A1 www.afro.com December 3, 2016 - December 3, 2016, The Afro-American $2.00 $1.00
Volume Volume 125 123 No. No.18 20–22
DECEMBER 3, 2016 - DECEMBER 9, 2016
Inside
Baltimore
• Alicia Wilson: A Port Covington Force
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Jumping Up and Down about Issac Ryan Brown
#OurPresident
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Commentary
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Testament to Fidel Castro By Gwen McKinney
President Barack Obama meets with the 2016 American Nobel Prize winners in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Nov. 30. With Obama are from left, Oliver Hart, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, from Harvard University, F. Duncan M. Haldane, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics from Princeton University, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry from Northwestern University, and J. Michael Kosterlitz, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics, from Brown University.
By Charles D. Ellison Special to the AFRO
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Among the many unclear policy messages emanating from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition effort, none has met as much guarded optimism as the plan to boost federal infrastructure investments. Similar to the “stimulus” policy chiseled in President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (an $831 billion package roundly
N.C. Police Shooting
afro.com
Your History • Your Community • Your News
Prosecutor Clears Black Officer in Keith Scott’s Death By Jeffrey Collins and Tom Foreman Jr., The Associated Press
Listen to Afro’s “First Edition” Join Host Sean Yoes Monday-Friday 5-7 p.m. on 88.9 WEAA FM, the Voice of the Community. 11
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• Marion Barry’s
Legacy Honored
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rejected by Republicans), this $1 trillion infrastructure enhancement is being touted as a “first-priority” centerpiece for the incoming Trump administration. Looking to revive the economy through revitalized bridges, roads, and airports, Trump seeks to align with Congressional Republicans
on a common ground issue. The infrastructure plan is unlikely to be contested as several Democrats seem to be on board with new infrastructure investments. Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) is signaling it’s an area of shared interest. There are currently no
specifics. Congressional aides expect wrangling over infrastructure dollars to commence as soon as Trump is sworn in, with some observers wondering how the new administration can progress on it while being potentially embroiled in a battle over making changes to
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AFRO Archives
Pearl Harbor
Navy Cross Awarded to Dorie Miller
By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com
May 16, 1942
WASHINGTON
A prosecutor on Nov. 30 cleared a Black Charlotte police officer in the killing of a Black man whose death touched off civil unrest, and he presented detailed evidence to rebut assertions that the slain man was unarmed. Officer Brentley Vinson was justified in opening fire on Keith Scott and won’t face charges, CharlotteMecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray said. In a 40-minute news presentation to news reporters, Murray produced evidence that Keith Scott was armed with a handgun and the officer who killed him feared Scott would shoot. Continued on A3
Tony Yarber, mayor of Jackson, Miss., says that he isn’t sure if President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed infrastructure investments will benefit Blacks.
Push Resumes for Obama to Grant Clemency to Prisoners
Dorie Miller, a Black hero who after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 1941 carried several Navy comrades to safety and then manned a machine gun against the Japanese, was awarded a Navy Cross for his efforts. There is a current campaign to have President Obama award him the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.
The Navy Department announced Monday that President Roosevelt has awarded the Navy Cross to Dorie Miller, mess attendant, “for his distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety” during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Miller, a native Texan, with no opportunity for technical training in the navy, nevertheless manned a machine gun
Courtesy photo
How Will Blacks Fare in Trump’s Infrastructure Investment Plan?
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Washington
during the attack on December 7 until his wounded commander ordered him to abandon the bridge of their stricken ship. Rating Advanced On April 1, Secretary of the Navy Knox commended the young hero in a letter and Miller who last week was in Continued on A4
President Barack Obama has reportedly used his clemency power more than any other U.S, president, since Woodrow Wilson – commuting more than 900 sentences. Still, as his administration enters a “midnight period” (a phase between November 21 and January 20 when executive branch legislation can be made without going through Congress) prominent Continued on A4
Blood Clots Impact Black Women in Record Numbers By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com Tracy March, by all accounts, was in perfect health. A single mother of a college student, March was described as the life of the party, the point person for office volunteer activities, and a
“The first symptoms can be sudden death or collapse.”
– Gary Raskob
dedicated mother and employee. But like thousands of Americans each year, March fell victim recently to a blood
Copyright © 2016 by the Afro-American Company
clot, which traveled to her lungs and burst, killing her almost instantly. While friends, family, and colleagues remain baffled by the sudden loss, they are steadfastly advocating blood clot awareness among District residents. “Soreness in one of her legs was the only symptom she had until she became Continued on A3