NEWS RELEASE
The Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute is launching a new exciting experience for Dr Pepper super fans. The Extreme Pepper Experience is an exclusive tour of the entire Museum. Guests will hear the stories behind the legendary soft drink and see handpicked items pulled from the museum’s extensive collection.
Your Experience includes exclusive access to both historic museum buildings while an Expert Experience Guide gives you the inside scoop on your tour, including the best photo ops throughout the museum. You also get a glass bottle of Dr Pepper, a large Dr Pepper float, and your choice of four different Dr Pepper gear packs filled with awesome merchandise from the gift shop.
Plus, you get to flex your soda jerk skills and make your own Dr Pepper at our soda fountain. Each experience also includes hands-on time with historic collections items representing different aspects of the soft drink industry.
WHEN – June 25 – July 31 before or after normal operating hours
Thursday: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
WHERE – Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute, 300 South 5th Street, Waco
COST – $125 per ticket (limit 6 per group)
Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
About the Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute: Built in 1906, Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Co. was the first building dedicated to the manufacturing of Dr Pepper. Creating a Dr Pepper Museum was the vision of a few devoted enthusiasts of both Dr Pepper and its history. Artesian became the Dr Pepper Museum in 1989, then the Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute in 1997. Today, it is the museum’s largest artifact and a tribute to the imagination and talent that fueled Dr Pepper’s success throughout the years.
NEWS RELEASE
McLennan Community College is diligently preparing for the Fall 2020 semester as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
MCC is finalizing guidelines to ensure a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and all campus visitors. These guidelines will include smaller class sizes and proper cleaning techniques.
Due to everchanging and new restrictions set by federal, state, and local governments, MCC acknowledges a possibility that some or all fall classes may go fully online for a period of time. In preparation, the college has adjusted all face-to-face classes to blended/hybrid formats to allow for an easy transition, if necessary.
Students in blended/hybrid classes will experience instruction both in a traditional classroom setting and online formats, including through Zoom videoconferencing. These classes will be accessible to all students through MCC’s online platforms.
Campus computer labs will continue to support students with technology needs as most services will continue to be offered primarily in online formats.
By Brayley Payne
After a long season of quarantine through the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Waco is finally re-opening its doors. This includes restaurants, coffee shops, and other Waco favorites — the Waco-McLennan County Library and various Parks and Recreation services in the Waco area.
The library, at all four locations, is set to open Monday, June 15. The hours will be limited, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.. Visitors will be able to browse like usual and check out items. While there will be browsing, there will be no public seating in the library at this point.
“We are taking this phased approach because the situation is fluid and plans need to be flexible so we can make changes as information becomes available,” said Library Director Essy Day.
Social distancing will be encouraged throughout the libraries. The computers will also be six feet apart, and time will be limited to one hour per day for each user. After a user leaves, the staff will clean the computer area. The library recommends using the outdoor drop when returning items in order to effectively quarantine the previously checked-out items. Visitors are encouraged to wear face masks.
Waco Parks and Recreation has created modified programs for the summer, but they will still be fun! The RECess! summer program has already begun, and it aims to provide a fun alternative to the camps that have been canceled due to COVID-19. This program will be virtual for daily, at-home activities. Check the department’s Facebook page each day for updates.
The department’s outdoor pavilions, indoor facilities, and park areas are now available for rental! On June 15, Bledsoe-Miller, Dewey, and South Waco community centers will reopen. The new hours will be: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m..
June 15 is also the start date for organized sports and competitions on city property and in city facilities. Riverbend Park will reopen for games and use on June 15, as well. Waco Mammoth National Monument has opened its trail and picnic area for use. The dig shelter tours, however, are still on hold to reopen, and park buildings will remain closed for the time being.
Brayley Payne is an Act Locally Waco intern from Denver. She’s studying professional writing and religion at Baylor University and entering her senior year. She has worked in the Baylor University Writing Center the last two years.
By Trent Sutton
“All the world’s a stage.”
Though we aren’t performing those particular words of Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, those words have truly been put to the test as we have prepared this performance.
Wild Imaginings had planned to launch our Summer Shakespeare series this summer anticipating it being a big community event that would become annual fare for years to come. Much like the rest of the world, all of those plans were brought into serious question in the midst of the rise of COVID-19.
We felt, however, that we ought to press ahead, even in the face of uncertainty. We’re an arts organization after all, and limitations are nothing more than creative boundaries.
With this in mind, we held auditions for the show via Zoom and proceeded to have rehearsals for the show via Zoom. I can’t say it’s something I recommend. I think we all got really tired of one another’s faces on our computer screens. But despite the fact that we couldn’t plan our movement for the show, we worked through the script as best we could while online.
And truly, through this process, we have discovered that all the world is indeed a stage. Even virtually speaking. Sometimes we came together not just from different homes but from different cities and even different states. And all the while, we prepared, we worked through the text, we developed our characters, and when it was finally safe to rehearse in person, we dove in head-first, ready to put it all together. And in just a couple short weeks, we have had to transfer everything we learned via Zoom to the real in-person world.
The third commitment which Wild Imaginings holds in its value statement is “cultivating a willingness to explore, experiment, and otherwise push the boundaries of what performing arts can be and the impact they can have on the community.” And you know, the world in which we currently find ourselves has put that commitment to the test.
We have explored the depths to which we can connect through online platforms; we have experimented with different ways of rehearsing and learning together; and we continue to push the boundaries of what performing arts can be, as we figure out ways to move from Zoom to my living room to finally Common Grounds.
And as far as impact on the community goes, we hope that this will be every bit the community event that we hoped it would be, albeit with smaller numbers of people. We are fully committed to the safety of our audience, which is why we’ll be working with Common Grounds to limit seating per state guidelines.
So to help navigate this challenge, we’ve decided to record a performance so that people can buy “tickets” to the recording.
Our goal from the beginning in launching this Summer Shakespeare production has been to make it accessible to anyone who wants to come. We believe ART IS FOR EVERYONE. In our efforts to maintain this desire, we want to be sure it remains accessible, even for those who may not yet be comfortable venturing out.
We cannot wait to share this with the Waco community. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been such fun to work on, despite the challenges we faced. I’ve had the privilege of working with an amazing cast, and I hope you’ll take the opportunity to see them perform, because it’s definitely worth it.
Love triangles, angry fathers, fairy magic, mischief, and even a play within a play (I think that’s called playception). This is a Shakespearean work of art that you’re going to want to make sure is a part of your summer.
Tickets can be found at http://wildimaginingswaco.com/shakespeare/.
And even if you can’t make it, you can purchase a “ticket” to the video recording when we have it or else just make a donation. We need your help to make Summer Shakespeare something that we can share with the Waco community for years to come.
Trent Sutton is founder and artistic director of Wild Imaginings, a newly formed performing arts nonprofit here in Waco. He has recently graduated from Truett Seminary with his Master of Divinity and has already made Waco his home. He is passionate about the arts and believes them to be the best way in which he can contribute to the city he has grown to love so much. He believes Wild Imaginings is uniquely positioned to truly bring a different flavor of art to Waco, and he is excited for what this new adventure will bring. His desire is that this community be limited only by the scope of their imaginations. His favorite thing is sharing dreams and ideas and working together to bring them to life. So don’t hesitate to reach out.
By Dr. Peaches Henry
Ahmaud Arbery, I don’t want to know your name,
Because knowing your name means your mother is grieving your unjustifiable death.
Knowing your name means you are an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of a white man—
A white man who thinks that he has the right to police your body
Whether or not he is a cop,
Whether or not, if he is a cop, you have committed a crime,
Whether you were simply living your best life,
Snacking on Skittles and iced tea,
Playing your music loudly while pumping gas,
Sitting on your couch eating ice cream,
Sleeping in your own bed,
Settling into a daily run,
Living while Black.
Ahmaud Arbery, I don’t want to know your name.
Because knowing your name means I must add you to that heartbreaking, breath-stopping, stomach-wrenching, always growing, never-ending catalog of murdered Black men, women, and children.
That did not begin with Emmitt Till nor end with Trayvon Martin or Eric Garner or Michael Brown or Tamir Rice or Freddie Gray or Sandra Bland or Philando Castillo or Alton Sterling or Bootham Jean or Breonna Taylor or George Floyd or countless more.
Yet knowing your name means to honor your life.
To say your name is the first step in the journey toward justice for you.
Knowing your name means to protest anti-Black violence,
To scream “Black Lives Matter” in the futile hope that the loss of your life matters.
Ahmaud Arbery, I don’t want to know your name.
Because knowing your name turns my mind to my own twenty-five-year-old son.
Like you, each day he goes for a jog in a predominately white neighborhood.
His neighborhood.
So Ahmaud Arbery, to know your name terrifies me
And causes me to double over in a silent wail of agony every morning,
And to breathe again only when the door opens to reveal my Black Eagle Scout, dean’s list, not-safe-at-home law student.
Ahmaud Arbery, I don’t want to know your name.
But I will learn your name.
I will memorialize you by ritually reciting your name in perpetuity.
I will remember it, because like Emmitt, Trayvon, Eric, Michael, Tamir, Freddie, Sandra, Philando, Alton, Bootham, Breonna, and George you deserved to live in obscurity unknown to me
Not killed by a white man’s bullet or knee on your neck.
I will stand with your mother, uphold your memory, and fight for justice,
Because my son jogs too.
Peaches Henry is an English professor at McLennan Community College. She is currently teaching online and sheltering in place with her eight-month old black Labrador puppy and her son who has returned home from law school.
NEWS RELEASE
Transformation Waco has selected Isaac C. Carrier as the next principal of G.W. Carver Middle School. Dr. Carrier is a career educator with over 25 years of experience as a teacher, high school assistant principal, middle school principal, central office administrator, and educational consultant.
“I am both honored and blessed to have the opportunity to lead G.W. Carver Middle School as its next principal,” Carrier said. “I will put forth my best effort to ensure the success of the students and staff of the school and will be of the greatest service and support of the community we serve. Great things are ahead as we ‘Commit to Panther Excellence.’”
While serving as principal in Aldine ISD, Carrier led his school to earn numerous awards and the state’s highest accountability ratings. In his role as executive director in Dallas ISD, he was instrumental in receiving national awards, and he also supervised four schools that ranked in the top 100 high schools in the nation.
Carrier earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University; in 2017, he graduated from Texas A&M University with a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on urban schools. Most recently, he co-authored “The Disestablishment of African American Male Compliant Ambiguity: A Prison Pipeline Essay” in the journal Intersections: Critical Issues in Education.
“We are delighted to bring Dr. Carrier onboard,” Transformation Waco Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robin McDurham said. “His wealth of experience as an educational leader will serve the students and staff at Carver well. He has devoted his career to ensuring that every child is provided equitable learning opportunities and access to a high-quality education.”
Carrier will begin his tenure on July 1. He is taking over the leadership role at Carver from Phillip Perry, who tragically passed away in March from complications of COVID-19.
(From Waco’s COVID-19 Community Newsletter)
As the Central Texas community participates in demonstrations and protests against the killing of George Floyd and continued racial injustice and inequity, community leaders encourage health and safety precautions for group gatherings. Dr. Iliana Neumann of Family Health Center shares a few health tips for community members participating in protests and demonstrations.
We encourage organizers to provide masks and hand sanitizer to the extent they can and to model the use of such as well as practice physical distancing as much as possible.
- Assembling does increase your risk of contracting COVID-19, but there are things you can do to lessen this risk.
- Gather outside rather than inside.
- Wear a cloth face covering.
- Physically distance as much as possible.
- Do not share signs or markers with anyone who is not a member of your household.
- Take hand sanitizer and gloves with you. Use hand sanitizer often.
- If distributing materials, encourage folks to take a picture of the materials with their phone instead of handing off paper or other items.
- Bring water and drink it often.
- Wear sunscreen.
- Reduce respiratory droplets by focusing on signs/posters and making noise with music, drums, etc. rather than loud talking.
- Carry identification and a list of emergency contacts.
- Go with a buddy and stay closer to them rather than new contacts.
Dr. Iliana Neumann is a family medicine specialist. She graduated with honors from East Carolina University School Of Medicine in 2009. She is a faculty physician with Waco’s Family Health Center.
NEWS RELEASE
ADOPTION WEEKEND JUNE 5-7
The Humane Society of Central Texas will participate in the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend June 5-7 to encourage the public to safely complete adoptions from home amid the COVID-19 crisis.
During this time, HSCTX will hold Zoom meetings each day at 11 a.m. for the public to participate in virtual introductions to dogs that are available for adoption. The shelter has remained operational throughout COVID, but our buildings are not open to the public. One result is that animal adoptions have decreased over the last 3 months.
We are conducting these virtual introductions to increase our adoption rate and get homeless animals into loving homes.
To find out more about our minimal-exposure, contact-free adoption process visit humanesocietycentraltexas.org or call 254-754-1454.
MORE INFO: Visit ASPCA.org/AdoptFromHome for more information about the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend, including a comprehensive map of participating animal shelters and rescue groups. This initiative will encourage the public — including people currently caring for foster animals — to complete adoptions from their homes to safely place thousands of homeless dogs, cats, and horses into adoptive homes across the country.
During this period of uncertainty, it’s more important than ever for people to consider adopting a new animal not only for their benefit, but also to free up space and resources for other vulnerable animals in need.
Follow along on social media @ASPCA or use the hashtag #AdoptFromHome to see the nationwide campaign in action. Potential adopters are also encouraged to stay updated on local efforts by following @HSCTX at facebook.com/hsctx, twitter.com/drpaulahsctx,
and Instagram.com/hsctx.
#
About the Humane Society of Central Texas
As an advocate for the animals at the City of Waco Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Central Texas provides adoptions, rescue and foster opportunities, as well as community education regarding responsible pet ownership. The partnership between HSCTX and the City of Waco Animal Services, along with the support of the community, City of Waco, Central Texas and beyond, has resulted in a current average live-exit rate of above 90%. Our goal is to save each and every healthy or treatable animal that
comes into the shelter because we believe that every Waco animal deserves a chance. With the continued help and support of every person who has a heart for homeless pets, we believe it can be done!
About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health
services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
By Rachel E. Pate
“In a racially equitable society, the distribution of society’s benefits and burdens would not be skewed by race.” – The Aspen Institute
Brief Rewind
Around this time last year, the City of Waco, our mayor and city council held a retreat addressing racial inequity within our community. J.B. Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald reporter, covered the story in “Waco council takes aim at racial disparities, gentrification” (May 23, 2019). Some of the staggering statistics gathered and presented by the city were highlighted in J.B.’s article, revealing that:
- Whites account for 43% of Waco’s population but hold 80% of the jobs paying more than $40,000 as of 2015.
- Among white households, 13.5% make less than $25,000 a year, compared with 25.3% among Hispanics and 51.1% among blacks.
- Nearly 29% of white households make more than $100,000 a year, compared with 3.3% for blacks and 8.7% for Hispanics.
- African Americans in 2017 had a 31% mortgage denial rate, compared with 20.9% for Hispanics and 11.7% for whites.
In the news article Councilman Dillion Meek stated: “I’ve always put a high value on grit and self-determination, but if the goal is to improve the economy, we have to look at systems from 100 or 150 years ago to now,” Meek said. “The outcomes from the data speak for themselves and are a direct result of the history of this community.”
Assistant City Manager Deidra Emerson was also quoted saying: “The end goal is to ensure that everyone in Waco thrives, including people of color. … The starting point for the next generation is the ending point of the last generation. If we don’t start to change those outcomes now, we’ll keep repeating the same things.“
Pandemic Proportions
Positioned against the backdrop of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, we all witnessed our nation’s institutions, systems, businesses and, most importantly, people brace for a great unknown together. As the virus spread, we were forced to mourn more and differently than before, all while swallowing disproportionate effects happening in communities of color. The Pandemic drastically changed so much of what we thought we once knew and added to the boiling pot of health disparities, income disparities, racial disparities and inequity in the fabric of America.
As the wave of concern swept through our nation, our local leaders were called to immediate attention and action; elected officials, health officials, business experts and volunteer task forces were all on one accord.
The Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce (CTAACC), along with others, was right in the thick of early and ongoing discussions about community health and our local economy. Our staff immediately pivoted from pre-set work to intentionally and strategically supporting the needs of our community’s small and minority-owned businesses.
We partnered with the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to support immediate small business initiatives like our StarBridge Bingo and Buy Local Waco online marketing campaigns. We worked together to collect grassroots data from businesses, employees and people of color.
CTAACC was firmly seated at the table with the city and other community partners breaking down information, providing frequent updates and contributing solutions.
Collective Voices
While weeks of the shelter-in-place orders and social distancing continued, CTAACC assembled an informal advisory group to work alongside our staff and help create solutions for business equity. Community business members and leaders included Wannika Muhammad, Rev. Marlon Jones and Cuevas Peacock, who each added diversity, passion and perspective to the dialogue. Our group later became known as the CommUnity Voices team. United in tackling the tasks before us, we put our heads together and strategically planned our moves ahead.
Within our virtual, weekly think-tank sessions, each member shared our concerns about equity, community and business. Each contributed wisdom and insight from our collective backgrounds in business and community development, religion and higher education and lived experiences. We examined and digested everything around us and studied the historical pre-sets of inequity.
As we saw increased unemployment rates for workers, struggling small businesses and government relief that could only do so much, the group determined that solid, perpetual initiatives were mandatory to rightfully shore up vulnerable, small, minority-owned businesses. In those conversations, our vision for equity was honed.
Forward March
The Chamber’s Center for Business Excellence (CBE) has long been an engine for small business development, offering free business tools, technology resources and meeting space. Utilizing this existing program, CTAACC established the Cen-Tex Minority Business (CTMB) Equity Fund in May 2020 to provide business relief to businesses of color through grant funding and micro-loans. (Donate Here.)
The CTMB Equity Fund is the first local fund in our community that will assist small minority-owned businesses facing income loss or rising expenses due to circumstances caused by natural disasters, illness, global pandemics, or any situation that disrupts their economic and social well-being.
The fund will also provide increased access to social capital and business training/education for entrepreneurs. Our kick-start campaign goal of $100,000 provides individuals, organizations and businesses with the opportunity to not only talk about equity but invest in it also. I could say more, but for now I’ll digress and take a breath. There’s still more action to be done tomorrow.
The Center of Business Excellence (CBE) is a private sector 501(c)(3) charity affiliated with the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce. The CBE actively helps McLennan County small businesses thrive by providing operational, social, and financial resources needed to sustain business development. The CBE manages the Cen-Tex Minority Business Equity Fund, a program created by the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce and a Business Advisory Committee comprised of community business members and leaders.
The purpose of the fund program is to provide short-term, immediate aid/relief to small, local minority-owned businesses facing income loss or rising expenses due to circumstances caused by natural disasters, illness, global pandemics, or any situation that disrupts their economic and social well-being.
Any McLennan County-based, minority-owned, small business with 10 employees or less is eligible to apply for assistance. Grants/loans may be awarded up to $2,500 dependent on resources. I could go on, but for now I guess I’ll digress and take a breather. There’s action to be done tomorrow.
Editor’s Note: Investments in the CTMB Equity Fund are currently being accepted online at www.centexchamber.com. The online application portal for business funding is expected to open later this month. CTAACC can be reached at (254) 235-3204.
Rachel E. Pate is vice president of economic development at Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce (CTAACC) in Waco. Rachel is a native Wacoan and graduate of University High School. Since 2016, Rachel has served in various roles at the chamber and championed the causes of small entrepreneurs, women, and minorities. She is also a LeadershipPlenty Institute graduate, Rapoport Academy Public School Board member and Start-Up Waco Board member.
With her mother being a Sunday School teacher and evangelist, Rachel began serving the community at a very early age. She was active on her church’s usher board and youth ministry. Some of her fondest memories of growing up in Waco are being surrounded by her large, extended family for reunions and Juneteenth gatherings; her mother is one of 11 siblings who all hail from Waco. Her father, R.E. Pate Jr. (deceased), and mother met at Paul Quinn College in the early 1970s — the same campus where CTAACC resides today.
Rachel is also a proud mom of one, a lifelong member of Toliver Chapel Church, a lover of the great outdoors, an avid basketball fan, and a dedicated wearer of Converse’s Chuck Taylor shoes. Rachel’s favorite scripture is Romans 8:31- “…If God be for us, then who can stand against us?”
By Mayor Kyle Deaver
The brutal killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day at the hands of Minneapolis police was tragic, despicable, and completely unacceptable to our society. Unfortunately, it is part of a long history of the lack of equity in our nation. Waco has its own sad history of racism, including the lynching of Jesse Washington on May 15, 1916.
We have begun to face this reality in our community, and we must continue to move toward a more racially equitable society. The peaceful protestors and demonstrators who spoke and marched together this past Saturday in Waco were right in their calls for action. We must continue to work toward this future together.
Across the country, peaceful protestors and demonstrators have voiced this same desire. Unfortunately, in many cities, protests have involved looting and vandalism. That’s a terrible situation for many reasons. It is obviously unfair to those whose businesses and property are affected. It puts fellow protesters and police in danger, and it warps the message of the need to end racism in our nation. This jeopardizes that very message that so desperately needs to be heard, and it causes many of the people who need to hear and engage on this important message to, instead, become fearful and angry.
I want to thank the organizers and all who participated in last Saturday’s protests and demonstrations for their thoughtful, genuine approach to the problem of racial inequity and violence by some police officers. It is certainly not all, but it’s also not just “a few bad apples.” I also want to thank the leaders in our communities of color for their wise approach to these difficult times. And I want to thank them for relationships they have built with our police force.
I respect and admire every member of Waco’s Police Department that I have had the opportunity to get to know. I believe that each of them are every bit as sickened by what transpired in Minneapolis as I am. Police brutality anywhere in our nation strains the relationship between our citizens and the police who are doing their important and often dangerous work as they try to protect all of us.
Let’s continue to work together toward healing and racial equity. That will require difficult conversations about next steps. Those conversations have to occur.
Kyle Deaver was elected mayor in 2016 and was unopposed in 2018. He previously served four years on the Waco City Council as the representative for District V. Kyle is an attorney and businessman who is active in the Waco community. Deaver is currently on the board of the Waco Foundation. He has served on the boards of the Cameron Park Zoological Society, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, Vanguard College Preparatory School, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School. He served six years on the Waco Plan Commission.