Washington Afro American Newspaper March 7 2015

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Volume 123 No. 31

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MARCH 7, 2015 - MARCH 13, 2015

Move Clocks Forward Sunday

Bowser Solicits Residents Input on Budget

Ferguson, Missouri

Scathing U.S. Report Brings Pressure for Change

By James Wright Special to the AFRO

The mayor of the District, in the process of creating her first budget, sought the views of residents in three wards, asking what the District’s priorities for fiscal year 2016 should be.

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) held public engagement forums on the city’s budget at Wilson Senior High School on Feb. 19, Dunbar Senior High School on Feb. 23 and Anacostia High School on Feb. 28.

Vincent Gray, the previous mayor, held budget input sessions

Continued on A5

In this Nov. 25, 2014 file photo, police watch the street as protesters gather outside the Ferguson Police Department.

By Eric Tucker Associated Press

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A Justice Department report says Blacks in Ferguson, Missouri, are disproportionately subject

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to excessive police force, baseless traffic stops and citations for infractions as petty as walking down the middle of street.

City officials said Tuesday they were reviewing the

report, which they expect to be released Wednesday.

With scathing findings of a months-long investigation being released, attention now turns to Ferguson as the city Continued on A3

Committee on Education Bans Pre-K Suspensions, Expulsions

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO

In recent years, time outs, trips to the principal’s office, and in-school suspensions in the District have given way to full suspensions and expulsions as early as pre-kindergarten. Going forward those suspensions will be banned.

Statistics show 181 out-of-school suspensions for 3-and 4-year-olds during the 2012-2013 school year, causing many parents to call the disciplinary tactics excessive. On Jan. 6, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the Pre-K Student Discipline Amendment Act of 2015 to redress the educational achievement gap among low-income students by eliminating the astronomical number of small children unable to participate in class instruction due

Courtesy photo

The Pre-K Student Discipline Amendment Act of 2015 bans suspensions and expulsions for 3 and 4-year-old children in D.C. Public Schools

By James Wright Special to the AFRO On Feb. 24, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation held its Sixth Annual A Voice Heritage Celebration at The Hamilton Hotel in downtown Washington. Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) were honored for their long service in Congress. Toyota was the recipient of the Distinguished Corporation Award.

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that she was happy to attend the event. “I came here to help honor two of my colleagues,” Johnson said. “These men were among the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus and I have solicited and followed the advice of both. They are my mentors.”

The CBC was founded in 1971 and Conyers and Rangel are the founders currently serving in Congress. Both men have chaired the CBC. Conyers and Rangel are the longest-serving lawmakers of

Continued on A3

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(Standing) Congresswomen Donna M. Chrietensen, Congressman Robert C. Scott and Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee. (Seated)A. Shuanise Washington- President and CEO, CBCF, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Jim Colon VP of Toyota African-American Business Strategy, Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. and Congressman Chaka Fattah Photo by Rob Roberts

to suspensions.

At-Large council member David Grosso (I) introduced the bill. “These programs [pre-k] are intended to give students a strong start in their educations, and yet research shows that severe student discipline practices like out-of-school suspension and expulsion is widening the gap in terms of education equity and access for these students,” Grosso said. “My priority for the Committee [on Education] is ensuring that our students are in the best position to succeed, and we know that students cannot do that if they are not present.”

This bill, according to Committee on Education Chairman Grosso, challenges teachers and administrators to examine other methods for managing behavioral issues of young students.

Tim Vance, policy analyst for D.C. Action Continued on A4

Bowser Taps Dean to Lead FEMS

Caucus Foundation Honors its Pioneers

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Mayor Bowser speaks with D.C. residents on ways to improve the city’s budget.

Photo by Shannen Hill

By James Wright Special to the AFRO D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) told residents on March 2 that Gregory M. Dean, the recent fire chief of Seattle, is her choice to lead the District’s fire and emergency medical seattle.gov services (FEMS) department.

Gregory Dean is the former Despite his interest in being fire chief of Seattle. permanent, interim fire chief Eugene Jones was let go.

“The safety and well-being of District residents is my top priority and FEMS is at the frontlines of this effort,” Bowser said. “Chief Dean is a proven, collaborative leader who led a department with an international reputation for its fire-based performance. I am certain that he will work with our emergency first responders and the community to move the department forward in exciting ways.”

Dean, who worked in Seattle’s FEMS department for 44 Continued on A4

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

NATION & WORLD Denver Workers Awarded $15 Million in Discrimination Suit

Seven Denver area warehouse workers were reportedly awarded nearly $15 million in a discrimination lawsuit filed in 2010, after a federal jury found that they were being segregated because of their race and constantly being racially insulted by their White bosses and colleagues.

The jury found that the managers and supervisors at Matheson Trucking and Matheson Flight Extenders forced Blacks to work on one side of the Commerce City warehouse while Whites worked on the other side, according to CBS Denver.

The Sacramento, Calif.-based company transports mail for the U.S. Postal Service and private vendors, including UPS and the Federal Express.

White supervisors and staff were accused of calling employees racial slurs, even going as far as calling them “lazy, Facebook stupid Africans,” and using the N-word to Mahamet Camara, one of a group of refer to Black workers. warehouse workers given $15 million The plaintiffs in the lawsuits were after a judge ruled that their employer Ernie Duke, Mahamet Camara, Andre discriminated against them.

De Oliveira, Bemba Diallo, Salif Diallo, Macire Diarra, and Dean Patricelli. The workers were reported to be immigrants from the African nation of Mali and Brazil, and one White whistleblower from the United States.

The White plaintiff, Dean Patricelli, was fired when he spoke out against the racist practices of the supervisors. Patricelli said he was ostracized by his bosses and peers when he spoke out against the racial segregation and was labeled as the “tribe’s assistant,” according to the Denver Post.

“Basically, I did the right thing,” he told the Denver Post. “This isn’t 1960 anymore.”

The Post also reported that the plaintiffs were able to retrieve internal company memos that proved supervisors were “using a downsizing to target Black employees for firing, including Duke who had been working at the company for nine years and was second in seniority.”

The workers also claimed that their working conditions grew worse in 2007, when Leslie Capra took charge as the station manager. Capra was reported to be more hostile and crude towards the Black employees, and she encouraged supervisors to convey the same attitude.

The lawsuit stated that “under Ms. Capra’s management, Black employees were discriminated against with respect to almost every aspect of their employment.”

The verdict included a $14 million monetary reward in punitive damages, $318,000 in back pay for workers who were fired for being Black, in addition to $650,000 for emotional distress.

subjugating the Black community and maintaining Jim Crow segregation.

“We’re focusing on lynchings of African-Americans because when Whites were lynched it was really more about punishment — it wasn’t sent to terrorize the White community, it was intended to actually make the White community feel safe,” said Bryan Stevenson, director of the Alabama-based nonprofit in an interview with National Public Radio. “The lynching of African-Americans, on the other hand, was really a direct message to the entire AfricanAmerican community — it was designed to traumatize and terrorize.”

To put in a modern-day context, the number of Blacks who were beaten, burned and ultimately hung while picnicking Whites cheered, is more than twice the number of Americans who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11, more than twice those who died in the anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan and comparable to the number who died in Iraq.

And these acts of terror against Blacks were often state-sanctioned killings, Stevenson added.

The inequalities reinforced by lynching has left its mark on the Black community and on public policy as seen in policies of mass incarceration, racially biased capital punishment, excessive or disproportionate sentencing of racial minorities, and police abuse of people of color, the report concluded.

Black Mississippi Judge Delivers Epic Sentencing Speech to 3

AP Photos

Deryl Paul Dedmon, John Aaron Rice and Dylan Wade Butler were sentenced Feb. 10 for their roles in the hate crime death of James Craig Anderson.

White Racist Killers

The stirring words of U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves, read during the Feb. 10 sentencing of three men involved in the hate crime murder of James Craig Anderson, a 48-year-old Black man, in a Mississippi parking lot in 2011, is being hailed as a moral and emotionally moving tour de force.

America’s Record of Black Lynchings Worse than Previously The young men Deryl Paul Dedmon, 22, John Aaron Rice, 21, and Dyland Wade Butler, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Bryd Thought Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act in the killing of Anderson, whom they and other conspirators Almost 4,000 Blacks—about 700 more than previously reported—were lynched in 12 beat and ran over with a truck while yelling “White power.”

Southern states during the period between Reconstruction and World War II, according to a new Reeves, who in 2010 became the second African American appointed as federal judge in report by the Equal Justice Initiative.

Mississippi, began his protracted speech—which was posted on NPR’s website—by invoking “Lynching in America: the phantom of Mississippi’s savage past, including Black enslavement and its “infatuation” Confronting the Legacy of with the “carnival-like” public ritual of lynching.

Racial Terror” is the result “How could hate, fear or whatever it was transform genteel, God-fearing, God-loving of five years of research and Mississippians into mindless murderers and sadistic torturers? I ask that same question about 160 visits to sites across the the events which bring us together on this day,” Reeves said, comparing the state’s past and Your History • Your Community • Your News South. The report makes present. the argument that these The Afro-American Newspapers “A toxic mix of alcohol, foolishness and unadulterated hatred caused these young people to killings were a form of Baltimore Office • Corporate Headquarters resurrect the nightmarish specter of lynchings and lynch mobs from the Mississippi we long to racial terrorism aimed at 2519 N. Charles Street forget,” he continued. “Like Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4602 the marauders of ages past, 410-554-8200 • Fax: 1-877-570-9297 these young folk conspired, www.afro.com planned, and coordinated Founded by John Henry Murphy Sr., August 13, 1892 a plan of attack on certain Washington Publisher Emerita - Frances L. Murphy II neighborhoods in the city of Jackson for the sole purpose Chairman of the Board/Publisher - John J. Oliver, Jr. of harassing, terrorizing, President - Benjamin M. Phillips IV physically assaulting and causing bodily injury to Executive Assistant - Sallie Brown - 410-554-8222 Receptionist - Wanda Pearson - 410-554-8200 Black folk. They punched and kicked them about their Director of Advertising bodies — their heads, their Lenora Howze - 410-554-8271 - lhowze@afro.com faces. They prowled. They Baltimore Advertising Manager came ready to hurt. They Robert Blount - 410-554-8246 - rblount@afro.com used dangerous weapons; Director of Finance - Jack Leister - 410-554-8242 they targeted the weak; they recruited and encouraged Archivist - Ja-Zette Marshburn - 410-554-8265 others to join in the Director, Community & Public Relations coordinated chaos; and they Diane W. Hocker - 410-554-8243 boasted about their shameful activity. This was a 2011 Editorial Editor - Dorothy Boulware version of the nigger hunts.”

News Editor - Gregory Dale And, Reeves added, Washington D.C. Editor - LaTrina Antoine “What is so disturbing ... so Friday, March 13, 2015 shocking ... so numbing ... is Production Department - 410-554-8288 AT 6:30 IN THE EVENING that these nigger hunts were Baltimore Circulation/Distribution Manager perpetrated by our children.”

Sammy Graham - 410-554-8266 The judge re-emphasized Washington Office the fact that Anderson’s New Location: 1917 Benning Road, N.E. death was a hate crime— The Omni Shoreham Hotel Washington, D.C. 20002-4723 motivated by the victim’s 2500 Calvert Street NW 202-332-0080 • Fax: 1-877-570-9297 race, and shot down claims Washington, D.C. 20009 that one or more of the General Manager Washington Circulation/Distribution Manager men were, somehow, not Edgar Brookins - 202-332-0080, ext. 106 “criminals.”

Director of Advertising Reeves ended by Lenora Howze - ext. 119 - lhowze@afro.com pointing to signs of success Business Solutions Consultant and recommending actions For ticket information, please call 202.265.8200 Elaine Fuller - ext. 115 - efuller@afro.com that would keep Mississippi Advertising Account Executive from going backward into Vetta Ridgeway - ext. 1104 - vridgeway@afro.com the abyss of its ugly past.

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March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

A3

DMV Resident Highest Ranking Black Female Federal Officer

By Lauren E. Williams Special to the AFRO Imani-Frances Smith was dedicated to serve and excel in the United States government, even though it was through a racist and sexist system. It didn’t matter that she was frequently overlooked as the smallest federal officer in the room. Nor did it bother her that she was often one of the only women of color. Smith knew she was going to become one of the nation’s highest ranking officers in her time.

History shows she was right.

Smith, or “Mama Imani” as many in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas call her, served in two federal agencies, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, from 1975 – 1996.

She worked for several offices and agencies, but had her longest tour of duty working at the U.S. Department of Justice. As a federal officer she went through several tests, certifications, and evaluations, and earned numerous accolades. She held various titles and rankings throughout her career including marksman, adjudicator, customs officer, and inspector. Upon to early retirement, due to illness, Photo by Jawanza Setepenra Smith’s badges Imani-Frances Smith served in two were retired by federal agencies. the Commissioner of Immigration Services.

Smith helped immigrant orphans find families in the United States, and aided refugees from several African countries during Apartheid, including Sierra Leone and South Africa. To their surprise, Smith’s face was one of compassion, often the

Let Girls Learn Photo by LaTrina Antoine

Charlene Espinoza of Job Corps who is currently serving in Liberia introduced President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to a room full of girls and women among other interested parties for the launch of “Let Girls Learn,” a new community-focused girls’ education initiative.

Obama told the group gathered in the East Room of the White House, the education of all girls is not only a humanitarian issue, but it is also an economic issue and a security issue. The First Lady said that she will kick the initiative off with a trip to Japan and Cambodia later in the month. For more information about the initiative, visit LetGirlsLearn.PeaceCorps.gov.

first that refugees had seen in a long time. She said she helped them through the naturalization process, and was proud to do so. They”truly believed in the American dream,” Smith said.

She also saw herself in them. “I’m a Black person, I don’t like to use the term African American. I’m old school. We say Black,” Smith said.

While Smith was helping African refugees find asylum from prejudice and persecution, she experienced it herself. As an officer, she was often sent to very racially divided areas of the country. Blacks weren’t always welcome, and neither were women. Smith went anyway. And, because she did, we can all learn from her story today. “I was little, and I had to learn how to take down a man. It was difficult, but I did it. And once I did, I was able to get respect,” she said.

Many people have been touched by Smith’s work. Rows of pictures and awards are evidence of this. She has received letters and proclamations from many high-profile politicians, local leaders, and celebrities. Former Prince George’s County Executive Wayne Curry, former Maryland State Sen. Arthur Dunman, and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski are just a few.

Her son, known by the rest of the world as Grammynominated singer and philanthropist Raheem DeVauhgn, has been touched by her work. Smith said he is one of her proudest achievements. Not only is she proud of him, he is proud of her.

“My mother is the source of my strength,” DeVauhgn told the AFRO on Feb. 19. “She is my SHE-RO. I admire her for so many reasons, especially for the sacrifices she made for me. My mother is valued, loved, and appreciated. I am so proud of her.”

Caucus Foundation

Continued from A1

both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Conyers began serving in the House in 1965 and played a key role in the drafting and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Over the years, Conyers has passed legislation that designated the third Monday in January as the holiday in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that forced companies to divest in apartheid South Africa, and has repeatedly sponsored a bill to provide reparations for African Americans.

Conyers was chairman of committees on government operations and the judiciary. In January, he became the first Black representative

“Serving in Congress is something that I love.”

– Rep. John Conyers to have the longest-serving tenure in the House and is ceremoniously recognized as the “dean of the House.”

Conyers, who received the Distinguished Leadership Award, said he is passionate about fighting for the rights of the people. “Serving in Congress is something that I love,” he said. “I have seen so many people in my political career come

and go like Martin Luther King Jr.; Rosa Parks, who worked for me; Nelson Mandela who emerged from 27 years of prison to be stronger than before; Harry Belafonte who helped finance the civil rights movement; and Steve Wonder who provided music for the movement. I am still committed to the eternal quest for jobs, justice and peace.”

Rangel, who received the Distinguished Pioneer Award, began his congressional career in 1971, has served as chairman of the CBC, and became the first Black to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), the chairman of the CBCF, called Rangel a “legislator’s legislator” at the event.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Conyers and Rangel “elder statesmen,” noting that “they are not that elder but they are statesmen.”

Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, made brief remarks. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) were among the lawmakers attending the event. Former CBC members Steven Horsford, Dr. Donna Christian- Christensen, and Federal Housing Administrator Mel Watt also were in the audience.

Ferguson

Continued from A1

confronts how to fix racial biases that the federal government says are rooted in the police department, court and jail.

The full report could serve as a roadmap for significant changes by the department, which commanded national attention after one of its officers shot and killed an unarmed Black man, 18-year-old Michael Brown, last summer.

Similar federal investigations of troubled police departments have led to the appointment of independent monitors and mandated overhauls in the most fundamental of police practices. The Justice Department maintains the right to sue a police department if officials balk at making changes, though many investigations resolve the issue with both sides negotiating a blueprint for change known as a consent decree.

“It’s quite evident that change is coming down the pike.

This is encouraging,” said John Gaskin III, a St. Louis community activist. “It’s so unfortunate that Michael Brown had to be killed. But in spite of that, I feel justice is coming.”

Brown’s killing set off weeks of protests and initiated a national dialogue about police use of force and their relations with minority communities. A separate report being issued soon is expected to clear the officer, Darren Wilson, of federal civil rights charges. A state grand jury already declined to indict Wilson, who has since resigned.

The findings of the investigation, which began weeks after Brown’s killing last August, are being released as Attorney General Eric Holder prepares to leave his job following a sixyear tenure that focused largely on civil rights. The report is based on interviews with police leaders and residents, a review of more than 35,000 pages of police records and analysis of data on stops, searches and arrests.

A summary provided Tuesday reveals patterns of bias across the criminal justice system, from encounters with patrol officers to treatment in the municipal court and jail.

It says Black drivers are far more likely to be searched than White motorists even though they’re less likely to be found with contraband. Nearly all people kept at the city jail for more than two days are Black, and of the cases in which the police department recorded instances of use of force, the overwhelming majority involved force used against Blacks.

Overall, African-Americans make up 67 percent of the population of Ferguson, about 10 miles from downtown St. Louis. The police department has been criticized as racially imbalanced and not reflective of the community’s demographic makeup. At the time of the shooting, only three of 53 officers were Black, though Mayor James Knowles III has said the city is attracting a large pool of applicants to police jobs, including minority candidates.

Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the Brown family, said the report’s findings “confirm what Michael Brown’s family has believed all along, and that is that the tragic killing of an unarmed 18-year-old Black teenager was part of a systemic pattern of inappropriate policing of African-American citizens in the Ferguson community.”

Besides identifying discriminatory police practices, the report alleges a culture of distrust between the police and community fueled by the reliance on fines for revenues. It says blacks are overwhelmingly exposed to citations for minor infractions such as walking in the street or disturbing the peace. The physical tussle that led to Brown’s death began after Wilson told him and a friend to move from the street to the

sidewalk.

The practice hits poor people especially hard, sometimes leading to jail time when they can’t pay, the report says, and has contributed to a cynicism about the police on the part of citizens.

The department has conducted roughly 20 civil rights investigations of police departments during Holder’s tenure. It’s common for federal officials — to issue starkly critical findings about police department practices and to demand extensive changes.

“I’m confident,” Holder said of the Ferguson report last month, “that people will be satisfied with the results that we announce.”

A4

The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

D.C. Honors Trailblazer Edward Brooke

Miss Collegiate DMV Scholar: Ayanna Dallas

By Ariel Medley Special to the AFRO

Brooke’s funeral services will be held 11 a.m. March 10 at the Washington National Cathedral. At 3 p.m., Brooke will be interred at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Brooke was the first Black to serve as a state attorney general, elected in 1962 by the voters of Massachusetts.

During Brooke’s terms in the

By James Wright Special to the AFRO The late Edward Brooke, who served as the first popularly-elected Black in the U.S. Senate, will be remembered in the District this month. Brooke, a D.C. native representing Massachusetts in the Senate

Courtesy Photo

“Ed Brooke was a real statesman.”

–U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from 1967-1979, will be honored by his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha in an Omega Service at 4 p.m. March 9 in the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Howard University.

Brooke pledged Alpha at Howard and served as an undergraduate leader of the fraternity while a student. In later years, Brooke served the fraternity as the founding chair of the Alpha Phi Alpha World Policy Council.

After the service, there will be a reception at the Armour J. Blackburn University Center. Ralph Neas, who worked for Brooke from 1973-1979 and was a close friend to the late senator, said his widow, Anne Brooke, is expected to attend the events.

“Brother Brooke was a national treasurer and Alpha Phi Alpha will recognize his tremendous contributions to our country,” Alpha Phi Alpha General President Mark S. Tillman said. “It is because of brothers like him advocating for our communities that we [Alpha] are the College of Friendship, the University of Brotherly Love, and the School for the Better Making of Men.”

Senate, there was speculation in the media and among some Republicans of his being a vice presidential running mate or an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brooke sponsored legislation that supported housing for people of all races and incomes, and fought against White racist governments in Africa. He took on fellow Republican, President Richard Nixon, by refusing to vote for three of his nominees to the Supreme Court and calling for the president to resign when the Watergate scandal became a national concern.

Members of Congress from both parties are expected to attend the funeral service.

While Brooke didn’t join the Congressional Black Caucus, he did work with African-American U.S. House of Representative members while in the Senate.

U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) are the only Black members of Congress who served with Brooke and spoke of him highly.

“He was a Republican and I was glad that he was around,” Conyers said. “Most

The late Edward Brooke was the first Black elected U.S. senator and state attorney general.

of the Republicans in the Senate were real conservative but he somehow worked with them and I was glad that he was able to do that.”

Rangel said that he didn’t know Brooke well “but admired him from afar.”

“We didn’t have a close relationship because he was from Massachusetts and I am from New York,” he said.

“There is no question that he was an American we could be proud of and he took historic political positions that were generally contrary to his party. Edward Brooke was a real statesman.”

Abdul Henderson, the executive director of the CBC, said the organization does not have any formal plans to celebrate Brooke.

Neas said that Brooke is the highest ranking elected official that the District has ever produced. He said his late mentor has earned the accolades he is getting.

“Edward Brooke was the consummate coalition builder as a senator, and he learned to work both sides of the aisles,” Neas said. “He learned to listen and to negotiate and he figured out a way to get things done.”

Howard University’s Ayanna Dallas is one of the rising stars of her generation. As the winner of the Kennedy Foundation’s 2014 Miss Collegiate DMV Scholarship Pageant, and the recipient of over $27,000 in scholarship funds, Dallas has shown that hard work and persistence pay off.

Born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Md., Dallas credits her parents for her strong values and drive for excellence.

“Both of my parents were in the military,” she said.

“At times they were strict, but they were always fair and they were always involved in our school activities. They taught my brother and me to always respect ourselves and others.”

As an advocate for women’s health and child education, Dallas has dedicated much of her young life to helping others within her community.

“I volunteered in the Pediatrics Department at Howard University Hospital and I would read to the young patients, answer phone calls, and file paperwork, Dallas said.

“I have always wanted to Ayanna Dallas help out and give back to community.”

During her freshman year at Norfolk State University, Dallas learned of an amazing opportunity to participate in a scholarship pageant. “My neighbor told me about the Miss Collegiate DMV Scholarship Pageant in Washington, D.C. through her sorority’s newsletter,” she said. “She told my mother and me about it and I decided to participate.”

But participating meant having to leave Norfolk State and enroll at Howard University.

“At first I didn’t want to leave [Norfolk].

I loved the school and loved my friends there, but I realized that it was an amazing opportunity and I had to make a decision.” To participate, Dallas withdrew from Norfolk the day before the pageant and enrolled at Howard University the day of the pageant.

The Collegiate DMV Scholarship Pageant is hosted by the Kennedy Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing academic scholarships to young adults enrolled in higher learning institutions. Each year, the foundation awards scholarships to young men and women through their duel pageant programs: ‘Miss Collegiate DMV Scholarship Pageant’ and the ‘All the King’s Men Collegiate DMV Scholarship

Pageant’. Participants must showcase their academic knowledge and talents by promoting awareness to both the Kennedy Foundation’s domestic violence awareness platform and a platform of their own choosing. “I have always been interested in women’s health and I have always loved being around children, so that was the platform I chose”, Dallas said.

Having lost female family members to health issues, she felt especially close to her topic and embarked on a steadfast mission to bring hope and awareness to the cause.

To promote her cause, Dallas participated in radio interviews, on campus interviews amongst her peers, and Howard University’s annual Homecoming parade. Her hard work paid off; during her first year at Howard, Dallas placed second in the pageant, winning $12,000 in scholarship funds.

“I remember being so nervous standing on stage – it was my first pageant,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but in the end, I did it.”

A year later, Dallas would go on to win first place and earned a $15,000 scholarship.

“It was a wonderful experience and I want to thank so many people for helping me achieve this dream: My wonderful parents; my neighbor, Ms. Johnson, for introducing me to the pageant; the president of the Kennedy Foundation, Stephanie Kennedy; the winner of the 2013 Miss Collegiate DMV Scholarship Pageant; Ms. Leona Nicholas, for all her advice and wisdom; and all of my friends and family members for their support.”

With her charismatic personality, positive spirit and motivation to succeed, Dallas has shown that hard work, perseverance and faith are the keys to reaching your dreams.

Dallas is scheduled to graduate from Howard University in 2016 and plans to enroll in John Hopkins Medical School to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Genecology. “Participating in this pageant taught me a lot about having confidence in myself,” she said. “Confidence is key.”

For more information and free registration for the Miss Collegiate DMV Scholarship Pageant And the All the King’s Men Scholarship Program, please visit www. kennedyfoundation.net. The Foundation will award $84,000 in scholarships for Howard University during the fall of 2015. The deadline is Feb. 27.

Dean

Continued from A1 years, said, “I look forward to working with Mayor Bowser and FEMS providers to deliver efficient and compassionate fire and emergency medical services to the residents of all eight wards,” Dean said. “We will build on the department’s strengths and bring a data-driven approach that will ensure that we are delivering top notch services 24/7.”

In Seattle, Dean led a department of 1,150 employees with a $175 million budget for 10 years. Before becoming chief, he served in lower capacities for well over three decades.

Dean has been credited with increasing the overall cardiac arrest survival rate from 26 percent in 2002 to 62 percent in 2014.

Dean takes over a department that has been the source of controversy since 2011, when Kenneth Ellerbe took over it.

During Ellerbe’s tenure, which ended in June 2014, critics of FEMS charged that employee morale was low, management’s relations with the firefighters union were abysmal and the department’s equipment was either outdated or malfunctioning.

On Jan. 25, 2014, Medric Mills, a longtime District resident, died of a heart attack despite members of his family seeking help from FEMS employees at the Rhode Island Avenue Engine House 26. The fire house is across the street from Mills’ residence and his family members were told by FEMS employees that they should call 9-1-1 and didn’t seek to help

Mills.

Mills’ death generated widespread criticism of Ellerbe’s leadership style. Ellerbe retired in June to work in the private sector.

Ellerbe praised Bower’s selection, “Gregory Dean has a long history of accomplishments and he believes in accountability,” Ellerbe told the AFRO. “He is the type of leader that D.C. Fire and EMS needs and should follow.”

James Short, a former deputy fire chief, said that he admires Dean’s career and thinks he will bring the department together.

“He is the type of chief that will go down to the station and sit down and talk with employees” Short, who worked for

FEMS for 33 years, said.

D.C. Council member Vincent Orange (D-At-Large) said that he “hasn’t heard anything negative about Dean.”

“I do know that Seattle’ fire department and D.C.’s fire department are similar,” Orange said.

The D.C. Council must approve Dean’s nomination and D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) chairs the Committee on the Judiciary, which will hold hearing on Dean in the near future.

“I have not had the chance to speak with him yet but I hear that he has had a long career and he was very well respected in Seattle,” McDuffie said. “I’m looking forward to learning more about him.”

Edward Mills III, the acting assistant FEMS chief, will run the department until Dean is confirmed.

Short said that Dean should be confirmed and allowed to do what needs to be done to get the department operating in a smooth manner.

“Our fire department is in a sad state with firefighters not wearing their uniforms while on duty and people dying in front of fire stations,” he said. “The people leading the department now are young and they have no common sense. Dean should be given a chance to prove himself.”

with multiple out-of-school suspensions. Black students were expelled at three times the rate of White students, and Black girls were suspended at higher rates than all other girls and most boys.

Northwest resident Carlos Vaughn is no stranger to school suspensions and expulsions. During his matriculation through D.C. Public Schools in the early 1980s, Vaughn said he misbehaved constantly – later attributed to a learning disability – and accumulated more than a hundred days of suspension in one academic year. Fortunately for Vaughn, his attendance at Francis Jr. High and their use of In-School Suspension, kept him in disciplinary segregation, but actively participating in class work.

He said suspending very young children suggests the teachers, rather than the children, have trouble positively engaging.

“My grandchildren attend schools with “zero tolerance” rules that seem barbaric to me. They cannot touch other students, talk too much in class, or do things that all little kids do, because they become punishable offenses,” Vaughn said.

“Our teachers knew the difference between mental health issues, learning disabilities, and troubled kids. They didn’t lump us all into one category just so they could get on with the lesson. They understood that we needed to learn, too.”

Grosso’s legislation also requires the Office of the State Superintendent to track and report all suspensions disaggregated by campus, grade, gender, race, and several other factors including whether the student is an English Language Learner, receives special education services, or is designated as at-risk.

“Gregory Dean has a long history of accomplishments and he believes in accountability.”

– Kenneth Ellerbe

Committee on Education

Continued from A1

for Children said that pre-k suspensions and expulsions in the District were “inappropriate responses to non-violent, ageappropriate behavior.”

“Beyond missed classroom time, research also tells us that suspending or expelling preschool-age students is an ineffective discipline strategy; young children may be unable to fully understand the relationship between their actions and the resulting punishment, and these discipline techniques, which can stigmatize children and families, can be particularly detrimental to healthy child development,” Vance said.

Citing a report from The U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), Vance said that in 2014 Black students accounted for 18 percent of the country’s pre-k enrollment, but made up 48 percent of preschoolers

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

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Bowser

Continued from A1 after he submitted it to the D.C. Council. Bowser said that she thought that process was flawed and wanted residents’ views first.

Bowser told hundreds of residents who participated in the Anacostia forum that their input was crucial. “You are at Fresh Start February’s last event,” the mayor said. “We need your help on the budget. Before I write the budget I want to know what you think we should do and tell us what to touch and what not to touch.”

Bowser said that the city faces an approximate $195 million budget deficit for the fiscal year 2016 budget,

“I wanted to comment on how the city uses its public school resources.”

– Wanda Oates which starts on Oct. 1. She made it clear that the District government – a $10 billion entity – must close the gap and balance its budget. D.C. City Administrator Rashad Young followed the mayor by explaining the budget process with the aid of a slide presentation.

Forty-one tables were set up around the Anacostia’s gym representing issue areas including education, economic opportunity, infrastructure and environment, public safety, and neighborhoods. Residents who registered for the forum chose their preference areas.

A facilitator sat at each table to move along the discussion on what the mayor’s budget should entail in their preference area. Jenny Reed, the deputy budget director, guided the facilitators throughout the two-hour event.

Bowser and Young participated in the table discussions, and the mayor visited various tables to observe the process and chat with participants.

Greg Stewart, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 7, said he made it a point to come to the Anacostia forum. “I wanted to have a say on the priorities of next year’s budget,” he said. “In Ward 7, education, economic development, and market rate housing in Deanwood, especially close to the Metro station, are important to me.”

Lisa Shaw, an activist who also lives in Ward 7, said , “As our city is changing, we need more people involved in this type of process as well as the political process. Residents who know the lay of the land in our city need to have their voices heard.”

Bowser took an informal poll among the participants near the end of the forum to measure which preference area was the most important.

This was done by claps and it was clear that education was viewed as the top priority.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D) and D.C. Council member Vincent Orange (D-At Large) attended the forum and various Bowser department heads and executive staff members participated in the discussions.

Orange also participated in the Wilson forum that was attended by dozens of residents.

Legendary District coach Wanda Oates, at the Wilson forum, voiced concerns about the city’s education system and how it treats atrisk children. “I wanted to

comment on how the city will use its public school resources,” Oates, who made national news when she briefly become the female head coach of the Ballou High School football team in 1985, said. “I am concerned about what Mayor Bowser will do with alternative schools

for students who don’t want to go to school. They need somewhere to go.”

Douglass Sloan, a resident of Ward 4 and a candidate in the April 28 special election to serve out the rest of Bowser’s term on the council, attended the Wilson forum. “I am interested in learning more

about the District budget process,” Sloan said. “I want to see how the city is spending its own money.”

Bowser will submit her budget proposal to the council in early April.

Photo by Shannen Hill

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

Issa Rae, Making the Black Experience Relatable

District Agencies Help Convicts Deal with Mental Health Issues

By Linda Poulson Special to the AFRO

Jeffrey Moore was shot in the face. The trauma from his ordeal caused mental health challenges while taking numerous medications. The resulted: He was incarcerated. “At some point people will have mental health challenges, especially with problems they face in life,” he said.

Moore is getting assistance from University Legal Services (ULS), helping him transition to a halfway house. He believes it will be difficult to find work because of his condition.

“People already make assessments about you,” he stated. “Why are people with mental health issues pushed back?”

Moore is one example of the thousands suffering from mental health issues who have been incarcerated. The topic is broad-based and depend on behavioral mechanisms that are sometimes hard to define.

ULS has formed a partnership with the D.C. Jail and Prison Advocacy Project (JPAP) for District residents who have been diagnosed with a mental illness or emotional impairment.

Symptoms include schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Dr. Jennifer Skeem, a professor at the University of California Berkeley whose research involves justice policy with people that have emotional and behavioral problems, was part of the panel.

“There has been a dramatic increase since 2012,” Skeem said. “There is a perceived root of the problem through imperfect models of what actually works.”

Skeem mentioned a three-step process that takes priority in helping cases of mental illness. “Psychiatric services are not the linchpin,” Skeem continued. “What is the roadmap in the number of people and risk factors in criminal behavior?”

Ann-Marie Louison of the Nathaniel Project in New York City share her ideas about what is needed to help those who are incarcerated.

As co-founder of the project, she developed the first “alternativeto-incarceration” program in the Manhattan Supreme Court. The program helps adults with severe

Stock Photo

Thousands suffer from mental health issues who have been incarcerated. mental illnesses that are convicted of felonies. “In New York, there is a natural judicial process in which the majority has felonies,” she said. “Quality of life is important.”

There are 25 mental health clinics or Core Service Agencies (CSAs) in the District. University Legal Services can help those decide which one best suit their needs depending on their condition.

The JPAP received a three-year grant from the Langeloth Foundation for a pilot program with ULS’ Federal Bureau of Prison’s Mental Health Transition Planning Project. Tammy Seltzer is the program director. The legal service provides incarcerated individuals with mental health assistance when leaving prison to go back into the community. The service also provides those who face discrimination due to their condition.

The support continues for six months.

Taylar Neuvelle was glad she networked enough to find out about the project. “I had a mental breakdown. I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) complex due to abuse,” Neuvelle said. “When I went in front of the judge due to my symptoms, he didn’t care,” she said.

Neuvelle had been abused since childhood. Her former husband also abused her.

“I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) complex due to abuse.”

– Taylar Neuvelle

More information on University Legal Services can be obtained at www.uls-dc.org.

Business Profile Wealth Building Among Women in Prince George’s County, Md.

By Christina Sturdivant Special to the AFRO Major financial brokerage firms in Prince George’s County, Md. are scarce.

This leaves residents of the wealthiest Black county in America hungry for financial counseling services. What’s even harder to find are firms that cater to and understand the needs of women seeking to bea better stewards of their money.

Zaniellia Harris, owner of Harris and Harris Wealth Management Group, believes she is the answer for highpowered women in the county and the surrounding D.C. region. “When you change the mindset of women and get them on the right track, you begin to change your community,” Harris said.

After decades of working in the male-dominated financial sector, Harris found that women have proven to be a little hard to handle. They’re meticulous, inquisitive and need details – especially when it comes to their money. “I feel that the larger firms still have not figured out how to talk to women, so when they

go to their advisors – if they have one – a lot of women feel that they’re talked down to and that their approach is

Lawrenceville, Va. Who are the best advisors for women? Other women, says Harris. “We’re good at

that are comparable to their dreams.

In her blog, Finances and Stilettos, Harris gives her perspective on managing money for the “well-heeled” woman. She also features other high-powered women like Gerri Mason Hall, senior vice president and chief human resource officer at Sodexo North America, who discussed her road to professional and financial achievement in a Jan. 2015

Photo courtesy of Zaniellia Harris

Zanielllia Harris, owner of Harris and Harris Wealth Management Group

not received,” said Harris, a certified financial planner with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Paul’s College in

“When you change the mindset of women and get them on the right track, you begin to change your community,” – Zaniellia Harris

relationship [building]. It’s a natural part of who we are.

When I gain a client, it’s not that I’m gaining them for a transaction, I’m gaining a relationship with them hopefully for the rest of their lives.

For clients, Harris handles everything from managing investment portfolios to helping them understand their cash flow to providing guidance on risk management and insurance needs. She dives into their lives to construct financial goals

blog interview.

Through her resources, Harris hopes to empower women to create generational wealth. “One of my goals is to make as many women millionaires as I can,” she says, but it won’t be easy. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to commit themselves to overcoming their financial barriers. “It’s not many of us in those echelons,” says Harris. “But if I can help more of us get there, I feel that’s a great legacy to leave.”

Issa Rae’s award-winning net-series has garnered more than 25 million views.

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO The world is full of African-American girls who have little rhythm, tend to be unsure of themselves in social situations, and who consider themselves, awkward. However, unlike those who grew up in the 1980s who turned introvert and found solace in mountains of books, today’s awkward Black girls need look no further than writer-actress Issa Rae, to find an ally and gain their social footing. Born in America to Senegalese parents, Rae’s experiences living in Dakar, the D.C. area, and Los Angeles, helped shape her awkwardness and became the framework for the breakout web series.

The explosive popularity of Rae’s award-winning netseries, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, signaled a collective embrace of weird and relatable experiences.

The series, which has garnered more than 25 million views and close to 200,000 subscribers on YouTube, follows the social and racial mishaps of a 20-something office worker through a continuous set of unnerving situations. The success of the web series spawned a book by the same name, which recently became a New York Times bestseller.

“It’s an honor to see that the character has resonated with people Photo by Shantella Y. Sherman because I had no idea Writer-producer Issa Rae there were so many of us discussed the role social out there. It is reassuring media and mainstream and validating, which television have in defining makes me overwhelmed blackness during a recent with happiness. From booksigning hosted by the the first episode I began Oracle Group and D.C. Public getting letters and people Library. were identifying with it and claiming their awkwardness,” Rae said.

However, the eureka moment when Rae realized the success of the show came when she ran out of money to produce Misadventures and began a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. “[My producer and I] set our goal at thirty thousand and raised almost double that. That was a testament to me that people were willing to pay to see [the show],” Rae said.

At a book talk sponsored by the Oracle Group and D.C. Public Library, Rae told the standing-room only crowd that creating the images she was not seeing on television was her initial aim with the web series and that social media has had a tremendous influence on getting diverse Black representation onto network television. “Social media changed the game in that you’re seeing all of these tweets, you’re seeing all these trending topics from Black people who are expressing what they want to see. Now people take notice. I want to interrupt the system. I want to have people of color be relatable, because we are,” Rae said. “I’ve always had an issue with the [assumption] that people of color, and Black people especially, aren’t relatable. I know we are.”

Named twice to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Rae said having Black people and those representing other cultures in positions of power at television networks is essential in showing the diversity within the race.

“You cannot put a definition on [Blackness]. And that is part of what I set out to prove because I feel that for too long the mainstream media has tried to limit what Blackness can be.

Some of us have felt we needed to limit it too. We’re so much and such a beautiful and vast people, that it becomes really unnecessary,” Rae said.

In the book The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Rae covers everything from cyber-sexing and weight gain, to eating out alone, and public displays of affection. Rae is currently in talks with both HBO about a new, yet-named television series.

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

EDITORIAL

A7

Boehner, Netanyahu and Israel Have Disrespected Our President Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday is fundamentally a form of personal disrespect for President Barack Obama but it is also a grievous breach of state diplomacy and an attempt to subvert U. S foreign policy. We find it galling that instead of going through the proper diplomatic process, Netanyahu accepted an invitation to speak to this country’s principal legislative body NOT from the American Chief Executive but instead from the Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner whose continuous history of critical and demeaning diatribes about this President we are convinced thinly veil his deep seated racism.

Netanyahu, the Prime Minister (PM) of Israel, opposes the current U.S. policy of negotiating directly with Iran over that country’s attempt to acquire enriched uranium. Iran claims it wants the uranium in order to build power plants while Israel asserts their belief that Iran wants to use the uranium to build nuclear weapons. That Israel maintains its own supply of nuclear weapons but refuses to acknowledge them is never mentioned.

Israel’s economy is allegedly booming, but it still receives reportedly $3.1 billion in weapons and aid money every year from the U.S. In spite of this enormous welfare handout, Israel wants to nevertheless alter U.S. foreign policy by interjecting itself into America’s politics to further bolster its own national interest, which in this case is the satisfaction that a neighboring enemy will be precluded from possibly even indirectly posing a nuclear threat approaching its own nuclear capabilities.

The sheer hubris of Israel’s action in this regard we find to be simply astounding.

Granted, the U.S. past policy of blocking undeveloped potentially hostile countries’ access to nuclear technologies has indeed been the same as what Israel is attempting to

apply presently, in a convoluted fashion, with Iran. However, the nuclear cat is now out of the bag as a result of China, North Korea and maybe Russia’s apparent willingness to share its nuclear capabilities with developing countries and countries hostile to U.S. interests. Therefore where the U.S. could once force its will in a world that accorded only a few powerful countries access to the nuclear monopoly, the present international landscape appears to be far different thus requiring greater diplomatic tactics than those currently reflected by Israel’s tactics in the Iranian situation involving the U.S. Netanyahu is attempting to do something that is not only unprecedented but if the positions were reversed, with Obama trying to inject the U.S.’s national interests into Israel’s domestic affairs, such would clearly elicit howls of immediate outrage.

So who should we believe? Who should we trust?

Neither! Such appears to be the way the game of international diplomacy is presently played. With the U.S. in the middle we believe it is smart to pursue the path the Obama Administration has chosen—to mediate a solution that will reduce, as best as possible, the opportunity of nuclear war through mutual and continuous discussion among the parties having an interest in a peaceful outcome. Refusing to mediate with Iran as Netanyahu is attempting to push the U.S. into doing will only agitate, if not aggravate, the tension in the middle east that is already over-heated with the actions of the newly empowered Muslim extremists. It will also send an unfortunate message to the world’s international community that the American international policy that historically has been represented by one voice, the President of the United States, will instead be represented by a chorus of political voices whose track record of lack of unanimity too often mirrors that of a chaotic

undeveloped country rather than a country that is supposed to be a leader of the civilized world.

We regret the unfortunate circumstances that have given rise to Netanyahu addressing the Congress of our United States. However, having done so, we invite, indeed encourage him to return to his home country of Israel as soon as he can with the added departing comment that his actions have indeed offended the Black American community. Acting as if John Boehner, not Obama, sets U.S. foreign policy is the very definition of disrespect. We resent Netanyahu and we resent the country of Israel for allowing him to insult our president.

As for Boehner, who is responsible for inviting Netanyahu without clearing, or even informing the White House in advance, any repercussions from the Israel PM’s actions will fall squarely on his shoulders. Boehner’s foray into the realm of international policy is a clear example that racism on Boehner’s part has now been accelerated. Until now, the internal differences we have had with respect to international policy issues have always been solely an American debate among Americans. Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu has changed that time-honored custom, an action for which we firmly believe Boehner should be required to pay dearly. We believe his primary mission for the duration of the Obama term, is to embarrass and demean our President at every opportunity. We as a community cannot allow this to happen without making the entire country, indeed now the world, clearly aware’ of our deep objection and resentment of the actions of this man. John Boehner is not a friend of the American Black community and is entitled to every and all the disrespect we can legally throw at him!

Enough is Enough!

COMMENTARY

Giuliani’s Words Do More than Hurt – They Divide “A new expression has entered the Westminster lexicon: dog-whistle politics. It means putting out a message that, like a high-pitched dog-whistle, is only fully audible to those at whom it is directly aimed. The intention is to make potential supporters sit up and take notice while avoiding offending those to whom the message will not appeal.”

– The Economist, March 2005 After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, I brought a delegation of mayors to meet with the city’s then-mayor, Rudolph Giuliani. The delegation’s goal was to help restore confidence in the still-traumatized city and help rebuild what had been so inhumanly destroyed. At the time, I was mayor of New Orleans and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Giuliani – widely acknowledged and praised for his leadership after the attacks – catapulted onto the national stage to become “America’s Mayor.”

Marc H. Morial How times have changed.

During a private New York fundraising dinner for Republican presidential candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Giuliani popped onto the national stage yet again – not for the qualities he displayed as “America’s Mayor,” but for the unfounded accusation that President Obama does not love America.

“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” Giuliani said in response to a question about the president’s foreign policy and counter-terrorism strategies. He added, “He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up, through love of this country.”

Speaking in front of a 2016 Republican presidential contender and a mixed crowd of conservatives and business executives, Giuliani – who failed to win the 2008 GOP presidential nomination – attacked the patriotism of our nation’s president, a man whose grandfather served in World War II, whose grand-uncle helped liberate the Nazi death camp at Buchenwald and who was the chief executive behind the operation to kill 9/11’s mastermind, Osama Bin Laden.

Questioning the president’s patriotism isn’t just inappropriate; it demonstrates a complete lack of respect. It begs the question that as Giuliani continues to seek a prominent role on the national political stage: Will he choose to rehearse only in the Theater of the Absurd?

Giuliani’s response was neither an honest critique of the president’s foreign policy, nor was it a considered analysis of our nation’s ongoing discussion on how to combat terrorism.

It was, however, a veiled attack on the character of our president. It was a better-left-buried relic from 2008 when candidates – including Giuliani – purposely appealed to a particular strain of the GOP base who viewed Obama, the Harvard-educated Black man raised by his White family in Hawaii, as “the other” and “not like us.” It was a rehearsal of the kind of divisive rhetoric that has no place in the 2016 race for the White House.

I am the first to assert that honest critiques of any president, administration and its policies are critical in a functioning democracy. But in this case, there is nothing constructive or relevant in maligning a man because of the way he was raised. Further, Giuliani has yet to explain how the president’s upbringing jeopardizes the national security of our nation. How can personal attacks ever have a constructive place in our conversations about degrading and ultimately destroying ISIL or creating jobs or energy independence?

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “It is sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature and even admiration tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly.”

Without hesitation, I can say that the Giuliani I met with that mayors’ delegation in the smoldering aftermath of the terror attacks – a bridge-builder, a reconciler and a healer – was not the Giuliani I heard last week. It is quite unfortunate that his reappearance on the national stage recasts and squanders that legacy for a new one that limits him to catering to groups animated by the rhetoric of division at best, and veiled hatemongering at worst.

If I agreed with anything in Giuliani’s statement, it is that, yes, it was a horrible thing to say on many levels. I would add, in a word of advice to the former mayor of New York, that whenever you feel compelled to preface a comment with “I know this is a horrible thing to say,” it is likely a comment better left unsaid.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Dr. King’s Bold Case for Economic Equality Black History Month is over, but we should move past the standardized foci and platitudes that mark our commemoration. We have a history that challenges us to address vestiges of intolerance and redress the inequality that still undermines African American upward mobility throughout the year.

Since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seems to be the safe and acceptable embodiment of the best of Black history to those who are wary of more “radical” elements, let us marry King’s visionary brilliance with his practical, bolder prescriptions for racial equality. King was more than a transformative Black preacher. He was a social architect who demanded specific actions to move Black people from the back of the bus to the boardroom. The legendary March on Washington in 1963, for Matthew C. example, was not merely an interracial love-in. It was a call for Whitaker action. Indeed, it was a “March for Jobs and Freedom,” with an emphasis on jobs and the financial independence that comes with economic opportunity at every level.

In 1968, as King delivered one of his last speeches, he passionately addressed America’s failure to acknowledge White privilege and redress the lack of commiserate economic opportunity for Black people.

“At the very same time that America refused to give the Negro any land, through an act of Congress our government was giving away millions of acres of land in the West and the Midwest, which meant it was willing to undergird its white peasants from Europe with an economic floor. But not only did they give them and, they built land grant colleges with government money to teach them how to farm. Not only that, they provided county agents to further their expertise in farming. Not only that, they provided low interest rates in order that they could mechanize their farms. Not only that, today many of these people are receiving millions of dollars in federal subsidies not to farm, and they are the very people telling the black man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. And this is what we are faced with, and this is the reality. Now, when we come to Washington in this campaign, we are coming to get our check.”

This is not the kumbaya King that we are bombarded with every Black History Month. This

is King drawing attention to the history of affirmative action for White people and the need for Black people to have seats at the economic table at every level.

King argued that “practical racists affirm the existence of racism with their lips, and deny the existence of racism with their lives and their actions. They have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.” His “practical racism” can be used as a prism through which racial disparities in the workplace, earnings, and wealth can be illuminated and corrected. Indeed, corporate leaders often affirm the existence of racial inequality and disparity in their offices with their words, and reject their existence in their hiring, promotions, management, and board appointments patterns. The consequences of which include low morale, decreased productivity and attrition, in addition to lost creativity, innovation, intellectually diversity, and goodwill with the larger Black community, whose purchasing power will top $1.1 trillion dollars by the end of this year.

King was very concerned about economic inequality. Indeed, Jobs, upward mobility, and access to the highest levels of influence within the business world, are as crucial to establishing racial parity as the civil rights that King fought and died for. In 2014, however, journalist Michael W. Chapman wrote that the Black American unemployment rate was 11.4 percent, more than twice the 5.3 percent rate for White Americans.

Furthermore, according to sociologist G. William Domhoff, nearly 50 years since King’s assassination, “American wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few [predominantly White] hands. As of 2010 20% of the people owned a remarkable 89%, leaving only 11% of the wealth for the bottom 80%.”

The PewResearchCenter noted that by 2013 “The wealth of White households was 13 times the median wealth of black households” and expanding.

In the aftermath of Black History Month, let us not only bask in stories of African American heroism, framed by King’s faith and soring oratory, let us also remember his calls for financial manifestations of our commitment to equality and opportunity.

Matthew C. Whitaker is ASU Foundation professor of history and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, in the College of Letters and Sciences, at Arizona State University. He is also the owner and CEO of The Whitaker Group, L.L.C., an equity and inclusion, cultural competency, and human relations consulting firm. He can be followed on Twitter at @Dr_Whitaker.

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

PEPCO AND EXELON:

Powering a Brighter Future The proposed merger of Pepco and Exelon will bring exciting benefits to families, communities, businesses, our economy, and the District of Columbia, including: • Improved reliability for Pepco customers, with enhanced performance commitments – resulting in fewer and shorter power outages – and additional resources to speed storm restoration • $33.75 million for the District’s Customer Investment Fund that may be used for bill credits, low income assistance or energy efficiency programs • $51.2 million in projected merger savings over 10 years, which will flow back to Pepco’s D.C. customers through electric rates that are lower than they would be without the merger • $168 million to $260 million in economic benefits to the District • Continued annual charitable contributions and local community support – exceeding Pepco’s 2013 level of $1.6 million for 10 years following the merger • More than 1,500 new jobs in the District and the region The merger will maintain Pepco’s local presence and local leadership, while bringing together Exelon’s three electric and gas utilities (BGE, ComEd and PECO) and Pepco Holdings’ three electric and gas utilities (Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco) to create the leading mid-Atlantic electric and gas utility.

TO LEA RN MORE, V I S I T PHITOMORROW.COM PA I D F O R BY E X E LO N S H A R E H O L D E R S

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

B1

Impact of Roe v. Wade on Black Community and Ongoing Debate

By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent This is the first in a series of articles about laws that have significantly impacted Black women in America.

I

n 1967, Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown, the first African-American woman surgeon in the South and a Tennessee state assemblywoman, was the first American lawmaker to sponsor a proposed bill to fully legalize abortion. The proposal failed. But, in 1970, pregnant Dallas-area resident Norma L. McCorvey (“Jane Roe”) sued then-District Attorney Henry Wade, claiming that a Texas law criminalizing most abortions violated McCorvey’s constitutional rights. On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Roe’s favour, asserting that the “right of privacy, whether it be founded in the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty and restrictions upon state action…or… in the Ninth Amendment’s reservation of rights to the people, is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.”

The high court’s controversial ruling in Roe v. Wade, which allowed women to have an abortion in the early stages of her pregnancy without government interference, has reverberated throughout the nation and across the decades. Divisive in nature, it has spawned acrimonious debate, sharp political partisanship and even violence.

Undoubtedly, however, Roe v. Wade has had an undeniable impact on American women, particularly African-American women—though the nature of the effect is, as expected, a source of debate.

“This was a landmark case that absolutely changed the game for women of color in this country,” said Monica Simpson, executive director, Sistersong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. “This is the first case that really helped alleviate reproductive oppression and allowed women to make their own decisions over their body.”

On the other hand, pro-life advocates say the death of millions through abortion, rather than being a source of “justice,” has instead unleashed a “holocaust” and “genocide” in the African-American community.

That idea burst back into the mainstream during 2010’s Black History Month when the Radiance Foundation, a Georgia-based antiabortion group, erected dozens of billboards proclaiming the message, “Black children are an endangered species.” The following year, the group Life Always sparked outrage with a billboard in lower Manhattan that declared, “The most dangerous place for an AfricanAmerican is the womb.”

Both groups, and other anti-abortion activists, have identified Planned Parenthood – the international non-profit and provider of reproductive health services, including abortion – as the villain in this so-called genocide. For example, in New York, the home of Planned Parenthood, more Black babies are aborted than are born alive (1,223 to 1,000), according to the Radiance Foundation, which cited the state’s health department. Activists say the group targets African Americans, pointing to its founder Margaret Sanger’s connection to the eugenics movement—which sought to cull the population of those considered “unfit,” usually the disabled, poor and minorities—and the location of the group’s clinics in poorer, minority communities.

The AFRO reached out to Planned Parenthood but did not receive a statement by deadline.

“As someone who is Black and has worked in the community all my life, I think Roe v.

Wade has had a devastating impact on the Black community,” Ryan Scott Bomberger, chief creative officer and founder of the Radiance Foundation, told the AFRO. He added, “If you go off of the United Nations’ definition of genocide, it is exactly what has happened in the Black community.”

Fuelling these claims is the long-held fact: the comparatively high abortion rates among Black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 (the last year for which information is available),

White women accounted for 37.2 percent of abortions, Black women for 35.5 percent, Hispanic women for 21.1 percent and other races for 6.3 percent.

But, Black women have the highest rates and ratios of abortion – almost four times that of White women: 33.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years and 472 abortions per 1,000 live births compared to 8.7 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years and 140 abortions per 1,000 live births.

Reproductive rights and health advocates attribute the disproportionate number of abortions among Black women to the higher number of unintended pregnancy rates within the group. These higher unintended pregnancy rates reflect the challenge faced by many women of color in accessing high-quality contraceptive services and in using them consistently, they say, and also reflect the broader realities of racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and outcomes.

For example, it was only when President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act that health insurance companies were required to offer free birth control coverage, and Medicaid—the source of health coverage for many low-income, minorities—is still not required to offer free contraceptives.

Sonya Michel, an expert in women’s history, University of Maryland—College Park and senior scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said because of their relatively low incomes and lack of access to quality health care, African-

Protestors of all races at a pro-choice rally in Washington, D.C., January 2012.

Debra Sweet/ Flickr/Creative Commons

American women did not always have the full reproductive freedom other groups enjoyed.

“One of the ironies when you look across the political spectrum, the people who are the most opposed to abortion are also opposed to providing affordable birth control and welfare benefits to African-American people,” Michel said, adding that such detractors are basically saying Black people shouldn’t have sex.

Courtesy Image

Some of the memes and online posters from the Radiance Foundation, which purports that abortion has been a form of genocide in the Black community.

The abortion-as-genocide supporters however, decry those claims, seeing abortion as another in a set of attempts—some government-sponsored—to decimate the Black community. Such fears are grounded in a history of medical—including reproductive health—abuses within the Black community.

“We’ve been accused of promoting conspiracy theories, but it is not conspiracy, it’s history,” Bomberger said.

In her book, Killing the Black Body author Dorothy Roberts outlines the history of the control and manipulation of the Black woman’s womb as a tool of racial oppression in the United States.

“The systematic, institutionalized denial of reproductive freedom has uniquely marked Black women’s history in America,” she wrote. “Considering this history—from slave masters’ economic stake in bonded women’s fertility to the racist strains of early birth control policy to sterilization abuse of Black women in the 1960s and 1970s to the current campaign to inject Norplant and Depo-Provera in the arms of Black teenagers and welfare mothers—paints a powerful picture of the powerful link between race and reproductive freedom in America.”

That tainted history prompted several within the Civil Rights and Black Nationalist movements to view birth control and abortion as a form of “race suicide,” and encouraged Black fertility as a means of empowering the Black race.

Bomberger echoes those sentiments, which—for him—is grounded in a deep personal history. The product of rape—which has long been accepted as a rationale for abortion—Bomberger was instead given up for adoption and raised in a Christian family of 15 children—10 of whom were adopted. He is, himself, the parent of two adopted children.

“It is a huge blow to Black voting power”

and to other aspects of the Black community, he said of the “epidemic” of abortions.

“We’ve heard the term #BlackLivesMatter, but when do they matter?” Bomberger questioned, later adding, “We want to stop the destruction of beautiful possibility in the Black community, not only of the unborn children who are killed, but of potential mothers and fathers…. For a people who have overcome such a heinous past to believe killing our future is something to celebrate baffles me.”

Conversely, pro-choice advocates see the nation’s history of abuse against the Black woman and the costs of involuntary motherhood as even more reason why Roe v Wade is a matter of justice.

Among African female slaves, abortion and birth control methods were part of their heritage—used as part of their basic health care but also as a form of self-determination, protection of potential children from the horrors of slavery and protest against enslavers that viewed them as mere brood mares.

In an 1856 medical essay, Dr. E.M. Pendleton noted complaints by plantation owners that their slaves seemed to be “possessed of a secret by which they destroy the foetus at an early age of gestation.”

But the indigenous knowledge of those African slaves were lost as the gap between the generations grew wider–and as modern-day Black women began to lean more heavily on institutionalized medical care, Simpson said.

And, then-illegal abortion became dangerous.

“Women were taking extreme measures to rid themselves of unwanted pregnancies,” the reproductive justice activist said. “Most of the women who lost their lives before Roe v. Wade were women of color.”

Given those and other socio-political realities, Simpson said it is “completely ridiculous” to “pressure” Black women with these abortion-as-genocide memes void of further discussion about the role of Black men who abandon their families, void of discussions about the economic inequalities Black women face, void of social issues such as police violence against young Black men, void of discussions about the lack of comprehensive sex education for Black boys and girls, etc.

“It is absolutely absurd and cruel to shame Black women in this way because at the end of the day, we don’t know why a woman may choose not to have a child,” she said. “What trips me out is people think women are making these choices lightly. This is never an easy decision for any person to make.”

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

Shirley Bowden, President Arlington (Va.) Chapter, Nicholette Martin, Chair, Red Dress Committee and Glenda Newell-Harris

For the first time ever, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) chapters of The Links jointly hosted the 7th Annual Red Dress Event at the historic Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va hosted by the Arlington Chapter. The event promotes heart health and education for minority women who are at risk. Over 430 Links and guests attended including special guests Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris, the National President of The Links; Rep. Don Beyer(D-Va.) and Alexandria, Va. Mayor William Euille. Speakers included African American female cardiologists, Dr. Patricia Davidson and Dr. Shawn Howell. Heart healthy snacks were provided and guests left with Coca Cola gift bags filled with heart health goodies. Community partners included AARP, INOVA Health Sysrem, NHLBI, Morgan Karen Johnson getting Stanley, Nationwide, Must Love Foods, Howard her blood pressure University Hospital and BET Networks made the checked by student event possible. Michelle from George Mason

Bernard, University

MSNBC

was the emcee.

Annie Whatley, Claudia McKoin, Shirley Barton, Sheila Washington

Members of Arlington (Va.) Chapter of The links, Inc.

Representatives from INOVA Hospital

Honoree Janice Chance with spouse, Charlton Chance

Cardiologists Dr. Shawn Howell and Dr. Patricia Davidson

Connecting Links supporting the Red Dress Event

Alexandria, Va. Mayor William Euille, Lavern Chatman, Chair, National Partnerships, Rep. Don Byers,(D-Va.), Link Shirley Bowden and Link Natalie

Fant, Eastern

Area Vice

Director

Reps from Howard University Hospital with Glenda NewellHarris

Genea Luck of AARP

Honoree Lt. Gen. Robert S. Ferrell and spouse, Monique Doute’ Ferrell

Emcee Ebony McMorris, News and Community Affairs Director, RadioOne Washington, D.C.

While the snow was falling outside, the energy and enthusiasm was rising inside the Memorial Chapel on Joint Base MyerGuests enjoying Henderson Hall with the Gospel Service’s the music annual “Black History Month ‘Keeper of the Community’ Awards and Dinner” on Feb. 21. Honorees included Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell, Army Chief Information Officer; Janice Chance, Gold Star Mother; Allyson Carpenter, Ward 1 ANC Commissioner and Lt. The Planning Committee: Carol Gibson; Anita Laury; Col. David Everly, U.S. Marine Corps, Junior Pamela Douglas; Jerome Lindsey; Renee Anderson, Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. Gail Forest; Bernetta Townsend and Edgar Brookins, Deacon Floyd and Deaconess Toni Jenkins Committee Chair were presented the Gospel Service’s Edgar A. Brookins, Jr. Keeper of the Community Award.

The theme of the event was “Our Legacy - The Church and the Community.” The event included music by gospel recording artist Phillip Carter and the Sounds of Victory and the Largo High School Gospel Choir. Bishop Glen Staples, Senior Pastor from the Temple of Praise Church, located on 700 Southern Ave SE, gave the message. Guest emcee was Ebony McMorris, News and Community Affairs Director, Radio-One D.C. Ebony McMorris, Cydney Hill, Miss Photos by Rob Roberts

Gospel recording artist Phillip Carter and the Sounds of Victory

District of Columbia Teen and her mother, Tonya Thomas

Mistress of Ceremonies, Michelle Bernard

We are Links, we are connected.

Mai Skyles of Nationwide and Isaac Lewis of Morgan Stanley chat with guest Bob Harris

Photos by David Fitzpatrick

The JMB-HH Gospel Service Praise and Worship Team Chap.(LT) Devon Foster, Pastor, JMB-HH Gospel Service

Brandon Felder (choir director) and the Largo High School Gospel Choir

Honorees: Allyson Carpenter; Floyd and Toni Jenkins; Janice Chance; Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell and Maj. Reeves (accepting on behalf of Lt. Col. David Everly)

Honoree Allyson Carpenter with family and friends

Maj. Reeves, Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell, Chap.(Lt. Col.) Dave Dabeck and Chap.(Maj.) Jerald Jacobs

Bishop Glen Staples

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

B3

ARTS & CULTURE

Lights, Camera, Catlett!

currently trying to get his film, Griffin off the ground. The project, which is still in the planning stages, will be based on his experiences and people he met in his life, the actor said.

“I was fortunate to have my dad in my life, but a lot of men don’t,” he said. “Some men do have Before he a father in their lives, but he’s was even able to absent in the home. I wanted chase his dreams in to write a story on four guys’ Hollywood, he had perspective of growing up without a to first overcome his father.

It’s kind of along the lines of fair share of obstacles, [the movie] Juice—a story wrapped Catlett said. The 31-yearup in four young men and how old was raised in the they become father figures for each Del Ray neighborhood other.” of Alexandria, Va. He While the fundraiser that he graduated from T.C. started on the crowd funding website Williams High School Indiegogo.com didn’t yield the where he played football finances that he set out for, Catlett and basketball. explained that he remains optimistic “I experienced about the project and counts his [challenges] like any kid setbacks as a “learning experience.” growing up in the inner city, “We’re trying to find the resources Catlett said. “My sister was to fund it. I want to come back home to on drugs all my life. That shoot it because I’m from Virginia and was a challenge. My mother it’s untapped there,” he said. I want to be was always the one who able to hire talent from D.C. who would encouraged me to get an never come out to L.A.” education.”

Becoming the captain of your own ship is After moving to what Catlett preaches. In his opinion, that’s how California to play Blacks can truly change diversity in Hollywood. college basketball, “We want to create our own lane and Catlett said he make our own way…. [And, while doing eventually caught the Photo by Courtney Beckett that], we don’t take ownership or keep acting bug and never Will Catlett believes ownership.

And that’s the problem,” he said. looked back. there is a new “We create dope stuff and then we sell it off.

He recently Black Renaissance I believe that’s what Black and Sexy and appeared in an ESPN underway.

Issa Rae [are trying to change].” commercial and is

Burgeoning Actor Will Catlett Talks DMV Upbringing and the New Black Renaissance in Hollywood

By Gregory Dale AFRO News Editor For Will Catlett, discovering that he wanted to act was like finding the missing piece to a puzzle.

Over the course of time, he had pursued other passions like playing sports and writing poetry, but couldn’t quite figure out what exactly was missing.

“I always knew I wanted to do something else, but I just didn’t know what that something else was,” he said.

After experiencing an “a-ha” moment, Catlett dived headfirst into pursuing his newfound passion. But his rise-to-fame method of breaking into “Tinsletown” was unlike traditional stories heard in the past.

Like many other burgeoning actors, producers and writers of this era, Catlett has built up a buzz and his résumé thanks to Webbased projects. And now, there’s a renaissance of Black Web projects that have come into the national scope.

Among the leaders of the pack is comedian/ writer-producer Issa Rae, who got her big break in Hollywood after her Web series “Awkward Black Girl” exploded in popularity.

Also, the YouTube network Black & Sexy TV has experienced tremendous success, garnering a deal with HBO and implementing their own Netflix-esque paid subscription service.

Catlett burst on the scene in 2012, after

co-starring in the Black & Sexy series, “That Guy.” The project, which ran for two seasons exclusively on YouTube, later spawned an entire movie, which was available for purchase online this past Christmas holiday.

Now, he’s gearing up for the season two rollout of another YouTube Web series he stars in called “First.” The project, which premiered on Feb. 25, follows the adventures (and misadventures) of a 20-something AfricanAmerican couple.

“Creative people are saying, ‘What are we waiting for?’ We have access to the cameras, we have access to the talent and a lot of times, actors are writers, directors and producers anyway,” Catlett said. “So, you can have direct contact with the audience by going to YouTube, Hulu, Amazon, or wherever you want to go.”

Catlett explained that the rules of making it big in Hollywood have changed dramatically, and those who can’t keep up with the times are left in the dust.

“These executives hire people based on how many Twitter followers they have,” he said. “That’s the wave. I did a read at BET and my friend told me the type of questions they ask [include] ‘What is your social currency?

What kind of fan base do you have online?’

That’s the norm. Me and a guy could be going head to head, and I could be the better actor…

But he has 25,000 followers and I have 2,000.

So, they look at it like that.”

Cuba Gooding Sr. Continues to Enjoy a Thriving Entertainment Career

By Timothy Cox Special to the AFRO BALTIMORE — Mention the song “Everybody Plays the Fool,” and an older generation of music lovers will immediately recall that The Main Ingredient, featuring lead singer Cuba Gooding, before he added the “senior” tag to his name, recorded the oncepopular tune.

A younger generation will immediately connect Gooding’s surname with his son, the actor, Cuba Gooding cuba-gooding.com Jr. – famous for starring in several top films such as Boyz N The Hood, Jerry Maquire, Fighting Temptations, American Gangster, Radio and now the recently released SELMA. In an interview from his home near St. Augustine, Fla., the elder Gooding reflected on his successful music career and raising two successful actor sons, including his “baby boy,” Omar Gooding.

At 70, Cuba Gooding Sr. has no problem divulging details about the past and the development of his formidable musical career from his Harlem, N.Y. origins. He notes that his father,Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was a Barbados native with an affinity for the Marcus Garvey “Black Nationalist” movement in the early 1900s. “He told my mother that he would name his first born son Cuba – that’s because he once lived in Cuba and had positive feelings about the country,” said Gooding Sr. He also revealed that his mother (Addie Alston) wanted him to become a solo singer in the mold of Nat King Cole or Brook Benton. “She always wanted me to separate myself from that whole group thing.” In fact, The Main Ingredient had already formed in Gooding’s midst, as some of his boyhood friends started rehearsing in his neighborhood, but Gooding was unaware of their existence.

The original group was called The Poets and later, The Insiders. Before Gooding joined, The Main Ingredient had already recorded a marginal hit, “Spinning Around” in 1970 and scored heavily on the The Impressions’/Curtis Mayfield composition, “I’m So Proud,” in ‘71.

The original group included Tony “Panama” Sylvester, Luther Simmons and Donald McPherson (vocal lead of “Spinning Around” and “Black Seeds Keep on Growing”).

McPherson died in 1970, Gooding recalls. “We were not the typical black soul group from the early 1970s. We recorded on the prestigious RCA-Victor label (now SONY) with the likes of Harry Belafonte and Charley Pride, said Gooding.

But remember, we were young and still wanted to be cool and soulful like our counterparts, The O’Jays and The Delfonics and people like that,” he said.

“I could never compete with the ones who sang in church, like Eddie Levert and the guys from The O’Jays. I don’t even know any spiritual songs, I grew up singing and wanting to be like Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra. I had to teach myself to become a group performer instead of a standup, solo artist,” said Gooding. “I vividly remember standing in Times Square in

New York City – never asking for money, but just singing and working on developing my craft.”

He reflects on a career highlights after being recruited to join The Main Ingredient. “Heck, I was working in credit collections at Sax Fifth Avenue, and had no interest in singing on that level. The guys needed me (after McPherson’s illness and eventual death) so they promised me I could make more money than I did on my two-week salary at the department store. So, the rest is history.”

With Gooding’s magical lead vocals, the group scored heavily on the 1972 single “Everybody Plays the Fool” and two hits from 1974, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” and “Happiness Is Just Around The Bend.”

Comparing today’s music business with the 1970s, Gooding says he will never forget recording album projects live, on sound stages, accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra. “It doesn’t get any better than that. Today, talent and stardom is all dependent on whether American TV viewers call and vote for you, ala ‘American Idol.’”

The golden years also had its share of bad times, he said.

“We found ourselves $250,000 in the hole, after paying for all those recording sessions, for all the musicians, the payola – all that was in RCA’s budget. We never got the lion’s share. That’s why Stevie (Wonder) created Black Bull Music, so he could get his (publishing) share from Berry Gordy and Motown.

See more on afro.com.

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

COMMUNITY CONNECTION D.C.

Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick

Howard Presidential Inauguration

Howard University will hold an inauguration of its 17th president, Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA. The Inauguration Ceremony will be held at the university at 10 a.m. on March 6. For more information, visit http://www2.howard. edu/events/Inauguration.

Distinguished Men Cookin’ with the Deltas

scholarships and programs since its inception. The event will occur on March 7 at the Blackburn Center at Howard University, 2400 Sixth St N.W. from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/distinguished-men-cookin-with-the-deltastickets-13593511559. For more information, contact cookinwiththedeltas@wdcac.org.

Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Gala

The Greater Washington Urban League will hold its 43rd annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Gala on March 13 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street N.W. at 6:30 p.m. Attire for the event is black tie and sneakers. Special guests will include Honorary Chair Roger A Krone, CEO Leidos, Inc.; Master of Ceremonies Jim Vance, news anchor at NBC4-TV; Michael Eric Dyson, civil rights activist and author; Kendal Isadore, vocalist; and Elaine Kwon, pianist. For more information, call 202.265.8200.

Anacostia River Festival

The first-ever Anacostia River Festival will celebrate the history, ecology and communities along the banks of the Anacostia River. The 11th Street Bridge Park and the National Park Service present the event, which will offer free kayaking and canoeing, musical performances, fishing and water filtration workshops, live birds of prey demonstration, a photography exhibition and a bike parade. The Anacostia River Festival is a premier event and official closing of the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival. The event will take place at National Park Service’s Anacostia Park. Good Hope Road and Anacostia on April 12 from noon – 4 p.m. There is no cost for the event. For more information, visit www. bridgepark.org/anacostia-river-festival.

Distinguished Men Cookin’ with the Deltas is a signature program that provides people with a passion for food and cooking, an effective vehicle to support the college aspirations of local youth. This culinary-based community fundraising event, in partnership with the Washington, D.C. Alumnae Foundation, Delta Sigma Theta has raised over $100,000 for

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The Black Nurses Association of Greater Washington, D.C. Area, Inc. will hold its 35th Annual Salute to the Black Nurse of the Year Scholarship Awards Luncheon on March 7 at Martin’s Crosswinds, 7400 Center Drive in Greenbelt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 2015 honoree is Crystal Scott, a geriatric nurse educator at Carroll Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in D.C. For ticket information, contact Lorraine James at 202-674-0907, Lillian Wade at 301-779-1728 or email contactus@bnaofgwdca.org.

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March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

B5

SPORTS

What’s Next for the Chicago Bulls? they’ll have to find a way to phase him out as other players are forced to step up to alleviate their Rose-dependency. Center Joakim Noah and swingman Jimmy Butler are excellent puzzle pieces to fit around the team’s next prime time player, and the team could easily make a move in the summer of 2016 when several blue chip free agents are scheduled to hit the market.

They may even be able to use Rose’s final year as a trade chip.

But, whatever they do, they have to rid themselves of Rose’s contract, considering his injury history.

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Writers Another knee injury to their brilliant yet brittle superstar had the Chicago Bulls on front page of sporting publications for much of the week. A successful surgery to remove a torn meniscus from Derrick Rose’s right knee on Feb. 27 was a 10-to-15-minute procedure that brought a sigh of relief into a city and franchise that was still trying to recover from Rose’s latest injury. News broke earlier in the week that Rose would be out with the torn meniscus and several predictions were suggesting that he would be out for the rest of the season, all but killing the Bulls’ chances at contending this year. But Friday’s news brought with it a four-to-six-week recovery period in which Rose is expected to return. After toying with the idea of rebuilding and replacing the still 26-year-old Rose, the options on the table now are all pointed towards finishing this season strong and challenging for a title. But what’s truly next for the Chicago Bulls? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debates the issue.

Riley: Even before Rose’s surgery on Friday, I still firmly believed that Chicago would continue to fit pieces around him in hopes of contending. His injury history has been a stroke of bad luck, but his talent is undeniable. His original injury in 2012 was a torn ACL that he appears to be fully recovered from. A torn meniscus is an injury that numerous athletes have returned from with much success. And, while the last two seasons have revolved around meniscus issues, it was never a fear, at least to me, that Rose couldn’t return from that type of injury. Doctors are suggesting now that he could be back in time for the postseason after his surgery but it will all depend on how Rose feels. The Bulls star has stated in the past that he won’t return to action unless his body feels up to it, but you have to believe this time around that with Rose in the lineup, this might be the best Chicago team that Rose has been on so he’ll put the pressure on himself to return. Chicago’s not scrapping the Rose experiment, and depending upon how he plays when he comes back, Chicago could find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Riley: There aren’t too many full-fledged superstars in the NBA and considering Rose has already given the team a MVP season in 2011, that’s something the franchise will forever hold and remember. You can replace players in the NBA all the time. It becomes harder, however, when trying to replace MVP-caliber players. Rose is still young enough in his career that he hasn’t hit his mental prime yet. His athleticism and explosion obviously continues to dwindle, but he has yet to reach his veteran peek, making him a useful commodity along the Chicago roster. A hometown kid who’s already put in an MVP season is worth hanging on to. Before his injury this year, you could see glimpses of Rose dominating the court like he used to do in his younger years. With Rose coming back, the Bulls are in great shape; and if it’s any team that’s going to seriously challenge Cleveland in the East, then it’s Chicago.

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After news broke about Derrick Rose needing a four-tosix week recovery period following surgery, what does that mean for the Chicago Bulls?

Green: You can’t continue to hinge your hopes around the health of Derrick Rose. The Bulls have been snake bitten over the last three seasons trying to wait on their injured star to return, and doing it again just isn’t a wise business decision.

Rose may potentially come back this season, but going into the summer, Chicago needs to refocus its efforts on finding his eventual replacement. After this season, the Bulls are obligated to only two more years at $20 million apiece, so finding his heir apparent is going to be critical. Even if they retain Rose,

Anacostia Takes Home DCIAA Girls Basketball Title Washington, D.C. High School Basketball – Girls

By Breana Pitts Special to the AFRO The Anacostia Lady Indians defeated the Wilson Lady Tigers, 58-45, to win the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) girls’ basketball championship on Feb. 27 in Washington, D.C. However, for Anacostia head coach Dwayne Shackleford, the win was about more than basketball.

“We skilled them up on the basketball court, but we also skilled them up in life,” said Shackleford, an Anacostia alum. “These kids have grown. Some of them went from getting F’s to 4.0 GPAs. It’s bigger than basketball at Anacostia. To see the progress, it’s just awesome.”

Anacostia senior guard Asisha Greene, DCIAA player of the year, made a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give her team a 27-21 lead. Her teammates kept the momentum going in the second half and pulled away to a double-digit lead.

“We needed to win, so we had to do what it takes to win,” said Greene, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “We needed more.”

With less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson junior guard Tuziah Hall made a three-pointer to cut Anacostia’s lead to just four points. However, Anacostia freshman Mya Moya responded with a floater and crucial free throws to give the Lady Indians breathing room until the final buzzer.

Moya finished with 16 points. For Wilson, Hall led the team with 20 points.

The victory marks Anacostia’s first DCIAA girls’ basketball title since 2000. “[There are] levels to winning,” said Shackleford. “They paid their dues and God blessed them with a championship. It’s awesome.”

Green: Rose was barely playing well before he re-injured himself; you can’t seriously expect for him to arrive better than ever by the time April starts. He’s going to have to go all out as this may be the last hurrah for this Bulls team as presently constructed. Even an MVP Derrick Rose wasn’t enough to beat LeBron James, and this year will be no different. Chicago’s at an interesting impasse, no doubt. On one hand they’re still constructed to win now and on the other they have a player – around whom their title revolve – that continues to break down on them. Things are definitely complicated right now in the Windy City, but management will come to realize that as long as it continues to fork over huge dollars to an injured superstar still living off of a four-year-old accomplishment then they’re not going to be winning anything anytime soon.

Livingstone Wins Back-to-Back CIAA Basketball Titles CIAA Championship Game

By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor Junior guard Daryl Traynham scored a team-high 23 points to lead the Livingstone Blue Bears to its second straight Central Interscholastic Athletic Association (CIAA) men’s basketball championship title with a dominating 106-91 win over Winston-Salem State (WSS) on Feb. 28 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Livingstone is now the first school to win back-to-back CIAA basketball championships since Johnson C. Smith pulled off the special feat during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

“This is a great day for Livingstone basketball,” Blue Bears’ head coach James Stinson said, according to Livingstone’s Sports Information Office. “The guys came out with a purpose. I loved their focus throughout the game. Overall, they persevered and did the job at hand. When I walked into the locker room, they were fully tuned in to what the goals were.”

Livingstone had its way with WSS offensively, scoring from any and everywhere on the court. The Blue Bears pounded WSS inside the paint for points and torched them from the outside with hot three-point shooting. Traynham led the way with 23 points, but senior forward Eric Maynor followed up with 22 points. Three other players also scored double digits in points for the Blue Bears, including junior guard Eric Dubose with 18 points and junior guard and CIAA Tournament MVP Ty Newman with 13.

Three players scored at least 20 points for WSS, despite the loss. Senior forward WyKevin Bazemore led WSS with 24 points, freshman guard Terrell Leach scored 23, and senior forward Donta Harper added 20.

Winston-Salem ends its season with an 18-10 overall record, while Livingstone (19-9 overall) moves on to the NCAA Division II basketball tournament, scheduled to start mid-March.

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Payment Policy for legal notice advertisements. Effective immediately, The Afro American Newspapers will require prepayment for publication of all legal notices. Payment will be accepted in the form of checks, credit card or money order.

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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 August 20, 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: February 20, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter LEGAL NOTICES Valorie Zanders Personal Representative

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Washington, DC 20009, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Rudolph A. Taylor, who died on December 16, 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 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 August 20, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or LEGAL NOTICES filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 20, 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: February 20, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Damian Taylor Personal Representative

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.

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2015FEP11 Date of Death October 19, 2014 Braxton N Young Sr. Decedent VACATION NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT RENTALS TRUE TEST COPY OF FOREIGN REGISTER OF WILLS PERSONAL TYPESET: Mon Feb 16 17:20:37 EST 2015 REPRESENTATIVE OCEAN CITY, 02/20, 02/27, 03/6/2015 AND MARYLAND. Best NOTICE TO Superior Court of CREDITORS selection of affordable the District of Mary L Young whose adrentals.

District of Columbia dress is 530 Hart Road PROBATE DIVISION Full/ partial weeks. Call Franklintown NC 27525 Washington, D.C. was appointed personal for FREE brochure.

20001-2131 representative of the Open daily. Holiday Administration No. estate of Braxton N 2015ADM131 Yo u n g S r . , b y t h e Resort Services. 1-800Sheba B. Smith Franklin County Clerk of 638-2102. Online AKA Court for Franklin reservations: www.

Sheba Beatrice Smith County, State of North Decedent Carolina deceased, on holidayoc.com NOTICE OF November 3, 2014, APPOINTMENT, Service of process may TYPESET: Mon Feb 16 17:20:18 EST TO 2015 LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE be made upon Glenmont TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 15:52:38 EST 2015 CREDITORS Corp c/o Braxton Young AND NOTICE TO Jr. 3030 30th Street SE Superior Court of UNKNOWN HEIRS #112 Washington DC Superior Court of the District of Calvin T. Norman, whose 20020 whose designathe District of District of Columbia address is 12405 tion as District of ColumDistrict of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Lampton Lane, Fort bia agent has been filed Legal Advertising Rates Washington, D.C. PROBATE DIVISION Washington, MD 20744 with the Register of Wills, 20001-2131 Washington, D.C.October 1, 2008 was appointed personal D.C. Effective Administration No. 20001-2131 representative of the Claims against the de2015ADM137 Administration No. estate of Sheba B. Smith cedent may be preFrederick Jack 2014ADM1384 AKA Sheba Beatrice sented to the underPROBATE DIVISION Decedent Nathaniel Wright Jr. Smith, who died on Au- signed and filed with the Clarissa T. Edwards Decedent (Estates) gust 9, 2014 with a will, Register of Wills for the TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 15:52:20 EST 2015 2402 L’enfant Square and will serve without NOTICE OF District of Columbia, 202-332-0080 SE Court supervision. All un- Building A, 515 5th APPOINTMENT, Washington, DC 20020 known heirs and heirs NOTICE TO Street, NW 3rd Floor, PROBATE NOTICES Attorney Superior Court of whose where-abouts are Washington, DC 20001 CREDITORS NOTICE OF the District of unknown shall enter their within 6 months from the AND NOTICE TO APPOINTMENT, District of Columbia a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s date of first publication of UNKNOWN HEIRS a.

Order Nisi $ 60 per insertion $180.00 per 3 weeks NOTICE TO PROBATE DIVISION proceeding. Objections this notice.

Mildred Rogers-Wright, CREDITORS b. Small Estates (singlewhose publication $4029 60 per insertion Washington, D.C. to such appointment (or address is Mary L Young AND NOTICE TO 20001-2131 to the probate of dePersonal c. Notice to Creditors M e a d e S t r e e t , N E , UNKNOWN HEIRS Administration No. cedent´s will) shall be Representative(s) Washington, DC 20019 Rebat Halder, whose ad- filed with the Register of 1. Domestic $ 60 per insertion $180.00 per 3 weeks 2015ADM136 TRUE TEST COPY was appointed personal dress is 2101 11th Street Wills, D.C., 515 5th Maurice Slye Sr. $180.00 per 3 weeks REGISTER OF WILLS 2. Foreign insertion representative of$ 60 theperJames NW PH#1, Washington, Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Decedent Date of first publication: TYPESET: Feb 24 15:52:02 estate of Nathaniel DC 20001, was ap- W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . d. Escheated Estates $ 60 per insertion $360.00 per 6Tue weeks NOTICE OF February 27, 2015 Wright, Jr., who died on pointed personal repre- 20001, on or before AuAPPOINTMENT, Name of newspapers e. Standard Probates $125.00 November 30, 2014 withsentative of the estate of gust 20,2015. Claims NOTICE TO and/or periodical: out a will, and will serve SUPERIOR COURT OF Frederick Jack, who died against the decedent CREDITORS The Daily Washington without Court superviTHE DISTRICT OF on August 4, 2014 with a shall be presented to the AND NOTICE TO Law Reporter CIVIL NOTICES COLUMBIA sion. All unknown heirs will, and will serve with- undersigned with a copy UNKNOWN HEIRS The Afro-American PROBATE DIVISION a n d h e i r s w h o s e Persharwner Slye- $ 80.00 EST Changes 2015 out Court supervision. All to the Register of Wills or TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 15:52:54 a.

Name 202-879-1133 2/27, 3/06, 3/13/2015 Washington, D.C. whereabouts are un- Chappell, whose adunknown heirs and heirs filed with the Register of 20001-2131 known shall enter their dress is 1452 Howard$ 200.00 b. Real Property whose whereabouts are Wills with a copy to the Foreign No. appearance in this unknown shall enter their undersigned, on or beSuperior Court of Road SE, Washington, 2015FEP17 appearance in this proceeding. Objections DC 20020, was apthe District of fore August 20, 2015, or Date of Death proceeding. Objections be forever barred. Perto such appointment District of Columbia pointed personal repreFAMILY COURT April 12, 2007 to such appointment (or sons believed to be heirs shall be filed with the sentative of the estate of PROBATE DIVISION 202-879-1212 to the probate of de- or legatees of the deWashington, D.C. Register of Wills, D.C., James Maurice Slye Sr., Gordon Watt Jennings Decedent cedent´s will) shall be cedent who do not re20001-2131 515 5thDOMESTIC Street, N.W., 3rd RELATIONS who died on November NOTICE OF filed with the Register of ceive a copy of this notice Administration No. Floor Washington, D.C. 18, 2014 without a will, APPOINTMENT Wills, D.C., 515 5th 2015ADM158 202-879-0157 20001, on or before Au- and will serve without by mail within 25 days of OF FOREIGN Street, N.W., 3rd Floor its first publication shall Martha C. Freeman gust 27, 2015. Claims Court supervision. All unPERSONAL Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C . so inform the Register of Decedent against the decedent known heirs and heirs REPRESENTATIVE 20001, on or before Au- Wills, including name, NOTICE OF shall be presented to the whose whereabouts are$ 150.00 AND a.

Absent Defendant gust 20, 2015. Claims address and relationAPPOINTMENT, undersigned with a copy unknown shall enter their NOTICE TO against the decedent ship. b. Absolute Divorce NOTICE TO to the Register of Wills or a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s $ 150.00 CREDITORS shall be presented to the Date of Publication: CREDITORS filed with the Register of proceeding. Objections$150.00 c.

Custody Divorce Mary E Jennings whose undersigned with a copy February 20, 2015 AND NOTICE TO Wills with a copy to the to such appointment address is 1300 Nalley to the Register of Wills or Name of newspaper: UNKNOWN HEIRS shall be filed with the undersigned, on or befiled with the Register of Afro-American D e n i s e F. H a w k i n s , Register of Wills, D.C., Terrace, Hyattsville, fore August 27, 2015, or ext.

20785 was apWills with a copy to the Washington To place your ad, call 1-800-237-6892, 262, Public $50.00 & up whose address is 6615 515 5th Street, N.W.,Notices 3rd Maryland be forever barred.

Perundersigned, on or be- Law Reporter Wilson Lane , was apFloor Washington, D.C. pointed personal represons believed to be heirs depending on size, Baltimore Legal Notices are $24.84 per inch. sentative of the estate of fore August 20, 2015, or February 20, 2015 pointed personal repreor legatees of the de- 20001, on or before Au- Gordon Watt Jennings , be forever barred. Pergust 892 27, 2015. Claims Personal sentative of the estate of 1-800 (AFRO) cedent who do not resons believed to be heirs against the decedent deceased by the Circuit Representative Martha C. Freeman, who ceive a copy of this notice Court244 for Halifax County, For Proof of Publication, please shall call be 1-800-237-6892, or legatees of the dedied on January 16, 2015 presented to the ext. by mail within 25 days of undersigned with a copy State of Common Wealth cedent who do not re- TRUE TEST COPY without a will, and will its first publication shall to the Register of Wills or of Virginia on January 10, ceive a copy of this notice REGISTER OF WILLS serve without Court suso inform the Register of filed with the Register of 2014, by mail within 25 days of pervision. All unknown TYPESET: Feb 16 heirs 17:21:01 Wills, including name, Wills with a copy to the Service of process may its first publication shall 02/20, andEST heirs2015 whose 02/27,Mon 03/06/15 address and relation- undersigned, on or be- be made upon Manuel so inform the Register of whereabouts are unship.

Wills, including name, known shall enter their fore August 27, 2015, or Geraldo , Esquire, 1316 Date of Publication: address and relationSuperior Court of appearance in this be forever barred. Per- Pennsylvania Avenue, ship.

FebruaryEST 27, 2015 the District of proceeding. Objections sons believed to be heirs S E , C a p i t o l H i l l , TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 15:52:38 2015 LEGAL NOTICES Date of Publication: District of Columbia Name of newspaper: to such appointment or legatees of the de- Washington, DC 20003 February 20, 2015 PROBATE DIVISION Afro-American shall be filed with the cedent who do not re- whose designation as Name of newspaper: Washington, D.C. Washington Register of Wills, D.C., ceive a copy of this notice District of Columbia Superior Court of Afro-American 20001-2131 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Law Reporter by mail within 25 days of agent has been filed with the District of Washington Administration No. Floor Washington, D.C. Mildred Rogers-Wright its first publication shall the Register of Wills, District of Columbia Law Reporter 2015ADM48 20001, on or before AuPersonal so inform the Register of D.C. PROBATE DIVISION Rebat Halder Misha McLamb gust 27, 2015. Claims Representative Wills, including name, The decedent owned the Washington, D.C. Personal Decedent against the decedent address and relation- f o l l o w i n g D i s t r i c t o f 20001-2131 Colombia real property: Representative NOTICE OF shall be presented to the ship.

TRUE TEST COPY Administration No. an undivided two-thirds APPOINTMENT, undersigned with a copy Date of Publication: REGISTER OF WILLS 2014ADM1384 interest in 715 LongTRUE TEST COPY NOTICE TO to the Register of Wills or FebruaryEST 27, 2015 TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 15:52:20 2015 Nathaniel Wright Jr. f e l l o w S t r e e t , N W, REGISTER OF WILLS CREDITORS filed with the Register of Name of newspaper: 02/27, 03/06, 03/13/15 Decedent Washington, DC 20011 AND NOTICE TO Wills with a copy to the Afro-American TYPESET: Mon Feb 16 17:19:41 EST 2015 NOTICE OF Claims against the de2/20, 2/27, 03/06/2015 UNKNOWN HEIRS undersigned, on or beWashington Superior Court of APPOINTMENT, cedent may be preValorie Zanders, whose fore August 27, 2015, or Law Reporter the District of NOTICE TO address is 5755 Rhode be forever barred. PerPersharwner sented to the underSuperior Court of District of Columbia CREDITORS Island Drive, Woodsons believed to be heirs Slye-Chappel signed and filed with the the District of PROBATE DIVISION AND NOTICE TO bridge, VA 22193, was or legatees of the dePersonal Register of Wills for the District of Columbia Washington, D.C. UNKNOWN HEIRS appointed personal re- cedent who do not reRepresentative District of Columbia, PROBATE DIVISION 20001-2131 Mildred Rogers-Wright, Building A, 515 5th presentative of the estate ceive a copy of this notice Washington, D.C. Administration No. whose address is 4029 Street, NW, 3rd Floor, of Misha McLamb, who by mail within 25 days of TRUE TEST COPY 20001-2131 2015ADM136 Meade Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20011 died on January 12, 2015 its first publication shall REGISTER OF WILLS Administration No. James Maurice Slye Sr. Washington, DC 20019 within 6 months from the without a will, and will so inform the Register of 2015ADM122 Decedent was appointed personal date of first publication TYPESET: Feb 24 15:52:02 EST 2015 of serve without Court su- Wills, including name, 02/27, 03/06,Tue 03/13/15 Rudolph A. Taylor NOTICE OF representative of the this notice. (Strike pervision. All unknown address and relationDecedent APPOINTMENT, estate of Nathaniel preceding sentence if no heirs and heirs whose ship.

Wesley L. Clarke NOTICE TO Wright, Jr., who died on real estate.)

SUPERIOR COURT OF 1629 K Street NW Ste where-abouts are un- Date of Publication: CREDITORS November 30, 2014 withknown shall enter their February 27, 2015 THE DISTRICT OF 300 AND NOTICE TO out a will, and will serve Mary E Jennings a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s Name of newspaper: COLUMBIA Washington, DC 20006 UNKNOWN HEIRS without Court superviPersonal proceeding. Objections Afro-American PROBATE DIVISION Attorney Persharwner Slyesion.

All unknown heirs Representative(s) to such appointment (or Washington Washington, D.C. NOTICE OF Chappell, whose ada n d h e i r s w h o s e TRUE TEST COPY to the probate of de- Law Reporter 20001-2131 APPOINTMENT, whereabouts are un- dress is 1452 Howard REGISTER OF WILLS cedent´s will) shall be Foreign No. Denise F. Hawkins NOTICE TO Road SE, Washington, known shall enter their Date of first publication: filed with the Register of 2015FEP17 Personal CREDITORS DC 20020, was apappearance in this February 27, 2015 Wills, D.C., 515 5th Date of Death Representative AND NOTICE TO pointed personal repreproceeding.

Objections Name of newspapers Street, N.W., 3rd Floor April 12, 2007 UNKNOWN HEIRS sentative of the estate of to such appointment and/or periodical: Gordon Watt Jennings TRUE TEST COPY Damian Taylor , whose W a s h i n g t o n , D . C .

James Maurice Slye Sr., shall be filed with the The Daily Washington Decedent address is 1207 Fair- 20001, on or before Au- REGISTER OF WILLS Register of Wills, D.C., who died on November Law Reporter NOTICE OF m o n t S t r e e t , N W , gust 20, 2015. Claims 18, 2014 without a will, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd The Afro-American APPOINTMENT Washington, DC 20009, against the decedent 02/27, 03/06, 03/13/15 and will serve without Floor Washington, D.C. OF FOREIGN was appointed personal shall be presented to the Court supervision.

All un20001, on or before Au02/27, 03/06, 03/13/15 PERSONAL representative of the undersigned with a copy gust 27, 2015. Claims known heirs and heirs REPRESENTATIVE estate of Rudolph A. to the Register of Wills or against the decedent whose whereabouts are AND Taylor, who died on filed with the Register of shall be presented to the unknown shall enter their NOTICE TO December 16, 2014 with- Wills with a copy to the undersigned with a copy a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s undersigned, on or beCREDITORS out a will, and will serve to the Register of Wills or proceeding. Objections Mary E Jennings whose without Court supervi- fore August 20, 2015, or filed with the Register of to such appointment be forever barred.

Peraddress is 1300 Nalley sion. All unknown heirs shall be filed with the Wills with a copy to the Terrace, Hyattsville, a n d h e i r s w h o s e sons believed to be heirs undersigned, on or be- Register of Wills, D.C., or legatees of the deMaryland 20785 was apwhereabouts are unfore August 27, 2015, or 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd cedent who do not repointed personal repreknown shall enter their be forever barred. Per- Floor Washington, D.C. ceive a copy of this notice sentative of the estate of appearance in this 20001, on or before Ausons believed to be heirs Gordon Watt Jennings , proceeding. Objections by mail within 25 days of gust 27, 2015.

Claims or legatees of the dedeceased by the Circuit to such appointment its first publication shall against the decedent cedent who do not reCourt for Halifax County, shall be filed with the so inform the Register of ceive a copy of this notice shall be presented to the Wills, including name, State of Common Wealth Register of Wills, D.C., by mail within 25 days of undersigned with a copy address and relationof Virginia on January 10, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd to the Register of Wills or its first publication shall 2014, Floor Washington, D.C. ship. filed with the Register of so inform the Register of Service of process may 20001, on or before Au- Date of Publication: Wills with a copy to the Wills, including name, be made upon Manuel gust 20, 2015. Claims February 20, 2015 undersigned, on or beaddress and relationGeraldo , Esquire, 1316 against the decedent Name of newspaper: fore August 27, 2015, or ship.

Afro-American Pennsylvania Avenue, shall be presented to the be forever barred. PerDate of Publication: Washington SE, Capitol Hill, undersigned with a copy sons believed to be heirs February 27, 2015 Washington, DC 20003 to the Register of Wills or Law Reporter or legatees of the deName of newspaper: Valorie Zanders whose designation as filed with the Register of cedent who do not reAfro-American Personal District of Columbia Wills with a copy to the ceive a copy of this notice Washington Representative agent has been filed with undersigned, on or beby mail within 25 days of Law Reporter the Register of Wills, fore August 20, 2015, or Mildred Rogers-Wright its first publication shall TRUE TEST COPY D.C. be forever barred. Perso inform the Register of Personal The decedent owned the sons believed to be heirs REGISTER OF WILLS Representative Wills, including name, following District of

ited, CALL TODAY!!

Call 1-855-721-6332 x 6 or email wsmith@ mddcpress.com or visit our website at www. mddcpress.com

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

INSERTION DATE:_________________

WASHINGTON AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER

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AFRO. COM

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM85 L a S h a w n Te r e s e Childs 5401 Hunt Pl NE Washington, DC 20019 Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Maurice E. Childs, whose address is 4317 57th Avenue, Bladensburg, MD 20710, was appointed personal representative of the estate of LaShawn Terese Childs, who died on December 19, 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 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 August 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 August 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: February 27, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Maurice E. Childs Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 02/27, 03/06, 03/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM157 Henrietta V. Parker AKA Henrietta Vivian Parker 221 Missouri Ave. NW Washington, DC 20011 Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Henry E. Parker Jr. , whose address is 221 M i s s o u r i Av e , N W, Washington, DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Henrietta V. Parker aka Henrietta Vivian Parker, who died on December 30, 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 August 27, 2015. Claims

Sharon M. GraysonKelsey 3034 Mitchellville RD. Bowie, MD 20716 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Joeseph Francis Tilg15:51:40 EST address 2015 is hman, whose 1002 Donnington Court, Bowie, MD 20721 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Cloastellie Tilghman, AKA Cloastellie M. Tilghman AKA Cloastellie S. Tilghman who died on September 7, 2013 with a will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 6, 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 6, 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Joseph Francis Tilghman Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Mar 03 03/06, 03/13,Tue 03/20/15 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM162 Lester Nathaniel Crockett AKA Lester Nathaniel Crockett Sr. Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, 15:51:09 EST 2015 NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Cheryl Leslie Crockett, whose address is 124 Ing r a h a m S t , N W, Washington, DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Lester Nathaniel Crockett AKA Lester Nathaniel Crockett, Sr., who died on October 11, 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 Sepetmber 6, 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 6, 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,

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 03 03/06, 03/13, 03/20/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1186 Eunice Marie Minor Decedent Peggy A. Miller, Esq 5130-7th St. NE Washington, DC 20011 Attorney 16:56:36 EST 2015 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Diamond McGee, whose address is 4552 Kinmount Road, Lanham, MD 20706 was appointed personal representativ of the estate of Eunice Marie Minor, who died on October 3, 2009 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

20001, on or before September 6 ,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 Septemeber 6, 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Diamond McGee Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 03

03/06, 03/13, 03/20/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM160 Mary M. Miller Decedent Elise A. Joyner 1730 Rhode Island Ave. NW Washington, DC 20036 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Martha M Robison, whose address is 10607 SW 71st St, Gainesville, FL 32608EST was appointed 16:57:02 2015 personal representative of the estate of Mary M. Miller, who died on August 6, 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 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 September 6, 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 6, 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Martha M. Robinson Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 03/06, 03/13, 03/20/15

SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS...

this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

0 In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decen16:59:00 EST 2015 LEGAL NOTICES dent died intestate 0 Appoint an unsupervised personal representative 0 appont a disinterested member of the DC Bar as personal representative Register of Wills Clerk of the Probate Division Date of First Publication March 6, 2015 Names of Newspapers: Washington Law Reporter Washington AFRO-AMERICAN Joel R. Davidson 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE No 288 Washington, DC 20003 Signature of Petitioners/Attorney TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 10:31:15 EST 2015 03/06, 03/13/2015

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

TYPESET: Tue Mar 03 16:58:06 2015 LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Mar 03 LEGALEST NOTICES Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM176 Winston O. James Decedent Tina Smith Nelson 601 E Street NW Washington, DC 20049 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS 16:57:22 EST 2015 Patricia Ward, whose address is 763 Grescham Place, NW, DC 20001 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Winston O. James, who died on September 9, 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 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 Sepetember 6, 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 6, 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Patricia Ward Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM166 Mary Cooper Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Barbara Ann Boyd , whose address 526 Nicholson Street, NE, Washington DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Mary Cooper, who died on September 8, 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 6, 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 6, 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Barbara Ann Boyd Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Mar 03 03/06, 03/13, TYPESET: Tue Mar 03 16:58:33 EST 03/20/15 2015 03/06, 03/13, 03/20/15 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2014FEP95 Date of Death September 8, 2009 Susie Weader Colbert Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Benita Colbert whose ad16:57:40 2015 dress is EST 5529 Cardiff C o u r t , H e n r i c o , VA 23227 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Susie Weader Colbert, deceased by the Circuit Court for Henrico County, State of Virginia., on February 19, 2010, , Service of process may be made upon Christopher Hauser 8 0 0 1 1 4 t h S T, N W, Washington DC 20018 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Colombia real property: 4/5 interest in 1269 Owen Place, NE, Washington, DC 20002 (square 4060 lot 201) Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, 500 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. (Strike preceding sentence if no real estate.)

Benita Colbert Personal Representative(s) TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: March 6, 2015 Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American 03/06, 03/13, 03/20/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM172 Michael A Greene Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Shirley A. Deyo, whose address is 6652 High Valley Lane, Alexandria, VA 22315 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Michael A. Greene, who died on January 14, 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 September 6, 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 6, 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Shirley A. Deyo Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

‘Focus’

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM214 Dorothy E White AKA Dorothy White Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sheila C. White, whose address is 615 L. Street, N E , Wa s h i n g t o n , D C 20002 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Dorothy E White, AKA Dorothy White who died on October 11, 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 6, 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 6, 2015, 16:59:21 EST 2015or 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Sheila C. White Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 03/06, 03/13, 03/20/15

TYPESET: Mar 03 16:59:40 EST 2015 03/06, 03/13,Tue 03/20/15 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM205 Estate of Harriett Rattler Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Joel R. Davidson for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

0 In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decendent died intestate 0 Appoint an unsupervised personal representative 0 appont a disinterested member of the DC Bar as personal representative

B7

Film Review

To Subscribe to the AFRO Call 202-332-0080

Jennifer M LeBeau Personal Representative(s) TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: February 20, 2015 Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American TYPESET: Tue Feb 24 02/20, 02/27, 3/6/15

cedent 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 6, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed be heirs or LEGALtoNOTICES 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 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Cheryl Leslie Crockett Personal Representative

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

December 30, 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 TYPESET: Mon Feb 16 17:21:44 EST 2015 toLEGAL the probate of deLEGAL NOTICES NOTICES cedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of SUPERIOR COURT OF Wills, D.C., 515 5th THE DISTRICT OF Street, N.W., 3rd Floor COLUMBIA Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .

PROBATE DIVISION 20001, on or before AuWashington, D.C. gust 27, 2015. Claims 20001-2131 against the decedent Foreign No. shall be presented to the 2015FEP8 undersigned with a copy Date of Death to the Register of Wills or March 18, 2014 filed with the Register of Bernard A LeBeau Wills with a copy to the Decedent undersigned, on or beNOTICE OF fore August 27, 2015, or APPOINTMENT be forever barred. PerOF FOREIGN sons believed to be heirs PERSONAL or legatees of the deREPRESENTATIVE cedent who do not reAND ceive a copy of this notice NOTICE TO by mail within 25 days of CREDITORS its first publication shall J e n n i f e r M L e B e a u so inform the Register of whose address is 264 Wills, including name, Amherst Road, Pelham, address and relationMA 01002-9714 was ap- ship. pointed personal repre- Date of Publication: sentative of the estate of February 27, 2015 Bernard A LeBeau , de- Name of newspaper: ceased by the Probate Afro-American and Family Court for Washington Hampshire County, State Law Reporter of Massachusetts, on Henry E. Parker Jr April 3, 2014.

Personal Service of process may Representative be made upon David Booths Beers, Goodwin TRUE TEST COPY Procter LLP , 901 NY REGISTER OF WILLS Avenue NW, Ste 9E, TYPESET: Tue Mar 03 Washington, DC 20001 02/27, 03/6, 03/13/15 whose designation as District of Columbia Superior Court of agent has been filed with the District of the Register of Wills, District of Columbia D.C. PROBATE DIVISION Claims against the deWashington, D.C. cedent may be pre20001-2131 sented to the underAdministration No. signed and filed with the 2014ADM215 Register of Wills for the Cloastellie Tilghman District of Columbia, AKA Building A, 515 5th Cloastellie M. Street, NW, 3rd Floor, Tilghman Washington, DC 20001 AKA within 6 months from the Cloastellie S. date of first publication of Tilghman this notice.

Decedent

Con Man Matches Wits with Former Protégé in Cat-and-Mouse Crime Caper

Will Smith and Jess Barrett star in ‘Focus.’

By Kam Williams Special to the AFRO

Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie) is an aspiring con artist who picked the worst guy to steal a wallet from when she settled on Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith). She had no reason to suspect that he was a third generation flimflam man descended from a grandfather who ran a crooked poker game in Harlem back in the day.

Nicky was more curious than infatuated when he accepted the seductive stranger’s invite up to her hotel room after sharing drinks at a bar in midtown Manhattan. So, he was ready when an accomplice (Griff Furst) posing as her berserk husband burst in brandishing a fake gun.

Rather than hand over his wallet, Nicky calmly laughs and schools the two in the flaws of their little shakedown, such as not waiting until he was naked to try to rob him. Jess is so impressed that she not only confesses, but begs him to take her on as a protégé, giving him a hard luck story about having been a dyslexic foster kid.

Nicky agrees to show her the ropes, and even invites her to join his team of hustlers about to descend on New Orleans where they plan to pickpocket plenty of unsuspecting tourists.

They’re also set to hatch an elaborate plan to fleece a wealthy compulsive gambler (BD Wong) of over a million dollars.

Though Jess proves to be a fast learner and the plot is executed without a hitch, Nicky is reluctant to include her in his next operation after they become romantically involved.

Instead, he moves on alone to Argentina, where he hopes to bilk a racing car mogul (Rodrigo Santoro) of a small fortune.

The plot thickens when Jess is already draped on the arm of the playboy billionaire by the time Nicky arrives in Buenos Aires. Is she in love with the handsome Garriga or simply staging her own swindle? Will she expose Nicky as a fraud or might she be willing to join forces with her former mentor?

Co-directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love), Focus is an overplotted, cat-and-mouse caper which ostensibly takes its clues from the cleverly-concealed classic House of Games (1987). But where that multi-layered mystery was perfectly plausible, this frustrating homage unnecessarily ventures from the sublime to the ridiculous, thereby sabotaging any chance that its promising premise might be played out in serious fashion.

Nevertheless, co-stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie generate enough chemistry to steam up the screen and make the farfetched romantic romp just worth the watch, provided eye candy alone can do for you in lieu of credulity.

Good (2 stars) Rated R for profanity, sexuality and brief violence Running time: 104 minutes Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures To see a trailer for Focus, visit: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6vY9UPiI4eQ

B8

The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

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