KCEL Corporation

06/03/2026

We have launched a new series of conversations on Good Morning Tobago.

Join Karen and me as we explore the African Diaspora from the perspective of Tobago and the wider nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Together, we will discuss history, migration, identity, culture, opportunity, and the continuing connections between Africa, the Caribbean, and the global Diaspora.

Register for upcoming sessions here:

https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/KCEL-NETWORK

05/27/2026

Reality Check: Beyond the Election

Congratulations to Congressman-elect Menefee on earning the confidence of the people of Texas Congressional District 18.

At the same time, appreciation and respect are due to Congressman Al Green and to all those who have carried the legacy of this district across generations.

District 18 has never been ordinary.

For some of us, it has represented something larger than elections.

It has represented possibility.

One observation remains with me:

Strong movements preserve enough resilience to continue building after the contest is over.

The people and the party are often connected—but they are not always asking the same questions.

The people ask:
What becomes possible now?

Houston may be uniquely positioned to answer.

This city stands at the intersection of neighborhoods and nations.
Energy and education.
Migration and memory.
Local communities and the global Diaspora.

As a resident alien who chose to build a life through scholarship, planning, public service, and institution-building in Houston—and as a proud Texas Southern University alumnus (MCP ’89; Ph.D., UPEP ’12)—I have long viewed this city not simply as a place to live, but as a place to contribute.

Part of that contribution included helping introduce and expand GIS and systems-based approaches to strengthen public service delivery—not only in Houston, but across the broader Houston–Galveston region and its thirteen-county planning area.

At the same time, Congressional District 18 has remained integral to my family and to my understanding of what public leadership can mean.

Much of that journey occurred through years connected to work surrounding the Mickey Leland Center and its archives—helping preserve civic memory, congressional history, and public purpose across generations.

That experience taught me something:

The greatest legacy of District 18 is not political office.

Its greatest legacy is the ability to convert public leadership into public possibility.

Mickey Leland demonstrated that vision can attract resources, align institutions, and create outcomes larger than any single office.

That lesson still matters.

Years ago, a concept emerged for the Mickey Leland Museum of Public Affairs—not as a monument to one person, but as a living institution intended to preserve and activate the broader public legacy of District 18 through all walks of life and through all who helped shape its story.

Perhaps that conversation belongs to another season.

But moments of transition are often moments of imagination.

Congratulations again to Congressman-elect Menefee.

Build broad tables.
Protect trust.
Think globally while acting locally.

The foundations already exist.

The opportunity now is to realize what comes next—transforming challenges into possibility and allowing service to become opportunity realized.

Follow the focal points.

—Michael Anthony Rodriguez, Ph.D., MCP
Texas Southern University Alumnus
Founder & CEO,

05/19/2026

Good Morning Tobago.
MichaelAnthony will be presenting the Third Reading of:
“Big Dog @ KCELCORP:
A Story About Standing, Presence, and the Prime Directive.” follow the Journey here
https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/KCEL-NETWORK
Oneahwe.

05/16/2026

Good Morning Tobago.

Greetings Friends and Family, Kit and Kin from wherever this moment may find you.

I am Tony Rome.

This is the KCEL Network and the beginning of what we are calling Good Morning Tobago.

To be honest, the plan was to wait.

The plan was to wait until the page reached 100 followers.
The plan was to formally launch on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
The plan was to prepare a little longer and structure everything more carefully.

But sometimes life moves in real time.

Over the last few days, the story “Big Dog at KCELCORP” began touching people in ways I did not fully expect. Early morning phone calls and messages from readers made me realize something very simple:

Maybe this is the moment.

So this evening, I will share the piece live on Good Morning Tobago — Saturday Evening.

The reading begins at approximately 6:05 pm.

If you would like to join, you can register here:

KCEL Network Webinar Registration [https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/KCEL-NETWORK]

The reading is called:

“Big Dog at KCELCORP:
A Story About Standing, Presence, and the Prime Directive.”

The full written piece will be uploaded following the reading.

And maybe somewhere inside this story, you may hear a part of your own story too.

Welcome to Good Morning Tobago.

Oneahwe.

05/16/2026

Interesting story.

Inspired by a recent post circulating online about workforce housing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

A billionaire purchasing housing to protect local workers in a tourism-driven economy is being celebrated nationally — and rightly so.

What many people may not realize is that smaller mission-driven operators across the Caribbean and the United States have been quietly trying to hold similar lines for years, often without institutional backing or large-scale financing.

In 2020, KCELCORP purchased the Bunker Hill Guest House in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. As tourism rentals expanded rapidly, many local workers increasingly found themselves priced out of the very communities they helped sustain.

One conversation changed our perspective permanently:
A community cannot survive if the people who serve it can no longer live within it.

That philosophy continues shaping conversations around Shepherd’s House in Tobago and the broader KCEL Network vision — exploring how tourism, culture, hospitality, and community can grow together without losing the people at the center of the story.

The challenge has never been vision.
The challenge has been scale.

Still, small operators continue to hold the line.

Original story:
"facebook.com" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/0)

— Michael Anthony Rodriguez, Ph.D.

05/09/2026

It's a Great Day in Bacolet Gardens

06/01/2024

It seems expanding the court, statistically, makes lots of sense. Even before the partisanship of the court became evident. The bigger issue may be the total power of the justices and unchecked power also. There must be an accountability system that ties back to 'we the people'. The power of people rest in the vote. Yet rather than strenghtenning that power, the court has eaten away at the one thing necessary for a strong democracy. As such the people are laid impotent when it comes to the court. Increasing the number may help in respect to the current bias posture of the court. But that can fall apart at any number. The probability is less if the court is expanded but it remains. Every eight years the people should have a mechanism to evaluate or vote of approval or simply grade the system. The ethics of the justices should be at the highest and without compromise. Instead, the justices are constantly bending rules everyone else must follow. Maybe before the size issue is addressed, the life-time appointments should be given consideration. Also, what about a mechanism to remove a judge for cause. The notion of self-accountability is clearly not working. For example, Several Judges are abusing their positions and snubbing their noses at accepted norms. They do not care about the integrity of the court. Judge Thomas, has been self-dealing, three judges lied to get into office. Each of the latter should be cause to be put to the people. Our democracy, the experiment, is pressed in all directions. The things that were once stable, the expectation of following norms, these are no longer the case. Change is needed in many spectrums of our democracy. We need to adjust to the societal norms and abilities and respond to change for our society to grow and survive. It is time for Democracy 3.0.

Read more here.

01/03/2024

Very important information. Just the same, should be taken from the perspective that the entirety of the Houston area was founded on speculation of building a major settlement on what was primarily marshland connected by many natural bayous that experienced major floodings. As such it is important to connect the natural occurrences and then the administrative choices. It is no secret that race-based politics have driven public services for decades. One example is the land speculation and gentrification of communities that were once relegated to poor housing is now the place to be. We are in a time where the once so-called 'Ghetto' is now the place to be. The latter is a reality all across the United States metropolitan sectors. Once Planners fall in love with Planning Again (Michael Silver) maybe we can see a resurgence of hope and opportunity for all rather than reacting and reporting change after the fact.

Low-income housing advocates Texas Housers uses maps to report on inequities in housing quality for low-income renters in the Houston area.

03/17/2023

One Africa, One Unity, One Love

Promoting Africa’s growth and economic development by championing citizen inclusion and increased cooperation and integration of African states.

01/02/2023

I found this on NewsBreak: Award-Winning Actress-Singer Bette Midler Shared Fake News On Texas Governor Abbott
https://share.newsbreak.com/2p5wmzwh. Sorry this is not fake news. It was clear the italics was from someone other than the Governor. It was meant as a point of irony. Every reader new the Governor did not makebthe statement about migrants. But we also new that is what happened. Do some reporting. Ask the Governor if he has a better plan or is his only play is passing the problem to someone else. Amazing he was actually elected to govern.

Christmas is over, but award-winning actress and singer Bette Midler shared a tweet that gained over 7 million likes. And, the tweet was fake news. The tweet was about Texas Governor Greg Abbott.