William Wayne Justice

I was not familiar with William Wayne Justice before writing this article about his recent death on October 13, 2009 and what he stood for in life. I can imagine that many people did not care for his views on Civil Rights. When appointed as a U.S. district court judge in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson things for minorities in the United States were not looking good. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April and Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June of that year.
My mother grew up in East Texas and the segregated high school that she went to had to use hand-me-down books from the white schools. William Wayne Justice is evident that one person can make a positive impact on his/her community. No doubt he had his share of enemies however he did what he felt was the right thing to do to help bring equality to all races. William Wayne Justice made things better for Texas prisoners of color. Perhaps the writer is trying to suggest that if one person help bring about change for those who at the time were being mistreated in so many way, we today can champion the cause of helping others achieve their civil rights in areas that have not been chartered. William Justice almost single-handedly remade Texas’s criminal justice system.

Sanders: 2010 Census Count Important For Local, State Government

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Bob Ray Sanders is often criticized for writing about things he could not have experienced because, some readers say, "he can't be that old." The truth is Bob Ray has been a professional journalist for 40 years and in three media: newspaper, television and radio. A Fort Worth native who knows and cares about his community, and those with whom he shares this planet, this is a columnist who is not afraid to speak out on behalf of downtrodden people or the abused Earth.
I found that Bob Ray Sanders’s article on the 2010 Census was very informative. Bob serves on the Fort Worth Complete Count Committee, whose job it is to get every resident counted. Bob’s intended audience is the Hispanic community. Their fear of being deported is perhaps one of the top reasons that many undocumented immigrants do not allow themselves to be counted in the census. They may also fear that the government might retaliate in some way if the true number of undocumented immigrants is known. The actual number just might shock all of us, even the immigrants.
It is clearly pointed out that there is a benefit in being counted. In March 2010, there will be ten questions or less to be answered on the census and that information is kept confidential. There are many people who do not trust the government no matter what is said. Another benefit to being counted is Texas may get more seats in Congress. After the 2000 count, Texas was awarded two additional seats in the House of Representatives. If the Hispanic population stands up and gets counted, then perhaps Texas can again gain more seats to the House of Representatives.
Of course you will have those people who will not fill out and return their 2010 census forms by April 1, 2010. They may feel that the government has no business knowing the information asked on the census. Those people will be getting a knock on their door sometime between May and July to be asked those questions face to face.
One thing that might help people to be more open to the census is if it were a required class before one can graduate from high school. Census 101 to be taught to every student attending high school would be one of those classes that students would either love or hate.