Page 171 – saobserver

The Trajectory of 2 Lives Changed

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2023-09-06

Building Strong Careers and Bright Smiles: A Tale of Two Dental Assistants

Diana Solis and Joselyn Hernandez are both testaments to the power of San Antonio’s transformational education, training and job placement program, Ready to Work (RTW). Each studied diligently at the University of the Incarnate Word’s Dental Assistance program and landed jobs with the same employer.

Solis initially stepped into the program while coincidentally working in a dentist office. Her enthusiasm for the patients and for the field became very strong. “I want patients to feel comfortable when coming into the office,” she said. “I enjoy witnessing them have their smile back and feeling confident about themselves.”

For Hernandez, she served as the primary caregiver for her aging mother, taking on the financial obligations of the household while working as a hostess at a restaurant. She found out about RTW and wanted exactly what the program seeks to provide for people – better quality, higher-paying jobs. Her decision marked the beginning of a new way of life for Hernandez, driven by her dream of a better future for herself and her family.

Ready to Work, run by the City of San Antonio’s Workforce Development Office, is a dedicated program that champions career development and empowers people like Solis and Hernandez to shape their own futures. The program provides a support system through every phase of the journey. RTW understands that people cannot take time off from their jobs or lives but helps them carefully navigate education and training with job placement assistance when their training is complete.

San Antonio City Councilmembers Teri Castillo, District 5, and Melissa Cabello Havrda, District 6, represent these Ready to Work graduates.

“I’m delighted to hear about my District 5 resident, Joselyn Hernandez, and her experience with the Ready to Work program,” Castillo said. “The fact that she was able to learn an in-demand skill, land a stable job and gain a friend along the way speaks volumes to the support system and camaraderie that Ready to Work fosters.”

“My constituent changed the trajectory of her life through Ready to Work,” Cabello Havrda said. “Plus, a local employer gained two new dedicated employees because of the program. Her story is a testament to the wonderful resources Ready to Work provides to San Antonio residents.”

The commitment that Solis and Hernandez demonstrated led to them securing their positions within one month of completing their programs. Hernandez said the program taught her to stay focused.

“Ready to Work gave me the opportunity to grow as a person and achieve my goals,” she said.

After their training, the graduates landed at San Antonio Downtown Dentistry as dental assistants. Their stories are an inspiring example of the transformative power of education, determination and community support. As they continue to brighten smiles in their new roles, Hernandez and Solis are proof that with a readiness to learn, willingness to work, and a supportive network of resources, anyone can achieve remarkable success.

Take the steps and see this kind of success for yourself by calling 3-1-1 or visiting www.ReadytoWorkSA.com.

Coco Gauff, 1st US Teen in Consecutive US Open Quarters Since Serena, Aims To Defend Streak

Sports

Observer Staff

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2023-09-06

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Coco Gauff, 1st US Teen in Consecutive US Open Quarters Since Serena, Aims To Defend Streak

Coco Gauff is the first American teen since Serena Williams more than two decades ago to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals two years in a row, so the 19-year-old from Florida knows her way out of trouble on a tennis court.

As the second set slipped away against Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff needed a chance to think things through after handing over a break with a pair of double-faults and a stumble that left her doing the splits.

So Gauff turned in the direction of the near-constant chatter coming from Brad Gilbert, one of her two coaches sitting in a front-row seat, and said, “Please stop.” A couple of minutes later, Gauff said, “Stop talking.”

That was while Wozniacki was grabbing four consecutive games to go up a break in the third set. And then, just as the match seemed to be slipping away thanks in part to a slew of unforced errors, Gauff straightened out her strokes and pulled way. She collected the last six games for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Wozniacki, the 33-year-old mother of two who recently came out of retirement.

“I was getting frustrated. It wasn’t really directed at him. It was just that I needed to reset,” the sixth-seeded Gauff said. “In that moment, I just didn’t want to hear anything. I just wanted to think about what I was doing.”

Gauff, whose best showing at a major was reaching the final at the 2022 French Open before losing to Swiatek, has now won 15 of her past 16 matches.

That run follows a first-round exit at Wimbledon in July and includes the two biggest titles of her career, at the DC Open and in Cincinnati. It also coincides with the additions of Pere Riba as her full-time coach and Gilbert in a role that’s been described as a temporary consultant.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Fernando Rover Jr.

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2023-09-06

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September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Suicide is something that does not discriminate by race, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, or socioeconomic status. However, the numbers are quite large in the African American community. Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health shows that suicide was the leading cause of death for African Americans age 15 – 24 in 2020. It also shows that the death rate from suicide for black or African American men was four times greater than for African American women, in 2018.

Several figures in African American popular culture have been lost to suicide. Among them are dancer and television personality Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, television personality and former beauty pageant winner Cheslie Kryst, R&B singer Phyillis Hyman, and longtime host of ‘Soul Train’ Don Cornelius.

According to a 2022 article from Everyday Health, “5 Reasons Suicide Is On The Rise In The Black Community, According To A Psychiatrist”, the author states that “the increasing number of suicides among Black people is likely multifactorial, and additional research is needed to pinpoint exactly what’s driving these rates…the research we do have indicates that harmful effects connected to social media use, exposure to racism, mental health stigma, and exposure to violence and accumulative trauma have all likely played a role.”

There is no doubt the last three to five years have brought on some bouts of trauma, with the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and all of this being played out on social media. But along with the change comes a brand new space where conversations surrounding suicide are being had at a more frequent pace.

Through resources such as the National Alliance On Mental Illness and Mental Health First Aid. org, there are also several digital spaces where this conversation can be had. Racism, Exposure to violence, unresolved trauma, and a stigma surrounding mental health can only be tackled through open dialogue.

Suicide prevention is possible and can be achieved through cultivating an environment that promotes open dialogue. It begins at home. It begins in the classroom. It begins in the workplace. It begins speaking among friends, family, and peers. And of course, it always begins in the community.

Speak ‘Proper’ English

Mario Salas

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2023-09-06

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Speech and the Black Experience

For years the dominate culture was European which was coupled with the ideology of white supremacy. Everything and everybody was made to satisfy the rules of whiteness and behavior patterns that reinforced the supposed superiority of whiteness. Cleopatria was even turned into a white women as were angels in churches. Also, this was done with language as the famous Black psychiatrist Franz Fanon pointed out. Blacks often had to adopt what he called “Black Skin, White Masks.” This was an ethnocide, which forces people that have been colonized to adopt the language and diction of the oppressor. Hence, some Black middle class people began to speak in an exaggerated upper class form of English in order to be more acceptable to white racists.

Slavery on American soil was much different from slavery anywhere else. Dark skinned people were bought and sold and institutions were established in America. These institutions made Black slaves accept English names and if one were to be accepted in America’s white upper class society they had to sound like upper class whites in pronunciations. This caused a split personality of speaking like a proper English gentleman in such an exaggerated way as to sound laughable and an obvious absurdity, but done in a way to be acceptable to white racists.

When Africans were kidnapped to America they could not understand the English language, nor would slave owners permit them an education. There developed a Black dialect that incorporated the sounds and words of various African tongues into what we often hear today and that which has been characterized as “Black English.” Blacks were told what to do in a language they did not understand. For example, if you’re Black the word “ask” is often pronounced “axe,” and consonants are often removed. Another example includes such phrases as “Sho-nuff” for “sure enough.” These simple examples show a connection to Africa because final consonants are missing from many West African languages, and hence the pronunciations became a specific dialect.

Speaking in any dialect, other than accepted English, was often viewed as a sign of inferiority, yet English itself comes in different forms. Southern English is different from northern English, and the English has hundred of French words and others that are mispronounced. Is one dialect more superior to another—absolutely not, but this was the idea perpetuated by many racists. As black slaves were brought to America they were forced to speak a language that was not their own. As time went on Black dialect became associated with the lower classes in the black community, and even black middle-class families tried to distance themselves from these pronunciations.

A well-rounded individual should be able to move in and out of languages and dialects as the situation calls for. Martin Luther King could do this. People in the ghetto should be educated, but this education cannot be along the lines of white supremacy. It would be well for Backs in San Antonio to learn to speak “standard” English, while keeping their cultural pride in the language of their community, and at the same time learn Spanish or some other language. It is obvious that the more languages you know the better for your world view. There is nothing wrong with Black dialect, but knowing when to speak it is important when living in a racialized society full of people that know nothing of history. Speaking extremely proper often makes one look ignorant, ignorant to the ways of white supremacy and its dominating and oppressive influences. “THAT BE THE WAY IT IS.”

Ex-Proud Boys leader sentenced to 15 years in prison in Jan. 6 Capitol attack case

National

Observer Staff

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2023-08-31

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Ex-Proud Boys leader sentenced to 15 years in prison in Jan. 6 Capitol attack case

A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.

Zachary Rehl was seen on video spraying a chemical irritant at law enforcement officers outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but he repeatedly lied about that assault while he testified at his trial, federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors had recommended a 30-year prison sentence for Rehl, who helped lead dozens of Proud Boys members and associates in marching to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Rehl and other Proud Boys joined the mob that broke through police lines and forced lawmakers to flee, disrupting the joint session of Congress for certifying the electoral victory by Biden, a Democrat.

The judge who sentenced Rehl also on Thursday sentenced Proud Boys organizer Joseph Biggs to 17 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly will separately sentence three other Proud Boys who were convicted by a jury in May after a four-month trial in Washington that laid bare far-right extremists’ embrace of lies by Trump, a Republican, that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Enrique Tarrio, a Miami resident who was the Proud Boys’ national chairman and top leader, is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday. His sentencing was moved from Wednesday to next week because U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly was sick.

Tarrio wasn’t in Washington on Jan. 6. He had been arrested two days before the Capitol riot on charges that he defaced a Black Lives Matter banner during an earlier rally in the nation’s capital, and he complied with a judge’s order to leave the city after his arrest. He picked Biggs and Proud Boys chapter president Ethan Nordean to be the group’s leaders on the ground in his absence, prosecutors said.

Rehl, Biggs, Tarrio and Nordean were convicted of charges including seditious conspiracy, a rarely brought Civil War-era offense. A fifth Proud Boys member, Dominic Pezzola, was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of other serious charges.

Prosecutors also recommended prison sentences of 33 years for Tarrio and Biggs, 27 years for Nordean and 20 years for Pezzola. Nordean and Pezzola are scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.

Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, acknowledged to the judge at his sentencing hearing that he “messed up” on Jan. 6, but he blamed being “seduced by the crowd” of Trump supporters outside the Capitol and said he’s not a violent person or “a terrorist.”

“My curiosity got the better of me, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life,” he said, claiming he didn’t have “hate in my heart” and didn’t want to hurt people.

Defense attorneys argued that the Justice Department was unfairly holding their clients responsible for the violent actions of others in the crowd of Trump supporters at the Capitol.

More than 1,100 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Over 600 of them have been convicted and sentenced.

Rehl led at least three other men into the Capitol and into a senator’s office, where he smoked and posed for pictures while flashing the Proud Boys’ hand gesture.

“Rehl led an army to attempt to stop the certification proceeding, was proud that they got as close as they did, and his only regret in the immediate aftermath was that they did not go further,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

Later that day, Rehl expressed pride for his role in the attack.

“Seems like our raid of the capital set off a chain reaction of events throughout the country,” he wrote in a message to his mother.

The 18-year prison sentence for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes is the harshest punishment for a Jan. 6 so far. Six members of the anti-government Oath Keepers also were convicted of seditious conspiracy after a separate trial last year.

Article by: AP

‘YOU’RE NOT WELCOME HERE!’

Crime
Racism

Observer Staff

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2023-08-29

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‘You’re not welcome here!’ DeSantis booed at vigil for Jacksonville shooting victims

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was booed and heckled on Sunday while attending a prayer vigil in Jacksonville for the three victims killed in what authorities say was a racially motivated attack at a local Dollar General.

DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, and his wife were among those who gathered in Jacksonville’s Grand Park neighborhood to commemorate the victims of the Saturday shooting. But not everyone was pleased that the governor was there.

As DeSantis approached the podium to speak, some people in the crowd began to boo; one person yelled out, “You’re not welcome here.” Later, someone shouted, “Your policies caused this,” according to videos of the event. As governor, DeSantis has loosened the state’s guns laws, and curbed efforts to teach Black history in public schools.

DeSantis attempted to continue speaking, mentioning that the state was “looking at identifying funds” to bolster security at Edward Waters University, a nearby historically Black school that the gunman visited hours before attacking the Dollar General.

But as the boos and heckling grew louder, DeSantis stopped talking mid-sentence. Jacksonville councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman stepped in and addressed the crowd.

“Put parties aside,” Pittman said. “A bullet don’t know a party.”

DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment. On Monday, the governor’s office directed $1 million toward campus security at Edward Waters University and $100,000 to support the families of the three shooting victims.

On Saturday, a white gunman opened fire inside a Dollar General, killing three Black community members: Anolt “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19; Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29; and Angela Michelle Carr, 52.

Sheriff T.K. Waters said the attack was racially motivated and that the gunman, Ryan Palmeter, 21, left behind “manifestos” that suggested he “hated Black people,” before he killed himself.

The Department of Justice is investigating the shooting as a hate crime and “an act of racially motivated violent extremism.”

During his remarks on Sunday, DeSantis called the shooting “totally unacceptable,” saying, “We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race.”

But the attack has brought renewed scrutiny to the governor’s record both on guns and race.

In April, the governor signed a permitless carry bill into law, which allows people to legally own a firearm without training or a background check. After this weekend’s shooting, the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP urged the state legislature to reconsider the law.

DeSantis has also cracked down on diversity initiatives and the teaching of Black history in public schools over concerns of “woke indoctrination.”

Hong, Richard and Young Bring Home The Big Wins

Cover Story

Observer Staff

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2023-08-29

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Hong, Richard and Young Bring Home the Big Wins in The World University Games Advancing them to The Men’s National Team

The sound stunned Fred Richard. The energy too.

Walking into the arena for the men’s gymnastics competition at the World University Games in Chengu, China, earlier this month, the 19-year-old Richard wasn’t prepared for what he saw.

“It’s filled with people filled to the brink,” said Richard, a sophomore at Michigan and the reigning men’s NCAA all-around champion. “So it’s like 10,000 people plus and they’re all cheering.”

The young and incredibly talented Fred Richard, a 19-year-old who recently finished a stellar freshman season representing the University of Michigan men’s gymnastics team, winning both the 2023 NCAA and Big Ten all-around titles, among others. He’s also a member of the U.S. senior men’s national team.

“Frederick Flips” – as he’s know across social – is making a splash in both NCAA and elite, but he has one major goal in mind: bringing home an Olympic gold medal.

“The end goal is bringing that gold medal, to bring that gold medal home is where my eyes are set, which is a pretty big goal.” Richard said. “It’s big, but if I could bring [home] a gold medal, and represent Michigan, represent all the people who have put so much work into helping me get where I am today, that’s when I’m gonna feel complete, but until then, I’ll be satisfied but always pushing.”

Asher Hong won his first men’s national gymnastics title on Saturday night, posting a two-day total of 170.930 to edge college teammate Khoi Young and Fred Richard.

The 19-year-old Hong, a sophomore at Stanford, is the first teenager to win a men’s all-around national championship since John Orozco in 2012.

Hong, who finished third behind two-time national champion Brody Malone a year ago, led after the opening night on Thursday but fell behind early in the finals after a so-so performance on the pommel horse. He gained momentum as the meet went on, taking the lead for good with a brilliant 15.099 on still rings as Richard and 2017 national champion Yul Moldauer faltered after the three began the finals separated by less than 0.2.

Khoi Young, who was in fourth after the first day, climbed the standing to take home the silver with a combined score of 169.455. The 20-year-old, who finished second on vault and pommel horse, narrowly edged out the reigning NCAA all-around champion, Fred Richard. The University of Michigan star finished in third with a total score of 169.311.

Hong, Young and Richard will be joined by Paul Juda and Yul Moldauer on the U.S. team at the FIG 2023 Artistic World Championships this fall in Antwerp, Belgium.

The five-man team that will represent the U.S. at the world championships in Belgium this fall will be announced Sunday morning. The Americans are trying to return to the podium at a major international event for the first time since 2014.

Starring His Nephew, the Michael Jackson Biopic Promises to Show the Good, Bad and Ugly

Connor Wiley

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2023-08-29

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Starring His Nephew, the Michael Jackson Biopic Promises to Show the Good, Bad and Ugly

Michael Jackson Biopic Promises Faithful Adaptation of Star’s Life

With a growing list of music biopic films that have come out in the last few years, including “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Elivs,” it’s only fitting that there will at last be one about the King of Pop himself. Production for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, which will be titled “Michael,” has recently been announced by Lionsgate, but details surrounding its release date remain unclear.

The film is set to star Michael’s nephew, Jafaar Jackson, as the pop legend. This will serve as the acting debut for the young Jackson, who is 27 years old and the son of Michael’s brother, Jermaine. Jafaar took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his gratitude for being given the opportunity to play Michael Jackson, writing “I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon.” Jafaar is a more than capable singer and dancer, and apparently emulates the essence of Michael in a way no one else can; time will tell if he will be able to truly embody the spirit of the legendary pop star on the big screen.

Antoine Fuqua, known for “Training Day” and “The Equalizer,” has committed to directing the biopic, and promises to capture the late pop sensation through an authentic lens. Fuqua appeared on Good Morning America recently, where he expressed his commitment to portraying Jackson in an honest light, divulging his intentions to “show the good, bad, and the ugly,” and “to tell the facts as we know it, [which means] it’s for the audience to make a decision how they feel about Michael.” Fuqua assures that the controversies of Michael’s life will be addressed, though the extent to which is uncertain as the film will be backed by Jackson’s estate.

Since “Michael” is being co-produced by the star’s own estate, we don’t yet know how deeply the film will delve into the controversies surrounding Jackson’s life. On the one hand, this means that Fuqua and the film’s producers will have unfettered access to Michael’s music catalog. However, they may also be restricted to sugarcoating much of the contentious aspects of his life. Regardless, there is a lot of promise and anticipation around the biopic, and it is still too early to really determine how much direct involvement the estate will have in production, and how the depiction of Jackson’s story will be handled.

As of now there is no release date for “Michael,” but we should expect to hear more in the coming months. No matter what else happens, it’s fairly safe to assume that the soundtrack will be amazing.

Black Twin Sisters From Texas Make History, Graduate Simultaneously With Master’s Degrees

News

Observer Staff

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2023-08-29

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Meet Keyara and Teyara Watson-Love, fraternal twins from the Fifth Ward area of Houston, Texas. They recently made history when they simultaneously graduated from Lamar University with Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology, a profession where there is only about 3% African American women.The 24-year-old sisters credit their parents, Michael and Sarah, for their success because they always wanted and encouraged their children to get an education.

As teenagers, Keyara and Teyara graduated from E.L. Furr High School with the highest honors and were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. They went on to attend Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas where they received their Bachelors of Science Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders of Oral Health with Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude honors.

Keyara and Teyara were very big on being involved in extracurricular activities. They were a part of many different organizations such as CAID and SOCS which are geared toward speech and hearing sciences.

When asked why they chose to major in Speech-Language Pathology, the twin says they decided to go into this profession because they are very big on helping others and serving their communities, and they find communication difficulties interesting. They comment, “As little girls, we watched our grandmother Ruth Watson help so many people throughout their lives. She had a very big heart and she never hesitated to give anyone a helping hand whenever she could.”

Keyara and Teyara also say that they take their faith in God very seriously and believe that this has helped them get to where they are today.

Both now have successful careers working in their fields of expertise. Keyara works at Eastview Healthcare and Rehabilitation and Teyara works at Copperfield Healthcare and Rehabilitation in the Houston area.

Their jobs involve serving patients in nursing homes with speech, language, cognition, and swallowing difficulties. Just like their grandmother taught them, they want to be as much of a help to others as she was to the ones she knew and cared for.

Tackling San Antonio’s Homelessness Crisis

Observer Staff

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2023-08-29

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D10 Councilman, Marc Whyte, Unveils Plan to Tackle Homelessness, Invites Public to Forum

Today, Councilman Marc Whyte unveiled his strategy for confronting the homelessness crisis in San Antonio. Responding to surveys conducted among residents across the city, resolving homelessness emerged as a foremost concern.

“Historically, the city has seemed to spend money on problems without a specific end result in mind,” the Councilman said. “When addressing any problem, it’s important to start with a clear plan and understand what exactly you want to accomplish.

Councilman Whyte reached out for feedback from the community and is now holding a community forum about homelessness. The forum is being held on September 26th at Meals on Wheels (2718 Danbury Rd.) starting at 6:30 p.m. Panelist from many organizations from Haven for Hope to the City Manager’s Office will be participating.

“All are welcome to learn and be part of this crucial conversation that effects the public safety and economic development in our city.”

You can hear more about Councilman Whyte’s mission to confront homelessness with his guest appearance on Judge Ron Rangel’s ‘Beyond The Gavel Podcast’ on August 31st on your preferred podcast platform.