Veteran's Affairs Plus W/ David L. Washington

Speaker 1 0:00
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Speaker 1 0:41
You can see what's going on what's going on? What's going on?

Speaker 2 0:54
Good morning, Las Vegas. This adventures fares plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington. Your hosts have a couple of guests that we'll have on shortly. Andrei Harris is one and Camila bywaters will be our second caller in today. This is a show that we try to talk about a few things that are going on in community particularly I like to wish people well on their birthdays. And as I mentioned last week, and I'll do it again our eldest daughter April's birthday is this month Happy Birthday, April I forget how many years it is and I'm sure you don't want me to say it over the air anyway. Also, condolences. I like to just mention again, that we lost a number of community folks that have done tremendous work in our community. One a tremendous athlete Larry Phillips services with just a few weeks ago. And recently Miss Johnny Harris. The C live Elizabeth Harris s mucha he Ramadan formerly air Turner's mom, she was 105 were told and still in control of of faculty. So that is a God given blessing. And then Miss Gertrude and we call a bird Harris who recently passed away in our services, our, our, our pending, and then I want to say again about Kota Simmons firefighter 31 plus years with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. And I want to say this about his children, Stacy. And Christopher Christopher in particular, when Colas was down, his sister Stacy was down. My family and I, we talked to Chris a couple of different times. And we just kept it let him know, man, as they say, God will put no more on you than you can handle. And he did a yeoman's job. I mean, there was things that this young man, I'm sure had to do that he had no thoughts that this would ever in it to the path of his life. But he did a tremendous job. And I just wanted to salute you again, Chris. Continue to seek God's blessings, man, because he's gonna bless you more than you ever know, because of the way you took care of your dad, you and sister at the time that she was down. So God bless you both. With that we're going to have our first guest, Andre Harris. How you doing? Andre?

Speaker 3 3:20
I'm doing well. I am doing well. Dave Washington, I am loving life.

Speaker 2 3:24
All right. Wonderful, wonderful. As always, particularly when I have veterans on the show, I like to them to give an indication to our audience of what branch and how long did you serve?

Speaker 3 3:38
I was in the United States Navy. And I served for 31 years,

Unknown Speaker 3:42
31 years and what was your rank?

Speaker 3 3:45
My array is called CES, a culinary specialist. When I came in, in 88, it was called mismanagement specialist that's food service. And then it carries over to the Department of supply. So we supply

Speaker 2 3:58
Okay, and what was your your rank starting out and then as you finished up?

Speaker 3 4:06
I started out in 88 and the E one. And I finished that the E nine and 2019

Speaker 2 4:11
no till it listening audience. Again to civilians out there. They don't know what to eat. And he has

Speaker 3 4:21
a master chief petty officers middle management, and we run our department. My Department of Food Service is between five to 800 people, but I love the supply department. And that's my estimate so you have a good 1525 people to work for you. And then they'll help you manage the load. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 4:43
And where are you from?

Unknown Speaker 4:47
I am from Kansas City, Missouri, born and raised

Speaker 2 4:50
on earth. How did you decide to make it to Las Vegas to move here and have it as your home?

Speaker 3 4:59
Well, one I can tell you the cost of living. When I was I was highly impressed when we saw the cost of living of Nevada versus California. So that was one. And then the second reason, of course, is that Nevada don't touch, don't touch my painting. I had to move here to Las Vegas, the wife and I have been so many times, and we loved it. And we made that our choice in 2019 2019.

Speaker 2 5:29
So, cost of living. Is there any other indicators of why you love this valley? We appreciate it.

Speaker 3 5:40
Well, I've met so many great people, such as yourself, and many others, that are God fearing man, I met many Christians here in the area, and just to hear what they tried to do and what they want to do. And it just excites me to be doing just that. And of course, our kids are grown. So they're less the wife and I have a little time to ourself here in Las Vegas.

Unknown Speaker 6:01
So I mean, surely you guys here?

Speaker 3 6:05
We have two girls. Try and show day 29 and 27. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 6:11
so what are they doing today?

Speaker 3 6:14
They followed their mom's path, they didn't follow that path and joined the military, they followed mom's path and got into the medical field. So my wife and daughters work in the medical field, at the VA hospital. Oh,

Speaker 2 6:29
with a VA hospital. So any any suggestions that you would give one because we do have a number of veterans that listen to the show. And this is Veterans Affairs plus, considering your wife, and maybe I should get her on the air sometime. Anything that you can share with folks out there, again, particularly veterans, as relates to the Veterans Hospital.

Speaker 3 6:55
But what I like about the hospital is that there are many veterans that work there. Right there not all civilians or spouses or daughters, or whatnot. But there are those who have served. And I think that is crucial. I think that is key. They have served. So they take a little more, I would say, responsibility and care and love to really seek you and to help you get the help that you need. It shows a different respect and taking care of your own as we were saying the military. And that's what I like about it. They really have the concern and compassion of my care and my family's care. And I really enjoy that.

Speaker 2 7:36
So your your daughters, they actually work for VA as well. Oh, wow. That's pretty interesting. Yeah.

Speaker 3 7:46
Yes, it is. It is a blessing. Matter of fact, that was one of my prayers to get answered. Brother. I said, I desire my children to be in a career field, whether it's military medical field with their mind by the time well, they may be happy with that.

Speaker 2 8:04
Excellent, excellent. So what do you do in near your spare time is any particular thing that you'd like to involve yourself and, and how you said you did? 30? How many years 30? What was it? 31 years, 31 years, okay. 31

Speaker 3 8:17
years, 31 years, and I, I love the community work, I love work with us. I love work with the elderly. That's something I've always been in my mind I work with the homeless has always been in my heart. And so if I can tell you that I am an ordained minister. I've been in since I was 16. I've been passing since 21. I actually do a little messy work here. We working on Andre Harris ministries in cooperation, we get all our paperwork and things taken care of. But I like to give back to the community. And that's my heart. That's That's my love. And that's what I participate in.

Speaker 2 8:55
So you got any particular groups that you work with now, particularly as it relates to homeless vets or anything like that.

Speaker 3 9:04
We're using we're we're now at one of the youth centers down there as well as one of the homeless shelters down in Las Vegas, but I can't recall the name right now. But but we've been working with them for about two years now. I like to go down there and do different things with them as as long as they allow us to we can go down there and we can do things with them and feed them and we give our toiletry kits and things like they're in blankets, my fraternity, which is capital Lambda Chi, military fraternity, we're here. Arias about seven of us. And like I say it's a military fraternity. So it's all branches of the military of men. We have gotten together and done some things down there and just trying to do some more.

Speaker 2 9:48
Well, I wasn't familiar with any military type fraternity, so give us a little bit more depth on that, if you would, yes,

Speaker 3 9:56
capital in the military for 32 They were birthed out of three officers, three officers that were army to army, one was Air Force. They started this brotherhood because it's something that a lot of fraternities or Schutze organizations have men, because that's the goal. The men that coming out of the military, what? What can we offer men that's coming out of the military or the men that are active? Or the oil reserves? How do we relate to them and help and support them and their families? So that's where the name came from capital and the chi and military fraternity Incorporated. Bennett established ces 2019, July 4 20, I mean, 2013. So we've been trying to do different things in that area, to the brim site, but we've been trying to work in that area. And anywhere that active or reserves or, or bases in the military that are located. We try to help people in each location. So there are people actually on Nellis Air Force Base. And there's those of us like me, that's retired out in the community. We are here doing those type of things and getting people together. And I'm excited about that. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 11:17
Now, so again, this is totally new to me. And I'm just trying to, to figure out so Are there others throughout the military type fraternities or you guys just established this and as you say, it's new in this area. But yeah,

Speaker 3 11:34
it's new, and it's your you because we just the seven of us, that's here. We just moved here. Okay, within the last four years, right, we just moved here. So cabling and cognitive attorney that was established in 2013. By these three gentlemen, who were Air Force and Army. There are actually right at this moment, there's actually five military fraternities. We know we have the D nine fraternities in our colleges and our sororities. So the attorney was established out of Kappa, Lambda Chi, military fraternity, so there's those who have joined and then left and started there. So that's how now there's five military fraternities out there, as well as there are female bodies out the military as well. And they keep their sisterhood going by doing the active things in the community. Our goal is to mentor to you try to mentor those that are still active. And we try to mentor those that we try to get them to come into the military service. So I drive it to show you about our military lifestyle.

Speaker 2 12:50
Right? So how would one make that contact for those veterans who are out there listening to the, to the program this morning.

Speaker 3 13:00
Capital and the current military paternity.org is our website. And they will be the go there and log on to there. And there's ways you can get addresses and contact numbers and different information that is actually listed on there for them to apply. Or just to have a mentor to talk with. That that will take place to that's what outreach Amanda dream comes into place because we get our chips in like that as well. We really work with our youth. Okay.

Speaker 2 13:34
All right. Any advice you generally don't say advice, any suggestions that you might wish to give to anyone out there listening that may be considering the military as a as a career for you.

Speaker 3 13:49
I would recommend the military to all about you, male and female. It helps them find themselves when they're lost and don't know what to do. Because it is a career. And it's a career with benefits. You learn so much. And it's all about learning responsibility, learning yourself worth learning you as an individual, your teamwork, and it's very structured. So military helps those that have a little difficult we structure rules and regulations being on time, things like that. But I would suggest that at all costs. It's a career you have a job that you may love. You have medical benefits, your dental benefits, your housing, travel, retirement plan, your GI Bill, even if it's just coming in for four years, and not doing one years like me. Because you can have your college tuition and you can have medical and dental and travel and get check and guess just give yourself some time to really think what it is you do in life. Who you are See, the military allows you that opportunity without being on the street and homeless. Great. This

Speaker 2 15:07
is Master Sergeant Andre Harris. We appreciate you, young man for being on the show today. And you shared some, some nice jewels there because in fact, I was not aware of fraternities, Mathilde military type fraternity. So thank you for your time and look forward to having you back on the show as you get some of your programs up and running. I appreciate you

Speaker 3 15:28
very much. I appreciate it. Thank you for the opportunity. All

Speaker 2 15:32
right. Once again, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. On the other side, we'll have Camila bywaters.

Speaker 2 15:47
Good morning, once again, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I am Dave Washington, your host. And you know, when I have a relative on I always like to give that disclosure. Miss Camila bywaters. She is my cousin. And I guess when you start running the start running things down. I think we will be second or third because third cousins because her grandmother and my mother or sister so that makes her mother and me first cousins, and then comes in. So hey, just given a little genealogy there. How are you doing this morning?

Unknown Speaker 16:24
I'm doing pretty good. Thank you. Thank you for having me. How are we? How are you doing?

Speaker 2 16:29
I'm doing well. So tell our listening audience a little bit about yourself. Born raised school, etc.

Unknown Speaker 16:40
Sure. Again, my name is Camila bywaters. I'm currently the president of the Las Vegas alliance of black school educators. And we support students and their families with any educational issues or challenges they may may be having in the Clark County School District, and charter schools or private schools. I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I attended and graduated from Rancho High School, I attended and graduated from Howard University and the Howard University School of Divinity. And then after that, I decided to come back home to complete my PhD in education. So now a lot of my work is around education, specifically, my degree will be in special education.

Speaker 2 17:25
So you're pursuing the PhD now you're saying? Yes,

Unknown Speaker 17:29
that's correct. I have about one more year left. Okay, then I will look into work in higher education.

Speaker 2 17:37
So what is your particular role right now? Not speaking of bapta yet, but in the district.

Unknown Speaker 17:45
So currently, I don't care. Right now for the Clark County School District. I'm a substitute teacher. Okay. I am a licensed special education teacher. And when I first started teaching, I worked in the Clark County School District for about three years. And then I went to work in DC public schools for a year. So I'm not a full time teacher, I just at this time have decided to support teachers as a substitute on days that I can go and serve and help out. Okay.

Speaker 2 18:15
And President of libav See, the black eyes of school educators that they've been around for a number of years, because I recall some of the folks that I used to work with, in fact, there was something called Beat con, it was where they would do a graduation ceremony for graduating seniors at one of the major churches because there was so many students, and I recall being involved with Miss Eva Simmons Banagher it was Banaras. Last Name, Dr. Benoit. Anyway, that was

Unknown Speaker 18:51
Dr. Hamilton, Bernard

Speaker 2 18:53
Hamilton, Dr. Bernard Hamilton. It was a number of folks that I worked with, you know, myself being in the fire service, but yet I know how important education is and to get our our youth actively involved and have a greater appreciation for education. I'm reading a book right now. It's called Jim crows, pink slip. And it talks about the displacement. I'll send it to you because it's something that it shows what was done to black educators up into even the 70s particularly down south they were dismissing principals and, and school teachers who were doing a tremendous job. But that's during that period of time where desegregation was coming into play. And there was a lot of folks saying, Oh, we're doing that that ain't gonna happen. So, they did everything to remove, I mean, people with Master's and PhD degrees from from the administrative position as well as classroom positions it is it is something that will help make your head It's been when you when you read it and just know something. And these are statistics that were found that the federal government was keeping as well as state education programs. And I know that there's a number of them that kind of help the government things going along the path of the career field of education. So in that capacity, and I recall seeing you up a couple months ago, where there was something that was occurring at Faith Lutheran Church, that you got quite a bit of airplay, addressing those issues at that school.

Unknown Speaker 20:42
Yes, so we did receive a call from some parents about some, some black parents about the challenges that they were having at the state Lutheran High School, we have in the past, we've built, you know, done our best to build a relationship with the leadership, their parents felt that their issues were not being addressed in regards to the N word being used in the curriculum. And it was used in a very offensive way, we know that there's, there's a controversy around across the nation about the banning of books. So I know that there's my literature teachers, they would not agree with the banning of books. However, I do think it's important that we look at the types of books that are being used to portray who black people are. So after looking at some of the texts that were sent to live ATSI, we agreed with the parents that the use of the N word was very inappropriate. It didn't, it showed black people always as inferior in these in these lessons. So we supported the families and gathered up the meeting to address so that the parents could have an opportunity to address their concerns with the leadership, the leadership seems to be very open, um, we're actually still doing follow up, I plan to do a follow up before in the next couple of weeks, just to make sure that the parents have, you know, that they're satisfied and that the school is doing what they said they would do to support black families in their school,

Speaker 2 22:27
it was interesting to see the dynamics of the conversation, you know, trying to get things accomplished and have people to understand the harm that is being done to a percentage of your student body. And I think you did, you're doing a good job. And to hear that you're following up. I think it's important for our listening audience to understand and appreciate that because, like I said, You got quite quite a bit of airplay on on the various local news channels. Yes,

Unknown Speaker 22:55
yeah, it is important. I think that's one thing that is what I love about live XE. And I also want to acknowledge Tracy Lewis, who's the vice president of the organization, we really do our best to ensure that we follow up, some issues may take a little longer for individuals to see the results that they want. Some issues require that a parent's in this and students, they might have opportunity to file different types of type of complaints with the state. Some families are going through some situations that are so egregious that they really should seek lawyer advice. But we do our best as advocates to ensure that we follow up and that we do our due diligence, to number one, ensure that parents and students have their voices heard, because often what we're finding is from the complaints that we're getting from families, that they're doing their part they're calling the schools are calling the school leadership. They're making the complaint, but oftentimes families don't feel like that that customer service is there and that their concerns are being heard.

Speaker 2 24:08
Tell us about your organization again. And is there any recruitment that you're that you're attempting to do in terms of getting more folks involved? Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker 24:19
You know, we're always looking for volunteers to support the Las Vegas alliance of black school educators. And the organization was originally founded in 1989 by the late Herschel Williams, and you know, like you've already mentioned Eva Simmons. So you know, we give a lot of respect to Eva Simmons and also former trustees as a young for their, their work with live XP in the past continued support. If anyone is interested in reaching out, you can always look at our website, it's live xt.org That's L V A bsc.org. And however we can support We're families and students, whenever they're having issues, we're just a mile away. And we, whenever we can show up, we do our best to come. But volunteers are always essential, because parents want to see that the community has their back. And we've been able to partner we've built like partnerships with other organizations in Nevada, like vote Nevada, the National Action Network, we've been able to build partnerships with other organizations who are doing work in other spaces, just to show our families that, you know, when we when we say, as a community, we're going to back you up, we do our best to do that. So volunteers are important, because if I could get volunteers to come to meetings, what that does is it shows the schools that we're bringing our grievances to, is that these families or this particular family, and our students have the community support.

Speaker 2 25:59
Community support is absolutely essential to getting things done, and and again, being heard by those who are in those leadership roles who have the power to make significant changes, that's going to be helpful to all ethnic groups, I think it's something that's vitally important. Now, one other thing is, as we're starting to wind down our time, I'm hearing that you are giving some consideration to Office running for one of the offices that deals with education. Is that true? That

Unknown Speaker 26:32
is true. So I am planning to run for the board of school trustees in District II. And that area is some of its Summerlin, a little bit of Spring Valley, and some of the Blue Diamond areas. So I look forward to one just introducing myself and to the community. And, you know, sharing my platform with voters, but then yes, that is my plan. I am. I'm working on my campaign plan now and getting started as we speak. So

Speaker 2 27:05
why do you feel it's important for you, in particular, to run for a trustee position?

Unknown Speaker 27:14
That's a great question. I think, you know, I definitely believe in timing. I have been doing this work and edgy in the educational space for a while now since I've restarted and reorganized was actually back in 2010. So we reorganized again, in 2020, I've had an opportunity to really get my feet wet a little bit more and really to understand the concerns of the community. As we all know, there are challenges across the country with education. And specifically here in the Clark County School District. We are not our students achievement is below 50% In math, and English language arts. And this is a perfect opportunity for me to share my my knowledge and learning in the field of education. I think that I have like kind of like a leg up or a little advantage because I study education. I understand my student achieved me I understand how to support our district in regard to providing some strategies for increasing student achievement. And I also because I'm boots on the ground, I understand like the needs of our teachers, our students and our families, by I think it's time for me to really step in in this leadership role, and to help support our district.

Speaker 2 28:47
All right, thank you for your time. This is Camila Bywater. She's president of the FC the blacks, Alliance of school educators. We appreciate your time and wish you will in your pursuit of Office that you will go there and will represent I believe was a district D you said your other district D Yes. All right. Thank you for coming on as I guess and once again, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more, and encourage you veterans out there who may need help to call Tony Marshal, our certified now. Service Officer at 301-537-9465 hikers Thank you.

Unknown Speaker 29:28
Thank you so much.

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