Community
Draconian GOP Redistricting Plan Sets to Tear Black Residents Apart
Downtown Houston, Third Ward, Texas Southern, and the University of Houston, would all be removed from Jackson Lee’s 18th Congressional District. Even her residence of nearly 50 years would fall-off the map. This would equally prevent her from voting for herself in future elections. This plan is perilously strategic. It retains both Jackson Lee and Reps Al Green’s districts under the Democratic strongholds, but the shuffling of communities could result in them being pitted against one another in the 9th District. Both colleagues, Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green objected with a rare in-person plea to members of the Texas Senate to reverse this plan that would maliciously shove-off substantial number of Black Houston voters into new congressional districts.
The Republican majority’s proposals for all of the state’s political maps are out, and each is skewed in favor of the same voters: white Republicans.
One thing leads to the other. Republicans hold all of the statewide offices, along with majorities in the state’s congressional delegation, the Texas House and Senate, and the State Board of Education. It’s normal for those political animals to want to extend their dominance in state government, and to seize any opportunity to hurt Democrats and help Republicans.
But the correlations between race and party in Texas elections take that strategy of political discrimination perilously close to racial discrimination. White Texans are more likely to vote for Republicans than Democrats. Hispanic and Black Texans are more likely to vote for Democrats than Republicans.
And maps like the ones presented by legislators in the last two weeks are what comes of that. According to the latest U.S. census, 39.8% of the population is white, 39.3% is Hispanic, 11.8% is Black and 5.4% is Asian.
In the political maps laid out by lawmakers during the current special legislative session, white Texans are overrepresented and the other groups are underrepresented.
In the initial map for the Texas House, the majority of eligible voters (known in the redistricting and census data as the Citizen Voting Age Population) in 59.3% of the districts are white, in 20% are Hispanic and in 2.7% are Black. No district has an Asian majority, and in 18%, no group has a majority.
This plan is perilously strategic. It retains both Jackson Lee and Reps Al Green’s districts under the Democratic strongholds, but the shuffling of communities could result in them being pitted against one another in the 9th District.
In the proposed Senate map, 64.5% of the districts have white majorities, 22.6% have Hispanic majorities, 3.2% have Black majorities, none has an Asian majority, and in 9.7%, no group has a majority.
White Texans make up the majority of eligible voters in 60.5% of the proposed congressional districts, followed by Hispanic Texans at 18.4%, Black Texans and Asian Texans with no district majorities at all, and 21.1% of districts with no group in the majority.
At least the mapmakers are consistent.
You can’t draw maps like that with nice geometric shapes. We don’t live like that, and only a squiggly set of lines can divide Texans into the groups that best serve the political mapmakers. That sort of gerrymandering is legal, and sometimes, it’s even fair.
Here’s a definition from the website of the Texas Legislative Council, the state agency that draws redistricting maps and does other legal work for the state Legislature: “Gerrymander: To draw a district or set of districts with unusual boundaries usually with the intent to favor one group or party over another.”
Intent is everything. In arguments — both live and on social media — gerrymander is a term used to describe a district you don’t like. If it’s bad, it’s a gerrymander. But not all weirdly shaped districts are created equal. If it’s intended to give an unfair advantage to someone or some group, that’s not the same as making a funny pattern to connect people whose mutual interests are protected by law. That can be communities with common interests or problems, for instance, or communities of color.
Texas Republicans are trying to connect voters on the basis of politics, which is OK unless it crosses a legal line — one that is drawn, for example, to protect from racial discrimination. That’s for the courts to work out, but a simple analysis of the maps proposed for the congressional delegation, the Texas Senate and the Texas House reveals some of the cost of protecting the state from Democrats.
A perfect match in the 150-member Texas House, if the mix of the overall population was your guide, would be 60 districts with white majorities instead of the 89 in the proposed map, 59 Hispanic-majority districts instead of 30, 18 Black districts instead of 4, and eight districts with Asian majorities instead of none.
A perfect match of representation to population is practically impossible. The groups are scattered, and the gerrymandering required would be staggering. Even so, it’s hard to explain the fairness of proposed maps that have 39.8% of the Texas population — the white part — represented by 60.2% of the Texas Legislature; 39.3% — Hispanic Texans — represented by 20.4%; 11.8% — Black Texans — by 2.8%; and 5.4% — Asian Texans — by none at all.
The Texas Legislature might approve it, and the federal courts, when given the chance, might ratify it, but those numbers don’t add up.
Culled from the Texas Tribune
The Okwesilieze Women’s Club of Nigeria International Inc., Houston, Texas will be hosting its 20th anniversary and induction ceremony on October 7, 2023, at the Igbo Catholic Community Hall on 825 Creekbend Drive in Houston. The event starts at 8.00 pm. According to the Founder, CEO, and National President, Dr. Mrs. Gboliwe Chukwu (Ochiora), the event will highlight a thread of historical moments relevant to the group as well as pay tribute to the departed members.
“This is a great moment for our group if you recall how we started and how far we have gone. Also, do not forget that the Houston Chapter is the very first in North America to be fully registered and incorporated. So celebrating this in Houston, which by the way is the headquarters means so much to us,” Dr. Chukwu said.
Group leaders and members from all over the world are expected. In addition, many Houston community and political leaders are on the guest list. Guests will also witness the induction of new members.
The Okwesilieze Women’s Club of Nigeria was founded in 1976 by the wives of the original People’s Club of Nigeria in Enugu. The First induction took place on April 1, 1978, in Enugu-Nigeria. Today, the club has grown extensively with numerous chapters around the world. On January 21, 2003, the Texas Chapter was founded and officially inaugurated by Dr. Mrs. Chukwu
On October 11, 2003, the Lifetime National President, Chief Mrs. Alice Nwandu led a delegation of original group leaders, founders, and members from Nigeria to preside over the launching of the Houston Chapter. It was launched as a non-profit organization designed for women of substance and means. The goal according to Dr. Mrs. Chukwu was to “Sufficiently address issues that affect the quality of life of the Nigerian Women, their families, and the society in both the United States and Back home.”
She continued, “Our mission is to keep promoting family values and harness our members for wellness, economic opportunities, and other activities; helping less fortunate women, abused, and the homeless through our influence and operations.”
For more information about this event, please contact 281-772-5548 or 832-746-4988.
Community
Houston’s Church Partners with Christian Association of Nigeria to host National Bible Quiz Competition
The Voice of Evangelism International (VOEI) in Houston, Texas in partnership with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) will be hosting the 2023 Champion of Champions National Bible Quiz Competition in Abuja Nigeria. The event themed “The Word in a Fragile World” has commenced with a Bloc Competition that would end this month. The Grand Finale will be held on September 20, 2023 at the National Christian Center, Abuja – starting at 10.00 am.
- Theme: “The Word in a Fragile World”
- Date: Bloc Competition, June – August 2023
- Grand Finale: 20th September 2023
- Venue: National Christian Center, Abuja
- Time: 10.00 am
The competition is categorized into three age grades, Adult, Youth, and Teen. Three winners will emerge from each category during the Grand Finale. All winners will receive trophies, including ministerial support, donations, and consolation prizes.
Left: His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel C. Okoh, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria; Archbishop Dr. Emeka & Dr. Mrs. Chizoba Agwu, General Overseas of the Voice of Evangelism
Sponsored by Archbishop Dr. Emeka & Dr. Mrs. Chizoba Agwu, General Overseas of the Voice of Evangelism based in Houston, Texas, this event serves as the foundation and basis for evangelism, and serving God. According to Archbishop Dr. Agwu, the quiz affords children a better opportunity to read and understand the Bible. It offers them the spiritual values to abide by the tenets of the Bible.”
CAN under the leadership of His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel C. Okoh serves as a basis for response to the unity of the church and promotes understanding, peace, and unity among the various people and strata of society in Nigeria through the propagation of the gospel.
The VOEI is a nondenominational worship center established in 2006 to spread the word, unite persons, families, and businesses, as well as galvanize souls for Jesus Christ. The ministry has over the years, illustrated the retention of traditional Christian family standards consistent with the preaching and values of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Book Launch & Thanksgiving event was hosted on behalf of Dr. Mrs. Henrietta Okoro at Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts on 6050 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross GA. The event took place on July 2, 2023
Dr. Henrietta M. Okoro is an adjunct professor of computer information systems and business studies at the Colorado Technical University, National University, and the University of Cumberland.
The book titled Organizational Culture and Performance: The Practice of Sustaining Higher Performance in Business Merger & Acquisition Paperback. In the book, Dr. Okoro integrates organizational culture traits with insights from research to provide readers with distinctive strategies to improve and sustain employee retention, job satisfaction, and higher organizational performance. Emphases were made on distressed banks, global bank mergers, acquisition trends, and implications for sustainability.
Recommendations were provided to leaders in various industries and future research prospects. The book highlights the factors of job satisfaction, employee commitment, thinking beyond financial gain in mergers and acquisitions, failure as a learning tool, and the cultural traits necessary to sustain creativity and higher organizational performance.
The event was attended by who-is-who in the governmental, community, business, and academic communities.
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