District Chronicles V14 Issue 45

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FARMERS MARKET BRINGS PRODUCE TO NW COMMUNITY

Locals get in on UniverSoul Circus acts at National Harbor Page 12

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July 2 - July 8, 2015

Old gets a new life at D.C. Bartered Threads Page 3 www.districtchronicles.com

Volume 14 Issue 45

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Editorial

Five reasons to celebrate the Fourth of July

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By Edna Kane-Williams Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from AARP

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2 | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | District Chronicles

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Can you imagine the looks on the faces of the audience members when abolitionist Frederick Douglass, speaking at a commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, asked the question, “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?”

Many historians proclaim that speech of July 5, 1852, called “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” to have been among Douglass’ greatest orations. Pointing out the hypocrisy of owning slaves while celebrating independence, he said, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn … Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today?”

Nearly 163 years since that speech, America is far from perfect.

But even Douglass might agree that the extent that we have come since emerging from slavery to freedom is something worth celebrating.

It was largely by exercising the five tenets of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that we won the many freedoms we enjoy today. In 2015, it is by these five tenets that we continue to plead our causes: Freedom of religion. It has enabled the Black church and religious organizations, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, cofounded by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to historically serve as places of comfort, encouragement and even headquarters for organizing movements for justice.

Freedom of speech. It has given us the liberty to publicly express the pains that result from persistent inequalities and racial disparities.

Freedom of the press. We may not always agree with the perspective, but the media often help to tell our story and plead our cause.

Freedom to peaceably assemble.

From the sit-ins of the 1950s to the 1963 March on Washington, to the Edmund Pettus Bridge to the “Black Lives Matter” protests and assemblies sweeping America in 2015, our right to peaceful protest has effected change across the nation and drawn the attention of the world.

Freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances. When I think of other nations where people are thrown in prison or even killed for simply disagreeing with, much less challenging their government, I realize how blessed we are as a nation despite our imperfections.

So, as we enjoy our vacations, cookouts, yard parties, family reunions, fireworks displays or however we choose to celebrate this Independence Day, there is indeed much for which to be thankful – including our First Amendment rights. Happy Fourth of July.

Edna Kane-Williams is vice president, Multicultural Markets, AARP.

Sisters turn hobby into profitable business

Finance

By Kelly-Ann Brown Howard University News Service WASHINGTON – Tonia Gore and her sister, Tameka Gore Tillman, have been shopping in thrift stores all their lives, initially not by choice.

Their cost-conscious mother was the one who got them started.

Their mother grew up poor, the second of nine children, and not having a lot, the family spent nearly all of their shopping in second-hand stores looking for bargains, Tillman explained.

“So, once she started her family, she did the same thing,” she said.

“Back then, it wasn’t trendy like it is now. Wearing used clothes was thought of as being poor.”

The sisters weren’t exactly fond of it. “We hated it,” Gore said adamantly.

Years later, however, they have turned those lemons into lemonade with their store, Bartered Threads.

With the tagline, “Extraordinary Things Restated,” the 500-square foot shop at 3924 12th Street in northeast Washington dispels any preconceived notions one could have about thrift shops. It features used high-end apparel, footwear, home décor and jewelry thoughtfully arranged in a vibrantly decorated shop.

Their once- despised shopping activity transformed into a love of thrift shopping when they became adults, Tillman, 39, said.

“When we got older, we could appreciate how you could get so much more for your dollar,” the former federal employee said. “So, it developed into a hobby. We would spend 12 hours a day on the weekend in thrift stores.”

They have used that experience to find one-of-a-kind, quality items that were inexpensive; a theme that they have incorporated into their own business model.

Bartered Threads began in May 2012 as an online consignment shop after Gore called Tillman when she saw a television program that featured a woman with a successful online consignment store.

However, they realized they would have to change their business model after their plan of an online consignment store that did

The Gore sisters take second hand to new levels at the D.C. store Batered Threads.

not feature many high end products failed.

“We took a step back, as you always need to do when you have a business, and just reflected on what you’ve done and where you are,” Gore, 34, said.

With extra inventory from the consignment shop, they set up shop in a Baltimore flea market to gage how well they might be as a traditional brick and mortar store, she said. With the success of that venture, the sisters began a five-month process to open their current store in May 2014.

The sisters were able to obtain their current location with the help of a real estate agent looking to rent the property who Gore had worked with professionally in the past.

They also came up with other creative ways to start the business.

“I actually bartered accounting services for a contractor,” said Gore, an accountant and Howard University business school graduate. “We didn’t have to pay for that.”

At the time, they were unfamiliar with the thrift shop industry from a business standpoint, but their personal strengths, in combination with their industry knowledge as consumers, led to viability and success, they said. “It feels good to know we did it not having much experience in this industry,” Gore said. “It’s a big accomplishment.”

All items in the store are handpicked from donations to maintain a standard of quality, and as business has grown, inventory adjustments have been made to accommodate customer demand, Gore said.

Gore passed on a piece of advice to those thinking of opening their

own business.

“A lot of times you’ll see people spend a lot of money, thinking it’ll make them a lot of money and that’s not necessarily the case,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s better to start off small and then progress.”

When family works together, it can be challenging, Gore said, but she said she believes that the differences in her and her sister’s personality compliment one another.

“She’s the people person and very outgoing,” she said. “I’m conservative and introverted. It’s a good balance, and you need that.”

Bartered Threads also has a barter program, in which people who make their own items, can sell their products in a physical location at no cost, with the “barter” being an exchange for social media promotion.

As the store grows, the sisters said they hope to open a second location and develop community partnerships. Currently, they are working towards a partnership with the St. Anne’s Center for Children, Youth and Families, a transitional home for women and children in Hyattsville, Md., Gore said.

They said they hope to provide mentorship and job training programs to the women and assist the organization with managing its donations in a similar fashion as the selection process of Bartered Threads.

Gore said the key to their business is to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and welcomed.

“Everybody isn’t confortable with resale, but I think when resale looks like this,” she said, alluding to the stores merchandise, it makes it easier.”

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District Chronicles | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | 3

Neighborhood

Farmers market comes to 16th Street Heights neighborhood

By Kelly-Ann Brown Howard University News Service

A

4 | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | District Chronicles

new farmers market has arrived in the 16th Street Heights neighborhood of Northwest Washington, bringing fresh meat and produce, music and a new social center for local residents.

Located at 5500 Colorado Ave. NW, the 14th and Kennedy streets farmers market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday until November 21. Along with fresh produce, residents can expect pasture-raised grass-fed meats, artisan style baked goods and weekly musical performances.

The market is the brainchild of the Kennedy Street Development Association (KSDA) and the Community Alliance for Upper 14th Street, which worked for over a year to bring this project into fruition.

“The idea came from a survey the Kennedy Street Development Association did last year,” said Emily Cohen, a community organizer with the KSDA. “Having more access to fresh food was one of the items people expressed they wanted in the community.”

The community organizations enlisted the help of Jim Coleman, owner of Fresh Vista Farmers Markets.

“I provide market management services to the communi-

At the 14th and Kennedy streets farmer’s market, local residents can get fresh produce, enjoy music and find a reason to get out as a community.

ty,” said Coleman. “That means bringing farmers and vendors in, booking music and working with sponsors and community members.”

The 14th Street and Kennedy farmers market is also aimed to aid in community development.

Emily Cohen of the KSDA said the data collected by her organization also showed that community members desired a greater connection to their neighbors.

“People really wanted not just fresh food, but a community gathering place,” said Cohen. “It’s really a way to bring vibrancy to the street.”

The market also aims to support local businesses. Only vendors who produce the products they sell are selected. This means customers will know exactly where their product is coming

from because it is harvested, produced or raised by the individual selling it, said Coleman.

“We are trying to bring the best of the community to the farmers market, so those great businesses get more exposure,” he said.

Currently, the farmers market has seven vendors. Coleman said he hopes that it will grow to at least 12 vendors in the future. The market has seen approximately 400 customers by the end of closing last week.

Cohen said she is proud of the strong and steady attendance and expects to see participation grow.

She said she wants the residents’ excitement for the market to continue to be a positive weekly activity.

“We hope that it will become part of people weekly Saturday routines,” she said.

Divine Intervention Church won’t change on gay marriage views

By Rosie Scammell Religion News Service According to event organizers, Pope Francis is expected to draw a crowd of up to 2 million people at the end of September’s World Meeting of Families. Topics up for discussion at the congress include immigration, family finances and Internet use within the home.

However, visitors should not expect the church to change its views on gay families, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput told journalists.

“People who have experienced

same-sex attraction” will be welcome in Philadelphia, said Chaput, but he was clear in stating that the congress would not be open to supporting gay families.

The pontiff will arrive in Philadelphia on Sept. 26, after the fourday congress, which is due to draw Catholics from around the world to discuss family issues. The following day he will say Mass outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Preparations are well underway for the visit — Pope Francis’ first to the U.S. since being elected pontiff in 2013. More than 6,100 volunteers already have registered

to lend a hand. More than 11,800 people have signed up so far for the World Meeting of Families, with most delegates coming from across the U.S. Significant numbers will also travel from Canada, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and Nigeria; more than 100 countries will be represented.

The scale of the event entails a $45 million budget, more than $30 million of which has already been raised, according to Chaput.

“Much of that is for crowd safety and for infrastructure,” said Chaput. “The congress itself probably costs $2 million to $3 million.”

It’s time for the National Cathedral confederate flag windows to go

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

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In yet another instance of institutions retracting the Confederate flag, the dean of Washington National Cathedral has called for two stained-glass windows featuring the flag to be taken down.

The prominent building on D.C.’s skyline includes windows honoring Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, each containing an image of the controversial flag.

“The Cathedral installed these windows, in part, because its leadership at the time hoped they would foster reconciliation between parts of the nation that had been divided by the Civil War,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall, who has called for the governing bodies of the cathedral to remove the windows that have been there since 1953.

But at a time when the nation is mourning the killings of nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Hall said the cathedral should take a different approach. He also cited the recent killings of unarmed Black men at the hands of police officers.

“Here, in 2015, we know that celebrating the lives of these two men, and the flag under which they fought, promotes neither healing

nor reconciliation, especially for our African-American sisters and brothers,” said Hall.

The cathedral’s announcement comes as religious and political leaders have called for the flag to be taken down from the grounds of the South Carolina State House and elsewhere. Recently the board of visitors of the Citadel and the Military College of South Carolina voted 9-3 in favor of removing the Confederate Naval Jack from its chapel “to an appropriate location” on its campus.

“I think this is a major, major statement now, continuing with sort of the domino effect that has occurred across the country, to remove any vestiges of the Confederacy because it has become painfully apparent to all of those who defended it for so long that it is offensive,” said history professor Jason Silverman, an expert on the American Old South at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. “It’s now being interpreted as being dangerous.”

According to Hall, given the nature of the cathedral space, a change in the windows will take “time, energy and money.” In the interim, he says a display will be placed near the windows “to explain them in their historical context.”

“We will gather a representative group to work with us to imagine

AMG | PHOTOGRAPHY

The cathedral’s stained glass window dedicated to Robert E. Lee bares the flag.

how new windows can best represent our shared history of war and peace, racial division and reconciliation,” said Hall. “We will also discuss the future of the Jackson and Lee windows.”

Silverman, who visited the cathedral a few years ago during a trip to Washington, said he noticed the red and blue panels that featured the Confederate flags and thought it was “really odd” that the cathedral included them.

He noted that the decision to install them came just before the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision against school segregation.

“I’m almost thrilled, in one sense, chronologically, that it comes sort of right on the cusp in the 1950s before everything changes,” said Silverman. “I can’t believe that would have even been proposed in, say, ’57, ’58, ‘59 or ’60.”

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District Chronicles | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | 5

Cover

Demand for removal of Confederate flag spreads

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief (NNPA) – In what is quickly and unexpectedly gaining ground as a fitting memorial to the nine African Americans killed by a White supremacist, some of the most ardent defendants of the confederate flag are saying that it should no longer fly over the Capitol in South Carolina.

The most shocking news came when two-term Gov. Nikki Haley showed support for removing the flag from the Capitol grounds.

Both pro- and anti-flag advocates reached a compromise in 2000, hoping to defuse a growing public debate. Under the agreement, state lawmakers voted to allow the U.S. and state flags to fly on the Statehouse dome in Columbia and move the Confederate flag to the top of a nearby memorial to Confederate soldiers.

They agreed that any future changes to the positioning of the flag, which is the first thing a visitor sees when approaching the Statehouse from the north on Main Street, would require a two-thirds vote of the legislature, a decision

that is expected to be challenged in coming weeks.

Though unpopular in many quarters, some White politicians in the state have taken a bold stand against the flag.

“When it is so often used as a symbol of hate, of defiance to civil rights, to equal rights, equality among the races, a symbol used by the Klan, a symbol you saw at every protest during the times of integration and racial progress, then in front of the state Capitol, for those who harbor any of those kind of feelings – and I hope they are few – it nonetheless sends the wrong kind of message,” Joseph P. Riley, the mayor of Charleston, told The New York Times.

Haley, an Indian-American frequently touted as a possible GOP vice presidential candidate, reversed the stand she had taken throughout her political career in reaching that same conclusion.

When she first ran for governor in 2010, she declared the Confederate flag issue had been “resolved to the best of its ability” with the compromise on the placement of the flag on Capitol grounds.

Seeking re-election in 2014, she

said the flag was a non-issue for businesses considering whether to locate to South Carolina.

But the killing of nine Blacks in Emanuel A.M.E. Church changed all of that. Dylann Roof, an avowed White supremacist, has admitted to crashing a Bible study at the church and killing victims ages 26 to 87 in the hopes of starting a race war. In an online site, Roof, 21, is seen in numerous poses holding the Confederate flag.

Within hours of Haley’s announcement, Wal-mart, the nation’s largest retailer, disclosed that it is removing all Confederate flag-related items from its shelves, along with Amazon.com. Sears and K-mart are removing the sale of such merchandise online by third parties.

Leland Summers, the South Carolina division commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, issued a strongly worded statement seeking to distance supporters of the flag from the murderer.

“Not knowing your heritage is ignorance,” said Summers. “It is shameful and disgraceful that other organizations chose to use this heinous act to promote their political

NAACP’s Cornell Brooks wants the Confederate flag taken down in Charleston.

agenda. Do not associate the cowardly actions of a racist to our Confederate Banner; for it is a Banner of honorable men, both Black and White. There is absolutely no link between the Charleston Massacre and the Confederate Memorial Banner. Don’t try to create one.”

NAACP President Cornell William Brooks disagrees.

“We cannot have the Confederate flag waving in the state capital,” said Brooks at a press conference in Charleston. “Some will assert that the Confederate flag is merely a symbol of years gone by, a symbol of heritage and not hate. But when we see that symbol lifted up as an

emblem of hate, as a tool of hate, as an inspiration for hate, as an inspiration for violence, that symbol has to come down.”

Gov. Haley and the state’s two Republican Senators – Lindsey Graham, who is White and Tim Scott, who is Black – have concluded that it is time for the flag to come down.

“The fact that people are choosing to use it as a sign of hate is something we cannot stand,” said Haley. “The fact that it causes pain to so many is enough to move it from the Capitol grounds. It is, after all, a Capitol that belongs to all of us.”

University of Virginia honor student talks arrest, future

By Joey Matthews (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Martese Johnson still has two scars on his forehead and one under his left eye. The rising fourth-year University of Virginia honors student also bears deep emotional wounds, for which he has undergone counseling.

The scars are reminders to Johnson of what can happen to AfricanAmerican males when they are confronted by White law enforcement officers in what would seem to be even the most routine of circumstances.

Three months after he was slammed face first onto the pavement during a questionable arrest by three White Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control officers outside a Charlottesville pub, memories of that night still haunt him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever fully get past it,” Johnson told the Free Press on Tuesday. “I think it will last the rest of my life.

“Regardless of what I do, some-

one will always know me for this incident, personally or professionally,” he added.

Johnson was charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice – both misdemeanors – after his violent takedown on March 17.

Prosecutors announced on June 12 that they were dropping the charges.

Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman says he dropped the charges after determining Johnson “had done nothing wrong” before ABC agents confronted him to determine if he was using a fake I.D. or was intoxicated.

He said he could have charged Johnson with resisting detention, but decided that trying to slap the young man with a criminal record would “not be right.”

Johnson, who recently turned 21, spoke from Washington, where he is completing an internship this summer with the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank. He said he focuses on issues

6 | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | District Chronicles

pertinent to millennials, such as criminal justice reform, climate change and campus sexual assault.

Johnson discussed the night of his very public arrest.

“I was not drunk,” said Johnson.

Images of his bloodied face spread via social media, sparking local and national outrage and demonstrations.

Johnson said that at the time, he was well aware of the highly publicized deaths of Black males throughout the country.

“When they took me down, I could have hit the pavement in a different way and things could have turned out much differently,” he said.

George Keith Martin, rector of the University of Virginia, concurred.

“Martese is a fine young man with a very bright future. I wish him well in his fourth year at U.Va., and I am pleased that the cloud of the ABC charges has been lifted,” said Mr. Martin, who also is man-

aging partner of McGuire Woods’ Richmond office.

Though charges were dropped against Johnson, charges, were not pursued against the ABC agents involved. After an investigation by the Virginia State Police that involved interviews with 52 people, including 15 witnesses to the bloody arrest, it was found the wawatkinsABC agents acted properly.

He said the agents had authority to detain Johnson and that he found no indication they acted with “malice or racial animosity” in their handling of the situation.

In response to the incident, Gov. Terry McAuliffe ordered the State Police investigation. He also issued an executive order requiring retraining by Sept. 1 of all ABC agents in “use of force, cultural diversity, effective interaction with youth and young adults and community policing.”

Perry Hicks, a Richmond security officer and former special court appointed conservator of the peace, said he believes Chapman’s office

cleared the officers to “establish a positive defense against what will be any possible civil litigation” on Johnson’s behalf.

“Had not social media video of Martese’s arrest gone viral, still another young Black male would have been convicted of crimes based on fallacious law enforcement testimony,” he said.

Johnson said he did not necessarily want the officers to be charged criminally, but he believes racism played a large role in the way he was treated.

“I think those officers should endure some form of repercussion,” he said. “It’s not my priority for those officers to be charged because, ultimately, the way those officers treated me is a product of larger societal issues.

He said the officers became quiet when they saw how badly he was bleeding. He then was shackled, taken to an ambulance and driven to a nearby hospital, where he received 10 stitches in his face, he said.

Politics

Presidential campaign faces same issues as 1972 Convention

By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III (TriceEdneyWire.com) – “Our cities are crime-haunted dying grounds.

Huge sectors of our youth -- and countless others -- face permanent unemployment. Those of us who work find our paychecks able to purchase less and less. Neither the courts nor the prisons contribute to anything resembling justice or reformation. …”

THE BLACK AGENDA - The Gary Declaration: Black Politics at the Crossroads 1972 In March of 1972, several thousand African Americans convened in Gary, Indiana for the Black Political Convention, also known as the Gary Convention.

As the 2016 presidential campaign season begins, Americans of all classes, ethnicities and backgrounds find themselves confronted with the same problems articulated in Gary in 1972.

To highlight just a few issues, American citizens are grappling with high unemployment, mass incarceration, ineffective public schools and an increase in prescription drug abuse that is fueling a rise in heroin addiction.

According to Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO of Gallup, a 5.6 percent unemployment rate is “the Big Lie.” There are actually more than 30 million Americans unemployed or severely underemployed. That’s closer to 11 percent of the population, not the 5.6 percent being touted by

the White House. The “official” unemployment rate for African Americans is 11.4 percent. If the actual national unemployment number is 11 percent, then the real number in the African-American community must be closer to 22 percent.

According to Clifton, small businesses in America are steadily dying. Extrajudicial police killings, the exportation of jobs, income disparity, home foreclosures and homelessness are a few other pressing issues.

What are the contenders for the 2016 presidential race saying? What solutions are being put on the table?

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 kick off speech was filled with the typical Democratic populist themes and very short on bold policy initiatives. However, she did not take a position on the TPP, the Keystone XL pipeline, new drilling in the Artic or extrajudicial police killings.

She praised her husband’s administration, but let’s not forget that he ushered in a rash of neoliberal policies. The 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill resulted in more African Americans being incarcerated in the history of this country, as well as the state withdrawing its support for social welfare programs.

For the Republicans, Jeb Bush has entered the 2016 presidential field. What he has so far failed to acknowledge is that it was his brother, former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Cheney and his minions that charted that course

and set sail.

According to Jeb, he’s his own man. But how can this be when his father is raising most of his money and so many of his key foreign policy advisors are the same people who so poorly advised his brother?

Grassroots organizations such as Black Lives Matter, Code Pink, Students Against Mass Incarceration (SAMI), Occupy Wall Street and Business for a Fair Minimum Wage need to convene in a city such as Newark, New Jersey under the leadership of a progressive mayor such as Ras Baraka.

They need to develop a national strategy to change the dominant narrative and develop a progressive platform that addresses the real issues facing average Americans.

This coalition could take this platform to the Democrat and Republican conventions and demand a seat at the table, as Fannie Lou Hamer did with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1964.

Understanding that, neither of the major parties will allow a coalition of this type into their platform committee meetings; it’s about the process and effort.

It’s that a coalition of this type with a national strategy and platform could develop momentum, capture the imagination of progressive individuals and change the narrative in this country.

Where is progressive political leadership in America? Can the

leadership in these progressive organizations put their egos aside, organize, coalesce around a substantive policy agenda and pressure the political establishment to respond to Main Street instead of Wall Street?

If not, it will be more of the same.

John Lewis rallies Black clergy to restore the Voting Rights Act

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service On the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that removed key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, civil rights veteran and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), urged Black clergy to fight back.

“It’s time again for religious leaders, the ministers of the gospel, to get in trouble,” said Congressman Lewis during a June 25 briefing to Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) pastors at the Rayburn House Office Building.

They gathered two years after the 2013 Supreme Court ruling, Shelby County v. Holder, which invalidated a Justice Department review of new voting regulations in states with a history of voting discrimination. “There are forces in our country, in Washington and all around America, want to take us back. But we’re not going back.

We’ve made too much progress.

We’re going forward,” said Lewis.

The lesser of two evils is still evil.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is the producer/host of the Sirius/XM Satellite radio program “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon.”

He can be reached at www.wilmerleon. com and www.twitter.com/drwleon.

Lewis is one of the co-sponsors of the Voting Rights Advancement Act that was introduced June 24 and seeks to restore the portions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act removed by the nation’s highest court.

The gathering of about 70 PNBC pastors and other religious leaders headed to lawmakers’ offices to press for changes in the law. But they also stressed the need for voter registration efforts, even as dozens of state laws have grown more restrictive.

“We look at all of these new voting rights laws as just being the slick packaging of a new way of voter suppression,” said the Rev. James C. Perkins, PNBC president.

“There ought not be impediments put in the way to deter people from having access to the ballot box.”

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, said his church registers people to vote when they become new members. “Part of the response to massive voter suppression is massive voter registration and massive voter activation,” said Warnock. “That’s part of the solution.”

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District Chronicles | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | 7

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Many of the states that are refusing Medicaid expansion are in the Old South.

By LeeAnn Hall and Glenn Harris

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8 | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | District Chronicles

(TriceEdneyWire.com – There’s a new Mason-Dixon Line being drawn in our country and it runs right through Medicaid, one of the country’s most important health insurance programs. Historically, the Mason-Dixon Line marked the division between states that embraced slavery and states that rejected it. Today, it marks states that are accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion, and those choosing to leave millions of people without health care.

Medicaid expansion comes with almost full federal funding, which means that the decision to expand Medicaid – or not – isn’t a money decision. Really, it’s a decision about whose lives are valued and protected in the United States.

The map of the United States showing where low-income families are denied access to quality health care looks eerily like one of the old Confederacy. Most states have accepted Medicaid expansion and they are enjoying the benefits. However, 21 states continue to reject it – and 13 of those are in the Old South. The blatant racial implications can’t be ignored. As with other questions concerning racial equity, the decisions before state lawmakers now follow a long history of racial struggle. Health care, in particular, remains a stark and shameful example of the fail-

ure to overcome persistent racial disparities in our country.

Those left without access to quality health care are disproportionately people of color. According to the Kaiser Family Fund, 26 percent are African American and 24 percent are Latino. In Texas, people of color account for 74 percent of those being deprived of health care in that state – that includes more than half a million Latinos and 160,000 African Americans.

By refusing as much as $100 billion over 10 years in Medicaid expansion money for Texas, former Republican Gov. Rick Perry is sending a strong message that some lives just don’t matter. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is suing the Obama administration for “coercion tactics” that he says are forcing the state to expand Medicaid to 800,000 people who can’t afford health insurance. Florida is also giving up about 20,000 new jobs, including 10,000 good paying medical jobs, by rejecting Medicaid expansion.

By rejecting Medicaid expansion, states are leaving 3.8 million low-income adults with no health insurance and no benefits. These are workers with incomes too high for regular Medicaid programs, but too low to afford the health insurance premiums. Florida and Texas, by the way, have the highest health insurance costs in the country. Behind all those numbers are

real people whose lives depend on the health coverage that Medicaid provides. They need the routine care that encourages health and vitality, as well as critical treatment and care that could save their lives.

Without insurance, these families also face devastating financial consequences. More than half of all bankruptcies are due to insurmountable medical bills. Denying health insurance has a snowball effect impacting economic opportunity. The Affordable Care Act – our country’s greatest health care accomplishment in fifty years – is a boon to nearly 11 million Americans who were previously shut out of the health insurance system. The cruel irony is that those who were most likely to be helped by Obamacare are still being denied access.

It’s not enough to regret the racism of the past; we have to renounce and reject policies that exacerbate it today. It’s not too late for state lawmakers to erase the Medicaid Mason-Dixon Line.

LeeAnn Hall is the executive director of the Alliance for a Just Society, a national policy and organizing network that has produced pivotal reports for 20 years on national health issues.

Glenn Harris is president of the Center for Social Inclusion. The center is dedicated to finding policy solutions that promote structural equity and an inclusive democracy.

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In the Neighborhood

Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington Montgomery County County offers safety tips for outdoor grilling, food prep

D

on’t let food poisoning be an uninvited guest at your summer gatherings. More than half of the cases of salmonellosis reported every year occur in the summer months. Salmonella is one of the most common bacteria found in foods that are not cooked properly. While it is not usually fatal, symptoms can include headache, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever.

Summer food safety Foods likely to contain bacteria when not cooked properly include eggs, meat, poultry, fish and cooked high-protein foods that have not been refrigerated after cooking, such as rice, potatoes and beans.

The following tips will help residents enjoy the summer after the social gathering has ended: Cook foods to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit, pork to at least 155-160 degrees Fahrenheit, ground beef to 155-160 degrees Fahrenheit, poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, stuffing and stuffed meat to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot foods should always be served while still hot.

Cook hamburger patties and meat loaf so the center is not pink and the juices run clear. Crumbled ground meat should be cooked until no pink color remains.

Keep hot foods hot. After cooking meat or chicken on the grill, keep it at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer until serving. If reheating, fully cooked items such as baked beans or hot potato salad, heat to 165 degrees F. Keep cold foods cold. If using a cooler, keep it out of the sun and avoid opening it often so it stays as cold as possible. Keep cold foods at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or colder at all times.

Transport cold foods with ice packs in an insulated cooler to minimize bacteria growth.

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Refrigerate all cold food ingredients and foods (below 41 degrees Fahrenheit) before mixing, and then return to the refrigerator until served.

Thoroughly clean and sanitize utensils and cutting surfaces between the preparation of different food items, especially after handling raw poultry, beef, pork and eggs.

These raw foods have surface bacteria that could contaminate other foods. Never put cooked meat on the same unwashed platter used for raw meat.

Do not thaw meat and poultry at room temperature. To keep the outside of these foods cold while the inside is still defrosting, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under cold running water.

Promptly refrigerate leftovers.

Store food in shallow uncovered containers to cool rapidly.

Reheat leftovers thoroughly (165 degrees Fahrenheit or more) before serving.

Wash hands with soap and water before preparing food, after handling raw food and after using the bathroom or playing with pets.

Prepare food as close to serving time as possible. This eliminates the time element that can allow any bacteria that may be present to increase to large numbers. Food should be left out no longer than two hours. In extreme summer temps, food should not be left out longer than an hour.

Finally, when in doubt, throw it out.

For more information about safe food preparation and handling, call the United States Department of Agriculture’s meat and poultry hotline at 1.888.674.6854 or go to the visit their website.

(800) 967-8641 A Place for Mom is the nation’s largest senior living referral information service.

We do not own, operate, endorse or recommend any senior living community.

We are paid by partner communities, so our services are completely free to families.

Summer grilling safety Before you plan your next outdoor cookout, keep these safety tips in mind: If you haven’t used your grill in a while, give it a good cleaning.

Scrub the grate with a wire brush and save future cleaning time by using a nonstick cooking spray to prevent food from sticking to the grill.

Before using your grill, go online to check whether your grill has been recalled due to any safety defects.

Position the grill in a wellventilated, flat and level surface away from your house, overhangs, deck railings, tree branches, shrubbery and anything that can burn. Never use a grill indoors.

Never leave a grill unattended – even for a minute – and supervise children and pets around the grill; declare a three-foot “kid-free zone” around the grilling area.

Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled-up sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle over the grill and catch fire.

For additional important summer safety tips and hazard prevention information, regularly visit the Montgomery County Summer of Safety webpage at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/summersafety.

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District Chronicles | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | 11

In the Neighborhood

UniverSoul Circus promises unique circus experience

By Kelly-Ann Brown Howard University News Service

I

f the UniverSoul Circus, the Black-owned extravaganza that will be performing in the National Harbor from June 24 to July 19, is anything, it is dazzling, funny and incredibly unique.

The circus, which has been touring the nation for 21 years, features the acrobatics, gymnastics, animal acts and clowns and comedy that audiences have come to know and love from such festivals.

But only at UniverSoul will they find themselves singing and dancing in a carnival atmosphere infused with hip hop, classic R&B, jazz and gospel jazz, or, as audiences in Baltimore experienced recently, have the local state attorney and a city council member perform as the ringmasters.

It was just last month that Baltimore’s State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the woman who indicted six police officers in the nationallypublicized death of Freddie Gray, joined her city councilman husband to lead the UniverSoul audience in dancing and singing during its fourweek engagement there.

All of those unique turns are what makes this culturally-infused event the show Cedric Walker said he was striving for when he created the circus in 1994.

“As the most interactive circus in the world, we want you to be a part of the show.” Walker said. “It’s all about getting up dancing, singing along and watching incredible performances that will blow you away.”

This year’s theme is “Your Life Matters,” an unapologetic blend of entertainment, morality and social

commentary that infuses AfricanAmerican culture into a traditional circus setting, Walker said.

One person who carries the responsibility of maintaining the audience’s enthusiasm is Ringmaster Lucky Malatsi.

“It’s very challenging to be the ringmaster,” said Malatsi. “It’s my job to keep the crowd entertained between acts, to interact with call and response. But I love a challenge.”

Malatsi was only 11 when he joined the circus. He has been with UniverSoul for 14 years, first performing in a duo contortionist act, and also has experience as an acrobatic hip-hop dancer and trapeze artist.

Walker, a former concert and theater promotor who worked with the Jackson 5 and the Commodores, said he had a particular goal in mind when he formed the circus.

“The vision was to explore the various talents other than singing and dancing that Black performers had to offer,” he said. “The UniverSoul Circus introduced a different culture to circus artistic expression.

In doing this, it accelerated the opportunities for people of African descent in the circus industry on a global basis.”

Since those early years, UniverSoul has grown multi-culturally. It not only includes African-American performers, but also performers from Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Ethiopia, China, and South America.

Walker said the key to the success of UniverSoul for more than 20 years is staying connected to the audience.

“The passion and commitment we have for our audience drives ev-

12 | Jul. 2 - Jul. 8, 2015 | District Chronicles

The Willy Family

Color Me Carribean

ery creative decision we make,” he said. “Seeing smiling faces, watching our fans dance, sing and laugh makes it all worthwhile.”

Among the many performers at the UniverSoul Circus, the audience will see: African Dreams Circus Pole Act The seven-member acrobatic team from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, maneuver skillfully along 30-foot vertical poles.

Trinity: Trio Hand Balancing Act Strength, flexibility, fluidity and grace are what audiences can expect from the young women of this balancing act trio. Hailing form Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Trinity marks its Navas Brothers: Wheel of Death Also in their first year with the UniverSoul Circus, Ecuadorian brother duo Ray and Ronnie Navas’s performance will have audiences on the edge of their seats as they run and jump along a giant steel wheel circulating high in the air.

Color Me Caribbean: Caribbean Dance, Limbo and Stilts This dance troop from Trinidad and Tobago combines high energy Caribbean dancing with stilt performances as well as a limbo act taken

Fresh Hip Hop Clowns

Trinity

a step further with the addition of flames.

The Wuhan Flying Trapeze The 13-member aerial group from Wuhan, China, will dazzle audiences as they fly, flip and catch one another from an oscillating trapeze.

Wuhan Flying Trapeze

The Willy Family: Motorcycle Globe of Death Hailing from Colombia, this family combines excitement and danger with four motorcycles riding at high speeds within a single spherical steel cage.