The Washington Informer - April 9, 2015

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I N S I D E

See the Wards 4 and 8 Voter’s Guide Inside

Candidates for Ward 4 Debate Issues, Pg. 4

Local Boxer Patterson to Battle in NYC, Pg. 18

D.C.: It’s Cherry Blossom Festival Time, Pg.10

Black Families Enjoy Day at the Zoo, Pg. 38

Vol. 50, No. 26 Apr. 9- Apr. 15 2015

A parent prepares a few children for a photo-op in front of the sign on Family Day at the National Zoo on Monday, April 6 in Northwest. /Photo by Dejah Greene

District’s Minority Contractors Come Out in Support of Corizon

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc

A coalition of minority business owners, and others with an interest in the issue, began a fullcourt press on members of the D.C. Council Tuesday morning.

Their mission was two-fold: To convince council members

to vote for Corizon/MBI to take over health care responsibilities for the D.C. Department of Corrections, as well as to push for wider support in the legislative body for minority set-asides of 35 percent on city contracts.

Several speakers chastised council members for impeding

a procurement process which chose Corizon to replace Unity Health Care as the healthcare provider for the D.C. Department of Corrections but which the council has so far delayed.

Under a District mandate, 35 percent of local government contracts are to be directed to Community Business Enterpris-

es (CBEs), which most often are predominantly black and disadvantaged. A number of business owners and advocates in the crowd of more than 80 said city officials haven’t been diligent about ensuring that the money from District contracts end up in the hands of these businesses.

In the case of Corizon/MBI,

groups like the National Business League of Greater Washington are deeply displeased that despite being chosen by D.C. procurement officials and staff over the course of six rounds of bidding, the D.C. Council has delayed voting on the contract

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PEPCO AND EXELON:

Empowering The District We are a diverse collection of nonprofit and business groups that represent and serve the people of the District of Columbia.

We believe the proposed merger of Pepco and Exelon will benefit the District’s residents, communities, civic life and business environment.

If approved, this merger will create savings that will be passed on in customers’ utility bills, saving families and businesses more of their hard-earned money every month. It means honoring and maintaining Pepco’s strong commitment to workforce-and supplier-diversity programs. It means more jobs for District workers.

That’s good for families, local businesses, and the District’s workforce.

It means millions of dollars more that could be used for programs such as bill credits, low-income assistance and energy efficiency programs through a $33.75 million Customer Investment Fund.

It also means continued annual charitable contributions and local community support – exceeding Pepco’s 2013 level of $1.6 million for 10 years following the merger. And it means $168 million to $260 million in economic benefits to the District. That’s good for communities and those most in need.

It also means enhanced reliability of our electric grid and additional resources to speed storm restoration.

It means a commitment to sustainability and corporate citizenship. It means continued local presence and local leadership. And it means millions of dollars more invested in our local economy. That’s good for all of us.

WE SUPPORT THE PROPOSED PEPCO AND EXELON MERGER.

OF GREATER GREA W WASHINGT ON

LEARN MORE AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. VISI T WW W.PHITOMORROW.COM PA I D FO R BY E X E LO N S H A R E H O L D E R S

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4/9/2015 – 4/15//2015 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Pages 16 – 17 BUSINESS Pages 20 –21 COMMENTARIES Pages 29 – 31 LIFESTYLE Pages 34 – 39 SPORTS Pages 40 – 41

Members of the National Black United Front (NBUF) provide care packages, clothing and food on Easter Sunday, April 5 in Southeast. /Photo by Nancy Shia

WARD 3

AC AN

OSTIA RIVE R

—FESTIVAL—

TOWN HALL MEETING

Sunday, April 12 12 – 4 pm

Councilmember Mary Cheh and DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins are co-hosting a town hall meeting to discuss water projects and issues affecting your community.

• Water Rates • Clean Rivers • Drinking Water

• Billing Issues • Infrastructure • Job Opportunities

For more information, visit dcwater.com/rates or call the DC Water Office of External Affairs at (202) 787-2200.

Join us in Anacostia Park, a national park in the heart of Washington, D.C. FREE, family fun for all ages!

Visit bridgepark.org/ARF for more information.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 • 6:30-8:30 p.m.

American University, Ward Circle Building (Room 1) 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

CITY FIRST

BANK OF DC

The Anacostia River Festival is presented by the National Park Service and the 11th Street Bridge Park in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Funds for the Anacostia River Festival are provided in part by Bloomberg.

The 11th Street Bridge Park is a project of Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC.

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Women Break the Cycle of Ward 4 Residents Hear From Their Candidates Domestic Violence

By Rachel Kersey Howard University News Service

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

WASHINGTON – The race Marlow's to When replaceL.Y. former City 23-yearCouncil old daughter told Bowser, her the father member Muriel who of her daughter her was elected to the threatened mayor’s office life, and the life of their child, during the mid-term elections, she knew something had to be has been going on for months, done. Out of her frustration but began in earnest last week withitlaw enforcement's handling as residents poured into of the situation, she decidedthe to Kingsbury Center Promise in northwest start the Saving camWashington as three of the four paign. leading candidates off “It seems to be a squared vicious cycle in a debate. that won't turn my family There Marlow were boos earlyMarlow on as loose,” said. shared Treibitz, her storythe with the audiJanelle forum’s coence at the District that Heights ordinator, announced the Domestic contender, Violence Symposium leading Brandon on May 7 at theformer Districtchief Heights Todd, Bowser’s of Municipal Center.

The sympostaff and handpicked successor, sium not wasthere. sponsored by the would Family and Youthmoved Services But as the debate forCenter of the city of District ward between the leading canHeights and the National Hookdidates, Renee Bowser, Dwayne Up of Black Women.

Tolliver and Leon Andrews on Marlow has written a book, Thursday, April 2, Todd’s ab“Color Me Butterfly,” which is a sence was four quickly forgotten. story about generations of Moderator Nikki Lewis, the ex-is domestic violence.

The book ecutive DC Jobs with inspireddirector by her of own experiences, Justice, presented questions to and those of her grandmother, her candidates mother and daughter. the that her allowed them Shedemonstrate said every time reads to their she commitexcerpts fromcommunity, her book, she still ment to the knowlcan not believe the words edge of the pertinent issues,came and from her. “Color Me Butterfly” strategies for community imwon the 2007 National “Best provement.

Books” Award.

The candidates, whose cam“I was just 16-years-old when paign workers distributed literamy eye first blackened and my ture attendees, had 90 seconds lips to bled,” Marlow said. to Elaine respondDavis-Nickens, to questions about presihousing, jobs,National development, eddent of the Hook-Up ucation, crime, homelessness of Black Women, said there is no and other issues. consistency in the way domestic Andrews saidarehedealt is working violence issues with by to improve post-secondary education by implementing evidence-based programs in the ward to train youth, young adults and dislocated.

“I’m doing a lot of work here in D.C. with Mayor Bowser and some city council members and across the country,” Andrews said. “We know what works. I’m working with the president of the United States right now on his My Brother’s Keeper initiative where we’re connecting the TechHire work to how we are investing in our communities.”

Underemployment and affordable housing also were discussed. According to the infographic provided at the event,

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4 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed.

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law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said. had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a vicstory, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assesspush forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further said about Marlow. training for law enforcement Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life ProtecDwayne Tolliver, Brandon Todd, Leon Andrews Jr., and Renee Bowser are who reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counselall candidates for the Ward 4 Council seat left vacant when Muriel Bowser “get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. was elected Mayor of the District of Columbia. /Courtesy Photo case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradiperson can get it.”

She said at the cate violence, we must 72,000 families are on the DC returndomestic to custody. end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin.

Housing Authority waitlist for Those who attended the dehelp people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vicsubsidized affordable housing, bate said the theybatterer,” believe itMarlow is imlogue about domestic violence. tim and andAlso family homelessness present at the event has was portant said. that citizens participate nearly doubled in the last political process.

Mildred Muhammad, the year ex- in the Marlow would also like to see –wife from 1,200 families in 2013 to programs “This is my ward,” said of John Allen Muhammad, designed to Keith raise 2,200 in 2014. who was sentenced to six consec- Towery, awareness among children in a grant manager for the “Homelessness is actually the federal utive life terms without parole public and private schools.

She government.

“If I don’t effect,” Tolliverjury said.

“It’s by a Maryland for his rolenot in come feels children needwho to be out and see I’meducatgoing the cause.

Beltway Sniperto attacks in ed about domestic violence. the In order deal with to support, I might just believe 2002.

MildredweMuhammad have to stop being pasthe problem, have to dealis the“We hype and go with the many the founder After the with what isofcausing theTrauma, prob- sive-aggressive with poor chilyard signs I may see, which may an organization helps the lem.

It could be that trepidation.

It dren about domestic violence,” not be really reflective of what survivors of domestic violence could be alcoholism. It could be Marlow said. could be best my communiand their children.

Marlow hasfor worked to break abuse. It could be psychosis. We “I lived in fear for six years. Six ty.” the cycle of abuse in her family, need to make certain that we are years in fear is a long time. It is and is confident the policies she O’Connor, a resident providing thething right to resources to is Kevin not an easy come out pushing for will start that the Petworth neighborhood, deal withsaid. the problem, and that of of,” she process. had been disinterested in the willMildred reduce theMuhammad effect.” said “I plan to take these policies to elections the sudden death Violentwho crime in the districta Congresssince people want to help and implore them to of budding politician AJ Cooper was another issue.

Although domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said.

2014, O’Conmurders have be careful of dropped how theybygomore into in “I December will not stop untilbut these polihe is getting back into the victim's life,over and the understand cies said are passed.” than two-thirds past 20 nor that she in 26 “survival spirit of Jones the race is unCarol can and be reached years, theremay havebe been homi- theTia mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net about where to cast his vote. cides in the city this year as of sure “Before you get toto'I'm going “I know it’s really important April 3, according statistics to kill you,' it started as a verbal from the Metropolitan Police to WI be involved in my communiDepartment. Two occurred in ty so I’m really starting to gear Ward 4. up and get knowledgeable about Just over 106 violent crimes, the candidates,” O’Connor said. ranging from sex abuse and as- “I’m still sort of forming my sault to robbery and homicide, opinions.” have occurred in the ward this There was no consensus about year. which candidate won the debate, “I believe that we can reduce but Bowser appeared to receive crime in our neighborhood by the most applause. looking at our neighborhoods “I was really tossed up with my and where we have hollowed out decision, but I think I’m going to communities because of mass go with Renee Bowser,” Towery incarcerations, drug arrests and said after the debate. “Of all the poverty,” Bowser said. “We need to reinvest in those devastated candidates, she actually provided neighborhoods in order to have some solutions that seem feasible. She answered the questions, lasting public safety.”

Bowser also advocated for she stayed on task, and she was job training and adult educa- very respectable. That’s a qualition for citizens returning from ty that I would like to see played prison and jail and services for out in City Hall.”

Absentee votingL.Y. begins on those who don’t qualify for food Marlow stamps or public housing so they Monday, April 13. The general do not commit more crimes and election is Tuesday, April 28.WI

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301.292.9141/FAX 301.292.9142/Mobile 703.819.0920 doris@mcmilloncommunications.com/www.mcmilloncommunications.com Courtney Snowden was named Deputy Mayor of Greater Economic Opportunities on the rooftop of the D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board in Southeast on Wed., April 1. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

Snowden Chosen to Spur Economic Opportunity Mayor Bowser Keeps Campaign Promise

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor While on the campaign trail, Muriel Bowser said that she would create a new position – calling upon an experienced individual who would be responsible for identifying and creating greater economic opportunities for District businesses and residents.

And true to her word, the Mayor recently appointed Courtney R. Snowden to serve as the Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity. Bowser made the announcement on Wednesday, April 1 in Southeast at Shannon Place just a few blocks away from the Anacostia Metro Station as close to 100 District leaders and supporters looked on.

“I’m delighted to be here in the great Ward 8 and while we have done a lot across all of the wards to make this a wonderful city, we still need to close some obvious gaps. East of the River there needs to be a bustling economy that equals what we’re witnessing in other parts of the District,” Bowser said.

“I was looking for a results driven candidate who would be a game changer. I wanted to make this a real action job. And I wanted someone that knew the District and had a vested interest in making it a better place for all.

That’s why I’ve chosen Courtney [Snowden] to look across the

city for overlooked areas and for parts of the District where there are clear gaps in job training and job development,” she said.

Snowden, a graduate of D. C. Public Schools and Beloit College, grew up in Ward 4 and currently lives in Ward 7 with her young son. Prior to accepting the mayor’s offer, the native Washingtonian worked as a principal at The Raben Group – a government relations firm. An active leader in the city’s LGBT and black communities and a public education advocate, Snowden prides herself on fostering coalition building and bringing together people of diverse backgrounds from all portions of the District.

“I’m honored to accept this position and to make underserved communities a priority,” Snowden said. “Many of them can see cranes and development all around them – they want the same. We have a real shot here but this is personal for me because my family has been here for six generations.”

“In Wards 7 and 8, we need the trains and buses to run on time, we need grocery stores with fresh fruits and vegetables, we need Internet access that’s available to everyone and at an affordable price – we want to bring the same kinds of options to areas of the District that have been waiting for far too long.

Sure, this will be a tough job.

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But while I’m going to think big, I will also take each day to celebrate the small achievements.

The possibilities are endless,” Snowden said.

In a question and answer period that followed the announceDenise Rolark Barnes ment, Bowser shared more Independent Beauty Consultant specifics about the newly-crewww.marykay/drolark-barnes.com ated position. She said that the 202-236-8831 new deputy mayor and the city manager would be referring to metrics as a guide, adding that Snowden would focus on all of Wards 7 and 8 and probably certain portions of Wards 4 and 5 and even parts of Wards 1 and 6.

Bowser indicated that the new deputy mayor would also have a portfolio that included a cluster of other foci including the Department of Employee Services, small and local businesses, the Office of African American Af(301) 864-6070 fairs and the fatherhood, men and boys initiative.

“We will have some immediate, 100-day goals. Long term, MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC we want to change the homeADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, ownership trajectory. We’re looking at bringing major developCOBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, ment to Martin Luther King, Jr. Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Avenue and Good Hope Road.

Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, There’s no shortage of projects National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, on which to‡ focus.

Most importPlease set all copy in upper and lowercase, flush left as indicated on artwork at these point sizes: Consultant name in 11-point Helvetica Neue Bo Consultant in 9-point Light;Discrimination, Web site or e-mail address in 9-point HelveticaAct, Neue Retaliation, Light; phone number in 9-point Helvetica ant, all of theBeauty senior members of Helvetica Neue Race Rehabilitation To the Independent Beauty Consultant: Only Company-approved Web sites obtained through the Mary Kay® Personal Web Site program may my Administration talk to one Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, another – we share ideas and Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge strategies so that we can be more effective both in our individual SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA responsibilities and as a team,” www.jmlaw.net (301) 864-6070 jmccollum@jmlaw.net Bowser said. WI

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AROUND THE REGION WEEK OF APR 9 TO APR 15

Black Facts April 9 1898 – Paul Bustill Robeson is born in Princeton, New Jersey.

Robeson would go on to become the greatest combination of an entertainer and social activist in American history. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Rutgers University as well as being one of the school’s greatest football stars. After graduation he turned to entertainment, acting and singing on stage and in early movies. However, he was also an outspoken critic of American racism and imperialism while being a strong proponent of socialism. This made him the target of a government disruption and destruction campaign.

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April 10 1943 – Tennis great Arthur Ashe is born in Richmond, Virginia. Ashe’s spectacular abilities on the tennis court enabled him to become the first black member of the American Davis Cup team, the first black to win the U.S. Open and the first black to win the men’s single’s title at Wimbledon in England. Unfortunately, Ashe would die of AIDS after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion.

April 11 1948 – On this day, Jackie Robinson signs the contract that would officially make him the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball.

Robinson became a symbol of pride for blacks as well as a star player.

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April 12 1787 – Famous black clergymen Richard Allen and Absalom Jordan organize the Free Africa Society, which is believed to be the first black self-help organization or mutual aid society in America. The two, especially Allen, attempted to better life for blacks through the organization of separate black-controlled institutions. Allen is also the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal church.

1940 – Contemporary Jazz

composer and musician Herbie Hancock is born in Chicago. Illinois.

1975 – Josephine Baker dies.

She was born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis in 1906.

Baker left the United States for France in 1925, seeking a career as a dancer.

April 13 1873 – The Colfax Massacre takes place in Grant Parish, Louisiana. Still smarting from the loss of the Civil War and enraged by the political powers being given to blacks during Reconstruction, a white paramilitary, terrorist group known as the White League sets out to restore white rule in Louisiana.

The spark was a disputed election and a confrontation near the Colfax courthouse between a 60-member sparsely armed black militia and nearly 300 heavily armed members of the White League. The blacks took refuge in the courthouse, and a gun battle raged for hours, leaving three whites dead.

1946 – R&B great Al Green is born in Forest City, Arkansas. Many considered Green the greatest male R&B singer of the 1970s. Among his greatest hits were “Tired of Being Alone,” “I’m Still in Love With You,” and “Let’s Stay Together.”

April 14 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes

Booth and critically wounded at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln would linger for several hours but died at 7:22 am the following day.

April 15 1899 – Asa Phillip Randolph, the organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, is born in Crescent City, Florida. Randolph brought the power of unionism to black America like no one before or after him. He used his position as the nation’s No. 1 black union leader to become one of the major civil rights leaders of his era.

1922 – Harold Washington, the first black and 42nd mayor of Chicago, is born in Chicago.

2010 – Dr. Benjamin Hooks dies. The longtime civil rights activist led the NAACP for 15 years. Hooks was 85 years old.

April 16 1869 - Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett becomes the first African-American to serve in a diplomatic post for the U.S. (Consul-General to Haiti and the Dominican Republic) 1965 - Maj. Gen. B.O. Davis Jr., assistant deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, is named lieutenant general, the highest rank attained by a black to date in the armed services.

1973 - Lelia Smith Foley becomes the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. city (Taft, Oklahoma).

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AROUND THE REGION INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY ELTON HAYES

VIEWP INT Jay Davenport Washington, D.C. I think it’s good for what it will bring the city in terms of revenue. I think it’s good for the city. As far as things like traffic and congestion, that’s just another normal day for people who live in the area. Bringing events like the baseball All-Star game to your city bodes well for small business, also. I like the fact that it is coming here.

Linell Edwards Silver Spring, Maryland I think it will be a good for the community and for businesses located close to the stadium and hotels where people will stay.

Events such as the MLB All-Star game help to stimulate growth in the community and provide people with things to do. We have a huge baseball crowd here with the Nationals and baseball is known as America’s favorite pastime. It will be nice to have the event come to our area.

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT IT WILL BRING ITS ALL-STAR GAME TO NATIONALS PARK IN 2018. DO YOU THINK THE EVENT WILL BE GOOD FOR THE CITY IN TERMS OF EXPOSURE AND REVENUE, OR DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE A HASSLE FOR DISTRICT RESIDENTS?

Synta Keeling Washington, D.C. I feel that it is a great opportunity for the community.

I live in Southeast D.C. and I’m always looking for ways to draw crowds of people to other parts of the city. [Having] the All-Star game will encourage economic development, and there are a lot of new restaurants and businesses that are looking for foot traffic.

We have the infrastructure and the network to show people who want to come to the District a good time.

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Thomas Farmer Washington, D.C. The city is already crowded.

There are too many cars. When games like the All-Star ones come to Washington, it just adds to the congestion. The All-Star game will be a big hassle to District residents, but it will bring a lot of money and revenue to the city and businesses.

Marla Blow Washington, D.C. I think it’s a modest hassle, but it’s not a giant one. It’s surmountable. I don’t believe the notional economic boost angle – I think it’s probably a wash. But I think it’s good exposure for the city. I think it attracts a lot of attention, and people who will watch it on television will notice that it’s happening here. I think that it will be a nice promotional opportunity for the city

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Malcolm E. Beech, Sr. (3rd right) with Council member At-Large Vincent Orange and Rhozier “Roach” Brown at the John A Wilson Building on Tues., April 7 in Northwest. /Photo by Roy Lewis

MBI from Page 1

Walter E. Fauntroy Family Fund Those who wish to help the Walter Fauntroy Family can write checks payable to the to the fund’s fiduciary agent National Congress of Black Women in Memo Section write: “Walter E. Fauntroy Family Fund” mail to: 1250 Fourth St. SW, Suite WG-1, Washington, D.C., 20024

8 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

for health care at the D.C. Jail.

“This contract was evaluated by the Office of Procurement six times and Corizon was the winner six times,” said Roscoe Grant, Jr., CEO and president of R. Grant Enterprises, LLC. “I call it 6.6.6. There were six agencies involved throughout the process and six steps. The council shouldn’t be involved and this shouldn’t be about politics.”

“There’s $66 million on the table and this contract is worth $40 million. The delay is costing taxpayers millions of dollars, jobs are lost and taxes that would come to the city are lost too. It’s stuck in the Council. I haven’t heard any justifiable reason why this has not been passed.”

Of equal concern to himself and his colleagues, Grant said, is the Unity Health Care, which was a sole source bidder when it was awarded the contract six years ago and has been granted immunity from prosecution.

“They have 20 years of immunity.

They cannot be sued. They can do what they want,” said Grant. “And it was communicated to us that there’s 86 organizations inside lobbying to keep Unity in place.”

The council is scheduled to vote on the contract on April 14.

Dr. Malcolm Beech, president of the National Business League said Corizon has the league’s support because by the Tennessee-based company partnering with MBI Health Services, LLC, a D.C. – owned CBE, it will be the first time in history that such an enterprise will be actively involved in providing health care services to inmates in the D.C. Jail.

“The chairman of the council isn’t inclined to vote for this,” he said. “The mayor (supports) it, and signed a resolution and sent it to the Council. I want them to vote on this issue. The council is split. Opponents of Corizon want to keep what hasn’t worked.”

“The (Corizon/MBI) partnership will provide more than $30 million to the local small, disadvantaged busiThe Washington Informer

The National Business League of Greater Washington and the Returning Citizens of the District of Columbia rally at the John A Wilson Building on Tues., April 7 in Northwest. /Photo by Roy Lewis

ness enterprise through the term of the contract while also saving money for the taxpayers of the District of Columbia. The economic growth of the middle class of our city depends on healthy CBEs. The Corizon/MBI Health Care contract is essential to the mayor’s goal of prosperity for all citizens and to uphold the integrity of the procurement process in the District of Columbia.”

Corizon Health Inc., based in Tennessee, is one of the largest providers of prison health care in the country, providing health care to about 400,000 inmates in the U.S. annually. Council members shelved a vote last December after some legislators expressed concern about Corizon’s record in other prisons.

In a letter dated Dec. 14, the American Civil Liberties Union urged Council Chair Phil Mendelson to vote no on Corizon.

“Corizon is a for-profit company that exclusively operates within correctional facilities. For-profit correctional health care is driven by profit margins which incentivize cheaper, lower quality provision of care,” the letter said. “As a result, Corizon has been sued 660 times during the last half-decade because of horrific deaths and permanent injuries to men and women in their care. The District should not voluntarily expose itself to this tremendous liability.”

“Privatization of essential functions in jails and prisons is deeply concerning for a variety of reasons.

Private companies operating in jails

and prisons, including Corizon, have been found on numerous occasions to be in violation of their contracts with the government, especially in areas of staffing and programming.

For example, in recently settled statewide litigation in Arizona challenging Corizon’s inadequate health care, litigation experts found that ‘Corizon’s current clinical staffing allocation is so alarmingly low that, even if all positions were filled, which is not the case, it would be impossible for the system to deliver adequate health care to the number of prisoners currently in the ADC system.’”

Corizon officials don’t deny that they have been hit with a slew of lawsuits, but Rhozier “Roach” Brown, special assistant to the late Mayor Marion S. Barry, radio personality and a vocal advocate for ex-offenders, scoffed at such accusations.

“You can sue a watermelon,” said Brown, as those on the steps and others in the crowd burst out laughing. “Filing a suit don’t mean nothing.”

Then Brown got serious.

“We’re talking about jobs,” he said several times. “It’s about minority set-asides, your life and your future.

Unity has been negligent and now they’re calling foul. They say they’re suing. Let them sue. Corizon serves 300,000 people and 25,000 ex-offenders a week are also served by them. They have reentry programs in 20 states. We need jobs now, here, and everywhere else.” WI

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Volunteers representing AARP are helping District residents prepare their taxes for 2015. /Courtesy photo

District Libraries, AARP Provide Free Tax Service

By Francisca Fournillier Howard University News Service WASHINGTON – The April 15 federal deadline for filing taxes is right around the corner, and the District’s libraries, in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Foundation is providing free services to taxpayers and elderly residents with low to moderate income.

Patricia Banks-Helman, a retired medical illustrator, sat reading a book, waiting patiently at Southwest Library last week to see a tax assistant. She had her tax documents tucked away in a folder secured by a rubber band.

“I heard it from my daughter who was working at the time in Virginia and the AARP would go to her center and do the taxes,” Helman, 80, said. “That’s when I thought, ‘Well why don’t I? Why do I pay someone $300-plus to do very simple tax forms? So I’ve been very satisfied.”

This has been Helman’s third year coming to Southwest library to have her taxes filed.

AARP Tax-Aide has about 11 tax assistance programs in the District similar to the one at Southwest Library. The average site is open from four to five hours a day, one to two days a week.

John Willging volunteers as the local AARP coordinator at the Southwest Library and has been a volunteer with the program for 15 years and at the Southwest Library for the past two years.

“Anyone can volunteer for the tax assistance program, but you are required to pass an IRS test,” Willging, 78, said. “You are put through a training program that usually runs for five days. Then you take the test. If you pass the test, then you are qualified to prepare tax returns.”

Prior to filing her taxes at the Southwest Library, Helman would pay an accountant to file her taxes.

“It’s been wonderful,” she said. “The tax aides are very knowledgeable and thorough.

Otherwise I wouldn’t be coming back if I had any kind of trepidation, I wouldn’t be here.”

Kenneth Reavis, a transportation screener, waiting for his name to be called to have his taxes filed said he heard about the program from his mother, and this was his second year coming to the library.

“It’s been great,” Reavis said.

“They’re nice and helpful. It’s pretty simple and easy, right to the point. Get in and get out and I like it.”

Willging said the process is simple and modern. “It’s all electronic filing on all the tax returns that we do, except where there is a rare case where there may be a rejection on a return for some reason and we can’t get it through the system,” he said.

“Then we tell the tax preparer you have to mail in a copy.”

For more information about tax assistance, visit the AARP Tax-Aide program online. WI

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Cherry Blossom Time Returns to the District Attendance Continues to Soar for Annual Festival, Parade

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor Over a million people descend upon Washington, D.C. each year for the three-week and four-weekend celebration known as the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

And as this year’s annual event draws to a close with residents of the District and visitors from places near and far anxiously waiting for the beautiful trees to bloom, there are a wide array of activities that one can still enjoy.

Some families have already marked the 103rd anniversary of the gift of trees from the city of Tokyo, Japan with kite flying – a guaranteed winner for children – and with the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival, a day-long event held last Saturday, April 4 that featured live music, a family area for arts and crafts and water activities – all leading up to an exciting fireworks display after the setting of the sun.

Finally, there’s the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade presented by Events DC on Saturday, April 11. One of the highlights of the Festival, the Parade features celebrity entertainers, giant helium balloons, floats, marching bands and a whole lot more. This year there will be several special entertainers on hand to energize the crowd: singer/ rapper Estelle and singer/actor

10 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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Lance Bass.

But that’s not all. There will be other activities throughout the spring including a new event in Southeast, the Anacostia River Festival and the National Greenscape Corridor Bike Tour – a six-mile trail that connects the U.S. National Arboretum, the National Mall and Arlington Cemetery.

Officials from the National Cherry Blossom Festival and Events DC, partners for the spring sensation, expect more about 1.5 million people, 45 percent from outside of the region, to come out to take part in the many activities and events. Most of the activities are free and family-friendly.

“We look forward to welcoming the return of this annual springtime tradition and celebration that showcases Washington, D.C. as a cosmopolitan city on a global stage,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and CEO of Events DC. “The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a perfect model for Events DC – enabling us to work with our partners to create premier event experiences while generating economic impact for the city’s residents and businesses.”

An interesting history exists behind the cherry trees that now blanket the District. The original gift of 3,020 trees, comprising 12 different varieties, have an aver-

age life span of 20 to 30 years.

But there are still about 100 of the original trees left at the Tidal Basin due to the careful maintenance by the National Park Service.

The peak blooming period, defined as the time when 70 percent of the trees have blossoms, lasts a few days but the entire blooming period can last as long as two weeks. Today there are more than 3,720 cherry trees located at the Tidal Basin, East Potomac Park and the Washington Monument.

The Parade next Saturday begins at 10 a.m. and continues until noon along Constitution Avenue Northwest.

Considered one of the Festival’s most iconic and visible events, the Parade will be nationally televised. It will also be aired locally on WUSA 9 in a delayed telecast from noon until 2 p.m.

The 2015 celebration honors the 103rd anniversary of the gift of cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo in 1912 to the city of Washington, D.C. In recent years the celebration has expanded with a more diverse schedule and close to a month of activities. WI For more information go to nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

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Jamaican Shapes Meaning of Reggae Revival

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer Dutty Bookman has stood on the front lines of the Reggae Revival, what some consider the largest contemporary arts driven social movement in Jamaica.

Since the turn of the decade, the author and activist has ruminated, openly and in solitude about the era, providing some insight into how some Jamaican youth have found true knowledge of self through music and other forms of artistic expression.

“Fatidic: Selected Duttyisms,” the literary work that came out of Bookman’s musings, includes passages about the contemporary black struggle, spiritualism

and the power of love in affecting change. The 150-page anthology also gives readers a glimpse of the self-proclaimed revolutionary’s coming of age he says can serve as a guide to anyone on a similar path to higher understanding.

“This book is about my journey as a young writer. I used to run an online community of 2,000 people and after trying to take people away from the party energy, I had to go express my individuality and find people who were more like me,” said Bookman, 32, co-founder of Manifesto Jamaica, a nonprofit that educates the youth through arts and culture.

Since 2010, Manifesto Jamaica

Dutty Bookman, pictured with his son, recently released “Fatidic: Selected Duttyisms,” a compilation of literary works that touch on the deeper meaning of the Reggae Revival in Jamaica./ Photo courtesy of Higher Vibrationz has hosted art exhibits, performances, and other enrichment activities at schools in the Caribbean nation. During a recent promotional event at Sankofa Book Store & Café, Bookman

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said similar plans will unfold in the District through Manifesto DC, the nonprofit’s newly established local arm.

“I’m on a mission to bring a reggae revival to D.C.,” Bookman added. “People are yearning for the deep roots and I want to cultivate that. The Manifesto model is to allow people to shine their own home. That’s why I found a hometown girl in Falani [Spivey, Manifesto DC head], “ “This movement is about taking the culture that we have so that we can bring a piece of that energy with us whether we’re here, in Africa, or in Europe,” said Bookman, a Congress Heights resident since 2010.

The Reggae Revival, which started in the late 2000s, united a slew of musicians, writers, griots and other creatives around a call to address the issues of the day and improve the human condition through the arts. Many artists drew inspiration from the sounds of 1970s that took Reggae beyond Jamaica and made Bob Marley an international icon. Musicians in the ongoing movement abandoned the violent themes of dancehall, a raunchier derivative of Reggae, and reconnected the genre to its Rastafarian and Pan-African roots.

During the March 21 live discussion, Bookman touched on the larger events and issues that shaped the Reggae Revival and inspired parts of “Fatidic.”

Kwasi Bonsu, a local attorney and fellow Rastafarian, moderated the dialogue.

“Throughout history, we had writers who wrote about the things they saw and their notes were so important in helping us understand that time period,” Bonsu told guests during the gathering. “We have before us someone who was inspired to articulate his thoughts. Dut-

ty Bookman has been critical in saying that the revival is much more than music. It’s all of the expression that we have known to be important in our struggle.”

The event became even more reflective when Bookman recounted enrolling in a class taught by Jamaican columnist John Maxwell, a man who he said inspired him.

“I was drawn to John Maxwell’s column because he was frank and called out the injustices of society, even if he didn’t follow the rules of grammar to the tee,” Bookman said. “I was drawn to this elder. I eventually scraped up a savings and paid to sit in front of him and get that energy. One day, I asked him how to write for a cause that many people wouldn’t expect.

He told me to tell the truth. I wanted [to hear] more but it was enough. In any medium, just express the truth to the people.”

Maria Ellis, a community health worker and guest at the book discussion, said that Bookman’s messages will resonate with the youth, some of whom seek guidance during a critical time.

“This is a way of life and you have to make sure you’re spreading the right message to the youth,” Ellis said. “You can’t expect them to reach that level of consciousness that a revival would bring. I just think that as a messenger of this time and movement, it’s important that [Dutty Bookman] spread the message far and wide,” said Ellis, a Northwest resident. WI

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District Ends Practice of Juvenile Shackling D.C. Joins Twelve Other States in Reform Effort

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor In a collaborative effort, D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), who serves as the chairperson of the Committee on the Judiciary, with the support of At- Large Councilmember David Grosso and Attorney General Karl Racine, recently announced what some have described as significant reform to the District’s juvenile-justice system.

Despite inclement weather, the three District leaders, joined by members of the media, law enforcement officials and a host of interested parties, gathered on Friday, April 3 in Northwest at the Superior Court where they shared news about a court order that puts an end to the highly-disputed policy of juvenile shackling.

“After convening all of the stakeholders, we were able to put an end to the indiscriminate shackling of our youth, while preserving the Court’s ability to ensure the safety of its personnel and visitors,” said McDuffie in a prepared statement.

“The District is finally putting an end to a practice that potentially causes psychological harm to adolescents,” he added.

McDuffie expressed his thanks to Racine and Grosso, as well as to Director Clinton Lacey, Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, Avis E. Buchanan, Director of the Public Defender Service and Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the author of the Administrative Order, the Honorable Lee F. Satterfield.

At present, the security of the District’s courts, in addition to being responsible for the handling of detained juveniles at hearings, remains the task of the U.S. Marshals Service – a federal law enforcement agency.

D.C. is the only state-level court system in the U.S. where marshals escort juvenile defendants for local offenses. Now with the new agreement in place, McDuffie and his colleagues were able to secure the immediate implementation of new rules regarding the treatment of juveniles.

Racine said he stands firmly behind the change in policy.

AROUND THE REGION “The shackling of juvenile respondents should be a last resort based on a clear and supportable security concern and this administrative order is an important step towards ensuring that shackling becomes a last resort rather than a blanket policy,” Racine shared in a written statement.

Satterfield’s Administrative Order 15-07, “Individual Determi-

nations for the Use of Restraints on Respondents,” which went into effect on Monday, April 6, ensures there is a presumption that every child should be unrestrained and requires that judges make an individual determination with written findings to support any decision that a juvenile poses a risk with respect to him or herself, or the courtroom’s personnel

and visitors.

“This administrative order represents important progress towards protecting the human rights of everyone in our city, including court-involved youth,” Grosso said. “I look forward to continued collaboration with everyone involved to advance criminal justice reform in our city.”

Twelve states have already

banned the indiscriminate use of restraints on juveniles: Alaska, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington.

The District’s administrative order places D.C. within a movement that continues to grow nationwide.WI

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Educational Summit Targets Southeast Youth

Delta Sigma Theta Expose Students to STEM

By Sarafina Wright WI Intern The Delta Sigma Theta, Washington, D.C., Alumnae Chapter held its third annual STEM Youth Summit at Rise Demonstration Center in Southeast on Saturday, March 28.

Over 100 students and parents attended the summit. There were workshops hosted by scientists and engineers, showing students how STEM is everywhere with live demonstrations and information sessions for parents.

Guy Marshall, a Prince George’s county resident and father of a 14-year-old daughter, felt it was important for her to be at the summit.

“She wants to pursue a career in science; they don’t really touch on STEM at her school, so every opportunity we get to expose her to it, we do.”

Delta Sigma Theta, Washington, D.C., Alumnae Chapter, has a vested interest in exposing African-American youth to STEM because they severely lag behind their white counterparts in STEM-related courses. The situation is even more dire for African-American women.

Gwendolyn E. Boyd, the 22nd President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, was the first African-American female to earn a master of science in mechanical engineering at Yale University. Boyd, who was known as the “tech president,” is the model the STEM initiative honors.

Melba Smith-Marrow, a fourth-generation Washingtonian, has vested interest in seeing underprivileged kids in Wards 7 and 8 succeed.

“We want students to know STEM is nothing to be afraid of, especially

Kenneth Wesson (left), keynote speaker at plenary session speaks with Joy Nash of Banneker AHS during the DC Stem Fair, in the Dunbar Gym, on Sat., March 28 in Northwest. /Photo by Roy Lewis

those at risk. During the workshops, students find out STEM went in to your cellphone, texting, tablet and TV. STEM made all of these things possible,” said STEM co-chair Smith-Marrow.

“We target middle and high school students. We contact principals, churches, PTAs, libraries in order to get children in underserved areas exposed to STEM. We just took a group of children to the National Air and Space Museum,” said STEM chair Andrea Faust-Asomani.

The Delta Sigma Theta, Washington, D.C.., Alumnae Chapter, in an effort to take the STEM program to the next level, has secured partnerships with Microsoft and Google.

“As a STEM professional, I know it’s not a lot of us, but the future is in STEM. We need to bring awareness to our young people so they are prepared,” said Nichelle Poe, president of the Delta Sigma Theta, Washington, D.C., Alumnae Chapter.

Kevin Davis, 13, a student at Ernest Everett Just Middle School named af-

ter a pre-eminent African-American scientist, looks forward to a career in robotics engineering.

“I really enjoyed my time here. It exposed to me more stuff I like and care about. With STEM jobs you can invent stuff that helps people, and that’s what it’s about. It’s not about the money. I’m too young to worry about money,” said Davis.

Davis was recently accepted into STEM high school Charles Flowers, where he will be a freshman this fall.

The chapter ended the day with door prizes and boxed lunches for the attendees.

“I liked everything we did today.

I want to be an engineer, so I really enjoyed the 3-D printing machine.

It’s really advanced, and you can print statues and skeletons. You can’t print clothes yet, but soon enough,” said Frank Rollins, 14, a student at Two Rivers Public Charter School.

“The reception has been great.

Each year we’ve watched it grow, and it will continue,” said Poe. WI

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Even as scores of D.C. residents recently celebrated the city’s liberalization of marijuana laws by publicly exchanging cannabis seeds, one group remained on the outside looking in – local and national veterans who are seeking a way to be treated with medical marijuana through the Veterans Administration.

But they are hoping a piece of legislation now winding its way through Congress could provide them medical relief by allowing their VA physicians to prescribe them

medical marijuana to treat a variety of maladies – from PTSD to the side effects of cancer therapy.

The legislation, the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States, which has been backed

by Republican and Democratic in the Senate, would allow states to create their own medical marijuana policies without federal interference, permit banks and other financial institutions to provide checking accounts and services to marijuana dispensaries, open the door for research on medical marijuana.

It would also allow states to import Cannabidiol, which is recog-

MARIJUANA Page 15

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AROUND THE REGION MARIJUANA from Page 14 nized treatment for epilepsy and seizure disorders.

Marijuana is currently a schedule I drug, which restricts it from being prescribed for treatment by federal medical facilities.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Potter, vice chair of Research and associate professor of Surgery for Orthopedic Oncology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, said allowing marijuana to be used for treatment is certainly worthy of consideration.

“As an orthopedic tumor surgeon, I deal with cancer patients on a daily basis,” Potter said. “If prescribing medical marijuana became an option as a result of this act, I would carefully consider prescribing to patients I feel it would benefit.”

Republicans and Democrats, including Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Corey Booker (D-New Jersey) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), have supported the bill.

“For far too long, the government has enforced unnecessary laws that have restricted the ability of the medical community to determine the medicinal value of marijuana and have prohibited Americans from receiving essential care that would alleviate their chronic pain and suffering,” Paul said in a March press release.

Booker expressed similar support. “We need policies that empower states to legalize medical marijuana if they so choose, recognizing that there are Americans who can realize real medical benefits if this treatment option is brought out of the shadows” he said in a statement.

“Doctors and patients deserve federal laws that are fair and compassionate, and states should be able to set their own medical marijuana policies without federal interference.”

Some physicians believe that the proper dose of medical marijuana can ease the symptoms of PTSD, and many veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan share their beliefs, but there is no government-based research to support the claim. Medical marijuana has been known to help with nausea and pain in cancer patients going through chemotherapy and to help with glaucoma.

Despite the lack of government research in some areas, a number of injured veterans are excited about the prospect of medical marijuana being accessible to them.

“When I returned from overseas last year, my head was messed up,” Staff Sgt. Henry Miller said. “I was diagnosed with PTSD and prescribed several medications and received help

from a lot of people, but nothing has really helped with the anxiety. I have heard from several friends that medical marijuana can help with it, but as an active duty member of the Army, it is strictly prohibited.”

Potter said he also thinks use of

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medical marijuana might be beneficial, despite some pitfalls. “With any medication, there is a risk of abuse and complications with mixing meds,” he said. “I think this would be good for patients if the guidelines are clear to avoid any misuse

of the drug.”

Michael Collins is the policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance, an organization that supports the legislation and worked with the senators in crafting the bill. Collins said he believes the bill has a “very likely

chance” of passing.

“The press is catching wind of this,” he said. “The senators and the families of those suffering without the ability to obtain their medicine are very energized to get this done.” WI

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Black Columnist Battles for Life

By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) - For the past 22 years, Jim Clingman has published his cutting edge “Blackonomics” column in black-owned weekly newspapers around the country. The column mainly pushes for economic justice, which he views as a core necessity for Black progress in America.

But as this award-winning columnist, author of four books, college professor, entrepreneurship expert, speaker and businessman continues to fight with his pen, Clingman, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, is suddenly engaged in an unexpected and devastating personal battle. It is a battle for his own life – and quality of life.

Eighteen months ago, doctors diagnosed Clingman with ALS, the gradually debilitating disease that leads to partial or total paralysis of the body and a most often two to five year lifespan after diagnosis. It is the ailment that has become known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”, named for the professional baseball player that died from it in 1941 at the age of 37.

Many have learned of ALS

from the so-called “ice bucket challenge” that has raised more than $100 million to research the mysterious illness. Despite the popularity and positive results of the challenge, it can effectually belie the physical, emotional and mental suffering of those who have been diagnosed with it.

“We should not let the celebrity and the novelty overshadow the seriousness of this disease.

It’s a terrible disease,” Clingman said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. “It’s a terminal illness. They just kind of throw up their hands and try to figure out what they can do to help you manage because there’s no cure. People who know, know that it’s devastating. People who don’t know, they may ask what does that mean?”

Clingman, in his vintage, matter-of-fact style of communicating, describes his illness in simple terms.

“It’s like having a stroke one neuron at a time,” he said. “It’s very slow. It’s subtle. But it’s determined. It’s deliberate. It’s a literal assault on your body. And every day you get up you do inventory: ‘Let me see, is this still working okay? Is that still working okay?’ And you know we

Veteran black press columnist Jim Clingman has been diagnosed with ALS. /Photo courtesy Kiah Clingma

have billions of neurons, so it’s like a death by a thousand cuts.

A slow process, but a deliberate process.”

So far, the creeping symptoms which he first noticed six years ago in 2009 with a weak foot that caused him to stumble when he tried to bowl, have gradually

grown into the loss of his ability to walk without help from a walker to sturdy himself. The weakened muscles in his feet and calves have also ended his beloved 35-year bicycling activity.

Attempting to avoid the surgery, he went through a few months of therapy first. But,

then he noticed that his left calf was becoming smaller than the right and that his left leg had become weaker. Finally, a doctor gave him a battery of tests: an MRI, cat scans and blood work.

Then, on Aug. 23, 2013, he received the devastating news. For a healthy man then 69, an avid cyclist who could ride a hundred miles on his bicycle, the diagnosis literally rocked his world.

Now, 18 months since the diagnosis, Clingman is beginning to feel the effects in his upper limbs.

“I can feel a little something in my fingers and arms feeling weaker than normal. As I sit here and write, I sometimes miss the keys, making more mistakes,” he said.

But Clingman, with his wife, Sylvia, a neo-natal intensive care nurse, and his daughter, Kiah, a graduating senior at the Howard University School of Communications, are standing on their spiritual faith in God while doing all they can in the natural to fight. “Doctors give death sentences but God gives life sentences – eternal life,” Clingman said. WI

National Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts Show April 11-12, 2015

Saturday: 10 AM – 7 PM ** Sunday: 10 AM – 5 PM

Montgomery County Fairgrounds

16 Chestnut Street ** Gaithersburg, MD 20877 “31st Year Celebrating African American History & Culture”

• Purchase Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts from vendors including slavery artifacts, books, paintings, prints, stamps, advertisements, kitchen collectibles, coins, Civil War, civil rights, toys, dolls, political, jewelry, sports, entertainment, textiles, photos & more.

• View Educational Exhibits including Slavery Artifacts,

Buffalo Soldiers, Jim Crow, Black Panther Party, Marcus Garvey, Tuskegee Airmen, Malcolm X, George Washington Carver, Granville Woods, Rubin Hurricane Carter & others.

• Meet and Obtain Autographs from Negro League Baseball Players, Tuskegee Airmen and other celebrities.

“An Educational Experience For The Whole Family”

Admission: $7, Students admitted free All Indoors – Good Food – Free Parking

(301) 649-1915 ** www.johnsonshows.com Ljohnsonshows@aol.com facebook.com/blackmemorabiliashow

16 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDUCATION BRIEFS STEAM projects with the community,” said Godfrey Rangasammy, PCGPS supervisor of science.

“These students have won their school’s science fair and are always excited about participating in such a well-recognized and competitive event. We are extremely proud of our students and the hard work it took for them to get here.”

Science Fair winner Oreoluwa Aluko/Courtesy photo

Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

Students Win at County Science Fair

The schools’ Science Department recently hosted the 67th annual Prince George’s Area Science Fair, where two students gained recognition as top award winners.

Emma Thrift, student at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, won in the Environmental Management category. She provided a presentation of the “Pheromone Trap Cropping of Harlequin Bug.”

Oreoluwa Aluko, a student at Charles H. Flowers High School in Springdale, Maryland, who won in the Animal Sciences category, talked about the “Effect of Fatty Acids on Overwintering Success of Honeybees.”

Both students will represent the county’s schools at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair slated May 10-15 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“We look forward to this event every year because it gives our students the opportunity to showcase and discuss their exceptional

Student Receives National Award

Arleane Calderon, a 6th-grader at Woodridge Elementary School, lists among four students across the nation as recent recipients of the National Association for Music Education’s Student Promise Award.

As an award recipient, Arleane was also presented with a brand new violin.

In order to qualify for the award -- students who were nominated by a music teacher -- completed an essay on the importance of music in their lives.

The award sponsored by StringQuest On-line Instruction-

al Resources and Ronald Sachs Violins from Lilburn, Georgia, provides instruments and online coaching for individual students and various music programs.

Baker Visits Lamont Elementary School

County Executive Rushern Baker recently visited Lamont Elementary School in New Carrollton, Maryland, which has been designated a potential site for a future International Baccalaureate program. The IB program ties in with the school system’s newly-unveiled “Strategic Plan,” that aims for outstanding academic achievement for all students in order to catapult PGCPS to a top-performing school district by the year 2020.

“I’m delighted [that] County Executive Baker is visiting our schools,” said Kevin M. Maxwell, schools CEO. “We are a district on the rise and there’s no better time to invest in PGCPS . . . the opportunity to see the great work we are doing and the possibilities

Prince George’s County Saturday, April 25, 2015 Watkins Regional Park

for the future are paramount to our success.”

‘Scholar of the Week’

Liane Uy, a senior at High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland, has been named a “Scholar of the Week.”

Liane, who has a 4.04 grade point average, excels in advanced placement courses that include government, English, psychology and algebra.

Her extracurricular activities include membership in the National Honor Society, World Languages Honor Society, Chess Club, National Chess Federation, and National Society of High School Scholars.

Liane serves as a volunteer for Smithsonian Folklife, the PGCPS International Student Counseling Office, and the county’s Community Cleanup.

Liane has been accepted to University of Maryland College Park, Howard University and Florida International University.

She plans on becoming a nurse practitioner. WI

Washington, D.C. Saturday, May 2, 2015 Nationals Park

For more information on a walk near you, please visit marchforbabies.org Prince George’s Co. presenting sponsor:

Washington, D.C. presenting sponsor:

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Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

17

©2006 Environmental Defense

NATIONAL

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Watch Our

Lamont Peterson shows his stuff during a recent media workout /Photos by Travis Riddick

Sun. April 12, 2015 2pm NBC 4

Local Boxer Ready for Battle D.C. native Lamont Peterson, 31, first noticed by boxing coach Barry Hunter (who serves as his trainer), recently hosted a media workout at The Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Southwest. And on Saturday, April 11, all eyes will be on the talented and inspiring super lightweight champion when Peterson takes on Danny Garcia at the Bar-

18 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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clays Center in Brooklyn, New York for a live boxing match promoted by DiBella Entertainment. The highly-touted fight will air live on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET. Other matches on the ticket include Andy Lee versus Peter Quillin. The event marks Peterson’s debut in the Premier Boxing Champions series on NBC. Peterson last faced Dier-

ry Jean on January 25, 2014 in the District with his IBF Light Welterweight championship on the line. He won by unanimous decision, handing Jean his first career loss. The photos are from Peterson’s media workout on Thursday, March 26. /Photos by Travis Riddick WI

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NATIONAL

Chaquita Venable stands outside the Robert Russa Moton Museum, previously the school that her father, Clem, had to leave when Prince Edward County closed its schools in 1959 instead of integrating them.

Wells Fargo Launches New African-American Initiative ‘MyUntold’ Provides Platform of Encouraging Stories

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Chaquita Venable tells a compelling story of her late father, Clem Venable, who, because of segregation in Virginia, missed five crucial years of schooling and never recovered.

But that never stopped him from strongly encouraging an academic path for his five children, all of whom he witnessed earned college degrees before his death in 2013.

“My dad told me not to worry about people calling me a nerd because I studied hard and hit the books,” said Chaquita Venable, a 2010 graduate of Old Dominion University in Virginia and a Silver Spring resident.

“Dad said, ‘Your education will take you a long way. Get it while you can because you can’t get back missed opportunities.’

That’s what we’ve all done,” said Venable, who’s a part of Wells Fargo’s Black/African Connection Team Member Network.

Former Army Master Sgt. Harold Cole said his family has a long legacy of military service, including his grandfather’s service in World War II and several cousins’ recent Middle East service.

Cole enlisted in the military in 1942 when he was 17 because he had experience riding horses. He said he was assigned to all-black Troop F of the Ninth U.S. Cavalry in Texas.

“I was a bit nervous about going to Texas because I had heard bad stories about the South,”

well-known African Americans across the country, including influencers, community leaders and celebrities, like Cornell William Brooks, the president and CEO of the NAACP, who shares how his life is a direct result of the sacrifices made by him and others that he will never know, according to a news release.

Actors Niecy Nash and Marcus Scribner and film director Reginald Hudlin also share stories about challenges they’ve faced as African-Americans in the entertainment industry.

But it is the stories of the notso-famous, the so-called everyday people, that appears to inspire the most, officials said.

“The platform is really about everyday people, and we’ve just launched a landing page hub where we’re inviting people to share their stories,” Frison said.

“We do have celebrity engagement and great representation from across the country as well as their achievements, their accomplishments, and there are a lot of great positive stories.”

Frison said Wells Fargo officials knew that there were many who wanted to share their stories and she said the level of transparency has proven to be

remarkable.

“When you think of social media, it’s like an online barbershop, someone once said. A lot of people reflect the way we communicate,” she said.

“What’s great is that people are talking about a lot of different things, family, education and being a business owner. We want to have more people exposed to the fact that this platform is out there.”

She said the #MyUntold program continues the dialogue that began during the Kinsey Collection tour, which focused on uplifting the community by dispelling myths and amplifying triumphs and achievements. “#MyUntold seeks to highlight stories of historical significance that paved the way for future generations while bringing light to modern experiences that are equally important,” said Candace McCullom, vice president of brand and advertising at Wells Fargo. “It’s storytelling in a way that is relevant.”WI To tell your story; visit https://untoldstories.thismoment.com/.

By 1959, many Virginia schools had begun to integrate but not Prince Edward County, whose supervisors voted to close the schools ― an act marked by the signs posted at schools (above left) and the Moton Museum exhibits today (above right).

Cole said. “When I got there, I noticed that the Southern officers treated us better than the Northern officers. I guess they were more accustomed to interacting with black people.”

The stories of Venable, Cole and so many others are coming to life in a new Wells Fargo & Company initiative called “The Untold Stories Collection,” a social media movement dedicated to sharing personal stories that define what it means to be African-American today.

Each of the stories can be read in their entirety on the company’s designated webpage.

Lisa Frison, Well Fargo’s vice president and African-American segment manager, said the program leverages the reach, power and influence of social media to provide an intimate look into the African-American experience.

Using the hashtag “#MyUntold,” Wells Fargo aims to create a platform for building cultural awareness and promoting healthy dialogue.

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It is a catalyst for self-expression that celebrates the community by showcasing the broad range of experiences among a common culture, Frison said.

“By contributing, individuals are upholding the long-standing African-American tradition of storytelling in a way that is relevant today,” she said.

“Being an African-American woman, when you think about our perseverance and the character of black people, there is so many stories out there way beyond what we’ve captured, so we want to continue this,” Frison said.

Wells Fargo, which recently helped to bring the Kinsey Collection to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Northwest, launched the official #MyUntold website to serve as the central hub to upload, share and view stories.

Individuals can view untold stories from unknown and more The Washington Informer

Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

19

SPECIAL NEEDS TRUST PLANNING

BY AIMEE D. GRIFFIN, ESQ.

April is Autism Awareness Month! People who have a diagnosis along this spectrum present in many ways and are impacted in many ways. The terminology that is often used when referencing the disability is the use that someone falls along the “spectrum”. Each person requires unique supports.

When we have a family member with special needs we have an additional responsibility in planning for the future needs. It is not easy to try to anticipate and cover all of the needs of a family member who we have been supporting for most of our or their lives.

Financially caring for our loved ones requires that we are protective of the assets and benefits that they are receiving and if possible augment them if necessary for their improved quality of life. Many of the benefits that people with special needs have are means and income tested. That means benefits such as Medicaid is contingent upon the assets and income that is received.

The Affordable Care Act has created an increased level of access for family members with special needs. Prior to this legislation people were not able to buy health care because the disability that a family member had was often considered a preexisting condition. However, the ACA has prohibited the preexisting condition as a reason to deny coverage.

However, there are some benefits of Medicaid that exceed the typical medical needs such as that which is covered through the Medicaid waiver. This is a state program that provides comprehensive supports for elderly as well as people with disabilities. This is quite a valuable benefit that once received should be protected.

The creation of a Special Needs Trust provides a resource for the person with the protected benefit that enables supplements to the quality of life for the family member.

The Special Needs Trust was created through legislation and has quite a few limitations that govern its operation.

Individuals with substantial resources can create individual trusts and employ professionals to oversee. Some of the rules that are enforced include: • Money cannot be given to the individual directly.

• It must be insured that the assets are for the benefit of the individual with special needs ONLY. • It should typically not be used for the things that the governmental benefits are identified for.

A governing factor that must be incorporated in the trust is identifying the source of the money. Is the money from a family member or another individual or is it money from the person with the disability? That information determines whether or not there is a Medicaid Payback after the death of the beneficiary.

A trustee must be appointed. The Trustee must be knowledgeable about the use and exclusions of the uses. A Trustee is the person who determines how the money is spent. They should know the person with the disability to determine what is really in the best interest of the beneficiary. A corporate trustee is an option but a costly one.

Pooled trusts are an option when considering providing support that is less expensive. A pooled trust is run by a nonprofit that is typically less expensive to manage. A pooled trust typically encumbers 50% of the assets that would be returned to the state for Medicaid after the death of the beneficiary when there is a Medicaid payback requirement.

Planning for the future is necessary for all people to have the outcomes that are desired. It requires much more work when working with people who have depended on others to support them.

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 www.thegriffinfirm-PLLC.com 202-379-4738

20 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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BUSINESS BUSINESS EXCHANGE

Creflo “Pass-aDollar” God’s plan for us is to drive a Bentley, and we will attain it by giving 10 percent of our salaries to the pastors.

Does bad theology turn good men bad, or do bad men create belief systems to accommodate their ambitions? Across America, the road up for Blacks has been sports, rap music and preaching prosperity gospel.

The most prosperous businesses in most Black enclaves are run by PHDs that either preach, run for elective office, pimp or do activities in all.

The church is a central institution in Black life. It’s among few places where African Americans can be human, be leaders, and have respect, community and solidarity. Recently, one of Black Americans’ most prominent preachers was in the news seeking donations to buy a $65 million luxury jet. Creflo Augustus Dollar is a televangelist and prosperity-preaching pastor of World Changers Church. Dr. Dollar has built a ministry on the message that “It is the will of God for you to prosper in every way.”

Dollar’s forty thousand members are mostly Black, drawn by the pastor’s lavish lifestyle, optimism, and instruction of the Bible as a manual for prosperity. He holds meetings at the $18 million 8,500-seat World Dome in Atlanta, Ga., and has satellite churches in New York City and Battle Creek, Michigan. Members are encouraged to tithe with automatic bank account withdrawals managed by the church.

Fellow pastors call him “Passa-Dollar.” Dollar’s worth is estimated at $27 million. What he started outside Atlanta in 1986 as World Changers Church International with eight people in a school cafeteria, has now grown to the Change Your World TV broadcast and Arrow Records recording label that have combined budgets that exceed $80 million. Dollar owns two Rolls-Royces, a private jet, and real estate such as a million-dollar home in Atlanta, a $2.5 million home in Demarest, New Jersey, and a $2.5 million apartment in Manhattan. In October 2012, Creflo Dollar Ministries

By William Reed leased Lowes Paradise Theatre in The Bronx as their New York church location. On November 24, 2014, Dollar’s Gulfstream III jet, ran off the runway at Biggin Hill Airport, United Kingdom. To replace the old jet, Dollar launched a fundraising campaign to get a new Gulfstream G650.

Across Black communities, scores of pastors make good money reaching out to souls.

It’s not uncommon for pastors of Black churches to have perks such as automobile and clothing allowances. Many Black congregants expect their preachers to appear exceedingly prosperous.

They say, “How can one take seriously a sermon given by a man with no gold watch, no fine suit, and no Cadillac?

Most would say that Dollar’s prosperity practice was pure capitalism – practicing and pursuing the American Dream, plain and simple. But, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley has named Dollar and other evangelists: Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White in questions about their use of money collected from churchgoers and viewers. Benny Hinn is actually Israeli televangelist Toufik Benedictus who has an estimated net worth of $42 million. He is best known for his “Miracle Crusades” – revival meeting/ faith healing summits usually held in large stadiums in major cities, later broadcast worldwide on his television program, “This Is Your Day.” Kenneth Copeland Ministries is worth $25 million and is on a 1,500acre campus, located a halfhour drive from Fort Worth that includes a church, a private airstrip, a hangar for the $17.5 million jet, all anchored by a $6

REED Page 21

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BUSINESS

Black Women’s Hair Natural hair – is it a fad or a movement? While hair styles often change from afros, cornrows, jheri curls, mushroom, flips and up-dos, unprocessed hair appears to be trending among African-American women.

A well-attended panel discussion hosted at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Saturday, April 4 moderated by photographer Jason Miccolo Johnson titled, The Politics of Natural Hair” led to a spirited conversation.

Johnson’s national photography exhibit celebrates the beauty of women who wear natural hairstyles and remains on display at the library through April 25.

“This is outstanding. [It] is the most powerful exhibition I’ve ever done on cultural dynamics,” Johnson said.WI

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Jonelle Henry, Jason Miccolo Johnson, Maria Fenton and Pamela Ferrell after the panel discussion on “The Politics of Natural Hair,” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Sat., April 4. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

A row of ladies with natural hair at the panel discussion on “The Politics of Natural Hair,” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Sat., April 4. / Photo by Shevry Lassiter

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Let us help get the good credit you deserve!

A long line of women with questions for the panelists during the discussion on natural hair at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Sat., April 4. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

REED from Page 20 million lakefront mansion. William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr. is worth $25 million. His bona fides are bolstered by the fact that in 1957 his father invited Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to preach jointly at a New York

City revival. The elder Graham bailed King out of jail when he was arrested in the 1960s.

The congressional investigation could upset a lot of congregations. In the meantime, Dollar continues “living large.”In 2012 Dollar’s then 15-year-old daughter claimed he choked her and committed assault, battery

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and cruelty toward a child. That case went away in 2013 when Dollar paid $1,000 in court fees as part of an intervention program. WI William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via Busxchng@his.com.

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Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

21

OLENDER – SPELLING BEE

1st Place Winner Julia Weinrod with Jack Olender (2nd left) and Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes (1st right) and Marketing and Advertising Director Ron Burke (1st left). /Photo by Travis Riddick

Dr. Gilbert Daniel, Internal Medicine and Maribel Torres, RN, Chief Nursing Officer

Did you know...? ① ② ③ ④ ⑤

United Medical Center was designated as the safest hospital in Washington, D.C. by Consumer Reports.

First place winner of the Washington Informer’s 2015 Spelling Bee with Ron Burke, Jack Olender and Denise Rolark Barnes. /Photo by Travis Riddick

UMC is one of the first hospitals in D.C. to provide private patient rooms.

United Medical Center has 180 physicians, physician’s assistants, and nurse practitioners in 35 specialties dedicated to providing exceptional care.

United Medical Center was the first hospital in the region to offer low-dose mammography testing.

Our Emergency Department treats approximately 60,000 patients each year.

Make UMC your hospital. We offer convenient access to medical care where you work and live.

Not-For-Profit Hospital Corporation 1310 Southern Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20032 202.574.6000 www.united-medicalcenter.com

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Jack Olender hosted a reception in his office in Northwest on Thurs., April 1 presenting awards to the 1st, 2nd and three 3rd place winners of the Washington Informer’s 2015 Spelling Bee. /Photo by Travis Riddick

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Is D.C.’s Historic Commitment to Small and Minority Business in Jeopardy?

Dr. Malcolm Beech Mayor Muriel Bowser just unveiled her “Compete DC” initiative, designed to help small businesses expand and gain better access to opportunities.

“Compete DC” is the latest in over a century of concerted efforts to make the Nation’s Capital a national model for small and minority enterprise. Yet, we fear City Council may soon put that legacy at risk.

Approximately 115 years ago, Dr. Booker T. Washington established the National Business League. From its inception, his commitment was to a strong comprehensive program of self-help and self-sufficiency – by enhancing and expanding Black business in the community at large; encouraging civic pride, and reinvesting community money within the community. Dr. Washington was clearly ahead of his time – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce didn’t come into being until 12 years later.

Those who live in or run businesses in the District today are privileged to be part of a community whose government has embraced small business and minority enterprise. For the last decade, we have had a cabinet-level Department of Small and Local Business Development. Since the 1970s, we have had a program to encourage the development of Certified Business Enterprises or “CBEs”: local companies that employ District residents and pay District taxes. Almost all CBEs are small businesses, and more than half are at least-half owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

These businesses travel the two-way street Dr. Washington envisioned: under contracting rules, they are eligible for extra points on evaluations that help them expand. As they grow, they reinvest those dollars into more jobs and benefits.

The District’s CBE community is very troubled, however, by a recent development that could betray this historic commitment. The selection of a new healthcare provider for D.C.’s Department of Corrections followed a lengthy competitive procurement process. Despite the thorough process, a City Council majority must approve the award.

When Mayor Bowser formally submitted the contract to the Council, she urged them to take “prompt and favorable action,” adding that “the critical requirements of the District can only be met through an award of the approved multi-year contract [to] Corizon Health, Inc.” Corizon’s successful bid contains one of the largest CBE partnership components ever offered – more than $30 million – with MBI Health, Inc. In its “Contract Summary”, the Office of Contracts and Procurement (OCP) highlighted that, “This Contract is the first time in history that the contract for inmate healthcare services would be subject to, and meet the mandatory 35% CBE set-aside.” That is because the current contract-holder has – since it won the contract in 2006 – provided absolutely no CBE set-aside.

OCP called for that to change in its summary: “Corizon not only meets the contractual requirements but also will be keeping jobs within the District of Columbia, through its choice of a District-certified CBE subcontractor with a positive performance record, MBI Health, who provides employment opportunities to Ward 7 and 8 residents.”

This ought to be a simple decision for the Council: approve the contract award, as recommended. Stand by the integrity of our formal procurement process. Honor the District’s longstanding commitment to substantial small and minority business participation in contracts paid for with D.C. tax dollars.

It’s not that simple. Some Councilmembers would rather vote no, or not vote at all. One tweeted that the winner of the contract “isn’t welcome in my city.” Either outcome would kill the award and keep the current contract in place. That would mean no CBE participation and wasting $500,000 a month on the current contract while facing a $200 million budget gap in the coming fiscal year!

As the Mayor said in her State of the District Address, “Your government is hard at work to give everyone a fair shot.” We concur, and hope the City Council does, too.

Dr. Malcolm Beech is the President of the National Business League of Greater Washington, the leading small business trade association representing CBEs in the District of Columbia.

JOBS!! NOT JAIL!!

SUPPORT CERTIFIED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES AND JOBS FOR RETURNING CITIZENS JOIN US ON APRIL 14 TH IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS TO DEMAND THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVE CONTRACT NO. CW28651 APPROVAL RESOLUTION OF 2015

Unity Health Care has had this non-competitive/sole source contract for 6 years. DC law states that 35% of the contract be set aside for CBE (Certified Business Enterprise). Unity Health Care has never honored the commitment to work with a minority company.

Now, six years later, Corizon has been awarded this contract. They have already selected MBI, a CBE (Certified Business Enterprise) to receive the 35% set aside.

MBI is already providing services to the formerly incarcerated population. Returning citizens are receiving much needed medical and re-entry support services as well as training and jobs.

The City Council plans to vote on April 14, 2015 to waive the 35% CBE requirement for a Department of Corrections contract.

PLEASE ALSO WRITE YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER AND ASK HIM/HER NOT TO UNDERMINE THE INTEGRITY OF THE D. C. PROCUREMENT PROCESS. LET THEM KNOW THAT UNITY HEALTH CARE, INC’S SOLE-SOURCE, NO-BID CONTRACT MUST COME TO AN END. Paid for by National Business League of Greater Washington

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Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

23

HEALTH

Area Food Bank Essential to District Residents

By Francisca Fournillier Howard University News Service WASHINGTON – Tyrell Holcomb, the distributions program manager with the Capital Area Food Bank, took a look at the long line of people who were queuing for the fresh produce and meat that the organization offers the first Saturday of every month and made a prediction.

“Today, it looks like we are going to have a record in terms of the number of households in which we are going to be serving,” Holcomb, 26, said. “I’m anticipating that we’ll probably serve about 300 households today.”

Scores of people lined up on the windy Saturday morning near the Northwest One Library near First and L streets in northwest Washington with their market bags and trollies in hand to collect their free fresh fruits and vegetables distributed by the Capital Area Food Bank.

The Capital Area Food Bank distributes fresh food to individuals who are low to moderate

income and who receive federal assistance. Potatoes, cabbage, turkeys, onions and grapes were just a few of the giveaways available to those waiting in line with their food bank key cards Saturday.

The food bank serves all eight wards in the District, Fairfax County in Virginia and Prince George’s County in Maryland.

Volunteers set up their stalls on the road of L Street and greeted recipients with a smile as they distributed the fresh produce.

Juanda Smith, 61, heard about the food bank from a friend and started coming this year.

“It helps me with food to last for the month,” Smith said. “So, it’s like an addition. I get everything, the cabbage, the potatoes, the apples and especially the salad.”

In addition to distributing fresh produce, the Capital Area Food Bank shares recipes for healthy and affordable meals at the market as well as online.

“We’re not just handing you fresh fruits and vegetables, anticipating that you’ll go home and do something with it,” Holcomb

Cloment Okehie prepares to leave the Capital Area Food Bank after receiving his fresh produce for the month. /Photo courtesy Howard University

said. “We’re giving you a recipe to go home and actually try with the fresh fruits and vegetables that we provide.”

Tiffany Mitchell, 31, a day care worker who lives across the street from the food bank, brought her godbrother to help her pick up her fresh produce for this month.

“My favorite part of the market is the fruits,” Mitchell said.

“My daughter likes fruits. So, she’s going to enjoy these grapes and just the fact that they help us with the food, because it is a struggle.”

People were not aware that they were qualified to get free produce at the food bank.

A D.C. resident gets two bags of vegetables at the Capital Area Food Bank. /Photo courtesy Howard University

Scores turned out to get free fresh produce at the Capital Area Food Bank over the weekend. /Photo courtesy Howard University

Cloment Okehie, a 29-yearold engineering student, was unaware that he qualified to receive free produce.

“I was just passing by last month, going to the library, because I go every weekend and one of them told me about the food bank and that I qualified,” Okehie said.

Okehie, who was making his second trip to the food bank, said his favorite part was getting the turkey.

“It benefitted me a lot,” he said. “It reduced my expense. It makes me stay at home to cook and not to go out so much to spend. It has been so wonderful.”

Qualified residents can sign

24 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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up and become a member of the food bank at no cost.

“Members of the market place sign up and get a key card which makes the flow of the line much smoother,” Holcomb said. “And what happens is, on a monthly basis they come, they show their key cards, their key cards get scanned and they’re able to come through and get their produce.

“It also helps us to track the number of people we’re actually serving at each distribution.”

For more information on how to visit the next community marketplace in your neighbourhood, visit here to visit the website WI

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EDUCATION

Byron Fullerton, Carlos Palencia, and Mario Velasquez will use their scholarships to cover tuition, room and board, and books and fees for four years at the university./Photo courtesy DCPS

Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

More Families Choosing DCPS

More families in the District have been participating in and receiving matches to its public schools as a result of the citywide “My School DC lottery.”

In the first round of this year’s lottery, more than 6,000 families were matched and notified of a seat available for their child at a city school of their choice. This equates to an increase of 927 families, or 17 percent more than last year.

“We want to be the school system of choice for families in the District of Columbia,” said

Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

“We want parents to be proud to send their children to our schools, and we want more families to see the fantastic teaching and learning, as well as exciting enrichment opportunities available in our schools throughout our city.”

Seniors Awarded Full Scholarships to GWU

Three high school seniors have been awarded full, fouryear Stephen Joel Trachtenberg scholarships to attend George Washington University.

Byron Fullerton from McKinley Technology High School, Carlos Palencia from School

Without Walls and Mario Velasquez from Benjamin Banneker Senior High School will use their scholarships – totaling more than $200,000 per student – to cover tuition, room and board, and books and fees for four years at the university.

“I am thrilled and proud of Carlos, Mario and Byron, our talented, driven, dynamic and bright young men who received this year’s Trachtenberg scholarship,” said Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “The fact that these scholars also happen to be young men of color is a coincidence, but it emphasizes to me what is possible for all of our students, and why our investment to empower male students of color is so important.”

Student-Athlete Scholarship Awards Program

Officials for the DC State Athletic Association are accepting applications for the 201415 Student-Athlete Scholarship Awards program.

Now in its second year, the program provides $1,000 college scholarships to 17 of the District’s top high school student-athletes as part of the DCSAA’s partnerships with Modell’s Sporting Goods and Wendy’s restaurants.

“With the help of partners such as Modell’s and Wendy’s, who realize the importance and value of helping young people in our community, we are proud

to continue this scholarship program,” DCSAA Executive Director Clark Ray said. “We look forward to reading these applications and helping the winners get started on their journey to college.”

The scholarships are designated for District high school seniors who have played at least two seasons of varsity sports and maintain at least a 3.0 gradepoint average. The application deadline is by 4 p.m. on April 17.

More information and an application can be obtained at http://www.dcsaasports. org/2014-2015-student-athlete-scholarship.

Tuition Assistance Grant Program

The District of Columbia

Tuition Assistance Grant application process will be open through June 30, with officials at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education urging all eligible students -- who can apply for up to $2,500 -- to get their applications in early, as funds are dispersed on a first come, first served basis.

This year, OSSE will award nearly $30 million through the nation’s one-of-a-kind, congressionally-funded

program

that

provides up to $10,000 toward tuition at public four-year colleges and universities throughout the US, Guam and Puerto Rico. WI

Watch Our

Sun. April 12, 2015 2pm NBC 4

WI Community Calendar

Explore a list of upcoming community events including festivals, art and cultural events, workshops, classes and neighborhood meetings, sporting events and tournaments in and around DC, Maryland and Virginia on our online community calendar at www.washingtoninformer.com.

If you have an event you would like to include on our community calendar, please email the details and attach a jpeg document (if available) to news@washingtoninformer.com.

Please include your name, email address and daytime phone number.

The D.C. student athletic scholarships are for high school seniors who’ve have played at least two seasons of varsity sports and maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average./ Photo courtesy DCPS

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CTM MAYA ANGELOU

The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new stamp on Tues., April 7, honoring renowned poet and author Maya Angelou. The new stamp is part of the USPS limited edition forever collection. The unveiling ceremony was held at the Warner Theater in Northwest and attended by notable guests including Oprah Winfrey and First Lady of the U.S. Michele Obama. /Photos by Travis Riddick

WI Community Calendar

Explore a list of upcoming community events including festivals, art and cultural events, workshops, classes and neighborhood meetings, sporting events and tournaments in and around DC, Maryland and Virginia on our online community calendar at www.washingtoninformer.com.

If you have an event you would like to include on our community calendar, please email the details and attach a jpeg document (if available) to news@washingtoninformer.com.

Please include your name, email address and daytime phone number.

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Spotlight on Aging Executive Director’s April 2015 Message

By John M. Thompson, Ph.D., CPM, FAAMA

John M. Thompson, Executive Director DCOA

In this edition of the Spotlight on Aging, I would like to highlight an event that is near and dear to my heart, the senior symposium. On May 13, 2015, the District of Columbia Office on Aging will host the Fourth Annual District of Columbia Senior Symposium at the Renaissance Hotel. As in years past, this one-day insightful symposium is your golden opportunity to gain information on diverse topics covered at interactive workshops and during a lunch time plenary session. We will also have an exhibitor hall that will concentrate on technology, home and communitybased services, government services, and financial institutions that will provide demonstrations and beneficial information.

The theme for this year’s senior symposium is Career-to-Golden Years: Promoting Longevity and Independence for Seniors, which is very fitting as DCOA serves working adults caring for a grandparent to those citizens who are productive, engaged, and enjoying their golden years to seniors who may not be as mobile and are dependent on home and communitybased services and supports to sustain a quality of life. For those symposium attendees who are focused Save The Date on planning for a successful future, we will have workshops covering healthy living, financial planning, and estate Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Office on Aging invite you to the planning. We will also host educational workshops on long-term services and supports, long-term care insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, innovative practices in senior service delivery, caregiver support, and palliative and end of life care. Other workshops will cover elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; AgeFriendly D.C.; emergency preparedness; intergenerational programming; cultural sensitivity and seniors; and a film screening chronicling the lives of three vibrant gay seniors.

Fourth Annual Senior Symposium

Career-to-Golden Years

To attend this year’s senior symposium, please contact the Office on Aging at 202-724-5622.

Promoting Longevity and Independence for Seniors Wednesday, May 13, 2015 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Renaissance DC Downtown Hotel 999 9th Street, NW | Washington, DC 20001

Join us to address issues impacting seniors, persons living with disabilities and family caregivers. The event is free. Invitation information will be available soon.

For transportation, call (202) 724-5622.

To request exhibitor space, call (703) 683-7712.

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28 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL Iran - Nuclear Agreement on the Horizon

President Barack Obama is basking in the glow of success after what several senior administration officials characterized on Friday as tough and sometimes intense negotiations that have produced the framework for a comprehensive nuclear deal.

Under terms hammered out in Geneva, Switzerland, by the P5+1 countries – the U.S., Russia, Britain, China, Germany and France – Iran’s nuclear program will be frozen for the next six months until all sides work out a formal, permanent deal. In return, Iran will be rewarded with the easing of $7 billion in sanctions.

Obama said in remarks in the Rose Garden on April 3 that that agreement reached with Iran is a “good deal that meets our core objectives,” accomplished through “tough, principled diplomacy.”

“This framework would cut off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapons,” he said. “Iran will face strict limitations on its program, and Iran has also agreed to the most robust and intrusive inspections and transparency regime ever negotiated for any nuclear program in history. So, this deal is not based on trust; it’s based on unprecedented verification.”

The P5+1 group hopes to seal the deal by June 30.

But before a permanent deal is reached, Obama faces skepticism and intense opposition from both Democratic and Republican members of Congress, from leaders of countries in the region like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria, and from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who now says any final agreement should include Iran’s recognizing Israel’s right to exist.

Minutes after Obama’s announcement, Republicans began sniping, with several Republicans promising to disrupt and try to kill his use of diplomacy to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions. As usual, they aren’t offering any viable alternatives, but are quick to voice rabid opposition to any deal.

Iran has shown that it can be duplicitous and that every aspect of what its leaders do and say needs to be verified. That’s where inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency come in. Iran has agreed to inspections, and the IAEA will ensure that Iran abides by conventions of the agreement.

Netanyahu says this deal threatens Israel’s existence, continues to rail against any agreement and is working with some in Congress to scuttle the deal. Several lawmakers have said the U.S. should launch airstrikes against Iran, but this type of bellicosity will only mean more deaths and anguish for people who have nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran has shown that it’s willing to accede to some strict demands as it scales back its nuclear program. Therefore, we must allow the process to run its course and move a troubled region away from the devastating cycle of conflict and war.

Bowser and Racine Butt Heads

Mayor Muriel Bowser finds herself at odds with her Attorney General Karl Racine over a bill she submitted to the city council that he asserts would significantly diminish his role and ability to represent D.C. residents interests.

Bowser wants to consolidate more power around her legal counsel as a way to streamline the budget process. This may be so, but one question that immediately comes to mind is whether this move could constitute a conflict of interest. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the legal counsel, in a desire to keep his job and please the mayor might opt to side with the person who hired him.

As gentrification continues its sweep across the District, a fresh set of eyes – independent eyes – on prospective land deals and District laws wouldn’t hurt.

It’s entirely possible that the administration could arrive at a position, policy or proposal that bears short-term gain but hurts the majority of residents in the long run.

The city council will likely end up refereeing this dispute. We hope in the end, that the real interests of D.C. residents are protected.

Celebrating the Black Press Thank you so much for your coverage of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Week held in Washington, DC. The Black press is so vital to our communities and without it we would never be able to read the type of stories about us, written by us, and that are written with us in mind. I would have never known that there are 200 black newspapers in the U.S. if I hadn’t read it in your paper. That’s really something. I have read your newspaper each and every week for as long as I can remember, and I would love to think that, like me, there are thousands of individuals who read their local black newspapers regularly, also.

Your paper provides an invaluable service to our community, just like I am sure those other 200 black newspapers provide to theirs. Congratulations to all of the black owned newspapers for what looked like a fantastic week of celebrating the Black Press. I want to wish all of you nothing the best of everything that you want to accomplish in the next 100 years of publishing.

Bryce Leonard Suitland, MD

Easter Reading I would like to pass something on to you and your readers. I am a fairly new resident of Washington, DC and I had family visiting me from out of town for the Easter Holidays. I had a copy of your newspaper on my coffee table, where I usually leave it after I’ve read it. Well, I just want you to know that the Washington Informer was the hit of the weekend. We had more discussions about the articles, the commentaries and even the letters to the editor; I mean, everybody had something to say about something in your paper.

You see, back home we don’t get the kind of news that’s in The Informer because there isn’t a black newspaper, so the interest was very high on reading everything in The Informer.

Your paper made a very good impression on my family members, who were a little jealous of me, especially when I told them I get it every week and it’s free. So thanks for making my weekend with my family just a little more intellectually enjoyable.

Bobby Hood Washington, DC Where is Reverend Fauntroy?

Thank you for the recent articles on Reverend Walter Fauntroy. There is no

doubt that he is missed. I was a former member of New Bethel Baptist Church and I enjoyed his leadership as my pastor. But it didn’t dawn on me how long he has been away until reading the articles in the Informer. I should also add that I commend those who are able to assist his wife who was a wonderful First Lady and deserves as much assistance as she can receive. I agree with others who hail Reverend Fauntroy as a civil rights hero. Please keep the community informed of the effort to bring him home. He deserves to spend these days around family and friends who care about him.

Lawson Brinkley Greenbelt, MD

Diversity of Viewpoint Just a short note to the Washington Informer staff and especially to Elton Hayes, to tell you how much I really enjoy reading Viewpoint. I’m always amazed at the diversity of people who seem anxious to respond to the questions. I hope, one day, to see my face and opinion there, too, just as I have seen several people I know. Thanks for keeping us informed.

Mark Lee Washington, DC

Readers' Mailbox

The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@washingtoninformer.com or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you.

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By Lee A. Daniels

‘Religious Freedom Scams’ Pity the poor, put-upon anti-gay bigots.

Worried by a recent steady march of federal court decisions advancing the right of gays and lesbians to marry, they tried to copy the Supreme Court majority’s flim-flam maneuver of last year in the Hobby Lobby case: By asserting a business is a “person,” they intended to enable business owners to discriminate against gay and lesbian prospec-

tive customers and anyone else under the cover of “religious belief.”

The blowback from corporate giants, religious denominations, cities and states, associations and organizations, and prominent entertainment and literary figures produced a thunderous roar succinctly expressed by the headline of the March 31 frontpage editorial of the Indianapolis Star newspaper. In huge letters, it blared: “Fix This Now” Suddenly, faced with the likelihood of devastating economic

boycotts, the two states’ governors and state legislatures quickly complied. By week’s end last week, they had amended those particular so-called religious freedom restoration laws to declare they couldn’t be used to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. (However, neither legislature enacted specific statutes barring discrimination against, gays, lesbians and transgendered people.)

But no one on the right side of history should think this ends

Guest Columnist

the anti-gay-rights campaign.

Nor should they forget this episode’s lessons.

For one thing, it’s underscored the true purpose of these “religious freedom” laws, which now exist in 19 other states and are being considered in an additional 14. That purpose, with the U.S. Supreme Court set to rule on same-sex marriage by this June, is to provide the anti-gay forces a means of escaping compliance with the seemingly inevitable affirmation of same-sex marriage by the federal judiciary.

Secondly, these wolf-insheep’s-clothing laws offer further proof that the GOP, down to its very roots in state and local communities, has devolved from a political party ruled by the old traditions of give-and-take politics crucial to the functioning of a democratic society. It’s become one driven by an unceasing winner-take-all attitude that’s only barely concealed beneath a thin veneer of ultra-conservative religious dogma.

DANIELS Page 49

By Julianne Malveaux

Jailing Educators for ‘Cheating to the Test’ Eleven Atlanta teachers have been convicted of altering student test scores on standardized tests. They are charged with racketeering and conspiracy. The much-celebrated superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, Beverly L. Hall, was among the indicted but was too ill to stand trial. She died March 2.

Another group of teachers, principals and administrators took plea bargains. A total of

178 people were accused of taking part in the cheating “scam.”

In 2011, Hall reminded observers that “we have over 3,000 teachers in Atlanta,” and just a few were part of the cheating scandal. She also denied having any knowledge of the cheating.

Until her illness, she said that she wanted to stand trial and clear her name.

In what was described as the largest cheating scandal in the nation’s history, District Attorney Paul L. Howard Jr. pros-

ecuted the educators under a law originally designed to snare organized-crime figures. Of the 12 defendants, 11 were convicted of racketeering, a felony punishable by up to 20 years. One defendant, Dessa Curb, a former elementary school teacher, was acquitted.

Those 11 convicted were taken straight from the courtroom to jail. Sentencing should take place this week. On top of the 20-year maximum sentence for racketeering, they could be con-

Guest Columnist

victed of other charges, including making false statements. It is interesting to note that most of these teachers are African-American.

You can serve as few as 15 years for second-degree murder in Georgia and as little as a year for involuntary manslaughter.

Further, most convicted offenders get a day or even months to go home and straighten out their affairs before reporting to prison – but not this group of educators.

These Atlanta teachers aren’t the only teachers involved in such cheating scams. A year ago, 130 Philadelphia educators were accused of cheating. In September, several were ordered to stand trial.

Why have those who chose a low-paid and little-regarded profession stooped to cheating on standardized tests? Are they judged by the number of students who pass these flawed tests

MALVEAUX Page 49

By Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

Time to End Mass Incarceration Mass incarceration in the United States is counterproductive and disproportionately causes a long-term injury to black Americans and others who remain trapped in poverty and disillusionment. How is it that the richest nation on Earth and the most technologically advanced society now has the largest prison population in the world?

Michelle Alexander’s brilliant best-selling book, “The New Jim

30 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” provides a classic analysis of the twin problems of race and injustice. Alexander revealed how the so-called criminal justice system reinforces racial discrimination and bigotry aimed particularly against black Americans and other people of color. Whether it is an “old” or “new” Jim Crow, the impact of decades of massive unjust imprisonment on the black American community continues to be devastating.

The “war on drugs” launched

by the Reagan administration in the 1980s devolved into a “war on black America,” where the courts and prisons became institutions to expand the racial oppression of more than 1 million black Americans. Incarceration rates in the U.S. quadrupled over this period.

According to Alexander, mass incarceration in America targeted black Americans and maintained a “racial caste” system of laws, policies and institutions.

Alexander explained, “The term mass incarceration refers not The Washington Informer

only to the criminal justice system, but also to a larger web of laws, rules, policies and customs that control those labeled criminals both in and out of prison.

Once released, former prisoners enter a hidden underworld of legalized discrimination and permanent social exclusion. They are members of America’s new undercaste.”

I agree with Michelle Alexander that this caste system needs to be successfully challenged.

The challenge is how to end the mass incarceration caste phe-

nomenon. What strategies will be effective to end this injustice?

This is an important question today. Yet there appears to be some reluctance in the current public discourse to address this issue forthrightly.

There are some who state correctly that we have made considerable progress in America toward a more just and equitable society over the past 60 years.

However, that’s only half the story. The reality in 2015 is that

CHAVIS Page 49

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By James Clingman

Reviving the Spirit of the Million Man March Having seen how black people are mistreated in this country, not only historically but currently, I thought about that gloriously perfect day on which more than 1 million strong black men stood on Washington’s mall, loving, trusting and respecting one another. I thought about those I met that day, not having seen them since, and relished the notion of more than 1 million strong, black men coming to the

rescue of our children. I smiled at the thought of us subsequently standing up for Eric Garner and all the others; I beamed at the image of our brothers taking up the mantle of the legacy left us by the likes of Marcus, Malcolm, and Martin. “Where are they now?” I wondered.

In the nearly 20 years since the Million Man March MMM, we have seen many events that continue to let us know our lives are less valued than the lives of others. We have seen murders, abuse, beat-downs, abandon-

ment, injustice, and intimidation by the authorities and by regular citizens of this country against black people.

We have been put on notice by the courts and the penal system that we count for nothing more than another occupant for an $80,000 prison cell and $30,000 annual upkeep. We have been given a reality check, and the point has been made, repeatedly and with emphasis, that we do not count. Even when we returned from the MMM, the media said we were only 425,000

Guest Columnist

strong. Obviously, they were still counting each of us as threefifths of a man.

The abuse of black life is not waning. Rather, it is on the rise, from both outsiders and insiders, those who hate us and those among us who are selling us out and acting just plain foolish and trifling. We are being killed and imprisoned at an alarming rate while we stand idly by in our respective cities and do little or nothing to curtail the violence against ourselves and the violence perpetrated against us by

this evil corrupt system under which we live. Where are the million strong?

A few years ago, the newest and latest weapon of choice for zealous police officers, which was also a huge money-maker for Rudy Giuliani’s boy, Bernard Kerik, was the infamous 50,000volt “portable electric chair” known as the Taser. It killed black folks across the country, but we failed to come out by the millions to protest this cash cow,

CLINGMAN Page 50

By Marc H. Morial

The State of Black America Part 2, Jobs “The hardest work in the world is being out of work.”

– Whitney M. Young, National Urban League President 19611971

One of the advantages of my position as the president and CEO of the National Urban League is that I have both the opportunity and platform to speak to so many of our nation’s young people. I was presented

with another opportunity last week as a featured speaker of the Medgar Evers College Global Lecture Series. As I addressed that crowd of future lawyers, Internet technology professionals and perhaps even a president of the National Urban League, it struck me that for a number of these students — our future workforce — they may encounter an America and a job market that is hostile to the principles of economic mobility on which our country was founded.

Five years after the wide-

ly accepted end of the global economic downturn commonly known as the Great Recession, America’s economy inches ever closer to full recovery. In fact, the start of 2015 saw the most sustained period of job creation this century. But the dark cloud inside this silver lining is that too many people are still being left behind – particularly in our communities of color, where unemployment remains at a crisis level, even as our economy continues to rebound.

For blacks and Latinos in

Askia-At-Large

America, the economic devastation of the Great Recession is as real today as it was when it began in 2007, and what we’ve found in our newly released 2015 State of Black America report – “Save our Cities: Education, Jobs + Justice” is a mixed economics bag that reflects a stark tale of two Americas.

The U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February of this year. For the first time since 1997, we have seen 12 straight months of private sector job growth above 200,000, and un-

employment is down to 5.5 percent – its lowest rate since May 2008. But despite this encouraging news, the black unemployment rate is twice that of white unemployment, wages are stagnant and many working people are not earning enough to make ends meet.

The Equality Index in the State of Black America report catalogued black, Hispanic and white unemployment and income inequality in the nation’s

MORIAL Page 50

By Askia Muhammad

President Obama wagers his destiny on diplomacy President Barack Obama has wagered the legacy of his presidency on diplomacy instead of on war in reaching a framework agreement on limiting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Of course, there is a coterie of warmongering so-called neo-conservatives in this country—most notably former Vice President Dick Cheney, who never served a day in the U.S. military—who are and have for

a long time, beat the drums of war with Iran. Cheney, who got five deferments from the draft until he was too old for service during the Vietnam War, said famously, according to a New York Times article, that he was a draft-dodger because: “I had other priorities in the 60’s than military service.”

Now, just as before, these American war hawks have no problem with provoking wars— even under false pretences— such as the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq in 2003, seek-

ing to find “weapons of mass destruction,” which they knew all the time did not exist in that country. While neither Cheney, nor his offspring ever wore a U.S. armed forces uniform, his ruinous policies sent more than 4,000 children and fathers of other Americans, and countless hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to their deaths. It’s as if he said: ”I’ll hold your coat while you fight in the conflict I instigated for you…”

So it is with the Iranian nuclear framework today. President

Obama and most of the sane world leaders who have negotiated more than a decade to reach an accord on this issue, applaud the tentative agreement. The warmongers remain averse.

“As President and Commander in Chief, I firmly believe that the diplomatic option—a comprehensive, long-term deal like this—is by far the best option. For the United States. For our allies. And for the world,” President Obama declared.

But to hear the barking of the dogs of war in this country, you’d

think it was a weak little Obama, like some David without a slingshot getting faced-down by the Iranian Goliath in pursuit of a bad deal, ala Britain’s Neville Chamberlain’s infamous concession to Adolf Hitler, leading up to World War II. But that’s not what the five (count them) other negotiating partners—Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia—had to say.

“We are closer than ever to an agreement that makes it impos-

MUHAMMAD Page 50

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UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) & Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser co-hosted the organization’s inaugural Washington Area Mayor’s Masked Ball. This celebrated the UNCF’s 70th anniversary and honored local supporters who enabled them to support deserving students through college. Civic, business & educational leaders across the DMV gathered at the Mellon Auditorium. Chancellor Kaya Henderson was the co-host of the Ball.

For more go to http://give.uncf.org/dc WASHINGTON, DC 2015

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(Left Photo) Debbi Jarvis (PEPCO) & Ernie Jarvis (VP First Potomac Mortgage) with Donna Cooper (Regional Pres. PEPCO)

Dr. Michael Lomax, Meta Williams, Donna Cooper, Debbi Jarvis, Cora Masters Barry (Accepting for her late husband Hon. Marion S. Barry), Kaya Henderson, Sr. Pastor Marshall Ausburry (Antioch Baptist Church) & James Wren

(Below Photo) Lori & Ben Soto (Pres. Premium Title & Escrow)

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(Right Photo) Stephen G. Canton (CEO, Chairman & Founder iCore Network) Muriel Bowser (Mayor of Washington DC) & Dr. Michael L. Lomax (UNCF Pres. & CEO)

(Above) Kenyan McDuffie DC City Councilmember Ward 5 (Below Left Photo) Jummy Olabanji (WJLA News Anchor) with Escort Reginald Van Lee (Ex. VP Booz Allen Hamilton, Cora Masters Barry, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Kaya Henderson (Chancellor DC Public Schools) & Dr. Michael Lomax (Pres. UNCF)

(L-R) Maurice Jenkins (Ex. VP UNCF), DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, Kaya Henderson (Chancellor DC Public Schools) & Dr. Michael Lomax (Pres. UNCF)

Dr. Michael Lomax (Pres. UNCF), Kaya Henderson (Chancellor DC Public Schools) & Olivia Shay-Byrne & Jim Koch (Reed Smith) Mayor Muriel Bowser, Joshua Morgan (Chicago Bears NFL Player), & Meta Williams (Reg. Dev. Dir. UNCF)

Calvin & Sharon Butler (BGE)

Peter Dean & Jenni Bickerstaff (AH&T Insurance)

Charlene Drew Jarvis (Event Auctioneer) & DC Mayor Muriel Bowser) (Right Photo) Dr. Clayton G. Lawrence (CEO Leap Foundation)

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(Above Left Photo) L-R Marvin Bowser with his sister DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (Left Photo) Derek McGinty (WUSA News 9 Anchor) with Cheryl Cooper

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(Right Photo) Attys. Erika & Scott DC Mayor Bowser with Herb Tillery (Ex. Dir. Col- Bolden (Reed-Smith) lege Success Foundation)

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LIFESTYLE

Rap star and actor Ice T has produced a documentary about hip-hop that will be shown at the Anacostia Museum on Tuesday, April 14./Photo Courtesy of NBC

Hip-Hop Documentary Scheduled at Anacostia Museum Rapper, Actor Ice T Shines Light on the Music Genre

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer

The Anacostia Community Museum plans to showcase a documentary that describes the origins of hip-hop.

The 106-minute film, directed by rapper and “Law & Order: SVU” star Ice T, launched three years ago but has been given new life as it makes the museum and community theater circuit.

It will be screened at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, in the Program room.

“Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap” explores the intricacies, history and culture of rapping in the words of hip-hop stars and friends of Ice T. “Rap has been around long enough now that people that enjoy it may not know the origin of it, so I said, “OK, maybe I should do a documentary,” said Ice T, whose real name is Tracy Marrow.

“Hip-hop is the culture; rap is the vocal delivery. Hip-hop comes from the south Bronx,” he said.

“It’s a youth movement that started in Bronx River Project, and it’s an anti-violence culture which was based on the kids in the project who were having a lot of trouble.”

Hip-hop – or rap – music is believed to have originated in the

34 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

Bronx, New York, where in 1973, Kool DJ Herc played music for his sister’s back-to-school party.

During the part, Herc tried a new experiment: extending an instrumental beat on the turntable and scratching the sounds of the record. He also began to rap while partygoers started the cultural-altering break dance.

“Some of the stories might seem like legend, but they are true,” said Sam Curtis, a DJ from Northeast. “Rap has a unique history, and it’s one that people like Ice T can tell about because he’s from the streets nearby where it all began.”

In the Hip-hop Network’s “The History of Rap: Vol. 1: The Genesis,” the author notes that from the housing projects, hip-hop poured onto the streets and subways, taking root in Bronx social clubs.

From there, it spread and eventually went mainstream through television shows like BET’s “Rap City,” and “Yo! MTV Raps.”

It’s also noted that there have been 10 “pioneers” of the genre, including Herc, Eddie Cheeba, Grand Master Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, the Sugarhill Gang and Run DMC. “You talk about rap, and you talk about ‘Rapper’s Delight’ which really was the thing that

pushed rap into the consciousness of America,” said Curtis, 51.

“Then you think about Run DMC and ‘Raising Hell,’ Kurtis Blow and ‘The Breaks,’ and LL Cool J and ‘Radio.’ Then you understand that this is real. Hip-hop is real because those are unforgettable classics.”

In his documentary, Ice T, a native of Newark, New Jersey, which is just a few miles from the Bronx, explores the genre as art form and includes such industry heavyweights as Kanye West, Eminem, Dr. Dre and Nas. The star told CNN that he called only the friends he had in his address book to do the film.

“All my homies I’d been in the business with over 20 years, I told them, ‘I’m just going to ask you questions, not about the money, the cars, the jewelry, the beef, but the craft.’”

Ice T noted that there was an abundance of rap stars who wanted to appear in his documentary.

“There are lots of people I would love to have interviewed, but you got to remember the movie only could last two hours,” he said.

“At the end of my filming, I had 52 rappers shot. I had 35 rappers waiting to be shot. My first edit was four hours, so I just couldn’t

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Dr. Dre has a confab with Ice T. /Photo courtesy NBC

fit everybody into the movie, so yeah, there are a lot of people missing, but I think I was able to get a good cross-section of the different styles of hip-hop.”

The “Law & Order: SVU” star, who’s portrayed Detective Odafin Tutuola for 15 years on the show, said he was surprised at how candid the top rappers were for the film. One of the keys to that, he told CNN, is that he did the interviews himself.

“By me doing the interviews, it turned into more of a conversation than an interview, and you get to see us laugh, and you get some never-before-heard insight on some of the rapper’s lives,” Ice T said.

An Army veteran who served four years in the 25th Infantry Division, Ice T said that his songs like “Cop Killer,” which drew the ire of law enforcement around the country, were simply a gimmick, a put-on.

“Even when I made ‘Cop Killer,’ I wasn’t a cop killer,” he said.

“I was just acting out a character of somebody who lost it and went after brutal cops.” WI “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” is scheduled to be screened from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, at the Anacostia Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE. To register or for more information, call 202-633-4844 or visit www.anacostia.si.edu.

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Hip-Hop’s Obsession With God Rap Stars Seek Higher Calling with Lyrics, Art

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Yeezus?

Yeezus, as in Jesus, exists as the title of one of rap superstar Kanye West’s CDs, which include the tracks “I Am a God” and “New Slaves.”

“This album will sell a zillion copies, and critics so far seem to really be enjoying it, but Kanye always has the sense that ‘I’m greater than you’re saying I am.

If you say I’m great, why can’t I say I’m great, because I am great?” said Renee Graham, a pop culture critic with NPR News.

For many, the issue isn’t how much the record will sell or even what critics think of it. West, 37, continues a trend that’s become popular in today’s hip-hop culture.

“Kanye West’s Son-of-God shtick is less brand-new blasphemy than it is hip-hop tradition,” said Pete Tosiello, an author and sales planner with Atlantic Media in Northwest.

Tosiello noted that hip-hop’s God complex likely began in the 1980s with acts affiliated with the Five Percent Nation, a Harlem-based Nation of Islam offshoot furthering Louis Farrakhan’s Afrocentricism.

Their doctrine immortalized the black man as God and the black woman as Earth and reinterpreted Allah and Islam as acronyms for “Arm Leg Leg Arm Head” and “I Self Lord Am Master.”

“Rakim, a teenage convert and one-half of the pioneering duo Eric B. & Rakim, often went by ‘Rakim Allah,’ or even just ‘The God,’ in accordance with followers’ practice of referring to one another as, gods,” Tosiello said.

Given further traction by major-label acts such as Brand Nubian, the term “Peace, God,” became a cliché among East Coast rappers by the early 1990s.

“I think I have the authority to approach God directly,” said rap star KRS-One, who wrote what he calls a 600-page hip-hop bible.

“I don’t have to go through any religion. I can approach God myself, and so I wrote a book called ‘The Gospel of Hip-Hop’ to free us from all this nonsense right now. I respect Christianity, the Islam, the Judaism, but their time is up,” said the rapper, 49, whose real name is Kris Parker.

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news@washingtoninformer.com Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Wynton Marsalis

with

Sun, Apr 19 at 7pm Kennedy Center Featuring a tribute to Duke Ellington and Ted Nash’s The Presidential Suite, with guest orator

Rap superstar Jay Z and his wife, Beyonce, are considered the first couple of music. /Photo courtesy of Us Magazine.

Five years ago, KRS-One founded “The Temple of HipHop,” which he calls a ministry, school and society whose goal is to preserve and promote hiphop’s culture.

“Laugh if you must, but people laughed at Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard when they set up their own religions,” said music critic Nathan Rabin.

Hip-hop has been on the humanities map in academia for a while now, but there is a lack of comprehensive text that brings theory, method and data together, said Monica Miller, the author of “Religion and Hip-Hop,” and a senior research fellow with the Institute for Humanist Studies in Northwest.

Today the obsession with God and other spiritual powers dominates the rap culture.

While West’s album opened eyes because he proclaims to be a god, his previous work with hip-hop’s king, Jay Z, also raised eyebrows.

The collaboration with Jay Z, “Watch the Throne,” included the lyrics “We formed a new religion/No sins as long as there’s permission/My religion is the beat/My verse is like church.”

Jay Z, whose CD “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” features the singles, “Heaven,” and “Versus,” often refers to himself as “Hova” or “Jayhova,” the name of almighty God, according to Psalms 83:18 in the King James Bible.

Art on the “Watch the Throne” CD cover contains a square illustration in the shape of a goat-headed Baphomet, the mystical figure known in many occult circles.

“It’s just protecting the music and the culture,” said Jay Z, 45, whose real name is Shawn Car-

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ter. “It’s just to hold our place and make sure that the hip-hop culture is still the most dominant form of music around the world.”

The rapper’s superstar wife is Beyoncé, whose retired alter-ego, “Sasha Fierce,” also used the cultish symbol. In previously published interviews, Beyonce noted that “Sasha Fierce” symbolically represents an artist who’s taken over by evil to obtain success.

The 33-year-old diva rang in 2014 by posting a photo to Instagram where she poses in front of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous religious painting “The Last Supper.” Beyonce appears sitting in the middle of the table, in the spot occupied by Christ.

“You can paint Jesus green, and it’s cool with me because I’ve never seen Jesus,” said rap star The Game, 35, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor.

But, some said rap music sometimes goes a bit too far.

“The hip-hop of my youth was far from Sunday School material. Some of it was replete with misogyny, violence and rampant drug use,” said Michael Waters, founder and pastor of the Joy Tabernacle A.M.E. Church in Dallas.

“Yet, despite these vices, there was still a certain reverence for the divine,” Waters said. The pastor called into question lyrics and videos by rap artist Lil’ B. In a video for the song “Angels Exodus,” Lil’ B is perched on a cross, wearing a crown of marijuana with money spilling from his shirt pockets, while a bra and G-string are draped across a horizontal beam. WI For the rest of the story please visit www.washingtoninformer.com The Washington Informer

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

WashingtonPerformingArts.org • (202) 785-9727 Made possible by Herbert and Patrice Miller, with special thanks to Paxton Baker and Centric.

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LIFESTYLE

The group Incognito is a jewel that many listeners have yet to discover. /Courtesy photo

Greatest Band You Never Knew: Incognito Brings the Funk at the Howard

By Eve M. Ferguson There is a precedent behind the name of British band Incognito.

Many people don’t know its name.

But some may recognize it as “the band that Maysa (Leak) sang with,” or they remember the hit song “100 (degrees) and Rising.” Or maybe they remember the remake of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” featuring the smoky, soulful vocals of Maysa. But the band, now approaching three-plus decades of recording and touring, has a loyal following that sells out concerts in the United States and abroad.

With an ever-changing lineup of backup singers and musicians, Incognito has two constants, founder Jean-Paul (Bluey) Maunick and the distinctive funk-soul-jazz signature sound of the band. Maunick birthed Incognito in the early ’80s in London, where he first formed a band, New Life, with himself as the lead guitarist after moving from the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius. Maunick came to the music industry with a considerable creative background as the son of the island’s famed poet, Edouard Maunick.

“My first band was New Life with David Grant,” Maunick remembers. “(Grant’s) cousin later managed Light Of The World. I worked in his record shop in Tottenham, and we’d rehearse upstairs. Some of the future Light Of The World musicians band would pop in to jam. I switched from bass to guitar when Paul ‘Tubs’ Williams came in; he was only 14 and blew everyone’s minds.”

“We ended up at Phonogram Studios and could suddenly buy any equipment we wanted in their shop,”

36 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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he reminisced. “No one stopped to think I can buy a car! All we could see was wah-wah pedals and phaser units! The self-titled LOTW debut was a landmark for UK jazz funk featuring extended high energy club hits ‘Swingin’ and ‘Midnight Groovin’, as well as a young Sade pictured on the cover.”

Along with Tubs, Maunick then founded Incognito, which was playing weekend club gigs after the punk rock music scene caused the burgeoning jazz-funk movement in England to falter and fall by the wayside.

“I formed Incognito because I really wanted to take the music to the next level. My vision was to be a producer, a writer and part of a musical community,” Maunick added.

The rest is history. Relying on an expansive horn section, Maunick on guitar and vocals, and a changing retinue of female lead vocals, the entity now known as Incognito scored several hit records.

“The debut Incognito set, ‘Jazz Funk,’ was an instrumental tour de force, with guests numbering Hugh Masekela hornsmen Peter Segona and Claude Deppa and legendary Jamaican trombonist Vin Gordon,” Maunick continued. “With writing and producing, I knew that I could communicate and weed out the good from the bad. It was a lovely exchange and formed the whole ideology behind Incognito.”

Maysa joined Incognito early in its recording history, adding her vocals to Incognito’s third album, “Tribes, Vibes and Scribes,” in 1992, which led to the group’s smooth jazz being featured on “The Quiet Storm” radio program. Again with Maysa, Incognito scored another hit record, its

fourth with 1993’s “Positivity,” with singles “Deep Waters” and “Still a Friend of Mine” gaining international recognition.

Since then, the band has gone on to record more than 20 albums, many reaching high on the American indie, jazz and & B charts. The band’s latest album, “Amplified Soul,” released in 2014, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Album Charts. On the overall jazz charts, the group hit No. 2.

Fans of Incognito know that they can expect a live show that is as authentic as the recordings, often harboring surprise guests, reconstructed covers of great hits of soul, and scintillating instrumentals.

Apart from Incognito’s chart-topping singles – of which the majority were written and arranged by Maunick – he has also written and arranged for the likes of Chaka Khan, who was also featured on the 2010 recording “Trans-Atlantic RPM,” Phillip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire, and George Benson.

Above all, Maunick likens his music to medicine for the soul.

“We are teachers, healers,” he concluded. “I certainly see myself more as a healer than an entertainer.”

Just like a warm, spring breeze, Incognito returns to Washington around the same time every year. The band will be playing on Friday, April 10, at the historic Howard Theatre.

Show time is 8 p.m., and doors open at 6 p.m. for those lucky enough to snag a ticket or two for an evening of pure, unadulterated jazz-funksoul music that is Incognito. Go to http://thehowardtheatre.com/ show/2015/04/10/incognito for tickets. WI

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LIFESTYLE

Annual Family Day at Zoo Yields Huge Turnout

By Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer Hundreds of D.C. children, their parents and visitors from across the country took advantage of the pleasant spring weather on Monday, making their way to the National Zoo in Northwest for the traditional Easter Monday celebration known as “African-American Family Day.” While the event, which has al-

38 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

ways been free and open to the public, brings focus to the culture of African-American people through a day of family-focused activities such as an egg hunt, food bazaar, and live entertainment, staffers have admitted being at a loss when it comes to explaining its origin.

“There are at least two different anecdotal stories for how Easter Monday got started here at the National Zoo,” said spokeswoman Devin Murphy.

The Easter Monday tradition with Black Families at the National Zoo took place without a hitch this year. /Photo by Dejah Greene

“One is because many black parents had to work on Easter Sunday but had the following day off. So they’d use that day to treat their children to a visit

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to the zoo,” Murphy said. “The other story is that [dating back as far as 1891] black families chose to visit the zoo on Easter Monday after being denied participation in the White House Easter Egg Roll.”

Community activist Ronald Moten, organizer of the grassroots advocacy team Game Changers United, which helped ensure a peaceful gathering this year at the zoo, said the event also served to get residents thinking about the importance of family.

“In certain parts of D.C., only 9 percent of the 15- to 17-yearolds live in intact families. On African-American Family Day we will be their family,” Moten said during an April 6 news conference at the zoo. “But we have to try to fix this picture in the short and long term, aiming to make Family Day and families what they were in 1891 when the event started at the zoo.”

However, because of three

incidents of violence over the past decade at the zoo that marred the event (the last incident in 2014 involved the nonfatal shootings of two people), a group of community leaders from Southeast D.C. also joined forces in late March to ensure visitors a safe visit.

Those leaders, along with other volunteers who donned bright yellow T-shirts as they worked with zoo security staff under “Operation Safe Zoo,” said in a statement that to help calm fears and prevent violence, several beefed-up measures had been put in place, including “a bag check at the zoo front entrance and the use of safety devices to communicate.”

Their efforts appeared to have paid off, as no outbursts occurred even while throngs of visitors lined up on Easter Monday – one of the zoo’s biggest attendance days of the year – to get in.

“Overall, the day went along just fine, and we were pleased with the heavy crowds,” said Moten.

“We are so grateful to see the National Zoo did not give up after a few bad apples nearly ended this great event,” he said. “We saw plenty of African-American parents and children. People came out and had a great time despite the heavy security . . . it’s like they said, ‘We’re not going to allow someone’s stupidity from the past that got them 25 years in jail ruin this long-standing traditional for us.’” WI

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LIFESTYLE

Griot

TAURUS It’s not like you’ve been rubbing your socks against the carpet, but there’s a lot of static electricity in the air. Expect your interactions with others to be charged (so, therefore, if someone ends up barking at you or you at them, chalk it up to the stars). Spend arm-in-arm time with someone who understands you intuitively, the way a fish understands water; you’re destined to be fraught with dilemmas no matter what you do, dilemmas of the small but vexing variety. Take all the time you need, relief is on the way.

GEMINI A caterpillar, given the right resources and a certain amount of time, becomes something unrecognizable. You’re going to learn a few things about transformations. The radical change you experience will almost surely be intellectual and/ or political, but it will alter everything. The change is affecting you in funny, unpredictable ways, but good friends and old standbys dominate your weekend. Nice that while some things change, others stay the same. You’ll be overwhelmed with new information.

edited by Ben Jealous and Trabian Shorters, foreword by Russell Simmons c.2015, Atria

$15.00 / $18.00 Canada 275 pages

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CANCER Money matters are muddled and it’s hard to figure out how much you have, and what you want to spend it on. If you’ve had your heart set on something that you might not be able to afford after all, then it’s time to teach your heart some flexibility. Money is not much of an issue because it doesn’t cost anything to daydream (which is what you’ll do just about all day long for two days straight). The most pressing challenge involves an authority figure.

LEO You have enough self-respect to stand up for yourself in a social situation, and even though some may interpret this as arrogance, the wisest among your friends know better. That said, you’re always better off getting other people to talk rather than listening to your own voice. Patience is a beautiful quality. Decision-making is not a snap, and decision-making around money is a bad idea period. Your frame of mind is more suited to creative endeavors. Be spongelike, ready to receive ideas from everywhere, including from people who rarely speak up.

VIRGO Be careful of impulse buying. A discussion about values with a good friend will set you on the right track and, hopefully, dissuade you from splurging on that pair of pants in a store window that, while they seem incredible on display, will just seem like another pair of pants once you buy them. Don’t do it! Your curiosity leads to some deep intellectual digging that turns up all sorts of interesting, emotional artifacts. Interaction with family will seem tumultuous. But romance and fun are on the horizon.

by Ben Jealous

but don’t let it be an option. Name your future, says Van Jones. Become involved in politics, get an education, and cultivate empathy. Be financially literate, and promote entrepreneurship. Be a role model, and ask for mentors. Work collaboratively, and lift up future generations who come after you.

And above all, stay hopeful. Loss of hope, says Reverend Tony Lee, can “sabotage [your] faith.” “Without… hope,” says Yusef Shakur, “poverty becomes overwhelming.” “… Hope, man – hope is the saving grace,” adds Senghor.

Wow. Though it’s only a few ounces of paper and ink, “Reach” truly packs a punch.

I loved much about this book – but there was one thing that bears mentioning: pay attention, and you’ll start to notice that many authors here were raised in fatherless households. It truly struck me as further proof that there are no excuses not to succeed.

While I think anyone will be glad they read this book, I can definitely see it being a great gift for any young man on his way to high school, college, or post-college life. It will give him something to think about on his path to success. For him, “Reach” is a great book to have, wherever he goes.WI

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APR 9 - APR 15, 2015

ARIES The clean slate is refreshing, isn’t it? The future is indeed bright. You are walking proof that hard work, with or without luck, is the key to success. Hard work must be done ‘getting through frustrating times with a smile on your face,’ but you are a pro at this. What’s frustrating may simply be that so much is up in the air; focus instead on relieving someone else’s frustrations, and yours will vanish.

“Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding,”

Where do you go from here?

You’ve been looking at your life and everything around you, and that’s the question you’ve been asking: what next? What will you do with the rest of your days? In the new book “Reach,” edited by Ben Jealous and Trabian Shorters, foreword by Russell Simmons, you may find some guidance.

There’s a lot of takeaways in this book.

Jealous and Shorters invited 40 Black men from all walks of life and achievement to tell their stories and share what helped them succeed. While it’s natural that there’d be some repetition, you’ll find dozens and dozens of short chapters to uplift and inspire.

What you see is what you do.

That’s natural, says Ben Jealous, “…imitation has always been the first step for those who achieve great things.” It’s easy to emulate positive behavior and success, once you see it done – which is what you’ll find in this book.

When D’Wayne Edwards was sixteen, he lost his beloved older brother. That, says Edwards, “really encouraged me to pay attention to my gift” of drawing and design.

Realize your “true potential,” he advises.

Actor Louis Gossett Jr. says, “learn that you can play Superman.”

Shaka Senghor was still a teenager when he was sent to prison and “was on course to become the best predator I could be,” until journaling helped him look at his life and “the most absurd stuff you can imagine.”

Write down your thoughts, he says. Read them and “understand that [they] have power.”

Read, Dr. Eddie Connor suggests. “We’ve got to promote books instead of prison bars…”

Ben Jealous advises taking risks. Learn math, says Emmanuel Cephas. Broadcasting executive Ron Davenport says to “Be in the room where the decisions are made.”

Learn to fail, says aviator Barrington Irving,

Horoscopes

LIBRA Your world is full of people with whom you feel a deep, startling connection.

Plus, everything is insanely funny. Some of your friends should be considered national treasures. Helping other people cope with their stress is a deft way of handling your own. A relatively stress free, although intense one-on-one relationship (either business or romantic) dominates. Matters that seem outside of your hands are, in fact, very much in your hands. So no excuses!

SCORPIO Your domestic life is something of a volcano, and an eruption seems imminent. But, as you are in no mood to be scalded by projectile lava, you’re willing to negotiate; compromise suddenly seems like a good option. If the problem persists, apply your imagination toward solving it. A solution you haven’t thought of, which would make everyone happy, might be at hand. Drop everything to help someone else. If you find yourself lugging a television out of a moving truck, consider it exercise.

SAGITTARIUS You receive new ideas the way the Earth receives light from the sun – fully, warmly, gratefully. New trees of thought are taking root in your brain. No wonder your hair looks funny! Seriously, kick vanity to the curb this week and focus on things that actually matter. Seemingly, the second you’ve found your keys, you’ve lost your cell phone; your mind is simply elsewhere. Games, productivity and men figure strongly. The beach may or may not figure in, depending on your proximity to it. Some details need your attention.

CAPRICORN You are aiming for the right goals, but your strategy for accomplishing them needs some work. Think about making a change, but only a small change. The big picture is right on. Putting your thoughts in writing not only makes them clear to everyone else; it also makes them clearer to yourself. Your family is tugging on your sleeves for attention. To give them the time they deserve, you might have to postpone something else. Get away to the woods, the beach, or a romantic restaurant – something like that.

AQUARIUS Everything you see seems to fit your mood, as if the world is a projection of your inner beauty. Others find you attractive and exciting and may tell you so. Lost in all this, you are hardly thinking about, say, money, which might pose a problem.

If it does, you still won’t be thinking about it. You’ll be in one of your wide-eyed philosophical moods.

PISCES You have a hard time focusing with all your plans for saving the world on your mind. Why people don’t think harder and better about the things that matter baffles you. On the other hand, you’re easily distracted yourself. Finding a balance is a struggle that won’t go away. You’ll be blessed with more energy than you know what to do with – and lots of time. Self-transformation might ensue. You will believe you’re onto something. But are you, really? Is it just a ruse? Pursue this.

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Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

39

SPORTS

Washington Wizards Defeat New York Knicks 101-87 Editor’s note: For more game photos, visit http://washingtoninformer.com/photos/galleries/

Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat is surrounded by New York players as he heads to the basket in the first quarter of National Basketball Association (NBA) action on Friday, April 3 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Knicks 101-87. / Photo by John E. De Freitas

New York Knicks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. drives between two Washington Wizards players in the third quarter of NBA action on Friday, April 3 at the Verizon Center in Northwest.

The Wizards defeated the Knicks 101-87. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal heads to the basket in the first quarter of NBA action on Friday, April 3 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Knicks 101-87. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Kew York Knicks guard Langston Galloway grapples with Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal in the third quarter of NBA action on Friday, April 3 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Knicks 101-87. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

40 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

New York Knicks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. is defended by Washing Wizards forward Rasual Butler in the fourth quarter of NBA action on Friday, April 3 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated Knicks the 101-87. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

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ABOUT DC TRUST DC Trust empowers youth to use their talents in creating successful lives through aligning resources, building systems and connecting partners. Since 1999, DC Trust has invested over $100 million in high-outcome programs and youth development worker capacity building with measurable impact to unlock the intrinsic potential of every DC youth.

As a non-profit partner to DC government, DC Trust is the only organization that brings together city agencies, public schools, employers and community groups to expand services and opportunities for youth in the District. Our work combines thought leadership, capacity building and effective grants management to help create and support the most effective programs for the District’s youth. Learn more at dctrustforyouth.org “ I believe in the power of narrative to change perspectives, drive empathy and motivate people towards action for change.”

ED DAVIES/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DC TRUST

SHOPTALK STORYTELLING SERIES For decades, the barbershop has served as a cultural hub for communities of color. It's a safe space to convene, fellowship and dialogue about issues of importance, as well as to share personal insights, experiences and challenges in a raw and unfettered manner.

DC Trust is now capturing many of these conversations through ShopTalk, a transmedia storytelling series that uses the barbershop as both a springboard and muse for exploring the multifaceted lives of young men of color growing up in Washington, DC. Topical episodes on juvenile justice, health, school readiness and education reform will continue to paint a localized portrait of the state of young men of color in the nation’s capital. Join the conversation #ShopTalkDC

‘cme4me’ YOUTH PERCEPTION CAMPAIGN For our youth in DC to truly thrive, we must create a narrative that helps young people - especially youth of color - to be viewed differently by adults who can create pathways to opportunities for success, and also to view themselves differently in order to feel worthy enough to pursue those opportunities.

That's why DC Trust created cme4me (pronounced “see me for me”), a citywide youth perception campaign designed to create an environment that recognizes and celebrates the creativity of DC youth, while linking them to 21st century workforce development opportunities that lead to internships and real paying jobs in the creative economy.

The power to change resides in our youth’s voices, in their words and in their images. cme4me amplifies young people’s voices by helping them to create and share a glimpse of their reality so that we can see them for who they really are. Follow the movement at cme4me.org 42 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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RELIGION

The Religion Corner

Don’t Die Feeling You’ve Never Lived

The Griffin Firm, PLLC Committed to providing services and supports to increase the capacity of individuals, businesses, and communities.

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Estate planning and probate Medicaid planning Elder law Business and succession planning/ coaching Workshops and seminars on legacy creation for economic strength

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 www.thegriffinfirm-PLLC.com

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Henry David Thoreau once said it this way: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

How many of us live our lives like Elton John’s song, “Like A Candle in the Wind” just passing through with no special intent, not knowing that God has given us an assignment. We don’t use our brains, subconscious mind, or instincts – nor shall you yield to the Holy Spirit!

In many instances in my own life, things have happened in a very positive manner because I listened to that voice within.

When we choose not to listen, things really don’t work out for your good!

Tap into your still moments; and when you hear that whisper giving you instructions, and that voice speaks into your spirit: Listen, then do it! You will hear more when you›re quiet.

Thoughts that come when you’re not seeking them are often the ones you should pay most attention to! You didn’t ask for the thought, yet all of a sudden, it’s there. And don’t let the same thought keep coming back and forth into your spirit.

Do you think that’s YOU thinking? No, that’s the Holy Spirit, trying to get through to you; giving you marching orders; things you are to achieve while you walk this earth.

Take 20 minutes to be quiet, meditate, think or shall I say “gather your thoughts.” The best time to meditate is prefer-

ably in the beginning of your day; or even when you’re in the shower. Think of what’s going on in your life from within, write them down. Then do them!

Visualize yourself at your best or visualize what you want to happen. Believe it or not, when you imagine yourself at your best or imagine what you want in vivid details, you will begin to receive orders of things to do, to help you achieve these goals.

When someone angers you, usually, that’s all you can think about, until you finally awaken in the morning refreshed!

Control your thoughts.

MAKE things happen in your life, by following the Holy Spirit.

Imagine and be able to SEE as clearly as possible what it is you want for yourself, and practice doing it over and over again.

Use positive affirmations, said in the present tense! Speak the words of how you would like to be at this moment in time. An example of an affirmation could be, “I am calm and beautiful” or “I am very successful in my new business,” or like me – I said “Lord, thank you for my radio show!” I could see myself in the radio studio! That day came!

Affirmations can be very powerful tools when you are working to increase your self-esteem or change a habit. Remember it is important to state your affirmation as though it has already occurred. I thanked the Lord for my radio show, as if it already existed! That’s my point.

The most important thing to remember is that whatever you choose to focus on expands. Rather than looking for

with Lyndia Grant a “quick fix,” know that when you focus on what is working well, you can trust it to grow.

Remember that changing the way you think and the way you view the world is not an overnight process. Be kind to yourself, its well worth the effort!

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Philippians 2:14-15.WI Lyndia Grant is an author, inspirational and motivational speaker, radio talk show host and columnist; visit her new website at www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrant@ gmail.com and, call 202-263-4621.

Tune in Fridays at 6 p.m., to the radio talk show, 1340 AM, WYCB, a Radio One Station.

(301) 864-6070

CHURCH LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC

Organizational Formation, Governance Issues, First Ammendment, Church Employment, Ministerial Exception, Maintenance Issues, Risk Management, Safety and Security Issues, and Real Property Law SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA

www.jmlaw.net

(301) 864-6070

jmccollum@jmlaw.net

www.washingtoninformer.com

The Washington Informer

Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

43

RELIGION BAPTIST

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

The Reverend Lyndon Shakespeare Interim Priest

Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

Foggy Bottom • Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW • Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 • Fax : 202-338-4958 Worship Services Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Schedule of Services: Sunday School – 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service – 11:00 AM Communion Service – First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study – Tuesday, 6:30 PM www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org e-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

Worship Sundays @ 7:30 & 11:00 A.M. 5th Sundays @ 9:30 A.M. 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

Schedule of Service Sunday Service: 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org

www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ Drs. Dennis W. and Christine Y. Wiley, Pastors 3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) (202) 562-4219 (Fax) SERVICES AND TIMES: SUNDAYS: 10:00 am AM Worship Services BIBLE STUDY: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30 PM (dinner @ 5:30 PM) SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:00 AM – Hour of Power “An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantbaptistdc.org

Reverend Daryl K. Kearney, Pastor

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Sunday Early Morning Worship - 7:45 a.m.

Church School - 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:45 a.m.

Tuesday – Thursday - Kingdom Building Bible Institute – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday – Prayer/Praise/Bible Study – 7:30 p.m.

Baptism & Communion Service- 4th Sunday – 10:30am Radio Broadcast WYCB -1340 AM-Sunday -6:00pm T.V. Broadcast - Channel 190 – Sunday -4:00pm/Tuesday 7:00am

“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org e-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net

2498 Alabama Ave., SE • Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 Fax: (202) 889-2198 • www.acamec.org 2008: The Year of New Beginnings “Expect the Extraordinary”

Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan, Pastor 800 I Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 Fax No. 202-548-0703

Sunday Worship Services: 8:00a.m. and 11:00a.m.

Sunday Church School - 9:15a.m. & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30a.m.

2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study - 6:30p.m.

Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study - 10:00a.m.

Tuesday Topical Bible Study - 6:30p.m.

Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study - 6:30p.m.

Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study - 6:30p.m.

Wednesday Children’s Bible Study - 6:30p.m.

Thursday Men’s Bible Study - 6:30p.m.

Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service - 6:30p.m.

Saturday Adult Bible Study - 10:00a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship 11:00am Holy Communion – 1st Sunday Sunday School-9:45am Men’s Monday Bible Study – 7:00pm Wednesday Night Bible Study – 7:00pm Women’s Ministry Bible Study 3rd Friday -7:00pm Computer Classes- Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org

“The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”

“God is Love”

Third Street Church of God Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor 1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202.347.5889 office 202.638.1803 fax Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Prayer Meeting and Bible Study: Wed. 7:30 p.m.

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax Sunday Worship Service: 8 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org emailus@gmchc.org

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews • Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 Fax: (202) 526-1661 Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Church School: 9:20 a.m.

Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

ST Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Dr. Raymond T. Matthews, Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews Sunday School 9:am Worship Service 10:am Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service 6:45 pm Thur. Bible Study 7:15 pm

Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor Service and Times Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m.

Communion every Sunday 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School 10:00 a.m.

Bible Study Tuesday 12Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday 6:30 p.m.

Motto; “Discover Something Wonderful.”

Website: 12thscc.org Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

Mailing Address Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE Washington, DC 20020

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Joseph N. Evans, Ph.D Senior Pastor 901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423

Rev. John W. Davis, Pastor 5101 14th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20011 202-726-2220/ 202-726-9089

TV Ministry –Channel 6 Wednesday 10:00pm gsccm.administration@verizon.net

Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Bishop

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., • Pastor

Crusader Baptist Church

(Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340

2562 MLK Jr. Ave., S E Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email:Campbell@mycame.org Sunday Worship Service 10: am Sunday Church School 8: 45 am Bible Study Wednesday 12:00 Noon Wednesday 7:00 pm Thursday 7: pm “Reaching Up To Reach Out”

Holy Communion 4th Sunday 10:00am Prayer and Bible Study Wednesday 7;00pm

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Campbell AME Church

Sunday Worship Service 8:00am and 11:00am Sunday School 9:15am

4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464

Blessed Word of Life Church

4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew, Assistant Pastor

700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849

All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors

Church of Living Waters

Sunday Church School : 9: 30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10: 45am Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00pm Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00pm Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10: 45am themcbc.org

44 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

The Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

RELIGION BAPTIST

Shabbath Commandment Church 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Service 11:00 a.m. Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.”

Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church

All Nations Baptist Church

Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration

Sunday School – 9:30 am Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 am Baptismal Service – 1st Sunday – 9:30 am Holy Communion – 1st Sunday – 11:00 am Prayer Meeting & Bible Study – Wednesday -7:30 pm

Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards

“Where Jesus is the King”

Israel Baptist Church

4850 Blagdon Ave, NW • Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 • Fax (202) 291-3773

1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288

Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:15 a.m.

Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute Wednesday - 1:30 pm Prayer Meeting Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

Rev. Dr. Maxwell M. Washington Pastor Worshiping Location Knights of Columbus - 1633 Tucker Road Fort Washington, MD 20744 (240) 838-7074 Order of Services Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 am Sunday School: 9:00 am Holy Communion 3rd Sunday Morning Prayer / Bible Study: 6:15 pm - 7:20 pm (Tuesday)

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Dr. Diane Dixon Proctor, Pastor 1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 lpumconthegrow@gmail.com

Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 A.M. Sunday School: 8:30 A.M. Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 P.M. Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

www.lpumcdc.org Sunday worship 10: am Holy Communion first Sunday 10: am Sunday school 9: am Bible Study each Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30pm Motto: “A CHURCH ON THE GROW”.

ChurCh Printing

20% Off PrOgrams & BOOklets

Dr. Lucius M. Dalton, Senior Pastor 1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 Fax: 202-544-2964

l l

Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 am and 10:45 am Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 am and 10:45 am Sunday School: 9:30 am Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon and 6:30 pm Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 pm Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 pm Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org

St. Matthews Baptist Church

2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730

2001 North Capitol St, N.E. • Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

St. Luke Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor

Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor

Sunday Worship Service 10:15AM- Praise and Worship Services Sunday School 9:00am Monday: Noon Bible School Wednesday: Noon & 7PM: Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission Zion Baptist Church Shall; Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, and Exalt Our Savior. (Acts 2:41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

Rehoboth Baptist Church

l l l l

Copies Color Copies fax services tee shirts scan & email service lamination

Quality Printers 301 kennedy street, nW Washington, DC 20011

tel: 202-291-6565 Salem Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Clinton W. Austin Pastor 2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Come Grow With Us and Establish a Blessed Family” Sunday Worship 7:30am & 10:45am Baptism/Holy Communion 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30pm Prayer Service Tuesdays – 8:00pm www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert SR. Pastor

623 Florida Ave.. NW • WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 • Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 • Fax (202) 483-4009

4504 Gault Place, N.E. Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184

Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 a.m.

Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 p.m.

Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 p.m.

Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

9:30AM. Sunday Church School 11:00 Am. Sunday Worship Service The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Wednesday 7:00pm Prayer & Praise Services 7:30pm. Bible Study Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries 10:30am A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Christ Embassy DC

5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005

Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor

6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065

Elder Herman L. Simms, Pastor

2616 MLK Ave., SE • Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 • Fax 202-678-3304

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator

Early Worship Service 7:30a.m Worship Service 10:45a.m.

New Members Class 9:30a.m.

Holy Communion : 1st Sunday -10:45a.m Church School 9:30a.m.

Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: Wednesday 7p.m Bible Study : Saturday: 11a.m.

Baptism: 4th Sunday – 10:45a.m “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Sunday Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 P.M Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 P.M Prayer/Seeking Wednesday at 8:00 P.M. Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged.

The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Peace Baptist Church

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell

Sunday Morning Worship Service 7:15 am & 10:50 am Sunday School 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship Service 10:50am Wednesday Prayer & Testimonies Service 7:30pm Wednesday School of the Bible 8:00pm Wednesday - Midweek Prayer Service 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Services: Sunday Worship 11 AM Sunday School 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study - Wed. 7 PM “A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

“The Loving Church of the living lord “ Email Address pbcexec@verizon.net

Shiloh Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

1864-2014

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Reginald M. Green, Sr., Interim Pastor

621 Alabama Avenue, S.E. • Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 F: (202) 561-1112

917 N St. NW • Washington, DC 20001 (202) 232-4294

9th & P Street, N.W. • W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4200

602 N Street NW • Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595

The Church Where GOD Is Working....

And We Are Working With GOD

Sunrise Prayer Services - Sunday 7:00 a.m.

Sunday Morning Prayer Service: 8:00 a.m.

Sunday Church School: 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:40 a.m.

Third Sunday Baptismal & Holy Communion:10:30 a.m.

Tuesday Church At Study Prayer & Praise: 6:30 p.m.

Morning Worship: 8:00 a.m Church School : 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship: 10:55 a.m.

Bible Study, Thursday: 6:30 p.m.

Prayer Meeting,Thursday : 7:30 p.m.

150 Years of Service

Theme: “The Kingdom Focused Church” Matthew 6:33 and Mathew 28:18-20, KJV

Sunday Service: 10 am Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 am 1st Sunday Baptism: 10: am 2nd Sunday Holy Communion: 10 am Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 pm Prayer Meeting: 7:45 pm

Email: stmatthewsbaptist@msn.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

Motto: : “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”

Sunday Worship Services: 7:45am & 11:00am Sunday school For All Ages 9:30am Prayer Services Wednesday 11:30am & 6:45pm Bible Institute Wednesday at Noon & 7:45pm “Changing Lives On Purpose “ Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org

www.washingtoninformer.com

The Washington Informer

Friday Evening Service 7:00 P.M. ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor

712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836

13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 P.M.

3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Sunday Church School: 9:30 A.M. Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 A.M. Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 P.M. Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 P.M. Prayer Service Bible Study

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor 2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 Fax: (202) 529-7738 Order of Services Worship Service: 7:30 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30 a.m. & 10:30a.m.

Prayer Services: Tuesday 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday 12 Noon Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

45

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2009 ADM 818

Administration No. 2015 ADM 326

Administration No. 2015 ADM 241 Hildrus Alexander Burrus Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Administration No. 2015 ADM 302 Rother Calvin Owens Decedent

Administration No. 2015 ADM 309

Edward L. Young aka Robert Edward Lee Young, Jr. aka George W. Welch, Jr.

Edward Lee Robert Young aka Edward Young

Decedent

Decedent

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. 1353 Sheridan Street, NW

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Washington, DC 20011

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Attorney Patricia L. Williams, whose address is 4016 1st Place, SW, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Representative of the estate of Hildrus Alexander Burrus,

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

who died on December 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 (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C.

Johnnie Frazier, whose address is 10209 Windsor View

Tresa R. Welch-Johnson, whose address is 3514 7th St., SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of George W. Welch, Jr., who died on February 27, 2015 without a Will, and

7600 Georgia Avenue, NW #405

7910 Woodmont Avenue, suite 1430

Washington, DC 20012

Bethesda, MD 20814-7047 Attorney

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Brett Cohen, whose address is 7910 Woodmaont Avenue,

Bria S. Bailey, whose address is 2227 1st Street, NW,

Suite 1430, Bethesda, MD 20814-7047, was appointed

Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Carolyn E. Jordan, who

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

Representative of the estate of Rother Calvin Owens,

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

Personal Representative of the estate of Edward L. Young

who died on October 18, 2013 without a Will, and

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

aka Robert Edward Lee Young, Jr. aka Edward Lee Robert

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 2, 2015.

Decedent Larry C. Williams, Esq.

Brett Cohen

Drive, Potomac, MD 20854, was appointed Personal

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

Carolyn E. Jordan

Young aka Edward Young, who died on April 29, 2009 without a Will, and will serve with Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

died on October 12, 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

20001, on or before October 2, 2015. Claims against

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 2, 2015.

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

October 2, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

on or before October 2, 2015, or be forever barred.

with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned,

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

on or before October 2, 2015, or be forever barred.

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of

undersigned, on or before September 26, 2015, or be

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

Wills, including name, address and relationship.

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

Wills, including name, address and relationship.

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 first publication: April 2, 2015

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: April 2, 2015

Patricia L. Williams Personal Representative

Johnnie Frazier

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned,

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

Date of first publication: April 2, 2015

Anne Meister Register of Wills

or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the

relationship.

Personal Representative

Anne Meister

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 2, 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 October 2, 2015, or be forever barred.

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and

March 26, 2015

TRUE TEST COPY

Register of Wills

to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills

Date of first publication:

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented

Tresa R. Welch-Johnson

Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 26,

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

Date of first publication: April 2, 2015 Bria S. Bailey Personal Representative

Brett Cohen Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 288

Administration No. 2015 ADM 273

Fillmore A. Lucas, Sr.

Daniel P. Mosley aka Daniel P. Mosley, Jr.

Decedent

Decedent

Deborah D. Boddie, Esq.

Matthew F. Shannon, Esquire

1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300

1420 N Street, NW, Suite 102

Washington, DC 20001

Washington, DC 20005

Attorney

Attorney

Richard Phillps, whose address is 301 Springgarden

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Rd., #80, Winslow, NJ 08095, was appointed Personal

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Fillmore A. Lucas, Jr., whose address is 3903 Terrett

Matthew S. Shannon, whose address is 1420 N Street,

on January 7, 2015 without a Will, and will serve without

Court, Alexandria, VA 22311, was appointed Personal

NW, Suite 102, Washington, DC 20005, was appointed

Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose

Representative of the estate of Fillmore A. Lucas, Sr.,

Personal Representative of the estate of Daniel P. Mosley

who died on April 29, 2014 without a Will, and will

aka Daniel P. Mosley, Jr., who died on with a Will, and

whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001,

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall

on or before September 26, 2015. Claims against the

on or before September 26, 2015. Claims against the

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street,

decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a

decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 26,

N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001,

copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented

on or before September 26, 2015. Claims against the

to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills

decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before

or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the

copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

undersigned, on or before September 26, 2015, or be

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

September 26, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons

of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice

believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do

of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills,

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days

including name, address and relationship.

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and

of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills,

relationship.

including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication:

Date of first publication:

March 26, 2015

March 26, 2015

Fillmore A. Lucas, Jr.

Matthew S. Shannon

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 265

Administration No. 2014 ADM 1167

Mary Ethel Berry

Thelma Brown Harris

Decedent

Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Denise Scott, whose address is 520 23rd Place, NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary Ethel Berry, who died on September 11, 2014 without 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., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 26, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 26, 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 first publication:

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Representative of the estate of Thelma Brown Harris, who died on April 22, 2012 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,

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 26, 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.

March 26, 2015

Denise Scott

Richard Phillips

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS David M. Wilson, whose address is 1831 Upshur Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Egbert E. Wilson, who died

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

46 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

Egbert E. Wilson Decedent

Date of first publication:

March 26, 2015

Administration No. 2015 ADM 247

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001,

September 26, 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

Date of first publication: March 26, 2015 David M. Wilson Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

The Washington Informer

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

LEGAL NOTICES

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 333

Administration No. 2015 ADM 332

John Q. Burnett aka John Quincy Burnett

Keith Poe Staples

Decedent

Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Cynthia Gross Frost, whose address is 455 15th Street,

Keith P. Staples, whose address is 110 E. Oxford

Administration No. 2015 ADM 000090 Siena M. Wilson Decedent Ronald Dixon Bynum & Jenkins 1010 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John Q. Burnett aka John Quincy Burnett, who died on February 7, 2015

Ronald Dixon, whose address is Bynum & Jenkins, 1010

with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision.

Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, was appointed

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are

Personal Representative of the estate of Siena M. Wilson, last address, 1905 Savannah Pl., SE, WDC, who died on August 9, 2013 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose

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,

whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 9, 2015.

to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before

with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned,

October 2, 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 October 2, 2015, or be

on or before October 9, 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

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of

of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice

Wills, including name, address and relationship.

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: April 9, 2015

Date of first publication:

Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Keith Poe Staples, who died on September 14, 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., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 9, 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 October 9, 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 first publication:

Keith P. Staples

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Ronald Dixon

Anne Meister

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 360 Cleovus Duncan

Administration No. 2015 ADM 114 James Lee McCullers aka James L. McCullers

Decedent

Decedent

Peter D. Antonoplos, Esq. 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 600

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Washington, DC 20036

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Attorney Eugene McCullers, whose address is 5012 Rock Quarry NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Road, Raleigh, NC, 27610, was appointed Personal

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Representative of the estate of James Lee McCullers

Joanne G. Duncan, whose address is 50 Allison Street, NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cleovus Duncan, who died on July 16, 2013 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

aka James L. McCullers, who died on August 8, 2014 without a Will. 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., Building

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment

A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before

shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th

May 9, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C.

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

20001, on or before October 9, 2015. Claims against

of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy

the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with

to the undersigned, on or before May 9, 2015, or be

a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 9, 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 first publication:

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 first publication: April 9, 2015

April 9, 2015 Eugene McCullers Joanne G. Duncan

Personal Representative

Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister

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Washington Informer

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Register of Wills

Washington Informer

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Register of Wills

Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

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The Washington Informer

Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

47

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48 Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

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DANIELS from Page 30 Further, we should remember that the justifications for these laws are classic examples of the “hustle” used to pretend bigotry is not bigotry: Those who want to discriminate against a particular group claim it’s that group, backed by “the government,” who are “victimizing” them.

So, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence could assert, shortly after he signed the original state law, that “many feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action” in forcing them to accept gays and lesbians as customers of their businesses.

One doesn’t have to be that well-versed in the Southern mas-

EDELMAN from Page 30 and the number who fail? Is there a culture of cheating in too many of our nation’s schools? Is there a culture of “teaching to the test”?

There is no excuse for the cheating in Atlanta, or Philadelphia, or in El Paso, where the school superintendent was imprisoned for reporting faulty test scores. While there is no excuse, it would be foolish to ignore the pressure that many face when federal laws mandate the use of standardized tests to “prove” that teachers and schools are doing their jobs.

In some districts, including Atlanta, teachers are given bonuses when their students do well on tests and may be terminated when students do not.

Even now, after revisions in teacher evaluation, half of teacher performance is based on standardized tests.

Teachers can be reassigned or schools closed if there are too many poorly performing students enrolled.

It makes sense to look at the many ways that the system encourages teachers to manipulate grades if not outright cheat when they adminis-

CHAVIS from Page 30 the issue of over-incarceration and the lingering debilitating impact of the system of injustice that continues to negatively impact millions of black American families should be a national priority. But it isn’t.

Even as many of our national civil rights organizations add mass incarceration to a long list of other issues of serious consequence, there is not yet a national consensus that it should rank at the top of that list. The truth is that poverty, unemployment, internecine violence within our communities, poor health care, economic inequity, and inade-

sive-resistance campaign against the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s to note the tawdry similarity: That region’s politicians also vociferously claimed that they were defending white citizens’ against attack by the federal government. And, as numerous other commentators have noted, many Southern Christians cited biblical passages to justify their racism.

The rationales for today’s anti-gay laws are just as despicable.

Their advocates claim they’re needed because, as Eric Miller, executive director of the conservative group Advance America, said, they could help Christian bakers, florists and photographers avoid punishment for “re-

fusing to participate in a homosexual marriage.”

Got that? Miller contends that any business owner who sells an item to or performs a service for a customer thereby becomes a “participant” and is “involved” in whatever it is the customer proceeds to do with the item.

If you think that’s silly, look up some of the segregationists’ rationales for all the grand and petty laws of Jim Crow for further proof that bigotry is impervious to logic The historian Jarret Ruminski ended his recent column on this latest effort to cloak intolerance in law with these words: “If I wanted to argue from a religious standpoint, I’d point out that ra-

ter standardized tests. Some schools spend days preparing students to take the tests. They aren’t spending days teaching the material students must learn, just the rote material needed to pass standardized tests. Passing a test in English and grammar may prove some proficiency, but does it prove that a student can write a paragraph or an essay or engage in critical thinking?

When teachers spend too much time focused on standardized testing and not enough on course content, are they cheating students? In teaching to the test, are they cheating to the test? I’m not referring to the multiple erasures that investigators found on some of the Atlanta tests or schemes that excluded poorly performing students from testing so that average grades could be higher. I’m referring to teachers who choose to teach content that they know will show up on the test or those who spend tens of hours in “practice sessions” with old copies of tests used as drills. From my perspective, students are being cheated when there is too much emphasis placed on standardized testing.

One might ask how teachers and

students can be evaluated without standardized tests, but there is an extensive body of research that suggests other methods of evaluating teachers, including classroom observation and curriculum review. Interestingly, an increasing number of colleges do not use standardized tests to evaluate students for admissions, because they recognize such tests are flawed.

Obviously, there must be some way to measure progress among students and proficiency among teachers. Still, standardized test results should not be tied to teacher compensation or to threats of school closings. If standardized tests are one way to measure results, they must be combined with other measures to ensure fairness.

It makes sense, though, to ask if there is a racial dynamic to leading nearly a dozen teachers, mostly African-American, out of a courtroom in handcuffs. And it makes sense to wonder if the charge of racketeering is being applied too harshly for what is clearly illegal misconduct.

While teaching to the test is not against the law, isn’t it cheating our students nearly as much as the scams?WI

quate education can all be traced to the short- and long-term suffering that mass incarceration continues to have on black American families.

Now is the time to move this issue to the top of the agenda.

In the wake of the recent report by the U.S. Department of Justice about the systematic racial injustice in Ferguson, Missouri, we should understand that what is happening there in St. Louis County is not limited to Missouri. The “caste” reality of judicial and correctional injustice is a national issue. Every state, especially where black Americans are concentrated, you will find the largest manifestation of mass incarceration.

The Justice Department report found that the consequences of mass incarceration in Ferguson went beyond just arrests; they also involved extracting large sums of money from those unjustly charged and jailed. Emails from police officers and court officials further exposed how commonplace racial prejudice was in Ferguson.

Police Capt. Richard Henke said in on email, “We shouldn’t worry about [Obama] being president very long because what black man holds a steady job for four years?”

There needs to be a stronger and more effective national coalition established to end mass incarceration in America. Iron-

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bid anti-gay stances conflict with Jesus’ injunctions to ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ And to ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ Finally,” he wrote, “if I wanted to argue from the standpoint of basic hu-

man decency, I’d argue that love is always better than hate, and that hate shrouded under the banner of good intentions and blind moral absolutism is especially devious.” WI

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ically – and this is good news – there appears to be a convergence of commitments from both liberals and conservatives to stand together to tackle this social, political and economic contradiction that stands in the way of the U.S. becoming a more perfect union of democracy, freedom, justice and equality.

The time to end mass incarceration is now!WI

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and can be reached at: dr.bchavis@ nnpa.org and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http:// drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/drbfc.

Apr 9 - Apr 15, 2015

49

CURRY from Page 30 this so-called less-than-deadly weapon, and now there are actually laws on the books that allow it to be used on 7-year-old children.

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do something now. You are 20 years older and, I trust, 20 years wiser, 20 years more experienced, 20 years more committed, and tired of the 20-year-old rhetoric about “what we need to do.”

Whether you know it or even believe it, you are part of the group that will take black people to a higher level of responsibility and respect and commensurate action vis-à-vis those alarming statistics found in all the reports and most recently in the Urban League’s State of Black America report.

I want you to go www.iamoneofthemillion.com and add your name to the list if you are conscious and committed. Let’s

begin the process of recapturing the strength and resolve of 1 million black men who were so intimidating that the federal government virtually shut down the day we came to town. This time, however, I want us to demonstrate that same strength by turning it into real power. How? Sign up, and then follow through on the simple but vital criteria for membership in this growing and august body of black people.

Please recommit, not only to the spirit of what we did in D.C. 20 years ago but also to the charge given us that day: to leave that place and do something to help our people. We must recon-

nect, stay connected, and aggregate our resources in support of one another. We must share information, work cooperatively, take control of our destiny, stand against unrighteousness, and not only say “Enough is enough” but do the work that will give substance and real meaning to our words. Where are the 1 million strong? Where are you? WI

Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for black people. He can be reached through his website, blackonomics.com.

DANIELS from Page 30

citizens behind will ultimately threaten America’s sustained growth.

In a recent report on jobs and unemployment in the black community, Economic Policy Institute economist Valerie Wilson said, “Even before the Great Recession, black unemployment has consistently been twice as high as white unemployment. To address this problem, we need to look beyond simply returning to the pre-recession status quo and implement policies aimed at ensuring that everyone who is willing and able to work has a job.”

A central focus of the National Urban League is workforce development, and being in the business of creating jobs and proposing solutions to our long-standing challenges, our organization has advanced the following public policy recommendations:

Passage of a transportation infra-

structure bill with a targeted jobs component Passage a targeted, large-scale summer youth/young adult jobs bill Raising the minimum wage to a living wage

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor published the March jobs report. While we applaud every stride our country makes in resuscitating our once-battered economy, we remain vigilant – and concerned – about the disparity of access to these benefits among our nation’s citizens as revealed in the State of Black America report (for more details and essays from leading figures on the economy, be sure to visit www.stateofblackamerica.org). I am concerned for all Americans, but especially for all the students I meet who live in those communities in crisis and are working so hard in their classrooms now while they dream of a better future. WI

resolved through political and diplomatic efforts,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“China and the United States, both taking on major responsibilities in safeguarding the international nuclear non-proliferation system, maintained good contact with each other during the negotiations, while instilling positive energy into bilateral relations,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry about the talks and subsequent agreement.

It’s as though there is broad consensus—GASP—that diplomacy works, if given a chance, and most everyone, except of course arms manufacturers, agrees that peace is preferable to war.

But there is one major naysayer, whose concerns—at least in the Republican-dominated U.S. political echo chamber—are given more weight than are the best interests of the United States. That naysayer is the tiny State of Israel.

Among Israel’s demands is one which must be the most blatant hypocrisy yet; the Israelis are dictat-

ing conditions for Iranian nuclear development while they, in turn are refusing to sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, and they refuse international inspections of their nuclear program. Why? Because they have a nuclear weapons arsenal of as many as 200 weapons and missiles and have had this deadly arsenal of mass destruction for more than 20 years. Talk about the pot calling the kettle, metal, will you?

Embattled, so-called socialist, so-called Muslim President Obama may yet have the last word.

“Our work—this deal—is not yet done. Diplomacy is painstaking work. Success is not guaranteed. But today we have an historic opportunity to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in Iran, and to do so peacefully, with the international community firmly behind us. And this will be our work in the days and months ahead in keeping with the best traditions of American leadership.” Diplomacy at work.WI

largest metropolitan areas. Overall, the black unemployment rate was 11.3 percent, and the Latino unemployment rate stood at 7.4 percent versus a white unemployment rate of 5.3 percent. Of the 70 cities ranked for black-white unemployment, almost half (33 cities) had a black unemployment rate above 15 percent. In seven of those cities, we discovered Great Depression-era black unemployment rates of 20 percent or higher.

It is clear that for far too many blacks and Latinos, our nation’s economic recovery is only something they read or hear about. According to our analysis, America’s comeback is bypassing large swaths of people in black and brown neighborhoods – and that is dangerous, not only to those communities but to our nation.

A recovery that leaves millions of its

MUHAMMAD from Page 30

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sible for Iran to possess nuclear weapons. That is a great credit to all negotiating partners,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“This is well beyond what many of us thought possible even 18 months ago and a good basis for what I believe could be a very good deal. But there is still more work to do,” said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

“In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world,” Pope Francis told the throngs of followers gathered in the rain for his Easter sermon.

But those guys are all U.S. allies—dupes if you will. “We consider the solution that was found, from the point of view of strengthening the legal system of international relations, as bright proof that the most difficult problems and crisis situations can be The Washington Informer

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