A1 The Afro-American, Volume 125 No. 15October 15, 2016 - October 21, 2016
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
NOVEMBER 12, 2016 - NOVEMBER 18, 2016
Inside
Prince George’s
AFRO Editorial:
Our Next Steps A7
• Brown Snags
Congress Seat
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Washington
Black Cable Dramas Show America’s Diversity
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• Catherine Pugh AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8. Republicans now hold majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Wins in Landslide
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Trump Victory: The Plight of African Americans has Suddenly and Drastically Changed 1,000 New Fans
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By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent zprince@afro.com
The newspaper headlines were likely already written, announcing Hillary Clinton as the first woman to take the helm of the White House. Instead, in the stunning culmination to a brutal and vitriolic campaign, real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump clinched the race Nov. 8 to become the 45th president of the United States. The results defied the prognostications of many pollsters, pundits and
political scientists, alike, leaving them scrambling to figure out what happened. “It is going to take us political scientists a long time to figure this out,” said Robert Smith, a political analyst with San Francisco State University. He added, “This is an unexpected and dangerous outcome.” Republican political strategist Raynard Jackson said he predicted this result, however, declaring to the AFRO that Trump had won even before the votes were fully counted. “I don’t believe in polls and I was convinced
AFRO Symposium Explores the Role of the Black Press and Presidential Administrations By James Bentley AFRO Associate Editor jbentley@afro.com On Nov. 8, the Afro-American Newspaper, in conjunction with Morgan State University, hosted a symposium entitled “125 Years of Speaking Truth to Power.” The symposium covered the 125 years of the AFRO, it’s coverage of all things pertaining to Black people in this country and the overarching impact each presidential administration has had on the Black community. In attendance were MSU President David Wilson, Dean of the School of Global Journalism DeWayne Wickham, MSU Continued on A8
he would win. Now, I’m vindicated,” the WashingtonD.C. based political operative said. He added, “This is nothing short of miraculous…. People are
going to remember where they were when they got the news.” Jackson said Trump triumphed because he presented himself as
an antidote to voters’ disaffection with Washington and the status quo. The average American bought into Trump’s promises to
Continued on A3
AFRO Coverage--100 Years Ago
Outlook Dark for Colored Voters
From Political Standpoint the Colored Brother is “Dressed Up With No Place To Go
Disenfranchised All Around Offices Taken Away By Democrats and Republicans Take Away Votes in National Convention Jan. 1, 1916 The close of this year brings strongly to the fore the presidential campaign that will begin in full blast right after 1916 dons
swaddling clothes and bids a last farewell to hoary-headed and deceased 1915. Woodrow Wilson will again head the Democratic national ticket, while it will take a seer to predict
just whom the republican Richmond. The colored brother does not seem to know just where he is “at” with either party. The Democrats, in view of Continued on A8
America’s Changing Landscape
All of Pittsburgh Deserves to be Economically Diversified By Gerald Taylor Special to the AFRO Part four of a series of articles and commentaries describing the impact the change in the manufacturing industry has had on the Black Community in major American cities.
Photo by Anderson Ward
Before the crack that led to the fissure that led to the implosion of the steel industry in the United States, Pittsburgh and her manufacturing sector had a good thing going. In their marriage, she even took the name Steel
Jake Oliver, AFRO CEO and publisher.
Copyright © 2016 by the Afro-American Company
Continued on A3
Courtesy of NYPL
Two steel workers in Pittsburgh in the 1940s.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
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Nearly All-White Jury to Hear S.C. Case of Ex-Cop Who Fatally Shot Walter Scott, Unarmed Black Man
By The Associated Press
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Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager (right), is lead into court, in Charleston, S.C. Jury selection begins Oct. 31 in the murder trial of Slager charged with shooting Walter Scott (left), an unarmed Black motorist in Apr. 2015.
A nearly all-White jury was seated Nov. 2 for the murder trial of a White former South Carolina officer whose fatal shooting of a Black man stunned the nation after it was recorded by a bystander. A jury of six White men, five White women and one Black man will hear the case of Michael Slager, who is charged with murder in the April 2015 shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott as Scott fled a traffic stop in North Charleston. The images of Slager repeatedly shooting Scott in the back as he tried to run away inspired many others to record encounters with police since then, and both officer-involved shootings and slayings of police have only drawn more attention. The jury was seated after two days of qualification, as authorities apprehended a suspect in the killings of two Iowa officers shot while sitting in their patrol cars. Testimony also began Nov. 2 in the Ohio murder trial of a White officer who fatally shot a Black man. In the Slager trial, the defense struck nine potential jurors, including seven minorities. The prosecution challenged whether the defense was using only race as a basis for disqualifying them. The challenge was dropped after the defense provided detailed reasons for its strikes. Some of those reasons were: not having a good understanding of English, expressing anti-gun sentiments, and in one case, a potential juror is a friend of the medical examiner, who is expected to testify. Figures released by the clerk of court in Charleston County show that of the pool of 75 qualified jurors from which the jury was selected, 16 are Black, or just over 20 percent. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show the Black population of the state and the county
is about 28 percent. Opening arguments are expected on Thursday. Judge Clifton Newman was to hear motions on Wednesday afternoon, including one asking that the dramatic cellphone video of the shooting be kept out of the trial. Slager’s attorney Andy Savage, in a motion Nov.1 called the video “prejudicial, inflammatory and factually deficient.� He said bystander Feidin Santana took it from 137 feet away and not from the officer’s perspective. The clip is also “obscured or blurry and thus confusing,� the motion said. The video does not show all of a fight that took place between Slager and Scott, and if it is allowed, it should not be shown in slow motion because that implies that Slager had malicious intent toward Scott, the motion said. Slager, 34, faces 30 years to life if convicted of murder. Scott was shot after being pulled over for a broken taillight. Georgia Gov Says He ‘Misspoke’ with ‘Colored People’ Remark By The Associated Press
(Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, backed by U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, left, and David Perdue, holds a press conference about Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 9, in Savannah, Ga.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says he made a mistake in using the phrase “colored people� during a speech last month, but he is standing by the gist of his statement. WAGA-TV reports that Deal was arguing in favor of a proposed constitutional amendment Oct. 3 when he said: “If you want to advance the state of colored people, start with their children.� The governor was speaking before educators at the Technical College System of Georgia. Deal says he was “upset� about people who are opposed to the amendment and says he “misspoke.� He says he was referring to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which has spoken out against the proposal. Deal says the amendment would help poor, minority children graduate and get jobs.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 12, 2016
November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
A3
Trump
Continued from A1
undo adverse trade deals such as NAFTA and to bring back jobs to the U.S., to “reclaim” U.S. sovereignty from international organizations such as the United Nations and NATO and to stem the influx of “foreigners,” so much so, they were willing to overlook his “personal liabilities,” the strategist continued. “Trump is an outsider, and he tapped into a vein that both parties’ leadership willfully and recklessly ignored,” Jackson said. “This result was because of the total misreading by both parties and the media of how angry Americans are.” According to CNN exit polls, Trump outpaced Clinton 58 percent to 37 percent among White voters, while the Democratic challenger held the larger advantage—74 percent to 21 percent—among non-Whites, including garnering 88 percent of Black voters. Among non-college-educated Whites, Trump held even larger margins of support, with both men and women voting 67 percent for Trump and 28 percent for Clinton. Some political observers said Trump fuelled his rise to victory by using derogatory, sometimes racist and otherwise incendiary rhetoric to stoke resentment—some racist in nature—among White voters. “The outcome of this election is an expression of a kind of White nationalism and not just among working-class Whites, but among all Whites, who have a sense that this country is becoming non-White and they resent that,” said Smith, the San Franciscobased political analyst. “Trump said he would make America great again and for some that meant White again.” Trump’s win, some say, does not bode well for African Americans. “Obviously, the outcome will have a lot of impact in terms of public policy,” said
Michael Fauntroy, political scientist from Howard University. “Most African Americans are progressives and if Hillary Clinton wins, we will see a continuation of policies begun by Barack Obama. And if Donald Trump wins, he would try to reverse all that.” Both Fauntroy and Smith said with the GOP in charge of the White House, U.S. House and Senate, gridlock would be diminished and Republicans would work together to overturn the Affordable Care Act—President Obama’s signature legislation that provided health insurance for 2.3 million uninsured African Americans, and cut back
“What you can expect from a Trump presidency is probably the most inhospitable environment for African-Americans since the 1950s.”
–Robert Smith
on social programs like Medicaid and food stamps. “What you can expect from a Trump presidency is probably the most inhospitable environment for African-Americans since the 1950s,” Smith said. “The whole social security safety net Americans depend on, [Republicans] plan to shred that while giving tax cuts to the wealthy…. This is an extremely negative outcome for AfricanAmericans and for the country as a whole.” With an empty seat in the Supreme Court and several aging justices, Trump will likely have the opportunity to stack the high court with conservative justices and that would not bode well for policies such as affirmative action, observers said. Under a Trump presidency the economy and America’s standing in the world will
Pittsburgh
Continued from A1 City. The mere mention of Pittsburgh conjured up images of massive mills making the steel that was building the nation’s Infrastructure; keeping it moving with the cars and trucks and trains and planes and ships; taking it higher as skyscraping towers transformed the nation’s landscape. America’s appetite for steel seemed insatiable and Pittsburgh was at the center of meeting the demand. By the early 1970s, the Pittsburgh region employed more than 300,000 people in the manufacturing sector. Steelmaking gained prominence in Pittsburgh in the 1870s, along with its most famous steelmaker, Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie partnered with Henry Clay Frick, the beehive coke oven magnate. Such ovens were necessary for turning coal to coke, a needed ingredient for making steel. Together they formed the Carnegie Steel Company, which, after it was sold in 1901, became the mammoth corporation known as U.S. Steel. By 1911, almost half of the nation’s steel was being made in the Pittsburgh region. As a result, small towns sprouted, blossomed, and became bustling havens for immigrants who easily found work in the factories and
also suffer, Smith said. Global markets all fell immediately after Trump’s election although they recovered by the end of the day. And, foreign leaders have offered mostly tepid, sometimes cautionary statements of congratulation to the president-elect, who has made several rash statements about breaking or renegotiating current trade and diplomatic deals. “Our adversaries will use this as a means to attack American democracy itself—the fact that we will be taken over by a demagogue,” Smith said. “And our allies, the Europeans and Japanese, will find it hard to work with
mills. One such town was Aliquippa. Sitting along the Ohio River, first generation European immigrants and some African Americans settled there during the Great Migration. They lived in planned communities built by Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. These were communities that hummed with promise and even prosperity as the rise of unions during the New Deal era ensured equitable pay and
America’s appetite for steel seemed insatiable and Pittsburgh was at the center of meeting the demand. By the early 1970s, the Pittsburgh region employed more than 300,000 people in the manufacturing sector. better work conditions. The people who lived there could support their local grocers, gas stations, movie houses and hotels. Similarly, the Hill District — famously depicted by Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson in his awardwinning 10-play series The
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Pittsburgh Cycle — attracted Black southerners. Many of them found decent-paying jobs in the steel mills and factories in and around Pittsburgh, and contributed to the cultural vibrancy of that time and place. The post-World War II era saw continued expansion in the region’s industrial base and it seemed that Pittsburgh and her steel were riding together on an unstoppable skyward trajectory. But the allure of foreign-made steel’s cheaper price tag and sudden abundance in the United States caused a reversal of course by the early 1970s. The industry came crashing down, bringing Pittsburgh with it. Her economy in shambles, her tax base evaporating— between the 1970s and 1990s, Pittsburgh lost 30 percent of her population. By 1983, her metropolitan region was experiencing a stunning 17.1 percent unemployment rate. Her heart broken, she sought out other partners to help her heal. Finding comfort in diversifying this time: service, medicine, tourism, technology — she is now home to thousands of new technology firms. Google set up shop there in 2006. By all accounts, the Pittsburgh region seems to have rebounded much better than her Industrial Heartland sisters — until Aliquippa is revisited, the town that was once filled with so much possibility. When the steel industry collapsed and wiped out thousands of jobs, almost overnight, Aliquippa quickly filled with despair as it was rendered a ghostly shadow of a town. As a moral imperative, these communities deserve an opportunity to rebound too. With public infrastructure investment to reverse the decline, including smart investments to improve roads and restore deteriorating structures; with workforce development to assist those former steelworkers who decide becoming tech-savvy or garnering a college degree is not a viable option for them; and with smart trade policy where trade and import
Trump and that will create great instability in international relations.” Jackson, the Black Republican, said he thinks a Trump presidency can be a boon for the African-American community, however, especially if the president-elect institutes policies to boost Black entrepreneurs and HBCUs. “That would go a long way to solving the pathologies in the Black community, which stem from a lack of jobs and a lack of education,” Jackson said, adding, “I think he’s going to make good on his promises.” What is unclear is how well The Donald will keep his promise to “bind the wounds of division” among Americans that he, himself helped inflict. “I say it is time for us to come together as one united people,” said Trump, during his terms are fair and do not disadvantage U.S. workers, all of Pittsburgh might profit from her diversification and relish her astounding recovery. Two of Pittsburgh’s core strengths are people with manufacturing know-
victory speech in the early hours of Nov. 9. “I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans and this is so important to me.”
Ballot Referenda Beyond the presidential and congressional races, there were several ballot initiatives in states across the country that were significant for African Americans, particularly changes to marijuana laws. “Marijuana criminal laws have been used disproportionately against African Americans. It’s outrageous,” said Hilary Shelton, senior vice president for advocacy and policy of the NAACP. According to Shelton, African Americans comprise 40 percent of all marijuana convictions but only 12 percent of marijuana users. In four states, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada, voters approved recreational legalization, bringing to nine the number of states—and the District of Columbia—that allow the recreational use of the herb. Another four states, Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana approved the use of medical cannabis, bringing to 29 the number of states with such policies. Several states also considered minimum wage referenda, with four deciding to boost the minimum federal wage of $7.25. “African Americans are also disproportionately dependent on minimum wage jobs,” Shelton said. “A single parent with two children working full-time, all day every day for the entire year will still come out $4,000 under the poverty line if they are working a minimum wage job. “Hardworking people should be paid fairly for their hard work,” Shelton added.
how and companies with manufacturing research and development. Let’s put them back to work. Gerald Taylor, a doctoral student at Georgetown University majoring in
philosophy, is the author of a new report, “Unmade in America: Industrial Flight and the Decline of Black Communities,” sponsored by the Washington-based Alliance for American Manufacturing.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Meet California’s New U.S. Senator, Kamala Harris
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Attorney General Kamala Harris speaks to supporters at a election night rally Nov. 8, in Los Angeles. By The Associated Press Kamala Devi Harris will change the U.S. Senate by walking through the door. Harris will enter the chamber as the first Indian woman elected to a Senate seat and the second black woman, following Carol Moseley Braun, who served a single term after being elected in 1992. The daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica gives national Democrats a new face with an appealing resume — a career prosecutor and attorney general in the nation’s most populous state — and a lineage that fits squarely with the party’s goal to mirror a changing country. By 2050, minorities are projected to be the majority in the U.S., as they are in California, and women are a majority in every state. Harris, who takes a seat in a Senate that remains overwhelmingly white and male, defeated another Democrat, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, in the Nov. 8 election. “Harris will help make the Senate look more like America,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “Slowly, the Senate will catch up with the nation’s demographics, and Harris proves the point.” She has drawn comparisons to her friend, President Barack Obama, another lawyer and racial groundbreaker. Obama once apologized after calling Harris “the best-looking attorney general in the country.” Her sister, Maya Harris, was a senior policy adviser for Hillary
Clinton’s campaign. “Our diversity is our power,” Harris told fellow Democrats last year. In picking the 52-year-old Harris to replace retiring Barbara Boxer, voters also looked to a new generation for leadership. Boxer, who served four terms after being first elected in 1992, will turn 76 this week. California’ senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, is 83. Hillary Clinton will turn 70 next year. In Harris, Californians are getting a liberal Democrat much in the mold of the senator they are replacing. It’s telling that her first major endorsement came from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a favorite of the party’s liberal wing. Along with her law-and-order credentials, Harris supports gay rights, reproductive rights and the $15 minimum wage. She want to do more to fight climate change and supports immigration reform with a path to citizenship for people who entered the U.S. illegally. Born in Oakland, California, Harris calls Thurgood Marshall an inspiration and talks often about growing up with parents deeply involved in the civil rights movement. She married Los Angeles lawyer Douglas Emhoff two years ago, her first marriage. Her economist father and cancer specialist mother met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, where Harris recalls they “spent full time marching and shouting about this thing called justice.” They later divorced. She comes to the Senate after twice being elected state attorney general. As a candidate she stressed her fights with big banks during the mortgage crisis, for-profit colleges that were financially exploiting students and environmental wrongdoers. A central theme for years has been recidivism and criminal justice reform, where she has advocated for a different approach to non-violent crimes that emphasizes rehabilitation and help getting back on track, not severe, one-size-fits-all punishment. She calls it smart on crime. Harris emerged from the election largely unscathed after facing Sanchez, who suffered from a string of verbal gaffes and saw the party establishment line up behind Harris. Harris never trailed in polling or fundraising. She was able to overcome a deficit of experience in foreign affairs — rival Sanchez called her unready for the job — while fending off criticism about rising crime rates and that she is too often cautious when faced with politically dicey subjects. Sanchez and some other Democrats, for example, said she was not aggressive enough on prosecutions and investigations related to fatal shootings by police. At an NAACP convention in Sacramento in October, Harris was describing the steps the state has taken to deter police bias when Jay King jumped to his feet and stalked out of the room. “Police are killing us,” he shouted. “I can’t listen to this.” King, a singer and volunteer host on a Sacramento radio station, said afterward that he previously voted for Harris and contributed to her campaign. But he criticized Harris and Obama for not doing more. Harris took the interruption in stride. “People are shouting in a room or on the streets because they feel they’re not being heard,” she said later. “We have to give voice to that.” Thinly tested on the national stage, the next question will be can she deliver in a Congress riven by partisanship. A glance at her website provides a snapshot of her goals, including free tuition at community colleges and increasing rainwater storage capacity in drought-plagued California. In a state where millions struggle in poverty, where extremes of wealth and destitution can be witnessed by walking a few blocks in downtown Los Angeles, Harris talks about rebuilding the “ladder of opportunity” for those left behind. “I wanted to do the work that was about being a voice for the vulnerable,” she has said.
November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
A5
Charleston Church Shooting Trial
Judge Orders Competency Exam for Dylann Roof By The Associated Press A judge announced Tuesday that he has ordered another competency exam for a White man charged with killing nine Black parishioners at a Charleston church one day after halting jury selection because of a motion from defense attorneys. The exam for Dylann Roof is underway and should be finished by next week. Federal Judge Richard Gergel wrote in his brief order that he plans to rule within days whether Roof is competent and, if so, to begin jury selection for Roof’s death penalty trial on Nov. 21. Jury selection was supposed to begin Nov. 7, but instead Gergel held a hearing with only him, Roof and defense lawyers to consider the motion, which has not been made public. Gergel’s order indicates he decided to order the exam after that hearing. The defense motion for the exam is being kept secret, like many recent developments in the case. The Nov. 7 hearing was held behind closed doors in part so it wouldn’t influence potential jurors and in part to protect attorney-client privilege, Gergel said in a memo with large sections blacked out. Almost 70 motions, documents and orders have
TIME TO CASH IN!
AP Photo/Grace Beahm
Dylann Roof, seen here at a court hearing in Charleston, S.C., over a mass shooting that police say he carried out at a black church.
been filed in the case since the September. All but two have been sealed from view by the public and the media. Roof is charged with hate crimes, obstruction of religion and other counts in the killings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Authorities said he sat with 12 people in a prayer meeting for nearly an hour before firing dozens of times, killing nine and leaving three people unharmed so they could tell the world the shootings were because he hated Black people. Gergel’s order may delay opening statements until 2017. The judge plans to question the jury pool of 500 in groups of 10 twice a day until he qualifies 70 potential jurors for lawyers to choose from. That process is expected to take several weeks. Roof’s lawyers have said previously that he would plead guilty to the charges in federal court if prosecutors would agree not to seek the death penalty. State prosecutors also plan a death penalty trial for Roof on nine counts of murder after the federal trial is finished.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Love Wins Re-Election to U.S. House By The Associated Press
Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP
Republican Rep. Mia Love visits with supporters at Noah’s in South Jordan, Utah, Nov. 8.
U.S. Rep. Mia Love won re-election in Utah on Nov. 8 after defeating Democrat Doug Owens for the second time, while U.S. Sen. Mike Lee defeated political newcomer Misty Snow. The other members of the state’s congressional delegation up for reelection — Republican Reps. Jason Chaffetz, Chris Stewart and Rob Bishop — also sailed to wins in their bids for new terms. Love, who became the first black Republican woman in Congress when she won two years ago, faced an expensive challenge from Owens, a Democrat who put up a strong fight in the previously blue 4th District. It covers parts of Salt Lake, Utah, Juab and Sanpete counties and was held by U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson until Love’s win two years ago. To lock up another term, Love was careful this year to keep her distance from Donald Trump, who was unpopular with many Utah voters. Love skipped the Republican National Convention and released a statement saying definitively that she would not vote for him following the release of a 2005 recording in which the billionaire made lewd comments about women. Love said Nov. 8 that she wrote in Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate, for president. When asked about Trump’s win, she said, “I think it’s better than the alternative. It’s given me a lot of hope for the country.” With her own re-election, Love said she wants to work on veteran’s issues and on trying to free a Utah man, Joshua Holt, who is imprisoned in Venezuela.
November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
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EDITORIAL Our Next Steps
The realization of what we’ve just experienced in the recent election of Donald Trump to become our next president will take days, if not weeks, for most African Americans to digest. It will probably take longer for most to become comfortable with the thought of him now being our leader and chief spokesman. During this time of rationalizing the reality of a Trump presidency, we will need to accept the fact that the trust we all once had with President Obama will no longer exist with President Trump, at least in the beginning as we move away from our fresh images of the Trump presidential campaign of vitriolic racist hate and ignorance. Furthermore, this new president is someone most African Americans will not be able to comfortably trust, nor is he a person we can visualize EVER, as one his dreadful minions warned of during the campaign, “bowing down to”! Given the complete control the Republicans now enjoy in Congress our quest for improved and fairer civil rights, which includes our unimpeded right to vote, together with improved job and economic opportunities, education and health benefits will surely be threatened, if not possibly drastically reduced. The minority and poorer segments of our American society we fear are in for a rough and bumpy ride for the next four years
in our past history, to begin to forge and reinforce the voices, strategies and defenses we will need as we move forward through the unclear environment of this new Trump administration. Starting today, the varied organizations of the African American community need to draw closer, forge communication channels, and immediately initiate the development of strategies of how members of our community as citizens are going to survive over the next 4 years. We also need to start crafting our strategy as what we must do to improve our chances to have a more positive result in the 2020 presidential election. During this period our voice needs to be heard LOUDLY! Trump’s acceptance speech stipulated that he wanted to represent all Americans. We, however, glean very little evidence of his ability to do this from his campaign words or actions. All we have is hope and his word (for whatever that is worth), and our history shows us that in the past whenever we’ve had presidents who were not sensitive to our community’s important needs, we suffered. But we also got stronger!
In this dreadful time of uncertainty, we must look inward to our community, as we have done
Buckle Up !
COMMENTARY
For Black America, Today is Different It is quiet in my house. Normally, the phone is ringing incessantly by now. Calls from friends and relatives and students and work and the daily chores that must be dealt with. Usually, by noon I wish the phone would go away. But not today. Nobody is calling me and I don’t have the strength to call them. The radio would be tuned to an NPR station by 8 a.m. so I could hear the morning news. It’s either the one in Washington or Baltimore, or even KPCC in Los Angeles via the internet, if I have gotten up late. But not today. In fact, for now, it feels like I’ll never listen to the news again. It is like that for much of Black America this morning, I understand. The one friend I have talked with says her/our networks of Facebook friends are silent as well. There is no chatter about children and grandchildren. No photos from exotic vacations. No funny sayings or jokes or words of wisdom. She said she can’t bear to look at the Washington Post that was delivered to her door. She won’t go on any of the news websites. It appears most African Americans are going through similar pangs. It is as though we are experiencing that reverent hush that comes with the passing of a relative, when people speak in muted voices and cloak themselves in the quiet as they grieve. And in fact, a relative did die for many of us. Part of the dream of America that we thought we had achieved seems to have vanished overnight. It is as though when we had finally allowed ourselves to believe that ideal of America might be coming into view, the vision has been snatched away. We knew this place, this country, wasn’t perfect. It’s never been perfect, that’s why we have amendments to the Constitution that outlawed things like slavery and allowed
Ron Harris
women and even White men to vote. It is why we have constantly appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to enforce the tenants of that document so all Americans – all races, all genders, all ethnicities, all religions -- can enjoy its promise Hell, we know it is flawed because we’ve been fighting for perfect, ours and theirs, all our lives, all of our ancestors’ lives. We went to war and died and bled for her and she responded to our sacrifice with lynching, systematic imprisonment and oppression, segregation and unceasing discrimination. She stole from us and our children and brutalized us and humiliated us and yet we believed and nurtured America. And now, we feel betrayed, because everything it said it stood for has been revealed as a lie in the morally reprehensible, openly bigoted, man it has now elected as its leader. In the end, I, and my friends, will allow ourselves a brief time to mourn. And then, we will do as we have always done. We will fight like hell and turn this damnable nation around.
Overcoming our Opportunity Deficits
Anyone who has lived in Baltimore’s inner, inner city for as long as I have knows that we do not have a deficit of talent among the young people in our community. Rather, they face a very real deficit of opportunity. Surrounded by all of the discouraging aspects of generational poverty and our society’s unresolved issues of race, even the most talented and determined among our young can become Elijah Cummings discouraged and lose their way. This is why effective, community-based programs that believe in our talented young people, encourage them, and help them move toward fulfilling their dreams are so important. I was reminded of these truths again last month when I joined University of Maryland, Baltimore President Jay Perman, Dr. Sanya Springfield, Dr. Robin Saunders, university mentors and community members to begin the second year of the University’s CURE-Scholars initiative. With financial assistance from the National Cancer Institute, UMB CURE has entered into an ongoing partnership with three West Baltimore schools to identify promising students at the middle school level and prepare them for careers in health care and scientific research. The clear focus of the federal funding is to expand minority participation in the battle against cancer, supporting the creation of a pipeline of talent from middle school through university graduation. Nevertheless, the CURE program is providing skill development for our young people that will be applicable to any
of the science, technology, engineering or math fields. The academic results for the students’ performance during the first year of CURE are very encouraging. Testing has confirmed a combined 61-83 percent improvement overall in language arts scores and a 56-100 percent improvement in math scores. Equally convincing, in listening to the students, I was struck by their growing confidence that, if they worked hard, their abilities would be acknowledged and rewarded by our society. Their vision of the future that they could build for themselves has expanded — an evaluation shared by everyone participating in lifting up these young people to be all that God meant for them to become. The support for CURE from the students’ parents, as well as from the three participating Baltimore schools (Franklin Square Elementary & Middle School, Green Street Academy, and Southwest Baltimore Charter School) remains strong. Nearly all of the university students and staff who have been volunteering as mentors are continuing for a second year. Taken together, these initial results support the insight that I mentioned at the outset. Clearly, we do not have a deficit of talent among the young people in our community. The National Cancer Institute agrees. It has renewed its funding commitment to Baltimore-CURE for another five years. Each year, the number of young scholars in this BaltimoreCURE pipeline to excellence will grow, receiving the benefits of a 5:1 mentor to scholar ratio with after-school support, Saturday tutoring and an intensive, six-week Summer Enrichment component. The wider challenge for Baltimore — and America — is this. How do we extend this same level of encouragement and support to every child who, otherwise, might be lost to poverty and despair? Part of the answer to this broader question, of course, is funding. That is why elections and the people we elect are so important.
Ronald Harris is an adjunct journalism professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Still, I am convinced that equally essential elements in CURE’s success are the people who are volunteering their time and talents. They have been giving the opportunity to make a difference in these children’s lives, and they have grasped it. The parents and schools who are partnering in CURE have found a village to help them raise these children, and that village is succeeding. Now, whether we live in highly urbanized areas like Baltimore or rural communities that suffer from the same legacy of generational poverty, we must look to community-based initiatives like CURE for guidance as to how each of us can contribute to building a better future. The CURE partnership is creating future doctors and scientists. Yet, the same model can also be utilized to encourage and support future carpenters, electricians and automobile mechanics — all skills that deserve and earn a living wage. We know that many skilled and semi-skilled jobs in our nation are going unfilled — even while far too many Americans are yearning for work that will offer them a wage that can support their families. Our challenge — both as a community and as a nation — is to bridge these gaps. We all have the ability to make a difference in a child’s life. As Dr. James P. Comer of Yale has long argued, if we are to successfully overcome the obstacles presented by generational pockets of extreme poverty in our communities, we cannot expect our schools to do it all. Effective community-based programs that draw upon the skills and generosity of spirit of our people are essential if we are to overcome the opportunity deficits that far too many Americans continue to face. Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Outlook Dark Continued from A1 promises of a square deal by Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 fight, had a fine chance of permanently dividing the colored the voters of the country. Some thousands of colored voters supported the Democratic national ticket in 1912, and it was believed by many that colored men would share in political preferment. Instead, not only segregation has been introduced into the departments and colored office holders seemingly harassed on account of their race, but certain Southern members of Congress have
introduced “Jim-Crow” measures in Congress because their States have robbed the Negro of the right to vote -- has come out courageously in favor of fair play for the race. All colored officeholders have been banished when their positions depended on presidential favor, and in other instances their jobs have been made uncomfortable. Despite the continued pleadings of Bishop Walers on behalf of the half of colored Democrats not one has been a presidential appointment, save the two men sent as Ministers to Liberia.
Indeed many of the colored men ardently supported the Democrats in 1912 in the belief that they would be fair to the race, would declare as did the National Independent Equal Rights League in Philadelphia several weeks ago, that would strongly oppose the reelection of President Wilson. The Republican party has also become careless in the interest of the Negro during the past few years. The men in Congress that urge fair play for the race only form a negligible number nowadays. In the days following the election of McKinley the party had a chance to undo the work of the disenfranchisement underway in the South. The Republican National
AFRO Symposium Continued from A1
Board of Regents and AFRO board member Rev. Frances “Toni” Draper, who also served as moderator for the panel, AFRO
November 12, 2016 - November 12, 2016, The Afro-American
CEO and Publisher, Jake Oliver as well as students and faculty. The panelists for the symposium were
Photo by Anderson Ward
Tony Harris, Lauren Victoria Burke and Dr. Jason Johnson were all part of the journalism symposium at Morgan State University.
Convention in 1904 adopted at plank advocating the reduction of representation in Congress of those states that disenfranchised their colored voters. Nothing ever came from it, however. Following the last Republican Party National Convention Leaders argued that as the Democrats of the South disenfranchised colored voters in elections, the Republicans should curtail Southern representation in National Conventions. The National Committee as its meeting is here a year ago, presented a plan to reduced the representation by about 80 votes. In the meantime, however, the United States Supreme Court, in a decision handed down by
Emmy award winning journalist, filmmaker and news anchor Tony Harris, writer, analyst and contributor Lauren Victoria Burke and MSU professor and political analyst Dr. Jason Johnson. David Wilson opened the symposium by saying, “I have to say to the Murphy family and to that great institution, thank you for giving me and others like me a perspective on the Black condition during the time in which I was searching for meaning and purpose and for validity.” Oliver was interviewed on camera before the symposium about newspaper’s coverage of five historical periods and the impact and influence each period had on Black America. The panelists would then react to Oliver’s comments. Oliver addressed the audience after the panel and said, “My objective in that film was to give the world of listeners and viewers a sense of what the AFRO’s ostensible role has been historically. I, early on, have been mostly attracted by the early days because that’s when the pattern was set. Back in 1905 or 1906, the environment
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its Southern Democratic head, killed “grandfather clauses” in Southern Election Laws. Instead of planning at its recent meeting here to advise ways and means to get a much larger Republican registration in the South, it ignored the Supreme Court’s abrogation of Negro disenfranchisement and voted to ratify its determination to disenfranchise a large number of colored delegates who have attended Republican National Conventions. In other words it practically endorse souther disenfranchisement. Meanwhile, Mr. Colored Voter is all dressed up with no place to go it seems. Transcribed by Terrance Smith
with the respect to the Black race was intolerable compared to what it is today and today it’s not good. But the fact of the matter is I wanted to give a sense of where we were then and how we have evolved to this point.” He continued, “In every part of the decades you saw covered, there was an underlying theme that the AFRO really focused on. At every inauguration there was always an enormous amount of hope that ‘wow we have suffered for the last four years’ because it wasn’t perfect by this last President but regardless of what we’ve been through we have always had hope that it was going to get better even though we were often disappointed we never gave up that hope. Every time there was an election there was also a sense of relief.” The symposium is one of many events to mark the celebration of 125 years at the AFRO and 150 years for Morgan. The milestone celebrations will continue Nov. 12 with a concert by Anthony Brown and Group TherAPy at the Carl Murphy Auditorium on the campus of MSU. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
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November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
B1
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY-AREA Trump Win Leaves Mixed Emotions in D.C.
Justice for Terrence Sterling
By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com
Prince George’s County
Brown Snags Maryland’s 4th Congressional Seat
Even though District of Columbia leaders and some residents expressed a cautious attitude towards Donald Trump’s victory, others unapologetically proclaimed their discontent for the next president of the United States. Trump (R) was elected on Nov. 8 even though he did not get as many votes as former
Courtesy photo
Anthony Brown was elected as the Congressional Representative for the 4th District of Maryland.
Almost 2 months after Terrence Sterling was shot and killed by D.C. police, Black Lives Matter DC organized a protest that attracted tons of dozens of people, varying in age and ethnicity, on Nov. 7. Photos by Rob Roberts Courtesy Photo
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she is willing to give President-Elect Trump the benefit of the doubt. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D). Nevertheless, District leaders and residents are prepared to move forward and deal with the reality of a Trump administration. “I have a wait and see attitude,� former D.C. Council member Sandy Allen, who represented Ward 8 from 1996-2005, told the AFRO. “People from all over the country spoke [on Election Day]. We have to really live and with and work with their choice.� While Trump managed to get more than 270 electoral votes, he did it without the help of the District. Clinton carried the District with 93 percent of the vote, winning all of the city’s eight wards and all of its precincts. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) worked hard to see Clinton get elected but said she is willing to work with the Trump Continued on B3
Prince George’s County
Delegation of 42 Execs Heads to Cuba By Lenore T. Adkins Special to the AFRO More than 40 Prince George’s County businesses and organizations are headed to Cuba next week on an inaugural trip with County Executive Rushern Baker III. Their goal is to cultivate business and cultural connections on the Communist island. The 42 individuals represent the healthcare, education, construction, information technology, arts and humanities, non-profits, Courtesy photo and engineering sectors. It Prince George’s County marks the largest delegation Executive Rushern Baker to ever go on one of Baker’s is leading a delegation mission trips. to Cuba to learn about “I thought we would get the country and establish maybe about 20 business relationships. delegates,� said Jim Coleman, president and CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation. “We had to cut it off because people were saying ‘I still want to
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%( ' %* (! in. The Washington Post reports a jury )* .% *& *%.! recently awarded damages to 30-year-old Darren Jones following a trial in a Greenbelt, Md. federal court. Jones says police used excessive force by shooting him at least three times in April 2014 after responding to a woman’s report that her boyfriend, Carlos Barksdale, was kicking in her garage door. Jones was *)""+ %'' * inside the car when police said Barksdale drove toward them and /%(#+ %''+ struck Officer Gary Allen, prompting Allen to shoot. Jones and Barksdale say the car never ! -( '. touched Allen and was moving away when /%(#+ %'' the officer opened fire. An internal investigation concluded the officers were justified in the shooting.
go.’â€? The main point of the five-day trip is to understand Cuba’s needs, find out how the county can help, and build relationships to pave the way for future business opportunities between the county and Cuba. The delegates are scheduled to meet with Marta Hernandez Romero, mayor of Havana, and officials from the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry of Commerce and Foreign Investment, the University of Havana, and the Polyclinic of Vedado, among others. The delegation will target the following industries: information technology, hospitality, engineering, construction, medical/life sciences, and agriculture. While there, the group will also meet leaders from Cuba’s education and art scene for future exchanges and collaborations. Coleman reiterated that this trip is all about building relationships and exploring opportunities, not cutting deals. The hope is that Cuba remembers the county for future business dealings if Congress lifts the decades-old embargo against the island. “It’s a courting process and we want this courting process to lead to matrimony,â€? said Coleman. Baker, along with five members of his team, will lead the delegation – private contributions financed their trip, as well as Coleman’s. Everyone else paid the $5,850 it costs for the trip. The price tag includes round-trip airfare from Ronald Reagan National Airport to JosĂŠ Marti International Airport in Havana (by way of Miami), accommodations for five nights at Continued on B2
By Hamil R. Harris Special to the AFRO When former Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown was growing up, his father pushed him to work hard, do well and to get up any time he fell down or wasn’t successful. And on Nov. 8, that conditioning proved useful as Brown (D) was elected to be Maryland’s 4th Congressional District representative, taking over the seat previously held by Donna Edwards. “Sometimes in life you’re going to get knocked down and if you believe in what you are doing, you pick yourself up, you brush yourself off and you stay in the fight,� Brown told the AFRO. “After I lost the race for Governor, when this opportunity to run for Congress presented itself I know what I wanted to do.� In 2014 Brown lost the Maryland Gubernatorial race to Republican Larry Hogan. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to serve the people of Maryland and America in Congress,� he said. Brown defeated with 74 percentage points of the vote, Continued on B2
Prince George’s County
Sen. Currie’s Departure Produces Scramble for Seat By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com It would appear that the race is on to replace outgoing Maryland State Sen. Ulysses Currie. Currie announced on Nov. 4 that he is leaving the Maryland General Assembly, as a senator, effective immediately. Courtesy photo “I cannot express to you what a privilege and an honor it has been Ulysses Currie is stepping to serve my constituents of Prince George’s County and the great state down from the Maryland of Maryland with integrity for so many years,� Currie said in a letter to Senate. Maryland Senate President Thomas “Mike� Miller that was picked up by the Washington Post. “It is my deep love for my constituents and the Maryland Senate, combined with the recognition that I can no longer serve with the strength and energy you all deserve, that I have decided the time has come to turn the mantle over to a successor.� Currie has represented the District Heights-based District 25 as a Democrat since 1986, first as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and in 1995, a senator. Currie, who leaving as the chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee, made his mark in Annapolis as a legislator who fought against payday loans and supported Black colleges and universities, and minority businesses. The Prince George’s County Data as of Nov. 9 Continued on B3
Homicide Count 2016 Total
83
Past Seven Days
2
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Week 11
Prince George’s County High School Football Wrap-Up By Jordan Hawkins Special to the AFRO Welcome to the AFRO’s weekly sports wrap-up.
Jabari Laws, of Wise High School is the Player of the Week.
The Matchup Wrap-up: The Flowers Jaguars left their game with a win over the Laurel Spartans on Nov. 5. The Jaguars shut down the Spartans 16-0 in a Prince George’s County 4A matchup. The matchup was the final regular season game for both teams. With it, the Jaguars end the regular season at 6-4, while the Spartans end at 1-9. Flowers will get a chance to move on to the playoffs as they look to take on the Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders in one of the first 4A playoff matchups of the 2016 football season.
Player(s) of the Week: The player of the week for Prince George’s County is Jabari Laws of Wise High School. Laws is a senior quarterback and cornerback for the Wise Pumas and is the top quarterback in the Prince George’s County 4A region. This is made true by having the most points of all QB’s in the region as well as leading the Pumas through an undefeated regular season into the playoffs. The Pumas will face the DuVal Tigers in on Nov. 11. The Games to Come: DuVal, Wise, Flowers and Eleanor Roosevelt are the only four teams from their region to advance to the playoffs. The DuVal v. Wise game will occur on Nov. 11 and the Flowers v. Eleanor Roosevelt game will happen on Nov. 12.
Courtesy Photo
Dowtin Leads Prince George’s County Realtors
By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com
The new president of a group of Black realtors is working hard to change the out-dated notion that Prince George’s County, Md. is a suburban wasteland. On Oct. 1, Patricia Dowtin assumed the presidency of the Prince George’s County Association of Realtors, an organization of 3,000 realtors whose focus is to promote real estate interests as well as home and commercial ownership in the county. Dowtin’s term is for one year but she has bold plans. “We are going to focus on our strategic plan that deals with community involvement,” Dowtin told the AFRO. “We want people in Prince George’s County to know that we are part of the community and we are working hard to message what we are doing.” Dowtin said that her association sponsors college scholarships, fundraises on behalf of charitable causes, sponsors a fair-housing program for school-aged children, participates in the county’s annual Housing Fair, educates residents in the value of homeownership and recently participated in a blood drive. Dowtin is no stranger to working in the community for she is a member of the Prince George’s Hospital Center Foundation Board of Directors and is active with the Prince George’s County Delta Sigma Theta alumnae chapter, chairing its Financial Fortitude Committee. As Dowtin settles into her responsibilities, she is facing good news regarding the county’s housing market. Data compiled by her association shows that in the third quarter of this year, the residential market increased 7.7 percent in home sales. The data also showed that average and median prices echoed this trend with a rise of 7 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively, as compared to the same time period in 2015. Pending sales remained modest with a 2 percent increase.
“The ongoing improvement in the residential sales market in Prince George’s County is good news,” Dowtin said. “Not only do we have the increase in sales but a healthy rise in both average and median prices. We are watching actively inventory closely hoping that we see more homes on the market to meet the consumer needs.” Dowtin, who holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in business administration from Governors State University in Illinois, said she decided to go full-time into real estate because of what happened on her government job. Courtesy Photo “I was employed as an Equal Employment Opportunity Pat Dowtin is a 33-year realtor specialist with the U.S. Government Accountability Office and with Long and Foster. I was downsized,” she said. “We went from 100 specialists to 50. From that point on, I decided that I would never be in a position to be downsized.” Dowtin said she liked looking at houses and decided to turn her passion into her profession. She became a realtor for Long and Foster Real Estate in 1983 and has since become a certified real estate specialist and a member of the Maryland Association of Realtors. “I love helping people with the largest investment they will make in their lifetime,” she said, referring to purchasing a home. “I love helping them move that dream from paper to reality.”
Cuba
Continued from B1 the historic Hotel Nacional, meals, security, transportation, entertainment and more. The trip comes almost two years after President Barack Obama announced détente with Cuba at the end of 2014, following more than 50 years of hostility between the former Cold War enemies. Obama’s subsequent Cuba policy eased the decades-old embargo in the areas of travel, trade, telecommunications, financial services, and remittances. Following Obama’s historic announcement, business and government-led delegations from across the United States and the world, flooded Cuba, seeking deals of their own with the communist country. The overall embargo continues to block most U.S. trade with the island and vice versa. It can only be lifted with Congressional action, and Congress has indicated it will not act on any of the Cubarelated bills during the lame-duck session. The Cuba mission trip is part of Baker’s long-term plan for international business
development that he released this year. Future trade missions will involve a return trip to China, and trips to Canada, Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, and South Korea. The Cuba trip will likely be the first of several to the island. “I want to make sure that Prince George’s County is in the forefront of the new opportunities
“I want to make sure that Prince George’s County is in the forefront of the new opportunities in Cuba for business and cultural exchanges.” – Rushern Baker in Cuba for business and cultural exchanges,” Baker said in a statement. “We want to ensure that as Cuba begins to look at the United States and the Washington, D.C. region, it understands Prince George’s County’s proximity to the nation’s Capital and all that the County has to offer.”
Brown
Continued from B1 Republican George McDermott (22 percent), in that conflict. Green Party Kamesha Clark (2 percent) and “It has been a real privilege to serve Libertarian Party Benjamin Krause (2 percent). our nation,” Brown said. “I am the first Prince George’s County Executive Rushern generation American. My father came to this Baker III told Brown, before he walked into country from Jamaica. He was raised by his St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Largo, Md. grandmother in a very poor community.” -- the site of his victory Rep. Chris Van speech -- “We are Hollen (D) won in the excited because we Senate race with the are going to get a new help of Prince George’s Congressman in the County. county, someone we On the Prince know and love who George’s County Board is going to go a long – Anthony Brown of Education, David way.” Murray was elected In 1998, Brown to represent District 1 was first elected to the Maryland House of and Edward Burroughs III, a critic of Baker, Delegates to represent Prince George’s County. won his District 8 race, too. Other board of He served as vice chair of the House Judiciary education winners were in District 4, Patricia Committee and, later, as Majority Whip. Eubanks; District 5, Raaheela Ahmed; and Brown also served in the military, retiring as a District 7, K. Alexander Wallace. Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. The controversial proposal to add two seats In 2004, during his service, Brown was to the Prince George’s County Council passed deployed to Iraq, where he earned a Bronze overwhelmingly, as well. Star and became one of the nation’s highestranking elected officials to serve a tour of duty James Wright contributed to this article.
“Sometimes in life you’re going to get knocked down…”
November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
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Trump Win Continued from B1
administration. “I want to congratulate President-Elect Trump,” Bowser said on Nov. 9 at a news conference. “Many of our residents are anxious about his term in office and we will be studying his policies and programs.” The District of Columbia government participates in the inauguration of the president and Bowser said that Trump’s festivities will be no different. “I do intend to participate in the parade and we will be working with his presidential inauguration committee,” she said. “I also want the new president to know what we do in D.C.” D.C. Statehood Representative Franklin Garcia (D) said that he will work with the Trump administration, despite the sometimes hurtful tone of the billionaire during the campaign. “We are extending an olive branch to him,” Garcia told the AFRO. “We want to look at ways that we can reach common ground and try to negate the negative messages about immigrants and Latinos that he expressed during the campaign. We are cautiously optimistic that we can work with him.” Others, even though they will make the best of the situation, are still questioning how the Black community will fair. “Now, we must pick ourselves up, get
back in the race on our terms, and rely on God Almighty for where we go from here,” E. Faye Williams, president of the National Coalition of Black Women said in a statement. “As Black people, we have been down before and we have worked together to find meaning for all that happens to us. Life has gone on because we are survivors.” Clinton’s loss to Trump also highlights an undertone of bias not only towards Blacks and other minorities but also towards women. “Now we face a period of uncertainty with a President-Elect who won his election that appears to have expanded the racial and gender divide in historic fashion,” said Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. “This election has revealed the unfinished business of race in America and also showed that some women, especially White women, were not ready to elect the first woman president of the United States.” Eugene Puryear, a leader with the ANSWER Coalition, wants to make it clear to Trump that not everyone will be happy to see him take the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2017. “Progressive people from all over the country will be descending on Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2017, to stage a massive
Seat
Continued from B1 Democratic Central Committee is charged by law to select Currie’s successor. After the selection, the name will be submitted to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who will, by tradition, appoint the committee’s choice to the Senate. Currie’s seat is up for election in 2018.
“I am going to seek the seat.”
[Nov.3] and indicated that she would be interested in filling her husband’s position. Of course, the members of the committee will listen to other aspirants. Frankly, I think this is a slap in the face to Melony.” Queen-Howard said she isn’t interested in the position because she wants to run for the Prince George’s County Council’s District 7 position in 2018. Former Del. Aisha Braveboy, who
ran for Maryland Attorney General in 2014 and served in the General Assembly’s lower chamber from 20072015, told the AFRO she’s not interested in Currie’s seat. “I have never been interested in being a senator,” Braveboy said. “There are other candidates who can step up to the plate and serve our district.” Braveboy recently told the AFRO that she will run for State’s Attorney in 2018.
demonstration along Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day,” he said. Ward 8 resident Joshua Payne said he worries that Trump will face violent retaliation before or slightly after Inauguration Day. “I think he will be assassinated before he
WASHINGTON AREA
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Washington, D.C. 100 Black Men of America and U.S. Army ‘College Tour’ Howard University, 2400 6th Street, NW In partnership with the 100 Black Men of America, the U.S. Army has expanded its efforts at a local level compared to previous years. In coordination with the local chapter of 100 Black Men, the U.S. Army will host students from the National Collegiate Preparatory Public Charter for a half-day college orientation event at Howard University, 2400 6th Street, NW, taking place on Nov. 10. The event will provide students and their parents with a window into the workings of college life. Attendees will hear from representatives of the 100 Black Men, from Howard University student ambassadors and administrators, as well as, Army representatives who
– Del. Darryl Barnes 2016 D.C. Lottery
There are a number of names floating around to succeed him, such as former Delegate Melony Griffith; Delegates Darryl Barnes and Angela Angel; Currie’s wife, the Rev. Shirley GravelyCurrie; and a darkhorse candidate, Prince George’s County Council member Karen Toles (D-District 7). “I am going to seek the seat,” Barnes said. “The timing is right for and I have been preparing for this opportunity.” He has served as a delegate since 2015 and is a tech entrepreneur. Barnes is best known as the force behind Men Aiming Higher, a nonprofit designed to help Black boys and young men. Griffith gave up her delegate seat to challenge Currie in 2014 but lost to him in the Democratic Party primary, 59 to 38 percent. Griffith reportedly is interested in serving in the General Assembly’s upper chamber and she has the support of a key former constituent. “Melony is still interested in the seat,” Belinda Queen-Howard, a District 25 member of the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee, told the AFRO. “I am glad that Currie retired. He should have been retired because he has done nothing in the last two years.” But, Queen-Howard said that some power brokers in Prince George’s County have already decided who they want to replace Currie. “I have heard that Currie himself and even Mike Miller would like Rev. Currie to replace him,” she said. “She met with members of the central committee on Thursday
takes the Oath of Office or within the first 100 days of being in office. I don’t wish him dead, but I do wish him out of office, even before he gets in,” he told the AFRO. D.C. Editor LaTrina Antoine and Shantella Sherman contributed to this article.
will discuss the resources available to help prepare for, apply and pay for college. For more information, contact Jameel Barfield at 212-736-0404 or by email at jbarfield@mediagravity.com or Monique Tapie at 917-7574866 or by email at mtapie@ triomphantcommunications. com. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Veteran’s Day Service 215 Rhode Island Ave., NW The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church will be holding their first Veteran’s Day service as a way to show appreciation for not only veterans within the church,
but also those within the community. The service will take place on Nov. 11, starting at 11 a.m. Mount Pleasant is located at 215 Rhode Island Ave., NW. The theme of the service is “Reaching the World with the Gospel,” and will feature Fleet Master Chief April D. Beldo. Fleet Master Chief Beldo is the first Black woman to be a command master chief of an aircraft carrier. She is also the first female command master chief of recruit training command and the first female and Black force master chief for the Naval Education and Training Command. Service is open and free to all. A reception will be held after.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Photos by Fred Peterbark
Banquet Keynote Speaker: Rev. Dr. Bernard L. Richardson
Veronica Riley, soloist
Bishop W. Darin Moore , Mid Atlantic Episcopal District, Philadelphia/ Baltimore Conference
The Lomax A.M.E. Zion Church in Arlington, Va. celebrated its 150th Anniversary from Oct.7-9. The church was established by freed slaves that had been relocated from Freedman’s Village -- the current Church Quilt Handcrafted by site of the Pentagon and Arlington Shirley Green with Cemetery. The banquet speaker Rev. Samuel W. was Rev. Dr. Bernard Richardson, Whittaker dean of Rankin Chapel at Howard University. Rev. Dr. W. Darrin Moore, newly appointed Bishop of the Mid-Atlantic District of the A.M.E. Zion Church, also spoke at the Oct. 9 service. Arthur Walls, Andrea Peterbark Through the years Lomax has been a leader in the Civil and Patricia Miller Rights Movement and had an instrumental role in the integration of schools, stores, and facilities of Arlington.
Rev. Whittaker, Brenda Cox and Dr. Mark E. Benbow, curator, Arlington County Historical Society Museum
Lomax AME Zion First Family: Rev. Samuel and Yvette Whittaker
The 150th Anniversary Co-Chairs: Stanley Kendall, Ruthy Brown with Rev. Whittaker, Anne Williams and Marcellous Cooper The original Lomax AME Zion Church pulpit Bible printed in 1856
Lomax AME Zion Church Family honorees Daisy Robinson, Lillian Tadesse, Andrea Peterbark, Gloria Camp and Helen Craddock
Photos by Rob Roberts
Jackie Person, accepting on behalf of the outstanding work done by the Nannie J. Lee center
Helena Dodson, Area ll national director; Jacqueline Wilches, national director of operations; Jacqueline Roundtree, president, Alexandria Chapter; Joyce Henderson, TLOD organizer; Marjorie Williams, first vice president and Lucretia McKenny, second vice president
Lucretia McClenney; Marjorie Williams; Rhonda Luss, president, Zeta Chi Omega chapter, AKA Sorority, recipient of the Project Stepout Award and Regina Crawley
Prince George’s County Top Teens of America: Joshua White, Katina Wright, Dawna Dilworth, Leslie Ridley and Chadys Caruth
Helena Dodson, Michelle Jones and Annette Debisettee
Patricia Edwards, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Velma Richardson and Blanche Maness
Andrey Davis and Lillian Patterson, recipients of the Alexandria Black History Museum Award Alexandria Chapter Members of TLOD
Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chatman presents proclamation to TLOD Northern Virginia chapter
TC Williams Junior ROTC Color Guard with Sgt. 1st Class (Ret.) Felisa Holden
O
n Oct. 13, the Alexandria City chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction (TLOD), hosted “A Salute to Community Service and Partnership” in honor of the chapter’s 10-year anniversary. The chapter recognized local community partners for
Kendra Gillespie, chair, planning committee
Chapter President Jacqueline Roundtree and TLOD members
their outstanding service and support. Honorees included: the Alexandria Black History Museum, Alexandria Police Department, Annie B. Rose House, Alexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority, Carpenter’s Shelter, former Mayor Bill Euille, Joyce
Henderson, International Training Associates, Nannie J. Lee Center and Project Stepout (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Zeta Chi Omega Chapter). The Alexandria City chapter was chartered with 18 women on Sept. 23, 2006.
To purchase this digital photo page contact Takiea Hinton: thinton@afro.com or 410.554.8277.
November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
ARTS & CULTURE
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Baltimore Native Opens Comic Shop in City of Sisterly Love “That just kind of intrigued me and changed the way I thought about comics. I saw myself represent it.” Johnson, 33, has created a scene where comic It’s likely to come across a comic book fanatic book artists, fans or illustrators can do practically of color, but to hear that not only a woman, but a anything that surrounds the art of comics over a cup Black woman, is running things as an owner of a of coffee and a pastry. You can read, buy books, comic book store shows that anything is possible. play games, attend book signings, game-night and Founder and CEO, Ariell Johnson, a Baltimorean movie screenings. who currently resides in Philadelphia, Pa. has opened Johnson carries books from mainstream up her own “inclusive” space for comics, coffee and publishers like Marvel, DC and Dark Horse much more. Comics, but the inclusiveness of her shop revolves Originally from Baltimore City, Johnson grew up around owning books from authors internationally, in between living spaces because of school. She lived people of color and various backgrounds. in Glen Burnie, Md., with her grandmother in order “We are trying to have a book selection that to attend Glen Burnie High School and would go back relates to the actual population: Black artists, home to visit her mother in Baltimore. Black female artists, LGBTQ, Muslim artists, Johnson fell in love with Philly because of Latino artists, you know all of that because her older sister, Lisa Williams, who attended the I think that it’s important for a medium to University of Pennsylvania. “It was my first taste of represent the audience that reads it,” she said. Philly so I was just enamored with it,” she told the “Just learning about different places, different AFRO. cultures and appreciating the art that is coming After graduating from Temple University in 2005, out of those places, when speaking of a friend she came back home briefly but found herself right who picked up some comic books from back in Philly in 2007 to pursue a career in the comic Barbados recently for her shop. There are book world. talented writers and artists everywhere, so we Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse opened its doors in are working to just kind of make that stuff (Courtesy photo) Dec. 2015. available. Superman and Batman, they’re cool, mic book cover. co an M n Iro an Johnson said that her inspiration to open the shop but there’s more stuff out there that we can picted on hnson, right, as de came from a coffee shop she went to called Crimson Moon Ariell Jo enjoy.” (the shop closed in 2005), owned by a Black woman Recently, Johnson had gained a lot of mainstream same energy back, plus more. “Her closing had kind of named Koko. She described the energy and interior attention because of her exclusive store variant cover with amplified the need for that,” said Johnson. decorating as Neo soul and earthy. “She had cultivated this Marvel’s newest Iron Man character Riri Williams for It was only right to combine comics with her idea to space that was phenomenal,” said Johnson. “Invincible Iron Man #1.” The image was illustrated by open a shop with good vibes because she felt “immersed Johnson had a sacred place to read her comics and drink Elizabeth Torque and features Johnson and the 15-year-old in the culture” after being introduced to Marvel’s character coffee, but after 10 years of Crimson Moon being open, a genius mingling over coffee at her shop. “I just thought it Storm at a young age. “When I was 10 or 11 it was the first place that she said Philly needed and still needs, she knew it would be our fun little cover,” she said. “I did not expect it time that I’d ever seen a Black woman superhero,” she said. to be as well received as it has been.” was time to have her own community hangout to bring that By Charise Wallace Special to the AFRO
Black Cable Dramas Show America’s Diversity
Author Unveils Journals and Diaries to Tell Blacks Stories
By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com
By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com
For decades, Black professionals and families have existed in primetime dramas as sidekicks, comic relief or stereotypical, watered-down versions of White characters. But, Blacks have suddenly become avant-garde in cable and standard networks – a turn that has television executives and viewers (Courtesy Photo) glued to the edges of the The sitcom “Underground” (pictured) is one of several seats. Rafia Khan counted the new Black dramas that are airing on popular networks number of television series throughout the country. from the 1980s to 2015 that starred or centrally featured Blacks as anything other than con artists, criminals, or the victims of crime. As a Harvard-trained social scientist, Khan writes extensively of the connections between television images and identity formation within America and the ways in which it impacts Blacks. Khan told the AFRO that even Blacks do not know what to make of their identity sometimes unless and until it is cosigned by Hollywood. “The idea that art imitates life, also works in the reverse and we see this often in popular culture. Sometimes it is subtle – clothing or hairstyles, and other times, it is seeing the representation of a Black person on television portraying a lawyer or physician – that makes us aspire to better things,” Khan told the AFRO. “Until now, once the image of the Black professional or family was so marginal that audiences wondered, where they live, what they eat, what their story was outside of the law office or hospital. Finally, with shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Soul Food,” and more recently “Empire,” “Queen Sugar” and “Underground,” those questions are answered.” Reginald Vassey, a Washington, D.C. film student currently studying at New York University, said many viewers do not separate what they see on television as fiction and often look for themselves, making the process of scripting Black drama, a kind of “how-to” guide. “In the 1990s when all the B-boy dramas filled theaters, the flip side were sitcoms like “Martin,” “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World” that allowed you to laugh while bullets were flying in drive-bys in Anacostia (an area in Southeast D.C.). What many took away from that was the shootings, drinking, crime, and mothers wailing over dead children was reality and that day-to-day stories on sitcoms were the make-believe situations,” Vassey told the AFRO. “These new dramas are making it plain that while I was on the floor ducking bullets, someone else’s reality looked like Cosby, or “Roc,” families in “The Wire” and “Soul Food.” For Vassey, President Obama’s administration also had a major impact on how Blackness was not only viewed, but also how it was forever separated from the media chasm of inferiority, crudeness, and ugliness. “I’ve been in rooms where casting calls asked for a very typical brand of Black male or female. Even if the person was a professional, it was hard to name the ‘look.’ I now hear folks saying or writing ‘an Obama-type,’” Vassey told the AFRO. “This man has exuded charisma, familial devotion, an adoration for seniors and babies, and a suave demeanor… that translates into a John Luther (“Luther”), a Luke Cage, a Noah (“Underground”) or even a Lucious Lyon. That is powerful and it is what Black viewers want to see of themselves when they watch television dramas.” For female leads, Vassey said the powerful, stereotypically aggressive boss, has begun to give way to vulnerable, believable characters, as well, including “How to Get Away with Murder” star Viola Davis (Annalise Keating) and “Underground’s” Earnestine.
historical fiction fan told the AFRO. “It is one of the reasons why I like Perkins-Valdez, because she gets it. She understands that Black women were as multi-faceted then as Dolen Perkins-Valdez has spent the now.” better portion of her adult life in libraries Perkins-Valdez was born in Tennessee and archives. She has become one of the and reared with an abiding love of Southern most celebrated Black historical fiction culture and told the AFRO it was important writers, offering Americans a means of to give voice to the many women and men acknowledging and embracing stories from whose stories were never told by digging the reaches of their ancestors’ journals and through archives and finding them. diaries. “A great deal of American history simply In her debut didn’t make sense to me work, “Wench,” until I began researching Perkins-Valdez African-American examines the history. It was then lives of four that the pieces began to enslaved womenfit together like puzzle --Lizzie, Reenie, pieces. The two do not Sweet and Mawu, function as separate, by focusing on segregated stories,” their roles as Perkins-Valdez told their owners’ the AFRO. “We often mistresses. enter history as readers Instead of placing or students where our the narrative interests lie, but there along the fields is a general curiosity or stretches that, I believe, Africanof a Southern Americans should have plantation, about their place in “Wench” begins America from 1619 with the women forward.” meeting while Perkins-Valdez said on vacation with she was fascinated by their masters the idea of taking Black are at the same experiences out of summer resort in traditional spaces such (Photo by Shantella Y. Sherman) as the South and putting Ohio. Another Dolen Perkins-Valdez brings the lives of work, “Balm,” them in places that were, Black women to light in her debut novel, documents love, in some ways, peripheral. “Wench.” passion, and As for bringing the past reconciliation back to life, Perkinsduring Reconstruction, follows three Valdez said what makes America triumphant characters, Madge, Hemp and Sadie from the as a nation is the resolve and resilience to South into Chicago, which was released in look back, acknowledge, celebrate, and in March. some cases, rebuild. Perkins-Valdez recently wrote and “Rebuilding is a testament to who we published the Intro to the Elizabeth Keckley are as a country, because we’re still doing memoir,” Behind the Scenes.” it, but we’re still sort of surviving. We’re a For readers, Perkins-Valdez’s work opens triumphant nation, and that’s what I focus on. new terrain by introducing characters with I think about the South rising again, I think depth and agency, and who literally work of the North rising again, I think of freed against the grain of historical understanding. men and women. We reinvent. We survive,” “Blacks, especially Black women, are Perkins-Valdez said. generally missing from the great American Perkins-Valdez reached the New York history book. When she is spoken of at Times bestselling list with “Wench,” which all, it is by or through someone else – she was also chosen as one of “O” -- The Oprah never gets to tell her version of events,” Magazine’s Top Ten Picks of the Month in Barbara Stallings-West, a retired librarian and 2010.
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Hip-Hop Hasn’t Changed, the Times Have By Maliik Obee Special to the AFRO
(Courtesy photo)
Notorious B.I.G. (left) and Puff Daddy were rapping about many of the same trials and tribulations of today’s rappers.
The disconnect between the young and old is a common occurrence in life, due to the young not understanding the past and the old not remembering they were once young. A case where this is overly evident is hip-hop, where the divide between the current and past generations is saddening. Despite what many around in the golden era’s of the ‘80’s and 90’s seem to think, many of the problems they complain about today were just as prevalent then. Misogyny, braggadocio, violence and negativity are all of the qualms you here about rappers of today. Legends like producer Pete Rock, who had a spat with Memphis rapper Young Dolph for his “glorification� of cocaine seem to have short-term memory. There was once a rapper named The Notorious B.I.G. who spat rhymes about his street life, commuting from New York to North Carolina to sell that very drug. “F*** it, buy the coke, cut it, know the b**** before you caught yourself lovin’ it� Biggie once spit. Sure, the argument in the 90’s was that rappers were spitting about their realities of selling drugs to survive and maintain. But to our surprise, the troubles those rappers faced, youth in the inner city still face today. Then there’s the argument about lyrics degrading women, as if rappers of the past showed empathy for their ladies. There is no difference between the misogyny-filled lyrics of today’s radio hits, and Dr.Dre’s 1992 hit “B****** Ain’t S***� off of his multi-platinum album The Chronic. By no way are the vile lyrics being excused, but there is often Alzheimer’s in the hip-hop community in regards to the same types of music that once made critics groove on the dance floor. The 1980’s were a more simplistic time, before the politically laced rhymes of Public Enemy and street tales of N.W.A. But this area also has carefree feel-good artists, like Mississippi duo Rae Sremmurd. And another cry out is the lack of positivity, citing rappers of the past like Tupac Shakur, Nas and KRS-One who sought for better. But there are artist of today like J Cole and Kendrick Lamar who exemplify those same traits, often citing said artists as influences. The same way that new generation athletes like Lebron James finds a way to connect with Magic Johnson or Bill Russell, hip-hop legends need to find a way to relate and understand the youth. Hip-Hop is one of the quickest changing realms that exist, and the old must change with the new to keep it alive and well.
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November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
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SPORTS College Basketball
UMD Star Dixon Starts Coaching Career with UDC Lady Firebirds By Mark F. Gray Special to the AFRO Former University of Maryland and NBA guard Juan Dixon knows about overcoming challenges to become a champion and live out his dreams as a pro basketball player. As he embarks on the new phase of this basketball life, as the new coach of the women’s basketball at the University of the District of Columbia, Dixon plans to impart the lessons learned during his star playing days at the University of Maryland and in the NBA. “I knew when I was at the University of Maryland I knew I wanted to be a coach,” said Dixon. “Every day I try to instill certain values in my players that are bigger than just basketball. My philosophy is to not only prepare them for the game of basketball but for the game of life. There are things that we do everyday that translate into real life.” Dixon led the Terps to their first, and so far only, national championship in 2002. Dixon, who was hired on October 17 to coach the Lady Firebirds, hit the ground running on the Van Ness campus in northwest D.C. by installing the flex offense and pressure defense that were staples of his two NCAA Final Fours and the 2002 team that won the national championship at Maryland. In College Park, Dixon was the hard-nosed extension of former coach Gary Williams on the floor. Those basketball principles learned under Williams will live through the Lady Firebirds as they step on the floor this year and look to improve on last year’s 21-9 record. “Coach Williams paid attention to detail, worked hard, and the passion he coached with made you want to run through a brick wall for him,” said Dixon. “Coach is one of many who I look at as a mentor and I’m just trying to live out my purpose by teaching the game of basketball to these young ladies at UDC.” One of the challenges Dixon faced when he was trying to make the transition was getting an opportunity to coach. Initially they were less than plentiful for the 11 year NBA veteran and national champion. His break came when he began working for three years as a special assistant under Mark Turgeon at Maryland. However, NCAA rules didn’t allow him participate in player development or strategy adjustments during games. Nonetheless, the responsibilities of scouting, film breakdown, academic support and administrative duties made Dixon an attractive candidate to try and continue the Lady Firebirds recent success. “There is no question Juan Dixon will take our women’s basketball program to the next level,” UDC Athletics Director Patricia Thomas said in a statement. “His tremendous success as a student-athlete, as well as professionally, combined with his respect for the development of
(Courtesy photo)
Former Terp and NBA player Juan Dixon is the new women’s basketball coach at the University of the District of Columbia. students support our goals.” Dixon’s rebound from a hard knock life fits well into his new job as a women’s Division II basketball coach in the heart of the nation’s capital. He is coaching many urban players from challenging backgrounds like his but still youthful enough to relate to their struggles. Juan’s parents - Juanita and Phil Dixon - were heroin addicts and spent time in jail before dying months apart while he was a sophomore in high school at Calvert Hall. His older brother Phil – a Baltimore City Police officer – then raised he and his three siblings. “I’ve played college basketball in this century,” said Dixon. “I’m hip and aware of what goes on in their everyday lives. I just try to lead them in a manner of me understanding what they are going through.” Dixon has seen all his basketball dreams in life come true. He sees coaching as a divine mission to his players to help them reach theirs by leaving a mark on UDC.
AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff
Is It Time for the Wizards to Panic? By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Desk A 1-4 start wasn’t exactly what Scott Brooks signed up for over the summer when he became the Washington Wizards’ newest coach. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where Brooks and the Wizards find themselves after the first week of the NBA’s 2016-2017 season. Washington finished 41-41 (AP Photo/Brandon Dill) last year despite qualifying Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13), guard for the playoffs in the prior John Wall (2), forward Markieff Morris (5), forward Otto two seasons. The Wizards Porter Jr. (22), and guard Bradley Beal (3), stand on the brass sought out changes court during a break in play in the second half of an NBA over the summer designed to basketball game on Oct. 30 in Memphis, Tenn. lift Washington back into the postseason. With several teams in the Eastern Conference already off to a good start, is it time for the Washington Wizards to panic? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate this important question. Riley: Although Washington center Marcin Gortat called the team’s third game of the season a “must-win,” it’s not nearly that pressing for the team at the moment. The Wizards’ biggest summer free agent, Ian Mahinmi, hasn’t even touched the floor yet after offseason knee surgery, and coach Brooks is still tinkering with lineups. A new coach, a new system and new players often result in slow starts, but Washington still has time to make it up. We’re barely out of the first week of the season and we’re already suggesting the season is over. Green: Yes, the season is long and Washington has plenty of time to make up some ground. But, just looking at the team’s obvious flaws, it’s time to panic. Bradley Beal and his enormous contract was a mistake at the time when Washington typed it up and that’s showing every night when the Wizards hit the court. Beal’s being paid like a megastar yet he continues to play like an inconsistent guard with lackadaisical defense and a so-so jump shot. He’s not the deadeye marksman he’s been hyped up to be. I remember folks like you, Riley, telling me that this kid was going to be the next Ray Allen. Well, that certainly hasn’t turned out to be the case. And as much as I like John Wall, he hasn’t been the franchise savior he was drafted to be. The Wizards’ role players are solid but their big time performers aren’t performing big time. Where’s the panic button?
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Riley: Washington’s two best players might ring up some concerns but keep in mind both Wall, 27, and Beal, 22, are still fairly young. Beal’s contract will continue to be a sore spot but, regardless of his salary, he’s vital to Washington’s success. Beal routinely gets criticized for his regular season play but he normally morphs into Washington’s best player come postseason time. I’m not worried about him. Aside from Cleveland, the eastern conference isn’t stable at all. Several teams will peak this year and Washington just has to be patient. They have the talent and the coaching to be a completely different team by the time the second half of the season starts. Green: If the Wizards don’t make some changes quick then the second half of the season won’t matter. Led by Wall, Beal and third-year forward Otto Porter, Washington has classically underachieved over the last few seasons. Porter should have never been drafted with a lottery pick; he’s no better than a role player. The team has been competent in the playoffs but has not broken the second round barrier that’s trapped them for decades. I don’t want to say that Wall and Beal are the problems, but a third star or even a main star is definitely needed. The team had a chance to land that type of player over the summer, but Kevin Durant opted for Golden State instead of his hometown. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall because it’s certainly time to panic if you’re a basketball fan living in the District.
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November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
D1
BALTIMORE-AREA
Election 2016
Local Leaders Express Worry, Resolve Over Trump Election
Race and Politics
Baltimore Mayoral Election
Catherine Pugh Wins in Landslide
By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO Local leaders expressed worry, concern and resolve in response to the surprise election of Donald J. Trump. Mayor-elect Catherine Pugh said at news conference on Nov. 9, “No, I was never on his show. I also wish our president-elect the best, and that’s enough said about that.� Empowerment Temple Pastor, Jamal Bryant, based in Baltimore, tweeted “It’s not just shock that trump won .... but the reality that America has not really changed.� Deray McKesson, Black
â€œâ€Śwe have to work to disagree without tearing each other down.â€? – Deray McKesson Lives Matter Activist and current Baltimore City Schools Administrator first called for calm via Twitter, writing, “We won’t always agree. But we have to work to disagree without tearing each other down. There’s too much at stake. We need each other.â€? Just a few minutes later McKesson pointed out the irony of those who appeared to feign sadness over Clinton’s loss to Trump – once the votes had been counted. “I don’t know what to make of watching people who didn’t support Hillary and/ or actively worked against her now lament her lossâ€? McKesson tweeted. Leaders for a Beautiful Struggle Director of Public Policy, Dayvon Love, told the AFRO, “The election of Donald Trump should once and for all dispel the myth
Photo by Deborah Bailey
said. “We have 3,000 homeless people across our city. And not only is that a problem for them, it’s a problem for you,� she said encouraging everyone in the room to accept responsibility for transforming Baltimore’s large homeless community. Pugh articulated a balanced pro-development message, signaling that she would respond to uptown neighborhoods that have been left out by recent Harbor-based TIF deals. “I said to folks across the city, we have neighborhoods that need to be focused on,� Pugh said. “We have an opportunity
to say to developers across our city, invest in us and we will work with you� she said. said. “We need to build communities where people can walk to their neighborhoods and go and sit down in a restaurant, walk to their cleaners� Pugh said. Newly elected City Councilman Shannon Sneed was among the early arrivals at Pugh’s Victory Party and said she is looking forward to working with the Mayor-Elect. “The Mayor-Elect was out with us in East Baltimore today and that says something,� Sneed said. “Anytime you take time out to come to our precinct that says something. We have high hopes in East Baltimore.� Pugh in turn made special mention of the eight, new city council-elect members, saying she will make it a priority as mayor to work with the city council. “I feel the energy of this council, the eight new folks that have joined us. I can say as mayor that I will empower you to do your job,� Pugh said. Pugh defeated Republican Candidate, Alan Walden, Green Party Candidate Joshua Harris and write-in entry, and former mayor, Sheila Dixon in the Nov. 8 election. Unofficial figures from the Maryland State Board of Elections indicate Pugh won with 119,204 votes or 57.1% of the total vote. Dixon came in second with 47,598 votes.
that seeking acceptance and integration into the American mainstream in this White supremacist society is a viable objective for Black people.� U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings took the high ground and pledged to work
now is the time for us to work together as a nation to find not just common ground, but higher ground,� he told the AFRO. Maryland’s newest U.S. Senator, Chris Van Hollen’s expressed his concern over “the divisive campaign�
By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO Mayor-Elect Catherine Pugh wasted no time in setting out a clear agenda for Baltimoreans in her victory speech Election night. Addressing a waiting crowd of about 200 supporters and elected officials, Pugh quickly moved through thank you’s to supporters and friends and decisively laid out a set of expectations to move Baltimore forward – out of the troubles that became amplified after the death of Freddie Gray and the unrest that followed in Spring 2015. Pugh used her victory speech to set priorities right away, citing remedies for the city’s unemployed and homeless among her priorities. “We have more than 70,000 people in our city who are unemployed and we have to get them working,� Pugh
â€œâ€Śwe have neighborhoods that need to be focused on.â€? –Catherine Pugh
with the new administration. “I congratulate Presidentelect Trump on winning the electoral college, and I thank Hillary Clinton for her decades of service to the American people. After enduring a difficult campaign season,
Trump ran. “I do believe that Donald Trump ran an incredibly divisive campaign, and it’s going to be essential that he reach out — not just in word, but in deed,� said Van Hollen at a news conference on Nov. 9.
Now What? It’s never been more difficult for me to craft a cogent narrative for this column than at this moment, in Sean Yoes the wake Senior AFRO of what I Contributor believed was incomprehensible; perhaps the most unqualified person ever to win a major party nomination for President of the United States, Donald John Trump, is going to be the next occupant of the White House. Trump, the same man who led the charge to delegitimize the first Black President of the United States, will now succeed him as the 45th president. No sense in re-litigating Trump’s myriad transgressions, it won’t change the outcome. So, now what? What do we do now that the man who allegedly once quipped about nuclear weapons, “If we have them, why can’t we use them?,� now will have control of America’s nuclear codes? What do Black and Hispanic men do when Trump implements a national version of the notorious, “zero tolerance,� and “stop and frisk,� policing policies, which led to the mass incarceration and state sanctioned harassment of Black and Brown people? What do undocumented men, women and children do when Trump builds, “the wall,� and then assembles his so-called deportation force to round up millions of people and rip them from their homes and schools? What will we do when the bottom drops out of our economy and we dip into a severe recession, given the fact that stock markets around the globe are already gyrating, triggered by the news of Trump’s ascension to The White House? Trump says he wants to ban all Muslims from the United States indefinitely. So, if there is another terrorist attack on American soil, what are Muslim Americans going to do if Trump orders them rounded
Continued on D2
Baltimore Police Chaplains Week 10 The Baltimore High School Ride-Along with God
Football Wrap-Up
By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent
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The uneasy, sometimes hostile relationship between law enforcement and communities of color has taken center stage as one of the pressing social issues of this time. And while solutions abound, some say the situation clearly highlights the need for God in policing. “We are out there trying to bring a spiritual presence to policing,� said Imam Hassan Amin, a chaplain for the Baltimore Police Department as well as Johns Hopkins University and several Baltimore hospitals. Amin, who is assigned to the Central and Northwestern police districts, believes that a widespread spiritual “darkness� shrouds many cities which is reflected in interactions between police officers and community members when evil forces ramp up potentially benign Courtesy photo interactions into dangerous ones. As a chaplain with “So many cities are the Baltimore Police ‘dark’ and that’s why Department, Imam they may have so many Hassan Amin often problems,� Amin told the rides along with AFRO, adding that police officers in an effort to chaplains can be a source de-escalate volatile of light in that darkness.
situations.
Continued on D2
By Jordan Hawkins Special to the AFRO Welcome to the AFRO’s weekly sports wrap-up. The Matchup Wrap-up: Edmonson-Westside fans had a long drive back home last week after watching the Red Storm lose in an out-ofleague game against the Loyola Blakefield Dons on Nov. 5. The Dons outscored the Red Storm 48-32. The Red Storm ended the regular season with an overall record of 4-6. This week is the start of playoffs and the Red Storm made it in. Their first matchup is against the National Academy Foundation Eagles in the first 2016 Baltimore City I region playoff on Nov. 12th. Player(s) of the Week: The Player of the week for Baltimore this time around is K’ron Hines of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Hines is a junior running back and
free safety for the Engineers and is the leading rusher of the Baltimore City I region for the 2016 regular season. With over 400 yards rushing, and averaging 9.3 yards per carry, it is all too easy to see the impact Hines has left on Poly’s 2016 football season. While the Engineers did not make the playoffs this year. There will be more to come from K’ron and Poly. The Games to Come: The game to check out this week will be another playoff
Continued on B2
3
Past Seven Days
Courtesy Photo
Player of the Week K’ron Hines of Poly High School is the leading rusher in the Baltimore City I region for the 2016 regular season.
266 2016 Total
Data as of Nov. 9
D2
The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Race and Politics Continued from D1
up and placed in internment camps, as was the case for Japanese Americans during World War II? What will women do when their reproductive rights are dismantled after Roe v. Wade is overturned by a Trump infused Supreme Court? What are the Black people who voted for Trump because, “the Mexicans are taking all our jobs,” going to do when they still don’t have a damn job? Poor White men and working class White men were drawn to Trump’s White nationalist platform like moths to a flame, affirmation for them, that White lives do matter. And they voted for him in droves. But, what are those poor and working class White
men going to do when their president discards them like so much refuse, and their jobs never come back? But, those White men, no matter their station in life will cling to their Whiteness and find comfort, no matter what. Assata Shakur, the former Black Panther accused of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973, who has lived in exile in Cuba for decades (who was placed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2014 during the Obama administration!), spoke about freedom on rapper Common’s song, “For Assata,” in 2000. “You asking me about freedom...I’ll be honest with you, I know a whole lot more about what freedom isn’t, than
what it is. Because I’ve never been free,” Shakur said. The White men who propelled their champion to victory have no problem gambling with the fate of our nation, because their freedom has never truly been imperiled. They don’t know just how precious it truly is. I have a friend, the mother of two magnificent little Black boys; both pre-teens, brilliant, loving, handsome little Black boys. She called me early Nov. 9 sobbing. “How am I going to tell my sons that this is the world they are waking up to this morning?” she said. A world where Donald Trump is President of the United States. “Police kill Black men and boys everyday with a Black man in the White House, now what are they going to do with Trump in the White House?”
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What is my friend going to say to her little Black boys?
Sean Yoes is a senior contributor for the AFRO and host and executive producer of
AFRO First Edition, which airs Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on WEAA 88.9.
Football
to take on the Sherwood Warriors of Sandy Spring, Md. The Mustangs ended their regular season 8-2 while their opponents had an undefeated season. It will be a tough
matchup for the Mustangs Nov. 11.
Continued from D1 game. The Mergenthaler Vo-Tech Mustangs travel
Chaplains Continued from D1
“We hope we can chase any devil or evil force from these situations with our presence or the words that we say.” That was the vision Chief Melvin Russell, who heads the BPD’s Community Collaboration Division, had for the citywide chaplaincy program many years ago. In August 2008, Russell was promoted to commander of the Eastern Division, the most violent at the time, and he sought out a solution the only way he knew how. “The night I got the promotion I prayed with my wife asking for true change, knowing that the 28 commanders who came before me were much brighter than I,” he told the AFRO. “Three days later God woke me up at four in the morning and gave me a vision.” Adhering to that vision, Russell decided to assign pastors to do ride-alongs with some of his toughest officers beginning in 2009. His combined efforts resulted in a 40-year low in crime in the Eastern Division, drawing the attention of the powers-that-be. At the end of 2012 into early 2013, Russell was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was asked by the mayor and commissioner to develop a city-wide community component to the BPD. Part of that was the launch of the Chaplaincy Academy in the fall of 2014. At the time, the BPD had only seven multi-faith chaplains, whom were being severely underutilized, Russell said. Russell said God gave him a vision to saturate the city with at least 216 chaplains (the city has nine police districts each with four sectors; each sector would have six chaplains). The chaplains
That’s it for this week’s Baltimore football wrap-up.
are trained in counseling, de-escalation, racial bias and other matters. He also had to rewrite the chaplaincy policy. For example, one of the rules at the time was that no chaplain could have a police record—a policy recommended by the International Conference of Police Chaplains (www.icpc4cops. org.) “Some of our best clergy on the street are those who have a history and can better relate to people in the community,” Russell said of changing that rule. Now, the main rules are that chaplains must commit to 20 hours per month to do ride-alongs with officers and do outreach in the community. Chief Russell said he also expects to get “relative equity.” “If you walk outside your place of worship and no one knows who you are I can’t use you,” he said. That “street cred” among chaplains became critical in April 2015 when—just two weeks after the first Chaplaincy Academy class of 35 clergy graduated—civil unrest erupted in Baltimore after the – Imam Hassan Amin death of 25-yearold Freddie Gray while in police custody. “I had to immediately galvanize them to work in the Western District and help to restore the peace,” Russell said. “They were fresh out of the academy and were pushed into the worst situation and they did a phenomenal job.” What the chaplains did during the riots— standing between police and upset community members, and helping to bring a measure of calm— is what they are expected to do on a daily basis. Chief Russell said the program now has about 150 chaplains and continues to grow. He expects to institute improved accountability checks, refresher courses for the chaplains and also a means of recognizing outstanding chaplains. He said, “I fully expect this will become a national model.”
“We hope we can chase any devil or evil force from these situations with our presence or the words that we say.”
investing in
Good neighbors are always there to share their expertise. That’s why Johns Hopkins is a proud partner with Baltimore City Public Schools in P-TECH at Dunbar— Baltimore’s new school-to-industry pipeline at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Through P-TECH, students are preparing for their futures by taking college-level health sciences courses alongside their traditional core subjects. With community college degrees already in hand, graduates can embark on careers in tech, right here in Baltimore, or choose to go to four-year colleges. Helping prepare our city’s workforce for the jobs and careers of the future is important to us because when Baltimore thrives, we all do.
Johns Hopkins. Investing in our community.
Maria, Ms. Cutrona, Rodney, and Kyona, are building DNA strands in biology class at P-TECH at Dunbar.
November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016, The Afro-American
Baltimore Musicians Share Joy with Their Music Hello my dear friends, I hope all is well and you are enjoying this wonderful weather we are having so far in November. Now that the clock has gone back, it is dark at 5 p.m. so I want you to be very careful while you travel around at night and always take someone with you. I am a little under the weather this week, so I won’t be talking to you for too long. I especially want to mention that many of my musicians are working all over the city and I would like for you to go out and support them. Many of these musicians have been playing all their lives and they bring joy with their music and make you feel all wonderful inside. Take your choice: gospel, jazz or R&B. Check out the pictures on
The Swanee Quintet, and many other gospel groups, are performing at famed gospel promoter Lonnie Parker’s anniversary on Nov. 13 at Brown’s Memorial Baptist Church, 3215 Belvedere Avenue in Baltimore. Show time starts 3:30 p.m. For ticket information, call 410-3589661.
this page and you will see what I am talking about. Some of my gospel favorite groups: Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson & The Spiritual Voices, the Swanee Quintet, Lil’David & The Bells of Joy, The Southern Gospel Singers, The Edward Sisters, Ms. Penny Lady Moses and The Mighty Wonders, just to name a few, will have you shouting up and down the isle of Brown’s Memorial Baptist Church on Nov. 13. If you enjoy some good down home quartet music, you don’t want to miss this. The John Lamkin Sacred Jazz Quintet, featuring; Todd Simon, on keyboard; Michael Graham on bass, Philip Thomas on drums, Michael Hairston on saxophone, John Lamkin on trumpet and flugelhorn and vocalist Eartha Lamkin will perform on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Metropolitan United Methodist Church, 1121 W. Lanvale Street, Baltimore, Md. For more information, call 410-523-1366 Renowned bassist, Terry Battle and his group, are hosting a special event on Nov.
BALTIMORE AREA
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Send your upcoming events to tips@afro.com. For more community events go to afro.com/Baltimore-events Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s Global Carnival Gala Party
On Nov. 12 from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. the Reginald F. Lewis Museum will be celebrating their Gala Party. The theme is inspired by countries of the African American diaspora from North America, South America and the Caribbean. The gala will include cocktails, food stations, casino, live music, entertainment lounge, DJ and dancing. Call 443-263-1800 or visit lewismuseum.org for more information. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is located at 830 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, Md. 21202
University Choir. Call Denise King at 410-935-2436 for more information.
Freedom Temple AME Zion Church Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner There will be a free Thanksgiving dinner on
Nov. 14 from 4 p.m. to 7p.m. The dinner is hosted by the Laborers into His Harvest Men’s Ministry of Freedom Temple AME Zion Church, 2926 Hollins Ferry Road, Baltimore, Md. 21230. Call the church for more information at 410-636-4747.
Dr. Phil Butts and his SunSet Band are performing for the Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality St. Pius V & St. Peter Claver Church 3rd Annual Evening of Jazz on Nov. 13 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Fr. Henry Harper Hall, 1546 N. Fremont Avenue in Baltimore. It is cabaret Style BYOB & BYOF with free set-ups. For ticket information call 410-818-3225.
Terry Battle & Jumpstreet will host their Holiday Jazz Fest & Dinner on Nov. 12 at the St. Mary the Virgin’s Great Hall, 3121 Walbrook Avenue, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This is a fundraiser for the Sickle Cell Foundation, Maryland Chapter. For ticket information call 410-363-2633. 12 at the Great Hall of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church, but if you miss them there you can catch all the original members; Brad Collins, Jeff Wilson and Terry Battle every Sunday at the renowned Prime Rib Restaurant in downtown Baltimore. Now if you want to party and dance the night
away with some R&B live entertainment with some Oldie but Goodies featuring David Smooth’s Temptations Motown Review, Rodney Kelley, Clyde Allen & Johnny K with the Blue Eyed Soul Band, Soul Generation, “Heat,” Ten Karat Gold and a whole lot more at the Patapsco Arena, 3301 Annapolis Road on Nov. 11 from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Tickets for this event can be found at D.O.T Sports inside Patapsco Flea Market (city Market Section); or Marshall’s Music, 1946 W. Pratt Street and the Patapsco Arena Box Office. Well, my friends enjoy your week. I am out of space and out of time, but if you need me, call me at 410-833-9474 or email me at rosapryor@aol.com. Until the next time, I’m musically yours.
We don’t just put you in a new home; we put you at ease.
Paul’s Place Huff and Puff 5K
The 2016 Huff and Puff 5K is on Nov. 12 at Carroll Park Golf Course, 2100 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, Md. 21230. Check in time is at 10:30 a.m. and race time is at 12 p.m. Paul’s Place provides programs, services, and support that strengthen individuals and families, fostering hope, personal dignity and growth. Go to paulsplaceoutreach.org for more information.
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Women’s Day at Providence Baptist Church
Providence Baptist Church is celebrating Women’s Day on Nov. 13. The church is located at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. Baltimore, Md 21217. The program begins at 3 p.m. and will feature the Bowie State
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The Afro-American, November 12, 2016 - November 18, 2016
Marlaa Reid, Bishop Frank Madison Reid III, Dr. Sheila Brooks, PRT Chair, SRB Communications, LLC
Regina Cohen, Event Chair and Merritt Kenney
The Children’s Home Hosts FACES 2016
Ahesahmahk, City Ranch and Jean Dahn
The 10th anniversary fundraiser for FACES was held at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Oct. 28 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The Children’s Home, a foster care facility, was established in 1863. Andre G. Cooper is the CEO Children’s Home. Regina Cohen is the event chair. Jaime Costello (WMAR ABC2 News) was the M. C. Artworks made by residents of The Children’s Home were auctioned off.
Caryn Sagal, Event Publicist, Sharon Bunch and Jasmin Torres
Photos by Anderson Ward
John Tezai, former resident of Children’s Home
The President’s Round Table and the PRT Reach Foundation celebrated Black business wealth with the 2016 Scholarship Awards Gala on Nov. 5 at the Hilton BWI Airport Hotel in Linthicum Heights, Md. The event highlighted the accomplishments of African American entrepreneurs and corporate executives who support minority business growth and survival in the Metropolitan Baltimore and surrounding areas. The President’s Round Table also awarded scholarships to college students attending the following HBCUs: Maureen Bunyan, Morgan State University, Coppin State University, MC News AnchorHoward University, University of the District of ABC7/ WJLA TV Columbia, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Photos by Dr. A. Lois De Laine
Christopher Jones, Cole Warner, Jemil Warner, Midred Warner, Rupert Warner, US Postal Service Corporate Executive Trailblazer Entrepreneur Award recipient
M. C. Jaime Costello, WMAR ABC-2 TV
Susan Brown, Board Pres.
Chekesha Davenport, Irene Dixon and Demetriece Thomas
Joyce and Thomas A. Moorehead, recipient of the 2016 PRT Anthony Overton Entrepreneur Trailblazer Award
Valencia McClure, vice president, Governmental and External Affairs, BGE accepts the Corporate Executive Trailblazer Award
Andre G. Cooper, CEO Chidren’s Home
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport representatives are Dannie Huntley, Renee Laakins, Cheryl Stewart, Krystel Wilson, Shawn Powell, Hattye Knight, Al Pollard, Annette Fisher
Michael Camphor accepts the award for his father James “Winky” Camphor
Marsha Gladden and Wayne Pulliam
Dr. Nancy Grasmick receiving an award
Dr. Ronald C. Williams, Interim Dean accepted the B. Tyrous “Terry” Addison Scholarship Award for Coppin State University
Deidre Dawkins receiving an award from Sen. Catherine Pugh
The 2016 Beacon of Light Gala was held on Oct. 26 at the Grand Hotel in Baltimore. Baltimore Teacher Network sponsored the event. Elijah Etheridge is the Executive Director. Students from the ConneXions School performed a tribute to the Black Panther Organization Gwen Mullen, Diedre Dawkins and Timothy Hamilton were honored as Teachers of the Year. Awards were presented to the Hon. Elijah Cummings, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, Dr. Earl S. Richardson and James “Winky” Camphor. Music was provided by the S-Quire Jazz Ensemble. Mayor-Elect. Catherine Pugh presented some of the awards
Dr. Earl S. Richardson receiving an award
Abena Opare, Deborah Dawkins and Nina Opare
Congressman Elijah Cummings receiving an award
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Baltimore City and Joseph Haskins Jr, Chairman, CEO, President of The Harbor Bank of Maryland
Jim and Terri Scott, Penan & Scott, PRT, Thomas Moorehead, Anthony Overton award recipient
Donald and Shuanise Washington
Photos by Anderson Ward Sedeke Lakew Boghossian, Dr. Mohamad Sepehri, Dr. Fikru Boghossian, Dr. Vichet Sum, Dr. Ayodele Alade received the Scholarship Awards for HBCUs.
Dr. Sonya Santelices (CEO Balto. City Public Schools)
Students from ConneXions School with Medoune Gueye (Drum Instructor)
Jeffrey and Beneak Hargrave, Mahogany, Inc. PRT member
Yolanda Bennett, Karen Price-Ward and Marsha Davenport