Afro PG County 3-10-2017 by AFRO News

November 12, 2016 - November 12, 2016, The Afro-American A1 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION

Volume 125 No. 31

MARCH 4, 2017 - MARCH 10, 2017

Inside

Prince George’s

D.C. Black History Film Fest Offers Voice for Change

• ASALH Highlights Crisis in Black Education

Commentary

Defending Democracy Against Voter Suppression By Rep. Elijah Cummings

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Donald Trump met with nearly 100 leaders from HBCUs for what appears to be little more than a photo-op.

President Trump Meeting with HBCU Leaders Mired in Controversy By Kamau High AFRO Managing Editor khigh@afro.com

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When the administration of President Donald Trump announced that there would be a “listening session” with HBCU presidents at the White House there were concerns that the meeting would be nothing more than a photo opportunity for a president that has stumbled badly when it comes to reaching out to Blacks.

Those concerns appear to have been proven correct. Attending the Oval Office meeting were Maryland and Virginia-area HBCU presidents, including David Wilson, president of Morgan State University and Juliette Bell, president of University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). Among the reportedly close to 90 other presidents in attendance were Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Dillard University, and William Harvey, president, Hampton State

University. Maria Thompson, president of Baltimore’s Coppin State University and Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of D.C.’s Howard University were not at the meeting. From the beginning of the meeting, things appeared to go wrong for the administration. Kellyane Conway, counselor to the president, was photographed casually kneeling on a couch in the Oval Office while the presidents of the gathered Continued on A3

Timeline of the Maryland ‘HBCU Equity Lawsuit’ By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO The remedial phase of the Maryland HBCU equity lawsuit being heard in federal district court is coming to end. Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education et al. v. Maryland Higher Education Commission, originally

filed in 2006 by a community-based group composed of alumni from Maryland’s four historically Black colleges and universities (the “Coalition”) – Bowie State University, Coppin State

Rep. Clay Goes to Federal Court for Young Black Artist By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com On Feb. 21, U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) were joined by pro bono attorneys

at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in the District of Columbia to file suit against Stephen Ayers, Architect of the U.S. Capitol. Ayers removed a painting created by St. Louis artist Continued on A3

University, Morgan State University and the University of MarylandEastern Shore – was determined by the U.S Federal District Court that the state of Maryland continues to operate a de jure system of segregation in higher education that has disadvantaged HBCU students.

The timeline below provides a condensed overview of the 10-plus years of legal action and civic activity connected with the HBCU equity lawsuit: 1974-1982 – The Backstory – What Led to the HBCU Equity Lawsuit Being Filed?

In 1974, the state of Maryland devised a plan to achieve Black-White equity

Continued on A3

AFRO Archived History

25 Scientists Play Key Role in Salk’s Drama

• Institute was main source of HeLa cells • Dr. Brown headed work in Alabama April 23, 1955

U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, along with other politicians and attorneys, is suing the Architect of the Capitol for censorship after ‘Untitled #1’ (pictured) was removed from the Capitol.

• AFRO Hosts Event Honoring Black Educators

With the Black President Gone, Gun Sales Drop Dramatically By Charles D. Ellison Special to the AFRO The election of Barack Obama as president triggered a number of historical moments and trends. Not only was he the first Black president who hoped to usher in a new “post-racial” age, but his two-terms in office was marked by economic disruption unseen since the Great Depression, a dramatic overhaul of health care and a period of volatile partisan polarization. But it also marked a strange and unprecedented surge in gun sales. Under President Obama, gun sales jumped by nearly 160 percent between 2008 – 2015, Continued on A3

The eldest son of Henrietta Lacks recently said he would file a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins University over the use of his mother’s cells. The cells from Lacks, who died in 1951, have long been used by scientist for research purposes because of their unique properties and are known globally as the HeLa cells. This article discusses how the HeLa cells were critical to the development of Dr. Jonas Salk’s anti-polio serum.

Tuskegee research aided test

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TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE, Ala. (ANP)-Had it not been for the work of some 25 Tuskegee scientists and researchers, 30 million American children scheduled to receive Salk polio vaccine shots in the coming weeks might still be waiting to know the drug’s effectiveness. The work of the Carver Institute Continued on A4

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Oscars Flap Eclipses ‘Moonlight’ Win, but Civility Reigns By The Associated Press

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Barry Jenkins, foreground center, and the cast accept the award for best picture for “Moonlight” at the Oscars on Feb. 26, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The 89th Academy Awards got off on the right foot, with a song and dance, but ended with the most stunning mistake ever to befall the esteemed awards show when the best picture Oscar was presented to the wrong movie. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, holding an incorrect envelope, wrongly presented the top prize to “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight.” The moment at the conclusion of the Feb. 26 show was so jaw-dropping, it eclipsed everything else in a ceremony that was packed to the brim with Donald Trump jabs, fun stunts, heartfelt positivity and a stunning upset by “Moonlight” over what had been a “La La” juggernaut throughout the awards season. Yet somehow, even the embarrassing moment pivoted into grace. As confusion and bafflement overwhelmed those in the Dolby Theatre and at home on their couches, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins at “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle shared a hug at the back of the stage, out of sight from the television cameras. “The folks of ‘La La Land’ were so gracious. I can’t imagine being in their position and having to do that,” Jenkins told reporters backstage. “It was unfortunate that things happened as they did but, goddamn, we won best picture.” Oscar tabulators PwC, in their 83rd year providing the service to the academy, later apologized in a statement and are investigating why it happened. There’s no denying, though, that “Moonlight’s” win over “La La Land” was a massive upset, made only more pointed by the envelope gaffe. Chazelle’s candy-colored musical was widely presumed to be a shoo-in for the top prize after its record-tying 14 nominations and a relative sweep of the awards season. The film still won six Oscars, including best director for Chazelle, who at 32 became the youngest ever to take the prize, and for score, song (“City of Stars”) and actress to Emma Stone. The actress, who pledged her deep love of “Moonlight,” said later, “Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool!” The academy usually throws awards at films that gaze lovingly at Hollywood, but Barry Jenkins’ heartfelt coming-ofage drama seduced academy voters in the end — a subtle tide change perhaps informed by both a prickly political climate and an urgent imperative to honor more diverse films after two consecutive years of #OscarsSoWhite. Diversity could be found in every corner of the awards this year, with supporting acting wins for “Moonlight’s” Mahershala Ali and “Fences’” Viola Davis, although the best actor category proved to be a bit of an upset when Casey Affleck won for “Manchester by the Sea” over Denzel Washington of “Fences,” who had picked up momentum in recent weeks. The improvement followed efforts By Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs to diversify the membership of the largely White, older and male film academy. “Tonight is proof that art has no borders, no single language and does not belong to a single faith,” said Isaacs. Davis gave a particularly powerful speech in which she praised the late “Fences” playwright August Wilson who, she said, “Exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.” Kimmel said later that Davis, “Just got nominated for an Emmy for that speech.” Ezra Edelman, whose nearly eight-hour epic “O.J.: Made in America” took best documentary, dedicated the award to the victims of the famous crime, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Kimmel even jokingly thanked the president for shifting the focus of the night. “Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?” he said in the opening.

Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ Scares up Big $30.5 Million Debut By The Associated Press

Great reviews and buzz propelled comedian Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, the micro-budget thriller “Get Out,” to a chart-topping opening weekend with $30.5 million according to studio estimates Feb. 26. The Blumhouse-produced and Universal Picturesdistributed film cost an estimated $4.5 million to make. While it was expected to perform well against its budget, few people foresaw a debut this big — especially with a relatively unknown star in Daniel Kaluuya leading the film. Part of the reason is positive reviews. “Get Out” has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is extremely rare for a thriller and only added to the excitement going into the weekend according to Universal’s President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution Nick Carpou. “Jordan Peele is an absolute talent,” he said. “As we got closer and closer to opening, it’s amazing how many people were rooting for it.” Peele, who most audiences know for his sketch comedy work on the series “Key & Peele,” wrote and directed the film about a black man who travels upstate to meet his White girlfriend’s family.

Even without Peele in the film, audiences turned out in droves to experience the high concept horror pic. According to exit polls, African Americans comprised an estimated 39 percent of the opening weekend audiences, while Caucasians made up 36 percent, and a whopping 49 percent were under the age of 25. ComScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian predicts the film will also have staying power in the marketplace. “Social media is going to keep this movie front and center,” Dergarabedian said. “Get Out” effectively pushed “The Lego Batman Movie” into second place. The animated family picture added $19 million this weekend and is now up to $133 million after only three weeks in theaters. “John Wick: Chapter 2” took third place with $9 million, while the Matt Damon-starrer “The Great Wall” took fourth with $8.7 million — down 53 percent from its opening last week. “Fifty Shades Darker” rounded out the top five with $7.7 million, pushing the erotic drama over the $100 million mark in its third weekend. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to ComScore. Final domestic figures will be released Feb. 27.

Sessions Reverses Obama Initiative of Reducing Private Prisons By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent zprince@afro.com

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In this Jan. 10 photo, then-Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In one of his first acts as attorney general of the United States, former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions has reversed an Obama administration policy to reduce the reliance on private prisons. In August 2016, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates sent a memo to the Federal Bureau of Prisons advising that the use of private prisons would be reduced given the declining prison population. Yates also cited an Inspector General’s report which found that private prisons lack the same level of safety, security and services as government-run facilities. “Private prisons served an important role during a difficult period, but time has shown that they compare poorly to our own Bureau facilities,” Yates wrote. The Bureau of Prisons began contracting with private prisons about a decade ago to accommodate a ballooning prison population. Due to the Obama administration’s efforts to retool federal sentencing policies and other initiatives, the prison population began a steady decline. Yet, the Trump administration has backtracked on that guidance, referencing the correctional system’s “future needs.” “The (Obama administration) memorandum changed long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the bureau’s ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system. Therefore, I direct the bureau to return to its previous approach,” Sessions said in a letter to Thomas Kane, acting director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and dated Feb. 21. Sessions’ move was not unexpected. Given Trump’s rhetoric about clamping down on criminals and immigrants, the number of detained persons in the U.S. is likely to spike. In fact, since Trump’s election, stocks of the two biggest private prison operators — CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corp. of America) and Geo Group – have risen by 140 percent and 98 percent, respectively, according to CNN. Democrats and civil rights groups are decrying the retrenchment on private prisons. “This is how our corrupt political and campaign finance system works. Private prison companies invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and today they got their reward,” said former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in a statement. “At a time when we already have more people behind bars than any other country, Trump just opened the floodgates for private prisons to make huge profits by building more prisons and keeping even more Americans in jail. Our job: invest in education and jobs, not jails and incarceration.” Civil rights groups have long criticized the mix of profit and prisons. “The reliance on for-profit private prisons by the federal government is an embarrassing and degrading stain on our democracy,” said the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in a statement in response to Sessions’ memo. “Neither private entities nor the state should expect to profit from the individual and societal failures that mass incarceration represents.”

The Afro-American, March 4, 2017 - March 4, 2017

Trump Continued from A1 HBCUs posed standing with the President. The photograph has been condemned as not showing sufficient respect to the HBCU presidents and the office of the President. In addition to a lack of respect, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued a statement about the meeting. In it, she said that HBCUs were started as a way of offering Black students “school choice” instead of the reality that they were created as a result of statesanctioned segregation. “[HBCUs] started from the fact that there were too many students in America who did not have equal access to education. They saw that the system wasn’t working, that there was an absence of opportunity, so they took it upon themselves to provide the solution,” she wrote.

According to HBCU Buzz, there are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States. “HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice. They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality,” DeVos continued. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) quickly issued a statement condemning Devos’ remarks. “Let’s be clear, HBCUs were started because of Jim Crow laws. Black students did not “choose” HBCUs over all White colleges—they were barred from attending due to their race,” he wrote. “This statement by Mrs. Devos reveals either a stunning ignorance of history on the part of the person tasked with overseeing our nation’s education system,

Lawsuit Continued from A1 in higher education. Two years later, the U.S. Department of Education‘s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) informed the State of Maryland that the plan was not being appropriately implemented and threatened to block Maryland’s share of federal funds to achieve enforcement. The State filed a lawsuit against OCR preventing them from withholding federal funds. Negotiations between the State and OCR continued and in 1980, the state submitted a second desegregation plan. OCR found this plan insufficient as well. In 1985, after continued negotiations, Maryland and OCR agreed on a third desegregation plan. The Coalition asserts that the 1985 agreement has never been sufficiently enacted, leaving the state’s HBCUs underfunded, while the state uses its policy-making capability to advance predominantly White institutions (PWIs.) 2000 – Partnership Agreement

Maryland signs a partnership agreement with the OCR (federal government) agreeing to make its four Historically Black Institutions comparable and competitive to the Traditionally White Institutions in all respects; to avoid unnecessary program duplication between Historically Black Institutions and Traditionally White universities; and to conduct a study of the status and special needs of Coppin State University. 2006 – HBCU Equity Lawsuit Filed

The Coalition files the equity Lawsuit. The case was originally filed in a Maryland state court before it was re-filed in the Federal District Court. The HBCU equity lawsuit asserts that the State of Maryland violated HBCU students’ rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment – i.e. Maryland continues to operate a system of higher education that discriminates against HBCU students. 2012 – HBCU Equity Lawsuit Liability Trial Liability trial held Jan. to Feb. in the U.S.

District Court of Maryland. Judge Catherine E. Blake presiding. 2013 – Court Rules in Favor of Coalition for Equity and Excellence

Judge Catherine E. Blake rules in favor of the HBCU plaintiffs, determining that Maryland continues to operate a de jure system of discrimination against HBCUs. “Students who enter Maryland’s historically Black institutions – whether Black, White, or of other races – do not have an equal educational opportunity as those students who attend the state’s traditionally White institutions,” she wrote in her opinion. 2013-2015 – Mediation Ordered by The Court

Judge Blake orders the parties – HBCU plaintiffs and State of Maryland – to develop a remedy for the discriminatory pattern of academic program duplication that put HBCUs at a disadvantage. Plaintiffs submit remedial plan. State of Maryland fails to submit a comprehensive plan to address program duplication. 2016 – Mediation Fails – Blake Sets Court Date for Remedial Trial

In December 2016 Judge Catherine E. Blake orders the Coalition and State to return to court for trial in 2017 after mediation fails. 2017 – HBCU Equity Remedial Trial

Witnesses for the remedial portion of the HBCU Lawsuit conclude testimony in February 2017. The court will set a posttrial briefing schedule of 90 days after which the Court will reconvene parties for closing arguments in the courtroom. (May-early June 2017) Legislative action linked to HBCU Equity Trial – March 2017

The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus introduces SB 712 which guarantees equity in funding for Maryland’s HBCUs. Hearing scheduled in Annapolis, March 7. HBCU Night in Annapolis scheduled March 21.

Gun Sales Continued from A1 according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. While firearm sales generated economic output of nearly $50 billion in 2015, job growth in the gun sector grew 73 percent, from 166,000 to 288,000. Gun sales rose another 40 percent in the wake of the Orlando night club shooting, but also noticeably during a time when an anxious conservative electorate was convinced Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would win the presidency and roll back gun rights. Yet, once President Trump entered office, gun sales dropped. Even with the new president’s push on law and order, describing an “American carnage” of cities gripped by rising violent crime, gun enthusiasts aren’t finding reasons to purchase firearms the same way they did when a Black president was in office. Recent FBI data not only shows backto-back reductions in firearm sales during December 2016 and January 2017, but also a 20 percent dip since January 2016. On the surface, fluctuations in the domestic firearms market

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March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American or an inability to acknowledge our nation’s shameful history of racial discrimination in education, both public and private.” Responding to the DeVos controversy, Morgan’s Wilson said in a video posted on Twitter that it was a “very unfortunate choice of words expressed very inartfully.” On Feb. 28 DeVos issued an apology on Twitter where she acknowledged that HBCUs began due to segregation. “#HBCUs are such an important piece of the fabric of American history—one that encompasses some of our nation’s greatest citizens. Providing an alternative option to students denied the right to attend a quality school is the legacy of #HBCUs. But your history was born not out of mere choice, but out of necessity, in the face of racism, and in the aftermath of the Civil War.” Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Dillard University published a commentary saying “…there was very little listening to HBCU presidents today — we were only given about two minutes each, and that was cut to one minute, so only about seven of maybe 15 or so speakers were given an opportunity today,” he wrote. On Feb. 28, Trump signed an executive order moving the White House Initiative on

HBCUs—started by then President Jimmy Carter—from under control of the Dept. of Education to the White House. UMES’ Bell, told the AFRO, “I went into this with an open mind. It’s important for leadership of institutions to be at the table to speak for ourselves in terms of the value of our institutions. I’m cautiously optimistic. The rhetoric is always good to hear but the proof will be in the action.” According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), enrollment for Black students at HBCUs decreased from 18 percent in 1976 to 8 percent in 2014. However, according to an article by Pew Research Center, figures from NCES show that in fall 2015, the combined total enrollment of all HBCUs was 293,000, compared with 234,000 in 1980. Part of that action is, “To have an investment fund established to provide one time funding to 106 HBCUs that will help us to build infrastructure and help our institution be more competitive in competing for federal funds,” Bell said. Washington D.C. Editor LaTrina Antoine contributed to this article.

Clay Continued from A1 David Pulphus. The painting allegedly offended law enforcement officers and some conservative members of Congress. The people who didn’t like Pulphus’ painting said it depicted police officers as pigs and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) took steps to remove the painting from the U.S. Capitol without the approval of Ayers. In early January, the painting was put back but subsequently removed by Ayers under the pressure of U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and conservative media commentators. Clay said that he was proud to stand up for Pulphus. “David’s remarkable painting, Untitled #1, had been on peaceful public display for seven months in the Cannon [House Office Building] tunnel of the U.S. Capitol complex, along with all the other winning entries from across the nation,” the representative said. “His artwork was initially reviewed, accepted, and approved for public display under the very same standards and criteria that apply to all student entries in this prestigious, annual competition. And yet, after being viewed repeatedly by members of Congress, congressional staffers and thousands of visitors without

incident or concern, David’s painting was wrongfully disqualified and removed from the public exhibit at the direction of the Architect of the Capitol who shamefully chose to retroactively censor and suppress Mr. Pulphus’ artwork in response to enormous political pressure he experienced from the

Missouri’s senior Democrat in Congress and is the son of a former representative, William Clay, who is a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. Pulphus won first place honors with his controversial painting in the 2016 Congressional Art Competition in Clay’s

“His artwork was initially reviewed, accepted, and approved for public display under the very same standards and criteria that apply to all student entries in this prestigious, annual competition.” – Rep. Lacy Clay

Speaker of the House and certain right-wing media outlets.” Clay said that the painting removal was “unfair, arbitrary, and unconstitutional.” Ultimately, Clay said, the “case is something bigger than a student’s painting, it’s about defending our fundamental First Amendment freedoms which are currently under assault in this country.” Clay was elected to the House in 2000 and represents a district that encompasses much of St. Louis and the suburbs around it. He is

district. The art competition encouraged young artists to express themselves on canvass and the competition is managed by the Architect of the Capitol. Clay said he is seeking an “appropriate remedy” for his lawsuit, meaning that the painting will be rehung. The pro bono team consists of Leah Tulin, a former federal district court law clerk; James Williams of the firm Chehardy, Sherman and Williams and a former civil court district judge; and Kymberly Everson of the Pacifica Law Group.

domestic gun sales. Still, surges in gun sales are also largely explained by race when the demography of gun ownership is factored in. Whites dominate the gunowning landscape, with 41 percent who admit having a firearm in their homes compared to only 19 percent of Blacks and 20 percent of Latinos who admit the same. Race also drove substantial increases in gun sales during another period in American history when Blacks were viewed as leveraging a substantial degree of political power: once following the Civil War when Black Americans were elected or appointed to political office. At the time, the sudden wave of Blacks entering state houses, Governor mansions and Jessica Reilly /Telegraph Herald via AP Congress was viewed by Gun sales rose dramatically under President Barack Obama but are falling under many Whites as a sign of a President Donald Trump. violent takeover by former slaves. In response, Whites, can be explained by fears over how the political climate especially in the South, armed up. impacts gun rights: traditionally, Democratic presidents are In contrast, since the election of Donald Trump, gun sales viewed as gun control (and, thus, anti-gun) while Republican have dropped as the new president’s White favorability remains presidents are seen as friendly to the gun rights lobby. steady at 50 percent, according to the most recent YouGov President Obama, along with Attorney General Eric Holder, poll. Both publicly-traded gun makers Sturm Ruger and Smith was widely viewed as an existential threat to gun rights. and Wesson have reported 20 percent stock price declines With mass shootings becoming more frequent, the Obama administration struggled to impose tighter restrictions on Continued on A4

The Afro-American, March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017

Salk Continued from A1 researchers in developing cultures for testing the drug’s effectiveness proved to be an important factor in having the results of last year’s test ready before the annual summer polio season, which year in and year out maims and kills American children and adults. Tuskegee’s George Washington Carver Foundation was the central source of HeLa cells, which were essential in evaluating the effectiveness of the new anti-polio serum. It was even more effective in preventing nearly almost fatal bulbar polio. ***

THE ROLE THE Tuskegee scientists, led by Dr. Russell Brown, played was made public shortly after Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. of the University of Michigan, who analyzed the results of the test, released his findings. The HeLa cells were first grown by a Johns Hopkins University scientist, and later two University of Minnesota scientists discovered

that the cells could be used to evaluate the polio serums. Dr. Brown went to Minnesota and along with the other two scientists, devised a scheme whereby large quantities of the cells could be grown and then shipped to the 27 laboratories throughout the country who did the actual testing. Brown and other hardworking Tuskegee scientists then set about turning out the cells essential to knowing whether or not discovery was “monumental” or a dud. ***

HELA CELLS are living cancer cells--all descendants of cells from a cancer which killed a Baltimore woman in 1951. Each week during the testing period, Tuskegee sent about 20,000 tubes of the cells to the testing laboratories. The cells were grown in a long line of incubators, measured into culture tubes and shipped by air in special packaging designed to maintain correct growth temperature for 96 hours. The testing procedure consists of taking the live HeLa cells and adding some polio virus, in addition to a small sample of blood from one of 440,000 children who

Gun Sales Continued from A3 since Trump’s election while ammunition manufacturer Olin reported post-election sales declines of 20 percent, as well. Gun sale trends aligned with White voter sentiment suggest a pattern of general White anxiety over gun rights rising and falling according to political events. But, gun sales during the Obama presidency were the highest

March 4, 2017 - March 4, 2017, The Afro-American

participated in the historical test. (Actually, 1,826,000 children participated in the test but blood samples were taken 440,000). If there are enough antibodies (germ fighters in a loose sense) in a child’s blood as a result of the serum, these antibodies prevent the virus from killing the cells. In theory, the test was as simple as two plus two.

a chain, in which no link could be weak. ***

IT TOOK DR. SALK to develop the vaccine, yet he depended upon the work of other scientists whose knowledge he used in reaching the final product. The test showed that only 71 of the 440,000 vaccinated children were paralyzed by polio, though 445 unvaccinated children were paralyzed. Only 113 cases of proved polio were discovered among the vaccinated children, many recovered with no damage. Most dramatic find was the fact that not one vaccinated child died of polio while 35 were killed by the disease among the 1,400,000 children not vaccinated. Heading the Tuskegee phase of the project, along with Dr. Brown, was Mrs. Norma Guillard, who served as the tissue culture supervisor. The two headed the staff of some 20 tissue culture technicians and laboratory helpers. Some technical assistance was also given by Dr. James H. M. Henderson.

IN REALITY, its difficulties reached enormous proportions making necessary thousands of HeLa cell cultures. Many times the test had to be repeated because a single particle of dust rendered an entire culture useless. The tests involved three sets of blood samples, one before vaccination with the serum, one shortly after vaccination and one after the full season. As a result, some two million culture tubes were used and a million were HeLa cells--more than half of which were grown at Tuskegee. The work of the Tuskegee scientists was a dramatic illustration of the importance of teamwork in scientific discovery. Each phase of the work was interconnected like

they had ever been in U.S. history – even surpassing the spike in gun sales following President Clinton’s signature of the Federal Assault Weapons ban into law in 1994. Recent drops in gun sales are already forcing the gun rights lobby and gun makers to scramble for new markets and revenue opportunities. Prior to delivering his Joint Address before Congress Feb. 28, President Trump reversed President Obama’s regulation severely restricting individuals with mental illnesses from buying a gun. Obama

Transcribed by J.K. Schmid

administration officials had estimated the addition of 75,000 citizens to the national FBI background database, including individuals receiving Social Security for mental illness and those with a damaged financial or credit history. And recently in Congress, two GOP lawmakers introduced legislation that would effectively nullify the Gun Free School Zone Act of 1990. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) proposed the “Safe Students Act,” thereby repealing the Gun Free Schools act, and Rep.

Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) submitted a bill transferring authority over school gun rules to states and municipalities. If passed, there would be little resistance from President Trump, thereby potentially ensuring a wholesale repeal of Gun Free Schools. Observers expect little resistance in passing or implementing the law from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who made critics uncomfortable during her Jan. 18 Senate confirmation when suggesting schools should carry guns.

ONE DAY

SALE

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March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American

COMMENTARY

Defending Democracy Against Voter Suppression

Although President Donald Trump won enough states last year to give him the Electoral College victory, he lost the nationwide popular vote by approximately 2,868,000 votes. Nevertheless, the President and his senior political advisor, Stephen Miller, have repeatedly declared (without any apparent foundation in fact) that he only lost the popular vote because of 3 million to 5 million votes that he believes were cast by “illegals.” Undeterred by the lack of any credible evidence for his unsubstantiated claim, President Trump has called for a “major investigation” that, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, would be focused on “urban areas.” For some, President Trump’s repeated assertions of wide-spread voter fraud in 2016 might be seen as just one more indication that his ego and pride are not always firmly grounded in reality – a speculation about the President that, if Elijah Cummings accurate, would be truly terrifying. A more likely viewpoint, however, is that there is a method to the President’s apparent madness about “voter fraud.” Analysts like President Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and University of California Professor Robert Reich have observed that, in their view, President Trump’s false assertions of widespread voting fraud have a rational, if undemocratic, purpose. As Ms. Ifill recently wrote in the Washington Post: “This issue has been studied, and every credible academic review has concluded that widespread voter fraud does not happen in this country…. A person is more likely to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud….” “A presidential command to investigate the existence of a phenomenon that has been demonstrated not to exist can accomplish only one thing,” she concluded, “a nationwide system of voter intimidation authorized at the highest levels of government.” Professor Reich’s criticism is equally alarming. “Trump’s false assertion of massive voting fraud is intended for one purpose,” he recently observed in Newsweek, “to legitimate more voter identification laws around the country.” These critiques, if accurate, are deeply troubling for our democratic system, as is a similar conclusion by the League of Women Voters’ President, Chris Carson. The League’s position, moreover, is supported by timely research into the practical impact of voter identification laws upon voting behavior. Published last January by the University of Chicago, detailed analysis of voting conducted by Professors Hajnal, Lajevardi and Nielson confirms a well-known field observation about elections: strict voter identification laws have a negative impact upon the turnout of racial and ethnic minorities – and “skew democracy toward those on the political right.” These are the truth – the facts – that we know, not “alternative facts” propounded by the President of the United States. Yet, Professor Reich has posed a compelling question that we cannot ignore, especially when the defense of our democracy is at stake. “What do we do,” he has challenged us, “when we have a President and White House surrogates, along with enablers in the right-wing-media, who continuously lie about something as fundamental to our democracy as whether we’ve got massive voter fraud?” The answer, he declared, is “we find, spread and continue to speak the truth…, and we demand that big lies like this be corrected.” This, precisely, is what my colleagues in the House of Representatives and I are in the process of doing – determining and publishing the truth about the absence of widespread voter fraud in this country.

On Jan. 25, I was joined by fellow Ranking Member Robert A. Brady of the Committee on House Administration and Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn in sending inquiries to the 102 chief election officials and attorneys general in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We requested that each of these officials who have the legal responsibility to oversee elections in their state inform the Congress of all cases in which their offices have determined that an individual who cast a vote in the November election was prohibited by law from doing so. That investigation is ongoing, but for now, I will offer these personal observations. Our system of elected, democratic government cannot be based upon an obsession with false numbers and statistics. It cannot be grounded in “alternative facts” when there is no clear evidence to support those false and destabilizing claims. The truth, supported by compelling evidence, is that Republicans in statehouses across America have passed restrictive laws that impair the ability of legitimate voters to participate. They have used the myth of voter fraud to justify their abuse of our most fundamental democratic principles. This year, even more Statehouses are considering voter suppression legislation. It is up to each of us to fight for the truth and work against these undemocratic policies. We must protect our democracy. Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Black America on Target to Save the Environment Black folks and people of color make up 38 percent of our nation’s population but only 12 percent are in leadership positions in environmental organizations. Now, if you think that’s just a Black problem, think again. It has now become one of our nation’s biggest dilemmas, under our current administration. Black inner-city communities have historically and significantly had a higher concentration of environmental hazards and degradation, from toxic-releasing companies that spill dangerous levels of pollution into the neighborhoods, causing wide-spread stress, morbidity, and mortality while keeping economic investment, political influence, and social capital, school performance and community pride down. Now, America is seeing that this problem is not just a Black problem but an America problem. With our current administration dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and going full steam

ahead on the Dakota Pipeline project, White middle-class America is now in fear of what’s been going on historically in Black communities because it will soon be their reality. White America, until recently, thought that they were immune to environmental hazards and degradations within their neighborhoods. They are now coming to realize that their clean water and air is a thing of the past. Environmental organizations, such as the Maryland League of Conservation Voters know that to create environmental solutions, organizations need to hear from Black America in these environmental polluted communities to better craft environmental policies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are ramping up their environmental science programs. Currently there are 24 HBCU’s that offer five-star environmental programming and four-star in teaching. University of Maryland Eastern Shore is rated one of the best environmental program in the United States. America’s worst corporate environmental offenders are now the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, former Attorney General of Oklahoma, Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, former chief executive of ExxonMobil and Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, former governor of Texas. This three-ring-circus of polluters, are pushing full steam

ahead for private gain while the costs of the environmental abuse is shared among all of Americans. The estimated costs that the public bears from climate, local environmental issues and health is roughly $360 billion to $1 trillion annually. Many thanks to the Obama administration for tightening restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions, creating over 35 percent reduction in emissions. Another good thing about those carbon restrictions; new coal facilities can be built only if they capture and store 30 percent of their emissions. America’s environmental justice will ultimately fall in the hands of environmental Black intellectuals coming from our HBCU’s. After all, today’s Black environmental students are tomorrow’s leaders in this epic struggle towards sustainability and environmental freedom. Cathy Allen is an award-winning Urban Environmentalist, the co-creator of G.R.A.S.S. (Growing Resources After Sowing Seed) as well as Chair of the “Grow-It Eat It” campaign. G.R.A.S.S. is an environmental entrepreneurial nonprofit program based on the fundamentals of gardening, agriculture and ecology. In conjunction with Baltimore City Public Schools, Allen’s campaign has planted over a half-million trees on the lawns of Baltimore City public schools.

When it Comes to the ACA, Our Lives Are on the Line It’s time to fight because our health is on the line. For years, Congressional Republicans have been chomping at the bit to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip 30 million Americans of the everyday security of health insurance. If they succeed in repealing the ACA, experts estimate 43,000 Americans will die every year. Given the powerful and positive impact of the ACA in our community, a disproportionate number of these deaths will be AfricanAmericans. In fact, the Affordable Care Act is the most successful health legislation in a generation. It nearly halved the national uninsured rate and more than halved the number of AfricanAmericans without health insurance. It’s clear why this law was one of President Obama’s crowning achievements. We know it’s saving lives, so why are President Trump and Congressional Republicans hell-bent on ending it? A recent report from the American Cancer Society, a nonpolitical group dedicated to fighting cancer and supporting

Robin Kelly

patients and their families, showed that cancer deaths have declined by 25 percent since peaking in 1991. In their report, the American Cancer Society specifically notes that the ACA is driving “these shifts [that] should help to expedite progress in reducing socioeconomic disparities in cancer, as well as other health conditions.” The report also lauds the ACA for helping to decrease the ‘excess risk of cancer death’ facing African-Americans. We know the real health benefit that the ACA offers to families all over the country. But, it’s also a fiscal positive. Repealing the ACA would add $29.1 trillion to the national debt by 2026. But the Republicans aren’t just planning to run up the deficit, they are going to raise your taxes too. A GOP Senate bill and recently leaked audio from the Republican retreat confirms that Congressional Republicans are plotting to make employer-provided health insurance a taxable benefit. If you, like the majority of Americans, get health insurance through work, Republicans are plotting to give you a bigger tax bill. For a family of four earning $150,000 a year, that’s a $1,500 tax hike.

We have two options before us. Allow the misguided Republican leadership to undo President Obama’s legacy, imperil and kill thousands or we fight back. We fight back for ourselves, for our families and for our community. To me, there is no option other than fighting back – too much is at stake. Step one of fighting back: Add your Senators and Congressperson’s phone numbers to your speed dial or call the switchboard at 202-224-3121. Calls are the most effective way to influence your elected officials. Remember, we work for you. If your representatives are on the right side of history, get friends and family to call theirs. Seriously, it works. Together, we can fight back and stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. We can and must do this because our lives are on the line. Congresswoman Robin Kelly represents Illinois’s 2nd Congressional district; she chairs the Congressional Black Caucus’s Health Braintrust.

The Afro-American, Afro-American, March March 4, 4, 2017 2017 -- March March 10, 4, 2017 2017

Trump Still Holds Unfavorable Rating Among Blacks director Tim Malloy saw President Donald Trump’s recent pre-Joint Address-beforeCongress approval ratings, his initial reaction When Quinnipiac University polling in the analysis was that they are “… sinking like a rock.” “He gets slammed on honesty, empathy, level headedness and the ability to unite,” notes Malloy. “And two of his strong points, leadership and intelligence, are sinking to new lows. This is a terrible survey one month in.” Martha Murphy At first glance, that may appear so, particularly as numbers. Now more than a month in office, American voters seem generally turned off by the president. of the Overall, 55 percent give him a negative score compared Frances Murphy to 38 percent, down 4 percentage points since the Rose Murphy last Quinnipiac honeymoon Oliver rating on Feb. 7 soon after Trump’s inauguration. Those numbers above, Sharon Baptist Church compounded with the nearly 1375 Stricker Street Baltimore, Md. 60 percent of women who Ida Peters disapprove (versus 50 percent 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. of men who do) show a Tickets $25 portrait of the most unpopular president since Elizabeth Oliver Harry S. Truman. What polls are showing is raw splits across political Frances Murphy and racial lines. Guest Speaker Republicans, still, overwhelmingly Toya Corbett, Ph.D. Bettye Moss support their guy Doctoral Dissertation, in the White House “Family, Faith and while Democrats Feminism: The Murphy are very comfortable in their Women,1896-2000” rejection of the president. For Tickets or More Information, But, more significantly, Madeline Contact: Murphy Trump maintains his Diane Hocker dhocker@afro.com or Takiea Hinton thinton@afro.com core support base that he or call 410.554.8200 Rev. Dr. Frances commanded before, during “Toni” Draper Please RSVP by April 10 and after the election: a persistent average 30

By Charles D. Ellison Special to the AFRO

Afternoon Tea Join Us for An

Saluting

Women

AFRO American Newspapers

April 23, 2017

AP Photo/Jay Reeves

Businessman Homer King stands outside his small store in Marion, Ala. King, who lives in the old plantation region called the Black Belt, says he is praying for President Donald Trump despite misgivings about his election. percent or more of voters. That segment of the population draws mostly Republicans, but many White independents, as well. “To really get a good sense of where Trump’s approvals are, you can’t really look at one poll or another,” says pollster Justin Wallin, founder of California-based J. Wallin Opinion

The most recent weekly Economist/ YouGov poll offers a clearer portrait of sharp racial divisions driving Trump approval and disapproval ratings. A clear majority of Whites, 50 percent, have a favorable or somewhat favorable opinion of Donald Trump compared to 71 percent of Black voters who have an unfavorable opinion of the president. And, despite constant public discourse slamming the Trump administration as anti-women, the most recent YouGov survey shows a remarkable 42 percent of women harbor generally favorable views of the president. That may be low in comparison to previous presidents. Yet, it’s not much different from the disparity in his favorability ratings right before the election: back then, in YouGov’s pre-election Nov. 7 poll, Trump garnered 45 percent favorability from Whites compared to a near unanimous 90 percent unfavorable rating from Blacks, and 72 percent unfavorable from Latinos.

“He gets slammed on honesty, empathy, level headedness and the ability to unite. And two of his strong points, leadership and intelligence, are sinking to new lows.” – Tim Malloy Research. “It depends on the region they’re in, where they slant.” “Conservatives generally have problems with Trump’s personality,” Wallin said. But, according to Wallin, they don’t have problems with where he’s headed on policy. Race, in particular, appears as a primary driver.

March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY-AREA County Politics

Md. Medical Marijuana License Debacle Gives State Black Eye When former Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law the Medical Bruce Branch Marijuana Law that Special to led to the the AFRO Natalie Laprade Commission which established a commission to oversee licensing in 2014, it was hailed as a new avenue for Blacks and minorities to participate in a new, but what was expected to be a lucrative industry. Most people felt that sense Blacks had suffered disproportionately through the criminal justice system when it came to marijuana, it was only natural that they benefit when the first steps toward total legalization were established. Nothing could be further than the truth. The Commission which recently issued the first 15 licenses for growers, has come under attack and will likely be disbanded following charges of political cronyism and just plain old incompetence. Like the gaming industry that came before it, not one minority owned company received a license and many frustrated business owners such as Prince George’s County Administrative Judge Vicky Orem had her application lost while the commission was not able to give others a clear criteria on how the first licenses were distributed. This whole thing has been jacked up,” said Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

“Before this problem is exacerbated, the Black Caucus is taking action to balance the playing fields for minorities.” – Del. Cheryl D. Glenn Vice Chair Del. Darryl Barnes (D-24) of Prince George’s County. Following a spate of lawsuits and political maneuvering the caucus, led by LaPrade’s daughter, Del. Cheryl D. Glenn (D-45) of Baltimore City, has been working diligently to rectify what most legislators and minority business owners considered to be a travesty of justice. Glenn has said privately that she believed a bill that would add five more licenses, presumably to give to minorities, had enough juice to pass and would go a long way in resolving the matter. While it wasn’t a perfect solution, it was a “workable solution,” considering the political Continued on B2

ASALH Highlights Crisis in Black Education

Prince George’s County

Mother Vows To Continue Fight For Unarmed Son Killed By Sheriff’s Deputy By Bruce W. Branch Special to the AFRO

Photo by Rob Roberts

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn tells participants at the ASALH luncheon Feb. 26 that Blacks need to stand together to fight academic injustice. See more photos on B4. By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the founders of Black History Month, held its 91st annual Black History Month luncheon on Feb. 26 at the Washington Renaissance Hotel in Northwest D.C. The event celebrated the accomplishments of Blacks, and began to challenge systemic disparities in Black education. With an overflow crowd of guests, ASLALH national president Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham said 2017 theme, “The Crisis in Black Education,” was most relevant in the wake of Betsy DeVos being named Secretary of Education and continued racial inequality across all levels of Black education. “Current litigation and newspaper coverage call attention

to not only unequal resources, but also incidents of racial prejudice in urban public schools. These problems are multiple and varied in nature,” Higginbotham said. “The lack of resources in inner city schools, the pipeline-to-prison reality for many youths, the summerlearning gap, the too-often placement of Black male children in special education classes, the severe financial challenges in many historically Black colleges and universities, and not least of all the failure to teach correctly, if at all, the experiences as well as – Rep. James Clyburn contributions of African Americans to this nation, are all among those problems.” Many luncheon goers voiced particular concern about the national trend that funnels large numbers of Black children out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems – known as the school-to-prison pipeline. Many of these children have learning disabilities or histories of Continued on B2

Michele Minor refuses to give up on what she calls “getting justice for her son” Michael Minor, who was shot and killed by a Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Deputy in Oct. 23, 2014 despite being unarmed. A Greenbelt Federal Judge issued a summary judgment in favor of Prince George’s County on Feb. 15, stopping the case from ever being heard by a jury. Attorney’s for the Minor family says they plan an appeal to the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., but it’s a “Hail Mary,” according to Minor attorney Mark Howes who teamed up with civil rights attorney Greg Lattimer to try the case. “I am stressed, depressed

“We’ve had a crisis in Black education ever since education and blackness were lined up together.”

Courtesy photo

Michael Minor was allegedly shot and killed by a Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Deputy in 2014. Continued on B2

Nineteenth Street Baptist Church Prince George’s County Mother Fatally Names New Pastor By Hamil R. Harris Special to the AFRO The Nineteenth Street Baptist Church named Rev. Dr. Darryl Roberts as its new pastor. Roberts vowed to continue the church’s legacy in the vanguard of social change and justice. “It is a great privilege and honor to serve as the pastor of Nineteenth Street,” Roberts, 41, told the AFRO. “I want to learn lessons from their leadership of my predecessors, I can’t stand in their shoes, but I want to build on their commitment to promote inclusive leadership and spiritual growth of all of God’s children.” Roberts received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Ethics from Emory University. He also

Courtesy photo

Rev. Dr. Darryl Roberts preaches at Mt. Welcome Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. He said he plans to keep fighting for social justice and change from the pulpit of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church here he was recently installed.

earned a Juris Doctorate from Boston College Law School, a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor

“It is a great privilege and honor to serve as the pastor of Nineteenth Street.” – Rev. Dr. Darryl Roberts

of Arts degree from Grinnell College in Iowa. Roberts is a graduate of the Morehouse College of Pastoral Leadership and has served on the executive boards of Atlanta’s Concerned Black Clergy and the Atlanta Missionary Baptist Association and DeKalb County’s NAACP. He is also the recent recipient of the In The Spirit Award, the NAACP Religious Affairs Award and the Gospel Choice Chosen Award for his commitment to public service. “My commitment to social justice is unwavering and has deep roots,” Roberts said. Before coming to D.C., he served as the senior pastor for five years at Mount Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga. Roberts was also an assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King gave his first sermon. “One of the church’s greatest challenge is how do we continue to be relevant Continued on B3

Shoots Son By Jasmine Ball Special to the AFRO

Angelique Renee Chase, the mother of 17-year-old Christopher Perry, was charged Feb. 23 with first- and seconddegree murder, manslaughter, assault in the first degree, and firearm use in the death of her son. When the Prince George’s County Police Department arrived at the scene, they Courtesy photo found Perry, a senior at Grace Angelique Chase allegedly Brethren Christian School in admitted to shooting her Clinton, Md., suffering from 17-year-old son. gunshot wounds. Perry was pronounced dead at a local hospital. According to police, prior to the officers arriving on the scene, there was an argument between Perry and his mother. Police report Chase, 48, admitted to being involved in the alleged shooting. She is being held without bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 23. “He was a good kid, very respectful,” Danzel Harris, 24, Chase’s neighbor told the Washington Post. Perry’s father, Christopher Perry Jr., told the Washington Post his son was to graduate in May and had plans to attend college. According to the police, the incident is the only parent/ child domestic violence homicide in 2017 as compared to two homicides in 2016. Sophie Ford, executive director for the Family Crisis Center Continued on B3

The Afro-American, March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017

D.C. Police Board Calls for Independent Review of Inauguration Response By Briana Thomas Special to the AFRO

The D.C. Police Complaints Board recently suggested the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) appoint an “independent consultant” to investigate the actions of District police officers on Inauguration Day. The review raised concerns on how authorities responded to protests. The board, in a report on Feb. 27, stated D.C. police should begin an independent examination of the incident, as well as review and update the procedures for handling mass demonstrations, due to instances where the use of force and crowd-control devices were questionable. The report was based on accounts of the protests from the Office of Police Complaints (OPC) 11 staff members who monitored the presidential inauguration events. “OPC monitors did observe police activity that raised concerns . . . MPD officers using force at times on some of the protesters, dispersing OC spray and stingers into the crowd without an order or warning and arresting individuals who were not involved in any rioting or acts of vandalism,” the report

concluded. The report said law enforcement’s response to calming the chaotic demonstrations may have violated department guidelines on handling large demonstrations. The 2005 SOP Act, updated in 2016 and distributed to D.C. police before the inauguration, requires authorities to give warnings before using “amplification devices” and making arrests in the event of a violent demonstration. The report said D.C. police didn’t follow these procedures in the area of 12th and L Streets, NW where a limousine was lit on fire and vehicle and storefront windows were smashed by an organized group of anarchists. There were 230 arrests of adults charged with felony rioting during the anti-Trump protests, police said. The board said some of these arrests were made without probable cause, which is required by the SOP Act. “If arrests become

“OPC monitors did observe police activity that raised concerns . . .”

necessary, they must be based on ‘probable cause of those participating in violations of law,’” the report explained, “those committing the acts of vandalism and violence were dressed primarily in all black, yet many of those held and arrested, were visibly wearing items that identified them as not being associated with these protesters.” The U.S. attorney’s office has indicted 214 people on felony rioting charges which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000, according to a Bill Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office. He told the AFRO Feb. 27 that there have been no guilty pleas or verdicts in any of these cases. As of Feb. 28, the court had dismissed 16 cases. The reasons why the charges were dropped are unclear. “In response to the riots, the men and women of MPD made reasonable decisions during extremely volatile circumstances,” Hugh Carew, a spokesperson for MPD, told the AFRO on Feb. 28. Even so, Carew said the MPD would take the OPC board’s recommendations into account. The board’s review of law enforcement’s overall interaction with the public during the inauguration was not all bad. “MPD’s general interaction with the public appeared cordial, helpful, and respectful. MPD officers appeared alert and attentive, yet unimposing and non-confrontational,” the report detailed.

County Politics Continued from B1

capital it was going to take to get the bill to pass. A public hearing on the House (HB-1443) and Senate (SB099) version of the bills is scheduled for March 2 and March 3, respectively. Meanwhile, Maryland State Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-26) of Fort Washington is offering his own solution through the introduction of his version of a Medical Marijuana bill that would add seven licenses for minority companies. Both bills have proposed eliminating the Maryland Cannabis Commission in favor of a less political and more professional body that would work within the framework of a government agency. “The Commission in its present constitution was not formed to be a regulatory agency. The preliminary results in licensing showed a blatant inequality in gender, race, and geography, a disparity that may have been avoided had the Commission been established to be a regulatory

agency reflective of the population they serve,” Muse said. Glenn said Black lawmakers felt they had to do something. “Before this problem is exacerbated, the Black Caucus is taking action to balance the playing fields for minorities,” she said in a recent message imploring supporters to show up in Annapolis for the hearing. “We cannot allow this multi-billion dollar industry to go without minority participation. The current Commissioners were trusted to set up a system that adhered to the letter of the law, but they went rogue. This licensing process and the results it produced were unacceptable. We are taking action but we need you to join in on this fight. There are two hearings scheduled on the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Cannabis Commission Reform Act: We have the opportunity to ensure the opportunity for minorities to build generational wealth through the Medical Cannabis industry.”

ASALH

Continued from B1 poverty, abuse, or neglect, and would benefit from additional educational and counseling services, participants said. Howard University graduate student Lawrence Mayfield, who attended the luncheon with colleagues from the school’s history and social work departments, told the AFRO that the “zero-tolerance” policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules, and are probably more detrimental to Blacks students in 2017 than lack of access was in 1917. “These young people, in many instances, are not being treated as human beings at all – when someone is interpreting your behavior, your deportment, your inability to sit still or focus on a behavior problem and calling for it to be counted as a criminal act,” Mayfield said. “We have to go back in and teach parents how to advocate on behalf of their children and hold all elected officials in districts where this is happening,

accountable to the point of replacing them when necessary.” Mayfield echoed the sentiments of ASALH luncheon keynote speaker U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, (D-S.C.), who

offered an impassioned directive to attendees to fight always against the rising tide of academic injustice. “We’ve had a crisis in Black education ever since education and blackness were lined up together. But even in a time of Booker T.

Washington and W.E.B. DuBois there were different beliefs about how to address that crisis. Washington and DuBois did not agree on the best form of education, but they both adapted their surroundings,” Clyburn told the audience. Clyburn stressed that because the crisis in Black education began during slavery with restrictions on reading and writing for the enslaved, it was imperative that each person use the tools at hand individually to fight a collective problem. “Your importance to society depends on what time it is; it depends upon what crisis it is that visits our communities or our families. I don’t think DuBois or Washington were at all far apart in their desires for Black people. They were facing different types of crises and both rose up to challenge them,” Clyburn said. “The question is ‘what’s in your portfolio that will help you fight and face the challenges we have today.”

son. “That was a big hurdle to overcome,” Howes said. “It didn’t leave us much to

is what set this apart from Trayvon Martin and other police involved shootings that have received public

“These young people, in many instances, are not being treated as human beings at all…” – Lawrence Mayfield

Fight

Continued from B1 and hurt,” Minor said. She initially garnered the support of a wide range of civil rights leaders, but she has been

hamstrung in bringing public attention to her son’s case because the officer who shot Minor was Black, like her

argue with. The fact that the officer involved was African American didn’t allow us to bring in discrimination. That

Kendal Wade. The Judge said that while Minor’s death was “tragic” he ruled that case law

“I am stressed, depressed and hurt.” –Michele Minor attention.” The basic facts of the case were undisputed although until recently it was not known that Michael, who had been drinking and wearing an ankle bracelet and according to court papers, threatened to retrieve a firearm from the attic before leaving the house. No one saw him get a gun, but his estranged girlfriend Beverly Lewis and her son, told 911 operators of that fact when calling in the incident. When police arrived on the scene, Michael was told to show his hands and when he didn’t comply, he was shot and killed by the deptuy

supported the officers who had a reasonable expectation that Michael might have been armed and dangerous. Even so, Minor said she will continue to fight for her son inside and outside the courtroom. She is currently working on holding a rally in support of justice for him along with continuing to pursue the case through the legal system. “It shouldn’t have mattered whether the officer was Black or White,” Minor said. “My son was shot and killed and he was unarmed. When is it okay to shoot and kill unarmed citizens?”

March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American

Mother

AFRO

Continued from B1 of Prince George’s County, told the AFRO that domestic abuse is very common in the county, noting that the county has the highest number of domestic violence deaths –Danzel Harris in the state of Maryland. According to the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, from July 2015-June 2016, there were 55 domestic violence deaths in Maryland, with 18 deaths in Prince George’s County.

“He was a good kid, very respectful.”

Homicide Count 2017 Total

Past Seven Days

WASHINGTON AREA

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Maryland jazz ensembles are scheduled to give a lively concert that features jazz standards and premieres pieces by UMD alumni and current jazz students at the Dekelboum Concert Hall, 8270 Alumni Dr. The event is free.

Washington D.C. Disrupting the Cradle to Prison Pipeline United Methodist Church, 100 Maryland Ave, NE Artist Ndume Olatushani, co-curator Dr. Aaron Rosen, and General Secretary of the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe are scheduled to discuss on March 2 from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. the ongoing issues of injustice within the American judicial system. They will also reflect on the installation and how it connects to stage one of the day of Jesus’ crucifixion: Jesus is condemned to death by the mob. Note: There is no public parking at the United Methodist, 100 Maryland Ave., NE. Capitol South and Union Station are the closest metro stations. RSVP to StationsDC@gmail.com.

Data as of March 1

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and responsive to the needs of young people,” Roberts said.” Young people are not the church of tomorrow they are the church of today.” Nineteenth Street Baptist Church was founded in 1839 in the nation’s capital. The church remained on the corner of 19th and I Streets, N.W. for 135 years until it moved, January 26, 1975, to its present location at 4606 Sixteenth Street, N.W. Roberts, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is married to Laura Morgan Roberts. They are the parents of two children, a daughter, Anaiah, and a son, Isaiah.

Glover Park Social: A Variety Open Mic! 2408 Wisconsin Ave., NW Glover Park Social will be at Mason Inn, located at 2408 Wisconsin Ave NW, every Thursday night, from Feb.9, at 8 p.m. The event will feature some of the area’s finest comedians, musicians, and performing artists. The show is free. Artists can sign up by emailing gloverparksocial@gmail.com. Mason Inn opens at 6 p.m. and seating is on a first come, first serve basis. For more info, call 202-431-4704 or visit www. capitalcityshowcase.com.

Courtesy photo

On Feb. 19, John Wesley AME Zion Church in Northwest D.C. celebrated Trustee Day where E. Dewey Wiseman, Christian Education Department Eastern Region co-vice president, was honored as an Outstanding Trustee of the Year. Pictured: (from left to right) Julia Marshall, Wiseman, Rev. Vernon A. Shannon, pastor of John Wesley AME Zion Church and Keith Spinner.

College Park, Md. UMD Spring Big Band Showcase Dekelbourn Concert Hall, 8270 Alumni Dr. On March 7 and 8 at 7: 30 p.m., the University of

Surge #13 — March 4-April 9

Attention

and

Riders

Starting Saturday, March 4 through Sunday, April 9, Blue and Yellow line trains will continuously single track between Braddock Rd and Huntington/Van Dorn St significantly reducing Blue and Yellow Line service. W H A T Y DOE U OSUU RLGDE 1 E T A I LS SH ON 0 X P E C T:

• Blue and Yellow Line service will be severely reduced and trains will be extremely crowded. No Yellow Rush + train service throughout the duration of Surge #13. • Additional service will be provided north of National Airport. • Riders should consider alternate travel options and avoid traveling during rush hour if possible. • Blue Line service will return to normal on April 2.

For more information about this work and a list of travel alternatives, visit wmata.com/safetrack or call (202) 637-7000.

The Afro-American, March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017

The Association for the Study of African American Literature and History held its 91st annual Black History Month luncheon on Feb. 26 in Washington D.C. The luncheon featured keynote speaker Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.). The Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, event’s theme was president, ASALH “A Crisis in Black Education.”

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity presents checks to ASALH

Rev. Dr. Gwen Boyd, 22nd president of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Ingrid Saunders Jones, president, National Council of Negro Women; Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham; Sylvia Cyrus and Ronald A. Stroman, deputy postmaster general, USPS pose with the Dorothy Height Commemorative Stamp

ASALH volunteers

Presentation of the 225th Commemorative Gold Liberty Coin by Michele Satchell, senior advisor to the director, U.S. Mint

Wendy Bridges, Miss Senior D.C. 2015; Billie LaVerne Smith, Ms. Senior D.C. 2016; Lt. Col. Myrtle Bowen; emcee Andrea Roane, WUSA9 ; Gladys Vaughn and Kinosha Soden, Mrs. District of Columbia America

Edgar Brookins, Washington D.C. AFRO general manager; Jeffrey Ballou, president, National Press Club and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.)

Volunteers: Capital Guardian Youth Academy with their supervisors: Sgt. Charles Bennett (left) and Sgt. Kiana Huff (right)

Lonnie Bunch III, director, National Museum of African American History and Culture; Sylvia Cyrus, executive director, ASALH and LaNesha Gale DeBardelaben, ASALH

Karsony Wise Whitehead

Christy Taylor, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Dorothy Bailey, award recipient

106-year-old Virginia McLaurin with emcee Andrea Roane, WUSA9

Photos by Rob Roberts

Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall Gospel Service hosted its Annual Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 18 at the Memorial Chapel on base in Virginia.

The Links, Arlington, Va. chapter

Gospel Service honoree Larry Bailey with Lt. Col. Grace Hollis, chaplain, JBM-HH Gospel Service

Rev. Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness, keynote speaker

Photos by Rob Roberts

Top Ladies of Distinction, Alexandria, Va. chapter members: Lady Ebony Williams, Lord and Lady Gregg, Lord and Lady Williams and Lady Lucretia McClenney

Gospel Service Praise and Worship Team with Minister of Music Bernetta Townsend

Male Chorus, Mount Zion Baptist Church and Eric Green, director

Keeper of the Community honorees: Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee, deputy chief of staff for logistics; Ginger Miller, Women Veteran Interactive; Carla Johnson, The Links; Marjorie Williams, Top Ladies of Distinction, Alexandria, Va. chapter; Evie Brown, The Links, Arlington Va. chapter and Fleet Master Chief April D. Beldo with Rev. Dr. Gail A. Holness(front)

Rosemary Hill and Zelica Johnson, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority

Joe Howze and Edgar Brookins, Washington D.C. AFRO general manager with honoree Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee

Tamia Johnson, Miss Black D.C. Teen USA; Karis Felton, Miss D.C. Teen USA; Kara McCullough, Miss DC USA; and Billie LaVerne Smith, Miss Senior D.C.

Deacon Floyd Jenkins, Bernetta Townsend, Elder Mona Fobish and Toni Jenkins

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

March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American

ARTS & CULTURE

D.C. Black History Film Fest Offers Voice for Change

tackled several issues through a local lens. “Brick by Brick” by Shirikiana Aina Gerima follows Black neighborhoods in the Actor Lamman Rucker returned to his District that started gentrifying in the 1970s. hometown Feb. 26 as an ambassador of sorts, “Breakfast at Ben’s” by Chuck Wilson using his star power to promote the 2017 D.C. was set at the fabled Ben’s Chili Bowl Black History Film Festival, an event he sees as and told the story of a man who escaped a vehicle for social change. from poverty to become a NASA engineer, The free festival had been in Atlanta since seeking to aid others in need. 2010, and debuted in the District last year. Two students from Howard University The Feb. 26 festival featured 13 films directed were represented as well. by Africans and Black Americans, some Alexa Imani directed “Loose Chains,” with local ties. The movies targeted several a movie that focused on life at the historic topics, including immigration, food deserts, school during today’s socio-political climate. gentrification, Woolworth’s sit-ins and the Meanwhile, Macey Nicole Williams impact “ghetto names” have on the people who directed “Wild and Blue,” a cautionary tale own them. about a female Howard student who suffers The 45-year-old actor grew up in Southeast the consequences of falling in with a hardD.C., graduated from the Duke Ellington partying crowd. (Courtesy photo) School of the Arts and knows Mayor Muriel Williams, a Baltimore native and a junior Actor Lamman Rucker said he promoted the Black History Film Festival in D.C. in an Bowser from his college years in Pittsburgh. at the school, said the film, her first one ever, effort to bring about change. Rucker now stars in “Greenleaf,” a megais loosely based on the experience she and church drama airing on the Oprah Winfrey her friends had when they indulged in the hands,” Arrington said. “We just had Obama and a lot of Network. He sees the arts as a natural outlet for people to campus party scene. express themselves and was delighted to jump on the festival’s inspiration and a lot of hope and now, people kind of feel the “We were really living real dangerously. I looked around opposite of that. And so, this kind of gives us the chance to bandwagon. and said, ‘This is not okay and I just want to speak on it,’” take it and put it in our own hands.” “When things need change, when things need to be done, Williams said, adding that she was excited, yet nervous about More than 1,000 people reserved tickets for the festival, when the community is speaking, when people are speaking, debuting her movie in such a large venue. held this year at the historic Lincoln Theatre. When the festival they speak through art,” Rucker said. “They speak through Attendee Teddi Lowery of Landover, Md., said he was originally hit the District in 2016, it premiered at Busboys protests, they speak through all of the things that we don’t appreciative that the festival exposed her to different elements and Poets, a much smaller venue, and attracted just 100 really have to ask permission to do, because it’s who we are of Black life in Morocco. For example, the non-fiction, short people, Arrington said. Rahman Branch, executive director and it’s inside of us.” film “Amchakab” followed a female journalist’s quest to travel of the District’s Office on African-American Affairs, secured Marvin Arrington, a county commissioner in Fulton on camel back through Morocco. Another Moroccan film, County, Ga. founded the film festival and asked Rucker to help the theater this year, capitalizing on the buzz the festival “Hidden on a Dune,” showed a girl surfing in the desert. generated. him promote it in the District and Atlanta, since Rucker has Given that the media often depicts women in the Islamic “One of the things that the mayor’s Office on Africanties to both areas — “Greenleaf” is shot in Atlanta. world as being oppressed, the films highlighting independent American Affairs is committed to doing is, one, addressing Arrington created the film festival to help the next women were a breath of fresh air, Lowery said. She’s thankful a lot of the issues that do plague our community in D.C.,” generation learn about Black history while empowering them the festival’s film directors took a risk in opening their movies Branch said. “But the second thing is definitely to celebrate to build on that legacy. He hopes to add Chicago and Oakland to public scrutiny. our excellence.” to the roster next year. “It takes a lot of guts to put your work and your ideas in The films, varying in length from four to 90 minutes, “Now we’ve got to really take our future in our own front of a lot of critics,” Lowery said. By Lenore T. Adkins Special to the Afro

Barack and Michelle Obama Sign Book Deals By The Associated Press The former president and first lady have signed with Penguin Random House, the publisher announced Feb. 28. Financial terms were not disclosed for the books, which several publishers had competed for, although the deals are likely in the tens of millions of dollars. Both Obamas have published through Crown, a Penguin Random House imprint. But Penguin Random House declined (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) comment on which imprint President Obama and his wife, Michelle, each signed a or imprints the books would deal for a new book. be released through. “We are absolutely thrilled to continue our publishing partnership with President and Mrs. Obama,” Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle said in a statement. “With their words and their leadership, they changed the world, and every day, with the books we publish at Penguin Random House, we strive to do the same. Now, we are very much looking forward to working together with President and Mrs. Obama to make each of their

books global publishing events of unprecedented scope and significance.” The Obamas were represented in negotiations by Robert Barnett and Deneen Howell of Williams & Connolly. Barnett has worked on deals with Barack Obama’s two immediate predecessors, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and with Michelle Obama’s predecessors Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush. The Obamas plans to donate a “significant portion” of their author proceeds to charity, including to the Obama Foundation. Barack Obama’s book is a strong contender to attract the largest advance for any ex-president; the previous record is believed to be $15 million for Bill Clinton’s “My Life.” The unique dual arrangement announced Feb. 28 is for books that are among the most anticipated in memory from a former president and first lady. Barack Obama is widely regarded as one of the finest prose stylists among modern presidents, and his million-selling “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope” are considered essential to his rise to the White House. Michelle Obama has given few details about her time as first lady: Her only book is about food and gardening, “American Grown,” released in 2012. Both Obamas are widely popular with the public in the U.S. and abroad. Titles and release dates were not immediately available. The books will reflect on the Obamas’ White House years, although Penguin Random House declined to give further details. A publishing official with knowledge of the negotiations said that Barack Obama’s book will be a straightforward memoir about his presidency, while Michelle Obama plans to write an inspirational work for young people that will draw upon her life story. The official was not authorized to discuss the negotiations and asked not to be identified. Presidential memoirs have contributed little to the literary canon, a tradition many believe Barack Obama will change. But recent books have found large audiences: Clinton’s “My Life” and George W. Bush’s “Decision Points” were million sellers. Books by first ladies, including Hillary Clinton’s “Living History,” have been dependable best-sellers.

Arena Football League

Baltimore Brigade Ready to Premiere as the City’s Newest Pro Sports Team By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor pgreen@afro.com Baltimore City will officially have a new pro sports team to cheer for when the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League kicks off its inaugural season on April 7. The Brigade is one of five teams that will represent a fresh start for the AFL. Once 19 teams deep, the AFL experienced internal issues in 2009 that caused several teams to slowly fold and depart from the league over the last seven seasons. Only three teams remained following the 2016 season, leaving room for the Baltimore Brigade to join as one of two new expansion teams in 2017. The other expansion team to join this year, the Washington Valor, is located just south of the beltway in Washington, D.C. The Brigade signed former Baltimore Ravens receiver LaQuan Williams. The Baltimore native played for Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and also played for the University of Maryland Terrapins from 2006 to 2010. He went undrafted in 2011 but signed to the Ravens as a free agent that year, made the practice squad and was on the roster when they won the Super Bowl in 2012-13 season. He was released the following year and has bounced around to a couple different pro teams; he played for the AFL’s Los Angeles KISS last year. Ted Leonis, the owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards,

(Courtesy photo)

Baltimore native LaQuan Williams, who played for the Terps and the Ravens, will be a receiver for the AFL Baltimore Brigade which starts play in April. owns both the Brigade and Valor franchises. Leonis told local reporters that he views Baltimore, Md. and the District as one super community, and according to a Baltimore Sun report, he

expects the D.C.-Maryland Metropolitan area to extend more than 100 miles, from the northern parts of Baltimore, down in to the Richmond, Va. area. “I’ve always felt that Baltimore and Washington were one community,” Leonis told the Sun. “I fly BWI [airport] as often as I fly Dulles [airport]. I probably have gone to as many [Baltimore] Ravens [of the NFL] games as I have [Washington NFL] games.” With only five teams total, the Brigade will face off against the other four teams multiple times over a 14-game regular season schedule. Baltimore will take on the Valor four times this season, including in the season opener on April 7 at the Verizon Center in D.C. at 7 p.m. Brigade head coach Omarr Smith hopes to have the team ready to compete for a championship by then. Smith, 39, has just three years of AFL coaching experience, but he won seven Arena Bowl championships as a former player and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2014, so he knows what it takes to win in the indoor football league. Smith also has a veteran player in the locker room in receiver Reggie Gray, whom he can rely on to help show the new Baltimore-based team how to win a championship. Like Smith, Gray, 32, has also won an Arena Bowl title. “I expect us to win it all, Gray told the Sun. “If we put the players around that we need to put around, that’s not a far goal for us.”

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AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

SPORTS

Which Team Improved the Most at NBA Trade Deadline?

Bowie State University Basketball

Bowie State Wins CIAA Tournament

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Writers Deals go down every year at the NBA trade deadline time and every year there’s always a team or two that profits greatly from a midseason deal. The phone lines were busy again this season as a flurry of moves reshaped the NBA last week with both blockbuster deals and low key acquisitions. Which team improved the most? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate. Riley: The teams at the top sat stagnant as Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland pretty much have the top of their rotations set. NBA trade deadline week is normally reserved for teams right on the cusp of heavy contention. And while a few middling teams made some moves, none became (AP Photo/LM Otero) legitimate challenges to the The New Orleans Pelicans made a splash when they NBA’s top three teams. acquired all-star DeMarcus Cousins (0). One team that made the biggest splash, however, was the New Orleans Pelicans, who acquired all-star center DeMarcus Cousins for a couple of unimpressive guards and a handful of unused draft picks. Cousins won’t come in and instantly make the Pelicans contenders but paired with blossoming forward Anthony Davis, the trade could make New Orleans a power in the coming years. No team is going to crack the top three of the NBA this year so the best you can hope for is future success. No team did a better job of that than New Orleans. Green: Sure, Cousins is a big name going to a middling market, but the more I watch him the more I’m convinced his style will never translate to winning basketball. It sounds nice to have a center who can bring the ball up court and connect from three-point range but you won’t find those big men on championship contenders. I like what Toronto did last week by adding Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker. Will it be enough to topple Cleveland or even Boston in the East? Probably not, but their team roster definitely improved. Riley: Toronto’s moves were impressive but unless they’re toppling Cleveland then it’s really all mute points. Cousins has his flaws but I refuse to believe a front court of Davis and Cousins won’t be formidable in the coming seasons. The NBA landscape is so top-heavy that teams almost have to play for the future at this point and who is better set up than New Orleans? Toronto has disappointed in the playoffs so many times that it’s hard to put faith in anything that they do. With two dominant big men both under the age of 26, the Pelicans are in an envious position. It might take a couple of seasons for New Orleans to round out their roster but everything out West could change in two years with free agency set to hit Golden State hard and San Antonio constantly aging more with each passing season. Green: I agree that the NBA is in a stranglehold right now with three dominant teams but Toronto has a chance to step up with perhaps the most balanced roster in the East. It’ll take a lot to upset Cleveland in the eastern conference but the Raptors have now positioned themselves where they have solid depth and talent at all five positions. They already had one of the league’s best backcourts between DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry but now they’ve added defense and floor spacing with Tucker and Ibaka. New Orleans still has to worry about two powers out west while if anybody tweaks an ankle or sprains something in Cleveland then Toronto is literally next in line. No trade was going to push any team past the league’s big three teams at the top so Toronto did the next best thing by positioning themselves to kick the door down should absolutely anything happen to one of the stars in Cleveland. Toronto improved the most with the moves they made last week.

(Courtesy photo)

Baltimore native, and guard for the Bowie State Bulldogs, Ahmaad Wilson was named the 2017 CIAA Tournament MVP. By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor Junior guard Ahmaad Wilson scored a team-high 20 points to help lead the Bowie State (BSU) Bulldogs to a 62-54 win over the Fayetteville State (FSU) Broncos in the Central Interscholastic Athletic Association (CIAA) Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game on Feb. 25 in Charlotte, N.C. This marks the first time Bowie State has captured the CIAA Tournament title since 2013, and the third CIAA championship in school history. The Bulldogs (16-14 overall record), ranked with the No. 4 seed heading into the tournament, had to beat four teams in four days to claim the CIAA championship. Bowie State knocked off Johnson C. Smith (JSU) in the first round, Virginia Union in the quarterfinals round, Livingstone College in the semifinals and Fayetteville in the finals. “It wasn’t pretty,” said Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks, according to Bowie State Sports Information. “Both teams struggled offensively due to good defense. We just stuck with it.” Playing four consecutive days of basketball may have worn down both Bowie State and Fayetteville State as both teams appeared exhausted in the championship game. Neither team displayed much energy on offense so the title would have to be won with tough, physical defensive play. The Bulldogs turned out to be the better defensive team Feb. 25 as they held Fayetteville State to just 23 percent shooting from the field. Bowie State held FSU’s best scorer, point guard Josh Dawson, to just nine points; he had scored 28 points in the Broncos’ semifinals match. “We wanted to keep a fresh body on him,” Wilson said, according to BSU Sports Information. “He scored 28 the previous night. We didn’t want him to go off.” Wilson was named the 2017 CIAA Tournament MVP for his outstanding play. He scored 85 points in four games, including 30 points in the first round against JSU. Wilson was also named to the 2016-’17 All-CIAA Tournament team along with senior guard Michael Briscoe. Next – Bowie State received an automatic bid in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament, which is scheduled to start in March.

Send your news tips to tips@afro.com.

March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American

BALTIMORE-AREA

Race and Politics

Attack on April Ryan Was an Attack on the Black Press April Ryan, a Baltimore native and Morgan State University alum, has been a White House Sean Yoes correspondent Senior AFRO since 1997 Contributor (she is currently with American Urban Radio Networks). She has reported on every president since, and Donald Trump is the fourth. And it is the Trump White House that put Ryan in an incredibly unenviable position for most journalists, becoming the news instead of covering it. During Trump’s meandering 77 minute White House press conference on Feb. 16, Ryan directed a question to the 45th president about his, “urban agenda,” and the now much publicized meeting between Trump and HBCU presidents “That was very professional and very good,” was Trump’s condescending initial salvo to Ryan’s line of questions. Yet, as often is the case with this president, the more he talked, (especially on issues of race) the more offensive his statements became. But, the specific exchange between Trump and Ryan that really thrust the journalist into the spotlight went like this: Ryan: “Are you going to include the CBC Mr. President in your conversations with your urban agenda, your inner city agenda, as well as…” Trump: “Am I going to include who?” Ryan: “Are you going to

Continued on D2

Celebrating the AFRO’s 125th Anniversary

AFRO Hosts Event Honoring Black Educators

Photo by Andersen Ward

(From L to R) Dr. Oluwatosin Adegbola, Dr. Gregory Bell, Dr. Alvin Crawley, Dr. David Wilson, Ronald Mason, Jake Oliver, Francis ‘Toni’ Draper, Dr. Gordon May, Honorable Kurt Schmoke, Dr. S. Dallas Dance, Dr. Karl Brockenbrough, Dr. Anthony Wutoh. Front row: Beverly Carter, Dr. Juliette Bell, Valerie Thomas, Lillie Jessie, Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan, Dr. Sonja Santelises, Dr. Maria Thompson. By James Bentley AFRO Associate Editor jbentley@afro.com On Feb. 23 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, the AFRO honored those leaders in the Maryland/D.C. area making a positive impact on the education of the Black community. The theme for this year’s Black History Month, decided by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), is “The Crisis in Black Education.” The evening consisted of an invocation performed by the pastor of Sharon Baptist Church, Rev. A.C.D. Vaughn; remarks from AFRO CEO and Publisher John J. Oliver Jr. and AFRO board member and pastor of Freedom Temple AME Zion Church the Rev. Frances Draper and musical performances by the Singing Sensations Youth Choir of Baltimore. When asked about the reason for honoring the leaders in Black education AFRO CEO and Publisher John J. Oliver Jr. said: “125 years. That’s a long time, but during that period of time we’ve had the pleasure of reporting about and to the African-American community those items of news, all kind of news. But also, in context of that reporting, it became very clear that there was a stream that ran through that entire 125 years that too often gets overlooked: That is the role that education plays in the generations that basically have grown up and grown old. For that reason and many other reasons, we felt that it was at least as important as our celebration of 125 years to include the recognition of those

Continued on D2

institutions that have helped our community evolve, grow and prosper and also gives us the intestinal fortitude to continue addressing the challenges that we continuously face not just every day, every week but also every generation. It doesn’t seem to get any easier.” At the event, the AFRO paid homage to Gregory Bell, supervisor, Diversity Initiatives, Montgomery County Public Schools; Juliette B. Bell, president, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Mickey L. Burnim, president, Bowie State University; Alvin L. Crawley, superintendent, Alexandria City Public Schools; S. Dallas Dance, superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools; Charlene Dukes, president, Prince George’s Community College; Wayne A. I. Frederick, president, Howard University; Freeman A. Hrabowski, president, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Lillie Jessie, vice chairman, Prince William County School Board; Tuajuanda Jordan, president, St. Mary’s College of Maryland; Ronald Mason, president, University of the District of Columbia; Gordon F. May, president, Baltimore City Community College; Sonja B. Santelises, chief executive officer, Baltimore City Public Schools; the Honorable Kurt – John J. Oliver Jr. L. Schmoke, former Baltimore City mayor and president, University of Baltimore; Dr. Maria Thompson, president, Coppin State University; Antwan Wilson, chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools and David Wilson, president, Morgan State University. Two of the honorees gave remarks on behalf of those honored, Ronald Mason Esq. and Dr. David Wilson, presidents Continued on D2

“…we felt that it was at least as important as our celebration of 125 years to include the recognition of those institutions that have helped our community evolve, grow and prosper…”

By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO

HBCU Presidents spoke out about their White House meeting with President Trump at the Black Enterprise BE SMART HBCU Summit held at Morgan State University on Feb. 27 and 28. Morgan State University’s President, David Wilson, Florida Memorial’s President, Roslyn Artis and Johnson C. Smith’s President, Ronald L. Carter were among the more than 90 HBCU presidents who attended the White House meeting last week. The three stopped by the BE SMART HBCU Summit in Baltimore, Md. and discussed the White House meeting with the audience gathered at the University’s Earl Graves School of Business Building. While each of the presidents acknowledged mis-steps by the Trump Administration including

With Manufacturing Bootcamp, Sagamore looks to Hire Locals By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO

Deadline Approaching for HBCU Presidents Baltimore Public School Seek $25 Funding Shortfall Fix Billion From Trump Admin. By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, members of the Baltimore delegation of the General Assembly and Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) CEO Sonja Santelises stood united at a news conference in Annapolis on Feb. 27 petitioning Governor Larry Hogan to partner with the City of Baltimore to fill a $130 million gap in public school funding. Pugh said that the funding shortfall facing BCPSS is due to a systemic flaw in the state formula that determines public school

Students attend a rally in support of the state of Maryland filling the budget shortfall the Baltimore public school system is facing.

Courtesy photo

Continued on D2

The 16 men enrolled in Port Covington’s Manufacturing Bootcamp represent the start of Sagamore Development’s promise to “make good.” Sagamore Development is seeking to deliver on a pledge to invest millions of dollars to support underserved citizens and communities in exchange for the unprecedented $660 million TIF passed by City Council for the Port Covington Project last year. Baltimore City Mayor Catherine E. Pugh joined civic, corporate and community leaders to celebrate the Bootcamp with a tour and mini peprally in early Feb. The Port Covington Manufacturing Bootcamp is a workforce development preapprenticeship program and the start of programs by the developer based on a $100 million agreement announced between the City of Baltimore and community leaders in September 2016 requiring Sagamore Development to invest in job development and creation, moderate income housing and other community benefits. “This is about the long game and I commend Sagamore Development and their partners for already delivering on promises made to help train, cultivate, develop and hire Baltimore¹s workforce,” Pugh told the partners gathered at the Foundery to support the program. The Port Covington TIF was delayed for months while city council and community Continued on D2

Baltimore Police Department via AP

Daniel Hersl, Evodio Hendrix, Jemell Rayam, Marcus Taylor, Maurice Ward, Momodu Gando and Wayne Jenkins are the seven police officers who are facing charges of robbery, extortion and overtime fraud, and are accused of stealing money and drugs from victims, some of whom had not committed crimes.

Seven Baltimore City Police Officers Indicted on Racketeering Charges By Michelle Richardson Special to the AFRO Seven Baltimore Police Officers were arrested and indicted on various racketeering charges on March 1 in what is being called “a major conspiracy.” The announcement was made via a press conference from the U.S. Attorneys Office from downtown Baltimore. This is the largest corruption investigation in years involving Baltimore City police officers. Commissioner Kevin Davis called it “disgusting” and a betrayal of trust. He called the men “1930s-style gangsters.” “These police officers will never, ever, ever again commit the heinous acts that they have been alleged to commit in our community,” Davis said.

The officers were, one by one, seeing judges Wednesday afternoon and being temporarily detained before formal detention hearings set for March 2. Each officer faces 20 years behind bars if convicted. Charges for the officers include robbery (pulling people over at traffic stops and stealing money and property from themfor no reason), stealing overtime

Past Seven Days

and ripping off the state of about $500,000. One officer went on a vacation to Myrtle Beach and charged overtime to the city almost the entire week, the charging documents stated. Another charged overtime while playing poker at the Maryland Live! Casino.

Continued on D2

54 2017 Total

Data as of March 1

The Afro-American, March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017

Race and Politics Continued from D1

include the Congressional Black Caucus…” Trump: “Well, I would...do you want to set up the meeting? Do you want to set up the meeting?” Ryan: “No, no, no, I’m just a reporter…” Trump: “Are they friends of yours? Go ahead, set up the meeting.” Just damn. So, much wrong to unpack there and not enough space in this column to unpack it. “Let me say this, and I’m being very honest...it was a lot going on there from the time he called on me. But, the piece that really got me and the blood started going to my ears...when he said, `you can convene the meeting,’ or whatever he said, I said, oh my gosh, no that can’t happen and I just kept shaking my head and everything after that I was just mouthing the words, because it didn’t register,” Ryan told me during my conversation with her on First Edition on Feb. 28. “I was just responding to him...it just didn’t register at the

“…the heat of the world was on me...it was just a lot, I was like, what in the world just happened?” – April Ryan

time. Think about it, you are standing up to a new president, very controversial president, and people are going to be watching around the world...the heat of the world was on me...it was just a lot, I was like, what in the world just happened?” During another alleged encounter (earlier in February) at the White House, Ryan became the story again. But, this time the exchange was between her and Omarosa Manigault, former two-time, “Apprentice,” cast member and current assistant to the president and director of communications for the Office of

Public Liaison. Ryan would not discuss this alleged encounter between her and Manigualt (the two were former friends) with me, because she said she did not want the story to be about her. And I understand that. However, if Manigault did indeed suggest the White House was compiling dossiers on Ryan and several other Black journalists specifically (as has been reported by The Washington Post, among others), then the story isn’t just Ryan anymore. The story becomes an attack on the Black Press. “I think we are like any other press group, but what makes us so different is the fact of our experiences and where we come from. We see things others may not see and I think we should be in every news room, not just on the Black stories but, all stories,” Ryan said. 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.

Educators Continued from D1

of University of the District of Columbia and Morgan State University, respectively. “I explain the crisis in Black education this way: Schools that serve Black students, HBCUs and neighborhood public schools are really reflections of Black people, institutional reflections of Black people. And the history of Black people in America is that we’ve always been denied wealth and the access to wealth. So, the challenge of education for us really, is the challenge of educating the most challenged among our citizens with the fewest resources,” Mason said. He continued, “It’s not that we don’t know what to do to solve the crisis in education for Black children; it’s that we’re always trying to figure out how to do it in the context of what we can afford to do. Which is a whole different proposition.” Wilson spoke second and reiterated what Mason discussed. He said, “I really just want to pick up where Ron Mason left off. The national theme this year is ‘The Crisis in Black Education’

and I can think of no better way to look at the pipeline in Black education than what you see before you this evening–that pipeline from K through higher ed. And if we truly are about ensuring that students, like the Singing Sensations, are going to taste the magic of education, are going to transform the lives of their children and their grandchildren [then] this pipeline cannot have any leaks in it. And so, you’re doing something symbolic, you’re bringing us together and saying you’re not competing with each other, you’re on the same playing field and you need to figure out a way, if you have not done that already, where K through 12 is married to our community colleges and married to our higher education institutions so we are always on the same page.” Baltimore County Executive Kevin B. Kamenetz stopped by the event and read a proclamation declaring Feb. 23 as AfroAmerican Newspaper Day in Baltimore County. William “Billy” H. Murphy Jr., great-grandson of AFRO founder John H. Murphy Sr. and founding and senior partner at

Murphy, Falcon and Murphy, was also in attendance. In addressing the audience Murphy referenced his family’s role in the newspaper. Murphy said, “It’s a blessing from God to be born into a good family. It’s an extra special blessing. Jake and I, Francis and I, share tremendous pride in being Murphy’s, coming from the seed of a courageous human being who was enslaved, who fought for his country, came back, married a beautiful Baltimore girl; and at a late age instead of enjoying the fruits of his labor, ventured on a mission to start what was to become the greatest institution in journalism that has affected us in so, so many ways.” The “AFRO Honors Black Leadership in Education” event was just one of many to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the AFRO this year, including the Character Education program, the Clean/Green Block Initiative and the AFRO Honors Murphy Women and it will all culminate with a 125th Anniversary Gala in August. For more information on 125th anniversary events visit afro.com.

Bootcamp Continued from D1

leaders worked with Sagamore Development’s leadership to craft the $100 million community-benefits agreement insisted on by local citizen groups like BUILD and others in exchange for support of the $660 million TIF Sagamore development project. The 16 participants represent the second class of Sagamore Development’s six-week career readiness program led by The Foundery, a workforce development hub at City Garage and the Center

for Urban Families (CFUF) and co-sponsored by WhitingTurner, and The Commercial Group. “What we do is on the front end. We recognize that the Baltimoreans we serve may have various labor force impediments,” said Joseph T. Jones, Founder, President and ECO of The Center for Urban Families. “They may have criminal backgrounds, little to no work experience, a checkered educational record. We

Photo by Deborah Bailey

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh spoke to a group of participants in Sagamore’s Manufacturing Bootcamp.

support Bootcamp candidates with essential skills before determining eligibility for the program.” The second six-week Bootcamp began in early February and will be completed in March. Classes include woodworking, welding machinery, textiles and 3D printing. The group of eight men who completed the first program in January of this year program were offered jobs immediately according

to Alicia Wilson, Sagamore Development’s Vice President for Community Affairs. Wilson said that the Bootcamp model will be continue to be refined and scaled-up until Sagamore Development meets the training and workforce development goals negotiated in the $100 million community agreement. “We’re starting now. We’re following through,” Wilson said. “This is just the beginning.”

$25 Billion Continued from D1

a statement by Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos referring to HBCU’s as “choice” programs, they agreed that there was strategic value in connecting with the White House. Artis saw the White House meeting as a first step to bring the Trump Administration up to speed about the unique contribution to society provided by HBCU’s. “This is an opportunity to educate. To help people understand who we are and the unique contribution of historically black colleges and universities,” Artis said.

Wilson said Morgan State University board, alumni and students urged him to be at the table to advance the federal dialogue for Morgan. “What we heard from President Trump’s administration is that they were looking for an investment plan in HBCU’s from us. We are working with the Thurgood Marshall Fund, the United Negro College Fund and NAFEO (National Organization for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education) to put together an investment plan and put it in front of the Trump Administration. Wilson said that HBCU’s are planning to put

a $25 billion-dollar investment plan on Trump’s desk in the coming weeks. “Public HBCU presidents agreed that we are going to ask for a one-time investment of $25 billion dollars in HBCU’s that will be distributed to each institution based on a pre-determined formula. Those dollars will be used at the discretion of the institution to fund scholarships, infrastructure, program development and enhancement or building of new science, technology and engineering facilities,” Wilson told the AFRO.

“President Trump said he is extending an open-door invitation to HBCU’s,” Wilson said. “I am taking him at his word,” Wilson added and indicated that he has prepared correspondence to each federal agency requesting their collaboration with Morgan in addition to the initiatives put forth on behalf of all HBCU campuses. The Black Enterprise BE SMART HBCU Summit focused on both institutional and individual student strategies for success, institutional sustainability and college funding.

Funding

Continued from D1 funding. “We’ve had discussions over the last few days around what we must do as a city and as a state to ensure the success of our children. We do know that fixing the formula as it relates to our children is not a one -year fix, we can’t do it in a year,” Pugh said. The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, known as the Kirwan Commission, was created by the Maryland General Assembly in 2016 to make recommendations about K-12 issues, including the development of updated per-pupil funding levels and creating equity in education funding. Recommendations from the Kirwan Commission are due in December but must work their way through the legislative process, said Pugh. While the formula is being revised, Pugh and State legislators are petitioning the Governor to make a three-year commitment to bridge a BCPSS funding gap that will reoccur each year, based on the current formula. Maggie McIntosh, State Delegate (MD-43) and Chair of the

House Appropriations Committee confirmed that negotiations were underway with Governor Hogan. She said the General Assembly had less than a month for Hogan to decide on a commitment to BCPSS. “We have to hear something within the next three weeks,” McIntosh said. “They seem interested and they did it [supplemented the BCPSS budget] last year,” McIntosh said. “Funding public education is a constitutional duty of the state.” Robbyn Lewis, a newly appointed delegate of Maryland’s 46th district said, “All of us in the 46th district are absolutely committed to supporting the Mayor, our schools and the legislative process here in Annapolis to keep our kids in the best educational environment.” BCPSS CEO Sonya Santelises said she was encouraged by the City’s commitment to working with state officials toward a comprehensive three-year commitment to City Schools, until the Kirwan Commission recommendations are in place.

“I’ve said a one-year solution is not going to do us any good. If we can get a three-year commitment to funding to get us to a new funding formula, then we can get back to the core work of the school system which is educating young people,” Santelises said. “While there were no specific numbers today, what’s particularly encouraging today is the way that the Mayor sees this as a long-term challenge, not just a one-year fix for FY 2018,” Santelises told the AFRO. The current $130 million deficit has left the city’s public school teachers and students in limbo about projected layoffs for the 2017-2018 school year. While Santelises said she is buoyed by the prospect of a city-state solution to the budget deficit, she said she must continue with plans to balance next year’s budget “until the agreements are in place and the ink is dry”. “The important thing today is that we see a coalition of people working on it. In large part this is because of the commitment of our leaders but also the advocacy of our families,” she said.

Cops

Continued from D1 Other charges include, submitting false official incident and arrest reports, reports of property seized from those arrested, and charging documents that hid the fact that they had stolen money, property, and drugs. One of the officers is also charged in a separate drug distribution indictment in an illegal drug operation and tipping its members off to investigations. U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, who’s about to become the #2 at the Department of Justice, broke down the allegations at a mid morning press conference. Rosenstein said the Department had begun looking into officers about a year ago. Later the FBI got involved installing electronic surveillance, including one in an officer’s patrol car. The alleged theft and fraud that the officers are accused of happened at the same time the Department of

Justice was investigating the police department, finding several civil rights abuses and corruption. Fraternal Order of Police president Gene S Ryan said in a statement, “We are very disturbed over the charges filed against our members by the U.S. Attorney today. These officers are entitled to due process and a fair trial in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of our state.” At least 5 high profile federal gun cases have been dropped because the officers tainted them in some way, and more may be coming. According to BCP Spokesman T.J. Smith, all officers have been suspended without pay. Each officer appeared in court in plain clothes and handcuffs as various family members were there for emotional support. Family members declined to speak to comment.

March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017, The Afro-American

Susie’s Cause Offers Free Health Screening and Entertainment by Local Musicians Hello my dear friends. My God, how are you enjoying this beautiful weather? I mean, check it out. No snow shovels in Dec., Jan. or Feb., can you believe this? I think it is wonderful. My “Boo-Boo” and I both

have been a little sick with the flu and had to cancel some of my book signings last month, but we are back on top of things and ready to rock n’ roll again. So this week I am going to talk mostly about a cause that is near and dear to my heart and I believe almost every person who reads my columns can relate to this. They can relate because at least one person in your family or someone you know has been or still is dealing with the terrible disease cancer.

Greg Hatza ORGANzation, a dynamic local group who just released their CD, will perform live at the Jazz Expressways Foundation Jazz Breakfast Show on March 11 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Forest Park Senior Center, 4801 Liberty Heights Avenue. For ticket information, call 410-833-9474.

BALTIMORE AREA COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Send your upcoming events to tips@ afro.com. For more community events go to afro.com/ Baltimore-events Free Kidney Health Assessments In conjunction with National Kidney Month, the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (NKFMD) will provide free Kidney Health Risk Assessments, on Mar. 8, at the Brancati Center Health Awareness Hub, 900 N. Washington St., Baltimore, Md. 21205. Open to the public, this free assessment helps identify adults at risk for chronic kidney disease and increases awareness of kidney disease risk factors in the community. Participants will receive brief consultations with physicians and dietitians to learn about kidney disease, as well as general nutrition and wellness guidelines.

AFRO.COM •Your History •Your Community • Your News

the local community a free day of overall health education, with an emphasis on colorectal cancer screening and prevention in an Outreach Health Festival at

Sandi Mallory of WEAA (88.9FM) is serving as the emcee for a full lineup of local vocal groups, dance troupes and bands that are scheduled to perform live at the Susie’s Cause Outreach Health Festival, on March 4 from noon to 4 p.m. at Mondawmin Mall in Northwest Baltimore. I lost my mother, two brothers and a sister to this disease and my oldest son is a survivor of prostate cancer. Now I want you to listen to me carefully. The Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation (Susie’s Cause), in partnership with Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, will be hosting a festival, which will provide

Rev. Dr. Ruth Travis, a 1963 graduate of Edmondson High School, is celebrating 30 years in the Pastoral Ministry and Preaching for 35 years at a retirement celebration on March 3 at S. John AME Church, 810 N. Carrollton Avenue in Baltimore at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Marlene Edwards at 410585-5476.

Mondawmin Mall on March 4 from noon to 4 p.m.

you won’t forget. For ticket information, call me.

In addition, the Health Festival will offer healthy lifestyle exhibits, free health screenings, a health care professional on site, fitness demonstrations and children’s activities. A lineup of local vocal groups, dance troupes and bands will perform and keep you happy while you are getting your body checked out. Our girl, Sandi Mallory from WEAA 88.9 FM, will keep the grove going. This sounds like a lot of fun to me. God bless this organization. I will see you there.

Now, when you leave the Jazz Expressways Foundation Breakfast, you do not have to leave or move your car; you can stay right there at the Forest Park Senior Center, go to the bathroom to freshenup for Mrs. Maybelle’s 10th Annual Full Figured Fashion Show on March 11 starting at 4 p.m., right there at the Center. You would truly enjoy her event. It is always entertaining and funny because Mrs. Maybelle, a comedian as well, always MC’s her own show. For ticket information, call 443226-8895.

For next weekend, mark your calendar for the Jazz Expressways Foundation Breakfast Show on March 10, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Forest Park Senior Center, 4801 Liberty Heights Avenue with an all you can eat breakfast/brunch open buffet, BYOB with free set-ups, vendors, book signings and live entertainment provided by Greg Hatza’s Band. Honey child, this will be an event

Well, my dear friends, I believe I am out of space. Enjoy this beautiful weather that God has given us, be kind to each other and stay safe. Remember, if you need me, call me at 410-833-9474 or email me at rosapryor@aol. com. Until the next time, I’m musically yours.

The Afro-American, March 4, 2017 - March 10, 2017

The Black Leadership in Education Honorees and representatives

M.C. Lenora Howze (Afro Dir. of Advertising)

First Lady Lillian Vaughn and Rev. Dr. A.C.D. Vaughn (Sharon Baptist Church)

The AFRO’s Black Leadership in Education ceremony was held on Feb. 23 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore, Md. As part of the AFRO’s 125th Anniversary celebration the AFRO honored 17 African-American educators within Maryland, Washington and Virginia. Lenora Howze, AFRO director of advertising, was William “Billy” Murphy, Dr. Maria Thompson (Pres. Arnold Williams, Jake the M.C. and the Singing CSU) and Dr. Juliette B. Oliver (AFRO CEO/ Sensations Children’s Choir Bell (Pres. UMES) Publisher) and Seth performed. Murphy

Kevin Kamenetz (Balto. Co. Exec.) and Jake Oliver (Afro CEO/ Publisher)

Diversity Initiatives Supervisor, Montgomery County Public Schools

Shan’niya Harrison and Mayor Catherine E. Pugh

MSU president Dr. David Wilson and representatives of Morgan administration.

Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, Dr. David Wilson (Pres. MSU) and Shelonda Stokes (MSU Regent)

The Singing Sensations

Wanda Q. Draper (Exec. Dir. RFL)

Anthony A. Lewis (Verizon Reg. V.P.)

MTA officials Patricia Guiles and Sandra Arnette

Photos by Anderson Ward

Verizon Executives with the Honorees

Verizon Executives : Tabb Bishop, Tony Randall, Larry Graham, Joseph L. Askew, Anthony A. Lewis and Terry Barnes

Verizon’s annual Black History Month Celebration was held at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture on Feb. 25 in Baltimore, Md. Bishop Douglass I. Miles was the M.C. Wanda Q. Draper, executive director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, gave the welcome address. Baltimore City Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and Prince George’s County Exec. Rushen L. Baker III were guest speakers. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority hosted a children’s arts and crafts workshop. The Empowerment Karen Outlaw, Rhona Temple Choir Bowden, David Skinner, performed and Tanya Williams-Harris Verizon gave out and Davita HostonReggie Parker, Tessa Hill-Aston Williams (Balto. Co. Community Innovator MSU Grad Students (NAACP Balto. City Chapter African American Awards. Cultural Festival Committee)

Khir Henderson and Devin Booker

Gloria D. Pualani and Barbara A. Robinson

Dr. David Wilson, MSU president and Jayrell Cephas Iesha Pankey,Gloria D. Pualani, Gwendolyn Tillman

Dr. Sonja Santelises (CEO Balto. City Schools)

Pres.), Denise Corley, Joyce Sanders and Clarence Kelly

Northrop Grumman Corporation and Digit All City were approved by the Defense Contract Management Agency to provide training to Morgan State University and Coppin State University students in Computer Networking and Security, leading to Jaye Espy and Hongtao Yu, Dean, eventual certification School of Computer Mathematical and Natural Sciences in A+, Network+, and Security+. The training is of no cost to the student. The signing ceremony was held on Feb. 23 in the Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.

Photos by James Fields Sr.