INTERVIEW

www.defendernetwork.com

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

Weekend

Marc MorialIs America Marching in Two Different Directions?

Weekend

FamilyRaising Eager Readers

Click on Defendernetwork.comMonday

Julianne MalveauxRon Walters - A Scholar and a Gentleman

By Kam WilliamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER00

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

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

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

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

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

Certain that it was only a matter of time before her

Kickin’ back with K’Naan

By Odochi IbeNNPA SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

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

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

DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE

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

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

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

★INDICTED, Page 3

★CBC Page 3

★K’NAAN, Page 2

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

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyDEFENDER

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

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

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

★MURALS, Page 7

By Imani EvansSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

THE DALLAS EXAMINER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

★AIRPORT CONTRACTS, Page 4

Airport contracts divide DallasCity Council in Race debate

County financialdirector indicted

CBC tacklesunemployment

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

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

★SHEPARD, Page 4

REMEMBERING

Beulah Shepard

BeaulahShepard

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

University Advancement Adair@tsu.edu

Eddie BerniceJohnson

HelenGiddings

2 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flag?

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

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

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

KW: Do you still feel a strong connectionto Somalia?

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

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

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

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

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

KW: Are you a soccer fan and did you play

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KW: What has been the happiest momentof your life?

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

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

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

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

K: Thank you so much, Kam.

K’Naancontinued from page 1

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

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

green industry.The Congressional Black Caucus

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

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

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

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

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

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

row donation.The sessions will include “Beyond a

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CBCcontinued from page 1

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

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

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

reproduced without the written permissionof the publisher).

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 47 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad Walker

WebmasterCorneleon Block

that carries a punishmentof up to two years in stateprison.

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

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

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

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

Harrison wife has alsobeen charged.

Indictedcontinued from page 1

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

Gaddafi Remarkson ‘Blackening’Europe stirs concerns, anger

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

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

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

★GADDAFI, Page 6

National Cemetery. Shepard was an outspoken

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER

Shepardcontinued from page 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aranza of Star Concessions could not be reachedfor comment.

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

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

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

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

Airport contractscontinued from page 1

This is the uptown version.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

dow.The 2010 Dodge Caliber Uptown

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

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

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

I tend to agree

AUTO NEWS By Darrell K. Ardison

CALIBER: HIGHLIGHTS

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

Engine2.0-liter four-cylinder

Safety equipmentSpeed sensitive power locks

Fuel economy

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

Estimated annual fuel cost$1,560

2010 Dodge Caliber

By Kathy ChaneySpecial to the NNPA from the Chicago Defender

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

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

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

Braun’s political career spans more than twodecades.

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

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

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

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

Moseley Braun considering run for Chicago mayor

Carol Moseley Braun

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

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

for the city of Dallas.”– Dallas Councilwoman

Carolyn Davis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beall is the ManWhat happens when you

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

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

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

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

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

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

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

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

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

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

Dawson coach Eric Wells said

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

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

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

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

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

The Wildcats played possum inthe first quarter against Dayton.

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

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

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

The Wildcats were at it againin the fourth quarter.

Ryan Jackson, who rushed for

★H.S. FOOTBALL, Page 6

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

★TEXANS, Page 6

H.S. Football Games of the Week

New AttitudeTexans Offense Yields Results

Photos courtesy of the Texans

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

Foster said. “We heard those whis-pers all offseason and you try to shakethem, but that wears you down afterawhile. You can do one of twothings. You can either let it get to youor let it get in you and I feel like it gotin us. We are going to try to contin-ue that moving forward.”

Foster also loves the old-school fla-vor that a power running game givesyou.

“It’s a different feel. You wear thedefense down and like I said, it’s a testof wills,” #23 opined. “Running thefootball is old fashioned. It’s just youagainst them and they know you aregoing to run. We know we’re going torun. It’s just whoever is going to stepup and make a play.”

Drafted in 2009 as a center in thethird round, Antoine Caldwell has set-tled in as the team’s starting rightguard. He explains the prevailing atti-tude within the offensive line and howit leads to success running the foot-ball.

“We’re trying to change the mental-ity. We want to be a physical group,”Caldwell explains. “We want to be agroup you can count on with 4th and1, 3rd and inches, that’s going to get

that first down. When times gettough, we want to be a unit you cancount on, whatever running play it is,inside or outside.”

Fellow line mate left tackle DuaneBrown echoes the sentiments. “We’rea young group in the offensive lineand we wanted to make a statementwith our play,” Brown shared. “Wewant to dictate the outcome of thegame with our play. We’re a youngunit overall, but we’re coming togeth-er at the right time. We know if we puta body on someone, #23 will find aseam and get something positive.”

In addition to aggressive play by theO-line and powerful running byFoster, the third member of the rush-ing trinity is fullback Vonta Leach.Leach was the lead blocker, blowingup linebackers at the point of attack onmost of the key gains by Foster. Makeno mistake about it, Leach loves thephysical style of offense.

“It’s a beautiful feeling to be able topound the ball, even when the opposi-tion knows we intend to run the foot-ball,” Leach beamed. “It wears adefense down when you keep comingat them like that. I think it also sends amessage to other teams on our sched-ule. They’ll see this performance ontape and figure out that we’re for realthis year. Now of course we’ve just

won one game, but it’s important tostart the season off on a positive note.”

Against the Colts, the Texans had a15-play scoring drive in the third quar-ter that consumed 7:57 minutes.Drives like that bring smiles to thefaces of the defensive players, espe-cially linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

“It fires us (defense) up to see theoffensive line push people off theball,” Ryans said. “That’s what I liketo see, our offense just dominate andrun the ball down their throat. Thatmeans when we go back on the fieldwe’re fresh. It gives us extra juice togo out there and do what we have todo.”

With the Washington Redskins nextup on the schedule, Leach cautionsthat the team will not be over confi-dent.

“We know we’re a good footballteam, so we don’t want to get too highafter one big win,” #44 cautioned.“We’ll keep working hard because theRedskins are next on the schedule andthey will be tough at home. We knowour goal for this season. We think weare a playoff team. We just need to goout there and prove it every week, onegame at a time. The Redskins are nextand we know what we need to do!”

6 SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDERSPORTS

tory over Kingwood Park.Magnolia was led by Courtney Felinski’s 18 kills while

Paige Holland had 56 assists and two aces. Katzy Randalladded 16 kills and an ace.

The Bulldogs are 20-6 on the season.

Dulles Comes Up Short In Comeback BidDespite trailing by three touchdowns in each of their first

two games against Alief Hastings and Seven Lakes, Dullesdefied the odds and came back to win both games.

This comes on the heels of losing four games in the final61 seconds last season. Three times their opponent scoredthe game-winning score in the final 13 seconds.

So far in 2010, Dulles trailed Hastings 23-0 beforerebounding for a 24-23 victory. The Vikings faced a 28-6deficit to Seven Lakes and then roared back with 15 fourth-quarter points to secure a 36-35 win.

Apparently a 35-20 deficit to Alief Taylor in the Vikings’third game of the season wasn’t enough to get their atten-tion as Dulles suffered its first loss of the season (35-27).

ETC.In a battle of the top two-ranked Class 4A football teams

in the state, No. 2 Aledo knocked off No. 1 Lake Travis 14-10 to snap a 48-game winning streak. The three-timedefending 4A Division I champs were beaten by the defend-ing 4A Division II champions. Travis was one win shy oftying Southlake Carroll’s state record for consecutive victo-ries.

Ardisoncontinued from page 5

done.”Born in Corpus Christi, Berry

earned a spot on the UIL All-Time Texas High SchoolFootball Team after a stellarcareer at Paris High in EastTexas. He went on to star atSouthern Methodist, where hewas an All-SouthwestConference pick in 1954 andwas named to SMU’s Hall ofFame earlier this year. Berrycaught 631 passes for 9,275yards and 68 touchdowns from1955-97 for the BaltimoreColts. He was inducted intothe Pro Football Hall of Famein 1973.

Bradley, nicknamed “SuperBill” for his ability to playseemingly every position well,quarterbacked Palestine High tothe 1964 3A state champi-onship. He played collegiatelyat the University of Texas,where he was a three-time let-terman, moving from quarter-back to defensive back, and wasa team captain in 1968.Bradley was drafted by thePhiladelphia Eagles in 1969 andwas a three-time All-Pro selec-tion before retiring in 1977.Bradley is a member of theTexas High School Football,University of Texas,Philadelphia Eagles and TexasSports Halls of Fame.

Glenn starred in the LoneStar State for nearly his entireplaying career. He was a four-year letterman at Aldine Nimitzbefore moving on to NavarroCollege, where he earned All-Conference and All-Americanhonors as a sophomore. Glennplayed his junior and seniorseasons at Texas A&M, wherehe was a two-time All-Southwest Conference pick anda 1993 All-American. Glennwas drafted by the New YorkJets with the 12th overall pickin 1994 and played there for

eight seasons before joining theHouston Texans in the 2002expansion draft. He was thefirst Pro Bowler in Texans his-tory, and officially retired as aTexan on July 29, 2010. Glennalso played for the DallasCowboys in 2005.

A native of Temple, “Mean”Joe Greene led North TexasState to a 23-5-1 record from1966-68 and was a consensusAll-America pick in 1968. Hewas enshrined in the CollegeFootball Hall of Fame in 1984.Greene was selected by theSteelers with the fourth overallpick in the 1969 NFL Draft andplayed 13 seasons as the mostfeared member of the famed“Steel Curtain,” winning fourSuper Bowls and playing in 10Pro Bowls. He was named tothe All-Pro team eight times,including five first-team nods,and was named DefensivePlayer of the Year in 1972 and1974. Greene was named tothe NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994 and is amember of the Pro FootballHall of Fame Class of 1987.

Moses, a Houston native, let-tered for the University ofTexas in 1960 and 1961.Playing both ways at the offen-sive and defensive end posi-tions, Moses led the Longhornsin receptions during the 1961season and was a consensusAll-Southwest Conference pick.At the end of that year, he wasselected as the OutstandingDefensive Player in the 1962Cotton Bowl when he led adefensive effort that shut downa vaunted Ole Miss passingattack in a 12-7 victory, givinghead coach Darrell Royal hisfirst bowl win. Moses wasnamed to the 1960’s All-DecadeTeam and was inducted into theLonghorn Hall of Honor in2001. Moses was a foundingmember of the Texas BowlBoard of Directors.

Edisoncontinued from page 5

Texanscontinued from page 5

149 yards on 17 carries, broke off a 47-yard run. Rodney Hall followed up witha 25-yard run that set up a two-yard TDrun by Diggs that increased theWildcats lead to 24-10.

The Broncos responded with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown byXavier Baldwin that sliced the deficit inhalf. However, that was the only timethe Broncos touched the ball in thefourth quarter.

Following a disappointing home lossto Friendswood to open the season andrebounding with a 27-24 win overBrazoswood, Angleton head coachFinis Vanover said his team may havefound itself.

“It was a bunch of young men decid-ing what happened at the end of lastyear and in the opener againstFriendswood wasn’t going to happenagain,” Vanover said. “I think you sawthat new team come out in the secondhalf and we got after some folks.”

Elsik jumped out to a 21-0 advantageover Fort Bend Marshall and held on towin 21-14. Jerry Bynum rushed for 316

yards on 33 carries, including TD runsof seven and 65 yards in the first 12minutes to set the tone for the victory.

Caleb Bedford threw a 27-yardtouchdown pass to Demarcus Smith tofinish off the scoring for the Rams.KATY (2-0) vs. BEAUMONT WEST BROOK(3-0)

This shapes up as one of the topearly-season matchups in the Lone StarState.

Eisenhower was one of those highly-touted schools that went into its thirdgame of the season seeking that initialvictory. The problem was it had tocome against West Brook.

The Bruins featured a plethora ofweapons against IKE, including quar-terback Bruce Reyes (209 passingyards, two TDs) receivers Jalen Malone(four receptions, one TD) and JacolbyCunigan (three receptions, two TDs)along with running back Dylan Harvey(32 rushing yards, two TDs).

West Brook led by 27 points at inter-mission en route to a 42-21 victory overthe Eagles.

Katy is coming off a bye week afteropening the season with convincingwins over North Shore and Alief Taylor.

The Tigers tend to give opponents afalse sense of security as in both gamesthe opponent scored first to take anearly lead only to fall prey to an ava-lanche of Katy points.

Donovonn Young is the featured backin a bruising Katy rushing attack that iscomplemented by a punishing defense.YATES (1-2) vs. WHEATLEY (0-3)

Texas Football Magazine pickedthese two schools to win the districttitles in their respective districts.

Yates opened the season with a winover Booker T. Washington. Then blewa 21-10 halftime advantage over BayCity and settled for a 31-28 setback.The Lions never led in a rivalry gameagainst Madison as the Marlinsreceived rushing touchdowns fromDemarcus Willis and Victor Gibson tosecure a 17-7 victory.

Yates first-year starting quarterbackRashad Jackson threw for 121 yardsand a touchdown against Madison.

Wheatley was limited to 144 totalyards against Westbury as the Rebelsprevailed 28-6. The Wildcats’ lonescore came on a 63-yard pass fromXavier Howard to William Jackson.

H.S. Footballcontinued from page 5

NOTICE TOCONTRACTORSSealed bids, in duplicate, addressed toGreater Southeast Management Districtwill be received at 5445 Almeda, #503,Houston, TX 77004, until 3:00 PM, Friday,October 1, 2010. Bids will be publiclyopened and read at 3:30 PM on Friday,October 1, 2010 for furnishing all labor,materials, equipment, and incidentals, asrequired, for the construction of RiversideHospital Area Streetscape Improvementsproject (sidewalk reconstruction andlandscaping) in Houston, Texas. CON-TRACT DOCUMENTS may be examined atthe following locations: (1) Dodge Reports,10606 Hempstead Road, Suite 110, Houston,TX 77092;(2) AGC,3825 Dacoma,Houston,TX77092; and (3) Houston Minority BusinessDevelopment Ctr, 2900 Woodridge, Suite310,Houston,TX 77087. The right is reserved,as the interest of the Owner may require, toreject any and all bids,and to waive any infor-mality in bids received. Plans, specificationsand bidding documents may be obtained atthe office of the Engineer, ESPA CORP, Inc.,7120 Grand Blvd., Suite 100, Houston, Texas77054 for a non-refundable fee of $40.00 perset. Make checks payable to GreaterSoutheast Management District. A pre-bidconference will be held at GreaterSoutheast Management District, 5445Almeda, #502, Houston, TX onWednesday, September 22, 2010 at 2:00PM. It is requested, but not mandatory,that each bidder be represented at thepre-bid conference.

CLASSIFIED

Photos courtesy of the Texans

Arian Foster has been the major benefactor of the Texans new offensive scheme.

“Tomorrow Europe might no longer be European,and even Black, as there are millions who want tocome in,” Gaddafi reportedly told a European newsagency. “We don’t know what will happen, what willbe the reaction of the white and Christian Europeansfaced with this influx of starving and ignorantAfricans.

We don’t know if Europe will remain an advancedand united continent or if it will be destroyed, as hap-pened with the barbarian invasions,” Gaddafi said.

Historian Abdulmolsen Ali said that the precariousnature of relations between Gaddafi and leaders ofAfrican countries, particularly those with largeMuslim populations, remains influx. In fact, Ali sug-gests that while Gaddafi may speak to racial fears inorder to press these nations for funds, the monieswould largely benefit the Africans themselves.

“Col. Gaddafi has repeatedly said he wants to usethe monies supplied by countries within theEuropean Union to strengthen the infrastructure andeconomies of the African countries where the illegalimmigrants are coming from. Is it that Gaddafi isracist against Africans? Maybe. No one knows what

is in another man’s heart, but if the billions he isseeking annually from each of these countries is pro-vided, the entire African continent may be able tosupport itself without European influence,” Ali said.

Italy has already provided Gaddafi with funds tohave Libyans intercept Africans at sea and eitherhold them in Libya or return them to their respectivecountries. Italy has received sharp criticism forallowing Libyans to detain or deport without properscreening.

“In many instances these Africans have no permis-sion to be in the country; however, in just as many

instances, these are Africans who were made Italian,British and French citizens under colonization,” Ali,58, said.

“These men and women or their parents havefought in European wars on the side of England,France, Germany and Italy, and now that their ownlands have been stripped of natural and materialwealth – often by these Europeans – they have noplace to go. It seems ironic that the same paternalis-tic governments who subjugated them because theywere ‘child-like’ now wish to disown their child-cit-izens.”

Slowing the migration of Africans to Italy to atrickle seems vital to the Italian economy of late. TheEuropean Commission figures estimate that thenumber of illegals being denied entry at Libyanhands fell in 2009 to 7,300 from 32,052 in 2008. Col.Gaddafi has forged close ties with Italy since afriendship treaty was signed two years ago. It soughtto draw a line under historic bitterness betweenLibya and Italy, its former colonial master.

A confidential internal security report from EUpolice and border agencies, reportedly leaked to theStatewatch whistleblower, said that 900,000 illegalimmigrants were entering the EU every year.

Gaddaficontinued from page 3

Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

murals. Then we’ll be able to determine whatneeds to be done, what’s the priority and howmuch it will cost. It’s only to get it started butit’s a critical piece to get it started,” saidWendy Adair, Vice President of InstitutionalAdvancement.

Rudley is underwriting $50,000 through hisoffice to hire a conservator who will reviewthe murals and develop a plan for restoration,preservation and conservation for all of themurals.

“I am committed to preserving the great his-tory of Texas Southern University and itsmural and art program, as well as its AfricanArt Collection, significant letters and papersand major archives, including the papers ofBarbara Jordan and Mickey Leland,” Rudleysaid. “I am looking forward to receiving theconservator’s plan that will include an assess-ment to determine the murals that should berestored, the priority for restoration and abudget to determine the full cost of the pro-gram so that we can develop a systematic planto fund the preservation of TSU’s artistictreasures.”

The College of Liberal Arts and BehavioralSciences Dean Danille Taylor is creating aMural Preservation task force of faculty,alumni and students to lead the efforts and thefunding campaign once the assessment iscompleted. The dean and the task force willwork with the Office of Development todevelop funding requests to private founda-tions and corporations and the Office ofResearch to assist with grant proposals to stateand federal agencies.History whitewashed?

It was early September when Rudleyordered the two murals be painted over. Bothmurals were done 40 years ago by then-TSUstudent Harvey Johnson, who retired fromTSU in 2007 after 34 years as a professor.

“There are a lot of things that we feelshould always remain at the universitybecause it’s part of the culture, it’s part of theexperience, it’s a part of Texas Southern,” saidStudent Government President KedariousColbert. “It’s what makes TSU, TSU. Thosemurals are awesome works of arts. For some-one to paint over them, it was culturally insen-sitive and the students were angered by thatfact.”

Rudley reportedly disagreed with the uni-versity museum director’s opinion that the art-

works’ historical significance made themworth saving and called the murals eyesores.

The paintings, Mothers of “the Father andthe Son” and Dere’s a “Han’ Writin on deWall,” were finished in the 1970-71 schoolyear to satisfy Harvey Johnson’s senior grad-uation requirement.

Johnson described the Mothers of “theFather and the Son” mural as four womenwhich symbolized earth, wind, water and fire,the nourishing elements of life.

“When you are destroying those murals,you are destroying historical documents and arecord of those times that was created bythose students,” Johnson said, adding that hewas devastated when he heard the news.“TSU’s mural program, which was created byJohn Biggers, is one of the most unique pro-grams in the country. Or was. Once you havedestroyed a part of that, it’s gone. It can’t bereplaced. When you do that, you are destroy-ing the meaning of a very distinguished pro-fessor who has been honored nationally andinternationally for his art as well as his fineteaching. When you destroy that you are say-ing that he doesn’t mean anything to yourinstitution.”

“This situation was a disrespect on a subtlelevel,” added former student NathanielDonnett. “Appreciating your culture, art, his-tory, education, etc., all of those issues arewrapped around this issue. There’s also anissue of the responsibility of the leaders andthe educators at TSU. What type of example

has this set for the president to do this?”Students, vocal in their displeasure, had

planned a protest, which ultimately fizzled.“Initially there wereas a lot of people who

were angry about the situation,” Colbert said.“However, there’s not too much that you cando after something has been done. A protestin my mind, is a preventative measure forsomething, or to stop something from occur-ring. However, it had happened, the paintwas on the walls and there was no reason toprotest. I believe the students realized thatand once the commitment had been made forthe money and the dialogue, with all of thesepeople were coming to the table to come upwith more solutions to ensure that this doesnot happen again -. Tthe things that theywere going to demand at the protest werealready acknowledged and responded to.”

Donnet is happy to hear about the $50,000,and says he will use his recently createdFacebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/Protest-Against-Whitewashing-of-Murals-at-TSU-University – to make sure the plan iscarried through.

“I thought starting the page would createawareness and discussion. I thought thatusing technology along with understandinghow the word of mouth works would movethings quicker. And I believe I was correct.Facebook is a community type thing. Thisissue is also a community issue, although it

wasn’t treated as such. I’m hoping discus-sions continue, more questions and moresolutions. (side note) you may give that pageinformation out if you’d wish,” he said.

News of the whitewashed murals has alsospread quickly through the collegiate artcommunity, revealing similar feelings offrustration with university administrationacross the country.

“The destruction of TSU’s historicalmurals ‘Makes Me Wanna Holler’ ([to bor-row a] phrase from Nathan McCall). It hasbeen a long struggle for many art professorsat historical black institutions. We havewatched our departments demeaned in theacademy. Art works produced by facultylabeled as insignificant, terminal degrees invisual arts categorized with master degrees,and administrators taking the role of art crit-ics and experts as they purchase commercialart for campus displays while destroying orignoring historical works of art on campus.”Peggy Blood, PhD President NAAHBCUDistinguished Professor of Art, SavannahState University Fromblackartinamerica.com.A community effort

University officials are focused on movingforward and say it will take a collective com-munity effort to make that happen.

“It’s time now for people to step up to theplate,” Adair said. “If it’s going to take mil-lions, the university doesn’t have that kind ofmoney, so the community will have to help.”

In addition to the Mural Preservation taskforce, Colbert has been working with studentleaders and students in the art program toidentify projects that the students can under-take to assist with the funding and preserva-tion efforts. One possible project would be an“Adopt-a-Mural” program where donors canidentify with a specific mural and assist withfunding its restoration.

The University Museum recently received agrant from the Institute for Museum andLibrary Services for $80,000 to catalog andphotograph the full Texas Southern art collec-tion, which will allow the University to devel-op a web-based tour of all the art on campus.

The mural project has been added to theonline donor opportunities for alumni andindividual donors on the TSU website,www.tsu.edu/giving.

SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2010 | DEFENDER 7

Muralscontinued from page 1

It could be three to four weeks before a conservator is brought on board to determinehow much it will cost to preserve TSU's murals.