The Washington Informer - February 16, 2017

VOL. 52, NO. 18 • FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

Rushern Baker Showcases Art in North Carolina - Hot Topics / Page 4

Black History Month Calendar Pages 28-29

The Business of Gentrification: Longtime Shops Affected

Democrats Hit Back at Obamacare Repeal

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

Redevelopment plans at the RFK Stadium and Armory Campus in Southeast has some merchants hoping that it would provide a chance for their businesses to thrive despite the many changes in demographics and culture gutted by gentrification.

"Like a lot of Washingtonians, I have great memories of football and concerts at RFK, and will be a little sad to see it go," said Nathan Harrington, director of the Ward 8 Farmer's Market and chair of the committee to restore Shepherd Parkway. "That said, the car-centric layout and acres of parking lots at RFK are the legacy of a failed, bygone era in urban planning in the 1950s and '60s.

"It's been a disaster for urban communities and for the muchabused Anacostia River," Harrington said. "The redevelopment gives us a chance to do better, but with runaway gentrification and politicians in the pockets of developers, I have my doubts."

Gentrification fast became an ugly word in the District and in many places around the country. Lifelong residents — mostly African-Americans and other minorities — have been priced out and sold out.

And when the pillars of onceproud neighborhoods are forced to leave, the mom and pop shops that have catered to their needs for decades — if not centuries — also have found themselves no longer useful for a newer and very different neighborhood makeup.

"In the areas where my wife and I

Republicans seeking to repeal Obamacare have a fight on their hands.

Ranking Member Bobby Scott joined Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member Richard Neal, Ranking Member John Yarmuth, Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman, President of the National Association of School Nurses Beth Mattey, and parents and advocates this week to highlight how plans to dismantle the Affordable Care Act will harm children.

GENTRIFICATION Page 11

In It To Win It! 5 New Edition singer and songwriter Johnny Gill and Fantasia perform during Charlie Wilson’s 'In It to Win It' Tour at the Verizon Center in Northwest on Sunday, February 12. / Photos by Shevry Lassiter

OBAMACARE Page 19

Black Republicans: No Longer the Elephant in the Room

Awards Luncheon Honors African-American GOP Trailblazers

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor With the theme “Reimagining the Dream,” Black Americans for a Better Future [BAFBF] held its fifth Black Republican Trailblazer Awards Luncheon, honoring five individuals who have made significant contributions to the Black community and to the Republican Party.

BAFBF Founder Raynard Jackson, 56, said he estab-

lished the annual event to illustrate that Black Republicans have long been leaders in their hometowns, contributors to the Party and successful in their respective professions.

“Some may want to brush Black Republicans off as Uncle Toms – as Blacks who don’t keep it real – but that’s simply not true,” said Jackson, a political strategist, public relations executive

BLACK REPUBLICANS Page 46

5 Maxine Blake honoree and Raynard Jackson program founder. / Travis Riddick

Celebrating 52 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area

Now Published by Dr. Charles Vincent

Her Legacy Continues.

In memory of Mickey Thompson Vincent, Founder and Publisher.

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The Debutantes and their Escorts at the Tatiana Ball at the Russian Embassy

Bell ringing photo, Dr. Janette Hoston Harris and Stanley K. Williams, Vice President, Hall of Fame Board of Directors

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L to R - Rev. Vernon Shannon, pastor of John Wesley AME Zion Church; Dr. Janette Hoston Harris, Historian for Washington, DC and Founder of Ringing of Church Bells to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday; Rev. Gerald Elston, pastor.

Albright Memorial Methodist church; (big black wide brim hat), Councilmember Brandon Todd, Ward 4

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Picture of Lynn Hobson (R) Author with mom, Patricia Hobson Wilson (L) at the booksigning held January 29, 2017 held at Trinity Episcopal Church. She will be featured with the Metropolitan Democratic Women on March 26, 2017. For further Information: Patriciahobson@msn.com

Dr. Charles & “Mickey” Vincent

ANNUAL RINGING OF BELLS ON THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Social Sightings - THE MAGAZINE Subscribe www.SocialSightings.com Kendra Handy/Editor Dr. Charles Vincent/Photographer Brian Young/Graphic Designer l

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W I HBreak O T the T OCycle P I C of S Women Domestic Violence

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

COMPILED BY D. KEVIN MCNIER / WI EDITOR AND WILLIAM J. FORD / WI STAFF WRITER

Rushern Baker Showcases ArtSheinsaidNorth Carolina law enforcement. they threat,” she said.

By Tia Carol Jones

www.washingtoninformer.com

WI Staff Writer

Visit our updated Web site and give us your comments for a chance to win a gift from The Washington Informer Email comments to: rburke@ washingtoninformer.com

had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow Rushern Baker IV, son of Princesense George’s County Executive L. to see implemented are of uniformity in the Rushern way wants Baker recently showcased his artwork during an art exhibit Charlotte, WhenIII,L.Y. Marlow's 23-yeardomestic violence victimsinand stricter restraining order policies, North Carolina. exhibit, Future are is Abstract,” featured abstract old daughter told The her the father“Thesurvivors treated. more rights for victim's families ofpainting her daughter threatened Baker’s her paintings and mixed-media. are mixed withpersonal building mate“She's using her own to intervene on behalf of a viclife, the life compositions of their child, story, landscapes her own personal painand to suburrialsand in complex that evoke from urban tim, a domestic violence assessshe something had to besuchpush forward,” Davis-Nickens vivid ment unit coupled with further banknew environments.

“Exhibitions as ‘The Future is Abstract’ provide done.

Outof of about Marlow. for law enforcement examples the her broadfrustration spectrum of said the artistry of African Americans in training the with law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecart world,” said David Taylor, CEO and president of the Harvey B. Gantt ofCenter the situation, she decided to reads“By Marlow's book the willworktion for African-American Arts +who Culture. highlighting of Act and mandatory counselstart the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers.

Rushern Baker IV and his colleagues, we have a unique opportunity to show paign. case in such a way, the average the howa vicious diverse the definition of art really is.” Baker’s artwork will“If we are ever going to eradi“Itworld seemsjust to be cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must be showcased through 8. For more the exhibitions visit www. that won't turn myJulyfamily end details of theonday, the book will look at both sides of the coin. ganttcenter.org. loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vicshared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow ence at the District Heights Also present at the event was said.

Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the exMarlow would also like see After officials in the District, Maryland and toVirginia on May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise failed to approve a safety program for Metro last week, the Municipal Center. The sympo- who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children in Federal Transit Administration announced it will withhold sium was sponsored by the utive life terms without parole public and private schools.

She 5 percent of funding fiscal year 2017, equates to Family and Youth Services by a Maryland jury for his role in for feels children need which to be educatmillion.

Each must approve State SafeCenter of the city of District the Beltway $8.9 Sniper attacks in jurisdiction ed about domestic violence. ty Oversight Program (SSOP) to oversee rail operations Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad is “We have to stop being pasUp of Black Women. forAfter Metro.

“By law, states have the primary responsibilthe founder of the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilMarlow has written a book, an organization thatoverseeing helps thethe dren ity for safe operation of their rail transit about domestic violence,” “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of systems, domesticnotviolence Marlow only for riders butsaid. for transit operators and story about four generations of and their children.

MarlowDirector has worked to break workers,” said FTA Executive Matthew Welbes domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear six years. Six abuse in her family, for in afor statement.

“FTA the hascycle beenofproviding oversight inspired by her own experiences, years in fear WMATA is a long time.

It is since and October is confident the but policies Metrorail 2015, the she role is and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that temporary.” A program to improve safety began after the her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process.

2009 Fort Totten collision of two trains that resulted in She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to nine deaths and dozens of injuries. the SSOP gets excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and Once implore them to approved by each jurisdiction and certified by the FTA, can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. the will be from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful ofmoney how they go released. into “I will not stop until these poliwon the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.”

Books” Award. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. killPrince you,' itGeorge’s started as a verbal WI Black and Latino officers withtothe Elaine Davis-Nickens, presiCounty Police Department filed a complaint against the dent of the National Hook-Up for alleged racial epitomes ofagency Black Women, said there is no that include photos of a Black man as a “training dummy” that also point out consistency in the way domestic an “Afroissues wig” are anddealt a “Black violence withFace.”

by Another picture in the complaint shows a license plate from a sergeant with the letters “GFYOBMA” toward former President Barack Obama. The Police Department had to investigate another racial situation discovered last week that involved a picture with the word “color” scratched out and replaced with “African American” above the word “guard.” Police Chief Hank Stawinski released all the photos Thursday, Feb. 9. “I am going to do what I want to do and that is make Prince George’s County safe,” he said. “I [must] have a workforce of 2,000 people who don’t have these issues clouding our mission. For that purpose alone, this can’t be tolerated.”

FTA Withholds Money Targeted for Metro

Wilhelmina J. Rolark In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark THE WASHINGTON INFORMER PUBLISHER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published THE WASHINGTON INFORMER Denise Rolark Barnes published on each Thursday.postage weeklyweekly on Thursday.

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Make checks payable to: rights POSTMASTER: Send John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor change of addresses to The WashDorothyINFORMER Rowley, Online Editor THE WASHINGTON ington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther 3117 Luther King, Ave., S.E. • Washington, D.C.&20032 Design Layout King, Jr. Ave., S.E.Martin Washington, D.C. Jr. ZebraDesigns.net, Phone: 202 • Fax: 202 574-3785 20032. No part of this publication may561-4100 Mable Neville, Bookkeeper E-mail: news@washingtoninformer.com be reproduced without written permisMickey Thompson, Social Sightings columnist www.washingtoninformer.com sion from the publisher. The Informer Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Newspaper cannot guarantee the return Angie Johnson, Circulation of photographs. Subscription rates are PUBLISHER $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will Denise Rolark Barnes be received not more than a week after REPORTERS STAFF REPORTERS publication.

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County Cops File Complaint Alleging Racism within Department

“

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 Education Experts Weigh in on ESSA laws.

I will not stop until The DC State Board of Education held its monthly public these policies arehonoring passed. meeting on Wed., Feb. 15 in Northwest, the District’s

“

In Memoriam The Washington Informer Dr. CalvinNewspaper W. Rolark, Sr.

2017 Teacher of the Year, Elizabeth Dewhurst, a reading intervenL.Y.The Marlow tion instructor at Stuart-Hobson Middle School.

Board also Paul Trantham heard from two panels of policy experts who shared their views on Roy Lewis, Patricia Little, Travis Riddick the draft Every Student Succeeds Act [ESSA] accountability plan.

Public comment on the draft continues through March 3. ESSA implementation begins in the 2017-2018 school year. A special Board vote on the final plan takes place on Wed., March 22. The 4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com new academic standards included in the plan will cover all students from pre-kindergarten through high school. It is expected that physical education standards, last approved in 2008, will also be updated for implementation in the new school year.

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John E. DeFreitas, CIRCULATION Shevry Lassiter,

4 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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GAO to Issue New Federal Ad Spending Report

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The Government Accountability Office has heard the complaints and they're listening.

Nearly a year after D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton gathered on Capitol Hill with members of the National Association of Hispanic Publications and the National Newspaper Publishers Association to urge for a new report detailing what federal agencies spend on advertising in black and Hispanic owned newspapers and media companies, the GAO said it will launch a formal investigation.

Norton (D) has been at the forefront of the call, citing that the federal government spends about $1 billion on advertising services each year but very little with minority-owned publications and media companies.

In March 2016, the congresswoman sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general at the U.S. GAO, urging a new investigation and a long overdue follow up to a 2007 GAO report that revealed the lack of advertising by federal agencies in minority-owned media companies.

Norton's letter was signed by several other members of Congress, including former Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield and Reps. Karen Bass of California, Yvette Clarke of New York, Marcia Fudge of Ohio, John Conyers of Michigan, John Lewis of Georgia and Maxine Waters of California — all Democrats.

In December, Norton's efforts were also joined by Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Cory Booker of New Jersey, who each sent their own letter to the GAO. "Yes, we have accepted the request," Chuck Young, the manag-

ing director of public affairs for the GAO, said this week. "No start date is set yet, but the first thing we do when such work begins is to determine the full scope of the areas we will cover and the methodology to be used. Once that is all done, then we will have timeframes."

Through a spokesman, Norton said she was pleased that GAO is moving forward. She also confirmed the office's receipt of her request.

"The GAO has accepted our request," said Norton spokesman Benjamin Fritsch.

The congresswoman expects to receive a formal letter in the next few days that documents the acceptance, she said.

"The federal government is the largest advertiser in the United States, and it is important that news outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color with a primary mission to serve communities of color have the same opportunities as other media outlets — especially as African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans continue to grow in number in our country," Norton said.

In 2007, GAO investigated the spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five agencies — the Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration — and found that just five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising campaigns went to minority-owned businesses.

"The NNPA encourages the GAO today to expedite the completion of this vital and important study," said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the NNPA. "Billions of dollars are at stake and black Americans and Hispanic Americans should be treated fairly and equitably when it comes to federal spending on advertising

AROUND THE REGION

5 Leaders of the Black and Hispanic Press gather in March 2016 on Capitol Hill with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to ask for a new GAO report on federal advertising spending with minority-owned media companies. / File photo across the nation.

"We thank those members of the U.S. Congress who continue to press for the GAO to take action on this matter," Chavis said. "There is a sense of urgency given the current state of the economy in the United States on issues of inclusion, diver-

sity and equal justice."

In addition to the update from the GAO, Norton wants more accountability. She noted that the NAHP and NNPA combined reach of 43 million readers each week across the United States.

With close to 97 million Afri-

can-Americans and Hispanics in the U.S. today — representing 33 percent of the total population — this consumer segment demands attention, Norton said.

For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com WI

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 5

AROUND THE REGION

WEEK OF FEB. 16 - 22, 2017 FEB. 16

1992 – John Singleton becomes the first black director to be nominated for an Academy Award with his debut, "Boyz n the Hood."

1997 – Virginia's House of Delegates votes unanimously to retire the state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," which glorifies slavery.

1944 – 1857 – Frederick Douglass is elected president of Freedman's Savings and Trust Company.

1923 – Blues singer Bessie Smith records her first single, "Down Hearted Blues," which was later included in the inaugural National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

1972 – Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first player in FEB. 20 1895 – Famed social activist and abolitionist Frederick NBA history to score 30,000 points.

Douglass dies of a heart attack in Washington, D.C., at 70.

1900 – John Frederick Pickering receives patent for the airship.

1927 – Sidney Poitier, the first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, is born in Miami.

1937 – Grammy-winning singer Nancy Wilson is born in Chillicothe, Ohio.

FEB. 21

Bessie Smith

1891 – Black inventor A.C. Richardson patents an improved butter churn.

1936 – Pro football great and civil rights advocate Jim Brown is born in St. Simons, Georgia.

1942 – Political activist and Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton is born in Monroe, Louisiana.

1963 – Basketball legend Michael Jordan is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1982 – Influential jazz pianist Thelonious Monk dies of a stroke in Englewood, New Jersey, at 64.

1933 – Singer/songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone is born in Tryon, North Carolina.

1936 – Civil rights leader Barbara Jordan, the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives, is born in Houston.

1940 – John Lewis, longtime U.S. congressman and and renowned civil rights leader, is born in Troy, Alabama.

1961 – Inventor Otis Boykin patents an improved electronic resistor.

1965 – Civil rights activist Malcolm X is assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan at 39.

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The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell Special Education Lawyer

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Does your child have a learning or other disability?

Is your child failing in school, especially in reading?

Has the school repeatedly suspended or sent your child home early?

Does it feel like your child’s IEP is not working?

Is your child’s school ignoring your questions or concerns?

Contact The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell for a free consultation. We serve children in traditional public schools and public charter schools. We specialize in serving low and moderate income families.

Call us at 202.627.6926 Email us at nigel@lawofficeofnigelmatwell.com See us at www.lawofficeofnigelmatwell.com

6 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

1950 – Basketball icon Julius "Dr. J" Erving is born in East Meadow, New York.

1989 – DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince win the first-ever •Does your child have a learning or other disability?

Grammy Award FEB. 19 •Is your child failing in school, especially in reading?

1919 – W.E.B. Du Bois organizes the first Pan-African for Best Rap Per•Has the school repeatedly suspended or sent your child homefor early? formance their Congress. hit, "Parents Just it feel like Smokey your child’s IEP is not working?

1940•–Does Music legend Robinson is born in DeDon't Undertroit. stand.". WI 1931 – Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison is born in Lorain, Ohio.

1965 – West African nation Gambia declares its independence from the United Kingdom.

1965 – Civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson is shot by an Alabama state trooper during a peaceful voting rights march rally in Marion, dying eight days later.

Law Office of Nigel M.the Atwell 2006The – Speed skater Shani Davis becomes first black athSpecial Education Lawyer lete to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

Is your child’s school ignoring your questions or concerns?

MICHAEL Contact The Law Office of Nigel M. Atwell for a free consultation. We serve children in traditional public schools and public charter schools. We specialize in serving low and moderate income families. Call us at 202.627.6926. See us at www.lawofficeofnigelmatwell.com.

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JORDAN

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VIEW P INT

AROUND THE REGION

By Sarafina Wright

Has America abandoned diversity and the embracing of immigrants?

TAKOBIAN WORSLEY / LYON, FRANCE

It's a very loaded question, but no. I am optimistic and I don't think America is going to go downhill. I think the left is getting crazier as far as getting more extreme. The left is known for boycotting and now you see the right doing the same thing. There is more money to be made, so abandoning diversity won't happen. More programs are going to pop up randomly, whether it's sincere or not.

KRISTINE JONES / WASHINGTON, D.C.

If all of your friends look like you and think like you ‌ that is a problem. Meet and get to know as many people as you can. You never know what you will learn.

I have been blessed to have friends of various backgrounds and I appreciate every one of them.

WILL WEBSTER /

WASHINGTON, D.C.

We are largely a nation of immigrants, some involuntary. Each major wave of immigration has faced hostility, then over a couple of generations they became a part of the fabric of American life and, in turn, become hostile to the next wave. For the relatively recent descendants of immigrants, many of us recognize that diversity is an essential part of the American experiment.

RACHEL FOSTER / CHARLOTTE, N.C.

I don't want a commander in chief who doesn't acknowledge the diversity in America that contributes to the success of the nation!

VICENTE MASSEY / WASHINGTON, D.C.

No, because I don't believe America was for diversity or immigrant-friendly from the jump. You can't abandon something that was never there.

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If Your Ad Were Here Someone Would Be Reading It! Contact me, Ron Burke, at 202-561-4100 or rburke@washingtoninformer.com THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 7

AROUND THE REGION

NBC4 Responds Secures $1 Million for the Pockets of the Community

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer NBC4 Responds recently broke the $1 million threshold for the amount of money they have put back into the pockets of customers, according to the station’s news director. The investigative consumer franchise began in May and in just a few short months has made significant resolutions for unsatisfied consumers.

“A lot of people contact us when they feel like they’ve been wronged, so we created the franchise,” said NBC4 Assistant News Director Matt Glassman.

“We wanted to empower consumers to stand up when they felt they’d been wronged or misunderstood something.”

The franchise officially became launched with the hire of the project’s lead reporter, Susan Hogan.

“It was a perfect match,” Hogan said of the hire who previously spent more than 12 years as a consumer investigative reporter in Rhode Island.

According to Hogan, the team

receives about 150 complaints per week including e-mails, phone calls and online submissions. The most common: automobile repair and dealership issues, contractor issues and issues with utility service providers.

Hogan said she’s not surprised with the number of complaints the station continues to receive.

“There is a huge need for consumer advocacy,” she said.

The station has a full-time team of staff members including Hogan and several producers who are dedicated to resolving consumer-related complaints.

The staff gets complaints ranging from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. The most compelling stories go on the air.

“It’s not about the money,” Hogan said. “It’s about the principle.

She recalled her most memorable case being a Maryland couples in their 80s whose travel insurance provider refused a refund when a surprise cancer diagnosis prevented them from going on a long-planned cruise.

“What makes NBC4 Responds unique is that we an-

swer every single phone call and e-mail,” Hogan said. “We are overwhelmed with the complaints and we ask people to be patient. But we promise we’ll get to everyone.”

Hogan noted that while every complaint gets a response, they do not all result with a resolution. Sometimes the complaints end with a referral to a more helpful resource. And consumers remain encouraged to consider the best avenue of resolution before contacting the team.

“We won’t get to solve every single complaint unless you truly deserve some means of recourse,” Hogan said.

“Often, it appears companies just look at the bottom line, rather than the customer’s case,” Hogan said. “That’s what we’re fighting for.”

She said a case-by-case customer service approach could help reduce incidents of dissatisfied customers.

And rest assured, NBC4 Responds will continue its efforts.

“There are a lot of people we want to help and we are going to help going forward,” Glassman added. WI

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18th, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated®, Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter, Fairfax, Virginia, celebrated 40 Years of Sisterhood and Service with the Chapter’s charter members, past and present leaders, and members. / Photo courtesy of David Fitzpatrick

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AROUND THE REGION

By D. Kevin McNeir / WI Editor

3 simple words... changed my life forever.

NATALIE WILLIAMS - Breast Cancer Survivor

The World According to Dominic

“When Did You First Know You Were Black?"

CNN Political Commentator Van Jones, 48, a Yale Law School graduate born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee, recently shared an emotional testimony about the impact of racism on his life. He talked about an incident that occurred during his freshman year in high school when several of his classmates, unbeknownst to Jones, spit in a can of soda that he had temporarily placed on a lunchroom table. And while one classmate warned him before he could drink from the can, he said it served as a wakeup call for him.

“I didn’t realize that I was Black before that moment in my life,” he said to a fellow reporter.

Call me crazy but I can’t help thinking that Jones, whose work I highly admire, had to be playing to the camera, attempting to stir up juicy conversation – basically pulling our leg. Whether born in Tennessee, Texas or sunny California, Black boys and girls learn quickly and at an early age that their skin color sets them apart from those more “privileged” because of their blue eyes, blond locks and skin white as snow.

And the lessons are often quite painful. However, my parents not only helped me embrace my blackness but also provided me with countless examples of Black men and women whose contributions improved the lives of all Americans – no matter what their ethnicity – making me proud to be Black. Some of those trailblazers would become fixtures in my Black history lessons. Others were folks that I could touch, see and to whom I could listen: my parents, uncles, aunts, adopted moms and dads, teachers, preachers, local politicians, Boy Scout leaders .

. . the list goes on.

During a trip to visit my grandfather’s home, my father’s father, in rural Alabama, we stopped at a hotel for a bite to eat and to wash the dust off our faces. The man behind the counter refused to let my mother use the restroom. He refused to allow us to sit and eat. In fact, he told us to get out, using the “N” word with great emphasis. I was five or six at the time but can still feel my parents’ anger and shame. Watching my mother squat behind a tree to relieve herself was a humiliating experience for all of us. And I couldn’t understand why – at least not yet.

Further down the road, we finally found a restaurant that allowed us to order some sandwiches. But when my mother put her dollars on the counter, the saleswoman tossed the change at my mother’s feet as if she had some kind of communicable disease.

I guess the disease from which she suffered was her Black skin.

I won’t try to challenge the veracity of Jones’s story but it sure sounds fishy to me. Was he in Tennessee or was he visiting Tattoo on Fantasy Island? Given the pervasiveness of racism in America and this country’s propensity for exhibiting internalized prejudice, from small town USA to the Big Apple, painful lessons of being the “other” are routinely learned even before Black boys and girls can tie their shoes.

I’ve known I was Black, with a mixture of both Native American and southern white, for as long as I can remember.

And I’ve never wanted to be anything else. As James Brown once exclaimed, much to our delight, “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Right on!

WI

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Joanna Benjamin, DCPS spelling bee coordinator gives instructions to students at Langley Elementary School during the DC Public Schools Cluster Bees consisting of 85 participating schools in the 35th annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee. The winners of the cluster bees will compete in the finals held at NBC4 to be broadcast on April 9. / Photo by Roy Lewis

Who’s Reading the Informer?

Anthony R. Davis reads The Washington Informer while waiting for his car to be repaired. / Photo by Roy Lewis

WORDS TO LIVE BY "You get strength from within from believing you can do something and sometimes you get a real surprise."

– Olivia Hooker 10 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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GENTRIFICATION from Page 1 own businesses, it's nearly impossible for the average Southeast resident to move to," said Omekongo Dibinga, a professor of Cross Cultural Communication at American University who owns three District area yoga studios with his wife. "The Northeast area called Ivy City where we have one our businesses have vacant lots that are over $500,000."

Much culture and diversity is lost when people are forced out by gentrification, said Calvin Warren, an assistant professor of American Studies at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University in northwest D.C. "Black small-business owners might lose property or are forced to sell because of increased rents or competition from big chains moving into the area," Warren said. "This is also a loss of black wealth. If this process continues, I think it will be harmful to most African-Americans who are unable to buy property in these areas."

And it's not just in Washington, D.C. "Gentrification is currently happening in Tucson, Arizona," said Andres Portela, a public relations manager in The Grand Canyon State. "I can see the effects through my neighborhood with the rising cost of housing and downtown and university communities where we have seen the cost of rent jump so dramatically due to the influx of homes being purchased

and flipped. … I worry about businesses."

In the New York neighborhood of Harlem, where municipal housing buildings, rundown structures and dilapidated businesses were turned into expensive townhouses and dwellings for Fortune 500 companies and an office for former President Bill Clinton, some argued that the benefits of gentrification far outweigh any negative.

"I've lived in Harlem for the past five years and so I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of gentrification," said Mark Derian, an author, publisher and psychologist. "Gentrification is an improvement to a neighborhood. It's natural urban advancement and its human nature to advance.

"We cannot be victimized by gentrification any more than we can be victimized by someone starting a successful business," he said.

Sherice Alford, who lived in Harlem for 37 years before being forced out by gentrification, disagrees.

"Harlem was home for me and so many African-Americans," Alford said. "Sure, there were boarded-up buildings and crime, but what's forgotten, what's lost, is how strong the neighborhood was and how we worked to fix these things without the help of the city or federal government.

"The prettying up [of] Harlem could have and would have been successfully accomplished had we received the same kinds of breaks these

AROUND THE REGION

white-owned businesses and these non-black new residents got as incentives to take our neighborhood from us," she said.

A report at governing.com, noted that in New York City, and especially the Manhattan borough, the year 2015 may be remembered as the year the neighborhood store suffered a mass extinction. Small retail businesses have been closing their doors at a rate that longtime students of the city's commercial life say has no precedent in their memory.

At the beginning of 2016, in a much-publicized departure, Café Edison, a Times Square institution, gave up after 34 years at the same spot.

Since then, every few days has seemed to bring news of another small business closing — a shoe store, a diner or a hole-in-the-wall cheese shop. Multiply those closings by a few hundred to get an idea of what is happening these days on the New York commercial front.

For decades, the Hollywood Styles Barbershop shop has occupied a small brick storefront just off Seventh Street, a stretch of Shaw that typifies much of the change in that D.C. neighborhood. Convenience stores and Ethiopian takeout joints housed in beat-up storefronts carry on next

5 Ward 4 resident protests against gentrification. / Courtesy photo door to upscale coffee shops, bakeries and bars.

Shop owner DeLonta Dickerson told NPR that barbershops are some of the few remaining businesses from the old Shaw. Like churches, barbershops can remain a link to the neighborhood long after people move away.

The chrome and vinyl chairs lined up on each side of the small space have seated generations of the same families. Dickerson started

coming there as a kid and took over the business in 2009 when the shop's longtime owner died.

Over the years, Dickerson has seen new condos rise on every corner and a subway station crop up across the street. He leases his storefront, and while he figures the owner could sell out to a developer one day, he doesn't think about it much, he told NPR. "I'm not sure if I'd go for another space, or if it's something that I'd just want to leave behind," he said. WI

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

4Congressman Anthony Brown

speaks during Black History Month breakfast. / Photo by Travis Riddick

Librarian of Congress Stresses Need to Champion Black History

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Librarian of Congress Carla D. Hayden recalled when she spoke to about 700 children last week and was asked about her job, what's it like being historic and the importance of talking about black history.

"Well, I'm not that old," Hayden, 64, said Saturday at the Camelot

by Martin's in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. "Sometimes when you're talking to young people, you think you should downplay the hardships and troubles. I felt at this time it's even more important to be truthful not only to expose them to the hard past, but what's happening now and what they can do in the future."

Hayden, the nation's 14th librarian of Congress and the first black and first woman to hold the position, spoke to several hundred politicians and community leaders at the 36th annual 5th Congressional District Black History Month breakfast celebration. This year's theme at the invitation-only event: "The Challenges in Black Education and Opportunities in America."

Hayden is also one of three people chosen with a librarian background to oversee millions of books, photographs and other documents, which made her a top-notch choice at the Black History Month program previously attended by the late Marion Barry Jr. in 1987, Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, in 2010 and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch last year.

"We have had extraordinary speakers. Carla Hayden is in their ranks," said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D), who represents Maryland's 5th Congressional District. "Dr. Hayden is interested in making sure that all of us are empowered by the information, of which she is now the major steward, in the world."

Before coming to the Library of Congress, Hayden served as the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, in the same neighborhood where looting and violence took place after the death of Freddie Gray. The library, which wasn't damaged during the unrest, stayed open for residents amid the turmoil.

One of her goals at the 216-year-

old library in Southeast is to digitize and preserve historical items. She also wants to incorporate modern technology into urban and rural communities.

Hayden told a story from a book written by Alberto Manguel with a chapter labeled "Forbidding Reading," which stresses how those with power denied people the opportunity to read. "[C]enturies of slave owners, dictators, tyrants and other elicited holders of power have known the ability of an illiterate crowd is the easiest to rule," she said. "If you cannot prevent a people from learning to read … the next best recourse is to limit its goal."

The book, "A History of Learning," also highlights how slave owners burned books to ensure blacks couldn't read.

Hayden, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama last February and sworn in by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts in September, will oversee 162 million items such as sheet music from late jazz legend Charlie Mingus and speeches, fan mail and other documents of Jackie Robinson, the first black player in Major League Baseball.

"I am blessed to open up a treasure chest for everyone," she said.

Hayden's mother, Colleen, who was in attendance, said she still can't believe her daughter leads the world's biggest library.

"It's surreal," she said while Hayden took pictures with dozens of people after the program. "Her name will be on the walls in the Library of Congress. This will go down in history." WI

Metro Seeks to Revitalize Rail Stations

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Metro could receive millions of dollars from housing and retail development in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, projects that would hopefully spruce up areas near train stations, officials said.

The dollar amount Metro could receive in selling its parcel to develop the Grosvenor-Strathmore station in Bethesda depends on the number of units that could be built on the land approved by the Montgomery County Council, which could hap-

12 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

pen later this year. The agency could receive at least $13.5 million for a developer to construct 430 residential units and nearly 12,000 square feet of business space at the College Park station in Prince George's.

Nina Albert, Metro's real estate director, said there's still signs from 2007 advertising "development coming soon" at the station.

"Everybody is very motivated to move this project as quickly as possible," she said.

Metro must schedule a public hearing this year to discuss the College Park project that includes removal of the 530-space parking lot

in order to construct the mixed-use development. Commuters can still park at the nearly 1,300-space garage near the five-acre site.

Gilbane Development Co., headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, with an office in Baltimore, will be the developer to continue Prince George's County's push for transit-oriented development. The document states construction could start next year.

"This is very exciting," Metro board member Malcolm Augustine, who represents Prince George's, said at a committee meeting Thursday,

Maximizing Your Benefits Are you taking full advantage of your membership?! Have you built your business profile on the Chamber Master database?

Are you attending committee meetings, events or networking convening’s? If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then you aren’t maximizing your membership!

Your chamber has an array of sectors as members including leading bankers, federal government procurement agents, connections in local opportunities, construction firms, notable health care providers, IT companies, realtors, recognized management consultants, regional entertainment corporations-the list goes on… If you’ve had difficulty reaching these or other businesses, the Chamber is your vehicle to connect.

The Chamber has an outstanding database where you can construct your business profile and virtually market your services. This database includes companies with contact information of the people that you need to connect with. If you haven’t built your database profile, please contact Gabrielle Furr so she can assist you.

At a reasonable cost to our members, we have relevant impactful events that will inform you on economic development opportunities, public policy and networking. Many of our members who’ve attended these events have reported winning business contacts and contracts. Check our monthly newsletter and email blasts for event dates and times. This month, University of Maryland President Wallace Loh is our featured speaker at the State of the Chamber Breakfast event. The University of Maryland is one of the hottest developments and you don’t want to miss out.

Every month our committees meet to discuss policy, events and network. These meetings are free! Attending will get you in front of leading business folks. Last month, our Women in Business Development committee had a roundtable networking meeting where each participant left with a potential business contact. By the way, your company has full membership coverage, so if you cannot attend send a staff member.

Events, committee meetings, virtual connections, information and networking are available to you. The value, connection and learning are wealth pathways!

The Chamber prepares the table, the meal and the venue. All you have to do is join us and eat. Take full advantage of this scrumptious meal and maximize your membership benefits!

Not a member? Please visit our website, www.pgcoc.org or drop by for a visit to get started! Membership is good for a full calendar year, so it’s always a good time to join!

David C. Harrington President & CEO Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce www.pgcoc.org

METRO Page 14

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 13

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY

GSA Officials Review Traffic Proposals for FBI Plan in Greenbelt

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill As the much-anticipated FBI headquarters relocation project awaits approval, officials with the General Services Administration provided an update Monday on traffic mitigation for one of the three sites.

One major change at least six dozen people heard at the Greenbelt Public Library would be to increase parking spaces from the previous 3,600 to 6,200 at the site in Greenbelt.

"We will never have a safe environment," said Judy Blumenthal of neighboring College Park. "All of Route 1 that goes through Greenbelt, College Park and Berwyn Heights already has major traffic. You bring 6,000 more cars twice a day, you are waiting for a catastrophe."

Aaron Hassinger, project manager for GSA's design and construction division, said the

Greenbelt station being at the end of the Green and Yellow lines has commuters who live to the north to park there and ride a train into D.C. "The end of line plays against you a little bit," he said after the one-hour presentation. "The last thing we want to do is build this site, short it on parking and then have people still driving to work and parking in the street in people's neighborhood."

GSA officials held two other public sessions this week in Landover and Springfield, Virginia, to discuss relocating FBI and its 11,000 employees from the current northwest D.C. headquarters.

Because the procurement process remains ongoing, Douglas Grant, program management officer of the FBI project, declined to comment about possible developers or construction costs.

Federal, state and local officials have expressed frustration a decision on the project hasn't

been made sooner.

To further the process along, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved in December for Congress to fund a 2.5 million square-foot building that cannot exceed $2.1 billion.

A resolution comes with a recommendation from the National Capital Planning Commission to consider transportation impacts "on parking and proximity to Metrorail."

The Greenbelt location sits the closest to a Metro station.

However, only four acres can be developed.

Because the Greenbelt tract sits adjacent to the Greenbelt Metro station, which also has a MARC train operation that stretches into Baltimore, some believe public transit makes this site the most attractive option of the three.

"It's a powerful location, being right on the Beltway," said Greenbelt Mayor Emmett Jordan. "It sounds like [GSA] is

Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia Notice of Community Hearings Public Input Sought on Pepco’s Rate Application FORMAL CASE NO. 1139, IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE POTOMAC ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY FOR AUTHORITY TO INCREASE EXISTING RETAIL RATES AND CHARGES FOR ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION SERVICE The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (“Commission”) seeks public input on the rate application submitted by the Potomac Electric Power Company (“Pepco”) requesting authority to increase existing distribution service rates and charges for electric service in the District of Columbia. Pepco seeks a revenue increase of $76.766 million. Formal Case No. 1139 is the formal case established to adjudicate Pepco’s application. Pepco is the sole distributor of electric power to homes and businesses in the District. The Commission will only set Pepco’s distribution service rates in this rate case and not the cost of electricity itself.

A Public Notice regarding Pepco’s application can be accessed online at www.dcpsc.org. A hard copy of the Public Notice can be obtained by calling (202) 626-5150.

The Commission will convene four community hearings at the following locations on the specified dates: Thursday, February 23, 2017 Allen AME Church 2498 Alabama Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20020 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Providence Hospital Ross Auditorium 1150 Varnum Street NE Washington, D.C. 20017 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 4, 2017 D.C. Public Service Commission Hearing Room 1325 G Street, NW, 8th Floor Washington, D.C. 20005 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017 D.C. Public Service Commission Hearing Room 1325 G Street, NW, 8th Floor Washington, D.C. 20005 6:00 p.m.

Those who wish to testify at the community hearings should contact the Commission Secretary by the close of business three business days prior to the date of the hearing by calling (202) 626-5150.

Representatives of organizations shall be permitted a maximum of five minutes for oral presentations.

Individuals shall be permitted a maximum of three minutes for oral presentations. If an organization or an individual is unable to offer comments at the community hearings, written statements may be submitted to Brinda Westbrook-Sedgwick, Commission Secretary, Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, 1325 G Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington D.C. 20005, or by email at psc-commissionsecretary@dc.gov.

Any person who is deaf or hearing-impaired, and cannot readily understand or communicate in spoken English, and persons with disabilities who need special accommodations in order to participate in the hearing, must contact the Commission Secretary by close of seven business days prior to the date of the hearing. Persons who wish to testify in Spanish, Chinese, Amharic, or Korean must also contact the Commission Secretary by close of business three business days before the date of the hearing. The number to call to request special accommodations and interpretation services is (202) 626-5150.

14 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

5 GSA consultant Mark Burger discusses the FBI relocation project at the Greenbelt Public Library on Monday, Feb. 13. / Photo by Mark Mahoney

pretty firm in making a record of decision. I hope so."

The tract at the former Landover Mall sits on 80 acres and has the largest developable land with 16 acres off the Beltway, but shuttle bus service would be recommended with two Metro stations about one to two miles away — Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center. A traffic description shows 7,300 parking spaces for FBI employees

and another 323 for visitors are needed at that site.

About nine acres could be developed on the 58-acre Springfield tract, but nevertheless is the smallest area of the three proposed sites. Although the Franconia Springfield Metro station sits in proximity to the proposed FBI site, the GSA still recommends employees are provided with shuttle service.

WI

METRO from Page 12

be instituted this spring to sell food and drink in front of the station for a four-hour period in the afternoon only during the pre-development period. Food and beverages aren't permitted on trains, so the program would target exiting riders, which would also help curtail food and other debris left inside the station.

The developer also proposes to enhance the front of the station with some artwork.

According to the proposed agreement between Metro and Fivesquares, possible temporary uses include music with the Music Center at Strathmore nearby.

Metro's board of directors are expected to approve a public hearing for the College Park project and joint agreement with Fivesquare and pilot program at Grosvenor-Strathmore on Feb. 23. WI

Feb. 9. "There are some fantastic things happening in College Park.

It will spur development on the eastern side of the tracks. This is a tremendous opportunity for Prince George's County."

In neighboring Montgomery County, Fivesquares Development of Northwest Metro would build at least 534 condominiums, townhouses and multi-family units and "a few thousand square feet of retail space," according to a proposed resolution.

Similar to College Park, a 412-space parking lot in Bethesda would be eliminated. However, the same number of spaces would connect to the current parking garage so no parking spaces would be lost.

Meanwhile, a pilot program could

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BUSINESS

Business Exchange

A Black Infrastructure Plan

by William Reed In his inaugural address, Donald Trump offered tall words on the diversity of America and the things that should unite us.

Among his pledges: a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure.

The sentiment among African-Americans is that Trump should concentrate on building bridges in places such as Baton Rouge and Brooklyn, not constructing a border wall on the Mexican border. Racial tensions run high among Americans and Trump would do well with a "charm offensive" to achieve agreement and support among blacks.

Trump won a mere 8 percent of the black vote and a Pew Research poll finds that three-quarters of African-Americans believe race relations will worsen during his presidency.

Nevertheless, there should be more support from blacks toward Trump's statement: "We will empower cities and states to seek a federal disaster designation for blighted communities in order to initiate the rebuilding of vital infrastructure, the demolition of abandoned properties, and increased presence of law enforcement."

Too many blacks are prejudiced and partisan toward Trump. Instead of offering to help him implement a massive infrastructure package most blacks are apathetic to the billions of dollars such a project would reap, political activists have labeled it "a joke."

Some say Trump's "New Deal for

African-Americans" is "replete with stereotypes and devoid of actual policy."

Among the first words you hear from blacks is that "Trump is racist." Trump should let more blacks know who and what he is to them. More blacks should be asking: How is Trump going to implement national infrastructure programs and who will benefit from them?

The small clique of African-Americans that is said to communicate with him should tell Trump that his numbers are out of date. Blacks are no longer just in urban areas. Thirty-nine percent of African-Americans live in the suburbs; just 36 percent live in cities. Fifteen percent live in small metropolitan areas, and 10 percent live in rural areas. That's a noticeable shift from 2000, when 41 percent of African-Americans lived in cities, 33 percent lived in suburbs, 15 percent lived in small metro areas, and 11 percent lived in rural communities.

Trump's role is to be "The Great White Hope" to blacks' liberation Obama could never be. Trump has the great American entrepreneurial vision and skills black youths need to see and emulate. With the infrastructure plan Trump can create thousands of new jobs in construction, steel manufacturing, and other sectors to build the transportation, water, telecommunications and energy infrastructure.

But it's important that this infrastructure project's proponents note Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx's narrative that 1950s America used highways to destroy black neighborhoods.

The former African-American mayor of Charlotte says: "The federal interstate system highway construction displaced over a million people, most were low-income people of color in urban cores." Such infrastructure projects contributed to inequality and poverty.

As Trump makes the transition from campaigning to governing, he needs to move from "apprentice" to expert. As president, Trump appointed Omarosa Manigault as assistant to the president and director of com-

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

munications for public liaison focusing on African-American outreach. But to implement an infrastructure program effectively targeting "inner cities," Trump will need somebody like William Pickard.

Pickard is a automotive business expert that's passionate about helping minority businesses. He has strong Republican credentials and a long history of business ownership and investment. He is one of the partners

of the MGM Grand Detroit, has been an investor in the Michigan Chronicle and owns multiple McDonald's restaurant locations.

It's time that Trump take his message beyond arenas filled with white supporters. He needs to at least meet with black Republicans and business types.

Trump can create millions of jobs and increase wages for workers.

The nation's roads, bridges, and energy grids are in need of repair.

Construction stocks soared fol-

lowing Trump's "rebuild" speech.

More blacks need to listen to and critique Trump on fixing inner cities and rebuilding highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools and hospitals.

America's infrastructure is a linchpin of private sector growth, but these days, much of infrastructure is crumbling. Trump needs help transforming America's crumbling infrastructure into golden opportunities. Let's help him. WI

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 15

NATIONAL Trump Family Reportedly Scuttles Religious Freedom Order

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump reportedly helped lead the charge to scuttle a draft executive order that would have overturned Obama-era enforcements of LGBT rights in the workplace.

A draft executive order on LGBT rights that outlines how to roll back former President Barack Obama's protections and expand legal exemptions based on religious beliefs has been circulating among journalists and worried progressive groups this week.

However, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Politico reported that President Trump's daughter Ivanka and husband Kushner, who have a record of supporting gay rights, favored putting out a clear statement from the president, promising to uphold the 2014 Obama executive order and stopping the momentum for the turnaround in its tracks.

Later, the White House re-

leased a statement saying that Trump "is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community. President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election."

"The executive order signed in 2014, which protects employees from anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors, will remain intact at the direction of President Donald J. Trump," the statement read.

White House officials downplayed the turnaround, suggesting that the draft executive order would never have reached the president's desk for his signature.

They described it as one of about 200 executive orders that were contemplated during the transition — some by outside groups, others by transition officials — and that it was never intended to be signed, even without pushback from Kushner, Ivanka Trump or anyone else.

"Some are real, some are drafts

5 An executive order that would have allowed for discrimination against the LGBT community and others was reportedly scuttled. / Courtesy photo

of things people like, and some are ideas people from outside have suggested," a White House official told Politico, describing the executive orders that have been written.

But the statement did not quash the chatter completely.

Members of the religious right with ties to the Trump administration said they have been led to believe that some changes are still forthcoming.

"I think they're going to address the conflict that exists currently, which would preclude religious organizations from contracting with the federal government," Tony Perkins, CEO of the Family Research Council, said in an interview. "I feel confident that they have an appreciation of religious freedom, and

I'm pretty certain they're going to address it. I'm talking to people in the Trump administration, and I know they understand the importance of this."

Perkins said that Vice President Mike Pence has been involved and is "clearly sensitive to this."

If so, the fight over LGBT rights could reveal a fault line between Pence, an evangelical Christian who as governor of Indiana signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015, and Kushner, who is Jewish and whose social circle includes socially progressive New Yorkers.

"There are some in Trump's family that have some views on these things," a source close to the discussions said. "That's where the decision is ultimately

being made."

Democratic groups such as the nonprofit Center for American Progress also continue to oppose changes they think could still come, Politico reported.

"If accurate, this executive order would sanction sweeping taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT people, women and their families in blatant violation of Trump's promise to 'protect our LGBT citizens,'" said Winnie Stachelberg, the center's executive vice president for external affairs.

Stachelberg said the White House statement left open a channel to broaden religious exemptions that prevent gay and transgender individuals from getting health care or fostering a child. WI

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INTERNATIONAL Compiled by Lauren Poteat / WI Contributing Writer

Ghana President Endorses Special Prosecutor As newly elected Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo takes office, one of his top priorities during his first 100 days will be to appoint a special or "independent" prosecutor as "another step forward" in dealing with nationwide corruption.

Former President John Dramani Mahama said the new office will serve as a major milestone for the country, but that it will be effective only if the prosecutor is "independent enough."

"The new administration in Ghana has decided to introduce an independent prosecutor. That's another step forward after [the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan] and other interventions in the quest to fight corruption," Mahama said in a statement. "But the independent pros5 President Nana Ado predicts that an indepenecutor must be independent enough and prosecute cases dent prosecutor will fight corruption efficiently. even if from within this administration." / Courtesy of citifmonline.com Though there have been no definite decision on who will lead the office, several news outlets have speculated that Akoto Ampaw, longtime freedom lawyer and partner at Akufo-Addo's law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co., may be the choice.

South African Comedian Wins Big at the NAACP Image Awards South African comedian Trevor Noah had a big night at the 48th annual NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California, this month, where he took home two awards.

During the Feb. 10 gala dinner, the "Daily Show" host won in the categories of Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author and Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/ Autobiography.

"Such an honour to receive two NAACP Image Awards for my book 'Born A Crime.' Thank you to every single person who has shared in my story," Trevor wrote on Facebook following the ceremony.

Noah was one of 46 recipients awarded during the non-televised gala. Other recipients included Viola 5 Trevor Noah accepts his NAACP Image Award.

Davis for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mo/ Courtesy of Frederick M. Brown via zimbio.com tion Picture, Laurence Fishburne for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and Beyoncé, who won three awards in the music categories of Best Female Artist, Best Music Video and Best Album.

The remaining nine winners, who were awarded during a televised ceremony that aired live Saturday, Feb. 11, included Taraji P. Henson, who was named Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for "Hidden Figures."

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New York Highlights Largest Annual African Art Fair This year, "1:54," the annual contemporary African art fair named for the continent's 54 countries, will add an additional nine new galleries to this year's New York edition of the London-originated exhibit.

More than 60 contemporary emerging and established artists, representing art galleries from all across Africa and other parts of the world, will come together for the May 5-7 event.

Each year, 1:54 aims to welcome a carefully selected roster of galleries that are dedicated to promoting a diverse set of African perspectives from across the world to broaden perspectives from and in relation to the continent.

Featured country galleries will include, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Ghana, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, the U.K., the U.S. and South Africa.

The fair is also set to include also artist talks, keynote lectures and panel discussions.

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 17

HEALTH

Al Jarreau, Grammywinning Jazz Singer, Dead at 76

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer Al Jarreau, the versatile singer and seven-time Grammy winner whose worked spanned pop, R&B and most infamously jazz, died at a Los Angeles hospital surrounded by family and friends, Sunday, Feb. 12, according to posts on his verified social media accounts. He was 76.

Dubbed the “Acrobat of Scat” for his innovative vocal delivery and improvisational abilities, Jarreau’s career spanned five decades and more than 20 albums. He remained a tireless performer up until his death, as it came just days after he announced he announced retirement from touring and was admitted to the hospital

for exhaustion.

He was born Alwin Lopez-Jarreau in Milwaukee in 1940. His father was a minister and his mother was a piano teacher. He began singing in the church choir at the age of 4. However, later in life he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wisconsin’s Ripon College. He then earned a master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation and soon after began a short career as a social worker.

But his call to a music career persisted.

“His second priority in life was music. There was no third.

His first priority, far head of the other, was healing or comforting anyone in need,” said a statement on Jarreau’s website.

“He needed to see a warm, af-

5 Al Jarreau / Courtesy photo

firming smile where there had not been one before. Song was just his tool for making that happen.”

Jarreau did not release his first album, popular in jazz circles, until his was nearly 35. He

won his first Grammy within two years and mainstream followed soon after with the 1981 release of his “Breakin’ Away” album which hit the Top 10 on the Billboard charts and attracted a wide following.

He is best known for his biggest hit single “We’re in This Love Together,” “Breakin’ Away” and the popular 1980’s television show theme song for “Moonlighting.” He is the only performer to win Grammys in the jazz, pop and R&B categories.

Jarreau was a part of the allstar lineup of music artists who sang in the 1985 hit song “We Are the World,” which raised

money for famine relief in Africa. His line was “and so we all must lend a helping hand.”

In 1996, he also did a threemonth stint on Broadway as the Teen Angle in a production of “Grease.”

In 2001, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jarreau is survived by his wife, Susan, and son Ryan.

A private service will be held for immediate family. No public service is planned at this time and his family requests that instead of personal gifts, contributions be made to the Wisconsin Foundation for School music, scholarship fund that Jarreau established. WI

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HEALTH OBAMACARE from Page 1

and that CHIP be reauthorized. School nurses want children healthy, safe and ready to The Democrats also noted learn,” she said. in a release after a press conferFor seven years, Republicans ence on Tuesday that Medicaid have said that they would reis vital for the nation’s stu- peal the Affordable Care Act, dents and schools, providing yet they still do not have a plan reimbursement for many ser- to replace the law, the Dems vices provided at school-based argued. health centers.

Repealing the law with“Republicans are intent out immediately replacing it on both repealing the ACA, would cause 4.4 million chilroot and branch, and making dren across the country to lose drastic changes to Medicaid their health coverage, and it that would limit access to the would allow insurers to again health care and educational discriminate against children support services that are essen- with pre-existing conditions, tial for the growth and devel- they said. opment of children,” Scott said Through the Individuals in the release. with Disabilities Education “ACA repeal alone would Act (IDEA), Medicaid releave over 4 million children imburses schools for certain without coverage, more than medically necessary services doubling the child uninsured provided to Medicaid-eligible rate, he said, noting that cuts children with disabilities. to Medicaid, whether through “Today, 1 in 3 children are per capita caps or block grant- covered by Medicaid or CHIP ing, threaten school-based ser- in this country,” Pallone said. vices and will put the growth “If Republicans repeal the and education of children at ACA and cap or block grant the risk.

Medicaid program, millions of “Republicans’ all-out war on children could lose health covaffordable health care would erage. This is shameful – no have tragic consequences for child should be left worse off millions of children across because of the actions of ConAmerica,” Pelosi added. gress,” he said.

“The GOP’s ‘Make America The facts show that repealSick Again’ agenda would force ing the ACA and cutting Medfamilies to choose between icaid would be devastating to paying the bills and providing the health of children across checkups for their children. our country, Neal added.

Health care should be a right “We know that the ACA and for all, not the privileged few. Medicaid are wed, and more Democrats will continue to than 30 million children count stand up for the health cov- on Medicaid to help make sure erage of America's children,” they can go to school healthy Pelosi said. and ready to learn. Why ReUp to 17 million children publicans want to take away have a pre-existing condition health insurance from millions and, through the ACA, chil- of kids is beyond me. Here in dren with pre-existing con- Congress, Democrats will do ditions, such as asthma, can- everything in our power to not be denied coverage or be stand up for our children and charged higher premiums, ac- ensure they can continue to recording to the news release. ceive the health care and supPelosi and others argued that port they need,” Neal said. school nurses are on the front Through the ACA, essential lines of caring for children child health preventive serwith pre-existing conditions. vices, such as immunizations “The National Association and screenings for autism, of School Nurses wants stu- must be covered in health dents like David and Olivia plans at no cost, a point emto be in school, where they phasized by Edelman. should be, in the classroom, “A child is a child, is a learning, not in the hospital in child. This country needs to pain or unable to pay attention come and live up to its creed in class,” Mattey said. that everybody is equal,” Edel “Our students are an in- man said. vestment in the future. It is “And everyone is entitled to imperative that funding for have a healthy and good start Medicaid continue without in life. So I think the main per capita caps or block grants thing is just we are not going WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

to go back. And we don’t want to touch that ACA unless there is a replacement that I hope is better in place. We are going to protect Medicaid, and CHIP, and the right of disabled children, and the poorest children to get the coverage they need.

What we want for our own children is what we should want for other people’s children,” she said.

Services available to stu-

dents through Medicaid that are at risk are early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment, services for IEP or IFSP eligible students with disabilities, vision and hearing screenings and services, mental health counseling, diabetes and asthma diagnosis and management, speech therapy, and services mitigating the effects of lead.

Despite the proven need for

these services, Republicans have proposed to cut Medicaid spending by 25 percent. This cut will severely impact children most in need, threaten schoolbased services, and cut off the funding that schools rely on to provide these services, Democrats said.

WI

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 19

Diversity, Inclusion Becoming Synonymous with Volkswagen Group of America

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA News Wire Contributor The job of a lifetime is something most aspire to and, for some, the fantasy simply is much too difficult to even comprehend.

As a 21-year veteran of the automotive industry, Lisa Brown, has spent 18 of those years at Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA).

It is there where she has found the “job of a lifetime” despite being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

Brown credits her mother, Brenda, with putting her on the road to success and supporting her along the way.

“As a single mother of four, my mother was always persevering but I never saw that there was a struggle. I’m the youngest and I was always encouraged to aim high,” she said.

“My mom didn’t finish college but she always says that she earned two degrees because she typed all of my papers and even today helps me with editing my dissertation.”

“A dream without effort is just that… I live by that,” said Brown, a Michigan native who grew up in Detroit and eventually earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and a Masters in Communication from Wayne State University.

Currently, Brown is a PhD candidate at Walden University where she is pursuing a PhD in Management with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Change.

Today, as she serves as Volkswagen’s Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, Brown’s passion for diversity and inclusion is fulfilled daily.

“I firmly believe that workplace diversity increases employee engagement and drives organizational performance. It’s a winwin,” said Brown, who has been in her current role since 2014.

“I’m passionate about diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In my position, every day is exciting because I have an opportunity to make a real impact at work and in the community,” she said.

Previously, Brown held several positions at VWGoA and has gained a unique skill set from working in areas such as opera-

tions and human resources. All which help her today.

“The automotive industry is traditionally male-dominated and I had the opportunity to begin my career with the company as not only one of the first women but the first woman of color to hold the Fixed Operations Manager position – which I held for over a decade. In this capacity, I worked to increase our aftersales business at the dealer level,” she said.

“I was fortunate to hold that position for 12 years before taking over the role of Sales Operations Manager in West Palm Beach, FL then Richmond, VA. These positions in operations allowed me to develop the necessary business acumen to move our diversity initiatives forward.”

Lately, Brown’s primary focus is managing the Employee Resource Group (ERG) network. ERGs are employee-driven and provide employees the opportunity to engage with their peers around causes they support and really tap into the heart of the organization.

These groups are invaluable to the company as they give employees an opportunity for professional development and networking while providing the organization with market insights and perspectives from a cross-cultural lens.

When Brown joined the diversity and inclusion department there were only three ERGs. Today, there are 13 with more than 500 employees participating across the country in Herndon, VA, Chicago, IL, Chattanooga, TN, Auburn Hills, MI. There are even two virtual groups.

“In two short years, the network has quadrupled. I am glad our employees see value in these networks. Not only are these groups avenues for networking, individuals are able to contribute to the company and take ownership of their careers,” Brown said.

“It’s a big accomplishment, considering it’s a two-woman show. The energy around ERGs is positive. They evolve out of grassroots efforts that are employee-driven,” she said.

Further, Brown said, “the ERG network is truly taking on a life of its own and even the senior leaders at VWGoA are engaged.

Our ERG leaders have direct access to executive sponsors and

20 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

Lisa Brown serves as Volkswagen's Diversity and Inclusion Consultant.

Photo by Freddie Allen/ AMG/NNPA

have a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills by leading cross-functional team projects.”

Building on the ERG network as a cross-cultural and diversity-driven resource for employees, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation recently honored Volkswagen Group of America as one of 407 major businesses that earned 100 percent on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and the distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.”

This accolade recognizes companies that satisfy CEI’s criteria on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

VWGoA has earned this honor for nine out of the last 10 years.

“VWGoA is privileged to employ such a diverse and dynamic workforce,” said Machelle Williams, Volkswagen’s Sr. Director for Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility.

“The Human Rights Campaign honor speaks to our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, where innovative thinking and better results are driven by the individuality of our employees,” Williams said.

Brown is also proud that one of the company’s ERG’s helps to foster such an inclusive workplace.

The Drivers of Respect, Inclusion, Value, and Equality Alliance ERG (DRIVE) is a virtual ERG that is open to all employees - LGBT and allies.

Employees are invited to support the company’s LGBT outreach initiatives and contribute to discussions around company policies, provide marketing insight and more.

With all of these great accom-

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

"A dream without effort is just that…

I live by that." plishments, Brown cautions that there’s always room to improve.

That’s why she and Williams continue to look for new opportunities to engage employees and help them grow personally and professionally.

“If VWGoA is going to be competitive and a ‘Great Place To Work,’ a diverse and inclusive workplace is vital,” Brown said.

“We also want to attract top talent and know that a diverse employee base is key. Prospective employees need to see themselves in our employees. We want that new hire to look at our leadership team and see herself in that position in the future.”

VWGoA continues to expand its ERG Network and, since these are employee-driven and they have an increasing number of veterans entering the workforce, Brown hopes to have a Veteran’s ERG established soon.

“Ideally, this group will help us attract more veterans to VWGoA. Veterans have a unique skill set, which is highly valued in the workplace,” Brown said.

“We also plan to continue our Executive Mentoring Program to ensure employees have access

to senior leaders as well as the resources to become successful.

Furthermore, I am always looking for opportunities to increase Brand awareness on Historically Black College and University campuses. My hope is that as Brand awareness increases, so will employment consideration,” she said.

Some of VWGoA’s current Diversity and CSR programs and partnerships include their Partners in Education program with Howard University and INROADS Inc., which provides professional development, scholarships, and internship opportunities for students; the D.C. and Detroit Chapters of the National Black MBA Association; the National Urban League; Rainbow Push Automotive Summit; National Minority Automotive Dealers Association; Out & Equal Workplace Summit Partner; and the Mautner Project, which is committed to improving the health of women who partner with women including lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals, through direct and support services, education and advocacy. WI

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EDUCATION DCPS

BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

LOTTERY CLOSES MARCH 1

March 1 is the lottery deadline for academic year 2017-18 spaces at participating D.C. public charter schools, which educate 46 percent of the city's students enrolled in public school, and out-of-boundary places within the traditional public school system.

DCPS buildings participating in the out-of-boundary program also accept applications for places for all D.C.-resident students, and parents can automatically enroll in in-boundary schools in their neighborhood.

BLACK HISTORY EXHIBITION

Black history is being celebrated Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Patterson

Elementary School in Southwest, where participants in the B.R.O.S. (Brothers Reaching Outside Stereotypes) program will present an exhibition of their creative projects.

B.R.O.S. involves a group of students in grades 2-5 exploring music production, video production, photography and theater — all through a literacy and cultural arts lens.

COLLEGE TUITION ACCESS

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education recently announced changes to the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant program, that will enable service to more college-bound students.

The changes increase the award amount for community college students to up to $10,000 per year in tuition assistance, increase the age limit for DCTAG eligibility to age 26 and change the eligibility time limit to reflect six years of receiving a DCTAG award.

"It is critical that we do everything we can to support the success of college bound District residents," said Mayor Muriel Bowser. "DCTAG will now help even more students reach their full potential during their journey through college and career."

The application period for DCTAG runs through June 30.

Eligible residents should apply early, as funds are dispersed on a first come, first served basis.

ESSA COMMUNITY MEETINGS

State Board of Education members will co-host a series of community meetings this month in all eight wards of the District to collect community input on the new Every Student Succeed Act. ESSA, which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, gives the District more flexibility in advancing educational excellence and providing individual assistance to schools.

Residents' feedback is needed to determine how school board members can define quality schools and put ESSA's requirements into action.

Between now and March 3, community members are encouraged to review the final draft plan and submit public comments.

The meetings will be held:

5 The annual "Signing Day" on Feb. 3 at Friendship Collegiate Academy featured several scholar-athletes. / Courtesy of Friendship Collegiate Academy 4 The latest results from D.C.'s standardized tests, known as PARCC, show charter students outperformed DCPS in six of seven grade levels. / Courtesy of charterboard.org

Ward 4 Feb. 16 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Barnard Elementary School Ward 5 Feb. 22 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Brookland Middle School Ward 6 Feb. 27 6-8 p.m.

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Ward 7 Feb. 23 6-7:30 p.m.

DOES Ward 8 Feb. 28 6-8 p.m.

Anacostia Neighborhood Library

CHARTER SCHOOLS ACHIEVEMENT

Public education in the District is experiencing sustained gains in student achievement.

The latest results from D.C.'s standardized tests, known as Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), show charter students outperformed DCPS in six of seven grade levels.

The share of District 3rd-grade charter students achieving top grades in math and English language arts was 4 percent points

22 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

higher than their DCPS counterparts.

At the 8th-grade level — a strong indicator of future college success — D.C. charters also outperformed the traditional public school system.

Charter and DCPS highschool graduation rates also have increased, with charters ahead of the curve.

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

Officials at Friendship Collegiate Academy, alongside former Washington Redskins Cornerback Shawn Springs, announced on Feb. 3 during the annual National Signing Day that 18 of the school's scholar-athletes would be attending college in the fall on both athletic and academic full ride scholarships.

The scholar-athletic standouts signed their letters-of-intent with institutions of higher learning that included Howard University, Bowie State University, Morgan State University, Fairmont State University, Shenandoah University, Stevenson University, Temple University, Syracuse University and the U.S. Naval Academy. WI

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

BLACK HISTORY MONTH UNCF Calls for Support Against HBCU Threats Ball Raises Money for Schools

By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer Top education executives cautioned against apathy when it comes to the livelihood of black institutions as the Trump administration takes the reins.

Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, told attendees at the annual UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball on Saturday, Jan. 28 held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Northwest that it's a "critical time in our country."

"Us supporting education ensures that our young people can finish school and be able to give back," Lomax said. "We are going to make the case to Congress and the president of the United States that investing in education is good for all Americans. We are going to be rigorous and make our case.

"Mayors matter, city councils matter, boards of education matter, local and federal governments matter," he said.

Lomax said that education has and will always be the key for upward mobility and ending the cycle of poverty for many African-American students.

"We must as a nation be committed to the cause of ending the cycle," he said. "We can change the trajectory for young people and make sure our nation remains the strongest democracy in the world."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that she worked hard to accelerate the success of the city's schools by investing in the pro-

grams and initiatives that are working.

"One of the first things I did as mayor was launch the Empowering Males of Color Initiative in D.C.," she said. "Our goal is to prepare all students for success in college, careers and life, and this initiative addresses the specific needs of our boys and young men of color."

The fundraiser also honored Jack and Jill of America Foundation and the National Museum of American History and Culture for their contributions to UNCF's mission.

"This month, our nation's highest office changed hands, but our work and mission carry on as they have for 73 years," the organization said. WI

5 UNCF Chief Executive Officer Michael Lomax partnered with Mayor Muriel Bowser and co-chairs to host the 5th annual Washington Mayor's Masked Ball. / Photo courtesy of UNCF

UNCF Continues Decades-Long Legacy In 1943, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, president of Tuskegee Institute, wrote an open letter in the Pittsburgh Courier to the presidents of other historically black colleges and universities urging them to "pool their small monies and make a united appeal to the national conscience."

His idea took root and on April 25, 1944, the United Negro College Fund was incorporated with 27 member colleges.

The organization annually

awards more than 10,000 students scholarships, worth more than $100 million, to support 37 of its member institutions.

To push their legacy forward, UNCF announced last week it will host an inaugural Black History Month fundraising campaign, named Build #BetterFutures. They aim to raise $500,000 by the end of the month.

"In a month that celebrates African American history and culture, we also want to remember

education," said Maurice E. Jenkins Jr., UNCF executive vice president. "Build #BetterFutures is a national effort to request support for our HBCUs and the deserving students they serve.

"By investing in UNCF, you are helping to build a better and brighter future for the next generation of scientists, engineers, educators, clergy and business leaders," he said.

WI

Reparations Study Group 25th Annual Celebration of Arlington’s African American History

Congressman John Conyers has submitted legislation to the 115th Congress to study the effects of slavery to access as to whether and when proper compensation is due descendants of slaves.

Activists are invited to join the Reparations Study Group in activities toward pushing H.R, legislation to successful passage.

Saturday, February 25, 2017: 1-6 p.m.

Charles Drew Community Center, 3500 23rd Street

13-and-under boys baseball team sponsored by Arlington County’s Negro Recreation Section, 1948 to 1962

Join the Reparations Study Group meeting at the Northeast Library, 330 7th Street, Northeast at 6pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 The Northeast Library is located in the Capitol Hill area just off Maryland Avenue, NE

RSVP to (202) 547-4125

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The Original Mt. Olive Baptist Church in 1938

African American volunteer company at Fire Station No. 8 in Hall’s Hill

(Photo by Arlington County Library)

(Photo by Arlington County Library)

ENTERTAINMENT!

FREE ACTIVITIES!

Live music, spoken word, dance and more!

Make & Take crafts Face painting & balloon art

Hall of History with photos and artifacts from Arlington’s Historically African-American Churches and Organizations

DELICIOUS FOOD, COOL VENDORS

Visit parks.arlingtonva.us, search “Feel the Heritage Festival”

We can provide reasonable modifications for people with disabilities upon request. Podemos proveer modificaciones razonables conforme la Ley de Personas con Incapacidades (ADA) con previo aviso al 703-228-3329. TTY 711.

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DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 23

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Black History Month: Remembering Mary Jane Patterson

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer In 2014, D.C. public schools announced that eight new principals had graduated from a fellowship program the school system designed to create an internal pipeline for leaders.

The principals became the first graduates of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, which provides 18 months of training and mentoring for promising D.C. schools employees who want to become principals.

Under the program, fellows work with leadership coaches 2017 black history month

and professors from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and serve as resident principals for a year in two different schools, working alongside high-performing mentor principals.

The fellowship was named for Patterson, an individual who's considered to be the first African-American woman to earn a bachelor's degree.

Patterson, the daughter of fugitive slaves, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1840, believed to be the oldest of seven children to Henry Irving and Emeline Eliza Patterson.

In 1852, her family left Raleigh and moved to Oberlin in hopes that1 Washington Informer 3625x8-2.pdf

Celebrating

BLACK HISTORY

Month

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is proud to recognize the contributions of our African-American owned business partners.

To learn more, visit www.mwaa.com/supplierdiversity

the children would be able to get a college education, based on information from Biography.com.

Growing up, Patterson's father, a childhood friend of Andrew Johnson, supported the family through his work as a skilled mason. To help make ends meet, the family also boarded black students.

Earlier, in 1835, Oberlin College admitted its first black student and two years later became the country's first coed institution of higher education. It was also the first college in the country to grant undergraduate degrees to women.

These changes paved the way for Patterson, who studied for a year in 2/2/17 2:20 PM the college's Preparatory Department. There were still only a few black students enrolled at the college during the four years leading to her graduation in 1862.

Patterson became the nation's first African-American woman to receive a bachelor's degree — her brother, John, and her sisters Emma and Chanie Ann, all would graduate from Oberlin and go on to pursue

5 Mary Jane Patterson was the first African-American woman to earn

a bachelor's degree. / Courtesy photo teaching careers, Biography.com notes.

After graduation, Patterson taught at the Institute for Colored Youths in Philadelphia, then accepted a teaching position in D.C at the Pre-

M AYOR MU R I EL B OWS ER PR E S EN TS

A CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH HONORING AFRICAN AMERICAN, AFRICAN AND AFRO-LATINO HISTORY, ARTS AND CULTURE

Performances by local artists, discussions by leading scholars and a presentation from the Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia, Dolores Kendrick

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017 | 6:30 PM HISTORIC LINCOLN THEATRE 1215 U Street, NW Washington DC 20009 Doors open at 6:00 PM | Free admission 6:30 PM

THE DISTRICT’S Reagan National Airport

Dulles International Airport

AFRICAN DIASPORA: COMMUNITIES IN CONVERSATION

8:00 PM

THE WOMEN Dulles Toll Road

Dulles Metrorail

OF

PLUMS

Please RSVP at dcarts.dc.gov For more information call 202-724-5613 MWAA.COM

Your Journey Begins with Us

24 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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II

paratory High School for Colored Youths.

In 1871, she became the first black principal of the newly founded Preparatory High School for Negroes. Over the course of her career, she was known to mentor many African-American women, working at the school until her death on Sept. 24, 1894.

"We live in a time where black history is further being embedded in American history," said Devin T. Robinson X, an actor and activist known as "Egypt." "African-Americans are helping America realize how powerful the reality of an American dream can be.

"African-Americans represent proof that if you overcome obstacles and continue to chase your vision, you will obtain your goal, your dream," Robinson said.

"This is why Mary Jane Patterson must be celebrated. She's the realization of defeating the odds and winning. Fighting an uphill battle but only having faith that you can be victorious and knowledge that you're fit for the victory. That's the story of so many Americans.

"Many face horrible hurdles to complicated or simple success and they aren't always equipped with socioeconomic privilege to succeed. They only have the essentials of intelligence, faith and will," Robinson said. "Celebrating Patterson in Black History Month gives acknowledgement to the American in African-American and builds the bridge to being equal in humanity so many of our ancestors fought to cross."

WI

8:00 PM A theatrical adaptation of the book The Women of Plums by WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM Laureate Dolores Kendrick. Featuring poems written in the women who relate lives of appalling deprivation in lyrical mo dance, music and visual arts. Presented by the DC Commiss Arts and Humanities.

T:9.5”

T:12.375”

LAFAYE BAKER STUNTWOMAN/COORDINATOR FIRST SUNDAY

Breaking Barriers With over 20 films to her credit, LaFaye Baker is living proof that whatever a stuntman can do, a stuntwoman can do, too… and in high heels. Join us as we celebrate women who are making magic behind the scenes. To see LaFaye’s work and more, visit Black Film & TV on XFINITY On Demand, where Black History is always on.

Visit xfinity.com/CelebrateBlackTV

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. XFINITY TV with On Demand required. © 2017 Comcast. All rights reserved.

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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 25

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Local Couple Celebrates 63rd Valentine's Day but she too had fallen in love with the man everyone calls Gus, who would later be referred to by their children as having a "Ph.D in professing, providing and protection."

"He was always such an interesting person to me and I wanted to find out what made him tick," said the soft-spoken Ruby Clay, now 85 years old, as the couple prepares to celebrate their 63rd Valentine's Day as husband and wife.

"He was wild and anxious and jumping around," she said, but not hesitating to add, "I fell for him right away."

Throughout their years, the couple, individually and together, prioritized education. Gus, 87, is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University and holds master's degrees from Atlanta University.

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer He was a college student peddling the Atlanta World newspaper when he fell in love with the sister of one of his neighborhood friends.

She was 16, a high school senior who, like him, loved to attend the local dance parties.

It was 1948 and, under the leadership of President Harry Truman, the United States had recognized Israel as a country and Ludwig van Beethoven's famous Ninth Symphony was played on television for the first time.

But for Ruby and Augustus Clay, the only thing mattered was each other.

Ruby's mother thought he was too old for her daughter,

5 Gus and Ruby Clay have been together for 63 years. / Courtesy photo

Ruby, who taught elementary school, holds a degree from historically black Spelman College.

Each of the children have college degrees.

Association for the Study of African American Life and History

91st Annual

BLACK HISTORY LUNCHEON 2017 National Black History Theme

The Crisis in Black Education

Saturday, February 25, 2017 Washington Renaissance Hotel 999 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001 Emcee Andrea Roane WUSA9

Keynote Speaker The Honorable James E. Clyburn, U.S. House of Representatives

Featured Authors’ Event: 10 a.m. - 12 noon Annual Luncheon: 12:15 p.m.

Gold Individual Patron* $150

Gold Patron Table* (10 seats per table) $1,500

Silver Individual Patron* $125

Silver Patron Table* (10 seats per table) $1,250

General Individual $100

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I cannot attend but I am pleased to enclose a tax-deductible donation to ASALH $___________ For sponsorship and advertising information, please contact ASALH at 202-238-5910 or by email at aedwards@asalh.net *The names of Gold and Silver patrons will be printed in the Souvenir Journal.

Contributions of $50 or more will be acknowledged in our program if received by the January 11 print deadline.

View luncheon updates online at www.asalh.org.

NO TICKETS WILL BE MAILED. GUESTS WILL PICK UP TABLE ASSIGNMENTS AT THE REGISTRATION DESK. ATTENTION: Please complete attendee names on the reverse of this document. Be sure to provide complete information.

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26 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

"I thought I was well-known in the community and I had never seen Ruby before and I saw her at the dance and asked one of my buddies who was she," Gus said of his first meeting with Ruby.

"The interesting thing is that her mother objected to me dating her because I was a college man and she was a high school girl."

Ruby added, "Notice he said college man?"

It's that kind of playfulness, love and attention that's kept them together and happy for more than six decades, without so much as a fight.

"I think one thing that has kept them together for all these years is that my father is a very traditional man, especially of his day where you took care of your family, you loved your family, and you protected your family," said Karen Clay, one of the couple's four children (the oldest, Augustus III, is deceased).

While Ruby sparkled in her career as a teacher, Gus worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Atlanta, then D.C. before President Jimmy Carter's administration assigned him to San Francisco and then back to D.C. The family — except for Lisa, the youngest daughter — currently lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

"My father had a Ph.D. in professing providing and protection and my mother is the quintessential polite woman with all of the social graces," Karen said.

Karen, a twin to Kathryn, recounted a recent event that she said underscores the unceasing love and dedication of her parents.

"We were visiting and my mom asked where my father was

and I pointed to her that he was sitting in a corner," Karen recalled. "She gets up start walking toward him, took his hand said some term of endearment.

She then sits in his lap, lays his heads on his chest and he puts his arms around her and she goes to sleep.

"It was a happy moment but a moment that makes you want to cry with happiness to see your parents who've been together so long and raised four children, losing their eldest child and weathering that and to see the love and to see my father just taking care of my mother is like, wow," she said.

So what's the secret?

"Ruby is just a wonderful person and always supportive," Gus said. "I can't ever think, in 63 years of marriage, of having one cross word said to each other. We've never had a downright argument and I think that's the reason we're probably still together because of the love and respect we have for each other."

Ruby agreed.

She also had sound, but simple, advice for others.

"A wife should be concerned about how she carries on," she said.

"My husband is a wonderful man, a protective and loving man."

For newlyweds or those considering marriage, the couple offered more sage advice.

"Young people who are getting married should respect the marriage vows," Gus said.

"When you gather your family and friends together and you make those commitments they should be made in sincerity. You should read the vows before the wedding and if you don't think you can adhere to them, then don't take those vows." WI

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black TV Stars Drawing Diverse Audiences

By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer

where you’ve been and where you’re going.

5 Kerry Washington / Courtesy of

TV Guide

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of non-black.

"Insecure," HBO's original comedy series created by Golden Globe nominee Issa Rae, has a 61 percent non-black viewership.

Half the viewership for newcomer "Atlanta" is non-black. The show, a Golden Globe-winning comedy-drama on FX created by and starring Donald Glover, centers on two black cousins navigating the Atlanta rap scene.

Some of these programs deal with today's real-world tensions. Episodes of "Black-ish" have included discussions on police brutality, the presidential election, provoking debate and trending topics on social media.

One of the most widely acclaimed programs of recent seasons, Fox's "Empire," star Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson as ex-spouses grappling over the future of a multimillion-dollar hip-hop company.

"Empire" commands a majority black audience, but still draws a sizable non-black viewership of nearly 40 percent on average each week.

The 2016 Diverse Intelligence Series Report delves into the spending and viewing habits of African-Americans overall and quantifies their greater appetite for television content as one driver of the dramatic increase in diverse television programming.

Nielsen said between 2011 and 2015, broadcast network TV ad spend dollars focused on black audiences, which increased by 255 percent.

"Storylines with a strong black character or identity are crossing cultural boundaries to grab diverse audiences and start conversations," McCaskill said. "That insight is important for culture and content creators, as well as manufacturers and retailers looking to create engaging, high-impact advertising campaigns." WI AD CODE: BLEED SIZE: PUB:

Black culture's influence has emerged once again on network television as programs with a black lead or majority African-American cast lead the pack in viewership.

According to Nielsen — a global performance-management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch, buy and listen to — the shows focusing on a black character are drawing a substantial non-black viewership, too.

While this isn't the first time that a TV program with a black lead has drawn non-black audiences — most notably "The Cosby Show," "The Jeffersons" and "Sanford and Son" — Nielsen said what makes this different is the sheer number of such programs that have a cross-cultural appeal.

"Much of the American narrative lately has focused on a growing cultural divide, but Nielsen's data on television programming shows something different," said Andrew McCaskill, Nielsen's senior vice president of communications and multicultural marketing.

Highly-rated programs such as "Black-ish," "Secrets and Lies," "How to Get Away With Murder," "Pitch," "Rosewood," "Insecure" and "Atlanta" all average more than 50 percent non-black viewership.

NBC's Golden Globe-nominated ensemble dramedy "This Is Us," starring Sterling K. Brown as a black businessman raised by white parents, has a 89 percent non-black viewership.

ABC's hit sitcom "Black-ish" follows a father and husband played by Anthony Anderson who wants a black cultural identity for his affluent family of six. It has a 79 percent non-black viewership.

Co-star Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays his wife, won a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy series for her role.

"How to Get Away With Murder," ABC's marquee Thursday night show by African-American female producer Shonda Rhimes, pulls in a 69 percent non-black viewership for the hit drama, which stars Viola Davis as a criminal defense professor entangled in a murder plot.

Rhimes's other hit show, "Scandal," a political drama starring Kerry Washington, has 68 percent of its viewers falling into the category

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 27

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Thursday, February 16 Portrait Spotlight—Black History Month: Babe Ruth Thursdays: 12 – 1 PM National Portrait Gallery G Street Lobby - 8th and F Sts., NW Engage in a discussion with curator James Barber about the photograph.

Wife Stands by Babe and Defies Accuser www.npg.si.edu

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

CALENDAR

Our Heritage: From the Civil War to Education in Montgomery County: Within these Walls: The Contraband Hospital and the African Americans Who Served There 6 PM Twinbrook Library 202 Meadow Hall Drive Rockville, MD A lecture on African Americans in the Army Saturday, February 18 medical service during the Civil War. Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017 Opening Ceremony The Women of Plums 10:15 AM – 12:30 PM 7 PM Anacostia Playhouse Lincoln Theatre 2020 Shannon Place, SE 1215 U St NW Keynote Address: Dr. Leigh Fought, Le DCCAH presents a theatrical adaption Moyne College, author of Women in of "The Women of Plums" at the Linthe World of Frederick Douglass coln Theatre. ritten by DC Poet Laureate Music by the Washington Revel’s Dolores Kendrick, is a collection of Jubilee Voices and performances by poems written in the voices of slave student winners of the annual Frederwomen. ick Douglass Oratorical Contest. www.dcarts.dc.gov www.nps.gov/frdo African History and Culture Lecture Series: Crossing The Rubicon: The Battle for Black Public Education in DC 7 PM Tenley Neighborhood Library 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW The African History & Culture Lecture Series feature scholars providing free presentations at libraries, churches, and other locations in wwD.C. and Maryland.

Friday February 17 Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration Kick-off House Party 7 – 9 PM Anacostia Arts Center 1231 Good Hope Road, SE Frederick Douglass entertained many of his visitors at Cedar Hill by playing music. Celebrate Douglass' love of music with a 'house party' and birthday cake! Free. All ages welcome. www.nps.gov/frdo

28 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

Tasting and Lecture: Heritage Candy

by Susan Benjamin $10 11 AM – 2:30 PM Alexandria Black History Museum 902 Wythe Street - Alexandria, VA Susan Benjamin – candy historian talks about the historic origins of candy. www.alexandriava.gov/historic/blackhistory Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: Historic Photography Demonstration 12:00 – 4:00 PM Anacostia Arts Center Gibson Photographic Gallery 1231 Good Hope Road SE www.nps.gov/frdo Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: “The Life and Times of a Frederick Douglass Portrait” 12:30 – 1:30 PM Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 1411 W Street SE As a rule, Frederick Douglass did not pose for artists. He made one exception. Explore the long and complex history of the stunning portrait that still hangs in Douglass' Cedar Hill home. www.nps.gov/frdo

Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: Douglass and Shakespeare wwwith Darius Wallace 12:30 – 1:30 PM, 2 - 3 PM Anacostia Arts Center 1231 Good Hope Road SE Darius Wallace, will recite lines from Shakespeare plays that inspired Douglas. www.nps.gov/frdo Joy of Method: Research to Writing 1 PM Historical Society of Washington, D.C. 801 K Street NW www.dchistory.org Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: Douglass’ Love for Art 1 – 2 PM Anacostia Arts Center, Theatre 1231 Good Hope Road, SE Learn about Douglass' favorite artworks in this lecture on nineteenth century art history and reform movements.

Celeste-Marie Bernier, The University of Edinburgh 1 – 2 PM Anacostia Community Museum: Program Room 1901 Fort Place, SE Smithsonian curators discuss the interconnections of Black and Latinx history and culture.

Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: "I am the Painter:" Frederick Douglass and a Life of Art-Making" 2 - 3 PM Anacostia Arts Center, Theatre 1231 Good Hope Road, SE Dr. Bernier, co-author of Picturing Frederick Douglass, will give a special presentation on how Douglass maintained control of his image through photographs and more.

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Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: Grow-Your-OwnFood Workshop 2 - 3 PM Anacostia Arts Center, Cafe 1231 Good Hope Road SE An instructor will teach you the skills to grow and maintain your own urban garden. www.nps.gov/frdo Film Screening: Dingomaro 2 – 4 PM Smithsonian National Museum of African Art 950 Independence Avenue, SW Join the National Museum of African Art for a screening of Dingomaro (dir.

Kamran Heidari, 2014, Iran, 68 min., Farsi with English subtitles).

Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: Art comes to Life: Toursw of Frederick Douglass’ home through the eyes of some of his contemporaries Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 2 – 4 PM 1411 W Street SE Take a guided tour through Cedar Hill, where Douglass lived from 1877-1895. www.nps.gov/frdo Children’s Art Activities 2 – 4 PM Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 1411 W Street, SE www.nps.gov/frdo

Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: Untitled: Dance Lesson 3 – 4:00 PM Anacostia Arts Center, Theatre 1231 Good Hope Road SE Frederick Douglass was known for cutting a mean 'chicken wing'. Join dancers from Bowie State University as they teach you African American dance traditions. www.nps.gov/frdo Frederick Douglass Birthday Celebration 2017: The Douglass Kitchen: African American Culinary Traditions 3 – 4:00 PM Anacostia Arts Center, Cafe 1231 Good Hope Road SE Learn about Frederick Douglass' culinary life during his early years. www.nps.gov/frdo

Sunday, February 19 HBCU Sunday at Shiloh Baptist Church WDC 7:45 &10:55 AM Shiloh Baptist Church 1510 9th Street NW www.hbcucouncil.com/ Upcoming-Events Mt Gilead Baptist Church Black History eduTainment performances 11 AM Mt Gilead Baptist Church 1625 13th Street, NW Feb 5 Reading Maya Angelou "STILL I RISE” by Actress Lauren Bunch Feb 12 "GO DOWN MOSES” by Singer/Poet Jennifer Lee Feb 19 WHO AM I? ....Skit Performance by Actor/Playwright Brian Steel Feb 26 Dramatic Reading original piece: "Poetic Justice” by Steven Silver www.mtgileaddc.org Documentary: Martha & Niki 2 – 4 PM House of Sweden 2900 K Street, NW Martha and Niki share their love of dance. www.dcblackhistory.com Portrait Story Days—Black History Month: Frederick Douglass 2 – 5 PM National Portrait Gallery Education Center 8th and F Streets, NW Listen to a story and create art inspired by someone in our collection.

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH African American Men Sing Songs of Praise 3 PM Greater New Hope Baptist Church 816 8th St NW Invited from around the DMV, male choirs will lift their voices to celebrate black heritage through song.

Wednesday, February 22

Washingtonians Who Grew Up to Accomplish Great Things in the U.S. Military 6 - 8 PM The Navy Memorial and Heritage Center 701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Captain Ed Gant, USN will present a talk on the many black Washington, "Let Us Have Peace: D.C. residents who grew up to accomSaints in the Making" plish great things in the U.S. military.

3 – 4:30 PM St. Matthew's Cathedral: main sanctuary www.navymemorial.org 1725 Rhode Island Ave., NW Thursday, February 23 Msgr. East will present on the lives of four African Americans being considLecture: Harry T. Burleigh: From the ered for Sainthood.

Spiritual to the Harlem Renaissance http://stmatthewscathedral.org 7 – 9 PM Library of Congress, James Madison Monday, February 20 Memorial Building Montpelier Room 6 floor Millennium Stage: Blues for a Independence Avenue, between 1st Royal Flush and 2nd Streets SE 6 PM Jean E. Snyder traces Burleigh's life Kennedy Center: Millennium Stage from his Pennsylvania childhood 2700 F Street, NW through his fifty-year tenure as soloist.. www.kennedy-center.org/video/ www.loc.gov upcoming African History and Culture Lecture Series: The Assault on Jim Crow Little Ethiopia Magazine Black Education: Black Teens in the Civil History Month Celebration Rights Movement 5 – 8 PM 7 PM Church of Scientology Cleveland Park Interim Library Fraser Mansion 4340 Connecticut Ave., NW 1701 20th St, NW C. R. Gibbs is the author/co-author of www.littleethiopia.org six books and a frequent national and international lecturer on an array of African History and Culture Lecture Se- historical topics. ries: Crossing The Rubicon: The Battle for Black Public Education in DC Friday, February 24 7 PM Millennium Stage: Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library Killiam Shakespeare 3660 Alabama Ave., SE 6 PM African History and Culture Lecture Kennedy Center: Millennium Stage Series: Rev. William H. Jernagin: A 2700 F Street, NW Led by music duo Steve McKie and Minister, Mentor, & More Corey Bernhard the Philadelphia band 7 PM Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library Killiam Shakespeare is influenced by jazz, funk, and soul.

Greenbelt Library www.kennedy-center.org/video/ 11 Crescent Rd, Greenbelt, MD upcoming www.portofharlem.net/cgibbs

Tuesday, February 21

Saturday, February 25 91st Annual ASALH Black History Month Featured Authors Event 10 AM - 12PM Washington Renaissance Hotel 999 Ninth Street, NW The Authors event is free with the theme, “The Crisis in Black Education” The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity 11 AM – 12:30 PM Alexandria Black History Museum 902 Wythe Street Alexandria, VA Folklorist Diana Baird N’Diaye of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage guides audiences through an exciting journey about how we make meaning through what wear, and how we adorn our bodies. www.alexandriava.gov/historic/ blackhistory

Washington Revels Jubilee Voices Concert $5 6 – 8 PM Alexandria Black History Museum 902 Wythe Street Alexandria, VA This program focuses on African American Civil War music inspired by the PBS TV show Mercy Street. www.alexandriava.gov/historic/ blackhistory Millennium Stage: Aaron Myers 6 PM Kennedy Center: Millennium Stage 2700 F Street, NW Aaron Myers will perform a collection of classic and original compositions from his albums Leo Rising and The Lion’s Den. www.kennedy-center.org/video/ upcoming

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Lyrical Rhythms: The Sounds of Freedom (A Spoken Word Poetry Event) 3 – 4 PM Joshiah Henson Park 11420 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, MD www.montgomeryparks.org/

Sunday, February 26

Portrait Story Days—Black History Month: Martin Luther King Jr. 1 – 4 PM National Portrait Gallery Education Center 8th and F Streets NW www.npg.si.edu

Taking the Stage: A Celebration of Black Composers and Chamber Music Performed by Pershing’s Own 3 – 5 PM African American History and Culture Museum, Oprah Winfrey Theater 1400 Constitution Avenue, NW Join the U.S. Army Band, Pershing’s Tour: Own, in a performance of chamber A Walk in Father Henson’s Footsteps music works by esteemed African 12 – 4 PM, Last Tour Begins at 3:00 pm American classical music composers.

Joshiah Henson Park www.nmaahc.si.edu 11420 Old Georgetown Road North Bethesda, MD Monday, February 27 Retrace Reverend Josiah Henson’s African History and Culture Lecture footsteps from his enslavement to Series: Lost Kingdoms & Ancient escape on the Underground Railroad Mysteries of Africa to freedom.

7 PM www.montgomeryparks.org Dorothy I Height/Benning

Book Talk: "The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas" 3:30 PM Politics and Prose 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW www.politics-prose.com

Portrait Story Days—Black History Month: Martin Luther King Jr. 2 – 5 PM National Portrait Gallery Education Center 8th and F Streets, NW Listen to a story and create art inspired by someone in our collection. www.npg.si.edu

Tour: A Walk in Father Henson’s Footsteps 12 – 4 PM, Last Tour Begins at 3:00 pm Joshiah Henson Park 11420 Old Georgetown Rd, N. Bethesda, MD Screenings of the documentary: The Search for Josiah Henson Noon, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 pm. http://www.montgomeryparks.org/

Mt Gilead Baptist Church Black History eduTainment performances 11 AM Mt Gilead Baptist Church 1625 13th Street NW www.mtgileaddc.org

Neighborhood Library 3935 Benning Rd., NE The continuing talks he founded in 1989 called the African History & Culture Lecture Series feature scholars who provide free presentations at libraries, churches, and other locations in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

Tuesday, February 28 African History and Culture Lecture Series: Crossing The Rubicon: The Battle for Black Public Education in DC 7 PM Greenbelt Library 11 Crescent Rd, Greenbelt, MD C. R. Gibbs is the author/co-author of six books and a frequent national and international lecturer on an array of historical topics. www.portofharlem.net/cgibbs

Cultural Expressions: NMAAHC Fashion Collection – Iconic Looks 7 – 9 PM African American History and Culture Museum, Oprah Winfrey Theater 1400 Constitution Avenue, NW Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion writer, Robin Givhan interviews haute couture designers among NMAAHC’s collections. www.nmaahc.si.edu/calendar/ upcoming

Folklorist Diana Baird N’Diaye

Artist Talk: John Hasse—Black History Month: Jazz Photographer Herman Leonard 3 – 4 PM National Portrait Gallery 8th and F Streets, NW Learn about photography and jazz with former Smithsonian curator and jazz musician John Hasse, who will discuss the work of his friend, jazz photographer Herman Leonard. www.npg.si.edu

Maya Angelou

Jazz Photographer Herman Leonard

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 29

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Baltimore Students 'Step' into National Spotlight

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer In 2008, in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools, Brenda Brown Rever blazed the trail to transform secondary school education in the city.

She worked closely with district leadership to form the city's first all-girls middle and high school and, over the course of more than one year, Rever planned and diligently rounded up a circle of friends and supporters to create a school that would focus on leadership, college preparation, strong academics and best practices for girls and young women.

By 2009, the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, then housed in a temporary facility, opened its doors to its first and founding class of 120 6th-grade students.

Now, just six months after its first graduation was held with class members enjoying average SAT scores of more than 200 points above the Baltimore City

average and all graduates having been accepted to major colleges or universities such as Johns Hopkins and New York University, Fox Searchlight Pictures has paid more than $4 million at the Sundance Film Festival for world rights to "Step," a documentary about a step dance team at the school.

According to the website, Deadline, the documentary "drew bidders like few focus [films] do."

Fox Searchlight bought both distribution and remake rights for the Amanda Lipitz-directed film.

The film, which received financial backing from the Baltimore Ravens, follows three seniors and their "Lethal Ladies" step dance team as they navigate a nerve-wracking college application process and the trials and tribulations of the tenacious young women, as well as their mothers, an tenacious college counselor and a no-nonsense step coach.

Showcased in the film is the school's mandate to send every student to college, despite the barriers that their home lives and community might present.

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5 The students from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women in a new film about their graduation / Courtesy photo

"We hope that the heroes of 'Step' will inspire girls everywhere to do what they have done, which is to prove that nothing is impossible when you surround yourself with a group of powerful women," Lipitz

Cricket is proud to support Black History Month

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From our leadership to our employees, we’re proud to champion diversity. We’re committed to supporting people, programs and organizations that contribute to the growth of African American entrepreneurship and develop future tech leaders in our Atlanta community and beyond.

said in a press release.

The film offers a rare and personal glimpse into the dreams and lives of a set of students and families who founded the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Woman to cultivate future leaders in the city and beyond.

The school's "step" program is one of several vehicles students choose to find and channel their passion, power and purpose. "'Step' is not just a film. It has become a labor of love for our entire community," school officials and film producers said in a statement.

"Every person who came into contact with our students and school community in the making of this documentary became a friend of the school — fully committed to our girls, to our mission and to portraying a journey of laughs, tears, stumbles, hard knocks and kinship, and all to a contagious beat that is authentically young and haunting and universal."

This film shows firsthand and up-close what can happen when young women have the independence, discipline and safety net to lead, be challenged and create a legacy for others.

Every day at the school, the focus is on students and alumnae, and on nurturing a learning community of high expectations and support for every girl as she creates her own steps toward her future, officials said.

Of the Class of 2016, 98 percent graduated and received a high school diploma and each graduate earned acceptance to John Hopkins, NYU, the University of Maryland, Hampton University, Coppin State, Potomac State and Rosemont College, officials said.

Also, each student in this year's class participated in precollege summer programs as rising seniors.

"These outcomes only partially convey the journey of an enduring commitment to our students, a steadfast fidelity to mission and our resilience as we grew from an idea and a school of one grade to a full college preparatory middle and high school with an annual commencement," Shanaysha M. Sauls, the school's CEO, said in a statement. "And along the way, we built a vibrant and special community that is like none other I have ever seen." WI

CAN’T GET ENOUGH WI NEWS?

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR EVEN MORE INFO ON OUR COMMUNITY! WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM © 2017 Cricket Wireless LLC. All rights reserved.

30 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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You’re never too young or too old to have “firsts.”

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This Black History Month, we celebrate the firsts at any age.

Whether it’s first grade at 5. Or first time college student at 65. They have a lot of firsts ahead of them.

That’s the power of Real Possibilities.

Visit aarp.org/blackcommunity

Real Possibilities is a trademark of AARP®

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 31

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black Men Sing Songs of Praise

The DC Black History Celebration Committee will present African American Men Sing Songs of Praise on Sunday, Feb. 19, featuring male choirs, soloists and ushers. Channel 7 news anchor Sam Ford will serve as the master of ceremony. The program begins at 3 p.m. and will be held at Greater New Hope Baptist Church in Northwest where Bishop Melvin G. Brown serves as the pastor. A special exhibit will pay tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen

6 / Courtesy photos

7th Annual African American Heritage Tour

Exploring our Roots

T U

The National Museum of African American History and Culture

D L

O S

O

Harriet Tubman Day Planning Meeting

Sunday, February 26, 2017 The Boys and Girls Club at THEARC 1901 Mississippi Ave., S.E. WDC 20020 11:00am – 6:00pm | Lunch will be served

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RSVP to email: loucfields@gmail. com or 443-983-7974 2017 is truly a landmark year for commemorating and honoring the legacy of Harriet Ross Tubman!

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32 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

Harriet Tubman Day in WDC planning meeting, Feb 21, 6-8pm, Thurgood Marshall Center Building, 1816-12th Street NW, Washington DC 20009

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TOYOTA CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY. At Toyota, we believe that Black History is American History. And we continue to be inspired by those who have made a positive impact on the lives of others. We join you in celebrating the accomplishments and contributions African Americans have made to our communities and our lives. Through innovation and the spirit of creating great change, let’s reject the status quo, stretch our limits, never stop exploring, lift up our neighborhoods, and encourage one another to achieve greatness. Let’s Go Places.

©2017 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 33

Join us as we honor Black Art and Expression through the work of Saul Williams at...

MACY’S METRO CENTER INTIMATES, 4TH FLOOR THURSDAY, FEB. 23RD, 5:30PM Join host Crissle West, writer and co-host of the podcast, The Read, for a panel discussion featuring Pages Matam, writer and Director of Poetry Events for Busboys and Poets; Desiree Venn Frederic, writer and founder of Nomad Yard; and Christoph Jenkins, Founder and CEO of Fighting Cancer with Poetry!

After the discussion, enjoy light refreshments, catch a musical performance by Black Alley, haiku readings, live art demonstrations, and more!

Pages Matam

Desiree Venn Frederic

Poet

Creative

Christoph Jenkins

Crissle West

Writer

Writer and Entertainer

Check out exclusive content featuring Saul Williams, and RSVP today at

macys.com/celebrate

Black Alley

Event subject to change or cancellation.

34 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL Congress ‘Disses’ District Again – Shame on Them Earlier this week, a Republican-dominated House committee in its “infinite wisdom” decided to block a law that would make assisted suicide legal in the District, throwing down the gauntlet and reopening wounds that still have not healed.

And while one can only point to a handful of times when Congress has made use of its constitutional power to outgun District politicians in a concerted effort to overturn a city law, it serves as yet another example of Congress sticking its nose without warrant in the District’s business.

And we think it “stinks” for lack of a better word.

The District’s history of home rule is rather brief – a mere four decades long. Since then, the possibility has always existed that Congress might interfere with decisions made by D.C. voters and enacted by our elected officials, because “greater minds” concluded that we were unable to intelligently direct our own destiny.

Now that the GOP has taken control of both Congress and the White House, they can effectively block any and all rulings of our mostly-Democratic city and face limited opposition. But D.C. residents are not remaining silent nor are they willing to be led like “lambs to the slaughter.”

One recent example of standing our ground: a jam-packed “Hands Off D.C.” brainstorming session during which more than 700 elected officials and residents put their heads together at the Atlas Performing Arts Center to discuss strategies that could be employed to keep Congress from meddling in D.C.’s affairs.

We may soon hear refrains from “We Shall Overcome” punctuating the air, but it’s going to take more than a few protests and erstwhile pontificators to keep folks like Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, from keeping their promise to increase their dissecting of the District’s current laws and policies. Chaffetz says he’s targeted D.C.’s law that allows physicians to prescribe fatal doses of medication to terminally ill patients because of his “deep, personal, moral conviction.” He says the Feds should intervene and challenge this controversial moral issue that “will create a marketplace for death.”

Surely Congress has more than enough to handle without adding locally-based issues to their plate. Further, we don’t need them to become consumed with District affairs or to challenge our decisions with which they disagree.

It’s time that D.C. be given a vote in Congress and be respected, if not as a sovereign state, then at least as an independently-controlled city. Isn’t that why we pay such a hefty amount in taxes? D.C. has grown up as has a City Council and Mayor who are fully capable of addressing the needs of its citizens.

Congress should butt out! WI

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

We look forward to hearing from you.

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TO THE EDITOR Don't Forget to Accentuate the Positive

Wizards Deserve Hometown Love

Every week I read The Informer cover to cover, and I have been noticing something that is kind of disturbing: the lack of positive news about Washington, D.C., and particularly Wards 7 and 8. Don't get me wrong, I know we need to be kept informed about what's going on around the nation, but your paper has always been the place to find positive local news.

We have new councilmen in Wards 7 and 8 — are they saying anything about what they want to do? There was a national signing day for high school athletes. Were there any from the District of Columbia, and if so, where did they choose to go to school? I would think those are the types of stories we would see in the paper.

I know your paper is growing, and I like to see that, but I hope you don't forget your commitment to bringing us positive stories taking place in the District of Columbia.

I just loved the story by William J. Ford, "Wizards Now Have True Home-Court Advantage," in the Feb. 9, 2017, edition. I am a big Wizards fan and I attend several games each season. There is nothing more distasteful to me as a fan (and I know to the Wizards players) than hearing all of the cheering for the visiting team at the Verizon Center. So now that the Wizards are winning a lot of games, the cheers at Verizon for the hometown Wizards are drowning out those for the visiting teams. The Wizards are playing great basketball these days and the whole area should get behind them to cheer them on.

I hope to see more stories about the Wizards in your upcoming issues.

Joseph Dunn Washington, D.C.

Leroy Mooney Washington, D.C.

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 35

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Julianne Malveaux

Pathfinders for Black History Month

I love Black History, and so revel in Black History Month. Not that Black History should be constrained to a month. Indeed, when I wrote my book Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History in 2010, I hoped that some folks would touch the book each day and talk about the many ways African-American people have shaped our nation’s economic life, from building this country, to being the basis of our bond system.

Despite my work, and that of others, Black History Month celebrations seem to center on the men in our history, and on the familiar names. Our 45th president has lifted up Frederick Douglas, touting his many accomplishments, as if he is still living. Omarosa, don’t you give this man talking points? He needs to be locked into the Museum of African American History and Culture, and then forced to watch Raoul Peck’s "I Am Not Your Negro." I digress.

You’ve heard of Frederick Douglas (1818-1895), Ida B. Wells, Dr. Dor-

Guest Columnist

othy Height, W.E.B. Du Bois and Mary McLeod Bethune. But do you know Venture Smith, Mary Bowser, James Forten, Charles Wiggins, Clara Smith, Paul R. Williams and Jackie Ormes? These are among the Pathfinders that Tonya Bolden has lifted up in her book, "Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls."

Her book is extraordinary not only because it features the biographies of relatively unknown and amazing African-Americans, but also because she puts their lives in context. Thus, each biography talks about what was happening historically during the subject’s

lives. She also highlights their contemporaries, expanding the reach of the book and, perhaps, challenging students to do their own research about other notable African-Americans.

Tonya Bolden is an award-winning children’s book author, but Pathfinders is no children’s book. To be sure it should be ordered in every school library and purchased by many parents.

But young people will not be the only ones enhanced by a book that highlights sixteen stellar African-Americans, many unknown.

“Without denying racism and oppression, I did not want to talk about

racism, but about accomplishment,” Bolden said.

So she set out to offer a range of occupations for the young people who will read her book.

“I wanted to give kids variety,” she told me. “I also wanted to expose them to people who had done something.”

Black folks have done amazing things, and Bolden says she wants to encourage young people to “dream big and take chances”. Her book reflects that, lifting up Richard Potter, a black magician who traveled the

MALVEAUX Page 53

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Civil Rights Will Suffer Under Sessions Donald Trump's first three weeks in office have left Americans reeling from what Republican speechwriter Peggy Noonan called his "cloud of crazy." His cabinet nominees seem intentionally perverse: an education secretary who has no clue about public schools; an energy secretary who wanted to eliminate the department; a treasury secretary from Goldman Sachs who ran a home foreclosure factory. So when a white nationalist sympathizer, Sen. Jefferson Beaure-

gard Sessions III, was confirmed to be attorney general, it passed by as just another absurdity.

The coverage of the confirmation battle focused primarily on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's outrageous muzzling of Sen. Elizabeth Warren as she tried to read a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King criticizing Sessions.

The muzzling was an unforgivable indignity. Lost in the furor was the thrust of King's letter. She was writing to urge the Republican-led Senate of the time to reject President Reagan's nomination of Sessions to the fed-

Guest Columnist

eral bench because he had "used the power of his office as U.S. attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot." Sessions had opposed the Voting Rights Act, made racist statements and falsely prosecuted black civil rights leaders seeking to register people to vote in Alabama. He was an ardent and unrelenting opponent of civil rights. The Republican Senate rejected his nomination.

Sessions' views have not changed.

He opposed Supreme Court decisions striking down laws banning homosexual sex and same-sex marriage. He voted against equal pay for

women and against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, and he argued that it would be a "stretch" to call grabbing a woman's genitals — as the president boasted of doing — assault. He is leading opponent of immigration reform and supported Trump's ban on Muslims.

On civil rights he learned, as Strom Thurmond's late operative Lee Atwater put it, that "you can't say ‘n—–' — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like … states' rights and all that stuff." Sessions remains a fierce advocate of states' rights over civil rights. Even as he joined 97 senators

in voting to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act in 2006, he gave a speech declaring its enforcement sections unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court's conservative gang of five gutted the law, he praised their decision, saying preposterously, "[I]f you go to Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, people aren't being denied the vote because of the color of their skin."

Even as he was saying that, states across the South were preparing a raft of laws to make voting more difficult for African-Americans and the young.

JACKSON Page 53

By Charlene Crowell

The Value of White Privilege and the American Dream

As 2017's Black History Month observances unfold in communities across the country, new research on racial wealth gaps refutes the ageold advice for people of color to pull themselves up by their proverbial bootstraps.

According to researchers at Demos and the Institute for Assets & Social Policy at Brandeis University, historical and systemic privileges afforded whites and denied to blacks are the true root causes.

36 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

"The Asset Value of Whiteness: Understanding the Racial Wealth Gap" analyzed data from the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances. After examining individual differences by race in consumer spending habits, education, family structure, and employment, the report concluded that these factors are not "sufficient enough to erase a century of accumulated wealth."

"For centuries, white households enjoyed wealth-building opportunities that were systematically denied to people of color," said Amy Traub, report co-author and associate direc-

tor of policy and research at Demos.

"When research shows that racial privilege now outweighs a fundamental key to economic mobility, like higher education, we must demand our policymakers acknowledge this problem and create policies that address structural inequity."

The significance of these new findings must not be lost during the month set aside to observe black history. As observances honor those whose sacrifices and dedication led to notable achievements, February should also be a time to rededicate ourselves to the battles not yet won.

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Public policies of the past systemically advantaged whites and allowed their families to create intergenerational wealth that now serves as a financial springboard for future generations. New public policy reforms must be enacted to correct and replace the harms blacks have faced as a result of our financial exclusion.

For example, a college education is often cited as an essential gateway to higher incomes and America's middle class. Yet blacks frequently pay the cost of higher education with a greater student loan indebtedness than their white counterparts.

"With less student loan debt to pay off over their working years, the typical white college graduate has a head start on building wealth compared to their black peers," states the report.

Independent findings from the Center for Responsible Lending support the new report. Today more than half of black families with a college student borrow to pay for college.

Further, on average black college graduates owe $7,400 more on student loans than their white classmates.

When it comes to wages and

CROWELL Page 53

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By James Clingman

Making Black History, Pt. 2: Soul City

An obscure name to those under 60 years of age and who live outside of the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area, is the subject of this week’s installment of, "Making history, not just celebrating it."

A man of vision, strength, and determination, who practiced what he preached, Floyd McKissick succeeded James Farmer as National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1966, and under McK-

issick’s leadership, CORE was transformed from an interracial, non-violent, civil rights organization into a group that promoted Black Power.

In this contemporary era of black folks complaining about gentrification, my memory of McKissick and how he would respond to this issue stands out. He graphically illustrated the sacrifice, the will and the "can-do" attitude we must have in order to stop the economic and political assaults against us. I attended North Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University in Durham, in the mid-1960s. McKissick’s name and his

Guest Columnist

legal services were never far from the mouths of students who marched downtown to participate in the restaurant sit-ins.

With what were then called "National Defense Highways" coming through Durham’s Hayti District and other black enclaves, under the guise of "Urban Renewal," McKissick’s answer to gentrification was Soul City, North Carolina, developed by black folks, where blacks could feel the pride of ownership and control of their community.

According to blackpast.org:

"In 1968 McKissick set out on a journey to bring his Soul City vision to fruition. McKissick argued that Black Power as an organizing principle could enrich and revolutionize African-American communities.

To this end, he pushed for increased African-American control over communities, governments, economics, and schools and used CORE to assist local community leaders in these efforts. … Soul City is located in the predominately black area of eastern North Carolina, and was a planned community with an infrastructure capacity sufficient to support an even-

tual population of 55,000. In July 1972, McKissick received $19 million in federal aid in order to achieve this goal. Within months he became the minority campaign chairman for President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign. Although Soul City was declared economically unviable in 1979, McKissick and a few other people continued to live there."

I remember driving to Soul City just to take a look, and when I got there, I even thought about living there. Homes were still being built

CLINGMAN Page 54

By Austin R. Cooper Jr.

Coretta Scott King's Words Still Resonate

In his first inaugural address on March 4, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln ended with these words: "I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union,

when again touched, as surely as they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

The political civility of the 16th president, a member of the Republican Party, is virtually nonexistent today in Washington. Recently, the late Coretta Scott King made news when Sen. Elizabeth Warren was prevented from reading her 1986 letter opposing the nomination of Attorney General Jeff Sessions to the federal bench. In the middle of Senate debate on his nomination to lead the Department of Justice, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used a rarely invoked proce-

Askia-At-Large

dural maneuver to silence Warren, allegedly concerned that she was impugning the character of a colleague.

How insulting was this reprimand to the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a champion of equality for all in her own right?

How sexist was that, not to only his colleague from Massachusetts, but women across the country?

In addition, it was, once again, a blatant display of political hypocrisy by McConnell. In July 2015, then-presidential candidate and Sen. Ted Cruz crossed the line of Senate decorum when he accused

the majority leader of lying to his colleagues. Said Cruz, "What we just saw today was an absolute demonstration that not only what he told every Republican senator, but what he told the press over and over and over again, was a simple lie."

McConnell didn't publicly share any concerns about congressional decorum then, nor did he in 2009 when Rep. Joe Wilson shouted, "You lie" as former President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress.

So why wasn’t Cruz reprimanded? Because it was, I suspect, a cal-

culated political decision by the majority leader, in coordination with the White House, and an eye to the 2018 midterm elections as well as 2020. The GOP has replaced Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi with Warren as the primary face of opposition for the Democratic Party.

In a daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, "I can only hope that if Coretta Scott King was still with us, she’d support Jeff Sessions." However, that statement was nothing more than wishful thinking on his part

COOPER Page 54

By Askia Muhammad

Trump, Spicer, Conway — Send In the Clowns My loathing of Donald J. Trump is no secret. He is an inveterate, pathological liar and a dangerous, egomaniacal, potty-mouthed, confessed sexual predator, and narcissistic bully who has not released his tax returns, and who will take America to hell on a rocket ship.

Last year, a prominent Republican donor refused to contribute to Trump's campaign calling him an "ignorant, dishonest, misogynistic, philandering, isolationist, blowhard."

Trump has surrounded himself with Cabinet and White House appointees, who deserve even less esteem than His Nibs.

Fittingly, the first official words out of the mouth of The Donald's "spokesman" Sean Spicer were a lie, confirming a "doozy" of a lie by the president that his inaugural crowd was larger than the crowd celebrating the swearing in of President Barack Obama in 2009. Liars! If the photographic evidence wasn't convincing enough, the record of riders on the Metro system and the number of buses from out of town this year were all a fraction of the

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numbers in '09.

Then here comes senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway.

If I participated in name-calling she'd be "Clownway," not "Conway" in my book.

Conway gets on sympathetic Fox News and says that Spicer had spoken "alternative facts," which she implied were equal in veracity with true facts. Alternative facts, pure and simple, are lies! So now, along with the president, two of his top advisers are not only shown to be open-faced liars for the whole world to see, they, like their boss, are laughingstocks, and worse.

Moments after Conway blurted out "alternative facts" to defend a Trump-Spicer lie, comparisons of these new "Trump Doctrines" to the villains in George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984" started trending on social media. In Orwell's world, the mind-controlling government engaged in "newspeak" and "doublethink" where Big Brother's alternative facts were superior to the real facts, just like in Trump's World.

That similarity was not lost on the masses of this country's readers. On Amazon that week, sales of Orwell's "1984" skyrocketed 9,600

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percent!

As you might expect, not all of the lies engulfing this administration — which ain't even a month old, for crying out loud — are funny. National Security Adviser-designate, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn straight-out lied to Vice President Mike Pence's face about a phone call Flynn had with the Russian ambassador, before Trump was inaugurated. A no-no.

The Veep repeated the lie on TV, when asked whether Flynn improperly told the Russians that

ASKIA Page 54 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 37

LIFESTYLE Film Takes New Look at ‘Ethnic Cleansing American Style’ Indie Project Explores Impact of Gentrification on Blacks

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor Blacks may only make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but they remain the majority of those affected by ongoing gentrification efforts in America.

At least that’s the premise beyond a recently-released documentary, “Gentrified – Ethnic Cleansing: American Style,” that premiers in the District on Saturday, Feb. 18

during an invitation-only event at THEARC in Southeast.

The film’s narrator and executive producer, Jason Black, points to numerous examples throughout the U.S., including urban hotspots like Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta and Houston, where city planners, developers and elected officials have collectively aimed their sights on remaking these and other cities into places that welcome a more affluent, mostly-white citizenry.

ARTIST PARTNER PROGRAM presents

5 Construction continues in the district. / Photo courtesy of www.gentrifiedmovie.com

“The only time resources are used to redevelop these communities is when there are long term plans in place to remove the people from those communities, to force evictions and to price the people out,” said Samuel Alarape, the associate producer of the documentary created by Black Channel Films, an independent movie company whose cre-

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ators self-financed the project along with revenue raised from crowdfunding, marketing initiatives and other promotional efforts.

The team of producers further posit their goals: to explore how government and private developers use public assets to gentrify entire regions, utilizing freeways, toll roads and even the police, to create physical and economic boundaries meant to pressure Blacks to leave while openly welcoming new, richer, white residents.

“We ask if this is just a naturally occurring economic phenomena of people moving where they can afford to live or a carefully orchestrated plan to remake American society in a newer, richer and white image,” Black stated.

“From what we see, the ultimate goal is to remove us [Blacks] from the American landscape like they did to Native Americans,” Black said. “Gentrification is an economic endeavor. And many of our Black leaders have been bought off. No one has actually dealt with Blacks who are now an obsolete labor force in America who are citizens not immigrants. Over the next five or six decades, we’ll see that by denying us basic human necessities, Blacks will be the victims of a more humane form of genocide.”

Throughout the documentary, conversations engage credible academics, real estate professionals, activists and citizens who live in gentrifying neighborhoods. And while previous projects have spoken about gentrification as a general economic and social issue, “Gentrified” asserts that the math and evidence point to it being a conscious and deliberate effort focused on Black populations.

Black says if African Americans want to survive, the conversation

must shift to economics.

“Blacks are always told to wait and to be grateful if those in power even make mention of the many issues which we face,” Black said. “But ‘wait’ means putting our needs on hold until those of poor whites and women, white women specifically, are addressed.

We’ve been lied to and told that social problems should be our primary concern, like police brutality or the school-to-prison pipeline.”

“The real plan is to keep Blacks helpless. They don’t want us to set our own agenda. That’s why it’s imperative that we get worrying about whether others like us or not and begin to realize that when we are in control of our own economic future, we cannot be hurt,” Black said.

As for the business-minded Donald Trump, America’s new president, Black said, “he’s our wake-up call. But we should have taken a hard look at what’s behind gentrification when Bush or Clinton were in office. It’s too late now. Whites and Asians have been enjoying their evening meals while simultaneously figuring out how to acquire more assets, increase credit scores and understand easier ways to take advantage of real estate opportunities.”

“We’ve lost almost everything in our more than 40-year quest to achieve racial integration in America,” Black said, adding that he’s invited real estate brokers and potential investors from the Greater Washington Area to the film’s D.C. screening.

“We have a lot of catching up to do,” he noted.

For more about “Gentrified” visit www.gentrifiedmovie.com or www.youwillbemoved.org. WI

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LIFESTYLE

Stories of Gentrification in America

do you have what it takes?

Homeowners Send Message to Millennials

By Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer

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tance that I am leaving her."

There are many components and contributing factors to gentrification, but another native Washingtonian and historian who grew up on the black side of Ward 1 and now lives in Ward 4 said economics is a main one.

"When you think about gentrification you have to factor in what ward of the city you live in and what ward of the city you grew up in," said Rita Epps, 71. "That makes the difference in your perception. Most of the time, gentrification happens when there is an economic downturn, and so it's about race, but it's also about economics.

Millennials, value your history."

WI

Photo:

Amid D.C.'s ever-expanding gentrification, in which numerous blacks are being displaced daily for a variety of reasons, four black female long-term homeowners in the city are imploring younger generations to understand the value of real estate and to stay and fight for it.

Anita Shelton, moved to D.C. from Englewood, New Jersey, as she prepared to attend Howard University. She has owned her house in Ward 1 for 47 years and says her house is a part of her struggle and her story.

"Me coming to the this block was a little bit surprising, because it was always very difficult to come on this side of 16th Street," she said. "Suburban in the city is what I call it.

In the mornings I can hear the lions roaring from the [National Zoo]. Plenty of people have asked to buy my home, but where would I move? No one wants to pay me for what the house is really worth, so where would I be able to afford to go?

I cannot afford to buy a house here in D.C. now.

"This has always pretty much been a white area, but when I first moved here, there were still more black people than what they are now," Shelton said.

"Once this area was declared an historic district, we all knew what was going to happen.

Drive the prices up high. High in a high-voting area.

"I don't know why, but this ideal of gentrification seems to give [white people] a sense of entitlement over me," she said.

"I painted my porch blue and they had a problem with it. I didn't change my porch back, but it was the audacity. The idea of gentrification disturbs them.

They like to attribute these drastic changes to the city just flourishing, but that is not entirely true.

"The next generation has to look in the long range," Shelton said. "If you inherit a piece of property, God in heavens, don't sell it! Understand the value of being a landowner in the District of Columbia."

Two native Washingtonian sisters in their 60s who both

owned property in Wards 4 and 5 expound on their perceptions of the sometimes-taboo word gentrification.

"Quite honestly, millennials, some of your loans can be paid off when you have a real estate," said Vanella Jackson-Crawford, one the siblings. "In order build wealth in families, someone must own land.

You don't get that then you are killing us all. It s a link that has to be made.

"For instance, many officials in D.C. have taken so many resources from the urbans areas in Capitol Hill," she said. "A group and myself use to go around in the late 1980s and 1990s and knock on doors and beg black people not to sell their house, but many obviously did, because for them they didn't yet understand the importance of their history and their legacy and $15,000 seemed like a lot.

But what is it worth now?"

Though many residents fervently oppose the idea of gentrification, her sister, Zillah F. Jackson-Wesley, said many only have themselves to blame.

"I know many of our people who have sold three or four houses to get to places like Rockville and to that I'm just like, you gave the city away," Jackson-Wesley said. "I don't feel bad about gentrification, I'm happy about it. The city you gave away when you sold or homes or did not show up to town meetings is now here for me and my family. A better opportunity for someone else."

Sylvia Bennett, a 63-year-old Ward 4 resident who migrated from the Bronx in New York City, said though she sees some immediate effects of gentrification, she doesn't necessarily see it all as divisive, particularly in comparison to the way gentrification was done in New York.

"I am a transplanter in D.C. and I experienced gentrification in a whole different way from when I was growing up in Bronx, New York, and [saw] how the drug abuse changed [that] community," Bennett said. "I've seen effects now just in the last 10 years that I have been here. Now the age of the community has changed. I'm now the oldest resident and I've only been here for 20 years, but my experience has been overall neutral. But I still never have any intentions to sell my house. Thats for my daughter, that's the inheri-

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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 39

LIFESTYLE

Legal Rights Training Session Draws Large Crowd

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer Class was in session at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law this weekend, but it was not a typical class nor were the attendees actual students.

Over 100 people sat attentively in a lecture hall, Saturday, Feb. 11, for a "Know Your Rights" training.

Co-sponsored by the Institute for Policy Studies, the D.C. chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), and the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, the event was free and open to the public.

The training included sessions spanned the day and touched on various legal issues including students' rights, legal risks of civil disobedience, search and seizures, federal worker rights, immigration law, obtaining permits in the District, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and legal observing.

Speakers and attendees varied from lawyers and activists to everyday citizens.

"In the current political cli-

mate, I recognized there was a strong demand for a program where people could learn about their rights in a variety of areas," said Jaime Davis Smith, the program's main organizer.

Smith, a former lawyer turned fulltime mother, was inspired to organize the event when a fellow lawyer told her about an influx of requests for legal advise following President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order moving forward on building the wall at the Mexican border.

"It's really important to be educated on what your rights are so that you can be empowered to take the steps necessary to resist the administration in the way you feel most comfortable," Smith said. "Especially during a time when our rights are under attack, it's important that we don't take our rights for granted, and aren't intimidated."

Trump is moving rapidly to fulfill campaign promises, and is doing so with little activity from Congress, using executive actions to achieve his goals.

Executive actions are unilateral moves presidents can use to achieve a desired outcome. A Heritage Founda-

tion report said there are at least 24 types of presidential directives including the most commonly known executive orders, memorandums and proclamations. They can be struck down by Congress or federal courts if they exceed the scope of the president's authority.

Analysis by The Daily Signal, the Heritage Foundation's news website, said that Trump's use of executive power is "in line with past presidents," but many are still worried.

"If we don't assert our rights, I think Trump has shown that he won't hesitate to take them away," Smith said.

At the beginning of his fourth week, Trump issued 12 executive orders including reinstatement of the "Mexico City policy" on abortion, a federal employee hiring freeze, and the ban of refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country.

By the start of his fourth week in office in 2009, President Barack Obama had issued 14 executive orders.

So far, Trump has issued a total of 26 executive orders. In addition to

his 12 executive orders, Trump also issued 12 presidential memorandums and two proclamations.

Smith and her co-sponsors organized the event in under two weeks and began marketing for it just a week before. They gained nearly 300 registration submissions.

The group hopes to make the event more frequent and accessible to a broader audience. They said they received requests during the registration period for the sessions to be held in Spanish and sign language and in various parts of the city, as well as more frequently.

Smith said in order to host future events, they must raise money to do so.

"It was a huge turnout," said organizer and NLG board member, Ann Wilcox. "People stayed throughout what was a really long day, with hardly any breaks."

Wilcox said the university "wants to have this be almost a monthly thing."

"There are a lot of topics we couldn't even get to today," she said.

WI

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LIFESTYLE

Smithsonian Salutes African Americans

5 Chairman and CEO of ISIAH International LLC received the Humanity of Connection Award during a celebration of Black History Month at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Monday Feb, 13 with MC Lyte and Hill Harper. / Photo by Travis Riddick

5 President and CEO of Smith & Company Judy Smith received the Humanity of Connection Award during a celebration of Black History Month at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Monday Feb, 13. / Photo by Travis Riddick

Heritage Sunday at Howard University Andrew Rankin Chapel - February 19, 2017 On Sunday, February 19,2017 at 11:00 am, attend worship service at Andrew Rankin Chapel and wear clothing that reflects your family roots. It is the annual Heritage Sunday to be observed at the service to be held in Cramton Auditorium on the campus of Howard University, 2400 Sixth Street NW, Washington, DC 20059.

Guest preacher will be Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, Senior Pastor at Faithful Central Bible Church in Los Angeles, CA. For more information, contact the Andrew Rankin Chapel office at: (202) 806-7280.

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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 41

LIFESTYLE

New FCC Chair Cuts Affordable Telecom Services at Trump's Behest

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer

5Ajit Pai on May 14, 2012 during his swearing as an FCC Commissioner by

then FCC Chairman Genachowski at the FCC headquarters in Washington, DC. / Federal Communications Commission Photo

President Donald Trump's newly appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, Ajit Pai, has spent recent weeks dropping many of the agency's previous efforts to make telecom services affordable and accessible to all.

The agency's retreating efforts to keep these services affordable stand to result in higher prices on for America's low-income and imprisoned population.

"In the months to come, we

also need to remove outdated and unnecessary regulations," Pai said in a speech to the Free State Foundation in December.

"Under section 11, Congress specifically directed the FCC to repeal unnecessary regulations.

We should follow that command.

"We need to fire up the weed whacker and remove those rules that are holding back investment, innovation, and job creation," Pai said.

Last week, FCC regulators reversed a decision that approved nine to participate in a federal

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program intended to help provide affordable internet access to low-income consumers weeks after they were approved.

The Lifeline program, established under the Reagan administration, provides discounted phone and internet service for people in low-income communities to connect with family and access resources for jobs and education.

Last year, under Pai's Democratic predecessor, Tom Wheeler, the program was expanded to include broadband, and currently gives a $9.25 monthly credit to be used for internet access.

According to an American Community survey, 24.9 million out of 116.3 million households lack internet access.

Under Pai's direction, the commission has also ended its efforts to lower the hefty cost of prison phone calls, which can cost $1 per minute before additional fees.

The new FCC administration has inherited an ongoing court battle to protect its own rate capping on prison phone calls.

Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral arguments for the case, and FCC lawyer David Gossett said the commission would no longer defend two important aspects for the rate cap that sought to limit rates on intrastate prison calls and oversee the methods for setting them.

"Today we took yet another step towards #PhoneJustice on behalf of the millions burdened by the egregious costs of communicating with a loved one who is currently incarcerated," said Mignon Clyburn, the commission's sole Democrat, in a statement following court proceedings. "I am grateful to the individuals who argued on behalf of justice for the inmates, their families and their legal representatives, and am confident that the court grasped the nuance of the legal arguments.

"Regardless of how the court rules, I will continue to press forward to ensure that inmates and their families receive just, reasonable and fair phone rates," she said. "Justice demands it, and so do I." WI

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LIFESTYLE

wi book reviewA

Horoscopes

FEB 16 - 22, 2017

ARIES A lively focus on your social sector gets this week off to a lovely start, with plenty of options for romantic outings. Don't be surprised if you have many admirers that you knew nothing about. This isn't the best time for commitment, however. Lighthearted dates will prove more satisfying. Lucky Numbers: 6, 28, 30

"Never Caught"

by Erica Armstrong Dunbar c.2017, Atria $26 ($35 Canada) 254 pages

TAURUS Do you have a secret? With a focus on a more secluded sector of your chart, it's possible you're eager to keep one relationship under wraps. In the wake of Valentine's Day, you might choose to celebrate by preparing a healthy but seductive meal for the one you love. If food is as dear to your sweetie's heart as it is to yours, you will enjoy yourself immensely. Lucky Numbers: 10, 14, 35 GEMINI Someone could have the hots for you but prefer to keep things friendly and platonic for the time being. Why? Perhaps this person feels embarrassed about sharing their feelings at this time. And he or she might prefer to keep a low profile. The weekend sees the Sun entering your sector of ambition, and you're ready to make a flying leap.

Lucky Numbers: 12, 13, 23 CANCER Do you have feelings for your boss or vice versa? It wouldn't be surprising

Never Caught

if you received a card from someone you hold in high esteem. Already spoken for? Later, a shift in energy might encourage travel or a desire to study a subject that intrigues and delights you. Don't hold back. Go for it! Lucky Numbers: 22, 34, 37

LEO If you've arranged to enjoy a romantic adventure with your loved one, it could be

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Run, run, run.

Some days, it feels like that's all you do. Run the kids to school, dash to work, rush with errands, and run yourself ragged before bed. You're always on the go, always moving, and in the new book "Never Caught" by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, your breath isn't the only thing to catch.

Twenty-one-year-old Mulatto Betty must've breathed a sigh of relief.

When Martha Custis married George Washington, slaves were shuffled as the mistress moved to Mount Vernon. Miraculously and notably, Betty moved and was allowed to keep her baby son with her. She was pregnant, too, by a white man with an "indenture agreement" and an eye for opportunity; their eldest daughter was born in mid-1773, and given the unusual name of Ona Maria.

At age 10, "Oney" Judge was brought inside the Washington household, in service to Martha Washington. There, the illiterate girl learned to care for Martha's clothing, to bathe the mistress, tend her grandchildren and soothe anxieties — one of which was that Martha's husband had been asked to be the nation's first president, a post that Martha Washington wasn't keen on — and neither was Judge.

But, of course, Washington did take the position, which meant a household move from Virginia to Manhattan (the site of the first Executive Mansion) for the family and a handful of slaves, including Judge. It's there, says Dunbar, where Judge most certainly tasted freedom through rare autonomy.

She was therefore undoubtedly unhappy — but couldn't speak her mind — when the Executive Mansion was relocated to Philadelphia in 1790.

But there was a twist, for Judge and for the Washingtons: laws in Pennsylvania mandated freedom for any slave living in the state for six continuous months, meaning that the Washingtons would shuttle their slaves between Philadelphia and Virginia, to "reset" their status. Judge surely knew what was going on, but when she learned that she would be permanently gifted as a wedding present to Martha's moody granddaughter, she could stand things no longer.

And so, as the Washingtons dined on a Saturday evening in May, 1796, Oney Judge slipped out the door and ran …

It's been a long time since I've read a thriller as heart-pounding as the one I found in this book. Of course, "Never Caught" is all true.

But Judge's astounding, audacious story isn't the only thing author Erica Armstrong Dunbar brings to vivid life: she also sets the tone by explaining the times in which Judge lived, and what life was like for slaves and whites alike. Thanks to Dunbar, it's easy to feel the busyness of Manhattan, to absorb the fear Judge surely felt, and to picture the elegant drawing rooms of the Washington home. On that note, we learn some not-so-savory things about George Washington, which makes the meat of this story an even bigger reason for gleefulness.

Now you have to find out what happened. If you love biographies, history, stories about remarkable women, or really exciting thrillers, "Never Caught" you need to read this book. Run for it. WI WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

memorable. Chances are that you'll want to go somewhere exotic, even if it's only for a short break. Romance could happen out of the blue. Will it last? Maybe not, but you'll enjoy yourself immensely. Lucky Numbers: 7, 16, 19

VIRGO If you haven't told someone how you feel and have been itching to do so, try to keep a lid on things. The person in question might feel overwhelmed if you admit too much too soon. Entangled? Your sweetheart would deeply appreciate a special gift that may be more than enough to show how much you care. Lucky Numbers: 4, 23, 25 LIBRA A budding romance could go from smoldering to red hot very quickly. And long-term bonds could develop extra sparkle due to this week's vital energies. It's time to let go and enjoy some passion. Also, the Sun's move into your wellness sector could encourage you to revamp your routines. Lucky Numbers: 16, 20, 28 SCORPIO A focus on your exercise and fitness zone over this Valentine's week could have you attracting attention at the gym. If you're already involved, the days ahead can include plenty of exercise, which could be in the privacy of your boudoir! The romantic theme continues this weekend, bringing even more options for enjoyment. Lucky Numbers: 4, 25, 46 SAGITTARIUS This week looks delightful in so many ways. There could be no end to the fun you have. If you're newly in love, this Valentine's week could see you crossing the threshold into a more committed bond. However, you'll also want your space, so be sure to make this clear at the outset. Things are equally passionate if you're in a long-term bond, especially if you can go away together. Lucky Numbers: 19, 27, 36 CAPRICORN If you have plans for this week, they could involve a wild party at your place. However, later, when the lights are out, your passionate side can come alive.

The Sun's move to your communication sector this weekend can be an opportunity to network for pleasure. If you've thought about learning a new subject, get started. Lucky Numbers: 12, 15, 30 AQUARIUS Your words have power this week. Someone could take you at face value, so be sure you really do mean what you say. When it comes to having fun, the ball is in your court. You make the suggestions and your sweetheart or love interest will be more than happy to go along. This weekend, the Sun leaves your sign and enters your sector of personal finances, making this a time to take stock. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 23 PISCES Present energies hint that this week could prove very exciting when it comes to romance. You could receive some lovely gifts! You'll also be in a giving mood and ready to treat your sweetheart to something very special. This weekend, the Sun dances into your sign to infuse you with vitality. Over the coming four weeks you'll be eager to start on plans that have been on the back burner. Lucky Numbers: 7, 17, 45

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 43

SPORTS NYIT Edges UDC Women in OT

5 University of the District of Columbia guard Shantrel Oliver drives past New York Institute of Technology for-

ward Kayla Correa in the first half of NYIT's 86-83 overtime win at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 11. / Photo by John E. De Freitas

3 University of the District of Columbia guard Shantrel Oliver goes up for a layup attempt in the New York Institute of Technology's 86-83 overtime win at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 11. / Photo by John E. De Freitas

UDC Men Blow Past NYIT 6 University of the District of Columbia guard Joseph Nickerson is defended by

New York Institute of Technology forward Justin Fackler in the first half of UDC's 108-98 win at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 11. / Photo by John E. De Freitas

5 University of the District of Columbia guard Traevon Butler is defended by New York Institute of Technology

forward Justin Fackler in the first quarter of UDC's 108-98 win at UDC Gymnasium in Northwest on Saturday, Feb. 11. / Photo by John E. De Freitas

44 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Citizens Demand Respect from Congress

CAPTURE THE MOMENT

D.C. legislators and residents demonstrated near the Capitol Building on Monday to tell members of Congress to respect District voters. The “Hands Off DC Rally” was held as the House Oversight Committee voted on whether to invalidate a D.C. law. Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, voted to stop the “Death with Dignity” law approved by the D.C. Council and signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser. Councilman Charles Allen and Councilman David Grosso, among others, urged D.C. residents to attend the rally. “Tell Representative Chaffetz and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to keep their #HandsOffDC as they vote to override the will of District residents,” Allen said. An estimated 400 citizens attended the rally in Northeast at the Spirit of Justice Park.

Photos by Lateef Mangum

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THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 45

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BLACK REPUBLICANS from and longtime member of the Republican Party. “This luncheon salutes African Americans from across the U.S. who are truly deserving members of the Republican Party, who have made a real difference in their communities and who President Trump and our party leadership should not only be highlighting but seeking their advice and counsel,” Jackson said.

The event, held in Northwest on Sunday, Feb. 12, saluted the following: Gerald Boyd, Sr., president of DB Consulting, Washington, D.C.; Maxine Blake, Ohio civil rights icon; Alan Inman, president, Global Peace Foundation, Lanham, MD; Richard Finley, COO, Finley Group Inc., Birmingham, AL; and Robert Wallace, CEO, Bithgroup Technologies, Inc., Baltimore.

BAFBF, a 527 Political Action Committee, stands as the only 527 dedicated to attracting Blacks to the Republican Party and focuses primarily on African-American entrepreneurs. One awardee offered a challenge to his fellow Republicans.

“On the heels of our country electing our first Black president, Republicans should be looking within our ranks for the first female president as well as the next Black man to lead America - -and there will be another Black man in the White House,” Wallace said.

“We have much to offer but we need to be more intentional as we convey our message and our principles.”

One resident from Southeast and the chairman of a local media broadcasting network said a large number of Blacks

in the U.S. are members of the Republican Party – a fact that may be a surprise to some.

“I was first attracted to the Party when I was in high school because Republicans ascribe to personal responsibility, economic sovereignty and to the belief that one’s character is key to becoming successful in society,” said Kenneth McClenton, 50, a lifelong D.C. resident and chairman of the Executive Conservative Network, a contingency of conservative talk show hosts.

“I’m disappointed with Trump’s lack of diversity within his cabinet. Still, there are Blacks working for GOP officials in Congress and for the Republican Party. However, the prevailing narrative suggests that we don’t exist. We may be overlooked but we’re contributing members of the Party.”

Corey D. Fields, author of “Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans,” says the task of aligning black identity with the Republican Party continues to be a significant challenge.

“Even though significant numbers of African Americans would define their political ideology as conservative or express conservative social values, that conservatism rarely translates into Republican partisanship. As a consequence, very few Republicans are Black. They are a minority within both the Black and the Republican communities,” Fields writes.

Philadelphian Carvin Haggins, 47, joined the Republican Party at the age of 16 and says many Americans went to sleep during the Obama presidency.

“We have to reestablish an entrepreneurial spirit – one of the primary tenets of the Republican Party,” he said.

“Donald Trump is shaking up the Party and shaking up America. We need to wake up.

But there’s a natural tendency to fear change. But change has come.”

Former Lt. Governor of Florida, Jennifer Carroll, says as the President becomes more familiar with the Republican Party she believes he will reach out to more African Americans.

“At this point I would call it problematic that there are almost no Blacks among the ranks in the Trump Administration. But he’s still forming his team. I don’t think he’s familiar with the number of Blacks who have been members of the Party for many years and who have much to contribute. He’s been relying on the old vanguard and choosing from among their recommendations. We have to let him know we’re here, we’re talented, we’re capable and ready to step in and serve.”

Carroll said.

Omarosa Manigault, Trump’s director of communications, said the President remains committed to establishing a team that better reflects the racial makeup of the country.

“President Trump’s message is that we must encourage, embrace and engage Blacks both for his Administration and for the Republican National Committee. Those [Blacks] who want to serve in the Party and be part of this new movement will find that they’re welcome to join us – the door is open,” she said.

WI

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GARY E. MASON WHITFIELD BRYSON & MASON LLP 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Ste. 605, Washington, DC 20036 No specific results implied

!

46 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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RELIGION THE RELIGION CORNER

The Griffin Firm, PLLC

A Black History Month Story About My Grandfather This is a true story of a young boy by the name of Floyd Hill. He grew up in rural North Carolina, with a dream that he would someday own a very large farm.

Though he was born in 1907, he disregarded the extreme racism in the South\ and kept his dream alive. During his early 20s, Floyd did purchase his dream farm — a 227.2-acre property repossessed from a white family during the Great Depression.

In 1943, he had to go back and forth to court, fighting for what was rightfully his. Once the white family discovered a black man purchased their farm, they became determined to get it back.

The Ku Klux Klan burned crosses on his lawn, his family was terrorized, but young Floyd kept fighting.

In 1945 though, the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, with 19th Chief Justice William H. Bobbitt declaring in the case of DeBruhl vs. L. Harvey & Son Company that no living DeBruhl or any unborn DeBruhls could ever again file suit for possession of the Hill farm.

Today, my grandfather and grandmother, Floyd and Pearl Hill, are deceased. We are all so proud of their efforts, and the Hill farm and legacy continues.

Although this happened 72 years ago, it is worthy of its' own place in black history. Here is a little about my grandfather Floyd.

As a young boy, living only four decades following the abolishment of slavery in America, Floyd lived on a farm in Beaver Creek, North Carolina, 60 miles from Turning Hearts Church

Morehead City Beach, a little town near Kinston; he was born March 26, 1907, just 42 years after the end of slavery.

Pappy used what NASA calls "Visual Motor Rehearsal," visualizing one day owning his own farm. He was still in the early years of so-called "freedom," when education wasn't offered to little black boys and girls on an equal basis. Born 47 years before the historic Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954, Pappy went to school in a church that was a school by day. It only went as far as the sixth grade, but he graduated and was considered educated.

One day, Pappy said to his mother, "Mama, look all around.

You see all of that land, in every direction? Someday, I'm going to own every bit of it!"

When old enough, he began to work as a farmhand, always observing everything his overseers did, his mental picture very clear.

He made a choice to watch how successful people live, for he knew someday he could live that way as well. He knew he would be the owner of his very own farm.

For the next 30 years, Floyd worked on several farms, continuing to save, work and learn until he one day got the opportunity to buy the farm he always wanted.

Attorney Watt Lero took him to auction, purchased the farm and, without delay, sold it to Floyd.

Though he was able to purchase the farm, with the help of his attorney and real estate mortgage banker Walter D. LaRoque, Floyd had a big fight on his

The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest

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

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

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

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

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC with Lyndia Grant hands. However, his able-bodied, white attorney helped him during this period in history, all the way through the Supreme Court. It worked!

What an exciting — and true — story! It is a lesson in the way to have and use faith! It says so in 2nd Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight!"

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Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher

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

Committed to providing services and supports to increase the capacity of individuals, businesses, and communities.

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

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FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 47

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor 9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 Fax: 301-499-8724

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 a.m. 7 10:00 a.m.

Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 p.m.

Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849 Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00am 5th Sundays: 9:30am 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30pm www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Church of Living Waters

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Crusader Baptist Church

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor

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

Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor

Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor

Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor

2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org

800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00am Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30am 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00am Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30pm Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30pm Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30pm Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30pm Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00am “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”

Service and Times 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

1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661

Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00am Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30pm Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org

E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org “God is Love”

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Third Street Church of God

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

Drs. Dennis W. & Christine Y. Wiley Pastors

Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor

Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor

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

3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) (202) 562-4219 (Fax)

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555

1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office 202-638-1803 fax

610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00am Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30pm

Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30pm (dinner @ 5:30pm) Sunday School: 9:00am – Hour of Power

Blessed Word of Life Church

www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

“An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantbaptistdc.org

Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 am Sunday Church School: 8:45 am Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 pm Thursday: 7: pm “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020

Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45am Church School: 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45am Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 pm Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30am

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Prayer Meeting and Bible Study: Wed. 7:30pm

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

www.thirdstreet.org

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital”

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church

Sunday Worship Service: 8 AM and 10:45am Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45am; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45am; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6am & 6:30pm Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

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

Sunday Church School: 9:20 a.m.

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

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

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

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

St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00am Worship Service: 10:00am Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45pm Thur. Bible Study: 7:15pm

Twelfth Street Christian Church Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 am Communion every Sunday: 11:00 am Sunday School: 10:00 am Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 pm Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Rev. John W. Davis Pastor

Joseph N. Evans, Ph.D Senior Pastor

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

901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 8:00am and 11:00am Sunday School: 9:15am Holy Communion 4th Sunday 10:00am Prayer and Bible Study Wednesday 7:00pm TV Ministry –Channel 6 Wednesday 10:00pm

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

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

gsccm.administration@verizon.net

48 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

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RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church

All Nations Baptist Church

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471

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

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

Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

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

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

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

Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:15AM 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

St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 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

Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards

Israel Baptist Church

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor

2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office - (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Come Grow With Us and Establish a Blessed Family”

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

Service and Times 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

“Where Jesus is the King”

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Rev. Dr. Diane Dixon Proctor Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

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

1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lpumconthegrow@gmail.com www.lpumcdc.org

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

Service and Times 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.

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10: am Holy Communion: First Sunday 10: am Sunday School: 9: am Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30pm Motto: “A CHURCH ON THE GROW”.

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church

Service and Times 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

Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor

Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

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

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

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

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

Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM

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

Rehoboth Baptist Church

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

Salem Baptist Church

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Clinton W. Austin Pastor

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

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

St. Matthews Baptist Church

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

Emmanuel Baptist Church

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

Service and Times 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

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times 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”

Peace Baptist Church

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

Christ Embassy DC

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 A.M. Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 P.M. 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. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship Service: 7:15 am & 10:50 am Sunday School: 9:30am Wednesday Prayer & Testimonies Service: 7:30pm Wednesday School of the Bible: 8:00pm Wednesday - Midweek Prayer Service: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 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

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

Shiloh Baptist Church

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Maxwell M. Washington Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

Worshiping Location Knights of Columbus - 1633 Tucker Road Fort Washington, MD 20744 (240) 838-7074

621 Alabama Ave., 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) 232-4288

Service and Times 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

Service and Times 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.

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 a.m.

Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.

Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 a.m.

Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 p.m.

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

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 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

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

The Church Where GOD Is Working....

And We Are Working With GOD

Service and Times 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) Theme: “The Kingdom Focused Church” Matthew 6:33 and Mathew 28:18-20, KJV Email: stmatthewsbaptist@msn.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 a.m.

Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30 a.m.

Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 p.m.

Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “

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

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017 49

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2017 ADM 60 Rachel A. Banks Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gail Shaw Clemons, whose address is 3012 P Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rachel A. Banks who died on December 11, 2016 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 August 9, 2017. 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 9, 2017, 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 9, 2017 Gail Shaw Clemons Personal Representative

LEGAL NOTICES

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

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

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

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

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

Administration No. 2017 ADM 49

Administration No. 2017 ADM 32

Administration No. 2017 ADM 52

Administration Number 2016 ADM 1477

Josephine M. Giron Decedent

Vicie Lee Burgess Decedent

Heber Bowers Decedent

Attorney Ethel Mitchell Wills and Trusts, LLC 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

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

Michelle Lanchester, Esq. 601 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 900, South Building Washington, DC 20004 Attorney

Estate of Anna Arlene Murray Deceased

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jacqueline G. Jaeger, whose address is 519 Harrison Avenue #319, Boston, MA 02118, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Josephine M. Giron who died on November 12, 2016 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 August 2, 2017. 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 2, 2017, 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 2, 2017

Vanessa Offut, whose address is 317 Hill Road, Landover, MD 20785, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Vicie Lee Burgess who died on December 8, 2016 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 2, 2017. 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 2, 2017, 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 2, 2017 Vanessa Offut Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Jacqueline G. Jaeger Personal Representative

Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Eugene Bowers, whose address is 7805 Muncy Road, Hyattsville, MD 20785 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Heber Bowers who died on December 22, 2016 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 August 9, 2017. 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 9, 2017, or be forever barred.

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

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Denise McPherson for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

Admit to probate the will date November 16, 2016 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of witnesses Date of first publication: February 9, 2017 Denise McPherson 7329 8th St., NW, Washington, DC 20012 Petitioner/Attorney TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Date of first publication: February 9, 2017 Eugene Bowers Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

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

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

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

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

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

Administration No. 2017 ADM 37

Administration Number 2004 ADM 1442

Administration No. 2016 ADM 1284

Administration No. 2017 ADM 55

Administration No. 2016 ADM 1360

George A. Ballard Decedent

Joseph C. Scott Decedent

Vertrube B. Taylor Decedent

Brett Cohen 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1430 Bethesda, MD 20814 Attorney

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

Lawrence E. Rubin 8404 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

Mary Ann Bourbon Decedent James S. Bubar, Attorney 1776 K Street, NW Suite 800 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jerry C. Bourbon, whose address is 482 W. San Ysidro Blvd., #158, San Ysidro, CA 92173, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary Ann Bourbon who died on December 1, 2016 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 August 2, 2017. 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 2, 2017, 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 2, 2017

Estate of Inez J N Elliott aka Inez Josephine Nicholas Elliott Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Juanita M. Elliott for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative.

Date of first publication: February 9, 2017 Jacqueline Jones Moore 7605 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20012 Petitioner/Attorney TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Brett Cohen, whose address is 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1430, Bethesda, MD 20814, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of George A. Ballard who died on August 13, 2015 without a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 9, 2017. 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 9, 2017, 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 9, 2017

Jerry C. Bourbon Personal Representative

Brett Cohen Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

50 FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2017

Cardell Scott, whose address is 5156 H Street, SE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Joseph C. Scott who died on May 14, 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 August 9, 2017. 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 9, 2017, 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 9, 2017 Cardell Scott Personal Representative

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Keith R. Taylor, whose address is 700 Whittier Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Vertrube B. Taylor aka Vertrube Best Taylor who died on October 4, 2016 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 August 9, 2017.

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 9, 2017, 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.

TRUE TEST COPY

Date of first publication: February 9, 2017

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Keith R. Taylor Personal Representative

Washington Informer

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

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

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

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

Administration No. 2016 ADM 639

Administration No. 2016 ADM 1493

Administration No. 2017 ADM 47

Marjorie Lake Decedent

A. Witcher aka Annie A. Witcher aka Annie Arethia Witcher Decedent

Roberta Sue Kronheim Decedent

Nigel L. Scott 7306 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Michael Lake, whose address is 2519 Baltimore Road, #4, Rockville, MD 20853, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Marjorie Lake who died on December 11, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 2, 2017. 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 2, 2017, 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 2, 2017 Michael Lake Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Yolanda Witcher Edwards, whose address is 2207 Iverson St., Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of A. Witcher aka Annie A. Witcher ala Annie Arethia Witcher who died on May 4, 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 August 16, 2017. 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 16, 2017, 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 16, 2017 Yolanda Witcher Edwards Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

CL ASSIFIEDS

CL ASSIFIEDS

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gary D. Weinstein, whose address is 3307 Parkside Terrace, Fairfax, VA 22031, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Roberta Sue Kronheim who died on December 7, 2016 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 16, 2017. 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 16, 2017, 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 16, 2017 Gary D. Weinstein Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Washington Informer

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

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

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

Administration Number 2017 ADM 142

Administration No. 2017 ADM 97

Administration No. 2017 ADM 35

Estate of Christopher B. Powers aka Christopher Bruce Powers Deceased

Anna S. Saunders Decedent

Randolph Johnson Decedent

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

Aimee D. Griffin 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Luke B. Powers for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representative. Unless a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

Order Deborah Matthews, Esq. who is alleged to have custody of the will dated December 31, 2014 to deliver it to the Court.

In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint an unsupervised personal representative.

Date of first publication: February 16, 2017 Peter Antonoplos 1725 DeSales Street, NW, Ste. 600 Washington, DC 20036 Petitioner/Attorney

Roy A. Saunders and Kathleen SaundersMitchell whose addresses are 1338 Downing St., NE, Washington, DC 20018 and 3808 Asquith Court, Springdale, MD 20774 were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Anna S. Saunders who died on November 1, 2016 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 August 16, 2017. 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 16, 2017, 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 16, 2017 Roy A. Saunders Kathleen Saunders-Mitchell Personal Representatives

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Claudia H. Payne, whose address is 3607 Burleigh Drive, Mitchellville, MD 20721, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Randolph Johnson who died on June 22, 1997 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 16, 2017. 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 16, 2017, 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 16, 2017 Claudia H. Payne Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

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MALVEAUX from Page 36

nation's wealth gap. These changes will require the same focus, vigilance and endurance of our historical efforts that forged laws addressing fair housing, voting rights, and equal employment opportunities.

"Equal achievements in key economic indicators, such as employment and education, do not lead to equal levels of wealth and financial security for households of color," said Tom Shapiro, report co-author and director of Brandeis University's Institute on Assets and Social Policy.

"White households have a leg up, while households of color face systematic barrier to growing wealth, reproducing our long-standing racial wealth gap over generations."

We should all join together to dismantle the lingering legacy of economic exclusion, and create a more financially inclusive future. When we do, in future years, new black history chapters will note how we provided better opportunities for all of America's children.

It's past time for our "fair share" of America's wealth. WI

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er and less-insulated housing is also a relevant factor in driving up the price of utility services. In another professional post, as a local government official I witnessed first-hand how winter utility bills force difficult challenges for many people of low to moderate incomes.

In cold-weather climates, winter heating bills can often be higher than the cost of housing itself. If utility providers are regulated by a moratorium on cutoffs for failure to pay winter utility bills, spring shut-off notices are as predictable as flowers in bloom. During cold weather months, delinquent utility accounts can run several hundred if not thousands of dollars in arrears. In warm-weather climates, the surge in utility costs are usually associated with spring and summer temperatures; but with the same financial burden.

"We can only create a more equitable future by confronting the racial wealth gap and the public policies that continue to fuel and exacerbate it," concludes the report.

In other words, targeted public policy reforms are the key to closing the

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employment, in 2012, the median full-time wage earned by blacks was $621 per week compared while the median wage for whites was $792 each week, the equivalent financial loss of $8,892 per year. When gender was added, black women fared even worse and earned only 68 percent or $28,005 of the $41,184 made by similar white males.

With smaller paychecks and fewer discretionary dollars in household budgets, it is little wonder that the report also found that the median white single parent has 2.2 times more wealth than the median black two-parent household, and 1.9 times more wealth than the median Latino two-parent household.

The only area where the new report found consistently higher black consumer spending was for utility costs: electricity, heating fuel, water and sewer charges. The report cited risk-based pricing that often connects mandatory deposits or low credit scores for these services.

It is equally true, however, that old-

in position to poison the well of justice for a long time.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump wooed African-American voters, saying given disproportionate unemployment and poverty, they should vote for him. "What have you got to lose?" he asked. By making Sessions attorney general, Trump has shown us what we have lost: a Department of Justice committed to equal rights, ready to defend the right to vote. People of color, immigrants, the LGBT and women are likely to experience justice denied directly, and the country as a whole will suffer as justice is defiled. WI

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CROWELL from Page 36

Court. And simply by inaction — by refusing to enforce the Voting Rights Act as states act to restrict voting — he can do more to undermine civil rights than Wallace could by standing in the schoolhouse door.

Every senator who voted for this nomination shares the shame. This isn't or should not have been a partisan question. This is a question of whether the Constitution that Lincoln fought a Civil War to forge and Dr. Martin Luther King led a movement to enforce will be respected. Donald Trump and the Republican Senate have put in office someone who is committed to undermining that Constitution. He is

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Striking down the voter ID law in North Carolina, the federal appeals court found that the new provisions "target African-Americans with almost surgical precision," while providing "inept remedies" for an alleged problem of voter fraud that is nonexistent.

Now Sessions will take his states' rights views to the Justice Department. He will have more power than George Wallace ever had. Wallace had state power. Sessions has national power with a state agenda, with thousands of lawyers under his command.

He will help shape the Supreme

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JACKSON from Page 36

architect Paul Williams, combat pilot Eugene Ballard, or filmmaker Oscar Michaeaux. Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson, the woman whose accomplishments were highlighted in the movie, Hidden Figures, is also featured in Bolden’s book.

What can we learn from these Pathfinders? We can appreciate their achievement against all odds. We can appreciate their faith and their contributions. And, most importantly, we can be inspired by their contributions and by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

The service of these Pathfinders should inspire our own drive to achieve, to accomplish and, most importantly, to serve. Tonya Bolden’s book is an absolutely worthy addition to your library!

On Saturday, March 18, to honor those in the books and our communities, author-less book parties will be held around the country. To participate or host an event, contact read@ theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org. WI

Photo

world as a cabin boy before joining a circus, studying with a ventriloquist and stepping out on his own to be, says Bolden, “the first magician born in the United States to have success in the land of his birth.”

Or who would have thought that Sissieretta Jones, the daughter of enslaved people, would have had a successful career as a concert singer? Jones performed at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, sung at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison, and completed a European tour.

Bolden says she wants young people to “think big.” Well, in spotlighting Sissieretta Jones, she encourages that dream. While the average American earned about $400 a year in Jones’ heyday, her earnings were more than $8,000 a year. She was one of the highest-paid black entertainers in the United States.

The richness of Bolden’s book lies in the fact that she does offer occupational variety. There are entertainers but

there are also women near and dear to my heart, women that I’ve written about over the years. One is Dr. Sadie Tanner Mosell Alexander, the first African-American woman to receive the Ph.D. in economics, and one of the first three to receive the Ph.D. in a single week in June 1921. Georgiana Rose Simpson earned her Ph.D. in German from the University of Chicago, and Eva Beatrice Dykes earned her Ph.D. in English from Radcliffe (now Harvard). She taught at DC’s Dunbar High School, Howard University and Oakwood College (now University) in Huntsville, Alabama.

Another sister Bolden lifts up is Maggie Lena Walker, the first African-American woman to form and run a bank, Penny Savings Bank, in Richmond, Virginia. Maggie Lena, cannily merged her bank with others to survive the Great Depression, and the bank thrived until it closed in 2009. As an economist, Maggie Lena Walker and Dr. Sadie Tanner Mosell Alexander resonate with me, but many will also enjoy the lives of

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and businesses had not moved in yet, but I really liked what I saw. It was proof that, despite resistance, even from black folks, McKissick persisted not only with an economic strategy but also with a political strategy.

In April 1991, New York Times writer Glenn Fowler wrote an article titled, "Floyd McKissick, Civil Rights Maverick, Dies at 69," in which he stated, "Before the 1972 Presidential election, Mr. McKissick angered many blacks by switching from the Democratic Party to the Republicans and supporting Mr. Nixon’s re-election campaign. He argued that blacks were ill-advised to put all their hopes in the Democratic Party."

McKissick’s political admonition and his economic plan still ring true today.

What’s the application for us? How can we use Brother McKissick’s work to make black history today? I’m

glad you asked. First we must understand that, politically, we have no permanent friends or enemies, just permanent interests. Then, we must pool and leverage our dollars to gain a significant piece of this rock called the United States, starting with the neighborhoods in which we live. Buy the property, the vacant lots, and the abandoned storefronts, rather than complain about them. Open and support neighborhood black-owned businesses, and grow those businesses to the point of being able to hire black youth.

Real estate development is essential for the economic empowerment of black people, and we have many architects, CPA’s, construction management professionals, and construction firms who could form strategic alliances to develop large tracts of land.

They could transform our neighborhoods into viable communities in a couple of decades; they could get the tax credits and abatements, and take advantage of "Tax Increment Fi-

nancing" (TIF) that other developers use to gain ownership and control of various sections of cities.

To make black history we must use the patterns left by Floyd McKissick, Phillip Payton of Harlem, Herman Perry in Atlanta, Annie Minerva Turnbo-Malone in Chicago, George Tyson in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, and Joe Dudley of Dudley Products in Kernersville, North Carolina.

Own the real estate, control it, and develop it.

If we develop land, we are being true to what Dr. Amos Wilson suggested. We will be building and celebrating our own "pyramids" in addition to annually celebrating the "pyramids" built by our ancestors. While we remember Soul City, Greenwood, Hayti, Black Bottom, Sag Harbor, Bronzeville, Five Points, "The Harlem of the West" in Denver, Sweet Auburn, Mound Bayou and so many other black enclaves, we must reactivate our resources and rebuild more pyramids. WI

Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be awarded with a federal judgeship."

The favorable vote of the Senate for Mr. Sessions to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer is an affront and demeans the legacy of Dr. King. It is equally offensive to the legacy and sacrifices of Mrs. King, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hammer, Adam Clayton Powell, Bernice R. Sims, Medgar Evers, Dorothy Height, Andrew Young, Viola Liuzzo, Rep. John Lewis and countless other heroes and sheroes, known and unknown, of the civil rights movement.

Today, one who has never been a friend of African-Americans is responsible for protecting the Voting Rights Act, which was dramatically weakened by the Supreme Court in 2013. We must now look to Attorney General Sessions to monitor and address North Carolina and other states now actively engaged in voter disenfranchisement efforts that benefit the GOP at the expense of minorities.

I can only hope that, moving forward, the attorney general’s decisions on civil rights will be guided with an ear and vision, as President Lincoln said, to "the better angels of our nature." Unfortunately his public record does not suggest that this will be the case. WI

response. Rather than expelling 35 American diplomats tit-for-tat, the Kremlin extended its hospitality to the U.S. diplomats who remained in Moscow, just as if they had been coached by an insider to not retaliate.

So far, Pence has been Mr. Dudley-Do-Right, explainer-in-chief of this administration. So, for Pence to now look like Trump and Spicer and Conway? Some repairs will have to be made to Pence's reputation, while he still has a rep to protect.

Leave it to Kellyanne Conway give us a parting chuckle. It was cheesy enough that first lady Melania Trump wore a piece of jewelry from her own fashion line during the first couple's interview with "60 Minutes" on CBS News. Cheesy, indeed.

Then we have daughter Ivanka Trump's clothing line which has been falling in popularity in stores,

not because of boycotts, but because of unpopularity. One store decided to mix in the line with general merchandise.

Another — Nordstrom — dropped the line altogether. Donald Trump, now President of the United States gets a beef with Nordstrom. He treats their bottom-line, retail decision like an armed aggression against the United States of America. War! Trump takes to Twitter, and Conway — who lied about repeatedly speaking of a "Bowling Green massacre," which never even happened — next shamelessly plugged the besieged boss's daughter's clothing line, doing what she admitted was a "commercial" for the line during a live TV news interview.

The laughs keep coming, and this administration is not even one month old.

WI

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and supporters of his nomination.

Jeff Sessions is now the U.S. attorney general. Yet, the words of Mrs. King which so "offended" McConnell are just as relevant today as they were in 1986 when Sen. Strom Thurmond, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, refused to enter Mrs. King’s letter into the official record.

Mrs. King wrote: "My professional and personal roots in Alabama are deep and lasting. Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney General to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot of citizens should not be elevated to our courts. Mr.

new sanctions and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats would be rescinded when Trump took office.

No joke.

It's illegal for private citizens to negotiate U.S. foreign policy with other governments. Flynn now says the subject may have come up in his conversation after all. Pence —otherwise the adult in the Trump inner circle — has been caught, repeating the lie.

The harm is like the harm inflicted on the 1980 presidential election when a deal was cooked up by operatives working for GOP presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. His people convinced the Iranians not to release the 400 U.S. hostages being held at the U.S. embassy until after Reagan defeated incumbent President Jimmy Carter at the polls. In this case, the Russians modulated their diplomatic

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