

Abortion Bill

pushed by the Repub-lican led legislaturecalls for the ban abor-tions after the 20thweek of pregnancy, in-stead of the 24 week;require doctors to haveadmitting privileges atnearby hospitals; andlimit abortions to sur-gical centers. On theother hand, TexasDemocrats object to thedecrease of the ban lawfrom 24 week to the20th week of preg-nancy. As a result, themain focus of this leg-islative has changedfrom being the subjectredistricting to abor-tion.

Finally, the Re-publican led TexasHouse of Representa-tive passed the abor-tion bill on a 97 to 33vote. Now the bill isheaded to the TexasSenate for a vote. How-ever, the vote in theTexas Senate has beendelayed until Mondayat 7 PM. If the bill doesnot pass before the endof the special session,then the Governor cancall an addittional spe-cial session or wait un-til the next 2015.

Rep. Dawnna Dukes,D-Austin, said the billwill force all abortion

clinics to close,jeopardizing women’s

health across the state.

“The option is not thatabortions won’t take

place, the option will bethat safe abortions won’ttake place,” Dukes said

by Tsoke (Chuch) AdjavonAlvin O. Patterson

AlvinPatterson

Battle of the Bandsby Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

On June 22, 2013 the annual “Alvin PattersonBattle of the Band” was held at the Nelson Field.This event was very well attended by the commu-nity. According to the organizers, there were ap-proximately 500 people who attended the event.The "Battle of the Band" was a mixture of musicalinstrument with the "influence of urban music anddance moves." Moreover, the "Battle of the Band"was a kickoff event to other African American cul-tural event.

The bands at the Battle of Band came fromvarious cities, in order, to take part of this event.For instance, some bands came from Manor andalso as far away as the State of Missouri and theState of Louisiana. Each band had a unique musi-cal instrument, which, produced a unique musi-cal beat.

Larry Jackson

Finally, the Battle of the Band is a culturalevent, that, serves as a fundraiser for various schol-arships. Moreover, the scholarship is meant tohonor the legacy and honor of Alvin. O

Patterson. According to the organizers, theyseek to “give a deserving Austin All Star graduat-ing senior pursuing a degree or certification in mu-sic from an accredited institution.” Furthermore,“Each year the Scholarship Board will presentscholarship(s) to one or more seniors at each An-nual Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands andDrumline Competition.”

THE SHOTHEARD AROUND

THE WORLD!

In what can easilybe described as the mo-ment women yankedthe reigns of male domi-nated rule in the Texaschamber of congressaway from their virilecounterparts, Lt. Gover-nor David Dewhurstand his GOP colleagueswere rendered abso-lutely helpless to thesovereignty of the fe-male voice. For elevenhours, Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) attemptedto filibuster the abortionbill, SB5. After a seriesof challenges led to herfilibuster ending be-cause of rule violations,her democratic contem-poraries stepped in tohelp defeat the bill.However, none had theeffect of one voice witha ringing question thatseemed to epitomizethe movement ofwomen across the greatstate of Texas, our mag-nificent country, andthis glorious world as awhole. Leticia Van DePutte (D-San Antonio)admonished Lt. Gov.

David Dewhurst andher male Texas Legisla-tor colleagues after feel-ing repeatedly and pur-posely over-looked andnot being recognized ashaving the floor. Theseverity of De Putte’sdismay led to two sting-ing queries of the cham-ber president, Lt. Gov.Dewhurst. “Did thePresident hear me ordid the President hearme and refuse to recog-nize me?” challengedDe Putte. At which, thisquestion was never an-swered by Dewhurst ashe rather nonchalantlytold De Putte she hadthe floor now. After fur-ther dialogue betweenthe two, De Putte,clearly dissatisfied withthe responses given byDewhurst, asked thePresident, “At whatpoint must a femalesenator raise her handor her voice to be recog-nized over her male col-leagues?”, to which, theeruption throughout thechamber by women andopponents of SB5 rangout never to be silencedagain before the mid-night voting deadline.History maker? Maybe.

by Thomas Wyatt

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/June 28, 2013 ~ Page 5

CLASSIFIEDS ~ PUBLIC INFORMATION

The City of Austin Purchasing Officeinvites you to view current bid solicitationsat http://-www.ci.austin.tx.us/purcase/vs/p2.htm. Vendors are encouraged to registeron-line in the City’s Vendor Self ServiceSystem. Once your company is registered,you will receive notifications about new bidopportunities. For additional informationregarding current bid opportunities or Ven-dor Registration, please call the Purchas-ing Office at 512-974-2500. For informa-tion on the City of Austin’s Minority-Ownedand Women-Owned Procurement Programand the certification process, please contactthe Small & Minority Business ResourcesDepartment at 512-974-7600 or visit theirwebsite at http://www.-ci.austin.tx.us/smbr.

City of AustinPurchasing Office

AUSTIN COMMUNITYCOLLEGE

Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed

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EMPLOYMENTPROPOSALS

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AWARD-WINNING GOSPELSUPERSTAR DONALD LAWRENCE

CELEBRATED HIS 20TH

ANNIVERSARY IN THE MUSICINDUSTRY WITH AN

UNFORGETTABLE LIVE RECORDINGBy Naomi Richard

Grammy® Awardand Stellar Award win-ning Gospel superstar,songwriter and producerDonald Lawrence kickedoff his star-studded liverecording in Chicago onTuesday, June 18th to cel-ebrate 20 successfulyears in the music indus-try. Lawrence’s live al-bum recording for hismuch-anticipated 20th an-niversary album broughttogether legendary art-ists, with outstandingperformances fromLawrence and his back-ing ensemble The Co.,

CCM star Natalie Grant,the legendary KarenClark-Sheard, KierraSheard, Vanessa BellArmstrong, Coko (ofSWV), DTP Records’ soulsinger Rudy Currence,Faith Evans, LalahHathaway, Kelly Price,Ted & Sheri, BishopHezekiah Walker, and aspecial dance perfor-mance from LaurieannGibson.

Among Lawrence’sfriends and fans taking inthe unforgettable night ofcelebration were award-winning artists Michelle

Williams, RichardSmallwood, EdwinHawkins, Darwin Hobbs,DeWayne Woods, An-thony Brown, StephenHurd, J.J. Hairston, RickyDillard, JonathanMcReynolds, VaShawnMitchell, Wes Morganand Jonathan Nelson.

Hosted at Dr. BillWinston’s Living WordChristian Center,Lawrence, The Co., andthe star lineup of per-formers filled the housewith the stirring soundsof celebration and rever-ence, on hits such as “TheBlessing of Abraham,”“Mighty God,” “Say APrayer,” “Back II Eden,”Lawrence’s newestsingle “The Gift,” andmore. Blessed with anamazing talent to gracethe stage for over two de-cades, Lawrence’s long-awaited 20th anniversaryalbum will be released inSeptember.

Lawrence spokewith me in Chicago, “Iam thrilled with thetwenty-year celebration,just overwhelmed by theoutpour of love from somany. Gospel music iswho I am. I believe mu-sic comes from your ex-perience. Urban musicwas a place I studied, butGospel music is my life.Walter and Edwin[Hawkins] taught me alot! Billboard called methe Timeless Tunesmith,but the Hawkins taughtme how to write timelesssongs. They taught mesophistication towardsmusic. I also learned alot from RichardSmallwood. I wish Icould have worked withLuther Vandross beforehe passed away. He wasa musical genius. In thefuture, I would love to dosomething in the studiowith CeCe Winans… Ilove her so much!”

Donald Lawrence and the Co. perform thebeloved hit, Blessing of Abraham. Photo by JeffSchear

Girl Scouts Names Chief Executive OfficerFormer Freescale executive chosen to lead the way for Girl Scouts of Central TexasAustin, Texas, June

24, 2013 — After an ex-haustive nationwidesearch, the Board of Di-rectors of the Girl Scoutsof Central Texas(GSCTX) has selectedLynelle McKay as theirnew Chief ExecutiveOfficer. Ms. McKaybrings to the positiontop-level professionalexperience, superiorleadership skills and apassionate commitmentto the Girl Scout mis-sion.

“Lynelle will be anexcellent leader and ad-vocate for GSCTX,”states Board ChairKirsten Billhardt, “andan exemplary rolemodel for our girls.Lynelle has the experi-ence, ability, passionand drive to effectivelylead our organizationthroughout our 46county footprint so thatwe become once again ahigh performing, na-tionally recognized GirlScout council. She is theperson that our Councilneeds at this time andwhat our girls most cer-tainly deserve.”

“I am very excitedabout the opportunityto serve the Girl Scouts

Lynelle McKay

across central Texas,“says Ms. McKay.“From Bryan CollegeStation to San Angelo,Austin to Stephenville,our vision is to providethe best outcomes-basedgirls leadership pro-gram in the country.We are here to inspire,challenge and empowerthis generation of girls.Our challenge is to cre-

ate relevant leadershipdevelopment experi-ences for our girls. To-gether with the generos-ity of our volunteers,donors, and board, westay mission-focused toensure our girls growup to be the leaders ourcommunities need.”

Ms. McKay’s cor-porate career spannedover 20 years at

Freescale Semiconduc-tor, culminating in herposition as Senior VicePresident and GeneralManager of the $1 bil-lion Networking andMultimedia business.She led a global organi-zation with over 2400 instaff, with teams in theU.S., Europe, Mexico,Israel, India, and China.Ms. McKay retired in2008 and since then hasdevoted much of hertime to serving the com-munity through localnonprofit organizations.She is a board memberof the Ann RichardsSchool Foundation andSAHELI, Asian FamilySupport Services ofAustin, and has volun-teered for multiple or-ganizations, includingthe Military Child Edu-cation Coalition and theZoo in You TM, an emo-tional leadership devel-opment program forchildren. Ms. McKayalso served on theBoard of GSCTX (2008-2010) participating onthe STEM AdvisoryCommittee, FinanceCommittee, Develop-ment Committee andStrategic LearningTeam.

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued itsdecision in the case of Fisher v. The University of Texasat Austin, in which the plaintiff challenged any con-sideration of race in the admissions process. TheUniversity’s policy considers race as one among manyfactors in a holistic review of applicants who are notadmitted automatically by the state’s Top 10 PercentLaw.

Today, the Court vacated and remanded theFisher case back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals,finding that the lower court had not applied a strictenough standard when it found in favor of the Uni-versity. It is important to note that the Court did notprohibit the use of race in admissions, as the currentlaw permits. Today’s ruling has no impact on admis-sions decisions we have already made or any imme-diate impact on our holistic admissions policy.

For many years, The University of Texas at Aus-tin has been a leading advocate for diversity in higher

education. As we argued before the Court, we believea diverse student body is critical to the education ofall students. It creates a rich learning environment thatprepares young people for life in an increasingly glo-bal society. Because we remain convinced of this truth,and because diversity is critical to our becomingAmerica’s best public university, we will continue todefend our policy.

Thank you for all the ways you support our corepurpose of transforming lives for the benefit of soci-ety.

Bill PowersPresidentThe University of Texas at Austin

Supreme Court returns Fisher case toFifth Circuit Court of Appeals

I-35 is too important toignore. As such, the Texas De-partment of Transportationalong with the City of Austinand other transportation part-ners is working to identifystrategies to improve I-35.More recently, the effort hasexpanded into Williamsonand Hays counties. Cur-rently, the I-35 corridor, en-compassing the area betweenSH 130 (north of Georgetown)and Centerpoint Road (southof San Marcos), is being evalu-ated. Successfully implement-ing improvements identifiedthrough this effort requirespublic input and support.

Follow us on Facebookat www.facebook.com/Mo-bility35 and Twitter@Mobility35.Through ourdiscussion forums on SpeakUp for Mobility you can alsoshare your ideas for how wemove forward. Together, wecan all help move I-35 for-ward.

MOVING

FORWARD

I-35

Page 6 ~ June 28, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

PROGRAMS ~ AWARENESS4 Generations Support 40 Under 40 Notable Author

Shirley A. Hammondfollow her on twitter.com/@xtremeridewish1

“My family hasbeen very supportive ofme for all of my life andespecially these threeyears while writing mybook.” KaneishaGrayson shared thesewords during thelaunch of her self-helpbook, “Be Your OwnBoyfriend.” On Satur-day, June 22, she dedi-cated her event to hergrandmother who livesin Florida. Althoughshe was not present,Grayson stated that sheoffers her tremendoussupport to her. Threeadditional generationsof her family, includingthe 29-year old author’s

sister, parents, and twinnephews showed up atthe Capital City AfricanAmerican Chamber ofCommerce at 912 E. 11thSt., Suite A to lend theirsupport and aid toGrayson, a doubleMaster’s degreedHarvard graduate. Herbest friend, LeahWalter, was alsopresent.

“Thank you to allof my family for all ofyour awesome sup-port,” she said beforebeginning her readingsegment to an audiencewho included manynon-family members.

Grayson’s themed

event was well-spon-sored by supporterssuch as Good Pops, alocal creator of all-natu-ral, all fruit popsiclesand Southside Printing.In addition to her color-ful book, Grayson hadcupcakes and with viv-idly-hued frostings andhand-held fans whichcarried the book cover,schedule and theme.Popcorn, wine, brown-ies, filtered water wereall available in generousportions. “Everythingbut the books are free,”she told the audience.

She told them thatone should have a senseof self independenceand happiness, whetherin a relationship or not.

She self-described her-self as a former relation-ship addict; and men-tioned that she haslearned to put her en-ergy and love into her-self. She said she gener-ously shares how to ac-complish this in herbook She admitted alsothat at one time shefound that the thread ofher relationships were amixture of salient, joy-ful, and painful. She hu-morously referred tothose days as her “dat-ing dummy days.” Shehas been heard describ-ing the book previouslyas a self-love manifesto,but told her recentgroup that it was like a“finishing school,” on

paper.She shared some

excerpts from her book,took an audience polland accepted questionsfrom those in atten-dance. She also read oneof what she called“brospectives,” whichwere relationship per-spectives from men. Shesaid there were parts of“Be Your Own Boy-friend” that came fromher blog, which startedit all. Grayson alsoshared a couple of self-love principles, whichfollows the chapters.She got lots of happyclaps, and praise fromthe audience. “Just keepdoing it,” one lady toldher as she shared howproud she was of theauthor.

Grayson evenshared a story about thepower of positive visu-alization. She said sheonce went to an areabookstore with a pho-tographer and they tookpictures of her book invarious displaysthroughout the store.She said she eventurned it with the coverfacing outward on oneof the occupied shelves.While she said this wasnot an official, store-sanctioned visit; at alater time that store car-ried her book. And shereported that it endedup facing forward onthe very shelf where shehad placed it during herunapproved expedi-tion. She also said it isselling well at this loca-tion.

Her best friend toldhow she got some greatperspective from read-ing Grayson’s book.“My main take-awaywas really about takingcare of yourself andmaking sure that that’spriority number 1,”stated Walter. She saideverything else seemedto fall into place whenshe established that pri-ority after reading thebook.

Author Kaneisha Graysonposes at her table duringher 6/22/13 event.

4 Generations Support 40 Under 40 Notable Author

Hosted by theuniquely talentedQueen Latifah, thishour-long, multi-topicseries will showcase hertremendous range as anentertainer and her dis-tinct ability to connectwith people.

Featuring celebrityinterview segments, in-spiring human-intereststories, musical perfor-mances and pop cul-ture, viewers will beengaged by QueenLatifah’s dynamic per-sonality – from her out-going and hilarious sideto her compassionateand genuine spirit.

Her successful ca-reer as a multipleaward-winning musi-cian and actress, entre-

Queen Latifah to Premiere NewDaytime Talk-Variety Show

preneur, spokespersonand author has led herto hosting this brand-new daily syndicatedtalk show. With this se-ries, Queen Latifah iscommitting to empow-ering people’s lives andthe concept of paying itforward.

The show will beled by five-timeEmmy® award-win-ning executive pro-ducer Corin Nelson.Will Smith and JadaPinkett Smith(Overbrook Entertain-ment) will be hands-onin guiding the show andattracting the biggestnames in Hollywood.The show is also execu-tive produced byQueen Latifah, Shakim

Compere, JamesLassiter and MiguelMelendez. The programwill be taped in a state-of-the-art multimediastage at Sony PicturesStudios in Los Angeles.

With clearance onCBS-owned stations intop markets, The QueenLatifah Show is poisedto be daytime’s nextfranchise!

Queen Latifah to Premiere NewDaytime Talk-Variety Show