Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. –-Dr. Annelle B. Primm
Health, Wellness & Nutrition Supplement (See Inside) •
C e l e b r a t i n g 4 7 Ye a r s o f S e r v i c e
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Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area / Vol. 47, No. 30 May 10 - May 16, 2012
These Children Traveled the World in One Day! More than 6,000 people— mostly children and their parents—attended the 6th Annual International Children’s Festival, Sunday, May 6, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB-ITC). Organized by Meridian International Center, the free, one-day event provided children with unique exposure to global cultures. Children enjoyed visiting 22 embassy interactive booths where they sampled international food, made traditional crafts, and learned about different countries. Along with RRB-ITC, THIS for Diplomats and Cultural Tourism DC (CTDC) also partnered with Meridian to create the event. /Photo By Khalid Naji-Allah
The End of a Dynasty By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer From his vantage point, District resident Lawrence E. Perry said hehas no sympathy for disgraced former Councilmember Harry L. Thomas, Jr., who was sentenced last week to three years and two months in jail for
stealing at least $353,500 and filing a false tax return. Perry, a Ward 7 resident who retired after working for years in the whisky industry, said Thomas – who represented Ward 5 on the D.C. Council from 2006 until his fall from grace – betrayed the public’s sacred trust. “If you do the crime, do the
time,” he said in an interview Tuesday night. “What gives him the right to think he has access to public funds? He knew how much he was going to make when he took the job. He wasn’t honest to himself or his constituents.” Perry said he often spends time with Ward 5 residents and
many of them are disappointed by Thomas’ behavior and they have expressed concern about the extent to which his theft of public money has sullied the people he used to represent. “It took a lot of conniving to do what he did,” said Perry. “How can you trust him again? He knew what he was doing. He
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came from a good family and he betrayed them and those he was elected to serve.” Thomas resigned his seat in January, just hours after federal prosecutors filed charges of embezzlement and filing false tax returns against him. On January
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