The Washington Informer - April 6, 2017 by The Washington Informer

35th Annual Washington Informer

VOL. 52, NO. 25 • APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 35th Annual WI Spelling Bee! Center Section

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

35TH ANNUAL W.I.

District Youth Unemployment Solutions: A Work In Progress

M.L. King’s Death Commemorated Civil Rights Leader Killed 49 Years Ago

Labor Committee Told Summer Jobs Not Enough

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. His oldest son, Martin III, has suggested that people participate in some form of public service in their communities to honor his father. Here in the District, people remembered King in a variety of ways, recalling his many contributions to our country and the world as a civil rights leader, humanitarian and lover of humankind. The DC Black History Celebration Committee hon-

KING Page 32

SPELLING BEE SUPPLE MENT

5 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his inner circle moments before his death.

/Courtesy photo

Nationals Home Opener is Simply Fan-tastic marched to a 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins. Along with the cherry blossoms, the home opener signals that spring has arrived in Washington and fans couldn't wait to return to the ballpark. "I came from Springfield, Virginia, and I took off today to go the game because it's the home opener, the happiest day of the season," Daniel Giles said. "Being out in the Nats ballpark is always fun, seeing

he D.C. Council Committee on Labor and Workforce Development on Tuesday discussed ways to improve employment outcomes for young people during a public hearing. The committee took a critical look at overall D.C. government employment services and two pieces of proposed legislation aimed at youth employment through large-scale expansion of existing job training programs — the mayor-sponsored Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Expansion Act of 2017, and the Safe Way Home Act of 2017 sponsored by Ward 8 Council member and committee member Trayon White. It heard testimony from policy

NATS OPENING Page 33

SUMMER Page 34

Win Starts Season on Right Foot By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer The Washington Nationals kicked off their 2017 season Monday at Nationals Park in Southeast with cheers from over 40,000 fans as they

3 Nationals fans await the 11.00 am opening of the gates before the Nats vs Marlins game during the Nats 4-2 win at Nats Park in Southeast on Monday, Apr.3 42,744 fans attended the game/ Photo by John E. De Freitas

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer

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

Now Published by Dr. Charles Vincent

Her Legacy Continues.

In memory of Mickey Thompson Vincent, Founder and Publisher.

Dr. Charles & “Mickey” Vincent

The 9th Annual DC-CAPital Stars This year’s theme: The Music of Prince.

• $750,000 was raised through the event to support DC-CAP’s services and awarding college scholarships. • The event is DC College Access Program’s (DC-CAP) major annual fundraiser. The Boeing Company; His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; and Ted & Lynn Leonsis were the major sponsors of the event.

Ted Leonsis, DC Cap Board Chairman

The Finalists

The Celebrity judges were:

• Patti Austin, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter • Hinton Battle, Tony Award-winning dancer, singer, choreographer, producer, writer • Lana “MC Lyte” Moorer, Lyricist, DJ, Hip Hop pioneer, inspirational speaker • Donnie Simpson, Radio One disc jockey, TV personality, R&B Music Hall of Fame inductee • 1st prize winner, pianist Andrew Price, 17, a senior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. • 2nd prize winner vocal-rap artist Myah Parker, 17, a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School. • 3rd prize went to steel pan player Niara Lara, 17, a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic.

Judges Patti Austin, Hinton Battle, Lana Moorer, and Donnie Simpson.

Joy and Anton Smith

Contestant Rio Castaneda Guthreau

Contestant Niara Lara

Contestant Jeneesah Tate

Oscar Lara and Jessica Perez

Contestant Chyna McCleary

Donnie Simpson

Contestant Zhane Taylor-Watson

Contestant Myah Parker

The Master of Ceremonies was Leon Harris: For further info go to: www.dccap.org

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

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

2 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Oscar Lara and Jessica Perez

Contestant Andrew Price

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

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

BLACK FACTS / PAGE 6

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

International..................................17 Health ..............................................18 Education................................20-21 SPELLING BEE.......... CENTER OpEd........................................23-25 Lifestyle....................................26-31

SPORTS / PAGE 33

Sports..............................................33

Religion...........................................35

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 3

around the region

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

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

COMPILED BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR / WI EDITOR AND WILLIAM J. FORD / WI STAFF WRITER

law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said. Black Women Coalition, Family Join ForcesMarlow had come together Crisis to bring Center a Among the programs

By Tia Carol Jones

www.washingtoninformer.com

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

sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are National of 100 Black Women’s Prince When L.Y. Coalition Marlow's 23-yeardomestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, George’s County chapter the Family Crisis old daughter told her the and father survivors areCenter treated.of more rights for victim's families Prince George’s County will start collaborating to re- personal to intervene on behalf of a vicof her daughter threatened her “She's usingboost her own sources women and girls. became life, and among the lifeBlack of their child, story,It her ownofficials personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assessduring ceremony Sunday, 2 at the Kentland she knewa signing something had to be April push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further Community in Landover. One coalition done. Out ofCenter her frustration said facet aboutthe Marlow. training for law enforcement with enforcement's handling concerns willlaw bring stems from addressing that affect Black Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecofwomen the situation, she decided to in Annapolis. who reads The Marlow's to Maryland lawmakers center, book will tion Act and mandatory counselstart theremains Saving the Promise cam- in the “getcounty it.” Shethat saidoffers she “puts the ing for batterers. which only place paign. case in such a way, “If we are ever going to eraditemporary housing for victims of domestic violence, willthe average “It seems to be a vicious cyclesupport person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must provide educational and other services for women that won't turn myexecutive family director end of of the thecenter, day, the in need. Sophie Ford, said book will look at both sides of the coin. loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vican upcoming town hall session on domestic violence will shared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow take at place summer.Heights For more information about the ence thethisDistrict Also present at the event was said. coalition, Violence go to https://www.ncbwpgc.org/, the crisis the exDomestic Symposium Mildred and Muhammad, Marlow would also like to see http://familycrisiscenter-pgco.org/. oncenter May at 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 educata second year,domestic Maryland lawmakers apCenter of the city of District the Beltway SniperForattacks in straight ed about violence. proved a fiscalisyear budget with relative ease andpasbefore Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad “We have to stop being the the session adjournssive-aggressive Monday, April with 10. The $43.5 billion Up of Black Women. the founder of After Trauma, poor chilMarlow has written a book, an organization fiscal budgetdomestic will continue to support that year helps2018 theoperating dren about violence,” “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic violence said. Gov. Larry Hogan’sMarlow BOOST (Broadening Options and story about four generations of and their children. Marlow has program worked by to more breakthan Opportunities for Students Today) domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for years.toSixassistthe cycleschools. of abuseFor in Prince her family, $2 six million private George’s inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a County, long time. is and is confident the 2019 policies she the $2 It million will be deferred until toward and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that regional medical center project in Largo. An earlier version her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. proposed not to allocate $15 million for next year. Officials She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to still plan to hold a groundbreaking this year with excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and ceremony implore them to thevictim hospitalmust scheduled to open in 2020. The spending can not believe the words came domestic violence change our laws,” Marlow said.plan leaves about $1 billion in reserves thatuntil includes from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into “I will not stop these$860 poli-million in the state’s Rainy Day Fund. The budget goes into won the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” effect 1. Books” Award. that she may be in July “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI ElaineThe Davis-Nickens, presi- several events on TuesU.S. Mint hosted dent the 4National day, of April to mark Hook-Up and commemorate the release of ofthe Black Women, said there is no Historic Site [NHS] Frederick Douglass National consistency in the way domestic quarter including a coin exchange that immediateviolence issues are dealt with by ly followed the quarter launch event. The Frederick Douglass NHS quarter becomes the 37th coin to be released in the United States Mint America Beautiful Quarters Program. The ceremony took place at the Coin Forum, U.S. Mint in Northwest. For more about the Douglass historic site, call 202-426-5691 or visit www.nps.gov/frdo and for more about the coin, visit www.usmint.gov

Maryland General Assembly Approves Budget

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

“

U.S. Mint Releases Frederick Douglass Quarter

We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and District Prepares for Emancipation Day with All-Star Lineup implore them toTelevision, change The DC Office of Cable Film, our Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME) announces a great line up of talent for the Emancipation Day Concert laws. I will not stopon Saturday, untilApril 8. The performances are scheduled from 3 to 8 p.m. at Freedom these Plaza, 1455 Pennsylvania are Avenue,passed. NW. Among the policies performers are District native, Johnny Gill; hip hop artist,

PHOTOGRAPHERS CIRCULATION Paul Trantham

John E. DeFreitas, Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Demetrious McKinney, Mark Mahonny, Lateef Mangum, Travis Riddick

4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com

5 Johnny Gill 4 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

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

MC Lyte. Frenchie Davis, Howard Hewett, Cam Anthony; L.Y. Marlow spoken word artists, Anna Mwalagho and Etan Thomas & Family; and other local DC talents including: go-go artists The Backyard Band and Rare Essence with special guest DJ Kool; Grammy-nominated recording artist, Carolyn Malachi and cellist Benjamin Gates. Hosting this star-studded event is actor, Lamman Rucker with radio personality Joe Clair, along with DJ Rico on the turntables throughout the event. WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

AROUND THE REGION

State of the District: Mayor Outlines Plan to Address Black Issues By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser took time to boast about the city's robust economy in her State of the District Address Thursday evening, but also noted that the District's growing prosperity has not been inclusive, especially for its black residents. Hundreds of people gathered in a University of the District of Columbia auditorium to listen to the mayor's near 60-minute speech speech, as she noted her accomplishments including unprecedented investments in public education, strides in public safety, reserve funds and audits that reveal no material weaknesses in any of the government's critical systems. But she also revealed areas of weakness, including lack of inclusive prosperity in the city. "We all know the theory, it goes like this — a rising tide lifts all boats," Bowser said. "It may be true, but what we have seen is that some boats rise quickly and some hardly rise at all, and that's the story of D.C.'s prosperity." A recent D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute report found that post-recession incomes had grown in the city except for households in Wards 7 and 8, where they remained the same and significantly less than the rest of the city. Though the unemployment rate generally declined in the District, for Wards 7 and 8, where over 90 percent of residents are black, unemployment rates have exceeded pre-recession rates. "While the unemployment rate has declined in the District, it is still disproportionately high among people of color and those without a high school diploma," Bowser said. The unemployment rates in the District are highest among African-Americans residents (13.2 percent), high school graduates without a bachelor's degree (15.6 percent) and residents of Wards 7 and 8 (as high as 13.3 percent). About 60,000 residents still lack a high school credential, and a Georgetown study projects that in four years 76 percent of all jobs in D.C. will require some post-

secondary education, whether academic or technical. "The good news is that unemployment in Ward 8 is down from 16.8 percent when I took office," Bowser said. "The bad news is 12.5 percent is still too high." Bowser said the city's five-year Economic Strategy report, which was released in early March, will embrace growth and inclusiveness. It has two goals: to grow D.C.'s private sector by 20 percent to $100 billion by the end of 2021, and to foster economic prosperity by creating more jobs and lowering unemployment rates below 10 in all segments by the same deadline. "We can and must do better," Bowser said. "Talk is cheap. So, unless we actively find ways to address the unique challenges our underserved communities face, we'll never realize our true potential." Bowser said directed programs will be extended to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients and expand training programs like the Fire and EMS cadet academies, Learn, Earn, Advance, Prosper, which uses a network of partners to connect unemployed residents with employment. The D.C. Infrastructure Academy will also launch soon to train D.C. residents. "We will make the academy a significant spoke in our portfolio of initiatives to reduce African-American unemployment in Washington, D.C.," Bowser said. She also revealed plans to replace D.C. Jail with a facility that will provide focused re-entry services. Bowser also revealed a $2 million investment to improve bus service and $10 million to an affordable housing preservation fund as well as additional regulations for the District Opportunity to Purchase Act which allows to purchase building to preserve affordable housing. "The state of the District is strong, without question," Bowser said. "I promised to knock down barriers too opportunity, to protect the things that unify us, to re-affirm the values that make Washington, D.C., the greatest city in the world and soon to be the 51st state." WI

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5 Mayor Muriel Bowser delivers the State of the District Address at the University of the District of Columbia in Northwest. /Photo by Lateef Mangum WE’RE EMPOWERED TO ACHIEVE THE iMPOSSIBLE

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 5

AROUND THE REGION

WEEK OF APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 APRIL 6

1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712, an uprising in which 23 enslaved Africans killed nine whites and injured another six, begins. 1909 – Black explorer Matthew Henson is among a party of six recognized as the first to reach the North Pole.

steps of the Lincoln Memorial after she is refused permission to sing before an integrated the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitutional Hall. 2011 – Black engineer Jerry Lawson, inventor of the video game cartridge, dies of complications from diabetes in Mountain View, Calif., at 70.

APRIL 10

1975 – Golfer Lee Elder becomes the first African-American to play in the Masters.

APRIL 11

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1872 – William Monroe Trotter, civil rights leader and editor of The Boston Guardian, is born near Chillicothe, Ohio. He died on his birthday in 1934 after a fall from the roof of his Boston home. 1915 – Legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is born in Philadelphia. 1940 – The Post Office Department issues a stamp honoring Booker T. Washington, the nation's first stamp to commemorate an African-American. 1949 – Actress Juanita Hall begins a run on Broadway as Bloody Mary in the musical "South Pacific," a role in which she became the first African-American to win a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress.

APRIL 8

1881 – Spelman College, one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities, is founded in Atlanta. 1899 – Percy Julian, a pioneering African-American research chemist, is born in Montgomery, Alabama. 1908 – Jane Boldin, the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States, is born in Poughkeepsie, New York. 1966 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first black umpire in Major League Baseball. 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act, which outlawed discrimination in the sale, rental or leasing of housing.

APRIL 12

1975 – Famed singer and entertainer Josephine Baker dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Paris at 68. 1981 – Heavyweight boxing great Joe Louis dies of cardiac arrest in a Las Vegas-area hospital at 66. 1983 – Harold Washington becomes the first African-American mayor of Chicago. WI

1946 – Bob Johnson, an entrepreneur and media magnate who founded Black Entertainment Television, is born in Hickory, Mississippi. 1974 – Baseball great Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's then-record of 714. The9Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell APRIL

Education Lawyer 1898Special – Paul Robeson, singer, actor and civil rights•Does activist, is born in Princeton, your child have a learning orNew other disability? Jersey. •Is your child failing in school, especially in reading? 1933 – Publisher and educator Nathan • repeatedly suspended or sent your child home early? Hare,Has the the firstschool person hired to coordinate •Does it feelprogram like youratchild’s IEP is not working? a black studies the university level in the United States, is born in Slick, Oklahoma. Is your child’s school ignoring your questions or concerns? 1939 – Singer Marian Anderson perContact The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell for a free consultation. We serve HANKin AARON formschildren Easter inSunday for 75,000 on theand public charter schools. We specialize traditional public schools 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

With the 2017 season upon us, what are your predictions for the Nationals?

AROUND THE REGION

3 simple words... changed my life forever. NATALIE WILLIAMS - Breast Cancer Survivor

HARRY WILLIAMS, /

HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND

I'm very excited for the season. Going to the hope opener has been a tradition in my family for the last six years where we all meet up and enjoy the game. I definitely think they will go all the way and win it all. Anything less than that, I'm not accepting and it will be a disappointment.

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DANIEL GILES /

SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA

The start of baseball season is always exciting and I look forward to it every year. Being out in the Nats' ballpark is always fun, seeing the players, the food, good times and a good vibe. I think they should definitely win at least 90 games and go to the playoffs.

DAQUAN JONES /

WASHINGTON, D.C.

If the Nationals stay healthy, amongst other things, we can have a season just as good as last year's and shake up the league.

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I'm hoping for a good season. I thought last year they would go further and make the playoffs and everything, but I'm expecting big things from them â€” the playoffs and hopefully more, if they stay healthy.

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 7

AROUND THE REGION Local Entrepreneur Summons Strength of Ancestors By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

Mark B.D. Sesay knows his path to stardom isn’t paved with gold. That’s why the Howard University alum and Prince George’s County resident has his hands in many ventures, including entertainment, marketing and even real estate. “The most difficult thing I find about breaking into the entertainment industry is the combination of perseverance and consistency required to make it, compounded with the amount of resistance and lack of support at times,” said Sesay, 27, whose family hails from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Sesay, a Laurel High School graduate born and raised in Prince George’s County, regularly ventures into the District for business, nightlife and networking opportunities – much like he did recently attending Black Press Week where he spoke with publishers, editors and reporters from the nation’s African-American press. “You wonder if all the hard work will pay off one day,” he said. “Unlike other industries there’s no set way to make it. For example, to be a doctor or lawyer, you have to go to school. Entertain-

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ment, you have to find out what works for you while still having to hunt to survive.” But, that’s where individuals find out what they’re really made of, Sesay notes. “I’m in the mogul and entrepreneurship realm for the long haul and for the right reasons. For the culture, for my culture, for our culture,” he said. “Just using my gifts, vision, and creativity to build and protect our culture.” The president of the Hip Hop Union DMV Chapter, Sesay has kept busy organizing and promoting nightlife events, conferences and even mansion parties. He’s secured concert dates for a number of artists and he has worked in artist management. The scope of Sesay’s involvement in the entertainment industry has proved to be far and wide. He served as brand ambassador for Moet Hennessy USA and has been featured in several television and movie projects, doing background and support roles in spots for the Super Bowl Bud Light commercial, Bourne 5 and even Bollywood movies. “The key is to stay humble, strategic, work hard, and hold yourself to the highest standard,” said Sesay, who lists his inspirations as Malcolm X because of his pro-African views and his “un-

5 Mark B.D. Sesay /Courtesy Photos apologetic nature;” and Diddy because of his “hustler” ability. “I’d like to keep it humble and just be cool with being me and thank those that have paved the way and the impact they’ve had on my life,” he said. Currently there are several television projects that he’s working on as well as conferences and concerts. However, patience remains the key. “I’ve learned perseverance through my fraternity, Omega Psi Phi,” Sesay said. “I use acting and music to educate because art imitates life and it will stand the test of time. “I’m very spiritual,” he said, quoting the movie, “Amistad,” when noting: “I will call my ancestors, I will call into the past, far back to the beginning of time and invoke them to come and help me at the judgment. I will reach back and draw them into me, and they must come, for at this moment I am the whole reason they have existed at all.” It’s that quote and the stories of his great-grandfather, Bai Bureh, that sums up the driving force that inspires Sesay, he said. “It’s the blood in my veins,” Sesay said. “I truly can’t wait to see what the future holds.” WI

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By D. Kevin McNeir / WI Editor

The World According to Dominic

“Blacks Must Remember April 4th – Even if ‘Mainstream’ America Forgets”

80th Anniversary Black Tie Gala.

KAYA SURVIVED! She was born 4 months early and spent more than 5 months in the hospital.

Sign up at marchforbabies.org Prince George’s March for Babies Saturday, April 29, 2017 Watkins Regional Park, Upper Marlboro, MD 8:00 a.m. Registration; 9:00 a.m. Walk Starts marchforbabies.org/event/princegeorges © 2016 March of Dimes Foundation

I have to admit that I am a more urgent, more life-shattering, bona fide “news junkie.” Yes, more “newsworthy” than saving a I keep the “boombox” in my column or two to recall that day kitchen tuned to the local public in Memphis when the collective radio station and it never gets a Black community shuddered in rest – remaining on “24-7.” All disbelief – an emotion that for three televisions in my home, some would quickly evolve into including my mother’s favorite, sorrow, bitterness and rage. the HD big screen, that is, when We will never know how the I’m able to wrestle the remote world and this country may have control from her tight grasp, been different had Dr. Martin typically blast news and views as Luther King, Jr. not been murreported by CNN, MSNBC and dered. But we do know how our either the District’s ABC affiliate “drum major for peace,” in the or TVONE (shout out to my man short span of 39 years, showed Roland Martin and his morning Americans of all races – even report from the Black perspec- those from other places on the tive). globe, that other options could Even before shaving and and should exist within the famishowering, I first savor a Star- ly called the human race. bucks-brewed cup of coffee and Others have followed his lead read the New York Times, the and taken up his dream, adjustWashington Post and USA Today ing it, revising it, modernizing it – often taking notes or ripping for the day at hand. Some have out pages along the way for later taken up their cross as Dr. King projects or potential ideas. did, adding another brick or But on Tuesday, April 4, I was two in the continuing process of shocked to see that none of the building the Beloved Communithree mainstream print editions ty. mentioned above had anything As a Black man in America, I about what happened on that day feel compelled to question and in 1968 – no editorials, no black The criticize journalistsMosque who ignored Masjid Muhammad: Nation’s and white photographs with an the significance of April 4, 1968 extended cutline, no news sto- in our country’s and the world’s ries with a contemporary flavor histories. Then I quickly move – nothing. I wondered why their on – retelling the story like the Join Us! editors had allowed such a bla- griots of old. It doesn’t matter if Saturday, 22 April 2017 @ 7:00 p.m. tant omission to occur. I wanted those from the “mainstream” said Hilton Crystalnothing. City, Va. As for Black America, to believe that the decision had been made in order to accommo- we cannot, we shall not, we must date for reports that were notvisit ever forget. WI Callspace 202-483-8832 www.thenationsmosque.org

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THE BLOSSOM KITE FESTIVAL Sherman Grier and his son Matthew, 13, of Northeast, drove over an hour to take part in the Blossom Kite Festival an event on the National Mall, Sat., April 1. The day long activities included kite making, kite flying demonstrations, and competitions. The Kite Festival is one of the signature events for the National Cherry Blossom Festival and will close out with the National Cherry Blossom Festival parade on Sat., April 8. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

Who’s Reading the Informer? Hazel Trice Edney, of Trice Edney Communications reads the latest news from the Washington Informer. /Photo by Roy Lewis

WORDS TO LIVE BY “Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother’s son, we who believe in freedom cannot rest.”

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– Ella Josephine Baker Speech, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Convention [1964]

10 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Medical Marijuana Bill Passes in Md. House

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

Medical marijuana in Maryland took a step closer to becoming a reality Tuesday, April 4 after the House of Delegates approved a measure that would allow five more licenses for a business to grow the plant. Del. Cheryl Glenn of Baltimore, who sponsored the legislation, was a bit emotional after it passed 90-45 regarding changes within the Natalie M. LaPrade Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, named after Glenn's late mother. "To see my mom's name on the board and remembering all of her pain and suffering that might have

been alleviated if she been able to have medical marijuana," she said. "I'm very hopeful we will not have any unnecessary delays." The legislation, which must also be approved by the Senate, currently sits in the Finance Committee alongside a bill from Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr. (D-District 27) of Clinton. His legislation decreases the Natalie M. LaPrade Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission from 16 to 14 members, 11 of which would be appointed by the governor. Glenn's bill for the commission, named after her late mother, was amended to have a nine-member group, with six

5 Del. Cheryl Glenn of Baltimore City reads amendments to legislation she sponsored on medical marijuana during an April 3 session in the Maryland General Assembly. /Photo by Demetrious Kinney

appointed by the governor. Miller, who represents a portion of Prince George's, Charles and Calvert counties, recommends members of the Senate and House "may not be an owner or employee of any business entity that holds a medical cannabis" grower, dispensary or processor license. Miller also proposes two companies — Green Thumb Industries of Chicago and Maryland Cultivation and Processing — receive a license. Both companies sued the com-

Breaking It Down: Is Weed Actually Legal?

The Trump Administration's Stance on Marijuana Enforcement By Jade James-Gist WI Contributor It may surprise many to know that in states where recreational marijuana is taxed and regulated, such as Oregon, Colorado and California, marijuana isn't actually "legal" — at least not federally. Federal law enforcement can technically break up the party at any time. Since the 1970s, marijuana has been classified as a "Schedule I" drug, a designation indicating Congress's official view that marijuana is dangerous with no medicinal value. In most cases, possession, sale and cultivation can result in felony offenses with mandatory minimum sentences if caught by federal authorities. This 50-year-old policy is consistent with that of Jeff Sessions, the current attorney general, or "top cop" of the United States, who once asserted that second offenses for marijuana trafficking could be punishable by the death penalty. He has

12 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

since had a change of heart. Sessions' appointment signifies a long-looming danger for unsuspecting pot users in the eight marijuana-decriminalized states, including D.C. He is expected to depart from the Obama-era tradition of deprioritizing the enforcement of federal marijuana laws. In 2014, under President Obama, the former Deputy Attorney General James Cole issued guidelines advising the Justice Department to, in short, leave enforcing and prosecuting marijuana offenses to the states. Sessions has harshly denounced these directives, and those guidelines can be withdrawn at any time. If he chooses to, Sessions could direct the Justice Department to pursue anyone participating in the marijuana industry in so-called legal states. Although he is limited by number of personnel, Sessions could order raids of state-legal marijuana farms and dispensaries since they are considered to be criminal enterprises under federal law.

So given that the "Cole guidelines" are temporary, recreational weed use anywhere in the country remains unprotected. Furthermore, considering proximity to D.C., federal land percentage, and Congress' continued interference in District affairs, D.C. residents could face the brunt of this administration's policy sooner and more sharply than others. As D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton put it, "D.C. is at greater risk." 18 square miles of the city, or roughly one-third, is federal land, and federal law enforcement is more present here than in any other area. Additionally, with Congress' unique capability to interfere in D.C. law and budget affairs, D.C. faces a unique risk to be made an example out of, as it has in the past, and suffer a Capitol crackdown on weed. However, one budget amendment protects medical marijuana users from prosecution. In 2014, Congress approved the bipartisan Rohrabacher-Farr budget amend-

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mission because they achieved a higher score in the top 15 applicants awarded last year. However, they were bumped for two lower-scoring candidates to ensure certain geographic areas got represented. Glenn's bill includes a disparity study so minority- and women-owned businesses participate in the process. It would also allow Both bills do stress medical cannabis would help people who suffer from health disparities ment, which prohibits Justice Department funds from being used to prevent states from implementing medical cannabis laws. This was upheld in the U.S. vs. McIntosh decision, where the judge held that prosecutions against marijuana users in compliance with state medical cannabis laws cannot proceed unless a violation of state law is proven. In other words, the federal government cannot prosecute unless the user broke state or district medical cannabis law. This amendment, however, must be renewed each fiscal year in order to remain in effect. The most recent extension of this medical cannabis protection expires April 28. If Congress allows it to expire, federal officials could arrest medical patients who buy prescription marijuana to ease their suffering. Authorities could also issue directives to prosecutors to pursue harsher sentences, and Sessions could sue states that have voted to legalize. De-scheduling marijuana — that is, regulating marijuana like alcohol or tobacco — is arguably the

MARIJUANA Page 40

such as severe nausea, seizures, or persistent muscle spasms. Miller said the plan will be to work off Glenn's bill by the session's last day Monday, April 10. "Our two staffs are working closely together," he said. "I'm fairly certain we will work off Delegate Glenn's bill and come to a consensus. We will get it done." During a debate in the House on Monday, April 3, some delegates such as Brett Wilson, a Republican from Hagerstown in Washington County, challenged the bill's provision for felons with drug-related convictions to participate in the medical marijuana business. "They could be handling the drugs that treat your children," he said. Glenn called the comments "insensitive." "Now that we have a legal industry and to see those people who have been disproportionately impacted and not participate is wrong," she said. "If you were a teenager and got caught with a nickel bag of marijuana, then you are [now] 35 years old and trying to be an entrepreneur, you should have that opportunity to do so." Del. Robert Grammer Jr. of Baltimore County presented an amendment to not allow those on the Maryland Medical Assistance program, or Medicaid, to receive access to the cannabis. It was immediately rejected. "I don't think they really understand this," said Del. Diana Fennel (D-District 47A) of Colmar Manor), who supports medical marijuana in the state. "I'm going to continue and stand by Cheryl Glenn because this is very important. It can help people from suffering." WI

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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Prince George's Closer to Rule Changes Among Boards By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

Prince George's County could have some important rule changes on how two bodies govern, if state lawmakers approve the changes by April 10. The House of Delegates already passed two pieces of legislation that would allow the county executive to choose commissioners on the liquor control board and school board members to select a vice chair and veto powers over the superintendent of public schools. The Senate's Education, Health and Environmental Affair Committee held two hearings this week on both bills. If approved and signed by the governor, each would go into effect by July 1. "As long as [state lawmakers] have some say and local control is given in the county, I have no problem with that," said state Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-District 24) of Landover. Both pieces of legislation got introduced after the county dealt with various controversies. The school system legislation labeled House Bill 1565 comes after former teacher's aide and school volunteer Deonte Carraway was charged last year for producing child pornography inside an elementary school, a municipal center and other locations. Carraway, 23, pleaded guilty in January and is scheduled to be sentenced in June. A federal agency in August decided not to provide more than $6 million to the county's previous

Head Start program after reports of child neglect and abuse. It created a division amongst the school board, with five of the 14 members requesting the resignation of the board chair and vice chair. The bill introduced earlier in this year's session sought to seek to decrease to decrease the school board from 14 to 10 with nine elected members and one high school member. The current rule instituted in 2013 allows the county executive to appoint the chair, vice chair and one other school board member and the school system's superintendent, called the chief executive officer in Prince George's. The current legislation would allow the school board to select the vice chair, a three-fifths vote of the board to veto any proposal by the CEO and submit a report to state officials by Oct. 1. "We wanted to make sure that after a few years of this initiative being in place [that] there could be some compromises in ensuring that the school board members had an opportunity to elect their vice chair," said Del. Alonzo Washington (D-District 22) of Hyattsville, who voted in favor of the bill. "We thought it would be the right direction to go in right now." Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III proposed the liquor control board legislation after two former delegates got charged this year in bribery scandals to help get bills passed in exchange for money. Two county businessmen, a former liquor inspector and a former board member also were

charged in the scandal. According to the document labeled House Bill 1317, the county executive, not the governor, would appoint all five commissioners, with final approval by County Council. The county executive would also appoint a director to oversee the office managed by state rules

and regulations. In addition, two full-time inspectors and up to 24 part-time inspectors would become county employees and employed by the director. The state's Office of Legislative Audits would conduct an audit of the county's liquor office starting July 1 and at least once every three years "to evaluate the effectiveness

and efficiency of the management practices of the board," according to the legislation. Del. Angela Angel (D-District 25) of Upper Marlboro compromises amongst the county House delegation ensured the bill's passage last month. "We'll wait and see what the Senate does," she said. WI

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5 Maryland House of Delegates hold a session in Annapolis on March 31. /Photo by William J. Ford

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 13

BUSINESS Pepco Helps Local Students Attend National Robotics Comp By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer Thanks to a generous donation from Pepco, the award-winning robotics team at Payne Elementary in Southeast will now have the funds to compete in a national science competition in Louisville. Pepco presented the team with a $5,000 check on Thursday, March 30, to take care of their travel and lodging expenses and a new robotics kit for the competition. "Not only do the very talented students work well together creating the robot but they also can explain why robotics is not just fun, but it can change people's lives such as robotics in the advancement to help the disabled," said

Marc Battle, manager of external affairs for Pepco. Last fall, the Payne Elementary School Robotics Club won the Excellence Award for the 2017 VEX Worlds - VEX IQ Challenge Elementary School Division. This qualified the students to move to the next round of competition on April 23 in Louisville to compete against elementary schools from around the country. "Our contribution today is in recognition of their achievements and to help this gifted group of students travel to Louisville for the national competition," Battle said. "We at Pepco are so proud of these rising STEM stars. Being a good

5 Pepco presents the Payne Elementary School Robotics Club with a $5,000 check on March 30 to pay for their expenses at the 2017 VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville. /Photo by Roy Lewis

community partner and supporting positive initiatives is apart of our corporate values and our identity." Members of the group said they have fun building robots, but get the most joy out of helping their friends. "Our friend De'Anthony, he has a disabled leg," fifth-grader Jalen Pope said. "He has trouble picking up his pencil and in PE he has trouble, so the robot helps him. The robot can help other children like him untie their shoes. It helps them with a lot of things." Fellow fifth-grader Khaliq Keita concurred. "When we helped De'Anthony with our robot, a lot of his classmates

Student Entrepreneurs Showcase Businesses By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer

Young budding entrepreneurs conceptualized, produced and launched original products to sell in the marketplace thanks to one organization. BUILD Metro DC hosted their first Spring Sales Bazaar for local students to test their startups Thursday,

March 30 at Pepco Edison Place Gallery in Northwest. "For tonight, our goal is for our students to have a really positive experience and to show that they are real entrepreneurs," said Andrew Moolchney, curriculum manager of BUILD. "This is not just a school project these are real businesses that are fully certified

5 Keidez Thompson (right) and Gabriel Davis (middle), both 10th grade students at Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School in Northeast, deliver a sales pitch of their Bliss Bag Straps to Fred Griffin, a senior sales executive at Prime Pay during a Spring sales bazaar hosted by BUILD Metro DC at the Pepco Gallery in Northwest. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

14 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

and ensured here in the District. "They are entrepreneurs that are making products in the District of Columbia and we want them to feel proud of what they created and what they launched, but also we want them to have the genuine experience of selling a product to a customer and getting genuine feedback whether positive or negative," Moolchney said. Jabari Williams, a 10th-grader at Eastern High School in Northeast, pitched his "Emoji Bottle," a ceramic water bottle with interchangeable emojis that show the mood of its owner. "The reason we came up with a water bottle is that a lot of people like and need water bottles," Jabari said. "It's also a different way for people to express their feelings." "Say if you're a teacher and you have a lot of kids in your class, and they're disrupting, you can switch it around to show your emotions," he said. BUILD coordinated directly with the schools and the students to make sure they were ready for their big reveal.

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wanted to participate and that made De'Anthonty happy that people cared about him and wanted to help him with his prosthetic leg," Khaliq said. Science teacher and Robotics Club adviser Shanita Henson said the the STEM bug hit Payne Elementary when a parent showed interest in a robotics club and then secured a grant for it. "We were able to purchase a kit and from there we started building our robot," Henson said. "It's definitely a delight to exposure our children to different things such as building machines and robots that can help them in the classroom."

Henson will travel with the group of nine students to the national competition, where they will compete with kids from all over the world over the course of three days. In her first year at Payne Elementary, Principal Stephanie Byrd said her focus has been to develop the science and math programs. "We are a STEM-focused school, so that students leaving Payne are ready to go to middle school prepared to tackle any level of math or science," Byrd said. "We also want to develop caring students, who care about their environment and each other." WI

"In order to prepare for their big showcase we made sure they had products manufactured, display boards ready to go, practice their sales pitch and develop customer service skills," Moolchney said. BUILD, a D.C.-based nonprofit, engages students from under-resourced communities through their four-year entrepreneurship, business development and post-secondary readiness model. In partnership with DCPS and charter schools, they serve over 300 students at seven high schools in the city. The students are provided with individualized academic support and business coaching by professional mentors who work with the young entrepreneurs on a weekly basis. Since 2008, BUILD has hosted a similar showcase named the Holiday Bazaar, and because of its success, the organization decided to extend it to the spring. The student businesses range from hair care products, electronics, back protectors, incense, candles and accessories. "This is about a semester and a

half worth of work for our E2 students who have gone through their ninth-grade year with us," said Bryce Jacobs, regional executive director of BUILD Metro DC. "They took an entrepreneurship class and learned all about business and then they manufactured for the first time at the end of their ninth-grade year. This is the first time their selling their products in front of an audience." The sophomores get to keep their profits after they pay back their venture capital loan, Jacobs said. "A lot of them will most of the times reinvest their profits back into their business," she said. "They close out their businesses in the 11th grade and they split the profits among their team members." Jacobs said all of their entrepreneurial efforts will ultimately help them at the next level. "We want to make sure students are learning those skills that will take them through high school, graduate on time and go off to post secondary school," she said. "We want to ignite the potential they already have in themselves and we say that entrepreneurship is the hook and college is the goal." WI

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BUSINESS Business Exchange

BETWEEN MOVING IN AND BRANCHING OUT THERE’S SANDY SPRING BANK. by William Reed

How to Fix Flint What will it take to fix the water crisis in Flint, Michigan? As a federal judge approved a deal on fixing 18,000 Flint water lines, civil rights groups and politicians are celebrating that Flint's pipes are to be replaced, household water quality monitored under settlement agreement. The Flint case illustrates racial inequities in America and should prompt questions in blacks' minds. Flint will be responsible for replacing lead and galvanized-steel lines that bring water into homes. The cost could be as high as $97 million, with federal and state governments covering the bill. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $100 million grant to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Flint. The funding, provided by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016, or WIIN, enables Flint to accelerate and expand its work to replace lead service lines and make other critical infrastructure improvements. Back in the day, mayors like Barry, Maynard Jackson and Coleman Young would be demanding that at least 40 percent of the work and contracts involved with fixing Flint's water go to the state and city's blacks. High lead levels in Flint's water led President Obama to declare a state of emergency. "The people weren't put first, the health of the people was not put before profit and money," Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said. In Marion Barry's book, race played a factor in everything that

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 15

NATIONAL NFL Players Hit the Hill to Improve PoliceCommunity Relations By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer

On Oct. 18, 2015, then-San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin celebrated a just-completed victory over his former team, the Baltimore Ravens. Moments later, he was informed of the death of his cousin, Corey Jones. Jones was on his way home from a show with his church band in Florida when his car broke down on the side of the highway. While waiting for a tow truck, he was shot three times by a plainclothes police officer who emerged from an unmarked van. Boldin, currently a free agent, told the story alongside Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcom Jenkins during a congressional forum on building trust between minority communities and police on Thursday, March 30. "I wish I could tell you Corey's story was unique. I wish I could

tell you that, now, over a year later, we know exactly what happened and the issue was resolved," Boldin told Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Lacy Clay of Missouri, Brenda Lawrence and John Conyers of Michigan, Shelia Jackson Lee of Texas, Hank Johnson of Georgia and Cedric Richmond of Louisiana. "I wish I could tell you Corey didn't die in the first. As a matter of fact, I wish I wasn't here talking to you at all, but I am," Boldin said. The forum occurred during a three-day trip to Capitol Hill where Boldin and Jenkins met with more than a dozen members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. "We're here to use our leverage, our voices, to make sure that our families, our communities, our kids are a priority to the people here on Capitol Hill, to this administration, to the rest of our nation," said Jenkins, who got in-

5 Anquan Boldin, a football player for the Detroit Lions joined congressional members of the Committee on the Judiciary at a forum on Capitol Hill on March 30 discussing experiences to help build trust between communities and police. /Photo by Lateef Mangum

volved in the issue after seeing the widely-publicized incidents involving police and minorities last year. This was Jenkins and Boldin's second visit to Capitol Hill since November in their efforts to push legislators to make changes in the nation's criminal justice. They were joined by Detroit Lions cornerback Johnson Bademosi, former wide receiver Donte Stallworth and Joe Briggs, the NFL Players Association's public policy counsel. "Let me thank you all for stepping off the field and stepping back into the real life that you all lived before you made it to the NFL INSTALLERS PROFESSIONAL the BBB A+ Rating From ight! Stra rs 13 Yea

and before you played in college," Richmond told the players. "To get out of your comfort zone, but to actually give back and fight for issues that are critical — we don't see it enough. But you all do it, and most of our African-American male athletes do it, you just don't get the attention for it. You only get the attention for doing the wrong thing, but when you're doing the right thing you don't get as much attention, so let me thank you." Speaking out in such a manner isn't without risk. Many have speculated that former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned for the upcoming season because of his controversial decision to kneel during the national anthem, AssoAD_SAU_2015_Layout which he said was moti-1 SU_Press vated by what he believed to be the

oppression of people of color. "There are a lot of guys [in the NFL] who are concerned about the things that are going on in their communities," Boldin said. "[Jenkins and I] are trying to create a safe haven for guys to be active in their communities. Just being honest, guys are concerned about their livelihood." Jackson Lee commended the players taking such risks for their cause. "NFL, are you looking and listening, because the NFL stature has just shot through the roof, not because of your prowess on the field, but because you are here in the United States Congress," she said. "I hope they are seeing11:24 the AM value of 1what you are 8/20/15 Page saying." WI

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INTERNATIONAL Compiled by Lauren Poteat / WI Contributing Writer

Botswana Earthquake Felt in Zimbabwe, South Africa

5 A powerful earthquake in Botswana was felt from as

far away as Zimbabwe and South Africa. /Courtesy of africanews.com

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook the African country of Botswana and sent tremors through Zimbabwe and South Africa this week. Most parts of the countries were shake for at least one minute by the April 3 earthquake that struck the city of Moijabana, Botswana, at 7:40 p.m. Though no serious injuries or destruction have been reported, other cities such as Bulilima, Zimbabwe, and Johannesburg, South Africa, were affected, with people seen fleeing the Harare central business district in Zimbabwe. Mr. Mfanasibili, a villager from the Mangwe District in Zimbabwe, recounted the harrowing experience: "The tremor dropped cups and plates that we put on a wall display in our kitchen hut. The dog which sometimes sleeps in the kitchen sped out in terror."

European Parliament President Alarms Africa with Predictions

Antonio Tajani, the newly elected president of the European Parliament, recently made contentious statements warning Africa about Chinese invasion and proclaiming that Africa may run the risk of becoming a Chinese colony. During a recent interview with German newspaper Die West, Tajani said China is only interested in Africa's commodities. Predicting a wave of tens of millions of African migrants to Europe very soon, he proposes that Europe build "hospitality camps" to retain Africans on the continent, with hospitals and schools to be under control of the United Nations and European forces. Though China is a late arrival in terms of conducting business in Africa, it has already surpassed every international African partner by the volume of its exchanges with the continent. The roughly $220 billion 5 The new European Parliament president suggests a of China-Africa trade from 10 years ago now amounts New Scramble for Africa. /Courtesy of www.abv-alterto about $60 billion. nativa.bg

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Hospice to Celebrate African Rhythm at Annual Benefit

5A hospice health care company celebrates South

Africa during an annual benefit. /Courtesy of northernpublicradio.org

The KishHealth System Hospice, a home-care health organization that focuses on assisting individuals with terminally ill relatives, will hold its sixth annual benefit concert, "Transformation Through Rhythm," on April 12 with a special salute to its sister hospice organization in Knysna, South Africa. This year will mark the organization's first 'bead market" with jewelry made from African beads. All proceeds from the sales of the handmade jewelry will go to the South African Knysna Hospice. A percussion concert, which supports the music therapy program at KishHealth System Hospice as well as its sister hospice in South Africa, will feature selections from the Harambee African Percussion

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Sports Photos by John De Freitas

at:

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 17

HEALTH

Nancy Abu-Bonsrah Makes History at Johns Hopkins By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

History has been made at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's neurosurgical department. In the 30 years that the department has accepted residents, there's never been a black woman in the ranks â€” until now. Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, of Ghana, becomes the first of the pres-

tigious program that accepts just two to five residents and ranks second in the country, according to CNN. Among its most notable alumni is Dr. Ben Carson, now serving as the United States secretary of Housing and Urban Development. "I am very much interested in providing medical care in underserved settings, specifically surgi-

cal care," Abu-Bonsrah said in a statement. "I hope to be able to go back to Ghana over the course of my career to help in building sustainable surgical infrastructure." Abu-Bonsrah lived in Ghana until the age of 15, and also attended Johns Hopkins medical school. In the announcement last week of her historic residency, she took

to Twitter to proclaim, "What a way to begin the Sabbath! I still haven't processed it yet but this is such an honor and a privilege to join the department at Hopkins to begin this next phase of my career. I'm so fortunate to have the continued support of my husband, family, friends and mentors." In the statement, she said she wants to be remembered for serving her community. "Whether it is through providing quality surgical care or helping mentor the next generation of surgeons, it will be a dream come true," she said. The 26-year-old starts her training with four other residents in July. Her interest in neurosurgery stems from a trip to Ghana she took in her winter break in her junior year of college to shadow doctors and learn more about the country's health system, because she hoped to return there to work one day, she told the U.K. Independent newspaper. "It happened that the physician I shadowed there was a neurosurgeon. I was impressed by his skill, and I was also impressed by his boldness in general," she said. "Usually, when I think about brain surgery, I think the brain

is sacred and you don't touch it or do anything to it, but to see them do these remarkable surgeries, and have good outcomes was something that impressed me." She also noticed how "overwhelmed" the surgeons appeared to be, saying, "There were countless patients that they had to see and there are so few of them." "I thought it would be nice to combine my interest in this field with an opportunity to provide service back to my country and other countries that don't have as much surgical infrastructure," she said. Harvey Cushing founded the specialty of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in the early 20th century. Another famous historical brain scientist, Walter Dandy, also worked at the institution. Before she begins her residency, Abu-Bonsrah said she plans to relax, prepare for the course by reading, and travel to Ghana and to attend a conference in Los Angeles. "My family and my husband are all very grateful and thankful for this opportunity," she said. "People see our and my story and see how far my family has come, and it gives them inspiration that it's possible for them as well." WI

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18 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

5 Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, the first Black woman accepted to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's neurosurgical department. /Courtesy photo

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Asthma and Allergies: What You Need to Know Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia Blooming flowers and warmer weather tell us spring is here. But spring is also known for poorer air quality and high allergy levels. For many people in the District, this can cause irritation and difficulty breathing. But allergies aren’t just annoying. They can be dangerous, especially for people with asthma. May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Now is the perfect time to learn how asthma and allergies can affect your health.

ASTHMA

Asthma is a long-term lung disease that can make it hard to breathe. People suffering from asthma can experience wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and a tight feeling in the chest. Severe symptoms can make breathing even harder. This is called an asthma attack. If you have asthma, you are not alone. More than 25 million people in the United States have asthma. There is no cure, but there are ways to keep it under control. One way is to avoid asthma triggers like: • Tobacco smoke • Mold • Dust

• Pollen • Animal dander (skin cells) In your home, you can avoid asthma triggers by dusting and cleaning each week. This can help prevent asthma attacks. Keeping your home free of dust, dander, smoke, and mold will make it easier for you to breathe. Medicine may also help, and there are several different types of asthma medicine available. Pills and inhalers are both common treatments. Rescue inhalers may also be prescribed to help during asthma attacks. People with asthma should always take their medicine as prescribed. Talk with your primary care provider (PCP) about the right kind of medicine for you. People with both asthma and allergies need to take extra care with their triggers. An allergic reaction could lead to an asthma attack, and these can be made worse by certain allergies. Learning about your allergies can help you control your asthma and improve your health.

ALLERGIES

Allergies are when your body reacts negatively to something. These are caused by allergens, which can include things like food, plants, or pets. Common symptoms of allergies can include itching and sneezing. But sometimes allergies lead to more serious conditions, such as anaphylaxis

(an-uh-fuh-lak-sas). This is a fullbody reaction to an allergen, and it can be life-threatening. Allergies are very common. More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year. There are many different types of allergies, and each requires its own treatment. Environmental allergies are reactions to triggers from your everyday surroundings. These can lead to both allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Environmental allergens include pollen, dust, pet dander, and mold. These can be found both inside and outside of your home. Some allergies are outside of your control. The pollen count will always be high in the spring and summer. But you can limit your exposure to other allergens. Prevent mold from growing by airing out damp areas like your bathroom and basement. Leaky pipes are also a common cause of mold and should be fixed. If you rent and see mold in your home, tell your landlord right away. Food allergies are another common condition. Eating or touching certain foods can cause a reaction in allergy sufferers. Symptoms of food allergies can include rash, stomach pain, swelling of the throat, and vomiting. Extreme reactions can also lead to anaphylaxis. This can be fatal. Your PCP can help you to identify which foods you should avoid. The eight most common foods that trig-

ger allergies are: • Milk • Eggs • Fish • Shellfish (such as crab or shrimp) • Tree nuts (such as almonds or walnuts) • Peanuts • Wheat •Soybeans If you have ever had a rash, swelling, or other symptoms after eating the above foods, talk to your PCP.

STAYING SAFE

Avoiding allergens and other triggers can help you stay safe this allergy season. Be sure to take your medicines as prescribed and keep your

rescue inhaler on you at all times. With proper care, people with asthma and allergies can control their symptoms and live normal lives. And with the right help, you can breathe easy. If you are an AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia member and need help controlling your asthma, we can pair you with a Care Coach. Your Care Coach can help you make appointments, fill your medicines, and meet your health goals. If you would like to be paired with a Care Coach, call Member Services at 1-800-4087511. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Food and Drug Administration; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model.

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 19

EDUCATION Patrick Ewing Hired as Georgetown Coach By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The "Hoya Destroya" comes back home. D.C. basketball fans have

never forgotten the vast contributions Patrick Ewing made to Georgetown in the 1980s, ultimately bringing a national championship to the city. Now, the NBA Hall of Famer will return to

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coach his alma matter, according to numerous reports Monday. Since firing John Thompson III in March, Georgetown officials have eyed Ewing, 54, as the man to return the program to the glory it achieved under John Thompson Jr. "I cannot imagine that you're at Georgetown and you do not hire Patrick Ewing," said Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, who employed Ewing for six seasons as an assistant coach in Orlando with the Magic. "I think that they're incredibly fortunate that he would think about leaving the NBA to take that job. "First of all, college basketball, a large part of it is recruiting and I think Patrick's got two things there," Van Gundy said. "He absolutely loves Georgetown University. Always has, always will, and so he can sell the school. Second, all of these top-level players, the main thing they're thinking about is getting to the NBA. Well, you've got a Hall of Fame coach. I mean all of the best big kids have to consider Georgetown right at the top of the list." The Pistons coach ran off a short list of other Georgetown greats he said that Hoya players would have access to under Ewing: "Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo, Sleepy Floyd going back, all the greats." "Patrick's beloved by all those people," Van Gundy said. "And then you take the years he has spent in the NBA, really working hard at becoming a great coach and a great teacher. He's got the full package." Van Gundy and others, including his brother and former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, have repeatedly expressed disbelief that Ewing hasn't landed an NBA head coaching gig. "This is what I would say about Patrick," Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford told the New York Post. "Yao Ming's best

For more information, call (202) 727-2824, go to osse.dc.gov or visit 810 First Street, NE, 3rd floor, Washington, DC, Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.

20 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

5 Patrick Ewing and John Thompson Jr. during Georgetown's heyday /Courtesy of MSG Networks

years were working with Patrick. Dwight Howard, by far, his best years were working with Patrick. And Al Jefferson, who has had a great career, best years were working with Patrick. "I think that if I was a young player and I wanted somebody to work with me, it would be Patrick," Clifford said. "With that being said, he is a lot more than a big man's coach. He's a good coach. [Point guard] Kemba Walker goes to Patrick a lot." Ewing was indefatigable and relentless in pursuit of an NBA championship despite being denied on an annual basis. One of the finest-shooting centers to play, he retired as the Knicks' all-time leader in nearly every significant category and the game's 13th all-time leading scorer with 24,815 points. At Georgetown, Ewing's fierce

in-your-face style created a phenomenon known as "Hoya Paranoia," and as an intimidating defensive presence, earned him the "Hoya Destroya" moniker. The Jamaica-born Ewing arrived in the United States at age 11, and the gangly youth who had reached the height of 6-10 by junior high school initially proved awkward on the court when introduced to the game. However, by his senior year in high school, the world knew he would be something special. "He will be the next Bill Russell, only better offensively," high school coach Mike Jarvis said of Ewing while the budding giant played at Cambridge (Mass.) Rindge & Latin School. The heavily-recruited Ewing chose to attend Georgetown, where he blossomed under the mentor-like guidance of coach John Thompson, a 6-10 former NBA backup center to Bill Russell on the Boston Celtics in the mid-1960s. Ewing's pro career was presaged by four superb years at Georgetown. Besides his team accomplishments, he was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player as a junior and as a senior, and his long list of honors included The Sporting News College Player of the Year Award and the Naismith Award. "He has a heart of a champion," said Michael Jordan. "When you thought about New York, you thought of Patrick Ewing. He came and gave life back into the city." WI

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EDUCATION Bowser Answers Critics With Reign Initiative Young Women of Color in DCPS to Get Extra Support

By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer In light of recent controversy surrounding the missing Black and Latino girls in the District, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a initiative to support young women of color. Joined by the Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles and D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Antwan Wilson, Bowser announced the launch of "Reign: Empowering Young Women as Leaders," a multipronged initiative for girls in DCPS, on Monday, March 27 at Kelly Miller Middle School in Northeast. "As we continue making the investments necessary to give every student in DCPS a world-

class education and the resources and support they need to reach their full potential, Reign will ensure that our young women of color are not left behind," Bowser said. The initiative aims to build community, confidence and leadership skills in young women. The schools system expects to get more resources to address disparities in student satisfaction, graduation rates and PARCC scores. "We know that different students have different needs and that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions," she said. "Next school year is just the beginning for Reign and, in fitting with the goals of the initiative, we will continue to expand the program based on the feedback we receive from the young women

5 Mayor Muriel Bowser encourages women. /WI photo

DCPS

BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

RESIDENCY REGULATIONS APPROVED

The D.C. State Board of Education voted last month to approve new proposed residency regulations,

which are designed to clarify the residency policies and procedures that ensure District residents access to available seats at local schools, and when extra space is available, to ensure that non-resident students are permitted to enroll in a public school and pay non-resident tuition. Through this rule, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education seeks to further prevent residency fraud while reducing burden and lift barriers for both local education agencies and families in the residency verification process.

SBOE TEACHER OF THE YEAR

SBOE has honored Elizabeth Dewhurst as D.C.'s 2017 Teacher

in our schools." The initiative's three pillars are: * Creating spaces for young women of color to build community, confidence and leadership skills inside and outside of school, starting with a citywide conference for them on June 3, and continuing as a series of

workshops in the 2017-18 school year; * Ensuring that schools are empowering places for girls by providing support to teachers and staff with training on gender and racial equity and expanding the health and gender curriculum in DCPS; and * The launch of Reign Innova-

tion Grants to improve academic and social outcomes for young women of color by focusing on academic development, family engagement and social-emotional supports. "Through Reign, we will be able to help more of our young women of color grow into the leaders we know they can be," Wilson said. "This is a critical socio-emotional investment across health, wellness, and identity for our young women of color,

LEASE

REIGN Page 40

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 21

22 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

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35th Annual Washington Informer

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT

The Washington Informer History of the City-Wide Spelling Bee The Washington Informer began sponsoring the D.C. Wide Spelling Bee during the 1981-82 school years. The late Dr. Mary E. White, supervising director, D.C. Public Schools Division of Instructional Services, Department of English, sought participation for D.C. Public Schools students in the Scripps National Spelling Bee held annually in Washington, D.C. Many years prior, The Washington Daily News sponsored the local spelling bee. Subsequently, The Washington Star purchased the Daily News, and ceased sponsorship of the spelling bee. For more than 15 years, District of Columbia public, private and parochial school students could not participate in the national competition for lack of a sponsoring newspaper. Dr. White solicited support from the Washington Post, hopeful that the publisher would agree to become the District’s official sponsor. According to Dr. White, Post officials told her that since the daily newspaper was a regional publication; their sponsorship would have to include not only the District of Columbia, but suburban Maryland and Virginia, as well. However, at that time, the Journal newspaper chain had served as the suburban sponsor for several years, resulting in the Post’s refusal to sponsor the bee solely for students enrolled in District schools. Dr. White then appealed to Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, a friend and supporter of the D.C. Public Schools, president and founder of the United Black Fund, Inc. and publisher of The Washington Informer newspaper, to exercise his influence over the Post officials and persuade them to agree to sponsor the spelling bee. However, as publisher of a weekly newspaper, which served more than 25,000 readers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, Dr. Rolark volunteered his publication to serve as the sponsor. With that, he brought in his daughter, Denise Rolark, managing editor of The Washington Informer, to assist in coordinating the District’s first spelling bee along with Dr. White and other D.C. Public Schools officials. The first city-wide spelling bee was held at Backus Junior High School in March, 1982. The winner was a sixth grade student, John Krattenmaker, who attended Mann Elementary School. Unbeknownst to Dr. Rolark, John was not permitted to participate in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee held the following May because The Washington Informer was not a daily newspaper, a requirement of the Scripps National Spelling. Dr. Rolark, who was a member of the board of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a trade organization of nearly 200 African American-owned newspapers across the country, concluded that the national spelling bee was maintaining an inherently discriminatory policy that prohibited African American newspapers from participating in the National Spelling Bee since there are no

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African American-owned daily newspapers in the U.S. In urban school districts, where the majority of the student population is African American, students who might otherwise be eligible to participate in the spelling bee would be precluded from doing so if the white-owned daily newspaper elected not to sponsor the local bee. Dr. Rolark called in his legal counsel and wife, Wilhelmina J. Rolark, who threatened Scripps with an injunction that would forbid the national competition to take place in the District of Columbia until the court ruled on the merits of the case alleging discrimination. Scripps complied, and changed its rules to allow weekly newspaper sponsorship in the national competition. That year, the Loudon County Times, a weekly newspaper based in Loudon County, Virginia and the only other weekly newspaper to participate along with the Informer in the national spelling bee that year, produced the national spelling bee winner. Each year, more than 2,000 students enrolled in nearly 200 D.C. schools, including private, parochial, independent, charter and homeschools, participate in The Washington Informer City-Wide Spelling Bee. For the past 33 years, the City-Wide Spelling Bee has been held at the studios of NBC4, where it is taped and later aired for general viewership throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Purpose Scripps, a diversified multi-media company, established the National Spelling Bee to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English that will help them all their lives. Spellers experience the satisfaction of learning language not only for the sake of correct spelling but also for the sake of cultural and intellectual literacy. The Washington Informer’s participation in Scripps National Spelling Bee helps to further the goals of Scripps in the District of Columbia and to address the issue of illiteracy, particularly among African American youth. “If we want to improve the quality of life for all Americans,” said the late Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, publisher, “then we must begin by teaching our children to read, which they will not be able to achieve until they can learn to spell.” s

s NBC 4 Anchors for the spelling bee are Erica Gonzalez (fourth spelling bee) and Adam Tuss (first spelling bee) /Photo by Roy Lewis

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Meet Our Winners

s (From left) Washington Informer Publisher, Denise Rolark Barnes, 3rd place winner Robert Foster, Winner Margaret Isacson, and 2nd place winner Jude Martin, and Tracye Funn from Washington Gas during the awards ceremony after the bee. /Photo by Roy Lewis

THE MALPRACTICE LAW FIRM JACK H. OLENDER & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

Congratulates

s Attorney Jack H Olender holds an annual reception for the winners of The Washington Informer Spelling Bee, where he gives the winners cash prizes and certificates. Shown at the reception this year, are (from left) are Winner Margaret Isacson, Attorney Olender, 2nd place winner Jude Martin, and 3rd place winner Robert Foster. /Photo by Ron Burke

First Place Margaret Isacson Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, 7th Grade Second Place Jude Martin Brent Elementary School, 5th Grade Third Place Robert Foster National Presbyterian School, 5th Grade

And all of the 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee Participants s Long time Sponsor, SW Airlines provided round trip tickets to Spelling Coordinator, Joana Benjamin, runner up, Jude Martin, and winner Margaret Isacson. /Photo by Roy Lewis

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

888 17th St., N.W., 4th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006 www.olender.com (202) 879-7777 FAX (202) 393-224

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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The promise of tomorrow...

...begins today! WGL is a proud sponsor of the 2017 Washington Informer Spelling Bee. WGL understands that our responsibilities donâ€™t end with serving our customers. We are committed to enhance the quality of life throughout our entire community. To learn more, visit us at wgl.com.

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Prize Table

Every Speller received a trophy and the Judges, the Pronouncer and the NBC 4 producer received an award. All were provided by Champion Trophy. /Photo by Demetrious Kinney

JOIN US AT NATIONALS PARK Saturday, April 15, 2017 1:05 PM

The Washington Nationals are proud to host all of the spellers and recognize the top finalists from the 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee. The top spellers will be honored at home plate before the game. Please join us for a day of fun and fellowship at Nats Park. Congratulations to all of the Washington Informer Spelling Bee Participants.

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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THE AWARD WINNING AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER

2017 Spelling Bee Sponsors and Partners Champion Trophy Comcast / XFINITY DC Public Schools The Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education Inc. (FAME) Giant Food Jack H Olender and Associates McMillon Communications NBC4 Pepco Southwest Air Toyota Washington Nationals WGL Please feel free to contact The Washington Informer with any questions, concerns, suggestions for next year, or if you would like to personally thank any of our sponsors. Denise Rolark Barnes, Publisher Ron Burke, Advertising and Marketing Director The Washington Informer 3117 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE Washington DC 20032 202-888-6835 rburke@washingtoninformer.com

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We consider each and every finalist to be a winner, and our sponsors and partners have helped us to reward every one of them. We humbly ask that you support our sponsors, partners, and advertisers.

2017 Prize List First Place Winner: • First Place Trophy – courtesy by Champion Trophy • Four Tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines flies – courtesy of Southwest Air • Check for $1000 – courtesy of Jack H. Olender and Associates • 1 hour session with Doris McMillon on effective public speaking • Hotel stay for the National bee at The Gaylord – courtesy of The Washington Informer • Washington Nationals tickets • Invitation to be honored at Home Plate of a Nationals game and a meet and greet with a player and Screech. • Giant gift card • Washington Informer gift bag Second Place Winner: • Second Place Trophy – courtesy of Champion Trophy • Check for $500 – courtesy of Jack H. Olender and Associates • Invitation to be honored at Home Plate of a Nationals game and a meet and greet with a player and Screech. • Washington Nationals tickets • Giant gift card • Washington Informer gift bag Third Place Winner: • Third Place Trophy – courtesy of Champion Trophy • Check for $300 – courtesy of Jack H. Olender and Associates • Invitation to be honored at Home Plate of a Nationals game and a meet and greet with a player and Screech. • Washington Nationals tickets • Giant gift card • Washington Informer gift bag All other finalists: • Finalist Trophy – courtesy of Champion Trophy • Washington Nationals tickets • Giant gift card • Washington Informer gift bag with assorted items from sponsors

The Washington Informer 3117 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE Washington DC 20032 202-888-6835 rburke@washingtoninformer.com

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

pepco.com

ENERGIZED BY THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST. As a proud sponsor of the 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee, we salute this year’s contestants for a commitment to excellence that energizes us all. © Pepco, 2017

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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2017 Washington Informer Spelling Bee

s Spellers are lined up, waiting to go into the studio to tape the spelling bee.

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

1. Adryan Pinkerton and Vera Abbott were the consolers for the bee, who provided compassion for the spellers exiting the stage after misspelling a word. /Photo by Demetrious Kinney

2. In addition to trophies, each speller received a gift bag courtesy of The Washington Informer. /Photo by Demetrious Kinney 3. Washington Informer publisher addresses the spellers, parents and supporters prior to the bee. /Photo by Roy Lewis 4. Anina Holley returns to her seat after correctly spelling a word. /Photo by Demetrious Kinney

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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The 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee By Jade James-Gist WI Contributing Writer A tense but exhilarating back-and-forth determined the 2017 winner of the annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee. The District’s brightest and sharpest spellers took the stage Saturday, March 11, for the NBC4-hosted bee, as 29 students from public, private, parochial and home schools competed for the District spelling championship in front of family and friends. In the final rounds, three students stood alone: Margaret Isacson, a seventh-grader at Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, Robert Foster, a fifth-grader at National Presbyterian School, and Jude Martin, a fifth-grader at Brent Elementary. By this time, it was clear that the Scripps word list no longer challenged the students. So judges turned to the dictionary to help determine the winner. To her surprise, 12-year-old Margaret correctly spelled the winning word, “totipalmate,” making her the 35th District spelling bee champion and qualifying her for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which begins May 28. “I won a spelling bee in the third grade that asked for both English and Spanish words, which was pretty hard. So I realized then that I was pretty good at spelling,” Margaret recalled. Her dad, Adam Isacson, was her primary spelling coach, and her mom, Catherine Gelb, helped with French words. “All my friends were really supportive when I told them about my spelling,” she said. “They even quizzed me on my words.” During the competition, Margaret’s father swelled with pride as she effortlessly spelled Spanish words such as “duena.” He attributed her ease with the language to her bilingual school. “I was pretty sure I would get a participation trophy,” Margaret laughed. “I didn’t study as much as I did in fifth grade, but I wasn’t as stressed out as much either, and I think that’s what helped.” The judges echoed this same advice to contestants on the morning of the competition: “Be confident!” The five judges all have served as spelling bee coordinators in the past 20 years. They decided to rejoin the production “for the love of the bee.” All describe a passion for encouraging bright, young students to spell. “I really do it because of the fun,” said Elizabeth Primas, one of the judges. “One of the things I really love is that the students show good sportsmanship. Even when they don’t win, they cheer on those who did.” Pronouncer Doris McMillon also expressed pride in the contestants. “It just gives me great joy to see these kids because I know that

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s Spelling bee coordinator Donna Weston, NBC 4 CVP for ommunity Affairs was the producer of the Spelling Bee for NBC. Donna has won several Emmys for her TV production but this was her first spelling bee. /Photo by Roy Lewis they’re reading,” she said. “I am so committed to what these kids are doing and making sure that they have success.” In an interview with NBC4, Margaret described her win as “totally weird,” adding that she had never heard the word “totipalmate” before. Ultimately relying on her instincts, once she heard the word correctly, she swiftly spelled it for the judges. She walked away with four tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines flies, a check for $1,000 courtesy of Jack H. Olender and Associates, Washington Nationals tickets and an invitation to be honored at home plate alongside the second- and third-place winners, Jude Martin and Robert Foster. The two top runners-up received trophies, home plate honor at the April 15 Nationals game, Giant Food gift cards and $500 and $300 checks, respectively, from Olender and Associates. Spelling Bee continued on Page S-11

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Spelling Bee from Page S-10 Like Margaret, Jude Martin and Robert Foster were also in unfamiliar territory by the end. “The Scripps website taught Jude common spellings and word forms in certain languages, which I think helped him with those dictionary words in the last rounds,” said Jude’s father, Andrew Martin. A deeper dive into studying the words’ languages of origin may prove necessary for the National Spelling Bee, which does not provide a suggested word list to memorize. “I’ve already started studying. They only use the dictionary, so you just have to know everything,” Margaret said. As for Jude and Robert, both fully intend to spell again next year. “I’ve always wanted to see the National Spelling Bee in person,” Robert said. “This year I’m going to take the day off from school and see the spellers at the Gaylord.” Jude said that he also is motivated to make it to the national competition, but took pride in his impressive finish this year. “I’m kind of amazed, because a lot of kids from the District take part in Scripps, and I was the second-best one this year,” he said. Thanks to citywide bee coordinator Joanna Benjamin, students can definitively count themselves among the best spellers in the district. “Before Joanna started in 2015, only 54 schools were registered with Scripps,” said Ron Burke, The Informer’s director of advertising and marketing. “Now 85 out of around 110 elementary and middle schools registered for the spelling bee this school year.”

Nearly 80 percent of D.C. public, private, charter, parochial and homeschooled students competed in the hopes to qualify for the District bee. The participants who made it to the March 11 competition received participation trophies, Nationals tickets and Giant gift cards as reward for their success and diligent preparation. “You all had to be winners many times over just to get to this spot,” Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes told the contestants. “You should be proud of yourselves before ever getting on stage.” Rolark Barnes has produced the bee since The Informer took on the endeavor in the early 1980s. For more than 15 years, D.C. schoolchildren could not participate in the national competition for lack of a sponsoring newspaper. In the early days of the bee, her stepmother, attorney Wilhelmina Rolark, defended The Informer’s right to sponsor the bee at all. She challenged the Scripps rule, which barred weekly newspapers from sponsoring local bees, a rule that disproportionately affected African-American children. Scripps changed their rule, and the rest is history. The Washington Informer has sent spellers to the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 1981, and this year Margaret Isacson will continue the legacy when she competes in May. The 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee will air on WRC-TV (Channel 4) on Sunday, April 9 at noon. WI Margaret will go on to represent DC in the Scripps National Bee at National Harbor to be held during Memorial Day week at the Gaylord Hotel.

s Spelling Coordinator Joanna Benjamin and Washington Informer Publisher, Denise Rolark Barnes are interviewed prior to the bee by NBC 4 Anchors, Erica Gonzalez and Adam Tuss. /Photo by Roy Lewis

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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proud to sponsor the

WASHINGTON INFORMER SPELLING BEE

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Meet the 2016 Spellers

Photos by Demetrious Kinney

#1 Ezinne Anyanwu Paul Public Charter Middle 8th Grade

#7 Joe Finkelstein Lafayette Elementary School 5th Grade

#2 Daionna Black Whittier Education Campus 6th Grade

#8 Robert Foster National Presbyterian School 5th Grade

#3 Elsa Boehm Capitol Hill Montessori School 4th Grade

#9 Maurice Hall St. Augustine Catholic School

#4 Archer Briscoe Capitol Hill Montessori School 6th Grade

#10 Juvon Harris Center City Public Charter SchoolsCapitol Hill 5th Grade

#5 Jada Briscoe Tyler Elementary School 4th Grade

#6 Rodolfo Calzadillas Columbia Heights Education Campus 8th grade

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

#11 Taha Hayee Rose L. Hardy Middle School 8th Grade

#12 Anina Holley John Eaton Elementary School 5th Grade

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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Black History Year. You heard it here first. If you ever thought February was too short to celebrate Black history, we think you’re on to something. At Southwest®, we celebrate Black History Month 365 days a year. Through our committed relationships, we proudly support the many communities we call home.

Southwest is the official airline of the Washington Informer Spelling Bee and Washington Informer Charities.

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Meet the 2016 Spellers

Photos by Demetrious Kinney

#13 Eddy Hoover Lafayette Elementary School 5th Grade

#14 Sydny Horge Takoma Education Campus 6th Grade

#20 Daniel OttoManzano Oyster-Adams Bilingual School 6th Grade

#15 Margaret Isacson Oyster-Adams Bilingual School 7th Grade

#21 Teddy Palmore St. Albans School 6th Grade

#16 Rebecca Khoury Rose L. Hardy Middle School 6th Grade

#22 Kate Rodriguez Murch Elementary School 5th Grade

#17 Isaac Lin Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School 5th Grade

#23 Eileen Sawyer Holy Trinity School 7th Grade

#18 Jude Martin Brent Elementary School 5th Grade

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#19 Queen Ogunshakin School Without Walls @ Francis Stevens 8th Grade

#24 Dâ€™Mitric Starke Tyler Elementary School 5th Grade

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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FAME SUMMER MUSIC & ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS Applications are open for two summer enrichment programs: Beats Books & Hooks and Summer Music Technology, using music as a basis for engagement. The programs are designed for rising 7th through 12th grade students and are taught by highly respected music professors, educators and professional musicians.

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2 Rising 10th, 11th & 12th Graders July 31 – August 4, 2017 (5 days) 9am – 4pm University of Maryland School of Music College Park, MD

Rising 7th, 8th & 9th Graders June 19-23, 2017 (5 days) 9am – 4 pm Dr. Henry Wise High School Upper Marlboro, MD SESSION 2 Rising 10th, 11th & 12th Graders June 26 -30, 2017 (5 days) 9am – 4pm Dr. Henry Wise High School Upper Marlboro, MD

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university of maryland school of music I Prince george’s county government PePco, an exelon company I roland corporation I Washington music center

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Meet the 2016 Spellers

Photos by Demetrious Kinney

#25 Kingston Stephen Maury Elementary 5th Grade

#28 Julia Weinrod Alice Deal Middle School 6th Grade

#26 Devan Tatlow Murch Elementary School 5th Grade

#29 Paige Winbish Hope Community PCS- Tolson Campuse

#27 Aidan Urbina St. Albans School 7th Grade

s Spellers are all on the stage in the studio waiting on the competition to begin. /Photo by Roy Lewis

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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Meet Our Pronouncer – DORIS E. MCMILLON

Doris E. McMillon has been the pronouncer for The Washington Informer Spelling Bee for six of the last seven years. She is the President and Chief Strategic Officer of McMillon Communications, Inc. Her company provides services that help her clients effectively communicate their message and style through Media Training, Executive presentation and Image branding as well as Voice and Diction coaching. In business for more than three decades, McMillon currently serves as a Prince George’s County Commissioner for the Cable Commission. Her communications savvy has afforded her an opportunity to teach communications skills to government employees at all levels at the Graduate School USA. With a robust voice over business, she has been a top rated broadcast journalist for major radio and television stations in Detroit, New York and for WJLA-Channel 7 and Black Entertainment Television (BET) in Washington, D.C. In addition to her anchoring, reporting and talk show host duties, she served as the Moderator for Education News, Parents Can Use, a production for the Department of Education. McMillon has a thriving voiceover business, serving clients in all areas of message delivery. In addition, McMillon plays herself as an anchorwoman in Clint Eastwood’s Movie, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, Wesley Snipes’ movie, MURDER AT 1600, HEAD OF STATE, with Chris Rock and Bernie Mac, She also plays herself as a news anchor for the WEST WING, NCIS and the WIRE. McMillon is the co-author of the ABC’s of Media: Turning Negative News into Positive Press and the author of the best-selling autobiography, MIXED BLESSING. It tells the story of her search for her biological parents. Her mother is German and her father was an African American G-I. The award-winning documentary entitled, Brown Babies, The Mischlingkinder Story, of which she is a part, shares the lives of these children of mixed heritage who were born in Germany and adopted by African American parents.

Meet Our Judges

In honor of our 35th year, our judges are all past and present Spelling Bee Coordinators Shown from left Joanna Benjamin Washington Informer Spelling Bee Coordinator 2015 – present Dr. Sharon Holmes Washington Informer Spelling Bee Coordinator 2012-2014 Dr. Anne Evans Washington Informer Spelling Bee Coordinator 2010-2012 Dr. Elizabeth V. Primas Washington Informer Spelling Bee Coordinator 2004-2010 Dr. Wilma Bonner Washington Informer Spelling Bee Coordinator 1998-2004 /Photos by Roy Lewis

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

The mission of the Washington Informer Charities is to improve 21st century literacy among children and adults in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. In pursuit of this mission, WIC develops innovative sustaining programs and scholarship opportunities through partnerships with the public and private sector and non-profit entities. Since its inception, WIC has provided internships, mentoring and professional training to children and adults through innovative programs aimed at improving the overall rate of literacy throughout the community. The WIC was established by Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr., in July, 1989 and received its tax exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization in July, 2004. In furtherance of its mission, WIC partners with non-profit, corporate and community partners engaged in educational and literacy programs. WIC’s focus on literacy, in its various forms, allows us to help children and adults fulfill their dreams and aspirations. Programs recurring on an annual basis of Washington Informer Charities are: • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Peacewalk • Washington Informer African American Heritage Tour • Washington Informer Spelling Bee • The Prince George’s County Spelling Bee Presented By The Washington Informer Help us to reach more children and adults who we want to encourage to not only strive, but thrive! Visit us at: www.washingtoninformercharities.org

Now published by Denise Rolark Barnes, The Washington Informer Newspaper Co. Inc. was founded on October 16, 1964 by Dr Calvin Rolark, in order to highlight positive images of African Americans. Having celebrated 50 years we are now a multi-media organization serving the multi-cultural community. We continue to focus on positive news, as we strive to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, and INFORM. We serve metropolitan Washington DC, including Prince George’s County, and are now reaching over 40,000 readers each week through our award winning newspaper print edition; a monthly average of 200,000 page views through our award winning website; 7,500 weekly subscribers through our weekly email newsletter, and a growing social media network. Visit us at www.washingtoninformer.com

Ron Burke • Director of Advertising and Marketing 202-561-4100 (office) • 202-888-6835 (direct/fax)

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT APRIL 6, 2017

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The Award Winning African American Newspaper Celebrating Our 52nd Year of Service

The Washington Informer Congratulates our 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee Winner!

First Place Margaret Isacson Oyster-Adams Bilingual School 7th Grade

The Bee will air on NBC 4 on Sunday April 9, 2017 at noon

We celebrate all of our finalists and everyone who helped make our 35th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee a huge success. /Photos by Roy Lewis

The Washington Informer Thanks all of our 2017 partners for making this year special

C CCCCCCC C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

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35TH ANNUAL W.I. SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Ballou Seniors Reach Beyond the Limits

Residents of Ward 8 are beaming with pride over the recent news that the entire senior class at Ballou Senior High School, after every student applied, may be headed to college. Reportedly, this is the first time the entire senior class has taken this noteworthy step toward brighter futures. The majority of the Class of 2017 is no different than the classes that have matriculated through the Southeast school for many years. Most are eligible for free or reduced school lunch. They come from the District’s poorest homes and, if accepted, most will be the first in their families to attend a college or university. What makes this year’s class different is the fact that the students themselves decided they all would apply. Their efforts were supported by the school’s college and career coordinator who helped students complete applications to one and as many as 14 public and private colleges throughout the country. Yetunde Reeves, Ballou’s principal, is clearly working in an environment that stresses that high school is not the end all of education. She, along with college coordinator Jamanda Porter, are working with students who are aspiring for greater opportunities despite Ballou’s reputation of being a low-performing school. But with all due respect, they are no different than past administrators who desired positive outcomes for every student but faced enormous obstacles that caused them to be deemed ineffective. This is the moment all of them would have hoped for; when students themselves declared, “Enough is enough!” and took steps to demonstrate that they believe their education and future should be taken seriously. These students have realized that graduating from high school creates opportunities for continued learning in college, the military or a trade program and that these options can lead to a better future for themselves and their families. Ballou’s Class of 2017 is becoming Ward 8’s heroes and celebrities. They’re receiving standing ovations in churches, praise in area businesses, including Giant, the ward’s only grocery store, and in conversations at area barber shops and beauty salons. We will be listening for more great news from these students and we hope they know the community that celebrates them will also be there to encourage and support them because they will need it. WI

Early Intervention Key to Helping Youth with Autism April is Autism Awareness Month and while the prevalence of autism in the U.S. has nearly doubled since 2004 to 1 in every 68 births – and almost 1 in 54 boys – many families, tragically for these children, remain either uninformed or unwilling to take their heads out of the sand. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a complex developmental disability, has no known single cause. But most medical experts insist that increased awareness and early diagnosis/intervention and access to support services lead to significantly improved outcomes. In other words, autism, while not curable, is treatable. Parents who believe autism is something that one will “outgrow” are not only living in denial but are further limiting the chance for their child to overcome many of the behaviors, some which can be quite severe, typically associated with the disability. Actress Holly Robinson Peete, in the District this week to advocate for increased financial resources for youth with autism, along with her husband, former baseball standout Rodney Peete, have become a formidable force and voice for families. Like many others, they sought information and help after learning that their then-3-year-old son R.J., now 18, had autism. She’s become an author and advocate, willing to discuss the arduous road they’ve traveled along with the challenges, frustrations and fears they’ve faced. The popular television show “Sesame Street,” long known for its WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

TO THE EDITOR Only Ourselves to Blame for Gorsuch

'Patriots' Should End Kaepernick Hypocrisy

I think it's a forgone conclusion that Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice. D. Kevin McNeir's article, "Civil Rights Leaders Oppose Neil Gorsuch Nomination," in the March 30, 2017, edition raises some very interesting points, but I think it's a little too late. With the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate all controlled by Republicans, there is no stopping this confirmation. This should be looked upon as a wake-up call to all who may oppose his confirmation. We need to organize, and we need to be sure and get each and every one out to vote in the next election. This is what we get when we don't take voting seriously. Blacks voted in historical numbers when Barack Obama was running for president. If that's what it takes, we need to act as if Barack Obama is running in each and every election, and I mean that, seriously.

Where is the outrage? When an African-American athlete decided to show his support for African-Americans being killed by white police officers across the country, by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem, you had individuals from all walks of life coming out to call him unpatriotic, and now he is being blackballed from playing a game he loves. So I will ask the question again: Where is the outrage? Where are all of those patriotic voices that so quickly condemned? Where are all of those who wrapped themselves in our flag and tied themselves to a song and felt they had been wronged? Where is that outrage, now that we have a president who has been elected with the help of foreign agents? Where is the disgust that was so widely talked about because someone didn't stand for our national anthem? I am still waiting to hear and see the outrage from all of those patriots!

Milton Vonn Silver Spring, Md.

inclusion in casting, has recently added an orange-haired Muppet named Julia to its ensemble – a lovable “child” who treasures her toy rabbit and is autistic. Families should be encouraged to know that major breakthroughs have occurred in recent years that can truly benefit these youth – children who Holly describes as “the same but different.” Signs that may suggest that your child has autism include: lack of or delay in spoken language; repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms;

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

James Robinson Washington, D.C.

little or no eye contact; lack of interest in peer relationships; lack of make-believe play; and persistent fixation on parts of objects. The good news again: help is available so learn all you can. After all, children are blessings – they should be shared with the world, not hidden away in backrooms or closets. We must ensure that they received quality education, access to the same kinds of experiences that all youth enjoy and the chance to become independent adults. WI

APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 23

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Rep. Cedric Richmond

CBC Opposes Gorsuch Nomination — and Senate Should Too

On Jan. 31, President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Gorsuch's lifelong appointment to the court would have serious consequences for all Americans, but especially African-Americans and vulnerable communities. Judge Gorsuch has displayed hostility to the rights of minorities, women, people with disabilities, and workers, which is why the Congres-

sional Black Caucus submitted testimony recently opposing his nomination. His judicial record on race and related matters and constitutional and equal rights litigation does not merit our support or the support of the Senate. All interpreters of the law should be committed to fairness and justice, not a specific legal philosophy of judicial interpretation. Judge Gorsuch's commitment to "originalism," or, interpreting the Constitution in a way that's consistent with the intent of those who wrote it, often results in him ruling in favor of the big guy instead of the little guy,

Guest Columnist

the strong instead of the weak, and the majority instead of minorities. From 2007 to 2016, Judge Gorsuch issued 14 published judgments related to employee discrimination cases. Nine of those decisions were in favor of the employer. We need a Supreme Court justice who will judge cases on the merits, not based on his or her personal philosophies. For example, Judge Gorsuch believes that police officers should be granted qualified immunity, which prevents law enforcement and other government officials from being held accountable for the excessive use of

force. In the case of Wilson v. City of Lafayette, Gorsuch decided that a police officer was entitled to qualified immunity from an excessive force claim arising from the use of a stungun that ultimately killed a young man. In three other cases involving police accountability, Gorsuch ruled in favor of police searches of vehicles without a warrant, minimizing the Fourth Amendment protections against unauthorized search and seizure. Judge Gorsuch's ruling in police accountability cases are particularly troubling given the increasing number of shooting deaths of so many

unarmed African-Americans by the police, and recent Department of Justice investigations that have found that police departments across the country have had a "pattern and practice" of racial discrimination. In addition to his poor judicial record on police accountability, Judge Gorsuch has a poor judicial record on workers' rights. His record is one of supporting employers over employees, even in the case of employees with disabilities. In Hwang v. Kansas State University, Judge

RICHMOND Page 41

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Trump Should Form Bipartisan Coalition to Get True Reforms

The decision of House Republicans to torpedo the American Health Care Act, their own leadership’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, is a stunning defeat for President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan. It also rescues the 24 million Americans that were projected by the Congressional Budget Office to lose health care under the bill — particularly older, low-wage families and residents in rural areas. The defeat of the AHCA is as much a triumph of small-d demo-

cratic resistance as a failure of Trump and Ryan. The real test of leadership is how Trump reacts to the setback. His first reaction was understandably bitter. He said he’d move on to other issues and sit back and let what he calls Obamacare collapse, with insurance companies hiking costs or pulling out of the exchanges altogether. That distorts reality: According to the CBO and other experts, the ACA exchanges have stabilized, and cost increases are slower on average than they were before passage of the law. Expanded Medicaid is providing some 10 million with basic coverage. The major problem is the cruelty of

Guest Columnist

Republican governors who have chosen to deprive their constituents of expanded Medicaid. The Trumpcare debacle established that there is no majority, even in a Republican-controlled Congress, for depriving millions of health care coverage. The majority of Americans have joined the rest of the industrialized world in conceiving that health care as a right, not a privilege. Obama’s health care reforms provided millions with access to health insurance or to Medicaid, yet more than 20 million Americans still go without. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports these are mostly families with one low-wage worker who sim-

ply cannot afford coverage. Many more are priced out of decent coverage, particularly with the prescription drug market rigged by the drug companies so that Americans pay the highest prices in the world. Reform is still needed. Trump is president of all of America, not merely the Republican right. In running for president, he promised repeatedly that he would produce health care reform that would “cover everybody,” with insurance that cost less and offered better coverage. He signed onto a Ryan plan that scorned his promise. It featured tax cuts for the very wealthy paid for by depriving millions of health care. Now is time

for Trump to lead, to build a coalition that can pass a reform that meets his promise. Trump should recalibrate, reach out to Democrats and forge a new coalition for reform. If he were truly the bold, populist leader he claims to be, he would join with Bernie Sanders, whom he has often praised, and develop a path to Medicare for all. He might start with empowering Medicare and the exchanges to negotiate bulk discounts for drugs. Add a public option into the exchanges to keep insurance companies honest. Lower the eligible age for Medicare to 55,

JACKSON Page 41

By Julianne Malveaux

Alexander Acosta — Bad News in a Slick Package By the time you read this, Alexander Acosta, the 45th president's nominee for secretary of labor, is likely to have been confirmed by the full Senate. He got narrow approval from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions by a 12-11 party line vote. I don't blame the Democrats for opposing the Acosta nomination. In his televised hearing, he was as slippery as Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, dancing around questions and so exasperating Mas-

24 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

sachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) that she said, "This has really been frustrating. You have dodged every one of my questions. None of these were trick questions.” Warren tried to pin Acosta down on overtime rules. Presently, workers who earn more than $23,660 do not qualify for time and a half, or overtime, pay. Someone who earns that little money is earning just over $11 an hour. They hardly qualify as "executives." President Obama proposed that the ceiling be doubled, so that anyone earning under $47,320 could collect overtime. Four million more workers would

have overtime protection. Acosta said he would take the lead from his boss, the 45th president, but indicated that the ceiling should be less than $47,000. He prefers something in the $33,000 range. Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked him if he will stand up for workers. That's the purpose of the Labor Department. We have so many government departments who take care of corporations, but only the Labor Department takes care of the little person. Their regulations on occupational safety and health, pay fairness, and discrimination protect workers when employers are indif-

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

ferent to their safety and welfare. But the 45th president's "budget lite” proposes a 21 percent cut in the Department of Labor budget. It would eliminate some job training programs, including the Senior Community Service Employment Program, close Job Corps Centers, eliminate parts of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, and eliminate the Occupational Safety and Health Administration "unproven training grants." This "America First” budget is disgraceful in its frequent use of words like "ineffective," "unproven," "inefficient" and "eliminate,"

as if there has been any study done in the scant 60 days of this administration to prove inefficiency. Indeed, while we weren't paying much attention, 45 signed legislation that took away occupational safety protections for those working for federal contractors. President Obama required companies competing for federal contracts to disclose and fix safety violations, but the Senate voted to revoke the Fair Pay and Safe Workplace Rule. Some Republicans said it "wasn't fair" that companies with work-

MALVEAUX Page 41

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Austin R. Cooper Jr.

The Sean Spicer Treadmill I need to lose weight. While eating better and going to the gym is critical, I could also meet my targeted weight goal in less than one month by serving as the White House Press Secretary for President Trump. I would lose between two and three pounds at each press briefing, which have literally become daily and highly anticipated events for many, including me. For Sean Spicer, however, they have

likely become nationally televised verbal saunas of stress. During the first 76 days of the Trump presidency, I have literally watched Sean age before my eyes. His eyes often appear to show him having an out-of-body experience as he alternates between trying to explain and defend the positions, including tweets, of his undisciplined boss, and SOS pleas to be rescued and placed in a witness protection program. No doubt, Sean is experiencing stress unlike any other person who has ever filled that role. Mike McCurry, who served in

this capacity under President Bill Clinton, once said, "I believe the press secretary needs to work for both the press and the president. I like to say that the geography of the West Wing is a metaphor for the relationship — the press secretary's office is exactly half way between the Oval Office and the briefing room." "The press office has to be an advocate for the press and the public's right to know inside the White House," McCurry said. "That is the best way to serve the president. The modern presidency cannot work effectively if it is constantly at war

Guest Columnist

with the media." A significant part of Sean's problems with the press is that the Trump administration is, as McCurry said, "constantly at war with the media." It is true that no relationship between any White House and the press is considered perfect by either side. President Kennedy, perhaps in half-jest, once said, "I have a job to do, as does the press. We will get along as necessary, then one day go our separate ways." Indeed, a common criticism of the White House by the press, including with the Obama admin-

istration, is access to the president. The administration, on the other hand, always feels that the press is looking for a scandal, focusing on the wrong thing and only wants to trip up the president. I have begun reading "Richard Nixon: The Life" by John A. Farrell. As Jennifer Senior relays in a review of the book for the New York Times titled, "Richard Nixon, Portrait of a Thin-Skinned, Media-Hating President," the similarities between our

COOPER Page 42

By Charlene Crowell

It's Time for Congress to Restore $6 Billion in HUD Funding

From youth yearning for the time to have their own place, to older Americans hoping to age in place, the need to have a home is a shared concern of consumers of all ages and locales. It's where children are raised and memorable moments dwell. It's also where many people rest, reflect and shut out the worries of the day. Right now, the future of our country's commitment to housing is in jeopardy. In the recently re-

leased White House Budget Blueprint, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will not resemble its former self. While some programs are proposed to become smaller, others are identified for extinction. Fortunately, while the president proposes a budget, Congress must hold hearings that offer opportunities to amend what some would deem indefensible. The irony is that so many HUD programs and services that have enjoyed longstanding, broad and bipartisan support across the country are among those proposed to end.

For example, since 1974, HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has provided local and state officials the flexibility to fund local priorities for services, projects and partnerships. Whether the need was affordable housing, blight removal, community supportive services or a way to leverage capital in redevelopment projects, local concerns have guided how to make the best use of federal funds. According to the White House Budget Blueprint, CDBG would absorb $3 billion of HUD's pro-

Askia-At-Large

posed $6.2 billion agency cut. Reactions from municipal leaders and organizations were swift. "From CDBG block grants, to Community-Oriented Policing Services, the programs targeted for cuts provide support for millions of working Americans and help cities invest in public-good projects like police stations, food banks and domestic violence shelters," said Matt Zone, a Cleveland council member and president of the National League of Cities (NCL), an organization that advocates for 19,000 cities, towns and villages. "These unprecedented cuts would be dev-

astating to all our nation's cities — with the worst impacts felt in small towns and rural communities." Yana Miles, a policy counsel with the Center for Responsible Lending, noted that, "In housing, the proposed budget would end some of HUD's most successful programs that help underserved communities, including Community Development Block Grants, the HOME Investment Partnerships and Choice Neighborhoods." Two of the HUD programs that Miles cites are the focus of anoth-

CROWELL Page 42

By Askia Muhammad

New Mississippi? New USA? I visited my hometown in the Mississippi Delta this spring. I noticed some things there, I never imagined I'd see in sleepy Indianola. The most curious sight was a teenaged girl with a natural blond ponytail, playing in the street on Roosevelt Street and Gray Avenue after school hours. A white resident, deep, deep, deep in the segregated heart of a town that's the symbol of the racist "nullification and interposition" which

characterized Mississippi's official "massive resistance" to everything decent for Negro residents in the mid-20th century? Yes. She is new to the neighborhood. She didn't grow up there, though. She didn't live on that street last fall. White children are very, rarely reared in black neighborhoods down south. Funny thing though: On Catching Street and Faisonia Avenue, and Percy Street, on the north side of the small, rural town, where the neighborhoods have paved sidewalks and manicured lawns, there now appear to

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be some black families. At the various fast-food establishments along the Highway 82 commercial corridor, all have mostly black staff and many have black managers. But ironically, all the businesses, conveniently on the opposite side of the highway from the fast-food joints — two banks, a hardware store, paint store, auto dealership, pawn shop, auto-title loan store — are all managed by whites with a sprinkling of black workers. That's kind of the way it's always been in the Delta. An acquaintance of mine who serves

on the Indianola Historic Preservation Commission told me once that he encountered one of the town's old former plantation owners on an Election Day. There had not been nearly as much Ku Klux Klan violence and intimidation in Sunflower County, the man explained, because the White Citizens Council formed instead, and the group of mostly businessmen told the rowdy Klansmen to stay away, so as to not frighten the good black workers who were needed to fuel Indianola's "industry," agriculture.

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Athletics is another temporary racial fence-mender in the South. Neither Alabama, Mississippi, nor Arkansas have a professional sports franchise in their states, so college and high school teams fill the gap. Morgan William is a classic example. A 5-foot-4-inch basketball phenom, she was already an iconic "giant" on the Mississippi State University women's basketball team. The day before MSU faced the invincible University of Connecticut, the school pur-

ASKIA Page 42 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 25

LIFESTYLE A WASHINGTON INFORMER EXCLUSIVE

Brandy Brings Soulful Showmanship to ‘Chicago’

Grammy-winning Singer: ‘I’m Just a Simple Chick’ By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor Critics have already weighed in on the show-stopping performance of Brandy Norwood, the R&B Grammy singer and songwriter who has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, illustrating her talent both on television and Broadway, in her triumphant return to the stage as the nightclub dancer-turned-murderer, Roxie Hart, in the Tony Award-winning musical “Chicago.” “Chicago” bears the distinction of

being the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. Set in 1920s Chicago, it’s a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz with chock full of electrifying singing and dancing. And it never gets old or boring as each new cast brings their own flair and flavor to the stage. Brandy, recast as one of the lead actors, started singing in a church choir under her father’s direction – a gospel singer and choir director. She signed her first contract at the age of 11 shortly after her family relocated from McComb, Mississippi to Los Angeles.

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5 Denny Paschall, Brandy Norwood as "Roxie Hart" and Michael Scirrotto. /Photo courtesy Jeremy Daniel

She lists her father, Willie Norwood and Whitney Houston among her idols. Besides her many philanthropic endeavors, she has garnered numerous accolades including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, seven Billboard Music Awards and, because of her distinctive sound, timbre, intricate riffs and almost perfect pitch, she’s earned the nickname “The Vocal Bible” by her critics and peers. Brandy’s familiar with the play, having made her Broadway debut in

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2015 in the same role that she again portrays. This time she shares the stage with Terra C. MacLeod (Velma Kelly) and a cast of veterans who as Time magazine says in describing the production, “[it] doesn’t just give us the old razzle-dazzle, it glows.” The Mississippi-born Brandy, who first stole our hearts in 1994 with her self-titled debut album with songs like “I Wanna Be Down” and “Baby” both soaring to the top of the charts, then later scoring homeruns with the song “The Boy is Mine” and the critically-acclaimed album “Afrodisiac” among other career achievements, sat down with The Washington Informer before the opening of “Chicago” to share the real deal about her life, her career and her plans now and in the future. WI: How do you navigate your world and organize the many things you do? Brandy: The theater taught me that you can’t get too ahead of yourself. You compartmentalize. Right now, all I’m thinking about is Roxie Hart and Roxie Hart alone. Everyone has a calendar – I try to stay in them moment as much as possible. WI: Your face has been seen so much by the public. Can you disappear into the crowd? Brandy: Sure. I’m just a simple girl. I’m a star but I’m not a celebrity. I maneuver like a normal person. Everyone doesn’t know my beginnings, where I came from. I really love people and I really love my life. I love my daughter and we do normal stuff like go to the mall. I don’t feel like I live in a bubble. I know exactly what I’m here to do – it’s for service. The celebrity thing – I don’t generally like fame like that. I don’t need the attention. I mean, it’s great when people notice my work and say positive things about my work. But I’m

just a simple chick. WI: It’s been awhile since you’ve been on stage for a live production. Is it different this time? Do you ever get nervous? And do you think a Black woman playing a lead role originally written for a white woman says anything about how things have changed in America? Brandy: I’m excited and really loved working on Broadway for the four months when I first starred in “Chicago.” I also did it on stage in LA. I wanted that same feeling but coming here I was a little anxious. But when I got to the Kennedy Center, I got that same excitement as I did before on Broadway. This is a great venue, this is a powerful musical and the role of Roxie Hart is just as powerful. Do I get butterflies before a show? All the time and I love them. The nerves are more like gifts – you have to face them to get to the other side. But guess what? On the other side, there’s greatness. As for being an African-American woman in this role, hands down it’s just amazing. But I don’t think audiences see color – they see a beautiful cast coming together to tell this story. In art, we don’t see race or color, we just see art and I’m happy to be a part of that. Terri [her co-star] has made me step up my game because she’s so talented – so terrific. And it’s not about trying to upstage one another. It’s not about competition. It’s all about unity. I guess I really enjoy working on stage because in my industry, in the music world, it’s not like that. Singing is where I express myself the most – it’s what I’ve always loved. But here, on stage, I get to show you three sides of me: singing, dancing, acting. I can’t wait to get on stage. “Chicago” opened on April 4 at the Kennedy Center in Northwest and continues through Sunday, April 16. WI

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LIFESTYLE

Play About Jesus's Death Comes to Baltimore By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer When local residents and those that know the March family think of tombs, it's a given that the clans' line of funeral homes would immediately come to mind. Now, Erich March seeks to bring another meaning to tomb — one held most sacred by many — in the form of a stage play that he's produced through his March Productions company. "Being in the funeral business, I tried to imagine what it would have been like to attend Jesus' funeral, if he had had one," said March, whose family has owned and operated the March Funeral Homes in Baltimore for more than a half-century. "Who would be there and why? What would be said about him publicly and whispered quietly?" On April 7 and 8, March brings his gospel musical "In the Tomb: The Resurrection from the Inside Out," which features actor and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member Ken Alston Jr. and opera singer and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity member Robert L. Cooper. The three-show engagement at the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Auditorium on the campus of Mercy High School has been billed as the first stage play of its kind to give a voice to Jesus's closest followers and those who would be responsible for his death. Written by March and directed by LaSonia King with musical director Bishop John Washington, "In the Tomb" takes audiences on a journey into the past to understand those closest to Jesus as they cope

with his death and ultimately learn the power of God's love, March said. "The play is true to the Bible, in that the characters are true to their roles in the story of the death and Resurrection," he said. "Each character has a story to tell and a song to sing." However, they all gather in the tomb of Jesus, thus the title. Some are there to mourn his death, but some are there to make sure he's dead, March noted. A funeral director for 45 years, March said he's always been a writer and took creative writing in college. He wrote for and edited a community newsletter while in school, and he's written published articles in funeral industry journals and local newspapers. "The gospel musical, 'In the Tomb,' I wrote the play and most of the lyrics," he said. "I collaborated with a very talented composer, by the name of Bishop John D. Washington, to create spirit-filled gospel. "In my line of work and the emotions I encounter every day, I try to channel a lot of the human condition into my creative relief," March said. "My faith is a big influence." March noted that it's the second time the play will hit the stage in Baltimore. "I am committed to Baltimore, we have a lot of talent here, especially talented young people that need to find support and encouragement," he said. The production is "Broadway quality" and the crew will take it on tour, March said. "In two sentences, 'In the Tomb' will make you cry, laugh and give God praise," he said. "It will give you hope." For tickets and schedules for "In the Tomb," visit www.inthetomb.com. WI

4 Erich March. /Photo courtesy of e. March Productions

Save the Date Washington Chiefs Presents its 8th Annual Cardozo All-Met Hall of Fame Awards Dinner April 30, 2017 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Largo 9100 Basil Court, Largo, MD 20774 Time: 5:30 pm – 9:00 Reception and Dinner Attire: Black Tie/Semi Formal Tickets: $80.00 Per Person (No Cost for Inductees)

"The play is true to the Bible, in that the characters are true to their roles in the story of the death and Resurrection. Each character has a story to tell and a song to sing."

For Ticket Information Contact: Joyce Harris, Vice President Phone: 240-271-3333 Email: harrisjjj@verizon.net

ERICH MARCH /

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 27

LIFESTYLE

Panel Addresses D.C.'s Missing Black Girls By Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer

5 A panel of black female activists discussed the recent spate of missing

black and Latina girls throughout D.C. at the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust headquarters in Northwest on March 29. /Photo by Travis Riddick

With an alarming number of black girls disappearing in the nation's capital, the Thurgood Marshall Council for Social Justice, an auspice of the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust Inc., held a challenging conversation surrounding female activism, social justice and self-esteem. The March 29 discussion, titled "Justice Is a Black Woman," had an all-black female panel consisting of some of the District's top activist groups, including D.C.'s Black Lives Matter organizer April Gog-

gans, Howard University NAACP Vice President Deja Bryant and moderator Kristina Jacob, chair for the National Black United Front D.C. "It is really important to have this conversation," Goggans said. "There is so much going on in D.C. right now and with the rest of the world, particularly with our girls, and it is important to people to remember that none of this is possible without regarding and trusting and centering our women." The D.C. chapter of Black Lives Matter plans to partner with the D.C. Black Youth Project 100, an activist member-based organization dedi-

Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts Show April 8 & 9, 2017

Saturday: 10 AM – 7 PM ** Sunday: 10 AM – 5 PM

Montgomery County Fairgrounds

501 Perry Parkway ** Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877 “Celebrating African American History& Culture ”

• Purchase Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts from

many vendors including historical documents and artifacts, books, autographs, stamps, paintings, prints, black dolls, advertisements, kitchen collectibles, coins, magazines, toys, political and civil rights memorabilia, sports and entertainment memorabilia, jewelry and much more. • View Educational Exhibits including Slavery Artifacts, Buffalo Soldiers, Black Panther Party, Marcus Garvey, Negro League Baseball, George Washington Carver, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Malcolm X, Dorothy Dandridge & others.

• Obtain autographs from: - BernNadette Stanis, “Thelma” in TV’s “Good Times” - Negro League Baseball Players & Tuskegee Airman

Admission: $7, Students are admitted FREE All Indoors*Good Food*Free Parking (301) 649-1915 ** www.johnsonshows.com

www.facebook.com/Blackmemorabiliashow

cated to creating justice and freedom for all black people, to organize conversation that will challenge Mayor Muriel Bowser and city police on missing children, Goggans said. The forum also discussed education and female equality, with a revolving message of community, unity and mutual support between black women and other segments of the black population. The 2016 Social Justice Lecture Series at the Thurgood Marshall Social Justice Resource Center aims to provide citizens with resources and tools needed to fight discrimination, poverty and injustice. WI

BRIEFS from Page 21 of the Year. Dewhurst is a reading intervention teacher at Stuart-Hobson Middle School.

GETTING PHYSICAL

During its March public meeting, SBOE voted to approve a recommendation from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education on updating citywide physical education standards. These academic standards will cover all students from pre-kindergarten through high-school age. The proposed changes will help develop physically-literate students gain the skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity. Physical education standards were last approved in 2008.

FULL-RIDE SCHOLARSHIPS

Joel Escobar of Cesar Chavez - Parkside High Public Charter School in Northeast and Jenesis Duran of Washington Latin Public Charter School in Northwest have both received George Washington University's merit-based Stephen Joe Trachtenberg Scholarship.

IT'S ACADEMIC

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS AN ORIGINAL FILM/ONE RACE FILMS PRODUCTION AN F. GARY GRAY FILM VIN DIESEL DWAYNE JOHNSON JASON STATHAM “THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS” MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ TYRESE GIBSON CHRI S ‘ L UDACRI S ’ BRI D GES WITH KURT RUSSELL AND CHARLIZE THERON MUSICBY BRIAN TYLER EXECUTIVE BASED ON PRODUCERS AMANDA LEWIS SAMANTHA VINCENT CHRIS MORGAN CHARACTERS CREATED BY GARY SCOTT THOMPSON DIRECTED PRODUCED WRITTEN BY F. GARY GRAY BY NEAL H. MORITZ p.g.a. VIN DIESEL MICHAEL FOTTRELL BY CHRIS MORGAN A UNIVERSAL PICTURE © 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IMAX® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF IMAX CORPORATION.

STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 14

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

28 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

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Washington Latin PCS in Northwest lists as the first among local charter schools to appear on "It's Academic," the longest-running quiz show in the history of television. For the past three years, the school has made the playoffs, with the current team featuring three students — two seniors and one junior. Last year, the team's coach, Ryan

BRIEFS Page 30 WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE

Mosaic Theatre's 'Blood Knot' Leaves Viewers Spellbound By Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer South African playwright Athol Fugard's "Blood Knot," the first show in the Mosaic Theater's South Africa repertory, does a phenomenal job of taking viewers on a whirlwind encounter that allows each attendee to experience apartheid. Set in a dimly-lit shack in 1961, two brothers, one lightskinned and one dark, comes to grips with the reality that though they share the same blood, they are very separate in terms of color, as one brother is able to adapt, or "pass," in heavily segregated South Africa. The Joy Zinoman-directed play opens begins one year after Morris (Tom Story) has returned to the impoverished "colored" neighborhood where he and his brother Zachariah Nathan Hinton) both grew up. Though bound by blood, both men had different fathers, which in turn allows for Morris, the lighter-skinned brother, to "pass" for a white South African. Morris (played by Tom Story) finds himself in an unusual identity crisis, wanting to remain loyal to his hardworking brother Zachariah (played by Nathan Hinton), but envisioning himself living the high-caliber life of a rich white man. After years away, Morris returns to his brother, leading daily household chores with devotion including post-work foot baths for Zachariah, preparing dinner, and reading the Bible before

bed, while Zachariah makes little money doing menial work. With daily rituals in practice, Zachariah soon expresses boredom and the longing for a female companion. Slightly concerned, Morris suggests acquiring a female pen pal, and Zachariah immediately begins to correspond with a "well-developed" 18-yearold woman, with the necessary help of Morris, who unlike Zachariah can read and write. Enjoying his newfound time with his female pen pal, the two brothers soon make a startling discovery, realizing that Zachariah's new pen pal, "Miss Ethel Lange," is a white woman. Though both brothers are very aware of the scrutiny and chaos an interracial relationship would breed in the apartheid country, it is Morris who convinces Zachariah not to contact her any longer, finding such a partnership inconceivable, even through the mail. Convinced that there must be some other way, Zachariah spends the last of the two brothers' savings on an elaborate suit and persuades Morris to attempt to pass as a white lover for Miss Ethel. Horrifically, however, whenever Morris puts on the "white man's suit," he subconsciously becomes full of "white rage" and begins to refer to his brother as a "nigger." In the final scene, both brothers receive a final letter from Mrs. Ethel stating her new engagement to someone else. The brothers then find themselves bound in a strange relationship, tainted by the mental effects of apartheid, unsure of the future. WI

Come And Be Spiritually Enriched! Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 85:6

Trinity Church

Preaching Mission & Revival

April 6 & April 7, 2017 7:00 pm Nightly

Guest Preacher

Rev. Dr. Glenn Porter, Sr.

Senior Pastor, Queen Street Baptist Church Norfolk,Va

New Book Release

“Journey with Jesus through Lent” Signed books, DVDs and CDs available for sale

Guest Choirs Thursday Night, April 6

People's Community Baptist Church “Men's Choir” Friday Night, April 7

Metropolitan AME Church “The United Voices”

7005 Piney Branch Rd. N.W. Washington, DC 20012

5 (L to R) Tom Story as Morris and Nathan Hinton as Zachariah in

At the intersection of Piney Branch Rd and Dahlia St NW (near Takoma Park Metro)

202-726-7036

Blood Knot at Mosaic Theater Company of DC, March 29-April 30. /Photo courtesy of Stan Barouh WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 29

LIFESTYLE

Ballou Students Get Dramatic with Stage Show Professional Actors Will Perform Their Writings By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer

5 Tsion Teckle teaches pre-school students. /Courtesy of Christina Miller, AppleTree Public Charter School

BRIEFS from Page 29 Benjamin, won the show's Coach of the Year award. Washington Latin also has a larger academic club, made up of 20 students who are competitive in smaller tournaments throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

CAREER CALLING

Tsion Teckle, a co-lead preschool teacher at AppleTree Early Learning campus in Northwest, shares why she loves teaching at her school. "This career feels like a calling and it has given me a higher purpose," she said. "I think there is a reason and a purpose why I have been

placed at AppleTree especially with my unique background in child nutrition and the arts. "I am constantly aware of my obligation to be a positive role model for my students and parents and believe that every child deserves a quality education with teachers who are dedicated to the growth and development of students, setting the tone for their entire lives," Teckle said. "Beyond the classroom, I can honestly say that I love and respect the people that I work with and the community of people I serve. Working here makes it easier to commit to the organization's mission of closing the achievement gap before kindergarten." WI

Greater DC Chapter of the National Action Network .

Ballou Senior High School students will showcase their deepest personal stories in an original stage production. The Ballou Story Project, a free, live performance adapted from the dynamic writing of Ballou scholars, will take center stage on Thursday, April 13 at the school's auditorium in Southeast. "Young Playwrights' Theater and Shout Mouse Press share a common purpose in providing a platform for

young people to realize the power and value of their own voices and stories," said YPT executive director Brigitte Winter. "This project is a testament to the way in which arts education can benefit young people and their communities." This year's performance will be a little different from recent shows. This time professional actors will perform the student's work. The monologues have been adapted from their personal statements in their college applications. Since 2013, Shout Mouse Press, a nonprofit writing program and pub-

lishing house, has facilitated personal essay writing workshops with the students of Ballou. The partnership, known as the Ballou Story Project, has resulted in three published collections: "How to Grow Up Like Me," "Our Lives Matter" and "Humans of Ballou." Funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in conjunction with ShoutMouse Press and Young Playwrights' Theater the show will feature and explore the power of one's story, achievement in the face of adversity and speaking out in moments of injustice. WI

5 The Ballou Story Project will take the stage in a live performance on April 13 at the Ballou Senior High School auditorium in Southeast.

Hands off our Children!!

Featuring: Theresa Jenkins from (Hauts Talonts Rouges) We are calling on every concerned citizen to join in this meeting to unite and work to Stop Minor Sex Trafficking. We, as adults must protect all children. They do and they should, depend on us to do that for them. Other guest speakers: Sister Sudan Muhammad and Dr. Nesa Chappelle. Bethlehem Baptist Church 2458 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE WDC 20020.

Saturday April 8, 2017: 2â€”4: 30pm: Free and open to the public. For more information (202) 352-2121. Sponsored by Greater DC Chapter of the National Action Network. The National Action Network founded in 1991 by Rev. Al Sharpton

30 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

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LIFESTYLE

wi book reviewA

Horoscopes

APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

ARIES Certain areas of your life might require rethinking in order to set matters right.

You now have an opportunity to iron out any obstacles to success, though. You could experience intensied feelings, causing one or two dramas unless you and another are ready to sit down and discuss the issue. Lucky Numbers: 35, 40, 45

"The President's Kitchen Cabinet"

TAURUS You may feel quite pleased with your progress to date. However, your plans could be delayed. You'll need to hold back one idea, as further information may be required. Certain events have you feeling less confident, particularly concerning a business matter. Doing the groundwork can restore your enthusiasm! Lucky Numbers: 7, 22, 24

by Adrian Miller c.2017, The University of North Carolina Press $30 ($49 Canada) 261 pages

GEMINI You might need to go over old ground again. But would this be such a bad thing? If obstacles keep cropping up in a key area, this could be a clue that something isn't working. By revising your plans, you might be able to accomplish much more later. There could be a cause for celebration or a deeply romantic tryst. Lucky Numbers: 10, 17, 33 CANCER You could face opposition that causes your confidence to drop a little. Take

control by letting others know how you feel. There could be ways to compromise even if it means cutting back on your original plans. Even so, with both Mercury and Saturn turning retrograde this week, it's best not to rush into anything. Take your time to make sure all the bases are covered. It's the best way ahead. Lucky Numbers: 3, 26, 38

The President's Kitchen Cabinet

LEO You might need to postpone one plan and perhaps research the details further.

Though you're likely eager to move ahead, it's worth making sure that you have all the information you need first. And while progress could be delayed in general, there is a strong sense of purpose and life that could encourage you to persevere. Lucky Numbers: 8, 19, 20

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Eight courses. You seriously doubted if the food was ever going to stop coming, though you hoped it wouldn't: you'd tasted all your favorite dishes, and then some. It was a meal fit for a king or queen. Or maybe a president, and in "The President's Kitchen Cabinet" by Adrian Miller, you'll read about first family feasts. Last year, while they were on the campaign trail, you might've noticed that presidential candidates often enjoyed small-town American cuisine. Their willingness to sample, says Miller, proves that politicians are just like us, a likeness that stops at the White House doors. Presidents, as you know, have staff and many presidential families have dined on the efforts of African-Americans in the White House kitchen. Early accounts of the first Executive Mansion kitchen indicate the enormity of cooking for the president, even then: it was the size of a small house at 43 feet long, 26 feet wide, with fireplaces at either end. Slaves who toiled there lived in the White House basement or attic and were fed the same food the presidential family received. George Washington, says Miller, hired white women to cook for him at the beginning of his presidency but later "summoned Hercules," his Mount Vernon slave, to Philadelphia, making Hercules the first enslaved White House cook. Thomas Jefferson made sure his enslaved cook, James Hemings, was trained in French cuisine. John Smeades, an accomplished baker who "ran the kitchen" for William Taft, repeatedly ruined the president's diet with pie. According to longtime White House maid Lillian Rogers Parks, the Tafts irritated staff by bringing "any number of guests home … without advance warning." Eisenhower's chief usher, Howell Crim, struggled once with a request because he didn't "know what yoghurt was." When his wife was away, Abraham Lincoln's staff had to remind the president to eat. Franklin Roosevelt's cooks were tasked with a special diet for his dog, Fala. William T. Crump, who served as steward in the Garfield White House became the de facto press secretary when the president was shot. And Teddy Roosevelt avoided a sticky situation with help from his steward, Henry Pinckney… They, of course, weren't the only African-Americans to work in the White House kitchen. Though author Adrian Miller found 150 people by name, he says there were many who toiled unnamed, which he explains in "The President's Kitchen Cabinet." While this may seem like a dry subject, Miller makes it lively through quick, interesting, and sometimes humorous vignettes that dash back and forth through history. It might also have been confusing — official titles changed through the years — but he keeps readers on track with a good variety of tales, just enough relevant backstory, pictures and (bonus!) recipes you can try. Surprisingly, this book is quite browsable. Whether it'll sit with your cookbooks or on a shelf with other history tomes, it's a book you'll savor in more ways than one. This little bit of history is purely tasty and "The President's Kitchen Cabinet" is a book you'll enjoy, of course. WI WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

VIRGO Delays are inevitable. Is this such a bad thing? A retrograde can provide an opportunity to go over ground already covered and make sure you've done a thorough job. You may emerge from this period much better equipped to succeed with your plans. A decision around a budding relationship could make you wonder whether you should commit. Lucky Numbers: 6, 8, 15 LIBRA It might seem as though you have to choose between your partner and family. The way you handle this could make the week much more pleasant. Delays could occur regarding shared finances. Take care when signing anything of importance. If purchasing big-ticket items, keep receipts and paperwork. Lucky Numbers: 20, 21, 33

SCORPIO This can be a good time to restore order to your life and develop the habit of being as organized as possible. With a developing Full Moon in Libra, be prepared for one or two unexpected events that could bite into your usual schedule over the weekend. Cutting back on less important activities may be the way ahead for you. The cosmos is also suggesting you explore ways to get your finances in order. Lucky Numbers: 25, 28, 54 SAGITTARIUS You could be going over old ground again. As this phase will last

some months, progress could be delayed. However, doing the necessary work now and creating a sound structure for further development can assure future success. Remember to back up important documents on your computer and be careful when closing key deals. The weekend can be great for partying! Lucky Numbers: 30, 48, 49

CAPRICORN You could be pitted against family members regarding a key decision this week, but this might be part of a bigger issue that may come into the spotlight as the week goes on. The way to handle this may be to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Doing so should encourage discussion and help you reach a compromise. Your ruler Saturn turns retrograde on Wednesday, which could see you stepping up any opportunities for self-improvement. Lucky Numbers: 4, 23, 31 AQUARIUS As Venus is retrograde in your sector of personal finances, you might become more aware of how you're investing your money and how you might save more in the future. And with Mercury turning retrograde this week, it might be wise to avoid purchasing any big-ticket items, at least for the coming three weeks. Enjoy a few small luxuries instead. Finally, you could feel put upon by the demands of a certain person. If so, all you have to do is say no. Lucky Numbers: 2, 21, 25 PISCES Saturn turns retrograde in the topmost sector of your chart, so you might have to reconsider a plan or go over the details of a deal, and you could be busy with this all month. But view this as a chance to affirm that you're on the right track. With a Full Moon building over the weekend, you could be encouraged to shop. If you do, be sure to keep receipts and paperwork. Lucky Numbers: 6, 7, 14

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APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 31

AROUND THE REGION Daughter of MLK: Listen to Your Enemies

Causes Dissent at Stateswomen Forum By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. told a roomful of accomplished African-American women Friday, March 31 that by tuning out your enemies, you risk becoming like them — a message that didn't go over well with everyone in the audience. During the seventh annual Stateswomen for Justice Luncheon and Issues Forum at the National Press Club in Northwest D.C., Bernice King made clear that the black community should not fight hate with hate, or they will add to the tension. "I'm going to say some things that may be a little bit different and controversial, but if anybody knows me, they know that's who I am," King said. "I try to push the envelope and make us think at deeper levels as we approach this work that we do in the realm of social, human and civil justice in our world." King asked the rhetorical question, "what does Black Lives Matter and President Donald Trump have in common?" "What they have in common is that they have awakened us to our deep divisions," she said. "That in many respects we have tried to avoid, ignore and deny. I'm not sure about you but I am very concerned about the state of America right now." King said she is troubled by the deep polarization of the country and that it's possibly worsening. "If there is anything Dr. King tried to teach us was how to create a world where we can coexist with all of our different ideologies," she said. "My father did not live in the 21st century, he was 32 years shy, but what he left us, I believe, was an important blueprint that we cannot escape. "He gave us plans and he gave us

32 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

strategy in his book 'Where Do We Go From Here,'" King said. "He asked, is it going to be chaos or is it going to be community? That's a question we need to ask today: Where do we go from this distinct moment in time in America?" King said there are fundamental things to consider when groups talk about building and creating an agenda for justice including individuals who value all races. "You might be saying, 'Bernice, we understand that in the African-American community and in the African-American tradition,' but I want to challenge us because a lot of times when we do the work of justice we have a tendency to think narrowly," she said. "We have to make sure we don't create a scenario where we are creating justice for one group of people and an injustice for another group of people." King said her second point would be the most controversial of them all. "I don't think we have a justice, peace, or poverty problem," she said. "I think we have a love for humanity problem, because when you love humanity, you always end up on the side of what's righteous. "When we think about justice we have to think about even those that don't agree with us or align with our beliefs at the end of the day they are still apart of our humanity," she said. King said the movement needs people who value courageous conversation, respectful discourse and keen listening. "This is a climate that often becomes very hostile and intense, but there has to be some people willing to rise above the fray and engage in conversations with people who see a little bit differently and understand a little bit differently." Julianne Malveaux, economist and panelist at the forum, vehemently disagreed with King.

5 Bernice King delivers the keynote address at the Trice Edney News Wire 7th Annual Stateswomen for Justice Luncheon and Issues Forum on March 31 at the National Press Club in Northwest. /WI photo

"Donald Trump is a snake and I ain't fattening no frogs about it," she said. "As Maya Angelou said, when people show you who they are, believe them. So while we can talk as much kumbaya as we want to here is what I know, which has nothing to do with [Trump]. "I know that African-American unemployment rates are twice that of whites," Malveaux said. "This has been the case since 1950-something. This is not a 45 thing, Obama thing, Clinton, little Bush, big Bush thing. It is the nature of the strained relationship African-American people have with this economy." Malveaux said those who know better expects conditions to worsen under Trump's presidency. "In order for us to have a conversation, Bernice, it has to start with predatory capitalism and nobody in his Cabinet wants to have that conversation," she said to King. Malveaux said predatory capitalism has exploited American's differences not freedom fighters or activist. "My sister I love your kumbaya, but you know what, I am 63 years old, I am a baby Panther, and I am a cynic at this point," Malveaux said. "In any case, I am resisting, fighting, putting it out there every single day. "It's important for us to understand that all the good Dr. King has had in him we have seen erosion of good in the years since he was assassinated," she said. Bernice King contested no one should be quiet about injustices, but be swift to hear and slow to speak. "We're not hearing each other right now, because we are too intent on getting our point across. The reality is we have to stay focused on the injustice and realize that that individual is a part of our humanity." WI

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KING from Page 1 ored King at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Northwest with news anchor Sam Ford serving as the MC during a moving tribute in word and song. Meanwhile, Harry E. Johnson, Jr., president and CEO, Friends of the Memorial Foundation, led a candlelight vigil at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Southwest. The program included remarks, prayers and music all honoring King’s legacy. Participants included: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke; the Rev. Dr. Howard John Wesley, Pastor of Alford Street Baptist Church, Alexandria; and The People's Community Baptist Church Men's Choir. The program concluded with a wreath laying at the Monument’s Stone of Hope. On April 3, 1968, shortly after President Johnson announced that he would not run for reelection, King returned to Memphis where he had been working on behalf of striking sanitation workers. But his ideas of nonviolence had been shattered with Blacks fighting among themselves and others preferring violence to make their voices heard. Ironically, in a haunting premonition, King told a crowd, “I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Prom-

ised Land. I’m not fearing any man.” Early the next evening, an assassin’s bullet ended the life of King as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Over the following week, 125 cities in 29 states and the District experienced riots that claimed the lives of 46 people and led to 35,000 injuries. Johnson had this to say about the candlelight vigil for King. “Tonight, we come once again to this hallowed ground not to celebrate but to remember that on this day 49 years ago, the man whom they referred to as the Dreamer gave his life for a cause much greater than he – the cause of Freedom, Justice, Hope, Democracy and Love,” Johnson said. “We’re grateful for the Life and Legacy of Dr. King. We’re grateful to live in a country where justice, hope, democracy and love are the standard bearers for which we live and are governed. We reflect, reminisce and realize that the Dreamer may have died but his dream and passion to help others lives on….in one of us.” “We built this Memorial as a living memorial not only to Dr. King but to everyone who ever believed in the hope that lies in each one of us and our ancestors. It serves as a guiding testament to Dr. King’s courage and optimism and as a reminder of own capacity to manifest integrity.” WI

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SPORTS United Top Philadelphia for Season's 1st Win

3 D.C. United midfielder Luciano Acosta is tackled by Philadelphia Union defender Richie Marquez during D.C.'s 2-1 win at RFK Stadium in Southeast on Saturday, April 1. /Photo by John E. De Freitas NATIONALS from Page 1 the players, the food, it's good times and a good vibe." In the opening ceremony before the game, emceed by sportscaster James Brown, the Baseball Writers Association of America presented Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer with the 2016 National League Cy Young Award and second baseman Daniel Murphy with the Silver Slugger Award. "I think we had a pretty good season last year," Giles said. "They should definitely win at least 90 games and go to the playoffs." Others had even loftier expectations for the team. "I definitely think they will go all the way and win it all," said Harry Williams. "Anything less than that, I'm not accepting and it will be a disappointment." The Nationals gave fans plenty reasons to be hopeful, as staff ace Stephen Strasburg had a superb outing Monday and star outfielder Bryce Harper contributed with a home run. "It's a long 162-game season, but if we can stay healthy we'll make it all the way," Williams said.

The baseball club made changes in the offseason, both to their roster and the all-important fan experience. The first 20,000 fans received a Nationals Magic 8 Ball presented by GEICO. Fans also got a taste of the ballpark's new technological advances, including an app where fans can manage tickets, order concessions for express pickup, access to special promotions and discounts and a upgraded Wi-Fi connection. This year the Nationals will also roll out new programs such as an Easter egg hunt on Sunday, April 16 after the game against the Philadelphia Phillies and a Mother's Day Brunch before the game on Sunday, May 14. In the meantime, fans and players alike rejoiced in a win that set a positive tone for the lengthy season ahead. "Throughout the season you win a lot of games in a lot of different ways, and the good teams find different ways to win," Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman told The Washington Post. "Today a lot of people did a lot of great things to come out with the win." WI

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5 Philadelphia Union midfielder Chris Pontius takes on D.C. United defender Nick DeLeon during D.C.'s 2-1 win at RFK Stadium in Southeast on Saturday, April 1. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

5 Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg can't beat the throw to Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour after

grounding out to third in the third inning of the Nationals' 4-2 Opening Day win at Nationals Park in Southeast on Monday, April 3. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

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SUMMER from Page 1 analysts, advocates, community activists and employment service providers who recommended changes to the specific bills as well as general improvements needed in youth employment services provided by the D.C. government overall. The consensus: Bigger is not always better. "There are lots of innovations in youth employment," said Kisha Bird, director of youth policy at the Center for Law and Social policy. Bird said that regardless of method, the council should think critically about how programs will build capacity in the workforce when they end. The experts agreed a more comprehensive system of targeted programs, rather than just program expansion, would have better outcomes in engaging youth in the job market. Though they approved of the overall aims of the bills, they called for planning that would establish a broad system of inter-related programs for youth in stages of the workforce. The summer employment expansion act seeks to permanently expand the Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) to include 22-24-year-old participants, raise the program’s minimum wage to $8.25 (up from $7.25), and remove the six-week limitation on the employment period for youth placed in supervisory positions. "Both bills under consideration today reflect the commitment of the Bowser administration and the D.C. Council’s commitment to reducing youth unemployment and ensuring meaningful work experience for D.C. youth," said Amy Dudas, a policy analyst with the D.C. Alliance for Youth Advocated (DCAYA). "While DCAYA supports the intent of both bills, we hope that the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES) and the D.C. Council will be receptive to [our] recommendations." Panelists suggested the program be

part of a continuum of progressive and ongoing programming to help youth of all stages of ability and skill, as well integration of work skills such as communication, positive self-concept and higher order thinking into programs. The panel also suggested targeted programs with provisions engaging youth who have been historically disenfranchised from the job market, including those with a criminal history, who have dropped out of school or who are pregnant or parenting teens. "In a 2015 SYEP report, DOES accounted for the connection of this 22- to 24-year-old cohort to supportive services and long-term engagement," Dudas said. The report showed that 844 22to 24-year-olds participated in the program, and after completion 174 returned to school in August and 247 secured employment by December of that year. "Unfortunately, DOES has not released a comparable report for 2016," Dudas said. SYEP expenditures for 2015 and 2016 were $19.3 million and $17.3 million, respectively. D.C. audit findings showed the need for tightening of internal controls for the program. Experts agreed, suggesting the program adopt consistent reporting standards to evaluate outcomes to better determine what network of services will best suit D.C. youth. For example, examining whether removal of the 6-week time limit interferes with more targeted or needed programming taking place beyond the summer. Dudas warned that over-investment in the expansion of SYEP could inhibit the creation of an integrated system of programs that address the full spectrum of needs for disconnected youth. Similar remarks about needing a coordinated and cohesive framework to address youth employment outcomes were made by experts regarding the Safe Way Home Act. The Safe Way Home Act aims to

create grants to fund violence intervention programming in Police Services Areas (PSA) with elevated levels of violent crime, establish a community outreach team to provide additional outreach work to assure safe passage to and from schools and expand the city’s on-the-job training program for adults to serve 1,000 young adults from those areas. Though experts say though they support the bill aims to reduce crime, they suggest the committee assess how the plans relate to a broader system of services that could be targeted to address various aspects violence and youth unemployment. Edwardo Ferrer, policy director at the D.C. Lawyers for Youth, said over the past few decades the juvenile-justice system has heavily relied on reactionary methods of reducing violence and crime such as policing and prosecution, and the bill could help the city shift to the emerging public-health approach, which uses prevention and mitigation. "In the District of Columbia, we are still at the starting line when it comes to fundamentally restructuring our approach on crime by replacing it with a public health strategy," Ferrer said. He said the issue needs "a comprehensive plan, not a piecemeal approach." Committee members said they would consider the recommendations. "It is incredibly important for the District as a whole that our youth, particularly those not in school or working, have access to quality programming to help them succeed in the job market," said at-large Council member and committee chair Elissa Silverman. "This not only benefits these individuals, but our city by boosting our economy and helps our employers meet their business demands. Youth programming has also shown to have other important effects such as reduction in crime." WI

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RELIGION THE RELIGION CORNER

The Griffin Firm, PLLC

Life's Purpose And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28 Ever ride with someone whose driving startled you? This happened to me 37 years ago, and though I cannot explain it fully, the memory lingers on after several decades. Reopened Jan. 30, 2016, with a multimillion-dollar facelift and a nightly extravagant light show, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is a tourist attraction. But in 1983 — and again in 2012 — it was the site of a harrowing experience for me. Allow me to elaborate. Back in 1983, my sorority's Oakland chapter had a rule that on the Friday night of our meeting, we put everything on hold. The mission of Pi Chapter of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority was to enjoy the company of each other as we ate an eloquent dinner. Never was there a meeting when we did not feel special: tables set, freshly pressed linen table cloths, every member at a place setting. Our business meeting began after our lovely dinners. My friend, sorority sister and coworker Jackie Keys invited me to ride with her. Though I had my own car, I agreed. Heading home, while crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge, her car stopped. Here we were, stuck at the top of the Oakland Bay Bridge, 526 feet above the water. We were out of gas! Jackie, remarkably, forgot to look at her gas gauge! At 2 a.m. on a Friday, I was Turning Hearts Church

afraid a drunk driver would hit us from behind. Panicked, I jumped out and stood on the side of the bridge, eyes big. Frightened, I looked over the side to see the water below. It was quite a distance as I watched, transfixed by dancing waves. My life flashed before me, I thought I was about to die. My children — would I see them again? I thought of Mom and Dad, sisters and brothers, grandparents too. A nice man finally stopped to help us; his tow truck directly behind us. He was our protector. Cellphones weren't out yet, so that nice stranger went to buy gas, and soon our nightmare was over! See how God protected us! Fast-forward three decades: I was driving my godsister Jackie Williams' car across the same Bay Bridge, this time heading to the funeral of Dr. Willie B. Kennedy, former national president of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc., and supervisor for the city and county of San Francisco (Notice how the name Jackie was involved in both incidents). Because I didn't understand Jackie's BMW gas gauge, I, too, ran out of gas. It never dawned on me that the same thing would happen to me. Blessed that we were going downhill this time, I simply moved to the slow lane, put the car in neutral, turned on my blinkers and rolled right into a park in San Francisco! Years later, I ponder these two nightmare experiences. Though I may not fully understand why I had these memorable experiences with the Bay Bridge, it was truly an eye-opener, one to ponder.

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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 Today, I'm living my purpose, and I do understand that scripture, Romans 8:28: I'm one of His called. More details to come! Lyndia Grant is the host of "Think on These Things," a radio talk show on WYCB (1340 AM), Fridays at 6 p.m. Contact her at 202-518-3192 or via email at lyndiagrant@gmail.com. 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

36 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church

All Nations Baptist Church

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

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

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

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

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

Zion Baptist Church

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

Israel Baptist Church

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

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

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

“Where Jesus is the King”

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of " Joy Apostolic Faith

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Matthews

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

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Dr. Diane Dixon Proctor Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

MemorialRev. Joan E. Buchanan

Executive Pastor

Baptist Church

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

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

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

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

Christ Embassy DC

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

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

Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study

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

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

Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Matthews Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church

New Commandment Baptist Church

Rehoboth Baptist Church

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

Salem Baptist Church

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

Peace Baptist Church

Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00am

“Empowered to Love and Challenged

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell

to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

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

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

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

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

Shiloh Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Maxwell M. Washington Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

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

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.

APRIL 6 - 12, 2017 37

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2017 ADM 251 Azaiee Gary Cook Decedent Cheryl Chapman Henderson, Esq. 4920 Niagara Road, Suite 200 College Park MD 20740 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Richard E. Cook, Jr., whose address is 12915 Corinthian Court, Hughesville, MD 20637, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Azaiee Gary Cook who died on October 30, 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 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 September 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: March 23, 2017 Richard E. Cook, Jr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2017 ADM 272 Patricia A. Marshall Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Shelly Smith, whose address is 4502 Grazing Way, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Patricia A. Marshall who died on February 12, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 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 September 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: March 23, 2017 Shelly Smith Personal Representative

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

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

Administration No. 2017 ADM 287

Administration No. 2017 ADM 277

Administration No. 2017 ADM 281

Winston Ogden Rollins Decedent

Bobby C. Johnson Decedent

Saint Matthew Genius Decedent

Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney

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

Joseph Rollins, whose address is 6901 Sycamore Avenue, Tacoma Park, MD 20912, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Winston Ogden Rollins who died on January 24, 2017 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 30, 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 30, 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.

Doris E. Johnson, whose address is 5156 Seventh Street, NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bobby C. Johnson who died on February 9, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 30, 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 30, 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 30, 2017

TRUE TEST COPY

Joseph Rollins Personal Representative

Doris E. Johnson Personal Representative

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Shermain Genius, whose address is 1626 Monroe Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Saint Matthew Genius who died on September 30, 1990 without a Will. 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 30, 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 30, 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 30, 2017 Shermain Genius Personal Representative

Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

LEGAL NOTICES

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

Administration No. 2015 ADM 001332

Foreign No. 2017 FEP 28

Administration No. 2017 ADM 252

Administration Number 2017 ADM 366

Administration No. 2016 ADM 1063

Estate of Alberta C. Colson aka Alberta Colson Deceased

Thelma O. Jenkins Decedent

Patsy Coates aka Patsy N. Coates Decedent

July 26, 2016 Date of Death

Carolyn V. Cones aka Carolyn Virginia Cones Decedent

Elizabeth Hughes, Esq. 110 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 340 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

Luzmila Cofre Clark Name of Decedent

James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Mary A. Lewis, whose address is 116 33rd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Patsy Coates aka Patsy N. Coates who died on October 30, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 30, 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 30, 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 30, 2017 Mary A. Lewis Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

38 APRIL 6 - 12, 2017

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Reed & Reed PC whose address is P.O. Box 766, Luray, VA 22835 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Luzmila Cofre Clark, deceased, by the Circuit Court for Page County, State of Virginia, on January 13, 2017. Service of process may be made upon Peter D. Antonoplos, Esq. of Antonoplos & Associates, Attorneys at Law, 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Ste. 600, Washington, DC 20036 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 2141 I Street, NW, Unit 605, Washington, DC 20037 Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

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

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Brett E. Cohen and LARCO Property Investment, LLC 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.

Jacqueline Jones Moore 7605 14th St., NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jan C. Jenkins, whose address is 234 34th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Thelma O. Jenkins who died on June 5, 2016 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (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 October 6, 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 October 6, 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.

Reed & Reed, P.C. Personal Representative

Ethel M. Vire and Frances L. Anthony, whose addresses are 5626 Kansas Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20011 and 835 5th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Carolyn V. Cones aka Carolyn Virginia Cones who died on February 26, 2017 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 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 September 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.

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Date of first publication: March 23, 2017

Washington Informer

Ethel M. Vire Frances L. Anthony Personal Representatives

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Date of first publication: March 30, 2017

Anne Meister Register of Wills

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Admit to probate the will date November 1999 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of witnesses or otherwise 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: April 6, 2017 Brett E. Cohen 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1430 Bethesda, MD 20814-7047 Personal Representative: TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Date of first publication: April 6, 2017 Jan C. Jenkins Personal Representative

Washington Informer

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2017 ADM 305 Frank Lynn aka Franklyn Lynn Decedent Murray D. Scheel Whitman-Walker Legal Services 1701 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Aaron Bennett, whose address is 6400 Coleton Ct., Capitol Heights, MD 20743, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Frank Lynn aka Franklyn Lynn who died on June 22, 1996 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 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 October 6, 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 October 6, 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: April 6, 2017 Aaron Bennett 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

LEGAL NOTICES STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE FAMILY COURT OF THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF LEXINGTON DOCKET NO.: 2017-DR-32- 317X Notice of Adoption ProceedingS TO THE DEFENDANT: JOHN DOE, BIRTH FATHER YOU ARE HEREBY GIVEN THE FOLLOWING NOTICE:

2. That the Plaintiffs in the above captioned Notice are not named for the purpose of confidentiality; however, the Court knows the true identity of the Plaintiffs and in responding to this notice, you are required to use the caption and the number 2017-DR-32- 317X.

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3. That if Notice to Contest, Intervene or otherwise Respond is filed by you with the Court within thirty (30) days of the receipt of this Notice of Adoption Proceedings, you will be given an opportunity to appear and be heard on the merits of the adoption. To file notice to Contest, Intervene or otherwise Respond in this action, you must notify the above named Court at Lexington County Courthouse, Clerk of Court at 139 East Main Street, Lexington, South Carolina 29072, in writing of your intention to Contest, Intervene or otherwise Respond. The above named Court must be informed of your current address and any changes of your address during the adoption proceedings.

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This notice is given pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. Section 63-9-730 (E). Raymond W. Godwin, Esq. (SC Bar #2162) PO Box 354 Greenville, SC 29602 PH (864) 241-2883 FAX: (864) 255-4342 ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFFS Date: March 2, 2017

Katie McKelvin Decedent

Charlene McKelvin and Betty Baucum, whose addresses are 1901 Colette Terr., District heights, MD 20747 and 7523 Catone Court, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Katie McKelvin who died on January 28, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 6, 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 October 6, 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: April 6, 2017 Charlene McKelvin Betty Baucum Personal Representatives

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1. That an adoption proceeding was filed in the Family Court of Lexington County on February 10, 2017, and in this Complaint you are alleged to be the father of an AfricanAmerican female child born in Cheverly, Maryland, on December 1, 2016.

Administration No. 2017 ADM 213

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4. That your failure to respond within thirty (30) days of receipt of this Notice of Adoption Proceedings constitutes your consent to the adoption and forfeiture of all of your rights and obligations to the above identified child. It is further alleged that your consent to this adoption is not required under S.C. Code Ann. Section 63-9-310 and that your parental rights should be terminated pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. Section 63-7-2570 (7).

rburke@washingtoninformer.com

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Chaudhary of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The environmental group, joined by the ACLU of Michigan sued Flint and Michigan on behalf of residents. Flint's water was tainted with lead for at least 18 months. While under the control of state-appointed financial managers, the city tapped the Flint River as its water source while a new pipeline was being built to Lake Huron.

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Under the new agreement, pipes serving 18,000 homes will be replaced by January 2020. U.S. District Judge David Lawson in Detroit, who approved the settlement, called it "fair, adequate, reasonable, consistent with the public interest." There will be tests for lead in the Flint system every six months until one year after the replacement of water lines. An independent monitor also will check household water samples for lead. The state will pay $895,000 in legal fees and expenses to lawyers representing residents. Youth academies could help Flint assemble and educate local residents to rebuild the water supply. African-American Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit) has proposed creating a multibillion-dollar fund to pay for repairing water infrastructure around the country. The challenge is to replace the corroded pipes or perhaps the whole water system in this city of 100,000 as quickly as it can be done. The cost may reach $1 billion or more, but that cannot stand in the way of moving forward to make the city fit for habitation. A safe water supply has always been critical to civilization. In modern society, when we turn on a faucet, we expect safe drinking water to flow out. That is no longer the case in Flint, where the water crisis has turned back the clock to a time when people traveled to central water sources to fill their buckets and carry the water home. In a perfect world, it would be a color-blind society, but that is simply not reality. To claim otherwise willfully disregards the fact that race has always mattered in American society. But this generation of Black Americans can't get with any concept, plan or theory that puts blacks and our interests first and foremost. Political allegiances have spawn black critics of race-conscious remedies charging that it promotes racial polarization, reinforces stereotypes and confers special status on minorities. Nevertheless, the government needs to pay attention to the needs of previously ignored communities. WI

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MARIJUANA from Page 12 easiest solution to clashes between state and federal authorities over marijuana laws. Marijuana reform advocates have long called for Congress to officially take marijuana off the list of "Schedule 1" substances. On Monday, April 24, one such advocate, DCMJ, is planning a mass civil disobedience at 4:20 p.m. on the east side of the U.S. Capitol. This local pro-cannabis organization initially proposed Initiative 71 that decriminalized possession and smalltime pot growth. Regardless of medicinal or harmless recreational benefits, most District voters seem more excited about the decrease in heavy policing and disproportionate arrests. African-Americans were eight times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites in D.C. In 2016, there were only seven marijuana-related arrests, down over 99 percent from 2015. WI

REIGN from Page 21 which will allow us to better support our students as we work to close the achievement gap." DCPS held listening sessions with more than 100 girls of color to hear directly from students on how schools could better support them. They said students responses included: "I would like a space to talk about things like feelings [and] learn about each other, how to work in groups, talk about your day, and get rid of stress," and "we need to learn to build our confidence." Bowser mentioned the program in her 2017 State of the District Address as part of the six things her administration has done to protect the city's youth. "We remind our young girls and boys that we understand how tough growing up can be — the challenges they face are tougher than even what most of us experienced when we were their age," Bowser said. "They should know that there are adults who care, and that we all want them to succeed." Claudia Luján, director of Reign, said young women of color at DCPS helped created the program by voicing what supports would help them thrive academically and socio-emotionally. "In the hundreds of students we spoke with, we heard that young women of color wanted support in leadership, health and wellness, and identity, so that's what we are seeding for them," she said. WI

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RICHMOND from Page 24

has enough integrity to apologize when he is wrong. But his shilly-shallying testimony suggests that he doesn't have many opinions of his own, only Trump's. He doesn't have a problem with the 45th president's plans to shrink the Labor Department and he might support elimination of the Women's Bureau. Acosta is bad news wrapped up in a slick package. His confirmation is a blow to working people. WI

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JACKSON from Page 24 relieving companies of covering older workers who have the highest health care bills. That would provide companies with massive savings and older workers with immense relief. It could be easily paid for by progressive taxes on the wealthiest Americans or a financial speculation tax to limit destabilizing computer-based nanosecond stock trading. Democrats have celebrated Trump’s embarrassment. But they too have a

MALVEAUX from Page 24 place violations couldn't get federal contracts. They would prefer that contractors who exploit and endanger their workers be allowed to bid on federal contracts without fixing their deficiencies. They want to reward contractors who exploit and endanger their workers. Acosta doesn't have the baggage that restaurant executive Andrew Puzderdid. 45's first nominee for Secretary of Labor was such a hot mess that he withdrew from consideration. Acosta is a lifelong public servant and now dean of Florida International University's law school, and chairman of the board of the US Century Bank. He has been confirmed by the Senate for other positions, including the National Labor Relations Board and assistant U.S. attorney, and he is likely to be confirmed this time around. Despite the fact that Acosta will be only the first Hispanic on the Trump cabinet, and the fact that his background — Harvard undergraduate and law degrees — seems impeccable, he is likely to be nothing but a disappointment for workers. Not only will he likely do less for overtime than President Obama required, but he will likely also limit rules that limit worker exposure to cancer-causing substances, and require financial advisors to work in the best interest of their clients. Essentially, he has indicated he will follow 45's lead, and Trump is no-

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fulfilling his campaign promise. Tasting defeat is not the test of leadership. All leaders experience defeat sometime. The question is how they react. True leaders pick themselves up, learn from the experience and move forward. Trump could turn the lemons that the Republican caucus delivered him into lemonade. But only if he seeks to fulfill his campaign pledge by reaching out to Democrats and forging a new majority to make health care a right in this country. WI

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stake in reform. They need to do more than simply defend the current system. They need to reach out to Trump and explore if smart reforms are possible with a new bipartisan coalition. Trump could and should break with the right-wing Freedom Caucus Republicans who led the assault against him. They want to repeal the ACA without replacing it. They are out of step with the vast majority of Americans. Instead, Trump could forge a bipartisan coalition to drive real reforms that would move us much closer to

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Judge Gorsuch's record in each of these areas raises concerns. His commitment to "originalism" also raises concerns. The Constitution is a living and breathing document that is meant to evolve with our society and it should be interpreted as such. As the Senate evaluates Judge Gorsuch's judicial record, it is imperative that senators focus on consistency. Judge Gorsuch has consistently used the bench to protect corporations, and limit the rights of minorities, women, and workers. Consequently, the Congressional Black Caucus opposes his nomination and urges the Senate to do the same. WI

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Gorsuch ruled that "showing up" for work is an essential job function and that the Rehabilitation Act should not be used as a safety net for employees who cannot work. This case focused on a professor employed by Kansas State University who was diagnosed with cancer and, after treatments that weakened her immune system, requested an extension due to a flu outbreak on the campus. Judge Gorsuch denied her request and sided with the university, compromising her health and recovery. He has a similar record when it

comes to reproductive rights. In two cases, he sided with companies that wanted to deny women reproductive health care. The judicial branch has the power to interpret the laws of the land, and thus, impacts every American's way of life. This is especially true for the highest court in the land. Because of the decisions rendered by the Supreme Court, African-Americans have been granted the opportunity to attend the school of their choice, women have been granted reproductive health rights, and workers have been granted safety and security from exploitative labor practices.

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37th and 45th presidents are hauntingly similar. "Like Trump, Nixon was a monomaniac on the stump, obsessed with enemies lurking within," Senior writes. "Nixon too has a penchant for sowing mayhem and a gourmand's appetite for revenge, especially in the wee hours of the morning. Trump tweets, Nixon made phone calls." Members of Nixon's inner circle feared for the president's mental and emotional stability. The book describes a scene when then-Vice President Nixon flew into a rage after taking questions from a group of hostile journalism students. An aide said to him, "What scares the hell out of me

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er proposed $1.1 billion in cuts: Choice Neighborhoods and the HOME Investment partnerships program. The Choice Neighborhoods program provides funding and technical assistance to support local community efforts to improve struggling neighborhoods dotted with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing. Like CDBG, eligibility is formula-based and requires a formal revitalization strategy or Transformational Plan. In December, HUD announced that from 34 competitive applications, five cities were selected to receive grants totaling $132 million: Boston, Camden, Denver, Louisville and St. Louis. An estimated 1,853 units of severely distressed public housing will be replaced by nearly 3,700 new, mixed-income, mixed-use housing units as part of an overall effort to revitalize neighborhoods For every $1 in Choice Neighborhoods funding, awardees and their partners typically leverage for their projects an additional $5 in public and private funding. To-

chased a full-page ad in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, touting their star. And she did not disappoint. With time running out in overtime, William made what may be remembered as the greatest buzzer-beater in women's basketball history. Her 10-foot shot not only gave MSU a 66-64 victory, it avenged a 60-point whipping by UConn in last year's NCAA tournament and, more dramatically, it broke the school's 111-game-winning streak, the longest in NCAA women's history. "Racial nirvana." The Mississippi legislature may reinstate the

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is that you would blow sky high over a thing as inconsequential as this. What in goddamn would you do if you were president and get into a really bad situation?" In addition to their mutual disdain for the press, there are other similarities between Presidents Nixon and Trump. During the 1968 presidential campaign, Nixon opened up a back channel to the president of South Vietnam, assuring him he'd get further backing if he just held out for a Nixon presidency and rejected Lyndon Johnson's offer for a peace settlement. Last fall, disgraced former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn held private talks with the Russians that appear to have promised a friendlier White House, if they

could be patient for a Trump presidency. So Donald J. Trump and Sean Spicer are now in the White House. Almost from day one, rumors have been circulating on whether Sean will survive. I have never met Sean but he, despite our political differences, appears to be a decent person and is an accomplished media professional. Unfortunately, he is in the untenable position of being the spokesperson for a president who believes that any objective criticism of him is "fake news." No president in a democracy can survive by making the press the enemy. Sean, who loses credibility every time he approaches the podium, must know this. But does President Trump? WI

gether, the five cities are expected to leverage $636 million through other public/private sources and expect to stimulate another $3.3 billion indirectly to magnify their impact. The HOME Investment Partnerships program focuses exclusively on creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income families. Until now, it has also been the single largest block grant dedicated to expanding this housing sector. Formula grants for states and local communities are often awarded in partnership with local nonprofit organizations to build, buy, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for either rent or homeownership. For the nation's 1.2 million families who live in public housing, the proposed budget blueprint will take $1.3 million from facility improvements and another $600 million in operational costs. These and other severe funding cuts proposed are the exact opposite of what Dr. Carson testified to during his confirmation hearings. On Jan. 12, before the Senate's Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, he said, "[I]t's difficult for a child to learn at school if he or she doesn't have an adequate

place to live. In these situations, government can and should help. However, I believe we need to ensure that the help we provide families is efficient and effective." By his own admission, Secretary Carson has never worked in government before. Now as the head of a key cabinet agency, he and his senior staff would be well-served by learning which programs work well and should be preserved from heavy-handed budget cuts. Since World War II, FHAbacked mortgage loans have provided funding for millions of Americans. With down payments as low as 3.5 percent, families who cannot afford a large down payment for a conventional loan, can make that important transition from renter to homeowner. In recent years, FHAbacked loans are the most used by black and Latino consumers. HUD's history of service has many more examples of how modest public investments have and can continue to leverage larger private funds. The programs that fostered this success deserve to be supported and funded at levels that will continue to benefit the nation. WI

electric chair or the firing squad before this legislative session is over, but folks in the state capital sure know how to celebrate a thrilling athletic conquest which makes us all proud. Before President Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy" punished Democrats in the South for President Lyndon Johnson's steadfast support for civil rights legislation, Democrats had been the segregationists. They were nicknamed "Dixie-crats." Whites were the only folks permitted to vote in those days, and the Democratic politicians fed them six "truths": 1) The federal government's a threat. 2) Federal courts don't understand the Constitu-

tion. 3) Taxes are bad. 4) Unions need to be eliminated. 5) You have a lousy hospital, but 6) at least you're White. The "Trump Revolution" is about reestablishing that "natural order" of things where white folks are in charge — right or wrong, win or lose — and everyone else can contribute to the team as long as they don't rock the boat. What's new in Mississippi, is that many opportunities have opened up for black folks to now compete for slots on the company team, while the management and ownership remain firmly under white control. WI

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MARCH 15 – APRIL 16, 2017

Events DC Cherry Blast!

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 | 7 PM – MIDNIGHT Dock 5 at Union Market 1309 5th Street, NE Immerse yourself in DC’s vibrant Tokyo night market as Dock 5 at Union Market is transformed into a busy streetscape that highlights Japan’s dynamic culture and ambiance. Experiences include a Night Market curated by acclaimed Chef Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto, a music stage, an interactive art showcase of works by DC-based artists, a fashion element, eSports Lounge, and more!

Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival Presented by Harris Teeter SATURDAY, APRIL 15 | 2 – 9:30 PM FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR | 8:30 PM Southwest Waterfront & Titanic Memorial Park 650 Water Street, SW Beginning at 2 PM at The Wharf, join us for free live music, a beer garden, food trucks, family friendly hands-on activities, corn hole, and more. Finish off the night with a dazzling fireworks display at 8:30 PM along the Southwest Waterfront, with the best views at Waterfront Park. Pre-fireworks programming begins in Waterfront Park at 6 PM. SUPPORTED BY: THE WHARF Additional Supporters: Odyssey & Spirit Cruises, Kirin Brewery, Strongbow, & The Color Run; Media Partners: WETA TV 26 & HOT 99.5

Visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org for more details and a full schedule of events. Leadership Circle Take Metrobus & Metrorail

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877.44.BLOOM (442.5666) nationalcherryblossomfestival.org