Washington Informer - April 18, 2013

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Leaders Spar, Agree on Regional Cooperation

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer At an early morning breakfast gathering in downtown Washington last week, officials from around the Washington metropolitan area treated more than 200 business leaders to a cordial but sometimes chippy discussion about regional cooperation.

While the politicians didn’t solve all the thorny issues during the 2013 Regional Economic Forum at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Northwest, they agreed that it’s in all their best interests to find ways to work together.

“Intellectually, everyone would agree with the question [about the importance of regional cooperation]. How do we achieve it becomes more difficult,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett during the April 11 event hosted by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Business Journal. “We have to find what that means.”

Leggett, 68, was joined in the spirited discussion by D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Virginia Congressman Gerald Connolly, Alexandria Mayor William Euille and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III.

See REGIONALISM on Page 8

Re-enactors join in a parade along Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest on Tuesday, April 16 to celebrate the emancipation of 3,100 enslaved individuals in the District of Columbia by President Abraham Lincoln. /Photo by Lafayette Barnes

Thatcher’s Death Opens Old Wounds

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer Margaret Thatcher is dead and Marjorie Anne Buckley-Jones isn’t sorry.

In the 10 days since Britain’s first woman prime minister succumbed to a stroke, Buckley-Jones said she has been awash in awful

memories of the Thatcherite era.

“I lived it. I lived through the Poll Tax riots, the winter of discontent, unemployment and rubbish piling up on the streets,” said Buckley-Jones during a telephone interview from her Manchester, England home. “People high up have selective memories. They choose to forget that she brought

this country to its knees. Maggie was not for poor people but she was for self-serving, fly-by-night, stab-you-in-the-back, gold-teeth stealing people. I cheered when she died. ” While her comments are blunt, raw, and emotional, Buckley-Jones’ remarks represent some widely held feelings across a spectrum

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Marylanders Get Gas Tax; Sidestep Bag Fee Page 4

Urban League / CBC Release State of Black America Report Page 15

of Britain’s populace. Few people are on the fence when it comes to opinions about the “Iron Lady” and critics like Buckley-Jones have stepped forward to voice their anger toward Thatcher’s policies.

“If you listen to the media over here, and not go to

See THATCHER on Page 10

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The CoLumn

2013 Cherry Blossom Parade

Cherry Blossom Participants

The 2013 Cherry Blossom Parade was held in Washington, DC -There were floats, clowns, marching bands, choirs, pageant queens, balloons -- Wow -What a blast!

Diana Mayhew National Cherry Blossom Festival President Kristin Rohr (2013 Chair of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Bd. of Directors) with her family Below: Kristin Rohr (Far Right) with the Goodwill Ambassadors

2013 Cherry Blossom Queen Exchange (L-R) Gregory TenEyck (Safeway Dir. Public Affairs Eastern Division) Andy Krauss (Easter Seals Greater Washington-Baltimore Region Mgr. of Communications & Stewardship)

NEWSEUM Pam Galloway-Tabb (VP Gen.Serv.

(Center)) with her staff Gene Stafford, Jackson Tinker, Jessica Drayton & Janet Drayton

(L-R) Cynthia Brock Smith (Secty. of Family Affair the District of Columbia (2nd from (L-R) Montina Anderson Davis Right)) with her son and family & hubby Dwayne Davis with her Mother Dr. Beverly Anderson and their son.

MacKenzie Green 2013 DC Representative in the Cherry Blossom Pageant

Grace United Methodist Church Choir Fort Washington, MD

Cary J. Claiborne (CFO Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Event Sponsor) with his wife Beverly and son and guest

Denise Rolark Barnes (Publisher Washington Informer Newspaper), Lindsay Benjamin, Lacey Mason, Coro Jones (Disney Star) & Mickey Thompson (Publisher-Social Sightings Akiko Kenne (NCSS Liaison to Japan Embassy), -The CoLumn & The MagaZine) David Yao (Sr. VP Council for International Cooperation) and Etsuko Sato (Queen Committee)

Tony Gittens (Filmfest DC) & Cherry Blossom Bd. Members) with Board Members

Susan Norton Chair Emerita of the Bd. National Cherry Blossom Fesitval)

Above: Craig Muckle (VP Safeway) and his children with Gregory TenEyck (Safeway Dir. Public Affairs Eastern Division)

(L-R) Shelia Harrold, Pam Galloway-Tabb (NEWSEUM) and Tina Alexander

Above: Robert & Sam LeBlanc with their Mother Karyn (Cherry Blossom Bd. Member)

Celebrating the Cherry Blossoms & their 10th Anniversary Greg O’Dell (Pres. & CEO) with the Walter Washington Convention Center

(L-R) “Mickey” Thompson (Publisher of Social Sightings The CoLumn & The MagaZine) with Gina Sacripanti (VP Marketing Washington Examiner)

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Subscribe or become a sponsor @ www.SocialSightings.com Kurt Pommonths, Sr, Photographer * Photo Enhancer * Graphic Designer Social Sightings The CoLumn is published in the Hill Rag, DC-Mid City, East of the River & the Washington Informer Social Sightings “IS Everywhere!”

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around the region the Cycle of Women Break Domestic Violence General Assembly Approves Gas Tax Hike

Plastic Bag Fee Doesn’t Materialize law enforcement. She said they

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

By Gale Horton Gay When L.Y. Marlow's 23-yearWI daughter Staff Writer old told her the father of her daughter threatened her Marylanders life, and the lifeshould of theirprepare child, to open pocketbooks she knewtheir something had toa litbe tle wider. done.

Out of her frustration Onlaw March 29, the legislature with enforcement's handling Email comments to: of the situation, she decided to approved Gov. Martin O’Malrburke@ start the tax Saving Promise ley’s gas increase whichcamwill paign. hike gas taxes during the next washingtoninformer.com “It seems be a vicious cyclea four years, tobeginning with that won't turn my family 4-cent jump this July. The monloose,” Marlow Marlow ey is expected to said. fund road imshared her story with the audiprovement projects and mass ence at the District Heights transit.

Domestic Violence Symposium means more onThe Maygas 7 attax thehike District Heights pain at the Center. pump for Municipal Themotorists sympoWe represent victims of major in Maryland, however, in by another sium was sponsored the medical malpractice such as area Maryland consumers won’t Family and Youth Services Sandra Robinson Jack Olender cerebral palsy. have to shell outcity moreofmoney.

Center of the District All 5 lawyers were again elected A measure to have shoppers Heights and the National Hook“Best Lawyers in America” 2012 Up of Black statewide payWomen. for all those disKaren Evans is a nurse/attorney Marlowplastic has written a book, posable bags they get Attorney/Pediatrician Harlow Case Karen Evans Melissa Rhea “Color Me go Butterfly,” which is a when they shopping has disRobert Chabon, M.D., J.D. is story about appeared – atfour leastgenerations for now. of Of Counsel. domestic violence. General The bookAsis The Maryland inspired by her own experiences, sembly wrapped up its session and those8, of her grandmother, on April without taking a vote her mother and her daughter. on legislation that would have reShe said every time she reads quired a from 5-centher feebook, for each disIn Memoriam excerpts she still Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. posable carryout bag taken from can not believe the words came Wilhelmina J. Rolark a store. from her. “Color Me Butterfly” The Washington Informer Newspaper Prince George’s County Execwon the 2007 National “Best THE WASHINGTON INFORMER PUBLISHER utive Rushern L. Baker III was Memoriam Books” Award.

NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is InDenise Rolark Barnes Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. in “I favor the16-years-old proposed lawwhen and published weekly on each Thursday. wasofjust Wilhelmina STAFFJ. Rolark Periodicals postage paid at Washinghad eye urged to and support my firstlegislators blackened my ton,THE D.C. and additional mailing of- NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is published WASHINGTON INFORMER lips bled,” Marlow said. the bill.

Denise W. Barnes, Editor fices.

Newsonand advertising deadlinepostage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional weekly Thursday.

Periodicals Elaine Davis-Nickens, presi“In Prince George’s County, Shantella Assistant Editor mailing prior offices.to News and advertising deadlineY.isSherman, Monday prior to publication. is Monday publication.

Andent of the National Hook-Up we spend hundreds of thouAnnouncements be received nouncements must must be received two two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2000 by The Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director of Black therea isyear no Washington Informer.

All rights sands ofWomen, taxpayersaid dollars weeks prior to event.

Copyright 2010reserved. POST MASTER: Send change of addressconsistency the way domestic to The Washington Informer,All 3117Lafayette Martin Luther King,IV, Jr. Ave., S.E. Photo Washington, Barnes, Assistant Editor by esThe Washington Informer. cleaning upinplastic bags,” said D.C. 20032.POSTMASTER: No part of this Send publication may be reproduced without written permisviolence issues that are dealt with by rights reserved.

Baker, adding it will “help Khalid Naji-Allah, Photographer sion from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannotStaff guarantee the return of change of addresses to The Washphotographs. Subscription rates are $30 per year, two years $45. Papers will be received the county save money on the ington Informer, 3117 Martin Luther John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor not more than a week after publication. Make checks payable to: costs associated with the cleanup King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor of the millions of plastic bags 20032. No part of this publication may THE WASHINGTON INFORMER be reproduced without written permisYoung, Design & Layout in our streams, parks and neigh3117 Martin Luther King, Jr.Brian Ave., S.E. • Washington, D.C. 20032 202 561-4100 • Fax: 202 574-3785 sion from the publisher.Phone: The Informer borhoods that are unhealthy for AssureTech /www.scsworks.com, Webmaster news@washingtoninformer.com Newspaper cannot guaranteeE-mail: the return both wildlife and humans.” www.washingtoninformer.com of photographs. Subscription rates are Mable Neville, Bookkeeper If the measure had been ap$45 per year, two years $60. Papers will Mickey Thompson, Social Sightings columnist proved, for each nickel collectbe received not more than a week after PUBLISHER publication. Make checks payable to: Denise ed stores would receive 1 cent, RolarkPalmer, Barnes Social Media Specialist Stacey customers would receive 2-cents STAFF REPORTERS THE WASHINGTON INFORMER Brooke N. Garner Managing REPORTERS Editor Tia C. Jones, Ed Laiscell, credit for using their own bag 3117 Martin Jr. Ave., S.E Carla PeayLuther King, Assistant Managing Editor Odell B. Ruffin, Larry Saxton, and 2 cents would go to state – Washington, Ron BurkeD.C. 20032 Advertising and Marketing Mary Wells, Joseph Young Misty Brown, Michelle Phipps-Evans, Phone: 561-4100 with half allocated to the ChesMable202 Whittaker Bookkeeper Eve Ferguson, Elton J. Hayes , Gale Horton Administration PHOTOGRAPHERS Fax:LaNita 202 Wrenn 574-3785 apeake Bay Trust and half reSalmon, Stacey Palmer, John E. De Freitas Sports Gay, EditorBarrington Lafayette Barnes, IV, news@washingtoninformer.com turned to the counties.

Victor Holt Photo Charles Editor E.John E. De Freitas,Wright, MauriceJoseph Fitzgerald, Sutton ,James www.washingtoninformer.com Zebra Designs, Inc. Layout & Graphic Young Design Joanne Jackson, Roy Lewis, Robert However, the bill died in comKen Harris /www.scsworks.com Webmaster Ridley, Victor Holt mittee. Will it be resurrected during the next legislative sesCIRCULATION PHOTOGRAPHERS Paul Trantham sion? It’s possible.

John E. De Freitas, Roy Lewis, For some time, grocery stores Khalid Naji-Allah, Shevry Lassiter have been pushing to reduce the use of disposable bags as part of their sustainability initiatives.

4 / May 15 - 21, 2008 The Washington Informer / www.washingtoninformer.com Safeway’s goal is to reduce the number of plastic and paper

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

Mildred Muhammad, the exMarlow would also like to see wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raise who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children in Plasticlife bagsterms often get caughtparole in the conveyor the sorting equip-She utive without publicbelts andofprivate schools. ment, jamming jury the rotating discsinand feels causing the system by a Maryland for his role children needtotoshut be down educatat theBeltway Prince George’s Facilityviolence. in Capitol the Sniper County attacks Materials in ed Recycling about domestic Heights.Mildred /Photos courtesy of Prince government 2002.

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

Marlow has worked to break “I lived in fear for six years. Six the cycle of abuse in her family, years in fear is a long time. It is and is confident the policies she not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that of,” she said. process.

Mildred Muhammad said “I plan to take these policies to people who want to help a Congress and implore them to domestic violence victim must change our laws,” Marlow said. be careful of how they go into “I will not stop until these polithe victim's life, and understand cies are passed.” that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net “Before you get to 'I'm going to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI

“

Workers spend an average of four hours per day, at a total cost of $110,000 a year, cleaning plastic bags and other materials from the screens.

We have to stop being the rotating discs and causing the system to shut down. Workers passive-aggressive with poorat the MRF spend an average of four hours perdomestic day, at a total cost children about of $110,000 a year, clearing the bags to and take other materials from violence. I plan these the screens, according to county addition, there’s not policies toofficials. In Congress and much of a recycling market for counimplore themplastic to bags. Currently, changetheour ty receives $20 per ton for plastic which ends up costing the laws. I willbags, not stop until county money.

A 2012 Metropolitan Washthese policies areofpassed. ington Council Governments

bags used by one billion by 2015, according to the grocery chain’s website. Giant deducts from shoppers’ bills 5 cents for each reusable bag that they bring with them. Giant stores also accept plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning bags and newspapers and sends that material along with shrink wrap from its stores to a plastics recycling company.

The plastic is turned into composite decking, which is sold at Lowe’s, the website states.

Aside from taking up space in the landfill from plastic disposable bags that get discarded, the bags are also a problem in the recycling process.

At the county’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Capitol Heights, plastic bags interfere with the automatic sorting equipment. The bags often get caught in the conveyor belts, jamming

“

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

report showed that 40 percent L.Y. Marlow of all trash clean up consists of discarded plastic bags. Officials in Prince George’s County say they spend approximately $900,000 a year for community clean-up staff to pick up debris that includes plastic bags.wi www.washingtoninformer.com

D.C. Political Roundup

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

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Mara Leads in Non-Media Endorsements D.C. Council at-large candidate Patrick Mara, a Republican, leads his competitors in attracting high-profile endorsements for the upcoming April 23 special election.

The D.C. Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) threw their support behind Mara on April 9. The FOP represents 3,600 law enforcement employees who work for the District’s Metropolitan Police Department.

Mara said he’s thrilled to have earned the coveted endorsement.

“Police officers, detectives and sergeants go to work every day to protect and serve residents of the District,” said Mara, 38. “… It’s also dangerous and often goes unnoticed.”

Mara also got a nod from the D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club, the D.C. Realtors Association and the powerful D.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Endorsements are highly sought in District politics because they often lead to money and organizational support for candidates.

Interim D.C. Council member Anita Bonds, 67, has also received a number of invaluable endorsements. She’s the choice of two former mayors – D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Sharon Pratt – along with mayoral hopeful D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4).

On the D.C. Council, she’s gained the backing of Vincent Orange (D-At Large), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7).

“Anita is a hard-working, smart, sincere and trustworthy leader [who] you can be proud to support,” said Orange, 56.

To date, Bonds has received the support of the D.C. Democratic State Committee – a body that she currently chairs – and AFSCME Local Council 20, the National Nurses Association and the D.C. Latino Caucus.

She’s gained bipartisan support in this election, as well.

Bonds picked up the endorsement of Ward 5 Republican Tim Day, who had previously run for a seat on the council. Day brought a screeching halt to the political aspirations of Harry Thomas, Jr. Former D.C. Council mem-

around the region

D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) has decided not to endorse a candidate in the upcoming April 23 special election. /Courtesy Photo

D.C. Council at-large candidate Patrick Mara has received a number of key endorsements in the upcoming April 23 special election. /Courtesy Photo

bers Sharon Ambrose and Kathy Patterson have placed political newcomer Elissa Silverman at the top of their list, along with newly-elected D.C. Council member David Gross (I-At Large).

“She has a deep understanding of the D.C. budget, she has created a broad base of support, and she will come into office ready on the first day free of special interest pressures,” said Grosso, 42.

Silverman, 40, has also been tapped by the popular blog Greater Greater Washington, Democracy for America, George Washington University College Democrats and the Office and Professional Employees International (OPEIU) Local 2.

“I am honored to receive the OPEIU Local 2 endorsement, which, along with my many other endorsements from progressive leaders and organization, demonstrates that I am the real progressive candidate in this race,” she said.

Candidates Matthew Frumin, Perry Redd and Paul Zukerberg have yet to receive major endorsements from high-profile organizations but Redd, 48, has the solid backing of the D.C. Statehood Green Party.

However, one key politician in the city isn’t supporting any candidate in the upcoming election.

“I have gotten out of the endorsement business,” said D.C. Council member Mary Cheh, 62, (D-Ward 3).

velopers proved to be one of the more interesting questions posed to D.C. Council at-large candidates at a recent forum hosted by the D.C. Tenants Advocacy Coalition (TENAC).

D.C. Council candidates Matthew Frumin, Paul Zukerberg, Perry Redd and Elissa Silverman participated in TENAC’s forum on April 10 at the Charles Sumner Museum School in Northwest.

The discussion attracted more Denise Rolark Barnes than 40 District residents and Independent Beauty Consultant lasted more than two hours. www.marykay/drolark-barnes.com Eleanor Johnson, a well202-236-8831 known fair housing activist, asked the candidates how they intend to prevent neighborhoods from being undermined.

“I will work with you to put a stop to that practice by developers,” said Zukerberg, 55.

Redd, 48, agreed with Zukerberg, saying that neighborhood destabilization is “an example of vulture capitalism” and “I will work with you to stop that.”

Frumin, 53, said that there should be a moratorium on property tax increases for longtime District residents and that “advisory neighborhood commissions and community organizations should be consulted on any changes in their neighborhood.”

The District government should use its resources and work with developers to improve the city’s aging ‡housing stock, said Please set all copy in upper and lowercase, flush left as indicated on artwork at these point sizes: Consultant name in 11-point Helvetica Neue Bo number in 9-point Helvetica Silverman, 40.Beauty Consultant in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light; Web site or e-mail address in 9-point Helvetica Neue Light; phone To the Independent Beauty Consultant: Only Company-approved Web sites obtained through the Mary Kay® Personal Web Site program may “I do not see developers as the enemy,” she said. “We should work with developers to create family unit housing in the city that is affordable.” wi

Neighborhood Stability Is Key Topic at Candidates’ Forum The systematic dismantling of established neighborhoods by de-

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      

•     •   • 

    Fiduciary Panel Attorney - Superior Court of the District of Columbia - Probate Division Former DC Fraud Bureau Examiner - Insurance Administration  Former Law Clerk for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

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

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

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.

6 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

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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 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, D.C. 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 his role as a bandleader. Ellington died in 1974.

1971 – The United States Supreme Court rules unanimously that the busing of students from schools of predominantly one race to schools populated most 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 greetings 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 1692 – The notorious “Salem Witch Trials” of Salem, Massachusetts claim their first Black victim. Mary Black, a slave, is accused of sorcery and jailed.

The hysteria created by the trials would lead to the arrests of 141 people (mostly women) and result in 19 of them being put to death. The trials, which were not limited to Massachusetts spread throughout New England and are perhaps one of the greatest testimonies to how minds can be twisted to believe in the ridiculous, hurting others as a result of false belief.

April 23 1872 - Charlotte E. Ray became the first female Afro-American Lawyer. Ray graduated from Howard Law School.

1913 - The National Urban League is founded.

April 24 1944 – Legendary Black cowboy Bill Pickett dies at the age of 72 after being kicked while roping a bronco. A star of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, Pickett invented the rodeo event bulldogging, an event in which the contestant must wrestle a longhorn steer to the ground with his bare hands.

1950 – On April 24, the United Negro College Fund was founded.

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around the region

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY TIMOTHY LINDEN

Viewp int

IS THE PROPOSED GUN CONTROL REFORM LEGISLATION HEADED FOR DEBATE IN THE SENATE NECESSARY OR IS THE CURRENT SYSTEM SUFFICIENT?

Tiffany Hawkins Washington, D.C.

Janique Parrott Hyattsville, Md.

Gordon Burnett Takoma Park, Md.

While I feel the need for reform is necessary, I don’t think it will help solve the problem as these guns are already on the street.

While the proposed legislation will enforce stricter background checks, it won’t solve the problem [because] so many guns are already on the street. The government alone won’t be able to prevent [gun violence].

I don’t believe that any set of laws will prevent these mass shootings from happening. We already have laws in place and yet we still see a preponderance of violence in our community. To me, that says, instead of focusing on the laws, we need to focus on other issues such as mental health, education, and others that lead to gun violence, especially in urban communities.

The current laws in place are hardly sufficient. The National Rifle Association is controlling the agenda by telling people what to think about the mythical right to bear arms. The Constitution dictates the right to bear arms as it relates to a well-regulated militia.

There are too many people dying on the streets, especially in the urban communities, where leaders have been pleading for help for years. The current laws aren’t strict enough.

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Deenice Rhodes Washington, D.C.

I think it’s a no-brainer that reform is needed. When the gun laws were written years ago, there weren’t automatic weapons available to the everyday consumer. [The laws] didn’t account for someone who could purchase high-capacity magazines that could kill [countless] people at one time. Weapons like these need to be banned from sale to the everyday user, just like someone wouldn’t be allowed to purchase a tank to drive down 14th Street [in Northwest]. I do believe in the right to bear arms, but there needs to be a limit on what a person can purchase.

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Tony Randall Takoma Park, Md.

You can put all the legislation you want in place, but the reality is there are other situations going on inside of people’s homes and in our communities, which are more influential than laws. You can eliminate handguns from the general population, but those who want them will still get them.

Focus should be shifted to the gun manufacturers that are distributing them in large quantities and ensuring they’re getting into certain communities. Ensuring that young people are getting appropriate information about gun safety is also extremely important.

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

7

INVITE YOU TO GO TO THE MOVIES!

AROUND THE REGION

EMAIL THE WASHINGTON INFORMER AT RBURKE@WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM WITH THE SUBJECT LINE “PAIN & GAIN” FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A RUN-OF-ENGAGEMENT PASS. One movie pass per winner. Pass admits two. While supplies last. No purchase necessary. Passes valid Monday through Thursday starting 4/29/13, no holidays, for film’s run-of-engagement at DC area Regal theater chains. Check local listings for theatres and showtimes. Pass has no monetary value, may not be exchanged for another film or theatre chain. Pass has no value beyond films’ run-of-engagement.

IN THEATERS APRIL 26 PAINANDGAINMOVIE.COM





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 

      

     



 8 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

(L-R) Alex Orfinger, standing, publisher of the Washington Business Journal, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), Alexandria Mayor William Euille, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III during a Regional Economic Forum at the Willard Hotel in Northwest on April 11. /Photo courtesy of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce

REGIONALISM continued from Page 1 The audience enjoyed the quips, wry comments and gentle jibes lobbed by the panelists and the questions offered with some interesting twists by Washington Business Journal Publisher Alex Orfinger.

Panelists acknowledged the intrinsic and unavoidable competition among distinct and sometimes very different jurisdictions when it comes to attracting and retaining businesses. But they said there’s plenty of room for cooperation and agreement on a diverse range of issues that affect the entire region. “[Regional cooperation] is important because our interests converge so much, [but] not always in concert with each other,” said Gray, 70. “With regards to the economy, there is inherent competition and areas where we compete. We have to find ways to come together for opportunities that might not be apparent.”

Several on the panel noted that even as they compete against each other, the real competition comes from cities elsewhere such as Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago.

Connolly questioned Orfinger’s use of the word “poaching” to describe jurisdictions which The Washington Informer

snatch businesses from one city or region to the other.

“Poaching is a very simplistic term. It doesn’t describe a complex process,” he said.

Euille, 62, said those in charge should set the tone.

“It’s all about leadership and that starts with people at the top. This has to be a collaborative partnership,” said Euille, who has served as mayor since 2003. “Poaching is probably something you don’t want to be doing. When businesses are contemplating moving, you’d want to know. It shouldn’t matter because if we’re working together, we’ll all benefit and gain.”

Gray said disparaging his neighbors gains him nothing.

“There has to be a prevailing principle not to do this,” he said.

Connolly, 63, agreed.

“Economic competition is robust, it’s real,” he said. “It’s foolish to believe that we don’t look at other people’s assets and say we’d like to get a piece or all of it. You have to play to your comparative advantages,” Connolly said. “But you have to do it in a way that doesn’t disparage anyone. It’s time for us to cooperate and seize opportunities.”

Connolly, who has represented Virginia’s 11th District since 2009, explained the difficulties area officials face with three

distinct jurisdictions, different funding and tax formulas and varying governing models.

Baker, Prince George’s County’s seventh chief executive, concurred that regional leaders have to work to ensure that all boats rise so that everyone benefits.

“My good friend [former Prince George’s County Executive] Wayne Curry calls D.C. Rome,” said Baker, 54. “We all surround the nation’s capital. We all feed off that. We want D.C. to do well … D.C., Fairfax, Alexandria: When they grow, we all benefit … But in order for us to compete with the rest of the United States, the rest of us have to do well.”

Orfinger’s question about the prospective move by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from its current location on Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest, led to barely concealed friction among the panelists.

Each person seated on the stage views the FBI as a prized plum they’d love to grab for their own. Orfinger’s query revealed the divisiveness of the issue and the politicians’ competitiveness when he asked each which jurisdiction they would select, other than their own, as the site of the FBI’s new offices.

See REGIONALISM on Page 9 www.washingtoninformer.com

around the region

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

Barbara Lang, president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce addresses the audience during a Regional Economic Forum at the Willard Hotel in Northwest on April 11. /Photo courtesy of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce

REGIONALISM continued from Page 8 “ … Let me rephrase that … when the FBI moves to Maryland …” Leggett began.

“When hell freezes over …”

Connelly interjected without missing a beat.

Leggett and Baker have identified a site in Greenbelt, Fairfax County officials have offered a spot in Springfield and Gray is lobbying that the FBI stays in the District at Poplar Point on the Anacostia River.

Leggett admitted that city officials are often used as pawns by businesses which use that leverage as a way to sweeten their deals.

Connolly, a former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, chimed in.

“Marriott said that they might move to Fairfax. They succeeded in extorting $35 million from Montgomery County to stay,” he said with ill-disguised disgust. “I don’t know what other word to put to it. They were telling me moving trucks were outside.”

While it may seem otherwise, there are numerous examples of successful collaboration, Connolly argued.

He and his colleagues spoke of the Metro system, emergency preparedness planning, ozone www.washingtoninformer.com

days and the development of air quality guidelines, and coming up with a definition of what constitutes a drought.

“There are unspoken successes which are generally unsung and unsexy,” said Connolly.

“Metro is an astounding success of regionalism. The extra feat is that we did it in 30 years and established the second-highest ridership. That’s not trivial.”

But there are a host of seemingly intractable problems that officials are grappling with. This includes affordable housing, transportation, workforce development and developing and sustaining quality education.

“Regional cooperation is a fundamental step for innovation and economic growth,” said Verizon’s Tony Lewis, who opened the discussion. “It affects everyone in the region despite jurisdictions or the business you’re in.”

“But cooperation can be staggeringly difficult with differing needs, local regulations and strong personalities – that can be daunting. To compete and grow, we need innovation, improved services and rigorous attention to shareholders … the business community thrives when regional cooperation is a must.”wi The Washington Informer

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

9

INTERNATIONAL

/Courtesy Photo

THATCHER continued from Page 1

Matthewfrumin.com @matthewfrumin

10 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

the grassroots, you’d think this woman was a saint,” said Buckley-Jones, 55. “You have to know that something’s up. I fully expect a riot Wednesday [at her funeral]. People are vexed. [Prime Minister David] Cameron said we should respect the dead but why? They’re already trying to rewrite history.”

Buckley-Jones said Thatcher started working early to cement her dubious legacy and earned the nickname “Maggie the School Milk Snatcher” for ending the program that offered milk and vitamins to poor schoolchildren in 1971, when she was the Minister of Education. Thatcher served as prime minister from 1979 until 1990.

Baroness Thatcher’s death has ignited impassioned exchanges on the street, the media, on Facebook and other social media. In Brixton and Bristol last week, and Central London this past weekend, revelers gathered at death “parties” celebrating Thatcher’s passing. Hundreds of jovial people met at Trafalgar Square to dance, sing and chant epithets at a woman who Britons either loved or loathed for polices that everyone acknowledges produced massive unemployment, privatized large segments of the economy and routed trade unions. Some carried banners saying, “Rot in hell Thatcher” The Washington Informer

and “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie.

Dead. Dead. Dead.” Others sipped champagne, lit sparklers and party poppers and burned Thatcher in effigy. Elsewhere, graffiti on a wall in a widely distributed photograph said: “Iron Lady, Rust in Peace.”

David Milloyd Deans said these celebratory displays are unfortunate and unnecessary.

“I didn’t agree with everything she did but there will be no other. Everyone who’s talking now was afraid of her when she was alive. There was a horrible side of her but she was a mother, wife, a grandmother and she had a soft personality.

I saw that in private moments.”

“As a human being and a Christian, I will forgive and forget. [What they’re doing] for me is a little disrespectful. But you cannot stop people who [feel] wrath toward her. I don’t like it but it’s not going to stop. May she rest in peace.”

Thatcher was honored by an elaborate ceremonial, military-themed funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday, April 17. The funeral cost about 10 million pounds.

Milloyd Deans, 51, the son of Jamaican parents, said he was attending university when Thatcher’s machinations toppled Prime Minister Edward Heath as party leader and brought her to power.

“She won by default,” he said. “She came from a working-class background but had a

‘rich’ mentality. She brought this country to its knees. There were strikes, shortages, no work. It was serious times. Those who had, held on to what they had because there was a queue (a line) for everything.”

Yet Milloyd Deans admits that Thatcher’s economic policies did benefit some people, especially those who had an entrepreneurial bent.

The Thatcher era is remembered for the rich with pockets full of cash, who flaunted their wealth and lived an existence of unapologetic conspicuous consumption. The problem was, that only a sliver of society had the opportunity to enjoy this bounty.

Nigel Beckles, 53, remembers those days.

“The large brick Motorola mobile phone was the ultimate status symbol and the counters of black wine bars and nightclubs would be lined with customers’ cell phones while the Buppies socialized,” he said.

Beckles, who has Barbadian roots, said he was an up-andcoming disc jockey on the black nightclub circuit playing at up to three to four nightclubs per week. He worked full time for a local government department so he earned good money.

“I had a mobile phone, which was rare during the ’80s, and drove a nice car,” he said.

But Beckles knew even as a

See THATCHER on Page 11 www.washingtoninformer.com

INTERNATIONAL

/Courtesy Photo

THATCHER continued from Page 10 19-year-old, that the cards were stacked against black men.

“I considered myself a Buppy and life was good for me but even during my twenties, I always felt the country of my birth did not really want black people here,” he said. “It was clear that we were widely considered to be second-class citizens.”

On one hand were police officers who used the stop and search (SUS) law to constantly harass black youth for activities as banal as talking in a group, walking past a store or even waiting for a bus.

“While I was not politically aware, there were certain realities a young black man had to be aware of, such as being picked up by the police on trumped up “SUS” charges,” Beckles explained. “The other risk was suffering a beating by racist National Front supporters. Racism was overt with National Front supporters roaming certain areas at night. Many young black men were attacked and stabbed on the streets or outside pubs or bars. And black and Asian families’ homes were firebombed at night while the police remained largely indifferent to these horrendous crimes.”

Milloyd Deans said he understands peoples’ fury, calling it a domino effect. “[The anger] didn’t end when she ended, it rolled over,” he www.washingtoninformer.com

said with a laugh. “She was a woman who set out to put herself on top. She had a heart and head of steel and the body of iron. Thatcher didn’t lead from the back, she led from the front.

She didn’t care about the effect of her measures. She set out to do certain things and she embraced power and people of power.”

Franklyn Eaton, who lived in London for 19 years, remembers the strikes, power outages and oil shortages.

“Miners were flexing their muscles and a lot of people were discontented but they didn’t really want her. People were actually really fed up with [the government]. When she came in, she quickly became one of the worst. I don’t know that any leader could have dealt with the miners so ruthlessly.”

Thatcher was intent on crushing trade unions and she allowed the miner’s strike to drag on for more than one year. Afterward, unions never exhibited the same strength they did as before she became prime minister.

Eaton, 56, who has managed several hotels in the Caribbean, criticized Thatcher for supporting the white minority government. While much of the world fought for divestment and sanctions against apartheid, Thatcher refused, opting for “constructive engagement.” She famously called Nelson Mandela a communist adding that the African National Congress would never rule South Africa.

“What she did in South Africa, she did because [her husband] made a lot of money there and she didn’t want to enforce an embargo,” said Eaton, who studied economics at Kingston uponThames University in Surrey.

Eaton spoke of Thatcher selling off British-owned gas, telecom and airlines to her friends and cronies and characterized her sale of council flats [apartments] to occupants as a “vote-buying exercise.”

Thatcher, he said, operated on the principle people should take responsibility for their lives and that the state’s role should be minimal. But that had disastrous consequences for ordinary people.

Buckley-Jones said people where she lives continue to resist attempts to honor Thatcher.

“People here refused to give her a moment of silence or fly the flag at half-mast,” said the Jamaican native who emigrated to England when she was eight. “They tried it at work and I told them I’m not doing it. I’m not going to be a hypocrite. I’ll be celebrating on Wednesday. I might even put bunting (decorations) in front of my house. I’m going to speak the truth until this becomes a police state and they throw me in jail.”Wi The Washington Informer

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

11

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Buy Suitland Program Helps Sixth Homeowner

By Gale Horton Gay WI Staff Writer It was an exciting day for Selivia Diggs on April 11 when she was given the keys to her new home with a mortgage less than apartment rent. Tears flowed and Diggs called it a blessing.

Looking on, Prince George’s County housing officials hope that the publicity surrounding Diggs sizeable $35,000 assistance from the county’s Buy Suitland homeownership program will attract a flurry of first-time potential homeowners to apply for the program.

“We want to congratulate you,” said Precious J. Gardner, Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) settlement coordinator for the Buy Suitland program. “This is a win/win today for all of us.”

Diggs is purchasing a $95,000 two-bedroom, 1 ½ bath townhouse in District Heights that has already been appraised for $97,000. With the $35,000 in down payment assistance and closing costs provided through Buy Suitland, Diggs monthly mortgage payments will be $683.

Diggs, a hair stylist in Springfield, Va., stood before the white townhouse with the burgundy shutters wiping tears from both eyes after county officials made speeches and handed over the keys and green and white parking decals.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Diggs.

She said she has been trying to purchase a home for two years, facing many challenges. However, once her real estate agent told her about the Buy Suitland program,

12 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

“Everything was really easy. It fell into place,” she said.

Diggs previously had been living in Upper Marlboro taking care of her sister but she longed for property of her own.

Asked what she was going to do first when she got into her place, Diggs responded, “Clean, pull up the carpet and make it my own.”

Diggs is the sixth person to receive financial assistance from the Prince George’s Redevelopment Authority’s “Buy Suitland” program. The program offers firsttime homebuyers the opportunity to purchase a home in Suitland, parts of District Heights and Morningside. Income eligible, credit-worthy homebuyers can receive up to $40,000 in down payment and closing costs assistance to purchase a home that’s

The Washington Informer

been foreclosed or is available through a short sale.

The program has increased opportunities for potential homeowners who are first responders, teachers and nurses.

Eric C. Brown, director of the Prince George’s County Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), said that in addition to providing county residents a gateway to homeownership, the program also helps prevent blight.

“I think if this (house) were not sold it could still be sitting here, being a blight on the community,” said Brown, who noted that three attempts to sell the property fell through.

Alexis Revis Yeoman, public information officer for HCD, said some people are skeptical of buying in the Suitland area, but she tells them there are plenty of good properties and neighborhoods and that people can also look in District Heights and Morningside.

Yeoman said her agency has

Selivia Diggs stands in front of her new townhouse in District Heights, Md. /Photo courtesy of Prince George’s County

been surprised more people haven’t applied for assistance through the program, which has $850,000 to grant to those eligible. The last thing officials want to do is return funds to the federal government at the end of the year because enough people haven’t applied for the program, she said.wi For more information on the Buy Suitland program, call Roz Clemens, NSP manager, at 301-883-7323 or visit www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/ RDA.

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Thousands to March Across D.C. Metro Area to Save Babies

Washington Redskins star Stephen Bowen and his family will join thousands at March for Babies in support of the March of Dimes work of helping moms have fullterm pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. The Bowens tragically lost one of their twin boys to a premature birth. Sadly their story is too common. “That was just the worst day of my life,” Stephen said. “Just knowing I’m looking at my son opening his eyes, and you see him drifting away in my arms.

It was the last time I was ever going to see him. Ever.”

He continued, “Everybody just thinks of babies being born healthy but nobody ever thinks about the different things that could go wrong during pregnancy. Just being part of that first hand, I just want to do whatever I can to help.”

Like thousands of other families who have experienced both the greatest loss and triumph the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has to offer, Stephen and Tiffany will walk in March for Babies to raise money for the March of Dimes mission to combat prematurity through research and education. They will attend the Washington, D.C. walk, which will be held Saturday, May 4 at 8:00 am at Nationals Park where the Jumbotron will capture the moment when each person finishes the three-mile route by crossing home plate.

There are numerous walks across the Washington Area April 27 - May 8. Prince George’s March for Babies will be held Saturday, April 27 at 9:30 am, at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro. Both events include a stroller-friendly walk, children’s activities and music.

Funds raised will support lifesaving research, education and advocacy for stronger, healthier babies. March for Babies donations

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Watkins park in Prince George’s County and Nationals Park in DC are the venues for the walk

also fund community programs such as NICU family support programs and the Mama & Baby Bus, which provides free prenatal care to those in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County who would otherwise not receive care.

“One of today’s most urgent health problems in the nation is premature birth,” said Kate Leib, director of field services for the March of Dimes Maryland – National Capital Area Chapter.

“Everyone who participates in March for Babies is giving hope to the more than 10,000 babies in the Washington Area that will be born premature this year.”

March for Babies events are held in 900 communities nationwide and has more than seven million participants each year. Since the inaugural walk in 1970, more than $2 billion has been raised nationwide to benefit babies. For more information about March for Babies and to register and make a donation, visit www.marchforbabies.org.

This is a milestone year for the March of Dimes, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established what would become the March of Dimes to fight polio and the foundation has been caring for America’s children ever since.

Prince George’s County April 27 at Watkins Regional Park Washington, D.C. May 4 at Nationals Park Sign up and start fundraising today For more information on all local walk sites, please visit www.marchofdimes.com/metrodc

The Washington Informer

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

13

national

Budget Strengthens Black Community, Officials Say

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer Several senior administration officials said President Barack Obama isn’t satisfied with the progress made in the African-America community and they spent almost an hour last week detailing the impact the $3.77 trillion budget will have on the black community.

Valerie Jarrett, Gene Sperling and Cecilia Muñoz explained that Obama’s significant investments in education, particularly early childhood, a $90 billion investment in rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and $40 million proposed for prison re-entry programs will have a major impact on African Americans.

“The budget makes sure we make balanced cuts without hurting the most vulnerable Americans,” Jarrett, senior adviser to the president, said on April 11.

“Although we’ve seen the African-American unemployment rate drop from its peak in 2011, we all know we still have more to do to help families and provide opportunities for Americans who have been fighting to receive a job.”

“This budget shows how we can make an investment to grow jobs, build the middle class and lower the deficit in a balanced way. It focuses on jobs, lasting economic growth and improving economic competitiveness.”

Jarrett said Obama isn’t satisfied with the progress made in the

14 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

black community to date.

“Six point five million new jobs were created in the first term but there’s still more to do in the black community,” she said. “Many were struggling before 2008 and innovation, manufacturing and clean energy gives workers the skills to compete in the economy.”

Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said Obama is creating “ladders of opportunity” for people who are striving to reach the middle class.

“Ladders of opportunity are an investment in the middle class and people still working to reach the middle class,” she said. “We’ve developed a Promise Zones Initiative targeting the 20 hardest-hit communities in the country.

We’re partnering with leaders in these high-poverty communities and working with these communities to help them grow.”

Muñoz said Obama is dramatically expanding access to

The Washington Informer

President Barack Obama. /Courtesy Photo

Valerie Jarrett. /by Shevry Lassiter

high-quality preschools and it will be available to every pre-schooler under the age of four. She said the budget has a suite of proposals expanding access to enhance the educational experience for children from birth through kindergarten. Obama is proposing a new federal tax on cigarettes to fund expanded access to pre-K education. This will cost $66 billion while expanded home visits and care for infants and toddlers will cost $11 billion.

Muñoz also touted the plan to improve higher education for minority students, a proposed redesign of high schools, and ways to help more families and students afford college. The tab for these projects accounts for more than $1 billion of the proposed budget.

“The return in investment is incredible. This is part of a larger vision by the president,” said Muñoz.

Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, drilled deeper into the finer points of the budget, saying that Obama has allocated $90 million for Department of Labor employment-centered services to assist and train adult and youth ex-offenders and at-risk youth. Obama is also calling for the national minimum wage to be raised to $9.00 an hour.

Sperling said the budget calls for $50 billion to invest in accelerated infrastructure development for repairs to roads, bridges and airports; a $10 billion bond for schools; a $12.5 billion Pathways to Work Fund that helps workers gain skills for long-term employment; a $4 billion reemployment program that finances strategies to help the long-term unemployed find and keep jobs; and an $8 billion investment in a Community College to Career Fund.

“He won’t be satisfied until every American has a job. That’s his North Star,” said Sperling. “… He’s not satisfied with unemployment of African Americans, young people and veterans ... there’s $109 billion for hardpressed working families, including 2.2 million African Americans

and 4.7 million children. That means an extra $1,000 a year. The president pushed hard to get this and he’s pushing to make it permanent.”

The trio said the budget creates jobs by responsibly paying for investments in education, manufacturing, clean energy, infrastructure, and small business; includes $1.8 trillion of additional deficit reduction over 10 years, bringing total deficit reduction achieved to $4.3 trillion; represents more than $2.00 in spending cuts for every $1.00 of new revenue from closing tax loopholes and reducing tax benefits for the wealthiest Americans; reduces the deficit to 2.8 percent of GDP by 2016 and 1.7 percent by 2023, with debt declining as a share of the economy.

The budget protects the investments needed to create jobs and strengthen the middle class, they reiterated.

The president’s proposed budget has incurred the wrath of Democrats and Republicans.

Republicans are balking against raising taxes further, and the president’s Democratic allies have pilloried him for seeking cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

He has been vilified in some quarters because his budget proposal contains a budget adjustment known as chained CPI (Consumer Price Index).

Chained CPI changes the way that the government measures inflation, and is expected to have a major effect on those who receive veterans’ benefits, taxpayers and Social Security recipients. Obama agreed to include this provision to satisfy Republicans seeking to introduce entitlement reform in this year’s budget. Sperling estimates that the switch to chained CPI will raise $230 billion over 10 years.

“This is an economic strategy and it’s about creating jobs, strengthening the economy and getting people into a position of economic security. The plan includes key investments in the future,” said Sperling. wi www.washingtoninformer.com

national

State of Black America: Much Work Ahead Urban League, CBC, Say Progress Has Been Made

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer While commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Great March for Jobs and Freedom, a watershed moment in black history, some of the African-American community’s most prominent and influential leaders said there is still much work to be done.

“There has been important progress in the last 50 years, including a decrease in poverty, increases in high school graduation rates and enrollment rates,” said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, headquartered in New York.

“But, the disparity between black Americans and white Americans when it comes to jobs, income, health care and wealth remains too large,” said Morial, 55.

Several organizations, including representatives from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), gathered on Capitol Hill on April 11, along with members of the Urban League for the release of the annual “State of Black America” report, which highlighted the economic forecast for African Americans.

Although the report is presented annually, this year, the Urban League commissioned a half-century study to commemorate the 1963 March on Washington.

“The unemployment rate is double for blacks than for whites, we’ve lost more homes to foreclosure than whites and we’ve lost more wealth than whites,” said CBC Chair Marcia Fudge. “That is the state of Black America,” said Fudge, 60.

The report credits civil rights measures enacted to open the doors of opportunity for blacks in education and standards of living. It noted that the high school completion gap has closed 57 percentage points and that there are more than triple the number of blacks enrolled in college than there were in 1963.

Further, the percentage of blacks living in poverty has declined 23 points and the percentage of black children living in poverty is down by 22 points since 1963. www.washingtoninformer.com

However, over the past 50 years, the black-white income gap has only closed by 7 points and unemployment has narrowed by just 6 points.

“It is without contradiction that African Americans have made extraordinary progress in the report,” said Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa. “But, compared to the majority, we still have some room to grow,” said Fattah, 56, who has sponsored an Urban Jobs bill in the House which he hopes will lead to better employment opportunities for blacks.

As the budget debate continues in Washington on whether to cut critical program funding, the “State of Black America 2013” highlights a harsh reality, Morial said.

“Budget cutting fever will cause economic pneumonia. If we are to move toward a lasting economic recovery and full equality and empowerment, we must apply sustainable solutions keenly focusing on jobs for all Americans and closing the gaps that result in a tale of two Americas,” he said.

Fudge, (D-Ohio), said it also important to concentrate on a global marketplace, specifically that which is linked to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

“Workers in STEM earn on average 26 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts.

Moreover, job openings in STEM occupations outnumber unemployed workers by nearly 2 to 1,” Fudge said.

However, the congresswoman noted that the nation is put at a disadvantage by failing to provide a strong STEM education for as many students as possible. Fudge has introduced legislation she said will help ensure access to STEM for urban minority youth.

“This measure expands community based programs that increase exposure to hands-on science activities. Numerous evaluations found that quality STEM after-school programs such as those conducted by the Urban League, increase the likelihood of graduation and pursuit of a STEM career,” she said.wi

Marcia Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. /Courtesy Photo

The Washington Informer

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League. /Courtesy Photo

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

15

CP SIDE 1

business Business Exchange Is the Concept of Reparations For Blacks a Dead Issue?

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Ask anyone you know and you’ll find most Americans don’t see the validity of the issue of reparations for Blacks and don’t connect the dots to see how the injustice of the past shapes everyday life in America. The father of America’s contemporary reparations movement was Ray Jenkins. He died in 2009. In the 1950s Jenkins got the name Tue - 12/18/2012 - 9:45:49 AM Ray,” 310503.8632 “Reparations speaking around Detroit about “the debt”

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By William Reed America owed Blacks “for enslavement of their ancestors.”

Jenkins found attentive audiences, but reparations never really has taken hold and has been ridiculed as loud in the ghettos as they are among Whites in suburbia.

Since “Reparations Ray” died, octogenarian Dr. Robert L. Brock, an attorney and president of the “Self Determination Committee” holds the title. A legend among reparations activists, Brock first filed a reparations class action suit in 1956. His Ashton vs. Lynn Park case went to the Supreme Court. Brock says, “The wealth of America is our legal property. But we must make our legal claims to get money.”

By 1965, Brock was demanding $500,000 for “each descendant of a slave of African ancestry.” “Claim What’s Yours!!! Find Out How to Make Your Legal Claim” was a banner headline across the pages of Black newspapers during the 1980s and 1990s. The ads were placed and paid for by Brock. Most of the advertisements contained the following content: “Black People in United States have been wondering what they need to do to get paid for the ‘forty (40) Acres’ and ‘a mule’ they never received. Well, it is easier than you think. You must: (1) File a Claim for it (2) To do this, send your name and address, along with $50.00.”

Primarily through Black media and networks, Brock’s campaign produced over 500,000 filed claims. His activities garnered him the ire of the government and majority media innuendos that he was advocating “tax rebates” for slave descendants. According to Brock, his procedure required slave descendants to 1) get a claim form, 2) fill it out, 3) get it notarized, 4) return it to Brock with $50 for

processing and filing with the United Nations and 5) wait to hear back.

Unabated, Brock has worked with Johnnie L. Cochran and his Reparations for Slavery lawsuit against the United States and with Randall Robinson on his pursuit of “The Debt.” Brock says “a debt is owed Blacks for the centuries of unpaid slave labor that built America’s early economy and money from discriminatory wage and employment patterns Blacks have been subjected to since emancipation.” He chides Blacks in America for “damping down discussions about reparations during the presidency of a Black man.”

Before being confined by health problems, Brock was holding meetings across America supporting Congressman John Conyers’ H.R. 40 Bill “to form a Commission to Study Reparations for African-Americans.” For almost two decades Brock spoke at forums alongside Conyers endorsing the concept of a study of reparations for Blacks. In the years from 1989 until he ascended to become House Judiciary Committee Chair, Conyers made a yearly ritual of “submitting” bill H.R. 40 in Congress. Detroit Congressman Conyers perpetrated a 25-year political charade that he was submitting reparations legislation every year, but he “couldn’t get it out of committee.” Conyers now says reparations are “too controversial to pursue at this time.”

Are all Black Americans of the same mindset as Conyers?

Have conversations regarding rectifying economic injustices done to Blacks completely died? The vestiges of slavery and de jure segregation continue for Blacks. Yet, the first Black to head the House Judiciary Committee now says reparations are “too controversial to pursue.”

What’s going on when Blacks hold high positions and offices that the level of discussion about the absence of wealth, work, educational, and economic equity among them is still muted?

Brock says, “The time is ripe to move the Reparations Movement to the top of the American agenda.” What say you? wi William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org www.washingtoninformer.com

NATIONAL Money Matter$

By Douglass F. Dillon

Industrial Bank www.industrial-bank.com

Industrial Strong

SVP/Commercial Lending Member FDIC

The Small C’s of Credit I’ve already talked about cash flow and collateral in this space, and---from the perspective of a business lender---those are definitely the two capital C’s among the C’s of credit. They are the “grownups” of the Credit family, if you will: the two factors in a credit decision that are easiest to objectively

Cloves Campbell, Jr. /Courtesy Photo

quantify, and perhaps the two most directly tied to the success or failure of most loans.

NNPA Moves to Collect $400,000 Judgment against Former Ad Director WI Staff Report National Newspaper Publishers Association Chairman Cloves Campbell, Jr. has instructed Attorney James Belt of Dallas to “take whatever steps necessary” to collect a $418,180.12 judgment against Robert Bush, a former independent contractor responsible for advertising sales.

“I have asked Attorney Belt, who heads a special committee I appointed to bring a close to this matter, to take whatever steps necessary to collect on the order issued

by U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins,” said Campbell, publisher of the Arizona Informant. “The order was issued a year ago and Mr. Bush has yet to voluntarily comply with it. Under the circumstances, we will take whatever steps needed to make sure he complies with the judge’s lawful order.”

Bush, who is believed to be living in Glendale, Calif., filed a suit against the NNPA in federal court in the District of Columbia.

According to the complaint filed on behalf of Bush on June 4, 2010, he was has hired to serve as NNPA’s chief advertising salesperson, with an annual base salary of $120,000, plus up to 5 percent in commissions. Bush alleged that he was on target to secure at least $15 million in advertising over the first three years. However, nine months into the 5-year NNPA contract, Bush said he “was being suspended for alleged wrongdoing which [the NNPA] declined to specify.”

Bush sought unspecified compensatory damages, attorney fees and costs and a jury trial.

In its response to Bush’s complaint, the NNPA stated that in February 2009 Bush notified NNPA that, among other things, “he was not devoting his full time and attention” to his NNPA work “and that he was using time and resources which were www.washingtoninformer.com

to have been devoted to [the NNPA] for other matters.”

When then-NNPA Chairman John B. Smith requested an accounting of his activities on April 26, 2009, Bush “stated that he would not provide the requested information.”

Consequently, the NNPA’s executive committee voted to again request the pertinent information from Bush.

After he failed to comply with a second request, the executive committee voted to suspend Bush.

According to the NNPA’s counterclaim, Bush has refused to turn over company records and documents.

The case was heard by a jury in Washington, D.C., which dismissed one of the claims NNPA had made against Bush and one of Bush’s claims against the NNPA. Judge Wilkins issued a partial summary judgment on April 12, 2012 authorizing the NNPA to recover $32,706.06 from Bush that had gone to him as overpaid commissions.

Judge Wilkins noted that Bush’s failure to oppose NNPA’s motion for attorneys’ fees constituted a concession.

Wilkins wrote that it was “Further ordered that, based upon Bush’s concession and the Court’s thorough review of the Independent Contractor Agreement and the documentation submitted in support of NNPA’s motion for attorney’s fees and costs, NNPA recover from Bush the amount of $385,474.06 for attorneys’ fees and costs.”

James Belt, who chairs the NNPA committee set up to resolve the matter, said: “Chairman Cloves Campbell has asked me to take any and all necessary steps to recover nearly a half million dollars that we have spent defending ourselves against baseless allegations. The court’s judgment was issued a year ago and we will aggressively try to make sure that another year doesn’t pass without the judge’s order being fully enforced.”wi

Still, experienced underwriters are careful not to ignore the little C’s of credit, because these quickly can grow into really big problems if judged incorrectly. The thorough analysis of any applicant’s Character, management Capacity, and the suitability of prevailing market Conditions are all vitally important to any credit decision-making process. And even though assessments of these three credit factors are usually more subjective than those of cash flow or collateral, it is important for you to have an idea of the qualities prospective lenders are seeking in those areas as they evaluate your loan applications.

For a moment, put aside the Biblical admonition not to judge others. Credit decision-makers are paid to judge your character. The primary reason for the existence of credit reporting agencies is that nervous lenders are trying to determine if you are a good credit risk. They ask themselves if you will repay their loan, and do so on time. They forecast the future by probing the past: have you repaid previous bills on a timely basis? Scores in the mid-700s and up tell them that, yes, you most certainly do! Conversely, scores below the mid-500s indicate a general pattern of not repaying loans according to their terms.

Helpful hints: if your credit score has taken a hit recently, but you have handled credit responsibly in the past (e.g., you formerly had a higher credit score), some lenders may take this into consideration after a written explanation. Do not apply too liberally for credit, particularly in situations where your credit report is likely to be pulled (credit scores generally decline as the number of inquiries increase).

Try also not to use more than 30% of your availability on any credit cards, which can also drive your score down.

Judging management capacity is usually a matter of matching up past experiences and education with the opportunity at hand. For instance, if you have attended culinary school, been a master chef for a number of years, and then managed the kitchen operations of a very successful restaurant, most would assume the next logical step would be opening up your own restaurant. It would not be a big stretch to think that you had developed some capacity to operate a restaurant. On the other hand, if you had the same experience as a chef and suddenly decided to apply for a loan to buy a muffler repair shop, you’ve got quite a bit of explaining to do. In that scenario, even if cars were a long-time passion of yours, you probably would not have demonstrated the professional capacity to run a muffler shop, which is a very different business than a restaurant. In a nutshell, be careful to show how your business opportunity is aligned with your professional experience and/or educational background.

Finally, when seeking a loan, it is important that current market conditions are suitable for your business opportunity. Once, I extended a loan to a business that depended heavily on the hospitality industry. The owner’s character was solid. His business plan was impeccable. He had run the same business for years, and there was a history of good cash flow, with good collateral support. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I made the loan just weeks before September 11, 2001! Airlines were grounded for months; the hospitality industry suffered for years. And the borrower had a tough time. There was no way to have known in advance the conditions that were about to occur, but I can confidently say that if we both had known, neither the borrower nor I would have wanted to close on that loan---all the more reason for you to thoroughly research all the current market conditions that you can know.

While subjective, your lender’s perception of these three C’s of credit is largely in your control.

Manage them well, and your likelihood of getting approval for that business loan should increase dramatically.

The Washington Informer

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

17

Health

Howard University hosted a health symposium on April 10, which focused on increasing the pipeline of minorities in the health care professions. Dr. Louis Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services delivered the keynote address. /Photo by Roy Lewis

Symposium Seeks to Increase Minorities in Health Professions

By Michelle Phipps-Evans WI Staff Writer With the higher numbers of adult deaths, infant mortality rates and other health-related issues plaguing minorities, it becomes even more vital to increase the participation of health care professionals with diverse backgrounds in the industry, which will greatly improve the health outcomes in these communities.

These were the conclusions by several speakers at an all-day health care symposium hosted by Howard University in Northwest on April 10.

In the early 1990s, millions of dollars were used to address HIV/AIDS, making it less threatening today, said Dr. Louis Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, who delivered a keynote address on preparing minorities for subjects in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“We need to address health disparities with the same vigor and resources as they were for AIDS,” said Sullivan, chief executive of Alexandria, Va.-based Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions, which works toward diversifying the health workforce. The Sullivan Alliance was created to act on recommendations included in the 2004 Sullivan Commission (Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions).

One in three Americans belongs to a racial or ethnic minori-

18 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

The Washington Informer

ty group, with African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians making up more than 30 percent of the population, according to studies cited by the alliance. For those under age 20, the percentage is 43 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2042, there will be no majority population in the United States. Yet, today only 12.3 percent of physicians, 7 percent of dentists, 10 percent of pharmacists, and 11 percent of registered nurses belong to a racial or ethnic minority group.

These numbers compel advocates like Sullivan to work to close the health disparities gap.

He cited instances of unconscious bias in treatment. In the 2011 book, “Seeing Patients: Unconscious Bias in Health Care,”

by Augustus White and David Chanoff, ethnic minorities are undertreated for acute cardiac symptoms as they receive less bypass surgery and are less likely to receive pain medications in emergency rooms.

“Urgent attention is needed for disparities in preventive services and access to care,” Sullivan said, adding that attention was needed for residents in inner cities and rural areas; more attention to diabetes management and cancer screening. Data has shown that health disparities can be eliminated with more minorities in the workforce as patients feel more comfortable visiting providers who look like them.

“African Americans play a significant role in dental care for blacks,” said Dr. Jeanne Sinkford,

associate executive director at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), who cited ADEA findings that 61.8 percent of African Americans visit black dentists as opposed to 27 percent who visit white dentists.

However, the American Association of Medical Colleges stated that in 2008, there were almost 30,000 African-American physicians or 6.3 percent in comparison to more than 350,000 white physicians or 75 percent; and more than 60,000 Asian-American physicians or 12.8 percent. Black physicians are still underrepresented because the African-American population is 12.6 percent, as of the 2010 U.S. Census.

Opening up health care professions to more minorities begins with children in the kindergarten to 12th grades looking at STEM as viable career options, said Dr. Leo Rouse, dean at Howard’s School of Dentistry who joined Sullivan on a panel before an audience of more than 100 people at the Blackburn Center. Kurt Schmoke, vice president and general counsel at Howard, also joined in the discussion which was moderated

by WUSA TV9 anchor JC Hayward. The panelists focused on preparing minorities for STEM subjects, which eventually lead to careers in medicine and health care.

STEM degrees include mathematics; natural sciences; engineering and engineering tech-

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nologies; health professions and related clinical sciences; and computer and information sciences.

“The STEM pipeline is about leadership, understanding the significance of diversity and industry and developing a cohort of men and women,” said Rouse.

“But we always question who’s in the pipeline. How can we get our community engaged in STEM and where are the African-American men?”

Dr. Antoine Garibaldi, a Howard alumnus and president of the University of Detroit Mercy, sought to address black males in the health care pipeline.

“The trend is clear. African-American students are scoring below the basics,” said Garibaldi, quoting numbers from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the largest national sample and continuous subject-area assessment of American students in grades 4, 8 and 12. African Americans scored the lowest among all racial and ethnic groups on the standardized ACT in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and average SAT scores for the same time were

(L-R) Dr. Louis Sullivan, Dr. Leo Rouse, dean of Howard University’s School of Dentistry and Kurt Schmoke, vice president and general counsel at Howard University engage in a panel discussion on April 10. /Photo by Roy Lewis

www.washingtoninformer.com

more than 200 points below the national average.

Alexis Webber, a pre-med student at Howard’s College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, appeared overwhelmed.

“I thought it was eye-opening,” said Webber, 22, a St. Louis, Mo., native. “For me, as a student I had no idea so many teachers who weren’t pushing black students who want to go to college were African American themselves.” She referenced a study by Garibaldi on New Orleans Public Schools in the late 1980s. Not much has changed since then.

For solutions, speakers suggested more mentoring as a tool to increase participation in the health care pipeline; the possibil-

ity of scholarships with service requirements for loan repayment; and an increase in online resources across health professions, among other strategies.

“By providing more Americans with access to quality care, (the health reform law) was a major step toward equalizing health care across communities,” said Jannette L. Dates, dean emerita of Howard’s School of Communications and chair of the symposium planning committee. “Key to our mission of eliminating health disparities is increasing the number of minority health professionals who understand the communities’ needs.”wi The Washington Informer

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

19

Forum Reveals ‘Scary Data,’ Fear of Math, Science

By Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer An annual policy and research forum that’s presented each year in the District of Columbia to focus on attracting, supporting and retaining minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculums, highlighted some glaring challenges the nation faces getting their numbers up – particularly at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The three-hour forum, which took place April 11 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Southwest, attracted about 40 corporate leaders, political standouts and college and university department heads from across the country. During the discussions, they drove home the point that black students have traditionally feared math and science because their teachers didn’t know how to present the subject matter.

“Things like math and science are really easy and fun, but kids are afraid of those courses because teachers don’t come equipped enough to do their jobs,” said Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

Fudge said however, that the

CBC and National Urban League are working on the “Project Ready STEM Act of 2012” to provide students the opportunity to explore STEM involvement at earlier stages in their lives, like the third grade. “If kids realize early on that they can have fun learning math and science, everyone’s life can be better,” she said.

The gathering, which was sponsored by the New Yorkbased National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, was moderated by its president and CEO, Irving McPhail Ph.D., and included a panel discussion and Q&A session. While many of those in attendance voiced concern about access and sustainability of STEM programs, others noted that disproportionate numbers of blacks poised for those studies tend to quit college during their first year due to a lack of money.

For instance, Michael Smith of the National GEM Consortium in Alexandria, Va., talked about what he described as “scary data,” in his reference to “families with only a $20,000 income, but who’ve had students to leave school prior to graduation with student loan debts of $30,000 or more.”

To that end, Smith questioned how organizations such as his

20 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

A forum at the Rayburn House Office Building on April 11 attracted numerous corporate leaders, political standouts and university department heads from across the country. The group discussed teaching methods and students fear of math and science. /Photo by Khalid Naji-Allah

might better collaborate and mobilize efforts “to create a movement” to help minority students to complete their undergraduate studies in STEM disciplines and earn advanced degrees.

One point in particular that resonated among guests – which also included Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards – was that President Barack Obama did not provide adequate funding for minority education in his new budget.

“The president issued his 2014 budget but didn’t mention minority STEM programs, so pressure needs to be put on the White House,” said Johnny Taylor, CEO of the District-based Thurgood Marshall College Fund. “Otherwise, we’re ignoring the issue.”

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Taylor added that his organization, which is “passionate about STEM issues,” advocates on behalf of the country’s 119 HBCUs which represent just three percent of the nation’s higher education institutions.

“And, with more than half of our black teachers graduating from HBCUs, our goal is to increase STEM programs on those campuses,” Taylor said, adding that according to a STEM migration study, six percent of black STEM majors drop out of college during their first year. In noting that the average HBCU tuition is $6,200, Taylor said that by the time room and board are added, the annual cost can total $13,000 or more. When students can’t pay, they leave school, he said.

“It continues to be a supportability issue and it’s no wonder that just eight percent of STEM students graduate because they come to the campus with these kinds of issues,” Taylor said. “One STEM major left school in her second year with $28,000 in student loan debt – and now she’s working in a fast food restaurant.”

Fudge concurred, saying the CBC strongly supports STEM education.

“Research, technology and innovation have made America great, and we have to keep it up by making education an affordable process,” Fudge said. “We need to increase the amount of Pell Grants. But [along the way,] we need to get students interested in STEM at the elementary level and not [wait until] the 10th grade.”

Meanwhile, in order to parlay their STEM degrees into meaningful careers, graduates need a

mechanism that leads from college straight to the workforce, and Lamont Haines, a program specialist for the United Negro College Fund in Fairfax, Va., believes government is a good launching pad.

“That pipeline to jobs really exists in the public sector,”said Haines. “However, there are barriers to getting STEM-oriented jobs but we can help graduates get there,” he told the group. “In the Federal Register they’re looking at a STEM clause to get more agencies to participate – especially [in the area of] government contractual agreements.”

One way of assuring minority STEM graduates gain access to the workforce is by hiring them to work in local industries, rather than in companies outside of the United States. But even in those environments, their numbers pale in comparison to their non-minority counterparts, Edwards said.

“In my travels I haven’t seen a lot of blacks, women and Latinos in STEM careers,” said Edwards. “Around the country there are many robust communities of higher learning like HBCUs, capable of educating STEM students,” she said.

“But in addition to making sure HBCUs have the resources for good research, there needs to be a certain amount of jobs for minority STEM graduates,” said Edwards. “The state of Maryland is robust in aeroscience, but like other states in the country, we’re not necessarily producing enough black graduates to go into that field. We need to focus on that, so there won’t be as much of a mismatch in the STEM workforce.”wi www.washingtoninformer.com

Health Mail Bag

By Vince Faust Special to the Informer from NNPA Caffeine Can Shake Up Former Smokers I just stopped smoking and I feel great. My problem is caffeine, I’m drinking more coffee every day. Will this new habit be as bad as smoking?

-- Judy, Tampa, Fla. Cigarette smokers metabolize caffeine more rapidly than nonsmokers. This means that smokers have to drink more coffee to get the same level of caffeine in their blood. It’s this difference that can cause problems for those who have just quit smoking.

Researchers in San Francisco found that when ex-smokers drank their usual amount of coffee, the levels of caffeine in their blood rose 250 percent over previous levels because they were metabolizing it more slowly. These high levels could cause some ex-smokers to start smoking again. The higher levels of caffeine can make a person jittery, causing an ex-smoker to use a cigarette to calm his nerves.

Here are some tips that will help to quit smoking and stay off the caffeine: 1. Keep a positive attitude. Believe that you can quit; 2. Get rid of all cigarettes and matches and have your teeth cleaned; 3. Change your habits. After a meal go for a walk.

When you want to go out, go to places that prohibit smoking; 4. When the urge hits do something else. Plan several activities that you can do every time you get the urge; 5. Tell others that you’ve quit. They’ll be glad to remind you that you want to stop smoking; and 6. Get more information about the hazards of smoking. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to deal with not smoking.

Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant. It will increase alertness, decrease fatigue, give euphoria and elevate your mood.

The bad effects of caffeine can include sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety and depression. A person can suffer the bad affects from one or two cups of coffee a day.

If you drink more than 250

mg of caffeine a day, which is about two and a half cups, you can suffer from caffeine intoxication. The symptoms include restlessness, nervousness, excitement, excessive urination, insomnia, heartburn, muscle twitching and rambling thought and speech.

There are some withdrawal symptoms when you try to break the caffeine habit. They can include depression, constipation, runny nose, nausea, headaches and a craving for caffeine. To quit it’s best to gradually reduce your caffeine intake. Try to reduce your daily intake of caffeine by 100 mg each week.

That is about one cup of coffee.

Continue decreasing your consumption until you’re down to a safe level, which is about one cup a day. Your plan should also include relaxation, stress reduction, good nutrition and exercise.

Best fast foods I know fast foods are not the best thing for a person trying to get in shape, but there I times when I have no choice. What should I avoid when I indulge in a fast-food meal on the run?

-- Dorothy, Willow Grove The main culprits you want to stay away from are the high-fat, high-sodium foods. This means in many cases you’ll have to have it your way instead of the usual way. For breakfast skip the breakfast meats and sandwiches; they’re high in fat and sodium. Instead have hotcakes or an English muffin with just a little butter.

For lunch or dinner you can always have a salad but only use about 1/4 of the dressing they give you to go with it. French fries without the salt won’t do too much damage to your diet, but remember the larger the order the more fat you have.

Hold the cheese on the burger and if you want to be especially good toss the burger bun. Most chicken dishes are not too bad, but again avoid the heavy sauces. I’m sure we don’t have to tell you that a soft drink is lower in fat and calories than a milkshake, but skim or low-fat milk is your best bet.

To avoid these meals altogether get in the habit of planning your meals ahead of time

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/Courtesy Photo

so you take nutritious meals with you when you’re on the run.

Exercise and medication I’m taking a medication that makes me a little sleepy. Can I still workout? I still feel strong. -- Roxanne, Dover, Del. Sedatives, narcotic pain relievers and antihistamines can cause drowsiness, throw your balance off and affect your judgment.

Before you take any medication you should ask your doctor if it’s safe to work out while taking it.

The effect of some medications can last even after you finish taking them. So find out how long it takes for the medication to wear off. If the label and your doctor tell you not to operate machinery while taking a medication, that means exercise equipment too.

your workout do the same thing then reapply the powder on dry skin with a makeup brush. A light spritz of Evian mineral water spray will make your makeup look moist if the powder is too dry for your skin.

Before starting your fitness program, consult your physician.

For help with drug, alcohol and mental health problems call Sobriety Through Outpatient t drug, alcohol and mental health treatment center (215) 227-7867 Watch or listen to our recovery media stations every day at www. stop-recoveryradio.com.wi

Makeup/workout How can I keep my makeup from running when I work out. After it runs I can never get it to look fresh.

Help! -- Terry, Philadelphia Terry, rather than wear liquid makeup, have a light powder made up to go with your complexion like Prescriptives or Charles of the Ritz. In the morning dust on the powder over a light moisturizer. If you have oily skin areas you may not need to moisturize your whole face.

Use a powder blush. Before you work out, take a cool washcloth and pat your face. After The Washington Informer

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan addressed the 2010 graduating class of Benjamin Banneker High School located in Northwest near Howard University, which since 1983, has registered a near 100 percent graduation and college acceptance rate. /Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Education

Low Graduation Rates Plague DCPS

By Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer Parents and education and community advocates bemoan the low graduation rates in D.C., saying that like the city’s burgeoning truancy issue, the situation will only get worse until the necessary steps are taken to rein in the problem and preserve the value of public education.

“Trust me, D.C. schools are a mess and it seems like nobody cares enough to say when enough is enough,” said Jocelyn Johnson, 37, a former District resident who pulled her two children out of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) system two years ago and moved to Seat Pleasant, Md., in Prince George’s County.

“My children have adjusted very well to their new system,” Johnson said. “My son was in the eighth grade when we moved and had started skipping school. My daughter was turning 16 and on the verge of not graduating on time,” she said. “I had talked to everybody that I thought could help – teachers, preachers, principals – but then I realized that I had to take control ... I’m not blaming D.C. for my children’s troubles, but it was like [the officials] in charge weren’t that concerned that I was concerned.”

A report released late last year by the U.S. Department of Education stated that at the end of academic year 2010-11, only 59 percent of students in the DCPS system had graduated on time.

However, the Office of the State Superintendent for Education The Washington Informer

(OSSE) reported a 2 percent increase last year in DCPS graduation rates.

But that hardly elevated the District to any significant standing, as its graduation rates still remain among the lowest in the country.

“A 2 percent increase might be a big deal for OSSE, but it’s still a very low number to be [boasting] about, and we as parents, school officials and community leaders need to show our discontent with this,” said Dorothy Douglas, a former Ward 7 school board representative. “A lot of situations like truancy and the [mandated] school closings are what’s contributing to low graduation rates, and nobody’s really looking at that.”

According to a 2012 statistical chart provided by OSSE, Cardozo Senior High School in Northwest had a 40 percent graduation rate and Anacostia Senior High School in Southeast had a rate of 42 percent, while Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Northwest reported a 100 percent rate. Ballou Senior High in Southeast had a 48 percent rate, and Dunbar and Coolidge high schools in Northwest, each had 60 percent rates.

Nevertheless, Hosanna Mahaley Jones, D.C. state superintendent, insisted in a statement that last year’s graduation results were proof of school officials’ efforts to reach the District’s students regardless of income or disability. Her sentiments are shared by DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson who said that for years, the

rates have not reflected the system’s successes or challenges with high school students.

“However, with the new calculations, we have a clearer understanding of the work we still need to do, and the public has a more reliable way to hold us accountable,” said Henderson, 43.

Jones further noted that in 2012, District high school seniors reached five-year highs in composite scores and improved in ACT college-readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science over the previous year. “While we certainly have a steep road ahead, our investments in public education are moving in the right direction,” she said.

Mark Jones, Ward 5 school board representative, agreed somewhat. But he echoed Douglas’ sentiments, saying that truancy as a deterrent to graduation and a basis for high unemployment in the District, needs to be seriously addressed.

“We’re still behind and I’m not happy about it. Right now, I believe we’re below 60 percent [in accordance with national graduation rates],” Jones said. “The school board is reviewing the graduation requirements, which are [among the most stringent] in the nation,” he said, adding that at one point the board was considering increasing students’ credit hours.

“But I think that might be a mistake,” he said. “It could end up being a bigger problem because increasing requirements could negatively impact graduation rates even more.”wi www.washingtoninformer.com

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SL-2 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

A Sustainable DC

T

he District of Columbia is a vibrant city full of interesting, passionate people from all walks of life. This diversity is what makes our city unique; and it’s something to celebrate!

To continue our tradition of diversity, we must ensure that all our residents—from those who have lived here for decades to those who have just arrived—are welcome and proud to call the District home.

Ensuring our city remains diverse and inclusive is a principal reason I called on residents and stakeholders across the city to help us develop a plan to make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the nation in one generation. A Sustainable DC means that we are working together to become more socially equitable, environmentally responsible, and economically prosperous. The Sustainable DC Plan and the 5-Year Economic Development Strategy and Bridges to Opportunity: A New Housing Strategy for DC set ambitious goals for moving our city forward and in that direction.

For the future generations to prosper, our city must be environmentally sound, but also economically vibrant with good jobs and well-educated residents. It must also be equitable with access to services and affordable housing available to all residents. In our daily lives, this means cleaner air for our children to breath, swimmable rivers for families to enjoy, healthier food available to all, more efficient homes that cost less to heat and cool, access to affordable housing, and well-paying jobs.

If you support this vision for our city, I ask that you join our effort to make the District the most sustainable city in the nation. We need the support of every resident and worker in the District to reach these ambitious goals and to ensure that the benefits of this effort reach every corner of the city.

As proud as I am to be Mayor today, I want to ensure that the Mayor and residents in 2032 are proud to inherit and live in a healthy, prosperous city. I want people across the nation and the globe to see the District as a leader and innovator in building sustainable, affordable, safe, and healthy communities. We can do it. We must do it.

Join me in supporting the Sustainable DC Plan! Visit www.sustainable.dc.gov and join us as we take our show on the road at community meetings and events, beginning with our kick-off on Earth Day (April 22) 6:30pm – 8:30pm at Luke C. Moore High School, 1001 Monroe St NE. You may be surprised at how sustainable you already are!

Vincent C. Gray Mayor for a Sustainable DC

www.washingtoninformer.com

Building a

Sustainable DC can been seen all over the city at health fairs and festivals such as this one during one of the Cherry Blossom events

Healthier Community

T

he District of Columbia ranks highly on lists of U.S. cities with high quality of life, environmental-friendliness, and household income.

However, the city also faces persistent challenges in other areas, including health.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s recently released Sustainable DC Plan, which according to the document is intended to serve as the city’s strategy to make the city the “healthiest, cleanest, most livable city in the United States,” addresses health as one of its four priority challenges.

The Sustainable DC Plan states one underlying problem in the physical health of District residents is the disparity in the rates of obesity, asthma, and high blood pressure between different areas of the city. One chart indicates that in Wards 7 and 8, 40% of residents suffer from obesity, while only 12% of residents in Ward 3 are obese. “That is exactly why the District is focusing on health in its sustainability plan, Sustainable DC,” Mayor Gray said.

“The health and well-being of every District resident is closely connected to the quality of the air we breathe and water we drink, our access to nutritious foods, the ability to live active lifestyles, and the design of our neighborhoods.”

“Many people don’t realize that one in three DC residents are at risk of hunger or becoming obese. These risks often go hand-in-hand,” said Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Office of Planning. “Sustainability addresses both these challenges by helping residents access healthy food, have safe and pleasant places to be physically active, and create opportunities to grow their own food.”

As part of the Sustainable DC Plan, Mayor Gray committed nearly $1.5 million dollars towards projects that will put new community gardens in every ward of the city, and start three joint farming and composting www.washingtoninformer.com

sites across the city. “These community gardens will be installed with new programming at existing recreation centers or the playgrounds that are being renovated as part of the PLAY DC initiative,” said Keith Anderson, Acting Director of the District Department of the Environment. “With new opportunities for learning about growing food and recreation, kids in across the District will have safe and healthy spaces to play and learn. Better opportunities for kids and adults to learn about healthy behaviors while having fun can lead to better health for you and your neighborhood.”

In addition to new projects, the District also has several existing programs aimed to reduce the prevalence of hunger and better balance access to nutritional resources across the city.

The city is taking steps to bring new food retailers into areas with poor food access, known as food deserts, including financial and legal incentives introduced by the DC Food, Environment, and Economic Development (FEED DC) Act of 2010. The DC Food Stamp Expansion Act of 2010 increased financial support for food purchases by 4,000 households. Additionally, more than 70% of school-aged children in the District are receiving free or reduced price school meals that meet higher nutritional standards.

Partners in the non-profit sector have been instrumental in efforts to tackle the hunger challenge.

“We already have some excellent health programs in the city, but we must do more. With careful planning, we can improve health across the District through both public and private efforts.

We envision a District where all residents have equal opportunity to live healthy, active lifestyles and where no neighborhood is unfairly exposed to health risks.

Our homes and neighborhoods must provide the highest quality environmental conditions and have easy access to active recreation, nutritious foods, and health services,” said Mayor Gray. SL

Get acquainted with YOUR District Department of the Environment We are more than 300 public servants working every day to…

• improve the quality of life for District residents and our natural inhabitants • protect and restore the environment • conserve our natural resources • mitigate pollution • educate the public on ways to secure a sustainable future Energy | Environmental Protection | Natural Resources

Visit: ddoe.dc.gov

Keith A. Anderson, Acting Director

Vincent C. Gray, Mayor

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-3

Sustainability

that Grows Jobs

& Delivers Savings

T

he District of Columbia’s Sustainable DC Plan, released on February 20, 2013, is more than a strategy to make the city cleaner and greener, says Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who vows to make the District the cleanest, greenest, most livable city in the United States. The plan, the Mayor says, focuses on creating local jobs and reducing the cost of living for residents.

This, in addition to the recently-released 5-Year Economic Development Strategy and Bridges to Opportunity: A New Housing Strategy for DC, assures that the District is tackling the challenges of creating new jobs, making housing more affordable, and ensuring that everyone who wants to live in the District is able to do so.

One of the primary goals, as stated in the Sustainable DC Plan, is to promote business development and job opportunity for District residents. “People don’t necessarily think about jobs as a major part of sustainability, but making buildings more energy efficient, installing renewable energy systems, constructing storm water management systems, and changing the way we manage our waste all have enormous potential for job creation” said Keith Anderson, Acting Director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE). “What’s more, these are jobs that can open the door for entrepreneurial pursuits.”

If everything goes as planned, by 2032, the District will cut citywide unemployment by 50%, increase jobs that provides green goods and services by five times, and develop three times as many small District-based businesses as exist today. Agencies leading this effort include the District of Columbia Public Schools and

the District Department of Employment Services, with DDOE and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development serving as partners. Topping the agenda are plans to improve the integration of sustainable jobs training into school curricula so that students can be exposed to these different and new careers at an early age. These agencies will also partner with the Workforce Investment Council to develop more targeted workforce development strategies.

“Sustainability is more than cleaner air, swimmable rivers, and more green space in District neighborhoods, although those things are vital to our long-term quality of life,” says Anderson. “The District’s Sustainable DC Plan will also make living in the city more affordable through lower energy bills, less expensive transportation, fewer trips to the hospital, and even spending less on groceries by growing our own food.”

The promise of lowering energy bills, for example, is a welcoming feature of the plan. According to Ismenda Richardson, an energy program officer at DDOE, many households in the District pay hundreds of dollars per month in energy bills in the coldest and hottest months of the year. That is a lot of money for most people, but is particularly difficult for those living on fixed incomes. Energy efficiency measures such as adding additional insulation, sealing cracks around windows and doors, and switching to energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, can help the average household to reduce energy bills by $500 a year.

“The District is fortunate to have programs to help residents and businesses make cost-saving improvements,” said Veronique

SL-4 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

Marier, Deputy Director for Energy at DDOE. “Between DDOE and the DC Sustainable Energy Utility, residents can take advantage of energy efficiency at a fraction of normal costs and save $20 to $60 each month. It’s a win for the residents, the city, and the environment.”

Valencia Copeland, a Ward 7 resident and participant in the DC Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program last year, speaks highly of her experience. “It’s so well worth it, I’m

living proof of that. [The contractor] replaced my ductwork, brand new, they insulated the entire lower floor of my home… and they replaced my light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs.”

This is precisely why this Sustainable DC Plan is so critical, adds DDOE’s Acting Director Keith Anderson, referencing the assistance residents have received to lowering their energy bills. “Our residents can testify to the fact that they are saving money through our efforts to

make homes and buildings more sustainable,” says Anderson. ”But most importantly, the plan provides opportunities to grow the District’s economy and create more employment for residents. That’s good governance.”

More information on the Sustainable DC Plan can be found at www.sustainable.dc.gov. Information on energy efficiency financial incentives can be found at www.ddoe.dc.gov and from the DC Sustainable Energy Utility at www.dcseu.com. SL

www.washingtoninformer.com

Creating good jobs for our residents matters…

Making fresh and healthy food available in every neighborhood matters…

Reducing energy and water use to keep housing affordable matters…

Providing beautiful parks for kids and families to play matters…

Making the Anacostia River fishable and swimmable again matters…

Expanding affordable and reliable transportation choices matters…

Sustainability matters because YOU matter!

Visit sustainable.dc.gov to learn more about Sustainable DC, the plan to make the District the healthiest, greenest, most livable city in the nation!

Vincent C. Gray, Mayor

www.washingtoninformer.com

Keith A. Anderson, Acting Director

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-5

Prince George’s County Close to Recycling Goal Single Sort / Stream recycling among new options

By Gale Horton Gay WI Staff Writer More and more Prince George’s County residents are getting on the recycling bandwagon.

According to the latest figures released by the Maryland Department of the Environment, the county’s waste diversion rate climbed to 49.11 percent, resulting in almost 33,000 recycled tons more in 2011 than in 2010.

“The data shows that Prince George’s County residents and businesses understand the importance of recycling and support the programs that we have in place,” said Adam Ortiz, acting director of the Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources. “As we move toward the creation of a more sustainable future, it is important to remember that recycling is one simple step we can take every day to reach our goals.”

Among the recycled material, the county noted increases in the composting of leaves and brush, wood materials, lead acid batteries, mixed steel and aluminum cans as well as and white goods/appliances.

Prince George’s County runs what is called a single-stream recycling program, meaning that all materials can be placed in the same recycling container for pick up. The materials are sorted at the county’s $6.5 million facility on Ritchie Road in Capitol Heights and then shipped out to various companies who buy recyclables.

The county sells aluminum cans to Anheuser-Busch for $350 a ton, paper and plastic to different vendors for $175 a ton, Ortiz said.

The county receives $16 million in sales from recyclables and spends $5.9 million to run the recycling program, which includes collection, staff, recycling carts and outreach, he said.

Before the single-stream system was established four years ago, residents had to separate their own recyclables. Participation was low and the amount of recycla-

bles available for sale was also low, Ortiz pointed out. They switched to the single-stream approach, which he calls the industry standard, to encourage participation. It worked. During the past few years, a growing number of residents have requested the county’s blue and yellow recycling bins.

Ortiz said the goal is to have 50 percent of county residents involved in recycling and he expects that goal to be reached this year.

“We want as many residents as possible so we make it as simple as possible,” he said. “All they have to do is put it in the bin. We are taking care of the rest.”

Ortiz said he hates to see recyclables going into the landfill when they could bring venue to the county and reduce the amount of waste accumulating in the landfill.

“When we have recyclable material in the landfill, we are almost literally throwing money down a hole,” he said.

And the county’s Environmental Resources Department has a new program it plans to roll out this summer—collecting food waste from high-volume commercial operations and turning it into high-grade compost for sale to nurseries and farmers. Ortiz said the program will cut down on food waste going into the landfill as well as the hauling fees incurred.

Also soon condominiums— previously exempt from mandatory recycling—will be required to participate in the county’s recycling program.

Ortiz said his department plans to conduct mailings and outreach to community and homeowners’ associations on the benefits of recycling to help bolster participation among residents.

Anyone with questions about the county’s recycling program can call 311 for more information.

“Prince George’s residents are stepping up,” said Ortiz. “We need to work together to get more people to step up. We are all better off for it.” SL

SL-6 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

Single-sort (also called single-stream) recycling is a collection method wherein all unsorted or recyclable materials are collected in one container at the curb. / Courtesy photo

Single-stream collection increases efficiencies by collecting more material with less labor and mixes all recyclables in a collection truck, instead of being manually sorted. / Courtesy photo

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Prince George’s County implements Food Scrap Demonstration Project

By Adam Ortiz

A

s part of Prince George’s County’s commitment to go GREEN, the Department of Environmental Resources (DER) will be implementing a Food Scrap Demonstration Project

by June 1, 2013. The one-year pilot project will accept up to 1,000 tons of in-County commercial food waste for composting at the Prince George’s County Composting Facility. DER’s Recycling Section will partner with the University of Maryland to accept their food waste for composting.

Maryland”, said Adam Ortiz, Acting waste being disposed of in the landfills.

Director of DER. “Composting food In Prince George’s County, it is estimated scraps has the potential to significantly that at least 25 percent of the waste being raise the County’s recycling rate of 49.11 landfilled is food scraps. percent and divert a large portion of the waste stream that is The pilot demonstration project, Food scraps currently being landfilled.” operated by the Maryland comprise over Environmental Service, will According to the provide an opportunity for % Environmental Protection the County to evaluate the Agency (EPA), food scraps Gore®Cover technology that of all waste in comprise approximately will be used in composting the the landfills 13.9 percent of the total food waste and the effectiveness Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) of the program. The Gore®Cover “The Food Scrap Demonstration nationally and over 30 percent of all technology uses a high-tech composting Project will be the first of its kind in solution that speeds up Mother Nature’s natural process. It decomposes the food scraps in 8 weeks where it normally would PR I NCE GEORGE ’ S COU NT Y take Mother Nature 1 to 2 years to complete DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES the same process. This technology is comprised of a sophisticated control system that monitors the oxygen and temperature in the windrows containing the food scraps to create the ideal environment for Waste d r a Y r composting. In addition to accelerating ags fo B c i t s the composting process, the Gore®Cover a Bag the Pl technology controls odors and separates the waste from the storm water to prevent

30

Effective January 1, 2014, 2014 yard waste will no longer be accepted in plastic bags.

Residents should place yard waste loose in cans or in paper yard bags for curbside collection.

Control box and blower

groundwater contamination. The outcome from the process is a high-value, nutrientrich, organic compost that will be sold to commercial entities.

DER’s Recycling Section will evaluate the technology and the composting process to determine plans for expanding and implementing a countywide Food Scrap Composting Program to County residents.

For more information on the Food Scrap Demonstration Program or other recycling programs, please call County Click at 311.

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-7

FOLLOW

THAT BOTTLE

While water intake is always a plus, ecologists suggest the use of reusable water bottles to eliminate the need for recycling.

In 2010, the United States generated almost 14 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging, but only 8 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2010 was recovered for recycling.

Un-recycled plastic bottles are often tossed curbside or dumped into unsorted garbage.

Recycled bottles sorted and left curbside for pick-up by local recycling companies.

Sorters separate plastic caps from the bottle and remove labels.

Un-recycled bottles remain in ditches and gutters and many eventually end up polluting waterways.

Recycled bottles have been turned into everything from furniture and light fixtures, to clothing.

SL-8 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

Levi denim clothier recently announced the release of a clothing line made exclusively of recycled plastic bottles.

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Earth Day 2013 Theme:

The Face of Climate Change Earth Day Network Sets Global Theme to Highlight Growing Impact on Individuals Through Interactive Digital Campaign

T

he global theme for Earth Day 2013 is “The Face of Climate Change,” Earth Day Network announced today. Earth Day Network, the group founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day to coordinate the annual day of action that builds and invigorates the environmental movement, said that this theme was chosen because of the need to highlight the mounting impact of climate change on individuals around the world.

“Many people think climate change is a remote problem, but the fact is that it’s already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places all over the world, and these Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day,“ said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network.

“Fortunately, other Faces of Climate Change are also multiplying every day: those stepping up to do something about it. For Earth Day 2013, we’ll bring our generation’s biggest environmental challenge down to size – the size of an individual faced with the consequences.”

Between now and Earth Day, Earth Day Network will collect and display images of people, animals, and places directly affected or threatened by climate change and tell the world their stories. The organization will mobilize its extensive global network of Earth Day event organizers and other partners to help collect the images. But they’re also asking ordinary people to become “climate reporters” and send their pictures and stories that show The Face of Climate Change.

On and around Earth Day – April 22 – an interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of events around the world. The display will also be made available online to anyone who wants to view or show it.

The campaign is focusing heavily on social media. Orgawww.washingtoninformer.com

nizers are asking people to tweet using the hashtag #FaceOfClimate, and “climate reporters” can also post photos to Twitter and Instagram using that hashtag for inclusion in the digital display.

“The Face of Climate Change will not only personalize and make real the massive challenge that climate change presents, it will unite the myriad Earth Day events around the world into one call to action at a critical time,” said Franklin Russell, director of Earth Day at Earth Day Network.

2012 was marked by many climate change milestones. Arctic sea-ice cover reached a record low in September, a new high-water mark in a long-term decline. The United States experienced its hottest year ever; this, after the World Meteorological Organization announced that the first decade of this century was the hottest on record for the entire planet. Public perception of extreme weather events as “the new normal” grew as unusual superstorms rocked the Caribbean, the Philippines and the northeastern United States; droughts plagued northern Brazil, Russia, China, and two-thirds of United States; exceptional floods inundated Nigeria, Pakistan, and parts of China; and more. Meanwhile, international climate change talks stagnated.

But glimmers of hope for a political solution began appearing in recent months, perhaps most notably in U.S. President Barack Obama’s high-profile promises to tackle climate change during his second term.

This is why organizers say that 2013 is ripe for a major push to confront climate change.

Each year, more than one billion people participate in Earth Day-related activities, making it the largest civic observance in the world. On and around April 22, communities across approximately 192 countries voice their concerns for the planet and take action to protect it.

“We’ll harness that power to

show the world The Face of Climate Change,” said Russell.

“And we’ll call on our leaders to act boldly together, as we have, on this critical issue.”

To learn more about Earth Day 2013 and The Face of Climate Change, go to www.earthday.org/2013.

Earth Day Network mobilizes over one billion people in 192 countries through year-round advocacy, education, and public policy campaigns to protect the envi-

Sixth Graders in Freehold, New Jersey make pledges to help protect the environment, signified by handprints.

ronment. www.earthday.org SL

The theme of Earth Day 2013 is The Face of Climate Change.

Climate change can seem like a remote problem for our leaders, but the fact is that it’s impacting real people, animals, & places everywhere. This Face of Climate Change is growing every day. Fortunately, a different Face of Climate Change is growing too: the people stepping up to do something about it. For Earth Day 2013, we’ll tell the world both stories.

We’ll tell the world your stories.

To do so, we’ll collect and display images showing The Face of Climate Change. On and around Earth Day (April 22), an interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of events around the world — from schools to parks to government buildings. The display will also be made available online to anyone who wants to view or show it.

The Face of Climate Change seeks to personalize the massive challenge that climate change presents, while uniting people around the globe into a powerful call to action. But we need your help!

How can I participate?

1. Upload your photos and stories onto the Earth Day 2013 website: www.earthday.org/2013.

#FaceOfClimate.



Post your photos to Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtag



Post your photos onto the Earth Day Network Facebook page: www.facebook.com/earthdaynetwork.

2. Show the global display in a public place on Earth Day! And send a photo of the display in action.

What types of photos should I upload?

Impacts: How has climate change impacted your life and those around you? Perhaps you captured a photo of an animal whose habitat is threatened by climate change, or a photo of the devastating impacts of a drought or a hurricane in your region.

Solutions: What are you and your peers doing to fight climate change? For example, you can upload a photo of a recycling drive, a tree-planting event, an awareness campaign, or the ways you’re reducing your carbon footprint at home.

If possible, include a face in the picture and hold up a sign that says “The Face of Climate Change.”

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-9

Pepco Holdings, Inc.A Leader in Carbon Disclosure and Performance and Continuing to Innovate Smart for its Customers

By Wesley L. McNealy

Director of Environmental

Services for Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Caring for the environment is one of our highest priorities at Pepco Holdings Inc., and it guides our approach to business operations, regulatory compliance and resource conservation.

PHI participates in a number of voluntary environmental reporting initiatives that allow us to be transparent in our corporate sustainability and environmental stewardship activities.

In 2011 and 2012, PHI was named one of the top firms in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s annual carbon performance and disclosure ratings for the S&P 500.

In 2012, the index placed PHI first among S&P 500 utility companies for carbon management and performance. Beginning in 2011, PHI sharpened the focus on our carbon footprint. We conducted a thorough and complete emissions inventory using tools developed by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to identify sources of greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and to track progress in reducing emissions over time. As a result, we shaved our total carbon emissions by 12 percent between 2010 and 2011, to about 1.8 million metric tons, while direct emissions from the company’s operations dropped 39 percent, to 402,000 metric tons. We expect to see similar results for 2012 when those figures are released in the upcoming months.

A main component of the CDP’s annual S&P 500 Report, the CDLI highlights S&P 500 companies that have displayed the most professional approach to corporate governance with respect to climate change disclosure.

Companies are scored on their climate change disclosure practices with high scores indicating good internal data management and understanding of climate change-related issues affecting the company.

The CDP, which represents 655 institutional investors with over $78 trillion in assets under

management, conducts a rigorous annual survey of companies worldwide that participate voluntarily, providing detailed information about their environmental standards and performance.

Participating companies report data on their historic levels of greenhouse gas emissions, development and implementation of monitoring and reduction protocols, and historic and recent performance against self-developed reduction goals.

Photos by Rick Giammaria Courtesy of Pepco Holdings, Inc

Leading the Way in Smart, Clean Innovation Each electric utility is using new technology in ways that make the most sense for their customers, their regions and the evolution of their existing power networks. Very importantly, we’re all working to understand and incorporate new technologies while we continue to invest in the reliability, safety, adequacy and resiliency of the basic infrastructure that still provides the essential foundation for providing electricity to our customers.

Specifically in PHI’s service territory — which includes all of the District of Columbia and portions of Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey — what we’re doing to stay focused on the customer is moving ahead with projects that increase system reliability and improve customer service. We want to adopt the best mix of advanced technologies to meet our customers’ energy goals — whether that’s helping them to get more value for their electricity dollar or more productivity from their businesses.

PHI has installed more than 1 million smart meters throughout our Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware service areas. This number includes both electric and gas smart meter equipment.

When full deployment is completed, we will have about 1.3 million smart meters installed.

PHI has a vision for a more energy efficient future enabled by technology, and we are now seeing this vision come to fruition.

We’ve gone through three storm seasons with our Smart

Grid at least partially deployed in our service territory, and we’ve realized savings. Our advanced metering infrastructure has been valuable. By pinging meters, we can tell if power is still out without a crew having to go out to check. This allows our crews to quickly move to other outage restoration efforts. While the AMI network does not enable us to repair the damage that caused the outages any faster, it does allow crews to focus on restoring other customers who are still without power, which reduces the number of truck rolls and our carbon footprint. For example, for a vehicle that gets 15 miles per gallon, we would prevent about 7.4 pounds of carbon by avoiding an average roundtrip disconnect/connect service call three miles away.

Smart Grid-enabled improvements in restoration don’t just

SL-10 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

create value for PHI, however.

They also create value for our customers by speeding restoration or reducing the impact of system damage. For instance, smart grid communications devices on the distribution system in Maryland have allowed us to remotely open and close circuits to isolate an area of system damage, reroute power and therefore cut the number of customers impacted by that damage by more than half in a matter of seconds.

Looking Toward the Future Our world today is increasingly dependent on electricity.

It drives almost every aspect of our lives now.

The typical home now has, on average, 25 electronic products — 99 percent of which must be plugged in or recharged. Customers will be relying even more

on electricity in the future. It will be up to us and other utilities to design and build the innovations that will keep our nation supplied with secure, reliable, affordable and increasingly clean electricity.

PHI’s challenges moving forward include keeping up with the industry reporting trends and maintaining high performance results; expanding our scope to report on all forms of capital such as human, social, environmental and financial; considering the risks and opportunities across our entire operational footprint and our supply chain; and providing content with an increasingly forward-looking orientation.

Our customers and their safety are the most critical considerations in our clean energy future. SL

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CAN’T BEAR TO LOOK AT YOUR

ENERGY BILLS?

WE CAN HELP. The DC SEU is here to help you save money and energy where you live and work.

To find out how you can start saving today, contact us toll-free at 855-MY-DCSEU.

The DC Sustainable Energy Utility is a project of the Sustainable Energy Partnership under contract to the District Department of the Environment (DDOE).

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-11

Green Facelifts – Examining the Gibson Plaza & UDC Renovations

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer

The District of Columbia – particularly under the leadership of Mayor Vincent C. Gray – is aggressively moving towards becoming a city which is “the healthiest, greenest and most livable city in the nation” over the next two decades.

A cadre of energy experts, residents, business leaders, work-

ers and concerned citizens has been hard at work since Gray announced his intention to transform the city. Since then, individuals and groups have been developing a host of strategies to overcome challenges with imprinting sustainability in an urban setting, while devising smart, sensible, innovative solutions. At the same time, they have embraced best practices and put in place sustainability solutions around

In using the DC College and University Sustainability Pledge (CUSP) as a standard, the colleges and universities in the District of Columbia, including UDC, are collectively committed to making Washington, DC the Greenest College Town in America. / Courtesy photo

food, energy, transportation, the environment, water and waste.

Two entities in the city represent a snapshot of the wider success energy and sustainability projects are enjoying in the District of Columbia.

The Gibson Plaza Apartments underwent a top-to-bottom renovation of all its 217 units over the 16 months prior to its August 2010 reopening. This development came after years of

PR I NCE GEORGE ’ S COU NT Y DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

stic a l P e h t Bag

d Waste r a Y r o Bags f

Effective January 1, 2014, yard waste will no longer be accepted in plastic bags.

Residents should place yard waste loose in cans or in paper yard bags for curbside collection.

financial institutions denying the management loans to maintain and renovate the 10-story apartment building. A partnership with Links Mortgage and HUD enabled management to secure the money needed to completely restore the more than 30-year-old property.

The block-long apartment building was built by First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church’s non-profit entity, The First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church Non-Profit Housing Corporation, Inc. The project was born out of the 1968 riots that erupted following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a way to spur development along 7th Street corridor, and led by the church’s late senior pastor Ernest R. Gibson.

HUD Secretary of Shaun Donovan said at the time the buildings were being renovated that $2 million of green retrofits from President Barack Obama’s Recovery Act helped preserve and modernize the apartments.

These upgrades included energy-efficient windows, appliances, fixtures and other features which in turn helped cut utility costs by 20 percent, Donovan said.

Meanwhile, at the University of the District of Columbia, sustainability and energy efforts are in full swing all over the Van Ness campus. Campus officials have pledged “to pursue a range of sustainability measures related

to energy use and buildings, green education, transportation, waste reduction, grounds maintenance, purchasing, and the monitoring and reporting of progress.”

School officials said with pride that the contract between an institution of higher learning and local government with the aim of advancing sustainability was the first of its kind in the nation.

Among the projects undertaken at UDC are: the Dennard Plaza Deck, a $12-million project which features 90,000 square feet of new green roof space above the parking garage and cisterns with 18,000 gallon capacity that collects storm water. An added feature allows the reuse of captured rainwater.

The LEED Platinum Student Center is scheduled for completion in 2013. The $40-million project will be the first student center of its kind in the country and will use geothermal cooling and heating.

Because of its focus on energy sustainability, the University of the District of Columbia’s average monthly water consumption is 1.1 million gallons, enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Also, the school consumes 1,300,000 kWh of electricity each month and recycles 12,500 pounds of waste monthly – the equivalent of 4 and 1/2 Honda Civics. SL

UDC maintains a student-run community garden as part of their overall sustainability program. / Courtesy photo.

SL-12 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

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How to Recycle?

I

n addition to the 14 million tons of plastic as containers and packaging that was generated in the U.S. in 2010, almost 11 million tons as durable goods, such as appliances, and almost 7 million tons as nondurable goods, for example plates and cups. The category of plastics which includes bags, sacks, and wraps was recycled at almost 12 percent.

According to the American Chemistry Council, about 1,800 US businesses handle or reclaim post-consumer plastics. Plastics from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are usually collected from curbside recycling bins or drop-off sites. Then, they go to a material recovery facility, where the materials are sorted into broad categories (plastics, paper, glass, etc.). The resulting mixed plastics are sorted by plastic type, baled, and sent to a reclaiming facility. At the facility, any trash or dirt is sorted out, then the plastic is washed and ground into small flakes.

A flotation tank then further separates contaminants, based www.washingtoninformer.com

on their different densities.

Flakes are then dried, melted, filtered, and formed into pellets. The pellets are shipped to product manufacturing plants, where they are made into new plastic products.

SPI Resin Identification Code and Type of Resin Content The resin identification coding system for plastic, represented by the numbers on the bottom of plastic containers, was introduced by SPI, the plastics industry trade association, in 1988 and identifies the resin content of bottles and containers commonly found in the residential waste stream.

Consumers can use the number to determine which items are collected for recycling in their area.

1 PET - Polyethylene Terephthalate , 2 HDPE - HDPE - High-density Polyethylene, 3 Vinyl, 4 LDPE-Low-density Polyethylene, 5 PP - Polypropylene, 6 PS – Polystyrene; and 7 OTHER - Mixed Plastics. SL

Don’t let your energy bills break the bank.

This summer, keep your energy bills under control with the DC Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.

You could be eligible for up to $1,000 in incentives from the DC SEU. Visit www.dcseu.com/HomePerformance and get started on saving money and energy in your home today.

TOLL-FREE 885-MY-DCSEU • WWW.DCSEU.COM

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-13

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY TIMOTHY LINDEN

Viewp int

Wanda Hardy Silver Spring, Md.

About six years ago, when energy-efficient light bulbs became available, I went out and purchased enough to change every bulb in my house. Recently, I hired an energy auditor who came to my house and did an energy audit, which I followed with a full insulation of my attic and other places around my house. This reduced my energy costs as my highest energy bill this winter was just $145. If I could, I’d have solar panels on my house.

Tamarra Jones Washington, D.C.

I try to be mindful of turning off lights, appliances and other electronics when they’re not in use.

I also make sure to monitor the temperature of my heating and cooling unit, and am mindful to turn it off when not needed. I’m also trying to remember to recycle and not just throw [items] into one trash can.

MANY AMERICANS ARE NOW CONSERVING energy BY USING LOWWATT LIGHT BULBS, TURNING OFF ELECTRONICS NOT IN USE AND SWITCHING TO ENERGY-SAVING APPLIANCES. WHAT MEASURES ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE TO REDUCE YOUR ENERGY USAGE?

Vincent Richardson Washington, D.C.

I’m a new business owner and recently joined a business association that helps businesses find ways to become greener. I’m learning new information about how to make my business green, in addition to things I already do such as conserving energy by turning off lights, recycling, climate control with the air conditioner and other things of that nature.

Teresa Combs Washington, D.C.

I recycle everything. I also compost and use it in a garden I have at a friend’s house, instead of buying fertilizer. I definitely keep my temperature very low and like the ambient air in my house to always be around 64 degrees, even in the winter months. I definitely use low-energy light bulbs. I grow plants and conserve water by transferring it to other plants, instead of using new water from the sink.

Kevin Dickerson Silver Spring, Md.

I’ve always been a huge energy conservationist. One of the big things I do to reduce my use of energy is cycling, which helps to limit my carbon footprint. I cycle to and from work all summer, and in the winter, if the weather allows. I recycle whenever I get the opportunity, which I feel has really become commonplace in society today. I also try to remember to purchase energy-efficient light bulbs, which I’ve noticed last much longer.

Careers in Renewable Energy

By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer

There are many compelling reasons why a career in clean energy is so attractive. Of those, a few very important ones come to mind: jobs, the environment and dwindling fossil fuels.

In her 2004 book, Oil: The Story of Crude, journalist Sonia Shah makes the compelling case which is supported by a growing number of experts, economists and financial institutions that the world is living on borrowed time as it relates to fossil fuels.

Industrialized countries continue to guzzle billions of barrels of oil every year while competing with developing nations such as China, India and Brazil which as their economies expand, also have a growing appetite for more oil and money.

Then there is the jobs aspect of clean and renewable energy.

Jennifer Runyon, managing editor of RenewableEnergyWorld. com noted in a 2010 article

about clean energy trends that renewable energy is a growth sector that continues provides jobs. The jobs outlook in the U.S. remains dismal. Americans looking for work, those who work part-time or are underemployed and others who have given up the chase stands at almost 30 million people.

For the millions of Americans looking for work, Runyon and others say, the energy sector offers a panoply of jobs which represent the seeds of a new economy.

“In looking at the data, it is clear that in all renewable energy technologies but one, in 2011 there will be significantly more jobs than there are now,” Runyon said. “The simple fact is that clean energy is indeed growing and creating jobs, but with U.S. unemployment figures so large, it’s just been hard to notice.”

Clean or renewable energy careers may fall into several categories including wind and solar power, geothermal energy, hy-

SL-14 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

dropower and biofuels. Between 2009 and 2010, the solar power industry doubled the number of people working in that industry to 100,000 in 2010. Going forward, the solar power industry was expected to grow by 26 percent.

Runyon cited a report from the World Economic Forum that notes that In terms of bioenergy and bio-based products, the U.S. is expected to lead the world in global development. In 2010, she adds, the biorefinery industry accounted for more than 40,000 jobs in the U.S., while the commercialization of second and third generation biofuels is expected to create 800,000 new jobs (190,000 direct new green jobs, and 610,000 indirect new jobs) in the U.S. by 2022.

Writer Julie Layton is more optimistic than some about the career prospects in the clean energy arena.

“We now know that if our cars are to continue getting us to work, we must make renew-

There are a wide range of green jobs including those associated with energy efficiency, renewable energy, pollution reduction, and recycling. / Courtesy photo

able energy more than a fleeting interest in the newest hybrid,” she said. “With increasing government and private funding of renewable energy, the industry as a whole is exploding, and along with it the number of potential jobs in the green-power sector.”

Layton identifies five of the fastest-growing most in-demand careers in renewable energy as engineers, farmers, solar fabricator/installers, wind farm developers and Wind-turbine fabricators, installers and operators.

Majora Carter, a renowned environmental and community activist from the Bronx, New York, is an example of how communities which by embracing the green concept can create jobs and clean up neighborhoods. In

2003, Sustainable South Bronx began what was described as an urban green-collar training project. Many of the graduates from the course graduates were once behind bars and all were receiving some form of public assistance. Through the scheme 85 percent of those involved are employed in brown-field cleanup, green roof installation and maintenance.

“I’ve embraced my inner capitalist. If you haven’t, you need to,” Green said. “I don’t have a problem with developers making money. There’s enough precedent out there to show that a sustainable, community friendly development can still make a fortune.” Sl www.washingtoninformer.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. CHAPTER THE SIERRA CLUB IS THE OLDEST , LARGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION IN THE COUNTRY . FOR OVER 40 YEARS , THE D.C. C HAPTER HAS WORKED SUCCESSFULLY TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NATION’ S CAPITAL . WE ARE A VOLUNTEER - DRIVEN C HAPTER AND DEPEND ON THE HELP OF VOLUNTEERS TO MAKE AN IMPACT . PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN JOINING FOR ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES , PROGRAMS AND COMMITTEES LISTED BELOW . WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US AS WE ENJOY , EXPLORE AND PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT IN WASHINGTON ! FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED , EMAIL US AT washingtondc.chapter@sierraclub.org OR CALL 202-548-4581.

Conservation Committees The DC Chapter has several committees actively working to address the following issues. If you’re interested in working in one of these conservation areas, becoming an active member of a committee is a great option.  Energy & Energy Efficiency  Transportation  Recycling and Solid Waste

Outings Chair & Outings Leaders Interested in leading hikes or bike trips? Outings Leaders provide direction and oversight to the chapter outings program and lead outings trips in DC. Leaders also coordinate with our outings partners: DC Inner City Outings and Potomac Region Outings.

Other Environmental Advocacy Opportunities Interested in advocating for another environmental cause in the District? Help the Sierra Club work on Environmental Justice issues, Parks & Conservation, Street Light Campaigns, Tree Protection, or other environmental issues that may be impacting your community.

Communications Team Writers and communications volunteers are needed to help with our communications strategy! This is a great opportunity to work with our Board to contribute content for our newsletters, emails and website. Writers may also help to write press releases while cultivating relationships with media.

Photography, Videography Photograph Sierra Club events, contribute to our newsletter and online media, or be an investigative photographer, photo editor or videographer for our newsletter or campaigns!

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DC Chapter Ambassador Be a face for the Sierra Club and help us table at different community and environmental events and festivals. The Chapter Ambassador may also help gather signatures for petitions, recruit new volunteers, and have fun talking to DC residents about what the DC Sierra Club is all about!

SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENT / april 2013 / SL-15

SL-16 /april 2013 / SUSTAINABLE LIVING SUPPLEMENt

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shop 9am-10pm friday & 9am-11pm saturday. hours may vary by store.

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OPEN A MACY’S ACCOUNT FOR EXTRA 20% SAVINGS THE FIRST 2 DAYS, UP TO $100, WITH MORE REWARDS TO COME. Macy’s credit card is available subject to credit approval; new account savings valid the day your account is opened and the next day; excludes services, selected licensed departments, gift cards, restaurants, gourmet food & wine.

The new account savings are limited to a total of $100; application must qualify for immediate approval to receive extra savings; employees not eligible.

N3030070T.indd 1

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The Washington Informer

4/9/13 3:37 PM

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

25

Editorial

opinions/editorials

When Danger Strikes … Run!

Two consecutive explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday killed three people and injured scores of others. It was a devastating end to an historic event that attracts thousands of runners from across the United States and more than 100 countries to Boston each year. The Boston Marathon is held on the third Monday in April which is also Patriots’ Day, a state holiday, commemorating the American Revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord fought in 1775 near Boston.

Thousands of runners spent months preparing for the 26-mile trek around the city for the 117th run, but this time, only a few finished.

Within minutes after two bombs exploded, projecting shrapnel into the bodies of runners and marathon enthusiasts, volunteers were joined by the FBI and Homeland Security forces, along with medics, and the Boston police to search the crime scene for evidence. President Barack Obama interrupted regularly scheduled programming to deliver a compassionate yet strong message to the nation.

“We will find out who was responsible for this,” he said.

In the District, Mayor Vincent Gray held a press conference, flanked by members of the District’s security forces. He, along with MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier, assured residents that the Emancipation Day Parade festivities on Tuesday, April 16 would proceed as planned because the public safety agencies were prepared to ensure the well being of all District residents.

Meanwhile, journalists aptly conveyed the tenacity of Bostonians, who continue to receive the prayers of millions of Americans, whether they attended the marathon or watched the horrific events as they unfolded from the comfort of their living rooms. However, life goes on. And, as Americans, we must recognize that no one is exempt from terrorist acts.

It was quite obvious that in the midst of the madness at the Boston Marathon, once fear actually set in – running appeared to be the only appropriate course of action. Unfortunately, there was no place to seek shelter – no safe haven to be found.

This remains the missing piece of the nation’s emergency preparedness plan. With threats of danger looming overhead, too few of us know what to do in case of an emergency. It’s time to stop playing around with an issue that has real life consequences.

Bonds Is Our Choice

The D.C. Special Election is just around the corner. On Tuesday, April 23 voters who have not taken advantage of the early voting opportunity will go to the polls to cast their ballots for an at-large member of the D.C. Council. They will also decide whether to support an amendment to the D.C. Charter that gives the city council permission to adopt an annual budget, spend local funds approved by the budget act and to establish a fiscal year for the District, all of which are currently under the control of Congress.

We have followed the at-large campaigns of all seven candidates who are serious contenders for the seat left open by Council member Phil Mendelson.

Mendelson was elected chairman of the D.C. Council in November.

The names that will appear on the ballot include Democratic candidates Matthew Frumin, Elissa Silverman, incumbent Anita Bonds, and Paul Zuckerberg. In addition, Statehood candidate Perry Redd and Republican candidate Patrick Mara will appear, as well. Michael Brown’s (D) name will also appear on the ballot although he recently dropped out of the race due to personal reasons.

Our choice for the candidate to fill this seat for the next 18 months is Anita Bonds. She has dedicated most of her life to serving District residents and has done a commendable job at ensuring diversity in leadership and participation within the D.C. Democratic Party.

We take particular note of the fact that Bonds is a woman, over 50, energetic, African American, and knowledgeable about the entire city, experienced, flexible and qualified to do the job that she has held since December 11, 2012.

We believe these attributes are important for a leader in a city that’s in transition, and that has a diverse population with a broad range of needs. Bonds has proven that she’s keenly aware of the diversity present in the city today. She’s also said that she will not be a one-size-fits-all leader.

It’s really the voters who will decide on April 23. Regardless of your choice, we encourage everyone to go out and vote. Send Congress a strong message by voting for Charter Amendment VIII.

26 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

Finally, Libraries Get Their Due!

I was overjoyed after reading in James Wright’s article, “Gray’s Plans to Expand Library Funding” (April 11, 2013), that the library system of the District of Columbia is about to receive an infusion of funds. I am particularly happy because the Woodridge Branch has been one of my favorite places since I was a child growing up in the neighborhood decades ago. At last, we are scheduled for a much-needed renovation!

Of all the institutions that are open to the public, a city’s libraries are useful for academic research, technology needs, community activities, and, perhaps most important, reading for pleasure. There’s something that piques everyone’s interests in libraries.

There should always be consideration of funding for the libraries in all discussions about where to spend available money.

In fact, public school funding and library funding should be tied to one another. In that re-

gard, the schools should begin at the elementary level to teach children how to use the library, not just to complete assignments, but also to enjoy checking out storybooks for leisure reading.

My children developed their love of books and reading when we went to the Woodridge Branch every few weeks and checked out as many books as we could carry.

They are now adults, and continue to love reading.

Thank goodness attention is now being given to our neighborhood branches. Let’s keep our libraries well funded, technologically up-to-date, and welcoming to the city’s communities.

Estelle Jackson Washington, D.C.

was getting a little angry thinking that the playwright was using old rumors and widespread speculations about Dr. Martin Luther King’s philandering. Was I ever surprised!

To me it was a brilliant play, extremely thought provoking and inspiring. In the end, I came away with a different kind of appreciation of what Dr. King did as a man, the enormous pressure he must have had on him as a man and the unbelievable burden he had to bear. I wish everyone could see this play because for me it will be one of my all time favorites.

Mark Pierce Washington, D.C.

A New Appreciation for MLK

It was good to see Eve Ferguson’s review of the Arena Stage presentation of “The Mountaintop” in the April 11, 2013 edition. I thought the play was great!

But I must say in the beginning I

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opinions/editorials

Guest Columnist

By Julianne Malveaux

“Obama” as a Prefix The right wing seems determined to associate President Obama with any government program that helps people on the bottom. Thus, the term Obamacare was used to attack the health care program that President Obama fashioned and worked with Congress to approve. While Obamacare is not perfect, it brings more people into the health care system, and further solidifies the safety

net that many have attempted to fray.

Now these folks are running with the term “Obamaphone,” which speaks to the fact that President Obama has simply extended a Lifeline plan that was authorized by Republican President Ronald Reagan when it was clear that those who were either isolated by poverty or by their rural status needed telephones to connect themselves to the world.

The Reagan program used taxes on some of us to provide telephones for the rest of us.

People were able to get a telephone that offered basic service for a basic fee. With the onset of technology, Lifeline customers had the option of getting a landline phone or a cellular phone.

This is not an Obama initiative.

It began in 1996.

Those who get a subsidized telephone have numerous restrictions. They don’t get to choose their phone, but are offered whatever is available, usually a refurbished phone.

They get 250 minutes a month if they get a cell phone. The

Guest Columnist

250 minutes is about four hours a month, or an hour a week. Is this really some kind of rip off, or is it a reasonable way to bring people on the periphery to the center? What do you do with no phone when there is a medical emergency or even a job call? Absent Lifeline, you are yet again a peripheral citizen.

Obamaphone? Give me a break. Until the Tea Party began to hold sway on our national consciousness, Republicans were among those who embraced the notion that every American

should have basic telephone service. Now, anything associated with government assistance is associated with President Obama, despite the fact that both Democratic and Republican presidents have attempted to assist people at the bottom, albeit with different levels of energy.

Let’s not forget that it was Democratic President Bill Clinton who pushed the “welfare reform” that limited government assistance to 60 months or five

See MALVEAUX on Page 45

By Charlene Crowell

Check in the Mail for Wronged Mortgage Borrowers The old saying, “The check is in the mail,” is often a ruse not worth heeding. But beginning April 12, checks will begin going into the mail for 4.2 million mortgage borrowers who were in the foreclosure process in 2009 or 2010 and who likely experienced robo-signing or other deficiencies by their mortgage servicer.

Initially, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

(OCC) and the Federal Reserve required servicers to hire consultants to do detailed reviews of borrower case files and determine specific harms that borrowers received to qualify for monetary rewards. This process ultimately became unwieldy, slow and expensive without producing timely benefits to borrowers.

Earlier this year, the OCC and the Federal Reserve negotiated a settlement with 13 mortgage servicers. They agreed to pay a total

of $3.6 billion in cash payments ranging from $300 to $125,000 to all affected borrowers. More than 90 percent of the payments due borrowers are expected to be paid by the end of April. Remaining borrowers are expected to be paid no later than mid-July.

Borrower payments will be based upon the stage of foreclosure and in some cases, gravity of servicer errors. The largest payments will go to borrowers with completed and wrongful foreclosures. The vast majority

Guest Columnist

of checks payable to borrowers will be for less than $1,000.

The spring 2013 payments will include all but two of the servicers – Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley – agreeing to the settlement. A second and separate announcement in the near future will address payments for the two holdouts In the meantime, for the other 11 servicers, a payment schedule includes eligible borrowers in any stage of foreclosure in 2009 or 2010 with one of the follow-

ing servicers, affiliates or subsidiaries: Aurora, Bank of America, Citibank, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, MetLife Bank, PNC, Sovereign, SunTrust, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.

The largest payment of $125,000 is reserved for one of two types of completed foreclosures: military families covered by the Servicemembers Civil Rights Act (SCRA) and loans that servicers foreclosed when

See Crowell on Page 45

By Bill Fletcher, Jr.

Rodman-Styled Diplomacy Game being Played with North Korea

There is this saying that “just because you are paranoid does not mean that people are not out to get you.” This saying is very important in understanding the dynamics of the North Korean’s relationship with the United States.

Nothing in this commentary is to serve as an apology for North Korea. Rather, it is critical that we have a better understanding of dynamics in the North Ko-

rean regime in order to avoid a major military clash.

The Korean peninsula was divided in the aftermath of World War II when Soviet troops, coming from the north, moved against the Japanese occupiers and U.S. troops moved up from the South. At the 38th Parallel, the peninsula was divided. Between 1945 and 1950, rather than the peninsula being unified, two separate regimes were established in the occupation zones (in the North it came to be known as the “Democratic

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People’s Republic of Korea;” in the South, the “Republic of Korea”. A guerrilla war started in the South against a U.S.-supported dictatorship aimed at reunifying the peninsula. The U.S.A. remained committed to not only a divided Korea but also one that was led by their friendly dictator in the South.

In June 1950, the formal war in Korea began when North Korean troops moved south in what can accurately be described as a continuation of the civil war that had started shortly after the end

of World War II. The U.S.A. was able to convince the United Nations to get involved in the war, which was followed by a massive U.S. intervention. U.S. troops came close to winning the war until they ignored the Chinese warnings to stay away from the border with China. U.S. General Douglas MacArthur seemed intent on provoking a war with China and reinstating the Guomindang government that had just been overthrown. At that point, 1 million Chinese troops came across the border pushing

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the US/UN troops back to the armistice line that currently divides Korea.

From 1953 through today tensions have flared up at various points. The USA has regularly threatened the North Koreans and for many years placed nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula. In North Korea, a fiercely independent Communist regime was established under Kim Il Sung. Although there is a political party–the Korean

See Fletcher on Page 45

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

27

opinions/editorials

Guest Columnist

By James Clingman

Money Talk Falls on Deaf Ears Surely you’ve heard the saying, “Money Talks.” But, have you ever wondered what is said about Black money? Obviously, understanding its power and the role it plays in this economy, money speaks loudly and clearly, and Black money speaks even louder. But what does it say?

We know from past experience, when we have grievances, if we resort to economic retaliation we can get things done.

Why? Because Black money

speaks loudest when it is under duress. One trillion dollars can get pretty loud and boisterous, and those who are getting the lion’s share of it right now pay close attention to what it is saying. They sit up and take notice when we resort to withholding our money from their coffers.

Just look back in history and you can see what I mean.

The only language that gets things done in this country is the money language. Why do you think those folks on that balcony at the New York Stock

Exchange always clap at the end of the trading day – regardless of a loss or a gain? In 2001, immediately following the World Trade Center tragedy, the call went out to the American public to spend more money; and then President George W. Bush called for a spending campaign with the $600 “advance tax refund” checks.

Consumption comprises twothirds of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP); the more we spend the higher it goes. Black dollars play a significant role in

Guest Columnist

that scenario since we consume much more than we produce.

But, since we already know what our dollars are saying to everyone else, let’s see what Black dollars are saying to Black people.

There is a great deal of it in the hands of brothers and sisters who seem to have plugs in their ears, unable to hear what their money is saying. I see some in the Hip-Hop crowd doing voting summits but not economic summits, despite their collective worth of billions of dollars. I see many of our Black athletes

and entertainers spending rather than investing in their own brothers’ and sisters’ businesses.

And I see millions of everyday brothers and sisters spending their share of our $1 trillion haphazardly, aimlessly, and unashamedly on the baubles, bangles, and beads made by everyone else except Black folks. It is obvious they are not listening to their money, and even more obvious that they are certainly not listening to folks like me.

See Clingman on Page 46

By Raynard Jackson

African Leaders Avoid U.S. Blacks Two weeks ago, President Obama met with three African presidents—Koroma (Sierra Leone), Sall (Senegal), Banda (Malawi), and Prime Minister of Cape Verde Jose Maria Pereira Neves. This was the White House’s way of rewarding these leaders for their examples of good governance. Receiving an invitation to the White House is one of the most sought after in-

vitations in the world, especially for foreign leaders.

African leaders constantly complain about how they are negatively portrayed in the U.S. media, about how Blacks don’t invest in Africa, and about how there seems to be a disconnect between Africans and American Blacks.

My response has always been quite simple – It’s your fault!

Let me break it down based on the itinerary for the delegation that met with Obama two weeks ago. In most cases, the

State Department takes the lead in setting up the program for foreign leaders, but they are free to add their own program in addition to State’s program if they so desire.

While in Washington, each leader participated in numerous meetings and events to strengthen bilateral cooperation on a range of shared priorities. Joint events included a dinner hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) to discuss trade and investment opportunities with representatives from U.S.

ASKIA-AT-LARGE

businesses; a public discussion on democratization in Africa at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP); an economic and development roundtable with U.S. government officials; and a meeting with Secretary of Defense Hagel to discuss cooperation on shared regional security and peacekeeping objectives in Africa.

Notice anything interesting here? Let me help you. Dinner hosted by CCA—mostly Fortune 500 companies (White-run companies). Many Africans ac-

cuse “corporate America” of only using Africa for their natural resources—well duh, you invited them to your country; a discussion on democracy at USIP. I have tried, to no avail, to get Howard University interested in engaging with African heads of state, but they have shown absolutely no interest. I think I can get a meeting with Obama easier than I can get a meeting with the president of Howard University.

Meetings with government of-

See Jackson on Page 46

By Askia Muhammad

The Real Reason Blacks Got to Play Major League Baseball

I grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., when baseball was the dominant sport, when our neighborhoods had not even begun to be called “Da Hood.” This was long before the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to the West Coast, taking up residency in L.A. and San Francisco, respectively.

Little did I know, but my father’s older brother was a real

baseball celebrity in those days.

He was a left-handed pitcher with El Centro Mexicali, because in his prime, Black players only dreamed of playing for teams like the Dodgers, even though, going way, way back, my Uncle Nate had played at Pasadena Junior College, with the immortal Jackie Robinson, the subject of a new hit movie titled “42.”

The movie features Chadwick Boseman in the lead role, and Harrison Ford as Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey who made the critical decision

28 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

to integrate his team, and then went on a two-year recruitment campaign to find the ideal Black player who would not only help his team win games, but one who had the character and endurance to withstand the racial backlash from not only opposing players and fans, but from his teammates as well.

Robinson was that player, and he excelled beyond expectations, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1947, performing feats like stealing home base, that are still the stuff of legends today, The Washington Informer

and by winning friends with his endurance of the racial abuse heaped on him.

There are a number of curious ironies, surrounding this new film. The title of the film is taken from Robinson’s jersey number, which has been retired throughout the major leagues. Only one of the 30 MLB teams still has a player who wears number 42, and when New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera retires, the number will be permanently retired throughout the league.

On March 18, 1942 my Un-

cle Nate who was Robinson’s neighbor in Pasadena asked Chicago White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes for a tryout for the two men. Dykes permitted the two to workout with his team. Of course neither player won a spot on the White Sox roster.

But 1942 was also a year in which there was a major challenge in the Black community to the foundations of Jim Crow baseball, tied to the hypocrisy of Blacks fighting and dying for this

See Muhammad on Page 46 www.washingtoninformer.com

/Courtesy Photo

Chadwick Boseman portrays baseball great Jackie Robinson in the film, “42.” /Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer As Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson’s career and legacy, a new film about the legendary Brooklyn Dodger who broke the sport’s color line in 1947, is being hailed as a home run by moviegoers, critics, baseball fans and the late second baseman’s family members.

The film, “42,” released nationwide April 11, grossed a whopping $27.3 million in its first weekend of release, a grand slam for the national pastime. Industry observers expect the film to soon reach the magical $100 million mark, far surpassing the $40 million it took to produce the movie.

“Notably, ‘42,’ earned a rare A+ CinemaScore grade from polled audiences, thereby joining the ranks of [movies] like ‘The Help,’ ‘The Blind Side,’ and ‘Titanic,’” said Entertainment Weekly’s film critic Grady Smith.

Most importantly, it’s as authentic as any previously told biography, Robinson’s daughwww.washingtoninformer.com

Jackie Robinson

Day Celebrated Nationwide 42 Film Honors Barrier-Breaking Ballplayer, Portrayed

by HU Graduate ter, Sharon Robinson said. “My family and I are excited about the movie. It does a good job of highlighting the resistance and prejudice that my father faced,” said Robinson, 63.

“The movie also could help people discuss the lack of equal

opportunity as well,” she said.

The film brilliantly captures an era in Major League Baseball and in American history.

Dodgers’ general manager Branch Rickey cut an eyebrow-raising, race-defining deal that brought Robinson to

Chadwick Boseman, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University in 2004. The thespian portrays Robinson in the recently released film, “42.” /Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

the majors, making the Georgia native the first black player in the game’s history.

The 120-minute movie features Howard University graduate Chadwick Boseman as the defiant Robinson and Harrison Ford as Rickey, the Dodgers’

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general manager who signed the would-be Hall of Famer. Boseman, 31, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2004 from Howard, and went on to study at the British

See ROBINSON on Page 30

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

29

LIFESTYLE ROBINSON continued from Page 29 American Dramatic Academy at Oxford in Regents Park in London.

The story focuses primarily on the Dodgers’ 1947 season, but also explores the 1946 season that Robinson spent with Brooklyn’s minor league affiliate, the Montreal Royals.

The stinging discrimination experienced by Robinson and depicted in the film included a stop with the Royals at a gas station in which he was refused entry into the “washroom.”

Some of his teammates protest and threaten to travel to another station, but the owner relents and allows the black player to use the facilities.

As Robinson walks out of the “washroom,” a Dodgers’ team official greets him with a contract worth $4,100 to play in the majors. “On one condition,” the official said to Robinson. “If you can control that temper,” he said. Following a pregnant pause, Robinson agrees.

The following season, Robinson is subjected to taunts, blows to the head by opposing pitchers and rule-breaking slides into second base by other players, causing the Dodger injuries but still, he was game enough to continue.

In that pre-civil rights era, Robinson was forced to endure harsh and cruel discrimination and threats from both inside and outside of his own clubhouse.

“The ugliness of the time and its language are not pink-painted over in the film,” celebrity writer Roger Friedman said.

The movie takes a complex story of race, history and sports and places a microscopic eye on the most important moments of the mid-20th century.

“If you’re a baseball fan, you know the story of Jackie Robinson,” said Mike Oz, a Yahoo!

Sports columnist, who covers several baseball teams including the Washington Nationals.

“But, let’s consider, for a second, the people who aren’t really baseball fans, the moviegoers, for example, there’s a good chance this will be a popular movie, one that extends beyond baseball fans. This is the kind of movie that could get younger audiences more interested in the game,” Oz said.

Robinson was born in Cairo, Ga., in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers.

As the only black family residing in their neighborhood, Robinson and his four siblings encountered discrimination on a daily basis.

However, adversity failed to prevent him from excelling in sports and earning a scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Robinson became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports – baseball, basketball, football and track.

In 1941, Robinson was named as an All-American football player, but because of financial problems, he was forced to leave UCLA and enlist in the U.S. Army, where he ultimately progressed to the rank of second lieutenant – which wasn’t an easy feat.

Robinson was court-martialed after objecting to incidents of racial discrimination within the Army, but eventually received an honorable discharge.

He played in the Negro Leagues in 1945 before Rickey approached him with an unprecedented opportunity to play for the Dodgers in the majors.

In his first season with the Dodgers, Robinson won the National League’s Rookie of the Year after belting 12 home runs, swiping a league-leading 29 bases and hitting .297.

Two years later, he won the league’s Most Valuable Player award and a batting title after he hit .342. Over the course of his career, Robinson hit .311 with 1,518 hits, 137 homers, 734 RBI’s and 197 stolen bases.

Robinson, who married the former Rachel Isum, was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He died of an apparent heart attack in 1972, leaving behind his wife and two children, Sharon and David Robinson.

Another son, Jackie Robinson Jr., died in an automobile accident a year prior to his father’s death.

Robinson’s life and legacy continues to be celebrated by athletes in various sports, especially baseball. The sport honors the late baseball icon by celebrating Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 each year.

Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947 when he strode onto Ebbets

30 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

Jackie Robinson. /Courtesy Photo

Washington Capitals right-winger Joel Ward wears No. 42 to honor Robinson. Every player in Major League Baseball wears No. 42 on April 15 to /Photo courtesy of the Washington celebrate the life of Jackie Robinson. /Photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals Nationals

Field in Brooklyn to take on the Boston Braves – the team threatened to strike if Robinson played ball. Interestingly enough, 14,000 African Americans showed up to witness history in the making and support the first black ballplayer ever to step on a major league diamond.

Fifty years later, baseball retired Robinson’s jersey number, 42, prohibiting any player from ever wearing the number again. Many who already had the number gave it up, despite baseball officials providing the option for some to keep it until they either left their current The Washington Informer

team or retired.

Only Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, universally recognized as the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history, choose to continue wearing 42.

The career saves leader, who hails from Panama, plans to retire at the end of this season and said he only elected to keep 42 because of his reverence for Robinson.

To honor his legacy, every player in baseball wears No. 42 on April 15 and ceremonies are held at ballparks throughout the nation to commemorate Robinson’s first game in the majors.

The Nationals played in Florida on Monday and the team joined the Miami Marlins in celebrating the historic occasion.

“Watching the movie about Jackie Robinson and seeing the number emphasized was pretty cool,” said Washington Capitals right-winger Joel Ward, who is one of a handful of blacks to play in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ward was asked to speak before an advanced screening of, “42,” on April 10 at a movie theater in the District of Co-

See ROBINSON on Page 31 www.washingtoninformer.com

LIFESTYLE

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Email us at:

We like to hear from you!

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Chadwick Boseman plays Jackie Robinson in the new movie, “42.” /Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

having the number actually means a lot to me,” Ward said.

“It [gives] me a chance to pay tribute to Robinson.”

Ward, 32, said there are similarities to Robinson and what he and other black NHL players have to endure. For instance, he received a flood of racist messages on social media

ROBINSON continued from Page 30 lumbia.

Ward wears No. 42 in honor of Robinson and said he draws a lot of his strength from the famed baseball star. “I knew coming to Washington it would be a new chapter for me and

after scoring the winning goal in a playoff series last year.

“Obviously, Robinson was playing in a sport that was [all] white at the time, and I feel the same connection by playing hockey, which is predominately white,” Ward said. “Robinson had to overcome so many obstacles.”wi

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We will also be celebrating the reunions of the 2012, 2011 & 2010 classes.

32 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

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LIFESTYLE

Griot “The Supremes at Earl’s All-YouCan-Eat”

by Edward Kelsey Moore c.2013, Alfred A. Knopf

$24.95 / $28.95 Canada 313 pages

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer All for one, and one for all.

That could’ve been the motto for you and your two best friends. Growing up, you were the Three Musketeers, sharing gossip, secrets, crushes, families, and truths. Everybody knew that you three were close as paint on a wall and where there was one, the other two weren’t far away.

You were lucky to have those friends when you were young and if you’re lucky now, you’ve still got them around. As you’ll see in the new novel “The Supremes at Earl’s All-YouCan-Eat” by Edward Kelsey Moore, those longtime friends may be life’s best souvenir.

If it was Sunday after church, then everybody in Leaning Tree knew where they’d find Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean: at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. They’d been gathering there for 40-odd years but food wasn’t all they got.

The diner’s owner, Big Earl, had been like a father to just about everybody in town. He practically raised Odette’s husband, James, and he’d taken in Barbara Jean when her mother died. Big Earl was generous with advice and compliments and everybody loved him.

But now he was dead. Odette learned it from her mother, who came visiting in the middle of the night, along with a well-dressed white woman who seemed a little tipsy. Odette

wasn’t surprised to see her Mama at that time of day. Ever since they’d buried Mama six years before, she’d been visiting Odette real often.

But Odette didn’t talk about that. No sense in worrying James, the love of her life for more than 30 years. No reason to make Clarice fret, since she had enough problems with a philandering husband. And since Barbara Jean carried loss heavy in her chest, there was no sense in stirring up bad memories.

Yes, Big Earl was dead but life went on in Leaning Tree, Indiana. Life went on, Clarice kept turning a blind eye on her husband’s affairs; Little Earl kept the All-You-Can-Eat running; Barbara Jean drank herself stupid every day, like she had for years; and Odette passed the time with those who’d passed on. Until one day, Mama had something to say that Odette didn’t want to hear…

Have you ever read a book that made you feel so at home that you never wanted it to end?

Yep, that’s what reading “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-CanEat” is like: comfortable from the first page, delightful to the last.

Author Edward Kelsey Moore made me laugh out loud in parts of this book with characters that are snide and sarcastic, strong yet delicate. Then he turned around and made me feel bad for what was coming. I loved his turns of phrase and his sense of humor, and I loved the fact that he made me forget that his characters weren’t flesh-and-blood. Overall, I just plain loved this book.

If you’ve ever had a friend (or two) that you knew better than you know yourself, then you need to share this book. “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-CanEat” is great for one, but better for all.wi www.washingtoninformer.com

LIFESTYLE

Black Memorabilia,

Art, Doll & Collectible Show

“29th Year Celebrating the African American Experience”

April 20-21, 2013

Saturday: 10 am – 7 pm, Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm

Montgomery County Fairgrounds 16 Chestnut Street ** Gaithersburg, Maryland

- Vendors & Artisans from 15 States with Black Memorabilia and Collectibles

for sale including historical documents, slavery artifacts, black dolls, books, autographs, stamps, advertisements, toys, kitchen collectibles, jewelry, postcards, paintings, prints, photographs, coins, Civil War, political & Civil Rights memorabilia, sports & entertainment memorabilia, movie posters & More!

- Educational Exhibits include Slavery Artifacts, Jim Crow, Black Panther Party, Buffalo Soldiers, Tuskegee Airmen, Marcus Garvey, Madame C. J. Walker, Malcolm X, George Washington Carver, Dorothy Dandridge, Negro League Baseball & More!

Revised 2013 Ford Escape sports a much sleeker form than its predecessor. /Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

- Celebrity Autograph sessions with Negro League Baseball Players and others.

By Njuguna Kabugi WI Contributing Writer Americans love SUVs. Nearly one out of every three vehicles sold in the last year was some sort of SUV. SUVs are particularly popular with drivers who face varying road and weather conditions or regularly carry a mix of passengers and cargo.

The raised ground clearance, spacious cargo bays, and fourwheel drive or all-wheel drive further enhance these vehicles’ cred.

This week’s test vehicle, the Ford Escape, is one of our alltime favorite SUVs. It presents athletic driving dynamics, an inviting cabin and plenty of useful high-tech features. The Escape is not only America’s best-selling SUV; it also stands as one of the top entries in a segment that’s already packed with excellent choices.

The Escape was first introduced in 2001 and has been a fixture on American roads with its first-generation Ford Explorer looks. It has also remained a top seller despite receiving only minor cosmetic and mechanical updates all those years.

For 2013, Ford has finally given the Escape some major makeovers. Judging by our experience driving the Escape throughout the Washington metro area in the last week, it looks as if it was worth the wait. It raises the bar higher with better fuel economy (Mpg: 21 city/33 hwy), car-like road manners and more gadgets than many luxury cars.

The 2013 Escape marks a complete departure from the crossover SUV it replaces. Instead of the tall, truckish persona, the new Escape’s exterior is sleeker and more stylish – a Ford Focus hatch lookalike in a tall form. Although it looks smaller to the eye, the new Escape is nearly four inches longer, one inch wider and rides on a longer wheelbase than the last generation.

The Escape has also been lowered slightly to improve onroad manners. The SUV’s sleek, curve-like roof does not sacrifice cargo volume and it carries more stuff than the previous model. It provides 68.1 cubic feet of space behind the first row and 34.3 cubic feet behind the second row.

This compares to the 2012 Escape’s 67.2 cubic feet behind first row and 31.4 cubic feet behind the second row.

Three four-cylinder engines are available, and each comes connected to a conventional six-speed automatic. One is a 168-horsepower 2.5-liter engine carried over from last year, but it’s only offered on the base model. The mainstream choice is a new turbocharged 1.6-liter.

It puts out 178 hp and returns an EPA-estimated 33 mpg on the highway. Drivers who want quicker acceleration can opt for the 240-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, which effectively replaces the V6 in the old Escape.

The old Escape didn’t just look like a little truck, it drove like one too. Blessed with the

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Focus platform, the new Escape handles itself quite well on winding Virginia country roads and on tight city streets in the District of Columbia. I was particularly impressed with the Escape’s poise through off-on rain showers during a drive on Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway. In a lesser vehicle, enjoying the spectacular views of Appalachia’s diverse beauty would have been less of a concern, with most of my energy sternly fixed on keeping the vehicle on the road.

Feature wise, the Escape offers equipment that no other small SUV offers. A hands-free lift gate power enabled by motion technology opening systems is quite fascinating. A gentle kicking motion under the center of the rear bumper activates, unlocks and raises the liftgate when the driver has the Escape key fob. This allows quick and easy access to the cargo area without needing to set down packages.

The same process closes the hatch. The parallel parking assist system detects an available parallel parking space and automatically steers the vehicle into the space. Other technology automatically slows the vehicle when it’s cornering too fast.

Pricing ranges from $22,470 for the base model to $35,120 for the Titanium edition. wi

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THE EMPRESS OF SOUL

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Ford SUV Makes a Radical Break from Its Past

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The Washington Informer

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 8PM FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 8PM

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Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

33

Horo scopes

CTM

LIFESTYLE

ARIES Go into yourself this week and find those impulses that make you a good steady builder of relationships and long-range attitudes. You are a master at staying on the scene like a steady machine. Smile because this talent will put you ahead of the pack this week.

Soul Affirmation: Moving slowly is often the fastest way to get there. Lucky Numbers: 5, 17, 31 TAURUS Patience! Patience! Make a game of patience, and it will not seem as boring. Smile as you apply yourself to routines that would otherwise drive you up a wall. Stay alert to the possibility of disruptions to habitual patterns. Make a game of dealing with obtrusions.

Soul Affirmation: Cheerfully handling what comes at me is the test of who I am. Lucky Numbers: 22, 45, 51 GEMINI Things that have others upset this week will not bother you quite as much. This week is a good week to show that you can be depended upon when things get a little heavy for others. Handling heaviness is not all that tough for you. Turn this asset into a dividend producer. Soul Affirmation: Helping others is the true measure of my worth. Lucky Numbers: 20, 26, 34 CANCER This is a week when you can be a singular beacon.

Shine for those around you. Go inside yourself and find those rays of sunshine that others need. Sure you’re a bit touchy yourself but that’s just the situation in which you can do yourself proud.

Soul Affirmation: Shining brightly is something that I can do even in shadows. Lucky Numbers: 13, 18, 28

The Blackbyrds and special guest Bobbi Humphrey wowed the crowd at THEARC in Southeast on April 12. It turned out to be a trip down memory lane as the band played hits that included “Walking in Rhythm,” and “Rock Creek Park.” The concert, a tribute to the group’s founder, the late Donald Byrd, turned out to be nothing less than magical! /Photos by Roy Lewis

LEO Loving care is what the world is in need of this week and you get a lot of inward joy out of giving it. Your ability to move back emotionally from problems and thereby administer to them will give you an advantage this week. Use it wisely. Soul Affirmation: Confusion gives me an opportunity to show my love. Lucky Numbers: 11, 43, 51 VIRGO Cheer them up. They don’t see the big picture. You can.

Let them know about the light at the end of the tunnel. It is clearly in focus for you. Enjoy it and make your joy contagious. Give love this week but wait for a while to search for its return. Soul Affirmation: Hope is a beautify jewel. I enjoy owning it. Lucky Numbers: 7, 16, 25 LIBRA Endurance and regeneration are keys for you this week.

You’ll be needing both those qualities to get you past the negative thinking that is flooding the spiritual environment this week. Soar high where the sun is shining. Seek resources from the highest levels of your nature and spread them to those you love. Soul Affirmation: I get joy from giving good things. Lucky Numbers: 9, 32, 46

CTM 34 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

apr 18 - apr 24, 2013

SCORPIO Eternal optimist, eternity is now. Get in touch with your hopefulness and be a beacon to others. Try not to be taken in by promises made by others or promises you’ve made to yourself. Concerning your own affairs, avoid contemplating lofty subjects and seeking long ranged solutions. Soul Affirmation: This week is the day the Lord has made. I rejoice in it. Lucky Numbers: 4, 8, 39 SAGITTARIUS Work. You like work. You have faith in the results it produces. Luck is important, but getting the job in front of you done to the best of your ability will put you ahead of the game this week. Work at love, or rather work for those you love. Soul Affirmation: Facing down challenges makes me feel good about myself. Lucky Numbers: 1, 45, 50 CAPRICORN Don’t ask yourself when the answer will come. It is on its way, but it will not get here this week. Yield not to frustrations. Don’t fly off the handle and create problems for yourself later on. Chill. Time will provide the best medicine for anything that ails you this week. Soul Affirmation: I smile and trust in the powers beyond myself.

Lucky Numbers: 22, 30, 53 AQUARIUS This week is excellent for being still and letting the wealth inside yourself produce emotional dividends. Get in touch with the forces that work behind the scenes that produce the bright facades that everyone enjoys. Take comfort in the fact that you know these forces are eternal. Soul Affirmation: I let the outer world and inner world change places this week. Lucky Numbers: 27, 35, 41 PISCES Did external circumstance allow you to get into your true soul vibration last week? Well, last week was good for getting into a positive way of looking at what is happening. This week you’ll be called upon to express that positive way to the entire world around you.

Enjoy being yourself. Soul Affirmation: What I need to be is fully present inside of me. Lucky Numbers: 15, 23, 55

The Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

LIFESTYLE

Celebrating Prince’s Debut Album 35 Years Ago, Pop Legend Released First Album

By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer Prince may have been the second black artist to have his video played on MTV, but the pop music legend still enjoys many firsts.

Billboard magazine recognizes his 2007 Super Bowl performance as the game’s best half-time show ever. His 1984 album and movie, “Purple Rain,” made Prince the first – and only – pop music artist to simultaneously have the No. 1 single, No. 1 album, and No. 1 film in the country.

It was 35 years ago this month when the world was first introduced to Prince Rogers Nelson.

“When Prince came out with, ‘For You,’ people in the music industry didn’t know what they were getting,” said David Cohen, a long-time disc jockey from Southeast.

“It turned out, it was an important song and it showcased Prince’s ability to play multiple instruments and to do a number of other things. He had this Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder-like quality,” said Cohen, 47.

His first album, “For You,” sold more than 1 million records in 1978.

Prince produced, arranged, composed and played all 27 instruments featured on the album, which was released when he was just 19.

While the single didn’t immediately attain the kind of success Prince wanted, the album eventually received international acclaim in the years that followed its release.

In November, 1978, the disc’s second single, “Just As Long As We’re Together,” was released and Prince assembled a band for his first tour.

The album reached No. 21 on the Billboard Soul LP’s Chart, where it competed against such artists as the Brothers Johnson, Ashford and Simpson, Barry White, Donna Summer and Rick James, whom Prince would later accompany on tour.

“What cannot be argued is the enormous impact Prince has had on pop music,” said Ronald Waronker, a Lanham, Md.-based music producer.

“When Warner Brothers signed him, they were chomp-

Summer Learning Conservatory at BSU

BEATSBOOKS& HOOKS Prince. /Photo courtesy of NPG Music Club

ing at the bit because they were sure that they had the next Stevie Wonder. But, what they got was the next real big pop music icon,” said Waronker, 54. “They got Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, and some others all wrapped up into one tiny little man with huge talent.”

The pint-sized star followed up his debut with the platinum selling “Prince,” album in 1979.

Still, his best work was to come.

In 1980, he released, “Dirty Mind,” which was followed by 1981’s, “Controversy,” and 1982’s smash, “1999.”

In 1983, Prince’s single, “Little Red Corvette,” was played in heavy rotation on MTV. He joined Michael Jackson as the only black artist to be played on the still fledgling music television network. “Michael and I both came along at a time when there was nothing. MTV didn’t have anyone who was visual,” Prince said in a rare 2011 interview with the U.K. Guardian newspaper.

“A lot of people made great records, but dressed like they were going to the supermarket,” he said.

Prince’s seminal album and movie, “Purple Rain,” followed in 1984.

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The album, “Purple Rain,” contained several top hits including, “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and the title track.

The album spent 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard music charts and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

In 2004, Prince was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In the July 4, 2008 edition of Entertainment Weekly, the magazine listed “Purple Rain” as the best album of the past 25 years.

At 54, Prince now has released more than 25 albums and CDs. He has won five American Music Awards, seven Grammy Awards, four MTV video awards, three NAACP image awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar.

Later this month, Prince plans to release a new album, “Plectrum Electrum,” his first in more than two years. An album release party is scheduled for April 21 in Vancouver, Canada, where the superstar is also expected to announce the launch of a new concert tour.

“Art is about building a new foundation,” Prince said in an interview in January with Billboard.com. “It’s not just laying something on top of what’s already there.” wi The Washington Informer

MUSIC IS A COMMON D E N O M I N ATO R

Enjoy a unique summer music and education program that strengthens performance using music as a basis for engagement.

From the Harlem Renaissance to the evolution of Hip Hop music, the goal of this program is to create opportunities to help uplift youth and empower them academically and socially so that they are able to make positive life choices.

INSTRUCTION

Faculty & Professors from FAME, Innovative Study Techniques & Bowie State University School of Music Grades: Rising 8th through rising 12th June 17 – 21 & June 24 – 28, 2013 Monday thru Friday; 9am – 4pm

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Bowie State University Fine and Performing Arts Center

INFORMATION & REGISTRATION

Please click or call www.fameorg.org; email info@fameorg.org; 301.805.5358 Scholarships available for students who demonstrate financial need and strong commitment to learning and music.

Limited Metro subsidies available to students enrolled in their school’s Free and Reduced Meal program.

Supported by The Community Foundation for Prince George’s County, Council Member Derrick Leon Davis District 6) and Council Member Will Campos (District 2).

FAME is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing equal access to all children and young adults, regardless of social and economic need, to quality music and music education as part of their lifelong journey to adulthood.

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

35

sports

Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves Highlights Prior to the Washington-Atlanta Major League Baseball game on Saturday, April 13 at Nationals Park in Southeast, winners of the Washington Informer Spelling Bee contest were honored before the sellout crowd. Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of the Washington Informer and Marketing Director Ron Burke, joined the Spelling Bee winners on the field. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa attempts to tag Atlanta Braves outfielder Justin Upton under the watchful eye of second base umpire Brian O’Nora on Saturday, April 13 at Nationals Park in Southeast. The Braves defeated the Nationals 3-1 before a sellout crowd. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa successfully tags out Atlanta Braves outfielder B.J. Upton, and then attempts a double play on Saturday, April 13 at Nationals Park in Southeast. Atlanta defeated Washington 3-1. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

36 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

The Washington Informer

www.washingtoninformer.com

New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United Highlights D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen attempts a shot on goal before Red Bulls defender Brandon Barklage could make a tackle on Saturday, April 13 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Southeast.

The Red Bulls defeated the United 2-0. /Photo by John E. De Freitas

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Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

37

CTM

LIFESTYLE

Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia! /Photos by Lafayette Barnes

38 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

for more information, call 202/492-3004 or 301/449-9464

The Washington Informer

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The Religion Corner

religion

Be Like Water, Go With the Flow!

Have you ever really focused on how water rolls downhill, no matter what seems to be in its path; it goes around it, it simply flows! And if there’s too much water, a flood will occur and destroy everything in its path. Water can cause life to flourish or it can obliterate whatever gets in its way!

This quote by Lao Tsu said “Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”

Anyone who has read the core Taoist doctrines knows that the three great treasures are compassion, moderation and humility.

These are extremely compatible with the teachings of Christ.

This column is about how we should flow like water, by finding ways to flow seamlessly whenever and wherever possible; but it’s also about how we should charge our lives so full of God’s goodness and mercy that we destroy anything negative as we flow with power and passion like a mighty flood!

In life, a man is born gentle and weak; yet, when he dies, he becomes stiff. I heard one of my favorite lecturers, author Wayne Dyer interpret this quote as he explained that its’ not just about physical stiffness associated with death, but stiffness in the way some people think.

This column is about is how we tend to feel like failures when we don’t have what we’ve become accustomed to having. That’s not a good way to think about life.

No matter what happens, each of us can create a new life by making a lifestyle change to become gentle, weak and soft, like water; as it flows!

Why do I suggest that you would be better off if you would flow in life’s troubles the way water does when it rolls downhill.

During a conflict, picture yourself like a stream of water – move seamlessly, just flow. Decide you can enter in a way that wraps your mind around what is being said.

Flexibility, openness and softness are in direct concert with life. When you are rigid and you know the answer and don’t listen to other people’s opinions, you are consorting with death. Everything that is old and close to death is brittle and breaks apart including our thinking.

Be like water. This element is closer to being like God than anything in the world, so it is a perfectly suitable symbol for teaching.

Water is as mysterious to us as God is. When you reach into the river and try to squeeze it tight, you end up losing it all. Water is elusive until you stop grasping and let your hand relax and be one with it – paradoxically, you get it by letting go!

Hidden in all good fortune is misfortune. And in all misfortune is good fortune. It’s never going to stay the same as long as you are in the world or unless you die while you are alive and become

Twelfth Street Christian Church

Advertise Your Church services here:

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

call Ron Burke at

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

202-561-4100 or email rburke@washingtoninformer.com

Advertise Your Church services here: call Ron Burke at 202-561-4100 or email rburke@washingtoninformer.com

with Lyndia Grant enlightened.

Think about water and what it has meant to the universe, and change your thinking. Quit being so stubborn; go with the flow; never go into a meeting with your mind made up. Listen with an open mind.

Finally, we must keep our dreams alive, even when it appears that they’re gone down the drain. We must continue to flow even underground; and eventually, we will pop up somewhere else – just like water!wi Lyndia Grant is a radio talk show host on WYCB 1340 AM, Fridays at 6 p.m., a Radio-One Station; Religious Columnist; Media Coordinator; Major Special Events Coordinator; Author & Inspirational Speaker. Visit her website at www.lyndiagrant.com; call 202-518-3192; send emails to fanniestelle@yahoo.com .

Listen to

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The Washington Informer

“Praise In The City”

The New Public Affairs Talk Show Hosted by Praise 104.1’s Sheila Stewart Saturday 5:30am-6:30am on Praise 104.1 For more info visit www.praise1041.com

Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

39

religion BAPTIST

african methodist episcopal

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Rev. James Manion Supply 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 All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Blessed Word of Life Church Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors 4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax 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

Campbell AME Church Reverend Daryl K. Kearney, Pastor 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” Mailing Address Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE Washington, DC 20020

Mt. Zion Baptist Church Rev. John W. Davis, Pastor 5101 14th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20011 202-726-2220/ 202-726-9089 Sunday Worship Service 8:00am and 11:00am Sunday School 9:15am Holy Communion 4th Sunday 10:00am Prayer and Bible Study Wednesday 7;00pm TV Ministry –Channel 6 Wednesday 10:00pm gsccm.administration@verizon.net

Pilgrim Baptist Church

700 I. Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20002 Pastor Louis B. Jones, II and Pilgrim invite you to join us during our July and August Summer schedule! Attire is Christian casual.

Worship: Sundays@ 7:30 A.M. & 10:00 A.M. 3rd Sunday Holy Communion/Baptism/Consecration Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @12:00 Noon @ 6:30 P.M. – One Hour of Power!

(202) 547-8849 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: 8:00 AM and 10:45 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: 9:45 AM – Hour of Power “An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantbaptistdc.org

Morning Star Baptist Church Pastor Gerald L Martin Senior Minister 3204 Brothers Place S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032 202-373-5566 or 202-373-5567

Church of Living Waters

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew, Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Schedule of Service Sunday Service: 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org

St. Stephen Baptist Church Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. State Overseer 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

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., • Pastor 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”

Crusader Baptist Church

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

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

Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Church School: 9:20 a.m.

Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

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

ST Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

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

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

Service & Time Sunday Worship 7:45A.M & 11A.M Communion Service 2nd Sunday 11A.M Prayer Service Tuesday 7:00 P.M Bible Study Tuesday 8:00 P.M Sunday Church School 10:00 A.M Sunday “A church reaching and winning our community for Christ” morningstarbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.morningstarchurch-dc.org

Mount Carmel Baptist Church

52 Years of Expert Engraving Services

Joseph N. Evans, Ph.D Senior Pastor 901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Sunday Church School : 9: 30am Sunday Morning Worship: 10: 45am Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00pm Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00pm Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10: 45am themcbc.org

40 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

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religion Baptist

All Nations Baptist Church

Friendship Baptist Church 900 Delaware Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20020 (202) 488-7417 (202) 484-2242 Rev. Dr. J. Michael Little Pastor Sunrise Prayer: 6:00 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday-11:00AM www.friendshipbaptistdc.org Email: frienshipde1900@verizon.net

Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. • Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591

King Emmanuel Baptist Church Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730

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”

Zion Baptist Church

Israel Baptist Church

Full Gospel 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 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

Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Dr. Morris L Shearin, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Charles Y. Davis, Jr. Sr. Pastor

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

Dr. C. Matthew Hudson, Jr, Pastor

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

14350 Frederick Rd. Cooksville, MD 21723 (410) 489-5069

Elder Herman L. Simms, Pastor

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

Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 A.M. Sunday School: 8:30 A.M. Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:00 A.M.

Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 am Sunday School: 9:30 am Wed. Bible Study/Prayer: 6:30-8:00 pm Holy Communion 2nd Sunday Pre-Marital Counseling/Venue for Weddings Prison Ministry Knowledge Base

Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 P.M. Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.

Web: www.FullGospelBC.org Email: fullgospelbc1946@verizon.net “IF YOU NEED REST, THIS HOUSE IS OPEN”

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

Mount Moriah Baptist Church

St. Luke Baptist Church 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 Study: Monday - 7:00 p.m.

Prayer Meeting: Thursday - 7:00 p.m.

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

Rehoboth Baptist Church

St. Matthews Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Maxwell M. Washington Pastor 1105 New Jersey Ave, S.E • Washington, DC 20003 202 488-7298 Order of Services Sunday Worship Services: 9:05 A.M. Sunday School: 8:00 A.M. Holy Communion 3rd Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting: 7:00 P.M. (Tuesday) Bible Study: 7:30 P.M. (Tuesday) Theme: “Striving to be more like Jesus “Stewardship”.

Philippians 3:12-14; Malachi 3:8-10 and 2 Corinthians 9:7 Email: stmatthewbaptist@msn.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.com

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

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. Terry D. Streeter Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Pastor and Overseer

215 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. • WD.C. 20001 (202) 332-5748

625 Park Rd, NW • WDC 20010 P: 202 291-5711 • F: 202 291-5666

Early Morning Worship: 7:45 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:15 a.m.

Morning Worship: 10:45 a.m.

Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:45 a.m. & 10:45 a.m.

C.T.U. Sunday: 2:45 p.m.

Bible Study: Wednesday 11:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Prayer Service: Wednesday 8:00 p.m.

Noon Day Prayer Service: Mondays 12 p.m.

Sunday Worship Service - 11 am Sunday School - 9:45 am Bible Study & Prayer Wed. - 7 pm Substance Abuse Counseling 7 pm (Mon & Fri) Jobs Partnership - 7 pm (Mon & Wed) Sat. Enrichment Experience - 9:30 am

Salem Baptist Church

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Shiloh Baptist Church

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

New Members Class 9:30a.m.

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

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

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

Peace Baptist Church

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

Rev. R. Vincent Palmer Pastor

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.

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

www.washingtoninformer.com

Motto: God First

The Washington Informer

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

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

Mt. Bethel Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Bobby L. Livingston, Sr. Pastor 75 Rhode Island Ave. NW • Washington, DC 20001 (202) 667-4448

Sunrise Prayer Service 6:00 A.M. Sunday Church School 8:30 A.M. Pre-Worship Devotionals 9:45 A.M. Morning Worship Services 10:00 A.M. Holy Communion 1st Sunday Worship Services Bible Study Tuesdays, 6:00 P.M. Thursdays, 1:00 P.M. Prayer Meetings Tuesdays, 7:00 P.M. Thursdays, 12:00 P.M.

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. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

41

CLASSIFIEDS legal notice

legal notice

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

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

Administration No. 2013 ADM 283

Administration No. 2013 ADM 144

Frances R. Greene Decedent

Elmer M. Whiting Decedent

Dalton Howard, Esq., Brooks and Howard 6701 – 16th St., NW Washington, DC 20012 Attorney

Louvenia W. Williams, ESQ. 9500 Arena Drive, #450 Largo, MD 20774 Attorney

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

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

Lillian Gant, whose address is 2515 Alabama Ave., SE, Apt. 301, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Frances R. Greene, who died on December 23, 20032 without a Will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W. Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 11, 2013. 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 11, 2013, 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.

Elbert Francis Whiting, whose address is 6423 24th Place, Hyattsville, MD 20782, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Elmer M. Whiting, who died on November 26, 2012 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. Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before September 21, 2013. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before September 21, 2013, 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 11, 2013

Date of first publication: March 21, 2013

Lillian Gant Personal Representative

Elbert Francis Whiting Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

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

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

Administration No. 2013 ADM 268 Evelyn H. Van Putten aka Evelyn Van Putten Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Jo Constance Bond, whose address is 1712 Second St, NW, Washington, DC 20001, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Evelyn H. Van Putten aka Evelyn Van Putten, who died on February 13, 2013 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. Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 4, 2013. 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 4, 2013, 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 4, 2013 Jo Constance Bond Personal Representative

Administration No. 2013 ADM 125 Reuben A. Scarborough, Jr. Decedent Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Michael L. Shorter, whose address is 1112 Chaplin Street, SE, Washington, DC 20019, was appointed personal representative of the estate of Reuben A. Scarborough, Jr., who died on April 29, 1997 without a Will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding.

Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W. Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before October 18, 2013. 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 18, 2013, 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 18, 2013 Michael L. Shorter Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

TRUE TEST COPY

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

Anne Meister Register of Wills Washington Informer

42 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

legal notice

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enabled former Congressman Newt Gingrich to describe President Obama as a “food stamps” president and to falsely assert that President Obama “put” more people on food stamps than any other president in history. Does Mr. Gingrich remember the Great Recession that the scion of his party, former President George W. Bush, enabled, or is he too busy purchasing jewelry for his blushing bride of a decade to pay attention to our nation’s economic situation?

One in six Americans lives in poverty. More than one in four African Americans and Latinos live in poverty. One in 10 of all Whites live in poverty. The Great Recession and economic restructuring have kicked these diverse groups of poor people, many who are grateful for food assistance, to the curb. President

MALVEAUX continued from Page 27 years. When President Clinton, long a favorite among African Americans, proffered a 1996 reform that I described as “welfare deform,” several of his African American supporters excoriated him. He weathered the storm, as did the public assistance program. Still, nobody describes it as Clintonwelfare. It was an illconceived and pandering policy change that allowed President Clinton to brag that he’d gotten “tough” on public assistance.

Associating President Obama with government support to the poor is a subtle way of associating people of African descent with public assistance, and with the pejorative term “welfare.”

This is a most understated form of racial coding, a coding that

Comments? Opinions?

Email us at: Crowell continued from Page 27

Ideas?

borrowers were not in default.

In cases where borrowers were completely foreclosed despite fulfilling all requirements during a trial loan modification plan, or if a servicer failed to convert borrowers to a permanent modification after successfully completing the trial period, a $25,000 payment will be issued.

According to the schedule, additional payments will be made to borrowers experiencing one of the following errors: • Modification request denied; • Modification request received;

Obama has been responsive to this group of people to the extent that a hostile Congress has allowed it.

If I were President Obama, I’d be flattered by descriptions of Obamacare and Obamaphones. I would not even mind having food stamps being described as Obamafood. Would we prefer to describe poverty as Romney starve, or sequester starve? Make it plain. Associating President Obama with health care, Lifeline telephones and healthy eating is to his credit, not his detriment. wi Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer.

She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.

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Eligible borrowers were recently notified of their eligibility for payments under the settlement. Any borrower who believes he/she may be covered by the agreement should call toll free at 1-888-952-9105 to verify their inclusion and also update cold war with North Korea that has included both propaganda and military actions carried out by both sides against one another.

Much of what we have been witnessing in the current moment is a continuation of an almost bizarre effort by the North Koreans to get the USA to speak directly with them towards an ending of tensions on the Korean peninsula. That may sound odd since the North Koreans are threatening war, but at base the North Koreans want to have direct, one-on-one talks with the USA where they–the North Koreans–can be assured that there

will be security for them on the peninsula.

When the U.S. refuses to have one-on-one talks with the North Koreans and refuses to acknowledge the legitimate interests that North Korea has in national security—irrespective of one’s view of the nature of the North Korean regime—tensions inevitably increase. When the North Koreans start throwing around suggestions of war and missile strikes they are playing directly into the hands of those in the U.S. who would like to turn North Korea into a cinder. As such, the rhetoric is useless, if not outright de-

Fletcher continued from Page 27 Workers Party–that theoretically leads the country, there has been something approaching a “red monarchy” dominating the North that began with Kim Il Sung and has been followed by his son and, now, grandson.

North Korea deeply fears attacks from South Korea and from the U.S. This fear is rooted in the reality of what took place from the end of World War II through today. The U.S.A. and the South Koreans have engaged in a miniwww.washingtoninformer.com

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Payment acceptance does not remove any borrower’s right to private legal actions. The agreement explicitly denies servicers permission to ask borrowers to sign a waiver of any legal claims in exchange for payment.

Any borrower needing foreclosure prevention assistance is encouraged to contact the Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline at 888-995-HOPE (4673), or visit www.makinghomeaffordable. gov.wi Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

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Perhaps President Obama should do a version of what Dennis Rodman conveyed as the request from North Korea’s current leader: pick up the phone and give him a call. Yes, diplomacy is more complicated than that, but you get the point…wi Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum, and the author of “They’re Bankrupting Us” – And Twenty Other Myths about Unions.

Follow him at www.billfletcherjr.com.

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across the country. Our dollars speak volumes of positive words but mostly to businesses other than those owned by Blacks. Our dollars also speak loudly – we just need to listen more closely and understand what they are saying.

And then we must act upon their messages of power, leverage, and reciprocity.

You know, if Philadelphia sustains the Million Dollar Black Spending campaign, the impetus and catalytic effects from that city alone would demonstrate the strength and benefits of recycling Black dollars like no other movement has done. Philadelphia alone, with its tremendous number of Black businesses, associations, consumers, its history with Richard Allen, the Philadelphia Plan, Leon Sullivan, Ed Robinson, and Kenneth Bridges’ MATAH Network, Kenny gamble, Walter Lomax, anchored by WURD Radio, could serve as the model of how to get Black dollars

to make some sense. I trust and pray you will support this movement.

Yes, money talks, and Black money talks even more and much louder. Black money is talking and saying positive things to Whiteowned businesses, Asian-owned businesses, Indian-owned businesses, and the many others that Black consumers support. But, most of the time Black money is only saying “Good-bye!” to Black people. Let’s use the new “Philadelphia Plan” to start a new relationship with our dollars by reintroducing ourselves to our own money. Contact Norm Bond at norm@normbond.com.wi Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics. com.

ficials (i.e. White officials, other than former Ambassador Johnny Carson). Meeting with Secretary of Defense Hagel.

So, I guess these African leaders couldn’t find any Black NGOs to meet with or maybe their White lobbyists would not give them permission to meet with successful minority businessmen like David Steward, CEO of World Wide Technology in St. Louis–a $ 5 billion privately held firm.

Maybe their White lobbyist wouldn’t give them permission to meet with the National News-

paper Publishers Association (NNPA), a federation of 200 Black-owned newspapers in the U.S., or give a speech at a Black university.

So, to my African heads of state, if you are looking for positive media coverage from the U.S., then sit with our Black media and tell them your story.

If you are looking for investment in your country, then invest some time by meeting with Black businessmen when you come to our country. Ifif you want Americans, especially Blacks to tour your countries, then take a tour of our communities when you are in the U.S. So, stop complaining and be what you are

looking for.

Africa has a lot to offer as far as investment opportunities, tourism, and even education; but Africa has not made its case to the American people. Until they do, they will continue to be like the tinkling cymbal or the sounding brass, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.wi Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached through his Web site, www.raynardjackson. com. You can also follow him on Twitter at raynard1223

was what I did as a Negro,” she said. “I’ll give you an example of it. A group of people, my enemies, asked me to form a committee to get Black players into Major League Baseball. I formed a committee, and had Adam Powell and Captain Hugh Mulzac to head it.

“This act broke up the Black teams, killed Black business in southern towns and cities, and many old ladies who sold pies, and there were hot-dog stands, popcorn, shoe-shine boys, Black restaurants, Black hotels. This business was all lost through my act, acting through my Negro mind.

“Had I not been a Negro, I would have told that group of my enemies that I would get the Black teams into baseball, not the Black player. Now, do you see the qualitative difference between getting the player in, and getting the Black teams in?”

Well, “racism – White Supremacy, with the specific definition of racism – White Supremacy in parenthesis, is the dominant power context,” concerning ball games today, psychiatrist Dr. Frances Cress Welsing told me in a telephone interview for this article.

“This is what I feel that Whites consciously and subconsciously

think that if the Negro Leagues had just been allowed to go on and flourish, and you had White leagues going on and flourishing, you would then see the Blacks dominating all the time. So, then they cut out the Negro Leagues and then they select(ed) a few Blacks to play, (so today) you are not looking at Blacks constantly beating Whites.

“What would you imagine would be the result if the socalled Negro Leagues had been allowed to continue? Who would you imagine would dominate?”

Dr. Welsing said. wi

Clingman continued from Page 28

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Muhammad continued from Page 28 country in the heat of World War II, but unable to participate in the national pastime. “I can play in Mexico,” Uncle Nate protested later that year, “but I have to fight for America where I can’t play.”

Ironically, in the years before Robinson’s breakthrough, a

committee was formed to help baseball overcome its “Negro problem” then. The late Queen Mother Audley Moore of Harlem, then 84-years-old told this writer for a 1982 documentary, for The Black Scholars Radio series, that in her early years, she had tried to be a “good Negro” and that she was involved in just such an effort.

“I worked hard at it. And this

46 Apr. 18, 2013 - Apr. 24, 2013

My hope is that they and other Black consumers will listen to Brother Norm Bond, Chairman of the National Alliance of Market Developers, and Sister Sara Lomax-Reese, President and General Manager of 900AM (WURD), as they have kicked off the Million Dollar Black Spending Power Campaign in Philadelphia. In conjunction with the Philly movement, Claud Anderson, author of Powernomics, and Bob Law, venerable radio talk show host and community activist, are conducting forums titled, “Where is the money going?” which deal with turning Black spending into real power.

The commitment being asked of individual Black consumers is to spend at minimum of $20 per week at a Black-owned business.

Do you think you can do that?

I think it’s the least we can do, and we must spread this movement

Jackson continued from Page 28

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REPUBLICAN PATRICK MARA opposed workers’ rights, and now he wants to serve on the DC Council.

Republican Patrick Mara.

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