PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
Volume 121 No. 45
JUNE 15, 2013 - JUNE 21, 2013
County Residents Sound Off About Next School Chief By Teria Rogers Special to the AFRO The Prince George’s County Public Schools Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Search Committee held a town hall-style conference call on June 10 to get community views on the necessary qualities for a new schools leader. Charlene Dukes, chair of the search committee and president of Prince George’s Community College, moderated the 90-minute call. Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III expressed his appreciation for public comments from county residents, “so that we pick the best CEO possible
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Charlene Dukes for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS).” Baker plans to appoint a CEO for the schools by August. According to Baker officials, more than 2,000 residents dialed in to the telephone town hall and calls were fielded from all
over the county. Callers included parents, teachers, PTA members, students and recent high school graduates. A phone survey of call participants found that 38 percent were parents with children in PGCPS, 45 percent were Prince George’s residents without school aged-children and 15 percent were parents of students not enrolled in county public schools. The new schools bill, which went into effect June 1, calls for a three-person committee appointed by the state to conduct the schools CEO search. The committee is required to meet three goals: gain public input on the CEO Continued on A3
The Search for Downtown Prince George’s County Planners Set Forum Series on Suburb’s Future By Krishana Davis AFRO Staff Writer Some locals may consider Largo to be downtown Prince George’s County with its town center and hot restaurants such as Carolina Kitchen. Others say it is Hyattsville, home to an arts district, government buildings and court house. But according to county planners, the rapidly
growing area home to many professional African Americans has no designated downtown area. The Prince George’s County Planning Department- Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is slated to hold an interactive town hall – Kierre McCune meeting with residents, community and business leaders and elected officials on June 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to vote Continued on A3
“Having a designated downtown to focus our efforts is a more intelligent way to use our bucks.”
June Marks Black Music Month By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer
Job fair
Melwood Celebrates a Half-Century of Helping
INSIDE A3
D.C.’s Capital Pride Draws Thousands
By Courtney Jacobs Special to the AFRO Melwood, a non-profit organization that creates jobs and opportunities to improve the lives of people with disabilities, is ready to celebrate this summer.
B4 AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff
Could Today’s Miami Heat Handle Michael Jordan’s Bulls?
Completion Ceremony
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For their 50th anniversary, the group is turning its Upper Marlboro campus into play space June 15 from noon to 4 p.m.with free food, a festival of arts and crafts, music, wine tastings, pony rides and face paintings. Lunch will be provided. The organization dates back to 1963, when a group of parents launched a mission to create opportunities for their children who had disabilities. They managed to convince the federal government to donate seven acres of land in Prince George’s County and grew into one of the state’s leading non-profit group and a pioneer in the history organizations to promote independent living for individuals with disabilities. It currently supports over 2,400 people with disabilities through job training and counseling, job placement, individual support, and
Continued on A4
Get ready to hit the Internet or the local box for show tickets. June is Black Music Month and venues across the nation are presenting shows ranging from blues to gospel to hip hop to jazz to R&B to give aficionados—or those who are just interested in getting their dance on—a place to celebrate. Formally called African-American Music Appreciation Month, June has existed for more than 30 years as the official time to celebrate Black music. The idea for a month to honor Black music was originally inspired by a Cincinnati radio broadcaster, Ed Wright, and Kenny Gamble, cofounder of the Philadelphia International Records record label. The two conceived the commemoration in 1978, according to historical accounts. One year later, on June 7, 1979, their vision was realized when President Jimmy Carter declared that June would be
the month to honor AfricanAmerican music and Black Music Month was born. In the years since, several presidential administrations
name be changed to AfricanAmerican Music Appreciation Month, though many still refer to the commemoration by the shorter name.
See more Capital Jazz Fest pictures on B3. Photo by Demetrius Robinson
Bilal have acknowledged the month by holding formal events at the White House. On June 2, 2009, President Barack Obama decreed that the
“The legacy of AfricanAmerican composers, singers, songwriters, and musicians is an indelible piece of our Nation’s culture,” Obama
wrote. “Generations of African Americans have carried forward the musical traditions of their forebears, blending old styles with innovative rhythms and sounds. They have enriched American music and captured the diversity of our Nation. During African-American Music Appreciation Month, we honor this rich heritage.” For this year’s commemoration, Obama issued another proclamation: “African-Americans have always had a hand in shaping the American sound. From gospel and Motown to bebop and blues, their story is bound up in the music they made— songs of hurt and hardship, yearning and hope, and struggle for a better day,” the President wrote. “Those feelings speak to something common in all of us. With passion and creativity, African-American performers have done more than reinvent the musical styles they helped define; they have channeled their music into making change and advancing justice, from radio booths to the stage to our city streets.” Continued on A4
Fathers and Sons Opine About Dads’ Day By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer
NAACP President and CEO Benjamin T. Jealous has two little children. Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III has a son and two daughters. Rev. Derren A. Thompson, a Chesapeake Bay-area clergyman, has two sons. Each has achieved a high level of success and each said that being a father has been the icing on the cake. As Father’s Day approaches on June 16, men, women and children across the nation are contemplating the meaning of fatherhood. Though Father’s Day doesn’t create the same gift-giving frenzy of Mother’s Day, the celebration does, none the less, offer families a formal opportunity to thank the men whose traditional role is to protect and guide us. “Fatherhood is a series of dynamic relationships, each one dependent on the other for purpose and strength,” said Dr. Alvin Thornton, associate provost for Academic Affairs at Howard University, nationally known for his education reform work in Prince Geoge’s County and Maryland. “Fatherhood must be grounded in respect and love for the extended family unit and the mother of the children.” Thornton, who has worked for more than 25 years to improve the plight of children and young adults, said fathers should take the role seriously. “Fatherhood must be child-centered and a source of personal discipline that allows the investment of time and resources in the children,” he said. “Fatherhood must also be a source of awareness among the children of their cultural mandates: Continued on A4
Copyright © 2013 by the Afro-American Company
Rushern Baker III and his son, Rushern IV