Welcome to InsideTSU, the weekly newsletter of Texas Southern University!
Lauding a legend: Rev. William Lawson
TSU establishes endowment, names street in honor of community, spiritual and civil rights icon
As part of its Black History Month celebration, Texas Southern University honored the life and legacy of Reverend William D. Lawson, a community trailblazer who helped transform TSU, the Third Ward, and countless lives as founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. He and his family - including daughters Melanie, Cheryl and Roxanne (pictured above) - as well as the church he founded, were celebrated during TSU's first-ever Black History Month Convocation and tribute luncheon. While Rev. Lawson was unable to attend, he did watch the livestream from his home.

"We have the privilege of honoring one of our own, who is truly a pillar of the community," said Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young, TSU President. "He is a living example of Black excellence. He is someone who, as our history book says, was 'born to serve.'"

During the Convocation, the world-renowned TSU Debate Team gave an impressive performance highlighting the civil rights movement and Rev. Lawson's role in guiding Houston and TSU through the period of desegregation. At the tribute luncheon, the university announced the establishment of the William A. Lawson Leadership Institute endowed scholarship, initially set at $100,000, as well as the naming of "Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Way" along the Tiger Walk. The street sign will be placed in the vicinity the H&PE Arena, which is now located where the Lawson family lived in the 1950s and 60s.

Albert Myres, Chair of the TSU Board of Regents, was instrumental in making the event a reality.

"It is so important that this university, at this time, for the right reason, honor Rev. Lawson today," said Myres. "I wanted this event to happen as fast as it could. We needed to do this now. We have to honor those while we can, while they can appreciate it and taste it."
The Convocation also included musical performances by the TSU Concert Chorale and University Band, and special remarks from each of the Lawson daughters. They recalled memories of growing up in the midst of TSU - and how the life and growth of the church was closely intertwined with that of the university.

"This is the university where he planted his church, his family and his community," said Cheryl Lawson. Added Melanie, "Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and TSU have been neighbors and allies for almost 60 years."

"Daddy established a neighborly and harmonious relationship with TSU," said Roxanne. "He went out of his way to meet, greet and keep good rapport with every TSU president since 1955."

Lawson served as the director of the Baptist Student Union and was a professor of Bible at Texas Southern University from 1960-70, during which he also founded Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. He also became a civil rights leader and befriended Martin Luther King Jr, who would stay with the Lawsons during visits to Houston.
At the tribute luncheon, President Crumpton-Young bestowed the President's Award for People Who Mean Business to Rev. Lawson.

"It is a coveted award," said Dr. Crumpton-Young. "We don't give very many out, so we are very excited to present it today. I can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Rev. Lawson."

To view pictures from both the Convocation and tribute luncheon for Rev. William Lawson, click here. The Convocation video recording is available on TSU's Facebook page.
TSU, Monterey Jazz Festival extend partnership
TSU to host MJF@TSU symposium for high school, college students April 12-13
Texas Southern University (TSU) and the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) are proud to announce the continuation of a partnership that has broadened the reach of the MJF’s education programs to many more young people, while leveraging TSU’s commitment and legacy of jazz excellence.

The partnership, which includes KTSU 90.9 FM, TSU’s Music Department and the School of Communication, features a free two-day intensive music symposium, Monterey Jazz @ TSU, on April 12-13, 2022. Tuesday, April 12, is designed for all greater Houston-based middle and high school music students and programs, and Wednesday, April 13, is geared toward college-aged students. Schools or individual students interested in attending Monterey Jazz @ TSU can register here.
Led by TSU faculty from the music, communications and music industry degree programs and featuring the 2022 MJF Artist-in-Residence, Queen Cora, the symposium includes master classes, panel discussions, recording sessions, workshops and more. The symposium provides students the opportunity to network with professionals and peers, learn insider secrets in the music industry, spark lifelong collaborations, build foundations for a career in the music industry, and prepare students to audition for the Monterey Jazz Festival’s national bands and combos, which tour nationally and internationally.

For the full story, click here.
Current & prospective vendors encouraged to attend "Doing Business with TSU!" webinar
 
Businesses seeking to do business with Texas Southern University are encouraged to attend a helpful webinar on Thursday, March 10, from 2-4 p.m.
 
This virtual procurement session will cover a range of topics, including vendor registration, bids & RFPs, insurance & indemnification, types of solicitations, and tabulations & awards.
 
There is no cost to attend the webinar, which will be presented and facilitated by members of TSU’s procurement team. There will also be an opportunity for participant questions throughout the webinar.
 
To register for the webinar, click here or scan the accompanying QR code.
"10 Career Center Facts" every TSU student (and employee) should know
TSU's Career & Professional Development Center has released its "10 Career Center Facts" for students and TSU employees to know for the Spring 2022, starting with the fact that the center has moved to a new location on the 2nd floor of the Student Center (in room 213).

Click on the graphic to reveal other important information that can help students prepare for - and find - the career of their dreams when they complete their degree at TSU.
TSU Theatre unveils "Kissing It Goodbye" Feb. 24-27
The TSU Theatre program's world premiere of Kissing It Goodbye, written by Dr. Elizabeth Brown-Guillory, Distinguished Professor of Theatre, takes place in the Ollington Smith Playhouse Feb. 24-27. Set in Southwest Louisiana, the play explores intergenerational conflicts among a family in desperate need of healing. The central character has lost her footing because her mother abandoned her as a child. As the play opens, she must decide if she will go through with her plans for an abortion. Her war-veteran father, her psychic (healer) grandmother, her remorseful mother, and her dead fiancé all weigh in on what they believe is the best course of action to heal this broken family, but the central character struggles to find her own voice. 
 
Dr. Brown-Guillory has published extensively on Black women’s theatre, including the seminal book Their Place on the Stage: Black Women Playwrights in America, and has had her plays produced in cities across the country, including New York City, Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, Toledo, Mobile, Los Angeles, and Houston. In January 2022, Dr. Ann Dobie included a chapter on Dr. Brown-Guillory’s oeuvre in her new book: Black Women Writers of Louisiana: Telling Their Stories.

InsideTSU caught up with Dr. Brown-Guillery to find out more about Kissing It Goodbye:
 
IT: What inspired Kissing It Goodbye?
B-G: For some years I have alternately wanted to illuminate the challenges that war veterans face, to delve into the role that spirituality (or lack of it) plays in contemporary life, and to explore the damage that alcoholism heaps upon families. I had thought I was going to write three plays, but I decided to tell one story that embraced all three concerns.
 
IT: Which character is your favorite in Kissing It Goodbye and why?
B-G: I am deeply grateful to each of the five characters because in creating them, I learned a great deal about trauma, which has made me more empathetic to other people’s suffering and reinforced what I’ve known my whole life: we have the power to heal ourselves. Like a proud parent, I love all the characters in the play, but I have a special relationship with each one. For example, Granny Vi (alternately known as Sister Viola) is a recurring character in at least 12 of my plays. She is a compilation of important women who shaped me, including my great-grandmother, my grandmothers, great aunts, and my mother. She is a force to be reckoned with because she is funny, wise, eccentric, pliable, and she loves her family with her whole being. I can place her in any plot and she will rise to the occasion; I know her very well.
 
IT: What was your writing process like for Kissing It Goodbye?
B-G: I lived with these characters for several years, always trying to hear and understand their stories. I moved them from my head to the page about a year ago. The writing doesn’t take nearly as long as what I call the “in residence” phase in my head. I wrote the first draft in about six weeks. We then did a table read and workshopped it over several weeks. I then took it through several drafts before the play was given a virtual staged reading via BlueJeans last March with over 300 people in attendance over two weekends. With input from viewers, I revised the play, creating many drafts while taking breaks to allow myself a chance to listen to my characters. I remember once I worked on a scene all day and went to bed feeling whipped and unhappy about the scene. When I woke up the next morning, I knew I had to scrap the scene because the character was rebelling and letting me know I needed to do a better job with her story.
 
IT: If you could describe the play in one word, would that be?
B-G: Healing. We live in a world where it’s difficult to take time to meditate. We’re moving at lightening speed, but we’ve become slow, even lethargic, when it comes to fixing the broken parts of our lives. My father used to tell people that I was a doctor, and they always thought he meant MD. Then he’d say, “She’s a talking doctor, not a healing doctor.” Years later, I came to see myself as a “healing doctor,” someone who writes to heal.
Dr. Bullard featured on CBS Morning News
"Father of environmental justice" provides insight on controversial Houston freeway project
Dr. Robert Bullard, known internationally as the "father of environmental justice," provided his expertise on this topic during a segment of CBS Morning News earlier this week. Bullard is Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy and founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice.

The segment explored both sides of a controversial Houston freeway project that would change the route of I-45 near and around the downtown Houston region, impacting individuals and businesses in that area.

Watch the segment here.
TSU students tell story of love & food in Third Ward
Mo' Better Brews featured in collaboration with KPRC/Channel 2 & Black History Month
Last week, aspiring journalists in TSU's School of Communication told the story of two TSU alumni entrepreneurs who opened a trendy new café last year in the Third Ward.

The students researched, wrote and produced a segment for KPRC/Channel 2 on Chasitie and Courtney Lindsay, co-owners of Mo' Better Brews, which is reimagining vegan cuisine, while also producing stellar coffee and selling vinyl records to boot! Interestingly, the couple met in a theatre class while at TSU.

Follow our student journalists and their most recent story via Click2Houston. This experience is thanks to an innovative partnership with KPRC for Black History Month, with several students creating content that is being broadcast weekly on the station's news broadcasts, as well as its Click2Houston website.
KTSU playlist for Black History Month featured on NPR Music
KTSU 90.9FM presented “This Is Our Story – These Are Our Songs,” as a playlist for Black History Month. The playlist, which can be found on NPR Music, traces black church hymns from 1916 to the present day, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The songs were recorded at St. John's United Methodist Church, Senior Pastors Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, with executive producer Ernest Walker, conductor V. Michael McKay, and directed by Ernest Walker and Marcus Newsome. The audio engineer and mixer was Roderick Jones, and camera operators were Marcus Newsome and Marc Jackson.

To listen to KTSU's Black History Month playlist on NPR, click here.
TSU professors lend business expertise on WalletHub
Two professors from the Jesse H. Jones School of Business were recently featured on the popular business/consumer credit website WalletHub, discussing answers to commonly-asked business-related questions.

Dr. O. Felix Ayadi, who is the JPMorgan Chase Endowed Professor in the Department of Finance, showcased his knowledge of car insurance, including information about comparing national car insurance with a local provide. His article can be found here.
Dr. Rochelle Parks-Yancy, professor of Management, shared her expertise in how employment is being impacted due to COVID and other economic factors, causing employers to struggle with high turnover and attracting/retaining high quality employees. Her article can be found here.
Megan Thee Stallion launches foundation to honor her parents
One of TSU's most recent - and most famous - graduates, Megan Pete (aka, Megan Thee Stallion, pictured here with President Crumpton-Young during the 2021 Winter Commencement) has announced the establishment of a charitable foundation to honor her parents.

The Pete and Thomas Foundation will focus on “uplifting and helping women, children, senior citizens, and underserved areas in Houston and beyond.”

“Launching the Pete and Thomas Foundation is easily one of the most significant endeavors that I’ll ever be part of in my career,” Megan said in a statement released last week. “My family raised me to help others and give back, so I’m incredibly proud to be in a position to accomplish that goal. I have a responsibility to use my platform to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those who may not have access to resources and support services.”

The Pete and Thomas Foundation will operate with a three-pronged approach centering on education, housing, and health/wellness.

In December, TSU launched Thee Megan Fund on the day Megan graduated. Thee Megan Fund is a scholarship dedicated to helping other TSU students cross the finish line at graduation, just like Megan.
RichesArt Gallery owner, alumnus making splash as Austin artist & storyteller
TSU alumnus and ex-football player Richard Samuel is quickly raising his visibility within the Austin, TX, art scene.
 
For Black History Month, Samuel, owner of RichesArt Gallery in East Austin, gathered 19 Austin- and Houston-based artists for an exhibit titled "American History," which includes visual as well as audio sources to tell a more complete history of America - including an emphasis on Black history and art. The exhibit is making quite a splash, including this article in Austin 360.

Samuel not only starred on the football field for TSU (while majoring in art), he also played professionally in Europe following graduation. He sold his first painting as he was transitioning to his post-football life as an artist. More about Samuel can be found in his gallery website.
Get ready for Gray Day at H&PE!
Tigers in action vs. Jackson State on Saturday, Feb. 26
The TSU men's and women's basketball teams are looking big wins - and a big home court advantage this weekend when they face Jackson State on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. in H&PE Arena.
 
All TSU students, faculty and staff receive complimentary admission for each remaining home game, and there will be a t-shirt giveaway to the first 1,000 fans who enter the game through the main entrance.

Both teams are in great position as they jockey for top seeding in the upcoming SWAC Tournament March 9-12 in Birmingham, AL.
Softball earns first victories, doubleheader sweep
Tigers slam UH-Victoria 8-4, 8-0
The TSU softball team tasted victory for the first time in 2022 with a doubleheader sweep over Houston-Victoria last Friday at Memorial Park.
 
In the first game, TSU opened the scoring with a homer and put the game away via a homer as they won 8-4.
 
Daryn Haslam reached base to open the first and Tamera McKnight made UHV pay with a two-run shot for an early 2-0 lead. Both teams went scoreless until the third as TSU's Pamela Richardson led the frame off with a single and scored several batters later for a 3-0 lead. Richardson finished 2-for-4 with two runs while Haslam led TSU with three runs and two RBIs. Naomi Reyes earned the win with six strikeouts on one hit.
 
In the second game, TSU only needed five innings of work to close out the doubleheader with an 8-0 win. Julia Bilbao continued her strong start to the 2022 campaign with a grand slam in the fourth inning. UHV remained scoreless after the top of the fifth which triggered the run-rule for the series sweep.

Click here for the full story.
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