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Volume 122 No. 14
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NOVEMBER 9, 2013 - NOVEMBER 15, 2013
McAuliffe Wins Virginia By Philip Elliott Associated Press
TYSONS CORNER, Va. (AP) — Terry McAuliffe wrested the governor’s office from Republicans on Nov. 5, capping an acrimonious lead. McAuliffe received 47 percent to Cuccinelli’s 46 percent, with 97 precincts reporting. He immediately promised to reach across
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Greater Washington Urban League Prez/CEO Maudine Cooper Retiring
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Black Brazilian Soccer Player Beheaded
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Film 12 Years a Slave Has Ties to D.C.-Area Site INSERT • Walmart
Virginia Democratic Lt. Gov.-elect Ralph Northam, left, and Virginia Democratic Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe
Unemployment for Black Women at 4-Year Low By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent
As job prospects for Whites and Black men have
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Valerie R. Wilson says Black women are stuck in lowpaying jobs.
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slowed or stalled completely, Black women continue to gain ground in a weak labor market, according to the latest jobs report. “Over the last few months, Black women have seen the greatest decline in their unemployment rate, so there is a continual improvement taking place,” said Valerie R. Wilson, chief economist for the National Urban League. “It looks like there were actual gains in employment for Black women.” In fact, compared to the other adult groups over 20 years old, Black women have experienced the greatest decline in their unemployment rate since September 2012.
The unemployment rate for Black women over 20 years old was 10 percent in September 2013, a 1.2 percent decrease since September 2012 and the lowest mark for Black women since March 2009. The unemployment rate for White women was 5.5 percent in September 2013, a 0.8 percent improvement over the 6.3 percent rate recorded in September 2012. The jobless rate for White men was 6.1 percent in September 2013, down slightly from 6.6 percent in September 2012. The unemployment rate for Black men over 20 years old has barely changed since last Continued on A3
AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff
Should the Washington Redskins Change their Team Name?
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The AFRO Sports Desk
Lester and Editor Aaron Cahall.
What’s in a name? For the Washington Redskins, it’s tradition, a popular fight song, a heated rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, and other tribal symbols, chants and images. But a rising tide of controversy may change all that, with many pushing the team to change its 80-year-old name, believing the term “Redskins” is offensive and degrading. The opposition recently came to the forefront when members of the Oneida Indian Nation met with NFL executives on Oct. 30 to discuss the issue. Should the Washington Redskins change their name? The AFRO Sports Desk represented by Sports Editor Perry Green and sports journalist Stephen D. Riley debate the question with Executive Editor Avis Thomas-
Stephen D. Riley: There’s history behind the Washington Redskins, both good and bad. The type of fanatic support expressed from the inner depths of Washington, D.C. to the suburbs of surrounding Maryland and Virginia could easily be compared to the following of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and even the dreaded Cowboys. Changing the name means changing the culture, the clothes and possibly the camaraderie felt amongst fans. An alteration of the popular burgundy and gold color scheme would cripple the team’s identity, destroying years of memories. I don’t want to see that happen. Continued on A4
Career Preparation and Job Training
By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer After 23 years at the helm of the Greater Washington Urban League, President and CEO Maudine R. Cooper is retiring. Her professional career spanned four decades, 23 of them at the GWUL. An engaging leader with a reputation for being steadfast in her efforts to help the voiceless, Cooper “has been the ultimate advocate of social justice for underserved residents in the Greater Washington area,” the GWUL said in
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D.C. Redistricting Voting Precincts By Zenitha Prince AFRO Senior Correspondent A proposed plan to redraw the boundaries of voting precincts in the District of Columbia could be a boon to some political candidates but could also create problems for voters, officials and community activists said. The plan, which the D.C. Board of Elections (BOE) released for public review on Oct. 2, would realign the voting precinct boundaries with those currently delineating Advisory Neighborhood Commissions’ Single-Member Districts. It would also revise the precinct numbering system to reflect the precincts’ designated wards. “The idea is to streamline the process and create greater efficiencies,” said BOE Executive Director Clifford Tatum. The District currently has 296 SMDs and 143 voting precincts. Under the current delineation, precincts often
“Part of the concern is that anytime you create the possibility of confusion or barriers to voting there’s the probability of suppressing the vote.” – D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson
encompass several SMDs, causing some “impractical consequences,” the plan asserted. The disjointed boundary lines divide voters in the same SMD, forcing them to vote at different polling places for the same contest, which fosters confusion, officials said. In the 2012 General Election, the BOE had to print, distribute, and deploy 551 distinct ballots, Tatum said. Lastly, the divergent boundary lines burden ANC/ SMD candidates who are forced to travel to different locations on Election Day to campaign for the same office. Some commissioners say they would welcome a change from that system. “I appreciate what the Board of Elections did. I think they went in the right direction,” said ANC commissioner Kent Boese, commissioner of ANC 1A08. “I think the plan solves more problems than it creates.”
Prince George’s Community College prepares students for professional certification and licensure in high demand fields that lead to rewarding careers. Students benefit from flexible and convenient learning options, as well as short- or long-term training programs. We are transforming lives.
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