Vol. 55, No. 18 • February 13 - 19, 2020
D.C. Businessman Chet Bennett Receives Gift of Life
Returns Kindness after Longtime Friend Donates Kidney
Black History Month Section Pages 32-37
D.C. Councilman’s Bill Implements AfricanAmerican History Courses By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia Many a parent, and student, have longed for Black History lessons as part of the school curriculum. District schools might soon answer those decadeslong requests. And it’s all thanks to legislation proposed by D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, whose bill would add a course to help increase student proficiency and engagement while offering what he called a full and
CULTURAL Page 23
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Chet Bennett has long been a popular fixture throughout the District – a businessman, philanthropist and mentor to hundreds of youth and budding entrepreneurs. But his life turned topsy-turvy about a year ago when his physicians informed that he’d need to undergo dialysis three days a week, placing him on a national listing for patients 5 Chet Bennett (Courtesy photo)in desperately in need of a kidney to replace the failing organ within. Bennett’s story of selflessly giving his time, talent and tithes to those in his Northwest community would be aired in a report on WUSA9 in the early months of 2019 – a tear-jerker but also a call to action for many of his friends.
5 Acia Williams, a master educator preparing future cosmetologists and barber stylists, celebrated a ribbon cutting on Monday, Feb. 10 for her new salon, “A New Image by Acia,” located at 705 Florida Avenue NW. Chet Bennett, founder/CEO of the Bennett Career Institute, the largest beauty and barber school in the District, C. Alan Salons and Spas and the creator of the Celebrity Makeup Symposium, previously owned the salon. He gave the business to Williams as a symbol of his thankfulness after she gave him one of her kidneys last year. (Rob Roberts/The Washington Informer)
In fact, after the news broke, 11 people stepped forward volunteering to give Bennett a life-saving kidney. One of the potential donors, Acia Williams, a good friend to the kind-hearted businessman for 20 years, would be determined as a perfect match – the subsequent operation went off without a hitch. But this emotional tale doesn’t end there. On Monday, Feb. 10, Williams cut the ribbon for the grand re-opening of her own beauty shop located at the intersection of Georgia and Florida in Northwest – A New Image by Acia.
DONOR Page 46
5 D.C. Councilman Kenyan McDuffie (WI file photo)
Ward 7 Residents Nonplussed on Proposed Halfway House Gray Fears Site Would Hinder Economic Development By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
the residential reentry center threatens any possibility of economic development in that area. In the weeks since speaking with Federal Bureau of Prisons [FBOP] Director Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, Gray has encouraged constituents to make similar calls to CORE LLC and BOP. A contingent of Ward 7
Upon learning about CORE, LLC’s intent to move a 300bed halfway house around the corner from a hub of urban revitalization, Councilmember Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) expressed his opposition to the plan, telling federal officials that HALFWAY HOUSE Page
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By Tia lawthe enforcement. TheCarol Black Jones News Channel [BNC], first 24-hourShe newssaid they
threat,” she said. had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow channel aimed specifically at an African-American audience, sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are launched on Feb. 10 to coincide with Black History Month. When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, former Watts, (bottom right) a Repubold Founded daughterbytold herRep. the J.C. father survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families lican from Oklahoma, the network premiered in 33 million of her daughter threatened her “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a vicprimarily in large African-American markets such life,households and the life of their child, story, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assessas New York City, Los Angeles Atlanta.forward,” Davis-Nickens she knew something had to beand push ment unit coupled with further BNC sayssaid it will produce television done. Based Out inofTallahassee, her frustration about Marlow. training for law enforcement and digital content written and producedsaid “by anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecwithprogramming law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens Black people, for people.” of the situation, sheBlack decided to who reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counselBNC programming feature “get all-Black talent start the Saving Promisewillcamit.” on-air She said shelike “puts the ing for batterers. former Libertarian radio host Larrycase Elder and will pull paign. in such a way,from the average “If we are ever going to eradiHBCUs much of its on-air to She Watts. “It seems for to be a vicious cycle expertise, personaccording can get it.” said at the cate domestic violence, we must network will not entirely Black-run owned, thatThewon't turn mybe family end of orthe day, though: the book will look at both sides of the coin. CEOMarlow Bob Brillante COO Jim help Zerwekh are begin both white. loose,” said.andMarlow people to have a dia- We need to address both the vicsaid the network will provide and accurate sharedWatts her story with the audiloguereliable about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow coverage Heights of issues that Also are often neglected encenonpartisan at the District present at the by event was said. Domestic Violence mainstream mediaSymposium outlets, like massMildred incarceration, but said it the exMuhammad, Marlow would also like to see on May at the District would7 also cover other Heights areas from awife Blackofperspective, as John Allensuch Muhammad, programs designed to raise Municipal Center. The sympo- who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children in health and wellness. sium Watts was told sponsored the forutive life terms without NBC thatby planning the network began more parole public and private schools. She Family and a Maryland his role in feels children need to be educatthan 10 yearsYouth ago. He Services said he knewbythen that therejury was for marCenter of the for city of District theand Beltway attacks in ed about domestic violence. ket demand a Black news channel, that his Sniper company’s Heights andshows the National Hook2002. Mildred Muhammad is “We have to stop being pasresearch that demand still exists. Up ofABlack theMSNBC, founder of the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chil2018Women. Nielsen report found that theAfter 24-hour Marlow has written book, anprime-time organization news channel, was theamost popular cablethat chan-helps the dren about domestic violence,” “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic nel with African Americans. And according to a 2012 Nielsen violence Marlow said. story about generations and their children. Marlow has worked to break study, 91 four percent of AfricanofAmericans believe that Blackdomestic Therelevant book isto them.“IWith livedthe in BNC, fear forWatts six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, owned violence. media is more inspired her own experiences, in fear a long time. It is and is confident the policies she saw aby chance to meet the growingyears demand for iscable news andamong those the of African-American her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that community. her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. “Today, information is so targeted to groups,” Watts said. She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to “Every demographic out there has a venue that they can access excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to information, culture, etc. Except for the Afcanfor notnews believe the words camewellness, domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. rican-American community.” from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into “I will not stop until these poliThe 2007 channelNational will partner with the National Newspaper won the “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” Publishers Association, a trade association made up of over 200 African-American-owned community newspapers across Books” Award. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached country. The association’s Benjamin Chavis (top right), told NBC that the association would act as a “Ithe was just 16-years-old whenpresident, mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net of national bureaus, of BNC’s news my system eye first blackened and and my much“Before you getcoverage to 'I'm would going build on reporting done by NNPA members at local level. lipsabled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI According to Chavis, the association would benefit from the BNC’s distribution network and digital advertising reveElaine Davis-Nickens, presithat he believes in BNC’s mission, and is excited that the newspaper publishers association will be a part dentnue. of He theadded National Hook-Up of it. of Black Women, said there is no “One of I witnessed in my 30-plus years in the Black Press is that there’s been a tendency for Black news to consistency inthe thethings way domestic be marginalized Chavis said. “To me, there’s an opportunity for the Black Press to fill that void.” violence issues are and dealtunder withdistributed,” by For Chavis, that doesn’t just mean having the ability to cover issues like environmental racism and police brutality from a black perspective – it also means amplifying positive news coverage that is largely ignored by the mainstream media. “The mainstream media covers the pathology of Black America. They don’t cover the sociology of it,” Chavis said. “The success stories are important for our community, to see Black Americans striving for and achieving excellence.” With its premier this month, the BNC enters the canon of the Black Press, an institution with a crucial place in the long history of African Americans’ struggle for civil rights. Black-owned newspapers helped jumpstart the Great Migration in the mid-1910s, and gave Black news consumers a more sympathetic voice for stories about Jim Crow-era oppression and racist violence, like the Emmett Till murder. The reach of the black press, once both profitable and highly influential, has waned significantly in the past few decades. According to a report on the state of African-American media published last year by the Obsidian Collection, an organization that is archiving and preserving African-American owned newspapers, Black newspapers have seen their profitability fall sharply since the advent of digital news and social media. “The fact that we had a vibrant Black Press separate from mainstream press was essential to our own success,” Angela Ford, founder of the Obsidian Collection, told NBC. “Losing that, or having that fade substantially, has allowed … the narrative of the Black experience, the narrative of African-American history itself, to be co-opted, misrepresented and watered down by corporate media.” WI WI Staff Writer
“
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.
“
SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY
Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence First 24-Hour News Channel Aimed at Blacks Launched Feb. 10
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L.Y. Marlow
AROUND THE REGION Washington Informer Charities Host Annual Spelling Bee Cluster
By James Wright WI Staff Writer @jamesdcwrighter
Students from 80 schools in the District recently participated in the beginning stages of The Washington Informer Charities Spelling Bee. The competition took place from Feb. 5-7 at Langley Elementary School in Northeast. Students from District who attend public, charter, parochial and private schools, as well as those who are home-educated, participated in the contest. Jason Moore, who served as pronouncer and helped coordinate the event, read the words from a nationally approved list from the Scripps National Spelling Bee to the students and gave the definition to them if asked. Moore said the competition went well through the three-day period. “I am very pleased with the way the clusters went,” he said. “The students were excited about the competition.” The Informer bee is part of the Scripps event that takes place an-
nually in the D.C. area, with the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., serving as the venue since 2011. The participants in the Scripps bee are regional winners from throughout the country that includes territories such as Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Navajo Nation and the U.S. Virgin Islands and military bases in Germany and South Korea. In the District, the competition starts at the schools, Moore said. The competitors for the Informer bee are from third to eighth grade, he said. Moore said the Informer Bee competition starts in the classroom, with students competing against their classmates. From there, he said, students face off against their classmates. The individual school winner competes in the cluster bee. The clusters are determined by whether they are elementary or middle school institutions. Moore said he tries to have a positive message for each student at the cluster level. “Before I start the competition at
the cluster stage, I tell each of the students ‘you are already a champion for standing on this stage,’” he said. “I say that to encourage them because for most of them, this is the end of their journey.” Moore said the top six students in the five clusters will proceed to the Informer bee’s final round on Feb. 29 at the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment headquarters in Northeast. All of the finalists will receive awards
and prizes, with the victors eligible to compete at the national competition that will take place May 24-29 at the Gaylord. Moore, manager of elementary assessments and interventions for the District’s public school system, said participating in the bee for third straight year has been enjoyable. “I really enjoy working with the students and the family,” he said. “I like seeing these young scholars
show up and show off their skills. They are standing on that stage as champions and they are two steps away from being on national television. “More importantly, the fact that they signed up to participate in this means a lot,” Moore said. “They are having the experience of a lifetime and they can take in that they beat everyone in their school to get here.” WI
5 Owen Carpenter, a 5th grader at Hearst Elementary School standing with his mom Shanta Mays-Carpenter will be heading to the Washington Informer Charities Spelling Bee in a few weeks. (Courtesy photo/Ryan Garfield)
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 5
AROUND THE REGION
black facts
FEB 13 - 19, 2020 SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
FEB 13
1920 – Baseball player Andrew “Rube” Foster founds the Negro National League. 1923 – The New York Renaissance, an all-Black professional basketball team, is founded. 1970 – Joseph L. Searles III becomes the first Black floor member and floor broker in the New York Stock Exchange.
FEB. 14
1867 – Morehouse College is founded in Georgia. 1946 – Actor, singer and dancer Gregory Hines (below right) is born in New York City. 1965 – The New York home of civil rights activist Malcolm X is firebombed with him and his family inside.
FEB. 15
1965 – Famed singer Nat King Cole dies in Santa Monica, California, of lung cancer at 45. 1968 – Henry Lewis becomes the first Black to head a major U.S. symphony orchestra when he takes over the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
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first single, “Down Hearted Blues,” which was later included in the inaugural National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. 1972 – Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first player in NBA history to score 30,000 points.
FEB. 17
1891 – Black inventor A.C. Richardson patents an improved butter churn. 1936 – Pro football great and civil rights advocate Jim Brown is born in St. Simons, Georgia. 1942 – Political activist and Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton is born in Monroe, Louisiana. 1963 – Basketball legend Michael Jordan is born in Brooklyn, New York. 1982 – Influential jazz pianist Thelonious Monk dies of a stroke in Englewood, New Jersey, at 64.
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1931 – Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison is born in Lorain, Ohio. 1965 – West African nation Gambia declares its independence from the United Kingdom. 1965 – Civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson is shot by an Alabama state trooper during a peaceful voting rights march rally in Marion, dying eight days later. 2006 – Speed skater Shani Davis becomes the first Black athlete to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics.
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1919 – W.E.B. Du Bois organizes the first Pan-African Congress. 1940 – Music legend Smokey Robinson is born in Detroit. 1992 – John Singleton (top) becomes the first Black director to be nominated for an Academy Award with his debut, “Boyz n the Hood.” 1997 – Virginia’s House of Delegates votes unanimously to retire the state song, “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” which glorifies slavery. WI
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AROUND THE REGION
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The Senate approved a bipartisan amendment in December to restore millions of dollars in federal funding to historically Black colleges and universities. Known as the FUTURE Act, the bill proposes a 10-year mandatory extension of $255 million in annual funding to HBCUs. What are your thoughts?
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$255 million divided by 101 HBCUs is $252,000 per school. What does that pay for?
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The [predominately white institutions] get billions a year — billions. Let that sink in. Alabama alone gets more than that a year from the government.
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Sad! Our people have to wake up and find out who’s on the board of these so-called institutions. Who owns them? Who gets the kickback?
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Looks like the Republican Senate is trying to get in good favor with Black voters. Pay attention and don’t be bamboozled. This is an election year. Vote and vote smart!
VAUGHN CHAMBERS / ATLANTA, GEORGIA
The Senate passed this — what’s the catch? What did they have to agree to in order to receive federal funding?
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 7
The World According to Dominic BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR / WI EDITOR / @DKEVINMCNEIR
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Friday, February 14 marks the day for lovers in America – that’s right, Valentine’s Day. But before you dig into your wallets and purses, fattening the coffers of businesses like Hallmark Cards, Victoria’s Secret and a plethora of florists or chocolatiers, you may want to consider if you can afford to indulge in this commercialized tribute to love. If gifts serve as a means of confirming your love for someone dear, you’re going to need more cash this year. Consider that a dozen long-stemmed roses delivered to your sweetheart will set you back $140.73, give or take – an eight percent increase over last year, nearly $12 per stem. The bill for a candlelight dinner at a first-class restaurant has jumped 30 percent to $363, while the cost of a movie date is eight percent higher than in 2019.
Even a greeting card costs almost 17 percent more at $5.25 per card. Other items will also take a bite out of your disposable income: a men’s designer silk tie is 6 percent more at $175 while the price tags for a heart-shaped box of Godiva chocolates, a silk negligee and a one-ounce bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume, with prices relatively unchanged, will still cost $100, $68 and $325, respectively. Don’t get me wrong. There’s absolutely nothing bad about showering someone you love, or even someone you hope will one day love you back, with oodles of goodies. I just wonder if it’s the best way to celebrate that special, impossible to explain emotion called love. Truth be told, the last time I even bought or sent a Valentine’s Day card was back in the late 80s when I was courting a beautiful woman, a great friend and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (the crimson and crème colors fittingly close to the signature shades of the holiday). In short order, she would become my wife and we would celebrate the birth of two healthy children – our daughter and our son. Since then, I’ve tried to express my love in more creative, less expensive and more frequent methods than the once-a-year mad-spending associated with Feb. 14th. I’m a bonafide old-school brother and tend to use music and the lyrics of true love songs to convey my feelings. And you don’t have to be a professional wordsmith like me if you want to say something that really means a lot. You can borrow a few lines from some
of the greats. I suggest you begin with Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” followed by the Stylistics and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” Next – go with the incomparable Phyllis Hyman’s “The Answer is You” – trust, you will not be disappointed. Add to the mix, Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire” as a testament of the things you’ll face, the hurdles over which you’ll leap and the conflagration that you’ll endure to be close to your sweetheart. But if you’re having some problems in your love life, remind your beloved
DOMINIC Page 23
8 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
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AROUND THE REGION
District Election Roundup By James Wright WI Staff Writer @jamesdcwrighter
ROGERS SEEKS TO IMPROVE D.C. NEIGHBORHOODS
Eric Rogers, candidate for an independent at-large seat on the D.C. Council, said he wants District neighborhoods to be the best they can be so that residents can have a rich living experience. “I want for people to have the ability to go about their business without the fear of being attacked,” said Rogers, a District native. “I want people to be able to walk to the stores in their neighborhoods without being robbed. Kids should be able to play in the street and families should be able to go out in their neighborhoods without incidents. That’s what I want for everyone in the city.” Aside from his time at the College of Wooster in Ohio, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, Rogers has been a lifelong District resident. After college, he worked for the mayoral campaign of Harold Brazil in 1998 and then served as a legislative assistant for then-Council member Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6) and chief of staff for then-Council member Kevin Chavous (D-Ward 7). When Chavous lost his seat to Vincent Gray in 2004, Rogers transitioned to the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). He served in that agency from 2005-2015 in positions such as advisory neighborhood commission coordinator and chief enforcement officer. After leaving DCRA, he worked as the chief of staff for the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development and served as the interim chairman of the D.C. Taxicab Commission. In 2018, Rogers managed Council Chairman Phil Mendelson’s reelection bid. His time running the Mendelson campaign convinced him that he wanted to be on the council. “As a native Washingtonian, I’ve seen some changes in my hometown,” he said. “I’ve seen once-neglected neighborhoods now thrive with new residents and amenities.” However, he said, “too many children suffer from hunger, senior citi-
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zens are being swindled out of their homes, residents are struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues and still too many people left out.” “As a result, I’m running because we must create pathways to prosperity for every resident,” Rogers said.
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RASHEED WANTS TO LEAD WARD 7
Veda Rasheed desires to be the next Ward 7 council member because she feels that her ward has been ignored “too long.” “We have been given false promises and false hopes by those in leadership,” Rasheed said. “Our city is growing but we are being left behind.” Rasheed hopes to be the winner in the June 2 Democratic Party primary that will likely include Council member Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) on the ballot. She has the backing of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) allies such as Ward 8 entrepreneur Phinis Jones but said as a council member, she won’t be beholden to the mayor. “I will be a puppet of my constituents,” Rasheed said. “They are the ones who will pull the strings.” Rasheed, a graduate of Bowie State University and the Catholic University School of Law, has worked as a clerk for D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Lee F. Satterfield and in community engagement for D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D). She said as a product of excellent education opportunities, she will work on the council to see that all Ward 7 students have the same chance to excel academically. “I would like to see a new highly competitive middle school in the ward,” Rasheed said, adding that she wants to strengthen the ward’s foreign language offerings. “Ward 7 students
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5 Veda Rasheed serves as an advisory neighborhood commissioner for 7E01. (Courtesy photo)
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Accepting United Health PPO, HSCSN & DC Medicaid (Straight only) 5 Eric Rogers led D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson’s reelection campaign in 2018. (Courtesy photo)
will compete in a global economy.” Economically, Rasheed would like to see more government buildings and public sector workers in the ward. “Government workers will increase economic development and traffic in the ward,” she said. “That will also create an environment where there will be more retail and sit-down restaurants for residents to enjoy.” WI
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AROUND THE REGION CAPTURE THE MOMENT Howard University School of Dentistry held a groundbreaking on February 7, for its new dental clinic which received a $250K donation from “dentist to the stars,” Dr. Amarjit S. Marwah. Marwah standing in the center of the photo with Howard University President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, and students, faculty, and alumni. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
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10 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
“Until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes is a war.”
– Bob Marley
[1976] adapted from a speech by Haile Selassie I. Marley’s Jamaican band, the Wailers, which also featured Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh, played their first concerts in Boston and New York City as part of their “Catch a Fire” tour in the fall of 1973. Despite dying at the young age of 36 from lung cancer, Marley, who would have turned 75 on Feb.6, remains one of the most-celebrated pioneers of reggae music. One-fourth of all reggae music listened to today by Americans belongs to the discography of Robert Nesta (Bob) Marley.
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AROUND THE REGION
Despite GOP Delays, Statehood Bill Moves Forward Norton Says Floor Vote Will Take Place by Year’s End By James Wright WI Staff Writer @jamesdcwrighter The House Oversight and Reform Committee, by a party-line vote, approved a bill making the District of Columbia the 51st state of the union, thereby setting up a vote on the House floor and statehood advocates weighing prospects in the U.S. Senate. Despite Republicans on the oversight committee offering a number of amendments, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s bill on D.C. statehood got through, 21-16, at the markup on Feb. 11. GOP lawmakers offered amendments on such matters in the proposed state as regulating its abortion laws and gun laws, defining its boundaries, its status as a sanctuary jurisdiction and whether the mayor of the District could be considered a governor. The amendments went down in defeat, with Norton, committee Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) defending the city’s right to self-determination without the interference of the U.S. Congress. Norton expressed elation at the passing of her bill. “For such a historic achievement for the District of Columbia, the only message I can convey is gratitude,” she said. “Thank you, Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney for your extraordinarily skillful and patient leadership, always with fairness to both sides. Thank you, Majority Leader [Rep.] Steny Hoyer [D-Md.], who appeared at an earlier press conference with Maloney and me, for your longtime leadership on statehood, democracy and legislation for the District. “Thank you to our more than 220 co-sponsors and committee members who stood with the disenfranchised people of the District today,“ Norton said. “Above all, thank you District residents for turning out in large numbers once again to demand equality in the Congress. “We have only one last hill to climb-onward to the House floor.”
D.C. RESIDENTS HIT THE HILL
A large contingent of people waited in line outside Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill to get a seat in the hearing room to
witness the markup. Those who couldn’t get in Room 2154 had the option of going to two overflow rooms in Rayburn to view the hearing on a large screen. Large numbers of people aren’t new for statehood hearings. On Sept. 19, the committee held a hearing on Norton’s bill and statehood supporters filled the hearing room, two overflow rooms and a park outside the Rayburn building to watch the proceedings on a large screen. On Feb. 11, House staffers opened up Room 2154 and those who could filed into the three rows of chairs available to the public. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) came in the room and sat on the front row with members of her executive team. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and council members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), Robert White (D-At Large), Trayon White (D-Ward 8), Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) and Anita Bonds (D-At Large) sat in the front and second rows to observe the hearing. District Shadow Sens. Michael Brown (D) and Paul Strauss (D) and shadow Rep. Franklin Garcia (D) sat on the front row, also. Brown was pleased with the turnout. “This is a historic day,” he said. “We are here to show the House that we want statehood. We want to be the 51st state.” Veterans made up a number of supporters at the markup. Norton said the 30,000 District veterans not having full political rights as citizens is “unconscionable.” “They have served their country voluntarily as members of the armed forces, wherever their country chose to send them at risk of their lives,” Norton said. “Unlike the other Americans with whom they served, the veterans who live in the nation’s capital had no voting congressional representation.” Bowser and members of the council left the hearing after two hours when it became clear that the Republicans intended to offer a number of amendments to Norton’s bill. “I have heard enough,” Bowser said. “The Republicans’ tactics weren’t a surprise. Congresswoman Norton told us to expect that.”
In the Senate, Tom Carper (D-Del.) has a statehood bill that has 35 co-sponsors. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has come out against D.C. statehood and has publicly said he likely will not schedule Carper’s bill for a vote. Brown said he has talked with a number of senators and their staff members about statehood. Despite McConnell’s opposition, Brown said he and Strauss will continue to talk to Republicans. “We talked to Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, and appealed to her as
a veteran,” Brown said. “We have also talked to Tim Scott of South Carolina, noting the number of African Americans who are disenfranchised as a result of D.C. not being a state.” For more coverage on D.C. statehood, go to www. washingtoninformer.com. WI
5 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with other Washingtonians, watches the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s markup of D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s statehood bill. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
NEXT STEPS
When asked on Feb. 10, Norton could not give a clear timetable when the vote on her bill will occur. “The vote will take place by the end of the year,” Norton said.
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 11
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Testimony on Md. Hate Crime Bill Gets Emotional By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill ANNAPOLIS — Dawn Collins offered a simple message for Maryland lawmakers mulling proposed hate crime legislation: “Don’t let another mother feel the pain that I feel daily.” Collins and her husband, Rick, spoke at a press conference and gave emotional testimony Tuesday in Annapolis about the death of their son, 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III, who was killed by a white man at the University of Maryland
in College Park in 2017. Collins, 23, who received a commission in the Army, was visiting a friend at the school just days before his own graduation from Bowie State University when he was fatally stabbed. In December, a judge ruled prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to prove the suspect, former University of Maryland student Sean Urbanski, killed Collins simply because of his race. The current statute forces a prosecutor to prove a hate crime occurred as the sole motivating factor. However, a jury found Urbanski, 24, guilty of murder. He is sched-
uled to be sentenced June 4. Meanwhile, the nearly two-page legislation named after Collins seeks to charge and prosecute a person “motivated either in whole or in part by another person’s or group’s race, color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or national origin, or because another person or group is homeless.” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, elected as the jurisdiction’s top prosecutor in 2018, led the effort to strengthen the hate crime statute with legislation in both the House of Delegates and Senate. “This young man motivated my office, my prosecutors and our community to do what’s right,” she said. “That’s why we’re here … to do what’s right.” The bills are sponsored by Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-District 24) of Landover and Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles County). “I refuse to believe that my country is this bad,” said Wilson, who also served in the Army. “I refuse to let Mr. Richard Collins III die in vain.” Besides the Collins family, various advocates and nonprofit organizations also spoke in favor of the bill. Meredith Weisel, senior associate regional director of the Anit-Defamation League (ADL) in Northwest said Maryland’s current statute “gives hate
5 Dawn and Rick Collins, parents of slain 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III, stand alongside Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (right) at a Feb. 11 press conference in Annapolis. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
crime offenders an easy defense.” In written testimony before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, ADL pointed out that states such as California, Tennessee and Wisconsin define hate crimes as an offense committed “in whole or in part.” Karen Baynes-Dunning, interim president of the Southern Poverty Law Center of Montgomery, Alabama, said hate groups in Maryland have decreased, but violence acts and other crimes increased. The group plans to re-
Merchants, Advocates Educate Public on Medicinal Cannabis By William J Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill ANNAPOLIS — Llauris Rener recalled when he took daily prescribed medication such as Percocet to relieve stomach pain, but he began to develop a tolerance and felt no relief.
Rener decided to try a soda with CBG, an oil extracted from hemp plants, produced by Cannabinoid Creations. His favorite flavor: grape. “I took five sips and felt great,” said Rener, creative director of 710Squared in Largo. “This thing works. It changed my life.” Rener, whose eight-employee com-
5 Hope Wiseman (right), owner of Mary & Main dispensary in Capitol Heights, Maryland, listens to Ann Allworth talk about the medicinal cannabis industry during Legislative Education Day hosted by The Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association in Annapolis on Feb. 6. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)
12 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
pany conducts research and teaches small and minority-owned businesses how to brand their products, participated Thursday in Legislative Education Day in Annapolis. His company and others are members of The Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association, which launched in November to not only inform lawmakers on the healthy aspects of medicinal cannabis, but also tell visitors to the state capitol about proposed legislation slated for the 90-day session. Several bills include requiring the state Department of Housing and Community Development to administer a fund for small, minority- and women-owned medicinal cannabis businesses. According to the legislation sponsored by Del. Nick Mosby (D-Baltimore City) and supported by the Legislative Black Caucus, creation of a Medical Cannabis Business Development Fund would provide entrepreneurs grants or financial assistance who seek a license and plan to open as a grower, processor or dispensary. The department would issue a report to the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Cannabis Commission and Maryland General Assembly by Jan. 15 of each
year on the number of grants and other financial packages awarded during the preceding year. Hope Wiseman said a grant award for her dispensary Mary & Main in Capitol Heights would provide discounts for low-income patients to purchase medicine, a medical card and subsidize the cost of her company’s medicine. Her dispensary and its 15 or so mostly part-time employees currently has about 800 patients, mainly from Prince George’s County, who visit her business monthly. For more than a year, more than 3,000 patients throughout the state and D.C. area have registered through her dispensary. “A grant like that would allow us to provide discounts for low-income patients and patients with chronic and sometimes fatal illnesses,” she said. “There aren’t dispensaries in every corner, so a grant like this would be beneficial.” A hearing on the bill is scheduled for Feb.19 before the House Health and Government Operations Committee. The advocacy association distributed a 12-page document on various cannabinoids and the medical benefits of terpenes, organic compounds that give
lease its annual nationwide “hate map” report in about a month. “It’s time for us to act. There are way more of us, than there are of those who spouts hate,” said Baynes-Dunning, a native of Montgomery County, Maryland, who flew up Alabama to testify on the legislation. “We are honored to stand here with the Collins family with their courage and their persistence to make sure that none of us ever forgets the name of 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III.” WI aroma and flavor in plants and fruit. The group also offered a breakdown of the nearly 88,600 certified patients in several counties and Baltimore City. As of September, Baltimore County saw the largest number of patients at 21,000. Montgomery County came in second at 18,165, Anne Arundel County registered third at 13,054, and Baltimore City followed with approximately 12,413. Prince George’s County came in fifth with nearly 10,200 patients. The qualifications for a medicinal cannabis patient diagnosed with a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition would include anorexia, severe nausea, seizures and glaucoma. A possibly contested bill from some parents and school officials could come from Sen. Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County) for public school nurses to administer medicinal cannabis for students during school hours and school-sponsored after-school activities. The medical cannabis commission and state Department of Education would organize regulations on safety protocol, a nurse’s assessment and other guidelines. The proposed legislation
CANNABIS Page 23
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Library, Education Among Top Concerns in District 5 By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Barbara Roberts has resided in Palmer Park for more than 50 years and remains pleased her area renovated and expanded the now-20,000-square-foot community center and plans to construct affordable town houses. The retiree, who worked as a machine operator and held other duties for Omni Print Inc., wants a library so her 11 great-grandchildren and other children can keep themselves occupied. The Glenarden Branch Library is less than two miles away from the Palmer Park Community Center. “We could really use a library nearby,” Roberts said. “Children needs to be exposed to the outside world and not just sitting on the sidelines looking at their cellphones.” A new 20,000-square-foot library more than four miles away from Palmer Park could open in Bladensburg in 2022, according to a newsletter from Prince George’s County Council member Jolene
PGCPS BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
ASPIRING CHEF
Enter Crossland High School on a Wednesday at lunchtime and seniors in Chef Muriel Homesack’s Culinary Arts class will likely be busy running a cafe. Clad in aprons, hair nets and gloves, students move through the kitchen, shredding cheese, simmering chicken and beef and layering tortillas, which they serve up as tacos with a sweet cranberry coleslaw, a brownie dessert and iced tea. Students package and deliver the meals or run the financial side of the
Ivey (D-District 5) of Cheverly. Roberts joined dozens of other residents to either compliment, complain or hear updates about certain projects during a District 5 community session Saturday, Feb. 8 at the community center. It marked the first town hall event Ivey hosted this year. District 5 comprises of municipalities including Colmar Manor, Fairmount Heights and Glenarden and unincorporated communities such as Springdale and portions of Lanham and Mitchellville. The area also comprises of two of the county’s most well-known landmarks, Fed Ex Field and the Sports and Learning Complex in Landover. Across from both properties on the other side of Landover Road, Lerner Enterprises continues to seek buyers at the 80-acre Landover Mall site once sought as a possible destination for the FBI headquarters. The Lerner family also owns the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals. Before residents had the opportunity to ask questions, Ivey and other county and state officials summarized ongoing
weekly, student-run cafe that provides teachers and staff an on-site lunch option. One of those students is senior Bardino Joyner, who is headed to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, after earning a $33,000 scholarship. “It’s been a great experience. Chef Homesack brings so much knowledge to the classroom and has been helpful with scholarships and getting into school,” Joyner said. “I love the community we have in the classroom and have become in love with cooking over the past few years.” – Excerpted from “Inside PGCPS”
SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
Applications for the 2020 Youth@ Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program are being accepted Feb. 28. The award-winning, nationally-recognized program helps young people ages 14-22 launch careers by providing them with free job readiness training and paid summer employment and offers six weeks of enriching entry-level
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY projects and proposed legislation taken place. One of the most discussed pieces of state legislation is The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an estimated $4 billion plan to revamp the state’s public education system by 2030. The recommendations from the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education include raising annual teacher salaries to average $60,000, expanding early childhood opportunities for low-income families and incorporating college and career readiness programs in middle and high school. Although the state would provide about $2.8 billion, the 23 counties and Baltimore City would chip in the remaining $1.2 billion. A funding formula allocated Prince George’s contribute the highest amount at about $360 million. State lawmakers continue to work out lowering that figure and mechanisms on how to pay for the plan. “It’s a plan that the state came up with and is such a huge price tag for Prince George’s County,” Ivey said. “[State legislators must] pass it in a way that doesn’t break the bank.” Meanwhile, some District 5 residents such as Kenny Miles of Bladensburg had other concerns. employment at governmental, nonprofit and business worksites in Prince George’s County and the greater D.C. area. The program, for which participants can earn $9.80 to $11.50 an hour, is part of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ commitment to youth development, which will prepare and empower the county’s youth to achieve their full potential into adulthood. For more information, call 301-883-6200.
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER FAIR
PGPCP hiring officials are hosting a School Bus Driver Fair from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro. PGCPS bus drivers provide the safe transportation of students and school personnel. Interested candidates must meet requirements that include: • Maryland – Complete Driving Record • District of Columbia – 10-Year History Driving Record • Virginia – Seven-Year History
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5 Prince George’s County Councilmember Jolene Ivey hosted her first town hall of the year at Palmer Park Community Center on Feb. 8. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
He printed a few pictures of large trucks driving in his neighborhood and a truck parking in front of a house. According to a county Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) booklet, residents are asked to report “commercial vehicles parked in residential communities in driveways, on the public streets or rights-of-way, unless a vehicle operator
is performing work on the property.” “I call about this, but you have to go through so many channels,” said Miles, a retired educator who substitute teaches at Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary in Cheverly. “Just have the police there [to] monitor what’s going on. Those big trucks are tearing up the neighborhood.” WI
• No more than 3 points in your 10year driving history • Ability to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
REIMAGING AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
More than 30 high school students in the Charles H. Flowers High School Community Referenced Instruction program recently produced an art exhibit inspired by the work of local African American artists. Upon being awarded a Maryland Humanities mini grant, special education teacher LeAnn Holden-Martin partnered with local artists who agreed to loan artwork to the school. Using those works as a launchpad, students created their own interpretations — vibrant and imaginative art pieces made of paints, chalks, papers, fabrics and more. The exhibit, “What We See: African American Art Through the Eyes of High School Students with Special Needs,” features their collective artwork and the documentation of the process. WI
5 Culinary Arts student Bardino Joyner is headed to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, after earning a $33,000 scholarship. (PGCPS photo)
FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 13
BUSINESS D.C. Student Reflects on Harvard Decision, Storied High School Career By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins This fall, RuQuan “RuThaTruth” Brown will start his freshman year at the Ivy League school where African-American historian and DCPS alumnus Carter G. Woodson earned his doctoral degree just more than a century ago, becoming the second Black man to do so after W.E.B. Du Bois. For Brown, attending Harvard University presents an opportunity not only to excel in the classroom and on the football field, but to clearly articulate to peers from across the country and world what he described as the truth about D.C. youth that has been missing from dominant narratives. “People in D.C. are motivated
to survive and make a way,” said Brown, 18, a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School and wide receiver for the Roosevelt Rough Riders. “Sometimes it’s by unconventional methods, but there is also a plethora of young people who are motivated and will go about the more traditional means to get where they desire to be. “The people I will have conversations with will have resources, and D.C. has a hub for receiving [with] the Summer Youth Employment Program, Promising Futures, and other programs. D.C. youth want to be helped,” he added. Brown, who was born in Seattle and spent his childhood in the Dallas metropolitan area, recently announced his decision to attend Harvard University before
his family, teammates, teachers, coaches and other community members at Roosevelt High School in Northwest. Over the past year, Brown, also an anti-violence advocate and social entrepreneur, has garnered more than two dozen offers from a string of prestigious colleges and universities, including Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Temple and Howard. In the years leading up to and following this milestone, Brown has stood alongside his peers on the front lines of causes significant to young D.C. residents, all while playing football and maintaining a 3.9 GPA. Last month, he and students from other D.C. public and public charter schools converged on the front steps of Anacostia High School in Southeast to demand that Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) expands on-campus youth activities and other violence prevention resources in the fiscal 2021 budget. During the previous academic year, Brown counted among several dozen Banneker students who successfully lobbied members of the D.C. Council to approve the school’s relocation from Euclid Street in Northwest to the site of the former Shaw Middle School on 9th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, also in Northwest. At the end of what had been a tumultuous battle between members of the Banneker community and Shaw-area parents who wanted a new neighborhood middle school, Brown, along with
5 Ruquan “RuThaTruth” Brown recently announced Harvard University as the school he will attend in the fall. (Courtesy photo/RuQuan Brown)
“People in D.C. are motivated to survive and make a way. Sometimes it’s by unconventional methods, but there is also a plethora of young people who are motivated and will go about the more traditional means to get where they desire to be.” – RUQUAN BROWN Banneker Principal Anita Berger, Bowser and others broke ground on what will be a new state-ofthe-art high school scheduled to open in 2021. Some of Brown’s other outlets, such as his Love1 clothing line, reflect the flurry of emotions that overcame him in the aftermath of his stepfather and teammate’s gun-related deaths within the past three years. Even as he matriculates to Harvard, Brown said
Ward 4 Lightview Residents Help Bring Solar Power to Their Cooperative Residents at DC’s Lightview Cooperative took part in the recent celebration of the completion of the solar system installation project at their apartment complex. The project, led by residents, was funded by the DOEE’s 2018 Solar for All Innovation and Expansion Grant. The installation was co-developed by PEER Consulting and New Columbia Solar. Participants included: Department of Energy & Environment Director Tommy Wells; Meta James, Manager, Lightview Cooperative; New Columbia Solar CEO Mike Healy; Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon T. Todd; Ronnie Dampier with Mayor Bowser’s Office of Infrastructure; Kathy Arnold, PEER Consultant and Lightview Manager; New Columbia Solar President Nick Giannottii; and PEER Consulting Founder Dr. Lilia Abron. The building remains one of the District’s last existing low-income cooperatives built during the Barry Administration with residents being mostly senior citizens. WI
14 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
he will continue to honor their memory, and that of other victims, with the national and international sales of hoodies, shirts and other apparel that promote love, unity and spiritual ascension. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Love1 products goes to One Gun Gone, a Providence, Rhode Island-based violence-prevention organization that collects guns and transforms them into thought-provoking art pieces. For Brown, his unique high school experience stands as a testament to a willingness to step outside of his comfort zone. He said that his decision to immerse himself in the Roosevelt community broadened his perspective and influenced his activism. “In that ‘Banneker bubble,’ we’re the best. It’s important to get out and realize that you’re not the only great ones,” Brown told The Informer. “My brand wouldn’t have gotten started had I not gone to Roosevelt. I wouldn’t be able to tell this story the way I want,” he said. “We run from discomfort, and look at those spaces and get intimidated, [but] I’m thankful to be in those different spaces where people are a lot looser and relaxed.” WI
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With No Clear Front Runner, Bloomberg Spends $3.5 Million With Black Press
BUSINESS Kobe Bryant By Aimee Griffin Joyner
5 Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg at the Atlas Theatre in Northeast. (WI File Photo/Shevry Lassiter)
By Hazel Trice Edney and Hamil Harris Special to the Washington Informer Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has just made Black History. The presidential candidate who has been running his campaign through television ads and private meetings this week spent a historic amount of money with Black newspapers - $3.5 million. “Of all the presidential candidates in the 2020 election, Mike Bloomberg just made the largest single political ad buy in the history of the NNPA,” said Dr. Ben Chavis, president/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association [NNPA] in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. “The money has already been distributed and it’s running in our newspapers right now.” Chavis says the money will be broken down among NNPA member newspapers in states that hold primaries on Super Tuesday and beyond. Super Tuesday states include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. “It’s a national ad buy and over 129 of our newspapers will bene-
fit from that,” Chavis said. “What it shows is that the Bloomberg campaign is taking the Black vote seriously and it’s taking the Black Press seriously.” NNPA, which turns 80 in March, has a membership of more than 200 Black-owned newspapers around the country. A longstanding grievance aired by the organization is that Democratic candidates and the Democratic National Convention have tended to take Black newspapers and the Black voters who read them for granted. This is despite the fact that African-Americans vote for Democratic presidential candidates 95 percent of the time. Chavis emphasized that NNPA does not endorse candidates. Still, dollars spent in Black newspapers and with Black media have historically been reflective of a candidate who’s serious about Black issues. “NNPA is a 501-C6; so, we don’t endorse,” he said. “But our member newspapers, they have the freedom to endorse whatever candidate they feel will best serve Black America. But I’d just like to note for Black history sake since this is Black History Month, that Mike Bloomberg just made Black history.”
This last month ended with the loss of another legend Kobe Bryant. The tragic loss of a young man and his daughter with 6 other people stopped many of us in our tracks last Sunday. We were devasted to know that a man who seemed to have everything going on could so quickly pass away with no warning. There has been no disclosure, yet, regarding Kobe’s estate planning. However, his family structure creates a great deal more simplicity for probating of his estate, if probating is even required. At the time of death, Kobe was married and together they had four minor daughters. This structure creates a simplicity in Probate is the court process that is necessary to transfer the assets that are in a person’s personal name to others. If someone passes away and there is no Last Will & Testament, each state provides a formula for distribution of assets. This process incorporates the court into the proceedings. The probate process can be quite burdensome. When Aretha Franklin passed away it was believed that she didn’t have a Will. Her niece just resigned as Executor of the estate. She had accepted the position, according to her resignation, with two criteria. She stated that there could not be contention within the family and there could not be legal challenges. In cleaning the house, three handwritten wills were found. The Wills were not consistent in all measures. The family was at odds with the sons challenging each other for control. The Do It Yourself (DIY) approach to estate planning may be fine for some people. However, I am cannot be sure who. If there is possibility of contest and dispute it is worth it to seek legal counsel in creating a Last Will and Testament so that you understand the impact. The ability to identify how your assets will be distributed upon your passing is the basic component of estate planning. However, as the bible says to whom much is given much is required. Aretha was blessed. Her estate is anticipated to be worth $80 million. With strategic estate planning she could minimize the taxes that will be due. Again, we are reminded that she had a son with special needs. If her wills are adjudicated to be invalid the distributions will be equally to her sons without specificity about how to support her son with special needs. Snoop Dog reportedly said that he doesn’t have a will because he won’t care. He says he won’t care because he will be dead. I can’t imagine that mindset for anyone who has children. I can’t image that mindset for anyone who has people they care about. Selfishly I want the people I love to grieve when I die but I don’t want to create distress and confusion for the people I love or who love me. The Griffin Firm, PLLC www.yourestateplanningattorney.com (202)379-4738 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 440, Washington DC 20015 1401 Mercantile Lane, Suite 383, Upper Marlboro MD 20774 100 International Drive, 23rd Floor, Baltimore MD 21202 1100 Peachtree ST, NE, Suite 200, Atlanta GA 30309 2530 Meridian Parkway, Suite 300, Durham NC 27713
BLOOMBERG, UNLIKE BIDEN, LAYS OUT BLACK ECONOMIC AGENDA
Biden has long been thought to be the front runner in the Black community due to his service as vice president to President Barack Obama. But it is clear that Bloomberg’s strategy is to meet him head on. While Biden
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has yet to lay out a Black agenda, Bloomberg, on Jan. 19, held a meeting in Tulsa where he laid out his Black economic agenda. Ron Busby, president/CEO of the U. S. Black Chambers [USBC], Inc. confirmed that he attended that meeting at the invitation of the Bloomberg campaign. “It did include an economic agenda for African Americans and was very close to the U. S. Black
Chambers’ economic agenda from increasing the number of Blackowned businesses to increasing the number of deposits into Black banks, increase the number of African-American homeowners, increase the number of contracts awarded to Black businesses by the federal government – all issues pertaining to improving the econom-
BUSINESS Page 16 FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 15
NATIONAL BUSINESS from Page 15 ic agenda for Black people,” Busby recalled. “I think at the end of the day he is very open to improving conditions for Black people.” Stressing, like Chavis, that the USBC, as a non-profit, cannot endorse candidates, Busby says he has had no such meeting with Biden. “Our plan is to meet with all of the candidates to discuss what they plan to do with Black folks.” The plan, according to as Associated Press report, includes a $70 billion investment in the nation’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.”
BLOOMBERG’S FIRST BALLOT APPEARANCE: SUPER TUESDAY, MARCH 3
With Iowa and New Hampshire largely white states all but in rear view, the political armies of the Democratic Party have moved to Nevada and South Carolina. And while Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg continue to claim front runner status, Bloomberg will not be on any ballot until Super Tuesday, March 3, when voters go to the polls in 12 states where nearly a quarter of the Democratic dele-
gates will be selected. Initially, Biden was counting on South Carolina, North Carolina and other southern states with large African-American voters to give him a much-needed boost. But according to one key political observer that remains to be seen. “Black voters are still shopping. I don’t go by the polls and when it comes to Black women we are very strategic,” said Melanie Campbell, president/CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. “The country is in a challenging place. The whole idea of representative Democracy is under threat.” African-Americans continue to give Biden his advantage in North Carolina, where he’s polling at 39 percent to 12 percent for Bloomberg and 10 percent for Sanders. But given Bloomberg’s aggressive strategy, this might not be enough. During his speech in Tulsa, Bloomberg apologized for the controversial “stop and frisk” used by the NYPD while he was the mayor of New York City. Bloomberg went to Tulsa to commemorate the 1921 race riots in Tulsa where African-American business owners were killed and their shops burned in one of the worse race riots in U.S. history. “For hundreds of years, America systematically stole Black lives, Black freedom and Black labor,” Bloomberg said. “A theft of labor and a transfer of wealth – enshrined in law and enforced by violence.” Bloomberg also unveiled his “Greenwood Initiative” that calls for: the creation of 1 million new Black homeowners in the next decade; the creation of 100,000 new Black-owned businesses in ten years; and the investment of $70 billion in 100 of America’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
CAN BLOOMBERG ENERGIZE CROWD?
While former President Barack Obama has not endorsed any candidate, Bloomberg has launched an ad campaign promoting his connection with Obama that starts with a news clip featuring his words from 2013. “At a time when Washington is divided in old ideological battles, he shows us what can be achieved when we bring people together to seek pragmatic solutions,” Obama
16 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
says about Bloomberg in the 30-second political ad. One of the challenges that each of the candidates have is generating excitement, according to E. Faye Williams, President of National Congress of Black Women. “There is no excitement in the
race and my concern is that people will stay home instead of going to the polls,” Williams said. “We had Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris but they are gone and right now we in the Black community feel left out.” WI
Bernie Sanders Shuts Out Biden, Warren in New Hampshire Primary
But With Numbers Lower than 2016, ‘Electability’ Clearly a Concern By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia New Hampshire felt the “Bern” as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed victory in the Democratic primary held on Tuesday, February 11. With the majority of votes counted, Sanders earned 25.8 percent of the vote while South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, grabbed 24.4 percent. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar placed third with 19.8 percent of the vote. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (9.3 percent) and former Vice President Joe Biden (8.4 percent) had disappointing showings. With his Granite State victory, Sanders now has 21 delegates. Buttigieg, who edged Sanders a week earlier in the still-contested Iowa caucus, has 22 after receiving nine delegates for his second-place showing in New Hampshire. “This is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” Sanders declared to a crowd of onlookers. “The reason I believe we are going to win is that we have an unprecedented grassroots movement, from coast to coast, of millions of people,” Sanders said. “The reason that we are going to win is that we are putting together an unprecedented, multi-generational, multiracial political movement. This is a movement from coast to coast, which is demanding that we finally have an economy and a government that works for all of us – not wealthy campaign contributors,” he concluded. Each of the candidates now must prepare for the Nevada caucuses where 48 delegates are up for grabs on Saturday, February 22. Nearly 4,000 delegates are up for grabs this year, and, to claim the party’s nomination, a candidate needs to secure at least 1,991. For each caucus and primary, delegates are split among the top vote-getters. After Nevada, South Carolina will hold its primary on Saturday, February 29, with 63 delegates available. The pivotal date in the campaign is Super Tuesday. Scheduled for March 3, primaries will take place in several states, including California, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. A total of 1,588 delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday, meaning if a candidate has a particularly good day, the nomination could be all but assured. Additional primaries and caucus dates are scheduled in various states on Tuesday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 17. The final primaries take place in June with the Democratic National Convention scheduled July 13 to July 16 in Milwaukee. WI
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NATIONAL Ida B. Wells’ Brave Speech on Lynching During Suffrage Movement By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia This is part of an ongoing Washington Informer series about the Women’s Suffrage Movement and an initiative that includes Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes that will use the lens of history, the fabric of art and culture and the venue of the public square to shine a light into dark places, equipping all with a compass to chart the way forward. The initiative lives in the institutional home of the Washington Informer Charities. In 2007 dissertation, “Voices of Democracy,” Shirley Wilson Logan of the University of Maryland noted that Ida B. Wells’s life began in adversity. Born in 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, where the Emancipation Proclamation was issued two months after it took effect, Wells and her family became politically active members of their community. Her parents and an infant brother died after contracting yellow fever, leaving Wells, at the age of 16, to
parent her five surviving siblings. She worked as a schoolteacher, and later drew national attention when she was forcibly removed from the ladies’ car on a Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwestern Railroad train. Wells sued the railroad company, winning at the circuit court level before the decision was overturned by the state Supreme Court, Wilson noted how Wells started to work on her rhetorical skills through elocution lessons with a private instructor and an affiliation with a lyceum attached to the LeMoyne Institute, a Memphis teacher prep school. Those skills proved valuable for what came next. On Feb. 13, 1893, Wells delivered a scathing rebuke of lynching in front of a mostly white and angry audience at Boston’s Tremont Temple. Here’s part of her speech, including the opening: “I am before the American people to day through no inclination of my own, but because of a deep seated conviction that the country at large does not know the extent to which lynch law prevails in
parts of the Republic nor the conditions which force into exile those who speak the truth. “I cannot believe that the apathy and indifference which so largely obtains regarding mob rule is other than the result of ignorance of the true situation. “And yet, the observing and thoughtful must know that in one section, at least, of our common country, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, means a government by the mob; where the land of the free and home of the brave means a land of lawlessness, murder and outrage; and where liberty of speech means the license of might to destroy the business and drive from home those who exercise this privilege contrary to the will of the mob. “Repeated attacks on the life, liberty and happiness of any citizen or class of citizens are attacks on distinctive American institutions; such attacks imperiling as they do the foundation of government, law and order, merit the thoughtful consideration of far sighted Americans; not from a standpoint of sentiment, not even
so much from a standpoint of justice to a weak race, as from a desire to preserve our institutions. “The race problem or negro question, as it has been called, has been omnipresent and all-pervading since long before the Afro American was raised from the degradation of the slave to the dignity of the citizen. It has never been settled because the right methods have not been employed in the solution. It is the Banquo’s ghost of politics, religion, and sociology which will not down at the bidding of those who are tormented with its ubiquitous appearance on every occasion. “Times without number, since invested with citizenship, the race has been indicted for ignorance, immorality and general worthlessness declared guilty and executed by its self-constituted judges. The operations of law do not dispose of negroes fast enough, and lynching bees have become the favorite pastime of the South. “As excuse for the same, a new cry, as false as it is foul, is raised in an effort
to blast race character, a cry which has proclaimed to the world that virtue and innocence are violated by Afro-Americans who must be killed like wild beasts to protect womanhood and childhood. Born and reared in the South, I had never expected to live elsewhere. “Until this past year I was one among those who believed the condition of masses gave large excuse for the humiliations and proscriptions under which we labored; that when wealth, education and character became more feral among us, the cause being removed the effect would cease, and justice being accorded to all alike. “I shared the general belief that good newspapers entering regularly the homes of our people in every state could do more to bring about this result than any agency. “Preaching the doctrine of self-help, thrift and economy every week, they would be the teachers to those who had been deprived of school advantages, yet were making history every day and train to think for themselves our mental children of a larger growth.” WI
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Sonko Urges Unity, End of Tribalism in Moi’s Honor Nairobi Gov. Mike Sonko has challenged political leaders to embrace national unity and inclusivity in remembrance of the late retired President Daniel arap Moi. The governor noted that Moi found a way to make all communities part of his government, so leaders should shun tribal alignments in his honor, the Daily Nation reported. Sonko, who spent most of his youthful days at the coast, reminisced about Moi’s value for the region, saying he demonstrated it through appointments. “He was a frequent visitor to the coast. He made many friends in the region and almost every other part of this country,” he said. “Moi set a precedent on matters of national unity and appointments that reflected the true face of Kenya. He always spoke about unity in every corner of the country,” Sonko said, adding that like the former president, Nairobi had ventured into distribution of free milk to schools. The City Hall boss further said the death of the second president should motivate Kenyans to rally behind the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). “Moi wanted national unity and that is what the BBI is all about,” Sonko said Sunday, when he joined the public in viewing the body at Parliament buildings. “So we are fully behind it. This has been my message since the handshake.” He pledged to support youth groups campaigning for peace across Kenya. Sonko further asked all the 47 governors to emulate Moi in public appointments. “We have to consider everyone without looking at tribes or political inclinations. [We have to give] equal opportunity,” Sonko added. Daniel arap Moi, a former schoolteacher who became Kenya’s longest-serving president, died Feb. 3 at the age of 95. Moi, who ruled Kenya for 24 years, had been in hospital for over a month. Despite being called a dictator by critics, Moi enjoyed strong support from many Kenyans and was seen as a uniting figure when he took power after founding President Jomo Kenyatta died in office in 1978. Some allies of the ailing Kenyatta, however, tried to change the constitution to prevent Moi, then the vice president, from automatically taking power upon Kenyatta’s death. Moi was so wary of any threat during that uncertain period that he fled his Rift Valley home when he heard of Kenyatta’s death, returning only after receiving assurances of his safety. WI
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Bahamian, Chinese Nationals Intercepted During Human Smuggling Operation A Bahamian and a group of Chinese nationals were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard at sea during an illegal human smuggling operation. The immigrants were taken to Grand Bahama on Jan. 28, but the Bahamian man was detained by Coast Guard officials and is expected to face possible prosecution in the U.S. for human smuggling, according to Grand Bahama immigration officials. According to reports, sometime about 6 p.m. Jan. 20 at Freeport Harbour, officials of the USCG Cutter William Flores arrived with 10 Chinese immigrants — seven men and three women —who were discovered onboard a vessel piloted by a Bahamian
male, heading toward Florida. Immigration official Napthali Cooper said the migrants were turned over to immigration officials and officers of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. They were taken to immigration headquarters in Freeport for processing. He noted that all of the migrants had entered the Bahamas legally from China via Panama onboard Copa Airlines and were admitted as visitors into the Bahamas sometime before Christmas. Cooper reported that the migrants were examined by the medical team from the Disease and Surveillance Unit of the Public Hospitals Authority before being flown to New Providence, where they are detained at the Detention Centre to await repatriation to China. WI
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HEALTH Sodas: Healthy or Unhealthy?
Experts Say Moderation Works Best By James Wright WI Staff Writer @jamesdcwrighter The debate in the District over whether to excise a beverage tax has generated a discussion about sodas and if they are really as unhealthy as some experts say. The debate started last year when D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) introduced the Healthy Beverage Choices Act of 2019 that would impose a 1.5 percent excise tax on sugary drinks that has a natural common sweetener
such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened ice teas, coffee drinks and syrups or other concentrates that are intended to be used in the preparation of a beverage. Nadeau and her allies say sodas and other sugary drinks are the cause of rising rates of ailments such as childhood obesity, heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and premature death. In essence, Nadeau and supporters of her legislation argue that the excise tax would deter consumers particularly from low-income neighborhoods from buying sodas
and sugary drinks for the benefit of their health. However, there are nutrition experts who say that while water remains the healthiest source of liquid, sodas can be consumed with measure and good health can be maintained.
IN MODERATION
Tavis Piattoly, a registered dietician and director of performance enhancement at the Ochsner Clinic’s Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans, said drinking sodas and sugary beverages with restraint and a balanced diet, can be healthy. “If you generally watch what you eat and are reasonably active, a soda or two a day isn’t going to derail your efforts,” Piattoly said in an article that appeared in WebMD, a website devoted to medical and health issues. Dee Sandquist, registered dietician and manager of nutrition and diabetes at the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, agrees that a balanced diet can negate any harmful effects of sodas and sugary drinks. “If you drink two, three or more
cans a day, the added sugar can pile on the pounds unless of course the soft drinks are planned into a diet of moderation, variety and of course, exercise,” Sandquist told WebMD. “If you are trying to cut calories but don’t want to give up soda altogether, switching either to the new lower-calorie sodas or to diet sodas is a good option.”
SODA ADDICTION?
Supporters of beverage taxes, such as Nadeau, have argued sodas can be addictive. However, Liz Marr, a registered dietician and a principal with Marr Barr Communications, a Colorado-based public relations firm specializing in nutrition and health issues, said addiction can be an inaccurate term used toward those who like to consume sodas a lot. “People have an affinity for certain foods and they develop food habits, but that’s not the same as an addiction,” she said. “Keep in mind that when you’re trying to adopt a healthier diet, it’s not a good idea to completely deprive yourself of treats. A very spartan diet without some of your favorite foods is not sustainable.” Elisabetta Politi, a nutrition
5 There is a debate over taxing sodas in D.C. (Courtesy photo)
manager of the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center, said one who prefers to drink sodas cannot be considered addicted in a clinical sense. She does admit that giving up sodas has its challenges. For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI
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CULTURAL from Page 1 unvarnished telling of American history. McDuffie’s bill — the African American and Cultural Studies Inclusion Amendment Act of 2020 — would require counting the course toward graduation requirements. A dozen Council members co-introduced the bill that also would require the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to develop an African American and Cultural Studies curriculum for high school students enrolled in either a District of Columbia Public School or a District Public Charter School. Jamilah Pitts, a high school English teacher in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, echoed the thoughts of many when she said the majority of students’ exposure to Black history is all too brief. Educators might pause during Black History Month for lessons about Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, or the civil rights movement, while other teachers may use a cur-
rent hip-hop song as their homage to the debt that African Americans continue to pay to America, Pitts wrote in a 2018 essay for Education Weekly. “This is not a good approach, as it in many ways perpetuates the system of ‘otherness’ that pervades the experiences of Black people,” Pitts wrote. This type of approach suggests that the contributions, culture, oppression, and achievements of African-Americans are not fit to be a part of day-to-day academics, she said. “Black history is so much wider and more deeply rooted in uncomfortable truisms than many teachers allow space for,” Pitts said. In a statement, McDuffie said the proposed DC legislation would require the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs (MOAAA) and the Commission on African American Affairs to coordinate with the OSSE, DCPS, and other relevant stakeholders “in order to develop a comprehensive and robust plan and curriculum for the teaching of African American history.”
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The legislation establishes a timeline for development and implementation that McDuffie said is designed to work within the existing framework of curriculum review. The course would begin free of charge in fall 2022. “It is critical that we are teaching our students a full and unvarnished accounting of American history,” McDuffie said. “If this bill becomes law, our public school curriculum will expressly include the study the experience and contributions of African Americans, and the slave trade.” It would also include the socioeconomic struggle that African-Americans experienced collectively in striving to achieve fair and equal treatment under the laws of the United States, he said. The legislation supports the comprehensive efforts of the D.C. government to increase student proficiency and actively engage students in their education intending to foster higher cultural relevancy for minority students, especially among African Americans, McDuffie said. WI
HEALTH
CANNABIS from Page 12
ever the state legislature approves. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be some school boards that may say, ‘we know it’s required but we’re not doing that,’” she said. “That’s when we anticipate the real work begins to make sure these children and families have the access they need.” WI
could be heard by the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Rita Montoya, executive director of the advocacy group, said local school officials would have to abide by what-
DOMINIC from Page 8
when Brian shared this insight, he added that each CD was not necessarily filled with songs of tribute to the same woman. You can evaluate that tidbit in any way you feel appropriate. There are a lot of ways to express love and you don’t have to go into debt to do it. Take it from someone who knows. WI
to stay away from naysayers and gossip mongers. Tell him, or her, to come to you if they’re unsure as to how much you care for them. In other words, as The Emotions advised, “Don’t Ask My Neighbors.” So, you’ve almost tied the ribbon on your serenade or handwritten, heartfelt love note. However, to really seal the deal and settle down for some “tenderness.” I suggest you go back in the archives for a brother who once told me that every CD he’s ever written and produced was the result of his relationship with one special woman, Brian McKnight. His discography is long and powerful enough to put him on repeat for the night, but for my money I like “Never Felt This Way.” For the record,
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Us Helping Us, a D.C.-based nonprofit that provides support for persons living with HIV/ AIDS, will soon expand its food services operation with the creation of a food pantry thanks to a grant from Amerigroup DC, a health provider for Medicaid recipients in the District. The $15,000 grant will support local communities through the expansion of Us Helping Us nutrition and food programs. “We greatly appreciate the support of Amerigroup. They recognize the other critical needs of our clients including food security. Us Helping Us will continue to look for ways to better meet the needs of the individuals we serve. The generosity of Amerigroup is a step in that direction,” said Executive Director DeMarc Hickson, Ph.D. “Through our partnership with Us Helping Us we want to address the city’s goal to reduce HIV/AIDS infection by improving access to healthy food and nutrition education,” said Linda Elam, Amerigroup DC Plan President/CEO. Pictured are: Steve Emmert, Deputy Executive Director, US Helping US (L – R); Orrett Thompson, Case Manager Amerigroup DC; Linda Elam, CEO & Plan President, Amerigroup DC; Gerrard Davis, Case Manager, US Helping US; Charmekia Martin, Manager, Medicaid Plan Marketing, Amerigroup DC; DeMarc Hickson, Ph.D., Executive Director, US Helping US; and Latricia Hall, Business Change Manager, Amerigroup DC. Since 1988, Us Helping Us has assisted individuals in the District living with HIV/AIDS, providing HIV prevention activities, testing mental health services and case management for Black, gay, bisexual men, transgender as well as straight men and women. For more information, visit www.ushelpingus.org. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
Message from Muriel Bowser Mayor, District of Columbia
Dear Seniors:
The time has come for us to put our DC Values into action. Budget season is in full swing, and once again, I’m asking you to be a part of the process. Be a part of the decision making. Tell us your ideas and concerns so that my team and I can turn them into solutions, programs, and investments that will help us build an even more inclusive Washington, DC. We know: Washington, DC is a growing city. We are now home to more than 705,000 residents. That’s why last year, I set a bold goal to build 36,000 new homes by 2025. Then, we went a step further and made DC one of the first cities in the nation to set affordable housing goals by neighborhood. Already, we are making investments that will help Washingtonians find and keep the housing they need – from expanding tax credits for renters and homeowners, to increasing funding for Safe at Home to allow more seniors and residents with disabilities to age in place and remain independent. A fair shot to live, age, and thrive in DC means that we are big in our thinking about creating and preserving more affordable housing. It means building housing that works for seniors, young professionals, growing families – people at all stages of life. And it even means delivering the basic services our residents rely on – from safe roads to clean parks and neighborhoods. By working together on the budget, we can reach our
housing goals and make investments that help us build a safer, stronger, and more resilient Washington, DC. On Monday, February 10 at noon, I will hold our first budget engagement forum — a telephone town hall for seniors. You can RSVP for the town hall by calling (202) 442-8150. If
you are unable to join this call or you wish to attend a forum in-person, I hope you will join us at one of our other budget engagement forums on Tuesday, February 18 (Edgewood Recreation Center), Thursday, February 20 (UDC Student Center), or Saturday, February 22 (Kenilworth Recreation
Center). You can learn more about the forums at mayor. dc.gov. With the support of neighbors like you, we will continue to build an Age-Friendly DC while advancing our collective vision of a diverse and inclusive Washington, DC.
JOIN MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER AT THE
2020 BUDGET Join fellow DC residents at forums to share your values, priorities, and ideas with the Bowser Administration as the FY21 budget is developed.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
SENIOR BUDGET ENGAGEMENT TELEPHONE TOWNHALL
BUDGET ENGAGEMENT FORUM #1
Time: 12:00 pm To RSVP, please call 202.442.8150
Time: 6:30 pm Location: Edgewood Recreation Center 301 Franklin Street, NE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22
BUDGET ENGAGEMENT FORUM #2
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Time: 6:30 pm Location: UDC Student Center 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 25
EDUCATION Award-Winning Math Teacher Explains Recipe for Student’s Success By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) educator and lifelong math aficionado Ashley Kearney said she’s revealing the language of life to her students
and continues to do so in a manner that strengthens their ability to reason and take on real-world situations where they can apply the lessons learned in her class. Kearney’s guidance has proven essential for many of the young men at Ron Brown College Preparatory
High School, where she has taught math since before the former middle school shuttered and reopened as DCPS’ only all-male high school. In the eighth year of her professional journey, Kearney has renewed her commitment to helping break the barriers impeding her students’ collective progress. “My angle in dismantling injustice is teaching math. I work at an all-male school, and the school-to-prison pipeline is real,” said the Ward 7 native and 2020 DCPS Teacher of the Year. Last month, Kearney and other award winners received accolades and monetary prizes at the annual DCPS Standing Ovation Awards. Her award follows recognition as a D.C. finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In the years leading up to these milestones, Kearney has chaired community groups centered on better outcomes for students, coached
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5 Ashley Kearney a teacher at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School has been named 2020 DCPS Teacher of the Year. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
her peers during professional development sessions, and assisted DCPS’ central office with curriculum development. In speaking about her success, she credits a pedagogy rooted in respect for students and emphasis on consistent attendance. “Attendance is half the battle, and intergenerational mobility through math and other success can interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline,” Kearney told The Informer. “I’m teaching the youth something different. They’re more confident as mathematicians. They’re joking about and explaining math. I’m telling them they can go wherever because math is a universal language.” Since launching her teaching career through Teach for America, Kearney has made it a point to work in communities east of the Anacostia River, often relying on her experiences in Southeast and Georgia where, during high school, she counted as the only Black and female student in her upper-level math course. Before transitioning to the Northeast-based Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, Kearney had a stint at Anacostia Senior High School in Southeast. In these capacities, she has taught various levels of high school math and helped young people grapple with the learning gaps
that made solving complex math problems difficult. Such was the case Thursday when Kearney, her co-teacher, and nearly a dozen young men spent much of the afternoon using trigonometric functions to measure parts of a Ferris wheel. Though Kearney introduced the lesson, her students demonstrated their knowledge of special right triangles, the Pythagorean theorem, and other foundational concepts during a mostly call-and-response lecture. The closing activity, in which the young men broke into groups, allowed for mental dexterity and camaraderie, particularly when each group presented their findings to their peers. For Ron Brown High School student Murkil Copeland, that activity and other aspects of the Kearney classroom experience has more than convinced him of the need to finish the school day on a strong note. “At the end of the day, I can’t wait to get to Ms. Kearney’s class. I know I will learn something,” said Murkil, an 11th grader who aspires to pursue engineering and architecture. “If she knows that I don’t get it, she coaches me. She will tell you to ask a peer before you ask her. She teaches it in a different way and walks you through the process. Even in word problems. [That’s when] she tells us reading is fundamental.” WI
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DCPS
BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
DCPS BUDGET INCREASE
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently launched DCPS’ “Pocket Budget Guide,” a first-of-its-kind resource for school communities to better understand the school system’s fiscal year 2021 school budget planning. The budget will include a 4 percent increase to the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula over last fiscal year’s amount, which will re-
EDUCATION sult in schools receiving, on average, an 8 percent budget increase. “Across all eight wards our goal is the same: to make sure every student and every school has the resources they need to succeed,” Bowser said. The mayor’s budget highlights include: • Maintaining or expanding key investments closest to students and families, and on average, DCPS schools are receiving an eight percent budget increase for fiscal 2021. • Sustaining the Empowered Learners Initiative with a multi-million-dollar investment to close the digital divide and reach a 1:1 student to device technology ratio by 2022 by adding grades 4, 7, and 10 for next school year. • Continuing to invest $2.1 million in DCPS Connected Schools that provide students and families with wraparound services, including family wellness and behavioral health supports, housing, childcare, and financial assistance referrals, as well as supports to ad-
dress chronic absenteeism. • Making a new $500,000 investment by 2022 to support early literacy intervention programs to help reach our goal of every K-2 student reading at grade level. • Introducing new, targeted assistance funds for a subset of schools that may benefit from additional resources to support their ongoing school improvement efforts.
CHARTER SCHOOL ARTS-BASED MENU
At Creative Minds International Public Charter School, lower school students learn through the International Primary Curriculum framework, which gives students the knowledge and skills required for successful participation in a global society through a project and artsbased international curriculum. Students can celebrate their learning through culminated experiences like the “What’s on the Menu?” unit. At a recent potluck, families prepared a variety of dishes
to serve and students shared their knowledge and global understanding gained throughout the unit. Aella, a second grader, says this unit helped her “learn about other people and what they eat in their cultures.”
EXPLORING ‘STEAMBOAT WILLIE’
Educators at Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School provide students two opportunities a year for “Intermission,” which allows them to do a deep dive into an area of interest that falls outside of the usual curriculum. The initiative aims to energize students about exploring a new topic that intrigues them. Students choose their course based on a set of options designated for each class. For example, pre-kindergarten students choose from topics ranging from slimes, food science, animation, mud and more. During the animation intersession, they studied different types of
5 The International Primary Curriculum framework gives students the knowledge and skills required for successful participation in a global society. (Courtesy of Creative Minds International PCS)
animation and watched one of the first cartoons created, “Steamboat Willie,” which helped them find inspiration to draw their own cartoons. WI
The Public School Lottery
Apply today to DC public and public charter schools for school year 2020-21 at MySchoolDC.org.
APPLICATION DEADLINES: 202-888-6336
info.myschooldc@dc.gov
February 3, 2020 – Grades 9-12 March 2, 2020 – PK3 - Grade 8 @MySchoolDC
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 27
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
Black and Brown Voters Matter
With the predominately white voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire out of the way, the remaining Democratic presidential hopefuls must now venture into territories where primary voters will be more diverse. Former President Joe Biden was so anxious to speak directly to his African-American and Latino supporters in South Carolina, that he abruptly left New Hampshire long before the news broke that he came in fifth place in Tuesday’s primary. Biden, who showed he is down but not out of this race yet, made it plain that “no” successful candidate can win this election without the support of African-American and Latino voters. We concur; your vote counts and it will make the difference in this year’s critical and historic election. No matter which of the seven-remaining major Democratic candidates receives the party nomination at the National Democratic Convention in July, Democrats and other supporters must enthusiastically rally behind their candidate if they want a victory against incumbent President Donald Trump. What they have witnessed with Trump’s supporters who show no shame in demonstrating their passion and enthusiasm towards allowing him four more years, will require the other side to be equally as demonstrative. Black and Latino voters cannot sit on the sidelines or be reticent about their democratic nominee, because their votes can and will make a difference. With a much less crowded field, now that Michael Bennett and Andrew Yang dropped out of the race on Tuesday, it will be easier to hear the candidates’ messages. African Americans and Latinos must translate the spoken and unspoken words expressed by the candidates and listen for themes that directly impact them. Records say a lot, as well, including the explanations candidates will offer for making unpopular decisions. This election is any man or woman’s race to win. In the end, the winners must be the voters, especially African Americans and Latinos, who have as much at stake, if not more, than anyone else in the outcome of this 2020 election. Your vote matters. WI
African Americans and Latinos must translate the spoken and unspoken words expressed by the candidates and listen for themes that directly impact them.
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.
TO THE EDITOR No Social Security Crisis
There is absolutely no good reason for politicians (mostly conservative Republicans) to scare our senior citizens and threaten to cut Social Security Retirement benefits. There is NO “crisis.” Virtually every serious, non-biased study has concluded that the Social Security Trust Fund is fully solvent through 2034. After that, it will be able to provide 76-79% of benefits for the next 60 years beyond 2034. Does it need to be fixed? Of course it does. But it does not have to be done today. And there is no need to cut anyone’s benefits. One of the many relatively simple “reforms” that can be made was offered by Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie in 2015. I literally sat in the same car as Arizona Gov. and presidential candidate Bruce Babbitt in 1987 when he said that what we should do is to “Means test” Social Security benefits. For example, we can make Social Security fully solvent well beyond 2034 by reducing the benefits of those with a yearly income of, say, $80,000/
WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER
year and higher by a certain percentage. As Babbitt said to me, “Do multimillionaires really need the same Social Security benefits as a poor senior citizen?” I call upon all Republican Party U.S. senators and congresspeople to stop scaring our senior citizens. Stewart B. Epstein
Remembering Kobe
I appreciate the story you all did on the legendary Kobe Bryant. I’m still not over his death and not sure when it will seem real, but I appreciate you all. Feels good to have a paper with Kobe on it that was free and I can keep forever. Thank you. Tim Brown Washington, D.C.
FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 29
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
By Julianne Malveaux
Hair Discrimination is Alive and Well Andrew Johnson, a high school wrestler, was forced to submit to the humiliating act of having his dreadlocks shorn or have his New Jersey team forfeit their match to the opposing team. A gleeful white woman seemed too pleased to invade the young man’s person, and his team won, but at what price? When this happened in December 2018, there was a national outcry, and the referee
was suspended. A year later, DeAndre Arnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, was told that he would not be able to graduate unless he cut his hair. He’s been growing his dreads for more than five years, often wearing them in a bun so that they did not violate the school rule that hair could not touch the collar. This is part of a pattern of policing Black hair in our nation’s high schools and workplaces. And these dress codes are an attack on Black people, designed by white people and for white people.
Guest Columnist
Hostility toward natural hair, locs and twists is really unvarnished hostility toward Blackness and its manifestation. It is an insistence that Black people conform to Eurocentric norms. Andrew Johnson and DeAndre Arnold made headlines, but many cases do not. Often, the “code” is subtle, and the backlash painful and undeniable, but never spoken. So many women are told that their hair is “too wild” or “ungroomed,” as if bone straight hair is the only way to wear it. And perhaps it is not said so much as hinted. And Black women (and men)
have the choice of playing the game or stalling their careers. This doesn’t happen so much on the coasts, in California, New York and the District of Columbia. But it happens enough that activists have worked to outlaw hair discrimination. On July 3, 2019, California became the first in the nation to outlaw discriminating against natural hair. The CROWN Act, or Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. A few days later, New
York state passed a similar law, as did New Jersey. A few cities and counties such as Cincinnati and Montgomery County, Maryland, have also followed suit. A dozen or so other states and municipalities have explored, and even introduced legislation that prohibits discrimination against those who wear natural hair, braids, locs or twists. Despite legislation, hair discrimination is alive and well. The text of the California legislation explores the history of hair dis-
MALVEAUX Page 53
By Marc H. Morial
National Gun Violence Survivors Week Highlights Lives Changed Forever On January 8, 2011, I was performing my favorite duty as a congresswoman — meeting with my constituents — when it happened. In a matter of seconds, a gunman shot and killed six people, injured 12 others, and shot me in the head outside a Safeway in Tucson, Arizona. I keep the memories of those we lost that day — 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard,
Gabe Zimmerman and Judge John Roll — close to my heart. And I will be forever bonded to my fellow survivors who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with injuries and trauma. – Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Sometimes, Cleopatra Pendleton walks to her closet and runs her hands through a sequined yellow dress. It was the dress her daughter Hadiya wore to her eighth-grade graduation luncheon. “Sometimes, for just a moment, I imagine that I’m saving it for the children that she will never get a
Guest Columnist
chance to have,” Cleopatra says. Hadiya was shot and killed seven years ago, while standing in a Chicago park with friends after taking her final exams. Just a week earlier, she had marched with pride in President Obama’s inauguration ceremony. Thirteen-year-old Malachi Hemphill accidentally shot himself while playing with a gun his friend stole from a neighbor. The owner, who’d kept it in a console in his unlocked car, didn’t report it stolen and didn’t even notice it was missing. “When his heart stopped, so did ours,” his mother, Shaniqua Ste-
phens, says. Jerri Mauldin Green has been affected by gun violence three times. She grew up hearing the tragic story of her grandparents’ murder-suicide when her mother was only 6 years old. Her childhood best friend was murdered by the father of her children when the boys were only 2 years old and 4 years old. And just this year, a new friend she’d met at a leadership course was shot and killed in his home. In honor of National Gun Violence Survivors week, Everytown For Gun Safety is sharing the sto-
ries of those whose lives have been forever changed by gun violence National Urban League is proud to be a partner of Everytown, a coalition that includes parents, students, responsible gun owners, teachers, police officers, elected officials and social justice organizations, working together to end gun violence and build safer communities. National Gun Violence Survivors Week which began last year, is focused on sharing and amplifying the stories of gun violence survivors
When attending Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker’s church in Harlem, he would sometimes say, “I’m not just a Baptist. I’m a Black Baptist.” Dr. Wright is not just a Christian, he’s a Black Christian.
1970s when it was presented by the Negro Ensemble Company. It is one of my favorite plays. Charlie, with supreme talent, and intelligence make audiences aware of the lacerating psychological damage this basically white supremacist society inflicts on way too many Black men. The lead character, played by David Alan Grier, is a demonic, self-hating Black sergeant who is basically
MORIAL Page 53
By A. Peter Bailey
Witnessing Two History-Makers in Action
As we continue to celebrate Black History Month 2020, it is necessary to pay tribute to two history-makers who are still with us: Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., who is a renowned historian of religion, and Charles Fuller, one of the premier playwrights of our time. During the past month I’ve had the spiritually enhancing,
30 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
knowledge-expanding experience of witnessing two brilliant, serious, though-provoking brothers in action. Dr. Wright, despite being in a wheelchair, delivered a powerful Dr. King birthday message — titled “What Do You See?” — to over 1,500 congregants in Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel in Cramton Auditorium. With a compelling voice he urged Black folks to not
be discouraged or distracted by current events in this nation. He cited historical and Biblical references to show that this is nothing new, that our ancestors with determination, faith and skills had made it through similar or even worse circumstances. He made a special appeal to the significant number of young people among the congregants. “Stay woke! Stay conscious! Hold on to your hope,” he urged them to enthusiastic amens and applause.
The second history-maker, Charlie Fuller, though not physically present when I saw his unforgettable play, “A Soldier’s Play,” on Broadway, was definitely there spiritually. I first saw his compelling, provocative creation in the
BAILEY Page 53
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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist
By Austin R. Cooper Jr.
The Presidential Medal of Racism, Sexism and Ignorance According to the author Anonymous in “A Warning,” “In the history of American democracy, we have had undisciplined presidents. We have had incurious presidents. We have had inexperienced presidents. We have had amoral presidents. Rarely if ever before have we had them all at once. Donald
Trump is not like his predecessors. Everyone knows that. The character of the president should be of the utmost concern for citizens.” During his recent State of the Union address, the president awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to racist, sexist and ignorant radio host Rush Limbaugh. In doing so, President Trump once again demonstrated a unique ability to soil and degrade everything he touches. Established by President John
Guest Columnist
F. Kennedy several months before his assassination, “The medal seeks to recognize people who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Previous recipients, by both Democratic and Republican presidents, include A. Philip Randolph, the Apollo 13 crew, Mother Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Aretha Franklin, William Safire, Walter
Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Andy Griffin, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Two individuals, Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell, have received this honor twice. In 1993, Presidential Ronald Reagan was presented this award by President George H.W. Bush. Now, aside from shamefully appealing to his political base, what kind of president would give this award to Rush Limbaugh? Why of course, the current racist president of the United States, who
saw “very fine people on both sides” in Charlottesville. Both men are of the same ilk and share the same hatred for humanity, with the exception of other similarly insecure and threatened white males. Consider just a few of Limbaugh’s comments since entering radio national syndication in 1988: • “Slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back. I’m just
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By Charlene Crowell
Voters Prefer Payday Lending Protection, Regulators Seek Less
Once upon a time in Washington, Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act that also created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). For the first time, a federal agency was charged to be the consumer’s financial cop on the beat. In its first four years, CFPB received 354,600 consumer complaints that led to $3.8 billion in restitution. But now, under a different administration, deregulation has swung the public policy pendulum in the other
direction. A bold effort to benefit business and commerce focuses on growing customers while taking the teeth out of consumer protection with the blessings of federal regulators. Payday lenders are among the biggest beneficiaries of this policy about-face. Instead of a string of state legislative initiatives, favorable federal regulators are stepping up to help these predatory lenders with the cooperation of banks. On Feb. 5, a panel of public policy experts testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, chaired by California Rep. Maxine Waters, at a hearing, titled “Rent-A-Bank Schemes and New Debt Traps.” The chairwoman’s opening remarks set the tone of the
Askia-At-Large
forum. “In a simple agreement between the bank and the payday lender, the bank is identified as the lender on the borrower’s loan document,” Waters said. “However, the payday lender immediately buys the loan from the bank and does every function related to the loan. In these partnerships, the payday lender bears at least 90% of the risk of borrowers’ defaulting on their loans. “The payday lender then claims the right to charge consumer borrowers triple-digit interest rates because the lender is in partnership with a state- or nationally-charted bank that is exempt from usury laws by the National Bank Act,”
she said. Several panel members agreed. “Predatory rent-a-bank lending exists for two simple reasons: there are no federal interest rate limits for most lenders, and most banks are exempt from state rate caps,” noted Lauren Saunders, testifying on behalf of the National Consumer Law Center. “Rent-a-bank schemes enable banks to help predatory lenders target communities that the banks are not serving with responsible products, offering loans the banks do not directly offer in their own branches. This is exactly the kind of predatory lending that the CRA is designed to prevent.” For Creola Johnson, a chaired professor at Ohio State University Moritz
College of Law testified that, “Through my research, I found that payday lenders want to keep borrowers in the dark. That is what rent-a-bank partnerships do. The consumer’s interactions are only with the payday lender, but the contract identifies some other entity as the lender.” “Communities of color, often largely segregated due to the history of redlining and other federally operated or sanctioned racially exclusionary housing policies, experience higher rates of poverty, lower wages, and higher cost burdens to pay for basic living expenses,” noted Graciela Aponte-Diaz, director of Federal Campaigns with the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). “Payday lenders
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By Askia Muhammad
Support D.C. Statehood!
I look forward to the day when I might be able to celebrate with others, living in “liberated Washington, D.C.,” the “Douglass Commonwealth.” That is the proposed name of the 51st state, should Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s proposed H.R. 51 legislation become law.
That’s because all that is required to make D.C. a state, is a majority vote in favor of D.C. statehood in both the House and the Senate, and the signature of the president. Don’t let anyone fool you. A constitutional amendment is not required to make D.C. a state! We drank that constitutional amendment Kool-Aid back in the late 1970s, when the statehood/home-rule movement was strong, and it got us nothing. It derailed the momentum.
Rather than call for statehood, when Democrat Jimmy Carter was president and the Dems held majorities in both the House and the Senate, we were snookered into seeking an amendment — which requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate, then ratification by three-fourths of the states — which would have granted D.C. a voting representative in the House and two members of the Senate “as if D.C. was a state.” The reason for this watered down appeal, was so as to not appear to be too uppity, wanting too much, I
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suppose. So, they muscled through those super-majorities, on the condition that the states had only seven years to ratify the amendment. They got fewer than a dozen state ratifications when the time ran out, just like the opponents knew it would. The statehood movement lost a lot of momentum after that bad decision. D.C. deserves statehood — not “as if” it was a state, but actual statehood.
By comparison, every other modern global power permits the residents of its capital to vote in the national legislature, except in the U.S. D.C. has a lone, nonvoting House “delegate.” D.C. has a larger population than both Vermont and Wyoming. D.C. residents pay more federal taxes than the residents of 22 states. D.C. has more members serving in the U.S. armed forces per capita, than almost all the states, but no votes in Congress.
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BLACK HISTORY month
Md. House Speaker Backs Bill to Settle HBCU Suit By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill One of Maryland’s top presiding officers will use policy to try and settle a more than 13-year-old lawsuit between the state and its four historically Black colleges and universities. House Speaker Adrienne Jones will sponsor legislation for the governor to allocate $580 million over a 10-year period to help establish new programs, invest in scholarship and financial aid programs and recruit new faculty.
The figure represents a settlement offer agreed to by the plaintiffs that represent various organizations and HBCU supporters against the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Officials at the four universities – Bowie State, Coppin State, Morgan State and Maryland Eastern Shore – would also work with the University of Maryland Global Campus to implement online courses and other programs. A town hall on the subject is scheduled for Feb. 27 at Coppin State in Baltimore.
Sharon Blake, who’s helping to organize the event, said lawmakers such as Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson are the right people to help lead the effort to change policy. “We had some wrong legislators in place to explain the importance and value of HBCUs here in Maryland,” said Blake, a 1972 Morgan State graduate and former Maryland lieutenant governor candidate. “I’m confident something will finally happen, but we still need to educate residents and even some legislators on why this is so important.” Each university brings a perspective not only on Black history, but also distinctiveness from predominately white schools such as vibrant marching bands, fraternity and sorority life and smaller class sizes. In addition, tuition costs aren’t as high. Three of the four schools — Coppin, Morgan and UMES — compete athletically in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Bowie State participates in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) at the Division II level. T:9.5” But each Maryland HBCU offers its own unique setting.
5 Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (left) speaks
during a Nov. 13 rally in Annapolis to support the state’s historically Black colleges and universities. (William J. Ford/Washington Informer, file photo) Bowie State serves as Maryland’s oldest HBCU established in 1865 as a teacher’s college. The suburban campus in northern Prince George’s County houses a Center for Cyber Security and Emerging Technologies, which provides education and research in cyber defense. It also houses a Maryland Center for School Safety office on the campus that opened last year.
Coppin State and Morgan State universities represent Baltimore City, but are located in two different locations. Morgan State, founded in 1867, represents the state’s largest HBCU with an average yearly enrollment of 7,700 students. For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI
DID YOU KNOW?
Dr. Gladys West helped develop what became the Global Positioning System (GPS) orbit in 1978.
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T:6.1”
A BLACK WOMAN DID THIS
This Black History Month, we celebrate unknown and unsung Black innovators, inventors and contributors who have helped shape, change and improve our world.
Learn more at aarp.org/blackcommunity
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Blacks Glean Academic Success at Mostly-White Institutions Creativity and Commonsense Essential While Matriculating at HBCUS or PWIs
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Over 100 years ago, the intellectual giant W.E.B. DuBois hailed the development of a select group of African-American men and women, the “Talented Tenth,” who would lead their people through education assuming their roles as doctors, nurses, preachers, teachers, lawyers, engineers and other positions of leadership all requiring formal, academic training. Initially, most of these students would matriculate at what would eventually be included within the pantheon of schools known as HBCUs – Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Others, taking advantage of slowly-emerging opportunities which appeared as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, took their chances, despite overwhelming hardship and prejudice, at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). But some would survive to earn their diplomas and become fledgling members of the “Talented Tenth” – paving the way for others to follow. Two Black college graduates, both completing requirements for a B.A. from the University of Michigan [U of M], before later receiving advanced degrees – one at another PWI and the other from two HBCUs – shared their thoughts with The Washington Informer about their experiences and the role that race played. “At U of M, people were more invested in my success – I believe due to my being a minority student – with several specifically-developed programs like the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, specialized departmental support and designated administrators and campus leaders all of which and whom I utilized to the fullest,” said Jasmine Brooks, 30 who earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in African-American Studies in 2012 and recently (Dec. 10) received a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Wayne State University [WSU] in Detroit. “But with my master’s program, even though it was another PWI, I had to be significantly more self-driven and self-motivated,” she said. “If I needed something, I had to seek out the resources. Of course, I received
emails from groups like the Black Student Union and invitations from other minority-support groups but I didn’t need any of that. My advisor was cool but the help provided was superficial – asking me about the status of my graduation and making sure I was passing my classes, which naturally I was.” “I was balancing life as a high school educator, a wife and a mother so my grind was going to school, taking care of business and finishing my program. I’ve never attended an HBCU but my mother, all five of my grandparents and many friends have. Sometimes you’re invited into a circle – other times you need to intentionally create a community of support – especially when you’re in the throes of studying, attending classes, taking exams and fulfilling other requirements. It helps to have some type of community, wherever it exists, on which you can lean,” said Brooks who lives in Harper Woods, a suburb east of Detroit and has just embarked in the establishing of a private counseling business geared at college-bound students and their families. Dr. Ural Hill, a licensed professional counselor and college professor whose practice provides mental health services specifically targeting African-American males and their families, says he witnessed two extremes of support and care during his matriculation at a PWI before pursuing advanced degrees at two HBCUs. “There was a clear difference between the concern other folks gave to me at U of M and the care I received from my own people when I attended Clark and ITC (both HBCUs in Atlanta) – it boiled down to the obvious differences between Eurocentric and Afrocentric cultures,” Hill said. “I entered U of M shortly after the historic BAM strike so the Administration was compelled to accept Blacks but they really didn’t want us there. We had to stick together particularly given the size of the school but no one cared if you came to class.” “Things were different at the two HBCUs I attended. If I missed a class or two, someone was knocking on my door – students usually but sometimes even my professors. Students respected their instructors and never called them by their first names unlike at U
of M. Everyone was your brother or sister and we were instructed in the etiquette of being Black. The spirit you feel on an HBCU campus is vastly different for a Black student than what you experience on a PWI.” “Institutionalized racism is real and remains very much alive. Just because we’ve had a Black president in America hasn’t changed things very much. White boys are lining up behind Donald Trump. Just like after the Civil War, things got better for Blacks, briefly, during Reconstruction. But then,
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we were introduced to Jim Crow. We’re facing a new-age version of Jim Crow today. This is the last stand for white dominance,” Hill said. WI 4 Jasmine Brooks, with undergrad-
uate and graduate degrees from two PWIs, says that not attending an HBCU did not impede her success. It did, however, force her to both seek and sometimes create support systems she deemed necessary to complete each institution’s academic requirements and receive her diploma. (Photo courtesy Jasmine Brooks)
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH National Philharmonic Salutes Black Classical Composers Strathmore Concert to Feature Violinist Melissa White, Feb. 22
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir African-American violinist Melissa White, while an anomaly to some, continues to enchant audiences around the world as both a soloist and a chamber musician. And to illustrate that she’s deserving of the many accolades showered upon her, White, a winner of the prestigious Sphinx Competition, will be a featured soloist with the National Philharmonic Orchestra in an exciting Black History Month celebration, “Black Classical Music Pioneers.” The concert, which takes places at The Music Center at Strathmore on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., reunites White with Philharmonic Music Di-
rector and Conductor Piotr Gajewski and features works by some of the most prolific African-American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Compositions include: Wynton Marsalis’ “Wild Strumming of Fiddle;” Florence Price’s “Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major:” George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings;” and William Grant Still’s “Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American).” White, a founding member of the highly-acclaimed Harlem Quarter with whom she’s toured worldwide since their founding in 2006, will be the soloist for Price’s “Violin Concerto No. 1.” Price (1887-1953) bears the distinction as the first Black woman to be widely-recognized as a symphonic composer. White, 35, who recently showcased
her musical prowess as a featured soloist on the soundtrack of the 2019 horror film “Us,” says that while she’s honored to be a Black woman playing the music written by another Black woman and composer, that it should not matter as “the music speaks for itself.” “As a child, I was often the only Black person going to camps, workshops and taking lessons,” said White who attributes her success to the sacrifices of her parents who found “creative and resourceful ways” to raise funds and pay for her training throughout her youth in her hometown of Lansing, Michigan. “Now, with our living in such a visually-emphasized time, it’s important for people to see diversity in action – particularly youth,” she said. “I think
about how exciting it must be for them to see Black women doing so much in the arts, the sciences and in so many other professions. There are hashtags today that affirm the importance and abilities of Black girls but this concert is about living Black history and I’m honored to see it happen and to be a part of it.” White recalls the first time she saw a violin being played and the impact it left on her life. “I was four watching Sesame Street when Itzhak Perlman appeared on the show,” she said. “I liked the way his chin fit in the chinrest and thought it was perfect. After the episode ended, I asked my mother if I could take lessons. It took me two years of continued requests. Then, one day when I
5 Melissa White and her violin
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‘Matilda’. (Photo courtesy/Melissa White)
As we celebrate Black History Month in February, we recognize and honor the accomplishments of so many African Americans who have helped shape the face and future of our nation. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. 34 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
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MONUMENTAL SP ORTS & ENTERTAINMENT is proud to
partner with the Greater Washington Urban League in February to promote two vital programs for higher-education affordability: the League’s Scholarship Program, open to high school seniors, and its College Sustainability Fund, open to currently-enrolled 4-year college students who may not be able to stay in school due to financial hardship.
For more information on how to get involved and support the Greater Washington Urban League, please visit:
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 35
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
How Black Soldiers Saved the Union in the Forgotten Battle of Island Mound By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia In October 1862, a group of formerly enslaved and vastly outnumbered African American troops soundly defeated Confederate guerrilla fighters during the Battle at Island Mound in Bates County, Missouri. It marked the first time that Black soldiers were engaged in Civil War combat, and it remains a victory that’s mostly been ignored. “It was the first time the public had seen black soldiers marching,” said Peggy Buhr, director of the Bates County Museum in Butler. “Word about this spread across the county quickly.” When the American Civil War began in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln said he wouldn’t allow for-
mer slaves and freed Blacks to serve in the military. The president was frightened that his supporters would turn against him for allowing African Americans to take up arms and potentially kill White men. According to several historians, even as the South appeared to gain advantages during the war, Lincoln still held firm against allowing Blacks to fight mostly out of fear of backlash from slave owners in border states. Confederate President Jefferson Davis demanded that if Blacks were allowed to fight and were caught, they would either be enslaved or immediately killed. To dissuade both sides from enlisting African Americans, Davis decreed that white commanders who had Blacks in their units would also face execution for “inciting servile insurrection.”
Frederick Douglass counted among the abolitionists who championed the inclusion of African American soldiers, arguing that they would help the North with the war. “Let him get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket,” Douglass said, according to a History Channel special on the Civil War. “And there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” Even as Douglass and others spoke out, the Union Army that bordered Kansas and Missouri gradually began to lose ground to the opposition, who were known as bushwhackers. White soldiers defending the Union had dwindled, comprising Missouri territory. Lincoln was forced to act, and on Aug. 4, 1862, Gen. James H. Lane authorized the
5 The Battle at Island Mound featured the first Black soldiers to fight in
the Civil War. (Courtesy of Bates County Museum) troops that were dubbed “The 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry.” The 240 Black soldiers — with 12 white officers — that comprised the infantry were assigned in Fort Lincoln, Kansas, and marched into Bates County and gallantly and victoriously fought the Battle of Island Mound, destroying the guerillas. Following the battle and, later,
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, more African Americans began to enlist into service. “The Black soldiers fought valiantly,” Buhr said in a 2015 interview with The Topeka Capital-Journal. “They were extremely courageous and brave in holding their ground. This was a life-or-death struggle for them, and they knew that.” WI
“I never dreamed this career was possible. My experience at UDC changed my life.” Shaun F. Garrison Director of Congressional Affairs Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass Statues Unveiled in Md. State House By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill
ANNAPOLIS — The state of Maryland now houses life-size statues of two of its most influential natives on government property: Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Both bronze statues will forever stand on red-colored carpet inside the old House chamber in the State House. Tubman’s statue stands at her actual height of 5 feet and Douglass’ at 6’1”. StudioEIS, the New York City-based company which completed the work, also highlighted each person’s age, Tubman at age 42 and Douglass age 46. Chris Haley, who works for the Maryland State Archives and nephew of “Roots” author Alex Haley, called the statues on state government property “monumental.” “Harriett Tubman and Frederick Douglass are arguably to be the most
known historic [and] significant figures to civil rights, human rights in all of our history,” said Haley, the director of The Legacy of Slavery in Maryland at the archives. “They contributed to our history and they … have every right to be here just like those Europeans [framed in photos in the State House] who founded this nation on the backs of persons of color.” According to a brief description of the project, work began in November 2016 through the late House Speaker Michael A. Busch and former Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. The Maryland House Trust, chaired by Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, formally adopted the idea that same month. The state archives and state Department of General Services collaborated to develop the project and create the statues, which are based on what Tubman and Douglass would look like in November 1864, the month Maryland abolished slavery.
Although short in stature, Tubman helped free hundreds of slaves from South Carolina to New York, especially during the Civil War in the 1860s and thanks to the underground railroad. Tubman, born in Dorchester County, died of pneumonia in March 1913 at the age of 93. As for Douglass, he became a free man 26 years prior to Maryland abolishing slavery when he escaped from slavery in Baltimore in 1838. He was already a well-known abolitionist throughout the country and even lived overseas in England and Scotland. Douglass, born in Talbot County circa 1818, doesn’t have a known date of birth because he was born into slavery. He suffered a massive heart attack and died in 1895 in Washington, D.C. Finding photos of Douglass served as one of the easier tasks because he was the most photographed person in the 19th century, said Catherine Arthur, senior curator and director
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of Maryland Commission on Artistic Property with the archives. Tubman wasn’t, but a photo of her was discovered by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Library of Congress. “The sculpture of Harriet Tubman is the first sculptural representation of her at this young in age,” Arthur said. “Frederick Douglass recognized the power of his persona and how he depicted himself to further the cause of erasing racism. It is such a historic moment to finally give these two individuals who fought hard and risked their lives in support for all Marylanders.” A dedication ceremony took place Monday inside the State House which included the attendance of the descendants and relatives of both Tubman and Douglass. “Thank God for the state of Maryland for really investing in this opportunity to put Harriet Tubman
STATUES Page 53
5 Harriet Tubman statue.
(Courtesy photo)
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We Celebrate Black History Year-Round at
Alfred Street Baptist Church Worship with Us Online or In Person Saturdays: 6:00PM Sundays: 7:30AM, 9:30AM and 11:30AM Watch Us Live Online @ AlfredStreet.org
Building Disciples to Win the World for Christ! Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Pastor 301 S. Alfred Street, Alexandria, VA Streaming live webcast services at www.alfredstreet.org
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LIFESTYLE ‘Hair Love’ Oscar Win Essential to Blacks’ Fight Against Prejudice Filmmakers’ Goal: ‘Normalize Black Hair’ and Continue Passage of CROWN Act By Ronda Racha Penrice Urban News Service A Division of Zenger News Matthew A. Cherry’s “Hair Love” Oscar win for Best Animated Short Film on Sunday Feb. 9 serves as a victory for African-Americans’ unencumbered expression of their “natural hair.” Cherry’s film features a young father who, in his wife’s absence, does their daughter’s hair for the very first time. He wears his own hair in locs while his child’s hair remains untouched by chemicals – something Cherry suggested as intentional when he spoke to the Academy Award audience. “’Hair Love’ was done because we wanted to see more representation in animation,” he said. “We wanted to normalize Black hair.” Cherry and producer Karen Rupert Toliver would be accompanied by co-directors Bruce A. Smith and Everett Downing, Jr., along with DeAndre Arnold, 18, who made national headlines after Barbers Hill High School near Houston banned him from his graduation for not cutting his locs. New Jersey witnessed a similar case in 2018 when wrestler Andrew Johnson had his locs forcibly cut off before a match. “There’s a very important issue that’s out there; it’s the CROWN [Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair] Act and, if we can help to get this passed in all 50 states, it will help [prevent situations] like DeAndre’s from happen-
ing again,” Cherry said. Last year, California became the first to pass the bill into law, ending workplace and school discrimination against African Americans who wear locs or other natural hairstyles. Both New York and New Jersey have since followed suit with the legislation’s further pending in 22 other states. Former presidential candidate Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana introduced the CROWN Act in Congress in December. The House bill has 41 co-sponsors but the corresponding Senate bill has just six. All 47 members of Congress who support it are Democrats. Dove, the personal care brand owned by Unilever, has adopted the CROWN Act as a corporate cause. It used the “Hair Love” Oscar moment to promote a petition on Twitter to end hair discrimination nationwide. The National Urban League and Color of Change have also come aboard as supporters. “I think we have such a complicated relationship with our hair and I think the more projects that come out that just normalize us loving it as it is, as it grows out of our head, the better,” said Cherry who funded “Hair Love” through a Kickstarter campaign that exceeded $200,000. He has also turned it into an illustrated children’s book which quickly became a New York Times best-seller. Smith, the co-director whose credits include “The Proud Family,” said he had a personal reason for pouring himself into the “Hair Love” project. “Listen, I have a daughter, and I
5 ‘Hair Love’ image featuring Father and Daughter from the same-titled film which won the Oscar Sunday, Feb. 9 for Best Animated Short. (Photo courtesy Sony Animation Pictures) 3 ‘Sony Executive Karen Rupert Toliver and Producer Matthew A. Cherry accept the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy Troy Harvey)
2019/20 SEASON MATTHEW WHITAKER
Special guests: WPA Children of the Gospel Choir
certainly had those lost days of trying to figure out how to do her hair and stuff like that, so I definitely related to the material right away,” he said. “I’ve never been able to do anything as personal,” said Rupert Toliver, who also wears her hair in locs. “It really started to hit me recently about how proud I am.” Rupert Toliver serves as executive vice president of creatives at Sony Pictures Animation, which ran “Hair Love” at the beginning of its animated feature film “The Angry Birds Movie 2” in August. Issa Rae provided the sole voiceover for “Hair Love.” Other producers include: Jordan Peele, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade and Peter Ramsey, who won the Oscar last year for Best Animated Feature as co-director of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Ramsey summed up Cherry’s impact with “Hair Love” at the Awards. “It was based on something real, and he brought it to life,” he said. “Now it’s resonating with people all over the world.” WI
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SAT, FEB 29, 8pm • SIXTH & I Teenage jazz organ sensation Whitaker plays “like the second coming of Ray Charles” (CBS Sunday Morning). Special thanks: Lydia Micheaux Marshall, Jacqueline Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated, Galena-Yorktown Foundation
Members of WPA and Alfred Street Baptist Church Choirs Theodore Thorpe III, artistic director Plus special guests: Darin Atwater, Joseph Joubert, Issachah Savage, Konshens the MC, Joel Thompson, and others TBA
SUN, MAR 1, 7pm • KENNEDY CENTER CONCERT HALL 100+ male voices bear witness to the struggles and celebrate the achievements of African American men. Co-presented with Alfred Street Baptist Church. Special thanks: Encompass Supply/Rudy Burwell and Mona Mohib; Pepco, An Exelon Company; Trista L.P. Colbert and Theodore Colbert; and the friends and family of Jenny Bilfield.
TICKETS: (202) 785-9727 WashingtonPerformingArts.org FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 39
LIFESTYLE
Family Builds Legacy on Business of Death By D.R. Barnes WI Staff Writer The business of death may seem morbid but for Belva J. Jenkins, and her daughter, Lavana Jenkins Reed, it’s an enterprise with which their family has prospered for the past 84 years. The mother/daughter duo represent third-and fourth-generation owners of Johnson & Jenkins Funeral Home, one of the oldest independent and Black-owned funeral establishments in D.C. And with the growth of J.B. Jenkins Funeral Home in Prince George’s County, managed by Belva’s brother, John B. Jenkins, III,
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the future looks bright for a family committed to helping others move through their darkest moments. Their great-grand uncle, Fred B. Jenkins, first opened the business in 1938 on Georgia Avenue in Northwest near Griffith Stadium, where Howard University Hospital now stands. There’s little known about his partner, Mr. Johnson, but upon his death, Fred invited his nephew, Joseph B. Jenkins, Sr., to move from Atlanta and join the business. Joseph accepted the offer, withdrawing from the premed program at Morris Brown University – the rest is history. “My brother was more groomed for the funeral business,” Belva told
The Washington Informer, sitting at her desk in the office at 718 Kennedy Avenue, N.W. Surrounded by black and white and color photos of her extended family, including her mother, Lula Bell Murray Jenkins, Belva shared intimate stories about her childhood during which she and her brother worked side-by-side with their parents – a tradition that continues today, required of every Jenkins child. “As soon as we were old enough, my brother and I were at the funeral home, passing out programs and answering the phones. We did whatever needed to be done. It was taught from the hip,” Belva said. “That’s how
my mom and dad were – it was business, business, business from the very beginning.” As one might expect, Belva’s three daughters, including Lavana, have all worked in the funeral home. And while Lavana remains as the heir apparent of the Kennedy Street location, there’s a fifth generation of Jenkins children, playing in an adjacent room, who spend a lot of their time at the funeral home as well. Lavana has two small children, while Belva, who opened her home over the years to nearly 10 foster children, recently became the adopted mother of three girls, including two-year-old twins. Belva, 59, a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia School of Mortuary Science, currently sits on the school’s accreditation committee and raises concerns over the declining number of students passing the mortuary science exam. However, her funeral home has become a place where students can learn the intricacies of their craft and she exudes pride over what she and her brother have accomplished. “He’s got that and he’s doing very well there,” she said referring to her sibling’s Prince George’s County venue, “but my focus is our D.C. location. This is where we started, and this is where I want to see our business grow.” Recently, she’s begun looking at retirement so she can spend more time with her children and grandchildren – a thought which has taken greater shape due to the growth of her daughter Lavana who she believes will take Johnson & Jenkins Funeral Home to the next level. Both admit sharing an innate ability to “counsel families” and “gauge their needs” – a skill Belva says her daughter inherited from her. But it’s there where their paths depart. Belva, calls herself “old school” – worlds apart from Lavana, 38, who spent nearly seven years working for corporate-owned funeral homes. They differ on today’s costs for a funeral, the new menu of services requested and which of their two respective generations seems most prepared for death. Belva believes a family can provide a decent funeral for a loved one for about $6,500. Lavana, based on her corporate experience, disagrees, estimating $9,000 as an average for a funeral in the District, Maryland or Virginia, adding an additional $7,000 to $12,000 for
5 Belva J. Jenkins (seated) and her
daughter, Lavana Jenkins Reed, are the third- and fourth- generation owners of Johnson and Jenkins Funeral Home in Northwest. (D.R. Barnes/ Washington Informer) an acceptable cemetery burial site. But careful to avoid intimidating families with too much talk about prices, both readily say to potential customers, “We will work with you.” Lavana believes her generation is more prepared for the death of a loved one as many work for employers who provide life insurance. Belva, on the other hand, said, “I’m between two generations. I grew up in an age when Grandma insured everybody. She’d come in with a hand full of $5, $10 and $20 insurance policies that would only total $1,200 which they’d paid for their entire life. Millennials, she says, often have better insurance and ask more questions before reaching a rising trend of opting for cremation, posting death notices on social media instead of buying space in local newspapers and pocketing residual dollars from life insurance policies after the bills have been paid for themselves. “It’s a different day,” Belva acknowledges, but steadfast in her belief that people shouldn’t spend more than they need to honor the dead. “It so bothers me when people try to have services to make themselves feel better. Funerals are for the living and not for the dead. We encourage people to honor the dead, but don’t create a financial hardship when you
LEGACY Page 46
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Black Gaming Developer Bursts Onto Scene New Game Melds Science Fiction, African Mysticism
By Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Contributing Writer Hugh Kingsley, a 31-year old Black video game maker from North Carolina, is premiering his debut game Xenrai, a rare jewel in an industry that has kept a consistently low presence of Black culture and game creators. Inspired by the film “Black Panther,” Kingsley found great importance in weaving African motifs and cultural essence in the main characters and aesthetic of his video game. A production of Zenith Edge Studios, Kingsley’s production company, Xenrai tells a story woven from the company’s cultural influence, giving game lovers a different view and taste of the usual gaming fantasy. “I wanted to bring a lot of African influence into it, so originally the name was going to be Xentai (pronounced zen-tie) after the African god of thunder, and then about two years into production
we realized that the name was taken by another game,” Kingsley said. “So we kind of morphed it into ‘Xenrai.’” Kingsley quickly encountered the lack of creative control given to Black professionals working under mainstream video game design companies, spurring him to create his own production tank. Zenith Edge Studios has been operating since June 2016. Kingsley shares that the absence of creators like himself also influenced the drive behind the making of Xenrai. One of the game’s standout features is the titular character himself — a Black male fighter. “I’ve been to various video game conventions, but it was just realizing the lack of diversity in video games,” Kingsley said. “When you think of a Black person in a video game at that time, it was basically Final Fantasy 7, that’s about it.” The character who Kingsley re-
fers to, “Barry” of Final Fantasy 7, was a secondary figure in the game. Consumers of all demographics — including those not visually represented in productions — purchase and enjoy a bevy of gaming experiences, which begs the question: Are Black Americans present behind the scenes of the gaming industry as well? “Typically what happens is, you’ll have Black people go into the gaming industry and they’ll get jobs in the industry, but they have no control of the story, no control over the rest of the characters — they just work on a small menial task and that’s it,” Kingsley said. “I wanted to have a sort of company where we can have a much broader control over the story and things of that nature.” The Zenith Edge Studio team attended GuardianCon, a gaming convention in Florida also serving as a charity event, for the first
“People treat me like I’m a character in it, but this is a story I just stepped into unwittingly.”
LIFESTYLE
time. During the event, Kingsley and his production crew set up demos of Xenrai for attendees, to great success. “The response was phenomenal,” Kingsley said. “People from all walks of life basically wanted to play the game, purchase the game, and were interested. We had a small demo store prepared, and we expected people to play it for about 3-5 minutes and then just walk off. But people ended up playing 20-30 minutes.” Xenrai is slated to premiere on the Steam gaming platform in April. The cinematic trailer is available to view at zenithedgestudios.com. WI
5 Hugh Kingsley (Anthony Tilgh-
man/The Washington Informer)
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LIFESTYLE
Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum: ‘Preserving Mark ‘Too Sharp’ Johnson’s Boxing Shoes’ Anacostia Community Museum. As a rising star of the boxing world, and a DC native, he agreed to donate some of his equipment to the museum, with a vision to preserving it for the future. The items — including a pair of custom-made shoes, personalized shorts, boxing gloves and a red leather helmet — were collected “in the moment,” as Johnson fought his way to the top, and long before he became a Hall of Famer. This year, the museum reached out to him to talk about his shoes. They were beat-up, full of holes and tears, with the soles coming off in parts. The museum wanted to conserve them. When museums do conservation work, they consider a variety of factors, including how to preserve some-
By Miriam Doutriaux, Collections Manager, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum In honor of Black History Month, we highlight one of the ways the Anacostia Community Museum preserves African American history. Many readers will be familiar with the champion boxer Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, the first African American to capture both the IBF World Flyweight and IBF Super Flyweight championships—twice. Also known as “Too Sharp”, Johnson hails from southwest D.C. and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 2012, and the Washington, D.C. Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018. Years earlier, in the early 2000s, Johnson was in contact with the
thing for the long term, but also whether to make it look “like new” or not. Conservators can seem like magicians, turning back time to fix holes and disappear nicks and cracks. Yet what if the holes, nicks and cracks are part of the story? In the case of Mark Johnson’s boxing shoes, there was a strong argument for retaining the wear and tear they endured as artifacts of the boxing ring. Johnson came to the museum to examine the shoes. They were his favorite, and he admitted to wearing them well beyond their expected lifespan. Tassels were the rage in the 1990s, and videos show him wearing several pairs of similarly tasseled shoes. Some of the holes were sustained in fights. Some of the wear is due to his positioning and footwork as
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5 Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum is located at 1901 Fort Place SE - Washington, DC 20020 4 Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson donated this pair of custom made shoes. They have since been conserved and rehoused. (Photo by Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum)
a southpaw, a left-handed boxer who put his right foot forward. In discussing the shoes, Johnson demonstrated his expertise and shared reflections on his illustrious career, as well as his current work training at-risk youth and engaging in violence prevention with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. Johnson shared reflections with the public at a recent Twilight Tuesdays event at the museum. His equipment was on view, carefully stored (or in museum parlance, rehoused) in new cushioned, acid-free containers. The
shoes are stored upright, with padding, in a slide-out drawer that ensures their stability and protection. They keep their holes and tears, and bear them proudly. Mark Johnson made history and has helped preserve his-story in a way that is authentic and true to the original context. To learn how to store your own personal items, join us on March 31st at 6:30 pm, for Twilight Tuesdays at the museum. Staff will demonstrate how to create high-quality conservation-grade containers for objects. Bring a personal item, and consult with staff on how best to preserve your own treasures for posterity. WI
WJLA/ABC7’s “On The Road” series will broadcast live from the museum on Tuesday, February 18 beginning at 5 a.m. Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson will be interviewed during the 6-9 a.m. hours along with museum staff and representatives from the Washington National Opera. That evening’s Twilight Tuesdays program at the museum features an aria from “Blue” the WNO’s upcoming production about a family’s struggle when a teenager is shot by the police. Visit anacostia.si.edu to learn more about Twilight Tuesdays and other museum public programs.
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42 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
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LIFESTYLE
wi book review “Clean Getaway”
By Nic Stone c.2020, Crown Books for Young Readers $16.99 229 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Your next vacation could be the dream of a lifetime. It could take you to the beach, park, or the mountains, shopping or sightseeing, visiting pals or hanging with family. A vacation could get you one city away, it can whisk you halfway around the world or, as in the new book “Clean Getaway” by Nic Stone, a vacation can take you where you don’t want to be. Eleven-year-old William “Scoob” Lamar wondered when everything went bad. Was it after he got into a fight at school, or after he was wrongly accused of cheating? Yeah, he was wrong there on both counts but the bigger issue was that his dad wasn’t acting like Dad lately, and he went punishment-overboard. Scoob was grounded. Ugh, Scoob hated “lockdown.” So when G’ma called and asked if he wanted to take a “little adventure,” he scribbled a note, ditched his phone, and jumped at the chance. He loved G’ma. She was more like a friend than a grandmother, so when she said she sold her house to buy an RV, a “sweet ride” with all the plush, Scoob was sad. Sold her house? OK, her decision. Scoob settled in for a quick trip. And then G’ma started talking. Fifty-one years ago, at the height of the civil rights movement, Scoob’s G’ma and G’pop wanted to take a trip from Atlanta to Mexico, but they didn’t get far. G’ma was white and G’pop was black and there were lots of places where they weren’t welcome. Because G’pop had died in prison and never had a chance to travel, G’ma, said she’d do the roadtrip in his memory. It was her “chance at redemption.” But a lot of things were off. As they tripped from Birmingham to Meridian to Jackson to Louisiana and Texas, Scoob was pretty sure they’d dined-anddashed more than once, and stolen some gas. The license plates on the RV kept changing and G’ma was avoiding phone calls. Then there was the “mistake” at the jewelry store. Scoob knew they were going to Mexico … but what was going on? For a kid who loves to travel, “Clean Getaway” is the book to pack. It’s got adventure in it, and a surprising amount of history and geography, so your child will learn something. The story flows nicely, author Nic Stone doesn’t force the action or the humor here, and her Scoob is a character that’s relatable to 8- to 12-year-olds who’ll enjoy watching him take on challenges while he takes this trip. For a kid, especially one spreading his wings, that could be role-model material. And yet, not all is perfect. The main irritation here — the one that parents will want to know about — is that bathroom habits appear often in this book. Too often, like, more than twice and it’s absolutely nose-wrinkling TMI. Will your child notice that? Probably so, but will she care? Maybe not, if she’s enjoying the book enough. The best thing, perhaps, is to let him try “Clean Getaway” and see where it takes him. WI
horoscopes
FEB 13 - 19, 2020
ARIES What troubles you, Aries? As luscious Venus aligns with healer Chiron in your sign on Monday, you may feel a tad hurt by someone’s attitude and wonder if there’s something amiss. It could be that someone touched on a sensitive issue with an off-hand remark or action and this has left you feeling a tad unsettled. What can you do about it? Talking it over might help. Lucky Numbers: 4, 17, 50 TAURUS The sun in the topmost sector of your chart can be a call to shine and not hide your gifts and talents away from the world. Showcase your skills and relish the chance to let others know how brilliant you are. There is still a strong focus on your travel and adventure zone, which can see you reaching out for new opportunities. Lucky Numbers: 15, 25, 35 GEMINI With the sun in your sector of far horizons, the coming week could inspire you to seek new opportunities. At the same time, with sweet Venus aligning with healer Chiron in your social sector on Monday, you also have a chance to resolve an issue with a friend or group. It may be minor or major, but with a willingness to reach out and see things from their perspective, much can be accomplished. Lucky Numbers: 11, 13, 23 CANCER You may need to make peace with someone you work with, especially early in the week when convivial Venus links with healer Chiron. Whatever the difficulty, it can be resolved with goodwill on both sides. Your sector of relating continues to be in focus, but as sobering Saturn gradually eases away from potent Pluto, you may feel more relaxed about a key relationship. This could be someone in authority or a partnership, but whatever it is, the lessening of tension can help you feel much more at peace. Lucky Numbers: 16, 22, 49 LEO With fiery Mars moving through your recreation and romance sector until Sunday, you may be ready to enjoy love adventures or activities that leave you feeling upbeat. At the end of this week, the focus shifts to your lifestyle sector, so you may be more eager to get on with plans and projects, and this could spill over into your leisure time. Lucky Numbers: 2, 17, 23 VIRGO Is there someone you need to reconcile with? If so, a healing aspect at the start of the week could inspire you to reach out. It might mean letting go of the past, but it could be worth it if you value this association and want it to continue. There is still a powerful emphasis on your sector of leisure, creativity, and romance. And with sobering Saturn and powerful Pluto continuing to separate, a relationship that has caused issues can begin to ease. Whatever the problem, the solution may already be working. Lucky Numbers: 6, 10, 15 LIBRA The radiant sun highlights your leisure and romance zone this week, and you could be eager to get out and about and relax when you can. Be sure to factor in some downtime because you could be busy in other areas. With a continuing powerful focus on your home zone, you may still have a lot of responsibilities. Yet there’s a sense that a crisis may have passed and that life is somewhat easier. Lucky Numbers: 26, 29, 40 SCORPIO You may feel like taking a step back and reflecting on your plans and goals. With the sun in your domestic zone, this is an opportunity to unwind and recharge when possible. Even so, there’s a lot of activity in your sector of communication, and when fiery Mars moves in on Sunday, this will ramp up even further. You may feel like making a clean sweep and replacing old ways and methods with new and more dynamic plans and goals. Lucky Numbers: 9, 27, 58 SAGITTARIUS You might be in a congenial mood and ready to connect with others who are very much on your wavelength. With the sun in your sector of communication, this is very much the time to market your goods and services and explore the potential in various business ideas. At the same time, if you’ve lacked confidence concerning a love interest, the tie between Venus and healer Chiron could encourage you to talk to someone who has some sage advice. With the right perspective, you can soon feel more adventurous. Lucky Numbers: 13, 35, 50 CAPRICORN Chatty Mercury in your sector of communication is slowing down this week prior to turning retrograde on Sunday. Go easy if you’re thinking about closing a deal or making a commitment, because it would be best to check out the details first. You could be getting yourself into something that takes more time and effort than you thought. Lucky Numbers: 3, 11, 34 AQUARIUS The illuminating sun in your sign can give you confidence and encourage you to get involved in ideas and relationships that are deeply meaningful to you. Others may accuse you of being selfish, but this is your time to relish being exactly who you are, so make no apologies. Lucky Numbers: 7, 18, 28 PISCES You’re currently in a phase when it pays to take time out for reflection and consider your game plan for the year ahead. With the sun in a spiritual sector, it’s also your chance to tie up loose ends and find closure on issues that have been holding you back. Lucky Numbers: 2, 33, 45
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 43
SPORTS For more photos, visit www.washingtoninformer.com
G’Town Hangs on, Tops DePaul
5 Georgetown Hoyas guard Jahvon Blair attempts a layup ahead of DePaul Blue Demons forward Paul Reed (4) and guard Charlie Moore during the Hoyas’ 76-72 win at Capital One Arena in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/ The Washington Informer)
5 Georgetown Hoyas guard Terrell Allen drives against DePaul Blue Demons guard Charlie Moore during the Hoyas’ 76-72 win at Capital One Arena in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
5 Georgetown Hoyas guard Jagan Mosely drives against DePaul Blue Demons guard Jalen Coleman-Lands during the Hoyas’ 76-72 win at Capital One Arena in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer) 3 Georgetown Hoyas center Qudus Wahab is defended by DePaul Blue Demons guard Jalen Coleman-Lands during the Hoyas’ 76-72 win at Capital One Arena in Northwest on Saturday, Feb.8 (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
44 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
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Defenders Win Inaugural Game in D.C.
SPORTS
5 D.C. Defenders punter Hunter Niswander holds for kicker Ty Rausa during a field goal attempt in the Defenders’ 31-19 win over the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field in Southwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
5 D.C. Defenders wide receiver Rashad Ross (15) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the Defenders’ 31-19 win over the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field in Southwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
5 D.C. Defenders tight end Khari Lee breaks a tackle attempt by Seattle Dragons safety Godwin Igwebuike to make a first down during the Defenders’ 31-19 win at Audi Field in Southwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
3 D.C. Defenders running back Jhurell Pressley is tackled by Seattle Dragons cornerback Steve Williams during the Defenders’ 31-19 win at Audi Field in Southwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/ The Washington Informer)
5 D.C. Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones slides for a first down during the Defenders’ 31-19 win over the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field in Southwest on Saturday, Feb. 8. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
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The benefactor for Williams – Bennett. Williams has seen her dream come true, becoming the owner of the shop which she’s managed for the last eight years for Bennett who owns several salons throughout the City as well as a beauty college and several licensed daycare centers. Speaking to reporters from ABC7, Bennett said, when referring to his own act of kindness, “This is thank you. I can’t begin to thank you enough for giving me life, but we can start with you making your dream a reality by having your own salon.” “I thank God that whatever voice it was, she paid attention to it.” Since the surgery last April, both Bennett and Williams report they’re doing fine. Bennett, in an interview held last year by WUSA9 reporters, said when he first learned that he’d need a kidney transplant, found the news difficult to fathom. After all, he had never been in hospitalized and questioned why he’d suddenly been given a “death sentence.” Nonetheless, he says he held on to his faith. When learning that a match had been found, ironically due to this benevolence of someone he’d long known, he viewed it as tantamount to the law of reciprocity. “When you give to others, you too receive unmerited blessings,” he said tearfully. “You reap what you sew.”
BLACKS LAGGING IN DONATING ORGANS
Each April, the U.S. marks National Donate Life Month – an observance established by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003. The annual celebration features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved the lives of both adults and children through the gift of donation. Bennett numbers among hundreds of thousands of African Americans who need organ transplants, most notably a kidney, to better their prospects for long-term survival. Bennett’s experience mirrors those of far too many people of color, who often remain unaware of one of the nation’s least understood yet most critical category in a litany of health disparities between Blacks and whites. According to federal data, Blacks account for just 13 percent of the U.S. population, but they make up nearly
30 percent of the more than 114,000 U.S. patients waiting for organ transplants. And while Black patients comprise around 33 percent of those waiting for a kidney and 25 percent of those waiting for a heart, those in the racial group make up less than 15 percent of living and deceased organ-donor pools. Experts say the low percentage of Black donors continues due to a somewhat unsurprising combination of factors, chief among them African-Americans’ lingering mistrust of the medical field. It’s the toxic residue, they say, of the nation’s uneven racial history, which includes decades of discrimination and unequal treatment from doctors and in hospitals. According to the 2012 National Survey of Organ Donation Attitudes and Behaviors, more than 64 percent of whites were more likely to check the box on their driver’s license allowing their vital organs to be removed and transplanted after they die, compared with just 39 percent of Blacks. That percentage is lower than those of Asian/Pacific Islanders (56 percent) and Hispanics (44 percent). Those attitudes were borne out in data from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network: Of the more than 10,000 deceased people who donated organs in 2017, about 6,800 were white but just 1,600 were Black. The disparity among living donors is even starker: 4,445 whites donated an organ last year, compared with 526 Blacks. Dr. Velma Scantlebury, the first African-American woman to become a transplant surgeon, agrees, but says the bigger picture is far more endemic. The chronic gulf between Black and white organ transplantation “may reflect the differences in access to health care as well as other factors that disadvantage specific ethnic groups,”
LEGACY from Page 40 don’t have to,” she said. In the future, the Jenkins family plans to expand their services and they’re gearing up to provide community seminars and workshops on pre-arrangements and to spread the message that everyone needs to “Get your stuff in order!” “The one thing none of us can avoid is death,” Belva said. “If you love your family, don’t leave them with the burden of trying to figure out how to bury you. All of this can be taken care of beforehand so when you close your eyes, all your children
5 Acia Williams prepares model Mabel Lei’s hair for an upcoming event after receiving the hair salon as a gift from Chet Bennett. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
said Dr. Scantlebury, associate director of the Kidney Transplant Program at Christiana Care, a regional nonprofit health care system based in Delaware. But there are indications, Scantlebury says, that racial discrimination may play a role in access to transplant waiting lists. “Research also has shown that African Americans in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, along with poor education (about transplants), are less likely to be listed for transplantation compared to whites in similar neighborhoods.” “This is a complex problem,” said Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, chief medical officer for the National Kidney Foundation. WI or loved ones have to do is show up.” Lavana agrees, saying, “We’ve been talking about price but when someone dies there’s also grief. We need to talk about it, because I never have families argue with me if Mama planned her own service. Things tend to go smoother if everything’s in order and there’s a lot less stress on the family.” Both offered words of advice. “Go to the cemetery and ask the cost for everything, get an insurance policy or come in and let us counsel you. We can help you to take care of what you need. It’s just that simple.” WI
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RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT
From Sharecropper to Owner “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” — Proverbs 13:22 An African American farmer purchased 227.2 acres, a farm in Dover, North Carolina, in 1945? A time when racism was in full bloom with nothing being done about it? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was only a teenage boy at the time. Just outside Kinston, North Carolina, this true story may be difficult for some to believe. It is the story of how my grandfather, Floyd Hill was able to buy this farm at the end of the Great Depression, and was able to keep it! It all happened before any of us were born. He made history with his Supreme Court Case #161, DeBruhl v. L. Harvey Son Co. The DeBruhls, a white family heard about their old farm lost at auction back in 1921 and how it had changed hand, and had recently been sold to a Black man by the name of Floyd Hill. It was then, they decided, here is our chance to get our farm back, and would stop at nothing to get it! They had lost it due to woes of the Great Depression, sold at auction to L. Harvey & Sons Company. The Harveys kept it for 24 years. My grandfather, Floyd (affectionately called “Pappy” by family and
friends), knew he would own a large farm someday. Born March 26, 1907, he disregarded Southern racism. Pappy, in the early years of “freedom,” was educated, though education offered to Blacks was not on an equal basis. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case had not been heard by the Supreme Court, ending segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. Highlights of the story of my grandfather’s momentous North Carolina Supreme Court Case, #161 decided by Chief Justice, William H. Bobbitt, 250 N.C. 161 (N.C. 1959), begins with the initial the purchase made by my grandfather in 1945, ending with a win 14 years later! You’ll agree, it’s worthy of its own place in history once you hear these details. Although racism loomed large in the south, my grandfather decided it doesn’t matter; he kept his dream alive until one day, he would find his own part of the earth to own. He carved out his desire, and his will, mixed with determination and unstoppable effort, caused him to win. Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” My grandfather did exactly that. October 17, 1945, Mary Heartt Harvey, et al, conveyed the 227.2 acre farm to Floyd and Pearl Hill. Real estate attorney, Walton Lero knew of Pappy’s dream of owning a farm and he financed the property, the 227.2-acre tract to R. A. Whita-
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
ker, Trustee, as security for the payment of a principal indebtedness of $4,000 to Walter D. LaRoque. Our grandparents were able to purchase the entire farm for the amount of only $6,363.50. With a $4,000 deposit, Pappy paid, without delay, attorney LaRoque transferred the farm to him. Though he was able to purchase the 227.2-acre farm, Pappy had a big fight on his hands. His family was terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan; they burned crosses in his yard and terrorized the family! Working together, Walter LaRoque, L. Harvey & Sons and a team of dynamic attorneys, all stuck by my grandparents. They fought court after court to defend Floyd Hill. Victorious, history will forever reflect these records as cited in the North Carolina Supreme Court records. Judge Bobbitt ruled in Pappy’s favor citing: “By deed dated October 17, 1945, Floyd Hill and wife, Pearl Hill, conveyed said 227.2-acre tracts to R.A. Whitaker, Trustee, as security for the payment of a principal indebtedness of $4,000 to Walter D. LaRoque.” [“DeBruhl vs. L. Harvey & Son Company, U.S. Library of Congress]; the facts in the case documented the judge’s declaration that no living DeBruhl or any unborn DeBruhls could ever again file suit for possession of the Hill Farm. Today, 77 years later — encompassing all of my 68 years — the Hill Farm thrives and its great legacy lives on! WI
John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.
5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089
1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005
“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org
EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, Race Discrimination, Rehabilitation Act, Retaliation, Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA
www.jmlaw.net
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Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
Reverend John W. Davis Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.) Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
(301) 864-6070
Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m. Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 47
RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church
Pilgrim Baptist Church
Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor
9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724
700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849
Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM
Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM
Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”
www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
Blessed Word of Life Church
Church of Living Waters
Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org
St. Stephen Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., / Pastor 2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 / Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”
Third Street Church of God
Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors
Rev. Dr. Alice Greene Interim Pastor
Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor
Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor
4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax
3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) / (202) 562-4219 (Fax)
5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM
1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office / 202-638-1803 fax
Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM
Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am 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.covenantdc.org
www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org
Campbell AME Church
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020
Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”
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: 8:00 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 6:00 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
St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us... Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM
(Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com
Mount Carmel Baptist Church
Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher
Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com
www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org
800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703
Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net
Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor
Turning Hearts Church
421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445
“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”
Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor
Isle of Patmos Baptist Church
Twelfth Street Christian Church
Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org
“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org / E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net
Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM
Crusader Baptist Church
901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM
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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com
Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org
St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon
All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times 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 Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards
Israel Baptist Church
Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times 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 “Where Jesus is the King”
Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor
2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!
623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org
Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith
Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor
Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor
1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288
1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org
5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005
Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM
Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"
Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM 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
Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor
Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor
1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964
8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240
13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM
Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM
Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM
Rehoboth Baptist Church
Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor
Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor
2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074
621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112
Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"
Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM
Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org
Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”
“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org
“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”
Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958
Shiloh Baptist Church
Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church
4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net
Christ Embassy DC
Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”
Peace Baptist Church
Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com
Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “
Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study
First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Mt. Horeb Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor
Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor
Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor
9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288
602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595
2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon
www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org
Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM
All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.
Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org
Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist
Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor
Email Address: admin@pbc712.org
Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest
Holy Trinity United Baptist Church
Florida Avenue Baptist Church
Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor
Rev. Reginald M. Green Interim Pastor
Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org
St. Matthews Baptist Church
Emmanuel Baptist Church
King Emmanuel Baptist Church
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Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “
Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.
FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 49
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 FEP 000003 July 21, 2017 Date of Death Barry Stuart Engel aka Barry S. Engel aka Barry Engel Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Marsha S. Engel, whose address is 7751 East 6th Avenue, Denver, CO 80230 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Barry Stuart Engel aka Barry S. Engel aka Barry Engel, deceased, by the Probate Court for Denver County, State of Colorado, on August 8, 2017. Service of process may be made upon Antonoplos & Associates Attorneys at Law at 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate. 2/3 interest in 539 Randolph Street, NW, #3, Washington, DC 20011 The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 1/30/2020 Marsha S. Engel Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer Superior Court of the District of Columbia Case No. 2019 DRB 003191 NATASHA RUCKER, Plaintiff Versus JASON CONRAD POOLE, Defendant
Next Event: Initial Hearing on March 10, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 104 (500 Indiana Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001)
NOTICE TO DEFENDANT JASON CONRAD POOLE The object of this action is Plaintiff Natasha Rucker’s Complaint for Absolute Divorce from Defendant Jason Conrad Poole, filed September 9, 2019. Upon the Court’s Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion to Authorize Service by Publication, filed January 3, 2020, it is this 8th day of January 2020, hereby ORDERED, that Defendant Jason Conrad Poole cause his appearance to be entered on or before March 10, 2020; that the Court will hold a further initial hearing on March 10, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 104 at 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001 regarding Plaintiff’s request for divorce; and that if Defendant Jason Conrad Poole does not appear at the hearing or otherwise respond to Plaintiff’s complaint, the Court may issue a judgement by default on Plaintiff’s complaint on that date without further proceedings. SO ORDERED. Elizabeth C. Wingo, D.C. Superior Court Judge.
LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 000018 Daphne O. Tuah Decedent
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Maria Tuah Roxbury, whose address is 3826 2nd Street, Baltimore, MD 21225, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Daphne O. Tuah who died on November 27, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 7/30/2020. 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 7/30/2020, 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: 1/30/2020 Maria Tuah Roxbury Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2020 ADM 000012
2019 ADM 000814
2020 ADM 00008
Douglas E. Moore aka Douglas Elane Moore Decedent
Helen Greene aka Helen P. Greene aka Helen Pillmon Greene Decedent
Maurice Leatherman Decedent
Howard Haley, Esq. 7600 Georgia Ave., NW Suite 405 Washington, DC 20012 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Doris E. Hughes-Moore, whose address is 7114 Alaska Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Douglas E. Moore aka Douglas Elane Moore who died on August 22, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2020. 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 8/6/2020, 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: 2/6/2020 Doris E. Hughes-Moore Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills
2020 ADM 000045
Odelle S. Thomas Decedent
Nathaniel O. Jackson Decedent
Howard Haley, Esq. The Haley Firm, PC 7600 Georgia Ave., NW #405 Washington, DC 20012 Attorney
Howard Haley, Esq. The Haley Firm, PC 7600 Georgia Ave, NW #405 Washington, DC 20012 Attorney
Stephanie D. Bell Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
Earlease Jackson and Tangent Askew, whose address is 8216 Harvest Bend Lane, Laurel, MD 20707, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Helen Greene aka Helen P. Greene aka Helen Pillmon Greene who died on February 1, 2018 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2020. 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 8/6/2020, 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: 2/6/2020 Earlease Jackson Tangent Askew Personal Representative
Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
Washington Informer
2020 ADM 000010
Date of first publication: 2/6/2020
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
TRUE TEST COPY TRUE TEST COPY
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
Stephanie D. Bell, whose address is 2312 Hawks Landing Ct., Waldorf, MD 20601, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Odelle S. Thomas who died on October 8, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2020. 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 8/6/2020, 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.
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Brian C. Jenkins, whose address is 2213 Gaylord Dr., Suitland, MD 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Nathaniel O. Jackson who died on May 18, 1997 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2020. 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 8/6/2020, 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: 2/6/2020 Brian C. Jenkins Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 FEP 000005 November 22, 1998 Date of Death Jeralee G. Richmond Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS John M. Garner, II whose address is 1208 D Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Jeralee G. Richmond, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince Georges County, State of Maryland, on December 27, 2019. Service of process may be made upon Nakia V. Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Ave., SW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20024 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate. 511 21st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 1/30/2020 John M. Garner, II Personal Representative Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
50 - FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
LEGAL NOTICES
Age: 92 Marquita Moye, Esq. 504 Brummel Court, NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Lynn Leatherman Lybrand, whose address is 3617 Licata Court, Punta Gorda, Florida 33950, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Maurice Leatherman who died on July 7, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2020. 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 8/6/2020, 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: 2/6/2020 Lynn Leatherman Lybrand Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 000032 Dorothy M. Woodland aka Dorothy Marie Woodland Decedent Caren M. Webb, Esq. 1308 Ninth Street, NW Suite 250 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Robert R. Woodland, whose address is 920 Peabody St., NW, Apt #12, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Dorothy M. Woodland aka Dorothy Marie Woodland who died on November 10, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2020. 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 8/13/2020, 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: 2/13/2020 Robert R. Woodland Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
2020 ADM 000063
2020 ADM 000032
Grady Lee Barton Decedent
Melvin Douglas Burwell Decedent
Nakia V. Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Avenue, SW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20024 Attorney
Bradley A. Thomas, Esq. 1629 K Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006-1631 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS
Ophelia Barton, whose address is 4223 Wheeler Road, SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Grady Lee Barton who died on January 4, 2020 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2020. 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 8/13/2020, 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.
LilliAnn Williams, whose address is 509 T Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Melvin Douglas Burwell who died on November 7, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2020. 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 8/13/2020, 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: 2/13/2020
Date of first publication: 2/13/2020
Ophelia Barton Personal Representative
LilliAnn Williams Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY
Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills
Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills
Washington Informer
Washington Informer
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SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131
ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE Talking Meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 888-421-1874
2019 ADM 000772
2020 ADM 000033
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Willie B. Hackett Decedent
Renee Yvette Hunter Decedent
Nakia V. Gray, Esq. 800 Maine Ave., Suite 200 Washington, DC 20024 Attorney
Steve Larson-Jackson 1629 K. Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Angelique C. Carroll, whose address is 5520 Walker Mill Road, Capital Heights, Maryland 20743, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Renee Yvette Hunter who died on July 9, 2019 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2020. 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 8/13/2020, 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.
Rena Wilson, whose address is 855 Venable Place, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Willie B. Hackett who died on October 3, 2017 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2020. 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 8/13/2020, 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: 2/13/2020
Date of first publication: 2/13/2020
Rena Wilson Personal Representative
Angelique C. Carroll Personal Representative
TRUE TEST COPY
TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
Nicole Stevens Acting Register of Wills Washington Informer
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FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2020 51
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residents, however, said they remain committed to ensuring that returning citizens can finish their sentence in the District. For Ward 7 resident the Rev. George C. Gilbert, Jr., Gray’s concerns don’t account for the harsh reality that Ward 7 residents have faced long before CORE, LLC considered 3701 Benning Road NE as a site for a halfway house. “In every instance, Ward 7, especially the neighborhood in question, hasn’t changed in 30 years, and Ward 7 is just getting Skyland development completed after 20 years of planning,” Gilbert, assistant to the pastor of Holy Trinity United Baptist Church on Gault Place in Northeast, told The Informer. “There hasn’t been a halfway house in Ward 7 for 40 years and we haven’t seen any economic development,” added Gilbert, who also serves as chairman of the civic and social actions committee of the Missionary Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Washington, D.C. “We must really understand the totality of a half century of non-business and [slow] economic development. We’ve had Ward 7 and at-large councilmembers rise to the top of our city, and we’re still fighting for some of the basic necessities like grocery stores, restaurants and market places.” Since 2010, Ward 7 and Ward 8 have lost four supermarkets, according to data collected by D.C. Hunger Solutions. There are currently two full-service grocery stores in Ward 7 serving 70,000 residents. In a recent statement, Gray said pending legislation will earmark grocery stores, restaurants and other amenities for the East River Park Shopping Center – a mixed-use development that’s under the purview of Cedar Realty and less than half a mile from the proposed venue. If CORE, LLC follows through on its acquisition of the Benning Road venue, 300 formerly-incarcerated men will complete their sentences near what have been designated as opportunity zones – places in low-income urban areas the federal government will support with long-term investments. The conflict between Gray and CORE, LLC and the FBOP comes more than a year into the search for the residential reentry center that would replace Hope Village on Langston Place in Southeast. The halfway house, in operation since the late 1970s, has garnered a reputation for what has been described as life-threatening conditions, subpar employment counseling and unfair treatment at the hands of staff. Numerous complaints eventually compelled FBOP to schedule Hope
5 3701 Benning Road NE, the property CORE, LLC sought for a new residential reentry center against D.C. Councilmember Vincent C. Gray’s wishes. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
Village’s closure and enter a five-year, $60 million contract with CORE, LLC for its operation of a new residential reentry center. By last October, the halfway house received an extension that would allow it to remain open until April, despite strong opposition from returning citizens advocates. This happened as Ward 5 residents countered attempts to open a new residential reentry center at 3400 New York Avenue NE. In late 2018, Attorney Donald Temple filed a lawsuit against the District alleging that neither Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C), Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D), or Ward 5 residents had been notified about FBOP’s contract with CORE, LLC. A month prior, McDuffie expressed his apprehension to the then-acting FBOP Director Hugh J. Hurwitz, telling him that CORE, LLC didn’t reach out to him or Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jacqueline Manning (5C04). Returning citizens advocates, clergy people and others have stood on the frontlines to ensure that returning citizens could complete the terms of their incarceration near family and friends.
Many have done so out of fear that, without a federally-operated halfway house in D.C., hundreds of men would be relegated to facilities as far as Baltimore. Longtime Ward 7 resident Richard Tingling-Clemmons described the controversy surrounding the halfway house as part of a large-scale effort to oppress the masses of Black people in the United States, and around the world. While he expressed a desire for a 300-bed facility at the Benning Road venue, even pledging to volunteer there, he criticized the District government for what has happened to generations of incarcerated Black men. “D.C. is taking the same non-action they’ve always taken. They took away our parole system. The federal government took control of our citizens so they can get an adequate number of slaves,” said Tingling-Clemmons, business manager for the Metropolitan Washington Gray Panthers. “In this area, close to 80 percent of all men have been arrested at some time [in their life]. That’s what we’re all facing. They didn’t get rid of slavery. They just set it aside for some people.” WI
COMPOSERS from Page 34
sons. It was a team effort.” White says she wants children, especially Black boys and girls, to consider her career as a concert violinist as something to which they can similarly aspire. “From the beginning, I had a drive within to be my best self,” she said. “There was this fire within that drove me and the violin was my calling. I fell in love with it. I just want to show young people that whatever fire is burning inside of them, that they can to it too.” Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301.581.5100. WI
was six, I came home from lunch and there was a violin sitting on a chair.” “My mother tells the story that after my third lesson or so, my music teacher, who was an instructor in a community-based afterschool program, informed my parents that I had real talent to which my father replied: ‘That’s funny because she doesn’t sound that good to me.’ Still, my family made a way for me to study including my mother taking a fivehour drive every Friday to Chicago for lessons with a teacher while I was in high school. I played at my brother’s barbershop and we passed the can. I entered every competition available and used my winnings for more les-
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MALVEAUX from Page 30
STATUES from Page 37 and Frederick Douglass in front of the world,” Michele Jones Galvin, a Syracuse, New York, native and the great-great-great-grandniece of Harriet Tubman, said in an interview before the ceremony. “This is something that should have been done decades ago, but we’re just grateful this is being done now. It is quite amazing to say to yourself, ‘My gosh, I am related to Harriet Tubman.’ It is quite astonishing and quite heartfelt. We all just want to promote her legacy as best we can.” House Speaker Adrienne Jones, the state’s first African-American
confronting the Nazis. What they didn’t talk about was the brutality and terrorism being inflicted on Black folks by white supremacists in the United States. A wise person will take advantage of any opportunity to see the two great history-makers in action. WI
and first woman to be the presiding leader in the House of Delegates, read a letter Douglas wrote to Tubman in 1868, which compared how Douglass fought for justice during the day and received praise among many, while “the midnight sky and the sunlit stars have been the witness of [Tubman’s] devotion to freedom and of your heroine.” “The statues are reminders that our laws aren’t always right or just, but there’s always room for improvement,” Jones said. “We have to critically evaluate our laws [and] ask ourselves if we are complicit in any injustice and decide what we are willing to risk for a more perfect union.” WI
5 Frederick Douglass (Courtesy photo)
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a Black white supremacist. With scorn and disgust, he physically and emotionally brutalizes the mostly rural young Black soldiers under his command. “It’s people like you,” he continuously snarls at them, “who justify the attitude of
white folks about us.” Eventually he is mysteriously killed. The second leading character is a black army captain, played by Blair Underwood, whose job is to find out who killed the despicable sergeant. Throughout the play, which takes place during World War II, Charlie includes conversations from white officers about
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BAILEY from Page 30
her when her only child, Kimondra Mason, was gunned down. They are women who found the courage to leave their abusers, like Laura Morris who bears the scar of a gunshot wound on her shoulder. They are daughters like Khary Penebaker, whose mother Joyce took her own life with a gun when Khary was a child. Their lives have been changed lives forever. Sharing their stories highlights the devastating human consequences of gun violence in America. WI
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who live with the impact of gun violence every day of the year. The week is observed in early February because this marks the approximate time that gun deaths in the United States surpass the number of gun deaths experienced by our peer countries in an entire calendar year. Hundreds of survivors like Cleopatra, Shaniqua and Jerri, who have lost loved ones, along with those who have witnessed an act of gun violence, or been threatened or wounded with a gun, are sharing
their stories on the Moments that Survive story wall. Survivors and allies are amplifying their voices on social media using the hashtag #MomentsthatSurvive, to represent the moments and memories that endure for survivors after experiencing gun violence. There are more survivors than we might imagine. A shocking 58 percent of American adults have experienced gun violence or are close to someone who has. They are mothers like Tonjula Mason-Shelby, who felt that her reason for living was taken from
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MORIAL from Page 30
braids, twists, and locs cannot be tolerated. Intolerance about natural hair is an intolerance against Black people. It is, at best, unacceptable. Kudos to California state Sen. Holly Mitchell for starting the ball rolling. Congratulations to those who worked with her to pass this important legislation. And shout out to the others who have embraced her legislation by introducing it in other states. Hair discrimination is not the most egregious injustice that Black people experience, but it is an injustice nonetheless. Just ask DeAndre Arnold, who won’t be able to march with his peer graduates because he wears dreads, or the wrestler, Andrew Johnson, whose locs were shorn because a racist referee had neither intelligence nor tolerance. WI
Photo
crimination. It reads in part, “The history of our nation is riddled with laws and societal norms that equated ‘blackness,’ and the associated physical traits, for example, dark skin, kinky and curly hair to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment.” The bill goes on to say, “Professionalism was, and still is, closely linked to European features and mannerisms, which entails that those who do not naturally fall into Eurocentric norms must alter their appearances, sometimes drastically and permanently, in order to be deemed professional.” The fact that a diversity of hairstyles needs to be addressed through
legislation speaks to the intransigence of white supremacy, the need white supremacists have to require Black people to conform to their standards. Even as the population of people of color grows in our nation, white supremacists are holding on, strong, to their racist norms. Some of them don’t even think they are racists. They are, indeed, “nice” people. They speak of neatness, wildness and their own discomfort with “different” hair. They think that folks should go through having their hair fried to make other people comfortable. I really don’t care how people wear their hair. It, truly, is a matter of choice. And hair does not have to be political. But hair choices must be respected and discrimination against natural hair,
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saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.” • “When women got the right to vote is when it all went downhill. Because that’s when votes started being cast with emotion and uh, maternal instincts that government ought to reflect.” • “Holocaust? Ninety million Indians? Only four million left? They all have casinos — what’s to complain about?” • “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.” (to an African-American female caller) • “If any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it’s Caucasians.” • “Blaming guns for murder is like blaming folks for obesity.” • “We’re not sexists, we’re chauvinists. We’re male chauvinist pigs and we’re happy because we think that’s what men were destined to be. We think that’s what women want.” Yes, the author of those ignorant statements was presented the nation’s highest
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peddling unaffordable loans cause particular harm to these communities. “Indeed, the communities most affected by redlining are the same who are saturated by payday lenders today,” Aponte-Diaz said. “Multiple studies have found that payday lenders are more likely to locate in more affluent communities of color than in less affluent white communities.” CRL’s payday polling and research underscore Aponte-Diaz’s concerns. A consumer poll commissioned by CRL and conducted from January 9-15 by Morning Consult surveyed approximately 10,000 registered voters and found that: • 70% of voters support a 36% annual interest rate cap on payday and consumer installment loans. • 62% have an unfavorable view of payday lenders; and • 1% prefer a payday loan rate cap that is even smaller than 36%.
ASKIA from Page 31 That’s taxation without representation at its worst. Certainly, the residents of Washington, D.C., deserve statehood. They deserve to be called residents of the Douglass Commonwealth. Taxation without representation is unjust! D.C. deserves statehood! On Capitol Hill recently, Norton’s bill was “marked up” in Committee, and is subject to a House floor vote before the summer recess. It is almost certain to pass there. The bill already has
honor in the House gallery by first lady Melania Trump, as the president looked up from the podium with a smirk, no doubt proud of his latest public display of offensive stupidity to appeal to his political base. America, we are nine months away from the next election. In my opinion, the president is well-positioned for reelection. We Democrats need to collectively get our act together, before it is too late. The recent debacle of the Iowa Caucus? We cannot blame the president, or Vladimir Putin, Rush Limbaugh, or even global warming. Democrats poured that bath tub of dirty water and hopped right in, led by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and Iowa Chairman Troy Price. Regarding the Iowa Caucus mess, President Trump called it “sad and embarrassing.” I agree. President Trump is effective at appeasing to his base. Damn other Americans! So why are Iowa and New Hampshire, which are 90 percent white, still so initially dominant in the Democratic primary process? How is that, for example, in any way appealing to the most loyal of
the Democratic base — African-American women? None of the remaining candidates for president are persons of color. It is just one self-inflicted wound after another by Democrats and upon other Democrats. At the 68th National Prayer Breakfast, Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks, author of “Love Your Enemies,” spoke of love, forgiveness and redemption. In beginning his remarks, President Trump responded, “Arthur, I don’t know if I agree with you.” He then proceeded to attack his political opponents. Even in a religious setting and with no hesitation whatsoever, the president of the United States disputed and dismissed the teachings of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. Some evangelicals in the crowd laughed. How did we get here? And, can the country survive another 11 months — or four years — of the unhinged, racist, ignorant, sexist and unorthodox presidency of Donald J. Trump, as underscored by his allegiance to the teachings of Rush Limbaugh? WI
Today, 16 states and the District of Columbia have enacted strong rate caps for short-term loans. For the remaining 32 states, triple-digit interest loans are legal and highly profitable. According to CRL, every year predatory short-term loans snatch an estimated $8 billion in fees from the pockets of America’s working poor: $4.1 billion in payday lending, and $3.8 billion in car-title loans. Keep in mind that the typical payday loan of $350 comes with an average annual percentage rate of 391%. For lenders, the predictable result is that one loan will often be re-borrowed 10 times or more in a year. Similarly, car-title loans that use a personal vehicle as collateral is re-borrowed an average of eight times, with one of every five borrowers losing their car in repossession. Fortunately for consumers, a pending bipartisan House bill would end triple-digit lending with a 36% rate cap on all consumer loans. Sponsored by Representatives Jesús “Chuy García from
Chicago, and Glenn Grothman, whose district includes parts of Milwaukee, the legislation is known as the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act, H.R. 5050. An identical companion bill in the Senate, S. 2833, is led by Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Ohio’s Sherrod Brown. The measures would grant all consumers and inactive military the same protections now afforded active-duty service members under the Military Lending Act (MLA). MLA was enacted with bipartisan support and imposes a 36% rate cap. Endorsed by several organizations including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, and UnidosUS, 11 co-sponsors signed on to the legislation at press time, including Congress members from California, Michigan, New York and Texas. Here’s wishing that in 2020 consumers can lose the financial bruising wrought by these and other predatory transactions. Stay tuned. WI
225 co-sponsors. Only 218 votes are required to approve it and send it to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it faces certain death, despite having more than 30 co-sponsors in that body. Statehood supporters realize that as long as the GOP controls the Senate, and Donald J. Trump is in the White House, their cause is lost. But now statehood supporters insist on advancing their movement as far as they possibly can in each succeeding session of Congress until the measure succeeds. If D.C. was to become the Douglass Commonwealth — even as it is
becoming gentrified — it would be a strong, “New Jerusalem,” “shining place on the hill” and a model of modern governance, best practices. But one drawback the movement was plagued with, according to former D.C. Delegate Walter Fauntroy, was the “three too’s” — D.C. is too liberal, too Democratic and too Black. But now, how will gentrification affect that equation? Statehood, yes! It’s the least a society which prides itself on equality for all, would want for 700,000 of its citizens. Right? D.C. statehood — yes! D.C. statehood now! WI
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