Washington Afro American Newspaper February 7 2015 by AFRO News

www.afro.com

Volume 123 No. 27

FEBRUARY 7, 2015 - FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Civil Rights Leaders Upset Over Non-Voting Rights Act Hearing

AFRO Series–Part Four

Is Digital Redlining Causing Internet Caste System? By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent As the digital revolution continues to evolve, the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” continues to persist in what former Secretary of State Colin Powell coined a “digital morguefile

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apartheid.” The Internet and broadband connectivity has become the backbone of society. Commerce, political engagement, health care, communication—such as making free international calls via Internet, education, job applications, company promotion, news and much more are all moving to the online information superhighway. But while some are on the fast lane, too many are forced to traverse by foot and donkey-cart speeds. And, that connectivity divide—usually among poor, rural and Black and Brown communities, who have zero or merely subpar access to the marvels of digital technology and the Internet— can create permanently marginalized individuals who lack the skills and tools to navigate successfully in an Continued on A7

By James Wright Special to the AFRO Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sparked controversy on Jan. 14 saying that, “The Voting Rights Amendment Act” – which would restore the preclearance requirement by the Justice Department for states mainly in the South – “is not necessary.” He has decided not to hold a hearing on the bill that would restore key wikipedia.org elements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and this has President Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. at the signing of the Voting Rights Act on outraged African-American Aug. 6, 1965. and civil rights leaders. bipartisan work of Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Jim Goodlatte said the watered Clyburn (D-S.C.). If this is indeed the position of the entire down Voting Rights Act (VRA) that is presently in effect protects voters from discrimination but Rep. George Butterfield Republican Conference, then they have clearly drawn a line in the sand – one in which they are on the wrong side of.” (D-N.C.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by disagrees. “I am deeply troubled that Goodlatte doesn’t think President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat. It has been renewed it is necessary to restore the Voting Rights Act,” Butterfield Continued on A6 said. “We began this Congress very hopeful to build upon the

Black Millennials Encouraged to Get Health Insurance By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO Like many African-American college graduates living in the District, Keysa Towns has experienced the highs and lows of living outside of a dependency on her parents. Aside from escalating living costs – her Northwest apartment building was sold and subsequent leasing expenses almost tripled –Towns’ non-profit employer eliminated health insurance from its listed benefits. That decision placed Towns among the millions of American millennials – roughly 1 in 5 between the ages of 18 and 34 – without health insurance. Despite understanding the need for health care insurance, many African-American millennials believe they cannot afford the cost. “I have been in pretty good health, but understand that some health conditions that surface in a person’s forties, take root in their twenties. I want to be proactive about my health, but have

found it easier to take advantage of free mobile health units, or the new clinics inside CVS stores,” Towns said. Towns is correct in noting that young African Americans suffer disproportionately from poor health outcomes including chronic illnesses and

while patients ages 18 to 34 are typically healthy, they tend to fall ill when they least expect it. “As someone who has cared for patients in the hospital, conducted research in the laboratory, and built public health programs in the community,

“I was happy living with the bare necessities… I understand now that health insurance is a necessity like food because without it, you really are screwed.” – Jerome Pettigrew

the lack of health insurance contributes greatly to these health disparities. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said, in a conference call panel for the Jan. 29 National Youth Enrollment Day, that

I can help forge partnerships between these worlds and build bridges between young and older generations to address the biggest health care challenges that Continued on A4

Bowser Campaigns for Todd, May

Laura Murphy Fêted for Extraordinary Service at ACLU By James Wright Special to the AFRO

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Laura W. Murphy, a nationally-known and respected civil rights and civil liberties leader, has decided to step down as the leader of the ACLU’s Washington office after 17 years of leadership and activism. She was thanked

for her service by some of the most powerful people on Capitol Hill. Fifty people crammed into the Mansfield Room on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 2 to sing the praises of Murphy for her work. Anthony Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, said that Murphy made a difference in the lives

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of all Americans. “When you look at such issues as the sentencing discrepancies on crack versus powder cocaine and on campaign finance reform, you will see Laura Murphy’s fingerprints,” Romero said. “She is known for her skill to work across the aisle, whether it is Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) or Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.).” Murphy is the daughter of the late Judge William Murphy and Madeline Murphy, prominent fixtures in Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood. She is a descendant of AFRO founder John H. Murphy Sr., and is on the newspaper company’s

By James Wright Special to the AFRO

twitter.com

Laura Murphy has decided to step down as the leader of the ACLU’s Washington office. board of directors. As a teenager, Murphy

Continued on A10

The April 28 special election to fill the D.C. Council member positions in Wards 4 and 8 has a number of candidates but the District mayor is out working for the candidates she supports. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has endorsed former council staffer Brandon Todd and former Ward 8 2014 campaign coordinator LaRuby May for the Ward 4 and 8 positions Continued on A10

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

NATION & WORLD

first I thought somebody dropped a box of light bulbs, but the noise was so loud.” Officials found Esdaile’s body near a .38 caliber handgun. Paramedics rushed Sy to Bellevue Hospital, where he was declared dead a short time later. Esdaile worked with Sy in the lighting department and was recently fired by him, police said. Esdaile’s father expressed regret over his son’s actions. “If it’s him, I’m sorry about this thing, and I’m sorry someone has to die by his hand,” Calvin Esdaile Sr. told NewsOne. Esdaile moved to Brooklyn from Jamaica in 2006, the newspaper reported, and leaves behind a six-year-old son. “We’re deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Home Depot representatives said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with the authorities on their investigation of what appears to have been an isolated incident.”

Florida: Marissa Alexander Finally Released from Prison

A Florida woman who faced as many as 60 years in jail for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband was released from

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Baltimore Office • Corporate Headquarters 2519 N. Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4602 410-554-8200 • Fax: 1-877-570-9297 www.afro.com Founded by John Henry Murphy Sr., August 13, 1892 Washington Publisher Emerita - Frances L. Murphy II Chairman of the Board/Publisher - John J. Oliver, Jr. President - Benjamin M. Phillips IV Executive Assistant - Sallie Brown - 410-554-8222 Receptionist - Wanda Pearson - 410-554-8200 Director of Advertising Lenora Howze - 410-554-8271 - lhowze@afro.com Baltimore Advertising Manager Robert Blount - 410-554-8246 - rblount@afro.com Director of Finance - Jack Leister - 410-554-8242 Archivist - Ja-Zette Marshburn - 410-554-8265 Director, Community & Public Relations Diane W. Hocker - 410-554-8243 Editorial Editor - Dorothy Boulware News Editor - Gregory Dale Washington D.C. Editor - LaTrina Antoine Production Department - 410-554-8288 Baltimore Circulation/Distribution Manager Sammy Graham - 410-554-8266

Washington Office 1917 Benning Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002-4723 202-332-0080 • Fax: 1-877-570-9297 General Manager Washington Circulation/Distribution Manager Edgar Brookins - 202-332-0080, ext. 106 Director of Advertising Lenora Howze - ext. 119 - lhowze@afro.com Business Solutions Consultant Elaine Fuller - ext. 115 - efuller@afro.com Advertising Account Executive Vetta Ridgeway - ext. 1104 - vridgeway@afro.com Office Administrator - Mia Hayes-Hawkins - ext. 100

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Photo courtesy of justiceformarissa.blogspot.com

Marissa Alexander will serve two years of house arrest and wear an ankle monitor. prison Jan. 27 after accepting a plea deal. Marissa Alexander, 34, agreed to a deal which would limit her time in prison to the three years she had already served as her case made its way through the court system, Reuters reported. Under the deal, Alexander will serve two years of house arrest and wear an ankle monitor. Alexander pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault for firing a shot in the direction of her estranged husband, Rico Gray, during a 2010 argument, according to Jacksonville, Fla. television station WJXT. Alexander was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012, but that conviction was later overturned, Reuters reported. In the retrial, District Attorney Angela Corey—who also prosecuted George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin—threatened to jail Alexander for up to 60 years, leading Alexander to accept the plea deal in November. “I look forward to the full-time challenge of getting my two teenagers through high school and into college, as well we preparing my 4-year-old daughter for nursery school,” Alexander said in a prepared statement after leaving the courthouse. “My goal is to continue my education beyond my master’s degree and to continue my professional career,” she added. “Also, I will continue to learn lessons from the events of the past, but I will not live in the past. At the age of 34, life is too short and there’s too much I have to accomplish in the years ahead. It’s my hope and prayer that everyone associated with this case will be able to move on with their lives.”

Home Depot Employee Kills Supervisor, Self in Manhattan Store

A Home Depot employee fatally shot his supervisor at the hardware chain’s Manhattan store Jan. 25 before taking his own life. Calvin Esdaile Jr. allegedly shot supervisor Moctar Sy several times in the chest and stomach before shooting himself in the head, according to the New York Daily News. The shooting occurred at the Home Depot store in Manhattan’s Flatiron Facebook photo. Moctar Sy was identified by a District. “Just as I turned the co-worker as the victim. corner I hear boom, boom, boom and boom,” Howard Mash, 65, told the Daily News. “At

Clergy Oppose Fla. Police Use of Black Mug Shots for Target Practice

Twitter photo.

The Miami Beach Police Department recently used mug shots of African-American men for target practice.

Clergy members across the country are adding their voice to national outrage over the North Miami Beach Police Department’s use of mugshots of African American men for target practice. Predominantly White clergy from various denominations took to social media with the hashtag #UseMeInstead, an effort to urge the North Miami Beach Police Department to use their photos instead, and to respond to the systematic problem of racism. The social media movement was created on the Facebook page of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America after several clergy members used the platform to express their disapproval with the police department’s use of Black images for target practice. The news was made public by National Guard Sgt. Valerie Deant, whose brother’s picture was among those fired upon by officers during training. North Miami Beach Police Department Chief J. Scott Dennis publicly denied allegations of racial profiling, according to Miami PBS station WLRN, and said the department had previously used mugshots of White and Hispanic individuals. Dennis apologized to residents in Washington Park, Fla. and said the department has ended the use of mugshots in target practice. One of the pastors who discussed the issue on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Facebook page, Rev. Joy M. Gonnerman, told the Washington Post that the effort to send their pictures to the police department was “motivated by our service to Christ and his call to love our neighbors.” “It’s such a desensitization thing, that if you start aiming at young Black men, and told to put a bullet in them, you become desensitized,” Gonnerman said to the Post. “Maybe, to change the picture, it’s you know what, dare ya, shoot a clergy person.” Despite the department ending the practice, participants in the #UseMeInstead campaign plan on sending their 8-by-10 photos to the North Miami Beach Police Department.

This project will be designed and constructed utilizing sustainable building concepts to obtain a minimum of a LEED Gold Certification.

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

HEALTH

Congenital Heart Defects Top the List

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO

hile congenital heart defects are common, particularly among African Americans, awareness of its causes, treatments, and efforts of prevention, remain relatively low. Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, February 7 – 14, offers an opportunity to raise awareness of both the nation’s numberone birth defect – affecting approximately one in every 125 babies every year – as well as bring attention to ongoing medical and scientific breakthroughs designed to decrease the numbers impacted by various heart defects. Congenital heart defects – those present at birth – are not only preventable, but are further complicated by a lack of routine testing among pregnant women and low rates of newborn screenings. Undetected, conditions that include damage to the heart’s chambers, valves, or blood vessels become life threatening. According to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2012 Update, heart defects continue to be the greatest source of infant deaths related to birth defects. Racial disparities continue to impact survival rates with infant mortality from congenital heart disease highest among African Americans. And while some heart defects

carry a genetic link, others are largely influenced by environmental factors such as maternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal obesity, exposure to certain air pollutants, solvents and pesticides, low levels of maternal folic acid ingestion during pregnancy, and poorly controlled pre-pregnancy and gestational maternal diabetes. In 2014, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific statement on the diagnosis and treatment of fetal cardiac disease. Written by a team of cardiac and obstetrical experts with lead author, Mary T. Donofrio, MD, Director of the Fetal Heart Program and Medical Director of the Critical Care Delivery Program for the Fetal Medicine Institute at Children’s National Health System, the statement outlined guidelines for diagnosing and treating fetal cardiovascular problems. “The goal of the fetal cardiologist has now become to understand the fetus as a patient, knowing that the fetal circulation is different from the postnatal circulation that CHD may progress in utero, and that cardiac function and stability of the cardiovascular system play important roles in fetal wellness,” Donofrio wrote. Fetal wellness assessments that technologically have been proven reasonable and safe, include kick counts and non-stress testing beginning in the third trimester. While some congenital heart defects can be found before birth; others are determined after birth with babies

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showing bluish tinted nails or lips or having trouble breathing. Certain hospitals screen all babies soon after birth using pulse oximetry screening – which tests the amount of oxygen in the blood and pulse rate. However, pulse oximetry screening is not required in most states. Other heart defects might have no signs at birth and are not found until later in life, during childhood or even adulthood. Sometimes called a hole in the heart, this defect — the most common congenital heart defect — occurs when the muscular wall (septum) separating the bottom chambers of the heart (right and left ventricles) doesn’t fully form. The hole allows oxygenrich blood to leak from the left ventricle into the right ventricle, instead of moving into the aorta and on to the body. In the right ventricle, the oxygen-rich blood mixes with blood that does not have enough oxygen in it. As medical care and treatments have advanced, infants with heart defects are living longer and healthier into adulthood. Roughly 1.3 million adults in the United States are living with a congenital heart defect.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Congenital Heart Defects In Children

Severe heart disease generally becomes evident during the first few months after birth. Some babies are blue or have very low blood pressure shortly after birth. Other defects cause breathing difficulties, feeding problems, or poor weight gain. Minor defects are most often diagnosed on a routine medical check-up. Minor defects rarely cause symptoms. While most heart murmurs in children are normal, some may be due to defects. If the heart problem is significant, the child’s pediatrician will likely refer the child to a pediatric cardiologist. Pediatric cardiologists are trained to diagnose and treat heart problems in infants, children, and young adults. They have the training and equipment to find out what tests and treatments the child will need, and how often the child will need heart checkups in the future.

In Adults

For pregnant women, the American Heart Association recommends maintaining a healthy pregnancy weight, monitoring and measuring diabetes, and taking prescribed prenatal vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid. For adults who believe they may have a heart defect, it is important to visit a cardiologists who can evaluate their medical history and perform a physical exam. Physicians may also order an electrocardiogram (called an EKG or ECG), chest X-ray, or an echocardiogram (ultrasound movie of the heart). A ventricular septal defect can lead to heart failure, high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), infection of the heart (endocarditis), irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), and delayed growth. Small holes may heal on their own or cause no symptoms. Larger holes may require surgery to stitch the hole closed or to cover the hole with a patch. For more information about congenital heart defects, visit the American Heart Association website at www.heart. org

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

Howard University Hospital Partners with Paladin to Operate United Medical Center By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO When Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick announced he signed a “letter of intent” (LOI) to enter a collaborative agreement with the District of Columbia and Paladin Healthcare Capital LLC, to transform the United Medical Center (UMC), Southeast- resident Diane Teal, breathed a sigh of relief. After years of watching the financially strapped healthcare provider teeter on the brink of collapse, Teal began to reimagine the hospital as a beacon for those east of the river. In previous years, Dr. Pierre Vigilance, former director of the D.C. Department of Health, applauded similar collaborations between UMC and the Children’s National Medical Center – bartered by Councilman David Catania and Children’s Hospital executive Jacqueline Bowens – that created a satellite emergency facility with UMC that specifically addressed children’s health care needs. The goal then, as now, was to forge alliances that provided optimum health care access to District residents cut off from quality services through what Vigilance described as location disparities. The big question now, according to Teal, is can these alliances, after years of mismanagement and neglect and a reputation among those in Ward 8 as a “facility of last resort,” finally make UMC a viable option for Southeast residents. “UMC has been handled like a step-child among hospitals the same way as the schools in Ward 8. There is such a stigma of living in Southeast that simple city services like schools and hospitals, or quality of life needs, like a decent grocery store begin and end with conversations about crime and poverty,” Teal said. “As a homeowner and taxpayer, I worry that those who cannot access better outside of the neighborhood will

flickr.com

Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick announced he signed a “letter of intent” to transform the United Medical Center (UMC). continue to suffer within it.” Teal said both she and her family members have used UMC in the past in cases of emergency – she has a grandson with chronic asthma who has been treated there several years ago – but that the dilapidated facility, filthy common areas, and understaffed health team, kept her from embracing the services as adequate. “I remember hearing a school administrator talk about the renovation of all of these D.C. public schools because the buildings themselves reinforced the value the city placed on the kids and their education. What does a filthy hospital say about the people expected to utilize it and work in it? Most of us would love to see the same type of enthusiasm for tearing down UMC completely and building a new state of the art campus,” Teal said.

According to Frederick, who was joined by then-Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Paladin President Joel Freedman, and UMC Board Chairman Bishop Charles M. Hudson Jr. at the December signing, integrating the Howard and UMC systems operational and financial management issues, will be instrumental in securing a better quality health facility for residents of Wards 7 and 8. “The opportunity to join partners and find a solution within an integrated healthcare system framework is key. We are an academic medical center with a mission focused on highquality education and high-quality care for those who otherwise wouldn’t receive such care. We have an opportunity to leverage our medical staff,” Frederick said. Under the collaboration, Howard would utilize its physicians to bring comprehensive, integrated health care to the citizens east of the river. The California-based Paladin Healthcare Capital and Howard University would acquire the operating assets UMC and lease the hospital from the District. “The long-term success of UMC ultimately requires the hospital to enter into meaningful collaborations that facilitate the expansion of the hospital’s physician base, clinical portfolio, and market share. This collaborative agreement aligns with the plan and strategic direction that I envisioned for UMC to become financially sustainable and a premier center for health care,” Gray said. Ironically, it is the precisely these collaborations between the District and outside management contractors that concern Teal and other Ward 8 residents, like Robert Shirley. “No one is naïve about the business of healthcare and the mergers and collaborations that become necessary to stay financially stable, but with so many people at the table working from outside the city, as well as outside of the community they are supposed to serve, we have to advocate for bona fide quality health care for residents beyond what looks good on paper,” Shirley said.

First Baptist Hall of Fame

Family of Woman Killed on D.C. Metro Train Files $50 Million Lawsuit Against Transit Authority By Linda Poulson Special to the AFRO (Feb. 1, 2015) The sons of a woman who died of smoke inhalation in an accident on a Yellow Line Metro train filed a $50 million lawsuit on Jan. 30 against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Carol I. Glover, 61, died Jan. 12 when a train bearing her and hundreds of other passengers encountered heavy smoke near the L’Enfant Plaza station. Glover, who suffered from asthma, was overcome when smoke filled her train car and could not be revived despite the efforts of fellow passengers. 80 others were hospitalized. Marcus W. Glover and Anthony R. Glover II were joined at press conference announcing the lawsuit by their attorney, Patrick Regan of Regan, Zambri & Long PLLC in Northwest D.C. “This is a very important day, we want to make sure this will never happen again,”

Marcus Glover said. “We want to seek justice for our family, but for everyone in this city – we are not bitter, we seek justice.” “My family has been devastated by this tragedy,” Anthony Glover said. “We are completely and utterly devastated by the loss of my mother.” Anthony Glover said he remained in close contact with his mother during his service in the Marine Corps and through three deployments in Iraq. Hundreds attended a Jan. 19 memorial service for Glover at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Northeast D.C. She was a Washington, D.C. native and resided in Alexandria, Va. at the time of her death. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident; completion of a final report is expected to take several months. According to The Washington Post, a preliminary report found that an “electrical arcing incident”

caused smoke to fill the tunnel. The 10-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. cites negligence on the part of Metro responders in following safety measures and evacuating the stricken train in a timely manner. “As a direct and proximate result of Defendant WMATA’s negligence, Ms. Glover was trapped, helpless, in Train 302 for nearly forty-five minutes as it filled with smoke,” the lawsuit states, “during this time she fought, ever more agonizingly, to breathe as the smoke gradually sapped the life from her body.” “She was a fabulous type of woman, Carol was; as a mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and citizen,” Regan told the AFRO following the press conference. “She was fantastic.” “I had asked her sons to do the press conference on what was lost in this senseless tragedy on Jan. 12,” he added. “Carol had three

millennials,” Murthy said. In 2011, roughly

30 percent of African Americans age 19 to 25

Awardees, Bottom row: Trustee Dr. Linda Smallwood, Annie Ford Hawthorne, Deaconess Helen Tate, Deaconess Easter Harris, First Lady Brenda Tucker. Top row: Trustee Charles Daniel, Trustee Maurice Washington, Eleanor Younger, Deacon Leroy Bagley, Sr., Deaconess Naomi Rembert, Deacon Reginald Hardman.

In recognition of the 151st Anniversary of First Baptist Church of Randolph Street, Rev. Dr. Frank D. Tucker (far right top row) recently presented the First Annual Hall of Fame Service Awards to distinguished, long-time church members, honoring them for their contributions to the Northwest Washington church and the Petworth community.

Photo on right: Senior Pastor Tucker presents Hall of Fame Medal to Helen Tate. Not pictured: Allene Eatmon; Posthumous Awardees: Patricia Bagley, Ella Bolden, George W. Carter, Ida Clark, Otis Lawrence, Nellie Moxley, Ralph Parker, Sr., Ralph Peters, Jr., Fred Wilson

grandchildren, one on the way and that was the purpose. The family is not greedy or vindictive but they want to

make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else on this subway system.” “Metro should have

evacuated the passengers off that subway train long before anyone was injured or killed,” Regan said.

visited an emergency room, at astronomical costs to them and supporting the alarming use of emergency rooms as the site of primary health consultation. Through ER visits, millennials are receiving diagnoses for preventable conditions as they reach chronic stages. In addition to complicating treatment, late diagnoses through emergency room visits are expensive. Landing headfirst and helmet-less into a parked vehicle when falling from his bicycle was Jerome Pettigrew’s wake-up call for purchasing health insurance. While the accident left him dazed but otherwise in good health, the emergency room bill created financial problems far beyond his imagination. “The ambulance bill was more than a thousand dollars and the intake process – checking my blood pressure and temperature – was more than $400. Then there were bills for x-rays and monitoring my heart

overnight, plus a onenight stay in the hospital. When combined the accident bill was more than $30,000.” Pettigrew said. “That was more than my entire college tuition for four years.” A stock person for Young Invincibles and Enroll a local department America hosted dozens of store, Pettigrew said events leading up to National he was ineligible for Youth Enrollment Day. insurance through his employer because of the limited number of hours of events leading up to he worked. The accident, National Youth Enrollment however, put things into Day, including a Howard perspective for him. “I was County enrollment fair happy living with the bare and panel with the Howard necessities – three roommates, County African-American a bike instead of a car, and Community Roundtable. just enough hours of work to The community roundtable pay student loans and eat. I will host a second health care understand now that health and health insurance literacy insurance is a necessity like seminar on Feb. 10. For food because without it, you more information, visit their really are screwed,” Pettigrew website at www.aacr-howard. said. org Young Invincibles and The last day of Open Enroll America hosted dozens Enrollment is Feb. 15.

Black Millenials

Continued from A1

face our nation. That’s why coverage is so important for

In recognition of Black History Month, Baltimore invites visitors to discover the city’s deep-rooted African-American story on the Legends & Legacies Heritage Bus Tour. Visit the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, and the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum. Enjoy a personal tour guide, appearances by period actors, a special “shoe box lunch,” giveaways and more. To reserve your space on Baltimore’s Legends & Legacies Heritage Bus Tour call 410-244-8861 or visit baltimore.org.

FEBRUARY 21 & 28, 2015 | Tickets: $25/per person Reserve your space today, call 410-244-8861 or visit baltimore.org.

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

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

July 5, 2014 - July 5, 2014, The Afro-American

Deltas Show Support for ‘Soror’ Lynch By James Wright Special to the AFRO When Attorney General-designate Loretta Lynch testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 28 for the first of her confirmation hearings to be the nation’s first Black female chief law enforcement officer, there were a large number of AfricanAmerican women dressed in crimson and cream to back her. Members of Delta Sigma Theta, which is the largest African-American Greek-lettered organization founded at an institution of higher learning, wanted the senators to understand that they wanted their sorority sister, Lynch, to be the next attorney general. President Obama nominated Lynch on Nov. 8, 2014 to replace Eric Holder, the first Black attorney general who is stepping down. Thelma Daley, a former national president, said that Delta’s support of Lynch is unwavering. “She is a very qualified, exceptionally

experienced person for the job that the president nominated her for,” Daley said to the AFRO. “We wanted to be there for her as a body not just because she is a Delta, but because she is the right person for the position. Daley said that during the confirmation hearing, it seemed at times that Obama and Holder were the ones “on trial as opposed to Lynch.” “The Republicans seemed to be negative while the Democrats were positive,” she said. “The Republicans asked her tough questions and she responded smoothly and with style. She was so polite to them that it looked like some of them were galled by that.” Daley, who is the vice president for the National Council of Negro Women and heads the women’s division of the NAACP, said that the Republicans tried to undue Lynch and get her upset “but they couldn’t do it.” Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) donned crimson and cream to support Lynch as well. Fudge is a national past president of the sorority.

Fudge, the past chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, AP Photo praised Lynch’s Women of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority in the Senate hearing room selection as they show support for their fellow sorority sister, Attorney General last year and nominee Loretta Lynch (second from left). urged the Senate to as secretary of the Department of Housing confirm her swiftly. Beatty tweeted “it was and Urban Development in the Carter great to speak with Loretta Lynch before her Administration and Alexis Herman, the first hearing today. Good luck.” Black to lead the Department of Labor during Lynch started a sorority chapter at Harvard the Clinton Administration, were also Deltas. University in 1980. Daley said that when Herman’s nomination Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) is also a Delta. was being considered, they used the same Past members of the sorority who served in tactic of attending the hearings to show the Congress include House members Shirley support. Chisholm (1969-1983) and Barbara Jordan Lynch is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern (1973-1979) and former Sen. Carol MoseleyDistrict of New York and is credited for Braun (1993-1999). successfully prosecuting tough cases in Patricia Roberts Harris, the first Black homeland security and terrorism as well as the woman appointed to a presidential cabinet misconduct of public officials.

Civil Rights Leaders

Continued from A1

with amendments by Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush – all Republicans. However, the Supreme Court gutted Section 4B and 5 of the VRA that required states and local jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination in voting to approve election law and practices with the Justice Department. The court’s conservative majority said the VRA was outdated and that Congress should update it to reflect the changes that have taken place. Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, also disagrees with Goodlatte’s decision. “Chairman Goodlatte has paid no attention to the rampant voting discrimination still happening throughout the country, most recently in the 2014 midterm elections,” Henderson said. “The now-weakened [VRA] lacks the ability to protect voters from discrimination before they are denied the right to vote. The remedies that the chairman says still exist are costly and time consuming to pursue through the courts and decisions in these cases often come long after voters have been excluded from elections that they have every right to participate in.” Hilary Shelton, Washington NAACP bureau chief, said his group met with Goodlatte last year to discuss legislation to restore the VRA to its original form. “We made it clear that we

supported hearings on the VRA and we have bipartisan support on this,” Shelton said. Shelton said that representatives of the Virginia NAACP, including those who live in Roanoke, a major city in Goodlatte’s district, met with him, too. One of the arguments anti-VRA advocates make is the election and re-election of President Obama in 2008 and 2012, respectively. They say that minorities cannot be considered disenfranchised when the country, still majority White, elected

“The now-weakened [VRA] lacks the ability to protect voters from discrimination before they are denied the right to vote.” – Wade Henderson an African-American to its top political position. However, Kathleen Collier-Gonzalez, senior attorney and director of the voter protection for the Advancement Project, counters that view. “The measure of success is not the reelection of an African-American president,” she said. “You still have very serious problems in terms of people who don’t

having ‘acceptable’ voting identification, and states reducing the early voting period and eliminating Sunday voting. As a matter of fact, I think there is a backlash because of our first African-American president.” Shelton said it was because of the VRA that Obama became president and it should be preserved as a tool to help people become more involved in politics. Collier-Gonzalez said government identification as the only acceptable form for citizens to be able to vote is similar to the poll taxes that some Southern states in the pre-Civil Rights era levied against its citizens with the subtle purpose of disenfranchising Blacks. She notes that many young people, seniors, and low-income citizens don’t have government identifications that are acceptable to voter registrars. Butterfield is urging the House Republican leadership to override Goodlatte’s decision. “I call on Speaker [John] Boehner, Majority Leader [Kevin] McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise to reverse this decision and make restoring the VRA a priority,” the representative said. “The weakening of the VRA left millions of Americans vulnerable to discriminatory state laws. To do nothing sends a terrible message, not only to minorities, but to anyone who believes the right to vote is essential to our democracy and way of life.”

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

Digital Redlining

Continued from A1

increasingly globalized, knowledge-based society, experts say. “You cannot function at a high level in our digital age if you don’t have broadband,” said Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America. “As more and more of daily life goes on the Web, then being left behind becomes worse and worse. We have a good 20 percent of the nation that is at least two generations behind. And in cyberspace 20 years is an eternity. So you have permanently disadvantaged communities.” Some advocates believe that like sociopolitical apartheid, the digital divide is being perpetrated by the deliberate exclusion of certain communities on the basis of geography, race, ethnicity and income from the deployment of advanced information/telecommunication technology, a practice they term “digital redlining.”

Follow The Red Line

Redlining was a term coined in the 1960s to describe the practice of denying or charging more for service to persons in certain communities—usually Black, inner-city neighborhoods—no matter how qualified the individual. The term originated since banks—then the most infamous perpetrators—would draw a red line on a map to delineate the areas they would not serve. The discriminatory practice devastated those communities, spreading blight, until community activist groups raised a loud enough outcry to prompt legislative action. Congress passed the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, which outlawed redlining and forced those private companies to reinvest in the communities they had previously shunned. But the battle of discriminatory service was not over. Enter “electronic redlining.” During the early 1970s advocates fought to ban cable redlining—ensuring communities of color and other disadvantaged communities got the same terms, condition and levels of service. The response was federal legislation, theCable Communications Policy Act of 1984—which expanded upon the 1934 Communications Act-in which Section 621 bans redlining, saying local franchising authorities “shall assure that access to cable service is not denied to any group of potential residential cable subscribers because of the income of the residents of the local area in which such group resides.” In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the fight moved to the telephone industry—people in poor and minority communities were either not being connected, were getting inferior service or were paying for advanced services such as call waiting, call forwarding and three-way calling though they were often the last to receive the actual connections. The poor quality of service was particularly detestable, many experts and advocates said, since Blacks and Latinos were generally spending more on telephone services than Whites. A noted example of the battle between industry and activists was the attempt by Ameritech—a consortium of four Regional Bell Operating Companies or “Baby Bells”— to create “video dialtone” networks in the early 1990s. The Federal Communications Commission voted in July 1992 to allow local telephone companies to create the VDT networks, which offered users access to a number of advanced options through their telephones. But civil and consumer groups challenged Ameritech’s VDT deployment plan, saying it showed stark patterns of by-passing minority, low-income and rural communities. For example, Cooper, of the Consumer Federation of America did an analysis comparing census information to maps and other documents local phone companies submitted to the FCC along with their applications. The results showed that in at least two areas, entire counties were circumvented in favour of more affluent counties, Cooper said at the time. In the DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) for example, Bell Atlantic sidestepped the District and Prince George’s County, Md. – both of which have large minority populations – in favor of wealthier suburbs in northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Md. The companies denied the charge that they were redlining, pointing to factors such as the presence of other competitors. Eventually, they dropped the proposals. Beginning in the early ‘80s, policymakers began to respond to concerns about the disconnect in phone services. In 1985, the FCC under President Reagan created Lifeline, a discounted phone service for low-income qualifying customers. About 10 years later, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which provided regulation for telephone, cable and other telecommunications. The law opened the industry to competition while also banning redlining and advancing the principle of universal service. It codified the concept—which has its roots in Postal Act of 1792—by establishing the Universal Service Fund (USF) and mandating that “[c]onsumers in all regions of the Nation, including low-income consumers and those in rural, insular, and high-cost areas should have access to telecommunications and information services.”

Redlining Redux

America—and the world at large—is now at a new informational and communications technology frontier. But, public interest groups contend, technological progress seem to come with the same old social problems à la the digital divide and redlining. “I thought we’d never have to fight this battle again,” said David Honig, president and executive director of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC). In 2002, for example, the Denver Business Journal reported that AT&T Broadband faced a class-action lawsuit in southern Florida for allegedly failing to provide or overcharging for broadband services in African-American neighborhoods. “Only 1 percent of eligible African American households have access to high-speed broadband Internet service as opposed to 100 percent of eligible white households,” the suit claimed. AT&T Broadband denied the claims. Then in 2004, when SBC Communications (now AT&T Corp.) announced its Project Lightspeed, a plan to invest billions of dollars in a fiber-optic network that would provide high-speed Internet and cable TV services, media justice

morguefile

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the fight moved to the telephone industry. activists cried foul at the company’s professed plan to cherrypick customers. During a briefing with investors and analysts, SBC officials presented a bar graph that outlined its plans to deploy the new services to only 5 percent of “low-value customers” while targeting 90 percent of high-spending customers. That is the definition of digital redlining, advocates said. “This is another discriminatory scheme disguised as technological progress by SBC,” said the Rev. James L. Demus III, co-director of the Ministerial Alliance Against the Digital Divide (MAADD), at the time. “These so-called investment proposals by SBC come with one fat string attached: no franchise agreement, and thus no requirement to invest in an entire community versus only the wealthy parts.” Now, some are questioning the roll-out of Google’s Fiber. The fiber-optic data network offers speeds at more than 100 times the current standard—more than 1,000 megabits per second compared to the Federal Communications Commission’s 2010 broadband standard of 4 megabits per

Google’s own online ‘Fiberhood Tracker’ looks like the kind of redlining plan that banks used to draw, favoring the affluent and leaving the poorer and minority communities in the cold.” – Keith Robinson

second—directly to homes, businesses and public access buildings. “It’s the difference between driving a Ferrari on the German Auto-bahn where there is no speed limit versus a skateboard on a dirt road,” as telecommunications analyst Bruce Kushnick, executive director of the New Networks Institute, once described the disparity between advanced and increasingly obsolete broadband technology. The inherent opportunities of Fiber and similar offerings— bandwidth that can more efficiently handle all the technology in new-age homes, innovation, entrepreneurship, entertainment and more—have many people excited. In fact, Kansas City, Mo., which won a national competition to be the first Fiberconnected city, has been dubbed “Silicon Prairie” because of the resulting influx of tech entrepreneurs. “Kansas City has become an attractive spot for the next generation of entrepreneurs and workers,” said Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo, who spearheaded the effort to bring Fiber to the city. Fiber’s deployment is based on a build-to-demand model—cities are divided into “fiberhoods” that are mostly based on local neighborhood definitions, and service is only offered to fiberhoods that meet sign-up quotas. Households interested in receiving Fiber has to pay a $300 installation fee and monthly rates of $120 for gigabit Internet and TV and $70 for Internet only. Google also offers a slower service (5 megabytes per second) free of charge for seven years—after a $300 installation fee that could be paid in $25-per-month installments for 12 months. In Kansas City, initially, lower-come, majority-minority neighborhoods were left out as they failed to meet sign-up goals. And, advocates accused the Internet giant of cherrypicking “Cadillac” customers, further digitally polarizing the city’s residents. “Google’s proposed plan to build a fiber-based broadband Internet network in Kansas sounds great in a press release, but as Missourians are quickly learning, the devil’s in the details,” said Keith Robinson, president of the St. Louis, Mo., A. Phillip Randolph Institute, in a letter to the editor, published Aug. 17, 2012, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The article failed to mention that Google will be ‘Google-lining’ — building and serving largely the wealthier communities that can afford to pay its substantial up-front fees and de facto redlining lessprivileged communities…. Google’s own online ‘Fiberhood Tracker’ looks like the kind of redlining plan that banks used to draw, favoring the affluent and leaving the poorer and minority communities in the cold.” Google and its supporters denied the charge of redlining and defended its market-based approach to Fiber’s deployment, saying it makes faster, better broadband more affordable— thus addressing the digital divide—and that it empowers communities to choose for themselves. “It was not a package that left people out. It was able to be tailored to every neighbourhood and household if they so

chose,” Circo, the Kansas City official, said. Blair Levin, executive director of the Gig.U project, a group of research university communities seeking to accelerate next generation networks in their communities to support economic and educational development, and head of the committee that wrote the 2010 National Broadband Plan for the FCC, also argued the economic merits of Google’s plan to do a selective build-out based on demand. “The accusation of redlining ignores the social contract underlying the telephone and cable networks (incumbent Internet service providers). For both, government granted a monopoly in exchange for a universal network build-out requirement. Those companies enjoyed decades of official protection from competition; circumstances that made the economics of the obligation work,” he said. “Governments did not, however, apply such build-out requirements to new entrants, as that would have killed investments in new competition. Google is a new entrant, with no monopoly advantages. To claim fairness requires a universal build-out ignores the advantages the incumbents had for decades. “Claiming ‘fairness’ also ignores economics,” Levin continued. “As we saw with the data from the National Broadband Plan, these networks are staggeringly expensive. Breaking free from the status quo requires both creative and viable economic models. After all, the broadband operators are businesses, not charities. If communities do not work to lower barriers to entry and enable efficient builds, the necessary new investment simply will not happen.” In Kansas City, Google sent employees door-to-door and worked with community groups to help spread the adoption of Fiber in the lower-income neighborhoods that had not initially shown the qualifying level of demand. It also worked with local nonprofits that teach digital literacy and sell cheap computers. However, an October 2014 Wall Street Journal survey of Fiber-adoption in several lower-, middle- and higher-income neighborhoods in Kansas City showed a persistent disparity. The survey of six low-income neighborhoods found that just 10 percent of residents had subscribed to Google’s gigabit service, and an additional 5 percent use the slower version. Contrastingly, 42 percent of the residents in the five proximate middle-income and wealthier neighborhoods had signed on for the gigabit service, and an additional 11 percent took the slower version. The conclusion drawn by WSJ—one echoed by Google representatives—is that the gaps in digital inclusion are less about where broadband is deployed—redlining—and more about people not seeing the importance of the Internet or not being able to use it. In an October 2014 blog, Google Fiber’s head of community impact Erica Swanson cited research by the Pew Center for Research, which showed that 34 percent of people who don’t use the Internet don’t yet see it as relevant to their lives, and 32 percent point to usability as an obstacle. “This gets to the core of problem for digital inclusion–not the lack of affordability, but the lack of digital skills and relevance for too many people. On that front, Google Fiber is a plus,” Levin said. “What we have seen in Kansas City is that by making digital inclusion a topic du jour, Google’s fiberhood rallies helped mobilize resources and attention to address the tough issues holding back progress.” Certainly education is a key component to closing the digital divide, media justice advocates said, but they’re not buying that market-based plans that deploy advanced broadband services only to those communities that meet certain “pocketbook” criteria aren’t actually widening the digital gap. And as poorer—usually Black and Brown—communities are relegated to having second-class or no Internet access, the effects will be devastating, they said. “If you multiply what happed in Kansas City by 200… what we would have would be a replication of what happened in the transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy— second-class citizenship was institutionalized [among those who lacked the tools to survive in the new economy],” said Honig. “Here we are the middle of another major transition, from an industrial to the digital age in which the baseline of technology will be super-fast broadband. And communities of color are being relegated to second-class citizenship again.” Bridging the chasm between the digital “haves” and “have-nots” is a challenging undertaking given the underlying fundamental causes, advocates say. “The digital divide is a reflection of larger social and economic divides,” said Tracy Rosenberg, executive director of Media Alliance, a California-based non-profit dedicated to media justice. The CFA’s Mark Cooper agreed, saying political and economic forces in the U.S. either resist or do not promote “democratic egalitarianism.” “The lack of universal service is endemic to market capitalism,” Cooper said. “Profit-making principles mean that lower-income neighbourhoods that do not generate high demand would not get the service.” American policymakers have long recognized the inherent disparities of capitalism and have enacted policies to counteract them. For example, universal service policy was instituted to ensure everyone, regardless of income, had access to mail, telecommunication and media services, he said. A similar type of “New Deal” policy which recognizes “that access to communication is a fundamental human right” needs to be developed for broadband to address issues such as digital redlining, Cooper argued. Rosenberg agreed that broadband service providers should be classified as “common carriers” under Title II of the Communications Act, thus attaching universal service obligations. “The idea that treating the Internet as a public utility is some wild, fringe, socialist craziness is unfounded because we treated many other utilities in that way and they made society better,” she said. “The Internet is not a luxury product; it is an essential fabric of the economic structure, and people who are locked out due to economic hardship are placed at a disadvantage, and it costs us all in the end.” Read more of this and preceding articles in this series on AFRO.Com

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

WILLIAM HARVEY CARNEY — SOLDIER

JAMELLE SMITH WILSON — EDUCATOR

SHEILA R. BAXTER — MILITARY OFFICER

FOR SOME, BEING THE FIRST OR THE BEST IS NOT ENOUGH.

BETH ANNE BROWN — ASTROPHYSICIST

LOTT CARY — COLONIAL LEADER

EARL FRANCIS LLOYD — BASKETBALL PLAYER AND COACH

JAMES “PLUNKY” BRANCH — BANDLEADER

ALONZO HARDING “ZO” MOURNING, JR. — BASKETBALL PLAYER AND PHILANTHROPIST

These African-American Virginians were the first or the best at what they did. But they all had their eyes on something bigger: The people around them and the young leaders coming up behind them. Dominion and the Library of Virginia are proud to honor the 2015 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History. Each honoree put their personal accomplishments to work helping others in science, music, education, medicine, sports, and the military. The Strong Men & Women in Virginia History program is sponsored by Dominion and the Library of Virginia to honor the contributions of influential African-American leaders. The program also helps prepare future leaders by providing student scholarships and grants, as well as resource materials for schools. To learn more about the program, its honorees, and available resource materials, visit lva.virginia.gov/smw.

STRONG MEN & WOMEN IN VIRGINIA HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015 HONOREES

1821

— LOTT CARY, who purchased his own freedom from slavery, sets sail for the new West African colony of Liberia, becoming an early Liberian leader and helping others start new lives of freedom.

1863 — WILLIAM HARVEY CARNEY, though wounded, heroically

carries the American flag high for his fellow soldiers to see throughout the ferocious Civil War battle depicted in the movie Glory, becoming the first African American awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

1950

— EARL FRANCIS LLOYD, after attending segregated schools as a child, is the first African American to play in a National Basketball Association game and goes on to serve as the NBA’s first African-American assistant coach.

1998 — BETH ANNE BROWN, the first African-American woman to

receive a doctorate from the University of Michigan, later joins NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as an astrophysicist, inspiring women and minorities to pursue careers in science.

2003 — SHEILA R. BAXTER receives the promotion that makes her

the first African-American female brigadier general in the Army Medical Service Corps, then develops the screening and health assessment program for returning troops that becomes a model for the Army.

2011 — JAMELLE SMITH WILSON is tapped to become the first

African-American superintendent of the Hanover County Public Schools division, as well as the first woman in that post, and helms the school system to full accreditation by exceeding critical benchmarks.

2013

— JAMES “PLUNKY” BRANCH, saxophonist and bandleader known for promoting the cultural significance of music here and abroad, is named one of the Richmond Public School system’s “Living Legacies” for expanding children’s musical horizons.

2014

— ALONZO HARDING “ZO” MOURNING, JR., is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after an award-winning career in the National Basketball Association and a gold medal Olympic performance, and uses his fame to help inner-city youth and fellow sufferers of kidney disease.

SM&W 2015 AfroAmerican_bw.indd 1

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

EDITORIAL

Who Will Look Out For HBCU Interests If Caret is the Next Chancellor? When it comes to the University System of Maryland, in the eyes of many members of the Black community, a fox has been deployed into the educational chicken coup to guard our HBCU chicks. Such characterization springs from the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents recent appointment of Robert Caret, chancellor of the University System of Maryland. In that position, he will oversee the 12 public universities in Maryland, including four Historically Black Colleges and Universities. From 2003 to 2011, Caret was the president of Towson University. In that role he was a principle proponent of a joint MBA program between Towson and the University of Baltimore that in 2013, a federal court determined was but one of a plethora of constitutional violations precipitated by Maryland upon the HBCU’s in this state. The approval of the proposed joint Towson MBA program with the University of Baltimore MBA program was a clear duplication of a pre-existing MBA program at Morgan. The court found such approval resulted in creating a segregative effect at both Towson and Morgan and thus diminished the objective of eliminating the vestiges of the legislatively required segregation historically carried on in this state. Therefore Caret’s Towson MBA program was an impediment to diversity, promoted segregation and added to diminishing Morgan’s ability to compete with historically White institutions because as stated in the court’s decision: “…in the absence of a competitive academic advantage, non-Black

students have less of an incentive to enroll in what is otherwise perceived as a school for Black Students.” The absence of a competitive advantage caused by the duplication against HBCU’s in Maryland is dramatically pointed out in the lawsuit’s decision that compares the number of distinct none-core, high demand programs offered at White institutions with those offered at HBCU’s. The court’s decision points out that an average of 17 distinct none-core high demand programs were offered at each of the traditional White Institutions in Maryland while an average of only three were offered at each of the state’s HBCUs. The Maryland HBCU’s are thus (i) unable to attract as many students (White and Black) because of their lower numbers of unique high demand course programs, and (ii) graduate far fewer students in high demand work force areas. Our concern with the Caret appointment springs from how his past actions may be a sign as to the future actions he may (or may not) implement as the new chancellor of the University System of Maryland, and the threat such actions (or inactions) may pose to the HBCU’s in that system and Morgan, which is the only HBCU outside that system. Given Caret’s past actions and the absence of any clear explanation as to how he intends to address the damage and violations outlined by the court, of which he was a willing participant, we indeed are extremely wary of Caret’s appointment as the next University System of Maryland chancellor.

It is for this reason we believe the solution to protecting the interests of Maryland’s HBCU’s offered by state Sen. Joan Carter Conway is a sensible one and should be seriously considered. Sen. Conway’s SB 19, legislation, if enacted, would give the Senate the ultimate power to confirm appointments to the chancellor’s position. Given the magnitude of violations outlined by the court in the lawsuit that have impacted, indeed impeded, the progress of Maryland’s HBCU’s and HBCU students over the past 60+ years, the Black community has no credible foundation for any confidence in any of the state higher education boards when it comes to the interests of the Maryland HBCU’s. Therefore, as indicated in the Conway proposed legislation, the state’s legislative forum should have the final approval of who should be the University System of Maryland chancellor so every and all aspects of such appointment can be fairly heard and challenged by the people’s representatives. In such instance it is our belief that only then can we have a true sense that our HBCU students will be given a fairer chance to have better opportunities to benefit from the competitive quality education and future career paths the recent lawsuit reflects the State of Maryland has denied them consistently since shortly after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/admin/education/ documents/files/Coalition-v-MHEC-memorandum-decision.pdf

COMMENTARY

Why African Americans are in Desperate Need of Mortgage Help

Marcia Griffin

Buying a house or a piece of property to call your own is part of the American Dream. But, if you’re African American, that dream is becoming further and further out of reach. Whether you’re a renter trying to buy your first home or a homeowner looking for a modification to avoid foreclosure, it has become more difficult than ever to get approved for a loan and just as challenging to understand the nuances of what lenders

are looking for. For African Americans, the mortgage landscape is particularly harrowing. According to sociologists from Rice and Cornell universities, African Americans are 45 percent more likely than Whites to go from owning their homes to renting them. There are many factors contributing to this startling statistic. Among them: • African Americans are more likely to lose their homes to foreclosure. • African Americans have been more targeted by predatory lenders. • African Americans have less wealth to put toward homeownership in the first place. During the Great Recession, between 2007 and 2010, wealth for Blacks dropped by an average of 31 percent, home equity dropped by 28 percent and retirement savings dropped by 35 percent. During that same period, Whites lost only 11 percent in wealth, 24 percent in home equity and actually gained 9 percent in retirement savings. So are African Americans destined to fall further behind? Not if they are aware of the statistics and trends and how to overcome them. For example, in inner cities, conveniently located houses will go to non-minority people who can afford the down payment and have excellent credit. Meanwhile, African Americans will be pushed further and further out, making it

increasingly difficult to get to work plus; stuck with sky high rents and slum landlords. Already, Wall Street investors have bought thousands of foreclosed homes once owned by African Americans. They are now the owners and we are the renters. This is the scheme. Rents are predicted to go up 20 percent per year. To make matters worse, when investors sell the properties, African Americans are not the buyers. The mortgage approval requirements are exceedingly high. Today, the average mortgage denial has a 722 credit score. The average score for the people we serve is 630. Since 96 percent of African-American wealth is in our homes, we lose. While these statistics and trends are grim, they are certainly not insurmountable. With goal-oriented financial education and information, thousands of homeowners have achieved their financial goals in recent years. Not only that, but many families have achieved 0 percent foreclosure rates - a remarkable feat in the recent economy. Here is some valuable information that could lead in that direction: • Remember, the mortgage industry is in business to make lots of money by any means necessary. The less you know, the fewer your options and the more you can be taken advantage of. • Non-profit counseling and credit assistance for distressed homeowners and prospective homebuyers are available, but rarely marketed. A lot of this is valuable, free information from experts in mortgage and credit fields.

• In many states, there is government home buying money that goes unused. This money is also not marketed. Call your Department of Housing as soon as possible. • Limit the financial information you get online. Speak to a professional over the phone or in person so you can check out their credentials. • Without some guidance and information the mortgage process can be confusing, difficult and misleading. One wrong decision and thousands of dollars can be lost. So get the information you need. Marcia Griffin is founder of HomeFree-USA, a leading intermediary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, committed to turning around home-ownership rates for African-Americans and other minorities. For more information: marciaghfusa@msn.com; 202 288 8510; or call toll free: (855) 493-4002. Also visit HomeFreeUSA.org; Twitter: @marciahomefree

The Coalition Speaks Advocacy comes in many forms and the large group of women present at the confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch, was a true demonstration of advocacy in action. At the Senate Judiciary hearing chaired by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Ohio), U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch was the epitome of great intellect, a solid knowledge base, strong family values, and a sense of self and purpose that could not be warped by stinging questions. This was a great opportunity for American History classes to tune in to see the circuitous actions of Committee members and to witness the undaunted strength of a strong Black woman who meets all the qualifications to be attorney general of the world’s greatest democracy. One could imagine that the daring spirit of Harriet Tubman, the determination of Mary Church Terrell, the boldness of Mary McLeod Bethune, and the superlative social justice consciousness of Dorothy I. Height were evident in Loretta Lynch’s diplomacy, keen answers

and indescribable composure. Majority members Orrin Hatch(R-UT), Jeff Sessions(R-AL),Lindsay Graham(R-SC),John Cornyn(R-TX),Michael Lee(R-UT),Ted Cruz(R-TX),Jeff Flake(R-AZ), David Vitter(R-LA), David Perdue(R-GA), and Thom Tillis(R-NC) never let up in piercing questions , many attempting to test her independence. Hats off to Senators Leahy, Feinstein, Schumer, Durbin, Whitehouse, Klobuchart, Franken, Coons, and Blumenthal whose statements and questions allowed the Judiciary Committee to see the depth and breadth of Ms. Lynch’s experiences. When she is confirmed, she will be the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general of the United States of America. Advocacy must never die!!!! Submitted by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Baltimore Metropolitan Chapter

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American, 2519 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21218 or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to editor@afro.com

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

Anacostia Playhouse Hosts Young Playwrights’ #nofilter By Shannen Hill Howard University News Service High school is full of fun events, like prom and football games. Rarely, however, do adults have the chance to see a student outlook on the heavy issues of homelessness, depression, and death. Four young, Black high school students are showing their stories on an array of issues that are important to them, from suicide to pop-stars, in plays that are set to make audiences cry, laugh, and perch on the edge of their seats. After selecting through thousands, these dynamic plays will be performed by professional actors at Anacostia Playhouse during a free event 7 p.m. Feb. 10. The four plays will focus on what each young playwright sees when taking a look at modern life in D.C. in a production titled, “New Writers Now! #nofilter.” Quanisha Mitchell, Nakia Greene, Lawrencia Odoms and China Warren have all written their plays through Young Playwrights Theater, a school program that teaches the art of writing. The company has paired the students with professional actors so that they can see what it is like to work in the theater industry. The plays will be acted out in a stage reading, which is when the actors act out the play in front of an audience, without the set and wardrobe. Many professional playwrights use this process to develop their work and understand how audiences will respond. This experience usually is not available to young people. These students will be able to experience it first-hand as their work is brought the light. “Our playwrights have such strong voice and important things to say that we know we just need to give them a platform to be heard,” said Nicole Jost, artistic director of Young Playwrights Theater. “That’s why we’re calling this show #nofilter, because we want to showcase their visions in a way that is true and uncensored.” Young Playwrights Theater is the only professional theater company dedicated to arts education in D.C.’s. Located in all eight wards, the organization gives over 2,000 students the opportunity to express themselves through writing. Their InSchool Playwriting Program enters the English classrooms of elementary, middle, and high schools throughout D.C. once a week and teaches students the art of playwriting. Plays are selected for events throughout the year, where professional actors and directors bring the concepts to life.

“The students get to write about anything on their minds, no censorship. There are so many times where the students say ‘anything, I can write about anything?’” said Brigitte Moore, executive director of Young Playwrights. “… and it’s so powerful when the students are able to work with professionals.” This production is particularly significant for Young Playwrights Theater. It is in honor of Black History Month and the 20th anniversary of the company. Wild Women Theatre, which is a theatre company focusing on Black womanhood, has also partnered with the company to produce the event and work with the four young women playwrights. Javon’s Dream, written by Quanisha Mitchell, a junior at Woodrow Wilson High School, is about a homeless teenager who dreams to find love and a home. “I realized that a lot of teens are homeless nowadays, so I did some research and wrote about it,”said Mitchell. “The audience should expect a lot of funny and serious moments and some parts that will be shocking and

“Our playwrights have such strong voice and important things to say that we know we just need to give them a platform to be heard.” – Nicole Jost make you a little teary-eyed.” The second play, written by Nakia Greene, a junior at Bell Multicultural High School, is called Despair. Her play focuses on a group of students who get locked inside their boarding school after one of their classmates is murdered. This one is set to have the audience laughing and on the edge of their seats, as it is a darkly comedic murder mystery. “These stories are pretty cool and it’s going to be really

fun,” said Moore. “It is really important to come out a support these young people because they put a lot of work into them.” Lawrencia Odoms, a senior Ballou High School, wrote a play called P.S. Problems, which takes a more serious tone. The play centers around a female student living with mental health issues who ends up at a mental hospital. It will show the young woman’s experiences in the hospital and how she deals with her depression and cutting herself. Odom particularly liked working with the professional actors because the experience helped her develop the characters more. “The first time it was ever read by older people, I was super nervous, but they loved facebook.com it,” said Odom. “I really thank them for it because the characters weren’t how I envisioned in my head. It really helped me, and they were excellent to work with.” Saving Scarlett, written by China Warren of Ballou High School, deals with a young lady who runs away from home. She goes on to meet a pop star who helps her out. Saving Scarlett, along with P.S. Problems, will be produced by Wild Women’s Theatre, with a mission to showcase multiple dimensions of Black womanhood. This is second joint venture of Young Playwrights Theater and Wild Women’s Theatre. “It’s nice to be able to work and expand with people that are a lot younger than us and to see the things that their dealing with that we probably weren’t, or were, dealing with at their age,” said Farah Harris, co-founder of Wild Women’s Theatre and program associate at Young Playwrights Theater. “We’re consistently impressed by the insight of the youth, the humor through all their characters and all of the multilayers. It’s a great feeling to be able to bring their work to light.” The professional stage readings will be at Anacostia Playhouse and are free and open to the public. “New Writers Now! #nofilter” will feature a pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. with free snacks and drinks, until the show starts at 7 p.m. There will be a talkback with the playwrights after the performance along with the display of a mural created by the artists and audience at “Silence is Violence,” a previous event held to inspire a continued dialogue about Black Lives Matter. For more information on “New Writers Now!#nofilter,” visit www.youngplaywrightstheater.org.

Bowser Campaigns

Continued from A1

respectively. Bowser vacated the Ward 4 D.C. Council seat in December to assume her mayoral duties and the death of D.C. Council member Marion S. Barry in November opened up his seat. Bowser said that she wants Todd and May to win because they want the District and its residents to prosper. “We share a vision to move the city forward,” the mayor said. “All three of us are committed to closing gaps in housing and education, and supporting economic development. I would also like to note that a number of the present council members share the same agenda.” facebook.org Terry Goings, a political LaRuby May is a Ward 8 activist in Ward 4, backs Todd. candidate in the April “He is the best candidate for 28 D.C. Council special the job,” Goings said. “He has election. been working for Muriel for a number of years, he knows the ward and he is an intelligent guy. I think it is important to have a councilman that has the ear of the mayor.” Joan Thomas, a longtime Ward 4 political activist, said

Todd has her support because “he can do the job.” Lori Murphy Lee, an attorney in the District, said Todd is a “determined and dedicated individual.” “I know he will be a great representative,” Lee said. Todd held a fundraiser on Jan. 29 in a heated backyard tent at the Ward 4 home of former D.C. Council member Bill Lightfoot and his wife, Cynthia. Bowser was the dcyds.org featured speaker at the Todd Brandon Todd is a Ward fundraiser and emphasized 4 candidate in the April that Todd is a candidate with 28 D.C. Council special “high integrity and high election. ethical standards.” “He has a history of getting things done in Ward 4 and he is going to work hard at city hall,” Bowser said. Political activists and candidates throughout the city attended the fundraiser, including May and, in a surprise appearance, one of her opponents, Christopher Barry. Barry came to the event wearing a Todd button and shook hands with the crowd. “I am here to support Brandon,” Barry said. Barry did not make an appearance at a fundraiser for May on Jan. 31 at the Uniontown Bar and Grill in Ward 8. Bowser headlined the event and praised May highly. “We want

“All three of us are committed to closing gaps in housing, education and supporting economic development.” – Mayor Muriel Bowser someone to represent Ward 8 who is smart, honest, and who is running for the council for the right reasons,” the mayor said. “She will be the best prepared council member from Day One.” May said she wants to help “Ward 8 rise because it is the right thing to do.” Todd faces 13 opponents and May will vie against 15 others. Todd has been endorsed by D.C. Council member Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) and May has gained the support of D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1). Some political observers believe that if Todd and May are elected, they will be sycophants for Bowser on the council. In the case of Todd, Lee disagrees. “Brandon Todd is an independent thinker,” she said. “He will work with the mayor to do what is in the best interest of the ward.” Wain Jenkins attended the May’s event and said that his candidate will be no puppet for the mayor. “I know that some of her opponents are going to try to portray her that way but she is an intelligent, thoughtful person,” Jenkins said. May has a sharp response to those who think she will be a lackey for the mayor. “I am my own person,” she said. “My name is LaRuby May.”

Laura Murphy

Continued from A1

speaking up for herself and articulating what she felt was right. In junior high, she refused to cite the “Pledge of Allegiance” and fought an attempt for suspension. In high school, a counselor tried to discourage her from applying to Ivy League schools but she didn’t listen. Murphy eventually chose to go to Wellesley College, after being accept to Brown University and Radcliffe College, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1976. She worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Rep. Parren Mitchell (DMd.) and joined the ACLU as a lobbyist from 1979-1982. Murphy moved to California and served in a number of positions such as the chief of staff to then Speaker of the Assembly Willie Brown. In 1991, Murphy came back to Washington and

served as D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly’s special assistant on tourism. Murphy returned to the ACLU in 1993 as director of the Washington Legislative Office. She made history as the first woman and first African American to hold that position. During her first term, she is credited for successfully lobbying on issues such as family leave, religious liberty, abortion rights, and the Motor Voter Bill that allows people to register to vote and conduct transactions at their state or jurisdictional Department of Motor Vehicles. In 2005, she started her own private consulting firm but came back to the ACLU Washington directorship in 2010. Among the congressional leaders that stopped by to commend Murphy for her work were House Minority

Photo by Rob Roberts

Senate Majority Leader Addison “Mitch” McConnell and Laura Murphy at her farewell reception. Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Conyers, McConnell, and Reps. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) and Lacy Clay (DMo.). Hoyer said that Murphy comes from a great Maryland family and is worthy of all of the praise due her. “I want to thank you for all

you have done,” Hoyer said. “There are millions of people who will never know your name but will benefit from your work.” McConnell, whose appearance surprised almost everyone, said that he and Murphy were a political odd

couple. “I bet I am the last person that you expected to see here,” McConnell said. “Laura Murphy was a great ally in the push for campaign finance reform. She did great work and there is nobody I respect more in Washington than Laura Murphy.” Wade Henderson, the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said that only Murphy “could bring together Steny Hoyer and Mitchell McConnell at the same occasion.” “She runs with the foxes and runs with the hounds and can do it with style and grace,” Henderson said. Ralph Neas, who is the former leader of People for the American Way, said it bluntly when it came to Murphy. “You look like Bambi but you bite like Jaws,” Neas said.

Murphy received a letter from President Obama praising her years of service and statements by members of Congress were entered into the {Congressional Record} on her behalf. Murphy was overwhelmed by the response. “I am leaving the ACLU but I am not leaving town,” she said. “I tried to work hard to make sure that the First Amendment would be true for more Americans.” Murphy said it is important that Americans “get beyond party and get back to our core values.” She had a word of encouragement for her staff. “Be strong and be vigilant,” she said. Murphy’s plans include re-establishing her business and returning to school as a student at Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.

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

Carter G. Woodson: A Man Beyond His Time By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent Carter G. Woodson seemed born to defy the odds.

The future father of Black history came into the world on Dec. 19, 1875, in New Canton, Va., during a time both of upheaval and promise. Twelve years before, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing Black slaves from centuries of cruel bondage. Ten years before, Confederate and Union forces—including Blacks— finally laid down their weapons, signalling the end of the Civil War and the demolition of the institution of slavery. And then came Reconstruction. “Woodson was born in 1875 toward the end of the Black Reconstruction period—about 10 years of enhanced freedom for Black people,” said Alvin Thornton, professor of political science at Howard University. “I don’t think Carter Woodson would have been able to do what he did if he were not born during that period. Black people were able to do things—they were able to run for office, vote and seek educational opportunities.” Under the political auspices of Radical Republicans, former slaves or “freedmen” became politically active. In Virginia and throughout the South, they joined organizations such as the pro-Republican Union League, holding

New River Gorge National River website, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, United States Government.

Portrait of African-American historian Carter Godwin Woodson as a young man.

to depend on the Freedmen’s Bureau for basics such as clothing, food, water and health care. Woodson’s parents, James and Anne Eliza were former slaves and, like many of their peers, were abjectly poor. “Carter, one of nine children, said he often left the dinner table hungry and sought food in nearby woods. After he went to bed on Saturday nights, his mother washed the clothing he had been wearing so he could don clean clothes to wear to church on Sundays,” author Burnis R. Morris writes in Woodson’s biography on the website of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), which Woodson founded. James Woodson, a Civil War veteran, learned carpentry from his father and did masonry for a living. It was a hard life, but unlike others, he refused to hire out his children to supplement the family income. Carter said his father “believed that such a life was more honorable than to serve one as a menial,” Morris cites. Such dire straits meant Woodson had to work from an early age, however. He worked the family’s 5-6 acre farm, which was situated on poor land, but produced enough crops to feed the family. As a teen, when the family migrated to Huntington, W.Va., to take advantage of burgeoning opportunities, Woodson joined his older brother Robert in working to rebuild the railroad from Thurmond to Loup Creek; he also did a sixyear stint in the coalfields at Nuttallburg, in Fayette County. Woodson’s responsibilities gave him little time to take advantage of the free education then available to Blacks. After the Civil War, missionary and aid groups from the

From a sketch by Jas E. Taylor/ Public Domain

Black women sewing at the Freedmen’s Union Industrial School, Richmond, Va.

conventions, and demanding universal male suffrage and equal treatment under the law, as well as demanding disfranchisement of ex-Confederates and the seizure of their plantations. In fact, according to The African-American Odyssey: Volume II, 4th Edition, during the 1870s, about 1,465 Black men held political office in the South. Among the first to serve in the U.S. Congress were Rep. Robert C. DeLarge, of South Carolina; Rep. Jefferson Long, of Georgia; Sen. Hiram R. Revels, of Mississippi and several others. It was during that time that Congress also passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which sought “to protect all citizens in their civil and legal rights.” “Be it enacted,” the law read, “That all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement; subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law, and applicable alike to citizens of every race and color, regardless of any previous condition of servitude.” But the time was also one of economic instability. Virginia, the site of many Civil War battles, had been devastated. Railroads and other infrastructure lay in ruins; once-proud plantations had been reduced to burnt-out carcasses. Scores of former slaves had no jobs and had

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Civil War Photographs

African American laborers on the U.S. Military Railroad in Northern Virginia, c. 1862 or 1863

“When you realize that only 2 percent of Americans were graduating from high school at the turn of the 19th century, then you know this is a guy who truly believes in education and is driven by something out of the ordinary.” North worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau to build colleges, institutes and normal schools to educate former slaves throughout the South. Beginning by offering elementary and secondary education after a decade Black colleges soon offered academic and trade courses and professional and military training. In fact, one of the most enduring and widely recognized achievements of the Bureau was its creation of universal, public school systems. Young Woodson had a spotty school attendance record, however; he attended only on days of rain and Continued on B5

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

Imperial Commandress Sadie B. Mitchell of the DOI and United Supreme Council Deputy of the Orient of D.C. Paul Berry

By Shari L. McCoy Special to the AFRO

Most Worshipful Grand Master Norman L Campbell and wife, Associate Matron Lynette Campbell

Worthy Matron R. Denise Better, Associate Patron Vance Gilliam and members of Electa Chapter #6

Grand Worthy Patron Kevin Cunningham and Grand Worthy Matron Carol D. Simon of Myra Grand Chapter, OED, PHA of Maryland and Grand Worthy Matron Venecia C. Besselieu and Grand Worthy Patron Albert Pope

The Adiras

Worthy Matron Angela Holmes , Associate Patron James Parker and members of Mattie R. Griffin

On Jan. 3, 2015 the Georgiana Thomas Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, PHA held its annual Charity “Day” 20th Anniversary Ball at the Camelot by Martins. This annual black tie affair showcased Grand Worthy Matron Venecia C. Bessellieu, Grand Worthy Patron Albert and the subordinate chapter Worthy Matrons and Worthy Patrons of the Jurisdiction of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Most Worshipful Grand Norman L. Campbell of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia and members were in attendance. Other dignitaries on hand included members of the National Council Negro Women (No. Va. Chapter), National Council of Black Women (D.C. Chapter), NAACP, Prince George’s County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Jurisdiction of Md.; Myra Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, PHA of the Jurisdiction of Md., and Imperial Commandress Sadie B. Mitchell of the Imperial Court of Daughter of Isis.

Grand Worthy Matron Venecia C. Bessellieu with her mother Emma Bessellieu and sister Callista Bessellieu

Grand Worthy Patron Albert Pope, Worthy Matron Wanita Smith, Worthy Patron Jeremy Smith and members of Thrift Chapter #12

Grand Worthy Matron Bessellieu and Grand Worthy Patron Pope, center right, with the Past Grand Worthy Matrons: Barbara E. Murray, G. Delores Ellerbe, Dianne Marshal Streat, Ada A. Whitley, Patricia A. Mabry, Margaret E. Anderson, Audrey Robinson Underwood, Joan L. White, Jane Robison, Julia F. Edwards, Ruth C. Smith; and the Past Grand Worthy Patrons: Nathaniel R. Lawrence, John T. Doles Sr., Donald Ball and Quincy G. Gant Courtesy photos

Flowers being presented to Lillibet Hagel Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, son, Ziller Hagel; wife, Lillibet Hagel; President Obama, Vice President Biden and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey

The Commander of the Troops escorts Sec. Hagel as he inspects the troops.

Joint Services Color Guard President Obama congratulates Sec. Hagel on his years of service.

The Armed Forces held a Farewell Tribute to Chuck Hagel, the 24th Secretary of Defense, at Joint Base Secretary Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va. on Jan. of State 28. The Tribute featured remarks from President John Kerry Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the tribute Obama, Biden and Dempsey shared their experiences working alongside Hagel and also expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the former Defense Secretary’s The US Army years of The U.S. Army Drum Drum Major service. and Fife Corp.

Admiral Michelle Howard, deputy chief of Naval Operations

Gen. Dempsey

Gen. Lloyd Austin, Commanding General of the U.S. Central Command

President Obama gives remarks on the service of Sec. Hagel Photos by Rob Roberts

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

ARTS & CULTURE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jupiter Ascendingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Film Review

By Kam Williams Special to the AFRO Garrett Tully (Joe Anderson) is about to be paroled after spending the last 15 years behind bars. Although he might have paid his debt to society, he has little hope of making a smooth adjustment back to civilian life, given his fervent hope that America is on the brink of a race war. You see, Garrett has a lot invested in that belief, being a white supremacist with tattoos of swastikas, a Confederate flag, an Iron Cross and the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;HATEâ&#x20AC;? adorning his face, arms, fingers and chest. This means his prospects of turning a new leaf arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very brilliant, especially since Doreen (Dawn Olivieri), the Aryan Brotherhood groupie picking him up from prison, is packing heat just in case they cross paths with a black person on the way home. And wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you know it, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pulled over by an African-American police officer en route and, before Doreen has a chance to produce her license and registration, Tully calls the cop the â&#x20AC;&#x153;N-wordâ&#x20AC;? and blows him away with the gun hidden under the seat. Next, rather than hightailing it to a neo-Nazi sanctuary, the unrepentant race baiters decide to break into a house in a black neighborhood where they proceed to use more racial slurs like â&#x20AC;&#x153;porch monkeyâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;nigletâ&#x20AC;? while holding everybody hostage. Fortunately, the Walker family patriarch

(Danny Glover) makes sure cooler heads prevail, until help arrives. Too bad the police negotiator (Derek Luke) turns out to be African-American, too. Directed by Deon Taylor (Chain Letter), Supremacy is a hostage thriller ostensibly inspired by actual events which transpired in Sonoma County, California on the night of March 29, 1995. At 11:30 that evening, Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Deputy Frank Trejo was assassinated by a recently-paroled member of the Aryan Brotherhood and his gun moll, just before they forced their way into a nearby house and held the owners captive. The resolution of this Hollywood version of the standoff relies on an empathetic Mr. Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rising to the occasion. His philosophizing (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prison does something to a man.â&#x20AC;?) miraculously manages to induce a couple of the most menacing and despicable screen characters in recent memory to have an 11th hour conversion. A pretty preposterous turn of events, but who am I to argue with a tale presumably based on a true story? Fair (1.5 stars) Unrated Running time: 106 minutes Distributor: Well Go Entertainment To see a trailer for Supremacy, visit: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mj5pENEbZZI

LEGENDARY PICTURES AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENT A LEGENDARY PICTURES/THUNDER ROAD FILM/WIGRAM PRODUCTI ON â&#x20AC;&#x153;SEVENTH SONâ&#x20AC;? JEFF BRIDGES BEN BARNES COSTUME JACQUELINE WEST ALICIACO- VIKANDER KIT HARINGTONEXECUTIVEOLIVIA WILLIAMS ANTJE TRAUE WITH DJIMON HOUNSOU AND JULIANNE MOORE MUSICBY MARCO BELTRAMI DESIGNER BASED ON THE BOOK SERIES PRODUCED PRODUCERS JILLIAN SHARE ERICA LEE PRODUCERS JON JASHNI BRENT Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;CONNOR ALYSIA COTTER BY BASIL IWANYK THOMAS TULL LIONEL WIGRAM â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE LAST APPRENTICEâ&#x20AC;? BY JOSEPH DELANEY SCREENPLAY DIRECTED SCREEN STORY A UNIVERSAL RELEASE BY CHARLES LEAVITT AND STEVEN KNIGHT BY SERGEI BODROV BY MATT GREENBERG ÂŠ 2014 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

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Humble Housekeeper Turns Earth Heir Apparent in Futuristic Sci-Fi By Kam Williams Special to the AFRO In 1999, Andy and Lana Wachowski wowed the world with a spectacular mindbender called The Matrix. But that was ages ago, another millennium, in fact, and their diehard fans have been patiently awaiting the launch of another groundbreaking, sci-fi franchise over the intervening years. Those prayers might have finally been answered by Jupiter Ascending, a futuristic adventure featuring Mila Kunis in the title role of Jupiter Jones. The film is likely to serve as the first installment in a special f/x-driven series revolving around an apocalyptic showdown over the fate of humanity. The pictureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point of departure is the city of Chicago, which is where we meet Jupiter, a humble housekeeper born without a country, a home, or a father. She hates her life, between cleaning other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toilets and a never-ending string of tough luck, despite an astrological chart marked by Jupiter rising at 23 degrees ascendant which supposedly means sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a woman of great destiny. Truth be told, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not merely a maid, but has royal blood running through her veins, even if it is of the alien variety. As it turns out, Jupiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually entitled to inherit Earth, and is informed of that good fortune by Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a hunky emissary from a distant galaxy. The epic unfolds like a classic origins tale by introducing a plethora of characters and filling in their back stories. For instance,

BALTIMORE & DC COMBO

White Supremacists Take Black Family Hostage in Harrowing Hostage Thriller

AFRO-AMERICAN (WASHINGTON, DC) SAT 2/7 3 COL. (5.42) X 10 CS ALL.SVS.0207.AAWEMAIL #10

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Supremacyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Film Review

we learn about a trio of aliens from the same planet as Caine, Balem (Eddie Redmayne), Titus (Douglas Booth) and Kalique Abrasax (Tuppence Middleton), each of whom is vying for control of the family food business in the wake of the death of their mother. That gruesome business involves the seeding of countless planets with life forms for the purpose of consumption. And they are just about ready to harvest humanity, since the Earth is now overflowing with people. The only thing standing in the way is Jupiter, whose royal genetic signature has established her to be an Abrasax as well as the rightful heir to Earth. For that reason, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a price on her head. And her and humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope for survival rests on the broad shoulders of her proverbial half-albino/half-wolf knight in shining armor, Caine. Once this creepy Soylent Green (1973) subplot is revealed, the pace of Jupiter Ascending ramps up substantially. For, at that juncture, the film sweeps up Jupiter for a visually-captivating journey which careens around the universe at breakneck speed, while barely pausing to take a breath until finally depositing a very relieved heroine back home where sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy to find herself surrounded by familiar faces. An over-stimulating, intergalactic odyssey evocative of The Wizard of Oz. Very Good (3 stars) Rated PG-13 for violence, sci-fi action, partial nudity and some suggestive content Running time: 127 minutes Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND FOCUS FEATURES PRESENT A MICHAELMUSIC DE LUCA PRODUCTION â&#x20AC;&#x153;FIFTYEXECUTIVE SHADES OF GREYâ&#x20AC;? DAKOTA JOHNSON PRODUCERS MARCUS VISCIDI JEB BRODY JAMIE DORNAN JENNIFER EHLE AND MARCIA GAY HARDEN BY DANNY ELFMAN BASED ON SCREENPLAY PRODUCED BY KELLY MARCEL BY MICHAEL DE LUCA p.g.a. E L JAMES p.g.a. DANA BRUNETTI p.g.a. THE NOVEL BY E L JAMES DIRECTED A UNIVERSAL PICTURE BY SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON SOUNDTRACK ON REPUBLIC RECORDS

STARTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13

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

SPORTS

Cubs Legend Ernie Banks Remembered for Unwavering Optimism By Carla K. Johnson Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Fans and friends paid tribute to legendary Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks on Saturday, recalling how he helped break baseball’s color barrier during a Hall of Fame career in which he won over teammates and an entire city with the unwavering optimism he brought to the game and life. At a memorial service in a Chicago church, the buoyant man known as “Mr. Cub” was remembered for his character as much as his accomplishments on the ballfield, including his 512 career home runs. Speaker after speaker recalled Banks’ unflagging spirit and good cheer — he enthusiastically predicted each spring that his team would win the pennant — as well as his humility and care for others. The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Banks “disarmed adversaries with optimism” and “branded goodwill.” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Banks was a “humble hero” who taught younger generations “how to play the game of life.” Fellow Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins said the unassuming, joyful Banks strove to be a good teammate, not a star. Billy Williams, another Hall of Famer, recalled animated conversations that he and Banks would have while driving to Wrigley Field

on game days. “I never did see him read a book, but he knew about everything,” Williams marveled. Saturday would have been Banks’ 84th birthday, and several speakers called on the crowd to celebrate his life, not mourn his passing. Banks, a two-time MVP, military veteran and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, died Jan. 23 of a heart attack. His coffin, which was in front of the altar, was draped in a banner emblazoned with his jersey number, 14. A choir performed a rousing version of “This Little Light of Mine.” Jackson, exhorting everyone to stand, led a thunderous round of applause to celebrate Banks’ birthday. In the hush that followed, the civil rights leader noted it was also the 150th anniversary of Congress passing the 13th amendment abolishing slavery. “Smiling faces can sometimes conceal what’s deep within,” Jackson said, describing Banks’ cheerfulness as a thermostat that “helped control the temperature” of his times. The work of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. was possible because of Banks, Jackson said. “We rode on Ernie’s shoulders.” Banks was the Cubs’ first Black player when he joined the team in 1953, six years after Jackie Robinson broke

baseball’s color barrier. Emanuel noted that in Banks’ early years with the Cubs, he couldn’t stay at some of the same hotels or eat at the same restaurants as his White teammates because of segregation. He suffered the same racial taunts and indignities as other Black players of his time, but if he ever got angry, he never seemed to show it. In a 19year career full of amazing statistics, one of the most remarkable was that he was never ejected from a game. Roosevelt Johnson, 45, arrived at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church at 5:30 a.m. and was first in line. “I wanted to pay my respects to a true icon of the sport,” said Johnson, of Zion. Chicago native Estelle Martin, 56, said she loved to play baseball as a girl and collect baseball cards. “I was a tomboy. Ernie Banks was my favorite. He was everybody’s favorite,” she said. Banks’ connection to the city was evident inside the church, where the pews were filled with mourners of all ages. There were young fans who knew him only from grainy video clips and from his appearances at the ballpark after he retired, always with a smile, always chatting with fans. But there were also older men, particularly older black men who remembered the days when Banks and others made history. While he wasn’t

AP Photo

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. speaks during an official memorial service for Hall of Fame slugger Ernie Banks at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church on Jan. 31.

the first African American to play in the majors, Banks was the first with the Cubs in what was one of the most segregated cities in the United States. Banks was playing for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues when the Cubs purchased his contract for $10,000. He made

his major league debut at shortstop and three days later hit his first home run. With his play, particularly in the first chapters of his career when he was hitting home runs at a clip that no shortstop had ever hit them before, he simply won over a city. After Saturday’s service,

many other Chicagoans got the chance to say farewell. They doffed their hats in respect as a procession carried “Mr. Cub” past his statue at Daley Plaza downtown. It then made its way up Lake Shore Drive to Wrigley Field, where Banks so often called out what became his signature phrase, “Let’s play two!”

Men’s Basketball INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF

Howard Crushes Morgan State in UDC Snaps 34-Game Beltway Showdown Road Losing Slump with Win over Mercy By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor

By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor

EMAIL: CUSTOMERSERVICE@AFRO.COM TO REGISTER TO WIN TICKETS! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Supplies are limited. One pass per winner. Each pass admits two. Seating is not guaranteed and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Employees of all promotional partners and The Afro American are not eligible. All decisions are final.

IN THEATERS VALENTINE’S DAY www.FiftyShadesMovie.com

Senior guard Quasim Jones and junior guard Erin Senegal tied for a team-high 17 points to lead the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds to a 74-71 win over Mercy College in an East Coast Conference (ECC) game on Jan. 24 in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. The victory was UDC’s first win on the road in 34 straight tries dating back to 2012. It was a see-saw battle for both teams, as the lead exchanged 10 times with the score tied eight times. Mercy led by one point with 4:37 left in the game, but Jones took over, scoring six points in the final four minutes to help the Firebirds (4-14 overall record, 4-6 ECC) retake the lead and hold off Mercy. Jones finished 10-for-10 from the free-throw line to go along with his 17 points; freshman guard Kory Cooley added 16 points for UDC. Junior guard/forward Jeremiah Brown scored a game-high 24 points for Mercy.

Junior guard James Carlton scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Howard University Bison to a lopsided 64-48 win over their beltway rivals, the Morgan State University Bears, on Jan. 31 at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. With the win, Howard improved to 11-10 overall and 5-2 against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), good enough for fourth place in the MEAC standings. Morgan State fell to 4-17 overall, and 2-5 against the conference. Morgan State had problems

stopping Carlton, who was coming off a careerhigh 27-point performance in Howard’s win over Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 26. Carlton was still feeling that hot streak against the Bears, as he made all seven of his first-half shot attempts to push the Bison to a double-digit lead by halftime. While Carlton ran Howard’s offense, it was the Bison defense that contributed most to the blowout, holding Morgan State to just 35 percent shooting. Bears star junior forward Cedric Blossom was held to just 10 points, and backup freshman guard Conrad Chambers ended up leading the team with 11 points off the bench.

The Afro-American, February 7, 2015 - February 7, 2015

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

Woodson: A Man Beyond His Time Continued from B1

snow, when he was not needed to work the farm. “To a large extent Woodson would be self-educated,” said Daryl Scott, executive director, ASALH. It was not until 1895 – when Woodson was 18 – that he would enter high school—the all-Black Douglass High School in Huntington—but he graduated two years later. “There was something innate about him,” said Thornton about Woodson’s ability to succeed in school despite the challenges. Scott agreed. “When you realize that only 2 percent of Americans were graduating from high school at the turn of the 19th century, then you know this is a guy who truly believes in education and is driven by something out of the ordinary.” In the fall of 1897, Woodson enrolled at Berea College in Kentucky. It was close to his Huntington, W.Va., home, but more than that, it was one of the few higher education institutions at the time that promoted interracial education. The experience would likely shape his views about race relations. He graduated in 1903. Once again, Woodson seemed to be favored by time. Though born during Reconstruction, he came at its tail An image of Harvard University’s Widener Library around the early 1900s. Carter G. Woodson graduated from the elite end when the Klu Klux Klan began to rise in power and school in 1912. influence, spreading hate and terror among the exslaves; he grew up at a of Negro of Life and History (which later time of growing post-war becomes the Association for the Study of resentment among Whites African American Life and History.) still smarting from the “He’s a high school teacher and what complications of dealing he presumes to do in establishing this with free labor; and he association is take on the whole academy,” entered adulthood when Scott said. “He was prepared to do conservative Democrats intellectual combat with the leaders of the finally wrested control from Western world and all the great universities the Radical Republicans, who had insisted for generations that Black passing laws and people have no history. And he wasn’t even a constitutional amendments university professor.” to disenfranchise African Americans through poll Next week, learn about the people who taxes and literacy tests, influenced Woodson’s life and work. and to restore the idea of White supremacy by the AFRO Archivist Ja-Zette Marshburn entrenchment of Jim Crow contributed to this story. segregation. “Not long after Woodson leaves Berea, Kentucky passes a law that Blacks and Whites cannot be educated together,” Scott said. “If he (Woodson) had come a couple of years later, he would not have been able to matriculate there.” While attending Berea, Woodson taught school in Winona, W.Va., and later served as principal of his high school alma mater. In November 1903, he left for the Philippines to serve as a teacher and Woodson was encouraged by W.E.B. DuBois to attend supervisor. The experience Harvard. reinforced what would later form the basis of his life’s Thanks to the AFRO American for work in America. “What he learned from that experience is that you have to teach people based on their more than 120 years of inspired own experiences. History is not simply Western; it’s not simply about elites; it’s about reporting and for showing all of us ordinary people and them knowing themselves,” Scott said. the power and the promise of equality. After several more travels, Woodson returned home to continue his studies as a full-time student at the University of Chicago. His work at Berea was deemed unacceptable, but that didn’t stop him—he worked hard and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees simultaneously. It was there, according to A Life in Black History: Carter G. Woodson by Jacqueline Goggin, that Woodson began to pursue his passion for documenting Black history. In February 1908, he wrote W.E.B. DuBois with statistics about the Black Church because DuBois at the time had amassed research and publications about African- American achievement for scholarly research. It is believed, however, that he may have been deterred by his professors and eventually chose French diplomatic policy towards Germany for his dissertation. With his advanced degrees from the University of Chicago, Woodson enrolled at Harvard University, and in 1912, became the second African American, after W.E.B. DuBois, to obtain a doctoral degree from the Ivy League school. The accomplishment was an astonishing one in that time, especially for someone of Woodson’s background, Scott said. “To talk about a Ph.D. was so rare…. So Woodson was a freak of nature,” the ASALH director said. But life at Harvard was not without its challenges, historians said. Woodson had believed the institution to be a place that was liberal and racially enlightened. Instead, he found instructors were propagating the same, widely-touted misinformation about Black intellect and Black—therefore American—history, and some tried to dissuade him from his goal of rewriting the historical record. “Harvard University has ruined more Negro minds than bad whiskey,” Woodson is quoted as saying later on. After graduation Woodson continued to teach in Washington, D.C.—he had funded his education through teaching jobs at schools such as Armstrong Manual Training High BGE.COM School and eventually M Street High School, a high school for the District’s Black elite. It was at the M Street High School that Woodson introduced Black history into the schools’ curriculum. And, it is while teaching there that he defied his Harvard critics and others, publishing his first tome on African-American history, The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861, in 1915. He also traveled to Chicago and established the Association for the Study

“He was prepared to do intellectual combat with the leaders of the Western world and all the great universities who had insisted for generations that Black people have no history.”

The

dream

is real.

“To talk about a Ph.D. was so rare…. So Woodson was a freak of nature.”

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

HBCU NEWS Illustrator Returns to UMES for Lincoln University to Debut Black History Month Exhibit Speaker Series in Honor of Famed Alum Kwame Nkrumah Bryan Collier, an awardthe Mosely Gallery director, Americans in history and his winning illustrator and writer, said. “His work is often life experiences in many of brings his unique style of compared to the innovative the children’s books he has watercolor and collage to African-American artist illustrated. the University of Maryland Romare Bearden.” Collier, Collier, who grew up Eastern Shore for a Black she said, depicts Africanin Pocomoke City, said, History “Collage is Month more than just exhibit. an art style… Collier it’s all about will be on bringing hand for different a meetelements the-artist together. Once opening you form a reception, sensibility Feb. 12, about from 4-6 connection, p.m. in the how different university’s elements Mosely relate to each Gallery. other, you The exhibit, deepen your which is free understanding and open to of yourself and the public, others.” will remain A fortuitous on display moment for through the emerging March 12. artist some 30 “Bryan years ago was Collier is a winning first wonderful place in an art artist who contest placing developed his work in a unique the nation’s style of capital and combining gaining him the collage with attention to earn realistic Images courtesy of Bryancollier.com a scholarship illustration,” ‘Smell the Tulips’ and ‘Blessings Are Free’ by Bryan to the Pratt Susan Holt, Collier Institute in New

The importance of the life and legacy of Lincoln alumnus Kwame Nkrumah ’39 and its influence on Pan African education will take center stage as part of a speaker series sponsored by the Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies, 5535 Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia this month. On Feb. 28, Lincoln University Professor of History and Political Science Dr. Zizwe Poe will speak on “Kwame Nkrumah and the Future of African Education: Here and Abroad,” which will examine the importance of Nkrumah’s life and legacy in the context of a Pan-African educational framework. Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana and considered to be one of the 20th century’s leading proponents of Pan Africanism. Dr. Poe, a leading expert on Nkrumah and who had worked for Nkrumah’s All-African People’s Revolutionary Nkrumah was the first Party for more than 25 years, is the author of Kwame president of Ghana and Nkrumah’s Contribution to Pan-African Agency: considered to be one An Afrocentric Analysis. In 2013, he addressed the of the 20th century’s Organization of African Unity (OAU) on “Kwame leading proponents of Pan Nkrumah’s Efforts to Achieve Pan-Africanism: What Africanism. Remains To Be Done” as part of its 50th anniversary conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the 2nd Biennial Kwame Nkrumah International Conference in Ghana a year earlier. Earlier this month, Dr. Aaron X. Smith, a Temple University professor, who teaches a course on the political rhetoric surrounding the life, music, and cultural impact of rapper Tupac Shakur, will present “Tupac Shakur: Spanning Generations of Conscious Leaders” on Saturday, Feb. 7. Both Drs. Poe and Smith, who received their Ph.D’s in African American Studies from Temple University, will present from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

York. Collier graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in 1989. While in school, Collier volunteered at the Harlem Horizon Art Studio in the Harlem Hospital Center discovering a passion for children’s books. He served as program director for 12

years before focusing his full attention to his art. Collier’s work has earned Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King awards and the 2014 U.S. nomination for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award. The Mosely Gallery

is located in the Thomas Briggs Arts and Technology building on UMES’ campus. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 410-651-7770 or visit www.moselygallery.com for more information.

Jackson State University Introduces Little Free Library To Promote Literacy Among Kids of W. Jackson, Miss. By Maria Adebola AFRO Staff Writer As part of an effort to provide free books and promote literacy among children in West Jackson, Miss., Jackson State University recently established its very own first Little Free Library. The library is geared toward providing books

littlefreelibrary.org

The library is geared toward providing books to kids, but adults are also encouraged to participate in the idea of sharing their favorite books by using the “take a book, return a book.” to kids, but adults are also encouraged to participate in the idea of sharing their favorite books by using the “take a book, return a book,” concept. The Little Free Library concept derives from a project started by one man in 2009. The originator of the idea, Todd Bol, built a small model of a one-room school house in honor of his mother, who was a school teacher and

loved reading. Bol placed the small wooden model in front of his home so his neighbors and friends could share their favorite books. The books were donated by the Jackson State University Mississippi Learning Institute, the Interdisciplinary Alcohol and Drug Studies Center, and the Jackson State University College of Education & Human Development.

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SERVS./MISC. Want a larger footprint in the marketplace consider advertising in the MDDC Display 2x2 or 2x4 Advertising Network. Reach 3.6 million readers every week by placing your ad in 82 newspapers in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. With just one phone call, your business and/or product will be seen by 3.6 million readers HURRY....space is limited, CALL TODAY!! Call 1-855-721-6332 x 6 or email wsmith@mddcpress. com or visit our website at TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 www.mddcpress.com Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1182 George Martin III Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Nikita Petties, whose address is 419 Newton Pl, NW, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed personal representative of the estate of George Martin III, who died on October 18, 2012 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Nikita Petties Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/23, 01/30, 2/6/15

LEGAL NOTICES

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1387 Ernest Twyman Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Audrey Boyd, whose address is 1528 Heather Hollow Circle, Silver Spring, MD was appointed personal representative of the estate of Ernest Twyman, who died on November 16, 2014 without and without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 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 August 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: February 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Ernest Twyman Personal Representative

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM86 Estate of Ivan Minas-Bekov Deceased N O T I C E O F S TA N DARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Patrick C. Horrell, Esq for standard probate, including the appoint-ment 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 Admit to probate the will dated March 17, 1998 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of witnesses or otherwise 0 Ordered any interested person to show cause why the provisions of the lost or destroyed will dated March 17, 1998 should not be admitted to probate as expressed in the petition 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 a supervised personal representative. Register of Wills Clerk of the Probate Division Date of First Publication February 6, 2015 Names of Newspapers: Washington Law Reporter Washington AFRO-AMERICAN Patrick C. Horrell, Esq 1801 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20009 Signature of Petitioners/Attorney

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM8 Barbara L. Dukes Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Pamelia J. Cook, whose address is 1515 Neal Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, wasappointed personal representative of the estate of Barbara L. Dukes, who died on September 27, 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Pamelia J. Cook Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 02/06, 02/13/15 TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 15:17:25 EST 2015 1/23, 01/30, Tue 2/6/15 TYPESET: Feb 03

TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 15:15:29 EST 2015 02/06, 02/13, 02/20/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1372 Jayson Washington Decedent Arnettia S. Wright, Esq 444 North Capitol Street NW Suite 605 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Tiana White and Jacqueline F. Smith, whose address are 4339 E Street, SE, Apt2, Washington, DC 20019 and 711 Carlough St., Landover St, MD 20785 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Jayson 15:54:41 EST 2015 Washington, who died on May 3, 2012 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Tiana White Jacqueline F. Smith Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/23, 01/30, 02/06/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1241 Josie Mae Myers AKA Josie Myers Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Joyce Myers, whose address is 300 51st Street, SE, Washington, DC 20019 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Josie Mae Myers aka Josie Myers, who died on October 10, 2001 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 July 23, 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 July 23,2015 , 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Joyce Myers Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2015FEP4 Date of Death January 15, 1994 Margaret Mundell Townsend Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Paul J. Townsend, III whose address is 2818 Derek Road, Alexandria VA 22306 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Margaret Mundell Townsend, deceased, by the Orphan’s Court for Prince Georges C o u n t y, S t a t e o f Maryland. on October 28, 2014, Service of process may be made upon D. Greer 1350 Leegate Road, NW, Washington, DC 20012 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: 1809 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th S t r e e t , N W, 3 r d F l . Washington, DC 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Paul J. Townsend III Personal Representative(s) TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: February 6, 2015 Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American 02/06, 02/13, 02/20/15

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Legal Advertising Rates the District of District of Columbia Effective October 1, 2008 PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 PROBATE DIVISION Administration No. 2014ADM1375 (Estates) Gwendolyn Jones Decedent 202-332-0080 Jamison B. Taylor NOTICES 1218 11th PROBATE St. Washington, DC 20001 Attorney 14:26:16per EST 2015 a. Order Nisi insertion Tue Feb 03$180.00 3 weeks NOTICE OF$ 60 perTYPESET: APPOINTMENT, b. Small Estates (single publication $ 60 per insertion NOTICE TO Superior Court of c. Notice to Creditors CREDITORS the District of AND NOTICE TO 1. Domestic $ 60 per insertion District of Columbia $180.00 per 3 weeks UNKNOWN HEIRS PROBATE DIVISION $180.00 per 3 weeks 2. Foreign $ 60 per insertion Michelle Jones and Washington, D.C. Camillia Jones, whose d. Escheated Estates $ 60 per insertion $360.00 per 6 weeks 20001-2131 addresses are 75 e. Standard Probates Administration No. $125.00 Chelius Ford Court,Mid2015ADM29 d l e R i v e r, M D 21220-1147 St. Phillips Michelle Wakefield 14:26:47 EST 2015 Decedent CIVIL NOTICES Ct, Locust Grove, GA NOTICE OF 30248 were appointed a. Name Changes 202-879-1133 $ 80.00 APPOINTMENT, personal representatives NOTICE TO of the estate of Gwenb. Real Property $ 200.00 CREDITORS dolyn Jones, who died on AND NOTICE TO February 21, 2012 withUNKNOWN HEIRS out a will, and will serve FAMILY COURT without Court supervi- Scott Smith , whose adsion. All unknown heirs dress is 1511 Montana 202-879-1212 a n d h e i r s w h o s e Ave. NE Washington, DC DOMESTIC 20018 , was appointed whereabouts are un- RELATIONS known shall enter their personal representative 202-879-0157 of the estate of Michelle appearance in this proceeding. Objections Wakefield, who died on to such appointment February 23, 2014 with a a. Absent Defendant shall be filed with the will, and will serve with-$ 150.00 Register of Wills, D.C., out Court supervision.All$ 150.00 b. Absolute Divorce 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd unknown heirs and heirs Floor Washington, D.C. whose whereabouts are$150.00 c. Custody Divorce 20001, on or before July unknown shall enter their 23, 2015. Claims against a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s proceeding. Objections the decedent shall be ext. To place your ad, call 1-800-237-6892, 262, Public Notices $50.00 & up presented to the under- to such appointment (or to the probate of de- per inch. depending onsigned size,with Baltimore Legal Notices are $24.84 a copy to the Register of Wills or filed cedent´s will) shall be 1-800 (AFRO) 892 with the Register of Wills filed with the Register of D.C., 515 5th a copy to the underFor Proof ofwith Publication, please Wills, call 1-800-237-6892, ext. 244 signed, on or before July Street, N.W., 3rd Floor W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . 23, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed 20001, on or before Auto be heirs or legatees of gust 6, 2015. Claims the decedent who do not against the decedent receive a copy of this no- shall be presented to the tice by mail within 25 undersigned with a copy days of its first publica- to the Register of Wills or TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 15:15:49 EST 2015 tion shall so inform the filed with the Register of LEGAL NOTICES Register of Wills, includ- Wills with a copy to the ing name, address and undersigned, on or beSuperior Court of fore August 6, 2015, or relationship. be forever barred. Perthe District of Date of Publication: sons believed to be heirs District of Columbia January 23, 2015 or legatees of the dePROBATE DIVISION Name of newspaper: cedent who do not reWashington, D.C. Afro-American ceive a copy of this notice 20001-2131 Washington by mail within 25 days of Administration No. Law Reporter 2014ADM1375 Gwendolyn Jones its first publication shall Gwendolyn Jones Personal so inform the Register of Decedent Representative Wills, including name, address and relationJamison B. Taylor ship. 1218 11th St. TRUE TEST COPY Date of Publication: Washington, DC 20001 REGISTER OF WILLS FebruaryEST 6, 2015 Attorney TYPESET: Tue Feb 03 14:26:16 2015 Name of newspaper: NOTICE OF 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15 Afro-American APPOINTMENT, Washington NOTICE TO Superior Court of Law Reporter CREDITORS the District of Scott Smith AND NOTICE TO District of Columbia Personal UNKNOWN HEIRS PROBATE DIVISION Representative Michelle Jones and Washington, D.C. Camillia Jones, whose 20001-2131 TRUE TEST COPY addresses are 75 Administration No. REGISTER OF WILLS Chelius Ford Court,Mid2015ADM29 d l e R i v e r , M D Michelle Wakefield TYPESET: Tue Feb 03 14:25:57 EST 2015 02/06, 02/13, 2/20/15 21220-1147 St. Phillips Decedent Ct, Locust Grove, GA NOTICE OF 30248 were appointed APPOINTMENT, Superior Court of personal representatives NOTICE TO the District of of the estate of GwenCREDITORS District of Columbia dolyn Jones, who died on AND NOTICE TO PROBATE DIVISION February 21, 2012 withUNKNOWN HEIRS Washington, D.C. out a will, and will serve Scott Smith , whose ad20001-2131 without Court supervi- dress is 1511 Montana Administration No. sion. All unknown heirs Ave. NE Washington, DC 2015ADM87 a n d h e i r s w h o s e 20018 , was appointed Richard Mundell whereabouts are un- personal representative Decedent known shall enter their of the estate of Michelle D. Greer appearance in this Wakefield, who died on 1350 Leegate Road NW, proceeding. Objections February 23, 2014 with a Washington, DC 20012 to such appointment will, and will serve with- Attorney shall be filed with the out Court supervision.All NOTICE OF Register of Wills, D.C., unknown heirs and heirs APPOINTMENT, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd whose whereabouts are NOTICE TO Floor Washington, D.C. unknown shall enter their CREDITORS 20001, on or before July a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s AND NOTICE TO 23, 2015. Claims against proceeding. Objections UNKNOWN HEIRS the decedent shall be to such appointment (or Paul J. Townsend III, presented to the under- to the probate of de- whose address is 2818 signed with a copy to the cedent´s will) shall be Derek Road, Alexandria Register of Wills or filed filed with the Register of VA 22306, was, apwith the Register of Wills Wills, D.C., 515 5th pointed personal reprewith a copy to the under- Street, N.W., 3rd Floor sentative of the estate of signed, on or before July W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . Richard Mundell, who 23, 2015, or be forever 20001, on or before Au- died on June 4, 2011 barred. Persons believed gust 6, 2015. Claims without a will, and will to be heirs or legatees of against the decedent serve without Court suthe decedent who do not shall be presented to the pervision. All unknown receive a copy of this no- undersigned with a copy heirs and heirs whose tice by mail within 25 to the Register of Wills or whereabouts are undays of its first publica- filed with the Register of known shall enter their tion shall so inform the Wills with a copy to the a p p e a r a n c e i n t h i s Register of Wills, includ- undersigned, on or be- proceeding. Objections ing name, address and fore August 6, 2015, or to such appointment relationship. be forever barred. Per- shall be filed with the Date of Publication: sons believed to be heirs Register of Wills, D.C., January 23, 2015 or legatees of the de- 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Name of newspaper: cedent who do not re- Floor Washington, D.C.

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

UNKNOWN HEIRS Tyrone Thomas, whose address is 751 Princeton Place, NW, Washington, DC 20010 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Angela R. Thomas, who died on July 29, 2014 without a will, and will serve withLEGAL NOTICES 15:16:10 2015 All out CourtEST supervision. unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Tyrone Thomas Personal Representative

B8 The Afro-American, February 7, 2015 - February 13, 2015

TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM16 Edward L. Helminski Decedent James R. O’Neil 1825 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Carole A. Helminski , whose addressis 3808 Huntington Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 wasappointed personal representative of the estate of Edward L. Helminski, who died on December 5, 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Carole A. Helminski Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15

TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1367 Angela R. Thomas Decedent Diann Dawson, Attorney at Law 2101 Steuben Way Silver Spring, MD 20905 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Tyrone Thomas, whose address is 751 Princeton Place, NW, Washington, DC 20010 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Angela R. Thomas, who died on July 29, 2014 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment

TYPESET: Tue Jan 20

1/23, 1/30, 2/06/2015

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM1 Steven D. Webster Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Rodkeeda Jordan, whose addressis 25 46th St, NE Washington, DC 20019 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Steven D. Webster , who died on Monday, December 8, 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 15:16:45 2015 to suchEST 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter January 23, 2015 Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 01/23, 01/30. 02/6/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1346 Heran Fiseha Decedent Charles F. Gormly, Esq 5101 Wisconsin Ave. NW Suite 210 Washington, DC 20016 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Serkaleme Wasihun, whose address is 815 Jenifer St. NW, #102, Washington, DC 20012 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Heran Fiseha, who died on April 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 shall be filed with the Register EST of Wills, 15:16:28 2015 D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Serkaleme Wasihun Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/23, 1/30, 2/06/2015

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1342 Grace E. Hudson Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Carolyn L. Clayton , whose address is 2345 S k y l a n d Te r r , S E Washington, DC 20020 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Grace E Hudson , who died on December 1, 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 23, 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 January 25, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Carolyn L. Clayton Personal Representative

TRUE TEST TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 15:18:02 EST COPY 2015 01/23, 01/30, 02/06/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1373 Robert Lee Graves Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Robert Lee Graves, Jr. whose address is 11 16th Street, SE, Washington DC 20003 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Robert Lee Graves, who died on December 5, 2013 withouta 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, EST on or before 15:17:03 2015 January 23, 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 January 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Robert Lee Graves, Jr. Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15

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TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1123 Adrienne Anita Sedgewick Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Michelle L. Sedgewick, whose address is 3815 2 4 t h S t r e e t , N W. , Washington, DC 20018 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Adrienne Anita Sedgewick, who died on June 6, 2014 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 23, 2015. Claims against 15:17:43 EST 2015 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Michelle L. Sedgewick Personal Representative

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Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM21 Charles Curtis Bradley Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Stephanie T. Bradley & Byron K Bradley, whose addresses are 1417 N i c h o l s o n S t . N W, Washington, DC 20011 & 5714 New Hampshire Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20014 were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Charles Curtis Bradley, who died on September 29, 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Stephanie Y. Bradley Byron K. Bradley Personal Representatives

LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 15:18:21 EST 2015 LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Jan 20

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LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Jan 20

TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 01/23, 01/30, 02/06/15

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2015FEP1 Date of Death November 30, 2013 Bernice Allegra Carr Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Karen Ann Carr whose address is 3916 Ames Street NE, Washington, DC 20019 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Bernice Allegra Carr, deceased,by the Orphan’s Court for St. Mary’s County, State of Maryland, on June 23, 2014 . Service of process may be made upon Karen Ann Carr, 3916 Ames Street, NE, Washington DC 20019 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 3916 Ames Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th St. NW, 3rd FL, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Karen Ann Carr Personal Representative(s) TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS Date of first publication: January 23, 2015 Name of newspapers and/or periodical: The Daily Washington Law Reporter The Afro-American

NW, Washington, DC 20012 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Melvin White, who died on January 1, 2014 without a will, and will servewithout Court supervision. All unknown heirs 15:18:40 aLEGAL n d h EST e i NOTICES r s 2015 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 July 23, 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 July 23, 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: January 23, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Eric J. White Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM45 Estate of Rosa M. Adams Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Gerald Belton 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 15:37:13 EST 2015 this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. 0 Admit to probate the will dated 09/29/1989 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of witnesses or otherwise 0 Order witnesses to the alleged will dated 09/29/1989 to appear and give testimony regarding its execution Clerk of the Probate Division Date of First Publication 01/30/2015 Names of Newspapers: Washington Law Reporter Wa s h i n g t o n A F R O AMERICAN Gerald Belton 1101 L. Street, NW, #806 Washington, DC 20005 Signature of Petitioners/Attorney

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 01/30 & 02/06/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM24 Leon H. Dickerson Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Nikki Dickerson, whose address is 12706 Center Park Way, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Leon H. Dickerson, who died on August 23, 2013 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 07/30/15. Claims against TYPESET: Tue Jan 20 15:47:30 EST 2015 the decedent shall be 01/23, 01/30, 02/6/15 presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed Superior Court of with the Register of Wills the District of with a copy to the underDistrict of Columbia signed, on or before PROBATE DIVISION 07/30/15, or be forever Washington, D.C. barred. Persons believed 20001-2131 to be heirs or legatees of Administration No. the decedent who do not 2014ADM1356 receive a copy of this noMelvin White tice by mail within 25 Decedent days of its first publicaGabriella Lewis-White tion shall so inform the Register of Wills, includ1321 Fern St NW Washington, DC 20012 ing name, address and relationship. Attorney Date of Publication: NOTICE OF 01/30/15 APPOINTMENT, Name of newspaper: NOTICE TO Afro-American CREDITORS Washington AND NOTICE TO Law Reporter UNKNOWN HEIRS Leon H. Dickerson Eric J. White, whose adPersonal dress is 1321 Fern St., Representative

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/30, 02/06 & 02/13/15

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LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM57 Lucy I Weaver Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS M. Janell Latture, whose address is 119 Canyon Place, Capitol Heights, MD 20743 appointed personal representative of the estate of Lucy I Weaver, who died on May 27, 1992 without a will.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 Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C . 20001, on or before July 30, 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 July 30, 2015 or be forever 17:15:34 EST 2015 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter M. Janell Latture Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27

01/30, 02/6, 02/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM879 Victoria Rose Swilley Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kenneth Darnell Swilley & Roger Mark Reynolds, whose address are 4219 Chariot Way, Upper Marlboro MD, 20772 were appointed personal representative of the estate of Victoria Rose Swilley, who died on January 22, 2014 withouta 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 17:14:50 2015 D.C., RegisterEST of Wills, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 30, 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 July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Kenneth D. Swilley Roger Reynolds Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 01/30, 02/6, 02/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM35 Stephen Matthew Boyd Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Te r r i D e n i c e B o y d , whose address is 3457 25th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020 , was appointed personal representative of the estate of Stephen Matthew Boyd, who died on October 21, 2012 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (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 July 30, 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 July 30, 2015, or be forever

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 July 30, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be LEGAL NOTICES presented to the 17:15:12 EST 2015undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter January 30, 2015 Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27

01/30, 02/06, 02/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM33 Tyler C. Melton Decedent Johnny M Riddick, Esq 505 Capitol Court, NE Suite 100 Washington, DC 20002 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Reginald C. Melton, whose address is 3416 Dix Street was appointed personal representative of the estate of Tyler C. Melton, who died on August 26, 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., 17:14:31 EST 2015 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before July 30, 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 July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Reginald C. Melton Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Jan 27 01/30, 02/06,Tue 02/13/15 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM15 Lera M. Penix A.K.A. Lera MaDell Penix Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Alfonso Warren Small, whose address is 5124 N. Capital Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Lera M. Penix A.K.A. Lera MaDell Penix, who died on October 21, 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 de17:14:13 EST 2015 cedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C . 20001, on or before 07/30/15. 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 07/30/15, 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: 01/30/15 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Alfonso Warren Small Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/30, 02/06 & 02/13/15

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LEGAL NOTICES TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1383 Dollie B. Barnhill Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kim B. Farley and Phillip B. Barnhill, whose addresses are 4208 Barker Lane, SE, Washington, DC 20019 and 1921 New Garden Road, #J202, Greensboro, NC 27410, were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Dollie B. Barnhill, EST who2015 died on 17:13:52 April 26, 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 07/30/15. 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 07/30/15, 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: 01/30/15 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Kim B. Farley Phillip B. Barnhill Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 01/30, 02/06 & 02/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1390 Samuel D. Wilkins Decedent Kimberly Fahrenholz, Esq 1304 Rhode Island Ave., NW Washington, DC 20005 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS B e v e r l y A . B r a c e y, whose address is 608 Sheridan Street, NW, Washington, 17:13:29 EST DC 201520011, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Samuel D. Wilkins, who died on 02/17/11 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 07/30/15. 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 07/30/15, 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: 01/30/15 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Beverly A. Bracey Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Jan 27 01/30, 02/06Tue & 02/13/15 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM40 Merrill Pinkney Decedent Kathy Brissette-Minus Law Office of Kathy Brissette-Minus,LLC 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 230 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Merrill A Early, whose address is 106 Joyceton Way, Upper MArlboro, MD 20774 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Merrill Pinkney, who died on October 16, 2014 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

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Merrill A Early, whose address is 106 Joyceton Way, Upper MArlboro, MD 20774 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Merrill Pinkney, who died on October 16, 2014 a LEGAL 17:13:11 2015 withwill, andEST willNOTICES serve out 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 July 30, 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 July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Merrill A. Early Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 17:12:15 E 01/30, 02/06, 02/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM44 Louis E Stroud Decedent Robert E Richards 11 2 5 3 - B L o c k w o o d Drive Silver Spring, MD 20901 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Donna Stroud Baddy, whose address is 2813 Strauss Terrace, Silver Spring, MD 20904, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Louis E Stroud, who died onEST December 2, 17:12:54 2015 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 July 30, 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 July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Donna Stroud Baddy Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Jan 27 17:11:39 01/30, 02/06,Tue 02/13/15 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1386 Elizabeth Valentine Decedent Gilda Sherrod-Ali, Attorney at Law 1425 K Street, NW Suite 350 Washington, DC 20005 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sudie Foy Robertson Cousin, whose address is 86 Trotter Clay Road, R o x b o r o , N C 27574-8139 was ap17:12:35 2015reprepointed EST personal sentative of the estate of Elizabeth Valentine, who died on October 2, 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 July 30, 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 July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper:

TYPESET: Jan 27 01/30, 02/06,Tue 02/13/15 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM25 Naomi E Gittings Decedent Thomas H. Queen, Esq 7961 Eastern Avenue, suite 304 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kevin O Holtclaw, whose address is 6800 Walker Mill Road, Capitol Heights, MD 20743 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Naomi E Gittings, who died on November 18, 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 July 30, 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 July 30, 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: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Kevin O Holtzclaw Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 01/30, 02/06, 02/13/15

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM1386 Elizabeth Valentine Decedent Gilda Sherrod-Ali 1425 K. Street, NW, Ste 350 Washington, DC 20005 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sudie Foy Robertson Cousin, whose address is 86 Trotter Clay Road, R o x b o r o , N C 27574-8139 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Elizabeth Valentine, who died on October 2, 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 07/30/15. 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 07/30/15, 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: 01/30/15 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Sudie Foy Robertson Cousin Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 01/30, 02/06 & 02/13/15

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 17:10:54 EST 2015Feb 03 14:25:38 EST 2015 TYPESET: Tue LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM44 Louis E. Stroud Decedent Robert E. Richards 11253-B Lockwood Drive Silver Spring, MD 20901 EST 2015 17:11:56 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Donna Stroud Baddy, whose address is 2813 Strauss Terrace, Silver Spring, MD 20904, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Louis E. Stroud, who died on December 2, 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 07/30/15. 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 07/30/15, 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: 01/30/15 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Donna Stroud Baddy Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS

TYPESET: Tue Jan 27 01/30, 02/06 & 02/13/15 Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015ADM07 Josephine A. Tyson Decedent Clinton EST L. Evans, 17:11:09 2015 Jr. Esq. 1629 K. Street, NW, Ste 300 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Tammi M. Miles and Lois Thompson Knight (also known as Hazel D. Knight), whose addresses are 8734 Grasmere Court, Ft. Washington, MD 20744 & 10825 Pam Drive, Waldorf, MD 20603, were appointed personal representatives of the estate of Josephine A. Tyson, who died on October 25, 2014 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent´s will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C . 20001, on or before 07/30/15. 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 07/30/15, 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: 01/30/15 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Tammi M. Miles Lois Thompson Knight (also known as Hazel D. Knight) Personal Representative

Superior Court of the District of District of Columbia PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2014ADM729 Maudery Louise Stanley Decedent Lawrence N Cooper Esq 1029 Vermont Ave., NW, 3rd Fl Washington, DC 20005 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gloria D. McFariane, whose address is 5413 7th Street, NW, Washington DC 20011 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Maudery Louise Stanley , who died on December 5, 2013 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 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 August 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: February 6, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter Lawrene N Cooper Esq Personal Representative 17:10:39 EST 2015 TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 02/06, 02/13, 2/20/15

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with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before July 30, 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 publicaLEGAL NOTICES tion shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of Publication: January 30, 2015 Name of newspaper: Afro-American Washington Law Reporter January 30, 2015 Personal Representative

COMMUNITY CONNECTION Washington, D.C. Light of the Ancestors

On Feb. 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Carmen Torruella-Quander will be one of the many artists invited to exhibit in “Light of the Ancestors,” an art exhibit featuring some of America’s most outstanding artists. Torruella-Quander, an internationally accredited classic artist will be featuring her two great works, “Whispers” - which deals with the history and art of communication within the African American community - and “Washday” - which reflects one of the many avenues of survival which our ancestors of color elected, in order to make a better life for their descendants. Faith Ringgold, an internationally acclaimed artist is the special guest. The event will convene at the PEPCO Edison Place Gallery, located at 702 Eighth St., N.W.

Lula Washington Dance Theatre 35th Anniversary Performance

On Valentine’s weekend, Feb. 14-15, the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, from Los Angeles, Calif., will celebrate its 35th anniversary at Dance Place, located at 3225 8th Street, N.E. Founded in 1980 in inner city Los Angeles, this vibrant troupe is known for its powerful, high-energy dancing and unique choreography by its founder, Lula Washington, who blends contemporary dance with African, ballet, street dance, and Katherine Dunham technique. The Company is composed of young, athletic dancers, many of whom were groomed in Lula Washington’s dance studio. Ticket prices are $30 at the door and $25 in advance. Special discounts will be offered to Dance Place members, seniors, artists and students. For more information, call Edith Billups at 240-731-0159.

East Washington Heights Baptist Church to Host Annual Gospel Concert

In celebration of Black History Month, the East WashingPhoto courtesy of Artimpactusa.com Lula Washington’s “Whispers.” ton Heights Baptist Church Gospel Choir will present its 28th Annual Gospel Choir Concert on Feb. 15 at 3:45 p.m. The theme for this year’s concert is “Achieving Unity Despite Our Struggles.” Special guest performers and instrumentalists will also appear. The East Washington Heights Baptist Church is located at 2220 Branch Ave., S.E. The program is free to the public. For additional information, please contact the church office at 202-582-4811.

Prince George’s County, Md. Youth Art Contest

The National Crimes Victims’ Rights Coalition of Prince George’s County is encouraging youth to submit their original East Washington Heights Baptist Church will present its artwork that showcases the plight of persons affected by vio28th Annual Gospel Choir Concert on Feb. 15. lence and crime. Artists should depict how they define a survivor in their pieces. The contest is open to all Prince George’s County, Md. middle and high school students. All contestants should submit artwork to school representatives by March 2. The first place prize is $100. For more information, visit http://pgcncvrw. weebly.com or email at NCVRW@cafyonline.org. Facebook photo

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