A new episode of the true crime docu-series Sins of The Cityairs this Thursday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. This week, the series spotlights an unexpected robbery ring involving a local Dallas football team. Various experts, community leaders, family members, and the like, provide real-life perspective and insight into the cities profiled this season. On this episode, Sins of the City explores the 1988 Carter High School Football Team armed robbery scandal. Dallas is known as a true football town, which was the perfect cover up for the town’s “golden boys”. Though dealing with racism, the young athletes overcame by winning their local championship.
However, 21 armed robberies to two of the star players rocking the community to its’ core. Sins of The City is a close-ended docu-series exposing the underbelly of American cities and highlighting perplexing crimes that will forever alter the fabric of these communities.Through first-hand storytelling, Sins of The City depicts investigators working through the evidence to secure case leads, as narration and interviews capture the history behind each city’s woeful tale.
Sins of The City is produced for TV One by Jeff Collins and Deborah Allen (Executive Producers), and Victoria Duley (Co-Executive Producer) of Catalina Content, LLC. For TV One, Susan Henry is Executive Producer in Charge of Production; Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting; and Robyn Greene Arrington is Vice President of Original Programming and Production. For more information, please visit TV One’s Youtube Channel to check out exclusive content for Sins of the City. TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hashtag #SINSOFTHECITY.
The groundbreaking feature film “Carter High” told the story of the 1988 Carter Cowboys, but this episode of “Sins of the City” take a look at the darker side of that epic season that saw the Carter Cowboys’ dream season come crashing down. The episode airs this Thursday at 9 P.M. ET/8C
The final vote tally in Tarrant County’s May 1st yielded about a 14.5% voter turnout. This is the voter turnout for a new mayor and practically re-built city council in Fort Worth. Turnout was so abysmal in the fifth largest city in the state (14th largest in the country) that we have to do it all over again in multiple races including the mayor and even the school board.
Fort Worth, what are we doing here? Non-voters have again made the greatest impact in a local election. Non-voters are jaded by their own apathy and don’t care about the city, themselves or their neighbors enough to vote. This is the expectation each local cycle but so disappointing. How can you want change, but not care to be apart of it?
Even after record voter turnout in the 2020 Presidential election, it seems that voters have since settled into their pattern of complacency that secedes their privilege of choosing city, county and state leaders. This has come at dire circumstances as states are now passing laws limiting critical conversations and legalizing voter suppression. Why complain about a problem and not offer a solution? We have decided to get involved by sharing conversations with a few candidates in hotly contested races in the city. We will share them on Facebook LIVE, right from our page and will begin with Councilwoman Kelly Allen Gray, tonight.
Excitement surrounding the presidential election has since waned, yielding abysmal returns which led to a string of citywide runoffs.
This Thursday, Roxanne Martinez, candidate for the FWISD school board will join us. We hope to hear from a few other candidates before early voting ends Tuesday, June 1st. Remember, your vote is your voice and you can’t be mad at city leaders who omit the consideration of your voice because you have muted yourself! Get involved and go vote!
In the 2020 election, Elizabeth Beck unsuccessfully challenged for a seat in the Texas house, but she didn’t stop there. Instead, she turned her sights to the Fort Worth City Council and is now vying for a seat on the council serving District 9. In our election day interview, Beck laid out her ambition for change in Texas. She now seeks to become an agent of change here in her hometown as one of the newest faces at City Hall.
A familiar face to Fort Worth politics is Chris Nettles. The pastor and entrepreneur has challenged Kelly Allen Gray and even won majority of the May 1st vote, though falling short of the needed 50% to win the seat. Nettles and Gray has become a hot ticket akin to the Ali/Frazier feud which was settled in a final bout, the “Thrilla in Minila”. Nettles challenged Mayor Betsy Price in 2017 and while many may have ‘laughed him to scorn’, the preacher and aspiring politician, ‘strengthened his hands’ to challenge Gray, a challenge which by the end of the May 1st election seemingly had the Gray campaign on the ropes. Nettles emerged as a worthy challenger last year, leading many of the daily protests in the wake of the George Floyd murder.
From L to R: Pastor Sharon Turner (L) Rod Smith (C) Pastor Chris Nettles (L)
Citizens took notice and rallied behind his efforts to challenge the long serving councilwoman and formidable foe, Kelly Allen Gray. Nettles has pulled out all stops and has made talking points of they Gray campaigns endorsements and donations. The results of the June 5th election will show whether or not the attacks were effective. For what he has done, Nettles is to be taken seriously and with a little guidance could emerge as a community leader, even without a seat on the council.
Newcomer Dr. Jared Williams is seeking to unseat longtime councilman and businessman, Jungus Jordan. The runoff between Jordan and Williams was brought about by a third challenger, Tiesa Leggett who took a meager percentage of the overall vote, but just enough to eliminate the possibility of an outright winner in District 6. Though there are a number of runoffs at city hall, none are more hotly contested than those of District 8 and the office of Mayor. Outgoing Democratic Chairwoman Deborah Peoples has made quite an impact on voters and seems poised to take the reins of one of the largest cities in America on day one.
It should be noted that regardless of the outcome of the mayoral race, Fort Worth will continue its trend of women in leadership. Outgoing mayor Betsy Price will be succeeded by either Mattie Parker or Deborah Peoples, an achievement worthy of note. Peoples and Parker made their cases at a recent debate which drew clear legislative lines, though the two women at the time openly professed their mutual admiration for each other and their professional achievements. Fort Worth is on the precipice of change. Whether it’s a changing of the guard or mere seasons, remains to be seen. This is why your voice is necessary.
Please stay tuned here and on Facebook as we update our conversations with candidates ahead of the election. Each conversation is an opportunity for candidates to speak with us and directly with their constituents LIVE on Facebook. No candidate has been paid to appear and neither conversation serves as our endorsement of said candidate.
Sherilyn Bennett, compiling author of “boy: Defending Our Black Sons’ Identity in America” is coming to Dallas for a book signing at the Pan-African Connection on Saturday June 12th (Noon-3 PM). As the world watched George Floyd’s life slip away beneath the knee of now-convicted former officer Derek Chauvin, Bennett knew that she needed to do something. After hearing the once again infamous epithet, ‘I Can’t Breathe”, Bennett sprang into action.
What began as a call to action to other mothers on social media morphed into the book project affectionately referred to as “The Boy Book.” Bennett’s two sons were victims of systemic racism and racial profiling on their respective college campuses, so Bennett wants to ensure this behavior doesn’t continue. In the process of hosting conversations with mothers, Bennett discovered that her son had withheld details of what he’d experienced, desiring to protect her from secondhand emotional horror.
Bennett not only included stories from mothers around the country, but she has also included ahistorical perspective from foremost African-American historian and lecturer, the late Dr. Patricia Hilliard Nunn, a mental health perspective from Stephanie Brinkley Wellon, LMHC, and a legal perspective from Najah Adams, ESQ.
“There is a history of black men being sacrificial lambs…it has to stop. The lynching, the shooting, the disregard of their humanity. They are our sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and leaders. They were never American boys.”
Dr. Patricia Hilliard- Nunn
What Ms. Bennett hopes to spread is not only awareness of the pervasiveness of racism but hope to mothers whose children have experienced the degradation of systemic racism and police brutality. Mrs. Gwen Carr (Eric Garner’s mother) has lent her voice to the book as foreword author. Along with Ms. Bennett, Mrs. Carr is traveling the country informing citizens of their power. As a testament to her tenacity, Mrs. Carr along with her family and citizens of New York celebrated the passing of the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act which not only banned the chokehold that killed her son.In a major victory for citizens and perhaps the heftiest point in the legislation, the act made use of the chokehold a felony if not used employed when an officer’s life is not in danger. Ms. Bennett and Mrs. Carr will be in Dallas to not only connect with readers but to hear the stories of survivors, connect with families seeking justice, and galvanize citizens, encouraging them to know that justice can be won and empowering them to get in the fight for justice. It does take tenacity and grit, but most importantly the decision to move as Mrs. Carr says, “from demonstration (protests) to legislation.”
Books can be purchased on Amazon and all other major book retailers.
Plano, Texas based Minnie’s Food Pantry has received a grant from Microsoft’s Nonprofit Tech Acceleration for Black and African American Communities Program. The program is bolstered by Microsoft’s overall commitment to finding new ways to combat racial injustice, the Tech for Social Impact team is utilizing Microsoft’s technology and services to provide minority-focused nonprofits the critical services and support at a local community level that is needed to drive change. Minnie’s does much more than simply supply food to and for Collin Country residents.Founder Cheryl “Action” Jackson has brought smiles and dignity to the residents they served. Each time the doors to the pantry are opened, a line is formed on the red carpet and service is delivered to match.
Beyond providing food security, Minnies caters to the whole person. In 2015, Minnie’s Learning Lab was created to offer client educational training programs in an effort to help transform lives. Under the grant, Minnie’s Food Pantry will receive licenses for Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Business 365 Business Premium for its staff, consulting services, and a host of technological resources aimed at strengthening its data infrastructure.
The global pandemic of 2020 forced Minnie’s to adapt to the many challenges facing their best efforts. The evolution didn’t hinder efforts, rather it expanded the scope of the work done by the food pantry. “The technology partnership with Microsoft enables Minnie’s Food Pantry to do just that. We can now offer a state-of-the-art platform to host our classes remotely anywhere in the country.” (Cheryl Jackson, Founder, Minnie’s Food Pantry)
Hannah’s Promise, Inc. is a growing nonprofit organization incorporated in 2021 by a group of women who, after conducting research, learned that women and children experiencing homelessness were invisible in the community. Due to the lack of resources available, Hannah’s Promise Inc. was created to assist this overlooked population with safe, affordable housing that responded to their unique needs.
We will also provide meals, job training, higher education, mentorship and tutoring, financial education and much more in the DFW area. We are excited to announce that this Saturday, April 17 th from 2pm – 4pm, we will set up site on the 1800 block of Corsicana and Paul St in the downtown area of Dallas Tx to give out care packages to the homeless men and women. We are seeking donations from the community to help support this cause. Donations for this event can be made via PayPal to Hannah’s Promise Inc.
Co-founders Renata Jackson, Shontee Shelton and LaWanna Scott appreciate your kind donation and look forward to establishing a long-lasting partnership with the public in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
The Maroon 9 Community Enrichment Organization presents its inaugural Virtual Fine Arts Competition, to be held on Saturday April 10th from 2 PM-4 PM. The competition is open to middle and high school students who will compete in one of six fine arts categories and a total of over $1,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to winners. The competition seeks to provide youth interested in fine arts a viable outlet to display their talent, learn from professionals and win their portion of the cash prizes.
Student competitors will compete in the categories of theatre, dance, visual art, spoken word/poetry, vocal or instrumental music. Ever looking to impact the students beyond the competition, participants chosen to compete will have an opportunity to take part in a master class taught by a professional in their selected fine arts category. Applicants may apply for more than one fine arts category but can only compete in one. A maximum of 25 applicants will be selected to compete in each category.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 24th and selected students will be notified the following week. Once notified of their selection students will then pay the $10.00 registration fee. The required master class will convene virtually on Saturday, March 27th from Noon-1 PM. Additionally, Maroon 9 is offering a $500 scholarship for seniors attending an HBCU in pursuit of a degree in fine/performing arts. Essay submissions are accepted until Wednesday, March 31, 2021 and students must detail how participating in fine arts has impacted their life, and the personal importance of attending an HBCU. Students can submit their essay, here.
Acting With Mrs. Davis remains persistent in its resolve to bolster the community by impacting youth in fine arts. Founder and Theatre Teaching Artist ShaVonne Banks-Davis is paying it forward by donating $1000 towards the Virtual Fine Arts Competition and scholarship with proceeds received from a $10,000 grant received last year from Beyonce Carter’s BeyGOOD Foundation.
This event is the first of its kind from Maroon 9 which works to serve the greater Fort Worth community through youth enrichment programs, community events and Sickle Cell Disease awareness. Should you choose to volunteer or give a tax-deductible donation, you can do so, here.
