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MOCA, Music & Mentorship at Morales Radio Hall

ABOVE: The legendary Morales Radio Hall sits in Houston’s Second Ward The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) develops policies and initiatives that foster an environment in which art and culture flourish. In partnership with MOCA, local musicians and historians gathered at Morales Radio Hall Aug. 30 to discuss mentorship in music. […]
The post MOCA, Music & Mentorship at Morales Radio Hall first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

September 6, 2023

Forward Times Staff

ABOVE: The legendary Morales Radio Hall sits in Houston’s Second Ward

The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) develops policies and initiatives that foster an environment in which art and culture flourish. In partnership with MOCA, local musicians and historians gathered at Morales Radio Hall Aug. 30 to discuss mentorship in music. Equally as important as the discussion was the setting; the choice of venue is significant, as it has a long and rich history.

Felix and Angela Morales established the Morales Funeral Home in Houston, TX, in 1931. In a time when funeral homes were largely owned by whites and many Hispanic funerals occurred in garages, the Morales family broke the mold. According to their website, they were the first Hispanics to win a contract from the Harris County Commissioners Court to bury indigents. In 1942, Mrs. Morales became the first woman in Harris County to earn a mortician’s license.

Felix and Angela Morales, founders of Morales Funeral Home and Morales Radio Hall

But the couple made history in other ways when they founded Morales Radio Hall in 1946. As Morales Memorial Foundation Board Member Adrian Nieto explains: “This building served as the broadcast facility in Houston for the Houston radio station KLVL in the mid-70s to the mid-90s,” he said. “It’s historic because KLVL was the first full-time Spanish language radio station. It was established in 1950 on Cinco de Mayo by Felix and Angela Morales. Cinco de Mayo is a big holiday, mostly here in the United States, but it’s also Mrs. Morales’ birthday. So, they’re considered broadcast pioneers.”

When the station officially hit the airwaves on May 5, 1950, it was groundbreaking. Nieto shared: “Before that, the Spanish-speaking community in Houston had no information, no news. They didn’t know if there was a hurricane, that a man had landed on the moon, that the president had gotten shot. So it was a major source of news, information and entertainment.” Like the funeral home, the music hall is still standing over 70 years later.

The panel featured recording artist and Forward Times’ very own Lenora; singer-songwriter Michele Thibeaux, who has opened for luminaries like Erykah Badu and EPMD; legendary musician and drummer Jose Martinez; and Chicano music historian Isaac Rodriguez (best known as DJ Simma Down). In 2015, Rodriguez founded Tejas Got Soul, a DJ concert series highlighting Tejano music in Houston. The panel discussion doubled as a deep dive into a treasure trove of Houston music history.

Donnie Houston of the wildly popular Donnie Houston Podcast served as the panel’s moderator and asked the panelists, “How did you find your mentors – or did they find you?”

Lenora affectionately revealed “My first mentor would be my mama – I’m named after her, the OG Lenora.”

Lenora “Doll” Carter was the General Manager of Forward Times while her husband and its Founder Julius Carter served as its CEO/Publisher. But Mr. Carter died of a heart attack in 1971. “The building was bombed, presumably from running a story about things that we sadly still run today — about injustice, calling things out. My grandfather had a heart attack because of the stress of that. And my Mama took up the mantle and became the publisher of Forward Times at just 29 years old — a young widow with two young daughters running a business and never missing a beat.” Lenora was inspired by her grandmother “being a young woman boss and juggling multiple things.”

Panel moderator Donnie Houston poses with panelists Lenora, Jose Martinez, Isaac “DJ Mr. Simmer Down” Rodriguez and Michele Thibeaux (Photo by Elliot Guidry)

Michele Thibeaux recalled one late mentor who “literally pushed me – and I mean with two hands – pushed me on the stage and forced me to learn how to freestyle,” she said. “He literally made me get on the stage and sing ‘Killer Joe’ and I didn’t know it. But these musicians are looking at me like, ‘You know you got to hurry up, right?’”

“My biggest mentor was my father – and a tough one. He gave me my first break to play music,” Jose Martinez recalled. “And as I played with him, he would never really say, ‘Hey, you’re doing good.’ On the contrary, he would say: ‘I don’t think you’re ever going to make it.’ And I would say: ‘I’m gonna show him.’ And that’s what motivated me even more. Finally, a few years later, I got the pleasure of showing him ‘Hey! Here, look what I can do.’”

“I went on to play with orchestras, and they became my mentors. I learned a lot from bandleaders, ‘cause they were 30, 40, some 50 years old — and here I am, 12 and 13,” Martinez remembered. “I’m thankful for all of those who mentored me and gave me a chance.”

Isaac Rodriguez cited Gus Garza, who worked at KLVL from 1968-1971. He played a variety of Tejano music during his one-hour show, three days a week. “He had a show on KPFT (90.1 FM) called ‘Bailando en Tejas” for about 20 years. Every Saturday night, he would play old Tejano and Chicano music.” He focused on Houston, which piqued the interest of Rodriguez, a fourth-generation Houstonian. While working at KPFT, he introduced himself to Garza, whom Rodriguez credits for “schooling me on everything I needed to get me going.”

Rounding out the conversation, Donnie Houston asked how mentors inspired the panelists creatively. Lenora cited Donald Ray “DJ” Johnson Jr., known as “Beanz” of the production duo Beanz n Kornbread and one-third of popular musical trio, Khruangbin. “Beanz is a person that reminds me, in the midst of all of his personal success, that in the creative process, as well as my day-to-day life: The numbers don’t matter. Don’t look at the numbers; you’ve got to look at the impact and every chance you get, be a little more honest. I think that’s the biggest takeaway in my creative process from [Beanz] is just really focusing on impact instead of impressions,” Lenora said.

Thibeaux remembered working with a producer named Russell on a song called “Skydiving.” “For him, it was really about ‘the song comes first.’ I take that with me. No matter what song, no matter what track, no matter what instrument you are playing, just honor yourself. And when you honor yourself, you’re honoring your gift. And when you honor your gift, you’re honoring God.”

Houston Music Advisory Board Chair Jason “Flash Gordon Parks” Woods; panel moderator Donnie Houston; panelists Jose Martinez, Lenora, Isaac “DJ Mr. Simmer Down” Rodriguez, Michele Thibeaux; and Houston Music + Cultural Tourism Officer Gracie Chavez (Photo by Elliot Guidry)

When asked about meaningful ways that the panelists have returned the favor to their mentors, Rodriguez shared that he preserved their legacies by keeping their music in rotation. “These guys were making music on their own record labels. Chicanos, Mexican kids playing soul music, playing rhythm and blues, but also playing the music of their parents – conjunto and Tejano music. They’re as Texan as anything else.” (Conjunto is a Texas-based genre that employs accordion and a 12-string guitar.)

Rodriguez and his partners from Tejas Got Soul also put together a tribute to honor their legacies. “I was kind of like the record nerd that went and found them. But we got these guys back on stage after so many years. One of my mentors, Oscar Villanueva, hadn’t performed in about 40 years, and we put him back on stage right here at the Morales Radio Hall. We closed the street down and we had a big block party. And we took about three or four guys from his era and learned their songs, and we threw a concert free for the community.”

In a moment that seemed to quite literally bridge the gap, Rodriguez continued: “We gathered some of the best musicians in this network and that day we also got Archie Bell (lead singer of the legendary Archie Bell & the Drells group) to come out as a surprise guest. These guys grew up in Fifth Ward. They grew up side by side with the African American community, you know what I’m saying? So, we had to embrace that.”

In honoring and embracing their mentors, the panelists revealed themselves — along with some pivotal Houston music history.

The post MOCA, Music & Mentorship at Morales Radio Hall appeared first on Forward Times.

The post MOCA, Music & Mentorship at Morales Radio Hall first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: Jim Crow 2.0 at the Pentagon

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 3, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Pete Hegseth insists that he is restoring “merit” to the United States military. But after months of dismissals, blocked promotions, and ideological purges, the evidence tells a different story. His campaign against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has become something far more dangerous: an assault on equal opportunity that falls with particular force on African Americans, while also targeting women, Latinos, gay Americans, and transgender service members.

The latest example is both troubling and infuriating.

Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of an exceptionally qualified woman—Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt. Bauernschmidt is no ordinary officer. She became the Navy’s first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of the most demanding leadership assignments in the world. Her career reflects decades of exemplary performance, operational excellence, and leadership under extraordinary pressure.

Yet once again, a distinguished military career appears to have been subordinated to an ideological agenda masquerading as “merit.”

I call BS!

The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

The pattern has become impossible to ignore.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., only the second African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dismissed despite a career that placed him among the most accomplished military leaders of his generation.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, was removed despite decades of distinguished command experience.

Reports have documented interventions that blocked or delayed the promotions of Black officers and women selected through the military’s rigorous promotion system.

Now Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt joins the growing list of highly accomplished officers whose careers have been derailed for reasons that have never been persuasively explained.

Where is Congress?

Its silence has become deafening.

Congress has an independent constitutional responsibility to oversee the armed forces. Instead, too many lawmakers have watched silently while one of the nation’s most respected institutions is subjected to ideological litmus tests and political interference.

This is not military reform. It is testosterone-fueled performative masculinity disguised as a philosophy of military excellence.

The irony is impossible to miss. Hegseth repeatedly invokes “merit,” yet his rhetoric begins with the assumption that Black officers, women, and other historically excluded Americans must somehow justify their achievements in ways that white male officers are rarely required to do.

That is not meritocracy. It is prejudice wrapped in patriotic language.

No one is asking that anyone be promoted because of race or gender. Americans simply expect that promotions be based on demonstrated competence, leadership, integrity, and service. The officers being targeted have already proven themselves repeatedly under one of the world’s most demanding evaluation systems.

Their records speak for themselves.

The attack on African American military leadership has been especially pernicious.

For generations, Black Americans fought in segregated units, earned decorations while denied equal treatment, and repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to a nation that often failed to extend them full citizenship. They broke barriers not because standards were lowered but because excellence finally overcame institutional discrimination.

Today’s campaign against “diversity” threatens to revive old assumptions under new slogans.

The implication that Black generals and admirals somehow owe their success to affirmative action rather than extraordinary performance echoes some of the ugliest stereotypes of the Jim Crow era. Yesterday’s segregationists claimed Black Americans were inherently less qualified. Today’s culture warriors simply employ more politically acceptable language while inviting the same suspicion about Black achievement.

That is why Hegseth’s campaign increasingly resembles Jim Crow 2.0.

The targets may now wear stars on their shoulders instead of military patches on segregated uniforms, but the underlying message is hauntingly familiar: Black excellence is presumed suspect, while white excellence is presumed earned.

America’s military became the finest fighting force in history because it opened its doors to talent wherever it could be found. It grew stronger after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. It became stronger when women assumed greater command responsibilities. It became stronger when every qualified American was given the opportunity to serve to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Diversity is not a concession. It is a strategic advantage.

The nation’s adversaries do not fear an American military because it is racially homogeneous. They fear it because it draws upon the talents of more than 340 million Americans whose diverse experiences, perspectives, and abilities make our armed forces unmatched anywhere in the world.

Every politically motivated dismissal of a distinguished officer sends a chilling message throughout the ranks: excellence alone may no longer be enough if you belong to the wrong demographic group.

That weakens morale. It weakens recruitment. It weakens retention.

And ultimately, it weakens national security.

Pete Hegseth has every right to pursue military readiness. He has no right to redefine merit in ways that repeatedly cast suspicion upon the accomplishments of Black officers, women, and others who have devoted their lives to defending this nation.

America deserves better. The men and women who wear the uniform deserve better. The Constitution deserves better.

And unless Congress finds the courage to exercise meaningful oversight, history may well remember this period not as a restoration of military excellence, but as the moment political ideology attempted to resurrect, in modern form, the old poison of exclusion.

Jim Crow did not strengthen America. Jim Crow 2.0 will not strengthen America’s military. It will only diminish it

Wade Henderson
Strategic Advisor
Civil and Human Rights
wade@wadejhenderson.com

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New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial

By Emilie St. John (Contributor) Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction. Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District […]
The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

By Emilie St. John
(Contributor)

Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction.

Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District Judge John Roach Jr. from overseeing the appeals process.

Two hearings have been scheduled on the motion for Aug. 9 and 10 in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to Fox4 News.

On July 14, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court was assigned to preside over the defense’s motion to recuse Collin County Judge John Roach. The assignment took effect immediately and authorized Harle to handle all matters related to the recusal request, the filing read.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office continues to defend its handling of the case by issuing a statement to NBC 5 DFW.

“The defendant’s new lawyers have filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings. The entire prosecution team and I conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court’s rulings and any agreements with defense counsel. We look forward to addressing these claims thoroughly in a Court of law in the coming weeks. The jury heard extensive evidence over the course of the trial and returned a unanimous verdict. We remain confident in that verdict and the fairness of the proceedings.”

Anthony’s new legal team, made up of appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, was retained following Anthony’s conviction.

“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the team said in a statement.

“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the release reads.

Anthony was charged with the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, April 2, 2025. Anthony has long maintained it was an act of self-defense.

The attorneys are representing Anthony pro bono. The nearly 200-page notice of appeal seeks a new trial because his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated.

“The cumulative and practical effect of these provisions was to exclude members of the public from proceedings at every stage,” the filing reads.

The filing also focused on an alleged “handshake deal” that kept Anthony from taking the stand in his defense.

The defense filing said the agreement was that the jury would not hear that Metcalf and his twin brother had been accused of racism and bullying in the past. In exchange, they also would not see Anthony’s cellphone records or his school disciplinary record, according to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Anthony’s former defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense relied heavily on that deal. The team chose not to ask certain questions of witnesses or call on a separate expert witness based on that agreement. It also abandoned plans to introduce testimony and evidence about the allegations against Metcalf and his brother.

Appellate attorney Russell Wilson is now handling post-trial proceedings and Anthony’s appeal. He recently sat down for an interview, stating, “The court committed multiple errors during the June murder trial, preventing him from receiving a fair trial.”

“You know, we file motions that we expect to prevail on, but we understand that there’s two sides to every story. And at the end of the day, it’ll be a judge that has to make these decisions, but we feel confident in the positions that we’re taking,” Wilson said during an interview with WFAA. “There were substantial issues that we thought a reviewing court needed to look at. We thought these were constitutional irregularities, and we could have them addressed now. And so, we put them into a motion for a new trial.”

Bree West, a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, found it startling that so little time was given to Anthony’s team for such a serious “life or death” situation.

“I do think that it’s really challenging that potentially a court decided that you have 10 minutes to make that level of decision when it has the potential of being life-altering,” said West during an interview with Fox 4 News.

Judge Harle is no stranger to high-profile cases, having presided over the prosecution of a police officer charged in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Anthony was convicted on June 9 of the murder of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump!

WESTSIDE GAZETTE — The author criticizes Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting his use of terms like “Dumbocrats” and “Communist” to describe Democrats and democracy. The column asserts that Trump’s current strategy involves creating doubt about midterm elections due to a lack of Republican agenda.
The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

Frankly Speaking

Wow! Wow! Wow! The swamp drainers have truly stepped down to new levels of stupidity. You remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? We now have Weapons of Mass Distraction. Trump has introduced Dumbocrats and Communists into the conversation about Democrats and Democracy.

Trump lies so much, and his current strategy is to set up doubt about midterm elections because he and Republicans have no agenda!

He has no “Trump “ card, but Iran has a strait! He called it a skirmish; it’s now a War. He said five days; now it’s five months. He said few casualties; now it’s 18 deaths. He knew nothing about Project 2025 but hired its architects! Trump lies about the lies and often forgets these little inventions called cameras and phones

We see and hear and then see and hear the inconsistencies.

I didn’t like 45 and dislike 47 even more!

The post LSMFT! Lord Save Me From Trump! appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Based on reporting by Westside Gazette.

The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.