Afro Baltimore 3-31-2017 by AFRO News

Volume Volume 125 123 No. No.35 20–22

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Inside

Washington

• DCPS Students Walkout of Class for Missing Girls

B1 April Ryan’s Memoir Relays Wisdom on Race

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Commentary

Americans Want to Work By Rep. Elijah Cummings

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Activist Brittany Packnett encouraged people to tweet using #BlackWomenAtWork after Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, commenting on a speech Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (pictured at the Democratic National Convention last year) gave on the House floor, said “I didn’t hear a word she said, I was looking at the James Brown wig.” He later apologized following widespread condemnation.

Obamacare Safe, CBC Moves Focus to Tax Fight By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com

#BlackWomenAtWork

Baltimore

The Congressional Black Caucus scored a victory over President Trump when the U.S. House of Representatives failed to take up his health care bill recently and now they are setting their sights on stopping the president’s agenda on tax reform. On March 20, U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) pulled the Republican-backed “American Health Care Act”, saying that he didn’t have the votes to pass it. Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) said the bill’s failure is a good thing for the country.

Courtesy Photo

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the highest ranking CBC member on the House Ways & Means Committee, is shifting gears to fight for what he calls fair tax reform.

“Since President Trump took office, Republicans have been working overtime to implement rules and procedures to undermine the confidence in Obamacare, and now insurers are leaving the market and their plan to repeal and replace the law failed,” Richmond said. “This failure is on Republicans, not Democrats. Thankfully this law didn’t pass because it would have been a disaster for the health of all Americans.” “We know poor communities and it was our responsibility to offer solutions,” he continued. “Our next step is to meet with cabinet secretaries. We are going to hold his feet to the fire. Nothing has changed on our side.” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) told the AFRO on March 20 at a pro-Obamacare

• Mount Auburn Cemetery Home to Many From Civil Rights Movement

rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol that the Republicans health care bill could have been a problem for Blacks. “We African Americans tend to live shorter life spans and we suffer from high rates of diabetes, heart failure, kidney disease and sickle cell anemia,” Lee said. “Plus, we carry the burden of high rates of HIV/AIDS. Many African Americans would

Continued on A4

Who is that Black General Who Recently Little Substance From Met Sec. of State Tillerson in South Korea? Trump, CBC Meeting armies. He has also served in many leadership positions, such as chief of operations spokesman for the United States Central Command during the Second Iraqi War in Doha, Qatar, and worked with “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom” campaigns during the Iraqi War. Brooks currently serves as Continued on A4

By Maj. Gen. (Ret.) George A. Alexander Special to the AFRO

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of United Nations Combined Force Command and U.S. Forces Korea, on March 17 after Japan held its first evacuation drill following the launch by North Korea of four ballistic missiles within 220 miles of the Japanese shoreline. North Korea’s actions were a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions. The two met with South Korean officials and discussed international efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. Tillerson hinted at striking North Korea during a news conference. He also urged the Chinese, South Korean, and Japanese authorities to step up pressure on the communist country to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. As commander of the UN and U.S. forces in North Korea, Brooks is responsible for making sure that North Korean aggression is deterred, combat readiness is improved and South Korea is defended.

Courtesy Photo

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks leads UN and U.S. forces in Korea during a turbulent time with North Korea. Brooks is a 1980 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. In his senior year he was selected to serve as the Cadet Brigade Commander of the U.S. Corps of Cadets—the highest military leadership position a cadet can hold at West Point. He was the first Black person to be selected for the position. During his nearly 37 years as a commissioned officer, including 14 years as a general officer, Brooks commanded two infantry companies, an infantry battalion, a heavy brigade, two divisions, and two theater

By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com On March 22, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), including U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown of Prince George’s County, met with President Trump at the White House. Little, if anything, of substance came out of gathering. The only Baltimore-Washington area representative at the meeting was Brown, parliamentarian of the CBC. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) met with the president on March 8. While Continued on A4

The effort to raise the minimum wage in Baltimore was recently halted when Mayor Catherine Pugh vetoed a bill increasing it to $15 per hour. In 1973, then President Richard Nixon vetoed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to $2.20 per hour saying it would cause unemployment amid rising inflation. The below story documents the reaction to Nixon’s veto.

AFRO Archived History

Nixon Veto Blasted Sept. 22, 1973

By Alverta Moore “Callous” and “outrageous” are words which some labor leaders used to describe President Nixon’s veto as “inflationary” of the $2.20 an hour minimum wage bill sent to Congress. They see the veto as another cruel blow to hardworking poor people already hit by rising costs of living. Bayard Rustin, of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute in New York, deemed the President’s veto “outrageous,” but he said he considered it to be consistent with the anti-Black, anti-worker pattern of the Nixon Administration.

The Afro-American, April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017

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NATION & WORLD

Who is That Black Woman Behind Gorsuch at His Nomination Hearing? By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com

As Americans watched the U.S. Senate confirmation hearing of U.S. associate Supreme Court justice nominee Neil Gorsuch, many wondered who the well-dressed, goodlooking young Black woman sitting behind him was. It was later revealed that the woman was Mary Elizabeth Taylor, the Trump administration’s deputy director of nominations, who worked with Gorsuch’s confirmation team in terms of visiting senators and advocating on his behalf. Taylor was appointed to the Trump legislative team in March 22 by the president under the direction of Marc Short, the White House’s director of legislative affairs. Taylor has strong ties to the Republican Party. She is the daughter of Kristen Clark Taylor, who worked as director of communications under President George H.W. Bush and wrote a book on her years working in the White House, “The First to Speak: A Woman of Color Inside the White House” that was published in June 1993. Her father is Lonnie P. Taylor, the president and CEO of National Job Corps Association. Taylor attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. While she was in school, she interned with U.S. Sen. Mitchell McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2006. She was an assistant in the Senate Republican Cloakroom. Taylor also worked with Koch Industries and the Washington Nationals front office. She received her bachelor’s

degree in political science in 2011. In 2012, Taylor was selected as a public policy leadership fellow for The Fund for American Studies (TFAS), whose mission is to “develop leaders for a free society” and its president is proud of her recognition. “It is encouraging to see TFAS alumni playing such a prominent role at highest levels of government,” TFAS President Roger Ream said. “Mary Elizabeth is proof that TFAS is changing the world one student at a time.” Before her Trump administration appointment, Taylor worked with lobbyist Amy Swonger. Telly Lovelace is the national director for urban media for the Republican National Committee. He told the AFRO that he knows Taylor well. “I am very familiar with her family,” Lovelace said. “I have watched her grow. It is a great thing to see her having success in her career.”

Spike Lee Calls Lack of Suitors for Colin Kaepernick ‘Fishy’ By The Associated Press

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Supreme Court Justice Nominee Neil Gorsuch laughs as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 22, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

(AP Photo)

In this combination photo, director Spike Lee, left, appears at the premiere of “Touched With Fire” on Feb. 10, 2016, in New York and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick appears at a news conference on Jan. 1, after an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif.

Spike Lee says it’s “fishy” that former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains an NFL free agent. Kaepernick’s season-long protest of “The Star Spangled Banner” ahead of 49ers games became a topic of national debate last season. Kaepernick was protesting police treatment of minorities in the country. He has indicated he plans to stand for the anthem next season. Lee wrote on Instagram, March 26, that he had brunch with Kaepernick in New York. The director questioned what crime Kaepernick has committed. He says the quarterback’s lack of suitors “smells mad fishy to me.” Lee is suggesting his hometown New York Jets take a look at Kaepernick.

Police: Mom Beat, Choked Girl over Incorrect Bible Verses Identification Statements

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By The Associated Press

A woman severely beat her daughter, tried to strangle her and kicked her out of their house for incorrectly reciting Bible verses, police say. Rhonda Kemp Shoffner’s daughter, who is under the age of 13, was forced to kneel on the bathroom floor at their Middletown home and repeat Bible verses, police told Pennlive.com. The girl told police her mother had been drunk for three days. Shoffner, police say, asked her daughter, “What did God tell the man to do with his son?” When the girl said she didn’t know, police say, Shoffner said, “God told the man to kill his son.” Police say the girl told them she replied, “God said to forgive his son,” and Shoffner grabbed her by the hair (Dauphin County Judicial Center/ and slammed her head into the bathroom wall. PennLive.com via AP) They say each time the daughter made a mistake This undated photo provided by the Dauphin County Shoffner slammed her head into the wall, about five Judicial Center shows times. They allege Shoffner told the girl to lie down Rhonda Kemp Shoffner of because she was going to kill her and then tried to Middletown, Pa. strangle her. When the girl tried to fight off her mother, the mother bit her on the left shoulder and forearm, police say. Eventually Shoffner told her daughter to leave the house and never return, police say. The girl fled and called her father, who drove her to a police station. Shoffner faces charges including aggravated assault and terroristic threats over the March 14 incident, online court documents show. She was being held Thursday in a jail, unable to post $100,000 bail, and couldn’t be reached for comment. There was no lawyer listed for her in online court documents. A preliminary hearing is set for March 29.

‘Hidden Figures’ Author Shetterly Receives Literary Prize By The Associated Press

An author whose book was the basis for the Oscar-nominated movie “Hidden Figures” has won an award for writing literature that promotes diversity and confronts racism. Margot Lee Shetterly’s book and the namesake movie are about the contributions of a team of black women mathematicians to the NASA space program. Best-selling novelist Isabel (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) In this Feb. 11 photo, Margot Lee Shetterly arrives Allende has received a lifetime achievement award. Allende’s at the 48th annual NAACP Image Awards at the novels include “The House of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Spirits.” Shetterly and Allende were among five winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards announced March 23. Also cited were Tyehimba Jess for his poetry collection “Olio,” Peter Ho Davies for his novel “The Fortunes” and Katan Mahajan for his novel “The Association of Small Bombs,” a National Book Award finalist last fall. The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards were established in 1935 and are presented by the Cleveland Foundation.

April 1, 2017 -April 7, 2017, The Afro-American

COMMENTARY

Americans Want to Work

Americans want to work – and after years of steady progress under President Obama, our national employment prospects are finally looking up. Nevertheless, far more needs to be done. Unemployment, which reached nearly 10 percent during the depths of the Bush Recession (16 percent for African Americans), has been cut in half; and for millions of our countrymen and women, this is welcome news. Yet, for far too many other working families, the positive economic statistics heralding a “recovery” from the Recession must seem to be describing someone else’s country –an almost mythical society in which no one is struggling to find a good job that will pay enough to take care of their family. Why, if our economy is improving, do millions of Americans — especially African Americans — remain trapped in slow-moving unemployment lines or marginal positions Elijah Cummings with no future? The answers to this central question are complex, but it seems clear that they are both political and practical in nature. It is promising that our overall rate of unemployment has dropped to around 4.7 percent. Yet, what this number tends to disguise is the continuing, recession levels of unemployment in too many urban and rural areas. Specifically, the national jobless rate for African Americans (8.1 percent in Feb.) remains far higher than the overall average. Here in Maryland, the employment prospects for Black families are somewhat better, due primarily to the strong presence of federally funded agencies and programs. This, however, is why the looming budget battles in Washington are so important locally. Congressional Republicans are working to drastically cut federal programs that are essential to our local economy. President Trump, despite his campaign promises to create jobs and lift wages, is seeking to slash the budgets of federal agencies and cut key job training and related employment programs in the U.S. Department of Labor to the lowest levels in 40 years. In short, we are in a fight for the economic future of our community – a fight that we cannot afford to lose. Even as we must keep up the pressure in Washington to fulfill the campaign promises of full employment and better wages, we also must continue to do all that we can to address the fact that too many good jobs are going unfilled here in the Baltimore Region,. This is why, once again, my office will be hosting our 20th Annual Job Fair on April 3 (9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Fifth Regiment Armory, 219 29th Division St, Baltimore, Md. 21201). Over the years, I have learned that we can be most helpful to job seekers by bringing them together with employers who are ready to hire. This year, the majority of our more than 80 participating employers will take resumes onsite — and many will be interviewing on the spot. As always, our April 3 Job Fair is free, but photo identification will be needed to gain entrance to the Armory. In addition, job-seekers can give themselves a competitive advantage by visiting my website in advance [cummings.house.gov] to obtain an advance listing of the participating companies and government agencies. At our 2017 Job Fair, we once again will be offering direct support to those who are seeking to improve their lives. Here are some highlights. • We will offer workshops on how to apply and obtain paid, entry-level training positions with the Federal Government through its Pathways Program. Representatives from the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management will participate.

• Job Seekers will also benefit from meeting with representatives from the CHOICE Program (Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment); and on-site simulators and demonstrations will help those who are looking for employment in the building and construction trades. • A number of other service providers will provide important employment resources, such as free workshops on resume writing, interview techniques, and how to use social media in their job search. Past experience has demonstrated that people do obtain good jobs at our Jobs Fairs. Many others have successfully followed up by utilizing our City’s One-Stop Career Centers, conveniently located at 3001 E. Madison Street 410-396-9030, and Mondawmin Mall 410-3967873. Baltimore County and Howard County residents have found similar help at 7930 Eastern Boulevard 410-288-9050 ext. 424, 3637 Offutt Road 410-887-8912, or 7161 Columbia Gateway Drive 410-290-2600. Americans want to work, and, both in Washington and here at home, we must continue to invest in their dreams. Despite the wrong-headed opposition that we now are fighting in Washington, I remain convinced that, working together, we can rebuild our economy and our communities. Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Why the LBC Walked Out of the Gen. Assembly On March 27, while all the members of the legislature were convened in their respective chambers, the members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, led by Chairwoman Cheryl D. Glenn (D- Baltimore City) in the House and Senator Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore City) in the Senate, walked out of the House and Senate Chambers right before the voting sessions. The last time the Black Caucus walked out of a convened session was ten years ago, back in 2007, when Chairman Rudolph Cane led in their fight against the status quo—a battle that rages on today. Before the start of the legislative session, the Legislative Black Caucus made a promise to the Black citizens around the state that “we will stand united and we will fight”. The walkout was the Black Caucus putting their money where their mouth is. The Black Caucus made it clear to the leadership that they intend to deliver on their promise to fight for equal access to

Andy-Evens Pierre

opportunities for minorities. “This was not a dog-and-pony show, it was our message to leadership saying the Caucus is united and will not be deterred -- the message was heard loud and clear.” Explained Black Caucus 1st Vice Chair Delegate Darryl Barnes (D-Prince George’s). During the interim, the members of the Legislative Black Caucus worked closely with community stakeholders to put together the Priority Agenda for the 2017 Legislative Session. This Priority Agenda addressed five problem areas that disparately impacted minorities around the state. Throughout this legislative session, every member of the Black Caucus has been working tirelessly to draft and pass legislation that addressed those five problem areas in ways that would yield positive results for all Marylanders. Our opposition, intent on maintaining the status quo, has been maneuvering to undermine the Black Caucus agenda all session by blocking Caucus legislation from leaving various committees. This session Caucus has had knock-down, drag-

out fights over Medical Cannabis, HBCUs, and Bail Reform. United, the members Black Caucus have been fighting against special interests to ensure the best interest of all Maryland citizens. Since the Caucus could not be divided and conquered, there have been attempts to water down the priority agenda legislation. By walking out, the Black caucus let the legislature know in no uncertain terms that the members of the Caucus are ready to go pound for pound to get results. Caucus unity and community support has helped the Caucus pass several pieces of legislation that will improve the quality of life for minorities. In their unity, the Black Caucus members are leading by example and proving to the next generation of black leaders that they can move mountains together. Andy Pierre is the Executive Director of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.

A Response to Mayor Pugh’s $15 Minimum Wage Veto Mayor Pugh, your recent veto is baffling. You vetoed an already weakened bill that raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 for businesses with 50 or more employees and by 2026 for businesses with fewer than 50 workers. You reneged on your campaign promise. Reneging just makes your partner angry in pinochle. The stakes in your reneging takes the money out from pockets of tens of thousands of low-wage workers and those finding it difficult to get a job. You said that you consulted with ministers, nonprofits, small business owners, and elected officials in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, and Montgomery counties. Did you leave out the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC)? The essence of your reasoning for vetoing comes directly from the GBC woe-be gone statement opposing the minimum wage.

Ken Morgan

Mayor Pugh, you say employers would run to nearby counties therefore worsening job prospects for low-skilled workers and ex-offenders. Second, you said that Baltimore needs to follow the state’s increase in minimum wages. Did you consult with the low-wage workers and ex-offenders? Remember? You campaigned as a peoples candidate. A true people’s candidate looks at the wage increase in these ways. Businesses can afford it. It is big business that throws small businesses out of business, not wage earners. Make big business responsible for small businesses and nonprofits groups’ well being. A $15 an hour minimum wage increases consumer demand and drives job creation. The cost of living in Baltimore demands $15 just to make ends meet. Furthermore, the boosted wage begins to address the racial disparity, and women’s rights issues. Thousands of people will be lifted out of poverty. It is not about skill level, it is about how much the low-skilled worker contributes to employers’

bottom lines, and the gap that exists between employers and employees earnings. You said in your “State of the City” address that you wanted to focus on social services rather than increasing police budgets to cut down on crime. Yet you vetoed the minimum wage bill. The bill made some attempt to speak to the market system disparities and inequities. These things help to drive up street crime and a “dog eat dog” mentality that result in murders. Mayor Pugh, your actions mirror those of President Donald Trump. Your action truly makes no sense for the very people who need it the most. Kenneth O. Morgan is an assistant professor and coordinator of the Urban Studies Program in the Department of Criminal Justice and Applied Social and Political Sciences at Coppin State University in Baltimore.

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American • 2519 N. Charles St. • Baltimore, MD 21218 or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to editor@afro.com

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The Afro-American, Afro-American, April April 1, 1, 2017 2017 --April April 7, 1,2017 2017

Obamacare Continued from A1 have lost their coverage under the Republican plan because rates would have gone up for those who are middle and low-income, particularly the elderly.” Rep. Anthony Brown (DMd.) said that the legislation was “poorly crafted” and it “would have kicked 24 million Americans off their health insurance; increased costs for veterans, seniors and middle class families; removed maternity care, prescription drug coverage and emergency room services from insurance plans; and ended Medicaid as we know it.” However, Brown conceded that Obamacare needs some improvement saying that “I hope we can do more to lower costs and increase coverage in

our healthcare system.” According to staffers, President Trump will seek to reform the tax code. Tax reform hasn’t taken place since 1986, under President Reagan, and Trump said on the 2016 campaign trail that he will reduce taxes “for average Americans.” However, members of the CBC who sit on the powerful tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee don’t think Trump has Black’s interest at heart. The CBC member with the most seniority on Ways & Means is Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). Lewis said that he has no idea what Trump will propose specifically but strongly believes that it will benefit the wealthy and he will fight that. “When the issue comes up, I am ready to speak up,” Lewis told the AFRO. “I

Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts Show April 8 & 9, 2017

Saturday: 10 AM – 7 PM ** Sunday: 10 AM - 5 PM

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“33rd Year Celebrating African American History & Culture” • Purchase Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts from many vendors and artists. • View Educational Exhibits including Slavery Artifacts, Buffalo Soldiers, Black Panther Party, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Negro League Baseball, Nannie Helen Burroughs, George Washington Carver, Tuskegee Airmen & others. • Meet Negro League Baseball Players, Tuskegee Airmen and “Thelma” & “Michael” from the TV series “Good Times.”

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want to make it crystal clear that we will not tolerate tax cuts for the wealthy that will squeeze lower and middle income Americans.” Lewis, who is a legend on Capitol Hill because of his civil rights activism in the 1960s, agreed with Lee, Brown and McEachin that the people must get ready to fight tax reform. “We have to get organized and get out and protest,” he said. Hamil Harris contributed to this article.

March 25, 2017 - March 31, 2017, The Afro-American

General Continued from A1 the eighth Black four-star general in the U.S. Army. During his service he earned a Master’s of Military Art and Science degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Army Command and General Staff College and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the New England School of Law in Boston. He also served as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and has been the recipient of numerous military medals including the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with three oak

leaf clusters) and the Defense Superior Service Medal among others. Brooks’ promotion to brigadier general in 2004 along with the identical rank promotion of his older brother, Leo Jr., made the Brooks family the first Black family with three army generals, including their father, Leo Sr., who was a brigadier general in the army. Brooks’ relationship with the AFRO, allowed the publication to send a reporter to Afghanistan in 2006. Brooks also facilitated delivery of AFRO papers to U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early part of the 21st Century. “We are role models to a lot of young people, not just African Americans and soldiers,” Brooks told a reporter.

opportunity, and ways to empower African-American communities. “The president was engaged, Continued from A1 respectful, and demonstrated a willingness to continue the conversation D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) with the CBC. During the discussion, hasn’t met with Trump yet, she attended I spoke specifically about the needs to the groundbreaking of his downtown restore and expand Pell Grant funding, Washington hotel on July 23, 2014, when support HBCUs, and how the federal he was a private citizen. government can revitalize Brown attended the communities through meeting with U.S. Reps. investment and development. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), The president expressed who serves as Assistant his desire to work with the Democratic Leader CBC on these issues, and I for the U.S. House of will hold the president and Representatives; CBC his administration to his Chairman Cedric Richmond commitment. (D-La.); Andre Carson “President Trump and I (D-Ind.); Brenda Lawrence have genuine disagreements, (D-Mich.); Gwen Moore I continue to have concerns (D-Wisc.); and Karen about the direction of his Bass (D-Calif.). During administration, and my the meeting, Richmond AP Photo/Andrew Harnik values will prevent me discussed the “We Have a from supporting much Lot to Lose: Solutions to From left, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Cedric of his agenda. But on Advance Black Families Richmond, D-La., Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., Rep. Gwen infrastructure, workforce in the 21st century,” Moore, D-Wis., and other members of the Congressional development and supporting a document outlining Black Caucus meet with President Donald Trump in the our veterans – there is the America’s Black history, Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. possibility of common CBC history, and details on ground.” policy solutions that face and Anne Arundel counties, said the The president, along with Vice Blacks. He also handed Trump letters CBC “had a productive meeting with President Mike Pence and presidential he co-authored from Rep. John Conyers President Trump on education, criminal aide Omarosa Manigault, met with the (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the justice reform, voting rights, economic CBC for 60 minutes. Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Bobby

Substance

Scott (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, on issues they have with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, respectively. Brown, the previous Lt. Gov. of Maryland who was elected in 2016 to represent parts of Prince George’s

April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017, The Afro-American

WASHINGTON-AREA

Historic Black D.C. Church Becomes ‘Bridge’ for Racial Change

Where are D.C.’s Missing Girls?

UDC Law Gains National Praise By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com

By Hamil R. Harris Special to the AFRO Hundreds of residents different in race, age, and religion gathered at a local Methodist church to worship and find common ground on gentrification issues plaguing the city. Masons, singing “Jesus the Light the of the world,” marched into the main sanctuary of the Asbury United Methodist Church for the 169th anniversary and Divine Service of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. While in the fellowship hall of the 181 year-old church, young Black and White adults were setting up equipment for a 6 p.m. “The Bridge” service that would include some masons. “We see the bridge as bridging the gap between people and God and people and people,” said the Rev. Ianther M Mills, who in 2013 became the first Black female to pastor the 1,000-member congregation at the corner of 11th and K streets in the Northwest corridor of the city. While many Black churches have responded to gentrification issues, such as the inability to park, leaders of Asbury contract with an office building next to the church providing several floors of parking to their congregants, which they pay thousands of dollars a month for.

Photos by Rob Roberts

District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) students march in D.C. March 28 to use their first amendment right to call for the White House and the Justice Department to do more in reference to the city’s missing Black and Latino girls. By Briana Thomas Special to the AFRO An Instagram post describing how 14 Black girls went missing during a 24 hour period in the District of Columbia went viral, drawing national attention. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department Aquita Brown told the AFRO on March 27 that there is not a spike in missing person cases, just an increase in publicity. She said the department has been using social media to publicize missing person cases since last year. Even though, “the departments have always used social media to announce these cases,” Brown said. “The increase of press releases and social media gradually occurred when new

leadership took over the unit in December.” Though the report was false, the attention shed light on a District issue and sparked a flurry of response. As of March 28, there have been 828 missing person cases, with nearly 65 percent of those cases involving juveniles, according to data from the department. D.C. police share fliers on social media of missing person cases. The fliers include the name, age, photo, and where the person was last seen. Most missing persons appear to be people of color. There are currently 29 unfound people in D.C. and all those people are either Black or Hispanic, according to police reports. In response to the uproar, the Congressional Black Caucus Continued on B2

The only public law school in the District of Columbia is gaining a national reputation as an institution that is designed to train lawyers who are interested in practicing for the public good. The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC) recently received two top 10 rankings. U.S. News and World Report’s Best Law Schools 2018 ranked UDC #6-up from 10th-clinical legal training and #7-up from 18th-in diversity. “We are incredibly proud to be consistently recognized for our outstanding clinical program and steadfast commitment to cultivating a deeply diverse student body,” UDC law school Dean Shelley Broderick told the AFRO. The U.S. News & World Report rankings were

Continued on B2

“It is essential that the Department of Justice and the FBI use all of the tools at their disposal to help local officials investigate these events…”

D.C. Fair Aims to Help Adult Learners

“… we have been here for 181 years and we plan to be here 181 more years …”

By Lenore T. Adkins Special to the AFRO

– Joseph N. Yearwood III “Here in the downtown area certainly we have had many challenges but we have been here for 181 years and we plan to be here 181 more years by addressing the needs of people in this community,” Joseph N. Yearwood III, a member of the Board of Trustees at Asbury and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Masonic Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, told the AFRO. Meeting the needs of the community was on the mind of the Honorable Phillip

David, grand master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia who during his inaugural address spoke about attending Advisory Neighborhood Commissions meetings and being more involved in the local community. During her message, Mills went from pulling parts of David’s inaugural speech in January to quoting from Mathew 5:11 to make the point that the masons are Continued on B2

Courtesy Photo

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a product of an all-female education at Elizabeth Seton High School and Chatnam University, is working with the city’s education system to start an education initiative that focuses on girls and young women of color.

Bowser Announces D.C. Girls of Color Initiative By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com

Photo by Hamil Harris

Asbury United Methodist Church has been in D.C. for 181 years, and as part of its evolution in a changing landscape, the church has opened its doors to other worshippers despite race or religious preference.

Courtesy Photo

UDC Dean Shelley Broderick says that the law school prepares students for the actual practice of law.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced an initiative to empower girls and young women in the District of Columbia public school system, following criticism for building a school only for boys but not one for girls. The mayor appeared with Deputy Mayor of Education Jennifer Niles and D.C. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson at Kelly Middle School on March 26 with Principal, Kortni Stafford to announce Reign: Empower Young Women as Leaders. “As we continue making the investments necessary to give every student in the D.C.P.S. a world-class education and the resources and support they need to reach their full potential, Reign will ensure that our young women of color are not left behind,” Bowser said. “We know that different students have different needs and that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Next school year is just the beginning for Reign and, in fitting with the goals of the initiative, we will continue to expand Continued on B2

The third-annual Adult College Completion Fair, dubbed “Revisiting the Dream: College Access and Completion for All,” will be held 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. April 1 at One Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth Street NW. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is organizing the fair. Officials of the agency said they are expecting about 500 people to attend. The focus of the fair will be on budgeting and financing an education. As such, the fair will offer college advising, career assistance and workshops on financial aid and navigating the college admissions process as a new or returning student. “We just want our adult learners to be empowered and to be knowledgeable,” said Tiffany DeJesus, program manager for college and career readiness postsecondary education, with OSSE. Attendees will have an opportunity to visit representatives from nearly a dozen colleges and universities that focus on adult learners. They include Prince George’s Community College, George Mason University, University of the District of Columbia, and Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. Adult learners can also get advice from local groups specializing in postsecondary resources, the federal student aid process, tuition assistance, and in preparing them for community college. Limited information on masters’ degree programs will be available as well. Continued on B2

Homicide Count 2017 Total

Past Seven Days

Data as of March 29

The Afro-American, April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017

Missing Girls Continued from B1

called on federal authorities to help find the city’s “We are doubling down and enforcing policies missing girls on March 21. In a letter addressed to that better publicize when our youth go missing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Federal Bureau invests more resources to address why youth of Investigation Director James Comey, the CBC go missing, and provides more police to help asked for an investigation into the disappearances. investigate cases of missing youth,” Kevin Harris, “It is essential that the Department of Justice and a spokesperson for the mayor, told the AFRO the FBI use all of the tools at their disposal to March 27. help local officials investigate these events, and The initiatives include a boost in officer return these children to their parents as quickly as staffing within the Children and Family Services possible,” the letter said. Division, broadening the information provided CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and on police social accounts and webpages for Students from DCPS gathered at the White House Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) signed off missing persons, and providing grant funding to and marched throughout D.C., visiting the Trump on the letter together, stating that authorities often community non profits to assist runaway youth hotel and DOJ to protest for the city’s missing girls. assume missing children of color are runaways and Photo by Rob Roberts and their parents. not victims of abduction. Harris said the number of missing children and Delinquency Prevention to collect and publish national Brown said that the missing individuals are reports is declining and the department has a case demographic data on missing youngsters. Norton’s office runaways who leave home voluntarily, “We have no indication closure rate of 95 percent, but there is still progress to be made. did not respond for comment on her legislation in time for that these individuals are being kidnapped or snatched off “If we want to make more significant headway in lowering the publication. the street,” she said. “Our concern is to find them as soon as numbers of children reported missing, we have to deal with Also, in response to the news of the District’s missing possible, and ensure their safety.” Most missing persons are the underlying causes for why they left home in the first place, teenagers, Mayor Muriel Bowser launched six initiatives on located within 24 to 48 hours, Brown added. he said. “These initiatives will help us to focus our energies March 24 to help solve missing children cases and address the Norton also introduced legislation on March 24 to require not just on quickly locating our missing youth, but hopefully issues that are causing youth to leave their homes. the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice ensuring they don’t go missing again.”

D.C. Fair

Continued from B1 By 2020, 76 percent of all jobs in the District will require post-secondary education, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education. That statistic, DeJesus indicated, is driving the fair. A survey DeJesus conducted with about 400 District residents found 80 percent of them had some college credit, but had not finish their degrees. Most of those adults were D.C. tuition assistance grantees who failed to complete the application process for the grants, she said. For Reginald Black, it’s

personal. He has served on the Adult College Completion Initiative since its inception,

member told him 65,000 adults living in the District don’t have high school

“We just want our adult learners to be empowered and to be knowledgeable.” – Tiffany DeJesus joining when he was a college/career navigator at Academy of Hope Public Adult Charter School. Two years ago, Black pushed the D.C. City Council to fund adult learners, and was floored when he a city council

diplomas. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, it’s crazy to me that there are so many people living in the nation’s capital who don’t have a high school diploma,’ and so the question becomes ‘How do you support

yourself?’” Black asked. Since then, Black, now a recruiter at Trinity Washington University’s graduate school of business, has made it his priority to support the fair. “It doesn’t matter what I do in my occupation,” he said. “I’ll be there to make sure the fair goes off with a bang.” According to the American Community Survey, 100,268 District residents’ highest level of educational attainment is a high school diploma or equivalent. Adults can run into several obstacles that keep them from completing their degree,

DeJesus said. Issues range from the inability to afford school, to work-life balance issues, to working longer hours so they can keep living in the District as it gentrifies. Affordability is a key issue, she said. Sometimes adults register to attend forprofit universities thinking they’re a “quick fix” but those institutions may not have been accredited — meaning their credits won’t transfer — and are often expensive. Some adults pursue an education and take out loans they are unable to pay back. If students are unable to finish paying for their education, the

learning institution typically holds the transcript or refuses to transfer credits to another school, DeJesus said. “It’s more than just being in debt with federal student aid,” DeJesus said. “It’s more so having the balance so they’re able to pay.” Many adult learners need flexibility in programming, such as night or weekend courses, or the ability to take one-to-two classes at a time so they can work and/ or look after their children. Supporting these learners now will strengthen the local economy and workforce in the future, DeJesus said.

UDC

Continued from B1 announced as UDC received an “A-plus” grade and Top 10 in PreLaw Magazine’s 2017 Diversity rankings. In that same PreLaw Magazine issue, UDC had the number one spot in “Schools with the Most Community Service Hours per Student.” UDC has a robust legal services program that has generated more than 100,000 hours annually translating into roughly 360 hours a year per student. In addition, PreLaw Magazine ranked UDC #8 for “Best Schools for Public Interest” rankings and the Princeton Review ranked the school #2 nationally in the “Best Environment for Minority Students”, “Most Diverse Faculty” and “Most Chosen by Older Students.” The school’s student body is 41 percent Black and about 60 percent female, according to PreLaw Magazine. The UDC Law School is the youngest in the District, with its founding traced to the legendary Antioch School of Law that specialized in teaching its students public interest law. Antioch was founded in 1972 and closed in 1986 due to lack of funds. In 1986, the D.C. Council created the District of Columbia School of Law and retained the mission and resources of Antioch. The new D.C. School of Law was granted provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association in 1991 and in 1996; the D.C. Council merged the law school with the University of the District of Columbia. President Bill Clinton signed legislation designating the school the “David A. Clarke” moniker in honor of the late D.C. Council chairman and in 2005

“The national recognition is emblematic of the school’s commitment and the importance of diversifying the practice of law.” – Jonathan Newton it became fully accredited by the ABA. UDC Law School offers full and part-time, evening study as well as the juris doctorate and Master of Laws program. The school has nine operating clinics with an elder law clinic, supported by D.C. Council member Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4), in the works. Jonathan Newton is the president of the Student Bar Association and a third-year law student looking forward to graduating in May. Newton said UDC law’s recognition is deserved. “The national recognition is emblematic of the school’s commitment and the importance of diversifying the practice of law,” Newton told the AFRO. “UDC’s classrooms are filled with students from different racial, ethnic and sexual orientations. While UDC’s classrooms are diverse, however, the practice of law remains a largely White male driven industry.” Newton said that UDC’s strong emphasis on clinical legal

Girls of Color

be a deciding factor.” Broderick told the AFRO that her team of law professors should get the credit for the school’s success. “I am the cheerleader for the school and for the professors here,” she said. “We are hell-bent on making social justice warriors who are excellent and compassionate.” UDC does have its challenges such as the recent bar passage rate of 47.4 percent as opposed to Georgetown Law Center’s 85.7 percent passage. The school is working on building its fundraising base and has the support of noted malpractice super lawyer Jack Olender, who funds two clinical law professors. “The world has changed,” Broderick said. “Law firms are outsourcing legal work and a lot of legal work is done online so firms don’t do as much hiring as they used to. This is where we have the advantage because you learn about the actual practice of law here.”

Church

Continued from B1

the program based on the feedback we receive from the young women in our schools.” Some District residents and leaders expressed concerns in 2015 and 2016 that while District boys of color were being educated through services by the Empowering Males of Color (EMOC) initiative that is designed to increase academic and life skills, there was nothing for young women. D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) engaged D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine to write an opinion on the all-boys initiative that includes the all-male public high school, the Ron Brown Preparatory High School in Deanwood in Northeast Washington. Racine issued an opinion later that said the city’s EMOC was legally sound.

education prepares its students for the daily practice of law. “The experience places our students at an advantage by exposing them to the pragmatic functions of being a lawyer sooner than most other law students,” he said. If an employer is looking for a practiceready graduate, the amount of clinical experience exposure should

Bowser is well-acquainted with female-based education, she is a graduate of Catholic, all-girls Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Md. and Chatham University in Pittsburgh when it was an allwomen’s college. According to the mayor’s

launching Reign Innovation grants to improve academic and social outcomes for young women of color. “Through Reign, we will be able to help more of our young women of color grow into the leaders we know they can be,” Wilson said. “This

“Through Reign, we will be able to help more of our young women of color grow into the leaders we know they can be.” – Antwan Wilson press release, there are three pillars of Reign: 1) creating spaces for young women of color to build community, confidence, and leadership skills, 2) ensuring that schools are empowering places for young women of color, 3)

is a critical socio-emotional investment across health, wellness and identity for our young women of color, which will allow us to better support our students as we work to close the achievement gap.” Wilson said feedback from

young women across the city drove the Reign initiative. “Young women told us that they want to support one another, develop leadership skills that help them have careers in politics, afterschool programs and activities that help them build their selfconfidence,” the chancellor said. “Basically, these young women want schools to be places where they feel valued.” Wilson said that Reign will cost approximately $1 million. It was noted that there was no proposal to create an all-girls public school and Bowser said that was done by design.”Again, this is not a one-size-fits-all situation,” the mayor said. “We want to deliver services the way the children need them and we want to address the needs of girls.”

Continued from B1 needed in the community. Reading from New Testament, she talked about how John the Baptist sent disciples to Jesus with a simple question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” “Are you the one!” Mills asked the Masons during a service where she challenged them to come from their temples and lodges to be more active in the community.” Following the Divine service a few of the Mason’s came into the fellowship where they mingled with the young adults who were singing and nibbling on chips and salsa. The Rev. Matthew Wilke, who like Mills, is a minister in the United Methodist Church, talked about the vision of Bridge and the reality of people worshiping together regardless of color. “Bridge is in the midst of an historic African-American church, we are a ministry of the church. We are reaching out to a gentrified neighborhood and also to all types of people living in D.C.,” Wilke said. “It is not about one particular culture but it is all about coming together at the foot of the cross, which is about what Heaven really looks like.”

Bowser also has plenty of support in her girls’ initiative. “Reign is fantastic,” AtLarge D.C. State Board of

Education member Ashley Carter told the AFRO. “This initiative will improve the learning of young women.”

April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017, The Afro-American

AFRO WASHINGTON AREA

Obituary Milton Ree Henderson was called to eternal rest on March 11 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was born on Dec. 9, 1931, in Mansfield, N.C. In 1953, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served in the Korean War. He received the United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star and a Good Conduct Medal. He completed high school in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Veterans High School Center at Armstrong High School in 1958. He was a strong, hardworking, entrepreneur who founded Henderson Bus Service in 1973, a charter bus company that traveled throughout the United States and Canada. Milton is preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Mildred Henderson. He is survived by his son, Sowande Tichawonna; daughter-in-law Nicole Crawford-Tichawonna; grandson, Damani Tichawonna; sister, Bertha Williams and other relatives and friends. Funeral services were held March 24 at Stewart Funeral Home, 4001 Benning Rd., NE. The military burial ceremony was held at Harmony Memorial Park in Hyattsville, Md.

Google Partners with Howard University for Summer Residency Program By Lenore T. Adkins Special to the AFRO Google has partnered with Howard University to create Howard West, the Washington, D.C. based HBCU announced on March 23. Howard West is a summer residency program in Silicon Valley for the school’s top juniors and seniors majoring in computer science. Between 25 and 30 students will spend three months working at Google’s Mountain View campus under the tutelage of Google engineers and Howard faculty. The students receive class credit for their work while the tech giant covers students’ housing and other related expenses. The program is the first of its kind. “Howard West will continue Howard’s tradition of providing unprecedented access to opportunity, only now with a presence in the heart of Silicon Valley,” Bonita Stewart, Google’s vice president of Global Partnerships, said in a statement. Howard West is an extension of the Google in Residence program, which embeds Google

engineers at Howard and other HBCUs, including Hampton University in Virginia, Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., and Spelman College and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., to teach courses. USA Today reported that some students in

“Howard West will continue Howard’s tradition of providing unprecedented access to opportunity…” – Bonita Stewart the program secured summer internships at Google. Last year, Google hosted 50 technical summer interns from seven HBCUs. This summer, 62 interns from 10 schools have accepted offers, the news publication reported. Howard West is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to find and retain top diverse talent.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Washington, D.C.

501 W. Street NW Howard University Holds Discussion on the Late Rep. Louis Stokes

Howard University is scheduled to hold a panel discussion on March 31 on the late U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, the first black man Ohio elected to Congress. The discussion will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library, 501 W. Street NW. The free event celebrates a new book out about Stokes called “The Gentleman From Ohio,” as well as the 16th anniversary of the health science library named in Stokes’ honor. Coauthor, Eric Hammond, a legislative affairs specialist at the National Science Foundation will discuss the book, which details Stokes’ life and career. Civil Rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis wrote its forward. A reception and book signing will follow the program. For more information about the event or to RSVP, send an email to fatima.barnes@howard.edu.

wants to see you on April 1. The third-annual fair, dubbed “Revisiting the Dream: College Access and Completion for All,” will be held on April 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at One Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth Street NW. The D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education is organizing the fair. Officials of the agency said they hope that 500 people show. The event is free. For more information or to register for the fair, email Tiffany DeJesus at Tiffany.DeJesus@dc.gov , visit osse.dc.gov/service/adult-college-completioninitiative-acc or call DeJesus at 202- 741-6415.

1519 4th Street, NW Ijara Corp. Hosts Comm-Unity Potluck

For those dreaming of attending college or those who went to college and didn’t graduate, the Adult College Completion Fair

ijara Community Development Corp. is scheduled to hold a Comm-Unity Potluck dinner and a Islamic Banking and Home Financing workshop April 2 at the Masjid Muhammad – The Nation’s Mosque, 1519 4th Street, NW from noon to 3 p.m. Learn how you can become a homeowner, while still being true to the Islamic faith. Points of discussion will include: What is Riba?; What does the Quran say about Riba?; Methodologies of Islamic Financing and Purchasing a home the Halal Way. The workshop is free, but participants are encouraged to bring a dish for the potluck.

According to Google, 2 percent of their total workforce is Black and 1 percent of their technology workers are Black. Whites and Asians make up the vast majority of the company’s employees. The initiative meshes with Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick’s goals to plant the university’s flag on the West Coast. “We envisioned this program with bold outcomes in mind – to advance a strategy that

leverages Howard’s high quality faculty and Google’s expertise, while also rallying the tech industry and other thought leaders around the importance of diversity in business and the communities they serve,” Frederick said in a statement. Although the amount of new hires the program will generate is not known, 740 students will have matriculated within five years.

441 Fourth Street NW OSSE to Host College Fair for Adult Learners

Urban Bush Women Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Artistic Director

Walking with ’Trane The celebrated company known for vivid performances and intelligent dance pieces performs a new work that explores the legacy of jazz musician John Coltrane, visualizing his life’s work through dance and eye-catching multimedia components.

“Few companies connect as deeply and genuinely with their audiences.”

April 7 & 8 | Eisenhower Theater A PART OF

Support for JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy is provided by Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, Chevron,The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and Target.

Photo by Gennia Cui

—The New York Times

The Afro-American, April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017

The National Newspapers Publishers Association, otherwise known as the Black Press, held its annual Black Press Week from March 22 March 24 in Washington, D.C. Donna Brazile, a Democratic political strategist who was not present, was honored with the 2017 Torch Award for Outstanding Leadership and Achievement in Political Empowerment.

Al McFarlane, chair, NNPA Foundation

Tasha Cole, CBCF, Shrita Hernandez, National Museum of Afrian American History and Culture and Muriel Cooper, CBCF

Wade Henderson, Torch Awardee

Benjamin Chavis, Jr., president/CEO, NNPA; Roy Lewis, Torch Awardee for Outstanding Achievement in Photography, Denise Rolark Barnes, chair, Board of Directors, NNPA and Al Mcfarlane Cherie Wilson, General Motors

D. Kevin McNeir, editor, Washington Informer; Ron Burke, advertising manager, Washington Informer and Telly Locelace, national director, Urban Media and African American Field Engagement, Republican National Committee

Marcus Sebastian Mason, LaKeitha Anderson and Jeffrey Ballou, president, National Press Club Elizabeth Primas, Program Manager, NNPA and Mark Sesay

Emcee, Evan Ward, The Sun Reporter

Thomasina Yearwood, Stacey Palmer and Shantella Sherman

Karen Carter Richards and Hazel Ramsey, The Forward Times, Houston, Texas

Seventy-five thousand dollars was awarded to 24 Prince George’s County students on March 19 by the Prince George’s County Alumnae Chapter (PGCAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at its 41st Annual Scholarship Benefit Fashion Show at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Md. Models and designers adorned the runway to the theme of “Rouge & Blanc,” under the direction of Ron Cook, fashion producer and CEO of Rogues Gallery.

Khayan Lewis, Safe Lewis and Roy Lewis, honoree for the Torch Award for Outstanding Achievement in Photography

Photos by Rob Roberts

Scholarship recipients

Sinthea Myrick Kelly, chair, Fashion Show Committee

Miriam Brewer, chair, Scholarship Committee; Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, 22nd national president, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Greta Wiggins-Lewis, chapter president and Wanda Jones Rogers, Prince George’s County Delta Alumni Foundation chair

Rogue Gallery models

Prince George’s County State’s Attorney, Angela Alsobrooks

Actors Daphne Maxwell Reid and Tim Reid; Edgar Brookins, AFRO D.C. general manager and Pamela Jenkins

Award-winning, jazz pianist Marcus Johnson and band

Fashion Show committee

Caraleen Tyner and Mary Gillian

Md. State Del. Carolyn J.B. Howard; Karen Toles, Prince George’s County councilmember and Debbie Tijani

Photos by Rob Roberts

Scholarship committee

To purchase this digital photo page contact Takiea Hinton: thinton@afro.com or 410.554.8277.

Emcees Mo Ivory, Esq., Radio and TV Personality and Guy Lambert, WPGC Radio Personality

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April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017, The Afro-American

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Race and Politics

Rising Above Lowered Expectations

When I first became a professional journalist with the AFRO back in 1989, the first Sean Yoes story I ever Senior AFRO wrote was Contributor about the Baltimore City Public Schools and the superintendent (that’s what they were called back then) at the time Richard Hunter. “Hunter Bombshell Still Seething,” was the headline of the front page story, which unpacked Hunter’s attempted re-organization of BCPS headquarters at North Avenue. That was January 1989, less than a year later, Hunter was out as superintendent. But, that’s beside the point. A few months later after that first story, I was the AFRO’s full-time education reporter and I began producing a page titled, “AFRO School of the Week,” which focused a spotlight on the good works of schools in the BCPS. I suspect this would be a pretty good time to reinstitute the School of the Week page, and throw some shine on the gems within the beleaguered BCPS ($130 million deficit among other ills). I was recently introduced to a school which would be the perfect subject for a 2017 version of ASOTW, the Benjamin Banneker Eubie Blake Academy for Arts and Sciences, in East Baltimore. When I arrived at the allboys middle school (it serves 6th-8th grade, however for this school year BannekerBlake is 6th and 7th graders only) a couple of weeks ago (for an unrelated reason) I was welcomed by my friend, former Baltimore City Councilman Carl Stokes, who is a co-founder of the school. After I finished talking with Stokes, he introduced me to another co-founder of

Continued on D2

Mount Auburn Cemetery Home to Many From Civil Rights Movement

AFRO file photo

Three generations of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Keiffer A. Jackson, are seen above in 1942. Many of the Jacksons are buried at Baltimore’s Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Seated from left to right are: Keiffer A. Jackson, Clarence M. Mitchell, 3rd, Mrs. Juanita Jackson Mitchell, Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Mrs. Virginia Jackson Kiah of Cambridge, Md., Karleen May Downs of Pasadena, Calif., Mrs. Lillie M. Jackson, local NAACP president; standing, from left to right, are the Rev. Karl E. Downs, pastor. of Scott Methodist Church, Pasadena, Calif., Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., War Man Power Commission representative, Washington D.C. and C. Lycurgus Kiah, principal of the St. Clair High School, Cambridge, Md. By Briahnna Brown Special to the AFRO With a family name that is inextricably linked with the NAACP and the civil rights movement both here in Maryland and nationally, Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson birthed a civil rights movement through her daughter Juanita that, three generations in, has been advocating for change in Baltimore. Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson, the mother of a civil rights movement, is one of many history makers that call Mount Auburn Cemetery, one of Baltimore’s largest African American cemeteries, their final resting place. She was a major organizer and president of Baltimore’s

NAACP for 35 years, and her efforts helped secure the passage of fair employment legislation in Baltimore City and desegregation around the state. She married Keiffer Albert Jackson in 1910, and together they had four children, Virginia, Juanita, Marion and Bowen Keiffer. Juanita Jackson Mitchell became the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Maryland School of Law, and the first to practice law in Maryland. She followed in her mother’s footsteps as Baltimore’s NAACP president where she advocated for school desegregation and voting registration. The NAACP created the Juanita Jackson Mitchell Legal Activism Award in her name. Continued on D2

April Ryan’s Memoir Relays Wisdom on Race People say that we live in a divided country, and they are absolutely right. There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who haven’t read At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White, by April Ryan, and the ones who have. In this book, Ryan perfectly pens the challenges that Black women face in America. Ryan is also the Washington Bureau Chief for American Urban Radio Networks and is often in involved in heated exchanges with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer that have racial overtones. In her memoir, she discusses how at a young age her mother taught her about “the contributions that so many Black people have given to the world.” This lesson, and other similar ones, put Ryan ahead of the game in being knowledgeable about

LBC and Baltimore NAACP Push HBCU Bill By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO

Books

By Kondwani Fidel Special to the AFRO

Blackness in America. What good is a book about race, if it doesn’t mention “the talk.” “The talk” is racist myth that entails: Black parents talking to their children about how they should walk, dress, talk, breathe, eat, smile, blink, cough, laugh, or perform any other gesture, in a specific kind of way, which is supposed to strip racists of their racism. This “talk” is supposed to help Black youth avoid altercations

with police and everyday regular racist people. Being Black can rob you of your life, because we’ve been stamped from the beginning as inferior. You should never put this responsibility on the oppressed, but rather on the oppressor. Ryan does well by addressing this talk, and hopefully putting an end to this myth. For those who assume Black people make up stories to make their lives seem harder than they are, Ryan includes a bevy of statistics. She notes that “for every 100 Black women not in jail, there are only 83 Black men. The remaining men—1.5 million of them—are, in a sense, missing. They are missing largely because of early death or because they are behind bars.” These figures indicate the racial disparities in this country. It is undeniable that Black communities are policed more which equals more arrest. When there are more arrests,

“My mother was quick to point out that everyone was not as embracing of our community as I imagined it was in the movies.”

Racist Sword Killer Says He Wanted to Prevent Race Mixing By The Associated Press A White racist accused of fatally stabbing a 66-year-old stranger on a Manhattan street because he was Black says he’d intended it as “a practice run” in a mission to deter interracial relationships. James Harris Jackson, 28, spoke with a reporter for the Daily News at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex. He said he envisioned a White woman thinking: “Well, if that guy feels so strongly about it, maybe I shouldn’t do it.” The victim, Timothy Caughman, who was remembered as a gentleman and a good neighbor, was alone and collecting bottles for recycling last week when he was attacked from behind with a sword. He staggered, bleeding, into a police station and later died at a hospital. Jackson was in court Monday, as prosecutors charged him

Continued on D2

–April Ryan people then perceive that there is more crime. In another excerpt Ryan details more consciousness that she attained, from being At Mama’s Knee. “I learned early on, especially as I watched those old black-andwhite movies, falling in love

Continued on D2

The Baltimore Branch of the NAACP is aligning with the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland’s leadership to push the Maryland General Assembly on a bill supporting the state’s four HBCU’s (Bowie State, Coppin State, Morgan State and The University of Maryland Eastern Shore). The Baltimore NAACP has published a list of Maryland Legislative Black Caucus (LBC) Senators and Delegates who support SB712, the Blount-RawlingsBritt HBI Comparability Program Act designed to provide supplemental funding assistance to the state’s HBCU’s. The bill also required the Maryland Higher Education Commission to adopt standards and procedures ensuring an equitable higher education funding formula. Marvin Cheatham, political action director of the Baltimore NAACP, is concerned that only a small number of LBC Delegates have signed on to support the bill. “The limited supporters, especially from the [Legislative Black] Caucus, will educate voters on who talked the talked and who walked the walk,” Cheatham said. Cheryl Glenn (Baltimore City-45) Chair of Legislative Black Caucus said that passing legislation supportive of HBCU’s is the caucus’ number one priority. “ With 50 members combined in both the State Senate and the House of Delegates, The LBC and NAACP looked for a united Continued on D3

Past Seven Days

77 2017 Total

Data as of March 29

The Afro-American, April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017

Mount Auburn Continued from D1

Juanita married Clarence Mitchell Jr. in 1938, another civil rights activist who started his work with the NAACP in 1946, and became director of the Washington Bureau in 1951. He helped get the civil rights and voting rights acts, along with the Fair Housing Act, passed in the 1960s in Congress, earning him the nickname of “101st U.S. Senator.” Former President Jimmy Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. Clarence’s younger brother, Perren Mitchell, in 1952, became the first African American to graduate from thensegregated University of Maryland’s graduate school after suing for admission, earning a sociology degree, and, in 1971, was the first African American elected to represent Maryland in Congress where he was a vocal member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Perren Mitchell was an advocate for affirmative action legislation while in Congress, and, in 2015, University of Maryland dedicated its art-sociology building in his name. Clarence and Juanita Mitchell had four sons: Clarence Mitchell III and Michael B. Mitchell—both former state

senators who were convicted and jailed for their involvement in the Wedtech Scandal in 1987—George Davis Mitchell and Keiffer Jackson Mitchell Sr., a physician. Clarence Mitchell IV served as a state delegate from 1995– 1999 and a state senator from 1999–2003. He currently hosts “The C4 Show” on WBAL radio. Keiffer Jackson Mitchell Jr. has also had a career in public service, a Baltimore City Council member from 1995–2007, and after an unsuccessful mayoral bid, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011–2015 where he co-sponsored a bill that helped construct new city schools. He is now a special advisor on Gov. Larry Hogan’s staff. While many knew the Mitchell family for their work in the fight for civil rights, Keiffer Jr. knew them simply as Uncle Perren, Grandpop and Grandma. He said that growing up, there was a lot of laughter and love in the family, especially during the holidays. Still, the older generations made sure the children were aware of the work they were doing, and why it was

important. “There’s never any pressure to follow in anyone’s footsteps,” Mitchell told the AFRO. “They just said, ‘We want you to be happy but always try to give back in whatever you do.’ My grandmother had a saying, which was, ‘service to your people is the rent you pay for your space on this earth.’ So, that’s sort of our mantra.” Mitchell said he has many vivid memories at Mount Auburn Cemetery, including the burial of his great grandmother Lillie Mae in 1975, and his grandparents taking him and his sisters to visit the gravesites there. He took his own children there last year, he said, while teaching them more about their own history and lineage. “Mount Auburn has a tremendous amount of history on that land there and, as I remind folks, that was the only place blacks could get buried,” Mitchell said. “There’s so many folks there that you see buried there that contributed to not just our city and state, but to the nation.”

Race and Politics Continued from D1

Banneker-Blake, Edwin Johnson, who proudly gave me a tour of the school, darting me from room to room where each time I entered a classroom, I was eagerly greeted by a dignified young man donned in coat and tie. I later found out those young men act as the classroom, “diplomats,” whose responsibility is to make visitors to that classroom feel welcome and to explain what’s going on without disrupting the lesson and the rest of the class. “There is a low expectation of Black kids, particularly Black males and it’s done systematically,” Edwin Johnson said. “A lot of our teachers in this system have low expectations,” he added. However, this charter school is setting the bar high for Black boys (despite the fact many of them come from some of the more impoverished neighborhoods of the city),

offering “a rigorous science, technology, engineering and math curriculum.” Banneker-Blake’s school day is extended and they go to school year round, with three to four weeks of instruction during the summer. “For every decision, there is a decision... what you do in middle school, effects what you do in high school, which effects if you want to go to college,” said Thereas Farr, secretary of the school’s board members. “It’s not just what they’re learning, but how they apply what they learn...what they are teaching in the class and how it makes them understand that they have a say in society,” Farr said. Vaughn DeVaughn, who teaches social studies and geography at Banneker-Blake says the young men are making the transition from school being simply a place of social interaction, versus a thoughtful place with a

Memoir

scores of many Black boys in the BCPS. “When I got here my mantra, my motto has always been, failure is not an option, mediocrity is not a choice. So, when I got... to be a part of this (Banneker-Blake) mission, this vision I felt like, this is it, this is what your uncle had been telling you. And I said to myself, this is the beginning of your purpose,” Sanchez added. And the goal of Banneker-Blake is to imbue all of their young men with a sense of purpose. “We’re trying to teach them that every last one of them has a purpose and has a value to society,” Farr said. “That you can be whatever you want to be.” Sean Yoes is a senior contributor for the AFRO and host and executive producer of, AFRO First Edition, which airs Monday through Friday, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on WEAA, 88.9.

Killer

Continued from D1 with the hero, who was usually White… My mother was quick to point out that everyone was not as embracing of our community as I imagined it was in the movies.” April Ryan depicts a conversation that she had with Barack Obama about Blacks living in a post-racial America. She asks him, “Is this postracial, or would you say post Obama?” She stumped the former president on the question, but you will have to read the book to see how the rest of the conversation plays out. But one thing I will say, is that I strongly agree with Ryan’s belief that “racism persists at its worst level, even today,” no matter who says otherwise. The most intriguing segment of At Mama’s Knee is when Ryan, who is a graduate of Morgan State University and worked for years as a news reporter in the Baltimore market, discusses

higher purpose. “They are starting to make the connection that what I do here, will impact my life later on,” DeVaughn said. “It is a challenge…they are at that age where they just want to play and learning isn’t that important, they don’t see the bigger picture. So, for us as professors trying to instill in them that they are going to be something great...us trying to pull them in the right direction is a challenge, but they’re getting there,” he added. Akilah Sanchez, a language arts teacher from Harlem, New York, says her uncle helped prepare her for the reality of teaching Black boys in Baltimore, within a public school system many argue is not crafted for their success. “‘You don’t understand the impact of what you are about to do,’” her uncle warned, later telling his niece about the abysmal reading

Continued from D1 the power of invisibleness that comes with Black skin, while using Michelle Obama as a tour guide. She describes how “[Michelle] would walk the streets of Washington, D.C., around the White House, unannounced and in most cases unnoticed.” She explains that Michelle had several such walks and was rarely recognized by tourists, workers, and residents, and it’s because she is invisible, I mean Black. We live in a country that nourishes us to see color, so race is the first thing that many of us notice. Despite Michelle’s face gracing many magazine covers, television screens, as well as her many accomplishments, Ivy League schools she has attended, and her being the First Lady of The United States, she was still invisible. This should be living proof to every Black person in America: accomplishments can not erode

racism. Therefore, your work should never be done with hopes to seek validation from the people who oppress you. At Mama’s Knee by April Ryan is a must read for everyone, most importantly those parents who seek guidance in how to transfer wisdom about race to their children, how Ryan’s mother did for her, and how she currently does for her daughters. Kondwani Fidel is a writer, speaker, and spoken word poet. Fidel is the author of Raw Wounds and is a member of Ivy Bookshop. He is from, and currently lives in Baltimore, Md. All book reviewed in this column can be purchased at The Ivy Bookshop, located at 6080 Falls Rd, near Lake Ave in Mt Washington. For more information about book club discounts or upcoming author events please go to theivybookshop.com or call us at 410-377-2966.

Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP

Hampden man James Harris Jackson left Baltimore to travel to New York in order to kill a Black man, according to police. with murder as an act of terrorism in addition to the murder as a hate crime charge he’d already been facing. Jackson did not speak, and his attorney had no comment. Childhood friends of Caughman, who grew up in Queens, attended the hearing and said he was a kind man who didn’t deserve the brutality. “Tim Caughman did not deserve to die like that,” said Portia Clark. “Nobody does. I mean, come on, we’re Black, White, Yellow, Brown — that’s ridiculous. We’re trying to get along.” Carl Nimmons wept outside court after seeing Jackson. “It really hurt me to see that man, because I can’t do nothing about it. I don’t have the power to do anything about it,” he said. In the interview, Jackson said in retrospect, he would rather have killed “a young thug” or “a successful older Black man with blondes ... people you see in Midtown. These younger guys that put White girls on the wrong path.” He complained that on television, “it’s like every other commercial in the past few years has a mixed-race couple in it.” “The White race is being eroded. ... No one cares about you. The Chinese don’t care about you, the Blacks don’t care about you,” he said. Jackson, who was raised in what was described as a churchgoing, liberal family in a – Portia Clark Baltimore suburb, said his ideal society is “1950s America.” Jackson was in the Army from 2009 to 2012 and worked as an intelligence analyst, the Army said. Deployed in Afghanistan in 2010-11, he earned several medals and attained the rank of specialist. The military training, Jackson said, helped him plan the bloodshed. “I had been thinking about it for a long time, for the past couple of years,” he said. “I figured I would end up getting shot by police, kill myself, or end up in jail.” He is charged with murder as a hate crime. His attorney, Sam Talkin, has said if the allegations are anywhere close to being true, “then we’re going to address the obvious psychological issues that are present in this case.”

“I mean, come on, we’re Black, White, Yellow, Brown — that’s ridiculous. We’re trying to get along.”

April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017, The Afro-American

Welcome Spring and Music Lovers

Hello everyone, well I am back from my week’s vacation and all I can say it was a pleasure to spend some time with my oldest son and his wife who invited Shorty and I to join them for a get-away in the Poconos except for the fact we did not expect to get snowed in under 30 inches of snow. It was unbelievable, but we were in a nice villa with a fireplace, sauna, whirlpool tub, plenty of food and we got a lot of rest. Honey Child, I am so damn glad we are back home. Well, thank God Spring is really here and we have lots of

Millie Battle, president and Board members of the Left Bank Jazz Society have reunited and are gearing up for a second concert this spring.

Jazz Expressways Foundation Breakfast was a complete success. The event was sold out because of the Greg Hatza’s Band with special guests Ebban & Ephraim Dorsey siblings who knocked the socks off the audience; TisShay’s Touch Caterer with their delicious food and decor and all of you who attended and had a great time. We thank you! entertainment waiting for you, starting with the 27th Annual Berks Jazz Festival which will start March 31 and run thru April 9. It is not too far away, it is just in Reading, Pa., so you can check out the shows and drive back home. I have attended this concert in the past and Girlfriend, it is always awesome. Jazz enthusiasts around the world return to this festival every

year for 10 days of fun and music. With a multiplicity of concerts at venues large and small featuring contemporary jazz, urban jazz, straight-ahead jazz, blues, funk, R&B, gospel, sounds that meld genres, and unique concerts produced especially for the festival. The line-up this year is extensive as always. For the first day, they will feature the Dr. Lonnie Smith trio, Gerald Albright, Pattie Austin, Jonathan Butler, Berks Groove Project, Jeff Bradshaw, Eric Darius, Gerald Veasley, JJ Sansaverino, Marcus Myers, Oli Silk, Donald Robinson, Al “DJ ACT” Taylor, Cullen & Company, Bob Baldwin, Walter Beasley, Marion Meadows, Larry Graham & Graham Central Station just to name a few. Most of the shows will be held at the Double Tree by Hilton Reading Grand Ballroom. For ticket information and more details go to berksjazzfest.com or you can find them at 201 Washington Street, Ste. 523, Redding, Pennsylvania or call 610-898-1930. Darrell “Mr. Disco” Randall will present “Live Jazz & Cocktails” hosted by B-Mo-Buford of WMEG Radio Station on April 1 featuring smooth jazz artist and Baltimore’s own

Marcus Lansey, the renowned jazz trumpeter, and his band at the Gentlemen Ten Lounge, 2135 Edmondson Avenue, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 443-942-6580. Then there are the events who present recorded music, such as a “Karaoke Contest”. From 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. on April 7 if you can sing, I mean really sssssssssssssssssing, you can get paid for it. The winners get from $200.00 to $500.00. My goodness gracious. I better go into the bathroom and tune up my voice. This event will be hosted by Dollarbill & Karriemg at the Patapsco Arena, 3301 Annapolis Road. One more thing; the 100 Black Men of Maryland Tiger Lil, one of the best will be presenting their 25th barmaids in Baltimore, is Anniversary Gala on April 7 the Starmaid at Pat Chase from 8 p.m. until 12 a.m. at Social Club, 1101 Patterson Martin’s West, 6817 Dogwood Park (near Biddle Street) Road. It is a Black Tie Event, every Friday and Sunday so take out your tux and morning. gowns. A cash bar, dinner and many vendors will be on site. The live entertainment will be provided by the Panama Band. For ticket information, call 410-664-6726. Tell them “Rambling Rose” told you. Well, my dear friends, this is it. Enjoy the weather and enjoy the live entertainment of music. I have to go now, but remember if you need me, call me at 410-833-9474 or email me at rosapryor@aol.com. You can also send your correspondence to 214 Conewood Avenue, Reisterstown, Maryland 21136. Until next time, I’m musically yours.

HBCU Bill

Continued from D1 front from Black legislators to ensure SB-712 made it out of the Senate Budget and Taxation committee, where it was sponsored by Joan Carter Conway (Baltimore City -43). Conway has promoted legislation supporting the state’s HBCU’s for more than a decade. But Cheatham, is concerned that the bill may not make it to the floor of the statehouse as this point in the calendar. The 2017 Maryland State Legislative Session is scheduled to conclude April 11. “It looks like the bill will die in Budget and Taxation, “Cheatham said. All LBC Senators have signed on in support of the bill. Backing from the

House of Delegates has been more tentative. Based on a list obtained from the Baltimore NAACP, only seventeen delegates are on record in support of SB-712. Delegates Ali, Angel, Barnes, Barron, Conaway, Gibson, Glenn, Hayes, Jackson, McCray, Pena-Melnyk, Proctor, Queen, Rosenberg, Valentino-Smith, Washington, and Wilkins, were on the written list compiled by the NAACP and shared with Glenn as supporters of the Blount-Rawlings-Blake HBI Comparability Program. “The list the NAACP developed to track supporters of this bill, SB 712 is flawed,” said Pam Queen (Montgomery County-14) one of the legislators included on

Psalms 34:1

RISING ZION BAPTIST CHURCH Email Address: risingzionbaptistchurch@verizon.net 2300 Llewelyn Avenue • Baltimore, Maryland 21213 Church: (410) 276-6306 • Home: (410) 435-5695

Rev. Theodore D. Addison, Sr., Senior Pastor Reverend James P. Johnson, Jr., Pastor

“A Church fulfilling its call by faith: living, loving, and laboring in Christ”

The Rising Zion BapTisT ChuRCh CoRdially inviTes you To join us on This joyous oCCasion: ChuRCh and pasToR, Rev. dR. TheodoRe d. addison, sR., senioR pasToR

39th Anniversary Celebration!

Rev. Theodore D. Addison, Sr.

“A Church And Pastor After 39 Years Still Rooted In Christ Committed To Standing Steadfast On The Transforming Word Of God, Enriching The Lives Of All Who Receive It”

Celebration Service are as follows: Wednesday, April 5th, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.

Rev. Franklin Peterson, Jr., Pastor - Faith United Baptist Church Thursday, April 6th, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.

Bishop James Carter, Pastor - Ark Church Friday, April 7th, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.

Bishop Clifford M. Johnson, Jr., Senior Pastor Mt. Pleasant Church and Ministries Sunday, April 9th, 2017 - 11:00 a.m. Morning Service

Rev. Dr. Ernest Gillspie, III, Pastor Pearly Gate Missionary Baptist Church, Memphis, TN

the list. “The fact is - the entire Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland has made this legislation - HBCU lawsuit and funding, one of our 2017 Legislative Priorities. Therefore, we ALL support this bill,” Queen added. The AFRO reached out to all LBC delegates who were not included on the NAACP list to solicit their feedback and position on the bill. Several immediately expressed their support including Sa’Toya Truss, Legislative Director for Delegate Nick Mosby, (Baltimore City-40) who attended the Black Caucus’ recent HBCU Night. Truss said Mosby is in full support of the bill. “He is a proud HBCU graduate of Tuskegee University, and knows firsthand the importance of protecting the trajectory of our sacred institutions,” she said. Tony Knotts’ (Prince Georges County-26) office also responded resoundingly in support of SB-712. “Having received both a B.A. and M.A. from Bowie State University he is fully aware of needs of additional state funding for Maryland’s HBCUs and fully supports efforts to get them that

funding,” said Clyde White, legislative aide for Knott. Others responding in support of legislation to ensure equity in funding between Maryland HBCU’s and TWI’s include Jay Walker (Prince Georges County-26), Talmadge Branch (Baltimore City-45), Diana Fennell (Prince Georges County –

47-A), Benjamin Brooks (Baltimore County-10) and Keith Haynes (Baltimore City-44-A). “I do support the idea and the concepts,” said Haynes who also wants to see funding equity between the state’s HBCU’s he mentioned. “That’s a separate but related matter,” Haynes said.

Tawanna Gaines (Prince Georges County-22) has not yet taken a formal position on the bill, according staff from her office. The Legislative Black Caucus recently walked out of the General Assembly. See their commentary on why they did on A3.

One school will win $10,000!

Vote now

for your favorite safety sketch! Help a local elementary school win up to $10,000 by voting for your favorite student-drawn safety sketch in BGE’s natural gas safety contest, The Adventures of Captain Mercaptan. Winning schools will be awarded $35,000 to use for enrichment projects. Visit BGEGasHero.com by April 9 to cast your vote!

Adve

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Title Church and Pastor’s 39th Anniversary Committee Chairpersons:

Deacon Gregory Wilkes • Deaconess Jean Madison Assistant Chairpersons:

Sister Ashley Wheatley • Sister Princetta Johnson For further information please call the Church at the number listed above.

If yo in er cont at (4

The Afro-American, April 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017

Award winners Julia Wingaro and Mikayla Longmire

Major Briscoe, Western District Police station

Marion Blackwell and Wanda Best

(L-R) Marilyn Bentley, Clerk of Court, Marilyn Mosby, State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, Sharon Green-Middleton, VP Baltimore City Council, Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, Joan Pratt, Baltimore City Comptroller and Belinda Conaway, Register of Wills

Award winner Julia Wingaro with her father

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh hosted Woman’s History Month on March 22 at Baltimore City Hall. The program was attended by some of the most distinguished woman in Baltimore including: States Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Comptroller Joan M. Pratt and Vice President of the City Council Sharon Green-Middleton. The Mayor stressed that in order to be successful women they must support each other more. The Mayor honored Carla Hayden, the 14th librarian of Congress and former CEO of Enoch Pratt Free Library, with a special award. Also presented with awards were two students: Mikayla Longmire of Digital Harbor High School and Julia Wingaro of Ben Franklin High School. Award winner Mikayla Longmire and mother Police Officer Colette Longmire

Photos by James Fields Sr.

On March 25, The Dr. Elizabeth Adams banquet hall of the Family Life Center at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore was packed with spiritual leaders, church and family members who attended the Delta Lambda Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Prayer Breakfast. The Annual Lenten “Faith Leaders” Prayer Breakfast was held to recognize distinguished local ministers and community leaders who continue to be active in service to others. Honorees included Rev. Dr. Brad R. Braxton, senior pastor, The Open Church of Maryland, Rev. Dr. Harold A. Carter Jr, pastor, New Shiloh Baptist Church, Deborah G. Haskins, president, Md. Council on Problem Gambling, Rev. Dr. Anthony Hunt, pastor, Epworth United Methodist Chapel, Rev. Eric W. King, I, pastor, Metropolitan United Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. Marcus G. Wood, pastor, Providence Baptist Church, and Edmonia T. Yates, past president The Baltimore Alpha Wives.

Performing the Alpha Chorale in Revelation

Honoree Rev. Dr. Marcus G. Wood, pastor, Providence Baptist Church The 2017 Beautillion Scholars Class Honoree Rev. Eric King, pastor, Metropolitan United Methodist Church

Troy Cates, President of the 2017 Beautillion Class

Master of Ceremonies Elder Darryl Brookins

Rev. Timothy McFadden, chaplain and student

The Fraternal Hymn

Photos by James Fields Sr.