Washington Afro American Newspaper April 11 2015

www.afro.com

Volume 123 No. 36

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APRIL 11, 2015 - APRIL 17, 2015

Rev. Gardner Taylor, Maya Angelou Honored with Forever Stamp Civil Rights Icon and Great American Preacher, Dies at 96

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO

The Rev. Gardner Taylor,

known as the dean of American preachers, died of an apparent heart attack on April 5, at the age of 96,

Photo by Rob Roberts

Son, Dignitaries, on Hand for USPS Unveiling

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO AP Photo

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according to various reports.

Taylor grew up in Baton Rouge, La., the grandson of former slaves. He became a prominent figure in America’s struggle for civil rights during the 1960s as well as one of

• Walmart

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The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Dr. Maya Angelou Limited Edition Forever Stamp recently at D.C.’s Warner Theater. The public event honored the late author, poet, actress, and champion of civil rights, as one of the world’s most dynamic voices in 20th-century American literature.

In addition to her family members, including Angelou’s son writer, Guy Johnson, and grandson Colin Johnson, the unveiling brought out first lady Michelle Obama, poet Nikki Giovanni, Ambassador Andrew Young, and television mogul Oprah Winfrey. MSNBC political scientist Melissa HarrisPerry, who once worked as Angelou’s undergraduate assistant,

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served as the events master of ceremonies. Describing her relationship with Angelou on the eve of her Bill Clinton Inaugural poem delivery as surreal, Harris-Perry said it was Angelou’s demeanor, her graciousness, that impressed her most.

“At 18, I had a front-row seat on history as I watched this extraordinary Black woman step into a space unlike anything else I’d ever seen. It is one thing to be generous to other people who are among your peers, it is another to be generous to your dinky little undergraduate assistant,” Harris-Perry said. “She had an unparalleled generosity that was not tormented by sentimentality. She taught me how to live with integrity and to the extent that I do it is largely because of her lessons and to the Continued on A6

White S.C. Officer Charged with Murder in Black Man’s Death

By Bruce Smith and Jeffrey Collins The Associated Press

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Muhiydin D’Baha leads a group protesting the shooting death of Walter Scott at city hall in North Charleston, S.C., April 8.

District Area Impacted by Mid-day Power Outage

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Bowser’s First Budget Gets Mixed Reviews

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO

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AP Photo

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Dramatic video that shows a white South Carolina police officer shooting a fleeing black man after a traffic stop has led authorities to file a murder charge against the officer amid public outrage over a series of deaths of unarmed

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The D.C. metropolitan area came to a standstill Tuesday afternoon following what Pepco representatives described as a possible “transformer explosion.” The incident tripped back-up circuits and caused an expansive blackout, interrupting power from The White House and State Department to several stations on the Metrorail system.

Pepco, the D.C. electric services provider, initially said it had scattered reports of outages for “unknown” reasons, and that it was looking into the matter. Government officials later pointed to an explosion at a southern Maryland power facility in Ryceville the likely cause for the regional issue.

Fire and rescue squads throughout Maryland were charged with helping evacuate people trapped in stalled elevators, including those on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. The university closed shortly after the outage.

More than 100 active outages and 2,179 customers were reportedly affected by the system going into back-up mode around 1 p.m.

Pepco said there was “never any full loss of electricity and customers could resume use of street power whenever they wanted.”

Traffic lights across the city and several A firetruck museums under the Smithsonian Institute passes the complex were impacted by the outage, Metro Center as well as the National Theater building metro stop which loss power in the middle of Oprah in downtown Winfrey’s salute to Maya Angelou. Power Washington, was restored to most areas in slightly over April 7.

AP Photo an hour.

black men at the hands of law enforcement agents.

Protests were planned April 8 in North Charleston, led by a group formed after the fatal shooting of another black man in Ferguson, Missouri.

The video, provided to the dead man’s family and lawyer by an unidentified person who shot the footage, shows North Charleston Patrolman Continued on A8

By James Wright Special to the AFRO

AFRO File Photo

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her budget proposal on April 2.

The mayor of the District released her first budget plan, and residents and politicians are quick to offer their assessment. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) presented her plan, titled “Pathways to the Middle Class” on April 2 to the public and the D.C. Council. Bowser said her proposed Fiscal Year 2016, $12-billion budget is designed to meet the needs of residents and take care of the city’s fiscal priorities.

“The mayor’s plan looks like an assault on the middle class.”

Copyright © 2015 by the Afro-American Company

– Ronald Williams Continued on A4

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The Afro-American, April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015

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NATION & WORLD Obama Family Worships at Historic Baptist Church in Virginia

President Barack Obama and his family attended Easter service at the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., whose history dates back almost 200 years to when Thomas Jefferson was in the White House.

Obama along with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia were welcomed to the historic church by the pastor, Rev. Dr. HowardJohn Wesley, who noted that like the first lady, he is a native of Chicago’s South Side.

“How fitting that on the day we celebrate the rising of our Lord and savior, we also welcome our sitting president,” Wesley said, as the congregation rose to their feet in applause.

“This is not selfie time,” Wesley said jokingly. “Let the brother worship in the house of Courtesy photo God.” Churchgoers President Barack Obama and his traditionally walk around family attended Easter service to shake hands and give at the Alfred Street Baptist hugs during the greetings Church in Alexandria, Va. and announcements portion of service, but the pastor encouraged the crowd to stay in their seats and greet only their closest neighbors, as the sanctuary was tightly secured with Secret Service agents.

The choir— including women in purple dresses and men sporting purple ties— sang a stirring rendition of the hymn “He Lives,” prompting most of the church, filled to capacity, to clap, sing and sway to the thumping organ keys while ushers collected the offering.

The lively pastor based his sermon around a scripture from 1 Corinthians 15 on the life and resurrection of Christ.

According to the church’s website, the Alexandria Baptist Society was formed in 1803 when members split from

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Latisha Fisher, 35, is charged second-degree murder after police said she smothered her son Gavriel Ortiz-Fisher. another church in the Northern Virginia city, and a slave was baptized that year as its first Black member.

Three years later, Black members established the Colored Baptist Society as a “conjoined” church. The congregation adopted its current name in the late 1800s.

Mother Allegedly Kills One-YearOld Son, Blames Devil

A New York woman allegedly killed her one-year-old baby in a restaurant, telling authorities that “the devil made her do it.”

Latisha Fisher, 35, is charged second-degree murder after police said she smothered her son Gavriel Ortiz-Fisher in the bathroom of a 5 Boro Burger restaurant on March 30, according to media reports. Fisher is being held in New York’s Elmhurst Hospital for psychiatric treatment.

Employees at the restaurant became worried when Fisher and her son were in the bathroom too long and the line for the bathroom began to grow, according to the New York Daily News.

An employee eventually used a key to gain the bathroom and saw Fisher holding her hand on the boy’s mouth. Fisher told her, “I put my hand over his mouth to put him to sleep,” the newspaper reported.

The boy was foaming at the mouth at the time; he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he later died, according to FOX News.

Fisher told police that she was “protecting him,” according to the New York Post, and said that “the devil made me do it.”

“It’s hard, it’s really unbelievable. I know my daughter loves her son,” Ortiz-Fisher’s maternal grandmother, Merial Fisher, 54, told the Daily News. “I don’t know what happened. It’s just so sad. He was such a happy baby.”

President Obama Grants Clemency to 22 Prisoners

President Barack Obama gave 22 federal prisoners a second chance at life by granting them clemency on March 31.

Alfred Street Baptist All of the prisoners were sentenced at various times for Church intent to distribute drugs, with 14 off the 22 incarcerated cases involving possession or distribution of cocaine.

“Had they been sentenced under current laws and policies, many of these individuals would have already served their time and paid their debt to society,” White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a news release. “Because many were convicted under an outdated sentencing regime, they served years, in some cases more than a decade, longer than individuals convicted today of the same crime.”

In all, President Obama has now granted clemency to 43 prisoners while in office.

President George W. Bush only commuted 11 sentences in his eight years in office.

President Obama sent a letter to all 22 prisoners saying: “Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity. It will not be easy, and you will confront many who doubt people with criminal records can change.

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A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go toward scholarships Eight of the prisoners who will have their sentences reduced were serving life Sponsored by sentences, and all but one will be released on July 28. nps.gov

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April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

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HEALTH New Research Suggests Blacks Have Predisposition to Alcoholism

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO As the nation kicks off Alcohol Awareness Month, new research has come to light. It suggests that in addition to the stigma associated with alcoholism, African Americans suffer from a genetic predisposition to greater negative effects of alcohol consumption.

Tamika Zapolski, assistant professor of psychology in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), recently examined a paradox in African-American drinking. She found that despite African Americans reporting an initiation to drinking at an older age, lower rates of use, and lower levels of use in nearly all age groups, they still encountered higher levels of problems related to alcohol when compared to whites.

“So much research has compared drinking habits and effects between African Americans and European Americans, but no one is truly investigating the reasons,” Zapolski said.

“Understanding the reasons for these differences can ultimately improve diagnoses and intervention plans.”

Zapolski posits that genetic, historical, and sociocultural factors, including cultural norms with religious beliefs and societal disapproval, make African Americans more likely to abstain from drinking and drink less than other groups. So why do Blacks encounter more negative consequences and greater risks for alcoholism or other alcohol problems?

According to Zapolski, and others including Drs. Denise M. Scott and Robert E. Taylor, there exists a number of genetic variants of ADH and ALDH genes in African Americans that account for a higher rate of alcohol metabolism. This means that liquor breaks down quicker, is more potent, and has a greater effect in smaller amounts in their consumption. It also means a reduced likelihood of a family history of alcoholism and a greater likelihood of alcoholrelated chronic conditions such as cirrhosis.

“In plain English, the data is saying that liquor is poison to some of our bodies, just like ingesting arsenic,” said Wendell Carby, a recovering alcoholic with 20 years’ sobriety. “I took my first drink as a freshman in college and was a drunk before the semester ended. It was like kryptonite to my body, but I couldn’t stop drinking even after it started making me ill.”

Carby said the addiction was so swift and all-encompassing – creating damage in his nerves, stomach, and liver – that he had little time to brace himself for the financial difficulties and failed relationships that lay ahead. It was only when he began experiencing blackouts that Carby sought help.

With growing concern over the prevalence of heavy drinking among African-American youth, Carby believes national campaigns should focus more attention on steering young adults away from alcohol. The rate of binge drinking (drinking five or more drinks on a single occasion for men) among African Americans ages 12 and up was 20.1 percent – compared with the national average of 22.9 percent. Similarly, African Americans aged 12 to 20 in 2013 reported past-month alcohol use at a rate of 17.8 percent, compared with the national average of 22.7 percent.

“Our young people need to understand that alcohol is dangerous at any level because some of us are wired to become drunks and have to fight ‘putting the bottle down’ for the rest of our lives. The message should be the same as it was with crack in the ‘90s, ‘Just say no,’” Carby said.

Alcohol intoxication can be harmful or risky for a variety of reasons: impaired brain function resulting in poor judgment, reduced reaction time, a loss of balance, coordination, motor skills, or slurred speech, as well as increased risk of certain cancers, stroke, and liver diseases (e.g., cirrhosis).

Awareness Key to Preventing Alcoholism

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO Getting drunk occurs when a person drinks more alcohol than the body can break down, leaving the alcohol to circulate throughout the body. Over time, excessive alcohol use, both in the form of heavy drinking or binge drinking, can lead to numerous health problems, chronic diseases, neurological impairments and social problems, including but not limited to: dementia, stroke and neuropathy, cardiovascular problems, including myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation and hypertension, and psychiatric problems, including depression, anxiety, and suicide.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the economic cost of alcoholism and alcohol abuse as $223.5 billion ($746 per person) or about $1.90 per drink. Those numbers were derived from the costs of losses in workplace productivity (72 percent), health care expenses for problems caused by excessive drinking (11 percent), law enforcement and other criminal justice expenses related to excessive alcohol consumption (9 percent), and motor vehicle crash costs from impaired driving (6 percent).

According to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the cravings for intoxicating drinks can be as powerful as a need for food or water and must be treated as a disease rather than an individual’s inability to exercise willpower. Alcoholism has little to do with what kind of alcohol one drinks, how long one has been drinking, or even exactly how much alcohol one consumes. But it has a great deal to do with a person’s uncontrollable need for alcohol.

AA also stress the importance of youth intervention and prevention strategies. They can show that teens who experiment with alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent when they are older than those that wait until age 20.

While some people are able to recover without help, the majority of alcoholics need outside assistance to recover from their disease. Yet, with support and treatment, many are able to stop drinking and reclaim their lives.

For more information on AA groups in the area, visit www.aa.org

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The Afro-American, April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015

8 Deaths in Home Bring Scrutiny District Leaders Discuss of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Exelon, Pepco Merger

By Juliet Linderman The Associated Press PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — Utility regulators and police are trying to determine what could have been done to prevent the deaths of a man and his seven children who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator installed after their home’s power had been disconnected.

Officials from Maryland’s public utility regulator say they are looking into what happened, while Princess Anne police have subpoenaed the power company to document exactly what steps it took and when.

Power company officials said they encourage residents who are having trouble paying their bills to contact them, but that Rodney Todd had not done so.

Todd, 36, and his children were poisoned in their sleep only days after the power company discovered a stolen meter and cut off electricity to their rental home, police said.

Delmarva Power said it cut off power for safety reasons on March 25, not because the family was behind on its bills, as family members previously had said.

With the power out, Todd had bought the generator and put it in his kitchen to keep his two sons and five daughters warm. Friends and relatives last saw them alive March 28.

“Probably it was bedtime and they decided they needed some light and probably some heat, because toward the end of March even though it was spring we were having some pretty chilly nights,” Princess Anne police Chief Scott Keller said.

Police found their bodies Monday inside the onestory, wood-frame home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore after school workers, friends and the father’s co-workers knocked on the door with no answer.

“I’m just numb. Like it’s

a nightmare but it’s not,” the children’s mother, Tyisha Luneice Chambers, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

“If I had known he was without electricity, I would have helped.”

She said relatives would meet Wednesday to plan their funerals.

Why Todd had a generator running indoors wasn’t clear.

The chief speculated that if it had been outside, the noise would have bothered neighbors. He ruled out foul play.

Matt Likovich, a spokesman for Delmarva Power, said the utility was not contacted after the illegal meter was removed. “We had no record of who was living there,” Likovich said. “There

“I’m just numb. Like it’s a nightmare but it’s not.”

– Tyisha Luneice Chambers was no way to determine what their situation was.”

Likovich said customers are encouraged to contact the utility if they are having difficulty paying their bill.

He said there are options for such customers, including partnerships with social service agencies. But, he said, the customers “have to contact us.”

Todd had received assistance with utility bills in the past but did not apply for help this year, said Tom VanLandingham, who directs the Office of Home Energy Programs in Somerset County.

Although Todd received some welfare money, it wasn’t enough to pay the bills, his close friend Sarah Hardy said.

“How can a man survive off of basically minimum wage with seven kids, and

you can’t help him with a utility bill?” Hardy said.

“This man was working. And Delmarva Power cuts the lights off?”

Later Tuesday, the utility revealed that the rental home never had legal power while the Todds lived there. The utility said the electricity had been disconnected in October when the previous tenants moved out, and there was no request to reconnect it after the family moved there in November.

“Through the use of smart meter technology, Delmarva Power discovered a stolen electric meter was being used at the home on March 25, 2015. Delmarva Power disconnected the illegally connected meter for safety reasons and to comply with standard protocol. Delmarva Power did not disconnect electric service at this address for nonpayment,” its statement said.

Bonnie Edwards said her grandsons, Cameron and ZhiHeem, were 13 and 7, and her granddaughters, Tyjuziana, Tykeria, Tynijuzia, TyNiah and Tybreyia, were 15, 12, 10, 9 and 6, respectively. Todd did all he could to stretch his money for their care, she said.

“All he was trying to do was to keep his kids warm,” she said.

Todd retained full custody when their divorce was finalized last September, and his ex-wife said he never harmed the children. But Chambers said he stabbed her in the face and served 16 months in prison for assaulting her.

Chambers also said she had been the primary breadwinner when they were together and kept paying child support until losing track of them in Todd’s last move.

“I was working 1216 hours as a manager at McDonald’s, the overnight shift. He was home cooking and cleaning, and I was the working mom,” she said.

Bowser’s First Budget

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“My administration has prided itself on being inclusive and transparent in the budget process,” Bowser said. “The budget will allocate funds where they are most needed, provide necessary improvements around the city, and create new opportunities for D.C. residents.”

Bowser’s budget, in essence, closes the projected $193 million gap. Some specifics include allocating $100 million for the city’s

Housing Production Trust Fund, paying for body cameras for all police officers, and funding the streetcar line from Benning Road in Northeast heading west to Georgetown in Northwest. To help pay for her budget, Bowser wants to increase the sales tax from 5.75 percent to 6 percent, increase taxes on parking and electronic cigarettes, cut the budget of the University of the District of Columbia by 5 percent, and reduce Medicaid reimbursements.

The mayor said she and her staff acted on recommendations received from residents during the budget engagement meetings earlier this year. However, Ronald Williams, a political activist in Ward 8, said that based on her budget plan, sthe mayor misunderstood what residents wanted.

“The mayor’s plan looks like an assault on the middle class,” he said. “She has raised the sales tax and that will affect the middle class adversely. Unemployment is up east of the [Anacostia] River and she needs to have a jobs plan in her proposal.”

Jose Cunningham, the chairman of the D.C. Republican Party, said his party members will fight the tax increases. “While a sales tax increase may be a seemingly

not in the public interest.”

Cheh is concerned the merged company will not be sensitive to rates and policies The proposed merger of the District’s regarding the District’s power grid and power utility company with an energy giant has supply. She also argues that the $33.75 million generated a lot of discussion among the city’s one-time payment to District customers, political leaders and activists. which averages out to $128 per ratepayer, is Pepco Holding, the parent company that inconsequential. offers utility services to District residents and The council member said if the commission businesses, is in the process of melding with decides to approve the merger, that “legally Chicago-based Exelon in a $6.8 billion merger binding, permanent, and enforceable” approved on April 30 by the boards of both agreements on rate increases and customer companies. The combined utility businesses service should be gotten from Exelon will serve about executives and 10 million “not simply customers and commitments or have a rate base statements.” of approximately The $26 billion. public service The merger commission makes has been the final decision approved for the District on by utility the merger. D.C. commissions in Mayor Muriel Delaware and Bowser (D) and New Jersey, and members of the in Maryland, D.C. Council have Montgomery and no formal role Prince George’s in the process. A counties have spokeswoman for given favorable the public service responses to it. commission Despite promises said a merger of efficient service decision will be and reasonable made 90 days utility rates by after evidentiary leaders of the hearings, which companies and are taking place their supporters, presently, are there is some completed. skepticism Bowser told regarding the Facebook Photo by Barbara L. Salisbury/For the Office of Mary Cheh the AFRO on merger in the D.C. Council member Mary Cheh has reservations April 1 that District. the District’s about Exelon-Pepco merger.

“We write Department of the on behalf of Environment will District residents and ratepayers concerned look into the merger, and that she is requesting about potential adverse impacts from . . the public service commission “look hard at . the application for approval of Exelon Exelon’s proposal.”

Corporation’s acquisition of Pepco Holdings, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson Inc.,” said D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D) said he owns Pepco stock, and has (D-Ward 3), in a recent letter to the District of recused himself from issues regarding the Columbia Public Service Commission. It was merger. Orange, a former Pepco regional co-signed by D.C. Council members Charles vice president, wouldn’t comment on the Allen (D-Ward 6) and Elissa Silverman (I-At transaction.

Large).

D.C. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At Cheh is chairman of the Committee on Large) said the merger “is not a council issue.”

Transportation and the Environment, and “We don’t make a decision,” Bonds said,” held a roundtable but we want on the merger fair rates for our on Jan. 23. Her residents.” colleague, D.C. D.C. Council Council member member Yvette Vincent Orange Alexander (D-At Large), (D-Ward 7) who chairs the agreed with Committee Bonds that the – Yvette Alexander council is not on Business, Consumer and directly involved Regulatory but she does have Affairs, held a concerns. “I want roundtable on the to make sure that same topic on Jan. our customers 29. have affordable Cheh said testimonies from the roundtables and fair rates regarding their utility bills,” she were troubling. “The concerns raised by the said. “Residents should have reliability of public, the Office of the People’s Counsel, rates.” the District government, and environmental Alexander said that she wants the city’s groups were deeply troubling,” she said. “It is undergrounding of utilities program to our belief that the acquisition as proposed is continue if the merger is done.

By James Wright Special to the AFRO

“I want to make sure that our customers have affordable and fair rates regarding their utility bills.”

minor issue for those who are economically [upper] middle class and above, even the slightest increase in taxes can have a huge impact on lower middle-class and working poor families,” Cunningham said. “It is unfortunate that the mayor now must resort to increasing costs for anyone making a purchase in the District. Why can’t she find alternate funding in a nearly $13 billion budget?”

The D.C. Council must approve Bowser’s budget proposal. The mayor will go into more detail about her budget during an April 13 briefing and the council, for about eight weeks afterward, will conduct a review of it with agency leaders and make the changes that it sees fit.

The budget will be submitted to the mayor for approval and when that occurs, it is transmitted to the Congress by the end of June.

Bowser and D.C. City Administrator Rashad Young will be in close consultation with council members throughout the process.

Silas Grant, who is chairman of the Ward 5 Democrats, likes Bowser’s idea of funding body cameras for police officers. “I think it will have a positive impact on policing

because if body cameras had been in place a lot of behavior by police officers would not have gotten out of line,” Grant said. “It is a step in the right direction.”

Some D.C. public schools, such as Wilson Senior High School in Ward 3, will have financial reductions. Wilson will have $1.8 million less than in the previous fiscal year despite the fact that it is the District’s largest high school in terms of enrollment. That has outraged the school’s parents and supporters.

D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) sent a letter to D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson on March 26 regarding the school. “This cut will leave Wilson with insufficient staff to manage almost 1,900 teenagers,” Cheh said. “It will also endanger the school’s continued success and jeopardize its efforts to bridge the achievement gap.”

Will Thomas, a former advisory neighborhood commissioner and political activist in Ward 3, agrees with Cheh. “The mayor’s cuts will adversely [affect] the resources that the staff at Wilson needs to do their jobs, and it will affect the needs of the students,” Thomas said.

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

PEPCO AND EXELON:

Empowering The District We are a diverse collection of nonprofit and business groups that represent and serve the people of the District of Columbia.

We believe the proposed merger of Pepco and Exelon will benefit the District’s residents, communities, civic life and business environment.

If approved, this merger will create savings that will be passed on in customers’ utility bills, saving families and businesses more of their hardearned money every month. It means honoring and maintaining Pepco’s strong commitment to workforce-and supplier-diversity programs. It means more jobs for District workers. That’s good for families, local businesses, and the District’s workforce.

It means millions of dollars more that could be used for programs such as bill credits, low-income assistance and energy efficiency programs through a $33.75 million Customer Investment Fund. It also means continued annual charitable contributions and local community support – exceeding Pepco’s 2013 level of $1.6 million for 10 years following the merger. And it means $168 million to $260 million in economic benefits to the District.

That’s good for communities and those most in need.

It also means enhanced reliability of our electric grid and additional resources to speed storm restoration. It means a commitment to sustainability and corporate citizenship. It means continued local presence and local leadership.

And it means millions of dollars more invested in our local economy.

That’s good for all of us.

WE SUPPORT THE PROPOSED PEPCO AND EXELON MERGER.

OF GREATER GREA W WASHINGT ON

LEARN MORE AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. VISIT WWW.PHITOMORROW.COM PA I D FO R BY E X E LO N S H A R E H O L D E R S

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The Afro-American, April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015

District Libraries, AARP Provide Free Tax Service

By Francisca Fournillier Howard University News Service The April 15 federal deadline for filing taxes is right around the corner.

The District’s libraries, in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Foundation, are providing free services to taxpayers with low to moderate income, especially seniors.

Patricia Banks-Helman, a retired medical illustrator, sat reading a book, waiting patiently at Southwest Library last week to see a tax assistant.

She had her tax documents tucked away in a folder with a rubber band securing them.

“I heard it from my daughter who was working at the time in Virginia and the AARP would go to her center and do the taxes,” Helman, 80, said.

“That’s when I thought, ‘Well why don’t I? Why do I pay someone $300-plus to do very simple tax forms. So I’ve been very satisfied.”

This has been Helman’s third year coming to Southwest library to have her taxes filed.

AARP Tax-Aide has about 11 Courtesy Photo tax assistance programs in the Patricia Banks-Helman, a retired medical illustrator, has been coming to Southwest Library for three years to have District similar to the one at Southwest library. The average her taxes filed. site is open from four to five hours a day, one to two days a week.

John Willging, volunteers as the local AARP coordinator at Southwest Library. He has been volunteering with the program for 15 years and has been at the Southwest library for the past two years. “Anyone can volunteer for the tax assistance program, but you are required to pass an IRS test,” Willging, 78, said. “You are put through a training program that usually runs for five days.

Then you take the test. If you pass the test, then you are qualified to prepare tax returns.”

Prior to filing her taxes at the Southeast Library, Helman would pay an accountant to file her taxes. “It’s been wonderful,” she said. “The tax aides are very knowledgeable and thorough.

Otherwise I wouldn’t be coming back. If I had any kind of trepidation, I wouldn’t be here.”

Kenneth Reavis, a transportation screener, was waiting for his name to be called. Reavis, 24, heard about the program from his mother, and this was his second year coming to the library.

“It’s been great,” Reavis said. “They’re nice and helpful. It’s pretty simple and easy, right to the point. Get in and get out and I like it.”

Willging said the process is simple and modern. “It’s all electronic filing on all the tax returns that we do, except where there is a rare case where there may be a rejection on a return for some reason and we can’t get it through the system,” he said. “Then, we tell the tax preparer you have to mail in a copy.”

For more information about tax assistance, visit the AARP Tax-Aide program online to find a nearby location.

Rev. Gardner Taylor

Continued from A1

the nation’s preeminent preachers while serving as pastor of Brooklyn, New York’s Concord Baptist Church of Christ for over 40 years.

In 1961, Taylor, along with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other baptist preachers, formed the Progressive National Baptist Convention, which would be thoroughly committed to the fight for civil rights in a way that the National Baptist Convention was not at the time, according to youtube.com the New York Times.

Rev. Gardner Taylor, After a survey of seminary professors and editors of religious the dean of American journals was taken, Taylor was named one of the top 12 preachers in the English-speaking world in 1996, according to preachers the Associated Press. Taylor was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 2000. “[Taylor] was spellbinding in terms of his ability to bring a text to life,” Derrick Harkins, senior pastor of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. told the Washington Post. “I doubt you can find anybody who would be able to say anything but that Dr. Taylor was

D.C. Business Profile Millennial Entrepreneur Makes Helping ‘Haute’ a business model that elevates minority business owners. “We want to have our own network base so whatever a client In June 2013, Ashley Smith hosted her needs – from makeup to nails to fashion to first event as owner of multipurpose event photography –the goal is that we can utilize planning firm, Haute Society. “I love to go our entrepreneurial network base of Black into a space businesses,” that’s empty she says. and completely As a transform it,” millennial Smith told entrepreneur at the AFRO. the cusp of her “The biggest professional part for me is career, she making that knows just dream a reality how difficult because when it is to get you see your started. client’s face Many of the after you’ve company’s first gone from zero events were to reality, its in her home, amazing to before they watch.” branched out Since the to local parks age of 14, and larger the Chicagovenues. Not native has only does she cultivated her want to be an event planning example to her skills working demographic, with non-profit but also organizations, Photo courtesy of Ashley Smith provide youth guidance and Ashley Smith is the owner of Haute Society. centers, and education foundations. for budding When she startups in the moved to Washington, D.C. to attend city.

Howard University, she began hosting “I feel as though I was put on earth to events with campus organizations like help others, and everything I learn, I want to the Undergraduate Student Association share with African-American people,” she and Chicago People’s Union as well says. “It’s definitely possible to get through as off campus with organizations like those first struggles when you have people

By Christina Sturdivant Special to the AFRO

“The biggest part for me is making that dream a reality because when you see your client’s face after you’ve gone from zero to reality, its amazing to watch.”

– Ashley Smith the Congressional Black Caucus. As a psychology major and African-American studies minor, her educational background informs her work. “[My studies have] really helped me to dive into who I am as a person and I really wanted to share that with everybody.

When you’re enriched in your culture you appreciate yourself more,” she says.

Through Haute Society, Smith has created events that celebrate African-American lifestyles from dance and poetry to art and education. She’s also avid about creating

who’ve done it already there to advise you.”

As her May 2015 graduation approaches, Smith reflects about her progress and future growth. “It started from just these ideas in my head and so for people to now appreciate that and want to utilize Haute Society is amazing,” she says. “That’s just the first goal of the company.”

For more information, Ashley can be reached via email at hautesocietyllc.com.

You can also find the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HauteSocietyLLC.

absolutely exceptional as a preacher.”

Taylor was also effective in explaining the importance of the Black church as an institution to the lives of African Americans, reports the Times. “One of the great contributions of the Black church was giving to our people a sense of significance and importance at a time when society, by design, did almost everything it could to strip us of our humanity,” Taylor once said. “But come Sunday morning, we could put our on dress clothes and become deacons, deaconesses and ushers, and hear the preacher say, ‘You are a child of God’ – at a time when White society, by statute, custom and conversation, just called us ‘niggers.’ How could we have survived without a sense of God and the church telling us that we do matter? Where would we have been if there had been nowhere we could be told that we matter?”

Maya Angelou

Continued from A1

extent that I fail at it, I try to remember that she thought it was okay for us to fail.”

Ambassador Andrew Young met Angelou in 1961 while both were serving on the front lines of the civil rights movement. During the invocation, Young described the global community as “Maya’s rainbow children,” saying “When it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God sent a rainbow – Maya. In our weak moments, in our trials and tribulations, and also in our celebrations, may we always recall her laughter and her smile,” Young said. “I applaud the U.S. Postal Service for their decision to honor my beloved friend Maya with a Forever stamp.”

Fellow civil rights icon, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) noted that Angelou loved people and was always to able to see the beauty and grace in others irrespective of race, socioeconomics, gender, or circumstance.

“There are those persons who love the world, just love the world. They love the world and all of humanity, but really don’t like people. Maya, however, was a genuine lover of people,” Lewis said.

The stamp showcases Atlanta-based artist Ross Rossin’s 2013 oil-on-canvas portrait of Angelou. The large hyper-

realistic painting is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s collection, where it will be on display through Nov. 1.

“I always wanted to paint Maya as she was a voice that inspired millions – not just as an individual, but as a legendary poet and a civil rights icon who transcended generations,” Rossin added. “I was compelled by the challenge to portray her forgiving smile and her aura of unconditional love and

“When it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God sent a rainbow – Maya.”

– Ambassador Andrew Young understanding that comes across when having a conversation with her.”

Postmaster General of the United States, Megan J. Brennan told the crowd that by any measure, Angelou was a truly great American.

“In so many ways – through her life, her advocacy, her passion for people and justice, and most importantly, through her words, she inspired us. [Angelou] committed her life to elevating our standards of what it means to be human and advanced the understanding of passion and reconciliation,” Brennan said.

Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson, said his mother believed in the evidence of things not seen and sent her prayers up to the very gates of God. Calling her faith was “as solid as the old weathered rock,” Johnson said Angelou stepped out on his word and believed.

“She spoke out in declaring tones for justice and truth, and look at what the little Black girl from Stamps, Arkansas, achieved. She told us that we are more alike than unalike, that Black or White, gay or straight, none should be rejected. That we need to stand tall because we are made in God’s image and we are all humans here and need to be respected,” Johnson said.

More than 80 million Maya Angelou Forever stamps were produced and are available, along with commemorative pins at local post offices or may be ordered online. For more information, visit www.usps.com/stamps

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

A7

COMMUNITY CONNECTION Alexandria, Va. The ’Island’ at MetroStage

The Island play is running at MetroStage until April 26. It depicts the psychological and physical condition of Black political prisoners in South Africa and uses their anticipated performance of the Greek drama Antigone as a symbolic means of political protest. Tickets are $50-$55. They can be purchased by calling 703-548-9044 or visiting boxofficetickets.com. The show plays every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. There are post-show talkbacks every Wednesday.

Washington D.C. Gospel Concert Celebrating Sexual Orientation Solidarity

The Healing Harmony Planning Committee will host a free, historic, groundbreaking gospel concert designed to celebrate LGBTQ solidarity and promote “safe sacred spaces.” Healing Harmony: Intersectional Justice, LGBTQ Solidarity, Affirming Faith and Inclusive Love, will be held at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ , located at 3845 South Capitol Street, S.W. on April 11 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. For more information call 202-288-1956, email the committee at healingharmony7@gmail.com or complete the comment form at http://goo.gl/uTqMo1.

Community Forum on Fathers, Men and Boys

The 100 Fathers will host the Services, Supports & Opportunities For Fathers, Men, and Boys Citywide Community Forum on April 13 at 1616 Irving Street N.E. at 7 p.m. The forum will include: Mr. Thomas Woodson, 100 Father’s as the facilitator and panelists, including The American Psychological Association Health,

Disparities of Men of Color Project, The National Fatherhood Initiative, Services for Special Needs Youth, Ward 5 Community Rep, The Fathers Day Planning Committee; Lyn Twyman, CEO, LASERS - New Approaches to Domestic Violence and Jack Hammer, NFI – Preparing Father Friendly Environments. Dinner will be provided. The event is open to the public. RSVP is requested for the event. To RSVP, contact 100fathersceo@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.100fathers.org

Bowie, Md. Fitness for Kids by Kids

Jodi Evans, 11-year-old from Bowie, Md. is hosting her third annual Fun Run & Fitness Event for kids ages five to 16 on April 18 from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on the track and field turf at Bowie High School, located at 15200 Annapolis Road . Jodi is a Youth Ambassador for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. She is planning on hosting 200 youth. Interested participants can register at www.KidsBeingFit.com.

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The Afro-American, April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015

Bunn Touts Experience in Ward 8 Race in the city’s politics since the early 1970s.

Bunn said her father wanted her to go into politics, but she resisted, saying she could Sheila Bunn has served as the chief of make a difference in people’s lives “without staff to D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) a title.” However, she said that if her father and deputy chief of staff to knew she was running for former D.C. Mayor Vincent the D.C. Council, he would Gray. Bunn said that she be “head over heels” in his should be Ward 8’s next expression of joy. council member because “He would be happy to she is used to delivering know that I finally came results under pressure. around to running,” she “I can translate my work said. history to being a council Bunn is a native of member because I have Ward 8 who graduated knowledge of how Congress from Benjamin Banneker works and how the mayor’s Senior High School, then office should be run,” earned a bachelor’s degree Bunn said. “I have learned from American University twitter photo and a master’s degree from how to solve complex Sheila Bunn has worked for the problems with unique Trinity University.

District’s congressional delegate solutions working with Gray attended a Congresswoman Norton and and a mayor. fundraiser for Bunn at the Mayor Gray. I know all of Uniontown Bar & Grill on the D.C. council members March 4 and spoke highly and there will be no learning curve for me of his former staffer. “We have a candidate when I take my seat.” who is head and shoulders above everyone else Bunn is the daughter of the late James in the race,” Gray said to the dozens of people Bunn, a respected Ward 8 political, civic, attending the event. “In the course of building and business leader. James Bunn headed the her career, she never left her home, Ward 8.

Congress Heights Main Streets project and the We have made a lot of progress in Ward 8 and Ward 8 Business Council, and he participated we want to see that continue.”

By James Wright Special to the AFRO

Gray finished his remarks by saying directly to Bunn “I know what you bring to this effort.”

Turning to the crowd, he said, “She deserved to be the next council member from Ward 8.”

If elected, Bunn said that she would focus on three priorities. “Jobs, economic development and affordable housing are what I am focusing on,” she said. “Young people need jobs if they choose not to go to college and we should provide opportunities to learn a trade and a skill. We need housing that people can afford.”

Bunn said the most reasonably priced housing in the District is in Ward 8 “but the costs are still too high.”

“We need people in the ward to focus more on homeownership,” she said.

Bunn said she will work to improve the services of the United Medical Center, the only comprehensive hospital east of the Anacostia River. “Not only do we need the United Medical Center at its best, we should help people by having health clinics that can provide comprehensive health care,” she said.

Bunn received high marks on issues that the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance

(GLAA) support. She received a plus-9 rating, near perfect, for the alliance, and besting candidates in her and the April 28 Ward 4 D.C. Council seat race.

“The organization said I dominated the field of more than two dozen candidates based on my ‘strong record’ on issues involving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community,” she said. “I thank GLAA for all they do to protect the human rights of all District residents.”

Debra Pashall, a Ward 8 resident, supports Bunn’s bid. “I believe that Sheila has the business and professional acumen that will represent the ward well,” Pashall said. “She knows how to balance the needs of the ward’s middle class, the senior citizens, and the poor people. I really like the fact that she is graceful under pressure and you have to be when you are working for people like Eleanor Holmes Norton and Vincent Gray.”

Lisa Clarke said that she will vote for Bunn of her leadership – Lisa Clarke because potential.

“I think she is perfect for the role of D.C. Council member,” Clarke said. “D.C. needs the best people in public service and Sheila is the one of the best.”

“D.C. needs the best people in public service and Sheila is the one of the best.”

Local Veterans, Physicians Want Passage of National Medical Marijuana Bill

By Jacquelyn Johnson Howard University News Service Even as scores of D.C. residents recently celebrated the city’s liberalization of marijuana laws by publicly exchanging cannabis seeds, one group remained on the outside looking in – local and national veterans who are seeking a way to be treated with medical marijuana through the Veterans Administration.

But they are hoping a piece of legislation now winding its way through Congress could provide them medical relief by allowing their VA physicians to prescribe them medical marijuana to treat a variety of maladies – from PTSD to the side effects of cancer therapy.

The legislation, the Compassionate Access,

Research Expansion and Respect States, backed by Republican and Democratic in the Senate, would allow states to create their own medical marijuana policies without federal interference, permit banks and other financial institutions to provide checking accounts and services to marijuana dispensaries, and open the door for research on medical marijuana. It would also allow states to import Cannabidiol, which is recognized treatment for epilepsy and seizure disorders.

Marijuana is currently a schedule I drug, which restricts it from being prescribed for treatment by federal medical facilities.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Potter, vice chair of research and associate professor of surgery for Orthopedic Oncology at

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, said allowing marijuana to be used for treatment is certainly worthy of consideration, “As an orthopedic tumor surgeon, I deal with cancer patients on a daily basis,” Potter said. “If prescribing medical marijuana became an option as a result of this act, I would carefully consider prescribing to patients I feel it would benefit.”

Republicans and Democrats, including Sens.

Rand Paul (R-Ky), Corey Booker (D-N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), have supported the bill. “For far too long, the government has enforced unnecessary laws that have restricted the ability of the medical community to determine the medicinal value of marijuana and have prohibited Americans from

receiving essential care that would alleviate their chronic pain and suffering,” Paul said in a March press release.

Booker expressed similar support. “We need policies that empower states to legalize medical marijuana if they so choose, recognizing that there are Americans who can realize real medical benefits if this treatment option is brought out of the shadows,” he said in a statement. “Doctors and patients deserve federal laws that are fair and compassionate, and states should be able to set their own medical marijuana policies without federal interference.”

Some physicians believe that the proper dose of medical marijuana can ease the symptoms of PTSD, and many veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan share their beliefs, , but there is no government-based research to support the claim. Medical marijuana has been known to help with nausea and pain in cancer patients going through chemotherapy and to help with glaucoma.

Despite the lack of government research in some areas, a number of injured veterans are excited about the prospect of medical marijuana being accessible to them. “When I returned from overseas last year, my head was messed up,” Staff Sgt. Henry Miller said. “I was diagnosed with PTSD and prescribed several medications and received help from a lot of people, but nothing has really helped with the anxiety. I have heard from several friends that medical marijuana can help with it,

but as an active duty member of the Army, it is strictly prohibited.”

Potter said he also thinks use of medical marijuana might be beneficial, despite some pitfalls. “With any medication, there is a risk of abuse and complications with mixing meds,” he said. “I think this would be good for patients if the guidelines are clear to avoid any misuse of the drug.”

Michael Collins, policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance, worked with the senators in crafting the bill. He believes the bill has a “very likely chance” of passing. “The press is catching wind of this,” he said. “The senators and the families of those suffering without the ability to obtain their medicine are very energized to get this done.”

White S.C. Officer Charged

Continued from A1

Michael Thomas Slager firing eight shots at the back of Walter Lamer Scott as he runs away. The 50-year-old man falls after the eighth shot, fired after a brief pause.

Scott’s parents appeared separately on TV shows on the morning of April 8, a day after the officer was charged.

Walter Scott Sr. told the NBC “Today Show” that his son may have run because he owed child support and didn’t want to go back to jail.

Scott Sr. said that in the video, the officer “looked like he was trying to kill a deer running through the woods.”

Judy Scott called the video “the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I almost couldn’t look at it to see my son running defenselessly, being shot. It just tore my heart to pieces,” she said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Attorneys for the family said the man who shot the video is assisting investigators. The person has not been identified.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced the charge at a news conference April 7. Summy said Slager had made “a bad decision.” Authorities said Scott was shot after the officer had already hit the man with a stun gun after a traffic stop April 4 that began over a faulty brake light.

“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” Summey told reporters. “When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”

Slager, who has been with the North Charleston police for five years, was denied bond at a first appearance hearing April 7. He was not accompanied by a lawyer. If convicted, he could face 30 years to life in prison.

The shooting comes amid ongoing public issues of trust between law enforcement and minority communities after such prominent deaths as those of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner on Staten Island, New York.

Heightened scrutiny is being placed by Americans on police officer shootings, particularly those that involve white officers and unarmed black suspects. A grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri, officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Brown last August, leading to nationwide protests.

A local Black Lives Matter group, formed after Brown’s death, planned a demonstration Wednesday morning at North Charleston City Hall.

Scott’s family and their attorney, L. Chris Stewart, called for calm and peaceful protests. They said the murder charge showed that the justice system is working in this case.

Stewart said the video forced authorities to act quickly and decisively. “What if there was no video? What if there was no witness, or hero as I call him, to come forward?” asked Stewart.

Slager’s then-attorney David Aylor had released a statement Monday saying the officer felt threatened and that Scott was trying to grab Slager’s stun gun. Aylor dropped Slager as a client after the video surfaced.

The footage was also released to news media outlets.

The video shows an interaction between Scott and the officer, with the two briefly touching near their hands before the shooting.

It shows Scott falling after the shots and then the officer slowly walking toward Scott and ordering the man to put his hands behind his back. When Scott doesn’t move, Slager pulls his arms back and cuffs his hands. Then he walks briskly back to where he fired the shots, picks up an object, and returns the 30 feet or so back to Scott before dropping the object by Scott’s feet, the video shows.

The video prompted condemnations from law-and-order Republican leaders in South Carolina.

Gov. Nikki Haley issued a statement saying Slager’s actions were not acceptable and did not reflect the state’s values or “the way most of our law enforcement officials act.”

Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who is not related to

“When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”

– Mayor Keith Summey Walter Scott, called the shooting unnecessary and avoidable.

“My heart aches for the family and our North Charleston community. I will be watching this case closely,” he wrote on Twitter. Tim Scott is the only black U.S. senator from a Southern state.

Walter Scott may have tried to run from the officer because he owed child support, which can lead to jail time in South Carolina until it is paid, Stewart said. Scott had four children, was engaged and had been honorably discharged from the U.S.

AP Photo/Courtesy of L. Chris Stewart

In this April 4 frame from a video, Scott appears to be running away from City Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager, right, in North Charleston, S.C. Coast Guard. There were no violent offenses on his record, the attorney said. Stewart said the family plans to sue the police department.

Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said the Federal Bureau of Investigation also will investigate.

North Charleston is South Carolina’s third-largest city. For years, it battled an economic slump caused by the mid-1990s closing of the Charleston Naval Base on the city’s waterfront.

The city has bounced back since, largely because of a huge investment by Boeing, which has a 787 aircraft manufacturing plant in the city and employs about 7,500 people in South Carolina, most in North Charleston.

In a separate case in South Carolina, a white police officer who shot a 68-year-old black man to death last year in his driveway was charged Tuesday with a felony: discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle.

A prosecutor previously tried to indict North Augusta officer Justin Craven on a manslaughter charge in the February 2014 death of Ernest Satterwhite. But a grand jury instead chose misconduct in office, which is a far lesser charge.

Craven chased Satterwhite for 9 miles beyond city limits to the man’s driveway in Edgefield County. After Satterwhite parked, the officer repeatedly fired through the driver-side door, prosecutors said. The 25-year-old officer faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the gun charge.

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015 The Afro-American

COMMENTARY

A9

Full Employment for Everyone

Elijah Cummings

Nationally, we now have witnessed more than five years of significant job creation.

Unemployment, which reached 10 percent during the depths of the Bush Recession, has been cut nearly in half.

Yet, for far too many of our nation’s working families, the positive economic statistics heralding a “recovery” from the Bush Recession must appear to describe someone else’s country – an almost mythical society in which no one is struggling to find a good job or take care of his or

her family.

Why do millions of Americans — and, especially, African Americans — remain trapped in slow-moving unemployment lines or marginal positions with no future? The answers are complex, but it seems clear that both national and more local obstacles must be overcome for us to achieve full recovery.

The Continuing Struggle in Congress Most of my Maryland constituents realize that there are those of us in Washington who are giving voice to their outcry for more good jobs that pay living wages. Yet, clearly, the Republican House and Senate majorities are not listening.

On a straight, party-line vote, the Republicans have pursued federal budget proposals that threaten to be a disaster to our still fragile economy. Experts at the Economic Policy Institute project that the Republican proposals, if enacted into law, could reduce economic growth and cost our nation nearly 3 million jobs in the year 2017 alone.

In sharp contrast, President Obama continues to advocate for job creation as a top priority.

Measures proposed by our Congressional Progressive Caucus could create more than 8 million good jobs by 2018.

President Obama, our allies and I will continue to fight for that better vision because all Americans have a personal interest in our economic success – most of all, Americans of Color.

We all applaud the fact that our overall national unemployment rate has dropped to around 5.5 percent. Tragically, however, the national jobless rate for African Americans remains mired at Recession levels [10.4 percent in February].

Here in Maryland, due to the strong presence of federally funded programs, the Black unemployment rate is somewhat better than the national average [8.8 percent at the end of 2014]. Yet, the negative impact of federal budget cuts on Maryland jobs continues to be a serious obstacle to achieving full employment in our African American neighborhoods.

Connecting Marylanders with Good Jobs.

We know that, here in the Baltimore Region, many good employment positions are going unfilled. This is why my office will be hosting our 18th Annual Job Fair on April 13, from 9 am until 2 pm, at the Fifth Regiment Armory.

Over the years, I have learned that my office can be most helpful to job seekers by bringing them together with employers who are ready to hire. This year, the majority of our more than 50 participating employers will take resumes onsite — and many will be interviewing on the spot.

Our April 13 Job Fair is free, but photo identification will be needed to gain entrance to the Armory. I encourage job-seekers to give themselves a competitive advantage by visiting my website in advance [http://cummings. house.gov] and selecting the links to the career pages of participating companies that interest them.

“We all applaud the fact that our overall national unemployment rate has dropped to around 5.5 percent. Tragically, however, the national jobless rate for African Americans remains mired at Recession levels.”

Here, however, are some highlights.

• We will offer workshops for college students and recent graduates on how to apply and obtain paid, entry-level training positions with the Federal Government through its Pathways Program. For those who are interested, representatives from the Social Security Administration, the US Department of Veterans Affairs and USAJobs (the Federal Government’s official jobs site) will participate.

• Job Seekers will also benefit from meeting with representatives from the CHOICE Program (Community Hiring for Opportunities in Construction Employment) and Helmets to HardHats. On-site simulators and demonstrations will be helpful to people looking for employment in the building and construction trades.

• A number of other service providers will supply resources

for people as they continue to look for employment. Attendees will be able to attend free workshops on resume writing, interview techniques, and how to use social media in their job search.

• For example, once again, this year’s Job Fair will include the very popular “Résumé Doctor,” writing assistance & advice, Computer Café and ONE-Stop Mobile Career Centers provided by the Maryland Workforce Exchange.

For those who are looking for a job (or a better job) or know anyone who is, our April 13 Job Fair may well become their pathway to success.

Past experience has demonstrated that people do obtain good jobs at our Jobs Fairs. Others have taken the first step toward better utilizing our City’s One-Stop Career Centers, conveniently located at 1100 North Eutaw Street (410-767-2148), 3001 E. Madison Street (410-396-9030), and Mondawmin Mall (410-523-1060).

Baltimore County and Howard County residents can find the same help at 7930 Eastern Boulevard (410-288-9050 ext. 424), 11101 McCormick Road (410- 887-7940), or 7161 Columbia Gateway Drive (410-290-2600).

Americans want to work. We must continue to invest in their dreams, both in Washington and here at home.

I remain convinced that, working together, we can rebuild our economy and our communities.

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

Hunger Doesn’t Get a Summer Vacation Many children and families eagerly look forward to the end of the school year and the carefree days of summer, playing outside in the warm sun, splashing and swimming in pools and at beaches, and gathering with family and friends for backyard barbeques. But for more than 17 million children, the end of school can be the end of certainty about where and when their next meal will come.

While 21.7 million children received free or reduced price lunches during the 2013-2014 school year, only 2.6 million children – 12.2 percent – participated in the Summer Food Service Program. This huge participation gap suggests that nearly 9 out of 10 of the children who benefit from free or reduced price lunches during the school year may not be receiving the nourishment necessary for proper physical, cognitive, and social development during the long summer months.

Marian Wright Hunger has no vacation.

Edelman The good news is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service operates the Summer Food Service Program that is administered by state agencies to serve these hungry children. Although the program is 100 percent federally financed and can create desperately needed summer jobs for cafeteria workers and others, there is still a severe shortage of school and community programs to serve all needy hungry children. And there are other barriers. Summer food programs sometimes tend to be available at odd hours and for short periods of time and in inconvenient places making it challenging for children to get there, a problem exacerbated by lack of safe transportation to the sites.

Over the past few years, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service has been piloting innovative strategies in diverse communities across the country to help overcome many of these barriers. Some programs have had success using mobile vans to provide meals, especially helpful in rural communities.

In other communities without sites, it has allowed the use of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards – like those used for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) – to transfer money to families so they can purchase extra food for their children in the summer.

Congress has a role to play in ensuring that countless children do not go hungry during the summer.

The Summer Meals Act of 2015 (S. 613) was introduced by Senators Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Lisa

Murkowski (R-Arkansas) both this year and last. Their bill would significantly expand summer nutrition programs by lowering the threshold for community eligibility from 50 percent to 40 percent of children in the area eligible for free or reduced price meals. Community eligibility reduces the administrative burden on sites and allows them to serve more children.

There has been progress but it must be increased so children do not suffer hunger. USDA data show that between July 2013 and July 2014, the number of children participating in the Summer Food Service Program increased by more than 220,000 and 11 million more meals were served to hungry children. Our friends at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) note in their annual report on summer meals that during this same time period, the number of sponsors and sites across the country also increased. However, while improvements have been made to reduce the participation gap, millions of children continue to go hungry during the summer months.

I find it shocking that in 2012-2013, 4.9 million households, including 1.3 million with children, an increase from the previous year, had no cash income and depended only on food stamps (now called SNAP) to stave off hunger. I find it even more shocking that some Republican leaders are trying to cut SNAP when the need is so enormous.

There is a role for all of us in getting food to children during the long food desert of summer months for millions of young children, and right now, we still have time to take action for the coming 2015 summer. Individuals and organizations in communities can help serve the meals, promote the program, provide transportation, volunteer at summer food sites, and help find sponsors.

The USDA has a number of great resources to help sponsors and sites get up and running, including a “Summer Meals Toolkit” that provides information on sponsors, sites, links to state agencies, and much more. And if you know hungry children in your community, you can call 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE to find the nearest summer feeding site.

Most importantly, if there are not enough summer feeding sites, ask why not. Urge your schools, congregations and other local programs to continue serving children during the summer months and take advantage of the opportunity to use federal dollars to do it Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www.childrensdefense.org

What Good are Democrats?

It is time that we dispel the mythology around Maryland being a political progressive state. Being a Democrat in Maryland is pretty meaningless as an indicator of your political ideology or values. We live in a state in which a 3rd of the population is made up of Black people, yet the Maryland General Assembly were not able to pass any substantive law enforcement reform to address the issue of police brutality. This is a disgraceful fact in the light of the recent report that was published by the ALCU that reveals that 109 people since 2010 have been killed at the hands of law enforcement.

All this points to a fundamental lack of understanding about what progress looks like as it relates to issues of racism in America. Including individual Black people in high level institutional positions is not a substantive challenge to racism. Having a Black Lieutenant Governor, Black elected officials, Black friends etc are not substantive challenges to racism. That type of inclusion has the affect of putting a Black face on an institution that is adversely affecting Black people. We have to have a more sophisticated understanding of the dynamics of racism that goes beyond the symbolic gestures of inclusion and toward

Dayvon Love

an analysis that centers around substantive improvements in the quality of life of Black people.

The General Assembly’s failure to move any substantive legislation on this issue, and the silence of the leadership in Annapolis on this issue is an example of institutional racism. This claim unfortunately frightens people because people often don’t have the requisite literacy on issues of racism and quite frankly the emotional maturity to understand that the charge of institutional racism is not about individual attitudes or character flaws, but about the effect that an institution has on the people it serves.

The leadership in the Maryland General Assembly should be embarrassed that it could not get anything done to address the issue of police brutality in Maryland this year. This is such a major national issue that affects people here in Maryland. It would be disingenuous to proclaim Maryland to be such a progressive state if it did not have the will to pass something substantive on the issue of police brutality.

Dayvon Love is the Director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle and former national debate champion.

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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From Seashells to Shimmering Seas Now’s the time to plan your perfect beach vacation

By Donna M. Owens Special to the AFRO

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whether you want luxe accommodations with water f you’re among the millions of Americans who’ve views, or lodging that’s simply clean and comfy, there literally weathered the winter of our discontent— are ample options. somewhere, someplace, a beach is beckoning.

We’ve done the legwork for you, selecting beach Indeed, right about now, a beautiful spot stateside, or locales that are close to home (wherever that may be), perhaps in the Caribbean, may be calling your name. and still others that can take you on a journey afar.

So now is the time to map out your perfect beach Wherever you decide to go, make your beach vacay. You’ll want a destination that offers the getaway, easy, breezy and fun. And don’t forget to requisite sand, surf and sunsets, of course. And pack your swimsuit.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore

From quaint towns with chic appeal such as St. Michaels, to Assateague’s famed wild horses, Maryland’s Eastern shore offers vacationers a mix of unique beach experiences.

Start in Ocean City, a quintessential seaside beach resort. Whether it’s a beach wedding, a White Marlin fishing tournament, St. Michaels, Md. muscle car shows, or baptisms during the yearly ‘Jesus at the Beach’ festival, it’s no wonder the town garners upwards of eight million visitors annually.

“We truly appreciate our visitors as they have made Ocean City the great destination that it is today,” said Mayor Rick Meehan.

The beach fare in OC can bring on serious cravings. Think Fishers caramel popcorn, Thrasher’s fries doused with vinegar, Dolles taffy, and creamy ice cream cones from Dumser’s Dairyland. Many local merchants have deep roots in the

The Boardwalk at Ocean City, Md.

stmichaels.org

Back in the day, residents and guests included Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Robeson, Mary Church Terrell, and poets Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Maryland’s native son, Frederick Douglass, visited too, but died before the house that his son was building for him was completed.

Highland Beach, incorporated in 1922, became the first African-American municipality in Maryland. Today, it’s more racially mixed, yet still preserves a legacy of African-American history and pride. There’s a museum devoted to Douglass, and the town’s festive 4th of July parade draws multiple generations.

While visiting Maryland’s Eastern Shore, don’t miss Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park.

“There’s such natural beauty,” says Connie

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The famous ponies of Assateague Island, Md.

Yingling, a Maryland tourism spokeswoman.

The parks are located on Assateague Island, a barrier island bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Sinepuxent Bay. A few miles of beaches offer swimming, surfing and fishing. Adventurers can explore secluded coves by canoe or kayak, where you’ll The Inn at Perry Cabin in birds, deer, and waterfowl.

St. Michaels And a truly magnificent sight is the region’s famous feral horses, which roam and gallop freely.

Wind up your shore visit in St. Michaels, a place of yachts, adorable boutiques, zero fast food establishments, and a feel described as “Mayberry Highland Beach meets Ralph Lauren.” Consider staying at a B & B Living Shoreline in town, or choose the upscale Inn at Perry Cabin, Project which features elegantly furnished rooms, a worldhighlandbeachmd.org

community, including the Phillips’ family, whose crab cakes are nationally renowned.

A short drive from Ocean City is Highland Beach, which dates back to 1893 as a summer enclave for well-to-do AfricanAmericans.

Charles Douglass (son of abolitionist Frederick Douglass) and his wife Laura, founded the community after being turned away from a nearby resort due to their race. The couple later purchased a 40-acre tract of land on the Chesapeake Bay with 500 feet of beachfront and transformed it into a relaxing haven.

July 4 Picnic Dance at Highland Beach

abacobahamasguide.com

class spa and gourmet dining.

For more info, www.visitmaryland.org

The Bahamas

It’s easy to escape to ‘The Abacos,’— a mini archipelago

Abaco Beach Resort

Getty Images

www.abacobeachresort.com

of 100 islands in the northern Bahamas-less than 200 miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.

Set on the sea of Abaco and the Atlantic Ocean, these so-called ‘out islands’ boast white sand beaches, clear waters and some of the world’s largest barrier reefs. The region is a hub for sailing, diving and water sports.

While Abaco is less well-known than

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the island’s more populous areas, it’s ideal for relaxation sans large crowds.

Visitors can enjoy surfing and shopping to beach bar hopping. Reportedly, Beyonce and Jay-Z were spotted a few years back at Nipper’s Beach Bar & Grill in Great Guana Cay, a lively party spot.

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his year, the White House Easter Egg Roll incorporated a little physical fitness. The Easter Egg Roll celebrated the fifth anniversary of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign against obesity. Throughout the Roll, participants were encouraged to take the Gimme Five Challenge, a challenge to all Americans of all ages to give five ways they’re leading a healthier life through five jumping jacks, eating five new vegetables, maybe doing a Gimme Five dance or anything else they can think of to live healthier. To celebrate the campaign’s fifth anniversary, singing group Fifth Harmony sang a couple of songs for participants in the Easter event.

President Obama greets Danish professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki

First lady Michelle Obama, center of stage, dances with members of the “AllStars” of the television show “So You Think You Can Dance” in honor of the fifth anniversary of her “Let’s Move” program.

President Barack Obama makes a face as he reads “Where the Wild Things Are”

by Maurice Sendak.

Photos by AP

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he Psi Nu Chapter, in connection with the Nannie J. Lee Center of Alexandria, Va., hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt Celebration for the community. Psi Nu Chapter provided food, drink and prizes which consisted of hundreds of candy filled Easter eggs, elaborate prize Easter baskets, and “golden” Easter eggs which contained cash prizes for several children. There was also egg painting, drawing, and other activities that were conducted by the staff of the Nannie J. Lee Center. Psi Nu hosted over 100 children of all ages and an equal amount of parents and/or guardians.

There were three separate egg hunts that were conducted for children of different age groups so that every child had a fair chance of filling their basket full of eggs and winning all sorts of valuable prizes. This is the third time that an event of this magnitude has been conducted by Psi Nu in service to the Alexandria community and public at large.

Psi Nu Chapter also mentored three young undergraduate men from George Mason University as they assisted in the set-up and serving of the food for the event.

Hope Mayfield, Mazi and Qiana Lawhorn

Volunteers, Kamilah Smith, Bonnie Brown and Claudia Chirines

Isaigh Chambers, Marvin Chambers, Semaj Givens and Anthony Perdue

The Nannie J. Lee Center Director, Jackie Person, Alexus Walker-TR Leader 1, Christian Quintana- TR Leader 1 and Denise Henson- TR Leader 3

Bro. Reginald Hairston, Lauren Hairston, Braelyn Mosley, Miles Hairston, Tracey Hairston and Naomi Hairston

Omega Psi Phi Nu brothers from Psi Nu Chapter Photos by Rob Roberts

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

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ARTS & CULTURE

DCPS Announces New International Partnership with StepAfrika!

By Lauren E. Williams Special to the AFRO What do 10 male students from D.C. and about 100 others from Croatia and nearby European countries have in common? A weeklong international youth camp created to hopefully change their lives.

The 10 D.C. students, or “D.C.’s newest cultural ambassadors,” as District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson describes them, have been selected to travel to Zagreb, Croatia for a dance program that focuses on the tradition of stepping.

Announced March 30 in the Mini United Nations Room on the Columbia Heights Education Campus (Ward 1), the program has been made possible through an innovative partnership between DCPS, StepAfrika!, and the U.S. Embassy.

StepAfrika! is the first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, and the nation’s leading African-American dance company. While StepAfrika!’s International Youth Exchange program is in its third year, this year’s partnership extends

the opportunity to United States students for the first time. After completing the program, students will perform a choreographed step based on their instruction and experiences overseas at the dance company’s 20th anniversary home performance series June 4-7 at Howard University.

“Step Afrika! opened the world’s eyes to the beauty and

power of step, and I know this new partnership will do the same and more for our DCPS student cultural ambassadors,” said Chancellor Henderson in a press release. “I am incredibly proud of the 10 young men embarking on this special journey. I am confident they will remember

this experience forever. It is through these experiences and expanded perspectives that our young people are propelled toward college and global careers.”

Selected students come from six DCPS high schools.

They were first nominated by their principals, and then had to complete a competitive process including an essay assignment describing their

dedication to academic excellence and interest in international travel and discovery. Each student has a GPA of 3.0 or higher and is currently in their junior year.

On their way to Croatia next month are: Victor Alleyne, Banneker High School (Ward 1); Triston Henry, Cardozo High School (Ward 1); Khyle Hightower, Columbia Heights Education Campus (Ward 1); Merhawi Huwarshek, Cardozo High School (Ward 1); Terrence Jackson, Eastern High School (Ward 6); Parris Kennedy, Anacostia High School (Ward 8); Matt Lopez, Columbia Heights Education Campus (Ward 1); Donald Morgan III, School Without Walls High School (Ward 2); Christopher Tate, School Without Walls High School (Ward 2); and Ahmad Woodard, Anacostia High School (Ward 8).

Studies have shown that using alternative

“It is through these experiences and expanded perspectives that our young people are propelled toward college and global careers.”

– Kaya Henderson ways to educate students outside of the classroom, such as studying abroad (and physical activity) can be very beneficial. This program incorporates both.

Researchers have found that international study can make students more creative, and the Guardian states that learning a new language may even grow your brain.

The new cultural program reflects D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s campaign promises

(and budget allocations) to strengthen DCPS schools, and aligns with her most recent initiative, Empowering Males of Color. All expenses for the program will be paid by DCPS. Other opportunities for D.C. students to travel abroad are also in the works through DCPS and the D.C. Public Education Fund, an independent nonprofit formed to support the numerous strategic initiatives in DCPS through private funding.

A Spirited Tête-à-Tête with Aunjanue Ellis and Clement Virgo ‘The Book of Negroes’ Interview

KW: Lisa also asks: Who do you feel is ‘The Book of Negroes’ intended audience?

AE: Everybody.

By Kam Williams Special to the AFRO Aunjanue Ellis stars as Aminata Diallo in ‘The Book of Negroes,’ the hit TV-miniseries based on Lawrence Hill’s award-winning best seller of the same name. Here, she and the picture’s director, Clement Virgo, share their thoughts about the adaptation of the historical novel chronicling the life of an 11 year-old girl kidnapped in Africa and enslaved for decades in the U.S. until she manages to escape to Canada.

Kam Williams: Hi Aunjanue and Clement, thanks for the interview.

Aunjanue Ellis: Thank you, Kam. Clement Virgo: Absolutely!

KW: What interested you in ‘The Book of Negroes,’ Aunjanue?

AE: To be honest, the first thing that interested me was seeing that the CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] and BET [Black Entertainment Television] were partnering on the project. In my mind, I couldn’t think of two more divergent networks. Then, I found out it was based on this wonderful historical novel about a woman’s story of survival. I love doing that kind of work.

KW: Did you read the book before accepting the role?

AE: Yes, I did.

KW: Clement, what inspired you to turn it into a mini-series?

CV: The book was quite a phenomenon in Canada, where it won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and sold a million copies. I fell in love with Aminata Diallo and enjoyed reading about the period of history that she takes us through. I thought I knew about the American Revolutionary War and about my own and Canadian history. But I didn’t know about people migrating from New York to Nova Scotia, or appreciate that if you were African-American, you really had to choose sides during the Revolutionary War. And I saw Aminata as being a lot like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, where she was caught up in this twister of slavery, and all she wanted to do was get back home. Her determination to survive was so powerful, I felt like I had to tell the story.

KW: Given the facts brought out about the Revolutionary War by ‘The Book of Negroes,’ do you think that the American colonies were on the wrong side of history? The film suggests that the British were lesser of two evils. Have blacks been mis-educated into siding with the Patriots over the British Loyalists in the same way Native Americans talk about being manipulated by movies as children into rooting for the Cowboys over the Indians?

AE: The British kept their slaves while wanting to get rid of America’s, so you can

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Book of Negroes - Episode 6 — with Aunjanue Ellis

take from that what you will. It’s a lot more complicated than we’re led to believe.

KW: Do you think George Washington’s exslave, Henry Washington, should be more of a hero to African-Americans than his master, the first president of the United States? After all, he escaped from slavery and then gained his freedom by fighting with the British during the Revolutionary War. AE: America is steeped in mythology. The problem is that it’s been living a myth since its inception, starting with The Declaration of Independence. How can you say that all people are created equal, but mean only if they’re white and male? So, we, as its citizens, have continually had to die in the streets to force the country to live up to that promise and be more than a myth, and be a reality for all. That’s why it’s so genius that Clement has Aminata say to George Washington, “If this is what you’re claiming to be, then why do you have slaves?” This picture does a great job of shattering the myths perpetuated in many schoolbooks.

KW: This film actually moved me to tears on several occasions, like the very touching scene where Aminata tracks down her baby shortly after it was sold, but was immediately ordered off the plantation by its heartless, new slave owner.

CV: I’m glad to hear that. It was important to all of us to capture the totality of these characters’ humanity and not just reduce them to their circumstances. Aminata fascinates me, because she reminds me of all that black people have had to overcome. I also appreciated the fact that she was a midwife, since one of the last things she had been told by her mother before being kidnapped and sold into slavery was, “As long as babies are being born, life will go on.” So, her subsequently bringing life into the world is very, very significant.

KW: Editor Lisa Loving says: I meet so many people who don’t really know, or worse, don’t think about, the racist roots of our country which have grown into this imperfect present day. Do you see the success of ‘The Book of Negroes’ miniseries as part of a greater awareness in the United States of our racist history and how we should be living now?

CV: I consider it part of my job as a filmmaker to put art out into the world that is positive and affirms life. Yes, it says the roots may be racist and brutal, but it cannot define us and it cannot stop us.

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How much of YOU is in Aminata Diallo, and how much did you allow yourself to get lost in the character?

AE: Aminata couldn’t be more different from me than any character I’ve ever played in terms of her temperament, her world view and the way she carried herself with so much wisdom and grace, even as a child. My sense of self is a lot more haphazard. I lost myself with her, when I put my costume on. You can’t go through what she went through as an actor without giving yourself over to it completely. And I did. So, it got very hard and depressing. Who she is, is not me, which is why playing her was so rewarding ultimately. And I’m very grateful when anyone compliments me on my performance, since that means that they didn’t catch on that I was acting.

KW: Lastly, what’s in your wallet?

CV: [Laughs] What’s in my wallet? I have a check for $257 that I’ve been walking around with for three weeks that I need to cash.

AE: [Laughs] I have a wallet that I got when we were shooting in South Africa.

What’s in it? Some change from Canada and other places, and my expired driver’s license.

[Laughs some more] KW: Thanks again for the time, Aunjanue and Clement, and best of luck with all your endeavors.

AE: Thank you so much, Kam. CV: Bye!

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with

Wynton Marsalis

Sun, Apr 19 at 7pm Kennedy Center Featuring a tribute to Duke Ellington and Ted Nash’s The Presidential Suite, with guest orator Malcolm-Jamal Warner

WashingtonPerformingArts.org • (202) 785-9727

Made possible by Herbert and Patrice Miller, with special thanks to Paxton Baker and Centric.

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Continued from B1 For lodging, the familyowned Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour is a 40-acre beachfront property with amenities aplenty, including the largest marina in the Bahamas. For guests who just wanna chill, hammocks are strung between palm trees on the beach. www. abacobeachresort.com

Virginia Beach, Va.

Virginia Beach, an East Coast resort city along the Atlantic Ocean, is chock-full of pleasurable activities for the entire family.

Catch a wave while surfing, or kayak through a national wildlife refuge. Enjoy Virginia Beach, Va. a symphony performance on the beach as the sun goes down.

As the weather warms, the Mid-Atlantic’s largest population of bottlenose dolphins returns each year to the Virginia Beach coast. Pods of dolphins can be spotted feasting, jumping and playing. Other family pleasures abound: roaming magicians, jugglers, bands in the park, and costumed characters near the Boardwalk.

Courtesy of the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau

Molokai, Hawaii

First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, Va. Courtesy of the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau

Begin (or end) your day by collecting seashells at the Sandbridge area along the southern shore, a quiet enclave partially surrounded by the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. www.visitvirginiabeach.com

Hawaii

If you dream of breathtaking landscapes with mountains, volcanoes, palm trees and unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean, then Hawaii says “Aloha.”

While noteworthy as the birthplace of President Barack Obama, Hawaii has long been famed for its exceptional

gohawaii.com

beaches. Massive blue waves, daring surfers, hula dancing and other cultural traditions, bring millions of annual travelers. They’ll find a multicultural population, and a mix of hustle, bustle and serenity.

“What’s best in me, and what’s best in my message, is St. Croix consistent with the tradition of Hawaii,” the Commander-inChief has said.

Indeed, America’s first Hawaiian-born president has been a boon to local businesses. Stores hawk Obama T-shirts, bobbleheads and other trinkets, while tour companies have added sites associated with the president to their itineraries.

Do check out Sandy Beach, located on the eastern tip of Oahu, said to be one of Obama’s favorite beaches as a youngster. And the First Family has spent Christmas on a compound at Kailua Beach in East Oahu. The scenic beach is renowned for its pristine white sand and oceanfront vistas, and like others in Hawaii is open to the public. www.gohawaii.com

United States Virgin Islands

There’s much to swoon over in the U.S. Virgin Islands: pretty, powdery beaches, stunning emerald waters, and sun-drenched days. Not to mention a decidedly romantic vibe that may make you want to run off with your beloved.

Part of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean, the U.S.V.I.

has three principal islands – lovely St. Croix, tranquil St. John, and St. Thomas, which is cosmopolitan.

The islands have been ruled in succession by the Spanish, English, French, Knights of Malta, French (for a second time), the Danish and now, the U.S., making for a cultural blend that is rich in heritage, crafts, cuisine and lifestyle.

“We honor our traditions as we remember our past and envision our future,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Commissioner of Tourism.

St. Croix, the largest of the trio, is situated entirely in the Caribbean Sea. You’ll find pastel buildings and charming shops while strolling the historic cobblestone streets of Christiansted and Frederiksted.

Meanwhile, the area offers Mother Nature’s eye candy, from rolling green hillsides, to botanical gardens and rainforests.

Take a half day sail to Turtle Beach on Buck Island (about 1.5 miles off the northeast side of St. Croix) which offers first-rate snorkeling (thousands of tropical fish and sea turtles) and hiking trails with stunning views. It’s been voted one of the world’s most beautiful beaches by National Geographic.

st-croix-vacation-rental.com

A few stops worth making in St. Croix include Salud Bistro, where the ambiance and island-inspired cuisine are both delightful. Then there’s Zion Modern Kitchen, a hot new restaurant with excellent service where dishes range from curry calamari, to lobster ravioli.

And there’s buzz building for a forthcoming establishment called balter, from Digby Stridiron, the USVI’s award-winning Culinary Ambassador. Chef A dish by Digby Digby received his Stridiron chefsroll.com culinary education on the mainland at Le Cordon Bleu, and Johnson and Wales. He’s a young, world-class chef who strives to honor the history and magnificence of his native St. Croix, one delicious plate at a time.

There are plenty of places to stay on St. Croix, including Annaly Mill, a historic villa located in an old sugar mill in the west end’s rainforest. The Buccaneer, a sprawling property with a fantastic beach, swimming pools, a fitness center, tennis, golf and fine dining options, is owned by a family who has welcomed guests for generations.

Best of all about the U.S.V.I: American travelers won’t need a passport in this U.S. Territory. Delta and American airlines have both increased accessibility from major U.S. cities, so it’s easier than ever to escape to paradise.

Go to VisitUSVI.com or www.gotostcroix.com.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, recently announced the results of its 6th annual vacation rentals survey of more than 1,800 U.S. respondents.

Besides finding that 59 percent of respondents plan to stay at a vacation rental this year, the survey revealed the beach/ocean is the most popular setting for a vacation rental stay

“…savvy travelers should book early for the best options.” in 2015. Indeed, 63 percent of respondents said they will rent by the shore. Top months for vacation rental stays this year are June, July and August.

“Vacation rentals are becoming increasingly popular as more travelers discover the outstanding amenities, comfort, and value a rental can offer,” said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “With summer the most popular time for vacation rental stays, savvy travelers should book early for the best options.”

Source: TripAdvisor website

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

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The Afro-American, April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

SPORTS

Is LeBron James the NBA’s MVP?

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Writers This season has been the year of the guard in the NBA. The top three MVP candidates are all dominant guards who love to score with the ball in their hand.

Stephen Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook have littered highlights with scoring binges and clutch baskets.

With Curry’s Warriors currently holding the best record in the league, and both Harden and Westbrook in the playoff hunt, each player has done enough to keep their teams afloat while blowing out stat lines and rewriting NBA history.

Lost in all the guards’ glory has been the scary-good play of LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. James always asked for help in Cleveland—now he finally has it and we’re seeing results. James isn’t ripping apart stat sheets but he is averaging nearly 26 points, six rebounds and over seven assists per game. With the Cavs cementing their hold on the No. 2 seed in the East, James should be getting more pub in the MVP race than he’s currently receiving.

The competition is fierce and the trio of Harden, Curry and Westbrook has been spectacular on numerous occasions this year—but is it enough to knock James out as MVP? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate the question.

Riley: James has quietly kicked in another solid, playoffbound campaign, but I fear the sporty highlights from the aforementioned contenders will be too strong to sway voters.

Never mind the fact that the Cavs finished with the No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft and have improved to second-best in the East despite the fact that Cleveland’s lottery pick (which turned into Andrew Wiggins) was traded away before the season started. Yes, the pick did land AllStar forward Kevin Love, but it’s been a down year for Love and James has kept the team afloat. Cleveland’s 33-49 record helped them win the lottery and now they’re one game away from 50 wins. When you consider that neither Love or AllStar point guard Kyrie Irving have made the playoffs nor experience winning seasons, it makes James’ role look that much bigger. Cleveland is penciled in to make the Finals out of the East—and again, this is one year removed from having the

top pick in the draft. James has been exceptional this year.

Green: Let’s not act like the cupboard is bare in Cleveland.

Irving and Love haven’t had NBA success but J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have. The Cavs have an absolutely stacked team and James is just controlling it all. Both Harden and Westbrook have had to carry the load with injured superstars on the bench, while Curry has been the flat-out best player on the Association’s best team. We knew Cleveland was going to compete for the most wins in the East when they acquired Love after James’ arrival. Whether they’ve had team success or not, Irving and Love are still All-Star players who haven’t missed much time this season with injuries. James has obviously sparked a culture shift in terms of professionalism and hustle, but Curry, Harden and Westbrook have arrived as big enough dark horses that they’re each gathering NBA votes as the best player in the league. James was the clear-cut best player in the league for years, but each of the three favorites’ seasons have been too remarkable to reconsider.

Riley: The thing that groups Harden, Curry and Westbrook all together is the fact they’ve each dominated the ball and done too much one-on-one in my opinion. It’s been rare to see any of the three making a play to get the ball to their teammates. James is never going to be the bullish scorer that Harden, Westbrook or Curry are, but his feel for the game and team-first approach has totally revamped the mentality in Cleveland. While each player in the three-headed race has had experience playing with their current teammates, James is the only one who’s basically had to learn a brand new system and team on the fly in one summer. The Cavaliers haven’t had much time together, which means they’re super scary in longterm potential and James has been more instrumental than ever. Going from first pick in the draft to 50 or more wins is just too big of a turnaround for me to overlook. James won’t win it for his individual numbers, but his team presence has last year’s cellar dwellers in the role of contender.

Green: James’s command on the court has certainly changed Cleveland, but their talent was already in place as they stockpiled bodies over the years and maintained a need for the three position that only James could feel. I’m not surprised by their success, because they’ve been prepping

The Author’s Corner Title: Author: Release Date:

What was the impetus for writing this book?

I started “Boyfriend” during a blissfully stable period in my life. I’d just had a baby, and I was entering my third year of marriage. One of the luxuries of stability is the opportunity to reflect. I started to reflect on past broken hearts and fleeting experiences with broken people. The protagonist of “Boyfriend,” Nate Best, was born in an attempt to understand what motivates people to do bad things.

More specifically, what experiences cause one person to be painfully careless with another person’s heart.

What’s the overall theme?

Acceptance. I think we all want to be accepted and understood. Nate struggles with acceptance throughout the entire book. It motivates him to lie, to cheat, and eventually to seek forgiveness.

What surprised you about the development of the book?

for this for years. We saw it coming when the rumors started flying about James returning and we knew he would have success if and when he came back. No one could have imagined that the Warriors would run off 60-plus wins or that Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant would go down, thrusting Harden and Westbrook into primetime roles. The fact that much of the seasons delivered by Harden, Westbrook and Russell were unforeseen only adds votes to them. I would love for Westbrook to win the MVP, as his string of triple-doubles has been legendary, but Curry evolved into the ultimate NBA showman this year, and I think he may have just given the league a new face to market behind their brand.

City. Two vastly different worlds. There is a broad range of multicultural characters so I think there is something in it for everyone. I will add that it’s not for children. Nate has pretty creative sexual experiences that I think are best saved for adult eyes.

Boyfriend Faye McCray E-Book Available Now! Paperback Available April 17

Faye McCray is a native New Yorker and current resident of the Washington, DC metropolitan area where she resides with her husband and two young sons. She is an attorney and the author of Dani’s Belts, a collection of horror short stories, and Boyfriend, the story of a college student struggling with love, fidelity, and a complicated past. Faye’s work will also be featured in the upcoming anthology, Anything But Zombies, through Simon and Schuster’s Atria Imprint. You can also find Faye’s essays on For Harriet, Madame Noire, Black Girl Nerds, Black and Married with Kids, Graveyard Shift Sisters, Rachel in the OC, and on her blog at www.fayemccray.com. You can connect with Faye on Twitter @fayewrites and Facebook at facebook. com/fayewrites.

LeBron James

What did you learn during the writing process?

To remain disciplined. When I was in college, I took a much more liberal approach to the writing process. I’d wait around for my muse and only write when inspired. I was a bit insufferable. Now, when I have a project I’d like to write, I outline and I schedule my writing time. I realized when I call my muse, she shows up. Usually holding a glass of wine and ready to go.

Faye McCray

How challenging it was writing from the perspective of a man! As a woman, we have so much more emotional freedom. If we need a good cry or just want to express our love for a friend, we can. No one questions our femininity or sexuality. With men, there are more rules. Nate feels things very deeply. However, he wasn’t always comfortable showing it. For him, those deep feelings manifested themselves in anger and acting out. It also manifested in his relationship with sex, drugs and alcohol throughout the book.

Which character excites you most?

Yikes! That’s like choosing between my babies!

I would say, the character I am most proud of is Nate’s sister, Natalie. When we first meet her, she is pretty broken. She is 17, in an abusive household and can’t see a way out. I think she has a beautiful arc in the book. She grows the most. I am very proud of where she is at the end of the book.

For what audience is your book written?

Everyone. It is written about that time in your early twenties where you have one foot in childhood and another struggling to land in adulthood. I think we can all relate to that. The books takes place at an elite private college in Washington, D.C. and then in Southeast Queens in New York

What’s next on the horizon for you?

I am working on my second novel now. It explores the early life of one of the more complex characters in “Boyfriend.” I am also working on a graphic novel based on my short story series, “Dani’s Belts” that is available now on Amazon!

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

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Rethinking the Recognition of Doris Miller “Dorie Miller’s Parents to be Feted at Youth Conf.” The Dallas Expresso 11 April 1942 p.4

By MarshaRose Joyner Special to the AFRO

Part III of a four-part series I have read in any number of articles that Doris Miller was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously. Perhaps that was rewritten many times over from an article in Ebony’s Handbook.

We can see from the now famous picture of Admiral Nimitz pinning the medal on Miller at ceremony on board USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor, May 27, 1942, that he was very much alive when receiving the Medal.

Life experiences are the continuum in a seamless matrix. All the events of Miller’s life brought him to that moment in time. Yes, his name was Doris. Born Oct. 12, 1919, in Erath, Texas, Doris, as he was christened, was the third of four sons to Mr. and Mrs. Conery Miller. “The family lived in a three room farmhouse near Speegleville, Texas where his father was a farmer. His life had begun in a time of controversy, turmoil and violence, although his immediate surroundings appeared to be peaceful and simple.”

America at this time was deluged with atrocities. . .lynching of Negroes, drowning of coolies, downright genocide of Native American Indians, bombing of synagogues, women were chattel and mortgage.

Everyone in America struggled through the Great Depression; the Miller family was no different. Attending Moore High School Doris Miller played fullback on the school team. By the time he reached the 8th grade he stood 6’4” and weighed 220 lbs. Not only had he become a skilled boxer at the time, but he could also use his hands for cooking, sewing and ironing, all of which were practical skills to get any one through the worst depression America had ever known.

Messman Attendant Second Class Doris

The article tells how the All-Southern Negro Youth Conference met at Tuskegee Institute on April 17, 18 and 19. This organization paid for Miller’s parents to travel to the Conference and presented them with a $100 defense bond. The article further states: “At the closing session on April 19th a campaign will be started to have one million citizens sign a petition to the Congress of the United States asking that a proper symbol of recognition be awarded to your son.” Louis Burnham, Secretary Unlike his White shipmates whose acts of bravery were acknowledged by being sent back to the states, Dorie was fished out of the burning waters as the West Virginia went down and was transferred to the Indianapolis and spent the next 17 months at Pearl Harbor waiting on (white) Junior Officers. Finally in June of 1942 the Pittsburgh Courier called for Miller to be allowed to return to the states like White heroes. December, 1942 Doris Miller arrived in Waco, a hero.

The Waco Messenger, 1 January 1943 p.1

“Miller arrived home on last Thursday.

He is greeted by many friends including his former football coach at Moore High School, Professor Roosevelt L. Posey. “How often do we find young men with a swelled head because of a little success. Not so with Miller.” commented Possey. When questioned about his actions Doris said: Chester W. Nimitz pins the Navy Cross on Doris Miller, at a ceremony on board “It wasn’t hard. I just pulled the trigger and USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor, May 27, 1942. she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I fired her until the ammunition ran out. I think I got some of those planes. They were diving pretty close to us.”

“We were avid hunters and fishers.

Doris was a great hunter. He was one of the few people I have ever seen that could shoot a moving squirrel out of a tree with a single shot 22.”

– Arthur Miller, Doris’ brother Miller’s acts of valor at Pearl Harbor made him a hero of epic proportions.

Aware of the racial limitations, Miller joined the Navy on September 16, 1939, saying “it beats sitting around Waco working as a bus boy, going nowhere.”

A product of the segregated military, Miller never gave Jim Crow a thought as he braved strafing enemy planes to help remove his mortally wounded Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion to a Doris Miller speaking on a war bonds tour. place of safety.

The lack of combat training did not stop Miller. This noble spirit, running between the the inside page of the Pittsburgh Courier, January, 1942 “No flames and crashing metal, taking the machine guns in hand as Change in Navy Policy! his ship mates were dying all around him on the blood soaked “The answer to a letter to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz by deck of the battleship West Virginia. He shot down Japanese P. L. Pratts, executive editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, the planes that rained bombs from the sky on Dec. 7, the “day that following announcement was made: will live in infamy.”

“I (Miller) was ordered up to the main deck, saw the Captain NAVY DEPARTMENT - BUREAU OF NAVIGATION bleeding from a hole in his stomach, we tried to move him to a WASHINGTON, D.C. place of safety. He called Commander Hillenkoatter, giving him December 23, 1941 orders to take command of the ship. He said he did not want Replying to your letter of December 16, you are advised that to be moved and wanted to go down with the ship. I noticed there has been no change in the policy of enlisting colored men a gun silent. I mounted it, pointed at the oncoming plane and in the Navy or Naval Reserve. began firing.”

Sincerely Yours, In spite of eye witness accounts (Claude V. Ricketts and

Randall Jacobs, Chief of Bureau Commander R. M. Hillenkoatter) of his acts of bravery during

(Signed) A.W. Dunn, By Direction the Pearl Harbor attack, the Navy Board of Awards established and recommended that “an unknown Negro Messman” be given an award. Not until March of 1942 through the persistence of Dr. Lawrence D. Reddisk did the Navy announces that the “unknown Black Messman” was Doris Miller.

U.S. Rep. Marcantonio of New York was able to identify Miller as the “unknown Negro Mess Attendant responsible for shooting down the Japanese planes.”

While some people question if he shot down any planes given the smoke and flames and confusion all round. If he did, how many? Arthur Miller, Doris’ brother said “we were avid hunters and fishers. Doris was a great hunter. He was one of the few people I have ever seen that could shoot a moving squirrel out of a tree with a single shot 22.” Therefore it is possible that he did indeed shoot down some Japanese planes.

Miller’s acts were heavily publicized in the Black press, making him the iconic emblem of the war for Blacks—their “Number One Hero”—thereby energizing Black support for the war effort.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES On the front page of the Pittsburgh Courier January, 1942

Headline: “United States ‘41 Lynching Record is one less than ‘40. In the same issue “Manned Gun At Pearl Harbor.

NAACP asks the President of the United States to give the “unnamed” Messman a distinguished service award. On

The Waco Messenger, 15 January 1943 p.3

Second Baptist Church in Waco. After having been introduced and asked to come to the rostrum, Doris Miller gracefully marched down the aisle by the president of the usher board, James Pryor Sr., while a thunderous applause roared over the spacious building. He mounted the rostrum in all dignity and answered many questions from the enthusiastic audience. In his talk Doris said: ‘Wherever I go, the people of Waco can rest assured that they have my good will.”

The Waco Messenger, 22 January 1943 p.2

“. . . Mrs. Parsons was accompanied by little Barbara Brown, her granddaughter, age 7, Barbara was thrilled beyond measure at meeting our hero, Doris Miller; she said, ‘I will be able to tell the pupils in my class at home that I actually met Mr. Miller.’ More than this Barbara danced with the hero also.”

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1-888-407-7173 20001-2131 AskCTI.com Administration No. 2015NRT9 Robert Jackson HELP WANTED: AKA RobertSALES Eugene Jackson EARN $500 A DAY: Decedent NOTICE OF Insurance Agents EXISTENCE OFCold Needed; Leads, No Calls;REVOCABLE Commissions TRUST Paid Daily; Lifetime Robert Jackson (Robert Eugene Jackson) whose Renewals; Complete address was 2700 & Jasper Training; Health St., SE, Washington, DC Dentalcreated Insurance; Life 20020 a revocaLicense Required.

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LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015NRT9 Robert Jackson AKA Robert Eugene Jackson Decedent NOTICE OF EXISTENCE OF REVOCABLE TRUST Robert Jackson (Robert Eugene Jackson) whose address was 2700 Jasper St., SE, Washington, DC 20020 created a revocable trust on June 2, 2009, which remained in existence on the date of his death on February 15, 2015, and Michelle (Jackson) Coleman, whose address is 802 Avis Dr., Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 is the currently acting trustee, hereinafter the Trustee. Communications to the trust should be mailed or directed to Michelle (Jackson) Coleman at 802 Avis Dr. Upper Marlboro , MD 20774 The Trust is subject to claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors, costs of administration of the settlor’s estate, the expenses of the deceased settlor’s funeral and disposal of remains, and statutory allowances to a surviving spouse and children to the extent the deceased settlor’s residuary probate estate is inadequate to satisfy those claims, costs, expenses, and allowances.

Claims of the deceased settlor ’s creditors are barred as against the Trustee and the trust property unless presented to the Trustee at the address provided herein on or before October 10, 2015 6 months after the date of the first publication of this notice). An action to contest the validity of this trust must be commenced by the earliest of (1) February 15, 2016 (one year from date of death of the deceased settler) or (2) October 10, 2015(6 months from the date of first publication of this notice) or (3) ninety days after the Trustee sends the person a copy of the trust instrument and a notice informing the person of the trust’s existence, the Trustee’s name and address, and the time allowed for commencing a proceeding.

The Trustee may proceed to distribute the trust property in accordance with the terms of the trust before the expiration of the time within which an action must be commenced unless the Trustee knows of a pending judicial proceeding contesting the validity of the trust or the Trustee has received notice from a potential 16:28:00 EDT contestant who2015 thereafter commences a judicial proceeding within sixty days after notification.

This Notice must be mailed postmarked within 15 days of its first publication to each heir and qualified beneficiary of the trust and any other person who would be an interested person within the meaningof D.C. Code, sec. 20-101(d) Date of Publication: April 10, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Michelle Jackson Coleman Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 04/10, 04/17, 04/24/15

LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Mar 31 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2010ADM829 Walter L. Brown Decedent Joseph A Rafferty, Jr. 7945 MacArthur Blvd.

Suite 208 Cabin John, MD 20818 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Walter L. Brown, Jr., whose address is 5100 Lee St. NE, Washington, DC 20019 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Walter L. Brown, who died on March 9, 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd 16:28:00 EDT 2015D.C. Floor Washington, 20001, on or before proceeding within sixty October 3, 2015.

Claims days after notification. against the decedent This Notice must be shall be presented to the mailed postmarked within undersigned with a copy days of its first publicato15 the Register of Wills or tion with to each and qualfiled theheir Register of ified beneficiary of the Wills with a copy to the trust and any other person undersigned, on or bew h October o w o u 3, l d 2015, b e or an fore interested person within be forever barred.

Perthe meaningof D.C. Code, sons sec.believed 20-101(d)to be heirs orDate legatees of the deof Publication: cedent who do not reApril 10, 2015 ceive a copy of this notice Name of newspaper: by mail within 25 days of Afro-American itsWashington first publication Law shall so inform the Register of Reporter Wills, including name, Michelle Jackson address and relationColeman ship.

Personal Date of Publication: Representative April 3, 2015 TRUE TEST COPY Name of newspaper: REGISTER OF WILLS Afro-American 04/10, 04/17, 04/24/15 Washington Law Reporter Walter L. Brown Jr. Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 04/03, 04/10, 04/17/15

TYPESET: Tue Mar 24

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1311 Syid Abdullah Muhammad Decedent Michelle Lanchester Esq 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 900-South Building Washington, DC 20004 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Julian Cheek, whose address is 3974 Ames St., N E , Wa s h i n g t o n , D C 20019 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Syid Abdullah Muhammad, who died on April 18, 2014 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 27, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 27, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Julian Cheek Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM290 George A. Edler 12:06:38 EDT 2015 Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Linda R. Edler and Shirley D. Harris, whose addresses are 642 Gallatin Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Geroge A. Edler, who died on January 27, 2015 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 3, 2015. 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 3, 2015, 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 3, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Linda R. Elder Shirley D. Harris Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2014FEP106 Date of Death December 5, 2013 Sandra K. Shank Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Michael A. Ogline whose address is 1844 W. State Street, Suite A, Alliance, OH 44601 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Sandra K. Shank, deceased, on January 8, 2014, by the Probate Court for Stark County, State of Ohio.

Service of process may be made upon District Registered Agent Services, Inc., 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N . W. , S u i t e 6 1 5 , Washington, DC 20036, 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: 2316 40th Place, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007 (represented by Share Certifactate #10, dated June 2, 1983.)

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, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Michael A. Ogline Personal Representative(s) TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: April 3, 2015

TYPESET: Tue Mar 31 12:06:14 EDT 2015 04/03, 04/10, 04/17/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM313 Peggy Anne Raikes Decedent Deborah K. Hines,Esq 1050 Connecticut Ave 14:07:03 EDT 2015 Suite 1000 Washington,DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Wayne Watkins, whose address is 4104 Bridle Ridge Road, Upper Marlboro MD 20772, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Peggy Anne Raikes, who died on January 11, 2015 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 3, 2015. 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 3, 2015, 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 3, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Wayne Watkins Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 04/03, 4/10, 04/17/15

Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American

TYPESET: Tue Mar 31 04/03, 04/10, 04/17/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM298 Gladys Matthews AKA Gladys Mae Matthews Decedent Elizabeth Hughes Esq 1100 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 340 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Wanda Goodwin, whose address is 421-6th Street, Washington, DC 20003 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Gladys Matthews AKA Gladys Mae Matthews, who died on January 10, 2015 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before October 3, 2015. 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 3, 2015, 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 3, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Wanda Goodwin Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

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TYPESET: Tue Mar 31 12:06:59 EDT TYPESET: Tue2015 Mar 31 12:05:53 EDT 2015 LEGAL NOTICES

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B8 The Afro-American, April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015

1 Col. Inch Up to 20 Words

AFRO Classified minimum ad rate is $26.54 per col. inch (an inch consists of up to 20 words).

Mail in your ad on form below along with CHECK or MONEY ORDER to: WASHINGTON AFRO-AMERICAN CO. 1917 Benning Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002-4723 Attn: Clsf. Adv. Dept.

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

INSERTION DATE:_________________ TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 14:08:11 EDT 2015 WASHINGTON AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER

Legal Advertising Rates

Superior Court of theEffective District of October 1, 2008 District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. PROBATE DIVISION 20001-2131 (Estates) Administration No. 2014ADM1242 202-332-0080 Mary B.Gibson DecedentPROBATE NOTICES James E. McCollum,Jr. Esquire and McCollum & Associates, LLC a. Order Nisi $ 60 per insertion $180.00 per 3 weeks 7309 Baltimore Ave., b. Small Estates (singleSuite publication $ 60 per insertion 117 c. Notice to Creditors College Park, Maryland TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 14:08:34 EDT 2015 20740 1. Domestic $ 60 per insertion $180.00 per 3 weeks Attorney 2. Foreign NOTICE OF$ 60 per insertion $180.00 per 3 weeks Superior Court of APPOINTMENT, d. Escheated Estates NOTICE TO$ 60 per insertion $360.00 per 6 weeks the District of District of Columbia $125.00 CREDITORS e. Standard Probates PROBATE DIVISION AND NOTICE TO Washington, D.C. UNKNOWN HEIRS 20001-2131 James Gibson, whose CIVIL NOTICES Administration No. address is 1416 Whittier 2014ADM911 a. Name Changes 202-879-1133 $ 80.00 Place, NW, Washington, DC 20012 was appointed Lillie Mae Bell b. Real Property $ 200.00 personal representative Decedent of the estate of Mary Nathan A. Neal B.Gibson, who died on Attorney at Law 12:05:28 EDT 2015 FAMILY 209 Kennedy St. NW April 11, 1990 without a COURT will. All unknown heirs Washington,DC 202-879-1212 a n d h e i r s w h o s e 20011-5214 Attorney whereabouts are un-RELATIONS DOMESTIC TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 NOTICE OF known shall enter their 202-879-0157 APPOINTMENT, appearance in this NOTICE TO proceeding. Objections CREDITORS Superior Court of to such appointment AND NOTICE TO $ 150.00 shall be filed with the the District of a. Absent Defendant UNKNOWN HEIRS Register of Wills, D.C., District of Columbia b. Absolute Divorce $ 150.00 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Nathan A. NEal, Attorney PROBATE DIVISION Floor Washington, D.C. at Law, whose address is$150.00 Washington, D.C. c. Custody Divorce 209 Kennedy Street, 20001, on or before 20001-2131 NW, Washington, DC September 27, 2015.

Administration No. Claims against the de- 20011-5214 was ap2015ADM266 To place your ad, call 1-800-237-6892, 262,personal PublicrepreNotices $50.00 & up pointed cedent shall be pre- ext.

Mason sentative of the estate of Anthony to the underdepending onsented size, Baltimore Legal Notices are $24.84 per inch. signed with a copy to the Lillie Mae Bell, who died Decedent 3, 2013 Tina Smith Nelson 1-800 892 Register of Wills or (AFRO) filed on December the Register of Wills without a will, and will Legal Counsel for the For Proof ofwith Publication, please call 1-800-237-6892, 244 with a copy to the under- serve without Court su- ext.

Elderly, signed, on or before pervision. All unknown 601 E Street, NW September 27, 2015, or heirs and heirs whose Washington, DC 20049 be forever barred. Per- whereabouts are un- Attorney sons believed to be heirs known shall enter their NOTICE OF or legatees of the de- a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s APPOINTMENT, cedent who do not re- proceeding. Objections NOTICE TO ceive a copy of this notice to such appointment (or CREDITORS by mail within 25 days of to the probate of deLEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 14:08:11 EDT 2015 AND NOTICE TO its first publication shall cedent´s will) shall be so inform the Register of filed with the Register of UNKNOWN HEIRS Wills, including name, Wills, D.C., 515 5th Agustina Mason, whose Superior Court of address and relation- Street, N.W., 3rd Floor address is 1805 Kearny Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C . the District of ship.

St. NE, Washington, DC 20001, on or before District of Columbia Date of Publication: September 27, 2015. 20018 was appointed PROBATE DIVISION March 27, 2015 Claims against the de- personal representative Washington, D.C. Name of newspaper: cedent shall be pre- of the estate of Anthony 20001-2131 Afro-American sented to the under- Mason, who died on Administration No. Washington signed with a copy to the September 2, 2014 with2014ADM1242 Law Reporter Mary B.Gibson James Gibson Register of Wills or filed out a will, and will serve Decedent Personal with the Register of Wills without Court superviJames E. McCollum,Jr. Representative with a copy to the under- sion. All unknown heirs signed, on or before Esquire and McCollum and heirs whose whereSeptember 27, 2015, or abouts are unknown & Associates, LLC TRUE TEST COPY be forever barred. Per7309 Baltimore Ave., REGISTER OF WILLS sons believed to be heirs shall enter their appearSuite 117 or legatees of the de- ance in this proceeding.

College Park, Maryland 03/27,04/03,Tue 04/10/15 TYPESET: Mar 24 14:08:34 EDTdo2015 cedent who not re- Objections to such 20740 ceive a copy of this notice appointment shall be Attorney by mail within 25 days of filed with the Register of NOTICE OF Superior Court of its first publication shall Wills, D.C., 515 5th APPOINTMENT, the District of so inform the Register of Street, N.W., 3rd Floor NOTICE TO District of Columbia Wills, including name, Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

CREDITORS PROBATE DIVISION address and relation- 20001, on or before AND NOTICE TO Washington, D.C. ship.

UNKNOWN HEIRS September 27, 2015.

20001-2131 Date of Publication: James Gibson, whose Claims against the deAdministration No. March 27, 2015 address is 1416 Whittier cedent shall be pre2014ADM911 Name of newspaper: Place, NW, Washington, sented to the underAfro-American DC 20012 was appointed Lillie Mae Bell signed with a copy to the Washington personal representative Decedent Nathan A. Neal Register of Wills or filed Law Reporter of the estate of Mary Attorney at Law Lillie Mae Bell with the Register of Wills B.Gibson, who died on 209 Kennedy St. NW Personal with a copy to the underApril 11, 1990 without a Representative signed, on or before will. All unknown heirs Washington,DC a n d h e i r s w h o s e 20011-5214 September 27, 2015 or TRUE TEST COPY whereabouts are un- Attorney be forever barred. PerNOTICE OF REGISTER OF WILLS known shall enter their sons believed to be heirs APPOINTMENT, appearance in this TYPESET: Mar 24 14:08:57 EDTof2015 or legatees the deNOTICE TO 03/27, 04/03,Tue 04/10/15 proceeding. Objections CREDITORS cedent who do not reto such appointment AND NOTICE TO ceive a copy of this notice shall be filed with the UNKNOWN HEIRS Superior Court of by mail within 25 days of Register of Wills, D.C., Nathan A. NEal, Attorney the District of 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd its first publication shall at Law, whose address is District of Columbia Floor Washington, D.C. so inform the Register of 209 Kennedy Street, PROBATE DIVISION 20001, on or before Wills, including name, Washington, D.C. September 27, 2015. NW, Washington, DC address and relation20001-2131 Claims against the de- 20011-5214 was apship.

Administration No. cedent shall be pre- pointed personal repreDate of Publication: 2015ADM266 sented to the under- sentative of the estate of March 27, 2015 signed with a copy to the Lillie Mae Bell, who died Anthony Mason Name of newspaper: Register of Wills or filed on December 3, 2013 Decedent Afro-American with the Register of Wills without a will, and will Tina Smith Nelson with a copy to the under- serve without Court su- Legal Counsel for the Washington pervision.

All unknown Elderly, signed, on or before Law Reporter September 27, 2015, or heirs and heirs whose 601 E Street, NW Agustina Mason whereabouts are unWashington, DC 20049 be forever barred. PerPersonal sons believed to be heirs known shall enter their Attorney Representative NOTICE OF or legatees of the de- a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s cedent who do not re- proceeding. Objections APPOINTMENT, TRUE TEST COPY ceive a copy of this notice to such appointment (or NOTICE TO REGISTER OF WILLS to the probate of deby mail within 25 days of CREDITORS its first publication shall cedent´s will) shall be AND NOTICE TO 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15 so inform the Register of filed with the Register of UNKNOWN HEIRS Wills, including name, Wills, D.C., 515 5th Agustina Mason, whose Street, N.W., 3rd Floor address and relationaddress is 1805 Kearny Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C . ship.

St. NE, Washington, DC 20001, on or before Date of Publication: 20018 was appointed September 27, 2015. personal representative March 27, 2015 Claims against the deName of newspaper:

14:08:57

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM307 Delores B. Clipper Decedent Izu I. Ahaghotu 3724 12th Street NE Washington, DC 20017 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jacquelyn B . Shaw, whose address is 112 Castleton Dr. Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, was, appointed personal representative of the estate of Delores B. Clipper, who died on November 17, 2014 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this TRUE TEST COPY proceeding. Objections REGISTER OF WILLS to such appointment TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 shall be filed with the 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15 Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Superior Court of Floor Washington, D.C. the District of 20001, on or before District of Columbia October 10, 2015.

PROBATE DIVISION Claims against the deWashington, D.C. cedent shall be pre20001-2131 sented to the underAdministration No. signed with a copy to the 2015ADM274 Register of Wills or filed Jacqueline Lyles with the Register of Wills Decedent with a copy to the underNOTICE OF signed, on or before APPOINTMENT, October 10, 2015, or be NOTICE TO forever barred. Persons CREDITORS believed to be heirs or AND NOTICE TO legatees of the decedent UNKNOWN HEIRS who do not receive a Andrea Lyles, whose adcopy of this notice by mail dress is 1760 W Street, within 25 days of its first SE, Washington, DC publication shall so in20020 was appointed form the Register of personal representative Wills, including name, of the estate of Jacaddress and relationqueline Lyles, who died ship. on December 22, 2014 Date of Publication: without a will, and will April 10, 2015 serve without Court suName of newspaper: pervision. All unknown Afro-American heirs and heirs whose Washington whereabouts are unLaw Reporter known shall enter their TRUE TEST COPY Jacquelyn B. Shaw a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s REGISTER OF WILLS Personal proceeding. Objections TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 14:12:21 EDT 2015 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15 Representative to such appointment (or to the probate of deTRUE TEST COPY cedent´sEDT will) 2015 shall be 14:09:58 REGISTER OF WILLS Superior Court of filed with the Register of the District of Wills, D.C., 515 5th 04/10, 04/17,Tue 04/24/15 District of Columbia TYPESET: Mar 31 Street, N.W., 3rd Floor PROBATE DIVISION Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 20001-2131 Superior Court of September 27, 2015.

Administration No. the District of Claims against the de2015ADM305 District of Columbia cedent shall be preRichard Allen PROBATE DIVISION sented to the underWashington, D.C. signed with a copy to the Decedent NOTICE OF 20001-2131 Register of Wills or filed APPOINTMENT, Administration No. with the Register of Wills NOTICE TO 2015ADM344 with a copy to the underCREDITORS Robert E. Liferiedge signed, on or before AND NOTICE TO Decedent September 27, 2015, or UNKNOWN HEIRS Ronald C. Hill, Esq be forever barred. PerBeverly D. Hill, whose 10905 Fort Washington sons believed to be heirs or legatees of the de- address is 9212 Alcona Road, Suite 201 cedent who do not re- St., Lanham, MD 20706 F o r t Wa s h i n g t o n , ceive a copy of this notice was appointed personal Maryland 20744 by mail within 25 days of representative of the Attorney NOTICE OF its first publication shall estate of Richard Allen, APPOINTMENT, so inform the Register of who died on December NOTICE TO Wills, including name, 30, 2014 without a will, CREDITORS address and relation- and will serve without Court supervision. All unAND NOTICE TO ship. known heirs and heirs UNKNOWN HEIRS Date of Publication: whose whereabouts are Dana Liferiedge, whose March 27, 2015 unknown shall enter their address is 861 Orlando Name of newspaper: appearance in this Avenue, West HempAfro-American proceeding. Objections stead, NY 11552 was apWashington to such appointment pointed personal repreLaw Reporter Andrea Lyles shall be filed with the sentative of the estate of Register of Wills, D.C., Robert E.Liferiedge, who Personal Representative 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd died on November 11, Floor Washington, D.C. 2014 without a will, and 20001, on or before will serve without Court TRUE TEST COPY September 27, 2015. supervision. All unknown REGISTER OF WILLS Claims against the de- heirs and heirs whose cedent shall be pre- whereabouts are unTYPESET: Mar 24 14:11:05 EDT 2015 03/27, 04/03,Tue 04/10/15 sented to the under- known shall enter their signed with a copy to the a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s Register of Wills or filed proceeding. Objections Superior Court of with the Register of Wills to such appointment the District of with a copy to the under- shall be filed with the District of Columbia signed, on or before Register of Wills, D.C., PROBATE DIVISION September 27, 2015, or 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Washington, D.C. be forever barred. Per- Floor Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 sons believed to be heirs 20001, on or before Administration No. or legatees of the de- October 3, 2015. Claims 2015ADM296 cedent who do not re- against the decedent Alma Wilson ceive a copy of this notice shall be presented to the Decedent by mail within 25 days of undersigned with a copy NOTICE OF its first publication shall to the Register of Wills or APPOINTMENT, so inform the Register of filed with the Register of NOTICE TO Wills, including name, Wills with a copy to the CREDITORS address and relation- undersigned, on or beAND NOTICE TO ship. fore October 3, 2015, or UNKNOWN HEIRS be forever barred. PerBryan Mckie, whose ad- Date of Publication: sons believed to be heirs dress is 89 Carona Ct, March 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: or legatees of the deSilver, Spring, MD 20905 Afro-American cedent who do not rewas appointed personal Washington ceive a copy of this notice representative of the Law Reporter by mail within 25 days of estate of Alma Wilson, Beverley D.Hill its first publication shall who died on February 7, Personal so inform the Register of 2015 without a will, and Representative Wills, including name, will serve without Court address and relationsupervision. All unknown ship. heirs and heirs whose TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of Publication: where-abouts are unApril 3, 2015 known shall enter their 03/27, 04/03,04/10/15 Name of newspaper: appearance in this Afro-American proceeding. Objections Washington to such appointment Law Reporter shall be filed with the Dana J. Liferiedge Register of Wills, D.C., 17:36:43 EDT 2015 Personal 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Representative Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before TRUE TEST COPY September 27, 2015.

REGISTER OF WILLS Claims against the decedent shall be pre04/03, 04/10, 04/17/15 sented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 27, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Bryan Mckie Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY INVITATION TO BID INVITATION NO. 150010 Sanitary Sewer Lateral Replacement FY15-FY18 The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is soliciting bids for Invitation No.150010: Sanitary Sewer Lateral Replacement FY15FY18.

The following listing enumerates the major items of work included in the contract but is not limited to: *Emergency Repair Work of Sanitary Sewer Laterals; *Repair/Replacement Work of 4-inch up to and including 12-inch diameter PVC Pipe Building Sewer Connection; *Repair/Replacement Work of 4-inch up to and including 12-inch diameter PVC Cleanout Pipe; *Sanitary Sewer Lateral CCTV Inspection; *General Cleaning of Sewer Laterals; *Chemical Root Treatment of Sanitary Sewers; *Cleaning and Lining Process of Sewer Laterals (CIPP) *Point Excavation, Repair and Backfill; and Test Pits *Replace Street Sewer Wye or Thimble with Wye Saddle during the Installation of Replacement Building Sewer *Reinforced Concrete Collars *Replacement Work of Water Service and Lead Service Lines, *Meter Boxes and Curb Stop/Curb Stop Boxes; The project requires completion within 1096 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 6, 2015.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be conducted on April 22, 2015.

This project may be funded in part by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A Fair Share Objective for Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises participation in this work of 32% and 6%, respectively, has been established. The program requirements are fully defined in USEPA’s ”Participation by Disadvantaged Enterprises in Procurement under EPA Financial Assistant Agreements - May 27, 2008”.

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 13:52:38 EDT 2015 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 Mrs. DeNerika Johnson; email ProcurementConstructionInquiry@dcwater.com(Voice: 202 787 2113). For technical information contact: DETS-Construction.Bid.Inquiry@dcwater. com.

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

TYPESET: Tue Apr 07 14:08:10 EDT 2015 April 5, 2015 City of Mount Rainier RFP - Buchanan Green Street Project Contract # 2015-01 The City of Mount Rainer seeks a consultant team to provide site-specific design, construction documents, construction, and construction oversight services for a Buchanan Green Street Project located on the 3300 Block of Buchanan Street, between Queenstown Drive and Chillum Road. The scope of work includes implementation of the project through a design-build contract. Project shall include pedestrian and bicycle friendly design, water conservation and stormwater management, and pervious pavement resurfacing. A complete RFP package is available by contacting Veronica Owens, Assistant City Manager, City of Mount Rainier, One Municipal Place, Mount Rainier, Maryland 20712 (301) 985-6585, or by downloading the RFP on the City of Mount Rainier website: www.mountrainiermd.org on the Economic Development tab on the home page. Minorities and Women are encouraged to reply. The City is an EOE employer.

TYPESET: Tue Apr 07 14:07:31 EDTTue 2015 TYPESET: Apr 07 14:07:52 EDTTue 2015 TYPESET: Mar 24 14:51:43 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM299 Ernest G. McClain Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Rollin McClain, whose address is 14 Jefferson A v e n u e , Ta k o m a Park,MD 20912 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Ernest G. McClain, who died on April 25, 2014 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before October 10, 2015.

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 10, 2015 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 10, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Rollin McCLain Personal Representative

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM255 Maude Rose Young Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Loretta L. Kelly, whose address is 3904 Ames St NE Washington, DC 20019 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Maude Rose Young who died on May 25, 2014 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 10, 2015.

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 10, 2015, 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 10, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Loretta L. Kelly Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

04/10, 04/17, 4/24/15

04/10, 04/17, 04/24/15

Order of Publication Square 5125 Lot 0869 In accordance with D.C. Code § 47-1375, the object of this proceeding is to secure the foreclosure of the right of redemption in the real property described as Square: 5125; Lot: 0869,which may also be known as certain unimproved real property located on 4402 Lee Street N.E.,Washington, DC 20019, which property was sold by the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the Plaintiff in this action.

The Amended Complaint states, among other things, that the amounts necessary for redemption have not been paid.

Pursuant to the Chief Judge´s Administrative Order No. 02.11, it is this 26th day of January 2015, ORDERED by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, that notice be given by the insertion of a copy of this Order in The Afro American Newspapers~ a newspaper having a general circulation in the District of Columbia, once a week for three (3) successive weeks, notifying all persons interested in the real property described above to appear in this Court by the 8th day of April 2015, and redeem the real property by payment of $1068.78 , together with interest from the date the real property tax certificate was purchased; court costs; reasonable attorney´s fees; expenses incurred in the publication and service of process; and all other amounts in accordance with the provisions of D.C. Official Code §47-1361 though 1377 (2001 ed.) et.seq., or answer the Amended Complaint, or, thereafter, a final judgment will be entered foreclosing the right of redemption in the real property and vesting in the Plaintiff a title in fee simple.

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Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM259 Herbert C.Spears Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Edwin Spears, whose address is 5065 6th Pl. NE Washington, DC 20002 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Herbert C. Spears, who died on June 2, 2002 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on before 14:10:38 EDTor 2015 September 27, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 27, 2015 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Edwin Spears Personal Representative

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Superior Court of Superior Court of the District of the District of District of Columbia District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 20001-2131 Administration No. Administration No. 2014ADM215 2015ADM269 Cloastellie Tilghman Marion R. Mcmillian AKA Decedent Cloastellie M. NOTICE OF Tilghman APPOINTMENT, AKA NOTICE TO Cloastellie S. CREDITORS Tilghman AND NOTICE TO Decedent UNKNOWN HEIRS Sharon M. GraysonMaria E. William, whose Kelsey address is 105 3034 Mitchellville RD. Springhouse Way, Apt Bowie, MD 20716 202, Newport News was Attorney appointed personal reNOTICE OF presentative of the estate APPOINTMENT, of Marion R McMillian, NOTICE TO who died on October 12, CREDITORS 2014 with a will, and will AND NOTICE TO serve without Court suUNKNOWN HEIRS pervision. All unknown Joeseph Francis Tilgheirs and heirs whose hman, whose address is where-abouts are un1002 Donnington Court, known shall enter their Bowie, MD 20721 was a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s appointed personal re- proceeding. Objections presentative of the estate to such appointment (or of Cloastellie Tilghman, to the probate of deAKA Cloastellie M. Tilg- cedent´s will) shall be hman AKA Cloastellie S. filed with the Register of Tilghman who died on Wills, D.C., 515 5th September 7, 2013 with Street, N.W., 3rd Floor a will, and will serve with- W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . out Court supervision. All 20001, on or before unknown heirs and heirs September 27, 2015. whose whereabouts are Claims against the deunknown shall enter their cedent shall be preappearance in this sented to the underproceeding. Objections signed with a copy to the to such appointment (or Register of Wills or filed to the probate of de- with the Register of Wills cedent´s will) shall be with a copy to the underfiled with the Register of signed, on or before Wills, D.C., 515 5th September 27, 2015 or Street, N.W., 3rd Floor be forever barred. PerWa s h i n g t o n , D . C . sons believed to be heirs 20001, on or before or legatees of the deOctober 3, 2015. Claims cedent who do not reagainst the decedent ceive a copy of this notice shall be presented to the by mail within 25 days of undersigned with a copy its first publication shall to the Register of Wills or so inform the Register of filed with the Register of Wills, including name, Wills with a copy to the address and relationundersigned, on or be- ship. fore October 3, 2015, or Date of Publication: be forever barred. Per- March 27, 2015 sons believed to be heirs Name of newspaper: or legatees of the de- Afro-American cedent who do not re- Washington ceive a copy of this notice Law Reporter by mail within 25 days of Maria E.Williams its first publication shall Personal so inform the Register of Representative Wills, including name, address and relation- TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS ship.

Date of Publication: TYPESET: Mar 24 03/27, 04/03,Tue 04/10/15 April 3, 2015 TRUE TEST COPY Name of newspaper: REGISTER OF WILLS Afro-American Superior Court of Washington TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 15:39:43 EDT 2015 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15 the District of Law Reporter District of Columbia Joseph Francis Thomas F. DeCaro, Jr, EsPROBATE DIVISION Tilghman quire IN THE SUPERIOR Washington, D.C. Personal 14406 Old Mill Rd. #201 COURT OF THE 20001-2131 Representative Upper M arlboro, MD DISTRICT OF Administration No. 20772 COLUMBIA 2015ADM285 TRUE TEST COPY Counsel for Plaintiff CIVIL DIVISION Mary Elizabeth Jenkins REGISTER OF WILLS Civil Action No. Decedent BRIAN F. HOLEMAN 2014CA7023 R (RP) TYPESET: Tue Apr 07 14:06:49 EDT 2015 NOTICE OF JUDGE 04/03, 04/10, 04/17/15 Calendar 12 APPOINTMENT, Judge Brian F. NOTICE TO Holeman Superior Court of CREDITORS the District of AND NOTICE TO Nikita Petties District of Columbia UNKNOWN HEIRS PLAINTIFF PROBATE DIVISION Alice M. Jenkins , whose v.

Washington, D.C. address is 4102 4th ESTATE OF GEORGE 20001-2131 Street NW, WashingMARTIN. III, et al.

Administration No. ton,DC 20011 was ap2014ADM1131 pointed personal repreORDER OF Sandra Gaddy sentative of the estate of PUBLICATION AKA Mary E. Jenkins, who NOTICE TO Sandra L. Gaddy died on April 12, 2014 ANY UNKNOWN AKA with a will, and will serve HEIRS~ OR Sandra Lavern Gaddy without Court superviCREDITORS Decedent sion. All unknown heirs OF GEORGE MARTIN III NOTICE OF and heirs whose AND TO ANY APPOINTMENT, whereabouts are unCLAIMANTS TO AN NOTICE TO known shall enter their INTEREST IN CREDITORS appearance in this THE PREMISES AND NOTICE TO proceeding. Objections COMMONLY KNOWN UNKNOWN HEIRS to such appointment (or AS Karen Wilis, whose ad- to the probate of de419 NEWTON PLACE dress is 3721 18th St. cedent´s will) shall be NW, WASHINGTON, DC NE, Washington DC filed with the Register of LOT 57 20018, was appointed Wills, D.C., 515 5th IN SQUARE 3035 personal representative Street, N.W., 3rd Floor and it is further Nikita PettIes has tiled a lawsuit in of the estate of Sandra W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . the Superior Court of the Gaddy AKA Sandra L. 20001, on or before District of Columbia, Case G a d d y A K A S a n d r a September 27, 2015.

N o . 2 0 1 4 C A 7 0 2 3 Lavern Gaddy who died Claims against the deR(RP)This lawsuit seeks on December 7, 2011 cedent shall be preto quiet the title to the with a will, and will serve sented to the underp r e m i s e s c o m m o n l y without Court supervi- signed with a copy to the known as 419 Newton sion. All unknown heirs Register of Wills or filed a n d h e i r s w h o s e with the Register of Wills Place NW, Washington,DC. George Martin III whereabouts are un- with a copy to the underappears as a grantee on a known shall enter their signed, on or before deed to said premises a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s September 27, 2015, or dated March 17, 20 11, proceeding. Objections be forever barred. Perw h i c h w a s r e c o r d e d to such appointment (or sons believed to be heirs among the land records of to the probate of de- or legatees of the dethe District of Columbia on cedent´s will) shall be cedent who do not reApril 7, 20 II. Nikita Pet- filed with the Register of ceive a copy of this notice ties´ lawsuit claims that Wills, D.C., 515 5th by mail within 25 days of this deed invalid. In the Street, N.W., 3rd Floor its first publication shall event that you wish to as- W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . so inform the Register of sert a claim against 20001, on or before Wills, including name, George Martin Ill, or O c t o b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 . address and relationagainst the premises, you Claims against the de- ship. are advised to contact the cedent shall be pre- Date of Publication: attorney for Plaintiff, sented to the under- March 27, 2015 Thomas DeCaro, DeCaro signed with a copy to the Name of newspaper: & Howell PC Suite 20 1, Register of Wills or filed 14406 Old Mill Rd, Upper with the Register of Wills Afro-American Marlboro, MD 20772 / with a copy to the under- Washington phone 301-464-1400/fax signed, on or before Law Reporter Alice M. Jenkins 301-464-4776/ e-mail October 10, 2015, or be Personal tfd@erols.eom, on or be- forever barred. Persons Representative fore the thirtieth day after believed to be heirs or the date on which this No- legatees of the decedent TRUE TEST COPY tice was published, p r o v i d i n g a w r i t t e n who do not receive a REGISTER OF WILLS copy of this notice by mail TYPESET: Tue Apr 07 description of your claim against George Martin III within 25 days of its first 03/27, 04/03, 04/10/15 or against said premises publication shall so inises, or to file a responsive form the Register of Superior Court of pleading by said date in Wills, including name, the District of the Superior Court for the address and relationDistrict of Columbia ship.

District of Columbia. In the PROBATE DIVISION alternative, you can ap- Date of Publication: Washington, D.C. pear at the Scheduling April 10, 2015 20001-2131 Conference Hearing at Name of newspaper: Administration No. D.C.Superior Court, 500 Afro-American 2015ADM293 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington Daisy L.M. Alsop Washington,D.C. 20001 Law Reporter Karen Wilis Decedent in Courtroom 214 at 930 NOTICE OF Personal a.m. on May 22,2015.

APPOINTMENT, Representative Failure to do so will result NOTICE TO in a bar to any such claims CREDITORS and a judgment by default TRUE TEST COPY AND NOTICE TO may be entered against REGISTER OF WILLS UNKNOWN HEIRS you with respect to any 04/10, 04/17, 04/24/15 Margaret H. Smith, claims you may be entitled whose address 3926 to assert; 17th Place NE WashingORDERED, that Plaintiffs ton, DC 20018 was apSHALL FILE Proof of Serpointed personal reprevice on or before sentative of the estate of May 4, 2015.

Daisy L.M. Alsop, who 15:39:43 EDT 2015 died on January 30, 2015 Copies e-served to: with a will, and will serve Thomas F. DeCaro, Jr, Eswithout Court superviquire sion. All unknown heirs 14406 Old Mill Rd. #201 and heirs whose Upper Marlboro, MD whereabouts are un20772 known shall enter their Counsel for Plaintiff appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or BRIAN F. HOLEMAN to the probate of deJUDGE cedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 27, 2015.

Claims against the de-

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TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 14:11:48 2015 TYPESET: Tue2015 Apr 07 14:06:25 EDT 2015 TYPESET: Tue Apr 07 14:07:13 EDT LEGAL NOTICES LEGALEDT NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES

202-332-0080

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM301 Robert W. Medlock AKA Robert Wallace Medlock Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Carlton A. Curry, whose address is 3509 Copley Road, Baltimore, MD 21215 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Robert W. Medlock AKA Robert Wallace Medlock, who died on February 13, 2015 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 27, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 27, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Carlton A. Curry Personal Representative

April 11, 2015 - April 17, 2015, The Afro-American

To advertise in the AFRO Call

TYPESET: Tue Mar 24 14:09:19 TYPESET: Tue2015 Mar 31 12:05:08 TYPESET: EDT Tue 2015 Mar 24 LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGALEDT NOTICES

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 de14:09:39 2015 LEGALEDT NOTICES cedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 27, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 27, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of Publication: March 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Daisy L.M. Alsop Personal Representative