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HISD Helping Hands
As we navigate uncharted territory with the impact of COVID-19, HISD is fully committed to supporting our students and families in need.
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In Search of Unity: A Houston Perspective of A Yates High School Loss (George Floyd): Dr. Bertie Simmons Speaks
The killing of George Floyd, a member of the Yates High School family, has poignantly exposed and made abundantly public the lives that blacks have lived for centuries in America. It is heart-breaking and calls several things to question: Why have we not, as the “privileged” class, done something over all these years to bring justice to the black community – a community that has made amazing contributions to our society? Why have we as the “privileged” closed our eyes to the unjust treatment they have endured all their lives? Our doing nothing shines a bright light on our lack of respect, understanding and empathy for others. The blame rests on our shoulders for our insensitivity and lack of courage to stand up for what is right.
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‘I can’t breathe - The murder of George Floyd was a lynching in broad daylight.’
The signs say Black Lives Matter. Yet the very people who are supposed to protect us too often, in too many places, don’t seem to agree.
Three police officers stood and watched as a fourth, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck. They watched for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, with Floyd unresponsive for 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that, according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin.
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'I Can't Breathe'
The murder of George Floyd was a lynching in broad daylight. Three police officers stood and watched as a fourth, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck. They watched for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, with Floyd unresponsive for 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that, according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin. They did nothing to stop the murder. Their silence was as much an act of violence as Cauvin's knee. And if there were no video recording of the murder, they likely would have upheld the Code Blue loyalty, and lied about what happened.
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Make Schools Serving Black Students Better Through Competition? Make Them Safer By Arming Personnel, Black Leaders Say
Students trapped in failing schools can be freed by encouraging competition among public schools through the provision of vouchers and "Tax Credit Scholarships," according to the black leadership network Project 21 in the latest installment of its "Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America."
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President Trump doesn't really know what makes America great
For the second summer in a row, President Trump stood in front of the press and demonstrated that he doesn't actually know what makes America great. The sounds of shocked gasps were audible from sea to shining sea on Monday as the US President stood next to Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki and rebuked the US intelligence community in a breathtaking few minutes of political history.
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Back-to-School and Back to Excessively Punishing Black Students?
Fort Bend Independent School District (ISD) has a horrible record when it comes to failing and overly punishing our black students. According to a six-year study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR), black students in Fort Bend ISD were six times more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions than white students and four times as likely to be placed on in-school suspension.
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Obama's 'circular firing squad' remarks may not persuade 2020 Democrats
In Berlin, the city famous for once dividing itself in two with a wall, former President Barack Obama tackled the issue of division in politics and his worries for the Democratic Party's future: "Among progressives in the United States ... is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, 'Uh, I'm sorry, this is how it's going to be.'" Obama argued, at an Obama Foundation event on Saturday, that party infighting usually leads to the weakening of a movement by "creating what's called a 'circular firing squad' where you start shooting at your allies because one of them is straying from purity on the issues."
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Where your kid goes to college doesn't matter as much as you think
Before you "help" your kid get into an Ivy League school through various methods of chicanery, take a very deep breath and consider why it's so important to you that they get into an elite school.
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As Democrats Denounce Weinstein, Clintons and Obama Stay Mum
Many Democratic office holders were quick to repudiate disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein following a bombshell report detailing decades of alleged sexual harassment.
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Biden suggests the evidence in Chauvin trial is 'overwhelming': 'I'm praying that the verdict is the right verdict'
President Joe Biden, breaking his careful silence about the eventual outcome in the trial of Derek Chauvin, said Tuesday he was "praying the verdict is the right verdict" and suggested there was ample evidence for the jury to consider as they determine whether the former Minneapolis police officer is guilty of murdering George Floyd
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Leading Health and Cancer Advocacy Groups Unite to Reduce Racial Disparities in Cancer Care
NCCN, ACS CAN, and NMQF present new polling data showing patient, caregiver and provider views of bias and suggest policy and practice changes to improve equity in access to high quality cancer ca
Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) presented new ideas for overcoming inequality in oncology. The recommendations—developed by a group of 17 national experts, representing patients and advocates, caregivers, healthcare providers, researchers, and industry—directly address how medical systems in the United States often disproportionately fail minority patients, particularly those who are Black and/or Indigenous, and draws on extensive polling data from a recent poll fielded by Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of the organizations to make clear the case for urgent action.
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Biden to announce major foreign policy shifts including end of support for war in Yemen
President Joe Biden is set to announce a series of significant changes to US foreign policy including measures on Yemen and LBGTQ rights during a speech at the State Department, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday.
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Mike Pence says he'd consider testifying before January 6 committee if invited
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he would give "due consideration" to any formal invitation to testify before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, while hinting at potential executive privilege issues.
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CDC mask mandate for travelers struck down by federal judge
A federal judge in Florida struck down on Monday the Biden administration's mask mandate for airplanes and other public transport methods.
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Biden says gun violence has turned America's communities into 'killing fields'
President Joe Biden on Monday said gun violence has turned everyday places in America into "killing fields" as he marked the passage of the first significant federal gun safety legislation in 30 years.
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Lovell’s Food For Thought-The StarFish Story & Addressing Health Inequities
Making A Difference
I thought I would share this story of the Starfish, adapted by MissKorang. Although we have made little progress in addressing health inequities, like the story of the starfish, we have had a significant impact on those we have reached. At the end of her version of the starfish story, MissKorang talks about Racism. It maybe that racism is to big a topic for the nation to grasp, having heard it being root cause of America’s problem. Turning a death ear to even listening to a something it really needs to consider. White America is still at the helm of this nation, whether we like it or not, and we need for them to not only listen but understand and act. To me, framing the discussion around health inequities may be a viable path.
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How Pride events nationally are responding after a White supremacist group allegedly planned to riot in Idaho
With Pride celebrations scheduled throughout the month in cities big and small across the country, organizers and police departments are taking a close look at their safety plans.
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Disney shows off its post-Iger politics
Disney's CEO transition from Bob Iger to Bob Chapek marked a shift from an outspoken, famous CEO with political ambitions, to a largely unfamiliar name whose politics remain a mystery. This week, we got a glimpse at how Chapek's Disney might respond to the world's tumultuous political climate.
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Donald Trump's lasting legacy will now be the overturning of Roe v. Wade
During his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Donald Trump had one sure-fire way to beat back doubts about his conservative bona fides: he would talk about who he might appoint, if given the chance, to the Supreme Court.
