The Washington Informer - August 15, 2019

VOL. 54, NO. 44 • AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

Talking Won’t Stop Gun Violence; ‘What Are YOU Going to Do About It?’

Back to School Supplement Center Section

College Students, Parents Fight to Overcome Financial Burdens

D.C. Students Gear up For New School Year

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins

Rising Tuition Affecting Black Students Nationwide

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins Southeast resident and college student Cairo Pondexter said the anxiety over how she would finance her education increased upon learning that at least five of her classmates wouldn’t return to Delaware State University in the fall because of delinquent payments.

Pondexter, a sophomore, said she spent much of the spring semester and summer break securing tax documents needed for financial assistance and paying the $500 balance that would allow her to move back on campus in late August.

With the help of her mother, she and her brother Jeffrey launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the remaining funds needed to tackle her fall semester bill.

For the full-time psychology student, these minor inconveniences pale in comparison to what she described as a life of unfulfilling minimum-wage employment.

“I didn’t have any scholarships so I had to depend on the D.C Col-

COLLEGE Page 18

FUN IN THE SUN

5 A couple enjoys the day during The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair 2019 which continues through Sunday, Aug. 18 in Gaithersburg. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer). See CTM, page 38 for more photos

This week, summer break came to a close for some young people in the District. By early September, most of them will have returned to, or gotten settled in, schools under new leadership, amid transformation, or a combination of both.

The focus for some, like Jarmar Jenkins, however, remains on putting their best foot forward.

Jarmar, a District resident and

BACK2SCHOOL Page 19

Upcoming Cookout to Launch Moratorium on District Murders

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins

The 12th annual Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters cookout and amateur boxing tournament, scheduled to take place at the end of August at Upshur Park in Northwest, will mark the beginning of a sixmonth moratorium on murders in the District, as agreed upon by event organizers and participants pledging to spread that message throughout their communities.

Thus continues a longtime tradition, initially propelled by several grassroots anti-violence activists in the

wake of Mayor Marion Barry’s transition out of public office in 1998.

Al-Malik Farrakhan, key coordinator of those efforts, recalled that moment in history as one marked both by constant violence and a burning desire for peace among what he described as some of D.C.’s most organized gangs.

“The youth of the city wanted to honor Mayor Barry and one of the ways of doing that was a six-month moratorium on killings,” said Farrakhan, founder of anti-violence nonprofit Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters.

By the turn of the century, the Dis-

DON’T SMOKE Page 11

5 Incoming freshman at Howard University in Northwest kick off their school year with an event at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel on Aug. 11. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

Celebrating 54 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area

2 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Around the Region............ 4-11 PG County....................... 12-13 Business............................ 14-15 National............................ 16-19 International........................20 Health ..............................21-23 Education ....................... 24-25 WI Back to School Supplement

Equifax

........................Center Section

Business / Page 14

OpEd................................ 27-29 Lifestyle..........................30-37 Capture the Moment..........38 Sports ............................. 40-41 Religion................................. 42

On August 15, 1938 longtime U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters is born in St. Louis.

Black Facts / Page 6

Leon Dash

FOLLOW US ON

Lifestyle / Page 30

with most insurance*

10% off your next grocery purchase with any immunization**

*No co-payment unless required by your plan. **Restrictions apply.

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Aug 13.19_WashingtonInformerAd_9.5x6.1_FLU.indd 1

9:46 AM 3 AUGUST 15 8/13/19 - 21, 2019

around the region

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY www.washingtoninformer.com Visit our updated Web site and give us your comments for a chance to win a gift from The Washington Informer

Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence AKA Educational Foundation Politicians Inspire COMPLIED BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR, WI EDITOR

Offers Graduate Members of Nation’slaw enforcement. She said they threat,” she Scholarsaid. had come together to bring a Among the Marlow ships, Communityprograms Awards Largest Black Laborsense Union of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement old daughter told her the father survivors are treated. rights forisvictim's families Foundation, Inc.more (AKA EAF) accepting applicaof her daughter threatened her “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a victions for its 2019 graduate student scholarships. life, and the life of their child, story, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assessAKA EAF is a source of support to graduate stushe knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further students and non-profit orgadone. Out of her frustration said about Marlow. dents, post freshman training for law enforcement nizations serving diverse Scholarships with law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, beneficiaries. a Child's Life ProtecEmail comments to: andbook grants are awarded without regard to gender, of the situation, she decided to who reads Marlow's will tion Act and mandatory counselrace,“puts creed, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or rburke@ start the Saving Promise cam- “get it.” She said she the ing for batterers. disability.

Deadline: August 15, 2019.

For more paign. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradiwashingtoninformer.com information, www.akaef.org.

“It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She said at the visit 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 vicshared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow ence at the District Heights Also present at the event was said.

5 Congresswoman Omar (D-MN) (L-R), Muhammad, the exDomestic ViolenceIlhan Symposium Mildred Marlow would also like to see on May Brown, 7 at theAPRI District Heights Clayola national president and wife ofMinneJohn Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise Municipal who was sentenced to six consecsota AttorneyCenter.

GeneralThe (andsympoformer congressman) Keith DC Mayorawareness Muri- among children in sium thethe nation’s utive life terms without parole public and private schools. She Ellison was spoke sponsored to members ofbyAPRI, largest el Bowser recently anFamily andof Black YouthlaborServices by a Maryland his role in feels children need to be educatorganization union members and advo- jury for nounced a $1.3 million Center of the of conference District inthe Beltway Sniperinvestment attacks in to ed about domestic violence. cates during theircity annual Bloomington. relaunch Heights and the National Hook- 2002. Mildred Muhammad is have to stop being pasDC Opportunity“WeAc(Photo courtesy Jon Levine, APRI) Up of Black Women. the founder of After counts, the Trauma, with poor chila 4:1 sive-aggressive matched Marlow has Congresswoman written a book, Ilhan an Omar organization helps the dren about domestic violence,” Minnesota (D- thatsavings program that “Color Me Butterfly,” whichofis the a A. survivors of domestic violence Marlow said.

MN) addressed members Philip Ranwill help qualified Disstory four generations of nation’s and theirlargest children.

Marlow has worked to break dolphabout Institute [APRI] – the trict residents save up to domestic violence.

The book is “I livedunion in fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, organization of African-American labor $7,500. Those funds can inspired her own and experiences, in fear is a long time. It is and is confident the policies she leaders, by members supportersyears – last week used out to help pay for and those of her grandmother, not anshe easy thing tobecome is pushing for will start that in Bloomington. During her remarks, said a variety of expenses, inher mother and her daughter. of,” she said. process. she’d continue to advocate on behalf of those cluding education, firstShe saidinjustice every time she her readscontinuing Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to facing despite to retime homea purchases, small In Memoriam excerpts from her book, she still people who want to help Congress andbusiness implore development them to ceive death threats.

Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. and retirement. can not believe the words came domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said.

Wilhelmina J. Rolark “If someone needs you to get down on a knee Program empowers residents tothese pursue their from her. “Color Me Butterfly” be careful of how they“The go into “I will not stop until polito make themselves feel tall, then there’s someThe Washington Informer Newspaper of going tocies college, starting a business, or purwon the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, andgoals understand are passed.” thing wrong with them, not you,” she said. “I THE WASHINGTON INFORMER PUBLISHER chasing a home, which in turnJones can provide them with In Memoriam Books” Award. she may be in “survival Tia Carol can be reached NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is got in this ring because I’m readythat to fight.”

Dr. Calvin W. Rolark Rolark, Barnes Sr. Denise pathways to the middle class,” Bowser said, “and offers “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net published weekly on each Thursday. celebrated itsand 50th gathering Wilhelmina J. Rolark handgoing up to Washingtonians who want to live and myAPRI eye first blackened myannual“Before Periodicals postage paid at Washingyou get toa 'I'm Aug. 7 – 11 during a week that featured actor ton, D.C. and additional mailing ofTHE WASHINGTON INFORMERSTAFF NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published lips bled,” Marlow said.

DC and contribute to our communities.” to kill you,' it startedwork as ainverbal WI fices. weekly News and advertisingPeriodicals deadline postage Danny Glover, former congressman and curon Thursday. paid McNeir, at Washington, D. Kevin EditorD.C. and additional Elaine Davis-Nickens, presiSince 1997, more than 2,300 individuals have is Monday to publication. mailingprior offices.

News and Anadvertising is Monday prior to publication. rent Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Ron deadline Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director dent of the National Hook-Up enrolled in similar matched savings programs. Since nouncements must be received two Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2000 by The and radio talk show hostisJoe Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor of Black Women, said there no Madison. MadweeksWashington prior to event.

Copyright 2016 reserved.

September 2018, nearly 87 percent of participants Informer.

All rights POST MASTER: Send change of addressison interviewed Jacqueline Lafayette Barnes, Editor

by The Informer.

All 3117 consistency in the way domesticJackson, wife of es toWashington The Washington Informer, Martin Luther King,IV, Jr. Assistant Ave., S.E.Photo Washington, reached their savings goals with a total of $5.6 milrights D.C. reserved.

POSTMASTER: Send Johnmay E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editorpermiscivil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson, about 20032.

No part of this publication be reproduced without written violence issues are dealt with by lion in combined contributions and matched funds. changesion of from addresses to The The Wash-Informer the publisher.

Newspaper cannot guarantee Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor the return of her recent publication, “Loving You, Thinking ingtonphotographs.

Informer, 3117 Martin Luther To apply, email DCopportunity@caab.org.

Subscription rates are $30 per year, two years $45.

Papers will be received ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout of You, Don’t Forget to Pray: Letters to My Son King, not Jr. more Ave., than S.E. aWashington, D.C. week after publication.

Make checks payable to: Mable Neville, Bookkeeper 20032. No part of this publication may in Prison” – a collection of letters she wrote to be reproduced without writtenTHE permisDr. Charles Vincent, Social Sightings columnist WASHINGTON INFORMER their son Jesse Jackson, Jr. during his imprission from the publisher.

TheLuther Informer Tatiana Moten, Social Media 3117 Martin King, Jr. Ave., S.E. • Washington, D.C.Specialist 20032 onment. She was joined by youngest son JonNewspaper cannot guarantee the return Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 Circulation 574-3785 Angie •Johnson, athan. of photographs. Subscription rates are E-mail: news@washingtoninformer.com $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will APRI National President Clayola Brown, the www.washingtoninformer.com REPORTERS be received not more than a week after first female to head the organization, said their publication. Make checks payable to: Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, objectives include building awareness and seekChristian Tabernacle Church, in celebration PUBLISHER Timothy Cox, Will Ford (Prince George’s THE WASHINGTON INFORMER Denise Rolark Barnes ing solutions to many of today’s forms of social of their new community fatherhood initiative, County Writer), Jacqueline Fuller, Hamil 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E and racial injustice.

STAFF will host the first annual Fatherhood NFL TailREPORTERS Harris, D. Kevin McNeir, Dorothy Rowley, Washington, D.C. 20032 Brooke N. Garner Managing Editor Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell, “Based on results from the 2018 elections, gate Cookout and Watch Party, Thursday, Sept. 5 Phone: 202 561-4100 Brenda Siler, Sarafina Wright, James Wright Carla Peay Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, our activists and our allies have been [instruFax: 202 574-3785 (1000 V St., NW).

Ron Burke Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, Joseph Young PHOTOGRAPHERS news@washingtoninformer.com mental] in educating, organizing and moving Mable Whittaker Bookkeeper The game will feature the Green Bay Packers John E. DeFreitas, Shevry Lassiter, www.washingtoninformer.com LaNita Wrenn Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS political and legislative victories,” she said. taking on division rival the Chicago Bears in the Lewis, Lafayette Jr., Anthony Brigette John E. De Freitas SportsRoy Editor Barnes,Tilghman, IV, “With increased education, measurable proNFL season opener with a family-friendly tailVictor Holt PhotoWhite Editor John E. De Freitas, Maurice Fitzgerald, grams, strong community partnerships and orZebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert gate party kicking off the event at 6:30 p.m. in Ken Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster Ridley, Victor Holt ganizational development, we will recover and the church parking lot, continuing until the final INTERNS: advance.”

L.Y. Marlow whistle. Church officials say they want to showPenelope Blackwell, Olivia Boyd CIRCULATION Founded in 1965 by A. Philip Randolph Paul Trantham case the important role men and fathers play in and Bayard Rustin, APRI has more than 110 their children’s lives. Amenities will include: free chapters nationwide with membership from food, raffle prizes, games and tables with commuthe nation’s top unions and community organity resources for fathers who may need help or nizations. support.

4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com

Bowser Announces $1.3 Million Matching Savings Program for Residents

“

We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor Christian Tabernacle to children about domestic Host Fatherhood NFL Tailgate, Partythese violence.

I planWatch to take policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed.

“

4 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

AROUND THE REGION

Mural Depicting Slain Youth Elicits Tears of Sorrow

By James Wright WI Staff Writer The families of five slain District youth poured out their emotions at an Aug. 9 ceremony that celebrated their lives and condemned the circumstances of their demise at The Fridge, an art gallery in Ward 6.

Pathways 2 Power, a student-led advocacy group based at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School in Southeast, unveiled a mural honoring Paris Brown, Zaire Kelly, Steve Slaughter, Jamahri Sydnor and Taiyania Thompson – young people who lost their lives to gun violence during the 2017-2018 school year.

The mural serves as the key representation of “The Limestone of Lost Legacies Mural Project” led

by Pathways 2 Power co-founder Lauryn Renford.

Renford told the audience of 100 family members, friends, anti-gun violence advocates and politicians her motivation for wanting the mural to be done and placed on The Fridge’s building.

“First, I wanted to humanize the victims,” Renford said. “Second, I wanted the mural to be in a neighborhood where the people live luxuriously and third, I want this mural to call people to action to have further conversations to the epidemic of gun violence in the city.”

Pathways 2 Power raised nearly $13,000 with over 175 donors providing financial assistance for the project. Alex Goldstein, the owner of The Fridge, heartily agreed to provide a wall for the mural and artist Martin Swift painted the mural.

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, D.C. State Board of Education members Markus Batchelor (Ward 8) and Jessica Sutter (Ward 6) attended the event along with D.C. Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large).

Racine, who looked visibly shaken while delivering his remarks, said “the death of young people by gun violence is becoming routine.”

“These kids were doing the right thing,” the attorney general said pointing to the mural. “These kids weren’t engaged in conduct that was bad. We have to work to not make this normal.”

Q Wallace, the mother of Jamahri, worked for decades with the D.C. police department investigating homicide cases, including those dealing with youth. How-

ever, she never thought one of her own children would be a homicide victim.

“Jamahri had great promise and was a forward thinker,” Wallace said. “She didn’t deserve to die like that. I do like that she is a part of the mural and it makes me happy to see her name and her likeness up there.”

Wallace said she plans to develop an organization that will deal with issues of gun violence and how it affects youth.

Gwen Gaither, the first cousin of Steve, said District residents need to step in and stop the violence. To remember her cousin, she created an acronym.

“His name was Steve,” Gaither said. “S stands for Stop, T stands for Toward, E stands for Ending, V is for Violence and E stands for Everyday. We should talk to people every day about STEVE.” Seditra Brown sobbed during her remarks but said “these are not tears of hurt but tears of joy.”

“Paris had so much determination and he was my last child,” Brown said. “He kept telling me ‘Ma, I am going to be a legend someday.’ He is my first child to die and I lost another one in April.”

Zion Kelly, Zaire’s twin brother, talked about how painful remembering his sibling can be at times but said he “pushes on.”

Kelly attends Florida A&M University and presently works as an intern in Racine’s office.

“That is what he would have wanted me to do,” Kelly said. “I know he isn’t here with me physically, but I know he is with me spiritually. When he was alive, we would talk a lot about going to Florida A&M and being there together.”

WI

5 Seditra Brown with a portrait of her son Paris Brown as Q Wallace stands next to an image of her daughter,

Jamahri Sydnor. (Photo by Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer).

Racine, who looked visibly shaken while delivering his remarks, said “the death of young people by gun violence is becoming routine.”

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

YOUR SPACE TO PL AY

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 5

AROUND THE REGION

black facts

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB

AUG.15

1887 – Eatonville, Florida, one of the nation’s first self-governing all-Black municipalities and the hometown of famed author Zora Neale Hurston, is incorporated.

1938 – Longtime U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters is born in St. Louis.

AUG. 16

1887 – African American inventor Granville T. Woods patents electromechanical brake.

1922 – Louis E. Lomax, author and first African American television journalist, is born in Valdosta, Georgia.

2007 – Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach dies in New York at 83.

AUG. 17

FULL-SERVICE SIGN & ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS Professional VISUAL BRANDING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS to help grow your business

...because image matters Call Today! 301-273-3462

Stacey Brown “Chief Image Builder”

stacey@signarama-silverspring.com

8930 Brookville Rd Silver Spring, MD 20910 signarama-silverspring.com MBE/DBE Certified | Woman-Owned Business

BUYING RECORDS

1887 – Political leader Marcus Garvey, proponent of the Pan-Africanism movement and founder of the Black Star Line, is born in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica.

1938 – Blues icon and famed guitarist Robert Johnson dies in Greenwood, Mississippi at 27.

1990 – Tony-winning actress and singer Pearl Bailey dies in Philadelphia at 72.

AUG. 18

1934 – Baseball great Roberto Clemente is born in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

1963 – Civil rights activist James Meredith, the first African American admitted to the University of Mississippi, graduates.

1977 – Stephen Biko, anti-apartheid activist and leader of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa, is arrested. He is severely beaten while in police custody and dies of his injuries weeks later.

AUG. 20

1942 – Soul music legend Isaac Hayes, best known for his Oscar-winning “Theme from Shaft,” is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

AUG. 21

1831 – Nat Turner leads a rebellion of slaves and free Blacks in Southampton County, Virginia, that resulted in the deaths more than 50 white people.

1904 – Count Basie, famed jazz pianist and bandleader, is born in Red Bank, New Jersey.

1932 – Melvin Van Peebles, actor, director and composer, is born in Chicago.

1936 – Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain, (ABOVE) the only player in NBA history to score 100 points in a single game, is born in Philadelphia.

WI

AUG. 19

1954 – Ralph J. Bunche, the first Black winner of Nobel Peace Prize, named undersecretary of the United Nations.

Buying Vinyl Records from 1950 to 1986, Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, R&B, Disco, Soul, Reggae, Blues, Gospel, and record format 33 1/3, 45s, and some of the older 78s.

Prefer larger collections of at least 100.

CALL JOHN @ 301-596-6201 6 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

MAXINE WATERS THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

AROUND THE REGION

view P INT

BY SARAFINA WRIGHT

Fox News contributor Donna Brazile said President Trump “has nothing to do” with recent mass shootings in the U.S. Does she have a point or did she miss the mark?

IF YOU WANT QUALITY WORK, JUST CALL!

Quality Assurance Home Improvement, Inc. “We Stand By Our Name”

FREE ESTIMATES! / Office: 301-248-3325

KIMBERLEE WHITE / HOUSTON, TEXAS

He doesn’t, though. As long as people create a scapegoat, there will be no responsibility or consequences. These mass shootings have happened for centuries.

DYRELL DONES /

FINISHED BASEMENT

DECK

Financing Available 90-day Deferment Payment

ADDITION & 4 SEASON SUN ROOM

WASHINGTON, D.C.

She’s gone from [being] a valuable coin to another token. I had a feeling she would follow suit with those who have migrated to “Faux News.”

Kitchens • Bathrooms • Room additions • Retaining walls • Screen rooms • Carports • Porches • Roofing • Siding Decks • Complete renovations • Enclosed porches • Basements Solid virgin final replacement windows • Bay and bow windows

ADDITION

KITCHEN

SIONAL PROFES LERS A T S IN L home g in A+ Ratinment from improve r Business the Bette r 15 years Bureau fo ight stra

Bonded / Insured / Licensed MHCI#86727 / D.C. License #53005449 Lead Paint Removal Certified

KITCHEN

Visit our website today at: www.fortwashingtonhomecontractors.com

L.W. SLATER / VALDOSTA, GEORGIA

People will sell their soul if they think they are getting ahead. We knew when she decided to work for Fox News, this was going to happen — no surprise.

$2500 off

Up to Sunrooms & Additions

15% off Any Service

Purchase today and receive FREE cable outlet and FREE A/C & Heating Unit

With this coupon. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases.

For Senior Citizens Extra 5% Off

With this coupon. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases.

CAPITOL ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES, INC. DC DRIVING/WALKING TOURS APP

KHAMEELAH SHABAZZ / ACCRA, GHANA

He may not have directly had anything to do with mass shootings, but his rhetoric may [have] set the tone for others to act due to being easily influenced. A president should create a positive environment and unite the masses of people.

TOUR 1

Overview of American History Tour

TOUR 2

Capitol Hill/ Pennsylvania Avenue Tour

TOUR 3

National Monuments & Memorials Tour

TOUR 4

White House Promenade Tour

TOUR DC ON YOUR OWN SCHEDULE FOR $4.99!

KIM GAY / WASHINGTON, D.C.

Wracist cops? Stop blaming him for the murderous, hatred heart of others. That dude killed his sister, too. He will have to face God. And I promise you, God will not ask about Trump.

Enjoy interesting driving and walking tours using the Washington, DC Driving/Walking Tours App. The GPS tour guide app automatically plays the tour site audio as you drive or walk past the tour site using your smart phone. The 4 tours include over 60 tour site audio and videos that can be played during the tour or at home.

DOWNLOAD IN THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 7

AROUND THE REGION The World According to Dominic

BY D. KEVIN MCNEIR / WI EDITOR / @DKEVINMCNEIR

‘Five Years Since Being Choked to Death, Black Men Like Eric Garner Still Can’t Breathe’

(301) 864-6070

EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, Race Discrimination, Rehabilitation Act, Retaliation, Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA

www.jmlaw.net

(301) 864-6070

8 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

jmccollum@jmlaw.net

A few days ago, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the death of Eric Garner at the hands of police in Staten Island, Attorney General William P. Barr ordered that the case be dropped. The decision ends a contentious years-long debate within the Justice Department over whether to bring federal civil rights charges against the officer who contained Garner, 43, in a chokehold which ultimately led to his death.

Garner’s dying words, “I can’t breathe,” repeated 11 times as captured by witnesses on their cell phones on that hot summer day, July 17, 2014, have since become a rallying cry for activists who continue to demand changes in policing practices including the elimination of the deadly tool of “excessive force” still used by officers from coast to coast.

Garner’s death, reflected in the epitaphs of scores of other Black men and women who have suffered similar fates following encounters with police, has served as the catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement. But as journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, writing from a prison cell, asks in his appropriately-titled, brilliant collection of essays which captures the past two decades of police violence and a much longer his-

tory of the U.S., “Have Black Lives Ever Mattered?”

Based on the evidence at hand and the transcript documenting America’s past and current treatment of Black bodies, the only possible reply to his query must be “No,” “Never” – or for those more optimistic about the future, “Not Yet.” For NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo, the last five years have found him relegated to his desk without his badge or gun, suspended from street duty but employed, nonetheless.

And while he may ultimately, after long delay, be fired from the force – a decision supported by both the City mayor and state governor – it won’t bring Garner back to his family and friends or undo the suffering they’ve endured.

While I cannot imagine the pain that Garner’s parents have had to bear, I wonder what justice would look like to them? Is it an impossible dream or is it an attainable goal despite a judicial system rife with inequities, police practices often doled out based on skin color rather than the crime, dominating societal norms and a current political environment which collectively enforce America’s two-edged sword of justice – with Blacks repeatedly getting the raw and brunt end of the deal, and stick, respectively?

In a chapter from his earlier mentioned book, Abu-Jamal posits that police in their dealings with Blacks, may legitimately be described as either “public servants” or “paid predators,” citing the case of Amadou Diallo in support of the latter description.

He writes, “the trial of those charged in the slaughter of Amadou Diallo has ended in the predictable acquittal of his killers – four white cops. When is a killing not a killing?

Apparently, when the homicide is perpetrated by police. When police kill, it is an accident, a ‘mistake,’ an ‘oops!”

To be clear, my personal encounters with law enforcement still lead me to view a policeman more like “Officer Friendly” than a legally-armed assassin targeting Black boys and men. But it would be foolish and dangerously naïve for me to pretend that more than a few uni-

formed, licensed to kill white men, have little or no regard for those who look like me and wield their power with reckless abandon.

But equally, if not more dangerous, are white, self-appointed community watchmen who believe it is their right and duty to police the streets and protect their own from dangerous elements – those blackor brown-skinned who live among them or who hazard to cross their paths. George Zimmerman, who murdered an innocent and unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin, 17, serves as just one of hundreds of recent examples.

And so, I call the role: Trayvon was “walking while Black.” Garner was “hanging out on the corner, perhaps selling loose ‘squares,’ while Black.”

Jordan Davis, 17, was “listening to a blaring radio while Black.” Freddie Gray, 25, was “possessing (allegedly) an illegal weapon, a knife, while Black.” Michael Brown, 18, was “running away from police while Black.” For their individual “crimes,” each of them subsequently lost their lives.

Every day, with these and other illustrations of injustice weighing heavily on my heart, I pray for the safety of my only son, Jared, 25, who works and lives in New York City.

I pray for his protection so that he will not become another statistic. I claim his safe passage in a nation so sickened by bigotry and fear that for some, the essential need to breathe freely in order to survive now stands on the precipice – a see-saw whose seats are marked “privilege” and “inalienable right.” For my son, for me and for others of our ilk, we fight and scrape for the right to life-sustaining breath throughout the course of life – knowing full well that this right, at least for Blacks, still remains in abeyance.

I want my son to have the right to “breathe,” to have his right to “breathe” protected under the law and to be able to envision a future in which he can “breathe” as easily as anyone else – a perfunctory act which never requires practice in order to perfect. Come to think of it, I seek the same for myself.

“I can’t breathe!” That’s a phrase I hope I’ll never have to repeat. WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

AROUND THE REGION

Allen Seeks to Reward Rehabilitating Offenders

By James Wright WI Staff Writer Halim Flower’s ability to leave prison with a commuted sentence in the adjoining story serves as a backdrop to D.C. Council member Charles Allen’s amendment to have sentence reduction for youth violent offenders raised for consideration up to the age of 24 based on good behavior and showing remorse.

Allen, who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, has submitted an amendment to the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act of 2016 that passed as a part of fellow Council member Kenyan McDuffie’s Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment Act of 2016 that took effect in April 2017.

His amendment would raise the age to before 24, noting that offenders eligible for sentence reduction would have committed their offenses as juveniles, served 20 years in prison and not come up for parole.

Allen said eligible offenders will make their case for sentence reduction in front of a D.C. judge and will have to meet a high bar for resentencing and prove they aren’t a risk to others.

“Judges have a very high threshold for granting this type of release,” he said. “It’s not enough to say you’re sorry for committing the offense.”

The council member said 17 individuals have had their sentences reheard and none of them have gone back to prison.

Allen also based his efforts on the widely accepted science that says teenagers and young adults’ brains are still maturing and are prone to making questionable decisions.

“There has been research that proves that the brain is still in formation up to 26 years old,” he said. “Some of us did something stupid in our early years. It is reasonable to assume that a person who has been locked up for a life sentence at 18 looks at life differently when 40.”

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine supports Allen’s efforts, saying the compelling nature of the brain science justifies revisiting an offender’s sentence and other states are considering that too.

However, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jes-

IDEAS WANTED!

Get Your Free Inventor’s Guide

CALL 800-353-6102 NOW Helping inventors and idea people since 1989.

Davison charges fees for services

MORE FOR YOUR THING. FOR A LIMITED TIME, GET A $250 AT&T VISA® REWARD CARD* WHEN YOU BUY A SMARTPHONE ON AT&T NEXT!† Req’s installment agmt & new line of svc on elig. postpaid voice plan (min. $45/mo. after discounts start w/in 2 bills). AT&T Door to Door and Local Service Providers only. *Limited-Time Offer. Req’s port-in. AT&T Door to Door and Local Service Providers on Claim w/in 75 days. $30 Activation, add’l fees, taxes & other charges, & restr’s apply. See below for details.

Call us, your AT&T Preferred Dealer.

IV SUPPORT HOLDINGS LLC

866-771-1642

www.250reward.com/inform

*$250 Reward Card Offer: Limited Time Offer. Smartphone: Buy any new smartphone on AT&T Next or AT&T Next Every Year installment agmt w/ elig. postpaid wireless voice & data svc (minimum $50/mo. afterAutoPay and Paperless billing discount. Pay $60/mo. until discount starts within 2 bills.). Upgrades excluded. If svc is cancelled, remaining installment agmt balance is due. Down payment may be req’d. Tax due at sale. Activation Fee: $30. Return: Return w/in 14 days. Restocking fee up to $45 may apply. Purchase, financing, other limits & restr’s apply. Visit att.com/next for plan details. Reward Card Redemption req’d.: Will be sent letter with redemption requirements. Redemption req’d w/in 75 days from notification mail date. Reward Card(s) delivered within 3-4 weeks afterredemption to customers who maintain qualifying eligible service(s) for minimum of 30 days from activation date and through reward fulfillment. Card expires at month-end 6 months afterissuance. No cash access. For cardholder agreement, go to rewardcenter.att.com/myreward/agreementFSV.pdf. AT&T Reward Card issued by U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. Limits: 1 Visa Reward Card per line of service. May not be combinable with certain other offers, discounts, or credits. GEN. WIRELESS SVC: Subj. to Wireless Customer Agmt (att.com/wca). Credit approval required. Deposit: May apply. Limits: Purch. & line limits apply. Prices may vary by location. Taxes, fees, monthly, other charges, usage, speed, coverage & other restr’s apply per line. See att.com/additionalcharges for details on fees & charges. International and domestic off-net data may be at 2G speeds. AT&T service is subject to AT&T network management policies. See att.com/broadbandinfo for details. Promotions, terms & restr’s subject to change & may be modified or terminated at any time without notice. ©2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, Globe logo, and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners

CASH FOR RECORDS AND CDS

Top Prices Paid (33, 45 and 12” singles)

5 D.C. Council member Charles Allen (Courtesy photo)

sie L. Liu strongly opposes Allen’s amendment, saying that it doesn’t consider the experiences of victims.

“The proposed legislation re-victimizes victims who have suffered and continue to suffer,” Liu said in a statement, noting that 67 percent of violent offenders re-offend within three years of release and the Federal Bureau of Prisons data suggests that 1 in 3 of the types of violent criminals would be eligible for early release

“back into the community while the District is experiencing staggering number of homicides and other violent crimes.”

Allen said his amendment and the bill addresses victims’ concerns.

“The bill allows the victims and victims’ families a say in this process,” he said. “Some victims support the criminal offender, some don’t. But the victims do have a strong voice.”

WI

IDEAS WANTED

NO COLLECTION TOO SMALL or LARGE WE BUY EVERYTHING! Call STEVE at 301-646-5403 or e-mail: stevebuysrecords@gmail.com

New Life Wellness Center featuring

Colon Hydrotherapy & Aqua Chi Detox System Where Have You Been?

It’s Time for Your HEALING &

Apps • Beauty • Electronics • Housewares • Medical Pets • Tools • Lawn and Garden • Toys and more!

202.544.9595

426 8th St. SE – 2nd Floor WDC 20003 www.newlifewellnesscenter.com Email: carmelvoice@aol.com

Call 844-260-4135 for our FREE Idea Starter Guide.

100% Confidential • Davison charges fees for services

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Hours: 7am – 7pm M - F / 7am – 12pm SAT. Walk Ins Welcome

SPECIAL $59 OFFER – CALL FOR DETAILS

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 9

AROUND THE REGION CAPTURE THE MOMENT

Denise Rolark Barnes Independent Beauty Consultant www.marykay/drolark-barnes.com 202-236-8831

REMEMBERING KARON

Check It Enterprises and the #Dontmutedc Action Committee join forces with community groups, Indy Bee’s, Ward 8 ANC Monica Watts and The Woodland Tigers Football Team to honor the life of slain youth Karon by taking 150 youth and adults From Woodland Terrace and Congress Park To Six Flags. The day of fun was made possible due to a generous donation from local businessman Emmanuel Bailey. (Photo courtesy Ron Moten)

net

202-848-9324 / 202-494-6711

Who’s Reading the Informer?

Baby Girl, a Boxer puppy owned by Washington Informer Editor D. Kevin McNeir, “reads” the Informer along with the editor’s “bestie” Christopher McLaughlin. Photo by D. Kevin McNeir

WORDS TO LIVE BY “I have a deep-seated bias against hate and intolerance. I have a bias against racial and religious bigotry. I have a bias against war; a bias for peace. I have a bias which leads me to believe in the essential goodness of my fellow man; which leads me to believe that no problem of human relations is every insoluble.”

n upper and lowercase, flush left as indicated on artwork at these point sizes: Consultant name in 11-point Helvetica Neue Bold; Independent n 9-point Helvetica Neue Light; Web site or e-mail address in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light; phone number in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light. t Beauty Consultant: Only Company-approved Web sites obtained through the Mary Kay® Personal Web Site program may be utilized.

Denied Benefits?

Unable To Work?

Fighting For Your

1

We Can Help!

Helping 1000’s Get The Benefits They Deserve

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS For Over 35 Years!

Do You Qualify For Disability Benefits? Call For A FREE Evaluation

2

Assisting With: - Initial Applications - Denied Claims - Hearings

3

We Simplify The Process & Strive For Quick Claim Approval.*

(855) 549-3119 Bill Gordon & Associates, a nationwide practice, represents clients before the Social Security Administration. Member of the TX & NM Bar Associations. Mail: 1420 NW St Washington D.C. Office: Broward County, FL. Services may be provided by associated attorneys licensed in other states. * The process for determining each applicant’s disability benefits varies greatly, and can take upwards of two years.

10 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

– Ralph J. Bunche

first Black to win a Nobel Prize, born Aug. 7, 1904 THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

AROUND THE REGION DON’T SMOKE fromPage 1 trict experienced 242 homicides, half of which the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) recorded in 1990.

From that point on, annual homicide figures slightly fluctuated until 2005 when it dropped below 200.

“Mayor Barry wrote a letter thanking us for that,” Farrakhan continued. “[At the time], there was a bunch of killing. I was in a wheelchair. It was rough, [but] the youth were more conscious. You had Chuck D and Sister Souljah, and all them spitting. When Big G [of Backyard Band] made ‘Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers’ it pumped us up even more.”

In 1995, three years before its first citywide moratorium, the 50 original members of Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters, then called Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers, brokered a peace deal under the guidance of Farrakhan and Barry. The young men at the table, representing five District neighborhoods, would later organize rallies against police brutality and drugs under the Cease Fire banner.

In the years following, Cease Fire continued to facilitate similar truces, including 41 days of peace between Salvadoran street crews in D.C. Jail with the help of Luis Cardona and the National Coalition of Barrios Unidos in 2003.

Local officials, including one-time MPD Chief Charles Ramsey and former D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange cited Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters’ moratoriums and mediation outside of the purview of police as pivotal in decreasing local violence.

In the decades since, government-funded anti violence organizations have followed suit. This has especially been the case with the passage of the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act in 2016. That legislation created the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement through which the Path-

ways Program equips D.C.’s most violent offenders with job-related skills. A year before NEAR’s passage, the District experienced an uptick in homicides not seen since 2008.

Farrakhan, a native Washingtonian, founded Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters in the late 1980s during a 21-year prison stint. Upon his release in the early 1990s, he accompanied Minister Anthony Muhammad, then a clergyperson at D.C. Jail, on trips throughout the District’s most violent neighborhoods over the course of four months while confined to a wheelchair. His citywide tour of solidarity would end around his old stomping grounds of 14th Street in Northwest.

In that area, Farrakhan worked alongside a man named Dog Father to galvanize support among the adults and youth. Years later, from the Cease Fire headquarters on 14th Street, between Decatur and Crittenden streets, Farrakhan fostered youths’ desire for entrepreneurship, hosted public forums and GED classes and allowed go-go bands to perform when their underage members couldn’t enter adult venues.

Some Cease Fire alumni, including a woman who remains anonymous, said the organization’s success lies in awakening youth to their true selves and revealing the lies taught to them by society.

“Mr. Malik saw something in me that I didn’t see. I learned about how we dislike people but don’t remember why,” the 30-something hailing from the 14th Street community told The Informer.

“Through the peace summits and meetings, we came together,” she continued. “We talked about our differences. [They were] just misunderstandings that had to do with neighborhoods and streets we didn’t own.

We lost family members over street names that don’t reflect our legacy.

We changed our thinking thanks to Cease Fire and its bond that can never be broken.” WI

OCTOBER 226, 2019

104TH ANNUAL MEETING & CONFERENCE

REGISTER NOW!

REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE JUNE 15 THE 2019 BLACK HISTORY THEME: BLACK MIGRATIONS The ASALH Annual Conference is an occasion to explore the history and culture of people of African descent. Our conference brings together more than one thousand people, including educators, students, community builders, business professionals, and others who share an abiding interest in learning about the contribution of African Americans to this nation and the world.

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON CHARLESTON CONVENTION CENTER 5055 INTERNATIONAL BOULEVARD, NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA WWW.ASALH.ORG #ASALH #ASALH2019 #CARTERGWOODSON

Stay Informed!

www.washingtoninformer.com WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY Company Gives 2,000 Backpacks for Prince George’s Students

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Prince George’s County Public Schools will conduct its ninth annual initiative to collect at least 10,000 backpacks to help students prepare for the first day of classes Sept. 3.

So far, it received at least 2,000 blue backpacks thanks to the Support Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Educational Systems Federal Credit Union (ESFCU) of Bowie. Each bag, stuffed with college-ruled notebook paper, pens, highlighters and a ruler, is for middle school students.

PGCPS BRIEFS Compiled by Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer

Employees of the credit union, along with public school staff and volunteers, loaded boxes on a school bus last week as part of the county’s “Stuff-A-Bus” with school supplies. Each backpack also has a cellphone case on the side of it.

“Our core purpose is serving the education community,” said Victoria Samuels, ESFCU’s vice president of community relations.

“We do all sorts of activities for all students, but middle school is a very formative year for students.

It is one of the most challenging years. We want to make sure they start off strong.”

The county continued to collect backpacks at various events last week. They will be distributed to upcoming term include making efforts to: • Invest in the schoolhouse so students are prepared to receive a high-quality education with high standards and accountability.

• Help students come to school ready to learn, providing wraparound services to increase educational outcomes and overall wellness.

• Emphasize grade-level fundamentals, ensuring students are on par with their peers and, when necessary, receiving personalized instruction.

5 Employees of Educational Systems Federal Credit Union in Bowie and Prince George’s County public school staffers and volunteers form a line to load school supplies on a bus on Aug. 7. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

students at a back-to-school block party Saturday, Aug. 17 at the Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

Last year, the school system collected 15,000 backpacks for elementary, middle and high school students at Prince George’s Stadium, home of the Bowie Baysox minor league baseball team.

For those who still want to donate, there’s a guideline on what to submit. School officials asked

for red, blue, yellow, green or clear backpacks. For supplies, officials request wide-ruled composition books, crayons, glue sticks and #2 pencils for elementary school students, Middle and high school students can receive college-ruled notebook paper, blue or black pens, highlighters and pocket folders.

Parents needed to register by Sunday, Aug. 11 for their children to receive a backpack and must be

Goldson added that through the Blueprint for PGCPS, officials are infusing $53 million into programs and schools that will help to move the system’s achievement and facilities forward.

The event will feature free backpacks, vision and dental screenings as well as school and community resources.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLOCK PARTY

PGCPS will unofficially kick off the new school year on Aug. 17 with a “Back to School Block Party” at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Tuesday, Sept. 3 for all PGCPS students

INCREASED STUDENT SUPPORT

Schools CEO Monica Goldson said in a recent community letter that the 2019-20 school year “will be rooted in academic performance and increased support for students, educators, administrators and families.”

Goldson said her priorities for the

12 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

5 Vaccines are tested to ensure that they are safe and effective for children to receive at the recommended ages. (Courtesy of healthychildren.org)

AUGUST IS VACCINATION MONTH

During National Vaccine Awareness Month in August, it’s important to be educated on the public health importance of getting children immunized for the upcoming school year.

For instance, a child might be exposed to thousands of germs every day in his environment. This happens through the food they eat, air they breathe, and things items they put in their mouth.

Although babies are born with immune systems that can fight most germs, there are some deadly diseases they can’t handle. That’s why they need vaccines to strengthen their immune system, and on-time vaccination throughout childhood is essential, as it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.

Overall, vaccines are tested to ensure that they are safe and effective for children to receive at recommended ages. WI

in attendance at Saturday’s event.

Students can also receive free vision and dental screenings and parents obtain school and community resources from vendors.

Public schools CEO Monica Goldson sent a community email Thursday, Aug. 8 summarizing some of the county’s priorities.

One major aspect will be $53 million in state funding that include: • $14 million to expand full-day prekindergarten at nine schools and launch a universal pre-kindergarten pilot program at 17 schools.

• $13 million to restore salaries for employees who lost step increases between 2009 and 2012 and remained with the school system.

• $12 million to expand and add health care practitioners, social workers and other services to 45 schools with highest number of students living in poverty.

Meanwhile, students such as Andretti Vides, 14, earned community service hours by helping stuff, load and distribute the backpacks and other school supplies.

Andretti, who will start his high school next month as a ninth-grader in Suitland’s Visual Performing Arts program, helped load boxes of supplies at the credit union in Bowie.

“My mother is a parent assistant at Hillcrest Heights Elementary School,” he said. “I’ve been coming with her to events like this since I was a little boy, so I got the gist of everything, especially the Stuff-A-Bus. I always like to help out the community. I learn that even a small community that gives can make a big difference. WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY School Board Debate Possibly Heading Back to Annapolis

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

Tonya Sweat of Accokeek demands more accountability and transparency in the Prince George’s County public school system.

Sweat, chosen last month as vice president of advocacy for the Maryland Parent Teacher Association, plans to reinvigorate a debate on whether state lawmakers should pass legislation to transform the Prince George’s school board into an all-elected body.

Nine members are elected and represents districts. The board chairman and two other members are appointed by the county executive and another by County Council. The 14th member, a high school student, is chosen for a one-year term by a coun-

ty student government association.

“If you turn the school board over back to the voters, that means those board members will be held accountable,” said Sweat, who has two children in the public schools. “We have to make our constituents feel like they’re being involved.”

State Sen. Obie Patterson (D-District 26) of Fort Washington, who was elected in November and serves on the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, said a governing body should be allowed to choose its own leadership.

“If County Council and the state legislature are elected members and can choose their chair, why not the school board?” he said. “Let’s be open and talk about it.”

During last year’s General Assembly session between January and April, legislation to restructure the

Survey Gauges Leadership, State of Prince George’s School System

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill More than half of Prince George’s County residents, community leaders, educators and staff favor a school system leader who hires valuable employees, a new survey shows.

The document, compiled and organized by Schaumburg, Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, collected 1,057 responses before Monica Goldson was appointed in June as the permanent CEO of Maryland’s second-largest school system.

According to the survey obtained by The Washington Informer, about 53 percent believe the new leader should “recruit, employ and retain effective personnel throughout the district and its schools.”

The second-highest quality at 48 percent chose that person to “establish a culture of high expectations for all students and personnel.”

The other two top-rated statements selected: foster a positive, professional climate of mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff and administrators at 44 percent, and provide transparent communication at 33 percent.

The other 12 survey statements and percentages included:

the long-term financial health of the district – ranked fifth at 32 percent.

• Be visible throughout the district and actively engaged in community life – tied for ninth at 22 percent.

• Integrate personalized education opportunities in the instructional program – ranked last at 14 percent.

Participants in the survey were broken into six groups: community members, members of the business/nonprofit community, parents of student attending school, school employees, students and teachers.

Parents with children who at-

current hybrid format died in a committee.

According to a state statute, the state’s second-largest school system represents the only jurisdiction in Maryland where the county executive can appoint a school board chair and a superintendent. The school system leader title, called a CEO in Prince George’s, was bestowed to county native Monica Goldson, who was appointed in June and formerly approved by state Superintendent Karen Salmon on July 1.

Sweat and other parents stem part of their frustration from a community meeting in May convened

by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks where the majority of attendees spoke to support and praise Goldson’s character.

DEBATE Page 48 tend the public schools had the highest number of participants at 312. Community members made up the second-largest group at 305, and 213 teachers marked the third-highest.

Though only 42 students participated in the survey, exactly 50 percent of them said the new schools leader should “understand and be sensitive to the needs of a diverse student population.” It ranked as the highest percentage among that group recorded in the leadership profile.

The survey also sought respondents to rate the state of the school system based on vision and values, teaching and learning, community engagement and management. About 79 percent of students strongly agree or agree

SURVEY Page 48

5 Tonya Sweat of Accokeek plans to lead an effort to push for an all-elected Prince George’s County school board. (William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)

Westphalia Residents Hire Lawyer in Ongoing Logistics Center Dispute

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Residents in the Upper Marlboro community of Westphalia who continue their legal challenge against a proposed merchandise logistics center have hired Towson-based attorney G. Macy Nelson to represent their cause.

Nelson has achieved victory in a similar case involving a proposed Super Walmart in Oxon Hill in 2015. The Westphalia project proposes to construct a five-story, 800,000-sqaure-foot building on 78 acres that would bring more than 1,500 jobs to the area. The business would remain open 24

hours per day with 150 tractor trailers traveling past Parkside and Westphalia Town Center -- two residential neighborhoods that remain under construction. Amazon seems to be the most likely tenant based on the online giant already residing in other parts of the nation on properties owned by the applicant, Duke Partnership Limited Corp. of Conshocken, PA, also registered as Duke Realty headquartered in Indianapolis. The case will be heard before District Council, a body comprised of County Council members who review land-use and zoning matters, in late September or early October. WI

• Effectively plan and manage WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 13

BUSINESS Equifax Takes the Offensive After Record-breaking Data Breach $700 Million Settlement includes Free Credit Monitoring, Cash Payments

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Equifax and other credit bureaus, like it or not, collect information on one’s finance history as a means of assessing a customer’s credit risk and the data they and

other similarly-focused businesses gather leaves few stones unturned.

So, when they suffered the unfathomable hack of personal data impacting a total of nearly 147 million people, folks became worried, angry and concerned about the future – and with good rea-

son. Now, almost two years following news about the exposure, the company has initiated plans to assist those affected and those who believe they may have been affected with a series of benefits aimed at repairing credit and restoring the public’s trust.

During a recent telebriefing with Ethnic Media Services, in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission [FTC], de-

Yes,

it’s possible.

With a Home Equity Line of Credit, you can: • Consolidate bills • Fix up your home • Take care of what’s important

A HELOC gives you the flexibility to borrow money now and in the future.

STAR (Steps Toward Achieving Results) Home Equity Loans* are also available to help meet financing needs.

Get started at AtlanticUnionBank.com/homeequity Formerly Union Bank & Trust

NMLS # 551889 nmlsconsumeraccess.org

14 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

*The STAR Home Equity Loan is available to Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland residents who have property located in a low- to moderate-income census tract and/or have an income below 80% of the area median income as identified by the U.S. Census Bureau. Loan amounts range from $2,500 to $9,999. Visit a branch to apply.

tails were shared and questions answered on the global settlement to which Equifax has agreed with the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 50 U.S. states and territories.

Joining journalists from among the nation’s leading ethnic media outlets and publications, a lawyer representing the FTC and responsible for monitoring privacy and ID protection concerns, highlighted key elements of the $700 million settlement which includes up to $425 million to assist those affected by the data breach.

“I worked on the settlement that was recently reached and have been involved pretty much from the time the data breach was initially discovered and announced to the public in September 2017,” said Jacqueline Connor, an FTC attorney and spokesperson.

“This was a massive breach as 147 million [affected] consumers represent about 50 percent of the U.S. population,” she said. “I, too, am one of those affected consumers. The information stolen included names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers and other personal data. Some consumers are unsure if they were even impacted. That’s where the FTC comes in.”

Connor says the first step is for consumers to visit www.ftc. gov/Equifax and review the steps to proceed or to glean additional recommendations on the official website. Consumers should avoid accessing or responding to any other websites that claim to offer help.

“There are a number of benefits and they’re easy to take advantage of,” she said. “They can even be done from a mobile device. For all consumers, regardless of whether they’re part of the data breach, they can receive up to six free credit reports from Equifax for seven years. Currently, consumers can only receive one free report annually.”

Connor recommends taking

time to frequent the website on a periodic basis.

“The site will be updated regularly and serves as the surest means of avoiding potential scams,” she said. “And there are some very helpful infographics.”

One question that many consumers have relates to who actually obtained the data and to what end.

“We still don’t know who the attackers were as it’s extremely difficult to tie ID theft to the breach,” she said. “But consumers don’t have to prove that their personal identity theft is connected to the Equifax breach. They’re eligible for compensation, which may include cash payments or free credit monitoring and repair as long as any breach took place within the dates as specified on the website.”

Some of the questions that consumers have and which are answered on the website include: How to find out if you were affected by the breach?

How to claim your benefits in the form of free credit monitoring or cash payments?

When will the claims process start?

When will you get your benefits?

How will you get your benefits?

In response to a question from The Washington Informer, Connor emphasized that communities like African Americans who may have misgivings about the federal government’s trustworthiness should know that while they served a big role in securing the settlement, they are not part of the distribution of benefits.

“The distribution of benefits themselves will be provided by a third-party administrator,” she said. “Benefits themselves and the oversite of the FTC website actually are being conducted by a third party as well. That should provide consumers a greater sense of security and trust in the system.”

WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

BUSINESS

Grassroots Proposal Focuses on Small Business, Resident Retention

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins The D.C. Council’s passage of a 10-year tax abatement for Sankofa Video Books & Cafe in Northwest has inspired conversation about how supporters could organize around similar protections for legacy businesses in the city and longtime residents under the threat of displacement.

A recent small-business town hall at Sankofa explored that very topic, attracting staff members from Council members Brianne Nadeau and Kenyan McDuffie’s offices, representatives of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute in Northeast, and affiliates of grassroots organizations tackling issues of relevance to economically disadvantaged people.

Though next steps haven’t fully coalesced, the nearly dozen people who sat at the table Friday agreed with the tenets of a 10-point retention plan for longtime residents and small businesses that Kymone Freeman of We Act Radio presented. Freeman said he concocted a document over the course of 18 months in response to the bevy of issues local government hasn’t directly addressed.

“This is a confirmation of the fierce urgency of now as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, and the realization that no one will save us but us,” Freeman said at the Aug. 9 gathering at Sankofa.

The 10-point retention plan he presented included calls for a more accurate average median income calculation to be used for housing in low-income communities, a cut and cap on property taxes, equitable school funding, rent control, community funded and controlled banks, and guaranteed housing that doesn’t cost more than 30 percent of an occupant’s income.

“DOPA [District Opportunity to Purchase Act] has been on the books for over 10 years and as far as I know it has never been used to protect and preserve residents,” said Freeman, also a key figure in the #DontMuteDC movement.

“There’s no existing retention

plan [out of the D.C. Council] that the city has taken to preserve community,” he said. “The folks at the table [on Friday] were an acknowledgement of that. We’re doing the heavy lifting to get behind a plan. Without lobbyists or campaign contributions, we’ve depended on people in positions of authority to reflect our agenda. That hasn’t been the case now, if it ever has been.”

On July 9, exactly a month before the recent small-business town hall organized by Sankofa co-owner Shirikiana Aina Gerima, Freeman, Check-It Enterprises’ Ron Moten, and representatives of online racial justice organization Color of Change hosted a press conference on the steps of Sankofa in support of expanding protections for historic District-based small businesses.

Not long after that event, the D.C. Council secured tax abatements for Sankofa and The Players Lounge in Southeast. More than 100 other District-based small businesses, arguably due to a lack of grassroots support and political savvy, haven’t been able to acquire similar relief, quietly fading to the wayside over the past two decades.

Within the same time period, D.C.’s Black population fell by more than 30 percentage points.

Today, Black people account for less than half of District residents, raising particular concern among that demographic about the future of the District’s remaining majority-Black enclaves, most of which are based east of the Anacostia River.

Business owners vying for government contracts have also expressed anxiety about their ability to flourish in a market they believe doesn’t favor African Americans.

In recent months, the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) has been under scrutiny for not keeping the appropriate data measuring its effectiveness in doling out contracts to minority-owned Certified Business Enterprises.

Legislation passed more than a decade ago mandated triennial reviews about this matter. However, as McDuffie (D-Ward 5) noted during a Business & Eco-

5 Patrons of Sankofa Video Books & Cafe in Northwest gather on the front steps of the establishment on July 9 for the launch of a campaign to expand protections for District-based small businesses. (Courtesy of Color of Change)

nomic Committee roundtable in the fall, DSLBD hasn’t submitted a report in four years.

Local business owner Alfred Swailes, also a participant at the recent business town hall meeting at Sankofa, said the ideal government procurement disparity study would cost more than $1 million, more than five times what the D.C. Council recently allocated toward that goal.

An event Swailes will host, via the DC Black Business Task Force, at Martha’s Table at the Commons in Southeast next month will center on fulfilling that goal, primarily by gathering testimony from local Black business owners and analyzing the work done in neighboring Maryland to protect Black entrepreneurs.

Only with the appropriate data can D.C.’s Black business community work with the local government for protections in the procurement process, Swailes said.

“The D.C. government is supposed to be a representation of the city,” said Swailes, owner of A&A Premium Paint Distributor, LLC and head of the DC Black Business Task Force. “If we’re 47 percent and not being included in the procurement process, we have a right to say something is wrong.

“The disparity study would take best practices and give us the solutions to remedy the discrimination and underutilization that has occured over the last 15 years,” he said. lThen the mayor and D.C. Council would have to come together and figure out what program they have to remedy the past discrimination.”

WI

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

1,000,000 AARP Foundation is leading Wednesday a Celebration of Service in September 11, 2019 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Washington, D.C.! Join us

National Mall 12th Street and Jefferson St., S W Washington, D.C. 20245

Smithsonian Station

PRESENTING SPONSOR

on the National Day of Service and Remembrance to help pack 1 million meals for hungry seniors in our community. Join us for a 90-minute shift, or stay all day!

This event is a great opportunity for corporate groups and volunteers of all ages.

Sign up at MealPackChallenge.org TITLE SPONSORS

AARP® Credit Card from Chase

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 15

NATIONAL Norton Introduces Legislation to Honor, Rename Rock Creek Park

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia “Doing it in the park, doing it after dark, oh yeah. Rock Creek Park, oh, yeah. Rock Creek Park.” — “Rock Creek Park” by The Blackbyrds (1975) The Blackbyrds immortalized

Rock Creek Park in song. Now D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes wants the 1,754-acre park recognized as a national landmark.

Norton has introduced a bill to rename the 129-year-old northwest D.C. gem. She wants to name it, “Rock Creek National Park,” which Norton said

5 Rock Creek Park (Courtesy of Washington.org)

would serve to acknowledge the importance of the park for the nation, visitors and tourists.

“We are grateful to enjoy all the amenities of a beautiful park running through our city, but Rock Creek Park also deserves

TWO RIVERS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Behavior Specialist Consultant Two Rivers PCS is seeking a Behavior Specialist Consultant to provide Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for individual students and school consultation services.​ For a copy of the RFP, please email ​procurement@tworiverspcs.org​.

its place among the nation’s great historic parks,” she said. “Rock Creek Park is one of America’s oldest and most revered parks, enjoyed not only by hundreds of thousands of D.C. residents but by the millions who visit the District each year.”

In her legislation, Norton said it’s a central place for District residents. The congresswoman said the new title will highlight Rock Creek as one of the nation’s great historic parks, along with national parks like Yosemite and Sequoia National Park.

Rock Creek is the nation’s oldest urban park and the third-oldest federal park in the country.

The name change will help Congress to understand that it must do more to support Rock Creek Park, Norton said.

Over time, several structures have been established or donated to preserve Rock Creek Park further. In 1892, the federal government acquired Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park, one of the mills used by local farmers

during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Norton said.

In 1950, the Old Stone House, located at 3051 M Street NW, with its great pre-Revolutionary War architecture, was acquired by the park. The building was restored, and programs explain the house’s rich history from the colonial period to the present day.

The Fort Circle Parks were also acquired to interpret and preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, which created a ring of protection for the nation’s capital during the Civil War. “Today, Rock Creek Park is a tourist destination that’s different from our monument sites only in its creation by nature,” Norton said. “Re-designating Rock Creek Park as Rock Creek National Park will help recognize the national status of the park and will assist us in getting Congress to revitalize this remarkable resource in our nation’s capital.” WI

SMALL BUSINESS BID OPPORTUNITY Project: Meridian Hill Park Phase 5 & 6 at Rock Creek Park Encouraging SDVOSBC,EDWOSB, WOSB, SDBC and HUBZone Subcontractors, to pursue this opportunity!

Proposal Submission Dates 08/12/2019-08/16/2019 Contact Michelle Evans: mevans@consigli.com call or text 202-748-1443 for bid documents.

16 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

Stay Informed!

www.washingtoninformer.com

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

NATIONAL

Three-Day Event to Mark 1619 Landing of First Africans in Virginia

By Stacy M. Brown @StacyBrownMedia NNPA Newswire Correspondent In August 1619, more than 20 Africans landed at Old Point Comfort, the present-day Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va., where they were forced into labor as slaves – an occurrence that began the slave trade in America.

This month, 400 years later, the city of Hampton will commemorate “African Landing Day.” The three-day commemoration, which begins Aug. 23, will include a host of special guests and a variety of history tours, education programs and special exhibits.

“One of the objectives we want to achieve is to correct history,” said retired Lt. Col. Claude Vann, the Hampton 2019 Commission cochair.

“I think history has done the African American a disservice because we have never been told what our real history was,” he said. “For those here in Hampton, we were taught that the first Africans landed in Jamestown. Well, that’s incorrect.”

The place where the first African landed was Point Comfort – as far east as one can travel in Virginia along a peninsula that extends out into the Chesapeake Bay. Across the water stands the largest stone fort in America, Fort Monroe, encompassing 565 acres.

“The city saw the importance of this commemoration early on and they created a city commission,” said Luci Cochran, executive director of the Hampton History Museum.

“This is a history that so many people are not aware of and we want people to understand that the landing of the first African is a thread that shaped everything,” she said.

“It shaped our country and it continues to affect our country today.”

The commemoration kicks off on Friday, August 23 at the Hampton

Roads Convention Center where Byron Pitts of ABC Nightline, formerly of CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes, will host the African-American Political Firsts Luncheon featuring panelists: Kentucky Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton; L. Douglas Wilder, former governor of Virginia; U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (VA-3); and former mayor and North Carolina State Senator Howard Lee. On Saturday in Continental Park, Fort Monroe, the 2019 Commemoration of the First African Landing Ceremony will include remarks from CNN political contributor Van Jones and remarks and greetings from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam; U.S. Senator Mark Warner; U.S. Senator Tim Kaine; U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (VA-3); and Dr. Joseph Green, Jr., chair of 400 Years of African American History Federal Commission.

The ceremony will also feature African drumming and musical performances some of the nation’s top jazz, R&B and gospel entertainers and a keynote address by Michael Eric Dyson.

Other special events include: a National Park Service Town Hall; a libation ceremony; blessing of the land; and a tribute to the ancestors with a release of 400 butterflies.

“From a historian’s perspective, we hope people will take away that all of this wasn’t an accident,” said Beth Austin of the Hampton History Museum, who conducted much of the research.

“It happened in a global context both in terms of the wider Atlantic world in 1619 and it had an enormous global impact,” she said. “The slave trade and the practice of slavery in America impacted the New World and Africa and it’s had a very long-term and profound legacy.”

For more information about the 2019 Commemoration of the First African Landing in Hampton, visit www.firstafricanlanding.com.

WI

5 A sign solemnly serves as a reminder of the first Africans kidnapped from their native land and brought to America in 1619. (Courtesy photo)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 17

NATIONAL COLLEGE from Page 1 lege Access Program (DC-CAP), DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG), and student loans,” Pondexter, 19, said Sunday shortly after clocking out of her job at a local supermarket.

Out of the $14,000-per-semester price tag, Pondexter and her family would only be responsible for $3,800 to be paid in monthly installments between August and January 2020. For her, mitigating these expenses meant paying attention to the minor details, including the price of the dorm in which she would stay for the academic year.

“It wasn’t impossible to go to school, but it would have been way easier [with scholarships],” Pondexter said. “I was worried about how I would pay for school, but people with experience told me money was going to come if you work for it.

Coming from a low-income family, it was risky. If our bill [from the spring semester] wasn’t satisfied, then they wouldn’t let us move back in.”

According to a study conducted by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) last year, fewer than half of African American students in situations similar to Pondexter com-

plete their undergraduate education within six years. Among African American male students, completion rates are even lower.

Researchers point to obligations to family — especially among first-generation college students — knowledge gaps, and an inability to navigate the college adviser arena as key indicators of the American education system’s 30 million college dropout epidemic. All the while, tuition has increased by an average of more than $34,000 within the past decade, according to data collected

by College Board.

Within that time span, state funding for public colleges and universities has significantly declined in what the American Council on Education says will result in the ultimate privatization of higher education in the next 40 years.

Even with the euphoric feeling a college diploma, a significant number of graduates grapple with the accumulation of loans that darken their prospects of financial freedom.

Less than 20 percent of African American students, according to the aforementioned UNCF study, completed their education without borrowing money. Among those who financed education through those means, 16 percent will have

to pay back $75,000 or more. On the other hand, 43 percent of their white counterparts avoid taking out loans.

Making matters worse, Black college graduates earn relatively less than their colleagues of other racial backgrounds over the course of their careers, making it even more difficult to pay back their loans. Despite those circumstances, community leaders like Kenneth Ward tout a college education as the ideal path to an enriching life for students of color in the D.C. metropolitan area.

As executive director of College Bound, Inc., a Northwest-based nonprofit dedicated to preparing public and charter school students for college, Ward said he stresses the importance of applying for scholarships to the more-than-200 eighth graders and high school students enrolled in the program. During weekly sessions at academic mentoring sites scattered across the District, young people, with the help of mentors, vie for scholarship opportunities, large and small.

Every academic year at College Bound, Inc. culminates in a ceremony where graduating seniors receive tens of millions of dollars in scholarships before an audience of their peers, family, and mentors.

Homeownership is important.

We’re here to help first-time homebuyers navigate the mortgage process and make buying a home affordable, even if you have: • Little money for a downpayment • Little or “less-than-perfect” credit history • A recent job change To get started, call 1-888-253-0993 or visit mtb.com/mortgage.

Equal Housing Lender.

Certain restrictions apply. Subject to credit and property approval. ©2019 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. NMLS# 381076. 15609-A 190521 VF Washington Informer: 5.65” x 6.1”

18 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

5 Black youth understand the importance of higher education. (Courtesy photo)

For some young people, however, the struggle continues well into their freshman and sophomore year of college.

“A lot of scholarships are onetime awards. This means students get that money for the first year, and not the other years,” said Ward, a former teacher with more than a decade of experience in the classroom.

“There’s also that whole piece about generational wealth. African-American families don’t have the savings or investments to afford to pay for their kids [to go to] college,” he said. “Over 75 percent of Black students [nationwide] are relying on loans, but that’s not enough because of caps. In addition, some parents can’t get these loans because of credit issues. These are things keeping students from accessing higher education.”

D.C. residents who graduate from high school have at their disposal the DCTAG and DC-CAP, along with whatever amount they secure by applying to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. DCTAG recipients get up to $10,000 toward the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities. They also receive up to $2,500 per academic year in scholarships when they matriculate to District-based higher education institutions and historically Black colleges and universities.

Toward the end of the 2018-19 academic year, 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders enrolled in D.C. Public Schools received copies of their individualized Student Guide to Graduation, College and Career, a document that aggregates college and career opportunities unique to students’ interests and includes an action plan.

Though the guide, inspired by

a similar movement out of Long Beach, California, doesn’t touch on how students finance their higher education, DCPS officials touted it as the launching pad for productive conversations between students and their counselors.

In some of the District’s low-income enclaves, community members like Patrice Lancaster have worked to ensure that college students, particularly those who will be the first in their family to take that leap, can rely on neighbors and other nongovernmental sources for financial assistance.

On Saturday, she and Marc Williams of D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation co-hosted for the third consecutive year a Freshman Sendoff event at Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Southeast during which 20 college freshmen received dorm and school supplies.

Lancaster said nine people, including D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8) contributed to the cause.

Days after what she considered a successful function, Lancaster mulled the possibility of helping more first-generation college students along an arduous application process, particularly when it comes to acquiring scholarships.

“Students and families have to be more familiar with the scholarship process,” said Lancaster, a Southeast resident. “I think we would have even more successful outcomes of young people securing their education and getting money to pay for it.

“One of my future goals is to start earlier, and track the young people we send off to college to find out how we can help them successfully complete school,” Lancaster said.

“The more partnerships we have, we would not only be able to help the students, but the parents [for whom] it might be a new process.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

NATIONAL BACK2SCHOOL from Page 1 public charter school student returning to school in late August, said he’s looking forward to pursuing new extracurricular activities, challenging classes, and scholarship opportunities during his senior year. Fulfilling this vision, Jarmar said, will make up for a summer that didn’t go as planned.

“I’m considering running for student government and [being with] the football team,” said Jarmar, 17. “My goals are to go to an out-of-state college, or maybe the Air Force. I’ve wanted to do that since the 11th grade. I just do me, and do my best and see where that takes me. I wouldn’t say I’m wandering around, but I don’t have it all planned out. I’m seeing where the opportunities take me.”

This year, D.C.’s 93,000-plus K-12 students will navigate a playing field in which they’re nearly split evenly between the public and public charter schools.

This happens months after the completion of what parents have described as a stressful MySchoolDC enrollment process.

Additionally, new students in public and public charter schools may likely have been formerly enrolled in now-shuttered public charter schools, including Democracy Prep Congress Heights in Southeast and City Arts + Prep Public Charter School in Northeast.

In what has become an annual event, students will receive their PARCC scores, on which school and city leaders will assess the quality of classroom instruction and school stewardship. Later this year, the DCPS central office will dole out an individualized Student Guide to Graduation, College, Career, which includes information about a student’s attendance, SAT and PSAT scores, community service hours completed, and GPA. In order to satisfy students’ needs in other areas, community members and groups have hosted back-to-school events, especially after a summer where several young people lost their lives to gun violence. On Sunday, 150 children, including those related to the late Karon Brown, visited Six Flags America as part of a trip organized by Ron Moten and India Blocker-Ford.

On Aug. 24, the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust will host its annual Back-to-School festival at its Shaw/U Street headquarters.

Activities and resources include haircuts and styling, backpack and school supply giveaways, health screenings and presentations about tutoring and teen dating violence.

For Stacey Palmer, Back-toSchool Festival initiate and organizer, the backpack and school supply giveaway counts as the most important aspect of the pro-

gram, primarily because it helps families set the foundation for a productive school year.

“So many children don’t have the proper school supplies,” she said. “It’s hard for parents with children in multiple grade levels.

When [students are not] prepared, they might feel ashamed.”

Palmer also explaining future plans around family engagement.

“We’re aiming to do a school supply bank [because] people often do festivals in August and September and it goes away,” she said.

“We’re hoping to keep children and parents connected, supported and lifted during the year.” WI

In what has become an annual event, students will receive their PARCC scores, on which school and city leaders will assess the quality of classroom instruction and school stewardship.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking Wants to Hear From You at the Proposed 2020 Health Insurance Rates Public Hearing WHEN: Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: One Judiciary Square, Old Council Chambers 441 4th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 WHY:

Commissioner Stephen C. Taylor will conduct a public hearing on the results of the Department’s actuarial review of the 2020 proposed health insurance rates for individual and small group health benefits plans sold in the District of Columbia.

WHO:

Want to be a public witness?

Contact the Department via email at HealthRate.Comments@dc.gov or at 202.442.8571 by 5 p.m. on Friday, August 16 to be added to the witness list.

For witness and written statement requirements, visit disb.dc.gov.

Requests for special accommodation including sign language and other language translation must be received by the Department at 202.442.8571 by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 16, 2019.

5 The 2023 class of arrive with their parents, and Howard roll out the red carpet, on Sunday August 11 2019 with a Legacy Reception, church service in the Valley, (Barbque) and a week long list of thing to make the student feel at home, on Sunday August 11 2019 in Northwest DC. (Roy Lewis /Washington Informer)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Stay Informed!

www.washingtoninformer.com AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 19

INTERNATIONAL

africa now

COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN

Rawlings Urges Ghanaians to Pray for Peace, Progress Former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings urged Ghanaians to use celebration of Eid ul Adha on Aug. 11 to pray for peace, love and progress for the country.

“Our prayers and sacrifices to Allah as we mark the day should be full of a common desire to see to the good of our families, communities and especially the deprived,” said a statement issued by the office of the former president. “Let us remember to pray for peace, love, and progress in our country and commit ourselves to exorcise negative tendencies that do not benefit uEid ul-Adha is an Islamic festival commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah’s command to sacrifice his son, which is observed by Muslims around the world. In Ghana, it is a public holiday.

According to Wikipedia, Rawlings is “a former Ghanaian military leader and politician who ruled the country from 1981 to 2001 and also for a brief period in 1979. He led a military junta until 1992 and then served two terms as the democratically elected President of Ghana.”

Rawlings initially came to power in Ghana “as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force following a coup d’état in 1979 and, after initially handing power over to a civilian government, took back control of the country on 31 December 1981 as the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council.”

In 1992, Rawlings resigned from the military, founded the National Democratic Congress and became the first president of the Fourth Republic. He was reelected in 1996 for four more years. After two terms in office — the limit according to the Ghanaian Constitution — Rawlings endorsed his vice president John Atta Mills as presidential candidate in 2000.

Rawlings currently serves as the African Union envoy to Somalia.

Traditional Help Buttons

At Home In the Car On a Walk On Vacation At the Park Shopping

A Help Button Should Go Where You Go! To be truly independent your personal emergency device needs to work on the go.

Order Now & Receive a FREE Lockbox!

1-800-681-0667

Service availability and access/coverage on the AT&T network is not available everywhere and at all times. Current GPS location may not always be available in every situation.

View

Sports Photos

by John De Freitas

at:

 20 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

caribbean now Trinidad and Tobago to Host CYG in 2021 Trinidad and Tobago will be the host of the Commonwealth Youth Games for 2021 and it set a new bar for the Commonwealth Games in the modern era of sport move­ment in the re­gion, said David Grevemberg, the Commonwealth Games Federation CEO. Grevemberg made an appearance during an Aug. 7 press conference at the Olympic Committee office in Port-of-Spain to honor the Trinidadian cycling team that won three medals in Lima, Peru, at the recent Pan American Games, told Guardian Media Sports that he will work with the Local Organising Committee to ensure a successful Commonwealth Games.

Grevemberg also visited the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva, one of many top-class sporting facilities he has visited over the years.

“I have had the opportunity over the years to see some great sporting facilities and this is one of the best Velodromes I can honestly say that I have seen, not only in North America and the region but certainly in the world,” Grevemberg said. “So there is no excuse why it shouldn’t host a great event.”

The Youth Commonwealth Games will feature 71 nations and territories, representing one-third of the world’s population. WI

Stay Informed!

www.washingtoninformer.com THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

FREE TECH SUPPORT!

The All Hands On Tech initiative will provide FREE tech support to District of Columbia residents: Saturday, August 17th 11:00am – 2:00pm

Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library 5401 South Dakota Ave NE Washington, DC 20011

For more info text FIXED to 83224 or visit connect.dc.gov/free-tech-support Connect.DC & OCTOhelps bring you All Hands on Tech. One of the most important things a person needs to fully access technology is a functioning computer. Unfortunately, the cost of computer repair is too high for many District residents. Whether you have a laptop with a virus or don’t understand how to use your smartphone, we are here to help!

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 21

HEALTH Study Examines Genetics of PTSD in 165,000 Veterans

Black Press USA Staff Report

A new genetic study uses information from an unprecedented number of U.S. veterans to probe a particularly vexing question: Why does posttraumatic stress disorder affect some, but not others?

It is a particularly urgent question given that suicide rates are higher among veterans suffering from PTSD, which is estimated to affect between 11 and 20 percent of those who served in the military.

Recently published in the journal Nature Science by collaborating

investigators at the University of California, San Diego and Yale University, the study is the first PTSD analysis to draw upon genetic information collected by the Million Veteran Program.

VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE

Created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the voluntary initiative seeks to create a medical database large enough that researchers can see patterns of genetic variation capable of providing indispensable road maps for the future

treatment of many diseases.

Though the program does not yet have its full sampling of 1 million records available, there is already enough data in place to allow the research team to study more than 165,000 veterans.

Using sophisticated computer modeling techniques, they were able to compare the genomes of those who experienced a key symptom of post-traumatic stress to those who did not.

EIGHT DNA LOCATIONS

Common genetic differences were observed at eight different DNA locations among veterans who reported “re-experiencing” a

PTSD symptom associated with nightmares and flashbacks that are sometimes triggered by events similar to those that were present when trauma first occurred.

Differences at three different chromosome locations were deemed to be most statistically significant and are thought to potentially affect the body’s hormone response to stress and, perhaps, to the function or structure of certain types of neurons in the brain.

Though mutations in these genes have previously been suspected to have something to do with PTSD susceptibility, science is increasingly finding it necessary to compare the genetic fingerprints of many, many

real people in order to tease out which changes, among many possibilities, drive complex disorders such as PTSD. Dr. Murray B. Stein, a UC San Diego psychiatry and family medicine professor who led the study with Dr. Joel Gelernter, a professor of genetics and neuroscience at Yale, was quick to note that this type of association study offers suggestions rather than clear answers.

But correlating genetic information on such a large scale, he said, provides the kind of signal in the noise that can help guide deeper investigations in the future.

This article originally appeared in the Florida Courier. WI

58th Annual Progressive National Baptist Convention Meets in ATL Theme: ‘In Pursuit of Wholeness, Recovery of the Sacred’

By Roy Lewis WI Contributing Writer Staff Report The Rev. Dr. Timothy Stewart, PNBC 58th president, kicked off the 58th Annual Session at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor, in the same church where King had been the pastor when the Progressive National Baptist Convention was founded.

The service was filled with PNBC delegates and church members and Stewart started his sermon with explaining his theme, “In Pursuit Of Wholeness, Recovery of the Sacred,” (John 5:1-150. He then preached his first sermon at the Annual Session.

The Business of PNBC started on Monday with Executive Committee and Board Meeting, with the Evening Mission Night Theme focusing the convention major comment to Mission, the message was given by Dr. Ngwedla Paul Msisa, President, Baptist World Alliance.

22 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

Tuesday started Congress of Christian Education Classes, for education of members from all over the world for three days and ended with graduation. The Convention was opened with Stewart sounding the gavel before honoring the American Baptist College and Morehouse School of Religion. Later, Dr. Cynthia L. Hale Ray of Hope Christian Church preached a message of hope and pride for the PNBC delegates.

Wednesday’s highlights included the Dr. Gardner C. Taylor Hour, with a message from Dr. Otis Moss III, senior pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Moss knew King well and worked with him on several SCLC campaigns. The audience charged the stage after he finished his sermon. Other highlights included lectures targeting ministers and pastors in training.

During the evening, attendees celebrated during the John O. Peterson Freedom Banquet with a theme “From Commemoration to Celebration” which

included a keynote address from Stacy Abrams. She spoke on the important of voting and being counted in the upcoming census.

Thursday’s focus followed up on the theme for the convention, “In Pursuit of Wholeness,” with an engaging panel. Panelists included: Ambassador Baffour Adjei Bawuah who spoke about the Return Home to Ghana, citing the 400th anniversary of Blacks in America; Dr. Mitri Raheb from Palestine, Dar Al- Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem; and Dr. Carolyn G. Thomas, East Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada. The moderator for the panel was the Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts who also gave a presentation on the history of the Baptist Church.

Youth activities dominated later as the “Youth Explosion” with choirs and dancers, followed by a press conference featuring the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Bill Lucy, Stewart and Moss, as well as the presentation of resolutions and an official statement about gun violence in the U.S. WI

5 The Rev. Dr. Timothy Stewart (center), PNBC 58th president, kicked off the 58th Annual Session at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church along with two of his trusted allies. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

HEALTH Lowest Rx Prices, Every Day Start saving at BlinkHealth.com *Restrictions apply. Visit BlinkHealth.com for more details.

DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company

A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about

$1 a day*

Keep your own dentist! NO networks to worry about NO annual or lifetime cap on the cash benefits

No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow Coverage for over 350 procedures including cleanings, exams, fillings, crowns…even dentures

you can receive

FREE Information Kit

1-877-308-2834

www.dental50plus.com/cadnet *Individual plan. Product not available in MN, MT, NH, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150(GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096C MB16-NM001Gc

5 Stuart Anderson (second from left) and Ronnie Webb (right) pose with Don’t Mute My Health supporters during a recent community gathering. (Courtesy photo)

Movement Addresses Link Between Food Insecurity and Violence

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins As Ward 8 residents continue to bury loved ones, young and old, who have succumbed to acts of violence, dialogue about how to prevent future deaths continues, with increasing police presence, dispatching violence interrupters, and expanding enrichment programs often touted as key solutions.

However, the organizers behind a burgeoning grassroots movement to curb violent crime argue that the answer to violence reduction lies in recognizing the connection between poor diet and deficient cognitive abilities that make conflict resolution nearly impossible in low-income communities with few, if any, healthy food options.

“Bad nutrition doesn’t allow people to develop like they would if nutritious food was a dietary staple,” said Stuart Anderson, Ward 8 resident and principal coordinator of the Don’t Mute My Health Movement.

Anderson launched Don’t Mute My Health in conjunction with community food education nonprofit The Green Scheme in late June as a follow-up to a community grocery walk he and food justice nonprofit DC Greens hosted two years prior.

In organizing Don’t Mute My Health, Anderson expressed a desire

to draft a ten-point platform by the end of the summer that articulates Ward 8 residents’ concerns about food access. That project started on Saturday when he facilitated a conversation about the meaning of Don’t Mute My Health during a community event at Check-It Enterprises that featured the Future Band as the headline act.

Organizing around Don’t Mute My Health will continue on the corner of Wheeler Road and Valley Avenue in Southeast on August 17 during a back-to-school event.

During another function on Aug. 19, people at the African-American Civil War Museum in Northwest will discuss yoga as a life-saving measure. Anderson also announced plans of hosting an intergenerational dialogue on August 24 where elders can reflect on the gradual downgrade in food quality over the decades, particularly with the takeover of sugar as a staple ingredient.

“We gravitate toward items with high sugar content. It’s the first addictive habit we develop,” Anderson said, at times stressing that quality of food intake dictates how people respond to trauma. “Don’t Mute My Health is about all of that: access to grocery stores. It’s an expansion that lasers in on stuff that can help change our community culture.”

During the Grocery Walk in 2017, More than 500 people wielding colorful signs marched two miles to the Giant Food on Alabama Avenue, Ward 8’s only supermarket, as a demonstration of the struggle some residents endure for groceries. The event reaffirmed the reality that people often rely on proximate corner stores, chock-full of food high in sugar, salt, and preservatives, as a source of sustenance.

HEALTH Page 49

Use RoundUp Weedkiller?

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, and Leukemia may result from RoundUp exposure. A recent $2 Billion Judgment was awarded in a RoundUp injury case.

Call 1-619-493-4791 or email RoundUp@breakinginjurynews.com and let us begin work on your RoundUp case today.

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Do you or a loved one struggle on the stairs?

AN ACORN STAIRLIFT IS A PERFECT SOLUTION FOR:

ü Arthritis and COPD sufferers ü Those with mobility issues ü Anyone who struggles on the stairs

THE PURCHASE OF A NEW STAIRLIFT!

CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE INFORMATION KIT AND DVD!

1-855-841-2971

*Not valid on previous purchases. Not valid with any other offers or discounts. Not valid on refurbished models. Only valid towards purchase of a NEW Acorn Stairlift directly from the manufacturer. $250 discount will be applied to new orders.

Please mention this ad when calling. AZ ROC 278722, CA 942619, MN LC670698, OK 50110, OR CCB 198506, RI 88, WA ACORNSI894OB, WV WV049654, MA HIC169936, NJ 13VH07752300, PA PA101967, CT ELV 0425003-R5.

AARP AUTO INSURANCE FROM THE HARTFORD TO SPEAK WITH AN AGENT AND REQUEST A FREE QUOTE CALL THE HARTFORD TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU COULD SAVE:

1-877-579-9788

FREE INSURANCE COST ASSESSMENT

FOR SENIORS & FAMILY No Medical Exams Required Immediate Coverage Rates Never Increase

GET A FREE QUOTE TODAY!

240-643-6737 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 23

EDUCATION Ghana’s Door of Return Now Stands Wide Open

By Denise Rolark Barnes WI Writer

Hundreds of people of African descent — from the U.S., the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and Africa — are descending on the cities of Accra and Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa. They go to experience firsthand what the final days were like for enslaved Africans that were held in inhumane conditions, then loaded onto slave ships for the nearly three-month voyage across the Atlantic to the Americas.

This year, groups are also going in response to an invitation from the Ghanaian government to celebrate the “Year of Return,” an initiative to unite Africans on the continent with people of African descent living around the world.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo announced earlier this year that the time has come for people of African descent to make the

journey back home. He said Ghana is offering African-Americans and Caribbean people the opportunity to return and the right to live as Ghanaian citizens indefinitely, pronouncing 2019 as “The Year of Return.”

“In the year 2019, we open our arms even wider to welcome home our brothers and sisters,” Akufo-Addo said.

Ghana is the only African nation engaged in this public-private initiative linked to the passage of H.R. 1242 by the U.S. Congress in 2017, the 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act, sponsored by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.).

The law set up a history commission to fund and carry out activities marking the 400th anniversary of the “arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619.”

In Cape Coast, two notorious slave dungeons — Cape Coast

5 D.C. students Taleyah Evans and Jamerah Brown agreed their best part of the 10-day tour of was time spent with children living in the Atunkwa Village in Ghana’s Central Region.

24 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

5 Wanda Lockridge, president of the William O. Lockridge Community Foundation, (l) at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana with D.C. students from Wards 7 and 8, sponsored the non-profit on their first trip to Africa, specifically to Ghana, including (2nd l-r) Taleyah Evans, Jamerah Brown, and Tatiana Robinson. Also pictured is Myla Brown of Baltimore, Md.

Castle and Elmina Castle — are the focal point of most visitors. Initially used for trading by the Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, Swedish, Danish and Germans, the forts are a vivid reminder of the cruel and torturous aspects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Tour guides also describe the role Africans played in its profitability.

For many of African descent, whites as well, the castles are an emotional reminder of the lives lost and the survivors, held in those dungeons for weeks, chained and naked with little food or water. While many died on the slave ships, millions of the strongest — men and women alike — lived long enough to be distributed for sale in South America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Ghanaian chiefs have issued an apology for their forefathers’ complicity in the slave trade, and Diasporans by the hundreds are entering the Door of Return and making Ghana their home. As of 2015, an estimated 3,000 African Americans now reside in Ghana.

Amid a vast gathering of African Americans that participated in a ceremonial libation, sang the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and boarded fishing ships for the Return Journey to Elmina Castle, were three young D.C. high school students, the youngest among the group. It was each one’s first trip to Africa and an opportunity to immerse themselves in a new and unfamiliar culture.

Taleyah Evans, 15, is a 10th grader at Banneker Academic High School.

She along with Jamerah Bowen, 16, a 12th-grader at Eastern High School, and Ballou High School graduate Tatiana Robinson, 17, an incoming freshman at the University

of Miami, were selected by William O. Lockridge Community Foundation President Wanda Lockridge to visit Ghana this summer.

The trip was coordinated by Roots to Glory, a Baltimore-based tour company that specializes in reuniting African families and returning Africans in the Diaspora to Africa. The group of students and eight others spent 10 days in Ghana visiting historical landmarks, museums and a local village where each person stayed overnight with a host family.

“I intend to take students to Africa once every two years so that they can learn about its history and the culture, and understand its significance to the U.S.,” Lockridge said.

She said she is especially interested in ensuring that students in Wards 7 and 8 are recruited for the program because of the exposure not otherwise provided in their homes or classrooms.

Jamareh, who aspires to become a special mission aviator in the Air Force, said this was her first international trip. She said she wanted to go to Ghana because she wanted to experience “a different way of life.”

“My first impression was literally, ‘Oh, it’s not that hot at all, it feels great actually,’” she said.

Jamareh said she was “captured by the buildings” although she felt they looked “too much like rich cities in America.” Her favorite memory was talking and playing with the children in the Atunkwa Village in the Central Region.

The group was greeted by the chiefs, the Queen Mother and the elders. Children also performed traditional dances while others played the drums.

“I would have to say that in Africa, there are a lot of great things that

aren’t shared [in America], and I want to know why,” Jamerah said.

Taleyah said she also enjoyed spending time and connecting with the children in the village. While she has traveled to Trinidad and Tobago, she said she looks forward to going back to Ghana and to other African countries. An aspiring neurosurgeon or dance company entrepreneur, Taleyah, said she went because she also wanted to experience the culture, and to “see where my ancestors came from.”

Tatyana, the former student member to the D.C. School Board, just began her freshman year at the University of Miami to pursue a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. But before leaving, she told the Informer, “Yes, I went to Ghana to return to my roots.”

She was most impressed by “how people hustle for what they want,” she said, after seeing street vendors that start their day at the crack of dawn and work until dusk while trying to earn enough money to take care of their families.

Overcome by the loss of her grandfather who died just days before she departed, Tatiana said her most significant memory was walking along the path of the Assin Manso Slave River historical site. It is where the captured Africans were taken for their last bath on the way to the slave dungeons. There, she wrote a message to her grandfather on a memorial wall, and she stood barefoot in the river where she prayed.

“You’ve got to understand it for yourself,” she said. “Just walking along that path and standing in that river allowed me to tap into another side of me. It got me more connected with who I am.”

WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Public Speaking Competition Culminates Internship Program

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins When DCPS graduate and aspiring realtor Sharrif Cox-Davis embarked on his college journey at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week, he did so more confidently and was better able to communicate before large audiences about his academic and professional experience and career goals.

Cox-Davis credited his nine-month internship at Pacific Western Bank, acquired through his participation in the local nonprofit Urban Alliance, with his new demeanor and improved cadence. For him, completing this milestone meant making what he considered a serious sacrifice.

“I was so focused on my senior year and playing basketball, but once the time came, I realized I wouldn’t be able to do Urban Alliance and basketball,” said Cox-Davis, 18, an 2019 graduate of Eastern Senior High School.

During his internship, Cox-Davis worked alongside members of the Pacific Western Bank’s loan department where he saw remnants of what he would study in his pursuit of a business degree.

“In the end, I realized it was about my future,” he said. “[In the last nine months], I learned to multitask. My internship pre-

pared me for colleague engagement. It’s always good to build a bond with people around you, and having confidence. I was the youngest in my department, so I had to prove I belonged there.”

Cox-Davis counted among 160 D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, high school graduates who reflected on their internship experience at a public speaking competition at the World Bank late last month.

Nearly 100 community leaders and local professionals served as judges and networked with the youth. That morning, some students received awards and scholarships. Seth Goldman, founder of the multimillion-dollar business Honest Tea, also gave the keynote address.

The July 31 event culminated Urban Alliance’s high school internship program, consisting of a six-week professional development training, ongoing mentorship, life skills workshops, and a nine-month stint at one of several D.C.-area internship sites, some of which included Children’s National Medical Center, 21st Century Fox, and Clark Construction. In the weeks leading up to the event, students prepared the images and text for their presentations, and sharpened their public speaking skills during practice sessions.

The Urban Alliance High School Internship Program

SPEAKING Page 48

EDUCATION Got these cards?

Get more.

Get more benefits than you’re currently getting from Original Medicare with a UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete® (HMO SNP) plan.

It combines your doctor, hospital and prescription drug coverage into one plan — for a $0 plan premium.

Additional benefits may include: Dental Coverage $1,200 toward dental services.

Health Products Benefit Up to $500 in credits to place catalog orders for health products you may need.

Transportation Assistance Up to 30 one-way rides every year.

Vision Coverage Annual exam and $200 credit every 2 years for eyewear.

Call today to enroll or get answers to your questions.

UnitedHealthcare 1-855-310-6622, TTY 711

uhccp.com/MDdual Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and a contract with the State Medicaid program. Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with Medicare.

Y0066_180910_034822_M

5 Leah Pearcy, Sharrif Cox-Davis, Yolonte’ Armstrong and Gabriel Fernandez, Urban Alliance DC students at the 2019 Public Speaking Challenge (Courtesy photo)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

CST25993_H4094-001

Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 25

It's a deal, deal.

What’s better than a good deal? The Best Deal of the Year from Xfinity. On top of fast, reliable Internet service, you can make the best deal even better and get $250 back when you add Xfinity Mobile. So, what are you waiting for?

You should stop reading and get on it now. Like now, now. Simple. Easy. Awesome.

Internet | TV | Voice

$

79

99

a month

For 2 YEARS with a 2-year agreement

Get $100 back

FREE speed upgrade for 1 year up to 400MB

Ask how to get $250 when you add Xfinity Mobile

Download speeds up to 400Mbps.

After 1 yr. $25 more/mo. (subj. to change)

Equipment, taxes, and fees extra, and subject to change. See below for details.

Call 1-800-xfinity, go to xfinity.com, or visit your local Xfinity Store today.

Offers ends 9/15/19. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. New residential customers only. Limited to Standard Triple Play. Early termination fee applies if all Xfinity services (other than Xfinity Mobile) are canceled during the agreement term. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees, including regulatory recovery fees, Broadcast TV Fee (up to $10.00/mo.), Regional Sports Fee (up to $8.25/mo.) and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change during and after promo and term agreement. After promo and agreement term, or if any service is canceled or downgraded, regular charges apply. Comcast's service charge for upgrading from Performance Pro to Extreme Pro Internet is $25.00 more/mo. (subject to change). Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers. TV: Limited Basic service subscription required to receive other levels of service. Internet: Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Voice: If there is a power outage or network issue, calling, including calls to 911, may be unavailable. Mobile: Xfinity Mobile offer ends 9/30/19. Requires purchase of new, qualifying phone, activation of new Xfinity Mobile and transfer of phone number. $250 in form of prepaid card mailed to Xfinity account holder. Cards issued by MetaBank,® Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa® U.S.A. Inc. Cards will not have cash access and can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. © 2019 Comcast.

All rights reserved. NPA227022-0001 NED AA Q3 FS V3

26 AUGUST 15 - Best 21, Deal 2019 134219_NPA227022-0001 of the Year_V3_WashingtonInform_9.5x12.375.indd

1

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

7/30/19 5:08 PM

2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER’S 2019 GUIDE TO SAFEGUARDING STUDENT SUCCESS

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

NEWSPAPER READING IS A HABIT DON’T BREAK THE HABIT!

Onward, Upward, Always!

Dr. Shantella Sherman Informer Special Editions Editor

READ THE WASHINGTON INFORMER YOUR WAY: In Print – feel the ink between your fingers of our Award Winning Print Edition

n

On the Web – www.washingtoninformer.com updated throughout the day, every day

n

n

On your tablet

n

On your smartphone

n

Facebook

n

Twitter

n

Weekly Email Blast – sign up at www.washingtoninformer.com

202-561-4100 For advertising contact Ron Burke at rburke@washingtoninformer.com

Dr. Shantella Sherman

...Informing you everyday in every way

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

Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and advertising deadline is Monday prior to publication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016

by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Washington, D.C. 20032 Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 574-3785 news@washingtoninformer.com www.washingtoninformer.com

PUBLISHER Denise Barnes STAFF D. Kevin McNeir, Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Assistant Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Dr. Charles Vincent, Social Sightings columnist Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Angie Johnson, Circulation

Lee Andrew Ross, Mississippi farmer and education advocate.

REPORTERS Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Will Ford (Prince George’s County Writer), Hamil Harris, Tatyana Hopkins, Jade JamesGist, Kaja Rae Lucas, D. Kevin McNeir, Lauren Poteat, Lee Ross, Dorothy Rowley, Ronda Smith, Sophia Sparks, Sarafina Wright (General Assignment Writer)

PHOTOGRAPHERS John E. DeFreitas, Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Demetrious Kinney, Mark Mahonny, Lateef Mangum, Travis Riddick

Lee Ross and her son, Dr. Robert Edwards, III, following his law school graduation. (Photos courtesy of Ross Family)

I believe that every person – not just children – had an amazing capacity for learning, if only they allowed themselves the opportunity. While learning does begin at early ages, the ability to learn and grow has boundless possibilities – which means you can begin at any age. As the daughter of a Mississippi sharecropper, I was immersed in a culture of “onward, upward, always.” My mother reminded me often of her father being told he could not send any of his thirteen children to school or risk being put off the land on which they worked. In a show of defiance, my grandfather insisted that my mother and her older brother – the two youngest of the 13 – attend school. And so, they became the first to receive formal education and to complete high school. I am never far removed from the woman whose matriculation awards and merits under Jim Crow, refused to acknowledge the instruction with dignity – and instead announced her diplomas as certificates of participation at the “Colored Attendance Center.” The county refused to even call the school a school. Still, her passion for learning grew.

What could have raised the ire of this family, instead turned into solid waves of uplift. My uncle, for instance made it a point of very respectfully going to seniors in the community – many of whom had also been denied access to education under threat of violence. This community of elders could not write or spell their own names, and he set aside time to work with each to ensure they could. These same elders would later use the workbooks of their grandchildren to open up a world of opportunities from which they believed their age and condition barred them.

Today, as an educator, I press upon every person I meet to take a chance, lay a bet, make a wager – on your own educational uplift. There is no embarrassment in starting late, having to start again, or feeling as though you don’t have what it takes – as long as you get over that embarrassment! The reality is that not only do you have what it takes, you have it in surplus! So, what, you’re 17 and your reading is that of a 3rd grader? Let’s work to get it up to standard! So, what if you’re fifty and everyone else in the class is 20? None of you know the work that’s why you’re all in the same room! It’s one thing to be denied access by inhumane practices, as my grandparents were, it’s quite another to deny yourself a chance.

My mother’s onward, upward, always spirit in 1967, inspired her two children to both become doctors – a JD and a PhD. My brother and I refuse to frame those degrees for our offices, and instead, humbly presented them to her, for her display. They are far more hers, than ours.

Let us work this school year to ensure that every student – no matter their age – feel the love and support of a community of good people who want their uplift.

Onward, Upward, Always!

Dr. Shantella Sherman

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

BS-2

Preparing Emotionally and Academically for the First Day of School

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia It’s a new school year, and everyone is either excited, nervous or both.

Jitters usually accompany the first day while teachers know they not only have to prepare students academically, but also, emotionally.

“The first day of school sets the tone for a child's educational year,” said Kathryn Starke, an author, and urban literacy specialist. “Before the first day, many teachers send personal welcome letters to students. They also host a meet the teacher day, where they provide a tour of the classroom and the child's working space for the school year.”

It’s important to create a classroom that promotes emotional and academic success, and children observe these things from the first day, she said.

“It includes having a classroom

library, personalizing student areas, or displaying signs and books that celebrate motivation, diversity, and positive character traits.

Creating a student-centered classroom leads to success. On the very first day, building relationships is imperative. Therefore, teachers should create lessons and activities that support personalized learning, diversity, community, and friendship,” she said.

Activities like "math about me" or personal surveys about a child's likes, dislikes, and background serve to help children feel safe, comfortable, and accepted, according to education experts.

“Once a child is emotionally successful, they will be more academically successful,” Starke said.

Kaywanda Lamb, who taught Spanish for 14 years, said the first day should be used to “get to know each other.”

“It should also be a day to lay out rules and expectations. Teachers should allow kids to help create class norms,” Lamb said.

Dr. April J. Lisbon, a 20-year

veteran school psychologist who's worked in DC Public Schools, said there are five keys to helping teachers ensure that their students feel emotionally and academically successful on the first day.

Lisbon worked with students ages 3 to 22 of varying backgrounds, including those who attended alternative educational institutions.

“The first key is to know the correct pronunciation of your students' names. If you are unsure how to say it or if you say it incorrectly, apologize to the student and ask for the correct pronunciation,” Lisbon said.

Second, she recommends that teachers let their students know that they’re excited to have them in the classroom. “This evokes a feeling of belonging for students,” Lisbon said.

Third, teachers should ask questions and don't assume the worse.

A fourth key is wanting to be there. “Students are very smart, and they can recognize if their teacher wants to be there. Your actions and attitude on the first day will set the tone for the rest of the school year,” she said.

Finally, teachers should have fun. “Yes, school is about learning and developing for all stu-

dents; however, learning shouldn't be boring,” Lisbon said.

“On the first day of school, complete a learning assessment profile to see how your student learns information best. That will ensure that you are teaching towards the students’ preferred learning style and not their area(s) of weakness,” she said. BTS

Jitters usually accompany the first day while teachers know they not only have to prepare students academically, but also, emotionally.

DOES YOUR SCHOOL HAVE THE NEXT D.C. WINNER?

38 TH ANNUAL WASHINGTON INFORMER SPELLING BEE OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 3 - 8 DC PUBLIC, CHARTER, PRIVATE, PAROCHIAL AND HOME SCHOOLS ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE

EARLY BIRD ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN UNTIL OCTOBER 15, 2019 REGULAR ENROLLMENT: OCTOBER 16 2019 - DECEMBER 20,2019 VIS IT SPELL I NGBEE.COM TO REGISTER BEE IS OPEN TO PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY PUBLIC.

..

B� � :

PRIVATE. CHARTER AND HOME SCHOOLS ' CONTACT: CHAUKA REID AT CHAUKAREID@YAHOO.COM :

The new school year has everyone excited and nervous. (Courtesy Gotham Wingard)

H-3 BS-3

�o� ;o�E ; � � � � �o� ; -J�o� ;o� � F R A l N R �cP; - - - - - - - - - - - : T CT : - - - - - - - -

1

,

JASON.MOORE3@DC.GOV

FOR SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION CONTA CT RON BURKE AT RBURKE@WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

1

,

-

,

•

A New School Year Must Avoid Old Labels for African American Students

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia As students prepare to go back to school, educators and others also must prepare for the many challenges that lie ahead.

And, for students of color, discrimination remains a primary obstacle to navigate.

Records have shown that African American students are disproportionately labeled “troubled” as a matter of behavior, rather than their ability to learn. Health experts said teachers and administrators must address any behavioral expectations and issues before anything occurs.

“Building relationships and showing respect to every child in the classroom from the very beginning decreases behavior issues,” said Kathyrn Starke, an urban literacy consultant. “Children like and need routine, structure, motivation, and positivity. Therefore, teachers need to adhere to these components daily.”

When children are motivated and engaged in collaboration, critical thinking, and differentiated learning experiences, behavior issues also decrease, she said.

“Teachers should constantly model good behavior and recognize the positive behavior of students.

Communication with students and parents of expectations from the very beginning and throughout the school year is imperative,” Starke said. “That should be done not just to report negative behavior, but there should be one-onone conversations about steps to improving behavior issues. That makes the biggest difference in a successful emotional and academ-

ic school year.”

Teachers should ask questions and don’t assume the worse about their students, said Dr. April J. Lisbon, a veteran school psychologist.

“Sometimes, behaviors may reflect a lack of sleep or not having breakfast in the morning. If this is the case, ensure that the student gets something from the cafeteria or have approved snacks available in the classroom,” Lisbon said.

In an email that reiterates a blog she posted, Dr. Cora Causey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education said social and emotional development are vital for students.

Executive function, relationship development, coping, and self-regulation play essential roles in a child’s overall development. Most importantly it plays a role in their social-emotional development so that they can handle a collaborative environment, like kindergarten, Causey said.

This includes sharing, taking turns, and learning when to speak and listen, and to do this respectfully, she said.

“Everyday situations provide a platform for parents to work with their children in executive function,” Causey said. “Asking open-ended questions fosters the natural curiosity and wonder with

which kids are born. You can do this as you are riding in the car, going to the grocery store or any other activity throughout the day.”

Find ways to have positive child and adult interactions that consist of back and forth conversational loops, she said.

“Parents should not throw words at children, but create more of a narrative by asking questions,” Causey said. “Our goal should be to have more face-to-face interaction, rather than pixel-to-pixel interaction.”

Children’s books author, Dr. Cherrye S. Vasquez, said teachers should not view students of color as troubled. Instead, teachers should spend quality time in determining the students’ likes and dislikes.

“They should do this while incorporating culturally responsive teaching practices into the student’s academic program,” Vasquez said.

“When students sense that teachers want to get to know them, their culture, lifestyles and family life, students shine and excel,” she said.

Finally, if a student requires more behavioral assistance than others, teachers should be able to discover the antecedents and observe and then analyze patterns, Vasquez said.

“The teacher must investigate what prompted the unwanted behaviors. Negative behaviors may be due to many variables stemming from a multitude of areas like home life, environmental and other factors,” Vasquez said. BTS

Black students are disproportionately disciplined at school. (Photo by Alex Zimmerman/Chalkbeat)

Teachers want what students need and what parents want: ♦ Classrooms that have all the resources students and teachers need to do well ♦ Safe and healthy schools ♦ An end to the testing fixation and a real focus on learning ♦ Respect and dignity for teachers ♦ A collaborative culture that gives teachers a voice in their kids’ education

DCPS: Let’s discuss all of these at the bargaining table

Fund Our Future www.washingtoninformer.com / 2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

BS-4

Always a Ripe Time for Learning

By Lee Ross WI Staff Writer It took only a few days and a resolve to tackle the internet for Marnie Sands to rejoin the college set. Taking a quick tutorial from her grandson, Jonas, Sands learned how to navigate the Blackboard system of her university, set up her student account, and begin working through the extensive reading list of materials for her art history class. Sands,71, is among a growing number of seniors and elders who have returned to the classroom to prove they are still ripe for learning.

It would surprise most readers that the majority of students seeking degrees in America are “adult learners,” over the age of 50. In fact, a 2018 national survey from Champlain College Online found that 60 percent of U.S. adults age 23 to 55 without

a bachelor’s degree have considered returning to school.

“Years ago, as a woman, you did not attempt to juggle house and outside life, so after I got married, my husband and our children became my focus,” said Sands, who completed freshman year at Bennett College before marriage. “My husband worked full-time and attended college at night, which worked for us, but I always regretted not finishing my art degree.”

Now, with grandchildren entering college, Sands said her husband persuaded her to go back and finish what she started.

“I was worried about leaving him alone – we have such a routine with our walks and daily activities, but he joked that I was getting under his feet and should take a few courses to keep my mind sharp,” Sands said. “I wasn’t going to do it but found

this sneaky man had gone behind my back and enrolled me in school! Then it became a challenge to show him that I could do it. I cannot tell you how excited I am. I feel like a part of me just woke up.”

Manuel Hernandes, a recruitment and retention specialist said older adults tend to make the best students in many cases simply because they’ve learned how to be patient with themselves and really experience the process of learning.

“Learning is a lifelong process and what I see in many of the senior students that come through my doors is a willingness to try.

They are not concerned with getting things incorrect – they know there are times when they will not understand, or need to problem-solve, and so their whole attitude is, ‘I want to try,’” Hernandes said. “They also tend

Seniors and elders are returning to the classroom in record numbers and showing off their abilities to learn at any age. (Courtesy photo) to inspire the teens and young adults in the classroom, because they see how much dignity there is in advocating for their own advancement – even when others believe you may be too ‘fill in the blank’ to be there.”

Lifelong Learning and audit systems offered by many universities allow senior citizens to take courses for free – some for credit, eliminating the burden

of tuition. Additionally, many states require state-funded institutions to provide low-income senior citizens with free tuition.

For example, The Senior Citizens Higher Education Act of 1974 permits Virginia residents age 60 or older with an annual income of less than $23,850 to take college courses for credit without paying for tuition.

BTS

Find us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/amerihealthdc / Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmeriHealthCaritasDC

H-5 BS-5

2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

Focus on the Fundamentals: The Blueprint for PGCPS

Submitted by PGCPS

Buoyed by a new chief executive and infusion of state funds, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is focusing on the fundamentals this academic year.

Chief Executive Officer Dr. Monica Goldson has launched The Blueprint for PGCPS, a $53 million investment to improve teaching and learning in the state’s second-largest school system. PGCPS is also undertaking an innovative public-private partnership for school construction with the goal of building new facilities faster and at lower cost.

Dr. Goldson envisions a schoolhouse that supports the whole child with high academic standards that prepare students for college, career and life while emphasizing grade-level fundamentals of literacy, math and science.

“We work each day to ensure students and families in our community receive the highest quality teaching and leadership at every school. Our students come to us with a diverse set of needs — academic, social and emotional,” said Dr. Goldson, who was appointed in June to a full fouryear term by Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks.

“We must meet their needs with our best educators, administrators, resources and supports.”

Prince George’s County educates the

JOIN US!

majority of African American and Latino students in Maryland. “We must ensure that students come to school ready to learn by providing them with the tools they need to be successful in the classroom and life,” she said.

The Blueprint utilizes state funds to raise teacher compensation and expand prekindergarten and “wraparound" school services, such as additional social workers and counselors, extended learning time and student supports. Education leaders and county officials successfully advocated for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, based on the Kirwan Commission recommendations, which increased funding to school systems statewide.

Dr. Alvin Thornton, Prince George’s County Board of Education Chair, noted, “The Board of Education shares the community’s concern about the need to assign high priority to social-emotional learning support systems, teacher and staff compensation enhancement and the expansion of programs to improve college and career readiness.”

THE BLUEPRINT HAS SEVERAL COMPONENTS:

High Needs Schools: Expanded wraparound services to 45 schools with the highest numbers of

students living in poverty to include additional health care practitioners, social workers and counselors, extended learning programs, transportation and other initiatives. ($11,197,485)

Prekindergarten Expansion: Increased access to full-day prekindergarten programming at nine schools, offering more families the chance to give their youngest learners a strong foundation. As part of the school system’s ongoing push towards making high-quality prekindergarten available to all families, a universal pre-k pilot program will be launched in 17 schools. ($14,026,871) Mental Health Services: Additional funding to 45 schools for certified mental health therapists.

In addition, the PGCPS mental health coordinator will guide staff through mental health first aid training so anyone trusted with caring for a child can effectively do so. ($83,333)

Teacher Compensation: Restorative salary increase to all employees who lost steps between 2009 and 2012, yet remained with the school system, in recognition of staff sacrifices during the economic downturn. ($13,386,052) Supporting Students with Individualized Educational Programs: Focused funding on implementing

Dr. Monica Goldson was appointed to a full term as Chief Executive Officer by County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks in June. Under the Blueprint for PGCPS, the school system will invest in academics, student supports and facilities.

individualized educational programs (IEP), more teacher planning time and system-wide staff training on compliance and supports. ($10,114,897) Support for Students Struggling with Reading: New digital literacy program focused on evidence-based strategies to help students who struggle with reading. Components include one-on-one tutoring, peer tutoring, screening and addressing literacy deficits and new technology in kindergarten through third grade classrooms at 53 schools. ($4,819,614)

Alongside academic investments, the school system is embarking on an ambitious facilities plan. The average county school building age is

nearly 50 years old, more than five years above the state average. With the support of County Executive Alsobrooks and the County Council, Prince George’s County will invest $25 million to $30 million annually for the next 30 years in school construction funds, the largest infrastructure investment in generations.

Over the next decade, more than 30 schools will undergo renovations to enhance learning conditions.

“Our infrastructure investment, paired with the Blueprint for PGCPS, is a bold statement of our commitment to improving learning environments inside and out,” said Dr. Goldson. “Through all of these measures, we are moving student achievement forward throughout Prince George’s County.” BTS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2019

Ribbon Cutting - 8:45 a.m. • Event - 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

JOIN PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR THE 9th ANNUAL

PRINCE GEORGE’S SPORTS & LEARNING COMPLEX • 8001 SHERIFF ROAD • LANDOVER, MD www.pgcps.org/btsblockparty • #PGCPSBlockParty • #PGCPS10KBackpacks

MUST REGISTER ONLINE TO GET A FREE BACKPACK (CHILD MUST ATTEND EVENT TO RECEIVE A BACKPACK) VENDOR BOOTHS • FREE VISION & DENTAL SCREENINGS FOR CHILDREN • VIDEO GAME TRUCKS SCHOOL & COUNTY RESOURCES • MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT • FOOD TRUCKS • DOOR PRIZES

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

BS-6

Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Arts Our school is one of the most unique schools in the region. We focus on developing skills in journalism and media arts, real world application, and having a voice in the community.

Richard Wright provides rich, balanced, and diverse opportunities to all students, supporting the mission and vision of the school, fostering intellectual, cultural, social growth, and promoting physical health and wellness. Students participate in various clubs, sports, activities, events, and trips that encourage students to utilize mental and physical practical application of concepts, skills, and processes they are continually learning both in and beyond the classroom.

From professional organizations in the media industry, distinguished colleges and national educational associations,

H-7 BS-7

visiting artists and journalists, to an end of the year multimedia gala event, RWPCS continually provides unique opportunities for its students to enhance, supplement, and stimulate each student’s life holistically.

The innovative programs and practices executed with consistency and efficacy by a dedicated, caring, and hardworking staff builds a working, learning environment that fosters creativity and exploration which students are excited to be a part of, the results demonstrated in a myriad of ways.

Richard Wright aims to fortify its young people with the resounding impact of the education, to transform their lives and those around them, and uphold the vision of “re-writing the future, one student at a time.�

BTS

Our Mission

The mission of Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Arts is to transform students in grades 8-12 into well-versed media contributors by providing a student-centered environment that connects them to the classics and modern languages and a curriculum focused on strong writing skills and vocabulary.

2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

So, You Want to Go to Grad School?

What Every Student Should Know

Dr. Sophia Sparks WI Staff Writer

Matriculation from an undergraduate to graduate education requires serious thought. It is not for everyone.

The aim of this article is not to scare potential graduate students, but to ensure readers prepare for the journey beyond the Bachelors. Some professional degrees require up to twelve years of coursework, research, dissertation (book) writing, both oral and written comprehensive examinations, and residencies – before completion. Choosing wisely saves time, energy and tears, and sets up the well-prepared for an exceptional world of advanced learning.

Is a graduate degree necessary? Do

not enter graduate school as a means to “command a higher wage.” This is not totally accurate. Practical experience may be more vital to career advancement than education.

Do I possess all the admission requirements? Each school may have different requirements. For example, some schools require applicants secure a mentor before applying to the graduate program.

What’s the timeline for admissions?

Graduate applications are simple but require a lot of time and documents from different sources.

Do I like research or the process of discovery? The vast majority of graduate programs involve research.

For these programs, completing a research project is a large percentage

Matriculation from an undergraduate to graduate education requires serious thought.

of the requirements necessary to obtain the degree.

Have you identified a field of interest? Grad school is not the time for academic exploration. The topic area chosen should keep your interest and be researchable.

Still Considering Graduate School?

Here are some additional tips and reflections from post-graduate students.

How to choose a school Undergrads considering graduate school should apply for programs based on the professors’ reputations, rather than the schools. Many people know the names of Ivy League schools, but professionals are identified by their mentors. The best person in a particular field may not be at a prestigious school.

Picking the right principal investigator (mentor) Choosing the right mentor is not about the short-term gain of a right fit for you. The best mentor may not make you feel good. Choosing a mentor is about the long-term access your mentor provides. Mentors are a tool.

Carmen Lopez dropped out of her doctoral program and now conducts research for a major pharmaceutical

Show your school spirit!

Support our local schools

Donate at your local Safeway store today.

This campaign is managed by Albertsons Companies Foundation, doing business as Safeway Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization.

Graduate school often separates students from scholars and requires much more planning and resilience than many believe. (Courtesy photo)

company. She warned the next generation to learn from her mistake.

Lopez conducted lab interviews of various mentors and lab members. She asked about the support provided, lab culture, mentor’s management style, and how long it took graduate students to graduate on average. “While these questions were good, I did not heed the advice of the lab members concerning the advisor. I regret choosing my mentor for several reasons, including my mentor’s inability to help with job placement,” Lopez said.

Research Look for a lab to join that aligns with your research interests as soon as you start the program.

The longer it takes to find a lab to conduct research, the longer it will take to graduate. Dr. Gray Williams holds a doctorate degree in environmental microbiology and currently teaches introductory undergraduate science courses. She remembered a statement from her graduate advisor that graduate students’ research must add to the current information known about their chosen subject area. Thus, research what information is already known in that field of study before wasting time on a project that cannot be utilized towards graduating. “Since written communications about your research are requirements for graduation, publish early,” Lopez added.

As a side note, Williams urged future grad students to recall that everyone’s project progresses at a different pace. So, don’t compare your works to someone else.

Teaching Style Many undergraduate professors talk to students through PowerPoint lectures that assist with the connection between different concepts. If students do not read required material for class, it would not necessarily hamper their ability to participate in any in-class assignments. Graduate school, however, consists of self-policing. The class structure is not about lecturing over material that should have been read.

Rather, classes are discussion-based.

The weight of the discussion is how the answer was derived and not the answer itself. All assigned reading materials are critical in graduate school. While reading, you should conduct a critical analysis of what was read to prepare for class. Ask yourself questions such as: What other alternatives could the author have explored? Why were other alternatives not explored? Does the information presented lead you to the same conclusion; why or why not? Reading is no longer optional and there is much to read.

Make Connections Networking is a term emphasized in many settings.

It will continue to be an important term for the rest of your life. The adage of it is not what you know but who you know still holds true. So, make time to meet with teachers and mentors. Attend guest lecturers, department events, and conferences. Create business cards and take them everywhere along with your prepared elevator speech.

For those who want to remain in academia, becoming an editor for a journal is a good way to obtain name recognition.

Mental Health and Support Everyone interviewed for this article expressed a moment when they wanted to give up. You will feel incompetent due to the editing and correcting process you are experiencing. Many isolate themselves at this time which is not helpful. Remember, graduate school is about teaching people how to think. Having colleagues in the program along with access to family members will help you continue to take strides towards graduation. A former support service employee in the California education system declares that support systems remind graduate students how their abilities have value. Although graduate school is not a social extension of undergrad, engaging in non-academic activities helps provide perspective and allows you to recognize non-traditional career paths.

BTS

7/11/19 11:15 AM www.washingtoninformer.com / 2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

SWYDEST IV00133606 SCHOOL SPIRIT CAMPAIGN_Wash-Informer-Ad_DC_5.65x6.1.indd 1

BS-8

What Your Teachers Won’t Tell You Professional Development Tips from the Field

Dr. Sophia Sparks WI Staff Writer Many colleges and universities offer courses in professional development to help students adapt from a campus and classroom environment to one that functions competitively around both spoken and unspoken rules of conduct and behavior. While most hit their marks in touting the use of crisp navy-blue suits, congenial attitudes, and teamwork, not a few miss important dos and don’ts. The Informer sat down with human resources directors from around the country to fill in a few of those blanks and offer readers insight into professional development strategies for college interns and fellows that their teachers left out.

Make the most of the time you spend at the office by offering your service when possible.

There might be days when you have down time. Instead of taking advantage and popping on social media, find opportunities to shine. Talk to other individuals in the department or another department and offer your ser-

vices. There is always something to do. This previous statement comes with a warning. Do not take on additional work until you can complete your current workload.

What you say (attitude) and do (aptitude) is being monitored.

Therefore, remain humble, and maintain an approachable body language. Aptitude is graded based upon the completion of goals. Focus on the objectives by being SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely). Confer with your supervisor about expectations to ensure you have a clear understanding of your target. A poor final evaluation is often the result of poor performance. Thus, have regular conversations with your superior to boast about your successes and gain guidance through your challenges, which you have brainstormed and/or tried a possible solution prior to the meeting.

The right informal education program (i.e. internship or practicum) can lead to a job.

Betsy Johnson was a former intern at a mid-sized accounting

firm in Texas. Her summer internship was unpaid. She could have worked a paid summer job or studied abroad; instead, she completed four summers of unpaid work at the same accounting firm. After graduating with a Bachelors degree, Johnson was offered a job at the same accounting firm where she’d interned. Due to her work ethic and professional growth, Johnson started her career in middle management.

The company honored the time she worked unpaid and considered her internship, relevant work experience.

Her benefits package (time off, and retirement plan) and salary reflected this.

Open yourself up for constructive criticism. Being a professional means learning to take constructive criticism as a tool to growth, rather than a personal attack. Do not react but listen for understanding. If you don’t understand something, you should ask questions for clarity. For example, you could ask for specific

examples to gain understanding.

Becoming defensive or debating a point will not help your professional growth. Thus, you should acknowledge the feedback, determine if some points where isolated incidents, and implement a change of action to address the feedback.

At the conclusion of the program, you should have expanded your network. Networking increases your visibility. Connect with your co-workers instead of hanging around other interns. Conduct informational

interviews to learn more about different roles in the company.

Do your research so you may ask appropriate thought-provoking questions. You can also discuss topics you have in common.

For example, you are delivering the mail and see a Texas A&M University pen on an executive’s desk, and you know something about Texas A&M. You should start a conversation about what you know about Texas A&M. Cultivate these relationships once your time with the company has expired. BTS

Developing meaningful interactions as an intern helps college students cultivate a true understanding of professional spaces and their potential roles within corporate cultures. (Courtesy photo)

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!

Back to School Family Checklist Make sure immunizations are up-to-date Get your New 2019-20 Kids Ride Free Card Learn about your school policy/dress code Plan to go to school orientation or family night Learn how to engage with your school Visit dcpcsb.org to learn more about public charter schools.

H-9 BS-9

2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

Recent & Recommended Books on Educational Success

By Lee Ross Special to the Informer

Never Too Late: The Adult Student’s Guide to College

By Rebecca Klein-Collins Countless Americans drop out of school to start families, begin working, or simply losing interest. Many want to return as “non-traditional” undergraduate students and have in fact, become the new norm. Still, the bulk of college guides out there don’t include practical advice for the busy moms, frustrated employees, and ambitious adults who are applying to college or hoping to finish earning a degree. Never Too Late will help readers jump-start a new professional path or speed down the one they’re already on by guiding them through vital questions: What should I study? How can I afford the time and money required to get a college degree? How do I compare schools?

This is the perfect guide for those who want to get back on the road to academics.

Raising Black Students' Achievement Through Culturally Responsive Teaching

By Johnnie McKinley In this book, Johnnie McKinley presents the results of her in-depth study of a group of teachers in grades 3–8 who managed to radically narrow the achievement gap between their black and white students by using a set of culturally responsive strategies in their classrooms. McKinley uses the educators' own words and illustrative "virtual walkthroughs" of lessons in action to examine these strategies in detail. Educators have been struggling for decades to remedy the disparity in academic outcomes between black and white students. This book shows how one remarkable group of teachers harnessed the power of culturally responsive teaching to do just that. By following the path outlined in Raising Black Students' Achievement Through Culturally Responsive Teaching, you too can help your black students to become engaged, self-confident, and successful learners.

Success Skills for High School, College, and Career (Christian Edition)

By Cary J. Green Successful students and employees have something in common: a well-developed skill set that transcends book smarts.

The skills needed for success in the classroom and on the job can be honed with deliberate effort and the right resources.

Christian students who combine their skills with their faith are equipped to achieve all that God calls them to achieve.

This Christian edition expands the best-selling Success Skills for High School, College, and Career by incorporating more than 150 scriptural references, Biblical examples, and a Christian theme. Step-by-step guidelines and hands-on exercises enable you to enhance your academic performance and prepare for future career success.

Community College Success: How to Finish with Friends, Scholarships, Internships, and the Career of Your Dreams

By Isa Adney While community colleges give financially disadvantaged students a chance to open the door to education, simply walking through that door is not enough. Once there, many students feel completely alone on their journey. In Community College Success, Isa Adney shares secrets for connecting with others that helped her win a $110,000 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship. This is the first book to combine a youthful and accessible author with networking strategies specifically targeted to first-generation and community college students.

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

BS-10

Back in Session

How to Make the School Year a Great One Dr. Sophia Sparks WI Staff Writer It’s that time again. The countdown to the first day of school. It is the day students will meet the highly-trained professionals charged with instructing and nurturing them for the academic year. A few may face this day with a mix of emotions from nervousness to excitement, but to put minds at ease, teachers conveyed eight tips to the Informer for students (and parents) in primary school to consider along with notes to the parents.

Attend your school’s open house. Knowing how to move around your school will help take some of the nervousness away. It will prevent you from getting lost. So, go with your parent(s) to pick up your schedule. While there take a tour of the school (create a mental map to get from each class), and meet your teacher(s). Note to the parent(s): get an understanding of the environment that will be created to foster a positive learning environment. Have the teacher explain how support materials are made accessible.

Find a friend. Talk to your friends and others in your neighborhood to see if any of them will be in your class. If you find someone you already know who will be in your class, you can reduce first-day anxiety. But, don’t let this prevent you from making new friends. You can learn a lot from people you don’t know. A safe way to make new friends is to partner with someone you don’t know for group projects.

Look how you want to feel.

Pick a comfortable outfit and hairstyle that makes your feel confident. When you feel confident, you can take on and accomplish a task. Your performance is also better when you are confident in yourself.

Revisit the reading list. The materials handed out at the close of school to prep you for the new school year may be forgotten, especially if you read them at the beginning of the summer.

Go back over the materials to refresh the details in your mind.

This is the formation of disci-

H-11 BS-11

pline. Reviewing materials over and over again helps you prepare for upcoming classroom discussions, yielding higher marks on assignments.

Think positively. Think about positive aspects of school before the first day. What new things could you experience?

How many new friends you could gain? Positive thinking can combat depression. A positive attitude can help boost the memory function of the brain and in turn improve academic performance on tests. Note to parent(s): pack a comfort food snack or complete lunch to help boost your child’s mood.

Be present. Get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast. You cannot focus on the material if you are sleeping or your stomach is growling. If you manage to stay awake, your memory, creativity, and decision-making are reduced because you did not get enough sleep. Additionally, a lack of sleep also affects your outlook. Recall that maintaining a positive outlook helps boost your memory function. Note to parent(s): set a night-time schedule about two weeks to a month before school begins. You might need to phase your child into this night-time routine so plan accordingly.

Motivation. Why do you go to school? There are many reasons but here are the two main reasons. School allows us to gain social skills. It is in school that we interact with people who do not think, act, or look like anyone in our families. School is also necessary to gain skills that help you transition into societal constructs. Sometimes, the reason you don’t understand or grasp information is because of what you are telling yourself about the importance of the tasks before you.

Know what is expected of you. You have two expectations while at school. One is behavioral. Each school and classroom has guidelines for how you should act. The second expectation is academic. Develop goals (the desire or outcome), objectives (the specific action needed to achieve the goal), and tasks (steps necessary to complete the

objective) to meet or exceed the expectations.

A final word specifically to parents: Talk to your child about their concerns and excitement and help them identify their motivation for going to school.

Discuss how to resolve any issue that may arise. Your child should know that you support them and will resolve issues with adults on their behalf. When resolving issues with the teacher, please reserve judgement and action until after you have spoken to the teacher. BTS

Kicking off the school year on a positive note is the job of students, parents, and teachers. (Courtesy photo)

It’s that time again. The countdown to the first day of school.

Destined to Succeed Whatever your child wants to be is within reach when you are involved.

Your engagement in their education will prepare them for the future.

To learn more about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and how you can advocate for your children, visit us at www.nnpa.org/essa Sign-up for our ESSA alerts at www.nnpa.org/essa

© 2019 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

DC’S CHARTER SCHOOLS: LEADING EDUCATION REFORM IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL!

endthelist.org WARD 1

AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Columbia Heights • Briya PCS • E.L. Haynes PCS - Middle School • Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science PCS LAYC Career Academy PCS • Meridian PCS • The Next Step/El Proximo Paso PCS • YouthBuild PCS

WARD 2

BASIS DC PCS • Goodwill Excel Center PCS

WARD 4

Breakthrough Montessori PCS • Briya PCS • Capital City PCS • Center City PCS - Brightwood • Center City PCS - Petworth District of Columbia International School • E.L. Haynes PCS • Friendship PCS - Online • Hope Community PCS - Lamond • Friendship PCS - Ideal Elementary & Middle Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS • Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS - Brookland Campus • Paul PCS • Roots PCS • Sela PCS • Washington Latin PCS

WARD 5

Academy of Hope Adult PCS • Bridges PCS • Carlos Rosario International PCS • Center City PCS - Trinidad • Creative Minds International PCS • DC Bilingual PCS DC Prep PCS - Edgewood Camous • Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS • Friendship PCS - Armstrong Elementary & Middle • Friendship PCS - Woodridge Camous Harmony DC PCS - School of Excellence • Hope Community PCS - Tolson • Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS • KIPP DC - College Preparatory Academy PCS KIPP DC - Connect Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Northeast Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Spring Academy PCS • Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS Lee Montessori PCS • Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS - 16th Street Early Learning Campus • Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS • Perry Street Preparatory PCS Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS • The Children's Guild DC PCS • Two Rivers PCS - Young • Washington Leadership Academy PCS • Washington Yu Ying PCS

WARD 6

AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Lincoln Park • Center City PCS - Capitol Hill • Center City PCS - Shaw • Digital Pioneers Academy PCS • Eagle Academy PCS - Capitol Riverfront Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Campus • Kingsman Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Grow Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Lead Academy PCS • KIPP DC - WILL Academy PCS Monument Academy PCS • Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts • Two Rivers PCS - 4th Street • Washington Global PCS

WARD 7

AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Oklahoma Avenue • IDEA PCS • Cesar Chavez PCS for Public Policy - Parkside Campus • DC Prep PCS - Benning Campus DC Scholars PCS • Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS East End Campus • Friendship PCS - Blow Pierce Campus • Friendship PCS - Collegiate Academy KIPP DC - Arts and Technology Academy PCS • KIPP DC - KEY Academy PCS • KIPP DC - LEAP Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Quest Academy PCS KIPP DC - Valor Academy PCS • Maya Angelou PCS • SEED PCS of Washington DC • St. Coletta Special Education PCS

WARD 8

Academy of Hope Adult PCS • Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS - Wahler Place • AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Southeast • Cedar Tree Academy PCS Center City PCS - Congress Heights • Community College Preparatory Academy PCS • DC Prep PCS - Anacostia Elementary School • Eagle Academy PCS - Congress Heights Early Childhood Academy PCS • Friendship PCS - Southeast Academy • Friendship PCS - Technology Preparatory • Ingenuity Prep PCS • KIPP DC - AIM Academy PCS KIPP DC - Discover Academy PCS • KIPP DC - Heights Academy PCS • National Collegiate Preparatory PCHS • Rocketship Legacy Prep PCS • Rocketship Rise PCS KIPP DC - Somerset Middle and High • Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS • Statesmen College Prepatory Academy for Boys

Visit Our Website: www.dcacps.org or email us: redelin@dcpcsa.org www.washingtoninformer.com / 2019 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT

BS-12

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Trump Says Guns Don’t Kill People – But Do Bullets Have Minds of Their Own? While speaking to Americans about the recent mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso, Donald Trump, refusing to lay the blame where it deserves, unequivocally reported, “mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.”

Sorry, Mr. President, but we beg to differ. Deadly violence in the District has increased over a year ago, reaching our 100th homicide during the first week of August.

And guns, in the majority of those cases, served as the cause of death. We’d be more willing to support the claim, “hurt people hurt people than allow for a new spin on that old, and false, anti-gun control slogan, “guns don’t kill people, people do.”

Countries across the globe have people who suffer with mental illnesses. Countries with access to technology similar to that enjoyed by Americans, have video games with violent themes and the ability to surf the internet. Yet, our peer nations do not have rates of gun violence anywhere near America’s.

The epidemic which continues to infect more of our citizens, particularly our youth, is gun violence – no ifs, ands or buts. Somewhere along the way, the fabled Pandora’s Box must have been opened, allowing a dangerous wave of anger and violence to be unleashed in our cities and suburbs. Guns have become the easiest method for setting that rage free with assault weapons surging to the front as the tool of choice.

Returning back to Trump’s revisionist retort of a slogan that’s long lost its luster, we are almost unable to respond – almost. But as responsible members of the District, and of the United States, we are unable and unwilling to pass off the unacceptable rise of gun fights on the streets or mass shootings in schools, stores, centers of faith or popular community gathering spots solely on mental illness.

America has long had a love affair for guns. Consider that in Texas, the state where the El Paso massacre just occurred, the law still allows for people to enter most any public facility with a rifle in tow. Citizens are equally allowed to showcase their pistols as they rest upon their hips in full view of others.

Somehow, the right to bear arms has taken precedence over the right to life.

If we have any hopes of taking our communities, our cities, our streets and the future of our children back in our own hands and under our own control, we must eliminate the unfettered ability to purchase or to use guns. We must put out of office those politicians who have embraced complacency.

And while we would never advocate alternative means of violence, Black folk realize that while a session with a psychologist may help our children, every now and then a visit to that old shed out back with Dad or Uncle Joe may help a few youngsters see the light.

WI

A New Road to Savings

Most Americans have difficulty saving money. Each year, GoBank conducts a survey of 5,000 people asking them how much they have in their savings. They also ask about the obstacles preventing them from saving. The results say it all and give rise to the reason why D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser established the D.C. Opportunity Accounts.

In GoBanks’ most recent report, the majority of adults – 58 percent – don’t even have $1,000 in savings. Sadly, the percentage of adults with less than $1,000 in savings increased slightly from 2017 to 2018, according to the study. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans with zero in savings dropped to 32 percent from 39 percent over the same period. Clearly, most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and are helpless in case of a financial emergency.

The numbers are better or worse depending on gender, age, race, employment, families with children, and options to save for retirement. Location matters, too.

Mayor Bowser is consistently under fire for her leadership over a city that is becoming increasingly unaffordable for low income and poor people. And, to her credit, she continues to roll out programs and initiatives that may only be a drop in the bucket for those who are struggling to remain here, but collectively, the drops are adding up.

We are encouraged by this most recent initiative that will allow District residents to save up to $7,500 to help pay for a variety of expenses, including education, first-time home purchases, small business development and retirement. They must save $1,500 over 18 months, and their savings will be matched 2:1 by participating private funders. The only qualifiers are that one must be a District resident, have a maximum annual household income of $54,250, for households with one adult, and $62,000 for two adults living in the same house. They must have earned income, and have less than $10,000 in net assets (excluding a primary home and

TO THE EDITOR Speaking Truth to Power

Barry Farm Has Place in D.C. History

Bravo editor! I thoroughly agree with everything you said in your column titled “If Blacks Were the Triggerman in U.S. Mass Shootings, the Solution Would Be a No-Brainer.” You eloquently laid out the difference between Robert O’Reilly, Robert Jackson and Roberto Sanchez. If it were Black and brown people committing domestic terrorism, every neighborhood we inhabit would be under siege.

I had no idea about the history of Barry Farm. As a newcomer to D.C. I always thought it was a project building in Southeast, a source of blight and crime and the sooner it went away, the better. With all the new information I have I still believe it needs to be demolished, but I do think it should be designated as a historic site. I’m not against affordable housing; however, I think concentrated areas of poverty serve no one well.

Jennifer Bembry Washington, D.C.

one vehicle). Money management classes are also offered. That captures a significant number of District residents as we see it, particularly young millennials and GenXers.

The D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) will manage the fund administered by Capital Area Asset Builders, which deserves kudos for various initiatives its established supporting

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

A.D. Thomas Washington, D.C.

the upward economic mobility of D.C. residents. Contributions for matching funds are provided by the Clark Foundation and Wells Fargo.

Similar programs often result in low participation making the old adage applicable: “You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink.”

We encourage qualified D.C. residents to “drink up!” WI

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 27

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Julianne Malveaux

Who Cares About Fair Elections?

The House of Representatives passed the Securing America’s Fair Elections (SAFE) Act in June by a nearly totally partisan vote of 225-184. Only one Republican voted for legislation that would mandate paper ballots, increase election security, and create safeguards to prevent foreign interference in our elections. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opposes the legislation and won’t even allow it to be introduced or

voted on in the Senate.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was eloquently angry: “I just would really like to know from my Republican friends, what’s wrong with replacing outdated, vulnerable voting equipment? What is wrong with requiring paper ballot voting systems to ensure the integrity of our elections? What is wrong with enacting strong cybersecurity requirements for elections technology vendors and voting systems? We must be relentless in the defense of our democracy, fighting on all fronts to keep America safe.”

Republicans don’t seem to

Guest Columnist

want to defend democracy, though. They simply want to win. And McConnell, who behaves like the 45th president’s handmaiden, has abandoned his duty as Senate leader in favor of partisan shenanigans.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller III testified that Russian election interference was happening even as he testified, too many Republicans chose to ignore his warning because it does not serve them. McConnell is among those who seem to hope that Russian interference aids Republicans and perhaps ensures the reelection of the most odious human being ever to occupy the

Oval Office.

Meanwhile, people are organizing and attempting to overcome interference by mobilizing the Democratic base of voters.

Barbara Arnwine, who founded and leads the Transformative Justice Coalition (www.tjcoalition. org) gathered dozens of activists to participate in a daylong strategy session on voting rights on Aug. 7, 54 years after the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

Arnwine’s organization is among the many planning to ensure both voter turnout and election fairness in the upcoming elections. With so many focused on the 2020 election, and

appropriately so, it is essential to note that 2019 elections are also significant. Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi will elect governors, New Jersey and Virginia are among those who will elect state legislators and some cities will elect mayors.

Activists can use these elections to test our broken system, and as practice, perhaps for 2020. But activists must also be clear that Republicans don’t seem to want fair elections. If they did, McConnell would schedule a vote on the SAFE Act, which provides dollars for better, safer,

MALVEAUX Page 49

By Marc H. Morial

Toni Morrison Death is a Loss for Racial Justice, Too

“Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge. Whether it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless media; whether it is the proud but calcified language of the academy or the commodity driven language of science; whether it is the malign language of law-without-ethics, or language designed

for the estrangement of minorities, hiding its racist plunder in its literary cheek — it must be rejected, altered and exposed. It is the language that drinks blood, laps vulnerabilities, tucks its fascist boots under crinolines of respectability and patriotism as it moves relentlessly toward the bottom line and the bottomed-out mind.” — Toni Morrison, Nobel Lecture, 1993 A few years after being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, for a body of work known for centering the Black American experience, Toni Morrison was

Guest Columnists

asked by a white reporter when she would “incorporate white lives” into her books “in a substantial way.”

“You can’t understand how powerfully racist that question is, can you?” she asked. “You could never ask a white author, ‘When are you going to write about Black people?’ Whether he did or not, or she did or not. Even the inquiry comes from a position of being in the center.”

Morrison likened herself to a Russian author, writing in Russian, about Russia. “The fact that it gets translated and read by oth-

er people is a benefit, it’s a plus. but he’s not obliged to ever consider writing about French people, or Americans, or anybody.”

Morrison’s death this week, at the age of 88, is a loss not only to the literary world, but to the cause of racial justice and civil rights. And it comes at a time when her unique voice is especially relevant.

Shortly after the election of Donald Trump in 2016, she published an essay entitled “Make America White Again,” in which she argued that white America’s loss of “the conviction of their

natural superiority” had led to its debasement. The slaughter of unarmed men and women of color at the hands of police and racially-motivated mass murder, the bombing of Black churches — and white America’s apparent tolerance for all of it — she asserted, were part of the death knell of white superiority.

“If it weren’t so ignorant and pitiful, one could mourn this collapse of dignity in service to an evil cause,” she wrote.It is telling that what the interviewer noticed

MORIAL Page 49

By A. Peter Bailey

Democrats’ Political Gifts to Number 45

After watching and reading about the highlights of the Democratic Party “debates,” I am convinced that the Democrats, at least those on the debate stages, really don’t believe that Number 45 (aka Donald J. Trump) is a threat to vital interests of this country.

If they truly believe what they

28 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

consistently say and write, they wouldn’t have provided Number 45 and his Trumpettes with a basket full of political gifts to use against their eventual candidate for the presidency. Instead, they came off, at least to me, as memyself-and-I narcissists, striving for personal attention and future big-time positions in the corporate, academic or political arenas.

There is also the possibility of book contracts or jobs as television commentators.

The belief of most of them

seems to be that most voters in the country live in urban areas such as D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. Number 45 knows betters. He practically never campaigns in the large urban centers. Instead, he focuses on the majority of the White population in the country who share his basic beliefs. Beliefs that white males have some kind of divine right to be the dominant force in national and international affairs, that the only immigrants who should be

allowed to enter and become citizens of the U.S. should be ones from places like Norway, that Black folks should be grateful that they were rescued from “s--hole” countries in Africa, that intelligent, strong-willed women are a pain in the you-know-what, that it would be blasphemous to put a photo of Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, and that Dr. Ben Carson is the ideal colored man.

And on and on.

The 20 Democrats on those debate stages and most of the

American print and broadcast media, progressive and conservative, consistently romanticize the white American voting public as being basically firm proponents of justice and equality for all citizens of the U.S. Again, Number 45 knows better. He and those around him are well aware that throughout this country’s history, millions of middle-income and working-class whites have voted for their racial biases over their

BAILEY Page 49

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Charlene Crowell

Surging Hate Crimes and White Supremacists a National Crisis

The Aug. 3 shooting rampage in El Paso, Texas, took the lives of 22 people and seriously injured more than two dozen others. Reportedly, the alleged shooter wanted to kill as many Mexicans as he could. Armed with safety glasses, ear coverings and an assault-style rifle, the shooter entered a Walmart store during a backto-school sale.

“Saturday’s attack on El Paso was

an attack on the Mexican heritage of millions of Americans – and also part of a history of white supremacist and nativist acts in Texas across three centuries,” wrote Hector Tobar in a recent New York Times op-ed. Tobar, an associate professor at the University of California at Irvine, is also a published author.

Later that day during evening hours and nearly 1,600 miles away in Dayton, Ohio, another gunman’s attack left nine people dead and 27 injured in that city’s Oregon district.

Like the Texas shooter, Ohio’s shooter

Guest Columnist

was heavily armed but was shot by police before he could enter a nightclub where he could have killed far more.

The victims of this shooting reflected the city’s diversity and included Blacks, Latinos and whites.

How in a span of only 24 hours, could two cities in different states and regions suffer mass shootings — one in a city only a few miles from the nation’s southern border, and the other, a former Midwestern manufacturing hub?

Despite the shock of two unprovoked attacks, family and commu-

nity members in both cities must somehow cope through their grief while preparing funeral arrangements.

These two communities are also challenging governmental officials at both the state and federal levels to take actions to prevent further fatalities.

Nationally, a profusion of prayers and condolences from the nation together signaled that a tragic moment may yet be transformed into a groundswell movement that reckons with the American conscience. The profusion of assault weapons combined with easy access is a gripping

issue that confronts us all.

In response to these and other tragedies, a diverse coalition of leaders held a rally Tuesday in the nation’s capital. In a joint statement, the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights was joined by key partners including but not limited to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Voto Latino, the Center for Community Self-Help and the Center for Responsible Lending.

“None of this is acceptable,” said

CROWELL Page 50

By Kendrick E. Curry

District Residents Need Relief from Rx Greed

For decades, Big Pharma has raised drug prices with impunity.

Here in the District of Columbia, the average annual cost of brandname prescription drug treatment increased 58% between 2012 and 2017, while the annual income for District residents increased only 14.3%. Prescription drugs don’t work if patients can’t afford them.

That’s why Congress needs to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act when they return from August recess. It’s time.

For too long, drug companies

have been price-gouging seniors and hardworking Americans. Consider insulin, which people with diabetes rely on. Its price nearly tripled from 2002 to 2013. But it isn’t a breakthrough drug: insulin was invented nearly a century ago, yet modern formulations remain under patent, thanks to drugmakers manipulating the system. Some patients trek to Canada, while others risk their lives by rationing or skipping doses.

Even those of us who don’t need insulin or other prescription drugs are affected by skyrocketing drug prices. We pay not only at the pharmacy counter, but through higher insurance premiums and through

Askia-At-Large

the higher taxes we need to pay to fund programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Older Americans are hit especially hard. Medicare Part D enrollees take an average of four to five prescriptions per month and their average annual income is about $26,000. One in three Americans has not taken a medication as prescribed because of the cost.

The root cause of the problem is clear: the high prices of prescription drugs set by pharmaceutical companies when they first come on the market, which then increase faster than inflation year after year.

In March 2019, AARP launched a nationwide campaign called “Stop Rx Greed” to rein in drug prices for

District residents and all Americans. The bill under consideration in the Senate would cap out-ofpocket drug costs for seniors and crack down on drugmakers whose price hikes outpace inflation. The nation clearly needs this reform: the average drug price increase in the first six months of 2019 was 10.5% — five times the rate of inflation. District residents, like all Americans, already pay among the highest drug prices in the world.

Meanwhile, Big Pharma is fighting for the status quo — and blocking needed improvements to the system that could bring relief to seniors, families and small businesses.

Drug giants Merck, Amgen and Eli

Lilly actually sued the Trump administration so they could keep the list prices of their drugs secret from the public. The industry is spending record sums to hire Washington lobbyists, and they are running ads claiming that more affordable drugs will actually harm consumers.

But the tide is turning. The National Academy for State Health Policy reports that, so far this year, 29 states have passed 47 new laws aimed at lowering prices for prescription medications. Ultimately, drug costs are a national issue, so federal action is equally essential.

On Capitol Hill, there is rare bi-

CURRY Page 50

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

End Endless Conflict and Bring Peace to Korea

July 27 marked the 66th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, which brought an end to hostilities that killed nearly five million people, including almost 40,000 U.S. service members.

The war ended in a temporary cease-fire, which is why the United States still maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea. Nuclear missiles ring the region and threaten the people living there. North and South remain divided, separating thousands of families.

To this day, a formal peace treaty has not been signed.

There has been no official end to the war.

As a servant of God for civil rights and economic justice at home, and peace and human rights abroad, I believe we must take the path to peace, reconciliation and eventual reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

Last year to commemorate the anniversary of the armistice, I led a prayer vigil near the Demilitarized Zone that cuts across the Korean Peninsula. I prayed: “It is healing time — a time to turn our pain into power. A power to bring about family reunification.

A power to end this decades-long

conflict and bring peace to Korea. It’s due time to step away from the brink of war and talks of nuclear strikes and seize this opportunity to push for talk of peace.

The current peace process in Korea has both historic potential and challenges.

At first President Donald Trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury.”

This rhetoric has been replaced with dialogue between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-Un and Trump, although fundamental differences persist and a permanent solution remains elusive.

Peace is a process, not a single act.

I believe it’s time to turn the armi-

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

stice into a formal, lasting peace agreement. This could be the catalyst to a phased approach to denuclearization whereby the United States and North Korea take mutual steps to eliminate their nuclear weapons in and around the Korean Peninsula and move toward normalization.

Kim has halted nuclear weapons testing and offered to close the country’s nuclear test site. Last summer, North Korea returned 55 boxes of remains believed to be of U.S. troops killed during the Korean War. In a resolution following his speech to the North Korean ruling party’s Central Committee in April, Kim pledged North Korea would never

“use nuclear weapons nor transfer nuclear weapons or nuclear technology under any circumstances unless there are nuclear threats and nuclear provocations against the DPRK.” It’s appropriate and desirable, in honor of the Panmunjom Declaration signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un in 2018, to have, as the agreement states, “trilateral meetings involving the two Koreas and the United States, or quadrilateral meetings involving the two Koreas, the United States and China” to complete their unfinished business of

JACKSON Page 50 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 29

LIFESTYLE Leon Dash: Journalist’s Contributions Encompass the Globe

By Oswald T. Brown WI Contributing Writer

Shortly after Sir Charles Carter became publisher of the Nassau Guardian in 2006, he contacted an old-time friend he had attended high school with in New York who had established a very successful career as a journalist in the U.S. Sir Charles had also become a renowned journalist, but radio and television were the foundation for his journalistic accomplishments, and he realized that the challenges that lie ahead as publisher of one of The Bahamas’ leading daily newspapers required the advice and support of someone who had experience in the print aspect of the Fourth Estate. He placed a phone call to his old high school buddy, Leon Dash, and convinced the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who had become a professor of journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to visit Nassau to discuss the possibility of becoming an editorial consultant for The Guardian.

Given his pioneering background in helping to “tear down” racial barriers in journalism at the Washington Post, Dash almost immediately devised and established a journalistic training program at The Guardian after he became a consultant. He took his training program one step further by arranging for several young reporters at The Guardian, who had undergraduate degrees in journalism, to obtain scholarships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study for their Master’s Degree in journalism.

The first young journalist to benefit from his scholarship pro-

30 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

gram was Thea Rutherford, who had been a reporter at The Freeport News when I was editor of that Grand Bahama-based daily newspaper from 2003 -2009 before she joined the staff of The Guardian. Actually, both The Guardian and The Freeport News are owned by the same company and Thea’s “transfer” came after she decided to relocate to Nassau from Freeport.

Thea was an ideal first choice

by Dash for advanced training in journalism. She had obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from McGill University in 2004, shortly after which she joined the staff of The Freeport News and was an exceptionally good reporter.

Because I previously lived in the District for 21 years before returning to The Bahamas permanently in 1996, I knew Dash was an award-winning journalist at the Washington Post, but I met him for the first time when I attended a board meeting as editor of the Freeport News at The Guardian in Nassau.

His contributions to those meetings impressed me tremendously and there was no question in my mind at the time that Sir Charles, with whom I have shared a close friendship from boyhood days, had made an excellent choice is “contracting” the services of his boyhood friend as a consultant.

I am still do not know the full story as to why the contractual arrangement between Dash and The Guardian ended, but published reports at the time indicated that he tendered his resignation as a member The Nassau Guardian Board of Directors in December of 2008 in the aftermath of Sir Charles tendering his

5 During the two years he was an editorial consultant with the Nassau Guardian, Leon Dash, a professor in

journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, established an effective journalistic training program at The Guardian and arranged for several of the newspaper’s young reporters who had undergraduate degrees to obtain scholarships to study for their Master’s Degree in journalism.

resignation as publisher. Nonetheless, Dash’s two-year stint as a consultant at The Guardian by any yardstick noticeably enhanced the quality of journalism at that daily newspaper tremendously.

LEON DASH: THE FOUNDATIONAL YEARS

Dash grew up in New York City and later attended Howard University. In 1965, he joined the staff of the Washington Post, where he “worked as a member of the special projects unit, as part of the investigative desk, and as the West Africa Bureau Chief,” according to Wikipedia.

Dash spent 1969-1970 as a Peace Corps high school teacher in Kenya, and after he rejoined the staff of the Washington Post, he wrote an eight-part series “Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family in Urban America,” a story of “one woman and her family’s struggle against poverty in the projects of Washington, D.C. According to Wikipedia, “Aside from winning a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for the story, the Rosa Lee piece was also the recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and was later published into a book. It was picked as one of the best 100 pieces in 20th-century

American journalism by New York University’s journalism department.

“While living in the inner city of Washington, D.C., for a year, Dash researched teenage pregnancy in black youths for his book, When Children Want Children: The Urban Crisis of Teenage Childbearing. The book features conversations with teens and contains stories that contradict the common belief that inadequate birth control and lack of sex education classes are the causes of teenage pregnancy. He received an Emmy Award in 1996 from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for a documentary series in the public affairs category of hard issues.”

Dash joined the University of Illinois as a professor of Journalism in 1998 and was later named the Swanlund Chair Professor of Journalism, Law and Afro-American Studies in 2000. Three years later he was made a permanent faculty member in the University’s Center for Advanced Study.

Dash is founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), and along with 43 other founders of the organization, he was inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame on August 5, 2016.

More than 4,000 Black journalists and media professionals participated in the 2019 annual

NABJ convention, held from August 7 – 11, 2019, at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa in Aventura. During the five-day conference, on August 9, Dash and “The Washington Post Metro Seven” were collectively inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame.

“On the morning of March 23, 1972, seven Black reporters on The Washington Post’s Metropolitan Desk held a press conference at historic Metropolitan AME Church announcing they had filed a racial discrimination complaint against the newspaper with the EEOC. In November 1972, after its investigation, the EEOC issued a report concurring that The Post was a discriminatory employer. The Metro Seven’s action, first of its kind, rippled through the journalism industry,” according to June Cross, who took the photo of The Washington Post Metro Seven’s induction into the NABJ Hall of Fame that was posted on Facebook.

Oswald T. Brown is President of THE BROWN AGENCY, a public relations and marketing LLC based in Washington, D.C., which publishes the online news publication BAHAMAS CHRONICLE. He is former Editor of both the Nassau Guardian and the Freeport News in The Bahamas. WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Doing ‘Good’ for Youth in Southwest

LIFESTYLE

Three Georgetown Grads Give Back to Community

By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer The baseball field at the King Greenleaf Recreation Center in Southwest was a field of dreams Saturday as a group of D.C. schoolchildren received backpacks and bundles of school supplies during a community festival hosted by a trio Georgetown graduates who started a company four years ago to empower youth.

And while much of Southwest is occupied by construction cranes, condominiums and residents living in an old enclave for the military and federal workers, Darius Baxter, Troye Bullock and Danny Wright have made it possible for 200 youth to take part in a summer camp that trains them to believe in themselves regardless of where they are from.

“This is a celebration because we sent 200 kids to camp with no cost to their parents,” said Baxter, chief engagement officer for GOODProjects, which he, Bullock and Wright started four years ago to support the communities that supported them after they graduated from Georgetown University.

According to their mission statement, GOODProjects provides opportunities daily for youth and their families to live fulfilling lives free from poverty and violence, with improvements to their health and wellness.

The firm started GOODCamps in summer 2016 to combat gun violence in D.C., by getting at-risk children off the streets and into summer camp where they combine academics, experiential learning and sports.

“After my father was gunned down, I committed my life to ridding my community of the constant threats of violence I feared growing up,” Baxter said on the organization’s website. “I want to provide opportunities to

young people so they never have to go through what I did at such a young age.”

In an interview Saturday, Baxter said when he started working with young people, he taught them lessons he never got as a child.

“My father is not dead, he is in my spirit,” he said. “He is in my mother’s spirit.”

Bullock, the chief operating officer of GOODProjects, said they gave out more than 400 book bags, 2,500 notebooks, pens and papers and 1,500 hamburgers on Saturday.

“We wanted to get as many people out as possible to get them ready for the school year,” Bullock said. “This is one of the first phases of our overall plan to work with families in the Greenleaf, Syphax and in James Creek communities to get them on a path of self-sufficiency. There is a lot of economic development.

There is a lot of gentrification.

What we want to do is bring people who have been here the longest back into the fold.”

Wright, who was born to two 15-year-old parents, said he is driven to help families in similar positions.

“We started [the company] when we were 21 and 22, [and] a lot of the nuances that families face in D.C., we faced,” he said.

“Our parents didn’t give us money to start this — we built it from the ground up.”

Nathaniel “Skip” Greene, a longtime employee at the Greenleaf Recreation Center who joined the Good Projects team, said no child is turned away.

“We come and take the worst of the worst and make them the best of the best,” Green said of GOODProjects. “We are out here to get these kids to childhood and from childhood to adulthood.”

WI

In an interview Saturday, Baxter said when he started working with young people, he taught them lessons he never got as a child.

5 GOODProject’s founders Darius Baxter, Troye Bullock and Danny Wright. (Hamil R. Harris/The Washington Informer)

Show your school spirit!

Support our local schools

Donate at your local Safeway store today.

This campaign is managed by Albertsons Companies Foundation, doing business as Safeway Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization.

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

SWYDEST IV00133606 SCHOOL SPIRIT CAMPAIGN_Wash-Informer-Ad_DC_5.65x6.1.indd 1

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 31 7/11/19 11:15 AM

LIFESTYLE

Ward 8 Activists Get East of the River Arts Award

By Eve M. Ferguson WI Contributing Writer For the first time in the history of the East of the River Arts Award, the prize was given to two figures who are not visual artists, but share a common medium: theater.

Adele Robey, executive director of the Anacostia Playhouse, and John Johnson, a playwright/poet and arts activist who records the life of normal people in Anacostia, were the two recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Artist Award, which includes a cash prize for both artists.

Robey was the original founder of the now defunct H Street Playhouse in northeast

32 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

Washington. Having lived on Capitol Hill for 35 years, Robey was a founding member of Theater Alliance, formed when she served on the board of the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. In 2001 she and her late husband bought a property at 1365 H Street NE in Washington, D.C., the site of the old Frenchie’s Restaurant, transforming it into a small, independent black box theater.

In 2002, the H Street Playhouse sprang into action.

It was through that association that Robey met her co-winner, John Johnson, who approached the director about the possibility of staging his play at the venue.

“What we found in 2007, we found there was a wealth of tal-

5 Playwright/poet John Johnson received the 2019 Distinguished Artist Award, also known as the East of the River Artist Award. (Courtesy photo)

ent in Anacostia. We originally had opposition in the community, but they understood that arts and culture belong in every neighborhood,” said Duane Gautier, president of the ARCH Development Corporation, which created not only the Honfleur Gallery, but also the

Anacostia Arts Center, which houses the Vivid Solutions Gallery, the Hive (an incubator art space) and founded the East of the River Distinguished Artist Award.

“We said, you should not have to go out of your neighborhood to see good art and hear great music,” Gautier said.

He also introduced the novel idea to have each of the awardees introduce each other. Neither Johnson nor Robey knew that each would receive the prize. But after a month, the secret was out.

“The Distinguished Artist Award, which we have been doing for about nine years now, goes to artists who live east of the river,” Gautier said. “But it is not only that they are good artists, but they also made a contribution to the entire D.C.” In her introduction of Johnson, Robey recalled the first time the two of them met.

“In 2008 when we had a little theater called the H Street Playhouse, I kept getting these messages on the phone saying, ‘This is John Johnson. I would like to rent space in your theater,’” she said. “He would call back, and call back, but he was really nice.

“I had to know who this John Johnson was,” Robey said. “So we agreed he would come and do the show, which when he gave me his card, it said ‘Why I Hate White People.’ But when you turned it over, it said ‘Why I Hate Black People.’ It was inventive, touching, funny, smart.

That was John.”

When time came for Johnson to introduce Robey, he called on some of the same memories of their first encounter.

“It’s always amazing to hear

people’s perspective of you,” he quipped. “She told a lot of the history already.

“I wanted to write this play, to talk about life without filter,” Johnson said. “I was searching for a place to have this play, and everybody was denying me. I had this play with a whole group of amazing actors from D.C. And they would say ‘right,’ and never call back. But Adele answered the phone call.

And it took a little while, but she came through.

“She was really honest,” he said. “She asked if I had the money, and I said yes, and she said ‘these are the keys.’ I was honored that she opened her space to us, didn’t hound us, and just gave us the keys.”

“Later on, Adele came to Anacostia, and we already had this relationship,” Johnson said.

“She let me into her space a couple of times, we’ve done a lot of theater, and we just really started bonding.”

Both artists work is grounded in telling the stories, through theater as both actors and writers, and have a dedication to the authenticity of the story.

The Anacostia Playhouse opened in 2013 after a previous incarnation of the theater moved from H Street in Northeast. It also hosts an arts center, an artist’s studio and a gallery in its location on Shannon Place, just blocks from the Anacostia River waterfront.

The awards ceremony was held at the Anacostia Arts Center on Friday, Aug. 9 in conjunction with the opening of two other visual art exhibits in the Honfleur Gallery and the Vivid Solutions Gallery.

WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE

Honfleur Gallery Honors Late Artist with Group Show

By Eve M. Ferguson WI Contributing Writer

​When the late Michael Platt was alive, his house would be filled with artist friends, former and current students and the random mentee whom he would advise and encourage to take their creativity head-on. ​His favorite directive? “Just do it!”

So, some eight months after his sudden death in January, his wife and artistic collaborator Carole Beane decided that the imploring statement should be the title of the group show, made up of nearly 40 artists who were inspired, supported and motivated by Michael Platt. ​Unlike the closing of his exhibit with Beane at American University’s Art Museum in March, where the official memorial for the beloved artist was held, Friday night’s opening of “Just Do It: Friends of Michael Platt,” at Honfleur felt less like a funeral and more like an appreciation of his life and work. But more pointedly, it showed how influential Michael Platt was to other artists, and each had their own story.

Amber Robles-Gordon, who has enjoyed a successful career as a multimedia artist, met Platt in the nascent days of her career. In fact, she was still in school at Howard University’s Department of Fine Art matriculating for her Master’s degree. ​“’Matrices of Transformation’ [is] a photography series I produced during my graduate thesis program at Howard University,” Robles-Gordon said of her works included in the exhibit. “To create these photographs, I overlaid a chicken wire weaving over other two-dimensional

works in progress. … I was documenting the discoveries all the way, which literally sounds like something Platt would say.

“I feel it’s fitting these particular works be included in this exhibition,” she said. “Michael Platt was part of my thesis committee. Additionally, my thesis defense and exhibition was held in his studio gallery within his home.” ​Textile artist Lynn Sylvester, who choreographed Platt’s very personal memorial program at American University, was a regular at the famous dinner table in Platt and Beane’s Columbia Heights row house. ​Her contribution to the exhibit, “Cold Face,” a dyed textile artwork which she agreed to put up for sale, with the part of the proceeds of artworks sold at the exhibit going towards Black Artists of DC, a collective group, recalled her relationship with Platt. ​“Having known Mike for several years, it was amazing to see many of those he influenced, including me,” she said. “Their work was varied but the world of Mike’s image were inspired, so much talent he attracted.” ​Some such as Remy T met Platt relatively late in their lives, while others attending knew him all of their lives. His piece in the exhibit, “Precious One,” is reminiscent of Platt’s photographic printing and was created in the Platt Studio. ​“He and Carol invited me to enjoy my life after retirement,” Remy T, a retired stagehand, said of his late friend and mentor. “What better time to relearn my passion for the art of printmaking?”

​Some pieces, like Debra E. Tyler’s “Archival Photo,” contain actual images of the artist whom people referred to as “the image-maker.”

Juxtaposed in a botanical overlay, Platt’s profile with his signature braided, dreadlocked beard is central to the image while shrouded in light and texture, yet another signature of Platt’s work. ​And of course, several pieces by Platt himself were interspersed between those by artists who knew and loved him, and they were many more beyond the 39 whose works took up the lower and upper gallery walls. ​First cousin and ardent supporter

Sandra Anderson, took partial credit for pointing a younger Platt towards the arts, rather than a “more acceptable” professional career. ​“We are first cousins,” she exhorted. “So I somewhat gave him ideas!” ​Platt grew up East of the River in far Northeast, close to the landmark Shrimp Boat, so his exhibit at the Honfleur Gallery was really placing him in proximity to his neighborhood, Beane said. ​“This was his side of the river,” she said. “He had an amazing journey with old and new friends. His last piece was the installation [in the AU exhibit]. It took the efforts of his son, Little Mike, [artist] Martha Jackson

Jarvis with her big truck and others to make it happen.” ​An artists’ talk with some of the featured artists will be held later in the exhibit’s run, which extends through Sept. 28. Other artists in the show include Sheila Crider, Luis Peralta Del Valle, who piece is called “The Image Maker,” and Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter, whose mixed media piece “Shango’s Invocation,” brings to mind Platt’s deep reverence for the spiritual and the ancestral. ​“Just Do It” is at the Honfleur Gallery (1241 Good Hope Rd SE) through Sept. 28. For more information, go to the website of the Anacostia Arts Center, http://anacostiaartscenter.com, WI

Stay Informed!

5 Michael Platt (Courtesy photo)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

www.washingtoninformer.com

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 33

LIFESTYLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

LENNY KRAVITZ AUG 21

BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE JESSY WILSON

5 Sweetgreens has 42 location in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy photo)

Wanted: Sweetgreens in D.C.’s East End

AUG 22

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

FARRUKO

UB40

AUG 23

SHAGGY

LARY OVER

FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL & ASTRO

NKULA

SEP 1

MARY J. BLIGE SEP 3

JENNIFER HUDSON

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SEP 5

Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com

34 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

Tiffany Smith, a resident of Ward 7, wants to have more healthy food options and got the shock of her life when she found out that her neighbors felt that way too.

On Aug. 4, Smith sent out a message on Ward 7 and eastern central Prince George’s County’s Nextdoor, a private social network, to propose approaching Sweetgreen, an eatery that specializes in salads and fruitbased beverages, about setting up an operation east of the Anacostia River. She received dozens of responses, with most supporting her and filling out links to Sweetgreens general contact and real estate team survey form.

“This shows the power of the internet and such platforms as Nextdoor,” Smith said. “As a millennial, I am very interested in D.C.’s restaurant scene and I want to see it evolve here in Ward 7. There is a lack of healthy food options east of the Anacostia River and that needs to be changed.”

Sweetgreens started in the Georgetown neighborhood of the District with Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru and Jonathan Neman, three months after they graduated from Georgetown University’s undergraduate business school in August 2007. They wanted to open a fast, casual restaurant where customers could either

create their own salads online or through mobile devices and have them delivered.

Sweetgreens has its corporate headquarters in Culver City, Calif., and over 70 stores in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, the District and Virginia. In the District, 42 locations are operating, with some serving as outposts for public and private employers only.

There are also sit-down locations.

The Navy Yard location is the closest to neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

Smith understands the arguments such as “the average median income is lower” east of the river and “people east of the river don’t eat salad blah blah blah”, she said in her post.

“This post is for the believers and individuals willing to take a shot at something seemingly impossible,” she said. “This is a D.C. born company. I don’t know their financials or their moral history. I just like their salads.”

One post said “I think this is a great idea because I’m quite sure a number of customers live east of the river” while another who lives in the Park at Addison Road Metro community in Capitol Heights, Md., encouraged Smith to reach out to his housing association president who has “some connections to

SWEETGREENS Page 48

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Racine Fetes Youth Who Conquer Adversity

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine has long realized that many District young people face problems such as bullying, economic uncertainty, family instability and bullying in their daily lives and wanted to be proactive in recognizing those who overcome those challenges to excel.

Racine did just that on Aug. 8 during the fifth annual Right Direction Awards at the One Judiciary Square Old Council Chambers in Northwest for 27 young people. The attorney general said that in a rapidly changing city, the needs of young people shouldn’t be ignored.

“We live in a city where so many parts are prospering and many parts are not,” Racine said to an audience of about 75. “Kids in D.C. are having a hard time. In Ward 8, 50 percent of children live at the poverty line. Many kids have to deal with issues of food insecurity, who they will stay with, getting help with their homework and violence is common in their community.”

Racine said he set up the Right Direction Awards to celebrate the young people who are getting through difficult challenges and “are making it through.”

To illustrate his point about going through adversity and persevering despite overwhelming odds, Racine selected Halim Flowers as the program’s keynote speaker. Flowers was sentenced to prison at 16 and dealt with the problems incarcerated youth offenders have when housed with grown men, such as solitary confinement and proving themselves in a tough, hostile environment.

In spite of the adversity, Flowers took classes at Georgetown University through its Prison Scholars Program and has published 11 books about incarceration, five of which are bestsellers. Through the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act authored by D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) in 2016, Flowers got his sentence commuted and left prison after serving 22 years.

Flowers said too many children in the District are being raised on the streets instead of by their parents or family. He said the problem with many children has to do with their fathers being incarcerated and not just being deadbeats.

Flowers encouraged the young people “to love those who love you.”

“Love yourself,” he said.

“Love those who hate you because that is the kind of love that will transform our com-

LIFESTYLE

ORDER A PORTRAIT TODAY! FIRST 10 CALLERS GET A $100 DISCOUNT

munity.”

by Celebrity & Family Artist, Keith Tate As the program proceeded, Lillie Mae Bonilla sat in the audience with her three children, Emily, Josephine and Julio. Bonilla’s family is biracial, with African American and Latino lineage, and her children struggle with trying to navigate between the two cultures in addition to dealing with the pressure of their teenage years.

Bonilla said the Right Direction Awards to her children validates her efforts to raise them right.

“I am very, very happy about these awards and I am very proud of my children,” Bonilla said. “I am proud of the hard work that they put into school and that they are always ready to help others.”

Alex Edwards also received an award for his advocacy on behalf of African Americans.

Edwards has competed in oratorical contests in the Washington region and participated as a Ward 4 Councilmember member of Alice Deal Middle Brandon Todd School’s debate team.

Follow on Instagram - tateportraits “It is an honor just to be nominated and being awarded is a blessing,” Edwards said.

Become a Published Author with Dorrance.

“I want to help continue to We want to read your book! bring awareness to strengthen Our staff is made up of the Black community. We have Complete Book writers, just like you. We are gone through so much as a peoPublishing Services dedicated to making publishing ple and I want to help contin- dreams come true. Trusted by FIVE EASY STEPS ue to be a strong and vibrant authors for nearly 100 years, TO PUBLICATION: Dorrance has made countless people.”

1. Consultation 4. Distribution authors’ dreams come true.

2. Book Production 5. Merchandising WI

240-643-6737

240-643-6737

3. Promotion

and Fulfillment

Call now to receive your FREE Author’s Guide

877-420-7280

or www.dorranceinfo.com/informer

GRAND ALASKAN CRUISE & TOUR

FROM

$

1,549 *

1,299 *

$

12 days, departs May - Sep 2020 TM

1-844-227-0751

Promo code N7017

*Prices are per person based on double occupancy plus $299 taxes & fees. Single supplement and seasonal surcharges may apply. Add-on airfare available. Offers apply to new bookings only, made by 8/31/19. Other terms and conditions may apply. Ask your Travel Consultant for details.

Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com 5 D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 35

LIFESTYLE Interfaith Vigil Urges Paradigm Shift on Social Issues

By Jacqueline Fuller WI Religion Writer @JacquelineF1017

Spiritual leaders from across the country and around the world came together recently to speak out against violence and inequality on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Aug. 10 event, “Stand Up for Humanity,” was an interfaith gathering organized by Unity of Washington, DC to create a global effort to engage people to do the work to counter gun violence, racism and injustices they see in their communities.

Rev. Kevin Ross, senior minister at Unity of Sacramento in California, mentioned that there is nothing wrong with thoughts and prayers for those that need them.

“However, we cannot let thoughts and prayers to become a final resting place,” Ross said.

“It has to become a starting point because thoughts and prayers need to couple with acts and votes.”

One of the reasons why Ross was inspired to attend is that he believes that nation is calling out for people to respond to the acts of tragic violence by domestic terrorists and law enforcement.

“The moral compass of the nation comes from people of faith and so as a member of the faith community, it’s my role to lean in difficult times rather than disappear,” he said.

Ross also shared his opinion on what can be done to build trust between the Black community and the police.

“Faith communities have to connect with community organizers because the perspective has factorial basis,” he said. “We have historical basis for the perspective. But sitting down with faith leaders and law enforcement and educating them about the way they are perceived in community and letting them know that their impact as occupiers in our community [doesn’t] serve us. If they want to be a part of our community, we want them to serve the community.”

5 Faith community celebrates unity. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

Bobby Edwards, a Christian who attends Peoples Congregation United Church of Christ in Northwest, felt compelled to attend to do something and to

Need Burial Assistance?

BURIAL ASSISTANCE When a loved one passes away, you may feel hopeless. When the person you loved was HIV positive, grieving can be even more difficult. We can help.

If you have lost a loved one who ...

• received a diagnosis of HIV, and • resided in D.C. resident; and • had less than $800 in liquid assets at the time of death then call Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington.

To see if your family qualifies for assistance, contact Samaritan Ministry’s Burial Assistance Coordinator at (202) 889-7702 x302; or visit our Anacostia / SE Office at 1345 U St SE. Once approved, assistance is paid directly to the funeral home.

Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com 36 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

be in fellowship with people who are concerned about the state of the nation.

Edwards wore a shirt with the words “Make Racism Wrong Again.” He also noticed a shift with white America as the racial population is changing in the United States.

“I see a lot of fear in white America,” he said. “I see the demographics changing them. I see this whole belief that heaven forbid other people could do to them that they have done to other people.”

Edwards said he also sees this fear with the discussion around Black lives, brown people, immigration and people who do not speak English as their first language.

“Unless you are Native American, you have no position to say to ‘go home’ to anyone,” he said.

After the speeches and performances, attendees gathered around the Reflecting Pool at the memorial holding battery-operated candles and using their smartphones as flashlights to call for peace and tranquility in the world.

Rev. Michael Beckwith, author, New Thought minister and founder of Agape International Spiritual Center, spoke at the interfaith gathering and said that the real power is in the people.

He urged listeners to wake up and build the kind and just society we want to live in and not complain about, then take the necessary steps to anchor it.

The Unity movement, known for its bimonthly publication

Daily Word, is dealing with its own paradigm shift at their local churches on how to address social justice issues with their congregations. Many Unity congregations have social action ministries that are involved with numerous charities but few are involved in faithbased advocacy.

Rev. Sylvia Sumter, senior minister at Unity of Washington, DC, said that Unity is just getting into the social activist arena and sees the shift taking place. At her faith community, they coordinated dialogue sessions on race, people from different faiths, and reconciliation and healing before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

“We are not here to save people, but to serve them,” Beckwith said.

WI

Spiritual leaders from across the country and around the world came together recently to speak out against violence and inequality on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE

wi book review “The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator”

by Timothy C. Winegard c.2019, Dutton $28 ($34.95 Canada) 485 pages

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer A dentist’s drill on “fast.”

Or maybe a string of four-wheelers heading up a hill, or a busted windup toy car? Or, or, wait — it’s more like an electric guitar stuck on high C, right by your ear. How else would you describe the whine from the creature you’ll learn about in “The Mosquito” by Timothy C. Winegard?

No doubt about it: we are outnumbered.

There are, says Winegard, more than 100 trillion mosquitoes in the world at any given moment, in every cranny of the planet, “save Antarctica, Iceland, the Seychelles and a handful of French Polynesian micro-islands.” For us, that’s a really bad number: just since the turn of this century, the diseases that mosquitoes carry have caused some two million people to die.

And we can’t do much about it. Neither could the dinosaurs, who were on the mosquito menu millions of years ago. When dinos died by asteroid, mosquitoes merely switched dishes, thereby surviving “to inject death and disease into humanity throughout our history” and to become the number-one killer of humans.

Humans were aware of mosquito-borne diseases at least 5,200 years ago, though they didn’t know that mosquitoes were at fault. Sumerians wrote about malaria, and blamed it on gods; scholars say that the Bible alludes to malaria-as-plague. Greek soldiers were repeatedly laid low by “some form of hemorrhagic fever” spread by mosquitoes, and monsoon rains helped mosquitoes kill 1,500 people during the First Crusade.

Winegard says that one of Columbus’s men likely was “person zero” in bringing malaria to the New World, causing “genocide by germs” within groups of indigenous people. In 1647, a Dutch slave ship from West Africa brought yellow fever to Barbados.

Malaria alone, he says, “takes a life every 30 seconds,” although mosquito-borne diseases aren’t the killers they once were. During the Civil War, mosquitoes played a part in the war itself but also in civilian life, alone causing thousands of deaths and millions of dollars in economic damage.

Not until after the war did scientists recognized the culprit …

According to author Timothy C. Winegard, mosquitoes exist specifically to torment you. They serve no other purpose — not as food, not to pollinate, they’re not even pretty to look at. They’re here to bite and reproduce, and if that isn’t enough to make you scratch, then slap your hands on “The Mosquito” and learn more.

Unable to extricate human history from that of the insect, Winegard embraces the connection in this book by following a basic timeline of death and destruction throughout the eons. This is hard history — we learn or are reminded of battles, travels and worst-laid plans of men — but it’s also a story filled with wonder that a creature so small can wreak havoc on beings so big. You almost have to respect that, despite your natural loathing for the critters.

Certainly, history buffs and science lovers will enjoy this book but it’s also a heavier-duty, gee-whiz tale that’s totally absorbing. If you’re ready to learn, look for “The Mosquito.”

WI

horoscopes

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

ARIES The focus on your sector of creativity and self-expression continues this week with the addition of chatty Mercury. You may be very curious to explore interests or hobbies that channel the passionate and competitive side of your nature. Lucky Numbers: 6, 16, 35 TAURUS Once again, your home and family sector is the main focus, with plenty of action in this area. This could be the week you’re planning to hold a major celebration, reunion, or other get-together, in which case it could all go very well. Lucky Numbers: 22, 25, 36 GEMINI Do you have something to say? It’s seems no one will be able to get a word in edgewise. With a powerful focus on your sector of communication, your conversation and desire to interact could ramp up several notches. If you work in sales, media, or tech, you could have a busy and productive week ahead of you. Lucky Numbers: 11, 13, 25 CANCER You might be on a mission to get your finances sorted out, but at the same time you might also have shopping on your mind. You may need to find a balance between the two if you’re going to keep money matters on an even keel. However, the focus on your sector of values could also be a call to consider your level of self-worth. Learning to love yourself could be one factor that helps increase your income. Lucky Numbers: 24, 30, 38 LEO With some empowering influences in your sign this week, you may feel as though you can accomplish anything. Your confidence looks high, and you’ll find it easy to express yourself, get help and support for your various plans and projects, and be the leader you naturally are. Lucky Numbers: 2, 46, 49 VIRGO A powerful focus on your spiritual sector could encourage you to focus on spiritual practices, such as meditation, yoga, or anything else that can help bring peace of mind. Looking for romance? Tuesday may bring possibilities if you’re going to a tai chi class or other group. Connecting with those who share your ideas and ideals could assist you in meeting someone very special. Lucky Numbers: 14, 24, 51 LIBRA Your social life sparkles with promise, and it looks like this side of life will be particularly busy over this week and the coming weeks. Whether you’re a member of various groups, meeting with friends, or just getting out and about, you certainly won’t be bored. Lucky Numbers: 20, 23, 34 SCORPIO With a lively house party going on in Leo and your sector of goals and ambitions, this is no time to stay behind the scenes. The cosmos is encouraging you to promote your work in a big way and not hold back from letting others know what you can do. You’ll have a magnetic attraction about you that others may not be able to resist.

If you’re eager to make a big splash, this is very much the time to do so. Lucky Numbers: 5, 15, 40 SAGITTARIUS Considering the very positive influences in your travel zone, the coming weeks could see you eager to explore. This is a time to relax on an exotic vacation that can melt away your worries and leave you feeling more at peace. If you have an urge to learn something new or get a certification, this is the time to go for it. In fact, anything that can stretch your abilities and shift you out of your comfort zone has to be very good for you. Lucky Numbers: 17, 32, 45 CAPRICORN The focus is fairly deep at the moment, so don’t be surprised if you feel emotional at times. The current star map could stir up deep-seated feelings around finances, business, and committed relationships. This is an opportunity to face up to some of those feelings and issues that may have been a problem for too long. However, it can be easier to do so if you have a counselor, therapist, or trusted friend to talk to. Lucky Numbers: 23, 33, 37 AQUARIUS A delightful merging of luscious Venus and the sun in your relationship zone on Tuesday indicates the potential for a wonderful get-together, special date, or just hanging out with friends and having a great time. The ongoing focus on your sector of relationships looks like it’s keeping you busy, and you may find that your calendar is full most of the time. It helps to be selective when choosing which events to attend because some may show more promise than others. Lucky Numbers: 6, 11, 22 PISCES Are you ready to get organized? A sparkling blend of energies in your lifestyle sector might encourage you to be more creative with your time. How do you spend your days? If they seem to pass in a blur in the same old ways, you could feel moved to make a few changes. Lucky Numbers: 8, 18, 26

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 37

CAPTURE th e mo me nt

Live entertainment, plenty of food, carnival rides and a wide display of animals will be in full force during the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. Looking for a delicious funnel cake or just reason to enjoy the last days of summer? Make a stop at the Fair, which continues through Sunday, Aug. 18. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

38 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 39

SPORTS Preteen Girls Vie for Summer Rec League Title

5 A Team Sol player is double-teamed by two Team Takeover players during Team Takeover’s 19-16 win in the DPR Girls Summer Basketball League title game for the under-12 division at Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 11. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer) 3 A Team Takeover player readies a shot attempt over a Team Sol defender during Team Takeover’s 19-16 win in the DPR Girls Summer Basketball League title game for the under-12 division at Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 11.

(John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)

5 A Team Sol player looks to shoot over a Team Takeover defender during Team Takeover’s 19-16 win in the DPR Girls Summer Basketball League title game for the under-12 division at Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 11. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)

3 Team Takeover displays its trophy after defeating Team Sol 19-16 for the DPR Girls Summer Basketball League title in the under-12 division at Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 11. (John E. De Freitas/ The Washington Informer)

5 A player for Team Takeover is double-teamed by two Team Sol players during Team Takeover’s 19-16 win in the DPR Girls Summer Basketball League title game for the under-12 division at Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 11. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)

40 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

SPORTS

Mystics Prepare for Playoff Push stics

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill With less than one month before the WNBA regular season ends Sept. 8, the Washington Mystics sit among the top teams in the league.

Prior to the game Wednesday, Aug. 14 against the Seattle Storm, the Mystics owned the best record in the league and were one game ahead of the Connecticut Sun in the Eastern Conference.

“We know we are going to make the playoffs,” Mystics head coach Mike Thibault said after practice Tuesday at the team’s practice gym in Southeast. “We worked hard to put ourselves in position to compete for a toptwo seed. That’s the goal and that helps everybody stay focused.”

Besides the team’s top ranking in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-pointers made, Thibault has said the team’s depth will allow it to remain in first place.

Unfortunately, All-Star guard Kristi Toliver is out for the rest of the week with a right knee injury.

Thibault said he doesn’t know if Toliver will travel with the team Friday for a road game against the Minnesota Lynx.

Aerial Powers started her second straight game Wednesday and third overall this season.

Powers scored 20 points and pulled down five rebounds in more than 36 minutes in the

team’s victory Sunday in the District against Minnesota.

Powers, who Washington acquired in a 2018 trade from the Dallas Wings, said her experience in D.C. has been a boost in her career.

“I have never been on a team that’s in first place,” said Powers, who made the WNBA All-Rookie team in 2016. “It’s a good feeling, but don’t let up. We need to keep winning games. Our whole team mentality is to attack.

Whoever is next.”

Meanwhile, Mystics All-Star forward Elena Delle Donne garnered Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, her fifth such recognition this season.

During the week of Aug. 2-11, Delle Donne led the team to a 3-0 record and averaged 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists per game. She’s also on the verge of winning a second MVP award.

“It would be amazing, especially to do it with this team,” she said. “I just love each and every teammate so much. When you get an award like that, it’s never an individual award. This isn’t an individual sport, so [teammates] have made this such a great season.”

As for the team goals, they remain simple.

“We really want to get that bye and a home-court advantage,” she said. “That’s where my mind is.” WI

5 Washington Mystics point guard Natasha Cloud absorbs contact during a shot attempt during the Mystics’ 101-78 win over the Minnesota Lynx at Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Sunday, Aug. 11. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer) 6 Washington Mystics guard Aerial Powers (left) attempts to drive past Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier in the first half of Washington’s 101-78 victory at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in D.C. on Aug. 11. (John E. De Freitas/The Washington Informer)

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 41

Baltimore Church Holds Annual Community Day

Your Family Deserves The

BEST

Technology...

Value...

TV!...

Add High Speed Internet

/mo.

190 Channels America’s Top 120 CALL TODAY Save 20%!

Subject to availability. Restrictions apply.

Internet not provided by DISH and will be billed separately.

1-855-402-3370

Offer ends 7/10/19.

Savings with 2 year price guarantee with AT120 starting at $69.99 compared to everyday price. All offers require credit qualification, 2 year commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/ Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. Fees apply for additional TVs: Hopper $15/mo., Joey $5/mo., Super Joey $10/mo.

MOLD, MOLD, MILDEW & WATER LEAKAGE IN YOUR BASEMENT CAUSES HEALTH AND FOUNDATION DAMAGE.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM? WE WILL GIVE YOU A FREE EVALUATION, ESTIMATE & A FAIR PRICE.

By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer

Baltimore became somewhat of a political football in recent weeks as President Trump sniped with city lawmakers, but people of many races set the controversy aside last weekend during the Central Church of Christ’s 18th annual Community Outreach Day. While many streets in West Baltimore are lined with boarded-up properties, the church in Edmondson Village has been a towering beacon of hope. On a lovely Saturday, it welcomed hundreds from small children to seniors as dozens of vendors filled the first floor of the massive church.

Additionally, gently used clothing

and shoes for infants, children, men and women were distributed, along with food and snacks.

Seniors listened intently during a workshop on diabetes while small children played inside a bounce house. Meanwhile, Willie Rupert, the church’s minister, led state and city officials on a tour of a currently vacant lot where the church plans to expand.

“The importance of this event is making the community aware of all the social services available in the city,” Rupert said. “This being faithbased, it ties everything together because this is a partnership.”

Rupert was joined by state Comptroller Peter Franchot, Rev. Jerome Stephens, an aide to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and other state officials on the tour of the block where two

homes had been purchased and renovated by the church.

“Given all of the crazy things that we read in the paper, these events are crucial,” Franchot said.

Baltimore City Comptroller Joan Pratt concurred.

“It was important to have the children here,” she said. “You can see that they are having a great time. …

That’s what we need — more activities for young people.”

Franchot noted how the church has purchased and renovated properties and he plans to help them do more.

“We are going to help the church unify the lot in front of us, we are going to help them with assisted living and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

WI

CALL (800) 420-7783 FOR 20% OFF!!!

CALL NOW AND RECEIVE 20% DISCOUNT WITH YOUR FREE ESTIMATE OVER THOUSANDS OF BASEMENTS REPAIRED IN THIS AREA.

Expert Software Development Higher Quality Than In-House Lower Cost Than In-House Faster Than In-House

Ask us how!

TOLL FREE USA/CANADA

Experience the Difference

1-888-859-4853 itbgn.com/projects

LASER HAIR REMOVAL - IN A TUBE! NEW! Hairfree gets rid of unwanted hair and kills the root to stop new hair growth. Works like laser hair removal - in a tube - for a fraction of the cost!

Puts an end to non-stop shaving, plucking and waxing.

Be hair-free in 30 days! 100% money-back guarantee.

Order by phone: 323-405-3331 (lines open 24/7) Buy online: www.hair-free-hair-remover.com www.hair-f PROMO: 10% & FREE shipping with code: CN9

Are You Still Paying Too Much For Your Medications?

You can save up to 97% when you fill your prescriptions with our Canadian and International prescription service.

Their Price

Crestor

TM

914.18

$

Typical US Brand Price

for 40mg x 100

Our Price

Rosuvastatin* $

148

Generic equivalent of CrestorTM Generic price for for 40mg x 100

Get An Extra $15 Off & Free Shipping On Your 1st Order!

Call the number below and save an additional $15 plus get free shipping on your first prescription order with Canada Drug Center. Expires December 31, 2017.

Offer is valid for prescription orders only and can not be used in conjunction with any other offers. Valid for new customers only. One time use per household.

Use code 15FREE to receive this special offer.

Toll free: 855-541-5141

Please note that we do not carry controlled substances and a valid prescription is required for all prescription medication orders.

Use of these services is subject to the Terms of Use and accompanying policies at www.canadadrugcenter.com.

42 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT

Count Your Blessings

“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” — Jeremiah 32:27 One day, years ago, I was babysitting my youngest grandson. He was a baby, maybe a year old. He was walking around my apartment, as I watched him, working on my projects.

Often, he would copy his grandmother by picking up my broken cellphone and holding it to his ear.

He saw me working and on the phone a lot, so he copied me. It was a job to care for him, wash his clothing and keep him bathed and fed.

We were in my lovely apartment, with its sliding glass doors, manicured lawns and large picture windows viewing the beautiful, wellkept pool from every room. It was the one of most luxurious home I’ve had in all my years.

Anyhow, the sliding door of one of my closets had come off-track, so I stood the door up again the closet until the apartment management could come to fix it.

A few days later, as my 14-monthold grandson was walking past that door, just enough steps toward my bedroom, for that door to fall and hit the top of his head! Can you

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”

imagine? It was a metal door, so the blood flowed out — I thought he was going to die!

I called the ambulance, and they took us to Holy Cross Hospital.

I prayed and prayed all the way, asking God to protect him. Turns out, the injury was just a minor cut that only required some stitches. It healed, and my grandson never had any problems from that injury.

His hair grew into that spot and nothing happened — no permanent brain damage! That, my friends, surely was a blessing that I will always count!

I can’t thank God enough even today, 19 years later. He is a high school graduate, about to go off to college, got his driver’s license and he keeps in close contact with his grandma!

Another blessing happened when I was 10 years old, living on a farm in North Carolina. That day, my mom passed out and fell to the floor. It frightened me so badly that I ran out the house to the field, staring at the house.

Normally, I’m afraid of ghosts, wild animals, just afraid of the dark, but that day, none of that mattered.

The fear that my mother had died took over, and I couldn’t stand to know what had happened. I knew it would be too painful to learn that my mother had died.

Eventually, I walked slowly back to the house. I peeked in the window and saw that my mother was awake and seemed to be doing just fine, so I went inside. Something

Thank you Lord for both of these blessings. Think about the huge blessings that you have experienced! she had eaten made her sick and she fainted. We really don’t know why, but everything turned out just fine.

In fact, I had my mother for another 63 years or more before she went home to be with the Lord.

That was truly a blessing for me, and I still count that day as something wonderful that happened in my life.

It’s hard to imagine my life without mother in it, especially from as young as 10 years old. Things surely would have gone another way, and I would have been without mother for 63 years. Most likely, I wouldn’t be here today, writing this column for you. She would not have been here to teach me and my brothers and sisters all of the wonderful life lessons that she taught her children!

Thank you Lord for both of these blessings. Think about the huge blessings that you have experienced!

WI

(301) 864-6070

EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, Race Discrimination, Rehabilitation Act, Retaliation, Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, Whistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA

www.jmlaw.net

(301) 864-6070

jmccollum@jmlaw.net

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

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 43

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

Blessed Word of Life Church

Church of Living Waters

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor

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 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”

Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment

1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661

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

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Third Street Church of God

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

Rev. Dr. Alice Greene Interim Pastor

Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor

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

3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) (202) 562-4219 (Fax)

1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office 202-638-1803 fax

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM

Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30 PM (dinner @ 5:30 PM) Sunday School: 9:00 AM – Hour of Power

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM

www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

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

Campbell AME Church

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out”

“Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org

E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org “God is Love”

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax

Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org emailus@gmchc.org

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org

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

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM

Crusader Baptist Church

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

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

Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com

44 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

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

901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM themcbc.org

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

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 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.”

Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:15 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Monday: Noon Bible School Wednesday: Noon & 7 PM 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 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

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: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

“Where Jesus is the King”

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

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

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"

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

The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church

Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor

Damion M. Briggs 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

Rev. Dr. Maxwell M. Washington Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

2001 Brooks Drive District Heights, MD 20744 (240) 838-7074

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:15 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting / Bible Study: Tuesday at 7 PM Theme: “The Kingdom Focused Church with an Emphasis on “Evangelism and Discipleship”

Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM

Email: pastorstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

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

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

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

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

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

Shiloh Baptist Church

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

Christ Embassy DC

Dr. Joseph D. Turner Senior Pastor

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator

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

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

Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

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

Peace Baptist Church

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church

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

Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM

Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study

“The Loving Church of the living lord “

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288

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

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon

www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM

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

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

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

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

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

Email Address: admin@pbc712.org

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor

Rev. Reginald M. Green Interim Pastor

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

St. Matthews Baptist Church

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

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “

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

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 45

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

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

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

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

Administration No. 2019 ADM 665

Administration No. 2019 ADM 604

Administration No. 2019 ADM 730

Melvin T. Brooks Decedent

Tiffany Holmes Decedent

Robert W. Jackson Decedent

Peggy A. Miller, Esq. 5130-7th Street, NE Washington, DC 20011-2625 Attorney

Joan M. Wilbon Esq. 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

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

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Elizabeth Jackson, whose address is 9725 Ransom Hills Terrace, North Chesterfield, VA 23237, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Tiffany Holmes who died on January 10, 2019 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/8/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/8/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

TRUE TEST COPY

Ethel Mitchell 8403 Colesville Rd, #1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Petitioner/Attorney:

Byron Reynolds, whose address is 3615 N. Colorado Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46218, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Melvin T. Brooks who died on July 15, 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 2/1/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/1/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Anne Meister Register of Wills

TRUE TEST COPY

Date of first publication: 8/1/2019

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Byron Reynolds Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

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

2019 ADM 000783

2019 ADM 000762

Estate of Jacqueline Nichols aka Jacqueline P. Nichols aka Jacqueline Patricia Nichols-Blanger Deceased

Estate of Cherry Baylor

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Charmaine Connie 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 September 28, 2015 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Gertie Dean 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 9/11/2015 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise.

Date of first publication: 8/1/2019 Leonard GP Muhammad 7306 Georgia Ave., NW Washington, DC 20012 Petitioner/Attorney:

Washington Informer

Date of first publication: 8/1/2019

Washington Informer

Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 Elizabeth Jackson Personal Representative

Nakia V. Gray, Esq. Gray Legal, PC 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 100 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Pearlina Jackson, whose address is 5124 3rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robert W. Jackson who died on April 15, 2019 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/8/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/8/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 Pearlina Jackson Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

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

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

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

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

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

Administration No. 2019 ADM 508

Administration No. 2019 ADM 000718

Administration No. 2019 ADM 000659

2002 ADM 001710

2019 ADM 000794

Ethel C. Anderson Decedent

Elizabeth Terry Decedent

Dorothy S. West Decedent

Estate of: Bernice Mills aka Bernice C. Mills Deceased

Darwyn Christopher Jenkins Decedent

Tanya A. Harvey, Esq. Loeb & Loeb 901 New York Ave., NW #300E Washington, DC 20001 Attorney

Nakia V. Gray, Esq. 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 100 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Maria Inez Anderson, whose address is 1364 Levis Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ethel C. Anderson who died on April 24, 2019 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/8/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/8/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 Maria Inez Anderson Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS John D. Schaperkotter, whose address is c/o Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, 211 N. Broadway #3600, St. Louis, MO 63102, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Elizabeth Terry who died on April 9, 2019 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/8/2020.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/8/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 John D. Schaperkotter Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

46 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Donald A. West, whose address is 1235 Faraday Place, NE, Washington, DC 20017, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Dorothy S. West who died on June 20, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/8/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/8/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 Donald A. West Personal Representative

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Marion B. Mills 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 May 20, 1998 exhibited with the petition upon proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution by affidavit of the witnesses or otherwise Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 Steve Larson-Jackson, Esq. 1629 K. Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Petitioner/Attorney: TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Angela Jenkins Wright, whose address is 5326 Woodberry Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Darwyn Christopher Jenkins who died on March 24, 2019 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/8/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/8/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 8/8/2019 Angela Jenkins Wright Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

Washington Informer

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 000795 Nathaniel M. Adams, Jr. aka Nathaniel Matthews Adams, Jr. Decedent James Larry Frazier, Esq. 918 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Iris Adams Carter, whose address is 806 Sero Estates Drive, Fort Washington, MD 20744, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Nathaniel M. Adams, Jr. aka Nathaniel Matthews Adams, Jr. who died on June 8, 2019 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 2/15/2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 2/15/2020, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 8/15/2019 Iris Adams Carter Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

CL ASSIFIEDS

CL ASSIFIEDS

Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the following classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it s illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. 800 numbers may or may not reach Canada.

HEALTH & FITNESS Suffering from an ADDICTION to Alcohol, Opiates, Prescription PainKillers or other DRUGS? There is hope! Call Today to speak with someone who cares.

Call NOW 1-855-866-0913

MEDIABIDS MISCELLANEOUS SAVE 67% PLUS 4 FREE BURGERS - The Favorite Feast - ONLY $49.99.

ORDER Today 1-888-318-1190 Use Code 48643VFW or www.OmahaSteaks.com/ ffmb93

Do you know your Testosterone Levels? Call 888-692-5146 and ask about our test kits and get a FREE Trial of Progene All-Natural Testosterone Supplement Diabetes/Cholesterol/Weight Loss Bergamonte, a Natural Product for Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and weight. Physician recommended, backed by Human Clinical Studies with amazing results. Call today and save 15 percent off your first bottle!

866-640-5982 ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE talking meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 888-421-1874 READERS & MUSIC LOVERS. 100 Greatest Novels (audio books) ONLY $99.00 (plus s h.)

Includes MP3 Player & Accessories. BONUS: 50 Classical Music Works & Money Back Guarantee. Call Today! 1-866-680-1822 Any laptop repaired just $79. Macs too. REALLY! FREE Fedex shipping! $69 extra for screen or motherboard replacement. CALL Authorized Laptop Repair Specialists 1-866-437-6184 Ever Consider a Reverse Mortgage? At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & Increase cash flow! Safe & Effective! Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 888-420-4716 READERS & MUSIC LOVERS. 100 Greatest Novels (audio books) ONLY $99.00 (plus s h.) Includes MP3 Player & Accessories. BONUS: 50 Classical Music Works & Money Back Guarantee. Call Today!

1-866-680-1822 Personalized holiday gifts for Everyone on your list! Save 20 percent off qualifying products from Personal Creations! To redeem this offer, visit www.PersonalCreations.com/Beauty or Call 1-888-732-0679 Diabetes/Cholesterol/Weight Loss Natural Product for Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and weight. Physician recommended, backed by Human Clinical Studies with fast acting results within 30 days. Call to hear about our special offer 866-640-5982 ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE Talking Meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 888-421-1874 SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. You WIN or Pay Us Nothing. Contact Disability Group, Inc. Today! BBB Accredited. Call For Your FREE Book & Consultation. 888-649-5110 Attention Joint & Muscle Pain Sufferers: Clinically proven all-natural supplement helps reduce pain and enhance mobility. Call 888-760-5952 to try Hydraflexin RISK-FREE for 90 days.

HEAT YOUR HOME FOR 5¢ AN HOUR! Portable infrared iHeater heats 1000 sq. ft. Slashes your heating bills by 50%. FREE Shipping too! Use claim code 6239 WAS $499 NOW $279 Call 1-866-784-5182 CADNET AUTOS WANTED CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models 2002-2018! Any Condition. Running or Not. Top $$$ Paid! Free Towing! We’re Nationwide! Call Now: 1-888-985-1806 EDUCATION AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING - Get FAA Technician certification. Approved for military benefits. Financial Aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-453-6204

MISCELLANEOUS A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1-844-722-7993

CL ASSIFIEDS Technology. Best Value. Smart HD DVR Included.

FREE Installation. Some restrictions apply. Call 1-855-837-9146 WANTED TO BUY Wants to purchase minerals and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, Co. 80201 MID ATLANTIC COMMUNITY PAPERS ASSOCIATION CLASSIFIED NETWORK (MACNET)

Earthlink High Speed Internet. As Low As $14.95/ month (for the first 3 months.) Reliable High Speed Fiber Optic Technology. Stream Videos, Music and More! Call Earthlink Today 1-855-520-7938

ANNOUNCEMENTS SELL YOUR ANTIQUE OR CLASSIC CAR. Advertise with us. You choose where you want to advertise.

800-450-6631 visit macnetonline.com for details.

Applying for Social Security Disability or Appealing a Denied Claim? Call Bill Gordon & Assoc., Social Security Disability Attorneys, 1-855-498-6323! FREE Consultations. Local Attorneys Nationwide [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. FL (TX/NM Bar.)]

AUTOS WANTED [WANTED] CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/ Models 2002-2018! Any Condition. Running or Not. Competitive Offer! Free Towing! We’re Nationwide! Call Now: 1-888-368-1016

Become a Published Author. We want to Read Your Book! Dorrance Publishing-Trusted by Authors Since 1920 Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services: Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution Call for Your Free Author’s Guide 1-877-626-2213 $$OLD GUITARS & AMPS WANTED$$ GIBSON • FENDER • MARTIN. ALL BRANDS. TOP DOLLAR PAID. CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-433-8277 Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 888-609-2189 Get a SMARTPHONE for $0 DOWN* with AT&T Next® and AT&T Next Every Year; $250 Gift Card for Switching to AT&T! (*Requires well-qualified credit. Limits & restrictions apply.) 1-888-545-5093 Denied Social Security Disability? Appeal! If you’re 50+, filed for SSD and denied, our attorneys can help get you approved! No money out of pockets!

Call 1-866-376-3163 DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER? You may qualify for a substantial cash award. NO obligation, NO risk!

We’ve recovered millions. Let us help you!! Call 24/7, 855-845-8269 Use RoundUp Weedkiller? Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, and Leukemia may result from RoundUp exposure. A recent $2 billion judgment was awarded in a RoundUp injury case. Call 1-619-493-4791 or email RoundUp@ breakinginjurynews.com and let us begin work on your RoundUp case today.

Lung Cancer? Asbestos exposure in industrial, construction, manufacturing jobs, or military may be the cause. Family in the home were also exposed.

Call 1-866-795-3684 or email cancer@breakinginjurynews.com. $30 billion is set aside for asbestos victims with cancer. Valuable settlement monies may not require filing a lawsuit.

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. NOT just a discount plan, REAL coverage for [350 ] procedures. Call 1-877-3082834 for details. www.dental50plus.com/cadnet 6118-0219 GENERIC VIAGRA and CIALIS! 100 Pills $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 888-889-5515 Make a Connection. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call NOW: 1-888-909-9905 18+.

KILL BED BUGS! Harris Sprays, Mattress Covers, Kits. Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot.com HEAR AGAIN! Try our hearing aid for just $75 down and $50 per month! Call 800-426-4212 and mention 88272 for a risk free trial! FREE SHIPPING! Cross Country Moving, Long distance Moving Company, out of state move $799 Long Distance Movers. Get Free quote on your Long distance move 1-800-511-2181 Call Empire Today® to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 1-800508-2824 Spectrum Triple Play! TV, Internet & Voice for $99.97/ mo. Fastest Internet. 100 MB per second speed.

Free Primetime on Demand. Unlimited Voice. NO CONTRACTS. Call 1-855-652-9304 or visit http:// tripleplaytoday.com/national

EDUCATION/CAREER TRAINING AIRLINES ARE HIRING – Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students - Career placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 877818-0783 FINANCIAL CASH PAYOUT? 70 years old and kids are grown?

Do you need that life insurance or is a big life settlement cash payout smarter? Call Benefit Advance. 1-877-332-9643 FOR SALE SELLING YOUR OWN PROPERTY? Need to advertise it in your local paper and others like it? We have the placement services to help you. Contact MACnet MEDIA @ 800-450-6631 or online at MACnetOnline.com

Free Towing! We’re Nationwide! Call Now: 1-888416-2330.

EDUCATION/CAREER TRAINING AIRLINES ARE HIRING - Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial Aid for qualified students - Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888-686-1704 MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES NEEDED! Train at home for a career as a Medical Office Professional at CTI! 1-833-766-4511 AskCTI.com EMPLOYMENT/HELP WANTED TRUCK DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED at Stevens Transport! Earn $1000 per week! Paid CDL Training! No experience needed! 1-844-452-4121 drive4stevens.com0 HEALTH/MEDICAL VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 100 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 888-445-5928 Hablamos Espanol Start Saving BIG On Medications! Up To 90% Savings from 90DAYMEDS! Over 3500 Medications Available! Prescriptions Req’d. Pharmacy Checker Approved. CALL Today for Your FREE Quote. 844584-5104 DENTAL INSURANCE. Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details. NOT just a discount plan, REAL coverage for 350 procedures.888-623-3036 or http://www.dental50plus. com/58 Ad# 6118 ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery.

Only 2.8 pounds. FREE information kit. Call 877-929-9587

HEALTH/MEDICAL VIAGRA & CIALIS! 60 pills for $99. 100 pills for $150. FREE shipping. Money back guaranteed!

1-844-596-4376

MISCELLANEOUS CASH FOR CARS: We Buy Any Condition Vehicle, 2002 and Newer. Nationwide Free Pick Up! Call Now: 1-800-864-5960.

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE DISH Network Satellite Television Service. Now Over 190 channels for ONLY $59.99/mo! FREE Installation, FREE Streaming, FREE HD. Add Internet for $14.95 a month. 1-800-219-1271

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection.

Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify. PLUS Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-995-2490

WANTED AMERICAN & FOREIGN CARS $$ PAYING CASH $$ For Classic & Collector Cars 717-577-8206

PROTECT YOUR HOME AND FAMILY with Vivint Smart Home. Call 844-475-6160 today to receive a FREE $50 GIFTCARD with your purchase. Use promo code: FREE50

MARYLAND STATEWIDE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING NETWORK AUTOMOBILE DONATIONS: DONATE AUTOS, TRUCKS, RVs Lutheran Mission Society of MD. Compassion Place ministries help local families with food, clothing, counseling Tax deductible. MVA licensed #W1044. 410-636-0123 www.CompassionPlace.org BUSINESS SERVICES: Bulk advertising at its best: advertise in over 70 newspapers and reach millions of readers with ONE call. Broaden your reach and get results for pennies per reader. Call Wanda at 410-212-0616 or email wsmith@mddcpress.com.

Place a business card ad in the Regional Small Display 2x2/2x4 Advertising Network – Let MDDC help you grow your business! Call TODAY at 410-212-0616 to increase your customer base and get results.

EDUCATION/CAREER TRAINING: AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING-Get FAA certification to fix planes. Financial Aid if qualified. Approved for military benefits. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-823-6729.

REAL ESTATE: Delaware New Move-In Ready Homes! Low Taxes!

Close to Beaches, Gated, Olympic pool. Homes from low $100’s, No HOA Fees. Brochures Available 1-866--629-0770 or www.coolbranch.com SERVICES-MISCELLANEOUS: Increase your customer base and get great results by placing your ads in the MDDC – Classified Advertising network! Call today 410-212-0616 Ask for Multi-Media Specialist -Wanda & watch your results grow.

WANTED TO BUY OR TRADE WANTED FREON R12: We pay CA$H. R12 R500 R11 Convenient. Certified Professionals (312) 291-9169 RefrigerantFinders.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING NETWORK, INC. (NANI)

Get DIRECTV! ONLY $35/month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package.) PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Addt l Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-855-781-1565

AUTOMOTIVE Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800-245-0398

DISH Network $59.99 For 190 Channels! Add High Speed Internet for ONLY $14.95/month. Best

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! 2002 and Newer! Any Condition. Running or Not. Competitive Offer!

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

CL ASSIFIEDS

Spectrum Triple Play! TV, Internet & Voice for $99.97/mo. Fastest Internet. 100 MB per second speed. Free Primetime on Demand. Unlimited Voice. NO CONTRACTS. Call 1-877-338-2315 or visit http://tripleplaytoday.com/news Recently diagnosed with LUNG CANCER and 60+ years old? Call now! You and your family may be entitled to a SIGNIFICANT CASH AWARD. Call 877648-6308 today. Free Consultation. No Risk.

Stay in your home longer with an American Standard Walk-In Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-855-5346198 MobileHelp, America’s Premier Mobile Medical Alert System. Whether You’re Home or Away. For Safety and Peace of Mind. No Long Term Contracts!

Free Brochure! Call Today! 1-855-401-6993 INVENTORS - FREE INFORMATION PACKAGE Have your product idea developed affordably by the Research & Development pros and presented to manufacturers. Call 1-888-501-0236 for a Free Idea Starter Guide. Submit your idea for a free consultation.

BATHROOM RENOVATIONS. EASY, ONE DAY updates! We specialize in safe bathing. Grab bars, no slip flooring & seated showers. Call for a free in-home consultation: 888-912-4745 A PLACE FOR MOM has helped over a million families find senior living. Our trusted, local advisors help find solutions to your unique needs at no cost to you. Call 855-741-7459 DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply 1-800-718-1593 BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 866-951-7214

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 47

SWEETGREENS from Page 34 our county government and might be able to contact those in government who might assist you in executing your vision and mission.”

However, one post who resides in Benning Ridge in the District said a stumbling block may be Sweetgreen’s policy of not accepting cash for payment. Smith acknowledged the concern, noting many East of the river residents don’t utilize credit or debit cards and said it’s worth asking Sweetgreens about.

The Sweetgreens located in Navy Yard confirmed to the Washington Informer that it will accept cash starting in November.

Smith said she has contacted the company through email but hasn’t gotten a response. The Informer repeatedly reached out to Sweetgreen’s media representative through email and phone calls but didn’t receive a response by press time.

The non-response won’t deter Smith, she said.

“We as a community need to

be on the front end and not the back end,” she said. “We will continue to engage Sweetgreens until we get a response. We aren’t going to wait for developers to tell us what they want to bring to Ward 7 or Ward 8, we will be proactive.”

WI

The Sweetgreens located in Navy Yard confirmed to the Washington Informer that it will accept cash starting in November.

Real hot chat now.

DEBATE from Page 13

County executive spokesman John Erzen said in an email last month the county followed all the legal steps in the CEO search.

The firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, chose six candidates among 20 from a national search which cost the county nearly $42,000. Then, a three-member committee appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan narrowed the list to three for the county executive to choose.

It took about three months to remove the interim title off Goldson, who Alsobrooks recognized as an “easy choice” with 28 years of experience in the schools as a teacher, math instructional specialist, assistant principal and the founding principal at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro.

“The search was done in complete accordance with the law,” Erzen said.

HYBRID, APPOINTED AND ELECTED

Former County Executive Rushern L. Baker III led the push for county government to become more involved with the public schools to institute a hybrid school board and executive to appoint the CEO. State lawmakers approved the move in 2013 with the legislation eventu-

SURVEY from Page 13

30 MINUTES FREE TRIAL 866-728-3876

18+

that “technology is integrated into the classroom.” That percentage marked the highest figure recorded for any statement.

In terms of whether “the district is heading in the right direction,” 71 percent of school employees strongly agree or agree. However, only 36 percent of community members and 31 percent of students shared that sentiment.

Tamara McKinney of Lanham remains upset with the school system after an incident this year with her granddaughter, age 7 at the time, who brought “play money” to her elementary school.

McKinney said school administrators called it “counterfeit” and involved the police. Her granddaughter and other children

Stay Informed! www.washingtoninformer.com 48 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

ally signed by former Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Prince George’s isn’t the only jurisdiction with a hybrid school board structure. Baltimore County has 12 members that include seven elected by districts, four at-large appointed by the governor in consultation with the county executive and a high school student.

The other two hybrid boards are in Caroline and Harford counties. The Baltimore City mayor appoints all members to the city’s school board.

Anne Arundel County began in December to convert into a fully-elected body with staggered terms running through 2024 when all members stand for election. The remaining 18 school systems in Maryland are all elected boards.

According to a one-page list of this year’s Maryland Association of Boards of Education legislative priorities, the organization highlights there’s no “research-based evidence” elected or appointed boards are more effective or accountable.

However, it “opposes bills granting initial board appointment authority to local county government officials.

Local boards of education are entities of the state … [and] remain an independent voice for children and their public education needs.”

Del. Jazz Lewis (D-District 24) of Landover will abide by what votweren’t questioned or charged with an offense.

“The school called the police instead of the school handling this,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘Hold up. This doesn’t make no sense.’

I just know I’m sick and tired of Black folks getting into positions and not making positive changes.”

Goldson reassured better communication between school and security personnel.

“This is where our security officers truly focus on abiding by the law,” she said. “This is also where I am hoping and requiring that we’ll have security staff who get to know our students who realize that … going directly to security services [is] not always the alternative. At the end of the day, it still stems back that these our elementary students.”

WI

SPEAKING from Page 25 counts among a bevy of offerings intended to bolster self-sufficiency in young people from underserved communities in D.C., Montgomery County and across the United States.

Since 1996, Urban Alliance has placed 4,000 students in paid internships, and another 18,000 in job skills training, mostly through collaborations with local public and charter schools,

ers prefer, but emphasized the focus should be providing resources for teachers to enhance student achievement.

“I think we need to focus on outcomes for our students in the classroom, instead of obsessing over who is the CEO and the makeup of the school board because we’ve been in that cycle for 20 years,” he said.

Del. Wanika Fisher (D-District 47B) of Hyattsville, who was elected in November, supports an all-elected school board.

“Unless someone tells me something I don’t already know, that’s pretty much my opinion,” she said.

Crystal Carpenter, vice president of the PTA at Charles Flowers High School in Springdale, said the school board would be stronger with accountability measures. Recommendations included having board members attend a certain number of community meetings; providing a monthly report on issues discussed to improve a particular district; and requiring each member to explain a vote.

“A lot of these officials have a parttime mentality,” she said. “It’s a parttime position in nature, but it requires full-time attention that affect thousands upon thousands upon thousands of children. I expect the school board members to give 150 percent.” WI

Tamara McKinney of Lanham remains upset with the school system after an incident this year with her granddaughter, age 7 at the time, who brought “play money” to her elementary school.

McKinney said school administrators called it “counterfeit” and involved the police. and community partners.

“We’re helping our students bring out who they are authentically,” said Monique Rizer, executive director of Urban Alliance DC. “In a professional space, you need a different communications vehicle. They’re pretty much an enhanced version of themselves. That’s where we see the change. Our goal is to give them the tools to be successful, and we feel like we’re achieving that.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

MALVEAUX from Page 28

HEALTH from Page 23 Such an inequity poses significant health consequences.

A Virginia Commonwealth University study last year found that residents of upper Northwest live at least 15 years longer than their counterparts east of the Anacostia River. Compared to Northwest which boasts a litany of walkable grocery stores, Wards 7 and 8 have only three supermarkets for more than 150,000 people. In May, the Fresh Food Factory celebrated its opening in the Anacostia Arts Center on Good Hope Road.

Earlier this year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and others broke ground on a Good Foods Market on South Capitol Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

Within the same time period,

ry will judge them harshly.

Finally, a serious Democratic Party would choose Joe Biden as its candidate if he makes a public oath to serve only one term as a transition to the next generation.

WI

Ward 8 experienced double-digit murders, including those of 15-year-old Maurice Scott and 11-year-old Karon Brown, indicative of the link between food insecurity and violence that Clemson University researchers highlighted in their 2016 report. That document likened conditions in American food deserts to that of conflict zones in third-world countries.

That’s why for Don’t Mute My Health organizer Ronnie Webb, time is of the essence in organizing D.C. residents around food security in a manner similar to how Don’t Mute DC has advocated for the preservation of go-go.

Webb, founder of the Green Scheme, said both movements give people more latitude to address matters dealing with their livelihood.

“We’re getting people excited about their health, [whether it’s] exercising, not eating meat, or drinking more water,” said Webb, who sat at the table with Anderson and DC Greens shortly after the Grocery Walk.

Later this year, the Green Scheme and DC Greens will operate a farm in Oxon Run Park. This project follows the Green Scheme’s previous endeavors at Lincoln Heights and Lederer Gardens in Northeast, and Stanton Elementary in Southeast.

“We want to get people connected to advocacy for health, and help them make an impact with ‘Don’t Mute My Health’ as a convening space to do so,” Webb said. “There is a gap in the health between residents of the upper wards, compared to Ward 8. We’re in the middle of a food apartheid.” WI

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

■ Media Training ■ Image Branding ■ On-Camera Coaching Doris McMillon President

nis.com

economic interests.

Most of the debaters know damn well that they have absolutely no chance of being elected president of the U.S. in 2020

or any other year. Yet instead of using their time, energy and resources to defeat a con man who they insist is a dire threat to all that they believe in, they will probably continue playing their “me, myself and I” games. Histo-

■ Executive Presentation Coaching

de de n ww.sa

BAILEY from Page 28

studies or African-American studies classes than in English classes, she hoped her work “fit first into African-American traditions and, second of all, this whole thing called literature.”

Today, even high-school students across the country are familiar with her work, reading her alongside Nathanial Hawthorne and Mark Twain. She has staked out the African-American experience as part of the broader American experience.

As politicians seek to divide us and racial violence swirls around us, it is this lesson — that Black America is America, that we must keep firmly in our hearts.

WI

Let us help you develop the communication skills to compete and win!

ennis/w

most about Morrison’s work was the absence of white characters; white privilege can be like air or light, notable only when it is absent. And according to Morrison, white voters were beginning to feel it ebb away.

“Toni Morrison” may have been as much a creation as her novels; she said she regretted using the nickname, derived from her chosen confirmation name, Anthony, and always thought of as Chloe, her given name.

She grew up in the integrated town of Lorain, Ohio, and was disillusioned by what she saw as rampant colorism when she arrived at Howard University in

1949. Unlike classmates who had grown up in the south, she experienced legal segregation for the first time in Washington, D.C., but could not believe it was real.

“I think it’s a theatrical thing,” she told the New York Times. “I always felt that everything else was the theater. They didn’t really mean that. How could they? It was too stupid.”

When Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, it had been more than 30 years since an American-born author had won, but her status as the first Black woman honored overshadowed her Americanness.

And while she had complained that her work was more likely to be taught in women’s

You Can Say It Like A Pro!

D : Sade

MORIAL from Page 28

votes to former felons, the legislature undermined that vote by requiring people to pay all fines and fees before they are allowed to vote.

If the Congressional vote on the SAFE Act is any indication, Republicans don’t want election fairness. They want to win by whatever means necessary. We’ve invaded foreign countries to “ensure democracy,” but our Congress does not have the decency to ensure democracy at home.

Since the government won’t do its work, civil society organizations will have to. Kudos to Barbara Arnwine and the Transformative Justice Coalition for their work on voter fairness!

WI

Photo

voting technology.

Both houses of Congress are on recess this August month, and won’t reconvene until after Labor Day. Most members of Congress will say that they aren’t taking a six-week vacation because they are also working in their districts.

Citizens need to meet with them, organize town hall meetings, and get input from those recalcitrant Republicans (all of the Democrats voted for the SAFE Act) on why they eschew fair elections.

Some of them use a “states’ right” argument, suggesting that states can manage their own elections on their own terms. African Americans understand states’

rights all too well. States’ rights made it necessary for our nation to pass a Voting Rights Act, despite the guarantees included in the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. The question to ask is the questions Speaker Pelosi asked when the legislation came up for a vote on June 27. What’s wrong with election fairness?

It is indisputable that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections to aid the 45th president.

It is undeniable that millions of voters have been purged from the polls since 2016 with secretaries of state eager to influence elections, as they did in both Georgia and Florida in 2018. It is indisputable that while Florida voters attempted to restore

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

301.292.9141/FAX 301.292.9142/Mobile 703.819.0920 doris@mcmilloncommunications.com/www.mcmilloncommunications.com

BE DEBT FREE in 24–48 months!

If you owe more than $10,000 in credit card or other debt, see how we can help.

Call today:

1-888-318-8155 ACCREDITED BUSINESS ®

AIRLINE CAREERS Get FAA approved maintenance training at campuses coast to coast. Job placement assistance.

Financial Aid for qualifying students. Military friendly.

Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance

800-481-7894

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 49

Lutheran Mission Society

Alan Amrhine, Communications Director Lutheran Mission Society

“MDDC has connected donors with the LMS Vehicle Donation Program for over six years! Great exposure, cost effective, and Wanda is so helpful.”

Attention: VIAGRA & CIALIS Users There’s a More Affordable & Effective Alternative to U.S. Pharmacy High Prices!

For discreet home delivery, CALL NOW!

800-995-1351

50 Pill Special:

Only $99 Plus Free Shipping!

Operators Available 24/7!

Pick a state! , any state MDDC Press works with fellow press associations across the country to give you the best possible buys on advertising wherever you need it. We take care of scheduling and placement at no extra cost to you, and you save time and money. Call Wanda Smith at ext. 6 today.

Press Service 2000 Capital Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401

1-855-721-6332 www.mddcpress.com

CROWELL from Page 29 the leaders in a written statement.

“None of this is normal. Our organizations are united in saying that Members of Congress can no longer look away as communities of color are murdered with impunity. We must all unite and demand accountability.”

The NAACP and the National Urban League additionally called for the passage of the bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. Passed on a bipartisan House vote of 240-190 on Feb. 27, the bill has yet to be taken up by the Senate. It would address both background check requirements for firearms and firearm transfers between private individuals.

Beyond congressional actions, however, other spheres of influence can also take an active role in curbing violence. For example, corporate leaders could publicly condemn efforts to demonize immigrants, people of color or other groups targeted for hate crimes and violence. In pulpits across the country, pastors should preach about the moral dilemma the nation faces and call upon congregants to live their faith every day. Community-based organizations can call upon state and local officials to also speak out against senseless acts of violence and white supremacists.

Now is also a time to remember that regardless of race or ethnicity, our history chronicles the range of

CURRY from Page 29 partisan agreement that something must be done. President Trump addressed the issue in his State of the Union, saying: “It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in

JACKSON from Page 29 Each week you’ll get news from The District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Northern Virginia.

You will discover Arts and Entertainment, Social Tidbits, Religion, Sports, People’s Viewpoints, Letters to the Editor, Classified Ads and more!

And best of all… No crime, no dirty gossip, just positive news and information each week, which is why…

The Washington Informer is all about you!

Name.......................................................................................................

Address...................................................................................................

City, State, Zip.........................................................................................

Phone number (daytime).........................................................................

Yes! I want to subscribe for: 1 year/$45.00

2years/$60.00

Method of payment: Check Enclosed

Visa/MasterCard

Credit card number..................................................................................

Signature........................................................................................

50 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

“declaring an end to the War, turning the armistice into a peace treaty, and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime.”

Many in South Korea, including President Moon, see this as the key to all other issues, including the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, normalization of relations and North-South reconciliation.

I believe the current process can lead to a fundamental resolution of the U.S.North Korean conflict. It should not be thwarted by hawkish pundits who seek to keep the Cold War hot.

Congressional leaders on both sides cast aspersions on the Trump-Kim summits and insist that North Korean denuclearization must be the first — if not the only — objective in U.S.North Korean negotiations. Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, a war hawk who has argued for “regime change” — has said North Korea should follow the “Libya model”

hate crimes that have taken the lives of Latinos as well as Native Americans, Blacks, Jews and the LGBTQ community. The terror now facing America’s Latinos resurrects these horrors, particularly how Blacks encountered racial hatred for more than a century during Jim Crow era and later during the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s.

Too many times in recent years, our unique Black American experience we remain at risk as a people. In 1998, the body of James Byrd, a 49-yearold Black man from Jasper, Texas, was ripped to pieces as it was dragged over a mile and a half by whites driving a pickup truck. Other and more recent heinous hate crimes remind us of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, just to name a few.

According to Rutgers University, Black men today are 2.5 times more likely than white men to be victims of violence. From 2013 to 2017, 11,456 fatal encounters with police and members of the public were reported.

At the same time, the emergence of hate groups has been on the rise, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

“The total number of hate groups rose to 1,020 in 2018, up about 7 percent from 2017,” wrote Heidi Beirich, who leads SPLC’s Intelligence Project and its award-winning publication The Intelligence Report.

Its report released this February found that white nationalist groups grew from 100 in 2017 to 148 the following year, 2018 — a 50% growth.

Other hate groups — anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim — also grew during these same years from 233 to 264. While the Ku Klux Klan dominated hate groups in the Jim Crow and civil rights eras, its presence across the country now appears to have been eclipsed by the growth of neo-Nazis, white nationalists and skinhead organizations.

SPLC’s Hate Map by State shows that the largest number of statewide hate groups are located in California (83), Florida (75) and Texas (73). At the local level, additional hate organizations currently operate in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Tallahassee. Beyond these three states, hate groups can also be found in 45 other states and in more metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Just as the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prompted the enactment of major civil rights legislation, now is another time for our nation to stand up to the many forms of domestic terrorism that plagues it. People of conscience and principle have a duty to stand up, speak out for the fullness of our “inalienable rights.” WI

the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it.”

We urge the Senate to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act in the fall, when the House is expected to act on its own drug pricing bill.

While there is reason to be hopeful that drug prices will come

down, hope is not enough. Too much is at stake. No District resident should be forced to choose between putting food on the table or buying a lifesaving medication.

Congress needs to act to stop Rx greed. This legislation should be at the top of the agenda when the Senate returns to Washington. WI

in denuclearizing.

And we must be ever-mindful of Trump, whose meeting with Kim holds promise and possibility but who has a propensity for head-spinning reversals of direction.

Now the U.S.-South Korean military exercises scheduled for next month threaten to derail plans for working-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea. Last week, the North Korean Foreign Ministry warned that North Korea may resume nuclear and long-range missile testing if the United States goes ahead with the exercise.

By now, we should know there are no winners in war. Military exercises only increase the possibility of conflict and make progress toward peace more challenging. For the talks between the U.S. and North Korea to succeed, we must maintain the “freeze for freeze” — a halt to both North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, as well as the U.S.South Korea joint military exercises.

And declaring an end to the nearly

70-year-old Korean War should be a priority for both sides.

According to James Laney, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, “A Peace Treaty would provide a baseline for relationships, eliminating the question of the other’s legitimacy and its right to exist.”

A reconciled and reconnected Korea would represent a new hope in the world. But it will require that we use all the tools at our disposal: moral persuasion, rational arguments, nonviolent direct action and protests, economic, political and diplomatic leverage, education and revival of hope among people of the world.

In the 66th year of the armistice, I renew my prayer for an end to the Korean War. Let us have the courage, conviction and conscience to talk it out and not fight it out, and choose mutual co-existence over co-annihilation.

Let us reunite families.

Let us have peace, co-prosperity and a world without war. WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Marylanders win big thanks to the Maryland LotteryÂŽ.

In Fiscal Year 2018, the Maryland Lottery generated an all-time record of $2.043 billion in sales and contributed an all-time profit record of more than $575.6 million to support vital state programs and services. Lottery players were big winners as well, taking home a new record of nearly $1.25 billion in prizes. Since its inception in 1973, the Maryland Lottery has contributed more than $16 billion to Maryland’s good causes, including pre-K through 12 and higher education, public health and safety, and the environment.

mdlottery.com Please play responsibly. For help, visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 18 years or older to play.

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019 51

THE ALL-NEW CHEVROLET BLAZER DRIVING HBCU TALENT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

TYLA BARNES

SHARON JOY WASHINGTON

MIANA MASSEY

TEDARIUS ABRAMS

EMANI NICHOLS

ELAE C. HILL

DTU FELLOW 2019

DTU FELLOW 2019

DTU FELLOW 2019

DTU FELLOW 2019

DTU FELLOW 2019

DTU FELLOW 2019

Follow these DTU Journalism Fellows through their summer internships.

See the stories they’ve uncovered at nnpa.org/chevydtu. @ChevroletDTU

52 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2019

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM