The Defender Network’s Conversations & Coffee series continued recently with “Conversations with Texas Legislators” hosted by Defender CEO Sonny Messiah Jiles and featuring State Senator Borris Miles (Houston) and State Senator Royce West (Dallas) with Defender Managing Editor ReShonda Tate Billingsley. The event was made possible by a partnership with Houston Community College. The Defender’s Conversations & Coffee series gives the Black community an opportunity to engage up-close with state leaders. Previous Defender guests included former HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Texas Southern University President Austin Lane and Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons. Upcoming events include “Blacks & Browns: Our Common Ground on Sat., April 6.” Attendees at the “Conversations with Texas Legislators” included HCC’s Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz and Dave Wilson, the Honorable Craig Washington, Chival Washington, Arturo Michel, Lawrence Battle, Deion Dorsett, Christian Corley, Wayne Luckett, Anthony Collier, Judson Robinson III, Gary Wade, Milton Pruitt, Dr. Elwyn Lee, James Douglas, Carroll Robinson, Vincent Sanders, Alex Lomax, the University of Houston African American Studies Class, Defender staff members Margo Williams Hubbard, Marilyn Marshall, Clyde Jiles, Dr. Clydette Messiah, Aswad Walker, Valerie Madison and many others.
