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Volume 123 No. 25
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JANUARY 24, 2015 - JANUARY 30, 2015
President Obama: ‘Don’t Turn the Page Yet’ By Gloria Browne-Marshall AANIC Correspondent
AFRO Series–Part Two
Few Jobs for Blacks in Silicon Valley By Kamau High Special to the AFRO
Unless you are a White or Asian male, you are unlikely to work at some of the biggest technology companies in America. And while things like President Obama’s recent efforts to make community college free for more people are attempts to change that, the lack of diversity in the tech field is likely to take some time to change. So, minus a new civil
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rights movement focused on forcing technology companies to increase the number of women and minorities they hire, what can be done? The AFRO spoke with a range of recruiters, outside organizations and people who have forged their own path to make Silicon Valley more equal in its hiring practices. Two ideas emerged from these conversations: 1) Don’t wait for the government to help you because it will take a Continued on A5
President Obama’s State of the Union speech titled “Turn the Page” made clear – he is no lame-duck. With an ambitious agenda, and less than two years to complete it, time is running out for him to take on the issues in urban communities. The mid-term elections cost Democrats the U.S. Senate. But, President Obama was optimistic about the future of America. Black-Americans who gave the largest percent of their votes (97 percent) to re-elect him did not see much in his speech that directly addressed their issues. The President spoke forcefully about protecting labor unions, gay rights, the environment, and even intellectual property, but failed to clearly address concerns within urban communities,
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President Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill on Jan. 20.
AP Photo
At King Memorial, Many Ask ‘What Next?’
Bowser Fêted for Crisis Management
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Residents are pleased with the way Bowser has handled some high-level events.
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By James Wright Special to the AFRO District residents are largely pleased with the way D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has handled some troublesome high-level events since she took office three weeks ago. Bowser (D) has dealt with school delays because of bad weather, and a Jan. 12 incident at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station resulting in the death of Carol Glover and injuries to more than 80 riders. Some political observers have publicly questioned whether Bowser can lead the District, but former D.C. Council member Sandy Allen said that criticism is unfair. “She hasn’t been in office long enough to judge how well she is doing the job,” said Allen, who served on the council representing Ward 8 from 1996-2005. On Jan. 6, four days after taking office, the Washington region was hit with 2-4 inches of snow. Bowser chose to keep the schools open on time and that sparked criticism. On Jan. 14, with inclement weather returning to the Continued on A6
By Tonesha Townsel Howard University News Service The wind whistled loudly on a brisk Monday morning, as people of the Washington area and across the nation flocked to the Martin Luther King Monument to pay their respects to the late revolutionary. Harry Lewis, a Washington native who lived through King’s time, stood alone, gazing up at the monument as he thought about King’s legacy and his most momentous visit to the District. “I was born and raised here in the District and it wasn’t too far from here where they had the resurrection seed,” said Lewis, 57, referring to the famous 1964 March on Washington,
where King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. “Quite naturally, he was incidental with the march; that was enormous for the District of Columbia at that time. “They were scared, the police on standby. They had the National Guard, groups along the river at Fort Meyer. He had 250,000 black people. They knew something was going to happen, but Dr. King had them under control. Nothing happened, not a thing. The speech was across the street at the Lincoln Memorial.” The sculpture, created in 2011, serves as a reminder of the role King played in the advancement of African Americans and the nation. Kendrick Peters, a student at Howard University, Continued on A4
Biden Praises Anacostia Project By James Wright Special to the AFRO
Vice President Joe Biden and other Obama cabinet officials recently joined D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on a visit to an
infrastructure project being built by the city’s water and sewer authority. The Southeast Washington project promises to improve the lives of residents for decades. Vice President Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, and Rep. Eleanor Holmes
“Building the infrastructure attracts businesses and workers to communities.” – Joe Biden
D.C. Water general manager George Hawkins,Vice President Biden and Clean Water Director Carlton Ray discuss the importance of maintaining roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure Jan. 16.
Norton (D.C.-D) joined the mayor on Jan. 16 for a tour of D.C. Water’s Anacostia River Tunnel project located near RFK Stadium on the western banks of the Anacostia River. The Obama administration has made re-building the nation’s infrastructure a priority in the waning years of its tenure, and Biden said that the river tunnel is a model project.
AP Photo
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