Top 10 Community Central General Articles of 2022

In 2022, the Community Central Channel covered several interesting, enlightening, entertaining and empowering happenings. Here are the Top 10 most appreciated general articles according to you, our faithful Defender readers.

#10: Black Churches Fill GOP-Created Third Ward Voter Polling Place Void – Folk were encouraged to see that several churches in the Third Ward community were willing to make their spaces available as polling places when maps came out showing traditional spots in that community were not going to be used.

#9: Ft. Bend Co. Officials Allege Polling Place Issues, Racist Attacks – Politics stayed at the forefront of people’s minds and many of our articles. When the Defender got word that there were some shenanigans going down in Fort Bend County regarding access (or lack thereof) to polling places, we immediately shared what we knew with our readers.

#8: State of Healthcare Access in Houston: Medical Apartheid? – The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is viewed globally as one of the best places to receive care when going through a health challenge. Proof of that is the fact that people travel from across the country and the world to get care from the TMC. Yet, the general Black population in Houston has some health access and outcomes on par with many Third World nations. How can that be? The Defender sought to find out. 

#7: Klein HS Parents Charge Racism, Incompetence in Cheerleader Tryouts – Racism is an ever-present reality with which we must contend. Several Klein HS parents alleged that racism reared its ugly head during the school’s cheerleader tryouts. Some readers were surprised that racism could be found in the K-12 space. Others said, of course racism could show up at a high school cheerleader tryout, because racism is as American as apple pie.

#6: College Campus Healthcare Access: HBCUs vs PWIs – We know the savage inequalities in funding between HBCUs and PWIs. This article shows how that unequal funding has, in part, led to unequal healthcare services for students attending these two types of institutions.

#5: Mother Breaks Silence on Network Profiteering Off Son’s Murder – A tragic death/murder that happened years ago, has had to be relived by the mother and other family members of the deceased over and over again. Why? Because the “True Crime” genre has produced multiple shows about that murder that grossly misrepresented the deceased. This article gives voice to her and to the community activists by her side.

#4: Find Healing in Houston’s Holistic Health Movement – There is a large and growing movement in Houston that’s offering holistic healing alternatives to those seeking better health. Check’em out here.

#3: Blackfolk & Genealogy: The Drive to Discover Our Roots – When the Defender issued the call for our readers to share their genealogy stories, you responded in a loud voice. This article spotlights one of those family tales. And 2023 promises to offer many more.

#2: Play Ball! Houston’s 55-and-up Fast-Pitch Baseball League – One of the most popular articles of 2022 was the one highlighting a Houston-area fast-pitch baseball league for old-timers, i.e. folk 55-and over.

#1: Was Life Better for us Before Integration? Check the Stats – Though the old-school baseball league article received major buzz, this one right here, our article seeking to answer the age-old question discussed and argued whenever two or more Blackfolk gathered, about whether life for us was better or not before integration, had everyone chiming in. And if you didn’t read it the first time around, check it out now, and share your thoughts.