The Washington Informer - March 5, 2015

I N S I D E

Muhammad asks, “Can GOP govern America?,” Pg. 29

I N S I D E

Nation to Remember ‘Bloody Sunday,’ Pg. 16

Ballou Students Think Out Loud, Pg. 20-21

Bowie State University, 150 Years Young, Pg. 17

Phenomenal Women Get Their Flowers, Pg. 30

Vol. 50, No. 21 Mar. 5 - Mar. 11 2015

Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King and others march from Selma to Montgomery, 1965. (James “Spider” Martin Photographic Archive/Briscoe Center, University of Texas at Austin)

Marijuana Legal in D.C. but Future Remains Unclear

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer @bsalmondc

District of Columbia residents are settling into the reality that marijuana use is now legal in the nation’s capital, but local elected officials and those familiar with the ways of Congress believe this is probably not the

end of the story.

If the past is any indication, members of Congress who’ve taken issue with the measure will find some other methods and legislative maneuvers to block the will of city residents who voted overwhelmingly in November for Initiative 71.

Last week, hours before the

law was to go into effect, Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz and his North Carolina counterpart Mark Meadows sent Mayor Muriel Bowser a letter warning that she and D.C. Council officials risked imprisonment if they allowed the initiative to become law.

“If you decide to move

forward tomorrow with the legalization of marijuana in the District, you will be doing so in knowing and willful violation of the law,” wrote Chaffetz and Meadows, chairman of the Oversight Committee’s subcommittee on Government Operations in the Feb. 24 letter. “Your assertion

that Initiative 71 takes effect on Thursday is contrary to law. We strongly suggest you reconsider your position.”

The dispute turns on when “enactment” of the law actually occurred. Bowser, the D.C. Attorney General, D.C. police chief

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PEPCO AND EXELON:

Powering a Brighter Future The proposed merger of Pepco and Exelon will bring exciting benefits to families, communities, businesses, our economy, and the District of Columbia, including: • Improved reliability for Pepco customers, with enhanced performance commitments – resulting in fewer and shorter power outages – and additional resources to speed storm restoration • $33.75 million for the District’s Customer Investment Fund that may be used for bill credits, low income assistance or energy efficiency programs • $51.2 million in projected merger savings over 10 years, which will flow back to Pepco’s D.C. customers through electric rates that are lower than they would be without the merger • $168 million to $260 million in economic benefits to the District • Continued annual charitable contributions and local community support – exceeding Pepco’s 2013 level of $1.6 million for 10 years following the merger • More than 1,500 new jobs in the District and the region The merger will maintain Pepco’s local presence and local leadership, while bringing together Exelon’s three electric and gas utilities (BGE, ComEd and PECO) and Pepco Holdings’ three electric and gas utilities (Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco) to create the leading mid-Atlantic electric and gas utility.

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3/5/2015 – 3/11//2015 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Pages 14-15 BUSINESS Pages 18-19 COMMENTARIES Pages 27-29 LIFESTYLE Pages 30-33 SPORTS Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport has a new look – one that many readers may find refreshing. As guests arrive or depart from the airport, The Washington Informer will become the only black newspaper based in the DMV to have a branded newsstand presence at a major airport. Look for details regarding our grand opening celebration later in the spring.

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SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY www.washingtoninformer.com

Women Break the Cycle of Domestic Violence

AROUND THE REGION

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

Visit our updated Web site and give us your comments for a chance to win a gift from The Washington Informer

When L.Y. Marlow's 23-yearold daughter told her the father of her daughter threatened her life, and the life of their child, she knew something had to be done. Out of her frustration with law enforcement's handling Email comments to: of the situation, she decided to rburke@ start the Saving Promise campaign. washingtoninformer.com “It seems to be a vicious cycle that won't turn my family loose,” Marlow said. Marlow shared her story with the audience at the District Heights Domestic Violence Symposium on MayRogers 7 at the District Heights Michael Municipal Center. The symposium was sponsored by the Family and Youth Services Center of the city of District Heights and the National HookUp of Black Women.

Marlow has written a book, “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a story about four generations of domestic violence. The book is

By Glynn A. Hill inspired by her own experiences, WI and Intern those of her grandmother, her mother and her daughter.

Thesaid District’s of home She every pursuit time she reads rule, the from abilityherofbook, residents to excerpts she still In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. govern affairs, came has can not their believelocal the words Wilhelmina J. Rolark from back her. “Color Me century.

Butterfly” dated to the 19th The Washington Informer Newspaper won the 2007 National “Best On Feb. 25, one of its more THE WASHINGTON INFORMER InPUBLISHER Memoriam Books” Award. outspoken advocates, the late NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414)Dr.isCalvin Denise Rolark Sr. Barnes W. Rolark, “I wasBarry, just 16-years-old when Marion was honored at published weekly on each Thursday.

Wilhelmina J. Rolark my university eye first blackened and my Periodicals postage paid at WashingSTAFF the that he advocated WASHINGTON INFORMER lips bled,” Marlow said. ton,THE D.C. and additional mailing of- NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published for and served through a panel weekly Thursday.

Periodicals paidW. at Barnes, Washington, D.C. and additional Denise Editor Elaine Davis-Nickens, presifices.

Newsonand advertising deadlinepostage mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. discussion delvedHook-Up into his is Monday prior to publication. Andent of thethat National D. Kevin McNeir, Managing Editor Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2000 by The involvement in city affairs nouncements must be received two of Black Women, said there isand no Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POST MASTER: Send change of addressRon Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director weeks event. Copyright 2015 efforts to gain consistency in greater the wayautonomy domestic es toprior The to Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington,

by D.C. The 20032.

Washington Informer.

All No part of this publication may be Barnes, reproduced written for the nation’s violence issues capital. are dealt with by Lafayette IV,without Assistant PhotopermisEditor rights POSTMASTER: sionreserved. from the publisher. TheSend Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of “Marion Barry did so much change of addresses to The rates WashJohn E. De Sports Photo photographs.

Subscription are $30 per year, twoFreitas, years $45.

Papers willEditor be received for the city. So many of the bennot more than 3117 a weekMartin after publication.

Make checks payable to: ington Informer, Luther Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor efits we have that new residents King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 20032. No part of this publication may are enjoying today; they have no Brian Young, Design & Layout 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. • Washington, D.C. 20032 be reproduced without written permisclue that’s the result of the work Phone: 202 561-4100 • Fax: 202 Bookkeeper 574-3785 Mable Neville, sion from the publisher. The Informer E-mail: news@washingtoninformer.com Barry started,” said Shiela H. Newspaper cannot guarantee the return Mickey Thompson, Social Sightings columnist www.washingtoninformer.com Martin, a professor of political of photographs. Subscription rates are Stacey Palmer, Social Media Specialist science at the University of the $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will PUBLISHER be received not more than a week after District of Columbia, who modAngie Johnson, Circulation Denise Rolark Barnes publication. Make checks payable to: erated the event.

STAFF REPORTERS The university hosted the THE WASHINGTON Brooke N. Garner INFORMER Managing REPORTERS Editor Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell, Carla PeayLuther King, Assistant Managing Editor Brown, Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, 3117 Martin Jr. Ave., S.E event as part of its Black History Stacy Sam P.K. Collins, Eve Ferguson, Ron BurkeD.C. 20032 Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, Joseph Young Washington, Elton Hayes, D. Kevin McNeir, Dorothy Month celebration. It featured Mable Whittaker Bookkeeper Phone: 202 561-4100 Rowley, Barrington Salmon individuals familiar with Barry’s LaNita Wrenn Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS Fax:John 202 574-3785 E. De Freitas Sports Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, work either personally or profesnews@washingtoninformer.com Victor Holt Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, sionally. www.washingtoninformer.com Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert PHOTOGRAPHERS Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster Ridley, Victor Holt Clarence Davis, a public reJohn E. DeFreitas, Shevry Lassiter, cords administrator and historiRoy Lewis,CIRCULATION Travis Riddick , Nancy Shia an of the District of Columbia, Paul Trantham opened the discussion by providINTERNS ing a history of efforts to gain Glynn Hill, Marc Rivers, Sarafina Wright home rule in D.C. He says there were traditionally two groups 4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com vying for this, those who wanted congressional representation

law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said. had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a vicstory, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assesspush forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further said about Marlow. training for law enforcement Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecwho reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counsel“get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradiperson can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin. help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the viclogue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow Also present at the event was said.

Mildred Muhammad, the exMarlow would also like to see Shirley Rivens Smithprograms designed to raise wife of John Allen Muhammad, who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children in utive life terms without parole public and private schools. She by a Maryland jury for his role in feels children need to be educatthe Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence.

2002. Mildred Muhammad is “We have to stop being pasthe founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilan organization that helps the dren about domestic violence,” survivors of domestic violence Marlow said. and their children.

Marlow has worked to break lived who in fear for sixfull years.

Six government the cycle of got abuse and“Ithose wanted stateto in be her the family, way it years in fearsupported is a long time. and is confident the policies she hood.

Barry either.It is is.

This type of forum helps exnot an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that Shirley Rivens-Smith, who’s amine the contributions of our of,” she said. process. lived in Washington the last 40 public leaders andthese the impact Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take policiesof to years, spoke about her experipolicy both the conpeople who want to help a public Congress and atimplore them to ence meeting Barryvictim while must she gressional domestic violence and city council change our laws,” Marlowlevel.” said. worked withofthe Student be careful how they Nonvigo into “IThe will final not stop untilwas theseRobin polispeaker olent Coordinating the victim's life, andCommittee. understand Gilbrecht, cies are passed.” a political science Rivens-Smith, now“survival works that she may who be in Tia Carol Jones can be of reached major at the University the with U.S. Africa Sister Cities, at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net mode”.

District of Columbia who gave spoke about influence “Before you Barry’s get to 'I'm going detailing the reto portraying kill you,' itD.C. started verbal a presentation in as as anaattracWI search she and some of her feltive place for Africans to live as low students did about the voter well as inviting other progressive black cities to be a part of the demographics in recent mayoral District’s growth. elections in D.C. She said the forum was imAfter the event, Martin spoke portant because it was a small on the importance of having way of preserving Barry’s legacy, such a forum and why Barry was if only through conversation. so influential to the city and the “We have to continue to talk university. about who we are,” she said.

“It’s so important to know “We can’t just wait for someone your history, not just your own else; if you don’t talk about your personal history or the history family, your friends, what you of your race, but the history of do, where you’ve been … as you the place where you live,” Martin grow older you won’t have any said. stories to tell. We have to invest in talking more to each other.” “[The city] is a result of a Michael Rogers, a former city struggle that really continues on administrator, spoke about the many levels today,” she added. political impact of Barry. He un- “At the University of the Disderscored the late mayor’s eco- trict of Columbia, many of our nomic strategies and successes students are residents, so it’s imL.Y. Marlow as well as his contentious relaportant for them to understand tionship with the D.C. Control Board, which oversaw the city’s the history of the District. When you’re vested in the history of finances from 1995 to 2001.

“It’s important for us to rec- where you are, then you take an ognize [Barry’s] contributions to interest in making change to imthe city,” Rogers said. “It’s also prove your life and your neigha lesson in civics and how the borhood.” WI

Panel Examines D.C. Home Rule

Discussion includes history of Mayor Marion Barry

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4 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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

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AROUND THE REGION

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Creating More Positive Perceptions of Youth DC Trust Leads Innovative Initiative ‘cme4me’

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor In efforts to generate positive perceptions, promote holistic narratives and develop a pipeline of workforce development opportunities for District youth, DC Trust recently announced a city-wide social awareness campaign, “cme4me,” Members of the media, business and community leaders and youth attended the kickoff on Monday, March 2 at the Town Hall Education, Arts and Recreation Center [THEARC] in Southeast.

Ed Davies, DC Trust executive director, said the campaign “creates an environment that recognizes and celebrates the talents and successes of D.C. youth.”

“Our overall strategy is to reshape the perspective of youth in the District and the perspective they have of themselves,” said Davies, 43, who has served as the executive director of the

Trust, formerly the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, for the past two years.

“These youth need a greater sense of self-worth and they need to be able to trust adults,” he said. “We need them to believe that it’s in all of our best interests if they stay in school, attend college and engage in other activities that are better ways to participate and become leaders in society. The ‘cme4me’ campaign suggests that we look beyond styles of dress or hairstyles.

As the tagline for the campaign says, ‘your perspective is not my reality.’”

“We want to encourage people to view our youth differently while allowing them to develop and use their talents. This campaign calls on all of us to collectively create an environment in which they can truly thrive but we must first change our perceptions of our youth,” Davies added.

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AROUND THE REGION WEEK OF MAR 5 TO MAR 11

Black Facts March 5 1770 - Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave, became the first man killed in the cause of America’s freedom. This event is better known as the Boston Massacre.

1897 - American Negro Academy founded.

1920 - Leontine T.C. Kelly, the first African-American woman to become a bishop within the Methodist denomination.

1939 - Playwright Charles Fuller was born in Philadelphia March 5, 1939. Fuller co-founded the Afro-American Arts Theatre in Philadelphia, his hometown, in 1967. The Perfect Party (1969) was the first of Fuller’s plays to receive critical acclaim.

1985 - The Mary McLeod Bethune commemorative stamp is issued by the U.S. Postal Service as the eighth stamp in its Black Heritage USA series.

1997 - Desi Giles, a black man, receives death threats after portraying Jesus in the annual passion play in Union City, New Jersey.

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March 6 1775 - Prince Hall and fourteen other blacks were initiated into British Military Lodge No. 441 of the Masons at Fort Independence, Massachusetts. Hall was a leather-dresser and caterer.

On July 3, 1775, African Lodge No.1 was organized in Boston by a group of Black Masons.

1857 - The Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court denied Blacks U.S. citizenship and denied the power of Congress to restrict slavery in any federal territory.

1901 - Virginia State University is founded.

March 7 1965 – U.S. Supreme Court upholds key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

1997 – Former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley dies. Manley is perhaps best known for his brand of democratic socialism and attempting to organize Caribbean and Afri-

can nations into a bloc to press for better prices for their raw materials.

March 8 1977 – Henry L. Marsh III is elected the first black mayor of Richmond, Virginia. Before becoming mayor of the capital of the old confederacy, Marsh had made a name for himself confronting the city’s white power structure as a civil rights attorney. He also served in the state senate.

March 9 1941 – Amistad mutineers freed by U.S. Supreme Court.

1997 – Rap artist The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) is shot to death in Los Angeles, California, as a result of an alleged East Coast/West Coast dispute in the rap music industry. The killing has never been solved criminally. But a civil suit in Los Angeles federal court accused two rogue Los Angeles police officers of arranging the drive-by shooting that led to his death.

However, some moderate civil rights groups, like the NAACP, withdrew after the convention adopted resolutions critical of busing and Israeli racism against the Palestinians.

2010 – Researchers at the University of New Hampshire declare 2010 the “tipping point” year when, for the first time in history, the number of babies born to minority women outnumbered the number born to white women. They project that the nation’s population will be majority Hispanic, black and Asian in 40 years.

March 11 1959 – Lorraine Hansberry’s play “A Raisin in the Sun” opens on Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre with Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil in the starring roles. With 530 performances, the play became the longest-running African-American written play in Broadway history.

It was also the first Broadway hit written by an African-American woman. It became a movie in 1961. Hansberry’s promising career was cut short by cancer in 1965. She was only 34.

March 10 1913 – The “greatest conductor of the Underground Railroad,” Harriet Tubman, dies on this day in Auburn, New York. Born in slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1819 or 1820, Harriet was raised in harsh conditions, including being whipped as a small child. But even as a child she was a person of strong will and principle.

1972 – The first modern National Black Political Convention began on this day in Gary, Indiana. It drew over 3,000 delegates and 500 observers as well as participation from just about every major black political and civil rights organiLorraine Hansberry zation in the nation.

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AROUND THE REGION INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY ELTON HAYES

VIEWP INT Donald Goings

Washington, D.C. I expect for them to at least win their division again. If they can do that, then hopefully they can move past the first series in the postseason. They should be able to go to the World Series. They have the bats and they have the pitchers. Their weakest area last season was their bullpen. So hopefully they can shore that up this year, or maybe the starting pitchers can go seven innings and that will cut down on the amount of innings their bullpen will get. I think they’ll go far, but it really depends on how good the bullpen is.

Al Elkins

Silver Spring, Maryland I think they’re a lock to win their division. I’m hoping they make it all the way to the World Series this year.

They added [starting pitcher] Max Scherzer, which makes the pitching staff just incredible. And if Bryce Harper’s bat comes around, and he doesn’t strike out so much, he’s going to really contribute. If Jayson Werth gets healthy again and has another Jayson Werth-type year, they’ll be in good shape. I really think they’re a lock to win the National League East and I hope they make the Word Series.

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SPRING TRAINING IS UNDERWAY FOR THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS IN FLORIDA. AFTER LOSING TO THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS IN THE POSTSEASON LAST YEAR, WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING THIS SEASON FOR THE NATIONALS?

Victor Brown

Takoma Park, Maryland At the least, I’m expecting them to win the National League East – and that’s the least. But I think they have the talent to win the World Series. The pitching staff they’ve put together is good and I’m just excited to see them play baseball again. I have a friend who is an Orioles fan and we go back and forth with each other. I really do like Nationals Park and I think it’s a beautiful stadium.

I’m looking forward to the start of the season.

We like to hear from you!

Angela McArdell

Washington, D.C. I think they’ll continue to be a good baseball team. I’m not sure what caused their postseason collapse last year, but it’s kind of the same thing we’ve seen with the Wizards and the Capitals. I can’t say the Nationals are a young team, but they’re relatively inexperienced in the postseason. But they seem to have a great coaching staff, and I’m looking forward to watching them take us through another season with maybe a little more postseason success.

Michael Wheeler

Rockville, Maryland I think they’ll make a run at the World Series. They did well by getting Max Scherzer – the $200 million man. If Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth can stay healthy, they’ll be in even better shape to compete. But one person can’t win the pennant for you – it’s a group effort. I think they have a good group of players that will go far.

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MARIJUANA from Page 1 and eight council members argued that D.C. voters’ approval of the law in November meant the law went into effect them.

Meadows and Chaffetz countered that the law could not be enacted until the conclusion of the 30-day congressional review period on Thursday. Feb 26.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 25, Bowser said she would not back down, adding that the law would go into effect at 12:01 a.m. the next day.

“I’m the duly elected mayor of the District of Columbia. I know that D.C. residents spoke loudly last November,” she asserted. “Our position is not new. As mayor, I believe we have moved to thoughtful and reasonable implementation. It was expressed that it was breaking the law. A lot of reasonable people have a different view.

We believe we’re acting lawfully. Our government is prepared to implement and enforce Initiative 71. We believe it was enacted on November 5 when the Board of Elections approved the initiative.

“Bullying D.C. is not what his constituents expect, nor do ours. … “I have a lot of things to do in the District of Columbia. Me being in jail wouldn’t be a good thing.”

Republicans in the House of Representatives said last week that if the District defied the

8 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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congressional amendment to last year’s $1.1 trillion budget, they expected the U.S. Justice Department to intervene. This is very unlikely with President Barack Obama in the White House.

While Chaffetz and Meadows signed the letter, Bowser said a number of congressional representatives have indicated through news releases and other means their support of the District’s position.

Initiative 71 allows D.C. residents to legally possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana. It is unlawful for residents to purchase cannabis, but they’re able to grow up to six plants in their homes and are prohibited from using marijuana in public spaces, on federal land or in public housing. Under terms of the initiative, it’s illegal for anyone under 21 to use cannabis.

Bowser was joined by eight council members, including Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Attorney General Karl Racine and D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

“I believe it was enacted on Nov. 5,” said Mendelson.

“Thirty days are up. It was being tracked by the council. We tracked the legislation, and the legislation has become law. We’re all of the same view on this.”

Mark Plotkin, a longtime statehood advocate, laughed out loud when asked about events last week, saying it amounted to nothing more than political theater.

“This is a sideshow,” said Plot-

kin, a contributor to the British Broadcasting Corporation and The Hill and a columnist for the Georgetowner. “There’s no drama, theater or spectacle.

Yes, they can play around with the appropriations process and add riders which are more sophisticated. Disapproval needs the majority of both houses, but the Department of Justice is never going to prosecute the mayor and officials. I wish they would arrest them and let the whole world know what’s going on here.

“We should elevate the controversy, dramatize the District’s unfair and diminished status. We are this country’s last colony. It would be wonderful and liberating if our elected officials were more defiant. Bowser doesn’t have it, and ‘meek Mendelson’ won’t do it.

Our status that we’re such ladies and gentlemen and we abide by the rules. There’s a lot of winking, and we just complain.”

His biggest regret, Plotkin said, is that issues of D.C.’s autonomy and statehood revolve around marijuana.

“I wish this was not about pot. It should be about voting representation, appointing our own judges,” he said. “It should be something on a much higher plane.”

Kimberly Perry, executive director of DC Vote, said she’s most pleased that none of the elected officials broke ranks.

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DC officials at a press conference on Initiative 71. /Photo courtesy of the DC Government

DC Attorney General Karl Racine and supporter at press conference on Initiative 71. Photo courtesy of the DC Government

MARIJUANA from Page 8 “We’re so pleased that all elected leaders stayed together to uphold the will of the people,” she said. “This was a move to undermine the council, and they stood firm. Kudos to them. As a voter and resident of this great city, this was insulting, demeaning. It isn’t just about marijuana but autonomy. We (generate) $6 billion (annually). We need to get voting rights.”

Perry, said she, members of her organization and others who support statehood and autonomy regularly lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Currently, she said, an autonomy bill and legislation that would eliminate congressional review of any D.C. laws are making their way through the legislative body. A third bill would make the District of Columbia America’s 51st state.

“The first two enjoy bipartisan support. It’s just a few lawmakers who disagree with D.C. laws,” Perry said. Some congressmen use us to grandstand, like Rep. Andy Harris (R-Maryland). We’re starting to calculate the time he’s spending on D.C. He’s spending more time legislatively on the District than on his constituents.”

Harris, a physician, the most vocal critic of decriminalization and legalization of marijuana in the District, added the rider blocking legalization on the Om-

nibus Spending Bill in December.

The rider prohibits federal and local funds from being used to implement a referendum legalizing marijuana use in the District.

“I think for now it’s a victory,” said Perry. “What we’re all looking out for is that appropriations will begin for 2016. There will be amendments for gun laws, abortion and marijuana. Around May or June is when you’ll see amendments being offered.”

Adam Eidinger, chairman of the DC Cannabis Campaign and one of the leaders in the decriminalization and legalization effort, said he was surprised by Bowser’s comments.

“I’m proud of the mayor right now. When I came in here, I didn’t know what position she would take,” he said after last week’s news conference. “She’s saying the right thing. They’re (Congress) playing games, saying don’t do it. They’re trying to intimidate people. We can’t and won’t back down. We can take it to court, and I think the court will rule in our favor.”

Bowser said Meadows and Chaffetz’s challenge reflects the double standard with which Congress deals with the District of Columbia.

“My focus as mayor is that we have clear, enforceable laws,” she said. “We’re treated differently from Colorado and Alaska. That talks to how we’re treated.” WI

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By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc

For more than a decade, Dorothy Brizill has monitored and observed the Board of Elections and Ethics (BOEE) during and after regular and special elections. She’s visited as many polling stations on the days residents cast their votes as she can and then she’s spent time watching election staff count ballots after polls close.

What she’s seen has cast serious in her mind that the agency has the ability to do the job assigned to it by D.C. law. Last month, an audit released by the D.C. Auditor’s Office confirmed what Brizill has long known: “The report is one of what they observed on Election Day in November. It’s a snapshot in time, not exhaustive,” said Brizill, executive director of local watchdog organization DC Watch. “I’ve observed polls under-staffed, polling stations inaccessible to the handicapped and polls where machines have broken down. I get observer credentials and go to as many polling sites as I can in a day. I can talk to precinct captains, make observations and watch them work.”

Routinely Brizill said during a recent interview, there are problems with counts, returns and other aspects of the polling and voting process.

“Entire states have announced full returns before the District,” she said.

“They can’t count and there are problems like ballots not being at polling sites. This has been going on for the past several years and now they’re going to turn around and have Special Elections, spend $500,000 and nothing has changed.”

Local political consultant Chuck Thies said the Board of Elections seems ill-equipped to handle the simple task of counting votes.

“They’ve had many, many problems,” he said. “Elections boards across the country have problems but not every election. They make excuses – ‘We need more staff, equipment.’

The equipment’s not old, it’s junk.”

Thies, who’s worked on a number of major political campaigns and who The Washington Informer

served as campaign manager in former Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s failed re-election bid, said that in this age of technology, it’s ludicrous for board staff to be collecting cartridges from the city’s 143 polling stations, jumping in vehicles to take them back to Election headquarters and only have three outlets in which to download results.

“If the Board of Elections can’t count, if I go to place where I voted the last three times and I’m told I can’t vote, there is a lack of confidence.

They’re really good at customer service but when it comes to the complex matters of managing elections, tabulating results, challenging and verifying petitions – interacting with technology – I feel like I’m not in 21st century. It’s like the 1980s.”

In hearings such as one held in February by Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, elections officials acknowledged – sometimes grudgingly – missteps and problems, while trying to explain why elections returns were delayed or late, why counting ballots extended way beyond Election Day and reasons for the various technology and systems glitches that have slowed counts to a crawl.

After polls closed after the April 1, 2014 primary, there was a fourhour delay. BOEE Executive Director Clifford Tatum and Board Chair Deborah Nichols blamed the delay on a computer glitch. Despite assurances that the agency would take extra precautions to ensure a smooth vote in the November general election, it was minutes before midnight before BOEE officials called the mayoral race for Muriel Bowser. Counts of 6,000 absentee and 20,000 special ballots dragged into early December.

BOE officials have declined repeated attempts to discuss these issues, saying through a spokesman that they’re reserving comment until after they complete an after-action report requested by McDuffie.

During a February interview, McDuffie, who chairs the Government Operations Committee, said he’s frustrated.

“The issues have varied: slower

tabulations and counts; we saw technical problems not assessed and multiple explanations from the board. The cause on primary night differed when I called for an oversight hearing on the delays.

An after-action report was not completed and there are still questions.”

The audit McDuffie requested last year includes problems as simple as a shortage of pens and pencils at polling stations, missing supplies, including pens and delivery confirmation forms; and printer malfunctions.

Larger problems include data switch and server problems and equipment malfunctions.

Board officials have said in published reports that the agency needs new voting machines and a bigger budget.

“They say they need new equipment and money. I’ve told them the last thing they need to do is give them more money. It’s like giving an addict more drugs,” said Brizill, a frequent observer and participant in oversight hearings.

Brizill said she’s discouraged because it appears that making the BOEE fully functional and operational isn’t a D.C. Council priority. She also faults McDuffie for not asking the tough questions or imposing strict deadlines, including a firm date for delivery of the after-action report.

She agrees with McDuffie, however, that there need to be changes at the top.

“Personnel and management issues need to be addressed. Part of the problem is compounded by the fact that they are governed by a three-member board. They’re all lame ducks, don’t like each other and can’t work together,” she said.

It is this dysfunctional organization with well-publicized problems that city leaders have entrusted to run elections despite its record of futility.

Given the board’s poor track record, the public may well see a repeat of problems from the past to affect the April 28 special elections.WI

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Dr. Elsie Scott and the Rev. Benjamin Chavis shared their views at Metropolitan AME Church in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 28 during a discussion on the Wilmington 10 film “Pardons of Innocence.” /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

Wilmington 10 Remembered Efforts Continue to Share the Truth of Innocence

By Sarafina Wright WI Intern Just like the Greensboro Four, the Wilmington 10 were young students who stood up to injustice in the South; the only difference is that the Wilmington 10 were convicted of arson and sentenced to 282 years altogether.

Ben Chavis, a member of the Wilmington 10 and president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, hosted a screening of “Pardons of Innocence: Wilmington 10” at the historic Metropolitan AME church in Northwest.

“We came down to Wilmington by the hundreds of thousands, and we raised our fist, but not about violence, but about unity and solidarity,” said Chavis.

In 1971, Chavis was sent by the United Church of Christ’s Commission for Racial Justice to Wilmington, North Carolina, to assist black residents with their grievances in regards to the education system. Williston Senior High School, a source of pride for black residents, was suddenly closed without explanation, the students were dispersed to hostile white schools, and its teachers were laid off.

Chavis, along with eight students and one anti-poverty workThe Washington Informer

er, gathered to protest, boycott and compile a list of demands so that African-American students would receive a high-quality education in a safe environment.

“No question about it. I was a nonviolent militant. I was organizing the people of the community to speak out against violence and injustice,” said Chavis.

In February 1971, a whiteowned grocery store was firebombed. Days later, Chavis and his comrades, who came to be known as the Wilmington 10, would be arrested, tried and convicted of arson.

The case caught national attention when the Amnesty International Group took their case, classifying them as political prisoners. After a mistrial, fabrication of evidence and witnesses’ recanting their stories, the Wilmington 10 were granted freedom in 1980.

Chavis recalled that his time in prison for almost five years for a crime he did not commit was trying; however, there was something good that came out of it.

“History has a way of repeating itself. If young people knew more about how and why we got where we are, we wouldn’t have a single child drop out of school.”

Wesley Gourdine, 70, a member of Metropolitan AME came to the screening because he re-

membered the story from growing up in nearby Charleston, South Carolina.

“I was a child of the ’60s. And I was very active in civil rights.

I knew about this case in the ’70s. I was shocked when they were arrested. When I heard Ben Chavis would be here, I wanted to hear it from his perspective,” said Gourdine.

Kim Kendrick, 47, was invited by a trustee of the church.

“I looked at the flyer and researched. I knew what the Wilmington 10 was about, but I didn’t know know. I also knew that Chavis was the president of the NAACP, but I didn’t know his history. I am glad I came to get this history lesson and see how our communities worked together with the young people,” said Kendrick.

In January 2013, former North Carolina Gov. Bev Purdue officially pardoned the Wilmington 10 on her last day in office.

“The Wilmington 10 is about more than ten defendants. It’s about families, communities and legacies that have fought for justice and equality,” said Chavis. WI

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a controversial speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Tues., March 3. /Photo by Roy Lewis

Netanyahu’s Speech Draws Mixed Reviews

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer @bsalmondc

Since House Speaker John Boehner secretly arranged for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress, Washington has been whipped by acrimony, denunciations and recriminations.

In a stunning breach of protocol, Boehner invited Netanyahu without informing the White House, which is said to have infuriated President Barack Obama and other administration officials. Netanyahu accepted the invitation and is expected to present a case against any nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers.

During his March 3 speech, Netanyahu hoped to scuttle the deal in the hope that Iran would be unable to develop a nuclear weapon, acting on his belief that Israel’s future would be at stake if Iran were allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

National Security Advisor Susan Rice, during an appearance on the Charlie Rose show, condemned the pending speech, saying it is destructive to America and Israel’s relationship. She said Netanyahu’s intention to criticize the potential nuclear deal just two weeks before Israeli elections has “injected a degree of partisanship, which is not only unfortunate. I think it’s destructive of the fabric of the relationship.

“It has always been bipartisan. We need to keep it that way. We want it that way. I think Israel wants it that way. The American people want it that way. And, when it becomes injected or infused with politics, that’s a problem.”

Some of Netanyahu’s fiercest critics accuse him of using Congress as a means to gain re-election. He’s

locked in a battle for the presidency with opposition leader Isaac Herzog.

The last time he addressed Congress, Netanyahu used that appearance in a campaign ad two years ago, with the statement, “When Netanyahu speaks, the world listens.”

In the days leading up to the speech, Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, a number of prominent American Jews and five former Israeli ambassadors to the U.S. implored him to forgo the speech, saying that it would be a mistake at this time to make such a speech.

The elections take place on March 17.

On Tuesday, Rice used the strongest language yet from an Obama administration official regarding a visit that has rankled both sides and strained ties between the countries.

According to media reports, Netanyahu dismissed mounting criticism from Washington last week.

“I respect the White House and the president of the United States, but on such a fateful matter that can determine whether or not we survive I must do everything to prevent such a great danger for Israel,” Netanyahu told members of his party in Israel.

Democrats and administration officials are incensed by the belief that Netanyahu insulted and showed disrespect to the president. The Obama-Netanyahu relationship has traditionally been frosty, with mutual animosity and disdain, yet America has been Israel’s staunchest ally throughout the course of the Obama presidency.

Pundits and other politics watchers have faulted Netanyahu for the perceived clumsy way in which he sought to exert his influence on American foreign policy. His critics, detractors and some supporters think

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he overplayed his hand, adding that the speech could end up backfiring by alienating Obama and pushing Democratic supporters of Israel toward Obama’s position.

Obama is pushing for the deal and opposes any more sanctions, while there are factions in both the House and Senate, which are poised to impose harsher sanctions. The rift between both countries is acknowledged as the worst in decades.

And, by his actions, Netanyahu has thrown his support behind Republicans, with two years left of the Obama administration. So far, 24 House and Senate Democrats and Vice President Joe Biden plan to boycott the speech.

Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who is Jewish, strongly criticized Netanyahu’s actions.

“People of Israel: You should know that the new-found alliance between your Prime Minister and our Republican Party, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and some wealthy right-wing Jews here (such as billionaire Sheldon Adelson), is poisoning the relationship between Israel and the United States,” said Reich on his Facebook page. “Netanyahu’s decision to address Congress on Tuesday to argue against a nuclear deal with Iran that’s one of the President’s highest priorities, and also to speak to AIPAC – just two weeks before your own national elections – foists your own domestic politics onto ours.”

“As such, it is having a polarizing effect here in the United States, pushing many Americans to side against Israel, and thereby posing a longterm threat to Israel’s security.” WI The Washington Informer

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Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Talented Youth Honored for Leadership, Service

By Racbel Sudduth WI Intern

Expressions of excitement, joy and anticipation filled the faces of family, friends and supporters at the Voice of Class Act Community Youth Awards, where fourteen youth, ranging from age 8 to 21, were honored for their leadership, community service initiative and achievements in their education.

The youth took on many community service projects, including raising $500 on GoFundMe toward the Special Olympics, work with health programs, and feeding the homeless.

Class Act Productions CEO and President Karen McConnell-Jones, who co-hosted the ceremony with Collaborative Partner Seth Washington, was inspired to start the awards after viewing a news segment in 2011 that she believed negatively portrayed African-American males

in Prince George’s County.

“I thought to myself, ‘How can we get away from this stereotype in our community?’” Jones said. “I wanted to show the positive side of our community.”

Jones added that the youth were honored because they are the future generation of “our” community.

Since 2011, Prince George’s County-based organization Class Act Productions has honored men, women and children throughout communities in Maryland.

Washington, 48, said the goal of the awards is to honor the structure of the family.

“We recognized men in 2011, women in 2012 because they are the nurturers of the family, and in 2015 the youth,” said Washington.

Each honoree showcased talents during the ceremony.

A group of youth in the UFN Dance Company performed to songs such as Michael Jackson’s

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“Dangerous.” Brianna Davis, 19, delivered a ballet performance that left the audience cheering and smiling.

Maya Hammond, 14, sat on a stool, center stage with her guitar, singing an original. She left the audience with a short snippet that showed her fluency in Chinese and French.

Maya smiled and said she was grateful for the award and opportunity. “I am happy and thankful. Ms. Karen is very loving.”

Maya started her own foundation, which provides dresses made from pillowcases to orphan girls in Ghana and South Africa.

The Voice of Class Act Community Youth Awards featured a roundtable discussion from former Chair of the Prince George’s County Council Ingrid M. Turner, lawyer and Capitol Heights Mayor Pro Tempore Marnitta King, and former football player Marvcus Patton.

Turner gave the youth a piece of advice during the discussion.

“Take advantage of every opportunity; nothing will be handed to you,” said Turner.

In the audience sat organizations such as Sisters 4 Sisters Network, a police chief and doctors.

Following the performances, youth received their awards and gave short acceptance speeches.

Photo by Stevie Gaymon/Gaymon Studios

Photo by Stevie Gaymon/Gaymon Studios

Tap-dancing 9-year-old Yasha Reynolds received her award after her performance.

“I thank God for this honor,” said Yasha.

Upon receiving the awards, the honorees showed their appreciation by surprising their mentor, Jones, and their parents with yellow roses. Jones’ eyes watered as the honorees told her, “We love you” and “ You are the

best person in the world.”

The ceremony came to a close with a black history performance inspired by the film “Selma” and a grand finale in which one special attendee left with a piece of artwork by 21-year-old featured artist Quinton Walker.

Class Act Productions is currently planning its next award ceremony to honor teachers and coaches. WI

Serving the DMV areas.

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDUCATION BRIEFS

Chioma Ike has a 3.9 grade point average./Photo courtesy PGCPS

Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

‘Scholar of the Week’

Chioma Ike, a senior at Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, lists among the latest students honored as a “Scholar of the Week.”

Chioma has a 3.9 grade point average and excels in advanced placement courses that include history, government, biology, and honors English and chemistry.

Her extracurricular activities include membership in the National Honor Society, and Chioma who serves as a Student Ambassador chair, also participates in “Tutoring for Success.”

Chioma has applied to several colleges and universities, including Howard University, the University of Maryland College Park and Towson University.

She wants to major in biology and become a pediatrician with her own practice.

Teachers, Greenbelt Elementary School Honored

Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell

recently extended congratulations to 19 teachers on having achieved National Board Certified status, as well as Greenbelt Elementary School for being one of only three schools in the state of Maryland to gain recognition for its gifted and talented program.

The National Board certification lists as the most prestigious teaching credential educators can obtain in the United States. This year’s honorees include nine new nationally-certified teachers and 10 renewal National Board certified teachers: Catherine Abbott, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School; Melissa Alfano, Thomas Claggett Elementary School; Catalina Ballitoc, Glenridge Elementary School; Sarah Barias, Panorama Elementary School; Alexis Cortez, Riverdale Elementary School; Maria Darza, James Ryder Randall Elementary School; Ayana English Brown, Largo High School; Karen Gibson, Forest Heights Elementary School; Coit Hendley III, Eleanor Roosevelt High School; Barbara Hughes, High Point High School; Bianca Johnson, Park-

dale High School; Ella McCarty, Chillum Elementary School; Christy Neff, University Park Elementary School; Freda Perry, High Point High School; Leanne Puglia, Riverdale Elementary School; Talitha Simeona Moon, Office of Talent Development; Yau-Jong Twu, Eleanor Roosevelt High School; Marlen Walderman, H. Winship Wheatley Early Childhood Center; and Maya Yamada, Eleanor Roosevelt High School.

As a 2014 recipient of the “Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education” school award, Greenbelt Elementary demonstrated superiority in student identification, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and program management and evaluation.

“I want to commend principal Monica Gaines and the entire team at Greenbelt Elementary School on this achievement, as well as thank our new nationally-certified teachers for their commitment to professional growth, high standards in instruction, and improvement in learning outcomes for our students,” said Maxwell. “It’s a job well done and a great demonstration of the caliber of teachers we employ and the type of quality instructional options available to students and families in PGCPS.”

Common Core Meetings

The county’s Board of Education will host two meetings for the public to learn about, explore and understand Common Core.

The rigorous education standards focus on a set of shared goals and expectations for what students in grades K-12 should understand and be able to perform in order to be prepared for success in college and the workplace. To date, the standards have been voluntarily adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

The meeting dates are from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 11 at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, Maryland, and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 1 at Laurel High School in Laurel, Maryland.

For more information call 301-952-6115 WI

FAME

Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education P R E S E N T S

SUMMER MUSIC TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM Applications are open for FAME’s Summer Music Technology Program, at the beautiful, state-of-the-art and friendly atmosphere of our partner the University of Maryland College Park School of Music, 2110 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

This program is designed for Prince George’s County MD students entering grades 8 through 12.

Each student is given ample opportunities to: • Explore cutting edge recording software, i.e. Pro Tools, Sibelius & Garage Band • Experiment with music composition • Learn about and prepare for education and career opportunities in music • Develop proficiency in computer technology • Produce finished CD and MP3 files to share digitally and publish online • Enjoy Master Classes with recording artists, engineers and producers • Learn proper use of social media and other online tools Applicants must submit a nomination form from a music teacher, and each selected student will receive full scholarship and a certificate of completion. The program culminates with a showcase of students’ creative projects.

PROGRAM DATES 9:00am - 4:00pm daily: Week A: July 6 -10, 2015 Or Week B: July 13 -17, 2015 Registration deadline: March 31, 2015 To register and for detailed Information, visit www.fameorg.org Call 301.805.5358 This program made possible in part by funding from: Prince George’s County Community Partnership Grant; Prince George’s County Council Members: Andrea Harrison (District 5), Derrick Leon Davis (District 6), Obie Patterson (District 8) and Mel Franklin (District 9); and United Way of the National Capital Area.

The Common Core standards focus on a set of goals and expectations students in grades K-12 should understand and be able to perform in order to be prepared for success in college and the workplace. / Courtesy Photo

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The Washington Informer

Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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NATIONAL

All Roads Lead to Selma

Nation Prepares for50th Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor The story behind the March 7, 1965 organized march that would take some 600 people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge towards Montgomery, Alabama, has recently come to the forefront because of the film “Selma.”

But as the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” approaches, hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to descend on the historic southern town where they will commemorate the march and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The “Bridge Crossing Jubilee” kicks off on Thursday, March

5 with a public hearing on poverty, a play paying tribute to the life of Jimmie Lee Jackson and a memorial for martyrs of the movement.

Activities continue at various venues throughout the weekend including: a voting rights workshop, a panel discussion featuring leaders of the movement: Claudette Colvin, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Robert “Bob” Moses, Diane Nash and the Rev. C.T. Vivian; and plenty of parades, musical presentations and galas.

Participants will prepare for the 50th anniversary march on Sunday, March 8 with services at various Selma churches, an emerging leaders breakfast and a pre-march rally.

/Courtesy Photo

Finally, on Monday, March 9, with the theme of “Remember, Recommit and Restore,” the Selma to Montgomery March will depart the Edmund Pettus Bridge at 8 a.m. A celebration rally is planned for Thursday, March 12 near Carver High

Washington Informer to Sponsor Sopranessence in 2015 Cherry Blossom Parade

School and a rally on Friday, March 13 at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.

Readers may recall that with Hosea Williams, representing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference [SCLC] and John Lewis, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee [SNCC], at the front of the line, the two men, along with hundreds others, assembled at a downtown church in Selma, knelt for prayer and began walking silently, two-by-two through the city streets.

They were stopped as they were leaving Selma, at the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, by over 150 Alabama state troopers, sheriff ’s deputies and other agitators, who ordered the demonstrators to disperse.

Just over one minute later, and

following a two-minute warning, officers advanced with clubs, bullwhips and tear gas. In the melee that followed, 58 people, including Lewis who suffered a fractured skull, were injured, requiring treatment at a local hospital.

Meanwhile, the nation and the world would witness the brutal attack on unarmed men, women and children of various races and religions, because of photographers and cameramen who captured the event for all time.

Later, on March 21 and under the protection of a federalized National Guard, 3,200 demonstrators once again set out from Selma to Montgomery – this time safely walking to the State Capitol in what some would describe as a turning point in the civil rights movement. WI

Photo by Mickey Thompson/Social Sightings

Sopranessence was founded by Cynthia Cole in 2007 to “reboot” classical music and break its stereotype, the ensemble includes talented and accomplished sopranos who enthusiastically blend their voices in fun and unique arrangements of opera, musical theater and American songbook classics. The voices play off each other like instruments in an orchestra, and Sopranessence brings music to life in a new and joyous way for diverse audiences.

In a thrilling display of the DC area’s diverse local talent, Sopranessence, along with six other acts were selected to perform in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade® presented by Events DC on Saturday, April 11. At a live audition, the winners were chosen from 28 finalists, all part of the second annual Sing Into Spring vocal competition held at Atlas Performing Arts Center on January 27. The event was emceed by DC’s own acclaimed artists Raheem DeVaughn and Deborah Bond.

The group will join an outstanding lineup of celebrity entertainers, marching bands from across the country, energetic performers, giant colorful helium balloons, and elaborate floats in a grand spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the finale event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Parade is free and open to the public.

Join The Washington Informer at The National Cherry Blossoms Festival March 20 – April 20, 2015 For more info: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

16 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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/Courtesy Photo

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NATIONAL

Bowie State Celebrates 150 years of Excellence HBCU History Proudly Recalled By Alumni, Others

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer

eral arts college in 1963, finally achieving university status in 1988. In the same year, BSU joined the newly formed University System of Maryland.

“Bowie State has a commitment to graduating students in the STEM disciplines to help meet the state’s critical workforce needs and prepare students for jobs to meet the changing needs of society,” BSU President Mickey L. Burnim said in a news release.

“We remain committed first, however, to excellence in teaching, which is at the heart of what we do. Our faculty’s primary interest and passion is teaching, and that passion is what propels our students’ success.” WI

Bowie State’s first graduating four-year class in 1941. /Photo Courtesy of BSU

FESTIVAL 2015

FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 7 CREATING CONNECTION THROUGH INNOVATIVE ARTS

The faculty of the Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie in 1912. /Photo Courtesy of BSU

Baltimore as a school providing basic educational opportunities for newly emancipated citizens.

It evolved into a normal school and teachers college producing teachers and administrators for schools throughout the state.”

Today, BSU stands as a quality and comprehensive university that attracts a diverse population of students to its broad array of programs that prepare them to be dynamic leaders who make a difference in the world, Robinson said.

She said the anniversary provides a platform to engage individuals who may not know much about BSU and to showcase a continuing commitment to serve students seeking opportunity and the needs of our surrounding community.

Recently, to help kick-off the year-long celebration, school officials invited Beatrice Payne, who graduated from BSU more than 80 years ago, to reflect on

the role BSU played in her life and career as an educator.

“I just thought teaching was the grandest thing, and that was what I was going to do,” said Payne, who at 105 is the University’s oldest living graduate.

“Going to Bowie influenced me from when I began teaching until ending,” she said in a prepared statement. “And, when I got out of the classroom and into administration, there were still things that were very helpful to me.”

Payne retired after more than 40 years in education, serving as a teaching principal, special education teacher and special education department supervisor in the Baltimore County public schools.

Payne’s experience fits well with the original school’s mission, which was to train African-Americans to become teachers. The founders formed the Baltimore Association for

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Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

Photo: Imani

When the 40 African-American founders opened what was then called the Baltimore Normal School on January 9, 1865, their mission was to establish educational facilities across Maryland that would help educate the more than 85,000 newly emancipated slaves.

Today, the school now famously called Bowie State University, counts among the many proud historical black college and universities. And, it has become an acclaimed and comprehensive liberal arts school that’s in the midst of a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary.

“I have spoken with those who used to walk the railroad tracks to Old Bowie Town to the local store. This year I rode in a parade through one of the malls in the Bowie community and waved to people of many nationalities proudly wearing BSU paraphernalia. It was an awesome display of unity among Bowie State University and the community,” said Clarence Mollock, a 1972 graduate of BSU and president of the Baltimore chapter of the BSU National Alumni Association.

“During the 1970’s I was one of the student representatives on the Commission for Campus Development as well as the Commission for Acquisition of Land for Bowie State College.

Since that time I am humbled to see the growth of the University,” said Mollock, who earned election in 2014 to the BSU Sports Hall of Fame.

“I often bring back alumni so that they can see their influence over the years that Bowie State University has been in existence,” he said.

Cassandra Robinson, a cochair for BSU’s sesquicentennial steering committee and the school’s director of university relations and marketing, said the anniversary is naturally a special time for those associated with BSU as well as the community at-large.

“The celebration of the anniversary marks the significant impact that this institution has had in lives of so many Maryland citizens since its founding in 1865,” Robinson said. “We have a proud legacy that began in

the Moral and Educational Improvement of Colored People and opened dozens of schools around the state at a time when Maryland refused to fund schools for blacks, officials said.

In 1908, the state assumed control of BSU and relocated it to Bowie in 1911, where it was known as the Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie.

Payne went on to complete three years of high school and two years of normal school at Bowie, graduating in 1928 with a first-grade teaching certificate.

“The teachers at Bowie really taught us and taught us well,” she said.

From that time, the school evolved into a state teachers college in 1938 and then a lib-

17

BUSINESS BUSINESS EXCHANGE

Start Conversations About “Banking Black” If you are not a part of the solution to Blacks’ problems, it should be made evident then, that you continue as part of the problem. The answer to Blacks’ economic woes is in our own hands and control. The solution to Black Americans’ economic problems is to place our money and assets in Black banks. Third generation Black banker, B. Doyle Mitchell, said, “If Black people used their assets strategically they’d be as rich as other groups.”

One of Western communities’ most important institutions is the bank. Banks are stabilizing forces in communities they serve, loaning money to businesses to help them expand and create jobs. Banks help people become homeowners and existing homeowners make repairs and

By William Reed additions to their property. In every community except Blacks’, people finance banks and they in turn finance the people’s needs.

In Washington, D.C. three generations of Mitchells have made an enormous impact on the Black communities’ past and modern development. B. Doyle Mitchell’s family is an example to emulate. In 1934, his grandfather Jesse H. Mitchell founded Industrial Bank with the equivalent of $3.25 million toward servicing Washington’s Shaw community – home of the nation’s most affluent Blacks.

Today, there are more than 40 mil-

lion African-Americans living in the U.S., but less than 1 percent of all federally chartered banks are Blackowned. Although 13.1 percent of the U.S. population is African-American, only 0.35 percent (24 in total) of U.S. banks are Black-owned. African Americans’ buying power is projected to top $1.1 trillion, yet the number of Black-owned banks even lags behind the number of financial institutions owned by Asian-Americans, who make up 5.1 percent of the total U.S. population of 314 million people and own 40 banks nationwide.

Blacks need to talk to each other about how “banking Black” advances our communities. Like the Mitchells, Blacks in D.C. have a history of banking with Blacks. After the Civil War, Blacks and their businesses flourished. Capital Savings Bank, the first bank organized and operated by African Americans, was founded in Washington, D.C., Oct. 17, 1888. Although Blacks’ incomes and employment options have increased over past decades, Black-run banks have been struggling.

These banks, historically headquartered in the heart of traditional black communities such as Chicago’s South

Side, New York’s Harlem and Washington, D.C.’s Shaw, fall out of favor with the up-and-coming Blacks. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. counts 25 Black-owned banks. The majority of Black-owned banks open are on shaky ground, struggling to hold on. Analysts say 60 percent of Black-run banks lost money in 2013.

A community is defined as a group of people with a common characteristic or interest. It is a body of persons having common concerns. Like other backbones of their communities, Black-owned banks have been, and are, the backbone of many African American communities. However, these banks have limited resources because the greater body of Blacks refuses to deposit monies there. Blacks have trillions of dollars in spending power, however; most Black banks struggle to get any significant population of Blacks to make deposits there. Blacks have an idiotic behavior of spending and putting money away from where they live. There needs to be a conversation among African Americans about Black banks’ common-cause with Blacks and their communities.

The greatest challenge facing African-Americans is increasing our collective wealth. Toward that end, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) recently made a model $5 million investment in African American-owned banks. The CBCF’s then-chair Rep. Chaka Fattah said, “CBCF has invested in this partnership because we need these institutions to grow and thrive.” Blacks need to broadly explore and discuss what their aversion to putting money in another African-American’s hand.

Too many Blacks are convinced that the White man’s ice is colder. In order to create Black wealth Blacks must recycle their dollars by supporting Black-owned banks, businesses and creating more. Black-owned banks are vital to achieving this. Let the word go out that every Black person who has a checking or savings account should transfer money to a Black-owned bank. Not to do so is self-defeating. WI William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via Busxchng@his. com.

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18 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

Family and friends gathered at the home going ceremony for Lafayette Barnes, Sr., a longtime Washingtonian who lived in Ward 7 in Southeast for more than 60 years. An inspiration to the young and old, Mr. Barnes died on Tuesday, February 24 of natural causes with members of his family by his side. He was 91 years old.

Mr. Barnes was born the son of Carrie Mae Saunders and Lafayette Barnes on February 15, 1924 in Selma, North Carolina. He was one of four sons.

He began his faith journey at the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, where his Christian foundation began and remained with him throughout his entire life. He and his brothers attended Whitted Junior High School and Hillside Park High School, the first and only public school built for Negroes in Durham in 1922. At Hillside, Mr. Barnes was in the college preparatory program, the Glee Club and a social club called “The Musketeers.” He graduated in the Class of 1941.

Mr. Barnes moved to Washington, D.C. in 1943. He rented a room at 1324 U Street, Northwest and worked as a busboy at the Greyhound Bus Station on New York Avenue, earning $25 a week plus meals and a uniform. He was later hired at the U.S. Government Printing Office until he secured a full-time job at the U.S. Government Accounting Office earning 66 cents per hour.

After 35 years of distinguished service, Mr. Barnes retired from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In 1945, Mr. Barnes was drafted into the U.S. Army at Fort Meade, Maryland. He was assigned to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington and served as an assistant clerk in Kempo, South Korea during the occupation period at the end of the U.S.-Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

Mr. Barnes managed to find a sacred space to nurture his soul with church and music. He performed with several choirs including The One Accord Singers at First Baptist Church Deanwood, The Overtones, the Washington Male Chorale and the Senior Choir at Hughes Memorial United Methodist Church.

In December 1965, he joined Hughes Memorial United Methodist Church in Northeast under the leadership of the Reverend William E. Bishop, pastor. Hughes has remained his church home.

Barnes was a 60-year resident of Ward 7 where he purchased a home in which he and his wife, Delores Barnes, raised their son, Lafayette Anthony, and where he and his wife Barbara Dole raised their son, Rodney Allen.

Family and friends gathered at Allen Chapel AME Church in February 2014 to celebrate Mr. Barnes’ 90th birthday.

Several months later, after a brief hospitalization, Lafayette moved to Ingleside at Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. where he resided until his peaceful transition on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 11:14 a.m.

Mr. Barnes is survived by his sons Lafayette Anthony and Rodney Allen Barnes, a daughter-in-law Denise Rolark Barnes; four grandchildren, Caitlin Barnes, Desmond Rolark Barnes, Lafayette Anthony-Calvin Barnes and Nefertiti Williams; a nephew Nathaniel Barnes; nieces Alma Barnes Hamilton and Carrie Marie Vinson, along with a host of family members and friends.

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BUSINESS products, including handcrafted soap that’s packed with premium ingredients like goat’s milk and citrus peels that’s designed to gently exfoliate skin.

“The Haitian approach to caring and maintaining hair is closely aligned with herbal medicine.

Many women rely on ingredients found in the mountains, family recipes, and what we call the country’s liquid gold, Haitian

Black Castor Oil,” she said.

“Food is also used in cosmetic concoctions. When you purchase Kreyol Essence products you are investing in yourself and the people of Haiti. So, support the beautiful women and men who hand make these products and celebrate social and beauty innovation.” WI For more information about the company, visit www.KreyolEssence.com.

Yve-Car Momperousse and Stéphane Jean-Baptiste showcase Kreyol Essence products at an event. /Photo courtesy of Kreyol Essence.

Hair Catastrophe Leads To Successful Business

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer For some women, having a bad hair day can lead to many other problems.

And, if you listen to Yve-Car Momperousse, there couldn’t have been many who’ve experienced worse after she visited a hair stylist about seven years ago.

“I called it a hair catastrophe,” said Momperousse, who has managed several nonprofits in three states including Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

“I had been growing my hair naturally, and I went to a hairdresser and asked to have my hair pressed. The hairdresser decided to use a lot of heat to straighten my hair and burned me badly.”

Momperousse said she turned to her mother back in Haiti for a remedy. And, as she’d done with countless other ailments, Momperousse’s mom reached for old reliable, Haitian Black Castor Oil. That’s when Momperousse decided to start Kreyol Essence, a company that creates skin and hair care products based on Haitian traditions.

“I knew the Haitian Black Castor Oil my mother used on me as a child to strengthen, grow, and moisturize my mane was the one thing that could restore my natural hair to its former glory,” she said.

“It wasn’t readily available in my neighborhood [in Philadelphia] and I could not find it on line. My mom had to send me some from her Haiti stash, so I decided to make sure that I, and anyone else who needed the oil, could have access to it by creating

The owners of Kreyol Essence, a company that creates hair and skin care products based on Haitian traditions. /Photo courtesy of Kreyol Essence.

Kreyol Essence.”

Momperousse, who operates the business with her fiancée, Stéphane Jean-Baptiste, said another reason for starting the business was to help stimulate Haiti’s fallen economy.

She said she had planned to open in 2010, but the terrible earthquake that rocked the country forced her to focus on relief work rather than being an entrepreneur.

“That’s where my mom, who is always the voice of reason, came in again and told me that I had to stop the relief work and follow my dreams,” Momperousse said.

“Now more than ever, our people will need jobs and a way to be self-sufficient and my mom said to me that when the donations stop, how will the country survive? She said she needed me to persevere in making this dream a reality as the lives of many were at stake.”

Helping to provide jobs for many in her homeland have only made the success of Kreyol Essence all the more enjoyable, Momperousse said.

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She and Jean-Baptiste said it was their destiny and their responsibility to have a social impact and that remains the core of their business model.

Momperousse said the company will eventually create jobs for as many as 400 women and farmers and, by planting castor beans they are tackling soil erosion, deforestation and green house gas emission.

“This helps with the environment and it saves the lives of those who survived the earthquake,” she said, adding that Kreyòl Essence provides the only 100 percent organic Haitian castor oil on the mainstream market.

The oil, extracted by hand using traditional Haitian methods, has proven to deliver unparalleled healing and hydrating properties, she said.

The product includes 100 percent organic and aromatic Palma Christi: Haitian Black castor oil; Palma Shea hair and body butter all designed to infuse the skin and hair with moisture.

The company also offers a variety of other organic hair and skin The Washington Informer

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19

Ballou Students Challenged to Think Out Loud City First Bank of DC, in partnership with The Hurston/Wright Foundation and Guerilla Arts Ink, sponsored a Black History Month Writing Contest for the senior class of Ballou High School. Gloria Nauden Of City First Bank says the mission was “To celebrate the minds of Ballou’s students as we challenge them to think out loud and shape their thoughts and ideas as they experience the power of the literary arts brought forth by world class instruction.”

Students attended workshops and submitted their creative work for judging. One essay and one poem were chosen to each receive the top award of $1000, which was funded by RLJ Development. During the judging, one poem was also deemed worthy of honorable mention.

Marita Golden, Executive Director, Hurston/Wright Foundation had this to say about the winning essay and poems, “The students in the workshop were asked to think about Marion Barry as a leader and the ways in which he overcame numerous obstacles in order to become a political and civil rights leader. The students were asked to think about the challenges they had faced in their own lives and how they had to marshal resilience, strength and faith in order to say yes to themselves when they were told they should say no, and the see the world as limitless rather than limited. In China’s essay she writes about relying on the strength of a loving family that taught her to believe in herself.

Just as Marion Barry had a mother who modeled leadership and activism, China has had a family that she could rely on to propel her to heights of accomplishments that she may not have thought possible in the face of her physical challenge. Marion Barry overcame and made the world a better place for people. China wants to become an activist on behalf of the rights of the disabled. Marion Barry has shown her how to do that.

The poets honored the tradition of Black poetry by speaking truth and honoring their literary and cultural ancestors in their poems.

Their words are a praise song to the legacy of Marion Barry.”

20 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

ESSAY WINNER

WINNING ESSAY

Anything is Possible

By China Warren From the moment I opened my eyes I had to fight for my life. I was born in the year 1996, on a Thursday on the 25th day of April at 9:25 a.m.

It probably was sunny, because it’s always sunny on my birthday. Flowers were blooming and birds were chirping, and everything on the outside of the hospital was totally normal. No one knew what was going on inside.

They were all living their normal lives, while my life—more extraordinary than ordinary—was just beginning.

I was born 26 weeks before my predicted birthdate. When I was delivered by Cesarean-Section I first weighed 1 lb., 3 oz. but soon dropped several more ounces. I couldn’t breathe on my own because I was underdeveloped and under-oxygenated. Because of this I was announced as a premature infant and was placed in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) where I lived in an incubator for three months. My teenage mother didn’t really know what was going on. She didn’t know if she should be worried or scared. She didn’t know if I would live or die. Then they broke the news to her: I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a disability that affects one’s muscles, posture and movement. It can also impair speech. It is caused by an immature/developing brain before birth; some cases happen to be more severe than others.

Although it’s unfortunate that I have the disability, it is fortunate that my case is only mild. Many people that have a severe case cannot walk which results in them having to be bound to a wheelchair. Luckily for me that is not the case: I can’t walk long distances, but I can walk. My disability affects my mobility, movement, and posture, but it is only noticeable on my left side; everything works just fine on the right side.

When I was younger, I was very insecure about my disability. I couldn’t do everything everyone else did, and I was too young to understand why not. People would stare, mock, and tease me and sometimes I would hear people whisper things like: “What’s wrong with her?” or “Why does she walk like that?” It was like I was a circus act in the spotlight.

As I got older I started to become more aware of what my disability actually was and what it meant, and it was then when I became more confident in myself. I was lucky enough to have a strong support system. If I was feeling down, my mom would talk to me and explain why I couldn’t do the things that others could, and my grandmother would tell me that it could be worse. Other people deal with worse things than this, she said, and you should feel lucky rather than unfortunate. They didn’t want me to pity myself. And I don’t want that either.

The doctors told me that I wouldn’t be able to walk, talk, see, or do many other essential things in life. After countless agonizing surgeries and therapy sessions, I was able to prove that prediction to be incorrect. My body gave a big “Screw you!” to the non-believers. Now, I’m in the top 20 in my class ranking. I’m in AP classes. I have an award-nominated play.

And soon I will be enrolled in college, expanding my intellect and my view on the world.

I never gave up on myself. Ever since I was born I made sure that I had control over my life and I was my own leader. No one has ever had control over my dreams or my life. It agitates me when people call me a playwright, yes I wrote a play but I have written many things other than plays. I am not just a playwright. I am an aspiring author; a writer; a creator; and a dreamer I have many talents that God has blessed me with, there is no limitation as to what I can do with my passion for creating art with words and expressing myself. That is why I strongly believe that anything is possible. The word impossible itself says “I’m possible.”

The Washington Informer

Ballou High School senior China Warren, 18, learns she is the winner of an essay contest, sponsored by City First Bank and supported by the Hurston/Wright Foundation, in an assembly at Ballou Sr. High School on Friday, Feb. 27. /Photo by Nancy Shia

On stage in Ballou High School Auditorium, (top row, left to right) Ron Burke of the Washington Informer; Dimontre Davis, Ballou High School poetry contest winner; Marita Golden and Audrey Hipkins of the Hurston/Wright Foundation; Kemry Hughes, of the Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute; and Denise Rolark Barnes, Publisher, The Washington Informer; (bottom row, left to right) China Warren, Ballou High School senior essay contest winner; and Gloria Nauden of City First Bank. Photo by Nancy Shia

(L-R) City First Bank Vice President Gloria Nauden, Ballou Sr. High School essay contest winner China Warren, 18, and Hurston/Wright Foundation executive director and contest judge Marita Golden are all smiles Friday, Feb. 27. /Photo by Nancy Shia www.washingtoninformer.com

POETRY WINNER

POETRY HONORABLE MENTION

Freedom

by Kelli Merritt

Knowing there knowledge could never compete with our fight to win, to live...

To achieve more than to be labeled by the color of our skin.

We’re ready to fight for Rights because we know where they have been.

Let’s flip through the pages Read between the lines of the ages What I see now, what I hear about then NOW & THEN Like Where Are We Now? Where Have We Really Been?

Dimontre Davis is Ballou Sr. High School’s $1,000.00 poetry contest winner announced during an assembly in the school’s auditorium on Friday, Feb. 27. /Photo by Nancy Shia

Marion Barry

by Dimontre Davis Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies and see clearly that our rights aren’t civil, but based on the skin color of individuals, People look at us different not knowing what you’ve been through, Should you sacrifice to make it right? or Put everything on the line to live a better life?

But if you don’t, then who would, Questions…Questions…Questions, who are we second

Stuck in a time that don’t mind taking grandma down on her knees Lining up dogs & hoses, they still taking us down spraying bullets Their monster portrayed in the news is our Moses, Our Malcolm, Our Marion Burying young men In hood memorial memories Our rainbow skittled like confetti, we catching hell in this so-called land of the free They play target practice with a lot of my brothers, laying them to rest bringing unrest to their mothers.

We were taught to frown at our past and smile at a future that doesn’t seem to include us.

Do we have a fighting chance? Is it possible or not?

We must trust the unseen. And, what is that? All we see for success is basketball and rap.

Trayvon could be my brother Mamie Till could be MY mother We gotta live day by day & still apply for a future: college tours to Corporate offices.

We Still Live In The USA See I done flipped through the pages I can read between the lines of our ages Like the leaders of today seem afraid of the youth’s strengths.

We are natural born Scientist and Mathematicians and even Word Smiths.

But we only experiment with our gifts in the streets because they lock us out of labs, Try to teach us their education and punish us when we aren’t high school and college grads.

We are in a time when a GED Is not enough and generations before, well…

They only wanted us for our labor.

Now as they see us becoming their next door neighbors.

They see the power is in our favor.

So they try to tear us down like old buildings. But We Still Rise With our dreams higher than their ceiling.

So, did you read between the lines?

Because what I realized is that this is beyond time The more things change the more they stay the same From then til now, it seems a numbers game My brothers are either locked away in prisons or shot dead And those that fought before us say different things than what used to be said We are ready to fight for freedom and that’s sad Between the lines I find that we’re fighting for something we all have the right to have And, I’m finding that FREEDOM is something we’ve never had.

guessing?

Picket signs, marches, lines of segregation, a plot to divide is the evil we’re facing, This generation needs a mind flash, our vision’s are still like a body cast, The only thing we know is money, women and how that iron blast!

Coming together is nowhere in sight, but my vision is clear, Praying the dream King seen is near, It’s only right that we make it work, tired of designing R.I.P. shirts, Families in fear, no smiles, just tears…..Is this the life y’all dreamed of?

Before you leave your man, you gotta say “Be safe brah.”

The streets won’t have your back, its the education we lack, needing to devote ourselves to change or be victims of violent relapse, Wake up America, I need you to see, the Malcolm, Garvey and Turner in me, They tried to slander his name which is quite contrary of the positive legacy of Marion Barry www.washingtoninformer.com

The Washington Informer

Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

21

HEALTH

Shutdown Academy Helps Local Children Realtor, NFL Star Assist Youth in Football, Academics

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Christine Thomas enjoys talking about children.

The District’s Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage real estate agent has two daughters, but there are many more area children whom she helps to nurture.

So, it wasn’t much of a surprise to those who know her when

Thomas received the Adam D. Cockey, Jr., Community Leadership Award from MRIS, the local multiple listings service for her dedication to the area.

And, it certainly wasn’t a surprise when she teamed with former NFL safety Keion Carpenter to establish the Shutdown Academy, a development program for children designed to strengthen and help them reach their potential through mentoring and other

programs in the classroom and on the athletic field.

“I saw a news clip about a local football team that was trying to raise enough funds to make it to the national championships in Florida and I went to meet with the coaches to develop a business and fundraising plan and found out they had $200 in the bank at the time,” Thomas said.

“After meeting the kids I was determined to help make this happen. Eight of them had never been out of the area, five had never been out of Maryland, and not one of them had ever been to a beach.”

In less than a week Thomas said she raised $32,000 and she received donated sports supplies from Under Armour.

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22 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

The Washington Informer

MRIS CEO David Charron (left to right), Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage-Roland Park Branch VP Georgiana Tyler, 2014 Adam D. Cockey Jr. Award Winner Christine Thomas, Former NFL Athlete Keion Carpenter and MRIS Chairman Jon Coile gather at the Adam D. Cockey Award ceremony. /Photo courtesy of Shutdown Academy

She also negotiated the rates for the bus, hotel, food, and arranged for a tutor to accompany the group so the students wouldn’t be behind on class work.

What followed was the relationship with Carpenter and local football leagues dedicated to children from inner cities and other neighborhoods, providing them with educational, career and sports opportunities.

“It has never been about football,” Thomas said. “That is just the bait.”

Carpenter, who played eight years in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and the Buffalo Bills, said he’s been using the platform to reach out to young people. He said he ultimately wants to see a complete improvement in inner-city communities.

“For me, it began about five years ago. My mentor, [former NFL All-Pro] Deion Sanders provided me with an opportunity to take some kids out to Atlanta to play in a youth football tournament against a team from Texas,” said Carpenter, who played high school football at Woodland High School and college football at Virginia Tech before signing with the Bills before the 1999 season.

“Deion gave me the opportunity to start and I bought 200 children to Atlanta and we took them to Georgia Tech and we’ve been doing it every year,” Carpenter said.

“We’ve added mentoring, tutoring, cheerleading, softball, baseball and lacrosse and we’re trying to have a full service after school program to keep the kids safe and off the streets.”

Shutdown Academy’s goal is to create a rich, dynamic learning environment with unique educational opportunities for schoolage students, said Carpenter, 37, a Maryland native who has four children of his own.

He said the program is com-

prehensive and goes beyond the traditional classroom to cultivate essential life skills such as responsibility, self-discipline and resilience.

Through classroom instruction, athletic training, and mentoring, the academy’s goal is to position students to be confident, successful advocates who will make positive contributions to our world.

“With our partnership with Dynamic Team Tutoring and For My Kidz, Inc., we holistically provide activities and opportunities to promote success for participants in the areas of academics, personal/social development, decision-making and college, career awareness and athletics,” Carpenter said, noting that the target population is students enrolled from first grade to 12th.

It costs $200 to sign up, but the program includes homework assistance, tutoring, sports training and participation and dinners. Mostly, it provides a foundation for a successful future, program officials said.

“There’s more to life than sports,” Thomas said. “It’s about teaching core values of honor, character, integrity and respect, and instilling in them a sense of community. It doesn’t stop when they leave program; the portion of them that will reach the NFL or the NBA is very small so we’re trying to teach our children to look past pro sports and to instill in them that there’s nothing wrong with being a team owner, a sports agent or even a janitor where there is pride in that.”

Thomas said many of the children in the program haven’t experienced going to a beach, museum or library. “We want them to experience walking barefoot in a stream,” she said. “We want them to know that there’s a world outside of [Maryland].” WI For more information, visit www. shutdownacademy.org.

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EDUCATION

Decisions, Decisions

Weather Forces School Delays, Closures

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Snowstorms and extreme cold can create a situation that makes it unsafe for students, parents and staff to travel to and from school.

So, with forecasters predicting that the District isn’t out of the woods just yet and the possibility exists of more below zero real-feel temperatures, students and even school officials must still think about potential delays if not the possibility of closings.

“We know that school delays or closures greatly impact our students, families and staff,” said Prince George’s County Public Schools Spokesperson Sherrie Johnson.

“The decision to delay or close schools is not taken lightly.

A delay or closure is based on a variety of factors including reports from the National Weather Service and Prince George’s County Public Schools transportation supervisors who survey and report on current road and weather conditions at various locations throughout the county,” Johnson said.

The district has four built in snow days in the 2014-2015 year and to date they’ve used three.

In an e-mail, Melissa Salman, a spokesperson for D.C. School’s Chancellor Kaya Henderson, said the district has always been reluctant to close schools because it’s their priority that students have access to all they need, including academic instruction, nutritious meals and healthy extracurricular programming.

Salman said the decision to delay or close schools applies to all district buildings and parents always have the choice to keep children home, pick them up early or send them in late even when the decision is made to open schools.

Further to the North, officials in Baltimore City and Baltimore County said they’ve had to navigate low temperatures and inclement weather more often this year.

“Due to the extreme weather this season, there have been several two-hour delays,” said Edie House-Foster, a spokesperson for the Baltimore City Public School District. “To date, we’ve had two full-day closings.”

Mychael Dickerson, the chief communications officer for the Baltimore County Public School

District, said while schools in that district rarely close because of low temperatures, it must take into consideration the safety of students when deciding whether to have a two hour delay or to cancel school for the day.

“If we close, it’s because the temperatures caused other issues, such as issues getting the boiler started or a pipe bursting,” Dickerson said.

Meanwhile, some 1,350 miles away in a place known as the nation’s “Ice Box,” the past several days have brought real-feel temperatures down to between -30 and -40 degrees below zero and, when asked how many school delays or closures residents have experienced this year, Minnesota’s International Falls School District Superintendent Kevin Grover gave a response that’s almost certain to raise eyebrows, at least locally.

“None. Zero,” he said.

“We don’t have a hard and set boom, where we say we’re canceling school or we will have a delay,” Grover said. “The wind and road conditions are factored in but we have extra buses always at the ready.”

Grover said while it’s not a hard and fast rule, officials in his district would consider canceling or delaying the start of school if the combined thermometer reading and wind chill factor equals -50 degrees.

“In the past, if it was 40 below zero that would apply in making the decision to close. [Monday] it was 20 below zero and -37 with the wind chill, but we still had school.”

Attendance usually is at or near 100 percent even with those conditions, but Grover said the

/ Courtesy Photo

district pretty much leaves it up to students and parents to decide if they will attend. If not, there’s usually no punishment, he said.

While snow day closings have long been a staple of local winters, shutting schools or delaying the start because of bone-chilling cold has fast become normal because officials said the cold has the potential to cause some serious problems for students trying to get to school.

“We’ll get calls from folks who say where they live the sidewalks are clear and they’re fine,” Dickerson said. “But, we’re a big county and some of our kids have to walk to school and in some areas it may not be conducive to walking.”

For Prince George’s County, the primary concern officials have is safety, Johnson said.

“It is the intent and long-standing practice to remain open as long as roads are safe, open and passable, and are predicted to remain so. In the event of inclement weather, the deci-

sion to open or close schools will be made prior to 5:30 a.m. on the day in question and communicated as soon as possible to the media, parents and staff,” she said.

School officials said they continue to encourage parents, students, and staff to check the

website or the local media outlets for the latest updates regarding school delays or closures.

Still, in many moons away in Minnesota, it takes more than just a blizzard or sub-zero temperatures.

“We do well,” Grover said.

“We’re used to this weather.”WI

DID YOU KNOW? You may qualify for assistance in paying your home phone bill. Discounts for basic telephone service are available to eligible District of Columbia low-income residents.

Verizon Washington, D.C. Lifeline Plans: Verizon Washington, D.C.’s Lifeline service, known as “Economy II,” offers reduced rates on Verizon’s monthly telephone bill and one-time discounts on the cost of installing phone service. Additionally, toll blocking is available to Economy II customers at no charge.

Economy II Service*: $3.00 per month for unlimited local calling. Value-added services are not included (e.g., Call Waiting, Caller ID). No connection charges apply. Also, customers will not be charged for the federal subscriber line charge. Economy II customers who are 65 years of age or older can have this service at a further reduced rate of $1.00 per month. * Full terms and rates for these services, including terms of eligibility, are as set forth in federal and in Verizon’s tariffs on file with the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. All rates, terms and conditions included in this notice are subject to change and are current at the time of printing.

Eligibility: District residents who have been certified by the Washington, DC Lifeline Program as eligible may apply for the Economy II program.

To apply, schedule an appointment with the Washington, DC Lifeline Program by calling 1-800-253-0846. Households in which one or more individuals are receiving benefits from one of the following public assistance programs or have an annual income that is 150% or below the Federal Poverty Guideline may be eligible.

P Food stamps P Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) P Supplemental Security Income P Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) P Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8) P Medicaid P National School Lunch Programs (Free Lunch Program)

Restrictions: P No other working telephone service at the same location P No additional phone lines P No Foreign Exchange or Foreign Zone service P No bundles or packages P No outstanding unpaid final bills P Bill name must match eligible participant P No separate Lifeline discount on cellular or wireless phone service P Business lines are not eligible P Phone number must match eligible participant P Must be a current Verizon customer or establish new service with Verizon

Contact Washington, DC Lifeline Program at 1-800-253-0846 to apply To learn more about the Lifeline program, visit www.lifelinesupport.org.

Economy II is a Lifeline supported service. Lifeline is a government assistance program. Only eligible consumers may enroll. You may qualify for Lifeline service if you can show proof that you participate in certain government assistance programs or your annual income (gross and from all sources) is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guideline. If you qualify based on income, you will be required to provide income verification. Proof of participation in a government assistance program requires your current or prior year’s statement of benefits from a qualifying state or federal program; a notice letter or other official document indicating your participation in such a program; and/or another program participation document (for example, benefit card). Proof of income requires your prior year’s state or federal tax return; current income statement from an employer or paycheck stub; a statement of Social Security, Veterans Administration, retirement, pension, or Unemployment or Workmen’s Compensation benefits; a federal notice letter of participation in General Assistance; a divorce decree; a child support award; and/or another official document containing income information. At least three months of data is necessary when showing proof of income. In addition, the Lifeline program is limited to one discount per household, consisting of either wireline or wireless service. You are required to certify and agree that no other member of the household is receiving Lifeline service from Verizon or another communications provider. Lifeline service is a non-transferable benefit. Lifeline customers may not subscribe to certain other services, including other local telephone service. Consumers who willfully make false statements in order to obtain the Lifeline benefit can be punished by fine or imprisonment, or can be barred from the program.

/ Courtesy Photo

www.washingtoninformer.com

The Washington Informer

Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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Helping others less fortunate benefits all of society. /Photo courtesy of Howard University

Volunteers Serve Vital Role for Poor

By Elaina Johnson Howard University News Service They are all so very different.

One is a retiree. Another is a mere 18 years old. One returned home recently after years in Vermont. Another is a recent transplant.

Yet they gave all been brought together by one place, Bread for the City, an agency that feeds and gives medical and legal care to thousands of low-income Washington residents.

Mary Carter couldn’t bear sitting around her house on W Street after she retired from the senior citizens’ home she worked in for many years. She needed a way to keep herself busy. Bread for the City became her outlet.

Carter began volunteering at the agency last year and has been working in the organization’s food pantry three days a week.

She and others are responsible for sorting, stocking and bagging white potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, granola bars, canned goods and sugar-free beverages for the clients to take home and share with their families.

The food is donated to Bread for the City by various organizations and people in the Washington community. The volunteers also are responsible for searching through large boxes filled with food and canned goods to remove any unhealthy items.

Carter said the satisfaction she gets from helping others is better than any amount of money, a lesson she said she passes on

24 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

The Washington Informer

to her 8-year-old granddaughter.

“There is always someone doing way worse than you are,” she said. “If someone has helped you, you should always help others.”

Adriene Perkins, 18, is a freshman at Howard University. Perkins, who volunteered at a food bank in her hometown, Atlanta, brought her will to serve with her to D.C. She said that when she handed a bag of food to a struggling mother of three recently, the mother’s excitement at having fresh produce brought joy to her heart.

“Seeing the smiles on the clients’ faces makes everything worthwhile,” she said. “It was great to know my small four hours of time can help someone in need.”

During the warmer months, the volunteers are responsible for growing fresh fruits and vegetables in the organization’s rooftop garden.

Bread for the City began 41 years ago as a free medical clinic in a cramped basement with three examining rooms and a $30,000 budget. It now serves 33,000 clients annually at two Washington locations – one in Northwest at 1525 Seventh St. and the other in Southwest at 1640 Good Hope Road.

Kristen Kozlowski, associate director of development for the organization, said 92 percent of its clients are African-American and 5 percent are Hispanic, while 62 percent of the clients are women with children under age 18.

Volunteers hold a vital role

in the operation of this organization, whose work one year brought President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters to the center to help out on Thanksgiving Day. Molly Cielinski said she volunteers at Bread for the City every Friday morning in order to escape her surroundings at Georgetown University, where she is a sophomore.

“I come every week to get out of Georgetown and see what other people are experiencing,” Cielinski said.

Cielinski, 20, started out wanting to explore the Logan Circle and Shaw areas when she learned about Bread for the City. Her adventure, she said, turned into a life-changing experience.

“It is all worth it when you see people who need food leaving with it,” she said.

Hannah Lehrenbaun, 22, is another weekly volunteer. Lehrenbaun is a recent graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, and she returned home to Washington to help those less fortunate in her own “backyard,” she said.

“I love the workers, clients and fellow volunteers,” she said.

“There is a real need for food in this area, and I am glad to help those who need it most.”

For information on how to volunteer, call 202-265-2400 in Northwest Washington and 202561-8587 for the Southwest facility. WI

www.washingtoninformer.com

EDUCATION

A member of the U.S. Coast Guard reads to students at Savoy Elementary School in Ward 8 during the Feb. 24 Power Lunch program./ Photo courtesy Savoy Elementary School

Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

Power Lunch Program at Savoy

Students and staff at Savoy Elementary School in Southeast celebrated their “Power Lunch” program on Feb. 24, describing the event, which falls under guidance of “Everybody Wins! DC,” a huge success.

For the past 20 years, the Power Lunch has paired elementary school students with professional adults as their reading mentors.

During the current school year, the program will serve nearly 1,000 low-income students in the District and Virginia.

“Expanding the Power Lunch program into Ward 8 has been a longtime goal for us,” said Mary Salander EW!DC executive director. “We are thrilled to have the chance to extend literacy and mentoring opportunities to the children of Southeast DC and to continue our rewarding partnership with the Coast Guard.”

Journey from ‘Dreamer’ to Doctor

When the “I Have a Dream” Foundation promised free college tuition to Jasmine Reed and her third-grade classmates at Brent Elementary School, it served as a gift that would change their lives forever.

Eighteen years later, Reed, a graduate of Syracuse University

with a bachelor’s degree in biology and communication sciences, attends medical school and is well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming a doctor.

School Boundary Adjustments

Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced changes to the newly adopted school boundaries, some of which would expand the options for students and their families who live east of the Anacostia River.

In that instance, nearly 200 households will have the right to send graduating middle school students across the bridge from Ward 7 to Eastern High School on Capitol Hill.

Other changes would grandfather in – for the next seven years – students in pockets of Ward 4, where Bowser lives and served as a D.C. Council member.

Those students would be allowed to continue crossing Rock Creek Park to attend the highly sought-after Alice Deal Middle and Wilson High schools in Northwest.

Multiyear Contracts for Principals

As early as the 2015-16 school term, Chancellor Kaya Henderson plans to offer principals multiyear contracts.

The chancellor’s plan comes in response to repeated calls from school leaders and com-

Comments? Opinions?

Email us at:

Ideas?

Washington Informer Jasmine Reed, a DCPS alumna who graduated currently attends medical school./ Photo 3.65from in WSyracuse x 8 inUniversity, H courtesy DCPS

munity members for more stability among principals at District public schools.

Although city principals have long worked under one-year contracts, they had been far more likely to keep their jobs prior to 2007, when the School Reform Act triggered a series of changes – many of which focused on holding teachers and principals more responsible for student progress. But since 2008, hundreds of principals and assistant principals have lost their jobs due to school closures and terminations.

School Renovations Becoming Expensive

Chancellor Kaya Henderson has expressed reservations over future modernizations of District public schools, citing that in recent years, D.C. has invested more than $1 billion in such renovations.

To that end, Henderson has called out school renovations, saying they have become overly political and prohibitively expensive.

A lineup of renovations, listed in the mayor’s fiscal year budget, gets forwarded each spring to the D.C. Council.

At that time, the lineup faces rearrangement, with some projects moving up, being pushed back or growing according to scale and costs. WI

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EDITORIAL

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

DC Fire Department Turning a Corner

Mayor Muriel Bowser has brought in a former Seattle fire chief, Gregory M. Dean, to take over as chief of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

Dean replaces Interim Chief Eugene Jones. Jones took over supervision of the fire department after Chief Kenneth Ellerbe resigned. Dean will have his hands full as he works to correct the plethora of problems facing the embattled agency.

Among the issues are improving morale among officers and the rank-and-file; calibrating employee schedules to ensure adequate coverage for whatever emergencies arise; overseeing the addition of new personnel, fire engines and ambulances to enhance the department’s capabilities; and addressing matters surrounding equipment maintenance and inconsistent response times.

In a release, Bowser spoke glowingly of Dean.

“The safety and well-being of District residents is my top priority and FEMS is at the frontlines of this effort,” she said.

“Chief Dean is a proven, collaborative leader who led a department with an international reputation for its fire-based EMS performance. I am certain that he will work with our emergency first responders and the community to move the department forward in exciting ways,” Under Dean’s leadership, in 2014, Seattle and King County, Washington, officials announced that their overall cardiac arrest survival rate had reached an all-time high of 62 percent, up from 26 percent in 2002.

Over the course of 10 years, Dean served as fire chief for Seattle, where he led the administrative and operational functions of a team of 1,150 employees with a $175 million budget. He brings homeland security expertise and a reputation for working well with residents, labor and other stakeholders.

He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee and served as chairman of the Region 6, Homeland Security Administration and Policy Group. He was also selected for the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s master’s program at the Naval Postgraduate School.

We welcome Chief Dean and look forward to a fire and EMS department that builds on the foundation laid in the past, develops good relations between management and employees, and also incorporates the best practices of the industry.

Yet Another Police Shooting

Early Sunday, in a skid row section of Los Angeles, about halfa-dozen of the city’s police officers fought with a homeless man.

At the end of the encounter, the unidentified man lay dead on the sidewalk, shot at least five times.

The entire incident was captured on a cellphone video and has gone viral on social media with more than one million views.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said Monday that the victim died during a struggle with police and that he had “forcibly grabbed” an officer’s holstered pistol just before being shot. Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department said a special division has begun an investigation, and the District Attorney office will also conduct a comprehensive review of the case.

Beck said two of the officers had on body cameras which will be submitted as evidence in the ensuing investigation.

It’s still too early, and it may be a while before all the details are made public, but the incident highlights yet another case where a blue-brown encounter has led to the death of an unarmed individual. Eyewitnesses said the homeless man had first been stunned with a Taser when he refused to come out of his tent and then he was shot.

After Akai Gurley, Eric Garner, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Miriam Carey, Shereese Francis, Tyisha Miller and Aiyana Jones, the public can reasonably have misgivings about Beck’s narrative.

People are tired of this, as the nationwide marches, demonstrations and other forms of civil disobedience illustrate. The question people continue to ask is if lethal force is the only option left to police officers whenever they encounter a person of color. www.washingtoninformer.com

Proud of HU Students

I noticed in the February 26, 2014 edition of The Washington Informer quite a few articles from the Howard University News Service. Are the writers of these articles students? If so, how wonderful for these students to get their stories published in a nationally seen black media outlet.

The Washington Informer can be found on the Internet and it is read worldwide, so I am sure that the students and especially their parents are very proud of what they have accomplished. Your paper has served our community in so many ways, and this is just another significant step towards providing informative and positive news.

Our young people have a lot to say and for you to give them an opportunity to contribute and be published must be very rewarding. There are so many good things happening in our community, and we need to know about them. The Washington Informer is the only media outlet that brings that “good news” to us on a regular basis.

Michelle Johnson Washington, DC

A Source for Black History Research

The article “Creating Black History,” written by Khari ArThe Washington Informer

nold in the February 26th edition of The Washington Informer was one of the most exciting articles I’ve read in reference to our history and the Internet in years. Wikipedia is such a powerful tool for research, and you are constantly directed to their site whenever you do research on the Internet. The quote in the article written by Khari Arnold is so true: “For young people especially, if it doesn’t show up in an Internet search, the perception is that it doesn’t exist, or it’s not important.”

For so long the history of African Americans in America, and our contribution to building this country have been left out of the mainstream history books, and only since the creation of Black History Month has some of it been taught and talked about in some schools. There has been a conscience effort to relegate our history to a second-class tier, and to deem it unimportant in the eyes of the world as a whole.

But for some of us who know, America would not be America if not for the hard work, sacrifice, and contributions made by African Americans.

I take my hat off to Howard University, the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, students, staff and researchers who now will insure you will be able to find more and more information on African Americans who have made contributions to the histo

ry of America and to the world on Wikipedia.

Jerome Butler Washington, DC

Mad about Marijuana

I am angry and frustrated over the fast train headed to nowhere that is bringing marijuana into the District. All I’ve heard is how the drug is not dangerous to your health and when and where folks can smoke it, but not everyone in this city is “high” on this issue (pardon the pun.)

I totally understand and agree that too many of our young black men have been incarcerated for possession of even the smallest amounts of marijuana, and I agree that legislation was needed to address that issue. But what am I suppose to do now about my pot smoking neighbors that can legally puff away and the terrible stench finds its way into my home.

I don’t smoke pot nor do I want to inhale someone else’s. I just hope the Informer will give folks like me a voice. I hope the battle against the legal use of marijuana is not over.

Claude Wrenn Washington, DC

Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

27

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By Julianne Malveaux

Democrats Still Searching for Winning Formula Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel just got spanked. Despite a campaign war chest of more than $15 million and the support of President Barack Obama, the former Congressman and White House chief of staff could not avoid a run-off in the nonpartisan election.

Garnering 45 percent of the vote to runner-up Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s 34 percent, he did not clear the 50 percent bar for vic-

tory. Emanuel, the darling of the mainstream Democratic Party, has earned the dubious distinction of being in the first Chicago mayoral runoff in nearly 20 years. He also runs the risk of being the first incumbent mayor ousted since Harold Washington beat Jane Byrne in 1983.

The man who delivered the Emanuel whipping, Garcia, is a county commissioner and former alderman. His base is the poorer neighborhoods of Chicago, the Latino community, and the teachers’ union. He pounded

on the theme of income inequality and exploited the widespread perception that Emanuel is arrogant and removed from poor people. Indeed, most of Emanuel’s support came from wealthy white voters who helped raise his large campaign fund. Garcia didn’t have a fraction of Emanuel’s money, but he had a large cadre of volunteers to help deliver his votes.

There were three other candidates in the race, and their combined 20 percent of the vote will likely determine the outcome of

Guest Columnist

the April 7 election. Just a day after the election, both Emanuel and Garcia were courting their competitors, seeking their endorsements. So far, those opponents have been noncommittal.

Emanuel’s loss is a major setback to the Democratic establishment. Voters are tired of income inequality being acknowledged with nothing being done about it. Their only recourse is the vote, and on Feb. 24 in Chicago, they used it.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Emanuel rode to victory

on the coats of blacks four years ago with 58 percent of the votes in the six wards that are more than 90 percent Black. This time, he won 42 to 45 percent of those same wards. Blacks may determine the victor of the April 7 election.

Another possible Democratic setback is looming as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) weighs the possibility of challenging former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

MALVEAUX Page 45

By Marian Wright Edelman

Make Me a Woman One of my sheroes is Sojourner Truth. A brilliant but illiterate woman, she was a great orator and powerful presence who possessed great courage and determination. I often wear a pendant with her image and words: “If women want any rights more than they’s got, why don’t they just take them, and not be talking about it.”

Sarye Huggins is a high school senior who knows her black his-

tory and has also been inspired

by Truth. Read a few lines from her spoken word poem “Make Me a Woman”: “Make me a woman in this world of poverty and deceit. They’ll know I’m a woman by the sounds of determination coming from my feet . . . Just make me a woman. Don’t you think the time has come? I can hear my ancestors summoning me by the sounds of their drums. A woman, me? Imagine that. Once you grant me this wish, I’m never turning back.”

Sarye lives in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, a community disproportionately plagued by poverty and violence. Her teacher explains, “She’s survived ‘Bed-Stuy, do or die’ – that’s the motto of our neighborhood.” Sarye’s mother, a teacher, died from a brain tumor when Sarye was 2. Her father was frequently part of her early life, and she was raised by a beloved aunt.

As a smart, shy girl attending some of the poorest and rough-

Guest Columnist

est schools in New York City, Sarye didn’t always feel she fit in. Although she won awards in elementary school for being an outstanding student, she also endured a lot of teasing and bullying from her peers and harbored much of the pain inside. In middle school, things got worse when her father stopped calling and visiting. For the first time, her grades started slipping, causing her to lose her confidence, and she began trying desperately to change herself to gain accep-

tance by her peers.

The odds were stacked against Sarye as they are against so many of our black girls and boys today.

Black children are the poorest children in America; every other black baby is poor, and every two minutes a black baby is born into poverty in our wealthy nation. Black children are less likely to live in two-parent families, are more likely to be abused, neglected or enter foster care, and

EDELMAN Page 45

By James Clingman

Black Dollars Matter The protest slogans addressing our latest struggle for justice and equity compel me to come up with a new phrase. The signs and T-Shirts emblazoned with “I Can’t Breathe!” “No Justice, No Peace!” and the latest, “Black Lives Matter,” carry connotations related to action. I often wonder what the folks who wear the T-shirts and hold the signs are doing to back up the slogans they spout. More importantly,

28 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

I wonder who makes the shirts and who sells them. With that in mind, my slogan for action – economic action – is “Black Dollars Matter!”

The “I Can’t Breathe” shirts worn by the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers, for instance, were sold by NYC Customs, a shop in Long Island City, Queens, owned by Helen Mihalatos, a friend of Rameen Aminzadeh, member of Justice League of NYC. The initial gesture and resulting “hook-up” came from Nets team member

Jarrett Jack, followed by help from LeBron James and Russell Simmons’ political director, Michael Skolnick. The shirts were ordered by Jay-Z, who bought 1,000 more shirts after the basketball game.

I truly hope those “Big Ballers” and “Shot Callers” had enough consciousness to give the profits to Eric Garner’s family. The Washington Post reported that “Skolnick obtained shirts from a store in Long Island City, whose owner confirmed in an interview that the shirts were The Washington Informer

manufactured by Gildan, a large Canada-based apparel company … According to pro-labor activists, Gildan has a poor record when it comes to respecting workers in its manufacturing plants in Haiti.” The story discloses that Gildan’s workers are paid $6 per day for their work.

Skolnick’s response was “I think we want to assume sometimes when we’re ordering shirts that they’re not being made in a sweatshop; we’ve got to do better.” You think?

Now you would think that

someone in this chain of events involving T-shirts that carry the last words of a black man killed on the streets of New York City by police officers would be conscious enough to say, “Hold up!

Let’s not just go for the symbolism of wearing shirts on the basketball court; let’s make a substantive statement as well via a black business transaction and a financial benefit for the Garner family.” Sound reasonable?

Instead, we now have “I Can’t

CLINGMAN Page 45

www.washingtoninformer.com

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By George E. Curry

Shelby County to Washington, D.C. March Needed After ceremonies wrap up Sunday in Alabama commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a group of die-hard demonstrators will re-enact the full march.

“We are re-enacting the full 54-mile march this year,” Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Charles Steele announced at a news conference

in Montgomery. “The March will begin in Selma on Sunday, March 8th, with the Commemoration of Bloody Sunday, and will conclude on Friday, March 13th, with an 11 a.m. event on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.”

At the news conference, Alabama State Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma) correctly noted, “The right to vote is being challenged at every turn. From voter photo ID (modern day poll tax), proof of citizenship to register (modern day literacy test) and reduc-

tion in voting and voter registration days to the Shelby County v.

Holder decision gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act and more, Americans are losing the right to vote, which so many people sacrificed their lives and blood to secure.”

In Shelby v. Holder, by a margin of 5 to 4 in June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to gut Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required jurisdictions with a proven history of racial discrimination to pre-clear any election law change with the U.S.

Guest Columnist

attorney general or the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The case grew out of a decision by Calera, a small city in Shelby County, Alabama, to implement a redistricting plan that led to the defeat of the city’s lone African-American City Council member. Under the plan, a district that was 71 percent black was redrawn so that its black population was reduced to 23 percent. The plan was never submitted for preapproval.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New

York University School of Law, more than 40 bills have been introduced in 17 states that would restrict access to registration or voting.

In view of these politically motivated efforts to suppress the black vote in particular, I am hereby proposing a Shelby County, Alabama-to-Washington, D.C., march with the goal of getting Congress to protect the integrity of voting in the U.S. Just as the Selma-to-Montgomery

CURRY Page 46

By Lee A. Daniels

The GOP’s Acting-the-Fool Dynamic Among the formal definitions for “acting the fool” are: one who is deficient in judgment, sense or understanding.

Perhaps the dictionaries should add a new one: today’s Republican Party February was a great month for those who think the GOP has become a dustbin of ideological extremists with no commitment to actually getting things done in Washington, elected officials

easily led into ethically questionable dealings, and office-holding crackpots with bizarre beliefs about some of the most important issues of the day.

For example, in Congress the GOP leadership has been frantically trying to tamp down House conservatives’ threat to force a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security over President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration. At the 11th hour, they kicked the can down the road by providing only a week of additional funding.

On the crime front, Maureen McDonnell, Virginia’s former first lady, drew a lenient sentence of a year and a day in prison for her participation in the tawdry petty corruption scheme that also led to the conviction last year of her husband, former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell.

Once considered a prime contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, McDonnell himself had been sentenced in January to two years in prison.

For comic relief, there was the Idaho Republican state represen-

Askia-At-Large

tative who, seemingly confused about the female anatomy, asked a doctor during a legislative hearing whether women could swallow small cameras to help doctors do remote gynecological exams. Even more hilarious was Nevada Republican legislator Michele Fiore, expressing her belief that cancer is “a fungus” that can be cured by “flushing, let’s say, saltwater, sodium carbonate” through the body.

While that comment immediately raced around the Internet, too, many news media felt

compelled to note, as The Washington Post did: “Cancer is not a fungus. It is the uncontrolled division of abnormal human cells within the body. Saltwater cannot cure cancer.”

Not to be outdone back in Washington, Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, jumped aboard the party comedy train when he brought a snowball into the Senate cham-

DANIELS Page 46

By Askia Muhammad

Are Republicans Incapable of Governing America?

Has the Republican Party rendered itself incapable of governing the United States of America? They certainly appear to have done so.

That a silly person—a buffoonish and delusional character—like Donald Trump, who admits to not being a politician, whose claim to fame is business acumen, but who has yet presided over four business bankruptcies can be a serious contender

for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, that Trump can be taken seriously makes me wonder about the collective judgment of the entire Republican Party.

That a forgetful man like former Texas Gov. Rick Perry—who, in a 2012 presidential debate could not even remember his own list of three, count them, cabinet agencies he would eliminate—could be seriously considered as a contender in 2016 is beyond credulity. Not even Brian Williams could make

this stuff up.

And then there’s former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). Speaking before the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), he told this truly tasteless “joke.”

He set up his story by telling the crowd that President Barack Obama had become so unpopular across the world that he (Santorum) had heard a startling report. “The Kenyan government is actually developing proof that Barack Obama was actually born in America,” he said…harrumph.

Santorum, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the serial draft-dodger Rudy Giuliani, and a whole host of others don’t seem to realize that as they have trashed Obama’s presidency, they are not criticizing the man and his policies, but are in fact belittling the office of President.

With their “you lie” outbursts, and monkey jokes and cartoons about Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, they have lowered the standard of what can or cannot be said about any president without universal condemnation

of their bad taste. From now on it’s acceptable to say most anything—true or not true—about any president to come.

And then there’s the legislature. After Vice-President Joseph Biden, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is third in line to the presidency in the event of a catastrophe. But he manages his affairs like a kid trying to be a junior high school student body president—by trying to be the most popular kid in the class,

MUHAMMAD Page 46

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Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

29

LIFESTYLE

(L-R) Thommy Yearwood, Ebony McMorris, Elaine Jones, The Honorable Donna Edwards, Grace Speights, Thelma Jones and Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau at the Phenomenal Women Awards Ceremony at the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage in Northwest on Thursday, Feb. 19. /Photo by Roy Lewis

Distinguished Women Honored for Legacies

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc For all the challenges African-American men have faced during their sojourn in the United States, African-American women have dealt with a great deal more because of their ethnicity and gender.

Elaine R. Jones – who grew up in the Jim Crow South in Norfolk, Virginia, the daughter of a Pullman porter and a college-educated schoolteacher – has the distinction of achieving many firsts throughout her life and career. She became the first black woman to enroll at and graduate from the University Of Virginia School Of Law, later joined the Peace Corps and became of the first African-American women to serve in Turkey.

Later, in 1993, Jones became the first woman to be appointed president

30 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

and director-counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Legal Defense Fund.

She was one of five women honored by the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust as Phenomenal Women of 2015. The other honorees were Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards; civic advocate and activist Thelma D. Jones; Alfreda V. Davis, executive director of the National Bar Association; and Grace E. Speights, managing partner of Morgan and Lewis’ Washington, D.C., office.

In spirited remarks that animated guests, Jones quoted a Yoruba proverb that crystallizes her approach to life and public service: “Life has meaning only in struggle. Triumph and defeats are up to the Gods, so let us celebrate the struggle.”

She said she learned from her parents never to accept mediocrity or sec-

ond-class citizenship from anybody.

“All of you who braved the cold weather and filled up this place, I say thank you,” Jones said on the evening of Feb 19. “You do honor us. We’re here because you’re there. There are a lot of phenomenal men who helped us too.”

Jones, who worked at the LDF for 32 years, talked about the links between the Legal Defense Fund, which was founded by Marshall, and TMCT, whose mission is to be a beacon in the continuing struggle for equality and social and economic justice.

“Thurgood Marshall wrote the charter in his own handwriting,” she said. “It was the first nonprofit legal firm. It confounded people.”

Jones said she leaned heavily on Marshall, the first African-American to become a Supreme Court justice, and learned the challenge facing the organization of defending ordinary people in criminal justice cases around equality, health care, hospitals, education, housing and the death penalty.

“I had Thurgood’s desk. … I asked myself, ‘How are you gonna raise this money – dollars, dimes, nickels – and make a difference?’ I said, ‘Thurgood, how did you do it?’ And I came across some files. I found one with six The Washington Informer

words to the Masons. Six words: Dear Brethren, send money. Regards, Thurgood.’”

“That shows you that we have to have different skills – litigation, administrative and communications.

Radio One News and Community Affairs Director Ebony McMorris served as mistress of ceremonies.

Keynote speaker, Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau, said the honorees represent not just the continuation of a long legacy of female leaders, but also a pleasing trend of the ascendency of powerful women in the city.

“There’s something really special going on in this town,” said Nadeau, the first woman to hold the ward seat.

“The nation is taking notice of women being in control. ‘Meet the Press’ had a segment on the women who run Washington. I’m very proud of this.”

TMCT President Thomasina W. Yearwood said the honorees are precious resources who are “entrusted with the preservation of all things good, curator of all things current and the guardians of all things new.”

“Our Phenomenal Women have had struggles. Too many of (them) had to guide themselves and educate themselves, and their successes all too often went without much fanfare,” she said.

Speights, a Philadelphia native raised by a single mother, credited her mother with laying a solid foundation for her success.

“It’s quite an honor, but to be recognized from this organization is more of an honor,” said Speights, who has been with Martin and Lewis since 1984. “The struggle I’m having is that I don’t consider myself as a phenomenal woman. None of us here do this for awards. I do it in an attempt to try to pay it forward.

“If folks (were asked to) put money on me 30 years ago to become a lawyer, partner and managing partner, they’d say no way. I grew up in south Philadelphia, the daughter of a single mother who worked in a factory who had a junior high school education. I got the support of a lot of people and the support of a phenomenal mother.”

Speights said her mother was determined that she wouldn’t work at a factory or remain in the neighborhood.

“I think about her every day. She lives with me and raised my two kids while I traveled the world. She’ll be 90 in April. I’ll never forget.”

When she accepted a job, Speights said, she was the only black face in a law firm with about 1,000 lawyers.

“I remember feeling many days like I was from Mars,” she recounted. “I clerked for (the late federal Judge) Aubrey Robinson. I called him and my mother daily. They wouldn’t let me quit. They pushed and pushed. Thir-

ty-two years later, I’m still at the firm, and I’m one of the most senior lawyers in partner compensation.”

Speights said she’s spent most of her free time “reaching back for students who look like me, who’ve had my experiences.” She’s endowed several scholarships for African-American students at alma maters the University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University.

“I’m going to keep on doing that as long as I continue working at the law firm. I hope you continue what you’re doing because we need you,” she said.

Edwards, who represents Maryland’s 4th District, said it felt a little weird for the daughter of a farmer and a household worker to receive this type of honor, adding that receiving the award left her thinking that it’s not what she’s done but what she can do tomorrow. She acknowledged that there’s still a lot of work to do to stamp out threats to voting rights, the influx of billions of dollars into political campaigns and the unbalanced influence that produces.

“I have a 26-year-old son. He and his generation need to understand what our challenges have been and weave together different races and cultures. People get up in the morning, want to get a decent wage and take care of their children.”

“The fact that there remain structural inequalities is the civil rights challenge of our day.”

Thelma D. Jones’ smile lit up the auditorium.

“I’m almost speechless. This has taken a while to sink in,” said Jones, a former World Bank employee and tireless breast cancer advocate. “I thought Thommie was joking. I thought she needed me to do something and was buttering me up.”

Jones said she’s the proud daughter of sharecropper farmers who, despite a sixth-grade education, raised six children in a loving and supportive household. Her mother, Lizzie Mae, who Jones said is close to the end of her life, is special.

“If I could just be half the woman my mother is, I’d be very happy,” she said. “My parents instilled the work ethic, spirituality and the importance of giving back. They were members of the NAACP and very actively involved. … It’s in my blood. My goal is to impart this to my son and his son.”

D.C. resident Deborah Owens beamed as the event came to a close.

“I thought it was a special evening, full of so much positive energy and the possibility of change,” she said. “It felt like I was home in the living room with my cousins. I felt a spiritual connection.” WI

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LIFESTYLE

Attallah Shabazz

Daughter of Malcolm X Inspires Crowd

Attallah Shabazz’s message at UDC event: Justice, unity

Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, the eldest daughter of Malcolm X, spoke to a packed crowd in the University of the District of Columbia’s Theater of the Arts Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 26 about her father’s legacy, self-love and cultural unity in the wake of what she called recent injustices in Ferguson, Missouri, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The event was hosted by the university in conjunction with Arab America to commemorate the struggle for civil rights and justice for all. It also served to recognize the 50th anniversary of the assassination of X, who died on Feb. 21, 1965.

“Oftentimes when people talk about my father, they talk about division, but he really taught unity through understanding,” she said.

Shabazz, an author, humanitarian, and diplomat, was raised in Westchester County, New York. She’s spent over 35 years offering keynote addresses while developing curricula and programs for educational institutions, executive forums, diplomatic networks, penal systems, conferences, and human service organizations throughout the world.

With an honest and easygoing cadence, Shabazz spoke to the need for global cultural unity and finding a deeper connected-

ness as human beings. She said that what divides us is predated by a more natural sense of unity.

“Someone had designated where we belong so that we are easily managed,” she said.

“When you’re easily managed, someone divides and finds distinction.

“The greatest tool of the oppressor is the minds of the oppressed,” Shabazz said. “We’re a little bit more balanced as human beings than wealth in terms of money and defining ourselves by material things.”

She stressed taking initiative and responsibility for one’s history and behavior so that no one could ever rob people or dictate who they are, as some have done in trying to skew her father’s legacy.

“We are walking on behalf of those who were walking before us, and we have a responsibility to those who walk after us,” she said.

Shabazz also emphasized the importance of cultural tolerance through education, which will in turn help develop love, understanding, patience, and ultimately unity. She says even witnessing her father’s murder has not swayed her to discriminate against anyone on the basis of race or religion.

“My father said ignorance is root of disunity; therefore, we need enlightenment about one another.”

Shabazz further encouraged the spread of goodwill and pos-

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itivity as key to fostering a global community of happier, more selfless individuals.

“You know what pain is. What does joy feel like? We know what loss feels like. What does abundance feel like? We know what anguish feels like. What does triumph feel like?” she said, urging people to excel, be their best and use that to find a way to touch other people.

The events leading up to Shabazz’s speech echoed similar sentiments with performances by singers Robert E. Person and Lydia Lyon, an African-American girl who sang of injustices in the Middle East, in Arabic.

There was also a preview of “Al Helm: MLK in Palestine,” a movie by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Connie Field.

Shabazz closed by challenging those in the audience to explore within yet live beyond themselves. She said that education will help combat the type of ignorance that is still attached to her father’s legacy.

“Excerpts about my father never include the first 15 years; they always have him in the streets pimping,” she said. “In reality, when he went to prison, he said he was relieved. There was a pause that allowed him to recall the lessons of his parents; your roots do matter.” WI The Washington Informer

SAVE $8 on Tickets in Advance!

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Goldie Dean will perform her latest piece, “Surrender,” on March 6 and 7. / Photo courtesy Atlas Arts

Intersections Festival Returns to the Atlas

By Eve M. Ferguson WI Contributing Writer

When Paige Hernandez and Chitra Kalyandurg decided to perform at the Sixth Annual Intersections Festival, which is now in progress at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, they didn’t have to go far for material.

The two women – Paige, a hip-hop and spoken word artist, and Chitra, a classically trained dancer who does a style of traditional Indian dance called Kuchipudi – decided to stage the same performance as last year, which was titled “The Nayika Project: A Contemporary Spin on Classical Indian Heroines.”

“We decided to do it again after making some changes based on last year’s audience,” Hernandez explained. She, like many other locally based artists, uses the Intersections Festival as an incubator for works in progress.

“All Indian classical dances are a language in itself, even just with the hand gestures,” Kalyandurg added. “You can have complete conversations. One of the things that was interesting is just seeing Paige adopt a lot of hand gestures in her own choreography,” she said before Hernandez chimed in affirmatively.

“We were able to trade those and adapt so you could show it in both sets of dances, and it has the same meaning.”

The Nayika Project, which blends storytelling with classical Indian dance and spoken word, was premiered at the Intersections Festival in 2014.

“The audience feedback last

32 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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year made me tweak it a little to make it more interactive with the audience,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez is just one of the hundreds of local artists who try out new projects, conduct theatrical readings or promote their latest recordings at Intersections, usually before a hometown crowd.

For festivalgoers, Intersections is a ritual – a chance to see hundreds of dance, music, theater and family-oriented activities – at the most dismal part of winter, when the DMV area is inundated with cold and oftentimes inclement weather. The three-weekend festival offers more than 100 performances on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Running from its opening on Feb. 20 through a festive closing party after the last performance, Intersections has plenty of upcoming performances, including “Surrender” by playwright/spoken word artist Goldie Dean.

Recently named one of the top 40 under 40 by the EnVest Foundation, which promotes charity among millennials, Dean has been described as a “hip-hop womanist” dedicated to empowering and liberating the stories of black women and girls. Originating from a well-known poet, playwright and performer, “Surrender,” Dean’s newest piece turns her power inward. In a ritualistic blend of music, dance and verse, she tells the story of a young woman and her rites into womanhood. This autobiographical show combines mix-

ATLAS Page 33

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LIFESTYLE

Griot

TAURUS Friendship remains highlighted; you may be attending a social event with good friends or may be planning one. Whichever, it will be a very happy occasion. Be happy! You’ve got many loving friends.

Soul Affirmation: Hope is a beautiful jewel. I enjoy owning it. Lucky Numbers: 22, 26, 31 GEMINI You may find out this week that the project you didn’t really want to work on has been scrapped. That leaves you plenty of time to finish up the stuff you want to work on! Money concerns ease up. This week a romantic get-together will remind you of what bliss really is! Soul Affirmation: He who asks might seem foolish for a while. Lucky Numbers: 3, 10, 17

by Ai-Jen Poo (with Ariane Conrad) c.2015, The New Press $25.95 / $32.50 Canada 230 pages

ATLAS from Page 32 tape performance styles with traditional Yoruba rituals and traditions from Africa. “Surrender” will be performed on Friday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 7, at 4:30 p.m.

This year’s Intersections takes on a particular poi-

spouses frustrated and trapped – especially if they’re women, upon whom the burden traditionally falls.

What can be done, she believes, is to change our attitudes toward immigration; two-thirds of childcare and eldercare workers are foreign-born; “half of them are undocumented.” Embracing the Village Movement can help, as can investing in “The Care Grid” and utilizing technology where appropriate.

But first, it all starts “with respectful communication in our own homes.”

“The Age of Dignity” is a unique take on an issue that, if you’re over the age of 40, you’ll likely face soon enough. It’s filled with anecdotal evidence of success and other ideas that may prove viable, but this book is not without its controversy.

Through the use of dozens of stories and (alas!) repetition, author Ai-Jen Poo (with Ariane Conrad) advocates keeping elders at home as long as possible – something few of us can argue against. The quarrel may be in the idea of employing, among others, undocumented immigrants and in the creative rearranging of government dollars – neither of which are popular topics in some circles.

Even so, no matter where you stand on the greater issues, this book is a starter for conversations that are long overdue. If you are someone’s child, a spouse or concerned about yourself someday, “The Age of Dignity” will give you food for thought. WI

gnancy, as it pays tribute to the late Paul Sprenger, Atlas co-founder, “devoted board member and our festival’s number-one fan,” said organizers of the festival.

Sprenger, the husband of founder and philanthropist Jane Lang, passed away unexpectedly in December.

Other events include a set by popular jazz singer Imani,

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MAR 5 - MAR 11, 2015

ARIES Partnerships continue to be featured this week. This week is especially favorable for a fresh start or a new beginning for you in love. Avoid distractions at work this week, and you’ll get much accomplished. Soul Affirmation: There is a funny side to everything I see. Lucky Numbers: 2, 17, 37

“The Age of Dignity” The plates you ate from years ago are still stacked neatly in the cupboard.

Below them, instruments of love: cookbooks propped up by a battered mixing bowl, an ancient percolator, and a cookie jar that’s filled, as it should be.

Those are scraps of your childhood but to your mother, they represent home – and you’re hoping, as she ages, that you can keep her there. In “The Age of Dignity” by AiJen Poo (with Ariane Conrad), you may find the strength to do it.

As her beloved grandfather lay dying in a nursing home, Ai-Jen Poo felt tremendous guilt. He’d been a vibrant, active man who hadn’t wanted that kind of death – but it’s what he got, much to the chagrin of his family.

“The great majority of us want to live and age at home,” Poo says, and most want to be there as long as possible. So why do we treat getting older as “a crisis” – an expensive one, at that – by putting our elders in care facilities they don’t want?

Part of the issue, she notes, is with a rising population: a hundred years ago, one in 25 Americans was over 65. Five years from now, that number will be one in six, and over a million elders will be without family to care for them.

“These are,” says Poo, “astonishing statistics.”

But along with rising population, we lack enough gerontologists and home health care workers; the former, because it “isn’t profitable;” the latter, because it’s a job with “innumerable challenges, among them low wages… and inadequate training.” Still, says Poo, “taking full responsibility for the care of an aging relative is… not necessarily a real option….” That can leave children and

Horoscopes

who will perform with her quintet on Saturday, March 7, at 8 p.m. and theater by dog & pony, among other spoken word, dance and musical offerings, many of which are free.

The free Café Concerts take place all weekend in the lobby between events. For information on Intersections 2015, visit www.atlasarts.org. WI

CANCER Keep an eye on your budget this week, but also indulge your creative senses with the visual and the tactile. You might find yourself wanting to “feel” something new in your hands. Just the feeling may be enough; you don’t necessarily have to spend money to satisfy your artistic urge this week.

Soul Affirmation: Happiness is my only goal this week. Lucky Numbers: 4, 15, 22 LEO Call early in the week and make a date so you can catch the person that you want to spend time with this week. An old love may turn up in your romantic mix, and romance will be very sweet if you rise above the temptation to remember why you split in the first place! Soul Affirmation: What I need to be is fully present inside of me. Lucky Numbers: 21, 36, 43 VIRGO This is a good week for exercising that clever mind of yours.

Luck will be with you in all endeavors you start. Luck is with you always because positive outlook attracts positive vibrations.

Soul Affirmation: I appear to others what I know myself to be. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 10 LIBRA Exercise will work off some of your excess energy this week.

Take a walk and remember that your world is made up of many beautiful parts. The part you are focusing on so intently this week is not your entire world. Proceed accordingly! Soul Affirmation: All things work together for good.

Lucky Numbers: 12, 16, 30 SCORPIO Everything seems to be moving along in a very pleasant way this week. Friends are helpful. Family is supportive. Even the sun seems to be shining just for you! Enjoy this harmony and count your blessings.

Finish a task at work. Soul Affirmation: I let go and let the spirit take control.

Lucky Numbers: 1, 17, 32 SAGITTARIUS You have very creative mental energy this week! You’ll probably be wanting to talk or write or read about health or career matters. Your ability to absorb information is remarkable. Make phone calls for work early in the week and then phone calls for play in the afternoon!

Soul Affirmation: I give my mind a big rest again this week. Lucky Numbers: 26, 32, 36 CAPRICORN Remember that exercise is a wonderful tension reliever if things get too intense this week. A walk over your lunch hour could make all the difference in how you feel this afternoon. Love yourself and reward yourself with perfect health and happiness. Soul Affirmation: The essence of life is in each grain of sand. Lucky Numbers: 4, 22, 41 AQUARIUS Take a week off from sparkling at work, and spend some time thinking about what is most important to you. The solution comes while you are thinking about love. Healthy habits are easy to keep.

Soul Affirmation: I can see clearly now the rain is gone. There are no obstacles in my way.

Lucky Numbers: 2, 16, 25 PISCES If you want to keep your positive outlook intact, avoid gossip and those who might want to just cry the blues for no good reason. You’ll be happiest this week if you keep busy and keep your opinions to yourself. However, good advice is available from an older female relative. Soul Affirmation: I turn all of my emotions toward the home front. Lucky Numbers: 15, 24, 47

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Is Everywhere!

The CoLumn

“Mickey“ Thompson Vincent

Links, Inc. 7th Annual Red Dress Event

(L-R) Hon. Shirley Watkins Bowden (President Arlington Links Chapter), Dr. Nicole Martin (Health & Human Services Chair Arlington Links Chapter), & Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris (National President of The Links, Incorporated)

The District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) Chapters of The Links, Incorporated jointly hosted this year’s 7th Annual Red Dress Event for heart health month featuring special guest, Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris, National President of The Links, Incorporated and renowned cardiologist Dr. Shawn Howell (George Washington University Hospital) and Dr. Patricia Davidson (Washington Hospital Center). Michelle Bernard (A Links) was event MC

(L-R) Mayor Bill Euille (Alex. (VA), Lavern Chatman-Brown (Arlington Links - Strategic Planning Chair), Congr. Don Beyer (D-VA), Hon. Shirley Watkins-Bowden (Arlington Links President) & (L-R) Panelist -Dr. Patricia Davidson Natalie Fant (Links Eastern Area Vice Dir.) (Cardiologist Washington Hospital Center), Panelist - Dr. Shawn M. Howell (Interventional Cariologist GW University Hospital & Michelle D. Bernard (MSNBC)- Capital City

Amgela D. Alsobrooks (MD State’s Attorney) with Tara Jackson (MD Deputy State’s Attorney)

Arlington Links Pres. Hon. Shirley Watkins-Bowden with Brandon Todd (DC Ward 4 Councilmember Candidate)

Links National President Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris & her Connecting Link Atty. Robert L. Harris (L-R) Maia Jackson, Telesa Via & Racquel English

Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris (Pres. Links, Inc.) & her (L-R) Margo Steele-Holland, Anne Bush, & daughter in-law Dr. Rochelle Theresa Peterson Hackley (DDS) Arlington Links

(L-R) Dr.Lynn Lightfoote (Potomac Links), Sela Ward (A Links) , & Dr. Nicole Martin (A Link)

Above Mr. & Mrs. Wilard & Darhyl Jasper C. Denise Sessoms (Pres. Washington Ethel Lee-Walker (Arlington Links) Links)

Isbel Fant (Arlington Links)

(L-R) Ernestein Bridges Borden, Carla Johnson, & Denise Bruner (Arlington Links)

(L-R) Denise Bailey, Maia Jackson, Shirley Bowden, & Michelle Bailey (Arlington Links)

Above Arlington Links President Shirley Yvonne Williams (Cap. City Links), Watkins-Bowden with Atty. Shirley Harley-Washington (Pres. Metropolitan Links), & Atty. Allie B. Latimer her Connecting Link Annie Whatley (Pres. Capital City Links) Kurt Bowden (DC Links)

Lavern Chatman-Brown, Niole Martin, Dr. Lynn Lightfoote, Dr. Glenda NewellHarris, Bernie Borden, & Lesley Fraser

Claudia McKeoin (Cap. Links), Gladys Mack (Metro Links) & Lula LangJetters (Arlington Links)

2015 Arlington Links

Dr. Glenda Newell- Harris (President Links, Inc. with Hon. Shirley Watkins-Bowden (President Arlington Links)

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Above Julia Pollard (Arlington Links)

(Left) Dr. Rudolph (Connecting Link ) & his wife Dr. Janetter Hoston Harris (Arlington Links)

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35

SPORTS

Hampton University (Women) Defeat Howard 106-57

Howard center Victoria Gonzales and Hampton’s Malia Tate-DeFreitas fight for ball possession in the first half of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Howard University’s Burr Gymnasium in Northwest. Hampton defeated Howard 106-57. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Hampton University (Men) Defeat Howard 68-67

Howard University forward Sydni Johnson has her shot blocked by Hampton guard Areana Davis during MEAC action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Howard University’s Burr Gymnasium in Northwest. Hampton defeated Howard 106-57. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Howard University guard James “JT” Miller heads to the basket as Hampton University forward Dwight Meikle defends during the first half of MEAC action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Howard University’s Burr Gymnasium in Northwest. Hampton defeated Howard 68-67. /Photo Courtesy Yusuf Abdullah

36 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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SPORTS

Washington Wizards Defeat Detroit Pistons 99-95

Wizards guard John Wall fights off three Detroit Pistons defenders to score two of his 22 points in National Basketball Association (NBA) action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Pistons 99-95. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Wizards center Marcin Gortat and Pistons forward Greg Monroe fight for ball possession in the first half of NBA action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Pistons 99-95. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Wizards forward Nene creates space to get past Pistons forward Greg Monroe in the second half of NBA action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Pistons 99-95. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Wizards forward Drew Gooden drives past Pistons forward Anthony Tolliver in the second half of NBA action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Pistons 99-95. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Detroit forward Greg Monroe and Wizards center Marcin Gortat battle in the first half of NBA action on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The Wizards defeated the Pistons 99-95. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

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Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

37

CTM

ASALAH Continues its Celebration of Black Culture

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History [ASALAH], now celebrating its centennial, held its 89th Annual Black History Luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Northwest. The theme this year: “A Century of Black Life History and Culture.” Photos show some of the highlights from the luncheon that included: keynote speaker, Dr. Daryl Michael Scott, professor of History at Howard University and the ASALAH national president; mistress of ceremonies, A’Lelia Bundles, an award-winning journalist and the great-great granddaughter of Madam C. J. Walker; greetings from Susan L. Taylor, honorary co-chair, ASALAH national centennial committee; a new poem by Sonia Sanchez, ASALAH poet laureate; and the presentation of the 2015 Living Legacy Award to the following: Dr. Arnold L. Mitchem, academia; Reginald Van Lee, arts, entertainment and humanities; Myron A . Gray, business; Dr. Jonathan L. Weaver, community service; Robert G. Stanton, government services; Dr. Gail Christopher, WK Kellogg Foundation, organizations and institutions; and the Honorable James E. Clyburn, politics. /Photos by Roy Lewis

REGISTER NOW! JOB FAIR for EDUCATORS Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Howard University School of Education WHEN: 10:00am-2:00pm

WHERE: Armour J. Blackburn Ctr. 2400 6th Street, N.W.

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS and SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCLUDE… Alexandria City (VA), Anne Arundel (MD), Arlington (VA), Arlington Central (NY), Atlanta (GA), Boston (MA), Calvert County (MD), Center City Charter (DC), Charles County (MD), Charter Substitutes (DC), Christina District (DE), Danville (VA), District of Columbia, Detroit (MI), Dinwiddie (VA), E.L. Haynes Charter (DC), Essex (VA), Frederick County (MD), Harlem Children’s Zone (NY), Harford County (MD), Howard County (MD), Jones College Prep (IL), Launch Expeditionary Lrng Schl (NY), Loudoun County (VA), Montgomery County (MD), Prince George’s County (MD), Prince William County (VA), Red Clay (DE), St. Coletta of Greater Washington, Uncommon Schools (NY), Virginia Beach (VA), Wicomico County (MD), YES Prep (TX)…

Register: http://www.howard.edu/schooleducation/jobfair8.html Attach Your Resume Call 202 865 0117 if additional information is needed.

38 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

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RELIGION

The Religion Corner

The Difficulties of Life Should Make Us Better!

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

For the sake of this column, my message today is simply, look for the good in every bad situation; see the glass half-full, not half-empty. When you focus on the negatives in life, you will attract more negatives.

So many of us are walking in negative energy, I thought it wise to give you some suggestions. Take a walk and look at the flowers. You’ve heard the saying, “Smell the roses!” Enjoy the leaves on the trees; there are leaves, even during the winter season. Enjoy the clouds in the sky; and when it rains, enjoy the feeling of the rain as it falls on your face, then thank God that He spared our country a drought.

When the snow comes, the good news is, it’s preparing the earth for spring. The minerals that come down in the snow are supplied by God, to slowly water the earth, and create what appear to be miracle flowers when spring does finally arrive!

The topic of this column, “The difficulties of life should make us better” gives us something to ponder when awful things happen; look for the message in this mess! There is one, you know; only those of us who look for the answers will benefit.

My mentor Les Brown, during his speaking engagements, often talks about learned helplessness and how it works. It is a feeling of powerlessness we experience when we cannot change the wrong that’s happening in our lives.

Brown tells the story of Mark Seligman and Steve Maier who

conducted an experiment with groups of dogs; they placed the dogs in harnesses, paired them and tied their leashes together, and began to give them electrical shocks through the floor. Shocks came randomly, the dogs jumped around and yelped; which caused “learned helplessness.” Finally, the dogs, assumed nothing could be done about the shocks and they saw no way of escape, so they learned to live with their condition.

During the study, even when the dogs had an open door to leave the cage, they continued to remain inside. They had become accustomed to the pain, accepted it and decided to live with it.

They never considered an end to their struggle.

This study helped researchers understand why people will live in poverty and simply learn to live with it without making any effort to get out. And though there is a way out, they merely exist thinking ‘This is the way it is, and there is nothing I can do about it.’

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with a friend whose wife was receiving weekly acupuncture treatments for depression.

Her sister had been murdered by her husband, and despite the fact that 25 years had passed and the killer was arrested, the strain of a trial and the recollection of the death of her sister caused to her become severely depressed.

She couldn’t get her sister back!

She could have been delighted that they had finally caught the killer, and that her family would get justice! As I looked around her magnificent home, all I could

with Lyndia Grant see was the $3 million residence she lived in; and I saw how wonderful her husband was. My heart went out to her, during this time; if I could only trade places, the joy I would feel to own such a luxurious home as she and her husband had. These situations should make us stronger, that is, if we keep our minds positive; not negative. The Difficulties of Life Should Make Us Better, when we switch our focus. WI

Lyndia Grant is a speaker, radio talk show host and columnist; visit her new website at www. lyndiagrant.com and, call 202263-4621. Listen Friday, 6 p.m., to the talk show, 1340 AM, WYCB, a Radio One Station; Address 1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036.

(301) 864-6070

CHURCH LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC

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

www.jmlaw.net

(301) 864-6070

jmccollum@jmlaw.net

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RELIGION BAPTIST

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

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

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

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Campbell AME Church Reverend Daryl K. Kearney, Pastor

(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”

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”

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”

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

Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews • Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 Fax: (202) 526-1661

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.

Third Street Church of God

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

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

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

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

We are proud to provide the trophies for the Washington Informer Spelling Bee

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

52 Years of Expert Engraving Services

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

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

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

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

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor

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

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

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

Blessed Word of Life Church

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

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew, Assistant Pastor

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

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

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

Church of Living Waters

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

40 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

The Washington Informer

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RELIGION BAPTIST

Advertise Your Church services here: call Ron Burke at

202-561-4100 or email rburke@washingtoninformer.com Zion Baptist Church

All Nations Baptist Church

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

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

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

“Where Jesus is the King”

Israel Baptist Church

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

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

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

Sunday School: 9:15 a.m.

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

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

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

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

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

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

ChurCh Printing

20% Off PrOgrams & BOOklets

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

l l

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

St. Matthews Baptist Church

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

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

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

St. Luke Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor

Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor

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

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

Rehoboth Baptist Church

l l l l

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

Quality Printers 301 kennedy street, nW Washington, DC 20011

tel: 202-291-6565 Salem Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

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

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert SR. Pastor

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

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

Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 a.m.

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

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

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

Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 p.m.

Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

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

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Christ Embassy DC

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

Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor

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

Elder Herman L. Simms, Pastor

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

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator

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

New Members Class 9:30a.m.

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

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

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

Sunday Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

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

The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Peace Baptist Church

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell

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

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

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

Shiloh Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

1864-2014

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

The Church Where GOD Is Working....

And We Are Working With GOD

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

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

Sunday Church School: 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:40 a.m.

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

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

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

Morning Worship: 10:55 a.m.

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

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

150 Years of Service

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 P.M.

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

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor 2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 Fax: (202) 529-7738 Order of Services Worship Service: 7:30 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30 a.m. & 10:30a.m.

Prayer Services: Tuesday 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday 12 Noon Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

41

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 119

Administration No. 2015 ADM 139

Administration No. 2015 ADM 103

Administration No. 2015 ADM 121

Frances Marie Sanders

Lois F. Wilkins

Daniel J. Enterline

Evelyn La Pearl Stribling

Decedent

Decedent

Decedent

Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Nathaniel G. Randolph, whose address is 5106 Barto

Sandra K. Patterson, whose address is 212 R Street, NW,

Paul G. Enterline, whose address is 113 S. Race St.,

#201, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal

P.O. Box 826, Georgetown, DE 19947, was appointed

Representative of the estate of Lois F. Wilkins, who died

Personal Representative of the estate of Daniel J. Enterline,

on November 3, 2014 with a Will, and will serve without

who died on December 18, 2014 with a Will, and

Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to

to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the

such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will)

Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building

shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th

A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before

Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C.

August 19, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

20001, on or before August 26, 2015. Claims against

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with

of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to

a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

the undersigned, on or before August 19, 2015, or be

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

August 26, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed

of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice

to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and

publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including

relationship.

name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication:

Date of first publication:

February 19, 2015

February 26, 2015

Administration No. 2015 ADM 93 Johnnie C. Parham Decedent Johnnie I. Barton, Esq.

Avenue, Suitland MD 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Frances Marie Sanders, who died on December 15, 2013 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 August 19, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 19, 2015, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: February 19, 2015

Randoltt Johnson, whose address is 5233 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal

7600 Georgia Avenue, NW #405 Washington, DC 20012 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Representative of the estate of Evelyn La Pearl Stribling, who died on September 25, 2011 without a Will, and

Gail Y. Bellamy-Fleming, whose address is 4501 5th

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

Personal Representative of the estate of Johnnie C.

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 August 26, 2015.

Parham, who died on June 8, 2014 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)

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C.

with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned,

20001, on or before August 26, 2015. Claims against

on or before August 26, 2015, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before August 26, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: February 26, 2015

Date of first publication: February 26, 2015

Nathaniel G. Randolph

Sandra K. Patterson

Personal Representative

Paul G. Enterline

Randoltt Johnson

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PROBATE DIVISION

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Gail Y. Bellamy-Fleming Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 151

Administration No. 2015 ADM 146

Foreign No. 2015 FEP 16

Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Norman E. Williams, whose address is 18007 Merino Drive, Accokeek, MD 20607, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary Linda Sherman, who died on December 19, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

Glynn D. Key Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Charles F. Key, Jr., whose address is 7315 Royal Harbour Circle, Ooltewah, TN 37363, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Glynn D. Key, who died on November 21, 2014 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose

Register of Wills

Administration No. 2014 ADM 918

Administration No. 2015 ADM 167

Lionel Franklin Taylor, Sr.

August 1, 2014 Mary Linda Sherman

Anne Meister

Vivian P. Gordon aka Vivian Pleasant Gordon

Decedent

Date of Death

Decedent

Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. Delores P. House

1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Name of Decedent

Washington, DC 20001

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Sharvita House whose address is 2327

Massanutten Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Delores

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Deborah D. Boddie, whose address is 1308 Ninth Street,

Gail M. Ellis, whose address is 26500 Bryce Road, Valencia, CA 91354, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Vivian P. Gordon aka Vivian Pleasant Gordon, who died on January 28, 2015

NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed

with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision.

Personal Representative of the estate of Lionel Franklin

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are

whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

P. House, deceased, by the Register of Wills Court for

Taylor, Sr., who died on January 3, 2013 without a Will,

unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or

Prince George’s County, State of Maryland, on August

and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown

Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the

18, 2014.

heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall

decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 26, 2015.

A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before

Deborah D. Boddie, 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300,

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

August 26, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

Washington, DC 20001 whose designation as District of

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills,

with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned,

of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to

D.C.

on or before August 26, 2015, or be forever barred.

the undersigned, on or before August 26, 2015, or be

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

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: February 26, 2015 Norman E. Williams Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Service of process may be made upon

The decedent owned the following

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 August 26, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 26, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned,

a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

on or before August 26, 2015, or be forever barred.

District of Columbia real property: 1320 27th Street, SE,

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice

Washington, DC 20020

August 26, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and

personal property. Claims against the decedent may be

relationship.

presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register

The decedent owned District of Columbia

of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW,

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:

Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months

February 26, 2015

from the date of first publication of this notice.

Charles F. Key, Jr.

Date of first publication:

Deborah D. Boddie

February 26, 2015

Personal Representative

Sharvita House

TRUE TEST COPY

Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Date of first publication: February 26, 2015

Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: February 26, 2015 Gail M. Ellis Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Personal Representative Anne Meister

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Washington Informer

42 Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

The Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2014 ADM 757

Administration No. 2015 ADM 193

Administration No. 2015 ADM 168

Mary Alsonia Blount

Estate of Betty Kramer aka Beatriz Paez Cardenas

Vivian Patricia Minor

Decedent

Decedent

Decedent

Paule G. Lavadas

Law Office Muhammad & Associates

1629 K Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney

c/o Leonard GP Muhammad, Esquire 7306 Georgia Ave., NW

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gloristine B. Joyner, whose address is 4268 S. West Avenue, Ayden, NC 28513, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary Alsonia Blount, who died on June 13, 2014 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 5, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 5, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

March 5, 2015

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Keith Raymond Kramer, whose address is 4304 Westover Place, NW Washington, DC 20016, was appointed

Dennis Minor, whose address is 1012 Lamont Street, Representative of the estate of Vivian Patricia Minor, who died on November 18, 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

Beatrix Paez Cardenas, who died on January 11, 2015

appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall

without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision.

be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street,

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

N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 5, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register

September 5, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

September 5, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons

of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to

believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do

the undersigned, on or before September 5, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

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.

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and Date of first publication: March 5, 2015 Date of first publication:

Keith Raymond Kramer

Personal Representative

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Personal Representative of the estate of Betty Kramer aka

March 5, 2015

Gloristine B. Joyner

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NW, Washington, DC 20010, was appointed Personal NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

relationship.

Date of first publication:

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, DC 20012 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Probate Division

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Anne Meister

Register of Wills

Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

Dennis Minor

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PROBATE DIVISION

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Foreign No. 2015 FEP 21

Administration No. 2015 ADM 190

January 2, 2014

Michael David Simms

Date of Death

Decedent

Norma L. Saunders

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Name of Decedent

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL

Denise T. McCoy, whose address is 9130 Stebbing

REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Way #D, Laurel, MD 20723, was appointed Personal

Vernetta Lindsey whose address is 1508

Kings Valley Drive, Bowie, MD 20721 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Norma L. Saunders, deceased, by the Orphans Court for Prince George’s County, State of Maryland, on March 19, 2014.

Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES services here:

Service of process may be made upon

Andrew T. Richardson, III, Esq. 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.

The decedent owned the following

District of Columbia real property: 125 36th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019.

Claims against the decedent may be

presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first publication: March 5, 2015 Vernetta Lindsey Personal Representative Anne Meister

who died on February 1, 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 September 5, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented

call Ron Burke at

to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 5, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

202-561-4100

Date of first publication:

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MALVEAUX from Page 28 Warren has been portrayed as a champion of the people, especially where consumer protection and financial matters are concerned. She has raised her voice against financial skullduggery by banking institutions, been a critic of attempts to weaken the Dodd Frank bill, and been a defender of consumer rights.

The architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Warren has been the darling of the left and has enhanced that status with her travel to many progressive gatherings. While she has demurred when asked if she will run for president, her replies, if somewhat definite, also seem coy. Additionally, there have been efforts to draft her into running, with online petitions and other efforts.

EDELMAN from Page 28 suffer worse health outcomes than white children.

Black students fall behind in school early and do not catch up; more than 80 percent of fourthand eighth-grade black public school students cannot read or compute at grade level, and a black high school student drops out every 33 seconds during the school year. Black children and youths are at greatest risk of being funneled into the prison pipeline and are at highest risk of gun violence, the leading cause of death among black children and teens ages 1-19. For many of the children in Sarye’s neighborhood, these odds have already proven too much.

Sarye was blessed by her aunt’s unfailing support and by caring teachers during her freshman year of high school who began nurturing her potential. She says: “They just saw something in me

CLINGMAN from Page 28 Breathe” shirts sold on Amazon and elsewhere as if they are some kind of novelty rather than a sincere, compassionate and meaningful response to the homicidal death of Garner, the originator of the “I can’t breathe” phrase. We saw him take his last breath; he was the one who couldn’t breathe for real. The above travesty reminds me of an article I wrote after Trayvon Martin was killed, which was titled, “The Profit of Protest.”

In light of the hype of “I Can’t Breathe” and now the phrase “Black Lives Matter,”

While Warren seems to have little baggage, Clinton seems less than invincible. Questions have been raised about the Clinton Foundation and the sources of its money, especially when this money has come from foreign governments that have mixed relationships with the United States.

Other questions have been raised about the high-six-figure speeches Clinton gives and the audiences she gives them to. Certainly, she is entitled to earn what the market will bear, but some say those who foot the bill are the very Wall Street scions that Warren rails against.

Could Warren seriously challenge Clinton? Is there a chance that she could win the Democratic nomination? If she chooses to enter the presidential race in the next several months, she will be entering the race

at about the time Barack Obama did eight years ago. Like Obama, she has penned an autographical book that explains the origins of her populist views. And, like Obama, she has the chance of “catching on” with voters.

After Clinton, the only competition Warren is likely to have for the Democratic nomination is Vice President Joe Biden. But Biden, at 73, may be considered too old to be considered a viable choice for president. Biden also has a history of both oral and behavioral gaffes, most recently offering a rather intimate whisper into the ear of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s wife, Stephanie, at Carter’s swearing-in.

Whether she enters the race or not, Warren’s very presence pushes Clinton to the left on populist

that I didn’t even really see in myself at the moment, and I think that’s what I really needed.”

After Sarye attended the Summer Bridge Program at Boys & Girls High School, her English teacher recommended she apply for the Smart Scholars Program, which would allow her to take classes at Long Island University beginning in 10th grade. She surprised herself by testing into college-level English during the entrance exam. Though still in high school, she’s maintained a 4.0 in her college classes while excelling in her high school courses.

Sarye is one of five extraordinary high school students the Children’s Defense Fund-New York will honor next week for beating the odds. A scholarship will help ease their way on the path to college.

Unsurprisingly, English has remained one of her strengths – and she’s embraced writing as a way of expressing some of the feelings she struggled to hide in-

side. From her poem “I’m Free From It”: “I didn’t have to hide behind the bars of shame, hurt, or declaration. I could build on the things that were given to me and renovate the parts that were taken. My dreams that were deferred had me shaken up, but only to produce a better me in the making … I can look in the mirror and smile, embracing all my scars, marks, and imperfections, perfectly imperfect, not stressing to make the perfect impression, not ashamed, scared, nor confused because I am who I am for a reason.” WI

the slogan we should emblazon on shirts and instill in our brains, the one by which we should live and the one that, if inculcated into our daily lives, will move us from the rhetoric of freedom to the action of freedom is “Black Dollars Matter!”

Despite the wasteful and nonsensical spending by black folks, from the poorest to the super-rich flamboyant celebrities, we must all realize that “Black Dollars Matter” and they should matter to us first.

Right now, they matter most to everyone else, and other folks are doing everything they can to get more of our dollars with no reciprocity other than sym-

bolic gestures that make us feel good.

It’s great for athletes to wear shirts with slogans, but they should move to the next step of starting initiatives that not only sustain their gestures but build economic empowerment for black people. Our athletes and celebrities, as they protest inequities and injustice, should keep in mind that “Black Dollars Matter,” and they should consider that as they come up with their solutions to effect real change within the systems against which they protest.

And so should we.

After the chanting, the marching, the protests and demonstrations, the outrage,

www.washingtoninformer.com

Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund, whose Leave No Child Behind mission is to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more, information go to www.childrensdefense.org

The Washington Informer

economic issues. And, if Warren enters the race and pulls three or four states and about 20 percent of the popular vote, she offers Clinton a serious challenge. If these “draft Warren” petitions catch on and hundreds of thousands of signatures are gathered, that too, presents a challenge to Clinton.

Voters are looking for alternatives, and Democrats aren’t providing them. Instead, they are offering a party line that inhibits discussion of issues and hews to the inevitability of party favorites. Emanuel’s defeat and the Warren challenge to Clinton suggest that the party line is unsatisfactory. WI

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the threats, and the unjustified killings of our people with impunity, if all we do is sit back and wait on the next crisis, why should we even bother with the above actions in the first place?

We must be smarter, and we must be conscious. We must always be aware that money runs this country, and it has its place in everything, yes, even in the deaths of our people.

Indeed, black lives matter

above all, but to those who kill us, those who economically exploit us, and those who are indifferent toward us, black lives don’t matter as much as black dollars do. Start a “Black Dollars Matter” campaign. Make some shirts displaying that attention-grabbing slogan, and act upon it. “Black Dollars Matter,” but only if they start making more sense.WI Mar 5 - Mar 11, 2015

45

CURRY from Page 29

March led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a Shelby Countyto-D.C. march could pressure Congress to act again to protect the sacred right to vote.

The march would kick off in Calera, about 30 minutes south of Birmingham, and address the relevant voting issues along the march route.

After Calera, Ala., the next stop

would be in Georgia, where marchers could express support for proposed legislation that would expand opportunities for eligible citizens to vote and provide for or expand the electronic transfer of voters’ information between state agencies.

In South Carolina, demonstrators could support a bill that would relax voter ID or citizenship laws and legislation that would make it easier for people with disabilities to cast a ballot.

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Crossing into North Carolina, demonstrators can join an effort to overturn the Voter Information Verification Act, a voter suppression bill signed into law

by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. The controversial measure requires government-issued voter ID, ends same-day voter registration, bans Sunday voting and discontinues pre-voter registration for 16- and 17-year-olds. Several organizations, including the NAACP State Conference of Branches, have sued to overturn the law.

Marchers might want to spend some extra time in Virginia before moving on to D.C. to oppose a bill that would restrict access to registration and voting and support a competing one that would increase access to vot-

ing, oppose a bill that would require proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) to register or to vote, support proposed legislation that would expand early in-person voting, back a proposed legislation to reduce waiting times for voting, endorse a bill to expand opportunities to vote by absentee ballot, support a bill to protect voters from having their names wrongfully removed from voting lists, and back a proposed bill to increase the likelihood that contested provisional ballots would be counted.

In Washington, demonstrators should underscore the embarrassing reality that D.C. is the only capital of a democratic country in the world that does not enjoy voting representation

in its national legislative body or true home rule.

I am glad we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But, after the celebration, it’s time to undo the damage the Supreme Court and largely Republican state legislatures have done to the landmark voting legislation.

The Brennan Center report stated.

“This year, the courts – including the U.S. Supreme Court – are again poised to rule on voter ID and other election laws. Courts failed to block a number of restrictive laws last year, and without clear limits, states appear ready to move forward with harsh new measures.” WI

DANIELS from Page 29

nialism.”

By February’s last week, however, Giuliani had penned an oily op-ed in the Wall Street Journal meekly stating he “didn’t intend to question President Obama’s motives or the content of his heart. My intended focus was the effect his words and his actions have on the morale of the country and how that effect may damage his performance.”

Of course, the article was a sure sign that conservative movement chieftains had warned him of the damage he was doing to Republican efforts to get its 2016 presidential primary sweepstakes off to a good start and deal with its intra-party rebellion in Congress.

New York Daily News columnist Linda Stasi had the best succinct take on Giuliani’s actions in suggesting “Perhaps it’s megalomania-infused narcissism with an overlay of overt racism?”

She’s right that Giuliani was reflexively following the standard GOP script of the last sev-

en years: When you want to grab public attention and the plaudits of the conservative base, say something vile about the president.

One of the most obvious insights that offers is that because racism is impervious to logic, the achievements of individuals and even a large cohort of those the bigots hate don’t just expand the space for tolerance in the larger society. It also actually intensifies the fury of those who need to cling to their bigotry. As an old friend once put it, the bigots say they hate you because you’re inferior. But when you prove you’re more than equal, they hate you even more.

That’s why, during the Obama presidency, acting the fool has become the Republican Party’s chief operating principle.WI

the utter failure of Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security—is the failure of Congress to provide funds for the agency which is tasked with protecting the security of the homeland, in an hour when international threats have been magnified beyond anything in past history.

The radical House Tea Party faction insists on de-funding the President’s moves to reform the out of control immigration problem, which finds 11 million souls in this country without any legal standing.

The legal and Constitutional issues aside—issues which will be resolved in the courts and eventually legislatively—any fool has to realize that there is no way that 11 million people will be rounded up and deported, or put into concentration camps, or taken to extermination centers, or subjected to any other cockamamie schemes these delusional people might come up with.

There must be a pathway to legitimize or permanently deal with their presence, and of course, genocide is

out of the question.

So, rather than either adopt legislation, or work with President Obama, or in some other rational way address this problem, the Republicans have chosen to “play chicken” with the President and the Senate Democrats over the issue of funding—not an “expendable” federal agency in their view, like education, or welfare, which they hate, but rather one which is indispensible in this time—the Department of Homeland Security.

The House Republicans insist on letting the Homeland Security funding expire, putting the entire country at risk, in order to stop the President from doing something within his power to do—that is manage immigration enforcement.

These guys are revealing themselves to be incapable of governing the country. They would literally cut off their own noses, in order to spite their faces. That’s crazy.WI

ber from the minuscule dusting of snow Washington got that day and said it proved there was no such thing as global warming.

But a lion’s share of media attention on the GOP for much of the month was rightly devoted to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s claiming that Obama “doesn’t love America” because he “wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up, through love of this country.”

Amid the immediate blowback, Giuliani then made the cable news show rounds the following days to double down that his comments couldn’t be called racist “since [Obama] was brought up by a white mother, a white grandfather, went to white schools, and most of this he learned from white people.” The “this,” he implied, was Obama’s “socialism or possibly anti-colo-

MUHAMMAD from Page 29

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never offering any kind of leadership skills.

After mangling the unseemly secret invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, so that Netanyahu can condemn the President’s foreign policies, without informing the White House until 10 minutes before he announced it publicly—an address which will be boycotted by the Vice President, and several Senate and House members—he has shown himself to be incapable of “leading” the House Republican Caucus.

No, Boehner is just going along with whatever the most radical wing of the “Repugnican” Tea Party faction dictates, even when those policies are contrary to the best interests of the United States.

The classic example—and the blame does not belong to Boehner alone, whomever is the Lord of the GOP must share in the blame for The Washington Informer

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