PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
Volume 123 No. 32
MARCH 14, 2015 - MARCH 20, 2015
Hundreds Say Goodbye to Brooke By James Wright Special to the AFRO The nation’s chief diplomat, members of both chambers of Congress and other political figures reflected on the life and work of the late Sen. Edward Brooke. Brooke, the first Black popularly elected U.S. senator, was celebrated on March 9 and 10 with events and memorials taking place at leading landmarks in the District. The late Sen. Edward Brooke, an African-American Republican who served in the U.S. Senate from 1967-1979 and the first of his race elected as a state attorney general (Massachusetts from 1963-1967), was remembered by family,
The Obama family join hands as they begin the march with the foot soldiers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Continued on A5
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
Selma, Ala.: Obama Proves that He is ‘Black Enough’
By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief
Throughout his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama was dogged by one question: Is he Black enough? The question was repeated so often that after showing up late for an appearance at the 2008 annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in Las
Vegas, Obama said, “I want to apologize for being late, but you guys keep asking whether I am Black enough.” After a 33-minute speech Saturday in Selma, Ala. commemorating the Selma to Montgomery March and passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, nobody was asking: Is Barack Obama Black enough? President Obama rarely
discussed the issue of race in his first six years in office except in reaction to a major racial catastrophe such as the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin in Florida and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. or the arrest of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for breaking into his own home. On Saturday, however, President Obama seemed
comfortable discussing race in public, showing he has a deep appreciation for the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement and quoting or referencing the Bible, Black spirituals, James Baldwin, Sojourner Truth, Fannie Lou Hamer, Langston Hughes, the Tuskegee Airmen, Jackie Robinson and even his favorite hip-hop Continued on A8
AP Photo
The coffin containing the remains of the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward William Brooke III is brought inside the Washington National Cathedral, March 10, during a funeral service.
Prince George’s Seeks to Improve Health Outcomes By Teria Rogers Special to the AFRO
Join the 427,436 Facebook fans who follow the AFRO, the Black newspaper with the largest digital reach in the country.
afro.com
Your History • Your Community • Your News
The AFROAmerican Newspaper Prince George’s County Edition is Published weekly as an E-edition. Notification is sent to you via email. You can opt-out of receiving this by selecting the unsubscribe option at the bottom of each email notice.
Join the AFRO on Twitter and Facebook
Caroline Adderly of Landover walks with a cane and has a chronic health issue that has yet to be cured. “I’ve been suffering with a long time ailment. I’ve been from D.C. to Virginia to Maryland. I’m going from specialist to specialist, but no one can figure out the problem,” she said. Adderly was one of 200 people at Prince George’s Community College March 7 for a county-wide meeting on a healthcare strategic plan
A rendering of the forthcoming Prince George’s Medical Center in Largo
Glenn Ivey Announces Run for Congress ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey has announced he will run for Congress. Ivey, a Democrat, said March 11 on his campaign website that he will run in the 4th Congressional District. Democratic Rep. Donna Edwards now holds the seat. She announced on Tuesday she will run for Senate. Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced last week she won’t seek re-election in 2016. Ivey was elected Prince George’s County state’s attorney in 2002 and again in 2006. The congressional district Ivey is running for includes parts of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. He is the first candidate to say he is running for the seat. Ivey filed to run against Edwards in 2012, but he later withdrew from the race.
princegeorgescountymd.gov
and forthcoming medical center in Largo. The primary strategic healthcare plan is a partnership between the Prince George’s County Executive’s office, the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission Planning Department, the Prince George’s Board of Health and the Prince George’s Health Department. The county wide-meeting provided residents with a first look at the healthcare strategic plan and architectural renderings for a regional medical center in Largo. Continued on A8
Prince George’s Residents Ponder Mikulski’s Replacement By James Wright Special to the AFRO
Mikulski’s service on behalf of county residents.
There is widespread talk among political activists and politicians in Prince George’s County, Md. about who will succeed U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D). Some think her successor should be a county resident and possibly an African American. Mikulski announced March 2 that she will retire from politics, serving in Washington as a representative from 1977-1987 and as the first Democratic senator elected from 1987 to 2017. Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker (D) praised
Sen. Barbara Mikulski recently announced that she was retiring at the end of her term in 2017.
AFRO File photo
Copyright © 2014 by the Afro-American Company
“We in Prince George’s County have benefitted from the numerous times she has fought to secure funding for education, health, housing, and economic development opportunities,” Baker said. “We are a stronger, better, smarter, and united Maryland as a result of Senator Mikulski’s leadership.” Since her announcement, some candidates have declared for the seat while others are thinking about running. “Let the games began,” Terry Speigner, a county entrepreneur and former head of the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee, said. Continued on A4