Prairie View

MAGAZINE
“Before I Lay it Down” with the Relationship Coach, Mark Spivey, Jr. Page 4
Prairie View
It’s Not Just a College, It’s a Texas Culture!
Summer 2015 FREE prairieviewmagazine.com
Oprah picks Prairie View
Native CYNTHIA BOND for
Book Club 2.0 and the
New York Times Bestselling
Author of “RUBY” Sits Down
for a Quaint Interview with
Prairie View Magazine
Photo Credit: Oprah.com
Inside Page 6
A June To Remember:
Two Perspectives on a
Month We Won’t Soon
Forget!
Inside Page 3 & 4
Writers: Christiana Charleston & “Coach” Mark Spivey
59 Years and $59 in “Total”
Rent Payments Later, Waller
ISD Officials Say “Adios PV
Training School!”
Where to Now?
Inside Page 8
The Ad-Hoc Committee to Keep Grade School Education in Prairie View will meet on
Monday, July 6, 2015 at 6:00p.m. at the Prairie View City Hall. The Public is Invited.

Page 2 June/July 2015 prairieviewmagazine.com
JUNE 2015
J
une 2015 was indeed a month to
remember. So much so, I had to
invite two of my favorite writers
on the planet to share their
thoughts on it. This issue also has
within it an interview with Prairie
View’s own Cynthia Bond, author of
the New York Times bestselling book,
Ruby. I have never
read a more powerful,
and emotionally
draining
book of humor
and sad realities.
Bond gets three
thumbs up. Hopefully,
she’s coming
to Prairie View in
October. More
details on that
later.
If there is another
writer that
compares to Bond,
it has to be the
relationship coach
himself, Mark Anthony
Spivey, Jr.!
“Coach” Spivey’s
“Before I Lay It Down” column has
appeared in several newspapers over
the past year and like Bond, Spivey
has roots in Prairie View. If I had
heeded much of his advice when I
was married, I might still be married.
Well maybe not.
Nevertheless, Spivey’s “tutorials” are
not for Bible thumpers, people out of
touch with reality, or people out of
touch with their significant others…
well maybe they are.
My up and coming writer is Christiana
Charleston. I am convinced that
while children may not do what you
tell them, they will definitely do what
you do. On her Blog, “Friendly Black
Hottie”, Christiana has strong opinions
on lots of things, but especially
her Afro-American heritage and gender.
She was teaching herself Swahili
by DeWayne Charleston, Publisher
Do you have a passion for music and a flair
for the dynamic? Have you had at least some
high school band or band experience? If you
answered yes to any of these questions, then
The Marching Storm Summer Band Camp is
for you! Tap into your unique musical talent
by joining the award winning Marching
Storm August 5 through August 22 for marching
training, performance training and drill
work.
The deadline to apply is July
31. Scholarships are available, so apply
early. All instrumentalists are welcome to
at the age of eight, and was riding a
16 1/2 hand barrel horse by the age
of ten. Don’t let that light skin fool
you. DeWayne did you really just type
that?
Now get this. Yesterday, I got an
offer from someone who offered to
write for Prairie View Magazine. I had
been praying for
someone, especially
a female,
who could write
on the level of
Jones, Charleston
(Christiana) and
Spivey.
This person has
done as much for
the political advancement
of
African-
Americans in
Waller County as
anyone. She mentored
virtually
every Black
leader in the Prairie
View community
during the
eighties and nineties; most notably
among them Jarvis Stewart, who is
among the most powerful lobbyist on
Washington’s K-Street. She is an attorney
and pastor, who we all know
and love. As a toddler, she no doubt
played in the same sandbox with Cynthia
Bond as they are roughly the
same age and grew up less than a
mile apart.
If Valda Combs does join our team
of writers, I will have assembled
America’s best! At which point I can
go ahead and move to Germany. I’m
just kidding. Waller County can’t run
me off that easy.
And by the way, how about POTUS’s
rendition of Amazing Grace? I know
He saved me.
The Marching Storm Accepting Aps for Summer Band Camp
apply. * The Marching Storm is especially
looking for wind instrumentalists.
For more information about The Marching
Storm, visit the Storm’s Facebook page to
see Storm performances including halftime
shows, parades, festivals and of course, the
Marching Storm’s recent first place performance
at the Battle of the Bands battles.
Visit http://www.jotform.us/
form/51657680134154 to submit an application.
See you this summer!

prairieviewmagazine.com June/July 2015 Page 3
All That Was Wrong With June
By Christiana Charleston
S
o much has happened this June,
that it’s easy to forget about the
McKinney pool party. You with
me? Okay. So this party happens
where all of the kids present were, in fact
invited. An "incident" ensued between
two grown women and a child; a result of
the teens being harassed with racist remarks
like, "Go back to Section 8 housing!"
What got lost in the news cycle was the fact
that one of the “grownups” actually thought
it was okay to fight a child. Really now!
Let’s talk about how one of the officers
handled the young lady. I would love to hear
this man try the "I feared for my life" excuse.
She was 14! ...and no more than a hundred
pounds and it was clear she was unarmed, I
mean, being half naked and all!
His actions were filled with the undertones
of sexual violence. There is NO EX-
CUSE for any 200 plus pound male police
officer to slam an underaged, unarmed, unnon-threatening
girl, onto a concrete slab,
dig their knee into their back, and then shift
their weight on top of them, as a means of
control. Enough!
And what about the guy who was not so
incognito, who apparently decided he was a
police officer. Don’t they have laws against
impersonating the men in blue. He went out
of his way to protect the officer from a
group of unarmed children that were
merely trying to protect a harmless juvenile.
If you saw that video from this past June
you would have seen: First; partygoers attempting
to gather their belongings to leave,
but not being allowed to do so. Second; a
grown man allowing another grown man to
assault two young women; one was thrown
onto the sidewalk, and then another (girl)
who came to her aide.
And then just as we thought the Mckinney
juvenile assault would end, we saw two
additional young unarmed teens, who were
attempting to come to the aid of a female on
the ground, have a gun pulled on them. We
expect young men to provide such protection.
Don’t we?
Then, holy cow!!!...a white teen filming
the entire thing was ignored by the officers.
Seeing he was white, perhaps they thought
he was with CNN. Give me a break!
Later in an interview with Buzzfeed
News that white ‘videographer’ said the
only people being forced to the ground were
"Black, Mexican, and Arabic" and that it was
as if he were "invisible to them (the officers)".
And let’s not forget the fact that the
(assaulting) officer was only suspended
‘after’ the video went viral. Which in more
practical terms means-all of the other officers
present, chose to remain silent. Oh the
problems this modern social media present
to rogue peace officers! Now that’s an oxymoron.
Move over Texas. Now about this
woman Rachel Dolezal. She isn’t the ally she
thinks she is
If you don't know who Rachel Dolezal is,
or should I say was, she is a poster child for
June 2015. The (former) president of the
Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP
was “outed” by her biological parents as a
white woman passing for black for the past
10 years.
After gathering more information than I
felt I ever needed on racial identification,
I've come to the conclusion that Rachel
Dolezal is NOT an ally.
There are black women in today's workforce
that are skipped over for jobs, reprimanded,
and even fired for wearing their
natural hair, dreads, even braids. “We” are
literally punished for wearing our hair the
way it grows.
Huh, there are black people that will be
denied jobs just for the color of their skin
….and this woman decides to be black for
fun! It could have been a black woman sitting
as President of that NAACP chapter. She
may have took that job from someone more
deserving and more qualified; someone who
had ‘always been colored’.
She invaded “safe spaces” meant for
black people to escape white supremacy
and used that to observe black people as if
we are animals, and she the scientist on a
safari.
This woman, before she went ‘natural’,
sued Howard University, alleging she was
discriminated against because she was
‘white’. Who’s on first? Who’s on second?
And who’s on third? People you can’t make
this stuff up!
She could have used her position to
speak on white passing privilege, which she
no doubt benefited from while she was
"undercover", but she instead decided to
speak on the how black people are treated
in society, as if she truly could ever understand.
I don’t think so.
She had a black man come speak to her
students and said that he was her father. In
reality he was just a father figure. One of
her female students made a statement on
twitter saying that she seemed to prefer
black male students, over black female students.
Ezra, her younger brother, has come forward,
"It's kind of a slap in the face to African-Americans
because she doesn't know
what it's like to be black." Ezra’s biological
mother was white and father half-black
"She's only been African-American when it
benefited her. She hasn't been through all
the struggles. She's only been African-
American the last few years."
Now I do believe Ms. Dolezal has done
really good work fighting against racism and
police brutality ... but she went about it the
wrong way. Ezra adds, “She said she was
born black. I grew up black and I know what
it's like growing up as an African-American
in this world.”
This woman is living black face. She portrays
herself as a living caricature of what
she believes blackness is. Her being black is
her fetish with black culture. She loves black
hair, black men, and white privilege.

Page 4 June/July 2015 prairieviewmagazine.com
“Before I Lay It Down” June Has Been One Hell of A Month!
I
t was the summer of 1964 and down a winding
country rode in small town America, a big
family reunion was taking place. Cowboys in
pickup trucks and dually cabs were parked
under majestic oak trees while young women and
little girls pranced around in pigtails, denim shorts,
and homemade t-shirts; some still drying with the
scent of Elmer’s Glue sprinkled with glitter, rhinestones,
and ribbons. The young men seemingly paid
more attention to their bare midriffs than the shirts
themselves. The aroma of wild hog and fresh deer
meat seasoned the sky as they cooked slowly in an
earthen pit flamed by hickory and charcoal. The
adult women, some a little tipsy, squabbled over
what went where while managing to cover picnic
tables in checkered-boarded cloth.
Playing dominoes on top of an old, wooden wine
barrel were four elderly white men. A couple of
them were related; second cousins by marriage. The
other two were just neighborhood locals invited to
the gathering. The ground was littered with cigarette
butts and snuff juice as crickets and grasshoppers
tried to find a way to maneuver around the aim
of these uninvited “spitters” who invaded their territory.
The smell of gasoline rose in the air after being
doused on the mounds of fire ants that became
quite agitated and more vicious as the day went on.
It was yo typical, country good-ole-boy event.
“C’mon over here and let grandpa show you how
I’s gonna whup these boys’ asses in dominoes!” said
one of the men to his 7-year old grandson. “You’s
‘bout to learn from the best!” The kid shuffled his
way up to the barrel, not really wanting to sit with a
bunch of ole geezers who liked to talk shit. “What’s
taking you so long, Johnnie, can you count?”
shouted the boy’s grandpa to one of his younger
opponents across the way. “I’ll pass”, he grudgingly
exclaimed while turning to spit tobacco juice on a
white cat. “You betcho sweet ass you’ll pass!”
shouted grandpa’s partner. “Domino!!!” he yells,
smashing a “big-six” on the table. “We just
whupped y’alls asses worse than we did those niggahs
at their church-house last night!” “Where’s my
gun so I can putchall out of yo misery?” The entire
table burst into laughter, not realizing the future impact
their statements would have on a seven year old
kid raised in a racist South.
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lawdddd, all ye
lands. Serve the Lawddd with gladdddnesss….” It
was a bright Sunday morning at church that day;
“Pastor” had weathered the program preliminaries of
the choir singing, the deacons praying, and the offering
being taken and now it’s his time to deliver the
Word. His congregation was a mixture of conservative
seniors and a rising teen population bent on being
a conscious part of societal change. The year
was 1965 and the ink had barely dried on LBJ’s signature
landmark legislation of the Voting Rights
Act. It was a bold follow up on the Civil Rights Act
signed a year earlier in 1964. ”We claim VICTORY
today, for all Americans” he blurted out, trying his
best to stay politically correct since he had a sprinkling
of white people in his African-American congregation.
“God has been good to ALL of us”.
“We are not done doing God’s work, however;
there is an “element” among us that has creeped into
our churches. And, God is not pleased.” The crescendo
from the organ died down as the church deacons,
seated on the front rows, steadied themselves
for what was about to be delivered by the pastor. At
a business meeting a couple of nights earlier, several
of them met with the him to discuss a growing
“problem”. “Pastah”, exclaimed the senior 80-year
old deacon, “we’s got a problem that you need to
fix.” Born in 1865 and being the son of former
slaves, this old deacon has experienced the evils of
racism, discrimination, and lynchings firsthand to
the extent that he was totally numb at the very mention
of them. But what he was about to say next,
would send shockwaves and prejudices throughout
the church for years to come:
“We are starting to have too many “sissies” in our
church. We got “them” directing our choirs and we
got mens sleeping with mens”! “This has to stop!”
“It’s mostly these young folk; they coming around
here dressing funny, got they hair all permed out and
slicked back trying to look like white folk! You better
take care of it or we’s gon find ourselves another
pastah! The other deacons nodded in approval as the
pastor reassured them that he would “take care of
it”…
The Relationship Coach, Mark Spivey, Jr.
“There is an “element” in this house that is against
God and nature!” he continued; as the musician
cranked up the Hammond organ to help usher the
Holy Ghost in. “It has somehow reared its ugly
head amongst the saints of God! “The spirit of homosexuality
is here and it’s in some of y’all…”
There was an eerie hush in the sanctuary, one reminiscent
a funeral procession; but everybody was
alive and breathing on this night. “God’s Kingdom
does not allow “sissies and faggots” through its
pearly gates! It was not so in the beginning when
God created Adam, and it sho’s not now. Some of
y’all are in the choir stand; some of y’all are in the
pews. We know who you are. Channnnge yo lives,
right now!” he said, reaching that Southern Baptist
crescendo with a rythmatic attitude. “I rebuke you in
the Name of Jesus! Turn it over to Him right now!
If you can’t do that, then you can’t be a part of THIS
church no mo!”
As the pastor paused to catch his breath and wipe
his sweaty brow, three young men rose and walked
out the church. The month was June…
June 2015 has been one hell of a month. The
highlight of it should have been my birthday on the
9 th , but it seems like other people wanted to take part
in it. The month of June, that is. Now, before
Coach Spivey was born, “Juneteenth” had been celebrated
for 150 years. Therefore, I can’t slight the
significance of this event in favor of my 56 th . I sho
want to though, but I know better. Some things are
a little more important. I did not, however, plan on
being upstaged by the series of events that occurred
this month.
First, we had a white girl “passing” for black.
That seems to be an oxymoron seeing how we
(black folk) perfected that art of “passing” many
moons ago. Our people did it to escape the horrors
of racism, discrimination, and murder by our white
skinned “brothers” from another mother. Now, we
have little Miss Rachel Dolezhal attempting to do
the “okey-doke” on black folk ala “The Imitation of
Life”. Problem is, however, her own biological
WHITE parents “dropped a dime” on her and alerted
the authorities that she was/is white. Ain’t that some
shiggity? Had this been the worse of what happened
in June 2015, we all probably could have lived with
this. But, knowwwwww. Rachel was upstaged by
someone else in Charleston, South Carolina.
Who in tha hell goes to a church service, participates
in bible study, holds errrbody’s hands in
prayer, then takes out a Glock and murders nine
of them? I won’t even call that bastard’s name
because I’m still a little swole behind that. I’m
working on that, though. Remember the story I
led in with at the top of the page about that little
boy who sat and watched his grandpa play dominoes?
What part of being there do you think he
found most interesting? Was it the game itself
or hearing his grand-daddddyyyyyyy brag about
“whupping some niggahs at their church-house
last night”? Could this have been the same kid
who took those whuppings one step further by
using a semi-automatic weapon instead of his
fists on innocent black people five decades later?
Chronologically, no. Theoretically yes. Hatred
is passed down throughout generations, often
embedded in the minds of adolescents. This one
hurt. It hurt really bad.
The Supreme Court had one hell of a June, too.
They pissed off far left conservatives on one
day; then they turned around and pissed off religious
America the next. President Obama got
credit AND blame from both sides. Ain’t that
some ISH? How people gon get mad because
errrbody and they momma has a chance to get medical
insurance at an affordable rate? There’s more
people covered by insurance now than ever befoe!
Still, we have some idiots in Washington D.C. who
would rather see their mommas die of curable diseases
rather than let Uncle Sam offer them universal
health-care. They’ve taken this Social Darwinism
thang a little too far. “Survival of the fittest” is only
for big businesses and wild animals. It’s not for
human beings who can be helped by their government.
If my kids saw that I was ailing and couldn’t
help myself no mo, and they turned down an offer
from the government (or anybody else) to help me,
I’d beat they asses with my wheel-chair. “Obama
Care” works for the people of the United States. Let
it!
Let’s talk about gay people. They can get married
now and they’s happy as hell. Take it from a coach
who’s been married two times for a total of 36 years.
Don’t do it!!! Yo ass is gonna be miserable half the
time. You’ll be petitioning the Supreme Court to
throw out the ruling next week. Y’all jumping
around and ISH like you just won the Lotto or Powerball.
Just wait. Bwaaaaaahhhhhhh, I started
laughing at my own damn self.
I really don’t care who does what with their own
bodies or business. I’m just trying to take care of
and mind my own. I’m a preacher’s kid and church
folk are starting to get under my skin. Do you recall
what I wrote in my second little story above? Here’s
why I wrote it:

prairieviewmagazine.com June/July 2015 Page 5
Before I Lay It down Continued
A lot of Christian folk would have been pissed off at
Jesus had you lived during biblical times. He didn't hang
out with people like you! He sat, spoke to, and dined
with the disenfranchised, crooks, gangsters (tax collectors),
whores and prostitutes, liars, disease-inflicted,
crippled, and at one time ran all of the "righteous" people
up out the church house. His kind, powerful, and
encouraging words changed those people's lives even
before He laid hands on them.
I wonder what you guys would say if you saw me at
lunch with a table full of gay people, hos, and prostitutes?
Hell, I sit next to some of y'all at church every
Sunday. Same damn thang!
I retired this phrase a few months back, but now it's
time for me to bring it back: SITCHO A.D.! If all gay
people are going to hell, you are, too. You're supposed
to have the "Holy Ghost Power" to change lives. Yo
light should shine so bright that others should want to
"follow" you, but y'all asses are so damn mean to anybody
who doesn't agree with you. You drive people
away.
Here's some bible for you: "Beware of the shepherd
who scatters the flock". The "flock/people" belongs to
God. Not you. You're just the manager. God's the owner.
God NEVER turns his people away. You may say that
those "people" must first "turn from their evil ways and
seek God's face". But, what if they don't know how.
Stop assuming that everybody was raised in church.
Stop giving people YO timetable on when they should
change. Show some love, dammit!
June has been one hell of a month, but guess what?
The sun is still shining. If we can make it through this,
July is next...
PVAMU Nominated for Five HBCU Awards
Dr. Amber Johnson and NFL Player Jerry Lovelocke Lead Nominations
Prairie View A&M University is honored
to be nominated for five HBCU
awards, including HBCU of the Year,
Business Program of the Year and Nursing
Program of the Year. The awards,
presented by Hampton University, celebrate
the impact and influence of the nation’s
105 historically black colleges and
universities. The awards also serve as
the culminating event for the HBCU Media
Summit (July 9-11), which engages
the national HBCU community in media
literacy and development.
“We are thrilled to be considered one of
the best HBCU’s in the nation and we are
equally as excited to have both
our academic programs and our
athletics program recognized as
top quality,” said Yolanda Bevill,
Executive Director of Marketing
and Communications, Prairie
View A&M University.
Finalists are selected based on
their hard work, talent and commitment
to scholarship from a
demonstrated a level of diligence,
determination, and dedication
within their respective fields.
Nominations are based on the
2014-2015 academic year.
Prairie View A&M University has been
nominated for the following awards:
PV Alum and Baltimore Ravens QB Lovelocke, pictured with Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston
Best Nursing Program- PVAMU College
of Nursing
The College of Nursing continues to
stand out as a fervent exemplar in educating
professional nurses for now and
the future. Located in the Texas Medical
Center, the College remains competitive
in the quality and variety of programs
offered inclusive with the advances of
technology, smart classrooms, transforming
laboratories, study and research
rooms and mutual partnerships.
Best Business Program- PVAMU College
of Business
Ranked as one of US News Best Business
Schools in the country, the College
of Business received a number one ranking
for Best Online MBA by Affordable
College Foundation and a number four
ranking for Best Online Program for Masters
of Business Administration by Get
Educated.com. The College of Business
provides a high quality, comprehensive
business education to a diverse student
population. All programs are accredited
by The Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business, the highest standard
of achievement for business schools offering
undergraduate, masters, and doctoral
degrees.
Female Faculty of the Year – Dr. Amber
Johnson, from the Department of
Languages and Communications, was selected
as one of the 2014 recipients of
the NCA Golden Monograph Award for
her scholarly monograph titled, “Antoine
Dodson and the (Mis) Appropriation of
the Homo Coon: An Intersectional Approach
to the Performative Possibilities
of Social Media”.
Male Athlete of the Year – Jerry Lovelocke,
signed with the Baltimore Ravens
as a rookie free agent. Seeing gridiron
action for 42 games at PVAMU, Lovelocke’s
college career came to a close
with at total of 7,359 yards, 54 TDs, and
26 INTs. Lovelocke also rushed for 885
yards and 24 TDs on 234 carries.
HBCU of the Year- Prairie View A&M
University.
Accountability, diversity, and leadership
are just a few values that describe
PVAMU’s commitment to preparing
scholars, achieving outcomes and its focus
on expansion. Achievements during
the 2014-15 academic school year include:
Named Best Value by Money Magazine
Top 100 Minority Degree Producers
by Diverse Magazine
Named Top 100 Bang for the Buck
by Washington Monthly
PVAMU President George C. Wright
appointed to NCAA Board of Directors
4 Gilman International Scholars
2014 HBCU All-Star Priscilla Barbour
appointed by White House Initiative
on HBCUs
President Obama Higher Ed Community
Service Honor Roll
The PVAMU Lady Panthers won their
4 th consecutive SWAC title
Grand Opening of the Confucius Institute
at PVAMU.
Award winning Faculty and Staff for
Academic Excellence and Research in
Education and Engineering, Fine Arts
and Music, Community Involvement
and Philanthropy.
Groundbreakings for $60 million athletic
facility, $20 million Recreation
and Wellness Center, new state-of-theart-academic
building, new retail and
bowling center.

Page 6 June/July 2015 prairieviewmagazine.com
Oprah Book Club Author, Cynthia Bond Sits
Down with Prairie View Magazine Publisher
A few Sunday mornings ago, I received
a call from a friend, informing
me that a lady was on Oprah and was
saying she was from Prairie View. A
month earlier I had gotten the same
information from a neighbor, Thomas
Johnson, while visiting the Johnson
family in Alta Vista.
I contacted Random House Publishing
and within days I was able to interview
author, Cynthia Bond.
Before that interview I read the book
and set out to find many old neighbors
who held fond memories of the Bond
family. Among them the Boykins, and
the “teenaged” Hill sisters, (Mary
Catherine, Sonya, and Eleanor) who
managed to not only babysit Cynthia
and her sister Narissa, but also the
toddler Stubblefield twins,.
The author had been in a Miss Prairie
View Coronation at the age of five,
and left with her relocating family.
Bond lived on the same street as my
family, and she was born in Hempstead,
Texas. Seems everybody remembered
the Bond family, and, with
great affection.
Cynthia Bond penned the New York
Times bestselling novel, Ruby. I recently
spoke with her about it and of
her memories of her first hometown,
Prairie View, Texas.
Cynthia: Hi.
DeWayne: Hello Cynthia. How are
you?
Cynthia: I'm good. How are you?
DeWayne: I'm great. And I'm so
excited to be speaking with you.
Cynthia: Oh good, I'm so glad. It's
great to talk to you. You know my
Dad taught at Prairie View and my
mom went to school there.
DeWayne: Yes, now I know that. I
have been speaking with some people
that knew them. Hey, I purchased
your book earlier this week,
and I finished it this morning. I'm
still trying to catch my breath!
Cynthia: That's pretty cool that you
were able to read it. Thank you so
much.
DeWayne: If it had had excerpts on
my high school SAT, or if it had
been required reading in my English
literature classes, I'd have been
a lot better student.
Cynthia: That's so funny.
DeWayne: So you were born in
Hempstead.
Cynthia: I was. I was born in
Hempstead, Texas
DeWayne: Where you delivered by
Dr. Owens?
Cynthia: You know I don't know. I
will have to check with my mother.
DeWayne: Cynthia, I spoke with
several people in Prairie View who
are quite familiar with your family.
Ms. Amy Boykin shared with me
how your dad would ride you in a
basket on his bicycle to work.
Cynthia: Yes. Yes. He had two baskets
and he'd
put my sister
in the front,
and me in the
back. This is
so exciting. Oh
my God.
DeWayne: She
says your dad
and her husband
were
good friends.
Cynthia:
Really!
DeWayne: Another
gentleman,
Dr. Eddie
Martin says
that your dad mentored Nolan
Ward. And that Mr. Ward even
started talking and presenting himself
just like him. Mr. Ward became
a top aide to Texas Governor
Mark White.
Cynthia: That’s so cool.
DeWayne: It took my dad, who’s
87, a few minutes to remember
your dad. When he finally recalled
him, he said, “Oh yea, tall curly
haired fella….They say he sho
could flunk some students. They
lived right up the street from us on
campus.”
The Bond family lived in a
neighborhood called “Diaper
Row”. Being it had lots of young
families and clotheslines full of
hung diapers.
Cynthia: That’s funny.
DeWayne: I see that your dad was
over the Charles Gilpin Players.
Cynthia: The what?
DeWayne: The Charles Gilpin Players.
The theatre troupe on campus.
Cynthia: The Charles Gil...what?
DeWayne: The Charles Gilpin Players.
They’ve performed theatre all
over the country....in
fact all over the world. I
found a picture of your
dad in a 1965 yearbook
standing with the group
and he was listed as
their advisor.
Cynthia: Oh wow, I didn't
know he was over
the theatre department.
DeWayne: Not just the
theatre department. The
Charles Gilpin Players.
They're huge!
Cynthia: That is so cool.
DeWayne: Did you go to
nursery school on campus?
Cynthia: Well I went somewhere,
but I'm not sure where.
DeWayne: I bet you went to the
nursery school on campus. The
buildings are gone, but at least the
trees are still there.
Cynthia: This is so fascinating. I
would like to put this on my website.
These are some facts that I
have not known about my life.
DeWayne: Okay, now about the
book! First thing; you had so many
incredible sayings. Is all of that
stuff in your head? Is it stories you
heard, or just a gift of writing?
Phrases like, “Boy I was almost
your father, but the fella behind
me, had exact change.”
Cynthia: (lol) You know, much of
the book and the process of writing
it, whether I was walking into my
office, or into a coffee shop, wherever
I was, I would walk in and
sort of sink into that world. It was
like walking into, or stepping into a
doorway. And I would live in that
world. I would feel what others
felt. I would see what others see.
Sometimes the dialogue was such
that I could hear it. The characters
just came through me.
DeWayne: Wow.
Cynthia: It doesn’t mean my process
was better than anyone else’s, it
just means this is my way of writing.
It may be because I spent
years as a actress, studying characters.
So I applied those tools as a
writer. I would live that character
and that experience.
DeWayne: I'm sure you have heard
this before, but reading your book
is like sitting in a movie theatre.
Cynthia: Oh?
DeWayne: Yeah! In 3D!
DeWayne: There were times when I
was about to go to bed...and said to
myself, I need to stop reading, because
everything was too real, too
emotional. Cynthia, you even animated
nature. How could you
make a tree talk...and it still be believable?
Cynthia: (LOL) And, so, I wanna
go back and say that I did do research
for a lot of the dialogue between
the men. I talked to my
mother and I also talked to Manuel
Holloway, who was actually my
mother's boyfriend when she first
started going to Prairie View. They
had gone to high school together in
Beaumont at Charlton Pollard. He
helped me with how men talked.
How they played dominoes. How
important the game was. That dialogue
I researched from books,
from Zora Neale Hurston. That
dialogue I really wanted to get that
accurate. To make sure it was real.
I also wanted it to be humorous.
And so, about nature, I personally
believe that nature is alive, and that
there are lessons to be learned from
nature. I remember reading Alice
Walkers' The Color Purple and she
introduced a scene that I had never
thought of. And that is that God is
always showing off for us.
DeWayne: Oh yeah.
Cynthia: That God had created the
color purple so that we would marvel
at it. It showed me the reciprocal
relationship between humans
and nature. And that nature needs
us...it is the reflection of our human
spirit. So Ruby connecting
with nature is also connecting with
hope and faith.
DeWayne: Well it came through
brilliantly, In fact that was a thread
with which you kept bringing everything
back.

prairieviewmagazine.com June/July 2015 Page 7
DeWayne: You know Cynthia,
every time I would read a passage,
I'd get so excited and would run
downstairs and share it with my
niece, who spent a lot of time in
Liberty. She'd get excited and inspired
and we talked a lot about
Ruby.
Cynthia: She's from Liberty?
DeWayne: Yes.
Cynthia: Oh wow.
DeWayne: I think your book should
be required reading for every high
school student in America. But let
me ask you this. In the book there
was passage were you capitalized
the pronouns “he” as you were referring
to God. Was that to say
something about your spirituality,
or your relationship to God?
Cynthia: Do you remember who
was talking, Was it Celia? Each
character-I really tried to reflect
“their” character or sense. I hope I
don't offend, but to me, my spirituality
is such that I believe that God
is genderless. That God is all
things. That God is this loving
presence...man, woman, earth. I
believe that God expresses himself
in all things. And so if you look
around the world you see him everywhere,
unless you're lost.
DeWayne: Okay, I get that. Now
Cynthia you had a church scene. I
think it was the funeral. I won’t say
whose, so as not to be a spoiler.
But it was so funny, I almost died
laughing. You painted that scene
so real. Have you ever been in a
church like that?
Cynthia: Yes, my sister and I would
occasionally go to these churches,
before we moved to Kansas, and
even after we moved to Kansas,
and (we’d) see people falling out
and getting happy. And (since) it
wasn’t a part of our day to day life,
we were fascinated by this.
We wondered at it, Because
we didn’t have experience.
DeWayne: Wow
Cynthia: But my mother
grew up in a holiness
church and she talked
about it our entire childhood.
My mother told me
a story about something
her father said. You have
to know that her father
was born in 1856 he was a
carpenter. And his father
had been a slave owner, or
whatever you want to call
it. Not that anyone can
own anyone. And his mother had
been a slave...so he was very fair,
very lht, could have passed for
white, he was constantly taken for
white. But he had this humor that
was just funny...and my mother
said they were at a funeral and at
all of the funerals…these women
would be wanting to get into the
plot...fighting to get in the plot,
people, four or five of them, would
have to hold them back. It was so
funny.
DeWayne: When I read the scene, it
was so funny I thought to myself,
“I will pay Oprah and Harpo to be
an extra in that scene!” If that
scene plays out on the screen as it
was written, it will be hilarious.
Cynthia: That's so funny you say
that. Well, my mother used to say,
a funeral in her hometown was a
social event, it was ‘thee’ thing. It
was like going to the Academy
Awards. People dressed up and all.
And yes, Harpo Productions has
optioned the rights to make the
book a movie and I’ve been hired
as a screenwriter. It’s interesting
that you mentioned the funeral
scene, because I have been trying
to decide whether that scene will
fit in or not. But after talking to
you, I think that is a really, really,
wonderful source of humor and I
think we do need to have it in
there. So thank you for talking
about that. That actually helps me.
DeWayne: Cool.
DeWayne: Now let me ask you another
question. What do your students
in California think about this
new chapter in your life?
Cynthia: Well two things; when my
book first came out, because where
I have recently worked was a place
called Paradigm Malibu, my students
were very excited. I think
that when your dreams come true,
it helps everyone believe that theirs
can come true...that everything’s
possible.
So I believe it accomplished that.
DeWayne: And you had been sharing
with them about reaching their
dreams and keeping them (dreams)
alive?
Cynthia: Oh yes!
DeWayne: In telling them that, did
you know that one day you would
be on the New York Times Bestseller
list and on Oprah?
Cynthia: I do believe
you have to
see what you
want. You have
to believe that it
is possible. I
believe you have
to speak your
vision out
loud...and into
existence. So
there were two
sides to that.
There were
times of great
doubt when I
was certain that
no-one would
read my work;
that it was just horrible and that I
would never get it right. And then
there were times when I would
have a wonderful teacher and I
would develop faith. Luckily, even
when I lost faith there were always
people in my life that believed in
me. And my mother was one of
those people. She would say, “You
have to finish this book. You will
not live if you don't finish this
book. You will die inside, if you do
not finish this book.”
Cynthia at Miss PV Coronation 1966
DeWayne: Did you ever think you
wouldn't finish it?
Cynthia: Oh I was afraid it would
never be in the world. I believe that
any...well for me...I can't say for
everyone, but I have spoken to
many writers and they have told
me that one of the things that happens
is that you will always doubt.
Doubt will never leave you. Even
with all of the wonderful things
that have happened. Even with all
of the great experiences...even with
Oprah saying she loves my book,
when you sit down to write, it’s
just you and the page. And there
are many times when
you feel (like), “Oh
my gosh, I will never
have another idea. I
will never be able to
write another word.”
But what happens is
the more you write,
the faster you get out
of that (mood), because
you have the
experience to know
that is passes. But I
also have always had a
vision board.
DeWayne: A vision board?.
Cynthia: Yes a vision board. The
vision board is something that I put
my wildest dreams on. The dreams
of my deepest, secret
wishes.
DeWayne: I'd like to
see that.
Cynthia: Well, what I
did was make it my
screensaver on my
computer. So every
time I log on to
write, there it was.
And what was on
there was, Oprahs
Book Club, New
York Times Bestseller….
DeWayne: Wow!
Cynthia: Oprah Winfrey saying
how much she loves the book...
DeWayne: Wow!
Cynthia: ….how it was a favorite
book of hers.
DeWayne: Okay, okay.
Cynthia: I had Super Soul Sunday
on there. I had all these things.
DeWayne: You wrote all these
things before they happened?
Cynthia: Oh yeah, it was years before
it happened.
DeWayne: You are kidding me!
Cynthia: No, I made that thing, long
ago. I had a rainbow on there. It
was a rainbow with my daughter
and I, and a pot of gold at the end.
I had my grandfather sitting behind
me. Sojourner Truth is behind me.
DeWayne: Oh wow. Can I get a picture
of it?
Cynthia: Yeah, but I'm a little embarrassed
of it. They showed it on
Oprah. Like how I wanted to be
really fit…yeah I could take a picture
of it for you.
DeWayne: Wow. You know Cynthia
I'm not much of a reader, but
this was 425 of the best pages I
have ever read. When I had about
15 pages to go, I put it down because
I didn't want it to end.
Cynthia: Oh my God.
DeWayne: So I thought, so this is
what it’s like to be a Harry Potter
fan! …Waiting for a sequel.
Cynthia: (lol) Oh thank you.
DeWayne: You know Cynthia, a lot
of the most painful and emotional
parts of the book were where you
Mother, Zelema; Sister, Narissa; and Dad, Horace, at PVAMU Commencement
were talking about child trafficking,
sexual abuse, and matters of
incest. I know you are very passionate
about addressing these issues.
What are you...or how are
Photo Credit: Oprah.com
you thinking this book can help
you address these matters.
Cynthia: Well I am also a social
worker, and my mother and father
were also activists. They were both
very involved in civil rights. On
campuses I watched them fight for
justice and help so many students
when police were coming after
them. I watched them protest. It is
part of my being, part of my marrow
to fight for justice, and to fight
for people who are oppressed. And
the truth is that we are living in a
day when there is modern day slavery.
Slavery is more prevalent now
than any time in our history. There
are an estimated two million children
who are actually slaves in this
world. And a majority of those
children are sold into sex trafficking
and child labor, and they are
abused regularly. They are locked
in small rooms and some of them
never leave. Some of them die
there and because of this, I prayed
that my novel can impact this in
some way.
DeWayne: It will. Thanks so much
for your time Cynthia. We can’t
wait for you to come home.
Cynthia: (lol) Thank you Dewayne.
This was so exciting.

Page 8 June/July 2015 prairieviewmagazine.com
Imagine a Charter School in Prairie View,
It’s Easy If You Try
by Dewayne Charleston
I was listening to John Lennon’s song, “Imagine”
the other day. Now just put that tune in your head,
while you are reading this article.
Imagine a charter school located at the site of the
present day, Jones Elementary. Imagine it being renamed
The Prairie View Training School or Prairie
View High School. Imagine all the professors leaving
their part-time professorships, and instead of heading
to Lonestar College or Harris County Community
college to teach a few classes, they simply walk over
to Prairie View High School and lecture.
Imagine a Madelyn Reed, or Frank Hawkins, teaching
math, or a Don Sowell teaching business, or Frederick
Roberts teaching leadership. Imagine an Agricultural
curriculum that convinces kids to give up
their pit bulls, and instead raise livestock for profit.
Or imagine students learning percussion from Prof
Jones, or voice lessons from Rosiland Holloway. What
if they got a head start in Pre-Med from Too Sweet,
or in Architecture, from his brother Marshall, both
former students at the old Prairie View High School
Imagine this charter school receiving kids from the
Waller, Brookshire, and Hempstead school district,
and those districts losing money along with their
departing students. What if they came from Hearne
and Calvert, and Dallas or Austin. What if the best
athletes left Waller high School and came to a charter
school in Prairie View? You might say that I’m a
dreamer, but I say I’m not the only one.
The last time Waller ISD officials passed a bond,
they spent $49,000,000 dollars, and only $230,000 in
the City of Prairie View. Yet we Prairie View residents
funded the infrastructure of water and sewage
lines right pass “their” country club and into an open
pasture for the construction of an elementary school.
It is now no longer a pasture. Hey but at least we finally
got an air-conditioned gymnasium for our 50
year old elementary school. No kidding, they built a
$17,000,000 football stadium and all we got was a
window unit for our gym.
Now the district would like to walk away from their
$1 a year lease rather than enter into a long term
lease agreement and invest “our” tax dollars in our
community. “But there are no families in Prairie
View”, they say. All the while, they have to two junior
high schools, which are under capacity, in a city
with a population of less than 2000. And what about
busing? Why not ‘bus’ students into the Prairie View
zone for the next 50 years, like we were bused into
Waller for 50 years. Oh, I get it, it’s about the money
now. All the sudden everybody getting all conservative
about the money.
Tip. Buy stock in the law firm of Vinson and Elkins.
They are about to get richer, because the district will
spare no expense to use their firm to suppress “our”
voting rights in furtherance of passing a bond that
fundamentally excludes our community. Or better
yet, become an informant for the FBI and take down
some black leaders who would challenge the school
district’s madness. Not only will you make a cool
quarter of a million, but the City of Waller might even
make you a councilman.
Imagine there’s no prejudice, it’s easy if you try.
Imagine all the people living life in peace. You
might say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you will join us, and the “district”
will be as one.
June 2015 pictures of Jones Elementary show a building in poor condition with a bad paint job, funded by the district’s previous bond election. The upper left picture shows a basketball goal
which still stands on a grass and dirt court, with mold and moss on it. The upper right picture shows a picture of the gymnasium which is virtually unchanged from 50 years ago…..It does however,
now have a window air conditioning unit.

prairieviewmagazine.com June/July 2015 Page 9
Panther Plaza Retail Center Coming Soon
The Panther Plaza University
Retail Center is coming
soon to the campus of Prairie
View A&M University.
The new retail center
will feature dining outlets
and a state of the art bowling
facility. The Panther Plaza
Retail Center has three(3)
732 sqft. spaces and one(1)
767sqft. leasing spaces
available now for rent
to retail businesses. Located
just minutes from the heart
of the PVAMU main campus,
the new retail center allows
retailers to access
faculty, staff, and a diverse
student population at
the university. Space is
available now. Bowling,
shopping, dining and
other businesses can grow
and prosper at the new Panther
Plaza Retail Center. For
additional leasing information,
contact Bridget E.
Ross beross@pvamu.edu
936-261-9242. For general
information about the new
Plaza, contact Evan Nathan
elnathan@pvamu.edu
936-261-1330
Panther Athletics 2015-16
Season Tickets Now On Sale
Season tickets for the
2015-16 Prairie View A&M
athletics campaign are now
on sale via PVPanthers.com
at a discounted
rate of nearly 15 percent.
The revised packages
offers a chance to experience
50-plus PVAMU
home or neutral site athletic
events next season in addition
to receiving an opportunity
to participate in the
department's newly created
fundraising initiative.
The Panther Pack ($300)
includes admission to all
home athletic contests for
the year (general seating), a
ticket to the Southwest
State Fair Football Classic
in Dallas, a complimentary
Prairie View A&M athletics
gift and tailgate access for
home football games.
Football fans that purchase
the $150 Football
Package will receive admission
to all home football
games and the Southwest
State Fair Football
Classic in Dallas while the
$125 Basketball Package
offers general admission to
all home PVAMU men's
and women's basketball
contests. The baseball pack
makes its debut next season
for only $75; fans will receive
general admission
seating to every home baseball
contest.
Due to the construction of
the university's football stadium,
all home football
games in 2015 will take
place in nearby Waller,
Texas at the Waller ISD
Stadium.
Starting in the fall of
2015, the newly formed
Athletic Director's Club
makes its debut as the club
will serve as the official
fundraising arm of PVAMU
Athletics. Its mission is to
raise funds to support more
than 350 Panther and Lady
Panther student-athletes in
competition on and off the
field. More information
about the club will be forthcoming
as fans who join
the club will receive an opportunity
to purchase premium
VIP floor seating at
all basketball games and
chair back seating at home
baseball games.
For more information and
pricing on premium seating
options for all home basketball
and baseball games,
please refer to the season
ticket brochure.
The option to purchase
season tickets online is
available through PVPanthers.com.
For more information
or to place your order
for season tickets,
please call (936) 261-9100.

Page 10 June/July 2015 prairieviewmagazine.com
Prairie View Economic Development Corporation 4B Corporation Supports Local Businesses
Call City Hall to Find Out How We May Be Able To Assist You. 936.936.3711
Brookside Meadows
NOW LEASING
936.857-3385
If you lived at Brookside Meadows, You’d Be Home By Now”

prairieviewmagazine.com June/July 2015 Page 11
City’s Largest Apartment Complex Makes
Big Changes With New Security Measures
Brookside Meadows (off campus
student housing) is now accepting
rental applications for the upcoming
summer and fall semesters. All applicants
must be enrolled as full or
part-time students at Prairie View
A&M University. Application packages
are available on-line at
www.brooksidemeadow.com or in
the rental office at 45609 Chapman
Lane (intersection of Richards Road
and Chapman Lane). For more information
please call 936-857-
3385.
Recent rental activity at Brookside
Meadows has increased dramatically
with the implementation of
new security measures. These
measures include the installation of
high definition, surveillance cameras;
more stringent enforcement of
the community Rules and Regulations;
monthly inspections of all living
quarters; immediate eviction for
drug related activities (“zero tolerance”),
and increased vehicle patrols
by local law enforcement agencies
and private security guards.
Each building is also equipped with
an ADT security alarm and keyless
deadbolt on the entry doors.
The owners and management
team of Brookside Meadows are
continually working with the City of
Prairie View, local law enforcement
agencies and the university community
to make the property a safe haven
for students to live and learn.
Brookside Meadows would like to
remind current and future tenants
that there are a great many things
that tenants can do to ensure their
own personal safety. The obvious
involves such things as making certain
that the ADT burglar alarms in
each building are properly engaged,
keeping windows and doors locked,
contacting the management office,
local police department or private
security when witnessing suspicious
behavior, and always being
aware of your surroundings when
entering or exiting your vehicle or
dwelling.
LEASING INFORMATION
Application Fee: $25.00
Deposit (per tenant): $500.00
Monthly Rent:
$475.00 for
12 Month Leases
$550.00 for
10 Month Leases
All units are fully furnished with all
appliances including in-house
washer and dryers, refrigerator,
electric stove, washer/dryer, dishwasher
and microwave. Every bedroom
has a private bathroom and
there is a guest bathroom in the
common area.

prairieviewmagazine.com June/July 2015 Page 12
Celebrating PV
Hope AME Church which presently sits on University
Drive was once home to St. Francis Assisi Episcopal
Church. A double-dose of historical preservation.
Sandwiched between history...Roderick (age 12)
and Nylah (age 9) Gray have come home to
attend “Camp on the Hill” this summer at PV!
This sign was recovered and saved from destruction several months ago. Before it was
dismantled, it had other faces, H.T. Jones Elementary, Waller Jr. High School, Waller Middle School,
Etc. According to Ms. Barabara Martin, the sign was donated by the Prairie View H.S. Class of 1965.
Photo courtesy of the Special Archives Collection of the John B. Coleman Library
Lewter to Serve on Hampton Ministers Board
Johnson-Phillip All Faiths
Chapel Dean and Assistant Director
of Student Engagement,
Charles H. Lewter, IV, has been
appointed to serve on the prestigious
executive board for the
Hampton University Ministers’
Conference at Hampton University.
This conference is the oldest
ministers’ Conference among
HBCU’s and attracts more than
6000 attendees each year.
The Ministers’ Conference began
in 1914 when the Negro Organizational
Society, the Conference
for Education in the South,
the Southern Education Board,
and the Cooperative Education
Board sought to address the growing
concerns of the African-
American church and its relationship
to the community. With
Hampton Institute carrying strong
influence with each of these community
organizations, it became
the birth-place of the original Ministers’
Conference, then known as
The Conference of Negro Ministers
of Tidewater, Va.
The HU Ministers’ Conference
and Choir Directors’ and Organists’
Guild has welcomed famous
individuals to the campus of
Hampton University. Past attendees
have included the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1962;
the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker of
Abyssinian Baptist Church in New
York; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; the
Rev. Al Sharpton; the Rev. T.D.
Jakes; and in 2007, Barack
Obama.
Former PVAMU Student Who Made Run for Waller ISD
Board Seat Wins St. Louis Board of Education Election
Charli Cooksey recently won a spot on the
St. Louis Board of Education. The district
serves the entire St. Louis Metropolitan area
of over 1,000,000 residents and includes the
city of Ferguson, Missouri.
Charli is a graduate of Prairie View A&M
University and first ran for a spot on the
Waller Independent School district school
board while a student at Prairie View.
Ms. Cooksey was a leader of the Ferguson
protest and has undertaken a major role in the
rebuilding of inner city St. Louis, through her
efforts in education reform. Congratulations
Charli.
Prairie View Magazine is published monthly, except during summer, by Prairie
View Magazine LLC, located in Prairie View, Texas. We welcome correspondence
from our readers, as well as paid advertisements and advertorials. Submissions will
be accepted and printed at the sole discretion of the publisher.
P.O. Box 2141 Prairie View, Texas 77446 email: Publisher@PrairieViewMagazine.com
And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God;
for those who are the called according
to His purpose. Romans 8:28