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Volume 122 No. 2
August 17, 2013 - August 17, 2013, The Afro-American A1 $1.00
AUGUST 17, 2013 - AUGUST 23, 2013
Holder Rejects Mandatory Minimum Sentences By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO
Eric Holder
INSIDE A6 March on Washington
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Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement on Aug. 12 of a set of prosecutorial reforms, including ways of avoiding mandatory sentences for lowlevel drug offenses, is being praised by people on both sides of the ideological aisle. “I think this will be pretty well received whether you look at it from a social justice perspective or a fiscal perspective,” said Chris Deutsch, spokesman, National Association of Drug Court Professionals. “It appeals to people over a broad spectrum. Everyone is ready for a change.” In his speech to the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Holder said Justice Department officials have worked for months on proposals to begin fixing a “broken” criminal justice system that is rife with disparities.
Jesse Jackson Jr., Wife, Sentenced to Federal Prison Terms By Alexis Taylor AFRO Staff Writer Former Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and Sandra Stevens Jackson, his wife, were handed federal prison sentences in exchange for their involvement in the misuse of campaign funds and tax fraud Aug. 14, according to the Associated Press. Both sides of the political power couple were sentenced to jail time, with the son of the famous civil rights leader receiving a 30-month term and his wife, a former Chicago alderman for Ward 7, receiving a 12-month sentence followed by a year of supervised release. “I misled the American people,” Jackson said in a simple statement following the sentencing, which comes months after both he and his wife pleaded guilty to avoid a long, drawnout court trial. The couple came under fire after Mrs. Jackson filed a joint tax return for the pair that didn’t include all of their income. According to information released by the U.S Attorney’s Office, the couple lived a lavish lifestyle off monies intended to help Jackson become reelected to his seat in the House of Representatives. Roughly $750, 000 Continued on A6
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Water Pollution From Coal Plants Threatens U.S.
Tyrone West Death Investigation May Take Weeks
Family Demands Justice Department Action By Krishana Davis AFRO Staff Writer It could take weeks before the autopsy report for Tyrone West, 44, who died in police custody on July 18, is released, according to a spokesman for the Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore. West was killed after an altercation with police which started when he was pulled over for an alleged traffic violation in the 1300 block of Kitmore Rd. in Northeastern Baltimore. Police said he struggled with officers after refusing to allow them to search his vehicle for drugs, said
Jesse L. Jackson Jr.
Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez of the Baltimore Police Department. Eight Baltimore police officers and one Morgan State University officer were involved in the incident. Initially, there was no action taken against the eight Baltimore police officers. But days later, the officers were suspended and placed on paid administrative leave, said police spokesman Vernon Davis. Morgan refused to disclose what action, if any, has been taken with the campus officer. Family members of Continued on A4
By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO A coalition of environmental organizations recently released a report claiming that coal-fired power plants have become the premier source of toxic water pollution in the United States, annually dumping billions of pounds of noxious discharge into the nation’s waterways with impunity. And, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, water pollution from power plants is expected to increase as pollutants are increasingly captured by air pollution controls and transferred to wastewater discharges. “In short, coal plants have used our rivers, lakes, and streams as their own private waste dumps for decades,”
stated the report, “Closing the Floodgates: How the Coal Industry Is Poisoning Our Water and How We Can Stop It.” Environmental researchers
combed through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database and Continued on A5
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Power plants discharge approximately 2.2 million pounds per year of nitrogen to the Chesapeake Bay alone, according to the “Closing the Floodgates” report.
Baltimore City Council Clears First Stage of Harbor Point Funding By Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writer
Architect’s rendering of Harbor Point at project completion
Copyright © 2013 by the Afro-American Company
Following weeks of protests and rallies against city backing of a private real estate development, the Baltimore City Council voted Aug. 12 to fund needed infrastructure for Harbor Point, a development that is slated to rest on a portion of the city’s waterfront. The planned mix of residences and commercial businesses, which is to include the headquarters of energy giant Exelon, is to sprawl over 27.4 acres and expected to cost $1 billion to Continued on A4
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
NATION & WORLD
‘Ebony’ Causes Stir with “We Are Trayvon” Covers
Ebony magazine has created controversy with the preview of its special September issue, which features bold cover photos related to the Trayvon Martin murder case. As part of its attempt to keep alive the conversation of race and Stand Your Ground laws, which became national issues following the slaying of African-American teen Travyon Martin last year, the publication is rolling out a special issue with four separate covers bearing the headline “We Are Travyon” and featuring Black celebrities and their sons. Appearing on the covers are the slain teenager’s own parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin with their son Jahvaris Fulton, as well as director Spike Lee and his son
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Jackson, actor Boris Kodjoe and his son Nicolas and NBA star Dwyane Wade with his sons Zaire and Zion, all wearing grey hoodies. In addition to an exclusive interview with Trayvon’s parents, the issue includes in-depth coverage on George Zimmerman’s trial and the aftermath, a discussion with Lee, Kodjoe and Wade about how they address the topic of racism with their sons, a Courtesy Images prayer of healing by Bishop Ebony covers T.D. Jakes, an article on racial profiling by Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill, a poem for Travyon by singer Jill Scott, discussions on how to save Black youth from gun violence, and more. The visually powerful covers and the issue’s content have been widely praised by many. Predictably, however, others have decried the covers as being racist and even evil. There was even a rumor that the Tea Party would boycott the magazine. Ebony responded to that rumor with several snarky replies. “We have so many Tea Party readers and followers. To lose all zero of them due to our September cover would be devastating,” the magazine wrote on its Twitter account Aug. 7. “The racist trolls on our timeline objecting to our September covers need to have a seat at a Klan meeting and get out of our mentions.” To its supporters the magazine said: “And thanks to all those who have expressed their appreciation for our September covers. We are honored to do this work. #JusticeForTrayvon.”
Oprah, Ernie Banks Among Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
Four African Americans are among the 16 recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor. President Barack Obama announced the winners on Aug. 8, marking the 50th anniversary of the award, which was
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Ernie Banks and Oprah Winfrey established by President Kennedy. Since its founding, the award has been conferred on more than 500 individuals who have made especially exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Among the African-Americans who will be recognized this year are three men and one woman who have distinguished themselves in the fields of sports, civic engagement, philanthropy and the media. Ernie Banks, or “Mr. Cub” as he is known to many, is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. During his 19 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, he played in 11 All-Star Games, hit more than 500 home runs, and became the first National League player to win Most Valuable Player honors in back-to-back years. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, his first year of eligibility. Bayard Rustin, who is being honored posthumously, is most known for organizing the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. As an openly gay African-American, Rustin was an unyielding activist for civil rights, dignity, and equality for all. An advisor to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he promoted nonviolent resistance, participated in one of the first Freedom Rides, and fought tirelessly for marginalized communities at home and abroad. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian is a distinguished minister, author, and organizer. A leader in the Civil Rights Movement and friend to Dr. King, he participated in Freedom Rides and sit-ins across our country. Dr. Vivian also helped found numerous civil rights organizations, including Vision, the National Anti-Klan Network, and the Center for Democratic Renewal. In 2012, he returned to serve as interim President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Oprah Winfrey is a household name around the world. One of the world’s most successful broadcast journalists, she is best known for creating “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which became the highest rated talk show in America for 25 years. Winfrey has long been active in philanthropic causes and expanding opportunities for young women. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010. The foursome joins an august group of Blacks who have previously received this honor, including Sidney Poitier, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Maya Angelou, among many others. The recipients will be honored at a ceremony later this year.
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Michelle Obama
Michele Obama to Release Hip-Hop Album to Support Anti-Obesity Campaign
First lady Michelle Obama is releasing a hip-hop album late this year to promote her “Let’s Move!” anti-child obesity initiative. The first lady does not lay down any rhymes herself, however. Instead, “Songs for a Healthier America,” set for release on Sept. 30, features artists such as Doug E. Fresh, Jordin Sparks, DMC and Ashanti, as well as TV medical personality Dr. Oz and the “Hip Hop Doc,” Dr. Olajide Williams. The album’s catchy first single, “Everybody,” already has a video featuring a message from Obama, Doug E. Fresh, Sparks, Dr. Oz and students from the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School. It relays the “Let’s Move!” campaign’s message to “work hard/eat right” and other healthy—but cool—lessons.
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 17, 2013
August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013, The Afro-American
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State Tax Credit Calculations Error Gouges Some Balto Homeowners is too much. “People made their decision to buy based on what they thought their monthly burden would be, now that is larger,” he said. The city is hoping residents who bought into Baltimore for a tax break won’t be penalized because this was a mistake made by the state.
By Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writer
Nearly 300 Baltimore City homeowners are seeing a significant increase in their property taxes as a result of flawed calculations by the state in computing the Historic Renovation Tax Credit. As a result of the errors, local homeowners sport-utility vehicle sought in from a neighbor about a suspiBy Alan King have been sent tax bills containingconnection mistakes with the murder of cious vehicle. The man noticed AFRO Staff Writer by the State Department of Assessments andmother and brother. Hudson’s the vehicle while walking his The white, 1994 Chevrolet dog. According to the Chicago Jennifer Hudson and other Taxation. Tribune, the boy had been shot relatives positively identified theseSuburban “When people purchased homes with Illinois license multiple times in the back seat over the past couple of years, they were given of the vehicle. The SUV, regisa worksheet that predicted what their tax tered to Hudson’s murdered brother, was towed with the burden would be as a result of the credit, “ boy’s body inside and is being Councilman Bill Henry told the AFRO. “The by evidence technicalculations the state did were incorrect, so According to processed the city’s website, finance. cians and workers. The body their worksheets reflected smaller annual baltimorecity.gov,was thelater program was designed removed and taken to payments than what is now required.” to encourage preservation and investments the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. program So far, some of the tax increases have been in historic properties. It is a 10-year Hudson and otherthe family small, however some homeowners have seen where money is allotted to increase value members arrived at the Medical increases as much as $600, which Henry said of historic neighborhoods and attract residents Examiner’s office mid-after-
the AFRO. to Baltimore City. Councilman James Kraft, who represents Owen C. Charles, deputy director of the State Department of Assessment and Taxation, District 1, which covers the Canton, Fells Point, Upper Fells Point, Butchers Hill declined to comment on the inflated taxes Patterson Park areas, said he has heard A3 because, he said, “the city has yet to discuss November 1, 2008 - November 7,and 2008, The Washington Afro-American complaints from residents primarily from the nature of those errors with me or my homeowners in the Canton, Fells Point, Upper department,” he said. “I have received calls Fells Point and Butchers Hill neighborhoods. from homeowners During an Aug. 12 city council meeting, with some concerns posted fliers bearing his photoKraft said, “it’s ridiculous andthe unfair about this matter, graph around city.that On but because I don’t people would have to pay more.” Sunday, Jennifer Hudson asked for the public’s help in finding know the nature of Henry said some homeowners have seen a her nephew. In started her MySpace the errors, I couldn’t spike in their payments, which July 1— blog, she thanked fans and supcomment.” the beginning of porters the fiscal said and this is foryear. their He prayers “The state the “council formally saying to the state that offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who returned the boy government made a we need you to look at this.” mistake, than it’s really “People were alive. trying to reinvest in Since the investigation, the state’s responsibility—the city shouldn’t Baltimore and they should not be penalized,” Hudson – who gained stardom have to eat smaller of tax revenue because the Henry said. “It doesn’t have to be lowafter appearing ona“American state put a lower number on a piece of paper, income or fixed budget situation, an extra $500 Idol,” and then won an in this case 314 pieces of paper,” Henry told per month, is notAcademy okay.” Award for her role in
Jennifer Hudson and Relatives Identify Body of Her Slain Nephew “The city is hoping residents who bought into Baltimore for a tax break won’t be penalized because this was a mistake made by the state.”
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Courtesy Photos
Jennifer Hudson and her mom, Darnell Donerson who Hekilled, said heashas directed programs instead of prison for was well as her brother, Jason.
federal prosecutors to “develop specific, locallythe body of her 7-year-old tailored guidelinesjust – hours nephew Monday, consistent with our national after his body was found in a priorities – for determining when federal charges should be filed, and when they should not.” As part of his “Smart on Crime” initiative, By Alan King Holder AFRO Staff Writer gives federal prosecutors more discretion to use Presidential candidate John locally-tailored guidelines McCain’s attack on ACORN – for determining when federal Associated Community Organization forbe Reform charges should filed, Now with – confirms successresources of the an eye to the focusing organization, the head of the on fighting violent crime. group says. He hasis also directed “all “This testimony to the work U.S. Attorneys createwe’ve – and we’ve done and to success had,” Maude Hurd, president of to update – comprehensive ACORN, said in an interview anti-violence strategies for with the AFRO. badly-afflicted areasstarted, withinwe “When this attack their districts. And I’ve had just announced that we had registered 1.3them million new votencouraged to convene ers,” she said. “That’s just to say regular law enforcement that someone’s running scared forums state andsuccess.” becausewith of ACORN’s local partners to isrefine McCain, who running for president on the Republican these plans, foster greater ticket, lashed out at ACORN the efficiency, and facilitateinmore final debate against Barack open communication Obama, contending theand group “is cooperation,” said.perpetraton the verge ofhe maybe ing“Today, one of the greatest frauds a vicious cycle in voter historycriminality, in this country, of poverty, and maybe destroying the fabric of incarceration traps too many democracy.” Americans and weakens too Factcheck.org, a non-partisan Web site, found those claims to many communities,” Holder be “exaggerated,” “no of evisaid. “And many with aspects dence of any such democracyour criminal justice system destroying fraud.” mayHurd actually exacerbate these believes the McCain charges were politically motivatproblems, rather than alleviate ed. them.” She said, “Because it’s lowprioritizing people, and“By moderate-income prosecutions, we increase and people of color, I believe the McCain campaign the resources that thinks we canthose voters are going to vote devote to battling the violent Democratic, which is not necesoffenders who threaten our sarily true.” neighborhoods,” said Ronald ACORN is no stranger to controversy. C. Machen Jr. U.S. attorney 38 years, the non-partisan for For Washington D.C., in an organization has fought for social e-mailed statement. “We look and economic justice for lowforward to implementing the and moderate-income Americans. With 400,000 memDepartment’s new guidance in families organized intoour more aber manner that conserves than 1,200 neighborhood chapresources thatnationwide, we can best ters in 110so cities confront our most pressing ACORN has over the years seen its share of criticism while advoand persistent public safety cating for affordable housing, challenges.” living wages, healthcare for the The plan also underserved— andcalls whilefor organaverting mandatory izing voter registrationminimum drives. But none has as withering sentences forbeen low-level, and baselessdrug as this one. nonviolent offenders With the presidential election with no ties to gangs or largeless than two weeks away, scale drug organizations; ACORN’s detractors allege the organization has engaged reducing sentences for in massive voter registrationinmates fraud after elderly, nonviolent the reported discovery of bogus and promoting diversion names, such as Mickey Mouse
Young Democrats of America Elect First “She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.” African-American President
noon to identify the body. Given the choice between looking directly at the body or viewing it on a wall-mounted
Holder Rejects nonviolent criminals. “The bottom line is plate X584859 was found on that, whileWest the aggressive Chicago’s Side after enforcement of afederal police received 7 a.m. call criminal statutes remains necessary, we cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation. To be effective, federal efforts must players also focus and Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo andand Terrell Owens, on prevention reentry,” among the names submitted to Holder said. election officials. Liberal Hurd saidlawmakers those workers, who and social groups were doing justice those things without ACORN’s knowledge or permisare praising the attorney sion, were general forfired. addressing the “The evidence that has surissue of hardline anti-drug faced so far shows they faked penalties—a “misguided” forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not tofrom stuff ballot policy birthed the soboxes.”War ACORN, she said, is the called on Drugs—which, victim of fraud, not the perpetrathey say, has perpetuated a tor of it. “cradle-to-prison pipeline” Hurd said the only things bogus are the charges themamong Blacks and Hispanics. selves. And factcheck. org “Mandatory sentences agrees. have been disproportionately It concluded, “Neither invoked people have ACORN against nor its employees of color ever since been found guilty of,their or even charged with, casting fraudulent inception 20-30 years ago,” votes.” said A. Dwight Pettit, a wellThe problem came about priknown Baltimore lawyer marily because of the way who said he’s operates. seen many clients ACORN Rather than rely on over thevolunteers, years whoit pays havepeobeen ple, many of them poor or unemoverly penalized by draconian ployed, to sign up new voters. judicial The ideapolicies. was to help both those Pettit said change to the being registered and those doing the registration. patently “unfair” system, Maud which heexplained, compared“We to have a zero tolerance policy for deliber“modern slavery,” was slow ate falsification of registration.” in coming because “loading Most news account neglect to point ACORN is up of out jailsthat became a new required by law to turn in all regindustry.” istration forms. And they also fail Thethat impact ofthe such to note it was organizapolicies on communities tion, in many instances, thatoffirst brought phony registrations color hasthebeen devastating, to the attention of authorities. activists say, straining and The McCain camp apparently draining their resources. isn’t interested in those fine “Mandatory points, preferringminimum to air misleading ads thatare seek link Obama sentences nottoonly unfair to ACORN, thereby undercutting in stature and consequence, his political support. theyMcCain: represent serious I’maJohn McCain threat to the civil rights gains and I approve this message. is Barack andAnnouncer: progress ofWho the 1960s Obama? man Lawyers’ with “a political and 70s,”Asaid baptism performed at warp Committee Civil Rights speed.” Vast for ambition. After colUnder Law President and lege, he moved to Chicago. Became a community organizer. Executive Director Barbara There, Obama met Madeleine Arnwine in a statement. Talbot, part of the Chicago “These sentences branch of ACORN. He are was so counterproductive andasked create impressive that he was to the ACORN staff.cycle of atrain long-term adverse What did ACORN in Chicago negative reinforcement, have engage in? Bullying banks. disastrous effects on housing, Intimidation tactics. Disruption employment and education, of business. ACORN forced banks to issue homeand loans. and tear apartrisky families The same types–of loansdoing that communities while caused the financial crisis we’re little or nothing to make us in today.
ACORN Fights Back
safer.” Hilary Shelton, NAACP video screen, the family chose Washington Bureau chief, the latter. According to the said disproportionate Tribune, Hudson said, “Yes, incarceration that’s him.” among Blacks—who comprise about 40 percent of the nation’s prison population—has led to decreased political power. “Voting capital is also lost because you’re taking votingis No wonder Obama’s campaign trying to distance him from the population off the street…and group, saying, Obamaa in many states“Barack they receive Never Organized with ACORN.” lifetime ban on voting rights,” But Obama’s ties to ACORN run Shelton said, citing statistics long and deep. He taught classes for ACORN. They evenex-felons endorsed that one-third of the him for President. who can’t vote are African But now ACORN is in trouble. American. Reporter: There are at least Conservatives concerned across the 11 investigations country involving thousands of with over-criminalization’s potentially ACORN rising toll fraudulent on the federal forms. budget have also given Announcer: Massive voter Holder’s faint praise— fraud. Andplan the Obama campaign paid more than an sprinkled with$800,000 criticismtothat ACORN front get outthose the vote his efforts lagfor behind efforts. already implemented by Pressuring banks to issue risky states. loans. Nationwide voter fraud. “Over the years, political Barack Obama. Bad judgment. Blind ambition. Too risky for leaders have failed to hold America. the criminal justice system accountable for itscomments, alarming Since McCain’s increase in spending andbeen lack ACORN’s 87 offices have bombarded of results,”with saidthreats Marc and Levin, racist mail. on behalf of Right on Crime, The day after the presidential adebate, conservative criminal vandals broke into justice the reform movement. “It’s good organization’s Boston and Seattle offices andadministration stole computers. to see the After a Cleveland representative following the lead of appeared on TV, an e-mail was conservative states as she sent to the local officesuch saying Texas, South Carolina, and “is going to have her life ended.” A workerthat in Providence, R.I.,it’s Georgia have proven received atothreatening call saypossible reduce crime while ing, “We know you get off work also reducing criminal justice at 9” and uttered racial epithets. spending.” A caller to one office left a message thecurrently answeringabout Thereonare machine, saying: “Hi, being I was just 2.4 million persons held calling to let you know that nationally in U.S. prisons Barack Obama needs to get and the country, hung.jails He’sacross a (expletive deleted) nigger, he’s piece of half of and them fora nonviolent (expletive deleted). You guys are drug offenses. In federal fraudulent, and you need to go to prisons alone, the of hell. All the niggers number on oak trees. inmates skyrocketed from They’re gonna get all hung honeys, they’re going to get assassiapproximately 25,000 in 1980 nated, they’re gonnainget killed.” to nearly 219,000 2012, an Another message said, “You almost 800 percent increase, liberal idiots. Dumb (expletive and the Bureau Prisons’ deleted). Welfare of bums. You guys justis(expletive (BOP) operatingdeleted) at almost come to our over country, consume 40 percent capacity, every natural resource there is, the Congressional Research and make a lot of babies. That’s Service found a recent all you guys do.in And then suck up the welfare and expect everyreport. oneTaxpayers else to pay pay for your hospital about bills for your kids. I jus’ say let $26,000 to house an inmate your kids die. That’s the best for oneJust year, which translated move. let your children die. Forget about paying to a nationwide costfortohospital state bills federal for them.budgets I’m not of gonna do and about it. You guys are lowlifes. And I $80 billion in 2010 alone. hope you all die.” That thinks is money “thatcalls canwill Hurd the hate cease be putsoon. towards the education “In two weeks, creating I think these system, towards attacks will be over. But I think it jobs…towards helping with will be harder for us to get our health care and retirement…. name back on good graces becauseare they us in There anreally awfultrashed number of the last that few weeks.” things this money can be But ACORN will not be used on,” Shelton said. deterred. Holder said fighting the Justice “We’ve been for a long time, forisover years, for Department also30supporting the rights of legislation low- and moderatebi-partisan that income people all across the seeks to enshrine some of his country,” Hurd said. “We’re reforms into law. going to continue to fight for
Leader Calls Voter Registration Fraud Charges ‘Bogus’
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the movie Dreamgirls – has stayed out of the public eye. The Chicago Tribune reported that a parade of cars moved slowly past her family’s home Monday morning, past the news vans, reporters and curious onlookers. Neighbors stood quietly and reflected on the violence. In front of the Hudson’s home, men in heavy jackets and hooded sweatshirts came to kiss the twin white crosses baring the names of Donerson and Jason. “Everybody is sick of going through stuff like this,” Artisha West, a former resident of the area told the Tribune. “We all have to stick together. All these young children are dying, and for what?”
economic justice in our communities.”
Julian King, Jennnifer Hudson’s nephew.
A spokesman for the office told the newspaper that Hudson
the murders but is being held in jail for parole violation after
“remained strong for her famibeing convicted of attempted ly” and was clearly its leader. murder and vehicular hijackBy James Lewiswith her fami- ing. Cook County records show “She held hands Special the AFRO said. “It ly,” the to spokesman that he pleaded guilty to both was obviously a very emotional charges in 1999. He was also moment.” convicted in 1998 for possesAtima Omara-Alwala, of The boy – the son of Julia sion of a stolen motor vehicle. Arlington, was elected the first Hudson, Jennifer’s sister – had He was released from prison in African-American of the Young 2006 after serving seven years been missing since Friday, when a relative found Julian’s Democrats of America at the bi- for the attempted murder and grandmother, Darnellof the Young car hijacking charges. annual Convention Donerson, 57, and his uncle, The boy remained missing Democrats of America. Jason Hudson, 29, shot to death through a long weekend in “I am proud to stand to in as in his grandmother’s home which police and volunteers the 7000 block woman of Southand Yale the first Black first Avenue. to lead the nation’s Virginian An Amber Alert – a desiglargest partisan youth organization, nation for high-risk missing the Young Democrats of America,” children – was issued Friday said Omara-Alwala, who after Julian was discoveredis also the missing after the murders. first Virginian elected to the post. Police William 81-year “In thisarrested organization’s Balfour, the missing boy’s stephistory, there has never been an father and estranged husband African American, but I of Julia, at his girlfriend’sknow my Southside apartment several victory today is because of all the hours after thehave murders. activists that worked for more Balfour’s mother, Michele, has equality for African told reporters that herAmericans son had and women.” nothing to do with the slayings. Balfour remains aa suspect in Jason Hudson Omara-Alwala, management
and political consultant, ran with a team representing California, Georgia, New York, Kansas, Oklahoma and Delaware for the organization’s leadership. The SQUARE team
HIGH
“…I know my victory today is because of all the activists that have worked for more equality for African Americans and women.” BREAD
LEFT
– Omara-Alwala was elected in a clean sweep under the banner of YDA Progress. In addition to being the first African American and Virginian, Omara-Alwala and the newly elected executive vice president,
the Honorable Erin Carlstrom, of California, represent the organization’s first female-led team. “As the president of the largest partisan youth organization in America, I am glad to NOTof ONmy THE LIST progressive have the support fellow activists and leaders,” said Omara-Alwala. “Looking forward, I plan to use this position to empower young leaders to be better political operatives, candidates and activists in their RIGHT home communities.” Omara-Alwala previously served as a vice president, Mid-Atlantic region director, and chairwoman of the women’s caucus for the organization. She hails from Chester, Va. She earned a BA from the University of Virginia and an MPA from George Mason University. She lives in Arlington with her husband, Clay.
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
August 17, 2013 - August 17, 2013, The Afro-American
Four New Judges Named to Balto City District Court By Alexis Taylor AFRO Staff Writer Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office has announced the appointment of a diverse group of four new judges to the Baltimore City District Court on Aug. 13. Kevin Wilson and Martin Dominic are African American; Mark Franklin Scurti and Nicole Pastore Klein are White. “I am pleased to appoint such an accomplished and diverse group of candidates to serve on the Baltimore City District Court,” said O’Malley, in a statement released the same day. “These appointees will bring to the bench a broad range of legal expertise and a true commitment to public service.” Wilson took the former position of just-retired District Court Judge H. Gary Bass after outshining more than 20 other applicants and 14 other nominees. Dorsey has replaced Judge Ronald A. Karasic, Nicole Pastore Klein will fill the space left by the retirement of Judge James L. Mann, and the elevation of the Judge
Christopher L. Panos left a vacancy to be filled by Mark Franklin Scurti. “All were retirements except for the elevation of District Court Judge Christopher Panos from the District Court to the Circuit Court of Baltimore City,” said Elizabeth F.
“I think that all of the judges are well qualified and should bring energy, diversity, and a range of experience to the Baltimore bench.” – Professor
Jose Anderson
Harris, chief legal counsel to O’Malley. “District Court judges serve ten-year terms and the governor ‘shall’ reappoint them until they hit the mandatory retirement age of 70 or voluntarily retire,” Harris said, referring to the Maryland Constitution.
Professor Jose Anderson, of the University of Baltimore School of Law, said that he has known three of the judicial appointees named by O’Malley for more than ten years. “I think that all of the judges are well qualified and should bring energy, diversity, and a range of experience to the Baltimore bench,” he said, adding that he is especially proud to see former student Martin Dorsey make the cut. It’s been more than a decade since Dorsey sat in the front row of Anderson’s criminal law class. “I taught him his first year of law school,” Anderson told the AFRO. “He’s always been a very even-tempered and well-balanced person.” According to information released by the office of the governor, for the past 15 years Dorsey has worked for Baltimore City’s Office of the Public Defender. In 2011, he became the supervising attorney for the Eastside District courthouse, and prior to that he served ten years as part of the felony trial unit.
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Klein has served as an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings since 2007. Klein has “specialized in complex commercial litigation and employment law.” Scurti, a member of the board of governors of the Maryland State Bar Association, has worked with Pessin Katz Law, P.A. since 2007 in Towson, where he focused on bankruptcy and consumer protection law. Wilson is a former algebra teacher who has, for the past 13 years, served as “tier supervisor for cases involving handguns, felony narcotics, and burglaries” for the assistant state’s attorney, a Maryland official said. The appointments were all recommended by the trial court judicial nominating commission and will go into effect at a later date that has not been announced. According to the office of the governor, no date has been set because each appointee has to be given time to arrange their affairs and finish out their current positions.
Tyrone West Death Investigation May Take Weeks Continued from A1
West, who did odd jobs and had an extensive criminal record, along with community activists, said they are concerned that the Baltimore Police Department cannot do a thorough and impartial job investigating the case. Members of the West family started a petition online on Change.org asking for the Department of Justice to intervene and take over the investigation. “We had to bury my cousin without a death certificate,” said Neil Norris, a cousin of West. “This is not just a Baltimore issue or a Maryland issue. It’s a nationwide issue.” Meanwhile, Bruce Goldfarb, a spokesperson for the Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office, which has conducted an autopsy on West, said it may take weeks for the cause of death to be determined. The Baltimore-based medical examiner’s office is an independent agency from the police department and state’s attorney’s office. About 40,000 people die in the state of Maryland each year and the medical examiner’s office investigates about 4,000 of those deaths which involve “unexpected death, unexplained death or foul play,” said Goldfarb. In cases of unexplained or unexpected death, like West’s, the office performs an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, he said. “It’s the best medical examination you’ll ever get and it happens one day too late,” said
Goldfarb of autopsy screenings. During a recent visit to the office, the AFRO observed four autopsies being performed. All four of the people being examined were African American and all appeared to be under the age of 30. Goldfard said as many as 20 people are brought into the medical examiner’s office each day from across the state of Maryland. He said autopsies are commonly performed in about two hours and the body can be returned to the family for funeral arrangements the same day. “In more complicated cases, results from the autopsy screening could take weeks,” said Goldfarb. “Neurology and toxicology lab test take weeks… This is one of the biggest things which delays the office from releasing the cause of the death.” Community activists have been holding protests around the city demanding penalties for the police officers involved in the incident that led to West’s death. Joe Armstead, organizer with the Committee of Concerned Citizens, a loosely allied group of community leaders and activists, said the officers involved should not be paid during the investigation. He said they should be on suspension without pay. “Why should they be paid for killing our Black brothers and sisters,” said Armstead. “They need to be in Central Booking without gainful employment, just like everyone else.”
BEFORE THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF MARYLAND IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE BALTIMORE GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY FOR APPROVAL OF A GAS SYSTEM STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT PLAN AND ACCOMPANYING COST RECOVERY MECHANISMS CASE NO. 9331 NOTICE OF PRE-HEARING CONFERENCE A Pre-Hearing Conference in the above-titled matter is scheduled for Tuesday, August 27, 2013, beginning at 1:00 p.m., at:
Maryland Public Service Commission 16 th Floor Hearing Room William Donald Schaefer Tower 6 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland The purpose of the hearing is to set a procedural schedule for this matter, consider any petitions to intervene that have been filed, and consider any other preliminary matters requested by the parties. Any persons seeking to intervene in this proceeding should file an original and seventeen (17) paper copies, plus one electronic copy, of a petition to intervene with David J. Collins, Executive Secretary, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 by 5:00 p.m., EDT, Thursday, August 22, 2013.
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The Commission encourages parties to use the Commission’s “e-file” system for filing the electronic copy. Details of the “e-file” system are available on the Commission’s web page, www.psc.state.md.us. Additionally, five of the paper copies of the petition shall be three-hole punched.
Photo by Krishana Davis
Tyrone West’s family
Harbor Point Continued from A1
build. “I believe it can help make Baltimore a better place,” said Michael Beatty, Harbor Point developer of Beatty Development Group LLC. Developers said in recent statements that the waterfront will be used as a cultural attraction to bring in additional tourists to the Inner Harbor. Councilmen Carl Stokes and Bill Henry voted against the bill along with Councilwoman Sharon Middleton. Eleven council members supported the measure to sell $100 million in municipal bonds to finance construction of roads, parks and other infrastructure elements that would be the backbone of the planned development. “I’m not surprised some of my colleagues decided to shut down the democratic process,” Advertiser: BGE Stokes told reporters. “People said they wanted Afro we American toPublication: talk about this bill, continue to talk about it and said there should be some altering done, Insertion Date: Aug. 17 & 24, 2013 yet some of my colleagues decided to shut down that discussion.” Ad Size: 5.42” x 7” Stokes said 35 years ago Harbor Place, the Title: Notice of hearing - 8/27/2013 first wave of development in the city’s Inner Harbor, “was a great place and I supported and If you have received this publication material said it was great.” Now, he said, “It’s not so in error, or have any questions about it please good rightthenow, is dept. it?” at Weber Shandwick contact traffic atDuring (410) 558 the2100. Aug. 12 council meeting, many community activists said they expect the bill
to pass, which would possibly bring more congestion and development pressure to the Baltimore waterfront. Kim Trueheart, a vocal foe of the development, said the council’s action ignores grassroots activists, she said. “These bills fail to meet the objective. Surely what’s happening here doesn’t look like they are including us.” During the nearly two-hour meeting Trueheart was almost dismissed from the meeting for being disruptive, forcing City Council President Jack Young to shout, “Ms. Trueheart, that’s your last warning because you are out of order.” “The city is giving away money, they are cutting workers and cutting benefits,” Joseph Armstrong, of Northeast Baltimore, echoed Truehart’s objections. There is “too much money going toward too many developers without enough investigation,” he said. “We all want the city to grow, but not at that cost.” Stokes said that when Harbor Place was being developed, the proportion of Baltimore residents living in poverty rose from 17 to 25 percent. A developed Harbor Point is “going to be great to the developers, but it’s not going to be such a benefit to the rest.” Councilman James Kraft, who lives in Harbor Point, aggressively supported the $1 billion project.
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 17, 2013
August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013, The Afro-American
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School Police Officer to Challenge Sheriff Anderson By Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writer
The post of Baltimore City Sheriff, the city’s only elected peace officer position, is up for grabs next June and a city school police officer wants the job. Donovan Brooks, who roves between several schools in the Baltimore Public School System’s northeast district, announced his decision to run June 23 wine and pasta fundraiser. The move for the sheriff’s seat is a move that Brooks describes as inevitable. A graduate of the FBI’s law enforcement executive development school, Brooks says he is the best man for the job. “I am running for city sheriff because when I looked at the current state of law enforcement and public safety in our city, I
Miss Black USA 2013
And the winner is…
Photos by Rob Roberts
Amanda McCoy, of Cary, N.C., was named Miss Black USA 2013 at a ceremony held Aug. 12 at the University of the District of Columbia. She is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, studying communication studies.
JoceLien Whitehead, 14, of Trenton, N.C., was named Miss Talented Teen2013 at a pageant Aug. 11 at the Sheraton Pentagon City.
realized there was no engagement in the community,” Brooks told the AFRO. Brooks, who will officially file this fall, has already gotten a head start on his campaign. Brooks said, “There is a clear indication that there is a lack of engagement in the community between the citizens and the current Sheriff.” Brooks has spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Baltimore City Community College and a bachelor and masters of science degrees Johns Hopkins University in public safety management. After serving nearly two years as chief of police for Fairmount Heights, Brooks said he prides himself on “educating the public on delivering the services that are available by the sheriff’s department.” If elected Brooks said, his sleeves would be rolled up and will be at the table with the commissioner and other
city officials—whether he has an invitation or not. He said, ”because I would be confronted with all of the same issues that face the Baltimore City police department as a chief executive law enforcement leader.” Brooks went onto say one of the biggest challenges the sheriff will face is the crime that has been plaguing the city for numerous years. “As a law enforcement agency, the sheriff’s office shares the responsibility of keeping our citizens and our city safe.” According to the City Sheriff’s website, the sheriff’s role is to: transport prisoners to places of incarceration, maintain order in the circuit courtrooms, collect fines and court costs, execute domestic violence and peace orders, traffic enforcement and participate in criminal patrol and crime suppression details. John Anderson, has been the incumbent sheriff since 1989, winning four consecutive terms against two Democrat Continued on A6
Water Pollution Continued from A1
discharge permits and found that out of 386 reviewed coal plants across the country, 274—including seven in Maryland—are depositing metal-laden coal ash and scrubber wastewater into waterways nationwide. For example, the report claimed, power plants discharge approximately 2 .2 million pounds per year of nitrogen to the Chesapeake Bay, alone, upsetting its ecological balance. “None of these have limits on the amounts of toxic metals like arsenic, boron, cadmium, mercury and selenium they are allowed to dump into public waters,” the report stated. And many are not under any obligation to report how much pollution they are discharging to federal authorities. “This report makes it clear that coal plant owners in Maryland need a lesson in common sense,” said Chris Hill, conservation Representative, Maryland Sierra Club. “When coal plants dump poisons into our waterways, it threatens public health, drinking water and recreation opportunities throughout Maryland.” Requests for comment from the AFRO on the matter from Riverstone Holdings LLC, parent company to Raven Power Holdings, which owns coal-fired power plants in Baltimore, drew no response. Hill added that the report also highlights the importance of more stringent federal standards and enforcement. “This report demonstrates the importance of strong EPA standards when it comes to water pollution from coal plants around the country,” she said. “Some of the toxic chemicals are very dangerous and could lead to birth defects, cancer, even death,” she added. “It’s common sense: If we reduce the toxins in our waterways our children will be less likely to get sick.” EPA standards for limiting discharge from coal-fired plants have not been updated since 1982, a lag that has led to the explosion in the volume and mass of their pollutant discharges. “They take forever (to institute updated standards)
and sometimes it doesn’t matter that people are suffering,” Hill, the Sierra Club spokeswoman, said. Delays can be caused by review processes, she added, and “especially with pressure from the coal industry it takes longer.” In response to a request for an interview, the EPA e-mailed a statement pointing to its draft of proposals to refresh those standards and reduce pollution from steam electric power plants, including coal-fired plants, which were released in April. “EPA estimates that the regulations would reduce pollutant discharges by 470 million to 2.62 billion pounds annually and reduce water use by 50 billion to 103 billion gallons per year,” the agency said in the statement. But the environmental groups claim that the White House Office of Management and Budget has weakened the proposed standards, exempting some
Morguefile.com
smaller plants—among other changes—and effectively reducing how much pollution is eliminated, as seen from a redline copy of the proposal showing the original options and the revisions. “Americans deserve better,” the report read. “After thirty-one years of delay, and billions upon billions of pounds of toxic pollution,
the public deserves strong, national standards that protect downstream communities and are based on science—not a weak rule based on politics.” EPA is requesting public comment on the proposal, which should be received by no later than Sept. 20, 2013. The agency is under a consent decree to take final action by May 22, 2014.
Call to Action on Voting Rights: BE OUR EYES AND EARS
THIS SUMMER, THE SUPREME COURT STRUCK A HUGE BLOW TO THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT. Now, it’s easier for states to pass voter suppression laws.
THE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. has been protecting your civil rights since 1940.
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP. EMAIL
us stories about voting changes in your communities: vote@naacpldf.org
CALL
your congressional representative and tell them to amend the Voting Rights Act.
JOIN US
at the March on Washington on August 24th. We’ll be marching to protect your right to vote and to defend the dream!
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
August 17, 2013 - August 17, 2013, The Afro-American
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Many Events Planned for March on Washington By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) – In addition to the long-planned March on Washington scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24, the White House has announced that President Obama will speak at a commemorative service at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice. “National Action to Realize the Dream March” on Aug. 24 will be co-chaired by Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King, III. According the list of speakers announced thus far, it will be held in the spirit of the original march. On the other hand, the King Center in Atlanta, headed Bernice King, is more commemorative. It is celebrating Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by asking communities to organize “Let Freedom Ring” bell-ringing events on Aug. 28 at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to observe the exact time Dr. King delivered his historic address. The Let Freedom Ring” commemoration and call to action” will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on August 28. The program begins with an interfaith service from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall, followed by the “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. President Obama is scheduled to speak at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Ironically, Obama accepted his party’s nomination on 45th anniversary of the march on Aug. 28, 2008 in Denver. In his acceptance speech, he made reference to Dr. King but did not call him by name, preferring to refer to him as “a young preacher from Georgia.” Obama’s second inauguration in January of this year fell on the day of national observance of Dr. King’s birthday, but Obama referred to “a King,” but again did not mention MLK by name. On Aug. 28, he gets a third time to be more specific. Throughout most of his presidency, Obama has been reluctant to address the issue of race. But that apparently changed with the shooting death of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman on second-degree murder charges. The Aug. 28 platform will provide him another opportunity to address race. With one member of the King family – Martin III – helping lead the Saturday march and another – Bernice – the driving force behind the March 28 event at the Lincoln Memorial, some supporters are worried that holding two separate marches might reduce attendance at each event, sending the wrong message about Blacks’ determination to fight regressive actions and court decision. Trying to put the best face on the situation, organizers argue that because the Obama announcement came so late, it will not interfere with the Aug. 24 march because those planning to attend have already solidified their transportation and hotel plans. Both the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Bayard Rustin Institute are holding their annual conventions in Washington that week. Obama’s speech will culminate a week of activities centered around the original march. Among the events planned:
Aug. 21
Praise and Worship Service for 50th Anniversary Celebration 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Mt. Airy Baptist Church 1100 North Capitol Street, NW Washington, DC 20002
Hosted by the National African American Clergy Network OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Aug. 22
Celebrating the Legacy of Women in the Movement Women in the Movement: Past, Present & Future Intergenerational Roundtable 11:00 am – 1:30 pm Venue TBD Washington, D.C. Hosted by NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable, National Council of Negro Women, National Action Network in partnership w/The King Center, Planned Parenthood Invitation Only Celebrating the Legacy of Youth in the Movement Protect Our Voting Rights & Social Justice Youth Organizing Training 10th Annual Black Youth Vote! National Civic Leadership Training Conference Highlights: Unity Breakfast, Tribute to Jamal Rose, Gathering of Black Men “I Am Trayvon” Dialogue, Sister Circles, Issue Organizing Breakouts, Regional/State-Based Organizing Strategy Sessions 9:00 am – 9:00 pm National Education Association 1201 16th Street, NW Washington, D.C. Hosted by National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, NAACP, NEA, Generational Alliance, NAN Youth Move, The Praxis Project, NUL Young Professionals, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., BK Nation, 100 Black Men of America, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. “Covering Civil Rights: On the Front Lines” 7 p.m. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. The Newseum, in partnership with the National Council of Negro Women, will host a free evening program that will include a special appearance by Elder Bernice King, chief executive officer of The King Center and daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Rev. King will receive the NCNW’s 2013 Leadership Award. Moderated by Sirius XM radio host, Joe Madison, the event will also feature a discussion with journalist and author of Shocking the Conscience: A Reporter’s Account of the Civil Rights Movement, Simeon Booker, who was on the front lines of covering the civil rights story. The program is free and open to the public, but seats are limited and must be reserved at CoveringCivilRights.eventbrite.com.
Aug. 23
Redeem the Dream National Summit & Reception 8:00 am – 2:00 pm National Building Museum 401 F Street NW Washington, DC Hosted by National Urban League OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Celebrating the Legacy of Youth in the Movement Protect Our Voting Rights & Social Justice Youth Organizing Training 10th Annual Black Youth Vote! National Civic Leadership Training Conference 8:00 am – 6:00 pm National Education Association 1201 16th Street, NW Washington, D.C.
Hosted by National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, NAACP, NEA, Generational Alliance, NAN Youth Move in partnership w/The Praxis Project, NUL Young Professionals, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., BK Nation, 100 Black Men of America, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. To register go to www.ncbcp.org National Town Hall Meeting on Poverty & Economic Empowerment Moving Together, Moving Forward: Jobs and Freedom 57th Annual SCLC International Convention Race & Poverty Panel 2:00 pm -4:00 pm Voting Rights Panel 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Grand Hyatt, 1000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Martin Luther King, III, Charles Steele, Jr. the families of Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till; and Congressman John Lewis. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Aug. 25
SCLC Worship Service 11:00 am – 1:00 pm Howard University Washington D. C. Convention Center Hosted by SCLC OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Aug. 26
Legacy & Leadership Gala Time: TBD Capital Hilton 1001 16th St NW, Washington, DC To register go to: www.sclc.org
NNPA Photo
Al Sharpton was key organizer of upcoming Aug. 24 March on Washington.
Hosted by Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC Poverty Institute, Rainbow PUSH
Aug. 24
50th Anniversary March on Washington National Action to Realize the Dream March and Rally for “Jobs, Justice & Freedom.” 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Lincoln Memorial Washington, D.C. National Conveners: Martin Luther King, III and Al Sharpton, National Action Network Co-Convened by: National Conveners: National Action Network AFSCME, AFT, AFL-CIO, APRI, HRC, LCCR, NAACP, NBJC, SCLC, SEIU, NCBW, NOW, NUL, NCNW, NCBCP, The King Center, National African American Clergy Network and CWBI. Among the speakers are Al Sharpton,
Hosted by Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Aug. 27
9-12th Grade Educational Initiative Time and Location: To be Announced Will be Accessible via Online Streaming Hosted by the King Center, Operation Hope and the NCNW in partnership with Discovery Education To register go to: www.thekingcenter.org Global Freedom Festival 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm 10:00 am – 6:00 pm The National Mall 7th & 14th Street, NW Washington, Dc Hosted by: National Park Service, with the King Center OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Jackson Sentenced Continued from A1
was used by the couple. Though he on re-election, in the following weeks and months Jackson and his wife both resigned from their respective positions as elected officials -- the representative in November of last year from the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois, and his wife from the Chicago City Council in January of 2013. “According to the government’s evidence, Jesse Jackson, Jr. made direct expenditures from the campaign’s accounts for personal expenses, totaling approximately $57,792,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a statement released just after the couple pleaded guilty in February. “In addition, he and his wife used credit cards issued to the campaign to make purchases for personal expenses, totaling approximately $582,773.” According to the Department of Justice, the pair’s indiscretion included pricey meals at restaurants, more than $17,000 spent at “tobacco shops” and more than $5,000 in liquor.
“In July 2007, for example, he withdrew $43,350 in campaign funds to purchase a men’s gold-plated Rolex watch. In addition, he used $14,442 in campaign funds to pay down balances on person credit cards maintained by the Jacksons.” Government evidence shows that between 2005 and 2012 the Jacksons systematically filed “materially false and misleading reports” with different government entities. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is of no relation to the couple, agreed to let the two serve their terms one after the other with Jackson going first, as the couple has two children ages 13 and 9. His wife will serve her term after he completes his time, which will begin in November when he turns himself over to authorities. After his release, Jackson has been ordered to serve 500 hours of community service while on three years of supervised release. Legal representatives for both of the Jacksons and court officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Officer to Challenge Sheriff Continued from A5
challengers and one Republican opponent. Anderson declined to return calls or emails to the AFRO’s calls or emails. His assistant said that “Mr. Anderson was away at a National Sheriff’s Convention in N.C.” “Apparently the current administration feels like the way they’ve always done it is the best way to continue doing it,” Brooks told the AFRO. “The current sheriff has been around for a very long time, people know his name, but struggle to identify any accomplishments under his leadership.” Brooks has held four major fundraisers and is on track to raise $75,000 by the end of
2013. He has the support of Del. Cheryl Glenn, deputy majority whip of the Maryland House of Delegates; Del. Aishia Braveboy, chair of the legislative black caucus of Maryland, and the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5. “The current sheriff is not keeping up with the changes,” he said. “They are using antiquated processes and procedures and there is a lot to improve upon.” Brooks said he will be committed to making his presence known in the community, by speaking at numerous community associations throughout Baltimore City about public safety and crime prevention.
August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013, The Afro-American
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OPINION
We Are the New Civil Rights Generation On Aug. 6 of each year, patriotic Americans of good conscience celebrate that historic day in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson’s signature made the Voting Rights Act the law of the land. Joined by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ms. Rosa Parks and other civil rights leaders of that time, President Johnson declared that the Act was “a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory that Rep. Elijah has ever been won on any Cummings battlefield.” Most Americans would agree, whatever may be their race, creed or political philosophy. The legislation and its several congressional reauthorizations were bipartisan affirmations that we are one nation and self-governing people, whatever our differences and disputes may be. However, with all due respect to the slim, 5-4 Supreme Court majority in Shelby County v. Holder, their misreading of the Act, its history and the United States Constitution has severely wounded the legitimacy of our democratic process. In so doing, the Court thrust the issue of universal voting rights back into the forefront of our national political and legislative debates. To win back and protect our most basic freedom will require renewed commitment by the Congress, court challenges by the Justice Department, and an expanded national movement to assure that all citizens can comply with voter registration laws. The Congress must act swiftly and effectively to repair what the Supreme Court has injured, legislating the factual determinations needed to re-energize the Voting Rights Act’s preclearance requirement. The U.S. Department of Justice must closely examine the judicial record in recent voting rights cases to determine which states can and should be required by our federal courts to submit to preclearance status. Perhaps most important of all, Americans who believe in equal voting rights should now be doing all that we can to assure that no citizen is denied the right to register and vote. The Congress Considering the prospects for corrective congressional
action, I am cautiously optimistic. “In 2006, Democrats and Republicans came together to reauthorize the law, garnering overwhelming bipartisan support in a Republican-led Congress . . .,” House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has observed. “This year, we must follow in that same tradition, taking the court’s decision as our cue for further action to strengthen this legislation.” In light of the Republicans’ House majority, many Americans may doubt the willingness of this Congress to correct the Supreme Court’s error. Yet, I remain heartened by the declaration of Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and a key leader in our renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 1982 and 2006. “The Voting Rights Act is vital to America’s commitment to never again permit racial prejudices in the electoral process,” Sensenbrenner declared. “I am disappointed by the Court’s ruling, but my colleagues and I will work in a bipartisan fashion to update Section 4 to ensure Section 5 can be properly implemented to protect voting rights, especially for minorities.” I commend Sensenbrenner’s patriotic commitment and will continue to work with him and like-minded colleagues to fashion a solution, even while we candidly acknowledge that correcting the Court’s error in Shelby County will be a political challenge. Court Challenges We can anticipate that corrective action by the Congress may take some time. In the interim, it is important to note that other important safeguards in the Voting Rights Act remain in full force and effect. To their credit, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are fulfilling their pledge to aggressively protect the voting rights of all Americans. Although showing intentional discrimination under Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act is more difficult legally, it has the advantage of applying to discriminatory intent in any state’s election laws. Attorney General Holder already has initiated Section 3 “bail in” litigation against the state of Texas. Federal lawsuits against other states (like North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia and Pennsylvania) may soon follow.
If a federal court finds that such discrimination in voting laws has occurred, the court can require continued preclearance of that state’s election laws for whatever period the court considers appropriate. In the case against Texas, the Attorney General has asked the court to apply Section 3 preclearance requirements to Texas actions since May 2011 and for a subsequent period of at least 10 years. Voter Registration History informs us, however, that no one remains free unless he or she is prepared to work for that freedom. Unlike Maryland, where our governor and Legislature have made it more convenient to register and vote (http://elections.state. md.us), voter ID laws are now the law in many other states, making it more difficult for our elderly and young to register and vote. Until the courts take corrective action in these states, massive voter registration efforts are the civil rights marches of our time. Every American has an important role to play. We are the civil rights generation of this 21st Century. Our children and generations yet unborn depend upon us to protect them – and we must not fail. Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s Seventh Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.
Why We Need to March on Washington...Again Remember the March on Washington? August 28, 1963. Tens of thousands of activists on the National Mall. A preacher’s son from Atlanta talking about his dream for the country. We don’t need a history lesson. Even if we weren’t at the March itself – even for those like me, who were not yet born – Dr. King’s words are etched into our minds as deeply as they are inscribed Benjamin Jealous in stone at the base of his memorial. The preacher’s son has taken his rightful place in the pantheon of national heroes. We don’t need to watch a rerun of that fateful day. We need
a sequel. On Saturday, August 24th, the NAACP is co-hosting a sequel to the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice: the 2013 March on Washington. The march begins at 8:00 am, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Join us. If this year has shown us anything, it’s that the work of the 1963 march is not yet finished. Texas and South Carolina are sprinting forward with voter ID after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. African American unemployment has flat lined. Our children are gunned down each and every day in senseless acts of violence. Trayvon Martin lies in the ground after one such senseless act. At the same time, our culture of civic engagement is experiencing a renaissance. In the past month, hundreds of cities held vigils and rallies to protest the Zimmerman verdict. The nation is having a serious conversation about racial profiling for the first time since 9/11. In North Carolina, Moral Mondays has grown larger with each passing week. We have the numbers, and we have the capacity for
Jackie Jackson: A Mother’s Love On Aug. 14, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. was scheduled to be sentenced to prison in connection with using campaign funds for personal use. Dozens of letters were sent to the judge on his behalf, but none more touching than the one written by his mother, dated May 28. She began by noting, “I am Jacqueline Jackson, the mother of five children, one of whom I am writing about, my son Jesse Jackson, Jr.” George E. Curry Her letter shed light not only on her son’s problems growing up in his famous father’s shadow, but provided a peek into the family’s early struggles. “…My husband was granted a Rockefeller Scholarship to attend Chicago Theological Seminary. With a family of almost three in 1964, we arrived at McGifford House on Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago. By the time my son was born, my husband was attending school and organizing the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (K.O.C.O) and was its first Executive Director (an unsalaried position),” Mrs. Jackson wrote. “Because of the success of this organization, and based on the recommendation of Rev. James Bevel,
my husband was hired to work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for $75. If my memory serves me correctly, that was his weekly salary. To sustain our family, we were given food baskets by our Pastor, Rev. Clay Evans and the members of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, where my son Jesse Jr. chose later to be baptized. I learned to provide the other necessities by frequenting resale shops, lawn sales, learning to preserve and can foods, and sewing and mending things that did not fit. But most of all, I learned to express my appreciation and gratitude for the kindness of others.” Just as her family struggled in the early stages, so did Jesse, Jr., Mrs. Jackson wrote. “I recall how disappointed Jesse Jr. was when he discovered he could not enter high school without repeating the 9th grade. My husband finally convinced him to accept this as his challenge. Rev. Jackson said, ‘Sometimes you must go down to come up’ and Jesse Jr. prevailed. He completed his undergraduate studies in three years, received a Juris Doctor degree and received his Master’s degree in Theology. His passion for the word of God led me to believe and hope he would find his niche in Theology. However, he chose public service, the United States Congress, and we are proud of his choice and the good he accomplished during his 17 years of perfect attendance and sterling voting record.” She recalled when Jesse Jr.’s illness was made painfully clear to her. “I received a call from my daughter Santita, who requested
motivation. The question is whether we will allow ourselves to be motivated. So join us – NAACP, National Action Network, Realizing the Dream and others – on the National Mall on August 24th. If you live within two hours of Washington, DC, hop in a car or on a bus – or even better, organize a bus. If you live farther away, you are still encouraged to come and be a part of history. The 2013 March on Washington will be a people’s movement. It will not be fueled by cash – it will only be energized by your decision to participate. We need you there to help us gain a critical mass of voices, and prove once again that organized people can beat organized money any time. On this fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington, we should celebrate our history, but it’s more important that we never stop making history. Meet us at the Lincoln Memorial. Join us on August 24th. Ben Jealous is the president and chief executive officer of the NAACP.
that I check on Jesse Jr. because she was concerned for him,” Mrs. Jackson recounted. “Sometime during the last weeks of June 2012. I did as she requested, and found my son grossly underweight and in poor health. He asked that I take him to the office because he had an upcoming vote. When I took him to his Capitol Hill office to prepare for the vote, the office was in total disarray, which was most unusual for my son. A security guard approached me and said, ‘Please take care of Jesse. Last week he collapsed on the floor of the House and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.’ My heart sank. No one had shared with me my son’s condition. I called my husband. We told our son to ‘come with us. We are going to get help for you.’ He did not offer any resistance which made us know his condition was dire. Everything that has happened since that day is public record. My son is much better now.” She closed her letter with this paragraph: “My mother says, ‘there is always some good in all things.’ There was a transforming moment during the horrific trial experience. As my son Jesse Jr. faced the judge, he turned around to look for his father’s support just as he did when he had to repeat the 9th grade. His lips shaped the words, ‘I love you and I am so sorry.’ I shall never forget that moment because my heart leapt. I then realized the joy and love that sustains all mothers. I love my son. May God guide your decision.” George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.)
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
Donnie McClurkin Ousted From MLK Memorial Concert Supporters Attribute Removal to Singer’s Stance on Homosexuality By Krishana Davis AFRO Staff Writer When a crowd of gospel music enthusiasts gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on August 10 to hear selections from Grammy Award winning gospel artist Donnie McClurkin, many were disappointed to discover the singer was a no-show. After being contracted to headline the preMarch on Washington 50th Anniversary concert, Rev. McClurkin, an ordained minister, was uninvited by Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who said the singer’s comments about his sexuality would spark “controversy,” according to Robert Marus, a spokesman for the mayor Donnie McClurkin Rev. McClurkin, 53, pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y., told a journalist in 2002 that he struggled with homosexuality. He later made headlines when he said he had been delivered “from the sin of homosexuality.” Marus told the AFRO that Gray asked the event’s sponsor, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, to remove McClurkin from the lineup. The D.C. government sponsored concert, entitled “Reflections on Peace: Ghandi to King,” took place with other artists contracted to perform. Marus said the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and McClurkin’s management “reached a mutual agreement that it would not be good for McClurkin to perform at the event.” “We did not want McClurkin’s controversial comments to distract from the event,” said Marus. He said the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities informed McClurkin’s management about Gray’s request “long before” the event was to occur. McClurkin, however, contradicted that. In a video posted on WJLA-TV, McClurkin said he became aware that he was uninvited the day before the event while at the airport waiting to board a flight to Washington, D.C. “I was asked not to attend, although I’m considered the headliner,” said McClurkin in the video. “It’s discrimination. It’s intolerance and it is depriving someone of their civil rights.” Some Washington-area Black church leaders denounced the mayor’s decision. Some said they considered it an attack on the Black church. Rev. Patrick J. Walker, president of the Baptist Convention of D.C. and Vicinity and pastor
of New Macedonia Baptist Church, said Gray owes McClurkin and the residents of the District a public apology. He said McClurkin was coming to sing, not to give a speech, and he should be judged by his music and not on his personal opinion on issues. “It’s almost as though if you don’t agree with this issue [of homosexuality] you have no right to speak or be in the public square in D.C.,” said Walker. Walker said artists should not be “snubbed” because of their political views. He said ousting McClurkin is the latest incident by the mayor to alienate Black churchgoers. “The mayor has unfortunately been at odds with members of the African American church for some time now,” said Walker. “This is just another clear and blatant disregard for our gospel, especially for our music.” While the D.C. Baptist Convention has declined to publically comment on the situation, the organization’s president, the Rev. Kendrick E. Curry, pastor of Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in Southeast Washington, called McClurkin’s removal from the concert lineup a “tragedy.” Curry said McClurkin was singled out not because of his music, but because of politics. He said Gray’s action and the reaction demonstrate the increasing tension between the church and government. “I was appalled to hear the mayor would remove Donnie McClurkin,” said Curry. “The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington is supposed to be about peace and justice.” According to the D.C. –Donnie McClurkin Commission on the Arts and Humanities, McClurkin will still be paid $10,000, even though he did not perform, because the District is bound by the contract it signed with him. The contract, inked just days before the performance, included air travel, a performance fee, hotel accommodations and per diem, officials said. Walker said tax payers will foot the bill for Gray’s action. “The city breached a contract and look at who pays for it,” said Walker.
“I was asked not to attend, although I’m considered the headliner. It’s discrimination. It’s intolerance and it is depriving someone of their civil rights.”
COMMUNITY CONNECTION Aug. 17
Back to School Vendor’s Event Coldstream Park Elementary School, 1400 Exeter Hall Ave., Baltimore. 9 a.m.
Participants in this event will donate free school supplies to the students of Coldstream Park Elementary. For more information: Satin.ivory@yahoo.com.
Aug. 21
Clyburn Sounds-Jazz Under the Stars Clyburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore 6 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs and picnic baskets and listen to jazz under the stars. For more information: 410-396-4860.
MAKE SOME
Aug. 23
The Sistahs’ Summer Soiree Maryland Nonprofit, 1500 Union Ave., Baltimore. 6 p.m. The Baltimore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will host an evening of food, music and sisterly fellowship. For more information: Bmacroundup2013.
Aug. 24
Flip Schulke
NYC Summer Day Getaway and Back to School Shopping 2704 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore. Treat your “A” Student to the Big Apple for some back to school shopping. Park your car and board the bus to New York. $40. For more information: Nycsummerfun. eventbrite.com.
NOW OPEN!
Also see 1963: Civil Rights at 50, highlighting news coverage of key civil rights events from 1963.
Washington, D.C. • newseum.org • #MakeSomeNoise
April 10, August 201017, - April 2013 16,- August 2010, The 23, 2013, Baltimore TheAfro-American Afro-American
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Toya Renee Robertson, 15, an 11th grader at Wilde Lake High School, received several awards for her dancing
The Baltimore County Chapter of the Pierians held an exhilarating Saturday afternoon event with various artists of the visual and performing arts. Students from the public schools of Baltimore County, high school graduates, and colleges entertained Bennett Ketter, native Liberian, reads from the attendees at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Museum in Catonsville, Md. his autobiography,My Scholarship recipient Jordan Alia Garlic, a graduate of the George Washington Center for Arts and Technology, Life Story, Histoire de impressed the guests with her work in painting and art media. Jordan will attend The Pennsylvania Academy of the ma vie Fine Arts (PAFA) and plans to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. Graduating in the top 20 percent of her class, Jordan received the Carver Center Senior Award for drawing and painting. The Pierians’ national theme, “Survival of the Arts: A Way of Life” is the focus for recognizing individuals in the community for their contributions to the arts, and to encourage further study of the arts by awarding scholarships to students of music, art, the theatre and dance. Merlene Adair, president, Pierians presents a check Native Baltimorean Rachel
Adia Hill, 12, who's been dancing at Baltimore Dance Tech for eight years, receives accolades from the audience
Pierians Lydia James, Reva Lewie, Alice Sue Cooper Lee
to scholarship winner, Jordan Alia Garlic with Pierians Rose Wiggins, Scholarship Chair and Beverly Booth Brown, Vice President
Pierians Doris Holmes, Shirley T. Hill, Flossie Johnson Pierians Bernardine Johnson, Fanny Goodwin, Shirley Kane
Performers Jordan A. Garlic, Shayla Conaway, Adia Hill, Toya Renee Robertson, Rachel Winder, Justin J. Taylor
Winder is an up and coming saxophonist at Peabody Conservatory
Pierians Anne West Clark, Frances Armstrong, Dr. Felicia Armstrong, Peggy C. Drayton
Jordan Alia Garlic, recent graduate of the George Washington Carver
Center for Arts and Technology explains her painting to the audience, assisted by Pierian Rose Wiggins
Justin J. Taylor, a piano player since the age of 8, performs all over the East Coast
Photos by Dr. A. Lois De Laine talents should be shared with others—for people all over the world.” She continued, “Doing whatever we are able to do, no matter how small should be our goal.” She concluded by indicating to the guests that “You are a blessing to me, I love you all.”
Jimmie Gittings, president, PSASA
Colleagues Patricia Pender and Deveial Foster
Carolyn Bryant with Leola Bryant and James Tomlison
Colleague Rachel Slacum and her husband Earl Slacum
Nelson Parker, cousin, Isaac Jackson, brother, Gregory Powell
Accolades for Dr. Jamie M. Brown continue to pour in from teachers, principals, church members, relatives and friends who spoke of her integrity and friendship, and called her “a wonderful coach and teacher.” Members of Dr. Brown’s church, Beth-el Temple Church of God, spoke of the retiree’s service to the church in many capacities. “She is a prayer warrior”, “I can see God all over her,” they said. Others added that “she provides inspiration to everyone, provides spiritual uplifting, that she has a welcoming smile, and a quiet spirit.” Speaking of her attributes as principal, colleagues said, “You give it your all.” Betty Carter and Betty Mills Moore, Dr. Brown began her teaching career friends from church in Baltimore City Public Schools, rising through the ranks to administrator. Colleagues praised her ability to “not only touch the lives of the children, but she touched our lives as well.” After the singing of “There is a Hero in You” by her relative, Barbara Jones, Bernard Jack Young, City Council the honoree spoke president, presents certificate Colleagues Joyce Buchanan, Margaret Diggs, lovingly of her first Marjorie Wade teacher...her Mom. Photos by Dr. A. Lois De Laine Dr. Brown emphasized that “our gifts and
Family members Sylvia McCann, Helen Edison, Valerie Brown, James Williamson, Dr. Leola Washington, Kevin Brown, Kurt Brown, Cynthia Crowder, and Helen Williamson, mother, seated next to honoree Dr. Jamie Brown
Neighbors Jacqueline Ford and Sheila Green
Honoree Brown with grandsons Kris Brown and Devin Arrington
Kevin Brown gives his Mom a hug
Wahsee Evans, Barbara Griffin, Fannie McCullough, standing
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
BUSINESS Success Maryland Native Determined to be a Winner By Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writer Wandering the streets of Baltimore, going from foster home to foster home, always on the run, one native Baltimorean somehow survived street life, all because he was determent to be a winner. With several run-ins with the law, Donald Dowridge, 51 discovered how he would turn his life around, breaking through barriers that would halt others in their tracks. “As a child my life was split between happiness and torture,” Dowridge told the AFRO. “My dad was incarcerated and my mom couldn’t raise three children on her own.” Dowridge said his journey towards success has been less than picture perfect. He told the AFRO he was sexually abused and tortured for most of his childhood, while in foster care. “At a young age, I was using drugs and drinking excessively,” he said. “I was incarcerated at 13-years-old in a Baltimore City jail.” In his new book, The Power of Being a Winner, Dowridge said he turned to writing because “it turned out to be a relief factor as far as releasing information that can and will help those who are seeking to improve their life.” At age 17, Dowridge moved to Tampa, Fla. with only the clothes on his back, trying to put his troubled youth in Baltimore behind him. While there he stayed with his father, and attended Hillsborough High School. But he spent “only a short time” there, he said, because he threatened the life of the school’s dean. Dowridge then turned to the streets, selling drugs to keep money in his pockets. It wasn’t until the age of 21, when he decided to turn his life around, obtained his high school diploma and then enlisted in the U.S. Army, a career he said he “only left due to a frostbite injury” he suffered while stationed in Germany. It was time to return to Florida. “Tampa was my solid ground,” he said. After his discharge from the Army, he said he spent 11 years at the U.S. Post Office in Tampa, where he was the first African American to manage an optical character reader and
barcode character sorter section at the mail handling facility in Tampa. After developing a drug habit at age 14, when he says he “started smoking marijuana due to his father’s persuasion.” He continued to sell--and use--drugs as he grew into adulthood. After hitting rock bottom financially and emotionally at age 31, he said he felt his life was “going nowhere fast” and wanted “to be somebody” before dying. He said he stopped smoking drugs and was determined to win and be somebody. “I realized that I was going nowhere and started making the transformation to turn my life around,” he said. Dowridge joined Bible Base Fellowship Church in Tampa in 1990, where he said he made the “connection to God to help him become something greater than myself.” At Bible Base, he found himself and became a motivational speaker in less than two years. His success in delivering upbeat lectures inspired him to write motivational literature. “The point of the book is that people will use it as a means to assist them, to do away with their fears and to take on their desires to help them accomplish what they want,” said Dowridge. Dowridge said joining the church set boundaries for how he should live his life. He said he was doing what God expected out of him. He said, while overseas in the military, he took a course in sociology because he wanted to learn more about himself. He wanted know what made him tick, I started learning about what makes him act the way he does to try to break the cycles he saw in his family. “I am blessed to have learned along the way an abundance about Donald Dowridge myself. How to stand strong in the storms that surely have been a part of my life.” “To understand the feelings of another and be able to extend a helping hand, to be a provider and be sincere with my heart,” Dowridge said about turning his life around. “To be thankful to God for all he has allowed me to experience since transforming my life.” Dowridge said, “The Power of Being a Winner’s been an uplifting force in my journey and will be life changing.”
Youth Jobs Much More Than Paid Distractions Before a Diploma
By Alexis Taylor Special to the AFRO
If you think job opportunities are dim for Americans with a high school diploma and a degree- try making it without one- or both in the new American workforce.
When the Center for Labor Market Studies (CLMS) at Northeastern University analyzed 2012 unemployment data, they found that Black youths who left high school sans a diploma had an employment rate of six percent--leaving the rest to scour for jobs that focus less on a degree and more on an acquired skill-set. “We estimate that only six percent of Black male high school
dropouts ages 16 to 17 from low income families were working that year which means that 94-95 percent were jobless,” said director of the CLMS Andrew Sum. And while education has long been linked to economic advancement, economists say job training for teens, and the many benefits received in working a job or an internship, go a long way in predicting employment trends later in life, especially in a job market eager to continue a trend of weeding out it’s youngest contenders. “Youth are at a disadvantage when they come into a weak economy because they may have some of the skills, but they don’t have the experience,” said 36-year-old International Labour Organization (ILO) economist Steven Kapsos, who’s spent ten years with the United Nations (UN) agency. “Getting more experience in high school is very important.” Kapsos, who is based in Geneva, Switzerland and closely studies world economic trends, said work experience gained from jobs in high school is of top value to companies looking to employ younger workers. He also stated that even if teens can’t get a paid job, they should increase their earning potential by taking advantage of career services and completing multiple internships along with their high school courses. According to information released in July by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24 percent of teenagers were unemployed last month, and information from the ILO shows that wages in the country have remained stagnant since 2009. Kapsos said part of the reason teen and young adult unemployment is so high above the national average of 7.6 percent lies in the fact that older adults are not only doing jobs traditionally left to youth, but they are also staying in their positions longer. Thus, there’s less room in the workplace for Americans with freshly-inked diplomas and degrees. Ernest Dorsey, assistant director of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Youth Services, has battled some of those issues here in Charm City. “We have found it difficult in the past couple of years to get young people into entry level positions because you have older, more experienced workers that have been laid off settling for the entry level positions that, in the past, we were able to get our young workers into,” Dorsey told the {AFRO}, of the program that found 5,000 jobs for youth this summer. According to Dorsey, who oversees the city’s summer job program YouthWorks, the earlier a teen gets into the workforce, the more likely they are to be employed later in life. “It helps them determine what kind of career path they want to pursue, or not pursue,” he said. “They can determine what they never ever want to do and shift to another direction based on the experience they had- not what somebody told them.” “They learn what’s required in the market place in terms of being on time, following directions, and other soft skills that employers say they are looking for in employees.” Lillian J. Huff, vice president of Washington, D.C.’s Financial Literacy Organization for Women and Girls (FLOW), said work experience for youth in their formative early teen years gives Advertiser: BGE youngsters an understanding of how money works in the real world- and how to stay gainfully employed. The organization Publication: Afro began in 2007, and focuses on American creating healthy finances for ladies of all ages. Insertion August 17, Huff 2013said. “All we hear “Our wholeDate: society has changed,” about is tight monetary budgets and furloughs within our federal and local governments.” 7.28” x 10” Ad Size: Huff encouraged parents to enlighten their children on the different facing the family- instead of just Title:financial situations Smart Meters saying no to requests for By money or expensive ventures. the numbers/ 2.5 billion “A lot of parents don’t share that information,” she said. “It’s a learning process that’s happening around them. They can see it If you have received this publication material on the television and hear it on the radio. Parents need to direct havesoany questions about it please themintoerror, those or sources they can see it directly.” contact the traffic dept. at Weber Shandwick “When teens have that kind of understanding they really athow (410) 558 2100. know to budget and learn what sacrifice is all about- they learn how to make better selections and better choices.”
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together
August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013, The Afro-American
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Otakon’s 20th Anniversary
Event Draws More Than 40,000 to Inner Harbor By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer
the protagonist of “Fullmetal Alchemist,” and the character Broly in the “Dragonball Z” films. Another special panelist was voice actor and script writer Todd Haberkorn, who is best known for his protagonist roles as Death the Kid in “Soul Eater,” Allen Walker in “D.Gray-man,” and Natsu Dragneel in “Fairy Tail.” One of the few female panelists this
Madeline Porter is a selfconfessed nerd and while being a nerd has at times left her feeling like an outsider, that was not the case recently when she was among more than 40,000 nerds at the Baltimore Convention Center for Otakon 2013, the 20th annual celebration of Far East Asian popular culture. For three days, Aug. 9 to 11, participants celebrated anime, Japanese cartoons; manga, Japanese comic books; movies, music and more. “I can say it’s a bit overwhelming,” said Porter, 23, a graduate student from Howard Community College students Wilmington, Del. “I had no Nicole Solem, 21, of Elkridge, and Ashley idea this many people were Owens, 21, of Laurel, are hot as The into it. There are thousands of Demon Sisters. us here. It’s nice to come to a place where there are 19, Gabriel Hicks, 20, and so many people who are Amber Matthew, 19, who met into the same things you at Harrisburg University of are into.” Science and Technology in Otakon—a Harrisburg, Pa., showed off portmanteau for the their homemade costumes. words otaku (people Capitello, of York, who are super fans Pa., dressed as Envy, a of Japanese anime homunculus, or artificial and manga) and human being and one of convention—draws the main antagonists of the fans from around the “Fullmetal Alchemist” anime world. At the Baltimore series. She said she paid Convention Center, $12 for black fabric for her there was an anime sleeveless midriff top and music video contest, skirt, which she wore with a screenings of anime and homemade black headdress movies, fan parodies, depicting Envy’s signature Japanese culture and headband and hair. tradition workshops, Hicks, of Harrisburg, Pa., concerts and night time Cosplayer buddies Alexis who dressed as Kaname Tosen dance parties. Dealers Capitello, 19, of York, Pa.; from the “Bleach” series, came from all over Gabriel Hicks, 20, of Harrisburg, wore an outfit that was based the world to sell their Pa.; and Amber Matthew, 19, around a black pinstriped wares, including replica of Baltimore, show off their three-piece suit he paid $15 swords, kimonos, video homemade costumes. for on the Internet. He wore a games, clothing, action long orange braided scarf and figures and costumes. his locks pulled back with a Though there are few year was Cristina Vee, who Black characters in manga portrays Mio Akiyama and anime, African Americans in “K-On!,” Alisa have embraced the culture. Bosconovitch from Organizers said the crowd the “Tekken” video of participants grows more game series and Louise diverse each year. Valliere from “The “I was surprised that there Familiar of Zero.” are so many Black people And while some here,” said Porter, who said of the enthusiasts she didn’t realize she was showed up in jeans watching Japanese television and t-shirts, most when she tuned into “Sailor donned some sort of Jannette Witmeyer Moon” and other anime costumes to participate Jasmine, 23, of Baltimore, programs on the Cartoon in “cosplay,” where a student at City College of Network. “But everybody is otaku dress up as the Baltimore County, catches eyes as getting along. Everybody is anime or comic book Neytiri from the film “Avatar.” really welcoming.” character of their The popular events were choice. the Q&A panels, where the “I paid $500, by piece of white gauze that had fans had the opportunity to the time you add up all the served as a blindfold “until it meet their favorite anime pieces of my costume,” said got too hot.” voice actors and ask questions D. R. Richardson, 20, of “My mom also helped,” about their craft, take pictures Philadelphia, of his black suit Hicks said. “She’s really and purple and yellow vest and get autographs. This and blonde wig. “Some of my creative and she likes doing year’s special guest panelists this stuff.” friends made theirs, but I’m included voice actor Vic Matthew, of Baltimore, Mignogna, who is best known not that creative.” dressed as The Eleventh Friends Alexis Capitello, for his work as Edward Elric,
Madeline Porter, 23, of Wilmington, Del., a grad student at Delaware State, strikes a sexy pose as a Gothic Lolita.
Doctor from “Doctor Who.” She paid $30 on eBay for parts for her outfit: a tan blazer, black shorts, striped stockings and boots, a red bowtie and a fez cap she made from red felt and a Styrofoam cup. “Nothing beats the homemade cosplay,” said Christopher Daniels, 22, of Hanover, Pa., “Sometimes you can take just one look at someone’s costume and see all the creativity and hard work they put into it and those are always the ones that are the most memorable.” Like Hicks, many of the cosplayers found the 80-plus temperatures challenging under the weight of complex costumes, but most braved the heat to stay in costume.
A group of cosplayers pose for pictures.
“I’m so hot!” said Tanita Waverly, 18, of D.C., who dressed in a long white gown and thigh-high boots. She stood outside the convention center Aug. 10 as one friend fanned her and another held a bottle of cold water behind her neck. “I have sweat just dripping down my back, but I’m not taking it off. It took two hours to put it on. I just have to suffer!” There were so many activities at Otakon that the Baltimore Convention Center, which has hosted the festivities since 1999, couldn’t hold them all. Several events were held in other nearby venues. Otakon officials announced Aug. 11 that beginning in 2017, the convention will move to Washington, D.C. “I really enjoyed my experience,” said Amber Barnes, 19, of Hyattsville. “The events I went to were amazing and I really loved seeing all of the cosplayers, especially those who acted like their characters. I can’t wait to go back next year!”
You are invited to a free AFRO Town Hall event HEALTH COVERAGE IS NOW WITHIN REACH Pastor Jamal Bryant and the Empowerment Temple welcome Maryland Health Connection for an informative talk on the new health coverage options available to Maryland residents starting October 1. Even if you’ve never been able to afford health insurance in the past, you may be eligible for financial help to lower the cost of insurance – or you may now be eligible for Medicaid.
Tuesday, August 27 5:30 pm Refreshments and Information 6:00-7:15 pm Program
Empowerment Temple 4217 Primrose Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215 Sydney Dunn and Shaleah Sanders, both 19 and of Waldorf, Aka Rin Kagami and Aphrodite, respectively, check out souvenirs during a lunch break.
HealthCare Access Maryland is authorized to enroll individuals in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County through Maryland Health Connection.
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
ARTS & CULTURE
Forest is on Fire!
FW: Yes, it’s hard to always understand and appreciate your father when you’re coming up, especially since my dad had three jobs when we moved to L.A. So, he was always working. Plus, coming from the South, from Texas, he had a certain way of disciplining that made it hard for me to appreciate, at the time. In some ways it did parallel the journey of ultimate appreciation that we see in the movie of me towards my son and my son towards me.
“The Butler” Interview with Kam Williams
Forest Whitaker is a distinguished artist and humanist. He is the founder of PeaceEarth Foundation, co-founder and chair of the International Institute for Peace, and is the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation. A versatile talent, Forest is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished performers, receiving such prestigious honors as a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in The Last King of Scotland, as well as a Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for Bird. He has dedicated himself to seeking ways of using the film medium as a means of raising peoples’ consciousness. He produced the award-winning documentary Kassim the Dream, which tells the touching story of a Ugandan child soldier turned world champion boxer; Rising from Ashes, which profiles Rwandan genocide survivors’ attempt to qualify for the Olympics riding wooden bicycles; Serving Life, which focuses on hospice care for prisoners at Louisiana’s Angola Prison; and the Peabody Award-winning Brick City, which offers an unvarnished peek at inner-city life in Newark, N.J. Here, he talks about his latest outing as the title character in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, a decades-spanning sage chronicling the life and career of an African-American who served eight presidents in the White House. KW: What interested you in The Butler? FW: It’s an amazing story. And the script was beautiful in the way it followed this man who served eight presidents and portrayed his love for his family, as well as the love between him and his son. So, I saw it as offering a great challenge and opportunity. And I thought that Lee [director Lee Daniels]
KW: How did you prepare for the role of Cecil Gaines? FW: I trained with a butler coach for quite some time. And I worked on how I could communicate my thoughts more clearly without words. I wanted to fill myself up enough so that you would be able to feel my thoughts, even in scenes where I would say nothing. KW: That hard work paid off. I cried about a half-dozen times during the film. FW: It’s very moving because it deals with so many primal issues: loss, degradation, even joy. Lee painted a picture that allows you to get in touch with many different emotions.
The Weinstein Company
would do a wonderful job with the script as a filmmaker, so that was an attraction as well. And I had wanted to work with Oprah, so all of that came together to afford me this tremendous opportunity. KW: Did the film’s father-son relationship resonate with you when you reflected upon your relationship with your own dad?
KW: What was it like acting opposite Oprah? FW: Oprah just really committed completely to the movie. She was startling, at times, in how deeply she was into the authenticity of the scenes. For instance, there was a big emotional moment that wasn’t shown completely in the film where she screamed and fell to the ground, letting out a piercing wail that went through my bones. It had me trying to figure out how to comfort her, because it’s hard to find the proper emotion to respond to pain that overwhelms. KW: Thanks again for the time, Forest, and best of luck with The Butler, and I hope to talk to you about your upcoming independent project. FW: Sure, Kam, and thanks again for supporting Rising from Ashes.
The Speech • The Story behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream By Gary Younge Book Review By Kam Williams Special to the AFRO
“A great speech is both timely and timeless. First and foremost, it must touch and move its immediate audience… But it must also simultaneously reach over the heads of the assembled to posterity. The ‘I Have a Dream’ speech qualified on both counts. It was delivered in a year that started with Alabama Governor George Wallace, standing on the steps of the state capitol, declaring ‘Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow!
Segregation forever!’ The speech starts, both literally and metaphorically, in the shadow of Lincoln, ends with a quote from a Negro spiritual, and in between quotes the song ‘America the Beautiful’ while evoking ‘a dream rooted in the American dream’ and drawing references from the bible and Constitution… Fifty years later, the speech endures as a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement… This gripping book unearths the fascinating chronicle behind ‘The speech’ and the revealing events surrounding The March on Washington.” – Excerpted from Introduction On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, an unapologetically poetic appeal for the elusive equal rights long denied AfricanAmericans. Unfortunately, over the years, the late martyr’s historic address has all but been reduced to his wish that
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“my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” A half-century later we find that “content of character” phrase being appropriated, quoted out of context and willfully misrepresented by arch-conservatives from Glenn Beck to Herman Cain in service of a right-wing agenda. For this reason, it is rather refreshing to find an opus like this being published on the 50th anniversary to remind us of the true meaning of Dr. King’s moving remarks. The author of the book is Gary Younge, a Black roadcaster and columnist based in Chicago. Here, the British-born, award-winning journalist does a masterful job of not only dissecting Dr. King’s words, but of filling in much of the back story to the events leading up to his taking the podium. We learn that “I Have a Dream” was not the planned focus of the speech, in fact, that divinely-inspired, emotional crescendo was substantially improvised on the spot as an afterthought. King’s intended theme merely revolved around an earnest explanation that blacks had descended on the District of Columbia “to cash a promissory note for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” For, while preparing BGE his speech on the eve of the march, Advertiser: King had been advised by a colleague to cut out the lines aboutPublication: his having a dream. “It’s trite… It’s cliché,” Reverend Afro American Wyatt Tee Walker warned. But, the nextDate: day on the National Mall,14, as Dr. King came Insertion Aug. 17 & Sept. 2013 close to finishing reading from his prepared text, gospel great Mahalia Jackson started 7.28” prompting Ad Size: x 8”him to go off script. “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” she shouted repeatedly, referring to Smart a familiar refrain she’d heard her dear Title: Meters are coming friend eloquently riff about in sermons several times before. Fortunately, did indeed heed Mahalia, and began If you haveMartin received this publication material waxing romantic about his prophetic vision. “Aw, sh*t, he’s in error, or have any questions about it please usingcontact the dream,” Reverend Walker moaned. Yet, as the traffic dept. at Weber ShandwickCoretta ScottatKing would (410) 558 recall, 2100. “At that moment, it seemed as if the Kingdom of God appeared.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013, The Afro-American
AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff
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SPORTS
Is Joe Flacco a Top Five Quarterback? By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Desk Former pro quarterback and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski recently ruffled feathers when he placed Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco at No. 4 on his list of the best current quarterbacks. Flacco was ranked ahead of Pro Bowl quarterbacks Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan and New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees, and trailed only Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, New England Patriots’ Tom Brady and Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning, and Flacco’s critics were quick to condemn the ranking. The fifth-year quarterback led his team to a Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers in February, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the process—a fact Jaworski cited as a critical factor in his ranking. But is Joe Flacco truly one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate this question: Green: Absolutely. As a
matter fact, I’ll take it even further: Joe Flacco isn’t just a top-five quarterback—he’s arguably the best quarterback in the game and already a sure-bet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But don’t just take my word for it; check the facts: in only five seasons, the Jersey Shore native has collected more than 15 all-time NFL records and a Super Bowl MVP trophy. He’s the winningest quarterback in the first five seasons of his career with 63 wins, including playoff victories. He’s also the only quarterback to reach the playoffs and win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons. He’s even set the record for most consecutive starts in his first five years, with 93. Add to those records one of the greatest playoff performances in league history this past January and there’s simply no way Flacco doesn’t make the Hall of Fame. Riley: I’m sure this comes to no surprise to you, but I disagree. Flacco’s not a top five quarterback and he damn sure isn’t a Hall of Famer, at least not yet. He has 15 or so records, yet the majority
of those records concern his consecutive starts streak. For example, he holds the record for most starts in this first two years. Big deal, who cares. The other records are for the number of wins he’s racked up, but he greatly benefited from playing with one of the most dominant defensive units in league history. Truth be told, last year’s playoffs was the first time that
‘New Look’ Ravens Rout Buccaneers, 4 4-16, in Preseason Opener By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor The Baltimore Ravens made the most of their first preseason game with a 44-16 lopsided road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fans were eager to see how the rebuilt Ravens would perform after losing many key players from last season’s Super Bowl championship team. Although preseason play results don’t hold much value, it’s safe to assume fans were satisfied with how both the Ravens’ starters and reserves looked in Tampa. The Ravens’ first team offensive and defensive units played just the first quarter before they were benched as expected. But while they were in, they showed glimpses of a team prepared to defend its Super Bowl title. Quarterback Joe Flacco and the offensive unit didn’t look stellar, but they also didn’t look terrible. Flacco left the game after completing seven of nine passes for 57 yards, moving the ball down the field during the two series he played, but failing to score a touchdown. He was also intercepted while trying to pick up a first down on 3rdand-15. Flacco looked as if he was still adjusting to playing without two of his most reliable targets from last season: veteran receiver Anquan Boldin, who was traded to the 49ers, and Dennis Pitta, who recently suffered a season-ending knee injury. Third year receiver
Torrey Smith was the only receiver to catch a pass from Flacco; the rest of his passes were caught by fullback Vonta Leach and running back Ray Rice. “I think for the most part, it felt pretty good, and not just in terms of finally being back out here,” Flacco said. “I felt like we operated OK for being this early and that the offensive line played pretty well.” The starting offensive line was solid, especially considering the absence of Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda who was resting.
They gave up just one sack during a stunt-delayed blitz by Tampa’s defense, which pushed the Ravens back during their first possession and ultimately led to Flacco’s interception on third down. However during rest of the first quarter, the line brought a great push up front and offered decent blocking. But the most impressive starters for the Ravens were on defense, as the starting unit came out strong and fast in the first quarter. They showed power up front in stopping the run, and showed speed and quickness in pass coverage. The game marked the first time in Ravens history that the season started
without star linebacker Ray Lewis, who retired, and the first time in a decade without all-pro safety Ed Reed, who signed with the Houston Texans. Newly-acquired middle linebacker Darryl Smith did a fine job controlling the defense, leading the team with five tackles, and safeties Michael Huff and James Ihegdibo played sharp in Reed’s place. The starting defensive unit gave up several big plays, but they still easily held Tampa out of the end zone. Perhaps the most impressive starter was new defensive tackle Chris Canty, who helped stop the run and came up with a crushing sack on Buccaneers’ starting quarterback Josh Freeman. “You don’t want to play too much, but you have to get that dust off and get your eyes right,” new defensive captain Terrell Suggs said. “It was good being back out here with the boys.” The Ravens trailed, 3-0, when their starters left the game, but that didn’t last long with the backups in. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor led the second-string unit to a 44-point outburst through the remaining three quarters. Taylor completed 13-of-23 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, one caught by reserve receiver LaQuan Williams. Williams also scored a second touchdown by falling on a blocked punt in the end zone. Backup running back Bernard Pierce was also impressive, scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run.
anybody outside of Baltimore was impressed with Flacco. I’ll need to see a lot more of what we saw from him in the playoffs before he makes my top-five or Hall of Fame list. Green: You can dismiss the record for consecutive starts if you want, but it’s harder to do than you think. Durability is a great attribute that not every young quarterback possesses. If you don’t believe me,
just ask Robert Griffin III. Nonetheless, quarterbacks are judged primarily by one thing only: wins. And since 2008 nobody has won more games than Flacco. He wins in the regular season and he wins in the playoffs. He has nine playoff wins, tied with Tom Brady for the most of any quarterback in their first five seasons, and the most road playoff wins in history, with eight. This past postseason, he tied Joe Montana’s longstanding postseason record for most touchdowns without an interception, with 11, and also set a record as the only quarterback with four consecutive 100-plus passer rating playoff games. You don’t tie the records of two Hall of Famers like Montana and Brady’s without being in the conversation to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame yourself. Riley: Flacco’s playoff run this past winter was amazing, but as I said, that’s about the only thing spectacular about his career so far. Everything else has been average and inconsistent. Just think about it: he’s played nearly 100 games and the only good thing anyone remembers is the four games from this season’s playoff run. Every
other year and every other game he was a middle-ofthe-pack, barely-worthy-tostart quarterback without a single Pro Bowl honor on his resume. Why do you think his own general manager, Ozzie Newsome, waited until he won the Super Bowl to pay him? Ozzie obviously wasn’t impressed either. Once he got the ring, then he got the dough. He’s going to need one or two more rings and far more consistent play before he makes anyone’s Hall of Fame. Green: Ozzie was impressed enough to offer Flacco about $16 million a season, which is pretty good money if you ask me. But Flacco thought he was worth more and went out and proved it by winning a Super Bowl MVP. He proved it by outplaying Peyton Manning in the AFC divisional game, and then Brady in the AFC Championship in Foxboro, Mass. No quarterback had ever won a playoff road game in Foxboro, until Flacco. That’s why he’s the best quarterback in the league, and that’s why he already has a place in football immortality. Everything he does from this point forward is just icing on the cake.
Negro League Legends Hall of Fame Hosts 10th Anniversary Celebration The Negro League Legends Hall of Fame will commemorate their 10th anniversary through a week-long series of events in the D.C. metro region Aug. 22-25. Many events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.nllhof.org
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Local Time, Tuesday, September 17, 2013 William L. Schull, C.P.M., CPPBPurchasing Agent
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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR BALTIMORE CITY Case No.: VACATION 24-D-13-002212 IN THE MATTER OF RENTALS Madeleine Grace Moser 1-866-629-0770 or FOR CHANGE OF www.coolbranch.com NAME TO Madeleine Grace OCEAN CITY, Manka MARYLAND. ORDER FOR NOTICE BY Best selection of PUBLICATION affordable rentals. The object of this suit is Full/ partial weeks. to officially change the Call for FREE name of the petitioner brochure. Open daily. from Madeleine Holiday Real Estate. Grace Moser to Madeleine TYPESET: Wed Aug 14 12:28:57 EDT 2013 LEGAL NOTICES Grace Manka It is this 1st day of August, 2013 by the CirIN THE CIRCUIT cuit Court for Baltimore COURT FOR City, BALTIMORE CITY ORDERED, that pubCase No.: lication be given one 24-D-13-002325 time in a newspaper of IN THE MATTER OF general circulation in Dara Nicole Brown Baltimore City on or A/K/A before the 30th day of Dara Nicole August, 2013, which Winborne shall warn all FOR CHANGE OF interested persons to NAME TO file an affidavit in opNicoletta Darita position to the relief rede la Brown quested on or before ORDER FOR the 16th day of NOTICE BY September, 2013 PUBLICATION The object of this suit is Frank M. Conaway to officially change the TYPESET: Wed Aug Clerk14 12:09:49 EDT 2013 name of the petitioner 8/16/13 from Dara Nicole Brown ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MARYLAND A/K/A Annapolis, Maryland Dara Nicole Winborne ANNOUNCEMENT to Nicoletta Darita REQUEST FOR BIDS de la Brown It is this 29th day of Notice to Contractors for the Cape St. Claire July, 2013 by the CirRd Widening and Transmission Main; is cuit Court for Baltimore available online at the Purchasing Office webCity, site www.aacounty.org and www. ORDERED, that pubebidmarketplace.com. On or after August 12, lication be given one 2013, Plans and Specifications may be obtime in a newspaper of tained from the Anne Arundel County Web general circulation in Page at the following address: http://www. Baltimore City on or aacounty.org/CentServ/Purchasing/index. before the 29th day of cfm Bids will be received until time/date shown August, 2013, which below, at the Purchasing Office, Heritage Ofshall warn all fice Complex, 2660 Riva Road, 3rd Floor, interested persons to Annapolis, MD 21401. Bids received after the file an affidavit in opdate and time set will be rejected. position to the relief requested on or before Due by 1:30 p.m. the 13th day of Project No.: H461001/W783001Contact: September, 2013 Kathy Sharp 410 224-1273 Frank M. Conaway Clerk 8/16/13
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CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for BALTIMORE CITY NO. TR13003; RECONSTRUCTION OF FOOTWAYS CITYWIDE will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M SEPTEMBER 11, 2013. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates in Room 215, City Hall at Noon. The Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Service Center located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of AUGUST 16, 2013 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $75.00. Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prerequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact the Committee at 751 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (JV), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is (A02601 Portland Cement Concrete). Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $500,000.00 to $1,000,000.00 A Pre-Bidding Information session will be conducted at 10:00 A.M. on August 23, 2013 at 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 7th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Principal Items of work for this project are: 5 Concrete Sidewalk - 59,500 SF; 5 Concrete Sidewalk Damaged by Tree Roots - 65,000 SF; Exposed Aggregate Sidewalk Damage by Tree Roots 12000 SF. The MBE goal is 27% and WBE goal 10%. APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor, Clerk Board of Estimates
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CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for BALTIMORE CITY NO. TR14004; RECONSTRUCTION OF ALLEYS CITYWIDE will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M SEPTEMBER 11, 2013. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates in Room 215, City Hall at Noon. The Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Service Center located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of AUGUST 16, 2013 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $75.00. Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prerequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact the Committee at 751 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (JV), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is (A02601 Portland Cement Concrete). Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $500,000.00 to $1,000,000.00 A Pre-Bidding Information session will be conducted at 10:00 A.M. on August 23, 2013 at 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 7th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Principal Items of work for this project are: Class 1 Excavation 4,666 CY; 5 Sub-base Using Crusher Run 14,000 SY & 7 Plain Cement Concrete Pavement Mix No. 7 -14,000 SY. The MBE goal is 18% and WBE goal 10%. APPROVED: Bernice H. Wed Taylor, Clerk TYPESET: Aug 14 12:09:49 EDT 2013 Board of Estimates ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MARYLAND Annapolis, Maryland ANNOUNCEMENT REQUEST FOR BIDS Notice to Contractors for the Cape St. Claire Rd Widening and Transmission Main; is available online at the Purchasing Office website www.aacounty.org and www. ebidmarketplace.com. On or after August 12, 2013, Plans and Specifications may be obtained from the Anne Arundel County Web Page at the following address: http://www. aacounty.org/CentServ/Purchasing/index. cfm Bids will be received until time/date shown below, at the Purchasing Office, Heritage Office Complex, 2660 Riva Road, 3rd Floor, Annapolis, MD 21401. Bids received after the date and time set will be rejected.
TYPESET: Wed Aug 07 16:17:19 EDT 2013
LEGAL NOTICES
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BALTIMORE CITY INVITATION FOR BIDS PLUMBING SUPPLIES IFB NUMBER: B-1734-13 The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) will issue an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for qualified and interested vendors to submit sealed bids to supply miscellaneous plumbing supplies to various properties owned by HABC.
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CAREER CORNER
BIDS WILL BE DUE no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 13, 2013. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 10:00 a.m., at the Charles L. Benton Building, 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 416, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202. 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. The IFB may be obtained on or after Monday, August 19, 2013, at the following location: 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 Questions regarding the IFB should be directed in writing to the address and individual indicated and must TYPESET: Wed Augabove, 14 14:20:52 EDT include 2013 the reference: HABC IFB Number B-1734-13 MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goals for Upcoming Federal Fiscal Years (FFYs) 2014-2016 The Office of the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation announces with Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 26.45, the Proposed Overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goals for its three federallyfinanced modal administrations as follows: state Highway Administration (SHA)- 24.5 percent (for FFYs 2014 through 2015); Maryland Aviation Transit Administration (MAA) - 23.3 percent (for FFYs 2014 through 2016) and Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) - 27 percent (for FFYs 2014 through 2016) Information concerning the rationale used in the formulation of the overall goals will be available for inspection during normal business hours for 30 days following the date of this notice. For an appointment to inspect this information, all interested persons may contact the Maryland Department of Transportation Office of Diversity and Equity at (410)865-1156 or 1-800-544-6056. The Maryland Department of Transportation will accept written comments for 45 days from the date this notice appears in the Maryland Register. All written comments should be addressed to: Maryland Department of Transportation, Office of Diversity and Equity, 7201 Corporate Center Drive, Post Office Box 548, Hanover, Maryland 21076.
APARTMENT FOR RENT
EXPERIENCE is PRICELESS! The AFRO AMERICAN Newspaper is seeking a college student with an interest in journalism, graphic design or marketing to serve in a non-paid intern position in the AFRO’s Baltimore, MD. office at 2519 N. Charles Street. Flexible weekday hours to accommodate class schedule. • Enhance your resume with an internship at the longest running African-American family-owned newspaper in the nation. • Learn first hand, on-the-job training & transferable career skills Call 410-554-8200 x1243 or e-mail dhocker@afro.com to learn more about an experience that can make the difference in your future job search. Like education, EXPERIENCE is PRICELESS! AFRO READERS, please pass along this unique opportunity
TYPESET: Wed Jul 17 in 14:24:41 EDT 2013 to college students your network.
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Contractual Development Officer I HOME/IDIS Processor http://jobaps.com/md Recruitment#: 13-999999-335 Filing Deadline: July 24, 2013 , 11:59 pm Salary: $17.74 - $22.87/hour Work that matters. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is a national leader in affordable housing and community development. The HOME Processor in the Single Family Program provides administrative support to the federally funded HOME Investment Partnerships Program and records program and performance data through the Integrated Disbursement and Information TYPESET: Wed AugVisit 14 11:55:33 EDT 2013 System (IDIS). the link above to apply online. EOE Enrollment Associates/Assisters Downtown primary health care organization has openings for Enrollment Associates/ Assisters on the Benefits team. The Enrollment Associates/ Assisters are responsible for outreaching to uninsured individuals, especially those experiencing homelessness and completing online Medicaid applications in order to enroll all eligible individuals in health insurance. This is a ONE year grant funded position.Computer skills required. Associate Degree or equivalent experience required. Experience with outreach and other public benefits work. Send resume to S. Johnson, HCH, 421 Fallsway Baltimore, MD. 21202. Email: hrresumes@hchmd.org Fax number: (410) 837-8020. No phone calls. Bi-lingual applicants TYPESET: Wed Aug to 14apply. 11:42:53 EDT 2013 are encouraged EOE
Due by 1:30 p.m. Project No.: H461001/W783001Contact: Kathy Sharp 410 224-1273 Local Time, Tuesday, September 17, 2013 William L. Schull, C.P.M., CPPBPurchasing TYPESET: Wed Aug 14 12:18:52 EDT 2013 Agent 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: AUGUST 28, 2013 FIREFIGHTER HELMENTS B50003046 0 SMOKE ALARMS B50003047 0 ROAD SERVICE FOR CARS, TRUCKS AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT B50003073 0 PAV E M E N T R E S T O R AT I O N F O R PATTERSON PARK B50003094 0 HOOK LIFT TRUCKS B50003100 0
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Contractual Administrative Officer III Business Lending Program Coordinator http://jobaps.com/md Recruitment#: 13-999999-393 Filing Deadline: September 5, 2013, 11:59 pm Pay: $18.87 - $30.04 per hour (Grade 15/base- step 20)
THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION DOCUMENT CAN BE VIEWED AND DOWN LOADED BY VISITING THE CITYS WEB SITE: www.baltimorecitibuy.org
Strictly Personal Pen Pal
Down Home Single Lady, Brown skinned lady; 5’6”, full-figure, hazel eyes, 50 years old. My hobbies are cooking for tow, listening to music, DVD’s, good conversation and quiet evenings. I would like to meet someone with similar interests. Age 50-65 years old. He must be sober and anti-drug addict and free from incarceration. He must have a house, transportation and employment or retirement. Send photo and phone number, or box number. Brenda Johnson, 120 Terragon Road, Reisterstown, Maryland 21136. ••• Handsome male who’s incarcerated is looking for a pen pal. Write: Bruce Wise 126284 954 Forrest Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 •••
Lonesome Hearts - Pen Pals
To have a notice published in the Strictly Personal Section, write the message you want printed in the space below. Enclose ten dollars ($10.00), check or money order for 25 words. NO CASH PLEASE. Additional words will cost 50 cents each.
To answer a Lonesome Heart notice, enclose a check or money order for $2.00 for each letter you wish to have forwarded. NO CASH PLEASE. Be sure to include the box number of the person you wish to contact. All letters, queries and notices should be sent to: STRICTLY PERSONAL 2519 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!
The Business Lending Program Coordinator works in the area of community development and commercial real estate development to assist with analyzing and underwriting small business loan applications from receipt to post-loan closing. 1 year experience in loan processing, underwriting, originating or post-closing procedures or 1 year financial analysis experience in a lending environment required. Please visit the link above for more information and to apply TYPESET: Wed Aug 14 11:34:58 EDT 2013 online. EOE Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Contractual Public Affairs Officer I Community Outreach Events Planner http://jobaps.com/md Recruitment#: 13-999999-405 Filing Deadline: August 26, 2013 , 11:59 pm Salary: $16.68 - $21.48/hour (Grade 13/base - step 9) Work that matters. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is a national leader in affordable housing and community development. Events Planner promotes the Department´s mission and portfolio of programs and services; including event recruitment, training, scheduling, special event planning, coordination, organization and promotion, public relations development through community education, involvement and support, and other administrative duties of outreach activities. Visit the link above to view required qualifications and apply online. EOE Education -
Coordinator of Transfer and Advising CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE has a full-time 12-month position as Coordinator of Transfer and Advising in the division of Student Affairs. Additional information may be obtained at www.carrollcc.edu EOE/M/F
Free Service Obituaries are printed for free by the AFROAmerican Newspapers. Send funeral program and picture to: Obituaries, The Baltimore Afro-American, 2519 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 21218
To advertise in the AFRO Call 410-554-8200
TYPESET: Wed Aug 14 12:27:02 EDT 2013
August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013, The Afro-American
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The Afro-American, August 17, 2013 - August 23, 2013
“As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is AUTHENTICITY.” —Charlie Chaplin “If the rain spoils our picnic, but saves a farmer’s crop, who are we to say it shouldn’t rain?” —Tom Barrett “Let’s do it again…” The forecast called for rain but the day was perfect for Three No Trumps Bridge Club’s annual picnic at Patapsco Park on a lazy Sunday afternoon. People drank champagne, enjoyed good food and danced the latest line dances. Guests Victor Hamilton, Pat Thomas, Claudia McKee, Yvonne West, Robert Smith, Pat Roselle, Waneta Wilkins, Jackie Brock, Dr. Charlene Cooper-Boston, Tyrone Qualls, Sadie and Eugene Smalley, Mildred Harper, Flora and Richard Johnson, Tobi and Damien Pulley, Laura Byrd, Cimmon Burris, Brenda and Napoleon Sykes, Duchess Atkinson, Dr. J Laws Nickens, Jean Powell, Peggy Washington, Carolyn and Steve Wainwright and more than 100 other guests kept the party flowing until dusk. “I believe when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade...and try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.” —Ron White “People are talking” about the lavish birthday party Reginald Pinder hosted for his wife Sharon at their lovely home. “It must be magic” outside the tapestry draping the cabanas flowed gently in the “summer breeze” giving the illusion of a magical Arabian night. Inside the home, guests Greg Williams, Debbie and Errol Taylor, Tim Betts, Michele Chittams, Wesley and Lynnette Roberson, Shelonda and Phil Stokes, Kevin and Judy Johnson, David and Shavela Mosley, Joyce Jackson, Laverne and Erthman Naesea, Robert Wallace, Stan and Rosalind Lawrence, Linda CornishRhodes, Peggy and Darryl Geigher, Germaine and Doug Leftridge, Sheila Lewis, Biah and Jaffary Nkanda, Reginald Mack, Leah Waters, Walter Hill, Charles and Marsha Owens and Marsha Jews were entertained at the casino tables and a magic show performed by Rudy Jackson. Throughout the cocktail hour, a jazz ensemble provided music as we enjoyed
the catered buffet by Charm City Caterers. The guest of honor, looking stunning, was toasted with her own signature drink Shargarita. “Around midnight” after dancing to the hottest sounds the exhausted guests received personalized crystal stemware as a keepsake memento as they headed home. “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you, Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me…” —The King and I Brenda Baker, Jackie Brown, Laverne Naesea, Deborah Hawkins and I joined States Attorney Gregg Bernstein at Alice located in the Colonnade for dinner and conversation. It was a great opportunity to talk and share the visions of a city that we all love. It is the sign of a great dining experience when everyone marveled at the deliciousness of their selection. I opted for meatloaf that was excellent. The veal chops, crab cakes and a fish dish all met with satisfaction, too. “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” —J. Lubbock Myra and Albert Queen was glowing at the cocktail reception they hosted at their Windsor Hills home for Carolyn Owens Lumpkins’ retirement, after 39 years, from Duke University Medical Center. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. Then go and do that. Because what the world needs, is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman On Aug. 28, is the unveiling of the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Memorial, dedicated to those who answered the clarion call for social and racial justice by attending the historic 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Contact Carl Snowden for information on this historic event
at carlsnowden@hotmail.com “Don’t give up on the people you love. Your patient love and faithfulness may be exactly what they need to make a complete turnaround.” —Joyce Meyers The Greater Baltimore Chapter of JUGS International is hosting a crab feast in the park, Sept. 7. For tickets, call Rosemary Atkinson at 410-598-0780. JUGS International is a service organization providing assistance to persons in need, Shontel Douglass is the president. “As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call it RESPECT”. —Charlie Chaplin Our prayers and condolences to the families of Dr. Charles Bowie and Bea Morton on their deaths; Judd Watkins on the death of his wife Naomi Watkins; Russell and Arnold Jolivet on the death of their sister Loys Jolivet Hawkins of Baldwin, La.; Joette Bynum on the death of her brother Karlos Bynum; Cleve and Nancy Brister on the death of Otis Brister and Rose Moulton on the death of her husband Howard Moulton. “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson Happy birthday Joseph Zammarella, Janice Carney Fox, Kit Adams, Nicole Gatewood, Stephanie Farmer and my nephew Kevin Johnson. “So tell me I may always dance ‘The Anniversary Waltz’ with you.” Happy 27th anniversary to Monie and Deaneen Miles of the New Five Mile House. “Don’t get around much anymore…” Hines Early, at Relax Limousine Service, said “I’ll take you there.” call 410952-3538. “I’ll be seeing you” Valerie & the Friday Night Bunch
one
day sale
Free shippinG at macys.com with $99 online purchase. no promo code needed; exclusions apply.
saturday, august 17, sHoP 9aM-11PM (It’s a sale too BIg to FIt In a day!) also sHoP today, august 16 FroM 9aM-1oPM hours may vary by store
IntroduCIng one day sale
deals oF tHe day
sPeCIally seleCted IteMs PrICed so low you don’t need a savIngs Pass! avaIlaBle all day, BotH days!
4 Hours only! 9aM-1PM FrI & sat
doorBusters get Here early, wHIle tHey last
one day Sale priceS in effecT 8/16 & 8/17/2013. OPEN A MACY’S ACCOUNT FOR EXTRA 20% SAVINGS THE FIRST 2 DAYS, UP TO $100, WITH MORE REWARDS TO COME. Macy’s credit card is available subject to credit approval; new account savings valid the day your account is opened and the next day; excludes services, selected licensed departments, gift cards, restaurants, gourmet food & wine. The new account savings are limited to a total of $100; application must qualify for immediate approval to receive extra savings; employees not eligible. N3070204A.indd 1
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