July 5, 2014 - July 5, 2014, The Afro-American A1 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
Volume 122 No. 48
JULY 5, 2014 - JULY 11, 2014
Howard Civil Rights Act: 50 Years Later Michelle First Woman
Promoted to Rank of Four-Star Admiral
By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent
Fifty years ago, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act on July 2, signaling a sea change in American society. “That Act absolutely transformed America,” said Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She added, “It is most possibly one of the most radical pieces of legislation in the world.” In 1963, when the CRA was introduced and being debated in Congress, America was a country still steeped in segregation. It was still legal to refuse to serve Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans,
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By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO Another glass ceiling lies shattered on the floor as Admiral Michelle Janine Howard was promoted to the rank of four-star admiral on July 1, 2014. She became the first woman, and the first African-American woman, to be promoted to this rank in the United States Navy. Howard, previously the deputy chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy, will now take over the position of vice chief of Naval Operations.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King Jr., and others, look on. and Asians at restaurants and in hotels … to deny people transit on private transportation … to deny women access to certain jobs. Workplaces were segregated, colleges banned women from matriculating, and interracial gatherings – and relationships – were still outlawed in some places. “Today, we can walk down the street and share the sidewalks and Blacks don’t have to give way to Whites,” Arnwine said. Women comprise the majority of college graduates and can pursue careers in fields from which they were previously barred, and those advancements were all because of the Civil Rights Act, she added. But, even then the fight for equal rights
and opportunity continued to be waged. “A lot of Americans walk around thinking that the society became the way it looks today naturally,” Arnwine said. They don’t understand it took two-to-three decades of litigation to change this society. “We had to sue almost every police department, fire department, restaurants, hotels – everybody – before people started to accept that the laws had changed.” Even with those victories there were losses – but that’s par for the course in the history of the civil rights struggle, said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel, NAACP Legal “We go through cycles in this nation,” she Continued on A3
Photo Courtesy of CHINFO
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Wayne Cowles, Four-star Admiral Michelle Howard’s husband, work together to affix Admiral Howard’s four stars at her promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
Lake Arbor Celebrates Residents and History with Lake Arbor Community Day By Maria Adebola Special to the AFRO
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Each year, the oldest African-American neighborhood in the nation, Lake Arbor, hosts its yearly Lake Arbor Community Day, to celebrate its residents and neighbors. This year community day took place on June 28 and featured pony rides, face painting, food, vendors, a health and wellness fair, a fireworks display, and a variety of live musical acts. The event brought out at least 1,000 men, women, and children to participate in the activities, including community leaders. Monica Wormsley, chair of community day event, said everyone played a role in making the day a success. “Everyone was entertained,” she said. “We were able to entertain the kids and adults.” Although sponsored by the Lake Arbor Foundation Inc. (LAFI), other businesses – including Wegman’s Grocery Store, AMC Magic Johnson Capital Center 12, Giant Food, CVS Pharmacy and others – contributed. According to its website, the Lake Arbor Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Continued on A3
Attendees sing and dance at Lake Arbor Community Day.
Prince George’s County Residents According to NASA Sub, Morgan’s Unhappy About Super Wal-Mart Contract Was Never in Real Jeopardy By Sean Yoes Special to the AFRO
By Courtney Jacobs AFRO Staff Writer A Wal-Mart store set to open in South Bowie may come to a halt due to the concerns of Prince George’s County residents. Many believe that building this 186,000 square foot store will create a negative impact, including more traffic. In December 2013, Wal-Mart announced their plan to move into and enlarging the 56,000-square foot vacant space in the Duvall Shopping Center,
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Some Prince George’s County residents believe the new Wal-Mart could generate more traffic and crime.
Despite recent reports to the contrary, Morgan State University’s largest research contract in school history is not in any imminent danger of being revoked or restricted. “From the tone and specificity of the issues outlined in the USRA letter, it appears Morgan is confronting a raft of federal complaints regarding virtually every aspect of its administration of the program,” read a commentary in the Baltimore Sun published June 30. “Unless something dramatic changes, the school will either have the program’s funds revoked or the award won’t be
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renewed when the current agreement expires,” it continued. The commentary refers to a $28.5 million research contract awarded to Morgan State University by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) in May of 2011. USRA is a subcontractor of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The contract is scheduled to be renewed at the end of five years. The USRA sent a letter to Morgan State – which in 2006 became a research institution with a Carnegie Classification – in March of 2014 outlining various issues they had with Morgan’s administration of the contract. Continued on A4