On Monday, October 21, I received a call while driving to the office that a reporter for the Houston Chronicle wrote in his column that I along with a prominent minister in the Houston area was assisting Governor Perry in his election campaign. After realizing that my friend was serious, I asked him to read a portion of the article to me. Immediately thereafter, I reached the Chronicle reporter on his cell phone and asked on what facts was he basing his story that I was supporting Governor Perry.   His reply was that on Juneteenth I attended a press conference organized by Representative Al Edwards at City Hall where the Governor also attended. Because I was there with the Governor, he has therefore concluded that I am assisting him in his campaign efforts. I am totally dumbfounded by his conclusion and so should every reader of that article.

What the writer did not say was that the Juneteenth press conference organized by Representative Al Edwards was attended by Representatives Ron Wilson and Debra Danburg. Also present were Mayor Lee. P. Brown, members of City Council, Pastor James Dixon and a host of others. People were invited to attend in their representative capacities and the Governor was invited out of respect for his position as head of state.

This was not a campaign rally; this was Juneteeenth Celebration. Ironically, the same reporter made mention of the press conference the following week when he wrote on June 24, 2002 that the only person supporting Governor Rick Perry was Pastor C. L. Jackson. To say now that I am supporting the Governor in his campaign efforts is untrue.

Since June of this year, I have spoken at a number of events in support of Tony Sanchez. Many who are reading this article can attest to that. After some of the Baptist Ministers endorsed the Governor, I personally escorted Tony Sanchez to their meeting the following week and asked them to reconsider.  In the only appearance Tony Sanchez has made to KCOH, a Black radio station, I took him there. That support has never wavered. I do understand that mistakes can easily be made in the final days of a campaign.

But no matter how unintentional the mistake, the effect is still the same. It creates confusion in the minds of the reader and can, if unchallenged, create some division among individuals, communities and supporters. If there is a silver lining in what happened this week, maybe it is a reminder to us all to be very careful and reluctant to believe everything that we hear or see. Words once spoken or written are hard to take back. And once the mistake is corrected, it very seldom receives the same coverage. SMILE. Life is not always fair, but we learn to navigate in it and press forward!

State Representative Sylvester Turner called a press conference on October 22, to respond to comments by the Houston Chronicle’s John Williams that was printed in the October 21 edition of the Chronicle. “Republican Gov. Rick Perry has spent a great deal of time courting Black voters in Houston, getting help from Rev. C.L. Jackson and state Rep. Sylvester Turner,” said John Williams from the Houston Chronicle. “I know the governor and worked with the governor in the past. At no time I have supported the governor in his quest to be re-elected or elected as governor of the state of Texas,” stated Turner.