Kingwood native serves with U.S. Navy
Elmer, a 2014 Kingwood High School graduate, joined the Navy four years ago.
Fashion Group International Releases Exclusive FGI Communiqué Fashion Report naming Top 10 Trends from New York’s Fall / Winter 2023 Runways
Non-profit organization and fashion career incubator Fashion Group International has released its semi-annual FGI COMMUNIQUÉ report following the end of the New York Fashion Week. FGI taps key industry experts to chronicle the latest trends from New York’s Fall / Winter 2023 runway shows, connecting the dots with a look at overarching themes and influences. Sponsored by Hilldun Corporation, the FGI COMMUNIQUÉ serves as an extension of FGI’s legacy established in 1930 - to serve as an indispensable industry resource for the fashion industry and related sectors.
Harris County Attorney Announces Legal Action Against Landfill Expansion
Harris County will challenge a permit that would expand a controversial landfill located in the Carverdale community in northwest Houston, a historically black community that has largely opposed the expansion. The landfill – known as the Hawthorn Park Recycling & Disposal Facility, operated by USA Waste of Texas Landfills, Inc. – holds construction and demolition waste.
Houston-Born Rapper Releases Two New Tracks Produced By Grammy-Winning Producers Cool & Dre
Houston-born rapper Yung Pooda sets a sizzling tone for the year with the release of two new tracks “Already Know” featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Angelica Vila and “Did It Again” featuring Fat Joe via It’s A 10 Records. Get “Already Know” HERE & “Did It Again” HERE. The two Cool & Dre-produced tracks dominate with a buzzworthy appeal that takes Pooda’s Texas-born flare to new heights.
Houston native serves aboard soon-to-be U.S. Navy’s newest ship
Airman Apprentice Treshawn Hampton, a native of Houston, Texas, serves with pre-commissioning unit (PCU) John L. Canley, operating out of San Diego, California.
Is There A Black Doctor in the House?
Where are all the Black doctors? They are hard to find. On average, about 5.7% of all the doctors in the US are Black according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although enrollment of African Americans in medical school is on the rise, 5.7% is still low when considering that there are 66.1% of active physicians with a US Doctor of Medicine degree.Where are all the Black doctors? They are hard to find. On average, about 5.7% of all the doctors in the US are Black according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Although enrollment of African Americans in medical school is on the rise, 5.7% is still low when considering that there are 66.1% of active physicians with a US Doctor of Medicine degree. Looking back at the history of Blacks in medicine, it's easy to see why the numbers are so low. However, new data suggests that more black doctors are needed now than ever, and for some, it could mean the difference between life and death. On average, when put in a crowd of a diverse population with no identifying connections, a person will gravitate toward those of their own race. It's a natural behavior because people are more at ease with who or what they know. Generally, being of the same race is an easy commonality to draw towards. This same kind of thinking works in medicine as well. According to studies, Black Americans who have black doctors have more trust in them, practice preventative care, and ultimately live longer lives. "I think we as blacks relate more to people who look like us. Often, we have unspoken similar backgrounds that bring us to a common place of understanding when we have difficulties in our quests for higher education," said Dr. Creaque Charles, Pharm. D. at an accredited HBCU school of pharmacy. How to Improve Representation of African Americans in Medicine? The answer to that question lies in the problems that Blacks have with medicine. To understand the concerns, one must go way back in history to when enslaved men and women were forcibly brought over on ships to America. Those men and women were treated less than humans and stacked on top of each other like property. On that journey, they had to exist in deplorable conditions that were filled with human fecal matter, urine, and other forms of human waste. This resulted in them becoming gravely ill, and some died. None received medical care. The feeling continued when slave owners subjected their Black female slaves to forced sterilization to stop reproduction. Women were also exploited for their bodies to produce more strong slave labor. These women did not also receive any medical care. When the truth about an unethical experiment with Tuskegee men and Syphilis (dubbed the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis) came to light in 1972, prejudices grew.vDuring the era of the Civil War, Blacks were "doomed to extinction" by the medical community of the time, which thought the mental, moral, and physical deterioration of Blacks would send them to an early grave. The distrust of the medical community continues to this day as some doctors of other races may have prior biological beliefs about Blacks that can result in doctors thinking Blacks have a high tolerance for pain, so they may undertreat them for pain. Incidents like the above led some Blacks to believe that they receive better treatment than their own because they know the point of view from which they are coming. They understand it. "When people look at me and they can see themselves in me, that commonality serves as the foundation for a bond of trust," said Dr. Robbyn Traylor, chief medical officer of an urgent medical care clinic, who knows that any doctor can be excellent no matter their race. "There is a level of comfort that is understood and that can remain unspoken when brown and Black patients are treated by brown and Black doctors." A CNN article dives further into the issue of why there is not a surge of Black doctors. Those reasons include factors like the race being excluded from medicine, systematic racism, institutional racism, not being exposed to STEM or STEM careers as a child, and a lack of Black doctors as mentors are among the top reasons. History supports this when looking at the first Black person to earn a medical degree. Dr. James McCune Smith had to go all the way to Scotland to receive his degree in 1837 from the University of Glasgow. Dr. Traylor was fortunate as a child to be heavily exposed to the life of a Black doctor as both of her parents worked in the medical field. She was often at their heels as a child while they worked at one of the best trauma centers in the Texas Medical Center. "I was lucky enough to grow up in a community of people who made me believe that I had the intellect and attitude for medicine." Diversity Matters Diversity Matters After Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington enacted bans on affirmative action, the diversity of the medical schools in those states dropped by a third. Before Black students were wholeheartedly welcomed at these schools in the 1800s and 1900s, they had a choice of seven medical schools, according to research by the Duke University Medical Center Library and Archives. Now only two remain: Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Black students are more likely to attend black medical schools to seek out those who look like them and have proven that their dreams are achievable. Future Black doctors want to attend schools where they don’t have to feel as if they don’t belong. They want to go to schools where they are encouraged to do well, and those who are instructors and mentors truly believe that THEY can do well. Dr. Tamiya Sam, who is a registered pharmacist and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, knows that whether it is medical, pharmacy, dental, or nurse practitioner school, having a Black mentor matters. "The face of pharmacy is increasingly non-Black. I believe if there were more hands on and dedicated Black pharmacists who truly mentored Black pharmacy students, it would have a higher impact on their completion because they would serve as someone who has been there and genuinely wants to help them succeed." Rosa Terrance, DNP, APRN, GNP-C, agrees with Dr. Sam. "Mentorship absolutely matters and is influential in producing more providers of color. At all times, I make sure of two things: 1) I have a mentor who looks like me, and 2) I am acting as a mentor to someone else. There is a degree of comfort and trust that is birthed out of just being present with someone of your likeness in an otherwise underrepresented space." The Next Generation of Doctors African Americans have a responsibility to expose our children to all the world can offer them. African Americans have a responsibility as a race to step up and be mentors for brown and black children in all fields, not just the medical field. To improve race relations, Blacks must educate our non-Black counterparts. A change must come, and it must start now with each of us.
Just Desserts By the Girl Scouts Kicks Off the 2023 Cookie Season
Houston area celebrity chefs teamed up with the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto to create unique desserts using Girl Scout cookies as their key ingredient at the 12th annual Just Desserts. This event is one of the kickoff events for the 2023 cookie season.
City Approves Agreement for Major Flood Mitigation Project
Houston City Council approved funding for a significant flood mitigation project today that will appropriate $15.2 million to the Inwood Detention Basin Interlocal Agreement between the City of Houston and the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). Harris County Commissioners Court approved its portion of the Interlocal Agreement with the City on Tuesday, February 22, 2023.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical Premieres in Houston at the Hobby Center February 22 – March 12, 2023
Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center announces tickets for the first North American tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical will go on sale Friday, November 4 at 10AM. Moulin Rouge! The Musical will play the Hobby Center February 22 – March 12, 2023.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, County Attorney Christian Menefee, Others Honor State Rep. Senfronia Thompson During Murals Unveiling
After Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and others bestowed accolades on state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Texas’ longest serving legislator then brought the crowd to laughter at a ceremony to unveil two downtown murals, one that honors her.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis Announces 793 Guns Received During Third Gun Buyback
Houston-area residents turned in 793 guns on Saturday at the third Gun Buyback event conducted by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Sheriff Ed Gonzales and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in their efforts to reduce violent crime and make Houston-area communities safer.
It Shouldn't Take a Fiery Crash and Toxic Spill to Push Action on Railroad Safety
People around East Palestine, Ohio, have been warned not to run their vacuum cleaners.
Will the Ron DeSantis Bubble Burst?
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has made himself into the leading rival to Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. He won a sweeping re-election victory as governor in 2022, even as Republicans generally were underperforming. Now, he’s used that position to pick purposeful fights on polarizing social issues, clearly seeking to cater to the fury of the MAGA Republican base. By assailing what he calls “wokeness,” including everything from vaccinations, Dr. Fauci, critical race theory, LGBTQ students, and how American history is taught, he apparently hopes to offer Republicans a new generation culture warrior who can rouse Trump’s base and have a broader appeal to suburban voters.
Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody Now Available On Digital and Coming to Blu-Ray and DVD
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten (Best Adapted Screenplay, The Two Popes, 2019), produced by legendary music executive Clive Davis and starring BAFTA Award® winner Naomi Ackie, the film is a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice.
Latino Leadership Award Recognizes ECODiversity CEO for Advocacy Leadership on behalf of Latino Heritage Sites, DEI in National Parks
Diversity Journal has named ECODiversity CEO Noemi Lujan Perez among the magazine’s 2023 Latino Leadership Awardees for her efforts championing meaningful change in national parks on behalf of Latinos, and for her trailblazing work with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to prioritize Latino Heritage Sites.
Commissioners Court Unanimously Approves Apprenticeship Advantage Program
Partnership between county and labor-managed apprenticeship programs will train workers and create career pipelines that connect people to in-demand jobs that offer strong wages and benefits
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Tuesday applauded Commissioners Court’s unanimous approval of a labor-managed apprenticeship program as part of the County’s broader Apprenticeship Advantage initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Ars Lyrica features three young opera stars in a gender-bending twist of Handel's cantata
Lauren Snouffer, Key’mon Murrah, and Cecelia McKinley return to Houston for Handel's “Clori, Tirsi, e Fileno” on Sunday, March 26th at 4 pm
Grammy-nominated music organization Ars Lyrica Houston welcomes three young opera stars to perform Handel's Clori, Tirsi, e Fileno with full Baroque orchestra on Sunday, March 26th at 4 pm in Zilkha Hall. This concert will also be available to watch digitally through high-quality livestream.
Clear Resin Handbags by L'ALINGI
Artisan made handbag collection, L'ALINGI, has a collection of artistic clear resin handbags with a retro appeal that are sure to compliment any outfit you have planned this season!
Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuit
Law firm filing cases for women harmed by hair relaxers
Recent scientific evidence has pointed to a link between the use of chemical hair relaxers and the development of certain types of cancer. Product liability lawsuits have been filed against major beauty company L’Oreal, alleging that toxic chemicals in their hair relaxers led to an increased risk of uterine cancer. This lawsuit, along with other related claims, will pave the way for victims to pursue a hair relaxer cancer lawsuit.
Apple TV+’s charming animated series “Pretzel and the Puppies” returns with season two on Friday, February 24
Emmy Award-winner Mark Duplass and Nasim Pedrad lead voice cast
Apple TV+ is excited to share a sneak peek clip from the season two return of "Pretzel and the Puppies," premiering globally on Friday, February 24. The series stars the voice talents of Emmy Award winner Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”), Nasim Pedrad (“Chad,” “Aladdin”) as well as newcomers Milo Stein, Alex Jayne Go, Max Mitchell, Amari McCoy and Gracen Newton.
