VOL. 52, NO. 20 • MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
Join Us in Celebrating Women's History Month!
African American Heritage Tour Pages 8 and 34
‘Village’ Unites for Memorable WI Heritage Tour
Participants Visit New Museum, Witnessing a Treasure Trove of Black History By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor
Each year during the month of February, the Washington Informer [WI], under the auspices of its nonprofit arm, Washington Informer Charities, sponsors its Heritage Tour – exposing the community to educational, informative venues dedicated to the rich, powerful annals and contributions of African Americans – past and present. That commitment continued this year on Sunday, Feb. 25 as just under 200 WI supporters including men, women and children of all ages, along with corpo-
TOUR Page 31
5 WI Staff join community memebers for a visit to the Smithsonian's new African-American museum. / Photo by Lateef
Trump Vows Obamacare Repeal, Immigration Reform
Trump Signs Executive Order, Targets Nation's Black Colleges
Speech to Congress Asks for Nation to Unify By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer President Donald Trump delivered a coherent outline of his campaign promises Tuesday to a joint session of Congress, mapping out a course for his short-term policy agenda, which includes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Still, the address could easily have been dubbed a State of the Union because Trump appeared as comfortable as ever and confident that America is on the right path. Trump began his night by addressing the "recent evils" and
acts of vandalism against Jewish properties in Philadelphia and other areas. "I'm here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength," he said. "A new chapter of American greatness is now beginning – international pride is sweeping across our nation.” He spoke about the ills of violence in the inner cities and all America's demand that it must put its citizens first while calling education the "the civil rights issue of our time." "We've financed and built one global project after another, but
Mangum
HBCU Presidents Seek $25 Billion for Assistance By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor
ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit," Trump said. "To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of Justice to form a task force on reducing violent crime." The president said he's begun
TRUMP Page 13
President Trump signed an executive order to focus more attention on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Although HBCUs only account for about three percent of higher education institutions in the U.S., “[they] contributed 19 percent of the nearly 9 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering awarded to Blacks in 2010,” said a spokesperson for the American Insti-
tutes for Research (AIR). AIR also reported that “by 2010, approximately 33 percent of all Black students who earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and statistics attended HBCUs and HBCUs produced nearly 37 percent of all Black undergraduates who received bachelor’s degrees in the physical sciences.” Every president since Jimmy Carter has issued an Executive Order establishing a White House Initiative on HBCUs. Trump’s order has a key difference: It will move the White House Initiative
PRESIDENTS Page 38
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.
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Planned expansion to THEARC in 2018
James Woody (Executive Dir/President) and Tawana Purnell (Head of School)
Yonette Moore (Primary School Director) and Brittany Phillips, (Admin. Asst.)
Current School location, Church of the Holy Communion.
1st Grade Class, Adria Abana (Teacher)
Character Counts.....
Our Mission
T 1st Grader with Ms. Elva (Teaching Asst)
he Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys is a tuition-free Episcopal school for children from traditionally underserved communities. The School nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, social-emotional, artistic and physical development of its students in a Christian community of learners that welcomes boys of all faiths and beliefs. Working in close partnership with students and families, the School strives to create an environment where each boy is challenged to reach his full academic potential and receives the structured support necessary to develop his unique gifts. The Bishop Walker School seeks to foster a love of learning, intellectual curiosity, spiritual foundation, and moral character that each boy will need as a student, as a citizen and as a child of God.
Kindergarten with Chloe Ball (Teacher)
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Kindergarten with Julian Purkiss (Asst. Teacher)
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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 AND WILLIAM J. FORD / WI STAFF WRITER
enforcement. Project She said they Metro to Begin Next law SafeTrack
By Tia Carol Jones
www.washingtoninformer.com
threat,” she said. had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow sense maintenance of uniformityproject in the way wants to see implemented are Metro will begin its 13th SafeTrack When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, Saturday, March 4. Continuous single-tracking on the Blue old daughter told her the father survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families and Yellow lines between Braddock Road and Huntington/ of her daughter threatened her “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a vicVanand Dorn in Northern Virginia will be done life, theStreet life ofstations their child, story, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assessin two The first phase run forward,” until AprilDavis-Nickens 1 with she knewphases. something had to be will push ment unit coupled with further Blue Line trains running every 24 minutes at all times. done. Out of her frustration said about Marlow. The training for law enforcement second will runhandling April 2 to April 9 with continuous with law phase enforcement's Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life ProtecYellowtoLinewho and reads trainsMarlow's operatingbook ev- will tion Act and mandatory counselofsingle-tracking the situation, on shethe decided start theminutes Saving between Promise Huntington cam- “getinit.” ery 24 Alexandria She said and she Mt. “puts the ing for batterers. paign. Vernon Square in Northwest. Bluecase Line in trains such awill way,run theev-average “If we are ever going to eradi“It 12 seems to be during a vicious cycle canthe getentire it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must ery minutes rush hour.person During surge, that won't Line turnrush-hour my family day, between the book will look at both sides of the coin. no Yellow service end will of be the available loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people beginThe to have the Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt stations. train a dia- We need to address both the vicshared her story with weekday the audi-service. logueWeekend about domestic tim and the batterer,” Marlow frequency highlights service violence. may ence at the District Heights Also present at the event was said. change amongst other work conducted on other parts of the Metrorail system. For more information, go Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the exMarlow would also like to see to https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/Surge-13.cfm. on May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise Municipal Center. The sympo- who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children in sium was sponsored by the utive life terms without parole public and private schools. She Family and Youth Services by a Maryland jury for his role in feels children need to be educatAfter years of changing locations, disappointment and Center of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. failsafe plans that is went awry, D.C. United recently hosted Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad “We have to stop being pasa ground for a new stadium Up of Black Women. the founder of After thebreaking Trauma, ceremony sive-aggressive with poor that chil-will be built Buzzard Southwest. Theviolence,” 20, 000-caMarlow has written a book, an organization that athelps the Point dreninabout domestic “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of pacity, $300violence million Audi Field is scheduled to open in domestic Marlow said. story about four generations of and their children. June 2018. Marlow has worked to break domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fearThose for sixattending years. Six thethe cycle of and abuse in herremarks family, inceremony shared inspired by her own experiences, years in fear cluded: is a longMayor time. It is and is confident the policies sheDon Muriel Bowser, MLS Commissioner and those of her grandmother, not an easy Garber, thing to DC comeUnited out is pushing General for will Partner start that Managing Jason her mother and her daughter. of,” she said.Levien and Ward 6 Councilmember process. Charles Allen. Many She said every time she reads Mildred members Muhammad “I plan to take policiesas to did of thesaid team also attended thethese ceremony excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to fans of the team and other city officials. can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. Allenthey described of the stadium as “a huge from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how go intothe building “I will not stop until these policatalyst for what we’re going to see in this neighborhood.” won the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” supporter of Tia the project sincecan firstbebeing electBooks” Award. that she may Bowser, be in a“survival Carol Jones reached ed“Imayor, raised her fist inwhen victory mode”. as she reached the conclusion of heratremarks, saying, “Vamos, United!” was just 16-years-old tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net (“Let’s my eye go, firstUnited.”) blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said there is no consistency the way domestic Led byinjunior guard Ahmaad Wilson’s 20 points, the violence issuesBulldogs are dealtdefeated with bythe Fayetteville State Broncos Bowie State to capture the Central Interscholastic Athletic Association [CIAA] Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game, 62-54 on Feb. 25 in Charlotte. The victory marks the first time Bowie State has won the CIAA Tournament title since 2013; it’s the school’s third CIAA championship title. Wilson was named the 2017 CIAA Tournament MVP, scoring 85 points in four, grueling, night-to-night games against Johnson C. Smith, Virginia Union and Livingstone College before advancing to the championship game against Fayetteville State. Bowie State receives an automatic bid in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament which kicks off in March. WI Staff Writer
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
D.C. United Breaks Ground for New Stadium
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 Design Layout King, Jr. Ave., S.E.Martin Washington, D.C. Jr. ZebraDesigns.net, 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 permisMickey Thompson, Social Sightings columnist www.washingtoninformer.com sion from the publisher. The Informer Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Newspaper cannot guarantee the return Angie Johnson, Circulation of photographs. Subscription rates are PUBLISHER $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:
Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Brooke N. Garner Managing Editor Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell,Will Ford Carla Peay Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Saxton, (Prince George’s CountyLarry Writer), THE WASHINGTON INFORMER Ron Burke Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, Joseph Young 3117Mable Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Hamil Harris, Tatyana Hopkins, D. Kevin Whittaker Bookkeeper Washington, D.C. 20032 LaNita Wrenn Administration McNeir, Lauren Poteat, Dorothy Rowley, PHOTOGRAPHERS Phone: 202De561-4100 John E. Freitas Sports Editor Lafayette(General Barnes, IV,Assignment Writer) Sarafina Wright Fax:Victor 202 Holt 574-3785 Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, news@washingtoninformer.com Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster www.washingtoninformer.com Ridley, Victor Holt
“
Bowie State University Wins Third CIAA Championship
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 laws. I will not stop until U.S. Mayors Bring United Front to District these policies are passed.
“
In Memoriam The Washington Informer Dr. CalvinNewspaper W. Rolark, Sr.
Just one day following President Trump’s joint address to Congress, a contingency of U.S. mayors met Marlow in the nation’s capital to press federal lawmakers on key issues important to the residentsL.Y. of their cities and Paul Trantham their metropolitan areas including: infrastructure investment, immigration, public safety and the impact Roy Lewis, Patricia Little, Travis Riddick of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Led by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett (president), the U.S. Conference of Mayors [USCM] brought a bipartisan delegation of more than 30 mayors, all leaders in the organization, for meetings on Capitol Hill that began Wednesday, March 1 and continue thru Friday, March 3. 4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com Their collective message: they need federal support to address crumbling infrastructure – from roads and bridges to power grids and water systems – as well as inadequate resources for local programs that face budget cuts. PHOTOGRAPHERS
John E. DeFreitas, CIRCULATION Shevry Lassiter,
4 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
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Simmering Neighborhood Friction Ignited by Redevelopment Plans Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer The Brookland Manor apartment complex has long been a source of contention in Brentwood, and talks surrounding its status in the Northeast neighborhood began long before plans to redevelop the affordable rental housing community by property owner and manager MidCity appeared. Brookland Manor became mainly affordable housing in the late 1970s when MidCity founder Eugene Ford Sr. took control of and rehabilitated what was then Brentwood Village, in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Now, neighbors and some residents of the complex claim it is the origin of crime and disruptive foot traffic in the neighborhood. "Brookland Manor made our lives [in Brentwood] a living hell," said a neighbor to the complex who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 60 years. She said she supports redevelopment and hopes it will address safety concerns that she alleges Brookland Manor causes. "We have no more crime than those people who live in those houses," said Brookland Manor/ Brentwood Village Residents Association Vice President Yvonne Johnson, referring to the neighboring Edgewood community. MidCity's plans, which provided the overall vision for the redevelopment to be named Rhode Island Avenue, were approved in November 2015. Now the family-owned real estate company is preparing for the first phase of development. "We are not a throwaway people and we are not going to stand by and let [MidCity] throw us away like a piece of trash," Johnson said. Construction of the first two new buildings which include a 200-unit senior building and a 131-unit family building is expected to begin in early 2018 and be completed by mid-2019. Overall, the project will include multifamily and senior housing, two-over-two buildings and townhouses, as well as retail space and underground parking.
"We are not opposing the overall redevelopment, but what we are saying is you have to keep [current residents] in place," said Will Merrifield, the attorney representing the opposing residents of the tenant association. "We want true one-for-one replacement." Merrifield said his clients want to see existing residents re-placed in units with the same unit size and subsidy rate, which will not be possible if the redevelopment eliminates three- and four-bedroom apartments. "[MidCity] cannot keep saying that there will not be displacement and they cannot keep saying that people haven't been displaced, because they have," he said. "Their own numbers show this. It's planned displacement." Merrifield said MidCity has displaced families by decreasing the number of available units and employing a corrupt private security force that reports infractions used to unjustly evict resident. MidCity said no one would be displaced as a part of the project and every existing resident in good standing will be replaced upon completion. "What's there doesn't work and we have to move forward," said Maddi Ford, MidCity director of legal affairs. "We would like to be a partner with our residents." Ford said no lease renewals were denied to lower occupancy, but MidCity did not market apartments where no renewal request was made. She also said families will be replaced based on D.C. Municipal Regulations occupancy, which say a three-bedroom unit can be occupied by a family of up to six, and conflicting cases will be dealt with individually. ANC 5C Commissioner Debbie Steiner called the Brookland Manor community "disruptive," and said she believes MidCity will not make a commitment to affordable housing if opposition persists. "If the city and everyone wants to give push back, at any time the private developer can say they don't want to deal with the HUD certification process and make it all market rate," Steiner said. But MidCity say they are far from that point.
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AROUND THE REGION
5 Brookland Manor faces redevelopment without support of many residents. / Photo by Shevry Lassiter The city's Inclusionary Zoning Program only requires a project of this nature to include 8 to 10 percent of the residential floor area be set aside for affordable units. MidCity says its overall redevelopment will reserve 22 percent of its units for affordable housing. An Office of Zoning representative said MidCity is bound by
its Planned Unit Development (PUD) application, which was approved by the Zoning Commission. "In order to get a building permit, they would have to show that their most recent plans comply with the [Zoning Commission] order," the representative said, adding that MidCity
could modify their PUD, but such action requires another approval process before the commission. Merrifield said he would employ other legal strategies to push for more affordable housing. "We are in this for the long haul," he said. "This zoning process is part of that, but it is not the end all, be all." WI
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MARCH 2 - 8, 2017 5
AROUND THE REGION
WEEK OF MAR 2 - 8, 2017 MARCH 2
1807 – Congress votes to ban the African slave trade. 1867 – U.S. Congress enacts charter to establish Howard University in Washington, D.C. 1962 – Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169–147 win over the New York Knicks, an NBA record. 1990 – Carole Gist becomes the first African-American to be crowned as Miss USA.
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The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell Special Education Lawyer
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Does your child have a learning or other disability? Is your child failing in school, especially in reading? Has the school repeatedly suspended or sent your child home early? Does it feel like your child’s IEP is not working?
Is your child’s school ignoring your questions or concerns? Contact The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell for a free consultation. We serve children in traditional public schools and public charter schools. We specialize in serving low and moderate income families.
Call us at 202.627.6926 Email us at nigel@lawofficeofnigelmatwell.com See us at www.lawofficeofnigelmatwell.com
6 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
MARCH 3
1821 – Thomas L. Jennings patents a dry-cleaning process, becomes the first black American to receive a patent. 1836 – Jefferson Franklin Long, the first African-American from Georgia to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, is born in Knoxville, Georgia. 1865 – The Freedmen's Bureau, a federal government agency that aided freed slaves in the South during the Reconstruction era, is established. 1991 – Black motorist Rodney King is beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers following a highspeed car chase. The incident is captured on video and incites a massive riot in Los Angeles after the officers' acquittals a year later.
MARCH 6
1857 – The U.S. Supreme Court issues a decision in the Dred Scott case, affirming the right of slave owners to take their slaves into the Western territories. 1957 – West African nation Ghana declares its independence from Great Britain.
MARCH 7
1539 – Estevanico, one of the first native Africans to reach the present-day continental United States, sets out to explore what is now the southwestern part of the U.S. 1927 – In the U.S. Supreme Court case Nixon v. Herndon, the court strikes down a Texas law forbidding blacks from voting in the state Democratic Party primary. 1965 – The Selma to Montgomery marches, held to champion voting rights for African-Americans and in protest of segregation, begin in Selma, Alabama. 1942 – The first class of African-American pilots at Tuskegee Army Air Field completes advanced pilot training.
MARCH 8
1825 – Alexander Thomas Augusta, the first black professor of medicine in the United States and the Army's first African-American physician, is born in Norfolk, Virginia. 1876 – PBS Pinchback, the nation's first black governor, is denied by Congress a U.S. Senate seat he won four years earlier. 1993 – Famed jazz singer Billy Eckstine dies in Pittsburgh at 78 from complications following a heart attack. WI
MARCH 4
1954 – J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. is appointed assistant secretary of labor in 1954 by President Eisenhower, becoming the first African-American to hold a sub-cabinet position in the federal government. 1877 – Black inventor Garrett Morgan is born in Paris, Kentucky. The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell Special MARCH 5 Education Lawyer
1770•Does – Crispus Attucks, considered be the your child have widely a learning or othertodisability? first American casualty in the American Revolutionary •Is your child failing in school, especially in reading? War, is killed in the Boston Massacre. • the school repeatedly suspended or sent your child home early? 1939 Has – Acclaimed playwright Charles Fuller, best •Does it feel like your child’s not working? known for his Pulitzer-winning playIEP "AisSoldier's Play," is born in Philadelphia. 1985Is–your The child’s U.S. Postal Service issues the eighth stamp school ignoring your questions or concerns? in its Black Heritage series, honoring Mary McLeod Contact The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell for a free consultation. We serve WILT CHAMBERLAIN Bethune. 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
The recent weather in D.C. reached record highs in temperature. Are you concerned by climate change?
AROUND THE REGION
3 simple words... changed my life forever. NATALIE WILLIAMS - Breast Cancer Survivor
DEMETRIOUS KINNEY / WASHINGTON, D.C.
Yes, I am, especially with the chem trails in the sky. It makes me very worried how the weather is changing. One day, it's a 30-40 degree change. That's not normal. The airplanes in the sky with those white trails is what I believe is changing our weather.
NURUDEEN ADAMS / LAUREL, MARYLAND
I am worried about global warming and the earth being overpopulated. Its just like having too many people in the room will make it heat up more. Because of the earth's huge population, we have had to cut down the trees and that is no good.
VERNON PRESTON, / WASHINGTON, D.C.
I am concerned about climate change, and this has been a very unusually warm winter, but I'm hoping that somebody will look into it and see what we can do to combat it. I will just try to take advantage of it by being outside as much as I can.
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AROUND THE REGION
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE TOUR: PARTICIPANTS SPEAK OUT
JULIA BROWN, 59 A PARIS-BASED BUSINESSWOMAN BY WAY OF TORONTO "I decided to join the tour because I've created a series of heritage tours on my own. I came down for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History book event on Saturday, and when a friend mentioned he was doing the tour today, I asked if I could come along. So, he arranged for me to come along [as] I love meeting people who live in other places. For me, the tour gives me the opportunity to meet so many new people from D.C. I'm just so thrilled to here and to participate in the tour."
MEKHI TURNER, 14,A STUDENT AT STUART-HOBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL IN NORTHEAST: "I've never been to the museum and I thought joining the [African-American Heritage] Tour would be an awesome opportunity to learn more about my history. When they said they were going to open this museum I was very excited."
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JANICE STRINGER, 64, OF STEVENSVILLE, MARYLAND: "I love all kinds of history and I think the museum is an important part of American history that, at times, has been walked over or left out. I can remember growing up and being in school, where there was a lot of history we just never heard about."
THOMAS STRINGER, 67, OF STEVENSVILLE, MARYLAND: "I came for the tour of the museum because I went to the Safeway and they had a drawing and I won two tickets. While at the museum I expect to see all the cultural history that they've been talking about."
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“Sometimes I Wish Women Ruled the World”
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There’s a popular adage which comes from the refrain of a 19th century poem that goes like this: “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” Sometimes I wish the poet, William Ross Wallace, whose words were intended to praise motherhood as the preeminent force for change in the world, had found a greater number of followers who agreed with his premise as I do. As we mark the first days of March, the month during which we annually recognize the achievements, legacies and sacrifices of women, I can’t help but wonder how much better both our country and the world would be if women were truly treated and respected as equals to men. I wonder what changes we would witness if we revised – even overhauled – the countless, overtly oppressive patriarchal societies whose undergirding norms and beliefs have long dominated most of the world’s countries, including the U.S., and who have routinely and unflinchingly relegated women and girls to second-class citizenry and status, and made the playing field level without consideration of gender. As the most recent presidential election cycle unfolded and while working on news articles about the various candidates, it soon became commonplace, at first much to my surprise, to hear voters, male and female, state that while they could stomach some of Hilary Clinton’s policies even though they disagreed, while they could accept the fact that she represented the old guard and the status quo while they’d prefer someone outside of “the
circle,” it was her gender that bothered them most and dissuaded them from voting for her. History shows us the impressive number of women of all races, religions and creeds, who have excelled despite barriers placed before them by men. Some of those women, from Cleopatra, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, to Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama and Dorothy Height, sometimes used those obstacles to their advantage. Who are my sheroes? My beloved mother, only a few days shy of her 89th birthday and who remains my best friend. My mom’s mother and thus my grandmother who survived the streets of Baltimore after being abandoned at 12 and with only a sixth-grade education, turning obstacles into opportunities and eventually teaching her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, that by putting God first and securing a good education, the sky was the limit – all dreams had a chance to come true. Some of the women who have found their place in the history books are also on my list. But when all is said and done, I realize that it’s the women who knew me by name – who helped me, encouraged me, chastised me, unconditionally shared their love with me and who helped me get up and shake away the dust whenever I would stumble or fall, who are my real sheroes. Teachers, preachers, aunts, cousins, my big sister, classmates, political leaders, doctors, lawyers, stay-at-home mothers – women any of whom could have ruled the world. Imagine. WI
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Members of the Charles Herbert Flowers High School pom pon and dance team - Taylor Coleman, Taylor Williams, Kya Ellis, Sammoya Wright, Danielle Mullen and Shaiyann Palmore - performe a routine during the Stuff-A-Bus event Feb. 25 outside Wegmans in Lanham. / Photo by Mark Mahoney
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WORDS TO LIVE BY “A white woman has only one handicap to overcome – that of sex. I have two – both sex and race . . . Colored men have only one – that of race. “ – Mary Church Terrell, “A Colored Woman in a White World,” (1940) 10 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
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Howard University Marked 'Trump Plantation' By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer A collection of derogatory messages greeted the Howard University community early Tuesday morning. The remarks, mostly penned in chalk, lined the walls and sidewalks of Howard dormitories and school buildings all criticizing the university's president, Wayne A. I. Frederick. The most permanent message, spray-painted in the center of the university, read: "Welcome to the Trump Plantation, Overseer: Wayne A.I. Frederick." The messages coincide with a Tuesday meeting at the White House between President Trump and about a dozen leaders from historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), including Howard. They also follow a visit at the beginning of February where Frederick welcomed Trump-appointed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Backlash ensued from the DeVos visit and a group of student protesters, HUResist, demanded that the school bar Trump from the campus and refuse to take federal funding during his administration. But the group denies having anything to do with the messages. "[Frederick] is dealing with the aftermath of not valuing student concerns," said Durmerick Ross, a freshman at the university and member of HUResist. He said though the organization had nothing to do with the graffiti, he was proud to see someone express the sentiments. "I don't trust that [Frederick] would be in those meetings challenging them and push our issues and hone in on those things that we as students are concerned
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about," Ross said. "It's just a photo op, and almost any interaction with the Trump administration will be used to normalize the Trump administration to black people and it takes all of the focus off of the racist, sexist, homophobic and xenophobic rhetoric he's distributed." Some messages called to keep the university and other HBCUs black. Another read: "HBCU Imitative? Wayne Coonin' for Howard? Not on my Watch!" "I can understand the students' frustration, but I also understand, to an extent, why the administration is doing what they are doing, but I still think they need to respond," said Hope Josiah, a sophomore at the university. A Department of Education budget report showed that Howard received $221 million in 2016. "I think there are a lot of things that need to be addressed here. Apparently, there is some unrest amongst the student population and they are trying to make a point," said Frankie Bethea, a returning student. She said she doesn't agree with the message, but said lack of communication between the administration and students could have caused someone to leave the message. "This has never been a plantation," Bethea said. She and other students gathered around the graffiti to discuss their viewpoints and reflected on ways to address issues with the administration. "It's very loaded," said senior Kayla Williams, who was bothered by the lack of response from the administration. "Your name is being defamed
5Sprayed-painted graffiti got
marked at Howard University on Feb. 28 against the school's president Wayne Frederick for meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. / Photo by Mark Mahoney across your campus and it's still there, just like the dorms are still broken down, and like how I can't have a class with a projector because its broken," she said. Frederick later issued a statement to the university. "While I respect freedom of expression, I strongly oppose vandalism as a form of expression. The key to our progress is respectful dialogue, not bullying behaviors," Frederick said. "I am asking members of the community to join me in conversation over the next several weeks to discuss campus relations that impact us all." He said talks would begin with student leaders and branch over the next few weeks to include other students and faculty. WI
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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Protesters Confront Trump Backers Outside CPAC By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill A couple dozen protesters held court Friday outside the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, as they chanted, held signs and clashed with Trump supporters and anti-government loyalists across the street from the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Toni Perry of Upper Marlboro briefly chatted about job creation and taxes with Michael Symonette, a black Trump supporter who drove with other black men from the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area to advocate for the president, who spoke Friday during the four-day event. The men stood several feet away from the protesters wearing white T-shirts with black letters reading, "Trump
and Republicans are not racists. Gods2.com." Symonette said President Trump will decrease government regulations and lower taxes that would ensure people can own businesses and produce a steady income. "What about actually helping poor, black people?" Perry countered. "We're supposed to care about everybody. Companies you say coming back are not going to worry about diversity. We will see in a year if you have a job." Those protesting Trump's appearance at the conference focused on his effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. In his speech Friday, Trump called it "a failed health care law that threatens our medical system with absolute and total catastrophe." "Obamacare doesn't work," he
5Michael Symonette (center), a Trump supporter from South Florida, chats with Toni Perry of Upper Marlboro,
Maryland, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference hold signs outside the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at Maryland's National Harbor on Feb. 24. / Photo by Mark Mahoney
said during the 49-minute speech, which CPAC live-streamed on its Twitter account. "We're changing it. We're going to make it much better. Obamacare covers very few people." Bernard Holloway, a member of the Prince George's County Young Democrats, said 475,000 Marylanders would lose health insurance if the Republicans take it away. In addition, he said a change in health care requirements could affect the county's plan to build a new state-of-the-art regional medical center in Largo. The proposed state budget has $11.3 million allocated
toward construction of the hospital, but state and county officials have said another $15 million in operating costs must also be included. "You take those folks who would lose health care and combine the fact that Donald Trump's friend, [Maryland] Gov. Larry Hogan, who's playing with money to build a new hospital … not a laughing matter," said Holloway, 31, of Largo. "The fight for health care is real. People's lives are on the line." The protesters also made sure to include other Trump policies they
Report: Metro Injuries Slightly Up Among Riders, Workers By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Metro employees and riders experienced a slight increase in injuries last year, according a report from the
agency's Safety and Environmental Management Department. The report shows one of the main injuries among customers occurred through slips and falls on Metrobus and MetroAccess vehicles after a driver tries to avoid a collision with
5Passengers board a Green Line train at the Prince George's Plaza Metro station in Hyattsville in September. Metro recently released a safety report that shows injuries among commuters and employees slightly increased last year. / Photo by William J. Ford
12 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
another vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist. Metrorail riders were most often injured when the escalators were inoperable or passengers were "inattentive to their surroundings." Contributing factors in the 647 Metro employee injuries last year — 22 more than two years ago — were collisions on the road by bus operators and verbal assaults from patrons. Metro's Chief Safety Officer Patrick Lavin, who presented the report Thursday, Feb. 23 to the board of directors Safety Committee, said the increase in injuries is partly due to incidents involving paratransit riders on MetroAccess who get hurt after being transported and dropped off at a hospital. Robert Lauby, a board member on the committee, said the agency should add other measures to improve safety. "One thing I find a little bit disturbing is it that we don't seem to be making progress in employee injuries, or customers injuries," said Lauby, an associate administrator
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with the Federal Railroad Association. "I'm wondering if we're actually measuring the right things. We have many unsafe facts that don't result in injuries [such as] derailments, collisions in yards, red signal violations. I think [the safety report] has got to have other data in here to basically show what's going on." Lavin said those items Lauby noted are reported to the Federal Transit Administration, an agency Metro officials met with recently. The report highlights several ways to decrease those mishaps, including: • Bus driver training to avoid rear-end collisions; • Blinking deceleration lights on the back of Metro buses; and • Increasing inspections at Metrorail stations. An occupational therapist currently works with MetroAccess staff to identify proper techniques to escort riders in and out a vehicle. Metro looks to review to the
oppose, such as his executive order to ban people from seven predominately Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Diane Delete drove from Germantown in Montgomery County to protest and brought a two-sided sign that read: "I march so my children won't have to!" and "Justice for All" with the American flag upside-down. "I don't believe that this president represents the values that America stands for," she said. "We have a right to stand up and speak to make sure this country goes forward. It's about human life and justice for everybody." WI driver training manual scheduled for completion in the next few months. Another item Metro will work on to decrease employee injuries is a Fatigue Risk Management policy, which doesn't allow employees to work no more than six-consecutive days. The agency filed a suit Friday, Feb. 24 in U.S. District Court to implement the policy and conducted a study in 2013 to incorporation the plan, according a Metro statement. Although Metro agreed to pay certain employees not to work a seventh day, the agency's union filed a grievance and arbitrators had a split decision last year that the collective bargaining agreement superseded the fatigue proposal. The report also notes key initiatives including the SafeTrack maintenance project. The project's 12th phase, or surge, was scheduled to end Tuesday, Feb. 28 and the next one scheduled to begin Saturday, March 4. "There has been a lot of progress," said Carol Carmody, who chairs the board of directors Safety Committee. "There's still some areas of concern, obviously." To view the full report, go to http:// bit.ly/2mr2KXu. WI
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TRUMP ADDRESS from Page 1 to construct a great wall along the country's southern borders and "bad ones are going out as I speak." He said his administration has begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a five-year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials and he's taken "a historic" effort to massively reduce job crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force inside of every government agency. "We are imposing a new rule which mandates that for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated," Trump said, noting that he's going to stop the regulations that threaten the future and livelihood of the nation's coal miners. "Since my election, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Spring, Softbank, Lockheed, Wal-Mart, and many others have announced they will invest billions and billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs," Trump said. Leading up to the address, there was a bit of chaos on Capitol Hill, as Democratic New York Rep. El-
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY iot Engel vowed not to greet the president because of policy differences. In a nod to the suffrage movement, Democratic women lawmakers wore white to the address. Also, several other Democrats reportedly toyed with the idea of not even showing up while longtime Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters announced she was boycotting the address because she "couldn't contain enthusiasm" against the president. Trump continued a theme that's become all too familiar, as he blasted his predecessor Barack Obama for various "failures." "Tonight, I'm also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs and at the same time provide better health care," Trump said. "Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for our country. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we are going to do." "We should give out state governments the flexibility they need with Medicaid and Medicare to make sure no one is left out," he
5President Trump speaks to the Joint Session of Congress while Vice President Pence and House Speaker Ryan listen. / Photo by Travis Riddick
said, adding allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines would bring costs down and provide far better coverage options. The president also touched heavily on another of his controversial executive actions involving immigration, promising again to proceed with tough immigration policies, which he said is an economic issue facing the nation. Among other promises, Trump
said the administration is developing "historic tax reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and thrive anywhere and with anyone," along with "massive tax relief for the middle class." "The time for small thinking is over, the time for trivial fights is behind us, we just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts, the bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls,
and the confidence to turn those hopes and dreams to action," he said. "From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations not burdened by our fears." He also vowed that his budget will boost funding for veterans. "The U.S. cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside of America," Trump said. "We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists." WI
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BUSINESS Wells Fargo Commits $60B to Increasing Black Homeownership By Stacy M. Brown NNPA News Wire Contributor Wells Fargo & Company has set aside a staggering $60 billion to lend to at least 250,000 black homeowners by 2027. Metropolitan Atlanta's second-largest bank also pledged to increase the diversity of its home lending sales team and spend another $15 million to give financial education and counseling over the next 10 years. It's an admittedly ambitious plan but Wells Fargo officials said they are committed to seeing the initiative through. "We were looking at homeownership rates in America which had been declining since 2007, and African-Americans in particular were hit hard so we felt like we could do something about it," said Brad Blackwell, executive vice president and head of
housing policy and homeownership growth strategies for Wells Fargo. "We started to put this together and began thinking about it in earnest in 2016," he said, noting too that the program would include an equally ambitious financial counseling component. "First, we strongly believe that homebuyer education and counseling are effective ways to help people become ready to buy a home. This investment is important to us as a vehicle to increase homeownership rates." The bank will donate funds to housing counseling agencies through the Wells Fargo Foundation where applications are received regularly from programs around the country seeking such grants. Wells Fargo's announcement came on the last day of Black History Month during a press conference in Atlanta that was attended by representatives from several organiza-
tions including the National Urban League, the NAACP and the National Newspaper Publishers Association, an organization comprised of 211 African-American-owned newspapers and media companies. "The National Newspaper Publishers Association enthusiastically salutes Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Division for taking steps forward to promote and to advance African-American homeownership," said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. "As we conclude celebrating 2017 Black History Month, it is aspirational for Wells Fargo to offer $60 billion in loan accessibility specifically for African-Americans who want to purchase and own a home. "This is unprecedented in the mortgage lending space in the United States," Chavis said. "Millions of African-American families will now be able to strive more effectively to own a home. This is also about economic justice. The NNPA intends to work directly with Wells Fargo to raise public awareness about this new initiative to substantially assist African-Americans to be homeowners across America." The banking giant's commitment was hailed as a direct action to help address the lower homeownership rates in the black community and it follows Wells Fargo's announcement to address Hispanic homeownership rates in 2015. Officials said the company's commitment seeks to increase the diversity of the Wells Fargo Home Lending sales team, and support the effort with $15 million to support a variety of initiatives that promote financial education and counseling over the next 10 years.
"Wells Fargo's $60 billion lending goal can contribute to economic growth by making responsible homeownership possible for more African-Americans in communities across the country," Blackwell said. "We are proud to be the first mortgage lender to make a public commitment to help increase African-American homeownership. And, we are grateful for the support of key housing and civil rights organizations, who work alongside us to increase economic prosperity in our communities." The company has also pledged to continue to improve diversity of its sales team, including increasing the number of black home mortgage consultants, noting that they'll dedicate $15 million to support a variety of initiatives that promote financial education and counseling for African-American homebuyers. "Our objective is to mirror the market that we serve and we'd like to have diversity of the market we're in," Blackwell said. "Nationally, it looks like 35 percent of the population are people of color and growing. We started 2016 at 26.5 percent of diversity in our staff and finished the year
at almost 31 percent which means we're making a lot of progress but we still have work to do. We also substantially grew our African-American home mortgage consultant [team]." The African-American lending commitment is the second initiative from the company's Housing Policy and Homeownership Growth Strategies group, a Wells Fargo Home Lending team advancing homeownership for minorities, first-time homebuyers and low- to moderate-income customers. "Homeownership has become an indispensable part of being a full participant in American society," National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said in a statement. "An erosion of homeownership rates among African Americans represents not only a devastating financial loss but a barrier to full participation in the American dream." Blackwell said he knows the goals won't be easy to achieve, but Wells Fargo will remain committed. "They are ambitious, but I'm confident we'll put everything in this that we can to make it happen," he said. WI
Skyland Deal: A Tale of Two Mayors By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The development team for Skyland Town Center in Ward 7 has announced the closing of $58.5 million in foreign investment and the signing of a lease by CVS Pharmacy to remain at the development. The deal has led Mayor Muriel Bowser and her predecessor — and perhaps chief antagonist — Ward 7 Council member Mayor Vincent Gray to both proclaim it a success for their respective administrations. Both said they weren't concerned that the project includes a EB-5 loan that lets foreign nationals who invest in the United States and create or preserve jobs to receive a U.S. visa. President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigrants have many concerned about the status of certain foreigners and no one can be comfortable suggesting guaranteed
14 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
visas for anyone under the new administration. "[EB-5 and immigration] won't affect this deal. I think it's not relegated to China," said Bowser spokesman Joaquin McPeek. "One of the things we wanted to focus on when entering office was making sure that the underserviced and underrepresented communities had access to economic opportunity that other areas of the District has experienced in recent years. "We have a commitment not only to moving this development forward but delivering to a community that deserves housing and jobs," McPeek said. Gray, whose 2014 mayoral re-election campaign was derailed by unfounded allegations of campaign impropriety, said Skyland was a top priority during his tenure as mayor and his administration laid the groundwork for the development. In a sudden announcement, last
year that Bowser said left her "blood mad," Wal-Mart, which was to anchor Skyland Town Center, pulled out of the project after the District had already demolished a laundromat, beauty shop, fast-food restaurants and even some apartments. That announcement also allowed for Gray to boast the virtues of his efforts to get the project done. "We advanced the project by leaps and bounds in a relatively short period of time," Gray said. "I was delighted to work on the $58.5 million investment, which we were able to advance during one of my two trips to China. I am grateful that CVS, a longtime partner to the Skyland neighborhood, has agreed to remain on site as a tenant, bringing expanded retail to the Skyland development. Hopefully, it will serve as a catalyst for others to come there." When completed, the Skyland site will serve as an economic devel-
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5 Artist's rendering of Skyland Town Center in Ward 7. / Courtesy photo
opment anchor in Ward 7 to meet many of the residential, retail and employment needs of the East End of the city, including nearby Ward 8, Gray continued. "In several respects, Skyland's success is pivotal to the future economic development successes of Wards 7 and 8," he said. Still, Trump's full complement of immigration policies remains to be seen, but Gray said that D.C. officials must remain committed to deals such as Skyland regardless of what happens at the White House.
"The District must proceed in executing our priorities with an approach rooted in optimism. We have to continue to fight for our continuously growing population irrespective of the obstacles," Gray said. Skyland Town Center, the first such project in Southeast, is an 18acre mixed-use development that will deliver 275,000 square feet of retail and more than 400 residential units upon completion. For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI
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BUSINESS
Business Exchange
Prejudice at the White House
by William Reed Pessimists see the difficulty in every opportunity, optimists see the opportunity in every difficulty. Discrimination was on display at a recent White House press conference. President Donald Trump raised hackles with his answer to black reporter April Ryan who demanded to know when he would meet with the Congressional Black Caucus. Trump abruptly tossed it back to her and cavalierly asked if she could arrange it. That was perceived by many blacks as "a galling presumption" and based on the old racist idiom, "They're black so they must all know each other." Trump's faux pas was presuming that a White House
correspondent could simply pick up the phone and arrange a meeting with congressional leaders. Though she actually could done what Trump asked, Ryan alleged she was "shocked" by the question. It was an opportunity Ryan could have used to her own advantage, but alas, me thinks the lady protested too much and turned the event into a crisis. Surely when Trump made the suggestion that Ryan get black political leaders to meet with him, while she considered it "not her place," Ryan's predecessors would have jumped at the chance to make that hookup. Ryan's haughty approach to the matter disservices those that went before. Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne were the first two African-American women to hold White House press passes. Dunnigan (1906–1983) was the first African-American female correspondent to receive White House credentials, and first black female member of the Senate and House of Representatives press galleries. Payne was an African-American journalist, first for the Chicago Defender and later for Johnson Publishing's Jet Magazine. Ms. Payne was known as the "first lady of the Black Press." Bob Ellison spent 14 years as White House correspondent for the Sheridan Broadcasting Network (later known as the
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American Urban Radio Networks). He covered the Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, with reports for a primarily black audience. American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) is "the only African-American-owned network radio company." AURN was created in 1991 as the result of a merger between National Black Network (NBN), founded by Unity Broadcasting, and Sheridan Broadcasting Networks (SBN), founded by Pittsburgh-based Sheridan Broadcasting. AURN provides a variety of programming to African-American targeted radio stations. AURN broadcasts news, entertainment, sports and information programs to more than 300 radio stations nationwide. While the average White House Correspondent's salary is $56,550, April freelances for AURN. Ryan is a 27-year journalism veteran and has been AURN's White House correspondent since January 1997, covering three presidents. Prior to AURN, Ryan worked as news director for Baltimore's WXYV-FM. The Baltimore native is a second-generation Morgan State University graduate. Ryan has "known her place" and capitalized on it. One of the books she's authored is "The Presidency in Black and White: My Up-Close View of Three
Presidents and Race in America." April's hauteur got her shot in the foot. Cartoons show the character sawing off the branch they're sitting/standing on and when the saw completes the cut, gravity takes over and both the branch and character fall to the ground. Almost certainly President Trump will eventually meet with the caucus. But due to the intolerance blacks, including Ryan, are showing Trump, April inadvertently sawed off her unique White House press room perch. Trump called on her intentionally, but when he went to what he assumed her forte, Ryan went ballistic, claiming to be ‘shocked" at "being stereotyped" and "discriminated against."
The question blacks should be asking is, "who will be talking for and about us?" If African-Americans take the initiative to work with Trump they, and the CBC, could work on combating urban crime, creating and boosting business and urban commerce and expanding charter schools and vouchers. During the Trump era, blacks and the CBC will need to play key roles in job creation and skills training programs. Haughty can be costly. Ryan's tantrum may have lost her place in the White House's press pecking order. Many expect Trump's communications official Omarosa Manigault to put a stop to her being called on. WI
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NATIONAL Cosby Returns to Twitter, Responds to NBC Snub By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer He's back. At least on social media, that is. Perhaps buoyed by several recent — and scarcely reported — court victories and improved health, legendary comedian Bill Cosby has returned to Twitter to celebrate Black History Month. In a slew of tweets that began during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in January and throughout this month, the superstar has touted African-American history, listing pioneers and their accomplishments. Earlier Monday, Cosby tweeted "Happy 90th Birthday to one of the greatest actors, Sidney Poitier," just moments after tweeting,
"Happy 80th Birthday to Jazz Legend Nancy Wilson." He's noted the accomplishments of Katherine Johnson of "Hidden Figures" fame, Rachel and Jackie Robinson, and Calvin Brown, Cosby's stunt double in "I Spy," the NBC television hit from the 1960s. Ironically, NBC on Sunday ran a 90th anniversary special hosted by Kelsey Grammer, in which the network journeyed through its long history, highlighting some of the most notable shows in television history such as "Saturday Night Live," Seinfeld" and "Cheers." However, there was no mention of "I Spy," the groundbreaking show that was the first American television drama to feature a black
actor, Cosby, in the lead role. Cosby's lawyer Angela Agrusa and his spokesman, Andrew Wyatt of the Purpose PR Firm, responded to NBC's snub. "Cosby's place in the history of American television — particularly by attacking racism by creating widely loved shows that realistically portrayed Black Americans on television — has earned him the right to be treated fairly and justly by society — to be assumed innocent and to be tried in a courtroom before an impartial judge and jury," Agrusa and Wyatt said in the statement. "Yet, denied of those rights, Cosby has instead been tried in the court of public opinion and NBC has become his wouldbe executioner attempting to erase his work from its rightful place in creating much of the network's historic success. Shame on NBC." Cosby himself took a jab at NBC, tweeting the hashtags "#NBC- No Bill Cosby," "#LegacyCantBeAbolished" and "#TheWorldSeesTheTruth." Also, Cosby won a big court victory this week when a judge refused to allow the testimony of 12 of 13 alleged accusers of the comedian in his upcoming criminal trial. The snub also comes as Cosby, who is facing criminal sex assault charges, continues to receive favorable court rulings in a host of defamation suits filed against him. The star's attorneys note that courts have begun to dismiss
I believe the planning is still in Trump-CBC Meeting Still Up in Air ing. the works," Norton spokesman Ben"There's no word yet on the meet-
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
Perhaps someone should call April Ryan. A much-anticipated meeting between the Congressional Black Caucus and President Donald Trump still has not been set and while the White House refuses to say if or when such a summit will take place, caucus members appear confused as to whether
Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) is even prioritizing such a gathering. "There is nothing scheduled yet," Richmond spokeswoman Kamara Jones told The Informer on Friday, Feb. 24. A spokeswoman for Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, one-time CBC chair, also said nothing has been communicated. A spokesman for D.C. Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton reported similar non-action.
5 The Congressional Black Caucus and President Trump still don't have a scheduled meeting. / Courtesy photo
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jamin Fritsch said. "On CBS' 'Face the Nation' program, Representative Elijah Cummings said it would likely take place sometime after this week's district work period." Cummings' office did not return several messages left for the Maryland representative. White House spokesman Sean Spicer and Omarosa Manigault each also failed to respond to several messages left for them. A week earlier during a White House press conference, Trump asked Ryan, a black journalist who is Washington bureau chief for the American Urban Radio Networks, if she could help set up a meeting between him and the CBC. The president asked, "Are they friends of yours?" Ryan retorted that she was "just a reporter" who knew some members of the CBC. "Let's go, let's set up a meeting. I would love to meet with the Black Caucus," Trump said. Prior to the President's Day recess on Feb. 20, Cummings told reporters the CBC would likely meet with Trump the week of Feb. 27. He said African-American law-
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5 Bill Cosby has responded to an NBC snub. / Courtesy Photo
those lawsuits essentially as frivolous claims because Cosby or his spokespeople were simply defending him publicly. Also, in earlier court appearances, Cosby has needed the assistance of handlers to enter and exit proceedings, but he's looked much like himself recently. "Our culture right now is sensitive to historical figures who have gotten into some trouble and Cosby is certainly a historical figure who is not received in our culture today as he was when he made history," said Brenda Andrews, the president, publisher and owner of the historical black newspaper The
Journal and Guide in Norfolk, Virginia. "NBC could and should have found a way to include that history," she said. "There should have been a way to include the 'Cosby Show' because he was America's dad and they could have been some thought given to this that NBC could have celebrated that part of its history without given undue adulation to Cosby himself. … The case against him is still not resolved but this is something that you can't ignore or take out." For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI
makers would discuss with Trump the need to bring down the cost of prescription drugs — reportedly a goal Trump endorsed during the campaign when he talked about using the federal government's negotiating power to reduce prices — as well as voting rights and job growth. "We're going to be meeting on prescription drugs. We're going to be out this week, so I expect it will be next week," Cummings said of the week after the Presidents Day recess, which started on Feb. 20. However, there has been no noticeable traction since with many of the nation's newspaper editorials calling for such a meeting while others noting the length of time it took former President Barack Obama to sit down with the CBC. "It took Barack Obama two years to meet with the CBC," Clarence McKee, a former Reagan administration appointee and a government, political, and media relations consultant, wrote for Newsmax. "Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall any reporters ever asking him when he planned to have such a meeting. "Yet, not even 30 days after being sworn in, Trump was asked at his press conference if he planned to
meet with the CBC," McKee said. "Of course, the reporter did not mention how long it took for Obama to have such a meeting. It has been reported that the CBC has asked for a meeting and that the White House staff is reaching out to schedule one. Trump shouldn't waste his time Conversely, in a New York Times editorial, Mychal Denzel Smith, author of "Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching," argued that if Trump wants to claim that he's the least racist person, it's a good idea to avoid suggesting that one member of a racial group — Ryan — knows another person of that same group, simply because they share the same racial identity. Smith said Trump should meet with the CBC — and soon. "He could meet with the CBC. The group requested such a meeting in a letter dated Jan. 19 but the president didn't respond," Smith wrote. He said Trump isn't likely to come out of such a meeting with a wholly new perspective on black life, but talking to black individuals outside of his inner circle would be a decent start. "He might even learn more about Frederick Douglass," Smith said. WI
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INTERNATIONAL Compiled by Lauren Poteat / WI Contributing Writer
Ashley Breaux Launches Creole Cosmetics Line Louisiana makeup artist Ashley Breaux is celebrating her Creole heritage with the launch of a new cosmetic line. Breaux began last year Vérité Beauty, the name derived from the French word for "truth." With her new Creole Collection line, the Lafayette native's new goal is to make all women of color feel beautiful and comfortable by enhancing their beauty with makeup. "The biggest myth about Creole culture that I have encountered is that it is dependent on outward appearances," Breaux said. "Most people de- 5 Ashley Breaux has launched a new line of cosmetics. /Courtefine Creole by a light skin tone and what appears sy of madamenoire.com to be 'good hair' textures. I purposefully chose a model with lots of melanin to represent the line because her complexion is included in what can be Creole, no matter what part of the world you come from." Noticing that many women shy away from makeup due to lack of diversity in pigments and a lack of colored women in advertisements, Breaux aimed to create a line that matches all skin hues. The Creole Collection will include foundations, powders and concealers to accommodate every shade of black.
D.C. Gears Up for Second Energy Institute
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African students interested in addressing energy problems in their countries will once again have the opportunity to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship by attending the second Energy Institute at the University of California, Davis, from June 16 to July 30. The six-week program will welcome 25 fellows ages 25-35 from sub-Saharan Africa to engage in workshops and coursework to improve their home countries' energy conditions. The program aims to boost the fellows' leadership skills within the energy sector of their career paths, enabling them to collaborate with the UC Davis community. At the end of the program, the fellows will travel to 5 Roughly 1,000 fellows from Africa will participate D.C. to network and participate in discussion panels with in the second Energy Institute at the University of Cal- U.S. leaders. Kisilu, a fellow from Kenya, said the institute has given ifornia, Davis, this summer. / Courtesy of theaggie.org him the tools needed to tackle food misuse. "One-third of the world's available food either spoils or gets thrown away — that's enough to feed everyone in the world for two months," Kisilu said via email. "[With] a population expected to increase [by] two billion by 2050, we cannot afford to allow these losses to continue."
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Ghana In Danger of Losing Natural Water Supply
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Ghana may soon import drinking water from neighboring countries if illegal mining, also known as "galamsey," is not addressed, environmental officials said. According to Carl Fiati, director of natural resources for the Environmental Protection Agency, if the government does not curb illegal mining, Ghana may soon lose all of its water bodies. "We anticipated this problem a long time ago," Fiati said. "There is going to come a time when, if we continue the way we are going as a country, we are going to destroy all of our water bodies and import water for drinking." The Ghana Water Company reportedly stated that the plant had to be shut down because of the reduction in water levels in the Tano River caused by illegal mining.
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5If mining conditions do not change, Ghanaians
risk losing natural water supplies, environmental officials say. / Courtesy of citifmonline.com
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H E A LT H Mentoring Offers Lessons, Blessings for Elder and Neophyte By Dr. Iris Cooper WI Contributor "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." — The Holy Bible I met Carma 23 years ago at a Wendy's restaurant. The late Sharon Burks, a seasoned counselor from Franklin County Children's Services, arranged the meeting after interviewing me to be a mentor of young women. I was unaware of the responsibilities, but I was clear about what God commanded me to do, in spite of all the emotional baggage of single parenthood I carried with me at the time. While driving home from work one evening, I heard a radio program on youth in foster care moving through emancipation. The young woman speaking was living on her own, outside the supervision of the agency. She was 17 but still a child to the challenges of adulthood. She described the loneliness, uncertainty, and fear of not having a support group or family to guide her. I listened to the discussion as if my own child was crying for help; I responded immediately by calling the radio station and asking for more information. In a few weeks, I met my Ruth working behind the counter at Wendy's and her name was Carma. She was extremely quiet during our first meeting and too afraid to look at my face. Sharon had shared her troubled life in the system with me during the interview: group homes, foster parents, multiple schools and abuse, resulting in low self-esteem and fear. Carma was a rising senior in high school with good grades and the determination to be the first college graduate in her family. I knew I was her Naomi, and prepared to wrestle with whatever came our way in a plan for success together. The early years were rocky, in-
cluding a doomed teenage marriage, a child, divorce, financial blunders and the disappointment of betrayal from so-called friends. Trust was a huge obstacle for Carma — too many individuals had broken promises about adoption along the way and failed to stay in touch with her. I often became perturbed from her rejection and anger due to remnants from her past. Carma tried repeatedly to reclaim and rehabilitate her birth family, beckoning the painful realization that she was now different from them. She learned that she could not rescue them from their values or habits, just because she now had created a new lifestyle based upon positive values and goals. Keep in mind that 20 years ago, I was not drama-free either. I was working full time, managing marketing at a fledgling Glory Foods, Inc., and encouraging my children to stay calm in light of my divorce litigation. However, the Ruth and the Naomi roles do not require perfection. Transparency, consistency, and honesty are critical in mentor-mentee relationships. I knew I had to be the constant factor in Carma's world; if all the plates were spinning in her life and mine, we would both be out of control. Her reliance on my critical thinking skills helped me to keep my head cool in heated, complicated circumstances. She has lived with me several times over the years and my children learned to love her as a big sister, but not without the typical sibling squabbles and jealousy. My friends and family know we are a package deal and accept our relationship as my obedience to God. Children's Services staff members tout us as one of the most successful mentoring pairs they created due to our longevity and outcomes. For fun, we both like to shop, go to the movies, travel and work on business projects. Some say we even look like each other, unaware that
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5 Women share significant benefits from friendship. / Courtesy photo
our relationship developed intentionally and not by blood. Carma beat the odds with a degree in business from Ohio Dominican University and a BS in Paralegal Studies from Capital University. Less than 10 percent of foster youth graduate from college (www.fc2success.org). According to Fostercare.org, 20 percent will be homeless after age 18, 71 percent of the girls will get pregnant by
age 21, and 25 percent will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Carma is gainfully employed and a strong community servant for various organizations, including recently joining the national board of Foster Care Alumni of America. Carma is now prepared to lead and mentor others in the foster care system, and I will be there to help her indefinitely. Women are the nucleus of in-
numerable relationships and influences worldwide. If knowledge transfers generationally through mentoring, women will learn best practices from credible sources with success in mind. Replicating the Naomi-Ruth relationship creates family and community sustainability. Ladies, please consider mentoring a younger woman today and unleash benefits for humanity for years to come. WI
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HEALTH Disparities Remain in Autism Despite Advances By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer Ethan screamed every time he went into a Giant supermarket, making trips to the local grocery store no easy task for his mother, Karen Johnson. However, the single mother of two often had no choice but to bring her children along. Met with sharp stares and even direct comments about disciplining Ethan, Johnson did not know the shopping trips were just as stressful to her son as they were to her. Unknown to her at the time, Ethan's outbursts were being triggered by environmental factors in the grocery store. "It would be frustrating," Johnson said. "I just knew a spanking was not the answer there, period, because if you hit a child that's already hitting, he'll continue to hit and you're just reinforcing the behavior." At the age of 4, Ethan, now 7, was diagnosed with autism. "Before his diagnosis, we didn't know why he would fall out or he didn't want to do things without
crying and screaming," Johnson said. "Once he got diagnosed, the ball really got rolling. It got a little bit easier and then we could understand why certain tantrums were happening." According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many children are diagnosed with autism at about 4 years old. Many others have noted the standard age of diagnosis to be 2, but researchers have determined that African-American children may be diagnosed as much as 18 to 24 months later. Johnson said doctors had a hard time diagnosing Ethan because of his evolving symptoms, but once he was placed in school, it became clear that he struggled with communication. His diagnosis came soon after. In a nationwide study published in the journal Nature last month, doctors predicted with 80 percent accuracy which high-risk children would develop autism by age 2, based on MRI brain scans at ages 6 months and 1 year. Though additional tests will need to be developed to validate and refine the finding of the study, the research
paves the way for predicting which children develop autism before behavioral symptoms emerge. But despite advancements in diagnostic tools and increased recommendation for screening, disparity still exists in autism diagnosis for minority and low-income children. A study presented at the 2016 International Meeting on Autism Research showed black and Hispanic children were less likely to get a diagnosis of autism than white children and that children from high-income families are roughly 81 percent more likely to receive an autism diagnosis than those from low-income families. A 2008 CDC study notes the diagnosis gap may be indicative of differences in screening and services than the actual prevalence. Johnson said diagnosis was key to getting her son the services he needed. Since his diagnosis, Ethan participated in various forms of therapy including behavioral, speech, physical, occupational and, most recently, food. "His language is still developing, but is pretty good," Johnson said.
5 Many Black youth suffer with autism. / Courtesy photo
"Now we're doing food therapy, trying to get him to try new foods." Early intervention is often linked to better outcomes. "There is no debate or doubt: early intervention is your child's best hope for the future," said a statement on the website for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy group that sponsors and conducts autism research and outreach activities. "Early attention to improving the core behavioral symptoms of autism will give your
child — and the rest of the family — several important benefits that you will not gain if you take a wait-andsee approach until your child enters school at age four or five. "A good early intervention program has at least four benefits: It will provide your child with instruction that will build on his or her strengths to teach new skills, improve behaviors, and remediate areas of weakness," the statement said. WI
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Domestic Violence Plagues Prince George's County
5 Prince George's County State's
Attorney Angela Alsobrooks talks about domestic violence during a Feb. 22 interview in her office in Upper Marlboro. Alsobrooks remains one of the biggest advocates in the fight to combat domestic abuse, both mental and physical. / Photo by Travis Riddick By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Prince George's County Police have touted an overall decrease in crime over the past several years, but officials say one crime that significantly contributed to the county's 97 homicides in 2016 remains a scourge: domestic violence. The most recent case involves Melba Williams, 41, of District Heights, who fatally stabbed her boyfriend Feb. 17 after a verbal argument that eventually became physical, marking the county's 13th homicide this year. "I don't think there is no one inherently violent living in the county," said Sophie Ford, executive director of the Family Crisis Center of Prince George's County in Brentwood. "We have got to get this system to work together. The very system that is supposed to prevent this from happening [has] some disconnection in very distinct places. It is very frustrating as a provider. There is so much bureaucracy." Ford, whose 57-bed center is the only place in the county that provides temporary housing for domestic violence victims, said her office dealt with a situation three weeks ago with an alleged abuser who served in the military. She said the man visited the center's main office in Brent-
wood seeking information about his ex-spouse. After the man sought to connect with center staff through its social media links, Ford drove to the county's District Courthouse to file a peace order that forced the man to stay away from the premises and not contact her staff. Unfortunately, such orders don't always work. Gladys Tordil, 44, was fatally shot in May by her estranged husband, Eulalio Tordil, 62, outside High Point High School in Beltsville while picking up her daughter, despite Tordil receiving a domestic violence court order two months prior to stay away from his wife's place of employment, her daughter's school and her residence in Adelphi. "The law is not working because everybody is not protected," said Kesslyn Brade Stennis, a social work professor at Coppin State University in Baltimore. "You don't have access to the resources because what you're experiencing doesn't fall in line with what the law provides."
legal purpose," Angel said after a Feb. 23 press conference in Annapolis to promote her legislation, labeled HB 803. "It has to be done with an intent to annoy. A judge needs to find that a reasonable person would have suffered emotional distress. I know we still have some work to do, but I think we have strong proponents of it." A hearing on her bill will take place Thursday, March 2 before the House's Judiciary Committee. The bill also has an education-
al component that request school boards to incorporate age-appropriate lessons on domestic violence into its curriculum. Muse, a co-sponsor of the bill's Senate version, titled SB 900, helped create a domestic violence task force after last February's death of NeShante Davis and her 2-year-old daughter, Chloe Davis-Green. Both were fatally shot by Chloe's father in a dispute over child support payments.
HEALTH
One proposal Muse (D-District 26) said he will introduce to the task force and incorporate into his legislation would require an accused abuser to not only participate in anger management courses, but also wear an electronic monitor that would signal to law enforcement the person's location. "It may sound like it is way out there, but our situation is too far out there," he said. "These are unusual times and we have to do some unusual things." For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI
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Meanwhile, hundreds of documents float inside the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis by legislators pushing for tougher domestic violence laws. The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence documents in a recent report that Prince George's had 32 domestic-related fatalities in fiscal 2015 and 2016, the most in the state. Such statistics have spurred Delegate Angela Angel and state Sens. Douglas J. J. Peters and C. Anthony Muse have legislation in both the House and Senate that seek to expand the definition of domestic violence to include harassment and malicious destruction of property. Angel, 37, a domestic violence survivor, explained how her estranged husband sent constant emails, continuous phone calls and even threatened to call her business contacts. If this law had been in place for her, she could've received legal protection sooner. The Democratic lawmaker, who represents District 25, pushed the domestic violence legislation last year, but it failed to make it past a House committee because some lawmakers expressed concern that the language regarding property damage was too broad. For example, a wife could file a restraining order against her husband if he became upset and threw a shoe at a television. "We [now] have very succinct language that says it has to be of no
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EDUCATION Mayor Bowser Highlights New Investments in Middle Schools By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) plans to spend $6.2 million during the 2017-2018 school year to bring algebra classes, engineering and computer science electives, coding clubs, lacrosse and wrestling to its middle schools. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, Deputy Mayor of Education Jennifer Niles and DCPS Chancellor Antwan Wilson announced the proposed investment at the newly renovated Northeast Brookland Middle School Friday. The school system has not yet released its final proposed budget for 2018, which must be approved by the D.C. Council, but officials said it will be the eighth consecutive year
of increased spending in DCPS. "I don't normally make budget announcements before I release the budget, so you can tell that these are very special initiatives," Bowser said. Bowser has focused heavily on middle schools during her time in office. Her 2014 mayoral campaign featured the slogan "Alice Deal for All," a reference to one of the city's most sought-after middle schools, to show her commitment to improving middle schools while in office. DCPS has 13 middle schools, 14 schools with elementary and middle grades and two schools with middle and high school grades. "These investments will transform the middle and high school experience for students throughout D.C., and ensure that we are setting more students up for success," Bowser
5 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (center), with Deputy Mayor of Education Jennifer Niles (left) and DCPS Chancellor Antwan Wilson (right), announces plans to invest $6.2 million in the city's public middle and high schools during a press conference at Brookland Middle School in Northeast on Feb. 24. / Photo by Shevry Lassiter
said in a statement. "By adding more extracurriculars, more STEM classes, and additional college and career support, we will be able to engage more students and keep them on track to succeed beyond high school." The new systemwide investment aims to ensure that every middle school student can participate in at least one extracurricular activity. New offerings include coding clubs, lacrosse, wrestling, rugby, archery, hockey, a wheelchair track and field and unified basketball for students
Tom Perez Tapped to Lead DNC By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
5 Tom Perez / Courtesy photo
22 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
After a difficult 2016 campaign that saw Democrats lose in the White House, both chambers of Congress and in state houses across the country, party officials elected Tom Perez, the former Labor secretary during the Obama administration, to lead the Democratic National Committee Saturday. Perez won in the second round of voting during the 2017 winter DNC meeting in Atlanta, garnering 235 votes from the 447 DNC members — the voting bloc that decides the chairmanship. Perez was considered the heavy favorite of the Democratic estab-
lishment, according to NBC News, which first reported Perez's victory. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, the preferred candidate of the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, came in second, earning 200 votes in the second round of votes. Half-ballots are given to Democrats voting abroad, NBC News reported. Ellison stated that it was necessary to unite behind Perez for the party to move forward. He was appointed the party's deputy chairman. The other five candidates dropped out of the race before the second round of votes, leaving it to establishment favorite Perez and Ellison, the preferred candidate of the more liberal wing of the party. Additionally, New York Assemblyman Michael Blake won his bid for the DNC vice chair. Blake, a 34-year-old rising star and a veteran of former President Barack Obama's presidential campaign and White House, received the most votes — 171 — for the remaining
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with disabilities. To support the increased engineering and computer science electives and offering of algebra to all middle schools, 750 new computers will be added to schools. "These budget priorities focus on making school joyful for students and providing supports for all students to be successful in school, no matter their path," Wilson said. For high schools, DCPS will hire college-and-career coordinators at nine schools to help students create a personal plan for their future after
graduation and increase college exposure through college tours, career coaching and job training. Questioned about whether the middle and high school opportunities would be made available in the struggling neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8, Bowser replied that "both sides of the river are ours." "Our commitment is getting rid of that demarcation in our city," she said. "So no matter the side of the river you live on, we want a robust neighborhood school for you. WI
position, open to a male or female out of 411.5 ballots received, but a second round was held because all contenders fell short of the 206-vote threshold. Blake, who won 237 votes in the next go-round after several candidates withdrew, called in his platforms for rebuilding party infrastructure to support new candidates for local office. "We have to leave here united," Blake said. "We cannot walk out of here as Obama Democrats or Hillary Democrats or Bernie Democrats, we are a united Democratic Party and that is who we are." Obama issued a congratulatory message to Perez late Saturday. "What unites our party is a belief in opportunity — the idea that however you started out, whatever you look like, or whomever you love, America is the place where you can make it if you try," Obama said. "Over the past eight years, our party continued its track record of delivering on that promise. … I know that Tom Perez will unite us under that banner of opportunity, and lay the groundwork for a new generation of Democratic leadership for this big, bold, inclusive, dynamic America we love so much."
Mayor Pete Buttigeig of South Bend, Indiana, did not make it to the voting process, announcing during his nomination speech that he would be exiting the race. Buttigeig, 35, built a national profile as an emerging dark horse in the race for the chairmanship with the backing of former DNC Chairman Howard Dean. "I want to thank my competitors for their graciousness beginning the day I got into this race — proving what unites us is greater than our divisions," Buttigeig said. "It looks like I'm not going to be the next chair. But whoever is, I am urging to do the things that must be done to be open to change, to look beyond Washington, to not treat the presidency like it's the only office that matters, to pay attention to communities like ours in the heart of our country — not as an exotic species — but as your fellow Americans." The former Naval intelligence officer campaigned on the idea that the aging Democratic Party needed to empower its millennial members. On the eve of the election, Perez
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EDUCATION Black Press Plays Vital Role in 'Hidden Figures' Success By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
In her book "Hidden Figures," author Margot Lee Shetterly pays homage to the African-American women who worked as human computers in the space program. It's a book that's spawned an Academy Award-nominated movie and has brought to the fore the accomplishments of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson — the brilliant black women who worked at NASA serving as the brains behind the moon launch of astronaut John Glenn, which proved to be one of the greatest operations in history. Inside the book, Shetterly also pays homage to where she first got the notion to write such a historical masterpiece. "In the first week of May 1942, the Norfolk Journal and Guide published an article that would … be like a signpost for the road not taken," Shetterly said. She even recalled the headline that accompanied the piece in one of the nation's oldest African-American-owned newspapers: "Paving the Way for Women Engineers." An accompanying photo revealed 11 immaculately dressed black women in front of Hampton Institute's Bemis Laboratory, graduates of Engineering for Women, a war training class. "The Journal and Guide and the Pittsburgh Courier, two of the granddaddies of the Black Press, are mentioned prominently inside the hard cover copies of the book with a picture that dates back to the 1940s," said Brenda Andrews, president, publisher and owner of The New Journal and Guide. The newspaper started in 1900 and by the time of World War II, the Journal and Guide by many accounts was the largest black employer in the South.
PEREZ from Page 22 forces were feeling confident as they told Democrats they had pulled ahead, buoyed by the late endorsement of Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, who quit the chairman's race Thursday and endorsed Perez. "We're going to be unified and we're going to get this thing done on the first ballot," Harrison told supporters Friday night. The DNC's chief fundraiser, Henry Munoz, who is running unopposed for re-election as finance chairman, gave Perez a final boost late Friday with his endorsement after remaining neutral throughout the race.
Its circulation topped 100,000 and Andrews said the newspaper joined others such as the Chicago Defender, the Baltimore Afro-American and the Pittsburgh Courier in taking the lead in writing about black interests and recording African-American history. "We were hidden figures ourselves until about the 1960s," Andrews said of the Black Press in America, which this year celebrates 190 years in operation. "This story and how the author researched ‘Hidden Figures' is an example of what the Black Press has been doing since, which is recording black history," Andrews said. "When I speak with people, even today in the 21st century, people are curious about the Black Press' role. We were in the shadows in our community, doing the work, recording information." Andrews said the Black Press wasn't formally recognized for its great journalism, seen mostly as underground activists. "Even today, we're not properly recognized for recording that history," she said. "We were hidden in black areas among black people. It came about that World War II was significant because it was our activism that stories of segregated troops were told." During World War II, the Black Press led the call for a "Double V" victory against fascism abroad and against Jim Crow in the United States. Reportedly, with such a slogan, many historians regarded this campaign as the groundwork for the black revolts that characterized the civil rights movement. Black newspapers, led by the Journal and Guide, the Defender, the Courier and the Afro, took a conservative effort to channel black militancy into nationalistic ends. They
sought government concessions and they looked to create a homogenous American identity that included black citizens to resolve struggles for full citizenship, freedom and racial justice. During World War II, the Journal and Guide reported regularly on soldiers serving overseas, even sending correspondents into battle to report on heroism that rarely made the pages of the mainstream papers. Embedded writers and photographers sent back stories of patriotic service including reports from the USS Mason, one of only two U.S. Navy ships with an African-American crew. "It wasn't until the 1960s and segregation [reform efforts] and the civil rights that black newspapers came out of hiding," Andrews said. "But if it had not been for the Black Press in World War II telling our stories, much would have gone unknown. It's very redeeming that our mission is recognized now." With the success of the book and movie for "Hidden Figures," Andrews believes history will continue to tell the glowing story of the Black Press. She said the current atmosphere
5 Brenda Andrews of the Journal and Guide and author Margot Lee Shetterly / Courtesy photo
makes it quite difficult to appreciate now, but it's her hope that in the future, when individuals reflect, they will know that the Black Press did its job and well. "We're bought out when a point
needs to be made," Andrews said. "That's why it's important to tell our own stories and refuse to let others portray who we are. The Black Press isn't just about news stories, we're recording our history as only we can." WI
Ellison allies acknowledged they were in a weaker position, but pushed back on the Perez campaign's attempts to create an air of inevitability. "It's that moment. It is that moment to bring forth your strongest argument," Ellison told supporters. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio towered over DNC members as he pressed his case for Ellison. "Keith Ellison is a man of destiny," he told them. "This is not an optional situation. We need Keith Ellison." Meanwhile, Valerie Jarrett, the longtime confidant of former President Obama, phoned DNC members to support Perez, while Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti reinforced Perez's troops on the ground. WI 295359_6_x_6.5.indd 1
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Healthy Eating for a Healthy Life Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia An important part of living a healthy life is healthy eating. When you eat a balanced diet of wholesome foods, you fuel your body with the vitamins and nutrients you need to be well. Eating the right foods can help boost your energy level and make you feel good physically and mentally. Eating healthy can even help your body fight certain diseases. Use these tips to help you and your family make smart food choices all year long. • Portion your plate. Your daily plate should be broken up into five categories: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. Half of your plate should contain a colorful mix of fruits and vegetables. The other half should be mostly whole grains, followed by protein, and then a small portion of dairy. Visit www.choosemyplate.gov to learn more about each category. • Read the nutrition labels. A nutrition label is provided on all packaged foods to help you make smart choices. It lists
the serving size and nutrition content per serving. Be sure to only eat one serving per sitting. Overeating may lead to weight gain and other health issues. Also, pay special attention to the calories, saturated and trans fats, sodium (salt), and sugars listed on the label. Be sure to choose low-calorie foods with little or no salt or sugar added and always with zero saturated and trans fats. • Eat fewer processed foods. It is best to choose fresh, whole-plant food options, but processed foods are OK sometimes. If choosing canned or pre-packaged foods, it is important to choose options with little or no added salt and sugars. For canned fruits, choose those packed in water or 100 percent fruit juice instead of syrup. For canned soups and vegetables, look for “low sodium” or “no salt added” on the label. • Eat healthier versions of your favorite foods. Traditional soul food is OK once in a while. But your everyday meals should be lean and healthy. For instance, try baking or grilling
your foods instead of frying them. Also, try healthy substitutes for your favorite spreads and dips. For instance, use an avocado instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches. Plain Greek yogurt is also a great substitute for sour cream on tacos and chili. • Add salt-free flavor. Many people add salt to their foods for more flavor. But there are healthier options. For instance, herbs and spices can help bring out the flavor in many foods. Look for a salt-free mix or make your own. Citrus is also a great way to add flavor. Squeeze a lemon, lime, or orange over baked chicken or fish. Or sprinkle lemon and garlic on top of your vegetables for a tasty side dish. • Make enough for leftovers. Many people choose unhealthy, easy-to-make foods because they are short on time. When you make your healthy meals, be sure to make extra. Then, you can freeze your leftovers and have them when you need a quick meal. • Try something new. There are countless healthy food options for you to choose.
Pick up a fruit or vegetable you haven’t tried before. Or try a new healthy recipe. AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC) has a great list of recipes for all types of diets. Just visit healthlibrary.amerihealthcaritasdc.com. Then click “Healthy Recipes” under the “Nutrition & General Wellness” tab. Eating healthy doesn’t have to
be boring. There are many ways to boost flavor and cut calories. Talk to your doctor about creating health goals for you and your family. You can start by using the tips in this article. If you are an AmeriHealth Caritas DC member and need help managing your health, call Member Services at 1-866-842-2810. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ChooseMyPlate.gov All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model.
THERE’S NEVER A GOOD TIME TO BE SICK. So when it happens, just call us. Get medical advice 24/7.
1-877-759-6279
AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
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24 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL Bowser Provides Pathway but Some Students May Need More to Succeed D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced a hefty investment of $6.2 million for programs in the District’s middle and high schools scheduled to begin in the 2017-2018 school year. She has promised to support more extracurricular activities including STEM and algebra courses, and to offer college and career support for 10th, 11th and 12th grade students. More extra-curricular activities are also included in the plan for middle school students with the addition of coding clubs, lacrosse, wrestling, rugby, archery and hockey, as well as wheelchair track and field and unified basketball for students with disabilities, according to a press release. “These investments will transform the middle and high school experience for students throughout DC and ensure that we are setting more students up for success,” Bowser said. We hope so and we are anxiously but cautiously optimistic that additional money and special programs will make the kind of difference the mayor has promised: to “engage more students and keep them on track to succeed beyond high school.” Even more, we hope she sees a path towards closing the achievement gap between Black and white students enrolled in DCPS. But the reality for those who are wholesale supporters of public schools may see this as an effort to address the declining enrollment of Black students who have left the public schools and opted to enroll in the vast number of charter schools scattered across the city. And maybe a means to try to hold on to the growing numbers of white students enrolled in DCPS, which has doubled over the last two decades, but who have demonstrated a historical pattern of leaving the public schools when they reach middle school. The other factor to consider is that an overwhelming number of minority students still lack basic skills in reading and mathematics which will restrict their ability to take advantage of the new programs being offered. This news at this time may be immaterial to the progression of their success. We fully appreciate the Mayor’s intentions to improve the educational experience for DC public schools students. But there remains a dire need to ensure that the financial resources that are available are used to provide equitable opportunities for all students understanding that a great number of them still require more support and investment than others. WI
Transgender Children Deserve Equal Protection, Not Rejection Society continues to change and evolve with accompanying changes in laws, philosophies and mores. One issue that has moved to the top of the list within today’s society has been transgender children and the rights they should be guaranteed within America’s public school systems, specifically the delineation of bathrooms for their use. Arguments continue to be raised on both sides – one saying there should be gender-free bathrooms for their use – the other maintaining that one’s gender at birth should determine which bathroom children can use. Meanwhile, innocent children desperately trying to understand confusing feelings that lie deep within, while also looking for safe ways to express themselves, free to claim the gender to which they feel called, find themselves treated as pawns, caught in a painful game of chess. President Barack Obama, near the end of his second term and after great deliberation, decided to issue a federal mandate that would allow transgender children, no matter where they lived, to have access to facilities within their schools that would give them dignity, privacy and the right to allow their choice of gender to determine which bathroom they could and would use. Now our children, with the recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump, must once again be wondering if they can feel safe in their schools, or if they may soon be destined to stand in the “other” line – foreign creatures who refuse to go along with rules more fitting for the past. Trump says the federal government should bow out and allow “state’s rights” to assert itself. Whether Blacks have problems with transgender orientation or not, we are well-aware of the dangers and injustices that have often been heaped on those of a specific race, gender, or religion when any, WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
TO THE EDITOR Have to Support Our Own to Close Wealth Gap
Green the True Color of Gentrification
Wow! Those are some pretty sobering statistics about the net worth of African-Americans in the United States of America ("Economics, Not Politics, Is the Real Source of Power" by columnist William Reed on the Business page, Feb. 23-March 1 edition). Mr. Reed says that the median household income for African-Americans is a little over $7,000, while the same statistic for the average white household is $111,000. This sounds like something one would expect from a long past era in the history of our country. Particularly sad is the fact that African-Americans spend so much of their paltry household income, which in turn helps to keep that wide gap between our net worth and white net worth. If we could support our own businesses and stop putting every dollar we earn into the hands of those who don't need it, maybe we could begin to shrink that disparity between our net worth and theirs.
I was reading the comments on your VIEWPOINT page on the topic of gentrification. I wholeheartedly agree with the points made by one of them: Maryam Foye. Ms. Foye looks at gentrification through the lens of language. The word gentrification, as she explains, means "to beautify," generally speaking. Here in D.C., gentrification has taken on the added connotation of kicking people out so others can beautify the space. Unfortunately, it's always those who can least afford to relocate who are being "kicked out" by gentrifiers who come to town with deep pockets and their sights set on making lots more money. Every time I drive through once-familiar neighborhoods in this city, I find myself a bit disoriented because familiar landmarks such as apartment buildings and small businesses have been demolished to make way for pricey condos and ridiculously expensive apartments. Ms. Foye is absolutely correct when she says that "the people being impacted the most are [people] of color…" Such a sad state of affairs in the most powerful city in the world!
Benny Taylor Alexandria, Va.
LaVonia Trent Washington, D.C. or all, of those identifiers clash with the beliefs of those in power in one particular state. We are “one nation” aren’t we? At least that’s what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights say, guaranteeing all citizens the same rights. Why should transgender children be treated differ-
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ently? Aren’t we, without providing the same rights as determined and guaranteed by the federal government, throwing some of our children into their state’s lion’s den. We believe the president has erred in his decision. All children deserve equal rights and protection – all children. WI
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
A Time for Courage and Truth After the new administration's first Black History Month event included a general reference to 19th century lion Frederick Douglass as "somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more," Frederick Douglass's descendants jumped in with their own clarification: "The President's comments from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, about Frederick Douglass, were noted and appreciated by us, the Douglass family. In fact, we believe,
if he had more time to elaborate, the President would have mentioned the following: 'Frederick Douglass has done an amazing job … • Enduring the inhumanity of slavery after being born heir to anguish and exploitation but still managing to become a force for solace and liberty when America needed it most, • Recognizing that knowledge was his pathway to freedom at such a tender age, • Teaching himself to read and write and becoming one of the country's most eloquent spokespersons,
Guest Columnist
By Marian Wright Edelman
• Standing up to his overseer to say that 'I am a man!' • Risking life and limb by escaping the abhorrent institution, • Composing the Narrative of his life and helping to expose slavery for the crime against humankind that it is, • Persuading the American public and Abraham Lincoln that we are all equal and deserving of the right to live free, • Establishing the North Star newspaper when there was very little in the way of navigation or hope for the millions of enslaved persons, • Supporting the rights of women
when few men of such importance endeavored to do so, • Arguing against unfair U.S. immigration restrictions, • Understanding that racism in America is part of our 'diseased imagination,' • Recruiting his sons — who were born free — to fight in the war to end the enslavement of other African Americans, • Being appointed the first black U.S. Marshal by President Rutherford B. Hayes, • Being appointed U.S. Minister to Haiti by President Benjamin Harrison,
• Serving as a compelling role model for all Americans for nearly two centuries." They concluded: "Like the President, we use the present tense when referencing Douglass's accomplishments because his spirit and legacy are still very much alive, not just during Black History Month, but every month." A similar response could have been prepared just a few days later when the Department of Education shared a quote by Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois that misspelled his name. We may not be
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By Rep. Bennie G. Thompson
Congress Must Investigate Trump's Potential Russian Ties
The endurance of our nation's security, sovereignty and democracy is not a partisan issue. This is a top concern for all Americans and should be a top priority for the leaders that we send to Washington, whether Democrat or Republican. As elected officials, my colleagues and I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We, therefore, have a responsibility to do our due diligence in investigating Russian interference, and
potential influence, in our democratic elections and the potential Russian ongoing connections within this current presidential administration. Despite all of the evidence gathered thus far — evidence that has led all 17 of the U.S. intelligence agencies to conclude with confidence that the Russians had indeed interfered in the past election — the current administration seems unable or unwilling to put its full weight behind a full and proper investigation that seems necessary to the American people. In the face of evidence that campaign and administration officials seem to have had
Guest Columnist
relationships with Russian officials, the president cannot simply move on from this issue. In fact, the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn this month seems to provide us with more questions than answers. The potential conflicts between the Trump administration and its apparent ties to Russia seem numerous. The president has refused to release his tax returns — a move not seen from any other modern major party candidate — leaving questions unanswered as to potential Russian business ties and conflicts of interest that President Trump was all too happy to gloat about
in years past. The president is unable to criticize Russia and its dictator-like leader Vladimir Putin, instead praising him and preferring him to President Obama. When confronted with the assertion that Putin has had journalists and political opponents killed, President Trump doubled down on his support of Putin by shockingly asserting a moral equivalence between Russia and the United States. The president's ties to Russia don't end with him, however; they trickle down into his administration. As in the campaign, President Trump continues to surround himself with advisers that
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By Edwina Dorch
District Reparative Justice: Out of the Mouths of Babes They're back. Yes, the UDC Criminal Justice Program Seniors are challenging city officials again as they have for the past few years. Last year they confronted Kevin Donahue, the deputy mayor for Public Safety and Justice, and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson over budget prioritizations and they are making a similar budget challenge again this year, only in a more thorough and comprehensive way. A 2015 Inspector General report and a scathing assessment by former police Chief Cathy Lanier along with a series of Washington Post editorial board criticisms persuaded the Crim-
have expansive and well-documented financial entanglements to Russia. Recently, The New York Times reported that phone records show Trump associates communicated with senior Russian intelligence officials throughout the campaign, including his former campaign chair Paul Manafort, who is known to have involvements in multimillion-dollar business deals with Putin allies in Ukraine. Additionally, Michael Flynn was forced to resign following information revealing that he had lied about privately discussing U.S sanc-
inal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) to hire a consultant to assess and propose solutions to the District's criminal justice system. The consultant's preliminary report proposed that a single agency was needed to coordinate the operations of the local and federal parts of the District's criminal justice system. In his preliminary report, consultant Alonford James Robinson Jr., CEO of Symphonic Strategies, Inc., offered two models that the District might emulate. The first model, one recommended by the Manhattan Institute to the state of New Jersey, is one for which a state's parole board serves as
a "lead agency" orchestrating the policies and activities of other state agencies involved with criminal justice matters. The second model is one for which an external agency, such as Chicago-based Safer Foundation, serves as a "lead agency insuring collaboration between various local and federal criminal justice agencies." Within weeks of the consultant's oral presentation of his report, the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) submitted a report with a proposal that the District use a model similar to Montgomery County's Jail Pre-Release Model. CCE's recommendation is in sync with the deputy mayor's new jail
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management responsibilities following his cancellation of the District's 20-year Corrections Corporation of America contract. Problem is, the three models did not address the inspector general's and the Washington Post's criticisms about the District's lack of service capacity and its inability to track client data. Yet Shana Campbell, the criminal justice senior whose senior paper addressed returning citizen Medicaid insurance, believed that the $49 million information technology (the DCAS system) purchased to comply with the District's Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and current-
ly replacing the TANF and SNAP legacy system (ACEDS), had client data-tracking capability and thereby was capable of coordinating services. She believes this because she'd learned that DCAS connects all social service caseworkers through name/social security matching and that once connected caseworkers electronically interact with one another in real time. Students whose senior theses addressed returning citizen homelessness, Elizabeth Tutt and Datwan Ayer, believed that the Department of Housing and Community Development could increase returning citizen housing by creating "set-aside" development for them and by awarding additional
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
By James Clingman
Making Black History, Pt. 4: Buy African Coffee
This will end my four-part series on "Making Black History." Although there are many things we can do to make our own history, I have offered four so that next year we can celebrate what we did in addition to only celebrating what others did to make history. These offerings are quite simple and easy to do; it is my hope that we will bring them to fruition. David Robinson, youngest son of
Jackie and Rachel Robinson, moved to Tanzania in east Africa to do what many of us simply talk about: Reconnect. After getting permission from his village council, he and 15 men, equipped only with axes, hoes and shovels, began clearing 120 acres of forest, which later became known as Sweet Unity Coffee Farm. For months those men, including David's New York-born son, Howard, unified in one purpose, toiled, persisted and achieved their goal. David's sister, Sharon Robinson, wrote a book, "Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By," in
Guest Columnist
which David reflected on the work that had to be done to start his coffee farm. "Our fifteen men walking in single file, often in silence, fifteen men walking to accomplish one task," he wrote. He described seeing men of various Tanzanian tribes collectively committed to one purpose, laying aside any differences and subscribing to one agenda that would benefit the whole. No complaining, no backbiting, and no jealousy, just working together to get the job done. Robinson went on to write, "All men of my race, who had agreed to
move together, to labor with one purpose, to toil until the land was open and fresh and planted with thousands of six-inch coffee seedlings. In the early morning, with feet moving quietly in unison, I felt that which I named our farm: 'The sweetness of unity.' The thrill of many coming together to act as one." A few weeks ago I wrote about Sweet Unity Farms Coffee and asked my readers to purchase it and make it a regular part of their morning pleasure. For those who do not drink coffee, I asked that you give it as gifts for Kwanzaa, birthdays, etc. in order
to support Brother Robinson's business and the small coffee farmers in the Tanzanian co-op. I suggested that we make an incredible collective economic statement by buying one million bags of Sweet Unity by October 2017. (Listen to this: https://youtu. be/TJr_pGSE90k) This time I want to be even clearer by letting you know that this is not merely a consumer/black business issue. Your purchases of Sweet Unity Coffee go much further than to the bottom line of an income statement.
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By Austin R. Cooper Jr.
GOP Members of Congress Retreat From Constituents
exas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert, in a pathetic attempt to explain why he did not hold town hall meetings during the recent Congressional recess, stated, "The House Sergeant at Arms advised us after Congresswoman Giffords was shot at a public appearance, that civilian attendees at congressional public events stand the most chance of being armed or killed, just as happened there." Gohmert plans to only hold
"telephone town halls" until the "threats of violence" decreases. What the congressman conveniently does not mention is that the attack on former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords occurred in January 2011. In response, Giffords said, "To the politicians who have abandoned their civic obligations, I say this. Have some courage. Face your constituents. Hold town halls. I was shot on a Saturday morning. By Monday morning, my offices were open to the public. Ron Barber — at my side that Saturday, who was shot multiple times, then
Askia-At-Large
elected to Congress in my stead — held town halls. It's what the people deserve in a representative." I have worked for three members of Congress. My responsibilities afforded me numerous opportunities to accompany them to meetings in Washington and the district. On more than one occasion, I even represented them at both public and private events. Truthfully, I never considered myself, or the representative, to be at risk of any physical danger. That thinking changed with the Giffords tragedy. Since that shooting, I have reflected about such risks for mem-
bers and staffers. My position has not changed from what it was before that Saturday morning in Tucson: If you are too afraid to face your constituents, then you no longer deserve to be in Congress and should immediately resign. Public service is not your calling. Gohmert was re-elected last November and has been in Congress since 2005. Was he concerned about his physical safety during any previous campaigns or public appearances? Apparently not. It should be both expected and demanded by the public that when Congress is not in session, repre-
sentatives should spend time in their districts with constituents. That is how a Member stays connected to the community. More importantly, it is how constituents are kept abreast of developments in Washington and how such policies and decisions are impacting the district, both positively and negatively. During the recess, Gohmert and other Republicans, including Sens. Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley and Marco Rubio, were greeted with protests in their home
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By Askia Muhammad
'Moonlight,' Sex and Gender Identity
When I viewed the wellmade, Academy Award-winning "Moonlight," I was flooded with memories, thoughts and feelings. The conversation goes well beyond the drama we see on the screen. First, when I was in elementary school in Los Angeles, I remember a boy who lived on my street whose mother was said by boys on the street to be a prostitute. They would say it in that cruel,
taunting way young boys tease one another. There is such a character in "Moonlight." He knows his mother and has to process her lifestyle. Then I was reminded of the brilliant, nearly 60-year-old stage play "The Toilet," written by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka). It is the story of teenage violence that was (and may still be) routinely administered to homosexual boys by other boys. Deep. Back in my elementary school, there was this buck-toothed boy named Gale. He lived in the house behind mine on the next
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street. I remember his big, buck teeth because Gale kissed me on the mouth once. I did not like the kiss. Then there was John Lemon, another elementary school classmate. One day, we played "show me yours, I’ll show you mine…" typical adolescent "boy" behavior in the late 20th century. Seeing "Moonlight" I sensed this is more common than I thought. There is a composite of my Gale and John in "Moonlight." In those early days having sex itself was suspect behavior in some circles. Scientific advances
in birth-control techniques however made casual sex more abundant, as the risk of pregnancy declined. The debate ended. Folks were going to have sex. Included in the new sexual freedom movement was an understanding that same-gender sex was gaining acceptability along with heterosexual sex. What was not anticipated was that an "identity" movement developed along with a movement to normalize what had once been considered "queer" behavior. These are some super-complex issues to address.
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Now, we have gender identity issues occurring among 3-year-olds. At that age, a child is certainly not making a gender-identity choice based on sexual attraction. And yet we have government officials freaking the public out about weird activities about to be conducted in school toilets by these depraved 4- and 5- and 6-year-olds. But when the child reaches adolescence, the age of boyfriend-girlfriend attraction, will a transgender boy — whose birth
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LIFESTYLE ASALH Gala Recognizes Black History Past and Present By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) held its 91st annual Black History Luncheon Saturday, Feb. 25, with hundreds of guests packed the ballroom of the Washington Renaissance Hotel for the highly-anticipated tradition. The luncheon theme this year, "The Crisis in Black Education," stemmed from the historic and contemporary issue of the role of education in African-American history. "Some of us remember what segregated schools were like in the '40s and '50s," said ASALH President Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. "Now, in the 21st century, we find ourselves worried about the effect federal policies will have on our children." The organization said poorly performing schools serve as a pipeline
to prison, and discussion of revitalizing public education in underserved communities is especially relevant in today's political climate with the appointment of private- and charter-school advocate Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. "It is no overstatement to say that [DeVos' appointment] by President Trump has sparked tremendous concern regarding the fate of public schools for minorities and the poor," Higginbotham said. "ASALH shares this concern and emphasizes that the problem of education inequality has a long history in America." ASAHL leaders said this year's theme sought to highlight the triumphs of African-Americans over policies that impeded education, such as laws prohibiting slaves from learning to read and segregated schools, as well as all attention to the existing lack of resources in low-income and minority-majority public schools.
5 South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn. / Courtesy photo
"Black History Month is not just about regurgitating contributions," said keynote speaker and South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn. "Black History Month is about a time of reflection, introspection and trying to make some determination as to what to do going forward. That's why I am pleased with your selecting [this theme]." Established in 1915 by the "Father of Black History Month," Carter G. Woodson, ASALH was the vehicle for promoting Negro History Week in 1926, which eventually grew into the monthlong celebration known today. Its mission is to "promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about black life, history and culture to the global community." "Think about the children com-
The Best of D.C. Heads to SXSW
By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer
The District's top makers, entrepreneurs and creatives showcased the city's diverse music, tech and culinary scene at a kickoff party before taking their talents to Texas for the famed South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. The Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP), in collaboration with Events DC and Mayor Muriel Bowser, held a Roll Call event on Friday, Feb. 24 at the Carnegie Library in Northwest to preview what to expect at the WeDC House at SXSW in Austin from March 11-13. "Washington, D.C.'s values are embodied in our diverse neighborhoods and our ability to support
28 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
underrepresented entrepreneurs, and it is these same qualities that make us the capital of inclusive innovation," Bowser said. "At SXSW, we will once again showcase why Washington, DC is the best city to invest in and why our population is the highest it's been in 40 years, with almost 1,000 people moving to DC each month." The collaboration will showcase D.C. as the "Capital of Inclusive Innovation" by celebrating the best of its diverse tech and innovation community and its creative economy at the country's premier film and music festival. Events DC touted that last year the District ranked as the Best City for Women in Tech, number two for Best City for Tech Jobs in the Country, Restaurant City of the
Year, and the fourth Best Place to Live in the Country. The WeDC House will host 23 WeDC Ambassadors to represent the District and further the ultimate goal at SXSW of expanding the city's technology sector, promoting D.C's innovative startup community and fostering new partnerships among the local and national business communities. WeDC Ambassadors are District-based entrepreneurs and innovators selected as representatives from the D.C. business community because of their work contributing to the culture of the city. The city's acclaimed and diverse culinary scene will also represent the District's status as a food destination at SXSW. Renowned D.C.-based chefs
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ing from underserved communities and underfunded high schools," Clyburn said. "This is not about skin color or ethnicity because if you were talking about these communities in Alaska or South Dakota, they would be Native American. If you talk about the students in Arizona or New Mexico, they would be Latino. If you talk about these kinds of communities in West Virginia or Kentucky, they would be white. "What we are talking about is educating our kids irrespective of their backgrounds," Clyburn said. The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and its foundation also presented ASALH with a total of $20,000. "We are going to support those programs that support our community and continue to educate them," said Omega Psi Phi Nation-
al President Antonia Knox. "Because of [ASALH], we understand who we are." ASALH presented its Living Legacy Award to Bryan Stevenson for his with work with Equal Justice Initiative, which he founded in Montgomery, to fight class- and race-driven discrimination in the justice system. Dorothy Bailey, ASALH executive council member and Prince George's County branch president, received the Executive Council Award for Special Recognition for her service to residents as an elected official in Maryland. "It's more important than ever for the community to be involved in our history and what we do, and ASALH leads the charge," said ASALH Executive Director Sylvia Cyrus. WI
Tim Ma of Kyirisan, Cava Grill CEO Brett Schulman and Michael Schlow of restaurants including Alta Strada City Vista and Casolare will all host activities within the WeDC House in Austin. "As a chef, I'm happiest when I'm putting out good food for good people," said Ma, owner of Kyirisan. "D.C. is where my wife Joey and I grew up, where we're raising our family, and where my restaurants are. We have this amazing community of brilliant, talented people from all walks of life that keeps me inspired every day, and I couldn't be more honored to represent our city — my hometown — at SXSW this year." Representing the cultural and entertainment scene, D.C. natives Thievery Corporation will be joined by DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown aka Erykah Badu and rap icons Wu-Tang Clan to headline
Events DC's Official Music Showcase at SXSW. The Grammy-nominated artists will hit the stage Tuesday, March 14 at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theatre for one of the most anticipated performances at SXSW. "With our roots based in Washington, D.C., we couldn't be more energized to represent the District, the capital of inclusive innovation at SXSW," said Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation. "From the world's first sounds of go-go to its historical influence in jazz, D.C. sounds echo around the globe, playing a vital role in the building blocks of popular music. And just like that — our sound is about including styles from around the world to create innovative and inclusive music." WI
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LIFESTYLE
And the Oscar goes to ‘For Real’ – ‘Moonlight’
‘La La Land’ Incorrectly Handed Best Pic Award By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor As many predicted, both “La La Land” and “Moonlight” snagged plenty of gold at the 89th Academy Awards, held Sunday, Feb. 26 in Los Angeles. But the stunning and unprecedented occurrence, that made Oscars history and caused a firestorm of responses on social media, came when co-presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty incorrectly announced that the film “La La Land” had garnered the Academy’s most prestigious honor – Best Picture – when in fact “Moonlight” had won. Celebratory comments already underway from “La La Land” producers Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt would be abruptly halted by an official representing the Academy’s producers and accountants as he appeared onstage with the news. Meanwhile, PricewaterhouseCoopers [PwC], the auditing giant that certifies the results of all awards, has been besieged with jokes and ridicule, its reputation tarnished and its business relationship with the Academy Awards in jeopardy. The embarrassing announcement, later attributed to “human error” as explained by Tim Ryan, U.S. chairman and senior partner of PwC, occurred because Beatty had been handed the wrong envelope from a PwC representative. But many people wonder how an accounting firm that has tabulated results and monitored awards distribution for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for 83 years, could have made such a simple yet
monumental blunder. Despite the major mix-up seen by an estimated 32 million TV viewers, this year’s award winners represented a greater swath of America than last year when criticisms (#OscarsSoWhite) of the Academy Awards reached massive proportions after an exclusively-white tandem of honorees received every possible trophy. Winners illuminating greater diversity included: Viola Davis, Best Supporting Actress, “Fences;” Ezra Edelman, whose “OJ: Made in America” captured Best Documentary; Mahershala Ali, Best Supporting Actor, “Moonlight”; Barry Jenkins for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), “Moonlight,” penned by African-American writer Tarell Alvin McCraney; and as previously mentioned, Best Picture, “Moonlight.” Davis, now part of an elite group of thespians who have achieved the actor’s “trifecta,” winning an Emmy, Tony and Oscar, heaped praises on Denzel Washington, her co-lead in the film and with whom she previously co-starred when “Fences” appeared on Broadway, and upon August Wilson, the late playwright. “I became an artist and thank God I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live,” said Davis, finally winning the Oscar after two previous nominations. “August Wilson exhumed and exalted the ordinary people,” she said. “Thank you [directing her words to Washington who also directed the film] for putting two entities in the driver’s seat – August and God – they served you well.” Jenkins said he had finally seen a “dream come true” and thanked the Academy “for choosing us.”
As for Ali, the first Muslim to win an Oscar for acting, expressed his thanks to his professors and teachers who taught him, “it’s not about us, it’s about the characters.” “We had a wonderful cast – any of them could be up here instead of me,” said Ali, who called his wife a “soldier” for her support before explaining the reason for her absence – the birth of their daughter four days before the awards. WI
5 Tarell Alvin McCraney (l) and Barry Jenkins. /Photo courtesy of Programme TV
'Media' Rocks Crowd as TV One Represents
TV One’s New Movie Impresses Crowd and Confirms TV Series By Jade James-Gist WI Contributor TV One’s highly anticipated film, “Media” played well with the preview crowd on the night of Feb 22. After officially announcing the production at the Television Critics Association in Summer 2016, the “Media” TV movie premiered on Saturday, Feb 25 at 8 ET. Most of the cast, including Brian
White, Stephen Bishop, Chrystee Pharris and Penny Johnson Jerald graced the red carpet and post-screening Q&A session at Silver Spring’s AFI Theatre. Sitting front and center for the film’s debut was “Media” executive producer and Founder and Chairperson of Radio One (home of TV One), Cathy Hughes. Filmed in Atlanta, “Media” portrays the riveting drama of rivalry, betrayal
MEDIA Page 34
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MARCH 2 - 8, 2017 29
LIFESTYLE
Boys and Girls Club Director Wants to be Seen By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) occupies the largest space of any of the near dozen partner agencies at the Southeast Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC), and it aims to get bigger. One of four clubs in the city, the Friedman, Billings, Ramsey (FBR) branch has been housed at THEARC since its opening in 2015 and offers a wide range of activities in an effort to engage students in the vulnerable community. BGC of Greater Washington is
a major metro affiliate of that national Boys & Girls Clubs of America organization with 14 sites that serve over 11,000 students each year. Over 4,000 autonomous clubs exist in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Erin Martin, the FBR club's interim program director, said relationships the club has with the surrounding community are just as important to its survival as the relationships it builds with its members. Martin, who has held her position since January, is responsible for the overall operation of the club and already has plans to grow the club's community relations. "I'm responsible for the overall
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development and administration of the FBR branch," Martin said. Her job includes handling finances and leading a staff of 10. Though the club receives most of its funding from grants, Martin is always looking for way to market it. "[Physically] above us is the Washington School for Girls, ArtReach and Trinity at THEARC, so that should give you some perspective for our size," Martin said. "Because we have such a large space, we do have people who come to use it for events. These opportunities are incredibly important to my vision as they increase our visibility in the community." The facility is equipped with a regulation gym, game room, computer lab and teen center and study lounge. It serves about 140 students a day, most them coming from elementary and middle school. Martin says she seeks to capitalize on events with other organizations to increase rental revenue and membership. "Some opportunities seem small, but can be really big," Martin said, recounting a time when a volunteer service provider became a sponsor. The club has received renovations
5 Erin Martin, interim program director of the Boys and Girls Club's FBR branch, poses with club members at the African American History Museum while on the 2017 Washington Informer Heritage Tour. / Photo by Demetrious Kinney
from Best Buy, and gets frequent visits from Ward Council member Trayon White. Martin says rentals and partnerships are great additions to program offering which are most important to the success of the club and its members. "We're making sure we're creating impactful programming," Martin said. The five core areas of focus at the FBR branch are education and career development; character and leadership development; health and life skills; sports, fitness and recreation; and the arts. The club offers
over a dozen program activities including homework assistance, teen character building groups, ceramics, culinary arts, soccer and basketball. "I think what makes our club different [from others in the area] is our teen center and the work that Levar Jones does with them, as well as the untraditional programs we offer to kids like yoga and lacrosse, and Saturday programming," Martin said. "I'm going to keep doing my part to increase our visibility in the community." WI
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TOUR from Page 1 rate sponsors and WI staff visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, adding to the already over one million people who have entered its doors since the official opening last fall. Eager to see the treasures that lay behind the doors of the museum, participants gathered at the Boys and Girls Club at THEARC for a brief program including words of welcome from WI staff and corporate sponsors of the tour. “Our history often gets lost and this is a great opportunity to remind everyone about our contributions,” said WI Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes The Heritage Tour continues to be a community event – with volunteers and local corporations committing time, talent and dollars to make the day both a success and memorable. Now in its seventh year, the Black History Month Heritage Tour has, since its inception, received significant financial support from Pepco. Pepco Regional President Donna Cooper shared reasons for the company’s consistent support. “We view ourselves as a part of the community we serve and consider the Washington Informer to be a critical vehicle for providing information to the community,” Cooper said. Ron Burke, director of advertising and marketing for the Informer highlighted three reasons that Rolark Barnes, WI senior
LIFESTYLE management and the Charities Board of Directors established the now annual and highly-anticipated event. “We started this event seven years ago to facilitate the following: keep our community connected to their heritage and culture; provide networking possibilities for our attendees; and provide a way for organizations that do business in our community to engage the people with whom they serve while possibly cultivating new business opportunities,” Burke said. “We couldn’t continue to provide such an informational and fun experience each year without the support of our sponsors – we’re both blessed and humbled to have them partner with us.” Bank of America’s Derrick Perkins, senior vice president and senior relationship manager for community lending, returned for his second consecutive year of attending the pre-tour program. “We have been providing grants to other local groups for several years with a significant portion of our support aimed at those east of the river and were looking for more opportunities to make connections,” Perkins said. “Connecting with the Washington Informer has been a tremendous way to illustrate our commitment to those who live and work in Wards 7 and 8.” Continuing a tradition established four years ago, Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church in Northeast once again sent a group of over 20 boys, all members of a
mentoring program, The Sons Ministry, headed by Grant Duhart. His enthusiasm as well as that of the young men could not be ignored while they and other adult mentors toured the museum. “This gives them a good sense and knowledge of their history,” Duhart said. “We’ve found that some parents simply do not spend enough quality time with their children – we believe in the philosophy of reach one, teach one. Most of our boys said they had no idea of the deep roots of Blacks in America. The struggles of our people came as a shock to some of them, especially the price our ancestors paid due to the evils of slavery.” As for two of the boys under Duhart’s tutelage, they had much to say – but even more, they said, to see. “We want to see the sculptures; we want to see the exhibits from the civil rights movement and the slave ship too – wow. We know there’s more to our story and contributions than President Obama,
5 WI Heritage Tour sponsors. / Photo by Lateef Mangum
P-Diddy and George Washington Carver. That’s why we’re here,” said Gregg Spencer, 11 and Max Ndjikinya, 12, both from Northeast. This year’s sponsors included: Pepco, SW Airlines, Comcast/ Xfinity, Bank of America, Safeway, Toyota, THEARC, Boys and Girls
Club at THEARC, Capital Entertainment Services and Coca-Cola. Go to www.washingtoninformer.com for videos showcasing additional comments from the tour’s corporate sponsors. WI
Reparations Study Group meeting Why don’t you want to “get paid” debts owed you ? Congressman John Conyers has submitted legislation to The 115th Congress to study the effects of slavery to access As to whether and when compensation is due descendants of slaves. Activists and serious history students/researchers are invited to join the Reparations Study Group In activities and educational sessions toward pushing H.R. 40 legislation to successful passage
Join this monthly Reparations Study Group meeting at Southeast Public Library 403 7th Street, Southeast, 20003 March 9, 2017 And get answers to: • What Black reparations are? Who is eligible? • Join us to discuss ways that contemporary Blacks can employ to get reparations • Why do none of us talk about what and how much we are owed? • Be about getting the money are you currently due in reparations RSVP (202) 547-4125 The Southeast Library is located on Capitol Hill across from the Eastern Market subway stop. WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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LIFESTYLE
Church Loses Claim to Slave Burial Grounds 'Where Was Ike Leggett?' By Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer After an intense and contentious battle over development plans for the Westwood Shopping Center around the community of River Road in Bethesda, Maryland, the blackowned Macedonia Baptist Church
has lost its claim to ancient slave burial grounds to New York-based developer Equity One. After an open hearing before the Montgomery County Council on Thursday, Feb. 23, council members sided with Equity One and are only giving Macedonia Baptist Church members eight weeks to figure something out. The result left many in the com-
munity questioning the process and whether the hearing truly had any purpose. "Where was [Montgomery County Executive] Ike Leggett in all of this?" said Macedonia's new pastor, the Rev. Segun Adebayo, who was inaugurated Feb. 24. "In Nigeria there is a huge culture of respect when regarding the dead. It is believed that there is more honor in death, so I find it difficult to
A
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS…
DEACON ANDREW DONALD MALLOY CAPTAIN UNITED STATES ARMY (RETIRED) Hero… humanitarian….philanthropist…mentor…brother…friend. On February 18, 2017 a drum major for justice, freedom and righteousness left this earthly realm traveling into eternity. Andrew Donald Malloy took the journey we all must take. Born on August 20, 1947 in Durham, North Carolina to loving parents Lida and Elisha (deceased) Malloy, Andrew was the eldest of seven children, four of whom, along with his mother, are alive to mourn his passing. Leadership abilities and a pioneering spirit were evident in young Andrew as a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and Barbee’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, the Cub and Boy Scouts and as captain of the Safety Patrol at Hillside High School in Durham. As a young man in his late teens, Andrew truly demonstrated the shape of things to come when he achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. A lifelong learner and history buff, Andrew majored in History at the now-North Carolina Central University in Durham, until he volunteered for the United States Army. During his tenure, he achieved exemplary ratings in Officers Candidate School, and was later promoted to the rank of Captain. He served numerous tours of duty in Viet Nam, receiving six Bronze Stars, five Purple Hearts, and innumerable meritorious service commendations and awards. A servant-leader…. Andrew’s love for God, his commitments to edifying youth and up-building communities were evident throughout his life. Following his military career, he was employed in service to his country domestically through positions at the Pentagon, the Secret Service, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and until February 18, at the US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Civil Rights. He was a devoted member of the Blacks in Government organization for many years, the NAACP, Fort Myers Gospel Choir director and member, and more community organizations than can be enumerated here. A highly sought after public speaker, seminar and workshop leader, Andrew delighted and inspired audiences with his humor, wit, and penchant for singing. He was particularly fond of the hymns, “Jesus is Real to Me” and “Just a Little Talk with Jesus.” At his death, he was a long-time member of the Mount Salvation Baptist Church in Arlington. He was a Man for All Seasons whose legacy still influences the seasons of countless lives. Andrew worked tirelessly to eradicate injustice, bigotry, and discrimination. Now it is time for him to take his rest. For those wishing to remember Andrew, here are the details of his departure celebrations: Mr. Malloy’s "wake" will be held on Friday, March 3, 2017 from 6-8 pm at the Burthey Funeral Service located at 1510 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707. The celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Peace Missionary Baptist Church located at 2608 Highway 55, Durham, NC 27713 at 2:00 pm with family visitation at 1:30 pm. A repast will take place in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in care of Andrew D. Malloy to: Burthey Funeral Service (address provided above). A memorial service is being planned for Mr. Malloy in Alexandria, Virginia. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
5 A member of Macedonia Baptist Church. / Photo by Roy Lewis
understand Equity One's position. "We have sent many correspondences to the county executive and on Monday [Feb. 28] I will personally get in touch with Leggett," Adebayo said. "[Leggett] is a black man and someone coming from his decade is fully aware of what is truly going on and shouldn't need a formal request to act." Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, a forerunner in the effort to preserve the burial grounds and have a museum built to honor the history of the community and the legacy of her ancestors, also questioned Leggett's involvement. "When we left the council on Thursday we were all under the impression that we had won the case," she said. "People were cheering for us and it was a very exciting day. However, when I woke up on Saturday and began to read the Bethesda Magazine, one of their main articles explored how the council had voted in favor of Equity One. Like many, Coleman-Adebayo said she was unaware the council had even taken a vote. "I remained at the council for the duration of the time and I never witnessed or even heard an official vote ever taken," she said. "We have reached out to Ike Leggett many times who is over this jurisdiction during the duration of this entire case with no reply. [We] just want to know, what is going on?" Judy Stiles, a public information officer for the Montgomery County government's executive branch, told The Informer that Leggett had never received any correspondence from church members regarding the issue, except for a letter that was delivered earlier this month. Asked if Leggett had responded to the letter, Stiles said, "not yet." Neither Equity One not the Montgomery County Council replied to numerous requests for comment. Harvey Matthews, longtime resident and church trustee whose family helped form the River Road community, said he was heartbroken by the series of events. "I grew up here and can still remember playing games as a child in
the old cemetery," he said. "I never knew then that I was literally playing over top of dead ancestors, but now that I know, we have to do something about this. Just think if it was your white mother or Jewish ancestors lying beneath rubble with no proper resting place. "I have to say, one thing that really touched my heart the most was the testimony of one little white 8th-grade girl who spoke candidly about never knowing that a black community had even ever existed in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area," Matthews said. "She went on to explain the fact that this is history that she and her brother should be taught in school and that a museum would help them to learn the history that they have been robbed of." Many say that this is not the first time this same scenario has been brought into question. One resident recounts hearing some years back of crew members throwing dead bodies down slopes during construction. "When they found a body, they'd blow a whistle, and they'd shut the job down," said Tim Bonds, 57, who recalled the whistle blowing fairly often. Bonds said he remembers the men talking about human remains being pushed back under the dirt, down a steep slope toward a storm sewer, so excavation could resume quicker. He and his pals sometimes slipped over to the site hoping for a glimpse of something ghoulish, but never saw anything. The centuries-old community founded by freed slaves, known today as Westbard, once was the home to over 30 families who lived on the sloping terrain by the old Georgetown branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which would later become the Capital Crescent Trail. If not farming, they worked as laborers or domestics in the nearby white neighborhood of Somerset, or toiled at Bethesda Blue Granite Co.'s quarry near Willett Branch. In a statement issued to The Informer, the NAACP's Montgomery County branch said it would provide whatever support available to help rectify the injustice. WI
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LIFESTYLE
wi book reviewA
Horoscopes
MAR 2 - 8, 2017
ARIES There are plenty of opportunities to open new doors. The idea of knowing when to let go of something and when to embrace it can be a powerful concept now. Venus enters its retrograde phase in your sign, encouraging you to develop your relationship with yourself. Be more forgiving and accepting of your faults. Lucky Numbers: 3, 9, 16
"Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring"
TAURUS A dynamic urge for change has been building for some time. This week you may be called to take action. If an opportunity comes your way, grab it with both hands. Even if you don't feel ready to embrace a new way of life, go for it anyway. You'll gain the experience as you go. At the same time, you could decide to pull back from a relationship in order to better understand your motives. Lucky Numbers: 13, 17, 31
by Enigma Alberti & Tony Cliff c.2017, Workman $12.95 ($19.95 Canada) 96 pages plus extras
GEMINI There's a lot going on this week that could pave the way for some fabulous
new options. You'll have had a chance to look into the details by then. With Neptune's ethereal energies in the mix, there could be a misunderstanding about what to expect. Clearing this up first can ease your mind. On the social scene, a new friendship could prove to be a game changer. Lucky Numbers: 16, 20, 36
CANCER There's a lot going on that's very exciting concerning your career. Whether
you tread a professional path, own your own business, or seek a new job, things are looking up for you. With Venus entering its retrograde phase in this same zone, be very careful about signing a binding contract. Lucky Numbers: 26, 29, 45
Spy on History
LEO On the one hand you can explore the deeper layers of your personality. On the
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer You've seen a lot of things you weren't supposed to see. Some might call you "snoopy." Others might say you're "nosy," but you understand that keeping your eyes open, finding information, and knowing what you're not supposed to know can sometimes be a good thing. And in the new book "Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring" by Enigma Alberti & Tony Cliff, sleuthing and snooping can change history. Bet Van Lew knew that what she was about to ask of Mary Bowser was huge. Once a slave owned by Bet's family, Mary had given Bet many things through the years. When Bet freed the Van Lew family's slaves, Mary kept in touch with her Quaker friend, who had ensured that Mary got a good education. Theirs was a strong bond, but Bet now had a problem. She was pulling together "a network of spies" to help Union forces in the Civil War. Bet knew that with Mary's schooling and smarts, she would be the right person to gather intelligence inside the Confederate White House, where President Jefferson Davis lived with his family. Bet had to ask for help. She needed Mary. Every enslaved person in the South needed Mary. It would be dangerous. Mary had to keep to herself and pretend that she wasn't very smart, and that she couldn't understand writing or maps. She memorized every scrap of information she found, then she snuck the information out of the Davis household and into the hands of the people it would help. But she had to be very careful: getting caught could mean getting caught by the neck at the end of a rope because the Confederacy was quick to punish spies with death. Could Mary find the most important clues of all before someone saw her spying? Loosely based on a real person and a true story, "Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring" is a story that's as exciting as they come. I have to admit, I was breathless. Even though your child might sense that things will resolve positively by the end of this story, authors Enigma Alberti (a nom de plume) and Tony Cliff surely raise a kid's adrenaline with a plot that both thrills and teaches. Yes, part of this tale is fictionalized but Mary — who actually existed, as did all of the people in this story — is a great role model; her bravery, wisdom and (according to the authors) her smooth transition to post-war life is absolutely inspirational. What will further hold a young reader's imagination is the mystery woven inside the story itself. There are clues all over this book — even inside the title page! — and a side-story whodunit that's just plain fun. This is a great introduction for Civil War buffs in the making, young biography fans and kids who are just learning to appreciate thrillers as a genre, so get "Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring." This is something your 7- to 11-year-old will want to see. WI WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
other, a dynamic blend of energies could see you looking outward to new opportunities. Radical insights are possible whichever way you turn. Saturday can provide an opportunity to reconnect with someone you once knew. Lucky Numbers: 6, 10, 15
VIRGO Go easy with finances this week, as the temptation may be to splurge on something that could radically change your life. However, doing so could jeopardize your security, so think very carefully before paying a large sum of money. It might be better to wait a few weeks before you splurge. Lucky Numbers: 14, 15, 49 LIBRA A relationship could be the catalyst for some dynamic action or a decision that could alter your life in a significant way. Your thinking may allow you to see possibilities you've never considered. Avoid making any commitment to a person or a partnership until after April 15. You'll know exactly what to do by that time. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 22 SCORPIO An exciting array of aspects could be a game changer for you, encouraging you in a direction that offers adventure and fresh opportunities. There's also a powerful focus on your romance sector, which could see a budding relationship become quite tender in the days ahead. With Venus turning retrograde, it might be wise to keep things light and easy for now. Lucky Numbers: 16, 34, 47 SAGITTARIUS If you have an opportunity to take a short break, this would be the ideal time to consider it. Concentrating on everyday tasks and chores may not be easy with your mind focused on fun and games. If you do get away for some sunshine and find yourself falling in love, the Venus retrograde indicates it might not turn out as you hope. Lucky Numbers: 11, 14, 22
CAPRICORN The desire to start a home-based business could excite you this week, and you'll be eager to get things underway. But it might be wise to make sure you're on the right track. As amazing an opportunity as it seems, there could be pitfalls you haven't considered that need to be factored in first. Venus turns retrograde, so it may be just as well to get the financial side of things thoroughly sorted out. Lucky Numbers: 7, 23, 45 AQUARIUS Information that comes out of the blue could urge you to seize an opportunity you've long coveted. Regarding financial matters, you might need to take extra care with the confusing energies of Neptune muddying the waters. Think very carefully before signing anything, and go over the terms and conditions with a fine-tooth comb. If it's a really big deal, get a lawyer to go over it for your peace of mind. The weekend should be a lot more productive, though. Lucky Numbers: 4, 10, 17 PISCES As the Sun in your sign ties with Neptune, your imagination could soar in the coming days and encourage you in your creative endeavors. You may also be drawn to cultural activities, such as art exhibitions or concerts, that speak to your soul. Go easy with finances, though, as you could find that an impulsive buy costs you dearly and leaves you strapped for cash. Later, Venus turns retrograde in this same zone, which is even more reason to look after your money. Lucky Numbers: 18, 21, 34
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MARCH 2 - 8, 2017 33
LIFESTYLE
African-American Heritage Tour
SCENES FROM THIS YEAR'S MEMORABLE HERITAGE TOUR. / Photos by Lateef Mangum and Demetrious Kinney
MEDIA from Page 29 and murder that plagues the Jones family, a fearsome dynasty that owns Atlanta’s premier urban media conglomerate, JUMP (Jones Universal Media Properties). Reminiscent of Hughes’ own family, JUMP was founded by a powerful matriarch, Jackie Jones (Penny Johnson Jerald), with its broadcasting, print, and radio arms managed by her children (Brian White, Chrystee Pharris, Pooch Hall and Blue Kimble). Cathy’s own son, Alfred Liggins, is CEO and President of Radio One. Hughes’ brushes off allegations of
34 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
any likeness in a Tom Joyner Show interview, stating, “When I do the Cathy Hughes story it’s going to be called the Cathy Hughes story. It’s totally far removed from me and Alfred. It’s about print and electronic media and all the things that go on in our industry.” However, there are other resemblances that the show must confront. Despite the warm reception, the cast caught a few tough questions at the Q&A. The audience probed the cast about similarities to Fox’s music industry drama, “Empire.” “Media” is the network’s clapback to other Black-centric productions, “Power,”
“Empire” and “Scandal.” Brian White quelled any doubts about the show’s originality, stating, “We were first.” “Media” has been in development for almost 8 years, he explained, beating Empire by almost 6. Penny Jerald answered, “I can take Cookie!” in response to curiosity about a potential “Empire” rivalry. It was additionally revealed that “Media” would serve as a pilot for a same-titled TV series to come. Like BET’s first movie “Being Mary Jane,” “Media” is returning as a scripted TV drama series following the film’s TV premiere. Penny Jerald confirmed this, hinting, “You’ll
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be getting to see us more often.” This choice to transition to a series harkens back to TV One’s and Radio One’s original mission: redefine narratives and elevate Black voices. “TV penetrates more than a big screen movie can,” Jerald stated at the Q&A. “Images of a successful Black family that created wealth outside of the sports and music industries will broadcast into millions of living rooms across the country.” She continued, “Its not just for Black people, though. It’s just that this time, Black people will be the ones holding wealth and power when the drama plays out.” This production joins TV One’s
“News One Now”, a live daily news program dedicated to Black viewers. Both ventures demonstrate TV One’s commitment to Black visibility on and off screen. “Media” headliner, Brian White sums it up best: “They ain’t gonna show us, so we gotta show us. We gotta ask for us. That's why Cathy Hughes is so great.” “Media” joins the rising tide of breakout Black-centric film and TV productions to air in the last five years. The overall significance of its production and widespread broadcast cannot be denied. As they say— representation matters. TV One is doing just that. WI
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WITH A POWERFUL HERITAGE. Our history continues to inspire the best in all of us. We are proud to support the Seventh Annual Washington Informer African American Heritage Tour. © Pepco, 2017
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SPORTS Jazz Outlast Wizards at Verizon Center
5 Washington Wizards guard John Wall drives past Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles in the third quarter of Utah's 102-92 win at Verizon Center in Northwest on Sunday, Feb. 26. / Photo by John E. De Freitas
3 Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal takes on Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in the third quarter of Utah's 102-92 win at Verizon Center in Northwest on Sunday, Feb. 26. / Photo by John E. De Freitas
Wizards Stumble Out of the Gate in Season's Back Half By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill The Washington Wizards couldn't get a handle on Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward and couldn't get a break from officials, losing 102-92 to the Utah Jazz at Verizon Center Sunday, the team's second straight loss following the All-Star break. Hayward, fresh off his first AllStar Game appearance, had 30 points and nine rebounds and hit several key shots down the stretch to stave off a late Wizards rally. Washington, which had won 18 of their last 21 games before the break, couldn't keep Utah off the foul line early, as the Jazz converted 13 of 18 free throws in the first half. Conversely, the Wizards only attempted one first-half free throw. "It's frustrating," said Wizards guard John Wall, who recorded his 37th double-double with 23 points and 11 assists. "You keep attacking the basket and no guys getting calls on the other end. It
36 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
tough being in the game when somebody is shooting 20 free throws to one. [The officials] didn't make the calls. I'll leave it at that." Wall and forward Markieff Morris both received technical fouls, with Morris picking up his tech after fouling out in the fourth quarter, which also resulted in his ejection. "Refs in their feelings. It's like that all the time," Morris, who had seven points and three rebounds, said when asked why he was tossed. "We can't worry about the referees. All we can ask is for them to do their job to the best of their capabilities. ‌We had a bad game and they had a bad game. It is what it is." The Wizards were pounded on the boards 52-27, as Jazz center Rudy Gobert grabbed 20 along with 15 points and four blocks. Utah (37-22), which gives up a league-low 95.6 points per game, also recorded a season-high 11 blocks to the Wizards' one. The Wizards' first half output of 39 points marked the team's lowest this season.
5 Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky is defended by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in the third quarter of Utah's 102-92 win at Verizon Center in Northwest on Sunday, Feb. 26. / Photo by John E. De Freitas
"Physicality — they had it, we did not," said Wizards head coach Scott Brooks. "We let them run their offense without any resistance. When you do that, they're going to score some points on you." The Wizards, which trailed by as many as 24 midway through the third quarter, got at close as 95-89 with two minutes left in
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the game, but Hayward hit two straight jumpers to seal the victory. "[Haywood] got an offensive rebound that we should have boxed out on and he scores there," Wall said. "We had opportunities thought. We just didn't convert." It was a bad start to a tough week schedule-wise for Wash-
ington, which hosted the league-leading Golden State Warriors Tuesday (played after press time) before a home-andhome set Wednesday and Friday with the Toronto Raptors. Including Utah, all of the Wizards' opponents during the week were .600 or better. WI
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SPORTS
Lady Firebirds Shine on Senior Day
3 University of the District of Columbia Firebirds guard Kaylah Cooper drives past University of Bridgeport Purple Knights forward Anastasia Williams in the second quarter of UDC's 66-54 at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 25. / Photo by John E. De Freitas
6 University of the District of Columbia Firebirds guard Shantrel Oli-
ver evades a defender in the second quarter of UDC's 66-54 win over the University of Bridgeport at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 25. / Photo by John E. De Freitas
4 University of Bridge-
port Purple Knights guard Camera Miley shoots over University of the District of Columbia Firebirds guard Bailee White in the third quarter of UDC's 66-54 win at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 25. / Photo by John E. De Freitas
6 University of the Dis-
trict of Columbia Firebirds guard Kaiya Coleman takes on University of Bridgeport Purple Knights guard Camera Miley in the first quarter of UDC's 66-54 win at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 25. / Photo by John E. De Freitass
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on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, previously part of the Department of Education, into the White House. Trump recently met in the Oval Office for a “listening session” meeting with Vice President Michael Pence and over 60 HBCU presidents and chancellors – the first gathering of its kind in at least eight years. HBCU presidents, in town for another conference in Baltimore, have requested $25 billion from the Trump Administration to assist their schools. At a HBCU president's reception on Monday, Feb. 27, Grambling University President Rick Gallot told the NNPA Newswire that the priorities of HBCUs are, "spending on campus infrastructure and an increase in yearround Pell Grants." A senior White House official explained the decision to move the White House Initiative and to assign an executive director. The initiative on HBCUs, “lost track, because they didn't have
the full force of the White House behind them. This HBCU order will do that by repositioning the initiative in the White House," the official said, adding that the Trump administration wants HBCUs to serve as partners in the President's urban agenda while increasing the private sector's role in supporting and strengthening their participation in federal programs. HBCUs did not fare well during the Obama Administration. In 2009, the Obama Administration failed to renew a two-year appropriation for HBCUs of $85 million a year. The money would later have to be restored by concerned Democrats who controlled Congress. Following a top-level decision in 2011 enacted in Obama's Department of Education it became more difficult to obtain Parent PLUS loans. It would negatively impact 28,000 HBCU students while HBCUs collectively lost over $300 million in grants and tuition. In 2015, President Obama proposed two years of free com-
munity college without consulting HBCU advocates. Many of those advocates viewed the proposal as a threat to HBCUs. The proposal, never enacted by the Republican-controlled Congress, was later revised to include HBCUs. Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus, also in 2015, expressed their disappointment for Obama’s seemingly lack of support for HBCUs. Obama, meanwhile, allegedly expressed criticism of HBCU graduation rates and loan policies. As for the recent visit at the White House, HBCU presidents said they had hoped for more. "There was very little listening to HBCU presidents today. We were only given one minute with just over half of us having a chance to speak,” wrote Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough. The HBCU presidents convened at the Library of Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 28 for an all-day session with members of Congress. 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 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
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RELIGION THE RELIGION CORNER
The Griffin Firm, PLLC
Women's History Month Celebrates Us!
The Lord lifts up the humble and downtrodden; He casts the wicked down to the ground. — Psalm 147:6 African-American women are often portrayed by media as pregnant, promiscuous, poverty stricken, welfare cases or prostitutes. How do we continue to erase some of these hurtful and inaccurate stereotypes to reclaim a connection with our true selves? How many of us know we are queens, and that our strength, courage and faith that has propelled generations of our foremothers into a world supported by justice, love, faith, wisdom and perseverance, all virtues that empowers us to raise strong families and have productive careers? How many of you are like me, changing the channel when you see television programs or movies that show us in such a negative connotation? When TV producers live in communities where they rarely — if ever — see an African-American, how can they know our experiences, good or bad? There is a book titled "Daughters of Dignity," written by LaVerne McCain Gill, that you need to read. This book seeks to identify our virtues, traces our roots, and presents biblical and theological foundations to validate the experiences of the African-American woman. Gill shares how historical and contemporary role models such as Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks embodies these virtues. Finally, she gives suggestions for self-evaluation and narratives on contemporary programs to successfully reestablish an ethic of black womanhood in the community. I remember when Les Brown went to Lorton in the mid-'90s while he was here in Washington, hosting "The Les Brown Morning Show" Turning Hearts Church
on Radio One. Les was my mentor, as l trained under him with other aspiring speakers. One day Mr. Brown invited me to co-host his morning show. His partner was unable to be there and, as if he could foresee me as a radio personality, he invited me to co-host with him! Great experience! Afterwards, Mr. Brown had a speaking engagement at a prison in Lorton, Virginia. His town car came to pick us up. I was excited to ride in the limo with someone as famous as Mr. Brown, one of the world's top motivational speakers, but what stood out most for me was when we went inside, management took me to the stage along with Mr. Brown. As l looked out into the audience, l remember seeing wonderful, good-looking African-American men. They reminded me of my brothers, my uncles and my father. It was that very moment that I thought to myself, "So this is where all the black men are! No wonder 70 percent of African-American women are single." An article on The Huffington Post website, "The Black Male Incarceration Problem Is Real and It's Catastrophic," cited this statistic: "there are more African-American men incarcerated in the U.S. than the total prison populations in India, Argentina, Canada, Lebanon, Japan, Germany, Finland, Israel and England combined." How many of our men are in prison here in America? It is a modern-day Jim Crow era. This leaves so many millions of black women without spouses. Last month, l was proud of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr., who hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. panel to talk about the 13th Amendment and how that bill continues to allow law enforcement
The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest
4275 4th Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20034 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445
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 to treat African-American men and women as slaves. Laws are not even being broken! Police can lock us up and almost throw away the key. And we black women are suffering, raising children alone, working two or more jobs, trying to make ends meet. Yet poor African-American women are portrayed in such negative light! Wonder what would be said if the TV producers could walk a mile in our shoes! 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 MARCH 2 - 8, 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 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
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
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
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 www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org
“Where Jesus is the King”
Lincoln Park United Methodist Church
Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith
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”.
Mount Moriah Baptist Church
Eastern Community Baptist Church
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. Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42
New Commandment 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
Rehoboth Baptist Church
“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org
Salem Baptist Church
Holy Trinity United Baptist Church
Florida Avenue Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Clinton W. Austin Pastor
Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor
Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org
St. Matthews 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
“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”
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
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 7:30a.m Worship Service: 10:45a.m. New Members Class: 9:30a.m. Holy Communion : 1st Sunday -10:45a.m Church School: 9:30a.m. Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: Wednesday 7p.m Bible Study : Saturday: 11a.m. Baptism: 4th Sunday – 10:45a.m “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”
Peace Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 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
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
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
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
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.
MARCH 2 - 8, 2017 41
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
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
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 Number 2017 ADM 142
Administration No. 2016 ADM 1493
Administration No. 2017 ADM 47
Administration No. 2017 ADM 35
Administration No. 2017 ADM 69
Roberta Sue Kronheim Decedent
Randolph Johnson Decedent
Constance V. Bradshaw Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney
Michelle Lanchester, Esq. 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 900, South Building Washington, DC 20004 Attorney
Estate of Christopher B. Powers aka Christopher Bruce Powers Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Luke B. Powers for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Order Deborah Matthews, Esq. who is alleged to have custody of the will dated December 31, 2014 to deliver it to the Court. In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative. Date of first publication: February 16, 2017 Peter Antonoplos 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Ste. 600 Washington, DC 20036 Petitioner/Attorney
A. Witcher aka Annie A. Witcher aka Annie Arethia Witcher Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Yolanda Witcher Edwards, whose address is 2207 Iverson St., Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of A. Witcher aka Annie A. Witcher ala Annie Arethia Witcher who died on May 4, 2014 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 August 16, 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 August 16, 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: February 16, 2017
Washington Informer
Date of first publication: February 16, 2017 Gary D. Weinstein Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Yolanda Witcher Edwards Personal Representative
Anne Meister Register of Wills
TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills
Gary D. Weinstein, whose address is 3307 Parkside Terrace, Fairfax, VA 22031, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Roberta Sue Kronheim who died on December 7, 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 August 16, 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 August 16, 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.
Washington Informer TRUE TEST COPY
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Claudia H. Payne, whose address is 3607 Burleigh Drive, Mitchellville, MD 20721, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Randolph Johnson who died on June 22, 1997 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 August 16, 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 August 16, 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: February 16, 2017 Claudia H. Payne Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills
Anne Meister Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Andrea J. Bazemore, whose address is 4704 New Kent Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Constance V. Bradshaw who died on November 16, 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 August 23, 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 August 23, 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: February 23, 2017 Andrea J. Bazemore Personal Representative
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 97
Administration No. 2017 ADM 111
Administration Number 2017 ADM 174
Administration No. 2017 ADM 70
Administration No. 2017 ADM 136
Estate of Muriel Williams Deceased
Barbara J. Williams Decedent
Joseph P. Thomas Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Barry M. Tapp 14662 Cambridge Circle Laurel, MD 20707 Attorney
Anna S. Saunders Decedent
Carolyn Juanita Mickens Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Elana E. Strom, Akman & Assoc., PC 2560 Huntington Ave., #202 Alexandria, VA 22303 Attorney
Roy A. Saunders and Kathleen SaundersMitchell whose addresses are 1338 Downing St., NE, Washington, DC 20018 and 3808 Asquith Court, Springdale, MD 20774 were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Anna S. Saunders who died on November 1, 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 August 16, 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 August 16, 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: February 16, 2017 Roy A. Saunders Kathleen Saunders-Mitchell Personal Representatives
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Nicole Mickens, whose address is 6716 W. Forest Road, #204, Landover, MD 20785, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Carolyn Juanita Mickens who died on October 31, 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 August 23, 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 August 23, 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: February 23, 2017
TRUE TEST COPY
Anne Meister Register of Wills
Anne Meister Register of Wills
42 MARCH 2 - 8, 2017
Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Stephanie Rones for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Admit to probate the will date October 19, 1986 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of witnesses Date of first publication: February 23, 2017 Stephanie Rones 2218 Randolph St., NE Washington, DC 20018 Personal Representative: TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills
Willie Fred Williams, whose address is 2240 S. Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Barbara J. Williams who died on January 12, 2014 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 August 23, 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 August 23, 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: February 23, 2017 Willie Fred Williams Personal Representative
Washington Informer TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Mickens Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
Washington Informer
NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE
Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Lisa A. Edwards, whose address is 3218 Central Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Joseph P. Thomas who died on December 9, 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 September 2, 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 September 2, 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: March 2, 2017 Lisa A. Edwards Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
CL ASSIFIEDS
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
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Administration No. 2016 ADM 001197
Administration No. 1997 ADM 1474
Lance Etchison Decedent
Dorothea R. Carmon aka Dorothea Russell Carmon Decedent
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Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Deborah D. Boddie, Esq., whose address is 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lance Etchison who died on July 14, 2015 without 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 September 2, 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 September 2, 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: March 2, 2017 Deborah D. Boddie Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Henrietta C. Mays and Elmira C. Gwynn, whose addresses are 2704 Cator Dr., Ft. Washington, MD 20744 and 9810 Hill Street, Kensington, MD 20895 were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Dorothea R. Carmon aka Dorothea Russell Carmon who died on April 30, 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 September 2, 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 September 2, 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: March 2, 2017 Henrietta C. Mays Elmira C. Gwynn 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
Administration No. 2017 ADM 167
Administration No. 2017 ADM 131
Berdie O. Odom aka Birdie O. Odom Decedent
Cedric Norman Johnson Decedent
Deborah D. Boddie 1308 9th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Attorney
Elana E. Strom Akman & Assoc., PC 2560 Huntington Ave., #202 Alexandria, VA 22303 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Brenda Williams, whose address is 1604 Yuhas Court, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Berdie O. Odom aka Birdie O. Odom who died on January 17, 2011 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 September 2, 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 September 2, 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: March 2, 2017
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Betty Jonet Johnson, whose address is 1318 Bayside Ave., #8, Woodbridge, VA 22191, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cedric Norman Johnson who died on November 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 September 2, 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 September 2, 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: March 2, 2017 Betty Jonet Johnson Personal Representative
Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY TRUE TEST COPY
Anne Meister Register of Wills
Anne Meister Register of Wills
Washington Informer
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EDELMAN from Page 26 able to react to every mistake or omission made about black or Latino or Asian American or Native American or immigrant or women's history. But we can certainly make sure our children know the correct and full truth. We can make sure they know W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the first great Black Civil Rights and intellectual leaders. He was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a founding leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and founding editor of its journal The Crisis. He wrote many influential books and articles, including the classic "The Souls of Black Folk," and re-
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Shauntazia Spencer, whose thesis focuses on child support, resonated with the job-creation component of the Creative Housing Solutions Consultants Model. She did so because her readings lead her to believe that agencies that contracted to perform job placements for Department of Employment Services cannot compete with employer-contracted, private-staffing agencies, such as Z-Recruiter. Hence, she, too, included the model in the solutions section of her thesis. Realizing that, although the District had already implemented Housing First initiatives, those initiatives were not currently producing returning citizen housing, Kevin Matthews and Clara Mosley, whose theses focused on the District's problem-solving courts (the District's drug and mental health courts), concurred with their two classmates and they both inserted the Creative Housing Solutions in the solutions section of their theses. Students enamored with the Creative Housing Solutions model invited Industrial Bank to the classroom to determine why the Office of Small and
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Tutt and Ayer invited the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development to the classroom and presented their ideas. Their staff indicated that the building of low-income housing was merely a matter of moral "will." Thus, the two students invited the Office of Religious Affairs and ask if building a faith-based crowd-sourcing platform would encourage faith organization to build a "banking" platform with enough funds to finance housing develop by returning citizens for returning citizens. The director of the one-man office told them they had to educate organizations such as the Washington Interfaith Network about dollar return and the social return of building a religious crowd-sourcing platform but did not offer to broker the conversation. Understanding that the cost of inmate housing, halfway housing and homeless shelters for returning citizens was not the total cost, and that the cost of both custodial and noncustodial parent TANF and SNAP payments had to be added in the calculation, senior
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points to developers for developing returning citizen housing on city RFPs. Yet Tutt and Ayer understood set-asides and RFP points would not yield nearly the amount of service capacity they needed for over a thousand CSOSA and DOC clients citizens. They thus continued their search for a more adequate model until one of their readings revealed one offered by Creative Housing Solutions. The Florida housing development model, which creates permanent housing by renovating vacant and blighted housing for $40,000 per two-bedroom unit, intrigued the students because 2.2 jobs were created for each housing unit created. Thus, Tutt and Ayer saw model as being capable of creating an "ecosystem" often alluded to by returning citizen Kevin Smith as he lobbies city council to fund both DC Law 21-159 and the associated Aspire Entrepreneurship Program. Further, Tutt and Ayer saw the Creative Housing Solutions Model as the self-reliance model often alluded to by returning citizen Courtney Stewart.
our security, but to restore trust in this administration and in the democratic process. All Democratic members of the House of Representatives, along with one Republican, have co-sponsored this critical bipartisan legislation. The American people deserve transparency and peace of mind when it comes to their elected leadership. The Trump administration has insisted on remaining friendly with Russia despite the very clear threat that they have presented to our national security. In doing so, they have put our nation at risk while keeping American citizens in the dark. The Trump administration's intent to ignore these ongoing acts of aggression sends a message that this type of meddling is acceptable. The only democratic way forward is to launch a complete investigation into not only the interference into our democratic election, but also into the ties and communication that this administration has had with Russia. WI
found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them." This is a time for struggle for the soul and future of our nation. It is not a time to be silenced by fear or deadly apathy. It is a time for truth and courage. Only the truth will set us free. WI
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DORCH from Page 26
cal strings attached to President Trump and this administration. Now more than ever, we need an independent, bipartisan commission to fully investigate Russia's interference in the election and any potential Trump campaign ties to the Kremlin. Unfortunately, Republican leaders in the House seem less than enthusiastic about investigating their own president. In turn, last month, Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) reintroduced legislation that would create a 12-member, bipartisan, independent commission empowered to conduct an in-depth investigation into attempts by the Russian government or others to use electronic means to influence, interfere with, or undermine trust in last year's elections. This would be similar to the highly praised 9/11 Commission — which was led by well-regarded national security experts that were not elected officials. Such a commission is not only necessary in order to ensure
roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have
D : Sade
tions against Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, a potentially illegal act. It has since been reported that White House officials were made aware of Flynn's actions and made no effort to correct the record. It was only after leaks to the public that President Trump's hand was forced, raising concerns regarding the ability of this White House to maintain honest and open communication with the American people. This intricate web leaves us with critical questions that must be answered. What did the president know, and when? Was the White House ignoring or covering up the truth and spreading misinformation? Did Flynn operate at the direction or the knowledge of the president and were others involved? The American people deserve to know the full extent of Russia's financial, personal and politi-
In a time where fears about unprecedented abuses of power are being matched by record-setting mass displays of nonviolent resistance, we can remember what Frederick Douglass said in 1857: "The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful
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THOMPSON from Page 26
mained a tireless crusader for the rights of black people around the world until his death in Ghana at age 95 on Aug. 28, 1963, the same day as the March on Washington. We can also make sure we know and teach our children not just who Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois are, but some of the lessons they taught us. In a time when lies about nonexistent widespread voter fraud threaten to reinforce and escalate a new era of targeted and pernicious voter suppression, we can reread this warning from "The Souls of Black Folk": "Away with the black man's ballot, by force or fraud, — and behold the suicide of a race! … The power of the ballot we need in sheer self-defense, — else what shall save us from a second slavery?"
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Local Business Development in collaboration with the newly implemented Aspire Program were not already generating housing built by returning citizen plumbing and electrical entrepreneurs. In other words, why didn't a returning-citizen ecosystem already exist? Without explaining why the ecosystem did not already exist, the Industrial Bank indicated numerous ways they could assist returning citizens in building a self-reliant ecosystem; from financial education classes to start-up loans. Students attempting to generate funds to pay for GED teachers and mentors for returning citizens Michael Coley, Shaun Richards and Myeisha Anderson felt the Office of Partnerships and Grants Services (OPGS) could do more. The OPGS website reported there was $1.9 billion in funding available last year but did not report how much they had applied for or obtained. So the students invited the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, the Council on Foundations and the National Committee for Response Philanthropy (NCRP) to find answers.
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The students learned that foundations had to be educated about the return on their dollar for funding criminal justice reform projects and that foundations could be nudged into funding criminal justice reforms by white papers and by the scores they received if they funded projects involving justice reforms. Their instructor taught them how to do a cost-benefit analysis that compared their millennial self-reliance model to the law-and-order (i.e. jail) and parole board models proposed the CJCC Consultant and CCE and a request to be given permission to present their work to the CJCC Steering Committee was made. To date, the students and their instructor have not been given permission to present their extensive research and resulting reform proposals, and the District's criminal justice system remains in need of reform. The University of the District of Columbia's Criminal Justice Program graduates between 30 and 40 criminal justice students each year who go on to become police, court, correctional and parole officers. So what do these millennial criminal-justice stakeholders have to do to be heard? Burn something down? WI
MARCH 2 - 8, 2017 45
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Profits from sales also go to help educate Tanzanian children and adults, and to purchase solar panels for homes in their villages. We can make history the same way David Robinson and his entire family, both here and abroad, have made and are still making history. Buy Sweet Unity Farms Coffee and make it your coffee of choice, the way I and others have, thereby living up to our "support black business" and our "connect with the Motherland" mantras, instead of just talking about it. We can fire an economic shot heard round the world by doing this simple thing and by making black history in other ways as well, especially when it comes to empowerment and self-determination.
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districts. Angry constituents vented their frustrations over issues ranging from Russian intervention in November's election to the GOP's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act to the Trump administration's proposed travel ban. These town halls also repeatedly found Republicans hedging their support for the president's agenda and, in many instances, contradicting past statements. Sen. Tom Cotton admits that Obamacare "has helped Arkansans." Grassley now supports the release of the president's tax returns. Rep. David Brat agrees that an investigation into Russian hacking should "follow the rule of law wherever it leads." Reacting to these confrontations in Republican districts, the president tweeted, "The so-called angry crowds in home districts of
ASKIA from Page 27 Each week you’ll get news from The District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Northern Virginia.
certificate says girl — be attracted to girls as other boys his age might? Would such attraction
To review my four offerings through which we can make black history: In the next 90 days, at least one million black voters should change their registration to Non-Party Affiliated (The way staunch Republican conservative, George Will, has done); form alliances to buy and develop the land in our neighborhoods on which we can start and grow businesses that can, in turn, hire our youth; make a pledge on www.blackamericanmade.com to purchase products made by black people, and add black made products to the website as well; and purchase at least one million bags of Sweet Unity Coffee this year, and experience the feeling that David Robinson had when he began to clear the land for his coffee farm — "The sweetness of unity." All it takes
to empower ourselves economically and politically is a collective conscientious mindset and appropriate action. Jackie Robinson was one of our "firsts" — let's honor his legacy by making this effort a "first" too. The U.S. coffee market is worth tens of billions of dollars. Shouldn't black people claim a niche in that market, especially since our brothers and sisters grow and harvest the best coffees? David Robinson ended his writing with sage advice, saying, "I have seen the merit and often the necessity of joining hands to achieve a goal. Unity is often not a state reached easily, but the inability to achieve it can often mean failure." Go to www.iamoneofthemillion. com, click on "Products" and buy Sweet Unity Coffee. WI
some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!" Mr. President, you may be right about some of these protesters, but certainly not all or even a majority. And frankly, your point is irrelevant. What is at issue here are Americans exercising their constitutional right to confront their elected officials and demand answers. To hold their elected officials accountable for the positions they take on supporting, or not supporting, your policies. That is what makes America great, not your tweets. "Telephone town halls" are for cowards. Republicans minimizing disgruntlements expressed at town halls run a risky political strategy. Just ask former President Obama and Democrats about their response to Obamacare protests in the summer of 2009. Democrats
lost control of Congress the following year and President Obama, despite numerous accomplishments, was nonetheless stymied on much of his agenda for the remainder of his presidency. Neil Gorsuch will serve on the Supreme Court and Merrick Garland will not. Elections always have consequences. Democrats can learn valuable lessons from the Tea Party protests and regain control of Congress next year. Republicans always overplay their hand. The early protests we are witnessing are good signs. As former House Speaker Tip O'Neal used to say, "All politics is local." Republicans who are avoiding constituents should listen to Gabby Giffords and "have some courage." They should also heed the calls of protesters and do their job. WI
render a trans boy, really a lesbian, a girl attracted to other girls? The same applies to transgender girls, whose birth certificates say boy. These are super-complex is-
sues to address. And they border on explosive. So "Moonlight" deals with sexual preference, which Hollywood can easily process on the screen, but not yet with so much identity, gender. Never mind that "Moonlight" the movie took place in Liberty City, Miami, a continent away from and a generation later from the Los Angeles where I grew up. There is a narrative which seems to find its way into our stories again and again, regardless of time or space. An Oscar is a fitting tribute to films with conspicuous artistic merit. "Moonlight" is certainly deserving of the distinction it has received. It really does represent film making at its best. And its story is as old as the Baptist Church and its "Minister of Music," and is as hauntingly told as a James Baldwin essay. WI
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