Houston’s Leading Black Information Source www.defendernetwork.com WEEK OF JANUARY 19, 2012 | FREE Volume 81 | Number 12 H.S. ZONE BELLAIRE HIGH SCHOOL’S GIRL HOOPSTERS REACH NEW LEVEL P11 defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years CHAG’S PLACE OPINION topic of proposed forum WHAT’S UP P3 P4 PAGE 8 Calvin Murphy honored by team NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy has long been synonymous with the Houston Rockets. In celebration of their 45th season as an NBA franchise, the team has decided to acknowledge the All-Decade teams for the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Murphy is one of five great players named to the ‘70s team. He recalls what it was like during the early years. NEWSTALK METRO MARTIN LUTHER KING III P8 Cuba Gooding Jr . portrays airman Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is excited about his latest role the World War II epic “Red Tails.” It tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary Black pilots who served in a segregated military. Gooding plays the part of Major Emanuelle Stance, the group’s patriarch. “He’s like the football coach,” Gooding says. PAGE 10 starting new organization NATIONAL Joyce Bethany, Caffin Gordon & Willie Mae Hughey at celebration OCTAVIA SPENCER wins acting awards P12 Salute to Black music, art & dance PAGE 6 February 29 March 2 – 4 June 5 - 10
Transcript
Houston’s Leading Black Information Source
www.defendernetwork.com WEEK OF JANUARY 19, 2012 | FREE Volume 81 | Number 12
H.S. ZONE BELLAIRE HIGH SCHOOL’S GIRL HOOPSTERS REACH NEW LEVEL P11
defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years
CHAG’S PLACE
OPINION
topic of proposed forum
WHAT’S UP
P3
P4
PAGE 8
Calvin Murphyhonored by team
NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy has long been synonymous with the Houston Rockets. In celebration of their 45th season as an NBA franchise, the team has decided to acknowledge the All-Decade teams for the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Murphy is one of fi ve great players named to the ‘70s team. He recalls what it was like during the early years.
NEWSTALK
METRO
MARTIN LUTHER KING III
P8 Cuba Gooding Jr.portrays airman
Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is excited about his latest role the World War II epic “Red Tails.” It tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary Black pilots who served in a segregated military. Gooding plays the part of Major Emanuelle Stance, the group’s patriarch. “He’s like the football coach,” Gooding says.
PAGE 10
starting new organization
NATIONAL
Joyce Bethany, Caffi n Gordon & Willie Mae Hughey at celebration
OCTAVIA SPENCER
wins acting awards
P12
Salute to Black music, art & dance
PAGE 6
February 29 March 2 – 4 June 5 - 10
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newstalkCommunity wants METRO at proposed forum
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Localbriefs
THE HISD SCHOOL BOARD elect-ed new officers. Michael Lunceford is the new board president, replac-ing Paula Harris. Other officers are: Anna Eastman, first vice president; Juliet Stipeche, second vice president; Rhonda Skillern-Jones, secretary, and Greg Meyers, assistant secretary. Skillern-Jones was elected unopposed to the seat formerly held by Carol Mims Galloway…….. THE CITY OF HOUSTON NAMED Charles Thompson director of the Informa-tion Technology (IT) Department. Thompson most recently worked as chief information officer for the City of Phoenix, and led a team of more than 200 professionals and a budget of $270 million. “Mr. Thomp-son has led a team of IT profession-als in developing an IT government framework that enabled information technology to be a strategic asset for the City of Phoenix, which we hope will happen in the City of Houston,” said Mayor Annise Parker……... CLUB OWNER RAY BARNETT recently passed. Barnett was known for such clubs as the Cinder Club and the Big Apple. Stars ranging from Diana Ross to James Brown to Lou Rawls performed at Barnett’s ven-ues……..FORMER CONGRESS-MAN CRAIG WASHINGTON lost a $1.2 million civil lawsuit against two young men involved in a shooting in-cident outside his law office in 2008. Washington sued Taylor Brooks and Evan McAnulty, both 17 at the time of the incident, for $600,000 each, claiming they tried to run over him. The youths had parked in a lot below Washington’s office on New Year’s Day, and said he shot at them after he demanded money for them to park there. Washington was indicted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and served two years of pretrial diversion and 60 hours of community service.
KCOH owner Michael Petrizzo passesServices were
recently held for Michael Patrick Petrizzo, owner and general manager of KCOH-Radio. He died peacefully at his home on Jan. 11 at the age of 89.
Petrizzo began his career with KCOH as an accountant. He was named general manager in 1976, the year he and four partners purchased the sta-tion. Under his leadership,
KCOH expanded from a daytime station to a 24/seven broadcast station with 5000 watts of power each day.
Petrizzo was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1922. His fi rst visit to Houston was to Ellington Field in 1944 while serving as a U.S. Air Force second lieutenant during World War II. He continued to serve in the Air Force
Reserve after active duty and retired as a major.
He earned a bach-elor’s degree from Brook-lyn College and worked as an accountant with Lykes Shipping Company in New York. In 1956, he was transferred to the Lykes offi ce in Houston.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Armida, four children and one granddaughter. He was an
active member of the Fed-eration of Italian-American Organizations of Greater Houston.
By ASWAD WALKERDefender
Local public safety consultant Charles X White seeks to hold a com-munity forum where participants can hear directly from METRO offi cials about various concerns, including potentially discontinued bus routes and rail expansion budgetary issues.
However, George Greanias, METRO’s CEO, recently informed White that he will not participate in the event, putting a dent in White’s plans, but not quiet-ing his voice.
“The goal of this education forum is to get the public to see how the Black community is not considered in MET-RO’s plans,” said White. “I’m asking for an academic debate with subject matter experts on METRO’s own fi gures.”
According to White, Greanias originally stated he would be available for White’s forum in March. White insisted on holding the event earlier, and had plans on negotiating a date amenable to both parties, until he received Greanias’ recent email on declining.
“Looking back, METRO is implement-ing the decisions made by the voters in the 2003 referendum. The issues involved – many of which as I understand it would be the subject of your event – have been thoroughly discussed,
with decisions having been made,” said Greanias.
Greanias elaborated on customer involvement.
“METRO is involved in a whole series of community outreach efforts to deal with questions immediately before us,” he said. “For example, we recently completed over 30 meetings across the METRO service area to solicit the views of our customers and potential customers
as to what public transit services should look like in the future.
Still, White and others have their concerns. Paul Magaziner, a member of Corridors United, believes METRO is broke and cannot complete the three rail expansion lines currently being con-structed.
“METRO is in fi nancial peril and
will stay so until 2022, minimum. They’re broke, bankrupt, according to their own numbers. They can’t do the fi ve rail align-ments approved by voters; they can barely do three. To build rail lines they have to cut back bus services,” said Magaziner.
More questionsWhite also has concerns about bus
services.“We don’t want METRO cancelling
bus routes. If they have all this federal money they’re spending, then why cancel routes? If they are designat-ing routes to be cancelled in the Black community due
to low ridership, what about those bus routes in Bellaire they aren’t cancelling that have even lower ridership numbers,” said White.
O’Brien-Molina pointed out that route cancellations have not been set in stone. She said in addition, money earmarked to METRO rail could only be used for that project.
Barry Klein, a mem-ber of the Houston Property Rights Association, wants to use White’s forum to discuss his concerns about property values.
“This is a fundamental issue because members of the appraisal district say rail expansion hurts commer-cial property values, while supporters of rail say the opposite,” said Klein. “But
Continued on Page 5
Workshops hosted by METROAccording to its website (www.ridemetro.org)
METRO has hosted two of three planned workshops to get input on the proposed route discontinuations of the 30 Clinton, 48 Navigation and 49 Chimney Rock Crosstown. The fi rst two meetings were held on Jan. 11 and 18.
The third meeting is scheduled for Jan. 25 at 6:30pm at Ellis Memorial Church of God in Christ, 412 Massachusetts St.
Mike Petrizzo
4
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DEFENDER | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 defendernetwork.com
nationalU.S.briefs
VOLUME 81 • NUMBER • 12WEEK OF JANUARY 19, 2012
ColumnistYvette ChargoisSport EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. ArdisonContributing WriterAswad WalkerWebmasterCorneleon Block
PublisherSonceria Messiah-JilesAdvertisingClient Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Associate EditorsReshonda BillingsleyMarilyn Marshall Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila
THE HAZING DEATH of Florida A&M University band member Robert Champion has taken another turn. The National Black Justice Coalition has begun an online petition drive urging the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights to investigate whether Champion’s death was actually a hazing accident, the result of retaliation because of his opposition to hazing or an anti-gay hate crime. According to “Journal-isms” columnist Richard Prince, Champion family lawyer Chris Chestnut said the family had spoken to witnesses who said Champion was singled out because of his sexual preference and opposition to hazing……..PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ANNOUNCED a proposal to reform, reorganize and consolidate the federal government. “I am calling on Congress to reinstate the authority that past presidents have had to streamline and reform the Executive Branch,” he said. His first proposed use of that authority would be the consolidation of six agencies into one more efficient agency. The six are U.S. Department of Commerce’s core business and trade functions, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency……..THE INCORRECT QUOTE on the King Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be fixed. U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ordered that the quote chiseled onto the memorial be corrected. The quote came from the “Drum Major Instinct” sermon Dr. King delivered two months before his death. “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say I was a drum major for justice,” King said. “Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” However, the memorial’s inscribers paraphrased King’s words to read, “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness.” Poet Maya Angelou said the botched quote made King sound arrogant.
MLK III starting new organization
Defender News Services
Martin Luther King III re-cently resigned as president of
the King Center in Atlanta to focus on establishing another organization.
“I will be devoting my primary future efforts to-wards launching a new or-ganization that will focus on supporting a new generation of young ‘drum majors for justice’ worldwide to ex-pand my commitment to the Kingian principles of non-violence, social justice, and human rights,” he said.
He made the announce-ment the day after the nation-al celebration of Dr. King’s birthday. He said he would remain an active member of the King Center board of
trustees,“For me, the state of
the world and its radi-cally shifting winds in the wrong moral direction, summons the words of my father: ‘Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continu-ous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom,’ “ MLK III said.
Dr. King’s youngest daughter, Rev. Bernice A. King, has been appointed CEO of the King Center. Her brother Dexter will continue to serve as board chairman.
Martin Luther King III
Minority teens academic performance lags
Educators are expressing alarm that the performance gap between minority and white high school students continues to expand across the United States, with minority teenagers performing at academic levels equal to or lower than those of 30 years ago.
Despite the hope that im-proving education for children of color would propel them to better life outcomes, Latino and African-American students are not being prepared in high school classrooms for brighter futures.
While achievement levels have improved considerably for
minority elementary and middle school students, educators say their academic performance drops during high school years.
On average, African-Amer-ican and Latino high school seniors perform math and read at the same level as 13-year-old white students.
“We take kids that start [high school] a little behind and by the time they finish high school, they’re way behind,” says Amy Wilkins, vice presi-dent for government affairs and communications at the Educa-tion Trust.
The Education Trust says African-American and Latino
students have made little to no progress in 12th-grade reading scores since 1994, continuing to lag behind white students. Math achievement has also remained flat, with the gap between white students and those of color widening.
Educators cite these causes for the disparity in perfor-mance:
• Lowered expectations for students of color
• Growing income in-equality and lack of resources in low-income school districts
• Unequal access to ex-perienced teachers
• An increased number of The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender audited By Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2011 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).
Continued on Page 5
5defendernetwork.com | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 | DEFENDER
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Minority teens... Continued from page 4
look at Main Street and the Pierce Elevated. It’s a waste-land of business closures.”
Coupled with these con-cerns is the issue of flooding as experienced on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd after recent heavy rains. White contends the flooding was METRO’s fault because of concrete being laid for rail, and said METRO blamed faulty Union Pacific pipes.
White held a recent public meeting on the issue and decried METRO for being standoffish and unresponsive.
Greanias, however, disagrees, citing the agency’s increased efforts at transpar-ency, with all METRO board and committee meetings streamed live and archived on their website.
“We have worked hard to provide unfettered access to METRO information and to provide the public numerous different ways to make their views known to us. And I can assure you from personal experience that even where we don’t ultimately concur with what we hear, we take public comments very seriously,” said Greanias.
Though Greanias declined White’s offer for a METRO forum in the near future, he did not count out participating at a later date.
“While we do not see participation such as you suggest as appropriate at this time, a little bit later this year may prove a more appropriate point at which to consider your request,” he wrote.
“At that point we will have a much clearer idea of what we will be seeking from the community and we will want to explore visits with as many groups as we can – in-cluding yours – to explain what has been proposed and answer whatever questions we can regarding the issues involved,” said Greanias.
“out of field” teachers instructing minor-ity students in subjects outside their area of expertise
• “Unconscious bias” by teachers and administrators.
These factors, experts say, produce an opportunity gap for students of color.
“A 12th-grade education in a more affluent neighborhood is not the same as the education in a less affluent neighbor-hood,” says Dominique Apollon, research
director of the Applied Research Center.“Top students in low-income schools
don’t have the opportunity to be pushed further and further.”
School advocates say students of color are frequently met with lowered expectations from teachers and admin-istrators. With such expectations come lowered requirements in the classroom.
Students of color are also less likely to be given advanced-level coursework.
John Capozzi, principal of Elmont (N.Y.) Memorial Junior-Senior High School, is among educators who call that a civil rights issue. Capozzi says he frequently battles those coursework perceptions, even from fellow educators and accredita-tion officials evaluating his school.
All students, he says, “should be thrown into vigorous classes” and be given proper academic support to ensure their success.
METRO... Continued from page 3
Sunnyside/South Park Super NeighborhoodTownhall Meeting
Monday, Jan. 23Sunnyside Park @ 6 pm Topic: METRO & Flooding
6 DEFENDER | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012
coverpage
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Art, music and dance have long been cultural staples in the African-American community. The Defender is commit-ted to continuing the tradition with a new venture with the Society of Performing Arts (SPA).
“Music, dance and art touch our souls in ways words cannot,” said Defender CEO and Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles.
“The power of these art forms as change agents is still evident today. We as a community must not lose sight of this fact and continue to infl uence our society through our music, dance and art.”
From the end of January through mid-June, SPA and the Defender, Houston’s leading Black information source, will salute Black music, dance, and art with the Houston’s Blues Project, including the performance “Preserving a Legacy: A Tribute to Houston’s Blues,” a show with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Broadway musical “Fela!”
“The Defender decided to partner with the Society for the Performing Arts because SPA demonstrat-ed with their support of the three performances, a commit-ment to Black culture that we share,” said Messiah-Jiles.
“We have history in partnering with the Defender in the past and we felt it was a signifi cant partnership and has been very successful for us,” added June Christensen, executive director and CEO of the SPA.
“We didn’t have to think twice. I think with this partnership, we will be able to make a deeper impact on all communities across the city and to be honest, I don’t know that we could make that impact without the partnership.”
Coming togetherThat commitment is also shared by other local orga-
nizations which have gotten on board with their support, including Amegy Bank and the law fi rm, Andrews Kurth, LLP.
“We think law fi rms are more productive and have more economic potential when they are community partici-
pants in every sense of the word,” said Gene Locke of Andrews Kurth.
“We believe in diversity and supporting all communities in Houston. It’s a real pleasure for us to partner with the Defender and bring events like this to Houston.”
“The Houston Defender and publisher Sonny Messiah Jiles are such well-known and respected parts of Houston’s African-American community,” added Scott Fuller with Amegy Bank. “We really look to sponsor events that help improve the com-munity. This sponsorship is one of those events and we knew that with Sonny and the Defender behind it, it was going to be a great
community investment.”Both Messiah-Jiles and Christensen say
bringing these types of events to Houston helps present a cultural awareness to the community.
“The arts have played strategic and historical roles in the African-American community,” said
Messiah Jiles. “They open doors of opportunity, while bridging cultural understanding and apprecia-tion. In addition, SPA has invested in performances that encourage and promote Black artists, especially
preserving Houston’s blues.” “We feel, specifi cally for our organization, SPA, that
we are not the opera, ballet or symphony,” Christensen said. “We are a unique organization that’s probably the most culturally diverse of any presenter in the city of Hous-ton.”
For Fuller, the involvement is natural extension of a city already committed to the arts.
“The Arts are very important to the vitality, creativity and culture of a city,” he said. “Houston has been blessed to have the Arts so well represented. Many of Houston’s current and future leaders are supporters of the Arts and attend their events regularly. We want to be there to help support the current and future leaders of Houston’s African American community and the Arts.”
Celebrated performancesThis is not the fi rst time the Alvin Ailey dance troop has
visited the Bayou City. The much-anticipated show has been a part of the Society of Performing Arts’ season since last spring.
“We were blessed that when we present Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, by and large, there are patrons that annually wait to hear if Alvin Ailey is coming to the community,” Christensen said. “It’s an important show that we present in Houston, but the added layer of dance, music and art is really unique.”
The Alvin Ailey performance, under the direction of Robert Battle, artistic director, and Masazumi Chaya, associate artistic director, will take place March 2-4 at Jones Hall.
SPA offi cials think Houstonians will be just as excited about one of the most celebrated Broadway shows of all times, “Fela!,” which takes place June 5-10 at Jones Hall.
First, however, there is “Preserving a Legacy: A Tribute to Houston’s Blues.” It showcases Grady Gaines & the Texas Upsetters, Milton Hopkins, Texas Johnny Brown, Trudy Lynn, Ray Brown and the Kashmere Reunion Stage Band on Feb. 29 at Jones Hall.
“I think without a partnership, ‘Preserving the Legacy’ wouldn’t be possible. In order to broaden our audience and our impact in the city, we have to have a mechanism in place to promote what we do,” said Christensen.
Salute: Who, what, when & where
For more info: 713.227.4772 www.spahouston.org For discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more: 713.632.8113
defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years
pants in every sense of the word,” said Gene Locke of Andrews
“We believe in diversity and supporting all communities in Houston. It’s a real pleasure for us to partner with the Defender
“The Houston Defender and publisher Sonny Messiah Jiles are such well-known and respected parts of Houston’s African-American community,” added Scott Fuller with Amegy Bank. “We really look to sponsor events that help improve the com-munity. This sponsorship is one of those events and we knew that with Sonny and the Defender behind it, it was going to be a great
community investment.”Both Messiah-Jiles and Christensen say
bringing these types of events to Houston helps present a cultural awareness to the community.
“The arts have played strategic and historical roles in the African-American community,” said
Messiah Jiles. “They open doors of opportunity, while bridging cultural understanding and apprecia-tion. In addition, SPA has invested in performances that encourage and promote Black artists, especially
“We feel, specifi cally for our organization, SPA, that we are not the opera, ballet or symphony,” Christensen said. “We are a unique organization that’s probably the most culturally diverse of any presenter in the city of Hous-
represented. Many of Houston’s current and future leaders are supporters of the Arts and attend their events regularly. We want to be there to help support the current and future leaders of Houston’s African American community and the Arts.”
Celebrated performancesThis is not the fi rst time the Alvin Ailey dance troop has
visited the Bayou City. The much-anticipated show has been a part of the Society of Performing Arts’ season since last spring.
“We were blessed that when we present Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, by and large, there are patrons that annually wait to hear if Alvin Ailey is coming to the community,” Christensen said. “It’s an important show that we present in Houston, but the added layer of dance, music and art is really unique.”
The Alvin Ailey performance, under the direction of Robert Battle, artistic director, and Masazumi Chaya, associate artistic director, will take place March 2-4 at Jones Hall.
SPA offi cials think Houstonians will be just as excited about one of the most celebrated Broadway shows of all times, “Fela!,” which takes place June 5-10 at Jones Hall.
First, however, there is “Preserving a Legacy: A Tribute to Houston’s Blues.” It showcases Grady Gaines & the Texas Upsetters, Milton Hopkins, Texas Johnny Brown, Trudy Lynn, Ray Brown and the Kashmere Reunion Stage Band on Feb. 29 at Jones Hall.
“I think without a partnership, ‘Preserving the Legacy’ wouldn’t be possible. In order to broaden our audience and our impact in the city, we have to have a mechanism in place to promote what we do,” said Christensen.
For more info: 713.227.4772 www.spahouston.org For discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more: 713.632.8113
Preserving a Legacy: A Tribute to Houston’s Blues. Show-cases Grady Gaines & the Texas Up-setters, Milton Hopkins; Texas Johnny Brown, Trudy Lynn, Ray Brown, and Kashmere Reunion Stage Band. 7:30 pm, Feb. 29Jones Hall
Accompanying photography exhibition. “Down in Houston: Docu-menting a Blues Community.” Photo-graphs by James Fraher and text by Roger Wood. Opening Jan. 28The African American Library at the Gregory School
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater March 2-4 Jones Hall
Broadway musical “FELA!” His story inspired a nation. His music inspires the world.June 5-10 Jones Hall
Defender partners with Society of Performing Arts
Salute toBlack music, dance & art
7
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Blues tribute has educational component
By RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEYDefender
The partnership between the Society of Performing Arts and the Defender Media Group will bring three popular events to Houston – aimed at raising cultural awareness. But one, “Preserving a Legacy: A Tribute to Houston Blues,” will also have an educa-
tional component to introduce young people to the contribution of blues to our community.
Blues in Houston have long been celebrated. It will get another boost thanks to the combined efforts of the Society of Performing Arts, the De-fender, sponsors Amegy Bank, law fi rm Andrews Kurth, LLP, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“The music form seemed to make a lot of sense, especially in conjunc-tion with the National Endowment grant to make this happen,” said Trinidad Hernandez, director of education and community programs for the Society of Performing Arts.
“Not only with the concert, but also the wide array of pro-grams that support the preservation of this legacy and will hopefully have a long-term impact on that goal.
“The goal of the whole program is to al-low students and community
members to interact with the blues in many dif-ferent ways, thereby giving them a sense of history
and fi nd-
ing out who the people are so they can preserve Houston blues,” Hernandez said.
The tribute to blues will bring together community and local experts, along with residents who have been documenting this history. Hernanedez says he hopes these efforts will help preserve an important legacy.
“It seems like you’re hearing more and more about the blues, which is great, but we wanted to make sure that we use the position to communicate to the people how important it is and use the panel discussions to further hammer home that point,” he said.
“It’s important because it’s a point of pride for a lot of people and lot of education institutions like Yates and Kashmere.”
Community historians (CHs) are upper-level students from Yates High School (Third Ward) and Kashmere High (Fifth Ward) who will engage in a number of community activities for “Preserving a Legacy,” a multidisci-plinary project celebrating and documenting for future generations a histori-cally signifi cant period in Houston’s music history.
Six CHs will engage in a number of educational and outreach opportu-nities through workshops with the creators of “Down in Houston: Docu-
menting a Blues Community” and other community members; their understanding of oral history and skills of story telling and documenta-tion through intensive workshops led by local experts; and their level of community engagement through participation in lecture/demonstrations, public performances and panel discussions
The students will launch the program with an opening reception for the photography exhibition, followed by a blues and oral history session, as well as various other workshops, before the students create their own digital stories.
Hernandez said Houston will be the kickoff for the national project. “We used the booking of that event as the spark or inspiration
for the whole project,” he said. “We got a sense of community and its documentation of this particular history that’s important for the local community.
“The goal is to help the students connect to this history. So I think it serves a great benefi t to those community members in giving them a sense of pride,” Hernandez added.
For workshop details visit www.spahouston.org or look for more information in future editions of the Defender.
entertainment8 DEFENDER | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 defendernetwork.com
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SPIKE LEE is hosting a high-dollar fundraiser for President Barack Obama in his New York home. Some 40 people are expected to attend Lee’s event, and tickets are $35,800 per person……..AL GREEN & INDIA.ARIE are showing their support for Obama by performing at a campaign event at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. Those tickets start at $100 per person........VIOLA DAVIS won the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actress for her performance in “The Help.” The movie’s cast won for Best Acting Ensemble……..OCTAVIA SPENCER picked up a Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe, both for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Help.” During her Golden Globe acceptance speech, she paid tribute to those
in the housekeeping profession by quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance.” Other Golden Globe winners included IDRIS ELBA, who won for his role in TV’s “Luther,” and MORGAN FREEMAN, who received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment……..VASHAWN MITCHELL won big during the 27th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards in Nashville. Mitchell garnered six awards, including Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Praise and Worship CD of the Year for his album, “Triumphant.” KIRK FRANKLIN won Song of the Year for “Smile,” and took home CD of the Year, Producer of the Year and Contemporary CD
of the Year. Other top winners included MARY MARY, KIM BURRELL, SMOKIE NORFUL and the RANCE ALLEN GROUP. Newcomer Y’ANNA CRAWLEY was named New Artist of the Year……..THE UNCF EVENING OF STARS airs Saturday, Jan. 28, at 1 p.m. on KPRC-TV, Channel 2. Performers include PATTI LABELLE, JILL SCOTT, ERYKAH BADU and LEDISI……..OPRAH WINFREY graduated the first class of her Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg, South Africa. Nearly 3,000 girls applied to the boarding school, and 152 were selected. Seventy-two students graduated. All are headed to college, with 10 percent enrolling in a U.S. university. Winfrey described the school as the “fulfillment” of her work on earth.
what’sup
‘Red Tails’Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Tuskegee Airman in film
Cuba Gooding Jr. was born in the Bronx, NY, on Jan. 2, 1968, to Shirley and Cuba Sr., the lead singer of the R&B group the Main Ingredient. But after his dad abandoned the family in 1974, Junior and his siblings were raised in L.A. by his struggling single mom.
Cuba’s show biz career began in 1984 as a break-dancer during the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. He subsequently landed several bit roles on TV and in movies before enjoying a meteoric rise after his spellbinding performance as Tre in “Boyz n the Hood.”
In 1997, he won an Academy Award for his memorable outing as Rod “Show me the money!” Tidwell in Jerry Maguire, and was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People Magazine the same year.
He has also earned two NAACP Image Awards (for “Radio” and “Gifted Hands”), a Screen Actors Guild Award (for “Jerry Maguire”), and he even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A born-again Christian since the age of 13, Cuba married his childhood sweetheart, Sara Kapfer, whom he started dating in high school. They have three kids, Spencer, Ma-son and Piper. Here, he talks about his latest
outing as Major Emanuelle Stance in “Red Tails,” a World War II epic about the legend-ary Tuskegee Airmen.
KW: What made you so passionate about Red Tails?
Gooding: Well, I had first heard this story of the Tuskegee Airmen back in 1992 when I did that HBO movie. At the time, I was a young man just finishing his educa-tion, and it frustrated me that I hadn’t learned anything about these African-American pilots who had escorted bombers during World War II. It was one of those things where I was going, “What the hell! Why didn’t I already know this?” So, to tackle that subject-matter for HBO was monumental in my life.
Of course, I moved on in my career and did other things, but when I heard that George Lucas was going to make a block-buster about the Tuskegee Airmen, I was all over it. How often do we in Hollywood get an opportunity to tell a Black tale on a scale like this, an action adventure? I knew it was going to be visually stunning, so, I told him, “Hey, I have to be involved...”
When I met with [director] Anthony Hemingway, we just connected. It was the longest dinner, with tears and everything. He recognized that the passion I had to be a part of the movie was the same passion that these
men had to do their part for their country. George even called and asked me to narrate his new documentary for the History Channel called “Double Victory” which chronicles both the Tuskegee Airmen’s triumphs in the skies over Europe and the racism they had to deal with back in the States. So, it’s been a fun ride, and I’ve been blessed to be involved in something that not only I’m passionate about but so is the man financing it.
KW: How would you describe your character, Major Emanuelle Stance?
Gooding: Major Emanuelle Stance is the patriarch on the base. He’s like the foot-ball coach. He’s the person that gives the men their encouragement before they go back out onto the field.
KW: What was it like to meet the sur-viving Tuskegee Airmen? Did they help you prepare for your role as Major Stance?
Gooding: Every day, literally. They helped me to prepare to be a man. And not only were they on the set every day, but one or two have attended each of the screenings on the junket from Dallas to Miami. And they’re in their 90s! It’s been a magical and emotional experience for me every, single time. So, it’s been great.
KW: You’ve played a lot of heroes. Who is your own personal hero?
Cuba Gooding
Continued on Page 9
9defendernetwork.com | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 | DEFENDER
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ShowcasingGrady Gaines & The Texas UpseTTersMilton Hopkins • texas JoHnny Brown trudy lynn • ray BrownkasHMere reunion stage Band
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photographs by James Fraher and text by roger wood
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Accompanying photography exhibition:down in Houston: documenting a Blues Community
photographs by James Fraher and text by roger wood
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Gooding: My mom, to do what she’s done to hold the family together. She raised me, my brother, Omar, and my sister, with all of us being homeless and having to live in the back of a car for a period of time. So, yeah, my mom’s my hero. If I had to pick one from the screen, it might be U.S. Navy Master Chief Carl Brashear.
KW: How do you ex-pect the picture to contribute to the public’s rethinking of the historic role of the Tuske-gee Airmen?
Gooding: I hope the picture makes an impact, and I know George Lucas is doing everything he can to make sure that happens. And then there’s the documentary “Double Victory” I mentioned which is serving as a tangent to the movie. That will be more of a history lesson than “Red Tails” which is an action adventure tale on the scale of “Avatar,” with 16,000 special effects. It’s something that I think people are going to be really impressed with, visually.
‘Red Tails’... Continued from page 8
Johnson named to Texas Radio Hall of FameDefender News
Services
Broadcasting veteran Larry Don Johnson has been in-ducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. He joins such illus-trious inductees as Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Tom Joyner, Skipper Lee Frazier and Sam Donaldson.
A native Housto-nian and communi-cations graduate of Texas Southern Uni-versity, Johnson has more than 30 years of radio experience. He currently serves as development direc-tor at KTSU.
Johnson began his career at KCOH, followed by jobs with KKBQ (formerly KULF), KYOK and KNUZ/KQUE. In early ‘70s he became
the first African-American to work as studio news anchor at KHTV-TV. He was also weekend and overnight news anchor for KTRH.
He was the public address an-nouncer for TSU
basketball and foot-ball games. He has worked alongside such radio legends such as Paul Berlin, Dan Ammerman, David Fowler, Rick Roberts, “Boogaloo” Frazier, King Bee, Gladys “Gee Gee” Hill and Skipper Lee.
He has inter-viewed such iconic figures as Sammy Davis Jr., Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, Wilt Chamberlain and former President George Bush.
Johnson has two children, Velika Hines and former
City Councilman Jar-vis Johnson, and five grandchildren. He is married to Stephanie Lewis Johnson.
The Texas Radio Hall of Fame was founded in 2002 to honor those who have made signifi-cant contributions to
Larry Don Johnson
10 DEFENDER | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 defendernetwork.com
sports
defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years
Starting with the ‘70s Rockets honor teams of the decades
By MAX EDISONDefender
As the Houston Rockets celebrate their 45th season as an NBA franchise, the team has decided to acknowledge the All-Decade teams for the ‘70s, ‘80s,
‘90s and first 10 years of the 2000s.The franchise wants the fans to help the
organization name the “Teams of the Decades.” A panel comprised of select media and broadcast-ers will nominate the top candidates from each decade.
Those players will then be listed in a poll on rockets.com for fans to vote on the five players they feel are the most deserving of this honor. Each team will consist of two guards, two for-wards and one center.
Recently the Rockets honored the first decade, the team of the ‘70s. That team consists of: Moses Malone, center; Elvin Hayes, forward; Rudy Tomjanovich, forward; Mike Newlin, guard and Calvin Murphy, guard.
Team owner Les Alexander explained why the organization felt it was fitting to honor the early pioneers of the franchise.
“I’ve been the owner for almost 20 years, but I’ve been watching the NBA since I was a little kid. I think it was necessary and we just wanted to do something to acknowledge them because they were such great players,” Alexander said.
“People don’t realize how great these players were. Those five guys epitomized the Rockets; hard work, just great, great players.”
Longtime former assistant coach and team general manager Carroll Dawson remembered the franchise’s woes.
“It all started back in the 70’s when we didn’t have a place to play,” Dawson recalled. “We didn’t
have a place to work out. We were kind of nomads playing all over the state. These guys were so good that they made it interesting. They were all just great players and helped make Houston a basketball city.”
NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy played his entire career with the Rockets and was with the team when it relocated
from San Diego to Houston in 1971. He appreci-ates the honor.
“You’ve got to remember that we were here when you could get a ticket off the bread wrapper to come see a Rocket game,” Murphy recalled. “This 45th anniversary and having the decade team was right on time. For me personally, and we
all know what I’ve been through the last few years, this was very timely. We were the beginning, the team that set the foundation for the franchise.”
Murphy is the one member of the ‘70s All-Decade team who has played with all the other members, and offered a synop-sis of his teammates.
Mike Newlin: “Mike did all the dirty work. Mike guarded the tough player on the other team. When we played Pistol Pete [Maravich], Mike guarded him. When we played Nate Archibald, Mike got him. When we played the Knicks and Walt Frazier, Mike got him. He was a different type of guy. We called him the ‘Shark,’ but he was a tremendous player.”
Elvin Hayes: “Elvin was a forward playing center when I played with him and did a good job at it. He later was able to play his natural position when he went to Washington and played with a center, Wes Unseld. He was an unstoppable offensive force.”
Moses Malone: “Moses was a guy that played in the trenches. I had the most success with Moses because he was inside which gave me all of the outside. Moses was so dominant that he always had to be double-teamed. I played on the same side of the floor, so life was good for me.”
Rudy Tomjanovich: “Rudy was a great pure shooter and a
rugged rebounder; a very quiet individual who just went about his business as a basketball player. We were roommates and I loved him as a man because he would always be honest and tell you the truth, even when you didn’t want to hear it.”
The following dates are when the remaining All-De-cade teams will be announced and acknowledged. Be sure to vote for your favorite Rocket star.Feb. 28 – Rockets-Raptors, 1980s
Elvin Hayes Elvin Hayes
Elvin Hayes
Rudy Tomjanovich
Moses Malone
Calvin Murphy
Mike Newlin
h.s.zone11defendernetwork.com WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 DEFENDER
sportsbriefs
Bellaire girl hoopsters reach new level
classified
Fort Bend ISD AD Keith Kilgore will retireFort Bend ISD athletic director Keith Kilgore will retire later this month. Kilgore, a staunch supporter of the Houston Defender’s efforts to promote high school athletics since his promotion to the position in 1993, has witnessed 15 state championships dur-ing his tenure. Six new high schools have been added to the district under Kilgore’s direction, including Hightower, Marshall, Bush, Travis, Elkins and Austin. Kilgore has also been instrumental in the opening of Hall Stadium, Hopson Fieldhouse and Don Cook Natatorium.
Senior High School Football Showcase set for Feb. 18The Touchdown Club of Houston is hosting the second annual Senior Football Showcase for all unsigned players in the class of 2012 on Feb. 18 at the Methodist Training Center across the street from Reliant Stadium. The Showcase will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free for all participants and colleges. Pre-registration is required. To register, visit www.tinyurl.com/fbshowcase.
Dekaney rises to No. 5 in girls state rankingsThe Dekaney High School Lady Wildcats girls’ varsity basketball team is the No. 5 Class 5A squad in Texas. Dekaney’s up-tempo style and tenacious defense has resulted in a 27-1 overall record, includ-ing 6-0 in District 13-5A. The Lady Wildcats forced 22 turnovers and 14 steals in a 67-50 victory over Tomball recently. Shunta Nevitt and Brianna Taylor recorded three steals apiece in the Dekaney win.
Texans plan for 2012 after losing in BaltimoreThe Texans season has concluded after a disappoint-ing loss in Baltimore, but for the first time in the franchise’s 10-year history there is a real foundation to base future optimism on. The Texans are a very good football team. The Texans finished the regular season 10-6, defeated the Bengals at Reliant in the playoffs and gave the Ravens all they handle before losing 20-13 in the divisional round. The team enjoyed all that success despite an incredible array of injuries that have been well documented. The Texans, based on this year’s success have to adjust their expectations, beyond just making the playoffs, but toward contending for the AFC crown.
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Fight on or off? Rumors are once again circulating that the fight the world is waiting to see, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, could be set for May 5 in Las Vegas. Mayweather, who many fight fans have accused of ducking or looking for excuses to not fight Pacquiao, now has begun to taunt the challenger in a recent series of tweets. “Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see,” he recently tweeted. A 45,000-seat boxing arena is being built in Las Vegas, but it is not sched-uled to be completed before the end of May, making the May 5th date improbable. With this type of dis-cussion going on, it appears that it’s just a matter of time before we get these two pugilists in the ring and hopefully the fight will match the immense hype.
By DARRELL K. ARDISONDefender
Bellaire head girls’ varsity basketball coach Michael Kramer had been waiting for this since he began building a program from its formative stages.
It was a light moment in the grand scheme of things, but the significance of what transpired cannot be overstated.
“We had a player that wanted to join our program and we were showing her around the school,” Kramer said. “Everybody went into the locker room and Bianca [Winslow] showed her our pinstripe uniforms. Some of the players started giggling. But Bianca said ‘this is tradition.’ ”
“Now they understand that if you want to play for us, you have to play at a certain skill level and you must have a certain mindset,” Kramer said.
In the beginning, when the Bellaire girls played against a hand-ful of District 20-5A rivals, those matchups were a bit overwhelming. Madison, Lamar and later Westside presented major obstacles in the past.
Those days are long gone.Bellaire has risen among the region’s elite programs and two
years ago, advanced to the regional finals against Fort Bend Hight-ower.
Led by sensational freshman guard A.J. Alix, who turned in a scintillating 40-point performance, Bellaire was a couple of posses-sions from making its first appearance in the girls’ state basketball tournament.
Last season, the Bellaire girls were on pace to make a return visit to the regional tournament before being upset in the second round of the playoffs.
Nearly every player has returned for the 2011-12 season and Kramer believes the transition has become easier.
“With everybody back, all we’ve been doing is tweaking things,” he said. “A lot of repetition in our man-to-man pressure defense and refining fundamental things like boxing out in the paint. That’s what we’re trying to instill in our players and it seems to be working.”
In a recent 79-15 victory over Chavez, Alix tallied seven points and finished the game with a broad smile on her face. That’s because the rest of her teammates were so involved.
Raven Burns was the leading scorer with 29 points and Atallah “Lulu” McKinney added 15 points. Blayke Hemmitt, Angel Williams, Shandice Waugh and Regina Harris scored six points apiece.
“We were good last year, but this season we are even better,” Alix said. “All of us played AAU ball over the summer and our chem-istry is better. We’ve got players assuming different roles now.
“Everybody knows that Raven is a shooter, but she can take it off the dribble now,” Alix said. “Lulu gives us another point guard and she can help me bring the ball up the court. If we keep playing hard and improving our game, I like our chances against anybody.”
Kramer’s team employs a high-intensity, run-and-gun attack that wears down opponents. The Lady Cardinals don’t have a signature 6-footer that can dominate inside, but that absence hasn’t hindered their results thus far.
The Chavez victory improved Bellaire to 22-3 on the season, including 7-0 in district play.
“We’ve faced some teams with taller girls inside and we had success,” Kramer said. “We played a team from Arkansas that had a 6-5 girl and we held our own by boxing out.
“The main thing I’d hoped to guard against this season was peaking too early,” he said. “That’s been a problem in years. But I can tell we haven’t peaked yet.”
Kramer has surveyed Region III-5A and lists Clear Springs, Cy-Falls, Alief Elsik, Hightower, Katy Taylor and Dekaney as possible contenders for the Region III-5A throne.
“Cy-Falls has some height and Clear Springs has a good-looking squad,” he said. “Yet we present problems with our team speed and the ability to create turnovers with our pressure defense.”
Added depth works in Bellaire’s favor as well. Other players that receive significant playing time include Brianne Jolivet, Carli Walton and Emani Hamilton.
“All of us can run,” said McKinney, who recently returned from an injury. “A.J. doesn’t have to do everything for us like she did in the past. I can help her with the ball-handling so she can get some rest and we have different people who can take over the scoring load.”
Bellaire won the HISD girls tournament despite missing three contributors due to injury.
“We’re playing hard and having fun,” Kramer said. “That’s a good combination.”
defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years
Events of the Week More photos on defendernetwork.com
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DEFENDER | WEEK OF JANUARY 19 | 2012 defendernetwork.com
RETIREMENT CELEBRATION.......Caffin Ann Gordon recently retired after 37 years of dedicated service with the federal government. She began her career here in Houston, as a complaint examiner with the Social Security Administration and worked for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before moving to the Washington, D.C. area where she worked for the U. S. Census Bureau, the White House and the Department of Transportation. Caffin’s friends came to Houston for this big celebration from Boston, New Port News, VA, Toledo, Washington, Louisiana, Mississippi, Dallas, Austin and Marshall, TX. She received kudos from family and friends, and President Barack Obama sent greetings and thanked her for her 37 years of public service. Through the years, she supported many family
and friends with their children, attending every child’s high school and college graduation and their weddings, no matter where she lived. Fourteen of them and their children attended and presented her with a beautiful engraved
charm bracelet from Tiffany & Co. Over 60 folks attended, including Nell Pettis, Sandy and Porter Robinson, Lucy and Jon Bremond, Avis Pickens, Pat and Brittney Reese, Judge William and Willie Mae Hugher, Martha and Jimmy Branch, Linda and Carolyn Ward, William Russo, Thelma and Jim Thelma, Momma Lou and Leta
Pruitt, to name a few. Joyce Bethany, three-time retiree, served as mistress of ceremonies and the celebration, fit for a queen, was held at Chef Rey’s restaurant in Missouri City. Congratulations Caffin and enjoy your retirement!......BRIDE-TO-BE........Dr. Reagan Flowers,
founder and CEO of CSTEM, will soon marry Laolu Davies-Yemitan, president of Five Weeds Real Estate Group at the Immanuel Center in Sugar Land. A bridal shower in her honor was hosted by Constance McGill, Cherie Jones, Chelenski Cyprien, Aieska Odutayo and Janice Placide. Others in attendance included Kari Flowers, Shannon Buggs, Arttica Jbara, Linda Estes, Cynthia Coleman, Dr. Kelly Coleman, Pamela Ulmer and Colleen Banks, to name a few. Reagan was all smiles in anticipation of her upcoming wedding. Best wishes!.......KUDOS.....Valarie Jackson recently received her Ph.D. in clinical adolescent psychology from Prairie View A&M University........Judge Maria T. Jackson was recently named “Best Criminal Court Judge of 2011” by Houston Press Magazine and Karen E. Jackson, founder/CEO, Sisters Network has been included in Ebony Magazine’s Annual Power 100 list.....From Chag’s Place to your place, have a blessed week!
Joyce Bethany, Caffin Gordon and Willie Mae Hughey Caffin Gordon and Cheryl and Julius White The Hunts, D’Hania, Diane, Wrendon and Willie
Francyne and William Kennedy Kim and Jacqueline Gordon Constance McGill, Cherie Jones, Chelenski Cyprien, Reagan Flowers, Aieska Odutayo and Janice Placide
Kari Flowers and Bride-to-be Dr. Reagan Flowers Arttica Jbara and Linda Estes Colleen Banks and Shannon Buggs
