The Washington Informer - May 25 2017

Shawne

Merriman

VOL. 52, NO. 32 • MAY 25 - 31, 2017

DCTAG Has Money for College. Apply by June 30th!

Expands From the NFL to Fashion

Slain Student Honored at Bowie State Graduation

Vigil Held for Richard Collins III

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

NAACP Page 11

Vito Made It International Street Sty le & More!

Don't Miss the WI Bridge Center Section

APRIL 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

NAACP Shakeup Needed, Observers Say The NAACP dismissed Cornell William Brooks as its president as the more than century-old civil rights organization seeks what its board calls a "systemwide refresh." And, while experts and others said the organization remains relevant, a shakeup and clear direction should be the goal going forward. "People are saying, 'I know what you're against, but what are you for?' Most people

Designer Behind Elegant Erkel Speaks

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

Charnice Milton was a bookworm, her father said. She read incessantly, educating herself not only to become an outstanding journalist, but a civic-minded individual who enjoyed life, he said. Now, thanks to her father, Kenneth McClenton, officials at We Act Radio and others, the new Charnice A. Milton Community Bookstore has started accepting book donations. On Saturday, May 27, a kickoff event is planned in honor of the slain journalist who died after being shot two years ago as she waited for a bus in Southeast. "My daughter would be absolutely astonished, thank-

Bowie State University student Richard Collins III had dreams of following his father's footsteps into a career in the military. He also was set to graduate Tuesday, May 23 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Unfortunately, neither happened. Collins was fatally stabbed early Saturday morning, May 20, while waiting for a ride-sharing service with two friends at a bus stop at the University of Maryland in College Park, just three days before the 23 year old would have graduated from Bowie. At the commencement ceremony Tuesday, a black cap with a bottled water was laid on a chair to honor Collins. Collins' family walked on stage to receive his degree posthumously along with the other 649 students who received their bachelor's and master's degrees. At the beginning of ceremony, Bowie State President Mickey L. Burnim led a moment of silence for Collins. "Being a father and a grandfather myself, I feel the need to sorrow for what his parents and those who knew and loved him must be going through," he said. "I pray in God's comfort for his family and for all of us who are in mourning." The historically black university's commencement was held at the Xfin-

BOOKSTORE Page 29

VIGIL Page 38

5 Hundreds of students, alumni and other supporters attend a candlelight vigil May 22 to honor Richard Collins III who would have graduated from the school May 23. /Photo by Demetrious Kinney

Anacostia Bookstore Named in Honor of Slain Journalist By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

5 Ms. District of Columbia Emma P. Ward brings books to the new Charnice Milton Community Bookstore on May 17 in Southeast. /Photo by Roy Lewis

Celebrating 52 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area

Now Published by Dr. Charles Vincent

Her Legacy Continues.

In memory of Mickey Thompson Vincent, Founder and Publisher.

Dr. Charles & “Mickey” Vincent

Vincent Orange, President and CEO of the Dc Chamber of Commerce with Participants

DC Chamber of Commerce 2017 Small Business & Economic Development Summit

The International Spy Museum served as the venue for the final reception of the 2017 Small Business & Economic Development Summit. The Honorable Vincent Orange (Pres & CEO) of the D.C. Chamber presided. The Summit included information on business and engagement opportunities and workshops on business development and contracting. The Awardees were: CRP Corp (Small Business of the Year), Robert Kinsler (Small Business Person of the Year),Abiud Zerubabel (Young Entrepreneur of the Year), Girl’s on the Run (Non-Profit Organization of the Year), DC Dept. Small & Local Business Dev. (Small Business Champion of the Year), Loretta Caldwell (Woman in Business Champion of the Year). For further info: dcchamber.org

Social Sightings - THE MAGAZINE Subscribe www.SocialSightings.com Kendra Handy/Editor Dr. Charles Vincent/Photographer Brian Young/Graphic Designer l

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Social Sightings-The Column is published in the Hill Rag, DC Mid-City, East of the River Journals, The Washington Informer Newspaper and in the Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlingnton, Loudoun Woman Magazines 2003 © SOCIAL SIGHTINGS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED — DUPLICATION IN ANY FORM REQUIRES WRITTEN PERMISSION | E-mail SocialSightings@aol.com

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PG County................................12-13 Business.................................... 14-15 National...........................................16 International..................................17

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Around the Region...................5-11

Health ......................................18-20 Education ...............................22-23 WI Bridge..........................Center OpEd........................................25-27 Lifestyle.................................. 28-35 Sports...................................... 36-37 Religion...........................................39 SPORTS / PAGE 37

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around the region

W I HBreak O T the T OCycle P I C of S Women Domestic Violence

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

COMPILED BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR / WI EDITOR

Prince George’s Programs Seek to Increase Homeownership

By Tia Carol Jones

www.washingtoninformer.com

law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said. housing officials hope recently implemented program had acome together to bring a Among the programs Marlow will boost homeownership. The Pathway plan in allows sensetoofPurchase uniformity the qualified way wants to see implemented are When L.Y. Marlow'sto23-yearvictims andandstricter restraining order policies, first-time homeowners borrow updomestic to $10,000violence for a down payment old daughter toldaher the fatherinterest survivors are treated. closing cost with zero-percent loan. Unlike previous housing pro-more rights for victim's families ofgrams her that daughter threatened herin certain “She's usinginher personal designated borrowers locations theown county, Pathwayto intervene on behalf of a viclife, and the life of their child, story, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assessto Purchase allows applicants to seek a home anywhere. One of the requireshe knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further ments with the program includes a person must participate in a minimum done. Out of her frustration said about Marlow. eight-hour housing counseling course. Also, income requirements must falltraining for law enforcement with law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protec51 percent 80 percent area median income. A loan will be ofbetween the situation, shetodecided to of the who reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counselforgiven after 10 years. For more information, http://www.princegeorstart the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” go Sheto said she “puts the ing for batterers. gescountymd.gov/2598/Pathway-to-Purchase. paign. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradi“It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must that won't turn my family end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin. loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vicshared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow Wizards point guard John Wall can add anence at the District Heights Also Washington present at the event All-Star was said. Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred otherMuhammad, personal accomplishment to his list.would The NBA named the exMarlow also like to seeWall, on May 7 at the District Heights wife 26, of John Muhammad, programslast designed to raise as anAllen All-NBA third team selection week to become the first Municipal Center. The sympo- who was sentenced six consecawareness childrenselection in Wizards playertosince Gilbert Arenas to getamong the third-team sium was sponsored by the utivesince life terms withoutseason. paroleWallpublic andcareer private schools. She asthe 2005-06 achieved highs in points, Family and Youth Services by a Maryland his goal role in feels children need educatsists, stealsjury andfor field percentage. He’s also onetoofbethree players Center of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. in the league to average a double-double this season in points and Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad is “We in have to stop being assists. He led the Eastern Conference assists and led the pasWizards Up of Black Women. the founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilto secure 49 regular season games, the most in nearly 40 years. “It is a Marlow has written a book, an organization that helps the dren about domestic violence,” great honor to be named to the All-NBA team for the first time,” he “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic violence Marlow said. said in a statement. “Although this is an individual award, I consider story about four generations of and their children. Marlow has worked to break it to be a team accomplishment a reflection domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for six years. Six theand cycle of abuse of in the her success family, and we had inspired by her own experiences, yearsimprovement in fear is a long time.this It season.” is and is confident the policies she and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into “I will not stop until these poliwonEvents the 2007 Nationalto“Best theelected victim'sofficials life, and cies are passed.” DC continues work with andunderstand agencies Books” she may effort be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached at bothAward. the District and federal levelsthat in a concerted to develop was just 16-years-old whenRFKmode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net a“Iunified vision for a revitalized Stadium-Armory – one of the my eye first my “Before you get 'I'm going District’s mostblackened significantand redevelopment opportunities in atogeneration. lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill it started as a verbal WI And while they have been participating in you,' Advisory Neighborhood Elaine Davis-Nickens, presiCommission meetings for Wards 6 and 7, they want to hear from the dent of the National Hook-Up for additional and conversation. ofcommunity Black Women, said theresuggestions is no Do you want to know about updates on the project and share your consistency in the way domestic input? Ifissues so, Events DC invites violence are dealt with you by to several upcoming meetings: June 12, 7 p.m., Citizens Advisory Council at the Sixth District MPD Station; June 13, 6:30 p.m., ANC 7D, Dorothy Height Neighborhood Library; and June 29, 11:30 a.m., Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, location to be determined. With the demolition of RFK Stadium scheduled as part of the redevelopment plans, Events DC is working with the Kennedy family to reimagine the space, create a lasting legacy honoring Robert F. Kennedy and breathe new life into the campus that will benefit youth, residents and guests alike. For questions or additional information, visit Events DC at rfkcampusfuture.com.

PrinceWriter George’s WI Staff

Visit our updated Web site and give us your comments for a chance to win a gift from The Washington Informer Email comments to: rburke@ washingtoninformer.com

Wizards John Wall Makes All-NBA Third Team

Community Invited to Weigh-in on Stadium-Campus Redevelopment Efforts

Wilhelmina J. Rolark In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark THE WASHINGTON INFORMER PUBLISHER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published THE WASHINGTON INFORMER Denise Rolark Barnes published on each Thursday.postage weeklyweekly on Thursday. Periodicals paid at Washington, D.C. and additional Periodicals Washingmailing postage offices. paid Newsat and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. ton,Announcements D.C. and additional mailing of- twoSTAFF must be received weeks prior to event. Copyright 2000 by The fices.Washington News andInformer. advertising All deadline rights reserved. POST McNeir, MASTER:Editor Send change of addressD. Kevin is Monday to publication. Anes to Theprior Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing D.C. 20032. Nobe partreceived of this publication may be reproduced without writtenDirector permisnouncements must two Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor the return of sionprior fromto the publisher. The2016 Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee weeks event. Copyright Subscription rates All are $30Lafayette per year, two years $45. willPhoto be received by photographs. The Washington Informer. Barnes, IV, Papers Assistant Editor notreserved. more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: rights POSTMASTER: Send John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor change of addresses to The WashDorothyINFORMER Rowley, Online Editor THE WASHINGTON ington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther 3117 Luther King, Ave., S.E. • Washington, D.C.&20032 King, Jr. Ave., S.E.Martin Washington, D.C. Jr. ZebraDesigns.net, Design Layout Phone: 202 • Fax: 202 574-3785 20032. No part of this publication may561-4100 Mable Neville, Bookkeeper E-mail: news@washingtoninformer.com be reproduced without written permisDr. Charles Vincent, Social Sightings columnist www.washingtoninformer.com sion from the publisher. The Informer Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are Angie PUBLISHERJohnson, Circulation $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will Denise Rolark Barnes be received not more than a week after REPORTERS STAFF REPORTERS publication. Make checks payable to: Brooke N. Garner Managing Editor Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell,Will Ford Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Carla Peay Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, THE WASHINGTON INFORMER (Prince George’s County Ron Burke Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, JosephWriter), Young 3117Mable Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Bookkeeper Whittaker Hamil Harris, Tatyana Hopkins, Jade JamesWashington, D.C. 20032 LaNita Wrenn Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS Gist, D. Kevin McNeir, Lauren Poteat, Phone: 202De561-4100 John E. Freitas Sports Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Dorothy Rowley, Sarafina Wright Fitzgerald, (General Fax:Victor 202 Holt 574-3785 Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice news@washingtoninformer.com Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert Assignment Writer) Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster www.washingtoninformer.com Ridley, Victor Holt

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4 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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“

We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our Kennedy Center to Hold Week-long laws. I will not100th stopBirthday until Celebration to Honor JFK’s The late President John F. Kennedy would have markedpassed. his 100th birthday these policies are

“

In Memoriam The Washington Informer Dr. CalvinNewspaper W. Rolark, Sr.

on May 29, 2017 had he lived. And to honor the anniversary of the birth of their L.Y.celebration Marlow last namesake, the Kennedy Center, which kicked off its Centennial May, will host a week-long celebration with special performances memorializing Kennedy’s life and legacy, beginning Tuesday, May 22. Programs will include the National Symphony Orchestra in concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Washington Ballet performing “Frontier,” a Memorial Day concert, a Kennedy Center open house and more. By the end of 2017, the Kennedy Center will have presented a suite of more than 50 distinct programs inspired by five ideals often ascribed to Kennedy: courage, freedom, justice, service and gratitude. Go to the Center’s JFK Centennial website for more information. WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

AROUND THE REGION

D.C. Council Moves to Convert Office Space Into Housing By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer The affordable housing crisis has driven the D.C. Council to think outside of box and find ways to expand access to affordable housing with the city's available resources. At-large Council member Robert C. White Jr. introduced a bill last week during a Committee of the Whole meeting that would require the city to develop a task force to determine whether the conversion of office buildings into residential spaces with below-market rate rental units would help make affordable housing more available in the District. The bill, known as the Office to Affordable Housing Task Force Act of 2017, calls for a task force of 11 members including affordable housing advocates, engineers, for-profit developers, city agencies and a low-income renter to determine whether the transition of existing vacant commercial space to affordable units would address the city's shortage of such units. "We know that we are still losing affordable housing at a frantic pace as more people are moving into the city and many old apartments are rehabbed and turned into expensive luxury housing that many residents simply cannot afford," White said. "While we are

investing millions of dollars into affordable housing strategies, the tools we have at our disposal right now are still falling short." He said that in the city, office buildings have a higher vacancy rate than residential buildings as many businesses move out of traditional office spaces and into smaller, collaborative work spaces. According the bill, each member will be appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, subject to confirmation by the council, and will serve the task force without compensation except for expenses incurred while serving the task force. The bill requires the task force report its determination on the viability of the transitions; a list of recommended legal, regulatory and zoning changes to carry out the conversations if deemed a viable solution to the affordable housing crisis; and an estimated cost. "Office to apartment conversions are happening in D.C. and across the country, so we know this can work," White said. "However, they are still rare because government has not actively removed the barriers in a proactive way." The bill was referred to the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization. WI

"Office to apartment conversions are happening in D.C. and across the country, so we know this can work. However, they are still rare because government has not actively removed the barriers in a proactive way."

5 Unused office space may soon be converted into affordable housing.

/Courtesy photo

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AROUND THE REGION

WEEK OF MAY 25 - 31, 2017 MAY 25

1980 – Vernon Jordan, then-president of the Na1878 – World-renowned dancer Bill "Bojangles" tional Urban League, is critically injured in attempted assassination in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Robinson is born in Richmond, Virginia.

MAY 30

MAY 26

1799 – Famous black Russian writer Alexander 1854 – Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act Sergeyevich Pushkin, known as the "father of Rus- that repealed the Missouri Compromise and opened the Northern territories to slavery. More specifically, sian Literature," is born in Moscow. it allowed Whites in Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether or not slavery would be allowed in the territories. 1903 – Countee Cullen, one of the most outstanding poets in the history of black America, is born.

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1921 – The Tulsa Riots begin in Oklahoma. Whites go on a violent rampage lasting several days. When the rioting was over, an estimated 21 whites and 60 Vernon Jordan blacks were dead. In addition, as many as 15,000 blacks were left homeless as hundreds of homes and 1949 – Pam Grier, one of the premier black ac- businesses were burned to the ground. The area beartresses and top sex symbols of the 1970s, is born in ing the brunt of the destruction was known as the "Black Wall Street" because of its large number Winston-Salem, North Carolina. of African-American-owned busiMAY 27 1958 – Ernest Green graduates from Central High nesses.. WI School in Little Rock, Arkansas, becoming the first black to do so. Green was a member of the "Little Rock Nine," the group of black students who first integrated the high school with the aid of federal troops.

MAY 28

2010 – The book "The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa" is released, revealing that Israel aided the racist regime of South Africa and supported providing chemical and nuclear weapons to them for possible use against the country's majority black population. The documents were discovered by American scholar Sasha Polakow-Suransky. The MAY 29Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell

Education 1851Special – Sojourner Truth Lawyer delivers her "Ain't I A Woman?" speech to the Ohio Women's •Does your child have a learning or otherRights disability? Convention. •Is your child failing in school, especially in reading? 1865 – President Andrew Johnson announces •Has the school repeatedly suspended or sent your child home early? his program of Reconstruction. It required rat•Does feel13th like Amendment, your child’s IEP is not ification ofitthe but didworking? not guarantee black suffrage. Is your child’s school ignoring your questions or concerns? Contact The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell for a free consultation. We serve PAM GRIER children in traditional public schools and public charter schools. We specialize in serving low and moderate income families. Call us at 202.627.6926. See us at www.lawofficeofnigelmatwell.com.

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VIEW P INT By Sarafina Wright

President Trump's new budget proposal will make severe cuts to federal pensions, prisons, food stamps and Medicaid. What are your thoughts?

AROUND THE REGION TAKE METROBUS AND METRORAIL TO THE...

@DCJAZZFEST

DCJAZZFESTIVAL JUNE 9 – 18, 2017

LARRY ARMELIN / ATLANTA, GEORGIA

But there are more white people receiving these benefits than any other race. So, his uneducated, ignorant … followers have shot themselves in the head and foot for voting for this fool. Stupidity at its finest!

MAL LINGARD /

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

Many want to bash Obama, but he never cut programs that hurt people like Trump. Such as cutting Meals on Wheels, which helps feed the elderly, cutting funding to help feed poor children and stopping Michelle Obama's initiative for girls. And now this. And many think he is doing a good job so far? Really? Some say let him do his job. But what job, when he is doing things like this?

REGINA CHAVIS /

WASHINGTON, D.C.

It's not necessarily Trump's proposal. It's the Republican Congress's proposal, and it will happen. They are cold and calculating. They are doing this while the worst president in U.S. history is embroiled in all this chaos with Russia. We need to vote all the traitors out, Congress and all.

TERESA BURCH /

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

He claimed he would help the violent inner cities. If you cut poor people off of what they get, what are they going to do? How are you helping bring down violence? Nothing said about training programs so they can get jobs. Or more funding for building trades, and skilled jobs. No investing in education for literacy, resume writing or interviewing skills. Nothing to help, just to hurt.

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AROUND THE REGION

By D. Kevin McNeir / WI Editor @dkevinmcneir

The World According to Dominic “College Grads Display Courage in Refuting Divisive Messengers”

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I really don’t remember who spoke at my college graduations. I do recall that I didn’t hear anything that leaped out at me. Nothing was said that moved my emotional radar. No one shared profound truths or mind-blowing intuitions. We applauded as was expected, not because of the message we had heard but because of the mounting anticipation of finally receiving our diplomas. Things are quite different these days as a legion of speakers have been trained, groomed, financed and dispatched to college campuses across the country with the blessing of a national conservative group, the Young America’s Foundation, whose mission is to “restore sanity at your schools.” They even provide literature, steadfastly asserting that their goal is to “increase appreciation and support of conservative ideas, not to stir up leftists or Muslims.” But graduates at several colleges, including HBCU Bethune-Cookman University and Notre Dame have recently expressed their displeasure over the selection of the speakers chosen for their commencement services as well as the policies and philosophies those speakers represent. A few weeks ago, students at Bethune-Cookman booed and turned their

backs while Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos searched for common ground, falsely intimating that HBCUs serve as examples of school choice when in fact they were formed because of segregation and inequitable access to education. Even with the university’s president threatening to prematurely end the ceremonies and mail diplomas to the graduates, the students refused to temper their disdain. Vice President Pence has also faced the wrath of protesting graduates at Notre Dame when he returned to Indiana, the state in which he once served as governor, to deliver the commencement address at the home of the Irish. A small contingency of graduates, protesting Pence’s opposition to gay rights, his efforts to prevent Syrian refugees from resettling in Indiana during his governorship, his opposition to sanctuary cities who refuse to enforce federal immigration laws and his support of Trump’s immigration ban, rose as he began his address and quietly exited Notre Dame Stadium. Sometimes, older adults tend to lament over the fashions, foibles, habits and beliefs that we see expressed by many of today’s youth. But maybe we’re dismissing them too readily, criticizing millennials

before making a since effort to really understanding them. After all, during my formative years, young adults were burning bras, flags and draft cards, wearing dashikis, bell-bottoms and hot pants, sporting afros and cornrows and pledging their allegiance to groups of protest including SNCC and the Black Panthers. We had our own methods that we employed to be radical – doing things our way and seeing the world through very different lenses, frequently pushing our parents to the brink. College provides the kind of environment where many young adults finally “find” themselves. During their matriculation, they unearth pathways to undiscovered passions, confront strange, new, provocative ideas and philosophies and meet youth from very different backgrounds, religions and native lands. They grow up. They form their own minds. And so, looking at America’s protesting graduates gives me hope for the future. I’m encouraged by their fervor, their spirit and their determination to speak up and speak out. Maybe, when it’s time for them to take their place as leaders of the world, they’ll be poised to make this an even better place. I think they can do it. I believe they will. WI

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Black Chamber Calls for Trump to Extinguish Paris Climate Agreement By Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer In an open letter published in The Hill dedicated to the Trump administration, The National Black Chamber of Commerce urged President Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement formerly negotiated by President Obama. Citing that the agreement would “undermine” the American economy, Chamber of Commerce President Harry C. Alford referred to the Paris deal as being “skewed” against the U.S. adding that it would impose trillions of dollars of regulatory costs on American businesses, while allowing competitors in China and India to increase their own greenhouse gas emissions. “On behalf of the millions of African Americans who have a stake in the businesses represented by the National Black Chamber of Commerce, I respectfully call on you today to keep yet another critical promise to the American people: Withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement,” Alford wrote. “The U.S. will always have a seat at the table with the United Nations and given our membership in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and with entities such as the Green Climate Fund, what we cannot afford is to willingly sacrifice our place as global economic leader to appease international bureaucrats who would seek to dictate what kinds of energy we use in America and how, when, and why we use them.” During his campaign, Trump promised to cancel the agreement. However, his administration is now debating whether this is still the right path. Alford insists that the president should end the debate and withdraw. The agreement was officially adopted in Sept. 2016 after the U.S. and China formally joined the Paris plan which needed at least 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of global emissions to solidify one of the most notably ambitious climate change agreements in history. In a formal correspondence to the American people, former President Obama remarked on the decision that led the U.S. and China to finally join the Paris Climate Agreement. “We are here together because we believe that for all the challeng-

5 Black Chamber of Commerce

President Harry C. Alford wants Trump to eliminate the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement. /Courtesy photo es that we face, the growing threat of climate change could define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other challenge,” Obama said. “One of the reasons I ran for this office was to make sure America does its part to protect this planet for future generations. Over the past seven and a half years, we’ve transformed the U.S. into a global leader in the fight against climate change. But this is not a fight that any one country, no matter how powerful, can take alone. That’s why last December’s Paris Agreement was so important. Nearly 200 nations came together with a strong, enduring framework to set the world on a course to a low-carbon future,” he said. “There is no shortage of cynics who thought the agreement would not happen. But they missed two big things: The investments that we made to allow for incredible innovation in clean energy, and the strong, principled diplomacy over the course of years that we were able to see pay off in the Paris Agreement. The U.S. and China were central to that effort. Over the past few years, our joint leadership on climate has been one of the most significant drivers of global action.” WI

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– Thurgood Marshall Speech at the White House Conference on Civil Rights, June 1, 1966

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AROUND THE REGION NAACP from Page 1 don't know what the NAACP does anymore," said E. Ethelbert Miller, a literary activist and writer. "Like all institutions right now everything is under examination. I think it's important that the NAACP look at what made it strong in the past." The board needs to get younger and leadership should understand that a more visible media and social media presence must be included, he said. "The NAACP intends to aggressively and nimbly respond to the current climate of political unrest, as well as the assaults upon human and civil rights that threaten our very democracy, as only it can," said NAACP Chairman Leon Russell. "To do so demands that the board of the NAACP ensure that organization has the right plan and the right leadership to address these 21st-century challenges," he said, noting that the civil rights organization has been preparing to rebuild itself. Russell also cited the need to respond to "additional barriers" that black Americans are facing and "confront the realities of today's volatile political, media and social climates." He said the 109-year-old NAACP must face head on issues such as police brutality and voter rights. "That's why we are launching a system wide and strategic revisioning process that will ensure that the NAACP can address these 21st century challenges," Russell said. The NAACP's preeminence has been challenged by the Black Lives Matter movement that sprang up to protest police shootings of African-Americans in recent years and by mass protests against President Donald Trump. The decision not to renew Brooks' contract was made by the NAACP national board, Reuters reported. "I'm disappointed and mystified," Brooks said in a telephone interview, pointing out that he was at least the 10th head of the NAACP in the past 15 years, including interim leaders. "There's been a revolving door of CEOs at the NAACP and this is a bad moment for it to be spinning." Brooks, a lawyer and minister, said membership and donations had increased during his tenure and NAACP lawyers had won nine court cases involving voter

suppression in 10 months. NNPA President and CEO Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. took to social media to voice his support for both Brooks and the future of the NAACP. "Thank you Dr. Cornell W. Brooks for your leadership, sacrifice and everlasting NAACP legacy," said Chavis, who in 1993 became the youngest CEO in NAACP history. "God Bless all of the NAACP. Long live the tradition, legacy and high achievement of all the continuous line of NAACP national leaders over the past century." Victoria Wolcott, a professor and chair of the history department at the University of Buffalo, said the NAACP has played a vital role in the freedom struggle since its founding. But the organization also counts among a range of civil rights organizations and works best when in alliance with other groups. "For this reason, I don't believe the Black Lives Matter Movement supplants its work," Wolcott said. "Rather, the Black Lives Matter Movement excels in highly visible direct action demonstrations and focused attention on the issue of police brutality. The NAACP, in contrast, excels in the legal realm and in lobbying. It also works on a variety of issues from mass incarceration to education and health." Wolcott noted also that local chapters often have deep ties to community leaders in business education, which gives the organization both reach and power. "At the height of the civil rights movement in the early 1960s, the NAACP provided vital support to the student movement, who was carrying out major direct action campaigns in the Deep South," she said. "I see them potentially playing a similar role today in relationship to the BLM movement." The search for a new NAACP president will start immediately, Russell said. In the meantime, Russell and vice chair Derrick Johnson will handle day-to-day operations, they said, and carry out a listening tour. "We want to be informed by those who are the people we serve," Russell said. "And to do so we have to see them, we have to meet them, and we have to listen to them." WI

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5 The NAACP will conduct a listening tour as they seek to replace former President Cornell W. Brooks. /Courtesy photo

Please join us! The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) invites you to a public meeting on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. The objective of this meeting is to discuss the Revitalization of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE Project (South Capitol Street to Milwaukee Place). DDOT will present recommendations and gather comments from the community at this public meeting. If you have questions about this public meeting, please contact Dawit Kebede, dawit.kebede@dc.gov.

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MAY 25 - 31, 2017 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Rep. Waters Calls for Help in Impeachment Fight By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Rep. Maxine Waters continued her crusade against presidency of Donald Trump, giving a passionate plea at a Prince George's County church for blacks to rally, campaign and encourage their elected officials to stand against the administration. The longtime Democrat from California told the crowd at Southern Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Temple Hills to support her in the fight to impeach Trump, whom she disparagingly referred to as "number 45." "Who running for president of the United States would talk

about grabbing women in their private parts?" Waters said while some of the 100 supporters groaned at a prayer breakfast. "This man is disrespectful to the entire American constituency." Waters gave her reasons why she thinks Trump should be impeached: • Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey during his investigation between Trump's campaign and the Russians; • Former Trump advisers Carter Page and Roger Stone had contact with Russian officials; and • Trump appointed Jeff Sessions, who Waters called "a known racist" for his voting record against minority communities, as U.S. attorney general.

"As you see, these are not people that we can really work with," she said. "Who we can count on to advance the priorities that are important to us, least of all Trump himself." Waters appeared as a guest speaker for about 35 minutes at a prayer breakfast organized by the National Capital Baptist Convention and Maryland Business-Clergy Partnership. She took a few audience questions from people such as Melody Arrington of Upper Marlboro on what could college students such as herself can do to support Waters in the impeachment movement. Waters advised for youths to speak out on campus, use social media and "get busy." The Rev. Charles W. McNeill Jr., president of the Baptist convention and pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Northeast, said a plan will be to create a coalition of faith leaders to challenge Trump's agenda. One example, McNeill said, will have churches such as Southern Friendship Missionary to interview and hold community forums with county, state and national political candidates. "The church has been the power for our communities," he said. "This is a wake-up call. We have to remain vigilant in what we stand for. We have to look at all of the policies that affect our communities." Although Maryland remains a heavily Democratic state, Re-

5 Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) listens to an audience question during a May 19 prayer breakfast at Southern Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Temple Hills, Maryland. /Photo by William J. Ford

publican Gov. Larry Hogan has received support, including for the passage of a fiscal budget he largely approved. Prince George’s County Council Obie Patterson (D-District 8) of Fort Washington said blacks got complacent during last year's presidential election. "I think we got sort of laid-

back and forgot to the point of how we got here today," he said. "As a result, [the election of Trump] is what happened. We have to rally folks. We need to get people to the polls and vote. I think through that process hopefully we can bring about some changes and maybe something great can happen in 2018." WI

Homelessness in Prince George's on Decline, Report Finds By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Local jurisdictions experienced a decrease in homelessness this year, according to a report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The nonprofit organization conducted its 17th annual report, "Homelessness in Metropolitan Washington," based on a point-intime snapshot from Jan. 25 in nine jurisdictions that receive federal money. The report shows nearly 11,130 homeless people, a decrease of

5 A chart highlighting homelessness in Prince George's County. /Courtesy Prince George's County

12 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

1,087 people, or 9 percent, from last year. "The decreases in most of the region may be attributed in part to the continued use of local and federal dollars to prevent homelessness, to rapidly re-house persons who become homeless and to provide permanent supportive housing to chronically homeless individuals and others with disabling conditions," the report states. But "our region faces significant challenges in its efforts to end homelessness." Prince George's County had a minimal decrease last year of homeless individuals from 544 to 532, one of the seven jurisdictions that saw a decline.

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Although the county has the highest foreclosure rate among all the counties and cities in the region, it had the second-lowest homeless percentage behind Loudon County, Virginia. The county had the third-highest number of homeless families at 103, which the report stressed has an effect on low-income families and others who face economic hardship. The report offers several recommendations to eradicate homelessness, including more local, state and federal resources, job training opportunities for low-wage workers and each jurisdiction offer permanent and supportive housing. Besides Prince George's and Loudon counties, the other seven jurisdictions in the report are: Alexandria, Virginia; District of Columbia and Arlington, Fairfax, Frederick, Montgomery and Prince William counties.

The District tied Frederick County, Maryland, with the highest percentage decrease at 11 percent. However, the nation's capital had the biggest reduction in the total number of people homeless last year from 8,350 to 7,473, an 877 decrease. The city has committed more than $106 million to construction and preservation of more than 1,200 housing units. In 2015, the administration released Homeward D.C., a plan to make homelessness in the city "rare, brief and non-recurring." In neighboring Prince George's, officials identified five subgroups to target those already homeless or those on the verge of homelessness: victims of domestic violence and human trafficking; unaccompanied youth and young adults ages 13 to 24; veterans; those with behavioral challenges; and returning citizens. Earlier this month, nonprofit or-

HOMELESSNESS Page 44

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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Union Demands Accountability, Safety for D.C. Bus Service

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

A prominent labor union went public last week with its plea for Metro and D.C. officials to demand better bus service in the region. District officials should oversee and manage its public transit system, or it will continue fail just like its Circulator bus program and the city streetcar system, said the Amalgamated Transit Union International, which encompasses Metro's largest workers' union. The organization released a report that explicitly gives examples of how such privatization negatively affects the city. For instance, the report — titled "Fool D.C. Twice" — notes that Circulator buses remained in service while in need of repairs. The streetcar service along H Street in Northeast doesn't connect to the city's major job centers and stops short of Union Station. "Public transit is something to provide access for everyone to improve their own lives," Michael McCall-Delgado, a strategic researcher for ATU and author of the report, said in a teleconference call Wednesday. "The District needs to take responsibility for these services. It should stop hiding behind the public contractor and provide the services [residents] deserve." The Circulator bus was established in 2005 with the District Department of Transportation, which owns the Circulator buses and also manages the city's streetcar service. Terry Owens, spokesman for DDOT, said the agency hasn't seen the ATU report and will review it becomes available. "However, providing safe, efficient and reliable transit services for the District of Columbia is an essential part of our mission at DDOT," he said. "We continuously evaluate our transit services to determine where improvements can be made." A private sector company, Cincinnati-based First Transit, operates the Circulator's six routes that include the more tourist-driven and affluent areas of the District, such as the National Mall, Woodley Park and Georgetown. First Transit also provides training to the 200 Cir-

culator employees. Jay Brock, spokesman for First Transit, said the majority of the buses currently in stock are about 13 years old. He said additional maintenance workers and a consultant have been recently hired to not only improve the fleet, but also analyze on-time performance. "The parts that are needed for that particular fleet [has] limited suppliers, so it takes us a little bit of time to get the pieces for repair and maintenance," he said. "When we identify a bus that's unsafe to be on the road, we pull it off the road." That didn't satisfy the union. The report notes the farebox recovery ratio in the Circulator ($1 per ride) decreased from 24 percent in 2011 to 19 percent in 2014. In comparison, around the same time frame, Metrobus ($1.75 per ride) remained slightly steady at 26 percent to 25 percent. "The end result is that costs are shifted away from the Circulator's riders and toward District taxpayers as a whole, most of whom derive no direct or indirect benefit from the service," the union report said. "The general public is subsidizing a service designed to serve the District's whiter, wealthier residents and tourists."

moved towards the attitude that service trumps safety." Quincy Jones, an assistant business agent and board member with Local 689, said Metro officials called for the agency's transit police to remove him from property in Fairfax County and in D.C. on Thursday. The given reason, he said, was that he impeded bus drivers from getting buses on the road for service. Jones said he ensured the bus operators conducted pre-inspections before they left. He plans on preparing a report and presenting it at the next board of directors meeting on May 25. Jones said the relationship between the union and Metro has worsened since the union's contract expired in June. "This relationship has started to sour and sour and sour ever since then," he said. "[Metro officials] are giving us such pushback." A representative for Metro did not respond to an email request

5 Tracy Smith (at podium), a shop steward and executive board member with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, discusses lack of safety on Metro buses during a May 18 press conference outside the Shepherd Parkway Metrobus Division in Southwest. /Photo by William J. Ford

for comment. Shortly after the union press conference, the agency announced details of the 16th and final phase of its SafeTrack maintenance project, which will shut down portions of the Red Line in Montgomery County.

Work on a five-mile segment of the Red Line between Shady Grove and Twinbrook will start June 17. The Shady Grove and Rockville stations will be closed and free shuttle buses between those locations will be provided. WI

BUS SAFETY

Meanwhile, ATU Local 689, Metro's largest union, claimed Thursday the transit agency isn't allowing bus operators to complete daily pre-trip inspections before vehicles leave the lots. The complaint stems partly from lack of radio communication on some buses to confirm all inspections are complete with a person at the bus operations control center. According to a Metro pre-trip condition card, some of the items checked by a bus operator are wheelchair lifts, fare boxes and fire extinguishers. "Upper management's insistence that operators begin their trips regardless of whether they had ensured the complete safety of the bus spoke volumes about their apathy towards the safety of the riders and their employees," Tracie Smith, a shop steward and executive board member with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, said outside the Shepherd Parkway Bus Division in southwest D.C. "[Metro] has

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5/18/17 10:29 AM

MAY 25 - 31, 2017 13

BUSINESS Feeding the DMV's Seniors By Shevry Lassiter WI Contributing Writer Feed America conducted a Spotlight on Senior Hunger in 2011 and found that 4.8 million seniors (6.2 percent in the District of Columbia) were food insecure. Access to affordable healthy food remains a challenge for seniors in 2017. On Saturday, May 20, We Are Family delivered groceries to area seniors with the help of a $25,000 grant from Exelon and food donated by the Capitol Area Food Bank and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Mark Andersen, co-director of We Are Family, along with several

volunteer organizations met on the grounds of Metro Community Church in Northwest to pack food boxes and load SUVs to deliver to We Are Family beneficiaries. Rokie Wilson, a resident of Ward 7 and a staff member of the District’s Columbia’s Youth Council, brought along several youth and young adult participants. “The idea is to help young people give back in the DC area,” she said. We Are Family was created in 2004 with a donation from a multi-platinum punk band Good Charlotte and its ally,

Positive Force DC. The donation allowed a group of people, young and old, black, brown and white, faith-based and secular – to come together to address various gaps in senior care for their community.

Anderson said We Are Family has a heart to take care of the seniors. “We honor our past by serving the people who lived it,” he added. WI

5 Linda of Belaire (left), Maryland and Rhea Marshall (right) of Upper Marlboro, Maryland volunteer with Exelon and We Are Family to deliver food to elderly residents in Northwest on May 20. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

D.C. Council Pushes Property Tax Relief for Seniors By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer

5 A tax form used by citizens. /Courtesy photo

14 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

Ward 7 Council member Vincent C. Gray introduced a bill in the Committee of the Whole's meeting last week that would reduce tax burdens for low-income seniors in the District. The Senior Citizen Real Property Tax Relief Amendment Act of 2017 would amend current D.C. tax code and provide additional property tax relief for low-income and disabled senior citizen residents. "Rising property tax assessments are indeed are a huge issue for seniors across the city," Gray said. The bill would establish a real property tax deduction of up to 90 percent depending on the household adjusted gross income for lower income District seniors. A household with an adjusted gross income of $130,000 or less would be eligible for up to a 50 percent deduction in property tax liability while a household whose adjusted gross income is $50,000 is eligible for a maximum deduction of 90 percent.

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The legislation would also eliminate the tax notch that currently exists when a household's adjusted gross income totals $128,950 by phasing out the deduction to $180,000 for middle-class homeowners. Gray said the bill will help senior homeowners, who often have fixed incomes, remain in the District despite rising tax valuations of their homes. He hopes that the legislation will help seniors across the city, especially in his ward. As mayor, Gray's last budget proposal funded a similar tax relief program that exempted low-income seniors from property tax if they were at least 70 years old and owned their home in the District for at least 20 consecutive years. However, the program was left unfunded during the budget renewal process. "We will continue doing our work so that people can continue to live in the District of Columbia without feeling like they have to move because they believe our city is unaffordable," Gray said. The bill will provide additional real property tax relief for seniors of

up to 90 percent for low-income senior households and residents with disabilities with household incomes of up to $50,000. The bill also will extend benefits to households with income totaling up to $180,000. WI

"We will continue doing our work so that people can continue to live in the District of Columbia without feeling like they have to move because they believe our city is unaffordable," VINCENT GRAY / Ward 7 Councilmember

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BUSINESS Business Exchange

dctag has

How Blacks' Dollars Can Achieve Black Power

by William Reed What is your view of black economic development? Most blacks say they are tired of being slighted and disrespected; yet the majority of us ignore tried and true capitalistic practices that would improve the race's poor economics. It's too bad there's no accumulation of blacks oriented toward race-based economic empowerment and wealth building. Black people collectively pooling economic resources isn't the "wishful thinking" that many suggest. The thing we need to realize is that we have to "do for self." It is generally accepted that there's been progress for black Americans over the last 60 years, yet our overall status is bleak. Too many blacks are focused to rid the country of "white supremacy." Black politicians and civil rights "leaders" boast that they've gotten blacks to 72 percent parity with whites. Truth is, whites have "superior" understandings and adaptations of capitalistic procedures. Blacks must stay "woke" to more than partisan politics. Even as our poverty and unemployment rates continue to be higher than whites', it's a challenge to get most blacks to see benefits that can accrue if we come together and do more financially for betterment of our communities. Black buying power is currently $1.3 trillion, according to a Nielsen and National Newspaper Publishers Association report. With such money and buying power, blacks should be utilizing methods and practices that circulate those dollars to black-owned initiatives. Each of us should look at our own actions and practices that keep us from spending substantial portions of money we get with black-owned businesses. Why do we not deposit in blackowned banks, when doing this enables black financial institutions

to fund our projects, goods and services? To "be equal" in American society, blacks must learn how to build business/investments, hold onto it and pass it on. Some skeptical blacks must see the value in spending their money with our businesses. More blacks must do more for self to bring about black economic power. The prevailing black "leadership" has its focus on partisan politics and elusive "racial harmony." When will blacks learn that it's imperative for concerned individuals, groups, organizations, churches and businesses push vital black financial and entrepreneurial cooperation to turn around disproportionate negative conditions that continue in black communities? Opportunities exist across the nation for black individuals, their organizations, churches, lodges, frats and entrepreneurs to provide educational programs, workshops and business conferences that teach and show people how and why to do for self. America needs local black leadership demonstrating the power of the black dollar and increase community awareness to recycle dollars within our community, by banking with black-owned banks and buying from black businesses. The solution to the high unemployment and income inequality black communities must come from us. It includes development

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of black businesses. Local or national groups, be them small or large: the thing is to do for self. If we are serious about tackling unemployment in our community, the quickest fix is to start financially supporting black-owned businesses. Too many blacks rely on getting whites to remedy their financial problems. Data suggests that if African-Americans invested more money in black-owned businesses, these businesses would be sources of employment for more of us. The stance we suggest all blacks adopt is empowering the black community by taking control of and redirecting its wealth and investments. Blacks need more education on consuming and capitalism. More blacks must establish locations where people come and learn economic and financial principles on how to create and sustain black businesses where they live. Let's more of us hold power networking conferences for training and networking to bolster and educate blacks. We all have to engage what we know and have toward operational unity. Enterprising individuals and organizations can sponsor regular business networking socials and gatherings. Do them at black-owned establishments. Be sure to invite blacks in banking. Those provide opportunities for entrepreneurial blacks to meet one another, exchange ideas and partner. WI

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for college Parents, we know that it’s not easy paying for college. But, if you’re a DC resident, have a son or daughter 26 or younger with a high school diploma or GED and meet a few other requirements, the DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) can help by providing up to $10,000 a year to participating colleges and universities, nationwide. The deadline is June 30th and you can apply using any mobile device or computer. For more information, call (202) 727-2824, go to osse.dc.gov or visit 810 First Street, NE, 3rd floor, Washington, DC, Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.

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MAY 25 - 31, 2017 15

NATIONAL Florida Black Dems Set Sights on 2018 Elections Members Get Energized at Group’s 35th Annual Conference in Orlando By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir In recent years, residents and voters of the battleground state of Florida have faced their share of challenges – from the controversial presidential election of 2000 that required a vote recounting

and the U.S. Supreme Court before a clear winner could be determined (George W. Bush won by 537 votes over Al Gore), and GOP Governor Rick Scott both shortening the early voting period and getting rid of a favorite among Black voters, “Souls at the Polls” Sunday voting, to the tragic

Jury Selection Begins in Bill Cosby Trial By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Bill Cosby's legal team wants to know who's behind the curtain, pulling the lever — and the wool — over the eyes of potential African-American jurors. On Tuesday, in explosive open court arguments, the comedian's lawyers asked the judge to accept a black female juror whom the prosecution had eliminated because they said she couldn't be trusted due to a prior incident the woman had been involved in while a detective with the Pittsburgh Police Department. "We believe this is systematic exclusion of African-Americans," defense lawyer Brian McMonagle complained, citing a legal term known as a Batson challenge, which prohibits the exclusion of a juror on the basis of race or gender. McMonagle said prosecutors had used challenges to remove two black women while accepting white jurors who gave similar answers to questions. "We believe it is of paramount importance we seat a diverse jury," McMonagle said, adding that it would be a "potential horrible problem" if the jury sitting in judgment of the black comedian accused of drugging and molesting a white woman was

16 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

racially one-sided. Assistant District Attorney Stewart Ryan denied race was the reason for striking the woman from the pool of potential jurors. He said she had been a Pittsburgh police detective who was charged with falsifying time sheets in a department scandal; the charges were dismissed and she later filed a lawsuit against the city, according to NBC. Her background, Ryan said, sparked concern that she could have a "bias against governmental entities." The attorneys and the judge retreated to a back room after the arguments. When they emerged, the judge said he had decided to keep the woman on the anonymous jury because the prosecution had offered a "race-neutral" explanation, though he encouraged the defense to present a statistical analysis of the prosecution's jury decisions to bolster its claim of whitewashing. However, the defense arguments appear to hold some water. Of the 100 potential jurors "randomly selected," only about 10 were black and most of them were given juror numbers that forced them toward the back of the pool, forcing them to sit all day Monday and not be called

COSBY Page 44

deaths of two 17-year-old Black boys, Travon Martin (Feb. 2012) and Jordan Davis (Nov. 2012). And while the 2018 congressional elections don’t take place for another year and a half, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already targeted 79 GOP-held districts that they believe they can take. However, some Floridians believe victory won’t come without the on-theground efforts of the state’s sole organization representing the African-American members of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida. The Caucus, founded in 1983 in order to increase voter participation and to unite and increase political power for Black Democrats, once ignored by state party officials, gathered in Orlando last weekend for their 35th annual conference where they elected new officers, met with leading Democrats from Florida and the U.S. and began to strategize for the upcoming midterm elections. Bill Nelson, 74, a Miami native and a career politician, has represented the state as a U.S. senator since 2000. He told the Caucus members that they must stay the course in this age of Trump. “You can go down the list and see that Donald Trump wants to push through legislation that will not reflect our interests,” he said. “Healthcare, Medicare and Social Security are being threatened. We can’t let that happen. I had considered retiring but realized that this is not the time. There’s too much at stake,” Nelson added, who previously served six terms in the Florida Legislature. Val Demings, 60, a first term member of the House for Florida’s 10th congressional district, chal-

5 Lydia Hudson (left), the newly-elected president of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida, chats with Florida Senator Bill Nelson during the organization’s 35th annual conference in Orlando on Friday, May 18 about the upcoming 2018 midterm elections and the need for more Blacks to register and then vote. /Photo by Louis Ward

lenged the Caucus during their gala on Sat., May 20, where she and other speakers focused their remarks on economic empowerment and community politics. “This country is on fire and there are efforts to close the gate, to make us go back – I refuse to go back,” said Demings, who previously served as Orlando’s first Black female chief of police. “This president doesn’t have a clue of the magnitude of his job or the crucial role that government plays in the lives of Americans. We lost in 2016. Some of us were unable to get out of bed on Nov. 9 (the day after the presidential election). But we had to get up. We’d better wake up.”

New York Assemblyman Michael Blake, 35, lives in and represents The Bronx, formerly serving in several capacities for Barack Obama from 2008 to 2012. He said complaining about the Republican agenda won’t change things. “We can moan all we want but if we want to take back the House, the Senate and the White House, we have to do more than promise voters that we’ll change policies,” he said. “Folks want to make sure they have food on their tables and a roof over their heads. They want to enjoy life just a little and know their children have a future. What

FLORIDA Page 34

5 The officers and members of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida join the outgoing president, Henry Crespo, Sr. (center), and present him with a memorable photograph taken of him with former President Barack Obama on Sunday, May 21 during the final day of their 35th annual conference in Orlando. /Photo by Louis Ward

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INTERNATIONAL Compiled by Lauren Poteat / WI Contributing Writer

Dozens of Illegal Miners Killed in S. Africa Explosion At least 29 dead bodies have been discovered and identified by police as illegal miners recovered from a shaft after an underground explosion in South Africa last week, Times South Africa reported. Some of the survivors of the blast, who were taken into police custody, said that more bodies still lie underground. Most of the dead miners reportedly come from neighboring countries such as Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Illegal mining is common in South Africa, a major producer of gold and platinum. The mine where the explosion occurred, located near the town of Welkom in Free State province, was once owned by 5 Illegal miners killed in underground the Harmony Gold company, the third-largest gold mining explosion pulled from South African shaft. / company in South Africa, before it was shut down. Courtesy of newsgra.com

Microsoft Looks to Capitalize on Africa

5 Microsoft believes the best way to win more business in Africa is by building there. /Courtesy of techcitying.com

As many big tech companies look to capitalize on developing Africa, Microsoft announced plans Thursday, May 18, to begin creating giant data centers in the continent in order to promote business. To start, the technology company will open data centers in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, by 2018 delivering more efficient services like Office 365 to users in the region. "We're excited by the growing demand for cloud services in Africa and their ability to be a catalyst for new economic opportunities," Scott Guthrie, Microsoft's executive vice president of cloud and enterprise, said in a statement. Although companies in Africa can access cloud-based services, those services are typically delivered from data centers located outside of Africa, which could make them slower or more prone to going offline. Microsoft said that by opening data centers in Africa, customers would be able to store their data locally, which could satisfy any regulations prohibiting companies from keeping that data outside the country.

First Spaceship Research Center Comes to Ghana The first spaceship research center in Africa is coming to Ghana at the Atomic Energy Commission enclave at Haatso in Accra. An agreement to construct the KESHE Spaceship Research Centre was signed May 1. The initiative seeks to bring cutting-edge technologies to Ghana to boost the government's job-creation agenda. Expected to be erected by 2018, the engineering plans are now slated to begin by the third quarter of this year and be completed in six months. KESHE Foundation Ghana, a non-governmental organization (NGO), is partnering with BONADES Limited, a Ghanaian construction and engineering company, to implement the project, myjoyonline.com reported. "KESHE Foundation International intends to invest a total of $21 million in this project," said Mehran Tavakoli Keshe of KESHE Foundation Ghana. "It is in line with President Nana Akufo-Addo's 'one district, one factory' agenda to also provide decent sustainable job opportuni- 5Ghana is set to host Africa's first Spaceship ties to ordinary citizens and high-earned skilled world-class Research Centre. /Courtesy of Nana Kofi technologists and scientists." Acquah WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

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HEALTH 5 The drug problem in D.C. is worse than anywhere else in the country, according to a new report. /Courtesy photo

D.C. Tops Nation in Drug Abuse By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

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Drug problems abound in the U.S., most prominently in the District of Columbia, according to a new WalletHub report. The analysis comes amid the nation's opioid epidemic, an issue that WalletHub, a personal financial site, experts said President Donald Trump's administration has seemingly approached paradoxically. While the president has launched a commission for studying the opioid epidemic, his administration has suggested slashing 95 percent of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's budget and labeling addiction a pre-existing condition, WalletHub said. The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that people admitting to illicit drug use shot up from 31.3 percent in 1979 to 48.8 percent in 2015. WalletHub's analysis examined all 50 U.S. states and the District across three categories: drug use and addiction, law enforcement, and drug health issues and rehab. The analysis also took into account the percentage of adults who needed but didn't receive treatment for illicit drug use in the last year, as well as statistics on the number of treatment facilities and admissions to those facilities. The places with the highest percentage of teenage drug users were Colorado, D.C., Vermont, Oregon and Rhode Island. Comparatively, states with the lowest percentage of drug users were Nebraska, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. Most people who died from an overdose, per capita, died in West Virginia, followed by New

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Hampshire, a Kentucky-Ohio tie and Rhode Island. The states with the fewest overdose deaths were Iowa, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. "It has been established that increases in use of prescribed pharmaceutical opioids led to increases in diversion and illicit use of these medications which contributed to greater number of people becoming addicted to opioids and transitioning to heroin use," said Raminta Daniulaityte, a Wallet Hub expert and associate professor and associate director of the Center for Interventions, Treatment and Addictions Research in the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. "Over the past five to seven years or so, there have been serious attempts among medical providers to implement policies and procedures that would help reduce diversion of pharmaceutical opioids," Daniulaityte said. "In many cases, these changes helped reduce diversion." However, reduced street access to pain pills might have pushed even more individuals toward illicit opioids such as heroin because, at the time, insufficient attention was devoted to demand reduction in terms of providing easier access to substance abuse treatment services, she said. Some of the most effective measures state and local authorities can take to combat the opioid epidemic include protecting access to care and parity for mental health and substance use disorders, said Hilary S. Connery, a fellow WalletHub expert and clinical director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Program at McLean Hospital.

Connery, who also serves as an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said maintaining mental health and substance use disorders as essential health benefits and building treatment infrastructure while also reimbursing for evidence-based medications and therapies also count as effective ways to combat the opioid epidemic. She also included childhood screening and referral for further assessment when positive as another measure. "Prevention lies in screening and early intervention," Connery said. "Law enforcement efforts; drug trafficking and data surveillance, thoughtful opioid and sedative prescribing, and enhancing education and financial security within communities." While D.C. had the biggest drug problem, the states that border the nation's capital, Maryland and Virginia, ranked lower. Maryland ranked 18th and Virginia 41st. "The first thing I would do if I ascertained that a loved one was using opiates would be to get myself and that individual trained to administer naloxone [medication used to combat overdoses] and make sure that was in my medicine cabinet," said Nancy D. Campbell, a professor of science and technology studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "Then I would work on readying that person for treatment," she said. "There is no one form of drug treatment that fits all. Most people have to go through treatment multiple times." To view the complete study results, visit https://wallethub.com/ edu/drug-use-by-state/35150. WI

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United Medical Center Serves the Underserved 'Cancer Awareness Day' Addresses High Rates in SE

By Jade James-Gist WI Staff Writer The Sibley Oncology Clinic at United Medical Center (UMC) in Southeast held its Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday, May 20 as part of a multi-tiered effort to inform an underserved community and tackle the region's abnormally high cancer mortality rates. Facing a patient population with declining incomes, rising uninsured rates, lower access to adequate nutrition and some of the highest breast, colon and rectum, and prostate cancer rates in the country, United Medical Center rises to serve the needs of its habitually underserved community. "In Wards 7 and 8, we have a collection of some of the most complex patients in the area," said Dr. Raymond Tu, chairman of radiology at United Medical Center, where he's resided for 40 years. "Our patients face the greatest number of economic and comorbidity challenges." More often, patients show up to UMC with highly complicated, advanced stages of cancer and other diseases and face higher chances of morbidity than in any other area that UMC serves. "Black women are diagnosed with breast cancer less frequently, but they present with the disease at later stages and die from the disease at much higher rates," Tu said. In light of these glaring disparities, United Medical Center addresses the community's unique challenges and needs by hiring a diversity of top-level staff, incorporating education and awareness into their health care practice and making health care resources more accessible. Through accessible educational awareness, UMC's Cancer Awareness Day combatted the core issue of Southeast's high cancer rates in its community: misinformation. Streaming on Facebook Live to over 140,000 viewers, UMC's Cancer Awareness Day offered a full arsenal of expertise from National Cancer Institute (NCI), Howard University Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital, United Medical Center physicians and researchers. The day was chock-full of health resources: from panel dis-

cussions led by foremost medical practitioners to informative sessions from UMC oncologists, surgical clinic directors, holistic nutritionists, and NIH researchers, many of whom are cancer survivors themselves. Attendees weren't shy to engage with the panels, which were made up of physicians, cancer survivors and caretakers to ask them questions about cancer and learn more about coping and surviving the disease. Additional presentations and panels on lifestyle change and healthy eating alternatives were popular with event attendees, unsurprising since poor environment and food quality are acknowledged factors in the area's high cancer rates. "In Wards 7 and 8, you'll find more places to buy cigarettes than to by nice fresh fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Melvin Gaskins, oncologist and director of the Sibley Clinic. "It's an environmental issue and food desert situation. That's going to impact cancer rates." A dearth of food options in lower-income, minority communities across the country is also a contributing factor in many health issues. Dr. Ruby Lathon, a holistic health and wellness expert, dispelled rumors and answered questions about proper acid-alkaline balance in the body, soybeans' potential danger to hormone balance, the toxicity of diet foods and artificial sweeteners, and the benefits of home gardening. "Food can be medicine," Lathon said. "Over 70 percent of disease starts in the gut, and your gut helps break down the food. If your balance is off, it will affect the absorption of the food that you're eating and be a precursor for disease." Theresa Kelly, a local attendee, came away with news to spread to her church and family. "There's information I had no idea about," Kelly said. "Lifestyle and nutrition change is a big one. Today was a true educational moment. I didn't plan to, but I just felt I needed to stay for the whole day because the information was so good. I'm bringing people next year." United Medical Center has modeled its health care system to

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be sustainable, irreplaceable and accessible for the local Southeast community and the greater D.C. region as a whole. The center has engaged the international health care community while featuring

such local physicians as Drs. Jose Parungao and Asghar Shaigany of Gastroenterology, LeeAnn Bailey of the NIH National Cancer Institute, and Lori Wilson, chief of surgical oncology at Howard University Hospital. "With all the talk of build-

HEALTH ing walls and building borders, UMC is working hard to expand our reach," Tu said. "It's critical to get the word out about symposium events like this because cancer definitely has no borders, the internet has no borders and people's worries and concerns have no borders. Our health care has no borders, either." WI

YOUR GOOD HEALTH will help her soar to new heights. Being African-American and over the age of 50 means you could be at high risk for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, Hepatitis-C and certain cancers. But the good news is you can get screened to find out your numbers, learn your risks, and then do something about it. Getting preventive care is one of the most important steps you can take to manage your health. At United Medical Center, we offer routine health screenings for cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions.

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Working for a healthier community. THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 25 - 31, 2017 19

HEALTH

Seniors More Active Than Ever

ON JUNE 2, JOIN US FOR LADIES CHOICE A CAN'T-MISS EVENT IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN'S HEALTH SERVICES.

Fashion. Shopping. Wine. All For A Great Cause.

Strolling dinner, open bar & guest emcee Delia Gonçalves of WUSA9 Learn more & purchase tickets at unityhealthcare.org JW Marriott DC 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20004

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Bill Brown strutted with his cane around the designated bid whist room at the Camp Spring Senior Activity Center, waiting on his opportunity to get back to the card table and win. Brown, the 96-year-old World War II veteran, soon returned to the table, all the while talking some friendly trash to the other competitors. "You sure you can play? I don't want to hurt you, now," he said to one opponent with a wry smile. Brown and about seven dozen other bid whist fanatics age 60 and older show up about twice a week as a way to not only enjoy themselves, but also keep themselves mentally active. They're among the thousands of other seniors recognized nationwide as a part of Older Americans Month. The monthly celebration in May administered by the Administration on Community Living, a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, selected this year's theme, "Age Out Loud." Seniors were acknowledged by the late President John F. Kennedy and National Council of Senior Citizens in 1963 with the designation of May as Senior Citizens Month. During that time, about 17 million Americans turned 65 years old. That number now is roughly 40 million. The Administration on Aging compiled its most recent report — "A Profile of Older Americans: 2016" — that shows millions of seniors are not only healthy,

but 93 percent received Medicare coverage. President Donald Trump has proposed possible cuts to the health care program. The most recent data comes goes up to 2015 in the report that can be read at http://bit. ly/2rIWc9x. Some other national statistics: • Between 2005 and 2015, those 60 and older increased from nearly 50 million to almost 67 million, or 34 percent; • Those 85 and older are projected to triple from six million in 2015 to about 15 million in 2040; and • In 2015, 22 percent of those 65 and older are people of color with nine percent being black. Maryland joined 20 others states whose senior population increased by at least 30 percent between 2005 to 2015. The state ranked 20th with nearly 850,000 seniors of those 65 and older. According to 2015 U.S. Census data, almost 15 percent of that age group resided in Prince George's County, about a 2 percent increase from 2010. Theresa Grant, administrator for the county's Area Agency on Aging, said about 140,000 of the county's 908,000 people are 60 and older. Dozens of programs in the county such as computer classes, health seminars and weekly walks are geared toward that age group. A free senior health and fitness day took place Wednesday, May 24 at the Sports and Learning Complex in Landover. Registration began May 15 for county seniors to purchase $30 tickets to attend a line dance party July 19 at Martins Crosswinds in Green-

SENIORS Page 44

Doors open 6:30 PM Fashion show 8:20 PM

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5 Tyra L. Pointer (left) leads a weekly Zumba class at the Camp Springs Senior Activity Center on May 19, with the participants being at least 60 years old. /Photo by William J. Ford

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MAY 25 - 31, 2017 21

EDUCATION Lawmakers Float Bill for Permanent Pell Grants

Nearly 8M Students Currently Receive Assistance By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer Four Democratic Congress members introduced legislation that will permanently safeguard the federal Pell Grant program. Reps. Susan Davis of California and Bobby Scott of Virginia, and Sens. Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii]

and Patty Murray of Washington introduced Tuesday, May 16 the Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act, which, if passed, would expand and continually keep the Pell Grant program, helping millions of low-income students offset the rising costs of college. The lawmakers assert that the bill would improve the purchasing

power of Pell Grants, permanently index the maximum grant to inflation, shift the Pell Grant program to fully mandatory funding, and restore eligibility for defrauded students. "It is our responsibility to ensure that all students have access to a quality education without the fear of a lifetime of debt," Davis said. "This bill will increase the purchasing power of the Pell Grant and give low-income students access to the education they need to get to the middle-class and beyond." The Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act also extends the program to DREAMers and restores eligibility to incarcerated individuals, in an effort to encourage them to support themselves and their families upon release. "The Pell Grant is the most important tool we have to help low-income students afford higher education, but for too long Congress has neglected students by allowing the purchasing power of Pell Grants to erode over time," Scott said. The bill also increases support for working students, expands eligibility to short-term job training programs of high quality, and increases Pell Grant eligibility to 14

semesters to give non-traditional students more flexibility to complete their degrees. "By reversing prior eligibility cuts and ensuring stable funding for a larger Pell Grant, the Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act will help millions of students reach their potential without being forced to take on excessive debt," Scott said. "This bill is one of several initiatives House Democrats have proposed as part of the legislative campaign, Aim Higher, to make higher education work for all students." The bill also increases support for working students, expands eligibility for short-term job training programs of high quality, and increases Pell Grant eligibility to 14 semesters to give non-traditional students more flexibility to complete their degrees. "Last year, more than 20,000 Hawaii students received financial support through the federal Pell Grant program," Hirono said. "However, much work remains to ensure that more students receive a meaningful Pell Grant award." Murray insists that earning a college degree remains the key to opportunity for so many low-income

5 College student fills out Pell Grant application. /Courtesy photo

students, but far too many students must take on massive amounts of debt to get the skills and education they need to get a good job and make a decent living. "As a recipient of Pell Grants myself, I know firsthand the danger of President Trump's vision for slashing student aid," she said. "Instead, I will keep fighting to make college more affordable for students across the country." WI

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22 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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DCPS

BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

STORYBOOK CHARACTERS

Roughly 60 students attending Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Southeast are now characters in four books produced through the Living Storybook project, a nonprofit special literacy program developed by Do the Write Thing program. Overall, the project aims to motivates young children to read by producing books in which children appear as characters. The books include:

EDUCATION • "I Know My Community Workers," which features pre-K students dressed as 17 community workers, including a doctor, nurse, military veteran, judge, firefighter and police officer. Information is provided on the duties of these helpers and where they work. • "Rashad and the Gold Medallion," featuring kindergarten students pictured in costumes representing community workers learning the value of sharing.

the perspective of people who are fighting the same battle. It's good to have the perspective of what it is going to look like later on. I can see how important it is for my students to understand what '10' is and how it can be broken down and looking at the relationship of numbers, so that later on, it's building the foundation for place value." – Nathalie Dautruche, kindergarten reacher at Garfield Inquiry-Based Preparatory Academy

MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY

'WE THE GIRLS' EVENT

D.C. public schools will be closed May 29 in recognition of Memorial Day.

REAPING THE BENEFITS OF LEAP

"With the Learning Together to Advance Our Practice (LEAP) program, we get to collaborate with each other on a weekly basis and we look forward to it. If we have questions we want to talk to our colleagues about, or [discuss] the concepts our children are having a hard time understanding, you can get

As a part of the "Reign: Empowering Young Women as Leaders" project, DCPS will host its first annual "We the Girls, Young Women's Leadership Conference and Pep Rally" on Saturday, June 3 at Armour J. Blackburn Center at Howard University. The conference will be a day of celebration, enrichment and inspiration for young women of color in grades 5-12. Topics that will be addressed at the event include identity, stress management, healthy relationships, community advocacy, self-care, leadership, entrepre-

5 Students from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School are characters in books produced via the Living Storybook project. /Courtesy of Do the Write Thing

neurship, STEM and applying to college. The celebration will also offer a limited number of workshops for DCPS educators. Check-in and breakfast: 9 a.m. 10 a.m. Welcome and keynote address: 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Workshops and lunch: 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Pep Rally: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Registration is required. For more information, contact dcps. reign@dc.gov.

ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The winners in the 29th "Celebration of Youth" essay contest, in which participating students sub-

BRIEFS Page 44

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INCANTODC.COM | 770 MAINE AVENUE SW | WASHINGTON, DC 20024 | 888.485.2945 * 2017 WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN AREA MEDIAN INCOME

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MAY 25 - 31, 2017 23

24 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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Shawne Merriman

Expands From the NFL to Fashion

MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

Designer Behind Elegant Erkel Speaks Vito Made It International Street Style & More!

MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

PUBLISHER

Denise Rolark Barnes

PHOTO EDITOR Dejah Greene

LAYOUT EDITOR

Dominiqua S. Eldridge Sarafina Wright

EDITOR’S LETTER

This month the men take center stage in our fashion issue. Like how refreshing is that. Largely when we think about fashion and the fashion industry, women, female models and celebrities in stunning gowns come to mind, but we decided to showcase some local and international men establishing their brand in the business. One of those men are retired NFL linebacker and P.G. County native Shawne Merriman. He brought his ‘Lights Out’ active line to DTLR here in the District and I sat with him to learn more about his transition from the league to an apparel designer. He is definitely a talented businessman who can maneuver and make an impression in any room not just on the football field.

PAGE Meet

3

Elshadei: Local Designer with Bold Neckwear

Up and Coming: Vito HandCrafted Apparel Charlotte Designer & Influencer Shines

PAGE Interational Street Style

5 Jade James-Gist

4

Spotlight: JoJo of France

Shawne Merriman Gracefully Pivots from the NFL to Clothing Biz

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PAGE

Lights Out Active Line Lands in DTLR

ON THE COVER

PAGE

6

WI BRIDGE TEAM

Also, meet Elshadei Fantahun, founder of men’s neckwear collection Elegant Erkel, Vito of Vito HandCrafted Apparel and JoJo, a Black Frenchman with stunning street style. Questions, comments, concerns? Interested in photography or writing for the Bridge? Email me at swright@ washingtoninformer.com.

The ladies of the Bridge Jade, Sarafina and Dominiqua caught up with each other on Saturday, March 25, a beautiful spring day at Union Market in Northeast. / Photo by Steve Garrett.

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Retired NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman sports his new active wear line ‘Lights Out’ t-shirt that he brought to DTLR stores in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 17. /Photo courtesy of Business Wire.

Meet Elshadei:

MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

Local Designer with Bold Neckwear By Sarafina Wright WI Bridge Editor

Models showcase Elegant Erkel’s neckwear at the DC Fashion Incubator New/Next Fashion Showcase at the Blind Whino on Friday, April 28. /Courtesy photo.

Elshadei Fantahun, founder of Elegant Erkel sat with WI Bridge Editor Sarafina Wright after his DC Fashion Incubator New/Next Fashion Showcase on Friday, April 28 at the Blind Whino in Southwest. / Photo by Steve Garrett.

Elshadei Fantahun, 26, founder of Elegant Erkel from Suitland, Md. by way of Ethiopia launched

his handcrafted men’s neckwear line in March of 2016. One year later as a DC Fashion Incubator resident he had his fourth showcase with more on the books to come. He sat down with the Bridge at the DC Fashion Incubator New/Next Fashion Showcase at the Blind Whino on Friday, April 28 to discuss his start and where he plans to go.

Where did the fashion bug start for you?

Honestly it was kind of a surprise. My initial interest in fashion grew because I’ve always been in business and had to wear suits and ties a lot. One of the biggest problems was actually finding a tie that stood apart but worked with a lot of things. Years back I had the opportunity to think and create something different. I started off with alterations, gradually started to make ties and then from there created a whole brand around it.

The vision behind Elegant Erkel?

I did a lot of research. I am a do-it type of learner, so I watched a lot of YouTube videos, met a lot of people and did some in-person training. Finally, we officially launched in March 2016. Our show is a mix of bold colors, very striking prints and color ways. Our whole objective was to mix professionalism with casual. I want to incorporate as many colors and varying styles that we can.

Experience with the DC Fashion Incubator?

I’m one of the members of the public program at the DC Fashion Incubator. The best way to explain it is that it’s just an opportunity to have a mentor. It’s a hub of different designers. It opens up doors to communicate and throw our ideas back and forth with people in fashion. That’s where a lot of the ideas actually came from for my show.

What’s Next?

We’ve done DC Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and this is our fourth show here tonight. We have another show coming up in July that we plan on doing with Kas Lifestyle who makes custom suits and another show in New York with details coming soon. We also will be launching our "humani-tie" collection as we get into philanthropy. Find the line at www.eleganterkel.com Instagram: @NiceKnot

Elegant Erkel’s neckwear. /Photo courtesy of NiceKnot Instagram.

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MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

Up and Coming: Vito Hand - Crafted Apparel Charlotte Designer & Influencer Shines

By Sarafina Wright

business meetings related to his brand, or passing out shirts to the hottest DJs and rappers Charlotte has to offer he’s on campus at Johnson C. Smith University planting and growing produce to sell at a local Farmers Market.

WI Bridge Editor

When you first see Donavin “Vito” Green” he has a energy about him that radiates - he simply stands out from the crowd.

“My interest in healthy food is getting healthy food access into minority communities, and basically educate our people about the importance of eating healthy organic foods and how to grow it,” Vito said.

At a 90s themed art show entitled ‘1992’ in Charlotte, N.C. tucked away in an eclectic garage in the unsuspecting neighborhood of “North Charlotte” local artists, musicians, creatives and ‘cool kids’ who left high school more than five years ago converged to display the best the city has to offer.

When asked how in a matter of weeks has his brand seen so much success with the majority of his site sold out he said “I don't know.”

In the midst of live performances, art demos and beer pong, Vito shuffles back and forth from his clothing rack, stopping to talk to someone every five seconds. It appears as though he knows everyone. When you look a little closer, he indeed does know everyone, but he also is just performing as an entrepreneur pushing his new and up and coming Vito Hand-Crafted Apparel shirts that dons your favorite cities such as Montreal, Toronto, London, Atlanta and of course Charlotte. “The shirts happened a couple weeks ago, Backwoods posted them on their Instagram page and it went crazy,” Vito said. “That reached like 5,000 people and I just rode that.” Vito’s t-shirt designs are a play off of the iconic cigar company Backwoods design pattern.

“I didn't think it would pop like that. I’m not even gon’ front, but it did.” Now that things have indeed popped, Vito and his one-man show looks forward to the fall, debuting his casual designs including hoodies, button-ups and denim.

Donavin “Vito” Green of Vito Hand-Crafted Apparel. / Courtesy photo.

“The shirts is really just a great marketing tool to get me in the door,” he said. “It will allow me to get my name and face out there, to travel and meet people and take this to the next level.”

“I smoke Backwoods when I choose to indulge and I just thought of the idea,” he said. “It catches the eye, because everyone in the culture can connect with Backwoods in some way.” Vito, 25, does a little bit of everything according to him and he stands at the forefront of the creative movement coming out of Charlotte. “I do a lot in Charlotte, I’m an event planner, I'm in school, a gardener and a designer too. I'm just cool,” he said. “I use the shirts to reach everyone I can. It can be anybody from the student to the artist. Vito started off in fashion making bow ties a few years ago, but what he was in school for at the time didn't really align with that. “I went to school to be a dentist, but I changed my major from biology to community health, because one day I want to own my own dispensary,” he said. “I want to legally grow medical marijuana when it’s legal and get into cooking it as well.” Throughout the week when he’s not having

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Vito Hand Crafted Apparel T-shirts available at www.vitomadeit.us.

MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

Interational Street Style Spotlight: JoJo of France Instagram: Jaygga Snapchat: Jaygga

5 | WI BRIDGE

MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

Shawne Merriman Gracefully Pivots from the NFL to Clothing Biz

Retired NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman brought his active line “Lights Out” to DTLR in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 17. /Photo by Steve Garrett.

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MAY 2017 | VOL 3, ISSUE 5

Lights Out Active Line Lands in DTLR

Models showcase the Lights Out active wear t-shirts at DTLR in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 17. /Photo by Steve Garrett.

By Sarafina Wright WI Bridge Editor

Retired NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman returned home to the DMV area not to talk football, but to debut his new active wear line affectionately named ‘Lights Out.’

from DTLR was everything for us,” he said. “Now sitting here and being able to sell and partner with Downtown Locker Room is almost unheard of.”

“I’ve learned to create something other people like,” Merriman said. “We have “You go and have this career playing football guys from all different facets of the and you have this success on the field, but now industry, actors, actresses, MMA athletes, your football is done, what else do I do? What a lot of people supporting the brand.” do I love doing just as much as I enjoy playing The three-time NFL Pro-Bowler also plans football and this was it for me.” to bring his line to NASCAR since buying

Merriman who played for seven seasons in the league earned the moniker ‘Lights Out’ as a sophomore at Frederick Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. now as a full fledged businessman he’s using his famous trademark on his latest Merriman bought the Lights Out company in fashion effort. his second year playing with the San Diego “I’m from here this is home, and it’s Chargers in 2006. He started with t-shirts and always going to be home,” Merriman said. hats, but he didn't have much time to devote to “I’m from P.G. County, Capitol Heights, it due to his rigorous football schedule. Forestville, I went to high school in Upper “I’ve learned a lot about the industry over the Marlboro, so this is a special place.” past three years, but back then my main job “Having the ability to play in San Diego and now live in LA, you realize there is no place in the country like the DMV, it could be its own country.”

the latest technical fabrications with fashion-forward designs.

was playing football. Go to practice, workout and everything else was second,” Merriman said. “Since I’ve retired now I’am over here playing a different game which is building Merriman said that launching Lights a brand.” Out in D.C. especially DTLR has been Lights Out touts itself as an active apparel extra special. and lifestyle brand that specializes in men's “I remember when we could afford new and women's performance tees, sports bags, clothes, and to be able to go buy clothes and other active gear that incorporates

into a team and partnering with NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Jesse Iwuji.

“NASCAR is a great sport and has a huge demographic,” Merriman said. “I have a NASCAR car, my driver is Black and he would be a great ambassador for the brand for our racing style t-shirts.” With Lights Out already in 20 - 30 DTLR locations across the country Merriman looks forward to growing in the apparel industry and driving business to his favorite childhood store. “It’s a powerful brand,” he said. “The name Lights Out itself has a very strong meaning and we wanted that strong meaning to be noticed in the shirts.” 7 | WI BRIDGE

The WI Bridge is looking for millennial culture creators, writers, photographers and crea�ves to work with us. We are looking for contributors to “bring the cool.” Who we are: A culturally innova�ve magazine based in Southeast DC that serves as a lifestyle guide for millennials. Follow us! Twi�er: InformerBridge | Instagram: WashInformerBridge | Facebook: WIBridgeCommunity Email the editor at swright@washingtoninformer.com! | #WIBRIDGE

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL Citizens Deserve More than Apologies in School Lottery Tampering When word first broke recently that former DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson had apparently misused her authority in order to give preferential treatment to the children of some of the District’s movers and shakers and placed them in more desired schools, more than a handful of eyebrows became furled with anger. Of course, those who had entered the highly-competitive school lottery keeping fingers crossed and keeping hope alive while awaiting the result of where their children would be placed, have good reason to be outraged that some have been able to bypass the lottery system because they have friends in high places. And while an investigation led by Inspector General Daniel Lucas has shown that the number of children who received special treatment and therefore were placed in the school of their choice was minimal, it still places a cloud on the entire process. But what really has parents up in arms is the seemingly cavalier attitude they feel Mayor Muriel Bowser has taken since the discovery went public and soon thereafter viral. Bowser has remained true to senior members from within her administration who benefited from being well-connected and were able to garner the assistance of Henderson in their efforts to secure a preferred school for their children. Meanwhile, it’s fairly obvious that what happened under Henderson’s watch has been going on in the District well before Bowser took the helm. Bowser says she’s going to fix the system as well she should. But some District residents, parents in particular, want a formal apology. They don’t like the fact that they played by the rules – even if it meant losing in the end. So far, Bowser hasn’t done that. Neither is it clear whether the mayor actually knew about the decisions Henderson had made. Either way, we know some shenanigans have been part of the lottery system process for quite some time – decisions that while they may not have resulted in any laws being broken, do reveal poor decision-making and perhaps, the abandoning of those ethics to which we expect all of our leaders to follow. Still, we can’t help but wonder who would not have done the same thing for their children that a few Bowser team members, and others at the top of the pecking order have done, if the chance arose. To be clear, we’re not excusing the behavior of or justifying the decisions made by Henderson. We’re just not sure that what happened should dominate the city’s agenda for too long. We just want the lottery system to be revised so that everyone gets the same chance, no matter who they are or who they know. Every child is precious and deserving of the best – each and every child – the social, political and economic status of their parents should be viewed as irrelevant. WI

Kelsey’s Law May Save Lives It’s been 10 years since 18-year-old Kelsey Smith was found dead in a wooded area in Missouri. She had been abducted at gunpoint, raped and then strangled to death by a total stranger after leaving a Target store in broad daylight at the Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas. Within a couple of hours a massive manhunt was underway. Kelsey’s dad, Greg Smith, a former law enforcement officer, didn’t need the police to tell him that the first 72 hours were crucial to finding Kelsey alive. He and his wife, Missy, also knew that locating Kelsey’s cell phone would significantly improve the efforts of law enforcement, but to their dismay, neither of those things happened. They learned later that Kelsey was dead within three hours, but it took more than three days to locate her body. Repeated requests to Verizon by the Smiths and law enforcement to ping Kelsey’s phone were denied. Later, the Smiths learned that Verizon, unlike other telecommunications companies, did not have the technology to ping a phone. Three days following Kelsey’s abduction, the Smith’s armed with a court order finally received mapping information from Verizon, showing where Kelsey’s phone had traveled. That led the FBI, several law enforcement agencies, and a host of family members and friends to a heavily-wooded area across state lines in Missouri where Kelsey’s bruised, beaten and lifeless body was found. Since her death, Kelsey’s parents have pushed for a bill in Congress that would require the FCC to provide cell phone location information to law enWWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

TO THE EDITOR Congressional GOP, Not Trump, the True Target

Inform Youths of Summer Opportunities

Your article by Hamil Harris, "Nation's Clergy Rally Against Action, Policies of Trump," in the May 18, 2017, edition references several statements that Donald Trump made on the campaign trail about how he was going to help black Americans. Well, has Donald Trump said or even tweeted anything that was the truth? I will leave you to answer that. My contention is that Donald Trump doesn't know what is going on, it's the Republicans in the House and Senate that we need to be paying attention to. They rode Trump's coattail into power and they are the ones pushing their policies and agenda down the throats of the American people. We need to see stories about how people are organizing to get the vote out so that we can get those Republicans out of the House and Senate. Let's talk about how important it is to vote in all elections, and not only in the one to elect a president. I want to see articles about grass-roots efforts to get the vote out among young people, making sure they understand the importance of voting. Yes, Donald Trump is the president of the United States, but he's not the most important part!

I think that it would be extremely beneficial for The Washington Informer to do a special article in the coming months about cultural opportunities for young people to take advantage of during the summer. I think that lists of job opportunities are pretty common, but there may be some students, younger and older, who may want to attend a theater camp, instrumental music lessons, outdoor survival classes, dance workshops, various programs in the visual arts or technology instruction. There are so many companies, theaters, schools and organizations that offer these types of programs for young people — some even at very low or no cost — but many who would take advantage do not know where to begin to look for them. I think The Washington Informer would do a great service to the community to compile such a listing so that parents would have a variety of options to choose from as they begin to make summer plans for their families. Sonia Chetham

Leon Watson Washington, D.C. forcement to find a person at risk of death or serious physical harm due to being kidnapped and/or missing. Among the states, more than 20 have passed the Kelsey Smith Act, excluding DC, Maryland and Virginia. On Thursday, May 25, in observance of National Missing Children’s Day, the Smiths will travel back to

Capitol Hill once again to urge Congress to pass a new Kelsey Smith Act, following an unsuccessful attempt last year. The Department of Justice reports that in 2016, 647,435 reports of missing persons were entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Of those reports, 88,040 remained active missing person re-

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cords as of December 31, 2016, and youth accounted for 38.3 percent. We join the call to urge Congress and local legislators to take appropriate measures to adequately assist parents and law enforcement officials who are desperately searching for missing persons, especially children. It will go a long way to keep their hope alive. WI

MAY 25 - 31, 2017 25

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Elizabeth Primas

Ensuring the Promise of the Every Student Succeeds Act During the month of May, many of us celebrated the 63rd anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. The unanimous 1954 ruling by the United States Supreme Court declared "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Last week, the National Newspaper Publishers Association partnered with the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage for a special tribute

to the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. We also reflected on the significance of an improved national education law. The preservation of Thurgood Marshall's legacy is dependent upon our dedication to our children. In a column for The Washington Post, Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, noted that, "Today, nearly half of all black students attend majority black schools, with over 70 percent in high-poverty school districts." High poverty school districts

Guest Columnist

are often overwhelmed by the external consequences of poverty that distract students from learning and prevent effective classroom instruction. Chronic absenteeism, poor nutrition, and various forms of abuse, are a few of the challenges facing high poverty school districts. Although in-school psychological and academic resources cannot eliminate these challenges completely, they do help to mitigate their effects. Yet many of these programs are routinely underfunded. So, on the 63rd anniversary of the landmark decision to inte-

grate educational institutions in the United States, we ask ourselves the question, "How far have we come?" We struggled to be allowed to get an education. We fought to have equal access to quality education. We endured forced integration, only to be placed at the back of the classroom and ignored. The Every Student Succeeds Act attempts (ESSA) to fulfill the promise of a high-quality education for all of our children. ESSA advocates for qualified teachers, high standards, a robust programs, and assessments, which inform classroom instruction. The

law, which was passed during the Obama administration, also returns some responsibilities to create innovative and equitable educational policies back to Local Education Agencies (LEA). In response to the passage of ESSA in December 2015, 37 civil rights and education groups issued the following statement: "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is our nation's most important civil rights law for promoting educational achievement and protecting the

PRIMAS Page 45

By Raynard Jackson

How the Mainstream Media Is Helping Russia

Once again, the liberal, mainstream media has lost its collective mind over the mess swirling around President Trump in regard to the firing of former FBI Director Jim Comey. It's sad to see the lack of any attempt by the mainstream media to simply do its job, which is to merely report the facts, without any spin or bias. The only ones, who are winning in this false debate are the Russians. As I wrote in my col-

umn two months ago, Russia has released a psychological operations campaign against our country and it is having its desired effect — to destabilize our country. Psy-ops are another form of warfare that causes a nation's people to doubt the trustworthiness of its various institutions: political, corporate, religious, etc. Once a nation begins to distrust its leadership, total collapse can't be far off. While we are debating Comey's firing and Russia's so-called meddling in our elections, does anyone realize that Russian President Vladimir Putin is asserting

Guest Columnist

extraterritorial authority in his attempt to make legal claims of ownership to vast portions of the North Atlantic (off the coast of Alaska) and the Arctic, even though this area has historically been considered international waters. This part of the North Atlantic has untold oil and gas resources and would be an extremely profitable shipping route for global business. Russia's Northern Fleet is attempting to secure the northern sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific. So, please allow me to deconstruct the phony arguments be-

ing promulgated by all the radical liberals from mainstream media, the talking heads and wayward politicians. The president of the United States has the absolute power and authority to hire and fire the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to an amendment to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Title VI, Section 1101. Prior to this amendment, the director was nominated by the U.S. Attorney General. I find it quite ironic that even Comey acknowledged that the president had the authority to

fire him. In a letter sent to FBI employees the day after his firing, Comey said, "I have long believed that a president can fire an FBI director for any reason, or for no reason at all." The first director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, served from the founding of the agency in 1924 to 1972 with unchallenged power. Former President Barack Obama appointed Comey to head the bureau in 2013 for a statutory term of 10 years, so Comey had six years left on his

JACKSON Page 45

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Venezuela Needs Helping Hand, Not a Hammer Blow If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The United States has a big hammer: the military, plus the intelligence community's covert intervention forces. So we are dropping bombs from drones in seven countries. Donald Trump goes to Saudi Arabia peddling arms and urging military cooperation. When North Korea acts up, he dispatches an aircraft carrier flotilla as a "show of force." When Syria's government is accused of using

26 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

chemical weapons, he unleashes a barrage of cruise missiles. Now as Venezuela descends toward chaos, much of the hemisphere fears the United States will reach for its covert hammer to help get rid of a regime it doesn't like. The people in Venezuela are suffering horribly in the midst of a deepening recession. A recent study reported that nearly three-fourths of the people have lost weight amid a spreading food shortage. In 2016 inflation soared to 800 percent while the economy lost nearly 20 percent

of its GDP. More than 40 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty. Violent death is now a daily feature of a country with one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Shortages of food and medicine are growing, hospitals are increasingly dysfunctional, and prisons are scarred by riots and massacres. Violent mass protests and rising state repression threaten to spiral out of control. The causes of this are many. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. Oil constitutes about 90 percent of Venezuela's exports and is vital for a

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country that imports many necessities. When oil prices plummeted in the 1990s, Venezuelans suffered. When oil prices recovered in 2000, the popularly elected populist government of Hugo Chavez used the new resources to reduce poverty and extend health care and education. When oil prices plummeted again, Venezuela descended back into misery. The country is deeply polarized politically. The rapacious elite families that ran the country for decades never accepted the Chavez "Bolivarian Revolution," and organized mass protests and

attempted a coup. The impoverished rallied to Chavez, but his successor, Nicholas Maduro, has neither his political skills nor his good fortune on oil prices. In bitterly contested elections, the opposition captured the national assembly in 2016. Maduro has used the Supreme Court to overturn the assembly's legislation while postponing state elections. Opposition demonstrations have grown larger and more violent. But before the U.S. reaches for the hammer once more, it should

JACKSON Page 45

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Charlene Crowell

CBC Members Warn Against Return of Failed Financial Practices A House bill designed to reverse regulation of financial services and end consumer protections is attracting the attention of a growing number of Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members. In recent days, three CBC members who are also ranking committee members have written their respective committee chairs to express opposition to H.R. 10,

the so-called Financial CHOICE Act of 2017. In just three days (May 2-4), Reps. John Conyers of Detroit, Elijah Cummings of Baltimore and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott of Newport News, Virginia, each wrote their respective committee chairs in Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform and Education. Their single message: afford full committee deliberations on the bill. Earlier dubbed the "Wrong Choice Act" by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, ranking member

Guest Columnist

of the House Financial Services Committee, on May 4, the ill-advised legislation received a straight party-line vote in that committee. "H.R. 10 is a sprawling piece of legislation that would destroy key financial regulations and consumer protections put in place by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act," wrote Michigan Congressman John Conyers, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. "H.R. 10 would gut the progress we have made and place our

entire economy at risk of another crisis," wrote Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in his May 3 letter. "It would increase risks that taxpayers may have to bail out banks and financial firms yet again. As well as leave consumers vulnerable to the kinds of abusive and predatory practices that hurt so many American families before and during the Great Recession." On May 2, Rep. Scott wrote Rep. Virginia Fox, chairwoman

of Education and the Workforce: "Committee Members have expressed great concern over the attempts to weaken the oversight and enforcement power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the important role it plays regarding the integrity of student loan finance services." Since its April 26 introduction, H.R. 10 has become a legislative tug-of-war that has civil rights and consumer advocates speaking on behalf of average citizens on

CROWELL Page 46

By Rep. Alma Adams

Building a Pipeline of HBCU Students to D.C.

Summer internships are one important way that students can explore passions they want to pursue as a profession. They are exposed to a form of learning that goes beyond the books and may be the best chance they have to ensure they are making a wise investment. I am a strong believer in the notion that, in order to have your issues heard, you need to have a seat at the table; which is why I applaud HBCU students

who are interested in pursuing government and policy and have worked with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to ensure they have summer internships opportunities on Capitol Hill. Rep. Bryne (R-Alabama) and I founded the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus in April of 2015; we knew there needed to be a platform to promote and protect the needs and interests of HBCUs around the country. After two years, the caucus now consists of nearly 60 members in both the House and the Senate, who

Askia-At-Large

recognize the importance of HBCUs and applaud their history of producing successful graduates. The more than 100 HBCUs nationwide only account for three percent of all institutions of higher learning in the U.S. yet they produce 20 percent of African-American graduates with a bachelor's degree and 25 percent of African-American STEM graduates. This issue is personal to me, because I would not be here today if it were not for an HBCU that was willing to take a chance on me. I am a strong advocate for our schools because I

know, firsthand, the impact they have on a student's life. During the summer of 2016, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) and I partnered to create the Bipartisan HBCU Internship. Our vision was to create a program that brought bright and driven HBCU students to Capitol Hill to intern in both a Republican and Democratic office. During its first year, two HBCU students, one from North Carolina A&T University and one from Johnson C. Smith University, traveled to Capitol Hill for the internship program. Each student spent four weeks in

my office and four weeks in Rep. Walker's office to get a feel for the differences and many commonalities we share. They attended congressional hearings and committee meetings, drafted memos and constituent correspondence, and met with Members of Congress and their senior staff to learn from their experiences. Often, Capitol Hill internships are unpaid and the prohibitive cost of living in Washington, D.C., without an income excludes many qualified applicants from

ADAMS Page 46

By Askia Muhammad

Wagging the Dog: Understanding 45 in the Holy Land Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States (POTUS) has so dishonored the office he holds and himself in just five months of his assigned 48 months, that I am loathe to call him "president." If this republic rules with the "consent of the governed," then I withdraw my consent (as much as I can) to refer to that person as "president." I will also endeavor to not call his name, unless I'm playing bid whist. As much as is

journalistically practical, I'll refer to him as "45," as in 45th president. He's now overseas on his first mission as POTUS. His first stop was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are owed much: for being faithful custodians of Islam's holiest sites; for preserving Arabic — the language of the Holy Quran, just as it was recited to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself 1,500 years ago — as a living language. The Saudi population is 31 million, 8 million of whom are foreign nationals who do all the labor, like indentured

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slaves. Theirs is a closed, very conservative society with nothing resembling a government that answers to its people. They are the U.S. friends and showered 45 with the country's highest honor — the gold "Collar of Aziz" — on his arrival. Iran, on the other hand, has a population of 79 million, is very sophisticated and modern by comparison, with a functioning "democracy" which is tightly controlled by its religious elite. Iran is in fact a theocracy which took power in the 1979

revolution deposing the Shah of Iran who was set on his Peacock Throne in a 1953 U.S.-backed coup. At that time, Saudi Arabia was like Alaska during its gold rush, a dusty, abandoned frontier. Iran has a strong, battle proven military which survived several years of war, fighting U.S.-armed and -backed Iraqis, suffering more than 1 million Iranian casualties. This weekend Iranians voted in overwhelming numbers, choosing to re-elect the "moderate" President Rouhani, who wants better relations with the West, as do the 63 percent of the

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voters who chose him. Trump, the GOP, the Israelis don't want to hear any parts of it. So, 45 was in Saudia with his daughter and son-in-law making private deals on the side, while he collects what I call the substantial "refund" to this country for all the U.S. oil purchases from The Gulf kingdom. The rebate is in the form of a $110 billion "arms deal," which means an immediate transfer of those funds to purchase inferior versions of U.S. weapons that are

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LIFESTYLE Imagination Lunchbox: A Small Ripple Making Big Waves By Eunice Moseley WI Contributing Writer “I have good friends that support me,” said Anthony Michael Hobbs, co-founder and co-executive producer at Imagination Lunchbox, LLC, a film production company in Maryland that’s a small ripple making big waves. “I have an anti-social personality so if people come to me (with ill intentions) it’s not working because my personality won’t allow it,” explained Kerri Hobbs, mother of the 12-year-old filmmaker, when asked how she handles the entertainment industry sharks that try to hinder or benefit from her and her son’s

5 Mother and son, Kerri and Anthony Michael Hobbs, are the one-two punch for a film production company in hard work. Kerri is also co-founder and Maryland, Imagination Lunchbox. /Courtesy photo co-executive producer at the Line Athletics and Toys-R-Us. or have children in starring roles. thing is bad, but I say it’s good, we company that she formed for her Imagination Lunchbox, LLC, ILICFF also offered a panel discus- do it.” award-winning son. Anthony Mi- was named after Anthony’s dog sion where the audience had plen“You have to support them,” chael Hobbs, as a successf28 and has already produced three ty of serious questions. Kerri said about letting her son ul child actor and model, want- short films for him: “One Nation,” Kerri said helping youth achieve lead the way. “Parents ask me how ed to produce his own films that he “Naga Pixie” and “Agent Hol- the dreams remains one of the do you make him . . . I say I am not could star in. His most notable role lywood.” The films, collectively, company’s main goals. making him – he’s leading. We talk as an actor is as a young Frederick screened at over 15 international “I think we inspired the kids about it. The only time I do not let Douglas in the Emmy-nominated film festivals and won a total of at Anthony’s film festival. We had him have his way is if it’s detrimenPBS special “The Abolitionist.” six awards. Recently the produc- a lot of submissions and half the tal to him. I don’t let that happen.” He represented PBS at the 2013 tion company held its first annual audience that came were children.” Anthony Michael’s circle of Emmy Awards and has also starred Imagination Lunchbox InternaImagination Lunchbox is cur- friends all have roles in his movies in DreamWorks “How to Train tional Children’s Film Festival (IL- rently in the production stages of though very few want to be actors Your Dragon: Dragons and Dino- ICFF)) where 15 films from Spain, a documentary film made in asso- or filmmakers. saurs.” As a model, he has appeared Thailand, New Zealand, Japan, ciation with the Smithfield Foun“They only do it for me,” Anthoin national marketing campaigns and the U.S. were screened. The dation in Virginia. Kerri sits on the ny said. “Stace is getting more into for companies that include Finish films were made by or for children foundation’s board and their film acting. My friends Josh and Robert production company was hired both want to get into the NBA.” to produce several projects. This Hobbs is also an award-winning current project is about the inter- athlete. He was recently chosen out actions between the Preston fam- of hundreds of youth trying out to ily, owners of the Smithfield plan- be on the Maryland AAU team, tation, and one of their enslaved the Ravens. families – the Fractions of which Learn more about Imagination the Hobbs are descendents. Lunchbox, LLC and its projects When asked about who makes by logging onto www.Imaginathe final decisions in a company tionLunchbox.com or www.Anthat belongs to 12-year-old Antho- thony-Michael.com. Imagination ny Michael Hobbs, the youth said: Lunchbox’s third project “Agent “If something happens it’s my de- Hollywood” will be screened at the cision. [My mother] tells me if it’s Ocean City Film Festival, June 8 – good or bad . . . if she says some- 11, on Sunday, June 11. WI

“I have an anti-social personality so if people come to me (with ill intentions) it’s not working because my personality won’t allow it.” KERRI HOBBS /

28 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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LIFESTYLE ful and gratified to know that there's a bookstore named in her honor," McClenton said as he prepared to attend a news conference to announce the new bookstore. "She spent much of her life reading in book stores and libraries. She had great passion for reading so she would love for individuals to be able to share her great love and great gift." Milton had been on assignment covering a community event the night someone on a motorbike shot her. Reportedly, the target of the shooter wasn't Milton, but the target used the young journalist's body as a human shield. Police still haven't solved the case. Metropolitan Police Department Cpt. Anthony Haythe said the case is still very much open and the manhunt continues for the assailant. "To have a detective call and say she'd been shot, I was stunned," said Andrew Lightman, Milton's editor and mentor at Capital Community News. Lightman joined several others at the bookstore announcement and noted his late employee's zeal and the effect she had on others. "The one thing that I thought was important to me when she died was that people in our profession understood that we lost one of our own," Lightman said. "She worked very hard and she had to overcome being shy among other things." For Kymone Freeman, co-founder of We Act Radio, Milton's legacy counted as paramount and her memory and all she stood for has led to the

opening of the bookstore at 1918 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. "What do you think she was doing just before she was shot? She was probably reading at that bus stop," he said. Freeman began collecting books in February through D.C. Prep's Bookapalooza drive. With about 300 books now in the basement of his radio studio on MLK Avenue, Freeman's mission includes collecting many more books and raising enough money to renovate the space for the bookstore. "Charnice was a reader and she loved the area," Freeman said. "When I found out that there was no bookstore east of the [Anacostia] River, I knew we had to do something about that because we have the most children east of the river and we also have a high illiteracy rate, so there should be a bookstore." McClenton said his daughter would stay up many nights making sure that her articles were correct and then making sure to read something. "She had a passion for reading and writing," he said. "I'd be up with her late at night and she'd ask me to look over things that she'd written to make sure there were no errors." Naturally, he's hoping that police can finally crack the case. To do that, someone has to evoke his daughter's courage of not being in fear of retaliation and practicing what she preached, he said. "She was sincere and honest to a fault and no matter how tough things were, she would sit down with me and she would buckle up and move on," McClenton said.

He still leaves two lights on his house since Milton's death. "We leave the light on in the living room which we always did so we would see when she'd come through the door after covering a

community event," McClenton said. "And we leave a light on in her bedroom where she'd do four or five stories and stay up until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. to make sure that every 'I' was dotted and every

'T' was crossed. She presented the truth rather than any biased opinion. I enjoyed reading her material and making her a cup of mocha latte as she finished up early in the morning." WI

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5 Kenneth McClenton (center) and Francine Milton present Kymone Freeman with two of Charnice Milton’s favorite books for the Charnice Milton Community Bookstore housed in the We Act Radio building on May 17 in Southeast. /Photo by Roy Lewis

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LIFESTYLE

Black Art Matters Exhibit Displays in Georgetown Artists Aim to Illustrate Black Humanity By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer

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A black-owned art gallery in Georgetown brought a dynamic group of artists together to discuss and illustrate the importance of black art through their work. The P Street Gallerie presented the Black Art Matters 2017 Exhibition Series featuring visual arts and spoken word from May 18-25. California native and gallery owner Lisa Brown said the Black Art Matters exhibit is an effort to continue and broaden the discussion around the Black Lives Matter movement. "Simply put, black art matters because black lives matter," she said. "At P Street Gallerie, we are interested in the transformative nature of art. We believe art of all genres can begin, continue or change a dialogue. When we make room for black artists in our institutes, museums and galleries, we allow their stories to be told." The artists featured in the the exhibit includes Los Angeles resident Wanda Knight, a graphic designer who has produced a wide range collection of work during her 30-year career, working with mediums that include watercolors, oils, pastels, charcoal, sculpture and collage. In recent years, she has focused on a medium she calls "afro-collage." Using collected materials, she creates African and black urban motifs on canvas with leather, wood, cloth, metal and jewelry

pieces. Knight believes the tactile nature of her pieces, "forces people to really examine my art and its message." Local artists such as Caroline Ford-Coleman, Imar Hutchkins, Reshada Pullen-Jireh and Marqueo also aim to tell black stories in their art through found objects, historical documents and new materials. "I've been lucky to have been exposed to a little bit of everything," Marqueo said. "To life in the streets, to life as most aspire to live. This has shaped me into the person I am today and given me the ability to navigate through just about any situation. "I've always been drawn to street art," he said. "It's creative and disruptive, very similar to the most effective art or communication in any medium. My work has evolved by combining

fine art and street art into one. This reflects my life." Pullen-Jireh said she chooses to paint black people living their everyday lives as an urgent need to communicate that blacks are human. "I paint positive images of black people because of the desperate need to see and self-identify with good," she said. "I create and promote images that communicate that Black people have value. I combat tokenism and stereotypical tropes that flood our visual culture. "It's my peaceful battle against the idea that only one culture is the standard or pinnacle for all others to aspire to reach out of the many different ethnicities and cultures on the earth," she said. "All people no matter the ethnicity contribute tremendously to the richness of the human experience." WI

5 Caroline Ford-Coleman, explains her painting of Muhammad Ali after he knocked out Sonny Liston to Obie Morris during the opening reception of Black Art Matters at the P Street Galleries in Northwest on May 19. /Photo by Roy Lewis

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5 Artist Marqueo with one of his paintings of artists Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat during the opening reception of Black Art Matters held May 19 in Northwest. /Photo by Roy Lewis

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LIFESTYLE

Russell Schools Escandon in WBC Featherweight Title Defense By Martell Pegues WI Contributing Writer

DMV-area boxer Gary Russell, Jr. represented in warrior-like fashion Saturday, May 20, successfully defending his WBC featherweight title against Oscar Escandon with a 7th-round TKO in front of a home crowd of more than 2,400 at the MGM National Harbor. Russell started out fast and he ended the fight fast as well, outclassing Escandon with his superior quickness and hand speed. The third round would prove to be the turning point in the match as Russell floored Escandon – it was essentially over from there. “I fought a tough competitor,” said Russell, who was also well ahead on the scorecards by the fight's end. “I knew Escandon wanted to come and bring his best. I knew he was going to come forward. I was ready for him. We are warriors.” Escandon (25-3) made the fight interesting for a few rounds but was no match for Russell’s quick hands. In the rout, Russell landed 198 of 508 punches, with 180 being power punches.

The Colombian struggled mightily as he only landed 20 percent of his punches throughout the fight, 110 of 558 overall. “I knew that Gary was going to go fast from the first to the fifth round and it was part of my strategy to let him do that and get tired. It didn’t work, unfortunately,” Escandon said. Russell, who improved his record to 28-1, is already looking ahead to his next bout, stating his desire for a rematch with Vasyl Lomachenko who handed him his lone professional loss in 2014. “I want to do it for myself,” Russell said. “And I want to do it twice. I’ll knock him out the first time and then he’ll want me to fight him again.” It was a big night for the Russell family, as the fighter's two brothers, Gary Antonio Russell and Gary Antuanne Russell, also picked up wins on the card – all on their father Gary Sr.'s birthday. “I’m ecstatic,” the patriarch said. “I’m really happy. I got three wins. Three stoppages. It’s my birthday. I’m 15 minutes from home and I can go home and relax.” WI

5 Gary Russell, Jr. (left) stopped Oscar Escandon at the MGM National Harbor on Saturday, May 20, defending his WBC featherweight title. /Photo courtesy of Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) Bid Announcements #1 - SECURITY SERVICES

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting bids SECURITY SERVICES from qualified vendors. Interested parties can view a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website at www.wcsapex.com and opening APEX BID #17-S-013-422. Key Dates Site Visit: 10:00 AM EST, Tuesday, May 30, 2017 Proposal Due Date: 3:00 PM, EST, Monday, June 19, 2017 Notification of intent to attend the Site Visit must be provided via e-mail to Kiara Short, Contracts & Procurement Analyst at KShort@eventsdc.com no later than 5:00pm EST, May 29, 2017.

#2 - WEBSITE REDESIGN SERVICES

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting bids WEBSITE REDESIGN SERVICES from qualified vendors. Interested parties can view a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website at www.wcsapex.com and opening APEX BID #17-S-005-420. Key Dates Proposal Due Date: 3:00 PM, EST, Friday, June 16, 2017

#3 - WEBSITE REDESIGN SERVICES

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (t/a Events DC) is soliciting bids ARTISTIC GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES from qualified vendors. Interested parties can view a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) by accessing the Event DC’s E-procurement website at www.wcsapex.com and opening APEX BID #17-S-005-421.

5 A knockout blow. /Photo courtesy of Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

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CONGRATULATIONS DISCOVER THE UNEXPECTED FELLOWS!

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Discover the Unexpected is back! This year’s DTU journalism fellowship presented by the all-new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox in partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association has expanded beyond Howard University to include students from Spelman College, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University. This summer, our 8 DTU Fellows will intern at the Washington informer in Washington D.C., the Atlanta Voice in Atlanta, the Carolinian in Raleigh and the Louisiana Weekly in New Orleans. These young journalists will explore these rich strongholds of African American history and culture, and share unexpected stories from our community. Join them as they embark on this exciting journey of inspiration, education and discovery.

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LIFESTYLE Mental Health Services to Expand in Schools Bowser Admininstration Releases New Plans By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer City officials have taken action with addressing the mental and behavioral health of students in the District. The Bowser administration released new plans last week to expand school health and behavioral health services in schools. "Health issues should never be a barrier to student success in the classroom," Mayor Muriel Bowser said. "By better coordinating our efforts and programs, we can ensure that more students are accessing the types of care that will enable them to succeed at school and in life. "Because of these expansions to physical and mental health services, we will be able to work with families and communities earlier and more often to provide our students with the supports they need to thrive,"

Bowser said. The Department of Behavioral Health's School Mental Health Program and the Department of Health's School Health Program will both work to improve student academic and health outcomes by emphasizing the importance of integration, alignment, and collaboration among schools, clinicians, and the community. Fewer than 30 percent of District schools receive behavioral health services from DBH clinicians. The new School Mental Health Program will expand school-based behavioral health services to every DC public school and public charter school by using all behavioral health resources available in the District, not just health department resources. The School Mental Health Program will be implemented throughout the 2017-18 school

year in phases, giving students, schools and providers time to transition to the expanded services. "For the first time, we have plans to expand health and mental health services to all children in public and public charter schools and child care centers throughout the District," said Hanseul Kang, D.C. State Superintendent of Education. "This will allow families to gain meaningful connections to care in their communities and school and center-based staff to focus on high-quality instruction. "When children are healthy, they are ready to learn," Kang said. "The District of Columbia is making strong investments that are informed by the overwhelming research that shows us that health and education are inseparable." The new School Health Services Program will serve as an update to the current Coordinated School Health approach and based on the Whole

School, Whole Community, Whole Child model developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Under the new child-centered program, school nurses and allied health professionals (certified nursing assistants and health care technicians) will provide every school with 40 hours of clinical coverage for students each week. In addition, through the new program, parents will receive support coordinating care and navigating community services in order to meet the preventive and chronic health needs of their children.

"The new School Health Services Program addresses the health needs of students both inside and outside of the school building by connecting children to quality health services in school and in the community," said Shana Bartley, acting executive director of DC Action for Children. "We learned through the School Health Needs Assessment that a significant number of students face a variety of health concerns that can impact their ability to be present and learn in the classroom. "This new child-centered and needs-based approach will improve student health outcomes by ensuring that children are connected to medical homes and have well-coordinated care," Bartley said. WI

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5 Florida Senator Bill Nelson talks with members of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida on Friday, May 19 during the organization’s 35th annual conference weekend in Orlando. /Photo by Louis Ward

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we have to do is vote their butts (Republicans) out of office.” Other guest speakers included: Judy Mount, vice chairman, Democratic National Committeewoman, the first Black woman to hold the position; Commissioners Charles Smith and Dale V.C. Holness; and Art Rocker, chairman, Operation People for Peace, Inc. The Caucus, with a statewide membership of 742, had 194 credentialed voters cast their ballot on early Saturday. Henry Crespo, Sr., the president for the past four years and credited with bringing new energy and focus to the Caucus, handed over the

reins to Lydia Hudson, a Tampa Bay resident, elected by 2 to 1 margin. The other new officers include: Russell Drake, 1st vice; Glenda Alfred-Atkins, 2nd vice; Hazel Gillis, secretary; and Cornelle Maxfield, treasurer. “Leadership isn’t always easy and sometimes we make some mistakes, but no one can ever question our commitment,” Hudson said. “Working beside Henry during his terms as president has allowed me to travel this state and better understand the needs of Black communities in Florida. We’re going to continue the work he began. And we’re going to make our voices and our votes heard.” WI

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LIFESTYLE

wi book reviewA

Horoscopes

MAY 25 - 31, 2017

ARIES A strong focus on your communication zone offers you a chance to connect

with neighbors and others in your area. This opportunity to reach out could prove very rewarding if it helps to bring your local community closer together. Arguing certainly won't help. The New Moon on May 25 can bring a chance to take a brilliant idea further. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 14

"The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir"

TAURUS You might want to share ideas that you've been mulling over recently. You're very much in your element at this time, and this week could be an opportunity to take steps to fulfill one of your heart's desires. It may not happen overnight, but bit by bit you'll get there. F Lucky Numbers: 4, 23, 31

by D. Watkins c.2017, Grand Central $14.99 ($19.49 Canada) 262 pages

GEMINI It will come as no surprise if you feel moved to tackle projects that you've been dreaming up recently. Anything with personal meaning could inspire you to give it your best shot. With a New Moon in your sign on May 25, this special opportunity allows you to make a fresh start in any area you choose. Lucky Numbers: 25, 33, 51 CANCER The cosmos encourages you to stand back from life and reflect on your

progress. As the Sun moves further into your sector of spirituality, this can be an opportunity to get closure on issues that may have been bothering you for some time. Taking the time to speak to the person or people in question and release any hurt feelings can go a long way toward bringing peace of mind. Lucky Numbers: 11, 12, 40

LEO Your social life may have some additional sparkle over coming weeks. You may

The Cook Up

already have made a number of new friends. But a more awkward aspect on May 28 suggests that it's better to be flexible and stubborn regarding an old friend who could be taking your attitude a little too personally. Lucky Numbers: 8, 15, 33

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Everything has a price. You say you'll never sell your granddad's watch, your dream car, or that collectible you coveted because it's priceless — until it's not, because everything is for sale. But in "The Cook-Up" by D. Watkins, it may cost your entire life. Around the country, headlines scream about a heroin epidemic every day. It's shocking, but what many (white) people don't know is that, as Watkins says, "if you're black and poor, the heroin epidemic has been around." He should know. For a time, he sold drugs on the streets of Baltimore, where the average life ends so early that "we go through midlife crises at 15…" He was much younger than that when he saw his first shooting; much younger when he understood that drugs were as easy to get as oxygen. He idolized his big brother then; Bip was larger-than-life, a dealer who doted on Watkins and urged him to stay in school. He wanted Bip to be proud of him, so when his brother was murdered just blocks from home, Watkins tried to stay in college but his heart wasn't in it. Instead, he created his own business with the contents of a safe Bip left him: miscellaneous items, a brick-and-a-half of raw cocaine, guns and thousands in cash. With help from a childhood friend, Watkins cooked the cocaine into rocks to sell and as his clientele list grew, so did the number of workers he needed to stay one step ahead. His level of responsibility grew, too; Watkins made sure that folks in his neighborhood were fed, clothed, and safe. That took money, but there was plenty of it. For months, Watkins and his boys had whatever wanted, the "fiends" had their highs, and cops looked the other way. Things were good until suddenly, Watkins looked around and into the future: he'd met a girl, and he needed to come up with an "exit strategy" for himself and one of his boys. The problem was, he said, "dudes don't know when to leave the block alone." The first thing you need to know about "The Cook Up" is found on its cover: Watkins himself is in shadow, on the bleakest of stoops, near a doorway covered in plywood. An inexplicable feeling of electricity, then, screams that what you're about to read is going to be raw, and it's right. With a fascinating tone that sometimes seems impassioned, almost matter-of-fact, author D. Watkins writes about childhoods spent in poverty — his, and that of his friends — and the things it led them to do to survive. Read further, however, and you'll see that his quiet voice almost quivers with righteous anger and anguish as Watkins' story progresses to an ending that feels happy and perfect and depressing, all at the same time. It should go without saying that this isn't a book for Grandma, unless she can handle profanity and violence. If you can handle it, you'll find that "The Cook Up," now in paperback, is worth the price of time. WI WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

VIRGO You are encouraged you to showcase your skills and abilities. You now have a chance to impress a boss or someone in authority and perhaps get a well-deserved promotion. It all hinges on paying attention to detail and fulfilling your responsibilities to the letter. But avoid getting involved in too many things at once, as you may spread yourself too thin. Lucky Numbers: 4, 19, 26 LIBRA You may feel an urge to leave your comfort zone and explore options that represent a bit of a challenge with a steep learning curve. The coming weeks can also encourage you to travel with a view toward expanding your horizons. In addition, you may feel moved to work abroad or take a long vacation that allows you to visit several countries along the way. This kind of activity can build character. Lucky Numbers: 23, 27, 30 SCORPIO Looking beneath the surface may help you understand the subtle currents that make up a key situation or relationship. Key insights could allow you to help bring closure or find a way to tackle a certain issue once and for all. On another note, hang on to your cash for now. Lucky Numbers: 17, 20, 41 SAGITTARIUS The feisty energies of Mars in your sector of relating may have stirred

up your relationships. Seek compromise. While it might be useful to speak the honest truth to cut through too much fluff, there are times when more sensitive souls could find this hard to cope with. Discussing matters in a gentler and more understanding way could bring you closer to a certain someone. Lucky Numbers: 2, 10, 54

CAPRICORN You may feel like experimenting with a new and fresher diet of organic foods or home-grown produce. The present focus on your lifestyle sector could be the catalyst that weans you off fast food and onto something more palatable and wholesome. The same goes for other activities, too. A new and more healthful beginning may be on the menu for you. Lucky Numbers: 7, 9, 33 AQUARIUS The time has come to allow your more playful side out into the open. The stellar backdrop could encourage you to explore your relationship with your inner child. Involve yourself in freeing and therapeutic activities. Painting, drawing, dabbling in colors and bright materials, can unleash a vortex of creativity, and you may find this spills over into other areas of life, too. Lucky Numbers: 3, 22, 54 PISCES Playing host can be especially fun as cosmic forces encourage you to invite others over for a friendly get-together. Your home could become a hive of activity where friends meet to discuss children, issues, and clever solutions to everyday problems. You'll also benefit from clearing out clutter and giving yourself more room to maneuver. Online connections can also be a source of camaraderie and vital information that enables you to move ahead with a plan of yours. Lucky Numbers: 29, 32, 39

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 25 - 31, 2017 35

SPORTS Divas Blow Past Phoenix

5 D.C. Divas wide receiver Melissa Washington attempts to break the grasp of a Carolina Phoenix defender during the Divas' 41-22 win at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, on Saturday, May 20. /Photo by John E. De Freitas 3 Carolina Phoenix running

back Hannah DeGraffinreed stiffarms D.C. Divas defensive back Quiana Ford during the Divas' 41-22 win at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, on Saturday, May 20. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

5 Carolina Phoenix quar-

terback Jennifer King scrambles away from a D.C. Divas defender during the Divas' 41-22 win at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, on Saturday, May 20. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

6 D.C. Divas wide receiver

Kentrina Wilson is tackled by Carolina Phoenix linebacker Porschia Holmes during the Divas' 41-22 win at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, on Saturday, May 20. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

4 D.C. Divas defensive back D'Ajah Scott tries to evade Carolina Phoenix wide receiver Michell Katkowski during the Divas' 41-22 win at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia, on Saturday, May 20. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

36 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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SPORTS Gonzaga Wins DCSAA Championship

6 Wilson second baseman Robert

Cordero tries to tag Gonzaga pitcher Teddy Blumenauer during Gonzaga's 9-1 win in the DCSAA championship game at Nationals Park in Southeast on Sunday, May 21. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

5 Wilson shortstop Robert Cordero

attempts to turn a double play against Gonzaga during Gonzaga's 9-1 win in the DCSAA championship game at Nationals Park in Southeast on Sunday, May 21. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

4 Wilson shortstop Robert Cordero

tags Gonzaga pitcher Joe Manley during Gonzaga's 9-1 win in the DCSAA championship game at Nationals Park in Southeast on Sunday, May 21. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

5 Home plate umpire Troy Stewart readies to make

the call as Gonzaga College High School first baseman Brendan Gibson attempts to evade Woodrow Wilson Senior High catcher Nathan Wagner's tag during Gonzaga's 9-1 win in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship game at Nationals Park in Southeast on Sunday, May 21. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

5 Gonzaga players celebrate with the 2017 DCSAA trophy after defeating Wilson 9-1 in the association's championship game at Nationals Park in Southeast on Sunday, May 21. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

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VIGIL from Page 1 ity Center on the University of Maryland in College Park campus, where Collins was killed. Police said Collins was stabbed about 3:30 a.m. Saturday while waiting on an Uber. Collins' accused killer, Sean Christopher Urbanski, made his first court appearance Monday before a Prince George's County judge on murder and assault charges. Judge Patricia E. Lewis ordered Urbanski, a 22-year-old white student at the University of Maryland, to remain in jail without bond. Authorities said Collins and his two friends heard Urbanski scream from across the street before he approached them. "Step left, step left if you know what's best for you," Urbanski said to Collins, who replied, "No," according to court documents. Urbanski stabbed Collins in the chest and was found by police sitting on a bench about 50 feet away from the bus stop, authorities said. Police recovered a knife from Urbanski's right pocket. During a press conference Sunday at the University of Maryland police station, officials said Urbanski may belong to a racist Facebook group. The FBI office in Baltimore will assist in the investigation with the state's attorney's office and county police. Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said it's too early to determine whether Collins' death constitutes as a hate crime. By early indications, Urbanski and Collins didn't know each other, she said. "This is an investigation we cannot afford to get wrong," she said during a news conference Monday outside the courthouse in Upper Marlboro. "We will take our time and make sure it is done well." Although the judge denied Urbanski's release from jail, she said his attorney could ask for a GPS monitoring device because he has no prior criminal record. "We will agree to anything other

5 Supporters of the Candlelight Vigil at Bowie State University gather to protest the killing of Bowie State University's Senior, Richard Collins III. /Demetrious Kinney than [removing] a no-bond [status]," Alsobrooks said. "This is a person who stabbed a perfect stranger at a bus stop. [This] is a very serious allegation. We believe that sort of individual is too dangerous to be out."

CAMPUS VIGIL

Hours after the legal proceedings Monday, hundreds came to the Bowie State campus in Bowie to hold a vigil, where Collins was remembered as honest, trustworthy, fearless and dependable. Some students, faculty and alumni shed tears. Some laughed. Some expressed frustration about his tragic death. Lt. Col. Joel Thomas advised the audience to continue living. "I suggest we pick up the mantle and continue to work and move," said Thomas, who taught Collins military science at Bowie State. "Celebrate his life by being great in anything you do. By being great will let [people] know how great a person Richard was and how great an institution Bowie State is." Classmates such as Talithia Royster talked about how she and Collins were commissioned Thursday as second lieutenants in the Army and were set to graduate Tuesday. Then Royster sang "His Eyes Is on the Sparrow." Phylecia Fabulas, a member of the school's Student Government Association, recalled when she first met Collins two years ago during the up-

rising in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. She traveled with Collins and a few others to Baltimore to experience and understand the protests that took place in the city. Even during that tumultuous event, Collins expressed his humor. "He said, 'Hey, my name is Richard but you can call me "Rich" because that's what I'm going to be,'" she said amid laughter in the audience. "We went there and got back. At that moment, I knew there was something very special about him. He was fearless." After remarks inside the Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Arts Center, hundreds walked to the torch, a campus landmark, where balloons were released to pay homage to Collins' memory. Afterward, some stood at the torch to protest his death and spoke against a system they say unjustly targets Blacks. "I have mixed emotions. Part of me wants to be a part of that, but part of me wants to unify everyone," said Ogechi Ukachukwu, 24, who will transfer from Prince George's Community College to Bowie State in the fall. "[Collins] death was definitely a hate crime, but you can't fight hate with hate. I really hope and pray we do come together." Funeral services for Collins III will be held Friday at First Baptist Church of Glenadren in Upper Marlboro. WI

CALL 1 800 420 7783 NOW! ATTENTION MARYLANDERS WITH HOMES CONSTRUCTED BEWEEN 1989 -2009 THAT HAVE FLEXIBLE CORRUGATED STAINLESS STEEL GAS PIPE (CSST) We represent CSST homeowners in a class action to recover inspection and repair costs from the manufacturers of this product. If your home was built with CSST, you may be entitled to a free inspection, repairs or replacement. Call (202) 640-1166 or email “CSST” to info@wbmllp.com for more information. GARY E. MASON WHITFIELD BRYSON & MASON LLP 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Ste. 605, Washington, DC 20036 No specific results implied

! 38 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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RELIGION THE RELIGION CORNER

The Griffin Firm, PLLC

Salute to Marjorie L. Harris "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." — II Timothy 4:7 On May 16, 2017, America lost Dr. Marjorie Lewis Harris, a former president of one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). What a privilege it has been to know and to love Harris! Convinced that a college degree was essential, it was she who would not stop encouraging me to go to college. Today, I do have my BA and master's degree in communications. Dr. Marjorie L. Harris lived her life, as the title of her book suggests, on her own terms. Harris was the daughter of Dr. Violet Temple Lewis, founder of the Lewis College of Business, where Harris served as president for decades before the school was closed in 2013. The school, founded in 1928, was one of three unique HBCUs founded by an African-American woman. The other two sister institutions are Voorhees College, founded in 1897 by Elizabeth Wright, and Bethune-Cookman University, founded in 1904 by Mary McLeod Bethune. These women served in roles where they were considered the minority. Dr. Marjorie Lewis Harris, a woman who loved the Lord, was my friend! Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Detroit, Michigan became her home for more than 60 years. When Violet T. Lewis died, it was Dr. Marjorie Lewis Harris who took the reins of leadership, having served as president for nearly thirty years. Lewis College of Business will go down in history as the only inTurning Hearts Church

stitution of higher education in the state of Michigan to have the U.S. Department of Education's distinct designation as a historically black college. At John R and Ferry streets, there is a historic marker for the building which housed the original college when Lewis first moved to Detroit. Basketball star Isiah Thomas was present for the marker's unveiling ceremony, which was presided over by the governor of Michigan. Though the college is closed now, Lewis was proud of its heritage as an institution initially founded to providing postsecondary education to students of African ancestry. The history of Lewis College of Business is probably parallel to the history of most HBCUs. In 1928, Lewis saw an unmet need for vocational training in the secretarial science arena, for students of African descent, in Indianapolis. Though there were secretarial schools in the area, African-American students were not accepted at that time. Lewis contemplated how she could rectify this situation, determining that she would open a secretarial school since she had excellent secretarial skills, learned at Wilberforce University, another prestigious HBCU. There was a vigorous African-American business district in Indianapolis, and this business community often searched for qualified secretarial support. Lewis secured a $50 loan from a local bank that required three male co-signers, who worked for the federal government. Her employer gave her classroom space rent-free for 30 days, in one of

The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest

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Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958

Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: faithdefender@verizon.net

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Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC with Lyndia Grant several storefronts he owned in the black business district. Lewis was able to purchase some used office equipment with the $50 loan, and Lewis College of Business was born. In 1939 Lewis learned that secretarial schools in Detroit did not accept African-American students, so she opened a branch school in Detroit. The Detroit school soon outgrew Indianapolis and in 1940, Lewis closed the "mother" school. During the 80 years (1939-2013) that Lewis College served the Detroit community, the college graduated over 5,000 students. Lewis College of Business was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in Michigan and was chartered as a postsecondary institution with an unlimited academic charter. It purchased a 10.5-acre campus and was initially accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1978. The college helped knock down the doors of racism in the hiring practices of governmental and corporate entities in the Detroit metropolitan area, and changed the ethnicity of white-collar workers throughout the state. WI

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Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher

Service and Times Sunday School 8 – 9 AM Worship Service 9 – 11 AM Tuesday Night Bible Study 6:30 – 8:00 PM Wednesday Daytime Bible Study 11 AM – 12:30 PM

Committed to providing services and supports to increase the capacity of individuals, businesses, and communities.

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

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RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor 9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 Fax: 301-499-8724

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 a.m. 7 10:00 a.m. Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor 700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849 Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00am 5th Sundays: 9:30am 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30pm www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Church of Living Waters

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Crusader Baptist Church

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., Pastor

Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor

Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor

Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor

2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org

800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703

4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00am Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30am 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00am Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30pm Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30pm Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30pm Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30pm Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00am “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”

Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00am Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45am Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00pm Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00pm Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment

1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661

Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00am Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30pm Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org

E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org “God is Love”

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Third Street Church of God

Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors

Drs. Dennis W. & Christine Y. Wiley Pastors

Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor

Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor

4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax

3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) (202) 562-4219 (Fax)

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555

1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office 202-638-1803 fax

610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00am Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30pm

Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30pm (dinner @ 5:30pm) Sunday School: 9:00am – Hour of Power

Blessed Word of Life Church

www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 am Sunday Church School: 8:45 am Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 pm Thursday: 7: pm “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

“An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantbaptistdc.org

Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45am Church School: 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45am Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 pm Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30am

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Prayer Meeting and Bible Study: Wed. 7:30pm

“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net

www.thirdstreet.org

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church

Sunday Worship Service: 8 AM and 10:45am Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45am; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45am; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6am & 6:30pm Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday Church School: 9:20 a.m. Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us... Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00am Worship Service: 10:00am Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45pm Thur. Bible Study: 7:15pm

Twelfth Street Christian Church Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 am Communion every Sunday: 11:00 am Sunday School: 10:00 am Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 pm Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Rev. John W. Davis Pastor

Joseph N. Evans, Ph.D Senior Pastor

5101 14th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20011 202-726-2220/ 202-726-9089

901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 8:00am and 11:00am Sunday School: 9:15am Holy Communion 4th Sunday 10:00am Prayer and Bible Study Wednesday 7:00pm TV Ministry –Channel 6 Wednesday 10:00pm

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10am Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00pm Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00pm Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10am themcbc.org

gsccm.administration@verizon.net

40 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church

All Nations Baptist Church

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471

2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591

2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730

Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Service 11:00 a.m. Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards

Israel Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 am Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 am Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 am Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 am Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 pm

Emmanuel Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Clinton W. Austin Pastor

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor

2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office - (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Come Grow With Us and Establish a Blessed Family”

623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 Fax (202) 483-4009

4504 Gault Place, N.E. Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 7:30am & 10:45am Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30pm Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00pm

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 a.m. Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 a.m. Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 p.m. Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 p.m. Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

“Where Jesus is the King”

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of " Joy Apostolic Faith

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Matthews

Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:15AM Sunday School: 9:00am Monday: Noon Bible School Wednesday: Noon & 7PM: Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission Zion Baptist Church Shall; Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, and Exalt Our Savior. (Acts 2:41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Dr. Diane Dixon Proctor Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288

1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lpumconthegrow@gmail.com www.lpumcdc.org

5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 A.M. Sunday School: 8:30 A.M. Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 P.M. Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10: am Holy Communion: First Sunday 10: am Sunday School: 9: am Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30pm Motto: “A CHURCH ON THE GROW”.

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

MemorialRev. Joan E. Buchanan

Executive Pastor

Baptist Church

2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304

Rev. Joan E. Buchanan Service and Times Executive Early PastorWorship Service:

7:30am Worship Service: 11:00am New Member’s Class: 9:45am 1st Sunday, 11:00am ServiceHoly andCommunion: Times Church School: 9:45am Early Worship Service: 7:30am Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer,11:00am Praise and Bible Study: 7:00pm Worship Service: Saturday Bible Study: 11:00am Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, New Member’s Class: 9:45am Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00am Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. st 1 Sunday, 11:00am The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42Holy Communion: “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 P.M Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 P.M Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 P.M.

Service and Times 9:30AM. Sunday Church School 11:00 Am. Sunday Worship Service The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Wednesday 7:00pm Prayer & Praise Services 7:30pm. Bible Study Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries 10:30am A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net

Christ Embassy DC

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 A.M. Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 P.M. Friday Evening Service: 7:00 P.M. ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

Church School: Multitude 9:45am of Souls to Christ”

Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study

St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m. Sunday School: 9:15 a.m. Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 pm Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor

Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964

8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240

13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 am and 10:45 am Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 am & 10:45 am Sunday School: 9:30 am Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 pm Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 pm Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 pm

Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM

Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org

St. Matthews Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church

New Commandment Baptist Church

Rehoboth Baptist Church

“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org

Salem Baptist Church

Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00pm Saturday Bible Study: 11:00am

Peace Baptist Church

Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00am

“Empowered to Love and Challenged

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell

to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship Service: 7:15 am & 10:50 am Sunday School: 9:30am Wednesday Prayer & Testimonies Service: 7:30pm Wednesday School of the Bible: 8:00pm Wednesday - Midweek Prayer Service: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 A.M. Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 A.M. Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 P.M. Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 P.M. Prayer Service Bible Study

“The Loving Church of the living lord “ Email Address pbcexec@verizon.net

Shiloh Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Maxwell M. Washington Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

Worshiping Location Knights of Columbus - 1633 Tucker Road Fort Washington, MD 20744 (240) 838-7074

621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112

917 N St. NW - Washington, DC 20001 (202) 232-4294

9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288

Service and Times Sunday Service: 10 am Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 am 1st Sunday Baptism: 10: am 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10 am Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 pm Prayer Meeting: 7:45 pm

Service and Times Sunday Morning Prayer Service: 8:00 a.m. Sunday Church School: 9:15 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship: 10:40 a.m. Third Sunday Baptismal & Holy Communion:10:30 a.m. Tuesday Church At Study Prayer & Praise: 6:30 p.m.

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 a.m. Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 a.m. Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 p.m.

602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30 a.m. & 10:30a.m. Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 p.m. Wednesday 12 Noon

Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”

The Church Where GOD Is Working.... And We Are Working With GOD

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 am Sunday School: 9:00 am Holy Communion 3rd Sunday Morning Prayer / Bible Study: 6:15 pm - 7:20 pm (Tuesday) Theme: “The Kingdom Focused Church” Matthew 6:33 and Mathew 28:18-20, KJV Email: stmatthewsbaptist@msn.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

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Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 a.m. Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30 a.m. Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 p.m. Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “

Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

MAY 25 - 31, 2017 41

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2017 ADM 470 Kathy Annette Butler Decedent George L. Garrow, Jr. Garrow Law firm, PLLC 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kenneth Butler, whose address is 117 Franklin Street, NE, #I-22, Washington, DC 20002 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Kathy Annette Butler who died on September 21, 2015 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 11, 2017 Kenneth Butler Personal Representative

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2017 ADM 468 Ethel K. Butler Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Ronald T. Butler, whose address is 1208 42nd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ethel K. Butler who died on March 17, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 11, 2017 Ronald T. Butler Personal Representative

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2017 ADM 434

Administration No. 2017 ADM 441

Administration No. 2017 ADM 526

Frances E. Early Decedent

Constance M. Thomas Decedent

Indiana Stewart Evans Decedent

Johnny M. Howard, Houston & Howard 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 402 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Ronald Dixon Bynum & Jenkins 1010 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Lacountis Compton and Helen Humes, whose addresses are 1903 Curtis Ct., SE, Washington DC 20020 & 7807 Mandan Rd., #201 Greenbelt, MD 20770 are appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Frances E. Early who died on April 10, 1997 with a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Lacountis Compton Helen Humes Personal Representatives

Anne Meister Register of Wills

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Date of first publication: May 11, 2017

TRUE TEST COPY TRUE TEST COPY

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Juanita E. Goodwin, whose address is 1908 Tibet Court, Las Vegas, NV 89117 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Constance M. Thomas who died on August 5, 2016 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 11, 2017 Juanita E. Goodwin Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Valarie Wheeler, Deborah Evans-Parker and Anthony Evans, whose addresses are 5244 Colorado Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20011, 6805 Palomino Ridge Ct., Summerfield, NC 27358 and 4803 Russell Ave., Hyatteville, MD 20782 were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Indiana Stewart Evans who died on November 30, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 25, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 25, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 25, 2017 Valarie Wheeler Deborah Evans-Parker Anthony Evans Personal Representatives TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2017 ADM 473

Administration No. 2017 ADM 465

Administration No. 2017 ADM 501

Administration No. 2017 ADM 490

Administration No. 2017 ADM 538 Dwight M. Gill, Sr. aka Dwight Mitchell Gill, Sr. Decedent Jacqueline Jones Moore, Esq. 7605 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney

Anna S. Jacobs Decedent

James Garrett Smith Decedent

Santiago Saez, Jr. aka Santiago Saez Decedent

Tanya A. Chavis Decedent

Peter D. Antonoplos, Esq. 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Donnell H. McNeal 1300 Mercantile Lane, Suite 136-F Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 Attorney

Peter D. Antonoplos, Esq. 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Marcus Jacobs, whose address is 107 33rd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20036 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Anna S. Jacobs who died on July 11, 2012 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Martell Simms, whose address is 533 Shepherd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of James Garrett Smith who died on September 6, 2016 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Jean-Francois E. Ferre, whose address is 377 N Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Santiago Saez, Jr. aka Santiago Saez who died on June 29, 2016 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 11, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 11, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: May 11, 2017 Marcus Jacobs Personal Representative

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Date of first publication: May 11, 2017 Martell Simms Personal Representative

Date of first publication: May 18, 2017 Michael D. Chavis Personal Representative

Date of first publication: May 11, 2017

TRUE TEST COPY

Jean-Francois E. Ferre Personal Representative

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

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Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

42 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

Michael D. Chavis, whose address is 1181 First Terrace, NW, Washington, DC 20001 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Tanya A. Chavis who died on March 25, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 18, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 18, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Dwight Mitchell Gill, Jr., whose address is 4016 Blaine Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Dwight M. Gill, Sr. aka Dwight Mitchell Gill, Sr. who died on October 2, 2016 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 25, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 25, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 25, 2017 Dwight Mitchell Gill, Jr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

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LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2017 ADM 419

Administration No. 2016 ADM 1315

Barbara J. Ingram Decedent

Robert Alan Johnson Decedent

Carl E. Snead 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 910 17th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Brenda T. Ingram-Best, whose address is 1842 Central Place, NE, Washington, DC 20002 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Barbara J. Ingram who died on May 24, 2011 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 25, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 25, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Valerie J. Caracelli, whose address is 2727 29th Street, NW, Apt. 512, Washington, DC 20008 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robert Alan Johnson who died on June 15, 2016 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 25, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 25, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: May 25, 2017 Brenda T. Ingram-Best Personal Representative

Date of first publication: May 25, 2017 Valerie J. Carracelli Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2017 ADM 521

Administration No. 2017 ADM 529

Charles R. Mason Sr. Decedent

Dorothy J. Starks Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Johnny M. Howard Houston & Howard 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 402 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Kenneth L. Mason Jr., whose address is 9808 Woodland Ave., Lanham, MD 20706 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Charles R. Mason Sr. who died on January 20, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 25, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 25, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 25, 2017 Kenneth L. Mason Jr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Lisa Starks Levy, whose address is 8946 Continental Place, Landover, MD 20785 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Dorothy J. Starks who died on March 26, 2017 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before November 25, 2017. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 25, 2017, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: May 25, 2017 Lisa Starks Levy Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

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SENIORS from Page 20 belt. "Unlike when I started to work in the area of aging, we used to tell folks what we have. Now we figure out what they need," Grant said. "It's the aging of the baby boomers, advancement of medicine. We have seniors who are living longer and are involved in civic engagement, involved as caregivers. You have to really plan out what retirement looks like for you." A day after aggressive bid whist players filled the activity room in Camp Springs, 11 women stretched, kicked, sweated and

ganizations applied to receive parts of a $500,000 grant to combat domestic violence. Officials constantly praise the decrease in overall crime in the county, but have admitted domestic violence remains constant in the state of Maryland. For returning citizens, or former jail and prison inmates, the county's Economic Development Corp. helped them go through the expungement process to help remove certain offenses off their records. In addition, work on resumes to find suitable job training pro-

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be" at the root of accusations of sexual misconduct that have piled up in the past two years. His daughters and attorneys have been more forceful in saying race has played a role in his legal troubles. "Someone is pulling the strings, someone is behind the curtain," said a courtroom watcher. "This process seems to have been rigged from the start and it seems the prosecution has formulated questions that are designed to prevent African-Americans from being on this jury." WI nick, Third Place: Alethea Bennett, Fourth Place: Ayanna McClellan, Fifth Place: Jade Gregoire, Sixth Place: Taniya Gaddis, Seventh Place: Nathan Minor

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COSBY from Page 16 for vetting until the end of Tuesday's proceedings. The second day of jury selection ended with 11 people seated, 10 of them white and one of them black. There are seven men and four women. Seven black jurors have been questioned and dismissed for causes such as hardship, having a fixed opinion and being a sexual assault victim. Cosby, 79, said in a recent interview that he believes racism "could

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oil, incapacity and bitter political division. The U.S. made itself the adversary of the Latin America Spring from its earliest days. But we have no model to impose on the rest of the hemisphere, and we should not seek to tilt the scales in the political struggles within the countries. These are our neighbors. We do have a stake in limiting the violence, in supporting democratic processes and in aiding the people in the midst of economic turmoil. The long history of military and covert intervention into the hemisphere has increasingly isolated the U.S. from its neighbors. Now, in Venezuela, we can begin to find a better way by not intervening on one side or the other but by standing with our neighbors in a time of desperate need. WI

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surrounding the Comey firing is ALL political, not legal. Optically and politically, there was never going to be a good time to fire Comey. There is absolutely no question that there is no legal issue with Trump's actions and everyone knows it, but for the mainstream media to create this mass hysteria with the constant invoking of "Watergate" is simply another example of how the mainstream media has proven, once, again that it is totally incapable of being an objective reporter of the facts. And to my weak-kneed, spineless Republicans: When you caved to the silly demands of the Democrats to appoint a special prosecutor, you basically handed them the House and Senate in 2018, and quite possibly the White House in 2020. Is that really what your constituents sent you to Washington to do? I don't think so. WI

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think again. Venezuela is our neighbor. It has a highly literate and urbanized people. Bordering Colombia, it has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. Its forests are a global treasure, threatened by deforestation. In its current miseries, it is an increasing source of the drug traffic from Colombia. We should care about Venezuela's agonies as a good neighbor. Given our history in the hemisphere, providing assistance to the country's people is tricky. The U.S. is widely seen as an adversary of the government, eager to destabilize it. U.S. efforts to mobilize the Organization of American States to isolate Venezuela are seen as part of that effort. Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and Grenadines, an island nation in the Southern Caribbean, recently wrote to the heads of the 14 Caribbean nations to warn of "insidious developments" by "a small group of powerful nations" to "achieve regime change in Venezuela by using the OAS as a weapon of destruction." In the bitter struggle between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, the U.S. is viewed as siding with the opposition.

constitutional crisis when the president used the very power conferred to him by the very U.S. Congress that is making the bogus charge? There is a big difference between Trump's actions, the firing of Comey and his verbiage regarding the firing. The president was well within his rights to fire Comey with or without cause, as established above. The communications strategy behind his act has been horrendous, but the mainstream media is trying to conflate the two. The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) has stated emphatically that there has been no evidence of Trump or his campaign colluding with the Russians about anything. There may be investigations going on that we are not aware of and if there is, we shouldn't know. The mainstream media knows full well that the controversy

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term. The 10-year term was established in the aftermath of Watergate as a part of the Crime Control Act of 1976. Does anyone really believe that if Trump had fired Comey immediately after he was sworn in, the mainstream media and their liberal sycophants would not have tied it to Russia? So I have absolutely no issue with Trump's actions, but I do have a major problem with his lack of a communications strategy. The public fallout over the Comey issue should have been easily anticipated and an appropriate communications plan should have already been in place. Another argument being pushed by Democrats is that we are now facing a "constitutional crisis" along the lines of Watergate. Are you kidding me? Can somebody please tell me how in the hell can we have a

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only powerful enough to kill any uppity Arabs who might rise up and want better lives, along with side purchases from the Trump empire and a $100 million donation to a Trump charity. The arms purchased are certainly not as lethal as the U.S. versions, or even as the Israeli versions, some of which are licensed for manufacture in the Jewish state. The $110 billion is a new "deal" brokered by son-in-law Jared Kushner, as part of the 10-year $350 billion Saudi agreement to continue to purchase inferior U.S. arms. Remember those fake AWACS surveillance aircraft the Saudis were sold several years ago, only without the best radar the aircraft were designed for? Then 45 went to apartheid Israel (population 8 million, about equal to the state of Maryland) with a bag full of goodies, including $45 billion in military and foreign aid and billions more in "loans," which are always forgiven when payback time rolls around. Both Saudi Arabia (population

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Among HR 10's 591 pages are proposals that include: • Banning CFPB from enforcing the law or issuing any regulation for payday, car-title, or similar small dollar loans that charge triple digit interest rates that push borrowers into destructive debt traps; • Repealing the Bureau's authority to stop unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices (UDAAP), the same authority that enabled CFPB to bring a case against Wells Fargo for creating fraudulent consumer accounts; and • Forbidding CFPB from regulating forced arbitration clauses and returning access to class action litigation to consumers seeking financial remedies. Research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has repeatedly found that consumers of color, often black and Latino, remain targets for financial abuse. Today, more than 44 million consumers together owe $1.3 trillion on student loans. But for black college graduates who have earned a bachelor's degree owe

almost double the debt of their white classmates — even four years following graduation. A new kind of predatory lending, one that charges high cost installment loans with fees rivaling those of payday and car-title loans are placing consumers at financial risk with fees that eventually lead to repayments that are double, if not triple, the amount of money actually borrowed. "Recklessness on Wall Street stripped a generation of wealth building in both communities of color and in low-income areas," said Yana Miles, a CRL senior legislative counsel. "As communities are getting back on their financial feet, the 'Wrong Choice Act' threatens to knock them back down again. We need a bipartisan coalition in Congress to oppose this extremely dangerous legislation." The CBC members are right: A return to the policies and practices that nearly ruined the lives of consumers and the American economy should remain in the past. WI

ternship, students left D.C. with writing samples, work experience, incredible memories, and personal connections to aid them in their job search after college. But it's not just students that benefited from this experience, Democrats and Republicans alike got to hear directly from

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31 million minus 8 million semislaves) and Israel (population 8 million) are sworn enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran (population 79 million), hence the isolation of Tehran. In his speech to 50 or so leaders from the Islamic world, 45 said, join with us all you "good Muslims" to help defeat the "bad Muslims" (we'll tell you who's who). Then after his series of bi-lateral meetings with several Arab/Muslim presidents, to get them in line with the U.S. policy, he's telling the Palestinians to cut a peace "deal" with the Israelis by surrendering all their aspirations for freedom, and just doing what the nice Israelis — the U.S. friends — say to do. In other words, capitulate. That's because the nice Israelis are not going to make one single concession to any Arab demands. The Israelis are committed to the Zionist dream of "Ersatz Israel," "Greater Israel," Biblical Israel which extends from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The only obstacle standing in the way of this massive, 60-year land grab, is those Palestinians

who had been living there for thousands of years when the Zionists waged war and seized their first sliver of land there in 1948. In 45-land, all the Arab countries must become submissive so they can continue to live in the luxury to which they have become accustomed, thanks to an insatiable appetite for oil in the West and the U.S. military's protective umbrella. Almost all of the belligerent enemies of Israel and the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty — Iraq, Libya, and Syria — have been destroyed, only Iran stands in open hostility to the Zionist entity's treaty with Egypt. Tiny Israel — sometimes thought of as the "tail" compared to the huge (population 300 million) United States, the "dog" — is the behind-the-scenes puppeteer in this scenario and thus the hands-down winner in 45's current diplomatic adventure. As has been said about Israel's dominant influence on the U.S. political discourse since the 1980s, the tail is once again wagging the dog. It's simple. WI

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GET $5 FOR EVERY $25 YOU SPEND!

NOW-MON, MAY 29. GET UP TO $200 MACY’S MONEY. See below.

NOW-MON, MAY 29

MEMORIAL DAY

SALE

KICK IT ALL OFF WITH SAVINGS ON WHAT YOU NEED FOR SUMMER!

30-75% OFF STOREWIDE

+ 3-DAY SPECIALS & FREE SHIPPING ONLINE AT $49

VALID 5/24-5/29/17. PLUS, FREE RETURNS. EXCLUSIONS APPLY; DETAILS AT MACYS.COM/FREERETURNS

EXTRA

2O% OFF

SELECT SALE CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES EXTRA 15% OFF SELECT SALE WATCHES, JEWELRY, SHOES, COATS, SUITS, DRESSES, LINGERIE, SWIM FOR HER; MEN’S SUIT SEPARATES & SPORT COATS & HOME ITEMS. USE YOUR MACY’S CARD OR THIS PASS 5/24-5/29/2017. MACYS.COM PROMO CODE: SUNNY SEE MACYS.COM/DEALS FOR ONLINE EXCLUSIONS EXCLUDES ALL: Deals of the Day, Doorbusters, Everyday Values (EDV), Last Act, Macy’s Backstage, specials, Super Buys, athletic clothing/shoes/accessories, baby gear, cosmetics/ fragrances, designer jewelry/watches, designer sportswear, electrics/electronics, furniture/ mattresses, gift cards, jewelry trunk shows, maternity, select licensed depts., previous purchases, rugs, services, smart watches/jewelry, special orders, special purchases, select tech accessories, toys, 3Doodler, Apple Products, Avec Les Filles, Barbour, Brahmin, Breville, Brooks Brothers Red Fleece, COACH, Dyson, Eileen Fisher SYSTEM, Fitbit, Frye, Hanky Panky, Jack Spade, Kate Spade, KitchenAid Pro Line, La Blanca, Le Creuset, Levi’s, littleBits, Locker Room by Lids, Marc Jacobs, select Michael Kors/Michael Michael Kors, Michele watches, Movado Bold, Natori, Original Penguin, Rudsak, Sam Edelman, Shun, Stuart Weitzman, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, The North Face, Theory, Tory Burch, Tumi, UGG®, Vans, Vitamix, Wacoal, Wolford & Wüsthof; PLUS, ONLINE ONLY: kids’ shoes, Allen Edmonds, Birkenstock, Hurley, Johnston & Murphy, Merrell, RVCA & Tommy Bahama. Cannot be combined with any savings pass/coupon, extra discount or credit offer except opening a new Macy’s account. Extra savings % applied to reduced prices.

MEMORIAL DAY SALE PRICES IN EFFECT 5/24-5/29/2017. HOW MACY’S MONEY WORKS: We’ll give you $5 Macy’s Money for every $25 you spend, up to a $200 Macy’s Money Reward Card in a single transaction. EXCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PURCHASES: furniture, mattresses, rugs, Apple Products, tech watches/jewelry/accessories, gift cards, services & fees, sales tax, phone & live chat orders, leased depts., restaurants, international orders, e-gifting, special orders, online backorders. USE YOUR MACY’S MONEY REWARD CARD in stores & online through 6/7/2017. May not be redeemed for cash, used to purchase Macy’s Gift Cards or applied as payment or credit to your credit card account. If a purchase used to accumulate Macy’s Money is returned, your return may result in a reduction of the value of your Macy’s Money Reward Card and/or a reduction of your total refund amount. The remaining balance of your Macy’s Money Reward Card will reflect the Macy’s Money amount you qualify for after deducting the returned item(s) from your original purchase amount. 50893_N7040014Z.indd 1

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5/16/17 12:01 PM

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 25 - 31, 2017 47

FURNITURE & SLEEP GALLERY MARLOFURNITURE.COM

Memorial Day Savings

on now!

50% Savings on ALL Furniture

FREE Delivery

*

on and in-home set-up

48 Months

ZERO Interest Financing*

on purchases of $1999 or more with your Marlo credit card 5/15-5/29/17

FURNITURE & SLEEP GALLERY MARLOFURNITURE.COM FORESTVILLE, MD 3300 Marlo Lane (301) 735-2000

LAUREL, MD 13450 Baltimore Ave. (301) 419-3400

ROCKVILLE, MD 725 Rockville Pike (301) 738-9000

ALEXANDRIA, VA 5650 Gen. Washington Dr. (703) 941-0800

*Free local delivery with $1199 minimum purchase. Financing subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required. Offers cannot be combined. See store for details.

48 MAY 25 - 31, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FREDERICKSBURG, VA LIQUIDATION CENTER 4040 Plank Road 540-785-2635

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