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Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University

ABOVE: Rep. Jolanda Jones (in gray), Mrs. Alison Leland (in blue), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and others at the marker unveiling (Photo from Houston Public Media) On August 18, friends and colleagues gathered at Texas Southern University to honor Mickey Leland. Inside TSU’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, those who loved, lived, and […]
The post Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

August 23, 2023

Forward Times Staff

ABOVE: Rep. Jolanda Jones (in gray), Mrs. Alison Leland (in blue), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and others at the marker unveiling (Photo from Houston Public Media)

On August 18, friends and colleagues gathered at Texas Southern University to honor Mickey Leland. Inside TSU’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, those who loved, lived, and worked with the late congressman remembered him as a smart, passionate person who was also a change agent.

George Thomas “Mickey” Leland, III, was born on November 27, 1944, in Lubbock, Texas. He spent part of his childhood with his mother and brother in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Growing up in a mostly Black and Hispanic neighborhood, Leland attended a segregated public school. However, Leland showed early promise as a student. He ranked in the top 10 percent of his class when he graduated in 1964 from Phillis Wheatley High School.

Leland and Barbara Jordan in 1972 (Photo from the book In This Land of Plenty, by Benjamin Talton)

While attending Texas Southern University in the late 1960s, Leland emerged as a vocal leader of the local civil rights movement; he brought national leaders of the movement to Houston. Former Texas State Representative Craig Washington recalled: “I met Mickey Leland on the second floor of Hannah Hall when the law school was in Hannah Hall… Our first meeting was nose to nose, face to face – as opposite as two people could be. Because he was the president of the student body and I was president of the student bar.

He called for a boycott on Wheeler Street because there was no red light; students traversing through the street would get hit by cars. So they had a ‘lay down’ in the middle of the street back during the sit-in demonstrations. And we wouldn’t; I wouldn’t. I persuaded the law students not to join. So he brought a group of his following on the second floor to disrupt the law school classes. I met him in the hallway,” Washington remembered. “He says, ‘Why aren’t you boycotting?’ I said, ‘Because when y’all get put in jail, y’all going to need lawyers.’ We became friends, and the only reason I ran for the Texas Legislature is because Mickey convinced me to run.”

Leland’s own political career started soon after he graduated from Texas Southern University’s School of Pharmacy in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. He served as an Instructor of Clinical Pharmacy at his alma mater from 1970-71, and set up a “door to door” outreach campaign in low-income neighborhoods to inform people about their medical care options and to perform preliminary screenings. During the same period, he organized and led the Black Citizens Action Teams (“Black Cats”) to protest against police brutality.

Leland’s Political Career

In 1972, Mickey Leland was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from the 88th District of Houston, Texas. He served in the Texas Legislature until 1978.

In Austin, Leland became famous as the champion of health care rights for the poor. According to his bio, Leland was largely responsible for the passage of legislation that provided low-income consumers with access to affordable generic drugs. He also supported the creation of health care access through Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s), medical organizations that provide complete health services for a single monthly payment.

In November 1978, Leland won the election to the United States House of Representatives for Houston’s 18th Congressional District. His Congressional district included the neighborhood where he had grown up; he would represent that district for the rest of his life.

During this time, he heard from an old friend. Future Texas House Rep. Harold Dutton had known Leland since childhood; while working at Conoco, he reached out to Leland to get him to vote on a particular bill. To the surprise of some observers, Leland agreed. The oil industry took notice.

“So after the oil industry in Houston decided to focus on Mickey, as a result of what Mickey did, we created the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), which became a national organization,” Dutton said. “And also, the oil industry wanted to know what they could do to help Mickey.” So Dutton devised a plan to host a lunch at Houston’s Petroleum Club and turn it into a fundraiser.

“I said, ‘Well, we want money for an internship program,’ because when I walked in Mickey’s office, the first thing I said is: ‘Mickey, where are all the black staffers?’ and he said: ‘I haven’t been able to find any.’ I said, ‘Mickey, you sound like them.’ He said, ‘Well, what are we going to do?’ So we created this internship program,” Dutton recalled. “I wrote the speech for Mickey at the Petroleum Club…We raised over half a million dollars for the program — the program that now Rodney Ellis has, called the Texas legislative internships. That’s where that came from, because Mickey decided to do it.”

Rep. Mickey Leland

The Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP) is an internship program sponsored by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and administered by the Mickey Leland Center on World Hunger and Peace at Texas Southern University. TLIP allows undergraduate and graduate students attending Texas colleges & universities to be interns in the Texas Legislature. The Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program (MLIEP) gives students an opportunity to work with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or other public entities.

Relief Work & Family

In 1983, Leland married Georgetown University alum Alison Walton. They welcomed a son, Jarrett, in 1986. But as his family grew, so did Leland’s desire to help people. As he visited soup kitchens and makeshift shelters, he became increasingly concerned about the hungry and homeless. Leland co-authored legislation with Rep. Ben Gilman (R-NY) to establish the House Select Committee on Hunger. Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neil named Leland chairman when it was enacted in 1984. The Select Committee’s mandate was “a continuing, comprehensive study and review of the problems of hunger and malnutrition.”

Although it had no legislative jurisdiction, the committee, for the first time, provided a single focus for hunger-related issues. In addition to hunger, Leland’s initiatives would create the National Commission on Infant Mortality, better access to fresh food for at-risk women, children and infants, and the first comprehensive legislation for the homeless. He also worked with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Human Services to develop simple application forms for food stamps and Medicaid.

Leland’s sensitivity to the immediate needs of poor and hungry people would soon make him a spokesman for hungry people on a far broader scale. Reports of acute famine in sub-Saharan Africa prompted Speaker O’Neil to ask Leland to lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation to assess conditions and relief requirements. When Leland returned, he brought together entertainment personalities, religious leaders and private agencies to generate public support for the Africa Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985. That legislation provided $800 million in food and humanitarian relief supplies.

Leland became increasingly active on the world stage, working to combat world hunger. He led six relief tours along the Ethiopia-Sudan border. While flying on a mission to a refugee camp in Ethiopia on August 7, 1989, Leland’s plane crashed into a mountainside, killing everyone aboard. Leland left behind his wife Alison, their three-year-old son Jarrett, and twin boys (born posthumously in January 1990).

It was Leland’s widow who delivered some of the day’s most poignant remarks. “For me, Mickey’s always been a beautiful mosaic,” she said. “I was at freshman orientation – I’m a professor in the honors college at U of H — and I was looking at those students – nervous, anxious, not knowing what lies ahead, and I thought about Mickey. I teach a segment on [the] civil rights story of Houston, and he was front and center […] I’m a student of Mickey as much as I was the wife of Mickey, the mother of our now grown-up sons who grew up without their dad, with people and strangers who would say: ‘You had a really great dad. Too bad you didn’t get to know him.’

I also, this summer, spoke to two large groups of Leland interns: 100-plus who were part of the Department of Energy who worked at DOE labs around the country [and] 100-plus students who work through the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. In both cases, there were key people at the agency – the Secretary of Energy was one — who said, ‘We’re going to name something after him.’ So when I spoke to them this summer, I described Mickey as funny and smart and passionate and late and unorganized, and I did it quite intentionally because I wanted him to be remembered as a real person – not a plaque, not a sign, but a real person who is all those things.”

Mrs. Leland concluded: “It is really important that he is missed and remembered. He really deserves to be.”

The post Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University appeared first on Forward Times.

The post Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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The hidden risks of poor water management in residential properties

Poor water management in residential properties can result in structural damage, health risks, and long-term financial strain. Water is the most important resource for any country, and having access to clean drinking water should be a right that needs to be preserved. Unfortunately, we are noticing a trend in the US right now where poor water […]

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2026

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Poor water management in residential properties can result in structural damage, health risks, and long-term financial strain.

Water is the most important resource for any country, and having access to clean drinking water should be a right that needs to be preserved. Unfortunately, we are noticing a trend in the US right now where poor water management in residential properties is becoming more common.

It’s not even just access to water that gets affected when residential water management isn’t made a priority. It can result in issues with major leaks and flooding events, which affect the health and safety of residents.

Gradual Structural Damage

The worst thing about flooding or water leaks is the gradual structural damage that real estate investors have to deal with. Water can seep into materials like:

Wood
Drywall
Concrete

It can do so over time, drop by drop, and eventually cause significant damage to these structures.

A slow leak behind a wall or under a floor may go unnoticed for months, gradually compromising the integrity of the structure. Over time, this can lead to:

Warped floors
Cracked foundations
Weakened support beams

If you aren’t interested in spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair your residential properties, then it’s important to focus on water management in your annual plan.

Mold and Indoor Air Quality Issues

Excess moisture creates the perfect growing environment for mold. Within 24 to 48 hours, mold can start developing in damp conditions, and it often does so in hidden places like:

Behind walls
Under carpets
Poorly ventilated areas

Mold is a health hazard, especially for the very young and very old, and those who have a compromised immune system. Indoor air quality starts degrading very fast when mold growth happens, which can result in allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.

Addressing mold problems can be both complicated and expensive, often requiring professional remediation to fully eliminate the issue.

Increased Utility Costs

If you notice that your utility bills have gone up in recent weeks or months, without any corresponding difference in tenants or temperature, it could be due to a water leak. Malfunctioning fixtures can also cause an increase in utility costs.

Even small, continuous leaks can add up to substantial water loss, making regular inspections and maintenance essential. That’s why paying attention to water management is so crucial for any real estate investor.

Foundation and Drainage Problems

Proper drainage is crucial to protecting a home’s foundation. Water needs to be directed away from the property, and if not done so, then it can accumulate around the base of a structure. This can lead to soil erosion, foundation cracks, and even basement flooding.

Clogged gutters, improper grading, and inadequate drainage systems are common contributors to these issues. All of these have to be addressed to prevent long-term damage to your foundation and prevent expensive repair bills that eat away at your budget.

Professional eavestrough installers are necessary to ensure rainwater stays away from your foundation and moves away from the property properly.

Pest Infestations

No homeowner or investor wants pests in their residential properties. It’s not good for the health of the residents, nor is it good for the reputation of the properties in attracting future tenants.

Moist environments often attract pests such as:

Termites
Rodents
Insects

Standing water or damp areas provide ideal conditions for these unwanted guests to thrive.

Once pests are established in your property, they will start causing further damage by eating away at certain structures. To get rid of them requires expensive pest control services and takes time.

Insurance and Financial Implications

Even though insurance does cover certain types of water damage, it doesn’t cover all forms of water damage, and thus, you might end up paying out of pocket in certain cases.

Damage resulting from neglect or lack of maintenance is often excluded from coverage. That’s why it’s so important to apply water management strategies to all of your residential properties.

If you wish to sell your property later, then it’s important to be very cognizant of water damage, as buyers will conduct inspections that could alert them to such water damage and prevent your home from selling in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Some Preventive Measures for Water Management?

There are many home safety tips you can follow to ensure your home stays safe from water damage.

Regularly inspecting plumbing systems, cleaning gutters, and ensuring proper drainage can help identify problems early. Installing moisture detectors, maintaining appliances, and addressing leaks promptly are also effective strategies.

You can also hire a water damage specialist and have them take a look at your home to ensure nothing untoward is going on, especially if you notice a major change in your utility bills.

How Does Water Damage Interior Spaces?

Water damage can occur without the home dwellers noticing it. In some cases, the water damage to interior spaces is very apparent, as when the ceilings start sagging or the walls and ceilings develop water stains.

You might also notice the floors rotting or warping.

In addition to structural concerns, water damage can ruin personal belongings such as:

Furniture
Electronics
Important documents

The emotional and financial cost of replacing these items can be significant.

Nothing good comes out of water damage, but it’s highly preventable if you only take the steps mentioned above. Do not become lazy or complacent in this situation. It could be the difference between saving hundreds of dollars in water damage bills and not.

Protect Yourself From the Risks of Water Damage

Not everyone places such a priority on water management, and that’s a shame. It’s truly when you are dealing with water damage that you regret this decision.

Residential water management can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills in the future. It’s worth the time and resources you place upon it.

By staying vigilant and adopting proactive maintenance habits, homeowners can protect their properties and protect their investment from degrading into a money-sucking pile of stones.

Please check out related articles on our website for more interesting articles on a wide variety of subjects.

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Black Micro-Schools Deserve Recognition: NABML Creates National Standards and Resources

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE: Black families are the fastest-growing demographic in alternative education. Discover how the National Association of Black Micro School Leaders is providing educators with resources, training, and certification to launch thriving microschools.

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2026

Oakland Post

by Dawn Montgomery
BlackPressUSA Contributor

Public school advocates and politicians typically spearhead the attack on microschools, focusing on their perceived “lack of oversight and public accountability.” Yet Black families are the fastest-growing demographic in alternative education. This shift is driven by the recognition that traditional public education cannot change quickly enough to serve its children’s needs. The National Association of Black Micro-School Leaders is an organization working to counter this narrative and fill a critical gap. Nicole Stewart, the founder, told The Carolinian that “Black families are the fastest-growing group in alternative education, but Black microschool founders have had no national home, no unified voice, no shared resources, and no collective power.”

Nicole Stewart, a former educator with nearly 20 years of experience in public education, retired to start her education consulting company and later opened her own school. That experience led her to discover microschools. Stewart advocates for a balance between joy and rigor in education, designing learning experiences that honor identity, strength, and purpose. She understands that microschools can be tailored to address the specific needs of the families and communities they serve.

The oversight criticism is legitimate. This concern is precisely why NABML is establishing the national benchmark for community-led education. NABML’s certification is that seal of approval, signaling to families, funders, and policymakers that a school is not merely functioning but is outstanding. Additionally, the organization emphasizes the importance of legal structures, fiscal stewardship frameworks, and community involvement as foundational to sustainability and accountability.

NABML realizes this vision via four main support systems:

Community Design Day: NABML facilitates a process in which the neighborhood tells us what its children deserve. You get to explore new learning approaches and define educational priorities for your community. A community task force is then formed to implement these ideas, and NABML supports you along the way. This creates a space where you can be a part of the process as a founding member of a microschool.

Founders Launch Lab: This professional development experience equips Black microschool founders and educational leaders with the training, operational, and strategic skills to launch and sustain thriving schools. Participants gain the business acumen and pedagogical frameworks necessary to navigate the transition from traditional educator roles to entrepreneurial school leaders.

Membership (The Vault): Members gain instant, 24/7 access to proprietary legal templates, student handbook builders, fiscal stewardship frameworks, and zoning blueprints designed specifically for the microschool model. They also join a curated community of mission-aligned founders through monthly “Brilliance Circles” and a private digital forum. Membership unlocks the NABML Fund, a curated capital pool designed specifically for the network, removing a major barrier to school launch and sustainability.

Certification: This is the seal of approval that tells families, funders, and policymakers that your school isn’t just operating; it is also excelling. NABML is currently developing the national benchmark for community-led education, making sure that certified schools meet rigorous standards for student outcomes, community engagement, and fiscal responsibility.

Whether you’re a parent seeking educational alternatives, an educator ready to launch a microschool, or a policymaker committed to expanding equitable education options, NABML invites you to be part of this transformation.

Ready to start or support a microschool? Visit https://nabml.org/ to learn more, access resources, or join the Founders Launch Lab.

Want to invest in Black educational futures? Make a donation at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/naobml/ to support founders in building schools that serve their communities.

Every microschool launched is a community transformed. Every founder supported is a generation of Black children empowered to thrive.

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IN MEMORIAM: Rest in Power — Minnesota Loses a True Warrior in Yusef Mgeni

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — Yusef Mgeni, a brilliant historian, community organizer, former St. Paul educator and fierce advocate for Black people, died on April 7, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that will echo through generations of Black Minnesota history and community building.

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2026

admin

By MSR News Online

Minnesota and the world lost a powerful voice and a true warrior on April 7, 2026. Yusef Mgeni is gone, but his legacy will echo for generations.

Yusef was a brilliant historian, a community organizer, a former St. Paul educator, and a fierce advocate for Black people. He carried with him an extraordinary archive of speeches, books, articles, and photographs documenting the work of countless Black scholars and leaders. His knowledge was not just deep. It was generational. Talk to him about any subject concerning Black history, and he would give you a dissertation.

His roots in this community ran deeper than most people knew. Yusef was the grandnephew of Fredrick McGhee, the pioneering 20th-century civil rights activist and attorney who made his mark in St. Paul at the turn of the century. That lineage was not lost on Yusef. He carried it forward with pride and purpose, spending decades making sure the stories of Black Minnesotans were told, preserved, and passed on.

As a journalist, Yusef called NAACP leaders and community figures to identify the issues that mattered most to Black people and wrote about them in local newspapers. He was a contributor to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, a platform he understood and respected deeply. As a former St. Paul NAACP vice president, he remained active and engaged well into his retirement, answering emails and voicemails for residents who were at their wits’ end, helping them navigate evictions, legal challenges, and systemic barriers.

“Generally, they contact us when they are at their wits’ end,” he once said. “They are going to get evicted; their car is getting repossessed. We assist in navigating the system.”

His work was always about access. Under his leadership and alongside other NAACP leaders, the St. Paul chapter helped establish a landmark covenant between the police and the St. Paul community in 2001, a model that contributed to dramatically lower excessive-force costs than in Minneapolis in the decade that followed.

Yusef was also a passionate champion of ethnic studies in Minnesota’s schools, understanding that education rooted in Black and Brown history was not a supplement to American history but central to it.

“Ethnic studies is also American history,” he said. “The fact that the legislature and the MDE have both endorsed ethnic studies requirements in schools is a real plus for giving people the opportunity to explore and learn more about American history, and more importantly, to see themselves reflected in that learning.”

In the 1970s and ’80s, Yusef worked alongside Mrs. Clarissa Walker at the Sabathani Community Center, where they poured their energy into uplifting and empowering the community. Their work helped shape the cultural and political landscape of South Minneapolis during a critical era. They were part of a generation that built institutions, nurtured young people, and fought for justice with unwavering commitment.

Yusef also played a key role in the early development of KMOJ Radio, helping to establish a platform that amplified Black voices long before it was common or convenient. His activism extended through education, the St. Paul NAACP, the Million Man March, and the Urban Coalition, always rooted in a deep and abiding love for his people.

He was also an interviewee in the Rondo neighborhood oral history project preserved by the Minnesota Historical Society, ensuring that the voices and stories of that community would never be lost.

Not long ago, a colleague was blessed to sit with Yusef at his home, where he reflected on his life and his legacy. He talked about his work in education, his activism, and his years of service to the community. But what stood out just as much was how he spoke about his family and his people, with warmth, with pride, and with purpose.

Today, we honor him not only for what he accomplished but for the spirit with which he did it.

A scholar. A builder. A warrior. A keeper of our stories.

Thank you, Yusef, for everything you gave and everything you sacrificed on behalf of Black people. Your legacy stands tall, and our community is better because of you.

Rest in Power, Yusef Mgeni.