Bill Text: TX HR1479 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Akwasi Rozelle Evans of Austin.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-14 - Reported enrolled [HR1479 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR1479-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1479 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Austin residents lost an admired publisher and | ||
| social justice advocate with the passing of Akwasi Rozelle Evans on | ||
| April 8, 2019, at the age of 70; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born Larry Elvis Dale in Dayton, Ohio, on October | ||
| 17, 1948, Akwasi Evans was the son of Garfield Evans and Bonnie | ||
| Dale; he was raised in Kentucky by his mother and his adored | ||
| maternal grandmother, Bertha, whom he affectionately called "Mama | ||
| Bill"; in the 1980s, he moved to Texas, and he chose a new name, | ||
| including Akwasi, the Ashanti word for "born on a Sunday," and | ||
| Rozelle, for his maternal grandfather; he studied journalism at | ||
| Texas State University and went on to work at the Texas Employment | ||
| Commission and the Villager newspaper; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1987, Mr. Evans launched his own newspaper, NOKOA | ||
| The Observer, with a dual Swahili and English title; the | ||
| publication covered progressive politics and championed activism | ||
| from an Afrocentric perspective for a multicultural audience; | ||
| despite an increasingly challenging media environment, he | ||
| continued to produce the paper for more than three decades; in | ||
| addition, he cohosted a weekly talk show, The Breakfast Club, on FM | ||
| radio station KAZI; he was a member of the Texas Publishers | ||
| Association, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and | ||
| Alpha Phi Alpha; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Evans served his fellow citizens in numerous | ||
| other capacities as well; he was a member of the board of the | ||
| Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, and he worked tirelessly to | ||
| ensure greater representation for African Americans in Austin's | ||
| civic life, particularly in regard to development issues; moreover, | ||
| he enhanced cultural awareness by lecturing at area universities, | ||
| reciting poetry, and organizing celebrations for Kwanzaa, Black | ||
| History Month, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Deeply devoted to his family and his community, | ||
| Akwasi Evans made a meaningful difference in the lives of his loved | ||
| ones and fellow citizens alike, and his contributions will be | ||
| fondly remembered for years to come; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Akwasi Rozelle | ||
| Evans and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: | ||
| to his daughter, Sherilyn R. Scott-Blackburn, and her husband, Kirk | ||
| Angelo Blackburn; to his grandchildren, Dainisha Tache' Scott, | ||
| Taylor D'Angela Blackburn, Hren D'Angelo Blackburn, and Jordan | ||
| O'rion Blackburn; to his great-grandsons, Prince Jayson-Alexander | ||
| Trahan and Caspian De'Marcus Graham; and to his other relatives and | ||
| friends; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
| Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Akwasi | ||
| Evans. | ||
| Cole | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1479 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on May 10, 2019. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
