VOL. 53, NO. 26 • APRIL 12 - 18, 2018
Clock Ticking for D.C. Residents - Tax Returns Due Tuesday, April 17
Ward 7 Celebrates Exemplary Women
Brandy to Headline Emancipation Day 2018 Concert, story on page 37
Violent Crimes Drop in District Despite Uptick in Homicides
Cherry Blossoms Dominate the Horizon
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Local Stars Continue to Make a Difference By Barrington M. Salmon Special to the Washington Informer The service, sacrifices and stellar examples of women who care for and about their community often receive short shrift because of those who dominate the national scene. But that’s not the case in the District’s Ward 7 where the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Inc. [ERFSC] has paused for the last five years to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of women who
WOMEN Page 39
5 A sign of the times – Spring is very near! The Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and on the grounds of the Washington Monument reached peak bloom on April 5. The blooms are expected to last at least until April 14. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter
Aminta Breaux, New Bowie State University President
Maryland’s Oldest HBCU Hires First Female Leader
By Brenda C. Siler Contributing Staff Writer
5 Aminta Breaux, president of Bowie State University. /Courtesy photo
This is a historic time for Bowie State University. Aminta Breaux will become the university’s president this week, the first woman to do so in the school’s 153-year history. Breaux has actually been on board since July, but her role becomes official with Thursday’s inauguration activities, headed by Rep. Steny Hoyer (DMd). As she prepares to fully take the reins of Maryland’s first historically Black institution of higher learn-
ing, Breaux spoke with The Informer about her vision for BSU: Washington Informer: What is the significance of you serving as the first female president at BSU? Aminta Breaux: My role begins a new era for the university signaling more inclusive and diverse talent across all populations throughout this region and the country. Furthermore, it is an honor and privilege to serve in this capacity knowing that I stand on the shoulders of other African-American women chief executive officers in higher education — women such as Mary McCleod Bethune, who founded Bethune
BOWIE Page 34
Violent crimes are down overall in the District over the first quarter of 2018, according to new Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) statistics. MPD noted homicides slightly rose in the first three months of the new year, violent crimes reported to the police decreased by 12 percent, or 929 from the 1,058 at the same timeframe a year ago. However, the number rose for homicides and robberies with a gun used in the crimes.Homicides increased from 28 a year ago to 32 this year — up nearly 14 percent — while the number of gun robberies in the first quarter rose from 184 in 2017 to 199 this year, an eight percent increase. As the nation observed the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death on April 4, the late civil rights leader’s son, Martin Luther King III, spoke passionately about crime in the District and around the nation. He recalled the 39th anniversary of the March on Washington with Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in 2000. At the gathering, leaders focused on the issue of police brutality and misconduct and King noted that he, Sharpton and others had gained momentum in having federal legislation pushed through Congress. “But six to eight months later,
CRIME Page 17
Celebrating 53 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area