The Washington Informer - April 16, 2015 by The Washington Informer

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Former Ward 8 Candidates Oppose Frontrunner, Pg. 4

Director of “Selma” Honored by Howard, Pg. 29

Boko Haram Kidnapping, One Year Later, Pg.9

Filmfest DC Returns to District, Pg. 38

Vol. 50, No. 27 Apr. 16 - Apr. 22 2015

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III shakes hands with Rep. Chris Van Hollen after Baker endorsed the senate candidate on April 8. /Photo Courtesy theseventhstate.com

Politicians, Residents Analyze Baker’s Van Hollen Endorsement By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer The endorsement of Rep. Chris Van Hollen by Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III surprised few, but still left area politicians and residents speculating about the timing of Baker’s support.

The early endorsement also left many wondering exactly what went into Baker’s thought process, particularly with at least two powerful state Democrats still mulling whether they will enter the race for the Senate seat being vacated by longtime favorite Barbara Mikulski. “I was a little surprised that

Baker made the endorsement so early,” said County Councilman Obie Patterson (D-District 8) of Fort Washington. “I thought he might have waited to get the sense of the numbers, to take some polls,” said Patterson, 77, who’s backing Rep. Donna Edwards (D-District 4) for the Senate.

Patterson said Baker’s endorsement means a great deal and does carry some weight, but with continued speculation that the ever-popular U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele will enter the fray, it’s conceivable that the person who might be deemed the favorite

could change in a hurry. “Cummings would certainly change the dynamics,” Patterson said, noting that the representative is believed to be conducting polls and testing the waters. “I’m hearing more and more that Cummings will be a reality,

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Women Break the Cycle of Candidates Converge to Halt May’s Momentum Domestic Violence Ward 8 Race Gets Heated With Election Just Weeks Away By Barrington Tia Carol Jones By M. Salmon WI Staff Writer WI Staff Writer @bsalmondc

When L.Y. Marlow's 23-yearEven before the Ward 8 canold daughter told her the father didates forum and straw poll of her daughter threatened her last week at Ballou Senior High life, and the life of their child, School, there had beenhad whispers she knew something to be and discussions the acdone. Out of far herfrom frustration tion the implications of with about law enforcement's handling the situation, she decided to aofLaRuby May victory for resistart of thethe Saving dents ward. Promise campaign. While no one questions her ties “It seems to be and a vicious cycle to the community the diverse that won't turn my family range of work she has done in loose,” Marlow there said.has Marlow the community, been shared her story with the audiunease about her ties to Mayor ence at the District Heights Muriel Bowser – whoSymposium is still an Domestic Violence unknown and who, acon May 7 quantity at the District Heights cording to a Center. number The of residents, Municipal sympostill has was to earn their trust.by the sium sponsored Then there’s the Services massive Family and Youth amounts has Center ofofthemoney city ofMay District Heights and the with National Hookraised compared opponents. Up of Black Women. The May campaign machine has Marlow hasa written a book, proven to be juggernaut with “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a a few hundred thousand dollars story about four generations of raised, the support and blessing domestic The bookac-is of Bowserviolence. and inevitability inspired by her own experiences, cording to conventional wisdom, and those of her grandmother, which she and her mother andher hersupporters daughter. hope and expect will her She said every time propel she reads to the D.C. Council as Ward 8’s excerpts from her book, she still representative. can not believe the words came But her. a group from “Color of Mecandidates Butterfly” also for the seat, led“Best by won vying the 2007 National Books”Anderson, Award. are hoping to Stuart “I the waselection just 16-years-old when reset equation. After my eye first from blackened andAnmy withdrawing the race, lips bled,” Marlow said. Abraderson, along with Jauhar Elaine Davis-Nickens, presiham and Nate Bennett-Fleming, dent of the National Hook-Up has come to support one candiof Black Women, said there is no date – Trayon White. consistency in the way domestic “The to dealt the question violence answer issues are with by is Trayon,” Anderson said. “This is not about stepping down but stepping up,” he said. “A group of people asked me to run. It is in their interest to ensure that LaRuby doesn’t win. I know that Trayon needs 3,000 votes – that’s the magic number.” If we stay in our lanes, LaRuby wins and Ward 8 loses. I know personally that 98 percent of the candidates believe that LaRuby does not have the best interest of Ward 8 at heart. She’s the mayor’s candidate. She will serve the mayor first and the ward second. This is not about LaRuby being a bad person; this is about the mayor’s control of the council. We have to stop her from

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

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law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said. had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a vicstory, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assesspush forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further said about Marlow. training for law enforcement Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecwho reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counsel“get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradiperson can get it.” She said at the cate domestic we must Many members of the returning citizens’ community andviolence, their supporters end to of make the sure day, the theperson bookthat will look at 8both sidesbest ofinterests the coin. want wins in Ward has their help people begin to have a diaat hand. /Photo by Denise Rolark BarnesWe need to address both the viclogue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlow Also present at the event was said. Mildred Muhammad, the exbecoming the strongest mayor in lateMarlow Rev. Theophalis Maytoand would also like see wife history.” of John Allen Muhammad, mom programs to raise Mary. designed To the extent that D.C. who was sentenced to sixprotégé consec- I’m awareness in owned, among it wouldchildren be to my White, a 30-year-old utive life terms without public and father,” private she schools. said. She of the late Mayor Marion S.parole Bar- mother by aand Maryland for his role in feels childrensaid needthe to be educatAbraham move, at ry schooljury board member the Beltway Sniper in this ed about domestic violence. time, makes sense. William Lockridge, saidattacks he’s hon2002.that Mildred Muhammad “We havediffi to cult stoporbeing “It wasn’t easy, pasjust ored those who had beenis the founder of After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chiljostling with him to ascendan- the right thing to do,” he said. an organization that helps the dren about domestic violence,” cy in the race have now violence thrown “Like the late, great Marion Barsurvivors of domestic Marlow said. ry Marlow and William rectheir support behind him. and their children. has Lockridge, worked to Ibreak ognize and support the develop“We’re in a good place, picking “I lived in fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, Trayon. Ithe believe he will up steam,” “The Washyears in fearheissaid. a long time. It is ment and isofconfident policies she great leader. He’s start cut from ington Union and Jews not anTeachers’ easy thing to come out be is apushing for will that same cloth as his mentors. for have endorsed me. We the of,”Justice she said. process. “We’re against the enneed to consolidate money and Mildred Muhammad said “I planworking to take these policies to people who want we’re to help of theand people. I’m supportCongress implore them to resources [because] goinga emy domestica violence victim must change ourWhite laws,”and Marlow said. Trayon my agenagainst money machine not ing be careful of how they 8.goWe’re into da: “I will not stop untiland thesepublic poliyouth, seniors seen very often in Ward the victim's life,that and the understand cies areWe passed.” absolutely will overgoing to show people safety. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol can be reached take Laruby. Jones So many people in are stronger than money.” mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net community are torn about White, a former Ward 8 repre- the “Beforeofyou 'I'mBoard going who they wanted to support. I sentative the get D.C.toState to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI of Education, said the most couldn’t stand by and allow that pressing concerns identified by to happen.” The next step, said Abraresidents are jobs, public safety, ham, co-founder of Peaceoholeducation and seniors. “Seniors are afraid that they ics, a group devoted to eliminatwon’t have a voice since Marion ing teen violence, “is to take the organ we have and turn over the Barry is gone,” he explained. In previous interviews, May support we have.” “We will walk these streets, has stayed on script, staying focused on her efforts to win the knock on doors and encourage residents to support Trayon for race. May, a former Bowser cam- mayor,” he said. “Laruby may paign worker and executive have the money and support of director of Vision of Victory developers and special interests, Child Development Center, said but Trayon White has the peoWard 8 residents want her to ple. I’ve spoken at four funerals win and then deliver on some in the last few weeks, while the of Ward 8’s varied needs. She Mayor is out campaigning for scoffed at the idea that anyone is Laruby. Bowser said she didn’t think we needed to put more pulling her strings. “We appreciate the support police here. It kills me to see of the mayor and friends of the her come out for Laruby and reach campaign for their support and not come to funeral L.Y.or Marlow for what they’ve given to our out to one family. I stand by my campaign, but I belong to the words.”WI

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301.292.9141/FAX 301.292.9142/Mobile 703.819.0920 doris@mcmilloncommunications.com/www.mcmilloncommunications.com Francis Rollins, Director Southeast Children`s Fund, welcomes the audience to an informative program, “Promoting Educational Excellence,” at THEARC on Tuesday, April 14. /Photo courtesy Roy Lewis

Community Discusses Strategies for Education of Black Boys By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins If young men of color are to successfully navigate a school system not designed for them, it will take the consistent and concerted efforts of family and community members, members of a panel concluded during a recent forum at a local center. At the community town hall centered on the early education of black boys, the quintet that included educators, researchers, and a clergyman implored an audience of more than 70 people to stimulate their children’s mind in their early years and help them find a sense of self through intense study of African history. “We have to understand the education system isn’t going to educate our children,” said Harim Rashid, a professor from Howard University in Northwest and panelist at the event touted as the Young African-American Boys Town Hall Meeting. The Southeast Children’s Fund, an early childhood education center, organized the two-hour gathering at THEARC in Southeast on Tuesday evening. “We have to get back to the natural order of things and tell our kids their own story,” Rashid, also former chairman of the Department of Human Development and Psychoeducational Studies in Howard’s School of Education, said. “The narrative is that our story started as slaves and we know better. I didn’t learn black history from schools but my father’s book collection.”

Black males, a group that accounts for 43 percent of students enrolled in a D.C.–based school, lag academically behind their peers. By the fourth grade, nearly half of them reading below grade level and less than 50 percent complete high school. According to data compiled by D.C. Public Schools, satisfaction among young boys of color stands at below 20 percent. The issue has caught the attention of local lawmakers. In January, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the launch of Empowering Males of Color, her effort to reduce racial disparities. During the April 14 town hall, the panel, which also included Walter Lundy, education and early childhood consultant, The Rev. Anthony Motley, and kindergarten teacher Dwayne Pinckney, explored what they considered the key causes of the disparities. Throughout much of the night, the panelists drew on their various experiences and explored facets of the young black experience. Pinckney, who teaches a class of mostly males, said that young men have to learn how to express their thoughts with words early on in life to avoid the usual pitfalls of suspension and expulsion. “It’s important that we instill the importance of reading and language so that they can talk out their problems,” Pinckney said. “It’s easier to hit someone than to talk about what’s hurting you. I often struggle to have order in the classroom because there’s so much testosterone. I try to teach my students a lot of life lessons at an early age so they can understand that actions have consequences and they

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have to take ownership for what they do.” Motley, an ordained minister, gave his take on how a spiritual foundation could help many boys of color lead a purpose-driven life. During the discussion, he touched on the tenets of Denise Rolark Barnes African spirituality that he said helps Independent Beauty Consultant black people love each other and all www.marykay/drolark-barnes.com things around them. 202-236-8831 “We must reach that spiritual and knowledge base,” Motley told the audience. “Prayer played an important part in sustaining and developing and producing our people to be resourceful and independent people. Many of our boys are exposed to the wrong things and that’s what’s shaping their minds and motivations. It’s important that we give our black boys the human development that will help them appreciate themselves as human beings.” (301) 864-6070 Local student Jamal Holtz said the forum emboldened him to pursue his dream of working closely with members of the community to address MCCOLLUM & ASSOCIATES, LLC social issues, particularly those that ADA, Age Discrimination, Benefits, Civil Rights, affect males of color. Holtz, a junior COBRA, Contracts, Deaf Law, Defamation, Disability Law, at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Northeast, said he heard about the Discipline, Discrimination, FMLA, FLSA, FOIA, town hall while attending another Family Responsibility, Harassment, HIPPA, OSHA, event at THEARC. National Origin Discrimination, Non-Compete, ‡ Please set all in copy “I see myself enrolling andin upper grad-and lowercase, flush left as indicated on artwork at these point sizes: Consultant name in 11-point Helvetica Neue Bo Beauty Consultant in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light;Discrimination, Web site or e-mail address in 9-point HelveticaAct, Neue Retaliation, Light; phone number in 9-point Helvetica Race Rehabilitation To the with Independent Beauty uating from college a degree in Consultant: Only Company-approved Web sites obtained through the Mary Kay® Personal Web Site program may Severance Agreements, Sexual Harassment, Torts, political science. I will use this inforWhistleblowing, Wage-and-Hour, Wrongful Discharge mation to mentor black boys and show them the right path. My work SERVING MARYLAND, DC, & NORTH CAROLINA will make the community better,” said www.jmlaw.net (301) 864-6070 jmccollum@jmlaw.net Holtz, 17. WI

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Black Facts April 16 1869 - Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett becomes the first African-American to serve in a diplomatic post for the U.S. (Consul-General to Haiti and the Dominican Republic) 1965 - Maj. Gen. B.O. Davis Jr., assistant deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, named lieutenant general, the highest rank attained by a Black to date in the armed services. 1973 - Lelia Smith Foley becomes the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. city (Taft, Oklahoma).

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April 17 1872 – Activist and fiery journalist William Monroe Trotter is born on this day in Boston. A close friend of W.E.B. DuBois, Trotter was one of the most militant black leaders of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He helped found the Niagara Movement, which led to the establishment of the NAACP. Trotter refused to join the NAACP, saying the group was too moderate and elitist. He was also a leading opponent of the accommodationist policies of Booker T. Washington. Trotter’s primary vehicle of expression was his newspaper, the Boston Guardian.

nation’s second-most powerful civil rights organization, after the NAACP. 1971 – Walter Fauntroy becomes the first elected congressional representative from the predominantly black District of Columbia since Reconstruction. However, Fauntroy did not have voting rights. To this day, the Congressional representative from Washington is still not allowed to vote on major legislation. 1978 – Max Robinson becomes the first African-American anchor of a major network television news program when he begins co-anchoring ABC nightly news from Chicago. The Richmond, Virginia, native died of AIDS in Washington, D.C., on December 20, 1988. April 20 1899 – Jazz great Edward “Duke” Ellington is born in Washington, D.C. Ellington was perhaps the greatest of the jazz pioneers, popularizing Jazz with his performances, composing and role as a bandleader. Ellington died in 1974. 1971 – The Supreme Court rules unanimously that the busing of students from schools

of predominantly one race to schools populated mostly by students of another race was a constitutionally accepted method for integrating the nation’s public schools. April 21 1898 – The Spanish American War was fought with major representation of black soldiers from Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois and Kansas. When the black troops returned to America, their reception ranged from parades and speeches in some cities to unfortunate assaults and lynching in other cities. 2003 – African-American song stylist Nina Simone dies in Paris. She was 70 years old. April 22 1919 - S. H. Love, born in 1893 in Colt, Arkansas, served in Europe during World War I where he always claimed later he had passed on to a buddy the idea for a draw theater curtain, as opposed to one that dropped from the ceiling. He did develop an idea to improve military guns, for which he applied and was granted a patent on April 22, 1919.

April 18 1977 – Alex Haley, author of “Roots,” is awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

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April 19 1910 – The National Urban League is formed in New York City. It was established from the merging of the National League for the Protection of Colored Women, National League on Urban Conditions among Negroes and remnants of the Niagara Movement which had earlier helped found the NAACP. Among the leading organizers were Ruth Standish Baldwin and George Edmund Haynes. Originally founded in part to focus on economic issues affecting blacks, today the National Urban League is considered the

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AROUND THE REGION INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY ELTON HAYES

VIEWP INT Rupert English Washington, D.C. The team definitely needs to address some needs on defense. They need to bring in somebody who can rush the quarterback, and they need some defensive backs. They really don’t have anyone, on the back end, who can cover people in the league. They need to draft people for the defensive line, defensive backs, and then maybe an offensive guard or tackle. They’re good at other positions; they just really need players for the defensive line.

Laurence McCoy Washington, D.C. The team has a lot of holes. They really need to shore up the offensive line because they’ve invested a lot of money in the quarterback position. They could also use some help on the defensive line and at safety. Overall, if they can do those things, they might be a competitive unit this year. If it were me, I would definitely bring in some people for the offensive and defensive lines, first.

THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DRAFT WILL BE HELD LATER THIS MONTH. AS THE DRAFT NEARS, WHAT NEEDS SHOULD THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS ADDRESS AS THEY ENTER THE 2015 SEASON?

Richard Bailey Landover, Maryland Before anything, I think people need to have patience – patience with the head coach, patience with the quarterback. The team needs to first make a commitment to a good group of athletes and stick with that before bringing in the drafted players and expecting them to make a change. If they do that, it will give all of the players confidence to do a good job.

Presley Reed Washington, D.C. I feel that the team needs a new coach, more so than individual players. The structure for a winning team could be there, but the coaching staff needs to realize and utilize what they have in the right way. We’ve seen what their draft attempts have already led to. Success will depend on the current coaching staff, more than this year’s draft class.

Alan Kelley Washington, D.C. Honestly, I’m more concerned with the team’s name and logo, than their draft needs. It should be changed. But as far as draft needs, I think they need to go after offensive linemen and defensive linemen. They need the foundation of a good offensive line to protect their quarterback, and the foundation of a good defensive line to pressure and rush opposing quarterbacks and stop the run game. Everything else should fall into place after that.

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AROUND THE REGION MARYLAND from Page 1 that he is going to enter,” Patterson said. “He might be, as we speak, trying to line up some dollars.” On Wednesday, April 8, Baker formally announced his support for Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Democrat who was elected to Congress in 2002 after serving four years in the Maryland House of Delegates and eight years in the Maryland Senate. Van Hollen, 56, is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Center. Baker’s endorsement is seen as key by many because the county executive’s reach extends beyond Prince George’s County’s jurisdiction. “I’ve been able to see how effectively [Van Hollen] worked in our community. He’s been able to bring back resources to the county,” Baker told reporters earlier this month. “We’ve had a long-term, solid relationship that’s built on more than just knowing each other politically. We know each other per-

sonally.” Maryland Democratic Sen. Paul Pinksy said Baker’s endorsement was, in part, done out of loyalty. “I know Rushern Baker served with Chris Van Hollen, and they got to know each other fairly well,” said Pinksy, 65, noting that he wasn’t concerned about the timing. “The longer you don’t endorse, the more people will call on you so you want to get it out of the way, and Baker is clear in mind that he would support Chris.” Baker’s endorsement of Van Hollen also didn’t surprise Prince George’s County Councilman Derrick L. Davis (D-District 6), who also knew of the county executive’s relationship with the Senate candidate. Davis said he will still back Edwards. “Personally, I have enjoyed lengthy conversations with Representative Edwards over the past several years on the progressive political issues of the day and the effect on families here in Prince George’s County and throughout the State of Maryland,” said Davis, 47. “Politically, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy canvassing and campaigning with [Ed-

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Rep. Donna Edwards is trying to become the ﬁrst African-American to represent Maryland in the senate. /Photo courtesy of theseventhstate.com

wards] for like-minded candidates from Prince George’s County across the state. My endorsement of Congresswoman Edwards takes into consideration both her progressive tenure as a congresswoman and her stance on issues affecting families in our shared constituency.” With all things considered, Edwards said his support “is unapologetically [putting] Prince George’s first.” Edwards, 56, won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, becoming the first African-American woman to represent Maryland in Congress. Edwards earned bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish from Wake Forest University as one of just six black women in her class. She later earned a juris doctor degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law and worked for the Lockheed Corp. Some had speculated that Edwards, who has renounced the taking of campaign donations from Wall Street banks, would have trouble raising funds to defeat Van Hollen and other contenders. However, in just two weeks, Edwards raised more than $335,000 from over 3,700 contributors. “The phenomenal number of The Washington Informer

contributors in the first few weeks of the campaign proves that the grassroots community is mobilized behind Donna as the candidate who will lead the fight for progressive values in the Senate,” Garrick Delzell, Edwards’ campaign manager, said in a news release. “With 6,000 people taking action and over 3,700 contributors, Donna is building a campaign that reﬂects the hard work of Maryland families, which says, ‘You don’t ever have to worry about who your next senator will fight for,’” Delzell said. While D.C. Russell, the founder of the Prince George’s County Political blog PG-Politics has been critical of Baker, her criticism didn’t necessarily extend to Baker’s endorsement of Van Hollen. “There maybe little difference between Edwards and Van Hollen in terms of political ideology, but there is a great difference when it comes to other matters,” Russell said. “Van Hollen is a relatively effective member, respected by the leadership and growing into a leadership role. Edwards has been quite ineffective and is not well-regarded by the leadership.” Still, Russell surmises that Baker’s support of Van Hollen is likely because of the county executive’s

belief that Van Hollen would be a more effective ally for Baker’s future political ambitions. “Baker isn’t to be trusted,” Russell said. What’s clear is that a win for Edwards in the race would mean history. Maryland has never had a black senator in its history, a fact that had some believing that Baker, who’s African-American, would back Edwards or Cummings if he ran. “I’m not saying that you should support someone because of their race,” said Cynthia McGinnis, a Temple Hills resident who says she’s a regular political watcher. “But someone gave Rushern Baker a break, and in this case, there’s a lot on the line. I believe that the endorsement of our county executive should in some way reﬂect what the people of our county feel and would support,” McGinnis said. Baker said race simply didn’t enter into the equation when deciding to endorse Van Hollen. “I think Donna is very smart and talented, and I think she’d do a terrific job,” he told reporters. “But, for me, I’m comfortable with Chris’ leadership because of our long-term relationship.”WI

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AROUND THE REGION

WARD 4 TOWN HALL MEETING

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins are co-hosting a town hall meeting to discuss water projects and issues impacting your community.

Nineteen-year-old Patience (left), who was fortunate enough to escape her Boko Haram kidnappers, stands beside her mentor and guide, Emmanuel Ogebe, during a program held on Tuesday, April 14 on the campus of Howard University. /Photo by Roy Lewis

• Water Rates • Clean Rivers • Drinking Water

• Billing Issues • Infrastructure • Job Opportunities

For more information, visit dcwater.com/rates or call the DC Water Office of External Affairs at (202) 787-2200.

Nigerian Girls Forgive But Can’t Forget Organization Helps Those Who Escaped from Boko Haram By D. Kevin McNeir WI Managing Editor With a slow but steady gait, a petite young woman approached a microphone with her audience expecting to hear her share a frightening tale of being kidnapped by terrorists – and how she escaped. But instead, Patience, 19, a former schoolgirl in Chibok, Nigeria, who managed to get away from the terrorist group Boko Haram after they took over her school on April 14, 2014, broke out in song. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see,” she sang. And with that, Patience, one of 10 girls who have been attending school in the U.S., returned to her seat. All 10 continue to look for ways to heal wounds, emotional and physical, that still plague them after their harrowing experience. The program, held at Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel in Northwest on Tuesday, April 14, focused on the one-year anniversary of the abducted Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram. But its organizers said they also wanted to bring more attention to the plethora of challenges that continue to trouble those girls who escaped. In order to tell the story of what happened to the girls, the audience, which totaled over 50 in number, watched an animated cartoon told from the perspective of the girls who escaped. “Many of the girls have since lost their homes (in Nigeria) and family members at the hands of terrorists,” said Emmanuel Ogebe,

a human rights attorney who has helped place several of the girls back in U.S.-based schools. “Patience was the first of several girls with whom I met after their escape,” he said. “For her, it was a long crawl to freedom. But somehow she had the courage to take the first step. She recently lost her father who was being held in a refugee camp.” “In the last eight months, we’ve been able to place 10 girls in schools in America. But they need so many things – and no donations from leading organizations have come in so far to help us. We’re a grassroots organization and we remain committed to our goal,” Ogebe said. Ogebe added that while funds are needed in order to provide food, lodging, clothes and school supplies for the girls, one of the most difficult challenges has been securing visas. “We have had great difficulty obtaining visas from the U.S. Embassy – sometimes we’ve had to pay several times. One girl had hoped to attend school here in the U.S. but couldn’t because we were unable to get a visa for her.” One of the organizers of the program said she, along with a small delegation, planned to meet on Wednesday, April 15 with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in order to secure their support in getting visas for the girls. “These girls were targeted because of the narrow belief that girls should not be educated in certain countries,” said Marcia

THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Brightwood Park United Methodist Church • 744 Jefferson Street, NW

PHIL MENDELSON DC COUNCIL CHAIRMAN

WARD 6 TOWN HALL MEETING

Councilmember Charles Allen and DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins are co-hosting a town hall meeting to discuss water projects and issues impacting your community. • Water Rates • Clean Rivers • Drinking Water

• Billing Issues • Infrastructure • Job Opportunities

For more information, visit dcwater.com/rates or call the DC Water Office of External Affairs at (202) 787-2200.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Seaton Elementary School (Auditorium) • 1503 10th Street, NW

NIGERIAN GIRLS Page 22

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

AROUND THE REGION

Students exercised their right of freedom of speech to protest anti-gay sentiments of Westboro Baptist Church when their members recently came to the school’s campus. /Photo courtesy Howard University

Anti-Gay Protest Backfires at Howard University By Rachel Kersey Westboro Baptist Church, the infamous unaffiliated church known for its hateful, unorthodox protests, especially against homosexuality, brought its hate speech to Howard University – and the university’s students and staff fought back. Armed with picket signs, the organization, which has been denounced by the two largest Baptist denominations, gathered on Sixth Street on Howard’s campus on Friday, April 10, to denounce OUTlaw, Howard University School of Law’s organization for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender and queer students. “AMERICA IS DOOMED,” “MOURN FOR YOUR SINS” and “GOD H8S FAG MARRIAGE,” the signs read. One featured a depiction of anal sex. “It is a shameful sight to see the way that these young people behave, and the parents teachers and preachers have done that to them,” the church said on its website in explaining why it came to Howard. “They have no chance when they stand before the Great White throne on Judgment Day. We come in hopes that one little lamb is out there and may be called to repentance by the Lord their God.” Howard students met Westboro’s signs with their own. Dressed in all black or rainbow colors, the students held signs that read “HOWARD <3s OUR LGBTQ,” “ALL BLACK LOVE MATTERS” and “GOD LOVES EVERYONE.” Nearly 100 students gathered at the ﬂagpole and marched to the corner of Sixth Street

10 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

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and Howard Place, where they promptly turned their backs on Westboro. With fists raised in defiance, the sea of students sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and more than one student shed a few tears. Only 20 minutes after starting, Westboro headed down the hill to the taunts of Howard students, who turned around to send them on their way. “I thought it was perfect,” said Nia Johnson, a junior economics major. “I definitely felt the love, and I felt proud. I was actually happy it ended early. Our power showed them that it wasn’t worth it here.” Amber Mason, president of OUTlaw, agreed. “This sort of hate-filled rhetoric is not condoned on our campus, and we want to show them that through a show of solidarity,” Mason said. “That’s now how we think here at Howard. We are inclusive, we’re accepting, and their kind of speaking and behavior will not be condoned.” Lydia Durﬂer, the organizer of the student protest, said she did it because LGBT community at Howard is often slighted. “I don’t think it gets enough outright support from the Howard community, especially where the administration and faculty is concerned,” said Durﬂer, a senior political science major and an Amnesty International intern. “And if we had a group on campus saying derogatory things about black folk and we weren’t doing something to build ourselves up in the midst of that,

ANTI-GAY Page 12

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ANTI-GAY from Page 10 that would seem pretty crazy. The same goes for the LGBTQ community.” Joshua Narcisse, president of the Chapel Assistants, an interfaith organization with Howard’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, said his organization stands against Westboro Baptist Church. “One of the dominant themes in Christianity is love,” Narcisse said. “So, at the end of the day, whether it be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism, this love or respect for humanity is at the center of the work that the chapel does. And this is really just a part of us affirming that.” Tyleah Hawkins, a senior broadcast journalism major, also objected to Westboro’s beliefs and its tactics. “I’m a Christian, but I’ve always been an advocate for gay rights,” Hawkins said. “I don’t agree with preaching hate. I am a proud Christian. I love Jesus … and I feel like Jesus would be out here protesting with me.” “In the end, the protest – both sides – was one chapter of the rich social and political saga of the university, and there is undoubtedly more to follow,” said the Rev. Bernard Richardson, dean of the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. “This is Howard University,” Richardson said. “Protests and all the other things are what happen here at Howard. It’s part of our legacy. It’s part of our history.” WI

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Youth Make Most of Spring Break

Kendyl Watson, 10, of Fairmount Heights, right, builds a tower using Legos with Zoey Marshall, 5, of Seat Pleasant at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center on April 8. The girls participated in a leisure activity to incorporate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through the use of Legos. Shaun Seymor, 43, a library associate at the Fairmount Heights Library, led the lesson. Photo by William J. Ford

Shaun Seymor, 43, library associate at the Fairmount Heights Library, assisted Luther Miller, 10, left, and Kevin Parker, 7, both of Seat Pleasant, to ﬁnd various pieces of Legos at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center on April 8. The boys participated in a leisure activity to incorporate STEM through the use of Legos. Seymour led the lesson. Photo by William J. Ford

Shaun Seymor, 43, library associate at the Fairmount Heights Library, watched (from left to right) Zoey Marshall, 5, of Seat Pleasant, Kendyl Watson, 10, of Fairmount Heights, and Makenzie Stevenson, 6, of Seat Pleasant, construct a tower using Legos at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center on April 8. The girls participated in a leisure activity to incorporate STEM through the use of Legos. Seymour led the activity. Photo by William J. Ford

Jessica Hall, 29, a sixthgrade science teacher at Thomas Johnson Middle School in Lanham, gives instructions for children to conduct one of three science experiments April 9 at Beltway Church of Christ in Camp Springs. About 50 children participated in a weeklong program at the church that featured activities such as dodge ball, a ﬁeld trip to the National Museum of National History in Northwest and life skills discussions for teenagers. Photo by William J. Ford

Prince George’s County Department of the Environment sponsors for one day only

Jamal Jefferson, 15, of Camp Springs, and Amber Kromah, 24, of Bladensburg, serve breakfast to children April 9 at Beltway Church of Christ in Camp Springs. About 50 children participated in a weeklong program at the church that featured activities such as dodge ball, a ﬁeld trip to the National Museum of National History in Northwest and life skills discussions for teenagers. Photo by William J. Ford

Learn to reduce water usage, prevent soil erosion and reduce the use of herbicides in your home gardens by applying mulch. Prince George’s County residents only Only non-commercial vehicles, 3/4 ton maximum weight No business vehicle signage will be permitted; all commercial signs should be covered or removed prior to entering the site SOURCE REDUCTION TIPS Use mulch to suppress weed growth and provide nutrients. Grass Cycle: Use a mulching mower to finely shred your mowed grass and leave it on the lawn. Start a backyard compost pile

14 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

A skid loader will be available to load mulch into pickup trucks.

Citizens and residents transporting mulch by car should bring their own containers and shovels or pitchforks.

This mulch is primarily derived from the Christmas tree collections. For more information, please call County Click 3-1-1.

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Kyla Hill, 16, of New Carrollton, center, helps set up one of three science experiments for children to conduct April 9 at Beltway Church of Christ in Camp Springs. About 50 children participated in a weeklong program at the church that featured activities such as dodge ball, a ﬁeld trip to the National Museum of National History in Northwest and life skills discussions for teenagers. Photo by William J. Ford

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDUCATION BRIEFS

Black Fraternity, Police Officer in Hot Water

The crest of one of the oldest black fraternities, Kappa Alpha Psi. /Courtesy photo

Face Multimillion-Dollar Lawsuits for Hazing By Khari Arnold Howard University News Service

Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious black fraternities, is facing multimillion-dollar lawsuits for alleged hazing, the latest by a 45-year-old Washington man who said he was paddled and beaten with a cane by members, including a Prince George’s County police officer. Harry Draughn Jr. filed a $2 million lawsuit Tuesday, March 31, against Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and its member police Officer Jesse Stewart Jr. after allegedly being hazed as a spring 2015 pledge of the Hyattsville/ Landover Alumni Chapter of the fraternity, according to court documents. Kappa Alpha Psi is already facing a $4 million lawsuit filed in January against it, its Baltimore alumni chapter and several members for allegedly hazing another man. As a result of the new lawsuit, Stewart, 49, who served as the dean of the intake process for the Hyattsville/Landover alumni chapter, has been charged with a misdemeanor and suspended pending an investigation, Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw said. “When one of our officers is accused of wrongdoing, we take those allegations seriously,” Magaw said in a statement. “The Prince George’s County Police Department holds our officers to high standards, whether they are on or off duty.” Stewart, a 21-year member of the police department, faces up to five years in prison on misdemeanor reckless endangerment charges. Court documents state the alleged hazing began in February when Draughn and his line brothers were brought to Stewart’s garage to be smacked, hit, caned and paddled. Pledges were also brought inside Stewart’s home, where they rubbed lotion on the off-duty officer as he sat in a kitchen chair, according to the complaint. Draughn also said he

was required to do tasks around Stewart’s home in his underwear. Draughn’s suit said he suffered emotional anguish and humiliation. “I think it’s just degrading,” Draughn said in an interview. “When we signed up for Kappa Alpha Psi, we signed documents saying there wouldn’t be any hazing.” Draughn also said Stewart asked him inappropriate sexual questions. In September of 2014, the fraternity placed a national moratorium on membership intake for its undergraduate and alumni chapters amid hazing issues. The moratorium was lifted in January for graduate chapters. “When they lifted it, they did not change any policies or procedures,” said Draughn’s attorney, Jimmy Bell. “That is mind-boggling. You admit that you have a problem, and you don’t correct it. And then the very next month my client’s getting hazed.” Calls seeking comment were not returned by Stewart, the Kappa Alpha Psi headquarters in Philadelphia, and the Kappa Alpha Psi Grand Polemarch (National President) William “Randy” Bates Jr. Draughn alleged that Stewart first hazed him in February, but it was a March 23 incident that caused him to file suit. “Since the beating on March 23, 2015, plaintiff has had to sit on a pillow while driving and is suffering from lower back pain, has not been able to sleep and has felt depressed,” the lawsuit alleges. After he’d had enough, Draughn said, he complained to the fraternity and asked that the $3,000 he paid to join the organization be refunded, but his request was denied. “We never thought that we were paying $3,000 to join a gang,” he said. “That’s not what we signed up for.” Bell said he has been a member of Kappa Alpha Psi for 30 years. He said he never endured hazing when he joined. Hazing among fraternities was common during that era. The situation is different today, Bell said.

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“Here’s the difference between now and then: It is against the law,” he said. “I’m doing what’s right, so hopefully they’ll still be around in the next 50 years. It’s better to take a (financial) hit and

change your policies than to not exist anymore.” Bell said he believes that until the better measures are put in place by leaders of fraternities and other organizations, injuries,

Prince George’s County Saturday, April 25, 2015 Watkins Regional Park

deaths like the one at Florida A&M University, and lawsuits will continue to happen. “It’s a social organization,” he said. “Nobody should get hurt pledging.” WI

Washington, D.C. Saturday, May 2, 2015 Nationals Park

For more information on a walk near you, please visit marchforbabies.org Prince George’s Co. presenting sponsor:

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Washington, D.C. presenting sponsor:

Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

HIGHLAND RESIDENTIAL LP REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR RELOCATION SERVICES RFP No. - HRLP 0002-2015

HIGHLAND RESIDENTIAL LP (HRLP) is a District of Columbia Limited Partnership and an affiliate of the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA). HRLP is seeking to solicit sealed bids from qualified, Contractors to furnish the labor, materials, equipment, travel, transportation and other necessary services necessary for and incidental to providing quality professional relocation services. The exact nature and extent of the services will be conducted as detailed within the above mentioned solicitation. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS will be available at the District of Columbia Housing Authority Procurement Office, 1133 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 300, Office of Administrative Services, Washington, D.C. 20002-7599 (Issuing Office); between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, April 13, 2015. SEALED PROPOSALS ARE DUE: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 @ 11:00 a.m. at the Issuing Oﬃce identified above. The solicitation is also available via DCHA’s website at www.dchousing.org. Please contact Lolita Washington, Contract Specialist at 202-535-1212 for additional information.

Caregiver Needed I’m In need of an experienced Middle Aged/Elderly Caregiver to start work immediately. I can offer $15 per hour, he/she would be working for up to 5 hours daily Mon-Fri for my 7 year old Son. If interested please contact me at Gwenmelissa96@gmail.com

Forrester Construction Company Bid Opportunity Project: Smithsonian Institution NMNH HVAC Renovation Halls 2 -6 th Project Location: 10 Street & Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC Bid Date: Thursday, May 14, 2015 11 AM Subcontractors with the following certiﬁcations are especially encouraged to submit a proposal:

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For more information contact Michelle Evans in writing, mevans@forresterconstruction.com or Fax 866-405-1913 16 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

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BUSINESS BUSINESS EXCHANGE

Are Blacks Losing Momentum? Momentum: A force or speed of movement Blacks made significant strides in legislation and economics over the past 40 years. Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia are prime examples of Blacks’ successes circa 1970s, 80s and 90s. The cities were seats of power in government and politics. Black mayors and legislators in these cities spawn the nation’s two wealthiest majority-Black counties. Mayors Marion Barry and Maynard Jackson made Black lives and opportunities better in D.C. and “Hotlanta” [Atlanta, Ga.] with their “consciousness of ” and “adherence to” equal government employment and contracting through significant minority “set aside” programs. Black-led governments in D.C. and Atlanta played prime roles in the economic evolution of Prince George’s County, Maryland and DeKalb County, Georgia. But while Blacks in both metropolitan areas basked in their prosperity and cosmopolitan shopping habits, Blacks in the core cities lost their political majorities to become “victims” of mainstream and “colorblind”-oriented politicians. As Blacks with mainstream orientations paid scant attention, not only the complexion of Washington government changed, but so have its mindset and priorities, as well. Now that Black people are no longer the “prime players” in town, the perils of “multi-culturalism” are upon us. It’s time Blacks take heed that the current crop of city officials have no priority to ensure that equitable monies from District contracts end up in the hands of qualified Black and minority businesses. Surely Blacks in D.C. have to “wake up”! Wider support is needed toward persuading the City Council legislative body to adhere to the integrity and intent of the 35 percent set aside rule and procedure on the Department of Corrections’ contract, and all D.C. contracts. The case in point is for the health and care of the District of Columbia’s overwhelmingly-Black inmate population. The District’s Office of Contracting and Procurement has recommended awarding the three-year, $66 million contract to provide medical, mental health, pharmacy and den-

By William Reed tal services to inmates to Corizon Health Inc. For purposes of securing the local contract, Corizon which has operations in many jurisdictions, has partnered with a local certified business firm, MBI Health Services. MBI Health Services, LLC is a D.C.-based Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) healthcare provider with a payroll of over 500 personnel. To maintain the impetus they’ve had, D.C. Blacks should level scrutiny on this specific contract. Because the D.C. Council appears bent on withholding the ability of managing care of inmates at Washington’s Central Detention Facility and Correctional Treatment Facility from Corizon/MBI, some are raising spurious arguments regarding lawsuits against Corizon at other state prisons. The overall economics of local citizens would bode well if groups like the National Business League of Greater Washington (NBLGW) had their way. NBLGW has sounded an alarm that despite being chosen by the mayor and D.C. procurement officials and their staff, the Council may “override” their contracting recommendations and obligations. Despite no promise on their part to involve local minorities, some council members seek to keep the city contract with Unity Heath Care and would provide a “waiver” that keeps Unity. Such a move would illustrate hubris run amok and wrought negative consequences on Blacks’ economic development and wealth-building. It’s vital that local citizens demand that Corizon/MBI be given their “just due” toward providing health care at the D.C. Department of Corrections; and that set aside rules be adhered to, and Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs), which are often predominantly Black and disadvantaged, receive

REED Page 17

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BUSINESS

cross fingers fight global warming.com

Thousands of participants attend a Sneaker Con exhibition. DC residents will have their chance on Saturday, April 18. /Photo courtesy Sneaker Con

Sneaker Con Returns to DC The Business of Sneakers Provides Outlet By Sarafina Wright WI Intern Sneaker Con, the greatest sneaker show on Earth, will bring sneaker lovers together to buy, sell, trade and learn how to turn their passion into profit. The daylong event on Saturday, April 18, will host over 250 vendors, attracting an estimated 20,000 fans at DC Armory in Southeast. Events DC Senior Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Eric Moses had the idea to bring Sneaker Con to the District over two years ago. “I was in Dulles airport coming from a business trip, and I saw on the monitors there was a promotion for a sneaker show, and I thought that would be cool to bring to D.C.,” Moses said. A year later, Moses heard an ad on the radio about a Sneaker Con event in Prince George’s

REED from Page 16 preference over non-profit organizations on city contracts. A Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) is a business or institution initiated or operated for the purpose of making a profit. It is at least 51 percent owned, operated and con-

County and decided to check it out for himself. “I went to the PG County sports complex where this Sneaker Con event was, and I was amazed. It was thousands of people from all walks of life and every demographic you can think of buying and selling shoes. I knew then I definitely wanted to bring this to D.C.,” Moses said. Sneaker Con was founded in New York City in 2009 by a group of friends who wanted to take their passion for sneakers mainstream. Its popularity has soared with social media and tour dates across the country. “D.C. was the second city we went to when we started our shows, after New York City. We love D.C. because it is a cultural capital for sneaker heads,” William Debord, co-founder, said. Debord believes Sneaker Con is a fun, cultural event, but it is

also educational. “The young kids who come out are learning the business of commerce from an early age. Joining the resale culture, they see firsthand how to make money off of collecting sneakers,” Debord said. Not only will Sneaker Con include vendors for buying, selling and trading, but it will also offer a sneaker legitimacy check station, where fans can bring their shoes to see if they are authentic free of charge. The first 25 fans through the door will be eligible for a custom paint job on their own sneakers for free, which typically runs $200-300. “We’ve been able to have this cultural movement simply by word-of-mouth. When people come, they see it’s not just teenagers playing; it’s really a business, and it’s fun,” Moses said. WI

trolled on a daily basis by ethnic minorities. A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a non-business entity is an organization that uses its surplus revenues to further achieve its purpose or mission, rather than distributing its surplus income to the organization’s directors (or equivalents) as profit or dividends. Let’s retain

some semblances of the days local Blacks were sought out as partners, and make sure city contracting funds go to local qualified businesses. WI

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

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WI Community Calendar

Explore a list of upcoming community events including festivals, art and cultural events, workshops, classes and neighborhood meetings, sporting events and tournaments in and around DC, Maryland and Virginia on our online community calendar at www.washingtoninformer.com. If you have an event you would like to include on our community calendar, please email the details and attach a jpeg document (if available) to news@washingtoninformer.com. Please include your name, email address and daytime phone number.

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Walter E. Fauntroy Family Fund Those who wish to help the Walter Fauntroy Family can write checks payable to the to the fund’s fiduciary agent National Congress of Black Women in Memo Section write: “Walter E. Fauntroy Family Fund” mail to: 1250 Fourth St. SW, Suite WG-1, Washington, D.C., 20024 18 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

According to the AJS report, more than 40 percent of Black enrollees and more than half of White enrollees didn’t know which services were covered under their health plans and which services they would pay for out-of-pocket. /Courtesy Photo

Blacks Missing Out on ‘Obamacare’ Savings

By Freddie Allen NNPA Senior Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – As health care costs continue to cause concerns for the poor, nearly 40 percent of African Americans and about half of whites didn’t know that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can help those that need it the most to cover some of those costs. According to the new report by the Alliance for a Just Society (AJS), a national research network that analyzes health issues including Medicaid, prescription drugs and insurance industry practices play a major role in coverage savings. In the report titled, “Breaking Barriers: Improving health insurance enrollment and access to health care,” researchers detailed the stories of 1,200 low- to moderate-income earners, living in 10 states (California, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas). Six of those states refused to expand Medicaid programs using federal funds, effectively pushing many poor people into the coverage gap and limiting their access to health care. The AJS report said that the rejection of Medicaid expansion in those states remained the most significant barrier to health care for the poor and African Americans. In the report, Linda Quick, president of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare AssociThe Washington Informer

ation, said, “Trying to convince legislators with economic arguments has not persuaded the supposedly ‘business-oriented’ chambers-of-commerce-backed legislators about Medicaid expansion. Their objection is clearly ideological, not practical.” Most states – 28 and Washington, D.C. – have expanded Medicaid and blacks accounted for 16.7 percent of the marketplace enrollees and whites made up 62.9 percent of the enrollees. The second enrollment period just ended in February 2015 and 11.4 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance coverage through marketplace exchanges. But cost technology and language access created barriers that made it more difficult for some to register, especially poor people of color. According to the report, less than half of the African-American respondents had email addresses (49.3 percent) and only 47.7 percent had Internet at home, below the national average, compared to 64.8 percent of whites who had email addresses and 77.5 percent with Internet at home. Antron McKay-West of Upgrade Mississippi, a youth development and community program in Ridgeland, said that it’s so rural, most people can’t imagine life there. “Most people don’t have Internet. If they do, it is very slow; it’s not the technology most are used to,” McKay-West, who

grew up in the Mississippi Delta, said in the AJS report. “During enrollment, some people were told to just go to the library and use the Internet. In the neighborhood where I grew up, the library is 15 miles away.” More than 40 percent of black enrollees and more than half of white enrollees didn’t know which services were covered under their health plans and which services they would pay for outof-pocket. The report offered a number of recommendations, including expanding Medicaid in the 22 states that refused federal funding, ensuring that all health plans cover yearly check-ups, immunizations and screenings at no additional cost and measuring results by collecting data on by race, ethnicity, primary language, gender, disability, and sexual orientation. The report also recommended expanding school-based health clinics in underserved communities. LeeAnn Hall, the executive director of AJS, said, “We will continue to fight to see that disparities are addressed and that these recommendations are put in place.” Gary Delgado, the author of the report and a longtime civil and human rights leader, said that the Affordable Care Act is a big, new house built on the old foundation. “We’re still not serving people of color,” said Delgado. “We need to build a more inclusive health care system.” WI

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

HEALTH

Program Targets Prevalence of Diabetes By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer The statistics are sobering, if not eye-opening. More than 52,000 District residents live with diabetes, and those in Wards 4, 5, 7 and 8 have the highest mortality rate from the debilitating disease. For the officials at the American Diabetes Association in Alexandria, Virginia, the numbers are far too high, and while officials at the nonprofit organization are concerned about everyone, they have put a bulls-eye on women, who are seen typically as the health care champion in the home and the individual who’s most responsible for preparing healthy meals. “We don’t have a grasp on how serious a disease diabetes is and how increasingly common it is,” said Dr. Michelle Gourdine,

who serves on the board of the ADA. “Sometimes people refer to diabetes as having a touch of sugar, and it makes it seems harmless. But it’s not,” Gourdine said. “People with diabetes are susceptible to heart disease, going blind, losing limbs, all terrible outcomes to a disease that we can take steps to prevent in the first place.” ADA officials said nearly 12.6 million women in the country are affected by diabetes, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes is more than double in the African-American community. To address this, the Maryland chapter of the ADA held a screening event on March 24, for which it invited more than 100 women to take ADA’s Diabetes Risk Test. Of the women taking the

test, the ADA plans to select 50 to participate in “Fabulous You!” — a nine-month educational, interactive diabetes wellness program geared toward helping women take control of their health. “Clearly, we’re targeting women not because they’re the only ones affected, but we understand women are often the gateway to health care that may inﬂuence their mates to take care of their health,” Gourdine said. “We [women] prepare the meals and many other things, and we want to make sure that women also focus on themselves by providing self-care, which isn’t a selfish thing.” Gourdine said it’s her belief that women were raised to be natural providers, nurturing and putting others ahead of themselves. “But we shouldn’t leave our-

Dr. Gilbert Daniel, Internal Medicine and Maribel Torres, RN, Chief Nursing Officer

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More than 52,000 individuals in the District live with diabetes, according to ﬁgures provided by the American Diabetes Association. /Photo courtesy American Diabetes Association.

selves out of the equation by not taking care of us,” she said. According to a recent study published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 40 percent of women are mothers with children under 16 years of age living at home, and over 80 percent of those women shoulder the main responsibility for taking care of their children’s health. Developed as a science-based and culturally relevant community initiative, “Fabulous You!” is also an interactive learning experience designed to address diabetes management for a select cohort of women who are living with or are at high risk for diabetes. The program begins with “Diabetes Care Day,” a women’s screening event, to capture biometrics and a level of commitment to improving health. It will also feature cooking demonstrations, supermarket tours, fitness demonstrations, motivational talks and incentives. “We will tour the supermarket and the healthy and unhealthy parts of the supermarket,”

Gourdine said. Participants will be connected to mentors who will support them in achieving their goals during and after the program, as well as receiving medication management provided by the University Of Maryland School Of Pharmacy. The inaugural program participants will support next year’s class as mentors, Gourdine said. “We are certainly looking for those who will support this going forward with funding and resources,” she said. ADA officials will track participants to ensure effectiveness and to help decrease weight, which Gourdine said contributes to diabetes. “What’s most important to us is not only to motivate the women but to show real control and positive health outcomes from this program,” she said. WI For more information, visit www. diabetes.org, and to take a diabetes test, visit www.diabetes.org/are-youat-risk/diabetes-risk-test. “We don’t have a grasp on how serious a disease diabetes is and how increasingly common it is,” said Dr. Michelle Gourdine. /Photo courtesy of American Diabetes Association.

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EDUCATION The “Dumbing Down” of American Education By Kevin Chavous Early in 2001, when I was the chair of the education committee on the Council of the District of Columbia, I was talking with the D.C. Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vance about the intense debate over standards at the time. Federal lawmakers were debating whether to tie federal dollars that were earmarked to the states to having the state’s school age children academically proficient by 2014. Under this proposal, those states whose students failed to meet this standard would lose their expected federal education dollars. As Superintendent Vance and I went back and forth about how difficult it would be for states to measure up under the proposed law, he finally waved his hand and said to me, “Well, Councilman, the reality is that even if this law passes, the states will work around it. Very few states, if any, will meet these new requirements by 2014 so two things will happen: some states will lower their existing standards and the federal government will give many states waivers from the law’s mandates so they can still get their federal funds.” The law, which was passed in 2001, would ultimately be known as No Child Left Behind. And Superintendent Vance was right. Now that we are in 2015, the U.S. Department of Education has given over 44 waivers to states that did not do what they promised to do – enhance the academic enrichment of their children. That’s right. The federal government regularly socially promotes states who are failing our children. During this same time period, some states aggressively questioned the need for rigorous standards, leaning on states’ rights arguments, even though the right to a quality education for all children may be lacking in their state. What’s worse, however, is the evidence pouring out of the felony racketeering trial in Atlanta, where 11 teachers were convicted of conspiring to change their students’ test scores to make it look as though Atlanta schoolchildren were doing better on tests than they actually were. Twenty-one other teachers pled guilty to lesser charges in the scheme. In all, some 180 employees, including a mix of

teachers, testing coordinators and 38 principals, had engaged in an organized and systemic cheating scheme in at least 44 Atlanta schools involving falsification of student learning data by inﬂating test scores to make the district look better. Adding insult to obvious injury, these teachers would brazenly have eraser parties following the testing period to cele-

brate their conspiratorial success at cheating. All of these factors point to one thing: we no longer have a learning culture in America. Indeed, we have dumbed down education and learning that the education of our children is embodied by meaningless platitudes, hollow promises and just plain dishonesty. Even among those

responsible for providing or overseeing the delivery of K-12 educational services in America, a new culture of excuses and “reasons why” we can’t teach all children exists. Sadly, the unspoken truth is that many do not believe that all children can learn. The time has come for the American people to demand more and get more from those

vested with the fiduciary responsibility to teach our children. We should no longer accept the false promise of better schools tomorrow because our leaders point to selective, marginal and incremental improvements scattershot around the country today. WI For more views from Chavous, go to washingtoninformer.com

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

EDUCATION NIGERIAN GIRLS from Page 9 L. Dyson, Ph.D., founder of the Women’s Global Initiative. “The Chibok girls were kidnapped and while a small number did escape, the fate of several hundred others remains unknown. We believe they have become victims of trafficking and been forced into marriages. We must remind the world that the lives of black women matter too,” Dyson said. Dr. Eta Mecha, founder and CEO of the Petersburg, Virginia-based World Ebony Network [WEN], partnered with Dyson and said her group has been working to integrate and strengthen families since their founding in 2006. “We call our program Fast Intercultural/Integration Transition In . . . [FIITin] America Program and for our girls – our sisters – it’s important to have a tool that makes it easier for them to learn new cultures, new ways of life and new languages in places that have now become their homes,” Mecha said. “The key is helping them integrate into American society without losing their identity. They have undergone so many forms of trauma – some of them become bullies which serves as a defense mechanism – others become victims of bullying because they’re different and unable to adjust.”

22 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

One colleague of Mecha’s said he’s committed to improving the lives of the girls who escaped. “The outreach and benevolence of families here in America have been crucial in our efforts to help these girls get on with their lives,” said Colonel Frank Underwood, Sr., chairman of the board, WEN. “One can only imagine where these girls would be and the direction their lives may have taken without our friends and neighbors extending their arms in solidarity. These girls are members of our neighborhood and we will continue to do all we can to make their current and future lives much better,” said Underwood, a resident of Petersburg, Virginia. Dyson described the day as an “historical moment.” “We’ve heard the testimony of one girl who comes from what many would consider to be a remote part of the world. But what’s so profound is how she has asked us to pray for Boko Haram. She stands like a Harriet Tubman. She has forgiven her oppressors. Now we must engage in action. The work continues,” Dyson said. For more information or to provide ﬁnancial assistance, go to worldebonynetwork.com WI

There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance, as seen in this photo, when DC Emancipation 2015, supported by the Mayor’s Ofﬁce, takes place on Thursday, April 16 / Courtesy photo

DC Emancipation Day 2015, Star-Studded Event Emancipation Day helps push for DC statehood By Sarafina Wright WI Intern D.C. Emancipation Day 2015 will be a star-studded event on April 16 in Freedom Plaza, featuring a concert, parade, celebrity lunch panel, fireworks and festivities. Celebrities who will partake in the event are “Empire’s” Malik Yoba, musician Mali Music, actor Jeffrey Wright and former president of Bennett College Julianne

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Malveaux. Emancipation Day is a big deal to native Washingtonians. On April 16, 1862, approximately 3,000 enslaved Africans were freed eight months before the official Emancipation Proclamation. “Emancipation Day is important to Washingtonians because it serves as a reminder of the bold and courageous act of giving black Americans their freedom in the District,” said Josh Burch, co-founder and president of Neighbors United for DC Statehood and native Washingtonian. On April 16, 2005, D.C. Emancipation Day was observed for the first time as a legal public holiday. Newly elected mayor Muriel Bowser has shown great support for the event, unlike other mayors in recent years. “Mayor Bowser has put her full support behind Emancipation Day 2015. She is a Washingtonian, and she spent 20 months in the community campaigning for the seat she occupies now - she has made commitments that she has kept,” said LaToya Foster, communications director for Bowser. D.C. Emancipation Day 2015 is sponsored by the mayor’s Office of the Secretary, in partnership with D.C. Archives, the African American Civil War Museum and At-Large Council member Vincent B. Orange. Notable events of the day will include a prayer breakfast at The Willard Hotel; a lunch panel discussing race, justice and equality at The Hamilton; a Selma screening on Freedom Plaza; and a candle light vigil. “This isn’t just a day dear to

Washingtonians; it is dear to all residents of the District because it is part of our national history. This year, it is a little more unique because April 15 marks the 150year anniversary of President Lincoln’s assassination,” said Foster. D.C. Emancipation Day is not only a day for celebration but also a motivator for grassroots groups fighting for D.C. statehood. “On Emancipation Day, we will have our first statehood advocacy day of the 114th Congress. We are sick and tired of being used as a bargaining chip. We should have the right to be represented, and that is our goal,” said Burch. During the advocacy meeting, Burch and his group are looking to build support for the statehood bill that Sen. Tom Carper (D-Delaware) will introduce next week. “We are not fighting against oppression, but we are fighting for liberation.” In the spirit of Emancipation Day and freedom, Bowser is in full support of D.C. statehood. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), who represents the District of Columbia, is allowed to vote in congressional committees but not on the House ﬂoor. “Mayor Bowser strongly believes the District should have full privileges in Congress. The people of the District are taxpaying citizens who should have the same representation as everyone else,” said Foster. WI

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Sustainable DC When it comes to being a sustainable city, the District of Columbia has posted some impressive leadership numbers. And now we have another top mark to add to our green credentials. Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the D.C. region has more ENERGY STAR® certified buildings than any other metro area in the country—dethroning Los Angeles for the first time since the rankings began in 2009. And as of early April, the District was also home to more LEED-certified projects than any other city in the nation, meaning buildings in our city are using less energy while cutting more pollution in the process. As we approach Earth Day, I encourage residents and businesses to consider the value in living and working in a sustainable city. Energy-efficient green buildings save money, create jobs and provide a healthier quality of life for residents and businesses. The Washington region’s 480 ENERGY STAR buildings have reduced their combined energy use by an amount equivalent to what 73,500 homes use in a year – and saved $127 million on energy costs. With those numbers, it is clear that smart energy use makes smart economic sense. We are also creating energy-efficiency programs as a way to create good-paying local jobs. The DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), a partnership with the District Government, provides incentives and support to residents and businesses and has created 204 jobs since it was established in 2011. In the last fiscal year alone, the DCSEU has created 82 jobs and invested $18.5 million in energy efficiency—including $6.1 million in low-income services—which will generate approximately $105 million in lifetime energy cost savings for customers. In addition to greening our buildings, we are also greening our lands. Nearly 100 percent of District residents now live within a half-mile walk from a park or public space. Last year, the District once again exceeded the ambitious yearly tree canopy goals found in our Sustainable DC Plan by planting 11,593 trees. These trees help to cool and beautify our city while preventing flooding and creating habitat for wildlife. But deploying green buildings and planting thousands of trees are not the only tools we are using to build a sustainable city. The District was the first U.S. city to impose a fee on single-use disposable plastic and paper bags. We are now doubling down on those efforts by banning non-biodegradable items, like plastic foam containers, that often are found in our rivers and stay around for hundreds of years. I am proud that our city is becoming greener, but we must also have a more holistic approach to our mission. We cannot achieve true sustainability if all residents cannot afford to live in the District as it improves. This is why I have established a program that covers the full cost to install solar panels on at least 130 single-family homes owned or rented by low-income District residents. Also, to ensure public transit service remains intact and fees are not raised, I have proposed increasing the tax on parking garages by four percent. Ultimately, I am committed to leading the way on sustainability while continuing to find ways to create and preserve pathways to the middle class. Because when it comes to facing climate change and growing our economy, we do not have to choose one over the other. The District is proving that our environmental policies are saving money, cutting pollution and improving the lives of more residents, now and for generations to come. n

- MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER ®

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

D.C.’s Environment Chief Spreads Green Message By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmon During an open house at the DC Department of the Environment on March 15, Mayor Muriel Bowser talked about one of her predecessor’s signature programs: Sustainable DC. Former Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s commitment to a healthy, green and livable city is reflected in a range of programs and projects which during his tenure raised the District’s status as a national leader in urban sustainability. When Gray left office, he left behind a green legacy that includes more than 200 LEED-certified and energy star-certified green buildings, 7,600 acres of parks and open spaces, 55 miles of bike paths, lanes and facilities and a threefold increase in the use of renewal energy. Bowser said she remains passionate about improving and enhancing the District’s urban environment and helping residents become healthier and the environment around them greener. And she selected former Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells to head the department. “While I was on the (D.C.) Council, it became clear to me that the decisions we make are 50-year decisions, such as transportation or building a soccer stadium,” she said. “We’re making decisions for this generation and shaping decisions for the next one. We inherited it and we have to leave it better for the next generation.” “On Jan 2, I inherited the past successes of my predecessors. I inherited some ‘lu-lus’ but I also inherited some good things. And one of those good things is sustainable DC. I will make recommendations about what we should keep, push harder on the things we have to add. And if we have to change or delete, we’ll do that too. We want to make sure that we’re building on the successes of your hard work and the work of leaders who have preceded us. And push the District even farther,” Bowser said. Bowser said she, Wells and their respective staffs have been looking at ways to have more synergy in shaping how they make transportation, economic development and preservation decisions that will continue to deliver and build

on Sustainable DC. All of what the administration desires to do will be lopsided if it doesn’t broaden the constituency of people engaged in the green movement, Wells said. Too often, he said, environmental issues are regarded as a white, middle-class issue. But climate change, exposure to pesticides, poor air quality and the raft of other environmental issues affect everyone of every color but affects the poor and those with limited resource disproportionately. “I know that when I was introducing projects east of the (Anacostia) River, seniors were concerned. They remember when they could swim in the Anacostia River,” Wells said. “They were talking about how things were and could be. There is a way to talk about environmental issues. I’ve heard from pulpits about stewardship. It’s our duty is to take care of things around us.” Wells said he’s quite concerned about the disproportionate number of problems in poor areas of the city, such as asthma. “The ozone, car exhaust, living downwind of a cold burning plant – these are a problem for people without resources,” he said. “The president talked recently about the problem of global warming. This isn’t an issue for one demographic. Sometimes this is viewed as white, middle-class thing but we all have a duty. The history of our elders calls on us to clean up the environment. We have to do it for ourselves and for our children. We will work extra hard East of the River to engage residents and have dialogues about environmental responsibilities. It makes sense.” Wells said it’s necessary to strike a balance between residents’ needs and policy objectives. The challenge facing those who’re environmental advocates is the presence and level of political will to move the needle in any significant way. “That’s the struggle we’re in today – political will,” he said. Wells said city and civic leaders in the District have been active and involved in addressing different environmental issues, citing the impervious surface charge to mitigate storm water runoff and the bag tax in Washington, D.C., which is being used to clean up the Anacostia River.

“A lot of people are unhappy about the bag tax but nobody is running against it, even though some people are grudgingly accepting it,” said Wells. Whatever District leaders and other stakeholders do, he explained, it has to be done in concert with other municipalities in the region. “The rain tax in Maryland is being repealed by the new governor, yet 80 percent of the Anacostia River is in Maryland so there will be an impact on us if they choose not to clean the water. “We have the tools to (make a difference). My job on behalf of Mayor Bowser is to focus those tools in areas where we have the most need.” n

Director Tommy Wells goes on a nature walk with members of the community – Photo credit: John Nelson Photography, johnnelsonphoto.com

TO Wednesday, April 22, 2015 9am-12pm

PRESENTED BY THE DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

REDUCE | REUSE RECYCLE | RECOUP

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EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Moot Court Room #518 4340 Connecticut Ave NW

From Backyards to the Bay:

Nash Run Restoration & Trash Collection BMP

What East of the River Stream Restoration Means for the District Overall Site Plan for the Project

By Josh Burch, Environmental Protection Specialist, District Department of the Environment josh.burch@dc.gov In early 2010, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) was contacted to look at a trash-choked stream in the Kenilworth neighborhood in Northeast DC. DDOE staff toured the site with residents to assess the problem but soon discovered that the stream had multiple complications. The stream, Nash Run, was not only filled with trash but its banks were highly unstable, causing trees and land from adjacent home owners’ backyards to fall into the stream during storm events. While trash is a very visible indicator that a stream is unhealthy, the sediment from a stream bank or upland erosion is the pollutant that stands to have the most adverse effect on streams, the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. After meeting with community members and assessing the problem at Nash Run, DDOE

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

used funds from the Bag Law to secure a professional firm to study the stream and design a restoration project. During the assessment and design process, DDOE gathered technical information in the field but also gathered information from community members about their wants, needs, and complaints about the stream itself. Several residents expressed dismay that the stream they played in as a child—a stream that was home to salamanders, frogs, turtles, and fish—no longer resembled its better days. Residents expressed concern about “losing their backyards” and falling trees due to stream bank erosion and many indicated that it seemed the mosquito problem in the neighborhood had gotten worse. With background information and data in hand, DDOE initiated a project that would respond to community concerns while also addressing the larger picture of how stream restoration helps improve conditions in the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers in addition to the Chesapeake Bay. Data shows an estimated 32 tons of sediment per year erodes from Nash Run’s stream banks and washes down into the Anacostia River. When mobilized during a rain storm, that very sediment is what makes our rivers look like chocolate milk. The murky water prevents sunlight

from reaching the riverbeds preventing the growth of plants— plants that provide oxygen and food for fish and other aquatic species. The restoration at Nash Run should commence in mid-2015 and will have two main features. First, DDOE will install a new floatable trash trap to capture trash that comes out of the stormwater outfall by Kenilworth Avenue. This is where all the roadway run-off and associated trash and debris from a 0.7 square mile area outfalls and pollutes the Nash Run stream. Hundreds of years ago—before development—when it rained, water would slowly seep into the ground and find its way subsurface to Nash Run. However, today—with over 49% of the District’s portion of the watershed impervious—the water hits rooftops, driveways, roads, and parking lots and the stormwater is conveyed directly to the stream through a series of stormwater pipes. On normal days, the stream has a very low base flow but during storm events, the outfall acts as a firehouse with stormwater flowing out at a high velocity, accelerating the stream bank erosion that causes trees and parts of backyards to fall into the stream. While a floatable trash trap should capture most of the litter before entering the system, it’s the stream restoration work itself

The cleanup at Nash Run stream is underway (Photo credit: DDOE)

This project plays an integral role in ensuring the Anacostia River is fishable and swimmable by 2032. that should have the biggest long-term impact. DDOE will be implementing a technique called floodplain reconnection. Stream work will include excavation along each stream bank to allow creation of a low floodplain bench. That means that when the stream’s water level rises in storm events, it will spread out over a wide area. This permanently wet low-floodplain will also be a great area for frogs, turtles, dragonflies, and salamanders to call home and will reduce stress on stream banks, thus reducing erosion. The realigned and graded stream channel

should also flow constantly, minimizing the number of stagnant pools. When combined with the improved aquatic habitat conditions, the stream should have fewer areas for mosquitoes to breed—and more predators to eat them. By working collaboratively with community residents, DDOE believes this project will address many neighborhood concerns while also helping to improve the health of Nash Run. This project plays an integral role in ensuring the Anacostia River is fishable and swimmable by 2032. n

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

FISHING IN THE

DISTRICT

FAQs

Who needs a license?

- If you are age 16 to 64 then you need a DC fishing license.

Upcoming Events:

Where can I purchase a license?

- You can purchase a license online at enode.dc.gov/epermit or at the DDOE office. - Please visit ddoe.dc.gov for a list of additional vendors.

- Join us for the Family and Youth Casting Call,

Saturday, May 16 at Fletcherâ€™s Cove.

How much?

- Participate in the snakehead tournament currently underway with the weigh-in to be held

Saturday, May 16 at the Aquatic Resources Education Center in Anacostia Park.

- Learn to fish with group classes and private instruction at the Aquatic Resources Education Center.

- DC Resident - $10.00 - Non-Resident - $13.00 - Temporary (Regardless of residency) - $6.50

Where may I fish?

- Anywhere on the Anacostia River below the Route 50 bridge - Anglers may also fish the main stem of the Potomac River from either shore from just north of Chain Bridge to Old Town Alexandria.

When may I fish?

- You may fish all year.

What might I catch?

- District waters are home to 13 species of sport fish. Please consult ddoe.dc.gov for information on seasons, size limits, and prohibitions.

For more information: (202) 535-2600 | ddoe.dc.gov 1200 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

/DC.DDOE

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

@DDOE_DC

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EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

@DDOE_DC

EARTH DAY:

THE HISTORY OF A MOVEMENT Each year, Earth Day – April 22 – marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the U.S., 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.

EARTH DAY NETWORK

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Car-

son’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health. Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and

putting environmental concerns front and center. THE IDEA The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.” As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders

asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995) – the highest honor given to civilians in the U.S. – for his role as Earth Day founder. EARTH DAY TODAY As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. With 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184 countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people, Earth Day 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. It used the Internet to organize activists, but also featured a talking drum chain that traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, and hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Earth Day 2000 sent world leaders the loud and clear message that citizens around the world wanted quick and decisive action on clean energy. The fight for a clean environment continues in a climate of increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day. We invite you to be a part of Earth Day and help write many more victories and successes into our history. Discover energy you didn’t even know you had. Feel it rumble through the grassroots under your feet and the technology at your fingertips. Channel it into building a clean, healthy, diverse world for generations to come. n

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer@bsalmondc For the past dozen years, Kathleen Rogers, in her role of President of the Earth Day Network (EDN), has worked to refashion environmental issues in a way that appeals to those often least likely to be involved. Every day, Rogers said, she sees evidence of the devastation of climate change, toxins, pesticides, poor air quality and deforestation in poor communities in the United States and overseas but very rarely are the people in those communities invited to be an active participant in transforming the places where they live. “I looked up the word ‘environment.’ It said ‘what surrounds you.’ You have to meet the people where environment is,” said Rogers, president of the Earth Day Network. “If there’s poor and dirty air, no tree cover, if subway’s far away, you’ll never gain affinity for the environment because your environment is so rotten.” A crucial element of the work EDN does, Rogers said, is broadening the definition of “environment” to include any and all issues that affect people’s health or that of their communities and the environment. That could be anything from promoting activism to stop air and water pollution, greening deteriorated schools, or creating green jobs and investment. All too often, Rogers said, the image of those most actively involved in the environmental movement is that of older white people. But by partnering with individuals like Antonio Gonzalez of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Greg Moore of the NAACP and thousands of disparate individuals and organizations, a whole different constellation of players are now a part of the environmental effort in their respective communities. And the areas they cover go well beyond the environment, Rogers explained, including civil rights, women’s rights and human rights. “I call it environmental

® democracy which means sticking with the community,” she said. “You have to stick it out, meet the people where they are and do things like work on bond initiatives and dirty water. It seems so obvious so we do this on a micro-scale,” Rogers said. “All of our programs are focused on equality. We keep on trying. If we’re not going to invest, why would they vote for green issues? It’s really importance to change this equation and view voters as people we can invest in. We feel this way in every country in which we operate,” she said. EDN is currently active in 192 countries and is working with more than 50,000 partners on a variety of projects, whether it’s environmental campaigns, voter registration drives, town halls, or organizing federal and state legislative campaigns to green school facilities, promoting green economic policies, improving food in schools and enhancing environmental education and civic engagement. Affecting this type of large-scale change is one Rogers likened to Sisyphus rolling a huge stone up a mountain. “People like me, we’re pathology optimists. We can’t stop being optimistic. It’s a weird, positive sickness,” she said with a laugh. “We’re not here for the big bucks; we have a sense of right and wrong, a strain, a genetic predisposition. And we’re Sisyphean – rolling a big boulder up the hill.” Rogers, who has worked for more than 20 years as an environmental attorney and ad-

vocate, focusing on international and domestic environmental public policy and law, said her organization’s biggest challenge is securing the money needed for all those projects. “We’re not successful most of the time. Our sponsors only want people to vote their way and then they’re gone,” she said. “We all get money from rich funders who parachute into communities on issues, focused stuff and after one or two cycles, you look at funders and you’re starting all over again. You’ll see these guys every two or four years or until they want to use you again.” “But we want to go in and stay – it’s about money, sticking in a community, building permanent infrastructures. We want to build climate voters. Things are just unfair all the way around. It’s not fair for us or the poor. We need to ask sponsors for year-round money. That way, community talent gets to grow and develop where they live.” Under Rogers’ leadership, EDN has developed a significant role in advancing the new green economy and has emerged as a dynamic year-round policy and activist organization. The organization continues to embrace new constituencies, including youth and people of color. Rogers said we are on the cusp of a green energy industrial revolution. In the past, futurists saw the old Industrial Revolution coming while everyone else held onto the status quo. It’s much the same today, she said. “This is more than recycling,” she said. “The Energy Industrial Revolution will completely blow

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

“I want young people to have green jobs of the future.”

Kathleen Rogers President Earth Day Network (EDN)

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

out the technology revolution in size and impact,” she gushed. “Every single thing about our lives will change but we have to make it equitable and fair. The sooner the regular person sees it, the more they’ll benefit.” “In China, they’ll work completely on education 18 hours a day. We’re more relaxed, not hungry for it. We have to prepare. Others are getting zoned up with green energy. We have to get hungry for education. I see the incredibly high respect people in other parts of the world have for teachers. If we don’t work with them to produce more Einsteins and Edisons, we’ll be zero.” In this new economy, Rogers said, STEM jobs is where the action is, and young people, rich and poor, must be given access to opportunities. “Things should be level. We have to crank kids up in environmental education. We have to drive our kids to excellence or we’ll have China and India breathing down our necks. I want young people to have green jobs of the future. We have to have inspired leaders, inspire young people about fun things, get them out of the cities and build solar farms. The U.S. has a manageable population. We have great thinkers. We have to elect officials who care about these issues.” n To mark the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Day Network and The Global Poverty Project are hosting Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day on Saturday, April 18. Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day is a free event on the National Mall headlined by No Doubt, Usher, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, Train, and My Morning Jacket, with special guests Common and D’Banj. The event will be hosted by will.i.am and Soledad O’Brien. The goal of Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day is to further the movement to end extreme poverty protect the planet and solve climate change, while ensuring that world leaders address key issues facing the next generation.

The District’s Hottest New Couple: Bald Eagles

The photo is of one of the eagles at the Arboretum and it was taken on April 7, 2015. Photo credit: Dan Rauch, Fish & Wildlife Biologist, District Department of the Environment.

By Daniel Rauch Fish & Wildlife Biologist District Department of the Environment Daniel.Rauch@dc.gov

Did you know that your home could be affecting your family’s health? There may be lead paint threats, asthma triggers, and other hidden hazardous conditions present. Here are some ways the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) can help identify and eliminate these health threats: • If you have a child who is less than 2 years old, make sure your child’s doctor conducts a lead screening, “twice by two” - that is, two screenings by the time your child is two years old. It’s the law! • If your home was built before 1978, it may contain lead-based paint. Peeling lead-based paint is a hazardous condition. Screen your child for possible lead exposure - even after your child turns two years old. • All lead screening results are required to be reported by doctors and laboratories to DDOE. DDOE follows up on results that are above the norm and conducts an inspection to try to figure out how your child is getting exposed, and how to eliminate the threat. • Even if you have no children in your household, it is illegal for peeling paint to be present. If you live in a rental property built before 1978 that contains peeling paint, please contact DDOE’s Lead program for follow-up, at 202-535-1934. • To create a truly “Healthy Home,” DDOE’s Healthy Homes program can come to your home, figure out what kinds of health threats may be lurking, and provide the property owner with a roadmap on how to eliminate those problems. • If a member of your household under 18 years old has been diagnosed with asthma, and you are wondering if any conditions in your home may be contributing to the asthma symptoms, please contact DDOE’s Healthy Homes program for follow-up, at 202-535-2624. Conditions like roach or rodent infestations, mold, and poor ventilation are known to trigger or worsen asthma symptoms.

(202) 535-2600 | ddoe.dc.gov/Lead | ddoe.dc.gov 1200 First Street NE Washington, DC 20002

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

/DC.DDOE

@DDOE_DC

There’s a new celebrity couple in town and they are starting a family. A pair of bald eagles has taken up residence at the National Arboretum. In the 20s and 30s, bald eagles were a common sight in the District but by 1950, they were all gone. Habitat loss, illegal hunting, loss of food sources, and pesticide use led to population crashes across the United States. In fact, by the 1960s, fewer than 500 breeding pairs remained. The initial response to the decline of bald eagles and other raptors—such as osprey—was the 1972 banning of a widely used insecticide called DDT. This was quickly followed by the 1973 passage of landmark conservation legislation known as the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA provided federally mandated protections and funding for the recovery of species determined to be endangered or threatened. As a result of this legislation and other protections, the bald eagle began a slow—but steady—recovery. For more than 50 years, eagles continued to visit the District but they would not stay. The long-awaited return of breeding eagles came in 2000, when a pair of eagles built a nest along Newcomb Street, SE. A few years later, they were joined by another pair who constructed their nest at the Metropolitan Police Department Training Academy in Southwest. As of today, there are three nests in the District of Columbia. The bald eagle was removed from the federal Endangered Species List in 2007 when the population stabilized with more than 10,000 breeding pairs. However, none of the eagles have successfully reproduced in the District—until now! The eagles’ return marks the comprehensive success of the District’s conservation programs. In fact, bald eagles are important indicators of an area’s overall environmental health. The National Arboretum eagle eggs are believed to have hatched, and as of today, we believe the eaglets are approximately four weeks old. By June 2015, there should be a new generation of eagles taking flight over the Anacostia River. No longer on the endangered species list, bald eagles are still afforded protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. Hunting, disturbing, harassment, and other actions that could negatively impact eagles are subject to a fine or imprisonment. Bald eagles are also designated as species of concern by a number of states and the District of Columbia—making them a conservation priority against threats like illegal hunting, collisions, urbanization, surface water contamination, and lead poisoning. What’s the moral of this story? Well, if you continue to do your part, then the next time you’re out and about, you just might see a soaring Washington, DC bald eagle. n

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

The District: The Model City for Sustainability efficiency lighting, appliances, and heating and cooling equipment than ever. With more opportunities to save energy and money, District residents are finding it easier than ever to take advantage of DCSEU services to reduce energy costs.

By Ted Trabue Managing Director DC Sustainable Energy Utility The District has received national recognition for its leadership in sustainability— in just one year, the District moved up nine places in overall rankings in the 2014 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and the District now leads the nation with the most ENERGY STAR® certified buildings in the country. The DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) is honored to represent DC in everything it does. We help DC residents and businesses use less energy and save money. What started in 2011 as an innovative resource for District ratepayers has matured into a model for other cities seeking to realize the environmental, social, and economic benefits of energy efficiency and a strong green economy. The DCSEU’s mission is to ensure everyone in the District has access to energy efficiency and renewable energy resources in order to save money and energy, create jobs, and spur economic opportunity for DC businesses. HELPING DC RESIDENTS SAVE ENERGY AND MONEY Last year, the DCSEU served more than 47,000 District households with energy efficiency services. Those services ranged from reduced price energy-efficient light bulbs in more than 50 retailers in the City to rebates on whole-home energy solutions including insulation, air sealing, and HVAC upgrades. In fact, residents purchased more than 414,000 efficient light bulbs and appliances. The DCSEU now offers more rebates for a wider variety of high

MAKING ENERGY EFFICIENCY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL When it comes to preserving affordable housing, investing in energy efficiency reduces the highest controllable operating costs for building owners and property managers. In our commitment to serving residents of affordable housing, the DCSEU invested $6.1 million in energy efficiency for income-qualified single and multifamily households. The DCSEU offers technical assistance and financial incentives to developers and property managers who incorporate energy-efficient systems and measures when building or rehabilitating affordable housing in the District. These services can reduce costs for both owners and residents. Incentives to invest in energy-efficient systems and equipment encourage decision makers to go well beyond code requirements, improving the quality of living and home comfort for those who call these buildings home. ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESS The District is home to more than 60,000 independent businesses. To serve this important pillar of the District’s economy, the DCSEU offers rebates to businesses to reduce upfront costs of energy-efficient equipment. From lighting and HVAC to refrigeration and restaurant equipment, the DCSEU helped more than 500 businesses and institutions save millions of dollars on their energy bills last year. This year, the DCSEU is offering up to $80,000 in rebates per business location on energy-efficient equipment to help owners reduce the up-front costs of energy efficiency and save money for years to come.

and train entry-level professionals for work in a more sustainable DC. Last year, the DCSEU helped create more than 159,000 hours of work for DC residents and invested more than $4 million with District-based certified business enterprises (CBEs). This year, through our workforce development

initiative, we are placing more than 50 externs with DC businesses to enhance their marketable skills and provide training aimed at helping them to obtain full-time employment. Power isn’t everything; it’s how you use it that makes a difference. Energy efficiency empowers the

District by stabilizing energy costs, creating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and reducing carbon emissions. We look forward to measuring our success in terms of the energy and dollar savings of our customers and our commitment to everyone living and working in the District. n

Solar PV systems installed in the Skyland Terrace neighborhood.

POWER

ISN’T EVERYTHING. it’s

HOW USE IT. YOU

DC residents are stepping up and making smart energy choices. Are you?

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND GREEN JOBS When it comes to the DCSEU’s work, contractors do more than just carry out energy efficiency projects. They increase the number of green collar jobs in the District, spread awareness of DCSEU offerings to potential customers,

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

Connect at www.dcseu.com #REPRESENTDC

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

Environment is a High Priority for Pepco and Exelon From the White House to your house, the District of Columbia is a diverse and vibrant city. It’s also a place where businesses can develop and grow. Last year, Exelon and Pepco Holdings Inc. announced an agreement to combine companies to create the leading Mid-Atlantic electric and gas utility. Our proposed merger will bring exciting benefits to families, communities, businesses, and the economy here in the District. If the merger is approved, Pepco customers will directly benefit from programs such as bill credits, low-income assistance and energy efficiency through a $33.75 million Customer Investment Fund. Local community organizations can expect continued charitable contributions and volunteer support. The merger will also bring enhanced reliability to our electric grid, cutting the number and length of power outages, plus additional resources to speed restoration after storms. Along with these improvements, District residents will benefit from our continued commitment to sustainability. Both Exelon and PHI have long recognized the benefits of reducing our carbon footprint by operating our

Pepco and Exelon: Enhancing Sustainability in the District

Today, more than ever, we’re all aware of how the choices we make impact the environment. Exelon and Pepco Holdings share a commitment to making the right choices when it comes to sustainability, environmental stewardship and efficient energy services for our customers. One of the benefits that Exelon can bring to its proposed merger with Pepco Holdings is support for renewable energy, such as wind and solar. Renewable energy is an important and growing part of Exelon’s generation portfolio and a critical component of our efforts to advance clean energy. Exelon is the country’s 11th largest wind producer, with approximately 1,390 megawatts of wind generation in 12 states. In 2013,

Exelon continued to invest in low-carbon generation, including 153 megawatts of new utility-scale solar generation as part of the 230-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Ranch in Southern California. Exelon has made other major investments in solar, as well. We built and own the nation’s largest urban solar project on Chicago’s South Side, which can power the equivalent of up to 1,500 homes per year; and our Constellation subsidiary has 200 megawatts of retail customer solar installations installed or under contract nationwide. In 2013, we installed 1,940 solar panels on Dunbar High School in the District of Columbia. This system has the ability to meet approximately 20 percent of the school’s annual estimated energy

Exelon and PHI also are committed to protecting our natural resources, especially those on lands that host our operations. (courtesy Exelon-Pepco)

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

businesses in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our environment. After the merger, this commitment will continue and grow. Investing in renewable energy is important to us. Clean energy sources like wind and solar are a growing part of our generation portfolio and a critical component of our efforts to advance a brighter, more sustainable future. In fact, Exelon is the nation’s 11th largest wind energy producer and the owner of the nation’s largest urban solar plant. In 2013, Exelon subsidiary Constellation installed 1,940 solar panels on Dunbar High School in the District. The system will meet approximately 20 percent of the school’s annual estimated energy needs and is one of the largest rooftop solar power systems on a single building in the District. We look forward to supporting more clean energy sources in the District going forward. Our merger with Pepco will provide substantial benefits to District customers and communities. By uniting our resources and expertise as one company, we can provide the District of Columbia with the reliable, clean and affordable energy needed to serve our nation’s capital. Melissa Sherrod Vice President, Corporate Relations, Exelon

needs and is one of the largest rooftop solar power systems on a single building in the District. ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE Both companies have long recognized the benefits of reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and, as a result, have taken steps to reduce our carbon footprints. In fact, Exelon was an early leader in reducing emissions, surpassing its “Exelon 2020” goal – to eliminate 17.5 million metric tons of GHG emissions per year – seven years early in 2013. PHI also has taken steps to protect the environment with annual GHG emissions reports for the EPA and local affiliates. In 2013, PHI reduced its GHG emissions by 19 percent and was recognized by the Energy Information Agency for its commitment to environmental protection. PRESERVING LAND AND WATER Exelon and PHI also are committed to protecting our natural resources, especially those on lands that host our operations. Both companies help preserve the natural ecologies of the communities we serve by participating in the following initiatives: • Long standing partnerships with the Wildlife Habitat Council to help maintain wildlife habitats at company facilities, including certified Wildlife at Work programs in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. • PHI’s Energy-Saving Trees program has delivered 21,000 free trees to customers’ homes to date. Exelon has installed lifts and ladders that allow migrating fish to travel upstream at hydroelectric facilities.

Exelon and PHI recognize the important role we play in helping customers better manage their energy usage and save money. (courtesy Exelon-Pepco)

Plus, all of Exelon and PHI’s utilities have received annual recognition as Tree Line USA utilities by the Arbor Day Foundation. SUSTAINABLE CUSTOMER PROGRAMS Exelon and PHI recognize the important role we play in helping customers better manage their energy usage and save money. Energy savings programs, home energy audits, lighting discounts, appliance recycling and home improvement rebates are just a few of the ways we help our customers reduce both their environmental impact and their monthly utility bills. FOR EXAMPLE: • In Maryland, Exelon’s BGE utility created the Smart Energy Savers Program® to provide customers with incentives that helped save more than 14 million megawatt-hours of energy over the past three years. • Through its Smart Ideas Fridge and Freezer Recycling program, Exelon’s ComEd utility in Illinois recycled its 200,000th unit in 2014, helping to keep more than 13,000

tons of metal, 2,500 tons of plastic and 500 tons of glass out of Illinois landfills. • In Pennsylvania, Exelon’s PECO utility has generated more than $350 million in customer energy savings, the same environmental impact as removing more than 145,000 cars from roadways, since 2009 through its Smart Ideas program. • PHI’s Energy Wise Rewards program provides customers with a smart thermostat or an outdoor switch to help save energy on hot summer days when demand for electricity is highest. Our track record proves it – we take our environmental commitment seriously and that won’t change after our two companies combine. In fact, the combination of Exelon and Pepco Holdings will result in a company that is better positioned to enhance sustainability in the District. Together, we will be even more effective in helping customers make their homes and businesses more efficient, while conserving energy, saving money and benefiting the environment. n

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

PEPCO AND EXELON:

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

TO L E A R N MORE, V I S I T PHITOMORROW.COM PA I D F O R BY E X E LO N S H A R E H O L D E R S

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

The Exelon-Pepco Merger: Powering a Brighter Future for the District From the iconic glow of the Capitol dome to the living rooms of families in all four quadrants of the city, we’re proud to be a trusted member and partner in keeping the nation’s capital running. For residents of the greater Washington, DC, region, the benefits of a united Exelon and Pepco Holdings would go beyond reliable, sustainable and affordable energy. We’re working to help build a stronger community by producing powerful results for the region and enriching the lives of our customers. INVESTING IN OUR CUSTOMERS Exelon recently enhanced its package of merger commitments to provide even greater benefits to

Pepco customers, their communities and the District. Exelon and Pepco Holdings have more than doubled the proposed value of the Customer Investment Fund to $33.75 million from $14 million. In addition to the near-term, direct benefits of the Customer Investment Fund, another $51.2 million in projected merger savings over 10 years will flow back to District customers through rates that are lower than they would be without the merger. Exelon and PHI have also enhanced reliability performance commitments, setting new targets for reducing the frequency and duration of power outages in the District. • Pepco’s reliability performance will meet or exceed the District of Columbia Public Service Commis-

sion’s current standard for outage frequency and duration from 2018 to 2020. • Pepco’s average outage duration in its District operational area will not exceed 90 minutes, a 39.6 percent improvement over Pepco’s average performance over the years from 2011 to 2013. • Pepco’s average outage frequency in its District operational area will not exceed 0.66 outages, a 35.9 percent improvement over Pepco’s average performance over the years from 2011 to 2013. • Pepco and Exelon will reach these reliability targets without increasing Pepco’s forecasted reliability spending. • Exelon has also offered to be subject to enhanced financial penalties of up to $5.6 million on an

PEPCO AND EXELON:

Empowering The District We are a diverse collection of nonprofit and business groups that represent and serve the people of the District of Columbia. We believe the proposed merger of Pepco and Exelon will benefit the District’s residents, communities, civic life and business environment. If approved, this merger will create savings that will be passed on in customers’ utility bills, saving families and businesses more of their hard-earned money every month. It means honoring and maintaining Pepco’s strong commitment to workforce-and supplier-diversity programs. It means more jobs for District workers. That’s good for families, local businesses, and the District’s workforce. It means millions of dollars more that could be used for programs such as bill credits, low-income assistance and energy efficiency programs through a $33.75 million Customer Investment Fund. It also means continued annual charitable contributions and local community support – exceeding Pepco’s 2013 level of $1.6 million for 10 years following the merger. And it means $168 million to

annual basis if it falls short of these goals. The improved package of benefits aligns with commitments in New Jersey, which has approved the merger, and Delaware, where Exelon and Pepco Holdings have achieved a settlement agreement. INVESTING IN THE ECONOMY The proposed merger will add jobs and inject millions of dollars into the local Washington, D.C., economy. • In addition to the direct benefits of the Customer Investment Fund, another $51.2 million in projected merger savings over 10 years will flow back to Washington, D.C., Pepco customers through rates. • The merger commitments will result in significant economic benefits for the District as detailed in an economic-modeling analysis included in the merger approval filings. • Combined with the reliability-improvement projects already announced by PHI and underway, the merger commitments will produce 1,500 to 2,400 new jobs and between $168 million to $260 million in benefits to the Washington, D.C. economy. • These results are expected within six years after the merger closes. INVESTING IN OUR WORKFORCE Exelon and Pepco’s existing commitments related to Pepco employment and workforce and supplier diversity will not change with this enhanced package of benefits. • Commitment to maintain existing operational headquarters for all three PHI utilities, including Pepco in Washington, D.C., and honor all collective bargaining

agreements. • Commitment to make a goodfaith effort to hire more than 100 union workers in Washington, D.C., in the first two years after the merger closes. • Commitment to move jobs into the District of Columbia that are now in Arlington, Va., with Pepco Energy Services (currently approximately 50 jobs). • Commitment to no net involuntary merger-related job losses at Pepco for at least two years after the merger. • Commitment that current Pepco employees will receive compensation and benefits at least as favorable in the aggregate as those provided before the merger for at least two years following the transaction. • Commitment that, at the close of the merger, Dave Velazquez, currently executive vice president, PHI Power Delivery, will become president and chief executive officer of the PHI utilities. Donna Cooper will also remain with Pepco as regional president. INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY Pepco has historically made contributions in the District to support local organizations and initiatives, as well as groups that have a national focus, such as the Trust for the National Mall. Exelon shares Pepco’s commitment to the local communities it serves. In the District of Columbia, Exelon has committed to provide an annual average of charitable contributions and local community support that exceeds Pepco’s 2013 level of $1.6 million for 10 years following the merger. Together, we’re building a better company and a stronger District of Columbia. n

$260 million in economic benefits to the District. That’s good for communities and those most in need. It also means enhanced reliability of our electric grid and additional resources to speed storm restoration. It means a commitment to sustainability and corporate citizenship. It means continued local presence and local leadership. And it means millions of dollars more invested in our local economy. That’s good for all of us.

WE SUPPORT THE PROPOSED PEPCO AND EXELON MERGER.

OF GREATER GREA WASHINGT W ON

LEARN MORE AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. VISIT WWW.PHITOMORROW.COM PA I D FO R BY E X E LO N S H A R E H O L D E R S

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

From the iconic glow of the Washington Monument to the living rooms of families in all four quadrants of the city, we’re proud to be a trusted member and partner in keeping the nation’s capital running. (courtesy Exelon-Pepco)

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

3 Ways to Become More Environmentally Friendly in 2015 (BPT) - Whether you’re motivated by a workplace initiative, a personal goal or the opportunity to teach your children lifelong positive habits, now is a great time to become more environmentally friendly. Earth Day is April 22, but there’s still plenty of time to develop eco-friendly habits before the big day arrives. Here are three ways your family can create positive environmental change starting today.

RECYCLE Research shows that less than 2 percent of waste in the United States is recycled, yet almost half of all trash can be recycled. School lunches are one source of waste that most families don’t consider. These are packed each morning and tossed away each afternoon once lunchtime is finished. To increase awareness of recycling options during lunch, Entenmann’s Little Bites Snacks has partnered with the recycling and upcycling experts at TerraCycle for the “Turn Trash to Cash” program, giving students the chance to recycle their Little Bites snack pouches and earn money for their school. TerraCycle can recycle the pouches to create products like tote bags, pencil cases and even picnic benches. You can learn more about the campaign by visiting TerraCycle on Facebook.

PROTECT WATER RESOURCES Water is one of the most important resources people

have, yet every year billions of gallons are needlessly wasted. You can conserve water in your home by teaching your children to take shorter showers or baths, turning off dripping faucets and avoiding letting the water run while they are brushing their teeth. You can also reduce water waste in your home by investing in water-saving appliances and by reducing or eliminating the practice of watering your lawn, relying on rain to do so instead.

This year Entenmann’s is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation for the Little Bites’ Earth Day Sweepstakes. For every entry, fan or not, received through the Little Bites Facebook page, Entenmann’s will donate $1 to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree - up to 25,000 trees in total. The sweepstakes starts March 1. You can learn more at the Little Bites Facebook page. Environmentally friendly habits are easy to pick up and they can be a great way to bond with your children on a shared project while developing lifelong habits. So don’t wait another minute! Start your family down the eco-friendly path today. n

HELP PLANT A TREE Few things are as beautiful as a tall, healthy tree. But trees are more than just a beautiful backdrop, as they are also essential to the environment. Here are four reasons why from the Arbor Day Foundation: 1. Trees help clean the air. They improve the quality of the air you breathe by capturing dust and pollution particles that can affect your health. 2. Trees help fight climate change. As trees grow, they remove greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the air, store carbon, and release pure oxygen into the atmosphere. 3. Trees planted along waterways can help filter out chemicals that might otherwise wash to water sources. They also can create stable soil and help prevent soil erosion, flooding and even landslides. 4. Trees properly planted around a home can help lower air conditioning and heating costs by up to 25 percent.

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

Energy Security Critical to Our Community: Don’t let Exelon Monopolize our Electricity By Akili West Sustainability is about more than recycling, or turning off lights in an empty room. It is about creating healthy and economically vibrant communities. This is why DC SUN has worked to make solar affordable and accessible to all residents. It is also why we should oppose Exelon’s proposed takeover of Pepco. The proposed takeover is a bad deal that threatens to raise our electricity rates, eliminate good DC jobs and risk the financial and medical health of our community. This proposed merger will do nothing to increase the reliability of electricity

service, as Exelon will still be dependent on the local expertise and grid knowledge of current Pepco employees. Our elected officials must know that we don’t want to settle with Exelon. Exelon’s financial interests are at odds with ours. Exelon owns a significant stake in electricity generation, particularly nuclear plants. The company benefits from high electricity prices and customers using power inefficiently. The increase in cheap natural gas has lowered the wholesale power prices that Exelon depends on for the bulk of its revenue. Exelon’s operating earnings have been in decline for several years. Exelon wants to buy Pepco to use its second line of business, retail electric

utilities, to increase the profitability of its nuclear electricity generation business. It would do so by raising our electric rates. At the same time that Exelon will raise our electric rates, they’ll also cut local jobs and outsource important decision making to their corporate headquarters in Chicago. At the time the deal was announced, Exelon executives said there would be a reduction in the number of employees. This, they claim, will create “synergies”. Meanwhile, Pepco shareholders will receive a 25% premium on their stock holdings from Exelon. If this weren’t bad enough, Exelon also poses a real threat to the success we’ve had developing homegrown solar energy in the

April is

National Safe Digging Month The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia encourages District residents to:

“Know What’s Below, Call 811 Before You Dig” Simple digging jobs can damage utility lines, which can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, harm diggers, and potentially result in fines and repair costs. When you dial 811, your call will be directed to the local One Call Center and the affected utilities. In a few days, they'll send a locator to mark the approximate location of your underground lines, pipes and cables for free. Now you'll know what's below - and be able to dig safely. The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia 202-626-5100 | www.dcpsc.org

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

area. Exelon has a track record of opposing policies that expand access to rooftop solar energy. Exelon’s opposition to renewable energy would hit us right in the wallet. Rooftop solar is financially beneficial to everyone, even those who don’t have panels on their own rooftop. Solar panels produce energy during the day. This adds additional electric capacity to the electric grid when demand, and therefore prices, for electricity are highest. In this way, all consumers benefit from the electricity solar produces. Exelon would threaten the rule, ‘net metering’, that allows owners of solar to sell their electricity to other customers. It is clear Exelon fears new competition. Worse, they’ve used their fear of competition to divide utility customers. Their newfound concern about low-income ratepayers is just an excuse to levy unfair charges on solar energy producers so that no one, no matter their income level, can benefit from solar energy. This new concern comes just as the cost of solar has dropped enough to allow anyone in DC to produce their own energy more cheaply than buying electricity from the utility. Exelon also opposes ‘community solar’. Community solar allows any utility customer to purchase electricity from a solar system. This is a great opportunity for people who don’t own their home, or who don’t have a suitable roof to take advantage of the energy savings from solar. Solar isn’t just financially beneficial for consumers. It also brings jobs to our community. There are more than 200 solar jobs in DC now, and the sector will continue to grow quickly unless Exelon is allowed to create an unfair playing field for its own energy. Clean energy from solar is vital to the physical health of our community as well. A report by the NAACP found communities of color face disproportionate

negative impacts from the harm caused by fossil fuel generation. More than two-thirds of African-Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant. This puts our community at higher risk for as asthma, and lung disease among other ailments. There is a path to create a more sustainable community. The first step is rejecting Exelon’s bad deal merger with Pepco. This will create an opportunity to continue the beneficial development we’ve seen of renewable energy. Next, we must continue to fight for policies that expand access to solar energy. Maryland is considering legislation to allow community solar projects. The bill (HB 1087) passed the House by an overwhelming 111-29 margin and is now before the senate. In DC, the city council passed a similar bill. DC residents are waiting for the Public Services Commission to issue final regulations before proceeding. As part of its effort to expand access to solar, DC’s Department of the Environment (DDOE) and the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) launched a program to help low-income District residents install solar on their homes. This program provides rebates to cover the full cost to install solar panels. At the same time, solar cooperatives continue to grow across the region. These co-ops provide homeowners a discount on their solar purchase and provide a supportive group of solar enthusiasts to help ensure the installation process goes smoothly. They are part of a sustainable way for our community to use energy and secure our future. n Akili Ward is the founder of the Ward 8 renewable energy co-op. For more info, please visit: www. dcsun.org

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

Office of the People’s Counsel’s (OPC) “Powers People First.”

By Sandra Mattavous-Frye People’s Counsel I am thrilled that the Washington Informer is making its readers aware of the critical importance of energy efficiency and sustainability as viable resources to all residents and consumers in the District of Columbia. Undoubtedly, these issues, and the proposed Pepco merger with Exelon, will define the future of the District’s energy environment. As a result, I encourage District consumers to learn more about these issues by attending the Office of the People’s Counsel’s (OPC) community forum, “Horizons 2015, Uniting Energy Technology and Consumers,” on April 18, 2015 at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law, located at 4340 Connecticut Avenue NW. We urge everyone to come and learn how the Office of the People’s Counsel is “Powering People First.” OPC, by law, is the people’s advocate for all matters affecting their public utility service. During my tenure as People’s Counsel, energy efficiency and sustainability, along with affordable rates, reliable service and consumer empowerment have been the cornerstones of OPC. When I became People’s Counsel, I created our Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Division to provide real tools to real people to inform them about renewable energy and energy efficiency. My goal is to make the new technologies, and the options they bring, available to all of our consumers, including seniors, low income residents, non-English speaking/limited English speaking residents and others to help everyone learn about and take part in the rapid changes in the utility mar-

ketplace. We are dedicated to ensuring that the benefits of new energy options and technology are enjoyed universally, regardless of income, type of housing, language or where individuals live in the city. Utility service is not a luxury; it is an essential service that affects the quality of life for all of our residents. District residents should never be forced to choose between utility service and food, medicine and safety in their homes. OPC has had phenomenal success in teaching District residents and providing them tools to save energy and reduce their energy bills. We have conducted over 300 Energy Workshops during the last three years, reaching out to every ward in the city. I encourage all residents and leaders

of tenant, civic and community organizations who want to be “energy smart” to attend OPC’s Energy Efficiency workshops. We provide consumers with tips on how to take control of their energy bills, develop better energy saving habits, information about DC programs to help fund energy upgrades and save money. We encourage District residents to call our office to schedule a workshop session at 202-727-3071. With regard to renewable energy options, OPC was a principal supporter of the Community Renewable Energy Amendment Act of 2013, that allows all residents, regardless of whether they own property, to benefit from solar power through subscriptions to community-shared renewable energy facilities. OPC also supported

the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard legislation which mandates aggressive requirements for the use of renewables, including solar power, in the supply mix of our energy providers. OPC has also been a member of the Sustainable Energy Utility Advisory Board since the enactment of the Clean and Affordable Energy Act in 2008. We are now reach-

ing out to faith-based communities to help them take advantage of all renewable energy options including solar power. Energy Efficiency and Sustainability is the wave of the future and the Office of the People’s Counsel wants to ensure that all the citizens of the District of Columbia share in the benefits. OPC “Powers People First.” n

Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia 1133 15th Street, NW, Suite 500 | Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202.727.3071 | Fax: 202.727.1014 | TTY/TTD: 202.727.2876 Email: ccceo@opc-dc.gov | Website: www.opc-dc.gov www.facebook.com/DCPeoplesCounsel | Twitter: @DCOPC

Three Ways Your Technology Can Help You Go Green this Earth Day (StatePoint) These days, there’s no reason why you can’t be both tech-savvy and an environmentalist. More gadgets and technical appliances are trending green, and this Earth Day is the perfect time to learn how you can adopt some of these innovations in your life. To reduce your family’s overall impact on the environment, consider this lineup of eco-friendly technologies: GREEN APPS There are hundreds of apps designed to help you make earth-friendly lifestyle changes -- from PaperKarma, an app which helps you stop the flow of junk mail to your home, to the Green Gumshoe, which facilitates the reporting of environmental incidents to the correct authorities. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a good resource for finding and locating the best green apps. What’s more, they offer developer tools for those wishing to make their own green apps using EPA data. LAMP-FREE PROJECTOR TECHNOLOGY If your home, school or business could use a green makeover, an easy place to start is by replacing an outdated projector with something more energy efficient. For example, Casio’s Lamp-Free Projectors consume 1/3 less power per unit than traditional lampbased projectors by using a Laser & LED Hybrid Light Source. Guided by Intelligent Brightness Control, you can conserve power up to 50 percent because the projectors automatically adjust brightness to suit the room. For every 6,000 hours of use, that amounts to approximately $800 dollars saved compared to a traditional lamp-based projector. In addition, Casio’s portfolio of projectors, including its SLIM series, takes environmental consciousness a step further by eliminating harmful mercury bulbs from the equation. SOLAR CHARGERS You may rely on multiple devices to get you through the day,

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

PHOTO CREDIT: Warakorn - Fotolia.com

from your mobile phone to your tablet to your laptop. It’s easy to keep these items running without draining electricity, even when you’re on the go. Solar chargers come in all shapes and sizes these days -- clam shell, tree branches, foldable -- you can even buy a backpack or laptop case equipped with a solar panel. With so many manufacturers greening their offerings, consider taking stock of your tech gear this Earth Day and making eco-friendly swaps. n

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

How to Audit Your Home’s Energy Efficiency (BPT) - A home that wastes energy can put significant strain on your budget. Extremely cold winter temperatures and scorching summers, together with a poorly performing thermal system will drive monthly heating and cooling costs higher than expected. So what can you do to cut the waste and the expense? For starters, clean all the filters in your heating and cooling equipment. This helps to improve the efficiency of your home; however, the best way to tackle your home’s energy inefficiencies head on is to understand your home’s overall performance with an energy audit. To perform the audit, a certified Home Energy Rater will conduct a series of tests to provide an overall efficiency rating in much the same way that household appliances are rated.

Armed with this information, you can make home improvement decisions that further boost your home’s energy efficiency. One common energy audit test is a door blower, or airflow, test. A large fan is used to pull air out of the house and create negative pressure inside. The higher air pressure outside the home then flows into the home through the unsealed cracks and openings. To detect where these air leaks are located, the auditor will use a smoke pencil. A well-sealed home should have no air leaks. The auditor may also complete a comprehensive infrared scan of your home using an infrared camera. These scans provide a clear image of where the inefficiencies in your home are. One of the easiest ways to dramatically improve the overall performance of your home fol-

Extremely cold winter temperatures and scorching summers, together with a poorly performing thermal system will drive monthly heating and cooling costs higher than expected. lowing an energy audit is to assess your home’s existing insulation. Insulation and a tight air seal are vital to keeping the temperature inside your home comfortable and consistent all year round. Another effective solution that offers immediate and long-term cost savings is replacing your home’s traditional fibrous insulation with high-performance spray foam insulation. Spray foam insulation, such as Icynene, is a wise investment for homeowners who want to make significant

improvements to their home that have a long-term, positive impact. Able to perform in all climates, spray foam insulation allows homeowners to utilize air-conditioning systems more efficiently throughout the summer and their furnaces during winter. As a modern insulation solution, spray foam insulation expands rapidly to completely seal a home’s walls, floors and ceilings and prevent air leakage. Insulation experts from Icynene note that quality spray foam insulation

can noticeably reduce monthly cooling and heating costs, in some cases by up to 50 percent. Additionally, spray foam insulation helps minimize random airborne moisture and pollutants from entering the home. This is ideal for anyone suffering from seasonal allergies, an important consideration as spring arrives. For more information on how spray foam insulation can help homeowners optimize the efficiency of their home, visit www. icynene.com. n

WHERE YOUR HOUSE LEAKS MONEY

An energy efficient insulation, such as spray foam insulation can Reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 50% due to its sealing abilities. Courtesy of www.icynene.com

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

DC Water Biosolids Management Program By Pat Wheeler WI Contributing Writer It took more than 10 years, two general managers and $460 million dollars, but before the summer is out, Washington, D.C. will be the site of the world’s largest biosolids management and treatment programs. Just what are biosolids? The answer to that question is what DC Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) will be educating its consumers about. One of DC Water’s main responsibilities is the treatment of the 300 gallons of waste water that DC and suburban homes flush away every day. The way DC Water has been treating waste up to this point is to add biological organisms to this waste material. These organisms help turn this waste into a Class B biosolid that can be used as fertilizer for landscaping plants. The process takes about 20 days and requires 60 tankard trucks a day to cart this fertilizer to landscaping farms in Virginia. And this process only handles about a fraction of the waste that needs to be treated. Obviously, something else needed to be done. There is technology that will help address this problem. Used by several cities in the U.S. and overseas, digesters are machines that can cut the 20-day processing time down considerably and turn the resulting byproduct into methane gas which can then be used for energy. The problem for DC Water is that these digesters require a lot of space, something that DC Water which sits on a fixed site at Blue Plains does not have. Former General Manager Jerry Johnson began researching solutions to this problem, and when the current CEO ad General Manager George Hawkins started at DC Water in 2009, this was one of the first projects he set his sights on completing. Building on the research that Johnson had started, Hawkins took his search worldwide to find a technological solution. He found it in Norway and it’s called Cambi™. Cambi™ is a treatment process that turns waste material into heavy paste, and then cooks it under high heat and high

pressure thereby speeding up the digestion process. Hawkins compares it to “a turbo charger on a car.” But before DC Water invested in this new technology from Norway, Hawkins wanted to make sure it would work here. Hawkins and his team studied more than 30 peer reviewed papers on this process, and then paid a waste treatment facility in Scotland to change its waste to match DC Water’s and use the Cambi™ system to make ensure that it would work here. It did. When the Biosolids Management Program is completed in June, the facility will include four anaerobic digesters, four Cambi™ treatmenttrains, a pre-dewatering centrifuge building, a combined heat and power plant, a gas treatment facility and it will be the largest facility of its kind in the world. Expansion is also part of the plan. The site layout includes provisions for future construction of four more digesters and additional centrifuges and Cambi™ trains. The power plant is being built by PEPCO Energy Services and upon completion it will be able to generate enough power to run about one-third of the treatment plant at Blue Plains. This will be a major benefit, since the treatment plant is currently the largest user of energy in the city. Hawkins is excited about the many benefits this new biosolids program will bring to the city. Among the benefits he lists are: • Reduction of truck traffic from 60 to 30 tankard trucks a day, as well as less gas and less pollutants; • The ability to change the waste material to a Class A biosolid that can be packaged and sold as organic compost; and • With more awareness and action to address climate change, a reduction in DC Water’s carbon footprint. Hawkins credits his entire team for all the work needed to complete this project and he credits the DC Water board of directors for having the vision to see what a benefit this would be for DC and suburban rate payers. While it would be easy for Hawkins to rest on the success of this project, he points out that there are still several major

projects underway. Work on the $3 billion Combined Sewage Overflow program continues and will not be completed until 2025. DC Water is also investing $950 million to achieve the next level of nutrient reductions and help restore the Chesapeake Bay. For now, Hawkins is looking forward to the launch of the Biosolid Management Program in a few weeks. Because it is the first of its kind in the U.S., other cities, states and countries will be watching DC Water to see how well the program works. Hawkins welcomes the attention. He believes DC Water can be the model for better waste water treatment. n

Blue Plains, located in Southeast in Ward 8, is expected to become the site of the world’s largest biosolids management and treatment programs by the end of the summer 2015. /Courtesy Photo

April is

National Safe Digging Month The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia encourages District residents to:

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

University of DC: Campus of Sustainability By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer One look around campus at the University of the District of Columbia and it’s easy to see why many schools around the nation are holding the school, located in Northwest, as a shining example of green living and sustainability. A state of the art demonstration kitchen sits on the Van Ness campus and it supports the Department of Nutrition and the Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health. An 18,000 square foot food-producing green roof caps another building and a soon-to-be certified Environmental Quality Testing Lab for the Water Resources Research Institute is stationed in another. Also, the university boasts the Muirkirk Research Farm, which is becoming increasingly renowned for its use of innovative technology to be applied for bio-intensive agricultural production system in urban settings. Then, there’s the urban green entrepreneurship and green infrastructure offered under the Center for Sustainable Development and the establishing of a farmers market in each ward to distribute healthy fresh produce from UDC’s research farm in Beltsville. Finally, officials pointed out that UDC has an international collaboration with Aruba and Malawi to enhance food and water security in those areas while initiatives like the storm water management system, the installation of a geothermal production facility to power the new student center, the Garden of the Senses and even Brita water

filtration stations found around campus are indicators of UDC’s future direction. “The University of the District of Columbia has taken strides to be more environmentally friendly, ensuring the long term sustainability of the campus and our students,” said Dr. Kamran Zendehdel, the assistant director of UDC’s Center for Sustainable Development. “From our research farm to the green roof currently under construction, UDC is fully embracing sustainability as not just a trend, but a way of life,” said Zendehdel whose research focus is on various components of urban sustainability. Zendehdel also teaches environmental policy making and he formerly worked as an environmental scientist at Tetra Tech Inc. in Fairfax, Virginia where he managed the Chesapeake Bay non-point source pollution control project. UDC has been the recipient of several awards and grants including in 2014 when the school was named one of the honorees of the Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge, winning three-out-of-seven grants totaling $921,000. “These Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge grants demonstrate that a dollar invested in sustainability can return multiple benefits for the city,” then-Mayor Vincent Gray said while announcing the award. “By building outdoor classrooms, urban farms and greenhouses and green infrastructure for storm-water control we can help educate the next generation, increase access to healthy foods, expand job training and business opportunities and ensure protection of our natural

UDC is recognized as a leading example of green living and sustainability. /Courtesy UDC

resources,” Gray said. The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) of the University of the District of Columbia was awarded three grants: one for building three state of the art neighborhood scale aquaponics facilities; one for building a commercial kitchen facility and food truck to promote nutrition, job-skills and entrepreneurship training; and one to create a native plants nursery to combat invasive plant species and restoration native habitats. All three facilities will serve as community education center to create local green-jobs training. “We consider sustainability to be a key principle in our academic offerings, so that our students retain a lasting commitment to

Dishes prepared by UDC chefs use fresh produce from UDC’s research farm in Beltsville. The produce is also distributed at farmers market in each ward across the District. / Photo by DR Barnes ®

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

ensuring the health of the planet,” said Leslie Malone, the marketing and communications manager for the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences of the UDC. Malone said UDC is collaborating with the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) to host the official 2015 DC Earth Day Event: “Path to Zero Waste,” with Mayor Muriel Bowser, DDOE Director Tommy Wells and others. She said the event, which will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22 at UDC’s Connecticut Avenue Northwest location, will inform attendees about how the District is working to increase the recycling rate, adopt new innovative technologies and work towards zero waste as defined in the Sustainable DC Plan. “This summit will provide an opportunity to network with attendees from the waste management industry as well as representatives from the nonprofit, government, university, embassy and health care sectors,” school officials said in a news release. Further, Zendehdel said UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) has partnered with many nonprofit organizations like the Anacostia Watershed Society, Washington Parks and People and the 11th Street Bridge Park project to work on several sustainable projects across the District. “That brings a great opportunity to involve community into environmental projects and make sure that District residents are invested in these projects,” he said. “As a college, CAUSES has only

been a collective unit for only a few short years. CAUSES marry the academic programs in urban architecture, environmental science, health education, nursing, nutrition with our land grant Centers,” Zendehdel added. Zendehdel said integrating research, academic and community education and outreach is a standard among land grant institutions. Land grants were established by the Morrill Act and signed into law by President Lincoln in 1862. These institutions provide education both on campus and off, as they bring education to communities. Every state has a land grant college or university, and DC is no exception, even though most residents do not realize that UDC has this designation. Not only is UDC a landgrant college, it’s the nation’s only urban landgrant university. “Under the leadership of Dr. Sabine O’Hara, dean, CAUSES has become the innovative institution it is today,” Zendehdel said. “CAUSES integrate research, academics and experiential learning in the form of low-cost workshops and professional development offerings to the residents of DC. CAUSES has pioneered its model for urban agriculture, known as the Urban Food Hubs concept … the aim of the Urban Food Hubs is to increase urban food production, expand food-related business opportunities, improve nutritional health and reduce energy through local, sustainable techniques. UDC aims to have a food hub in each Ward of the District. We are proud of all of these initiatives, which help us to fulfill our mission.” n

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

PEPCO & EXELON:

Powering a Brighter Future For our District of Columbia customers, the proposed merger between Pepco and Exelon will deliver: Improved electric reliability, with fewer power outages and faster restoration after storms Exelon and Pepco are committed to keeping the lights on. We’ve set higher targets for reducing the number and length of power outages. That commitment will only be made stronger if we unite our resources and expertise as one company.

Millions of dollars in savings We understand the need to keep energy bills affordable. By combining our companies, we will operate more efficiently and generate cost savings that we’ll pass on to customers. In fact, $51.2 million in projected merger savings over 10 years will flow back to Pepco customers in the District through electric rates lower than they would be without the merger.

For our families, our communities, our businesses and our economy, Pepco and Exelon are powering a brighter future.

LEA RN MORE ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER & GET INVOLVED

BY VISITING PHITOMORROW.COM PA I D F O R BY E X E LO N S H A R E H O L D E R S

2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015 / www.washingtoninformer.com

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

STOP

PICTURE THIS A DC CLIMATE PHOTO CONTEST

PHOTO CONTEST

Submit photos of climate change impacts and solutions to be eligible to win one of 4 prizes.

KICK-OFF WORKSHOP Sat, May 9, 2015 | 10:00AM–12:30PM THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave SE (Southern Ave Metro)

This FREE workshop will include:

• A photography class with a focus on camera phones • Community leaders discussing climate change in DC • Refreshments!

SustainableDC.org/ClimatePhotos ®

EARTH DAY NETWORK 2015

www.washingtoninformer.com / 2015 Sustainability Supplement / April 2015

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL D.C. Nabs Midsummer Classic

Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred has thrilled Washington, the Washington Nationals and baseball lovers here with the news that Washington, D.C., will host the 2018 All-Star Game. Affectionately called “the Midsummer Classic,” this game marks the halfway point of each season and features a contest between American League and National League players chosen by fans, managers and players. Nats owner Ted Lerner calls the occasion “an opportunity of a lifetime” as Washington hosts the game for the first time since 1969. A lifelong lover of baseball, Lerner has a passion for the game that is undiminished, and we have him and his family to thank for bringing Major League Baseball back to the nation’s capital. Not only will the All-Star Game put the spotlight on the game, our city and the region, but it will also be an economic boon. New York City hosted the 2013 All-Star Game, which generated about $185 million, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation. More than 150,000 people traveled to New York City’s Citi Field for the game and ancillary activities, 80,000 New Yorkers took part in events, and more than 30 million viewers worldwide watched the game. In the prior two years, Minneapolis cashed in to the tune of between $21 million and $50 million, according to state tourism officials, and St. Louis is looking at close to a $60 million injection into its economy. Local businesses cash in, and city government salivates at the opportunity to add tax dollars to its coffers. But it remains to be seen if the All-Star Game translates into longer-term benefits, such as providing the spark and momentum for the renewal of communities around the stadium and further development in and around the Southeast waterfront.

Obama – Jamaica Love Fest

The Jamaican diaspora community, as well of those who live in the tiny island nation, are still buzzing after President Barack Obama’s visit on April 9. Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller told Obama a number of times how much Jamaicans love him, and his public appearances illustrated the mutual love affair between Obama and those he encountered. Obama, the first U.S. president to pay a visit Jamaica since Ronald Reagan in 1982, made an unscheduled late-night stop at the Bob Marley Museum at 56 Hope Road in Kingston. A self-professed admirer of the reggae icon, Obama said he has all of Marley’s albums and played “Exodus” on Air Force One while traveling to the Caribbean. Obama said he’s been a “big fan” of Marley’s since he was a teenager, and his love of Marley’s music and Red Stripe Beer are well-known. The Jamaica Gleaner said Obama regards his visit to the museum as “one of the ‘more fun meetings’ he has had as president.” U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis G. Moreno told a reporter with the Daily Gleaner that a chef at the Pegasus Hotel prepared a sampling of dozen of Jamaica’s more famous dishes, which Obama apparently enjoyed. The trip wasn’t all fun and giggles, though. The president mixed business and pleasure during the short visit. It included bilateral talks with Simpson-Miller and a meeting with 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government to discuss security, trade and energy issues for the region. The love fest continued when Obama met with and addressed young leaders from the region at the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus and entertained questions from the audience. He surprised and delighted participants when he greeted the crowd with “Greetings Massive! Yeah… Wha ah gwaan Jamaica?” Obama met sprint sensations Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, took selfies with several of the young people, and chatted and posed with Bolt in his signature stance. He has promised to return to Jamaica with his family. www.washingtoninformer.com

Absent Candidates

I was angry after I read your article “Ward 4 Residents Hear From Their Candidates” [Rachel Kersey, April 9-15, 2015]. Why does so-called “handpicked successor”, (to Mayor Muriel Bowser as Ward 4 Councilmember) Brandon Todd think that it is acceptable for him to be absent from the debates where candidates can express their positions on important city issues in front of the very citizens who can vote them into office? His absence, which I have heard is not his first, signals his conceited assurance that he will win the election without bothering to participate in these debates. Not only is this an insult to the citizens who will decide whether or not to vote for him, but it also makes Mayor Bowser look somewhat shady for broadcasting that she has handpicked him to succeed her in the Ward 4 council seat. It is no wonder that those present at this latest debate booed the announcement of Todd’s absence. Voters who take the time to attend these events are there to hear directly from the people who are vying to become the voters’ choice. Participation in the debates should be mandatory for all candidates. Why should we even consider a candidate who does not think enough of his potential constituents to even show up and show us who he really is? Jeneen Varner Washington, DC

A New Generation of STEM Pros

A big “Thanks” to the ladies of Del-

ta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Washington, DC Alumni Chapter for their Educational Summit in Southeast on March 28 [“Educational Summit Targets Southeast Youth” April 9-15, 2015]. In a section of the city that is frequently passed over and/ or forgotten when good things are being planned for the residents of Washington, it was refreshing and uplifting to read about the STEM Youth Summit at the Rise Demonstration Center. As stated in the article, the number of African American students enrolled in STEM-related courses is much smaller than white students in those courses. This is reﬂected, naturally, in the representation of African Americans in STEM related jobs in this country. For some reason, our students seem to shy away from these fields of study. Is it because they have not been sufficiently encouraged to try these courses? Obviously, Delta ladies think so, and their summit is an excellent way to address this issue. Perhaps other professional and social and service organizations can follow DST’s example. Such efforts could eventually produce a new generation of African American scientists and mathematicians just waiting to make significant discoveries and contributions in these fields. Harold Simonson Alexandria VA

Assault on DC CBE Businesses

After reading the article on the most recent assault on local CBE businesses [District’s Minority Contractors Come Out

in Support of Corizon” April 9-15, 2015] I am further infuriated by this so-called color-blind society where folks seem to believe we have overcome racism, particularly as it relates contracting with Black-owned businesses. The assault first started when District legislators decided to weaken our minority set-aside program which was one of the strongest and robust in the country. The late Mayor Marion Barry was among other big city mayors who broke apart the oldboy network of government contracting to allow qualified minority-owned businesses to compete for a piece of the pie. It made a difference and was a true example of helping to build the Black middle class. But under our local law those businesses have been reclassified as certified business enterprises and the classification expanded to include all local, small, disadvantaged businesses. Even with that, District officials continue to try to side-step the law, specifically locking out many minority or Black-owned businesses. I praise the folks that are speaking directly to the Council regarding the Corizon contract, but I know that the fight will not end there. Just as the assault on minority-owned businesses will continue; the fight to create sustainable and lucrative minority-owned businesses will continue, as well. Jeff Brown Washington, DC

Readers' Mailbox

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

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By Lee A. Daniels

Facing ‘Officer Friendly’ While Black Without the video, North Charleston, South Carolina, police Officer Michael T. Slager would likely have gotten away with murder. Without the video, we wouldn’t see Officer Michael T. Slager have the, shall we say, presence of mind to quickly retrieve what appears to be his Taser and plant it beside the lifeless body of Walter Lamar Scott. Without the video, Slager

would no doubt have quickly been coached on the techniques of making himself appear in news media interviews as the victim of the lethal encounter with the black man he killed, 50-year-old Walter Lamar Scott. Without the video, the conservative punditocracy and talkshow jockeys would be raging that the dead man’s action again proved that black and brown civilians are “waging war” on police. But we have the video – one of the technological innovations

that increasingly have helped suggest what people of color face from an alarming number of white cops – and the first-degree murder indictment of Slager. And so we are faced with a long list of powerful questions: Why did Slager pull over Walter Lamar Scott’s vehicle? Was it really for a broken taillight? Or was it because Slager, feeding off the power of his badge, wanted to show some black person – any black person – who’s boss? What then was going through Slager’s

Guest Columnist

mind that led him to not give chase to the unarmed, slow-footed Scott when he ran but quickly and calmly pull his gun and fire eight times at the ﬂeeing man? I think some part of the answer to these questions and the many others that must be asked can be found in a recent instance of a police encounter with black teenagers that did not escalate to violence but was nonetheless revealing. That incident – captured on a police car camera – occurred in Minneapolis March 18. Four

black teens of Somali descent, having just finished playing basketball at the YMCA, were driving home when they were pulled over by the police for making a U-turn. The police ordered the youths out of the car at gunpoint and handcuffed them while they searched the car and ran background checks on the car to see if it was stolen and on the youths to see if any had criminal records. They found nothing. None of the youths had a crimi-

DANIELS Page 38

By Julianne Malveaux

Should African-Americans Endorse Whites Over Blacks? Two prominent black Maryland officials – Montgomery County Executive Issiah Leggett and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III – have endorsed Congressman Chris Van Hollen, a white candidate, over black Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards in the race to replace retiring Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski. So far, Edwards is the only African-American in the race

and faces the prospect of joining California Attorney General Kamala Harris, an announced candidate for the California Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Another African-American, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Baltimore, is considering running for the seat that will become vacant in 2017 when Mikulski retires. This may seem like a local story, but it has national implications. Both Edwards and Van Hollen are likely to seek contri-

butions from all over the country. Furthermore, the possibility of having an African-American woman in the Senate is an opportunity for African-American women’s issues to be raised on the Senate ﬂoor. Finally, Edwards’ presence on committees dealing with work, health care and banking will bring a much-needed perspective to a Senate that is 96 percent White. With an African-American female senator, would Loretta Lynch’s confirmation for U.S.

Guest Columnist

attorney general still be languishing? Or would Edwards remind fellow senators that their treatment of African-American women has hardly been fair? Edwards might also raise issues that impact all women but African-American women especially, given the fact that we have lower incomes and a higher rate of single motherhood. African-American women have also been the targets of disparaging remarks about public assistance and food stamps, as if no whites partici-

pate in these programs. An African-American female senator would likely raise objections and stop senatorial trash talk about African-American women it its tracks. Why, then, have the highest-ranking elected officers at the county level in Maryland, both African-American men, chosen the white Van Hollen over Edwards? And if they don’t like Edwards for the post, why couldn’t

MALVEAUX Page 38

By Harry C. Alford

The ‘Show Me’ State is Finally Showing the Way in Business I first started interacting with black business advocates of Missouri in the late 1980s when my wife, Kay, and I started trying to build a national network of advocates pushing for real diversity in the business marketplace. Our intent was to create an atmosphere of demanding black business empowerment and then to organize it into a national movement. The immediate markets were Chicago, Cleveland,

24 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Louisville and Kansas City, Missouri, all circling where we were in Indianapolis. When outgoing Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut sent his people to inform me that a betrayal on the business diversity pledge made by the state, city and United Airlines was about to go down and I was the only one who could stop it, I decided to call in our contacts. We had a showdown with United in Chicago, and representatives from all cities showed up. St. Louis and

Kansas City played a key role in our victory and that caused optimism for the Missouri market as we evolved. United was intimidated to the max and would soon relent. Thus, we started making millionaires through the contracting activity at the Indianapolis airport via the United Airlines maintenance hub. We threw down and launched the National Black Chamber of Commerce. To our surprise and disappointment, no one in the Missouri market stepped forward. We thought the Kansas The Washington Informer

City Black Chamber was coming, but its membership check bounced. This was the beginning of confusing signals coming out of Missouri, the Show Me State. It could assemble a group for advocacy. I remember when the St. Louis guys were protesting the merger of Nations Bank and St. Louis-based Boatmen’s Bank. They did a protest on Wall Street by ﬂying in a chartered Boeing 737 into La Guardia Airport filled with protesters. The late Rev. Louis Coleman of Louisville and I met them there and

accompanied them in a formal march down Wall Street for they had obtained a permit from the City of New York. These St. Louis guys topped that with a chartered Boeing 747 that landed in Washington, D.C., for the Million Man March in 1995. A few years later, they would go out and shut down Interstate 70 outside of St. Louis to protest poor performance in minority contracting on highway projects. That made national news.

ALFORD Page 38

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

By George E. Curry

Controversy Over Videotaping Cops Feidin Santana, the young Dominican immigrant who videotaped North Charleston, South Carolina, police Officer Michael Slager firing his gun eight times, killing Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who was ﬂeeing, was a hero. His quick decision to videotape the unfolding action on his telephone led to the arrest of Slager on murder charges . However, in some states, instead of being hailed as a hero,

Santana would be the one behind bars. Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts have used their wiretapping laws to prevent videotaping police in public places. Some states are moving in that direction. But, as we can now see, video can be a game changer. This was vividly illustrated in 1991 with the brutal beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles. More recently, the July 17 choking death of Eric Garner in New York City was captured

on video as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” Thanks to a passerby, we also saw the July 1 video of a California Highway Patrol Officer Daniel Andrew straddling Marlene Pinnock, a 51-year old black woman near a Santa Monica freeway and punching her 10-15 times. She reached an out-ofcourt settlement that required a $1.5 million payment and the resignation of Andrew. Although no one can credibly deny the value of citizens’ being able to videotape on-duty police

Guest Columnist

officers operating in public spaces, courts are sharply divided on whether that’s protected under the First Amendment. In an article titled “The Legal Right to Videotape Police Isn’t Actually All That Clear,” the Atlantic Citylab noted, “The truth is that courts have not uniformly recognized that a right to record police actually exists. Though the U.S. Department of Justice has expressed its support for the right to record, only four federal appeals courts have ruled that such a right exists; others have

either not ruled at all or narrowly rules that no right had been ‘clearly established.’” I am not a lawyer and I don’t play one on TV. But the best available legal advice seems to be that generally speaking, it’s legal under the First Amendment to videotape on-duty police officers as long as it is on public property and you are not interfering with them performing their official duties. As noted above, some state laws ban such recordings.

CURRY Page 39

By Bill Fletcher Jr.

U.S. and U.N. Failed Somalia In 1991, I watched Somalia disintegrate. It was not just the breakup of a state, as we were to see in the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union – it was the complete collapse of the state structure and the devolution into warlordism. Some part of me thought that the United Nations or some other global body would intervene to reinforce the Somali nation-state. That did not hap-

pen. The U.S. intervention, in the public mind associated with Blackhawk Down, was theoretically a humanitarian operation, but it did nothing to play the role of the honest broker in bringing the conﬂicting sides together. As a result, Somalia lay in shambles, subject to external rape, pirating, conﬂicts among warlords, foreign invasions, brief moments of calm and ultimately the rise of jihadist terrorism. Through all of this, it has felt that much, if not most, of the rest of the world couldn’t give a

damn. It would be bad enough if Somalia were the only country to disintegrate. Yet it has not stopped there. Ironically, as long as global capitalism can continue to find ways to operate in these collapsed nation-states, no one seems to lift a finger. And, to add insult to injury, when external forces help to accelerate nation-state disintegration – as in Iraq and Libya – the perpetrators throw their hands into the air and blame the people on the ground for somehow not grasping basic

ASKIA-AT-LARGE

principles of governance. In the case of Libya, whether one supported or opposed the regime of President Moammar Qaddafi, the NATO intervention in the midst of the civil war quite apparently contributed to not only the overthrow of Qaddafi but also the collapse of the Libyan political system. There was no cohesive leadership to replace the Qaddafi regime, and guns started ﬂowing not only within Libya but throughout much of North Africa. Disputes between factions within the an-

ti-Qaddafi movement have now evolved into a proxy war for different countries in the Arab world along with the introduction of jihadist terrorists. In all of this there is nothing approaching self-criticism by the U.S. or NATO. There is no suggestion that, having directly contributed to the disintegration of the Libyan state, the U.S. and NATO might have some obligation – if not legal, then certainly moral – to work with the

FLETCHER Page 39

By Askia Muhammad

Hillary Clinton makes it official Hillary Rodham Clinton’s entrance into the 2016 presidential derby strikes me as more like a force of nature, than like a cause we can believe in. While she will never admit it, her progress to the nomination seems inevitable, like a glacier melting and cascading into the frigid Arctic Ocean. “I’m running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that

champion,” she said in a Twitter message. “I hope you’ll join me on this journey,” she said in a video announcing her campaign. Besides having the best chance in history to break the glass ceiling and becoming the first female U.S. president, I don’t know what it is that makes her want the top job. Despite cheap Republican charges that hers would be a “third Obama term,” she would more likely govern like “Bush Lite,” that is much more hawkish than the incumbent. Clinton would have been

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more hawkish toward Iran, and maybe would not have been able to win a preliminary agreement to dismantle that country’s ambitions for nuclear weapons. She might not have seized the opportunity to normalize relations with Cuba, as President Obama has done. Her life appears to me like a series of arranged marriages. Born in Illinois, she married this guy, Bill Clinton, who she met at Yale Law School. He took her home to Arkansas with him where he became the youngest The Washington Informer

governor in that state’s history. Life proceeded along for them and Bill was elected president in 1992, then re-elected in 1996. Even before Bill Clinton left the Oval Office in 2001, Hillary Clinton had picked a landing spot for herself, establishing residency in New York where she pushed all the natural New Yorkers to the side, winning the U.S. Senate seat which was vacated by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Convenient. She won reelection in 2006 and seemed poised for a march to the White House.

But up popped Illinois freshman Senator Barack Obama in 2008, who had not even completed one term in office and he pushed Hillary to the side winning “believers” to his cause, with the phrase, “Yes We Can.” To his credit, Obama convinced Clinton to be his Secretary of State, giving her a chance to polish her foreign policy credentials, and to stay in “the game.” After four years in that spotlight, Hillary Clinton

MUHAMMAD Page 39 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

The CoLumn

“Is Everywhere!” “Mickey” Thompson Vincent

2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade

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LIFESTYLE

The Nile Project hopes to spark dialogue about collaborative sustainability. /Photo By Peter Stanley

Nile Project Arrives To Educate, Entertain

Twenty-Seven Musicians from 11 Countries Perform By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer National Public Radio said The Nile Project is producing harmony in a divided region, while The New York Times calls euphoric the performance that, to a traditionalist, looks like an ungainly mélange: a gathering of musicians from the 11 countries of the Nile basin playing instruments that weren’t made to share a stage or a song. Founded on the belief that music can change perceptions and inspire action, The Nile Project brings together 27 musicians from the 11 different countries along the Nile to encourage dialogue about sustainability in the Nile basin. The project’s residency at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center culminates in a concert at the center’s Dekelboum Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. The residency will also include three discussion panels; a lunch discussion at the University of Maryland on “Female Perspectives on the Nile”; a creative dialogue on the “Role of Musicians in Peace and Environmental Movements,” which will be held at 6:45 p.m. on Monday, April 27, in the Baird Auditorium of the

Smithsonian National Museum of History in Washington; and a panel called “Crowd Sourcing Solutions for a Sustainable Nile Basin” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, in the Leah M. Smith Lecture Hall at the Clarice. “I was trying to be part of this new thing that’s happening in Egypt,” said Mina Girgis, an ethnomusicologist and the president and CEO of The Nile Project. “That’s when I started talking to a friend of mine about starting a project together, a musical project that would bring together musicians from all over the Nile countries.” While visiting San Francisco, a friend who’s a Japanese accordion player, invited Girgis to watch him perform with an Ethiopian folk band, Girgis said. “It was amazing,” he said. “I was amazed by the music, and I was amazed by my own ignorance of music because Ethiopians are on the same river as we are in Egypt, and yet I’d never been exposed to their music or their culture.” From that point, Girgis said he realized that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was being constructed and conﬂict bubbled across the African continent.

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He created The Nile Project as a way to spark positive discussion and expose individuals to various cultures while also encouraging everyone to understand that the countries situated along the Nile are part of one ecosystem, he said. “It was the kind of conﬂict that needed a solution, one that everyone could embrace,” Girgis said. “Everyone always talked about the water, so we had to change the conversation, and so we made it about music. And we got all of these musicians together, and I think it has really helped to make a difference.” Now, they are bringing the musicians and others to Maryland as part of an American tour that Girgis hopes will shed light on the Nile and on togetherness. The Nile Project is an education and development initiative that uses music to help find additional ways in which the water along the Nile can peacefully be shared, Girgis said. With periodic two-week residencies at institutions and universities, musicians from a variety of Nile basin countries gather to teach one another their musical styles. The musicians collaborate to compose songs that speak to their relationship with the Nile The Washington Informer

The Nile Project is producing harmony in a divided region, and its residency that arrives in Maryland is nothing short of euphoric, reviewers have said. /Photo by Matjaz Kacicnik

and with one another, combining a variety of languages, tonal systems and rhythmic systems, Girgis said. A powerful pan-Nile percussion section drives this orchestra of Ethiopian masenko and saxophone; Egyptian ney, oud, violin, simsimiya and tanbura; and Ugandan adungu and bass guitar. Six vocalists, including Dina El Wedidi from Egypt, sing in their native tongue. “It’s so much fun to be a part of this, and I’ve been able to learn a lot,” El Wedidi said.

The combination of instruments proves to be an important element in the water conversation that’s highlighted, Girgis said. “It’s a conversation that is not defined by one person’s priorities,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for everyone to voice their concerns.” WI Tickets for the performance at the Clarice Smith Center are $25, $20 and $10 and can be purchased by calling 301-405-2787 or online at www. theclarice.umd.edu. Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

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Filmfest DC Returns, Overcomes Financial Hurdles By Eve M. Ferguson WI Contributing Writer It’s back. And, Tony Gittens, Filmfest DC founder and director, says it’s better than ever. During last year’s festival, which was touted as the last, film buffs began to go into shock when they heard that the 10-day festival of foreign, indie and documentary films would cease with the 2014 festival after 28 years of bringing the best, latest and sometimes otherwise inaccessible films to the Washington cultural crowd. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Filmfest DC returns to life April 16-26 for the 29th annual Filmfest DC, which has more features than ever. “Filmfest DC is back thanks to a number of factors,” Gittens said. “We have made budget adjustments and have consolidated our venues. Additionally, our board members and traditional donors have stepped up contributions, and new donors that are excited about what we do have come on board.” The annual Filmfest DC has long been known to encompass short and feature-length international films and documentaries, along with complimentary programming, which expands this year to incorporate a program with local film critics Arch Campbell, the former film critic for WABC-Channel 7, and The Washington Post’s film critic Ann Hornaday. According to Filmfest DC’s website, “The world of international cinema is similar to the worlds of fine cuisine, accomplished literature, and music. It challenges our assumptions and takes us down roads we didn’t even know existed. Unlike commercial Hollywood fare, which is driven primarily by star recognition and special effects, international cinema focuses on relationships, character depth, and story. Restricting our movie-going to whatever is showing at the nearest multiplex is similar to listening only to Top 20 music, reading only from best-seller lists, or dining out only at McDonald’s. We would be missing some of life’s more interesting and rewarding experiences.” The festival has been streamlined to take place in fewer venues. This adds a degree of comfort for patrons, who now The Washington Informer

A scene from the ﬁlm “Tango Glories,” a new ﬁlm that will be presented at Filmfest DC. /Photo courtesy Oliver Kolker

do not have to run the gamut of theaters spread out across town. All events will now be centralized around Mazza Gallery, Landmark E Street Cinema, the Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of France, the Lincoln Theatre and Brixton Restaurant on U Street, where parties are held. A new pass option makes it more cost-effective to see films, and Rhythm On and Off the Screens will couple film screenings with live musical performances to make the festival more diversified. According to Gittens and Deputy Director Shireen Ghareeb, this year’s festival will introduce “many new and exciting upgrades that will make the Filmfest DC experience more engaging for our audience.” “We have introduced new discounts and pass options – such as a student discount – making the festival more budget-friendly,” said Gittens. “We are also using more technology and social media to expand our programming and interact with new audiences. This year, we will be hosting Q & As with filmmakers after screenings through Skype and will be bringing movie trailers to you through the Aurasma app, which allows you to see trailers by simply focusing your smartphone camera on photos in the festival catalog.” Filmfest DC opens on April 16 at 7 p.m. with the film Tango Glories from Argentina. When patrons arrive at 6:30, they will experience a mini-milonga inside the theater at Mazza Gallery, and the screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director and a party with more dancing.

In between the opening and closing on April 26th, patrons can partake of a plethora of films falling in the categories of “The Lighter Side: Politics aren’t the only thing funny in Washington,” “Trust No One: Espionage, Crime and Thrillers,” “Rhythms On and Off the Screen: Films on Music, “Reel Jazz: Films on Jazz,” “Justice Matters,” and “Impact Projects.” The project, conceived and directed by Linda Blackaby, Filmfest DC’s senior programming consultant, focuses on independent filmmakers who passionately tell stories that spotlight issues of social justice. To celebrate their creators’ commitment to sharing important themes and to bring them to the broadest possible public, the social justice films in Filmfest DC are a special initiative, bringing these works to a wider audience in the area. Additionally, other than the films’ festival screenings, the project will include a series of programs and presentations designed for students and community groups. Filmfest DC has added to its website “thought-provoking resources about the films and the issues they explore.” “DC needs and deserves a rich cultural festival like Filmfest DC,” said Arch Campbell, who will once again kick off the festival. “I am delighted that this treasure will return for another year.” WI

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Ava DuVernay, the director of the ﬁlm “Selma,” received a Robeson Award at a program sponsored by Howard University on Thursday, April 9. /Photo courtesy Rob Roberts.

‘Selma’ Director, Cinematographer Receive Robeson Awards By Elaina Johnson Howard University News Service The director and the cinematographer of “Selma,” the film of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and African-Americans’ struggle to win the vote in the South that won an Oscar and was nominated for another, were honored by Howard University for their “diligence and creativity in the art of film.” Director Ava DuVernay and cinematographer Bradford Young, a Howard University graduate, were among those honored Thursday, April 10, during the annual Paul Robeson Awards, which were presented by the Howard University Department of Media, Journalism and Film. Howard University film, radio, television and print media students were also honored during the event, which was held at the French Embassy. Previous recipients include actor and singer Harry Belafonte; actor, director and playwright Ossie Davis; directors Spike Lee and Haile Gerima; and director and cinematographer Ernest Dickerson. DuVernay said that while she was extremely appreciative of the award, just as she was of the Oscar nomination for Best Picture, such accolades are not what inspire her. “That’s not what I want,” she said. “What I appreciate is the

fact that when I walked in the door, a brother told me he loved the movie. That is more than enough.” Instead, she said, she tries to create work that is reﬂective of her desires and the African-American community. “There is a very vigorous approach to work that goes beyond the rejection or the acceptance of anyone other than your own heart, your own mind and your own community,” she said. Her work won her the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Best Director Award, making her the first black female to win the honor. DuVernay, who grew up in California and began her film career in 1999 following work as a marketing specialist, also won the 2013 John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award and the Tribeca Film Institute 2013 Affinity Award. DuVernay combined her passion for film and African-American progression to begin the African American Film Festival Releasing Movement, a film distribution company dedicated to diverse cinematic images. Young had worked with DuVernay on a number of films before teaming up with her on “Selma.” He credited Howard and his film instructors at the university for his success. “Everything I am and how I see the world, if I didn’t have film, I don’t know what person I would be,” he said. “But if I

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didn’t have Howard, I know I wouldn’t be much.” Young, native of Louisville, Kentucky, was identified as one of the 25 “new faces” to watch in independent film in 2009. Young has received several cinematography awards from the Sundance Film Festival. He was honored for the film he and DuVernay worked on called “Pariah” in 2011 and “Mother of George” and “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” in 2013. When it comes to awards and accolades, Young said he agreed with DuVernay – he said the real achievement is through the elevation of community. “Forget the awards and the illusion that we’ve made it,” he said. “We haven’t made it until we’ve developed a real revolutionary grammar in how we see ourselves.” Jeredon O’Conner was among the students honored. O’Conner, native of Memphis, is a senior film major. He was recognized for his short film “Colored.” O’Conner said his love for filmmaking has given him the opportunity to travel to France, London and Rome to intern and study art and history. “Being recognized felt amazing,” he said. “I am glad everyone got to appreciate my hard work and talent. I felt very honored to see my creativity come to life.”WI The Washington Informer

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

LIFESTYLE

Olympic medalist John Carlos

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news@washingtoninformer.com Olympic Protest, BLM Movement: Same Struggle By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer @bsalmondc When Knox College’s Ariyana Smith lay on a basketball game for 4.5 minutes before the start of the game against Fontbonne University in Clayton, Missouri, last November, she was following in what is now an established tradition of the activist/athlete. To show her solidarity with Mike Brown, the 18-year-old Ferguson, Missouri, teenager killed by a white police officer and the protesters who’d been on the streets since the Feb. 9, 2014, shooting, Smith raised a clenched fist, put both hands above her head, dropped to her knees before the American ﬂag and lay on the ﬂoor as the national anthem ended. At a recent panel discussion titled #BlackLivesMatter and the Power of Sports, panelists talked about the close ties between sports and activism. Another athlete, much better known but just as committed to social justice, equality and fairness as Smith, exhorted a standing-room-only crowd never to shy away from the struggle for human dignity. “We just want the opportunity to be treated like human beings,” said 1968 200-meter Olympic bronze medalist John Carlos during the #BlackLivesMatter and the Power of Sports panel discussion. “It’s absolutely obscene that 46 years later, this is still going on.” Carlos, 69, is revered for standing on the podium with gold medal winner Tommie Smith, heads bowed, each wearing a single black glove, arms raised in a black-power salute as they received their medals in Mexico City. The men said theirs was a protest about the living conditions of blacks and other people of color in the United States, as well as a tribute to their African-American heritage. Officials from the U.S. Olympic and International Olympic committees were not amused, and after claiming that the men’s action ran counter to the ideals of the Games, they banned Smith and Carlos from the Olympic Village and sent them home. For years, the men were ostracized, vilified and marginalized for their actions and paid a high price, but neither bowed nor apologized for what they did. As moderator Dave Zirin noted, Smith and Carlos’ show of defiance remains one of the most iconic imag-

30 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

es of Olympic history and the black power movement. “I’ve been to hell and back, and I look almost as good as my son Malik because God has taken care of me,” Carlos said. “In Los Angeles, they put a chokehold on me, and I told the officer I have no fear. We have to step up, stand tall, make it an issue for them. Most of us are afraid. We need to leave a precedent and future for our kids.” “I told the guys in Mexico that it would take 15 minutes of their life. They said I’ve trained all my life, said, ‘the church and Old Glory is counting on me to get one of those medals.’ It was imperative that John Carlos go to the Olympic Games. I was a symbol for all oppressed people in the U.S. and around the world. There were no misgivings about what I did or had to do. They told me I’d never work again; they put drugs on the table. I grew up in Harlem and saw this stuff … there were holes in my life, things to they did to corrupt me, hurt my family.” Adwoa Masozi and Princess L. Black, two of a number of local female organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement, joined Carlos on the panel at the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library in the Shaw community. The Black Lives Matter movement grew out of the Brown killing, which triggered protests in more than 37 states and 170 cities and marches and demonstrations against police brutality and for reform of the criminal justice system. The largely peaceful protests have brought into view a new generation of activists – the majority of them women – who have immersed themselves in acts of civil disobedience as they work to change a society and dismantle a system that discriminates and marginalizes people of color. “If not for the heroism of black women, they’d be no Black Lives Matter movement,” said Zirin, a columnist and sportswriter with The Nation. “Ferguson became the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter.’ … Only history makes me less afraid. It’s humbling thinking about what (John) had to go through. That means my life is insignificant.” Since the Nov. 24 announcement by Ferguson County Attorney Bob McCulloch that a grand jury declined

CARLOS Page 31

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LIFESTYLE

Griot

TAURUS When you let go of pain and fear, you are a force to be reckoned with. Use your talents for regeneration to create a new reality for yourself, one that is ﬁlled with joy and happiness. Turn away from inner thoughts that are anything less than positive. Soul Afﬁrmation: I enjoy living in my dream. Lucky Numbers: 11, 42, 44

by CAP Saucier c.2015, Prometheus Books $14.99 / $16.00 Canada 177 pages

Nighttime is absolutely your favorite time. Some people choose to hang out with friends after dark. Some go to movies, listen to music, or just go to sleep. But you – as soon as it’s dark, you lay down somewhere quiet and look up. That’s where the stars are, and in the new book by CAP Saucier, you can learn to “Explore the Cosmos like Neil deGrasse Tyson.” Born a few days before the National Aeronautics and Space Administration began, Neil deGrasse Tyson likes to say he’s the same age as NASA. By the time he was nine years old, he was “in love with the night sky” and at eleven, he knew he wanted to be an astrophysicist (a scientist that studies the universe). He was so fascinated by planets and stars that he almost got into trouble with a telescope when he was a teenager. Tyson’s parents both stressed to him that skipping college was not an option and so, though he wasn’t a great student in high school, Tyson went to Harvard, then to the University of Texas and to Columbia University. Why, you might ask, didn’t he become an astronaut? Back then, the program wasn’t open to African Americans, so being an astronaut never even entered his mind. In finding beauty in the night sky, Tyson is not alone. More than 2,500 years ago, the Greeks looked upward and tried to understand what they saw. Other cultures studied the heavens, too; Ptolemy tried to count the stars, and stopped at a thousand. In recent years, we’ve learned more about the cosmos than ever before, but there’s still so much we don’t know. To study the stars, you need to understand light and physics. You’ll need to know about galaxies and Nebulas, which look different and have descriptive names. You’ll want to

to charge Officer Darren Wilson for Brown’s death on Aug. 9, protesters have promised it would not be business as usual anywhere in this country. And protesters have been on the streets in Ferguson, participating in vigils and marches day and night, in good weather and bad, for more than 240 days. Here in the District, young ac-

APR 16 - APR 22, 2015

ARIES The time has come to forgive and forget. Take the ﬁrst step in reconciling a friendship. You thought no one knew, but you may be romantically attracted to an old pal. Soul Afﬁrmation: Helping others is the true measure of my worth. Lucky Numbers: 38, 45, 48

“Explore the Cosmos like Neil deGrasse Tyson”

CARLOS from Page 30

Horoscopes

GEMINI Treat yourself with kindness, and let love be your guiding light. The past few weeks have been rather hard on your personality, but you’ve come through a troubled time with flying colors. Soul Affirmation: I am what I consistently do. Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 18 CANCER Critical voices should be tuned out this week. You are in the mood for a pleasant week, and you shouldn’t let anyone keep you from your just rewards. Relax with friends who you can share positive vibes with. Soul Affirmation: I get because I give. Lucky Numbers: 12, 23, 45 LEO Unexpected company may arrive, or an invitation may be extended. Use good judgment and set realistic boundaries to protect your valuable personal time. Drive carefully. Soul Affirmation: I make the first step, and the universe will come to my aid. Lucky Numbers: 34, 41, 47

find out the truth about black holes, and why you never, ever want to be “spaghettified.” And above all, says Tyson, stay in school, learn math, and go for the best education you can get. Even if you don’t end up studying stars, that’s always a good path to take. I was pleasantly surprised and a little daunted by “Explore the Cosmos like Neil deGrasse Tyson.” The delight comes in the biography part of this book. Author CAP Saucier lets us explore the life of Neil deGrasse Tyson, from his childhood to his fascinating career today and what he thinks about the future of space exploration. Along the way, we’re given an education on the universe and what’s in it. That part, however, can be formidable; the language is more advanced than I would have liked to see in a book for middle-graders. Kids who tackle those sections will need a better-than-average understanding of astroscience, since those pages aren’t otherwise very kid-friendly. I think maybe a science-loving nine-yearold could try this book but it’s really better-suited for someone older. For a sharp child with her head in the stars, “Explore the Cosmos like Neil deGrasse Tyson” is pretty cosmic. WI

tivists have marched on the police department, city hall, and the Department of Justice. Some have shut down I-395 and other thoroughfares, Georgetown, downtown and other economic areas of the city. Black, an organizer with Think MOOR, said Black Lives Matter organizers and participants who spring from an array of social justice, civil rights and other organizations are committed to sustain-

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ing the movement. “Assata (Shakur) said it’s our duty to fight. We must win this battle, this war, in this time. We must love protect and support one another. People have a fear of losing their jobs, but if you know people have a couch or a plate of food, that can make all the difference. It’s easy when people have your back.” WI

VIRGO Your rewards come not only from what you do but from who you are! Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back and work some wonders. You are full of positive energy this week; use it to your advantage. Soul Affirmation: I care deeply about the feelings of others. Lucky Numbers: 10, 11, 26 LIBRA Practical matters may seem like nuisances that are only there to spite your sunny mood this week. The vibration has its place though, and if you apply yourself to practical things, you’ll have a lot accomplished by the end of the week. Avoid spinning your wheels on impossible projects or relationships. Soul Affirmation: Distant love is sometimes sweeter. Lucky Numbers: 17, 24, 29 SCORPIO Excellent vibrations accompany you to meetings and appointments or anywhere where your gifts of communication can be used. You’ll have managers eating out of your hand if you choose to exercise a little charm. Soul Affirmation: I call on my creative talents to pay my bills. Lucky Numbers: 18, 32, 47 SAGITTARIUS Charming, simply charming! You have everything going for you this week, so make the most of it. You are capable of handling many projects and equally capable of asking for help if you need it. Soul Affirmation: My imagination is the source of my happiness. Lucky Numbers: 1, 12, 30 CAPRICORN If you acknowledge your need to be with someone this afternoon, the universe will probably provide. Ask for help if you need it. There are many resources available to you that you could be drawing from. All you have to do is ask. Soul Affirmation: I accept fate and see good in it. Lucky Numbers: 7, 26, 28 AQUARIUS Watching the sunrise will help quell any impatience that may arise within you this week. As you watch the sun kiss the sky, imagine that the universe is embracing you with love. Soul Affirmation: I judge no one, especially myself this week. Lucky Numbers: 3, 5, 54 PISCES A surge in your personal power enables you to slay any dragons that you happen to meet this week. If you keep your attention on your own personal dragons, you’ll be advancing your own best self by knocking out some less than healthy habits. Use the force for good! Soul Affirmation: Shining brightly is something that I can do even in shadows. Lucky Numbers: 20, 33, 51

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

SPORTS

D.C. United Ties New York Red Bulls 2-2 D.C. United midﬁelder Perry Kitchen scores his ﬁrst of two goals during Major League Soccer (MLS) action on Saturday, April 11 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK) in Southeast. The United maintained its place atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-2 draw against the Red Bulls. The United will return to action against the Houston Dynamo at RFK on Saturday, April 18. Photo by John E. De Freitas

D. C. United defender Taylor Kemp hits a header during the ﬁrst half of MLS action on Saturday, April 11 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Southeast. The United and Red Bulls played to a 2-2 draw as the United remained unbeaten in four consecutive games against the Red Bulls at RFK. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Red Bulls midﬁelder Lloyd Sam is defended by the United’s Taylor as Kemp takes a shot on goal during the second half of MLS action at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Southeast on Saturday, April 11. The United and Red Bulls played to a 2-2 tie. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

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RELIGION

The Religion Corner

The Thrill is Gone And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. –Galatians 6:9-10 (KJV)

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How many of us quit trying to reach our goal because we get tired. Time is most likely the worst enemy of enthusiasm. If someone continues to pursue a goal, no matter what it is, there is a way to make it become a reality. Almost every one of you can think of something you were enthusiastic about, yet now the thrill is gone. When you are doing what you have come to this earth to do, you will never tire. If that has happened to you, then you are likely on the wrong road. In fact, you will enjoy doing what God sent you to this earth to do so much, you will do it for free. You will not charge one red cent. Your joy simply comes from giving this service. It is ‘who’ you are. It happened to me too, after the African American Civil War Memorial was almost finished, I knew I needed to find a way to become financially independent; and real estate was my choice. I had elaborate plans to become wealthy in real estate sales! It did not work! Took the class, passed the test, and became a licensed agent, but real estate was not for me. I found myself taking people to look at homes, but all they kept doing was looking! So I quit within a few weeks! Did you ever buy a brand new car; never allow a drop of dirt to get on it. Just keep on

driving; rain, snow splattered all over it, business papers on the seat; the thrill is gone! You take a vacation, and at first, everything was truly lovely; but even folk on vacation get sick and tired of beaches, sunsets and eating out every day; there is no place like home. Children get bored with toys. My granddaughter has so many toys that she has lost interest in most of them. But when I buy her a new coloring book from the Dollar Store, she gets excited. Christians get tired of doing good work, too. At first the excitement of teaching Sunday school class was exciting for you, but now the thrill is gone. At first you felt clean and strong in the Holy Spirit as you went about doing what you felt led to do. Now you have grown weary in well-doing. The thrill is gone! Scripture tells us, “He who sows to his own ﬂesh will from the ﬂesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not (therefore!) grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6 NKJ. You will reap eternal life, if you sow to the Spirit, that is, if you don’t grow weary in well-doing. There was a point when my thrill was gone away. I was not on my proper path; I had taken a detour, so my soul was not at peace. It was during this time that I began to awaken by my alarm cook, 4:00 a.m. each morning to pray, meditate and seek guidance from the Lord. That guidance came, and now that I am on my proper

with Lyndia Grant course, I can see myself writing my column, and enjoying my radio show and coordinating health fairs for a lifetime! The key here is you must stop and hear from the Holy Spirit; obviously you are doing what YOU want to do, and not what you were sent here to do. Trust me, when you are doing what the Heavenly Father sent you here to do, you will love it as well. WI

Lyndia Grant is an author, inspirational and motivational speaker, radio talk show host and columnist; visit her new website at www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrant@gmail.com and, call 202-263-4621. Tune in Fridays at 6 p.m., to the radio talk show, 1340 AM, WYCB, a Radio One Station.

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Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

RELIGION BAPTIST

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

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

Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

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

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

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

www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

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

Reverend Daryl K. Kearney, Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“God is Love”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

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

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

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

Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Bishop

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

Crusader Baptist Church

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

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

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

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Campbell AME Church

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

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

Blessed Word of Life Church

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

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew, Assistant Pastor

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

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

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

Church of Living Waters

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

36 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

The Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

RELIGION BAPTIST

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

Zion Baptist Church

All Nations Baptist Church

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

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

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

“Where Jesus is the King”

Israel Baptist Church

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

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

ChurCh Printing

20% Off PrOgrams & BOOklets

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

l l

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

St. Matthews Baptist Church

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

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

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

St. Luke Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor

Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor

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

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

Rehoboth Baptist Church

l l l l

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

Quality Printers 301 kennedy street, nW Washington, DC 20011

tel: 202-291-6565 Salem Baptist Church

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

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert SR. Pastor

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

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

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

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

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church

Christ Embassy DC

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

Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor

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

Elder Herman L. Simms, Pastor

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

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator

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

Sunday Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

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

New Commandment Baptist Church Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor 13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560 Services: Sunday Worship 11 AM Sunday School 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study - Wed. 7 PM “A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Shiloh Baptist Church

Peace Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Sunday Morning Worship Service 7:15 am & 10:50 am Sunday School 9:30am Sunday Morning Worship Service 10:50am Wednesday Prayer & Testimonies Service 7:30pm Wednesday School of the Bible 8:00pm Wednesday - Midweek Prayer Service 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm “The Loving Church of the living lord “ Email Address pbcexec@verizon.net

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

1864-2014

Rev. Alonzo Hart Pastor

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

150 Years of Service

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

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

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

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

www.washingtoninformer.com

The Washington Informer

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

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

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

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

Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 326

Administration No. 2015 ADM 000090

Carolyn E. Jordan

Siena M. Wilson

Administration No. 2015 ADM 241 Hildrus Alexander Burrus Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Administration No. 2015 ADM 302 Rother Calvin Owens Decedent

Administration No. 2015 ADM 309 George W. Welch, Jr. Decedent

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq. NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

7600 Georgia Avenue, NW #405

Washington, DC 20011

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Washington, DC 20012

Attorney SW, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Representative of the estate of Hildrus Alexander Burrus,

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

who died on December 27, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C.

Johnnie Frazier, whose address is 10209 Windsor View

Ronald Dixon

Larry C. Williams, Esq.

1353 Sheridan Street, NW

Patricia L. Williams, whose address is 4016 1st Place,

Decedent

Bynum & Jenkins 1010 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314

Attorney Tresa R. Welch-Johnson, whose address is 3514 7th St., SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of George W. Welch, Jr., who died on February 27, 2015 without a Will, and

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Bria S. Bailey, whose address is 2227 1st Street, NW,

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

Representative of the estate of Carolyn E. Jordan, who

who died on October 18, 2013 without a Will, and

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

died on October 12, 2014 without a Will, and will

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their

Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose

appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

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

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 2, 2015.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

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

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

October 2, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 2, 2015.

Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal

the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

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

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 2, 2015.

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

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

October 2, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

on or before October 2, 2015, or be forever barred.

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

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

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

on or before October 2, 2015, or be forever barred.

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

on or before October 2, 2015, or be forever barred.

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

Wills, including name, address and relationship.

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: April 2, 2015

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: April 2, 2015

Patricia L. Williams Personal Representative

Johnnie Frazier

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,

Date of first publication: April 2, 2015 Tresa R. Welch-Johnson Personal Representative

Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Ronald Dixon, whose address is Bynum & Jenkins, 1010

will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs

Representative of the estate of Rother Calvin Owens,

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

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

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Drive, Potomac, MD 20854, was appointed Personal

20001, on or before October 2, 2015. Claims against

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

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

April 2, 2015

on August 9, 2013 without a Will, and will serve without

of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 2, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and

April 2, 2015 Ronald Dixon Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister

last address, 1905 Savannah Pl., SE, WDC, who died

Date of first publication:

Bria S. Bailey

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Personal Representative of the estate of Siena M. Wilson,

relationship.

Date of first publication:

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, was appointed

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 360 Cleovus Duncan Decedent Peter D. Antonoplos, Esq.

Administration No. 2015 ADM 114 James Lee McCullers aka James L. McCullers Decedent

1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 600

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Washington, DC 20036

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Attorney Eugene McCullers, whose address is 5012 Rock Quarry NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Road, Raleigh, NC, 27610, was appointed Personal

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Representative of the estate of James Lee McCullers

Joanne G. Duncan, whose address is 50 Allison Street, NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cleovus Duncan, who died on July 16, 2013 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

aka James L. McCullers, who died on August 8, 2014 without a Will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment

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

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

May 9, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

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

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

20001, on or before October 9, 2015. Claims against

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

the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with

to the undersigned, on or before May 9, 2015, or be

a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 9, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication:

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: April 9, 2015

April 9, 2015 Eugene McCullers Joanne G. Duncan

Personal Representative

Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

38 Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 333

Administration No. 2015 ADM 332

Administration No. 2015 ADM 55

John Q. Burnett aka John Quincy Burnett

Keith Poe Staples

McKinley Womack aka McKinley Steven Womack

Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Cynthia Gross Frost, whose address is 455 15th Street,

Keith P. Staples, whose address is 110 E. Oxford

NE, Washington, DC 20002, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John Q. Burnett aka John Quincy Burnett, who died on February 7, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 9, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 9, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: April 9, 2015

Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Keith Poe Staples, who died on September 14, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Rosemary Womack, whose address is 10502 Westwood Place, Cheltenham, MD 20623, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of McKinley Womack aka McKinley Steven Womack, who died on December 30, 2014 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

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

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 9, 2015.

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

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the

October 16, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

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

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

on or before October 9, 2015, or be forever barred.

the undersigned, on or before October 16, 2015, or be

Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25

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

days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: April 9, 2015

Cynthia Gross Frost

Keith P. Staples

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Washington Informer

The Washington Informer

Decedent

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication: April 16, 2015 Rosemary Womack Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister Register of Wills

Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

LEGAL NOTICES

CLASSIFIEDS

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 396

Administration No. 2015 ADM 387

Administration No. 2015 ADM 341

Eric A. Cameron

James Dewitt aka James P. Dewitt, Jr.

Pauline A. Macon

Decedent

Rande K. Joiner, Joiner & Green, LLC

Larry C. Williams

Deborah D. Boddie, Esq.

8804 Hidden Hill Lane

7600 Georgia Ave., NW, Suite 405

1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300

Potomac, MD 20854

Washington, DC 20012

Washington, DC 20001

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Sarah Murdock, whose address is 4353 Westover Place,

Yvonne R. Burnette, whose address is 8865 Mullen

Shirley Macon-Wilson, whose address is12604 King

NW, Washington, DC 20016, was appointed Personal

Road, King George, VA 22485, was appointed Personal

Arthur Court, Glenn Dale, MD 20769, was appointed

Representative of the estate of Eric A. Cameron, who died

Representative of the estate of James Dewitt aka James

Personal Representative of the estate of Pauline A.

on February 19, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without

P. Dewitt, Jr., who died on July 30, 2014 without a Will,

Macon, who died on October 16, 2005 without a Will,

Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose

and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown

and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs

whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall

and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter

in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or

enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections

their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such

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

to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of

appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills,

Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor

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

Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 16,

October 16, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented

presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register

to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills

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

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

the undersigned, on or before October 16, 2015, or be

undersigned, on or before October 16, 2015, or be

forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

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

by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so

inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and

relationship.

Date of first publication:

April 16, 2015

Sarah Murdock

Yvonne R. Burnette

Shirley Macon-Wilson

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

Administration No. 2015 ADM 125

Administration No. 2015 ADM 369

Mildred S. Moseley aka Mildred Simmons Moseley

Harold Horatio Reid

Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS

AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Vivian Marcena Beatty, whose address is 4522 15th

Megan Reid, whose address is 4527 Illinois Ave.,

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mildred S. Moseley aka Mildred Simmons Moseley, who died on December 15, 2014 with a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 16, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 16, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication:

NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Harold Horatio Reid, who died on March 21, 2014 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 16, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 16, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of first publication:

April 16, 2015

Vivian Marcena Beatty

Megan Reid

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 Administration No. 2015 ADM 363 Paul Elliott Sikora Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Catherine Darby, whose address is 3021 SW Champlain Drive, Portland, OR 97205, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Paul Elliott Sikora, who died on January 17, 2015 with a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance

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in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before

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October 16, 2015. Claims against the decedent shall be

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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 October 16, 2015, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees

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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.

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Date of first publication: April 16, 2015 Catherine Darby Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Anne Meister

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DANIELS from Page 25 nal record, and they were subsequently not charged. But at the beginning of this hour-long ordeal, a police camera captured this exchange between one of the police officers and one of the youths he was handcuffing: “Plain and simple,” the officer said, “if you [profanity] with me, I’m going to break your leg before you get the chance to run.” The youth responded, “I never said I was going to run.” The officer answered, “I’m just giving you a heads-up. Just trying to be officer friendly right now.” “Can you tell me why I’m being arrested?” the youth asked.

MALVEAUX from Page 24 they wait until Cummings decided whether to run? Baker, who served with Van Hollen in the Maryland General Assembly during the 1990s, said he knows Van Hollen and has worked well with him. He said he has made this endorsement “in the interest of the county.” It has nothing to do with race, he says, but everything to do with familiarity. In his endorsement, Leggett said, “As we look ahead to build a strong Maryland, we need a proven leader like Congressman Chris Van Hollen, whose reputation for leadership, deep intellect and courage is unrivaled. His swift rise through the ranks in the U.S. House of Representatives attests to the respect and esteem he commands from his colleagues and from other leaders around this country.” Neither Baker nor Leggett has explained what makes Van Hollen a better candidate than Edwards. I won’t speculate about whether their

ALFORD from Page 24 They had potential, but it wasn’t consistent. Our guy in Kansas City was fired by the local contractors group there, and that was the end of that. As the National Black Chamber of Commerce grew to become the largest black business organization in the nation and the world, Missouri just could not move in our direction. As we grew, Missouri stood frozen, and each time I would venture there, I found nothing that would indicate it was ready to join the economic empowerment movement. That state of inertia would last up to the spring of 2015. We all watched the horror of Ferguson in August. Another police

The officer responded, “Because I feel like arresting you.” Is that it, that some white cops need to show these “colored people” a white man can control their freedom whenever he “feels like” it? Is that the attitude that explains why Slager pulled over the vehicle driven by Walter Lamar Scott? In the aftermath of Scott’s murder, some black North Charleston residents have said that police constantly racially profile black drivers there. Comedian Chris Rock’s recent social media posting of his being repeatedly stopped by police while driving near his suburban New Jersey home suggests that, for black and brown drivers, otherwise legitimate police duty remains laced with racist intent.

Further, we can go down the long, long list of just recent, controversial white cop-blackor-brown-civilian encounters and ask if that is why so many of them have a palpable undertone of menace: Is it because the white cops are acting on their “feelings”? A final question: How often does a black or brown person’s chance of surviving an encounter with a white cops come down to whether that officer or those officers have decided to be or not be “officer friendly” at that moment? To put that another way: How often does it come down to whether the police officer or officers have decided at that moment to be a public servant of

choice has something more to do with gender than politics, but I do think their actions raises national questions about race and endorsements. When all else is equal, I choose to vote for the African-American candidate instead of the white one. The truth is that both Edwards and Van Hollen are likely to vote much the way that the liberal Barbara Mikulski did. However, I expect that Edwards will be far more aggressive in advocating for the African-American community than Van Hollen. Further, in light of the recent killings of Walter Scott in South Carolina, Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, among others, it seems specious to say that race doesn’t matter. In light of the double-digit unemployment rates African-Americans experience (twice those of whites), race still matters, and the need to target employment programs has not been raised in this Senate, even when Democrats held it. Edwards would be forceful in pushing these

programs. Baker especially owes his county an explanation both because it is majority African-American (65 percent) and also because his county was critical in electing Edwards to Congress four times. There has been a blurring of racial lines in our nation and in politics. Increasing numbers of Americans are biracial or multiracial and identify with every aspect of their backgrounds. Many choose to check the “biracial” on census forms, an option that was unavailable two decades ago. Apparently, the “onedrop” rule is obsolete unless a mixed race person collides with the wrong officer of the law. Still, I think that race should matter in endorsements, especially when history is about to be made. Baker and Leggett owe their constituents a more substantive explanation than the ones they have offered. WI Julianne Malveaux is an economist, writer, and president emerita of Bennett College. She can be reached at juliannemalveaux.com.

shooting of a black male set off a national outrage. Eventually, we got a call: “Please come to Ferguson; we want to start a Black Chamber.” Board Member Larry Ivory, an Illinois-based regional vice president of the region that included Missouri, went to Ferguson. He reported that time for Ferguson and the rest of Missouri just might be happening. We jumped in and last week the Missouri Black Chamber of Commerce was incorporated. From there we will expand from Jefferson County to St. Louis County, which includes Ferguson. This will be a slow and deliberate rollout. The founders of this chapter have already structured an on-the-job training program. Also, a curriculum involving fiber optic training that leads to a job in the cable

market has been approved by the Jefferson County Community College. Our visit to Ferguson was extremely educational. Ferguson is a pretty suburb of St. Louis. The trees and landscaping blend in nicely with the very clean subdivisions. Even the public housing apartments are neat and well-kept. It is in appearance a good, solid American small town. The problem appears to be disenfranchisement as a result of a lack of involvement in the political process by the black population. It had no say in the decision-making, to its detriment. The previous election had a turnout of only 12 percent. This most current turnout was 29 percent, which means the black population (67 percent) is starting to understand what it takes to have democracy and

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integrity or a criminal? WI Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City. His essay, “Martin Luther King Jr.: The Great Provocateur,” appears in “Africa’s Peacemakers: Nobel

Peace Laureates of African Descent (2014),” which was published by Zed Books. His new collection of columns, “Race Forward: Facing America’s Racial Divide in 2014”, is available at www.amazon.com.

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freedom in America. Going from one city council member to three council members is improvement. The next election, if the people continue, will result in a black mayor and a majority-black city council. Things will improve. The new chapter will strengthen the community, and chapters in various cities will start popping up in

Missouri. By this, black business will increase its market share, jobs will start to multiply and political clout can become a reality. We look on with excitement.WI Harry C. Alford is the co-founder, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Website:www. nationalbcc.org. Email: halford@nationalbcc.org. Apr 16 - Apr 22, 2015

CURRY from Page 25 One legal site, findlaw. com, recommends that you: Tell police you are recording them Comply with their requests to step back or identify yourself Keep your camera out of the way (low and close to your body) If need be, calmly remind

them of your right to film them. Another site, reasons.com, lists seven rules for recording police, including knowing your state’s law and passcode protecting your cellphone. Given recent success, you can expect police unions around the nation to push for legislation that would bar citizens from videotaping such incidents involv-

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ing police. Even before the recent spree of police killing African-Americans, there was strong resistance. A woman in Rochester, New York, for example, was arrested and charged with obstructing governmental administration in 2011 after videotaping three white police officers interrogating a black man from her front yard. Charges were later dropped against the woman, Emily Good, 28. What would have happened to Slager in South Carolina had there been no videotape? In a word, nothing. In fact, the officer had radioed, “Shots fired … Subject is down. He grabbed my Taser,” a charge not supported by the videotape. Instead, what we see in the video is Slager dropping the Taser near Scott’s motionless body. The cover-up was underway before Scott’s body could be moved to the morgue.

The local newspaper reported the next day: “A statement released by North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said a man ran on foot from the traffic stop and an officer deployed his department-issued Taser in an attempt to stop him. “That did not work, police said, and an altercation ensued as the men struggled over the device. Police allege that during the struggle the man gained control of the Taser and attempted to use it against the officer. “The officer then resorted to his service weapon and shot him, police alleged.” Of course, that was a lie. According to The Washington Post, Victoria Middleton, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, said: “I think one of the concerns that immediately comes to mind is the discrepancy between the initial story, the kind of rush to judgment, the rush to say that procedures were followed and this was jus-

tified, and then when the video surfaced that quickly unraveled. That could raise concerns about other incidents in which we have been assured that nothing was out of order and the officer acted completely properly but there were no witnesses or video documentation to dispute that.” And that’s why we must resist all efforts to prevent citizens from freely videotaping police while they are supposedly acting in a lawful manner.WI

FLETCHER from Page 25

As a result, NATO and the U.S. walked away, and no lessons were learned, which makes it infuriatingly odd when one hears congressional Republicans suggest or call for war with Iran. What would one think would be the impact(s) of the collapse and disintegration of the Iranian state in the world in which we find ourselves? In a country – the U.S. –

where history is denigrated in favor of myth, perhaps there are those who feel that such questions need not be asked … and answered. WI

ing himself as the reasonable Republican in the contest, and may set up a Bush-Clinton rematch. Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush’s reelection in 1992. So, going forward, we may just see the presidency become an aristocracy, rather than a meritocracy. From 1988, we have had Presidents Bush (41); Clinton, Clinton (42); Bush, Bush (43); Obama, Obama (44); and now maybe Clinton or Bush again? That’s a pretty tight circle. I think a lot of people think it’s kind of cutesy to have a former president as “First Spouse.” Just like it was cute that George H.W. Bush’s son was elected and that maybe another son will be nominated in 2016. My only advice to Hillary Clinton would have been strictly cosmetic. I think she should have taken two weeks off before her announcement and gone to

some spa and gotten a complete makeover. She looks too much, in my opinion, like Barbara Walters, when she should be looking more like Madonna. I know, male candidates are not evaluated on their appearance, and it sounds sexist to suggest that the first potential female major party presidential nominee should be fretting over her hair style. But look how far a pretty face took former Alaska Governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. She was and remains as dumb as a box of rocks, but she traded on her eye appeal, after her intellectual cache had abandoned her. So now it’s official. It’s too early to say her nomination, not to mention her election is inevitable, but we’ll all have plenty to talk about.WI

African Union and the United Nations towards a peaceful reconstruction of the country. This is especially ironic given that the African Union attempted to mediate a resolution to the political conﬂict that resulted in the overthrow of Qaddafi, and NATO ignored this effort.

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Bill Fletcher Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice writer and activist. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook and at www. billﬂetcherjr.com.

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George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service and BlackPressUSA.com. He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his website, www.georgecurry. com. You can also follow him at www. twitter.com/currygeorgeand George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook. See previous columns at http://www.georgecurry.com/columns.

stepped down, obviously to polish her image for this, her second presidential campaign. With an aging, two-term Vice President Joe Biden cooling his heels on the sidelines in case Clinton stumbles, there will likely be some titular opposition, so Clinton’s nomination does not take on the air of a coronation. Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders may be able to keep the Democratic Party’s progressive roots in tact. But with most of the Republican candidates appealing, like Looney Tunes cartoon characters to a dwindling, aging, mostly White audience, whomever the Democrats nominate will likely win the presidency in 2016. But hold on. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is positionThe Washington Informer

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