INSIDE RAPPIN’ Tommy Wyatt TPA TPA TPA TPA TPA TEXAS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION www.TheAustinVillager.com This paper can be recycled Vol. 47 No. 11 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected]August 2, 2019 Forklift Danceworks honor Givens Pool. See SWIM Page 4 The Committee host 7 th Annual White Party Affair at MYEC The Committee members from left to right are: Otis Williams, Yannis Banks of Capital Metro, J.T. Tyler, Cheryl Williams, Aaron Jones, Barbara Foreman, Arthur Hargis, Ron Stewart, Alysia Friday, David Williams, Lawrence Sampleton, Creola Burns, James Burns, Donald Williams, Mack McCreary of Capital Metro, Byron January, and Derelle Young. (AUSTIN, TX) - The Committee the Original Austin Chapter held its 7 th Annual White Party Af- fair at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Com- plex, Saturday evening July 27 th from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am. An event, year after year, that has drawn thou- sands of guests from around the Austin and sur- rounding areas as well as out of town guest. The Committee the Original Austin Chapter is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization, pro- moting minority business growth, recognition of local community leaders who’ve made contribu- tions to Austin, and we promote education of higher learning for graduating high school seniors. As the Committee’s hope has been to connect students with resources that allow them to pursue and con- tinue their education at a higher level, this night’s event was the beginning of this becoming a reality as the Committee along with their platinum spon- sor Capital Metro awarded five deserving graduat- ing high school seniors with a $1500 scholarship check. To continue the mission, a portion of each ticket sold for this year’s event will help provide even more resources for more students next year. See INSPIRATION, page 6 Are you saving money on Energy this summer? We have had a very hot summer so far and we still have a little ways to go. But, Austin Energy is encouraging us all to save money on our Utility bills. It seems that every where you look, there are these suttle urges on how you can save money on both your electric and water bills. And this information is posted all over town. Some of the ways that you can save are: *Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher. *Water lawns on your assigned day. *Cool off away from home at a library or community center. These are just a few tips that are suggested by Austin Energy. You can find more infor- mation at AUSTIN ENERGY.COM ANDAUSTIN WATER. ORG. We are still in store for a few more hot days and nights before the end of summer and we all could use a little help with our energy savings. You can also use Austin Energy’s web app and Austin Water’s Dropcounter app. It is very unusual for a department to tell you how to save money. It appears that our govermental agencies just keep their hands in our pockets for that last dollar. Here is our chance to keep some of that money and they are telling us how to do it. It is up to us to take advantage of these savings. So let’s get started. JPMorgan Chase and National Urban League Collaborate to Help Black Households Increase Savings Special Report | AFRO News Service (BUSINESS WIRE)— JPMorgan Chase & Co. is committing $1.5 million over two years to help the National Urban League launch their new Financial Savings Initia- tive, a program that will help Black households build savings and meet their long-term financial goals. The announce- ment is being made at the National Urban League Annual Confer- ence in Indianapolis. Through tailored fi- nancial tech tools and coaching, the initiative aims to enable more Black households will be able to save for the fu- ture and achieve goals like homeownership, small business forma- tion and expansion, and investing for retirement and college. More than half of Americans struggle fi- nancially, experiencing high amounts of debt, irregular income and lack of savings. Research from JPMorgan Chase and Morning Consult found that 52 percent of Americans do not have enough money saved or on hand for a $500 emergency. “Closing the racial wealth gap is a key ob- jective of the National Urban League, and we’re proud to partner with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on achieving that goal,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “Through our network of 90 affili- ates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, we can reach the people most in need of these fi- nancial tools and fulfill our mission of empow- ering communities and changing lives.” As part of the initia- tive, the National Urban League will select 10 Ur- ban League affiliates from around the country to integrate financial technology tools into their financial coaching programs. The program will in- clude tools that are being identified, tested and scaled by JPMorgan Chase as part of the firm’s $125 million, five-year in- vestment in financial health and specifically, through the Financial So- lutions Lab. Managed by the Financial Health Net- work in collaboration with JPMorgan Chase, the Fi- nancial Solutions Lab sup- ports promising fin-tech innovations that can help people in the U.S. in- crease savings, improve credit and build assets. Financial Solutions Lab innovations have led to more than $1 billion in savings for U.S. residents to date. “Financial health is an important element in building strong and resil- ient households, commu- nities and economies,” said Sekou Kaalund, head of Advancing Black Path- ways for JPMorgan Chase. “Too many Black Ameri- cans lack access to the tools and coaching they need to save for the fu- ture. With initiatives like this one, more people can share in the rewards of a growing economy.” Over the last five years, JPMorgan Chase committed over $100 million to 250 nonprofit organizations and re- search institutions across the world, help- ing 7 million people im- prove their financial health and save more than $1 billion. Julian Castro Slams Ben Carson Castro Carson By Defender News Service (DEFENDER) - Ben Carson is the current secretary of Housing and Urban Development. However, the person who was previously in the role was Julian Castro who is currently running for president. Sadly, Carson has been rolling back the historic changes Casto made and the Texas native did not hold back when discuss- ing him. Castro answered, “It just doesn’t seem like he really believes in the mission of the organiza- tion. This administration thinks that if you’re poor, there’s something wrong with you. I don’t believe that. I know there are a lot of hardworking folks there or people who have been hardworking their whole lives and then they run into challenges in their life… So I don’t see people who are poor as any less than anybody else.” He continued, “I just wish that this ad- ministration would spend more time actu- ally investing in the very hardworking and de- serving people who live in public housing.” Football star seeks redemption See BANKS Page 3 Poll shows where Americans stand on reparations See CASH Page 5
Transcript
INSIDE
RAPPIN’Tommy Wyatt
TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION
www.TheAustinVillager.com This paper canbe recycled
The Committee host 7th AnnualWhite Party Affair at MYEC
The Committee members from left to right are:Otis Williams, Yannis Banks of Capital Metro, J.T. Tyler, Cheryl Williams, Aaron Jones,Barbara Foreman, Arthur Hargis, Ron Stewart, Alysia Friday, David Williams, Lawrence
Sampleton, Creola Burns, James Burns, Donald Williams, Mack McCreary of CapitalMetro, Byron January, and Derelle Young.
(AUSTIN, TX) - The Committee the OriginalAustin Chapter held its 7th Annual White Party Af-fair at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Com-plex, Saturday evening July 27th from 8:00 pm to 1:00am. An event, year after year, that has drawn thou-sands of guests from around the Austin and sur-rounding areas as well as out of town guest.
The Committee the Original Austin Chapter isa 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization, pro-moting minority business growth, recognition oflocal community leaders who’ve made contribu-tions to Austin, and we promote education of higher
learning for graduating high school seniors. As theCommittee’s hope has been to connect studentswith resources that allow them to pursue and con-tinue their education at a higher level, this night’sevent was the beginning of this becoming a realityas the Committee along with their platinum spon-sor Capital Metro awarded five deserving graduat-ing high school seniors with a $1500 scholarshipcheck. To continue the mission, a portion of eachticket sold for this year’s event will help provide evenmore resources for more students next year.
See INSPIRATION, page 6
Are yousaving
money onEnergy thissummer?
We have had a veryhot summer so far andwe still have a littleways to go. But, AustinEnergy is encouragingus all to save money onour Utility bills. It seems that everywhere you look, thereare these suttle urgeson how you can savemoney on both yourelectric and water bills.And this information isposted all over town. Some of the waysthat you can save are: *Set your thermostatto 78 degrees or higher.*Water lawns on yourassigned day.*Cool off away fromhome at a library orcommunity center. These are just a fewtips that are suggestedby Austin Energy. Youcan find more infor-mation at AUSTINE N E R G Y . C O MA N D A U S T I NWATER. ORG. We are still in storefor a few more hotdays and nights beforethe end of summer andwe all could use a littlehelp with our energysavings. You can also useAustin Energy’s webapp and AustinWater’s Dropcounterapp. It is very unusualfor a department totell you how to savemoney. It appearsthat our govermentalagencies just keeptheir hands in ourpockets for that lastdollar. Here is our chanceto keep some of thatmoney and they aretelling us how to do it.It is up to us to takeadvantage of thesesavings. So let’s getstarted.
JPMorgan Chase and National UrbanLeague Collaborate to Help Black
Households Increase SavingsSpecial Report | AFRO News Service
(BUSINESS WIRE)—JPMorgan Chase & Co. iscommitting $1.5 millionover two years to helpthe National UrbanLeague launch their newFinancial Savings Initia-tive, a program that willhelp Black householdsbuild savings and meettheir long-term financialgoals. The announce-ment is being made atthe National UrbanLeague Annual Confer-ence in Indianapolis.
Through tailored fi-nancial tech tools andcoaching, the initiativeaims to enable moreBlack households will beable to save for the fu-ture and achieve goalslike homeownership,small business forma-tion and expansion, andinvesting for retirementand college.
More than half ofAmericans struggle fi-
nancially, experiencinghigh amounts of debt,irregular income andlack of savings. Researchfrom JPMorgan Chaseand Morning Consultfound that 52 percent ofAmericans do not haveenough money saved oron hand for a $500emergency.
“Closing the racialwealth gap is a key ob-jective of the NationalUrban League, and we’reproud to partner withJPMorgan Chase & Co.on achieving that goal,”National Urban LeaguePresident and CEO MarcH. Morial said. “Throughour network of 90 affili-ates in 36 states and theDistrict of Columbia, wecan reach the peoplemost in need of these fi-nancial tools and fulfillour mission of empow-ering communities andchanging lives.”
As part of the initia-tive, the National UrbanLeague will select 10 Ur-ban League affiliatesfrom around the countryto integrate financialtechnology tools intotheir financial coachingprograms.
The program will in-clude tools that are beingidentified, tested andscaled by JPMorganChase as part of the firm’s$125 million, five-year in-vestment in financialhealth and specifically,through the Financial So-lutions Lab. Managed bythe Financial Health Net-work in collaboration withJPMorgan Chase, the Fi-nancial Solutions Lab sup-ports promising fin-techinnovations that can helppeople in the U.S. in-crease savings, improvecredit and build assets.Financial Solutions Labinnovations have led to
more than $1 billion insavings for U.S. residentsto date.
“Financial health isan important element inbuilding strong and resil-ient households, commu-nities and economies,”said Sekou Kaalund, headof Advancing Black Path-ways for JPMorgan Chase.“Too many Black Ameri-cans lack access to thetools and coaching theyneed to save for the fu-ture. With initiatives likethis one, more peoplecan share in the rewardsof a growing economy.”
Over the last fiveyears, JPMorgan Chasecommitted over $100million to 250 nonprofitorganizations and re-search institutionsacross the world, help-ing 7 million people im-prove their financialhealth and save morethan $1 billion.
Julian CastroSlams
Ben Carson
Castro CarsonBy Defender News Service
(DEFENDER) - BenCarson is the currentsecretary of Housing andUrban Development.However, the personwho was previously inthe role was JulianCastro who is currentlyrunning for president.Sadly, Carson has beenrolling back the historicchanges Casto made andthe Texas native did nothold back when discuss-ing him.
Castro answered,“It just doesn’t seem likehe really believes in themission of the organiza-tion. This administrationthinks that if you’re poor,there’s somethingwrong with you. I don’tbelieve that. I knowthere are a lot ofhardworking folks thereor people who havebeen hardworking theirwhole lives and thenthey run into challengesin their life… So I don’tsee people who are pooras any less than anybodyelse.”
He continued, “Ijust wish that this ad-ministration wouldspend more time actu-ally investing in the veryhardworking and de-serving people who livein public housing.”
Football starseeks redemption
See BANKSPage 3
Poll shows whereAmericans standon reparations
See CASHPage 5
Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/August 2, 2019 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com
ATX Black Food Week 2019 Full Steam Ahead
By John Harris Jr.VILLAGER Columnist
Kim Scott of Tony's Jamaican Food(Photo/John Harris Jr./VILLAGER)
(VILLAGER) - Whensatisfied customers re-quested that Tony’s Ja-maican Food open a res-taurant in Pflugerville, theowners happily complied.
“A lot of peoplebegged us to open inPflugerville. It took usabout three years to finda place, but it was worthit,” said Kim Scott, whooperates Tony’s JamaicanFood with husband Tony.
Tony’s JamaicanFood originated in 2012
as a food truck located at1200 E. 11th Street inEast Austin when it de-
buted during the SXSWMusic Festival. It wasrecognized last week by
ATX Black Food Week2019 highlighting Black-owned restaurants inthe Austin community.
Tony’s JamaicanFood opened at 2700West Pecan Street, Suite650 last November.
“Tony enjoys cook-ing. He always wanted toown his own restau-rant,” Kim said of herhusband and businesspartner. “We used tohave a little place in Ja-maica. We’ve grown alot since then.”
Tony continues tocook at his trailer in EastAustin. Steve Sharpe isthe head chef at thePflugerville restaurant.
Kim said menu fa-vorites include oxtail andjerk chicken, amongother Jamaican dishes.
“We’re expandingthe menu. We cater to
our customers,” Kimsaid. “We have garlicshrimp and curryshrimp. Someone mightsay, `How about jerkshrimp?’ `Oh, yeah, wecan make that happen.`”
Tony’s JamaicanFood will celebrate Ja-maican IndependenceDay this week with a DJand music Saturday atthe food truck and Sun-day in Pflugerville.
J. LEONARDI’SBARBEQUE
Jerome Faulknerand brother Leonardhave operated their foodtruck at 1124 East 11thStreet for about threeyears.
J. Leonardi ’sBarbeque was recog-nized last week by ATXBlack Food Week 2019.
“Our first trailer wasat Oak Springs and Air-
port. Just to come back tothe 11th Street areawhere are roots are isgreat,” Jerome said.“We’re local, born andraised here. We serve EastSide backyard barbeque.”
SASSY’S VEGETAR-IAN SOUL FOOD
Owner/operatorAndrea Dawson oper-ates her food truck at1819 East 12th Street,which was featured inATX Black Food Week2019. She also providescatering services.
Sassy’s offers ameatless menu featuringfried cabbage, chicon andwaffles, three green med-ley (kale, collard and mus-tard), refried creamyblackeyed peas andhotwater cornbread.
ATX Black FoodWeek 2019 continuesthrough Saturday.
TCSO VictimServices Unit
Seeks Volunteers
(TRAVIS COUNTY) - The Travis CountySheriff’s Office Victim Services Unit is seekingvolunteers to provide immediate assistance tovictims of various criminal and crisis circum-stances including, but not limited to: Family Vio-lence, Sexual Assaults, Child/Elder Abuse, Ag-gravated Assaults, Robberies/Burglaries, Sui-cides, Structure Fires, Death Notifications, Natu-ral/Accidental Deaths and Major Traffic Acci-dents.
Volunteers must complete a comprehen-sive training program that is scheduled for Sep-tember 9-28. (Mondays 6 – 9pm, Thursdays 6– 9pm, Saturdays 9am – 5pm) Volunteers will
also be accompanied on a series of calls be-fore being cleared to take calls independently.
TCSO is seeking persons of excellentmoral standing with the sensitivity and self-awareness necessary to provide effective as-sistance to those in crisis. Volunteers need tobe 21 or older, with a reliable, insured vehicle,a working cell phone and a schedule that al-lows for (4) four-hour shifts of on-call duty permonth. Volunteers must also be willing to sub-mit to a background check that includes finger-prints.
To volunteer, visit https://www.tcsheriff.org/victim-services/volunteers.
We Want YOU!Advertise With
TheVILLAGER
www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/August 2, 2019~ Page 3
Felix Bamirin, PastorGRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Experience Grace For LifeCall: 682.472.9073 l Email: [email protected] 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.,
(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building,behind Wells Fargo)
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
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
Hopewell Primitive Baptist Church690 TX-21 West, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
Sunday School9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship10:30 a.m.
Elder Carl E SheltonPastor Ph: (512) 626-3660
Hope thou in God -Psalm 42:11
‘Brian Banks’ MovieSet for Release August 9, 2019
by Naomi Richard | VILLAGER Entertainment Editor
(VILLAGER) - Afterspending five years inprison for a crime hedidn’t commit, 25-year-old Brian Banks (AldisHodge) is elated to beback on the football fieldas a linebacker at LongBeach City College play-ing the game he loves.But that feeling is shat-tered when he learnsfrom his probation of-ficer that he must wearan electronic anklemonitor and is prohib-ited from setting foot onthe college campus.
Falsely accused ofrape as a 16-year old,Brian lost out on a USCscholarship and the pos-sibility of pursuing anNFL career. Now he’sfighting to regain the lifehe dreamed of despitehis age and his criminalrecord. While his motherLeomia (Sherri Shepherd)does her best to lift hisspirits, the inability to playthe game he truly loves,coupled with the constantrejection he receiveswhen applying for jobs,takes an emotional toll onhim.
After seeing a TVnews story about lawyerJustin Brooks (GregKinnear), co-founder ofthe California InnocenceProject (CIP), Brianwrites to him with a pas-sionate plea for help.Brooks knows thechances of exonerationare virtually non-exis-tent, but after meetingwith Brian and hearinghis story, he eventuallyagrees to take a closerlook at the case.
During an interviewwith the CIP lawyers,
Actor Aldis Hodge (left) and the real life BrianBanks (right) on the set of Tom Shadyac’sBRIAN BANKS, a Bleecker Street release.Photo Credit Katherine Bombov.
Brian describes thetransformative experi-ence he had whilelocked in solitary con-finement. What savedhim from that nightmarewas a class he took in
juvenile hall with JeromeJohnson (Morgan Free-man), whose wise wordshelped Brian focus hismental and spiritual en-ergies in a positive wayduring the worst time of
his life.Later, while apply-
ing for a job at a localgym, Brian meets Karina(Melanie Liburd), a per-sonal trainer. On a date,he tells her about hiswrongful conviction. Herinitial discomfort is exac-erbated by her own ex-perience as a victim ofsexual assault, but as shelearns to trust Brian shebecomes a source ofsupport and comfort inhis struggle to set therecord straight.
Film Director TomShadyac made a poi-gnant reflection, “I’dheard the statistics be-fore: 97% of all casesplead out; thousands ofthe incarcerated arelikely innocent. Butnumbers mean little un-til a name, a story,comes along that driveshome the human costbeneath the data. BrianBanks is that name, thatstory. As a high schoolfootball star, he was des-tined for greatness; as ayoung man convicted ofa crime he didn’t com-mit, he was destined forobscurity. Armed onlywith strength of charac-ter, and a stubborn per-sistence, and facing a ju-dicial system that oftencares more about mov-ing things along thanmining for the truth,Brian overcame the im-possible to clear hisname. His inspiring storyis emblematic of a judi-cial system in dire needof repair.”
The highly antici-pated film releases Au-gust 9 nationwide and israted PG-13.
Listen Live )))Every Friday8 AM - 9 AM
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Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/August 2, 2019 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com
African DiasporaMeet WithBeth Payan
Pictured left to right are: Beth Payan andEli Dogbe. Photo/Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGER NEWS - On July 28, 2019, a smallgroup of the African Diaspora met with Beth Payan,candidate for the 427th District Court. It was an in-formal meeting in which Mrs. Payan had the op-portunity to address some concerns of the commu-nity members. Beth had the chance to witness thegrowing African Diaspora in Central Texas. More-over, she managed to win over a couple of voters.
Mrs. Payan has a lengthy history as a lawyer.Upon graduation from law school, she performedlegal work for nonprofits. Later, she became the Cityof Austin prosecutor. Finally, Payan landed in theTravis County District Attorney office, working onnumerous cases. Although she loves her job as anassistant prosecutor, she believes that being a Judgewould allow her to better affect the justice system.
Finally, Beth Payan has mentioned that she istrying to meet and talk to voters throughout TravisCounty. Her campaign has already been proactiveof meeting and sharing with people of various back-grounds. Furthermore, Payan plans to extend hercampaign focus into Manor and Pflugerville, Texas.
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGERColumnist
by Tsoke (Chuch) AdjavonVILLAGER Columnist
HOFT Holds Multicultural Talent Show
House of Tutors Institute Tutoring Host Multicultural Event.Photo/Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGER NEWS -Thursday, July 25,2019, the Hoft Institutehosted a multiculturaltalent show, in order,to fund and supportneed-based scholar-ships for internationalstudents. According tothe Institute, "the cen-ter welcomes studentsfrom 41 differentcountries, many ofwhich were repre-sented in the show.Students came fromTogo, Columbia,China, Mexico, Brazil,Saudi Arabia, Switzer-land, Thailand, andmore.
Event organizers
expressed, "theevening includes afashion show, withstudents promenad-ing in their culture’straditional attire anddelicious delicacies. Inc o n c l u s i o n ,Columbian students
will perform a Salsadancing lesson."
According to theco-founder of the insti-tute, "our studentsknow firsthand thatstudying abroad is aspecial and transfor-mative experience. It’s
inspiring to watchthem come togetherand volunteer, sharingtheir cultures andhelping students whootherwise might notbe able to experienceliving and learning inanother country.”
Pflugerville Celebrates Liberian Independence Day
Be a reporter from YOUR school!Villager Youth Brigader
For More Information Call 512.476.00824132 East 12th Street, Austin, Texas 78721
Deadline: August 15, 2019
Liberian American Independence:(left to right) George; Janice, and Joseph.
Photo/Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGER NEWS -Saturday, July 27, 2019,the Liberian communityof Central Texas heldtheir Annual Liberian In-dependence Day cel-ebration. Unlike prioryears, this years fest wasa low key and scaledback. According to anunofficial census, thereare over four hundredLiberian American livingin Central Texas. More-over, it makes them oneof the largest Africangroups in the area.
In the 1840's thou-sands of freed Americanslaves re-settled in
Liberia. The ties betweenthe U.S and the newsettlement were strongbecause they named acity after James Monroe.
The freed Americanslaves and the indigenouspeople worked togetherto create the nation ofLiberia. As a result,
Liberia was the first na-tion in West Africa to bean independent nation.For over 150 years Liberiaexperienced peace andprosperity. However, dur-ing the early 1980's it ex-perienced a militarycoup.
In the early '90s,Liberia faced a Civil War,enduring for fourteenyears. The War caused amassive flow of refugeesthroughout West Africaand to the United States.Once again, the nation ofLiberia was a trailblazerby electing the firstwoman President of WestAfrica in the early 2000s.Now, the nation of Liberiahas become a promisingland for its people.
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGERColumnist
GIVENS SWIMS:A DANCE FOR A CITY POOL
AND ITS PEOPLEby Charlotte Moore || Soulciti
The tides havebeen turning in East Aus-tin for some time.
A few decades agowith gentrification.Nearly a century agowhen Austin leaderssegregated the city.Tides continue to turn aspeople who live in EastAustin adapt — and ridethe waves of change.
This adaptation isexperienced by so manymembers of the commu-nity — old and new.
Thankfully, thereexist local groups andorganizations helpingnavigate these poten-tially … treacherous wa-ters. Groups like ForkliftDanceworks.
Now, explaining
what ForkliftDanceworks does is akinto describing that scenein Flashdance (sorry,millennials — Google it)when Jennifer Beals’character, while per-forming a dance routine,pulls a chain extendingfrom the roof, releasinga cascade of water downonto her person.
You kinda have tosee it to fully grasp it.But, allow this writer totry:
Founded in 2001 bylocal artist and choreog-rapher Allison Orr, Fork-lift Danceworks aims toelevate respect and un-derstanding of “thecommon man” by pre-senting dance perfor-
mances by sanitationworkers, power line-men, warehouse em-ployees, and the like —people in our communi-ties who work very hardevery day in fields wecollectively sometimestake for granted.
The thing is, theseperformances are onlyvisibly about bodymovement. The organi-zation is successfully us-ing choreography to ad-dress much larger issues.
If you’ve not heardof Forklift Danceworks,you may have heard of“Trash Dance,” anaward-winning docu-mentary featuring Aus-tin sanitation workersand their trucks bustingsome wild moves.(Again, you have to seeit.)
We are using col-laborative artmaking tobring people together
For the last threeyears, the group hasbeen making a splash ina whole new area — lo-cal swimming pools — ina spectacular showcalled “My Park, MyPool, My City,” a trilogyof performances aimedat educating our com-munity about city poolsand the people who useand maintain them.
But, it’s about somuch more than that.
“It’s also a chanceto showcase the beautyof East Austin.”
EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS
www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/August 2, 2019 ~ Page 5
Are you interested in doingbusiness with the City of Austin?
www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasingFor information on the City of Austin’s Minority/
Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600or visit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
We seek an energetic, enthus-iastic, and well-organizedperson for the position ofOffice Administrator/Clericalpart-time. This is a part-timeposition of 20 to 25 hours perweek at $450, depending onworkload. Need to be detailoriented, possess goodcustomer service skills, somecash & items handling skills.Apply Email: [email protected]
Integral Care is currently soliciting proposals through a Requestfor Proposals (RFP) process for Pharmacy Benefits ManagementServices. RFPs may be sent electronically, by contacting BrodyBallard at [email protected] beginning July 19,2019. The deadline to submit a proposal under the RFP is 4 p.m.CST on August 23, 2019. Historically Underutilized Busi-nesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned Businesses, are encouraged to apply.
HELP WANTED
AGE Hosting Free “Striking a Balance”Caregiver Conference on August 24th
Dr. Eboni Green
(AUSTIN, TX) - AGEof Central Texas and theArea Agency on Aging ofthe Capital Area are againpartnering this year forthe 18th Annual “Strikinga Balance” CaregiverConference on Saturday,August 24th, from 8:30a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at theDoubletree by Hilton Ho-tel Austin. The free con-ference includes keynotepresentations, breakoutsessions, and communityresources to support fam-ily members who are car-ing for a senior adult.
The largest,longest-run freecaregiver conference inCentral Texas, the annualevent helps to ease thechallenges of caring foran aging family memberby providing unpaidcaregivers with relevantinformation and vital re-sources. The attendeeswill discover local re-sources, acquire skills tobetter manage theircaregiving situation, andconnect with othercaregivers and local ex-perts on aging. The dayalso includes workshopson topics related tocaregiving, with expertsavailable for questions.
This year’s con-ference features authorand caregiving expert Dr.Eboni Green, speakingon “Bridging the FamilyCommunication Gap.”Dr. Green is the Presi-dent and CEO of
Caregiver Support Ser-vices, and the author ofthree books: At theHeart of the Matter,Caregiving in the NewMillennium, and Reflec-tions from the Soul, andcurrently writes amonthly article that fo-cuses on self-careamong caregivers.Green has extensive ex-perience focused oncaregivers’ health andwellness, with an em-phasis on caregiverstress, burnout, and re-lated family conflicts.She has contributed to anumber of publicationsand given presentationsthat focus on training,assessing, and support-ing caregivers.
Registration forthe “Striking a Balance”Caregiver Conference isfree, and includes allpresentations, breakout
sessions, and lunch. Par-ticipants must pre-regis-ter by visiting http://T i n y U R L . c o m /SABCC2019, or by calling(512) 916-6182. Regis-tration is now open andspace is limited.
Free respite willalso be available at theAGE of Central TexasThrive Social & WellnessCenter, located at 3710Cedar Street in Austin.Requests for respite caremust be made by calling(512) 600-9275 byWednesday, August 21st.
TheDoubletree by HiltonHotel Austin is locatedat 6505 N. InterstateHighway 35 in Austin.For more informationon the “Striking a Bal-ance” Caregiver Con-ference, please visitwww.AGEofCentralTX.orgor call (512) 451-4611.
Americans largely do notwant Blacks to obtain
cash reparations
A young girl attends a slavery reparations protest outside of the NewYork Life Insurance Company offices on August 9, 2002, in New YorkCity. Mario Tama/Getty Images
By Defender News Service
(DEFENDER) - Themajority of Americansare not in favor of theBlack community gettingcash reparations, ac-cording to the results ofa new poll.
The research,which was conducted byGallup and releasedMonday, surveyed a ran-dom sample of 2,543Americans via phone in-
terviews taken fromJune 19 to July 12 of thisyear. Among the U.S.residents who took thepoll, 67 percent say theyare opposed to the gov-ernment issuing cash toAmericans who are de-scendants of enslavedAfricans. Still, the major-ity of Black Americansare in favor of such apayout making up the
bulk of the 29 percent ofpeople who say cashreparations should bedoled out.
Other findings inthe poll reveal that over-all support for monetaryreparations is up by 15percent compared to2002 when only 14 per-cent of Americans fa-vored the move. Backthen 81 percent of people said they did not
support cash repara-tions.
The poll comes at atime when severalDemocratic presidentialcandidates have voicedbacking for looking intoreparations or othermethods of tackling ra-cial disparities in the U.S.
New Jersey SenatorCory Booker, formerHousing and Urban De-velopment SecretaryJulián Castro, CaliforniaSen. Kamala Harris, Mas-sachusetts Sen. Eliza-beth Warren, and PeteButtigieg are amongthose who’ve claimed toback the idea of repara-tions, although the latterhas explicitly is said he isagainst giving cash forthem. Buttigieg unveileda plan in support of theBlack community that
would go hand-in-handwith other reparationssolutions. Meanwhile,Booker introduced areparations bill as a com-panion to HR 40 thatwould establish “a com-mission to study the im-pact of slavery and con-tinuing discriminationagainst African-Ameri-cans and make recom-mendations on repara-tion proposals for thedescendants of slaves,” apress release issued bythe senator stated.
Still, there is somedivision among Demo-cratic voters on theirfeelings about repara-tions focused solely onmoney. The poll reveals49 percent of Democratssay the governmentshould give cash to de-scendants of enslavedpeople but 47 percent
oppose that. On the Re-publican side, however,support for cash repara-tions is tiny. Within theparty, 5 percent are forit while the overwhelm-ing majority — 92 per-cent — is against it.While support for cashreparations on the Demsside has grown, it hasremained stagnant onthe Republican front.
In general, how-ever, there has been anincrease in the numberof people who recognizeBlack Americans facelesser treatment in theU.S. A Gallup poll con-ducted in 2018 revealeda 7 percent overall in-crease in people whofelt Black Americans faceless fair treatment com-pared to white Ameri-cans.
Trump “Getting Involved”By Defender News Service
(DEFENDER) -President Donald Trumpis claiming a groundswellof African American sup-port in response to hiscomments denigratingDemocratic Rep. ElijahCummings and thecongressman’s majority-black Baltimore district,despite polling showingconsistently negativenumbers.
Speaking to report-ers as he left the WhiteHouse on Tuesday,Trump claimed thebuilding had beenflooded with thousandsof letters, emails andphone calls thanking himfor “getting involved”and exposing corrup-tion.
“They really appre-ciate what I’m doing,and they’ve let me knowit,” said the Republicanpresident. The WhiteHouse did not immedi-ately provide any evi-dence backing upTrump’s claims.
Trump’s commentscame in response tofierce backlash againsthis earlier remarks lash-ing out at Cummings,the chairman of theHouse Oversight Com-mittee, and calling hisdistrict a “disgusting, ratand rodent infestedmess.”
Approval amongblack Americans hashovered around 10%over the course ofTrump’s presidency, ac-
cording to Gallup poll-ing, with 8% approvingin June.
Polling also sug-gests his recent attackscould hurt Trump withsuburban voters — andespecially women —whom he may need towin next year.
Trump insistedTuesday that there was“zero strategy” in hisattacks and that he wasonly “pointing outfacts.”
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A white affair event with a white glove touch – that affects the lives of those who we hope to stand in our shoes one day and be a source of inspiration andencouragement for generations to come. Thank you to the Austin and surrounding area communities that help make all of this possible.
The Committee - Beacon of Inspirationand Encouragement for our Youth
