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Vol. 47 No.33 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: vil3202@aol.com March 19, 2021

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Beyoncé Makes Grammy Award History- Winning her 28th Grammy Award

By Naomi RichardVILLAGER

Entertainment Reporter

(VILLAGER) -Beyoncé and husbandJay-Z were in attendanceat the outdoor and so-cially distanced 63rd

Grammy Awards whereshe won her 28th

Grammy, making her themost decorated femalesinger in all of Grammyhistory! First the Hous-ton Music Legend tiedAlison Kraus for mostGrammys won by a fe-male performer (aftershe and Megan TheeStallion won Best RapSong for the “Savage”remix). That tie didn’tlast the night though, asBeyonce went on tobreak the tie-winningRecord of the Year for“Black Parade!” Nowbona fide as the biggestfemale music performerin Grammy history,Queen B shed tears, be-ing overwhelmed withemotions.

Not to be outdone,Beyoncé’s daughter,nine-year old Blue IvyCarter, won her firstGrammy Award for the“Brown Skinned Girl”Music Video. “As an art-ist, I believe it’s my joband all of our jobs to re-flect the times. And it’sbeen such a difficulttime. And so, I want touplift, encourage, andcelebrate all the beauti-ful Black queens andkings that continue toinspire me and inspirethe whole world. I knowmy daughter is watch-ing. …Blue, congratula-tions, she won aGrammy tonight. I’m soproud of you. And I’m sohonored to be yourMommy,” said Beyoncé.

Other big winswere Taylor Swift’squarantine-produced“Folklore” for Album ofthe Year. Billie Eilish’s“Everything I Wanted”won Record of the Yearbut the 19-year-old re-peatedly said, “MeganThee Stallion deservedit.” H.E.R. won Song ofthe Year for “I Can’tBreathe” (Dernst Emile

Beyoncé during the 50th NAACP Awards. Photo by Earl Gibson.

II, H.E.R. & Tiara Tho-mas, songwriters), and“Better Than I Imagined”won Best R&B Song(Robert Glasper featur-ing H.E.R. & MeshellNdegeocello).

Best Gospel Perfor-mance/Song went to“Movin’ On” byJonathan McReynolds& Mali Music (Darryl L.Howell, Jonathan CalebMcReynolds, KortneyJamaal Pollard & TerrellDemetrius Wilson,songwriters). The BestGospel Album went tothe incredibly talentedPJ Morton, son of re-cording artist BishopPaul S. Morton, for hisfirst Gospel project titled“Gospel According to PJ.”

John Legend, theappropriately namederudite judge on NBC’shit music competitionThe Voice, also won BestR&B Album for Bigger

Love. An emotionalLedisi won her firstGrammy Award as BestR&B Performance for“Black Parade.” And in asurprise twist, Best Con-temporary ChristianMusic Album went toKanye West, for “Jesus IsKing.”

The 63rd AnnualGrammy Award winnerswere announced live atThe Staples Center in LosAngeles to a small out-door gathering on

March 14. There were84 categories rangingfrom outstandingachievements in genresincluding pop, rock, rap,Latin, classical, comedyand more. Most awardswere presented duringthe earlier Premiere Cer-emony hosted by JheneAiko, a three-time nomi-nee this year.

Trevor Noah wasthis year’s host for thetelevised portion of thefamous awards cer-emony and performersincluded to name a fewBillie Elish, Roddy Ricch,Doja Cat, Jimmy “Duck”Holmes, DaBaby, BurnaBoy and Cardi B per-forming WAP Live for thefirst time with MeganThee Stallion on a giantbed!

For a complete listof 2021 Grammy AwardWinners, please visitwww.grammy.com.

H.E.R. on Red Carpet Arrivalsfor the 51st NAACP Awards.

Photo by Earl Gibson.

Delta Beta Chapterearns Academic

Excellence honor.See MISSION

Page 6

COA prioritizesvulnerable

populations.See RENT

Page 5

Texas expandsgroup 1C

eligibility pool.See VACCINE

Page 3

Today, I’m putting so-cial justice trolls on Blast.I’m calling out all the“Compliers”, here andnow. The ‘Red Herring’that Compliers have usedover the past decade tomask their prejudice hasjust been caught, gutted,fried, and devoured.

But first, let’s get onthe same page. Compliers:those individuals who ar-gue unarmed black menand women killed by policeare attributed to not com-plying with officer com-mands.

Basically, Compliersattest Eric Garner died be-cause he “didn’t” comply.I say, go watch the tape.

Compliers sayGeorge Floyd died becausehe “didn’t” comply. I say,go watch the tape.

And Compliers say,Philando Castile died be-cause he “didn’t” comply.I say, go watch the tape.

In every instance, thecore theme to blue livesover black lives has beento distract observers fromthe actual issue being scru-tinized.

Enter JohnnyDamon; The “grenade” -lobbed into the Compliers’entire argument and BLEWIT UP! Mr. Damon and hiswife were arrested lastweek for DUI, among otherthings that we’ll get tolater. Now is the timewhere I say; Go Watch TheTape!

I studied the onehour and thirty-five-minute video of Damon’sarrest ad nauseam the dayit was released. Not onlydid Damon not complywith officer commands,but he assaulted the of-ficer as well. At one-point,Ol’ Johnny boy knockedthe officer’s body camerato the ground where itstayed for three minutesand eighteen seconds. Allthe while, Ol’ Johnny Boyis claiming he’s blue livesmatter and a Trump sup-porter.

But the amazingthing? Damon’s behindnever touched the ground.EVER! He, nor his wife –whom was less compliantthan him and charged withbattery of a police officer– didn’t receive a scratch.Oh, by the way, Damon’s“resisting arrest” charge?That was dropped!

So, what was thatabout if (you name’em)would’ve complied, (s)he’dstill be alive? Shiiiiiiii.....!

It Ain’t About“Complying”

Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com

By John Harris Jr.VILLAGER Sports

Columnist

Dawn Staley is a Legend in the Making

Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball Hall of Fameplayer, current University of South Carolina Gamecocks women’s

basketball coach, and three-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist.

(VILLAGER) - SouthCarolina women’s bas-ketball coach DawnStaley, one of the greatBlack college coaches ofall-time, male or female,is a rare treasure to beappreciated, admiredand honored.

Staley leads theGamecocks into theNCAA Tournament asthe No. 1 overall seed.South Carolina facesMercer in the first roundSunday at theAlamodome in San An-tonio. Due to the threatof COVID-19, every tour-nament game will beplayed in San Antonio,Austin or San Marcos,with the championshipgame scheduled for April4 at the Alamodome.

If you can make itto San Antonio in per-son, Staley is definitelyworth the effort and sac-rifice to observe up closeand personal. Check herout because the sister isbad - in a good way. IfStaley were a man, shewould have a candy barnamed after her. She islegendary.

Just how great of a

coach and player isStaley? Let us count theways.

During her fourseasons in college, sheled Virginia to four NCAATournament, three FinalFours and one nationalchampionship game.She was named nationalplayer of the year in1991 and 1992.

The national highschool player of the year,Staley is a three-timeOlympic gold medalist.She was voted by fans asone of the top 15 play-ers in WNBA history andwas elected to theNaismith Memorial Bas-ketball Hall of Fame in2013.

While still a WNBAplayer, Staley, a Philadel-phia native, alsocoached hometownTemple Universitywomen’s program andguided the Owls to sixNCAA Tournament ap-pearances.

Now at South Caro-lina, Staley produced theprogram’s first No 1overall ranking in 2014,making her only the sec-ond individual to bothplay and coach a No. 1ranked team.

In 2017, Staleyguided South Carolina tothe program’s firstwomen’s basketball na-tional championship.Later that year, she wasnamed head coach ofthe USA national team.

In 2020, Staley be-came the first coach,

male or female, to winthe Naismith Awardhonoring the nation’stop basketball coach, asboth a player and coach.

Let that sink in fora minute.

Entering this year’sNCAA Tournament,Staley’s South Carolinateams have been the No.1 overall seed a remark-

able five times. TheGamecocks have ad-vanced to the Elite Eightthree times in the lastfive NCAA Tournaments.South Carolina wouldhave been the No. 1overall seed last yearuntil the NCAA Tourna-ment was canceled due

to COVID-19. She alsowon the other threemajor national coach ofthe year awards, aftershe led her team to a 32-win season and a finalNo. 1 ranking before thetournament was can-celed.

Staley is worth far

more than the price ofadmission to determineif she can lead SouthCarolina on another titlerun. Her considerableinput not only puts heron the map, it also high-lights the contributionsof female basketballplayers everywhere.

DAWN

She is...the DREAM.

Cynthia Erivo Plays ArethaFranklin in the UpcomingThird Season of NationalGeographic’s “Genius”

(VILLAGER) - Na-tional Geographic hasunveiled the trailer andlong-awaited releasedate for “Genius:Aretha Chain of Fools,”the third entry in itsanthology franchise.The trai ler can beviewed on YouTube ath t t p s : / / y o u t u . b e /ryGpdVuuq_Y.

The eight-part sea-son will center on the lifeof musician and civilrights leader ArethaFranklin, also known as

the Queen of Soul. “Ge-nius: Aretha” will pre-miere March 21 on Na-tional Geographic, andtwo new episodes willair on the followingthree days.

Season 3 will ex-plore Aretha Franklin’smusical genius and in-comparable career, aswell as the immeasur-able impact and lastinginfluence she has hadon music and culturearound the world.Franklin was a gospel

prodigy, an outspokencivil rights champion,and widely consideredthe greatest singer ofthe past 50 years, receiv-ing countless honorsthroughout her career.Without knowing howto read music, Franklintaught herself to playthe piano and is re-garded as one of theworld’s bestselling mu-sical artists of all time,with more than 75 mil-lion records sold duringher career.

National Geographic Television.

www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021 ~ Page 3

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Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St. Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751

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Christian Education 9:15a.m. | Worship 10:30 a.m.Nursery Available

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Dr. Joseph C.Parker, Jr.

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2211 East Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.Austin, TX 78702

Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399Website: www.davidchapel.orgEmail: info@davidchapel.org“A Church with a Heart

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BETHEL-ST. PAUL UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH877 W. Hempstead, Giddings, Texas 78942

Weekly ScheduleSunday School 9:00 a.m.

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Barbara’sBook Bag

Book Review ByBarbara Williams

Four Hundred Souls(A Community History of African America. 1619-2019)

Edited by Ibram X. Kendrick and Keisha N. Blain

(VILLAGER) - Thisis a one volume bookthat tells the story of thefour-hundred-year jour-ney of African Ameri-cans in the UnitedStates. The editors se-lected a community ofeighty black writers andten black poets tochronicle this history ofBlack Americans from1619-2019.

Each writer cov-ers a period of five yearsin an essay. The book isdivided into ten parts.Each part ends with apoem. Each writer ’spiece revolves around aperson, place, thing,idea or event.

Having 80 differ-ent writer perspectives,allows the reader a vari-ety of insights aboutwhat has transpired

throughout the past fourhundred years

The chaptersare short and easy toread. The first writer isNicole Hannah Jones.She tells why it is impor-tant for African Ameri-cans to tell their own his-tory, most of which hasbeen left out of Ameri-can history books. Shechallenges students tolearn the African Ameri-can History is muchmore diverse and com-plex than has been toldin books. She says “wewish to plead our owncause.”

The essays aredifferent and informa-tive. They shinebrightly on things thathave not been writtenor talked about. Theyshow the strength andthe resilience of AfricanAmericans to overcomeand move things for-ward. Writers showthat there are many toadmire and revere, butthere are many, manymore ordinary peoplewho continue to pressforward.

Black newspa-pers are cited as themain sources of docu-

mentations of history,especially during theearly years writtenabout. Essays are writ-ten about courageouswomen and men as wellas the prominent leader-ship they provided forthe race.

The is an excel-lent book. Everyone canlearn about the nation inwhich they live and thechallenges and com-plexities faced and

continue to befaced by African Ameri-cans in this nation.

*****5 out of 5Rating.

Vaccination events increase asTexas opens vaccines to group 1C

(TEXAS) - According to the Texas Departmentof State Health Services, anyone 50 years old orolder will be eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccinationshot. They will join the eligibility pool alongsidethose 65 and older and anyone 16 and up with anunderlying health issue.

There are now hundreds of providers admin-istering vaccines in the Austin area.

Texas health officials have also designated sev-eral local hospitals and health departments as vac-cination hubs, which get the biggest allocations ev-ery week.

As of Sunday, more than eight million Texans

had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vac-cine. 2.8 million Texans are fully vaccinated, whichis approximately 9.7% of the population.

Yaphet Kotto of ‘Live and Let Die,’ ‘Alien,’ dies at 81By JAKE COYLE | AP NEWS

Yaphet Kotto

NEW YORK (AP) —Yaphet Kotto, the com-manding actor whobrought tough magne-tism and stately gravitasto films including theJames Bond movie “Liveand Let Die” and “Alien,”has died. He was 81.

Kotto’s wife, TessieSinahon, announced hisdeath Monday in aFacebook post. She saidhe died Monday in thePhilippines. Kotto’sagent, Ryan Goldhar,confirmed Kotto’sdeath.

“You played a vil-lain on some of yourmovies but for meyou’re a real hero and toa lot of people,” wroteSinahon.

Standing 6-foot-3-inches, YaphetFrederick Kotto was aregular and compellingpresence across films,television and Broad-way beginning with thefilms “Nothing But aMan” (1964) and “TheThomas Crown Affair”(1968). He made hisstage debut in a Bostonproduction of

“Othello.” In 1969, hereplaced James EarlJones in the Pulitzer-winning “The GreatWhite Hope” on Broad-way. His big-screenbreakthrough came asLieutenant Pope in1972's “Across 110thStreet.”

Raised in the Bronxand a descendent ofCameroonian royalty onhis father’s side, Kottowas best known for hisinfuriated FBI agent in“Midnight Run” who hashis badge stolen by Rob-ert De Niro, the JamesBond villain Mr. Big in“Live and Let Die” andthe technician DennisParker in 1979’s “Alien.”

“He’s one of thoseactors who deservedmore than the parts hegot,” wrote director AvaDuvernay on Twitter.“But he took those partsand made them won-derful all the same.”

Kotto was nomi-nated for an Emmy forhis performance asUgandan dictator IdiAmin in the 1977 televi-sion movie “Raid on

Entebbe.” In PaulSchrader’s 1978 “BlueCollar,” about Detroitauto workers, he starredalongside Richard Pryorand Harvey Keitel as theex-convict SmokeyJames.

Kotto also co-starred in the 1987Arnold Schwarzeneggeraction film “The Run-ning Man” and played AlGiardello from 1993 to1999 on the NBC series“Homicide: Life on theStreet.”

“Memories and re-spect for Yaphet Kotto,whose film career waslegend even before he

came to Baltimore tograce our televisiondrama,” said DavidSimon, author of thebook that launched the“Homicide” show. “Butfor me, he’ll always be AlGiardello, the unlikeliestSicilian, gently pullingdown the office blindsto glower at detectivesin his squadroom.”

Kotto sometimesstruggled with beingtypecast as a detective,and he lamented howmany of his charactersdied in the end.

“I’m always calledpowerful, bulky or im-posing,” Kotto told theBaltimore Sun in 1993.“Or they say I fill up aroom. I’m a 200-pound,6-foot-3-inch Black guy.And I think I have thisimage of a monster. It’svery difficult.”

“I want to try toplay a much more sen-sitive man. A familyman,” he added. “Thereis an aspect of Blackpeople’s lives that is notrunning or jumping.”

Kotto is survived byhis wife and six children.

(1939-2021)Photo property of MGM

Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com

Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow

Ava RobertsPflugerville H. S.

Lacee JohnsonConnally High School

Kaitlyn CannonBluebonnet Trail Elem.

The African American Flag

The history of theAfrican American Flagfirst appeared during theAmerican Civil War of1861 to 1865. The Con-federate Army soldiersflew their black flag tosymbolize the oppositeof the white flag of sur-render. The black flagmeant that the unionwould not give in norsurrender, and that en-emy combatants wouldbe killed.

In the year 1991 atthe African-AmericanBanquet, Tonya andDavid Harvey of Balti-more, Maryland weresinging the Black Na-tional Anthem, whenthey decided a flagwould was needed tosymbolize the meaningof the past, present, andfuture of the African-American life in theUnited States ofAmerica, the purpose ofthe African-Americanflag. The Harveys envi-sioned the flag flowingon the campuses of His-torical Black Collegesand Universities (HBCU),African American

churches, businesses,and homes throughoutthis country. They be-lieved the flag wouldpromote and representpositive and non-politi-cal principles that wouldassist African-Ameri-cans, and all Americans,to change their mindsetsfrom the negative im-ages that permeate theAfrican-American com-munities, to those posi-tive images that wouldactivate a renewedsense of purpose. Thatpurpose would be real-ized in flying the flagthroughout the country.

Flag colors with itsown meanings are:Purple—the regal his-tory of African Ameri-cans; Gold flashes orlight around the star—Perseverance, Love,knowledge and spiritual-ity; Black strip nearpurple field—AfricanAmerican are close toregality; Green strip—Abundant life in Africa,Gold strip—The riches ofAfrica; Red, white &blue—The integral partAfrican Americans play,have played, and willplay in America’s great-ness; and Eight-pointedblack star—Each indi-vidual African AmericanTheme of the centralblack star is ‘Black StarsCan Shine Too”. Eightpoints of the star reflect.African Americans’: As-pirations, Family, Righ-teousness, Individuality,Community, Ability, No-bility, Scholarship.

ARTICLE REFER-ENCE: The GoogleInternet, Date: February10,2009

Texas Snowstorm of 2021

The snowstorm weall endured during themonth of February wasone example of themany crises Texas hasfaced during the year of2021. For many of us ourfaith, health, andwellbeing were all put tothe test as we battledthe loss of power,internet, and warmth.My story and overall ex-perience during thesetimes were surely a dif-ficult, starting from theexact beginning of theoutage.

That night it wascalmer than ever before.I opened my windowslightly to get some freshair while I continued towatch my show. Unex-pectedly, the typical irri-tating buffering circlegazed back at me, inter-rupting my show with itsconstant movementsaround and around thescreen. I got up and deli-cately walked across thehouse trying not toawaken my mother.When I went into the liv-ing room, I did notbother trying to flick onthe lights as I knew thehouse well and did nothave a desire to allowany unnecessary light tofollow my path back up-stairs. When I got a fewfeet away from theinternet router, I sawthere was no blue lightbeaming from it as itgenerally does. This isthe point at which I un-derstood the power wasout, but it was not ex-actly a crazed thoughtsince it had been snow-ing continually for theduration of the night. Imade my way back up tomy room and laid still inbed. I closed the gap be-tween my window and

rested normallythroughout the night.

The next morning, Iwoke up with the pecu-liar thought that it wasearlier than usual. I fig-ured with the excessivesnow school was des-tined to be cancelledwhich was tremendousnews to hear on a Mon-day morning. I used myphone to play some re-laxing sounds to help meget back to sleep. BeforeI knew it, I drifted backto sleep. When I wokeup, I could not believethat the power was stillout, and it was very coldin the house. There wasno heater providing hotair throughout thehouse. I ended up sittingin my chair piled on blan-kets all the way until2:40 pm. Eventually, I fig-ured my frantic waitingwas not going to bringthe power back on any-time soon, so with thisnews I got inside of mybed and napped on andoff for the rest of thatentire day. I kept wakingup just on that slightpiece of hope the powerwould be back on, butfrankly, that hopebrought me nothing. Mymother and I only hadone meal that day as shewarmed up leftovermeat by filling the sinkwith hot water thenplacing the meat in a bagand letting it sit in thehot water. Although thiswas a lengthy process,but it brought us wellneeded nutrients. AfterI finished eating, I stayedin bed for the rest of thenight.

The next day was asimple cycle of the pre-vious day. This timearound I never left thebed except for the shorttime I took to eat withmy mother. She used thesame hot water tech-nique she used last timeto heat up the food wehad. I slept throughoutthat day, each time wak-ing up to no power andheat. I lost more hope init ever coming back. Thecold temperaturesseemed to continue totake over the house. Atthis point, I was unableto feel my feet, and walk-ing or getting up becamea task that required meleaning against a rail or

a wall.The day after was

thankfully the last day ofour despair. The tem-peratures were signifi-cantly lower than be-fore, and I was able tosee my own breathwhile inside the house.My mom used the bits ofbattery she had left todesperately call her bossto see if he would comeout to get us. Thankfully,he was more than will-ing to come pick us up.While we waited, I wasgenuinely starting to be-come worried for my meand my mother’s safety,the feeling in our fingers

were starting to fadeand walking with ourlegs was almost likewalking with pencilsticks. We waited about30 minutes and wepacked up some basicsupplies and headed to-wards my grandparents’house. Being inside thecar was the first time Ifelt heat in almost 3 daysnow. I was still shaken upby the experience weunderwent but none-theless, but I told mymother’s boss how muchI appreciated him and hisson for their sacrifice andsafety to come and pickup my mother and me.

Mask Off

This week of March15 is spring break formany schools in the Aus-tin area. Also, it’s thetime when many aretraveling to Texasbeaches for vacation andrelaxation. And thisyear, it is also the time

when Governor Abbottlifted the mask mandateand increased the capac-ity to 100% for all busi-nesses. With people ex-periencing Covid fatigue,some may be confusedby the governor’s an-nouncement. So manyare ready to go back tonot wearing masks andnot social distancing.But unmistakably theCOVID-19 pandemic hasnot ended.

I will encourageyou to keep practicingCovid safety measures.What we have doneover the last year shouldcontinue. Stay safe!

Aiden LoydenTeravista Elementary

Middle School Goals

My 5th grade year iscoming to an end. Thatmeans middle school isright around the corner.To be successful inmiddle school, I need toset goals. Some of mygoals are to focus onthings that are impor-tant to my success suchas handle constructive

criticism, prioritize tasksand become more orga-nized. I understand whypeople give constructivecriticism. Constructivecriticism is given to allowpeople to develop andgrow. Today, I strugglewith receiving construc-tive criticism. I strugglewith prioritizing tasks.The things that are mostimportant are the thingsI do last and rushthrough.

Moving forward, Iwould like to do thetasks that are most im-portant to least impor-tant. I’ve also realizedI’m not a very organizedperson. To be successfuland to prioritize tasksyou must first be orga-nized. Middle school willstart calculating my GPAand I don’t want to slack.This is why I’ve decidedto set goals.

The Bluest Eye Book Review

SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards

In my English class,my classmates and Iwere asked to select abook by the author ToniMorrison. For those thatare not familiar with ToniMorrison, she is an Afri-can American, poet, nov-elist, essayist, and bookeditor. Some of thebooks presented to us tochoose from include,Beloved, The Bluest Eye,Song of Solomon, andmany other options. Co-

incidentally, my motherhappened to purchasethe book, The Bluest Eye,for me as a gift, beforeour Toni Morrison coursewas presented to myclass. I was able to startreading the book with abook group that I wasplaced into. Together wecreated a schedule forthe number of pages weshould be on when wemet, discussed the book,and asked each otherquestions to better ourunderstanding and re-ceive different perspec-tives.

The Bluest Eye, is anovel that takes place inOhio, and describes thestory of a young AfricanAmerican girl namedPecola who lived duringthe times following theGreat Depression.Pecola prayed for blueseyes so that she wouldbe loved and seen asbeautiful, just as theblond blue-eyed Ameri-can kids were por-

trayed. Pecola’s l ifedrastically changes asshe goes through a dif-ficult and devastatingsituation. This causesher to neglect the truth,and turn to focusing onthe identity of havingblue eyes. On a more de-tailed note, the novel fo-cuses on the social ide-als of beauty and ugli-

ness. Toni Morrison usesher novel to portray thedemonization of AfricanAmerican culture andidentity, focusing andacknowledging the ef-fects of internalized rac-ism. The Bluest Eye wasnot what I expected atall.

I truly enjoyed itand believe that it was

interesting, unique, andwell written, focusing onthe beauty and indiffer-ence of individuals. It ac-knowledged how spe-cific situations and thecontinuation of actionsover the course of a life-time can lead to a nega-tive impact on individu-als and others that theyinteract with. The idea of

beauty and uglinessvarying among individualperspectives. Personally,I loved this book, and Irecommend it to otherswho are in search ofsomething that willcause them to read,question the story, ac-cept the knowledge, andlook at life through a dif-ferent lens.

www.theaustinvillager.com HEADLINES Page 5 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021

Tying up loose Strings

I’ve pretty muchwrapped up school be-fore spring break. I havea few assignments leftbefore I’m free, then Igot many annoying last-minute assignments.They weren’t technicallylast minute. The gradingperiod ended on Friday,and these are due theweek after spring break.I guess I should call them

“rollover” assignmentsinstead. Yes, I do haveover a week to completethem, but I don’t want todo work over my breakat all. Those assignmentsare the kinds that I ei-ther have to get done onthe same day orscramble to finish daysbefore they’re due.

I’m all settled inFlorida. I pretty muchknow my way aroundtown. It was nice how Iquickly found good localshopping centers andgrocery stores. I’ve hadsome pretty great res-taurant food and somenot-so-great food too.Swimming and playingaround in the pool hasbeen relaxing andfun.This break came upat a perfect time be-cause I am spent. I’mdone with school thingsand I’m ready to relaxand enjoy my vacation.

Rebekah McNealRound Rock H. S.

Montrae NelsonFour Points M. S.

Michael Buro

Hello everyone,christmas break is overand school is startingback up again. While allthe teachers are gettingthings together for theirstudents there is oneteacher that stands outabove the rest. His nameis Michael Buro. Mr.Buroteaches World Historyand Geography at

Vandegrift high school. He has been teach-

ing for 5 years and wantsto retire around his 10thyear of teaching. He isoutstanding at what hedoes and works to thebest of his abilities. Thisis what makes him sohard working and deter-mined. He has gone toUT and graduated thereand loves working withkids.

He wants to findmore jobs related to so-cial working. He wants tohelp people in need andis willing to put as muchtime as he can into it.Mr.Buro is also a footballcoach and coach the QBposition and loves whathe does. Thank youMr.Buro for letting meinterview you and hav-ing such a great story totell. Thanks for reading!!

Austin, TX – The Relief of Emergency Needsfor Tenants (RENT) Assistance Program ApplicationPortal opens on Monday, March 15, 2021. The Cityof Austin received funding from the U.S. Depart-ment of the Treasury through the Emergency RentalAssistance Program in early 2021. The RENT Assis-tance Program provides $25 million of direct rentsupport for income-eligible Austin renters who arefinancially impacted by COVID-19.

The updated program guidelines have beenenhanced to address equity, prioritize vulnerableand low-income populations, and create strongercoordination of tenant stabilization services includ-ing connecting approved applicants to Austin En-ergy for utility assistance. Further, renters are notrequired to be U.S. citizens or legal residents to ap-ply. Renters who received rent support from the2020 RENT program can apply using the same ac-count; this program can provide funding for themonths that have unpaid rent.

The RENT program will randomly select appli-cations weekly on Fridays for processing. If selectedand the application qualifies, payment will be is-sued directly to the landlord who is owed rent pay-ments.

RENT Program Enhancements & Benefits:The RENT Assistance Program can help rent-

ers financially impacted by the pandemic pay rentas far back as April 2020 until December 2021.

Significant policy changes from the federalgovernment include the following: Timing for land-lord response has been reduced (which allows pay-ments to be made directly to the renter when land-lords are unresponsive); More flexibility in allow-able forms of documentation; Allowing for self-cer-tification; Categorical eligibility for households ap-proved to receive benefits from other governmentassistance programs with the same or lower-incomelimitations; and Eligibility for households receivingfederal subsidies.

Significant policy changes in the City of Austin’sRENT program beginning in March 2021:

Tenants and landlords can apply; Householdsmay be eligible to receive up to 15 months of rentassistance; RENT funds can cover fees on the leaseagreement, including internet services, utilities in-cluded with the rent, and fees for garage use, stor-age, service animals, and pets; and Through collabo-ration with Austin Energy, the RENT program willprovide approved application information to Aus-tin Energy for Austin Energy customers in need ofutility assistance. This will eliminate having to sepa-rately apply for utility assistance if the RENT pro-gram determines the applicant is eligible.

Eligibility Requirements:To apply, applicants must meet the eligibility

requirements below: Have an income of no morethan 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI); Oneor more members of your household must have ei-ther: qualified for unemployment benefits OR pro-vide proof that due to COVID-19 you: have less in-come, have more costs or bills, or experienced otherfinancial hardship; One or more members of yourhousehold must demonstrate they: are at risk of ex-periencing homelessness or their housing situationis uncertain, which may include a past due utility/rent notice or eviction notice OR live in unsafe orunhealthy housing conditions; and Live within theCity of Austin Full Purpose Jurisdiction boundaries.Applicants can verify using the City of Austin Juris-dictional Boundaries map. The address on the ap-plication must be the applicant’s primary residence.

Application Help:For additional information, including instruc-

tions, a how-to video, frequently asked questions,and application assistance, visitwww.AustinTexas.gov/RENT, emailAustinRENT@cvrassociates.com or call the RENTCall Center at 512-488-1397 between 8 a.m. and 6p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.

Austin ContinuesVaccine Distribution for

Phase 1B Individuals

Vaccine ApprovalThe Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vac-

cines have received an Emergency Use Authorizationfrom the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Vaccine EligibilityPeople currently eligible to receive the COVID-19

vaccine in Texas include:Phase 1A: Frontline healthcare workers and resi-

dents of long-term care facilitiesPhase 1B: People 65+ or 16+ with a medical con-

dition that puts them at increased risk for severe dis-ease

Phase 1C: People 50 to 64, regardless of medicalconditions.

School and licensed childcare personnelPhase 1C and school and licensed childcare per-

sonnel were recently added to the eligibility list by theTexas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

The demand for vaccine in these eligible groupsis exceeding the supply of many providers across theAustin area.

APH is working to prioritize the vaccine for morethan 200,000 1A and 1B individuals in our system whohave not yet received the vaccine, along with newlyeligible education professionals, early childhood staff,and 1C individuals. In the coming days, APH will makemodifications to our registration platform to includethe 1C population.

A handful of other local providers receive smallerallocations each week. A list of local providers can befound at centraltxvaccs.org.

Calling all volunteers! Help us block walk and reconnect with our AISD families! Operation Recon-nect is a door-to-door neighborhood walk to engage and recruit families back to Austin ISD schools,Saturday, April 10, 2021 – 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. The focus of the event is schools in the northeastcorridor of the district.

Register to volunteer via our online form, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdguB4nfbbCNpY634rvCx4vDqQWTPqp5b5bG_ksPqO4jjQ0-A/viewform

Operation Reconnect - AISD Action Day Volunteer Form

April 9thInstructional

Day2021-2022

School YearReturn toStandard

InstructionDear Austin ISD

families,I appreciate your

continued flexibilitythroughout this schoolyear as it has allowed usto adjust as needed in theinterest of our students,families, and staff.

We recognize thatstudents have lost a lot oftime this year in days ofinstruction. In an effort torecover some time, wewill offer a regular school

Stephanie S. ElizaldeAISD Superintendent

day on Friday, April 9 —on-campus and remotely.This day was previouslyannounced as an asyn-chronous day. On April 9,transportation will beprovided for studentswho attend on campus.Students learning re-motely will be engagedwith their teachers.

In addition, we rec-ognize that spring is whenfamilies are planning forfall. We anticipate wel-coming students back tocampuses and providing

standard face-to-face in-struction and an optionalvirtual hybrid model forthe 2021-22 school year.The commitment fromour district will includethat with these options,teachers will be selectedfor one model to elimi-nate the concurrent(teaching via Zoom and inperson at the same time)instructional design.There are many more de-tails to come, but wewanted to share as muchas we can as we movethrough this very fluidprocess. As we continueto work with our internalteam members and re-ceive additional guid-ance from the Texas Edu-cation Agency, we willshare updated plans forthe fall. AISD will con-tinue to follow safetyprotocols as recom-mended, at that time, by

the Centers for DiseaseControl and Preventionand the American Acad-emy of Pediatrics.

Finally, as you mayhave heard, cases andhospitalization acrossthe state and nationhave gone down in re-cent weeks. While thisnews indicates ourunited efforts are payingoff, we will only end thispandemic if we continueto practice health andsafety measures.Whether you are on cam-pus or in public, I encour-age you to keep wearingyour face mask, social dis-tancing where needed,and to take advantage ofany opportunity to obtaina vaccine.

Thank you for beinga part of Austin ISD.

Sincerely,Stephanie S. ElizaldeSuperintendent

AISD Community Retreat Part 3: Eliminating Disparities in Discipline andPunishment - Workgroup Updates & Action Steps

Wednesday, April 14 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.https://zoom.us/j/96134361744?pwd=VVBsei9tM0FwR0dlWGF1SGpMN1gzZz09Meeting ID: 961 3436 1744 and Passcode: 147980

Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com

TexasAfricaFest

(VILLAGER) - TexasAfrica Fest will occur Oc-tober 25-27, 2021, inPflugerville, Texas. Theevent will be the 6th edi-tion of this festival and

seeks to highlight the Af-rican Diaspora in CentralTexas and create abridge with the AfricanAmerican community.During this event, therewill be numerous con-versation panel ses-sions.

Furthermore, oneof the speakers for theAfrican American cul-ture will be Draeka Jack-son. Jackson foundedDignified Virtue and hastraveled numeroustimes to West Africa, inwhich she has sought toestablish a bridge be-

tween the US and theAfrican continent.Jackson's nonprofitsought to establish aSTEAM program in Cen-tral Texas and Ghana.

Finally, the TexasAfrica Fest strongly be-lieves that araprochement betweenAfrican Americans andAfricans can open upnumerous opportunitiesranging from culture,education, and business.For instance, it is a plat-form that connectsAmericans and Africanentrepreneurs.

by Tsoke (Chuch)Adjavon

VILLAGERColumnist

Item 67Passes

theAustinCity

Councilby Tsoke (Chuch)

AdjavonVILLAGERColumnist

(VILLAGER) - Lastweek the Austin CityCouncil passed item 67 onits agenda. Moreover,item 67 recognizes andacknowledges the city'srole of disenfranchisingBlack Austinites throughpast discriminationcaused by the urban re-newal policies and the1928 master plan. Fur-thermore, it calls for thecreation of black re-sources and cultural cen-ters.

According toDiaspora Vote, "item 67 isa good measure at mak-ing a positive step towardimproving the lives of

Black Americans. How-ever, the best way to im-proving the lives of BlackAmericans in the Austinarea is to make housingmore affordable."

Austin is the only bigcity where its black popu-lation has seen stagnantgrowth, produced by rac-ist policies coming fromDowntown. For a longtime, the Austin PoliceDepartment was notori-ous for its aggressivemanner of dealing withblack motorists. Hope-fully, item 67 will be a keyin creating a positive qual-ity of life for Black resi-dents.

DELTA BETA CHAPTERXINOS AND KUDOS

“Mission Possible: Building A Future of Opportunities”

The Xinos and Kudos of the Delta Beta Chapter (Austin, Texas) of the Na-tional Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (NSPDK, Inc.) demonstrated determina-tion to finish the mission of completing their first virtual regional youth confer-ence. The Xinos (girls) and Kudos (boys) are in grades 9th thru 12th. NSPDK, Inc.is a professional nonprofit organization of active and retired female educatorscommitted to the pursuit of excellence in education as they mentor, tutor andsupport the youth of the United States of America.

The NSPDK, Inc. first virtual and the 48th Xinos and 38th Kudos first virtualSouthwest Regional Conference was held February 26–27, 2021 via Zoom. Ap-proximately 275 students from four states, under the guidance and online moni-toring of member sponsors and HUB parent chaperones, participated in generalsessions, development workshops, and competitions in academic excellence,informative speaking, singing, instrumental music, poetry, art, and presentationof chapter activity books.

National President Dr. Etta Carter (Gamma Nu Chapter, Little Rock, Arkan-sas) states,”The theme, “Mission Possible” is needed more in these times thanever before. You have proven that with resiliency, creativity, leadership, sister-hood, and never giving up, that the Mission is Possible. The attending youth willlearn that this is a life lesson that will be much needed in adulthood.”

Southwest Regional Director Anita O’Neal (Gamma Tau Chapter, San Anto-nio, Texas) states, “Again, this year we are committed to trying to instill in themindset of all our youth leadership skills as they develop through life. One ofthe major components of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa is to enhanceand develop YOUTH in your local community throughout the sororal year. So,our conference is when we gather together to showcase the outstanding youthfrom Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. We will ‘Build a Future of Op-portunities’ in the Southwest Region. We are a region that has a clear focus of“Emerging, Enhancing, Embracing and Digging Deep to make it Happen.”

Delta Beta Chapter Xinos earned the following recognitions: Academic Ex-cellence—Erica Shepherd, Kymorah Carter, Keearah Kyles-Newman and KatherineNellie; Informative Speaking—Katherine Nellie; Heritage Bowl Participants—Maya Crawford, Tania Youman and Keearah Kyles-Newman (support); Talent—Erica Shepherd (modified poem, “Xinos Girl!! Xinos Girl!!”, dedicated to thewomen of Delta Beta Chapter); Chapter Activity Book—3rd Place; and largestnumber of Xinos in attendance for the first ever virtual conference—12 Xinos.

Delta Beta Chapter Kudos earned the following recognitions: AcademicExcellence—Jon Batiste, Charleston Rabb, Jonathan Porter, Juanel Sippio II andArtist Tyson; Informative Speaking—3rd Place—Jeremiah Adams; Heritage BowlParticipant—Juanel Sippio II; Talent—1st Place, Poetry—Jeremiah Adams; Art—Photography—Jonathan Porter; and Chapter Scrapbook—1st Place.

Special recognition goes to the newly elected 2021-2022 Southwest Re-gional Xinos President—Kymorah Carter; 2020-2021 Regional Officers—XinosVice-President—Erica Shepherd, Xinos Chaplain—Mariah Leonard and KudosPresident—Artist Tyson; Regional Ambassadors—Xinos Kayla Owens and KudosJonathan Porter; Chapter Delegates—Xinos Hanna Austin and Kymorah Carter;Chapter Delegates—Kudos Jonathan Porter and Juanel Sippio II; and GraduatingSeniors—Xinos Erica Shepherd, Mariah Leonard, Moniscia Blaylark and ZariaHamilton and Kudos Jonathan Porter.

Special appreciation is extended to the Xinos Sponsor—Esther “Pixi” Phillips;Kudos Sponsor—Brenda Kay Fowler; Hub Parents Advisor—Crystal L. Jones, HUBparents and Delta Beta members for their untiring support of our youth through-out the school year, and for helping to prepare our youth for their first virtualregional conference.

For information about membership into NSPDK, Inc. and its affiliate groups,please contact Delta Beta Chapter President Estelle Brooks at (512) 940-6741 oremail esbrooks55@aol.com

SpringFling(Austin, TX) - Satur-

day, March 27, 2021 -10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

No contact, drivethru event to pick upeggs and prizes for homehunt. Be sure to waive atthe Bunny!

Givens RecreationCenter | 3811 E. 12th ST| 512-974-2430

Dittmar RecreationCenter | 1009 W DittmarRd | 512-974-6090

Gus Garcia Recre-ation Center | 1201 E.Rundberg Ln. | 5122-978-2525

Montopolis Recre-ation Center | 1200Montopolis Dr. | 512-974-2300

Tu r n e r- Ro b e r tsRecreation Center |7210 Colony Loop Dr. |512-978-2690

Watermark ScholarsProgram Awards Women

Studying STEM

(AUSTIN, Texas)- March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Watermark, an edu-cational intelligence software provider, announces its second year of the Wa-termark Scholars scholarship program, focusing on female students who arepursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) studies.

Two scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded for the Fall 2021 aca-demic term. Entry deadline is July 15, 2021.

Who is Eligible?U.S. residents enrolled at U.S.-based colleges or universities (2- or 4-year

institutions), Identifies as a woman, and With a sophomore/second year-or-higher standing currently enrolled in a Science, Technology, Engineering, orMathematics degree-granting program for Fall 2021 OR demonstrating plansto pursue a career in the field of science or technology after graduation

How to Apply:Students are asked to share stories of who inspired them to pursue a

career in science or technology and what they are inspired to do with thatknowledge in 500-word written essays or 2-minute video submissions.Watermark’s Scholarship Committee will review all of the submissions afterJuly 15, 2021, and assess each against a common set of criteria including: qualityof response, clarity and proficiency in communication, and polish of presenta-tion. Winners will be notified and asked to verify enrollment in an eligibleinstitution. Previous applicants are eligible to reapply for the 2021 scholar-ship.

Watermark Scholars is an annual program intended to provide financialopportunities to female college students pursuing STEM-related studies andcareers.

www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021 ~ Page 7

Are you interested in doingbusiness with the City of Austin?

We are here for you!City of Austin

Purchasing OfficeVendor Registration

512-974-2018VendorReg@austintexas.gov

www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasingFor information on the City of Austin’s Minority/

Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600or visit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.

Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed

EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V

New Jobs for theWeek of 03/14/21

Academic CoachJob2103032

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AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE (ACC)DISTRICT is requesting sealed bids fromqualified firms for the purposes of selecting arespondent to provide anOnline Tutoring Plat-form Services for the following solicitation.•Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal(CSP) No. 924-21-215-00-S-SMAll bids mustbe submitted to the Procure to Pay (P2P) De-partment buyer of record by no later than onFriday, April 2, 2021 at 12:00 PM Central Stan-dard Time (CST). Solicitation documents areavailable on the ACC website at:http://www.austincc.edu/offices/purchasing/adver-tised-solicitations. All responses must beemailed to the buyer of record, by the date andtime indicated above and annotated in the so-licitation. Notice: ACC Business Offices andcampus locations are currently closed to thepublic due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.However, the Business Services Office Staff areworking remotely facilitate the needs of its cus-tomers.

Texas GOP introduceslew of voting

restriction billsfollowing 2020 elections

By DeMicia Inman | The GRIO

(GRIO) - Republicanlawmakers in Texas havemoved to introduce lawsto tighten ID require-ments, limit early votingand enhance conse-quences for errors.

NBC News reportedmore than two dozenGOP-sponsored elec-tions bills are under con-sideration in the Legisla-ture. The changes couldlikely occur this year asthe moves have seensupport from Texas Gov-ernor Greg Abbott.

“We must pass lawsto prevent election offi-cials from jeopardizingthe election process,”Gov. Abbott said Mondayaccording to the report.He continued to urge law-makers to move the billsquickly “to my desk so Ican sign it.”

According toKHOU11, Abbot andother GOP leaders saythe laws are to preventvoting fraud.

“Doesn’t matterwhat party you’re in, it

doesn’t matter yourparty affiliation, whatmatters is our collectiveefforts to agree and toachieve the goal of en-suring we promote in-tegrity in the electionprocess,” Abbott saidaccording to the newsoutlet in reference tothe Harris County mail-in ballot process. Theoutlet reported the gov-ernor accused countyelections offices of at-tempting to send unso-licited applications tomillions of voters whowould not be eligible tovote by mail.

NBC News reportedRepublican State Sen.Bryan Hughes intro-duced the 27-page billwith several new restric-tions and penalties. Thelaws have been empow-ered by the 2020 elec-tion.

“This was alreadyin process, but then the2020 election was so inthe national spotlight,and so many peoplehave questions, so manypeople have concerns,”he said to NBC News. “Iwould say that hasraised the profile of theissue.”

He continued, “It’simportant that the sys-tem be fair, but it ’sequally important thatpeople know it’s fair, sothey’ll participate, sothey’ll vote.”

Changes proposedby the bills seek to limitearly voting to certainhours or to standardizehours across the state,banning tents and ga-rages for early voting,and take aim at whereand when voters casttheir ballots before Elec-tion Day.

State Rep. JaredPatterson, a Republicanfrom Denton County, in-troduced one of the billsattempting to limit earlyvoting hours to only in-clude the hours of 6 a.m.and 9 p.m.

“Momma alwayssaid nothing good hap-pens after midnight,” hetweeted. “Momma al-ways said nothing goodhappens after midnight.That includes at pollingplaces. I filed HB 2293because of irregularitiesin Harris County pollinghours of operation andthe opportunity forvoter fraud when no oneis looking.”

According toKHOU11, Harris CountyJudge Lina Hidalgo saidthe laws are a direct re-sponse to voter turnoutin the 2020 election.Harris county is the third

largest county in thecountry and the newsoutlet reported the areahad the highest voterturnout in the state.

“All of those wereused by all voters bothRepublican, Democrats,Independents, folksfrom all walks of life whoare eligible voters tookadvantage of those poli-cies,” Hidalgo respondedaccording to the report.

She addressed theGOP proposed laws onTwitter, writing “We’reincredibly proud of hav-ing shattered turnoutrecords in 2020. That’show this beautiful sys-tem is supposed to work.

Hildalgo continued,“Laws designed to holdon to power by sup-pressing votes is thestuff of failed states, notthe greatest democracyin the world.”

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Texas' lastPublic UtilityCommission

memberresigns at Gov.Greg Abbott's

requestBY CASSANDRAPOLLOCK AND

SHAWN MULCAHY

The Texas Tribune(TXT) - Public Utility

Commission Chair ArthurD'Andrea, the only re-maining member of thethree-seat board thatregulates Texas utilities, isresigning from his post,Gov. Greg Abbott saidTuesday night.

Abbott said in a state-ment that he asked for andaccepted D'Andrea's resig-nation and plans to name"a replacement in the com-ing days who will have theresponsibility of charting anew and fresh course forthe agency."

He is the latest in along line of officials whohave left the PUC or theElectric Reliability Councilof Texas since lastmonth's deadly winterstorm plunged largeswaths of Texas into sub-freezing temperaturesand overwhelmed thestate's electricity infra-structure, causing mas-sive power outages. Atleast 57 people died inTexas from hypothermia— according to prelimi-nary data the state healthdepartment releasedMonday.

Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 19, 2021 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com

Senate GOP seeks ruling on Bidenlimits on border wall funding

BY REBECCA BEITSCH | THE HILL

(THE HILL) - Agroup of 40 Republicansenators is asking theGovernment Account-ability Office (GAO) tostep in and limit Presi-dent Biden’s ability tohalt construction of theborder wall.

Biden did so withan executive order on hisfirst day in office, freez-ing nearly $1.4 billion infunds Congress set asidefor the wall.

But lawmakers saythe move infringes onCongress’s power of thepurse, requesting a legalopinion from GAO.

“An appropriationsact is a law like anyother; therefore, thepresident must take careto ensure that appro-priations are prudentlyobligated in the mannerthey were provided by

Congress,” lawmakerswrote in a letter spear-headed by Sen. ShelleyMoore Capito (R-W.V.).

The White Housereferred The Hill to GAOfor comment, who didnot immediately re-spond.

The issue is a com-plex one.

The White Househas frequently refusedto answer reporterquestions about the re-maining border wallfunds and how theymight be used.

In February it alsosent a formal notice toCongress that it wouldterminate the emer-gency designation thatPresident Trump used tojustify diverting militaryfunding to its construc-tion.

But lawmakers in

their letter argued thatnotification does notqualify as a “special mes-sage” needed to perma-nently withdraw funds,adding that even if Bidendoes so now it “will notcure the unlawful ac-tions he has taken todate.”

The Supreme Courtalready agreed to cancela hearing on the emer-gency funds used for thewall after a number oforganizations sued theTrump administration.

Funding for thewall has already provena political issue forBiden, with Sen. JoshHawley (R-Mo.) puttinga hold on Department ofHomeland Security Sec-retary AlejandroMayorkas’s nominationearlier this year due toborder wall funding.

An immigrant family is pictured awaiting COVID-19 test results onFebruary 25, 2021 after being released by U.S. immigrationauthorities in Brownsville, Texas. [JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES]

Democrats play defenseon border crisis

BY CRISTINA MARCOS | THE HILL

(THE HILL) - Thesurge of migrants at thesouthern border is put-ting Democrats on thedefensive and buildingpressure on Congress toconsider comprehensiveimmigration reform inthe early months ofPresident Biden’s newterm in office.

Biden and congres-sional Democrats cam-paigned on reversing theTrump administration’shard-line immigrationpolicies with more hu-mane alternatives, butit’s proving to be a trickybalance of wanting toappear firm on bordersecurity while encourag-ing compassionate treat-ment of migrants seek-ing asylum.

“I think we need todeal with this reality atthe border. I’ve said tothe administration,come forward with yourplan,” said Sen. Dick

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. PHOTO: Office Of The Governor

Durbin (Ill.), the Judi-ciary Committee chair-man and second-rankingSenate Democrat.

Homeland SecuritySecretary AlejandroMayorkas said Tuesdaythat the number of at-tempted migrant cross-ings at the southern bor-der is on track to reach itshighest level in two de-cades. The recent surgehas been attributed to avariety of factors, includ-ing the COVID-19 pan-demic exacerbating eco-nomic hardship in CentralAmerica, hurricanes inHonduras, and bordersmugglers encouragingmigrants to come underthe new U.S. president.

Republicans areseizing on the perceivedchange in immigrationpolicies under Biden asa primary factor, with

House and SenateGOP lawmakers makinghighly publicized trips to

the border to showcasetheir concerns.

Democrats are ac-cusing the GOP of tryingto change the subjectfrom their opposition tothe $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, whichpolls show is widelypopular with the Ameri-can public.

“The Republicanshave for a long period oftime used immigrationas a political football toimpart fear and appre-hension in the minds ofAmericans,” said HouseMajority Leader StenyHoyer (D-Md.).

“We need to dealwith this present prob-lem, but what we needto deal with ... is com-prehensive immigrationreform so there is a ra-tional system in placethat we can all agree is asystem that can andshould and must work,”he added.

Homeland Security headrejects GOP claims of

border `crisis’By BEN FOX and NOMAAN MERCHANT | AP NEWS

W A S H I N G T O N(AP) — The head of theDepartment of Home-land Security, pushingback against Republicancriticism of the Bidenadministration’s borderpolicies, refused onWednesday to say that asurge of migrant chil-dren entering the UnitedState is a “crisis.”

As GOP membersof Congress argued thatPresident Joe Biden hadwrongly rolled back im-migration policies en-acted by former Presi-dent Donald Trump, DHSSecretary AlejandroMayorkas pointed to an-other Trump policy thatwas widely reviled: theseparation of immigrantfamilies under a “zerotolerance” policy on bor-der crossings.

“A crisis is when anation is willing to rip a9-year-old child out ofthe hands of his or herparent and separate thatfamily to deter futuremigration,” Mayorkastold the House Home-land Security Commit-tee. “That, to me, is a

humanitarian crisis.”The number of mi-

grants being stopped atthe U.S.-Mexico borderhas been rising since lastApril, and the adminis-tration is still rapidlysending back most singleadults and families un-der a public health orderissued by Trump at thestart of the COVID-19pandemic. But the U.S. isnow allowing teens andchildren to stay, at leasttemporarily, and theyhave been coming inever larger numbers.

More than 4,000migrant children werebeing held by the BorderPatrol as of Sunday, in-cluding at least 3,000 incustody longer than the72-hour limit set by acourt order, according toa U.S. official. Theagency took in an addi-tional 561 on Monday,twice the recent aver-age, according to a sec-ond official. Both offi-cials spoke on conditionof anonymity to discussfigures not yet publiclyreleased.

The rise has left

Biden in a difficult spot.He is criticized by Repub-licans for what they viewas encouragement to il-legal border crossersand by some Democratsover the prolonged de-tention of minors. Thesituation is also a chal-lenge to his effort tooverhaul broader Trumppolicies intended to cur-tail both legal and illegalimmigration.

“I can say quiteclearly: Don’t comeover,” Biden said in anABC News interview thataired Wednesday.

The number of mi-grants attempting tocross the border is at thehighest level sinceMarch 2019. Mayorkason Tuesday said it wason pace to hit a 20-yearpeak.

“The situation atthe southwest border isdifficult,” Mayorkas saidin his most extensive re-marks to date on thesubject. “We are work-ing around the clock tomanage it and we willcontinue to do so. Thatis our job.”

(POLITICO) - TheBiden administrationwill spend $10 billion toscreen schoolchildrenfor Covid-19 to help has-ten their return to in-person learning.

The Centers for Dis-ease Control and Pre-vention will administerthe school-screeningprogram, announcedWednesday. The agencyis giving $10 billion inAmerican Rescue Planfunds to states and cer-tain cities to set up test-ing, with the aim of re-opening schools in thefinal months of theschool year.

The CDC and stateand local health depart-ments will provide tech-nical assistance toschools to help set upand implement the newscreening programs inschools. The idea is torepeatedly test studentsand teachers for Covid-19 to detect those whoare infected but withoutsymptoms to limit thespread of the virus.

The Education De-partment on Wednes-day also moved to begindistributing the nearly

$122 billion in new Covidrelief funding for thenation’s K-12 schools,which the agency saidwould be made availableto states “this month.”

Education Secre-tary Miguel Cardonasent letters to state offi-cials, notifying them oftheir share of the fund-ing, which is being allo-cated based on a for-mula in the Covid-19 re-lief law.

States and schooldistricts “should plan toexpend these funds tosafely reopen schools asexpeditiously as possiblethis spring, sustain theirhealthy operations, andaddress the significantacademic, social, emo-tional, and mentalhealth needs of theirstudents,” Cardonawrote in the letter.

The administrationcoupled the school test-ing announcement withthe news that it is spend-ing $2.25 billion to bol-ster testing and contacttracing in high-risk andunderserved communi-ties, such as those in ru-ral areas or with signifi-cant minority popula-

tions that have been hithard by the pandemic.

“COVID-19 testing iscritical to saving lives andrestoring economic activ-ity,” said Norris Cochran,acting secretary of Healthand Human Services. “Aspart of the BidenAdministration’s NationalStrategy, HHS will con-tinue to expand our ca-pacity to get testing to theindividuals and the placesthat need it most, so wecan prevent transmissionof the virus and defeat thepandemic.”

The announce-ment comes a day afterthe Food and Drug Ad-ministration announcedit would allow someCovid-19 test developersto sell their productsover the counter with-out studying how wellthe tests perform inpeople without symp-toms — as long as thetest is accurate in peoplewith symptoms. CDCalso released updatedguidance Wednesday onthe use of repeated test-ing to stop the spread ofCovid-19 by people whoare infected but do nothave symptoms.

Biden admin unveils $10Bschool testing plan for

Covid-19The program is aimed at helping in-person learning restart

broadly before the school year's end.

By DAVID LIM | POLITICO