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MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

GENETIC GENIUS:

Exploring the Global Fascination with Origins & Ancestry

VOL. 53, NO. 21 • MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

Don’t Forget to ‘Spring Forward’ on Sunday, March 11

Health Supplement in Center Section

PRESENTED BY

Paula Giddings Addresses Students on HU’s Promise

D.C. Unveils Statue of Marion Barry By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer Thousands gathered Saturday in D.C. on Pennsylvania Avenue wore green to make the street a little blacker. Residents and city officials, dressed in the campaign colors of the late Marion Barry Jr., converged in front of the John H. Wilson Building for the formal dedication and unveiling of a commemorative statue of the “Mayor for Life.” Barry is one of three African-Americans with a full-body statue erected and standing in the District and the first locally elected official to be honored with a statue, according to the mayor’s office. The eight-foot bronze statue honors Barry’s longtime public service to District residents. After his work as

BARRY Page 5

By Dominique Dickerson Howard University News Service

5 Current and past city council members stand in front of the new statue of Marion Barry outside the John H. Wilson Building in Northwest on Saturday, March 3 during a moving ceremony. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

Cosby Retrial Moves Forward By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Bill Cosby is taking a no-holds barred approach in his sexual assault case in Pennsylvania. The embattled comedian has asked Judge Steven O’Neill permission to unseal his decades-old civil settlement and payout to accuser Andrea Constand. While O’Neill ruled against Cosby’s request to dismiss the case, the judge is expected to decide other matters later this month after two days of hearings wrapped up this week in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

During hearings Monday and Tuesday, lawyers for both sides went after each other, with prosecutors asking the judge to remove Cosby’s defense attorneys because of what they called malicious prosecution. Cosby’s attorneys said prosecutors failed to tell the court that Constand lied when she said she didn’t know potential defense witness Margo Jackson, who worked at Temple with the accuser and alleges that Constand described a plot to set up the legendary comic. The judge is expected to rule

COSBY Page 21

5 Alumna and scholar Paula J. Giddings delivered the keynote address at Howard University’s 151st Charter Day Convocation on Friday, March 2 at Cramton Auditorium in Northwest. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

While reflecting on her time as a student at Howard University and the power of protest, professor and author Paula Giddings spoke not only about the school’s potential for change, but its promise for the future. Giddings was the keynote speaker at the D.C.-based institution’s 151st annual Charter Day Convocation on Friday in the school’s Cramton Auditorium. “Howard, you gave me friendships I’ve endured a half-century, my first serious boyfriend, a sisterhood of my soros and you gave me my first Afro that made my mother cry,” said Giddings in her speech which was crafted as an open letter to her alma mater. Giddings, the Elizabeth A. Woodson 1922 Professor Emerita of Africana Studies at Smith College, shared with the audience not only the good times she experienced at Howard, but also the many challenges she faced as a student. “There was a college culture that was not student-loving,” she said. “Tangled registration, year after year, inadequate housing and utilities,” Giddings said as she described the issues that surfaced during her time at Howard between 1965 to 1969. Some students in the audience

CONVOCATION Page 34

Celebrating 53 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.

Dr. Charles & “Mickey” Vincent

To the DC Leaders Born in March

Lavern Chatman

Meta Renee Williams

Patrick Mara

here! Is Everyw

Amy Galloway

ns! Best W latio oyag ishes! u t e! C on V ra ong Nu ng irl! B r

! Happy Reti ews Bravo! H remen N app t! ns! ial yB pt latio i

n Up! Engagemen gO t vin ! Happy Annivers New ar y Mo hday

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Around the Region.................. 4-11 PG County................................12-13 Montgomery County..................14 Business...........................................15 National...........................................16

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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 MCNEIR, WI EDITOR AND WILLIAM J. FORD, WI STAFF WRITER

Prince George’s Seeks had comeTestimony together to bringto a Change Among the Charter programs Marlow

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

law enforcement. She said they

threat,” she said.

sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic While violence no one showed Monday, March 5 to offer victims upand stricter restraining ordertestimony policies, on old daughter told her the father survivors proposedarechanges County treated.to the Prince George’s more rights for charter, victim's written familiescorof her daughter threatened her “She's using will her own personal respondence still be accepted to until the close business intervene onofbehalf of aMonday, viclife, and the life of their child, story, her12. own to Review tim, a domestic violence assess- evMarch Thepersonal county’spain Charter Commission reconvenes she knew something had to be push forward,” ment unit coupled with further ery four years toDavis-Nickens review and provide recommendations to the charter. done. Out of her frustration said Marlow. training for law enforcement Theabout proposed changes must go before County Council for approval with law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens saida referendum anyone agencies, a Child's general Life Protecand then placed on in the November election. of the situation, she decided to who Marlow's book willcharter tionproposal, Act and mandatory counselFor reads more information on the call 301-952-3600. start the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. paign. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradi“It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must that won't turn my family end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin. loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vicTwo her House committees the Maryland General Assembly – Appropriashared story with the inaudilogue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow tions and Environment Transportation recommended Friday, ence at the District and Heights Also– present at the approval event was said. March 2 toViolence provide Metro with $150 Mildred million in Muhammad, dedicated funding. Domestic Symposium the The ex-com- Marlow would also like to see mittees increaseHeights the amountwife by $25 million from previous legislaon May agreed 7 at thetoDistrict of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise Municipal Themillion. sympotion that setCenter. aside $125 Both the and Senatetomust still approve whoHouse was sentenced six consecawareness among children in sium was and sponsored the by Gov. the measure it then bebysigned Hogan.without Meanwhile, a group utiveLarry life terms parole public and private schools. She Family and nonprofit Youth organizations Services by of businesses, anda environmental Maryland juryleaders, for his MetroNow, role in feels children need to be educatCenter the citytoof District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. want theoflegislature approve up to $167 million based on the $500 million Heights and the National Hook2002. Mildred Muhammad is and “We have to stop being pasper year. Under that formula, the District would contribute $178 million Up of Black Women. the founder After would the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilVirginia about $154 million. Maryland and the of District contribute Marlow written a book, an organization that helps the dren aboutsystem. domestic violence,” more basedhas on their respective population of riders and stations throughout the transit “Color Me Butterfly,” which to is working a survivors of domestic violenceGeneral Marlow said. and Governor Hogan, as “MetroNow looks forward with leaders in the Maryland Assembly story generations of and their children. worked tois break well asabout leadersfour in Virginia and Washington D.C., to ensure that the minimumMarlow regionalhas commitment made this domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, year,” said coalition leaders in a prepared statement. inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a long time. It is and is confident the policies she and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that her mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. She said every time she reads Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help a Congress and implore them to The country’s first HBCU museum recently opened its doors in the Takoma can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. Park neighborhood in Northwest. And many in the District believe it will be a from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they go into “I will not stop until these poligreat asset to Black students of all ages. Those behind the new museum believe won the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” it will serve as an innovative hub to preserve, develop and disseminate the legacy Books” Award. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached “Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” In addition, the museum has “I was just 16-years-old when of mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net designed serve a platform my eye first blackened and my been “Before youtoget to as 'I'm going for community events, networking and continued education. lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI “For me, what an HBCU does now is make me reflect on being a better Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up person for my culture, not just for me. This was an idea in the works for years. of Black Women, said there is no Just to bring about education and entertainment, you know, SMART entertainconsistency in the way domestic ment,” said Terrence Forte, the museum’s executive director. The HBCU beingby launched by the Forte family and is an initiative led by Terrence’s brother Jason Forte, violence issues Museum are dealtiswith the senior executive director. Terrence Forte added that the museum is a privately-funded and founded entity established to serve “everyone interested, everyone who’s excited and everyone who shares in our values.” “I am working on behalf of my parents’ dreams,” he said, referring to the two Howard University alums, Scafford Fitz-Albert Forte, CPA and Dr. Odette Kathleen Smith-Forte, DDS. For more information and hours, visit thehbcumuseum.com or call 202-627-2094.

Metro Funding Increase Recommended by State Committees

District Welcomes America’s First HBCU Museum

The Washington Informer Newspaper THE WASHINGTON INFORMER InPUBLISHER Memoriam NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Denise RolarkSr. Barnes published weekly on each Thursday. Wilhelmina J. Rolark Periodicals postage paid at Washington, THE D.C.WASHINGTON and additional mailing ofSTAFF INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published fices.weekly News on andThursday. advertising deadline postage Periodicals paid atMcNeir, Washington, D.C. and additional D. Kevin Editor is Monday to News publication. Anmailing prior offices. and advertising Monday prior to publication. Rondeadline Burke,isAdvertising/ Marketing Director nouncements must be received two two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2000 by The Announcements must be received Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POST MASTER: Send change of addressBarnes, Assistant Photo Editor by es The Washington Informer. to The Washington Informer,All3117Lafayette Martin Luther King, IV, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, rightsD.C. reserved. John E.be De Freitas, Sports Editor 20032.POSTMASTER: No part of thisSend publication may reproduced withoutPhoto written permischange addresses to TheThe Washsionoffrom the publisher. Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee Dorothy Rowley, Online Editorthe return of ington Informer, 3117 Martin rates Luther photographs. Subscription are $30 per year, two years $45. Papers be received ZebraDesigns.net, Design & will Layout King,notJr.more Ave.,than S.E.a Washington, D.C. week after publication. Make checks payable to: Mable Neville, Bookkeeper 20032. No part of this publication may Dr. Charles Vincent, Social Sightings columnist be reproduced without written permisTHE WASHINGTON INFORMER sion from the3117 publisher. The Informer Social Media Martin Luther King, Jr.Tatiana Ave., S.E.Moten, • Washington, D.C. Specialist 20032 Newspaper cannot guarantee the return Phone: 202 561-4100 202 574-3785 Angie• Fax: Johnson, Circulation of photographs. Subscription rates are E-mail: news@washingtoninformer.com $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will www.washingtoninformer.com REPORTERS be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, PUBLISHER Cox, Will Ford (Prince George’s Timothy THE WASHINGTON INFORMER Denise Rolark Barnes County Writer), Eve M. Ferguson, Hamil 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E STAFF REPORTERS Harris, Tatyana Hopkins, Jade James-Gist, Washington, D.C. 20032 Brooke N. Garner Managing Editor Tia C.Jr., Jones, Ed Laiscell, Daniel Kucin, D. Kevin McNeir, Lauren Phone: 202 561-4100 Carla Peay Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, Fax: 202 574-3785 Poteat, Dorothy Rowley, Ron Burke Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, JosephBrenda Young Siler, Sarafina news@washingtoninformer.com Wright (General Assignment Writer) Mable Whittaker Bookkeeper www.washingtoninformer.com LaNita Wrenn Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS John E. De Freitas Sports Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, PHOTOGRAPHERS Victor Holt Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic John DesignE. DeFreitas, Joanne Jackson, RoyLassiter, Lewis, Robert Shevry Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster Ridley, Victor Holt

“

We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these Trump Wants Massive Cuts to Food Stamps – policies to Congress and Study Shows Benefits Inadequate implore them to change our The Trump administration recently proposed sweeping reductions to food stamps. But according to a new study, even without those cuts, current benefits laws. I will not stop until do not cover the full cost of meals for a growing number of recipients. The report, released by the Urban Institute and the University of Illinois, these policies asserts that in 99 percent of counties, meals routinely cost more than the maxi-are passed.

“

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

mum benefit now disbursed by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program L.Y. Marlow [SNAP]. The report further indicates that SNAP benefits may already be too Paul Trantham small to fully prevent hunger and related health risks. Meanwhile, the USDA has started the process to tighten eligibility for SNAP benefits. Foodbanks across the U.S. report that they’ve seen gaps as high as 30 percent between the amount of money hungry people need to afford groceries and the amount of money they have to spend on them. 4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com Roy Lewis, Demetrious Kinney, Daniel Kucin, Jr., Mark Mahonny, CIRCULATION Lateef Mangum

4 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

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AROUND THE REGION College Students the Focus at Nonprofit’s Annual Gala

By Ra-Jah S. Kelly WI Contributing Writer

The DC College Access Program, a nonprofit focused on college admittance and retention, celebrated its success with its annual gala that featured an “American Idol”-style competition hosted by local radio celebrity Donnie Simpson, tap dance legend Savion Glover and famed R&B singer Will Downing. For almost two decades, the program has focused on college admittance and retention for District students of both public and charter schools, serving mostly those from low-income, minority, single-parent house-

BARRY from Page 1 a civil rights leader, he served four terms as mayor as well as 16 years on the D.C. Council prior to his death in November 2014. “Marion Barry was a strong, brilliant, brave, courageous and free Black man,” said widow Cora Masters Barry, fighting back tears as she spoke about Barry and their late son, Marion Christopher Barry. “Despite his troubles, despite his difficulties, the underpinning of his total life was that [he] always served the people.” The statue will permanently rest outside of the epicenter of D.C. government and on what Masters Barry calls “America’s main street,” in the form of a waving and smiling memorial. Steven Weitzman designed the sculpture based on hours of studying photographs, video and conversations with Barry’s family and associates. “Among the attributes that I most respected and admired about [Barry] was his courage and his tenacity,” Masters Barry said. “For every young, new, and next leader of color around this nation, let this statue be a source of strength and encouragement to never stop, to never quit, to keep going, be who you are, and let nothing stop you.” Bowser credited Barry for championing home rule, revitalizing neighborhoods such as Chinatown and the H Street corridor, creating programs that helped young people including the still active Summer Youth Employment Program and expanding the city’s middle class of the city’s then majority-Black population. In 2015, Bowser renamed a summer jobs program created by Barry in his honor, and a gravestone mon-

holds who are the first in their families to attend college. But the Feb. 28 gala was all about celebrating the talent of D.C. youth. The citywide talent search began in the fall with more than 250 auditions. In December, the top auditions were posted on the organization’s website for the public to view and vote for their favorites in vocal, instrumental and dance categories. The top 10 finalists in the show showcased their singing, dancing and instrument-playing abilities, with the finalists and top competitors all receiving scholarships. Judged by the celebrity panel and a full house at the Kennedy Cen-

ument was unveiled in 2016 at Congressional Cemetery in Southeast. “Sometime after Martin had a dream and before President Obama gave us hope, Marion Barry provided opportunity,” Bowser said. “Mr. Barry was a larger than life figure — a man who could both lead the protest as an activist and engage the protest as mayor. “He gave hope to those who had lost it and created access to the middle class for Washingtonians who, for years, had been locked out of power and prosperity,” she said. “With this statue, we are preserving a tremendous part of Washington, D.C.’s history, and honoring our ‘Mayor for Life,’ Marion Barry. Many present and past city leaders attended the ceremony, including all 13 members of the city council and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. While city officials and dignitaries shared their thoughts on Barry, residents also reflected on the beloved icon. “I had to come see the statue of the mayor for life — it’s a moment long overdue,” said Ward 5 resident Nikia Butler, 41, of the official honoring of Barry. She said she took time to explain Barry’s impact on the city to her two daughters, ages 9 and 11, on the Metro ride to the ceremony. “I don’t know if they understand now,” Butler said. She said she hopes the statue encourages those who see it to research Barry and learn of his contributions to the city. Ward 8 resident Mariama Mansaray, 28, said Barry “gave young Black people the courage to believe they could be somebody even if they came from the projects or were on Section 8.” WI

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ter, all the students competed with style and grace. The first-place prize and $10,000 college scholarship went to singer Kyree Allen, 17, a Duke Ellington senior. The second- and third-place prizes also went to Ellington seniors — instrumentalist Jeremiah Flack, who won a $6,000 college scholarship, and dancer Keanu Williams, 17, who took home a $4,000 college scholarship. The other student performers each received $2,000 college scholarships. Allen, dazzled with his confident delivery and dynamic singing voice, performing a classic operatic style. “Opera is a great outlet for me to be able to speak to people and into their hearts, and I feel that if I am at least making someone feel something than I doing something right,” he said shortly after his victory. Allen is planning to attend Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, this fall to study vocal performance. WI

5 An eager participant shows off his talent. /Photo courtesy of DC Cap

Public Meeting The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) invites you to review the Washington Union Station Expansion project alternatives that will be advanced for further study in the Environmental Impact Statement and to provide feedback. FRA will share information on program elements, including rail, bus, vehicle transportation, pedestrian, and bicycle planning at the meeting. This meeting is also part of concurrent National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 consultation. Visit www.WUSstationexpansion.com for more project information.

PUBLIC MEETING Thursday, March 22, 2018 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Formal presentations (same presentation at both times): 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Washington Union Station’s Presidential Room (Located in the East Hall, in the former B. Smith’s restaurant space) 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact the project team at info@WUSstationexpansion.com at least seven days prior to the meeting.

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 5 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AROUND THE REGION

WEEK OF MAR 8 - 14, 2018

Source: Black America Web

MARCH 8

1825 – Alexander Thomas Augusta, the first black professor of medicine in the United States and the Army’s first African-American physician, is born in Norfolk, Virginia. 1876 – PBS Pinchback, the nation’s first black governor, is denied by Congress a U.S. Senate seat he won four years earlier. 1993 – Famed jazz singer Billy Eckstine dies in Pittsburgh at 78 from complications following a heart attack.

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1849 – Hallie Quinn Brown, an African-American educator, writer and activist, is born in Pittsburgh. 1913 – Iconic abolitionist and escaped Harriet Tubman dies of pneumonia in Auburn, New York. 1969 – James Earl Ray pleads guilty to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and is sentenced to 99 years in prison.

1972 – Rapper and actor Common is born in Chicago. 1979 – Grenadian politician and revolutionary Maurice Bishop seizes power in a coup in 1979, serving as Prime Minister of the People’s Revolutionary Government of Grenada until 1983, when he is overthrown and executed.

MARCH 14

1794 – Eli Whitney receives a patent for the cotton gin. 1933 – Famous music producer and composer Quincy Jones is born in Chicago. 1977 – Fannie Lou Hamer, voting rights activist, civil rights leader and philanthropist, dies in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, of complications from hypertension and breast cancer at 59. 1999 – Chess player Maurice Ashley beat Adrian Negulescu to become the first black International Grandmaster. WI

1959 – African-American playwright Lorraine Hansberry opens “A Raisin in the Sun” at Barrymore Theatre in New York.

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1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the African slaves who seized control of the Amistad slave ship had been illegally forced into slavery, and thus are free under American law. 1961 – African-American corporate executive, educator and philanthropist Clifton R. Wharton is sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Norway. 1966 – Andrew F. Brimmer is sworn in as the first black governor of the Federal Reserve Board. 1997 – Famed rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is shot and killed in Los Angeles at age 24.

the establishment of Muslim Mosque, Inc., four days after his departure from the Nation of Islam. 1982 – Playwright Charles Fuller wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “A Soldier’s Play,” a story of a black captain’s search for the murderer of a black sergeant on a Louisiana army base during World War II.

1791 – Benjamin Banneker is commissioned by President George Washington as part of a team to survey the District of Columbia. 1955 – Influential bebop saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker dies in New York City of complications from lobar pneumonia and other health issues at 34. 1964 – Malcolm X announced

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VIEW P INT By Sarafina Wright

Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry has been immortalized with a bronze statue on Pennsylvania Avenue. But critics say his missteps make him undeserving of such an honor. What are your thoughts? BILL PETROS, / WASHINGTON, D.C.

There will never be another like Marion. With all his faults, he served our city in a way that few mayors anywhere have ever done. God bring rest to his soul!

SHALANA MILLARD / WASHINGTON, D.C.

Thankful for the genuine compassion and love that Mayor Marion Barry had for the people of this city. It is because of him that as a teenager, I and many others had summer jobs every summer. A great honor for a man who cared deeply about people.

SHIMA BOWSER / WASHINGTON, D.C.

AROUND THE REGION

Quality Assurance Home Improvement Company, Inc. Quality Assurance Home Improvement Company, Inc, based in Fort Washington, MD is a well-established family-owned and operated company in the Washington Metropolitan area. Since opening our doors in 2003, we’ve provided the full range of home improvement services while treating every customer like they were a part of our family. The team at Quality Assurance Home Improvement are proud of their craftmanship and work extremely hard to stand by our name by consistently delivering the highest “QUALITY” work on each home improvement project. The company has seen steady growth over the years and continues to take on a wide range of projects from kitchens, bathrooms, basements, sunrooms, to large two-story room additions. At Quality Assurance Home Improvement, irrespective of the project size, we ensure that all projects receive the same level of customer services and we take pride in our customer-focused reputation of providing extraordinary customer services. Other companies may offer similar services, but our services are the best, and come with a personal touch. Quality Assurance Home Improvement has provided services to countless happy customers over the years by going above and beyond customer’s expectations. If you want quality workmanship call the experts at Quality Assurance Home Improvement Company, Inc. We are Licensed, Bonded, and Insured. We are also licensed through the Environment Protection Agency. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) determined that Quality Assurance Home Improvement meets BBB accreditation standards, and has ranked the company with an A+ rating for the past 15 years straight. We also have an outstanding rating with Angie’s List. If you want to learn more about our customer satisfaction please visit us at http:// www.fortwashingtonhomecontractors.com/. If you want a great customer experience on your next home improvement project call Jeffrey Watson, CEO, Quality Assurance Home Improvement at 301-248-3325 for a free estimate today.

It seems people are upset that his base supported him, despite his flaws. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

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Great man. Smart man. He deserved this statue. He has history in D.C., like starting the summer youth program and more things. Haters will be haters. Rest in peace to a great man.

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8 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

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Social media has gone ballistic with tweets and retweets of a little Black girl photographed looking at a recently-featured painting of former first lady Michelle Obama at one of the District’s museums. Standing before the portrait, the child seems almost mesmerized – a vision that moved Sister Michelle to meet and spend time with the precious little girl – dancing with little Parker as if they were longtime friends. The encounter reminded me of women in my life whose unconditional love, personal sacrifices and undaunted examples of overcoming overwhelming odds and circumstances remain etched in my mind and heart forever. The list of superwomen who helped me stand whenever I fell, who encouraged me when I was ready to give up and who wrapped me in the safety of their arms and perfumed bosoms is longer than I can share. Sadly, only two remain: my sister and my mother. The others have since heard those powerful words, “Well done my good and

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faithful servant,” and been invited to soar once more as spirits and one with God. Their stories will never be featured in Black history books. The valleys from which they escaped and the mountains they conquered won’t be highlighted on the pages of newspapers or discussed on strings of social media entries. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve such notice. That’s why I must continue to honor and share their stories, sacrifices and successes. These women, my mother, adopted mothers, godmothers, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, teachers, preachers and even gray-haired women I barely knew who lived on the street in Detroit where they taught me how to move from being a carefree little Black boy to a responsible, honest man, were more than just ordinary, non-descript Black women. They were superwomen – greater than Supergirl, more than a member of the Avengers, more than the Black Panther’s female, fellow warriors. How else could they have survived being abandoned on the streets of Baltimore at the age of 12 like my grandmother did? How could they have emerged unscathed despite constant physical and emotional abuse suffered at the hands of their husbands yet finding ways to protect me, my cousins and my childhood friends from facing even more painful examples of abuse? How did they end years of alcoholism and depression without the assistance of 12 step programs to become brand new women? How did they see something in me that I could not – possibilities of great promise that required a shove, a tug, a foot in my behind or a gentle kiss on my cheek in order to propel me forward, refocused so that I could achieve what the world told little Black boys like me were noth-

ing more than just “unrealistic, impossible dreams?” Where did they find the exact amount of cash I needed when college fees threatened to leave me just short of earning my degree, when downsizing-minded employers left me with a check so small that I wondered how I’d pay the rent or buy groceries and when youthful, foolish antics got me in trouble with the police, facing the prospect of becoming another Black male statistic in the prison industrial complex – that is, until SHE stepped in? I haven’t gone to see the new portrait of Michelle Obama. Not yet. You see, I’ve been busy lately, removing the dust that’s accumulated on the photos in our family’s albums and looking at the faces of the once forgotten sheroes of my life – wondering how they did it over and over again. Then it dawned on me that if they did it, so can I. It helped me slap myself, chastise myself for finding it so easy to blame my failures and shortcomings on the seemingly never-ending list of tasks that now exist on my list of “to do’s.” It’s easy to find reasons for dropping balls, for arriving late, for forgetting and failing to make good on promises that you’ve made. Sometimes I even have felt like crawling back into bed, pulling down the shades and placing the covers over my eyes. Then I remember the superwomen in my life and I am both ashamed and convicted. And so, I’ve found the strength and courage to start climbing again, climbing my personal mountains, refusing to look back at the valleys where I once felt so comfortable. My superwomen, my unsung sheroes, will forever be the “First Ladies” of my life. And they have made all the difference. Who are yours? WI

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WHEN: 10:00am-2:00 pm WHERE: Blackburn Center AROUND THE REGION 2400 Sixth Street, N.W.

Residency Fraud Alleged at Duke Ellington School of the Arts By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer An internal investigation reported by The Washington Post found that out of a sample of

100 students at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, more than half are not D.C. residents and do not pay non-resident tuition of approximately $12,000 per year.

5 Duke Ellington School of the Arts. /Courtesy photo

Multiple news outlets reported that the information was shared with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in December, but only became public in February. OSSE Superintendent Hanseul Kang said that the investigation at Ellington is ongoing. When the investigation is complete, OSSE will send the information to the attorney general’s office for possible prosecution. In 2011, the District enacted a law that requires the attorney general’s office to get parents to pay financially and legally for violating residency rules. D.C. Council member David Grosso, chair of the council’s education committee, said he is frustrated by the latest in a line of recent missteps for the public schools system. “The number of scandals plaguing our education system is staggering,” Grosso said. “I am particularly frustrated and

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disturbed by [the] revelation of an alleged cover-up by the Office of the State Superintendent for Education, and possibly the Office of the Attorney General, into an investigation of residency fraud in order to politically benefit the mayor. “Such actions are beyond un-

acceptable,” he said. “We cannot tackle the public education challenges D.C. faces when this administration continues to withhold public information from residents, the Council, and the Committee on Education.” WI

PARTICIPATINGfor SCHOOLSEDUCATORS and SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCLUDE: JOB FAIR (teachers, counselors, administrators, school/ counseling/

Achieducational evement Prep (DC), Alpsychologists) bemarle County (VA), Alexandria City (VA), Alliance for Progress Charter Schools (PA), Area Cooperative Ed. Serv. (CT), Arlington (VA), Atlanta (GA), Baltimore County (MD), Thursday, March 29, 2018 Boston (MA), Charles County (MD), Calvert County (MD), Cleveland Metropolitan (OH), Community HS DiHoward strict 218 (IL), DemocracyUniversity Prep (NY), Department of Defense (US), District of Columbia, District of Education ColSchool umbia Prep, Fairof fax County (VA), Frederick County (MD), Frederick County (VA), Harford County WHEN: 10:00am-2:00 pm WHERE: Blackburn Center (MD), Harlem Children’s Zone (NY), Howard County (Street, MD), Howard University Middle School, Ingenuity 2400 Sixth N.W. Prep (DC), Kansas City (MO), KIPP Chicago (IL), Loudoun County (VA), Mastery Charter (PA), Meriden (CT), Middletown (CT), Montgomery County (MD), New York City (NY), Newport News (VA), Noble Network (IL), Oak Park and River Forest (IL), Philadelphia (PA), Prince George’s County (MD), Prince PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS and SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCLUDE: Wil iam County (VA), Princeton (NJ), Richmond (VA), Salem City (VA), San Francisco Unified District (CA), Achievement Prep (DC), Albemarle County (VA), Alexandria City (VA), Alliance for Progress Charter Schools (PA), Area Cooperative SoutheastEd.DelServ.co (P(CT), A), St. Arlington Patrick’s Epi(VA), scopalAtlanta (DC), St.(GA), ColettaBaltimore of WashinCounty gton (DC),(MD), Syracuse City (NY), The Boston (MA), Charles County (MD), Calvert County (MD), Cleveland Metropolitan (OH), Community HS District 218 (IL), Democracy Prep (NY), Department of Defense (US), District of Columbia, District of Key School The Potomac Thurgood Marshal Uncommon Columbia Prep, Fairfax County (VA),(MD), Frederick County School (MD), (VA), Frederick County (VA),l (DC), Harford County Schools (NY), West (MD), Harlem Children’s Zone (NY), Howard County (MD), Howard University Middle School, Ingenuity Prep (DC), Kansas City (MO), (VA), tMastery (PA),WiMeriden ContraKIPPCostaChicago Unified(IL), DistriLoudoun ct (CA), WestCountyIrondequoi Central DiCharter strict (NY), l iamsburg-James City (VA) (CT), Middletown (CT), Montgomery County (MD), New York City (NY), Newport News (VA), Noble Network (IL), Oak Park and River Forest (IL), Philadelphia (PA), Prince George’s County (MD), Prince … (NJ), Richmond (VA), Salem City (VA), San Francisco Unified District (CA), William County (VA), Princeton Southeast Delco (PA), St. Patrick’s Episcopal (DC), St. Coletta of Washington (DC), Syracuse City (NY), The Key School (MD), The Potomac School (VA), Thurgood Marshall (DC), Uncommon Schools (NY), West Contra Costa Unified District (CA), West Irondequoit Central District (NY), Williamsburg-James City (VA) …

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Check your refund status Submit requested documents Reach online help through e-Services Verify your tax return Make quick payments via eCheck, credit or debit card • Request an online payment agreement Safeguarding the Identity and Tax Dollars of the District’s Residents and Government Government of the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer Office of Tax and Revenue 1101 4th Street, SW, Suite 270 West Washington, DC 20024 Phone: (202) 759-1946 Email: e-Services.otr@dc.gov

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 9 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

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5 Dorie A. Ladner, receives alumni award in social work from Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick and Stacy J. Mobley during the Charter Day Dinner held at the Hilton Hotel in Northwest on Saturday, March 3. /Photo by Roy Lewis

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10 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

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District’s Youth Honor Barry's Legacy

AROUND THE REGION

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer

Ahead of the unveiling of a commemorative bronze statue of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry Jr. outside of city hall, students remembered the legacy of the “Mayor for Life” in an essay oratorical contest as part of a symposium highlighting Barry’s work and contributions in the District. The inaugural Marion Barry Jr. Symposium, held Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the University of the District of Columbia, included a panel discussion about the social, political and economic impact of Barry’s work. Six finalists them faced off in the essay contest, reciting essays on the topic, “What the life of Marion Barry means to me and my community in today’s time.” All of the participants were products of Barry’s Youth Leadership Institute, a year-round training and development program for city youths that helped create a platform for the State Board of Education’s Ward 8 representative Markus Batchelor, currently the city’s current youngest elected official. “How did the son of a sharecropper become one of the most — if not the most — influential people of the nation’s capital?” said Lauren Brown, 16, of Woodrow Wilson High School. “Marion Barry was known as a champion for young people. … I am his legacy.” The students reflected on Barry’s work as an activist and politician, noting his involvement in the civil rights movement and his elections to the Board of Education, the city council and, most notably, his four terms as mayor. Barry gained national attention

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5 Young and old teamed up for a symposium on the legacy of Marion Barry. /Photo by Tatyana Hopkins

after a drug-related arrest in 1990, but many of the contestants said his legacy in the District extends beyond the controversy, citing his efforts to open up the District government to African-American residents to expand employment opportunities and economic prosperity in the city. “People in my family and many other D.C. residents remember Marion Barry as the person who gave them their first job, as the person who got them off the streets and into the voting booths and as the man who helped them learn how to become financially independent,” said Jerra Holdip, 16, who took second place in the contest and a $200 prize. Many of the student orators said despite the controversy Barry is often associated with, they have many reasons to look up to him. “It was made clear that Marion Barry was not perfect, but he was indeed perfect for the city,” said Nathaniel Mitchell, 15, of D.C.

International High School, referring to Barry’s 1992 slogan. Some said his work remains relevant. “The same issues Marion Barry worked on the 1970s still seem to be the Achilles heel of Black Americans in D.C. today,” said Miles Peterson, 16, who won third place in the contest and $100. Ramani Wilson, 16, moved judges and won first place along with a $300 prize. All other contestants took home $50. “Despite countless attempts of people trying to ruin his image and diminish his influence, Barry never backed down,” Wilson said. “In a society where history and politics was solely written by White Americans for centuries, Barry set the precedent for many people.” The Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute is now accepting applications. To view the complete essays, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS INVESTMENT BROKERAGE AND ADVISORY SERVICES The DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA), located at 815 Florida Ave, NW, Wash., DC, requests proposals qualified vendors to provide investment brokerage services to include the purchase and sale of investment securities which may include bonds, obligations, treasury securities and equities (collectively “Investment Services”) for the Agency. Preference is given to CBE’s and companies located in the District of Columbia. For the detailed RFP visit our website at www.dchfa.org or contact Keami Estep at (202) 777-1600 or via email at procurement@dchfa.org. Deadline for submission of responses is Wednesday, April 4, 2018 @4:00pm ET. Questions deadline is Monday, March 12, 2018 at Noon.

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 11 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Dozens Pursue Prince George’s Council Seats By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Optimists proclaim Prince George’s County as a majority-Black enclave ripe with jobs fit for young professionals and middle-class families. Pessimists view it as a place where school officials go unchecked, domestic violence-related crimes pervade and foreclosed properties linger. To improve Prince George’s from a policy perspective, 42 people have declared candidacy in the June 26 Democratic primary election for nine district seats and two of the new at-large spots on the 11-member county council. With five current council members term-limited and two more seeking re-election, voters could ultimately elect up to nine new people. Here’s a list of the candidates on the ballot, which can also be found at http://bit.ly/2HYTNjf.

11; and political neophytes Melvin Bernard Johnson, Julian Lopez, Reginald Tyer and Jonathan White.

The two at-large seats have drawn the most interest, with nine hopefuls declaring candidacy, which hold responsibility to govern the entire county. Voters approved to amend the charter in 2016 that not only allows a person to serve for two consecutive four-year terms, but also permit current council members whose terms expire this year to run for the positions. Councilman Mel Franklin (D-District 9) of Upper Marlboro and Councilwoman Karen Toles (D-District 7) of Suitland are pursuing the seats. The other seven candidates: Juanita Culbrith-Miller, a member of the county’s Revenue Authority and former commissioner on the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission; Calvin Hawkins, senior adviser to Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III; Gerron S. Levi, a former state delegate from 2007-

Councilwoman Deni Taveras of Adelphi prepares for a second, fouryear term, but will face Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth in the primary. Before state lawmakers overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto against paid sick leave, Taveras sought to push similar legislation on a county level more than two years ago. Taveras also received an endorsement from Progressive Maryland. Hollingsworth, Hyattsville’s mayor since 2015, is the city’s youngest and first African American mayor. Prior to becoming the city’s leader, she was elected in 2011 to the City Council.

AT-LARGE

12 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

DISTRICT 1

Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe and former County Councilman Tom Dernoga seek the open seat left by Councilwoman Mary Lehman to oversee the county’s northern tier that includes Laurel, Beltsville and Calverton. Moe, who’s serving his fourth mayoral term, created “City Hall in the Park” where he would hold meetings and discuss city issues outside. He also helped lead the effort to keep Laurel Regional Hospital open. Dernoga, an attorney who resides in Laurel and endorsed by Progressive Maryland, served on council from 2002-10 and chosen as its chair twice. He’s participated in various community forums such as whether to expand the council before voters approved it in 2016. Dernoga opposed the council expansion.

DISTRICT 2

DISTRICT 5

The seat becomes open due to term limits for Councilwoman Andrea Harrison. Harrison will run for state delegate in the 24th legislative

5Because of term limits and the addition of two at-large seats, several new faces could be elected to Prince George’s County Council this year. /File photo by William J. Ford

district. Five people filed to obtain the seat that covers municipalities and neighborhoods such as Bladensburg, Cheverly and Landover, which houses the new Fairmount Heights High School and FedEx Field. Former state Delegate Jolene Ivey, wife of former county State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey, manages her own communications company. Her website lists several endorsements that include various unions, Progressive Maryland and CASA de Maryland. Former Fairmount Heights Mayor Patricia Waiters also joined the field after she lost her bid to retain the mayoral seat in May by almost 20 votes. The other three candidates are Rochelle Mincey-Thompson, a human resources executive, Walter Lee James Jr. and Albert Slocum.

DISTRICT 6

Councilman Derrick Leon Davis of Upper Marlboro has two other men challenging him for the seat that represents District Heights, Kettering and portions of Upper Marlboro. The district is considered the heart of Prince George’s where some of the county offices will relocate to Largo and house the new $543 million regional medical center near the Largo Metro station. Although Davis was elected in a special election in September 2011, he didn’t serve a full, four-year term. He was elected to a first term in 2014 and seeks a second, consecutive term this year. The other two candidates in the race are Ryan Christopher Greene, an author and founder of GreenHouse Media, and Duane Anthony Staples.

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DISTRICT 7

With Toles being term-limited, a new person will oversee Capitol Heights, Hillcrest Heights and Seat Pleasant, hometown of NBA star Kevin Durant, who visited Suitland High School on Feb. 27 to donate $10 million for disadvantaged students to attend college. The money will come through his foundation at the Durant Center scheduled to open later this year in Seat Pleasant. Eight people who filed their candidacies to seek the open seat are: Karen Anderson, president of the Suitland Civic Association; Bruce Branch, a community activist who owns a communications company; Michele Clarke, member of county teacher’s union; Krystal Oriadha, co-chair of Progressive Maryland’s county chapter. The other candidates are Air Force veteran BJ Paige, Army veteran Gary Lee Falls Jr., Juan Stewart Jr. and Rodney Colvin Streeter.

DISTRICT 8

Councilman Obie Patterson, who also served in the state legislature, chose not to seek one of the two at-large seats and possibly retire from politics. The Fort Washington resident plans to still remain active in the community. In meantime, five people seek to obtain the seat that governs Camp Springs, Oxon Hill and one the county’s biggest property taxpayer, MGM National Harbor casino resort. Delegate Tony Knotts (D-District 26) of Fort Washington ended months of speculation about his pursuit for County Council. Knotts officially filed for his candidacy Feb. 26, one day before the filing deadline.

Another candidate, Monique Anderson Walker, works as a principal broker for Fleur de Lis, a real estate company in Oxon Hill. She’s also the wife of Delegate Jay Walker (D-District 26) of Fort Washington. The other candidates are Carlton C. Carter, a former school principal who made an unsuccessful bid in 2016 for school board; Karen Elizabeth Porter and Markida Lynette Walker.

DISTRICT 9

Eight candidates seek the open seat held by Franklin, who’s taking his “jobs first” platform for a run at the at-large seat due to term limits. The person to govern this seat will help lead the area known as South County, including Accokeek, parts of Upper Marlboro and Brandywine at the Charles County border.

THE CANDIDATES INCLUDE:

• Sydney Harrison, a clerk for the county’s Circuit Court • Tamara Davis Brown, a lawyer who received an endorsement from Progressive Maryland and opened her campaign headquarters Saturday, March 3 in Accokeek • Rodney C. Taylor, associate director of Prince George’s Animal Management Division and Orlando Barnes, a lawyer and former county police officer • Jeffrey Rascoe, who runs a nonprofit organization called Cementing Foundations Inc. to assist men and their roles as fathers The other candidates are Tanya J. Brooks, Navy veteran Kevin Harris and Daren L. Hester. For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer.com. WI

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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Vignarajah Pushes Policies to Fight Sexual Harassment, Bolster Education By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Krish Vignarajah, onetime policy director for former first lady Michelle Obama, is now part of a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls looking to oust Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in the November general election. After a Feb. 24 gubernatorial forum in Baltimore, the Gaithersburg native sat down to discuss her campaign. Here are some of her thoughts, in her own words:

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

I applaud the [Maryland] Women’s Caucus [for taking] this issue on. They had serious and substantive deliberation before they put out their recommendations. Candidly when I talk to women across the state, none of this is news to us. This kind of environment has been in boardrooms or classrooms, in Hollywood, or in Annapolis. For me, it’s why I rolled out a policy on sexual harassment and violence. It is very much aligned with what the Women’s Caucus substantively put out. For me, the focus has been on three main areas. One, to create the first-ever Office of Sexual Harassment and Violence. It is really focused on making

sure survivors come forward and they find a system that will support them. There will be wraparound services provided and addressing related issues like the backlog on rape kits. Second, establish a standard that every person running for office, every person seeking a public commission, every business seeking to do business with government declares they have never engaged in sexual harassment or violence, or sought to cover it up. That’s the gold standard we should be expecting of our electors. It’s just a matter of disclosure. It’s the same way if you’ve been convicted of a felony, you’re required to disclose that. If you’ve committed sexual harassment or violence against woman, you should be required to disclose that. The third part of it is making sure we undertake educational efforts. Not just at the high school level, but at the middle school level. It is also when our children are mature enough to understand these concepts of appropriate and inappropriate behavior of consent and a lack of consent.

HOUSING

We have tens of thousands of homes under foreclosure. We have vacant lots. We have homes that become dilapidated, especially in the city [of Baltimore]. We spend something like $70 million to address dilapidated

homes. It’s one of those things that’s a domino effect. If you see one home foreclosed on, it’s more likely in that neighborhood you will have prices depressed. It’s about three things. One, how do we better coordinate between the local, state and federal levels? They are programs that are in place to try and address to help people. Because it is such a messy system, no one knows where to go for what kind of help. The homebuying incentive, for example, is a great way for a distressed property and we help people purchase those properties, we would do a lot better than what we are doing right now. When it comes to a lot of the broader redevelopment that we need to see, that’s where public-private partnerships need to come in.

EDUCATION

Sometimes we stigmatize those kids who are going to come out of high school. If they can get the vocational training they need, they can become plumbers, electricians. That is a great track for them to go. We shouldn’t assume, or expect, or require, that every kid has to go to a two-year, or four-year college. Every kid who wants to go to a two-year or four-year college, I want to make sure they can. I want to provide free community college. There are a few community colleges that

5 Krish Vignarajah /Photo by William J. Ford

do that, but not all across the state. This is where if we can make it free, the kids will come. At Woodlawn High School, I went back to talk to the kids recently. They now have a program where you can get your [associate’s] degree in high school. Kids are signing up because they know our economic climate is becoming so much more competitive. It sure does help if you come out with some kind of degree. What we [must] prioritize: investing in universal pre-K for 4-year-olds. It’s going to be about fixing the funding in inequities. Rebuilding our crumbling schools. I learned this from Michelle Obama: no child can give their teacher full attention on an empty stomach. I want to make sure that every

child can have a hot, healthy breakfast and lunch [before and after care program]. I also want to invest in science and technology, engineering, arts, civic education and math. Not just at the high school level, but also the middle and elementary levels. [Trump’s election] taught us if we don’t start teaching our kids to be productive, engaged citizens, then we’re going to have a more divided and disengaged electoral base, and that’s a problem. Trump’s election should be a rude awakening for us of what happens when we don’t educate our kids to be citizens. For the full version of this story, go to washingtoninformer. com. WI

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 13 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN THE NEWS

Compiled by Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer

COUNTY LEADERS CALL FOR STRICTER GUN LAWS

Political leaders, police and students rallied Monday on the steps of the Montgomery County Council Office Building in Rockville to demand stricter gun laws. In the wake of last month’s mass shooting at a Florida high school, students nationwide have staged demonstrations to call for tougher

gun laws, including a ban on assault-style weapons. Maryland, which has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, already prohibits assault-style rifles and limits the number of firearms that can be purchased at one time. Additionally, gun buyers in the state must be fingerprinted and are required to complete a gun safety training program. “When the president comes out and says ‘let’s arm teachers’ — this is just so crazy, it’s beyond belief,” said Montgomery County Council

5 Political leaders, police and students protest for tighter gun control during a March 5 rally at the Montgomery County Council Office in Rockville. /Courtesy of patch.com

member Roger Berliner. “What is insane is having weapons of mass destruction readily available, and that’s what assault rifles are — they are weapons of mass destruction.” According to WTOP, critics of stricter gun control say ratcheting up gun laws won’t increase safety, pointing out federal laws already on

the books but not properly enforced.

MORE SNOW BEFORE SPRING

Though March brings winter to an end, weather experts say the region might just be hit with a bit more snow before spring arrives. According to The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang, snowfall is possible in the coming days as multiple cold fronts move through the region. A storm predicted to arrive Thursday night and carry into early Friday is expected to leave a light dusting. Another coastal storm could pass through the D.C. metropolitan region late Sunday evening, though meteorologists are uncertain of its path.

COUNTY STILL HOPEFUL FOR AMAZON

Amazon could create 101,000 jobs, bring in $17 billion per year in economic activity and generate $7.7 billion in annual wages if the company opens its second headquarters in Montgomery County, according to a recent study commissioned by the county and the state’s Department of Commerce. The county is one of 20 finalists under consideration by the online retail giant to be the home of its sec-

5 County officials hope to lure the new Amazon headquarters. /Courtesy of capitalatplay.com

ond headquarters, joining other locales such as D.C., Northern Virginia, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Nashville, Tennessee. To strengthen Montgomery County’s bid, Gov. Larry Hogan is reportedly offering a $5 billion incentive plan that includes $3 billion in grants and tax incentives and $2 billion in road, transit and related improvements. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and other county leaders have kept quiet on where exactly the headquarters would be built, but severest media outlets have reported that the county is mulling a location at White Flint Plaza in North Bethesda. WI

5 Montgomery County could see a bit more snowfall before winter’s end. / Courtesy of rasevic.com

14 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

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BUSINESS D.C. to Revitalize Areas through Federal Program By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer Nestled within the $1.5 trillion federal tax cut enacted in December lies a little-known prospect for struggling communities. The newly established Opportunity Zones program seeks to steer investment capital into cities left out of economic recovery, and it has caught the attention of government officials and mayors across the country, including in the District. The program provides tax incentives for investors to invest in communities experiencing low income and extreme poverty rates. “As we continue building a safer, stronger D.C., the Opportunity Zones program is a new tool we can use to strengthen neighborhoods throughout our city,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. City officials and supporters of the program say it could promote economic vitality in underserved areas, create funding for workforce and affordable housing development and upgrade underutilized assets through capital improvements. Local government officials must submit their selected tracts to the federal government by March 21, and as government officials across the country scramble to make their choices by the fast-approaching deadline, the Bowser administration is spearheading the District’s efforts. Every state, including the District, can choose up to 25 percent of eligible census tracts as Opportunity Zones. In D.C., 97 census tracts meet the program’s eligibility requirements, and it can choose up to 25 census tracts to participate in the program. Last week, the administration sought public input on Opportunity Zones, opening a web-

based survey for city residents to weigh in on possible locations. “We want our decision to be informed by residents and stakeholders so that we can use this tool as effectively as possible and catalyze the types of investments that will create more pathways to the middle class for Washingtonians,” Bowser said. The city has identified 18 possible zones and will take public input on the remaining seven which are grouped into three categories: east of the river, retail corridors and creative industries and manufacturing. The survey will close March 12. Though many have rallied to support the program, including Ron Busby of U.S. Black Chambers and Napster creator and early Facebook investor Sean Parker, questions remain about how fairly the zones will be designated to eligible census tracts nationwide, and whether additional tax breaks to investors actually helps distressed residents or opens up the door for gentrification. According to Governing magazine, half of the city’s qualified low-income neighborhoods have already gentrified in the past several years including the NoMa neighborhoods and the area surrounding the new D.C. United stadium at Buzzard Point. “By designating those areas as opportunity zones, the D.C. government can wipe out the tax bill that would otherwise apply to sale of those developments,” said Brooking Institution’s Adam Looney. “The same is true for gentrifying hot spots like the Shaw, LeDroit Park, Truxton Circle, Mount Pleasant and Brookland neighborhoods.” The subsidy based on capital appreciation includes no provisions to retain existing residents or to maintain or expand affordable housing, making it unclear whether the lowest-income resi-

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dents will benefit from the program. “The value of the tax subsidy is ultimately dependent on rising property values, rising rents, and higher business profitability,” Looney said. “That means a state’s Opportunity Zones could also serve as a subsidy for displacing local residents in favor of higher-income professionals and the businesses that cater to them — a subsidy for gentrification.” For the full version of this story and details of possible Opportunity Zones in D.C., go to washingtoninformer.com. WI

5 A D.C. community undergoing revitalization. /Courtesy photo

Estate Planning, What’s That? By Aimee Griffin The Griffin Firm has a primary purpose of educating and creating estate plans. We have given presentations to thousands of people and have written articles for print and on line. We are immersed in the world and so I am surprised and amazed at the number of people who don’t know what we are talking about when we use the term “estate plan”. I believe that my people perish for the lack of knowledge. Therefore, we are committed to building the knowledge base of those whose lives we touch. Estate planning is taking active steps to preserve, protect and transfer assets beyond our life time. We start by asking 3 questions. What happens if you are sick and are unable to make decisions and actions for yourself? What happens when you die to your body and your stuff? What is the legacy that you would like to leave to your family and community? If we become sick and are unable to make financial decisions or pay our bills we should have someone identified to act on our behalf. We also should identify someone to carry out our wishes regarding our health care decisions if we cannot articulate them for ourselves. Unfortunately, we don’t always plan for this and in our most vulnerable condition someone could step up who does not have the integrity or sophistication to manage the assets that are necessary. More and more we are hearing about financial exploitation of the most vulnerable. . A Power of Attorney is a document that can enable someone to act on our behalf for financial and business matters during our life time. The Power of Attorney continues to be effective through our lifetime or revocation. It is helpful if we lose capacity through dementia or illness. We need to be mindful on how to protect our assets. We should be positioning our businesses, homes and property to avoid the probate court, creditor liens, minimize taxation among other considerations. Our future planning to avoid law suits is as important as considering how to protect our assets from divorces of our children and nursing home stays. When you pass away, although we don’t want to think about it, there are decisions to be made regarding how you want to honor your life. Many times those who are left behind are making the decisions without guidance. Sometimes the person to be honored has left directions or feedback as to what they would like to have happen. Sometimes there are disputes within the family and friends about the preferences. In a time of grief, we typically want those we care about to have as little additional distress as possible. We can make the decisions about how we would like to plan our final party. The Last Will & Testament is a document that most people have heard of but not necessarily created. The Will gives the Probate court the directions that are needed to distribute your assets after passing. It is a process that is managed and directed by the Court. If you haven’t created your own Will the court will apply the law of intestacy to your assets and distribute them according to the formula. All assets that you own solely in your name that do not have a beneficiary designation must go through the probate process. If there is a need or desire to avoid the Probate process steps to create a Trust must be taken. I believe it is most empowering to leave a legacy that will position your loved ones and your community better as a result of your life. There are many ways to support our loved ones but it is not going to simply happen if we don’t make a plan. Providing the education of our grandchildren may be as impactful as leaving a community organization an endowment. Very little happens without a plan. Estate planning has been used to create great empires. The absence of a plan has been the devolution of many assets and families. Make the decision to leave a legacy of greatness and strength for your family. Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 440, Washington DC 20015 www.thegriffinfirm-PLLC.com 202-379-4738

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 15 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

NATIONAL D.C. Slammed in Report for Treatment of Mentally Ill By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer The human and economic costs of failing to make needed improvements are substantial and, according to a new report, among the many problems persons with behavioral disorders face is a revolving door of incarceration, treatment, relapse or decompensation, and re-incarceration, often for minor, non-dangerous offenses. The new report, “Improving Mental Services and Outcomes for All: the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health and the Justice

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System,” was released by the Office of the District of Columbia Office Auditor on Feb. 26. The Council for Court Excellence provided the 191-page document to address the D.C.’s Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and its interactions with the criminal justice system. The authors said it’s based on a tremendous amount of research conducted over the past 18 months that analyzed how DBH interacts with justice-involved consumers and the effectiveness of those interactions. Research included nearly 60 interviews, totaling more than 150

hours, with DBH staff, stakeholders, community behavioral health providers, leading academic experts and current and former senior officials of forensic departments of other mental health agencies from around the country. It also included focus groups with consumers, advocates and providers, surveys of those groups, a review of forensic behavioral health practices in other jurisdictions, analysis of D.C. law and municipal regulations, and a thorough review of DBH internal documents and data. “As explained in detail in the report, we found that DBH has many areas for improvement, not only in its direct interactions with justice-involved consumers, but also department-wide,” wrote attorneys Michael Hays and Barry Coburn, the report’s co-chairs. “DBH’s shortcomings have several bases — structural deficiencies related to the agency’s organizational hierarchy; leadership issues that hinder progress and do not foster healthy work environments; inconsistent and inadequate funding support for community providers; inadequate and ineffective data tracking and management; and poor strategic vision. “While we found that much of

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5A new report chides D.C. for its handling of the mentally ill in the criminal justice system. /Photo by WNYC

its staff are passionate about their work and are dedicated to improving the agency’s operations, we also found that DBH has much room for improvement,” the co-chairs wrote. “We hope that this report will provide impetus toward such further improvement.” Among the key findings in the report were that professionals without proper training are looked upon to decide whether suspected criminals are competent to stand trial. They also found that patients are being unnecessarily held at the public psychiatric hospital. Researchers discovered that department fell short in its basic obligation to evaluate the mental fitness of defendants. It said the department should do more to make sure they get treatment and resources such as housing to help them stay out of the criminal justice system. “There’s this revolving door of incarceration, treatment and relapse and re-incarceration for often minor and nonviolent offenses,” Hays said. “The costs in human misery and economic costs to D.C. government are substantial.” Researchers have also urged Mayor Muriel Bowser to do more to scrutinize DBH Director Tanya Royster and Nicole Johnson, who oversaw forensic psychologists who evaluate defendants. The report also found that turnover has been high and, in some instances, evaluators responsible for figuring out whether suspects could assist in their legal defenses didn’t understand basics about the legal system. It also found that there are long wait lists for housing and those deemed competent to stand trial are stuck at St. Elizabeths Psychiatric Hospital in Southeast because of delays. The report recommends that the D.C. Council mandate forensics training and board certifications for

the evaluators. “This is the kind of thing you can’t just ignore and hope it goes away,” said At-Large D.C. Council Member David Grosso. “It has not gotten better. It’s gotten worse,” Ward 7 Councilman Vince Gray, who chairs the council’s health committee, said he’s especially concerned about the direction of the District’s behavioral health system. “This thorough and thoughtful audit report outlines 25 findings and 77 recommendations,” Gray said, noting that neither Royster nor anyone at DBH contested the findings of the report. “It paints a picture of an agency that is failing in its core mission of serving District residents with mental health and substance abuse issues, especially those people who have mental health problems and are involved with the criminal justice system.” The councilman highlighted the report’s detailed deficiencies throughout DBH focusing on areas such as inadequate training and clinical experience for psychologists and psychiatrists in forensic services, waiting list and length of stay irregularities at St. Elizabeth’s; a lack of institutional support for Core Services Agencies; and a pattern of inappropriate hiring decisions and promotions. “It is clear from the report that forensic sciences at the Department of Behavioral Health are in disarray and the agency has failed to support a network of Core Services Agencies that are the front-line services providers,” Gray said. “This agency is responsible for caring for the needs of some of the District’s most vulnerable residents, and it has been moving in the wrong direction each of the last three years. Part of those failures are certainly attributable to a lack of budgetary support from the Mayor, but there are also management failures that point directly at Dr. Royster.” WI

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INTERNATIONAL Compiled by Lauren Poteat / WI Contributing Writer

Africa’s Richest Man Builds School in Nigeria

5 Aliko Dangote /Courtesy of face2faceafrica.com

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, just donated a $3.5 million building to the Bayero University, Kano in northern Nigeria. The building, which is named after the Nigerian billionaire, will be the site of the newly established Dangote Business School. During the opening ceremony, which included Kano State Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Dangote told guests that the school was part of his contributions toward driving entrepreneurship education at the highest level in Nigeria. “My goal for this business school is for it to become a reference point when it comes to learning how to do business successfully in Nigeria and in Africa,” Dangote said in a statement. The Dangote Business School has been accredited by the National Universities Commission and will be first business school in Nigeria to offer the Doctor of Business Administration program, with a potential to have direct partnerships with Harvard University.

S. Africa Meat Imports Banned Amid Listeria Outbreak

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Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi and Botswana have all recalled South African processed meat products after an outbreak of listeria, a relatively rare but potentially deadly bacteria caused from eating contaminated food. Distributors in South Africa have already issued a recall, but the nearby countries are still taking extra precautions to ensure citizen safety. The outbreak, believed to be the largest ever worldwide, has killed 180 people in South Africa, according to the United Nations. Though the infection affects primarily children, it also can affect adults with weak immune systems, causing flu-like symptoms. Zambia’s high commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba, urged South African retail chain stores operating in Zambia to recall ready-to-eat meat products imported from that country following the confirmation of the source of the bacteria. The Malawi Competition and Fair Trading Commission on Monday asked wholesalers and retailers to remove imported meat products from 5 The bacteria listeria can greatly affect a South Africa from their shelves, and Namibia on Monday suspended person’s immune system. /Courtesy of draxe. com imports of processed meat.

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South Africa to Play Wales in D.C.

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5 A South African midfielder takes on a defender. /Courtesy of usaafricaonline.com

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South Africa’s soccer team will play Wales in D.C. on June 2 at RFK Stadium, former home of the Washington Redskins and the DC United Major League Soccer franchise. The game will be the first stand-alone event run by Rugby International Marketing (RIM), a company set up by USA Rugby in 2014, that has a streaming service, therugbychannel.tv, available to U.S. fans. Carwyn Jones, the first minister of Wales, and Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu, South African ambassador to the United States, spoke Feb. 26 at the South African Embassy in Washington at the start of Jones’ trip to promote post-Brexit trade and ties with the U.S. and Canada. “The visit is about raising the profile of Wales and the Welsh,” Jones told the Guardian. “For a long time we did not have a political identity so our sporting identity was hugely important. South Africa are one of our oldest rivals — we didn’t beat them for 93 years – so a sporting occasion against them is great for raising our profile.” WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

March Greetings From DC Office on Aging Laura Newland DC Office on Aging Executive Director Happy March and Happy National Social Work Month! The District has more than 5,000 licensed social workers who, day-to-day, tackle some of the most challenging issues facing individuals, families, and communities. From homelessness, to child welfare, mental health, and medical care, these social workers forge relationships, develop solutions, and work with tenacity and compassion to make a real difference in the lives of our residents. We are especially fortunate to work with incredible social workers throughout our network who serve our older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers, each and every day. On any given day, our passionate team of social workers are advocates, teachers, team builders, logisticians, creative problem solvers, and confidants. They are building communities around each individual they serve, and connecting our residents to services and supports that enable them to continue living in their own homes and communities. Our Community Transition and Social Work team, part of DCOA’s Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), assists residents as they transition out of nursing homes and back into their communities. When our Community Transition Team (CTT) was formed, they were tasked with one monumental mission—“go in there and bring them home!” Since then, the CTT has worked directly with the District’s nursing home residents providing information, guidance, and support as they navigate a complex process. They’re educating individuals and their families on community-based services and supports, building a community of care providers, securing housing, and sometimes even moving in furniture and household goods—helping clients create a home. Ramona Butler, Social Work Manager for DCOA’s Aging and Disability Resource Center says, “DCOA’s social

work team understands and respects that change lies within the individual and their support network. It’s imperative that we take the time to listen, and listen with compassion and purpose. We make sure that the individual has a voice and is the primary decision-maker when it comes to his or her long-term care planning.” In 2017, we successfully transitioned 60 clients back into the community thanks to our dedicated Community Transition and Social Work team. But it’s not about the numbers—it’s about people! It’s about the lives impacted. It’s about instilling hope. It’s about reminding all of us that we all have a part in making our community one that we want to live in. Whether they’re skillfully assisting residents as they navigate through various service systems or serving as an advocate, our social workers push through with persistence to ensure our residents have access to what they need, when they need it. I am proud to salute the many social workers throughout the District and those who represent the Office on Aging as we continue to push forward with the mission of ensuring our older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers are able to live well in their own homes and communities. The service navigators, home facilitators, counselors, advisors, and advocates—you are the heart of our work at the Office on Aging. My sincere appreciation and thanks to all of our social workers at DCOA, our Lead Agencies, and throughout our Senior Service Network. Thanks for making D.C. the best city in the world to age! To learn more about our Community Transition and Social Work team, reach out to us at 202-724-5626.

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GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY Fiscal Year 2019 Senior Transportation Program Grant The Government of the District of Columbia, Office on Aging (DCOA) is soliciting applications from qualified applicants to operate the DC Office on Aging Senior Transportation Programs. DCOA transportation programs provide quality transportation services for District residents 60 years and older to 1) essential medical and life-sustaining appointments, 2) adult daycare centers, wellness centers, group trips and special events, 3) administration and operation of the Debit Card program and 4) the delivery of Home Delivered Meals (HDM). The Request for Application (RFA) seeks an organization(s) with strong capacity and a track record of excellent customer service. An existing fleet to operate the programs is preferred. Federal and District of Columbia appropriated funds up to $6,000,000 are available for a single or collaborative applicant organization to operate one or up to four transportation services. There is no match requirement. However, applicants must demonstrate tangible resources to sustain at minimum three months operations cost. The successful applicant must put participant contributions back into the program to serve more participants. The successful applicant(s) will design services to meet a variety of evolving needs of the city’s diverse elderly population, especially older individuals with the greatest economic and social needs, and other underserved populations. The successful applicant(s) will manage its fleet and implement services that remove transportation barriers for seniors with disabilities, while linking them to affordable, on demand and gap-filling transportation that enhance their physical, social and emotional well-being through connectivity to sites and activities in and around the city, medical appointments, and HDM delivery. Service Areas Applicants responding to this RFA shall be responsible for delivering transportation services to the target population in four service areas:    

Service Component One: Essential Medical Transportation; Service Component Two: Transportation to DCOA Funded Sites and Activities; Service Component Three: Debit Card Transportation Services; and Service Component Four: Transportation of Home Delivered Meal Service

Priority Services Applicant’s responsibilities include but are not limited to:  

ensuring safe and reliable transportation operation in all weather conditions with few black-out dates; providing daily essential medical and life-sustaining transportation daily for a minimum of 4,898 participants through the year;

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 19 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

HEALTH Elderly Victimized in $500M Scam

District Agency Offers Protection Advice

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer In a sweeping indictment handed down late last month, U.S. Attorney

General Jeff Sessions announced that his office has charged more than 250 people for bilking as much as $500 million from elderly Americans. Reportedly, it’s the largest elder

ARE YOU FACING EVICTION OR FORECLOSURE? Legal Counsel for the Elderly may be able to help. LCE Provides Free Legal Services to D.C. Residents 60+

fraud sweep in U.S. history, with more than 1 million victims around the world, including Vancouver and British Columbia where authorities raided criminal organizations whose victims included Americans. The scams run the gamut, offering bogus prizes from lottery winnings to trips around the world. Sessions said tactics also included bullying. “Criminals prey on some of the most vulnerable Americans to steal their hard-earned savings and their peace of mind,” Sessions said. “And the threat is only growing.” In the District, those who care for the elderly have remained keenly aware of various plots to exploit senior citizens. One prominent scam includes those involving homeowners who face foreclosure. “One scam we see involves a scam artist who suggests that the homeowner transfer ownership of her home to him or a third party,” said Erik Goodman, a staff attorney at Legal Counsel for the Elderly, a northwest D.C.-based firm that provides free legal services to low-income District residents 60 and older. In that particular scam, the perpetrator says he will help the homeowner avoid the foreclosure via the transfer of ownership. The scam artist also promises that the homeowner will get the home back. “But the scam artist then either tries to keep the home for himself or obtains a loan against the home, strips equity from it, and then abandons it,” Goodman said. “And sometimes the scam artist strips equity from the home via new mortgage and ties to keep it.” Goodman also noted that, while not necessarily a scam, seniors are often subjected to high-pressure sales tactics. For example, auto dealers will suggest to a young person that he could qualify for an auto loan if his

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20 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

mother or grandmother would cosign for the loan, he said. “The auto dealer then has a salesperson drive to the mother or grandmother’s home and pressure her into co-signing for the auto loan,” Goodman said. The examples, however, are plentiful. When a scammer called Dorothy Lambing of Louisiana, claiming she had won a prize worth thousands of dollars, Lambing and her husband were desperate and battling cancer. All she had to do was purchase a sixmonth supply of vitamins, according to a CBS News report. “I felt like the bottom had dropped out. You know, all the hope we had was gone,” Lambing told CBS News. “I checked with the Better Business Bureau and he was not listed with any complaints and so I said, ‘well, OK, it might be something true.’” She gave the scammer $2,500. The Justice Department said fraudsters reach out with calls, emails or regular mail promising cash, valuable prizes or good fortune if the recipient sends back a payment for processing

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5 Senior citizens are a prime target for scammers. /Photo by Houston Defender

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fees. According to the department, scams targeting senior citizens are increasing dramatically. An estimated $3 billion is stolen from seniors each year. A scheme by one network of scammers mailed more than 950,000 fraudulent solicitations to people in 38 states, according to court records. One promised a prize of $3.3 million. It reads, “A day you may remember for the rest of your life...tell nobody.” Since 2011, victims have sent them approximately $10 million. Goodman said there are ways that seniors and caretakers can protect themselves. “Read everything you sign carefully,” Goodman said. “Take your time reading the contracts and walk away if someone is trying to pressure you into signing without taking time to consider the contract.” Individuals should always take note of how much time they have, if any, to cancel a contract. “Ask for a second opinion when it comes to something like the need for an auto repair or a home repair,” Goodman said. “Make sure a home repair contractor is licensed. Never agree to anything that seems too good to be true.” It should be noted also that there’s no easy way out of foreclosure and no one will ever offer free money, Goodman said. Also, don’t assume that family members or individuals from the neighborhood are inherently trustworthy when they’re trying to involve themselves in your finances. “Be very careful about giving out your Social Security number, bank account information or credit card information,” Goodman said. “Never give this information to anyone who calls you or shows up at your door without you having contacted them first.” For District seniors 60 and older who need assistance, call 202-4342120. The Federal Trade Commission has also established a hotline at 1-877-382-4357. WI

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EDUCATION the city auditor gave mixed reviews of it meeting its benchmark goals, the university has taken steps to improve course offerings, retain faculty and student and attract new ones. “Growing up, everyone who knew me thought I would have gone to a big-name school, but when I said I was going to UDC, I got mixed reactions,” said Deanna Marie Wilson, 19, a sophomore at the university and recipient of a DC-UP scholarship and housing stipend. “People used to call it ‘the university for dumb children.’ People really turn their nose up to the school.” Wilson said she has found a great support system in the school’s writing and career centers, enjoys the diverse student body and hopes others will consider the university as an option. To prospective students, she says:

“Don’t count it out until you visit. Form your own opinion.” Today, many students at the school are the first in their families to go to college who face financial obstacles or see it as an affordable alternative to continue their education. University President Ronald Mason reset a 2020 deadline for a plan to regenerate the school to 2022 in hopes of establishing the institution as a “public university model of urban student success.” Mason said UDC “completes the mayor’s pathways to the middle class.” “It’s difficult to make it to the middle class without a bachelor’s degree,” he said. “We are the last piece of the puzzle.” In the city, gaps continue to trend in the city’s education attainment and household incomes. The average household income in D.C. stands at about $75,000, but for White families it jumps to about $127,000 and dips to $37,000 for Black households. A person with a college degree earns an average of $35,000 more than a person with a high school diploma in the city, and while almost all White residents hold a degree, only about 26 percent of Black residents have a college education. Similar gaps exist within the city’s public schools system. The future of many D.C. Public School (DCPS) students seems uncertain as the scandal-plagued schools system struggles to close achievement gaps for its students from minority and underserved

from jurors. Constand claimed during a January 2004 visit to Cosby’s Philadelphia area home, he drugged and sexually assaulted her. She testified that she had come to the TV star’s home for advice. When she told Cosby she had trouble sleeping and had a big decision to make, the comedian offered her what he described as a Benadryl tablet. “These are what I use to help me to relax,” he told Constand, according to a deposition read in court. Constand claimed the pills may have been Quaaludes and caused her to pass out. She claimed Cosby forcibly groped her and, the next morning, made her tea and gave her muffin before seeing her out the door. While Cosby has admitted to having an extramarital affair with Constand, he maintains that he never gave her quaaludes and he never assaulted her. Prior to the start of Monday’s hearing, O’Neill offered a word of condolence to Cosby, whose

daughter Ensa died of kidney failure at 44. “Thank you, your honor,” Cosby said, as he stood and politely bowed to the judge. Meanwhile, allowing the civil settlement, which was reached in 2006 after then-District Attorney Bruce Castor told Constand that there wasn’t evidence to proceed with a criminal case, promises to provide even more insight into Cosby’s relationship with Constand, a former Temple University employee. It also offers a stark contrast to Cosby’s strategy a year ago when successfully argued that jurors should not hear about the civil suit or the settlement because “the value of the information is outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.” Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said the comedian is pleased with his new legal team, led by former Michael Jackson attorney Tom Mesereau. “Having Tom certainly allows Mr. and Mrs. Cosby to sleep at night,” Wyatt said. WI

UDC Offers Viable College Option to City Residents

By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) has a plan to undo its declining enrollment and prepare students for high-demand jobs while keeping the school affordable for residents — and this time, school officials say, they are sticking to it. With an array of course and degree offerings, and below-average tuition rates, one may think it would be the automatic school of choice in the city that thousands move to each year in search of education and job opportunities. But for years, the school has struggled to retain students and graduate them. Now, cleared of restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of Education for mismanagement of federal student aid, and a year after

COSBY from Page 1 whether Jackson can testify and whether prosecutors can call 19 other women who in recent years went to the media to claim Cosby assaulted them. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Thursday, March 29, while the trial is on the calendar for Monday, April 2. “[Cosby] submits that evidence of the civil settlement and of the underlying civil litigation with Constand may be admissible,” Cosby’s lawyers wrote in court filings ahead of the hearings. “Among other things, admissibility is warranted for impeachment of Constand, in showing her financial motive to lie about the allegations she made against Cosby, or for any other purpose … including as may be warranted by the testimony of Constand or otherwise.” O’Neill declared a mistrial last summer in the original trial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. During that trial, the sealed civil settlement between Cosby and Constand was kept

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5 The University of the District of Columbia President Ronald Mason talks to the Washington Informer during an interview in his office in Northwest on Monday, March 5. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

backgrounds and as cuts to key programs that send District students to college remain in the balance. “I’ve watched people [on social media] call my daughter an idiot because of the school she goes to,” said Alice Thorton, 54, mother of a 17-year-old Ballou Senior High School student. Someone said they should knock the school down and just build a mall.” Recently, DCPS has been enveloped in scandal, including inflated high school graduation rates currently the subject of a federal investigation, vast enrollment fraud at one of the city’s top-performing high schools and the dismissal of the city’s top two school officials for circumventing school-enrollment pol-

icies. Additionally, data released by the schools system shows this year’s graduation rate is set to decline, with only 42 percent of the city’s seniors on track to graduate. “She feels like her college choices will dwindle after this investigation,” Thorton said of her daughter, who is at the top of her junior class and involved in several extracurricular activities. Last month, President Donald Trump proposed to eliminate the funding for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) program, jeopardizing the future of the 4,000 students who currently receive DCTAG funding — a program that typically serves students comes

UDC Page 42

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 21 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

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MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

GENETIC GENIUS:

Exploring the Global Fascination with Origins & Ancestry

PRESENTED BY

FROM THE EDITOR

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Genetic Genius

Exploring the Global Fascination with Origins & Ancestry

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Cruising the aisles of a local Target store a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a 23andMe home testing kit, set obscurely among a sundry of discounted endcap items. Priced at a steal - $25, what made the item even more oddly placed, was that unlike the lotion, vitamins, and hair essentials occupying the same shelf, the 23andMe kit had been touted as one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in modern history. Tapped as a means of not only drawing direct and distinct lines from our present lives to genetic ancestors removed by thousands of years, DNA ancestral testing also offered a potential disclosure of hereditary disease, and thereby, the medical insight necessary to pretreat or prevent. The nation’s growing obsessions with genetics, genomes, DNA, environment, and predisposition, are not exactly a new phenomenon. In fact, much of our nation’s policies, whether situated within public health, education, housing or the criminal justice system, have firm foundations in the supposed strengths or weaknesses of the American gene pool. As early as 1850, Francis Galton – a cousin of Charles Darwin – began yanking at the collars of white fears by introducing the science of eugenics which theorized: 1) that not only were hair

texture, eye color, and some diseases passed through DNA from parent to successive generations, but so too, were social traits like laziness, I.Q., criminality, immorality, and poverty; 2) that weeding out the unfit through incarceration in asylums or reproductive sterilizations was the only means for keeping the social purity and strength of America intact; and 3) that those with African ancestry – even the smallest amount – could be classified as genetically and socially inferior (or dysgenic) and therefore, a hazard to whiteness. Eugenics, though disproven, scientifically bracketed Jim Crow segregation, socially promoted redlin-

ing, and emotionally crippled one segment of America into believing in their own genetic superiority. Today, eugenics continues to undergird our social engagement, public policy, and popular culture. As an historian, I see eugenics clearly in laws that criminalize 3-year-olds in the fits of tantrums by labeling them “feral,” or animalistic. Conversely, eugenics can be seen in popular television series like BBC’s cloning drama Orphan Black, in current events wherein leaders tout drug trafficking as a “race trait” among immigrants; or speak of African-Americans as the face of poverty, health crises, or poor intellect. For geneticists, who’ve marveled at the resilience of African genes, from the earliest Matrilineal line traced through anthropology to the Biblical Eve, to the HeLa cells harvested from Henrietta Lacks, understand African DNA is anything but dysgenic. In fact, given its origins (past), resilience (present), and research-building properties (future), Black genes amount to genetic genius. It is here, that The Washington Informer invites you to invest a bit of time in your own understanding of: Who you are, to whom you belong, and the pricelessness of your DNA. Read, Enjoy, Grow.

“Eugenics, though disproven, scientifically bracketed Jim Crow segregation, socially promoted redlining, and emotionally crippled one segment of America into believing in their own genetic superiority. Today, eugenics continues to undergird our social engagement, public policy, and popular culture.”

www.washingtoninformer.com / MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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The Science of it All

Compiled by Ronda Smith, Special to the Informer

be used for their purposes in perpetuity.

Genetic ancestry testing can prove confusing for those who have not done a bare amount of research, but there’s little to fear. While based on science, there are a few basic categories to note in order to determine which tests you want. There are three types of genetic ancestry testing commonly used for genealogy listed below. With all testing that requires your blood, saliva, stool or urine samples, read the fine print concerning the scope and reach of the samples. In many instances, your samples become the property of the testing agents after the services and may

Y CHROMOSOME TESTING (THE GUY THING TEST):

Variations in the Y chromosome, passed exclusively from father to son, can be used to explore ancestry in the direct male line. Y chromosome testing can only be done on males, because females do not have a Y chromosome. However, women interested in this type of genetic testing sometimes recruit a male relative to have the test done. Because the Y chromosome is passed on in the same pattern as are family

names in many cultures, Y chromosome testing is often used to investigate questions such as whether two families with the same surname are related.

MITOCHONDRIAL DNA TESTING (MAMA’S MIGRATION TEST):

This type of testing identifies genetic variations in mitochondrial DNA. Although most DNA is packaged in chromosomes within the cell nucleus, cell structures called mitochondria also have a small amount of their own DNA (known as mitochondrial DNA). Both males and females

have mitochondrial DNA, which is passed on from their mothers, so this type of testing can be used by either sex. It provides information about the direct female ancestral line. Mitochondrial DNA testing can be useful for genealogy because it preserves information about female ancestors that may be lost from the historical record because of the way surnames are often passed down.

SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM TESTING (WHERE ARE YOUR ROOTS TEST):

These tests evaluate large numbers of variations (single

nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) across a person’s entire genome. The results are compared with those of others who have taken the tests to provide an estimate of a person’s ethnic background. For example, the pattern of SNPs might indicate that a person’s ancestry is approximately 50 percent African, 25 percent European, 20 percent Asian, and 5 percent unknown. Genealogists use this type of test because Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA test results, which represent only single ancestral lines, do not capture the overall ethnic background of an individual. HS

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MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

Eat Well to Stay Healthy

Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC) January 1 may have come and gone, but it is never too late to stick to healthy resolutions. This is especially true if you want to make healthy eating a priority. Eating the right foods is a good goal to have. That’s because eating healthy and staying active put you on the path to good health. Now is a great time to start adding healthy foods into your diet. Start with small changes and work your way up. This may give you a better chance of sticking with your eating goals. Think of each little change as a small victory on your path to living healthier. Keep making these small “wins” and you will build a

healthy eating style for yourself.

HERE ARE SOME SMALL CHANGES TO GET YOU STARTED:

• Fill at least half of your daily plate with fruits and vegetables. There are many different kinds to choose from. Be creative and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors, shapes, and sizes. • Choose whole grains over refined grains at least half the time. • Try to eat different kinds of proteins, like lean meats and beans. • Cut back on high-fat foods. Start by eating one less serving each week until you are eating two servings or less of high-fat

foods each week. • Talk to your doctor about other ways you can make healthy food choices. No matter your lifestyle, there are many ways for you to eat healthy. Do you need tips for family meals? Need ideas for how to eat healthy in a hurry? Or are you hoping to find ways to sneak more veggies into your day? If so, then keep reading.

MAKE MEALS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Share your healthy habits with your family and: • Involve your kids at mealtime. Eat your meals with your children when you can. You may even invite them into the kitchen to help prepare food or set the table. Then, turn off the TV and enjoy upbeat talks at the table. • Make food fun. Talk about the colors, feel, or flavors of foods to get kids excited about them. • Let kids be tasters. Your kids may not want to eat healthy at first. They might need a few tries before accepting a new food. Keep trying different healthy foods to find what your kids like.

• Visit the food store together. Let your child pick out a new healthy food to try. Then ask what they want to make for meals that week. See if you can find ways to make healthier versions of their favorite foods. For example, you can bake instead of frying. • Forget the clean plate club. Instead of making kids eat a full plate of food, let them serve themselves small portions and ask for more if they are still hungry. • Sweets are “sometimes” treats. Treats should be just that — treats. These sweet and sugary foods are not for every day.

Be sure to teach your child that cookies and other sweets are only “sometimes” foods.

ADD NUTRITION, QUICK!

If you want to make a healthier meal in a hurry, try these tips: • Add frozen vegetables, such as corn, peas, edamame, or spinach to your favorite macaroni. Frozen vegetables are fast and easy, and just as healthy as fresh veggies. • Drink your veggies. Add uncooked kale, spinach, carrots,

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE H-4 or collards to orange juice with pineapple or bananas. Blend well with ice for a tasty smoothie. • Add nuts or beans to rice and pasta dishes for added protein. • Instead of jelly or jam, use sliced fruit on your peanut butter sandwiches. Bananas, strawberries, apples, peaches, or grapes are all yummy.

EAT RIGHT FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY

If you are pregnant, one of the best things you can do for your baby is to eat healthy. But remember, eating for two does not mean eating twice as much food. Give your baby important vitamins and minerals with a balanced diet by eating: • Nine to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta each day. Be sure to choose whole grains and brown rice options. • Four to five servings of vegetables. Try to make at least two servings green, leafy vegetables. • Three to four servings of fruit a day. • Three servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese a day. • Three servings of meat,

“If you are pregnant, one of the best things you can do for your baby is to eat healthy. “ poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. Pregnant women should also drink plenty of fluids. Ask your doctor how much fluid you should get each day. For help with eating healthy during your pregnancy, contact the AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC) Bright Start® program at 1-877-759-6883. Sources: ChooseMyPlate.gov and Medline Plus All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model.

Programs available to members Being the best version of you means making smart food choices and staying active. If you are an AmeriHealth Caritas DC member, we have programs to help. • The Weight Watchers® program can help you reach your weight-loss goals with the help of a trained meeting leader and group support. If you are an AmeriHealth Caritas DC member, you can get local meeting vouchers to get started in the program. This means you can attend Weight Watchers meetings in your community at no cost to you. To learn more or to sign up for the Weight Watchers program, call 202-216-2318. • AmeriHealth Caritas DC members can join a no-cost fitness program. Check out www.fitnesscoach.com to learn more about the program. • The AmeriHealth Caritas DC Member Wellness Center gives members free cooking classes, fitness classes, and care management help. With free transportation and a Kids’ Zone, the Member Wellness Center makes it easier to create a healthy lifestyle. To learn more, call 1-877-759-6224. • Wellness Circles are an AmeriHealth Caritas DC partnership with Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE). Members can join Wellness Circles at no cost. You can learn about healthy eating and exercise habits to keep your blood sugar and blood pressure in check. Call 202-216-2318 to get more information or register. • Aunt Bertha, at acdc.auntbertha.com, is an online search service that helps you link to resources in the District and across the United States. Just enter your ZIP code to find resources near you. There are many resources for nutrition and healthy eating. For more information about these programs, call AmeriHealth Caritas DC Member Services at 1-800-408-7511 (TTY/TDD 1-800-570-1190). Take advantage of them and see how they make you feel. Start small and stick with it. Your health is worth it.

I got a gift card for getting my postpartum checkup. You can too. You can get a $25 gift card if you: • Are an AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia member

Rewards Program

• See a midwife or OB/GYN within three to eight weeks (21 – 56 days) after giving birth

After your exam, you can sign up for a gift card to one of these retailers: • Walmart • Chipotle • H&M

• Downtown Locker Room (DTLR)

Visit www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/giftcard to learn more. Note: Member cannot get more than $50 in incentives each year.

AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com ACDC-18175599

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MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

Who Are Your People?

Finding Family through DNA Genealogy

By Barrington M. Salmon Special to the Washington Informer

IN SEARCH OF REAL ANCESTORS

Anaisa Bayala remembers vividly as a child trying to sit still while her mother put chemicals in her hair to straighten it. “She used to relax my hair at age 4. She threatened me, told me if I told anyone, she’d beat my (butt),” said Bayala, with a laugh. “Mom tried to hide our culture, but she moved into a Black neighborhood.” Her mother was born in the Dominican Republic, Bayala said, where even though most residents are undoubtedly Black, they claim to be ‘Indios,’ Spanish or anything but African. Bayala, a genealogy enthusiast, said she also recalls coming home from school and asking her Abuelo, her grandfather about his experiences as a black man in the 1940s and ‘50s. “Ignorant me. I opened a can of worms. He let me have it, yelled at me, lit into me, told me he wasn’t black,” Bayala said. “He said ‘I’m Indio.’ It wasn’t my grandfather’s fault. It is something that was engrained in the Caribbean. There are 32 degrees of blackness and 95 percent of the people in the Dominican Republic are black but people described themselves as Indians with good hair and said they got their complexions by being in the sun.” Bayala said she didn’t grow up with her father, who was Puerto Rican, but when they reconnected she asked lots of questions, then went digging. “My father and I used to talk all the time and he would ask me ‘how many people did I bother today?’ It became a daily thing. I had him on speed dial.” “This is like vindication for our Ancestors.” Bayala, a project manager at Verizon in Florida, said she’s fallen in love with genealogy, ancestry and the search for family and roots. Bayala, who grew up in New York City, said she’s traced her ancestry to Angola

and has cousin matches from the Gambia, Ghana and the Congo. She said she has cousin matches from Gambia, Ghana and Congo. “I have more than 21,000 cousin matches from Ancestry DNA. I’m a first-generation immigrant whose parents came to the U.S. beginning in the 1940s, yet I have many Jamaican and Brazilian cousins. The nice thing about it is we all descend from this line.” Bayala said she created a website where she helps other people to seek and find family and ancestors without cost, and also offers them references of where to track down information. Her website has detailed genealogical information from 15 different Caribbean islands and nation-states.

‘FINDING YOUR ROOTS’

Bayala is one of millions of people of African descent who are or have used DNA testing to trace their roots. Like her, they seek to fill the void of not knowing their history, the names of their ancestors or where they’re from. Most are descendants of enslaved Africans torn from the continent of Africa beginning in the 1400s, with an estimated 30-90 million transported to the New World, and millions more dying before they reached ports in the Caribbean, U.S. and Latin America. Many people of African descent and people of color hit a brick wall in their search for family because enslaved people were stripped of their original African names, language and culture in what many historians describe as the most dehumanizing chapter in world history. Slave owners in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere regarded enslaved Africans as property and often didn’t bother to list them by name. Also, many didn’t have a last name or were given the name of the slave master. The mini-series, Roots, triggered in the late 1970s an upsurge of interest in African Americans’ past, their ancestry and blood ties. The PBS program, Finding Your Roots, in its fourth year and wildly popular, showcases host and historian Henry Louis Gates and a team of genealo-

gists and researchers, unearthing the family histories and stories of American celebrities. Among those who have sat with Gates: actress Lupita N’yong’o, singer-songwriter Carly Simon, actress Angela Bassett, Sen. Bernie Sanders, political strategist Ana Navarro, rapper Nas and basketball star Carmelo Anthony. “What we have is story telling power,” Gates said in an earlier interview. “We turn raw data into narrative. If you trace your family tree and you find say the 1900 census, well it looks pretty boring if you’re looking at it on the computer screen. But if you could contextualize it, figure out why were they there? What was happening in this society at the time? Why would they move from what is now Poland to New York City with five dollars in their pocket? It’s fascinating and riveting.”

Gates, the Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard, said spotlighting how different ethnic groups contributed to world history and the ways that their experiences ‘merged or conflicted’ with those of other groups is also of immense value, he explained. At the end of the day, he said, a program like ‘Finding Your Roots’ is “part of a larger education process to make us all realize we’re fully human.” “Finding Your Roots is aimed at more than satisfying individual curiosity and telling an engrossing story, said Gates, a writer and executive producer of the series. “It carries a message of shared origins that he argues can benefit society. The science of DNA proves that ‘there aren’t four or five biologically distinct races.

The Fine Print

Understanding Your DNA Rights After Testing By Barrington M. Salmon Special to the Washington Informer If you plan to take a DNA test to determine your ancestry, legal, privacy and other experts caution you to read the fine print before you sign away your rights. A November 2017 NBC News story, authored by Maggie Fox, pointed out that in signing on the dotted lines, individuals give away the most important thing they own: their genetic fingerprint or DNA. “It sounds like such a fun gift idea: a DNA test that can tell your sister-in-law whether she really has Native American ancestors, or one that promises to craft your friend a perfect diet based on his genes,” Fox wrote.

“Home DNA tests are likely a big seller, but privacy experts say consumers should be cautious. The problem is that when you send away a tube of your spit or cheek swab, you are giving away your full genetic code. Every cell on that cheek swab carries the full sequence of your DNA, including the mutation pattern that makes it uniquely yours.” Peter Pitts president and co-founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest concurs, saying your saliva “is the most valuable thing you own.” A 2008 law called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, according to Pitts, forbids discrimination based on genetic information and includes firing someone because they have a gene that predisposes them to an

We’re all from one race, the human race, genetically. And we know that genetically we all descended from common ancestors that left the African continent 50,000 years ago. That’s a fact.” Gates praised the uptick in digitization of data and records and advances in DNA testing, both which enhance the search process of the celebs backgrounds. But nothing can replace the old-style searches, which while tedious and painstaking are an important element in the search process. “It’s such a great gift that you can give to people,” Gates said. “I love genealogy. I think that if people do their family tree and have their DNA analyzed, it’ll help to break down barriers. It helps people realize that we’re all the same at the level of genomes.’ Read More at www.washingtoninformer.com where writer Barrington Salmon examines AfricanAncestry. com and the power of genetic genius. HS expensive disease. But it would also be hard to prove an employer did that, said Pitts. “You don’t want that information displayed to other people. Ultimately you don’t want an employer to have access to your information.” Still, as more Americans take advantage of DNA testing, concerns over privacy and ownership, particularly in the wake of the book and film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which documents the lifesaving HeLa cell medical research gained through harvesting cancer cells from a lone African American woman in 1951, have risen. Lacks gave neither her expressed consent for the procedure that removed the two cervical samples, nor received compensation for what later formed a trillion-dollar research and treatment platform. Those offering saliva for ancestry and DNA results do, in

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Noteworthy Works on Genetics, Eugenics & Racial Identity Compiled by Ronda Smith, Special to the Informer

THE SOCIAL LIFE OF DNA Alondra Nelson

In The Social Life of DNA, Alondra Nelson takes us on an unprecedented journey into how the double helix has wound its way into the heart of the most urgent contemporary social issues around race. For over a decade, Nelson has deeply studied this phenomenon. Artfully weaving together keenly observed interactions with root-seekers alongside illuminating historical details and revealing personal narrative, she shows that genetic genealogy is a new tool for addressing old and enduring issues. In The Social Life of DNA, she explains how these cutting-edge DNA-based techniques are being used in myriad ways, including grappling with the unfinished business of slavery: to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations specifically based on ancestry.

REVISITING RACE IN A GENOMIC AGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE H-6 signing a disclosure, forfeit a number of things, including compensation if a company conducts scientific research with their genetic material and profits from their DNA. Joel Winston, a consumer protection lawyer who writes a column for ThinkProgress, notes that AncestryDNA takes ownership of submitters’ DNA in perpetuity. He quoted from the contract: “Specifically, by submitting DNA to AncestryDNA, you agree to “grant AncestryDNA and the Ancestry Group Companies a perpet-

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Barbara Koenig, Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, and Sarah Richardson How are we to understand race? The simplicity with which this question is posed belies the complexity and fraught character of the public, scholarly, and political debates over race today. Revisiting Race in a Genomic Age suggests that the answer hinges, in part, on a larger set of issues linked to the production and consumption of knowledge in Western societies today. For that matter, the intractable and apparently irresolvable debate over the “reality” of race also may be seen as stemming from yet another broad set of uncertainties about the respective roles of culture and biology in constituting social forms of identity. The idea that we will have a simple answer to these questions anytime soon is illusory; but the task of trying to generate that answer involves some of the most interesting and pressing issues now confronting anthropologists.

documentary series. As Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. shows us, the tools of cutting-edge genomics and deep genealogical research now allow us to learn more about our roots, looking further back in time than ever before. Gates provides practical information for amateur genealogists just beginning archival research on their own families’ roots, and he details the advances in genetic research now available to the public. The result is an illuminating exploration of who we are, how we lost track of our roots, and how we can find them again.

A CENTURY OF EUGENICS IN AMERICA: FROM THE INDIANA EXPERIMENT TO THE HUMAN GENOME ERA Paul A. Lombardo

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Who are we, and where do we come from? The fundamental drive to answer these questions is at the heart of Finding Your Roots, the companion book to the hit PBS

In 1907, Indiana passed the world’s first involuntary sterilization law based on the theory of eugenics. In time, more than 30 states and a dozen foreign countries followed suit. Although

ual, royalty-free, world-wide, transferable license to use your DNA, and any DNA you submit for any person from whom you obtained legal authorization as described in this Agreement, and to use, host, sublicense and distribute the resulting analysis to the extent and in the form or context we deem appropriate on or through any media or medium and with any technology or devices now known or hereafter developed or discovered.” Winston added that the AncestryDNA terms also require customers to confirm that they “understand that by providing any DNA to us, you acquire no

rights in any research or commercial products that may be developed by AncestryDNA that may relate to or otherwise embody your DNA.” Essentially, you still own your DNA, but so does Ancestry.com. You can commercialize your own DNA for money, but Ancestry.com is also allowed to monetize your DNA for millions of dollars and doesn’t have to compensate you.” With all these potential pitfalls, the warning is Caveat Emptor – Let the Buyer Beware. So, please take the time to read the small print. HS

FINDING YOUR ROOTS: THE OFFICIAL COMPANION TO THE PBS SERIES

the Indiana statute was later declared unconstitutional, other laws restricting immigration and regulating marriage on “eugenic” grounds were still in effect in the U.S. as late as the 1970s. A Century of Eugenics in America assesses the history of eugenics in the United States and its status in the age of the Human Genome Project. The essays explore the early support of compulsory sterilization by doctors and legislators; the implementation of eugenic schemes in Indiana, Georgia, California, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Alabama; the legal and social challenges to sterilization; and the prospects for a eugenics movement basing its claims on modern genetic science.

WHITE TRASH: THE 400YEAR UNTOLD HISTORY OF CLASS IN AMERICA

Nancy Isenberg In this landmark book, Nancy Isenberg argues that the voters who boosted Trump all the way to the White House have been a permanent part of the American fabric and reveals how the wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlements to today’s hillbillies. Surveying political rhetoric and policy, popular literature and scientific theories over four hundred years, Isenberg upends assumptions about America’s supposedly class-free society where liberty and hard work were meant to ensure real social mobility - and forces a nation to face the truth about enduring malevolent nature of class.

IN SEARCH OF PURITY: POPULAR EUGENICS & RACIAL UPLIFT AMONG NEW NEGROES

Shantella Sherman In Search of Purity examines the reinterpretation of eugenic theories by Black scholars, who helped integrate the science into a social movement for racial uplift. Areas of analyses include: The Talented Tenth, links between ideas about social

MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

degeneracy and physical hygiene, eugenics courses and professors at Howard University, hereditarian, and colorism. Terms like germ plasm (negative characteristics transmitted through genes through continual selection, unchanged, from one generation to the next), and racial hygiene (a public health platform designed to eliminate, among other ailments, venereal disease and promote healthy reproduction within a race) are analyzed in their relation to popular discourses about Black cleanliness that included “moral fitness” and intellectual ineptness.

WAR AGAINST THE WEAK: EUGENICS AND AMERICA’S CAMPAIGN TO CREATE A MASTER RACE Edwin Black

W a r Against the Weak is the gripping chronicle documenting how American corporate philanthropies launched a national campaign of ethnic cleansing in the United States, helped found and fund the Nazi eugenics of Hitler and Mengele -- and then created the modern movement of “human genetics.” Some 60,000 Americans were sterilized under laws in 27 states. This expanded edition includes two new essays on state genocide. Black examines what the eugenics movement cost America and how the idea of fusing science with popular culture ensured eugenics would impact all segments of American society. Black follows the method in which American legislation for sterilization was adopted by several European countries, including Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, and Germany – which, under Adolf Hitler utilized the platform during the Holocaust. WI

Medical Revolution: DNA, Sickle Cell, & the Stem Cell Debate By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Deoxyribonucleic acid – or DNA – testing is a very exciting frontier for sickle cell disease, specifically for African-Americans, said Dr. Lanetta Bronté, president of the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research, a comprehensive nonprofit that provides a platform for researchers, healthcare providers, and those living with the monogenic disorder. “Many that are DNA-tested learn their true genetic heritage for the first time. Next, if they are unaware of their sickle cell trait status, they need to visit participating medical centers to know with certainty if they have sickle cell trait or not,” Bronté said. Approximately 2 million people

have the sickle cell trait and a majority don’t know. That and the DNA revolution counts among the highlights of the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research’s 12th annual Sickle Cell Disease Research & Education Symposium at the Marriott Wardman Park in Northwest from June 15 to 17. Dr. Philippe Leboulch is scheduled to keynote the symposium and he’s expected to provide an update on his progress with the development of LentiGlobin BB305 for therapeutic ex vivo gene transfer in severe sickle cell disease. Leboulch’s vector made headlines last year with a 13-year-old sickle cell patient in Paris. Fifteen months after receiving the innovative treatment, the patient is now in complete remission of clinical signs of sickle cell

disease and correction of any biological signs, Bronté said. “The patient no longer needs to be transfused or suffers from vaso-occlusive crises. The patient will also avoid developing the potential co-morbidities many sickle cell disease patients have,” she said. While gene therapy remains very risky, this early work shows how beneficial it can be for a sickle cell patient, Bronté added. “This is an exciting time to be involved with sickle cell disease, as there are new treatments, expanding research, and a community of advocates determined to improve the quality of these patients’ lives,” she said. Despite being the first “molecular disease” ever discovered and the most common genetic disease in the US, sickle cell disease has no universal

cure and is a devastating disease that predominantly affects people from African descent, who are long underand unequally-served by the medical and research communities, said Michael Friend, who co-founded the Minority Coalition for Precision Medicine with sickle cell patient advocate, Shakir Cannon. Friend, who presented a seminar last month on sickle cell, said the disease is getting renewed attention as CRISPR researchers set their sights on finally curing it at the DNA level using gnome editing. Scientists have successfully used gene editing to repair 20 to 40 percent of stem and progenitor cells taken from the peripheral blood of patients with sickle cell disease, Rice University bioengineer Gang Bao told Science Daily last month. Bao, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital and Stanford University, is working to find a cure for the hereditary disease. A single DNA mutation causes the body to make sticky, crescent-shaped red blood cells that contain abnormal hemoglobin and can block blood flow in limbs and organs. In his talk at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Austin, Bao revealed results from a series of tests to see whether CRISPR/Cas9based editing can fix the mutation. His presentation was part of a scientific session titled “Gene Editing and Human Identity: Promising Advances and Ethical Challenges.” “Sickle cell disease is caused by a single mutation in the beta-globin gene – in the stem cell’s DNA,” he said, according to Science Daily. “The idea is to correct that particular mutation, and then stem cells that have the correction would differentiate into normal blood cells, including red blood cells. Those will then be healthy blood cells,” he said. Dr. Charles S. Abrams, an expert with the American Society of Hematology and the Francis C. Wood Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pathology and Lab-

oratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, said sickle cell disease has been described in various tribes in African for more than 5,000 years. “It was discovered approximately 100 years ago by Dr. Ernest Irons when he noticed a dental student named Walter Clement Noel had red blood cells with the shape of a sickle,” Abrams said. “Red blood cells are basically bags of hemoglobin. Everyone with sickle cell disease has a change – or mutation – in the DNA of their hemoglobin gene,” he said. Abrams continued: “This mutation causes their hemoglobin to be abnormal, and consequently the red blood cells sometimes have this sickle shape. A variety of lab tests, including genetic tests can be done to diagnose an individual and to determine the risk of passing the sickle cell gene onto their children.” In Bao’s lab, he collaborated with Vivien Sheehan, an assistant professor of pediatrics and hematology at Baylor and a member of the sickle cell program at Texas Children’s, to collect stem and progenitor cells (CD34-positive cells) from patients with the disease, Daily Science said. These were then edited in the Bao lab with CRISPR/Cas9 together with a custom template, a piece of DNA designed to correct the mutation. The gene-edited cells were injected into the bone marrow of immunodeficient mice and tested after 19 weeks to see how many retained the edit. “The rate of repair remained stable, which is great,” Bao said. This engraftment study was carried out in the lab of Matt Porteus, an associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford. Another major finding of the study is that the CRISPR/Cas9 system could introduce large alterations to the genes in patients’ cells, in addition to small mutations or deletions. These off-target effects could cause a disease. The findings, part of an upcoming paper, are a step toward treating sickle cell disease. Obstacles in the way of a cure include optimizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system to eliminate off-target effects, as well as finding a way to further increase the amount of gene-corrected stem cells, according to Science Daily. Bao pointed out that researchers still don’t know whether repairing as much as 40 percent of the cells is enough to cure a patient. “We’d like to say, ‘Yes,’” he said, “but we don’t really know yet. That’s something we hope to learn from an eventual clinical trial.” HS

www.washingtoninformer.com / MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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Educating and Empowering African-Americans about End-of-Life Care By Brandi Alexander When my father’s cancer came out of remission in 2010, he declined in a matter of months. I had never had one conversation with him about his end-of-life care goals, preferences and values. My family spent so much time fighting over what we thought he wanted, when in reality, none of us knew what he really wanted. That experience taught me not only the importance of these discussions, but also how much of a need there is for us to start planning early, before a time

of crisis. Unfortunately, African-Americans are less likely to complete advance directives or have conversations with our families and healthcare providers about our their end-of-life care goals, preference and values, according to a 2014 report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. It is critical that our community begin focusing on advance care planning about the end-of-life care options, including educating ourselves about the value of hospice and palliative care. The sad truth is that we suffer

What are your advance healthcare plans? Compassion & Choices is committed to helping people navigate their end-of-life options and make informed healthcare decisions. Having a plan in place gives everyone peace of mind. Visit CompassionAndChoices.org/eolctools for all of our FREE end-of-life tools and start having conversations about your end-of-life care today.

from higher rates of healthcare outcome disparities caused by smoking, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer. By not having frequent conversations about endof-life care options early, to prepare before a health emergency occurs, people of color often opt for aggressive, futile medical treatments that only prolong an agonizing dying process. African Americans are less likely to access comfort care, hospice and palliative care to maximize the quality of remaining life. In fact, we only account for only 8 percent of hospice users. Unlike many of the other disparities that impact the community, this is one we actually have some control over. It starts with having a conversation. 20 percent of African-Americans have not talked to anyone about end-of-life care, according to research conducted by the Duke Divinity School and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Every individual has a responsibility to lead by example on healthcare issues, so I challenge you to start having conversations today, with your personal networks and your healthcare professionals. Complete an advanced directive and identify

your power of attorney, the person who will make decisions for you in the case that you can not speak for yourself. The most loving thing you can do is to make your wishes known to your loved ones, it provides peace for all involved. Tomorrow is not promised, so whether you want every treatment option available or none at all, it’s imperative to make sure it is clear to those who matter to you the most. Start this process by visiting Compassion & Choices website page, compassionandchoices.org/ plan-your-care, where one can access state-specific advance directives and find other resources and tools to help, free of charge. We even offer a diagnosis decoder that generates questions for physicians specific to a particular illness. Educating and utilizing these resources will not only empower you, it will also have a positive and lasting impact on our community as a whole and the way we experience end of life. Remember...talking about death will not kill you...advocate for yourself! Brandi Alexander is the national constituency director for Compassion & Choices, the nation’s largest, oldest and most active nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding and improving patient-driven, end-of-life care options. HS

“African-Americans are less likely to complete advance directives or have conversations with our families and healthcare providers about our their end-of-life care goals, preference and values...”

Compassion & Choices is the nation’s oldest, largest and most active nonprofit organization committed to improving care and expanding options for the end of life.

www.washingtoninformer.com / MARCH 2018 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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Does It Really Run in Your Family?

By Brittany E. Tillman, CHES Overwhelmingly you will hear people’s responses about disease, “it runs in my family”. Does it really run in your family? One of the major contributing factors to the manifestation of disease in the human body is the food we put in our body, environmental influences and some genetics. Geneticists strongly believe that disease is caused by the interaction between genes (genetic makeup) and the environment. Two people may react different even if exposed to the same environmental agents, because of variances in genetic factors. One may be at high risk to develop the disease and one may be at low risk to develop the disease even if exposed to the same environmental agent. Some environmental agents are: mold, ozone, pesticides, air, pollution, cleaning solutions, dust mites and some foods and medications. Researchers have also confirmed that pathogens play a strong role in chronic disease. Pathogens, such as bacteria can be passed on from one generation to the next via the mother to the fetus; from the father to the child via sperm; blood donation,

bone marrow donation; organ donation/transplantation; and social contact. Let’s use cancer as a model; cancer is caused by a carcinogen (cancer causing agent) that can lead to the development of cancer. A few lifestyle agents that can cause cancer are: chemicals from tobacco smoke, radiation from the sun, char-grilled foods, and processed meats preserved with added chemicals, or preserved by curing, salting or smoking. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that studies have proven that lifestyle factors are contributing factors or primary determinants for most cancers. Contributing factors that can’t be altered are your age, sex and race and/or ethnicity. The lifestyle factors include, smoking tobacco, dietary and exercise habits, carcinogens (cancer causing agents) and infectious agents. Roughly 5-10% of cancer is genetic. Genetic predisposition or genetic susceptibility is when a person is not born with a disease but may be at high risk of acquiring the disease from a genetic mutation often inherited from a parent. Look at genetic predisposition as the likelihood or chance of developing the disease from a gene mutation or family history. The National Institute of Health’s (NIH), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) lists breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer as genetic disorders. Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell disease, autism, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome and Chron’s disease are a few known genetic disorders. Let’s not overlook the fact that there are several human diseases that don’t have a genetic factor and those that do, such diseases are under investigation by NHGRI. Then there are some

diseases that are not diagnosable by physicians and these diseases are classified as an undiagnosed rare or genetic condition. Multifactorial inheritance disorders are disorders caused in conjunction with inherited mutation of genes and environmental factors. Multifactorial inheritance disorders attribute to heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. An article published with The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) of NIH

states that genetic factors are not the major causes of chronic disease. Ask yourself is this disease really genetic or do me and family member(s) share common environments and other potential factors that increase their risk? Do I overly indulge in processed meats that have the potential to cause cancer? Do we live in environments heavily saturated with fast food that you eat on a constant basis? Do I smoke cigarettes that can influence lung or

throat cancer? Do I eat red meat that can influence heart disease? Do I have a healthy dieting and physical activity ritual that will positively decrease the likelihood of obesity and/or overweight? There are preventative measures that will decrease the likelihood of chronic disease. So before you decide that the chronic disease that may plague your family is genetic think about the various factors that increase the likelihood of that chronic disease(s). HS

Health Neurotics, LLC is an emerging health promotion firm in

Washington, DC offering health promotion consultation products and services. Health Neurotics specialize in diet and physical activity aspects of health promotion and health education for adolescents using health literacy standards and cultural competence to targeted demographics. One of our most celebrated efforts was a guest appearance on Sirius XM Shade 45 nationally syndicated radio show, First Aid with Kelly Kinkaid focusing on Diabetes Awareness Month. Our soon to be available highlighted invention, Body Cycle is a health education game for adolescents 12 and older to actively engage in learning about chronic disease and behavior change. A Kickstarter campaign soon to be launched to raise capital to fund the app development of Body Cycle, preview with this link, https://www.kickstarter. com/projects/43371897/280157118?ref=449641&token=28d4290f. Contact Health Neurotics at Brittay.e.tillman@gmail.com.

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL

Who Should We Blame: Grade-tampering Teachers or Reliance on Test Scores?

Public school districts in D.C. and Prince George’s County remain under fire, being scrutinized with laser-like precision and recently being called on the carpet for allegedly “cooking the books.” Teachers, principals and even school board members and superintendents appear to have altered test scores, grades and attendance numbers in order to achieve required levels of performance. Certainly, we do not condone such behavior if these and other allegations turn out to be irrefutably true. Of course, we do not believe that students should be allowed to move to the next grade level or graduate when they haven’t earned the right. But we’re also concerned with trends in today’s educational system that place more emphasis on test scores on generic examinations than the work that’s done daily in the classroom. Those old enough to remember, may recall a time when test days were few in number, while field trips and motivational, guest speakers from the community were far more numerous and deemed of greater benefit in their overall learning experience. Many teachers complain that they find it almost impossible to do what brings them the most joy and feeds their innermost passion – that is, to “teach,” due in part to the intense pressure they face to prepare their students so that they “demonstrate success” on standardized tests. Educators lament over the lesson plans they must prepare and carry out in order to get their pupils ready for a never-ending number of tests that have become the rule of thumb, often to the detriment of more imaginative classroom activities that allow for more flexibility for teachers. While it may seem easy to point fingers, castigate educators and demand immediate change, not to mention calling for the dismissals of those who have erred and fallen short of their contractual duties, perhaps we should also consider what we really want our children to have learned by the time they receive their high school diplomas. Maybe, just maybe, we should let teachers be the primary assessors of students’ ability to comprehend subject matter and whether they’re ready to move on. Perhaps we should go back to the olden days when we placed more emphasis on the relationships forged between parents and teachers instead of looking to statistical blips gleaned after tests were completed by students and posted for comparison with benchmarks set by those who say they know what our children need to succeed in school. Change can be great. And adopting new techniques for student assessment and achievement can be a good thing too. But sometimes it’s our children who stand to lose the most – and their teachers who yield to pressure instead of feeling more comfortable with simply doing what they themselves have been educated to do – teach. WI

Stop Playing Politics with Education Since the DC Public Schools were ripped from the control of residents who elected members to the DC School Board and then put into the hands of the mayor with oversight by the DC City Council, little has happened to improve the quality of education for thousands of school children in the District of Columbia. True, new school buildings dot the District landscape across every quadrant and ward, but the equalizer comes from what is taught in the classroom, how teachers are supported by school administrators and what policies are put in place by education leaders that benefit every student regardless of where they live or what school they attend. Further, the time has come to erase the decades-old dividing line that is steadily widening between schools in underserved communities in the eastern part of the city and those viewed as more “desirable” and “coveted” in the western part of the District. The current rift that has Mayor Muriel Bowser oddly defending herself from allegations made by ousted Schools Chancellor Antwon Wilson is further exacerbating the elitist perception that good schools don’t exist in all neighborhoods. Wilson, hired by Bowser a year ago, was recently asked to resign for violating the lottery process by seeking permission to transfer his daughter to another school and skipping over others waiting in line. The focus has since turned into an investigation led by At-Large Councilmember David Grosso who says he wants to get to the bottom of what the mayor WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

TO THE EDITOR Perfect Timing for ‘Black Panther’

I appreciate all the coverage you’ve done on the new film “Black Panther.” In addition to it showcasing a nearly all-Black cast of actors who appear deeply committed to their roles — which makes “Black Panther” that much more effective for all audiences — it’s a movie with a good heart that’s filled with grace. Yet, and unfortunately, for us as a whole, a lot of our people are not going to see the movie because they think it’s about the 1960s nationalist and oftentimes radical Black Panther Party, or because they think it’s a cartoon, or because they think it’s a science fiction flick. On the other hand, a lot of people who saw the movie completely missed the point, and I doubt that any child under 13 who saw it fully grasped what they were watching. While “Black Panther” is unflinchingly entertaining, I also see it as an educational masterpiece that elevates the Black race. Overall, the movie is an unusually powerful combining of Black talent, history and awareness that comes on the heels of the exit of the nation’s first Black president. Mary Ann Brown Suitland

Students’ Gun Control Protests Worthy of Support

We’ve often heard complaints that new generations of young people are lazy and lack purpose akin to the time when their elders participated in the civil rights movement. Well, when we look back on any moveknew about the transfer. Did she or didn’t she lie to the public when she said she was unaware of Wilson’s daughter’s transfer? The unfortunate victim in all of the finger pointing is a high school student whose desire to attend a school that fit her needs ultimately resulted in her father and others los-

ment aimed toward the betterment of our country, haven’t they usually been spawned by young people? At least I’m inclined to believe so. With that said, I want to give credit to the masses of youth uniting for stronger gun control in the wake of the rash of school shootings that taken place in recent times, most notably, the Parkland, Fla., massacre. As a result of the way being paved by student survivors of the Florida shootings, thousands of young people — including those from the D.C. region — fed up with the lackadaisical White House administration, coupled with congressional inaction, are poised to have their voices heard with the March 14 national classroom walkouts in honor of slain students, and the March 24 rally to be held in D.C. However, while there is rightful concern regarding the safety of students who plan to engage in walkouts, school districts are also warning them that there will be consequences such as receiving a zero grade or facing suspension for being away from classes. While I wholeheartedly agree with the need for students’ safety (and this is something that should be discussed both at home and school), I don’t understand why they’d be subjected to consequences for merely standing up for their beliefs. Students and their teachers have the right to learn and work in an environment free from fear of being shot to death in their classrooms, and in exercising their right to free speech, students are positioning to get that message across. In doing so, they not only deserve but need our support. Marcus Bright Washington, DC

ing their jobs, also putting the city’s mayor firmly in the hot seat. We are into a political season and everything is about politics. We believe the more we take education out of the hands of the educators, parents and students, the more it will be treated as a political football kicked around on an uneven play-

ing field with no clear goals and no true winners. The issue at hand should be less about who knew what and when and more about how students are succeeding across this city because good schools and good teachers exist all across the District. WI

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 23 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Raynard Jackson

This Is Why I Hate Black Republicans

I stopped attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), because it reminded me of “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons” — Blacks were noticeably missing from both cartoons. There were no Blacks in the past (“The Flintstones”) and there were no Blacks in the future (“The Jetsons”). CPAC is the largest annual gathering of mostly White, con-

servative activists and elected officials in the U.S. and it’s controlled by another conservative group, the American Conservative Union (ACU). Neither CPAC nor the ACU are about increasing diversity in the party or getting more Blacks into the movement — CPAC and the ACU are about catering to Whites in the movement. I get that. But in 2018, that is the problem. One needs to look no further than the racism that was spewed out last month during CPAC’s

Guest Columnist

annual Ronald Reagan Dinner. The dinner was attended by several hundred conservatives and had tons of media broadcasting the event live on TV and the Internet. Ian Walter, the communications director for CPAC, said in front of this audience, “We elected Mike Steele as RNC chairman, because he was a Black guy — that was the wrong thing to do.” Walter made these disparaging comments despite the fact that it took six ballots for Steele to win his election in 2009 and

Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate and made significant gains at the state level during Steele’s tenure. Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the ACU, stood next to Walter while his racist comments were being made and said absolutely nothing. If Schlapp had any integrity, he would have immediately fired Walter right then and there, but because Schlapp showed no leadership and no integrity, I am calling for both Walter and Schlapp to be removed immediately from their positions. Peri-

od. By the way, did I mention that Walter is Indian-American? You would expect him to be a lot more sensitive to issues of race and ethnicity, but the mere fact that he thought his comments were appropriate is a reflection of the entire leadership of CPAC and the ACU. To make matters worse, Schlapp went on Steele’s radio show the next day and appeared to double down on Walters’ crit-

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By Wade Henderson

Student Loan Debt Crisis is a Civil Rights Issue

From attacks on voting rights to police killings of unarmed civilians and growing inequities in earnings and wealth, the civil rights gains of the past six decades are facing threat after threat. But one front in the fight for full equality — meaningful access to higher education — is particularly urgent.

With 65 percent of jobs soon requiring more than a high school diploma, the need is greater than ever, especially for African Americans and other communities of color. More than 50 years ago, Congress passed the Higher Education Act (HEA), intending to open the doors to higher education by providing students with financial assistance and low-interest loans. Conventional wisdom has traditionally held two

Guest Columnist

things: 1) Higher education is the great equalizer; 2) It is OK to take out debt for the tickets to upward mobility: a college education and a home mortgage. These life decisions — and the struggles and sacrifices that made them possible — helped to build and grow the Black middle class. Now, aspirations for advancement are colliding with the discriminatory legacy of the financial crisis. Our country’s student loan bill has skyrocketed. Student debt is now the second-larg-

est source of household debt after housing. Roughly 44 million Americans have $1.4 trillion in student loan debt. One reason: Since the 1990s, the average tuition and fees at our universities have jumped an average of 157 to 237 percent, depending on the type of institution. As with the Great Recession, people of color, poor people and predatory institutions are at the center of this socioeconomic catastrophe. They must also be at the center of the solutions.

We must face up to the fact that students of color are more likely to borrow for their education and, unfortunately, to default on these loans. Even Black college graduates default on their loans at almost four times the rate of their White counterparts and are more likely to default than even White dropouts. This increased risk of defaulting on student loans is the direct result of inequities in financial

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By Dr. Michael Lomax

Giving Our Students the Tools They Need to Thrive

For many college students, particularly those who are first in their families to attend college, the goal is simple: Do whatever it takes to earn the right to walk across that stage. It’s a glorious moment filled with tears and cheers as families and friends see a student’s hard work and sacrifice pay off. No matter how many graduations you attend, witnessing this moment never gets old. But before students reach that moment, we have to make sure their degree is the ticket to the success they

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want it to be. That journey begins with a rigorous K-12 education. Nearly half of all Black children who begin kindergarten do not graduate from high school. Of those who enroll in college, only 40 percent finish within six years. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) continues to provide the resources necessary for students to get to and through college and we are also partnering with reform-minded organizations that understand how important it is for students to get the best education, before college, to enable them to succeed in college. Currently, we sponsor more than 15 professional

development programs to help students gain a competitive edge in securing career opportunities beyond graduation and become high-performing professionals. One of our premier programs is our annual Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., which offers a forum for equipping college students with the skill sets they will need to be successful as interns and early-career professionals. The progam helps ensure that students of color know what opportunties are available and provides them with the skills and confidence to pursue those opportunities. We are currently recruiting for the Walton-UNCF K-12 Educa-

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tion Fellowship Program (UNCF. org/Walton), which selects undergraduate juniors from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to participate in leadership development and a paid intern placement in innovative K-12 education reform enterprises. The components include: a paid summer internship, participation in the leadership conference, career coaching, alumni networking and mandatory participation in the Education Reform Case Competition to strengthen critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. It’s been named one of the top 10 fellowships for summer 2018 by ProFellow.com, a source

of information for professional and academic fellowships. UNCF now has had nearly 200 undergraduates and alumni who have gained exposure into ways in which they can use their degrees to support K-12 education and how they can make their voices heard as advocates for all students. Some have gone directly into teaching. Others have gone to law school or graduate school. We are not just providing them with a fellowship, but an opportunity to grow and achieve success in the education reform field. UNCF helps students to re-

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnists

By Jim Winkler

Time to Unite and Erase Racism I am a middle-aged White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) man who was born and raised in the United States of America. This designation gave me privileges I didn’t ask for and often did not realize I had. It is easy for people like me to see our experience as normative and to lack understanding of the impact and consequences of our actions and the privileges we enjoy. Fortunately, I was raised in an anti-racist family and have bene-

fited from numerous anti-racism training experiences and close, personal friendships with people of color. These life experiences have challenged my assumptions and made me question my privilege. As a result, I am committed to the cause and task of ending racism, but the responsibility falls on every one of us. As white supremacy and white nationalism have reemerged in a new and ugly manner, it is crucial racism be called out, named, and stopped. This will require individual soul-searching, community truth and reconciliation processes,

Guest Columnists

and a national plan of action. It won’t go away by itself. Racism touches every single person in our nation in some way. It is insidiously woven into the fabric of our society. Millions of people face enormous disparities in health, wealth and opportunity because of the color of their skin. Our criminal-justice system treats people of color unfairly on a regular and routine basis. Hatred and fear mar too many of our daily encounters with one another. This is the reality, the truth we must acknowledge and address. If we cannot bring an end to racism and straightforwardly confront

the legacy of slavery and the reality of white privilege, the United States will not only fail to reach its true potential and live out its professed ideals, it will destroy itself. However, there is another way and now is the time for us to forge ahead on a new path that ends racism. This is the mantle that the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) is picking up. NCC is a grouping of 38 Christian denominations with 30 million members in more than 100,000 local congregations. We are undertaking a racial justice

truth-telling initiative that will be launched on April 4 with the “ACT to End Racism” rally on the National Mall in D.C. Since 1950, the NCC has served as a leading voice of ecumenical witness, unifying a diverse covenant community of 38 member communions and over 40 million individuals, 100,000 congregations from Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African-American and Living Peace traditions, in a common commit-

of Commerce President Harry Alford once pointed out, Barry was astute enough to recognize opportunities that Black-owned businesses could perform contractually for cities and create employment opportunities for the Black residents. Economic development is the cornerstone for everything — yet toward that objective, Barry would not rate Blacks’ contemporary behavior high. We don’t spend with our peo-

ple like we should, nor have we forged our organizations and efforts toward Black-owned businesses, banks and homeowners. We can’t continue to be silos. The most important need now among African Americans is less talk and more strategic collective actions. William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via Busxchng@his.com. WI

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By William Reed

A Business Salute to Marion Barry

“Marion Barry gave opportunity to Washington, D.C.” — Mayor Muriel Bowser Marion Barry Jr. made a lot of Blacks rich. As the second mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999, he was

different from today’s professional black politician — Barry’s legacy is that of a charismatic voice for the voiceless. His detractors attempted to tear him down, but Marion Barry was a mayor with racial conscious and purpose that set the bar for government officials toward Blacks’ economic development. Most Whites don’t understand our loyalty to The Man. But Barry had great impact on marginalized communities.

Askia-At-Large

He was a “national symbol of self-governance for urban blacks.” Barry ultimately became a professional politician. He left politics for few years, then ran for city council and won in 2005, serving until his death in 2014. But he remained an urban visionary, providing jobs for youth and business to blighted areas. His years as mayor are inspiration to Blacks. As National Black Chamber

By Askia Muhammad

White ‘Masters’ Choose Black Leaders porter of Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for the poor — as their leader.

Imagine, if you can, if this writer had demanded that the National Rifle Association choose Sarah Brady — the late widow of Ronald Reagan’s press secretary James Brady, who was shot in a 1981 assassination attempt on the president — as the head of their organization. Imagine if I demanded that the White Citizens Council choose retired Georgia peanut farmer and former President Jimmy Carter — now a dedicated volunteer sup-

Imagine if I demanded that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) choose Norman Finkelstein, the son of Holocaust survivors and former university professor who exposed Israel’s “ruthless treatment of the Palestinians” as akin to apartheid, as its head and then disavow those who condemn him as a “self-hating-Jew.” Imagine. You can’t do it. Those thoughts simply won’t enter your mind. The idea that a black man — a “Black Muslim,” at that — would

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tell self-respecting White people with whom they can and cannot associate is ludicrous. So why then has the ADL taken to demanding that members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) forswear any association with Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan? I’ll tell you why. By bullying the most powerful and most visible symbol of black leadership and political power, they send a message to all other Black folks to only fraternize with Black leaders of whom white people approve. Sadly, it’s been that way for decades. Remember, during the Carter presidency when Andrew Young, then ambassador to the United

Nations, attended a U.N. reception with hundreds of other diplomats, which was also attended by Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat? Andy’s tenure wasn’t worth a dime after that. Soon after, he was former U.N. Ambassador. Today, ever since a 2005 photograph — taken by this writer — of then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama smiling while standing beside Farrakhan at a CBC meeting was released in my book “The Autobiography of Charles 67X,” there’s been bedlam at ADL. They’ve called on the former president — who not only repudiated, but rejected any support from Farrakhan in his

2008 presidential campaign — to denounce the Muslim leader again. Furthermore, they’ve gone after Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress, as well as fellow Muslim Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) and Rep. Gregory Meek (D-N.Y.) for attending a New York dinner hosted by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with 100 Islamic leaders and activists present, including Farrakhan, when Rouhani addressed the United Nations in 2013. And so, since these Black folks have associated with leaders the ADL doesn’t like, they must be

ASKIA Page 42

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 25 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

LIFESTYLE Howard Grad Takes on History of Racial Violence in U.S. ‘Breathe: The Musical’ – a Story the Playwright, Cleavon Meabon IV, Had to Tell By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Howard University grad Cleavon Meabon IV describes himself as a “Renaissance Man” – embracing the gambit of today’s technological

wonders to secure and expand his professional portfolio that includes accomplishments as an entrepreneur, photographer, musician and playwright. The Arkansas native, just 25, has already made his mark in

Atlanta, producing some of the biggest-staged performances “Hot-lanta” has ever seen. There his business savvy and accomplishments in the film industry soon led him to take on casting and managing, using his talents in the support of shows including “All Eyez on Me,” “Greenleaf,” “Selma” and “Being Mary Jane.” He recently returned to the city of his alma mater eager to become a leader within the District’s theatrical scene while also focusing on moving up the ranks of the locally-based multimedia company, Urban One, Inc., with whom he’s currently employed. Now, he’s poised to present a play he both wrote and directed and for which he composed and arranged the music that runs March 11 -24 at THEARC’s Black Box Theater in Southeast. “Breathe: The Musical,” tells the story of a Black family seeking refuge from the pain associated with America’s violent, racial climate and the tenuous tightrope they walk while attempting to over-

If you are interested in Classical Music email rburke@washingtoninformer.com for a chance to win tickets in a random drawing

come the many closed doors and towering hurdles long-supported by generations of white supremacy. Meabon, who called on his former classmates to assemble his cast, said the play began to take shape following his reflections on the exploitation of black bodies and the horror he experienced after viewing photographs of the hangings of Blacks – both of which he believes have become “normalized” in the American psyche. “We see those pictures but rarely stop to consider who the victims of those crimes were or how their families were effected,” he said. “That’s what made the story come to life. The tagline we use, ‘we’ve got stories to tell,’ came about because my great-grandparents were sharecroppers, like the Jones family in the play.” “I did my research on anti-lynching advocates like Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois and Madame C.J. Walker,” he said. “I looked at places like Rosewood where lies became the justification for multiple lynchings. I chose to include five midwives, the ghosts of historic lynching victims, as characters in the play because of the significant role that African deities and spiritualism once played in the healing of our ancestors. Blacks today don’t realize their importance, nor do we understand how much we’ve lost after allowing whites to control our spirituality. Whites took the magic away from us.” Meabon said he doesn’t want

audiences to be overly concerned about either the time or space in which the production has been set, adding, “examples of violence occurred so frequently and in so many different places that it would be impossible to limit a story about them to just one setting.” “Considering what’s going on today. The only difference I can see is that America doesn’t use ropes anymore,” he said. “But we are still suffering, we’re still victims and we still face brutality, not from slave masters like in the past but rather from the police.” He says he plans to revolutionize black theater in the District and provide a new image of Black excellence. And, based on the over one million impressions he and his team have already secured which he emphasizes “are far better than many mainstream theaters,” it appears that he’s well on his way. Kayla Dickson, another Howard grad and classmate, serves as the lead in the play. “She immediately came to mind when I began to think about my leading lady,” he said. “She’s done an impeccable job in rehearsals. She can sing, dance, she’s gorgeous and she owns her beautiful dark skin like no one I’ve ever seen before.” “She will undoubtedly become the next ingénue in the D.C. theatrical world,” he said. For more information or tickets, visit www.breathe-themusical.com WI

5Clevon Meabon IV /Courtesy Meabon

26 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

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LIFESTYLE

DC Africa House Launches Informative Town Hall Series

Featuring International Recording Artist Akon By Lauren Poteat WI Contributing Writer The worldwide “Black Panther” phenomenon has charged people across the globe to redefine their beliefs on “Mama” Africa, including its cultural beauty, historical impact and overall legacy. Spearheading a movement centered around the reunification of the continent and the need for integration among people of African descent, the African Union DC Mission launched on Monday, March 5 its “Africa Talks” town hall series, featuring Arikana Chihombori Quao, African Union Ambassador to the U.S., international recording artist Akon and author Jesse J. Holland, who wrote an accompanying novel for the blockbuster “Black Panther” film. “I’ve seen this movie three times and I still get chills when-

ever I just see the trailer,” Holland said. “That is how powerful the movie and the story of the Black Panther is right now. From the people we see onscreen to the background of Africa, it’s primal in us, it sends chills down our spines. I am so glad that Marvel chose me to tell this story, so that when people leave the theater, they can go back and read about Wakanda. “But even more important, if you were able to see the film during opening weekend, you could see the pride on the faces of the people watching a story that was written about them and that is something that we rarely see as African Americans,” he said. “We are always a part of someone else’s story and not our own and that’s what Black Panther is doing for us. This movie has done more for the image of Africa than we have seen in years and has proven our [Black Americans] yearning to be

4Jesse L. Holland (right), author of the book, “Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?” presents singer Akon (center) with a copy of the book as Arikana Chihombori-Quao, African Union Ambassador to the United States poses with them for a photograph at the Africa House in Northwest. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter

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closer to ‘Mama Africa.’” Akon shared some of his own personal experiences as both an African and African American, highlighting the strength in working together. “In order to be strong, it takes more than one,” Akon said. “Africa is a hundred times bigger than the United States, but it is divided. ... And then you wonder why the strengths of the continent are not parallel. When you talk about unity it clearly shows you that [unity] is what will create the strength moving forward. In helping Africa, we are then also helping others, because Africa is the motherland of the world. “I was privileged enough to have two African parents growing up, but I was raised in the United States … so I was blessed to come from two cultures and I understand the need to bridge that [African Diaspora] gap,” he said. “The only way to make a

change is if we all work together. We have everything it takes to create a great future for our children, but we have to be prepared mentally.” Closing out the discussion, Quao encouraged people to really begin to participate in the African Union. “We are putting together so many programs within the AU

including beginning to register people within the African Diaspora Investment Fund,” Quao said. “A a diaspora, you must own a piece of your Africa. We will come together and create jobs within ourselves. We as a Black people are very wealthy and we don’t need aid from others anymore.” WI

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LIFESTYLE National Cherry Blossom Festival is Just Around the Corner

Singers, Steppers and a Smurfette Among this Year’s Stars By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Don’t let a few more days of below freezing temperatures, bone-chilling nights or intermittent snow showers get you down – the District’s highly-anticipated springtime celebration, the 2018 National Cherry Blossom Festival, kicks off in just a few short weeks. As always, event sponsors promise superb entertainment – from the winners of the Sing Into Spring Competition, all of whom call the DMV their home, to nationally-known re-

ality stars and a parade down D.C.’s iconic Constitution Avenue replete with elaborate floats, costumed characters, gigantic helium balloons and some of the best marching bands in America. The four-week Festival (March 20 – April 15) will offer a variety of events featuring diverse and creative programming that promote traditional and contemporary arts and culture and community spirit. Of course, the real “stars” of the annual Festival remain the same: thousands of Mother Nature’s delicate and beautiful cherry blossoms that adorn the

area’s landmark Tidal Basin each spring as well as other examples of natural beauty that can be seen throughout the District and in areas nearby. The celebration begins on Saturday, March 25 with the Opening Ceremony at the historic Warner Theatre in Northwest. The lineup includes: EL Squad (Contemporary Dance), May J. (J-POP), Shigeyama (Kyogen Troupe), The 6821 Quintet (Classical) and Step Afrika! (Stepping). Events DC will present the nationally-syndicated Parade, one of the District’s largest, yearly events, on Saturday, April 14, showcasing an assortment of pageantry, performances and pomp and circumstance that will leave its viewers with memories that will last a lifetime. Celebrities and other exciting Parade surprises include: Honorary Grand Marshal: Chef Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s Emmy Award-winning series “The Chew:” hip-hop trailblazers Arrested Development; Well Strung, a pop/classical string quartet currently on the TV re-

5 Japanese Embassy Minister of Public Affairs Takehiro Shimada, President & CEO of EventsDC Gregory A. O’Dell, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Superintendent for the National Mall and Memorial Parks of the National Park Service Karen Cucurullo, Newseum and Newseum Institute Trustee Jan Neuharth, and National Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew at a press conference on March 1 in Northwest, announcing the 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival events from March 20-April 15. /Photo by Brigette White

ality show “The Amazing Race;” Grammy-nominated country singer Ty Herndon; Billy Gilman and Sarah Potenza, former contestants on “The Voice;” and Miss America 2018, Cara Mund. Winners of the Sing Into Spring Competition, one group and two soloists and all local talent from the Greater Washington Area, will also march in the

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Parade. The GW Pitches is an all-female a cappella group founded in 1996 – the first all-female ensemble on The George Washington University campus. The 16-member group has performed for the U.S. Department of Energy, the White House and a variety of other organizations in the District. Summer, born and raised in the Washington area, grew up in church and began singing solos as a young child. During her first solo at age seven, she recognized the incredible impact her special gift of song has on people when she witnessed an audience moved to tears by her performance. Singing became an outlet for Summer to share her soul and inspire listeners. Musician Emma G works full time as a street performer and also plays in clubs, bars and at community events throughout the city. Emma G describes her sound as soul pop-rock, whose sultry tones are punctuated with a gutsy quality that hammers home her messages of empowerment love and respect. Media sponsors for various showcased events include 94.7 Fresh FM, WPGC 95.5, El Zol 107.9 and The Washington Informer. For more information, visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org or call 877.44.BLOOM. You may also check out Facebook (CherryBlossomFestival), Twitter (@CherryBlossFest) and Instagram (@CherryBlossFest). WI

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Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets Supporting Sponsor: ANA (All Nippon Airways) Media Partners: ABC7/WJLA & NewsChannel 8, Washington Informer and 97.1 WASH-FM

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 29 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

LIFESTYLE

Ease on Down the Road with ‘The Wiz’ By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Flying monkeys, a trio of misfits longing for courage, heart and brains, an evil witch, a mysterious man known as The Wiz and of course Dorothy, a young girl searching for the true meaning of family, return for a journey through the land of Oz in the Tony Award-winning musical, “The Wiz,” opening March 9 at the historic Ford Theatre in Northwest. The revised production, directed by Kent Gash and choreographed by Dell Howlett, features Ines Nassara (Dorothy), Hasani Allen (Scarecrow), Kevin McAllister (Tinman), Christopher Michael Richardson (Lion) and Jobari Parker-Namdar as The Wiz. The musical, recommended for those eight and older, runs through May 12. But while Dorothy and her newfound comrades follow the yellow-brick road in a quest to fulfill their individual, long-desired dreams, a power-hungry witch named Evillene stands in

their way, promising to destroy them all. “The Wiz” took home seven Tony Awards in 1975 with its Broadway debut including Best Musical and Best Original Score in a rousing celebration of Black culture that featured the sounds of gospel, soul, R&B and pop and colorful attire reminiscent of both African and Creole communities as well as 1970s-inspired costumes and set designs. “The beauty of ‘The Wiz’ is its message that anything we already are is enough,” Gant explained. “Dorothy feels restless and stuck at home but when the tornado comes through it absolutely turns her world upside down and changes her perspective.” “Dorothy discovers she’s smarter, more powerful and more interesting than she ever realized. She comes to understand that how she moves through the world can change lives. That is a valuable lesson for us all to celebrate,” he added. Gash notes that the play broke ground as the first Broadway musical that did not present Blacks

as suffering, enslaved, in abject poverty or under duress. Instead, it celebrated the love within the African-American family and the strong bonds that exist within the human community. “The musical was created in ways that celebrate the vernacular of black speech, rhythms, music and expression, the particularity of the black experience and the authority of the cultural voice in all its specificity, which transcends to become universal,” he said. Special performances and events for “The Wiz” include those audio-described on March 27 and May 12; sign-interpreted on April 5 and captioned on April 21. A free meet and mingle will follow the April 28th performance that will bring the audience and cast together at the Asia Nine restaurant, located just a few steps from Ford’s Theatre. One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than 100 years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through

5 Stephanie Mills played Dorothy in the original Broadway production of “The Wiz” with others who would go on to stardom including Mabel King, Phylicia Rashad, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ted Ross and Hinton Battle. /Courtesy photo

a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, it stands as the premier destination in the District to explore and celebrate Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principle of courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expres-

sion. Ford’s Theatre, honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, continues to make its mark on the American theatrical landscape. For more information and tickets, visit www.fords.org. WI

Starts Friday! Through May 12 book by William F. Brown; music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls; from the story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; choreographed by Dell Howlett; directed by Kent Gash

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Lead Sponsor: Altria Group Production Sponsors: ConocoPhillips; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Fluor Corporation; United Technologies Corporation Season Sponsors: The Home Depot; Chevron

Photo of Ines Nassara by Scott Suchman.

30 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

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wi A book review

Horoscopes

MAR 8 - 14, 2018

ARIES Although the week begins with a focus on your spiritual sector that could encourage you to adopt a compassionate approach to other people’s issues, this influence can shift quickly. You may find yourself more expressive overall. Even so, life can become more exciting and intense over the weekend, and it could coincide with an instant attraction or the chance to make a key decision. If you should feel rebellious, try to think before making any impulsive moves. Lucky Numbers: 7, 9, 40

“Black Fortunes”

by Shomari Wills c.2018, Amistad $26.99 ($33.50 Canada) 301 pages

TAURUS Your social zone has been sparkling, but early this week there is a shift to a more secluded and spiritual sector of your chart. You may find that you’re more connected with your feelings and better able to express them. An idea or encounter could sizzle with promise when dynamic Mars aligns with electric Uranus over the weekend. Lucky Numbers: 13, 17, 58 GEMINI Go easy at the start of the week, especially if you’re exploring the potential in a new plan or taking crucial steps forward. The focus on the topmost sector of your chart could encourage you to go ahead when you might not have enough information to make the wisest decision. At the same time, chatty Mercury and luscious Venus enter your social sector, and this could encourage you to explore the many possibilities to be gained from networking. Lucky Numbers: 12, 35, 42

Black Fortunes

CANCER Lovely Venus and delectable Mars enter your sector of goals and ambition early in the week, and this could encourage you to be more expressive. You might also be eager to make those useful connections that could assist you in your bid for success. You could get involved in a hobby that you enjoyed as a child, and this could be very fulfilling over the coming months. The weekend could see you snapping up an opportunity. Lucky Numbers: 20, 24, 31

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer A dollar doesn’t buy as much as it used to. Once upon a time, you could get a good steak and a drink for less than 10 bucks. You could buy a house for less than five figures, and it was big enough to raise a good-sized family in it. A dollar used to stretch further, last longer, buy more, and in the new book “Black Fortunes” by Shomari Wills, it took fewer dollars to make someone rich. Growing up, Wills heard many stories about his uncle, the “millionaire” son of a slave who became a rich man. Such a tale, says Wills, is an “overlooked subject” in American history. Strictly speaking, he says, the first Black millionaire in America was William Alexander Leidesdorff, real estate mogul, philanthropist and friend to the powerful, who lived in San Francisco well before the Civil War. But this book isn’t about Leidesdorff. It’s about Mary Ellen Pleasant, who received an inheritance from her late first husband and parlayed that “small fortune” into a much larger one that she used as an activist. It’s about O.W. Gurley, who bought land in Oklahoma and built a predominantly Black town that was exceptionally prosperous — especially for Gurley. It’s about Annie Turnbo Malone and her protégée, Sarah Breedlove. After Emancipation, Malone made it her mission to create hair and beauty products that worked specifically for Black women. Once her business was successful, she hired salesladies — one of whom was Sarah Breedlove, who married C.J. Walker and created her own product to rival her mentor. It’s about Robert Reed Church, former slave, favorite son of Memphis and the richest Black man of his time. Even now, more than a century after his death, his legacy can still be seen in his adopted hometown. And it’s about Hannah Elias, who spent most of her life in scandal and built her wealth with the money of her lovers, then disappeared. To this day, says Wills, nobody knows where Elias landed — or how much of her ill-gotten fortune was intact. “Black Fortunes” is a good idea badly in need of an editor. Over and over, I found dates that didn’t match, incorrect information, statements that conflicted with other statements, silly repetitions and a lot of “huh?” moments. After a while, these errors superseded any information I was gleaning. Still, author Shomari Wills offers interesting, thoughtful tales that basically show readers how Black entrepreneurs — some of whom could barely read or write — changed U.S. economics and paved the way for later wealth-builders and, in some cases, for overall equality. Wills admits in his introduction that he brought these stories forth even though “few records exist” from his subjects’ times, and diaries and letters were largely nonexistent. That would explain the deep novelization of the tales, which is not the bigger distraction — lack of attention and a red pen are more the issue. Even so, with a dose of patience, this book is worth a look. Just be aware that “Black Fortunes” isn’t what you may be used to. WI WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE

LEO From Tuesday, the emphasis shifts to your sector of exploration and far horizons, which could encourage you to move out of your comfort zone. You might notice how eager you are to delve into new subjects, travel, and generally enjoy exploring new terrain. As the sun in a more intense sector of your chart aligns with potent Pluto, you could make a choice that has far-reaching consequences, one that could encourage radical change. However, you could be a touch impulsive this weekend, too. Lucky Numbers: 27, 38, 57 VIRGO As lively Jupiter turns retrograde midweek, and remains so until July 10, it could encourage you to review a recent deal or conversation and any promises made. At the same time, interactive Mercury and delightful Venus move into Aries and a more intense sector of your chart, and this could inspire you to let go of any plans that no longer serve you. Old associations that seem to have passed their sell-by date can also be released if you feel it’s a good idea. Only go ahead if your instincts tell you to. Lucky Numbers: 40, 49, 52 LIBRA You have been through a busy phase, one in which you may have made several sacrifices to help others. However, from Tuesday, the focus shifts as chatty Mercury and convivial Venus move into your sector of relating. This can encourage you to talk things through and create a compromise or come to other suitable arrangements. From Thursday, jovial Jupiter turns retrograde, which can encourage you to plant the seeds that might increase your income further down the line. Patience may be necessary. Lucky Numbers: 3, 29, 34 SCORPIO While you may have enjoyed some special dates and lovely outings with friends and family, the focus shifts this week to your sector of work and lifestyle issues. Your connections with others can be helpful at work and in everyday life. In addition, Jupiter is retrograde in your sign as of Thursday, so this can be an opportunity to reassess your plans and make any relevant adjustments. Avoid impulsive moves over the weekend. Lucky Numbers: 27, 39, 53 SAGITTARIUS You may feel more energized, upbeat, and eager to get out and enjoy yourself. And while the sun in your home zone could see you keeping out of the limelight and relishing some quiet time, the chance to take an outing or attend a cultural event could leave you feeling really positive. Pay even greater attention to dreams and intuitive nudges. Lucky Numbers: 16, 50, 52 CAPRICORN The coming weeks can be excellent for entertaining, beautifying your home, and making the most of being with those you love. At the same time, jovial Jupiter enters its rewind phase on Thursday, and this could encourage you to get back in touch with old friends or associates, especially if you want to get reacquainted. However, go easy over the weekend, especially if you feel an impulsive mood coming on. Lucky Numbers: 24, 28, 56 AQUARIUS Your communication zone gets a boost from Tuesday, as interactive Mercury and sociable Venus move in. The coming weeks could encourage you to network and reach out to others who can help you achieve your goals and plans. And with feisty Mars continuing its journey through your social sector, attending key events can be another way to forge new connections and have fun. It might be time to reassess your life goals and perhaps make a few key adjustments. Lucky Numbers: 11, 19, 22 PISCES You might feel a desire to reorganize your budget and get your money working harder for you. However, when delectable Venus moves in alongside logical Mercury, you might also feel you deserve a few treats. Think about something that can boost your well-being, such as a relaxing massage or other pampering treatment. On another note, lively Jupiter enters its retrograde phase on Thursday, which could encourage you to overcome key beliefs so you can move out of your comfort zone. Lucky Numbers: 2, 23, 24

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 31 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

SPORTS

5 Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat raises to shoot over Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner during the Pacers’ 98-95 win at Capital One Arena in Northwest on March 4. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

1. Wilson (33-9) (DCSAA)

D.C. High School Basketball

By Daniel Kucin, Jr. WI Contributing Writer @danielkucin88 Each week and for the duration of the season, The Washington Informer will feature our choices for the top five high school basketball programs in the greater Washington area, specifically the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) and Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), for their efforts based upon win/loss record, strength of schedule and winning streak:

32 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

After dropping Theodore Roosevelt 71-59 to win the DCIAA championship on Feb. 21, the Tigers went on to defeat private school powerhouse St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 66-64 in a double-overtime thriller on March 3 to win the DCSAA championship as well. Four Tigers scored in double figures, with senior point guard Ayinde Hikim leading the charge with 21 points. Wilson junior guard Jay Heath Jr., senior guard Ricardo Lindo, and sophomore small forward Dimingus Stevens all averaged over 13 points per game during the regular season, making Wilson unquestionably the best high school basketball squad in the district.

2. Theodore Roosevelt (29-8) (DCSAA)

Wilson narrowly slipped past Theodore Roosevelt 80-78 on Feb. 28 during the DCSAA quar-

Pacers Nip Wizards in D.C. terfinal match. The Roughriders also fell to Wilson in the DCIAA championship this year, but 29 wins is nothing to scoff at, and it was a successful season nonetheless.

3. DeMatha (26-5) (WCAC)

The Stags are on a roll after defeating Gonzaga 54-53 in the WCAC championship game on Feb. 26. Sophomore guard Earl Timberlake led the Stags with 14 points while junior guard Justin Moore and sophomore center Hunter Dickinson combined for 23 points. DeMatha is now riding a six-game win streak and is currently competing in the 2018 Maryland Private School Championship.

5 Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal is double-teamed by Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (left) and forward Bojan Bogdanovic during the Pacers’ 9895 win at Capital One Arena in Northwest on March 4. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

16 points per game while senior forward Myles Dread pitched in more than 14 points per contest.

5. Friendship Tech Prep Academy (26-4) (DCSAA)

The Titans fell to Maret (Washington, D.C) in the DCSAA

quarterfinal match 70-59 on Feb. 28. Senior guard Malik Miller led the way with 28 points while senior guard Kenneth Tyree and freshman combo guard RaSheed Dupree both scored 15 points. The Washington Informer Top 5 is strictly based upon the opinions of The Informer sports division. WI

4. Gonzaga (27-8) (WCAC)

Despite losing to the Stags in the WCAC championship game and to Wilson 66-63 in the DCSAA semifinal on Feb. 1, the Eagles put together a solid season. Sophomore forward Terrance Williams averaged more than

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

5 Wilson guard Jay Heath Jr. averaged over 13 points per game this season.

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 33 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

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Although Giddings shared her trials at Howard, she also inspired others to focus on change that is possible. “Charter Day is the amalgamation of past, present and future Howard — everything that Howard has contributed to the world, what Howard is currently offering to the world, and what Howard will continue to provide to the world for generations to come,” said Najah Banks, a senior majoring in psychology. “She reminded us of the past legends that have graced the university,” Banks said. “These legends have not only paved a way for current students, but have made an impact on a world stage. That humbled me, and also made me immensely proud to attend Howard University and potentially create my own legacy.” In his remarks, Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick praised the university’s role in the country and boasted about the institution’s four-year graduation rates, which is at an all-time high. Howard University’s Charter Day celebrates the special charter proposed by Congress and approved by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that established Howard University on March 2, 1867. WI

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what Howard could be or should be, but she did give us what Howard is and has been for us. A lot of her experiences mirrored mine and she was very relatable in the truth with the issues at HU-knowing that dealing with these issues come out a beautiful experience in an experience worth wild at Howard.”

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cheered her words at this point. Historically, students at Howard University have complained about inefficiencies at the university. At the turn of the year, the university had to delay the start of classes for a week due to extreme weather closing several buildings for the semester. While the institution admits challenges, they point to financial obstacles the school faces. However, it was the promise in Howard that drew her to the campus. “We talk about Howard as if it’s a person, because it’s so personal to us,” she said. As a student at Howard, Giddings saw the issues at her school and became an active protester. “We protested to change Howard from a Negro university to a Black one,” Giddings said. Some current-day students had positive reactions to Giddings’ speech and what it meant. “Her speech was phenomenal because she was real and transparent with everything she said,” said senior and journalism major Kenae Damon. “She never said

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RELIGION THE RELIGION CORNER

Use Me, Lord!

with Lyndia Grant “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” — Ephesians 2:10 I was reminded this week of a message God gave me in a sermon I read about years ago. It’s worthy of sharing with you. During this entire week, I felt compelled to say these words: “Lord, this is your body. You made me so that I could come to this earth for your good pleasure. Today, Lord, use my eyes Lord, so that I might see. Use me Lord for all those who are seeking after Thee. Use my ears Lord, so that I may hear those who are crying for help because they live in constant fear. Use my tongue Lord, so I may confess my sins Lord, and then I can give testimony to the world of your goodness. Use my arms Lord, so I may reach out — and gather up those who are lost who doubt your goodness and mercy.” Those who doubt you, Lord, you say in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be Mt. Zion Baptist Church Reverend John W. Davis Pastor 5101 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.) Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m. “A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold”

thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” “Use my legs Lord; let them run free to bring your sheep back unto Thee. Use me Lord, use all of me. Help me to find those who can’t see.” If you ever doubt God can use you, read Ephesians 2:10, which says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” We are His workmanship, and you can search the scriptures to prove it. Don’t you know you’re God’s masterpiece? You were created to do His Will. We are all created to do those good things He planned for us to do long ago. Scripture tells us, He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb. We are His masterpiece, defined as a product with a designated purpose. Do you wonder who God uses most often, and do you wonder, why them? God uses the insecure as well as the strong. Look at what Moses said in Exodus 4:1012: “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. The Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Or read 2 Corinthians 12:9:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Take time to pray without ceasing, quote scriptures throughout the day and sing songs of praise! When you see someone in need, help them out if you can. An example is my health seminars, where my company teaches adults and youths how to lead healthier lives while living with Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. When the program is over, it is a blessing when some of my participants come to me to say ‘thank you’ and tell me just how much they have been blessed by what they have learned in our training program. Some have lost 25 to 30 pounds, their blood sugar levels went down enormously, and blood pressures are under better control. Why? Because the Lord is using me — be blessed and allow him to use you for His glory, too! WI Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958 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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Mount Olivet Lutheran Church

John F. Johnson Reverend Dr. 1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m. Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com

www.mtzbcdc.org

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 35 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church 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”

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor 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

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

Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 4275 4th Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20034 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 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 Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: faithdefender@verizon.net

36 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

“An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantbaptistdc.org

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

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

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 am “Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org

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 emailus@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

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

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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 “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00am & 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. Richard B. Black Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

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

1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 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: "Faith On The Hill"

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

Reverend Christopher L. Nichols 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 Rev. Joan E. Buchanan Executive Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 7:30am Worship Service: 11:00am New Member’s Class: 9:45am Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00am Church School: 9:45am Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00pm Saturday Bible Study: 11:00am Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00am

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

“Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Peace Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class 8:00 am Sunday School 9:00 am Sunday Morning Worship Service 10:00 am Wednesday Service 12:00 pm

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church 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: admin@pbc712.org

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

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Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

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 “

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MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 37 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

LEGAL NOTICES

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

Administration Number 2018 ADM 000175

Administration Number 2018 ADM 000178

Administration No. 2018 ADM 133

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000143

Administration No. 2017 ADM 000779

Estate of Alexandra Blackhurst

Estate of Muriel M. Thorne

Catherine Y. Savoy aka Catherine Savoy Decedent

Harry J. King Decedent

Rubye Mae Queen Decedent

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Lynn B. Walt for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of 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 dated August 8, 2017 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of witnesses or otherwise. Date of first publication: 3/1/2018 Lynn B. Walt Personal Representative: TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by David W. Williams for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of 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.

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

TRUE TEST COPY

Janice D. Jackson, whose address is 5112 69th Place, Hyattsville, MD 20784, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Catherine Y. Savoy aka Catherine Savoy who died on January 2, 2018 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/1/2018. 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 9/1/2018, 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.

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Date of first publication: 3/1/2018

Washington Informer

Janice D. Jackson Personal Representative

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 a supervised personal representative. Date of first publication: 3/1/18 David W. Williams Personal Representative:

Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. 1308 Ninth Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Patricia Moore and David E. King, whose addresses are 6700 Furman Pkwy, Riverdale, MD 20737 and 401 Jefferson St., NE, WDC 20011, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Harry J. King who died on November 8, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/1/2018. 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 9/1/2018, 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: 3/1/2018

TRUE TEST COPY

Patricia Moore David E. King Personal Representatives

Anne Meister Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Washington Informer

Anne Meister Register of Wills

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jennifer Concino, Esq., whose address is 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, #700, Washington, DC 20015 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rubye Mae Queen who died on January 20, 1999 with a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/22/2018 Jennifer Concino, Esq. Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Washington Informer

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

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000112

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000086

Administration No. 2018 ADM 82

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000059

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000108

Warren Webb Decedent

Nellie R. Staton aka Nellie Staton Decedent

Desmond Joseph Decedent

Delores N. Brown Decedent

Robert P. Newman, Esq. 801 Wayne Avenue, Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

Rachelle H. Raphael 4800 Hampden Lane, Ste. 200 Bethesda, MD 20814 Attorney

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

Lisa C. Joseph, whose address is 103 R Street NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Desmond Joseph who died on March 3, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, 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.

Jacquelyn T. Womack, whose address is 3308 22nd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Delores N. Brown who died on December 8, 2017 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/22/2018

Date of first publication: 02/22/2018

Lisa C. Joseph Personal Representative

Jacquelyn T. Womack Personal Representative

Pierre J. Montague aka Pierre Jacques Montague Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Sean Montague, whose address is 1514 Newton St. NE, Washington, DC 20017, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Pierre J. Montague aka Pierre Jacques Montague who died on December 13, 2017 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/22/2018 Sean Montague Personal Representative

Opiffany Webb, whose address is 380 South Gibson Street, Warrenton, GA 30828, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Warren Webb who died on August 25, 2017 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship. Date of first publication: 2/22/2018 Opiffany Webb Personal Representative

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Date of first publication: 2/22/2018 Eldridge Staton Richard Staton Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY TRUE TEST COPY

Eldridge Staton and Richard Staton, whose addresses are 735 Whitaker Ter., Silver Spring, MD 20901 and 216 Bristol Downs Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20877, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Nellie R. Staton aka Nellie Staton who died on August 16, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, 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.

Washington Informer

38 MARCH 8 - 14, 2018

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2018 ADM 84 Christiane M. Wellons Decedent Attorney Ethel Mitchell Wills and Trusts, LLC 8403 Colesville Road #1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Rosemarie Crawford, whose address is 8506 Triple Crown Rd, Bowie, MD 20715, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Christiane M. Wellons who died on March 20, 2008 without a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, 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.

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration Number 2018 ADM 000137 Estate of Doris W. Berry NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

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

Administration Number 2018 ADM 000172

Administration No. 2017 ADM 001294

Foreign No. 2018 FEP 000024

Estate of Naomi C. Millet

Bruce Darby Decedent

November 26, 2007 Date of Death

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Deborah Berry for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of 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.

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Phillip A. Millet for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of 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.

TRUE TEST COPY

Edgar Darby, whose address is 4204 19th Ave., Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Bruce Darby who died on 5/9/1993 without a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/22/2018. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/22/2018, 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.

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Date of first publication: 2/22/2018

Washington Informer

Edgar Darby Personal Representative

Order James J. Millet who is alleged to have custody of the will dated June 27, 1996 to deliver it to the Court. Date of first publication: 2/22/2018

Date of first publication: 2/22/2018

Personal Representative: Phillip A. Millet

Deborah Berry Personal Representative: TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

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

Washington Informer

Date of first publication: 2/22/2018

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Rosemarie Crawford Personal Representative

Washington Informer

TRUE TEST COPY

William Lawrence Juneau aka William L. Juneau Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Bridget Marie Juneau whose address is 3810 W. 4th St., Duluth, MN 55807 was appointed personal representative of the estate of William Lawrence Juneau, aka William L. Juneau, deceased, by the Tenth Judicial District, District Court for Chisago County, State of Minnesota, on January 2, 2018. Service of process may be made upon Joshua Branson, 1615 M St. NW, Suite 400 Washington DC 20036 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. Decedent has cause of action in D.C. The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 2/22/2018 Bridget Marie Juneau Personal Representative Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration Number 2017 ADM 001192 Estate of Margaret Allen NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Kenneth Allen for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of 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: 2/22/2018 Kenneth Allen Personal Representative:

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

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000154

Administration No. 2017 ADM 001054

Administration No. 2018 ADM 000106

John H. Owens aka John Henry Owens Decedent

Ozella Stokes aka Ozella J. Stokes Decedent

Corrine A. Inman Decedent

Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

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

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Cheryl Marlene Owens, whose address is 3644 Southern Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John H. Owens aka John Henry Owens who died on April 26, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/1/2018. 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 9/1/2018, 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: 3/1/2018

Zachary Stokes and Robert Owens, whose addresses are 1764 Lang Pl. NE, WDC 20002 and 3507 Maywood Ln., Suitland, MD 20746, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Ozella Stokes aka Ozella J. Stokes who died on June 25, 2017 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/1/2018. 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 9/1/2018, 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: 3/1/2018

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Donna I Perry, whose address is 426 23rd Place NE, Washington, District of Columbia 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Corrine A. Inman who died on August 23, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/1/2018. 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 9/1/2018, 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: 3/1/2018

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Foreign No. 2018 FEP 34 March 27, 2007 Date of Death Sean Michael Thomas, aka Sean M. Thomas Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Carrie G. Thompson, aka Carrie G. Thomas whose address is 198 Hillcrest St., Howard, PA 16841 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Sean Michael Thomas, aka Sean M. Thomas, deceased, by the Court of Common Pleas Court for Centre County, State of Pennsylvania, on January 25, 2018. Service of process may be made upon Joshua Branson, 1615 M. Street NW, Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20036 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. Decedent has cause of action in DC. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first publication: 3/8/2018

Zachary Stokes Robert Owens Personal Representatives

Donna I. Perry Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Cheryl Marlene Owens Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Carrie G. Thompson Personal Representative

MARCH 8 - 14, 2018 39 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

LEGAL NOTICES

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

Administration No. 2017 ADM 001384

Administration No. 2017 ADM 866

Clarence Leroy Brockman Decedent

Leamon Farrior Decedent

Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Bridget Brockman, whose address is 4313 Windflower Way, Bowie, MD 20720, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Clarence Leroy Brockman who died on October 3, 2017 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/8/2018. 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 9/8/2018, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Dwayne Farrior, whose address is 3533 Glenmore Ave., Baltimore MD 21206, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Leamon Farrior who died on March 21, 2017 with a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/8/2018. 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 9/8/2018, 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: 3/8/2018

Date of first publication: 3/8/2018

Dwayne Farrior Personal Representative

Bridget Brockman Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2018 ADM 000145 Harold Major Tucker Decedent Barry M. Tapp 14662 Cambridge Circle Laurel, MD 20707 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Timothy Tucker, whose address is 124 17th Street NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Harold Major Tucker who died on November 15, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 9/8/2018. 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 9/8/2018, 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: 3/8/2018

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Congressional Black Caucus or former President Barack Obama when they make crazy, radical, liberal ad hominin attacks on Republicans and conservatives? Please tell me what Deneen Borelli, Shermichael Singleton, Candace Owens, Crystal Wright, Lawrence Jones and Paris Dennard have said about Walters’ comments? These Blacks have no “core” values nor do they seem to understand the “heritage” of Blacks in the Republican Party. This seems to have left the Black conservative “family” without a voice. The day after Walter’s comments, there was a gathering of Black conservatives, many attendees of the CPAC event, and from my sources, there was absolutely no discussion of the Steele incident. How the hell is that even possible? This is why many Blacks, including myself, find Black Republicans repulsive. Out of all these gathered Black Republicans who want to be in charge, not one brought up the Steele issue? And you wonder why we can’t get more Blacks involved in our party and the conservative movement. WI

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icism of Steele’s election. You must see the video to believe what happens next. Schlapp starts off by saying, “Ian is my colleague at work and he’s my friend. I love Ian and I’m not gonna separate myself from Ian. I think he said some words that our political enemies could take in the worst way.” Please allow me to interpret this idiotic statement. What I think Schlapp really wanted to say is: “Michael, I don’t care how racist Walter’s statement was, I am choosing him over you!” Schlapp’s continued condescending tone towards Steele during the radio interview was nothing short of infuriating and, in my opinion, racist. At one point in the interview, Schlapp lectures Steele, saying, “This is where you need to have some grace.” WTF? Really? For a White person to talk down to a grown man of Steele’s stature proves how little regard Schlapp has for Steele and his accomplishments within the party. The tragedy in all this is the fact that Schlapp has no under-

standing as to why Steele and the Black community were offended and repulsed at what happened at the dinner and its aftermath. But this conduct should be offensive to anyone with integrity and values. Whites should be just as offended and alarmed at this whole incident, not only because it was racist, but because it was wrong. It should come as no surprise that the ACU has not one Black employee. They have one Black board member, Ron Christie, but don’t expect to hear from him anytime this century on an issue involving Blacks and racism. So I guess in the ACU’s view, there is no room for Blacks in their version of conservatism. As if this racial dig at Michael Steele wasn’t bad enough, I am just as stunned, but not surprised, at the public silence of many Black Republicans. As of this writing, I have seen very few Black Republicans publicly denouncing Walters’ comments and Schlapp’s reaction to what happened on the record. Where are all the Black Republican media whores who never miss an opportunity to criticize Colin Kaepernick, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the

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HENDERSON from Page 24 resources, as well as discrimination in hiring, salaries and, all too often, social capital. In 2013, the median White family had 13 times more wealth than the median black family and 10 times more wealth than the median Latino family. African-American students tend to take out more debt than their White counterparts, and both Blacks and Latinos are more likely to default than Whites. Since Blacks with bachelor’s degrees earn only 79 percent and Latinos only 83 percent of what their White counterparts earn, African-American and Hispanic students have a harder time repaying their loans. Further contributing to the crisis, Blacks and Latinos comprise 41 percent of the students at the high-cost, low-quality, for-profit colleges. These institutions frequently fail to prepare students for high-salary jobs, instead saddling them with exorbitant debts that they can’t repay.

LOMAX from Page 24 alize their full potential. We remind them: You are coming from a reputable university. Participating education reform organizations are not just giv-

How then can we address these challenges? Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants to ease regulations on the loan servicers and for-profit colleges that have gotten us into this mess. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) of the House Education and Workforce Committee would take this effort even further. Her proposal for reauthorizing the HEA, the PROSPER Act, would ensure that students will have to borrow more to get a postsecondary education with the very real likelihood that they will never pay off the debt. This would all but guarantee that predatory, for-profit programs would continue to rise exponentially right alongside our national student debt bill. Efforts to make student aid more costly for students rather than hold institutions accountable for what they do with the aid reflects either a catastrophic misunderstanding of the root causes of this issue or something more disturbing: the blatant effort to recreate the system we had before the HEA

was enacted. In this system, traditional college was by and large only accessible to the wealthy, who were usually White. Fixing our broken student debt system should not mean undoing years of progress since the HEA or saddling marginalized groups with a lifetime of debt. Instead, we need to hold student loan servicers, debt collectors, and institutions of all kinds accountable for their practices. African Americans, Latinos and low-income students from all backgrounds need more income-based grants, loans, financial assistance, and admissions policies that tear down barriers of color, culture and class, not support them. Helping college graduates to repay their loans isn’t the only challenge. The challenge is enabling and empowering all our young people to make their fullest contribution to our country. This is, in the last analysis, a debt that all Americans owe to ourselves and our nation’s future. WI

ing you an opportunity, but they are also benefiting from your valuable education, talents and experiences. You can learn to speak their language while bringing forward your authentic self.

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ment to advocate and represent God’s love and promise of unity in our public square. NCC shares with secular and interfaith partners to advance a shared agenda of peace, progress, and positive change. About half of the membership of the NCC is African American. This is the venue in which Black and White Christians come together to seek an end to racism. The NCC itself has a story to be shared and a past to be reckoned with. An early supporter of Dr. King and the civil rights struggle, the Council showed enormous courage at first in the fight against racism. Sadly, when the civil rights movement began to address issues of African-American economic

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taught a lesson. For his part, Farrakhan has cavorted with all sorts of world leaders: Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Muammar Qaddafi, former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. In January 1984, after helping secure the release of captured U.S. Navy pilot Robert Goodman, Farrakhan was pictured with President Reagan and Vice President (and soon to be President) George H.W. Bush at the White House. At the funeral of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, then only the third civilian to lie in repose at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Farrakhan was a speaker, and he rubbed shoulders with congress members and other dignitaries.

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from families that earning less than $30,000. But officials at the UDC are making the case that they are a viable option for students in the District to complete their education, as 72 percent of the university’s students are D.C. residents with a vast majority of them graduating from DCPS. “We’re at the stage now where we take [students] as we find and them and do the best we can to be as successful as they can be in life,” Mason said. “They are our students once they walk in our doors, and we have three doors to walk in.” Currently, the university offers three routes of entry for students — its professional certificates and job training path, its community college that offers remediation courses and the opportunity to earn and associate degree and through selective admissions to pursue bachelors or graduate degrees — and each one can lead into the next.

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empowerment and attempted to grapple with the fraught issue of reparations, NCC faced tremendous pushback and withdrew some of its support. Now, we have a chance to fix this. April 4 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader whose voice was silenced too early. His dream of a beloved community lives on and to mark the occasion the ACT to End Racism rally will begin a renewed effort to decisively and conclusively end racism in our nation. We will begin with an early morning silent march led by a single drummer from the MLK Memorial on the Tidal Basin to the site of the rally. Upon arrival at the stage, an interfaith service will be held.

Immediately afterward comes the rally itself, featuring speakers and music. The NCC will be joined by the Conference of National Black Churches, Sojourners, the African American Clergy Network, the Franciscan Action Network, the Religious Action Center for Reformed Judaism, the Mennonite Central Committee, Churches Uniting in Christ, Religions for Peace USA and many other organizations at the rally. We are united. We are determined. We are going to do our part to end racism. Today, the task of the faith community is to step forward, hold itself accountable, and live out our professed beliefs that God loves each and every one of us equally. Let’s get to it. WI

At the celebration of Time magazine’s 75th anniversary, Farrakhan recalls that the recently deceased Rev. Billy Graham — now only the fourth civilian to lie in repose at the Capitol — walked away from Muhammad Ali and came over and spoke with him. So why exactly is Ellison on the hot seat, but neither Bush 41, Reagan, Graham nor former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell — who praised the Muslim and his Nation of Islam organization — were called to account for associating with Farrakhan? Why only the Black leaders? Admittedly, Farrakhan says some things that are even hard to listen about some Jewish leaders who stray from their religion’s principles and engage in wicked

behavior. But in a conversation with President Richard Nixon, Graham and Nixon said some damning things about Jews as well. Why isn’t there a rogue’s gallery for their associates? More importantly, why does anyone who calls themselves a Black leader even listen to, and then kowtow to, such duplicitous demands? It’s truly mind-boggling. Finally, there is no equivalency between former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan is a good man, who leads his followers along a path toward self-improvement, not into a life of hate, intimidation and violence, as do the Trump-inspired race-haters, now called the “alt-right.” Leave Farrakhan’s friends alone! WI

Mason said the he would like to see a pipeline partnership with DCPS in the future. The institution stands as the least expensive university in the DMV area, ranks in the top 100 universities for upward mobility when comparing the incomes of their students and parents, and its law school ranks right behind Yale as the nation’s sixth-best clinical law school. “In the work that we have done in the last two years to clean things up and straighten things out, people who have wanted to embrace their university are feeling more comfortable in doing so,” Mason said. “We are going from an institution that where people thought we were a community college to one that is being and institution of first choice for many public-school students.” In the past year, the institution has settled its faculty union contract for the first time, introduced its first doctorate program for engineering and computer science and attracted more than 150 of the District’s top-performing high school stu-

dents through its new DC-UP program. It has seen a 51 percent increase in full-time, first-time-incollege students between and a 10 percent increase in retention since last year. This year, UDC is requesting what they call a “modest” increase in support from the city and has launched a campaign #EqualFundingForUDC. The District spends about 1.1 percent of its budget on higher education, compared to the national average of 5.8 percent. The university is requesting an increase of its base operating subsidy from $78 million to $125 million over four years, as well as $725 million over 10 years in capital needs, still placing subsidies to the university at less than 2 percent of the total city budget. It seeks to improve academic programming, modernize its distressed infrastructure, develop student housing and offer more incentives to retain faculty members. WI

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