Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper March 15 2014

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Volume 122 No. 32

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March 15, 2014 - March 15, 2014, The Afro-American

MARCH 15, 2014 - MARCH 21, 2014

Eastern Shore Campuses Could be Exhibit One in ‘Coalition Case’ Against the State of Maryland

By Dianna Rodgers-Ford Special to the AFRO

By Avis Thomas-Lester and Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writers

Alumni and friends of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore recently gathered on the Princess Anne campus for the annual homecoming festivities.

During the week, many of us commuted from our hotels in Salisbury, passing by Salisbury University as many as several times a day. We could not help but notice the

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Rev. ‘Doug’ Sands Celebrates 80th Birthday

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tremendous contrast between the level of investment the state has made in that campus compared to the meager resources invested in our alma mater. It leaves no question why a Federal judge recently ruled that Maryland continues to operate a segregated system of higher education in violation of the U.S. constitution.

Properties which once housed private residences, a medical center, a corporate plant and apple and peach orchards, are now the sites of

Salisbury University’s beautiful classroom buildings, administrative office buildings, a university sponsored retail center, an athletic complex and a sprawling complex of student housing. It is at an illustration of how well Maryland has supported the Salisbury campus and how poorly the state has supported UMES. We were stunned to hear that, for the period of 2005 to 2010 alone, the state invested $113 million in facilities at Continued on A3

News that an Academy Award-nominated Black child actress is starring in an upcoming film version of the musical Annie sent opponents of her casting over the edge on Twitter recently.

On March 9, Twitter was abuzz about Quvenzhané Wallis, 10, who will play the orphan Annie in an upcoming movie produced by Jay Z and Will Smith. Besides Quvenzhané, the film stars Academy Award winning actor Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks, a wealthy politician, and Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan.

Smith initiated the process to make the film in 2011 as a project for his actress daughter, Willow. Co-producer Jay Z’s best-selling album, Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life, included the song “Hard Knock Life Ghetto Anthem,” which sampled the song,“The Hard Knock Life,” from the original Annie soundtrack.

Quvenzhané, who hails from Louisiana, became the youngest actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress when she was tapped for her performance as Hushpuppy in Beast of the Southern Wild in 2012. She also drew acclaim for her performance in 12 Years a Slave, this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner and has won a host of awards for her work.

However, that is not the focus of much

Actress Quvenzhané Wallis has been the target of numerous racist comments for her role as the new Annie.

Her casting received raves from some, criticism from others and rants from racists who spewed anonymous venom at the child on the Internet. of the Twitterverse chatter. After a trailer was released recently offering a brief snippet of Quvenzhané in the title role, her casting received raves from some, criticism from others and rants from racists who spewed Continued on A3

For Only Second Time in Its History

Balto County Fire Dept. Promotes Black Woman to Lieutenant

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO Veteran firefighter Terri Reid has ambitions to reach the highest levels of the Baltimore County Fire Department. She took a significant step toward that goal March 11 when she was recognized for her promotion to lieutenant.

At a ceremony at Goucher College’s Kraushaar Auditorium in Towson, Reid, who has been on the department for 11 years, received her promotion to EMS lieutenant—only the second time a Black woman has risen to the position since the department started in 1882.

“My ultimate goal is to continue to climb up the ladder in Baltimore

County and to make a difference, to have people come behind me,” Reid told the AFRO after the ceremony. “I don’t want to be the second AfricanAmerican female firefighter alone. I’d like for other minorities…[to] promote into our department.”

Lt. James Artis, who founded the Guardian Knights—a Black Continued on A3

Veteran firefighter Terry Reid is the second Black woman to become Lieutenant in the fire department’s history.

Town Hall Addresses FaithBased Medical Partnership

AFRO - Murphy Unsung Award

The National Medical Association (NMA), the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing African-American physicians, hosted its 16th National Colloquium on African-American Health March 8 - 11, at the Marriott Metro Center Hotel in Washington, D.C. More than 160 local and out-of-state medical, civic, and religious leaders attended both sessions.

The panelists featured the Rev. Staccato Powell, pastor of Grace AME Zion Church in North Carolina; the Rev. Dr. Morris L. Shearin Sr., pastor of Israel Baptist Church in D.C.; Etoy Ridgnal, director of African American Engagement and Faith Based Initiatives for Enroll America; and Dr. Alice T. Chen, executive director of Doctors for America. The moderator was Diversity Advisory Council chairperson Dr. Pamela Freeman Fobbs, of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Auxiliary to the National Medical Association in Fresno, Calif.

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By Roz Hamlett Special to the AFRO

By Maria Adebola Special to the AFRO

Photo by Maria Adebola

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Black ‘Annie’ Ignites Racist Fire

Panelists included the Rev. Staccato Powell, pastor of Grace AME Zion Church.

“I think that as healthcare moves from a system based on value to a system based on quality and an outcome, collaboration becomes important.”

– Lawrence Sanders

Lt. Col. Melvin Russell: A Crime Fighting Success

And there he stood at the podium as what now seems, in retrospect, like a kind of crime-fighting superhero, a When the news about the prophecy supernatural spirit in full dress uniform was fully revealed, and a .40 caliber the roll call room at Glock dangling at his the Baltimore Police side: Department’s Eastern His name was District station Major Melvin Russell. momentarily became The meeting was eerily quiet. As the a joint gathering emotional impact of of clergy and law the experience was enforcement, who slowly absorbed would later become throughout the room, members of Russell’s the Baltimore faith “Transformation leaders and law Team.” They had enforcement officers assembled to address attending that meeting the pressing issue in early October 2008 of crime in East were astonished, and Baltimore. That even awestruck. evening, holding high Photo courtesy BCPD That’s because an eight-point plan Russell at a 2013 months earlier, several in his hand, Russell conference. of them had already laid out his vision for heard that a man of God was coming transforming the bleakest outpost of with a clear plan to reduce crime in bloodshed and gun-related violence in Baltimore and forever change the lives the entire city into a place of light. of many Baltimoreans.

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NATION & WORLD Black Women More Likely to Die from Breast Cancer

While White women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, Black women are more likely to die from it, according to a new report which found large and growing disparities in breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S. and many of its largest cities over the last two decades.

The 2014 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study, conducted by Sinai Urban Health Institute and the Avon Foundation for Women and published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, is the largest study of its kind and the first to examine racial disparities in breast cancer mortality in 50 U.S. cities between 1990 and 2009.

Of of the 41 cities that provided data, 39 had a disparity and 35 saw a widening gap in mortality rates over the 20-year period, the report stated.

The U.S. cities with the largest disparity between Black and White breast cancer mortality rates were, by highest rank: Memphis, Tenn.; Los Angeles; Wichita, Kan.; Houston; Boston; Denver; Chicago; Phoenix; Dallas and Indianapolis.

New York has the smallest disparity of the 50 largest cities analyzed, followed by Baltimore.

“The fact that the disparity grew in so many cities is startling and alarming…. It showed us the problem was bigger than we thought,” Dr. Marc Hulbert, executive director of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade and an author of the study, told the AFRO. African-American women tend to be disproportionately diagnosed with triple-negative and aggressive cancers, Hurlbert said, but “those aggressive cancers alone cannot explain the variability.”

The study found that overall, breast cancer death rates decreased over the past two decades. However, the White death rate decreased twice as much as that of Black women.

Researchers concluded that the estimated 1,710 Black women—or approximately five women per day—who die annually from breast cancer do so largely because of

differential access to quality screening and breast cancer treatment.

NAACP to Present Minority Concerns, Voting Rights Issues to UN Council

An NAACP delegation will take the concerns of minority communities in the United States to the UN Human Rights Council’s review of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland from March 9 to 15.

The International Covenant is a treaty that outlines broad and fundamental civil and political rights that should be available to all people, including the right to self-determination, the right to participate in the electoral process, the right to due process and a fair trial, the right to freedom of speech and religion, and the right to be free from slavery and torture, among others.

The covenant was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 16, 1966. The U.S. signed onto the covenant on Oct. 5, 1977, and Congress ratified it in June 1992.

One of the key issues the organization plans to address is the abrogation of voting rights in the United States.

“We intend to raise our continued concern with voter suppression laws that are taking place at state and local levels across the United States,” said Jokata Eaddy, NAACP senior director for voting rights. “We will also raise the issue of the denial of voting rights to District of Columbia residents, and the continued practice of felony disenfranchisement.”

Last September, the NAACP, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Hip Hop Caucus, co-authored a shadow report on felony disenfranchisement, or the removal of voting rights due to previous criminal convictions. That report was submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee ahead of the review.

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Maryland Senate Committee Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Measure

By Megan Brockett Capital News Service

Maryland is one step closer to decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana this legislative session, but a series of hurdles remain.

The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Friday voted 8 to 3 in favor of a measure that would shift possession of fewer than 10 grams of marijuana from a criminal offense to a civil one punishable by a $100 fine.

The change would free up time and resources of law enforcement officials, allowing them to focus on more serious, violent crimes, according to supporters like Sen. Robert Zirkin, D-Baltimore County, who sponsors the bill.

“Just walk into the District Court any day of the week and you’ll see rows of police officers sitting there,” Zirkin said.

“It’s just a huge waste money.”

But many of the committee members who spoke in support of the measure focused on the effect it would have on helping young people avoid a criminal record that could limit job and education opportunities.

Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, the committee chairman, said the bill will stop people from being jailed for conduct that is “widespread” and, in many ways, less dangerous than alcohol.

Committee members who raised concerns about the

bill during the voting session expressed worry over the potential negative impacts. Few remarks were made in ardent opposition to the idea of decriminalization.

Sen. James Brochin, D-Baltimore, who said he was “torn” on the issue of marijuana, voted in favor of the decriminalization measure, as did Sen. Christopher Shank, R-Washington, who said his opinion has changed since he voted against a similar measure last year.

Brochin cited testimony from last month’s hearing by people who had dealt with marijuana-related charges and said he struggled with the fact that possessing a small amount of marijuana could become a “life ruiner”.

“This [bill] is like reigning in the police a little bit and saying, ‘You know what, it’s just a simple citation. You can give all the lectures you want, and they probably deserve a lecture, but at the end of the day you’re not invoking terror on these kids.’”

However, Sen. Norman Stone, Jr., D-Baltimore County, argued that marijuana is often a gateway drug that leads to more harmful behavior. Critics of decriminalization say that it

would promote a dangerous message.

The Washington, D.C., Council voted earlier this week to decriminalize marijuana, joining 16 states that have similar laws.

The bill that passed the Maryland Senate committee is more conservative than the District measure, which makes possession of up to one ounce of marijuana punishable by a $25 fine.

Zirkin told committee members that the amount of marijuana his proposal would decriminalize is smaller than what is covered in any other decriminalization law in the country, and pointed out that states like Mississippi and North Carolina, considered more conservative, have moved to decriminalize small amounts of the drug.

A similar decriminalization bill died in Maryland’s House last year after passing through the Senate.

Delegate Heather Mizeur, D-Montgomery, is also sponsoring a decriminalization bill, scheduled for a hearing next week, while Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, is pushing to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. Raskin’s bill is awaiting a vote by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Eastern Shore Campuses

Lieutenant

Salisbury while appropriating only $3 million at UMES. However, actually seeing the disparities created by the vast difference in funding between the two campuses was like pouring salt into an open wound.

But the injury gets worse. All of the growth and development at Salisbury is built around programs once unique to UMES which were duplicated at the Salisbury campus during the late 1970s. Programs in business and computer and information sciences which historically accounted for a large percentage of enrollment at the Princess Anne campus now represent the largest enrollment at Salisbury.

Those facts are a grim reminder of how Maryland State College President John Taylor Williams once pleaded with the governor and legislators to provide more operating funds, student financial aid and acceptable classroom space; how President William P. Hytche argued against Salisbury State College’s duplication of UMES business and computer science programs; how Presidents Delores Spikes and Thelma Thompson struggled

firefighters group within the Baltimore County Fire Department in 1994—and has been with the department since 1990, feels that significant progress has been made on the recruitment side. However, more needs to be done to increase the numbers of officers of color, he said.

Currently, the department has four Black fire captains, 10 fire lieutenants, and three EMS lieutenants among 264 officers. There are currently 996 sworn fire department personnel, 185 of whom are minority personnel.

According to Fire Chief John Hohman, the vast majority of these 185 are AfricanAmericans, as Hispanics and Asians only make up 2% and 1% of the force respectively.

“I think the recruitment efforts and things have changed,” Artis said. “We still have a lot of work to do as far as promotions. We’re starting to move in the right direction, and, fortunately for us, the administration is listening.”

For Artis, the ultimate goal is a fire department as diverse in all ranks as the population it serves.

“That would put everybody on an equal playing field,” he said. “ When I say that, I don’t want it to be as if we are asking for the rules to change. I think if we were given an opportunity, back when, to have come into the department, we would probably be in better positions than we are right now. So again, it’s a work in progress.”

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with the state for programs in pharmacy and engineering, an appropriate match for federal funding for agriculture and cooperative extension, and sorely needed classroom and research facilities.

Our current, President Juliette Bell, will undoubtedly make similar attempts to develop the campus. Unfortunately, she too is doomed to fail in her attempt to bridge the disparities in resources. Neither her commitment nor competence will matter unless alumni of UMES and the other Historically Black Institutions insist on the remedies outlined in the Oct. 7 federal court ruling for addressing disparities in academic programs and related funding and facilities. That is the only way UMES can become what a previous president referred to as “a multidisciplinary, multiracial, multicultural and multinational university”.

Dianna Rodgers-Ford is a member of the Class of 1969 (then Maryland State College now University of Maryland Eastern Shore) and past president of the UMES National Alumni Association

Black ‘Annie’ Continued from A1

anonymous venom at the child on the Internet.

Some of the comments were simply examples of backward thinking from people who are too narrow-minded to see that a remake of a classic can be legitimately filmed with characters different from the originals. In Hollywood it’s called “non-traditional” casting--placing actors in roles regardless of race or gender if the casting won’t interfere with the production.

“I’m saying that Annie has always been a white red

Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie

headed curly girl,” tweeted @ shakeitanggg. “This defeats the idea of who Annie is.”

“I’m not racist. ANNIE IS NOT BLACK. She is a cute little white girl with curly red hair. She does not have an Afro,” @stonemegan14 tweeted.

Some people, however, tweeted comments that were even more offensive.

“They made a n----Annie. Why?” tweeted @ ethanoflegend, who later changed his handle, possibly after receiving a flood of replies admonishing him for

his remark.

“Annie was a freckled face redhead, not a nappy head parasite infected #n----- s--tbag! #n------ruin everything!!” wrote @Bum_Farto cloaking himself behind anonymity.

The original Annie debuted on Broadway in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, with Andrea McArdle, a redheaded White girl in the lead role.

In 1982, Annie was released as a film again, this time starring Aileen Marie Quinn, who is also White. In 1999, a television rendition was released, again with a White child actress.

The new Annie began production in August 2013 and is set to hit theaters on December 19, 2014.

In published reports, Willow, now 13, said she turned down the role because she “just wanted to chill, and be at home, and decompress, and just find out what I wanna do and where I stand on this planet…,” she is quoted as saying in several publications, including V magazine.

Will Smith is reported to have told an audience at Temple University in Philadelphia last year that his daughter begged out after her difficult “Whip My Hair Tour,” despite him trying to convince her of the opportunity the performance presented, according to christianpost.com.

“Daddy, I have a better idea. How about I just be 12,” Willow told her father, according to the website.

Terri Reid (center) with her colleagues

Insuring that minorities are fairly represented is the responsibility of Fire Chief John Hohman, who determines the BCFD’s minority recruitment policies. When Hohman began working for the fire department 37 years ago, there were only two African-Americans and no women on a force of about 500.

Hohman said the department receives approximately 4,000 applications for each recruiting class and focuses on minorities in an effort to improve the department’s diversity.

The department generally accepts 20-40 recruits in each class, officials said.

“We’re still not where we want to be, and we’re going to continue to do better,” Hohman said, adding that he works with the Guardian Knights to find suitable candidates.

“We depend on them a lot,” he said. “And we depend on other minority members of our department. . . . I tell all of our [personnel that] people are only going to want to work here if you go out and tell them that this is a good place to work.”

On her own initiative, Reid, who oversees seven EMS units and responds to calls requiring advanced life support, developed an outreach program to help prepare minority firefighters for the officer’s exam. The group meets monthly to go over standard operating procedures.

“Our next officer’s exam will be in December of 2014,” Reid said. “So we’ve reached out to anyone…but mostly minorities are the ones that are coming forward, and we’re working with them to get them in top shape to be ready for the lieutenant’s exam.

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Baltimore Activist, Preacher

Rev. ‘Doug’ Sands Celebrates 80th Birthday

By Maria Adebola AFRO Staff Writer Members of the historic White Rock Church in Sykesville came together March 1 to pay homage to their pastor, the Rev. Douglas Sands, on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Sands, who was at the forefront of Baltimore’s desegregation effort in the 1950s and 1960s, was feted by more than 200 friends, loved ones and church members from throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. Some came from as far away as Texas. The church was filled to overflowing.

In Black church tradition, the celebratory meal included soul food—fried chicken, baked ham, collard greens, potato salad, rolls, apple pie, cake and iced tea.

The decorations included a table displaying memorabilia of Sands’ activism. The display included the gold Reebok tennis shoes he wore when he walked 542 miles to pray at 103 local churches whose members participated

Photo by Maria Adebola

Rev. Sands holds up a memento of his civil rights work in the Prayer Vigil for Nonviolence and Peace between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday in 2001.

“He’s been a cornerstone in the community,” church member Bill Hudson said.

“He tries to do what is right not only for himself, but for

the people that he serves…He deserves to be recognized.”

Even as church leaders were planning the celebration, Sands was awaiting word on two measures he has actively supported in Annapolis that would allow some churches in the Baltimore-Washington

Conference of the United Methodist Church to maintain their assets. A law passed in 1976 allows the UMC to own the assets of member churches, even those that started many, many years ago and were purchased without assistance from the UMC. White Rock, once associated with the UMC, broke away three years ago and Sands and his members have been told that the church and its assets no longer belong to the congregation.

Sands and his members are battling—along with some other local pastors and congregations—against seizure of their churches.

White Rock was recently offered the opportunity to return to the BaltimoreWashington Conference, but refused.

Kenneth Mitchell, pastor of Sunnyside New Life Community Church in Frederick, Md., said he met Sands when they joined forces after both churches decided to secede from the UMC. “The Lord brought us together as his soldiers to

fight the illegality and the injustice of this law,” said Mitchell.

Members of the historic church, which was built by Blacks just after the end of the Civil War, described Sands as a man of peace, courage and faith who provides them with spiritual leadership. He also guides them in negotiating man-made conflicts, members said.

“He is faithful to the word of God and the mission of Christ,” said Sands’ wife, Barbara. “He believes in the ministry of Christ and he believes in justice for all. He’s a fair person.”

As a young man, Sands, a native of Cooksville, Md., was valedictorian of his high school, served as a youth fellowship leader and sang in the choir at Mt. Gregory Methodist Church. He learned activism from his parents and also from his principal at the Black school in Cooksville, Silas E. Craft. Craft, in 1949, started a movement to build a new high school for Blacks and to name it Harriet Tubman High School.

“The school board

wouldn’t put the name on the building, but we called it that anyway,” Sands said.

While a student at thenMorgan State College, he was among a group of young people who protested at businesses near the campus, including a Read’s Drug Store branch, Hecht’s department store, the Northwood Theater and other places of public accommodation that discriminated against Blacks.

Sands has received several awards for his activism. Since January, he has served as chairman of the Maryland State Conference of the NAACP’s Committee on Religious Affairs.

Sands’ son, Curtis, said his father taught him and his siblings the importance of helping others.

“It’s important for him to teach others about the struggle that he’s been through, especially the struggle that Black people are still going through,” Curtis Sands said.

“He’s instilled certain things in me that I feel are important to continue to share. He has also taught me the importance of fighting for fairness.”

Cold Leaves Some Marylanders Unable to Pay Bills

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO An unusually cold winter is affecting Marylander’s ability to remain current on their utility bills. Regional utility companies, as well as state and local governments, have responded with a number of programs and initiatives to assist residents having difficulty paying their bills.

The office of Gov. Martin O’Malley announced the release of an additional $20 million in energy assistance for eligible low-income residents of the state. In Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a program, The Power of Home, designed to help homeless persons attempting to reestablish permanent housing to pay back past-due utility bills with BGE. According to documents filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission, BGE had 270,304 customers with pastdue amounts in January. The total amount owed by these customers was $104,382,528, an average of $386 per customer.

Conn explained that in order to address higher-than-usual monthly utility costs for many of its customers, “We’ve made an offer to customers that they can immediately enter into budget billing.”

Budget billing is a program that calculates annual energy

expenses and divides that amount into 12 approximately equal monthly payments, allowing customers to avoid the month-tomonth cost fluctuations related to weather and permitting more accurate budgeting of energy expenses. In addition to budget billing, regional utilities such as BGE and Washington Gas offer installment plans for eligible customers with past-due bills, as well as payment due-date extensions, according to Conn and Ruben Rodriguez, director of corporate communications for Washington Gas. Energy utilities are not the only ones having to offer weather-related assistance. According to Lauren Preston, director of customer service for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, “What we normally do during the severe weather is we refrain from doing a lot of collection calls or shutting people off for non-payment, because in many cases someone needs water to operate their heating system.”

Customers of DC Water can take advantage of the company’s CAP program. It provides a discount of up to $34.88 per month off the water bill. Preston explained that this program, whose funding is built into the rates charged for water, uses the same income criteria as the District’s fuel assistance program. Customers who qualify for fuel assistance can also take advantage of these savings also. The application for both programs is handled by the District Department of the

Environment.

This winter’s unusually cold weather comes on the heels of a number of developments affecting low-income persons.

According to Bill Freeman, director of development for the Fuel Fund of Maryland, “The average bill that clients bring to the Fuel Fund [is], without a doubt, higher than they were just a few years ago. There are a number of factors in these high bills. Yes, the recession has affected many families as well as continued, persistent, abject poverty resulting from lack of wage increases, increased unemployment, higher cost of energy delivery rates, decreases in supplemental assistance programs such as food stamps (SNAP) and unemployment compensation.”

SNAP benefits were reduced in November of last year, while federal unemployment benefits stopped being distributed as of this past December. Families whose income was being supplemented by such benefits may now find it necessary to divert funds intended for utilities to cover food or rent.

Both Conn and Preston emphasized that any customers having difficulty paying their bills should get in touch with their utility provider sooner rather than later. According to Preston, “We would rather have customers call us because if they call us we can put holds on their account, make sure they don’t get notices, make sure they don’t get late fees. It’s much better if they call us than ignore it.”

Town Hall

Russell

The first day of the colloquium opened with a briefing on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – what it is and the gap that continues to linger between people who need healthcare. Dr. Lucille Norville Perez, former NMA president was among many who posed concerns rather than questions to the panel. Although Perez applauded the efforts of community organizations in getting the word out to African Americans about ACA, she stated that racial inequality continues to plague the way Black patients are treated.

“When we talk about racism in medicine it’s something that the National Medical Association has been publishing since 1909 in our journal has been publishing and advocating it since 1895,” she said. “About 95 percent of the vote came from the Black community for our beloved President Obama. Yet, when we look at who is insured, who is not insured, who needs good health information about diet, or exercise, there’s a disparity in how the information is distributed.”

Perez said there should be”covenant collaboration” between NMA and its partners. “It’s important for our partners to advocate for us, just like we are advocating for everybody,” she said.

Rev. Powell concurred that more organizations and churches need to work together to address the marginalization of Black patients. Powell said he is aware that the ACA might have issues and problems, but it is a step to bringing civic groups together to brainstorm strategies to educate and empower the community.

Lawrence Sanders, an internist from Atlanta, discussed how faith-based organizations and physicians could care for people Photo by Maria Adebola to ensure the best possible health at the end of life. “I believe Dr. Pamela Freeman Fobbs that this combination of faith-based ideas, and what we do as physicians, have a natural relationship,” said Sanders. “But at served as the moderator the end of life, I believe they have probably the most significant relationship.”

Shearin responded that there are hospitals in the D.C. area that asks patients about their church affiliations and a contact person in the faith arena. “I think that as healthcare moves from a system based on value to a system based on quality and an outcome, collaboration becomes important,” said Sanders to the AFRO. “I wanted to raise that dialogue as a way of having us begin to think about what are concrete opportunities where the clergy of a faith-based organization and physicians and other clinicians can work together and how can we do it.”

Ridgnal said the topic raised important issues that needed to be addressed, especially in the African-American community. “I think this is a really layered topic and there’s so much nuance to it,” said Ridgnal. “I’m hoping that people leave feeling like there’s a more collaborative organizational structure now that they can fold into.”

But, he told the faith leaders, he couldn’t accomplish the feat alone.

After listening intently to his plan, the Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper rose to her feet to calmly inform Russell in a matter-of-fact voice that “your appearance comes as no surprise.”

It had already been prophesied by the Rev. John Mulinde, a Ugandan minister, during his previous visit to Baltimore. Rev. Mulinde told Rev. Draper and other clergy that he had experienced a visitation from God during which he received the message that a man of peace would be arriving with a clear plan to rescue Baltimore from the ravages of murder and drugrelated crime.

And once they heard the details of Russell’s own visitation, the events as they unfolded during that October meeting seemed to go way beyond a matter of coincidence. Before the meeting at Eastern District had adjourned, several of the city’s most hardened police officers had tears in their eyes, including Russell, who dropped to his knees and wept openly.

In describing the voyage from that moment in 2008 to his appointment in 2013 as the official in charge of the department’s new Community Partnership Division, Russell, now a lieutenant colonel, explained how it all began the night he was awakened from his sleep by God himself.

Upon receiving his appointment as commanding officer of the Eastern District, Russell, who is also an assistant pastor, remembered that he immediately prayed for the direction and vision to accomplish the enormous task that lay ahead.

“And then, exactly three nights later at 4 a.m. in the morning, He spoke directly to me,” Russell said. “God downloaded his plan to me.

If you can imagine how I felt, I was scared to

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death, trembling and excited like never before, all at the same time.”

At the roll call meeting, he immediately formed his Transformation Team and with the assistance of many others, began implementing the eight points of the plan in East Baltimore.

For the children, the vast majority of whom had never even visited a local amusement park, the plan was akin to waking up in Disney World: hot dogs, cotton candy, entertainment, moon bounces, and face painting – the works. For parents, there were bags of groceries, health care, and other forms of practical assistance.

The centerpiece of Russell’s strategy, Days of Hope, encourages churches to take the lead in reinvesting and ministering in the communities where they are located. Several of the events engaged thousands of residents, faith leaders, service providers, law enforcement officials, teachers, business leaders and others in creating life-affirming events for those enduring the most impoverished living conditions.

By the third year of the Days of Hope campaign, the shootings and killings in East Baltimore had plummeted to a 40-year low.

The turnaround focused on fostering mutual communication between the community and law enforcement, and building what Russell calls “spiritual equity” with the community.

His early efforts captured the attention of thenCity Council President Stephanie RawlingsBlake, who as mayor helped launch the citywide Community Partnership Division in January 2013 to replicate Russell’s approach citywide.

Lt. Col. Russell will receive the AFRO’s first John H. Murphy Sr. Award, 8:30 a.m., March 29 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. See Afro. com for more information or call 410-5548243.

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 15, 2014

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

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Union Baptist, Horseshoe, Mayor Team Up to Find Qualified Workers

By Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writer

In less than 10 months, Baltimore will be home to Horseshoe Casino.

In preparation, the Mayor’s office and Horseshoe Casino officials teamed up with a local church to host a hiring workshop. The goal is to place city residents in the 1,700 jobs the casino promises. On Feb. 23, 125 city residents and church members gathered at Union Baptist Church in West Baltimore to hear about the job opportunities.

The workshop was a recruiting session for the Horseshoe Legendary Candidate Academy, a two-day training session that provides detailed information on the pre-

employment process. Horseshoe Casino Baltimore Senior Vice President Chad Barnhill told the AFRO in January that the search for local employees would be comprehensive. “We intend to recruit a Horseshoe workforce that represents the very best that the City of Baltimore has to offer,” he said.

The Rev. Alvin C. Hathaway, pastor of Union Baptist, told the AFRO why he partnered with Horseshoe when he does not support gambling. “I am in a community that has a high unemployment rate,” he said. “... I would like for members of the community, members of the church, to have access to these jobs early on.”

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-

Blake said the Horseshoe Casino’s partnership with Baltimore is strong.

“Horseshoe understands that it is a priority of my administration to provide local residents with

comprehensive recruitment strategy, which includes working closely with various entities – including the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, the Mayor’s Office

“We intend to recruit a Horseshoe workforce that represents the very best that the City of Baltimore has to offer.”

– Chad Barnhill the required knowledge and opportunities to be successful when applying for the 1,700 jobs created to operate the new casino,” the mayor said. “This strong publicprivate partnership between the City and Horseshoe has resulted in a

of Neighborhood and Constituent Services, the Baltimore City Council, and community groups and churches – to deliver a variety of outreach services for local job seekers in their own neighborhoods.”

The mayor said to cast a wide

net to reach as many residents as possible, Horseshoe is conducting its 14-District Neighborhood Tour to give local job seekers the necessary tools to get a head start for these employment opportunities. “I encourage all interested citizens to attend these events and also consider participating in the Horseshoe Legendary Academy,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said since beginning the hiring efforts Feb. 3, Baltimore Horseshoe Casino officials have targeted a large number of churches, colleges and non-profits – attempting to cover all districts – to find candidates to join their team.

The 14-District Neighborhood Tour will end late April.

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

COMMUNITY CONNECTION The ‘New’ Teachers’ Lounge Returns Hit Stage Play Coming to the Randallstown Community Center March 22-23 Juicy Gossip, Steamy Secrets, and Hot Romance all in one powerful play! By Popular Demand, Ursula V. Battle’s The ‘New’ Teachers’ Lounge returns. The hit stage play production is coming to the stage of the Randallstown Community Center located at 3505 Resource Drive in Randallstown, MD March 22-23, 2014.

The ‘New’ Teachers Lounge was written and is being produced by playwright and Baltimore Times journalist Ursula V. Battle. A comedy with dramatic elements, The ‘New’ Teachers’ Lounge centers around the lives of six teachers at the imaginary “New Peaceful Pines Elementary/ Middle School”. The school’s teachers find refuge in The Teachers’ Lounge, Courtesy Photo that one special place of temporary Playwright and producer Ursula V. escape.

Battle with two young fans during a The production prior performance of the production. is an updated return of the highly successful The Teachers’ Lounge, which originally debuted in 2002 at Coppin State University. The play also has been selected to be performed at the NOLA Urban Theatre Festival taking place in New Orleans, LA June 12-15, 2014.

Performers include former Douglass High School Principal Rose Backus-Hamm who portrays one of the teachers.

Tickets are $25. Group Rates are also available. VIP Tickets are $45 and includes VIP Seating, VIP Souvenir Bag, and a VIP Badge. Performance dates are: Saturday, March 22, 2014 (2:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.) and Sunday, March 23, 2014 (2:30 p.m.).

Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be available for sale at the door. Tickets can also be purchased online by calling (443) 531-4787 or by visiting www. battlestageplays.com

Celebrating Terrific Teachers: Determined to Teach in Tough Times AfroAmerican_2014_Layout 1 1/21/14 1:22 PM Page 1

NcouragED is hosting its Annual NcouragED Educator’s

Recognition Breakfast/ Brunch, 11 a.m., May 10 at Martin’s Valley Mansion, 594 Cranbrook Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21030. The organization will honor 100 educators from the mid-Atlantic region by presenting them with NcouragED Educator Awards.

Dr. Skipp Sanders, former Maryland State Department of Education Deputy State Superintendent for Administration will receive the NcouragED Legacy Dr. Patricia Morris-Welch Award. Two schools will also receive an NcouragED Excellent School Award. All honorees demonstrate NcouragED values such as excellence, productivity, affirmation of colleagues, service orientation, and community engagement. The theme of the event is “Celebrating Terrific Teachers: Determined to Teach in Tough Times.”

NcouragED is a nonpartisan, non-sectarian, virtual network of educators who support each other through encouragement, camaraderie, information, and resource sharing. The mission of the organization is to help educators overcome the negative consequences of work-related stress.

The organization offers counseling referrals, free Skipp Sanders workshops, e-news, online support materials, mediation services, and much more.

“We’re building a national network of educators who recognize the value of high morale. Parents don’t want discouraged educators in front of their children all day,” says NcouragED’s executive director, Dr. Ronald C. Williams.

The research is clear. Forty-seven percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years; the number of teachers considering leaving has risen 125 percent in recent years; the number of teachers who feel less secure in their jobs has increased over 400 percent during the same time frame; and job satisfaction among teachers is at a 25-year low. (MetLife Survey of the American Teacher) Such statistics diminish the quality of teacher work life, the quality of education, and professional productivity.

Ken Banks Appointed to Shock Trauma Center Board Construction developer and philanthropist Ken Banks has been appointed to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Board of Visitors. The Board of Visitors is made up of prominent Maryland community leaders, with the mission of providing leadership and vital resources to the Shock Trauma Center.

Members are selected because of their active leadership in the civic, corporate and philanthropic arena; commitment to Maryland’s citizens and energy and passion for service to the community.

Banks is renowned for his passion for revitalizing communities and for his expertise in creating strategic partnerships to achieve mission goals and objectives. He was a visionary developer and construction contractor on several Baltimore area megaprojects including University of Maryland at Baltimore Biotech Park, Science and Technology Park at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Ken Banks New Clinical Building at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel and Coppin State University’s Physical Education Complex.

The R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center is regarded as a global model for emergency medical services and clinical excellence, and is the premier adult trauma and critical care facility in Maryland.

Banks said of his appointment, “When given the opportunity to help that many people, how could I not get involved?”

Local Street Soldier Wins Freedom Flame Award at Bridge Crossing Jubilee The Rev. C.D. Witherspoon, president of the Baltimore chapter of the Student Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), was awarded the Freedom Flame at the March 8 Jubilee to commemorate Bloody Sunday, the Selma to Montgomery March and the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Honoring the work of Movement leaders past, this year’s award also went to Lou Gossett Jr., former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and veteran activists Charles and Shirley Sherrod. Rev. Witherspoon recognized for his “lifelong work for civil rights” and was also awarded the key to the city by Selma’s mayor.

Heavier Than Expected Snowfall Strains Baltimore’s Bad-Weather Budget

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By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO This winter’s heavy snowfall has strained Baltimore City’s allocated budget for snow and ice control service, city officials said.

As of March 10th, the city has spent $9.15 million in snow removal spending, approximately $6.4 million more than the $2.75 million that was budgeted for fiscal year 2014, according to Caron Brace, press secretary for Mayor Stephanie RawlingsBlake. Brace explained that this figure does not include upcoming costs for payroll, vehicle maintenance, or future snow or ice events.

Snow removal is handled by the city’s Department of Transportation. Should the department be “projected to finish the fiscal year in deficit, the agency will request supplemental funding to ensure they finish at budget,” Brace said in an e-mail. “The source of funding used to mitigate any potential deficit from snow expenses is to be determined.”

According to Andrew Kleine, budget chief in the city’s Bureau of the Budget and Management Research, the last time the city had a significant snow removal deficit was 2010. That year, the difference was made

up by a supplemental appropriation from an unassigned fund balance, including the Budget Stabilization Reserve.

As of fiscal year 2013, the city’s Budget Stabilization Reserve and unassigned fund balance totaled $99 million, according to information available from the Bureau of the Budget and Management Research.

While the city has yet to calculate the cost per inch for this year’s snow removal, Kleine explained that, historically, the cost to the city has averaged approximately $400,000 per inch. However, even when there is no snow, there are costs incurred by the city, such as salting roads in anticipation of freezing rain or expected snowfall.

The heavy snowfall also cost Baltimore County $4 million more than initially budgeted, an amount made up by the county’s surplus reserves.

According to Baltimore County spokeswoman Lauren Byrd, these reserves “can be used for anything. Baltimore County prides itself in being fiscally well managed, and we have a certain amount of money that is never touched, that is loosely called our rainy day fund.”

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A young man shovels snow after the March 3 storm.

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

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COMMENTARY

Our Challenge and Opportunity

Last month, President Barack Obama challenged America to do more to help young men and boys of color succeed in life. His charge was a personal one for me, as it should be for everyone who cares about the future of our country.

The president showed vision and courage as he acknowledged that his own youth had been less than perfect. Yet, he declared, with the help and Elijah Cummings opportunity available to him in a “more forgiving” environment, he had been able to succeed. “They never gave up on me,” he declared, “so I did not give up on myself.”

This, I believe, should be a lesson for us all as we seek to help the young Black boys and men in our own communities.

President Obama made it clear to the young people he invited to the White House for the launch of My Brother’s Keeper, that the ultimate responsibility for their lives is squarely their own. Then, challenging us all, the president asked us to work both harder and smarter to instill hope and opportunity in a generation that is facing difficult odds.

The president noted, but did not belabor, “the stubborn fact” that life chances for young Black and brown males are far worse than for their contemporaries. He did not soft pedal the devastating consequences of poverty, prejudice, or dysfunctional families. What President Obama did do was challenge all of us to do what we can to change the heartbreaking equations that plague far too many young men of color in our society.

The $200 million initial commitment by the foundations and businesses that have agreed to work together as partners will not be the entire answer for young Black boys and men. Nor is there any quick fix for the devastation that is

consuming so many young lives.

Still, as Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson has observed, “It’s a start.”

Now, the world knows something of the story of Solomon Northrup, a “free” Black American from New York who was kidnapped by slave-hunters in the 1840s and for the next 12 years suffered the life of a captive in America’s man-made hell of Negro Slavery. And now, the world knows a truer version of what antebellum America’s “peculiar institution” – its peculiar evil – was and the pain it caused Lee A. Daniels the nearly 4 million Africans and African-Americans directly ensnared in it and the half-million other blacks who, like Northrup, endured a precarious status that was far from true freedom.

“12 Years a Slave” gained Hollywood’s highest honor, the Academy Award for the best picture of 2013, capping a spectacular run of film-world honors and “buzz” from its opening last year. It became the first feature film directed by a Black man to win the top Academy Award; and its victory was made all the sweeter by Lupita Nyong’o winning the Oscar for best supporting actress. Understandably, the glow of the acclaim rightly awarded the film and the emergence of its director, Steve McQueen, and Nyong’o as artists of the first rank is still neon-bright.

So, it may be difficult for some to see the broader current of history that envelops both the film and Solomon Northrup’s

1853 written narrative of the same title—to understand what his experience of pain and brutality, countered, most importantly, by an indomitable will to re-gain his freedom shares with some recent developments that at first glance seem far removed in time and distance.

I’m thinking, for example, of the stunning discovery in Munich, Germany late last year of more than 1,400 paintings stolen or confiscated by Nazi officials from their Jewish owners and from museums during the 1940s a shadowy, reclusive German had hidden away in his apartment all these decades.

And I’m also thinking of the efforts of Japan’s current prime minister to erase the facts of the country’s savage expansionist policies and actions – and crimes against humanity – during the wars on the Asian mainland and in the Pacific in the 1930s and 1940s.

The contrast is striking. On the one hand, the world has re-discovered paintings by some of the greatest artists of the last three centuries which had been lost to the world for nearly 70 years – an incalculable re-addition to the world’s cultural treasure. On the other, Japan’s national political leader is trying to pretend the evil his country engaged in a half-century ago didn’t happen.

What these things, and many more, have in common is that they show that the events and facts of history can be buried, and re-discovered—and, if the world isn’t vigilant, buried again.

Certainly, until recently that has described the arc of Black Americans’ existence. Solomon Northrup’s memoir was widely publicized and sold well when it first appeared in 1853, as the furious national debate about slavery careened inexorably toward the Civil War. But it was largely forgotten in the war’s aftermath, and

White America’s betrayal of Reconstruction. The truths of Black Americans’ enslavement and their achievements were most often distorted and drained of all positive meaning by “White” science, “White” theology, “White” politics, and “White” history—and, beginning with D.W. Griffiths’ landmark film of 1915, “Birth of A Nation,” by many of the “White” Hollywood movies that, far more than school history texts, were how most Americans “learned” about American history.

Indeed, its innovative cinematic techniques and concepts combined with its vicious racism to make “Birth” an enormously influential justification for the pervasive racist laws and policies Whites in the North and South had adopted and were adding to. And its portrayal of Blacks hung like a winding sheet over Hollywood films whose plots contained even minimal references to Blacks or a token number of Black actors. Its most prominent film offspring, 1939’s blockbuster, “Gone With The Wind,” powerfully reinforced for another three decades Blacks’ second-class status on and off the silver screen.

So, is it just a coincidence that “12 Years a Slave” has gained Hollywood’s most prestigious prize during the year that marks the 75th anniversary of the premiere of “Gone With the Wind,” and also the eve of the 100th anniversary of “Birth of A Nation?”

Or is it correct to think that the breakthrough of “12 Years a Slave” at the box office and at the Academy Awards is the result of not only a gripping story, excellent script and fine cast and director at work, but of history, too?

Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City.

middle-income households, defined as- those earning $56,113 to $91,356, 25 percent of these consumers do not have enough savings to cover living expenses for three months.

Further, the majority of consumers in 37 states and the District of Columbia do not have credit scores high enough to be eligible for the lowest available lending rates for short-term credit. In Mississippi, more than 69 percent of consumers have subprime credit scores, making it the worst state in the nation.

The highest levels of liquid asset poverty are concentrated in nine Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. In Alabama, more than 62 percent – almost two out of three consumers – do not have a personal financial safety net. Nevada is the only state outside of the Deep South among the 10 worst rankings for liquid asset poverty.

As CFED analyzed state and local policy responses in the wake of the nation’s financial crisis and recession, it created a policy scorecard that measured state responses to 67 policy areas. State and local concerns with growing economic inequality launched programs to raise the minimum wage, encourage long-term college savings plans and courted unbanked consumers to become a part of the financial mainstream.

For lifting 9.4 million people out of poverty in 2011, the report praised the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). In addition to this federal program, 25 states and the District of Columbia enacted their own versions of EITC that ranged from 3.5 percent to as high as 40 percent of the federal credit.

“For the first time, these rankings allow us to draw a line

in many states between the strength of policies and outcomes for family economic security,” the report notes. The data shows that policies aimed at decreasing poverty and creating more opportunities for low-income families can make a real difference.

Even with these public initiatives, growing costs of higher education continue to lead to even higher levels of student debt.

According to the report, the average student debt for college graduates grew from $27,150 in 2011 to $29,400 in 2012.

Additionally, both employer-sponsored retirement plans and homeownership levels respectively dropped a percentage point from 2010 to 2012. Nationwide in 2012, retirement plans slipped to 44 percent.

For consumers of color, CFED’s report reads much like the familiar financial refrain of earlier research: Two out of three households of color are liquid asset poor, lacking a financial cushion to respond to financial emergencies; Only 42 percent of consumers of color were homeowners; while White homeownership now stands at 72 percent; and The median net worth for consumers of color amounted to $12,377 – only one-tenth of the median net worth of White consumers – $110,637.

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) advocates that homeownership remains the best investment vehicle to help low-wealth families to build wealth and grow into the middle class.

We know, for example, there are critical junctures in young lives where positive intervention and support can make a big difference. Now, on a national basis, foundations, corporations, and the executive branch will be working to identify and build upon those local solutions that already are making a difference. This is the rekindling of a movement, a national effort in which we all have important roles to play. Our central organizing concept is both simple and profound: support what works.

Memories like my own, I believe, are what give the president confidence when he declares, “We know what to do for these young men.” I was honored to be invited to this event at the White House. Yet, during the presentations, it was the wonderful human beings who lifted me up in life – more than memories of my own efforts on behalf of our young – that filled my mind. Like President Obama, and most of us who have gained a measure of success, I know precisely whom to remember, and thank, for my life.

I thought about Dad and Mother, who struggled economically to give their children an empowering education, taught us values by their example, and accepted no excuses when we stumbled along the road to our dreams. I remembered the NAACP’s Juanita Jackson Mitchell, who stood up for us children during the integration of Riverside swimming pool, showing us that we had rights that others had to respect.

I recalled great teachers like Mr. Hollis Posey, who taught to my strengths and never allowed me to fall prey to the lowered expectations that some had held for me and community

leaders like “Captain” Jim Smith, who made our neighborhood recreation league into an all-encompassing family. There is the AFRO’s John (Jake) Oliver, a powerful role model who took the time and effort to encourage me academically; and Dr. Albert Friedman, our neighborhood pharmacist, who trusted me, gave me my first regular job, and helped me all the way through college.

These positive memories are what allow me to push past my doubts and work to make a difference in young lives. So too, we all can have confidence in our competence to contribute because someone made that difference for us.

We all know of similar programs that are making a difference in young lives. Now, President Obama is challenging each of us to get involved. For young Americans of color, we can, and must, become their ladders to opportunity.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Read more on afro.com

‘12 Years a Slave’ and the Tides of History

Ways to Close the Nation’s Wealth Gap

Charlene Crowell

Today, middle class households feel the same financial stress that lowand moderate-income families have borne for years, says new research by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), a national nonprofit organization working to alleviate poverty and create economic opportunity. In its report, Treading Water in the Deep End, CFED analyzes the financial security of American households and public policy responses to

the financial crisis.

“As millions of Americans struggle to save for emergencies, investing in their futures is increasingly out of reach,” the report notes.

Liquid asset poverty is defined in the report as a household budget that is so tight that any unforeseen expenditure such as a car repair or medical expense cannot be managed without incurring debt. The financial insecurity of America’s liquid asset poor is CFED’s focus of findings.

The report found that the majority of the nation’s liquid asset poor are employed (89 percent), White (59 percent) and have at least some college education (48 percent). Even among

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending.

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

OUR COVE POINT PROJECT IS

IN RESPECTING QUALITY OF LIFE. By limiting construction noise, traffic and other potential inconveniences, we’ll protect what makes Calvert County unique.

Dominion’s Cove Point project will have a very positive impact on the local economy.

Thousands of construction jobs, 75 high-paying permanent positions and tens of millions in annual county revenue will add to what’s already been a four-decade commitment to Calvert County and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. With the nation’s commitment to natural gas exports, it’s nice to know that the people who live and work here will enjoy its economic benefits.

Cove Point—another great solution for Southern Maryland.

To learn more visit dom.com/covepoint

@Dom_CovePoint

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

Carroll Gordon, Diana Owens, Russell Hopewell, Maria Hopewell

Shannon Cole, Yolanda Barber

Lynnea Cornish models the long mink she won in a chance draw.

Angela GaitherScott twirls her parasol to the crowd in the Second line parade

Lester Buster, Jeff Brooks, Robert Blake, Mike Saffod

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The mood burst into festive colors of the traditional green, purple and gold as costumed and non-costumed partygoers mixed to create the true Mardi Gras atmosphere.

The search for a description of the authentic New Orleans cuisine; dirty rice, Louisiana style red beans and rice, jambalaya, chicken gumbo, fried fish, fried chicken, collard greens and hush puppies “a la Cajun,” stopped abruptly at the word scrumptious.

New Orleans became a reality as masked men and women in unique costumes danced the evening away.

The Pi Omega Foundation of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity held its 63rd annual Mardi Gras “MasQUErade 2014,” Feb. 18, at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor with more than 1000 in attendance.

This celebration helps fraternity members raise funds to continue to support and improve the lives of young people in the Baltimore Metropolitan community.

June Brown, Adele Terrell, Mildred Long Harper

Angela Burnett, Joslyn Brown, Janet Cooper

The Hon. Carl Stokes, Michele Noel

Morgan Camper, Miss MD Intercontinental, Lisa Shannon, Flair Modeling Agency

High-stepping Adolph McDonald leads the Second line parade

Beulah Parker, Randolph Thompson, Mozelle Fisher

Jokester Genesta Keys The Hon. Verna JonesRodwell, Dr. Gary Rodwell

Katrina Joynes

Mary and Dwight Jones

Isaiah Frost, William N. Glenn

James and Patricia Shelton

Ginger Love, Sierra Love Officers of the NPHC of Metro Baltimore Cecelia Wright Brown, John Berkley, Thetius Saunders, Clevon Bryant, Rosalind Robinson-Ambrose

Egyptian Debbie McFarland

Yvonne Lansey, Ozea Brooks

Jocelyn Gainers, Robin Ott, Donna Stevenson Richardson, Cassandra Burnett

Gwen Scott, Andrew Scott, Annie Mountain, Paul Mountain

Howard Flournoy, long time member of Omega Psi Phi

Dr. Eugene Byrd, Laura Phillips Byrd, Richard Speaks, Az Michael

Steve and Charlene Hudson

Executive Board Pi Omega Chapter, Johnathan Malik Mosley, basileus

Andre Lee, Camille Hinmon, Shirley Briscoe, Milton Nelson

Photos by Dr. A. Lois De Laine

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

April 10, 2010 - April 16, 2010, The Baltimore Afro-American

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FAITH T First lady, Billie Jo McKinney

he Ladies Guild of Macedonia Baptist Church in West Baltimore recently held its annual Oyster and Bull roast, March 1, at the Forum Caterers on Primrose Ave. Attended by men and women of all ages, this event helps raise money for the church’s fuel fund. Sandra D. Ray is president of the organization. The Rev. Dr. Darron D. McKinney is Macedonia’s pastor.

Sandra D. Ray, president of the Ladies Guild and Billie Jo McKinney, first lady of Macedonia Baptist Church

Pam Nixon and Rachel Foster

Doris Howard, Jeannie Herbert, Miriam Arnette, Sandra Moses and Pat Williams

Marsha Gladden and mother, Oris Merchant

Glenda Johnson, Keith Fauntleroy, Cathy Fauntleroy, Linda Fauntleroy, Elijah Fauntleroy and George Savage,

Standing-Phyllis Battle, Barbara Neal, Joyce Dixson, Bernadette Lewis, Brittany Davis; SeatedVenciedora Kane, Andrea Coger, Agnes T. Ray, Patricia Carter and Kendra Lewis

Ronald Smithwick, Charles Owens, former AFRO general manager and Norman Demar

Denise Dobson-McDonald, Carl E. McDonald, Delores Demar

Viet Nam veteran Richard Banks and Harriet Banks

Kennedy Bryant, Kristina Bryant and Kirk Bryant

Renee Spruill, Valerie Pride, Billie Jo McKinney, first lady; Barbara Travers and Gerrard Allen; Back row- Mia Whitington, Zenella Boldin, Richard Banks and Cheryl Johnson

Seated Joyce Seivers, Tamara Harris, Jeanette Curry, Gerrard Allen; Standing Cornel Johnson, Dru Armstrong, and Janice Armstrong

Tuskegee Airman, Lemuel A. Lewie, Riva Lewie and Marcia Lewie Thompson

Meet the Pastor I preached my initial sermon in 1988 and was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, 1990 as a deacon and 1992 as an elder.

I founded Kalafong (which means place of healing) in 2000 and was sent to South Africa for a year to pastor in Soweto. Upon my return, I founded Life Restoration Ministry in March 10, 2010. This is the fourth year of this ministry beyond the sanctuary. I am also an associate pastor at Shiloh AME Church where the Rev. Charlotte Clemons is pastor.

Education: Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery at Baragwanath Hospital School of Nursing, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1972 Bachelor of Science, Morgan State University 1984 Master of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Univeresity 1985 Master’s in Theology, St. Mary’s Seminary 1988 Doctor of Ministry, United Theological Seminary, 1992 How did you hear your call to ministry?

The call was not easy for me to receive as I was interested in politics, the liberation struggle and was engaged in doctoral study of public health at Hopkins. I refused to hear a call to ministry until one day, I had a dream. I was preaching at Bethel AME Church and after the sermon I felt peace within my heart. When I woke up, I dismissed that as a dream. I was not able to continue to pursue my degree because I did not get the money. God was removing things that were holding me back.

James Lowery, Jeffery Lowery, Valerie Lowery and standing, Sandra D. Ray (Pres., Ladies Guild)

I discussed the matter with Bishop John Bryant and he affirmed my call.

Name: Rev. Dr. Mankekolo Mahlangu-Ngcobo Church: Life Restoration Ministry

Hometown: I was in anti-apartheid activities in South Africa where I was born. I was detained for 12 days in solitary confinement, released without charge, and fled the country into exile with the African National Congress.

I came to Baltimore to speak at a “Behold the Woman” conference organized by the Rev. Cecelia Williams Bryant in January 1981. I went back to Canada, spoke before a special committee at the UN, March 21, 1981 and joined my husband in Baltimore who was also in exile and a member of the ANC. I was threatened with deportation and the community, especially Bethel AME Church, fought with me to stop my deportation. And now Baltimore really is my hometown.

Photos by Anderson Ward

Beatrice King and Shirley Dallas

What was the biggest surprise when you started ministry?

The surprise was that Rev. John Bryant then now the Bishop was inclusive of female ministers when other pastors were against women being ordained.

The other surprise was that he encouraged my political activism when other churches were not interested with social justice and liberation struggles.

Rev. Mahlangu-Ngcobo’s academic expertise is in public health

What aspect are you most proud of?

People being saved, transformed, healed, comforted, restored and freed from oppression and exploitation through the Gospel.

What’s the most exciting thing about your ministry?

Being able to reach those who are hurt, broken hearted; those who’ve suffered loss of any kind including loved ones with the message of restoration.

How does social media enhance your ministry, or not?

We have been able to deal with domestic violence issues especially among immigrants and HIV/AIDS in Africa. We have the annual “I remember Mom “gathering for those who lost their mothers and mothers who lost their children and Valentine’s Day for Singles dinners. We advertise these events through social media as

Cutting the cake to celebrate the birthday of Nelson Mandela last summer well as upload sermons to our website.

Who in your community most inspires you?

Men and women who came from difficult and challenging places especially from Africa and became successful through hard work and communal support.

What’s your favorite form of recreation?

Spending time with my grandchildren, going to their basketball games. Reading and going out for dinner.

Rev. Mahlangu-Ngcobo with ministry partners

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

B3

ARTS & CULTURE

“The Single Moms Club” Interview

Nia on Everything from Making Movies to Motherhood

By Kam Williams

Stunningly-attractive leading lady Nia Long returned to the big screen last fall in the highlyanticipated sequel The Best Man Holiday where she reunited with original cast mates Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut and Harold Perrineau. Early last year, she joined the all-star cast of Showtime’s “House of Lies” alongside Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell.

Nia made her film debut in Boyz n The Hood, a poignant picture portraying social problems in inner-city Los Angeles. She subsequently starred Love Jones, which won the prestigious Audience Award at Sundance.

Nia’s portrayal of Officer Sasha Monroe on the hit crime drama “Third Watch” netted her a couple of NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Drama series.

In addition to her film and television work, Nia’s passion lies in serving her community.

She lends her support to Black Girls Rock, an

organization that promotes the arts for young women of color and encourages dialogue on the ways women of color are portrayed in the media.

And in 2012, she was named an official surrogate to the Barack Obama reelection campaign.

Nia loves to cook fresh, farmer’s market meals with a twist of her Trinidadian heritage.

When she’s not juggling between her career and motherhood, she enjoys staying active by doing Pilates, boxing, hiking, and horseback riding.

Here, Nia talks about co-starring as May in The Single Moms Club opposite her son Massai, as well as Amy Smart, Zulay Henao, Tyler Perry, Terry Crews, Wendi McLendonCovey and Cocoa Brown.

KW: What interested you in ‘The Single Moms Club?’

NL: The title alone. I think it’s a world we haven’t explored on film. And I feel that single mommies don’t get enough praise and accolades. I’ve had first-hand experience. My

Book Review

Success through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

by Russell Simmons Gotham Books • Hardcover, $20.00 • 220 pages • ISBN: 978-1-592-40865-8

By Kam Williams “Why should you meditate? The answer is simple: to be happy.

Which is the only reason you’re here. That might sound like a very simple take on the meaning of life, but I believe it with every fiber in my body. Yes, I’m certain that if we strip away our egos, desires, fears, and insecurities, all that would be left is happiness…

I’m here to tell you that meditation can take you there… The path that I will lay out in this book represents the simplest route between your current state and that happiness… This is a simple and straightforward guide on how to use the tool of meditation to get the most out of your life.”

– Excerpted from Chapter One (pages 3-4) Russell Simmons is best known as the flamboyant playboy who co-founded Def Jam Records back in the 1980s. But the matured hip-hop mogul would like you to know that his satisfaction in life now comes less from the sort of shallow materialistic trappings celebrated in the average rap music video than through the peace of mind, body and spirit offered by the relatively-modest practice of meditation.

As he puts it, “I had to do a lot of damage before I finally accepted that I liked early-morning meditation better than late-night drinking.” And all it takes him is 20 minutes twice a day to find that state of bliss.

The good news is that you can achieve it, too, provided you’re willing to carve out a little quiet space from your hectic schedule to sit in a chair with your eyes closed. Yes, it’s as simple as that, according to Rush, although getting novices to try meditation isn’t INVITE YOU TO AN ADVANCE as easy as one might think.

SCREENING OF Apparently, people allow lame excuses such as “I don’t have the time,” “I don’t have a place,” “It’s against my religion,” and “I’m not good at it” to prevent them from even getting started. For that reason, he’s written Success through Stillness, a how-to primer designed to make that initiation process painless.

Surprisingly, the author actually devotes more ink to advice about eliminating those negative thoughts than to instruction about the art of meditation. He also talks about its tangible benefits, which include improving your health, your eating habits, your ability to focus, even your career. Perhaps more important are the metaphysical improvements that accompany that new “sense of peace, compassion, and balance.”

Rush frequently refers to the ringing endorsements of meditation offered by icons ranging from Oprah to Ellen to Seinfeld to Paul McCartney to Phil Jackson. Consider this FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A COMPLIMENTARY PASS, LOG ON quote from Forest Whitaker: TO: WWW.GOFOBO.COM/RSVP AND ENTER THE FOLLOWING “I went through two schools CODE: AAW1VJ7. THE SCREENING WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 18 AT BALTIMORE-AREA THEATER. of acting, but I learned more about acting from meditating and my martial arts teacher.”

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mother was a single mom.

As far as I’m concerned, mommies, in general, rule the world. And single mothers just take it to a whole other level.

KW: Congratulations on the latest ‘Essence’ magazine cover!

NL: Oh, thank you!

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How was it having your son, Massai, play your son, and what acting advice did you give him?

NL: I actually sent him to my acting coach, Betty Bridges.

KW: Will we ever get to see Courtesy photo a ‘Love Jones’ sequel?

NL: I have no idea. There Nia Long returns to the big screen in The Single Moms have been a lot of rumors, and Club, as Mary, a single mom with a young son. some bad versions of scripts.

I don’t know what’s going to know is right and what we feel obligated to do. I happen. All I do know is that unless it’s right, we think that’s the theme of the show. What is your won’t do it. divide? What are the things you struggle with?

KW: You’ll be playing a lawyer on The Divide, a dramatic TV series debuting this summer. Have you started shooting the first season yet?

NL: We have been shooting in cold Toronto. We only have one more episode to go. I’ve been working with Tony Goldwyn, Richard LaGravenese and an amazing group of actors. I play a strong, successful mom.

KW: What’s the show about?

NL: All of us have moments in our lives when we have to choose between what we

KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

NL: At home, it’s all about my babies and no makeup. On the red carpet, it’s: Am I standing up straight?

KW: We’re out of time, Nia, and I still have a million more questions for you from fans.

NL: I’m so sorry. We can do another one soon, Kam. Read more on Afro.com

B4

The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

“A woman who is willing to be herself and pursue her own potential runs not so much the risk of loneliness as the challenge of exposure to more interesting men -- and people in general.” Lorraine Hansberry I met this “Phenomenal Women” many years ago and like so many Phenomenal Women, you won’t find her name in the history books. As the years passed, I realized just how phenomenal she was. At sixteen, she graduated valedictorian of her class and attended Bowie State College on a full scholarship. After leaving Bowie her vocations included the health field, federal government, private industry, and then she entered divinity school. During this time, she was a wife and a mother raising four daughters that she encouraged and supported in achieving their dreams. As a United Methodist minister, she pastored several historic churches throughout Maryland and DC, including making history as the female director of The Morgan Christian Center.

“Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there’s no one else above you? You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, ease my trouble that’s what you do.” Rod Stewart The day she retired from Northwood Appold United Methodist Church, this Phenomenal Woman surprised me when she sang, “I know who holds tomorrow” to a teary congregation. In all the years I’ve known her, I never heard her sing.

“Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand” “In my solitude” She never hesitated to drive cross-country alone to visit her children or grandchildren, stopping along the way to enjoy the country. This woman, loved by many and cherished by all, broke the glass ceiling. This phenomenal woman is the one I lovingly call Mommy, my mother the Rev. Pauline Ridgley Wilkins, the mother of Cheryl, Karen, Clarissa and me. Living for the Weekend honors her during Women’s History Month.

“When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right ... Make sure you done take into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got wherever he is.” Lorraine Hansberry We honor glass ceiling breakers, First Lady Michele Obama, Poet Audra Lorde, actress Nicole Ari Parker- Kodjoe, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake, Judge Shirley Watts, Dr. Thelma Daley, Lisa Lee Packer, Joyce Ward, Councilwoman Sharon Green-Middleton, Maia Estes, Lucinda Ware, Edi Greene, Landa McLaurin, Joy Bramble, Murnell Cooper, Priscilla Blackwell, Sen. Delores Kelly, the Hon. Agnes Welch, Sade, Mary Demory, the Rev. Dr. Vashti McKenzie, Marlaa Reid, Patricia G. Thomas, Dr. Patricia Schmoke, Angela Gibson, Lola March, Dottie Hector, Councilwoman Rikki Spector, Cindy Wolfe, Judge Marcella Holland, Delegate Adrienne Jones, Diane Hocker, Beverly Carter, Mildred Harris, Mildred Taylor, Jacqueline Washington, Bresha Webb, Dorothy “Queen” Williams, Robin Wood, Dr. Greta Burnett, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clark, Councilwoman Helen Holton, Lydia Mussenden, Ellen Howard, Keirston Wood, Van Nguyen, Zoe Washington, Libby Harris, Chili Washington,

Veronica “Ronnie” Jackson, the Hon. Joan Pratt and Renita Mingo.

In honor of Women’s History Month “Phenomenal Women,” remember: “Everyday a Lion wakes up knowing it has to chase down the fastest gazelle and if it doesn’t it will not survive and everyday a gazelle wakes up knowing it has to outrun the fastest lion in order to survive ... which are you the lion or the Gazelle? Either way you should wake up knowing you must live life to the fullest.” Zack Lemelle ‘I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.” Mary Wollstonecraft Our congratulations to Ossie Clay on your induction into the Howard County Woman’s Hall of Fame; an organization she founded in 1996.

“No matter where you’re from your dreams are valid” Lupita Nyong’o You can get a seat in the New Teachers Lounge written and produced by Baltimore native Ursula Battle on March 22-23. Email battlestageplays@gmail.com .

“Rah, rah, rumble seats and running boards them was the good old days, knee pants and dime a dance girls, oh, lord them was the good old days.” Roger Miller Join me at the signing of my colleague Rosa “Rambling Rose” Pryor-Trusty’s book AfricanAmerican Community History & Entertainment (Remembering the Yesterday’s 1940-1980) from 3 to 6 p.m. March 23 at Colin’s Seafood. This book has pictures of folks that helped make Baltimore the Mecca city for entertainment.

“If no tourists came, we’d still have Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a state of mind.” Ed Muniz The Mardi Gras celebration hosted by Jacqueline Richardson at her festive Woodlawn home was bedazzled with beads. It was just what I needed to help me get my joy back. The menu was reminiscent of a Nawlin’s buffet with Cajun catfish, shrimp creole, dirty rice, chicken gumbo, red beans and rice, creole black beans, Big Easy jambalaya, pork roast, greens, banana and pineapple pudding, and strawberry pie. Guests enjoying the evening were Brenda Sykes, Rita and Elvard Cooper, Sara Smalley, Rosemary Atkinson, Laura Byrd, Ann Branch, Jacqueline and James Massey, Dr. Thelma Daley, Dr. Charlene Cooper-Boston, Maggie Wiggins, Leah Hasty, Laura Knight, Beverly Boston, Linda Farrah, Debbie Parker, Margaret Johnson, Marina Solovey, Deborah Carter and Ronald Allen.

“When I discovered you, I discovered a peace within, joy like no other, you’re my closest friend, if you were a number you’d be a perfect 10, right out of the skies you were heaven sent” R Kelly Happy anniversary to Sheryl and Wesley Wood, Albert and Elsie Maddox, and Rose and Leonard Hamm. Happy birthday to Warren Jenifer, Michele Emery, Debbie Taylor, Rosemary “Duchess” Atkinson, Myron Bundy and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Sending get-well wishes to Donna Boone–Galmore, we’re wishing you nothing but blue skies.

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March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

B5

SPORTS

Should the Chicago Bulls Make a Move on Carmelo Anthony?

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Desk It doesn’t take much to get rumors rolling in sports.

A whisper here or a rumor there could start a landslide of propaganda and intrigue in which the thought sometimes has more substance than the actual truth.

Such rumors ran wild this past week when word broke that Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah pitched New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony during the All-Star weekend on the idea of joining Noah and the injured Derrick Rose in Chicago this summer, should Anthony opt out of his current contract, as some expect him to do?

Never mind that the Bulls currently don’t have space under the NBA’s salary cap to offer Anthony a sizable deal, and forget that Anthony is still very much the centerpiece of New York’s future plans. Trade and free agency rumors in basketball aren’t always about what’s real and what’s not, but rather what might work. The AFRO Sports Desk debates the idea of Anthony becoming a Bull.

Riley: Despite their current salary cap problems, if Chicago needed to make room for a player like Anthony then they would most certainly find a way, and that pairing would most certainly work. Obviously, Rose’s health would be the major question mark, but considering he would be two years removed from an ACL rupture and a whole season removed from a meniscus tear, the 25-year-old should be ready to roll this October. Rose was already a devastating scorer before he went down, but if you add Rose’s ability to Anthony’s and mix in some patented Chicago Bulls defense under master orchestrator Tom Thibodeau, that team would have a chance to finish in the top two in the Eastern Conference. The star power of Rose and Anthony backed by an anchor in the middle like Noah would form the new Big Three in the NBA.

Green: It wouldn’t work. You can’t trust Rose’s knees at this point and how much better would the Bulls be than the Indiana Pacers or Miami Heat? If Anthony is looking to win now, then the last thing he should do is tie himself to another player who hasn’t been healthy in more than two seasons. In a perfect world, Rose would be 100 percent healthy and the pairing would work. But a point guard like Rose relies mostly on his athleticism, and Anthony would be risking the remaining prime years of his career on a player recovering from multiple major knee surgeries—a risk that not too many players would take. Then there would be the matter of moving contracts around to make room for Anthony. Would it even be worth Chicago’s time to get a guy who could possibly throw off the whole framework of the Bulls’ offense?

Riley: The only risk for Anthony in going to Chicago would be Rose’s health. Everything else would flow well together, from fitting in with the team’s offensive and defensive concepts to having free reign to shoot away. It would be comparable to Oklahoma City, and how Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook trade shots while other players clean up and do the dirty work. I can’t knock Rose for consecutive fluke injury seasons. We’ve seen him hoist an MVP trophy while making a mockery out of defenses geared to stop him. We’ve also seen him guide his team to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. If you add Anthony to that type of atmosphere, with another dominant scorer and an elite post defender in Noah, and have those three coached by one of the best in the business, then you’re setting yourself up for a title run.

Should Anthony opt out of his current contract, as some expect him to do?

Green: I honestly believe the best days of D. Rose’s career are over. He will probably never be the same explosive scorer that he was before the injuries, so the superstar mystique that he once possessed is long gone. Therefore, if Melo goes to Chicago, there won’t be two superstars in town, only one—and

that’s Melo. Now, I do love the Bulls coach, Tom Thibodeau.

He’s probably one of the best coaches currently in the NBA, outside of the obvious legends like Greg Popovich and Doc Rivers. Thibodeau knows how to get anybody to perform at their best, and Melo would certainly thrive under his tutelage.

But there’s another rumor circulating now that the Knicks may offer Phil Jackson a job as their president of basketball operations. If Phil comes to New York, there’s no way Carmelo Anthony leaves. Phil knows how to win championships, and his presence in New York alone would be enough to keep Melo in the Big Apple and far away from the Windy City.

launch an e-mail voting campaign for the nomination and selection of Raymond Chester into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. Their goal is to generate at least 250,000 emails to the members of the Senior Selection Committee by June 1, the deadline for the preliminary list of eligible nominees.

Because Chester’s football career concluded more than 25 years ago, he is only eligible as a Senior Nominee.

The foundation is working with Morgan State, as well as public schools in Oakland and Baltimore to promote the campaign. In addition to recognizing Chester’s accomplishments, they hope to also raise awareness of African American history and the importance of historically Black colleges and universities.

“The students want to learn about their history and their legacy,” said Robinson. “What happened 40 years ago set the movement that athletes are able to go to college, get a quality education and be successful in life. We’re promoting the value of athletics and how it pertains to education.”

After retiring from professional football, Chester

induction would help the smaller schools recruit,” Chester said.

“Recruiting is the toughest thing in the world for historical Black colleges now. As much recognition that we can give players who came from historical Black colleges, I think it’s very valuable in assisting those colleges to recruit young athletes, and for people who go to those schools to understand that their opportunity— educationally, professionally, and sports-wise—is just as great as it would be had they attended the larger school.”

After larger state universities opened their doors to African American students, HBCUs have fought an uphill battle to stay relevant in college athletics. While a few Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Michael Strahan (Texas Southern) have hailed from HBCUs, in recent years the schools have struggled with declining enrollments and drastically reduced state funding.

“I think it’s time that the Hall of Fame selection committee go back and recognize some of the guys who were absolutely the best player in their era,” said Chester. “And no one can dispute that I was one of the top three players at my position in my era.

No one can dispute that.”

Campaign Underway to Finally Elect NFL Legend Raymond Chester into Football Hall of Fame

By Breana Pitts Special to the AFRO Four-time Pro Bowler. Super Bowl Champion. NFL Rookie of the Year. United States Football League Man of the Year. Bay Area Pro Athlete of the Year. Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Maryland Athlete Hall of Fame—and the list goes on.

Raymond Chester is widely considered one of the greatest tight ends of his era.

From his days with the historic, undefeated Morgan State

Obituary

Alfred J. Stewart

US Air Force Major General

US Air Force Major General Alfred J. Stewart passed away on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas after a short illness. He was 55 years of age.

Major General A. J. Stewart, a decorated Air Force Officer for 33 years, was a 1977 graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, and a 1981 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy as well as advanced degrees from two National War Colleges. Major General Stewart was an accomplished command pilot with more than

Courtesy Images

team of 1968 to playing in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts, Chester has always been among the best of the best.

But the football legend has yet to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite his long list of accolades and impressive statistics comparable to those of the eight tight ends enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

The tight end position has evolved over the years, and the standards that measure a player’s performance have shifted. In the 1970s and 1980s, tight ends were required to be a jack-of-alltrades, performing the grunt work of an offensive lineman while also being a clutch receiver.

“John Mackey set the standard, and Raymond Chester is of that same mold,” said Derrick Ramsey, Chester’s former teammate in Oakland. “He’s a big guy, a very strong guy, but also had the speed of a wide receiver, which was unheard of during the time he first got into football. The guys that were similar to him...they’re already there [in the Hall of Fame].”

Ramsey has partnered with Black Sports Legends Foundation founder Ron Bethea and board member Vince Robinson to

3,000 flying hours in the KC-135A, KC 135R, T-1 and C17 aircraft.

During his tenure in the United States Air Force he was assigned to a number of top level command positions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Iran-Iraq. General Stewart’s last assignment was Commander, Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

Memorial service are being planned. However, he leaves to cherish his memories a loving wife Aretha Carter-Stewart, sons Bryan Vincent Stewart and John Calvin Stewart II, mother Sandra Stewart, stepmother Lillian Stewart, sisters Gwendolyn Stewart Williamson, Dawn Stewart, Tracy Stewart, and Lisa Campbell and other relatives and friends.

Celebration of Life managed his own golf company in Oakland for more than 20 years. Today, he works as a consultant and remains an active member in the Oakland community.

While the personal recognition would be nice, Chester said he is more concerned about the platform the Hall of Fame could provide.

“I think the inspiration that could be developed from my

Alexander Bonner, Jr. Alexander Bonner, Jr., departed this life on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

He is survived by his wife, Charlotte I. Bonner; two daughters, Lynne Bonner Redd (Husband - Jay Redd) and Jai Bonner; son, Gary Alexander Bonner (Wife: Bonita) and two grandchildren, Bryant and Jonathan.

The celebration of his life will be held on Friday, March 14, 2014, at 10:30am at Ray of Hope Baptist Church, 3000 Parkside Dr., Baltimore, MD. The public viewing will be Thursday, March 13, 2014, from 5:00pm - 8:00pm at Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Home, 8728 Liberty Road in Randallstown.

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Home improvements loan and others Call: 1 866 284 9779 Signaturemgt@financier.com TYPESET: Wed Mar 12 13:43:18 EDT 2014 City of Baltimore Department of Finance Bureau of Purchases Sealed proposals addressed to the Board of Estimates of Baltimore, will be received until, but not later than 11:00 a.m. local time on the following date(s) for the stated requirements: MARCH 26, 2014 *AUTOMOTIVE STARTERS AND ALTERNATORS B50003414 THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION DOCUMENT CAN BE VIEWED AND DOWN LOADED BY VISITING THE CITYS WEB SITE: www.baltimorecitibuy.org TYPESET: Wed Mar 12 13:43:42 EDT 2014 PROVEN WINNING LOTTERY BOOK! This brilliant book is sheer genius! 5 brilliant stars for this great lottery ´Bible´!---Multiple Lottery Winner E. Thomas (MD and DC).

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It is this 28th day of February, 2014 by the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, ORDERED, that publication be given one time in a newspaper of general circulation in Baltimore City on or before the 30th day of March, 2014, which shall warn all interested persons to file an affidavit in opposition to the relief requested on or before the 14th day of April, 2014.

TYPESET: Wed Mar 12 13:41:59 EDT 2014

Frank M. Conaway Clerk 03/15/14

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BALTIMORE CITY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS GREAT PLAINS SOFTWARE UPGRADE AND HR MODULES IMPLEMENTATION RFP NUMBER: B-1754-14 The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (”HABC”) will issue a Request for Proposals (”RFP”) for interested and qualified Microsoft Gold Partners or Silver Enterprise Resource Planning firms to submit proposals to upgrade HABC’s existing Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 to GP2013 and configure and implement the Microsoft Dynamics GP HRM Self Service Modules.

PROPOSALS WILL BE DUE no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 16, 2014.

A non-mandatory pre-proposals conference will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., at 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 416, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202.

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410-554-8200

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AFRO Classified minimum ad rate is $26.54 per col. inch (an inch consists of up to 20 words).

Mail in your ad on form below along with CHECK or MONEY ORDER to: WASHINGTON AFRO-AMERICAN CO. 1917 Benning Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002-4723 Attn: Clsf. Adv. Dept.

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NAME: ________________________________________________ ADDRESS: _____________________________________________ PHONE NO.:____________________________________________ CLASSIFICATION: ______________________________________ (Room, Apt., House, etc.)

INSERTION DATE:_________________

BALTIMORE AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER

Frank M. Conaway Clerk TYPESET: Wed Mar 3/1412 13:42:52 EDT 2014 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR BALTIMORE CITY Case No.: 24D13003589 IN THE MATTER OF James Edward Thomas FOR CHANGE OF NAME TO Enouchi ORDER FOR NOTICE BY PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to officially change the name of the petitioner from James Edward Thomas to Enouchi It is this 28th day of February, 2014 by the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, ORDERED, that publication be given one time in a newspaper of general circulation in Baltimore City on or before the 20th day of March, 2014, which shall warn all interested persons to file an affidavit in opposition to the relief requested on or before the 4th day of April, 2014

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TYPESET: Wed Mar 12 13:42:24 EDT 2014 LEGAL NOTICES

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR BALTIMORE CITY Case No.: 24D14000445 IN THE MATTER OF Derell Antwan Laboo FOR CHANGE OF NAME TO Ogun Shepsu-Atef Lumumba

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Legal Advertising Rates Effective October 1, 2008 PROBATE DIVISION (Estates) 202-332-0080 PROBATE NOTICES

a. Order Nisi $ 60 per insertion b. Small Estates (single publication $ 60 per insertion c. Notice to Creditors 1. Domestic $ 60 per insertion 2. Foreign $ 60 per insertion d. Escheated Estates $ 60 per insertion e. Standard Probates

CIVIL NOTICES a. Name Changes 202-879-1133 b. Real Property

a. Absent Defendant b. Absolute Divorce c. Custody Divorce

To advertise in the AFRO Call 410-554-8200

$ 80.00 $ 200.00

$ 150.00 $ 150.00 $150.00

To place your ad, call 1-800-237-6892, ext. 262, Public Notices $50.00 & up depending on size, Baltimore Legal Notices are $24.84 per inch.

1-800 (AFRO) 892 For Proof of Publication, please call 1-800-237-6892, ext. 244 TYPESET: Wed Mar 12 13:37:37 EDT 2014

LEGAL NOTICES

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Contractual HCD Community Program Administrator I Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) Project Manager Recruitment#: 14-999999-253 Filing Deadline: March 24, 2014, 11:59 pm Salary: $20.69-$26.79 per hour (Grade 16/base - step 9)

Work that matters. DHCD is a national leader in the financing and development of affordable housing and community development lending. We now have a Contractual HCD Community Program Administrator I position available. This position will manage activities associated with the CITC Program in the Division of Neighborhood Revitalization. Responsibilities include grants administration from application to award, responding to client inquiries and processing tax conResponders shall also comply with all applicable requirements of Section 3 tributions. Candidate must possess strong interpersonal skills of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, 12 U.S.C. Section to work with high level public and private sector officials.

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Please visit www.jobaps.com/md to read more about this The RFP may be obtained on or after Monday, March 24, 2014, at the position and to submit an online application. Please note that TYPESET: 12 13:40:15 EDT 2014 ARE REQUIRED. EOE following location: minimumWed andMar selective qualifications

Questions regarding the RFP should be directed in writing to the address and individual indicated above, and must include the reference: HABC RFP Number B-1754-14.

$180.00 per 3 weeks $180.00 per 3 weeks $360.00 per 6 weeks $125.00

FAMILY COURT 202-879-1212 DOMESTIC RELATIONS 202-879-0157

HABC has established a minimum goal of twenty percent (20%) of the total dollar amount of the proposed contract for Minority Business Enterprise (”MBE”) utilization, applicable to all minority and non-minority businesses proposing to provide the requested services as the prime contractor. No goal has been established for participation of Women-owned businesses (”WBEs”), however, HABC strongly encourages and affirmatively promotes the use of WBEs in all HABC contracts.

Housing Authority of Baltimore City Division of Fiscal Operations, Purchasing Department 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 414 Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Attention: John Airey, Chief of Contracting Services Tel: (410) 396-3261 Fax: (410) 962-1586

$180.00 per 3 weeks

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Contractual Administrative Specialist DFA Administrative Assistant/Document Manager Recruitment#: 14-999999-247 Filing Deadline: March 19, 2014, 11:59 pm Salary: $14.32-$18.35 per hour (Grade 10/base - step 9) Work that matters. DHCD is a national leader in the financing and development of affordable housing and community development lending. The Division of Finance and Administration (DFA) seeks a qualified and enthusiastic individual to fill a contractual position as an Administrative Specialist I functioning as an Administrative Assistant/Document Manager. This position will provide direct and backup administrative support for DFA as well as act as the Document Manager for the Division. DHCD offers a flexible schedule, training, and advancement opportunities. Please visit www.jobaps.com/ md to read more about this position and to submit an online application. EOE

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Payment Policy for legal notice advertisements. Effective immediately, The Afro American Newspapers will require prepayment for publication of all legal notices. Payment will be accepted in the form of checks, credit card or money order. Any returned checks will be subject to a $25.00 processing fee and may result in the suspension of any future advertising at our discretion.

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

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March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014 The Afro-American LEGAL NOTICES Notice Invitation for Bid Construction Renovation Services Somerset Manor, Havre de Grace, MD Solicitation# C1 2014, Phase A The Havre de Grace Housing Authority is soliciting bids from highly qualified contractors to provide construction renovation services within its 60 unit public housing townhome community. This is a Davis-Bacon contract that includes replacement of residential unit windows, replacement and installation of exterior building lighting, and repair and repaving of community parking lots at Somerset Manor located in Havre de Grace, MD 21078.

A pre-bid meeting will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at 101 Stansbury Court. Contractors are encouraged to attend to obtain the scope of work and participate in a site visit. Specifications may be requested via email at hdghal@gmail.com.

Bids must be submitted no later than 12:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 27, 2014 to the HDGHA Capital Improvements Department, 101 Stansbury Court, Havre de Grace, MD 21078. Sealed bids will be opened at a public meeting on Thursday, March 27 at 1:00 p.m.

Havre de Grace Housing Authority Nicki Biggs Acting Executive Director

To advertise in the AFRO Call

CAREER CORNER

TYPESET: Wed Mar 05 13:29:31 EST 2014

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) HCD Community Program Administrator I Multi-Family Energy Reporting Administrator & Multi-Family Energy Production Manager Recruitment#: 14-001206-002 Filing Deadline: March 18, 2014, 11:59 pm Salary: $43,153-$54,253/year (Grade 16/base - step 9) Quality Assurance Officer, Customer Investment Fund (CIF) Recruitment#: 14-001206-001 Filing Deadline: March 18, 2014, 11:59 pm Salary: $43,153-$68,887/year (Grade 16/base - step 20) Work that matters. DHCD is a national leader in the financing and development of affordable housing and community development lending. We now have three HCD Community Program Administrator I positions available. The Energy Reporting Administrator will develop reports, proposals, and collect and analyze data necessary for planning weekly, monthly and quarterly reports. The Energy Production Manager will coordinate the design of unique multi-family housing energy related programs. This position is also responsible for developing program standards and directing the daily operations of the unit. The Quality Assurance Officer is responsible for oversight of energy efficiency, rehab and lead abatement work.

They will also perform quality assurance inspections of completed CIF work, conducting lead paint and weatherization program inspections. Please visit www.jobaps.com/md to read more about these positions and to submit an online application. Please note that minimum and selective qualifications ARE REQUIRED. EOE

410-554-8200

INSIDE SALES ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Entry-Level Advertising Sales Rep needed for the AFRO-American Newspapers, Baltimore, M.D. Position provides: • • • •

Competitive compensation package Salary and commission plan Full benefits after trial period Opportunity for fast track advancement

Candidates should possess: • Good typing/data entry skills

• • •

Excellent customer service skills Previous telephone sales experience Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Please email your resume to: lhowze@afro.com or mail to AFRO-American Newspapers, Diane W. Hocker, Director of Human Resources, 2519 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 TYPESET: Wed Mar 12 13:44:58 EDT 2014 ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Facilities Maintenance Mechanic I/II Financial Clerk II Latent Print Examiner Maintenance Worker II Network Security Engineer Receptionist Survey Field Technician Watershed Protection & Restoration Program Specialist Watershed Protection & Restoration Fund Engineer Manager Utilities Team Manager, Wastewater Division Visit our website at www.aacounty.org for additional information and to apply on-line.

You may use the Internet at any Anne Arundel County library, or visit our office at 2660 Riva Road in Annapolis.

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014