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Who Will Be Next to Lead Houston?
Eleven candidates have stepped up willing and ready to lead Houston into the future. All seem to agree that one of the top priorities to get the city on track is to fix the infrastructure, tackle the pay for firefighters and police officers, and use taxpayers’ money efficiently. The various ways to handle those problems is where they differ. Houston Style has examined the slate and broken down the platforms of the top 5 mayoral candidates. All that is left is for you to go to the polls and vote. Early voting is from October 21-November 1, 2019 and Election Day is November 5, 2019.
Priscilla Shirer: Ministering Through Acting in Overcomer
Call her an author. Call her an actress. Ask Priscilla Shirer what she is and she will say a minister, a teacher, someone trying to bring souls to know Jesus Christ. That is who she is at her core. Everything she does centers around that sole purpose. Connecting ministry to acting seems like a stretch when thinking of it in the mainstream of pure entertainment. However, changing your perspective to focus on the content of material rather than the entertainment factor and connecting the dots between the two is easy.
NRG: ‘The Culinary Capital of the South’
Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes is issuing an invitation to all football fans to a “Taste of Houston, the Culinary Capital of the South.” Rootes put out the call during the unveiling of all that was new NRG stadium this year. Suite renovations, new concession items, designer clothing collection for women, touchdown deals, and an app makeover, Texans’ fans will have an experience that is sweeter to lounge in, tastier to the palette, and easier to navigate during the 2019 season.
MangagementRings: The Engaging New Trend for Grooms-to-Be
In the distance, the sun sets as the night breeze blows. The scenery is picturesque as the love of your life utters those four little life-changing words filled with passion, power, and purpose, “Will you marry me?” And as your eyes get cloudy from tears you get a glance at your ring and melt. It’s the moment a majority of women hope and pray for and apparently some men too. Millennials are always changing the game and here is something else that they are adding their flair to, men engagement. That was not a typo. More and more millennial are riding the trend stating they want the world to know that they are engaged too.
Five of Houston’s Most Unique Wedding Venues
Going to the chapel is becoming outdated for today’s couples. More and more newly engaged brides and grooms are looking to wed at places that speak to who they are on a personal level and really uniqueness to their nuptials. Out-of-the box venues like greenhouses, wineries, distillers, breweries, barns, lofts, museums, air terminals, fire stations, castles, and secret oasis are what couples are seeking. Below are some of Houston’s most unique venues.
White Or Not: Wedding Dress Designer Greggs Takes Tradition Contemporary
The idea of the first draft starts to formulate at a young age. As your opinion changes, adjustments are made with the passage of time. Finally, the moment comes when the final rendition is made. Some call it the most important garment that you will ever wear. It’s your wedding day attire. Be it long or short, dress or pants, white or colored, your wedding day, of all things, must be special, unique, and make you feel amazing.
Houston Based Mother and Sons Company Wins Grand Prize in H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best
Browsing the shelves of H-E-B is a real treat for the eyes and especially for the stomach. One never knows what they might see. Red velvet pancakes, green chile mac n cheese, a variety of afia falafel, shopping at H-E-B is never boring as their products are uniquely authentic. Thanks in part to one of their annual competitions that puts out the call for new products from across the state from budding entrepreneurs.
The Hungry Free Summer
School bells ringing are a bigger relief for some families than just getting children out of the house. It means that their children will have two well-balanced meals a day at school. One in six children across America doesn’t know where their next meal will come from. Texas is a distant 43rd for children’s overall well-being with a devastating 25% of the children living in poverty. Houston ranks second in the nation for children living with food insecurity. Harris County has the second highest rate of child food insecurity in the nation. A hungry free summer seems unobtainable but in summer 2019 it was made possible.
Hunger Free Summer Initiative Dishes Out 400K Meals
Growing children need the basics – food, shelter, and water. Simple yet complicated at the same time. Simple as these are common that many have access to but not all can obtain due to life circumstances. This setup is not good for any human being but it is especially detrimental to children in their early years of life.
Alpha Kappa Omega Presents 21 Young Ladies in Society Debut
The energy was electric as 21 young ladies jubilantly twirled in circles, nervously practiced their curtseys and carefully walked to ensure no missteps would be taken before they made their official debut at the biennial debutante ball hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter. Each debutante’s brains, beauty, and benevolence were celebrated as “Royal Roses of Excellence” before a wall-to-wall crowd of onlookers and well wishers.
Houstonian Style: Barefield’s Battle Against Colon Cancer and Mental Health
Making sacrifices is a selfless act that requires one to put others before their own needs. Jamila Barefield championed herself as a sacrifice for the benefit of those suffering from colon cancer.
Tips to Excel Beyond Expectations This School Year
Books, pens, and your favorite device are in your backpack. New clothes hang in your closet. Lunches with healthy protein and nutritious sides have been planned. And your hair is done too. You are ready to go back-to-school, right? Partially right. If you have not put in any thought or effort into planning how this school year will be a success then you are not ready.
Mental Health: Comprehending, Coping, and Conquering
More than a feeling of melancholy, anxiety, and disconnect, mental health encompasses your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Meaning it affects how you think, feel, and behave. Mental health can affect anyone, at any age, at any time. Nearly 44 million people experience mental illness yearly. Of those, 18% of them are children who experience at least one severe mental disorder according to reports. Good news is that mental health is treatable and preventable.
Celebrating the Life of Lestine Goode
Lestine Goode was a devote Christian, family man, and most importantly, my daddy. He ran the race and fought the good fight but sadly succumbed to his illness. He was laid to rest on July 24, 2019, after having a funeral worthy of the distinguished man he was. Read more about the man who not only taught me lessons to live by but also to many other children across the city under his tutelage.
Business Style: Meet LaTanya Graham, Owner of Tailormade Resume and Career Advising
Before the corner office can be decorated, the six figure salary earned or the close of your first major deal can happen one must first land the job. Separating yourself from the pool of candidates to get the interview takes more than skill. One must know their best assets and sell them in the first thing employers touch, our resume.
Local Girl Stars in TUTS' Seussical
Tap into a child’s imagination and there is no wonder what they might conjure. An oversized one-eyed yellow monster with feet for hands, people with orange Mohawks, blue faces, and green fangs instead of teeth or maybe a dog that meows instead of barks while his tail gets longer. That’s the beauty of a child.
Community Corner: Emancipation Park: An Historical Treasure of Houston
Tired of feeling captive, a group of former slaves utilized their resources and talents to raised $1,000 to buy 10 acres of land in Houston 147 years ago to create a space where they could just be free. The space would become Emancipation Park, the central hub of generations coming together with a sense of community. Passing years has seen the park at its ups and downs causing it to be revitalized in 2006 by TIRZ7 and again this year with a $33 million renovation.
Houston’s Own Chandler Foreman Is Miss Texas 2019
A win for the US is how Miss Texas 2019 Chandler Foreman describes her historic crowning as the first reigning queen of the Miss America system to wear the crown with natural hair. For years beauty queens were put in a box to be thought of as thin, with straight long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Business Style: Meet Ashley Odom, Owner of Omazing Occasions
One lick, two licks, three licks were all it took to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Knowing how the flavors would combine in your mouth, slow licking was not an option. You wanted the satisfaction now. However, I have found one lollipop that you will want to lick slowly to really savor and enjoy it. Ashley Odom, the owner of Omazing Occasions, talks to us about how she turned the everyday lollipop into an adult only experience.
The Links of Pearland Celebrate Five Years of Service and Friendship
For 5-year-anniversaries the traditional gift is usually something made of wood or silver. Wood symbolizes strength and durability while silver symbolizes a close knit bond. Strength, durability and a close bond are excellent ways to describe the Greater Pearland Area Chapter of The Links, Inc. With commitment and compassion wrapped up in service and friendship, the ladies have been fulfilling their purpose and mission in Brazoria County for the past five years and they are ready to celebrate their efforts.
Bushwick Bill Dead at 52 Due to Pancreatic Cancer
One incident can change the course of life. Before Bushwick Bill got shot in the eye, he didn’t think he had much to live for. He told us so in the lyrics of his 1992 hit “Ever So Clear.” Claiming the life of that of a misfit and outcast, he often questioned his purpose for living day-to-day. However, music and his personal story changed that for him. He found his purpose and everything became so clear.
Stay Safe This Summer
The onset of summer means that our children are idle. All of that added free time presents lots of opportunities to get in trouble and be careless, as children get involved in activities to occupy their mind. Swimming, biking, and being outdoors are among the most popular but also raise a number of safety concerns for our children.
McGowan Is First African American Valedictorian at St. Thomas High School
Doing something that no one has done before is a task with no blueprint. Although Kellin McGowan did have somewhat of a guide on his quest to become the first African-American valedictorian in the history of St. Thomas High School, his rich family legacy of achievements was all he needed.
Class of 2019: Saluting African American and Hispanic High School Valedictorians
Twelve years (13 if you include Kindergarten) of school makes the hassle definitely worth the tassel. High school seniors across our city don the ceremonial cap and gown for one of the most important walks of their life, the walk to receive their diploma. With bright smiles and wide eyes, they accept their diploma in their right hand and turn their tassel with their left hand.
Kaylah Sharve’ Is a Star On the Rise
Kaylah Sharve has to pinch herself these days to make sure she is not dreaming. The 20-year-old is having the time of her life living out the things she has imagined herself doing for years. As part of the hottest new female group, Citizen Queen, Kaylah is growing her fan base, traveling on a 45-city tour, and celebrating her new recording contract.
Improving the Lives of Mothers Through Health and Wellness
Falling is a part of life. Staying down is not. Before 2013, LoRon White was always in the game despite his small stature. He had big dreams of playing basketball professionally. However, an injury of a ruptured tendon in his leg would stifle those dreams. That could have taken him out but White turned tragedy into triumph. After his surgery to repair his leg, White began intense therapy and started working on his physique.
Finding the Perfect Gift for Mom
Finding the perfect gift for the woman who has given you everything is daunting. You spend too much money and she’ll say you shouldn't have. You spend too little and you think you have cheapened what she means to you. The experience is enough to make you go crazy but don't. Houston Style Magazine has taken the guesswork out of gift giving by going straight to the source, mothers.
Train a Child, Reach a Parent, Represent Well
Proverbs 22:6 states, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Either today’s generations missed a lesson or two or never learned it all but the lesson of knowing how to represent yourself well publically has been lost. Gone are the rules for wearing what is right.
Teacher Turn Comedian Eddie B
"I'm Already Professionally Developed: Straight From the Teacher's Desk," is a book about Eddie B’s journey as a teacher on the way to the creation of the videos “What Teachers Really Say” and how the idea turned into one of the biggest comedy tours in history. “I share my personal experiences in the classroom as well as my home life! It all ties into the issues and desires of teachers who want to see better days; the ones who are really passionate about changing the narrative of this profession. We deal with so much!” Eddie B commented.
Pageant World Is More Than What’s Seen at Miss Ultimate Beauty of America
Misconceptions of beauty pageants are plentiful. Lots of beautiful women standing at a perfect angle with bountiful curls, precisely applied make-up, wearing the most intricate of materials awaiting the perfect score from someone who knows absolutely nothing about who they really are.
HBCU Spotlight: Jarvis Christian College, Southwestern Christian College, and Texas College
As we end Historically Black Colleges and Universities Awareness Month, we conclude by taking a look at our last three HBCUs in Texas.
Weighing In On the Healthcare Debate: Hot Button Issue of 2020 Election
About fifteen years ago, I became painfully aware of how crucial the healthcare topic is. After all, something is not on top of your priority list until it hits you close at home right. Before being diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, I viewed health insurance as something all Americans had for those “just in case something happens moments.” I only really used my health insurance for check-ups and prescriptions for antibiotics for common viruses and bacteria. I thanked God that I never really had anything too serious growing up. As the saying goes, we are all one moment from a tragedy or sickness.
Fashion and Fellowship Bring the Faithful to the 2019 Audrey H. Lawson IMPACT Awards
Church folks are known are stepping high wearing their Sunday’s Best for the Lord on His day. Well, the family and friends of the Wheeler Avenue Inner City Visions Women’s Guild prove that Sunday’s Best can make a Saturday appearance, as well as the fashions, were fierce at the annual the 2019 Audrey H. Lawson IMPACT Awards Luncheon and Fashion Show. For 56 years blessings have poured out of this organization to provide scholarships for college students, help for the homeless, housing for the elderly, and other philanthropic projects following the ideals and heart of visionary founder Audrey H. Lawson.
HBCU Spotlight: St. Phillip’s College and Paul Quinn College
We continue our series highlighting the Historical Black Colleges and Universities in Texas. This week we spotlight St. Phillip’s College and Paul Quinn College.
HBCUs Spotlight: Huston-Tillotson University and Wiley College
HBCUs in Texas contribute $1.3 billion to Texas’ economy according to uncf.org. That alone lets one know how vital they are to our society. This week we look into the history of Huston-Tillotson University and Wiley College for HBCU Awareness Month.
Michael B. Jordan On Protecting His Center
Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Take a really deep breath in. How calming is that? For some that quick exercise is all that is needed to recharge or do a little mini escape from the craziness of the day. That exercise is a way of reminding yourself to not stress and calm down.
HBCUs Spotlight: Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University
Today’s African Americans are living out loud the educational dreams of their ancestors. Segregation for far too long denied so many African Americans even the opportunity to learn. And to now be able to attend any college that one wants is just a dream that those back then never could have realized.
Meet Houston’s Female Power Producers
Power. What does it mean to have it? How would you use it? Power is more than having beefed up muscle arms of steel. Power is about making what you can’t see visible. Power is being able to inspire another person through your influence.
New Bill Proposes Separation of Law School From TSU
Texas Southern University alums and supporters are raising concerns on both sides of a major issue that calls for the separation of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law as an independent entity from the university. It is a new bill, HB 2383, proposed by State Representative Harold Dutton.
Oscars Finally Getting It Right
Stand up and give the Oscars a round of applause. Kudos to the Oscars first off for one of if not the shortest show with no hosts. It was time out for all the not so funny, unnecessary bits and outfit changes that drugged out shows in the past.
Millennials On the Move: Building Inspiration Through Goal Setting
Getting started is the most important step in any process. Coming up with the idea and even the plans for it can be a smooth endeavor but actually taking the step to act on the plan and put it in the universe can be scary. Will it fail? Will it succeed? All sorts of thoughts swirl in your head until you finally have to stop all the noise, move out of your own way, and go for it. This is a struggle Kayla Starr Simmons is familiar with. Two years ago she made a decision to act on a plan that has changed the course of her life.
Save Our HBCUs
Education is a gift that once obtained can’t be taken away. It can open doors to opportunities to advance one personally and professionally. Far from easy to obtain, it is treasured as many scrimp, save, and sacrifice so much just to acquire the basics of it. Knowing the importance and its worth, what if your education’s creditability was in some way threatened?
Black Owned Businesses Continue to Bring Dignity to Death
There is one thing all people have in common. We all will be born and we will die. Death is such a delicate subject that families need someone to help them ease through the process of all the decision making that has to be done to plan out a proper burial. For many families in the Houston area, the ones that they often turn to are the folks at McCoy & Harrison Funeral Home and O.W. Wiley Mortuary.
Judge Erica Hughes: Ruler of the Court
Erica Hughes can’t stop smiling these days. She did a lot of smiling on the campaign trail when she was running for criminal court judge. A huge smile was on her face when the election results revealed she had won. The smile got bigger when she took the oath of office. And now that she is on the bench, Judge Hughes couldn’t make her smile go away even if she tried.
Finding Hope to Fuel Your Professional and Personal Passion
It is better to be called to the front of the room than to be in the front of the room and called back is a quote that I keep in my database because of the truth it holds. When natural gas trader turned businesswoman Miara Shaw first started on her entrepreneurial journey she loved operating in the shadows of her business. Happier to put her clients in the spotlight, Shaw wanted to simply utilize her network to connect women who needed resources with those who had them.
Stand Together to Honor a King
Anywhere there was a fight against an injustice Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would go. In April of 1968, King found himself in Memphis, TN taking on the case of sanitation workers who were working in life threatening conditions for little to no money.
The Winning Formula for Black Businesses
Winning takes work. One has to put in some real sweat equity in crafting a plan, executing it and seeing it through for any hope of positive results. Going at it alone is possible but success will be harder to come by doing it that way. The ultimate reward will take the combined efforts of many to overcome.
Twelve African American Men Achieve Highest Rank in Boy Scouting
Since 1910, the Boy Scouts of America have operated at a level of achieving nothing less than their best to honor God, serve their country, and obey the Scout Law. In doing so millions of young men have grown to be “physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
Burgers and Brew: The Perfect Pair at Hopdoddy
How do you take the everyday burger and make it better? Start with fresh ingredients, homemade buns, farm-raised beef, and a creative mind to think of something different. And there you have Hopdoddy, an Austin based burger bar that is taking burgers to the next level.
Who to Watch in 2019
Houstonians won’t soon forget 2018. It was the year of surprise upsets as a number Democrats unseated long term Republicans resulting in the first Latina and woman Harris County Judge, Lina Hidalgo; County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, first African American mayor of Missouri City, Yolanda Ford; Fort Bend County’s first African American district attorney, Brian Middleton, first Latina in Congress, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia; and the Black girl magic of 19 female judges