Dionna is the state coordinator for the Black Votes Matter organization here in Texas. She is passionate about this movement and is currently here at Texas A&M University Texarkana to spread awareness and knowledge to the black community. She feels that this is very important and wants to bring this information to East Texas as a whole. Dionna sat down for a one-on-one interview where she shared how she found herself on this journey, how she got her role as a State Coordinator, and the goal/purpose of the Black Votes Matter movement. Dionna appears to be on the right track!

She starts off by sharing how she found herself on this journey saying, “There were several things that pulled me along the way.” She gives credit to a program called Upward Bound saying, “It’s a phenomenal program I had the privilege to join in the 10th grade. In this program, I was selected to join a service-learning trip in Jamaica where I was selected to build an elementary school. This is where I found my sense of purpose and developed a spirit of service. I also realized how grateful I should be for the things I have.” Another issue that impacted her was the killing of Travon Martin. Due to this tragic event, she was triggered to attend her first protest. She stated, “I went from rage to revolution.” Her plan started to form once she realized how to engage with the system, what was wrong with the system, and what instruments she had to offer to the movement. She put her plan into action so well that she became known as the Voter Registration Queen. This is what propelled her to start her service work in the black community. She started as a volunteer with nonprofit organizations, campaigns, and then she transitioned to field manager for Voter Registration Civic Education. These positions led her to where she is now, the State Coordinator of Texas.

Dionna has an important role as the State Coordinator of Texas. In addition to advocating for voting rights, she also helps with voter registration and getting out the vote. Black Votes Matter also builds power in the community by investing in community gardens, afterschool programs, grassroots organizations, and small business organizations. She helps these organizations by helping them develop strategies while funneling resources directly to them to help them do their work. Dionna explains her role as the State Coordinator saying, “The first thing I do is connect with the target areas in the community. We want to make sure that the folks that are most often forgotten know that they are heard and that we see them.” Connecting with community partners and engaging with people in the community that already do the work helps out those who are in need. This organization is focusing on giving people real power in the community. She strives on having conversations that are important to them. Dionna is the only one working for BVM in Texas so she is actively looking for young people who are passionate to join the organization so she can show her appreciation by giving them a position and paying them. She stated, “Folks are passionate but they need opportunities that can supply their basic needs and help them pay their bills.” As the State Coordinator of Texas, she said, “It’s important to really listen and to educate people on the current elections. We also need to make sure they understand the importance of engaging during every single election making sure they see themselves as leaders in the community, have resources, education, and networks to build what they envisioned for themselves.”

When asked what the purpose is of Black Votes Matter, she simply said, “Building within the community and building a narrative that reflects the community by engaging to understand what they are dealing with so we can understand their basic needs.” In addition to bringing awareness to voters, the organization is dedicated to making sure your votes count so they have partnered with the NAACP who gives out free Lyft and Uber codes to make sure you get to the voting polls. They have other partners that will help you register to get an identification card, birth certificate, and a social security card. Not only will they pay for it, but they will also pick you up for the appointment, make sure you get there on time, and walk you through the process. In addition, they also help you understand what’s on the ballots and voting guides so that you can start the process of becoming your own leader.

Dionna talks about her strategy to bring voters out. Saying, “When I first come to an area, I survey them. I ask them simple questions like, “How they have been? What are some of the things that are affecting them good and bad?” By having the conversation about their basic needs, they can be connected to direct relief.” The organizations’ goal is to help the community understand how to vote and the power of their vote. She said, “The goal isn’t to tell them who to vote for but to promote reasonable representation. You can’t elect a Democrat everywhere and you can’t elect a Republican everywhere but you can find people who are for the people that they are representing.” She mentions often times elected officials don’t live in the community so they may not be able to recognize the gaps. It’s important to find solutions and weigh that against those who have the authority to make the change. We have to empower them to become the leaders that we are giving our power up to!

African-Americans in the United States have consistently fought for the right to vote since the foundation of this nation. A journey of hardships that entailed racism, slavery, and legislation compiled to inhibit black voters. After the passing of the 15th and 19th Amendments, states used tactics including intimidation, poll tax, and literacy tests to make it difficult for black voters to cast a ballot. Yet years after the civil rights era, the fight continues to empower black voters. Black Voters Matter (BVM) is an organization whose purpose is to increase power and effective voting in marginalized, predominately black communities. BVM kicked off the first leg of their East Texas tour at the University of Texas A&M- Texarkana (TAMUT) to inform, encourage, and register voters. 

 On October 22, 2021, BVM hosted an event in the Patterson Student Center from 10-1 pm. Dionna La’Fay, Texas State Coordinator for BVM said, “We are traveling through East Texas with the purpose of listening to the issues plaguing the community, reminding folks about early voting.” TAMUT partnering with BVM provides the opportunity to educate those who are uninformed about the importance of voting.“ The rural parts of Texas, specifically East Texas, rarely receive attention or support that’s necessary for progress, It’s important for folks to feel seen and heard,” La’Fay says. 

In any election, young voters are a crucial part.  Oftentimes, they are misrepresented or unheard. “Our organization understands the importance of encouraging, educating, and mobilizing young people of color,” La’Fay says. Informing and encouraging young voters can shift any election significantly. Providing ways to encourage La’Fay said, “ We will be registering voters, handing out voter guides, giving out early voting reminds, and sharing free giveaways.”

This opportunity has allowed TAMUT students of color the chance to be seen and heard. Reflecting on the goals of the event La’Fay said, “ Our goals are to give folks a chance to share their story through our community survey, register votes, spread early voting reminds, and identify students who are interested in partnering with us.” Not only at TAMUT, but across the nation, BVM is equipping black voters with the tools to make a difference. 

TAMUT Athletics 

Texas A&M Texarkana plans to make huge changes to the school’s athletic program next year. The school already has soccer, basketball, tennis, baseball, and softball teams for both men and women. Starting in the fall of 2022, the school plans to add men’s and women’s cross country and women’s volleyball. Both of these programs will compete during the fall semester.

The TAMUT athletic staff is constantly researching ways to grow the university. The university believes that adding these two sports will help grow the school in various ways for years to come. Michael Galvan, TAMUT’s athletic director, had several things to say about the expectations for the school’s athletic program in the upcoming years.

  “For both programs starting in Fall 2022 we want to make sure we meet our roster goals along with recruiting quality student-athletes who understand the standards of excellence we place on each and every one of the 200+ individuals who participate on our athletic teams here at TAMUT,”  Galvan said.

Galvan also mentioned how adding these two programs would enroll 45+ students for every upcoming school year. Sam Cannon, a senior at TAMUT, briefly mentioned his thoughts on the two sports being added.

Cannon stated, “It is great to see more programs being added to an institution that not only focuses on education, but is now showing a clear effort to reach even more students through the avenue of athletics. The opportunities that this will bring to TAMUT could be endless.”

Faculty, staff, and students are hoping for a bright future for TAMUT athletics. With the addition of two new sports, it seems as if they will get what they are hoping for.

Honors Program

Trevon Jamison MCOM310

Honors Program and Upcoming Events
“The Honors Colloquia are scholarly talks and presentations offered throughout the school year. They provide a venue for Honors students and faculty to present their research, but also for the Honors program to bring speakers to campus from outside the university community.” said Professor Craig Nakashian, the director of the academic honors program. Professor Nakashian became interested in the honors program as an undergrad at his old institution where he helped start an honors program. As a student he saw the value of the program and what it did for students and the college campus. In 2010 he served on the honors committe at TAMUT.
“The honors program gives students access to unique innovative courses. They also run team taught seminars and mentor projects in the students area of interest.” said Professor Nakashian. The program hosts 5-7 public events each semester that are academically focused. Usually taught by faculty or students.
Over the course of the next three weeks there will be two events held on campus in person with the option to zoom in for students and staff. On October 26th, 2021 Dr. Md. Nizam Uddin will cover Atmospheric Water through Nanotechnology. Location will be UC 217 from 12:15pm – 1:00pm. November 9th, 2021 will be the first student thesis project presented by Brooklyn Bailey and Professor Kevin Ells. The event will cover how big corporations utilize different social media sites to improve business techniques. Location will be UC 217 from 12:15pm – 1:00pm.
For students wanting to join the honors program they must have a 3.25 GPA or Higher and fill out the application located on the TAMUT website. All honors program events are open to the public

PLACE’s next event will be a workshop on Tuesday, October 26th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm CST. The workshop will feature Aubrey Garcia, the founder of Southern Kitchen Witchery located in Shreveport, LA. She will be teaching about locally sourced dried herbs and florals from the ArkLaTex region and Reiki energy healing in observance of Samhain (Hallowe’en), one of the four Greater Sabbats in the Wicca calendar. October’s PLACE meeting is hyflex so you are able to meet in person at UC210 or attend via Zoom. Pre-registration is required to attend on Zoom, after registering a link will be emailed for the event. 

This year’s theme of Religion, Spirituality, and the Sacred holds weekly events and also monthly roundtable discussions. The sub theme for PLACE changes each month, October sub theme is on the soul and salvation. The roundtable speakers have been local faith leaders in the Texarkana community. The roundtable speakers are encouraged to invite their local congregants to join in these events.  Dr. Jaime Cantrell, co-chair, said, “We need more programming that draws both the local community and campus community into discussions of the non-Western religious practices, beliefs, and holidays–allowing for a greater understanding and acceptance of the diversity of globalized human experiences surrounding faith-based relationships.”

PLACE was started by a group of faculty members to encourage students to not learn solely for a career or job but to encourage the students to why and how we learn. “PLACE is meant to embody what universities are for, in many ways this is meant to be the life of the mind. PLACE is to engage with those that are experts and passionate about materials that are going to be of interest to you,”  Dr. Nakashian, co-chair, said regarding PLACE.  All PLACE events are open to students, TAMUT faculty, and the surrounding community. Event schedules are advertised in the Texarkana Gazette, Facebook (@Tamutplace) or @Tamutplace on Twitter. Meetings are held once a week and have different avenues in which to participate such as roundtable discussions, workshops or to hear a guest speaker. All of the events are hyflex at this time, with the occasional Zoom meeting only if guest speakers are located in other towns or states.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana inaugurated this program in 2014, led by faculty, that centered around a different theme every school year. PLACE is an acronym for Program for Learning and Community Engagement and emerged from a faculty discussion about a unifying academic theme. PLACE is a classroom and lecture series where the program has a variety of books, art, podcasts, and songs  to engage students, faculty, and the Texarkana community. The yearly theme is integrated into many classrooms with pointed focus in IS100, a University Foundations course.

Each spring the faculty is invited to decide on two chairs and a theme for the fall semester. Some of the past theme’s have been on environmental issues, race and ethnicity, and gender issues. This year’s theme, Religion, Spirituality and the Sacred covers a wide spectrum of ideas and values. The PLACE website gives opportunities for students and the community to learn more about a variety of sources on the subject or Religion, Spirituality and the Sacred. Each faculty member can focus on this theme regardless of what type of class is being taught to enhance a wider view of other participants’ world views. 

Dr. Craig Nakashian said, “Over the years, we figured out how to integrate PLACE more effectively into the freshman curriculum.” In IS100, a freshman required class, there is a book assigned and also a resource list in which students use to present on a subject and answer questions that come from the subject matter of that week. These classes encourage students to not only learn material but to think about why they believe in their personal lives. The end goal of PLACE is to create and encourage students to be lifelong learners.

There was some controversy surrounding the Texas A&M University-Texarkana campus because of racial tension among its students. After claims of discrimination by peers, the campus community needed a reminder that everyone should be treated equally. In an email sent on September 21st, Dr. Cutrer informed the entire campus of the incidents that involved racial slurs among students. Students of the university start to hear about the use of derogatory terms by their peers, which pushes them to want to implement changes and introduce some new ways of dealing with this incident, as well as how to handle it in the future.  

Upon talking with a few students about the controversial speech taking place on campus, it is apparent that a few of them could never imagine that this might be a problem here.“It’s truly odd to see that happening here on campus given how diverse it is. There are different cultures represented in every aspect of campus life, which makes that news all the more concerning.” said senior George Sawyer. As a result of interviewing other students about the email, it appeared that most didn’t check their student emails, so they didn’t have any idea what the controversy was about. 

Many of the students had no opinion about the racially charged issue. One anonymous student admitted to saying “racist slurs with their friends as a joke.” Some students skimmed over the email and felt it did nothing to rectify the situation. There were those in the know about racial issues before President Cutrer’s email expressed concern that the “culture of the campus might be compromised.” The student organizations were asked to investigate the controversy with Dr. Cutrer as they are in a position to help produce change. 

After speaking with Thomas Tye, known around campus as “Tommy”, it seems that he believes that the only way this issue is gonna be fixed is if people look more closely inward than outward. “Personally, no level of institutional level change will deeply affect this scenario. I think the change needs to come from a personal level,” said Tye. In the aftermath of his interactions with students affected by the racial controversy, Tommy felt overwhelmed with anger and sadness. “It’s sad to know that many of my friends, who are people of color, are affected by this to the point of considering leaving school,” Tommy said. 

One of the students affected by this incident, who requested anonymity, admitted that the slurs were unprovoked. “I was walking to the dorms, and it was a group of students leaving the Patterson Student Center that randomly decided to call me the “N” as they went by,” the student said. It was her complaint to Student Life that jump-started the investigation and pretty soon other students started to come forward about the racial abuse they’ve experienced on campus too. 

It was then that the Student Government Association had no choice, but to convene a meeting to discuss the fallout the university could suffer from. “We had to get a handle on this extremely fast. These sorts of incidents can ruin the state of this university, and students wouldn’t feel protected. We are all a family and it has to remain that way,” said senior and member of the SGA Brooklyn Bailey. In the following weeks of the controversy, the SGA and Student Life have tried to come up with events to show the level of diversity that exists here on campus. According to Bailey, “I have a great feeling that this is gonna help all students feel united. Which is what we need after events like this. We have to stand undivided to tackle this.” 

Sam Cannon is from Paris, Texas and attended high school at Paris High. He moved to Texarkana, Texas after his dad took a job to be the head preacher at Walnut church of Christ. When his first school year in Texarkana began he enrolled at University of Arkansas Texarkana where he studied for two years. The next year he enrolled at Texas A&M Texarkana. His major is Business Administration with a concentration in management and he aspires to go into the field of Farm and Ranch Real Estate following his graduation in May of 2022. His long-term goal is to own his own business buying and selling farms and ranches in order to help people find the piece of land that is just right for their wants and needs for their families. Two interesting things about Sam are his love for deer hunting and sports. 

    Right after the interview started the conversation quickly came upon deer hunting. He explained how he grew up in a family full of hunters. Ever since then he’s fallen in love with the sport and looks forward to opening day of deer season each and every year. He mentioned that he has been hunting since he was three years old. He hopes to one day buy a large ranch in South Texas to raise his future family on. He also would love to eventually reach a point where he can become an outfitter and sell hunts to help people harvest the Whitetail Buck of their dreams. He mentioned that the person he looks up to most as a hunter is his grandfather. His grandfather has inspired him in many ways, whether it be as a hunter, as a Christian, or simply as a man. 

    Sam is also very passionate about sports. In high school he played baseball, basketball, and football.  He explained how his favorite teams were the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Oklahoma Sooners. He then began to go into deep detail about the players on his teams and how he expected their seasons to go. Sam often goes to games when he is not busy with school work on the weekends. He enjoys attending baseball games, but his favorite sport to watch in person is football.

    Sam’s ultimate goals tell me that he is a driven person that never gives up on a dream. I learned that he is a man of faith that pursues everything in life through the lens of a Christian. He is a God-fearing man that works hard to be a better person every day. I also learned that he is very passionate about four things in life: Faith, Family, Sports, and the Great Outdoors.

 “It is like a puzzle piece,” Deanna Harding says when describing her day job as Catalog and Curriculum Coordinator at Texas A&M University – Texarkana.  She and her team within the Registrar’s office take care of logistics of room placement, class size, and time of classes. At her second job as a franchise owner of Rhea Lana, Deanna hosts a semi-annual children’s consignment sale with around 35,000 items in October and April locally. Balancing both jobs requires a lot of work, but creates a great sense of satisfaction of helping others achieve their goals of a better life.

Scheduling Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer classes entails a lot of work considering there are over 26 classrooms at the Texarkana campus excluding labs, testing center, and nursing classrooms. Deanna must not only consider how many students enrolled in each class, but also what days and times each room is being used, degree plans, and what courses a student needs to complete to graduate. The classroom and curriculum schedule must be updated each semester and what is available for students to enroll in various classes. Deanna has worked in three different capacities at A&M since she was a high school student. The first time working was in high school in the Registrar’s office, where her mother was the Registrar. She remembers students lining up in the hallway at 5:30 in the morning. Each student held a handwritten note card to register and checking on a huge whiteboard to see if class was still open, closed, or cancelled. “Technology has come so far,” she said, describing how different registration compares to the present.

Deanna is passionate about solving puzzles to help make life better for others, which in a way led to her becoming a franchise owner of Texarkana Rhea Lana’s. Rhea Lana’s is a great way for families to sell gently used clothing items, toys, shoes, baby equipment, and the list continues. She went to her first Rhea Lana’s event in Fayetteville when her daughter was six months old. After that first sale, she was hooked, becoming a consistent consignor, and then was able to participate in Rhea Lana’s leadership team. In 2015, she was able to purchase the franchise, growing sale items from 14,000 to 35,000 items each sale.  Storing clothing racks, electronics, and various equipment takes quite a bit of storage room. “I never knew that I would own an eighteen-wheeler, it was a proud moment when I purchased the eighteen-wheeler!’ Deanna chuckled as she talked about how much storage is required for equipment during non-sale times.

Working a full-time job at Texas A&M University – Texarkana, owning and operating Rhea Lana’s, having family time can keep Deanna very busy and at times running tired. She says it is when customers at sale events tell her how much they are thankful for being able to buy nice clothes for picture day or a Halloween outfit that is not so expensive that makes it worth all the time and energy expended. “You hear those kinds of stories and that is when you’re like ok, this is worth it.’ Rhea Lana’s also encourages foster families to come on the last day and choose from donated clothes, toys, etc. for children that are in placement at no charge.” Deanna feels that helping students and helping families go hand in hand as she sees improving life choices that help so many people. A priority for Deanna is building relationships with students and faculty at college or seeing Rhea Lana’s impact on the community. Deanna is successfully accomplishing her goal of helping students and families by putting a lot of pieces of life together.

While the idea of a hometown is relatively straightforward for most, Danielle Hamblett has a more complex sense of it. Growing up, her family relocated several times and crossed continents. Thankfully, having a close relationship with her siblings and an encouraging stepmother provided some emotional continuity when geography got in the way. Her rolling stone gathers no moss childhood formed Mrs. Hamblett into the determined instructor and businesswoman she is today. 

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Danielle would not be a permanent resident. Her father worked for a company called AAFES, an organization that helps run facilities on military bases. The job required the family to move several times, including Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and even Japan!  Moving to a country unknown to them came with a culture shock.“ The Japanese were ahead of us in technology. This was new to me at the time, but they had a vending machine with ice cream. It was cutting edge. Here in the states, it was just soda machines and old school vending machines that gave Cheez-Its,” Hamblett says.  During her stay in Japan, she took up Karate with two of her brothers and ended up outlasting them.“ I remember my stepmom saying you know what? They couldn’t hack it, but you’re still in there and you’re a girl,” she says. All her life, her stepmother always encouraged her that she could do whatever boys could do. “ There was a lot of gender talk growing up. I didn’t think that was unique. I thought everybody was raised to think I can do whatever I want. I can do whatever boys could do.” This mindset propelled her to the accomplishments that she has achieved today. 

After leaving Japan, the family settled in Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana. Her family moved off again, but Danielle stayed in Louisiana to attend college at LSU-Shreveport. Upon meeting her husband, she transferred to the University of Texas A&M- Texarkana (TAMUT) to finish her bachelor’s. She majored in Mass Communications and finished her master’s degree in 2015.  She is currently an adjunct instructor at TAMUT teaching PR/Advertising.  Reflecting upon her reason for teaching she said, “ I like being a part of the university community. I like staying in the know about what’s happening and hopefully helping touch students’ lives.” 

 Not only is she a TAMUT instructor, but also a businesswoman. Danielle is Co-Founder of a Texarkana, Texas digital marketing agency, For All BrandKind. Her business partner is Co-Founder Traci Pitman. The business started slowly over 5-6 years with freelance work. In 2015, Danielle and Traci taught a class at Texarkana College about getting businesses to use social media to help promote their companies A student approached them asking for help to run their social media. It was the catalyst that launched their business forward. Currently, they have a storefront where they can accept clients and create branding while guiding them through the use of social media. Reflecting on what she is most proud of she said, “Just starting a business. I didn’t have a plan. I am proud of myself for stepping out there. It takes guts and I’m proud of that.”