INSIDE

RAPPIN’Tommy Wyatt

TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION

www.TheAustinVillager.com This paper canbe recycled

Vol. 46 No. 30 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: vil3202@aol.com February 1, 2019

Eastside Memorial ECHSGroundbreaking Celebration

Photo courtesy Austin Independent School District

(AUSTIN, TX) - Community, students, familiesand staff came together Jan. 19 to break ground onan $80 million campus for Eastside Memorial EarlyCollege High School and International High Schoolat the site of the Original L.C. Anderson campus inEast Austin.

More than 200 people attended the celebra-tion that recognized the legacy of the Original L.C.Anderson High School campus. The school wasAustin’s first high school for African-American stu-dents and served as an anchor of the eastside com-munity for more than 80 years.

The event included speakers from all threeschools and panel discussions on promise, pain,pride, perseverance and posterity focused on theunity of the three school communities. An official

outdoor groundbreaking took place after the pro-gram, allowing the communities to signal the fu-ture construction of the project.

The relocation of Eastside Memorial ECHS andInternational to the Original L.C. Anderson site ispart of a $1.05 billion bond program approved byvoters in 2017.

In total, the bond program provides $146.5million for the Eastside Memorial family of schools,which is a $43,084 investment per student. That isthe highest per-student investment among thedistrict’s family of schools.

The Eastside Memorial and International HighSchool facility at the Original L.C. Anderson Cam-pus is one of 17 new or modernized campusesfunded by the bond program. The modernized cam-pus is expected to open in summer 2021.

AISD Special to the VILLAGER Newspaper

BLACK PANTHER WINS BIG ATSCREEN ACTOR GUILD AWARDS

By Naomi Richard | VILLAGER Entertainment Editor

(VILLAGER NEWS) - The 25th Annual ScreenActor Guild (SAG) Awards took place January 27,2019 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Cali-fornia. The Awards were shown live on TBN/TBS.Black Panther and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won

big Sunday night.Black Panther won Outstanding Performance

by a Cast in a Motion Picture Award (equivalent toBest Picture) and Outstanding Performance by a

See WAKANDA FOREVER!, page 2

BUILDINGBRIDGESA TRAVIS COUNTYSHERIFF’S OFFICE

PROGRAM

Bringing a culturallydiverse community

together to build newrelationships and seekcollaborative solutions

that address publicsafety issues.

Hosted byAssistant Chief

Richard Guajardo,Commander

Catherine Johnson,Sergeant

Richard Ellsworthand

Region 3 DistrictRepresentatives

FEBRUARY 21:30 - 3:00PM

MILLENNIUMYOUTH

ENTERTAINMENTCOMPLEX

1156 HARGRAVE ST.AUSTIN, TX 78702

AGENDAIntroduction of ourtwo, new Assistant

ChiefsDiscussion on the

new Health &Wellness Committee

Terrace at OaksSprings (IntegralCare community)Sobering Center

FIRST SATURDAY’STOWN HALL

MEETING

OPEN TO THEPUBLIC

Austin school savedfrom gentrification

whirlpool.See HISTORIC

Page 6

Carla J. and Katie P.lead 2019

Sisterhood Summit.See MARCH

Page 3

Naomi Osaka winsher second Grand

Slam trophy.See AUSTRALIAN

Page 7

How Far backcan you traceyour family

roots? Most of the people thatI know cannot trace theirhistory past twogenerations. Many canonly go back to 1generation. I fall in thelatter group. As far backas I could remember Ilived with myGrandmother on mymother’s side. She camefrom a family of five girlsand one boy. The boy diedat an early age because ofa birth defect. My mother was one ofthe last of the five girls toleave the family home.All of the other girlsmarried at a very youngage. After my Grand-mother passed, we movedto be near another of hersisters. The families werevery close. I did not appreciateBlack History until I wentto high school. WhileBlack History was not acourse that was required,our History teacher addedBlack History to ourhistory studies. She wouldsubscribe to Blacknewspapers around thecountry to keep us abreastof current events and theBlack people who weremaking the news. Thatwas one of my favoritecourses. When I went to college, Iwas surprised to find out thatour history teacher was oneof the few teachers that hadincluded Black Historyamong the courses that shetaught. Because of thatexperience, I continuedhave an interest in thatsubject. And that interestcontinues today. Black History Month isdesigned to help our youthappreciate the role thatmany of their ancestorsplayed in the developmentof this country and theworld. The sad thing isthat most of that history isnot taught in the publicschools so that other racescan appreciate the role thatall of us have played inmaking this country great. Each of us should takesome time during the monthof February to study theroles that our individualfamilies have played in ourhistory. You will be quitesurprised and proud of whatyou will find.

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/February 1, 2019 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com

1215 Chicon Street(512) 477-3875

Friday and SaturdaySpecials

10% DiscountAll 1.75 & .750 LitersPrices All inexpensive

C & M LIQUORS

Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture.Chadwick Boseman spoke for the cast of Black

Panther quoting Nina Simone’s song, “To be young,gifted and black.” He went on to explain the refer-ence, “We know what it’s like to be told there isn’ta screen for you to be featured on, a stage for youto be featured on… We know what it’s like to bebeneath and not above. And that is what we wentto work with every day. We knew that we couldcreate a world that exemplified a world we wantedto see. We knew that we had something to give.”

Black Panther, the Marvel Studios film writ-ten by Ryan Coogler, also earned OscarÒ Nomina-tions for best costume design, production design,sound editing, sound mixing, original score andoriginal song.

Wakanda Forever!Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won

Outstanding Comedy Series Ensemble. Continuingin the field of comedy, it won Best Comedy Actressand Actor for Rachel Brosnahan, who plays the titlecharacter, and Tony Shalhoub, who plays her father.

Mahershala Ali won Outstanding Performanceby a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a MotionPicture for Green Book. In his moving acceptance

WAKANDA FOREVER!

speech Ali had this to say, “The more I am fortu-nate and blessed to get to do this work the more Irealize how much I need you, all of you in this roomto draw inspiration from…to get my cues as to howto go deeper…I’m just really grateful to be amongthis fraternity of people, fraternity of artists whohave the good fortune of getting to deal and wrestlewith the human condition and trying to do that re-sponsibly.” The actor went on to thank his familyfor their love and support.

NBC’s This is Us won Outstanding Performanceby an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Award-winning actor, writer, director, pro-ducer, polymath and advocate for science commu-nication Alan Alda, became the 55th recipient ofSAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achieve-ment Award for career achievement and humani-tarian accomplishment.

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation ofTelevision and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is anAmerican labor union representing approximately160,000 film and television actors, journalists, ra-dio personalities, recording artists, singers, voice ac-tors, and other media professionals worldwide.

For a complete list of 2019 SAG Award win-ners visit www.sagawards.org.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Host Chadwick Bosemanduring the Opening

Monologue in Studio 8Hon Saturday, April 7, 2018-- (Photo by: Will Heath/

NBC)

Austin Native Earns MilitaryExcellence Award at Recruit

Training Commandby Alan Nunn,

Recruit Training Command Public Affairs

GREAT LAKES, Ill. - Seaman RecruitElizabeth Knapek, a 2006 Hendrickson HighSchool in Pflugerville, Texas, graduate andAustin, Texas, native, graduated as top Sailorfrom Recruit Training Command, Division092, earning the Military Excellence Award onJanuary 25.

“I have grown immensely in myphysical abilities, my mental toughness, andmy confidence,” Knapek said. “The MEAaward will forever stand as a symbol that Ican grow past any ideas that I may have hadabout who I am and become someone beyondwhat I imagine.”

Seaman Recruit Elizabeth Knapek

We Want YOU!Advertise With

TheVILLAGER

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)

www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/February 1, 2019 ~ Page 3

Felix Bamirin, PastorGRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Experience Grace For LifeCall: 682.472.9073 l Email: gracewayaustin@aol.com l

Visit: www.gracewaycca.org

JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758

SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.

New Lincoln Missionary Baptist Church2215 E. 8th St.,

Austin, TX 78702Going to Higher Heights,

Trusting God along the way.Sunday School 9:00am

BTU: 10:00amMorning Worship - 11:00 amChurch Phone (512) 477-2714

Cell Phont (512) 585-0744Email: newlincolnmbc@att.net

www.newlincolnmbc.orgRev. Darron E. Patterson

Pastor

(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building,behind Wells Fargo)

Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having beenjustified by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

“This life, therefore, is notrighteousness, but growth in righteousness;not health, but healing; not being, butbecoming; not rest, but exercise. We are notyet what we shall be, but we are growingtoward it. The process is not yet finished,but it is going on. This is not the end, but itis the road. All does not yet gleam in glory,but all is being purified.” --- Martin Luther

GO YE EVANGELISTIC GOSPEL MISSION(Arena of Refuge and Liberty)

Venu: Super 8, 8128 N. Interstate 35Austin, Texas 78753

CHURCH WEEKLY ACTIVITIESSundays: Sunday Celebration 9am - 12 noon

Wednesdays: Systematic Bible Study 6pm-7:30 pmFri: “I Believe in Miracle” Prayer Meetings 6-7:30

Join Operation PUSH Prayerline Team EveryFriday @ 6:pm

REV. SAMUEL EHIMEN, Minister in-chargeTel: 512-506-1645

Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St. Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751

Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am

Kenneth Hill,Pastor

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church

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 loveHe exhibited is Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you.

For there is no greater love!

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

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

Website www.agapebcaustintx.comRev. H. Ed Calahan

Pastor

Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium

5214 West Duval Road

Sunday School - 9:00 A.M.Worship Service - 10:00 A.M.

Power Hour Bible Life Group - 6:00 P.M.

Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval

Austin, Texas 78727

Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300

Rev. Dr. JacquelynDonald-Mims

Globalizing the Gospel

A Ministry That Ministers

Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor

OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH

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

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

Phone: (512) 478-1875Fax: (512) 478-1892

Bus Ministry: (512) 478-1875

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

Sunday Services

DOUBLE

GROCERY“R”

450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out

Country Boyz Fixin’s4140 E. 12th Street, Austin, TX 78721

Featuring Fish, Poboys, Hot Wings, Pork Chops,Homemade Gumbo, Shrimp and Alligator

DINE IN ORORDER TO GO

Mon - Fri: 11 am - 8 p.m.Saturday: 12 noon - 5 p.m.

Closed SundayCall (512) 928-5555

DAVID CHAPEL Missionary Baptist ChurchSUNDAY

Christian Education 9:15a.m. | Worship 10:30 a.m.Nursery Available

WEDNESDAY |Worship 1st Wed. monthly 7:00p.m. | Bible Study 7:30p.m.

Dr. Joseph C.Parker, Jr.

Senior Pastor

2211 East Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.Austin, TX 78702

Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399Website: www.davidchapel.orgEmail: info@davidchapel.org“A Church with a Heart

for The Community”

Pastor J. R. Roberson& First lady

Lillian Robertson

BETHEL-ST. PAUL UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH877 W. Hempstead, Giddings, Texas 78942

Weekly ScheduleSunday School 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m.Wednesday Night Bible

Study 6:00p.m.

Dr. Ricky Freeman,Pastor

(979) 542-2784 Church(979) 540-6352 Home

1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023

Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org

Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street, Austin, TX 78702

Do you have church news?Would you like to purchase

a monthly ad for yourchurch?

Inquire TODAY!Send your information to vil3202@aol.com

or call 512-476-0082

Sisterhood Summit Coming In March

Katie Wash Parrish Carla Johnson(AUSTIN, TX) – “INVEST In YOURSELF”Community Sisterhood Summit – please joinus for the Community Sisterhood Summit onSaturday, March 09 at St. James EpiscopalChurch, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. A Morning ofPraise, Prayer and Worship. Our Keynotespeaker Minister Leora Ellison. Summit

Sessions Leaders Elder Carla Johnson & KatieWash Parrish. Gospel songbirds KaylaFreeman & Amanda Rodriguez ! Grab a friendand meet us there. Spanish translation will beprovided. It’s going to be incredible! For moredetail information, contact Patricia Taylor atpatricialashley1977@gmail.com.

Barbara’s Book BagBy Barbara Williams

If BealeStreetCouldTalk

By James Baldwin

(VILLAGER NEWS) -This is a beautiful lovestory of a young African-American couple, Tishand Fonny, who live inHarlem. The story is toldthrough the eyes of Tish.

They deal with ev-eryday challenges of life,community and familywhen they are hit withthe false accusation thatFonny has raped anotherwoman. He is set up bya corrupt policeman.

Fonny is jailed asTish learns that she ispregnant. Her familyjoins with her in trying toclear his name. Tisha’sfamily is strong and theirlove and support for herand for Fonny is por-trayed beautifully in the

book. Although the

book was written nearly50 years ago, the story isvery relevant to today’slife in America.

A riveting scenein the book occurs whenFonny reunited with hisbest friend who hasbeen released from serv-ing a two-year prisonsentence for a crime hedid not commit. He ac-cepted a plea bargain.He was accused of steal-

ing a car, on the otherside of town, and bring-ing it to where he lived,when he couldn’t evendrive. He was placed asthe only black man in apolice lineup and identi-fied as the thief. He ac-cepted a lesser drugcharge of possession ofa small amount of mari-juana. He served 2 years.He describes how prisondegrades and breaks aman and leaves him bit-ter and hopeless.

Ironically, Fonnyis sent to prison on afalse charge. He was alsothe only black manplaced in a police line-up. You see the beautyof what he and T ishhave, being take away asher family and his fathersupport Tish in trying toget Fonny out of jail. Youare torn apart as you wit-ness the hopelessness ofthe situation.

Everything failsin their efforts to help:As Tish grows larger inher pregnancy; Fonny’sfather dies, her mother’strip to visit with theraped woman fails andFonny remains in jail los-ing hope.

The part I didn’tlike about the book isthat the story endedvery abruptly. It leavesthe reader to form theending of the hopelesssituation of Fonny, Tishand will there be a babyborn to them.

Otherwise it wasa beautifully writtenbook that relates to thepresent day and time. Ithink it deserved 4.8Stars out of 5.

State Representative Sheryl Cole Appointed to Several Committees(AUSTIN, TX) - State Representative Sheryl Cole

has been appointed to serve on the House Waysand Means, Redistricting, and County Affairs Com-mittees for the 86th Legislature.

• Ways and Means oversees proposals to raisestate revenue, the levying of taxes, and resolutionsto permit local governments to raise revenue.

• Redistricting oversees the drawing of legis-lative districts for both the Texas House and Sen-ate, along with Congressional and judicial districts.

• County Affairs has jurisdiction over the cre-ation and oversight of county and local matters.

Rep. Cole had the following to say: “I’m excitedto serve the state of Texas on the Ways and Means,Redistricting, and County Affairs committees in the86th Legislature. These assignments present manyopportunities to improve the lives of Texans inHouse District 46 and across the state. I would liketo thank House leadership for moving quickly - asWashington is shutdown, Texas is getting to work.

Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/February 1, 2019 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com

Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow

Black History

Black historymonth is here and I amhere to talk about it a bitmore. Black historymonth was created in1926 in the U.S. Whenhistorian Carter G.Woodson studied negrolife and history an-nounced the secondweek of February to benegro history week.Now February is the sec-ond and shortest monthof the year in the Julianand Gregorian calendarwith 28 days. In commonyears and 29 days in leapyears, with the quadren-nial 29th day beingcalled the leap day.

Woodson had donethis to show that negrohistory was very impor-tant and needed to beremembered. But April

SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards

Montrae NelsonFour Points M. S.

3, 1950 he had died froma heart attack in his of-fice home. But what hedid will make him re-membered forever andhe knew he lived ameaningful, importantlife. Some african heroeswere Robert abbott,Alvin Ailey, MuhammadAli, Richard Allen, etc.These people were un-defended influentialblack americans in his-tory.

Black history is ainformative topic andinteresting one as well,we would not be whatwe are now if those im-portant people had notdone anything or notrecognized. What I’mtrying to say is that blackhistory month repre-sents african americansand how they eachplayed a role in theworld. Not just any rolebut a change they putinto history making itforever remembered,and that is what makesblack history month sohistorically known worldwide. Thank you forreading have a wonder-ful day!

Discover Something New

In my Speech class,we are currently prepar-ing informativespeeches. I decided toprepare mine on thetopic of asthma. I want toshare part of it with youall, and I hope you takesomething away from it.More than 25 millionpeople, with 7 million ofthese people being chil-dren, have a respiratorycondition that affectstheir breathing. Imagineyourself being one out ofthese 25 million people.You have to take precau-tion throughout your en-tire day, analyzing eachdecision you make to de-termine if it will preventoxygen from flowing toyour lungs. This conditionis called asthma, it issomething that I have.Asthma is different foreveryone, it is somethingthat can be serious or life-threatening. There is nocure for asthma, but it candefinitely be managed.Asthma is chronic, mean-ing that it’s persisting for along time. It is a chroniclung condition that bothnarrows and inflames theairway (tubes that carryoxygen in and out of thelungs). The inflammationcauses the airway to be-come very sensitive andswollen. As the airwayreacts to the inflamma-tion, the muscles aroundthem may begin totighten, which narrowsthem and allows less oxy-

gen to flow.Also, the cells pro-

duce more mucus thanusual, causing the airwayto become sticky, whichcan further narrow it.When this occurs, itcauses repeated wheez-ing (breathing with awhistling or rattlingsound in the chest),shortness of breath,coughing, and chesttightness. These are allsymptoms, that when se-vere turn into a largerimage called a flare-up,asthma episode, exacer-bations, or more com-monly referred to as anasthma “attack”. Withasthma, the airways aregenerally swollen or in-flamed, making them ex-tra sensitive to the envi-ronment and thingspeople are exposed to intheir everyday lives.These are referred to asasthma “triggers”, vary-ing from a common cold,to the weather, or envi-ronmental things such asdust, chemicals, smoke,and fur. Once one of thetriggers are inhaled, theairway swells even more,and the process repeatsthe cycle. There is noth-ing cure for this condi-tion. This is only the be-ginning of the speech,there is so much more,and so much more toasthma. Althoughasthma may cause manychallenges in the lives ofthose diagnosed, I’venever met anyone wholet it stop them fromthings they’re passionateabout. I know for a factthat I don’t.

As someone diag-nosed with asthma, be-lieve me when I say thattimes get rough, butasthma is indeed man-ageable. The “cure” for it,is to live your best lifewith a little caution.

After the Parade

The Dr. MartinLuther King Jr. Paradeand H.T.C. event has al-ways been exciting. I didnot participate in theparade but always at-tend the after events atthe university. The firstthing I notice is all thosepeople. I was told it iscalled diversity. Therewere people from allwalks of life. There werevery young and older.

One thing I wastold is that hardly any ofthem had ever had to sitonly on the back seat ofthe bus. Only dreamabout certain opportuni-ties. Nor seen a "ColoredEntrance " sign. I am gladbecause I have a lot ofrelative that don't look

Tyler AllenGus Garcia YMLA

like me especially skincolor. The trip to the uni-versity was fun. Mygrandfather always lovethe music. He said he feltthat he was the oldestperson there. The onething that caught my eyevery quickly was a ladywas selling a book aboutAustin's Black History.Around our house his-tory and religion are veryimportant.

The author wasAnita C. Roberts. It wastitled Achievements inBlack Austin. She wasvery nice. She thankedmy grandfather for help-ing out when she startedcollecting information. Iasked her why his namewas not in the book. Shesaid she could not geteverybody in the book.But she said she plans towrite more.

I had always beentold that history doesnot belong just to oneperson. It was a goodbook. I said I would useone of the people in thebook for a project at ourschool. It's about some-one that has contributeda lot to the Black com-munity.

D.E.A.L

Erika LipscombManor Middle School

First off I’d like tosay that I enjoyed theMLK march on January25 celebrating the unfor-gettable moments offighting for equality andequal rights amongone’s skin color. Walkingwith people I didn’tknow made me feeleven more closer tothem, and the fact theyparticipated in thisevent. Not to forget theman himself , may herest.

DEAL is short forDancers Education andAcademic Learning. It isa program that mydance class is having atmy school, John B.Connally. I decided tojoin not because of myfriends but to gain a funexperience in learningthe terminology andtechniques of ballet andjazz, which are the typesof dancing we are per-forming at a convention.The convention will beheld at HendricksonHigh School where wewill be performing infront of coaches that willteach us a routine realquick to see our skills.Our coach at my schoolis preparing us for what-ever is coming our way.The convention is justnext week and I can’twait for it!

Playoffs

Robot Build Season

Friday January 18,2019 at Manor SeniorHigh School, there was apre-rally for the basket-

ball boys and girl play offgame. If the boys and girlbasketball team wins thenext game they will begoing to playoffs which isa huge deal. At this pre-rally they had cheerlead-ers, highsteppers, andcolor guard who all per-formed, they all didamazing. In betweenperformances they hadlittle games that the au-dience could participatein. The cheer team gaveit free playoff tshirts andwater bottles.

Alyssa James WinnManor H.S.

Since the FIRST (ForInspiration and Recogni-tion of Science and Tech-nology) Robotics Com-petition 2019 competi-tion rules were releasedabout three weeks ago,my robotics team, theLady Cans, hasprototyped some ideas,selected a final design,and started building therobot. In this year ’sspace-themed competi-tion, robots will need todeliver cargo (rubberballs) and hatch panels(Lexan discs) to tworocket ships and a cargoship, and also climb ontovarious platforms in thehabitat zone (an area atone end of the field).

Our robot this yearwill be able to do every-thing. We will be able topick up and place cargoand hatch panels on allthe spots in the cargoship and rocket ships,and we will be able toclimb onto any platform

in the habitat zone. I’mon the programmingteam, and we havemapped out every singlecommand we will needto give the various mo-tors, pistons, and sen-sors on the robot and wehave categorized eachpart of the robot into asubsystem. We have alsoconnected each buttonon the two PlayStationcontrollers we will use tocontrol our robot duringcompetition to a com-mand. We plan to imple-ment vision tracking andautonomous driver-as-sist functions, but theseprobably won’t be readyuntil our second compe-tition because our firstcompetition is right afterour six-week build timeends.

Last year, weswitched our program-ming language fromLabVIEW to Java, and wespent a lot of time tryingto get used to the lan-guage. Since we aremore accustomed to thelanguage this year andwe have three new en-thusiastic programmers,we should be able toprogram interesting newfeatures we haven’t hadin previous years. I havea feeling the robot willturn out to be one of themost complicated ro-bots our team has everbuilt, and I am excited tosee it all come together.

Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.

Phone Etiquette

Phone etiquette isvery important. It sets areputation for yourself.Teens should especiallyfollow these rules. Apretty basic one is don’ttext and drive. I am yearsaway from driving but therule is very important forthe safety of you and oth-ers. Whenever you are atan activity means you aresuppose to participatingin whatever it is. It is nota time to be on your

phone unless you get per-mission to take a pictureor for an emergency. It isalso very rude if you areat an event celebratingsomeone else, and you’reon your phone! You camefor a specific reason, tocelebrate with conversa-tion, and to have funwithout a screen.

One detail that isvery important is thatthere is a silence buttonfor a reason. Turn yourphone volume of whenyou are at places likechurch, a funeral, themovies, or a wedding.Some people might feelleft out or hurt when youare on your phone, butyou are supposed to behaving conversation.Having a phone is a privi-lege, not a right, so theserules help set maturity foryourself!

Ruby GeorgeCele Middle School

www.theaustinvillager.com THE REVEALER THE VILLAGER/February 1, 2019 ~ Page 5

PCA Workshop

The Capital AreaTennis Association(CATA) held a parent andplayer workshop onJanuary 27. It was at the

Norris Conference Cen-ter in Austin. PositiveCoaching Alliance (PCA)were the presenters.

At the youth work-shop, we watched a slideshow. We learned aboutmaking both the teamand ourselves betterathletes. We talked aboutrespecting the rules of thegame and not being rudetoward teammates. Welearned that you can becompetitive but non-ag-gressive toward yourteam mates.

My mom attendedthe adult workshop.

Ava RobertsPflugerville M. S.

Austin Anthem Steps Upin Time of Need

Members contribute over 1,000 pounds of food toCentral Texas Food Bank

(AUSTIN, TX) –On Sunday, January 27,the Austin soccer com-munity came togetherat East Austin barHaymaker to contrib-ute 1,183 pounds offood to the CentralTexas Food Bank in re-sponse to the FoodBank’s call for emer-gency food & suppliesto help those affectedby the governmentshutdown. The drivewas organized by Aus-tin Anthem, the inde-pendent supportersgroup for Austin FC,and held in conjunctionwith the watch partyfor the US Men’s Na-tional Team friendlysoccer match againstPanama. Austin-areasoccer groups partici-pating in the drive in-

cluded FC Knights,Celtic Cowboys Pre-mier, Lonestar SoccerClub, Austin SoccerFoundation, and oth-ers.

“Austin Anthemis an organization thatbelieves in more thanjust supporting soccer –we believe in support-ing the whole commu-nity,” said TraciBabetski, secretary forAustin Anthem.“When the CentralTexas Food Bank putout the emergency callfor support, we sawthis as an opportunityto make a differencefor our neighbors whoare the most in need.”

“I can’t be moreproud of the way thatall of us who supportsoccer in Austin came

together as a whole toheed the call, and gavefrom the bottom oftheir hearts to this wor-thy cause. Bringing in ahalf-ton of food withjust a few days’ noticewas even more than weexpected out of theDrive,” added RyanRiggins, director of art& brand for AustinAnthem.

Supplies were de-livered to the CentralTexas Food Bank onJanuary 28 and willprovide over 1,000meals for Austin-arearesidents in need. Be-cause of the recentspike in demand, theCentral Texas FoodBank still needs addi-tional food donationsand financial contribu-tions.

She said they roleplayed and discussedexamples of positiveand negative coachingfrom parents. Shelearned a few positivecoaching techniquesand was glad to knowthat her coaching is onthe right track. She toldme that the lessons Iwill learn as an athletewill prepare me for life.

I believe that theworkshop can help play-ers of any sport! Youshould check out thePCA resource center atdevzone.positivecoach.org.

CELEBRATE HERITAGE

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH

DID YOUKNOW?Since 1976, everyU.S. president has

officiallydesignated the

month of Februaryas Black History

Month.

Jussie Smollett Assaulted InApparent Anti-Gay Attack

By Defender News Service

FILE: (NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28) - Jussie Smollett attendsthe Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 60th Anniversary OpeningNight Gala Benefit at New York City Center on November 28, 2018 inNew York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

(DEFENDER NEWS) -Actor Jussie Smollettwas reportedly hospital-ized Tuesday in Chicagoafter an apparent ho-mophobic assault, TMZsaid it confirmed.

The “Empire” starwas treated at North-western Memorial Hos-pital and released.

The attackers werewhite men wearingMAGA caps, sourceslater told TMZ.

Two men yelled ra-cial and homophobicslurs at the 36-year-oldactor after he exited arestaurant, investigatorstold The Hollywood Re-porter. They punchedhim and poured an un-known chemical overhim that was believed tobe bleach. One of thesuspects also put a ropearound his neck. Theyfled the scene. It’s beinginvestigated as a pos-sible hate crime.

“The rise in hatecrimes is directly linkedto President Donald J.Trump’s racist and xeno-phobic rhetoric,” anNAACP statement said.“It is dangerous for anysociety to allow a tone ofdivisiveness and hatredto dominate the political

discourse. As this rheto-ric continues to bleedinto our everyday lives,dangerous behavior willcontinue to place manylaw-abiding individualsat risk.”

Here’s a policestatement about its in-vestigation.

Investigators aregathering video evi-dence, identifying po-tential witnesses and es-tablishing a timeline ofthe incident.

Threatening lettersdirected at Smollettwere reportedly sent toFox Studios in Chicago.The cutout letters said,“You will die black f**.”

In 2015, Smolletttold Ellen DeGeneresthat he self-identifies asgay but keeps his per-sonal life private. “Thereis no closet, there’snever been a closet thatI’ve been in,” he told her,according to the Holly-wood Reporter.

Smollett hasstarred on Fox’s popu-lar series “Empire”since 2015. He playsJamal, a successfulsinger in the musicalLyon family. His TVcharacter is gay.

He has been in the

news recently for sup-porting Bennett Col-lege—an all-womenHBCU that was on thebrink of losing its ac-creditation.

The school—which was founded in1873 and became awomen’s institution in1926—needs to raise$5 million by February2019 to stay afloat.Smollett and his brothertook it upon themselvesto use their platforms tospread awareness aboutwhat’s happening atBennett College andmotivate individuals topitch in and help savethe school.

Smollett posted aphoto of both him andhis brother donningshirts that read “StandWith Bennett” accom-panied with a captionthat read “In the 1930swe had 121 #HBCUsnow we’re at 101.Don’t let us be down to100 if #BennettCollege,who has made the edu-cation of black womena priority since 1926,closes its doors.”

Anyone with infor-mation is asked to callArea Central Detectivesat 312-747-8382.

Stacey Abrams, therising political star whomarshaled the power ofblack women voters butnarrowly lost the Geor-gia governor’s race, willdeliver the Democraticresponse to PresidentDonald Trump’s State ofthe Union address, con-gressional Democratssaid Tuesday.

The choice elevatesAbrams in Democraticpolitics as the partylooks to keep core sup-porters, such as blackwomen who anchor thebase, energized ahead ofthe 2020 congressionaland presidential elec-tions. It also sets up animplicit contrast withTrump, who has a his-tory of questioning theintellect and integrity of

nonwhite politicians.“She is just a great

spokesperson. She is anincredible leader. Shehas led the charge forvoting rights, which is atthe root of just abouteverything else,” saidSenate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer, who,along with other Demo-crats, is urging Abramsto challenge RepublicanSen. David Perdue, oneof Trump’s most outspo-ken allies on Capitol Hill.“She knows what work-ing people, the middleclass, go through.”

For her part,Abrams said in a state-ment that she intends to“deliver a vision for pros-perity and equality,where everyone in ournation has a voice and

where each of thosevoices is heard.”

Abrams narrowlylost the governor’s raceto Republican BrianKemp after a protractedchallenge over blockedvotes. A group backed byAbrams filed a federallawsuit this month say-ing Georgia deprivedmany low-incomepeople and minorities oftheir voting rights withKemp, then secretary ofstate, overseeing the2018 election.

The Democrats’ se-lection of Abrams is in-tended as a visual andphilosophical counter toTrump’s speech to a jointsession of Congress onFeb. 5 in the House,which Democrats con-trol.

Stacey Abrams To GiveDemocrats’ Response

To State of UnionBy Defender News Service

Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/February 1, 2019 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com

AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE (ACC) DIST-RICT is requesting sealed proposals from qualified firmsfor the purposes of selecting a respondent to provide InternalAudit Services.

• Request For Proposals RFP No. 946-19-0095-S-VJAll sealed proposals must be submitted to the PurchasingDepartment by no later than on Thursday, February 28, 2019at 2:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST).Solicitation documents are available on the ACC Purchasingwebsite at http://www.austincc.edu/offices/purchasing/advertised-solicitations, or at the ACC Purchasing Officewith advance notice at (512)-223-1043 between the hoursof 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.All responses must be sealed and returned to the ACCPurchasing Office, ACC Service Center, 9101 Tuscany Way,Austin, Texas 78754, by the date and time indicated above.Electronically transmitted responses will NOT be acceptedunless otherwise stated in the documents.

Historic Negro School Saved

Following a long fight from local activists, the Austin City Councilstepped in to save one "Negro School" by purchasing land it sits on.According to historians, there were 42 Negro schools that served Afri-can Americans from 1935 to 1962. During the Jim Crow era, black andwhite students were not allowed to attend the same school, and theblack schools were not equally funded as their white counterparts.

Over the years, Central Texas has faced the issue of gentrificationthat has affected land management. Consequently, developers pur-chased the prime land, in which, the school sits. The developer's goalwas to make a profit and decided to sale. According to Susanna Almanza,"the Montopolis Neighborhood Association & Montopolis Contact Teammembers along with other groups fought to preserve the historic Ne-gro School, located at 500 Montopolis Drive. Today the City of Austinpurchased through eminent domain the Negro School as a Museumsite."

Finally, the Austin City Council can use the school as a touristicasset. Both local and international visitors can stop and visit while pro-viding a financial gain for the City of Austin.

by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon | Villager Columnist

Fred McGhee, Community Development Commission adressescommunity at rally. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

Pflugerville Host Taste Africa Fest

by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist

Taste of Africa attendees. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

On January 27,2019, the Diaspora Voteorganized the Taste ofAfrica in Pflugerville,Texas. "Pflugerville hasthe largest AfricanDiaspora population inCentral Texas; therefore,it was a natural fit tohold the food and cul-ture event," statedDiaspora Vote organiz-ers. The Taste of Africawas organized to show-case and highlight the

growing influence of theAfrican Diaspora. How-ever, Diaspora Voteleaders made a con-scious decision to reachout to the African Ameri-can community andother communities.

During the event,participants had the op-portunity to taste vari-ous African dishes. Forinstance, the following:Attieke; Jollof Rice; friedPlantain; Peanut Soupwith rice; fried sweetpotatoes; and okra soupwith palm oil. As onecan see, it consisted of a

diversity of African food.In addition to food,

numerous African andAfrican American ownedbusinesses and non-profit had the opportu-nity to showcase and ex-hibit their services andproducts. Dignified Vir-tue, a nonprofit seekingto provide STEM educa-tion in both the U.S. andthe African continent. Inaddition, Up SZN, a lo-cally owned AfricanAmerican company pro-motes Black culturethrough their clothingline.

Texas West African Chamber ofCommerce Opens Up

Over the years, wehave seen a growth ofthe African Diaspora inCentral Texas andthroughout the State ofTexas. According to theUnited States Census re-port, there are about250,000 Africans living inTexas, making them thelargest population in theUnited States. As thepopulation increases, sowill the share of Africanowned businesses. Dueto the expanding trendof African owned busi-nesses, a group of citi-zens came together cre-ating the Texas West Af-rican Chamber of Com-merce.

Ocen the TWACCbecame an organization,Posso Ganame was ap-pointed as the presi-dent; while, AboukakarLougue was elected asvice president. Accord-ing to TWACC leader-ship, "it is a voluntarymembership organiza-tion made up of busi-

by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist

nesses and professionalleaders, who are dedi-cated to promote tradeand enhance investmentbetween the UnitedStates and the variousWest African Countries."In addition, the TWACCplans to work with boththe U.S. government andWest African countriesto increase trade.

Finally, the TWACCorganization is a trail-blazer as it's, one of feworganizations that seekto boost trade on bothsides of the AtlanticOcean. Moreover, thebusiness investmentwould lift the AfricanContinent and West Af-rica from the cycle ofpoverty into prosperity.

President Posso Ganame

“Big Sister” Barbara Lee’s Advice forthe New Women of Color in Congress

By Christina Cauteruci

There’s a crew ofnew women in Congresswho’ve become fastfriends since the elec-tion. Reps. Rashida Tlaib,Ayanna Pressley, IlhanOmar, and AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez have be-come instant progres-sive icons and visiblemarkers of a long-over-due shift in legislativedemographics. They’veposted loads of selfiestogether, called them-selves a “squad,”tweeted support foreach other ’s policyideas, and defendedeach other from right-wing detractors. Theirfans have seen them asharbingers of hope in adark time descending ona stalled-out Congress to

help save America fromitself.

It’s important to re-member, though, asPressley told her Twitterfollowers over the week-end, that there havebeen vocal women ofcolor pushing for pro-gressive change in Con-gress for a long time.California Rep. BarbaraLee, who Pressley calleda “big sister & mentor”in her tweet, is one ofthem. In a phone con-versation earlier thismonth, I spoke to Leeabout her role in thenew, more progressiveCongress, what it waslike to be one of the fewblack women in nationaloffice in the 1990s, andwhat it might mean tohave a “critical mass” inthe legislature. Our con-

versation has been con-densed and edited forclarity.

There’s always soli-darity. But I think thisyear is unique becauseyou have so manywomen of color, andwomen from diversebackgrounds, andwomen who have bro-ken so many glass ceil-ings. For example, Penn-sylvania did not haveone single woman intheir delegation. Nowwe have—I believe it’sfour. This is amazing.This is groundbreaking.It really tells me there’sno way we can ever goback. I think the excite-ment and the joy andthe hope that this elec-tion brought was really aspecial and unique mo-ment in history.

I’ve been thinking alot about power in num-bers when it comes torace and gender repre-sentation in Congress.Some studies of womenin business leadershipsuggest that there needsto be a critical mass ofpeople fromunderrepresented groupsto make a tangible differ-ence, because one personalone can be more easilyignored or tokenized.Does that resonate withyour experience in Con-

gress?Absolutely. You

know, it’s really good tohave allies. And comingto Congress then, as aprogressive African-American woman, ittook a while to build thelevel of collegiality thatothers have, especiallywhite men, becausethere were so few of us.

I think they all arevery courageous and allhave to know their bot-tom lines, what theybring to Congress, theirvalues, who they are,and what they stand for.And it may not be thesame thing, but youhave to know how far togo for compromise, orhow far you will allow

yourself to go on anygiven issue. For me, as adaughter of veteran andsomeone whose dadwas in World War II, Ko-rea, and who was raisedin a military family, Iknow that the use offorce should only be thelast option, recognizingthat we have to makesure that our nationalsecurity is secure. So forme, that’s a bottom line.

For me, anotherbottom line is you do notcut public assistance andfood stamps. I had a verydifficult period in mylife—I was a singlemother with two youngsons. And I was on wel-fare and food stampsand Medicaid. And I knew

what it was like, and it wasreally hard. But in thatmoment because I hadthis bridge over troubledwaters, like a lifeline, I’mnot gonna allow, on mywatch, my involvement incutting any of this basicsupport for people andfamilies and children whoneed it. And I’m gonnalook out for others whomay be in similar circum-stances. So that’s a bot-tom line for me.

So I want to help[new members of Con-gress] figure those out.But also, I have to tell you:They encourage me, andthey give me a lot of in-sight, and I learn a heck ofa lot from them. It goesboth ways.

There’s a crew of new women in Congress who’ve become fast friendssince the election. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, andAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez have become instant progressive icons and vis-ible markers of a long-overdue shift in legislative demographics. (Photo:Courtesy Office of Rep. Barbara Lee)

EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS

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Naomi Osaka Wins Australian Open, Takes #1 SpotBy Defender News Service

Naomi Osaka poses with the Australian Open women’s singles champion trophyafter defeating Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-4 on Saturday night. | REUTERS

(DEFENDER NEWS) -Like the 21-year-old sheis, Naomi Osaka steppedinto Rod Laver Arena forthe Australian Open finalwith a cellphone in herright hand and music inboth ears.

The headphonesshe wore carried theswirling brass, bouncingbeat and boastful lyricsof Jay Rock’s “Win,” thesame pre-match songOsaka listened tothroughout the tourna-ment — and at lastyear’s U.S. Open, too.

“You might wannakeep score,” the rappersays. “I win, win, win,win.”

Right now, that’show Osaka is living attennis’ most importantevents. Her champion-ship at Melbourne Park,via a 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-4 vic-tory over Petra Kvitovaon Saturday night, gaveOsaka two straightGrand Slam trophies.

Just a few hourslater, she found herselfdiscussing such mattersas what her goals arenow — answer: winning

the upcoming hard-court stops in IndianWells and Miami — andwhether it’s too soon tothink about being half-

way to collecting fourconsecutive majors.

“The way the ten-nis world is, there’s al-ways the next tourna-

ment, the next Slam,and we all just want tokeep training hard andwinning more,” saidOsaka, who was born in

Japan and moved to theU.S. at age 3. “So I’m notreally sure if I’m satis-fied.”

Heady stuff forsomeone who alreadyhas accomplished somuch in such a shortamount of time.

A year ago, Osakawas ranked 72nd.

She had lost by thethird round in seven ofher eight appearances atGrand Slam tourna-ments. The lone excep-tion was a fourth-roundrun at the AustralianOpen in January 2018.That’s as far as she’dbeen by then.

So Osaka was get-ting impatient.

Look at her now.

Every Friday 8AM - 9 AM

Tommy, Akwasi& Damita

www.KAZIFM.org

TheBreakfast

Club

HT PRESENTSSTORY OFHARRIETTUBMAN

BROUGHTTO LIFE

IN UNIQUEDANCE DRAMA

(AUSTIN, TX) - Inthe late 1850s, timeswere difficult for slaves,beaten, humiliated andoften separated fromfamily members. But forsome, life changed in thecover of darkness, dur-ing heavy rains and withthe constant threat ofcapture as HarrietTubman led them tofreedom through theUnderground Railroad.In celebration of BlackHistory Month, thedance drama, “SisterMoses: The Story of

Harriet Tubman,” tellsthe story of Tubman’spassionate pursuit offreedom through move-ment, African drum-ming, traditional spiritu-als, strings, music, anddynamic narration. Thisexciting event, pre-sented by Huston-T illotson University,takes place February 8and 9, 7:30 p.m. at King-Seabrook Chapel on thehistoric campus ofHuston-Tillotson Univer-sity, 900 Chicon Street.Tickets and informationare available throughSisterMosesDance.org.

Local dancer/cho-reographer, ReneeDavis, has danced therole of Harriet Tubmanfor more than 25 years.Since relocating to Aus-tin more than 20 yearsago, she has returned toArizona each year todance the role shehelped create. “Thisamazing dance drama isboth educational andentertaining and bringsto life the true story ofheroism, reminding us ofthe sacrifices those be-fore us made to ensureour freedom,” Davissaid. Local musicians

and dancers will be fea-tured performers withthe Huston-TillotsonUniversity Concert Choir,under the direction ofDr. Gloria Quinlan, whowill play a prominentrole in showcasing Ne-gro spirituals. Otherguests include ChinaSmith and her BalletAfrique Dance Company.

Davis said that part-nerships were critical tothe show and that thecommunity collabora-tion with Huston-Tillotson is an excellentopportunity for bothyoung and old, studentsand neighbors alike, tojoin in celebrating BlackHistory Month by recog-nizing the contributionsof one of the foremostleaders of the Under-ground Railroad. “Welook forward to the HTchoir bringing the storyto life through the pow-

erful music that this pro-duction showcases.”

Tubman led morethan 300 people to free-dom through the Under-ground Railroad, hertrips sometimes takingweeks at a time, and allthe while evading slavehunters and the authori-ties.

HIGHLIGHT YOURBUSINESS ON THE

VILLAGER

Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/February 1, 2019 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com

Coach DuCree: “My TEAMDoesn’t Take Losing Well”

Huston-Tillotson G Kryshona Carter looks inside to DesireaMcGinnis(#35). Photo from HT

By John Harris Jr. | Villager Sports Columnist

(VILLAGER NEWS)- Hosting two impor-tant home games thisweek at Mary E. BranchGymnasium, Huston-Tillotson women’s bas-ketball coach KendallDuCree, referring tothe Lady Rams’ currenttwo-game losingstreak, said, “My teamdoesn’t take losingwell. They ’re prettygood at bouncing backafter a loss.”

DuCree’s LadyRams lost two in a rowentering Thursday’shome game in the RedRiver Athletic Confer-ence against Southwest(N.M.). On Saturday, HT(11-5 overall and 6-4 inthe conference) hostsOur Lady of the Lake.

“We can’t take

games for granted. Wehave a great foundation.We have a great group ofgirls,” DuCree said. “Wehave to get back in thegym and back to thedrawing board.”

In the midst of athree-game homestand,HT lost its first game, 77-72 in overtime to St.Thomas, after holding a10-point lead in regula-tion. “They caught us ona bad night,” DuCreesaid. “We can still getbetter. We have to showwe can’t break.”

DuCree touts HT’sbalanced scoring attackas a legitimate challengeto first-place Our Lady ofthe Lake, which is unde-feated in conferenceplay.

Five Lady Rams av-

erage at least 7.9 pointsper game, led byKryshona Carter ofRound Rock at 13.5points per game and theonly player on the teamaveraging double fig-ures.

“In my system, any-body on our team can gooff (offensively). Threeor four of our playerscould average doublefigures,” DuCree sad.“Our focus is on ballmovement. We canscore inside, but we canalso score outside on theperimeter.’

Simply put, HT’s of-fense is a nightmare foropposing defenses.

‘’Anybody on ourteam can score at anygiven moment,”: DuCreesaid.

Huston-Tillotson senior G Derrick Cook.Photo from HT

Coach Henderson: “We haveHIGH Expectations”

By John Harris Jr. | Villager Sports Columnist

(VILLAGER NEWS) -Coach ThomasHenderson is building anoffensive juggernaut atHuston-Tillotson. TheRams are ninth in NAIADivision I in scoring andsecond in the Red RiverAthletic Conference at91.3 points per game.Senior Christian Wilson,named Red River playerof the week for the weekof Dec. 31-Jan. 6, isfourth in NAIA Division Iin scoring at 22.1 pointsper game. Four Rams -seniors Wilson,Courtney Julien and AlexDoche, and junior KeithBroome - average indouble figures at morethan 15 points per game.

Wilson, in fact, hasdeveloped into one ofthe most prolific playersin NAIA. He also aver-ages 6.6 rebounds, 5.8assists and 2.0 steals,leading a talented groupof seniors whomHenderson believes pos-sess the ability to con-tinue playing basketball

at the next level.“We have high ex-

pectations,” saidHenderson, HT’s sixth-year coach whose Ramsare tied for second placein the conference andhost Southwest (N.M.)this Thursday and OurLady of the Lake on Sat-urday at Mary E. BranchGymnasium. “We’re asenior-driven team.They have biggerdreams, bigger goals,than just playing basket-ball here at HT. Not onlygraduating, but some ofthese guys are going toplay overseas. Some ofthese guys are getting(NBA) G-League looks.We’re trying to get theseguys to be as good asthey can possibly be.”

The high-scoringRams (8-9 overall, 6-4 inconference play) are inthe midst of a tailspin,losing four of their lastfive games despite aver-aging 91.0 points in thefour losses. ButHenderson is optimistic

because the Rams playseven of their final nineRed River Athletic Con-ference games at homeafter playing seven oftheir first 10 conferencegames on the road.

“Mary E. Branch, byfar, if you go to any uni-versity in the confer-ence, is the best crowdin the conference -hands down,” saidHenderson, motioningto the packed bleachersprior to HT’s 83-82 homeloss to St. Thomas onJan. 26.

“Some of theseguys have never expe-rienced this before tosee all these peoplecome here and supportthem and put their eyeson them. It’s very spe-cial,’’ Henderson con-tinued. “HT is a specialplace. Being at Mary E.Branch is a specialplace. This is our foot-ball here at HT, so ev-erybody is excited tocome out and supportus.”

FEARTHE RAMFEAR

THE RAM

CREVIVAL MakesAustin Home

(VILLAGER NEWS) -Houston native LydiaHarris selected Austin asthe nerve center forCREVIVAL Entertain-ment, her new enter-tainment enterprise, cit-ing the capital city’s un-tapped potential in themusic industry.

“I felt that Austinwould be the best citybecause of the feeling Ihad,” Harris, the co-founder of Death RowRecords known as the“Lady Boss,” told The Vil-lager. “I’m from Hous-ton. I didn’t get that feel-ing from Houston I gotwhen I first startedDeath Row. I got thatfeeling when I came toAustin. It’s an undeni-able feeling. Austin mu-sic has a different sound.It’s a very explicit and

meaningful sound.“There’s all kinds of

music,” Harris contin-ued. “The West Coasthas a different sound, soI can’t say it’s going to bea West Coast sound.Austin will have its ownunique sound.”

Harris added:“Houston’s coming next.”

Harris was a majorfigure in the rise of art-ists such as Snoop Doggand other iconic per-formers under the DeathRow label. AsCREVIVAL’S CEO, shedrew a parallel in herdecision to promote thecareer of Austin nativeAnastasia, who wasnamed CREVIVAL’Spresident through a stra-tegic partnership.

“I saw her (per-form) and it was over-

whelming as a female inthe business. She’s justgot it. I’m giving her dis-tribution,” said Harris,who comparesAnastasia’s musical styleto Sade and Bob Marley.“I know how hard it is tobe a woman in the mu-sic business. It was hardbecause it’s a male-dominated industry. Youhave to be strong in thegame. You can’t beweak. Nobody likedSnoop, but there wassomething about himlike I’m telling you aboutAnastasia. People didn’tlike Snoop’s look. I said Idon’t know about thelook and how they’regoing to perceive him,but this guy right here,he has it, When I keptsaying that, it peakedeverybody’s interest,

and look at Snoop Doggnow. I feel the same wayabout Anastasia.”

Harris andAnastasia signed thenew record label intoexistence Jan. 26.Anastasia’s deal is onlythe beginning. Harris,who was scheduled topresent CREVIVAL’S dis-tribution deal to stu-dents at Del Valle HighSchool, wants to revolu-

By John Harris Jr. | Villager Sports Columnist

tionize the music indus-try by offering a new in-come structure for labelexecutives and artists.

Anastasia will bethe first performer un-der the CREVIVAL label.“After that, people willbe drawn into it,” saidHarris, who wants to fol-low up with a single re-cording every 45 days.

“I’m very excited,”Harris said. “I still have

Lydia Harris Entertain-ment, a parent com-pany of CREVIVAL. So,attaching the name be-hind all the artists, I’mgiving Anastasia an op-portunity to show shecan be that powerfulwoman in the game.I’m giving her thegame. Most peoplewon’t give you thegame in the music busi-ness.”

Lydia Harris (left) and Anastasia (right) at Swan Dive in Austin.Photo courtesy CREVIVAL Entertainment