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

Vol. 40 No.44 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: vil3202@aol.com March 15, 2013Celebrating and Promoting Diversity In All Its Forms

Miss. Mikaila Ulmer, SXSW Youth Panelist andMr. Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark. Photo courtesyof BeeSweet Lemonade

Blacks in Technology(BiT), the leading coalition ofAfrican-American technol-ogy organizations and indus-try thought-leaders proudlyannounced the addition ofThe BiTHouse to South bySouth West (SXSW) Inter-active. The four-day eventrallied many of the brightestminds in innovation for a vi-brant series of workshops,seminars and award presen-tations aimed at highlightingthe impact the BlackDiaspora has in shaping in-novation and growing tech-nology-related industries,products and services.

BiT is an initiative thatgrew out of a concern ex-pressed by African-Ameri-cans living in Austin to pro-mote more diversity duringthe SXSW conferences. In2008, SXSW began hostinga free Welcome Reception atthe Carver Museum encour-aging African Americans fromCentral Texas to attend. TheBiTHouse has evolved intoa place where AfricanAmerican entrepreneurs andtechno professionals canshare, collaborate and edu-cate themselves in the latest

solutions, financial optionsand guidelines to build andrenovate their businesses toincrease success.

BiT activities kicked offwith an opening receptionFriday, March 8, 2013 from6PM to 9 PM at The CarverMuseum, followed by anawards ceremony, Top Af-rican Americans in technol-ogy sector, honoring the Top

10 Black Innovators of2012 who have, demon-strated leadership and madean impact by fostering dis-ruptive in innovation in tech-nology-related industries,products and services. The2012 Top Black InnovatorAward Recipients: HeatherHiles – CEO and Founderof Pathbrite; KatherineFinney – Editor-at-Large

of BlogHer, Founder of TheBudget Fashionista blog andthe digital undivided confer-ence; Hamet Watt – Co-Founder of bLife andMoviePass; Mae Jemison- Physician and NASA as-tronaut, 1st African Ameri-can woman in space; CoryBooker – Mayor of New-ark, NJ and Co-Founder ofWaywire; NavarrowWright – Chief TechnologyOfficer at Interactive One;Victoria Walker – 11 yearold winner of AT&T’s 2012hackathon; Melissa HarrisPerry – Author and host ofMSNBC’s “Melissa Harris-Perry”; W. Kamau Bell –Socio-Political Comic andHost of FX’s “Totally Bi-ased” and KimberlyBryant – Founder of BlackGirls Code

Saturday, March 9,2013 attendees enjoyed anassortment of panels, wherelocal youth and adult en-gagement shined throughbrighter than ever at the 2013@SXSW Interactive Festi-val. An all youth panel rang-ing in age from 8-13, “Gen-eration Change” featuredfive young pioneers whoseinsight on problem solving

See DIVERSITY, Page 5

Celebrating and Promoting Diversity In All Its FormsBy Angela Wyatt andLaTonya J. Pegues

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

UT AustinGraduatePrograms

Receive TopRankings from

U.S. NewsAUSTIN, Texas —

The University of Texasat Austin has the topranked accounting andLatin American historyprograms in the nationand more than 50 otherscience, humanities andprofessional programsranked in the top 25 na-tionally, according toU.S. News & World

Wells Fargocommits to

lending $55 billionto women-ownedbusinesses by the

year 2020(BLACK PR WIRE) – SAN

FRANCISCO, March 8, 2013 –Wells Fargo & Company(NYSE: WFC), America’s No. 1small business lender1 and aleading lender to women- anddiverse-owned businesses, to

Ethics inBusiness &Community

FinalistsAnnounced

Austin, TX –RecognizeGood an-nounces the finalists forthe 11th Annual Ethicsin Business & Commu-nity Awards. This pres-tigious award recog-nizes individuals andbusinesses in CentralTexas who have beennominated by the com-munity as exemplaryethical leaders demon

Howard’sGarage Closes

By Shirley A.Hammond

follow her ontwitter.com

@xtremeridewish1

A letter of apprecia-tion, removal of hugesignage, and a final re-pair job. These weresome of the happeningsat 924 Shady Lane asgarage owner James

AUSTINSYMPHONYCONTINUESARTISANCHAMBERSERIES

The Austin Symphonycontinues its new chambermusic series on Thursday,March 28 with the secondconcert of The Artisan Se

Austin EnergyIssues Call for

AdditionalWind Energy

AUSTIN, TX —Austin Energy is oncourse to obtain up to35 percent of its electric-ity from renewable en-ergy by 2020 with therelease Monday, March11, of a Request for Pro-posals (RFP) for up to200 megawatts (MW) ofwind generated renew-able energy.

AfricanAncestry, Inc.

Celebrates10 Year

Anniversary(BLACK PR WIRE) –

WASHINGTON, DC (March2013) – It’s easy to forget thatjust 10 short years ago, AfricanAmericans had no way to ac-curately or reliably determinewhere they came from in Africa.In 2003, African Ancestry, Inc.(AfricanAncestry.com) arrivedon the scene and things

TEXANSMARCH FOREQUALITY &JUSTICE

Austin, TX - ThisSunday lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender(LGBT) Texans and theirallies will converge onthe State Capitol de-manding to be fullyequal under state andfederal law.

The First Century ofAfrican American Life inTravis County, a new ex-hibit that takes visitors on asojourn through a century ofAfrican American history inthe Travis County area,opens on September 25,2012 and runs throughMarch 24, 2013 at the Aus-

Building aCommunity:

PAWS INPRISONPARTY

Friends of the Pawsin Prison program in-vite you to party withthem at the NuttyBrown Café, Sunday,April 7th, 3:00-6:00 pm.The afternoon will fea-ture live music fromAustin’s blues and rockband Pearl, a silent auc-tion and other treats to

See UT, Page 2

See WOMEN-OWNEDBUSINESSES, Page 2 See HOPE FOR

HEROES, Page 2 See HOWARD, Page 2 See MOZART, Page 2

See TAX CREDIT, Page 5 See DNA, Page 5 See GetEQUAL, Page 5 See CHAMPIONS, Page 7See ESTEVANIO, Page 7

Gilder receivesexaltation in strategicmanagement career.See TECHNOLOGY

Page 7

Baylor College Schoolof Medicine ranked

top-tier medicalschool in U.S.

See MEDICALPage 3

SIG invest millionsinto 1,300 of thecountry’s lowest

performing schools.See FUNDING

Page 8

Are BlackVoting Rights a

“RacialEntitlement?”

Supreme Court JusticeAntonin Scalia set off a firestorm laws week when he saidthat extending the VotingRights would be equivalent toa “perpetuation of racial en-titlement.” If they were notthere already, that statementwould have caused a demon-stration in front of the courthouse.

The Voting Rights Actwas originally passed in 1965.Under Section 5 of the Act,jurisdictions with a history ofracial discrimination must re-ceive pre clearance from theJustice Department or a fed-eral court before they are al-lowed to make any changesin their voting procedures.That provision has been ex-tended in 1970, 1975, and1982 for only 5 year terms.In 2006 congress extendedthe term for 25 years until2031.

Some states, includingTexas, that are affected bySection 5 of the act object tothe continuation of this provi-sion. Many claim that theirstates no longer practice un-fair voting practices. But, weall know that this is not true.In Texas we are currently in afight to keep the RepublicanAdministration from redraw-ing voting districts that wouldseverely reduce the impact ofminority voters by drawingnew lines that would divide theminority communities into sev-eral districts.

In Austin, the commis-sion that will be in charge ofdrawing the lines for the newlydesigned 10-1 system of elect-ing our council must take intoaccount of how that will affectthe minority communities. Theplan must be presented forreview by the Justice Depart-ment to insure that the planmeets the provisions of Sec-tion 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

Many believe that withoutthe Voting Rights Act, many ofthe states, cities and countieswould go back to the old waysof voter denial, intimidation,and other methods to reducevoting in minority communities.Voting is not an entitlement, buta right guaranteed for allAmerican citizens, unless youhappen to be a member of aminority group. Without it, wemay go back to the Poll Tax sys-tem in Texas.

Page 2 ~ March 15, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

THE COMMUNIQUÉ

Report’s latest edition of “Best GraduateSchools,” released this morning.

The College of Education and College of Phar-macy are each the fourth best in the nation in theirfields (with Education ranking first among publicuniversities). And the School ofInformation(iSchool) is sixth best in Library andInformation Sciences.

Among other overall school rankings, theCockrell School of Engineering is 11th best (sixthamong publics). The McCombs School of Businessis 17th best (fifth among publics). The Lyndon B.Johnson School of Public Affairs remains at No.16, the Jackson School of Geosciencesremains atNo. 9 for Earth Sciences, and the School of SocialWork remains at No. 7.

The University of Texas School of Lawclimbed one place in the rankings, to No. 15 in thenation. It is fourth best among public law schools,trailing only the University of Virginia, the Uni-versity of Michigan and the University of Califor-nia at Berkeley, all of which charge higher tuition

to both in-state and out-of-state residents than UTLaw.

“Graduate programs are critical to the researchuniversity ecosystem, and UT Austin’s graduateprograms continue to be a source of strength, ad-vancing the whole university,” said President BillPowers, who also serves as vice chair of the Asso-ciation of American Universities. “We should allbe very proud of the progress UT Austin contin-ues to make in graduate education.”

Using quantitative and qualitative measures,U.S. News annually ranks graduate school pro-grams in business, education, engineering and law.Certain other Ph.D. programs and specialty pro-grams are ranked in alternate years based on rat-ings of academic experts, including faculty mem-bers and administrators. Some of those rankingsare included in the latest report, which is consid-ered the 2014 edition.

Since 2006, the number of UT Austin programsranked in the top 5 has climbed from 9 to 16.

Other highlights for UT Austin this year in-

clude:· Computer engineering moved up four

places to No. 5.· Mechanical engineering moved into the

top 10.· Digital librarianship moved up four places

to No. 9.The top rankings for graduate programs are

consistent with other rankings for UT Austin,which has been named the 25th best university inthe world (Times Higher Education), the 46th bestoverall university in the United States (U.S. News& World Report) and the 27th best value amongpublic colleges (Kiplinger).

UT Austin has maintained these levels of ex-cellence despite cuts in state general revenuefunding. Legislative leaders are now exploringways to restore some of those cuts. The univer-sity also receives less money through state allo-cations and tuition than its national peers and isthesecond most efficient public research univer-sity in the U.S.

UT Austin Programs Increase in Ranks Continued from page 1

day announced a com-mitment to lend a cumulativetotal of $55 billion to women-owned businesses in the U.S.by the year 2020, updating itslending commitment first estab-lished in 1995. The announce-ment will be made by LisaStevens, Wells Fargo lead ex-ecutive for Small Business andWest Coast Regional Bankingpresident, at the Hispanas Or-ganized for Political Equality(HOPE) 22nd Annual LatinaHistory Day conference in LosAngeles.

March is NationalWomen’s History Month, andWells Fargo has a rich historyof working with women busi-ness owners and providingthem access to capital and fi-nancial services. Since intro-ducing the women’s lendingcommitment 18 years ago,Wells Fargo has provided morethan $38 billion in capital towomen business owners, agroup that grew in size by morethan 20 percent from 2002 to2007, according to the latestCensus data. Today, approxi-mately 30 percent of busi-nesses in the U.S. are ownedby women, according to theNational Women’s BusinessCouncil.

“Women-owned busi-nesses are among America’sfastest growing segments, andwe are honored to support their

Women-ownedBusinesses areAmong America’sFastest GrowingSegmentsContinued from page 1

role in shaping the future ofsmall business,” said Stevens.“As a leader in lending towomen, Wells Fargo is dedi-cated to helping women suc-ceed financially — in businessand personally.”

Wells Fargo’s first lendingcommitment in 1995 estab-lished a goal to lend $1 billionto women business owners overthree years. Fueled by the con-tinued growth of women busi-ness owners, the goal was in-creased, most recently in 2003.

In addition to the cumu-lative lending goal, Wells Fargosupports numerous outreachefforts to build relationships withwomen business owners andhelp them to succeed finan-cially. Wells Fargo is a proudsupporter of the National Asso-ciation of Women BusinessOwners (NAWBO) and theWomen Presidents’ Organiza-tion, as well as several otherorganizations focused on theeducation, growth and ad-vancement of women businessowners. Wells Fargo providesthe full array of financial prod-ucts and services to satisfy allof the f inancial needs ofwomen-owned businesses,such as banking, businessloans and l ines of credit ,credit cards, payroll, mer-chant services, insurance,ret i rement planning, andonline resources.

strating outstand-ing ethical practices andexcellent business prin-ciples including: re-spect, fairness, honesty,justice, andsustainability.

The Finalists for the11th Annual Ethics inBusiness & CommunityAwards are as follows.In the individual cat-egory Mark Curry ofWells Fargo, MattKouri of Greenlights forNonprofits Success, andAdrian Mertz of AustinArea Home HealthCouncil. In the non-profit category the final-ists are Active Life, GridEarth Project and Im-pact Austin. Small busi-ness finalists includeHome Therapy Austin,Square Cow Mooversand Wag-a-bag. And fi-

nally, the finalists in thelarge business categoryare Frost Bank, IBM, andTexas Disposal Sys-tems.

Nominations weresolicited from May 2012until January 2013. Thenominees were vettedby the students of theCollege of Business atConcordia UniversityTexas. Once the stu-dents have reviewed theinitial applications theynarrow the field ofnominees to twelve fi-nalists (3 in each cat-egory). The studentsbegin a rigorous, in-depth review of each fi-nalist and present theirfindings to an indepen-dent selection commit-tee of business and com-munity leaders to voteon the actual award re-

cipients. The selectioncommittee is led by DonChristian, Dean of theCollege of Business atConcordia UniversityTexas.

All finalists arerecognized and the re-cipients will be an-nounced at the awardsluncheon on May 2,2013 at the AT&T Con-ference Center. Thisevent is attended eachyear by hundreds ofTexas business leaderswith an anticipated 500attendees this year.This year’s HonoraryChairs are BobbyJenkins, CEO ABCHome & CommercialServices and Earl Max-well, CEO St. David’sFoundation.

Proceeds from thisevent benefit the Sa-

maritan CounselingCenter, a non-profitcounseling center thatprovides professionalcounseling, integrativemedicine and commu-nity education to pre-vent and treat abuse,teach healthy life skills,and strengthen fami-lies. The Center serveschildren and adults ofall ages who are strug-gling with a variety ofproblems such asstress, depression,abuse and addiction.The Samaritan Center’sHope for Heroes pro-gram has receivedstatewide recognitionfor helping servicemembers and militaryfamilies heal the emo-tional wounds of warand reintegrate backinto our community.

Hope for Heroes Program Has ReceivedStatewide Recognition Continued from page 1

Howard gearedup to enter a newphase of life. His lastday as owner/operatorof Howard’s Garagewas Friday, March 8.As he recalls it, he de-cided that he wanted torun his own garage in1962. As for repairingcars, he said “It’s some-thing I’ve alwaysliked.” His family hasbeen involved in therunning of his repairshops for over 44years.

One brother, DavidHoward, explained thatJames hardly ever tookvacations. “He’s an avidhunter,” he pointed out.He said preachers

know his brother verywell and have longtrusted their cars to him.He said James goes byto see his mother andfeed her at a local nurs-ing home every night.Recently he’s seen manyof his older brother’scustomers who receivedhis four paragraph fare-well letter come by tosay goodbye and shedtears.

“I found out that alot of people hate to seeme go. They don’t wantthat,” stated JamesHoward. He said heplans to do some camp-ing, traveling, and tocatch up on some over-due hunting and fish-

HOWARD: “It’s SomethingI’ve Always Liked.” Continued from page 1

James Howard

ing.The property has

vehicle bays with largeprint labels offeringstate inspections, A/Cservice, tune-ups, andbrake service. Therewas also room for a towtruck, and plenty ofspace in its locationacross from AirportBoulevard’s Dan’sHamburgers. A cleanbathroom, organizedequipment, and a wel-coming waiting roomput one in the mind of awell-kept business thatwas a point of pride.

Many foreign anddomestic cars havegraced those bays, asHoward’s owner and

employees sought toget them fit and readyfor the road. The color-ful business card hadraised lettering andproclaimed that satis-fied customers werethe best ads. Those sat-isfied customers willnow have to look else-where for vehicle re-pairs and service, re-placement of wornparts, and state inspec-tions.

ries. The Artisan Se-ries will features perfor-mances by the ArtisanString Quartet, principalplayers of the Austin Sym-phony Orchestra. This sec-ond concert of this seasontakes place on Thursday,March 28th at the SmithFamily Chapel at RiverbendChurch, and will featureworks by Mozart, Borodinand Schumann, as well asguest pianist MelissaMarse.

PROGRAMMozart – String Quar-

tet in C Major, K. 465 “Dis-sonance”

Borodin – StringQuartet No. 2 in D Major

Schumann – PianoQuintet in E-flat Major, Op.44

In its brief history, TheArtisan Quartet has al-ready performed many con-certs around central Texas,including at the VictoriaBach Festival, the Incarnate

Word University in San An-tonio, the Blanco Perform-ing Arts Association Series,the Twilight Series(Jonestown/Lago Vista),the Santa Cecilia Series(Austin), Texas State Uni-versity (San Marcos), andthe Salon Concert Series(San Antonio). The Artisan'salso offer future perfor-mances in Austin throughthe Fall of 2013. The Quar-tet was invited byMidAmerica Productions to

make its Carnegie Hall de-but in March 2012, perform-ing to rave reviews on theWeill Hall Chamber MusicSeries to a sold out audi-ence.

The quartet is madeup of principal players ofthe Austin Symphony Or-chestra: Paula Bird and Ri-chard Kilmer, violins; BruceWilliams, viola; and Dou-glas Harvey, cello.

Tickets for The Arti-san String Quartet are $30.

Charge tickets online atAus t i nSymphony.o rg ,where you will find seatingmaps, price options and awealth of concert informa-tion. Tickets are also avail-able at the Austin Sym-phony Box Office, 11th andRed River or call 476-6064or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).

MOZART,BORODIN,SCHUMANN,

OH MY!Continued from

page 1

Fight for Air Climb 2013Date: April 27, 2013Time: 7am-1pmVenue: Frost Bank Tower: 401 Congress Ave, ATX 78701Website: www.AustinClimb.orgPhone: (512) 467-6753Contact: Paige Lewandowski (same phone)It is $100 minimum to climb, but for those attendingthe event not climbing it is FREE

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/March 15, 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 78653512-744-5851 Cell

512-547-HOPE Church512-767-4979

Assistant, 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 78723Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281

Christian Web Site-stpetersaustintx.ning.com

stpetersaustintx@att.netTHE PLACE WHERE WE STEP OUT ON FAITH.

COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH USSunday School 8:45 a.m.

Praise and Worship 10:15 a.m.Wednesday Bible Study 12:00 p.m.

and Praise /Bible Study 6:30 p.m.(to include Children’s Choir Rehersaland

Bible Study with age appropiate Activities)

Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor

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

AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love Heexhibited is Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you.

For there is no greater love!

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

Mid-Week Service Thursday: Praise,Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PMCall 454-1547 for Transporation

Website www.agapebcaustintx.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

2115 E. MLK Blvd.512-476-7338

Austin, Texas 78702www.PHRX.Net

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

HOSPITAL PHARMACYServing Austin since 1970

Let us Fill your next Perscription!SAVE TIME

*Ask your doctor to call your prescription in to usand we’ll have it ready for you when you get here!

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

Mon- Tuesday 7am-3pm Wed-fri 7am-6pmSat 8am-3pm Sun 8am-3pm

512-382-0603603 Sabine Street

Nothing Fancy. Just Good Food!

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 ImageThe 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

hairbysheliatriplett.com

Hair Referrals with class

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Bold-Hair by Sheila Triplett,and Nappy Edges is relocatingto Seattle, Washington.

Bold-Braiding &Weaving classes

6 Classes choicesavailable

Pay less now to register

Class datesMarch 23, 24 & 25, 2013

May 16,17 & 18, 2013

ALL LOVING Home Care

Bringing you a peace of mind!

Compassionate Care for Adulats and Children

Serving Williamson& Travis County

Our Certified Caregiversprovide a wide range of

non-medical home care services.

We are ready when you need assistance! Call or email for a free assessment*512.629.8596 *alllovinghomecare@yahoo.com

www.alllovinghomecare.org

The Agape Baptist Church FamilyIn “THE CENTRE” Bldg. F - 15

7801 North Lamar Blvd.(S.E. Corner of Lamar and 183)

Austin, Texas 78752

Cordially Invites all To Our

Good Friday

Sweet Agony Candle-light Service“It’s Friday ………….Sunday is coming!”

Friday, March 29, 20137:00 PM

Rev. Raymond Fennell, PastorOf

The New Birth Community Church FamilyWill Deliver the Message

Come Worship and Fellowship with UsH. Ed Calahan, Pastor

HOUSTON –(March 12, 2013) – Forthe third year in a rowBaylor College of Medi-cine (www.bcm.edu) hasimproved in the rankingsin U.S. News & WorldReport, moving up to No.18 among all research-in-tensive U.S. medicalschools. “These numbersshow the growingstrength of the BaylorCollege of Medicine com-munity as a whole, mak-ing us the highest rankedmedical school in Texasas well as in the south-west region,” said BCMPresident and CEO Dr.Paul Klotman. “We willcontinue to move for-ward as we focus on ourmissions of education,healthcare, research andcommunity service.”

BCM is in the top 15percent of schools that

were ranked, jumpingfrom last year’s No. 21 po-sition. U.S. News &World Report released itsannual list of top gradu-ate schools in business,education, engineering,law, medicine and socialsciences and humanitieson March 12.

The U.S. News an-nual rankings are basedon medical student GPAand MCAT scores, stu-dent selectivity, faculty-to-student ratio, NationalInstitutes of Health fund-ing for the medical schooland grant dollars per in-vestigator, as well as areputational componentfrom surveys of medicalschool deans, deans ofacademic affairs, heads ofinternal medicine and di-rectors of admissions.

“Our outstandingtrainees, faculty, staff andaffiliated teaching hospi-tals along with our tre-mendous Board of Trust-ees, alumni and commu-nity supporters have keptus moving forward in thiscompetitive environ-ment,” Klotman said.

“This ranking as-sures that the very beststudents, residents, physi-cians and scientists willcontinue to be attracted toHouston and to Texas.”

BCM also ranked24th among top medicalschools in primary care,and the pediatrics pro-

gram ranked numbereight among all pediatricprograms reflecting thestrong partnership withTexas Children’s Hospital(www.texaschildrens.org),where BCM faculty carefor pediatric patients andour students and resi-dents train.

U.S. News & WorldReport did not conductnew surveys this year forphysician assistant, nurseanesthesia or biologicalsciences for the GraduateSchool of Biomedical Sci-ences. Nationally, theGraduate School is ranked26th in the biological sci-ences. The School of Al-lied Health nurse anes-thesia program is rankedfifth and the physicianassistant program isranked sixth.

Rice University andthe University of Houstonwere also listed amongthe top graduate schoolsin the nation. Rice, where

BCM students can obtainan M.B.A. while pursuingtheir M.D., was rankedamong the top 50 U.S.business schools at num-ber 30. The University ofHouston Law School,where a combined M.D./J.D. dual degree programis available for BCM stu-dents, improved its rankentering the list in the top50 law schools at number48. The UH Health Lawprogram ranked eighthand the Intellectual Prop-erty Law program rankedseventh in the nation.

BCM Among Top 20 Medical Colleges in U.S. News & World Report

YOUTH BRIGADEYouth of Today

Hope of Tomorrow Black RegistryBlack RegistryBlack RegistryBlack RegistryBlack Registry

Page 4 ~ March 15, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

Spring Break

We have f inal lyreached spring break. I re-ally enjoy this week longbreak from school. Duringthis time you can rest, hangout with friends or family,study, or just sit back andenjoy the week away fromschool. I don’t really haveanything planned for this

year’s break. I may go golf-ing with my dad over thebreak.

The women’s VarsityTrack Team has won 1st

place overall in the last 2track meets they ran in. themeet on March 8th wasrained out so hopefully thisdoesn’t slow down the mo-mentum they have going forthem so far. What a greatstart the ladies have goingfor them. Keep up the goodwork! Go Raiders!

Cedar Ridge will behosting a “Rock the Run-way” Fashion Show nextmonth. All grade levels arewelcomed to come and tryout. The outfits will be pro-vided by Al’s Formal Wearand Dillards. Tryouts will beon March 20th at 5:30 in thecafeteria.

That’s all the news forthis week. Thank you for read-ing. Take care & God bless.

Science Olympiad Team

Our Science Olympiadteam was recognize for being

Working Hard

The Del Valle HighSchool journalism depart-ment consists of three maincomponents. Those compo-nents are the Newspaperclass, the Photojournalismclass, and the Yearbookclass.

The newspaper mightbe the most published workof the year, once every six

weeks, I believe, but theyearbook has got to be themost difficult.

Ever since the start ofthe new semester I havebeen in both the yearbookand photojournal ismclasses. It’s definitely a job.Not only have I been takingphotos that are to be in theyearbook itself, I am writingcaptions, finding quotes,and editing a variety ofquotes from other membersof the yearbook staff. Itmight seem like a simpleand easy task, but on thecontrary, it’s quite tediousand it requires a lot of hardwork.

To keep focused, Ithink about the future out-come of the yearbook for the2012-2013 school year. Iknow it’s going to be one ofa kind and the best yearbookthe school has had thus far.

Jaquarry WilsonDel Valle High School

Marcus AustinCedar Ridge High School

Jaylon KnightenDailey Middle School

the youngest team in historyto finish second in the Re-gional Science Tournamentand Dailey won eight out 14possible medals. Congrats toDailey Science Team.

This week we startedSpring Break. I didn’t have anyplans, but it was good nothaving to wake up early forschool. All eighth grade alge-bra students took the mocktest before leaving for springbreak. I felt pretty good abouthow well I might have done.

The Timberwolves 8th

grade boys Track team finish1st at the Cedar Creek EagleRelay.

Spring BreakSpringgggg Breakkk!

Every student and teacherwas full of excitement gear-ing up for Spring Break's ar-rival. Even though Springbreak's duration isn't as longas Christmas Break, LHSsure appreciates the time offanyways.

I myself need a break;I am so tired. I am ready forsleeping in and watchingmovies. I am also ready tohave a safe spring break,andI hope everyone else doesthe same as well.

Olivia SmithLockhart High School

Lanette DempsDailey MS

Spring Break

Well as everyonespring break starts Monday.I know everyones happy be-cause no one has school 7days straight.Spring break isa big break for me because

at my school we been doinga lot of testing and I'm get-ting tired of it.I'm feel likewhen we test the teachersshould test and feel how thestudents feel about takingtest back after.

As everyone knowsnow we don't take the takstest no more now we takethe STARR test and we onlyhave 4 hour to complete andi don't like it because we aregetting timed on how long wetake a test . When we tookthe taks test we didn't haveto worry about time when wetake the STARR test some-times i cant focus becausei am worried about and i hatebeing rushed to do some-thing.

Aubri Allen-BrentDailey Middle School

Separate Schools

This week we are onour spring break. We havemany breaks during theschool year and I look for-ward to them, But summerbreaks sometimes I feel theyare too long. Before I cameto Dailey Middle School Iattended NYOS charterschool. There we had schoolall year round, with smaller

but more breaks. Thosebreaks were short. I thinkhaving shorter breaks wasbetter for me .I seemed tostay more focused.

I read a lot about theidea of having separateschools for boys and girls. Ithink that is crazy. To me itis like segregation, becauseblack and white kids werekept separate. Yes, whenthey left school they couldplay and talk to each other.But I feel, if they keep kidsapart at school it will not helpthe kids.

The boys wil l thinkabout girls while in schooland the girls will do thesame. They will call them,and text them every chancethey get. I feel if you enteryour child in a extracurricu-lar program your child will bemore successful academicwise and behavior wise .theywill also stay in school.

Tomorrow is the offi-cial start of spring break forDel Valle High School. I amso excited. I have beenworking so hard and now I

get a week break. AlthoughI am NOT doing anythingmajor for spring break. I willbe f ina l l y c lean ing myroom and preparing for thecollege trip that we arehaving at school. I am sup-posed to be going to theUniversity of Houston.

I'm so ready so I cango exp lor ing and seewhat's interesting about theschool. I can't wait till I re-ally graduate so I can goto the airforce or the Uni-versity of Houston. I thinkits going to be a great ex-perience for me. I hope ev-ery thing goes as planned.

Air Force or U of H

Imani DempsDel Valle High School

SaNaya WhiteCedars Academy

Latrice LipscombDel Valle High School

I am so glad SpringBreak is finally here! The defi-nition to me is vacation time! Ireally enjoy Spring Break. Ican stay the night at mygrandparents house, stay uplate, have friends over, sleepin late and go visit differentplaces. This week we are go-ing to San Antonio! I have beenthere before but this time weare going to stay in a hoteland enjoy new sites! My momwon't tell me exactly whereyet, but I am sure it will befun!

Spring Break

Houston Competition

Erika LipscombManor Elementary

Manor High SchoolsACE drumline went to H-Town to compete inathedrumline competition. Wewent down with a motiveand came back with a tro-phy! The competition wasa very fun experience. Itwas so much fun having tobattle other drumlines.

The excitement ranthrough every inch of ourbodys. We won the drumlinebattle throwing material fromeverywhere to play. I can'twait until the next drumlinecompetition, we're ready.

Spring Break is hereand I'm excited for it. Thatmeans that f lowers androses and tulips grow. Spring

Break is a break I could notwait for. Everyone lovesSpring Break.

I have really fun plansfor this Spring Break. I hopeit goes by as slow as pos-sible. Have a good SpringBreak everybody!

Spring Break

I tried out for cheerleading and I made the team.My mom was so proud ofme. I was so proud of my selfas well because I practicedday and night. All that hardwork payed off, thank God itdidn't go to waste.

Im no longer doingtrack behind carelessthings. But no worries I’mdoing a sport that is all yeararound. The only sad thingis that we have cheer prac-tice during the summer.

Jada DempsDailey Middle School

Dailey Cheerleader

Well now for the lastth ree weeks t rack hasstarted. We have won the

Track

Tori SmithLockhart Junior H.S.

Lehman meet, San Marcosmeet, and the Hays C.I.S.Dmeet, for 8th grade girls.What we have left is theSeguin meet and our homedistrict meet in Lockhart.

The fun thing abouttrack meets are of courserunning your event, butalso staying up late atn ight and coming backlate. Though the only badthing about track meets isthey're on Thursdays andso then we're left with Fri-day... ALL TIRED. Our nexttrack meet is in Seguin onThursday, March 21st ,2013. That's all for now.

AYC MembershipMixer 3.21.13

The next generationof Austin leaders

Join Austin Young Chamber of Commerce (AYC) atKung Fu Saloon on Thursday, March 21st at 5:30pm forour monthly Membership Mixer hosted by Protect America!AYC Membership Mixers are a great way to get connectedwith other AYC members and expand your business net-work. They are also an excellent way to learn more aboutthe organization if you are interested in joining.

AYC Mixers are a FREE event for AYC membersand $10 for non-members. Non Members if you sign upfor a membership within a week of the event your $10 willbe used towards your AYC Membership!

Visit Us Onlinewww.theaustinvillager.com

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/March 15, 2013 ~ Page 5

Promoting Diversity

BiT reception at The Carver Museum. Photocourtesy of LaTonya Pegues

and social conscious-ness was shared to an audi-ence of all ages. Included in

W. Kamau Bell

the panel was 8-year-old,Bee Advocate from Austin,Texas, Mikaila Ulmer who

uses her award winning Flax-seed Lemonade to raiseawareness about bees and

Kathryn Finney

Kimberly Bryant

Cory Booker

Heather Hiles

Melissa Harris Perry

Hamet Watt

Mae Jemison Victoria Walker

Navarrow Wright

their role in our ecosystem(www.beesweetlemonade.com).She’s not the only minority

youth getting plugged intoSXSW, there’s an entireYouth Media Project whose

been working for a monthpreparing to document andcreate media around andabout the national speakerssharing professional andpersonal insights on every-thing from hacking and cod-ing, to growing food andutilizing Instagram atChurch.

The Youth MediaProject (YMP) created es-pecially for SXSW is an alli-ance between E4Youth,Inc., Krew12, and Blacks In

Continued from page 1

Technology that providehands-on mentoring andhands-on training in career

development, filmmaking,radio production and more.Students have gone through

and completed the mediabootcamp to earn a GoldBadge - their ticket to a

week at SXSW Interactive- where they utilized theirnew skills in documenting and

posting their thoughts andinterviews on social mediasites through ipods, flip cams,

smartphones and other newmedia.

Also aimed at cultivat-ing youth interest in tech isthe organization BlackGirlsCode.org whosefounder Kimberly Bryantwas a BiT Award recipient,offered a community work-shop for girls of color titled,Screen>Play: iPod FilmSchool & Web Design. Tolearn more about all BiTSXSW Interactive visitwww.wearebit.com

COLLECTED PRÉCIS

The reauthorization ofthe Violence Against WomenAct is giving women in do-mestic abuse situations theright to maintain their feder-ally-funded housing choices,says Allison Bethel, directorof The John Marshall LawSchool Fair Housing LegalClinic in Chicago.

Protections for womenthreatened with the loss oftheir federally-funded hous-ing choices because of do-mestic violence or abuse willagain find protection in thecourts thanks to PresidentBarack Obama signing theViolence Against WomenAct (VAWA).

The legislation becamelaw on March 7, 2013, whenthe president took the finalaction after a year-long ef-

fort to reauthorize the legis-lation. VAWA provides fed-eral funding for programsaiding the prosecutions ofdomestic and sexual violencecases.

“The reauthorization ofVAWA by President Obamais a step in the right directiontoward protecting the rightsof victims of domestic vio-lence and other abuse survi-vors,” said Professor AllisonBethel, director of the FairHousing Legal Clinic at TheJohn Marshall Law Schoolin Chicago.

“VAWA provides im-portant protections for thoseliving in federal public hous-ing or on Section 8 financialassistance,” Bethel ex-plained. “But, it does notextend to private housing.We need to close this loop-hole and insure that an abusevictim’s safety at home doesnot depend, even a little bit,on whether they live in pub-lic or private housing.”

Illinois is one of the fewstates that include victims ofdomestic violence as a pro-tected class in its fair hous-ing law. “This insures thatlandlords cannot refuse torent, evict, terminate tenancyor otherwise treat someone

badly simply because theyare a survivor of domesticabuse,” she noted. “Obtain-ing and retaining safe hous-ing is critical to the recoveryprocess for survivors—many of whom are womenwith children.”

Bethel said the FairHousing Legal Clinic worksto make fair housing optionsavailable to all persons.

“The John MarshallLaw School Fair HousingLegal Clinic offers assistanceto families, and any victim ofabuse who believes this orher fair housing rights mayhave been violated,” sheadded.

For more information,contact the Fair HousingLegal Clinic at The JohnMarshall Law School in Chi-cago at 312.786.1047 or atwww.jmls.edu/fairhousing/clinic.

About the Fair Hous-ing Legal Clinic: The JohnMarshall Law School estab-lished the Fair Housing Le-gal Clinic in 1993 to train lawstudents in fair housing lawand to work with those be-ing discriminated against intheir housing choices. TheClinic provides representa-tion to persons discriminatedagainst because of race,color, religion, national ori-gin, age, sex, physical andmental disabilities, familialstatus, sexual orientation,source of income, militarydischarge status and protec-tive order status.

Pres. Obama signing the VAWA reauthorization.Photo courtesy of Clara Pratte N. Nation WashingtonOffice

Professor Allison Bethel,Director of the FHLC

Women in Public Housing“Many utilities and cit-

ies across the country haverenewables goals,” saidLarry Weis, Austin EnergyGeneral Manager. “Our am-bitious goal is very close tobecoming reality.”

Austin Energy is tak-ing advantage of the federaltax credit for wind energythat was extended recentlyby Congress through 2013that enables competitiveprices from interested par-ties. The tax credit saves2.2 cents per kilowatt-hourof energy produced fromnew wind energy facilitiesfor the next 10 years. Theextension applies toprojects begun in 2013 butnot operational until 2014.

“Now is the time to actwhile prices are in our favor,”Weis said. “These windsources will generate ben-efits for our customers foryears to come.”

Proposals for AustinEnergy may be offered fromnew or existing resourceswithin the boundaries of theElectric Reliability Council of

Texas (ERCOT). ERCOTmanages the flow of electricpower to approximately 23million Texas customers rep-resenting 85 percent of thestate’s electric load and 75percent of the Texas landarea. Deliveries from thewind sources to Austin En-ergy are to commence in2014.

The RFP can be foundon Austin Energy’s Web siteon Monday, March 11, atwww.austinenergy.com.Proposals will be accepteduntil 5 p.m. CDT on April12, 2013. All questions con-cerning the RFP must be sub-mitted in writing toenergysupply@austinenergy.com.

Currently, Austin En-ergy receives the annual out-put of up to 850 MW fromwind turbines located at eightwind farms divided betweenWest Texas and the Texascoast through long-termpower purchase agreements.These energy resourcescombined with the annualoutput of the 30 MWWebberville solar projectand the 100 MWNacogdoches biomass plantmean that about 27 percentof the energy delivered byAustin Energy during 2013can be generated from re-newable resources.

Austin EnergyTakes Advantage

of FederalTax Credit

changed forever. Notonly did the small, black-owned enterprise establishthe first and only DNA-based ancestry tracingmarketplace for people ofAfrican descent, but thisfirst-of-its-kind venturewent on to dramatically en-hance the way AfricanAmericans see themselvesand the rich influences thatAfrica has in their lives to-day.

“Our 10-year anniver-sary is more than a one-time reason to have a partyor a fleeting marketing op-portunity,” said Gina Paige,co-founder and presidentof AfricanAncestry.com.“This milestone marks anunprecedented, collectivetransformation for thou-sands and thousands ofBlack people that aug-ments their identities intoday’s America and acrossthe world,” said Paige.

Formed by one of thecountry’s few Black geneti-cists Dr. Rick Kittles andentrepreneur Paige,AfricanAncestry.com em-ploys the largest collectionof indigenous African DNA(collected by Kittles) in aproprietary DNA matchinganalysis to assess present-day African countries of ori-gins. As with all great inno-

vators, AfricanAncestry.com has spawned a few in-dustry copycats, however,none delivers 99+ percentaccuracy in each sampletested, making African An-cestry the most trusted andreliable in the industry.

“I never imagined thatmy passion for African his-tory and the movements ofits people throughout theworld would one day mani-fest in a much-neededproduct for African Ameri-cans,” said Dr. Kittles whoseyears of research on ge-netic variation in Africansled to the founding ofAfricanAncestry.com, pub-lished works in more than100 publications andbreak-through advance-ments in the field of humangenetics and genetic an-thropology.

Since its inception, Af-rican Ancestry has been onthe forefront of collectingand analyzing first-time, in-teresting data from its test-takers. And while it’s clearthat there’s a close racebetween people wanting totrace their mother’s side(53%) versus their father’sside (47%), African-Ameri-can women overwhelmingoutnumber men — two toone — when it comes totracing their roots.

Largest Collection ofIndifenous African DNA

GetEQUAL Texas

The Texas Legislatureonly meets during odd-num-bered years for 140 days.Several bills have been filedby our allies in both housesof the state legislature thatcould greatly impact the livesof LGBT Texans.

"Now is the time to act.We have less than 80 days

left in this legislative sessionand we have a real chanceto affect positive change inthe Lone Star State," saidTiffani Bishop, Central Re-gion Lead Organizer forGetEQUAL Texas.

For the first time ever,employment non-discrimina-tion bills have been filed in

both houses of the legislature.Additionally, bills pertainingto marriage, insurance,supplemental birth certifi-cates for adopted children,and a standard process forchanging gender markershave also been introducedthis session, along with a hostof others.

"We must lift our voicesin unison and let our law-makers know that we are notgoing to go anywhere any-time soon. We will march rainor shine. And we'll be backif these bills don't pass," saidBishop.

The march takes place

one day before EqualityTexas' Lobby Day. Bothevents are expecting morethan 500 attendees.

For more informationabout the march, visitwww.getequaltx.org . Formore information about theEquality Texas Lobby Day,visit www.equalitytexas.org.

The forecast is predict-ing rain on Sunday. Partici-pants are encouraged tobring a poncho or umbrella.

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Page 6 ~ March 15, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

CITY ~ STATE ~ NATIONAL ~ WORLD

On March 4, 2013,the nation of Kenya held itsfourth democratic election.According to the Kenyanelectoral committee, arecord of 12 millionKenyans went to the vot-ing booth. Then, Kenyanelectoral committee tookone week to count all thevotes, in-order, to declared

Kenya HoldsElection

President-Elect Uhuru Kenyatta

Uhuru Kenyatta as theelected President. More-over, President-elect Uhuruis the son of the Kenya'sfounder and first President,Jomo Kenyatta.

During the election,Uhuru Kenyatta faced aformidable opponentnamed Raila Odinga.Uhuru Kenyatta over the

years had to prove to theKenyan people that he wasa "self-made" leader. Onthe other hand, RailaOdinga had to prove that hecould appeal to allKenyans. Moreover,Uhura Kenyatta won with50.3% of the vote, whichcaused him to avoid a run-off.

Although the Kenyanelectoral committee has de-clared Uhura Kenyatta thewinner, Raila Odinga men-tioned that he would chal-lenge that decision. In ad-dition, Uhuru Kenyatta stillhas to face the InternationalCriminal Court due to thealleged 2007 post-elec-toral violence that claimedthousands of lives. More-over, some people observethat Uhuru Kenyatta wonthe election due to thesealleged violence becausemany Kenyans see it as in-terference into the domes-tic politics of Kenya.

Now that UhuruKenyatta was declaredPresident-elect, the West-ern nation, like Great Brit-ain should accept the re-sults of the election. Inother words, the Westshould not try to meddleinto the "domestic affair" ofKenya. Some believe thatUhuru Kenyatta wouldhave a hard time workingwith Western nations dueto the alleged 2007 post-electoral violence.

Texas Defense for Life CenterOn March 5, 2013,

the Texas Defense for LifeCenter (TDLC) held afundraiser in Austin, Texas.For their first fundraiserevents, approximately 450people attended this eventin Austin Texas. For theparticipants, it was an op-portunity to show their sup-port for a "pro-life" institu-tion.

During the event,Rick Santorium was thefeatured speaker. Duringhis speech, he mentionedthat Texas has played a keyrole in the abortion debate.For instance, he mentionedthat, "Roe verses Wade isa case that began in Texasand then went national." Asa result, Rick Santoriummentioned that Texas willcontinue to play a majorrole in the abortion debate.

Rick Santorum addresses fundraiser dinner.Photos courtesy of TDLC.

Gregory R. Terra, Esq.TCDL, President

The Texas Center forthe Defense of Life (TCDL)is a 501(c)(3) non-profitand non-partisan organiza-tion. The center wasformed in 2011 and hasdedicated itself to "aggres-sively defend the sanctity ofhuman life in Texas and alsoin the federal court. Fur-thermore, the TCDL pro-vides pro bono (free) legalrepresentation and support.

On March 6, 1957,the nation of Ghana be-came an independent na-tion. Its leader, KwameN' Krumah led the nationfrom its independence andwas also a leader withinthe Pan-African viewmovement, which calledfor the solidarity amongpeople of African de-scent. In other words,Kwame N'Krumah wasone of the first Africanleaders who believed inself-reliance, instead, ofreceiving monetary aidfrom Western nations.After his tragic death,Ghana would spiral intovarious military coups,which slowed the devel-opment of Ghana. But,then Ghana would even-tually stabilize under themil i tary leader of JJRawlings, who wouldlater organize and win thefirst democratic electionin Ghana.

So, on March 6 ,2013 the nation of Ghanacelebrated its 63th Anni-versary, which makes itthe oldest independentcountry in Sub-SaharaAfrica. The 63th Anni-versary comes after thedeath of the "sitting"President Atta Mills; ahotly contested electionof Pres ident John

Ghana Celebrates63th Anniversary

Dramani Mahama; and afailed African soccer cupbid. Now, that these eventsare behind them, the 63thAnniversary re-unites thepeople of Ghana. Not onlyis Ghana the oldest nationin Sub-Sahara Africa, butit also has become a rolemodel for other countries tofollow.

Over the past twodecades, Ghana has be-come a "beacon" of de-mocracy in West Africa.I t has become a rolemodel of democracy dueto the fact that they orga-nized elections that were"free and fair" to all of itscitizens. Now that Ghanahas held five successfulelections without any in-cidents, now it serves asa showcase nation to theirneighboring countries likeCote d’Ivoire and Togowhich have much work todo before holding freeand fair elections.

Finally, the Ghanaiandiaspora living in CentralTexas are still in the plan-ning stage of its indepen-dent day celebration.Moreover, the Ghanaiancelebration is a source ofcommunity unity andpride. For instance, Mar-tin mentioned that theevent services as a gath-ering for the community.

By Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

By Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

By Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

“I am America. Iam the part youwon't recognize. Butget used to me. Black,confident, cocky; myname, not yours; myreligion, not yours;my goals, my own;get used to me.”Muhammad Ali

FBI Releases Files on Whitney Houston

The FBI has released128 pages from its file onWhitney Houston, revealingdetails of an apparently suc-cessful blackmail plot, as wellas an investigation into anobsessed fan.

Released in response toa freedom of information re-quest, the FBI’s documentscover 11 years of threatsagainst the singer, from 1988to 1999. But the pages are

heavily redacted – in manycases, to the point of incom-prehensibility.

Sometimes the redac-tions are tantalizing. In late1992, an unidentified Chicagolawyer wrote to Houston’sNew Jersey-based productioncompany stating that unlessthe singer paid $100,000 , hisclient planned to “reveal cer-tain details of [Houston's] pri-vate life … to several publica-tions”. Later the blackmailamount was boosted evenhigher, to $250,000.

According to the FBI,this was extortion. But whenagents met with Houston andher father, the singer said sheknew the woman who wasmaking the threats, and thatshe was “a friend … [who]would never do anything toembarrass her”. Officersclosed the case, even thoughHouston’s father had appar-ently sent the blackmailer aconfidentiality agreement andan unknown sum of money.

In addition to the extor-tion case, officers investigatedseveral cases of over-devotedfans. One Vermont letter-writer claimed: “I start toshake … when I think aboutyou.”

“Over the past 17

months, I have sent … 66letters to Miss Whitney,” hewrote. “I have tried to stopwriting the letters and to giveup twice but after a fewweeks I had to start writingagain … I have gotten madat [Whitney] a few times [fornot replying] … it scares methat I might come up withsome crazy or stupid or re-ally dumb idea … I might hurtsomeone with some crazyidea.”

FBI agents eventuallyquestioned Houston’s one-

sided pen-pal in 1988. Theydecided he was harmless.The same was true for aDutch or Belgian correspon-dent who insisted he hadwritten some of Houston’ssongs. The writer furtherclaimed that he was thepresident of Europe and hadpurchased the country ofBrazil.

After selling more than200 million records worldwide,Houston drowned in a hotelbathtub in February 2012. Shewas 48.

Whitney Houston

Special to the NNPA fromthe Washington Informer

Swing DanceSpring

GraduationStep~N~Motion, Inc. pre-

sents our G14 Spring Gradua-tion. Saturday, March 16 atCrowne Plaza Hotel. Perfor-mances By Austin, Dallas,Houston, Oklahoma. DoorsOpen 6:30 pm • Dinner 7:00pm • Show 8:00 pm • PartyUntil 1:00 am • After Party atMidtown

Tickets: $30 Pre-Sale:$35 at the door. To purchasetickets or tables, contact: FloTisdale 512.913.3307 or JoanieWashington 512.743. 3082.Tickets are tax deductible. Pro-ceeds go towards our Schol-arship Fund for high school stu-dents entering their first yearof college.

March 11, 2013—Itcosts a lot of money to win aseat in Congress, but howmuch exactly? MapLight hasconducted an analysis ofmoney raised by members ofthe 113th Congress who wonelection in 2012.

Data:*House members, on av-

erage, each raised $1,689,580,an average of $2,315 every dayduring the 2012 cycle.

*Senators, on average,each raised $10,476,451, anaverage of $14,351 every dayduring the 2012 cycle.

What's the Cost ofa Seat in Congress?

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/March 15, 2013 ~ Page 7

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

EMPLOYMENTPROPOSALS

PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALEFOR RENT

BIDSMISCELLANEOUS

Austin Travis CountyIntegral Care (ATCIC) is cur-rently soliciting proposalsthrough a Request for Proposals(RFP) process for Group Healthand Wellness Programs. RFPsmay be picked up between 8 a.m.and 5 p.m. at Frost InsuranceAgency, 401 Congress Ave., 14thFloor, Austin, TX 78701, begin-ning Monday, March 11, 2013.RFPs may also be mailed or sentelectronically, by contactingRebecca Hawes at rhawes@frostinsurance.com. The deadlineto submit a proposal under theRFP is 5 p.m. on Monday, April1, 2013. Historically Underuti-lized Businesses (HUBs), includ-ing Minority-Owned Businessesand Women-Owned Businesses,are encouraged to apply

AUSTIN COMMUNITYCOLLEGE

Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.

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

EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V

New Jobs for theWeek of 3/10/2013

Assistant III, AdministrativeElgin Campus

Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

$2,256-$2,820/MonthlyJob# 1303008

Assistant III, Administra-tive

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

5:00 p.m.$2,256-$2,820/Monthly

Job# 1303012Coordinator, Bioscience

Credentials ConsortiumRound Rock Campus

Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

$3,174-$3,968/MonthlyJob# 1303010

Dean, Student Services(Internal)

Northridge & Elgin CampusThis is an Administrator

level position. Hours may often exceed a

typical 40 hour work week; evening and

weekend hours also required.Salary Commensurate

Upon ExperienceJob# 1303005

District Police, DispatcherService Center

Salary is as assigned$2,148-$2,685/Monthly

Job# 1303002Faculty, Vocational Nursing

FredericksburgHours as assigned: Must

maintain an established schedule. Some positions

may also include evenings and weekends.

Salary is assigned accordingto the Full-Time

Faculty Salary ScaleJob# 1303006

Faculty, Vocational NursingEastview Campus

Hours as assigned: Mustmaintain an established

schedule. Some positionsmay also include evenings

and weekends.Salary is assigned according

to the Full-TimeFaculty Salary Scale

Job# 1303007Manager, Campus

South Austin CampusMonday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-

5:00 p.m.$4,924-$6,155/Monthly

Job# 1303001

AUSTIN COMMUNITYCOLLEGE DISTRICT (ACC) issoliciting for proposals from quali-fied vendors for Licensing Manage-ment Services.

Request for ProposalNo. 961-13003VJ

Completed proposals mustbe submitted to the Purchasing De-partment by no later than Thurs-day, April 18, 2013, at 2:00 P.M.,Central Time. Proposal documentsare available on the ACC Purchas-ing website at http://www.austin cc.edu/purchase/

*NOTICE OF CLOSURE*ACC Business Offices and Campuslocations will be closed for the col-lege spring break from 11 March2013 through 15 March 2013.

Proposal documents will beavailable in the ACC PurchasingOffice (512) 223-1044 between thehours of 9 am and 4 pm, Mondaythrough Friday starting 18 March2013. Proposals, when submitted,must be properly identified, sealed,and returned to the ACC Purchas-ing Office, ACC Service Center,9101 Tuscany Way, Austin, Texas78754, by the deadline. Electroni-cally transmitted responses will notbe accepted. Late proposals will beretained unopened.

ACC reserves the right toaccept or reject any or all propos-als, in whole or in part, to waiveinformalities or technicalities, toclarify ambiguities, and to awarditems or groups of items as may bein the best interest of ACC.

Saturday,May 11, 2013

Early Voting begins:April 29, 2013

Early Voting Ends:May 7, 2013

The followingElection:

November 5, 2013

During Early Voting,you may vote at anyEarly Voting location

in Travis County.Visit traviscountyclerk.org

WE WANT YOU..TO

ADVERTISE

WHY WAITCALL NOW512.476.0082

Megan Reeves, an inmate at the Maine Cor-rectional Center in Windham, embraces dog Piperat the prison on Thursday after completing theweekly dog obedience training course. Reevesand other inmates have been granted permissionto take care of young puppies as part of “Paws inStripes,” a program being coordinated with theAnimal Welfare Society in Kennebunk. (JEFFLAGASSE/Journal Tribune)

raise funds for thislife-changing project.Admission is free. Butthe suggested cover is anew dog toy. Donationswill also be accepted.

Silent auction prizeswill include many differ-ent experiences anditems—like time with apersonal trainer; mani-cures, pedicures and fa-cials; original artwork,gift baskets, and muchmore.

Paws in Prison,started in the GEOLockhart Unit of the stateprison system in 2007,rescues dogs from ruralarea shelters and takesthem into the prison inLockhart where womeninmates train them in ba-sic obedience to get themready for adoption.

The dogs providedby partner agencies arelikely to be at risk for be-ing euthanized or havelittle chance of adoptionfor any number of rea-sons. Sometimes it issimply a lack of space atthe shelter or an easilytreated medical condi-tion. The stress of beingin a shelter may alsomake some strays un-likely candidates for theshelter’s own adoptionprogram.

By restoring their

Paws in Prison Transforms “Lost Causes” intoWonderful Companions Continued from page 1

mental health, treatingtheir medical ills, and giv-ing them the attention,leadership and trainingthey need, Paws in Prisontransforms these “lostcauses” into wonderfulcompanions with goodtemperaments.

During training thedogs live at the prison for2-3 months in the cellswith their inmate han-dlers. A professionaldog trainer teaches aweekly class about howto train the dogs to theselect group of womeninmates responsible forthe dogs’ instruction.The inmates teach themto sit, stay, lie down, andwalk on a loose leash, aswell as making sure theyare potty and cratetrained. For fun, the dogsalso learn a few tricks. Alot of time is spent sim-ply nurturing and social-izing the dogs that mayhave been abused, aban-doned, or not socialized.

A veterinarianmakes sure the dogs areup to date on their shots,spayed/neutered, heart-worm negative and onpreventative heartwormtreatment, andmicrochipped.

The program makesa life-long impact on thewomen trainers. An in-

mate in the very firstgroup of trainers in 2008said, “For me it’s been alearning experience…Wecome in here with a feel-ing of worthlessness, andthese dogs give us a senseof responsibility.” An-other woman creditedthe program with “learn-ing how to control our-selves.” One of the cur-rent inmate trainers ex-plains, “We watch asthey [the dogs] blossomin a structured and con-sistent environment.Each day is a lesson incause and effect. As theylearn, we learn, and asthey grow, we do also.”

Paws in Prison is aunique model for coor-dinating community re-sources to serve commu-nity needs. People inter-ested in adopting one ofthese well-trained dogsare invited to call 512 398-3480 ext. 101 to learnabout adoption fees andrequirements. Theprogram’s website,www.pawsinprison.comhas pictures and infor-mation about the currentclass. Donations are ac-cepted at Paws in Prison,1400 Industrial Blvd.,Lockhart, TX 78644.Please write “Benefit” onthe memo line.

Estevanico, One of the First Explorersof Southwest U. S. Continued from page 1

tin History Center(AHC), 810 GuadalupeSt. The Austin HistoryCenter is open from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Saturday and12 noon to 6 p.m. onSunday. The exhibit isfree to the public.

The exhibit focuseson 1839 through 1940,the first century of Afri-can American life inTravis County, and ex-plores the contributionsand achievements aswell as the obstaclesfaced in building a com-munity and obtainingthe American dream.Hundreds of docu-ments and photographsmined from the AHC’s

Estevanico

collections illustratethese stories and helpreveal periods of thishistory that need docu-mentation to completethe picture.

The first record ofAfrican Americans inTexas is widely be-lieved to have begunwith Estevanico, a slaveheld by Spanish Ex-plorer, Andrés Dorantesde Carranza. In 1528,Estevanico was one offour survivors of theship- wrecked Pánfilode Narváez expeditionthat was stranded off theTexas coast. Althoughhe would later be killedby the Zuni Indians, heplayed an important

role as a translator be-tween the explorers andthe native tribes theyencountered. His ac-count, along with theother explorers, offeredvital information aboutthe Texas coast thathelped lead to furtherexploration and even-tual settlement of Texasby the Spanish.

Estevanico andother African Americanshave contributed tobuilding, protectingand supportingAmerica. In fact, somehistorians estimate thatAfricans have been liv-ing in Texas for morethan four hundredyears; yet, little is

known about these indi-viduals and communi-ties. Unfortunately, theAfrican American storyis lost in the pages ofhistory due to lack ofdocumentation. TheAHC’s new exhibitBuilding a Commu-nity: The First Centuryof African AmericanLife in Travis Countyis an attempt to bringsome of that informa-tion to light.

Austin, TX – A+Federal Credit Union(A+FCU), is proud toannounce the promo-tion of O.J. Gilder as itsVice-President of Infor-mation Technology.

Mr. Gilder startedhis career with A+ inAugust 1998 as a Teller.After working in vari-ous positions for A+and obtaining his de-grees, he was selected tobe the VP of IT at BrazosValley Schools CreditUnion (Katy, TX) in Feb-ruary 2009. He came

O.J. Gilder

back to A+FCU in July2011as the Program-ming Manager. Withthis promotion, his re-sponsibilities includeall aspects of I.T. includ-ing network administra-tion and programming.

Gilder, who holdsa BBA in ManagementInformation Systemsfrom the University ofTexas at Austin and anMBA from Texas StateUniversity, has over 14years of credit union I.T.experience.

Kerry Parker, CEO

states “OJ has reallygrown up with A+ andwe are proud to havebeen part of his careerpath. It is wonderful towatch someone with histalent be successful andhave him fill this strate-gic management role.”

O.J. Gilder Promoted toVice-President of

Information Technology Travis County ClerkDana DeBeauvoir recognizesthree grocery retailersRandalls, Fiesta and H-E-B forthe generous use of theirstores for Early Voting andElection Day polling sites atTravis County Commissioner’sCourt on March 5. “These

companies demonstrate theirdedication to democracy bydonating their facilities, re-sources and time to host poll-ing places. These convenientlocations give more voters theopportunity to cast a ballot”DeBeauvoir said.

TCC RecognizesRetailers with

CommunityPartnership Award

Page 8 ~ March 15, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

PROGRAMS ~ AWARENESS

The Sheriff’sReserve UnitIs Recruiting

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office ReserveUnit consists of certified Peace Officers who vol-unteer as law enforcement officers to supplementthe Sheriff’s full-time personnel.

The Sheriff’s Office has planned an eveningBasic Peace Officer Course (BPOC) that is sched-uled to begin in January of 2014 and the ReserveUnit is seeking qualified Reserve applicants. Aninformational forum about the course and the Re-serve Unit will be held on Tuesday, March 19,2013. The session will begin at 7pm, at the Sheriff’sOffice, 5555 Airport Boulevard, in Austin. If youwould like to attend the session and/or applyfor the BPOC, please send your resume to JoellynBrelsford at joellyn.brelsford@co.travis.tx.us.

Lydia Quit &SupportsTobacco FreeLiving

The Alliance forAfrican AmericanHealth in CentralTexas’s Living Healthyon the Eastside projectis featuring a storyabout Lydia Ross, anAustin resident who’sstory of how she quitsmoking serves as aninspiration to thosesmokers looking for areason to quit. Whenher husband was diag-nosed with emphy-sema, Lydia set hermind on quitting smok-ing. Then, she did it.She quit cold turkey,without tricks or to-bacco substitutes. Onceshe’d decided to quit,she “didn’t have the de-sire anymore.” Aston-ishingly, she had no di-rect help from anyone,and no relapses. “Eventhe smell became repul-sive,” she said, after be-ing asked if she avoidedsituations that mighthave triggered her urgeto smoke. When askedif she supports the pro-posed smoke-free patioand deck rules in Aus-tin, she expressed hersupport for the law stat-ing, “I live in a smokefree building and amhappy about that.”However, she feels thatit will take more thanlaws to get people toquit smoking. “Peoplewho have the desire tosmoke will continue tosmoke if they want to.”She wants to see morepeople quit and encour-ages them to make thedecision for themselves.When it comes down toit, “it’s up to the indi-vidual,” she said. Herstory serves as inspira-tion and highlights animportant fact aboutsmoking: the first step inquitting is deciding toquit.

APD, Area Law EnforcementAgencies Announce Initiativeto Curb Aggressive Driving

The Austin PoliceDepartment, along withother local area law en-forcement agencies, willbe initiating a campaignto help curb aggressivedriving on the IH-35 cor-ridor. The initiative willbegin Sunday, March 17,2013 and end Saturday,March 23, 2013.

The initiative will fo-cus on aggressive driv-ers, including commer-cial vehicles, and is partof APD’s Ticketing Ag-gressive Cars and

Trucks (TACT) program.The goal of this initiativeis to reduce serious in-jury/fatality collisionsalong the IH-35 corridor.Enforcement will includea higher visibility of offic-ers on the corridor, whowill be writing citationsand warnings to aggres-sive drivers.

Some examples ofaggressive driving in-clude:

· Speeding· Unsafe move-

ments

· Following tooclose (Tailgating)

· Passing autho-rized emergency vehicle

· Failure to signalintent

· Safety belt viola-tions (to include child carseats)

Drivers are encour-aged to, as always, obeyall traffic laws, avoid be-ing distracted behind thewheel, do not drink anddrive/find a designateddriver and always wearyour seat belt.

WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVEON EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE FOR

AFRICAN AMERICANSU.S. Education Sec-

retary Arne Duncan hasannounced the appoint-ment of David J. Johnsas executive director ofthe White House Initia-tive on Educational Ex-cellence for AfricanAmericans.

“David’s expertisewill be critical in help-ing to address the aca-demic challenges thatmany African Americanstudents face, and I amdelighted to have himon our team,” Duncansaid. “His wealth ofknowledge and passionwill help the Depart-ment move forward inits quest to ensure thatall children are collegeand career ready.”

Johns will work toidentify evidence-basedbest practices to im-prove African Americanstudent achievement—from cradle to career.The initiative will workacross federal agenciesand with partners andcommunities nation-wide to produce a moreeffective continuum ofeducation programs forAfrican American stu-dents. Prior to joiningthe Department, Johnswas a senior educationpolicy advisor to theSenate Committee onHealth, Education, La-bor and Pensions(HELP) under the lead-ership of Sen. TomHarkin, D-Iowa. Beforeworking for the Senate

HELP committee, un-der Chairman Harkin,Johns served under theleadership of the lateSen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. Johns also was aCongressional BlackCaucus Foundation Fel-low in the office of Con-gressman CharlesRangel, D-N.Y. Johnshas worked on issuesaffecting low-incomeand minority students,neglected youth andearly childhood educa-tion, and HistoricallyBlack Colleges and Uni-versities (HBCUs). Hisresearch as an AndrewW. Mellon Fellowserved as a catalyst toidentify, disrupt andsupplant negative per-ceptions of black males,both within academiaand society. Johns iscommitted to volunteerservices and maintainsan active commitmentto improve literacyamong adolescent mi-nority males.

Johns obtained amaster’s degree in soci-ology and educationpolicy at Teachers Col-lege, Columbia Univer-sity, where he gradu-ated summa cum laudewhile simultaneouslyteaching elementaryschool in New YorkCity. He graduated withhonors from ColumbiaUniversity in 2004 witha triple major in English,creative writing and Af-rican American studies.

11 STATES WILL RECEIVE FUNDING TOHELP TURN AROUND THEIR

LOWEST-PERFORMING SCHOOLSU.S. Secretary of

Education Arne Duncantoday announced that11 states will receivefunding to continue ef-forts to turn around theirpersistently lowestachieving schoolsthrough theDepartment’s SchoolImprovement Grants(SIG) program. Thestates that will receivecontinuation awardsare: Connecticut—$3.6million; Kentucky—$7.7 million; Mary-land—$6.8 million; Min-

nesota—$5.5 million;Mississippi—$6.1 mil-lion; New Mexico—$4.1million; Ohio—$20.2million; South Caro-lina—$7.4 million;South Dakota—$1.5 mil-lion; Utah—$3.4 mil-lion; and West Vir-ginia—$3.3 million.

“When schools fail,our children and ourneighborhoods suffer,”Duncan said. “Turningaround our lowest-per-forming schools is hardwork but it’s our re-sponsibility. We owe it

to our children, theirfamilies and thebroader community.These School Improve-ment Grants are helpingsome of the lowest-achieving schools pro-vide a better educationfor students who need itthe most.”

Under the ObamaAdministration, the SIGprogram has investedup to $6 million perschool over three yearsat more than 1,300 of thecountry’s lowest-per-forming schools.