J. L. August Bridge Builder Award Luncheon at Perry’s Steak House
The Dr. Jeffery Lawrence August (JLA) Bridge Builder’s Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, awarded college scholarships to three deserving high school seniors from underserved communities. The recipients—Jeremiah Conway from Young Men’s Leadership Academy, and Bryson Adams and Jaeden Servantez from Sam Houston High School—each received a $1,000 scholarship. The awards luncheon, attended by 31 mentees who received mentoring certificates, took place at Perry’s Steak House and featured guest speaker Retired Colonel Gerald Jolivette, former Vice Base Commander at Lackland Air Force Base.
J.L. Bridge Builders Foundation
The luncheon also recognized Ahmad Whitted as Mentor of the Year and Tristian White from Sam Houston High as Mentee of the Year. Ms. Marquisha Nellum from Sam Houston High School was honored for her significant contributions in planning weekly mentoring sessions and organizing the annual event.
Sean “Diddy” Combs issued a public apology through an Instagram video nearly two days after CNN released footage of him assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. The video, which shows Combs engaging in physical violence against Ventura, aligns with claims made in a now-resolved federal lawsuit Ventura filed against him.
For nearly 48 hours after the video’s release, Combs faced widespread backlash but did not respond. His apology came only after his previous denials were contradicted by the video evidence, leading to criticism that his remorse was motivated more by exposure than by genuine regret. In his statement, Combs said, “I was f**ked up — I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I am disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
Ventura’s attorney, Meredith Firetog, criticized Combs’ apology as self-serving, noting his history of denying the allegations from Ventura and others, who Combs claimed were merely seeking financial settlements. “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words,” Firetog stated.
Combs, a prominent figure in the music industry and founder of Bad Boy Records, has also faced accusations from five other civil suits following Ventura’s claims, all of which he denied. Despite his previous assertions, Combs now acknowledges seeking professional help and commits to bettering himself, though he asserts he is not asking for forgiveness.
This incident casts a shadow over Combs’ significant contributions to hip-hop and his status as a successful entrepreneur, highlighting the complex legacy of one of the music industry’s influential figures.
The song called the “Yellow Rose of Texas” was written by racists and changed over the years. The lyrics were changed over time as the word “Soldier” replaced “darky.” And the first line of the chorus was also changed to read, “She’s the sweetest little flower….” For generations, the Yellow Rose of Texas has been one of America’s most popular myths, connected to Texas and San Antonio, ballooning over time and doing little to resemble the truth of what happened on April 21, 1836, at the battle of San Jacinto, where a new Texas Republic won its independence and created a slave republic. The woman who has been traditionally connected to the story was an ordinary remarkable free black woman from the North, Emily D. West who never had a sexual relationship with Santa Anna. This was a total racist lie.
When you live in Texas seething with accepted racism, invented stories appear to supply the idea of racial superiority. Racial myth even has tourist value. In San Antonio, this has even taken the form of naming a hotel after Emily Morgan (West), an idea that reinforces the other myth—that of the Alamo, for the hotel is directly across the street. Racial myth and racist history remains an almost permanent structure of thought that is transmitted from one generation to the next, carried like a mental Trojan horse, hibernating, embedded in the minds of millions, and hidden in bedtime stories and old grandpa mythical tales that are highly infectious. The ignorant Alamo historians run around telling stories that old racist liars told them.
After the Battle of the Alamo, which was little more than a small skirmish, with the Alamo defenders being killed within 30 minutes (of those that did not run), thousands of Anglos began running in what became known as the “runaway scrape.” Anglo settlers picked up everything they owned and headed toward Louisiana. It was here that Emily West (Morgan), from the New Washington Hotel in then Mexico (now Texas) saw the running white settlers as Santa Anna’s army was in pursuit. Emily West would have known that Blacks were being freed everywhere Santa Anna went to drive slave owners out. The Yellow Rose of Texas song was actually a slave song brought from Louisiana with these words: “There’s a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see, No other darky [sic] knows her, no darky only me She cryed [sic] so when I left her it like to broke my heart, And if I ever find her, we nevermore will part. She’s the sweetest rose of color this darky ever knew, Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew; You may talk about your Dearest May, and sing of Rosa Lee, But the Yellow Rose of Texas beats the belles of Tennessee.”
The earliest known version of the song is found in Christy’s Plantation Melodies, a songbook published in Philadelphia in 1853. Christy was the founder of the racist blackface minstrel show known as the Christy’s Minstrels. These racist actors presented Black stereotypes and like most minstrel songs, the lyrics are written in a cross between the dialect historically spoken by African-Americans and standard American English. The song is written from the perspective of an African-American singer who refers to himself in racist terminology as a “darkey,” longing to return to “a yellow girl,” a term used to describe a light-skinned mulatto woman. The song had nothing to do with Emily West, but this was the type of racist buffoonery that ruled Texas.
VIA News — In observance of Memorial Day, VIA Metropolitan Transit bus service will operate on the following schedule on Monday, May 27, 2024. Visit VIAinfo.net/routes, or call (210) 362-2020 for full schedule information:
All regular bus routes – “Saturday” schedule “Go Line” customer information line, 210-362-2020 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Customer Concerns line – Closed – Submit concerns at viainfo.net/contact/ Downtown and Crossroads Information Centers – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All other information centers – Closed
Customers can purchase passes and plan trips with the free VIA goMobile+ app or within the Uber app.
Annual PitchBLACK Event Grants $380,000 to Upcoming San Antonio-Produced Film “American Sons” About JV Villarreal, the 22-Year-Old San Antonio Marine Killed in Action
For the last seven years, Black Public Media (BPM) has hosted the PitchBLACK film forum – a grant-based competition for independent filmmakers pursuing creative endeavors. This year BPM awarded over half a million dollars in grants to several filmmakers and creators developing various projects tackling a range of different subjects. Among the recipients, the most substantial award was given to the filmmakers of “American Sons,” a documentary about a 22-year-old Marine from the westside of San Antonio who was killed in action in 2010.
BPM is a Harlem-based media-centered nonprofit dedicated to promoting “the development of visionary content creators,” seeking to emphasize “stories about the global Black experience to inspire a more equitable and inclusive future,” according to their mission statement. Formerly known as the National Black Programming Consortium, BPM develops, funds, and distributes content that highlights Black representation, generally focusing on documentary stories.
Producer / Director – Andrew Gonzales
The PitchBLACK film forum is hosted annually by BPM, with the goal of supporting and uplifting independently-funded filmmakers and storytellers aiming to spotlight perspectives from the Black community. This year’s session, which was held in April, saw a grand total of $610,000 awarded in grants to help various creators with their ongoing creative ventures, the most that PitchBLACK has donated since its creation less than a decade ago. Of the awards presented, the largest came from the Jacquie Jones Memorial Fund award, totaling $380,000, and was given to San Antonio native Andrew J. Gonzales and El Paso native Laura Varela, the respective director and producer of “American Sons.”
Gonzales and Varela both work and reside in the San Antonio area, and have been active in the film industry for over a decade. Back in 2015, the pair took home the top prize in the City on The Rise Film Competition at the San Antonio Film Festival, and have each gone on to amass a slew of other awards and honors for their separate documentary pursuits. Varela has also taught courses on documentary film at UTSA as a visiting professor.
“American Sons” is currently slated to debut on PBS in 2025 and centers on Corporeal Jorge “JV” Villareal, a young marine killed in action in Afghanistan. Villareal, who was from the westside of San Antonio, documented much of his life in combat through a series of video diaries that help frame the narrative of “American Sons.” The film also focuses attention on JV’s family and his Marine unit as they navigate the aftermath of his death. Gonzales and Varela hope that the film will shed light on the harsh reality of life in deployment, while providing insight into the emotional upheaval many veterans face during the transition from combat to civilian life.
The PitchBLACK grant will allow Gonzales and Varela to complete their film, which has already been in production for nearly five years. Stay tuned for future updates on “American Sons.”
The “bleached blond bad built butch body” comeback that keeps giving.
Representative Jasmine Crockett is doubling down on her viral jab against far-right Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene by beating the firebrand at her own game: Crockett filed a trademark on the phrase “bleach blonde bad-built butch body” and is producing a “Crockett Clapback Collection” featuring phrases the freshman lawmaker has said.
Crockett, a representative from Texas, posted a mockup of a shirt featuring the phrase “bleach blonde bad-built butch body,” which Crockett refers to as “B6” for its alliteration. On announcing the line of swag—which trademark filings note will include hats, hoodies, socks, and t-shirts—Crockett says proceeds “will go to ensuring that we have a Democratic House!”
The diss came during a House Oversight Committee meeting after Greene inexplicably insulted Crockett’s appearance while ranting about Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter. The committee meeting was reviewing a vote on whether to file articles of contempt against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for refusing to provide confidential recordings between Biden and special counsel Robert Hur. During Greene’s tirade, Representative Crockett asked her, “Do you know what we’re here for?” to which Greene responded, “I don’t think you know what you’re here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
In response to the trademark and merch launch by Crockett, Greene made the incredibly normal decision to publish a video of herself working out. “Yes my body is built and strong,” Greene wrote. “NOT with nips, tucks, plastic, or silicone, but through a healthy lifestyle.”
Leaning into white fragility, Greene appeared on Fox News to decry body shaming against herself while doubling down on body shaming others, griping to the outlet notorious for cookie-cutter bleach blonde, Botoxed hosts, “I think no matter what shape, size or how we look, we need to be ourselves, not telling women the only way to be attractive or accepted is to have fake boobs, fake hair, fake lashes, and injected faces.”
Amari Galan Is Believed to Have Left a Residence in Rocky Ford on Foot Around 4 A.m. Local Time on May 18, According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation
The body of a toddler who went missing in Colorado over the weekend was found in an irrigation canal, according to authorities.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced Saturday, May 19, that the body of 3-year-old Amari Galan was found in the Catlin canal, which runs behind the child’s home in Rocky Ford.
His body was located “several miles downstream” around 5 p.m. local time, about 13 hours after he was last seen, according to a news release from the agency.
The boy had autism, according to the Rocky Ford Police Department.
Galan is believed to have left a residence on Washington Street on foot around 4 a.m., according to a missing persons bulletin from the CBI. The child was reportedly only wearing a diaper at the time.
Authorities used drones and dogs in addition to searching for Galan on foot, according to the RFPD.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials. The Otero County Coroner and the child’s family confirmed his identity.
“Law enforcement wishes to share its condolences with the family of Amari Galan,” the CBI wrote in its news release.
Rocky Ford mayor Duane L. Gurule also offered condolences and prayers “to the family and loved ones of Amari during this unimaginably difficult time.”
“May we come together as a community to offer our support, comfort, and strength to the family of Amari Galan during this heartbreaking time,” he said in a statement shared on Facebook. “Our thoughts are with you.”
Gurule also thanked members of law enforcement and the search-and-rescue personnel “who worked tirelessly in the joint search efforts to locate Amari” after he disappeared.
“Your dedication, professionalism, and compassion in the face of such a tragic situation have not gone unnoticed,” the mayor concluded.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was seen shoving, kicking and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in harrowing 2016 surveillance released Friday.
The video, obtained by CNN and dated March 5, 2016, shows the rapper and producer running after the singer down a hallway at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
Combs — who has a towel wrapped around his waist — then grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor.
While holding his towel closed with one hand, he proceeds to kick her, the video shows.
He grabbed a purse and a suitcase from the floor near an elevator bank before turning around and kicking Ventura again while she lay still on the carpet.
Combs briefly dragged his then-girlfriend her sweatshirt before walking away.
Ventura slowly stood up and appeared to pick up a phone on the hallway wall before Combs, still in his towel, returned and shoved her.
A few seconds later, he sat down in a chair, grabbed an object from a table, and threw it at Ventura, according to the footage.
He was seen walking away, only to turn toward Ventura yet again – just in time for someone to exit the elevator.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Douglas H. Wigdor, a lawyer for Ventura, said in response to the video – which appeared to match the allegations in the latter’s now-settled lawsuit against Combs.
“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” Wigdor added.
Ventura – who was off-and-on with Combs between 2007 and 2018 – sued the Bad Boy Records founder in November 2023, alleging that he was physically violent and sexually abusive.
In the filing, Ventura alleged that Combs paid the InterContinental $50,000 for the security footage from a physical altercation in March 2016.
The suit was resolved the following day with an undisclosed settlement.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar Faces Federal Charges of Bribery and Foreign Influence, Colin Strothers Admits to Money Laundering
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, is facing federal charges, including bribery, money laundering, and working on behalf of a foreign government. He is the third lawmaker in Congress to be federally indicted this session. Cuellar stands accused of establishing fake shell companies with his wife, daughter, and staff to receive $600,000 in bribes from Mexico’s Banco Azteca and Azerbaijan’s state-run oil company. The Justice Department alleges Cuellar coordinated with Azerbaijani agents to obstruct legislation that opposed U.S. interests, violating the prohibition against Members of Congress working as foreign agents.
As the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Homeland Security, Cuellar wielded significant influence in Congress. This made him a prime target for Azerbaijan, which sought to block legislation to finance landmine removal in a then-disputed region involving Armenia. If convicted, Cuellar could face decades in prison, but he maintains his innocence.
Cuellar Speaks Out On Federal Charges
Cuellar has held his congressional seat since 2005 and is a long-standing figure in South Texas politics. He quickly asserted his innocence, stating that his actions were consistent with his colleagues and aligned with the interests of the American people. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” Cuellar said. But, then came Colin Strother.
Colin Strother Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges
Colin Strother, a seasoned now disgraced advisor deeply embedded in Texas politics and a long-term strategist for Cuellar, finds himself embroiled in a bribery scandal himself, having admitted to charges of money laundering. Presently, Strother is cooperating with prosecutors, offering crucial evidence against Cuellar and his wife in a bid to mitigate his own legal repercussions.
For many years, Strother has been a key consultant to various local San Antonio and Texas figures, often addressing concerns that were historically overlooked. He also has counseled Roland Gutierrez for an extended period of time. As of March 2023, one year before being charged, Strother received a $3,000 payment from Gutierrez. Financial and ethical questions also emerged in this relationship, highlighted by allegations that Gutierrez channeled funds, via Zelle, per transaction receipts, to ‘Alexis,’ an adult entertainer.
With two decades of purportedly corrupt dealings under Cuellar behind him, Strother is expected to provide detailed disclosures that might not only secure a more lenient sentence for himself but also expose longstanding misconduct among other local officials in San Antonio and its environs. Strother’s faces up to 20 years in prison and a six-figure fine for charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering. A pattern is emerging that will soon reveal the full picture of many skeptical individuals.
Luckily, there is still such a thing as a genuine politician, and despite these challenges, many remain dedicated to public service, drawn to the profession by noble intentions and eventually doing well for the community and society. Their unwavering commitment to ethical governance serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that true leadership may still be possible in today’s political climate.
Ava DuVernay’s Distribution Company Acquires Documentary “For Our Children,” Now on Netflix – Demonstrating Hope and Strength in Community Amid Tragedy and Police Brutality
Last Friday Netflix launched the documentary “For Our Children,” originally titled “Black Mothers Love & Resist,” backed by Ava DuVernay’s distribution company, ARRAY. The film exhibits the union of two mothers whose lives were devastated as a result of police brutality, and the powerful network of hope and mutual aid they have created through their pain.
Written, directed and produced by Débora Souza Silva, “For Our Children” highlights the ongoing crisis of police violence in this country, centering on the mothers of those slain by law enforcement. Despite the increased national awareness around police brutality and the nation-wide BLM protests advocating for justice after the murder of George Floyd, police violence is higher than ever before. According to recent data from Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group, there were at least 1,200 people killed by law enforcement by the end of 2023, the most recorded deaths from police violence since experts first began calculating these statistics in 2013. Not even halfway through 2024, and there have already been over 400 deaths by officers this year. Even with the public attention toward these tragedies, every year racially-charged violence committed by police officers becomes worse and worse.
“For Our Children” hones in on two mothers, Wanda Johnson and Angela Williams, focusing on both of their ongoing battles for justice for their sons who were subjected to violence at the hands of police, while highlighting the community-driven efforts toward healing through solidarity. Johnson is the mother of Oscar Grant III, who was tragically shot and murdered by BART police officers in 2009 in Oakland, becoming the basis for the feature film “Fruitvale Station,” starring Michael B. Jordan. Williams’ son, Ulysses Wilkerson, was apprehended and beaten by Alabama police in 2017, when he was just 17 years old, leaving his face disfigured along with a slew of lasting injuries. Reverend Wanda Johnson started the Oscar Grant Foundation in 2009 just after her son was killed, and began inspiring and working alongside other mothers across the nation with young Black sons victimized by police violence. This network and organization, called Mothers of the Movement, aims to amplify the voices of those affected by police brutality, and has partnerships with Blueprint for Justice and other similar organizations with the goals of seeking justice and repairing the corrupted system of policing in America. The documentary follows Johnson as she connects with Williams and assembles a team of lawyers and community members in attempts to discover the truth of the events leading up to Ulysses’ encounter with police, aiming to shine light on the corruption within law enforcement. It is a heart wrenching but hope-filled exposition of the persisting police violence and brutality in the U.S., pointing to the power of community and healing through connection.
“For Our Children” is now available to stream on Netflix, so check it out if you can.
