Monthly Archives: June 2009

The Allen Group releases statement regarding NCTCOG Southern Dallas Development Plan

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The North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Department has released a Master Plan Initiative regarding development in Southern Dallas County.  This is not the same thing as the Master Plan that Dallas County Commissioners were attempting to institute some months back.  Below is a statement by The Allen Group, one of the main developers in Southern Dallas’ Inland Port.

 

The Allen Group has been asked to provide its position statement concerning the NCTCOG’S CONCEPT of a new S. Dallas County Master Planning Initiative as set forth in the NCTCOG’s PowerPoint Presentation below.  

North Central Texas Council of Governments PowerPoint Presentation.

The Allen Group SUPPORTS THE NCTCOG’S CONCEPT of the new S. Dallas County Master Planning Initiative as follows:    

 

Consistent with the NCTCOG’s PowerPoint Presentation below, TAG’s position is that the Planning Initiative should:

focus solely upon roads, water, sewer, and storm water;

 

be coordinated and directed by  representatives of ALL of the entities with land use development authority, and who have land impacted by the Plan, on all oversight committees or similar bodies that will make decisions that will impact the cities and/or land within their jurisdictions;

 

include, without change, previously adopted comprehensive plans whether initiated by Cities or landowners, developers, business owners, etc. (including Master Water Plans, Master Wastewater Plans, Master Thoroughfare Plans, Master Storm Water Drainage Plans, and Future Land Use Plans) and zoning of all of the cities; 

 

exclude model codes and zoning and development standards, which are or become, pre-qualifiers or conditions to receiving funding for infrastructure improvements from the NCTCOG or any other committee/body which might otherwise be created as a result of this initiative;

 

 

The Initiative should also: 

 

include the entire 234,000 acre ULI study area, including ALL of the cities south of I-20 to the East, West, and S. Dallas County line and include representatives of ALL of these cities in the coordination and direction referenced in Item 2 in the preceding paragraph; 

 

be adopted through the standard NCTCOG process, (i.e., it comes before the STTC and the RTC, and then the Interlocal agreements are sent to the city councils allowing each city with land in the jurisdiction of the Plan to be a party to the process so that the process is open and transparent); and

 

be adopted under circumstances where there are several town hall meetings PRIOR to final consideration of the Planning Initiative by the RTC so that the public has continuous input.

 

Any committee created should solely function in an advisory capacity, and should have no power or authority over any of the participants’ jurisdictions.

 

 

This position is compatible with the North Central Texas Council of Governments S. Dallas County Master Plan proposal which was presented to the S. Dallas County cities on June 16, 2009 at a meeting hosted by the City of Lancaster (please see below), and TAG supports the concept of the proposal presented by the NCTCOG to the cities consistent with the bullet points above.

Genma Holmes: Debra Lee’s Circus, The BET Awards

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By Genma Holmes of Genma Speaks

Watching movies and barbecuing is how my family spends most Sunday afternoons. This past Sunday, I broke a cardinal rule and watched the BET Awards for the first time. My kids convinced me that it would be great since it was billed as a tribute to Michael Jackson and his humanitarian endeavors. However, the show that was promoted was not the show I watched. The BET Awards was a chaotic three hour black-a-thon fiasco.

How things begin is an indication of where things will end. Watching CNN’s anchorman Don Lemon giving shouts out on the red carpet was the start of the calamity that went downhill fast. To add to the circus atmosphere that was forming outside, Joe Jackson, MJ’s father and belt wielding former manager, was on the red carpet promoting his new record label. Huh?

I know grief is expressed in different ways but this was a drastic departure from tears and sadness that is normally shown. He sounded more like an old school promoter for Denise LaSalle than a father who had lost a son two days prior.

But what do I know. I never watched the show and I did not know if this was the norm. Arsenio Hall was raised from the dead and Chaka Khan said something. As for the rest of the folks, I had no idea if they were artists or clowns that were paid to keep us distracted.

Once the “show” started, I cursed myself for partaking in foolishness. I was tweeting throughout the night because my kids could not stand me shouting at them and the TV. New Edition was cute and Jamie Fox was comic relief. The O’Jays, in their yesteryear prom suits, had me dancing. Sugary Ne-yo and Jamie’s collaboration was touching. The duet with Monica and Keisha Cole was sassy and had vocal harmony. I loved Keke Palmer throw down. And Maxwell could have sung all night.

But what was up with Queen B’s ballerina-wedding night-wingless angel outfit? Did she sing a song that is the theme for dog rescuers? It was not proper for a MJ tribute. But the pandemonium kept coming; Ray J and the Atlanta vixens, Lil Wayne gold dipped teeth (ew), Ving Rhames, and various characters that had no talent only added to the bizarre profanity laced evening. Don Cornelius rambling intro, which made time stand still, had me praying for the torturous show to end. And let’s not forget the commercials for upcoming BET reality shows that I confused with promos for a support group for incarcerated women.

After the rappers destroyed the English language as we know it and perplexity that would have been right at home at the Hoodie Awards, Mary Mary blessed the show with a gospel song straight from a juke joint. Don’t hate, I blog like I see it.

Recognizing Alicia Keys and Wyclef was nice, but, seriously, where was the tribute to MJ? I felt Janet’s pain who sounded broken as she reminded the audience that MJ was her brother.

Why the ring mistress of BET, Debra Lee, could not have waited and worked on a show that would have been truly entertaining and befitting to MJ’s memory and his work is beyond me. MJ gave $300 million to charities which is rarely mentioned. Focusing on his charitable contributions during his lifetime and how his musical brilliance created an entire genre of music/videos would have rocked the house and lifted spirits. Instead, we were reminded why he lived in a place called “Neverland”.

You would have to live in a world of make believe to call the show a tribute. The responses on Twitter and in the blogosphere have been horrific. The poorly orchestrated show did not reflect MJ’s musical influence and minimized the gifts of many talented individuals. I am wondering if the folks at the Stellar Awards would have done a better job. On second thought, never mind, that spaceship will never land.

Genma Holmes publishes the blog Genma Speaks, which is about “all things that speak to Genma Holmes’ heart.” She is owner of a pest control owner business, based in Nashville, a writer, publisher, and work in the fashion industry. She also works with non-profits that help young people be the leaders of tomorrow.

Kristin: Supreme Court agrees with New Haven 20

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BY KRISTIN OF BECAUSE I SAID SO

The Supreme Court has decided to reverse a decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals which included Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I have yet to read the entire ruling but I find myself wondering about the ramifications the ruling will have on the New Haven community. It is my understanding that New Haven is predominately a minority community and will now be served by few minorities in positions of authority. I know of many people who came from areas where authority figures did not look like them. I know first hand how feelings of mistrust will pervade the neighborhood and do very little to bridge a widening gulf.

After reading the original ruling I agreed with the ruling in which Judge Areterton arrived. I can say with all honesty I am happy the New Haven 20 will receive the promotions they deserve. I will also say I am very apprehensive about the future of affirmative action.

It is my personal belief that though we have come along way affirmative action is very much needed to ensure a diverse environment,especially on college campuses. For many minorities affirmative action is our Legacy admission. It will be interseting to see how this affects Sotomayor’s confirmation I am of the opinion that it will matter little. Judge Souter whom she would replace agreed with her ruling.

It is undeniable to me that Sotomayor is right in respects that the bench is were policy is made. The supreme court basically laid forth a new policy that will have far reaching effects for the future. Exactly what those outcomes are remains to be seen.

Paul Quinn’s accreditation loss is loss for the whole city

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Paul Quinn College is not dead, but the grim reaper is walking out the door and headed in that direction.

While most of us were following the developments in the death of Michael Jackson, a local story has gotten somewhat lost in the mix. Paul Quinn lost its accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools after two years on probation. During those two years, President Michael Sorrell has instituted a number of fresh approaches to try to save the school, but the Southern Association says it’s not enough.  Sorrell and Paul Quinn have appealed the decision.

Michael Davis of Dallas Progress makes a great point on why the accreditation is so important. “Because students at an unaccredited school can’t get financial aid” says Davis in a recent post about Paul Quinn.

I’ve got three questions for people reading this post.

#1 Do you care whether or not Paul Quinn is able to survive?

#2 If you answered yes, have you ever donated money (even $5) to Paul Quinn?

#3 If you answered yes, have you donated to P.Q. in the last year?

It all boils down to financial solvency. That goes for all of the black institutions that are struggling and in danger of fading away. I’m not suggesting throwing good money after bad. On the same hilltop in Southern Dallas, Bishop College was lost because they couldn’t pay the bills, and now the same thing could happen to Paul Quinn. But Sorrell has been a steadying force of the Purple and Gold, and the stability that’s been created is worth investing in.

The only overt sign of community support for Paul Quinn has been the Bishop 5 revival, which ran in the ’90s and made a brief comeback late last year. Without that type of support -from individuals and businesses- I fear that 3837 Simpson Stuart Road will become a black college memorial, a place dedicated to remembering the past instead of preparing students for the future. Paul Quinn will only go as far as the people of Dallas want it to.

James Rucker, Color of Change: The Jena 6 are Free, How we made it Possible

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I wanted to share the contents of an email sent out by Color of Change Director of Grassroots Mobilization, James Rucker, to their massive member list regarding the plea of “No Contest” by the defendants in the “Jena 6″ case late last week. Color of Change was at the forefront of the internet movement to secure justice for the young men back in 2007.

I’ve had a chance to correspond with James and meet some of the Color of Change staff.  They are utilizing 21st century tools to combat injustices that have persisted for generations.  It’s cool to see that they haven’t just rested on their involvement in Hurricane Katrina justice and with the Jena 6, but continue to stay engaged, even taking the fight to Fox News.  They remain relevant and functional as many such organizations have the tendency to fall off into the abyss of irrelevancy.  Kudos to C of C.

Dear Shawn,

Friday, nearly two years after more than 320,000 of you stood up to protect them from Jim Crow justice, the Jena 6–Jesse Ray Beard, Carwin Jones, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Bryant Purvis and Mychal Bell–are all now free to move ahead with their lives. We should all be proud.

The five remaining Jena 6 cases were brought to conclusion on Friday1 when Jesse Ray, Carwin, Robert, Theo, and Bryant pleaded “no contest” to misdemeanor simple battery charges.2 They will spend no time in jail, serve seven days of probation, and pay relatively minor fines and court fees.


It’s an incredible outcome given that the young men were originally charged with attempted murder in small-town Louisiana and had neither the funds nor the connections to get high-quality representation or attention for their cases.

Luckily for the Jena 6, hundreds of thousands of you got involved, and the power of your participation changed the game. An amazing team of lawyers worked tirelessly to achieve Friday’s outcome. Our staff helped recruit them, and your financial contributions–over $275,000–provided the bulk of the funds for their work. Jim Boren, the coordinating attorney, said this about ColorOfChange members’ contribution: “None of this would have happened without you.”

But it wasn’t just lawyers and money. Over 300,000 of you wrote to Governor Blanco and District Attorney Reed Walters. On September 20th, 2007, more than 10,000 of you went to Jena. Members who couldn’t make it to Jena held more than 150 rallies and vigils across the country, and made more than 6,000 phone calls to elected officials in Louisiana. And a few weeks later, ColorOfChange members sent almost 4,000 complaints demanding an inquiry into the DA’s actions.

Your actions offline and online helped put Jena on the map and resulted in critical coverage in every mainstream news outlet. You started a movement that made it impossible for Louisiana officials to support the status quo.

Today we offer congratulations to these young men and their families, and we say thank you to the entire ColorOfChange.org community. We’re also so thankful to the attorneys who took these cases but chose to stay out of the limelight. They and several others3 are the unsung heroes of this story.

As the young men of the Jena 6 close this chapter of their lives, we wanted to give you an opportunity to wish them well. Click the link below to leave a personal statement for the young men of the Jena 6, or to listen to the voicemail from Jim Boren thanking the ColorOfChange community for our work:

While this is a great moment, it’s important to remember that if it were not for the extreme nature of this case, most of us wouldn’t have known about it or gotten involved. The reality is that there are countless Jena 6′s: young people–often Black and male–who are overcharged or unduly criminalized, and whose plight is unknown to most of the outside world.

Even in the case of the Jena 6, we need to take stock of what did not happen. While Judge JP Mauffray was taken off the case due to the appearance of bias (a pivotal moment for the cases), District Attorney Reed Walters–the person largely responsible for the problems in the first place–still has his job.

It’s the reason our work cannot just be about identifying and fighting for individuals railroaded by the system, but about creating systemic change in criminal justice in America. We are truly grateful to have the chance to do this work with you, and we’re hoping for your continued engagement and support.

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
June 28, 2009

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU — your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

References:

1. “Plea Bargain Wraps Up ‘Jena 6′ Case,” 9-26-09
2. The sixth teenager charged, Mychal Bell, pleaded guilty to battery in juvenile court on December 3rd, 2007.

3. Thanks are due to Alan Bean, Tory Pegram, and King Downing, who dedicated months to working with the families and getting the story out, and to our friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center who played a central role in putting together and supporting the legal teams. Without any one of them, our work would have been hampered, or in some cases not possible at all.

Video: Shawn P. and CNN Bloggers Bunch discuss passing of Michael Jackson

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It was sad discussing the passing of Michael Jackson on CNNcom/Live today, but it was made easier by seeing two friendly faces on the screen with me.  Those were Carmen D. of All About Race, and Lola Adesioye from TheGriot.com.

Here’s the 15 or so minutes that we discussed our thoughts on the King of Pop, what his music meant to the world, and how the discussion has played out since his death.

Dallas Business Journal response to Dallas South post on 40 under Forty Awards

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Here’s a message that I received from the Dallas Business Journal regarding yesterday’s post on their 40 under Forty Awards.

Dear Shawn,

We couldn’t agree with you more about the need to highlight talent in our community that’s often overlooked by the general media, and we’re glad that Dallas South is doing just that.

We share in your vision, and that’s why last year the Dallas Business Journal launched two programs – the Minority Business Leader Awards and the Women in Business Awards – both of which recognize outstanding achievements by entrepreneurs and corporate executives.

But our commitment to covering the diverse talent that makes up our business community would be disingenuous if it were limited to these award programs. It’s not: We want to cover news about successful and innovative business leaders — no matter their ethnicity or gender — daily online at dallasbusinessjournal.com, weekly in our Friday print edition — all year long. That’s why we’ve reached out to many minority and women organizations like the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, the African Chamber of Commerce, DFW Minority Business Council , Women’s Business Council-Southwest and others to build partnerships.

Thank you for highlighting this issue. We encourage your readers to make nominations in any of our awards programs by visiting
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/nomination/

And we’re always looking for news-making entrepreneurs and executives to profile in Dallas Business Journal’s Enterprise Zone section in our weekly print edition. Our copy editor, Debbie Bolles, will be happy to provide the guidelines; just e-mail her at dbolles@bizjournals.com.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

Christine Perez
Assistant Managing Editor (and project editor of the 40 Under Forty special publication)
Dallas Business Journal

Shawn P. on CNN Live (online) Friday to discuss death of Michael Jackson

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On Friday at 11 AM Central, I will be on CNN Live (online) where we will talk about the life, death, and legacy of Michael Jackson. Central. We were originally scheduled to talk about CNN’s Black in America, but the topic obviously changed after the tragic news regarding the King of Pop.

Click here or the link above to go to the site.

Old School Friday: Remembering Michael Jackson

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The Old School Friday theme is week is Michael Jackson, in remembrance. I will never forget how I learned of Michael Jackson’s death. It will be embedded in my mind like the day I learned of Tupac’s death, or when I found out that Mike Tyson had been knocked out by Buster Douglass.

My wife and I were out and about and I pulled over at a service station to get a couple of Icees. We were listening to the radio (The Ticket), and they were reporting sketchy details of someone having a heart attack, but we couldn’t figure out who they were talking about.

Just before I got out of the car they said it was Michael Jackson. We both kind of shook our heads and I left and entered the store. When I got back to the car, she looked at me and said “he’s dead.” The news was just that fast yesterday, it’s just a surreal sort of thing.

For someone my age – I was around 9 when Thriller was released- Michael Jackson is sort of the beginning of our musical consciousness. I was at the age where we put MJ Jackets in the layaway, sported a glove from time to time, and spent hours watching Michael breakthrough on MTV which rarely played black artists before then.

I remember how at the skating rink they would shut down the floor and drop a screen to show the “Thriller” video, a ritual that continued for years and years. There were also “Michael Jackson” contests to see who had the best M.J. dancing skills. I remember my classmate Yamesha moonwalking her way to victory one night.

Michael had problems due to his harsh and business driven childhood, but he was one of the few people that you can drop the tag “musical genius” on without question. Today truly is a sad day.

Anyway, here are my OSF entries. I stayed away from Thriller because its the best of all time, and you can’t just pick one song from that album. So here are my entries. R.I.P. MJ (1958-2009)

Butterflies (written by Marsha Ambrosius Floetry)

Butterflies was Michael Jackson’s last hit on the top 100 (#14), and it reached #2 on the R&B chart.

Remember how the release of a Michael Jackson video was like a movie premiere. Everyone made sure they were in front of the T.V. to see what Mike might pull off next. This was the case with “Remember the Time”, “Smooth Criminal”, “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Those were the days.

Michael Jackson – Remember The Time

Uploaded by hushhush112. – Watch more music videos, in HD!

Couldn’t pass up the chance to post the deut with Michael and Janet (Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty).

Last but not least, this is when everyone realized that Mike was not only a special talent amongst his brothers, but that he had solo breakout potential. It was part of the progression to Thriller. God Bless the Jackson family

Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40 void of Young Black Business Talent

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I find it odd that the Dallas Business Journal has compiled a list for their 40 under Forty Award that has zero African-American Males and zero African-American Females. I wasn’t able to get my hands on a physical copy of the journal which dropped yesterday (sold out), but I did click on all 40 names listed which included pictures, and there was no (visible) African-American representation on the list.

I find it interesting that D CEO has executive Gail Warrior-Lawrence (Warrior Group) on this month’s cover for their Super Entrepreneurs issue. Warrior doesn’t look a day over 30, but I’m not revealing her age. The point is there are black business people out there to highlight in such a way.

Maybe DBJ is holding out some of their good young candidates for the Minority Business Leader Awards. I can’t tell you, I’m just reporting what I saw when I clicked on the award winners.

According to the Dallas Biz Journal Website, they are already looking for solicitations for next year’s list. Here’s the call as it appears on the site:

In 2010, the Dallas Business Journal will once again seek highly accomplished executives and entrepreneurs under the age of 40 for our 40 Under Forty Awards program.

To qualify, candidates must be 39 years old or younger as of June 30, 2010, and have a proven track record in both business and community involvement.

We are looking for executives who really shine — innovators, dealmakers, influential leaders who excel in their respective companies and industries, and show dynamic leadership in their communities.

Apparently there were no Black innovators, no Black dealmakers, no Black executives that “really shine” and are under 40. Or maybe there were no black folks nominated. I know of at least one person who was, but I guess they didn’t make the cut.

Am I offended by the Dallas Biz list? Not really. But it further illustrates the need for places like Dallas South that helps folks see the overlooked portions of our community.

And it illustrates what’s being lost in the dire state of Black media outlets like Ebony and Jet. So stop emailing me about how I’m racist for having a site dedicated to the positive portrayal of African-Americans.

Anyway, look for a list from Dallas South that will highlight the under 40 business scene. If you have anyone you would like to nominate, comment on this post and we will consider them.

DALLAS BUSINESS JOURNAL 40 UNDER 40