Afro Baltimore 4-28-2017 by AFRO News

Volume Volume 125 123 No. No.39 20–22

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Inside Commentary

To be Black in America Is Also to Be Green By Rep. Elijah Cummings

High Tea Saluting Women of the AFRO

Washington

Welcome Back, Mr. President

•Getting Blacks a Seat at the Cannabis Table

Baltimore AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Former President Barack Obama waves as he arrives to host a conversation on civic engagement and community organizing April 24 at the University of Chicago in Chicago. It’s the former president’s first public event of his postpresidential life in the place where he started his political career.

Analysis

What Have We Learned Two Years After Freddie Gray? By Sean Yoes AFRO Senior Contributor What have we learned as a city, in the two years since the death of Freddie Gray (April 19, 2015), and the subsequent uprising (April 27, 2015)? The answer, perhaps, seems anticlimactic; not much. What we have not yet learned is what specifically sparked the uprising; the clashes with police, looting, fires and ongoing protests. We know the narrative promulgated by the Baltimore City Police Department the morning of Gray’s funeral, that rival gangs -- the Bloods, the Crips and the Black Guerilla Family -- were

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• Walmart

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

A boy sits on a wall as a member of the Baltimore Police Department walks by in the Penn North neighborhood of Baltimore, near the site of unrest following Freddie Gray’s funeral.

uniting to “take out” officers, was never corroborated by other law enforcement agencies. In fact, BCPD had to admit that incendiary claim, right at one of the most volatile moments of that day was, “not credible.” We still don’t know the specific source of the infamous, “purge” tweet, that allegedly provoked high school students to engage in violence and destruction on the day of Gray’s funeral. It’s still unclear who specifically gave the order to shut down bus and metro service at Mondawmin Mall, as thousands of students streamed out of area schools

• Search is on for Superintendent Dance Replacement

Artist Who Evoked Black Pride, Barkley Hendricks, Dies at 72 By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent zprince@afro.com Barkley Hendricks distinguished himself as a painter and photographer who invoked the grandeur and celebrated the flair of everyday Black people, memorializing them in his acclaimed lifeContinued on A4

Continued on A2

Blacks Fear Trump’s Anti-Science Moves Will Hurt Them

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Your History • Your Community • Your News

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com Thousands of scholars and supporters of science gathered on the National Mall April 22 to protest what some termed as President Donald Trump’s attacks against scientific inquiry and research. They were also supporting those currently working in sciencerelated fields. Carrying placards

and signs, Blacks who attended voiced concerns that as students of color gain a footing in science, engineering, technology, and

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor

Join Host Sean Yoes Monday-Friday 5-7 p.m. on 88.9 WEAA FM, the Voice of the Community. 06

47105 21847

– Toyan Shepard

Bill Cosby Finally Breaks His Silence

Listen to Afro’s “First Edition”

“It’s unacceptable for a world leader to lean on his guts as opposed to the facts.”

Bill Cosby is blind. It’s been more than two years since the embattled, television and film legend, who was once known as “America’s Dad,” has spoken out publicly. During a recent interview with the NNPA Newswire, Cosby revealed that he’s lost his sight. Waking one morning about two years ago, he nervously called out to Camille, his wife. “I can’t see,” he said. Continued on A2

math careers, those doors could potentially disappear, further disenfranchising them. The Trump administration’s March budget plan called for double-digit cuts for scientific

research bodies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Continued on A4

Screengrab YouTube

Artist Barkley Hendricks

Ella Fitzgerald, the multi-million selling jazz singer, would have turned 100 years-old on April 25. Fitzgerald’s rise and subsequent fame were chronicled widely in the pages of the AFRO over the course of her career. In 1937, the AFRO interviewed Fitzgerald as she got her hair done at Dixon’s Beauty Shop in Baltimore when she was 22 years-old. The interview is below.

AFRO Archived History

Ella Fitzgerald’s Hardest Job Was to Get Folks to Listen! And Now She’s the Queen of Sing Oct. 9, 1937 By Lillian Johnson

AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File

While he declined to address the numerous sexual assault allegations against him, Bill Cosby said he looks forward to one day performing again.

It doesn’t sound like it could be true, but the hardest job that “Swinging Ella Fitzgerald” had three years ago was to get somebody to listen to her! It sounds fantastic, but the voice that sells millions of records yearly, that almost overnight became the radio sensation of the swinging rhythm, might never have been known if an orchestra leader hadn’t been so harassed by the continued visits of Miss Fitzgerald that he decided the best way to get

rid of her was to listen to her for five minutes. She told me so herself as she sat in Dixon’s Beauty Shop, between shows at the Royal Theatre, where she has been appearing. Continued on A2

The Afro-American, Afro-American, April April 29, 29, 2017 2017 -- May April5, 29, 2017 2017

Freddie Gray Continued from A1 with no way to get home. It is still unclear whether it was students and residents who first engaged police, or it was the police who engaged students and residents during those initial clashes near Mondawmin. What is clear is that most of the residents of the neighborhoods affected by the looting, fires and violence are incredibly resilient people, as evidenced by the fact the next morning they were out diligently cleaning up after the destruction. Despite the tension in the air, we witnessed thousands of people in these neighborhoods, peacefully engaging with one another; there was drumming and dancing and music, and the aroma of sage and incense, mingled with the stench of burning buildings. But, we already knew the people of Baltimore, specifically those most directly affected by the uprising, are incredibly resilient people. What we did not know and did not expect was that the six officers connected to the death of Gray would be indicted by State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. But, despite Mosby’s efforts, what most of us believed in the back of our minds, because the history of police misconduct and

brutality in this city informs us, was that none of those cops were going to jail for Gray’s heinous death. When the results of the investigation into the Baltimore City Police Department by the Department of Justice were published in August of 2016, although somewhat unprecedented in the scope of its indictment of the BCPD, it didn’t inform the residents of the city’s most disenfranchised communities of much that was new. It had been painfully clear to most that the BCPD had systematically violated the Constitutional rights, civil rights and human rights of mostly Black, mostly poor residents of Baltimore for generations. “BPD’s targeted policing of certain Baltimore neighborhoods with minimal oversight or accountability disproportionately harms African-American residents. Racially disparate impact is present at every stage of BPD’s enforcement actions, from the initial decision to stop individuals on Baltimore streets to searches, arrests, and uses of force. These racial disparities, along with evidence suggesting intentional discrimination, erode the community trust that is critical to effective policing,” according to the Department of Justice report. When it was officially revealed in March, that

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seven police officers had been charged federally with racketeering, connected to them allegedly robbing

street simply quipped, ‘What else is new?’ It was literally, a miracle no one lost their

Baltimore, which constitute the undisputed majority of the city have suffered mightily in the last two years with

“Yet, it seems clear the powerful who rule this city are content to plow forward, not yielding to the clarion messages transmitted in April 2015, and determined to do so with impunity.” drug dealers and others and stealing overtime pay in the amount of hundreds of thousands of dollars, among other charges, many on the

life during the uprising of 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray. However, the majority of the mostly Black, mostly poor communities of

Cosby Continued from A1 Doctors later confirmed the worst: that there was nothing that could be done to repair his vision. “When he would perform, we’d draw a wide straight yellow line from backstage to the chair on the stage and he’d rehearse the walk, hours before the show,” said Andrew Wyatt of the Purpose PR firm, a public relations agency in Birmingham, Ala. Wyatt has worked with Cosby for years. Wyatt said that his star client has decided that it’s time to talk. Together, Wyatt and Cosby said they grew comfortable that the NNPA Newswire would be more interested in “facts over sensationalism.” Cosby has shunned most media inquiries, since allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in late 2014; some of those accusations dated back almost fifty years. In 2015, according to CNN, Cosby was charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault in a case involving Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee. Earlier this year, CNN reported that Cosby’s, “criminal sexual assault trial will stay in Montgomery County Court in Pennsylvania, but the jurors will come from another Pennsylvania county.” In February, a federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against Cosby by accuser Katherine McKee, according to USA Today. “This marks the third defamation lawsuit against Cosby that was either withdrawn or dismissed recently, prompting some Cosby crowing,” USA Today reported. “However, another defamation case against him, filed by six accusers, is still pending in the same

epic murder, mayhem and violence, primarily waged against each other. And they continue to reel precariously in the wake of wanton

federal court in Massachusetts.” While the beleaguered superstar declined to address any of his legal cases, his youngest daughter, Evin felt compelled to speak out. In a statement, which can be read in its entirety on BlackPressUSA.com, Evin, 40, questioned the veracity of the allegations against her father. “The harsh and hurtful accusations… that supposedly happened 40 or 50 years ago, before I was born, in another lifetime, and that have been carelessly repeated as truth without allowing my dad to defend himself and without requiring proof, has punished not just my dad but every one of us,” Evin said. Devin T. Robinson X, an actor and renowned poet who’s been featured on MTV, NBC, CBS and BET, said that Bill Cosby represents the finest example of someone being found guilty in the court of public opinion without ever facing trial. “Punishing people before they’re convicted in court only seems accurate when it serves a media narrative that doesn’t hurt a specific demographic,” Robinson said. Dr. E. Faye Williams, the president and CEO of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc., agreed. “If the President of the United States can go on working in the White House after he has bragged about doing gross, sexually-explicit and abusive things to women, without their permission, then justice requires that Bill Cosby should not be punished, unless he is convicted of crimes,” said Williams. Perhaps, the closest Cosby came to addressing his ongoing legal battles during the interview was when he opined about the true history of America. “The history about AfricanAmericans is a history of the United

misconduct and corruption at the hands of law enforcement and many of the city’s socalled public servants. Yet, it seems clear the powerful who rule this city are content to plow forward, not yielding to the clarion messages transmitted in April 2015, and determined to do so with impunity. Perhaps, the most provocative question that lingers is, how long will it be before those who are perpetually ignored, disrespected and cast aside, deliver a more catastrophic message?

States; but the true histories, not the propaganda that is standard in our nation’s history books,” Cosby said. “The great writer, James Baldwin, said, ‘If you lie about me, then you lie about yourself.’ The revolution is in the home. There is something about someone saying, ‘I didn’t know that,’ that could cause a change in that person’s thinking.” Cosby said he thinks about his illustrious career that, at least for now, has been placed on hold because of the court cases. Few have achieved the legendary status enjoyed by Cosby. His career has spanned more than six decades and includes a host of bestselling comedy albums and books, gold and platinum records, and five Grammy Awards. With his role in “I-Spy” in the 1960s, Cosby became the first AfricanAmerican co-star in a dramatic series, breaking TV’s color barrier and winning three Emmy Awards. After starring opposite Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier in the 1970s trilogy, “Uptown Saturday Night,” “Let’s Do It Again,” and “A Piece of the Action,” Cosby’s star soared even higher in the 1980s when he single-handedly revived the family sitcom and, some argue, saved NBC with “The Cosby Show.” “Darn right,” he said, when asked if he missed performing. “I miss it all and I hope that day will come. I have some routines and storytelling that I am working on.” Cosby continued: “I think about walking out on stage somewhere in the United States of America and sitting down in a chair and giving the performance that will be the beginning of the next chapter of my career.”

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Fitzgerald Continued from A1 Ella, just twenty-two now, really wanted to be a dancer, but in order to get a chance to dance on the amateur programs; one had to make some sort of effort at singing. However, when she walked on the stage of the Harlem Opera House, during an amateur audition a little over three years ago, it was her voice that made a hit with the audience, and that won the first prize for her. Never Got Prize “But I never did get the prize,” she smiled. “They promised me a week’s engagement, but they didn’t give it to me.” “Well, what did they tell you?” I wanted to know. “The same thing they tell all the other amateurs who win prizes and don’t get them,”she said with a twinkle. Sometimes, they make you see that whereas the audience picked you for some reason or other, you’re really not good enough for the stage yet.” After that, she appeared on the amateur hour at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem four times, and each time she won first prize, and that was the end of it. Her songs then were “Judy,” and “The Object of My Affections.” Ardoiali, who directs Chick Webb’s orchestra, heard her on one of these programs, and suggested that she come around to the Harlem Opera House, where Chick and the band were playing for a week, and let Chick hear her voice. Another Matter She went around all right, but soon

found that letting, or rather getting Chick to hear her voice was another matter, altogether. “You know how it is,” she said, “when someone’s very busy, and there are always so many things to demand his time.” “Well, I went back, and kept going back every day that week. Finally, it was the last day, and the shows slipped by until it was the last performance.”

“Chick Webb was playing the next day at Yale University, and he was hurrying after the show to pack up and leave, but Ardouali kept pleading for just one chance for me, and finally Chick agreed to listen to one song. I sang ‘Judy,’ just as I had done on the amateur programs, the band following me.” Went Along to Yale “When I was through, the boys told Chick they liked my voice, and they took me to Yale with them. I’ve been with them ever since.” “Do you think there are many youngsters around who really have talent, but who don’t get a chance to prove it?” she was asked. “Well, it’s hard to say that there are many,” she replied, “but the public is fickle and likes beauty, and stage managers try to please the public.” “So,” she went on modestly, “when a girl comes up and she looks like me, she just can’t get a chance. Many of these kids are good, but if they’re not nice looking, the odds are against them.” Has Personality Plus However, no matter what Ella may say about her looks, she has personality plus, and she is quite as congenial and friendly offstage as she appears in the show. “You know,” she went on seriously, “no matter how good a person may be in this line of work, unless there is someone behind you to encourage and back you, you never get very far.” “And Mr. Webb and the boys have always been cooperative and friendly to the highest extent. Mr. Webb has been unusually kind, taking a fatherly interest and giving advice when it has been most needed, even to seeing that I take care of my money,” she smiled.

April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017, The Afro-American

COMMENTARY

To be Black in America is also to be Green in America

For years now, scientific researchers and civil rights organizations like the NAACP have been documenting the disparate impact of climate change – and its underlying causes – upon Communities of Color. On the streets of our cities, as well as in our more rural communities, pollutants from coal-fired power plants are exacerbating serious medical conditions like asthma to the point where children using inhalers are an alarmingly frequent feature of our lives. Among our elderly, African Americans are succumbing to heatrelated deaths at rates nearly double those among their Caucasian counterparts – and, in coastal areas like Florida, Louisiana and Maryland, we increasingly are more likely to be displaced by deadly weather-related disasters and rising sea levels. The harsh, current reality of these threats illustrate why environmental justice has become a central thrust of our nation’s evolving movement toward universal civil rights. Whatever may be our differing perspectives upon the other Elijah Cummings critical issues of our time, both our sense of social conscience and our self-interest compel us to accept an unavoidable realization. Our survival, and the survival of generations yet to be born, depends upon each of us becoming “Green.” Polling data confirms that minority voters understand the dangers of climate change and support corrective action. Two out of three of us agree that climate change is an issue that we need to be worried about right now – and six out of ten of us respond that not enough resources are being devoted to the challenge. Yet, in the political realm, those who deny the reality of human-driven climate change or seek to minimize the urgency of these threats have found a home within the Republican Party, the White House and the Republican congressional majorities. In sharp contrast, however, the 2016 Democratic Party Platform that I was privileged to assist in drafting refused to equivocate. We would commit our nation to a course of action that would obtain 50 percent of our electricity from clean energy sources within a decade – creating millions of jobs in the process. Despite the outcome of last year’s elections, the majority of the American People agreed with Democrats’ vision of environmental sanity and prosperity. This broad, multi-racial coalition of Americans who are determined to limit and reverse climate change is encouraging. The majority of us understand that, where the survival of our planet and the health of our people are concerned, the only race that matters is the human race. Our immediate challenge, of course, is that the progressive steps undertaken by President Obama to meet these existential threats to our health and survival are now under direct attack by the White House and its allies. In the Senate and House of Representatives, the fight for America’s future is being joined on many fronts, from challenging proposed budget cuts to critical environmental initiatives to our fight against President Trump’s misguided attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency. In both bodies, Democrats are doing all that we can to advance the vision for the more prosperous, healthier and more survivable future that we pledged to pursue in our Platform last year. Although last year’s elections left us weakened in Washington, we are heartened by the reality that the majority of the American people stand with us in this fight. As we already have witnessed in the Women’s Marches and the healthcare debates, the American

people are becoming actively engaged in fashioning the future of our country at levels that we have not witnessed in more than four decades. Last weekend, thousands of scientists took to the streets to demonstrate that, when our future survival is at stake, scientific facts must guide our national policies, not ideology nor interest group politics. On April 29, in a development that is even more encouraging, hundreds of thousands of Americans of every ethnic background will be “Marching for Climate, Justice and Jobs” in Washington and other localities throughout our country. The People’s Climate Movement (peoplesclimate.org), a broad-based coalition of faith-based, labor, indigenous, civil rights and environmental justice groups from across our country, mirrors the coalition that brought Dr. King and other civil rights, labor and faith leaders to Washington in 1963. In 1963, the outcry of the American people was for “jobs, peace and freedom.” Today, Americans are marching once again – for jobs, justice and the survival of humanity. In this incarnation of America’s struggle, Americans of color are not only participating in large numbers, we are leading. Being “Green” is no longer a function of one’s ethnicity, if that ever was the case. In 2017, to be Black in America is also to be “Green.” Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Trump’s Avoidance of Black Press Reveals Tense Relations At the very beginning of the new administration, and probably in a moment of hubris, Omarosa Manigault, an aide to President Donald Trump, promised that the first newspaper interview with the new president would go to a member of the Black press. Nobody took her seriously. In fact, such a meeting has yet to occur, prompting me to think that, given the disastrous encounters with other Black groups—such as Black college presidents—perhaps it is best that such a meeting never happens. As someone who began his career working for a Black-owned newspaper, I’m well aware that those of us who have toiled in the Black media are used to being ignored or mistreated by public officials. I never expected President Trump to meet with the Black press. Like the community that spawned them, Black journalists have always felt the sting of second-class citizenship. The recent to-do between White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and April Ryan—the White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks and recently added CNN contributor—is an example. Spicer chided her as he evaded her question about a White man killing a Black man in New York. “Stop shaking your head again,” Spicer hectored Ryan. There is nothing new about such patronizing, bordering on racist, behavior. From the beginning—slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, lynchings, and discrimination of all types— reporters and editors from the Black press took on the racism and the racists of the world, shining a bright spotlight on such evils as most of their counterparts in the White media took pains to ignore. In some cases, especially in the South, White reporters and editors encouraged

Paul Delaney

the racist views of the day. At a conference of journalists a few years ago, keynote speaker Hodding Carter III observed that in the South during the 1960s, “the average Southern newspaper was … bigoted.” He should know. His family owned the Delta Democrat-Times, a rare liberal newspaper in Greenville, Mississippi. Although Black media was the stepchild of American journalism, it focused attention on many newsworthy acts that downtown dailies ignored. Black reporters working for Black publishers and broadcasters tackled some of the worst cases of violence—and at times led the charge. I remember the pride of fellow staffers at the Atlanta Daily World after a campaign by the paper saved a Black man from Georgia’s electric chair. And who can forget the chilling coffin photos of the mutilated body of Chicago teenager Emmett Till—who was lynched in Mississippi—published in Jet magazine. During the current newsroom downturn that has seen dwindling numbers of readers, listeners, and revenue, the Black press has taken a heavier hit than its White counterparts. How bad is it? One Black publisher agonized over whether to accept advertising from the Trump campaign. She ended up rejecting overtures—and ad money— from the campaign. President Trump and most African Americans are off to a terrible start, not surprising given the heavy Black vote against him and the atrocious gaffes he and his appointees continue to make regarding nonwhite folks. Given his actions and appointees thus far, Black people have reason for deep distrust. The few occasions of personal contact between President Trump and African Americans have been awkward and/or disastrous, enough to assume he will keep such intercourse to a minimum. During a White House meeting last month, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)

said he informed Trump that “his language describing AfricanAmerican communities has been ‘hurtful’ and ‘insulting.’” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) was one of first leaders to publicly call for Trump’s impeachment. What’s more, Waters was among a handful of members of Congress who refused to attend his inauguration and refused to join fellow Black congressional leaders in attending the White House meeting. Black media have kept up a constant drumbeat against the Trump administration; we can expect that to continue, and possibly intensify. One issue sure to bubble up repeatedly—meetings with President Trump. As a former colleague at The New York Times, E.R. Shipp, wrote in The Baltimore Sun: So with nuts, neophytes and revisionists running the Trump asylum, one might wonder why 70 or so presidents, chancellors and advocates for historically black colleges and universities—HBCUs— accepted a “getting-to-know-you” White House invitation. I suspect the same sentiment will apply to members of the Black media, if they’re ever invited to meet with the president.

only a third of U.S. doctors believed the case against cigarettes had been established. In many ways we are seeing that same story play out again today. Take the debate on climate change and global warming for example. Some policy makers continue to argue to wait for more ‘settled science’ to take action, ignoring the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. The debate on climate change is just another iteration of the same deny and delay tactic used to erase and rollback protections and policies aimed to defend our health, our environment, and our planet. When thousands of Americans took to the streets last weekend, a powerful signal was sent to policy makers at every level of government, countries around the world, and to the children of our future that we the people stand for science, that we the people want to invest in science, and we the people want our laws and policies to reflect the best available science, not political distortions fueled by industry and ideological interests. The U.S. scientific enterprise has and continues to revolutionize the world and the ways in which we interact with it. From the advent of modern medicine, to the innovation of flight, to the invention of the microchip right down the road at Texas Instruments - the very essence

of science is a metaphor for progress – always evolving, always moving forward, always improving, and always asking what the next frontier is. The application of science to policy should be non-partisan and non-political, yet the luxury of staying silent is long gone. Every day, state and federal legislators are promoting laws that fly in the face of science and endanger both human life and the future of our world. Here in our nation’s capital and the White House, there are efforts to cut back on research and innovation across federal agencies and to gut our environmental protections. Instead of moving forward, we are running backwards. While I intend to work tirelessly to beat back the tide of antiscience efforts in the U.S. Congress, everyday citizens must take a stand and fight to ensure that their representatives and their government continue to make policy decisions based on sound science and make investments to ensure that the U.S. continues to be the global leader in scientific research, development, and innovation.

Paul Delaney is a veteran print journalist. He began his career at two black-owned newspapers, the Baltimore Afro-American and the Atlanta Daily World, before moving on to a succession of other newspapers. He was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists and served as the chairman of the journalism department at the University of Alabama from 1992 to 1996. He is currently completing a memoir on his career. This article is a special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Center for American Progress.

In Defense of Science On April 22 thousands of Americans, in cities all across the U.S., participated in the March for Science – an idea and movement spurred by ordinary citizens alarmed by the growing efforts to discredit scientific understanding and restrict scientific discovery – often in the name of science. I share their alarm and it is time that the public takes a stand. Now more than ever, we need to safeguard scientific integrity, stand alongside our scientific community, and fight for robust investment in scientific research and development. History tells us that bad actors will often try to undermine science to achieve ulterior motives. Such was the case with tobacco and the link to lung cancer in the previous century. As early as the 1940s, epidemiological studies linked cigarettes to the rise of the lung cancer epidemic, yet it took decades before the government took definitive action on the evidence – a classic case of deny and delay. By focusing on the miniscule margins of scientific dispute, profiteers in the tobacco industry corrupted public discourse and public policy by calling into question the validity of a growing body of science linking smoking with lung cancer. The strategy worked, and the impact of deny and delay was real. Millions were dying but as late as 1960,

Eddie B. Johnson

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is the ranking member and most senior Texas Democratic member serving on the U.S. House of Science, Space and Technology Committee.

The Afro-American, April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017

Anti-Science Continued from A1 The shift from research priorities like cancer and environmental investigation to military and defense, said co-organizer of the march Liz Homsey, could potentially threaten gains in healthcare and technology fields for generations. But more than the march being against Trump, it was in support of science. “Science has always strived to remain nonpolitical, nonpartisan – and we’re still striving for that,” Homsey told attendees. “Every single scientist at this event feels that it is much more pro science than anti anything.” Musician-record producer Questlove (Ahmir Khalib Thompson), one of the event’s co-hosts, however, spoke directly to Trump’s mistrust of

facts and evidence in lieu of alternative facts. “The rational scientific thought gets us out of the highest corners and to the most open, wide spaces,” he said. “Many people seem to be forgetting those facts

April 29, 2017 - April 29, 2017, The Afro-American

and it’s been frustrating to watch as certain forces in our society try to squelch science or their refusal to believe in it or propose alternative realities and facts. Alternative facts or whatever that [curse word]

is. All that works against science and we need to work for science. More than that, we need to make sure science belongs to the people.” Rutgers UniversityNewark entomologist and evolutionary biologist Jessica Ware said it was critical that science remain at the forefront of the nation’s agenda, particularly for Blacks. “The fact I was up there sends a message to folks watching about what science can look like,” Ware told the AFRO. “Talking about my work is obviously important, but it’s equally important that an 8-year-old child will see

me and say, ‘That’s what scientists can look like!’ and see themselves in my shoes and know that this can be their job one day.” Toyan Shepard, a Black molecular biology graduate student from Temple University, said Trump’s proposal threatens to push Black participation in STEM back even further, as many of his classmates rely heavily on government grants to pay for classes and research. “My background has always been rather conservative and honestly, I haven’t been against too many of Trump’s plans, but his attack

against the fact, against evidence, against science – is tantamount to saying he believes in a sixth sense or horoscopes,” Shepard told the AFRO. “It’s unacceptable for a world leader to lean on his guts as opposed to the facts.” Trump’s budget outlined $54 billion in cuts across government programs to make way for an increase in defense spending. U.S. scientists said they fear such a plan would have a major impact on research and science-based policy as well as undermine the importance of science in society and limit future innovation.

and singular fashion and, even more, an inherent pride of Black Americans. Continued from A1 “My paintings were about people that were part of my size portraits. The artist died life. If they were political, it’s April 18 in New London, because they were a reflection Conn., from a reported cerebral of the culture we were hemorrhage, according to The drowning in,” Hendricks told New York Times. He was 72. The Brooklyn Rail magazine in Hendricks’ death was a 2016 interview. confirmed by Jack Shainman, Hendricks was born in the art gallery that represented Philadelphia, Pa., in 1945. He the artist since 2005. earned both his bachelor’s and “He was a situational master’s degrees from Yale painter, documenting the world University and taught at the around him in vivid and highly prestigious institution. He later detailed paintings that capture taught at Connecticut College the distinctive personalities for 39 years. of his subjects. He was a true Courtesy Photo The artist was the subject artist’s artist, always dedicated One of Barkley Hendricks’ of a large-scale traveling to his singular vision; he was paintings. exhibition, Barkley L. a figurative painter when it Hendricks: Birth of the Cool, organized by was trendy and especially when it wasn’t,” the Trevor Schoonmaker at the Nasher Museum of gallery said in a statement. Art, Duke University. Hendricks’ focus on Black subjects was The National Museum of African American cemented when he toured Europe during his History and Culture in Washington D.C. has undergraduate years in the mid-1960s. an impactful Hendricks painting exhibited in Drawing on the spirit of the rising Black the Culture Galleries-L-4 Visual Arts and the Power Movement of the time, Hendricks American Experience section of the museum. began creating bold portraits of Black men and Hendricks is survived by his wife of 34 women—relatives, friends, even strangers—that years, Susan Hendricks. communicated the effortless cool, sophisticated

Hendricks

Courtesy photo

Black participation in the STEM programs could be permanently corrupted by Trump’s cuts in scientific funding.

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April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017, The Afro-American

WASHINGTON-AREA

D.C. Remembers Coretta Scott King By Hamil R. Harris Special to the AFRO

The world will never forget the face of a brave widow who held her child during her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King’s, eulogy in 1965. There are others who can still remember her walking with her husband across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma after Bloody Sunday. And still, others who see her flanked with Stevie Wonder singing “Happy Birthday,”and calling for her husband’s birthday to be a national holiday. In honor of her advocacy for nonviolence, there were

Getting Blacks a Seat at the D.C. Cannabis Table

By Lenore T. Adkins Special to the AFRO

Courtesy photos

Thousands attended the second annual National Cannabis Festival on April 22 at the RFK festival grounds in D.C. By Micha Green Special to the AFRO

Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica

Coretta Scott King

several events scheduled in D.C. from April 21 April 29 for Coretta Scott King’s Inaugural Birthday Celebration. She would have turned 90-years-old on April 27. “Coretta Scott King Continued on B3

Now that recreational marijuana use is legal for D.C. residents 21 and older, various business opportunities have emerged within the cannabis industry. Entrepreneurs hoping to benefit from the new legislation are working to create even opportunities. Since the passing of Initiative 71, which legalized recreational use of cannabis, hydroponic stores, classes to grow the plant, paraphernalia shops, and medical marijuana dispensaries are popping up throughout the city. However, because Initiative 71 did not provide for a way to legally purchase marijuana for nonmedical use the only way to buy marijuana in D.C. is with a medical card. Forbes reported in January that legal marijuana sales in the US increased 30 percent last year to $6.7 billion. It is hard to pinpoint how much money is being made in D.C. from

A group of civic and political leaders, organized by D.C. Council member Vincent Gray (D), has taken most of the major offices of the Ward 7 Democrats, one of the leading Democratic clubs in the District of Columbia. On April 22, hundreds of Ward 7 residents voted to determine the officers for the ward’s Democratic club at the Dorothy I. Height Benning Library in Northeast. The winners were Jimmie Williams for chairperson, first vice chairperson Takiyah “T.N.” Tate, second vice chairperson D.L. Humphrey,

work for the residents of Ward 7. “We are excited to get things started for the ward,” Jimmie Williams said. “Ward 7 needs a strategic plan to move forward and we will work on that. We also need to improve communications as Democrats.” Since the first Home Rule elections in 1974, Ward 7 has produced two mayors (Marion Barry and Vincent Gray), two council chairmen (Vincent Gray and Kwame Brown) and its share of D.C. Council members. The ward has the highest percentage of Blacks in the city, with 95 percent, followed closely by neighboring Ward 8 with 94 percent, according to 2010 census data.

“We are excited to get things started for the ward.” – Jimmie Williams recording secretary Chantel Nesby, treasurer LaTisha Atkins, and sergeant-at-arms the Rev. Joseph Williams. Nesby garnered 93 votes to defeat Gray team candidate Ashley Emerson. Jimmie Williams, receiving 135 votes against River Terrace activist Cinque Culver and Derek Ford, told the AFRO that he is ready to

marijuana since its legalization. Nonetheless, cannabis industry insiders contend that the Black community has the ability to be part of this multi-billion dollar business. According to the 2016 Census, there are 48.3 percent of Blacks living in Washington, D.C.—almost half of the city. Two of the top five medical marijuana dispensaries listed in D.C., Metropolitan Wellness Center and Capital City Care, are Black owned. While that may seem like a lot, 40 percent of the market, it is actually not very much in a small industry with an even smaller demographic of Black owned shops. At the recent National Cannabis Festival, representatives from both City Care and – Corey Barnette Capital Metropolitan Wellness Center, all of whom were of color, implied that Black people can and should be making more money in the cannabis industry. Corey Barnette, an owner of Metropolitan Wellness Center Continued on B2

“…we [Blacks] as a community have the opportunity to actually participate in the birth of an industry that we could be dominant in.”

Ward 7 has workingclass neighborhoods such as Marshall Heights and Deanwood and upper-middle class enclaves such as Penn Branch and Hillcrest. Jimmie Williams is the president of Penn Branch’s civic association. All the city’s wards have Democratic clubs and the chairperson or president of

Valencia Moody said she would appreciate a little consideration. Moody, a Waldorf resident, is blind, and relies on MetroAccess, a shared-ride, door-to-door service the Washington Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA) offers to disabled riders who cannot ride buses or trains. In Moody’s view, one of the things WMATA needs to do is step up disability sensitive training for MetroAccess workers. “I’ve come across times where I’m actually grabbed in order to ‘assist me,’” Moody told reporters April 25. “And they automatically assume that because I’m a blind person, that that’s the best way to assist me without actually asking me if that’s the best way to assist me or, ‘How can I help you’ or even first, do I need help?” Moody serves as the second vice president of the National Harbor Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. On April Continued on B2

There Are Almost as Many Boys Missing in D.C. as Girls

Gray’s Team Wins Most Ward 7 Offices By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com

Activists: WMATA Needs to Prioritize Disabled Riders with MetroAccess

“We should be more outraged for those who are more vulnerable,” Long continued. “For most women, [if they are] dealing with a The District’s missing person problem 260-pound man, physically you would think gained widespread attention when a that they are at a disadvantage.” misleading Instagram post went viral, Runaways can also be victims of sex prompting a national search for D.C.’s trafficking, but officials said gender can be missing girls. But, left out of that were the a barrier in identifying victims. “Trafficking missing boys. victim identification is a challenge across the D.C. police report there are almost as board; however, to the degree authorities are many missing young men as there are missing trained to identify human trafficking at all, far young women. As of April too many look primarily for 20 there have been reports of female victims and often miss 550 missing young women male victims they encounter,” and 534 missing young men according to a 2013 U.S. this year, according to Aquita Department of State report on Brown, a spokesperson for the Human trafficking. department. D.C. police said the Brown told the AFRO that majority of cases involve statistics between missing people who leave home young men and women are voluntarily and are located very similar, and are close to within two days, and there the same numbers from this is no indication that these Courtesy Photo time last year, “the numbers missing people are involved in Jakeem Tariq Pope, 16, has for the first quarter of 2017 are human trafficking. been missing since April comparable to the first quarter 17. Currently, law enforcement of 2016.” is working to locate Jakeem The initial reports of an Tariq Pope, a 16-year-old boy increase in missing people in D.C. was who was last seen on April 17 in Northwest. inaccurate. Brown said there hasn’t been a According to police reports Pope is a repeat spike in cases in the last five years. “Men runaway and voluntarily left his family aren’t really identified as being victims. while at a store in the 5900 Block of Georgia That’s the perception of it,” Henderson Long, Avenue, NW around 10 p.m. founder of Missing and Exploited East of the Pope is a Black male, with a medium River Ward 7 and 8, told the AFRO April 18. brown complexion, 5’0” in height, 90 pounds, As a certified investigator of disappearing with dark brown eyes and black hair. Police people, he said he represents all missing said he was last spotted wearing a blue shirt, persons both women and men. However, red shorts and Nike flip flops. society has a “soft part” for women and Anyone with information of Pope’s wants to help those who appear to be more whereabouts should contact police at 202vulnerable, Long, 48, said. 576-6768. By Briana Thomas Special to the AFRO

Courtesy photo

Most of the team Vincent Gray, Ward 7 Council member, established won office positions in the ward’s Democratic club. the ward club has seats on the D.C. Democratic State Committee, the District of Columbia’s arm to the Democratic National Committee. The clubs charge is to organize Democrats in the ward to have an impact in races ranging from the presidential race to the wards’ council members. Any registered Democrat in Ward 7 was eligible to cast a ballot from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on April 22. Members of the D.C. Democratic State Committee from outside Ward 7 tallied the results. Gray’s team was wellorganized. They had literature and t-shirts while those not on the Gray team were largely left to their own resources. Greg Rhett, a longtime Ward 7 political activist, told the AFRO that he isn’t surprised that the Gray team won almost all the offices. “They really got out there and worked,” he said. “They Continued on B2

The Afro-American, April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017

Tennis

Excel Academy Players Learn About Sisterhood By Lenore T. Adkins Special to the AFRO For eight girls at Excel Academy Public Charter School, an all-girls elementary and middle school in southeast D.C., learning how to play tennis goes beyond proper footwork and working up a sweat. The lessons teach them about good sportsmanship, hard work, and good eating. They also teach the girls about building character. The girls belong to the school’s nascent tennis team club, which their science teacher, Gregory Dwyre, started earlier this year. The squad is comprised mostly of beginners, who play once a week for an hour on public courts at Anacostia Park in southeast D.C. Dwyre said he eventually wants the girls to compete against other schools, but for now, he’s focused on getting them excited about the sport and honing their tennis skills. The girls have already bonded. Several girls said they play

“It’s important they [children] have access to activities that are in some way active.” – Gregory Dwyre with their best friends who are also in the club. Shelby Taylor, 11, who has played tennis for four years, said she is helping the girls perfect their strokes. “It builds all of the teammates up,” Genora Gray, 11, told the AFRO. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Dwyre said he loves tennis and wanted to expose the girls to a sport they could possibly play for the rest of their lives. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while since I’ve been at the school, because they don’t have a lot of sports teams,” Dwyre, who played tennis at Eckerd College, told the AFRO. “It’s

important they have access to activities that are in some way active.” The club is in keeping with the school’s new focus of promoting and boosting athletics, said Matthew Evancho, the school’s director of creative arts. In addition to the tennis team, the school also offers basketball, soccer, track, Double Dutch, dance, and cheerleading teams. The programs keep the students engaged at school and help them forge closer relationships with their teachers. “It helps the students involved, especially the middle school scholars . . . who generally weren’t as invested,” Evancho said. Meanwhile, Dwyre operates the club without much of a budget. Local tennis players donated the rackets. The school paid for two ball hoppers and a box of tennis balls. There are only eight girls in the club because that’s the number of girls who can fit in Dwyer’s and co-coach Teya Green’s cars. Dwyer and Green, a social studies teacher, drive the girls from the school to the tennis courts and back, which is about a 10-minute drive, each way. The girls said they are grateful that their teachers are sacrificing so much so they can play tennis. “It’s something active for the kids instead of being out on the streets,” Anna Hyman, 14, club captain, told the AFRO. “I like when we come together as a team and show sisterhood.” The girls are learning tennis isn’t as easy as it looks. Before practice begins, Green tells the girls to run a single lap around the nine caged tennis courts. Danielle Chatman, 10, told the AFRO that she’s already seen progress in her physical fitness. “The first time, I was dead,” she said. Practice only lasts an hour. After the run around the courts, the girls stretch, do various drills, play tennis games such as doubles and king of the hill. “The teachers don’t fight, we don’t fight, and they’re great role models,” Jordyn Terrell-Thomas, 11, to the AFRO. When it’s raining outside, the girls watch videos of Venus

and Serena Williams, who continue to dominate tennis well into their 30s. Between them, the sisters have won 30 Grand Slam singles titles from the sport’s five most important tournaments such as the Grand Slam, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. Like the girls, they are Black and learned how to Photo by Lenore Adkins play tennis on LaSandra Taylor, 11, one of seven girls on public courts. Excel Academy’s tennis team, readies to Though the return a tennis ball at Anacostia Park. Williams sister go hard against each other on the courts, they always hug after one of them wins. According to several of the girls, the Williams sisters are an inspiration for the girls and serve as examples of strong, positive women. “Of course they’re African American and of course they’re sisters,” Thomas said. “Just because we’re competing . . . at the end of the day, we’re still sisters.”

“. . . so many of us was arrested and thrown in jail for smoking a joint, having a joint, selling a joint or whatever, but the system here is different,” he said. “D.C. Initiative 71 is about more donations where they initialized the thought of everybody growing on their own, but they don’t want people selling to each other. So I can donate some weed to you, but

With all of the talent and with all of the capability that we have in our communities here in D.C., we should be able to open up store fronts. We should be able to supply existing store fronts, and we should be able to participate in a formal market the way that every other business does.” Because of the caveats that lead to setbacks in growth within the cannabis industry, Sabria Still of Metropolitan Wellness Center said, the Black community first needs to be present when decisions are getting made. “We’re not there at the table when these laws are written. We’re not there with the city hall when people are asking whether or not they want medical marijuana in their county or city or state,” she told the AFRO. Still, 24, argues that it is up to those who are already involved in the cannabis industry to educate and serve as a representative to the Black community to get involved. “I feel like it’s my duty, since I’ve been involved, to get others involved and kind of let them know the importance of cannabis,” she added. For now, industry insiders are emphasizing the importance of educating the Black community on all the integral aspects of cannabis and the business surrounding it. “I think that a lot of people in the African-American community in D.C. haven’t been given access to the education and the information on how to become viable cannabis business owners or activists,” Caroline Phillips, founder and executive producer of the National Cannabis Festival, told the AFRO. The festival was held in D.C. on April 22.

Cannabis

Continued from B1 and District Growers, which cultivates marijuana plants and makes cannabis infused edibles, contends that a good way for Blacks to enter the weed industry is through growing. “For years our community has suffered the brunt of a very vicious, attacking, and destructive drug war. Now you have an entire industry being built from the ground up and that ground starts with actually growing,” Barnette told the AFRO. According to D.C. law, adults can grow up to six plants in private homes, but only three at a time can be mature. As growing is legal, Barnette said he thinks it’s the best way to enter in the cannabis business as it continues to flourish. “If we’re going to have an industry be born, we [Blacks] as a community have the opportunity to actually participate in the birth of an industry that we could be dominant in,” he said. While Barnette is established and continuing to grow both literally and within the industry, other Blacks are starting to take note of the opportunities in the cannabis business. In Southeast D.C., Good Hope Hydroponics, a gardening supply store, is owned by two cousins of European descent, but has clientele that matches the community – predominantly Black. A majority of the store’s patrons are Black and male. Dezo El, a Black man who started Buttermilk 420 Farms, a business that teaches people how to grow and offers cannabis infused items, told the AFRO he was visiting Good Hope Hydroponics even before officially moving to D.C. El said he relocated from Brooklyn to capitalize on the cannabis industry in D.C. and has learned the way to make money legally.

“. . . so many of us was arrested and thrown in jail for smoking a joint, having a joint, selling a joint or whatever, but the system here is different.” – Dezo El literally there’s supposed to be no money transfer . . . So that’s what we do now.” El and Barnette said they believe that even when one knows how to work the system the legalities surrounding weed can get tricky. “Well right now you have a city that has not set up a legal framework that allows the efficient sale of cannabis in a way that benefits both the city and the entrepreneurs,” Barnette said. “So right now a lot of what’s happening in D.C. is really happening in the Black market. That should not be the case.

WMATA Ward 7

Continued from B1 showed a real team effort on this.” However, some residents are uneasy with Gray’s influence on the race but Rhett, when told of those concerns, shrugged his shoulders. “Vincent Gray isn’t doing anything that other council members don’t do in other parts of the city,” Rhett said. “The objective is for the council member to have a strong organization in the community behind him to do what he wants and that applies to all the wards, not just Ward 7.” One issue that came up is that none of the ballots had the corresponding secretary race on them. The race was largely between Tyrell M. Holcomb and Robert Primus. A decision was made by Ward 7 Democrats leaders to have the corresponding secretary race contested at the May meeting. Holcomb told the AFRO that he wasn’t happy with the election process at all. “To me the process was chaotic,” Holcomb, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in the ward, said. “To have the corresponding secretary position left off the ballot completely is legally questionable and also questions the legitimacy of the process. I was told that a printing issue kept our names off the ballot.” Gray told the AFRO he was proud that most of his slate won their offices and that the process wasn’t “packed.” “We worked hard,” Gray, who was re-elected to the Ward 7 council position after serving as D.C. Council chairman and District mayor, said. “We organized a group of people who could work together from day one as leaders of the Ward 7 Democrats. They don’t have to get to know each other.”

Continued from B1 25, she joined with about a dozen other advocates at a news conference in front of WMATA headquarters. There, they demanded that WMATA prioritize disabled riders. They primarily want WMATA to develop a workerrider agenda for MetroAccess and to take ownership of the service and stop contracting it out. They say that process encourages the contractor to pay low wages to workers, which in turn fuels rapid turnover. “This is a really basic solution that no one wants to address, which is fund your priorities,” said Todd Brogan, a field mobilization specialist at Amalgamated Transit Union International. “If you care about these people, if you genuinely do, then you need to invest resources and provide them transportation. It’s the most basic right. If you can’t move, you cannot work, you cannot go to the doctor, you cannot take care of yourself.” Data from WMATA shows that in February 2017, there were 201,091 trips scheduled

and 158,403 trips delivered. That month, 186,181 people used the service. And it was roughly 87 percent on time, falling a few percentage points below its 92 percent on-time performance goal. Riders make reservations online or over the phone. Gloria Swieringa of Fort Washington, Md. complained that an error in MetroAccess’ system made her miss an important meeting she had on April 23. The blind activist said she made her reservation on April 22, but that it was never entered into the system. “So when I called to find out where my driver was, he wasn’t,” she said. In an emailed statement, a WMATA spokeswoman acknowledged Transdev, one of the companies it contracts with, was unable to cover some routes assigned to them, but denied MetroAccess rides were arbitrarily canceled. “Metro has been working in partnership with our paratransit providers, including Transdev, to recruit, hire and train additional

“This is a really basic solution that no one wants to address, which is fund your priorities.” – Todd Brogan operators to meet growing ridership demand, which is now at the highest level since 2011,” Sherry Ly, WMATA’s manager of media relations, told the AFRO via email. “As part of that effort, Metro recently agreed to modifications in the contract allowing Transdev to be more competitive in the job market. This has resulted in higher wages for operators and improved service to customers.” The Rev. H. Lionel Edmonds of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in the District says roughly a dozen of his parishioners rely on MetroAccess to go to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments and to attend church and he pledged to keep their issues at the forefront. Oftentimes, other church

members aren’t aware that the disabled ones who rely on MetroAccess are having issues with the service arriving on time, which makes it harder for the church to help them. “They may have disabilities but they’re proud, they have self esteem,” Edmonds said. “They want to get around by themselves so a lot of times, we don’t even know what they’re going through unless you’re an eyewitness of it.” Brogan says he too will continue to keep the pressure on. “You get what you pay for and that if this is a priority, if allowing people with disabilities to live as freely as everyone else is an actual priority for jurisdictional leaders … they need to invest in this system,” he said.

April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017, The Afro-American

King

Continued from B1

worked around the world teaching non-violence. She worked non-stop for 50 years to get a holiday for Dr. King, now her birthday comes unnoticed,” said journalist and author Barbara Reynolds, who organized a special tribute to commemorate her birthday. Reynolds, who wrote a biography of King entitled My Life, My Love, My Legacy, is part of a group of people who will be celebrating the life of King. Born on April 27, 1927, King’s life went far beyond Heiberger, Ala. where she was born and raised on her parent’s farm. She never stopped marching, speaking, and advocating for social justice as exemplified in her 1986 letter opposing now Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointment to the federal bench. “My professional and personal roots in Alabama are deep and lasting,” King wrote on behalf of the MLK Center for Social Change in March of 1986. “Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens should not be elevated to our courts. “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly Black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship.” Today, selected by President Donald Trump, Sessions is using his position as attorney general to attempt to roll back decades of Civil Rights gains. But he is being haunted by the words of King, so much so that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Okla.) was sat down in the US Senate when she read parts of Kings letters during Sessions confirmation hearing. On April 27, a digital birthday party is scheduled in King’s honor. People from the country are – Linda Boyd throughout encouraged to change their social media profile picture to their favorite photo of King with the hashtag #HappyBirthdayMrsKing. On April 29, a Social Justice Service is scheduled at Howard University’s Rankin Chapel where the first Coretta Scott King Eternal Flame Award will be presented. There will also be the presenting of “Coretta’s 7 Lasting Words,” during the ceremony. Reynolds said she invited D.C. officials and Civil Rights veterans to attend the service. A book signing is scheduled to follow the service with proceeds slated to benefit the A Teacher’s Work Is Never Done (ATWINDS) Foundation. King was tireless as an advocate for social justice. She never stopped marching whether it was crossing the Alabama River in Selma or speaking at the United Nations. “Coretta Scott King was a woman of tall dignity and grace,” Linda Boyd, a longtime spokesman for three D.C. mayors who worked closely with the King family, told the AFRO. “She had towering strength in the face challenges and adversity. She left a legacy for all of us to live by when ever the King family came to Washington.” Boyd reflected on a time when Coretta attended a luncheon sponsored by the National Political Congress of Black Women where she, Betty Shabazz, Mamie Till, and Rosa Parks were honored. “These widows of the movement will never be forgotten, their legacy will live forever,” Boyd said. “Coretta was the wind beneath her husband’s movement.”

“Coretta Scott King was a woman of tall dignity and grace.”

AFRO WASHINGTON AREA

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Suitland, Md.

UBA Invites Community to Open House 5001 Silver Hill Road, Suite #101 UBA Services is proud to announce the opening of their new location in the Prince George’s County area. This new health wellness facility will provide services and cater to residents. Owned and operated by Dr. Tracee Burroughs-Gardner, UBA will be located at 5001 Silver Hill Road, Suite #101. On April 27 from noon - 2p.m., UBA will host an open house to introduce itself and its services to the local community. UBA’s mission is to provide high quality, trauma informed health wellness and substance abuse treatment.

Rockville, Md.

D.C. Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance Hosts STEM Workshop Kaiser Permanente headquarters, 2101 Jefferson St. The Washington, D.C. Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance (DCHBCUAA), in collaboration with their community partner, Kaiser Permanente, will present a STEM workshop for minority high school students. This free workshop is scheduled for April 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Kaiser Permanente headquarters, 2101 Jefferson St. The HBCU Alumni Alliance is a non-profit community-based organization that consists of HBCU’s Alumni chapters. Its mission is to strengthen the community by providing programs that address the needs of African Americans, particularly in the areas of Health and Wellness, Hunger, and Higher Education. For more information, contact Sam Washington at communictions@dchbcu.org.

Washington, D.C.

Peoples Climate March Line-up: In front of Capitol Building at 3rd and Jefferson, SW The People’s Climate Movement is scheduled to host a march on April 29 at 12:30 p.m. down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House. A line-up will form at 11 a.m. in front

of the Capitol Building at 3rd and Jefferson, SW. Marchers will surround the White House and take powerful collective action to honor the lives at stake and make a loud sound demanding climate justice and good jobs that will drown out all of the climate-denying nonsense that has been coming out of this Administration. At 3 p.m. marchers will reconvene at the Washington Monument grounds to connect and share stories. Marchers will also hear from the front line of the climate crisis and share solutions rooted in communities. There will be music and beautiful art from around the country that shows local demands and visions. For more information, visit peoplesclimate.org.

Law Day Conversation with American Bar Association and D.C. Courts D.C. Court of Appeals Ceremonial Courtroom, 430 E Street, NW The American Bar Association (ABA), Chief Judges of the D.C. Superior Courts and the D.C. Court of Appeals are scheduled to hold a discussion on May 1 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the D.C. Court of Appeals Ceremonial Courtroom, Historic Courthouse, located at 430 E Street, NW. The event will include Linda Klein, president of the ABA; Chief Judge Blackburn-Rigsby, D.C. Court of Appeals; Chief Judge Morin, D.C. Superior Court; and Annamaria Steward, president D.C. Bar. May 1 is recognized as Law Day – is a day to focus on the rule of law in the US and the freedoms the Constitution guarantees. Submit questions in advance 2017 Total to LawDay@dcsc. gov or via Twitter: @ DC_Courts with #LawDayQ&A. A live video stream Past Seven Days will be provided at dccourts.gov/ LawDayQA. Data as

Homicide Count

We all have to pay our

Fair Share.

We are stopping fare skipping at the Fort Totten and

Gallery Place stations to make sure everyone is paying their Fair Share. The swing gates next to the station

manager booths are now secured. If you use the gate without tapping your SmartTrip® card, and are not authorized to do so, you could face a fine up to

$300. Visit www.wmata.com for more info.

35 0

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The Afro-American, April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017

D.C. Mayor Bowser (at podium) and Michael Jones, principal at Triden Development Group; Brandon Tood, Ward 4 Councilmember; Vicki Davis, president, Urban Atlantic; and Charles K. Watters, Jr., senior managing director at Hines

The Hines, Urban Atlantic and Triden Development Group hosted a ground breaking ceremony April 24 for the start of land acquisition and development of The Parks at Walter Reed, a mixeduse neighborhood totaling more than 3.1 million square feet. The development is expected to take anywhere from 10-15 years and will include more than 2100 rental units; housing including 432 affordable

housing units, 150,000-250,000 of retail space, a hotel and conference center, arts and cultural space, and space for medical care facilitated by Howard University.

D.C. officials, Walter Reed and Hines executives commemoratively break ground for the new development

District of Columbia International School student choir Photos by Rob Roberts

Tamika C. Sims

The Negro League of Legends Hall of Fame hosted a Legacy night celebration on March 31 at the Publick Playhouse in Cheverly, Md. The celebration was the 60th birthday of Dwayne Sims, founder of the Negro League Legends Hall of Fame (NLLHOF). The event included Smooth Jazz artist Wake Campbell, Master-T “Barry White” tribute, and headliner Ray Apollo Allen and band.

La Shana Barker portrays “Billy Holiday”

Singer Ray Apollo Allen

Pro-Tran owners , Irving and wife Edie, partners of the official NLLHOF luxury motor coach

Courtesy Photos

Master-T tribute to “Barry White” James Copland and Marilyn Flemings with Dwayne Sims

Musical icon Herb Fame of “Peaches and Herb” with wife Yvonne

Kenny and Gasby Brown

Front row (l to r): Loretta A. Bullock (1st cousin), Pastor Gregory M. Sims (brother), Rev. Thomas H. Sims (father), Lillie M. Sims (mother); Standing: Dwayne Sims, Kimberly Sims-Lee (sister), Daryl H. Sims (brother)

Pamela Jenkins, Edgar Brookins, AFRO D.C. General Manager; Ebony McMorris, emcee, Radio One News Correspondent and Dwayne Sims

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Race and Politics

High Tea in Honor of Women of the AFRO

The Ordeal of Ivan Potts Is the Same Old Tragic Story “I had so many cases, so many things I was trying to research, so I could get justice. Because I Sean Yoes knew the Senior AFRO odds was Contributor against me; it’s little old me against a powerful system. So, all I would do is study law, read judge’s opinions to cases and I would just research the law every day,” said Ivan Potts, 31, as he described how he typically spent large swaths of his day, more than 588 of them locked up at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown,

Many have been fighting to repair their lives for nearly 20 years since the nefarious, “zero tolerance,” policing policy, implemented in 1999… Maryland. Justice or something resembling justice came on April 12, when Potts was released from Roxbury. The gun charges against him, which gave him a mandatory eight years in prison were dropped and the Continued on D2

Baltimore County Schools

Search Is On For Superintendent Dance Replacement By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO

Photo by Dr. A. Lois De Laine

(From L-R) Lisa McNeill, Landa McLaurin, president National Coalition of 100 Black Women Baltimore Metropolitan chapter, Michele Emery, National President, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Dr. Anne O. Emery, Sheila Davenport, Valerie Ramsey and Michelle Queen at the High Tea Saluting Women of the AFRO. For more pictures from the event turn to page D4.

mother’s generation, there were more women working than men, very few sons,” said Draper, who sits on the AFRO’s board. “Every significant event that has impacted AfricanOn April 23, The Afro-American Newspaper held an Americans through the past 125 years has been chronicled by afternoon tea celebrating the women who have worked at the the AFRO and it’s very important that we keep this going.” paper throughout its history. The event was held at Sharon Murphy women have served as editors, Clean/Green Block Baptist Church in Baltimore and featured Toya Corbett, Ph.D. coordinators, publishers, and chief executives of the paper as a guest speaker. throughout the years and have Women have always played inspired and created a path for the an important role in the AFRO’s women that came after them such history and played a critical role as Eva Barnes, Gertrude Steel, Lula in the AFRO’s conception. When Jones Garrett, Ruth Jenkins and the AFRO American Newspapers many more of the women who have began on Aug. 13, 1892 it started worked at or are currently working out as a one page weekly church the paper today. – Reverend Frances Murphy Draper for The publication. John H. Murphy Sr., Women’s Tea was just founder of the AFRO, merged his one of many upcoming AFRO church publication with two other church publications and celebrations marking the newspaper’s 125-year anniversary. could only do so due to a $200 contribution from his wife, The next event in the anniversary celebration will be the Martha Howard Murphy. Clean/Green Block Initiative kickoff on April 27 and will run In attendance at the Women’s tea was Reverend Frances through mid-July. The anniversary festivities will culminate Murphy Draper, a descendant of John H. Murphy Sr. with a 125th Anniversary Gala on Aug. 12 at Martin’s “The AFRO is my family’s business, started by my great Crosswinds. For more information on 125th anniversary grandfather…women have always played an important proceedings, visit afro.com or call Diane Hocker at 410-554role and been involved. In fact in the third generation, my 8243. By Janneh G. Johnson Special to the AFRO

“…women have always played an important role and been involved.”

College Basketball

Hiring Former Terps Star Dixon Could Bring Coppin State Back Quickly Coppin is rolling the dice on a legendary player who finished 3-25 last year coaching the women’s team at the University of Juan Dixon became a legend at Baltimore’s District Columbia. However, with Dixon’s Calvert Hall High School and had an even contacts and the potential to sign high impact greater impact at the University of Maryland transfers the Eagles could find themselves by leading them to consecutive Final Fours back in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the 2002 NCAA National Championship. Championship hunt faster than expected. Now Dixon Dixon hopes that his replaces Midas touch Michael Grant will work who was at Coppin overmatched State as he by moving prepares to from Division take the reins II Stillman of the Eagles College – an program. HBCU program Dixon was in the Southern introduced as Intercollegiate the new men’s Athletic basketball Conference – to head coach, a Division I replacing program that Michael Grant, was considered at an emotional a legitimate news mid-Major conference on before Ron April 26. Courtesy photo “Fang” Mitchell With only was released in Juan Dixon, the new men’s basketball coach at Coppin a year of head State University, was a standout at the University of 2014. In three coaching Maryland and with the Washington Wizards, among Continued experience on D2 others.

Baltimore County School board and community leaders are hustling to name an interim leader for the County’s Public schools by July 1st following Superintendent Dallas Dance’s recent unexpected resignation. Marisol Johnson, vice chair of the Baltimore County School Board, said while the School Board must move quickly to develop an interim arrangement, she did not experience Dance’s resignation as a total surprise. (Johnson is one of three African-American members of Baltimore County’s school board.) “I knew that there were struggles with the ability to move forward with some of his initiatives,” Johnson told the AFRO. “There were some roadblocks, recently. After the passing of his grandmother and some time he spent with his son, he was able to make a decision,” she said. Johnson believes the key to moving forward until an interim is found is the board’s ability to work together while respecting differences. “We all are only one vote and we all have sometimes differing opinions. But as long as we can be respectful of each other’s opinions and what we bring to the table we will be successful in the search for an interim,” Johnson told the AFRO. But for many community leaders, including Baltimore County NAACP President, Anthony Fugett, Dance’s resignation came as a shock. The organization is Continued on D2

Suspect Arrested in Death of Baltimore 3-Year-Old McKenzie Elliot By P. Kenneth Burns Special to the AFRO

By Mark F. Gray Special to the AFRO

Baltimore City and federal law enforcement officials announced April 26 they’ve caught a suspect in the 2014 murder of 3-year-old McKenzie Elliot. Terrell Plummer, 28, is facing a federal gun charge in connection with McKenzie’s death among other charges in a 16-count federal indictment involving an alleged drug ring operating in Waverly. Six others, who officials say are part of the “Old York Money Gang,” have also been named in the indictment.

Continued on D2

Courtesy photo

A photo of McKenzie Elliot, who would have been six-years-old this year, was displayed at a press conference announcing the arrest of Terrell Plummer in her death.

Past Seven Days

101 2017 Total

Data as of April 26

The Afro-American, April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017

Race and Politics Continued from D1

case dismissed, once it was discovered the three officers who arrested him on September 2, 2015; Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, Det. Maurice Ward and Det. Evodio Hendrix were part of the seven cops indicted on federal charges of racketeering in March of 2017. All seven of those officers remain locked up awaiting trial, while Potts endeavors to cobble his life back together after being wrongfully arrested and spending almost two years in prison. “He’s (Potts) been staying at home with his kid, looking for work,” according to his attorney Todd Oppenheim. However, Potts is one of tens of thousands of mostly poor, mostly Black men and some women who struggle to recover after being arrested on dubious charges or in many cases, no charges at all. Many have been fighting to repair their lives for nearly 20 years since the nefarious, “zero tolerance,” policing policy, implemented in 1999 when Martin O’Malley was mayor of Baltimore. My friend and colleague Stephen Janis (one half of, “The Mod Squad,” along with his partner at The Real News Network, Taya Graham), and I have written dozens of stories over the years about the ubiquitous and devastating aftermath of zero tolerance on the Black community. “You had 10,000 people being arrested on a monthly basis, totally responding to the statistical need to incarcerate people. But, neighborhoods were pretty much under martial law,” Janis said recently during an interview. For several years in the early 2000’s Baltimore averaged more than 100,000 arrests per year, roughly one-sixth of the city’s population.

Zero tolerance, which was actually birthed in New York and co-opted by O’Malley, is derived from the “broken windows” theory of policing implemented in New York during William J. Bratton’s first term as police commissioner during the mid1990’s. Its basic tenet is lock-up people in communities of

“You cannot win this war on crime without the support of the community…” – Warren Brown color en masse, for small crimes like vandalism and public drinking, to create the appearance of lawfulness. The consensus by many criminologists is that zero tolerance failed miserably in Baltimore and has perhaps caused irreparable damage in many of the city’s mostly Black, mostly poor communities. “You cannot win this war on crime without the support of the community and when they feel like you are an occupying force, they will never cooperate with you,” said Warren Brown, the formidable defense attorney back in July 2005, at the zenith of zero tolerance. Brown was specifically protesting so-called, “illegal arrests,” the rocket fuel of zero tolerance. Brown told me back then that police were making about 2,000 illegal arrests per month. “An illegal arrest is when there is either no probable cause

for the arrest or the state has indicated they will not prosecute,” Brown said in 2005. Out of the hundreds of thousands arrested during the height of zero tolerance, tens of thousands were never charged. In fact, according to the DOJ, more than 11,000 people arrested in Baltimore City since 2010 have not been charged. Although the zero tolerance policy was officially abandoned several years ago by the BCPD, the Department of Justice’s scathing patterns or practice report argues current supervisors trained under zero tolerance, “continue to encourage officers to prioritize short-term suppression.” At the very least the residue of zero tolerance continues to permeate communities where lives have been interrupted adversely, in many cases catastrophically, with lost jobs, ruptured families and crushed spirits. The many beaten and killed by rogue cops is another conversation. “They’re like a gang of their own, they’re like the police bandits. You’ve got your uniformed police, then you got your knockers...and they’re like desperados or something, with a badge riding around the neighborhood,” Potts said. “And it’s like, their demeanor is like, `We’re doin’ the same thing ya’ll doin’...but we got badges and if you move the wrong way, we’ll bust you. It’s not systematically designed to help, it’s designed to stir the pot up, to stir the confusion up.” 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.

Superintendant Continued from D1

now focused on ensuring Baltimore County residents of color have a voice in choosing Dance’s successor. “The NAACP was surprised by the recent actions of the Superintendent. That [Dance’s resignation] disappointed me,” Fugett told the AFRO. “The NAACP just recently vigorously supported Dance’s contract renewal,” Fugett said. Dance was in the first year of a second fouryear contract with Baltimore County Schools when he resigned April 18. “My thought is that the board’s strategy is to propose a one-year interim by July 1st,” Fugett said. He said Dance’s initiatives, including recent curriculum reforms,

would remain. Dance has received criticism by some in the County for introducing elementary curriculum reforms and a system-wide high school schedule. Johnson said the School Board has only met once

County Public Schools. Johnson expounded on qualities that she personally considers important to keep the school system moving forward after Dance’s departure. “Dr. Dance made great

“We need someone who can work with our governing agencies. We need someone who understands the vision.” – Marisol Johnson since Dance’s resignation and a process has yet to be developed to name an interim successor for Baltimore

strides in working with the County Council and the County Executive. We need someone who can

Despite recent struggles the Coppin job is an attractive opportunity that several brand name coaches were interested in. Former Dunbar legend

slight of all was former Coppin great Larry Stewart, who is currently an assistant at Morgan and has been a CIAA championship winning assistant coach with Bowie State University. The school has a fertile recruiting base which plays to Dixon’s strength. He knows Baltimore well and will be able to establish credibility with AAU programs on both sides of the parkway. Having played at Maryland and with NBA contacts Dixon is now a conduit for Coppin to bring game changing transfers into the program immediately, which could hasten their

work with our governing agencies. We need someone who understands the vision,” Johnson said. “We need someone who shares the principles that Dance’s blueprint laid out. Principles that we have been working on as a board and as a system for the last four years,” Johnson added. “ I have four children in the school system and I personally do not want to see everything we worked for in the past couple years come to a complete halt.” Some observers expressed hope that the County would select another superintendent who also represented the school system’s diversity. Dance is African American.

“The school system in Baltimore County is not the district it was 25 years ago,” said Patricia L. Welch, Dean of the School of Education at Morgan State University. “I don’t know if there has been enough attention paid to the diversifying population,” Welch said, referring to state demographic data outlining a shift in the County’s schoolage population from 80% White to 40% White over the last 30 years. “Baltimore County has the awesome responsibility of addressing all of its students all of the time. We can no longer sit silently and not address the demographic changes in Baltimore County,” Welch added.

Fugett said he expects the NAACP to give input in the selection of the County’s interim superintendent candidate and will petition to make sure the organization’s voice is considered in the selection process for Dance’s permanent successor. “We’re happy that the next window of opportunity will be involvement in public hearings for the interim superintendent,” Fugett said. The NAACP is looking ahead to ensure Baltimore County Public Schools puts the needs of its “majorityminority” population first. “Dance’s successor must be someone who has minority achievement as a priority,” Fugett said.

march back to respectability in the conference. Moreover, Coppin State’s basketball arena is second to none and is appealing to coaches and players alike. There is a feeling that if the program could entice more prospects to visit campus and see the facility they would have a better than average chance at signing them. When athletic director Derek Carter was hired last August one of his first charges was to fix the

men’s basketball program. Perhaps the first brick in that foundation is hiring Dixon. As Dixon sets to chart a new course for Coppin State’s basketball program there is one thing that he doesn’t have to sell. The Eagles have won MEAC championships and NCAA Tournament games. One of the biggest March Madness upsets in history came in 1997 when #15 seed Coppin beat #2 South Carolina. They also stunned

St. Joe’s in Philadelphia in a first round NIT game in 1995. Experience aside, Dixon’s hire gives Coppin’s athletic program credibility that only a name like his could sell. He is one of the few names that can build bridges from Charm City to Chocolate City. If Dixon proves he can win as a head coach there is no reason for Coppin not to regain its place amongst the best mid major programs in the country sooner rather than later.

Dixon

Continued from D1 years Grant led Coppin to a 25-69 record. Since the primary revenue stream for Coppin State’s athletic program are the big money games where the Eagles earn between $50-80,000 as they barnstorm around the country taking double digit beatdowns from major Top 25 programs, Grant’s overall mark is a little skewed. However, his fate was sealed with his 19-29 mark in MEAC play during a three year stretch where Morgan State struggled and the balance of Charm City power could have moved to Baltimore’s west side.

…Coppin State’s basketball arena is second to none and is appealing to coaches and players alike. and Maryland star Keith Booth was rumored to have been one of the interested candidates as was former Georgetown assistant Kevin Broadus. Perhaps the biggest

Suspect

Continued from D1 The indictment alleges the operation began in January 2014 and that the gang committed murder, robbery, extortion, burglary and narcotics trafficking. City Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said bringing her killer to justice has “been a long time coming.” “McKenzie Elliott should be six, today,” he said at a press conference on April 26. “She should be at school; she’s not.” McKenzie was struck by a stray bullet while playing in her front yard during a shooting in Better Waverly on Aug. 1, 2014. Days later, at a National Night Out event in the neighborhood, then-Police Commissioner Anthony Batts promised the crowd to have someone in custody by the end of the week. It would take nearly three years and a new police commissioner before someone would be brought to custody. Daniel L. Board Jr., special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Baltimore Field Division, said McKenzie’s homicide should not have gone unsolved for so long. “If we could have got more help from the public; more help from the community; even small bits of information,” he said at the news conference. “That’s the kind of help we all need in the law enforcement fight against crime.” In spite of the amount of time it took for investigators to find a suspect, Police Commissioner Davis insisted that the investigation was always active and never turned into a cold case. U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod Rosenstein echoed the remarks adding that a cold case means no one is working on the investigation; noting that the case has received “constant attention” since McKenzie’s death. Rosenstein announced the indictment hours before beginning his new role in Washington, D.C. as deputy attorney general. He said he would take the portrait of McKenzie used at the news conference with him and show it to his news boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, while praising the work of Baltimore law enforcement.

April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017, The Afro-American

Celebration featuring William â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smoothâ&#x20AC;? Wardlaw and his Tribute Band giving tribute to Luther Vandross on May 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Forum Caterers with a buffet lunch and cash bar. Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7719 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Md. 20814 will host a Motown Show live in concert on May 5. Doors

Entertainment & Social Events Shine in Baltimore

Hello everyone, how are you? I am doing just great thank you. The doctors have given me a gold star as far as my health, so you know what that means? I am ready to Rock Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Roll. I am ready again to cover a lot of events, do book signings and party with you. Man oh Man, there is so much going on in the upcoming weekends, especially this weekend. Robet â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bootsieâ&#x20AC;? Barnes and Paul Carr will be at Caton Castle this weekend. Mike Phillips, saxophonist, will National recording artist be performing at Magoobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and saxophonist Robert â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bootsieâ&#x20AC;? Barnes and Paul Joke House and the Bethesda Blues & Jazz concert, featuring Carr and their band will pay tribute to the late jazz Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band, saxophonist Dexter Gordon on April 28 at 6 p.m. The Blues at Caton Castle, 20 S. Caton & Jazz Supper Club is located 7719 Wisconsin Avenue, Avenue in Baltimore on April 29 from 6 p.m. to 10 Bethesda, Md. Project Team Mom p.m. For more information, is hosting an All White call 410-566-7086. Masquerade Fundraiser on April 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. at the Milbrook Community Center, 6806 Milbrook Park Drive in Baltimore. For tickets call Mike Jones at 443-738-4903. One of my favorite things is the Wheels & Waves Autofest Show on April 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Casino at Ocean Downs. Contact Scott at 302-983-0588. Sean E. Merryman Promotions will host a Comedy and Dinner Show featuring comedians; Ms. Stilletto, Keith Smith and hosted by Ms. Maybelle on April 29 at the Forest Park Senior Center, 4801 Liberty Heights Avenue. Doors open at 5 p.m. For ticket information, call 410-215-8893.

Cheryl â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Girlâ&#x20AC;? Goodman, founder and CEO of Dance Baltimore, will be performing at her 9th Annual Ageless Grace, a concert featuring professional and community dancers, ages 40 and older on May 7 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Avenue in Baltimore. For more information, go to dancebaltimore. org. Bro. Larry Washington of the Historical Arch Social Club is hosting â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Tribute to the Stroke Survival Groupâ&#x20AC;? Event on April 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., 2426 Pennsylvania Avenue, Baltimore. There will be door prizes, music, dancing and free food. For more information, call 410-622-2271. Next weekend is also awesome with some dynamite events such as: Lee Session, the Mr. Do Hair Designâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 22nd Annual Black Tie Only Appreciation Party on May 7 at the Forum Caterers, 4210 Primrose Avenue, featuring a lot of live entertainment, food, drinks, DJ music, dancing while you are dressed in your tux and gowns. It is mandatory formal folks. For ticket information, call Lee Session at 443-929-0646. The Big Sisters Club of Baltimore will host a Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

AFRO

BALTIMORE AREA

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Send your upcoming events to tips@afro.com. For more community events go to afro.com/Baltimore-events Greater Baltimore Urban Leaguesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Whitney M. Young Jr. Gala

The 60th annual celebration is on April 28 at the Hilton Baltimore from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Save Our Citiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The honorees are April Ryan, Keion Carpentner, Kirby Fowler and Elder Harris. The keynote speaker is Valerie Jarrett, a former senior advisor to President Barack Obama. For more information, go to 2017gbulgala.eventbrite.com.

Youth Empowerment Conference at PolyWestern High School

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Am The Change Youth Empowerment

Conferenceâ&#x20AC;? is on April 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Poly-Western High School located at 4600 Falls Road, Baltimore, Md 21209. The purpose of the conference is to provide an open forum for dialogue between students, school administrators, school police, and community activists to discuss ways to organize and enact real change through enhancing leadership skills, building self-esteem and developing more holistic youth. For more information, contact Catonya Lester at 443-2962075.

Strong City Baltimoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10th Annual Neighborhood Institute

Strong City Baltimoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10th annual Neighborhood Institute will be held on April 29 from 8:30 a.m. to

3:30 p.m. at the Baltimore Design School, 1500 Barclay St., in Greenmount West. Please join more than 300 community leaders and social justice advocates for a full day of skill-building and networking, followed by a tour of the Greenmount West neighborhood and social hour at the Cabana Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club. To register and view a complete list of workshops, go to strongcitybaltimore.org.

University of Maryland Open House

The University of Marylandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one-day open house is on April 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature over 400 free family-friendly and interactive events that

teach and inspire future innovators. A wide variety of activities take place across campus in six learning neighborhoods, including Terp Town Center, Ag Day Avenue, Art & Design Place,

Biz & Society Hill, Sports & Rec Row and Science & Tech Way. Highlights include a meet and greet with UMD athletes, access to the wind tunnel, storytelling and performances, 60-second plank challenge, health fair, petting zoo, healthy food demos, and much more. This is a free event. Visit marylandday.umd.edu for more information.

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Saxophonist extraordinaire Mike Phillips will be performing at Magoobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Joke House & Sound Stage, 9603 Deereco Road, Timonium, Md. on April 30 at 5 p.m. The event will be hosted by Charm City Jazz. For more information, call 443-858-9781. open at 6 p.m. For more information, call 240-3304500. Well, I think this will keep Tiger Lil, Baltimoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you busy for the next couple popular Starmaid and of weeks, hopefully I will see former night club owner, you in one place or another. The is serving your favorite word I give you is â&#x20AC;&#x153;SUPPORT.â&#x20AC;? cocktails every Friday Remember if you need me, and Saturday evening at call me at 410-833-9474 or Patchase Social Club, 1101 email me at rosapryor@aol.com. Patterson Park Avenue. Until the next time, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Stop by and say hello. musically yours.

The Afro-American, April 29, 2017 - May 5, 2017

Photos by Dr. A. Lois De Laine and AFRO Staff The sounds of laughter and a welcoming atmosphere filled the fellowship hall at Sharon Baptist Church on April 23 as ladies dressed in their spring dresses and colorful hats gave a

salute to the Women of The AFRO. Each hostess had beautifully decorated tables with fine china, colorful linens with draped ribbons, pearls and fresh flowers. The main course, however was the different assortment of flavored teas poured from fancy teapots to complement the meal. The highlight of the afternoon was the guest speaker, Dr. Toya Guest speaker Corbett, Dean of

John “Jake” Oliver Jr., CEO/Publisher, AFRO American Newspapers

Hostess Karen Outlaw and guests

Students at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) who wrote her dissertation on “Family, Faith and Feminism: The Murphy Women, 1896-2000” and provided an historical insight of the powerful Murphy Women of The AFRO.

Dr. Toya Corbett

Hostess Lillian Vaughn and guests

Hostess Denise DeLeaver’s table

Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper gives the Occasion

Hostess Marsha Jews with Leslie KingHammond

Hostess Barbara Blount Armstrong’s table

Hostess Patricia Tunstall and guests

Hostesses Phyllis Reese and Mary Demory and guests

Hostess Landa McLaurin and guests

Hostess Takiea Hinton and guests

Hostess Lenora Howze and guests

Hostess LaTrina Antoine and guests

Hostess Barbara Blount Armstrong

Rev. A.C.D. Vaughn Sr, pastor, Sharon Baptist Church delivers the invocation

Hostess Beverly Carter and guests

Hostess Marcine Britton’s table

Hostess Marsha Jews and guests

Hostess Diane Bell-McKoy and guests

Hostess Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper and guests

Cimon Byrd Burris, Hostess Laura Byrd and Myra

Marsha Logan and Gladys Bragg

Baltimore Chapter CHUMS, Inc.

Hostess Diane Hocker and guests