Washington AFRO-American Newspaper April 20 2013

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Volume 121 No. 37

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APRIL 20, 2013 - APRIL 26, 2013

Hope Fading for Strict Gun Laws

By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO

Hopes for robust new guncontrol laws are withering away.

Though a bipartisan group of 67 senators voted April 11 to break a filibuster,

Anita Bonds, Leader of D.C. Council Contenders

By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO

On April 23, Washington, D.C., voters will decide on someone to fill the council seat that was left vacant when at-large member Phil Mendelson (D) was elected chairman.

Leading the pack of six contenders is At-Large Councilwoman Anita Bonds, who was selected to fill the seat temporarily by the D.C. Democratic State Committee, which she has headed since 2006.

Nipping at her heels is Patrick Mara, a Republican and third-time aspirant to the D.C.

“As the campaign entered the final weekend before election day, Bonds held a slight lead in the polls, with particularly strong support among African-American voters.”

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The gun debate comes after the sixth anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting. allowing a slate of proposals to reach the Senate floor for debate, support for the actual measures remains fragile.

Efforts to garner the required 60 votes will be hard-fought, especially with the extended medical absence of Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg

(D-N.J.), a likely yes vote.

And, even if the Senate passes a bill, the House seems poised to reject it.

For advocates, such meager support just months after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School Continued on A5

facebook.com

Anita Bonds

Council. His chances may be undermined by recent allegations he used his donor list to raise money for conservative think tank DC Progress with which he signed a consulting contract in what, experts said, could be a campaign ethics violation.

As the campaign entered the final weekend before election Continued on A5

Looking Back

‘Shotgun Stalker’ Case Still Stuns

INSIDE A3

Washington View Race and Racism

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AFRO Living Landscaping and Gardening Tips

to Columbia Heights, where there were eight more attacks or attempted shootings. By the time the culprit was apprehended, 14 shootings had left four people It was a frightening time for the citizens of the dead and five injured.

District of Columbia, especially those in Northwest, It was about 8:45 p.m. on Feb. 23, when a young where a series of drive-by shootings in early 1993 left woman who was walking near the intersection of residents fearful to leave their homes.

Holmead Place and Monroe Street NW noticed a bullet whiz by her. The same night and a short “People were scared,” said William O. Ritchie, then distance away, on Oak Street NW, a 22-year-old commander of the Metropolitan Police Department Black man was shot in the face. He was left partially Criminal Investigations Division. “People were blind. On Feb. 26, a gunman ran into a Columbia looking over their shoulders, not going out at night.

Heights barbershop and fatally shot a man. On March Street crime even dropped because nobody wanted to be out and be a potential target.”

4, another man was shot, again on Holmead Place in Columbia Heights.

The first area to be hit was Columbia Heights, “People wondered, ‘How could this really be where four incidents took place in less than two weeks.

WUSA 9/AP Then, the gunman moved to Mount Pleasant, where happening?’” said Wendell Watkins, then commander James Swann during his arrest in 1993.

Continued on A4 there were two more shootings. He later returned

By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer

D.C. Celebrates Its Emancipation

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By Bria Freeman and Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writers

Thousands of D.C. residents converged on Pennsylvania Avenue NW April 16 for the city’s Emancipation Day celebration.

The event marked the 151st year since President Lincoln freed the enslaved men, women and children living in the District of Columbia. Nine months later, the Emancipation Proclamation became law, freeing the enslaved in most other areas of the country.

The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act freed approximately 3,100 enslaved people. The celebration was formalized in 2005, officials said. Every year since, D.C. residents are given the day off work and school to pay homage to the pivotal moment in history when all D.C. residents became free.

Though the mood was celebratory, many of those in attendance were thinking of Boston, where investigators continued to piece together details and evidence that they hope will lead to the culprit or culprits who set off two bombs near the Boston Marathon finish line. Three people were killed and more than 100 were injured, many severely.

Kingman Park Leaders Continue Car Barn Fight

ddot.dc.gov

By Taryn Finley Special to the AFRO

Atiyah Myers, 10, and Alissa Brown, 9, enjoying the celebration.

Continued on A3

Copyright © 2013 by the Afro-American Company

Photo by Bria Freeman

Some residents of a Northeast Washington community near Spingarn High School are still fighting to stop construction of a facility by District officials to store and maintain trolley cars adjacent to the historic school.

The residents said their letters and phone calls to Mayor Vincent Gray, asking him to intercede in what they consider to be a project that disrespects the area’s historic significance, have gone ignored. They said attempts to reach an accord on an alternate site have been resisted by the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT).

Gray and DDOT officials are finalizing plans for a new transit line and a proposed Car Barn Training Center, which Continued on A4

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

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Survivor of 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing Wants Money, Not a Medal

The message and impact of the August 1963 March on Washington were still resonating around the globe when an act of violence tore into the American psyche and

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Sixteenth Street Baptist Church acted as an impetus for the civil rights movement.

On Sept. 15, 1963, Klansmen bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Four AfricanAmerican girls, Denise McNair, 11, and Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol Robertson, all 14, died from the blast and many others were injured.

Now, Congress is considering conferring a top award to honor the victims. But the tragedy’s lone survivor, Sarah Collins Rudolph, reportedly has said she wouldn’t accept the award, and instead wants restitution after years of medical treatment and out-of-pocket medical expense.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been considering giving Rudolph and the murdered girls the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest award.

Rudolph said she has been largely forgotten in the 50 years since the tragic bombing, according to The Associated Press. She lost an eye when the bomb tore through the church. And although she endured months of hospitalization and several surgeries to try to restore sight in her left eye, she was never given restitution, she added.

Her husband said, according to NPR, that survivors of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center were compensated through the congressionally-mandated September 11th Victims Compensation Fund.

Jay-Z Pushes Back Against Criticism of Cuba Trip

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z has released a scathing

Jay-Z

response to politicians who criticized the rapper and his superstar wife Beyoncé for spending their fifth wedding anniversary in Cuba.

Scandal erupted in the days after the pair were photographed dining at local Cuban restaurants and touring historic sites in the country, which has been under U.S. sanctions for more than a half-century.

On April 11, Jay-Z released “Open Letter,” a blistering music track that slams the conservative lawmakers who sought an investigation into the trip.

U.S. Treasury officials on April 9 confirmed that Jay-Z and Beyoncé had travelled to Havana under an educational exchange license.

Responding to inquiries by Florida House Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, Assistant Treasury Secretary Alastair Fitzpayne wrote in a letter that the hip-hop couple travelled to Cuba with a group authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Wikimedia Commons Control to promote peopleto-people contact in Cuba by U.S. citizens.

National Urban League Sees Money Gap, Despite 50 Years of Gains

Black Americans are better off than they were 50 years ago but are still far behind White America in income and employment, the National Urban League concluded in its annual assessment of African Americans.

The 37th annual “State of Black America” report, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was released April 10.

The annual report assessed the progress of African Americans from the March on Washington through the present in the areas of educational achievement, income and employment, areas in which discrimination, historically have been “pervasive and entrenched,” the report read.

According to the report, since 1963, Blacks have shown the most improvement in educational attainment, due to affirmative action policies and early learning programs such as Head Start.

Anti-poverty measures have also raised Blacks’ File Photo standard of living, the report stated. In the years since 1963, the percentage of Blacks living in poverty has decreased by 23 percent and homeownership has grown by 14 percent.

Even as the League hailed these signs of progress, it warned that some use these achievements—including the election and re-election of the nation’s first Black president—as ammunition to roll back programs that have aided in the reduction of racial disparity.

And, in reality, despite their advancements, Blacks continue to lag behind Whites economically.

For instance, the income disparity gap has only closed by 7 percentage points (now at 60 percent.)

And the employment rate gap has closed by a mere 6 percent (now at 52 percent.)

April - April7,26, 2013, The Afro-American November 1, 20, 20082013 - November 2008, The Washington Afro-AmericanA3 A3

Washington View Jennifer Hudson and Relatives Identify Body of Her Slain Nephew

D.C. Special Election Turns on Difference Between Race and Racism

By Alan King AFRO Staff Writer

sport-utility vehicle sought in connection with the murder of Hudson’s mother and brother. anyone TheAnytime white, 1994 Chevrolet Jennifer Hudson and other attempts to discuss Suburban with Illinois or license relatives positively identified defuse misunderstandings about intractable racism in America, which is still unable to reconcile its historic and hidden affects even today, they better be prepared for some backlash. To mention racism is to tiptoe into a minefield, and all too often it is the present practice to blame the victim for the carnage from the blast.

Think of the perverse Adrienne notion of “playing the race Washington card.” Here the prevailing AFRO Columnist idea is that it is somehow wrongheaded and even racist Courtesy Photos for an African American to Jennifer and her mom, Darnell Donerson whoor mentionHudson the distinctive challenges or the inherent inequities was as experiences well as herofbrother, Jason. thekilled, common being African American as if to give themselves some unwarranted and unfair advantage in a given or debate. plate X584859 was found on the situation body of her 7-year-old forjust example, Chicago’sracial West controversy Side after nephewWitness, Monday, hours the trumped-up inhis thebody Aprilwas 23 special election for the vacant at-large D.C. police received a 7 a.m. call after found in a Council. Although D.C. celebrated Emancipation Day when more than 3,000 slaves were set free a year earlier than others in 1862, the vestiges of horrific race relations continue to color everything from school closings to unemployment to political elections.

In the latter example, some have unfairly accused Democrat Anita Bonds, the only African American in the atand Dallaswoman Cowboys players

By Alan King large council race and the interim incumbent, of trying to get Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, AFRO Staff Writer African Americans to vote for her simply she is African among thebecause names submitted to American.

With a long history of working behindelection officials.

PresidentialNonsense. candidate John the-scenes foronvulnerable Bonds hasworkers, attempted Hurd said those who McCain’s attack ACORN –D.C. residents, to convince voters why she best represents “their own” interests, were doing those things without Associated Community just as thefor others have.

They pledge to represent knowledgeallorpeople permis-in Organization Reform Now – all ACORN’s all eight ofof thethecity. But can they? sion, were fired. confirms thewards success “The evidence that has surorganization, the head of the faced so far shows they faked group says.

“This is testimony to the work forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to stuff ballot we’ve done and success we’ve Continued from A1president of boxes.” ACORN, she said, is the had,” Maude Hurd, victim of fraud, not the perpetraACORN, said in an interview “We’re praying for the families of the people who were killed, tor of it. with the AFRO. the people who were injured and the city in general,” saidthings D.C. Hurd said the only “When this attack started, we resident DeeDee Dixon, who came to the parade with her son bogus are the charges them-and had just announced that we had daughter.

“That kind of thing injures a whole It leavesorg people selves.

Andcity. factcheck. registered 1.3 million new votiners,” painshe forsaid. the “That’s attack, but also in fear that violence will happen agrees. just to say again.

Boston will neverscared be the same, but I know that the American It concluded, “Neither that someone’s running spirit will help them to recover.”

ACORN nor its employees have because of ACORN’s success.”

J.D. Williams said previous to found break guilty the United been of, orStates even McCain, who is running for efforts had been unsuccessful and whoever was responsible for the attack with, casting fraudulent president on the Republican tick- charged inet,Boston the cityincome even stronger. votes.” lashed will out atsee ACORN the back “We don’tagainst alwaysBarack all get along, but we stand together in tragedy,” The problem came about prifinal debate marily because of the way he said. “D.C. residents solidarity with our brothers and sisters Obama, contending thestand groupin“is ACORN operates. than the verge of maybe inonBoston, as the nation perpetratdid for the victims in New York, Rather Pennsylvania rely on volunteers, it pays peoing here one of the9/11. greatest and after We frauds care forineach other.” ple,Councilman many of them poor or voter in this country, In ahistory televised news program, D.C. Vincent B.unemployed, to sign up new voters. maybe destroying the fabric of Orange (D) said the Pennsylvania Avenue Emancipation Day The idea was helpwell both those democracy.”

Parade route and areas designated for events had to been being registered and those doing Factcheck.org, a non-partisan inspected. registration.

Web site, found claimshe to said. the “We’ve beenthose prepared,” “There’ve been security Maud explained, “We have a be “exaggerated,” with “no evisweeps down Pennsylvania Avenue. They checked the garbage zero tolerance policy for deliberdence of any such democracycontainers and there will be a strong police presence here,” he told ate falsification of registration.” destroying fraud.”

Fox 5 News.

Most news account neglect to Hurd believes the McCain In a proclamation for the day, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray charges were politically motivat- point out that ACORN is wrote: “The Government of the District of Columbia committed required by law to isturn in all reged. to educating the public about our unique history…” istration forms. And they also fail She said, “Because it’s lowresident K. Houser the itevent 4th. to note that was to theJuly organizaandD.C. moderate-income people,Hall compared “It’s about our heritage,” she said. and people of color, I believe the tion, in many instances, that first Eventscampaign includedthinks a prayer at 8 a.m., an invitation-only prayer brought the phony registrations McCain those breakfast the Willard rightsofactivist and to thecivil attention authorities. voters areatgoing to vote Hotel, featuring social commentator Sharpton asThe theMcCain keynotecamp speaker. apparently Democratic, which isRev. not Al neces“The significance of today is thatisn’t we interested celebrate one nation in those fineon sarily true.” the day that we arestranger seeing to the tragedy in Boston,” Sharpton told points, preferring to air misleadACORN is no Fox 5 News. He added, “We are celebrating an American ing ads that seek to linkfreedom Obama controversy. to ACORN, thereby undercutting and For a commonality today.”

38 years, thehere non-partisan hisalong political support. Avenue organization foughtstarted for social At 11 a.m.,has a parade that ran Pennsylvania McCain: McCain and economic justice for lowfrom 4th Street to where it culminated at 14th StreetI’m at John Freedom Plaza, andLuther I approve this and moderate-income which was named in honor of Dr. Martin King Jr.,message. who worked is Barack Americans.

400,000 mem- speech Announcer: on his famousWith “I Have a Dream” at the nearby Who Willard.

A maninwith political berMs. families organized into Emma more P. Obama?

Senior D.C. 2011, Ward, walked the “a parade. baptism performed at warp than 1,200 neighborhood chapThe University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s pep band and speed.” ambition.

Afterwho colters in 110 cities cheerleaders, the nationwide, Thundering’ Hawks, were Vast among the groups lege, he moved to Chicago.

ACORN has over the years seen participated in a battle of the bands at the conclusion of the parade.

Became a community organizer. its share of criticism Workshops were heldwhile at theadvoD.C. Council Chambers to educate There, Obama met Madeleine cating for affordable housing, the public about the day’s history. Performance stages were set Talbot, part of the Chicago living wages, healthcare for the up outside the John A. Wilson Building and along Freedom Plaza. branch of ACORN. He was so underserved— and while organA concert featuring nine-time Grammy winnerthat KirkheFranklin, theto impressive was asked izing voter registration drives.

West Virginia State University Jazz Ensemble and jazz saxophonist train the ACORN staff.

But none has been as withering Brian Lenair as drew What did ACORN in Chicago and baseless thismany. one.

Atiyah 10, said a highlight of thein? parade for her were engage Bullying banks.

With theMyers, presidential election the people whoaway, marched who Intimidation represented tactics. formerly enslaved Disruption less3,100 than two weeks people. of business. ACORN forced ACORN’s detractors allege the “We werehas celebrating themasslaves banks freedom and how to issue riskythey homewere loans. organization engaged in let go,” sheregistration said. “They hadafter ladies that [ragged] Thewere samedressed types ofinloans that sive voter fraud dresses and they were reacting of the ladies causedSome the financial crisishad we’re the reported discovery of bogus as slaves. in today. chains, were saying dropping the chains.” names, and suchthey as Mickey Mousestuff and

ACORN Fights Back

from a neighbor about a suspiposted fliers bearing his photocious vehicle. The man noticed graph around the city. On the vehicle while walking his Sunday, Jennifer Hudson asked however, detractors want to skewer Bonds, a sentiments “than other groups who were resistant changes” a dog. Worse, According to the some Chicago for the public’stohelp in finding frontrunner, suggesting interjected race for personal gain couple of generations ago when Blacks moved into urban areas.

Tribune, the boy had beenshe shot her nephew.

In her MySpace into the times campaign. fact,seat she tried to respond to a raciallyWhat was once affectionately called multiple in theInback blog,“Chocolate she thankedCity” fans and supquestion candidate’s forum recently on WAMU- by the majority population has morphed, byfor design, ofloaded the vehicle.

Theduring SUV,aregisporters their into prayers and FM with candor. murdered gentrified “Vanilla Village.” While the city’sa population remainsto tered to Hudson’s offered $100,000 reward During show it was predominantly Black for now, but the council hasreturned gradually brother, wasthe towed with the pointed out that she was endorsed by anyone who the boy organized some longtime Black Washingtonians become represented by a majority ofalive.

White members; seven of boy’s body labor insideand andthat is being processed by evidence techniSince the investigation, were casting their votes for Bonds because they didn’t want the the 13, including the chairman. cians andtoworkers. body majority.

Hudson – who gained council increaseThe its White Bonds, by the way, has the backing of a number of her stardom was later removed and taken“I’m to happy to hear it,” in reaction after appearing on “American Ms. Bonds responded, council colleagues, Black and White. the County Medical Idol,” and won anatto Cook the endorsement, her spokesman said, noting it was not an Of the six remaining candidates running forthen the vacant Examiner’s Academy Award for role in embrace ofoffice. the racial preference of Black voters he spoke for. large seat, only two are Black, Bonds, the incumbent; andher Perry Hudson and thecandidate. movie Dreamgirls – has Bonds went onother to sayfamily that “the city is still predominantly Black” Redd, the D.C. Statehood Green Party The others members arrived Medical stayed out ofRepublican the public eye. and “people wantattothe have their leadership reflect who they are,” include the obvious mainstream media favorite, Examiner’s office mid-afterThe Chicago reportand that “there’s a natural tendency to want one of their own.”

Patrick Mara; and Democrats Elissa Silverman, PaulTribune Zukerberg, Julian King, Jennnifer Hudson’s nephew. noon to identify the body. ed that a parade of cars moved She added that some fear being pushed out of the city due to and Matthew Frumin. Democrat Michael Brown, an African Given the choice between lookslowlyhispast herstill family’s home gentrification.

American, dropped out theheld raceinalthough name appears A spokesman for the office the murders but is being ing directly at the body or Monday morning, past the Her critics also clamor that race it has place or that bearing in on told the no newspaper Hudson jailthe forballot. parole violation after viewing it on a wall-mounted news vans, reporters and curithe race. Really? Studies have indicated for decades “historical In the news stories and debates in certain circles the ous onlookers. trends” in which voters cast ballots, “acting in their self euphemisms used to refer to these contenders breaks down Neighbors stood interest,” says Michael Fauntroy, George Mason University to racially loaded terms like “reformers,” “progressives” quietlyand and political science professor. They traditionally choose candidates “newcomers” versus the “old guard” and “status quo.”

Guess reflected on the “remainedculture strongand for race. her fami- which being buzzword convicted is offor attempted basedscreen, on similarities in chose gender, economics, whom? The underlying video the family violence. message is that ly” and washave clearly its leader. murder and vehicular hijackWhoever said, “all is local” could easily added the “progressives” are automatically better candidates and the latter.

According to politics the In front of the Hudson’s “She held hands with her fami- pols ing. than Cookthe County recordsYet show “and very personal.” “old guard.” the council Tribune, Hudson said, “Yes, home,has menhad in numerous heavy jackets ly,”Washingtonians the spokesman have said. “It that he pleaded to both problems with itsguilty members’ ethics and that were that’sSurely him.”some native and longtime andeffectiveness hooded sweatshirts came to was obviously a very emotional charges in 1999.

He was also publicly and privately expressed their displeasure and even clearly colorblind. kiss the twin white crosses barmoment.” convicted in 1998 for resentment about what they perceive as the dwindling Black “Gentrification” getspossesa bad nameing in some quarters where and the names of Donerson The boy – theconversations son of Julia sion have of a stolen political power, hard won as it was. These thorny folks indeedmotor been vehicle. left behind, but the most important Jason.

Hudson, Jennifer’s had question He was released from prison “Everybody is sick of going are not only occurring in the District but also in urbansister cities–that facing D.C. voters is in who, among the candidate been missing since Friday, 2006 after serving seven years stufftolike this,” Artisha are being gentrified all across the nation. field, will look out for them and whothrough will work ensure that relative Julian’s for the murder a former resident “The larger question is to whatwhen extenta can thesefound conflicts, they, too,attempted can remain in theand District West, and enjoy the fruits of itsof the grandmother, Darnell car hijacking charges. areawho toldknows the Tribune. just belowObama’s the surface, be brought to the table and discussed?” revitalization. Perhaps that is someone well its“We all No wonder campaign is Donerson, 57, and his uncle, The boy remained missing have to stick together.

All these Fauntroy asked.him from the people and its issues and is not afraid to confront the ones that trying to distance Jason Hudson, 29, shot to death through a long weekend in young children arehead dying, Are these people racists?

Are Black politicians, capitalizing blow up in your face, like remaining racial inequities, on.and group, saying, “Barack Obama in his grandmother’s home in which police and volunteers for what?” on their fears, prone to play the race card?

Do they have a right Never Organized with ACORN.” the 7000 block of South Yale to resent theties losstoof what was seen as “our community” and Veteran journalist Adrienne Washington writes weekly for But Obama’s ACORN run onceAvenue. the political representation that went with it before economic the AFRO about relevant issues in the District, Maryland and long and deep. He taught classes An Amber Alert – a desigand demographic changes took hold?

Fauntroy said Black Northern Virginia. Send correspondence to her at editor@afro. for ACORN. They even endorsed nation for high-risk missing Washingtonians any different com. him for President. are not expressingchildren – was nervous issued Friday But now ACORN is in trouble. after Julian was discovered Reporter: There are at least missing after the murders.

11 investigations across the Police arrested William country involving thousands of Balfour, the missing boy’s steppotentially fraudulent ACORN father and estranged husband forms. of Julia, at his girlfriend’s Announcer: Massive voter Southside apartment several fraud. And the Obama campaign hours after the murders. paid more than $800,000 to an Balfour’s mother, Michele, has ACORN front for get out the vote told reporters that her son had efforts. nothing to do with the slayings.

Pressuring banks to issue risky Balfour remains a suspect in Jason Hudson loans. Nationwide voter fraud.

Barack Obama. Bad judgment.

Blind ambition. Too risky for America.

“She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.”

Leader Calls Voter Registration Fraud Charges ‘Bogus’

D.C. Celebrates

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Since McCain’s comments, ACORN’s 87 offices have been bombarded with threats and racist mail.

The day after the presidential debate, vandals broke into the organization’s Boston and Seattle offices and stole computers.

After a Cleveland representative appeared on TV, an e-mail was sent to the local office saying she “is going to have her life ended.”

A worker in Providence, R.I., received a threatening call saying, “We know you get off work at 9” and uttered racial epithets.

A caller to one office left a message on the answering machine, saying: “Hi, I was just calling to let you know that Barack Obama needs to get hung. He’s a (expletive deleted) nigger, and he’s a piece of (expletive deleted). You guys are fraudulent, and you need to go to hell. All the niggers on oak trees.

They’re gonna get all hung honeys, they’re going to get assassinated, they’re gonna get killed.”

Another message said, “You liberal idiots. Dumb (expletive deleted). Welfare bums. You guys just (expletive deleted) come to our country, consume every natural resource there is, and make a lot of babies. That’s all you guys do. And then suck up the welfare and expect everyone else to pay for your hospital bills for your kids. I jus’ say let your kids die. That’s the best move. Just let your children die.

Forget about paying for hospital bills for them. I’m not gonna do it. You guys are lowlifes. And I hope you all die.”

Hurd thinks the hate calls will cease soon.

“In two weeks, I think these attacks will be over. But I think it will be harder for us to get our name back on good graces because they really trashed us in the last few weeks.”

But ACORN will not be deterred.

“We’ve been fighting for a long time, for over 30 years, for the rights of low- and moderateincome people all across the country,” Hurd said. “We’re going to continue to fight for economic justice in our communities.”

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

Tea Party Darling Meets Skepticism at Howard

By Angelique T. Gayle Special to the AFRO Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) brought his message of racial inclusion and minimal government interference to Howard University April 10, receiving a polite but frosty reception from students who challenged the Republican Party rising star’s view of the history of Black Americans and the Grand Old Party.

Paul’s staff referred to the visit as an outreach to young voters and minority groups but Howard students characterized the freshman senator’s appearance as shallow, uninformed and patronizing.

At the core of his speech was a pitch for individualism and an invitation to embrace the philosophy of those who believe in minimal government and limited regulation.

“I want a government that leaves you alone, that encourages you to write the book that becomes your own unique future,” he said.

you want to do because you have the money and you have the power,” said Lloyd. “Free markets are what created this dichotomy of the people who have and the people who have not.”

The speaking engagement was the result of Paul’s request to address Howard students.

“My hope is that if you will hear me out, that you will see me for who I am, not the cariacature sometimes presented by political opponents of myself.

“If you hear me out, I believe you’ll discover that what motivates me more than any other issue is the defense of everyone’s rights.

And yours. Everyone’s and yours,” he said.

While his remarks included mentions of

“…Howard students characterized the freshman senator’s appearance as shallow, uninformed and patronizing.”

Kingman Park Leaders Continued from A1

the city plans to construct adjacent to Spingarn.

The facility is expected to house trolley cars needing maintenance and light repairs.

Developers said they plan to use the location as an educational and training facility for local high school and college students interested in learning about trolley maintenance.

Many of the local residents don’t want it, leaders said.

“A large [percentage] of the community is disturbed by it, particularly long-time residents firmly oppose it,” said Frazer Walton, president of the Kingman Park Civic Association. “So many of the residents have gone to the schools on the hill and they want to see it preserved.”

Vernice Blackness, the ANC Commissioner for 5D, said she is angry because she was not informed about the car barn being put on Spingarn property until a year and a half after the mayor initially proposed it.

“I don’t have a problem with the streetcars,” Blacknell said. “I do have a problem with them putting their maintenance center and training center on Spingarn property when there is an alternative place behind the Pepco plant.”

Located near the intersection of Benning Road and 26th Street NE, Spingarn was recently designated a National Historic Site by the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board after a request from the Kingman Park Civic Association. Residents said they sought the designation to protect the land that local residents held in such high esteem.

Aside from the historical principle, Walton also believes that the streetcar barn will present an issue with health and safety.

“It’s a danger to the community because of the pedestrians moving about in that area and particularly the children moving around,” he said.

Walton also noted that the streetcar barn may emit “very serious electromagnetic radiation” which could lead to health and environmental issues in the community.

A D.C. Preservation hearing is scheduled for April 25 where residents will find out if the city has decided to move the trolley car maintenance facility.

Walton said he is hopeful.

“We plan to continue to protest what they’re doing through letter-writing, calling and we are considering litigation against the city,” he said.

‘Shotgun Stalker’ Continued from A1

“You are more important than any political party, more important than any partisan pleadings.”

“I hope that some of you will be open to the Republican message that favors choice in education, a less aggressive foreign policy, more compassion regarding non-violent crime and encourages opportunity in employment,” said Paul, who has been endorsed by tea party and is considered a possible presidential candidate in 2016.

He acknowledged that his appearance at Howard was a rare one for a White Republican lawmaker. The most recent Republican members of Congress to deliver a major speech at Howard are former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) in 2004 and former President George H.W. Bush in 1981 when he was vice president. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, delivered Howard’s 1994 commencement address.

The skeptical, but respectful crowd of students, faculty and staff gathered in the University’s School of Business auditorium was polite but pushed back at Paul’s assertions about the historic relationship between the GOP and African Americans.

Two students, Ahmeen Muhammad and Brian Menifee, stood up holding a sign that was later revealed to read, “Howard University does not support white supremacy.”

“Quite frankly, I wanted to hear what he had to say, but as soon as he started to give us a history lesson as to how blacks voted Republican back in the 1800s, even though we all know there has been a shift in the parties, that’s when I realized he was trying to spew his rhetoric upon us and shift our minds and our vote,” said Muhammad.

Menifee said he was not protesting Paul himself, but he was protesting the system that Paul stands for.

His comment about creating a government that leaves people alone did not sit well with most of the crowd, like Howard student Lovisa Lloyd.

“A free market is a slave market. Free market means an economy where you can do whatever

Courtesy Photo

Sen. Rand Paul Black author Toni Morrison, when he tried to note the first African-American senator since reconstruction, he blanked on the name Edward Brooke. After the crowd spoon-fed him the name, Paul chuckled and said, “Well, I don’t know what you know.”

Following that moment, Paul began talking about how the founders of the NAACP were indeed Black Republicans, speaking as if he were giving the students new information. And they let him know that they knew that.

“I was not here for my mind to be changed.

There are many things that he stands for that I actually agree with. I am tired of politicians talking about how they want the market to be free, while knowingly engaging in cronyism capitalism,” said physics graduate student Charlezetta Wilson.

He got support from the crowd about half way in when he revealed his stance on minimum prison sentences.

“Our federal mandatory minimum sentences are simply heavy handed and arbitrary. They can affect anyone at any time, though they disproportionately affect those without the means to fight them,” he said. “We should stand and loudly proclaim enough is enough. We should not have laws that ruin the lives of young men and women who have committed no violence.”

While Paul has been criticized for his comments on not supporting the Civil Rights Act, he said he supports an end to all discrimination, but does not agree with having to tell a private business they cannot discriminate.

In remarks to a reporter before the speech, Paul noted that he wanted to speak to a young college audience, a historically Black college.

“I just want people to know, all across the country that Republicans are interested in talking to African Americans, young people and audiences we haven’t done so well with,” said Paul.

of MPD’s Homicide Division.

“It’s something you see in the movies or hear occurring in other areas, but it was actually occurring in their area. It was kind of a shock.”

Another woman was shot in the face on March 17. By the time Elizabeth “Bessie” Hutson, 28, was fatally shot as she walked her dogs in an alley near Park Road on March 23, D.C. was gripped in fear.

Residents demanded answers from police. It was reported that Hutson had been killed by shotgun fire, unusual in a city where semi-automatics handguns were the weapons of choice for most street thugs.

And that’s what police had thought, that the shootings were the result of street crimes or beefs. There was no immediate connection made in the first two shootings, despite their closeness in proximity; the White woman was considered a victim, while the Black man was believed to have been doing something that led to his injuries, even though there was no evidence to support that.

“We were attacking from an investigative stand point, and also increasing the number of personnel in the area to try and catch the person in the act,” said Ritchie. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were brought in to assist.

As time passed, more details emerged. The gunman drove a greenish-blue 1990 Toyota Tercel, slowly following some of his victims before rolling down the

window and firing, earning him the nickname “Shotgun Stalker.”

“We were receiving hundreds of tips almost every hour after this thing was publicized,” Watkins said.

As police linked the incidents, they found similarities—location, time and the description of the car and suspect. “That gave us some clues to focus in on and set up our game plan to be in the area around times when the crimes were occurring,” Watkins recalled.

Almost two months after the first shooting happened— on April 19—police got the break they needed.

Officer Kenneth Stewart, who had been on the scene of several of the shootings, including Hutson’s, spotted a greenish-blue Tercel as he was heading north on Sherman Avenue NW. When the vehicle ran a red light, he followed.

In a short film produced about the case by NYU film student Dan Marks, Stewart described what happened next.

As the car passed, he noticed a “kind of happy smile on his face.” Stewart unholstered his gun and placed it on the seat. The driver of the Toyota, later identified as James E. Swann, Jr., 29, of Iselin, N.J., a sometimes security guard who had been fired several times for behaving erratically, turned into the parking lot of a supply company near Florida and Vermont streets NW. Stewart saw an officer in a patrol car at 9th and Vermont Avenue and asked for his help.

“I think I have the Shotgun

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Stalker,” he told the officer.

The officers trapped Swann in the parking lot. Stewart cuffed him and put him on the ground.

He planned to arrest him for running the traffic light— temporarily.

“This is not for traffic,” he recalled telling Swann. “He looked at me and said, ‘What do you mean?’”

The uniformed officer found the shotgun in the backseat of Swann’s car.

“I think he said the barrel was warm,” Stewart recalled in the film.

Detectives later determined that Stewart had seen Swann a short time after Nello Hughes, 61, was killed in a drive-by shooting in the 3600 block of 13th Street NW, less than a mile from the arrest site.

Hughes was the last victim of the Shotgun Stalker.

Authorities also learned that Swann carried on his murderous spree after driving to Washington. His father worked as a security guard at a federal facility in D.C. He sometimes worked with him, Ritchie recalled recently.

He first went to the area where he would later victimize 14 people when a friend took him to Mount Pleasant to get a haircut. Later, friends on a job in D.C. began to play jokes on him. He went to the same barbershop several times to look for the friend, including on Feb. 26, when he shot and killed the owner, Ritchie said.

The case never went to trial because Swann was found to be insane. He told authorities that he saw demons and spirits, including Malcolm X, and heard voices that urged him to carry out the shootings.

Though he is African American, most of the people he shot at were Black.

Swann was committed to St. Elizabeth’s Psychiatric Hospital. In 2011, he requested a 12-hour furlough to visit his father. It was denied.

Now 49, Swann lives in a medium-security unit in the Southeast Washington hospital.

Ritchie said he knew from the day of the arrest that Swann would never go to trial.

“I looked him in the eye and I knew that he was dancing to a different tune,” he said. “It wasn’t violence.

He never resisted. He was very calm. When I went to talk to him, he was sharp enough to request an attorney. But there was that stare. I was interviewed by one of the psychiatrists at St. Elizabeth’s and he said, ‘What did you see?’ I said, ‘I saw this stare, a stare that I’ll never forget.”

April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013, The Afro-American

A5

Anita Bonds Continued from A1

day, Bonds held a slight lead in the polls, with particularly strong support among African-American voters. And, though she has yet to post her latest finance report online, she has raised more than $71,000 in this quarter.

Mara, who holds an advantage over Bonds among independents and third-party voters, raised a sum of $139,666 in campaign donations.

Bonds is a longtime mover and shaker in Washington politics. The University of California, Berkley grad and Ward 7 native began her career as a community organizer in D.C. In 1971, Bonds transferred her organizing skills into politics, helping to run Marion Barry’s first campaign for the District of Columbia Board of Education in 1971, and his later bids for mayor along with other campaigns, including Edward Kennedy’s and the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential runs.

Bonds also served as an advisor and senior government official in the administrations of mayors Marion Barry, Sharon Pratt Kelly, Anthony Williams and former Council Chairman Kwame Brown. She also served as a four-term chair of ANC 5C. But Patrick Mara has his share of powerful supporters, including the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, the District chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police and The Washington Post, which praised his stance on education reform and his call for ethics and integrity within the Council.

A Rhode Island transplant, Mara earned degrees in political and environmental science from Marist College, and an MBA in entrepreneurship from Babson College.

The owner of the Dolan Group, a consulting firm, Mara is treasurer of the board of One World Education, a former board member of Hope for Kids, and a mentor at the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund.

Mara did not respond to repeated requests, via e-mail

“With great success comes great responsibility and we have to drill this into the minds of our governments and the residents of D.C. So what is our responsibility? Our responsibility is to ensure fairness.” and phone, to complete a short AFRO questionnaire. Bonds’ responses are below: 1. What are your plans for the city’s $417 million surplus?

I think the money should go directly back to the community with a particular emphasis on seniors. In this campaign I constantly speak about how we best help our seniors, this surplus going to policies and tax incentives that benefit seniors to stay in their homes and live comfortably. Secondly, our city’s schools will need more money. We also have to fund the efforts to make sure housing in the city is affordable. Lastly, we have to help out the working poor who are on the brink of homelessness and only need a small amount of money to afford housing. We can rent spaces in buildings and lease them out to families in dire need of affordable housing.

2. What is the price of gentrification for Black D.C. residents?

The District is growing. I am proud of it. Growth is always good and diversity is strength. But the questions should be, “Does everyone benefit?” With great success comes great responsibility and we have to drill this into the minds of our governments and the residents of D.C. So what is our responsibility? Our responsibility is to ensure fairness.

3. How will you fight poverty?

We can offer tax relief to families and seniors for their housing needs. We can do everything to make housing in the District affordable by fully funding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. We can push for a decent living wage and raise the minimum wage for our residents. We can provide “wrap around” services to those who need an all-encompassing approach to break cycles of poverty. I have co-sponsored the bill that will force large retailer stores in the city to pay a decent and fair living wage to their employees.

4. How do you improve education in D.C.?

The time is now to have this debate ... I want public and charter schools under one umbrella of the deputy mayor for education, so that we have that accountability. We also have to stop closing schools. Yes, some schools will have to close, especially those that are failing, but we can’t close all schools... we need to look into why certain schools are failing, figure out if the problem can be fixed and then have a hard conversation about whether to close certain schools.

5. What about reversing Black unemployment trends?

I support legislation and smart enforcements that give D.C. residents the leg up in employment opportunities in D.C., especially companies that do significant contract work with D.C. Government.

See more on afro.com.

Hope Fading Continued from A1

in Newton, Conn., is untenable—and discouraging.

“When you think about the fact that 20 children were shot at close range in a suburban

lose the gun debate, they will boost Republican turnout in 2014 and 2016,” Johnson said.

“The larger Republican

Wikimedia Commons

A makeshift memorial commemorating the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. area and legislators were fiercely debating whether they should even discuss changes in our government’s laws you have to wonder what it would take to get them to actually pass legislation,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (DMd.).

“There are moments in history that should be transformative and the Sandy Hook tragedy was one of them,” the Democrat added.

“And if we don’t take these moments and turn them into movements, things will likely only get worse and something like this [the mass killing] could happen again.”

Capitol Hill resistance to the emotional impetus of the Newton tragedy, appeals by the White House, and overwhelming public support for firmer gun control stems from deep in-house rifts within the Republican and Democratic parties and political calculations, lawmakers and analysts said.

On the issue of gun control there is an ongoing “civil war” between hardline conservatives and mainstream Republicans, said David E. Johnson, a Republican strategist and pollster who worked on the Bob Dole presidential campaign.

“There is the more hardline, tea party element such as Sens. Ted Cruz, [of Texas] and Rand Paul [of Kentucky] who believe in no compromise. They believe that even if they fight and

base, however, believes something needs to be done.

They are aware of the public’s support for gun reform and realize Republicans are losing [ground] because they are being viewed as being too extreme and rigid.”

And, even among Democrats there is a divide based on ideology—some represent constituencies in the Midwest and other places where gun ownership is a way of life and some left-leaning Democrats may balk at gun-rights provisions that were included to entice Republicans—and re-election fears.

The National Rifle Association, which sinks a lot of funds into lawmakers’ campaigns, has promised to withdraw support from Republicans and moderate Democrats who support the bill. And, according to Johnson, the tea party has promised to challenge senators and representatives who favor the bill.

“It’s all or nothing with them,” the GOP strategist said.

The NRA and tea party conservatives seem to be holding sway. Already, one of the four original bills approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in March, the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, has been removed. Democrats, such as Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have

vowed to reintroduce the measure via amendment but it is unlikely to pass muster.

And Republican supporters of a bipartisan compromise bill, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, have found themselves being pilloried by colleagues and by attack ads.

The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Pat Toomey (RPa.), would strengthen the country’s background check system for gun purchases by extending it to purchases at gun shows and online, while explicitly prohibiting the creation of a national gun registry. And, it would assist states and federal agencies to provide accurate and up-todate records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

“This compromise legislation shouldn’t be controversial. Nine out of 10 Americans – including a majority of gun owners and a majority of NRA members – support stronger background check laws,” said Reid in an April 15 statement.

“I hope a few unreasonable extremists will not try to prevent an up-or-down vote on this legislation with a filibuster,” he continued.

“That would be a shameful tribute to the memory of 27 innocent people who died in Newtown… [And to] the mothers and fathers, loved ones and friends of the 3,300 Americans who have been killed by gun violence since that terrible day at Sandy Hook.”

Other bills in the legislation include the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013, which would create specific federal criminal statutes prohibiting the trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms and strengthen penalties for those crimes. And the School and Campus Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 would expand grant programs to help improve school and campus safety.

So far, Capitol Hill lawmakers and political observers believe the Manchin and Toomey background check bill, which gained the endorsement of the pro-gun group Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms April 13, and, more

remotely, the gun trafficking prevention bill have the best chances of passage.

“The only question would be what kind of condition they will be in after all the amendments,” Cummings, who co-sponsored a House version of the gun trafficking prevention bill, said. “One of my greatest fears is that they would add amendments to water down any efforts by states to address the gun problem.”

While there is a remote chance that the Senate will pass some

gun legislation, however distorted, the probability of the legislation’s success in the House is almost nought because of the deep partisanship within that chamber.

“It may pass the Senate but in the House I don’t even know what they will allow it to reach the floor. I think they will do everything they can to kill it,” said Johnson, founder and CEO of Strategic Vision LLC, a Georgia-based political consulting firm.

House Republicans, he said, “are more hardliners

because, the way districts have been re-drawn, there are relatively fewer swing districts. The makeup of the constituencies have changed to become more strongly Republican and strongly Democrat.”

Given those political realities, Johnson said hopes for the first gun control legislation in two decades rest on one thing.

“The only chance of gun control being passed in the near future is if the president can re-take the House for the Democrats,” he said.

A6

The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

SCIENCE & TECH

Retired Officer Builds Human-like Robot from Appliances

By Albert Phillips Special to the AFRO As a boy, Mark Haygood disassembled and attempted to rebuild his mother’s household gadgets, including radios and hair dryers. A combination of trial and error in building and a passion for science-fiction led him to create HEX, a four-foot, three-inch, 50-pound, full-sized humanoid robot.

Haygood, now 49 and retired after 22 years as a Baltimore City police officer, always had a penchant for techno gadgets.

“I was the really shy-in-the-basement-building-robots guy,” said Haygood.

Haygood said his robot—made up mostly of mostly household appliances, including a clock radio, fan, and DVD player – is one of few full-sized humanoids in America.

According to Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary, humanoids is a word used to describe something that is looks or acts “like a human.”

In 2009, Haygood moved to Philadelphia and ran into what quickly became his “favorite” bipedal humanoid robot, Hubo, an advanced, full-body humanoid created by one of the leaders in the field, Professor Jun-Ho Oh, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, according to gizmag, a widely respected magazine catering to new and emerging technologies, invention, innovation, and science news.

Released in 2005, Hubo cost under $1 million to build and is a competitor to Honda’s Aismo, which cost nearly $300 million and took almost twenty years to construct.

During a recent interview with the AFRO at his secluded home in Baltimore County, Haygood, the veteran officer and self-trained roboticist, powered up his human-like machine, equipped with flashing blue-neon lights and 3D-printer-made fingers. His “baby” as he refers to it, has the ability to move its arms and hands, rotate its head and hips, and soon, thanks to a newly installed speech synthesizer, will soon be able to speak.

“It’s the kind of machine that can only grow and become better,” said Haygood. He said that with “more sensors and functionality,” he can correct some minor design flaws of HEX and build a second, more cutting-edge robot.

Haygood requested the AFRO not to print the cost of creating HEX other than to say the price tag is under $100,000

Mark Haygood and his robot, HEX

Photo by Albert Phillips

and that it is the “cheapest humanoid robot you can make.”

HEX was a four -year project for Haygood. Now more knowledgeable and confident, Haygood estimates that he can replicate HEX in about five months and cut costs by 40 percent.

Searching for a place to enhance his work, Haygood joined Baltimore’s Hackerspace in August 2012. He describes the Hackerspace as a place where “a whole bunch of Macgyvers get together to build stuff,” he said, referring to the TV show about a super geek who solves crimes. He pays a $50 monthly fee to have 24-hour access to equipment and professional

programmers, hackers, and builders.

“It’s great because if there’s something you don’t know they can help you and if there’s something they don’t know you can help them,” said Haygood.

Although Haygood is now a proud member of a Hackerspace, he labels himself an “introvert.”

“It’s a weird situation to be in,” said Haygood as he described being a reserved person while working in a public field. Haygood said he survived by fulfilling his job and duties and not showing his “real self.” “Some people see violence and it rolls off their shoulders, but people like me can’t deal with it,” he added. The aggressive and open nature of being an in-the-field officer was a reason why Haygood decided to retire after 22 years and be “done with the war.”

Instead, his passion was to spend countless hours in the basement, tinkering with his mother’s objects, striving to build a robot.

“He used to scare me with his ability to invent things sometimes,” said Vivian Haygood, Mark’s mother. “It was just incredible what he could do with his hands and it’s been like that since he was a child and all the way up to adulthood.”

April is an important month for Haygood and the future of his robotic ambition. Within weeks, he plans to launch a fundraiser to raise $50,000-- using Kickstarter.com, a crowdfunding website--to “correct the design flaws” in HEX, “build another bot, and have a lot left over for some additional things that are needed.”

Like some international robot builders, Haygood wants to create humanoids that can assist humans with daily activities.

In 2011, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that South Korea was testing out robots as prison wardens. In 2012, the Buffalo News reported that a sick child used a $4,839 “Roboswot” to virtually attend a class in New York when he was ill. News reports have also shown that robots have been used in classrooms to teach children Enlish.

Along with members of his Hackerspace, Haygood plans to attend the 14th annual Robot Fest on April 27 in Lithicum, Md. to promote HEX to children and other robot-friendly spectators.

“I want to help kids. I want to teach kids. I want kids to get a shot of adrenaline in the arm as far as advanced fields of robots are concerned.”

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April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013, The Afro-American

A7

OPINION

State of Equality and Justice in America: ‘The Maternal Wall’

In our national conversations about equality and justice in America, we have too often avoided the conversation about the realities of women and mothers in the workforce. This is particularly odd given that women comprise half of the entire paid labor force, three-quarters of moms are now in the labor force, and most families now need two breadwinners to make ends meet.

Yet, despite comprising half of the paid labor force, only 5 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. The glass ceiling remains solid and a Maternal Wall is blocking the way for many women to even get anywhere near that glass barrier. Yes, a Maternal Wall.

Here’s what the Maternal Wall looks like: • Women without children make 90 cents to a man’s dollar, mothers make only 73 cents, single moms make about 60 cents to a man’s dollar, and women of color experience increased wage hits on top of that.

• Mothers with equal resumes are hired 80 percent less of the time than non-mothers and are offered lower starting salaries.

• More than 80 percent of women in our nation have children by the time they’re 44 - and most hit the Maternal Wall.

• Overall women make only 77 cents to a man’s dollar for full-time year round work, with African-American women making only 68 cents to a man’s dollar and Latino women making just 59 cents to a man’s dollar.

Think all of this doesn’t matter to you, or to our national economy? Consider this: Women make three-quarters of purchasing decisions. When women don’t have adequate funds in their pockets, our entire economy - which for better or worse is now built on consumer spending - suffers.

The glass ceiling and Maternal Wall not only hurt women’s pocketbooks, they also hurt the bottom line of our nation’s businesses. A 19-year Pepperdine University survey of Fortune 500 companies found that those with the best record of promoting women outperformed the competition by anywhere from 41 to 116 percent. In other words, more women in leadership meant higher profits.

Many women and mothers are struggling against tradition,

Kristin RoweFinkbeiner

subliminal discrimination, and structural barriers. Indeed, we need to start uniting and lifting each other up. We are living in more than one America.

The realities of life for higher-wage earning women are vastly different from the realities of most women in our country. More than 80 percent of low-wage workers don’t have access to a single paid sick day for themselves or their children. Our national “floor” for workplace policies is way too low. These floors need to be raised; and structural barriers need to be addressed, particularly since it now costs over $200,000 to raise one child from birth to age eighteen. Despite what it may appear from the focus of recent media coverage, there are vastly more women in low wage positions than in high. In fact, only 9 percent of all women in the labor force earn $75,000 or more annually, 37 percent earn between $30,000 and $74,999 annually, and 54 percent earn less than $30,000 annually. The majority of minimum wage earners are women. Most mothers in the low wage workforce are struggling to find quality and affordable daycare (which now costs more than college in most states) and are working in jobs without paid family leave, sick days, or flexible work options that ensure employees can be successful both at home and at work. Middle-income women struggle with many of these same work structure issues, while women in higher income positions often have access to these programs.

We’ve seen recently that the mere ascension of women in the workplace alone does not guarantee that family friendly policies will be implemented. One example is Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s move to end the company’s policy of allowing employees to work remotely.

Solutions are within our reach.

We know which policies - like paid family leave, earned sick days, and affordable childcare - save taxpayer dollars, improve women’s economic security, act to help close genderbased wage gaps and break down the Maternal Wall, while strengthening our national economy as a whole. These solutions won’t magically happen without people coming together to push to update our outdated workplace policies, practices, and laws. It’s going to take all of us - women, men, elected and corporate leaders - leaning forward together to build a nation where women, families, and businesses can thrive.

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is executive director/CEO and cofounder of MomsRising.org. This article - the tenth of a 20-part series - is written in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. For more information, please visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

Measure Education Reform by Quality, Not Quantity

High-quality public education is critically Dr. Ramona Edelin important to America’s future, and we are falling behind globally. On the standardized tests administered every three years by the Program for International Student Assessment, American school students finished 25th in math, 17th in science and 12th in reading among all industrialized countries.

This worrying discrepancy, as well as national and local high-school graduation and college-acceptance data, and the numbers of students who still do not perform at their grade level in math and reading, should concern us all. Data such as this provides much of the rationale for the nation’s burgeoning education reform movement. But too many of the self-styled education reformers focus too narrowly on quantitative data for short-term gains, while ignoring qualitative analysis and the research and development required to answer more fundamental questions.

To provide a high-quality public education for every American, we need to know what is working; for whom; and under what conditions. Sadly, the corporate model currently favored by the business, with its emphasis on standardized math and reading test scores, doesn’t provide answers to these larger questions.

Our nation’s capital—of all places—has a higher achievement gap than any state, yet it also is home to some public schools that have strikingly different results and have significantly narrowed that gap.

The big money behind the drive to judge success or failure based on narrowly focused standardized tests does not fund the

kind of research that could enable us to figure out what works for our nation’s most vulnerable children. Instead, the business minds that fund and control the policy direction of public education—though they are not educators—think they know what is best: applying the productivity model to teachers and schools, as they do their stores and employees.

Friendship Collegiate Academy is a charter high school in Washington, D.C. that specializes in college preparation

there a causal relationship between Early College and on-time graduation? Why do we see this apparent correlation? How does this happen and why?

D.C. now has four bilingual immersion public schools: Yu Ying, which teaches students in Mandarin and English; Elsie Whitlow Stokes, which teaches in either French and English or Spanish and English; and LAMB and Mundo Verde, teaching Spanish and English. They now plan a joint high school offering their language options under the same roof. Research shows that language programs teach lifelong learning skills, yet the benefits to students who learn second, third or fourth languages go unmeasured.

What are their advantages, and for whom?

Still other D.C. schools go above and beyond the fashionably narrow emphasis on standardized tests. Thurgood Marshall Academy is law-themed and Cesar Chavez Public Charter School specializes in D.C.’s domestic industry, public policy.

What difference do their areas of specialization make to student motivation, academic success, and post-graduate success? For whom does this work? And under what conditions?

By funding research to answer these and other questions, we could break down the barriers between traditional and chartered public schools, and replicate the best in the interests of every student, however disadvantaged.

“To provide a high-quality public education for every American, we need to know what is working; for whom; and under what conditions.” for at-risk youth from some of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods. Some 74 percent of their students are eligible for federal lunch subsidies, and 60 percent are male. Their on-time (four year) high-school graduation rate is 91 percent— higher than the District (60 percent) or neighboring highincome states, Maryland (82 percent) and Virginia (81 percent), and the national rate (78 percent). And 100 percent of their graduating class is accepted to college.

Collegiate Academy’s success occurred after it pioneered Early College and Advanced Placement courses nine years ago.

Yet only one other D.C. public school offers Early College.

Friendship, a network of charter and traditional-charter partnership campuses, is responsible for 43 percent of the ontime graduates in D.C.’s high-poverty Wards 7 and 8. But is

Dr. Ramona Edelin is executive director of the District of Columbia Association for Chartered Public Schools.

Letter to the Editor I Need Help! My dilemma lies in understanding the interpretation and reaction of our lawmakers and some citizens to the First and Second Amendments of the Bill of Rights.

In the 18th century, freedom of speech was limited to word of mouth and the written word which took a long time to reach its destination. Now we have global newspapers,

radios, home or land telephones, cell phones, televisions and computers.

In the 18th century, the second amendment to the Bill of Rights, the right to bear arms, was to protect the thirteen colonies from the British, the American Indians, the Spanish and French. Now, weapons have advanced to include the atomic bomb, chemical warfare and high-tech gunneries.

We have had mass killings in our churches, our schools, movie theaters and even in government buildings.

Why are the people we put in positions to lead, guide and protect us are sanctioning assault rifles in family homes and gun-toting security guards in our schools? Why don’t we have extensive physical and mental evaluation for ALL gun owners, and why doesn’t the law

deal harshly with anyone caught without a valid registered weapon? Why don’t our young veterans go through a rehabilitation program before returning to civilian mainstream? Why don’t we bring the Bill of Rights up to the 21st century and save our impressionable, precious inheritors of our country?

PLEASE, help me understand.

—L.N.Hunter

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American 2519 N. Charles St. • Baltimore, MD 21218 or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to editor@afro.com

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

COMMUNITY CONNECTION April 18-May 2

Psuit Drive Various locations throughout the D.C. region. The Psi Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity will host a clothing drive. Metro residents are invited to recycle their gently worn male and female business attire to benefit families in need. For more information and to view drop-off locations, visit: Psinuques.com.

April 19

DMV Professional Singles Cruise Capital Yacht Charter, 1300 Maine Ave., S.W. D.C. 10 p.m. Come join the DMV Professional Singles in a cruise around the Potomac River.

Enjoy speed dating, an old school dating game contest, free appetizers and more. $40. For more information: 202-5540677.

April 20

National Walk for Epilepsy The Washington Monument, N.W. D.C. 10 a.m. Raise awareness and raise funds to continue the fight to stop epilepsy and find a cure. For more information: www. epilepsyfoundation.org.

High Heels & Higher Standards Anderson Coleman Conference Center, 9033 Central Ave., Capitol Heights, Md. 11 a.m.

Enjoy this motherdaughter tea. $40. For more information: 301298-5311.

April 24

Dallas Black Dance Theatre Master Class Workshop Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Road, Landover, Md. 7:30 p.m.

These two workshops give area dancers the opportunity to train with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre Company for the evening. $15. For more information: 301-2770312.

April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013, The Afro-American

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First place winners: Dem’Raider Boyz Step Squad Young steppers passing out the programs.

Third place winners: Benjamin D. Foulois CPAA Step Team, Morningside, Md.

Dem’Raider Boyz Step Squad from Greenbelt, Md. stomped their way to first place in the 11th annual STOMP D.A.T. Step Show March 23 at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium. Seven teams of middle- and high school-age youngsters participated in the program, sponsored

by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc’s Federal City Alumnae Chapter and the Federal City Public Service Second place winners: S.T.O.M.P. (Step Team Foundation, to On a Mission to Praise) demonstrate June Carter Perry, Foundation against using President speaking with David drugs, alcohol Mineta, White House Office of and tobacco.

National Drug Control Policy

Dem’Raider Boyz from Greenbelt, Md.

Avis Thurman, an unidentied guest and Audrey Thurman

David K. Mineta, center, deputy director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy with chapter leaders Step Show judges

Federal City Public Service Foundation President June Carter Perry and AFRO American Newspaper General Manager Edgar Brookins

Essence Step Team from Gar-Field High School, Alexandria, Va.

Hosts Tracee Wilkins, NBC4 and DJ Flexx, WPGC Radio

Edgar Brookins, WJLA TV’s Jummy Olabanji, DJ Flexx and Tracee Wilkins, NBC4 AFRO Photos/ Rob Roberts

The Washington, D.C. Area Alumni Chapters of Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University and Tougaloo College hosted their Second Annual TJAM Scholarship Gala on March 23 at the Washington Navy Yard. During an evening of food and fun, scholarship winners were announced.

Sam Washington and Dr. Patricia A. Cole

Seated: Toyce Small, Corbin Morman, Shawn and Angela Dorrough; Standing: Ben and Debbie Washington

Photos by Rob Roberts

Seated: Flora Marsh, Vivian Johnson, Ola Harvey-Penick and Richard Penick; Standing: Priscilla Smalls, Sherwin Maynor, Lillian Wilkinson Maynor, Faye Hyslop and Edgar Brookins

Seated: Maureen Hawkins, Gary Hawkins, Joann and Larry Barringer; Standing: Shirley Bellamy, Theresa McClurkin, Bobbie Mason, Bobby Mason, Barbara McClurkin, Barbara Rollins and Marianna Zimmerson

Johnny Fontano, Trudy Lindsey, Nadine Darbean, Julia Sawney and Dr. Amel Anderson

Seated: Lisa Garrett, Sharon Priest, Dwayne and Trinette Campbell; Standing: Khary Reynolds, Noell Reynolds, Jamaal Robinson, La Nisha Robinson and Dominque Johnson

Patricia Diggs and Carl Algood

Hope Lampkin and Patrice Johnson

Raffle drawing: Is there a winner?

Jackson State University Alumni Chapter President Sharon Davis, Alcorn State University Alumni Chapter President Sam Washington, Tougaloo College Alumni Chapter President Kathy Mosley and Mississippi Valley State University Alumni Chapter President Gredta Hubbard

The West Band

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

From HGTV.com

LIVING

Landscaping Tips That Can Help Sell Your Home or function properly can be an instant turnoff.

Take care of any irrigation issues. If there are any problems with an irrigation system, fix them. Irrigation system repairs can be expensive, and you don’t want to lay the cost of those repairs on the buyer. Provide information about your irrigation schedule, especially if you have an automatic system. Include instructions as to how the system operates and recommend the same watering schedule that’s worked for you.

Repair faucet leaks. A leaking faucet suggests that there may be other problems elsewhere in the plumbing, and that can be an instant turn-off to buyers.

Consider labeling as many plants as possible. That way the buyer will at least know the name of each plant and can then research their growing needs.

Power-wash dirty surfaces. Consider buying or renting a power washer to clean paved surfaces. With very little time or effort, you can make grungy, grimy surfaces look brand-spanking new. http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/landscaping-tips-that-can-help-sell-your-home/ index.html

AFRO Photos

Ann Smith shops for begonias for her Glenarden, Md., home.

Use these 10 tips to increase your home’s curb appeal and find out how an attractive and well-maintained landscape can add as much as 10 percent to its value.

Spruce up outdoor containers. Container plants, especially large tropicals, add considerable interest to patios and doorways where would-be buyers enter and exit the house.

Touch up the mulch. Nothing spruces up a place like a new application of mulch, so apply a fresh layer in all your garden beds. The color enhances the contrast of the surrounding plants and makes everything pop.

Plant some instant color. Seasonal color makes the landscape pop as well, and flats of annuals are also relatively inexpensive. Go for a splash of several colors or a more monochromatic scheme, whatever fits in with the look of your home.

Shape unsightly or overgrown trees and shrubs. Regardless of the season, it’s a good idea to tackle any overlooked pruning chores because nothing says neglect like a bunch of dead branches. The idea is to show how well not only your house but your garden has been maintained.

Tend to perennial beds. Tidy up herbaceous plants, such as annuals and perennials, that don’t look as good as they should. If a plant is in such bad shape that it needs to be removed, either replace it or stick a decorative pot in its place. Now is also a good time to dig up any plants that you want to take with you to your new home. If you intend to remove any landscape plants and haven’t already done so, you have an obligation to inform the buyer exactly which plants you plan on digging up.

Clean up water features. Get rid of any visible algae, remove leaves and clean filters so that the water is crystal clear. After all, a water feature that doesn’t look good

Carol Harriston said landscaping and decks are features that help homes sell.

A Great Gift for the Green Thumb

Gardening for Life at Morgan

By Courtney Jacobs Special to the AFRO Morgan State University’s Community Organic Vegetable Garden is back in full flower and is greener than ever this year.

The once-vacant land at Chinquapin Run Park, on the corner of Hillen and Stonewood Roads, is being cultivated by Morgan political science majors and members of the school’s Nutritional Sciences Program, along with the help of Home Depot.

This year’s crop is to include lettuce, collards, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, bell pepper and kale, produce that will be donated to Morgan students and residents in the surrounding community.

“This is a wonderful initiative to promote not only eating well, but to increase access to fruits and vegetables,” Dr. Sherine Brown, assistant professor of nutritional science at MSU, said in a statement, noting that several Photo by Courtney Jacobs communities exist in food Morgan State University’s Community Organic deserts, neighrborhoods Vegetable Garden that are sparsely populated with stores selling fresh, wholesome fruits and vegetables.

The Morgan statement said that the “primary goal of the community garden is to nurture the land into a productive urban organic vegetable garden and to provide vegetables, fruits and herbs” to students and local residents. “In time, the garden will expand into a student and/ community-run food co-op,” it said.

In addition, cultivated beds have been purchased by organizations such as the Students of Future Educators, the campus chapter of the American Society for Civil Engineers and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity.

Courtesy photo.

An LED garden.

(NewsUSA) - These days, gift-giving is a real skill. The best gift-givers pinpoint hobbies or interests that make for genius presents no matter the occasion -- a birthday gift, a Valentine’s Day treat or an anniversary memento. So, what do you get the green-thumbed person who already has nearly every gardening tool?

If you’re searching for that cleverly thoughtful gift to surprise them, an indoor garden using LED lights is functional, sleek and attractive.

Measuring only 7 inches wide, 14 inches long and 15 inches high, the LED Mini Garden available from InHomeGardeing.com is small enough to sit on the kitchen counter, where cooks can easily grow fresh herbs, children can grow microgreens, and avid gardeners can start seeds for their vegetable garden.

The LED Mini Garden is the first countertop garden of its kind to feature low-wattage LED grow lights that actually simulate real sunlight, making indoor gardening more efficient and rewarding. The 24-hour timer allows users to adjust for perfect light conditions for growing lettuces, greens, herbs, flowers and even strawberries.

Gifts such as this have that elusive “gift that keeps on giving” quality. The garden produces an abundance of edible plants, plus live plants clean the air by removing carbon dioxide, toxins and other pollutants.

If a miniature indoor garden sounds ideal for a spouse, parent or close friend, consider the following best practices for indoor gardens: • Herbs are a good starting point. Herb gardens make great indoor displays since they’re equal parts attractive and edible. Most herbs also grow pretty quickly, so eager giftees won’t have to wait long for results. Popular herbs include chives, basil, sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary.

• When buying plants, know their water and sunlight needs. Most plant tags will tell you this information. The LED timer allows users to set a sunlight schedule based on the plant’s needs to avoid over exposure. For seed starting or rapid growth of herbs and greens, set the timer to 18 hours.

• Grow nutrient-rich veggies. Studies show that vegetables contain three times more antioxidants when you grow them yourself. Plus, with this garden, you can shorten growing times to see faster, continuous plant production. Parents can cultivate lettuce, spinach, peas, wheat grass and broccoli for the family to enjoy.

Whether for a cook, a gardener or a curious child, the LED Mini Garden is a truly unique gift that will bring joy and good health throughout the year.

April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013, The Afro-American

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ARTS & CULTURE

Herman’s House

Eccentric Artist Lobbies for Inmate’s Freedom Film Review

By Kam Williams Seventy-two year-old Herman Wallace has been imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola ever since he was found guilty of committing bank robbery back in 1967.

His sentence was later lengthened to life after he was convicted, solely on the testimony of a fellow inmate, of stabbing a prison guard to death.

Was he a political prisoner who’d been railroaded on account of his membership in the Black Panther Party, or had Herman Wallace he actually committed the murder? Unfortunately, that question is not the focus of Herman’s House, an unlikely-couple documentary directed by Angad Singh Bhalia.

Mr. Singh instead devotes his attention to the friendship forged between Herman and a woman half his age. “Jailbirds and the naïve girls who love them” has served as the

theme of many a TV talk show, but rarely have any gangsters’ molls had the pedigree, sophistication or undying dedication of Jackie Sumell.

Sumell, an activist who once presented anti-abortion President Bush a quilt woven from hundreds of pro-choice feminist’s pubic hair, was a grad student in the art department at Stanford when she took an interest in Herman. What really rankled her was the fact that he held the record for solitary confinement in the country, currently at 40-plus years and counting.

Over that period, he’s been cooped up in a six-feet x nine-feet cell, which Jackie felt was a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s sanction against cruel and unusual punishment. So, she struck up a long-distance correspondence with Herman via a combination of letters and phone calls.

And that led to a decision to draw attention to his plight by mounting an art exhibition featuring a full-scale replica of his prison cell. But this is where it gets weird. She also asked Herman what his dream home would look like, prior to moving to New Orleans, buying some land, and consulting architects to draw up plans for a place the two would ostensibly share should he ever be paroled.

Listen, this biopic basically revolves around Jackie’s earnest effort to turn Herman into a cause célèbre, but it carefully tiptoes around the more compelling elephant in the tiny cell, namely, whether there’s a romantic aspect to their relationship? A fascinating flick as much about a possible miscarriage of justice as about a case of arrested development who looks like a little girl playing house with an imaginary mate.

Very Good (3 stars) Unrated Running time: 81 minutes Distributor: First Run Features

A Caribbean Family’s Links to 17th Century White Gold

By Kam Williams “In the late 1630s, lured by the promise of the New World, Andrea Stuart’s earliest known maternal ancestor, George Ashby, set sail from England to settle in Barbados. He fell into the life of a plantation sugar owner by chance…

The swiftly increasing demands for sugar worldwide would not only lift [him] from abject poverty… but it would also bind together ambitious white entrepreneurs and enslaved black workers in a strangling embrace.

Stuart uses her own family story—from the 17th C. through the present—as the pivot for this epic tale of migration, settlement, survival, slavery and the making of the Americas.”

-- Excerpted from the Book Jacket Although Andrea Stuart was born and raised in the Caribbean, she never knew much about her ethnic heritage growing up. As a curious adult, she started digging around in library archives and was able to trace part of her ancestry as far back as the 17th century to a White plantation owner of a sugar plantation on Barbados.

Being mixed, Ms. Stuart also tried to find her African roots, but that search proved far more challenging, given how her earliest black Bajan ancestors had been brought to the island as slaves. That meant they’d been considered property, and there weren’t as many records to be found about chattel.

Nevertheless, the bilingual (English and French) writer approached the project like an investigative journalist, eventually unearthing a cornucopia of fascinating factoids about her gnarly family tree. And the upshot of that tireless effort is {Sugar in the Blood}, a book that is as much the intimate tale of one incestuous clan as it is a universal one shared by many folks from the region who have both European and African blood running through their veins.

The gifted author evidences quite a way with words here, employing her vivid imagination to spin historical tidbits into a compelling page-turner guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat, ala a best-selling suspense novel. Yes, she takes poetic license periodically, but

merely to extrapolate and plausibly fill the penumbras lying between solid kernels of truth.

Over the course of this centuries-spanning opus, we’re treated to a host of colorful characters passing time in and around the author’s ancestral plantation, with Whites generally enjoying easy sexual access to enslaved females as well as the fruits of Black labor. Curiously, Ms. Stuart treats both sides with an almost affectionate understanding, even addressing the enduring skin color issue which has left her homeland hopelessly stratified after generations of race mixing.

A credible, cross-cultural examination chronicling the unresolved master-slave relationship still reflected in today’s Barbados where, as Faulkner sagely surmised about America’s Deep South, “The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.”

EARTH IS A MEMORY WORTH FIGHTING FOR

Chicago Bluesman Jimmy Dawkins Dead at 76 The Associated Press

Jimmy Dawkins

Chicago bluesman Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins, known for his stellar guitar playing and mellow singing voice, has died. He was 76.

Delmark Records owner Bob Koester said April 12 that Dawkins died April 10. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known.

James Henry Dawkins was born in Tchula, Miss. An only child, Dawkins taught himself to play guitar before moving to Chicago in the 1950s.

Koester said Dawkins did not begin his music career immediately, working instead in a box factory before taking to Chicago’s streets to play for tips. He formed a band in the 1960s and began working Chicago’s blues clubs, gaining a reputation as an excellent side man and playing with such notables as Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. Dawkins first album, “Fast Fingers,” released on the Delmark label in 1969, boosted Dawkins’ reputation, particularly in Europe and Japan, where he toured frequently.

“He didn’t like his nickname,” Koester said. “It gave the impression that he played only upbeat music.”

Dawkins performed a style of music known as the West Side Chicago blues — a mellower sound that reflected his Mississippi roots, instead of the harder-edged sounds of the city’s South Side.

“His voice was feathery, soft,” Koester said. “He wasn’t a shouter, which is unusual in blues.” He noted blues singers had to shout to be heard in the early days because they didn’t have amplifiers, and the affectation continues.

In addition to performing, Dawkins was a frequent contributor to Living Blues magazine.

© 2012 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IMAX® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF IMAX CORPORATION

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

FAITH

Sixth Annual Radio Cares for St. Jude Kids raises more than $1 million to fight childhood deadly diseases Kayla has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, but she hasn’t let that stop he from enjoying life’s special moments.

She’s a diva who loves fashion and sing, always keeping up with the latest trends in both.

She is able to keep up with her loves because of the research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that have pushed survival rates for ALL from 4 to 94 percent.

And she and others like her are the reason many of gospel’s greatest are singing.

With efforts led by Radio One, the largest radio company primarily targeting AfricanAmerican and urban listeners, nationally syndicated inspiration shows across the country helped raise $1,126,000 so St. Jude’s can continue its research to save the lives of countless children around the world. Supporters like Yolanda Adams, Coco Brother, Hezekiah Walker, James Fortune and nearly 60 partner stations hit the airwaves April 4 to help kids fighting cancer, sickle cell and other deadly diseases.

Radio Cares for St. Jude Kids® is a radio fundraising event that shares touching stories of St. Jude patients and families and, since 2008, has raised more than $15 million in cash and pledges. GRAMMY Award-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams helped kick off the celebration at 6 a.m. EST on the Yolanda Adams Morning Show, while Cory Condrey wrapped up the radiothon at 11 p.m. EST with special coverage on the CoCo Brother Live show.

“Our listeners are always so supportive of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and its lifesaving mission,” said Yolanda Adams. “Every child should have the opportunity to enjoy life’s special moments – big and small – and cancer should not be a child’s only defining moment. With the help of my radio colleagues and fans, we are so proud to raise millions of dollars to help save lives.”

“The continued support of Radio One, the gospel artists and volunteers helps St. Jude continue its lifesaving work and offer hope to children like Kayla in communities everywhere,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Programs like Radio Cares for St. Jude Kids truly make a difference to the families who walk through our doors every day. Thanks to the generosity of listeners, those families never have to pay St. Jude for anything.”

In Atlanta, syndicated radio host CoCo Brother generated more than $320,000 during his four-hour show, which topped his 2012 total of $250,000. Other participating celebrities included gospel artists VaShawn Mitchell, Byron Cage and Crystal Aikin. The National Pan-

afro.com

Courtesy photo

Eight-year-old Kayla joined GRAMMY Award-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams during the “Yolanda Adams Morning Show” to help kick off the annual Radio Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon.

Hellenic Council (NPHC), a coordinating body composed of 9 historically African-American, international Greek letter sororities and fraternities, played a large role in managing the phone banks.

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This offer is exclusively available at www.Amtrak.com. This offer is valid for sale between 4/16/13–4/18/13 and valid for travel between 5/29/13–6/20/13. This offer is valid for travel on the Northeast Regional train service only. This special offer is valid for travel between Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA or Richmond, VA only. Seating is limited; seats may not be available on all trains at all times. Once ticketed, fares are nonrefundable; exchanges are permitted prior to the original travel date. The discounted fares are valid for all adult passengers; no additional discounts apply.

Up to 2 children ages 2–15 may accompany each adult at half the regular full adult rail fare. This offer is valid for Coach seats only; no Business Class upgrades permitted. This offer is not combinable with any other discount offer. In addition to the discount restrictions, this offer is also subject to any restrictions, blackouts, and refund rules that apply to the type of fare purchased. Fares, routes, and schedules are subject to change without notice. Once travel has begun, no changes to the itinerary are permitted. Other restrictions may apply. Amtrak, Enjoy the journey, and Northeast Regional are service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.

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April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013, The Afro-American

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

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SPORTS

What’s Next for Kobe Bryant?

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Desk Kobe Bryant, perennial National Basketball Association (NBA) All Star and all-everything for the Los Angeles Lakers, was lost for the season on April 12 with a torn Achilles tendon.

With the Lakers still hanging on to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, as of press time, Los Angeles is prepared to head into the postseason with Dwight Howard substituting as a crutch. Doctors are calling for a six to nine-month recovery for Bryant. The questions that have swirled around the Lakers all season about whether or not Howard would re-sign with the team this summer have been overtaken by one big question: What’s next for Kobe Bryant? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate the question.

Riley: If there’s one player in all of sports who I’m sure would come back from an injury like this at age 34, it is Kobe Bryant. Given the way Bryant played this year (27 points per game, six assists and six rebounds per game) it’s clear he has way more left in the tank. He’s still the top shooting guard in the game and could probably continue to have a significant impact on the game for easily three to four more years. Should Howard re-sign with the club this summer then the Lakers have a chance to be light-years better than what they showed for

most of the early part of this season. Not saying they’ll win a championship next year but contention would definitely be on the horizon.

Green: I respect Bryant’s toughness and career but I think he should consider hanging them up. What if Howard doesn’t re-sign? Who could blame him considering his elder teammate and co-All Star just suffered a pretty significant injury. If Howard says goodbye then what would motivate Kobe to return? He’s a prize fighter sort-to-speak. He plays for championships so what would he be returning to exactly? The only team to be part of, if he truly wants a ring, doesn’t have “Lakers” written across the front of the jersey. I just can’t see Kobe doing that. Now is the perfect time to hang them up.

Riley: We both know Kobe isn’t going to let this be the last image of him that people see. I don’t care if the Lakers have a bunch of D Leaguers on the team next season, there’s too much pride in Bryant to let the image of him limping off the court be the last we see of him.

Green: Why can’t he? Why risk life-lasting injury just so the public can watch him hobble through another season or two. An Achilles injury is a pretty devastating ordeal. Current diagnosis puts him on pace to return around December or early next season. Asking the Lakers to go the first few months of the season without Bryant is a pretty tough request. Asking Bryant

to come back and salvage the team at this point is even tougher.

Riley: We also both know that Kobe is going to beat that timetable.

Would it really surprise anyone if Bryant is back by opening night next fall? It wouldn’t surprise Wikimedia Commons me at all. The Lakers haven’t been title-worthy Kobe Bryant in years and Bryant’s still gone out and performed.

The Lakers won’t be title-worthy anytime soon either but you can still count on the Mamba to still be productive.

Green: Sorry, Riley. But I just can’t see Bryant going through some grueling rehab to come back for mediocrity. If he retired this summer my lasting memory of him wouldn’t be him being helped off the court. It would be him pumping in an MVP season and holding a defunct Lakers team together all season through the mist of coaching changes, injuries and the Dwight Howard debate.

This might have been Bryant’s finest season in years and it might become even more significant if it turns out to be his last one.

Nats Sweep White Sox, But Run into Problems with Braves Washington Nationals Weekly–2

By Dion Johnson Special to the AFRO

Wikimedia Commons

Tiger Woods

Tiger Finishes Fourth

Adam Scott Becomes First Aussie to Win Masters Title

By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor Tiger Woods put on his typical sharp performance, scoring a 70 in the final round of the Masters on April 14 in Augusta, Ga. But it wasn’t enough to overtake the top three leaders of the tournament, as he finished the 2013 Masters tied for fourth place with a total score of 283.

Tiger’s fall from contention ultimately came down to the two-shot penalty that he was given after making a violation on the 15th hole during the second round on April 12. It pushed him back to 19th place entering the third round on April 12. He finished the third round tied for seventh place, but with the two extra points added to his total score, he wasn’t able to finish any further than fourth place on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the winner’s circle all came down to a sudden death match between Aussie pro Adam Scott and Argentinean pro Angel Cabrera after both ended regular play on the 18th hole with a tie score of 279. It marked the 16th playoff hole in tournament history.

Cabrera hit a beautiful putt in the sudden death match that came close to being a winning birdie, but stopped just inches short of rolling

into the hole. Instead, he had to watch as Scott nailed his winning birdie putt just seconds later for his first Masters’ championship and green jacket.

“Of course, I’m happy for Adam,” Cabrera said to TV reporters. “He’s a great person, a great player and he deserved it.”

Scott, who uses a longer putter than golfers are traditionally seen using, is now the first Australian pro to ever win a green jacket. Scott’s caddie, Steve Williams, was Tiger’s caddie for 14 of his major wins.

“Australia is a proud sporting nation and this win today is just another notch on the belt,” Scott told CBS. “It’s an unbelievable feeling and I’m just glad to make us proud.”

(April 9-April 11)--Washington Sweeps the White Sox at Home Washington welcomed the Chicago White Sox for their first inter-league match-up of the season on April 9. This series had a little nostalgia for fans as former slugger and fan favorite Adam “The Big Donkey” Dunn returned for the first time since leaving the team as a free agent after the 2010 season.

Dunn received a solid ovation from Washington’s crowd when he entered the second game of the series as a designated hitter whose four-at bat performance was highlighted by a ground out with a man on third base that helped score a run. But the Nationals’ bats came alive in this three-game series with 39 hits in the series and eventually won all three games to remain undefeated at home.

In the first game, Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth all homered as they held on to an 8-7 win. Starting pitcher Gio Gonzales wasn’t his sharpest on the mound, leading to reliever Craig Stammen to eventually take over and notch the second win of the early season from the bullpen. Rafael Soriano was shaky yet still was able to notch his third save.

In the second game, pitcher Jordan Zimmermann scattered seven hits and two runs over seven innings and Bryce Harper unloaded for his fourth home run of the season, a 420-foot moon shot into the second deck in right field as the Nats won, 5-2. Ian Desmond had three hits and Soriano saved his fourth game, second in a row of the series. Game three saw a move fans didn’t expect as Bryce Harper was intentionally walked to get to clean-up hitter Ryan Zimmerman.

To show you how locked in Harper has been so far this season, White Sox Manager Robin Ventura thinks so much of this secondyear player that he gave him a free pass to have his pitcher face one of the most professional hitters in all of baseball. Harper’s development may overshadow anything that’s going on right now with the ballclub, but being slighted the way he was, it was only right that Zimmerman put the game on ice with a two-run double after the intentional walk, helping the Nats complete the three-game sweep, 7-4. Dan Haren had a much better second start (albeit he gave up 10 hits in only five innings) and Soriano shut the door with his fifth save of the season, third save in three consecutive games.

(April 12-April 13)--Braves Deal Nats a Wake-Up Call This weekend series against the Atlanta Braves served as a wake-up call and an early season barometer of what’s to come whenever the Nats have to face such a great ballclub. Washington will have to face Atlanta 19 times this season, and game one of the series this weekend reminded Nats fans that indeed there are some concerns about the team.

In the Friday April 12 game, after squandering a sterling effort by starter Ross Detweiler, in which he gave up just one run in seven innings, the Nats’ heralded bullpen blew the game. The performance

was underscored by an awful throwing error by Ryan Zimmerman.

Washington fell apart in the extra innings of game one and lost, 6-4.

Also wasted was Bryce Harper’s team leading fifth home run, an opposite field blast and another solid performance by leadoff hitter Denard Span, who has been as good as advertised as the place-setter for the lineup. He currently has an on-base percentage (OBP) of .476 percent.

Washington’s bullpen has not been a strength so far this season.

Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Raphael Soriano have not been sharp, and because this team has been so solid in the pen for the last four years or so, watching the pen blow leads the way they have these last two weeks is worrying.

The other factor that needs to be addressed is the defense. In 11 games so far this season, the Nats have committed 10 errors, a totally unacceptable rate if you want to have the opportunity to compete in October.

Saturday’s match-up was played under perfect conditions and only the fifth sellout crowd in team history as veteran Tim Hudson outdueled Stephen Strasburg mostly because of an throwing error

by Ryan Zimmerman with two outs in the third inning that pulled Adam LaRoche away from the first base bag to field the throw and allowed Braves rookie Evan Gattis in the next at-bat to just destroy a high fastball from Strasburg, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Braves held their two-run advantage for the rest of the game and took a 3-1 victory back to Atlanta.

Player of the Week: Denard Span As stated earlier, Denard Span has so far exceeded expectations with an on base plus slugging (OPS) percentage of .467 percent, and on defense he has seemingly made every catch in center field seem very ordinary. He’s becoming the most consistent player on the roster not named Bryce Harper. Kudos to general manager Mike Rizzo for the pickup in the off-season.

TYPESET: Tue Apr 16 11:36:47 EDT 2013 LEGAL NOTICE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY INVITATION TO BID INVITATION NO. 130040 Water Main Infrastructure Repair and Replacement Contract for Fiscal Years 2013-2016 The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is soliciting bids for Invitation No. 130040: Water Main Infrastructure Repair and Replacement Contract for Fiscal Years 2013-2016.

The following listing enumerates the major items of work included in the contract: Emergency Repair Work; 0 Repair/Replacement Work of various sizes of Pipeline, Gate Valves, Butterfly Valves, Fire Hydrants, Fire Hydrant Leads, Fire Hydrant Control Valves, MultiStemmed Valves, Valve Casings, Valve Boxes, Fittings, Extra Fittings, Thrust Blocks, Harnessing and Appurtenances; 0 Replacement of Water Service Lines and Lead Service Lines; 0 Cleaning Water Mains (Various Sizes); 0 Cleaning and Lining Water Mains (12 inch Diameter and Smaller); Including Water Bypass Pumping and Access Pits; 0 Curb stop / Curb Stop Boxes, Meter Box and penetration through building wall and connection to first inside the building including up to 5´ feet of piping, installation of a shut-off valve and pressure reducing valve.

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The project requires completion within 1095 consecutive calendar days.

This project is estimated to cost between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000.

DC Water will receive Bids until 2:00 p.m., local standard time on May 15, 2013.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be conducted on May 1, 2013.

Bid for this project will be procured in the open market with preference given for the utilization of local and local small business enterprises.The Davis-Bacon wage determinations shall apply.DC Water Owner Controlled Insurance Program will provide insurance.

Bid documents are available at the Department of Procurement, 5000 Overlook Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20032. Sets of Bidding Documents can be procured for a non-refundable $50.00 purchase price each, payable to DC Water. Payment must be in the form of a money order, certified check or a company check.

Documents can be shipped to Bidders providing a Federal Express account number.

The DC Water Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is a secured facility. Persons intending to pick-up Bidding Documents are to contact the Department of Procurement at 202-787-2020 for access authorization.

For procurement information contact Mr. Carlo Enciso; email carlo.enciso@dcwater. com, (voice 202-787-2029).

For technical information contact: DETS-Construction.Bid.Inquiry@dcwater.com.

View DC Water website at www.dcwater.com for current and up coming solicitations.

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Delaware Home Builder Receives 2013 Builder of Integrity Award From Quality Builders Warranty Corporation

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

LC Homes Receives 2013 Builder of Integrity Award

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Wilmington, DE – LC Homes, a third generation family owned residential home builder headquartered in Wilmington, DE has received the 2013 “Builder of Integrity” award from Quality Builders Warranty Corporation (QBW). Recipients of this exclusive award demonstrate a commitment to excellence in customer service and quality construction.

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LC Homes – Building Quality New Homes in Delaware for 66 Years

LC Homes

As a member of the QBW Program, LC Homes has undergone a strict screening process to ensure their commitment to technical excellence, professional dealing, ethical practice, and financial stability. All members of the program are screened thoroughly on a regular basis, to ensure their continued dedication to quality. From that group, only a small number of homebuilders nationwide receive the “Builder of Integrity” award. As a member of the QBW Program, LC Homes has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in customer service that has gone above and beyond the industry norm.

Quality Builders Warranty Corporation, a national ten-year TYPESET: Tue Apr 02 11:48:21 EDT 2013 new home warranty program, has been enrolling builders of the highest skill and integrity into its premier program since Superior Court of 1985. QBW members provide a 10-year warranty insured by the District of District Columbia Liberty Mutual on all of theirofhomes.

NAME: ________________________________________________ ADDRESS: _____________________________________________ PHONE NO.:____________________________________________ CLASSIFICATION: ______________________________________ (Room, Apt., House, etc.)

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WASHINGTON AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER Legal Advertising Rates Effective October 1, 2008 PROBATE DIVISION (Estates) 202-332-0080 PROBATE NOTICES

PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C.

A proud member of the National Association of Home 20001-2131 No. Builders and the HomeAdministration Builders Association of Delaware, 2013ADM247 LC Homes has been building quality new homes in Hilda L. Thomas Delaware for 66 yearsThomas and Decedent currently offers 13 new home H. Queen Esq communities including multi-family, and 530single Eighthfamily, Street SE Washington DC 20003 condominiums throughout Delaware in New Castle, Kent, Attorney and Sussex Counties. VisitNOTICE www.LCHomesDE.com for more OF APPOINTMENT, information.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

LC Homes 105 Foulk Rd Khalid Abdul Kareem and Sheryl A. Thomas whose adWilmington, DE 19803 dresses are 611 Penn Ave SE Ste 333, Washington DC http://www.LCHomesDE.com

TYPESET: Tue Apr 02

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2012ADM927 Genneter Graves Decedent Deborah Cason Daniel 503 D Street NW # 200 Washington DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Deborah Cason Daniel whose address is 503 D Street NW #200 Washington DC 20001, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Gennetter Graves, who died on October 24, 1997 without a Will, and will serve with 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 October 5, 2013. 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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Deborah Cason Daniel Personal Representative 202-737-4466 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS TYPESET: 4/5, Tue4/12, Apr4/19 02

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM247 Hilda L. Thomas Decedent Thomas H. Queen Esq 530 Eighth Street SE Washington DC 20003 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Khalid Abdul Kareem and Sheryl A. Thomas whose addresses are 611 Penn Ave SE Ste 333, Washington DC 20003 and 2530 36th Pl SE Washington DC 20020, were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Hilda L. Thomas, who died on January 30, 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 Regis-

20003 and 2530 36th Pl SE Washington DC 20020, were appointed personal representativesEDT of the2013 estate of 11:48:00 Hilda L. Thomas, who died LEGAL NOTICES on January 30, 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 October 5, 2013.

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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Khalid Abdul Kareem Sheryl A. Thomas Personal Representatives 202-544-4200 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER WILLS TYPESET:OFTue Apr 02 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM266 Arthur Willard Bradley Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Arthur R. Bradley whose address is 5062 Fielding Lane, Temple Hills MD 20748, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Arthur Willard Bradley, who died on January 24, 2013 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are un11:48:21 EDT enter 2013 their known shall 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 October 5, 2013. 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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Arthur R. Bradley Personal Representative 301-630-0711 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

TYPESET: Tue Apr 02

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM275 Orlena Faye Woodall Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Minner Ree Woodall whose address is 761 Wheeler Hill Drive SE Washington DC 20032, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Orlena Faye Woodall, who died on February 26, 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 October 5, 2013.

Claims against the decedent 11:48:43 EDT 2013to the shall be presented 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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Minner Ree Woodall Personal Representative 202-563-5920 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

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CIVIL NOTICES a. Name Changes 202-879-1133 b. Real Property 11:49:01 EDT 2013

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1-800 (AFRO) 892 For Proof of Publication, please call 1-800-237-8892, ext. 244 TYPESET: Apr 09 11:38:07 EDTTue 2013 TYPESET: Tue Apr 02 11:47:15 EDT 2013 LEGAL TYPESET: Tue Apr 02NOTICES 11:47:41 EDTTue 2013 TYPESET: Apr 09 11:37:28 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2012ADM1015 Teresa Diggs Granison aka Teresa D. Granison Decedent Alan D. Titus, Esq 2846 Meadow Lane Falls Church, VA 22042 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Paulette Granison Savoy whose address is 7710 Hano v e r P a r k w a y, # 1 0 2 , Greenbelt MD 20770 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Teresa Diggs Granison aka Teresa D. Granison, who died on July 21, 2012 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 October 5, 2013.

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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Paulette Granison Savoy Personal Representative 240-350-8270 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM65 Christopher P. Demos Decedent Henry Docter Esq, Henry Docter PLLC 3617 Idaho Ave NW Washington DC 20016 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Paul C. Demos whose address is 32 Partridge Drive, Blairstown, NJ 07825, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Christopher P. Demos, who died on December 25, 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 5, 2013. 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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Paul C. Demos Personal Representative 973-476-7626 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM282 Anna Margaret Smith Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Zechnolvia Gerald, Glinda Gregg-Culbreth, and Valencia Roach, whose addresses are 4367 Varnum Place, NE Washington DC 20017, 6620 24th Place, Hyattsville MD 20782 and 614 Allison Street, NE Washington DC 20017 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Anna Margaret Smith, who died on January 30, 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 October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Zechnolvia Gerald Glinda Gregg-Culbreth Valencia Roach Personal Representative 202-269-6023 301-559-4948 202-210-6926 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM261 Jacques Rene Morgan Decedent Peter N. Mann 1350 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Valerie Monica Morgan, whose address is 2467 18th Street, NW Washington DC 20009 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Jacques Rene Morgan, who died on November 26, 2012 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 October 12, 2013. 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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Valerie Monica Morgan Personal Representative 202-265-9194 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013, The Afro-American

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TYPESET: Tue Apr 16 11:32:21 2013 TYPESET: Tue Apr 09 11:38:26 2013 TYPESET: Tue Apr 02 11:49:26 EDT 2013 TYPESET: Tue Apr 16NOTICES 11:33:06 TYPESET: EDTTue 2013 Apr 16 11:35:20 TYPESET: Tue Apr 09 11:39:39 EDT 2013 TYPESET: Tue Apr 09 11:35:13 TYPESET: EDT Tue 2013 Apr 09 11:36:45 EDT 2013 TYPESET: Tue Apr 16 11:33:50 2013 LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGALEDT NOTICES LEGALEDT NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGALEDT NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL

Kathy Mancusi whose address is 4423 Lehigh Road #433 College Park MD 20740 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Clarence Silas Scott, deceased, by the Orphan’s Court for Prince George’s County, State of Maryland, on March 12, 2013.

Service of process may be made upon Nathan A. Neal, 3108 Cherry Road NE, Wa s h i n g t o n D C 2 0 0 1 8 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: (strike preceding sentence if no real estate) one-half of 5627 Eads St. NE, Washington DC 20019-6920.

Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th Street NW 3rd Floor Washington DC 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Kathy Mancusi Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: April 5, 2013 Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American 301-220-4382 TYPESET: Tue Apr 02 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2013FEP31 Date of Death March 24, 2011 Lillie C. Hemingeay Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Carrie E. Lester whose address is 321 Fifth Ave., Rankin PA 15104 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Lillie C. Hemingway, deceased, by the Orphan’s Court for Allegheny County, State of Pennsylvania, on April 11, 2012.

Service of process may be made upon John E. Scheuermann Esq, 700 E Street SE Wa s h i n g t o n D C 2 0 0 0 3 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th Street NW 3rd Floor Washington DC 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Carrie E. Lester Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: April 5, 2013 Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American TYPESET: Tue Apr 02 412-271-7302 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Civil Division Case No. 2013CA973 IN RE: Marion Sanders Jones Applicant AMENDED ORDER OF PUBLICATION

Marion Sanders Jones having filed a complaint for judgment changing Marion Sanders Jones name to Marian Sanders Wright and having applied to the court for an Order of Publication of the notice required by law in such cases; it is by the Court this 26th day of March 2013, hereby ORDERED, that a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, in The AfroAmerican Newspapers, a newspaper of general circulation of the District of Columbia; and it is further ORDERED, that the publication must began no later than 12 days after the filing of the application; and is further ORDERED, that the FINAL HEARING on this application to change name will be held in Judge-in-Chambers, Room 4220 in the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW Washington DC 20001, on the 14th day of May 2013 at 2:30 pm.If any person desires to oppose this application, that person or his or her attorney must be present at the hearing or file written detailed objections five (5) days in advance of the hearing with Judge-inChambers and mail a copy of the applicant or applicant’s counsel; and it is further ORDERED 0 that the applicant must send the application for change of name and notice of final hearing to the applicant’s creditors personally or by registered or certified mail and show proof of service by filing the affidavit/declaration or service.

SO ORDERED JUDGE 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

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Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM289 Beulah Lee Crawford Decedent William A. Bland, Esq 1140 Connecticut Ave NW, #1100 Washington DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Stephanie Louise Crawford, and Beulah Denise Crawford whose addresses are 1011 Higgins Way, West Hyattsville, MD 20782 and 4704 5th Street, NW Washington DC 20011 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Beulah Lee Crawford, who died on February 1, 2013 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs a n d h e i r s w h o s e 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., 500 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013. 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 October 19, 2013, 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: April 19, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Stephanie Louise Crawford Beulah Denise Crawford Personal 11:49:47 EDT 2013 Representatives 301-559-9855 TRUE TEST COPY TYPESET: Apr 16 REGISTER OFTue WILLS 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM290 Larry S. Smith aka Larry Scott Smith Decedent William A. Bland, Esq 1140 Connecticut Ave NW, #1100 Washington DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Shawn L. Smith and Christopher S. Smith whose addresses are 920 48th Street, NE, Washington DC 20019 and 337 Nicholson Street, Washington DC 20011 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Larry S. Smith aka Larry Scott Smith, who died on November 20, 1999 without a Will, and will serve with 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., 500 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013. 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 October 19, 2013, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who 11:50:29 EDT 2013 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: April 19, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Shawn L. Smith Christopher S. Smith Personal Representatives 202-422-1832 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS TYPESET: 4/19, Tue 4/26, Apr 5/3 16

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Civil Division Case No. 13-0002298 IN RE: Kiara Subrema Smith Applicant ORDER OF PUBLICATION CHANGE OF NAME

Kiara Subrema Smith having filed a complaint for judgment changing Kiara Subrema Smith name to Kiara Subrena Gaines and having applied to the court for an Order of Publication of the notice required by law in such cases; it is by the Court this 28th day of March 2013, hereby ORDERED, that a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, in The AfroAmerican Newspapers, a newspaper of general circulation of the District of Columbia; and it is further ORDERED, that the publication must began no later than 12 days after the filing of the application; and is further ORDERED, that the FINAL HEARING on this application to change name will be held in Judge-in-Chambers, Room 4220 in the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW Washington DC 20001, on the 16th day of May, 2013 at 3:30 pm.If any person desires to oppose this application, that person or his or her attorney must be present at the hearing or file written detailed objections five (5) days in advance of the hearing with Judge-inChambers and mail a copy of the applicant or applicant’s counsel; and it is further SO ORDERED JUDGE 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM311 Dorothy Mae Lewis Collins aka Dorothy L. Collins Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Derrick B. Collins whose address is 9214 Morley Road, Lanham MD 20706 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Dorothy Mae Lewis Collins aka Dorothy L. Collins, who died on February 11, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street NW, 3rd Floor, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013. 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 October 19, 2013, 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: April 19, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Derrick B. Collins Personal Representatives 301-731-0314 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS TYPESET: 4/19, Tue 4/26, Apr 5/3 02

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 11:32:45 EDT 2013No. Administration 2013ADM276 Margaret C. Nelson Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Viola T. Cornelius whose address is 9404 Sheridan Street, Seabrook, MD 20706, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Margaret C. Nelson, who died on February 13, 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 October 5, 2013. 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 October 5, 2013, 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: April 5, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Viola T. Cornelius Personal Representative 301-577-0514 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER WILLS TYPESET:OFTue Apr 09 4/5, 4/12, 4/19

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2012ADM492 Caroline French Decedent Wesley L. Clarke 1629 K Street NW Suite 300 Washington DC 20006 Attorney 11:36:23 EDT 2013 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Beverley Wiggs, whose address is 612 Ray Street Selma, NC 27576 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Caroline French, who died on December 6, 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 Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Beverley Wiggs Personal Representative 919-901-8700 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM298 William S. Campbell Decedent Arnettia S. Wright Eq Wright Law Group PC 444 North Capitol St NW, Suite 605 Washington DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Jerenze A. Campbell, whose address is 2811m Enterprise Road, Bowie MD 20721 was appointed personal representative of the estate of William S. Campbell, who died on June 12, 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter 12:02:59 EDT 2013 Jerenze A. Campbell Personal Representative 240-353-4566 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS TYPESET: Tue4/19, Apr4/26 09 4/12,

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2012ADM1123 Shirley Mixon Earnes Decedent Wesley L. Clarke 1629 K Street NW Suite 300 Washington DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Wesley L. Clarke, whose address is 1629 K Street NW Suite 300 Washington DC 20006 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Shirley Mixon Earnes, who died on September 18, 2012 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs a n d h e i r s w h o s e 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 October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: 11:39:15 EDT 2013 April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Wesley L. Clarke Personal Representative 202-257-9730 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OFTue WILLS TYPESET: Apr 09 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Civil Division Case No. 13-0002394 IN RE: Brent Khristopher Jaime Gwathney Applicant ORDER OF PUBLICATION CHANGE OF NAME

Brent Khristopher Jaime Gwathney having filed a complaint for judgment changing Brent Khristopher Jaime Gwathney name to Brent Khristopher Michael Thorpe and having applied to the court for an Order of Publication of the notice required by law in such cases; it is by the Court this 3rd day of April 2013, hereby ORDERED, that a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, in The AfroAmerican Newspapers, a newspaper of general circulation of the District of Columbia; and it is further ORDERED, that the publication must began no later than 12 days after the filing of the application; and is further ORDERED, that the FINAL HEARING on this application to change name will be held in Judge-in-Chambers, Room 4220 in the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW Washington DC 20001, on the 16th day of May, 2013 at 3:15 pm.If any person desires to oppose this application, that person or his or her attorney must be present at the hearing or file written detailed objections five (5) days in advance of the hearing with Judge-inChambers and mail a copy of the applicant or applicant’s counsel; and it is further 0 the applicant must send the application for change of name of an adult and notice of final hearing to the applicant’s creditors personally or by registered or certified mail and show proof of service by filling the affidavit/ declaration of service.

SO ORDERED JUDGE 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM288 Margo A. Smith Decedent Diana R. Engel Liotta, Dranitzke and Engel 1666 Connecticut Ave Suite 250 NW, Washington DC 20009 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Melanie Felton, whose address is 775 Tramore Place, Milton GA 30004 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Margo A. Smith, who died on March 12, 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 October 12, 2013. 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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Melanie Felton Personal Representative 11:40:06 EDT706-224-2125 2013 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS TYPESET:4/12, Tue4/19, Apr4/26 09

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM278 Killis Thomas Houston Decedent Tina Smith Nelson Esq Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E Street NW Washington DC 20049 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Mary R. Nunn, whose address is 1437 Monroe Street, NE Washington DC 20017 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Killis Thomas Houston, who died on March 30, 1986 without a Will. All unknown heirs a n d h e i r s w h o s e 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 October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Mary R. Nunn Personal Representative 11:34:52 EDT 2013 202-832-3065 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS TYPESET: Tue Apr 09 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2012ADM401 Estate of Josephine Witherspoon Teague aka Josephine W. Teague Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Barbara L. Lucas for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

0 order any interested person to show cause why the provisions of the lost or destroyed will dated April 5, 1993 should not be admitted to probate as expressed in the petition.

0 appoint a supervised personal representative Register of Wills Clerk of the Probate Division Date of First Publication April 12, 2013 Names of Newspapers: Washington Law Reporter Washington AFRO-AMERICAN William A. Bland Esq 1140 Connecticut Ave NW #1100 Washington DC 20036 202-452-8080 Signature of Petitioners/Attorney 4/12, 4/19

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Civil Division Case No. 13-0002489 IN RE: Althea Bonita Flack Applicant ORDER OF PUBLICATION CHANGE OF NAME

Althea Bonita Flack having filed a complaint for judgment changing Althea Bonita Harshaw name to Althea Bonita Flack and having applied to the court for an Order of Publication of the notice required by law in such cases; it is by the Court this 5th day of April 2013, hereby ORDERED, that a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, in The AfroAmerican Newspapers, a newspaper of general circulation of the District of Columbia; and it is further ORDERED, that the publication must began no later than 12 days after the filing of the application; and is further ORDERED, that the FINAL HEARING on this application to change name will be held in Judge-in-Chambers, Room 4220 in the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW Washington DC 20001, on the 21st day of May, 2013 at 2:45 pm.If any person desires to oppose this application, that person or his or her attorney must be present at the hearing or file written detailed objections five (5) days in advance of the hearing with Judge-inChambers and mail a copy of the applicant or applicant’s counsel; and it is further 0 the applicant must send the application for change of name of an adult and notice of final hearing to the applicant’s creditors personally or by registered or certified mail and show proof of service by filling the affidavit/ declaration of service.

SO ORDERED JUDGE TYPESET: Tue Apr 09 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 11:38:48 EDT 2013 2011ADM127 Estate of DOLLY B. JOHNSON Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Dianne J. Dunlap, Donald Johnson for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

0 in the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate 0 appoint a supervised personal representative Register of Wills Clerk of the Probate Division Date of First Publication April 12, 2013 Names of Newspapers: Washington Law Reporter Washington AFRO-AMERICAN Julius P. Terrell 1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW #400 Washington DC 20004 202-349-554 Signature of Petitioners/Attorney TYPESET: Tue4/12, Apr4/19 09

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM306 Estate of Catherine L.J. Poe aka Catherine L. Poe Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Bruce E. Gardner for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal 11:35:37 EDT representa2013 tive. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

0 order S. Mayfield who is alleged to have custody of the will dated December 19, 2011 to deliver it to the Court 0 Ordered any interested person to show cause why the provisions of the lost or destroyed will dated December 19, 2011 should not be admitted to probate as expressed in the petition 0 in the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate 0 appoint a supervised personal representative Register of Wills Clerk of the Probate Division Date of First Publication April 12, 2013 Names of Newspapers: Washington Law Reporter Washington AFRO-AMERICAN Bruce E. Gardner, Esq 1101 Penn Ave. NW Suite 600 Washington DC 20004 202-271-0552 Signature of Petitioners/Attorney 4/12, 4/19

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Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM285 Birdie Lucille Brown aka Birdie L. Brown Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Charles H. Brown, whose address is 2322 16th Street SE, #3, Washington DC 20020 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Birdie Lucille Brown aka Birdie L. Brown, who died on October 19, 2010 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 October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Charles H. Brown Personal 11:36:01 EDT 2013 Representative 202-271-6612 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OFTue WILLS TYPESET: Apr 09 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM255 Ruth P. Hancock Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Gwendolyn HancockWoods, whose address is 2400 Queens Chapel Road #1014, Hyattsville MD 20782 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Ruth P. Hancock, who died on December 30, 2012 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 October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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 11:36:25 EDT 2013 of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Gwendolyn Hancock-Woods Personal Representative 301-648-4402 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OFTue WILLS TYPESET: Apr 09 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM270 Estephana Eloise Williams Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

J. Arthur Brown, whose address is 4506 Saint Barnabas Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Estephana Eloise Williams, who died on January 26, 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 Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 12, 2013.

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 October 12, 2013, 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: April 12, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter J. Arthur Brown Personal Representative 301-316-5246 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM291 Carolyn Smith aka Carolyn V. Smith Decedent William A. Bland, Esq 1140 Connecticut Ave NW, #1100 Washington DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Shawn L. Smith and Christopher S. Smith whose addresses are 920 48th Street, NE, Washington DC 20019 and 337 Nicholson Street, Washington DC 20011 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Carolyn Smith aka Carolyn V. Smith, who died on December 16, 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., 500 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013. 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 October 19, 2013, 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: April 19, 2013 11:37:07 EDT 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Shawn L. Smith Christopher S. Smith Personal Representatives 202-422-1832 TRUE TEST COPY TYPESET:OFTue Apr 16 REGISTER WILLS 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM286 Sheriel Lorraine Sexcius aka Sheriel Sexcius Decedent Wesley L. Clarke 1629 K. Street Suite 300 Washington DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Lucretia Sexcius whose address is 229 Quackenbos Street NW, Washington DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Sheriel Lorraine Sexcius aka Sheriel Sexcius, who died on February 23, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street NW, 3rd Floor, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013.

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 October 19, 2013, or be forever barred.

Persons 11:37:48 EDT 2013 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: April 19, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Lucretia Sexcius Personal Representatives 202-257-9730 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

To advertise in the AFRO Call 202-332-0080

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2013FEP28 Date of Death February 15, 2009 Clarence Silas Scott Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2013ADM305 Mary Hunter Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Carroll Green whose address is 205 Sheridan Street NW, Washington DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Mary Hunter, who died on March 12, 1998 with a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs a n d h e i r s w h o s e 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., Building A, 515 5th Street NW, 3rd Floor, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013. 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 October 19, 2013, 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: April 19, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Carroll Green Personal Representatives 202-723-6063 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER WILLS TYPESET:OFTue Apr 16 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

11:35:41

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2012ADM237 11:33:28 EDT 2013 Mary Lou Watson Decedent David C. Harty 9900 E Greenbelt Rd Unit 125 Lanham MD 20706 443-858-1335 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Alice Faye Brailey Torriente whose address is 10 East Lee Street, Unit 107, Baltimore MD 21202 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Mary Lou Watson, who died on November 20, 2011 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs a n d h e i r s w h o s e 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., Building A, 515 5th Street NW, 3rd Floor, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 19, 2013. 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 October 19, 2013, 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: April 19, 2013 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Alice Faye Brailey Torriente Personal Representatives 1-410-727-0755 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OFTue WILLS TYPESET: Apr 16 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Civil Division Case No. 13-0002533 IN RE: Elstenia Grant President Applicant ORDER OF PUBLICATION CHANGE OF NAME

Elstenia Grant President having filed a complaint for judgment changing Elstenia Grant President name to Elstenia Grant and having applied to the court for an Order of Publication of the notice required by law in such cases; it is by the Court this 9th day of April 2013, hereby ORDERED, that a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, in The AfroAmerican Newspapers, a newspaper of general circulation of the District of Columbia; and it is further ORDERED, that the publication must began no later than 12 days after the filing of the application; and is further ORDERED, that the FINAL HEARING on this application to change name will be held in Judge-in-Chambers, Room 4220 in the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW Washington DC 20001, on the 31st day of May, 2013 at 2:30 pm.If any person desires to oppose this application, that person or his or her attorney must be present at the hearing or file written detailed objections five (5) days in advance of the hearing with Judge-inChambers and mail a copy of the applicant or applicant’s counsel; and it is further 0 the applicant must send the application for change of name of an adult and notice of final hearing to the applicant’s creditors personally or by registered or certified mail and show proof of service by filling the affidavit/ declaration of service.

SO ORDERED JUDGE 4/19, 4/26, 5/3

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The Afro-American, April 20, 2013 - April 26, 2013

My Take

By Frank J. Phillips The other day, I listened to a professor’s class discussion about the phenomenon of African-Americans acting or talking “White.” “Moving topic,” I thought. To her credit, the professor deftly engaged the students, ensuring that each cultural perspective represented had its say.

I listened intently as students relayed their

Behaving White in Black America: ‘To be or not to be?’ Is that really the question? experiences regarding this issue. A series of AfricanAmerican students began by telling their stories.

Many described the stigma associated with being “Black” and talking or acting “White.” Some gave detailed accounts of how they would often “dumb down” their language, so as not to appear “White.” Others shared how they downplayed their accomplishments.

My discomfort in hearing these exchanges was followed by curiosity as students recently migrating from Africa struggled to appreciate the phenomenon. Some said they didn’t understand the concept.

To them speaking standard English was neither a “Black”

nor “White” construct.

First, I noted the concept stimulated looks of bewilderment from some of the African students. Next, I conveyed that the issue seemed to raise questions of identity with many of the African American students. I found this fact quite troubling. As a professor of communication, I understand how difficult it is to move forward if you fail to understand who you are.

One of the many ways we build healthy self-images is through what we tell ourselves or label ourselves -- whether consciously or unconsciously.

Contrarily, when we know who we are, we can see communication as a

tool: “Communication is the transfer of meaning.” So the goal of communication should be toward effectively conveying meaning. If we accept that all language has utility, and that we can segment language based on standard and non-standard dialects; then, we can easily see the utility each dialect has in its proper setting.

Nowhere are distinctions made suggesting all “Whites” speak the standard dialect and all “Non-Whites” speak nonstandard dialects.

Successful communicators speak many dialects and transcend linguistic and cultural boundaries with relative ease. We accept that in all cultures standard

dialects are spoken in business and academia. The languages we use informally are often termed slang. Regardless of what we call our dialects, they each have merit in context.

Using the wrong language in the wrong context increases opportunities for failure.

Communication is a tool demanding self-awareness, cultural understanding, and specific linguistic and behavioral proficiency. We should not seek to be defined by language, but to use language as a tool to construct the wholeness of our world.

We don’t describe a sculptor by the tools he employs to craft his art. Instead, we look at how well he uses his tools to create the art he intends.

The more tools at his avail, the greater flexibility he has to extend the range of his craft.

The same holds true for human communication. Why fall victim to the limitations of describing language or behavior as Black or White?

It’s nothing more than a tool that fails to raise the question: To be or not to be?

My Take is a social commentary feature that allows AFRO readers to share their insight into a range of topics.

Please submit your 250-450 word entries, with My Take typed into the subject field, to editor@afro. com. Include your name, age, occupation and daytime phone number. The AFRO reserves the right to edit or reject any entry.