INTERVIEW

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Volume 79 Number 34 June 20 – 26, 2010 | FREE

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Harry Alford2016 Olympics

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Black & WhiteMarriages Drastically Increasing?

Click on Defendernetwork.comMonday

George CurryInterracial Marriages: Blacks are the Last Choice of Other Groups

By Kam WilliamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Albert Joseph Brown, III was born in Boston, Massachusetts onJune 4, 1968 but raised in Mount Vernon, New York where he was thestar quarterback on the high school football team. Still, he turneddown a full scholarship to the University of Iowa to pursue his loveof music under the alias Al B. Sure! In 1987, he was tapped byQuincy Jones as the winner of a Sony Records talent search andfound fame while still in his teens with the spectacular debutalbum “In Effect Mode,” featuring numerous hits, including suchinstant R&B classics as “Rescue Me” and “Nite and Day.”

Known for the velvety-falsetto on his romantic love songs, Alreleased other solo CDs while collaborating on duets witheveryone from Diana Ross to David Bowie to Al Green overthe course of a recording and producing career, which hasthus far netted the charismatic crooner numerous Grammynominations as well as Soul Train and American MusicAwards for Best New Artist. Currently, he is one of a dozen

bachelors competing for the affections of Omarosa on “The UltimateMerger,” a new reality series sponsored by Donald Trump.

Here, Al talks about his life and about what it was like to be on theshow, which is set to premiere on TV One on Thursday, June 17th at 9PM.

Kam Williams: Hey, Al, thanks for the time.Al B. Sure: Don’t worry about it. How’re you doing today? KW: Very well, thanks. How did Donald Trump interest you in com-

peting for the affections of a controversial sister voted the #1 realityshow villain of all time by the readers of TV Guide?

ABS: I’ve known Mr. Trump since he hosted, I think, it was my 21stbirthday party on his yacht years ago. He’s an amazing guy. And I’vealso known Omarosa for a few years. She’s always been just a reallysweet and kind person, very different from what viewers see on televi-sion. I’ve always admired her because she’s such a smart go-getter, sowe’ve always been friends.

KW: Yeah, the first time I met her, I was struck both by how striking-

By George E. CurrySPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

THEDEFENDERSONLINE.COM

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - True toexpectations, Artur Davis’ quest tobecome the first Black governorof Alabama made history.

But, contrary to expectations,Davis’ stunning defeat provides asharp – yes, historic – examplenot only of the cost of politicalarrogance, but also the under-scoring for all candidates, and thenational Democratic Party estab-lishment, the sophistication andpower of the Black electorate.

That’s a vitally important lesson thatBlacks beyond Alabama’s borders should

heed as the 2010 election season heats up.The way Davis ran his campaign was adirect challenge to the efficacy of theBlack vote everywhere.

After being the only Black member ofCongress to vote against national health

care reform legislation andrefusing to seek the endorse-ment of Alabama’s four keyBlack political organizations,Davis became the first African-American campaigningstatewide in Alabama to fail towin a majority of the Blackvote.

African-Americans therejoined the parade of White vot-

ers who overwhelmingly rejected his pri-

★AL B SURE, Page 2

SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM

THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY

(NNPA) - The wealth gap between white andAfrican-American families increased more thanfour times between 1984-2007, and middle-income white households now own far morewealth than high-income African Americans,according to a recently released analysis by theInstitute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP) atBrandeis University.

IASP, in a research brief, also reported thatmany African-Americans hold more debt thanassets and at least 25 percent of African-Americanfamilies had no assets to turn to in times of eco-nomic hardship. The fourfold increase in thewealth gap, it said, reflects public policies, such astax cuts on investment income and inheritances,

★MONEY, Page 11

By Aswad WalkerDEFENDER

For many, today’s hostile anti-President Obamarants from members of the far right is nothingnew. In fact, the “Take back our America” battle

cry of the Republican Party, Tea Party Movement andRight-wing militia groups that symbolizes their opposi-tion to any and all President Obama-led initiatives, iseerily reminiscent of a time when political, legal andsocial gains earned by African Americans were sum-marily stripped away—post-Reconstruction America.Though some view the comparison of the racial and

★TEA PARTY, Page 3

Al B. Sure, Omarosa find love?

Racial moneydivide widens

★GOVERNOR, Page 7

Artur Davis

NEWS ANALYSIS ATTENTION!

Lessons learned from Davis’run for Alabama Governor

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyDEFENDER

On June 19th, people all over the country will gather in picnics, parades andother activities in celebration of Juneteenth, the day Black slaves in Texasfinally found out they were free. But three decades afterJuneteenth was declared an official state holiday, somequestion its relevance, while others remain committedto keeping it relevant.

“A lot of people think that because this is 2010, thatwe’re so far past slavery, that we don’t have to makemention of it, or pay any attention to the history ofJuneteenth,” said Rev. Ronald V. Meyers, chairman ofthe National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. “It isstill very relevant today and it is up to our communityto keep the real meaning of Juneteenth alive and well.”Remembering the past

While President Abraham Lincoln signed theEmancipation Proclamation in 1862, it would be two and a half years later, onJune 19, 1865, before slaves in Texas would know that they’d been freed.That’s when Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas, announcing the end

★JUNETEENTH Page 4

We’ve moved!The Defender Media Group, which includes our website, www.defendernetwork.com, theDefender newspaper, and the Defendermagazine, has moved to The PowerCenter, 12401 S. Post Oak St., Suite 223,Houston, TX 77045. Our phone numberis the same and we’re excited aboutlaunching a new chapter in Defenderhistory and our efforts to engage thecommunity. Stay tuned for details!

Ronald V. Meyers

KeepingJuneteenthrelevant

2 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

ly beautiful she is in person and by how differ-ent she is from the monster she’s been editedto look like on The Apprentice.

ABS: Exactly! KW: But if you already know her, why go on a

reality show to date her? ABS: It’s a cultural concession, too, the new

media. I can’t live in the past. Part of this newmedia is this reality forum. So something you’dordinarily do in private, you end up doing inpublic for all the world to see. Then it becomesmuch more interesting, especially how TV Onehas cast a great group of guys to compete forthe prize, this very dynamic woman. What’sbetter than that? It makes for a very positiveshow.

KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you,and the most common response I got fromthem was something like, “He’s more famousthan Omarosa. Is this just a publicity stunt?”One even said, “Ask him, are you out of yourmind?” given her reputation for being difficult.

ABS: [Laughs] I received feedback like thatmyself. But like I said, I know the realOmarosa. She’s a friend, a dynamic woman,and a good person. I’ve been approached to doso many reality shows that I’ve turned downover the years. But being that this was DonaldTrump, TV One and Omarosa, I thought thiswould be great. And you never know whatmight happen.

KW: Did you enjoy the whole reality showprocess?

ABS: Absolutely! KW: Even being cooped up in a suite with 11

other guys?ABS: Not that part so much, because I’m a bit

of a loner, even though they were great guys,and we established a brotherhood over thecourse of this journey. And still, in the back ofeverybody’s head was the competition. But wedid our best to keep it as positive as possible.

KW: No spitting on each other, like the con-testants on Flavor of Love?

ABS: No, no spitting on each other, but wedid challenge each other intellectually any timewe bickered.

KW: Weren’t the other contestants shockedand intimidated when they learned they’d becompeting against Al B. Sure?

ABS: To be very candid with you, theirbiggest surprise was when they came to realize

that I was so down to earth, and that my doorwas always open to anybody who needed totalk. Despite the competition, I’m going to beyour brother first. I have to be that way,because God has blessed me with the vehicle ofmusic, the experience of life, and the spirit ofdiscernment. So, of course, I feel responsible toshare my gifts.

KW: And how was it to look at Omarosaromantically for the first time, instead of as afriend?

ABS: You know what? She’s a very, verysexy woman. What more can I say? And sexyto me is not just the physical. I’m 42 now, sowhen you can sit down and have an incredibleconversation with me, that’s the biggest turn-on, not the tightest jeans.

KW: If you weren’t an entertainer, what lineof work would you have pursued?

ABS: I would probably have been an attorneyor played football in the NFL, which was myinitial dream. I love football to this day.

KW: What music are you working on now.ABS: Currently, I’m pitching a production of

my own television show. I can’t reveal exactlywhat it is, but I’ll be talking about it very soon.I also have a website, http://www.albsure.net,and I’m hosting Slow Jams, the #1 morningradio show. You can find a link to it on mywebsite. I’m on seven days a week from five to10 AM playing everyone from Beyonce’ toMarvin Gaye. Besides that, my latest album iscalled Honey, I’m Home.

I’m trying to bring the romance back tomusic. Old school music is meant to be a partof your blood stream, and if it doesn’t affect

your bloodstream, then you may as well put itback in the shoebox underneath the bed. Mygodfather, Quincy Jones, taught me that themelody comes from God, and it is what it is. Atthe end of the day, what you put into somethingis what you get out of it.

KW: In the event you succeed in your questto woo Omarosa, how do you think your kidswill react to having her as their wicked step-mother?

ABS: [Chuckles] That’s not nice. I won’tanswer that one.

KW: Is this a show business move or an affairof the heart? I think you already answered that.

ABS: [LOL] I love these questions. They’refunny.

KW: What were your feelings while watchingthe MTV Sweet Sixteen segment that featuredyour son and Sean Combs?

ABS: I’m not going to comment about that. Idon’t discuss my family with the press; I dis-cuss my family with my family. If you notice,when you hear something sensational in thepress about me, I don’t respond to it publicly,because a lot of things are put out there simplyfor the attention. Things that are meaningful,you don’t need to talk about.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asksyou, that you wish someone would?

ABS: Yeah, how are you doing, Al? People,for the most part, forget to say, how are you?How do you feel today? It as if we’re robots ormachines. I’m a human being just like you are.And I hurt and love just like everybody else,and people tend to forget that. I think I’m oneof the friendliest celebrities around, because I’ll

stop to talk to anybody who recognizes me. Idon’t have a negative bone in my body. That’swhy I could care less about any gossip. It does-n’t interest me. I’d rather sit down and write asong.

KW: When was the last time you had a goodlaugh?

ABS: With you just a minute ago. [Laughs]KW: What are you listening to on your iPod? ABS: The last thing I listened to was a gospel

duet by Fred Hammond and Brian McKnightcalled “When Will I See You Again.” It is anemotional song that really makes you sit downand reflect. KW: When you look in the mirror, what do yousee?

ABS: I see a gentleman getting a little olderand a little wiser.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?ABS: I enjoy preparing salmon. KW: What in life means the most to you? ABS: Right now, caring for my mother, who’s

been diagnosed with cancer. She’s an ordainedminister and my best friend. And watching hergo through this process with the chemotherapyand everything has created more strength with-in me as a man. We’re going to beat it together.Don’t let anyone tell you God is good. Chickenis good. God is amazing!

KW: What is your earliest childhood memory? ABS: I was just having a conversation about

that with my mother. I can remember way backin the day when my mother managed a dentaloffice on Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Iremember Phil Jackson, who was playing forthe Knicks at the time, coming in for anappointment and bouncing me on his knee inthe waiting room. He looked about nine feettall to me.

KW: How do you get through the tough times?ABS: Prayer and encouraging words change

things. We’re all human. We all go throughstuff. The hardest part about being a celebrity ishaving to heal on a public stage. That’s theworst. Imagine going through a scandal, or adivorce, or a death in the family, and runninginto fans on the street. Because of where myheart is, my instinct is to put my sadness aside,and give them a smile or a hug, no matter howbad I’m feeling. And the appreciation of fanscan refuel your spiritual tank in those situa-tions. But until you’re famous, people don’trealize how difficult that is.

Al B. Surecontinued from page 1

Omarosa is looking for love in her new reality show, "The Ultimate Merger," airing onTVOne.

★AL B. SURE Page 11

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

political dynamics of the late 1800s totoday as a stretch, others are issuing acall to action to ensure that AfricanAmericans are not once again leftunprotected by America’s governmen-tal agencies and thus recipients ofdecades of government sanctionedviolence, oppression and under-devel-opment.

The years immediately followingthe Civil War are known as theReconstruction Era (1865-1877), theperiod when the southern states weregoverned by their northern cousins asthe Union worked to repair its breach.Three amendments to the U.S.Constitution, the 13th, 14th and 15th,were adopted during this period, giv-ing to African Americans on paper fullcitizenship, due process and equal pro-tection under the law, the right to holdpolitical office and the right to vote. Itwas during this period that the firstwave of African Americans was elect-ed to state and national offices. Thisfact, coupled with the presence ofUnion troops in southern cities, ledmany southern whites to conclude thatAfrican Americans were taking over,inspiring their call to “take back ourAmerica.”

With the Compromise of 1877, takeback America they did. As Uniontroops were removed from the south,the legal and military protections nec-essary to safeguard African Americangains and protect them from the vio-lent reprisals of angered southernwhites, were removed. It was duringthis period that the Klu Klux Klan andother white supremacist groups werefounded or re-organized for this verypurpose.

Recently, more and more social ana-lysts have begun drawing parallelsbetween post-Reconstruction Americaand post-2008 presidential electionAmerica. The similarities citedinclude African Americans being per-ceived as having greater politicalpower than whites, a call to “take backour country,” declaring AfricanAmerican elected officials unfit, view-ing the federal government as the

enemy, and using the most cutting-edge media of the day to promote theidea that “Black rule” signals the endof civilization. Additional similaritiesinclude the use of violence or its threatby angry whites to run the partyviewed as sympathetic to AfricanAmericans (then, Republicans) out ofoffice and to assist the conservativeparty of the day (then, Democrats) inregaining political power.

With the meteoric rise of the TeaParty Movement, violence againstDemocrats after the passing of thehealthcare reform bill, politicians cele-

brating the Confederacy while down-playing or ignoring slavery, the politi-cal victory of Tea Party endorsedKentucky Republican senate candi-date Rand Paul, and his commentsagreeing with businesses having theright to refuse service to customersbased on race, the evidence seems tobe mounting that current times are asracially volatile as they were in the late1800s.

Texas Southern University historyprofessor Dr. Kerry Wintz, however,disagrees.

“First, we’ve got to start with the

fact that the times are so diametricallyopposite that making comparisons aredangerous,” stated Wintz. “DuringReconstruction the southern stateswere ruled by Washington because oftheir rebellion. There was real concernthat without controls over what theSouth was doing they would regroupand rebel again, and slavery would bere-established in another form.”

Wintz believes erroneous stereo-types about Reconstruction and itsaftermath are the cause of people tyingthat past with the present.

“It’s important to note that the onlyBlack political leadership duringReconstruction was in the South, notthe North. The reason for the 15th

Amendment was because of theNorth’s reluctance to allow Blacks tovote. Just as important is the fact thatBlack politicians had their own agen-da which focused on civil rights andfree education. The stereotype wasthat they were pawns of corruptNorthern and Southern politicians, butthat wasn’t true. The tendency in his-tory is to view Blacks as people uponwhom events were enacted rather thanas actors making things happen. Butthey were very active,” added Wintz.

The rhetoric during Reconstruction,according to Wintz, was that the evilsof society came from Carpetbaggers(northern businessmen), Scallywags(southerners who “betrayed” theSouth by voting Republican), andBlacks. These run parallel to today’stargets of conservative ire—WallStreet CEOs, moderate Republicanswho betrayed their more conservativecounterparts by voting for healthcare,and African Americans in general, andPresident Obama in particular. Still,Wintz holds fast to the position thatparallels between post-Reconstructionand present-day America are generallysuperficial.

Dr. Jawanza Eric Clark, a professorat Spelman College, agrees withWintz, to a point.

“A comparison of the times is some-thing of a stretch,” said Clark. “I seethe general hostility towards the gov-ernment, and yes it’s motivated bywhites feeling they are losing theircountry to minorities, but it’s not just

about Blacks as we see with theirangst over the issue of immigration inArizona.”

Clark also does not believe the TeaParty and their sympathizers are asnumerous as their post-Reconstructioncounterparts. “While there is a sensethat they have momentum, they arecertainly not the majority. Their ani-mus is similar but their power isnowhere near what it was then.”

Clark does not believe the Tea Partydeserves all the press it receives.However, Dr. Franklin Jones, politicalscience professor at TSU, argues thecoverage they do receive should focusmore on what he believes to be its cen-tral message.

“Oftentimes, there’s an over-analy-sis from the perspective of whites feel-ing challenged and wanting to reassertthemselves as a power group, but dur-ing Reconstruction Blacks were neverin control; whites losing power neverhappened,” said Jones, who believesthe issue then and now is one of whitesupremacy.

“Reconstruction saw poor whitesbeing dominated by white elites. Thatsame distribution of power still existstoday. The poor white group has neverchallenged where the real power lies;they rally against scapegoats, a list thathas increased from Blacks toHispanics to women.” Jones sees pro-ponents of white supremacy associat-ing themselves with Tea Party Groupsand others to make an anti-govern-ment claim that does not affect the dis-tribution of power in this country.“The similarity between post-Reconstruction and today is the con-tinued opposition of those groups whooperate from the basic vantage pointof white supremacy challenging any-thing they see as a threat to that posi-tion. The difference we see is in theBlack community. Our response tothis has changed from an absolutestruggle to gain participation in thepolitical system to a point where moreBlacks feel they have arrived anddon’t need to struggle; where they feelthey should look for ways to best usethe political system for their personal

Tea Partycontinued from page 1

★TEA PARTY, Page 9

Photo: washingtonindependent.com

According to the Washington Independent, the photo of Robertson andhis misspelled N-word sign turned up, after the ResistNet listserv pro-moted “Liberty Concerts” sponsored by Robertson’s group TeaParty.org.He carried the sign reading, “Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer =Niggar” at a tea party rally held in Houston on Feb. 27, 2009.

4 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

of the Civil War, and reading aloud a generalorder freeing the quarter-million slaves resid-ing in the state. It’s likely that none of themhad any idea that they had actually been freedmore than two years before. It was truly a dayof mass emancipation and has since becomeknown as Juneteenth.

For many, Juneteenth has been a day of cel-ebration, a de facto second Independence Daycommemorating the end of slavery and a firststep toward inclusion in the greater Americandream.

“It’s a bittersweet holiday, but it’s also atime of celebration and a time of reflection,healing, and hopefully a time for the country tocome together and deal with its slave legacy,”says Meyers, who has worked tirelessly to getJuneteenth recognized by state legislatures.Currently, a little more than half of U.S. statesacknowledge Juneteenth in some form oranother, usually on the third Saturday of June.In Texas, Rep. Al Edwards managed to getstate officials to approve the holiday in 1979,making it the only state to recognizeJuneteenth as a legal holiday until recently. Focused on the future

Part of keeping Juneteenth relevant, Meyerssays, is keeping the tradition alive – no matterwhere you are.

“The tradition has already spread to border-ing Southern states, such as Arkansas andLouisiana, as migrating African Americansfanned out from Texas. It reached as far asCalifornia — where San Francisco has heldone of the nation’s largest Juneteenth celebra-tions for the last five-plus decades — andMinnesota, where Minneapolis boasts a largefestival.”

Edwards is one of many who have beenworking to make Juneteenth a national holi-day. In years past, President Barack Obamahas co-sponsored legislation to makeJuneteenth a national holiday.

In recognizing the history of American free-dom, advocates say, Juneteenth is as deservingof recognition as Independence Day.

“We may have gotten there in different waysand at different times,” says Meyers, referringto Blacks and whites, “but you can’t really cel-ebrate freedom in America by just going withthe Fourth of July. We’ll continue to urgePresident Obama and members of Congress to

not only acknowledge JuneteenthIndependence Day as a national day of obser-vance, but also to continue to work to bringhealing and reconciliation from the legacy ofslavery.”What you can do

While the political battle to recognizeJuneteenth continues, individuals can make apersonal commitment to keeping the holidayrelevant.

“From their own homes to their workplaceto their community organizations, eachAfrican-American should make it their busi-ness to make the holiday more than a goodtime,” Meyers said. “Sometimes, keeping ourstories relevant requires a personal commit-ment.”

That personal commitment is how MamieGaines keeps Juneteenth alive.

“I grew up celebrating Juneteenth everyyear,” Gaines said. “Then when I left homeand joined the military I found that not asmany peers either celebrated it or knew aboutit. With each passing year I thought about itless and less. Nonetheless, I thought of it andits relevance in my life. Now I have a child andwith the significance of having a Black presi-dent, I’ve been given a teaching opportunity. Ifwe chose to spend the day in the mall—and wewon’t—then at least we are free to do that.And I take every opportunity to tell her why

we are free. She will most likely do the samewhen she has children. At 10, she has seen allof Roots. Now, the celebrations are for thosewho otherwise may not sit around the dinnertable discussing Nat Turner and the likes. Forthose whose parents have forgotten.”

Gaines says she hopes parents will take thefirst step in rekindling the love for our ances-try.

“This year, we are going to an event inWashington DC. They (events) are out there orstart one of your own. Teach the children.Remind each other. One last thing. I work inthe museum of American history and althoughthe halls are rich with Black history, I can lit-erally count the number of black families thatvisit each day on one hand. Hopefully, the par-ents are teaching at home.”

Below are some suggestions to personallykeep the holiday relevant. At work■ Decorate a conference room, lobby or

workspace with a Juneteenth theme toacknowledge the day’s celebration. Bringthe group together for refreshments and anexplanation of Juneteenth.

■ An extended celebration could include arti-facts, dance, skits, etc. The event should becelebratory, festive and in honor ofAfrican American history. Present co-workers with Juneteenth buttons, t-shirts,

etc and encourage them to wear them theremainder of the day.

■ Challenge co-workers to present AfricanAmerican facts, de-bunk myths and stereo-types...

■ Discuss company diversity initiatives andensure employees that race and gender willnever be barriers to their progress withinthe company.

■ Bring in a guest speaker.■ Make this an important date on the corpo-

rate calendar.In the community■ Host a community Juneteenth Flag Raising.

Invite school bands, elected officials, busi-ness and civic leaders to participate.

■ Encourage your libraries, post offices, cityhall to host Juneteenth displays.

■ Encourage your neighborhood to decorateand display Juneteenth yard signs and ban-ners.

■ Rally local organizations to unite and col-laborate on a special event in honor ofJuneteenth. (Public discussion, outdoorconcert, etc.)

■ Organize neighborhood block parties andinvite elected officials and guest speakersto attend.

■ Identify individuals to receive communityservice awards.

At home■ Plan a special meal and gather the family

together to acknowledge Juneteenth.Decorate the table with a Juneteenth themeand discuss what the celebration meanstoday. Emphasize the mandates of respon-sibility and striving to be the best you canbe. Make specific pledges for the remain-der of the year and ask for support inaccomplishing your goals.

■ Encourage your neighborhood to displayJuneteenth yard signs.

■ Plan a special gathering with friends toacknowledge Juneteenth. Exchange facts orquotes from history. Discern how certainsignificant and historical events haveimpacted your life today. Make it a pointto thank those who have helped open doorsfor you to achieve.

■ Take some personal time to reflect...thenlook forward. Make a wish. Make a plan.Write it down.

Juneteenthcontinued from page 1

Courtesy Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Juneteenth Committee, East Woods Park, Austin, Texas, June 19, 1900.

Former Houston areastandout high school baseballplayers dominated theUniversity InterscholasticLeague’s All-Century Team.

As part of its CentennialCelebration, the UIL recentlyannounced the All-Centuryteams as selected by fans.More than 4,300 votes werecast by fans for their favoritebaseball players in Texashigh school history.

Alvin’s Nolan Ryan andRoger Clemens of SpringWoods High School wereselected as first-team pitch-ers. Washington Nationals’first baseman Adam Dunn,who belted his 14th home runof the season to supportStephen Strasburg’s secondcareer major league victoryover Cleveland (9-4), wasnamed the first-team catcherout of New Caney.

Houston Astros’ first base-man Lance Berkman was alsonamed to the first team out ofNew Braunfels Canyon.Berkman went on to star col-legiately at Rice Universitybefore becoming an all-starfor the Astros.

Bellaire second basemanChuck Knoblauch was also afirst-team selection.Knoblauch was a MajorLeague baseball star with theMinnesota Twins and NewYork Yankees.

Joining Ryan, Clemens,Dunn, Berkman andKnoblauch on the UIL firstteam were outfielders CarlCrawford of Houston Jeff

Come On VinceBy now anyone that reads

this column on even a semi-regular basis knows I’m a bigVince Young guy. FromMadison, to Texas and nowwith the Titans, I’m down withVY. I thought the Texansshould have drafted him and Icringe whenever the Texansplay the Titans and Vince is inthe game because I know whathe’s capable of. That beingsaid, the only person who canshut down Vince is Vince him-self!

By now most of you haveheard about VY’s escapades ata Dallas strip club last week-end. Young was caught onvideo tape punching a guywho displayed the hook’emsign, upside down.Unfortunately this event hap-pened around 3:30 am. In thewords of one of my bestfriends, “when does it allend”!

Come on Vince, we’repulling for you in a big way.You’re already one of thegreatest athletes that the cityof Houston has ever produced,but it’s becoming increasinglyhard to defend such immaturebehavior. You’ve got to knowthat you’re the face of theNFL’s Tennessee Titans fran-chise. Just as importantlyyou’re the face of what weproduce athletically inHouston, Texas. Just likeBeyonce, Yolanda Adams,Brian Courtney Wilson,Michael Bourn, Roland Martinand countless others, you rep-resent who Houston is in2010!

You have put your die-hardfans in a precarious position.As the talk shows and blogsrant that you’re stupid, imma-ture and lack the ultimateintelligence it takes to lead a

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

The winds of change are blowing throughthe college football ranks with hurri-cane force intensity. Rumors of major

universities changing conferences, severingtraditional rivalries and creating would-besuper conferences are dominating the sportspages and talk shows. The reason for all thecommotion, you guessed it, the almighty dol-lar. Millions of dollars in television revenuesare at stake and every school wants their share.

On Cullen, the University of HoustonCougars name has not been connected withany of the rumors of schools changing theiraffiliations, but they realize they must stayabreast with the times in order to stay compet-itive in this changing landscape.

To that end, the University recently unveiled

plans for a new on-campus football stadiumand major renovations for Hofheinz Pavilion.Cougar athletic director Mack Rhoades, whoarrived in town after an award winning stint asAD at the University of Akron, is no strangerto stadium construction. While at Akron hecompleted construction of a $61.6 million on-campus stadium. Rhoades feels these renova-tions send a clear message to the college sportsgods as well as supporters of the program thatthey are a viable program.

“This is an exciting time to be a part ofHouston Athletics, and our plans for a newRobertson Stadium and renovated HofheinzPavilion send a clear message about theUniversity’s commitment to Athletics,”Rhoades said. “This is a bold step taken by theUniversity, and, with the loyal support ofCougar fans and the entire city of Houston, wewill turn these plans into reality.”

Rhoades felt it was important that the newimprovements were easily accessible to thestudent body.

“I think the student body is such a huge partof any type of college environment, particular-ly football and basketball. For them to be there,I think they set the tone. I want our students toknow they are critical to our success as an ath-letics program,” Rhoades shared.

Of course the new facilities are just theattraction the Cougars need to attract prospec-tive student athletes.

“It helps in terms of recruiting, when we’reout recruiting prospective student-athletesshowing them the first-class quality facilitiesthey’ll be able to compete in,” Rhoades shared.New Football Stadium With an estimated cost of $120 million, the

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

ROUND ROCK – Timing iseverything in the making of achampion.

Two Houston area schoolslearned that lesson the hard way inthe Class 5A state high schoolbaseball tournament hosted byDell Diamond. In both cases,Corpus Christi Carroll played therole of teacher while No. 1 nation-ally-ranked Klein and upstartClements served as unwilling stu-dents.

Carroll head coach Lee Yeagersaid the scouting report on hischampionship game-startingpitcher Courtney Hawkins wasthat if the sophomore right-handerdidn’t get his breaking pitchesover the plate, you could sit on hisfastball.

On the 140th pitch thatHawkins offered in 90 degree-plusheat, Klein third baseman EvanRutter got his fastball and squaredit up, sending a rocket into theleft-center field gap with Carrollcenterfielder Mark Blackmar inhot pursuit.

Yet the timing for Klein’simprobable seventh-inning come-back wasn’t quite right.

Blackmar, the winning pitcher aday earlier in Carroll’s come-from-behind 4-3 victory overClements, ran Rutter’s ball downand left his feet to make a lungingcatch to end the game and pre-serve Carroll’s first state champi-onship in any sport.

The 5-2 Carroll victory helpedthe 37-7 Tigers succeed whereCorpus Christi Calallen fell shortin the 4A state title game againstBrenham (2-1).

“On the pitch before that, we

had gone into a no doubles pre-vent defense because we were try-ing to prevent the potential tyingrun from getting into scoring posi-tion,” Yeager said. “Mark wasplaying a little deeper than hewould have normally been play-ing. That might have been the dif-ference.”

Had Rutter’s drive eludedBlackmar’s glove, Klein wouldhave been in position to rally forthe victory.

Blackmar said he had one thingin mind once the ball came off thebat.

“I knew he hit it well and all Iwanted to do was to get close to itbefore it hit the wall,” he said. “Iknew if it didn’t hit the wall that Ihad a chance at catching it,”

Blackmar said. “The ball had a lotof backspin on it and held up inthe air. I was lucky to get there.”

Hawkins, who was named thegame’s most valuable player afterscattering 10 hits, striking out sixand only walking one in a com-plete-game performance, had hisown perspective of Blackmar’sgame-ending play.

“I knew Mark wanted it morethan anyone else on our team,”Hawkins said. “He’s a senior andhe wanted to go out a champion.He’s been making plays for melike that all season. When he madethe catch, I said to myself, ‘that’smy boy.’”

The Bearkats (33-7) trailed 5-1heading into the bottom of theseventh inning, but mounted a

comeback attempt on consecutivesingles by Ryan Van Marter andAaron Smith. Rob Tasin’s RBIsacrifice fly drove in Van Marterto narrow the Bearkats’ deficit tothree runs. Eric Fisher followedwith a single to put runner’s onfirst and third and set the stage forRutter.

On the eighth pitch of the at-bat,Rutter tagged a Hawkins fastballand Blackmar caught it, setting offa wild dogpile celebration in theoutfield.

“They (Klein) kept waiting forCourtney to miss with his off-speed pitches so they could gearup for his fastball,” Yeager said.“But he kept pounding the strike

★HIGH SCHOOL, Page 6

Klein Forest accepting the runnerup trophy.

★U OF H ATHLETICS, Page 6

University of Houston Athletics

Preparing for the Future

C.C. Carroll Conquers Klein, Clements for title

Architects rendering of the all new Robertson stadium

6 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDERSPORTS

Advertise in the Defender

Davis High School and Astros right fielder Hunter Pence,who prepped at Arlington High School.

Astros’ center fielder Michael Bourn was a second-teamhonoree. Bourn went to high school at Aldine Nimitz beforeplaying his college ball at the University of Houston.Spring’s Josh Beckett, now on the disabled list for theBoston Red Sox, was also named to the second team.

David Clyde, a former high school phenom, who wentdirectly to the Texas Rangers out of Spring BranchWestchester High School, was a third-team selection.Former Astros shortstop Craig Reynolds made the thirdteam.

Other notables on the UIL All-Century teams includedMLB Hall of Famer Ernie Banks (Dallas Washington HighSchool) on the first team along with first baseman DonBaylor (Austin High School) on the second team withSpike Owen (Cleburne).

Keith Moreland (Dallas Turner), Willie Upshaw (Blanco)and Scott Podsednik (West High School) were named to thethird team.

Ardisoncontinued from page 5

professional team to greatness, all your fans can utteris it’s racial.

Well actually it isn’t. Donavan McNabb, JasonCampbell, Tarvarias Jackson, David Garrard, SenecaWallace and even Michael Vick, to name a few haveall been able to stay out of the negative spotlight. Weneed you to join them.

Let’s not even mention the white QB’s. With theexception of Pittburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, youdon’t hear a negative peep out of Peyton or Eli, MattSchaub, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, MarkSanchez, Joe Flacco, none of them!

I know you owned up to your “mistake, it’s only amisdemeanor assault charge and you weren’t evenarrested, but it sets a bad precedent. You’re a 25 yearold Black guy with millions of dollars in his pocketand obviously way too much free time on his hands.There’s a lot of people out there who are not goingto be happy for your success and they won’t mindtelling you. You can’t let that faze you. Control theenvironment you put yourself in. Nothing positive isgoing to happen for you at a strip club at 3:30 am;for that matter even driving on the freeway at thathour.

VY, lots of folks think last year was a fluke foryou, personally I don’t. I think it’s just the beginningof what you’re capable of. Now as the old folkswould say “sit yourself down somewhere” and justconcentrate on building a positive legacy both onand off the field.

Edisoncontinued from page 5

new football stadium will be built on thecurrent site of Robertson Stadium. Whilethe new facility will hold 40,000 fans ini-tially, design plans easily accommodateexpansion to more than 50,000 in thefuture.

The new stadium also will offer modernpremium seating opportunities, including22 luxury suites, 200 loge box seats andclub seating for 650.

The East Side Stadium Complex willhouse a Hall of Fame, locker room facili-ties, academic/meeting spaces and sportsmedicine accommodations.

Football head coach Kevin Sumlin sees adirect correlation between his footballteam’s development and the developmentof the Cougar athletic department.

“It’s really exciting. It says a lot aboutour administration. It puts us in the bestposition to be successful. Where we areright now is certainly not where we’regoing. Kind of like our team, we’ve accom-plished a few things but we haven’t accom-plished what we want to accomplish,”Sumlin said. Hofheinz Pavilion

Proposed plans allow for the storiedhome of the men’s and women’s basketballteams for the past four decades to remain

the Cougars’ home venue while updatingthe facility with the latest game experienceamenities.

The arena will house two new practicecourts, office suites for the men’s andwomen’s basketball and volleyball pro-grams, team academic/video rooms andspace for sports medicine and sports per-formance.

The renovations, which are expected tocost approximately $40 million, will putfans closer to the action with 250 floor seatsand 100 loge box seats.

Newly hired men’s basketball head coachJames Dickey is well aware of the rich bas-ketball tradition of Hofheinz Pavilion andis pleased that the new plans incorporatethat history.

“I think Hofheinz is a great venue. It hasa lot of tradition and history. I think that’sone of the things that’s great about thethought process of this project is that youpreserve the history,” Dickey explained.

Combined, the projects will cost approx-imately $160 million and give the AthleticsDepartment some of the nation’s mostimpressive home facilities.

The estimated construction time for thenew football facility, which would be at theexisting Robertson Stadium site, would be18 months. The key now is convincingfriends and alums of the university to con-tribute the necessary funds to make the

vision a reality.Count CBS Sports host and Cougar alum

Jim Nantz as an impressed supporter of theathletic vision.

“I love the direction for the whole uni-versity,” Nantz opined “I love what Dr.Renu Khator is doing. I’m very excitedabout what she’s brought to us. For her tobring on Mack Rhoades as our athleticdirector there’s some very good synergyand some big things happening for ourcity’s university. It’s been kind of an unpol-ished gem, the university. It’s time we shinea light on it, let the country realize that thisis going to be something we all can be veryproud to call our own in the city ofHouston.”

Nantz feels with all the changes going onin college football, the Cougars have posi-tioned themselves perfectly for the future.

“Houston makes sense. They’ve been sit-ting dormant in Conference USA for awhile. They’ve got a commitment to excel-lence. They’ve got the right people in place— the president, the athletic director.They’ve got a plan for the facilities.They’ve got a rich history that’s as good asanybody’s. And they’ve got a city that’s oneof the greatest cities in the world. Whywouldn’t you want to add that if you’regoing to expand?”

U of H Atheliticscontinued from page 5

zone. He kept us in a position to win thisgame.”

Ranked No. 1 nationally by BaseballAmerica Magazine, the loss ended animpressive run for the Klein Bearkats.After missing the playoffs in 2009, Kleinwon a district title and won nine of 10playoff games to win the school’s firstregional title since 2001.

Klein won a state baseball champi-onship in 1998.

Carroll ended Clements’ championshiphopes in a heart-breaking fashion in thestate semifinals.

The Rangers (33-8) led 3-1 going intothe bottom of the seventh inning whendisaster struck.

Jason Franco and Chris Cano reachedbase on back-to-back singles. Followinga sacrifice bunt, both runners moved intoscoring position. Then Clements starting

pitcher Brian Hethcoat facedCarroll’s Adam Hinojosa withthe game in the balance.

Hinojosa crushed a two-rundouble to right-center field thattied the game at 3-3. KennyHutchinson relieved Hethcoatand induced a groundout thatmoved Hinojosa to third basewith two outs.

Clements head coach Israel DeLos Santos chose to intentionally walkthe next two hitters (Nos. 3 and 4 in theCarroll lineup) and have Hutchinson faceCarroll sophomore first baseman OsheaDumes with the game on the line. Dumeswas 0-for-3 going into the at-bat.

Dumes worked a full count before lin-ing the next pitch over the head ofClements’ center fielder Ross Stifflemirethat advanced the Tigers into the champi-onship game against Klein.

Once again, the timing wasn’t quiteright for Clements.

Meanwhile, Brenhamshowed that desire and resolveis a winning combination in the4A title game.

Making their state-record15th state-tournament appear-ance, and only a year removedfrom losing in the state tourna-ment semifinals, Brenham sen-ior pitcher Chase Wellbrockscattered seven hits and struck

out five to lead the Cubs to a 2-1 victoryCorpus Christi Calallen before 4,002fans at Dell Diamond.

Brenham’s state title is the seventhbaseball championship in school historyand first since 1988. The 37-5 Cubs arenow tied with Bellaire and South SanAntonio for the most state titles inUniversity Interscholastic League histo-ry.

Timing is everything.

High Schoolcontinued from page 5

CLASSIFIED

City of Houston

Notice of Proposed Goal for the Participation ofDisadvantaged Business Enterprises in

Department of Transportation Assisted ContractsAs required by Section 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26, the Houston Airport System(HAS) has determined a proposed overall goal of _24.74% for the participation ofDisadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in its contracts which the US Department ofTransportation (DOT) provides financial assistance.

The proposed goal and its rationale are available for inspection during normal businesshours for 30 days following the initial date of this notice at:

City Secretary’s Office Affirmative Action andCity Hall Annex Contract CompliancePublic Level Division of the900 Bagby Mayor’s OfficeHouston, TX 77002 611 Walker, 7th Floor, Houston, TX 77002

The City (through the Affirmative Action and the Houston Airport System) and theDepartment of Transportation (through the Federal Aviation Administration) will accept writ-ten comments on the goals for 45 days from the initial date of this notice.

Written comments may be directed to:

City of Houston Mayor’s Office of AffirmativeAction and Contract Compliance Attention: Velma Laws, Director611 Walker Street- 7th FloorHouston, Texas 77002

Houston Airport System Office of Small BusinessDevelopment and Contract Compliance Attention: J. Goodwille Pierre18600 Lee Road Humble, TX 77338

Federal Aviation Administration Attention: Joyce DavisSouthwest Region Civil RightsDivision2601 Meacham Blvd.Fort Worth, TX 76137

City of Houston

Notice of Proposed Goal for the Participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in

Department of Transportation Assisted ContractsOctober 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011

As required by Section 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26, the Houston Airport System(HAS) has determined a proposed overall goal of 24.74% for the participation ofDisadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in its contracts which the US Department ofTransportation (DOT) provides financial assistance.

The proposed goal and its rationale are available for inspection during normal businesshours at the City Secretary’s Office, City Hall Annex, Public Level, 900 Bagby, Houston, TX77002; at the Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Division of the Mayor’s O f f i c e ,611 Walker, 7th Floor, Houston, TX 77002; and at the Houston Airport System Small BusinessDevelopment and Contract Compliance Division Office, 18600 Lee Road, Humble, TX 77338.The City (through the Affirmative Action and the Houston Airport System) and theDepartment of Transportation (through the Federal Aviation Administration) will accept writ-ten comments on the goals through _July 25, 2010_.

Written comments may be directed to: City of Houston, Mayor’s Office of Affirmative Actionand Contract Compliance, Velma Laws, Director, 611 Walker Street, 7th Floor, Houston, Texas77002 or Federal Aviation Administration; Southwest Region Civil Rights Division; Attention:Joyce Davis; 2601 Meacham Blvd.; Fort Worth, TX 76137.

PUBLIC NOTICENotice of Proposed Goal for the Participation

Of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department ofTransportation Assisted Contracts

Harris County Community Services Department, Office of Transit Services

As required by Section 49 Code of Federal Regulations Park 26,the Harris County Community ServicesDepartment, Office of Transit Services (HCCSD) has determined a proposed overall goal of three (3)%for the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE’s) in its contracts for financial assis-tance provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT):

The proposed goals and their rationale are available for review between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM,Monday through Friday at 8410 Lantern Point Drive, Houston, Texas 77054 and online at www.har-riscountytransit.com. This information will be available for inspection for 30 days from publicationdate.

HCCSD and the DOT (through the Federal Transit Administration) will accept written comments onthe goals 45 days from publication date. Written comments can be directed to the agencies below:

HCCSD Attn: Mr. Dwight Wolf (DBECO)8410 Lantern Point Drive, Houston, Texas 77054

The Federal Transit Administration, 819 Taylor Street, Room 8A36 Fort Worth, Texas 76102

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOLDISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

The Houston Independent School District located in the Hattie Mae White Educational SupportCenter at 4400 West 18th Street Houston,Texas 77092 will accept proposals, until the stated dateand time deadlines, in the Board Services Office, Level C1 ‘

• Project 10-05-09 – Electrical Lighting & Supplies – with a deadline of 2 A.M. July 7, 2010. Thepre-proposal conference for this project will be in Room 2C06 at the above stated address onJune 23, 2010 at 10 A.M.

• RFP / Project 10-06-09 – Positive District Culture with a deadline of June 23, 2010 at 2 P.M. Thepre-proposal conference for this project will be Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 10 A.M. in Room2E26at the above stated address.

• Project 10-06-10 – Field Trip Software – with a deadline of 10 A.M. July 2, 2010. The pre-propos-al conference for this project is not required.

Proposals are available on the HISD web-site at www.houstonisd.org.The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or, to accept the proposal that is

most advantageous to the District.The District sells obsolete assets on-line at www.PublicSuprlus.com.

Scwyana Smith

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOLDISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

The Houston Independent School District located in the Hattie Mae White Educational SupportCenter at 4400 West 18th Street Houston,Texas 77092 will accept proposals, until the stated dateand time deadlines, in the Board Services Office, Level C1 ‘

• RFP / Project 10-06-09 – Positive District Culture with a deadline of June 23, 2010 at 2 P.M. Thepre-proposal conference for this project will be Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 10 A.M. in Room2E26at the above stated address.

Proposals are available on the HISD web-site at www.houstonisd.org.The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or, to accept the proposal that is

most advantageous to the District.The District sells obsolete assets on-line at www.PublicSuprlus.com.

Scwyana Smith

BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR New Pre-Engineered Building

for Grady Middle SchoolHouston Independent School District (HISD)

Morganti Texas Inc., as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HISD, in accordance with TexasEducation Code Section 44.038, will receive bids or proposals from subcontractors to build a newPre-engineered building for Grady Middle School. The work includes construction of a 9,500sq. ft. pre-engineered building (Gym). Bids or proposals are due no later than 2:00 p.m. onWednesday, June 30, 2010, at the offices of Morganti Texas, Inc., 350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy.E., Suite 121, Houston,Texas 77060, phone 281-448-1015, fax 281-448-8416 attention: FredHennies or Macon Macicek.

The plans and specifications will be available beginning Monday, June 14, 2010, and maybe obtained from A & E The Graphics Complex, 4325 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77027, (713)621-0022 or www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of $100.00 for each set of printedplans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also available from A&E on disk for adeposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD. Requests for access to on-line documents and any questions regarding documents are to be addressed to Morganti TexasInc., 350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 121, Houston,Texas 77060, phone 281-448-1015, fax 281-448-8416 attention: Fred Hennies or Macon Macicek.

M/WBE documents as described below will be received until 4:00 p.m. on the due date.There willbe no public opening of bids or proposals. All bids or proposals shall be available after award ofcontract or the 7th day after final selection of bids or proposals, whichever is later. After receiptof bids or proposals, Morganti Texas, Inc. will conduct its evaluation of the subcontractor bids orproposals in relation to the project requirements and will select the bid(s) or proposal(s) thatoffers the best value to HISD.

Morganti Texas Inc. is committed to meeting the M/WBE goals set for this project. M/WBEforms, schedules and statements, as required by the package documents, shall accompany eachbid or proposal that is submitted. BIDS OR PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT ALLREQUIRED INFORMATION AND IN THE MANNER SPECIFIED WILL BE CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSIVE.

A pre-bid/proposal conference will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 22, 2010, Grady MiddleSchool, 5215 San Felipe St., Houston, TX 77056. For additional information regarding thisproject, please contact Mr. Macon Macicek, at 281-448-1015, or mmacicek@morganti.com.

Drawings and Specifications may be reviewed at:Morganti Texas, Inc., 350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 121, Houston,Texas 77060, phone281-448-1015, fax 281-448-8416 and the following Houston locations:

Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr,Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269

BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR Renovation Work at Osborne,

Scarborough, and Durkee Elementary Schools

Houston Independent School District (HISD)

The Houston Independent School District will receive Competitive Sealed Proposals from con-tractors for work on Osborne, Scarborough, and Durkee Elementary Schools. The workincludes abatement, roof and window replacement, wheelchair lifts, elevator additions,plumbing, electrical, mechanical, hardware, code compliance, intercom replacement, andgeneral renovation work. Proposals are due no later than 12:00 noon on June 22, 2010 atthe Board Services Offices, 4400 West 18th Street, Office of Board Services, Level 1 South,Houston, Texas 77092. Durkee Elementary School is located at 7301 Nordling, Houston, Texas.Osborne Elementary School is located at 800 Ringold, Houston, Texas. Scarborough ElementarySchool is located at 3021 Little York, Houston, Texas.

The Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal (RFCSP), which includes plans and specificationswill be available beginning Monday, June 7, 2010, and may be obtained from A & E TheGraphics Complex, 4235 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77027 / Phone (713) 621-0022 / Fax(713) 621-2537 / www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of $100.00 for each set ofprinted plans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also available from A&E on diskfor a deposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD. Any questions regard-ing bid documents are to be addressed to Jenna Ford at jford@pgal.com. Questions will beanswered via addendum.

The Competitive Sealed Proposal process will be utilized as authorized in Senate Bill 669, Section44.039 of the Texas Education Code. The Competitive Sealed Proposal process enables HISD toselect contractors on the basis of price and qualifications/methodology.

Price proposals will be opened and the amounts read aloud at 2:00 PM on the due date.Following opening of proposals, HISD will conduct its evaluation and scoring of contractor pro-posals in relation to the selection criteria published in the RFCSP. HISD will select the Proposalthat offers the best value to HISD based on the published selection criteria and on the rankingevaluation.

M/WBE Forms, schedules and statements, as required by Section AB of the RFCSP and in accor-dance with the Office of Business Assistance, will be received at 2:00 PM, Tuesday, June 22,2010, at the Board Services Office, 4400 West 18th Street, Office of Board Services, Level 1 South,Houston, Texas 77092. Proposals submitted without M/WBE Forms, properly completed, will beconsidered not responsive.

A pre-proposal conference will be held at 9 AM, Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at OsborneElementary School, 800 Ringold, Houston, TX 77088 with a walk-thru of that school imme-diately after and a walk-thru of Durkee Elementary School immediately following thewalk-thru at Osborne Elementary. A walk-thru of Scarborough Elementary School shall beon Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 9:00 AM. For additional information regarding this project,please contact Mr. Elvis Eaglin, at 713-556-6526, or eeaglin@houstonisd.org.

Drawings and Specifications for the RFCSP may be reviewed at the Reed Construction DataElectronic Plan Room and the following Houston locations:

Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr,Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269

CourtneyHawkins

mary bid by a margin of 62 per-cent to 38 percent, giving theirsupport instead to Ron Sparks,the state’s commissioner ofagriculture. Sparks’Republicanopponent will be determinedby a run-off.

Davis, who spent $2.5 mil-lion on his campaign comparedto Sparks’ $1.8 million, wasdefeated so soundly that heannounced that he is retiringfrom politics.

“I have no interest in runningfor political office again,”Davis told the BirminghamNews. “The voters spoke in avery decisive way across everysector and in every section ofthe state. A candidate that failsacross-the-board like that obvi-ously needs to find somethingelse productive to do with hislife.”

Davis’ decision to run forgovernor 47 years after Gov.George C. Wallace made hisfamous “Stand in theSchoolhouse Door” at theUniversity of Alabama in sup-port of racial segregation wasanything but productive for thefour-term congressman, whowent to Washington in 2002after defeating incumbent EarlHilliard.

Sparks outpolled Davis in 61of Alabama’s 67 counties,including 10 of the 12 countiesthat make up his 7thCongressional District. Heeven failed to carry his ownpolling place, SouthtownHousing Community Center inBirmingham.

Amazingly, Sparks defeated

Davis in predominantly Blackcounties throughout the state.He got more than half of theAfrican-American vote inDallas, Pickens and Maconcounties; more than 60 percentin Lowndes, Hale, Greene andMarengo counties; and morethan 70 percent in Wilcox andPerry counties, in Alabama’ssoil-rich Black Belt region.

In an interview, HankSanders, a Black state senatorand president emeritus of theAlabama New South Coalition,said: “[Davis] made some seri-ous miscalculations. He justfelt that Black folks somehowwere going to vote for him justbecause he’s Black and hecould vote anyway and do any-thing he wanted.”

Davis, whose enrollment inHarvard Law School over-lapped Obama’s by one year,led in the polls by as much as30 percent at the beginning ofthe year. Weeks before the June1 election, that lead had beensliced to 10 percent.

Still, the former prosecutorexpressed a confidence thatsome say bordered on arro-gance.

Davis gambled that increas-ingly voting with Alabama’sultra-conservative congression-al delegation would attractenough white voters to propelhim into the governor’s office.It was a huge gamble thatresulted in a huge loss.

Davis had already irkedsome of his base by voting withthe GOP in the waning days ofthe George W. Bush adminis-tration. Clearly, many Blackvoters never got past the ideathat a congressman represent-

ing one of the poorest districtsin the nation would cast a voteagainst health-care reform,especially since it was such ahigh priority of the nation’sfirst Black president. InAlabama, Obama had won 98percent of the Black vote.

In a calculated move to bol-ster his standing with Whites,Davis skipped the endorsementscreening process of the fourmost powerful Black politicalorganizations in the state: theAlabama DemocraticConference, the Alabama NewSouth Coalition, New JeffersonCounty Citizens Coalition andthe Jefferson CountyProgressive Council.

Not only was he the firstDemocrat, Black or white, toignore the groups, he drewadded attention to his decisionby issuing a press release aboutit. Some GOP candidates failedto appear before the organiza-tions, but they never publicizedtheir decision for fear of antag-onizing Black voters.Subsequently, all four organi-zations endorsed Sparks.

Referring to the longtimechairman of the AlabamaDemocratic Conference, Davisdeclared, “Joe Reed’s opposi-tion to my candidacy is oldnews – but the day of Joe Reedand a few other power brokersin Montgomery deciding whospeaks for Alabama Democratsis over.”

Reed, in an interview withthe Associated Press, said,“We’ve never had someone totell Black folks I don’t wantyour vote.”

Blacks make up 26.3 percentof the state’s population, 25.6

percent of the registered votersin Alabama and nearly half ofvoters in the Democratic pri-mary.

“Black voters deserted himin droves after he desertedthem,” the MontgomeryAdvertiser editorialized. “It’scalled political payback. Evena rookie politician should knowthat.”

State Sen. Sanders said, “Towin any election, you oftenhave to go beyond your base.It’s important that you stand onyour base so that you can reachhigher and see farther. Insteadof standing on his base, hestarted kicking his base. Hedecided that it didn’t matterwhat his base wanted or whatwas important to his base.What was important, it seemsto me, was him.”

Davis was buoyed by pollingdata leading up to the election.One poll showed him with a 2-1 favorable rating amongWhites. A poll taken last yearshowed that he would run evenwith or ahead of the expectedRepublican candidates for gov-ernor. Significantly, 51 percentof Whites polled said Alabamawas ready to elect a Black gov-ernor.

The Davis camp, however,failed to realize other factorsmade Davis’ election as theDemocratic nominee unlikely.

First, there’s “the Bradleyeffect,” named after former LosAngeles Mayor Tom Bradley.In his 1982 bid for governor ofCalifornia, polls leading up tothe election showed Bradleywinning by double-digits. ButBradley lost to RepublicanGeorge Deukmejian. Experts

attributed the loss to Whiteswho falsely stated they werevoting for Bradley so that theywould not appear to be bigots.

L. Douglas Wilder had asimilar experience in 1989when he became the firstAfrican-American elected gov-ernor of Virginia. Althoughpolls also showed him with adouble-digit lead, he won byonly one-tenth of a percent.

Second, no African-American has ever been elect-ed statewide in Alabama with-out first being appointed to thatposition.

Davis thought he could buckthat trend. But marketing him-self as “the next BarackObama” was not a good com-parison to make in Alabama, astate carried by the Republicancandidates for president ineight straight elections. NoDemocrat has carried the statesince Jimmy Carter, aSoutherner, in 1976.

Only 10 percent of Whites inAlabama voted for Obama in2008, the lowest percentage inthe nation. Nationally, Obamawon 43 percent of the Whitevote.

Political scientist RonWalters observed: “Davisshould have taken a lesson

from the campaigns of DavidDinkins or Harold Washingtonor Doug Wilder’s election asgovernor of Virginia and otherBlacks who ran for citywide orstatewide offices where Blackswere in the minority. They alsohad the necessity to build out-ward from their base to achieveinterracial political coalitionsbut did not decide to junk theBlack vote in the process andgo for the White vote hopingthat some Blacks would followand build a coalition.”

In the aftermath of Davis’fall from front-runner to humil-iated loser, political autopsiesare being performed by politi-cal experts and the media.

In an editorial, theBirmingham News stated,“There is reliable data to makethe case that Blacks did indeedabandon Davis for the moreprogressive Sparks, who cam-paigned on instituting a statelottery and said he would havevoted for health-care reformhad he been in Congress. … Ifnothing else, those results showthe Black vote cannot be takenfor granted anymore inAlabama. Just ask Rep. ArturDavis.”

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER 7

By Toure MuhammadSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE FINAL CALL

(NNPA) - The dirtiest thing about theSouth is not the “Dirty South” music genre,but institutional racism that shatters dreamsand destroys families. For the Scott Sisters,who supporters say were unfairly sentencedto life in prison 16 years ago, it has meantwatching their children grow into adults andmourning the loss of their father.

Since October 1994, Gladys and JamieScott have been serving two life terms eachin prison, convicted of an $11 robbery. TheScott Sisters had never been in trouble withthe law, but on December 24, 1993, the ScottCounty Sheriff’s Department in Mississippiarrested the Black women for an armed rob-bery where no one was murdered, injured oreven taken to the hospital.

Gladys and Jamie, then 19-years- and 22-years-old have always maintained their inno-cence. This case represents a complete mis-carriage of justice, say friends, family mem-bers and a growing number of supporters.

Three teenagers, all related and agedbetween 14 and 18, confessed to the robbery.In the initial complaint filed shortly after therobbery, the victims did not mention the

Scott Sisters’ allegedinvolvement in the crime.But the three teens agreed toa plea bargain that includedimplicating the two girls.The boys received 10months in jail while theScott Sisters, who werenever offered a plea bar-gain, were sentenced to twolife terms each.

“Even one of the alleged victims testifiedin court that Jamie and Gladys never robbedthem, never took anything from them andthat the three boys did, but that he believedthat Jamie and Gladys told them to do it,”said Evelyn Rasco, the Scott Sisters’ motherduring an exclusive interview with The FinalCall. There was never any physical evidenceentered into the trial and it was an all-Whitejury, she noted.

“No justice was given to them at all. It wasa circus court. This is wrong. They have ninechildren and four grandchildren; the oldestgrandchild is seven-years-old,” said themother.

Testimony from the Black youth revealsthat coercions, threats and promises led tonaming the Scott Sisters as the robbers. The

14-year-old testified that hesigned a written statementwithout an attorney present.The teen was told that hewould be sent up toParchman Farm—the noto-rious Mississippi peniten-tiary—if he did not cooper-ate. In addition, he was toldthat he would be “made out

of a woman” (raped by men) at Parchman. In1998 one of the sentenced teens signed anaffidavit maintaining the sisters were notinvolved with the crime.

The injustice stems from not only racism,but a vendetta against the family because ofthe Scott Sisters’ outspoken late father andanother family member, explained Rasco.The nephew of James “Hawk” Rasco, thefather of the Scott Sisters, implicated a Whitesheriff who was extorting Black night clubowners which resulted in the sheriff servingtime in prison, she said. The night club own-ers had been paying approximately $100 perweek to sell alcohol in Scott County, whichwas a dry county. Rasco who had recentlymoved to Mississippi from Chicago boughtthe night club from the nephew. According tothe mother, a Black deputy felt her husband

should continue paying bribe monies that thenephew paid. Supporters say when Rascorefused the deputy responded, “I will getyou, even if it is through your daughters.”Rasco died in February 2003 from a heartattack.

Rasco has never given up hope. She haswritten letters, made phone calls and toldeveryone who would listen about her daugh-ters’ plight. She caught the attention ofNancy Lockhart, a legal representative andcommunity organizer who was working atthe Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Lockhart began assisting the Scott Sistersafter receiving a letter about the case fromRasco in December of 2006. “When I readthat letter, I could detect that she wasn’tlying. I knew the letter was from the heart,”said Ms. Lockhart. “Then I read the tran-scripts. The case reeked of innocence.”

The Scott Sisters have exhausted all theirlegal remedies. Every attempt by the ScottSisters to challenge their convictions hasbeen denied. Jamie Scott is currently repre-sented by Attorney Chokwe Lumumba forher medical issues only. Both Jamie andGladys are in need of criminal lawyers to

A dirty injustice in today’s south?‘Gray-haired’ activists plan D.C. protest June 21

Jamie Scott Gladys Scott

Governorcontinued from page 1

★DIRTY SOUTH, Page 8

8 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

By Hazel Trice EdneyNNPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - TheRev. Jesse Jackson Sr. emerged fromseparate meetings with new GeneralMotors CEO Edward Whitacre Jr.and Treasury Secretary TimothyGeithner full of hope June 8. But hewas still looking forward to majorforums, where activists and businessrepresentatives were set to turn upthe heat and continue strategizing foreconomic justice .

Jackson, CEO of the Chicago-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition,believes that new levels of Blackbusiness participation are on thehorizon as activists continue to pressfor economic inclusion and fairshare in hiring, contracting andadvertising dollars.

“This is the time to apply theaffirmative action laws, Title 6 andexecutive orders,” says Rev. Jacksonin an interview with the NNPA NewsService. “We want parity in employ-ment, parity in executives, in entre-preneurship and in business.”

An initial public offering worthbillions, plus $300 million in fees tobegin managing the public resur-gence of General Motors, must besubjected to affirmative action andracial inclusion laws or the federalgovernment will find itself in viola-tion of economic inclusion man-dates, according to Jackson andbased on a recent executive orderissued by President Barack Obama.

Jackson points out that 60 percentof GM now belongs to the U. S. fed-eral government.

Jackson met with Whitacre andGeithner, making clear the need andthe demand for fair share for smalland Black-owned businesses,including the 200 members of theNational Newspaper PublishersAssociation.

On the heels of his ownRainbow/PUSH convention June 12-16 in Chicago, Jackson will beamong the keynoters on a “Crisis inBlack America” panel at the NNPA70th Anniversary Convention inNew York, where he says he will dis-cuss further the plan for unrelentingBlack inclusion. NNPA conferenceinformation is available atwww.nnpa.org. Rainbow/PUSHconference information is availableat www.rainbowpush.org.

“We want a fair share to go toNNPA,” says Jackson, who hasfought alongside NNPA ChairmanDanny Bakewell for inclusion inadvertising dollars for NNPANewspapers and economic parity forsmall and Black-owned businessesin general. As a long list of white-owned newspapers have gone out ofbusiness during the economic crisisof recent years, most Black-ownednewspapers have survived, but undergreat duress – largely because oflongstanding race discrimination.

Both Jackson and Bakewell haveargued that this would not be thecase if federal dollars, such as the$300 million in fees and the generalbudgets of publicly-owned compa-nies, were adhering to affirmativeaction laws.

At Jackson’s conference, theseissues were scheduled for discussionin forums with officials from theSmall Business Administration, theFDIC (Federal Deposit InsuranceCorporation) and the Treasury. U. S.Rep. Maxine Waters, a foremostBlack business advocate inCongress, among other congresspeople and Bakewell was also head-ed for the Rainbow/PUSH conven-tion.

The discussion will continueamong civil rights leaders on a panelat NNPA’s annual summer confer-ence June 16-19.

Bakewell has pointed to the exec-utive order issued by PresidentObama late last month that set forthplans for small businesses to benefitfrom federal dollars.

“Our president should be givencredit for that significant move,”Bakewell said.

The president’s memorandumdirected the heads of all executivedepartments and agencies to developmore opportunities for small busi-nesses to participate in the RecoveryAct. The memo specifically calls forheightened participation of business-es owned by minorities, women andeconomically disadvantaged individ-

uals in the $500 billion in federalpurchases made annually.

“The Federal Government has notconsistently reached its small busi-ness contracting goals,” the Obamamemo asserts. “Small business con-tracting should always be a high pri-ority in the procurement process.”

The memo establishes theInteragency Task Force on FederalContracting Opportunities for SmallBusinesses. Geithner, the PeterOrszag, director of the Office ofmanagement and Budget, and KarenMills, administrator of the SmallBusiness Administration will serveas co-chairs of the Task Force.

“Obtaining tangible results willrequire an honest and accurateaccounting of our progress so thatwe can have transparency andaccountability through federal smallbusiness procurement data.Additionally, we must expand out-reach strategies to alert small firmsto federal contracting opportunities,”the memo states.

Ken Smikle of Target MarketNews, a foremost authority on Blackbusiness inclusion, said thatObama’s “memo addresses many ofthe issues on which Black mediaowners have been seeking actionfrom the White House. It includesdirectives that were addressed inExecutive Order 13170 issued byPresident Bill Clinton in October2000. That executive order requiredall executive branch agencies,including the military, to engage inaffirmative action to include minori-ty owned businesses in the procure-ment of advertising.”

Smikle wrote, “Groups, includingthe National Association of BlackOwned Broadcasters and theNational Newspaper PublishersAssociation, in April called forenforcement of the Clinton execu-tive order in the allocation of hun-

dreds of millions of dollars inFederal advertising.”

A goal of the Obama memo, asstated, is “improved collection, veri-fication, and availability of Federalprocurement data and provide accu-rate data on the FederalGovernment’s progress in ensuringthat all small businesses have a fairchance to participate in Federal con-tracting opportunities.”

It continues, “In developing itsrecommendations, the Task Forceshall conduct outreach with repre-sentatives of small businesses andsmall business associations …Thismemorandum shall be implementedconsistent with applicable law andsubject to the availability of any nec-essary appropriations.”

The President is also pressing forpublic accountability for the group,calling for the creation of a Websitewithin 90 days that will monitor theprogress of the Task Force and “thatillustrates the participation of smallbusinesses, including those ownedby women, minorities, socially andeconomically disadvantaged individ-uals, and service-disabled veteransof our Armed Forces, in Federal con-tracting.”

GM filed for bankruptcy protec-tion June 1. The company will nowbecome two parts, a “new” GM andan “old” GM. The former will holdon to plants, dealers and brands thatthe company will drop or divest. Thenew GM will acquire the assets thecompany desires to keep.

Although Jackson is hopeful, he isdetermined to fight until tangibleresults appear.

Beyond the conferences, “Wemust keep applying pressure. That’swhat we must do. Civil rights strate-gy is that we expose contradictionsand keep applying pressure. That’swhat we do.”

Jackson hopeful after economic meetings

review their cases and determine a course ofaction, according to their mother.

The fight to free the sisters is now height-ened by Jamie’s worsening health condition.“Jamie is deteriorating every day,” saidRasco.

In January, 2010, Jamie Scott suffered fail-ure of both kidneys. “The medical diary ofJamie Scott is very extensive and depictsinhumane treatment, torture and the lack ofappropriate medical care,” said Lockhart.From March 15, 2010, to approximatelyMarch 25, 2010, Jamie was hospitalizedwhere attempts were made to eradicatesevere infection and surgically implant a fis-tula into her arm for dialysis. She has nousage of that arm to date and continues tobattle infections. One of the doctors statedthat infection had spread throughout herbody, say supporters. Her sister Gladys wantsto donate a kidney to her sister.

The Scott Sisters’ cry for justice has beenheard by the Gray-Haired Witnesses forJustice, a group of “elder” activists who planto fast and travel to the White House on June

21 to urge the federal government to “exer-cise an authentic system of justice for Gladysand Jamie Scott and all other women whohave been incarcerated wrongly and egre-giously over-sentenced,” said spokeswomanB.J. Janice Peak-Graham.

The Gray-Haired Witnesses for Justicehave demanded freedom for the Scott Sistersand they want an inspection and observationteam to enter the Pearl, Miss., prison whereJamie Scott is being held. During the day-long upcoming demonstration, supporterswill make a formal appeal to AttorneyGeneral Eric Holder and President BarackObama.

Rasco is unable to afford the trip to D.C.and is hoping supporters will be able to helppay for a bus. “The children really want tocome in support of their mothers,” she said.“(This injustice) has destroyed my life. I amgoing to keep fighting until they are free oruntil I die; whichever one comes first.”

(To get involved in the June 21 fast andprotest visithttp://www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com/or contact The Committee to Free the ScottSisters, 641-715-3900, ext. 99222.)

Dirty Southcontinued from page 7

“We want parity inemployment, parity inexecutives, in entrepre-neurship and in busi-ness.”

-Rev. Jesse Jackson

rather than group benefit,” saidJones.

Some who agree with Jones’position point to the recentpolitical cartoon portrayingPresident Obama as a rapist,and the Statue of Liberty hisvictim as similar to theReconstruction tactic of usingthe false charge of Black malesexual crimes as a call toaction, masking their realfear—Black economic compe-tition. Those in agreement withJones’ assessment also point tothe similarities between theKlan and the Tea Party. Bothwere assumed to be made up ofthe poorer elements of societyuntil it was revealed their mem-bership was predominantlymiddle class and even well-to-do. An April 14 poll in the NewYork Times taken by the Timesand CBS News revealed 68percent of Tea Party memberslive in households earningincomes greater than $50,000 ayear. Moreover, 70 percent ofTea Partiers describe their eco-nomic situation as “fairlygood” even as the U.S. is in themidst of Great Depression-level unemployment, leavinganalysts to believe their angstagainst President Obama hasless to do with his policies thanit does his race.

During Reconstruction,when that same feeling pre-dominated, the Compromise of1877 was struck, making wayfor a declining quality of lifefor African Americans.

“The situation didn’t imme-diately fall apart; the last Blackto leave Congress took place in1900. But during the 1890sthere was a big push againstBlacks voting, as LiteracyTests, Grandfather Clauses andother means were devised todisenfranchise Blacks,” saidWintz. “The worst element ofthis was the rise in racial vio-lence. Around the 1880s thenumber of Blacks lynched sur-passed the number of whites forthe first time, and we saw a risein race riots instigated by angrywhites,” said Wintz.

Jones argues that duringReconstruction it was conven-ient for both political parties tokeep Blacks off the voter rollsand out of office, and sees mod-ern day parallels.

“Even today, in HarrisCounty, we see a high denialrate of minority voter applica-tions for minor errors. Moreand more, where Blacks are asizeable part of the population,we’re finding selectivityregarding voter applicationapproval. We see the samething keeping ex-felons offvoter rolls. They may not be

using the old incendiary lan-guage but they are saying anddoing the same thing,” saidJones.

Clark concedes similaritiesin tactics between time periods,but not in levels of power.

“Though there’s similar rhet-oric I don’t see the Tea Party asanywhere comparable threat-level wise to post-

Reconstruction America. Then,the government, white citizenscouncils, troops, they were allcomplicit in a way that is notthe case today,” said Clark.

Clark sees the potential forTea Partiers to convert theirrhetoric into policy post-Reconstruction style, but notthe likelihood.

“Obama has put his stamp on

the Supreme Court, making itmore of a reflection ofAmerica’s diversity. As minori-ties become the majority howwill Tea Partiers ‘take backtheir America?’ If they gothrough regular routes I’mskeptical we will have anotherpost-reconstruction.”

Clark takes comfort in thefact that at present there exists

in our government a muchgreater balance between liber-als and conservatives. “Theother side of the isle (liberals)has way more pull to affect out-comes today. There wasn’t an‘other side’ back duringReconstruction,” shared Clark.

“A lot depends too on theeffectiveness of the Obamaadministration and the success-

es he’s able to tout at the end ofthe day. If the Obama adminis-tration proves itself, how muchmomentum can the Tea Partymuster? Even if they take backthe House during Novemberelections they’ll lose steambecause what do they reallyoffer beside an ‘I don’t likeObama’ message,” statedClark.

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER 9

Tea Partycontinued from page 3

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reproduced without the written permissionof the publisher).

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 34JUNE 20 – 26, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad Walker

WebmasterCorneleon Block

This is a real Jeep.The kind of vehicle, from back in the day,

that actually looks like a Jeep, and actsaccordingly.

It’s the 2010 Jeep Wrangler UnlimitedSahara 4X4. I even had to adjust the outsidemirrors, manually.

Yet that was the only reminder from yester-year. The Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge Corporation isheaded for the future, with nothing more thanmaking you remember what made them a sta-ple in the sports utility vehicle market.

With a 3.8-liter V6 engine matched to afour-speed automatic transmission that has acommand-TRAC shift on-the-fly four-wheeldrive off-road system, the latest JeepWrangler Sahara, can do whatever it takes tonavigate the terrain.

I had fun driving this vehicle.The pavement was taken off the main drag

near my home, and drivers were movingslowly to keep from tearing up their vehicles.It didn’t impact me in the Jeep wrangler. Thehigh wheel-base and suspension was ready forthe task at hand.

We’re talking about riding in the lap of lux-ury, with an athletic aura.

Standard equipment includes four-wheeldisc anti0lock brakes, traction control,hydraulic brake assist, hill-start assist andelectronic roll mitigation.

There’s also a security alarm, fuel tank skidplate shield, 22.5-gallon fuel tank and a tirepressure monitoring warning system.

Interior features include air conditioning,media center with 130-watt CD/MP3 audiosystem and SIRIUS satellite radio. UnlikeJeeps from the past, this Jeep WranglerUnlimited Sahara has reclining front seats, tiltsteering wheel, reymote keyless entry, andtemperature/compass gauge.

Safety features include advanced multistagefront air bags, security alarm, and rear domelamp with on/off switch.

The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara hasearned five-star ratings in the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) frontal driver and crash passengercategories.

Optional equipment includes dual topgroup, trailer tow group and engine blockheater.

If you like a drive on the wild side, this isyour vehicle.

When I drove the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T“muscle car” off the teacher’s parking lot at theschoolhouse, a group of female teachers hap-pened to be exiting the building at the sametime and stopped in their tracks.

With jaws dropping down about kneelevel, my co-workers watched intentlyas I pulled out on the main drag andmade a u-turn. Armed with a six-speedmanual transmission mated with a 5.7-liter V8 HEMI engine, I proceeded toshow off the blue pearl-colored vehicle withblack racing stripes.

You could have pushed Mrs. Terrell downwith the slightest of ease.

Over the next seven days, theChallenger R/T received similar looks ofapproval from people of all ages. The students atthe schoolhouse repeatedly gave it props.Females couldn’t take their eyes off it and I hadto take most of my male friends for a ride.

Yet it wasn’t until my friend “Big John” and Imade our annual trek to Austin for the state highschool track and field meet that I developed abond with this vehicle. One of true “musclecars” from yesteryear is back and doing just fine.

By the time we’d made the 300-plus mileround trip, I knew the Challenger R/T loves theopen road, but also fares well in congested citytraffic. The gear ration enables the driver to set-tle into whatever driving scenario is presented.

I have an admission to make. I love makingtraffic look small in the rearview mirror. Yet Iwas determined not to get a speeding ticket inthis vehicle. So with the self-discipline of a safe-

t y -consc iousbus driver, I manip-ulated each and everydriving situation that came my way.

The Challenger R/T handles like a luxurysedan with a racecar engine under the hood. Atight turning radius allows for maneuvering intotight spaces. Nimble steering enables quick nav-igation of traffic and being able to find thoseholes and getting on down the road.

It was breezy throughout our trip to the statecapitol and on the way up there I detected asmall amount of wind turbulence. Not so muchon the return trip home. I never did figure outhow to make the driver’s seat backrest move for-ward for access to the back seat.

T h e r ewas plenty of legroom in the front for two

occupants that stand six-foot or taller. Other inte-rior highlights include great dashboard illumina-tion, variable intermittent windshield wipers,sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors, tirepressure monitoring warning lamp and optionalleather-trimmed seats.

The upgraded media center included a 368-watt CD/DVD/AM/FM/SAT radio and GPSnavigation system with seven Boston acousticspeakers and a subwoofer. The system providedan exquisite sound.

In a car that possesses so much power, there’s

always an extra concern for safety.For starters, the Challenger R/T has

advanced multistage front air bags, supple-mental side curtain front and rear air bags andelectronic stability program with all-speed trac-tion control.

The 2010 Challenger R/T has earned five-stargovernment safety ratings in four categories,including frontal driver, crash passenger, sidefront seat and crash rear seat categories. It alsorated four stars in the rollover division.

I was surprised the Challenger’s fuel economywas better than most sports utility vehicles thatyou see on the road.

This vehicle is more practical than you mightthink.

CHALLENGER: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$30,860 (as tested- $39,585)

Engine5.7-liter V8 HEMI

TransmissionSix-speed manual

Fuel economy15 miles per gallon (city), 24 mpg

(highway)

Estimate annual fuel cost$2,168 (based on $2.60 per gallon)

There’s nothing like driving a big, plush,comfortable truck

Note that I didn’t utilize the term “pickup”in that reference. That’s because pickup does-

n’t do the 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 LaramieQuad Cab 4X4 justice. Pickup has theconnotation of a work truck with a typicalbumpy ride.

No sir! This Dodge Ram is like driv-ing a limousine disguised as a

truck, or a cabin cruiser on land.If that sounds like high praise, itis.

Let’s begin with the alu-minum chrome step rails withrubber accents that allow safe,convenient access to the ele-vated front and rear cab. Onceseated in the leather-trimmedbucket seats that yield terrificsight lines in all directions, theelevation off the road becomes

evident.A super smooth ride is the

result of a 5.7-liter V8 HEMIengine mated with a five-speed

automatic transmission and perched on top of20-inch aluminum chrome clad wheels.

For convenience and comfort purposes, theDodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab 4X4offers air conditioning with dual zone temper-ature control, SIRIUS satellite radio, mediacenter 430 CD/DVD/MP3 stereo system and a6.5-inch touch screen display.

How about a 30 GB hard drive with 6,700song capacity, Uconnect phone with voice

command, 506 watt Alpine surround soundwith nine speakers and a subwoofer along withan audio jack input for mobile devices?

Some of my favorite standard equipmentincludes memory for radio, driver’s seat, mir-rors and pedals, front center seat cushion stor-age, heated steering wheel, rear power slidingwindow, folding flat load floor storage, tem-perature and compass gauge and atraveler/mini trip computer.

It’s like you’re sitting in the lap of luxury.Abundant storage compartments, steering

wheel mounted audio controls, two readilyaccessible 115-volt auxiliary power outlets anddriver’s seat power lumbar adjustment are justa few of the amenities.

Enhancing the vehicle’s exterior appearanceare dual rear exhaust, halogen quad automaticheadlamps, multi-function power fold-awaymirrors, fog lamps and an optional class IVreceiver hitch.

A remote start system enables the driver toactivate the ignition from outside the vehicle –great for quick getaways. Other standardequipment that comes in quite handy is a park-sense rear park assist system that alerts occu-pants when obstacles are lurking in the rear.

The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) has awarded the2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab4X4 truck a five-star rating in both the frontaldriver and crash passenger categories.

Big trucks are notorious for being less thanfuel-efficient. Yet following seven days ofdaily test-driving, I never once frequented agas station.

RAM 1500: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$40,495 (as tested - $43,620)

Fuel economy13 miles per gallon (city), 18 mpg (highway)

Engine5.7-liter V8

TransmissionFive-speed automatic

WarrantyFive years of 100,00 milespowertrain limited

2010 Dodge Challenger

AUTO NEWS10 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

2010 Dodge Ram 1500

By Darrell K. Ardison

WRANGLER: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$36,655

Engine3.8 -liter V6

Fuel economy15 miles per gallon (city), 19 mpg (highway)

TransmissionFour-speed automatic

Estimated annual fuel cost$2,293 (based on $2.60 pergallon)

2010 Jeep Wrangler

KW: Do you ever wish youcould get your anonymityback?

ABS: At times, because youmight like to go out to have ameal and just chill. But I lovepeople so much that I general-ly enjoy talking to everybody.

KW: If you could have onewish instantly granted, whatwould that be for?

ABS: That hatred would dis-appear.

KW: What advice do youhave for anyone who wants tofollow in your footsteps?

ABS: To study different gen-res. You have to take from

each artist what works for you,and then create your ownsound. You put different com-binations in the mix and itbecomes something unique inthe end.

KW: I call it taking the bestand leaving the rest.

ABS: Come on! You got it!KW: How do you want to be

remembered?ABS: As a man who was

positive, who made a differ-ence, and who walked inGod’s light.

KW: Thanks again, Al, and lhope to see at the premiereparty at Trump Tower.

ABS: I would hope so, mybrother.

JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER 11

By Pharoh MartinNNPA NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - As summer streets await energeticteens in search of wholesome activities, Black lawmakers contin-ue pushing for summer jobs funding. But they face resistancefrom opponents wary of putting more strain on the nation’salready record debt.

The U. S. House of representatives passed a jobs bill thatincludes funding for high school students last week. But, theSenate has yet to vote on the final measure. Members continue tohaggle over the H.R. 4213, which includes $1 billion dollars inadditional funding for more than 400,000 summer jobs as well asother measures aimed at reducing unemployment.

The unemployment numbers for Black teenagers, the highest ofany group, took a rise in jobless rates in May after experiencingdecreases over six consecutive months. Their jobless rate, current-ly at 38 percent, has fallen almost ten percent since a decade highin November, when just under half of all Black teenagers werewithout jobs.

“Specifically, the bill includes $1 billion for a summer youthprogram and $2.5 billion in emergency assistance for needy fam-ilies—two initiatives that will further our economic recovery,”says Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) ina statement. “This bill is good for the health of our economy andit is imperative for the U.S. Senate to act swiftly and pass this leg-islation.”

Rates in White teenagers of working age in May, currently at24.4 percent, saw an increase of 1 percent over April. White teensaged 16-19 saw a steady increase in their jobless numbers sinceFebruary when it was 22.5 percent.

With the exception of April when it briefly rose to 9.9 percent,the national jobless rate has been hovering at a consistent 9.7 per-cent for the first half of the year.

In May, the national jobless rate for all African-American work-ers fell 1 percent from the previous month’s record-high of 16.5 toits lowest point since September when it hit 15.5 percent. Expertspredict that the drop may be due to the hiring of over 400,000 tem-porary workers, including Census employees.

Black males 20 and older have also seen a 1 percent drop in thejobless rate. The current rate is 17.1 percent, still highest of all cat-egories, except youth.

Thousands of teenjobs still on hold

which benefit the wealthiest and persistentdiscrimination in housing, credit and labormarkets.

“Our study shows a broken chain ofachievement. Even when African Americansdo everything right—get an education andwork hard at well-paying jobs—they cannotachieve the wealth of their white peers in theworkforce, and that translates into very dif-ferent life chances,” said Thomas Shapiro,IASP director and co-author of the researchbrief.

“A U-turn is needed. Public policies haveand continue to play a major role in creatingand sustaining the racial wealth gap, and theymust play a role in closing it,” said Shapiro,author of The Hidden Cost of Being AfricanAmerican: How Wealth Per–petuatesInequality and the co-author of BlackWealth/White Wealth.

Wealth, what you own minus what youowe, allows people to start a business, buy ahome, send children to college and ensure aneconomically secure retirement. Using eco-nomic data from the same nationally repre-sentative set of families from 1984 to 2007,the IASP analysis found that the real wealthgains and losses over the time demonstratean escalating racial gap.

Over those 23 years, it said, the racialwealth gap increased by $75,000 — from$20,000 to $95,000. Financial assets, exclud-ing home equity, among white families grewfrom a median value of $22,000 to $100,000during that period while African Americanssaw very little increase in assets in real dol-lars and had a median wealth of $5,000 in2007.

Summing up all assets and debt, one in 10African Americans owed at least $3,600 in2007, nearly doubling their debt burden inreal terms since 1984, IASP said.

The growth of the racial wealth gap signif-icantly affects the economic future ofAmerican families, it said. The current gap isso large that it would pay tuition at a four-year public university for two children, pur-chase or make a solid down payment on ahouse, or provide a nest egg to draw upon intimes of job loss or crisis.

“The gap is opportunity denied and assuresracial economic inequality for the next gen-eration,” said Tatjana Meschede, a co-authorof the policy brief.

Notably, IASP’s analysis found that by2007, the average middle-income whitehousehold had accumulated $74,000 inwealth, an increase of $55,000 over the 23-year period, while the average high-income

African-American family owned $18,000, adrop of $7,000. That resulted in a wealth gapof $56,000 for an African-American familythat earned more than $50,000 in 1984 com-pared to a white family earning about$30,000 that same year.

Those figures, IASP said, make it clearthat higher income alone will not lead toincreased wealth, security and economicmobility for African Americans. Consumersof color face a gauntlet of barriers—in cred-it, housing and taxes—that dramaticallyreduce the chances of economic mobility, itsaid.

Indeed, the data indicate that the generaltrend in lending, in which consumers of colorpay more for accessing credit, increases their

debt and blocks opportunities to move for-ward, putting them at a severe economic dis-advantage. These are concerns that must beaddressed through the creation of aConsumer Financial Protection Agency, nowbeing debated in Congress, and other policychanges, IASP said.

“The data suggests we need renewed atten-tion to public policies that provide realopportunities for advancement by reducingbarriers to mobility inherent in our tax sys-tem and increasing transparency, regulationand access in our housing and credit mar-kets,” said Laura Sullivan, another co-author.

Several factors help explain why improv-ing targeted public policies would reduce theracial wealth gap and lessen the increasedreliance on debt. One factor is that over theperiod studied there was an increasingdependence on credit markets to make endsmeet. Among those with no financial assets,credit is often an emergency resource to helpcover a job loss or medical emergency.

A second factor is that deregulation of thelending market brought a proliferation ofhigh-cost credit, including securitized sub-prime and predatory loans, payday lendingand check-cashing stores. Consumers ofcolor were targeted in this market and resort-ed more frequently to credit card debt andother forms of high-cost debt in the absenceof assets or extended family resources todraw upon.

“This data makes a critical contribution tothe debate today about how to ensure greatereconomic security and opportunity for all ourcitizens. A racial wealth gap affects all of usbecause it means that a large portion of thepopulation cannot contribute to building thewealth and strength of our nation, and that isa drain on us all,” said Meizhu Lui, directorof the Insight Center for CommunityEconomic Development’s “Closing theRacial Wealth Gap Initiative.

Moneycontinued from page 1

Al B. Surecontinued from page 2

Council Member Wanda Adams and Timothy Melvin Marsha Copeland, David Birnbaum and Valarie

Tracy Matthews, Kathryn Griffin Townsend,Marcus Harris and Michael Flowers

Zoe Jackson and Linda Etuk

Commissioner El Franco Lee,Jessilyn Jones and Joseph Salas

Mazelle Hughes and Gloria Clanton

SOLUTIONS FOR BETTERLIVING……..The mission of Solutionsfor Better Living is to serve as a catalystto galvanize and support individuals intaking strategic action to improve thehealth and well being of those living intheir communities. The core strategiesare the promotion of innovation andsocial entrepreneurship among non-profitand grassroots programs, development ofsocially responsible and effective philan-thropic initiatives and a servant leader-ship program geared toward corporateprofessionals interested in civic engage-ment. There has been over 100 smallscale projects developed and implement-ed that address a wide range of health-care issues, including diabetes,HIV/AIDS/STDs, obesity, nurse short-ages, teen violence and poor prenatalcare. Currently, there are 16 ongoingprojects that receive ongoing supportiveservices. The Caroline Collectiveserved as the venue for a summerevening movie under the stars “ThePower of One.” This documentary fea-tured several ordinary folks doingextraordinary things to include KathrynGriffin Townsend, We’ve Been There,Done That. Spotted at the event wereMarsha Copeland, Operations Managerand Valarie Jackson, ProgramDevelopment Specialist, DavidBirnbaum, Major Gift Officer with TheRogosin Institute from New York, LarryPayne, Zoe Jackson, Robin Jackson,Linda Etuk, Mazelle Hughes, GloriaClanton, Tracy Matthews, MichaelFlowers, Marcus Harris, Leon ProvostIV, editor and director of the documen-tary, Councilmember Wanda Adamsand Timothy Melvin, to name a few.Continued Success!..................SUMMER GAMES KICK-OFF…….About 80 children participatedin 2010 Street Olympics kick-off cere-mony at Mickey Leland Memorial Park.The Olympic torch was lit and the gameshave begun. About 5,000 children aretaking part in the eight-week StreetOlympics program at venues operated byparticipating agencies that offer youthsummer programs and will participate inthe final games later this summer.They’re all competiting for gold, silverand bronze medals in their chosen sportthat includes softball throw, kickball,Frisbee accuracy, jacks, hopscotch, shut-tle relay, jump rope marathon, HulaHoop medley, 3-on- 3 basketball andmuch more. For the past 24 years, thisprogram have provided the young peoplein our community with educational,social, health, vocational and recreationalservices that hopefully will empowerthem to lead our society to a bettertomorrow. Founder, Commissioner ElFranco Lee was there to cheer them onalong with members of the board ofdirectors, sponsors and participatingagencies. Good Luck!........TEXASKIDS COUNT………..ShereaMcKenzie Poston and Deacon JoeRubio were recently honored by theCenter for Public Policy Priorities fortheir outstanding service as outgoingmembers of board of directors. Sherea isthe Executive Director of the JointCity/County Commission on Children inHouston and Deacon Joe is the Vice-President of Community Relations andDevelopment for Catholic Charities ofthe Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.Wishing them well were Carl PostonIII, Carl Poston IV, Madison Poston,Elmer Rogers, Marlane Morris, LarryGreen, Charlene James,Commissioner El Franco Lee, CountyJudge Ed Emmett and Gwen Emmett.Congratulations!..............CONDO-LENCES……..Our prayers are with thefamily of Percy “Frenchy” Creuzot Jr.who recently celebrated his homegoing.Think of it this way, Frenchy has a newposition, he’s now your guardian angelappointed by God to look after all ofyou. God saw the road was gettingrough, the hills were hard to climb, soHe gently closed his loving eyes andwhispered, “Peace Be Thine.” GodBless!........Have a great week andremember to watch CROSSROADS onChannel 13 Sunday morning withMelanie Lawson for your event coveredby Ms. Chag. Also check out our web-site at defendernetwork.com to viewthe “Event of the Week.”…..FromChag’s Place to your place, CiaoDarling!

12 JUNE 20 – 26, 2010 | DEFENDER

Leon Provost IV

Supporters Cherita Andrewsand Richard Fields

Bria Pierson, Daryl Edmondson and Meashell Crosby

Charlene James and Larry Green

Damion Wilson, Draylon Haynes, J'Derian jonesand Jordan Jones

Gwen Emmett, Sherea McKinzie, El Franco Lee and Ed Emmett Marlane Morris and Elmer Rogers

Carl Poston III and HonoreeSherea McKenzie Poston

Madison and Carl Poston IV