PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
Volume 122 No. 5
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 - SEPTEMBER 13, 2013
Syria
Cummings Not Sure, Cardin Says Yes By Alexis Taylor AFRO Staff Writer
Maryland lawmakers are mulling over the difficult decisions that must be made in the coming days concerning the conflict in Syria and American intervention. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) reflected support for President Obama Sept. 4, voting along with nine other members of the Senate Foreign Relations
Sen. Ben Cardin
Committee in a 10-7 vote on Sept. 4 to support Obama’s call for a strike against the Syrian government in response to allegations of chemical weapon use on Aug. 21. in Damascus. The entire U.S. Senate will vote on whether American resources should be used to intervene in the Syrian civil war next week. “The resolution was narrowly tailored to deal with documented chemical
weapons by Assad in Syria. It’s very limited with no troops on the ground with a 90-day duration,” said Cardin. “It is limited to degrading Syria’s capacity to use chemical weapons and I think it’s the right action. I hope the international community will join us in greater numbers.” Cardin said that aside from stopping the use of chemical weapons, the international community also had an
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Brian Waters and his cousin, Ikeshia Collick, a member of the U.S. Army. Collick is on her way back to Afghanistan.
Local Residents Express Concern Over Syria By Courtney Jacobs AFRO Staff Writer
As President Obama meets with lawmakers to forge support for limited military action in Syria, Prince George’s County Continued on A5
Military Leaders Credit ’63 MOW for Their Success By John R. Hawkins III AFRO Staff Writer It may have been labeled a march for civil rights but the historic demonstration in Washington, D.C. in August 1963 had an impact on the nation’s military, too.
INSIDE
Before the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom there were no African-American four-star generals or admirals in the U.S. military. As America observes the 50th anniversary of the March, there are three generals in the Army, two in the Air Force and one Navy admiral.
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Washington View Frank Smith Rallies for D.C. Statehood
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Lt. General William E. “Kip” Ward , US Army, Commander, US Africa Command (ret.)
The first African-American four-star general was Air Force Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James. He first became a brigadier general in 1969. “If the 1963 March had not taken place, there is no way we would have gotten the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Dad never would have become a general [four-star] in the Air Force. It was people like my father and others in the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 who laid the …to allow the African American pursuit of excellence,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, son of “Chappie” James. “The 1963 March on Washington strengthened and reinforced policy actions to ensure fair treatment were
executed by senior military leaders during the 60’s era to recognize the significance of civil rights as a military imperative,” said Jimmy Love of the Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity office of the Defense Department. “The overriding philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech eventually led to grounds for the establishment of the Department of Defense Race Relations Institute in 1971, now known as the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute,” said Love. “It is difficult for me to judge the effect of the specific event of the 1963 March on the upward mobility of African Americans in
uniform,” said retired Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender, the first nurse to command a military base. “I do believe that the numbers of people who participated did influence and impress the politicians to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those laws had a direct effect upon the upward mobility of African Americans in uniform,” she said. According to Andre Sayles, a West Point graduate and director of the Army’s diversity office, said, “It was not until the Academy graduating class of 1968 that you had double digits of cadets graduating to become lieutenants. That means they did not start to attend West Continued on A5
Admiral Cecil D. Haney, US Navy, Commander US Pacific Fleet
General Lloyd J. Austin III, US Army, Commander US Central Command
Dave Chappelle Gets Lots of Love from Pittsburgh Fans
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General Dennis Via, US Army, Commander Army Material Command
General Larry O. Spencer, US Air Force, Vice Chief of Staff US Air Force
Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, US Army (ret.)
Sticker Shock!
General Vincent K. Brooks, US Army, Commander US Army Pacific
General Edward A. Rice Jr., US Air Force, Commander Air Education and Training
‘Celebration of Acceleration’ Shakes Up Inner Harbor By Alexis Taylor AFRO Staff Writer
A Prince George’s County man reacts to gas prices of $4.79– $4.99 per gallon at a local gas station.
See story in next week’s AFRO.
Different sounds filled the air surrounding the Inner Harbor Labor Day weekend as the Grand Prix of Baltimore brought the roar of professional racecar engines to once again replace the usual noise of everyday traffic. Fans flooded the downtown Baltimore area to catch the third annual weekend-long event celebrating Charm City and the culture of racing that has bloomed in the past two years.
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The Kashif family enjoys a day at the races: Phyllis, Jabril, Kahlif and Rasheeda (in stroller) Photo by Anderson Ward