The Washington Informer - July 23, 2015 by The Washington Informer

This Month’s Edition of ‘The Bridge’

I N S I D E

Congresswoman Stands for Missing Girls, Pg. 10

VOL. 1, NO. 6

JULY 2015

A DREAM UNFULFILLED

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Business-minded PGC Officials to Visit China, Pg. 15

I N S I D E

Vol. 50, No. 41 July 23 - July 29, 2015

Film Festival Focuses on Civil Rights History, Pg. 29

Newseum Features Nationals Exhibit, Pg. 31

New Chapter in Cosby Dilemma ‘Pound Cake’ Speech Remains Powerful By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Bill Cosby did not admit to rape. In fact, in the hotly discussed release of a sealed 2005 civil deposition in which the comedian agreed to pay an undisclosed settlement to a former Temple University employee, Cosby adamantly denied that a rape occurred in that case. The “I Spy” legend went as far as to speak – eerily so – to the accused mother and urge the woman to explain to her mom that their sex was consensual. But some said CNN has led coverage that has been more like “gotcha” than any legitimate coverage of the released deposition. In his first public statements

since the transcript’s release, Cosby lawyer, Patrick O’Connor, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the documents represent only one side of the story. A confidentiality clause in the case’s 2006 settlement agreement bars Cosby from responding, and the two-day deposition of his accuser, Andrea Constand, remains under seal. O’Connor said that he believed the release of Cosby’s deposition transcript violated the terms of the settlement. “How that deposition became public without being court-sanctioned is something we are going to pursue and deal with very vigorously,” O’Connor, vice chairman of the Cozen O’Connor law firm, said. “It’s an outrage that the court

COSBY Page 8

CBC Backs Free Tuition Measure By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have led House Democrats in introducing a bill that would make community college free for two years for everyone. The measure would also help cover the costs of a four-year degree at institutions that serve minorities. “We must fight to support historically black college and universities before the rugs are pulled from under them,” said CBC Chair G.K. Butterfield

(D-North Carolina), who noted how the measure would also help those aspiring to attend schools like Howard University, Morgan State and other black institutions. “The legislation would give students the opportunity to access quality and affordable higher education that gives them the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st century economy,” Butterfield said. Rep. Robert C. Scott, the top Democrat on the House’s Education Committee, agreed. “We know that education is

COLLEGE Page 8

U.S. President Barack Obama with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at an historic meeting between the two leaders in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday, July 20. The U.S. has pledged to assist and support the African nation. /Photo courtesy of The White House (Go to page 10 for more on issues facing Nigeria.)

Cuban Embassy Opens in Washington By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc The culmination of secret negotiations brokered by Pope Francis and Canada, a realization by a U.S. president that the status quo was unsustainable and the willingness of two mortal enemies to work through distrust led to change between Cuba and the United States. In the months since President Barack Obama’s surprise December announcement that the U.S. and Cuba would end the Cold War and restore diplomatic relations after more than 50 years, both countries have edged towards greater cooperation. Obama said he expected the agreement to allow more

contact between Americans with rank-and-file Cubans, to enhance bilateral trade and grant Cubans increased freedom of movement. Graciela Cuervo – born in Cuba to Cuban parents but who’s lived in the U.S. since she was two – said normalization is long overdue. “It’s about time. Though I believe the Cuban Revolution achieved important goals in terms of education and public health, it has failed miserably in many other aspects like basic, general freedoms and quality of life,” said Cuervo, owner of a business that offers translation services. “Housing is disastrous and the times I have gone back, I can’t but help thinking: ‘56 years

of revolution for this?’ Educational and health reforms did not require such brutal repression to come about. In any case, Cuba has blamed the U.S.’ blockade for all its evils for the past 56 years.” “Not to belittle the importance of it, but frankly most of Cuba’s demise has been more to do with its poor economic planning than the blockade. I think Cuba has been able to maintain its revolution essentially because its people have been indoctrinated into the ‘us vs. them’ mentality. That mentality leads to polarization and linear thinking. It prevents people from analyzing situations in all their depth and

Celebrating 50 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area

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“Is Everywhere!”

The CoLumn

By Dr. Charles Vincent & “Mickey” Thompson Vincent

AASA - Howard University School of Education Urban Superintendents Academy Inaugural Convening The Howard University and the School Superintendents Association (AASA) Inaugurate the Urban Superintendents Academy.The goal is to increase the number of minority superintendents of schools in urban areas.There are twenty five inaugural candidates. Dr. Leslie Fenwick (Dean of the Howard Univ. School of Ed), dispelled some of the “myths” about minorities in education: 1)There are more Black men in college (1.4 million) than in prison (840,000). 2)Most urban districts’ teachers and principals are not Black, 71% of urban teachers and 88% of urban principals are white. 3)Use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs has consistently been found to be less prevalent among African-American high school seniors than their white peers.4) White educators are NOT more qualified than Black educators.Black educators have a higher percentage of master’s degrees or doctoral degrees in education. Mr. David Ciotta (CEO & Founder of ABMM Financial) announced his company’s partnership with the project. Dr. Daniel Domenach (Executive Director, AASA) spoke of the projects future goals. Dr. Sam King, (former Superintendent in Norfolk VA) gave the welcoming remarks. Marc Morial (Pres & CEO of the Natl Urban League) spoke of the need for the program. For further information contact the Howard University School of Education www.howard.edu/schooleducation Dr. Marilyn T. Brown with Dr. Leslie Fenwick, Dean Howard University School of Education

David B. Ciotta (Chief Executive Officer ABMM Financial)

Walter Lundy, Christopher Zingard, Dr. Mort Sherman (Assoc. Exec.Dir AASA), Cristina Gallo, Dr. Leslie Fenwick, Dean Howard University School of Education, Dr. Joe Harriston (Asst, Prof. Howard University, Dr. Samuel T. King (Former Supt. Norforfolk, VA) & Dr. Bernadine Futrell (Dir. Awards & Collaborations AASA)

Dr. Greg Thornton (CEO Baltimore City Public Schools) with Veronica Rivera (Ex, Dir. AlAS) Charles Jackson Jr. with his Mother Dr. Barbara Jackson

The Dr. Floretta D. McKenzie Urban Superintendents Academy Fellowship Program Dr. Debra M. Evans, Norrie Bigger, Dr. Andrae Townsel (Vice Principal Banneker Senior High School, DC, Dr. Marilyn Brown with Dr. Jessica Huizenga (Asst. Superintendent Cambridge, MA)

Dr. Lundy with Dr. Deborah Keys

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Karen Moore, 66 (right), crowned American Classic Woman of the Year. The pageant’s Board Chair, ANC 6E01 Commissioner Alexander Padro (3rd right), served as Master of Ceremonies for the program held at the Lincoln Theater in Northwest that also celebrated the 85th birthday of the pageant’s founding director, Letha Mae Blount (2nd right). Other winners included: Yvonne Davis (1st left), Ms. Congeniality; 2nd Runner-up Salematou Yansane (2nd left); and 1st Runner-up Diane Wilks (3rd left).

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Women Cycle W I HBreak O T Tthe OP I C Sof Compiled D. Kevin McNeir | WI Managing Editor Domestic Violence

Texas Woman Found Dead in Cell By Tia Carol Jones

law enforcement. said they28, was threat,” said.in a Texas jail cell. One week ago, on July 13, She Sandra Bland, found she hanging hadView come together tohad bring a gotten Among Marlow The Prairie A&M 2009 grad recently a job inthe the programs school’s agricultural sense uniformity theshe way wants toabout see the implemented department andofaccording to herin sister, was “euphoric” opportunity. are When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, But somehow, after being stopped on July 10 while driving through Waller County old daughter told her the father survivors are treated. rights forEncinia victim's near her alma mater, Bland was stopped by Statemore Trooper Brian forfamilies “failing of her daughter threatened her using her own personal intervene on behalf a victo signal a “She's lane change.” According to footage oftothe arrest captured by theofofficer’s life, and the life of their child, story, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assesswords were exchanged between the two and a heated confrontation ensued. she knew something had todashcam, be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further In his report on the stop, Encinia said Bland “became combative and uncooperative.” done. Out of her frustration said about Marlow. training for law enforcement She was eventually arrested and booked for third-degree felony and, as is the procewith law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecto authorities, she was placed in a cell alone. Meanwhile, her family began of the situation, she decideddure to according who reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counselto make arrangements bail.she But “puts early Monday, 13, she was found hanging from a start the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” Shefor said the July ing for batterers. petition with a plastic trash can liner around her neck. Houston forensic officials have ruled her are deathever a suicide. paign. case in such a way, the average “If we going to eradiThe family wants independent Bland’s death adds fuel to the fire in a national debate about American law “It seems to be an a vicious cycleautopsy. person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must enforcement’s of blacks. But what actually happened? Did book officerswill for the Waller County Office that won'ttreatment turn my family end of the day, the look at bothSheriff’s sides of thefollow coin. proper in the trafficMarlow stop, the arrest Bland’sbegin detainment? Willa her be swept the rug? loose,”procedure Marlow said. helpand people to have dia-deathWe need under to address both the vicshared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow ence at the District Heights Also present at the event was said. Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the exMarlow would also like to see on May 7 at the District HeightsD.C. Mayor wife of JohnBowser Allenappeared Muhammad, Muriel on CNBC’sprograms “Morning Joe” on Tuesday,toJuly raise 21 – designed Municipal Center. The sympowasmonth sentenced sixAnd consecamong children in markingwho her sixth on thetojob. the safetyawareness of the District was at the top of her sium was sponsored by list theof priorities. utive life terms without parole public and private schools. She Family and Youth Services“We want by ato Maryland jury for on histhe role inof police feels body children need to beweeducatbe on the forefront issue cameras because believe Center of the city of District theboth Beltway attacks ed to about domestic violence. they make the policeSniper and people safer. Asinit relates privacy matters and the releasing Heights and the National HookMildred Muhammad have stop pasof tapes,2002. we’re working that out,” Bowser said.is “D.C. is“We a much safertocity nowbeing than when Up of Black Women. the founder I was growing up here.”of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilMarlow has written a book,The co-host an organization that that helps dren about domestic of the show noted D.C.the stands as one of the nation’s largestviolence,” cities with “Color Me Butterfly,” which women is a in survivors domestic violence said. leadershipof positions, including the healthMarlow department head, the school chancelstory about four generationslor, ofthe chief and of their children. Marlow has worked to break police and, of course, the mayor. domestic violence. The book isBowser “I in about fear for years. Six to investing the cyclein of in schools her family, alsolived talked hersix commitment theabuse District’s and inspired by her own experiences, yearstoin fear is to a long It is environment and is confident the the policies she youth, bringing more investors and corporations contribute D.C.’s time. stable business and tackling challenge and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that of traffic. her daughter. of,”50,000. she said. “Inmother the 1950s,and D.C.’sher population was around It’s grown to 600,000 today and process. we expect to see an additional 200,000 She said every time she reads Mildred said “I plan to take these policies residents in a very short time. We need to expand Metro andMuhammad to do that we need a permanent transportation bill,” she added.to excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to Bowser also said that while she disagrees with some of the recent comments made by Donald Trump, his new hotel project can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. on Pennsylvania Avenue, property that is federally owned, will be an asset to the District. Therefore, she supports it, with a from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into “I will not stop until these policaveat. won the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” “The federal government chose him for the project; we need to see him deliver so that more jobs are made available for our Books” Award. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached residents,” she said. “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-UpMarking the first anniversary of his death, hundreds of people assembled of Black Women, said there isoutside no of the federal courthouse in Brooklyn last Saturday, demanding that consistency in the way domestic federal civil rights charges be filed in the death of Eric Garner. violence issues are dealt with by Garner’s death on July 17, 2014, served as the spark that ignited nationwide protests over a slew of police-involved killings of unarmed black men. Speakers on Saturday included: The Rev. Al Sharpton; Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown [who was shot dead by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri]; Garner’s daughter, Emerald; Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner; and Scott M. Stringer, New York City’s comptroller who approved a $5.9 million settlement to Garner’s family earlier this week. Legal eagles say it will be difficult for federal prosecutors to prove a criminal civil rights case against police officers. In the Garner case, officials must show that the amount of force used by Officer Pantaleo when he put Garner in a chokehold that led to his death, was unreasonable or excessive and that the officer willfully deprived Garner of his civil rights. WI Staff Writer

Bowser Shines on Morning Joe

The Washington Informer Newspaper THE WASHINGTON INFORMER InPUBLISHER Memoriam NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414)Dr.isCalvin Denise Rolark Sr. Barnes W. Rolark, published weekly on each Thursday. Wilhelmina J. Rolark Periodicals postage paid at WashingSTAFF WASHINGTON INFORMER ton,THE D.C. and additional mailing of- NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published weekly Thursday. Periodicals paid atMcNeir, Washington, D.C.Editor and additional D. Kevin Managing fices. Newsonand advertising deadlinepostage mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. is Monday prior to publication. AnAnnouncements must be received twoRon weeks prior to event. Copyright 2000 by The Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director nouncements must be received two Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POST MASTER: Send change of addressweeks event. Copyright 2015 Barnes, Assistant Editor es toprior The to Washington Informer, 3117Lafayette Martin Luther King,IV, Jr. Ave., S.E. Photo Washington, by D.C. The 20032. Washington Informer. All No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permisJohn E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor rights POSTMASTER: sionreserved. from the publisher. TheSend Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of change of addresses to The rates Washphotographs. Subscription are $30 per year,Rowley, two yearsOnline $45. Papers Dorothy Editorwill be received not more than 3117 a weekMartin after publication. Make checks payable to: ington Informer, Luther Brian Young, Design & Layout King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 20032. No part of this publication may Mable Neville, Bookkeeper 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. • Washington, D.C. 20032 be reproduced without written permisPhone: 202 561-4100 • Fax: 202 574-3785 Mickey Thompson, Social Sightings columnist sion from the publisher. The Informer E-mail: news@washingtoninformer.com Newspaper cannot guarantee the return Stacey Palmer, Social Media Specialist www.washingtoninformer.com of photographs. Subscription rates are Angie Johnson, Circulation $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will PUBLISHER be received not more than a week after Denise Rolark Barnes REPORTERS publication. Make checks payable to: STAFF REPORTERS Stacy Brown, Sam P.K. Collins, Eve Ferguson, THE WASHINGTON Brooke N. Garner INFORMER Managing Elton Editor Hayes, Tia D. C. Jones, Laiscell, Dorothy KevinEdMcNeir, Carla PeayLuther King, Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, 3117 Martin Jr. Ave., S.E Rowley, Barrington Kia Croom, Ron BurkeD.C. 20032 Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells,Salmon, Joseph Young Washington, Sarafina Wright Mable Whittaker Bookkeeper Phone: 202 561-4100 LaNita Wrenn Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS Fax:John 202 574-3785 E. De Freitas Sports Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, news@washingtoninformer.com Victor Holt Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, PHOTOGRAPHERS www.washingtoninformer.com Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert John E. DeFreitas, Shevry Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster Ridley, Victor Holt Lassiter,

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Eric Garner’s Family Continues to Seek Justice

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 Nationals Inspire Youth to Read a Book I Summer will Reading not program, stop which until The D.C. Public laws. Library’s 2015 runs through August, recently got a real boost when Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg showedpolicies up at a venue inare Southeast to read and these passed. interact with local youth.

“

In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark

Strasburg, along with his wife Rachel and their daughter Raegan, an L.Y. spent Marlow hour with an enthusiastic group of children on Saturday, July 18 as part of Paul Trantham the District’s largest program that targets the “summer slide” – or the loss INTERNS of learning that children experience during the summer months. Jordan Shanks The Nationals have made a three-year $750,000 commitment to the reading program. Children (ages 6 through 18) who reach their eight-hour reading goal receive a host of incentives including a soft baseball, a Nationals 4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com Activity Book and tickets to select Nationals games. Other Nats players continue to traverse the District with books in tow. The team hopes to reach thousands of children before the end of the program. Roy Lewis, Corey Parrish, CIRCULATION Travis Riddick, Nancy Shia

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Aida’s Electronics, a store in D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood in Northwest, has been ordered closed for one year for selling synthetic drugs. /Photo by Travis Riddick

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D.C. Store Ordered Closed for Selling Synthetic Drugs WI Staff D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced Wednesday a court order imposing the oneyear closure of a store owned by a retired police officer for repeated sales of synthetic drugs, less than a week after Mayor Muriel Bowser signed legislation cracking down on the sale of the imitation drugs in the city. Aida’s Electronics, located in the city’s Bloomingdale neighborhood in Northwest on Florida Avenue, had been the site of multiple seizures of synthetic drugs as well as the shooting of an employee which may have been related to a sale of the illegal drugs, the attorney general’s office said.

The order, issued by Superior Court Judge John Campbell, prevents Early or anyone else from operating the store or any other business at the location for a year. Additionally, the order cancels all of Early’s business licenses while preventing other parties from obtaining a business license for the location for a year. Racine said his office has been pursuing litigation since November against store owner William Early, who had worked for the Metropolitan Police Department. “Synthetic drugs poison our youth and endanger our public safety,” Racine said. “The message is clear: Businesses that sell synthetic drugs in the District of Columbia will face regulato-

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AROUND THE REGION WEEK OF JULY 23 TO JULY 29

Black Facts

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July 23 1778 - More than 700 blacks participate in Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.

independence. 1880 - Inventor, AP Abourne was awarded a patent for refining coconut oil.

July 24 1651 – Anthony (or Antonio) Johnson, a free black man who had purchased freedom for himself and his wife, is awarded 250 acres of land in North Hampton, Virginia. Johnson was among the first group of 20 black indentured servants brought to America in 1619. 1802 – Famed French writer Alexandre Dumas is born to a French general and a black Haitian woman. Dumas would go on to become a prolific writer and one of the most widely read French authors. He is best known for classics such as “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” 1904 – Actor Ira Aldridge is born in Africa. He would come to America, learn English and German and develop into one of the world’s most accomplished Shakespearean actors. He played the role of the Moor Othello on many occasions.

July 28 1868 - The 14th Amendment, making blacks citizens was passed. 1917 - Thousands of blacks marched in The New York City Fifth Avenue March to put an end to lynching and racial inequalities.

July 25 1916 – The black inventor of America’s first gas mask, Garrett T. Morgan, made national headlines on this day when he and a team of volunteers used his invention to rescue 32 workers trapped in a gas filled tunnel 250 miles under Lake Erie. Morgan also invented the first traffic light. 1972 – Faced with possible exposure by the media, the federal government (specifically the U.S. Public Health Service) finally acknowledges its involvement in the horrific and immoral Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Some 399 black men (mostly poor sharecroppers from Alabama) were injected with syphilis and led to believe they were being treated for “bad blood” while they were being given fake medicines in order to discover the long-term effects of syphilis. July 26 1847 – President Joseph J. Roberts declared the West African nation of Liberia an independent republic. Former U.S. slaves who returned to Africa primarily founded the nation. 1926 – The NAACP awards its prestigious Spingarn Medal to Carter G. Woodson “Father of black History” for his work in black History. July 27 1816 - Fort Blount on Apalachicola Bay, Florida, was attacked by U.S. troops. The Fort, which was held by fugitive slaves and Indians, was taken after a siege lasting several days. 1847 - After departing New York Port in 1820 the first group of freed blacks landed first in Sherbro Island in Sierra Leone and later moved on to Bushrod Island in what is today Monrovia and established a state. By 1847 the country declared its

July 29 1885 - The First National Convention of black Women was held in Boston, Massachusetts. 1919 - First convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians was held in Chicago. It awarded its first scholarship to the young Marian Anderson. 2002 - Physician Bernard A. Harris, Jr. becomes an astronaut. July 30 1839 - Slave rebels, led by Joseph Cinque, killed a captain and took over Amistad in the most celebrated American slave mutinies. Rebels were captured off Long Island on August 26. 1863 - President Lincoln issued an “eye-foreye” order, warning the Confederacy that the Union would shoot a rebel prisoner for every black prisoner shot, and would condemn a rebel prisoner to a life of hard labor for every black prisoner sold into slavery. 1866 - Edward G. Walker, son of abolitionist David Walker, and Charles L. Mitchell were elected to the Massachusetts Assembly from Boston. They became the first blacks to sit in the legislature of an American state in the post-Civil War period. 1936 - Influential blues guitarist and singer Buddy Guy is born in Lettsworth, Louisiana. His most popular records included, “First Time I Met The Blues,” and “Stone Crazy.”

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AROUND THE REGION INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY ELTON HAYES

VIEWP INT Lisa Crooms-Robinson Washington, D.C. I guess it has changed my opinion, because before I had no reason to believe that he would have done the stuff that he’s accused of doing. But, in light of the fact that he became a major icon in the 1980s for functional, patriarchal families, and what black men are supposed to be like, yes, my opinion has changed. I don’t think he can come back from this. That bell has been rung.

Felicia Dillard Washington, D.C. Honestly, my opinion of him was not very high to begin with. He seems to have been able to upset a lot of people over the years by what he’s said, especially about the black community. I feel as though, for him right now to stand at the level he’s currently on, and have the allegations leveled against him and for him to not respond to them, is a detriment to him and a detriment to the community.

HAVE THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST BILL COSBY CHANGED YOUR OPINION OF THE ICONIC TELEVISION FATHER AND COMEDIAN? DO YOU THINK HIS REPUTATION WILL BE ABLE TO BE RESTORED AS TIME PASSES?

Adrianne George Washington, D.C. I’m disappointed with the allegations and I take them very seriously. I was a big Bill Cosby fan and I’m still holding out hope until everything comes out. But I am disappointed. What he admitted to in the court depositions is egregious, so it’s disappointing. Can he come back? I don’t know. Bill Cosby was beloved, but I really don’t know if he can come back.

Jesse Emerson Silver Spring, Maryland The allegations have changed my opinion of Bill Cosby. He was America’s favorite dad and these allegations are like a slap in the face, especially to African Americans after he chastised so many about their wrongdoings in life. Now, all of sudden, we find out that he has all of these skeletons in his closet. I don’t think this is something that he will be able to bounce back from.

Ernestine W. Anderson Washington, D.C. I don’t think Bill Cosby drugged the alleged victims. I think they were looking for fame and they just got caught up. I hope he will be able to bounce back from this. I really liked him as a father and comedian and I don’t think he had malicious intent when he slept with the women.

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AROUND THE REGION COSBY from Page 1 processes weren’t followed here.” The excerpts released by the New York Times offered few new details likely to alter Cosby’s legal situation. He did not admit to sexually assaulting Constand or the 13 other women she had lined up as potential witnesses in her case. But the stories that the general public has been fed easily lead one to believe that Cosby admitted to rape, which he did not. Jimmy “JJ” Walker, who portrayed heavyweight fighter “Bootney Farnsworth” in the wildly popular 1975 movie “Let’s Do It Again,’ – which starred Cosby and screen legend Sidney Poitier – said Cosby was known as a ladies man in the 1970s. Walker said drugs and sex were – and remain – as much a part of Hollywood as the Walk of Fame.

Former “Cosby Show” actor Joseph C. Phillips – who portrayed Cosby’s son-in-law on the television program – said he has no doubt his former mentor is guilty. Phillips cited a conversation he had with another of Cosby’s former protégées who told him a “horrible” story about Cosby. Still, the opinions and transcripts don’t make Cosby guilty, his remaining fans argue. “I have yet to hear a report that shows there is evidence other than someone’s word or media innuendo that Cosby raped someone,” said Jerrod Hamilton of Southeast. “He’s guilty of adultery, but that’s between him and his wife,” Hamilton said. “Don’t get me wrong,” said Latonia Jeffers, Hamilton’s girlfriend. “I’m not saying all of these women are lying, but they have no proof, and this is a black man who is accused by a bunch of white women. It doesn’t add up because Cosby would have

Bill Cosby’s Pound Cake speech still holds lots of water. /Courtesy photo

been lynched in the 1960s and even the 1970s if he touched white women, especially without their consent,” Jeffers said. While friends, even Whoopi Goldberg, have now jumped off the ever-smaller bandwagon of Cosby defenders, the fallen star received an unlikely benefit of

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the doubt from columnist Andrea Peyser of the New York Post. Peyser has written many great columns, including several in which she advocates for women’s rights, and often tees off on men like Cosby who are perceived publicly as predators. “Bill Cosby is a lousy husband and a possible sex addict. But is he a rapist? I have my doubts,” Peyser wrote in the New York Post on July 16 after the court transcripts were leaked. Is Cosby, 78, so diabolically creepy that he secretly slipped Quaaludes into the mouths of his alleged victims, as even President Obama suggests? Perhaps, Peyser said. “But I’m starting to think that Cosby’s ‘crimes’ were not rapes, but high-pressure seductions,” she said, candidly acknowledging that her words might be construed as female heresy. “Still, I wonder if some, if not most (or maybe all?), of the doz-

ens of women who claim Cosby attempted or completed sexual assaults against them, dating back as far as the 1960s, swallowed drugs willingly before the encounters,” Peyser said. The rub is that we may never know because criminal and civil statutes of limitations have long run on any claims against Cosby. “That’s probably why CNN and other media are reveling in all of this,” Hamilton said. “He was powerful, but Cosby’s message made sense and it was one that, if listened to and followed, would potentially uplift blacks and get those in the inner city to do what’s necessary to become a force in this world.” Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Cosby delivered his now-infamous Pound Cake speech. “Today, ladies and gentlemen,

COLLEGE from Page 1

a federal match of $3 for every $1 invested by states to waive tuition and fees at community, technical and tribal colleges. “States would pay for about 25 percent of the program’s costs,” Scott said. Also, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the bill would require everyone to “Step up, have skin in the game, and do their part.” “This legislation represents a huge step forward and builds on the momentum we’re seeing to reduce the cost of college and expand college affordability,” Duncan said. In February, Obama proclaimed that making college free would provide everyone a chance to graduate ready for the new economy, without being immersed in debt. “Understand, you’ve got to earn it, you’ve got to keep your grades up and graduate on time,” the president said, pointing out what some have already accomplished. “Tennessee, a state with Republican leadership, and Chicago, a city with Democratic leadership, are showing that free community college is possible,” Obama said. “I want to spread that idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today.”WI

extremely important,” Scott said. “We know that it’s important to our ability to compete on an international basis and a global economy.” The bill, titled “America’s College Promise Act of 2015” would make two years of community college free, and it would provide an affordable pathway for low-income students to a four-year college degree. The bill is similar to what President Barack Obama had earlier laid out, but the reported $90 billion price tag it carries over 10 years puts the measure about $30 billion above what the president had sought. House Republicans have voiced opposition to the measure. Butterfield, Scott and other supporters said that as many as 9 million students would benefit, each saving about $3,800 in yearly tuition. If it becomes law, the bill will also make credits transferable between community colleges and four-year institutions or occupational training programs. Students at minority-serving institutions could use Pell Grants to help cover their remaining living expenses and other costs. Scott said states would have to agree to certain reforms to participate in the program and students would have to maintain satisfactory academic progress. The legislation would provide

COSBY Page 35

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Washington Informer 3.65 in W x 8 in H Representatives from two countries celebrate the opening of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C./Photo by Nancy Shia

CUBA from Page 1 width.”‑ On a hot and muggy July 20 morning, a throng of diplomat, supporters, onlookers and passersby on 16th Street watched as three soldiers – resplendent in white tunics and blue striped pants – high-stepped out of the embassy to the flagpole. They unfurled the Cuban flag and raised it accompanied by Cuba’s national anthem, El Himno de Bayamo. The trio of soldiers, standing ramrod straight, saluted until the last strains wafted off into the air. The solemn ceremony completed, cheers of “Viva Cuba!” and “Fidel! Fidel! as chants of solidarity erupted. The red, white and blue flag blew softly under a cloudy blue sky to sustained applause. The ceremony marked the symbolic end of hostilities between the U.S. and Cuba after 54 years. In 1959, Fidel Castro and a band of rebels toppled the U.S. – supported a Fulgencia Batista government and later established a Communist regime. The U.S. cut diplomatic ties in 1961. Although U.S. officials opened the embassy in Havana on Monday, the State Department said it will host a flag-raising ceremony in Havana when Secretary of State John Kerry visits Cuba on August 14. Cuban President Raul Castro says he’s pleased both countries are resuming diplomatic ties. In a letter to Obama, Castro said Cuba is doing so because it is “encouraged by the reciprocal intention to develop respectful relations and cooperation be-

Cuban President Raul Castro says he’s pleased both countries [the U.S. and Cuba] are resuming diplomatic ties. In a letter to Obama, Castro said Cuba is doing so because it is “encouraged by the reciprocal intention to develop respectful relations and cooperation between our people and governments.” tween our people and governments.” Officials on both sides acknowledge that reopening the embassies is the first step in what Castro called “a long and complex process toward normalization of bilateral ties.” Cuba is still demanding the return of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo, an end to the U.S. embargo and resolution of other outstanding issues. Ena Frias, the only child of Cuban parents, said she’s “on the fence” about the developments. “I always hoped for it to open. I’m very, very excited with what’s happening now,” said the Los Angeles, California resident. “I was surprised a little bit with Obama. When he came in, he eased restrictions. Not much had really changed, but this came rather abruptly.” Frias said she was in Cuba two weeks ago and was also there last December. “I flew in on the very day when Obama made the announcement about normalization,” she said. “Tourism has skyrocketed in the last seven months. We need to remember that the embargo hasn’t been lifted. People are excited but they don’t understand

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the repercussions. It would be a nightmare to just open everything. I don’t think the Cuban government will change its stance. They have no intention. A mix of capitalism and socialism will give people more options.” The thawing of diplomatic relations is not without its critics. One of Obama’s harshest critics is New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez who accused the U.S. of choosing to establish relations with a government not elected by its citizens, adding that Obama opted for his legacy over democracy and human rights. Cuervo said she romanticized Cuba as a young revolutionary but now has a more nuanced view. “These relations with the U.S. will open the minds of both Cubans and Americans so that we can finally understand that truth never lies in only one side of the continuum,” she said. “Socialism can offer great gains for the poor, while capitalism offers the possibility of working for a living and of being able to aspire to a life without repression.”WI

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Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) held a press conference on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, July 21, to call for the help and attention of the still missing 200-plus Nigerian schoolgirls due to terrorist group Boko Haram. /Photo by Freddie Allen

Congresswoman Wilson Revisits Atrocities Abroad Nigerian President Buhari Visits with President Obama By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer

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Over a year ago the hash tag “BringBackOurGirls” broke Twitter, introducing millions of people to the terrorist group Boko Haram and the 270-plus, nameless, faceless schoolgirls kidnapped in the northeastern part of Nigeria. Twenty-first century social media activism brought awareness to the crimes, however lawmakers like Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) believe that the mainstream media still does not give this pertinent human rights issue enough attention. On Tuesday, July 21, Wilson held a press conference on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol to coincide with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s first visit with President Barack Obama on Monday, July 20. “President Obama was going to go to Nigeria to meet with Buhari, but his schedule wouldn’t allow it, so Buhari came here with the expressed purpose of discussing Boko Haram and the kidnapped girls,” Wilson said. On April 14, 2014, an estimated 276 schoolgirls became hostages of Boko Haram after being captured from the Chibok Secondary Government Secondary School in Borno, Nigeria. The Washington Informer

Wilson declared that Boko Haram now has a chapter in the terrorist organization ISIS and everyone should care. “We need Boko Haram to get the attention ISIS is getting. They don’t get the kind of publicity they deserve for the terrorism they’re reigning on Nigerians, especially the girls. Can you imagine what these young girls are going through? They have menstruations and they’re out in the woods,” Wilson said. “Education Must Continue,” an organization started by a husband and wife duo in Nigeria, focuses on getting displaced children back in school. They stood with Wilson in solidarity as she called for more coverage of the on-going travesty. “Two hundred nineteen girls are still in captivity. All they were trying to do was seek an education. Boko Haram is against western education which they believe is a sin,” Paul Gadzama said. According to Paul’s wife Becky Gadzama, Boko Haram’s reign covers the equivalent of the state of Virginia in Nigeria. “We are here to get the word out and keep hope alive to Nigerians that they (Boko Haram) will be defeated,” Becky said. “The threat of safety is very real. They are changing their strategies, attacking small towns. You never can tell when the dan-

ger will strike,” Paul said. Since becoming Nigeria’s sitting president in May of 2015, Buhari has actively sought to clean up the country’s most troubling issues such as corruption and Boko Haram. On Monday, Obama pledged renewed support to Nigeria to defeat the terrorist group. Buhari’s administration has received $5 million from the U.S. since he took office. “The federal government has been working with Nigeria firsthand to help their military with resources like intelligence,” Wilson said. “I am sure there was some sort of agreement reached between the two presidents.” Wilson places the safety of the 200-plus girls close to her heart. “I am an educator, mother and school principal by trade. I believe in education for children – all children. Black lives matter everywhere, not just for those in the United States,” Wilson said. Wilson believes that Buhari possesses the leadership qualities needed to rid Nigeria of Boko Haram. “He is tackling corruption head on. Because of the person Mr. Buhari is and what he has shown we are on the right track,” Wilson said. “After today, I have a lot of hope.”WI

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The 2015 District of Columbia Sustainability Awards

The Government of the District of Columbia is looking for leaders in the private and non-profit sectors to serve as examples of sustainability. For the past six years, the District has recognized outstanding achievements in sustainability by individuals, businesses, schools, institutions, and organizations based in the District.

The Tower Companies The Towers Companies was the first organization to win the Mayor’s Sustainability Awards twice, first in 2009 and again in 2013. Founded in 1947, The Tower Companies is a familyowned business and operator of residential and commercial properties in the capital region. Ninety percent of the buildings

The 2015 District of Columbia Sustainability Awards deadline is August 28, 2015. The application process is free and easy! For further instructions and the cover sheet, go to http://ddoe.dc.gov/ sustainabilityawards. Please contact Mary Lynn Wilhere with the District Department of the Environment with any questions at marylynn.wilhere@dc.gov or 202-535-1939.

Who in our community is building a more sustainable future?

INABILIT A T

DISTRICT

The Sustainability Awards, administered by the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), recognizes outstanding individuals, businesses, schools, institutions, and organizations for their environmental leadership and contributions to the Mayor’s vision that the District becomes the greenest, healthiest, and most livable city in the nation.

OF COLU MB

AWARD

Take a look at the work of past winners’ and if you think you stack up, submit an application! Past winner come from a wide range of fields, here are two specific examples of sustainable organizations that have won a Sustainability Award in the past.

FRESHFARM Markets is one of the largest farmers markets in the Washington, DC area. Their farmers raise food using sustainable practices, ensuring that fresh, seasonal foods are available to District residents. Their chefs also provide market demonstrations that feature seasonal foods at all of their markets and educate shoppers about nutrition and how to cook fresh, healthy foods. Their gleaning program encourages farmers to donate fresh food to a nonprofit partner in the market’s neighborhood that uses the food for emergency food needs or food service training. Since 1997, FRESHFARM Markets has donated over 100 tons of fresh food to nonprofit organizations like DC Central Kitchen, Thrive DC, and Miriam’s Kitchen.

Nominate a business, school, organization or individual!

Past winners have included ANC commissioners, small business owners, environmental educators, and non-profits working to make the District more sustainable. All winners’ projects support Mayor Bowser’s Sustainable DC initiative, which aims to make the District the nation’s greenest, healthiest, most sustainable city. Efforts encompass sustainability in the built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy.

FRESHFARM Markets

Students and Staff from Thurgood Marshall Academy—a past Sustainability Award winner from 2011. / Courtesy Photo

15 SUS 20

Is your business is “green?” Do you run your organization in an environmentally-friendly way? Do neighbors look to you as a role model of sustainable living? If yes, you should be recognized for your leadership by applying for a Sustainability Award.

that Tower owns and manages are US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED® certified buildings. The Tower Companies has implemented real-time energy management at their properties, which reduces energy usage by implementing innovative technology and educating tenants. As a registered partner in the Climate Registry, Tower Companies offset 100% of its greenhouse gas inventory with purchase of wind power RECs and carbon offsets. The Tower Companies has also contributed to the community by partnering with Casey Trees on tree planting projects and volunteering their time at annual Rock Creek Clean up.

Submitted by District Department of the Environment

Your application for the 2015 Sustainability Awards should be no more than three (3) written pages. Applicants who are participating in the Smarter DC Challenge (the District’s green organization and property challenge) will receive ten extra points in the scoring process.

For more information on the application process, go to www.ddoe.dc.gov/sustainabilityawards Submit your Application by Friday, August 28, 2015 to Mary Lynn Wilhere: marylynn.wilhere@dc.gov. If you have questions, please call (202) 535-1939.

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July 23 - July 29 2015

AROUND THE REGION

Carson Wins DC GOP Poll By Jordan Shanks WI Intern Republican Presidential Candidate Ben Carson won the DC Republican Party straw poll on Monday, July 20. Hundreds of people attended the campaign event at the Wonder Bread factory in the Shaw-Howard community in Northwest. The DC GOP enthusiastically welcomed the 63-year-old retired neurosurgeon as he addressed an audience of 350. Roughly 30 attendees were African American. “He’s a man that appeals to a lot of people, particularly in the District of Columbia,” said Republican National Committee (RNC) state chairman Jose Cunningham addressing Carson’s chances in the straw poll. The results from the poll showed Ben Carson at 44 percent, Jeb Bush at 17 percent and Senator Marco Rubio at 11 percent. Both Bush and Rubio sent representatives in their staid. Carson discussed a range of topics during his speech including climate change, education, health care, immigration, marijuana and national debt. He

began his speech by describing what it was like growing up in Detroit. “My parents got divorced and we moved from Detroit to Boston,” he said. “And I was sitting on the ghetto stairs, thinking about my life. There was so much misery around, broken glass all over the place, boarded windows and doors, sirens and gangs, murders.” “Both of my older cousins, who we adored, were killed,” Carson continued. “I remember seeing people lying on the ground, with bullet holes, waiting to die. But, probably the thing that impressed me the most were the roaches. We had large, aggressive roaches. In the more upscale areas they call them water bugs but we knew what they were.” William Reed, a black Republican, commented on whether Carson’s platform would appeal to black voters. “I would suggest that black voters look and see what’s on his agenda for black people. Obama didn’t do much,” Reed said. Carson also shared his thoughts on pursuing the

In a quest to become the 2016 Republican nominee for U.S. president, Dr. Ben Carson addresses the DC Republican Party at a straw poll event held at the old Wonder Bread factory on Monday, July 20 in Northwest. /Photo by Nancy Shia

American dream, referencing earlier conversations with his mother. “She would always say, ‘Do you have a brain?’ – that was really her thing,” he said. “You know, developing yourself in-

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tellectually. That is so important because it really is the great divide in our country. It doesn’t really matter what your socioeconomic background is. If you get a good education, you can pretty much write your own ticket.” Although Carson was the only presidential candidate in attendance all were invited to the event. Seventeen candidates have entered the race for the Republican Party. The chairman of the DC Republican Party, Jose Cunningham shared his views about the upcoming meeting of the area’s Republicans. “Next year the DC Republican Party will hold a straw convention to select 16 voting delegates to the Republican National Convention,” Cunningham said. Sixteen alternate delegates and

a presidential nominee will also be selected at the state convention. The DC Republican Party Central Committee consists of registered Republicans living throughout the District of Columbia in all eight wards who are nominated and elected to serve as members. “[Tonight’s] straw poll could provide some indication as to how District Republicans will vote,” Cunningham added. “I cannot think of a better speaker for America’s only urban Republican state party straw poll than someone [like Carson] who was raised in Detroit and whose highly successful medical career in Baltimore, Maryland raised him to great prominence.” WI

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July 23 - July 29 2015

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Jones: Central Services Vital to County Workings By William J. Ford WI Contributing Writer @jabariwill The police department and law office are essential agencies in Prince George’s County, but Roland L. Jones will calmly say there’s another office even more vital. Jones, the director of the county’s Office of Central Services, oversees an annual budget of $36 million that manages county-wide duties such as maintenance on more than 4,000 vehicles, purchasing items for 41 bureaus and renovating libraries. “[Central Services] is the most important office in the county government,” Jones said at his office Thursday, July 16.

“We touch nearly every aspect of county government that benefits not only our employees, but our constituents as well.” He said the biggest job the office deals with involves managing and inspecting the county’s 140 facilities. For example, workers must check on air-conditioning units in the summer and ensure the heat works in the winter at the county administration building, county courthouse and fire and police stations, among others. When commuters drive around the county, they may notice some of the police vehicles changed its colors from blue and white to blue and gray. Central Services administered that project. “Maintaining those vehicles

Roland L. Jones, director of the county’s Office of Central Services, says his agency is the most important because its work touches every county department. (Courtesy photo)

is important for … the county employees to do various jobs,” said Jones, 54, who has been the director since January 2014. “If

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you can’t get to people, then you can’t service people.” The office also helps small businesses and minority- and veteran-owned businesses through the Supplier Development and Diversity Division by working in conjunction with the county’s Economic Development Corp. The EDC seeks to attract new businesses in the county. Once a business arrives, the SDDD would help a business owner settle in and learn the procurement process, get certification and even receive training on how to manage a budget. Central Services also operates a Sustainable Energy program that looks to reduce costs in gas, electricity and carbon emissions. Last year, the county received a $649,000 state grant and used part of the money to purchase six plug-in electric hybrid vehicles that cost at least $30,000 each. In addition, three electric charging stations cost a total of $60,000. According to a brief description on the county’s website, the grant also helped pay for 11 energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems at a senior citizen public housing complex in Hyattsville, Maryland. The website also highlights projects municipalities participated in the so-called Solar Energy Recovery Plan to mount solar panels on municipal buildings. Erica Bannerman, an energy manager with Central Services, said the solar program started in 2008 and supervised by more

than two dozen municipalities known as the Prince George’s County Municipal Collaborative. “It’s really cool,” said Bannerman, who participates as a technical adviser. “Ever since they formed, they have probably received $2 million to $3 million in grant funds for energy efficiency.” Stanley Mosley, public works director for the town of Forest Heights, Maryland, said 80 solar panels are on the municipal building with the town saving thousands of dollars using less electricity. Mosley helped the town join 13 other municipalities to split a nearly $1 million weatherization state grant to upgrade the homes of seniors and low-income residents. He said about 25 families in Forest Heights have already received new items such as a stove, refrigerator and insulation in the walls and attics. Another 20 homes are scheduled to get some of those improvements this year. The estimated cost to work on each home: $5,000. “When you can help families who did not have the wherewithal to become more comfortable, that’s a good thing,” Mosley, 67, said. “It feels wonderful and adds purpose to your life.” Meanwhile, Central Services will seek private businesses to help work on a waste to energy program that would reduce trash going into the landfill in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. So far, Jones said the office received 300 solicitations from companies nationwide and internationally. “That is really where the future is going. We can’t keep creating waste,” said Jones, who previously worked as executive director of the SDDD for about three years. “We want to set a good example because … what changes the mindset of how we do things from a cultural perspective is really driven by the government.” For more information, go to www.princegeorgescountymd. gov/sites/CentralServices or call 301-883-6450.WI

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Prince George’s County Returning To China for Business Mission

Business Reps Will Embark on a Three-City Tour in September By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation hosted a breakfast meeting of more than 60 business owners, convincing them of the benefits of doing business with the world’s largest economy. County Executive Rushern L. Baker III announced his 2015 China Business Mission on Friday, July 17, in Largo, Maryland. “For me it’s one of my favorite trips. Before becoming a city executive I wondered what it would be like to lead a team abroad. We went to Brazil, India, but when we went to China it was just different,” Baker said. In 2014, Baker led the inaugural event. This year, along with the EDC, he hopes to build on the relationships established then. “At every stop we went to they were telling us what they are interested in. For us in PG County we have city life, agriculture, everything companies are looking for,” Baker said. “If we’re going to grow in the state of Maryland, I guarantee it’s going to happen here. We’re right next to DC and we’ve got space, office and undeveloped land.” This year, the EDC seeks to promote the county’s exports,

attract foreign investments to development projects and sign a Sister City Agreement with the Changping District of Beijing. Jim Coleman, president and CEO of PGEDC, stated that he met with the county’s 100 largest employers in preparation for the upcoming business mission. “At the EDC we want you to know we care about you. We want you to know about resources at the county, state and federal level,” Coleman said. “I’m really focused on results. We’re going to do everything in our power for you to win.” The eight-day excursion from Sept. 4-12 includes stops in Beijing, Xiamen and Shanghai. Delegates will be able to attend forums, business networking and investor meetings. Also, there will be an opportunity to attend China’s largest annual trade and investment conference, China International Fair for Investment and Trade. Mario Theranus, president and CEO of Econoshippers, came to the event to hear how his shipping company could benefit. “My business does global shipping. Oceans, exports, imports we ship worldwide, having connections in China could be very valuable.” Theranus believes that being around other business owners in

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker and Prince George’s Economic Development Corporation President Jim Coleman at a breakfast meeting in Largo, Md., on Friday, July 17, encouraging local business representatives to participate in the 2015 China Business Mission. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

Prince George’s County would also be beneficial for his business. “All of these people here are

exporters and importers. I need to network with them as part of my businesses development,” Theranus said.

So far the China Business Mission has produced a success story with Scott Nordheimer, whose Regional Center helped secure Chinese investment funding for a real estate development in College Park, Md. Lisa Weimin Liu, president of the United States - China Association of Commerce and General Manager of Long River Realty, has seen progress with her business endeavors through the China Business Mission. “I just came from China two days ago. Once you go you see so many small- and medium-size companies looking for partners, but you have to have a lot of time and patience,” Liu said. PG County has helped a lot with what we’re trying to do and it’s very nice we get to go back.” Businessmen like Ron Lipscomb attended and sponsored the China Business Mission last year because he believes there can be no international business without the financial powerhouse of China. “Instead of getting a high interest loan from the bank, China offers investment dollars. This project will put the county ahead of the curb.” WI

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The Washington Informer

July 23 - July 29 2015

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDUCATION BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer Immersion Schools Renamed for Poet, Educator The names of two French immersion programs in Temple Hills, Maryland, have been changed in honor of a poet and an educator. While John Hanson French Immersion has been renamed Maya Angelou French Immersion, the school system’s oldest French immersion program now bears the name of longtime Maryland educator Dr. Dora Kennedy – the first supervisor of foreign-language education in Prince George’s County public schools. “We are honored to adopt the name of this great author, activist, actress, screenwriter, and poet,” said Martha Kristy, acting principal at the school named for Angelou. “She was not only a courageous, talented woman, but she also spoke several languages including French and Italian.” Angelou’s career spanned 50 years during which time she achieved international recognition and acclaim. Kennedy, who was a woman of great vision,

also exhibited a love of language learning. “It’s important to carry on the great tradition of Dr. Dora Kennedy in adopting her name and goals of educating bilingual students ready to work and collaborate for the global economy,” said Nasser Abi, principal of the nationally-distinguished “blue ribbon” school. “Without her, there would be no French Immersion Program.” Summer Youth Program The summer “SEED 2 FEED” program aims to grow strong, healthy and inspired teens in the county – through the hands-on work of growing food, cooking and food justice outreach. The program, which runs through Aug. 7 and includes field trips, also creates a safe space where participants can experience leadership development, personal growth, collaboration and job training, while acquiring knowledge about a sustainable food system through composting, nutrition education and healthy living. New applicants can join the program, located at ECO City Farms in Bladensburg, Maryland

Maya Angelou French Immersion School in Temple Hills, Maryland has been named for the late poet. /Courtesy photo

through Aug. 7. For more information, contact kayla@ecocityfarms.org. Zoey Excels at Leadership, Skills Conference Zoey De Los Santos, who recently graduated from Laurel High School in Laurel, Maryland, placed ninth at the 51st annual “SkillsUSA National Lead-

ership and Skills Conference,” held late last month in Louisville, Kentucky. Zoey, 18, competed in the es-

thetics competition where she tested in four areas including: an oral skin consultation; a written examination that covered the fundamentals of skin care, sanitation and skin analysis; a hands-on basic facial demonstration; and a day-time and fantasy make-up application. “Being able to participate in a national competition was such an exciting and rewarding opportunity for me,” said Zoey. “I placed in the top 10, which was a personal goal of mine, and became more confident in my skills and decision to pursue a career in cosmetology.” Zoey was one of just two PGCPS students to win the SkillsUSA Esthetics State Competition in February. At that time, she focused on a fantasy look inspired by Snow White. WI

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Participants in the SEED 2 FEED youth summer program acquire knowledge about urban farming, composting, nutrition education, and healthy living. /Photo courtesy PGCPS

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Zoey De Los Santos (center), shown with a friend and her cosmetology instructor, placed ninth in the 51st annual “SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.”/Photo courtesy Gofundme.com

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Regional Hospital Step Closer to Approval By William J. Ford WI Contributing Writer@ jabariwill The Prince George’s County District Council made no decision Monday, July 20 on a proposed regional hospital project that would house 231 beds, cancer and trauma centers and a behavioral health services. That means District Council, a legislative body comprised of the County Council members who discuss projects on zoning and land use matters, agreed with the Planning Commission’s approval on the more than $630 million hospital project last month. Council Vice Chairman Derrick Leon Davis (D-District 6) declined to comment after the meeting until the county clerk’s office sends a formal letter to the Planning Commission stating council took “no action” on the plan. Final approval now rests with the Maryland Health Care Commission which reviews cases on whether a new hospital would be applicable in the county based on need, cost effective-

ness and other factors. The hospital applicant, Dimensions Healthcare System of Cheverly, Maryland, seeks “a certificate of need” from the commission in order to build a state-of-the-art hospital and get rid of the more than 70-year-old Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly. Kevin R. McDonald, chief of the certificate of need division for the commission, said in a phone interview July 20 the commission received an application sent by Dimensions in October 2013. However, questions arose on the application such as presenting full financial figures, number of beds and educational component as a teaching facility. McDonald said the applicant submitted a modified document in January which started the review process over. The commission docketed, or placed the plan on its calendar, in April. Although the commission usually takes 90 days to approve a plan once it’s on the docket, McDonald said two “interested parties” who wrote letters objecting the proposal could elongate

A proposed regional hospital in Largo, Maryland must wait for state approval in order to begin construction on a 231-bed facility with a resident program, behavioral health services and a cancer center to open by 2019. /Photo courtesy Dimensions Healthcare System

the process until at least November. Two hospitals within 25 miles of the Largo location – Doctors Community Hospital of Lanham, Maryland, and Anne Arundel Medical Center of Annapolis, Maryland – submitted letters May 4 to the commission opposing the plan. Some of those objections include the viability of cardiac surgery programs, a faulty business plan and take away patients from its facilities that offer similar service. The Prince George’s Health Department also sent a letter on May 4 in support of the proposal.

“When the wealth of the overall county is compared to the health disparities within our community, the need for the new regional hospital is undebatable,” Pamela B. Creekmur, health officer in the county’s Health Department, said in a three-page letter. A study by the University of Maryland School of Public Health states Prince George’s residents are higher in chronic diseases – asthma, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease – than those in neighboring Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery counties. In terms of primary care physicians, about 54 per 100,000 people are located in Prince George’s, according to the study. Using the same ratio, 66 of those physicians practice in Anne Arundel County; 77 in Howard County; and 95 in Montgomery

County. The state average is 84. Besides the health care benefits, Prince George’s could generate thousands of dollars in tax revenue. According to an economic report commissioned by county officials, University of Maryland Medical System and Retail Properties of America of Oak Brook, Illinois, the county would receive $30 million in local taxes while the hospital’s under construction. Retail Properties owns the nearby Boulevard at Capital Centre. The hospital would be built at the Largo Town Center, a mixed-used development slated to have 4,340 residential units, a 653-room hotel and nearly three million square feet of commercial and office space. After the hospital and town center are built, the county could receive $3 billion in economic activity, produce nearly 25,400 jobs and earning $1.4 billion in salaries. The area would also create more pedestrian traffic with its location adjacent to the Largo Town Center metro station. “We think that is an excellent location. It is about taking advantage of the metro access and taking advantage of a major employer coming to the area,” said Cheryl Cort, policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth in Northeast. “We hope the street that would divide the Boulevard at Capital Centre and the hospital complex is more [pedestrian friendly] so visitors from the hospital and shopping center will be able to walk freely.” WI

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July 23 - July 29 2015

BUSINESS

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BUSINESS EXCHANGE

Stop the Government’s “Business as Usual” There’s a new sheriff in town. George Schutter, the newly appointed Office of Contracts & Procurement Chief Procurement Officer invites District of Columbia-based businesses to take steps required to do business with the government. Washingtonians interested in increasing their chances and opportunities of doing business with the government should: 1) Attend an OCP Vendor Workshop; 2) Meet the requirements for doing business; 3) Register with OCP to receive” notices of open solicitation’s; 4) Become certified; and 5) Regularly visit ocp.dc.gov to view procurement opportunities. Schutter told the 2016 ProBiz conference that his vision is to “continue to develop” the agency and that it “moves forward” under his tenure with increased successes and progress for Washington’s small and black businesses. To do business with the District Government, D.C.-based businesses need to interact with the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) and the Office of Contracts & Procurement. The DSLBD is supposed to “supports the development, economic growth, and retention of District-based businesses, and promote economic development throughout the city’s commercial districts.” DSLBD is to develop a business environment that connects local companies to business opportunities in real-time, supports quick and confident navigation of government agencies and opportunities. In order to be eligible for CBE certification, a business must demonstrate it is a bona fide District-based business. The business must have its principal office located in the District and the chief executive officer and highest level managerial employees of the business must maintain their office and perform managerial functions there. The business must meet one of four standards: have more than 50 percent of assets located in the District, more than 50 percent of its total sales or other revenues derived from transactions in the District, more than 50 percent of

By William Reed employees be District residents or more than 50 percent of the owners be residents. The Office of Contracting and Procurement was established by law in 1997. Its mission is to partner with vendors and agencies to purchase quality goods and services in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost while ensuring that all purchasing actions are conducted fairly and impartially. Each year, OCP processes solicitations that yield contract awards and over 10,000 purchase orders, totaling more than $1.1 billion. OCP serves 60 agencies and programs. OCP procures goods, services, transportation and specialty equipment, as well as information technology. The agency is organized into four divisions: The Procurement division acquires goods and services on behalf of District agencies under the Chief Procurement Officer’s authority. 2) Office of Procurement Integrity and Compliance 3) Information Technology and 4) Administration - each month, the Office of Contracting and Procurement, in conjunction with the Department of Small and Local Business Development, hosts a General Vendor Workshop to discuss how to do business with the District. Status quo ante is Latin for “the way things were before.” It refers to a rescission in which the situation is restored to “the state in which previously” it existed the state of affairs that existed previously. Through their awards of certain sole source contracts, many violations of small-business contracting rules have occurred. To be successful, Schutter has to ensure that small businesses have access to tools they need to grow and create jobs. To assure this, Schutter, should have his staffers imagine blacks and their business as capable, talented, innovative, resourceful, operations. He needs

REED Page 19

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Jelani Consulting Funnels Blacks into Tech World By Kia Croom WI Contributing Writer Technology has become a major vehicle of economic growth in the U.S. economy. With tech companies under growing pressure to diversify their workforces, Jelani Consulting Inc. is addressing tech disparities by pipelining women and minorities into tech sector careers. “Research shows roughly 2 percent of tech workers in the top Silicon Valley companies are black. Just 4.5 percent of college graduates with degrees in computer science and engineering from research universities are black. We need to increase the number of blacks pursuing careers in tech disciplines and increase the number of students getting jobs,” said Meka Gerald Mofor, founder and CEO of Jelani Consulting Inc. Jelani Consulting Inc. is a local information technology consulting firm offering accelerated training courses in Oracle Database Administration taught by Oracle experts. The program includes a strong mentorship component, which offers participants resume writing services

REED from Page 18 to immediately implement professional development and sensitivity training to ensure that the agency not only meets the spirit but the letter of the law; Nonprofits that are trying to dominate the health care industry and circumvent compliance and SBE/CBE utiliza-

and support in preparing for interviews. “Our team works hard to help our students get jobs that can as much as double their annual salary. We train them and help them prepare for interviews. We provide them with job leads, and even sometimes we even liaise between them and prospective employers,” Mofor said. Davis Williams was employed as a security guard before completing Jelani Consulting Inc.’s Oracle DBA training program. Within four weeks of completing the course, he landed a job with a federal agency, earning a six-figure annual salary. “With more income, I’ve been able to provide a better quality of life for my family. You just have to be committed to putting the time in and utilizing the instructors. They are very knowledgeable, Williams said.” Mofor started the company in 2009 in his living room. With the growing demand for certified database administrators in the D.C. metro area, Mofor realized a heightened interest in the program and quickly established the company’s headquarters in Greenbelt.

To date, Jelani Consulting Inc. has trained 207 participants. Eighty-six (42.5 percent) program alumni have secured jobs as Oracle database administrators with public agencies and companies including the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Homeland Security and a number of other agencies. Mofor says he’s excited about the synergy around and the tech industry, especially the Obama administration’s commitment to providing more Americans with the training necessary to secure jobs in the tech industry. In March, the Obama administration announced the TechHire Initiative, a $100 million program designed to bolster tech hiring nationwide. The program, which is already underway in 21 regions, unites businesses and schools to address the need for more software developers, cybersecurity experts and information technology engineers. Mofor says Jelani Consulting Inc. supports TechHire and is committed to offering high-quality training to increase the supply of minority tech workers in the D.C. metro area.WI

tion of set-aside laws 20 years old. There needs to be a change in the public’s and government officials’ attitudes about set-aside programs. And the hostile attitude that OCP contracting officers often exhibit toward Certified Business Enterprises has to end. Schutter, make it a priority that OCP staff do their

job as required by law and cease the barrage of .the waivers and sole source contracting. Contact OCP’s Customer Center at 202-724-4477. WI

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William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and is available for projects via busxchng@his. com. The Washington Informer

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July 23 - July 29 2015

HEALTH

Cheh Spearheads Death With Dignity Legislation By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer @bsalmondc Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old California woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, decided last year to end her life on her own terms. So, with her husband’s support and blessings, the pair moved to Oregon so that she could take advantage of the state’s law that allows terminally ill adults who are of sound mind to seek medical help to die. Peg Sandeen, executive director of the Death with Dignity National Center in Oregon, said Maynard’s actions invigorated the national debate about the choices individuals seek to exercise toward the ends of the their lives. “What she did was huge,” said Sandeen. “Public opinion in support

of dying with dignity is pretty consistent. The Gallup and Harris polls show that 60 percent of the public support it when the poll uses neutral language. We understand how polls rise and fall.” A recent poll, Sandeen said, showed 70 percent support, which Sandeen characterized as “strong support.” Currently, Oregon, Washington and Vermont have Death With Dignity laws in place, while Montana and New Mexico have legislation that isn’t codified but decriminalizes someone writing a prescription. On the Death With Dignity website, supporters have posted their personal stories detailing their desire for the bill to pass in California. Here’s one example: My father, Mark Gonnella, passed away of co-

O.J. Brigance of the Baltimore Ravens takes part in a death with dignity debate with testimony about how his most significant feat came after he grieved his degenerative condition and decided to live. /Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Sun

lon cancer in California on March 10th, 2007, at the age of 51. I am still haunted by the extent to which he suffered in his final days. I remember my father telling me that he “didn’t want to die this way”; that he “didn’t want to suffer.” If my father had the

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option of aid in dying medication, he would have taken it. I spent the last week of my father’s life pressing the button of his timed morphine pump every 10 minutes, on the dot. He would still wake up screaming in pain. I wish I didn’t have to remember him that way. I wish he could have died on his own terms. —Francesca G. Sandeen said Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh called her and asked what she needed to craft the legislation carefully and with the right balance. Cheh is one of a number of national legislators who Sandeen and her organization have helped bring about policy reform. Cheh introduced the Death With Dignity Act of 2015 recently, and so far there has been one hearing. A similar bill will soon be introduced in the Maryland legislature by Sen. Ronald Young. “I’d been thinking about introducing (this bill) for some time. I was going to introduce it in 2011 with (former Council member David Catania, but it was dwarfed by other social issues such as same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana,” said Cheh during a July 20 interview. “People have experiences with other people suffering. People faced death and wanted options. My instinct tells me it’s time. Cheh said some of the responses she has gotten are anecdotal, including conversations she’s had with members of the public in supermarkets and elsewhere around the District. The hearing, hosted in Council member David Grosso’s office, was an opportunity for the press to meet and hear directly from a resident who has received a terminal diagnosis; Sandeen; a District healthcare professional who was a childhood friend of Maynard; and a social worker and advocate from the state of Oregon. “This bill offers another choice. It allows you control things in final

days,” Cheh said. “In the hearing, I was sort of convinced they (participants at the hearing) understand how carefully crafted the bill is. It’s based on Oregon’s. Cheh said those choosing to exercise the option to end their lives must be terminally ill and have six months or less to live. The bill’s provisions include a stipulation that if people are on the “threshold of death,” they have to talk to a minister and a physician has to be willing to do this. Once they are satisfied that a person is mentally competent and close to death, two doctors would have to consent to giving the person the drugs that would end their lives. The choices available to those seeking to end their lives include refusing medical care or end care. They could be medicated, given extra medication, which is done often, or they can starve. That’s what D.C. lawyer John B. Rehm did, Cheh explained. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and his wife, Diane, a radio host on National Public Radio, said her husband chose to end his life after he could no longer function or move his arms and legs without help because of the illness. He stopped taking food or fluids over the course of several days, which led to his death. Cheh said there’s a stigma attached to the idea of someone wanting to have control over how he or she dies, and Sandeen acknowledged that there is opposition to supporters. “100 percent it’s the Catholic Church,” she said. “It’s not like we see the Catholic Church as the face. The institution of the Catholic Church launched an opponent campaign. Of $5 million raised, $3.8 million was given by the Catholic Church. They didn’t put the pope or bishops up; they gave money to political campaigns. They put doctors up. The only viable opponent is the Catholic Church.” Sandeen said most of the organization’s money comes from individuals, members and from people whose family died painfully. She said 27 states and the District of Columbia are or have considered implementing Death With Dignity laws, and she said she hopes legislators will become less afraid of dealing with this issue. The future, she said, is promising. “In three to five years, I think we’ll see many more states. Maybe six to eight, I think will go. Maryland will go next year,” said Sandeen. “We’re working with several states. Maine fell by one vote in the Senate. Connecticut and Maryland are close, California has a stumbling block and Hawaii is gaining momentum.” WI

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HEALTH The former Addison School, which sits on more than 7 acres, will be modernized and restored by MGM so it can be utilized as an employment center to train thousands of residents for positions at the planned casino resort. MGM officials have repeatedly noted that certain qualifi-

cations, including special clearances, are required to work at a gaming facility so the company wants to offer residents the opportunity to be prepared to work at the resort. “The best part of the story is there is an agreement between MGM National Harbor and Prince George’s County Gov-

ernment that once MGM has completed their use of the property, it will be given back to the community for their use,” Husser said. “As you can see there are a myriad of very positive things happening around The Addison School Project.” WI

The shuttered Thomas Addison Elementary School in Oxon Hill is being transformed into a training center by MGM National Harbor. /Courtesy photo.

School Renovation Continues

MGM to Employ Training, Development By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer A little known fact within the multitude of benefits the community will reap from the $1.25 billion MGM National Harbor Casino Resort project – the company will pour more than $4 million into renovating the vacant Thomas Addison Elementary School in Oxon Hill – less than a stone’s throw from the casino development. The former school has been vacant for six years and MGM has an agreement in place with Prince George’s County to turn it into a casino job training center for local residents. Afterward, the center will be handed back to the county. “Thomas Addison Elementary is going to be redeveloped into a workforce hiring, training and resource center,” said Malik Husser, the senior public relations and community relations supervisor for the Northwest-based R&R Partners. Husser’s firm is also handling some of the public relations for MGM National Harbor. Construction should begin in the next couple of months with two minority-owned firms taking the lead on the architectural construction and design build and another company on the sustainable design side that will provide historic preservation and sustainable design services, Husser said. “When the project is completed, it will be LEED certified,” he said. The renovation was part of a Community Benefits Agreement signed by MGM and Prince

George’s County Executive Rushern Baker to assure that thousands of jobs, tens of millions in payroll and robust local minority business opportunities will remain in the county during both the construction and operations of the new world-class resort. “We feel this agreement manifests our commitment to create thousands of new local jobs and provide enormous economic benefits to the people of Prince George’s County,” Lorenzo Creighton, president and CEO of MGM National Harbor, said after signing the agreement. “Baker and his team worked diligently crafting a tough but realistic agreement. Above all things, I know we share the common goal of ensuring that Prince George’s County residents receive significant economic benefits from MGM National Harbor,” Creighton said. MGM’s plan has met the approval of DC Statehood Student Association member Christian Addison, who says he’s a descendent of the school’s namesake. “Thanks to MGM for rebuilding my family’s school, Addison Elementary at the National Harbor, and giving it back to our community,” Addison noted. “The school was a site on the Underground Railroad and my seventh generation grandfather Robert Addison and his son, Thomas Addison, an abolitionist, were both educated here on the Addison plantation in the early 1800s. I can’t wait for it to open so stayed tuned for the ribbon cutting ceremony. This one means a lot to me personally, so I hope they do a great job.”

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Children, ages 18 and younger receive free meals at all open sites; no registration or ID required.

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July 23 - July 29 2015

DCPS EDUCATION BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

FOOD to 877-877, visit dcsummermeals.dc.gov, or call 211.

Free Meals All Summer Free breakfast and lunch are available during the remaining weeks of summer to all District children and youth up to age 18. The free meals will be offered Monday through Friday at parks and recreation centers, churches, community-based organizations and 48 schools throughout the city. Participants can show up at any of the sites to receive a meal without being enrolled in summer school program. However, they must show identification or register in order to receive the meals. Each of the sites will serve hot, nutritious and delicious meals, such as sweet & sour chicken served with brown rice, local Asian broccoli, fresh orange slices and milk. The meals will also be served from a cart outside of H.D. Woodson High School in Northeast and Ketcham Elementary School in Southeast. To find a location, Text

Truancy Testimony Chancellor Kaya Henderson testified late last month before the D.C. Council’s Committee on Education, saying that over the past few years, the school system has continued to make progress in its efforts to reduce truancy. “Our attendance staff has worked diligently to adhere to the protocol and provide needed support to our students,” Henderson said during testimony on June 29 at the John A. Wilson Building in Northwest. “Much of our progress can also be attributed to the strong partnerships we have with [various city agencies that include the Metropolitan Police Department and the Children and Family Services Agency] and the many community-based organizations with whom we work,” she said. “As we all know, we cannot do this work in isolation, and it will take the combined commitment of the entire District to see the

A truant student faces both his school’s attendance counselor (left) and his father. /Photo courtesy Kavitha Cardoza for DCPS

significant reduction in truancy that we all desire.” Henderson noted that efforts to curb truancy focus specifically on ninth graders who are most likely to skip school. She added that school officials have projected the truancy rate for the 2014-15 term at 17.9 percent, which would be almost a half percentage point reduction from the previous year and more than a 10 percent point reduction from the truancy rate five years ago. Faculty, Staff Evaluations Discussed Chancellor Henderson also participated in late June in a

public roundtable at the John A. Wilson Building where the discussion centered faculty and staff evaluations. During her testimony on June 22 before the D.C.’s Council Committee on Education, Henderson pointed out that prior to 2007, no meaningful evaluation system for any employees existed. “Today, all DCPS employees are evaluated annually,” said Henderson. “Prior to 2007, there was no universally implemented curriculum. Today we not only have one of the strongest Common Core-aligned curricula in the country, but we have received multi-million dollar con-

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tributions to build on this work.” The chancellor also said that before 2007, the school system changed leadership every few years – and that in some cases, leadership changed almost annually. “A lot has changed since 2007, but I want to be emphatic in stating that this does not mean that our work is done or that I am satisfied with our results,” Henderson said. “I believe that we have put in place many of the conditions necessary for success, but that we have a long way to go to reach out goals.”WI

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July 23 - July 29 2015

AROUND THE REGION

District Still Grappling with Homelessness

The homeless shelter at Saint Elizabeth’s in Congress Heights often has throngs of people, mostly men, hanging outside the gates until the shelter opens at night. /Courtesy photo

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc On any given day after 7 a.m. rain or shine, the park located at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X avenues Southeast is filled with men who spent the previous night at the 801 East Men’s Shelter located on the campus of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Since shelter beds are at a premium, those who’re unemployed and others stay close to the hospital so that before 7 p.m. they are in position to secure one of the beds. Some men usually sit in small groups along St. E’s outer with bags and suitcases, while others spread their clothes out on the fence itself. The shelter, run by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, provides beds for more than 300 men. Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May said at a recent community meeting that she believes the men and others in the homeless population should be moved to permanent supportive housing. Her spokesperson said while funding wasn’t identified in the FY ‘16 budget to move all of the men at the 801 shelter to permanent supportive housing, in the interim, May is committed to ensuring that 801 is the best facility it can be. Father’s Day weekend May, her

staff and DGS, hosted a clean-up at the shelter. May has also scheduled a walk-through with DGS, to gain a better understanding of what city leaders, advocates and others need to do to provide better services to the residents at the facility. The situation in Ward 8 is symptomatic of a homelessness problem citywide. So far, despite the best efforts of city leaders and homeless advocates, homelessness continues to spiral upwards in the District. An annual citywide census done by volunteers and city employees earlier this year found more than 4,000 people living in homeless shelters. Overall, estimates indicate that more than 7,500 people are homeless living in shelters across the city and in hotels

and motels provided by the city. The crisis in the District driven by a housing boon, a subsequent shortage of available housing, an absence of affordable housing, and wages for working-class and middle-class residents that have not kept up with the cost of living and spiraling rents and housing costs. Housing experts note that it would take a person working at least three minimum-wage jobs to afford the typical rent for a two-bedroom apartment. And exacerbating the problem is cuts to Section 8 housing vouchers that has left thousands of residents without a way to get lowrent housing in the city. Residents with higher incomes have snapped up houses at such a rate that it has exacerbated the shortage which regional officials and public and private partners are struggling to catch up to. A number of reports show that

significant numbers of homeless people have jobs but don’t earn enough to afford the region’s rents. Approximately one in five homeless single adults is employed, with the same for one in every three of homeless adults in families with children. The 2016 budget passed by the D.C. Council maintains the $100 million investment into the Housing Production Trust Fund for producing and preserving affordable housing; invests $2.3 million for targeted affordable housing, $5 million for Local Rent Supplement Program vouchers and an additional $1.8 million for permanent supportive housing; restores a $500,000 cut to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program; and invests $9.6 million into the Home Purchase Assistance Program and increases the size of loans by 60 percent for qual-

ified first time home buyers to allow more young families the opportunity to purchase in the District. A 2015-2020 strategic plan commissioned by Bowser acknowledges the depth of the problem facing the city. “Because of rising housing costs and the loss of affordable housing stock, it has become increasingly difficult for people to quickly exit shelter and return to permanent housing,” those involved in the planning said. “As the average length of time people spend in shelter increases, we require more shelter units to simply serve the same number of households in a given year, as fewer units turn over and become available for new households. This has led to a situation where the District is spending millions of dollars on motel rooms to simply meet the emergency shelter needs of families.” Despite these and other challenges, Bowser has pledged to end family homelessness by 2018 and overall homelessness in the District by 2025, while improving the health, safety and quality of life for D.C. residents. She’s joined with political leadership on Montgomery and Prince George’s counties to combat the problem. “We all know that we are going to have to be proactive to solve this issue,” Bowser said. “Our response cannot be limited to sheltering people today,” she said at a regional summit on homelessness in March. “If we are ever going to get ahead of this issue, we must go further to truly address the root causes of housing instability.” WI

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL Cuba: A Step in the Right Direction

On a hot and muggy July 20 morning, a throng of diplomat, supporters, onlookers and passersby watched as three soldiers – resplendent in white tunics and blue striped pants – high-stepped out of the embassy to flagpole. They unfurled the Cuban flag, and raised it up the flagpole as music dominated by a trumpet played, followed by Cuba’s national anthem, El Himno de Bayamo. The trio of soldiers, standing ramrod straight, saluted until the last strains wafted off into the air. The solemn ceremony completed, cheers of “Viva Cuba!” and “Fidel! Fidel! while chants of solidarity broke out. The red, white and blue flag blew softly under a cloudy blue sky to sustained applause. This ceremony marked the symbolic end of hostilities between the United States and Cuba after 54 years. In 1959, Fidel Castro and a band of rebels toppled the U.S. – supported Fulgencia Batista government and later established a Communist regime. The imposition of an economic embargo and other sanctions, the Cuban Missile crisis, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and more than 600 attempts on Castro’s life by the Central Intelligence Agency, are just some of the milestones that mark the bitter relationship both countries have had. President Barack Obama when announcing the move toward normalization said: “The progress that we mark today is yet another demonstration that we don’t have to be imprisoned by the past,” “When something isn’t working, we can – and will – change.” We applaud the president for his willingness to toss away policies that no longer work. There’s still a long way to go for Cuba though, because Congress – the Do-Nothings – will have to vote to lift the embargo and presently it’s not clear if those in the legislative body will do that. Meanwhile, as money and opportunities come to Cuba, the people will begin to experience the tangible elements of the winds of change. An improved standard of living, greater choices and the embrace of some new technologies, ideas and best practices will help, not hurt the populace. It was past time to unshackle Cuba from the embargo and in the coming months and years we hope African Americans will not be shy in looking for business and other opportunities which our neighboring country has to offer.

Blacks Still Bear the Brunt of Stereotypes

When President Barack Obama won the election and became America’s 44th president, the media, pundits and social culture experts crowed about the arrival of a post-racial country. The fact that the electorate voted for a black man meant in many people’s minds that the dogged issue of America’s original sin – slavery – was behind us. But in subsequent years and particularly in the last three years, the country has had to face up to its racist past with the indiscriminate murders of black men, women and children by police officers and vigilantes. Yet, racism, discrimination and white privilege have their subtle, hidden sides that are difficult to identify and wrap our hands around. One reality that black people deal with frequently is the inconsistency with which they are viewed versus white people. Case in point, Dylan Roof, an avowed white supremacist, kills nine innocents at Emanuel AME church in South Carolina, and almost immediately, the media and commentators blamed mental illness for Roof ’s heinous crime. A judge even asked the public to have sympathy for the murderer and his family. In this and most other cases, offenders like Roof are seen as individuals who committed a crime and what they do, no matter how egregious, it’s never seen as a reflection on all white people. When white men act immorally or unethically, the public excuses their behavior and punish them with a slap on the wrist. But let a black person be thought to have acted inappropriately or have committed a crime and suddenly every black or brown person is painted with the broad brush of immorality or criminality. Black folks are tossed into one box and are judged more harshly. Whites smoke as much weed as blacks but blacks are arrested and charged in much higher numbers and rates. Stereotypes prevail and people of color suffer. Want to celebrate America’s exceptionalism? Eradicating these inequities seem like a good place to start.

I Stand Behind Our President

When I finished reading the front page story by Stacy M. Brown, “Obama: Prison Reform Needed,” in the July 16, 2015 edition, I felt like our first black president understands how it feels to be black in America. He stood in front of the whole world and said the things that blacks have been saying for years, but no one would listen. I understand the difficult position the president is in. Being the first black man elected to the office, we as blacks want him to do more for us. But as the president of the United States he has to be and do for all of the people – I get it. So, after reading the article I really feel he is doing what he can, when he can, for us. I am glad he is taking on the criminal justice system because it has been a yoke around black peoples’ necks ever since we were freed from slavery. The system has been used to continually keep blacks in chains. I know that the president is in his final term but to me he is doing the things I thought he would do when he first got in. I understand now why he couldn’t. I am very proud that he is doing and saying

these things now because now is better than never. He has done a great job as president and I am sure history will prove me right. I pray for him and his family daily. Raymond Hunter Washington, DC

Cosby: Innocent Until Proven Otherwise

If I’m not mistaken, in the U.S. court of law a man is innocent until proven guilty, right? So why is everybody distancing themselves from Bill Cosby? Has he been convicted of anything? The only thing I heard that even comes close to sounding like he did something wrong was that he said he bought drugs to give to women to have sex with him. That’s not a crime; during that time in American history, which was the 1970’s and 80’s, almost everybody was doing drugs and having sex. I see this as an attempt to completely destroy the image of a positive black man. There are probably hundreds of people in Hollywood who were doing the same things that Cosby is being tried in the public arena for, but they don’t have that positive black male image. It’s like when Tiger Woods got a divorce for be-

ing unfaithful to his wife, the PGA paraded him in front of the whole world and made him apologize. Apologize for what? He is not the only golfer to get a divorce for being unfaithful, but he was the only positive black male golfer. It was as if they just wanted to destroy the positive black male image. Now people want the Smithsonian to take down the artwork from The Cosby Collection and Ben’s Chili Bowl to end its relationship with Cosby. I am so glad that both the Smithsonian and the Ali family are not rushing to judgment. James Wise Washington, DC

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Saying Your Sorry Isn’t Sufficient “That’s what strikes me. There but for the grace of God.” That was President Obama’s reaction when he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit a federal prison, the medium-security El Reno Federal Correctional Institution near Oklahoma City. “These are young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made,” the

president told the press. “We have a tendency sometimes to almost take for granted or think it’s normal that so many young people end up in our criminal justice system. It’s not normal… What is normal is teenagers doing stupid things.” Obama’s statement was part of a new-found commitment to reform the criminal justice system, including reducing longterm mandatory sentencing, alleviating conditions with prisons, and new efforts to help ex-offenders get a start on the outside.

Obama is not alone. Driven partly by the financial squeeze and partly by spreading protests, reform of mass incarceration suddenly has bipartisan appeal. Hillary Clinton decried mass incarceration policies as “wrong,” even though many of them were championed by her husband. Bill Clinton admitted his policies had “put too many people in prison and for too long.” As Republican governors sought ways to save money and address overcrowding in jails,

Guest Columnist

former House Speaker Newt Gingrich joined in calling for sentencing reform. A new coalition, The Coalition for Public Safety, has been launched with support from everyone from the ACLU and George Soros on the left to FreedomWorks and the Koch brothers on the right. Senators from both parties have rushed to introduce bills to revise federal sentencing guidelines for nonviolent offenders. The president recently commuted the sentences of 46 men and women convicted un-

der those guidelines. More than 2 million people are still held in prisons and jails. The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population but 25 percent of its prison inmates. Millions of lives have been destroyed by harsh sentencing for what the president recognized were the “normal mistakes” that teenagers make. U.S. prisoners, not surprisingly, are overwhelmingly male, black

JACKSON Page 46

By Julianne Malveaux

Release Low-Level, Nonviolent Drug Offenders Jerry Alan Bailey was sentenced to more than 30 years in federal prison for conspiring to violate federal narcotics laws. Shauna Barry-Scott was sentenced to 20 years for having cocaine in her possession and intending to distribute it. Jerome Wayne Johnson grew marijuana plants and was charged with intending to distribute marijuana. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Douglas Lindsay

initially was sentenced to a life sentence for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, but early on his sentence was reduced to 24 years. Bailey, Barry-Scott, Wayne and Lindsay were among the 46 people whose sentences President Obama recently commuted. They are the lucky ones. There are 95,165 people – 48.6 percent of all federal inmates – incarcerated for drug-related crimes, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. (That’s triple

the second-largest category that includes weapons, explosives and arson; 31,743 or 16.2 percent of federal inmates are confined on those charges). Another 210,200 – 16 percent – were imprisoned in state facilities on drug-related offenses as of 2012. President Obama’s commutations of non-violent drug sentences are a step in the right direction. By choosing non-violent drug offenders, he highlights the draconian sentences that those committing these crimes receive.

Guest Columnist

The American Civil Liberties Union says that of the nearly 3,300 people getting life sentences for petty crimes, almost 2,600 will spend decades in jail for non-violent drug offenses. According to AlterNet, thanks to the “three strikes” law, Tyrone Taylor got life for selling an undercover agent $20 worth of crack. Taylor says he was a drug user, not a dealer. Still he got more time than many killers would. Leland Dodd, 59, got a life sentence for conspiracy to

traffic marijuana, and has already served 24 years in federal prison. Army veteran David Lincoln Hyatt had no prior record when he got a life sentence in 1993 for his role in a cocaine conspiracy. Now 65, he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and hopes to receive a compassionate release. Even the judge who sentenced him under mandatory minimum sentencing laws has advocated for his release.

MALVEAUX Page 46

By George E. Curry

How to Reform the Criminal Justice System There is no question that the criminal justice system is broken. President Barack Obama made that clear recently in his address to the annual convention of the NAACP in Philadelphia. “The United States is home to 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners,” he said. “Think about that. Our incarceration rate is four times higher than China’s. We keep more people behind bars than the top 35 Europe-

26 July 23 - July 29, 2015

an countries combined. “And it hasn’t always been the case – this huge explosion in incarceration rates. In 1980, there were 500,000 people behind bars in America – half a million people in 1980… Today there are 2.2 million. It has quadrupled since 1980. Our prison population has doubled in the last two decades alone.” On his visit to El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in Oklahoma, Obama said: “A primary driver of this mass incarceration phenomenon is our drug laws – our mandatory minimum sentencing around

drug laws. And we have to consider whether this is the smartest way for us to both control crime and rehabilitate individuals.” He added, “When we’re looking at nonviolent offenders, most of them growing up in environments in which the drug traffic is common, where many of their family members may have been involved in the drug trade, we have to reconsider whether 20-year, 30-year, life sentences for nonviolent crimes is the best way for us to solve these problems.” Of the 2.2 million people behind bars in 2012, nearly 1.5 million The Washington Informer

were in state and federal prisons and 744,500 were in local jails. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 38 percent of federal and state prisoners were black, 35 percent were White and 21 percent were Latino. How do we reform the criminal justice system? The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based organization that works for sentencing reform, offering alternatives to incarceration and ending racial disparities, said a number of things can be done to end or reduce mass incarceration. In its publication titled

“Ending Mass Incarceration: Social Interventions that Work,” the Sentencing Project stated. “Preschool education for at-risk three and four year olds is also an effective prevention strategy…Head Start and other preschool programs produce both short-term and longterm benefits. This includes reduced engagement with the criminal justice system through the age of 27, along with positive school outcomes and reduced need for social services.” On juvenile justice, the report said,

CURRY Page 46

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

Obama Calls for Criminal Justice Reform Whenever the president of the United States speaks to a national convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, millions of people pay attention. As a former executive director and CEO of the NAACP, I listened very carefully last week to President Barack Obama’s historic keynote address to the organization’s 106th annual convention in Philadelphia.

There was a noticeable deliberate “freedom of expression” style and substance in Obama’s speech to the NAACP. He was confident, candid and clear. Obama was unrestrained, passionate and focused. In other words, the president went straight to his main subject matter: the urgency and mandate today for criminal justice reform in the United States. Obama stated, “But today, I want to focus on one aspect of American life that remains particularly skewed by race and by

wealth, a source of inequity that has ripple effects on families and on communities and ultimately on our nation – and that is our criminal justice system.” Obama’s remarks were timely and welcomed by millions of families that have been devastated as a result of the injustice of the current court and prison system. It was full of analysis and statistics that went beyond typical political rhetoric. He cited the following facts to stress that now was the time for bipartisan corrective action by all levels of

Guest Columnist

government: The population of the U.S. has only 5 percent of the world’s population, but holds 25 percent of the world’s prisoners; In 1980, there were 500,000 people in prison in the U.S., but today there are 2.2 million, a disproportionate number of them African-American and Latino; The U.S. spends $80 billion per year on keeping people in prison, about the same amount of money it would take to make tuition free at all public universities and colleges across the na-

tion; One-third of the entire budget of the U.S. Justice Department is spent on incarceration; While African-Americans and Latino Americans make up about 30 percent of the U.S. population cumulatively, we make up 60 percent of the prison inmates in the U.S.; One in every 35 African-American men is imprisoned, compared with one in every 88 Latino men and one in

CHAVIS Page 47

By Marian Wright Edelman

How to Keep Our black Boys Alive The recent spotlight on systematic racial profiling and police brutality against black boys and men has exposed a painful truth long known in the black community: Just about every black youth and man seems to have a story about being stopped by the police, and all live daily with the understanding it can happen to any of them at any time. Terrell Strayhorn is Director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at the Ohio State University and

a Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Studies in the College of Education and Human Ecology. But none of these credentials mattered when Strayhorn was pulled over by a white police officer in June. He’d just bought a beautiful new car. “So I’m driving my really nice car because that’s what you can do in this country, right? You can work hard and you can make good money, and then you can use your money to buy a car…So I’m in my car, in my good hard-earned money car, and then comes a blue light in my rearview mir-

ror.” “And I watched an officer who does not know me come up to my window and say, ‘Mister, I need to see your license and registration.’ And I got ready to reach for it, and he reached for his gun – and I said, ‘Oh, my God. I know how this ends… “I put my hands back and I said, ‘Do I have permission to do what you just asked me to do?’ And the cop said, ‘Yes, you can now move.’” Only then did Strayhorn go ahead and pull out his registration and license, along with his university identification card, though the officer didn’t seem to care.

Askia-At-Large

“He said, ‘Do you know why I stopped you?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Because you don’t look old enough to drive this car.’ It sounded like a compliment, but then I had to remind him – in my head, not out loud – that in this country actually, [when] you get a driver’s license, you’re free to drive any car.” Recounting the story for the Children’s Defense Fund training for college-age students preparing to teach at CDF Freedom Schools, Strayhorn said: “When you are mistreated, deemed guilty before you are innocent, and oppressed by that form of

unbridled, misused power and authority, it is infuriating. It is offensive. It is enraging…The rage just started in my pinky toe and it climbed all up my body. But, thank God, I had what I’m going to say is the number-one thing: If you’re going to teach [our children] anything — teach them literacy, teach them numeracy, teach them vocabulary, teach them history, teach them political science, but listen – teach them how to control their rage.” He continued, “We’ve got to remember that while we’re teaching

EDELMAN Page 47

By Askia Muhammad

Many to Blame for Excessive Black Incarceration With exactly one and a half years left in office, that guy Barack Hussein Obama is turning into quite the “black president.” He’s always been the president who happens to be black, but lately he is channeling his own Frederick Douglass persona into his official behavior. In the antebellum days, Douglass was an escaped slave, the most popular speaker in the English-language

world, an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln, and a staunch advocate on behalf of the downtrodden Black masses. So here’s Obama, who has been a decidedly “All Lives Matter,” rather than a “Black Lives Matter” kind of guy, leading the Congregation singing “Amazing Grace,” kind of Rev. James Cleveland-style at a funeral for a preacher and South Carolina state senator, who was slain along with eight members of his congregation by a Confederate Army-sympathizing white su-

premacist. This came the same week the Supreme Court upheld his signature domestic achievement — the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare”— by a widening 6-3 margin. Bundle that with a deal that was 20 months of tough negotiating in the making that got Iran to destroy 98 percent of its weapons-grade uranium and to dismantle two-thirds of its centrifuges that produce the stuff, and the Prez was definitely on a roll. It was as though he had noth-

ing left to lose or rather nothing left to worry about trying to win by compromising, so like Django in the movie, he could at last be “unbound.” What did he do next? He commuted the sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders, and he visited a federal prison, becoming the first sitting president ever to do so. “These men and women were not hard criminals,” the president said after his visit. “Their punishment did not fit the crime.” In fact, 14 of those offenders whose sentences he

commuted had been sentenced to life in prison for nonviolent acts. The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population, while it holds 25 percent of the world’s prison population. Something is drastically wrong with that picture. In fact this country jails more than 2 million souls, more than all of the Western European countries combined – more people than even China with five times the U.S. population.

MUHAMMAD Page 47

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The “Piano Man” is one of “Mingering Mike’s” mixed media on paperboard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Northwest. /Photo credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.

“Grooving With Mike” is part of the collection on display at the Smithsonian in Northwest./Photo Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.

Smithsonian’s ‘Mingering Mike’ No Tall Tale Mystical District Artist Exhibit Remains on Display By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer The tale of Mingering Mike is one many have filed under, “you can’t make this stuff up.” It is one of fable, folklore, fantasy and even urban legend – provided one has doubt about the existence of someone who classifies themselves as mingering. But, the intrigue carried farther than just street talk and back alley shenanigans. It made its way to the boardroom of Pepco Holdings and ultimately into the hallowed halls of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Northwest where the works of the once aspiring soul singer – yes, Mike is a real person – include such mixed media paperboards as the “Piano Man,” “Finger Frustrations,” and “Grooving with Mike.” “Pepco has been a longtime supporter of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and we are extremely proud to have helped bring the ‘Mingering Mike’ exhibit to the community,” said Dave Velazquez, the executive vice president of Pepco Holdings, one of the largest and preeminent energy delivery companies in the nation. “The exhibit is unique and sends a message to all that hard work and perseverance can make dreams come true. Anyone who sees the ‘Mingering Mike’ exhibit will leave inspired,” Velasquez said, noting that Pepco is a major sponsor of the exhibit which has been on display since February 28 and concludes on August 2. The Washington Informer

Smithsonian officials’ best describe the work of “Mingering Mike” as a journey. The museum acquired a collection of over 150 artworks made between 1969 and 1976 by the self-taught District artist known only by his alter-ego, “Mingering Mike.” The collection comprises artworks constructed as part of the artist’s youthful fantasy of becoming a famous soul singer and songwriter, including LP albums made from painted cardboard, original album art, song lyrics and liner notes, self-recorded 45 rpm singles and more, all tracing the career of a would-be superstar. “Lots of kids create their own fantasy worlds, populating them with monsters or superheroes – representations of friends and family, persecutors and allies, foils and alter-egos. For some, it’s a way of getting by when they don’t fit in, or of escaping the hard reality of their daily lives,” Alicia Ault wrote about “Mingering Mike” for Smithsonian.com. “’Mingering Mike’ was one of those kids with a vivid fantasy world. As a young man growing up in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960s, he didn’t think of himself an artist. He was Mingering Mike, a made-up character for the musical world he inhabited in his mind,” Ault said. Now, decades later, at the age of 64, his early fantasy-life creations are on display in the exhibition. Smithsonian officials said the works powerfully evoke the black entertainers of the late 1960s

and 1970s and are a window onto an historical moment when black radio was new and Washington-based performers like Marvin Gaye were gaining national attention and transforming American music. “Mingering Mike” was among the countless kids who dreamed of being discovered. The lines between fantasy and reality are fluid in this body of work – Mingering Mike’s exuberantly illustrated record covers feature characters drawn from the artist’s own family and friends as well as “reviews” by real musicians such as Marvin Gaye and James Brown, and recordings of the artist’s original music are stamped with claims of having been made live in D.C. hot spots such as the Howard Theatre, according to the Smithsonian. The collection was lost to the artist in the early 2000s and discovered at a D.C. flea market by “record digger” and criminal investigator Dori Hadar in 2004. Hadar posted pictures of the albums to an online record forum and the imaginary superstar quickly became a cult sensation. Hadar eventually located the artist, who still lives in D.C., and connected him with art dealer and curator George Hemphill, who arranged the first exhibitions of Mingering Mike’s work. WI For the full story, go to www.washingtoninformer.com

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Reparations Study Group Reparations Study Group sessions will be Thursday, August 13, 2015 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Southeast Public Library, 403 7th Street, Southeast, 20003. Come Out and Join in This series features enlightening and educational discussion sessions and research presentations on “The Debt America Owes Black Descendants of Slaves.” 08/13/15 Here’s Your Chance to Declare “I deserve reparations” Tell Your Story Make a Public Declaration of Support for Your Race and What’s Right

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The Southeast Library is located on Capitol Hill across from the Eastern Market subway stop.

Robin Hamilton, The Reverend Ed King, Dorie Ladner, Dr. Leslie McLemore /Photo courtesy of Kevin Allen

Film Festival Showcases Civil Rights Struggles By Kia Croom WI Contributing Writer Harnessing the power of film, music and the arts, the March on Washington Film Festival, going on now at various venues throughout the District, tells stories of the past and reminds viewers that the fight for civil rights continues. “The festival commemorates civil rights leaders the Fannie Lou Hamer and Harry T. Moore but also helps foster a new generation of civil rights activists committed to fanning the flames of social unrest that have shaken up our country in past months to create a national movement,” said Robert Raben, event founder. The festival’s opening night featured the Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom exhibition located in the historic Thomas Jefferson Building. Civil rights activist Julian Bond attended and shared reflections with opening night patrons. The 10-day festival officially kicked off last Wednesday, July 15 with a discussion of women of the civil rights era and a screening of “This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer,” a documentary recounting the sharecroppers fight for black suffrage in Mississippi. Robin Hamilton, the documentary’s producer, spoke about her motivations for writing and directing the

film short. “Fannie Lou Hamer always resonated with me. When I read about her in college, I was just so moved by this woman who had all of these odds against her yet had this resilient spirit. She never gave up, despite circumstances that seemed impossible. And she just stayed with me,” Hamilton said. Hamilton said she extensively researched Hamer’s legacy before producing the documentary. She traveled to her hometown and interviewed her relatives, historians and peers who shared moving, personal accounts of her contributions to the civil rights movement. Hamilton said she’s ecstatic to showcase her first-ever production at March on Washington Film Festival. She learned of the event from a colleague who encouraged her to submit the film short for consideration. “This is very exciting and validating for me. I went out on a limb with very little money to make this happen,” she said. The festival will feature other newly-released film shorts including: “Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” and “The Trials of Constance Baker Motley,” as well as older films from the 1960s, such as “I Am Somebody.” Andria Francis, a resident of Ward 5, said she’s attended the event for the last two years. This year she brought her 10-year-old godson

Bernard along for a history lesson. “This event serves as a reminder that the fight for civil rights continues. The recent events in South Carolina, the Black Lives Matter Campaign and the controversy brewing down south over the Confederate flag are poignant reminders that there’s still a lot of work to do,” Francis said. Last Tuesday, the festival’s coordinators dedicated the day to South Carolina and the civil rights movement during an event that was planned prior to the shooting deaths of the nine church members at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston last month. “South Carolina’s history in the civil rights era is often overlooked. The state has long been a battleground,” said Marcela Salazar of the Raben Group. The festival will end Saturday, July 25, with an event at the Supreme Court, which has often served as the moral compass for countless civil rights matters. The March on Washington Film Festival debuted in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march. This year’s festival will span three cities—Atlanta, Washington, and New York. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion. Raben says he plans to expand to Los Angeles in the near future and add a Latino component. WI

2015.2016

AUDITIONS July 25 August 15

Interested in ballet? Register for auditions today!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

washingtonballet.org or 202.889.8150 1901 Mississippi Ave, SE Washington, DC 20020

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July 23 - July 29 2015

LIFESTYLE

The Town of Eatonville, Florida, served as the focus of both the book and movie “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”/ Photo courtesy Town of Eatonville

Eatonville Group: Saving a Black Legacy By Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

Join Us for

CAMP BREATHE HAPPY

OPEN HOUSE



Friday, July 24, 2015

 10:00AM to 1:00PM or 5:30PM to 7:30 PM

 United Medical Center, Conference Room 1 Located on the Ground Floor at 1310 Southern Ave SE

Meet the Camp Director! Ask questions! Meet other families! Submit applications on the spot to beat the DEADLINE! Camp Director, Ms. Lori Taylor, will be available to assist you with camp applications and paperwork. Please bring your child’s shot record (DC Universal Health Certificate) AND Asthma Action Plan with you to complete all paperwork the same day and be approved.

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In a small town just 6 miles north of minutes of Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida, a group of four black men has united in a fierce struggle to hold on to their history and legacy as the first incorporated African-American settlement community in the United States. Eatonville, Florida, populated with about 2,200 people, of whom 98 percent are black, was named in 1887 for Josiah Eaton, a white man who served as mayor of the neighboring town of Maitland, where most of Eatonville’s new residents originated. Decades later, Eatonville would serve as the focus of both the book “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by noted Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston and a 2005 movie of the same title starring Halle Berry. Former professional football player David “Deacon” Jones also grew up in Eatonville, which was placed in February 1998 on the United States National Register of Historic Places. However, today the town, which struggles with self-sufficiency, also faces the possibility of losing its historical identity despite the efforts of the Eatonville Cultural and Growth Corporation and a small but passionate group of supporters who’ve been meeting for more than a year to develop a plan to save the town’s sense of community and some of the residents’ longing for black empowerment. “I’ve been in this town since 1962, and it’s quite a bit that’s going on,” said Abraham Gordon, a former mayor and founder of the nonprofit ECGC, which aims to execute a vision for economic growth for the historic municipality and its residents. In doing so, ECGC wants to secure between $6 and $10 million dollars in donations and grants to purchase a 117-acre expanse of land designated as the remaining parcel of property

given in trust to the town of Eatonville in April 1889 by Edward and Anna Hungerford. “We’ve not gotten the kind of traction we’d like, but we’re working on it,” Gordon, 79, said. “We want to save that property land, and we want to reinvigorate the old high school that’s been closed since 1950,” he said, referencing plans that had called land donated in honor of the Hungerfords’ son, Robert Hungerford, to be used exclusively for the “creation of a co-educational normal school for Negroes.” However, the last 117 acres of a 300-acre tract of land, were deeded in 1951 for $16,000 to the Orange County School Board, with the understanding that the former Hungerford Preparatory High School on it and adjoining property would be used for the education of African-Americans. According to the ECGC, the land faces imminent threat of being permanently lost. “I don’t understand how that many acres of land was deeded with that kind of money,” Gordon said. “The town is dwindling. We want to start with renovations of the school into a technology school because not all of our kids want to go to a four-year college.” Gordon, who runs a restaurant in the town, added that when he served as mayor from 1980 to 1988, much of his efforts focused on the establishment of an economic base so that Eatonville could operate more efficiently. “We have Disneyworld about 30 minutes away, and we feel that with visitors to Disneyworld or Sea World and other nearby attractions, we would have lots of visitors, too,” he said. “But in light of the work we’re doing to develop something that would be an attraction in Eatonville and its viability as a town, it’s just been a real uphill battle. WI A Go Fund Me account has been established for people and organizations that want to make donations to help save the town of Eatonville. More information can be obtained by visiting ECGC’s website at ecgccfl.org. For the full story, go to www.washingtoninformer.com

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Newseum Features Washington Nationals

LIFESTYLE

Exhibit Photos, Memorabilia Highlights Team’s 10th Anniversary By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor The Newseum in Northwest has a new exhibit that will bring back memories of the Washington Nationals as they mark their tenth anniversary. The “Nationals at 10: Baseball Makes News” opens to the public on Friday, July 31. The exhibit includes some of the Nationals most unforgettable moments in their brief history, with artifacts including: the bat and ball from Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off home run in the team’s first game at Nationals Park in 2008; the pitching rubber and rosin bag used by Stephen Strasburg during his record-breaking 14-strikeout major league debut in 2010; the jersey worn by 19-year-old Bryce Harper in 2012 in his first major league game; and the home plate used during Jordan Zimmermann’s no-hitter in the last game

of the 2014 regular season. During the opening of the exhibit this weekend, Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2, tickets will be discounted at the Newseum to encourage greater attendance by fans. There will also be a host of decorative baseball keepsakes, a host of fun games for fans young and old and a sweepstakes where families can win tickets for upcoming Nationals home games. The Newseum has also kicked off a new series of social events, “Newseum Nights: Game On,” that includes an open beer and wine bar, free ballpark-themed snacks, a DJ and access to their exhibits and galleries. The Newseum serves as one of the District’s most informative and entertaining venues with exhibitions that tantalize the mind and invigorate the spirit of those who are true aficionados of the news. WI

“Nationals at 10: Baseball Makes News” opens at the Newseum July 31, 2015. Photo: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals)

“I FEEL LIKE

A FISH

WITH NO WATER.”

–JESSE, AGE 5

DESCRIBING ASTHMA

You know how to react to their asthma attacks. Here’s how to prevent them.

1- 866 - NO -ATTACKS

EVEN ONE ATTACK IS ONE TOO MANY

For more information log onto www.noattacks.org or call your doctor. Call 1-800-LUNG-USA for resources in your community provided by the Controlling Asthma in American Cities Project and the Minnesota Asthma Coalition.

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July 23 - July 29 2015

LIFESTYLE

Men Go Wild in Provocative Film

’Chocolate City’ Sets Twitter on Fire By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor Just when you thought films like “Magic Mike XXL” had captured the interest and imagination of moviegoers, along comes a more “ethnic” version – “Chocolate City” – that has raised the temperature of a host of anxious viewers. According to writers for Essence magazine, when “Chocolate City” first hit movie theaters earlier this summer, folks when crazy, going to the web and Twitter with all kinds of comments. Now the movie has made its way to BET as fans continue to weigh in on the featured male stars. With the chiseled bodies of stars like Tyson Beckford and

Michael Jai White standing front and center, leaving very little to the imagination, it’s no wonder that the ruckus over the film continues. The tantalizing dance feature will be released on DVD and Digital on August 4 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The film has an outstanding ensemble of actors including: Robert Ri’chard (Coach Carter); Tyson Beckford (Zoolander); Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day); Michael Jai White (Blood Bone); Darrin Dewitt Henson (Soul Food); DeRay Davis (G.I. Joe: Retaliation); Ginuwine (Parks and Recreation); and Carmen Electra (90201). In summary, the movie takes viewers on a wild ride inside the world of exotic male dancers

The men of “Chocolate City” strut their stuff. /Courtesy photo

where the men are “delicious.” Women go wild with the arrival of a young, new dancer,

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Ri’chard, who stars as Michael and who easily takes the spotlight. He plays the role of a college student, struggling to help his mother make ends meet. When his part time job doesn’t pay the bills, he begins to find success at the nightclub dancing as “Sexy Chocolate.” As one would expect, the money starts to roll in but so do several challenges. First, he must learn how to deal with the unexpected pressure of being the new favorite flavor. Then, he works on keeping his new job a secret from his mother and his girlfriend. But while Michael initially did not want to work as a stripper, with the adoration of

his fans, he starts to enjoy being in the limelight. Fans of the film continue to tweet their own varying reactions to “Chocolate City” with reactions falling on either side of criticism of praise. The movie should not be viewed by young children, however, as there is sexual content throughout, partial nudity, brief violence and coarse language. Some fans say they were disappointed by the way the film ended. But you be the judge. By the way, the #ChocolateCityBET hashtag has become so popular that Twitter reported it as a trending topic. WI

Thursday, July 23, 2015 6PM Reception 7PM Program

HOST: TONY RICHARDS

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Donation $60

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AWARD EE S Rosie Allen-Herring, President/CEO, United Way of the National Capital Area Lorenzo Creighton, President/COO, MGM National Harbor Derrick Leon Davis, Vice Chair, Prince George’s County Council, (D6) Jimmy Marcos, Owner, TJ Elliott Restaurant & Ledo’s Pizza, College Park Renee Nash, Director, Information and Public Affairs, WHUR Radio Obie Patterson, Council Member, Prince George’s County Council, (D8) Douglas J J Peters, Maryland Senator, (D23) • David Zahren, Prince George’s County Public Schools For Tickets & Sponsorship opportunities visit www.fameorg.org or Contact Barbara Blair: bblair@fameorg.org or 301.805.5358

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The popular actor Michael Jai White, best known for his roles in films by Tyler Perry, shows his pecs in “Chocolate City,” a new movie about black male strippers./Courtesy photo

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Horoscopes

Griot

ARIES Flexibility is the word for this week. Don’t insist on being right, even if you think you are. You will gain more this week if you allow oth‑ ers the freedom to have their way rather than insisting that people do things your way. Soul Affirmation: He who doesn’t ask will remain a fool forever. Lucky Numbers: 20, 36, 55

“Only the Strong” by Jabari Asim

TAURUS You don’t have to worry about being alone in the journey that you have undertaken. You are on this path because someone guided you. Take the memory of their guidance as comfort and keep on trucking. Soul Affirmation: Things are as I know them to be. Lucky Numbers: 13, 47, 49

c.2015, Bolden $15.00 / higher in Canada 288 pages

ever underestimate yourself. You can carry the weight of ten worlds on your shoulders, and still have time to do your job. You can lift spirits, move mountains, and haul out in a hot minute. You have more power deep inside you than you realize – but, as in the new novel, “Only the Strong” by Jabari Asim, you still have weaknesses. Lorenzo “Guts” Tolliver never had reason to show a soft side. Being soft, in fact, was detrimental to his life and his job as right-hand man for Ananias Goode, who more-or-less ran Gateway City. Softness wasn’t what you wanted a man to see as you broke his legs or killed him. Well over six feet tall and looking like a tank, Guts was deceptively fast of feet and fists, and Goode something in Guts years ago that he liked. Through the decades, Goode learned to trust Guts, and he liked him – so when Guts asked to step back as Goode’s driver-body-guard-enforcer, Goode gave his blessing. It was, Goode knew, all about a woman. He knew because he, too, had a woman he wanted but really couldn’t have. Years ago, when she was just fifteen, Dr. Artinces Noel watched her Mama wither away from grief, and she promised herself that she’d never fall that in love with a man. She might have kept her promise to herself – work, charities, her clinic, saving black babies from death-by-being-poor, those were her life – but then Ananias Goode came around one night with a stab wound that he wanted quietly stitched. One thing led to another, led to a regular Wednesday session at a local motel, but they couldn’t let anyone know. Ananias Goode was still a married man. Jabari Asim /Courtesy of Shef Reynolds II

JULY 23- JULY 29, 2015

GEMINI Commit to a new way this week! You are developing your craft by practice and more practice. Accept recognition gracefully, and keep on task. You are investing in your art this week. Soul Affirmation: Goodness is its own reward. Lucky Numbers: 18, 32, 45

Deep inside his well-appointed home, amid whooshing respirators and the smell of antiseptic, the comatose Mrs. Goode lay curled in a fetal position, a victim of the war her husband had with another gang, a war that also left her infant son dead. Remembering that, knowing it, was something Ananias Goode lived with. And for the man watching him, it was also something Goode would die with… Wow. Well, here’s the thing: I almost never read a book twice, especially a novel. I’d definitely make an exception for this one. The most appealing thing about “Only the Strong,” I think, was that it seemed as though I lived inside the story itself, and finishing it felt like I’d been evicted. I felt unmoored. Author Jabari Asim does that: he draws a reader in with richly-worked characters who, though often despicable, are attention-grabbing; settings that you can almost step right into; and flashbacks that move the story forward at a perfect pace. That’s the kind of writing that sometimes makes you forget that you’re reading a piece of fiction. Yep: wow. Though I generally don’t like to compare authors, Mosley fans will eat this debut novel right up. It’s noir, it’s fast-paced, it’s hard-hitting, and it’s one you shouldn’t miss. “Only the Strong” will leave you weak in the knees. WI

CANCER Your word this week is “Persistence.” Keep at the task of per‑ suading others that your idea or vision is as remarkable as you know it is. You just need to get the word out, and you need to be persistent in your efforts. Make a game out of it and have fun! Soul Affirmation: Often it’s not what I say but the way I say it that gets the message across. Lucky Numbers: 1, 4, 37 LEO Results that seemed like they would never show up may arrive this week, and it will make you very happy. Keep the feeling this week in mind so that you’ll remember and benefit from it next time you are im‑ patiently waiting for an outcome. Everything is working to your good. Soul Affirmation: I give thanks for the chance to give. Lucky Numbers: 17, 29, 33 VIRGO Your exciting and adventurous self will want to come out and play. You’ll be happiest if you are exploring something, and then topping it off with a visit to a restaurant that serves something you’ve never tried before. Live it up at the banquet of life this week! Soul Affirmation: When I am clear about who I am, the world becomes clearer. Lucky Numbers: 18, 29, 41 LIBRA Watch for that item you’ve been waiting to be on sale at a good price this week. While you are feeling pretty confident with money, you don’t want to splurge or overspend just yet. Keep your eye out for bar‑ gains for a little while longer! Soul Affirmation: This week I find joy in the gifts that life has already given me. Lucky Numbers: 23, 48, 50 SCORPIO It’s easy to take it easy! Just slow down and let each moment arrive at its own speed. You’ll get a lot done this week if you get in tune with the rhythm of the week. Each moment has its own beat. Stay with it. Soul Affirmation: The wisdom of the ages is revealed as my spirit. Lucky Numbers: 9, 16, 42 SAGITTARIUS Change is near, and it’s going to be good. Clear your desk of pesky tasks this week and get your mind free to receive what life brings. Positive results help you feel even more positive. Soul Affirmation: Someone wonderful is looking to find me. Lucky Numbers: 2, 25, 27 CAPRICORN You are the boss of your week this week, so act like the leader you are and let the week follow you around. Your creativity is soaring; schedule enough time to get some of your brilliant ideas on pa‑ per. Soul Affirmation: Trust gives me a deep sense of peace and joy. Lucky Numbers: 1, 30, 41 AQUARIUS A steady stream of opportunities is coming your way, lucky you and they contain endless possibilities. Wear your instincts like a rainbow colored coat this week and gather the good resources that you need. Soul Affirmation: Hope is future’s way of shining on me this week. Lucky Numbers: 16, 23, 35 PISCES Some down time will work wonders for you this week. You’ve been running fast with your projects, and now it’s time to slow it down. Try to spend time outdoors and with nature. Enjoy! Soul Affirmation: Hope is a beautiful jewel. I enjoy owning it. Lucky Numbers: 39, 45, 48

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July 23 - July 29 2015

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

Soprano Asha Lindsay performs at the National Association of Negro Musicians 96th Annual National Convention concert gala. Lindsay grew up singing gospel music in church as early as 5 years old and developed a rich and diverse musical experience. Exposed to African American music throughout her life made her the strong vocalist she is today. /Photo by Robert Roberts

COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH LSTAR CAPITAL AND CHINA FILM CO., LTD. A HAPPY MADISON/1492 PICTURES PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH FILM CROPPERS ENTERTAINMENT A CHRIS COLUMBUS FILM AND BRIAN COX MUSIBYC HENRY JACKMAN “ P I X E L S ” KE V I N JAME S MI C HE L E MONAGHAN PE T E R DI N KL A GE JOSH GAD ADAMEXECUTISANDL E R VE PRODUCERS BARRY BERNARDI MICHAEL BARNATHAN JACK GIARRAPUTO STEVE KOREN HEATHER PARRY PATRICK JEAN BENJAMIN DARRAS BASED ON THE SCREEN JOHNNY AL V E S MAT I A S BOUCARD SE T H GORDON BE N WAI S BRE N SHORT FILM BY PATRICK JEAN STORY BY TIM HERLIHY SCREENPLAY PRODUCED BY TIM HERLIHY AND TIMOTHY DOWLING BY ADAM SANDLER CHRIS COLUMBUS MARK RADCLIF E ALLEN COVERT DIRECTED BY CHRIS COLUMBUS INCLUDES “GAME ON” PERFORMED BY WAKA FLOCKA FLAME FEATURING GOOD CHARLOT E STARTS FRIDAY, JULY 24

34 July 23 - July 29, 2015

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Gospel music artist Richard Smallwood performs at the National Association of Negro Musicians 96th Annual National Convention concert gala. Smallwood formed the Richard Smallwood Singers in Washington, D.C in 1977. A graduate of Howard University with degrees in both vocal performance and piano, he was a founding member of Howard’s first gospel choir. /Photos by Robert Roberts

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COSBY from Page 8 in our cities and public schools we have fifty percent drop out. In our own neighborhood, we have men in prison. No longer is a person embarrassed because they’re pregnant without a husband,” Cosby said. “No longer is a boy considered an embarrassment if he tries to run away from being the father of the unmarried child. The lower economic and lower middle economic people are not holding their end in this deal. “In the neighborhood that most of us grew up in, parenting is not going on. In the old days, you couldn’t hooky school because every drawn shade was an eye. And before your mother got off the bus and to the house, she knew exactly where you had gone, who had gone into the house, and where you got on whatever you had one and where you got it from. Parents don’t know that today. “I’m talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was two? Where were you when he was twelve? Where were you when he was eighteen, and how come you don’t know he had a pistol? And where is his father, and why don’t you know where he is? And why doesn’t the father show up to talk to this boy? “We cannot blame white people. White people don’t live over there. They close up the shop early. The Korean ones still don’t know us as well … they stay open 24 hours. “Fifty percent drop out rate, I’m telling you, and people in

jail, and women having children by five, six different men. Under what excuse, I want somebody to love me, and as soon as you have it, you forget to parent. “Grandmother, mother, and great-grandmother in the same room, raising children, and the child knows nothing about love or respect of any one of the three of them. They’re buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics. “I wanted a piece of pound cake just as bad as anybody else, and I looked at it and I had no money. And something called parenting said if I get caught with it, you’re going to embarrass your mother. Not you’re going to get your butt kicked. No. You’re going to embarrass your mother. You’re going to embarrass your family. “If [you] knock that girl up, you’re going to have to run away because it’s going to be too embarrassing for your family. In the old days, a girl getting pregnant had to go down South, and then her mother would go down to get her. But the mother had the baby. We are not parenting. Ladies and gentlemen, listen to these people, they are showing you what’s wrong. People putting their clothes on backwards, isn’t that a sign of something going on wrong? “Are you not paying attention, people with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack? Isn’t that a sign of something, or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up?” WI

“SO YOU’D LIKE TO OWN YOUR OWN BUSINESS” CONTEST If you have ever considered owning and running your own business (even while day-dreaming!), here is your big opportunity to do so! And you know what they say about opportunity, right? For most of us, it knocks once! Well, Sankofa African & World Bazaar, located in historic Charles Village in Baltimore, Maryland, is up for sale! This special neighborhood treasure has been in operation for over 20 years, and during this time, it has acquired an amazing inventory of assorted and unique products including a truly exceptional collection of ethnographic art to satisfy the most discerning clientele in the world. (To get a sample of our offerings, please watch our video on http://www.sankofaafricanbazaar.com/) Alas, it is time to pass the torch and we are offering a contest to allow you, and all passionate future business owners like you, to compete for this wonderfully exclusive shop, for the small entry fee of $250.00 The grand prize consists of the Sankofa name, our client list, our vendor/supplier list, fixtures and other equipment as well as our extensive inventory, too many to list here. We will also offer up to six weeks of training as needed so you can familiarize yourself with your new business. Please be aware that this is a contest – not a lottery, and as such you will be required to demonstrate some element of skill, knowledge and exceptional passion for such a business. The Sponsor will select a “winner” based on merit. Each entrant will be required to complete a simple questionnaire, part of which will test your knowledge or familiarity with the continent of Africa. You will also be required to provide some information about yourself, your interests, your skills and how you plan to take this shop to a new level of success. Please read the contest rules carefully as we will adhere strictly to them We thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to share this opportunity with family and friends that you think will benefit from it.

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July 23 - July 29 2015

SPORTS

Venus Williams Conducts Clinic for Local Youth Local area coaches helped to conduct tennis clinics prior to the arrival of Kastles player Venus Williams on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University Smith Center in Northwest. Two hundred local kids participated in the annual clinic. /Photo by John E. De Freitas Several parents look on while Kastles player Venus Williams conducts the annual clinic for local youth on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University in Northwest. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

One of the children getting tennis tips from Kastles player Venus Williams on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University Smith Center in Northwest. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Kastles player Venus Williams shares some pointers with local youth on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium George Washington Smith Center in Northwest. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Kastles player Venus Williams chats with a participant in the annual youth clinic during the group photo session on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University Smith Center in Northwest. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

36 July 23 - July 29, 2015

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SPORTS

Kastles Lose Season Home Opener 22-17 Venus Williams won her singles match defeating Austin Aces Nicole Gibbs 5-2 but lost in women’s mixed doubles as the Kastles lost their 2015 season home opener of Mylan Women’s Team Tennis (WTT) before 3,125 fans, 22-17 on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University Smith Center in Northwest. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Reparations Study Group Reparations Study Group sessions will be Thursday, July 16, 2015 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Southeast Public Library, 403 7th Street, Southeast, 20003. The series features enlightening and educational discussion sessions and research presentations on “The Debt America Owes Black Descendants of Slaves.” 07/16/15 Why Not a Presidential Executive Order o Enact H.R. 40? Arlington native Denis Kudla defeated Austin Aces Teymuraz Gabashvili 5-4 in the opening set of singles men’s tennis on Tuesday, July 14 at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University in Northwest. Kastles lost 22-17 to the visiting Austin Aces. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

The Southeast Library is located on Capitol Hill across from the Eastern Market subway stop.

Venus Williams and teammate Anastasia Rodionova plan their strategy during women’s doubles tennis action on Tuesday, July 14, at Kastles Stadium, George Washington University Smith Center in Northwest. Austin Aces defeated the Kastles 22-17. / Photo by John E. De Freitas

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July 23 - July 29 2015

Marylanders score big thanks to the Maryland Lottery. In Fiscal Year 2014, the Maryland Lottery generated $1.724 billion in sales and more than $521.1 million in revenue, which is contributed to the stateâ€™s General Fund. Since its inception in 1973, the Maryland Lottery has generated more than $13.9 billion in revenue to support the good causes of Maryland, including pre-Kâ€“12 and higher education; public health; public safety; and the environment.

mdlottery.com

gaming.mdlottery.com

The Maryland Lottery encourages responsible play. For confidential help or information at any time about gambling problems, please visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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RELIGION

The Religion Corner Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Turning Hearts Church 4275 4th Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20034 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445

The Reverend Lyndon Shakespeare Interim Priest

Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher

Foggy Bottom • Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW • Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 • Fax : 202-338-4958

Services & Times Sunday School 8 – 9 AM Worship Service 9 – 11 AM Tuesday Night Bible Study 6:30 – 8:00 PM Wednesday Daytime Bible Study 11 AM – 12:30 PM

Worship Services Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist

Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: faithdefender@verizon.net

www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

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

• • • • •

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

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

202-379-4738

Acorns vs Oak Trees; Which Are YOU? As I listened to a sermon by Bishop T.D. Jakes recently, he used the metaphor of the oak tree and how it is destined to grow, starting from a tiny acorn, and he talked about those acorns that never become oak trees. Acorns do have more than one purpose; billions of them grow into strong oak trees all around the world, yet each oak tree grows enough acorns to grow a forest, and, no, every acorn will not become an oak tree. According to Peter Gosling, tree consultant, the average oak tree will produce about 6.5 - 13.5 million seeds/acorns during its lifetime, and in a good year, each will produce between 70,000 - 150,000 acorns. This metaphor is not for everybody…it is only for those of you whom God has destined to grow into an oak tree. Because as you can see, the oak tree is a leader, producing millions and billions more acorns per tree; that means a lot. That’s a leader. Let’s use your life as a tiny oak tree plant; you feel a burning desire to achieve the goal you were sent here to achieve. You who know, without a shadow of doubt that you will reach your goal; this metaphor is to encourage you. Will each acorn become an oak tree? No. Why not, you ask? Squirrels eat as many of them as they can, they will store others, and they come back and get some more. Approximately 80 percent of acorn seeds are destroyed by insects, so, you see, God has a plan. The strong

oak tree is not for every acorn. For those of us who do begin to grow, remind yourself that in order for you to someday become that strong and tall oak tree that produces millions of acorns to help feed part of the animal kingdom, you must first become determined you will make it through those days when it is all you can do to take the storms, the sleet and snow. There will be storms of life that come along for each of us, just like those storms that come along and nearly destroy the tiny little oak tree plant. But when you think of how blessed you are to grow into an oak tree, your soul ought to cry out, “Hallelujah, thank you Lord!” Hold on. The storm will surely pass over. When it’s your time and it’s your season, keep fertilizing your goal, watering and protecting your little plant. Let us take a look at some scriptures: Psalms 119:136 says “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 2 Corinthians 9:10 says Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;). Each and every oak tree currently on the face of this Earth began merely as a tiny little acorn plant, and in order for you to reach your destiny, or the pinnacle of your success, you must grow step-by-step too, just as the scriptures say you will. My own calling is a perfect example. If you’ve read my column, you know how poor my family was when we were

with Lyndia Grant

children in rural North Carolina, with no heat, no electricity, no TV, no telephone, no toilet. You know the drill. Yet God has chosen me to grow as one of his oak trees; that I’m certain about. And I’m so happy that I have humbly answered His call and continue to do so. Each and every week, I write this column for you to read. Amen!WI Lyndia Grant is an author, inspirational and motivational speaker, radio talk show host and columnist, visit her new website at www.lyndiagrant.com, hear previous radio shows on www.soundcloud. com, email lyndiagrant@gmail. com or call 202-263-4621. Tune in Fridays at 6 p.m., to the radio talk show, 1340 AM, WYCB, a Radio One Station.

(301) 864-6070

CHURCH LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC

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

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(301) 864-6070

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July 23 - July 29 2015

RELIGION Pilgrim Baptist Church

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Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

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

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

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

www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

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

Dr. Henry Y. White

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Sunday Early Morning Worship - 7:45 a.m. Church School - 9:30 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship – 10:45 a.m. Tuesday – Thursday - Kingdom Building Bible Institute – 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Prayer/Praise/Bible Study – 7:30 p.m. Baptism & Communion Service- 4th Sunday – 10:30am Radio Broadcast WYCB -1340 AM-Sunday -6:00pm T.V. Broadcast - Channel 190 – Sunday -4:00pm/Tuesday 7:00am

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

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

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

Sunday Worship Services: 8:00a.m. and 11:00a.m. Sunday Church School - 9:15a.m. & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30a.m. 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study - 6:30p.m. Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study - 10:00a.m. Tuesday Topical Bible Study - 6:30p.m. Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study - 6:30p.m. Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study - 6:30p.m. Wednesday Children’s Bible Study - 6:30p.m. Thursday Men’s Bible Study - 6:30p.m. Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service - 6:30p.m. Saturday Adult Bible Study - 10:00a.m.

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

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

“God is Love”

Third Street Church of God Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor 1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202.347.5889 office 202.638.1803 fax Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m. Prayer Meeting and Bible Study: Wed. 7:30 p.m. “Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org

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

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews • Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 Fax: (202) 526-1661 Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday Church School: 9:20 a.m. Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!” Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

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

Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor Service and Times Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Communion every Sunday 11:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Bible Study Tuesday 12Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Motto; “Discover Something Wonderful.” Website: 12thscc.org Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

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

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

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

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

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

Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Bishop

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

Crusader Baptist Church

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

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

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

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Campbell AME Church

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

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

Blessed Word of Life Church

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

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew, Assistant Pastor

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

tel: 202-291-6565

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

Church of Living Waters

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

40 July 23 - July 29, 2015

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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Service 11:00 a.m. Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.” Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church

All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. • Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591

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

“Where Jesus is the King”

Israel Baptist Church

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

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

Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m. Sunday School: 9:15 a.m. Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute Wednesday - 1:30 pm Prayer Meeting Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

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

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

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

St. Luke Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

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

Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor

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

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

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

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Dr. Diane Dixon Proctor, Pastor 1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 lpumconthegrow@gmail.com www.lpumcdc.org Sunday worship 10: am Holy Communion first Sunday 10: am Sunday school 9: am Bible Study each Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30pm Motto: “A CHURCH ON THE GROW”.

Eastern Community Baptist Church

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

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

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

Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 a.m. Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 a.m. Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 p.m. Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 p.m. Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

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

Christ Embassy DC

Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms, Pastor

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

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator

Early Worship Service 7:30a.m Worship Service 10:45a.m. New Members Class 9:30a.m. Holy Communion : 1st Sunday -10:45a.m Church School 9:30a.m. Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: Wednesday 7p.m Bible Study : Saturday: 11a.m. Baptism: 4th Sunday – 10:45a.m “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Sunday Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 P.M Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 P.M Prayer/Seeking Wednesday at 8:00 P.M. Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged. The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560

Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 am and 10:45 am Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 am and 10:45 am Sunday School: 9:30 am Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon and 6:30 pm Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 pm Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 pm

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

Services: Sunday Worship 11 AM Sunday School 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study - Wed. 7 PM

Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org

“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Church Email Address: ecc@easterncommunity.org

Salem Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert SR. Pastor

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

8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240

Rehoboth Baptist Church

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

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

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 Fax: 202-544-2964

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Dr. Lucius M. Dalton, Senior Pastor

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Peace Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell

Sunday Morning Worship Service 7:15 am & 10:50 am Sunday School 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship Service 10:50am Wednesday Prayer & Testimonies Service 7:30pm Wednesday School of the Bible 8:00pm Wednesday - Midweek Prayer Service 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm “The Loving Church of the living lord “ Email Address pbcexec@verizon.net

Shiloh Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

1864-2014

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

The Church Where GOD Is Working.... And We Are Working With GOD

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

Sunday Morning Prayer Service: 8:00 a.m. Sunday Church School: 9:15 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship: 10:40 a.m. Third Sunday Baptismal & Holy Communion:10:30 a.m. Tuesday Church At Study Prayer & Praise: 6:30 p.m.

Morning Worship: 8:00 a.m Church School : 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship: 10:55 a.m. Bible Study, Thursday: 6:30 p.m. Prayer Meeting,Thursday : 7:30 p.m.

150 Years of Service

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

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

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

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

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

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The Washington Informer

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

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor

712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 P.M.

3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Sunday Church School: 9:30 A.M. Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 A.M. Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 P.M. Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 P.M. Prayer Service Bible Study

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor 2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 Fax: (202) 529-7738 Order of Services Worship Service: 7:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30 a.m. & 10:30a.m. Prayer Services: Tuesday 7:30 p.m. Wednesday 12 Noon Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

July 23 - July 29 2015

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 181

Administration No. 2015 ADM 780

Administration No. 2015 ADM 772

Administration No. 2014 ADM 1238

Frances E. Fuller Decedent

Keisan Griffith-Roberts Decedent

Charles Jerome Decedent

Lillie I. Mann aka Lillie Ivy Mann Decedent

Dalton Howard, Esq. 4020 Lee Street, NE Washington, DC 20019 Attorney

Shanelle C. Patterson 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20007 Attorney

Edward M. Biggin 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 405 Rockville, MD 20852 Attorney

H. Jeffrey Ziegler 4 Reservoir Circle Baltimore, MD 21208 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Sandra Griffith, whose address is542 East 49th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11203, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Keisan Griffith-Roberts, who died on December 26, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 16, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 16, 2016, 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.

Charnikka L. Jerome, whose address is 2205 Champlain Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Charles Jerome, who died on April 15, 2015 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 16, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 16, 2016, 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.

Kemberly Joi Mann, whose address is 700 Arlington Mill Drive South #102, Arlington, VA 22204 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of , Lillie I. Mann aka Lillie Ivy Mann who died on June 12 2001 with a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 16, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 16, 2016, 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: July 16, 2015

Sandra Griffith Personal Representative

Charnikka L. Jerome Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Administration No. 2015 ADM 722 Ora V. Bruce Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Janice Ford, whose address is 1503 Anacostia Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ora V. Bruce, who died on October 15, 2012 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 9, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 9, 2016, 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: July 9, 2015 Janice Ford Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jacqueline F. Banks and Oney F. Dickens, whose addresses are 4238 Southern Ave., SE Washington, DC 20019 and 512 Bentwood Drive, Fort Washington, MD 20744, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Frances E. Fuller, who died on November 4, 2013 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 9, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 9, 2016, 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: July 9, 2015 Jacqueline F. Banks Oney F. Dickens Personal Representative

LEGAL NOTICES

Kemberly Joi Mann Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 511

Administration No. 2015 ADM 771

Administration No. 2015 ADM 782

Administration No. 2015 ADM 803

Administration No. 2015 ADM 801

Delores B. Harris-Perkins Decedent

Oscar Taylor aka Oscar Taylor, Jr. Decedent

Margaret E Watts Decedent

Wanda A. Hoston Decedent

Janet S. Alexander Black Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Attorney

John A. Perkins/Bruce L. Jones Jr., whose addresses are 1650 W Street, SE, Apt. #403, Washington, DC 20020, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Delores B. Harris-Perkins, who died on July 11, 2010 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., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 16, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 16, 2016, 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.

Arlene Taylor, whose address is 91 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Oscar Taylor aka Oscar Taylor, Jr., who died on February 18, 2011 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 16, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 16, 2016, 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

Ayodele O. Hoston, whose address is 3438 Croffut Place, SE, Washington, DC 20019 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of, Wanda A. Hoston who died on November 26, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 23, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 23, 2016, 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.

Gladys M. Alexander, whose address is 4104 Urn Street, Capital Heights, MD 20743 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of, Janet S. Alexander Black who died on November 14, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 23, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 23, 2016, 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: 7/23/15

Date of first publication: July 16, 2015

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Date of first publication: July 16, 2015

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Charlene Watts Martin, whose address is 7518 Creighton Drive, College Park, MD 20740 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of, Margaret E Watts who died on May 4, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 16, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 16, 2016, 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: July 16, 2015

Anne Meister Register of Wills

John A. Perkins Bruce L. Jones Jr. Personal Representative

Arlene Taylor Personal Representative

Charlene Watts Martin Personal Representative

Ayodele O. Hoston Personal Representative

Gladys M. Alexander Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

42 July 23 - July 29, 2015

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LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015 ADM 811 Joanne H. Reynolds Decedent James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Kathi Lynne Reynolds whose address is 4704 Southern Avenue SE, Washington DC, 20019 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Joanne H. Reynolds who died on April 23, 2015 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 23, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before, January 23, 2016 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: July, 23 2015 Personal Representative Kathi Lynne Reynolds TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015 ADM 792 Mildred Virginia Dews Decedent

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******

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Betty J. Watson, whose address is 522 4th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of, Mildred Virginia Dews who died on July 6, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before January 23, 2016. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before January 23, 2016, 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: 7/23/15 Bettye J. Watson Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

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JACKSON from Page 26 or Hispanic, and are being held for non-violent crimes. Of the 2.3 million people in U.S. prisons, 93 percent are men. About two out of three are people of color. The majority is being held for non- violent crimes (drugs, property theft and “public order” offenses). Sensible sentences would be a good first step, but hardly sufficient. These destructive policies, now admitted to be wrong-headed, have devastated black and Latino communities, with millions of lives ruined. If you careen recklessly off the road, and smash into someone’s living room, sorry isn’t sufficient. At the very least, you will

MALVEAUX from Page 26 According to Obama, we spend $80 billion a year on incarceration. In contrast, according the White House Initiative on HBCUs, these colleges got between $600 and $700 million from the Department of Education on grants and contracts. I applaud Obama’s step forward in pardoning 46 non-violent drug offenders. Many of whom would have been better off had they been sentenced under the less harsh Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. After passage of that act, inmates were invited to apply for lighter sentences and about 20,000 did. The Office of the Pardon Attorney reviews these requests, and forwards those they deem worthy of commutation to the president. The 20,000 applications are delayed because of a “backlog” in reviewing them. It costs the federal government $82 per day or approxi-

be responsible for repairing the damage done. We need fundamental reform of our criminal justice system from racial profiling to mandatory sentences. But we also have to redress the damage done to families and communities. Commuting sentences is a start, but we need new programs to rehabilitate those who are sick or addicted. We need investment and jobs so that those who made stupid mistakes can find decent work. When Reagan and Clinton led a bipartisan push to lock more people up, they provided some of the money needed for new prisons, more cops and more equipment. The bipartisan push to rectify the wrong-headed pol-

icies should provide the money needed to correct the damage, and to insure that kids who make mistakes receive a new start, not a life in ruins. After Baltimore, the reform movement has gained momentum. But apologies and sentencing changes aren’t enough. It’s not enough to save money on prisons the young don’t need; we’ve got to invest in the schools, training and jobs that they desperately need.WI Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is founder and president of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition. You can keep up with his work at www. rainbowpush.org.

mately $30,000 a year to support one inmate. If even only half of those who have applied for clemency deserve it, that’s a savings of $822,000 a day or $300 million per year. This is money that could go for all kinds of initiatives around job training, drug treatment and education. Imagine that, instead of incarcerating addicted people, they were sentenced to residential drug rehabilitation programs. Obama has solid ideas for criminal justice reforms, but it is not likely that this Congress will pass any of them. So he is left working with presidential commutation, an inmate at a time. Is it possible to grant “mass” commutations for those convicted of relatively minor drug crimes, especially those who had clean records before arrest? In addition to saving lots of money, it would, in many cases reunite families. Strict conditions of probation would likely prevent recidivism. Nearly 150,000

children have mothers in prison, some for poverty-related, non-violent drug crimes. Some of these mothers desperately want contact with their children, and many of them deserve it. Most would gladly comply with restrictive probations conditions if they could just hug there child. It’s good that Obama “gets it” when it comes to reforming the criminal justice system. Can he implement change more quickly than pardoning one non-violent offender at a time? There is no difference between Jerry Allan Bailey and Tyrone Taylor except that Bailey received the pardon. There are thousands waiting on a similar break. Let these people go!WI Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist based in Washington, D.C.

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CURRY from Page 26 “Research shows that programs prioritizing family interactions are the most successful, probably because they focus on providing skills to the adults who are in the best position to impact the child’s behavior.” The community also has a vital role to play. “Studies have shown that organizational participation and informal social control mechanisms can address criminal violence at the neighborhood level,” the report said. “Community participation can help in supervising and monitoring teenage peer groups through social networks that facilitate adult and youth interaction.” In a July 14 letter to Rep. Jason

Chaffetz, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the ranking member of the committee, a coalition of 60 organizations – including the Sentencing Project, Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the National Council of Churches, the NAACP, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – called for broad-based criminal justice reform. “In its 2011 report to Congress, the U.S. Sentencing Commission found that mandatory minimum sentences disproportionately impact communities of color and that Afri-

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can Americans received relief from mandatory minimum sentences least often, compared with Whites and Hispanics,” the letter noted. The organizations urged Congress to support reform that: Changes current federal law that allows a person with two prior felony convictions to have a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence converted to a mandatory life sentence; Allows past criminal records to be sealed and removes the lifetime ban on persons convicted of drug felonies to receive federal benefits such as welfare and food stamps; Makes sentencing reductions passed in 2010 retroactive; Expands the Bureau of Prisons’ Compassionate Release Program and Expands time credited for good The Washington Informer

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MDDC 2x2 DISPLAY AD NETWORK behavior. “We note the importance of supporting initiatives that aim to assist in effective recidivism reduction and re-entry programming as well as provide opportunities for early release for individuals in federal prison,” the groups said. “Ninety-five percent of incarcerated individuals will return to our communities, and in the interest of public safety, we must ensure that they are on a path for successful re

integration back into society while in prison and upon their release. It is a smart investment to implement expanded re-entry programming, given that evidence-based programs, job-training, and education can reduce recidivism and lead to better outcomes for individuals returning to their families and neighborhoods.”WI July 23 - July 29 2015

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every 214 White men; and Research studies have confirmed that African-Americans are more likely to stopped by the police, frisked, questioned, charged and arrested than any other racial group in the U.S. We all should be willing to join and support the emerging criminal justice reform movement in America. Hopefully, Obama’s address to the NAACP will stimulate the passage of bipartisan legislation that will stop racial profiling and other legislative measures that will help to dramatically reduce the prison population in the United States. In the absence of real reform, the issues surrounding mass incarceration will not be adequately resolved. Obama made reference to the fact that on reaching the ultimate goal of criminal justice reform,

EDELMAN from Page 27 them how to control their rage, giving them the language to have that conversation, they need words for that encounter with the police officer, that encounter with the neighbor. The reason why people fight is because words are not present for them to have the conversation. Give them the literacy tools so they can have the conversation. Teach them rage is natural; rage against this thing; rage against inequality — but control it in the face of authority that can take your life, because the end of the thing is we want them to live.” Self-control over rage at the right moment might help save a black boy’s

MUHAMMAD from Page 27

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In the process, Obama did something Roach Brown, host of the “Crossroads” show on Washington’s WPFW-89.3 FM, has urged him to do for years. At last, this president has pardoned more human beings than turkeys. Every year, come Thanksgiving time, presidents routinely pardoned two turkeys that would ostensibly have otherwise been used for the White House dinner. Finally this president’s total of humans pardoned, has exceeded the number of turkeys, Brown said. Brown’s own life sentence was commuted by President Gerald Ford, and his career has been spent advocating for the rights of ex-offenders—whom he calls “returning citizens”— ever since. Of course, there is a systemic reason, rooted in race hatred why this country imprisons so many, because a vastly disproportionate number of those on lockdown are African-American. But, in addition, there The Washington Informer

there are today converging interests between the NAACP and the politically conservative Koch brothers, as well as between the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans for Tax Reform and among other divergent groups who have not worked together on social justice issues in the past. That is a good sign of what might be possible going forward. Frederick Douglass said it best. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” But the struggle to reform the criminal justice system must move beyond just a momentary national news cycle event response to whenever Obama makes an outstanding speech. I wish social change was that easy to achieve. It is not. The work has begun, but we still have a lot of hard work and coalition building to do to make real reform happen. I believe we in the Afri-

can-American community have to take more responsibility to end mass incarceration and to challenge all the inequities of our society. Ending poverty and injustice, first and foremost, is our demand and it also has to be our responsible leadership to keep pushing forward. The government has its role, but we should not solely rely on the government. I believe in self-development and self-improvement. Our struggle for freedom, justice, equality and empowerment must continue with renewed energy and determination. WI Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals a dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at http://drbenjaminfchavisjr. wix.com/drbfc.

life, though even that has certainly never been a guarantee. But no matter what, the critical next step still has to be channeling rage at deeply embedded structural racism and blatant injustice into “impassioned enthusiasm” for the larger fight. That larger fight can and must start with all of us by getting ourselves organized and providing our children positive alternatives to the miseducation in so many schools and the dangers on the street from law enforcement agents. Strayhorn concluded this all-handson-deck call to rage against injustice and fight for freedom is for everyone: “We’ve got to pursue freedom and justice not just for black people, but pursue freedom and justice for Latino

folks, pursue freedom and justice for Native American people, pursue freedom and justice for gay people, for LGBT, for poor people, for rich people, for tall people, for short people, for people who don’t have anything at all, for first-generation people, for welfare mothers, for everybody. Freedom and justice for all.” That’s the message every child of every color who is “different” must internalize to break the vicious cycle of deeply embedded cultural and structural racism that pervades so many American institutions including those too prevalent in the criminal justice system that too often takes rather than protects lives.WI

is a cultural reason with which black communities have not yet come to grips, and that’s why so many young blacks end up in the slammer. There is open contempt for all authority figures among too many black folks. There is contempt for police, for teachers, for parents, for bus drivers, for anyone in authority, and too many are in denial about it. Interestingly, this problem will not be solved until black people come to grips with their own reality. Pete Jackson is a former inmate at Washington’s Lorton Penitentiary. He rose to the position of deputy warden of the jail where he served time, thanks to a lot of opportunities and thanks to the advice he heeded from another inmate when he was locked up. That’s what he told Brown on his radio program recently. “Why are you in here?” Jackson said another inmate asked him. “Because someone snitched on me” was his answer. “No,” the other man said. “Why are you in here?”

It wasn’t until Jackson came to grips with his own behavior that led him to fall into the clutches of the law that he was able to adjust his thinking and behavior so that he could go back to school, earn a college degree, and eventually be able to work successfully in the prison system. Jackson also applauds Obama’s decision to commute sentences and urges more of the same, because he insists that there are many more who are locked up with no one to believe in them than there are hardened criminals for whom rehabilitation is a distant possibility. First, black people be truthful with yourself. Be truthful about the consequences of your behavior and resolve to make a positive impact rather than follow the self-destructive path. That’s the road to individual freedom, but then the society and its leaders must, like the New Barack Obama, believe in the ability of people to heal if they are given a second chance. WI

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July 23 - July 29 7/15/15 201511:22 47 AM

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Last chance! On view through Sunday, August 2!

Mingering Mike’s Supersonic Greatest Hits DC Artist Mingering Mike created works which reflect his youthful fantasy of becoming a famous soul singer and songwriter. Mingering Mike’s Supersonic Greatest Hits is Powered by

Additional support is provided by the museum’s Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. American Folk Art Fund

Above: Mingering Mike, “Boogie Down” at the White House, Big D & Mingering, 1975, mixed media on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment. © Mingering Mike Left: Mingering Mike, A AGA / MING / WAR PRODUCTION: MINGERING MIKE THE BIG “D” & THE COLTS BAND “SUPER GOLD” GREATEST HITS, 1970, mixed media paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment. ©Mingering Mike

Smithsonian American Art Museum 8th and G Streets, NW | 11:30–7 | Free | AmericanArt.si.edu 48 July 23 - July 29, 2015

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