Ruby Smith, 78, of Amarillo died Wednesday, March 10, 2010.

Services were at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, 2010 in Emmanuel Church of Amarillo with the Rev. Joe Taylor, pastor, and the Rev. Gary Thomas of Greater Faith Mission Church officiating. Burial in Llano Cemetery by Warford-Walker Mortuary, 509 N. Hughes St.

Ruby was born October 8, 1931, in Wellington, where she grew up and was educated. She moved to Amarillo in 1951 and was an Amarillo resident for 59 years. She was a member of the Grand Court Order of Calanthe.

Survivors include a daughter, Barbara Sue Jones of Amarillo; a grandson, Merchant Jones of Amarillo; a great-granddaughter, Chantel Jones Owensby of Amarillo; and special family members, Sonya Owensby, Jalen McCoy, Brae Johnson and Danny Brigham, all of Amarillo.

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church - Pampa, Tx.
by Dexter Harper

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Pampa, Texas celebrated their 36th Church Anniversary Sunday, March 14, 2010. The anniversary theme, “The Characteristics of the Church” was derived from the book of Acts.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Acts 2:41-47

God’s message was delivered by Reverend Morris E. Mitchell, Pastor of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church.

Guest churches and choirs were: Mount Olive Missionary Baptist, New Birth Bible Fellowship, New Zion Baptist  - Borger, Tx., Mount Zion Baptist, Jenkins Chapel Missionary Baptist, Greater Love, Johnson Chapel AME and St. John Baptist.

Emmett Smith’s Journey: Who Did He Think He Was?
by L. Arthalia Cravin

Last Friday night I fell into a chair in the den and watched television, primarily because television puts me to sleep. This time it didn’t because I happened to have the channel on NBC when a new show called “Who Do You Think You Are?” came on. I decided to keep watching as soon as Emmett Smith came on talking about a long-standing desire to trace his ancestral roots.

A few years ago I attended a seminar in Denver hosted by Dr. Rick Kittles, a Ph. D. biologist who specializes in human genetic, and learned first-hand what Dr. Kittles does—and why. Dr. Kittles is a pioneer in the area of tracing the ancestry of African Americans through DNA testing. Dr. Kittles grew up in Central Islip, New York received his B. S. in biology from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1989, then earned an M.S. degree in biology from the State University of New York at Brockport (1991) and a Ph.D. in biology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (1998). I became interested in Dr. Kittles’ work because of a probate case that I was working on involving the rights of inheritance. Briefly, Mr. D an African American man, died in Alabama in 1995 without a will. Mr. D’s sister filed a petition in probate to have her brother’s estate administered and to be named the administrator. Shortly after the will was filed, a California man filed a petition to determine heirship claiming to be the out-of-wedlock, only child of Mr. D. Mr. D’s sister denied that her brother had any children and fought the claim of heirship by the California man. The central question became how to prove that the California man was in fact the biological son of Mr. D. It was this case that opened my eyes to DNA research. I contacted Dr. Kittles to find out how to prove that the man was Mr. D’s biological child when there was no DNA available on the father’s side—only the mother’s side.

DNA is the abbreviation for deoxlyribonnucleic acid. Scientific work involving DNA research is called “the science of the genome—the combined words “gene” and “chromosome.” Genome research, which has been going on since the 1970s, is the science of unraveling how hereditary information is encoded in one’s DNA. The research is actually called “mapping or sequencing the human genome.” It is one’s DNA that contains the genetic information that is inherited by the offspring. It is undisputed that the DNA on the “Y” chromosome, which only men have, passes virtually unchanged from father to son. The same goes for the mitochondrial or female DNA (females do not have the “Y” chromosome) that passes through the female line. So in brief, when someone seeks to determine their ancestral roots using DNA, they are mapping their human genome through either the male side or the female side of the family. I later wrote a 272 page book about the probate of Mr. D’s and another estate to inform people about the ins and outs of probate. Chapter 26 on page 210 is entitled, “Illegitimates and Inheritance,” which discusses proving paternity, is included in the book because there are special problems associated with claiming rights of heirship for children born out of wedlock.

Read more »

Saundra Ann Vaughn and Reverend Leo Bibles were married Saturday, March 13, at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. The Reverend Morris E. Mitchell, Pastor of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, officiated.

Matron of Honor was Keeshi Wiley Gilmore, Maid of Honor was Ketra L. Wiley. Bridesmaids were Francesa Bibles, Soronja Vaughn, Shannetta Harris and Michelle Wiley. Junior Bridesmaids were Jennica Wiley and Demodria Johnson. Flower Girls were Kaijah Johnson and Lyric Wiley.

Best Man was Gilbert Gregg. Groomsmen were Dillian Bibles, Adrian Vaughn, Leslie Fulbright and Joshua Gilmore. Ring Bearer was Malachi Johnson.

The wedding party also included the sister and bother of both the bride and groom: Jimmie Vaughn Adams, Alphonso S. Vaughn, Lynza Harrington and Charles Bibles.

You Have to “Sell Yourself”- Ho Ho Ho!! Beware Your Diction - Choice of Words
by L. Arthalia Cravin

We already heard about the Australian ban on Santa Claus’ use of the “Ho Ho Ho” laugh because it might offend some the local street walkers. I have an example that tops that.

Not too long ago an Amarillo AISD substitute teacher found himself in hot water for talking about careers and jobs and telling some Palo Duro high school students they needed to know how to “sell themselves.” Some of the students went straight to the principal and reported the sub for suggesting that they become streetwalkers and prostitutes.

The word “diction” has several meanings, including “style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words” and “the accent, inflection, intonation, and speech-sound quality manifested by an individual speaker, usually judged in terms of prevailing standards of acceptability.” One has to be very careful these days about one’s diction—especially one’s choice of words. It has gotten a lot of people in trouble lately, including Harry Reid for his unfortunately “light skinned Negro” comment about President Obama, and Rahm Emanual’s “retarded” comment about disabled children.

I am not a big Jeff Foxworthy fan but some of his jokes are truly funny. For example, Jeff says that nowadays when a person yells “crack” in a crowded room, the response will be men pulling their pants up. Well, maybe not so funny, but you get the point of what listeners hear based on their milieu (environment.) So for those who are unfamiliar with the job acquisition skill of “selling yourself,” it should not come as a stretch that a high school student would misinterpret the intended meaning.

Over and above the diction issue my question is this: How does the average high school student today expect to get a job after high school—especially those who will not be furthering their education? When I started working in high school, right here in Amarillo, I had already been told how to dress and act if I wanted to get a job, namely, 1) show up early for the job interview, don’t be late, 2) dress appropriately, no low cut blouses or very short skirts, 3) be neat and clean, especially hair and fingernails, 4) don’t chew gum, 5) speak good grammar, 6) smile, sit up straight, and look the employer in the eye, 7) sell yourself, that is, tell the employer about your skills set and why you, of all the candidates, should be given the job, and smile and thank the interviewer when it is over.

Pretty soon many of the current crop of high school seniors will be graduating and entering an already bleak job market. For those not going on to college or entering the military, what type of jobs can they expect to find? What exactly do they have to offer to meet the average employer’s needs in today job market? What have they learned in high school that prepares them for jobs right out of high school? Better put, how will these seniors “sell themselves” to their prospective employers?

Copyright 2010 - L. Arthalia Cravin. All rights Reserved. No part of this commentary may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

Education for a More Competitive America & Better Future
by The White House

The President discusses his blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the latest step from his Administration to encourage change and success in America’s schools at the local level.

Watch the address below:

Iraq and Amarillo—What’s the difference when it comes to representative government?
by L. Arthalia Cravin

If you have been watching the news lately, you know that the tyrannical form of government under the former, now deceased president Saddam Hussein, no longer exists. Yesterday, March 7, Iraqi voters in Baghdad began the process of casting their votes in the country’s parliamentary elections. Iraq is the home of approximately 28 million people. Those qualified to vote cast their ballots among 6200 people running for 325 parliamentary seats covering the eighteen Iraqi provinces. This year’s vote is the country’s second full-term legislature since America invaded the country in 2003. The first national election was held in 2005. We are familiar with the recent suicide bombings and raining mortal shells designed to stop the democratic process. But Iraqis are determined to forged ahead to move the country toward what they understand democracy to mean—namely the right of the people to vote directly for their representatives. Part of the electoral process includes a “quota” guaranteeing women at least 25 percent of the parliamentary seats. Uh, wasn’t it George Bush who exploited the term “quota” as a bad thing during his last campaign for re-election? But to the point of this column.

So far Iraqi voters have it better than Amarillo voters. Why? Because the city of Amarillo is governed by a commissioner form of government that most cities have abandoned because of real concerns that it violates the Voting Rights Act. By way of Texas civics awareness, Texas has 254 counties and some 4700 local governments. These cities and towns range in size from large cities such as Houston and Dallas, with populations exceeding 1 million, to small towns of fewer than 1000 people. How these cities and towns handle the wide range of issues affecting them depends on how the town is classified vis-a-vis the Texas Constitution as either “home rule,” or “general law” cities.

Amarillo is Texas’ 15th largest city with a population of 173,627. Based on the 2000 and 2006 census demographics, Amarillo is 63.6 percent white, 26.9 percent Latino, 6.5 percent black, and 1.9 percent Asian. In 1990 Amarillo’s population was 157,615; 82.7 percent white, 14.7 Latino, 6.0 percent black, and Asian 1.9 percent. In 1913, Amarillo became the first Texas city and the fifth in the United States to use the so-called Galveston Plan, a city commission form of government that originated in Galveston after the devastating hurricane of 1900. This type of city government combines the legislative and administrative functions into the offices of five city commissioners. Amarillo’s commission is composed of five elected commissioners, one of whom is the mayor of the city. The mayor and each commissioner serve a two-year term. Amarillo’s current form of city management harkens back to its so-called homogeneous origins in 1870 when it was known as “Ragtown” for the rag-tag bunch of workers who set up camp along side the then Ft. Worth and Denver City railroad tracks. Back then the town was 99.7 percent white. When the commission form of government was adopted in 1913, Amarillo’s population was around 15,000, and approximately 97 percent white. In 1930, Amarillo’s population soared to 43,000 with a black population up from 300 to 1600. I do not have the precise data on the Latino population in the 1930s, however, my black neighbor, who came to Amarillo in 1924, remembers a sizeable Latino population in the 1920s.

Fast forward to 2010 and even the late Ray Charles can see problems with a continuing form of Amarillo city government that does not recognize the voices and community needs of its divergent population, nor provide any incentive for direct participatory government. Read more »

In a letter addressed to parents and community members, a South Los Angeles elementary school principal apologized Thursday for “questionable decisions” about which prominent African Americans to highlight in a parade marking the culmination of Black History Month.

Lorraine Abner’s letter did not name the individuals. But her apology came after three teachers at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School were suspended while the Los Angeles Unified School District investigates allegations that they had their first-, second- and fourth-grade students carry pictures of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul at last Friday’s event.

“Unfortunately, questionable decisions were made in the selection of noteworthy African American role models,” the letter said. “As the principal, I offer my apology for these errors in judgment.”

Abner could not be reached for comment Thursday.

LAUSD spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said Simpson appeared on a school-approved list of Black History Month figures, which dates back to 1985. But she said the names of Rodman and RuPaul, among others, were added in pencil when teachers were selecting which prominent African Americans their classes would honor in the parade.

Read More … Principal apologizes for Black History Month celebration that included O.J. Simpson, Rodman, RuPaul

Books Reviews
by L. Arthalia Cravin

Last week I read two books that might be of interest. The first book was entitled, “Same Kind of Different as Me,” by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It was published in 2006. The book is written with alternating chapters of two writers, one white, the other black. Both men grew up in Navarro County, not far from Corsicana during the late 1950s and early 60s. The early setting for the book was of particular interest to me because my maternal grandparents migrated to Frost, Texas, about 30 miles from Corsicana, about this same time to work as sharecroppers, picking and chopping “Blackland” cotton. I actually lived in Frost, Texas from 1959 to 1962 with my sharecropper grandparents and pulled cotton from many of the long, crocked rows, of cotton patches that surrounded the two-room share-cropper shack we lived in. I could identify well with Denver Moore’s story about working from “can’t to can’t” (can’t see in the morning to can’t see in the evening,”) being paid 50 cents an hours for working in the cotton fields, the outright racism, and never getting any money because of the “company store,” practice of always keeping sharecroppers in debt. Even though I was only 8 or 9 at the time, I fully understood how Denver Moore grew up and why he eventually landed in Angola Prison in Louisiana, how he hopped a freight train to California, then wound up at a Mission in Ft Worth. It was Ron Hall’s story that was so different from mine and Denver Moore’s upbringing.

Ron Hall went to college, then became a wealthy art dealer, making more money on one art deal that my all my ancestors combined could ever dream of making. His lived the typical privileged life of a white man. The kicker is how Hall eventually crossed paths with Denver Moore at a Ft. Worth Mission orchestrated by and through Ron’s Hall devoutly Christian wife Deborah who urged him to get involved with helping the poor. As the story unfolds these two men, from miles-apart social and economic backgrounds, eventually meet and begin a friendship. The friendship lasts through the death of Deborah from cancer– and beyond. The story of their meeting, their different lives, their sameness, and continuing friendship led to a book well worth the read.

Ron Hall and Denver Moore will be in Amarillo for a book signing on April 7th and 8th so mark you calendars. Read more »