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Volume 123 No. 6
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July 5, 2014 - July 5, 2014, The Afro-American
SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
D.C. Candidates Empathize with Working Class By James Wright Special to the AFRO
When Muriel Bowser, D.C. Councilmember and Democratic mayoral candidate, put on a maid’s
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uniform Sept. 2 and worked half of a day in the Marriott Marquis hotel, she said she learned a lot about the struggles of domestic workers and what she wants to do to help. “[As mayor] I will institute real programs for residents that will help create good paying jobs for our workers,” she said. Bowser accepted an invitation by members of the UNITE HERE Local 25, who represents hotel workers, to see how domestics work for a day. The Ward 4 lawmaker said she was serious about the assignment. “I do not do stunts,” Bowser said Sept. 6. “I was asked by a group of women who work as maids to see how their lives are. I now understand the challenges that they face on a daily basis as they try to do their jobs and raise their families.” Bowser listened intently
Ravens Fire Rice By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent
AFRO File Photo
Muriel Bowser said she will institute programs that will help create good paying jobs for residents. to the women talk about their lives as she worked alongside them. She heard about how their wages force them to manage thriftily their personal and household budgets. They also told her of the physical toll that the job takes on them and that after work; they have Continued on A3
The Baltimore Ravens fired Ray Rice Sept. 8 after the emergence of additional video showing the running back punching his thenfiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator on Feb. 15. The Ravens threw their support behind Rice when the incident became public earlier in the year. But the surveillance footage released by TMZ Sports early Monday morning, which shows graphic details of the domestic violence incident between Rice and his nowwife Janay Palmer, undercut that support. In the one-minute-plus video, Rice and Palmer enter the hotel elevator and appear to be involved in an argument, which quickly
Report Shows Racial Discrimination Surrounding Washington’s NFL Team By Adina R. Young Special to the AFRO
The National Black Players Coalition (NBPC) announced the upcoming release of a special report on the discriminatory practices of the NCAA and NFL, according to a press release. The report is a culmination of years of research with a focus on the Washington Redskins. This announcement came on the heels of questionable comments by commentator and former Washington quarterback Joe
Theismann during a broadcast of the team’s preseason football game against the Ravens Aug. 23. Theismann, according to the Washington Post, said, “”Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has. Now, Robert is learning to work out of a pocket. He doesn’t look as smooth or as comfortable throwing the football. I mean, your eyes will tell you everything you need to know. “. . . Now, if there was a quarterback competition, it wouldn’t be a competition. Kirk Cousins would be the man I believe he Continued on A3
MarvelUniverse Live! Supports Local Youth
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MarvelUniverse LIVE! held a special presentation at the Boys and Girls Club in Northeast D.C. By Christina Sturdivant Special to the AFRO
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MarvelUniverse LIVE! held a special presentation at the Boys and Girls Club in Northeast D.C. to show the youth support, a local performer in the show said Sept. 3. “We wanted to help support the kids with something positive,” said Kirk Jenkins, a native of Faulkner, Va., who is thrilled when the audience screams for his character – Wolverine. The event at the Boys and Girls Club allowed performers to get active in the community and celebrate the arrival of MarvelUniverse LIVE! in the D.C. area. The show will have performances at the Patriot Center from Sept. 12 – 21. After a long, hard day in the books, over 50 kids unwound with an after-school super hero workout, Sept. 4, at the Richard England Clubhouse, Boys and Girls Club in Northeast, D.C. “We thought it would be fun to come out and do obstacle courses with the kids and
Photo Courtesy of Feld Entertainment
have them be super heroes for the day,” said Jennifer Rubin, tour manager for MarvelUniverse LIVE! Young participants learned special stunts from the show, and after receiving a sticker with an image of a superhero to embody, they performed a series of challenges. Their strength was tested at the Thor’s Hammer striker; their fear of heights overcome at the Spider-Man climbing wall, and their speed pushed to the max at the Hulk-sized endurance challenge. Participants also practiced life. “Self-control is the first step to being a superhero,” Moe Alagrangy, who plays Spiderman in the show, told the kids. Leading by example and espousing – Jennifer Rubin an indomitable spirit, are also key, Alagrangy continued. Marvel Universe LIVE! is an original story bringing together more than 25 Marvel characters on an epic quest. Superhero favorites including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Wolverine battle against arch enemies including Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Red Skull, Madame Hydra, Aldrich Killian, and Electro for world domination.
“We thought it would be fun to come out and do obstacle courses with the kids and have them be super heroes for the day.”
The Baltimore Ravens fired Ray Rice Sept. 8. turned physical. Rice appears to hit Palmer with a left cross to the face, knocking her out cold. He then stands over her unconscious body and drags
AP File Photo
her out when the elevator doors open. The video spurred outrage within the NFL and beyond, Continued on A3
Upward Bound Program Still Relevant Today
Photo by Lauren E. Williams
Author Wil Haygood interviews three college presidents about their experience with Upward Bound at an opening plenary session on Sep. 7. By Lauren E. Williams Special to the AFRO When a poor D.C. native from Trinidad participated in a federal program during the tumultuous ‘60s, no one knew he would attend college and become a college president. The same is true for a young Black male from a desolate area of Ohio, who, after completing the program, became a Pulitzer Prize-nominee and author of a book that served as the basis of an Oscar-nominated film. The D.C. native is Dr. Everette Freeman, president of the Community College of Denver, and the Ohioan is Wil Haygood, award-winning author of {The Butler}. The program is Upward Bound. The men joined other Upward Bound alums for the opening panel of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Council for Educational Opportunity (COE) on Sep. 7. The discussion kicked off a three-day event focused on poverty, educational opportunities, and academic achievement at the Washington
“I wish Michael Brown was an Upward Bound student.” – Wil Haygood Marriott Wardman Park in Northwest D.C. Larry Anderson, president of the Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College and Carlos Colon Ramos, chancellor of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama Campus were also on the panel. “I am convinced that if it wasn’t for Upward Bound, I would not be sitting on this stage today,” said Freeman, a graduate of Eastern High School in Northeast D.C. Other speakers agreed. “That’s the magic of the Upward Bound program,” said Haygood, the program’s moderator. “It opens doors that have previously been closed.” Upward Bound is the first of the TRIO programs, a group of federal programs established as a part of former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” It is the first in history of American education to focus solely on helping lowincome students go to college. Today, 790,000 low-income,
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