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Priscilla Shirer: Ministering Through Acting in Overcomer

Call her an author. Call her an actress. Ask Priscilla Shirer what she is and she will say a minister, a teacher, someone trying to bring souls to know Jesus Christ. That is who she is at her core. Everything she does centers around that sole purpose. Connecting ministry to acting seems like a stretch when thinking of it in the mainstream of pure entertainment. However, changing your perspective to focus on the content of material rather than the entertainment factor and connecting the dots between the two is easy.

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GregAlan Williams Tapping Into the Heart of Women

Every time GregAlan Williams takes on a role he has the same goal every time, to be believed. “If I am believed, I’m good,” said Williams. With the encompasses over 20 films, more than 30 television shows, and even some video games, we have been believing Williams as an actor for years. Just as long as he has been acting, he has been writing. And he now merges his talents in his re-released book, Heart of Woman.

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Avelo Airlines Now Taking Flight From Houston to Southern Connecticut

Avelo Airlines Expands Service from Southern Connecticut to Three Exclusive Nonstop Destinations: Houston, St. Louis and Traverse City, MI

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Exceeding Carnival Guests’ Expectation with a Listening Ear

As a child, my mother often said the phrase, “You have two ears and one mouth because you need to listen more than you speak.” Well, Arnold Donald, Carnival Corporation’s CEO, must have heard the same thing as a kid since he counts having a listening ear as one of the keys to his success.

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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.

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The Reset of TSU with Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young

"What is the transformative thing that I am going to do today?" is the question that Texas Southern University President Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young asks herself at the start of each day. It's a question that causes her to act intentionally for a defined purpose. This is how she will approach each day of the presidency of Texas Southern University.

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Yellowstone Schools Gives Students More Than a Traditional Education

Approaching anything, in the same way, expecting different results only leads to the same tired outcomes. A new perspective with a fresh action plan puts a different spin on issues and allows for varied effects. Many schools in the private and charter systems are providing that innovative viewpoint to education by cutting through the red tape of the norm and breaking through with the change of the unexpected.

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Houston’s Own Chandler Foreman Is Miss Texas 2019

A win for the US is how Miss Texas 2019 Chandler Foreman describes her historic crowning as the first reigning queen of the Miss America system to wear the crown with natural hair. For years beauty queens were put in a box to be thought of as thin, with straight long blonde hair and blue eyes.

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Train a Child, Reach a Parent, Represent Well

Proverbs 22:6 states, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Either today’s generations missed a lesson or two or never learned it all but the lesson of knowing how to represent yourself well publically has been lost. Gone are the rules for wearing what is right.

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Revving Up for Success: Celebrating 20 Years of V-Series Fandom

Buckle up, Houston! As we mark the 20th Anniversary of V-Series, it's time to honor the passionate enthusiasts who have made this journey unforgettable. From the roar of the engine to the thrill of the race, discover the heart and soul of V-Series fandom that fuels our excitement.

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Kamala Harris: Visualizing a Future Never Once Imagined

Barriers are meant to block someone or something from occurring. Just as they are meant to deter, barriers also can serve as motivation for someone to do what has never be done before. For years women have encounter roadblocks in the climb up the political ladder. Despite what was in their way they kept pressing forward, pushing the mark, never losing their focus. Never underestimate a woman who has ever been doubted. She will just smile in your face and say ‘Watch me work.’

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African American Sorority Targeted In Racist Incident at American University

Bring first is certainly not easy. Taylor Dumpson is one who knows. What was supposed to be a wonderful time of celebration and feeling of great accomplishment was turned into something hateful and fearful.

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Twelve African American Men Achieve Highest Rank in Boy Scouting

Since 1910, the Boy Scouts of America have operated at a level of achieving nothing less than their best to honor God, serve their country, and obey the Scout Law. In doing so millions of young men have grown to be “physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

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Revealed: Texas Legislature’s True Political Landscape Uncovered in Groundbreaking Analysis

In a groundbreaking study, the political landscape of the Texas Legislature has been unveiled, exposing discrepancies between lawmakers' self-proclaimed party affiliations and their voting records. This unprecedented analysis, conducted by the Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA), sheds light on the ideological leanings of Texas lawmakers, redefining the balance of power within the state's legislative bodies.

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Unveiling the Rabbi Samuel Karff Bridge: Enhancing Connectivity and Commemorating a Legacy

In a heartwarming tribute to the late Rabbi Samuel Karff's commitment to unity and justice, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Houston Parks Board President and CEO Beth White are set to unveil the Rabbi Samuel Karff Bridge on April 9, 2024. This landmark pedestrian-bike bridge, spanning Brays Bayou from North Braeswood to South Braeswood boulevards, not only honors Rabbi Karff's enduring legacy but also enhances recreational opportunities and fosters safer routes for students to commute to schools.

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Evictions: Millions of Families in Financial Turmoil

The COVID-19 global pandemic is scary enough with just trying to stay healthy. Adding stress to that problem for many Americans is the lost of income as a result of layoffs and furloughs since many businesses had to close their doors. Lack of money on an already low-income family is compounded stress making the first of the month one of the scariest days ever.

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Lizzo Winning On All Levels

In a race, everyone sets out to be the winner. Although there is only one official winner once the race is done there are many ways to win a race. One can win by beating their previous score or time. One can win because they never gave up. Winning can be as simple as entering the race in the first place. However, you define a win makes you are a winner. R&B rap artist Lizzo is having one winning year racking up awards, accolades, and acclaims everywhere she goes.

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Business Style: Meet LaTanya Graham, Owner of Tailormade Resume and Career Advising

Before the corner office can be decorated, the six figure salary earned or the close of your first major deal can happen one must first land the job. Separating yourself from the pool of candidates to get the interview takes more than skill. One must know their best assets and sell them in the first thing employers touch, our resume.

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Tiffany Haddish: Laughing Her Way to Stardom

Laughter is the best medicine and that could not be truer than for actress, comedian and now author Tiffany Haddish. After a horrific accident that left her mother with severe brain damage, a young Haddish found herself raising her four siblings and in foster care in the poorest part of South Central Los Angeles. She was not the best student and was often in trouble. People were ready to give up on her until divine intervention struck when her social worker sent her to the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp where she took her pain and used comedy as therapy to find her true passion.

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H-E-B Named Grocery Store Of Year 2020

Regional Grocery Takes Top Spot For Its’ COVID-19 Response

When it comes to grocery stores, Texans can agree that H-E-B is the best. Yes, they have a wide variety of food and other things. Yes, they make meal prep easy for cooks and non-cooks with their ready-made meals and cooking demos. But what keeps people coming back time and time again to shop at H-E-B is the way they treat customers and how that care follows to help communities.