May 16, 2015 - May 16, 2015, The Washington/PG Afro-American A1 www.afro.com $1.00 $1.00
Volume Volume 123 123 No. No. 41 20–22
MAY 16, 2015 - MAY 22, 2015
Obama Talks Implications of Poverty at Georgetown University Summit By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO President Barack Obama recently joined Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia, Harvard public policy professor Robert
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Putnum, and president of the American Enterprise Institute Arthur Brooks in an unprecedented discussion on issues surrounding the nation’s growing economic gap. The Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty addressed key concerns in combatting poverty, including stereotypes, the diminished influence of community standards, and the weighing down of political dialogues with Gilded Age beliefs about the deserving poor. Obama acknowledged that the nation had reached this dialogue about poverty “in part because of what happened in Baltimore and Ferguson,” and a growing awareness of inequality in the U.S. Citing Williams Julius
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Wilson’s “The Truly Disadvantaged,” Obama said that the best antipoverty program is a job that conferred income, as well as structure, dignity and connections to community. Without access to outside resources or a sense of connectivity, those who grow to middle-class status, leave. “This was happening decades ago, but it was happening to Black people. What has changed is that those biases and restrictions on who has access to resources and to poverty – like the firefighter job or the blue-collar job that got you to the suburbs that were closed to a big chunk of the minority populations in this country for decades – have now accelerated and spread to the broader community.” Continued on A3
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Ursula M. Burns, chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation, delivered the 2015 keynote commencement address to Howard University students, faculty, staff and guests. Sharing insights from her groundbreaking career, Burns highlighted education as the key to her success as the first African-American female CEO to head a Fortune 500 company.
By Kamau High Special to the AFRO
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Lisa Robinson, vice president, Vanguard Justice Society; Ken Butler, president, Vanguard Justice Society; Louis Hopson Jr., vice chair, Vanguard Justice Society; Barbara Jackson, community organizer; Ivan Bates, Tony Garcia, Bates & Garcia.
Noting the changing landscape of America and opportunities for young AfricanAmericans, Burns urged the 2015 graduating class to use their education to pursue their dreams, lead, and make a difference in their communities. “All of you will immerse yourselves in a world full of opportunity and challenge. Continued on A3
The Vanguard Justice Society voiced its support for Sgt. Alicia D. White, who was charged earlier this month with manslaughter and second degree assault, as well as misconduct in office, and faces 20 years in prison in the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. She was charged along with five other officers. The non-profit group that advocates for minority police officers in Baltimore did just that on Sgt. White’s behalf at a May 13 press conference at Baltimore Community College. “The purpose of this press conference is to express our full support in reference to the officers that have recently been charged and one officer in particular, a Vanguard member, Sgt. Alicia White,” said Ken Butler, Vanguard president. Sgt. White, according to Mr. Butler,
was recruited into Vanguard out of the police academy and was mentored by the organization. In addition to Vanguard members, Barbara Jackson, a community organizer, spoke of Sgt. White’s Christian faith and volunteer work. Two of her lawyers, Ivan Bates and Tony Garcia, of Bates & Garcia, also addressed the assembled media. Bates began by pointing out that according to State’s Attorney General Marilyn Mosby, Sgt. White had about 15 seconds of interaction with Freddie Gray and that Sgt. White never actually touched him. Garcia also noted that Sgt. White was born and raised in Baltimore city as well as went to high school in Baltimore. “Alicia White is your sister, she’s your cousin, she’s your friend, she’s your neighbor,” Garcia said. “She is Baltimore city.” The law firm of Bates & Garcia is known for suing the Baltimore Police Department Continued on A4
Police Reform Unfolding Slowly Bowser Vows Contracting Fairness for Black Businesses By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent
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Xerox CEO and Chairman Encouraged Howard’s 2,400 Grads to Build a Better Tomorrow
Black Cop Group Comes Out For Officer Charged in Freddie Gray Case
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Morgan Freeman beams as he receives his honorary degree.
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The death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the successive deaths of unarmed Blacks at the hands of police and trigger-happy civilians have pricked the American conscience and made criminal justice reform the current cause célèbre. Despite clamoring calls for reform and recommendations from government agencies and civil rights organizations, however, real change – so far – has been negligible, advocates say. “We’re seeing some movement to address these concerns but they are not going far enough,” said Hilary Shelton, the NAACP’s Washington Bureau director and senior vice president for advocacy and policy. He added, “Until we hear about local police departments and city councils
moving to create more effective policy around policing then we’re still missing the point.” Tanya Clay House, public policy director for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said it is difficult to “directly identify” which police departments are really implementing changes and that reform efforts are mostly at the review stage. “I think we’re still trying to figure out how to effectively guide agencies how to implement these guidelines,” she said. She added, “In some places you need to have a change in the charter for police agencies” and other legislative changes and “that could be a hold-up.” Most of the movement seems to be occurring around outfitting police officers with body-worn cameras, Continued on A4
By James Wright Special to the AFRO The mayor of the District said that she understands the difficulty that Black businesses have getting contracts with the D.C. government and is working to remedy that. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced the city’s new chief procurement officer for the Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP), George Shutter, on May 8. The mayor said that Shutter understands the need for businesses of any size and composition in the District to have a sense that they will have a fair shot at contracting with the city. “I pledge to you that our administration will have open and transparent practices in Continued on A3
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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has a new chief procurement officer.
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