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Jo-Carolyn Goode

Stories by Jo-Carolyn

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Four Area Girls Earn Highest Award for Girl Scouting

Four young ladies’ acts of community service were so grand that they were deemed golden. Jade Bryant, Codi Fillmore, Milan Parris, and Regan Williams have just earned the highest award a Girl Scout can receive, The Gold Award, putting them in an elite group since less than 6% of Girl Scouts worldwide have received this distinction.

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Sylvester Turner: Balancing Fatherhood and Politics

Lifting her high into the heavens as if he is trying to allow God to kiss her himself I watch a father bond with his baby girl. Holding her ever so careful, he gently cradles her in his arms with a strong hold, as he dares not let her slip. Pride pours out of every point on his body as he holds the most beautiful thing he has ever laid his eyes on and thinks, “How blessed am I.”

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Efficiency and Effectiveness: Chief Art Acevedo’s Energizing First Six Months

Six months ago when Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Art Acevedo as the new head of the Houston Police Department many were scratching their heads wondering who this man was. Mayor Turner painted a vivid picture of which Acevedo was but until action is seen, well, talk in cheap. Turns out Acevedo wasn’t cheap but efficient and effective making his combining with Houston a very energizing experience.

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Summer Chilling: Staying Cool with Fitness, Fashion, and Food

Falling down your face. Stinging your eyes. Wetting up your clothes. It’s sweating season ladies and gentlemen. Scorching, summery triple digit temperatures are in our imminent future when summer officially beginning on June 20th. The heat and humidity are already getting to some of us just taking a few steps out the door. Get prepared for the pending hotter days with tips on staying cool with fitness, fashion, and food.

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Frenchy's Chicken Announces Community Partnership for Renovation and Expansion with Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church

Frenchy's Chicken announced a major community partnership with Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church today on the church's parking lot. Percy Creuzot II, son of Frenchy's Chicken owner, and Pastor Marcus D. Cosby, Senior Pastor of WABC, said that the original Frenchy's location that has been housed at the corner of Scott and Wheeler for 48 years will move two blocks down the street to Alabama and Scott to allow expansion of WABC.

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Have the Best Summer Yet

Coming are the days when the sun kisses our faces, our cares are tossed to the wind, and our calendar is filled with as much or as little activity as we want. That is the beauty of summer.

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Meet the Class of 2017: Tomorrow’s Future Leaders of America

After twelve years, 108 months, 3,240 days, are the estimated number of days students attend school before reaching the pinnacle of their educational career, high school graduation. That pivotal time has come for the class of 2017. It’s time for them to turn their tassel and take the brave steps into the next chapter of their lives. Annually, Houston Style Magazine recognizes the Houston ISD’s African American and Hispanic valedictorians to salute them on their accomplishments. Congrats Class of 2017!Meet the Class of 2017: Tomorrow’s Future Leaders of America

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An Unbreakable Bond: Sheila Jackson Lee and Erica Lee Carter

Ask any child and most can list a number of reasons why they love their mother. No matter what the reason they all center on one word, love. That love is formed from a special bond between mother and child. Mothers and daughters share a very unique emotionally connection. With such a delicate connection, I wondered how that bond is tested when you have to share your mother and the unconditional love she gives with others in a major way. What I found is that the bond is just made stronger to the point that it is unbreakable.

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African American Sorority Targeted In Racist Incident at American University

Bring first is certainly not easy. Taylor Dumpson is one who knows. What was supposed to be a wonderful time of celebration and feeling of great accomplishment was turned into something hateful and fearful.

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Pride and Culture: How One Family Lost It All and Came Back On Top

May is one of those months that has a bit more flavor to it. Call it Muy Caliente! Americans of Mexican decent everywhere proudly stick out their chest with pride in celebration of culture and heritage for Cinco de Mayo. Originally celebrated as the day that the Mexican Army overtook French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, Cinco de Mayo is now a much more spirited celebration in the United States.

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Message Received: Men Finally Going to the Doctor

Men protect and provide for others but often don’t care or show concern for themselves. Whether it is they don’t have enough time or literal distrust doctors, men, in general, are not good keepers of their health. They have to be on the brink of death before they go see the doctor.

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Laurenzo’s: Continuing the Tradition of Food and Family

Walking into the new location of Laurenzo’s Bar & Grill in Midtown and there is only one reaction to be had, “Wow!” It is something that is so unexpected but quickly becoming the norm with the revitalization of the area that is attracting a younger crowd and anyone who wants to have a great time.

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HBRW: Serving Up Black Businesses as the Main Dish

What to eat is a question that is becoming just as hard to answer as to where to eat. With the wide variety of offerings tempting our palates and the number of restaurants scattered throughout the city that question is increasingly more difficult to answer by the day. New restaurants are popping up everywhere with menus that blend cultures as well as taste, that it is a challenge to know about all the gems in our city.

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Keeping Houston’s Future Bright

Houston is a great city because of the people that pour into daily to make it so. From the many residents that have chosen this as the place to raise their families to those who make and uphold our laws to those who put the city on the map for forward thinking, Houston’s people are our best kept secrets. Two people contributing greatly to keeping Houston’s future bright are Vera Bumpers and Carlecia D. Wright who enhance Houston’s safety and economic growth.

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Mila’s Journey: One Woman’s Fight Against Colon Cancer

“This has got to be a joke,” thought Jamila Barefield. Yes, a very crude and ill joke that someone was playing on her. But there were no lights, no cameras, or studio audience. It was just her lying in a bed surrounded by four blank walls with tubes everywhere staring blankly in the face of a doctor. And in a very cold, disconnected matter, the doctor parted his lips and utter three horrific words, “You have cancer.”

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The Women Behind Minority Business Growth in Houston

Being in business for yourself is hard. It is always helpful to have a mentor and some assistance to navigate the path to get to your success story. Business owners in Houston are fortunate in that respect to have a plethora of resources at hand to assist in that department. Some of the main resources for minorities are in the form of our chambers. The Greater Houston Black Chamber (GHBC) and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (HHCC) are avenues that entrepreneurs need to seek out to reach that pinnacle level of achievement.

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Cory Solomon: Hometown Favorite Shines at RodeoHouston

When most boys have dreams of being a professional football player or basketball player, Cory Solomon wanted to trot down a different path. For as long as he could remember his goal has been to become a professional cowboy. Now he is living his dream and we are privy to see him do it at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

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High School Teen Earns Eagle Scout Rank in Boy Scouts

More than learning how to tie a square knot, start a fire by rubbing sticks together, or the strength of working as a team, boys in scouts learn how to grow from a boy to a man. Through the help and guidance of amazing scout leaders who serve as mentors, boys learn the essentials life that will last them far beyond their youthful years.

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Bill Bellamy is “Married But Single”

Entertainer Bill Bellamy is a man that is constantly evolving. We grew to know him first as a funnyman with the boyish good looks on HBO’s Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam coining the “booty call.” He became a regular on shows on MTV before he branched out into movies. Mastering being in front of the camera, Bellamy flipped the script to go behind the camera to produce. Now Bellamy is expanding his resume, even more, another first, a stage play.

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The Changing Scope of Black Radio in Houston

Music has always been a connecting element for African Americans. From the moment we knew there was sound, we have used it to make music as a way to both entertain and communicate. In the early years, music was made with the use of our mouths and body parts. We advanced to add the dimensions of instruments. Those various sounds combine to make beautiful music and our yearn for a larger platform to showcase our musical talents grew.

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Gary from Chicago Wins Big at Oscars

Gary Cole from Chicago was the only person who won big at the Oscars that didn't take home the golden statue. #GaryfromChicago is trending big on social media today.

Leaving a Legacy Long After the Game

The Wade Smith Foundation and Houston Super Bowl Host Committee Partner for National Literacy Month

The countdown is on! The clock is ticking. We are just 150 days away until Houston hosts the most watched game, Super Bowl LI Preparations are revving up as Houston rolls out the red carpet for guests near and far. Long after the game is gone on February 18, 2017, the legacy of Super Bowl LI will still be felt in Houston due to partnerships like that of the Wade Smith Foundation (WSF) with the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee (HSBHC). Together these organizations are igniting the fire for a love of reading among Houston area students.

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Eight Young Black Men Earned Highest Award for Boy Scouts

Our young black men struggle day to stay alive, not to fall to peer pressure of negative influences, and to stay on the successful rite of passage. Since this is such a treacherous for our young black boys and men successes should be celebrated to encourage and motivate them to continue on that right path. Such young men are being honored for an achievement that few have earned. It is the highest and the most distinguished honor for a member of the Boy Scouts of America, the Eagle Award.

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Ryan Destiny: The Rise of a Star

Lee Daniels has struck television gold again with his newest series airing on Fox, Star. Just knowing that it was a Lee Daniels’ project was enough to generate excitement of its release. Adding the star power of Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt made it one of most anticipated shows of the season. As teasers came out, Daniels’ fans were quick to compare it to another hit Empire. One look at the first episode of Star and one quickly understood that music and family were the only things the two shows had in common.

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Oscars 2017: A Record Breaking Six Black Actors Nominated

After much backlash, it seems the Oscars have finally got a touch of melanin. This year’s Oscars list has a record breaking six African Americans nominees in dominant categories. Plus, three movies are up for Best Picture. The Oscars have gone from #OscarsSoWhite to #OscarsSoBlack.

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Using Art to Get Children Involved in Super Bowl LI and Inspired Beyond the Game

Just as the right paint and artist make a beautiful portrait, a sound partnership can project a beauty of its own. In preparation for Super Bowl LI, the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee has joined with the City of Houston and artist Reginald Adams on a youth community arts project to inspire the creative expression of Houston’s children.

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Houston, Are You Ready for Some Football?

Super Bowl LI Days Away

Houston is less than 20 days away from hosting the biggest annual sports event of the year. Ever since the bid was won in 2013, Houston has undergone a makeover with the construction of new hotels, improvements to our streets, and clean ups to beautify the city limits. Collaborations between various entities have met to ensure the safety and protection of the hundreds expected to crawl all over Houston during the 10 days of Super Bowl LI. Everything is falling into place making Houston ready for some football.

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Keep Faith in the Future

“Never despair; never give up; never feel that the cause of righteousness and justice is doomed,” are the words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on May 11, 1957, at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. It was a time when African Americans were fighting for the basic right to vote. In his first national speech, Dr. King demanded that Africans Americans be given the ballot and the right to vote for the act of denying that civil right was a “tragic betrayal of the highest mandates of our democratic tradition.”

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AKAs Takeover the Movies to Support Hidden Figures

It was wall-to-wall pink and green on Sunday, January 8, 2016, at the First Colony 24 theaters as the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. took over the theater. The ladies were in mass numbers to support the film Hidden Figures that tells the story of three extraordinary women – Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson - who made NASA history by helping with the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. All three women are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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Remembering Claudia Marie Llorens Moran

Claudia Marie Llorens Moran made her grand entrance into this world on October 6, 1930, in Natchitoches, Louisiana. And on January 1, 2017, she made her peaceful exit in Houston, TX. The beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend died at the age of 86.

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A President Named Barack Obama: His Accomplishments, His Legacy, His Future

Eight years ago America was a very different county. Our economy was at a low. Healthcare was not made for everyone. Troops were at war. Topping off everything there weren’t enough jobs to go around for all of America. The country was pretty dim. But we found our light in hope through a change we could believe in brought on by an African American guy from Chicago, IL, who would later become the 44th President of the United States.

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