Black people in the Houston region can meet neighbors, find information about Black businesses, places of worship, and K-college schools, as well as exchange experiences, on the Defender Network’s Community Channel, which can be accessed online at www.DefenderNetwork.com. Insightful essays, op-eds, profiles, and more about all things community are also available on the channel. Take a look. Additionally, have a look at some of the best stories that were published there this year.
5 reasons suicide prevention must be a top priority
Suicide Prevention Month is in September, which is a chance to increase public awareness of this expanding issue. However, since suicide is destroying our communities, homes, and families far too frequently and at alarming rates, this message is pertinent all year long.
Suicide Prevention Month—or any month—is used by those who value life and understand the danger of suicidal thoughts, ideation (a detailed visualization of taking one’s own life), and actual attempts to be honest, change public perception, spread hope, and provide crucial information to those impacted by suicide.
The purpose of these initiatives, which includes disseminating this article, is to guarantee that people, friends, and families have access to the tools necessary to talk about suicide prevention and to get support.
Here are some reasons why preventing suicide should be our top priority.
10 scriptures that charge us to get politically active
The Religious Right permitted their beliefs to dictate how they should go to the polls and other political gatherings. As a result, they are working to restore America’s greatness at the expense of Black people and the environment. However, our people have a long and illustrious tradition of letting their faith guide their actions as they battle for equality, justice, and human rights. We were fed a version of Christianity by our so-called masters when we were slaves, which condemned us as sinners for considering anything other than obeying orders and receiving our reward in heaven after death.
However, some Black men and women of God discovered a liberating message in the scriptures and proclaimed it to our people despite being taught that anti-Black interpretation of Christianity.
In order to motivate the uprising he organized in 1822, Denmark Vesey told the story of Moses telling Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” Gabriel Prosser was known as the Black Sampson because, around 1800, he used the Book of Judges’ account of Sampson tearing down the house on the Philistines as his favorite passage to inspire enslaved Blacks to rise up in rebellion. In his well-known book David Walker’s Appeal (1828), David Walker cited biblical passages to support his claim that Black people had a divine right to fight for their release from slavery by any means necessary.
The spiritual leader and vodou priestess Ccile Fatiman, who co-founded the Haitian revolution with Dutty Boukman at the Bois Caman meeting, should never be forgotten. Inspiring those sisters and brothers to strive for and successfully achieve their independence, her words sparked chanting and prayer.
Years later, Marcus Mosiah Garvey frequently used Psalm 68:31, which states that “princes shall come out of Egypt and Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hand unto thee,” as evidence that God desired for Black people to be free and self-determining.
See further texts that have historically motivated Black people to take up social and political causes.
What are we doing to raise up the next Sheila, Mickey and Barbara?
For the city of Houston, which was still in grief following the move to the ancestors made by legendary leader Rev. Dr. William A. Lawson two months earlier, the death of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was a devastating blow.
The significance of proactively preparing the next generation of leaders should be painfully brought home by these two losses as well as the fact that Sylvester Turner, Houston’s eight-year mayor who received national praise for his handling of numerous storms (economic, environmental, and otherwise), is no longer in office due to term limits.
Black Houston must ask: Who will be the next? Additionally, what has been done—or is being done—to support the upcoming generation of Barbara Jordans, Mickey Lelands, Lawsons, and Jackson Lees?
Both our places of worship and political circles struggle with the issue of leader preparation. Additionally, educational institutions will have to deal with the ongoing attack on education from kindergarten through college.
Steps to help develop the next generation of leaders are provided in this article.
Galena Manor: A historic Houston-area Black community
Galena Manor continues to be a neglected aspect of Houston’s Black past in the Houston Ship Channel universe. Galena Manor is situated in one of the most polluting and environmentally unfriendly zip codes in the country. Ironically, Galena Manor was a key hub for Black Houstonians in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s because of the overwhelming warmth and sense of family that its residents shared with guests.
KeAndre Jordan (@mysouthernbrand), a well-known Instagram poster who frequently posts Houston’s Black Historical Facts with his 449,000 followers, described Galena Manor as a thriving Black neighborhood full with Black professionals. To stop bus segregation and protest police brutality, those people risked their lives and livelihoods.
People with ties to Galena Manor are familiar with these and other tales. However, we should all do the same.
Katy s forgotten, yet still standing historic Black community
Black history is undoubtedly fascinating and constantly uncovers previously untold or infrequently discussed facets of the Black people’s endless journey.
Consider the case of Katy, Texas. The city is well-known for its high school football skills. It is considered a must-visit shopping location by many others. It has seen a steady increase in the number of Black residents over the last few decades.
However, Tanya Debose, an activist and historian, thinks that Black people and everyone else should realize that the region had a vibrant Black community before Katy was even Katy.
According to Debose, the community was founded as a freedom community immediately following liberation. This is where a large number of plantation-based rice producers settled. The neighborhood is known as the Danover community. It’s a little community. There are about sixty residences there. However, the remaining families are descended from the original inhabitants.
Find out more about the struggle to preserve this historic village.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
