November 10, 2011

Houstons Leading Black Information Source

www.defendernetwork.com WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | FREE Volume 81 | Number 2

H.S. ZONE HOUSTON AREAS TOP HIGH SCHOOLS READY FOR PLAYOFFS P11

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CHAGS PLACE

P12

OPINION

cant get lies straight

SPORTS

P4

P9

John Guess Jr., Tina Knowles, Melanie Lawson at HMAAC gala

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Conrad Murrayawaits sentencing

His six-week trial is over, and Dr. Conrad Murray must now wait for sentencing, which is set for Nov. 29. Murray, a cardiologist who operated clinics in Houston and Las Vegas, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. It took a Los Angeles jury less than nine hours of deliberation to decide the case.

NATIONAL

HERMAN CAIN

JOE FRAZIERdead at age 67

P11

Sylvester Turnercalls meeting

State Rep. Sylvester Turner is concerned about the future of Booker T. Washington High School. He is calling for a meeting on Nov. 17 so students, parents, alumni and community members can send a message. Turner said its important that those who care

about the school attend and voice their concern now while something can be done.

PAGE 8

discusses Broadway play

ENTERTAINMENT

Going off the air...why?

PAGE 6

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

By MARILyN MARSHALLDefender

There will be four African-American City Council candidates in the Dec. 10 runoff election, and two of them will face each other.In the District B race to

replace Jarvis Johnson, Alvin Byrd will go against another Black candidate, Jerry Davis. Byrd received 25% of the vote in the Nov. 8 general election and Davis received 24%. Six other candidates were in the race.

Dr. Franklin Jones, pro-fessor and chair of the De-partment of Political Science at Texas Southern University, said the Byrd-Davis race will largely be determined by their ability to mobilize voters in District B.

Each will have the opportunity to represent themselves as a consensus candidate emerging from the large fi eld, he said.

At-Large Position 5 in-cumbent Jolanda Jones, who received 39% of the vote, will face Jack Christie (33%) in the runoff. A second Black candidate, Laurie Robinson, received 19% of the vote.

Franklin Jones gave his impression of that runoff race.

Jolanda has to remain an aggressive campaigner and an energetic force to her base, he said.

She has to fi nd a way to exploit the endorsement of Christie by Bill White and get the Black commu-nity to raise questions about the quality and quantity of support for her candidacy by Black leaders against the conservative Christie.

Christie has his solid west side and conservative support and would ben-efi t from a reduced turnout among minority and progres-sive voters, Jones said.

At-Large Position 2 candidate Andrew Burks (17%) faces Kristi Thibaut (15%) in the runoff.

Burks and Thibaut are two Democrats appealing to the same group of voters, Jones said. Thibaut will probably have more organi-

zational and fi nancial support. Burks has to expand his traditional base

of support which has allowed him to advance to the runoff in his last two elections.

Jones said overall, there were no real surprises in the election.

The closest may have been the relatively low percent of the votes [50.8%] Mayor Annise Parker received against minor candidates, he said. The voters gave a luke-warm endorsement.

The mayor was hurt by her positions on the drainage fee and the red light cameras, Jones added. And voters generally appeared not to be overwhelmed by her fi rst term.

Other election results follow:City Council

District D Councilmember Wanda Adams retained her seat, defeating one opponent with 81% of the vote.

In newly formed District K, Larry Green won with 67% of the vote. One of his challengers, African American Pat Frazier, received 25%.

Incumbent C.O. Brad Bradford held on to his At-Large Position 4 seat, defeating his opponent with 68% of the vote.

The most interesting thing will be watching how Green and Bradford react to what they surely perceive as a vulnerable Mayor Parker, Jones said.

Houston Community College System

A new face on the HCCS trustee board will be Carroll Robinson (55%), who defeated Jew Don Boney (44%) for the District IV position.

District IX incumbent Chris Oliver (62%) defeated challeng-er Wendell Robbins (38%).

Houston ISDHISD Board President Paula Harris (66%), who represents

District IV, defeated challenger Davetta Daniels (34%).

North Forest ISDIn the Position 2 race, incumbent Charles H. Taylor (53%) defeated challenger Jerome Joseph (47%).

2 DEFENDER | WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 elections

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Nov. 8 election results:Four Black candidates headed for runoff

Alvin Byrd

Jerry Davis

Andrew Burks

Jolanda Jones

3defendernetwork.com WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10| 2011 | DEFENDER

localbriefs

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newstalkBooker T. Washington HighTurner calls meeting to save school

THE HEALTH OF HOUSTONIANS is cause for concern. A survey by the Institute for Health Policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that on average, 20 percent of area residents are in fair or poor health. Nationwide, the figure is just below 10 percent. The survey also found that 30 percent of area residents have high blood pressure, compared to the state average of 28 percent. Thirty-two percent of area adults are obese, compared to the state average of 29 percentHISD SUPT. TERRY GRIER, who has been undergoing his annual evaluation, did

not meet district goals set for student achievement in 16 out of 24 categories. According to Texas Watchdog, Grier and his team hoped to decrease the achievement gap in passing state-standardized tests among African-American, Hispanic and white students by 3 percent. The gap shrunk, but by only 1 percent between African-Americans and white students and between Hispanic and white students. Overall, however, the student attendence rate is up and the overall four-year high school completion rate is on the rise for all racial and ethnic groups..DUANE BUCK, the Texas

death row inmate seeking a retrial because race-related testimony, has been denied an appeal by the U.S. Supreme Court. Buck, who is Black, was convicted of killing two people and shooting a third in 1995. During the sentencing phase of his trial, a psychologist testified that Blacks and Hispanics are more likely than whites to commit future crimes..OPRAH WINFREY and her close friend Tyler Perry were spotted in the congregation of Lakewood Church. Winfrey came to Houston to interview Lakewood Pastor Joel Osteen for Oprahs Lifeclass, which airs on her network.

By ASWAD WALKERHouston Defender

Fearful of the potential closing of Houstons his-toric Booker T. Washing-ton High School (BTW), State Rep. Sylvester Turner has called a special commu-nity meeting to address his concern over the future of the school.

Turner cites several reasons why he believes BTW could be a nominee for closure, including a re-cent drop in rating from Academi-cally Acceptable to Academically Unacceptable.

There are also lingering key maintenance issues, along with discontinued academic and extra-curricular programs, a declining enrollment and a marked investment by HISD in the two high schools closest to BTWReagan and Waltrip.

I am deeply concerned that the present state of Booker T. Washington, if left unaddressed and unprioritized, may leave the school vulnerable for the future, said Turner.

It is important that the students, alumni, parents and com-munity of Booker T. Washington High School attend this meeting and voice their concern now while something can be done.

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at the high school, 119 E. 39th St.

Turner listed other signs the school could be in trouble.Within last year the schools cosmetology and home eco-

nomics programs have been shut down, and the band programa program especially at Black schools that represents a major part of the heart of the programhas been reduced to just seven or eight students. They are pumping in music at halftime.

Enrollment has dropped from over 1,000 to under 900, noted Turner, who points to recent decisions by HISD as the rea-

son for the schools downturn. Booker T. Washington

had a principal who was there for close to 40 years. Since his retirement there have been two other principals within last two years. HISD removed Mark Mordel in September of last year, to move him to administration. They said, because he was doing an exemplary job at Booker T.

I voiced my concerns right then and there. He had been there for only a year, and he was moving the program along. I questioned why HISD would move someone at the beginning of a school year when he was do-ing a good job, said Turner.

Since then, Lashonda Bilbo-Irvin, an assistant princi-

pal, was promoted to lead the school. I voiced my concerns because I had seen this happen three

other times in my district, recalled Turner. Schools that were exemplary and then experienced a change in top leadership saw their academic status dropped.

Voiced concernsTurner said he has repeatedly voiced his concerns about

HISDs commitment to BTW.I am calling this emergency meeting because I am con-

cerned whether or not Booker T. Washington is going to be around next year and the years after that, and whether or not its going to meet the academic and extra-curricular needs of its students so they are able to compete with students from other high schools here and around the state of Texas, said Turner.

A HISD representative could not be reached for comment.Turner added that he submitted a list of maintenance issues

that needed to be addressed after he walked the school before the

last legislative session. Turner asserts that HISD promised him they would rectify the maintenance issues, but upon Turners return from Austin, he found the same issues still lingering.

Turner believes BTW students, parents and alumni should be concerned over what he interprets as HISD systematically ignor-ing the school.

This is not something Ive just started speaking about; Ive been saying this for the past two years. During my last conversa-tion with Aaron Spence [chief officer in charge of overseeing high school improvements], I told him I have lost all confidence in the administration to respond to these issues, said Turner.

Turner believes the potential closing of BTW is merely fore-shadowing for other historic and Black high schools.

Those who say this wont happen to Washington, I want to point them to North Forest. And if youre a student or alumni of Yates or Worthing, please take note. I believe as one goes others will follow.

Turner says the meeting he is hosting is to make sure the community is aware of the school current status compared to where it was, and to send some messages.

Were saying to HISD, Youre not putting forth an ad-equate effort to make sure BTW student academic and extracurric-ular needs are being met, and thus youre systematically working against the interest of these students.

To the community, were saying, Unless we step up and demand proper attention now, Booker T. Washington will end up a museum in our community. Its just that simple. People will ask, why didnt yall alert the people? Im doing it now while something can be done to turn it around.

BTW community meetingThursday, Nov. 17

6:30 p.m.Booker T. Washington High School

119 E. 39th St.

State Rep Sylvester Turner

4national

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DEFENDER | WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 defendernetwork.com

VOLUME 81 NUMBER 2WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10, 2011

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender audited By Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2011 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).

Cain cant keep his lies straight

ColumnistYvette ChargoisSport EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. ArdisonContributing WriterAswad WalkerWebmasterCorneleon Block

PublisherSonceria Messiah-JilesAdvertising/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Associate EditorsReshonda BillingsleyMarilyn Marshall Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila

Obama gets good news about unemployment, approvalPresident Barack Obama received some positive news. First, unemployment dropped from 9.1 per-cent to 9 percent, its lowest in six months. Though a small decrease, it gave the president a boost as joblessness continues to plague the country. The unemployment rate declined for Blacks, from 16 percent in September to 15.1 percent in October. Second, nearly half of Americans said they approved of the job he is doing. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 49 percent of Americans approve of Obamas work as president, up from 47 percent in an October poll. His disapproval rating held steady at 50 percent.

Clinton believes Obama, Democrats made some mistakesIn his new book, former President Bill Clinton says President Obama and the Democrats are partly to blame for the countrys current mess. In Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy, Clinton writes that Obama and his Democratic allies should have raised the federal debt ceiling in the first two years of the presidents term, when Democrats still had a majority in Con-gress. Clinton said his party also failed to develop an effective national campaign message during the midterm elections of 2010. Clinton, however, is most critical of the Republican Party and its unre-lenting antigovernment ideology.

Pediatrics group endorses routine HIV testing of teensThe American Academy of Pediatrics has called for individuals as young as 13 to undergo testing for HIV in areas where the disease is particularly preva-lent, and for all at-risk teens to be tested regularly. In the current issue of Pediatrics, the organizations official journal, the group suggested that in areas where the HIV occurs in more than 0.1 percent of the population, everyone from age 13 to 64 should be regularly tested as part of routine medical exami-nations. In populations with less prevalence of the disease, all teenagers engaging in sex or with other risk factors should be routinely tested.

By GEORGE E. CuRRy NNPA Columnist

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to

pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Genesis 4:8

In Biblical times, Cain slew Abel. Today, another Cain Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain cant put to death the allegations by at least three women that he sexually harassed them in the late 1990s during his tenure as president of the National Restaurant Association. Cains shifting and contradictory explanations are part of

a larger pattern of what FactCheck.org calls a proven ability to spread outrageously false information such as accusing Planned Parenthood of genocide and concentrating abortion clinics in black neighbor-hoods.

Cain has mis-managed the sexual harassment claims from the beginning.

Politico reported on Oct. 30: During Herman Cains tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two fe-male employees com-plained to colleagues and senior association officials about inap-propriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leav-ing their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm

The Web site reported, They signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departure.

Cain said in a speech at the National Press Club on Oct. 31 that he was unaware of any settlement with women who had accused him of sexual harassment. Later, on that same day, he gave a different answer in an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News.

According to a transcript of the program, Cain said, The one [complaining employee] that I am familiar with worked in the Washington office. And I cant even remember her name be-cause she had not been a long-term employee. But I do remember the formal allegations she made in terms of sexual harassment.

When asked about the settlement, Cain replied: Maybe three months salary or something like that, just vaguely trying to recall it.

The next day, in an interview with Robin Meade on CNN,

Cain changed the payoff amount to somewhere in the vicinity of three to six months.

According to the New York Times, it was even larger. On Nov. 2, the newspaper, citing three unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the case, said the women were given a years sal-ary to leave the trade association.

In his interview with Van Susteren, Cain said that he was having difficulty recalling all the details of the alleged sexual harassment incident because it was 12 years ago. However, in a story published Nov. 2 on Forbes magazines online site, Cain said he had shared the sexual harassment allegations with a consultant he used in his failed 2004 U.S. Senate campaign in Georgia.

The Politico story also noted, Cain, who has been married to his wife Gloria for 43 years, did tell at least one campaign staffer this year about the possibility that claims of sexual harass-

ment could surface, according to the aide.

The candidate who likes to lecture people about personal responsibility has chosen to play the blame game. He told Van Susteren, I have no idea whos egging this on, whos on this witch hunt...

And there was this exchange on CNN:

MEADE: So you feel this is a smear campaign? From whom, do you think?

CAIN: I abso-lutely believe that this

is an intended smear campaign using these two cases like I said, Im not even aware of the second one. Its a smear campaign. When they cannot

MEADE: By whom? Do you know by whom? CAIN: We dont know. We have no idea. Later in the program, Cain blamed the innuendoes from all

the news reports that havent been presenting the facts. In the Forbes interview, Cain shifted the blame from the me-

dia to Curt Anderson, a former Cain consultant now working for Texas Gov. Rick Perrys presidential bid. After Anderson denied the charge, Cains backed away from his allegation.

That is not the only example of Cain flip-flopping. He was interviewed Oct. 19 on CNN by Piers Morgan. After Cain said he is opposed to abortion under all circumstances, Morgan pressed the GOP presidential candidate.

MORGAN: But youve had children, grandchildren. If one of your female children, grandchildren, was raped, you would honestly want her to bring up that baby as her own?

Continued on Page 8

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5defendernetwork.com | WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 | DEFENDER

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6 DEFENDER | WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011

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By RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEyDefender

Houstons gospel music station, Praise 92.1FM, will soon be off the air. Beginning the week of Nov. 14, listeners will fi nd an all-news format instead. Station offi cials say it is a decision that did not

come easy, but one that was dictated by declining ratings and falling revenue.

Weve given it fi ve years, but fi nancially cant make it work, said Doug Abernethy, general manager of Radio One, the company that owns Praise 92.1, along with Majic 102 and 97.9, The Boxx.

When youre talking ratings and revenue in a market that is down signifi cantly over the last fi ve years, it hurt us fi nancially. Given the new paradigm of rating measurements, we have to look at the best way to run our business. Were in the business of revenueNo other choice

Abernethy says they gave Praise as long as they could. But at the end of the day, it was all about ratings. The station ranked 21st in the market in the most recent monthly Arbitron ratings for persons 12-plus with a weekly cumulative audience of 368,400.

And quite frankly, Abernethy said, Praise was handicapping their growth with Majic 102.

What we did when we launched Praise was shifted Majics audience over to Praise, so you had a lot of duplication between the two, Abernethy

said. So you compress the ratings on Majic to

grow the Praise station and for the past fi ve years, its not really generated any kind of revenue. With Praise going away, Majics audience will grow, leading to more ratings dominance, which leads to fi nancial growth.

While there may be many in the community who claimed to listen to Praise on a regular basis, the numbers didnt refl ect that.

When we launched, Arbitron had a method by diary where people wrote down what they listened to and we saw tremendous growth and we saw a way to hone the urban African- American market, he said.

But then they switched to Personal People Meter, or PPM and we saw a huge rating decline and still to this day, our ratings are down 33 per-cent.

Abernethy says sustaining three urban sta-tions is a challenge in and of itself. Its especially challenging in markets with less than 25 percent African-American populations. Houstons Black population is 17 percent.

Despite some reports, Abernethy said no African-American Radio One employees will lose their jobs. In fact, he says, shifting formats was also one of the ways they felt they could avoid laying off people.

Id much rather keep people employed and still serve our target audience that this company was built on, he said. So far, weve retained every single employee. Weve either employed them to Majic or The Boxx or theyve expressed an interest in the news station. My job is to protect all employ-

ees. Weve tried to fi nd a way where we can fi nd a home to everyone. A diff erent approach

Using the on air moniker News 92 FM, the

24-hour news and information station will be forti-fi ed by the world-wide resources of ABC News Radio and Associated Press Platinum and will be populated with the voices of some of Houstons most well known and award-winning radio and television personalities.

Our review of Houstons broadcast land-scape told us that those listeners interested in local news as well as national news were being poorly served, says Abernethy, so we decided to make a commitment to delivering the news in a dependable fashion.

People want to hear about news as it hap-pens, and they shouldnt have to wait until their radio station catches up. Well deliver the news as it unfolds.

Ed Shane, founder and president of the Houston-based Shane Media Services, is serving as project manager on the format fl ip from gospel music to all news.

Were going to give people the facts without

Going off the air...WHY?

Weve assembled an A-list of broadcast journalists whose mission is to report the news

and let people make up their own minds.

defendernetwork.com Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

7

the biased opinions that dominate so-called news stations, of-fers Shane. Weve assembled an A-list of broadcast journalists whose mission is to report the news and let people make up their own minds.

Shane says that the programming team, led by veteran news director Denise Bishop, will deliver an appealing blend of local, regional and national news along with topical information and the traffi c and weather updates that are essential to Houston listeners.

Longtime Houston radio news anchors J.P. Pritchard, Lana Hughes and Mike Barajas and veteran sportscaster Craig Roberts are among a group of veteran Houston journalists who will return to the airwaves on the all-news station on KROI (92.1 FM).

Barajas, who left KRIV (Channel 26) in mid-January, and Roberts, the former KPRC (Channel 2) sports director who has hosted talk shows on several stations, are among the other famil-iar names on the roster.

We believe there is a huge appetite for full-service news in Houston, said Abernethy. News happens 24-7, and were offering an opportunity where people will not have to wait to get the news. This is a viable business. Its expensive to operate, but it can be a great revenue producer, too.

Other staff members will include former KHOU (Chan-nel 11) reporter Carolyn Campbell, former Channel 26 reporters Patti Shieh and Matt Sampsell, former KIAH (Channel 39) sports director Jorge Vargas, KIKK (650 AM) and KSEV (700 AM) business anchor/re-porter Brent Clanton, former KTRH reporters Bonnie Petrie and Scott Braddock, former KLOL (101.1 FM)

newscasters Laurie Kendrick and Martha Martinez, veteran traffi c reporter Lanny Griffi th, former KLDE (107.5 FM) host Kevin Charles and meteorologist Joe SobeShow staples

Many of those hearing the news about the station imme-diately ask about staples of Praise 92.1, most notably The Yolanda Adams Morning Show. Abernethy says they will continue taping the intellectual property of Praise, and will move content over to the HD stations.

Youll be able to hear her show in Houston, he said. Well tape the intellectual property of Praise and move it over to KMJQ, Majic 102s HD channel where you can get an HD radio and listen to it. HD radios are not in every household but just as HD went through transitions, eventually analog will be a thing of the past.

Were working with a company right now to purchase HD radios to give away on Majic. And were working with Best Buy to offer discount with HD radios. People that still want the station can download a mobile app and well continue to stream. Yolanda Adams in 39 markets will continue on without any interruptions.

Community reacts to Praise format change

For the past fi ve years, Houston radio listen-ers looking for spiritual upliftment have been able to get their fi ll with Praise 92.1FM. But listeners hoping to fi nd their daily praise will soon fi nd news replacing their favorite spot on the dial.

Radio One, the company that owns Praise 92.1, along with Majic 102 and 97.9, The Boxx, has announced that they are shifting the stations format from gospel music to 24 hour news news that has caught many lovers of the station by surprise.

I really and truly am heartbroken. My job is very stressful and listening to Praise every morning on my way to work gave me the motivation I needed to face my day, says long-time fan Dionne Blacknell.

But no one is more surprised and disappoint-ed than some community leaders, who had hoped station offi cials would have found a way to keep the station afl oat.

It says a lot about the Black community when a very popular gospel radio station that really fed many spirits, minds and souls with gospel music is now going to be losing that format, said activist Quanell X.

One prominent minister gave his views on the format change.

They are far more interested in profi t than in service, said Rev. William A. Lawson, pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. I dont think they care. Its a question of ratings and money. Their chief concern is not listenership. It is advertising. Buying time.

Station offi cials admit thats exactly what the shift is about and add that they were left with little choice. Ratings were consistently falling and in fact, were currently down 33 percent.

Quanell says he and others even took their concerns to Doug Abernethy, general manager for Radio One.

When we sat down with the GM of Radio One, we did realize that we had to come to a painful reality that the format of gospel music was not making the station money and if the station continued to go the same format it wouldve bankrupted Praise, he said.

Quanell believes the community could have helped.

They shouldve come to the people and explained that if you want to keep this format in place, if you love the format, if youre benefi tting from it, we need you to be part of the solution in keeping the format at this station, he said. Unfortunately, no one came to the people to inform them that the sta-tion was in trouble.

Quanell says he thinks station offi cials underestimated the power of the Black voice.

They shouldve come to the community and its not so much the listeners, its the advertising dol-lars and said they were not living up to the level of sacrifi ce that the radio company was making to give them their gospel format.

I think it wouldve been better to inform the

community, then let the community be involved in helping the station become more profi table so that you could either keep the format or let the community be aware that at least the station did come to the people and explained to the people why they needed to do what they needed to do

That never took place so if theres a loss, its in the people not being properly com-municated to as to the severity of the problem.

I would hope that they wouldve recog-nized the listenership of Praise 92.1, added Lawson. Since Majic 102 and 92.1 have similar formats, they could have at least kept a strongly gospel format. Not sure how they would have done that, but it could have been done. RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEy

Weve assembled an A-list of broadcast journalists whose mission is to report the news

and let people make up their own minds.

Rev. Bill Lawson

Quanell X

DEFENDER | WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 | defendernetwork.com8

Cain Cant Keep.. Continued from page 4

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New Look, New Size, New Content, New Attitude

is packaged in an easy to handle tabloid size, with a colorful contemporary

logo with the large star reflects that You Are the STAR. Each week you are invited to share your opinions and comments on our stories and the issues confronting our city on the

. Let your voice be heard and invite others to join you. at community locations, Krogers, Fiesta, Gerlands and

And visit ourAnd visit our

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CAIN: No, it comes down to its not the governments role, or anybody elses role to make that decision. Second-ly, if you look at the statistical incidents, youre not talking that big a number. So what Im saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldnt have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue.

But in an Oct. 30 interview on Meet the Press with Bob Schieffer, Cain took adopted a different position.

CAIN: I am pro-life from con-ception, period. I was that piece that was pulled out was taken totally out of context when we were talking about

SCHIEFFER: Okay, so in other words you dont would not ever believe in abortion if rape, incest or the health of the mother was involved.

CAIN: Correct. Thats my position. As we have seen, Cains position

changes frequently, sometimes within the same day. Maybe contradicting himself or outright lying is the curse of Cain.

Dr. Conrad Murray awaits sentencing

Defender News Services

Now that he has been found guilty of involuntary man-slaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, Dr. Conrad Murray must wait for his sentencing set for Nov. 29.

The verdict fol-lowed about nine hours of jury delib-erations in the Los Angeles County courthouse.

Judge Michael Pastor, who will de-cide Murrays sen-tence, denied bail for the physician, saying

that public safety demands that he be remanded to jail.

The lightest sentence that Mur-ray could receive is probation, since he has no prior criminal record. He could be sentenced to as much as four years in a state prison.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50. He was preparing for his This Is It come-back tour.

Murray served as Jacksons personal physician, and gave him the surgical

anesthetic propofol to help him sleep at night.

The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Jacksons death was caused by acute propofol intoxica-tion in combination with two sedatives.

Murray operated clinics in Houston and Las Vegas.

classi eds

whatsup

9defendernetwork.com WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 | DEFENDER

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Samuel L. Jackson discusses Broadway debut

QUEEN LATIFAH will host a syndicated talk show in 2013. The announcement was made by Sony Pictures TV, which will team with Latifahs Flavor Unit Entertainment and Overbrook Entertainment, co-founded by Will Smith. Latifah, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are among the shows producers. The three superstars have a long history together. Latifahs fi rst TV role was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starring Will. She also appeared with Jada in the girl bank robber fi lm, Set if Off. Latifah previously hosted her talk show from 1999 to 2001.. ASHANTI fans are asking will she or wont she? The Grammy Award-winner is rumored to be replacing Fergie in the Black Eyed Peas. Fergie reportedly

wants to take a break from entertaining so she can start a family with her husband, actor Josh Duhamel. Ashanti has been touring with the group for the past month, and insiders say she fi ts in perfectly. Ashanti has sold more than 30 million albums since her self-titled debut album in 2002..GARY DOURDAN, best known for his former role on televisions CSI, was recently arrested and held on $50,000 bail for allegedly breaking his ex-girlfriends nose. Dourdan had a run-in with the law before. In 2008, Palm Springs police arrested him for possession of narcotics and dangerous drugs. He pled guilty and entered a treatment program..CHRIS ROCK & DAVE CHAPELLE might plan a tour together. Rock

tweeted a HumorMillMag report saying it Could Happen. Chappelle hasnt made many appearances since leaving his Comedy Central TV show in 2006. Rock stays busy with fi lms and stand-up comedy routines... LIL KIM is fi nding success in the beauty business. The rapper just launched another salon with business partner and cousin Katrise Jones in Charlotte, N.C. The establishment is called Salon Se Swa, and is located in four other cities: Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Rocky Mount. Lil Kim bounced back after a 2005 prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends involvement in a shooting. In 2009 she competed on Dancing With the Stars.

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to NNPA from New York Amsterdam News

The Mountaintop opened recently at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on West 45th Street. Later, at a gala on West 42nd Street, it was exciting being in an energized atmosphere where champagne was fl owing, music was playing and a buzz charged the entire room. That buzz went to new heights when the fi rst of the plays

two stars entered the room Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

He co-stars with Angela Bassett in this original play by Katori Hall, which is directed by Kenny Leon.

Jackson was glad to do a one-on-one interview with the Amsterdam News. We sat on a couch and he was incredibly friendly and charming. He shared his feelings about this play, which marks his Broadway debut.

AmNews: Why did you decide to make your Broadway debut in this piece? How did you hear about the script?

Jackson: I didnt want to do a remake of any play Id been in or seen. I wanted to do something that was fresh. I just happened to be in the car with Kenny when they called him about this play. I said, Oh, thats that play about Martin Luther King they were doing at the West End. Ive never had a chance to see it, but let me read it when you get it.

He emailed a copy to me and I read it. I said, So, are you going to do this play? He said he hadnt made up his mind yet. I said, Well, you keep trying to get me to do a play if you do this play, then Ill do it. He said, For real?

It was a fresh play. Even though it had won the Olivier Award in London, it hadnt been done in America and I wanted to be part of the American debut and do something that was meaningful. I thought it was a pretty meaningful piece of work.

AmNews: How does it feel to play Dr. King? You do it

with such an obvious respect. Jackson: Im trying to present a man whos different

from that icon we know we dont know this guy. Hes not making a speech and hes not leading a march. Hes not doing any of that stuff. Hes just come from making a great speech, he doesnt feel well, he closes the door, lets his shoulders down and lets all the air out and says, Here I am, I want a cigarette, Im tired, Im lonely, Im a little scared.

I just wanted to present him as a man and as those men who were my grandfather, my uncle, those men who taught me at Morehouse, those Southern preachers and those sedate as only we know Morehouse Negroes can be but with a genuine heart.

AmNews: What do you think of the timing of this play; do the generations here now need to see this side of this famous civil rights leader?

Jackson: It would be interesting if a lot of young people could see it and understand that kind of fame. That he wasnt just a speech, he was an ideal. He was an ideal that made people want to kill him that made people love him.

That was a price he paid that would be greater than any price theyll ever pay for being who they are. Theres an ideal that allows them to be who they are today that wasnt always present.

AmNews: What impression of Dr. King do you want to leave with the audience?

Jackson: He was a man who had a very clear understanding of his mortality. Even though he was standing up for us and fi ghting all the battles for us in a very real kind of way, it was never his inten-tion to die fi ghting those battles.

AmNews: You and Ms. Bassett maintain such a high energy on stage, how did you come to play off each other so well?

Jackson: We have a great level of comfort with each other and theres a great level of trust.

10 DEFENDER | WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 defendernetwork.com

sportsFormer PV star Spears becomes a Cleveland Brown

Benefiting TSU School of Communication

Students

Live Music & Great Food Sat. Dec. 17th 8pm 12am George R. Brown Convention Center

15th Annual Scholarship Gala

Reserve your tickets at 713.313.7291Choice Members $50.00-Non-Members $75.00presents

By MAX EDISONDefender

Its a story that would make a Hollywood script writer do back fl ips. A young man from Montgomery, Texas, misses his entire high school senior season due to injury. He walks on to a collegiate program not known for winning and is asked to change positions.

That program goes on to win a conference cham-pionship, its fi rst in over 50 years. That same player goes undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, but somehow amazingly makes an NFL roster.

All we need to do now is fi gure out whos tall enough to cast as the leading man and decide what to wear to the Oscars. Thats the plot to the Quinton Spears story.

The scenario is even a bit unbelievable to Spears, a 64, 235-pound linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, whos living his dream.

Sometimes I fi nd myself day-dreaming like how improbable is this, said Spears, a former Prairie View A&M star. Coming from where I came from, going through some of my situations and going to a small HBCU.

Spears explained his situation coming out of high school.

I wasnt recruited at all out of Montgomery. I didnt play a single game my senior year when I got injured in our fi rst scrimmage in preseason. My junior year I got a few letters of interest,

but nothing at all as a senior. Im glad I was moved to defense. I embraced it. I

told Coach Northern [former PV defensive coordinator, now head coach] Im grateful and glad he moved me to defense. The position [defensive end] really came natural and Im just happy everything worked out the way that it did.

Spears is also quick to acknowledge the coaching he received at PV that helped him develop his immense talent.

Hats off to Coach [Henry] Frazier and Coach [Heishma] Northern for their hard work and train-

ing, Spears said. Coach Northern is one of the best defen-

sive coordinators Ive been around. You know he knows what hes talking about. He made

everything so simple and easy to understand. Being around him

and the other coaches at Prairie View made it possible for me to make this transition suc-

cessfully. Spears not only played

defense at Prairie View, he excelled. He was a two time All-SWAC performer and a second team All-

American. He led the Panthers

to a SWAC champion-ship. Still the NFL 2011

Draft came and went, yet Spears name was not called. Spears signed a free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins and excelled in the pre-season.

The Dolphins had planned to

waive Spears at the fi nal cut date and resign him to the practice squad. The Browns, who had done their home-work during the preseason, snapped him off the waiver wire and he has been on their 53-man roster all year, active for every game.

For all the success Spears ultimately achieved collegiately, he would have to be a little apprehensive about the next level, the NFL. Playing against big-ger name college talent and experienced NFL players would be a serious challenge, or would it?

I was a little apprehensive about probably just going against some of the older guys, some of the vets and some of these guys coming from bigger schools, he said.

After you get into the fl ow of it and you begin to compete, you realize you can play with these guys, any day of the week. Its not much different than where you came from. Its all about gaining your confi dence that you can play with these guys on this level. Once you have that confi dence then the skys the limit.

Spears believes that confi dence is the primary intangible that leads to success.

I believe that confi dence is 80 percent of what it takes to make it on this level, Spears continued. There are guys out there that have more ability than everyone else, but theyre not confi dent in themselves. As a result they cant do what they need to do.

Theres another guy that may have a little less talent, but is confi dent in what they can do with their ability and they will be the one who goes out and make a play. I think confi dence has everything to do with me making it this far.

Undrafted out of PV, #90 Quinton Spears is a Cleveland Brown.

# 90 Spears, living the NFL dream, despite the odds.

h.s.zone11defendernetwork.com WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 | 2011 DEFENDER

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sportsbriefs

Let the high school playoffs begin

Yates Arthur Lockett leads area Class 4A in rushingJack Yates High School running back Arthur Lockett toppled the 1,600-yard rushing mark in his teams regular-season fina-le against Houston Austin to finish as the Houston areas Class 4A rushing leader. Lockett tallied 246 yards on just 12 carries and added TD runs of 76 and 69 yards to help the Lions win 47-14 and advance into the playoffs for the 35th consecutive season. The Yates junior tailback finished the regular season with 1,634 rushing yards to outdistance runner-up Tim Wright of La Marque (1,365). Lockett also played linebacker against Austin and recorded the games first tackle. Yates will take on District 22-4A champion Kashmere in the first round of the playoffs.

La Portes Whitely wins Ford Tough Player AwardLa Porte running back/defensive back Keith Whitely was re-cently named the states Class 5A Built Ford Tough Player of the Week following his teams 24-20 upset victory of state-ranked Port Arthur Memorial. The junior rushed for 201 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns and returned a 29-yard intercep-tion for a touchdown in the Bulldogs win. Whitely came back to record TD runs of 19, 20 and 30 yards in La Portes 38-20 victory over Beaumont West Brook to seal the Bulldogs first outright district championship in 18 years. Whitely has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 13 touchdowns while intercepting three balls on defense.

Heavyweight boxing legend Joe Frazier passes at 67Former heavyweight champion Smokin Joe Frazier succumbed to liver cancer on Nov. 7 at the age of 67. Born in Beaufort, S.C., on Jan 12, 1944, Frazier took up boxing at an early age. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1964. He won the title in 1970 stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round. Three epic fights will forever link him with Muhammad Ali. He de-feated Ali in the first fight billed the Fight of the Century in 1971, becom-ing the first man to defeat Ali. He lost the latter two. Joe Frazier should be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time and a real man, promoter Bob Arum said. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Frazier family. R.I.P. Smokin Joe.

Houston Dynamo headed to the MLS ChampionshipFor the third time in the last six years the Houston Dynamo have moved to the championship game in the MLS. Houston will play the winner of Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center on Nov. 20 in the MLS Cup final. The Dynamo de-feated Kansas City 2-0 recently to become the Eastern Conference champs. The team also earned a spot in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. Three months ago, I dont think a lot of people thought that we were going to be here at the end or even close to it, coach Dominic Kinnear told his players afterward. To all those people who did [doubt], just always remind them that on Nov. 20 theres a game and were involved. And if you want to watch it and be proud of us and hopefully get back on our good sides, please do.

by DARRELL K. ARDISONDefender

Will the greater Houston area produce a state championship high school football team in 2011?

Perhaps the best chances reside to the west, south and northwest of down-town Houston in the communities of Katy, Manvel, Cypress and Brenham.

Katy opens the postseason fresh off an anti-climactic 38-7 victory over District 19-5A rival Cinco Ranch to clinch the outright district cham-pionship and complete the sixth perfect regular season (10-0) in the past nine years.

The Tigers defense, which hasnt allowed any points in the third quarter all season, held the normally high-powered Cinco Ranch offense to minus-16 yards rushing yards and totaled two interceptions and five quarterback sacks.

With a sold-out crowd at Rhodes Stadium, Katy appeared primed for their first 16-0 season since the 2007 state cham-pionship team.

When youve got community support like we have, the kids dont want to let them down, said Katy head coach Gary Joseph. They realize how important it is.

This comes on the heels of losing more than three-quarters of the letter-men from the 2010 Katy squad that battled eventual Class 5A Division I state champion Pearland down to the wire in the Region III-5A title game.

The Tigers will begin their quest for another state title run Friday night in mid-town Houston as the Tigers take on Houston Madison at Butler Stadium. Kickoff for the 5A Division II Region III bi-district game is set for 7 p.m.

Katy is the top-ranked Class 5A

school in Texas.They (Katy) are a great team to

play, said Cinco Ranch coach Don Clayton. Its good for getting ready for the playoffs because its an emotional and high-spirited game. Most every-thing else in the playoffs almost pales to it. Its like a playoff game.

Madison, 6-4, can expect a heavy dose of the Tigers rushing attack that amassed 390 yards in the regular-season finale against Cinco Ranch and accounted for all five touchdowns.

After a scoreless first quarter, Katy reeled off 28 unanswered points in the second quarter to seize control of the contest.

Madison is coming off a 42-34 setback to Bellaire.

Manvel clinched a 10-0 regular season and the District 24-4A title with a 44-21 victory over Pearland Dawson. Its the schools first outright champi-onship in football.

This is the greatest feeling Ive ever had, said Manvel defensive end Taiwan Johnson. Going 10-0 in varsity football is something that many teams dont ever get to do. We went

undefeated our freshman year and we said we wanted to do it on the varsity level. We got it done for the seniors.

With Friendswoods 35-34 victory over Texas City in week 10, Manvel will compete in the Class 4A Divi-sion II state playoff bracket and face El Campo in the first round. Dawson heads into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak and must face Lamar Con-solidated in the Division I bracket.

Were unselfish, but were not that unselfish, said Manvel head coach

Kirk Martin, referring to not wanting to share the title with Dawson and La Marque. We absolutely wanted that title for ourselves because its important to us to be 10-0 and undefeated district champs. Thats been the goal since August.

Cy-Fair dumped Jersey Village 59-14 to complete a 10-0 regular season, including 9-0 in rugged District 17-5A. Bobcats running back John Jacob rushed for 157 yards and scored three touchdowns in the victory.

Brenham improved to 10-0 on the season with a 28-3 home victory over Stratford. Kiartel Claridy had touchdown runs of 11 and three yards in the win.

Booker T. Washington quarterback John Gibbs made sure his team advanced into the postseason with momentum as

he rushed for three touchdowns and tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Devin Smith in the Eagles 45-6

victory over Furr in week 10 Washington takes on

Sharpstown in the first round of the 4A playoffs.

Deer Park and Dobie came into their week 10 showdown with iden-tical 4-0 district ledgers and the District 22-5A championship hanging in the bal-ance. Yet four turnovers would prove to be Dobies undoing as Deer Park sealed its first district championship since 1995 with a 41-16 win at Pasadena Memorial Stadium.

Both schools advanced to the first round of the Texas high school football state playoffs.

Washington quarterback John Gibbs led the Eagles into the 2011 high school football playoffs.

Joe Frazier

12

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STEPPIN OUT.....Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) recently hosted their 2011 gala at The Ensemble Theatre. The festive evening was chaired by Gina Carroll, Winell Herron and Sharon Owens and this years honorary chairs were Lauren Anderson, Tina Knowles and Regina Rogers. Featured program participants included Jack Yates High School Drum Line and members of The Ensemble Theatre Young Performers who delighted the audience of over 200 folks. HMAACs mission is to collect, conserve, interpret, and exhibit the culture of Africans and African American in Houston, the state of Texas, and the African Diaspora for current and future generations. The museum informs and includes not only people of color, but people of all colors. Their programs and exhibitions

focus on the indisputable fact that while our experience is a unique one, it has been impacted by numerous races, ethnicities and genders. In the mix were Carolyn and John Guess, III, Annette and Arthur Bracey, Audrey and Bill

Lawson, Doug Owens, Regina Drake, Andre Guichard, Danny Simmons, Doug Herron, Cornelia Scott, Karen Daniels, Loren Eleece, Ronnie Amadi, Phoenix Hamilton, Sandra Goins, Forde McWilliams, and Seba and Anthony Suber. We salute Melanie Lawson, board president, and John Guess, Jr.,

CEO, for putting HMAAC on the map. Congratulations and continued success!......THE STORK CLUB......While awaiting the arrival of her fifth great-grandchild, Ms. Chag hosted a baby shower at her home for granddaughter, Ashley Boutte. Attendees included grandmother, Dana Chargois,

sister Brittney Broussard, and a host of relatives and friends to include, Deanise Jagnanan, Kathy Victorian, Jeanette Sigue, Dr. Leah White, Carolyn Guidry, Crystal Stephens, Donna Turner, Veronica Chargois, Yvette Crain, and Monica Labrie, to name a few. Lots of love, gifts and fellowship!.......WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES.....Seven similar, selfless, scintillating, stimulating, sexy, scrupulous, sagacious, and spontaneous couples shared their October anniversaries in a special way at Sweetwater Country Club in Sugar Land. Each couple celebrated from 12-49 years of marriage bliss and they are: Jessie and Stanley Reid, Jannifer and Cleveland Woodson, Brenda and Roland Powell, Anita and Bill Cheatham, Mable and Mose Austin, Bessye and Franklin Clark and Sonja and Garfield Norris. God bless yall with many more years of togetherness!.........From Chags Place to your place, have a blessed week!

Forde McWilliams and Sandra Goins Gala Chairs Sharon Owens, Winell Herron and Gina Carroll Andre Guichard, Danny Simmons and John Guess, Jr.

Seba and Anthony Suber John Guess, Jr., Tina Knowles and Melanie Lawson Honorary Chairs Lauren Anderson and Tina Knowles

Mom-To-Be Ashley Boutte Ashley Boutte and Crystal Stephens Brittney Broussard, Ashley Boutte, Crystal Stephens and Yvette Crain