Prince Georges Afro-American Newspaper March 15 2014

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION

Volume 122 No. 32

MARCH 15, 2014 - MARCH 21, 2014

“I Didn’t Break the Law”

Black ‘Annie’ Ignites Racist Fire

By Avis Thomas-Lester and Blair Adams AFRO Staff Writers

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray delivers the State of the District address.

By Avis Thomas-Lester AFRO Executive Editor D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray went on the defensive during his State of the District address March 11, asking his

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constituents to believe in his innocence just one day after allegations were fired at him by a major fundraiser in his 2010 bid for mayor.

From the start, an obviously irritated Gray struck out at D.C. developer Jeffrey E. Thompson, who pleaded guilty March 10 in federal court to federal

conspiracy count in connection with campaign finance fraud he perpetrated to assist in Gray’s election.

Thompson told prosecutors that Gray was aware of and accepted his illegal campaign contributions. He is believed to have spent upwards of $650,000 on behalf of Gray’s Continued on A4

News that an Academy Award-nominated Black child actress is starring in an upcoming film version of the musical Annie sent opponents of her casting over the edge on Twitter recently.

On March 9, Twitter was abuzz about Quvenzhané Wallis, 10, who will play the orphan Annie in an upcoming movie produced by Jay Z and Will Smith. Besides Quvenzhané, the film stars Academy Award winning actor Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks, a wealthy politician, and Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan.

Smith initiated the process to make the film in 2011 as a project for his actress daughter, Willow. Co-producer Jay Z’s best-selling album, Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life, included the song “Hard Knock Life Ghetto Anthem,” which sampled the song,“The Hard Knock Life,” from the original Annie soundtrack.

Quvenzhané, who hails from Louisiana, became the youngest actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress when she was tapped for her performance as Hushpuppy in Beast of the Southern Wild in 2012. She also drew acclaim for her performance in 12 Years a Slave, this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner and has won a host of awards for her work.

However, that is not the focus of much

Actress Quvenzhané Wallis has been the target of numerous racist comments for her role as the new Annie.

Her casting received raves from some, criticism from others and rants from racists who spewed anonymous venom at the child on the Internet. of the Twitterverse chatter. After a trailer was released recently offering a brief snippet of Quvenzhané in the title role, her casting received raves from some, criticism from others and rants from racists who spewed anonymous venom at the child on the Internet.

Some of the comments were simply Continued on A3

Gray Faces Uphill Battle in Quest for Second Term

By Avis Thomas-Lester and Zenitha Prince AFRO Staff Writers If D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Council Member Yvette Alexander have anything to do with it, voters will look past accusations that he was aware of and participated in a shadow campaign to get him elected in 2010.

If they have their way,

people who head to the polls next month to vote for one of eight Democrats vying for their party’s nomination in

active development, reduced unemployment rate and other signs of fiscal health and ignore the allegations

Gray said he believes his chances of being elected are good, despite the rapidly mounting criticism against him. the mayoral race will focus on the city’s improving schools, bustling economy,

charging him with being corrupt.

At the State of the District

he addressed the hundreds – many of them supporters and government workers –

who were on hand for the speech. He soundly criticized D.C. developer Jeffrey E. Thompson, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with campaign finance fraud.

In a short interview with the AFRO after the speech, Gray said he believes his chances of being elected are good, despite the rapidly mounting criticism against Continued on A4

Maryland Senate Committee Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Measure

Town Hall Addresses Faith-Based Medical Partnership

By Maria Adebola Special to the AFRO

speech March 11 at Kelly Miller Middle School in Ward 7, Gray seemed more irritated than concerned as

By Megan Brockett Capital News Service

Photo by Maria Adebola

Panelists included the Rev. Staccato The National Medical Powell, pastor of Grace AME Zion Association (NMA), the nation’s Church. oldest and largest organization representing African-American physicians, hosted its 16th National Colloquium on African-American Health March 8 - 11, at the Marriott Metro Center Hotel in Washington, D.C. More than 160 local and out-of-state medical, civic, and religious leaders attended both sessions.

The panelists featured the Rev. Staccato Powell, pastor of Grace AME Zion Church in North Carolina; the Rev. Dr. Morris L. Shearin Sr., pastor of Israel Baptist Church in D.C.; Etoy Ridgnal, director of African American Engagement and Faith Based Initiatives for Enroll America; and Dr. Alice T. Chen, executive director of Doctors for America. The moderator was Diversity Advisory Council chairperson Dr. Pamela Freeman Fobbs, of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Auxiliary to the National Medical Association in Fresno, Calif.

The first day of the colloquium opened with a briefing on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – what it is and the gap that continues to linger between people who need healthcare. Dr. Lucille Norville Perez, former NMA president was among many who posed concerns rather than questions to Continued on A3

Maryland is one step closer to decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana this legislative session, but a series of hurdles remain.

The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Friday voted 8 to 3 in favor of a measure that would shift possession of fewer than 10 grams of marijuana from a criminal offense to a civil one punishable by a $100 fine.

The change would free up time and resources of law enforcement officials, allowing them to focus on more serious, violent crimes, according to supporters like Sen. Robert Zirkin, D-Baltimore County, who sponsors the bill.

“Just walk into the District Court any day of the week and you’ll see rows of police officers sitting there,” Zirkin said.

“It’s just a huge waste money.”

But many of the committee members who spoke in support of the measure focused on the effect it would have on helping young people avoid a criminal record that could limit job and education opportunities.

Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, the committee chairman, said the bill will stop Maryland is one step closer to people from being jailed for conduct that decriminalizing small amounts is “widespread” and, in many ways, less of marijuana. dangerous than alcohol.

Committee members who raised concerns about the bill during the voting session expressed worry over the potential negative impacts. Few remarks were made in ardent opposition to the idea of decriminalization.

Continued on A3

Copyright © 2014 by the Afro-American Company

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

NATION & WORLD

Black Women More Likely to Die from Breast Cancer While White women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, Black women are more likely to die from it, according to a new report which found large and growing disparities in breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S.

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and many of its largest cities over the last two decades.

The 2014 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study, conducted by Sinai Urban Health Institute and the Avon Foundation for Women and published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, is the largest study of its kind and the first to examine racial disparities in breast cancer mortality in 50 U.S. cities between 1990 and 2009.

Of of the 41 cities that provided data, 39 had a disparity and 35 saw a widening gap in mortality rates over the 20-year period, the report stated.

The U.S. cities with the largest disparity between Black and White breast cancer mortality rates were, by highest rank: Memphis, Tenn.; Los Angeles; Wichita, Kan.; Houston; Boston; Denver; Chicago; Phoenix; Dallas and Indianapolis.

New York has the smallest disparity of the 50 largest cities analyzed, followed by Baltimore.

“The fact that the disparity grew in so many cities is startling and alarming…. It showed us the problem was bigger than we thought,” Dr. Marc Hulbert, executive director of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade and an author of the study, told the AFRO. African-American women tend to be disproportionately diagnosed with triple-negative and aggressive cancers, Hurlbert said, but “those aggressive cancers alone cannot explain the variability.”

The study found that overall, breast cancer death rates decreased over the past two decades. However, the White death rate decreased twice as much as that of Black women.

Researchers concluded that the estimated 1,710 Black women—or approximately five women per day—who die annually from breast cancer do so largely because of differential access to quality screening and breast cancer treatment.

Civil Rights Education Still Lacking in U.S. Classrooms

Three years after the Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC) published its unprecedented barometer of how civil rights history is taught in U.S. classrooms, a follow-up report on March 5 found education about the movement remains “woefully inadequate.”

“Ignorance remains the operative word when it comes to the civil rights movement and much of African-American history,” venerable civil rights activist and former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond wrote in the report.

A product of the SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance project, 2011’s “Teaching the Movement” study found that more than half of the nation’s 50 states and the District of Columbia failed to teach students about this integral aspect of U.S. history, or promoted revisionist and diluted accounts.

This year’s study, “Teaching the Movement 2014: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States” expanded the previous scope to include state standards and school curriculum resources related to the study of the modern Civil Rights Movement, and compared them to what civil rights experts consider core information about the movement.

The new study found slightly better educational practices— but adequate coverage of the subject still remains scanty.

In the newest report, only three states—Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina—received a grade of “A,” and 17 states improved by one letter grade since the 2011 survey. However, 20 states received a grade of “F,” including five—Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Oregon and Wyoming—that neither cover the movement as part of state standards nor provide resources to teach it. Another 14 states received grades of “D.” The results also revealed geographic differences in the intensity of instruction on the Civil Rights Movement. The farther away states were from the South, and the smaller their African-American populations, the less dedication was given to the subject in schools, reflecting the misguided belief that the movement is a subject of only regional importance, or of interest only to African-American students.

Those beliefs belie the significance of the movement to the entire American society and the nation’s history, experts say.

NAACP to Present Minority Concerns, Voting Rights Issues to UN Council

An NAACP delegation will take the concerns of minority communities in the United States to the UN Human Rights Council’s review of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland from March 9 to 15.

The International Covenant is a treaty that outlines broad and fundamental civil and political rights that should be available to all people, including the right to self-determination, the right to participate in the electoral process, the right to due process and a fair trial, the right to freedom of speech and religion, and the right to be free from slavery and torture, among others.

The covenant was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 16, 1966. The U.S. signed onto the covenant on Oct. 5, 1977, and Congress ratified it in June 1992.

One of the key issues the organization plans to address is the abrogation of voting rights in the United States.

“We intend to raise our continued concern with voter suppression laws that are taking place at state and local levels across the United States,” said Jokata Eaddy, NAACP senior director for voting rights. “We will also raise the issue of the denial of voting rights to District of Columbia residents, and the continued practice of felony disenfranchisement.”

Last September, the NAACP, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Hip Hop Caucus, co-authored a shadow report on felony disenfranchisement, or the removal of voting rights due to previous criminal convictions. That report was submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee ahead of the review.

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March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

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Prince George’s County Schools Get Boost from Peterson Donation

By Courtney Jacobs AFRO Staff Writer Milt Peterson, through the Peterson Family Foundation, donated $1 million to the Teach for America Program, designating the funds be used for Prince George’s County schools. “When you’re making a decision, you ask, ‘What are we investing in?’” Peterson, leading developer of the National Harbor said. “You say, ‘How much good is this investment going to do for those who need it?’ and Teach for America is very high on that because the return is evident. It’s evident right here. The importance of education is knowledge.”

The gift, being paid over four years, was announced during a March 10 news conference at William W. Hall Academy in Capitol Heights. A kindergarten class, a group of seventh graders, school staff, and various community leaders were on hand at the school’s media center. Principal MenSa Ankh Maa, who began his teaching career with Teach for America, thanked Peterson for the award. “Being a part of Teach for America is more than a two year commitment in the classroom,” Maa said while standing at the podium. “It is a lifestyle, a

movement, a definite decision to commit to the improvement of the educational system as the greatest lever of social change.”

The Teach For America D.C. Region/Prince George’s County collaboration started in 2007, with approximately 300 teachers being hired through the program.”We can’t be all that William W. Hall Academy students pose with dignitaries present at the announcement we should be and all that we can of the $1 million donation to Teach for America on behalf of Prince George’s County be unless we’re doing right in Schools. our public school systems across this country,” Prince George’s mentorship and coaching from veteran education experts.

County Public School CEO Kevin Maxwell said. “Great “What Teach For America has done for us today is to give us partnerships through organizations, businesses and foundations generations of education in Prince George’s County,” County are the key to our success as well. We absolutely know that we Executive Rushern L. Baker said. “Prince George’s County can’t do this work and be as successful as we should without is never going to be what it should be unless our educational these kinds of partnerships.” system is, not just the best in the state, but also the best in the Peterson’s investment will contribute to paying for ongoing nation, and the world. With the help of the Peterson family and teacher support and professional development, including Teach For America, we’re going to get that done.”

Maryland Senate Committee

Continued from A1 Sen. James Brochin, D-Baltimore, who said he was “torn” on the issue of marijuana, voted in favor of the decriminalization measure, as did Sen. Christopher Shank, R-Washington, who said his opinion has changed since he voted against a similar measure last year.

Brochin cited testimony from last month’s hearing by people who had dealt with marijuana-related charges and said he struggled with the fact that possessing a small amount of marijuana could become a “life ruiner”.

“This [bill] is like reigning in the police a little bit and saying, ‘You know what, it’s just a simple citation. You can give all the lectures you want, and they probably deserve a lecture, but at the

end of the day you’re not invoking terror on these kids.’”

However, Sen. Norman Stone, Jr., D-Baltimore County, argued that marijuana is often a gateway drug that leads to more harmful behavior. Critics of decriminalization say that it would promote a dangerous message.

The Washington, D.C., Council voted earlier this week to decriminalize marijuana, joining 16 states that have similar laws.

The bill that passed the Maryland Senate committee is more conservative than the District measure, which makes possession of up to one ounce of marijuana punishable by a $25 fine.

Zirkin told committee members that the amount of

marijuana his proposal would decriminalize is smaller than what is covered in any other decriminalization law in the country, and pointed out that states like Mississippi and North Carolina, considered more conservative, have moved to decriminalize small amounts of the drug.

A similar decriminalization bill died in Maryland’s House last year after passing through the Senate.

Delegate Heather Mizeur, D-Montgomery, is also sponsoring a decriminalization bill, scheduled for a hearing next week, while Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, is pushing to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. Raskin’s bill is awaiting a vote by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Black ‘Annie’ Continued from A1

examples of backward thinking from people who are too narrow-minded to see that a remake of a classic can be legitimately filmed with characters different from the originals. In Hollywood it’s called “non-traditional” casting--placing actors in roles regardless of race or gender if the casting won’t interfere with the production.

“I’m saying that Annie has always been a white red headed curly girl,” tweeted @ shakeitanggg. “This defeats the idea of who Annie is.”

“I’m not racist. ANNIE IS NOT BLACK. She is a cute little white girl with curly red hair. She does not have an Afro,” @stonemegan14 tweeted.

Some people, however, tweeted comments that were even more offensive.

“They made a n----Annie. Why?” tweeted @ ethanoflegend, who later changed his handle, possibly after receiving a flood of replies admonishing him for his remark.

“Annie was a freckled face

redhead, not a nappy head parasite infected #n----- s-tbag! #n------ruin everything!!” wrote @Bum_Farto cloaking himself behind anonymity.

The original Annie debuted on Broadway in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, with Andrea McArdle, a redheaded White girl in the lead role.

In 1982, Annie was released as a film again, this time starring Aileen Marie Quinn, who is also White. In 1999, a television rendition was released, again with a White child actress.

Town Hall

Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie The new Annie began production in August 2013 and is set to hit theaters on December 19, 2014.

In published reports,

Willow, now 13, said she turned down the role because she “just wanted to chill, and be at home, and decompress, and just find out what I wanna

do and where I stand on this planet…,” she is quoted as saying in several publications, including V magazine.

Will Smith is reported to have told an audience at Temple University in Philadelphia last year that his daughter begged out after her difficult “Whip My Hair Tour,” despite him trying to convince her of the opportunity the performance presented, according to christianpost.com.

“Daddy, I have a better idea. How about I just be 12,” Willow told her father, according to the website.

Continued from A1

the panel. Although Perez applauded the efforts of community organizations in getting the word out to African Americans about ACA, she stated that racial inequality continues to plague the way Black patients are treated.

“When we talk about racism in medicine it’s something that the National Medical Association has been publishing since 1909 in our journal has been publishing and advocating it since 1895,” she said. “About 95 percent of the vote came from the Black community for our beloved President Obama. Yet, when we look at who is insured, who is not insured, who needs good health information about diet, or exercise, there’s a disparity in how the information is distributed.”

Perez said there should be”covenant collaboration” between NMA and its partners. “It’s important for our partners to Photo by Maria Adebola advocate for us, just like we are advocating for everybody,” she Dr. Pamela Freeman Fobbs said. served as the moderator Rev. Powell concurred that more organizations and churches need to work together to address the marginalization of Black patients. Powell said he is aware that the ACA might have issues and problems, but it is a step to bringing civic groups together to brainstorm strategies to educate and empower the community.

Lawrence Sanders, an internist from Atlanta, discussed how faith-based organizations and physicians could care for people to ensure the best possible health at the end of life. “I believe that this combination of faith-based ideas, and what we do as physicians, have a natural relationship,” said Sanders. “But at the end of life, I believe they have probably the most significant relationship.”

Shearin responded that there are hospitals in the D.C. area that asks patients about their church affiliations and a contact person in the faith arena. “I think that as healthcare moves from a system based on value to a system based on quality and an outcome, collaboration becomes important,” said Sanders to the AFRO. “I wanted to raise that dialogue as a way of having us begin to think about what are concrete opportunities where the clergy of a faith-based organization and physicians and other clinicians can work together and how can we do it.”

Ridgnal said the topic raised important issues that needed to be addressed, especially in the AfricanAmerican community. “I think this is a really layered topic and there’s so much nuance to it,” said Ridgnal.

“I’m hoping that people leave feeling like there’s a more collaborative organizational structure now that they can fold into.”

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

Eastern Shore Campuses Could be Exhibit One in ‘Coalition Case’ Against the State of Maryland

By Dianna Rodgers-Ford Special to the AFRO

Alumni and friends of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore recently gathered on the Princess Anne campus for the annual homecoming festivities. During the week, many of us commuted from our hotels in Salisbury, passing by Salisbury University as many as several times a day. We could not help but notice the tremendous contrast between the level of investment the state has made in that campus compared to

It leaves no question why a Federal judge recently ruled that Maryland continues to operate a segregated system of higher education in violation of the U.S. constitution. the meager resources invested in our alma mater. It leaves no question why a Federal judge recently ruled that Maryland continues to operate a segregated system of higher education in violation of the U.S. constitution.

Properties which once housed private residences, a medical center, a corporate plant and apple and peach orchards, are now the sites of Salisbury University’s beautiful classroom buildings, administrative office buildings, a university

sponsored retail center, an athletic complex and a sprawling complex of student housing. It is at an illustration of how well Maryland has supported the Salisbury campus and how poorly the state has supported UMES. We were stunned to hear that, for the period of 2005 to 2010 alone, the state invested $113 million in facilities at Salisbury while appropriating only $3 million at UMES. However, actually seeing the disparities created by the vast difference in funding between the two campuses was like pouring salt into an open wound.

But the injury gets worse. All of the growth and development at Salisbury is built around programs once unique to UMES which were duplicated at the Salisbury campus during the late 1970s. Programs in business and computer and information sciences which historically accounted for a large percentage of enrollment at the Princess Anne campus now represent the largest enrollment at Salisbury.

Those facts are a grim reminder of how Maryland State College President John Taylor Williams once pleaded with the governor and legislators to provide more operating funds, student financial aid and acceptable classroom space; how President William P. Hytche argued against Salisbury State College’s duplication of UMES business and computer science programs; how Presidents Delores Spikes and Thelma Thompson struggled with the state for programs in pharmacy and engineering, an appropriate match for federal funding for agriculture and cooperative extension, and sorely needed classroom and research facilities.

Our current, President Juliette Bell, will undoubtedly make similar attempts to develop the campus. Unfortunately, she too is doomed to fail in her attempt to bridge the disparities in resources. Neither her commitment nor competence will matter unless alumni of UMES and the other Historically Black Institutions insist on the remedies outlined in the Oct. 7 federal court ruling for addressing disparities in academic programs and related funding and facilities. That is the only way UMES can become what a previous president referred to as “a multidisciplinary, multiracial, multicultural and multinational university.”

Dianna Rodgers-Ford is a member of the Class of 1969 (then Maryland State College now University of Maryland Eastern Shore) and past president of the UMES National Alumni Association.

Gray Faces Uphill Battle Continued from A1

him. He pointed to the people who had attended the speech as if that proved he has widespread public support. “I think that people recognize what happened, what it is,” he said. “I think that there are lots of people out here who support us. Period,” Gray said.

Alexander, who succeeded him as council member in Ward 7 when he was elected mayor in 2010, said she believes he has not lost the public’s trust. “He just told all of these hundreds of people that he did not commit any crime. I know he’s a man of integrity, so I’m with him all the way,” said Alexander (D-Ward 7).

Political analysts said those are odd and perhaps even careless observations from seasoned politicians who should know that scandal of any sort can be the end of even the most illustrious political career. Even as Gray seems to think the scandal won’t stick, other candidates in the mayor’s race subtly took advantage of having the top contender hobbled, if not sidelined all together.

Council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) said in statements earlier this week that the allegations against Gray reflected poorly on the city. Bowser called the accusations against the mayor “a flagrant betrayal of the public’s trust.”

Evans indicated that Gray should step down, which many accused politicians are loathe to do in this day of denying responsibility. “I believe he should do what’s in the best interest of the city,” Evans said.

Despite Gray’s claim that he’s still in good with the citizenry, there are many who believe him to be corrupt. “I think it’s real and I think it’s true, because it seems like all of these VIPs, politicians, Congress people, they all crooks.

They’re always in the media,” said Jocelyn Golphin, a front desk receptionist at the National Press Club in Northwest Washington. She said she will not vote for Gray in the next election.

The Democratic primary, which will likely determine the District of Columbia’s next mayor, has been turned upside down by the allegations. “It is a bombshell,” said legal and political analyst A. Scott Bolden about the claims made by Thompson, who made millions on D.C. government contracts.

“Of all the people who’ve pled guilty in this investigation, all of them have denied Mayor Gray’s involvement. And here is the chief architect of this illegal effort saying he allegedly had direct contact with the mayor.”

Thompson told prosecutors Gray knew about his scheme to pump more than $660,000 into a shadow campaign on his behalf. In fact, prosecutors said, Gray had a code name for

Thompson to hide his identity, “Uncle Earl.” In one of at least two face-to-face meetings, Gray allegedly handed over a one-

Photo by Travis Riddick

page budget for $425,000 in get-out-the-vote expenses that Thompson then funded, according to his plea agreement.

In exchange, Thompson said, around August 2011 he requested Gray’s help in expediting a settlement agreement between the District government and one of his companies, and shortly thereafter, the matter was resolved. Thompson’s supposed arrangement with Gray was part of an ongoing scheme in which he and his companies secretly channeled more than $3.3 million in illegal contributions to at least 28 local and federal political candidates and their campaigns over a decade, prosecutors said.

Thompson is the president, CEO and owner of D.C. Healthcare Systems (DCHS), which makes about $300 million annually from D.C. government contracts. He pleaded guilty to the federal offenses of conspiring to violate federal campaign finance laws and submitting false filings to the IRS. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate D.C. campaign finance laws.

“Jeff Thompson’s guilty plea pulls back the curtain to expose widespread corruption,” U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen

Jr. told reporters on March 10. “His plea gives the citizens of D.C. an inside look at the underground, off-the-book schemes that have corrupted election after election, year after year in the District.”

Machen urged Thompson’s co-conspirators “to come forward now and own up to your conduct.”

The words may have been a direct challenge to Gray who has denied any culpability.

Prosecutors would likely need independent corroboration of Thompson’s allegations to make an indictment against the mayor stick. But the latest accusations darken the cloud that has hovered over Gray during the three-year probe. Four high-level aides associated with his 2010 campaign have pleaded guilty to felonies for orchestrating the illicit funding scheme bankrolled

by Thompson, and to other corruption charges.

“It is going to be very damaging for his campaign,” said David Bositis, a longtime expert on Black politics. “For voters still on the fence in the Democratic primary race the question now is what if we nominate him and he gets indicted? And for a lot of people it is reinforcing a belief they already had, that he did know about [the shadow campaign].”

Bolden said he believes law enforcement officials timed things that way. Thompson and his lawyers stonewalled prosecutors for years and only came forth when he was offered a deal that could see him spending a maximum of six months in prison. He faced as much as five years. “That offer and that plea deal was timed by the U.S. attorney to infect the election outcome [since] the mayor, as an incumbent who has been under three years of investigation, has been leading in the race,” Bolden said. “After three years the U.S. attorney has not brought one indictment against the mayor. That is an untenable political and legal circumstance. So, while the government may not be ready to legally indict the mayor now – if they ever will be – they can indict him in the political and public arena. And the timing of this deal clearly supports that theory.”

Bositis said the fact that U.S. Attorney Machen, who is Black, is operating under the aegis of a Department of Justice run by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is not someone people suspect of persecuting Black officials, adds legitimacy to the allegations against Gray. “This is Obama’s man; he works for Eric Holder. This isn’t some White prosecutor going after a Black politician, so if they’re thinking of indicting him then that’s [likely] where the evidence is pointing. And that changes things in Black people’s minds,” he said.

Maria Adebola and LaTrina Antoine contributed to this report.

‘I Didn’t Break the Law” Continued from A1

campaign.

As he appeared before an audience heavy with supporters at Kelly Miller Middle School in Ward 7, where he was elected to the D.C. Council in 2004, Gray said while some people now consider him “just another corrupt politician from another part of town,” he has done nothing wrong.

“I say this to all of you now—clearly and unequivocally,” he said. “I didn’t break the law.”

He had harsh words for Thompson, whose potential jail time is believed to have been slashed from a likely sentence of five years to six months when he cooperated with authorities.

“Federal authorities, who have conducted a wide-ranging investigation into years of campaign and election fraud, brought a man to justice yesterday,” Gray said. “That man sought to illegally subvert the election of President Barack Obama and illegally pumped money into 28 District and federal campaigns and elections over the past decade. Federal investigators are now using this man’s words to suggest that I broke the law.”

He later referred to Thompson as “a greedy man attempting to save himself.”

Indeed, there are many in Washington who question Thompson’s veracity, even as they suspect that Gray’s hands are not entirely clean.

“I surely don’t believe anybody should use Jeffrey Thompson’s word as the basis for an investigation, knowing what he has done,” said Roberta Williams, 37, a marketing consultant who moved to the District last year from the

Midwest. “He’s obviously dirty. The mayor associated with him, but people who are operating on the wrong side of the law often hide it from others, so I’m not sure if the mayor knew Thompson was doing.”

Thompson’s timing couldn’t have been worse for Gray with three weeks left before the April 1 primary. He is believed to have held a lead over his opponents.

Gray used the speech to highlight successes of his

“In short, the state of the District is strong—certainly much stronger than it was just three short years ago when I took office and perhaps the strongest its ever been.”

–Vincent Gray administration, including higher test scores among students and an increase in public school enrollment to the current 83,000; a drop in the unemployment rate from 11 percent when he took office to 7.8 percent; the creation of 34,000 jobs; a $1.75 billion budget surplus; the investment of $187 million in affordable housing; and a population that is increasing by 1,000 people per month taking the current number of residents to 647,000, a population not seen since 1979.

He cited development projects including the CityCenter, which is near completion in the old D.C. Convention Center; the redevelopment of the historic O Street Market into a retail and housing complex; the renovation of the Howard Theatre; the Shops at Dakota Crossing, including the city’s first Costco; and the ground breaking on March 12 of the Skyland Town Center.

“In short, the state of the District is strong—certainly much stronger than it was just three short years ago when I took office and perhaps the strongest its ever been,” Gray said.

As shortcomings, he listed the achievement gap between minority and White students, the unease that often exists between long-time residents and those new to the city,. the shrinking availability of affordable housing and the need to make sure that development and its benefits reach every area of the city.

Gray told the audience that he has spent his career in public service, from running Covenant House to working for the Department of Human Services to founding a “nonprofit to rescue homeless children” before being elected to the D.C. Council.

“I have spent my entire life in public service, all of it with a clean and unblemished record,” Gray said. “Why would I, at the tail end of that, suddenly turn on that life, a life lived openly and honestly?”

His supporters answered with cheers of “Four more years!

Four more years!”

LaTrina Antoine and Maria Adebola contributed to this report.

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

Gala Marks Howard University’s 90th Charter Day

By AFRO Staff

Phylicia Rashad, mistress of ceremonies

More than 1,500 guests were on hand March 8 at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington for Howard University’s 90th Charter Day Gala. Each year the event raises funds to provide scholarships to deserving students. This year’s event raised almost $10 million, including $4.9 from the trust of the late Dr. Richard Francis Jones, who once served as chief of urology at Howard University Hospital. Alfred C. Liggins III, CEO and president of media conglomerate Radio One, gave $4 million to the Howard University School of Communications in honor of his mother and company founder, Cathy Hughes.

The mistress of ceremonies for the event was Tony Award-winning actress, singer and director Phylicia Rashad, a Howard alumnus. Entertainment was provided by Grammy Award-winning gospel singer and actor BeBe Winans.

A highlight of the evening occurred when two scholarship students were invited to the dais to discuss how the aid they received kept them in school, instead of being forced to drop out for lack of funds, as many Black students do each year.

Howard honored four members of the alumni for extraordinary achievement. The awardees were Dr. Patricia E. Bath, recognized for her success in medicine, ophthalmology, and research; T. Eloise Foster, honored for her accomplishments in public service; Dr. James H. Johnson Jr., for STEM education; and Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., recognized for his exemplary work in medicine, surgery and public health.

The event marked the 147th anniversary of the charter enacted by Congress, and subsequently approved by President Andrew Johnson on March 2, 1867, which established Howard University.

On Friday, March 7, Howard held the Charter Day convocation. The keynote speaker was Jamie Dimon, board chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co, who urged students to work hard to pursue their goals. The guests included a Who’s Who of the Washington area’s most influential Black business, political and public service leaders.

BeBe Winans performs

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

COMMUNITY CONNECTION Silver Spring, Md.

GapBuster to Host Annual Health Expo GapBuster, a nonprofit educational organization based in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, will host their annual health expo on May 17. The event, which will be held at Ellworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring, will bring awareness to teen health issues in the community. For more information: 301-779-4252.

Archdiocese of Washington Hosts Annual Confessional Campaign For the seventh year, the Archdiocese of Washington is partnering with the Diocese of Arlington for “The Light Is ON” initiative in which all Catholic churches in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and Northern Virginia will be open on Wednesday evenings during Lent for confession and quiet prayer.

More than 200 churches will be open on March 12, 19 and 26 as well as April 2, 9 and 16. All Catholics, especially those who have not been actively participating in the life of the Church or the Sacrament of Reconciliation, are invited to experience a renewal of spirit through the gift of confession.

Lent is the 40-day penitential period before Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It was chosen as the time period for the initiative, because it is a season when Catholics place an extra focus on God’s mercy and forgiveness.

“The Light Is ON” campaign, which began in the Archdiocese of Washington in 2007, is an opportunity for the faithful to deepen their relationship with Christ by uniting themselves to God’s merciful love, which absolves Catholics from their faults.

PGCPS Students Among Regional SkillsUSA Competition Winners Seven Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) students excelled in the annual Maryland SkillsUSA Regional Competition early February. These students now have the opportunity to compete in the state competition in April.

Trayvon Washington, of Suitland High School received the first place “Carpentry” award. Meanwhile, Jazmine Tinsley, of Laurel High School, received the third place “cosmetology” award.

“Congratulations to all of the students who competed in this competition,” said Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, Chief Executive Officer for Prince George’s

County Public Schools. “We are proud of their accomplishments as they demonstrate mastery in career and technical skills that prepare them for the future.”

This year’s competition theme is SkillsUSA: Champions at Work, Education and Skilled to lead America. The following students placed in the competition: For a full list of winners, visit: www.pgcps.org

College Park, Md.

University of Maryland to host 1st Annual Conference on Racial Identity Development Racial identity development will be the central issue addressed at a national conference to be held on March 27 at the University of Maryland College Park.

In its inaugural year, the Conference on Racial Identity Development (CORID) will allow participants the opportunity to increase their understanding of various aspects of racial identity as a tool to support students, faculty and staff as well as constructively address racial challenges and interactions in institutions of higher education. The conference is hosted by the Office of Multi-ethnic Student Education at the University of Maryland.

“This year’s conference promises to be one of the most thought-provoking, with leading racial identity experts scheduled to discuss the most salient issues as it relates to race and higher education,” said Christopher Lester, EdD, director of the Office of Multi-ethnic Student Education at the University of Maryland.

A keynote luncheon address, “Talking Justice: Using Words and Voice to Make Change,” will be delivered by Marybeth Gasman, PhD, a professor of Higher Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the newly founded Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

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March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

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COMMENTARY

Our Challenge and Opportunity

Last month, President Barack Obama challenged America to do more to help young men and boys of color succeed in life. His charge was a personal one for me, as it should be for everyone who cares about the future of our country.

The president showed vision and courage as he acknowledged that his own youth had been less than perfect. Yet, he declared, with the help and Elijah Cummings opportunity available to him in a “more forgiving” environment, he had been able to succeed. “They never gave up on me,” he declared, “so I did not give up on myself.”

This, I believe, should be a lesson for us all as we seek to help the young Black boys and men in our own communities.

President Obama made it clear to the young people he invited to the White House for the launch of My Brother’s Keeper, that the ultimate responsibility for their lives is squarely their own. Then, challenging us all, the president asked us to work both harder and smarter to instill hope and opportunity in a generation that is facing difficult odds.

The president noted, but did not belabor, “the stubborn fact” that life chances for young Black and brown males are far worse than for their contemporaries. He did not soft pedal the devastating consequences of poverty, prejudice, or dysfunctional families. What President Obama did do was challenge all of us to do what we can to change the heartbreaking equations that plague far too many young men of color in our society.

The $200 million initial commitment by the foundations and businesses that have agreed to work together as partners will not be the entire answer for young Black boys and men. Nor is there any quick fix for the devastation that is

consuming so many young lives.

Still, as Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson has observed, “It’s a start.”

Now, the world knows something of the story of Solomon Northrup, a “free” Black American from New York who was kidnapped by slave-hunters in the 1840s and for the next 12 years suffered the life of a captive in America’s man-made hell of Negro Slavery. And now, the world knows a truer version of what antebellum America’s “peculiar institution” – its peculiar evil – was and the pain it caused Lee A. Daniels the nearly 4 million Africans and African-Americans directly ensnared in it and the half-million other blacks who, like Northrup, endured a precarious status that was far from true freedom.

“12 Years a Slave” gained Hollywood’s highest honor, the Academy Award for the best picture of 2013, capping a spectacular run of film-world honors and “buzz” from its opening last year. It became the first feature film directed by a Black man to win the top Academy Award; and its victory was made all the sweeter by Lupita Nyong’o winning the Oscar for best supporting actress. Understandably, the glow of the acclaim rightly awarded the film and the emergence of its director, Steve McQueen, and Nyong’o as artists of the first rank is still neon-bright.

So, it may be difficult for some to see the broader current of history that envelops both the film and Solomon Northrup’s

1853 written narrative of the same title—to understand what his experience of pain and brutality, countered, most importantly, by an indomitable will to re-gain his freedom shares with some recent developments that at first glance seem far removed in time and distance.

I’m thinking, for example, of the stunning discovery in Munich, Germany late last year of more than 1,400 paintings stolen or confiscated by Nazi officials from their Jewish owners and from museums during the 1940s a shadowy, reclusive German had hidden away in his apartment all these decades.

And I’m also thinking of the efforts of Japan’s current prime minister to erase the facts of the country’s savage expansionist policies and actions – and crimes against humanity – during the wars on the Asian mainland and in the Pacific in the 1930s and 1940s.

The contrast is striking. On the one hand, the world has re-discovered paintings by some of the greatest artists of the last three centuries which had been lost to the world for nearly 70 years – an incalculable re-addition to the world’s cultural treasure. On the other, Japan’s national political leader is trying to pretend the evil his country engaged in a half-century ago didn’t happen.

What these things, and many more, have in common is that they show that the events and facts of history can be buried, and re-discovered—and, if the world isn’t vigilant, buried again.

Certainly, until recently that has described the arc of Black Americans’ existence. Solomon Northrup’s memoir was widely publicized and sold well when it first appeared in 1853, as the furious national debate about slavery careened inexorably toward the Civil War. But it was largely forgotten in the war’s aftermath, and

White America’s betrayal of Reconstruction. The truths of Black Americans’ enslavement and their achievements were most often distorted and drained of all positive meaning by “White” science, “White” theology, “White” politics, and “White” history—and, beginning with D.W. Griffiths’ landmark film of 1915, “Birth of A Nation,” by many of the “White” Hollywood movies that, far more than school history texts, were how most Americans “learned” about American history.

Indeed, its innovative cinematic techniques and concepts combined with its vicious racism to make “Birth” an enormously influential justification for the pervasive racist laws and policies Whites in the North and South had adopted and were adding to. And its portrayal of Blacks hung like a winding sheet over Hollywood films whose plots contained even minimal references to Blacks or a token number of Black actors. Its most prominent film offspring, 1939’s blockbuster, “Gone With The Wind,” powerfully reinforced for another three decades Blacks’ second-class status on and off the silver screen.

So, is it just a coincidence that “12 Years a Slave” has gained Hollywood’s most prestigious prize during the year that marks the 75th anniversary of the premiere of “Gone With the Wind,” and also the eve of the 100th anniversary of “Birth of A Nation?”

Or is it correct to think that the breakthrough of “12 Years a Slave” at the box office and at the Academy Awards is the result of not only a gripping story, excellent script and fine cast and director at work, but of history, too?

Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City.

middle-income households, defined as- those earning $56,113 to $91,356, 25 percent of these consumers do not have enough savings to cover living expenses for three months.

Further, the majority of consumers in 37 states and the District of Columbia do not have credit scores high enough to be eligible for the lowest available lending rates for short-term credit. In Mississippi, more than 69 percent of consumers have subprime credit scores, making it the worst state in the nation.

The highest levels of liquid asset poverty are concentrated in nine Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. In Alabama, more than 62 percent – almost two out of three consumers – do not have a personal financial safety net. Nevada is the only state outside of the Deep South among the 10 worst rankings for liquid asset poverty.

As CFED analyzed state and local policy responses in the wake of the nation’s financial crisis and recession, it created a policy scorecard that measured state responses to 67 policy areas. State and local concerns with growing economic inequality launched programs to raise the minimum wage, encourage long-term college savings plans and courted unbanked consumers to become a part of the financial mainstream.

For lifting 9.4 million people out of poverty in 2011, the report praised the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). In addition to this federal program, 25 states and the District of Columbia enacted their own versions of EITC that ranged from 3.5 percent to as high as 40 percent of the federal credit.

“For the first time, these rankings allow us to draw a line

in many states between the strength of policies and outcomes for family economic security,” the report notes. The data shows that policies aimed at decreasing poverty and creating more opportunities for low-income families can make a real difference.

Even with these public initiatives, growing costs of higher education continue to lead to even higher levels of student debt.

According to the report, the average student debt for college graduates grew from $27,150 in 2011 to $29,400 in 2012.

Additionally, both employer-sponsored retirement plans and homeownership levels respectively dropped a percentage point from 2010 to 2012. Nationwide in 2012, retirement plans slipped to 44 percent.

For consumers of color, CFED’s report reads much like the familiar financial refrain of earlier research: Two out of three households of color are liquid asset poor, lacking a financial cushion to respond to financial emergencies; Only 42 percent of consumers of color were homeowners; while White homeownership now stands at 72 percent; and The median net worth for consumers of color amounted to $12,377 – only one-tenth of the median net worth of White consumers – $110,637.

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) advocates that homeownership remains the best investment vehicle to help low-wealth families to build wealth and grow into the middle class.

We know, for example, there are critical junctures in young lives where positive intervention and support can make a big difference. Now, on a national basis, foundations, corporations, and the executive branch will be working to identify and build upon those local solutions that already are making a difference. This is the rekindling of a movement, a national effort in which we all have important roles to play. Our central organizing concept is both simple and profound: support what works.

Memories like my own, I believe, are what give the president confidence when he declares, “We know what to do for these young men.” I was honored to be invited to this event at the White House. Yet, during the presentations, it was the wonderful human beings who lifted me up in life – more than memories of my own efforts on behalf of our young – that filled my mind. Like President Obama, and most of us who have gained a measure of success, I know precisely whom to remember, and thank, for my life.

I thought about Dad and Mother, who struggled economically to give their children an empowering education, taught us values by their example, and accepted no excuses when we stumbled along the road to our dreams. I remembered the NAACP’s Juanita Jackson Mitchell, who stood up for us children during the integration of Riverside swimming pool, showing us that we had rights that others had to respect.

I recalled great teachers like Mr. Hollis Posey, who taught to my strengths and never allowed me to fall prey to the lowered expectations that some had held for me and community

leaders like “Captain” Jim Smith, who made our neighborhood recreation league into an all-encompassing family. There is the AFRO’s John (Jake) Oliver, a powerful role model who took the time and effort to encourage me academically; and Dr. Albert Friedman, our neighborhood pharmacist, who trusted me, gave me my first regular job, and helped me all the way through college.

These positive memories are what allow me to push past my doubts and work to make a difference in young lives. So too, we all can have confidence in our competence to contribute because someone made that difference for us.

We all know of similar programs that are making a difference in young lives. Now, President Obama is challenging each of us to get involved. For young Americans of color, we can, and must, become their ladders to opportunity.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Read more on afro.com

‘12 Years a Slave’ and the Tides of History

Ways to Close the Nation’s Wealth Gap

Charlene Crowell

Today, middle class households feel the same financial stress that lowand moderate-income families have borne for years, says new research by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), a national nonprofit organization working to alleviate poverty and create economic opportunity. In its report, Treading Water in the Deep End, CFED analyzes the financial security of American households and public policy responses to

the financial crisis.

“As millions of Americans struggle to save for emergencies, investing in their futures is increasingly out of reach,” the report notes.

Liquid asset poverty is defined in the report as a household budget that is so tight that any unforeseen expenditure such as a car repair or medical expense cannot be managed without incurring debt. The financial insecurity of America’s liquid asset poor is CFED’s focus of findings.

The report found that the majority of the nation’s liquid asset poor are employed (89 percent), White (59 percent) and have at least some college education (48 percent). Even among

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending.

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

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I’ve got a plan.”

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DCHealthLink.com or call 855-532-LINK

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

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Charles Briggs escorting Krystal Jenkins, 2013 Mardi Gras Queen Alpha Omega Chapter, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, hosted its 57th Annual Mardi Gras, Feb 7, at the Washington Hilton International Ballroom in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Nearly 2,000 brothers, guests and revelers descended for an evening of fun, merriment and gaiety while generating funds to help finance the community service and social action projects the chapter is involved in. The celebration of Mardi Gras – French for “Fat Tuesday” – is a tradition among the chapters of Omega Psi Phi. Chapter basileus, Walter Hill Jr. and Charles Briggs, chair, Mardi Gras Committee presented another successful evening that ultimately uplifts the residents of the National Capitol Region.

Brothers stepping at the Mardi Gras Greetings by Marion B. Allen, emcee

Ms. Senior DC 2013, Nancy Berry and John Lewis

Dr. Sauyrette Wims-Foy and Dr. Harrison Foy

Walter Hill Jr., left, basileus, Alpha Omega Chapter and Dr. Andrew Ray, 2nd from the left, grand basileus, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity with other members of Omega

Alpha Omega Chapter Basileus Walter Hill Jr. and Grand Basileus Dr. Andrew Ray congratulate newly crowned 2014 Mardi Gras Queen, Rachael Radley

Brothers singing Omega Dear directed by Frank Patterson

Dr. Gerald Nordè and the Rev. Dr. Valerie Jordan Mathews

The Omega Chorale

Masks are mandatory to celebrate Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Combo leads the Parade of Patrons in Costumes Parade of Patrons in Costumes; the Umbrellas

Parade of Patrons in Costumes; A Deck of Cards

Krystal Jenkins, seated, 2013 Mardi Gras Queen with the 2014 contestants: Diana Ofunwa, Rachael Radley and Ashley McPherson

AKAs in attendance to celebrate Mardi Gras

Gary Thompson, Barbara Mitchell, Glenda and Robert Owens Photos by Rob Roberts

Edgar Brookins and DeGloria Hallman with Omega brothers and their guests from Howard University

LaTonya Manning, Naha Martin, Ebony Andrews, Miss Black DC USA 2014

Everyone is in costumes, masks and hats, ready to swing to the music

Demetria Lucas, cast member of the reality show, Blood, Sweat and Heels (BSH) on the Bravo network hosted a screening and book signing at LIMA’S in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Family, friends and guests were treated to an evening of fun and frivolity as they interacted with Demetria during a live Q & A where she shared some of the inner workings and background on the show and its cast members. After screening an upcoming episode of Demetria Lucas with BSH, she autographed her new book, “Don’t Waste Your Pretty” and gave additional insight publicist Lanta Summers on the reason she wrote the book. Demetria grew up in Prince George’s County and is the daughter of Larry and Camille Lucas. Before retirement, Larry was a senior executive with the Pharmaceutical Association and a long time member of guest with her book The proud parents of Demetria, One the Congressional Black Larry and Camille Lucas to be autographed Caucus Foundation.

Bambi Odumosu, Valerie Credit, Demetria Lucas, Christine Ceasar, Leslie Saint-Julioand Senna Shehadeh Judah Butler, Jewelz Dira, Julian Gravesande and Lyndia Carter

Guests enjoying some one-on-one with the host

Camille Stewart, Danielle Veira and Sharita Jennings

Larry and Camille Lucas, family friend, Arvelle Johnson and Edgar Brookins

These guests enjoying the viewing party Photos by Rob Roberts

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

OUR COVE POINT PROJECT IS

IN RESPECTING QUALITY OF LIFE. By limiting construction noise, traffic and other potential inconveniences, we’ll protect what makes Calvert County unique.

Dominion’s Cove Point project will have a very positive impact on the local economy.

Thousands of construction jobs, 75 high-paying permanent positions and tens of millions in annual county revenue will add to what’s already been a four-decade commitment to Calvert County and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. With the nation’s commitment to natural gas exports, it’s nice to know that the people who live and work here will enjoy its economic benefits.

Cove Point—another great solution for Southern Maryland.

To learn more visit dom.com/covepoint

@Dom_CovePoint

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

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ARTS & CULTURE

“The Single Moms Club” Interview

Nia on Everything from Making Movies to Motherhood

By Kam Williams

Stunningly-attractive leading lady Nia Long returned to the big screen last fall in the highlyanticipated sequel The Best Man Holiday where she reunited with original cast mates Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut and Harold Perrineau. Early last year, she joined the all-star cast of Showtime’s “House of Lies” alongside Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell.

Nia made her film debut in Boyz n The Hood, a poignant picture portraying social problems in inner-city Los Angeles. She subsequently starred Love Jones, which won the prestigious Audience Award at Sundance.

Nia’s portrayal of Officer Sasha Monroe on the hit crime drama “Third Watch” netted her a couple of NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Drama series.

In addition to her film and television work, Nia’s passion lies in serving her community.

She lends her support to Black Girls Rock, an organization that promotes the arts for young women of color and encourages dialogue on the ways women of color are portrayed in the media.

And in 2012, she was named an official surrogate to the Barack Obama reelection campaign.

Nia loves to cook fresh, farmer’s market meals with a twist of her Trinidadian heritage.

When she’s not juggling between her career and motherhood, she enjoys staying active by doing Pilates, boxing, hiking, and horseback riding.

Here, Nia talks about co-starring as May in The Single Moms Club opposite her son Massai, as well as Amy Smart, Zulay Henao, Tyler Perry, Terry Crews, Wendi McLendonCovey and Cocoa Brown.

KW: What interested you in ‘The Single Moms Club?’

NL: The title alone. I think it’s a world we haven’t explored on film. And I feel that single mommies don’t get enough praise and accolades. I’ve had first-hand experience.

My mother was a single mom. As far as I’m concerned, mommies, in general, rule the world.

And single mothers just take it to a whole other level.

KW: Congratulations on the latest ‘Essence’ magazine cover!

NL: Oh, thank you!

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How was it having your son, Massai, play your son, and what acting advice did you give him?

NL: I actually sent him to my acting coach, Betty Bridges.

Black Twitter Flexing Muscles On and Offline

By Jesse Holland The Associated Press Michael Dunn’s conviction of attempted murder — but not actual murder — in the shooting death of Black teenager Jordan Davis prompted the creation of hashtag #dangerousblackkids on Twitter. Users posted photos of Black babies and toddlers, spoofing the fear that Dunn testified he felt before opening fire on a car full of teens at a convenience store.

That was the calling card of Black Twitter, a small corner of the social media giant where an unabashedly Black spin on life gets served up 140 characters at a time. Black Twitter holds court on pretty much everything from President Barack Obama to the latest TV reality show antics. But Black Twitter can also turn activist quickly.

When it does, things happen — like the cancellation of a book deal for a juror in the George Zimmerman trial, or the demise of Zimmerman’s subsequent attempt to star at celebrity boxing.

Catchy hashtags give clues that the tweeting in question is a Black Twitter thing.

“It’s kind of like the Black table in the lunchroom, sort of, where people with like interests and experiences, and ways of talking and communication, lump together and talk among themselves,” said Tracy Clayton, a blogger and editor at Buzzfeed known on Twitter as @ brokeymcpoverty.

“Black Twitter brings the fullness of Black humanity into the social network and that is why it has become so fascinating,” said Kimberly C. Ellis, who has a doctorate in American and Africana Studies, tweets as @ drgoddess and is studying Black Twitter for her upcoming book, The Bombastic Brilliance of Black Twitter.

– Kimberly C. Ellis According to a Pew Research Center report, while similar numbers of Blacks and Whites use the Internet — 80 percent and 87 percent, respectively — 22 percent of those Blacks who were online used Twitter in 2013, compared with 16 percent of online Whites.

Meredith Clark, a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who is writing her dissertation on Black Twitter, likened it to “Freedom’s Journal,” the first African-American newspaper in the United States. On that publication’s first front page in 1827, it declared: “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.”

“If you are from a particularly marginalized community or one where others have spoken for you, but you have not had the agency to really speak for yourself or make your truth known, then it is absolutely necessary that in any instance you can take on that agency that you do so,” said Clark, who tweets from @meredithclark.

“And so that is what you see happening in Black Twitter.”

Mainstream U.S. media first took serious notice of Black Twitter last year, when it abruptly rose up to scuttle a book deal for a juror in the trial of Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin. That was the first time that Blacks used Twitter “in a very powerful and political way,” said Houston Black social media consultant Crystal Washington.

“Black Twitter brings the fullness of Black humanity into the social network and that is why it has become so fascinating.”

Read more on Afro.com

Courtesy photo

Nia Long returns to the big screen in The Single Moms Club, as Mary, a single mom with a young son.

KW: Will we ever get to see a ‘Love Jones’ sequel?

NL: I have no idea. There have been a lot of rumors, and some bad versions of scripts. I don’t know what’s going to happen. All I do know is that unless it’s right, we won’t do it.

KW: You’ll be playing a lawyer on The Divide, a dramatic TV series debuting this summer. Have you started shooting the first season yet?

NL: We have been shooting in cold Toronto. We only have one more episode to go. I’ve been working with Tony Goldwyn, Richard LaGravenese and an amazing group of actors. I play a strong, successful mom.

KW: What’s the show about?

NL: All of us have moments in our lives when we have to choose between what we know is right and what we feel obligated to do. I think that’s the theme of the show. What is your divide? What are the things you struggle with?

KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

NL: At home, it’s all about my babies and no makeup. On the red carpet, it’s: Am I standing up straight?

KW: We’re out of time, Nia, and I still have a million more questions for you from fans.

NL: I’m so sorry. We can do another one soon, Kam. Read more on Afro.com

B4

The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

SPORTS

Should the Chicago Bulls Make a Move on Carmelo Anthony?

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Desk It doesn’t take much to get rumors rolling in sports.

A whisper here or a rumor there could start a landslide of propaganda and intrigue in which the thought sometimes has more substance than the actual truth.

Such rumors ran wild this past week when word broke that Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah pitched New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony during the AllStar weekend on the idea of joining Noah and the injured Derrick Rose in Chicago this summer, should Anthony opt out of his current contract, as some expect him to do?

Never mind that the Bulls currently don’t have space under the NBA’s salary cap to offer Anthony a sizable deal, and forget that Anthony is still very much the centerpiece of New York’s future plans.

Trade and free agency rumors in basketball aren’t always about what’s real and what’s not, but rather what might work. The AFRO Sports Desk debates the idea of Anthony becoming a Bull.

Riley: Despite their current salary cap problems, if Chicago needed to make room for a player like Anthony then they would most certainly find a way, and that pairing

would most certainly work.

Obviously, Rose’s health would be the major question mark, but considering he would be two years removed from an ACL rupture and a whole season removed from a meniscus tear, the 25-year-old should be ready to roll this October. Rose was already a devastating scorer before he went down, but if you add Rose’s ability to Anthony’s and mix in some patented Chicago Bulls defense under master orchestrator Tom Thibodeau, that team would have a chance to finish in the top two in the Eastern Conference. The star power of Rose and Anthony backed by an anchor in the middle like Noah would form the new Big Three in the NBA. Green: It wouldn’t work.

You can’t trust Rose’s knees at this point and how much better would the Bulls be than the Indiana Pacers or Miami Heat? If Anthony is looking to win now, then the last thing he should do is tie himself to another player who hasn’t been healthy in more than two seasons. In a perfect world, Rose would be 100 percent healthy and the pairing would work. But a point guard like Rose relies mostly on his athleticism, and Anthony would be risking the remaining prime years of his career on a player recovering from multiple major knee

surgeries—a risk that not too many players would take.

Then there would be the matter of moving contracts around to make room for Anthony. Would it even be worth Chicago’s time to get a guy who could possibly throw off the whole framework of the Bulls’ offense?

Riley: The only risk for Anthony in going to Chicago would be Rose’s health.

Everything else would flow well together, from fitting in with the team’s offensive and defensive concepts to having free reign to shoot away. It would be comparable to Oklahoma City, and how Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook trade shots while other players clean up and do the dirty work. I can’t knock Rose for consecutive fluke injury seasons. We’ve seen him hoist an MVP trophy while making a mockery out of defenses geared to stop him. We’ve also seen him guide his team to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. If you add Anthony to that type of atmosphere, with another dominant scorer and an elite post defender in Noah, and have those three coached by one of the best in the business, then you’re setting yourself up for a title run.

Green: I honestly believe the best days of D. Rose’s

Should Anthony opt out of his current contract, as some expect him to do? career are over. He will probably never be the same explosive scorer that he was before the injuries, so the superstar mystique that he once possessed is long gone.

Therefore, if Melo goes to Chicago, there won’t be two superstars in town, only one—and that’s Melo. Now, I do love the Bulls coach, Tom

Thibodeau. He’s probably one of the best coaches currently in the NBA, outside of the obvious legends like Greg Popovich and Doc Rivers.

Thibodeau knows how to get anybody to perform at their best, and Melo would certainly thrive under his tutelage. But there’s another rumor circulating now that the

Knicks may offer Phil Jackson a job as their president of basketball operations. If Phil comes to New York, there’s no way Carmelo Anthony leaves. Phil knows how to win championships, and his presence in New York alone would be enough to keep Melo in the Big Apple and far away from the Windy City.

Campaign Underway to Finally Elect NFL Legend Raymond Chester into Football Hall of Fame

By Breana Pitts Special to the AFRO Four-time Pro Bowler. Super Bowl Champion. NFL Rookie of the Year. United States Football League Man of the Year.

Bay Area Pro Athlete of the Year. Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Maryland Athlete Hall of Fame—and the list goes on.

Raymond Chester is widely considered one of the greatest tight ends of his era. From his days with the historic, undefeated Morgan State team of 1968 to playing in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts, Chester has always been among the best of the best.

But the football legend has yet to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite his long list of accolades and impressive statistics comparable to those of the eight tight ends enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

The tight end position has evolved over the years, and the standards that measure a player’s performance have shifted. In the 1970s and 1980s, tight ends were required to be a jack-of-all-trades, performing the grunt work of an offensive lineman while also being a clutch receiver.

“John Mackey set the standard, and Raymond Chester is of that same mold,” said Derrick Ramsey, Chester’s former teammate in Oakland. “He’s a big guy, a very strong guy, but also had the speed of a wide receiver, which was unheard of during the time he first got into football. The guys that were similar to him...they’re already there [in the Hall of Fame].”

Ramsey has partnered with Black Sports Legends Foundation founder Ron Bethea and board member Vince Robinson to launch an e-mail voting campaign for the nomination and selection of Raymond Chester into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. Their goal is to generate at least 250,000 emails to the members of the Senior Selection Committee by June 1, the deadline for the preliminary list of eligible nominees.

Because Chester’s football career concluded more than 25 years ago, he is only eligible as a Senior Nominee.

The foundation is working with Morgan State, as well

as public schools in Oakland and Baltimore to promote the campaign. In addition to recognizing Chester’s accomplishments, they hope to also raise awareness of African American history and the importance of historically Black colleges and universities.

“The students want to learn about their history and their

his own golf company in Oakland for more than 20 years.

Today, he works as a consultant and remains an active member in the Oakland community.

While the personal recognition would be nice, Chester said he is more concerned about the platform the Hall of Fame could provide.

“I think the inspiration that could be developed from my induction would help the smaller schools recruit.”

––Raymond Chester

Courtesy Images

legacy,” said Robinson.

“What happened 40 years ago set the movement that athletes are able to go to college, get a quality education and be successful in life. We’re promoting the value of athletics and how it pertains to education.”

After retiring from professional football, Chester managed

“I think the inspiration that could be developed from my induction would help the smaller schools recruit,” Chester said.

“Recruiting is the toughest thing in the world for historical Black colleges now. As much recognition that we can give players who came from historical Black colleges, I think it’s very valuable in assisting those colleges to recruit young athletes, and for people who go to those schools to understand that their opportunity— educationally, professionally, and sports-wise—is just as great as it would be had they attended the larger school.”

After larger state universities opened their doors to African American students, HBCUs have fought an uphill battle to stay relevant in college athletics.

While a few Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Michael Strahan (Texas Southern) have hailed from HBCUs, in recent years the schools have struggled with declining enrollments and drastically reduced state funding.

“I think it’s time that the Hall of Fame selection committee go back and recognize some of the guys who were absolutely the best player in their era,” said Chester.

“And no one can dispute that I was one of the top three players at my position in my era. No one can dispute that.”

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014, The Afro-American

B5

FAITH

Mount Ennon Baptist Church Brings Awareness to HIV/AIDS

Church held annual HIV/AIDS awareness service with testimony, free testing and informational session

By Shannen Hill Special to the AFRO Mount Ennon Baptist Church held their annual HIV/AIDS awareness service on March 3.

While most churches shy away from topics of sexually transmitted diseases, Pastor Delman Coates says it is important, as a Black church, to break the silence on HIV/AIDS. Thousands of church members attended service dressed in black, with red accents, to bring awareness to the epidemic. During service Coates also brought out his cousin, Terence Grand, to give a testimony as a man living with HIV. Coates had not seen his cousin in 22 years because after contracting HIV, his cousin moved away and tried to start a new life where nobody knew him. “I left because I didn’t want to deal with the stares and everyone talking,” said Grand. “… and for anyone who has HIV positive people in their life, treat that person like a person and not like a disease.

Coates dedicated the service to opening a dialogue about people being hurt in the church, along with people fearing that they will be judged in a place where they should feel love. During service, he shared a statistic that said most people who do not go to church say they do not go because of bad experiences they’ve had at church. His mission is to make sure that if someone is hurting, the person feels love and not judgment. “When you go to church, which is a spiritual hospital, you should not be hurt, you should be loved,” said Coates. “By judging them, you’re hurting them at the very time that they need to be loved.”

Mount Ennon Baptist Church began having an annual HIV/AIDS awareness service six years ago. The Prince George’s County Health Department has been one of

Pastor Delman Coates and his cousin, Terrence Grand. the major contributors to this annual event, providing free, confidential testing at the church. An informational session is held at Mount Ennon on the day of awareness. “I think that it’s wonderful that the pastor continues to bring awareness to HIV/ AIDS and even open up his own personal story with his family member,” said Charetta Oliver, a member at Mount Ennon for three years. “It’s great that he serves as a model and shows how we can open up our hearts and our minds to everyone.”

Pastor Coates has received media attention throughout the years for his progressive views, most notably, his support for gay rights. Cotes said all people should be loved

and treated equally under the law. While many people said it was career suicide to support gay rights, Coates’ progressive views attract younger people and the congregation

“When you go to church, which is a spiritual hospital, you should not be hurt, you should be loved.”

Photos by Travis Riddick

Thousands of church members attended the service dressed in black, with red accents to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS.

– Pastor Delman Coates has grown to over 8,000. “We are on the verge of losing an entire generation today because of people being hurt in the church,” said Coates. “There’s no hurt worse than church hurt.”

International Designs Showcased at D.C. Fashion Week Finale

By Ashley D. Diggs AFRO Style and Trends Writer

They came from as far away as Nigeria, Algeria, Peru and Pakistan to showcase their collections at the Feb. 23 finale of DC Fashion Week at the Historical Society of Washington D.C. The designers showed winter garb ranging from wooly, furry tops to wispy velvet evening gowns to loose-fitting silk chiffon pants. The models were Black, Brown, brunette and blonde, tall and skinny, with uniform long straight hair. They strutted the runway in outfits that ranged from a few hundred to several thousand dollars as photographers’ bulbs’ flashed and 150 or so who had gathered for the show oohed, aahed and clapped their appreciation.

In previous years, the DC Fashion Week finale was held at the Embassy of France, but DCFW Executive Director Ean Williams said he moved it to the Carnegie Library, home of the historical society, because he “wanted a place that is symbolic to Washington.” The fashion show culminated a week of events that placed fashion center in the nation’s capital.

“All week long we’ve had exciting events at fabulous places,” Williams told the audience. “...I’m glad you all were a part of it.”

The fashion show opened with three international designers showcasing their work. African designer Maryam Elijah displayed stunning evening gowns from her brand, Rikaoto.

“For this collection, I just looked at different fabrics to get my inspiration,” Elijah said. “I don’t even have a name for this collection. I got invited, again, to show at this year’s DC Fashion Week, so I just started sewing” Elijah designed and sewed the collection in only two weeks. Her evening gowns were draped with tulle, adorned with sequins, and finished with velvet and mesh in all colors. Each dress was fashioned with sheer

Photos by Robert Brooks

Models strut the runway wearing Nigerian collection, Rikaoto, at the DC Fashion Week finale on Feb. 23.

paneling to expose skin or give the illusion of bare skin-handmade with intricate detail. Rikaoto garments are sold in the Lagos showroom in Africa, London, Paris, Milan, New York and online.

“Her incorporation of fabrics, textures in a very cohesive and fabulous manner is why the Nigerian [Rikaoto] collection is my favorite,” said Mia Simms, Miss Black D.C. 2014 U.S. Ambassador. “It was very eclectic, and many designers don’t connect [their] heritage in that way.”

The event was emceed by founder Williams, who stunned the crowd when he closed the show with his own collection. His debut collection, called Corjor International, named after two of his sons, Corey and Jordan, features lines for women and men, as well as a collection of men’s briefs called Magnum C.I. With heavy use of wild orchid, the Pantone color of the year for 2014, Williams showed pants, dresses, separates, fur scarfs, and more. He used such materials as silk, chiffon, patent leather, rayon blends, organza, feathers, faux and real fur.

“I started [working] as a model. Then, I began designing,” he said.

The six designer fashion showcases wowed guests and fashion lovers as they anticipate DC Fashion Week in September 2014.

Special guests at the DCFW finale included fashion show producer EmoreJ Couture, Shy Magazine Founder Sebastian Bruce and renowned photographer Phelan Marc and others.

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Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM164 Schuyler T, Eldridge, III Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Hallie M. Eldridge, whose address is 1720 Michigan Ave NE, Washington SC 20017was appointed personal representative of the estate of Schuyler T. Eldridge III, who died on December 16, 2013 withouta Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 14, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 14, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 14, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM193 Conrad N Shelton Decedent Nettie M Shelton 1311 5th St. N.W. Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Nettie M Shelton, whose address is 1311 5th St. NW Washington DC 20001 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Conrad N Shelton, who died on March 1, 2012 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 14, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 14, 2014 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 14, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Hallie M Eldridge Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

Nettie M. Shelton Personal Representative

TRUE TEST TYPESET: Tue Feb 25 13:00:16 ESTTue 2014 TYPESET: Mar 11 12:56:19 EDTCOPY 2014 LEGAL NOTICES 03/14, 03/21, 03/28/14

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM85 Jerome White Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Lorraine Saunders, whose address is 8830 Piney Branch Rd #1201, Silver Spring, MD 20903 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Jerome White who died on September 29, 1985 with a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before August 28, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 28, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: February 28, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Lorraine Saunders Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 02/28, 03/07, 03/14/14

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM1202 Cynthia Randolph Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Leonard Davis, whose address is 9888 Leighland Court Waldorf MD 20603 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Cynthia Randolph who died on March 12, 2013 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 14, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 14, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 14, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Cynthia Randolph Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 03/14, 03/21, 03/28/14

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REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 11 03/14, 03/21, 03/28/14

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM180 Rita D. Brown Decedent Thomas H. Queen, Esq 530 Eighth Street SE Washington, DC 20003 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Robert F. Brown,Sr., whose address is 1708 40th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Rita D. Brown, who died on August 10, 2013 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 14, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 14, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 14, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Robert F. Brown Sr. Personal Representative

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Legal Advertising Rates the District of DistrictEffective of Columbia October 1, 2008 PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 PROBATE DIVISION Administration No. 2014ADM184 (Estates) Allison I. Jackson 202-332-0080 Decedent Benjamin J. Woolery PROBATE NOTICES Esq 5303 West Court Drive Upper Marlboro, MD a. Order Nisi $ 60 per insertion TYPESET: Tue Mar 04 $180.00 13:02:44per EST3 2014 20772 Attorney weeks NOTICE OF b. Small Estates (single publication $ 60 per insertion APPOINTMENT, Superior Court of NOTICE TO c. Notice to Creditors the District of CREDITORS District of Columbia $180.00 per 3 1. Domestic $ 60 per insertion AND NOTICE TO PROBATE DIVISION UNKNOWN HEIRS weeks Washington, D.C. Katina Gaskins, whose 20001-2131 2. Foreign $ 60 per insertion $180.00 per 3 address is 3342 Toledo Administration No. weeks Terrace, Apt. #109, Hy0000018-09 attsville, MD 20782$was 2014ADM141 d. Escheated Estates 60 per insertion $360.00 per 6 appointed personal re- Decedent weeks presentative of the estate Sandra M. Brooks of Allison I. Jackson, who NOTICE OF e. Standard Probates $125.00 12:55:14 EDT 2014 died on November 3, APPOINTMENT, TYPESET: Tue Mar 04 13:03:37 2013 without a Will and NOTICE TO will serve without Court CREDITORS CIVIL NOTICES supervision. All unknown AND NOTICE TO heirs and heirs whose Superior Court of a. Name Changes 202-879-1133 $ 80.00 UNKNOWN HEIRS where-abouts are un- Sandra K. Simmons, the District of b. Real Property known shall enter their whose address is 3730 $ 200.00 District of Columbia a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s First Street SE Apt 203, PROBATE DIVISION proceeding. Objections Washington, D.C. Washington, DC 20032 to such appointment FAMILY COURT 20001-2131 was appointed personal shall be filed with the Administration No. representative of the 202-879-1212 Register of Wills, D.C., 2014ADM144 estate of Sandra M. 515 5thDOMESTIC Street, N.W., 3rd RELATIONS David Seth Alterman Floor Washington, D.C. Brooks, who died on Decedent January 24, 2014 without 20001, on or 202-879-0157 before NOTICE OF September 14, 2014. a Will and will serve withAPPOINTMENT, Claims against the de- out Court supervision. All NOTICE TO cedent shall be pre- unknown heirs and heirs $ 150.00 CREDITORS a. Absent Defendant sented to the under- whose where-abouts are AND NOTICE TO b. Absolute Divorce signed with a copy to the unknown shall enter their $ 150.00 UNKNOWN HEIRS Register of Wills or filed a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s Alexander Alterman, c. Custody Divorce $150.00 proceeding.

Objections with the Register of Wills whose address is 1712 with a copy to the under- to such appointment (or 16th St. #505, Washingsigned, on or before to the probate of de- ton, DC 20009, was apcedent´s shall Notices be pointed To place your ad, call 1-800-237-6892, 262,will) Public $50.00 & uprepreSeptember 14, 2014, or ext. personal filed with the Register of sentative of the estate of forever barred. Perdepending onbe size, Baltimore Legal Notices are $24.84 per inch.

Wills, D.C., 515 5th sons believed to be heirs David Seth Alterman N.W., 3rd Floor who died on December or legatees 1-800 of the (AFRO) de- Street,892 cedent who do not re- Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

5, 2013 with a Will and For Proof ofceive Publication, please20001, call 1-800-237-6892, ext.serve 244 without Court on or before a copy of this notice will by mail within 25 days of September 7, 2014. supervision. All unknown its first publication shall Claims against the de- heirs and heirs whose TYPESET: Tue Mar 11 12:54:43 2014 of cedent shall be pre- whereabouts are unso informEDT the Register to NOTICES the under- known Wills, including name, sented shall enter their LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL LEGAL NOTICES address and relation- signed with a copy to the a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s Register of Wills or filed proceeding. Objections ship.

Superior Court of Date of Publication: with the Register of Wills to such appointment (or the District of March 14, 2014 with a copy to the under- to the probate of deDistrict of Columbia Name of newspaper: cedent´s will) shall be signed, on or before PROBATE DIVISION Afro-American September 7, 2014 or be filed with the Register of Washington, D.C. Washington Wills, D.C., 515 5th forever barred.

Persons 20001-2131 Law Reporter believed to be heirs or Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Administration No. legatees of the decedent W a s h i n g t o n , D . C .

2014ADM184 Katina Gaskins who do not receive a 20001, on or before Allison I. Jackson Personal copy of this notice by mail September 7, 2014.

Decedent Representative within 25 days of its first Claims against the deBenjamin J. Woolery Esq publication shall so in- cedent shall be presented to the underTRUE TEST COPY 5303 West Court Drive form the Register of REGISTER OF WILLS Upper Marlboro, MD Wills, including name, signed with a copy to the TYPESET: Tue Mar 04 13:02:44 EST 2014 20772 address and relation- Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills 03/14, 03/21, 03/28/14 Attorney ship. with a copy to the underNOTICE OF Date of Publication: Superior Court of signed, on or before APPOINTMENT, March 7, 2014 the District of September 4, 2014, or be NOTICE TO Name of newspaper: District of Columbia forever barred. Persons CREDITORS Afro-American PROBATE DIVISION believed to be heirs or AND NOTICE TO Washington Washington, D.C. legatees of the decedent UNKNOWN HEIRS Law Reporter 20001-2131 who do not receive a Katina Gaskins, whose Administration No. copy of this notice by mail address is 3342 Toledo Sandra K. Simmons 0000018-09 within 25 days of its first Terrace, Apt. #109, HyPersonal 2014ADM141 publication shall so inattsville, MD 20782 was Representative Decedent form the Register of appointed personal reSandra M. Brooks Wills, including name, presentative of the estate TRUE TEST COPY NOTICE OF address and relationof Allison I. Jackson, who REGISTER OF WILLS APPOINTMENT, ship. died on November 3, Date of Publication: NOTICE TO TYPESET: Tue Mar 04 13:03:37 EST 2014 2013 without a Will and 03/07, 03/14, 03/21/14 March 7, 2014 CREDITORS will serve without Court Name of newspaper: AND NOTICE TO supervision. All unknown Afro-American UNKNOWN HEIRS Superior Court of heirs and heirs whose Washington Sandra K. Simmons, the District of where-abouts are unLaw Reporter whose address is 3730 District of Columbia known shall enter their First Street SE Apt 203, PROBATE DIVISION appearance in this Alaxander Alterman Washington, DC 20032 Washington, D.C. proceeding. Objections Personal was appointed personal 20001-2131 to such appointment Representative representative of the Administration No. shall be filed with the estate of Sandra M. 2014ADM144 Register of Wills, D.C., TRUE TEST COPY Brooks, who died on David Seth Alterman 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd REGISTER OF WILLS January 24, 2014 without Decedent Floor Washington, D.C. a Will and will serve withNOTICE OF 20001, on or before 03/07, 03/14, 03/21/14 out Court supervision. All APPOINTMENT, September 14, 2014.

NOTICE TO unknown heirs and heirs Claims against the deCREDITORS whose where-abouts are cedent shall be preAND NOTICE TO sented to the underunknown shall enter their UNKNOWN HEIRS signed with a copy to the appearance in this Register of Wills or filed proceeding. Objections Alexander Alterman, with the Register of Wills to such appointment (or whose address is 1712 with a copy to the underto the probate of de- 16th St. #505, Washingsigned, on or before cedent´s will) shall be ton, DC 20009, was apSeptember 14, 2014, or filed with the Register of pointed personal representative of the estate of be forever barred. PerWills, D.C., 515 5th sons believed to be heirs Street, N.W., 3rd Floor David Seth Alterman who died on December or legatees of the deWa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

5, 2013 with a Will and cedent who do not re20001, on or before ceive a copy of this notice September 7, 2014. will serve without Court by mail within 25 days of Claims against the de- supervision. All unknown its first publication shall cedent shall be pre- heirs and heirs whose so inform the Register of sented to the under- whereabouts are unWills, including name, signed with a copy to the known shall enter their address and relationRegister of Wills or filed a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s ship. with the Register of Wills proceeding. Objections Date of Publication: with a copy to the under- to such appointment (or to the probate of deMarch 14, 2014 signed, on or before Name of newspaper: September 7, 2014 or be cedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Afro-American

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B6 The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014

appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before Au12:51:09 2014 gust 28,EST 2014.

Claims against decedent LEGALthe NOTICES shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 28, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: 02/28/2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014 The Afro-American

TYPESET: Mar 04 12:56:59 ESTTue 2014 TYPESET: Mar 04 12:56:09 ESTTue 2014 TYPESET: Mar 04 13:00:10 ESTTue 2014 TYPESET: Feb 25 12:54:10 ESTTue 2014 TYPESET: Feb 25 TYPESET: Tue Feb 25 12:59:33 ESTTue 2014 TYPESET: Feb 25 12:57:01 ESTTue 2014 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM138 Hattie Ann Morgan Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Shirley E. Parker, whose address is 3207 Vickers Rd, Baltimore, MD 21216 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Hattie Ann Morgan, who died on October 23, 2013 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before August 28, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 24, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: February 28, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Shirley E. Parker Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 02/28, 03/07, 03/14/14

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM130 Ray Vaughn Pyle, Sr Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Vincent J Pyle, whose address is 4601 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011, was, appointed personal representative of the estate of Ray Vaughn Pyle, Sr, who died on April 14, 2011 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before August 28, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 28, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: February 28, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Superior Court of the District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Trust No. 2014NRT5 Donald H. McLaughlin Deceased Notice of Existence of Revocable Trust Donald H. McLaughlin whose address was 520 N. Street, SW, #S123, Washington, DC 20024 created a revocable trust on February 11, 1997 which remained in existence on the date of his death on November 1, 2013 and Anthony P. Interdonato whose address is 12604 Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854 is the currently acting trustee, herei n a f t e r t h e Tr u s t e e .

Communications to the Trust should be mailed or directed to Anthony P. Interdonato at 12604 Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854.

The Trust is subject to claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors, costs of administration of the settlor’s estate, the expenses of the deceased settlor’s funeral and disposal of remains, and statutory allowances to a surviving spouse and children to the extent the deceased settlor’s residuary probate estate is inadequate to satisfy those claims, costs, expenses, and allowances.

Claims of the deceased settlors creditors are barred as against the Trustee and the trust property unless presented to the Trustee at the address provided herein on or before September 7, 2014 (6 months after the date of first publication of this notice). An action to contest the validity of this trust must be commenced by the earliest of (1) November 1, 2014, (one year from the death of the deceased Settlor). (2) September 7, 2014, (6 months from the date of first publication of this notice) or (3) ninety days after the Trustee sends the person a copy of the trust instrument and a notice informing the person of the trust’s existence, of the Trustee’s name and address, and of the time allowed for commencing a proceeding.

The Trustee may proceed to distribute the trust prop12:56:10 EST 2014 with erty in accordance the terms of trust before the expiration of the time within which an action must be commenced unless the Trustee knows of a pending judicial proceeding contesting the validity of the trust or the Trustee has received notice from a potential contestant who thereafter commences a judicial proceeding within sixty days after notification.

This notice must be mailed postmarked within 15 days of its first publication to each heir and qualified beneficiary of the trust and any other person who would be an

Vincent J Pyle Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Feb 25 12:57:35 EST 03/14/14 2014 02/28, 03/07,

TYPESET: Tue Feb 25

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM126 Charles A. Stinger Jr. Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sara E. Stinger, whose address is 2145 Suitland Terrace SE, Unit B, Washington, DC, 20020 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Charles A. Stinger Jr., who died on January 10, 2014 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 21, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 21, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: February 21, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM115 Donald H. McLaughlin Decedent Anthony P. Interdonato 12604 Glen Rd Potomac, MD 20854 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS TYPESET: Tue Mar AND NOTICE TO 04 12:56:09 EST 2014 UNKNOWN HEIRS Anthony P. Interdonato, interested person within Superior Court whose address is 12604 the meaning of D.C. Code of theMD 20854 § 20-101(d).

Glen Road, District of Columbia was appointed personal Date of First Publication: PROBATE DIVISION representative of the March 7, 2014 Trust No. estate of 2014NRT5 Donald H. Donald H. McLaughlin Mclaughlin, who died on Anthony P. Interdonato Deceased November 1 ,2013 with Notice of Existence of a WillRevocable and will serve Trustwith- TRUE TEST COPY out Court All ANNE MEISTER, Donald H.supervision.

McLaughlin unknown heirs was and heirs Register of Wills. whose address 520 whose where-abouts are N. Street, SW, #S123, unknown shall enter their Name of Newspapers: Washington, DC 20024 a p p e aar arevocable n c e i n trust this DWLR created proceeding.

AFRO-AMERICAN. on February Objections 11, 1997 to such appointment (or which remained in exisTYPESET: Pub Dates: Tue Mar 04 to the probate of detence on the date of his cedent´s will) shall 1, be 03/07, 03/14 & 03/21/14 death on November filed and withAnthony the Register 2013 P. Inter-of donato is Wills, whose D.C., address 515 5th SUPERIOR COURT OF 12604 Road, Street,Glen N.W., 3rd PotoFloor THE DISTRICT OF mac, W a sMD h i n20854 g t o nis , the D . curC. COLUMBIA rently acting trustee, here20001, on or before AuPROBATE DIVISION in a f t e28, r t h2014. e Tr uClaims stee. gust Washington, D.C. Communications to the against the decedent 20001-2131 Trust be mailed or shallshould be presented to the Administration No. directed to Anthony P. undersigned with a copy 2013ADM1313 Interdonato at 12604 Glen to the Register of Wills or Rfiled o a dwith , P othe tom a c , M Dof Estate of Register Christine Hazelwood 20854.

Wills with a copy to the Deceased The Trust is subject to undersigned, or beNOTICE OF claims of the on deceased fore August 28, 2014, or STANDARD settlor’s creditors, costs of be forever barred.

PerPROBATE administration of the setsonsestate, believed be heirs Notice is hereby given tlor’s the to expenses or legatees of the dethat a petition has been of the deceased settlor’s cedentand who do not re- filed in this Court by JG funeral disposal of receive a copy this notice Wenworth Originations, mains, and ofstatutory by mail within days of LLC for standard proallowances to a25 surviving its firstand publication bate, including the spouse children toshall the so inform the Register extent the deceased set-of appointment of one or Wills,residuary includingprobate name, more personal repretlor’s address and relationestate is inadequate to sentative. Unless a comsatisfy ship. those claims, plaint or an objection in costs, Date ofexpenses, Publication: and accordance with Superallowances.

February 28, 2014 ior Court Probate DiClaims of newspaper: the deceased Name of vision Rule 407 is filed in settlors creditors are Afro-American this Court within 30 days barred as against the Washington from the date of first pubTrustee and the trust propLaw Reporter lication of this notice, the erty unless presented to Court may take the acSara E. Stinger the Trustee at the address Anthony P. Interdonato tion hereinafter set forth.

Personal provided herein on or bePersonal In the absence of a Will or Representative fore September 7, 2014 (6 Representative proof satisfactory to the months after the date of Court of due execution, first publication of this noTRUE TEST COPY TRUE enter an order determintice).

AnTEST actionCOPY to contest REGISTER OF WILLS REGISTER OFthis WILLS ing that the decendent the validity of trust died intestate. must be commenced by 02/21, 02/28, 03/07/14 02/28, 03/07, 03/14/14 *appoint a supervised the earliest of (1) Novempersonal representative ber 1, 2014, (one year from the death of the deRegister of Wills ceased Settlor). (2) Clerk of the September 7, 2014, (6 months from the date of Probate Division first publication of this noDate of First Publication tice) or (3) ninety days March 7, 2014 after the Trustee sends Names of Newspapers: the person a copy of the Washington trust instrument and a noLaw Reporter tice informing the person Washington of the trust’s existence, of AFRO-AMERICAN the Trustee’s name and Kenneth A, Vogel address, and of the time 1642 R St.,NW allowed for commencing a Washington, DC 20009 proceeding.

Signature of The Trustee may proceed Petitioners/Attorney to distribute the trust property in accordance with 03/07, 03/14/14 the terms of trust before the expiration of the time within which an action must be commenced unless the Trustee knows of a pending judicial proceeding contesting the validity of the trust or the Trustee has received notice from a potential contestant who thereafter commences a judicial proceeding within sixty days after notification.

This notice must be mailed postmarked within 15 days of its first publication to each heir and qualified beneficiary of the trust and any other person who would be an

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LEGAL NOTICES

interested person within theSuperior meaning Court of D.C.of Code § 20-101(d). the District of District of Columbia Date of FirstDIVISION Publication: PROBATE March 7, 2014 D.C. Washington, 20001-2131 Anthony P. Interdonato Administration No. 2014ADM172 TRUE TEST COPY Floyd W. Simpson Sr. ANNE MEISTER, Decedent RegisterE.ofMccollum, Wills.

James Jr Esq Name of Newspapers: 7309 DWLRBaltimore Ave Ste.117 AFRO-AMERICAN. College Park, MD 20741 Pub Dates: Attorney 03/07, 03/14 & 03/21/14 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Floyd W. Simpson Jr. and Diane L. Simpson whose addresses are 3267 Prince Rainer Place,Forestville, MD 20747 & 9910 Raintree Way, Clinton, MD 20735 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Floyd W. Simpson Sr. who died on December 19, 2013 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 7, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 7, 2014 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 7, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Floyd W. Simpson Jr. Diane L. Simpson Personal Representatives TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 04

03/7, 03/14, 03/21/14

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM183 Franklin Leon Scarborough Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kathy Y. Scarborough and Lisa Bigesby, whose addresses are 4312 Fruitwood Court, Bowie, MD 20720 and 6106 Walnut Street, Temple Hills, MD 20748 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Franklin Leon Scarborough who died on January 17, 2014 13:08:12 withouta EST Will 2014 and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 7, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 7, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 7, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Kathy Y. Scarborough Lisa Bigesby Personal Representative

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM973 Gerline Rountree Decedent James E Mccollum Jr. 7309 Baltimore Ave, Ste 117 College Park, MD 20741 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Patrice Newman whose address is 8712 Delphi Drive Clinton, MD 20735 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Gerline Rountree, who died on November 22, 2013 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 7, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 7, 2014 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 7, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM131 Esther L. Barnes A.K.A. Esther Louise Barnes Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Belinda Pauls-Anderson, whose address is 1653 38th Street S.E., Washington, D.C. 20020 was appointed personal representative(s) of the estate of Esther L. Barnes A.K.A. Esther Louise Barnes, who died on September 1, 2013 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 28, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 28, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: February 28, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM116 Benjamin B. Joyce, Jr. Decedent Brian W. Thompson, Esq. 4530 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20016 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Joyce Ann Brentley, whose address is 1604 Timberline Road, Silver Spring, MD, 20904 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Benjamin B. Joyce, Jr., who died on March 17, 1995 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 28, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 28, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: February 28, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Patrice Newman Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 04

03/07, 03/14, 03/21/14

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION 12:57:45 EST 2014 Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM140 Cierra Rachelle Wilson Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jacqueline Wilson and John R. Greene Jr., whose addresses are 1634 Independence Ave, SE, Washington DC 20003 and 1298 Tavern R u n R d . , H a g u e , VA 22469 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Cierra Rachelle Wilson, who died on August 4, 2012 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 7, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 4, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 7, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Jacqueline Wilson John R. Greene Jr. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

03/07, 03/14, 03/21/14

03/07, 03/14, 03/21/14

Belinda Pauls-Anderson Personal Representative

Joyce Ann Brentley Personal Representative

Philip Littleford Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 04

02/28, 03/07, 03/14/14

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM148 Stanley M. Gainor Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Bernard G. French whose address is 5204 Tolson Road Temple Hills MD 20748, appointed personal representative of the estate of Stanley M. Gainor, who died on January 7, 2014 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 7, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the 13:01:21 EST 2014 Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 7, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 7, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

TYPESET: Tue Mar 11 12:54:01

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM166 Brenda Elaine Stanfield Decedent Leonard C. Pederson , Jr., Esq 5039 Connecticut Ave, NW Building Three Washington, DC 20008 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sabrina Murray Camp whose address is 4706 Sir Woodburn Way, Clinton, MD. 20735 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Brenda Elaine Stanfield, 13:04:34 2014 21, who died EST on January 2014 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 14, 2014.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 14, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 14, 2014 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter

Sabrina Murray Camp Personal TRUE TEST COPY Representative TYPESET: Tue Feb 25 12:53:28 ESTOF2014 REGISTER WILLS 13:01:09 EST03/14/14 2014 02/28, 03/07, TYPESET: Tue Mar 04 TRUE TEST COPY 02/28, 03/07, 03/14/14 REGISTER OF WILLS Superior Court of the District of 03/14, 03/21, 03/28/14 SUPERIOR COURT OF District of Columbia THE DISTRICT OF PROBATE DIVISION COLUMBIA Washington, D.C. PROBATE DIVISION 20001-2131 Washington, D.C. Administration No. 20001-2131 2014ADM122 Administration No. Dewitt Clinton 2014ADM188 Littlejohn Sr. Estate of A.K.A. Evalyn Elizabeth Dewitt C. Littlejohn Sr. McCormick Decedent Deceased NOTICE OF NOTICE OF STANDARD APPOINTMENT, PROBATE NOTICE TO Notice is hereby given CREDITORS that a petition has been AND NOTICE TO filed in this Court by UNKNOWN HEIRS Nicky Walker for stanGola M. Littlejohn, whose dard probate, including address is 120 Madison Bernard G. French the appointment of one Street, N.W. WashingPersonal or more personal repreton, DC 20011 was apRepresentative sentative. Unless a compointed personal repreplaint or an objection in sentative of the estate of accordance with Super- TRUE TEST COPY Dewitt Clinton Littlejohn ior Court Probate Di- REGISTER OF WILLS Sr. A.K.A. Dewitt C. vision Rule 407 is filed in Littlejohn Sr., who died this Court within 30 days 03/7, 03/14, 03/21/14 on January 11, 2014 with from the date of first puba Will and will serve withlication of this notice, the out Court supervision. All Court may take the acunknown heirs and heirs tion hereinafter set forth. whose whereabouts are In the absence of a Will or unknown shall enter their proof satisfactory to the appearance in this Court of due execution, proceeding. Objections enter an order determinto such appointment (or ing that the decendent to the probate of dedied intestate. cedent´s will) shall be *appoint a supervised filed with the Register of personal representative Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Register of Wills Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

Clerk of the 20001, on or before AuProbate Division gust 28, 2014. Claims Date of First Publication against the decedent March 7, 2014 Full-Time Advertising Operations Manager shall be presented to the Names of Newspapers: undersigned with a copy Washington to the Register of Wills or Law Reporter The National Newspaper Publishers association filed with the Register of Washington is a 74-year-old trade organization representWills with a copy to the AFRO-AMERICAN ing nearly 200 of the nation’s African American undersigned, on or beNicky Walker fore August 28, 2014, or 4405 East West owned and operated newspapers. NNPA operates be forever barred. PerHighway, Suite 201 an advertising network which sells and processes sons believed to be heirs Bethesda, MD 20814 national ads for placement in its member newspaor legatees of the deSignature of cedent who do not rePetitioners/Attorney pers. NNPA is looking to hire an Advertising ceive a copy of this notice TYPESET: Tue Feb 25 12:50:36 ESTManager 2014 to serve as the primary Operations 03/07, 03/14/14 by mail within 25 days of point of contact for advertisers, ad agencies and its first publication shall publishers in ordering, tracking and billing of so inform the Register of Superior Court of Wills, including name, ads and managing ad materials for NNPA Media the District of address and relationDistrict of Columbia Sales. Primary duties include: ship.

PROBATE DIVISION Date of Publication: Washington, D.C. 02/28/2014 •Manages the flow of information and communi20001-2131 Name of newspaper: Administration No. cations between advertisers, advertising agencies, Afro-American 2009ADM275 publishers and internal NNPA staff Washington Jessie W. Littleford •Handles advertising copy, insertion orders and Law Reporter A.K.A. Jessie Wiggins Littletear sheets for advertisers using the NNPA Sales Gola M. Littlejohn ford Network Personal Decedent •Coordinates with individual newspapers to Representative David W. Kestner 5849 Allentown Road ensure that tear sheets, proof of performance, and Camp Springs, MD TRUE TEST COPY invoices are delivered to the national sales office 20746 REGISTER OF WILLS on a timely basis.

Attorney •Enters ad orders into database as needed NOTICE OF 02/28, 03/07, 03/14/14 APPOINTMENT, •Works with NNPA Finance Group to ensure NOTICE TO a smooth and accurate billing and invoicing CREDITORS operation AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Phillip Littleford, whose Requirements address is 11703 Thrift Road, Clinton, MD 20735 wasappointed personal •Experience in the creation of spreadsheets for representative of the billing and invoice purposes and comfortable estate of Jessie W. working with financial numbers Littleford A.K.A. Jessie Wiggins Littleford, who •Experience in a CSR environment preferred died on March 3, 2009 •Strong written and verbal communications skills without a Will and will •At least 7 years experience in media operations, serve without Court supervision. All unknown customer support unit or accounting function heirs and heirs whose •BA degree whereabouts are un•Superior knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite known shall enter their appearance in this products proceeding. Objections to such appointment Please send your resume to: info@nnpa.org shall be filed with the Or mail to: NNPA Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Employment Department Floor Washington, D.C.

1816 12th Street, NW 20001, on or before Au Washington, DC 20009 gust 28, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or beTRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

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The Afro-American, March 15, 2014 - March 21, 2014