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Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University

ABOVE: Rep. Jolanda Jones (in gray), Mrs. Alison Leland (in blue), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and others at the marker unveiling (Photo from Houston Public Media) On August 18, friends and colleagues gathered at Texas Southern University to honor Mickey Leland. Inside TSU’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, those who loved, lived, and […]
The post Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2023

Forward Times Staff

ABOVE: Rep. Jolanda Jones (in gray), Mrs. Alison Leland (in blue), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and others at the marker unveiling (Photo from Houston Public Media)

On August 18, friends and colleagues gathered at Texas Southern University to honor Mickey Leland. Inside TSU’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, those who loved, lived, and worked with the late congressman remembered him as a smart, passionate person who was also a change agent.

George Thomas “Mickey” Leland, III, was born on November 27, 1944, in Lubbock, Texas. He spent part of his childhood with his mother and brother in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Growing up in a mostly Black and Hispanic neighborhood, Leland attended a segregated public school. However, Leland showed early promise as a student. He ranked in the top 10 percent of his class when he graduated in 1964 from Phillis Wheatley High School.

Leland and Barbara Jordan in 1972 (Photo from the book In This Land of Plenty, by Benjamin Talton)

While attending Texas Southern University in the late 1960s, Leland emerged as a vocal leader of the local civil rights movement; he brought national leaders of the movement to Houston. Former Texas State Representative Craig Washington recalled: “I met Mickey Leland on the second floor of Hannah Hall when the law school was in Hannah Hall… Our first meeting was nose to nose, face to face – as opposite as two people could be. Because he was the president of the student body and I was president of the student bar.

He called for a boycott on Wheeler Street because there was no red light; students traversing through the street would get hit by cars. So they had a ‘lay down’ in the middle of the street back during the sit-in demonstrations. And we wouldn’t; I wouldn’t. I persuaded the law students not to join. So he brought a group of his following on the second floor to disrupt the law school classes. I met him in the hallway,” Washington remembered. “He says, ‘Why aren’t you boycotting?’ I said, ‘Because when y’all get put in jail, y’all going to need lawyers.’ We became friends, and the only reason I ran for the Texas Legislature is because Mickey convinced me to run.”

Leland’s own political career started soon after he graduated from Texas Southern University’s School of Pharmacy in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. He served as an Instructor of Clinical Pharmacy at his alma mater from 1970-71, and set up a “door to door” outreach campaign in low-income neighborhoods to inform people about their medical care options and to perform preliminary screenings. During the same period, he organized and led the Black Citizens Action Teams (“Black Cats”) to protest against police brutality.

Leland’s Political Career

In 1972, Mickey Leland was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from the 88th District of Houston, Texas. He served in the Texas Legislature until 1978.

In Austin, Leland became famous as the champion of health care rights for the poor. According to his bio, Leland was largely responsible for the passage of legislation that provided low-income consumers with access to affordable generic drugs. He also supported the creation of health care access through Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s), medical organizations that provide complete health services for a single monthly payment.

In November 1978, Leland won the election to the United States House of Representatives for Houston’s 18th Congressional District. His Congressional district included the neighborhood where he had grown up; he would represent that district for the rest of his life.

During this time, he heard from an old friend. Future Texas House Rep. Harold Dutton had known Leland since childhood; while working at Conoco, he reached out to Leland to get him to vote on a particular bill. To the surprise of some observers, Leland agreed. The oil industry took notice.

“So after the oil industry in Houston decided to focus on Mickey, as a result of what Mickey did, we created the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), which became a national organization,” Dutton said. “And also, the oil industry wanted to know what they could do to help Mickey.” So Dutton devised a plan to host a lunch at Houston’s Petroleum Club and turn it into a fundraiser.

“I said, ‘Well, we want money for an internship program,’ because when I walked in Mickey’s office, the first thing I said is: ‘Mickey, where are all the black staffers?’ and he said: ‘I haven’t been able to find any.’ I said, ‘Mickey, you sound like them.’ He said, ‘Well, what are we going to do?’ So we created this internship program,” Dutton recalled. “I wrote the speech for Mickey at the Petroleum Club…We raised over half a million dollars for the program — the program that now Rodney Ellis has, called the Texas legislative internships. That’s where that came from, because Mickey decided to do it.”

Rep. Mickey Leland

The Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP) is an internship program sponsored by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and administered by the Mickey Leland Center on World Hunger and Peace at Texas Southern University. TLIP allows undergraduate and graduate students attending Texas colleges & universities to be interns in the Texas Legislature. The Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program (MLIEP) gives students an opportunity to work with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or other public entities.

Relief Work & Family

In 1983, Leland married Georgetown University alum Alison Walton. They welcomed a son, Jarrett, in 1986. But as his family grew, so did Leland’s desire to help people. As he visited soup kitchens and makeshift shelters, he became increasingly concerned about the hungry and homeless. Leland co-authored legislation with Rep. Ben Gilman (R-NY) to establish the House Select Committee on Hunger. Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neil named Leland chairman when it was enacted in 1984. The Select Committee’s mandate was “a continuing, comprehensive study and review of the problems of hunger and malnutrition.”

Although it had no legislative jurisdiction, the committee, for the first time, provided a single focus for hunger-related issues. In addition to hunger, Leland’s initiatives would create the National Commission on Infant Mortality, better access to fresh food for at-risk women, children and infants, and the first comprehensive legislation for the homeless. He also worked with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Human Services to develop simple application forms for food stamps and Medicaid.

Leland’s sensitivity to the immediate needs of poor and hungry people would soon make him a spokesman for hungry people on a far broader scale. Reports of acute famine in sub-Saharan Africa prompted Speaker O’Neil to ask Leland to lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation to assess conditions and relief requirements. When Leland returned, he brought together entertainment personalities, religious leaders and private agencies to generate public support for the Africa Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985. That legislation provided $800 million in food and humanitarian relief supplies.

Leland became increasingly active on the world stage, working to combat world hunger. He led six relief tours along the Ethiopia-Sudan border. While flying on a mission to a refugee camp in Ethiopia on August 7, 1989, Leland’s plane crashed into a mountainside, killing everyone aboard. Leland left behind his wife Alison, their three-year-old son Jarrett, and twin boys (born posthumously in January 1990).

It was Leland’s widow who delivered some of the day’s most poignant remarks. “For me, Mickey’s always been a beautiful mosaic,” she said. “I was at freshman orientation – I’m a professor in the honors college at U of H — and I was looking at those students – nervous, anxious, not knowing what lies ahead, and I thought about Mickey. I teach a segment on [the] civil rights story of Houston, and he was front and center […] I’m a student of Mickey as much as I was the wife of Mickey, the mother of our now grown-up sons who grew up without their dad, with people and strangers who would say: ‘You had a really great dad. Too bad you didn’t get to know him.’

I also, this summer, spoke to two large groups of Leland interns: 100-plus who were part of the Department of Energy who worked at DOE labs around the country [and] 100-plus students who work through the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. In both cases, there were key people at the agency – the Secretary of Energy was one — who said, ‘We’re going to name something after him.’ So when I spoke to them this summer, I described Mickey as funny and smart and passionate and late and unorganized, and I did it quite intentionally because I wanted him to be remembered as a real person – not a plaque, not a sign, but a real person who is all those things.”

Mrs. Leland concluded: “It is really important that he is missed and remembered. He really deserves to be.”

The post Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University appeared first on Forward Times.

The post Mickey Leland Remembered with Historical Marker at Texas Southern University first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Federal Raids Target Migrant Kids, Split Families

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Trump administration has reportedly removed at least 500 migrant children from their homes across the United States and placed them into government custody, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Published

4 days ago

June 13, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The Trump administration has reportedly removed at least 500 migrant children from their homes across the United States and placed them into government custody, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The children, many of whom were living with family members or other vetted sponsors, were taken during so-called “welfare checks” carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies. According to CNN, the operations are part of a larger campaign launched shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, with federal authorities setting up a “war room” inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review data on children who entered the country alone and were later released to sponsors. Officials have used the room to coordinate efforts between agencies, including ICE and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which oversees the custody of unaccompanied migrant children.

Trump officials claim the effort is aimed at protecting children placed in unsafe conditions or with unqualified sponsors, pointing to cases where children were released to individuals with criminal backgrounds or those involved in smuggling. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the welfare checks have led to the arrests of some sponsors and the transfer of children into ORR custody. Federal data shows more than 2,500 children are currently in ORR custody. CNN reported that the average stay has grown significantly, from 67 days in December 2024 to 170 days by April 2025. Former Health and Human Services officials say new vetting rules—including income requirements, government-issued ID, and DNA tests—have made it far more difficult for parents and guardians, particularly those who are undocumented, to reclaim their children.

In some cases, reunifications that had already been scheduled were canceled. A recent lawsuit details how two brothers, ages 7 and 14, remain in government care because their mother cannot meet new documentation requirements under the revised policies. Mark Greenberg, a former senior HHS official, stated that the approach puts children in a difficult situation. “To the extent, the goal is to determine whether children are in danger or in need of help, this isn’t a good way to do that because it creates fear that anything they say could be used against their parent or family member,” he said. Immigration enforcement agents reportedly have visited children’s homes and asked about their journey to the U.S., school attendance, and upcoming immigration court appearances. Legal advocates say these visits, which sometimes include the FBI, are not standard child welfare procedures and can create fear and confusion among minors.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed the agency’s role, saying, “Protecting children is a critical mission for the FBI, and we will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to secure their safety and well-being.” Multiple outlets noted that the Trump administration has not provided clear evidence that large numbers of children are missing. Instead, it has referenced a Department of Homeland Security inspector general report from 2023 that noted more than 291,000 unaccompanied minors had not received notices to appear in immigration court. Former officials note that these figures do not necessarily indicate that the children are missing; some lacked updated addresses or were affected by administrative backlogs.

Within HHS, officials were instructed to expedite policy changes. Former ORR Ombudsman Mary Giovagnoli stated that a senior ICE official, Melissa Harper, was temporarily appointed to lead ORR. Her short tenure was followed by Angie Salazar, another former ICE official who now frequently communicates with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Trump’s team argues the Biden administration allowed thousands of unaccompanied children to enter the country without sufficient oversight. Jen Smyers, a former ORR deputy director, stated that all sponsors underwent thorough vetting, including Department of Justice background checks and reviews of the sex offender registry. “No amount of vetting is a predictor of the future,” she said. The Miami Herald recently reported that a 17-year-old foster child in Florida was removed from his home in shackles and transferred to ICE custody. The boy and his mother had crossed the border without documentation, but he had been living in a state-supervised foster placement. The case raised concerns about the state’s cooperation with federal enforcement and the message it sends to immigrant families. Concerns about federal custody of vulnerable children are not confined to immigration.

In North Carolina, a 7-month-old baby died after being left in a hot minivan by her foster mother, who now faces charges of negligent child abuse and involuntary manslaughter. In Hawaii, dozens of children have been forced to sleep in government offices and hotels due to a shortage of foster placements. In North Dakota, a foster couple has been charged in the death of a 3-year-old after surveillance footage showed the child being repeatedly assaulted. “These cases show what happens when systems meant to protect children fail them,” said Laura Nally, director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights Children’s Program. “There’s a growing concern that these welfare checks are being used to carry out mass detentions of sponsors and unnecessarily return children to government custody.”

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Protests of a Costly and Historic Parade

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — President Trump is planning an elaborate and costly celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with his birthday.

Published

4 days ago

June 13, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

It will rain on President Trump‘s parade on Saturday if most weather forecasts correctly predict the chance of storms. President Trump is planning an elaborate and costly celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with his birthday. When asked if he plans to attend the massive D.C. celebration, New York Democratic Congressman Greg Meeks exclaimed,” Heck no!” He elaborated, saying, “It is clear to me that what Donald J. Trump is trying to do is to emulate Vladimir Putin.” Trump and Putin, the Russian president, are friends. Meeks feels “that’s where he initially got the idea from when he saw the tanks going down the street and how people bow down to Vladimir Putin, how…that authoritarian runs his country where no one questions what he does.”

Meanwhile, around the nation 1600 protests are scheduled to coincide with what is happening in Washington, D.C. Democratic Congressman Al Greene confirms he will attend several “No King Day” protest rallies and marches in his home state of Texas. The congressman questions the president’s comments about using “force” for anyone trying to stop the parade. Reverand William Barber plans to be in Philadelphia on Saturday. “We are having a rally bringing people together,” the civil rights leader confirmed. The leader of Repairers of the Breach added, “Those rallies are gonna be massive and multiracial of every race, color, creed, religion, geographic area, so this is not a moment. We must have a constant movement.”

Weeks ago, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser warned the parade, and all its military might, and pageantry would cost “many millions of dollars” just to repair District streets after the heavy artillery tanks rolled down the historic roads in the nation’s capital. Tall gates and other barricades around the White House are part of the parade’s security measures. The Secret Service has warned of a high-security presence in the area for the parade. You can expect to see military tanks, dozens of other military vehicles, and thousands of service members marching along a route stretching nearly four miles from the Pentagon to the White House.

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Critics Question 2024 Results as Musk Tactics Surface

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Now, a Wisconsin nonprofit has filed a legal complaint accusing Musk, his America PAC, and a Musk-affiliated group called United States of America Inc. of violating state election laws by bribing voters.

Published

4 days ago

June 12, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2024 has reignited questions about election integrity, particularly after his remarks thanking Elon Musk for what he called a “landslide” win in Pennsylvania. “He knows those computers better than anybody… all those vote-counting computers,” Trump said. “So, thank you to Elon.” The comment set off alarm, including Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett. “So, Trump is rambling on about he and Elon rigging the election?! Am I missing something or is he confessing to yet another damn crime?!” she posted on social media.

Now, a Wisconsin nonprofit has filed a legal complaint accusing Musk, his America PAC, and a Musk-affiliated group called United States of America Inc. of violating state election laws by bribing voters. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and two voters allege Musk handed out $1 million checks and that his PAC paid $100 to registered voters who signed petitions and gave their contact information. Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value over $1 to encourage someone to vote. The complaint also cites violations of the state’s lottery ban. The plaintiffs are asking a court to declare the actions illegal, prevent future violations, and award damages if applicable.

The lawsuit follows a failed attempt by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to block Musk’s actions earlier this year. Kaul argued that Musk’s conduct amounted to illegal inducement, but courts declined to intervene before the April state Supreme Court election. Jeff Mandell, president and general counsel for Law Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, said this new case is being filed under more typical legal timelines. “We’re trying to create … accountability in a more regular timeline, in a way that gives the courts the opportunity to look at this more carefully,” Mandell said.

Musk, who served briefly as a Trump adviser and led a short-lived federal agency focused on cost-cutting, has denied wrongdoing. He initially promoted the giveaways as rewards for early voters but later revised eligibility criteria following legal scrutiny. The controversy has added fuel to growing concerns over anomalies in places like Rockland County, New York, where Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly received virtually no votes despite Democratic victories in other races. “We know exactly what happened and how it unfolded, and we’re asking the court to say this is not acceptable,” Mandel has said.