Afro e-Edition 1-27-2024

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Volume 132 No. 26

JANUARY 27 , 2024 - FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Dexter Scott King, son of civil rights legend, dies at 62 Helen Comer/The Jackson Sun via AP, Pool, File

Leaders around the country are mourning the death of Dexter Scott King, son of the late civil rights giant, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

The King Center in Atlanta said the 62-year-old died Jan. 22 at his California home after battling prostate cancer.

By Catherine Pugh Special to the AFRO

afro.com

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of civil rights leader and icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Coretta Scott King, died on Jan. 22 after a battle with prostate cancer.

Dexter King lived with his wife of 11 years, Leah King, in Malibu, Calif.

“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home,” she said.

At the time of his death, Dexter King was serving as chairman of the King Center and president of the King estate.

An attorney, Dexter King focused on protecting the intellectual property of the King

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family and managing his father’s legacy.

It was Dexter King who most resembled his father, and was persuaded to play his dad in a small role in the 2002 CBS movie, “The Rosa Parks Story.”

Born in Atlanta on Jan. 30, 1961, and named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama where his father once served as pastor, Dexter King was the third child born to Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. He was only seven years old when his father was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. on April 4, 1968. His mother died on Jan. 30, 2006. Her death was followed by the passing of his oldest sister, Yolanda King, on May 15, 2007.

Dexter King is survived by his wife, Leah,

older brother Martin Luther King III, and younger sister Bernice King.

Leaders around the country are sending prayers to the family, including Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07).

“My deepest condolences go out to Martin III, Bernice and the entire King family on the passing of Dexter Scott King, chair of The King Center and president of the King Estates.

Our prayers are with you during this time of sorrow and loss. Dexter will be greatly missed by all of us.”

Former U.S. Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook said, in a statement, that the passing should serve as a reminder.

“Our hearts go out to the King family

and to everyone who was inspired, moved, or changed by Dexter’s life and work. In his memory, let us recommit ourselves to the principles of justice, equality and peace,” she said. “As we honor Dexter Scott King, let us remember the impact one individual can have in continuing a legacy of change. May his memory be a beacon of hope and a call to action for all of us in the continued fight for justice.”

The 100 Black Men of America, a Blackled organization focused on mentoring youths, also weighed in on the death.

“The 100 Black Men of America celebrates the life, legacy, and witness of Continued on A3

Lincoln alumni call for president’s ouster after suicide of Vice President Antoinette ‘Bonnie’ Candia-Bailey

By Holly Edgell The Midwest Newsroom Antonio Lewis was surprised to see an email from Antoinette “Bonnie” CandiaBailey in his inbox on the morning of Jan. 8. Lewis, president of the Atlanta chapter of the Lincoln University Alumni Association, had never met CandiaBailey, but knew she was the university’s vice president for student affairs and an alumna.

After scanning the first few lines of the email, his surprise turned to alarm.

“The first paragraph says, ‘Lincoln, where it all started and where it all ends.’

That paragraph made me alert to what could happen,” said Lewis, who said he immediately sent Candia-Bailey a message via Facebook.

“I said, ‘Whatever you’re doing, please don’t do it. Give me a call.’”

The email came in the form of a letter addressed to Lincoln University President

Photo courtesy of Lincoln University

Members of the Lincoln University (LU) community and beyond are mourning the tragic death of Dr. Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey, who joined LU as vice president for student affairs in April 2023.

John B. Moseley. Candia-Bailey sent the message from her personal account to family, friends and Lincoln alumni, hours before she died by suicide.

Running more than 10 pages and nearly 6,000 words, the email called out Moseley for a litany of actions that Candia-Bailey said exacerbated her existing mental health condition, which she did not explicitly describe.

“It was a manifesto,” Lewis said. “She was very direct with what she wanted to happen and what had happened to her.

She didn’t mince any words.”

In the email, which the Midwest Newsroom has reviewed, Candia-Bailey gives Moseley 18 recommendations for how to improve his job performance as university president. She includes accusations of micromanagement, failure to provide clear directions, inconsistency and arrogance.

She also pointed to jail time, DWI offenses and criminal charges by a key

Copyright © 2024 by the Afro-American Company

leader on Moseley’s staff– citing case numbers and other details from public records.

She said the leader was disruptive and created a toxic work environment.

She outlined several occasions when she talked about her mental health Continued on A5

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A2 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

WHAT’S TRENDING ON AFRO.COM

Trump and Biden boast wins in New Hampshire primary

By Ashleigh Fields AFRO Assistant Editor afields@afro.com

Due to the calendar dispute, Biden was prevented from campaigning in the state without penalty. He sent cabinet members and close confidants to wager support, which proved to be a worthy cause until a deceptive voicemail targeted at voters discouraged citizens from participating in the primary.

“It’s important that you save your vote for

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden remain top contenders in the 2024 presidential election for Republican and Democratic voters.

Trump won the New Hampshire primary as a Republican candidate, and Biden emerged as the lead Democratic candidate, even though only one of the two appeared on the ballot.

Biden secured 73

“A Trump nomination is a Biden win and a Kamala Harris presidency.” percent of the votes as a write-in candidate over Dean Phillips (D-Minn.3) and self-help author Marianne Williamson.

The sitting president chose not to appear on the ballot after a startling change to the Democratic primary calendar, which shifted the first official primary from New Hampshire to South Carolina for the first time in over 100 years.

Nonetheless, New Hampshire state law mandates that it holds the first primary in the nation which secures privatized ballots unlike the Iowa Caucus.

the November election,” declared the voice, believed to be generated by artificial intelligence.

The Biden campaign team immediately reported the robocalls to the attorney general, which is currently investigating the matter.

Despite the setback, Biden emerged victorious thanks to backing from a super PAC that reportedly poured $1.5 million into the effort. However, the results won’t count towards the president’s official nomination in spite of the calendar contention with the Democratic party.

Unsplash / Element5 Digital

Voters in New Hampshire are looking to see President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump face off in the 2024 presidential election.

Republicans have far from lamented over the grievance.

In a close resemblance to Iowa, Trump garnered the support of over 50 percent of voters. This time, former ambassador Nikki Haley trailed by a small margin with upwards of 45 percent of voters after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.)

and Vivek Ramaswamy suspended their campaigns pledging loyalty to Trump.

It’s clear that Haley is moving ahead with full steam regardless of voter polls.

“New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation.

This race is far from over.

There are dozens of states

left to go. And the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina,” said an emboldened Haley at a campaign rally on Jan. 23.

“With Donald Trump, Republicans have lost almost every competitive election. We lost the Senate. We lost the House. We lost the White House. We lost in 2018. We lost in 2020,

Democrats allocate $35 million for outreach, but overlook Black press in bid for diverse voter support

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire @StacyBrownMedia

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and we lost in 2022.

The worst kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump.

They know Trump is the only Republican in the country who Joe Biden can defeat,” she later continued. “A Trump nomination is a Biden win and a Kamala Harris presidency.”

In what the Democratic Party is calling a bid to secure control of the U.S. House in the upcoming November elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has announced a $35 million investment in a comprehensive outreach initiative targeting Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian voters.

“Power the People” aims to persuade, organize, welcome, educate and reach voters from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Despite the significant allocation, a notable omission from the Democratic strategy is the exclusion of the Black Press of America, a move that continues to raise eyebrows given the pressing need to engage African-American voters effectively. The Democratic Party, including the DCCC, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden-Harris re-election campaign, has thus far ignored criticism for overlooking the influential Black Press.

While the DCCC revealed that 2024 spending surpassed the

Unsplash/ Bank Phrom

Members of the Black Press are calling out Democratic leaders’ announcement of a $35 million investment into voter outreach in Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities, with no specific allocation for the news media outlets that serve Black voters.

$30 million expended on these voter groups in the 2022 midterm elections, concerns persist over excluding the Black Press from this financial commitment. Critics argue that the omission is particularly striking during what is widely acknowledged as modern history’s most crucial and transformative election.

During Biden’s 2020 campaign, he turned to the Black Press when it appeared that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and even New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s campaigns were gaining steam. In fact, before arriving in South Carolina, Sanders who had just romped in Nevada, held 45 delegates while Indiana Democrat Pete Buttigieg

was second with 26, and Biden had claimed just 15.

In Charleston, Biden met with a conglomerate of publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of America’s 250 Black-owned newspapers and media companies.

A broadcast interview led by NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. was followed by a national news article about the sit-down that all went viral. And, after the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, Biden solidified the vital Black vote and dusted his competition all the way to the White House.

Missayr Boker, DCCC

deputy executive director for Campaigns, defended the “Power the People” initiative, stating that it honors the commitment to a multiethnic coalition crucial for a robust democracy. The initiative focuses on persuading and mobilizing Latino, Black, Asian American, Pacific islander, and native Hawaiian voters to counteract what the DCCC perceives as efforts by extremist Republicans to suppress the votes of people of color.

The DCCC said its approach includes conducting in-depth research, creating multilingual media content, organizing with local leaders, and countering disinformation targeting specific communities.

However, the absence of collaboration with the Black Press of America remains a point of contention.

José Muñoz, a DCCC spokesperson, emphasized the party’s commitment to “smart, targeted outreach,” which he claims recognizes the nuances not only between different ethnic groups but also within various regions and districts.

This article was originally published by NNPA Newswire.

January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024 The Afro-American A3

Andrew Young reflects on Civil Rights Movement at Washington National Cathedral

By Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor dbailey@afro.com Seated humbly in a chair on the platform of the Washington National Cathedral, former United Nations Ambassador and Congressman Andrew Young preached extemporaneously Jan. 14.

King confidante, friend, collaborator and fellow pastor, Young is among a dwindling number of compatriots who worked and served full time in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s.

Young knew King from the start of the Civil Rights Movement and was at King’s side as he died in 1968 on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. As few movement veterans can, Young is still able to offer a first-hand account of times that transformed both him as a man and the world.

Young’s recollections of King as the young, inexperienced pastor of the conservative Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. in 1955, set the tone for the conversation.

“Martin had no time. He received the announcement one hour before the start of the meeting. He rose to the occasion with less than one hour to prepare himself and made one of the better speeches of his career,” Young said, referring to the speech made at Montgomery’s Holt Street Baptist Church, urging continuation of the bus boycott.

Young said the Montgomery bus boycott was originally planned to last one

day, but persisted for 381 days until November 1956, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation illegal on public transportation systems.

History changed King’s trajectory as well, said Young, who spoke about his involvement in a series of civil rights campaigns King led in

“I think he knew his days were numbered and had decided if he gave his life, he wanted it to be for the least of these, God’s children.”

Albany, Ga., Birmingham, Ala., Washington, D.C.’s 1963 March on Washington and the voter registration campaign in Selma, Ala. But Young said the campaign in Chicago, Ill. Introduced King to another side of the American cultural dilemma.

“More and more he began to see the problems we were having in Northern cities were not just social; they were economic,” said Young.

“That commitment led him to Memphis,” he added, noting that sanitation workers were preparing to strike after the accidental deaths of sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker.

“I think he knew his days were numbered. I think he had decided if he gave his life had decided if he gave his life, he wanted it to be

for the least of these, God’s children. The sanitation workers, the garbage workers were a perfect example of ‘the least of these.’ The garbage workers had no benefits, no retirement,” Young said.

“They were still virtual slaves in our modern democracy. I think he knew.

Everything about the way he acted in those next several days led us to believe that he knew he was going to his death,” Young said.

“When I heard that shot and I looked up at Martin Luther King and ran to the

By Deyane Moses Special to the AFRO Join us for the February 2024 Public Meeting of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum on Feb. 5th, at 11 a.m. The theme of Black History Month for this year is African Americans and the Arts, as announced by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).

Afro Charities will be hosting a table at the event. Community members can learn more about the organization and view rare artifacts about Black Artists in the AFRO’s archive!

During the event, you’ll have the opportunity to meet Afro Charities team members, network with Baltimore-based Black cultural arts vendors, discover the Commission’s upcoming initiatives and listen to inspiring

Jan. 1977

Feb. 1986

Continued from A1

Dexter Scott King, chairman of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change,” said Milton H. Jones Jr., chairman of the organization, and Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, interfaith chairman, in a statement. “A Morehouse man and an accomplished activist, attorney and creative executive, Dexter King will be remembered for his efforts to protect his family’s legacy and intellectual property. He was also president of the King Estate, ensuring that Dr. and Mrs. King’s affairs were managed with dignity and care.”

“We hope the King family finds encouragement in the promises of Corinthians 2:5,” continued the statement. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

“Rest in peace and power, Chairman Dexter Scott King.

Well done.”

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speakers from the heritage and preservation community.

The event is hosted by the Baltimore City commissioner delegation, including Dr. Edwin T. Johnson, Dr. Kali-Ahset Amen, Dr. Walter “Wali” Gill, Philip J. Merrill, Dr. Brian C. Morrison, Ada Pinkston and Wesley C. Wood. Dayvon Love, director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, will serve as special guest speaker for the event.

MCAAHC’s mission is to preserve and promote African American history throughout the state of Maryland. On Jan. 19, 2024, Gov. Wes Moore announced that the Commission, in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, would receive a total of $5 million in grants to 24 nonprofits through the African American Heritage Preservation Program for FY 2024. We’re thrilled to announce that Afro Charities was among the recipients and has been granted $250,000 towards the Upton Mansion project – the future home of the AFRO Archives, Afro Charities and AFRO News.

Don’t miss this opportunity to kick off Black History Month with Afro Charities and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture in February! For now, take a look back at what happened this week in history.

Do you have a favorite AFRO Archives story? Find @ AFRONews on social media today and let us know!

Deyane Moses is curator of the AFRO Archives for Afro Charities.

King

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that bullet and I thought that maybe it’s true that someone can go straight from this life to heaven on a flaming chariot,” Young mused.

Randolph Hollerith, dean of the National Cathedral, captured the sentiments of the parishioners and visitors who came to hear Young’s presentation.

“Sir, you honor us today; and wherever I go and whatever I do I’ll always remember these words and you sitting in this chair offering them,” Hollerith said to Young, before the entire

Celebrate Black History Month with Afro Charities

AFRO Photo / Deborah Bailey

Andrew Young addresses congregants of Washington National Cathedral, speaking on his experiences with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

top of the steps and realized that…the bullet moved faster than his feelings,” said Young.

The grand sanctuary of the National Cathedral became pin-drop silent. “He probably never felt that bullet,” Young said.

“I think that’s the reason why, 50 something-odd years later, we’re still gathering all over the world to celebrate him…and the values for which he gave his life,” Young said of King and why the day celebrating his birthday matters.

“He probably never heard

Feb. 1986

congregation.

Others attending felt a similar sense of awe following the service.

“I’m so grateful for Rev. Young’s account of MLK’s life, in which he breathed new life,” said Natalie Doyle.

Georgianne Thomas was also grateful to be in attendance.

“Thank you, Ambassador Young, for your long committed service to our community,” said Thomas.

“We live Black–daily. Unless you live it, you will never understand it,” she said.

Jan. 1933

A4 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

COMMENTARY

America’s unspoken suicide pandemic is the sharp edge of social isolation

By Ben Jealous The news is filled with endless examples of hyperpartisanship out of Washington. It is no surprise most people think that’s the only thing happening in Washington. It’s not.

People still reach out across party lines to try to get great things done.

A few weeks ago, I was at a bipartisan press conference reintroducing the Outdoors For All Act. Members of Congress from both parties spoke. One, a Latina Democrat from the West.

The other, a White Republican from the East.

Unfortunately - and surprisingly - most of the press missed the chance to cover the rare and encouraging example of bipartisanship. More striking, though, was the reason both lawmakers had such a passion for the bill. In addition to the benefits for the planet and equity, each was urgently concerned about the need for parks to help their communities combat growing social isolation.

Social isolation drives many social epidemics in America, including our country’s mental health crisis and the silent pandemic of suicide.

Community parks can ensure access to natural spaces, which is a human right. The health benefits of getting out in nature

are physical and mental, but they also can be social–especially in more densely populated areas. Building and protecting parks is one of the few things members of the government can do to structurally decrease social isolation.

I’ve researched the impact of social isolation in leading to mental health crises and suicide.

I wrote about it in my book, “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free.”

Human connection, as well as connection to nature, makes us resilient. Social isolation attacks our ability to have those lifesaving connections.

And suicide, which is at crisis levels in our country, is the sharp edge of that isolation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, there were nearly twice as many deaths by suicide (45,979) in the U.S. as there were homicides (24,576).

That sharp edge cuts deepest among men. A good test for social isolation is to ask someone how many people they talk to when they are having or just had a really bad day. Women, on average, will say they speak with multiple people. Men, too often, don’t talk to anyone.

And while men in general – and White men a bit more than most, are the hardest hit – the social isolation fueling the

Courtesy photo

Ben Jealous is the executive director of the Sierra Club and a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania. suicide pandemic knows no racial or economic bounds.

The lack of opportunity and downward economic mobility we often see in our low-income and inner-city communities can lead to despair and addiction, which in turn lead to suicide. So can the physical isolation and lack of interdependence in the suburbs and exurbs. If you live somewhere where people are often asking for help, sure that can be felt as a burden, but it also creates a sense of communal responsibility and empathy.

That the social isolation crisis cuts across Black and White and every race…across urban and rural, affluent and poor, Republican and Democrat, alike, means we have an opportunity to build bridges and find common

ground across the lines that too often divide us. Protecting access to nature is only one remedy.

But it’s encouraging that

Structural racism’s toll on Black families in court

By Nancy Grimm Race and poverty directly affect access to financial resources, healthcare, education and employment – and often will influence the chance for fair legal representation and successful outcomes. Unfortunately, family court, which is responsible for crucial decisions affecting a family’s well-being, is not immune to the impact of structural racism in our judicial system.

Black individuals and families often face barriers to equal justice in court due to limited access, racial bias and difficulties representing themselves when legal representation is unavailable or unaffordable.

Racial disparities persist throughout the family law system with courts making assumptions about people of color’s legal knowledge, parenting abilities and commitment to their children. While some judges and members of the court treat Black

individuals and other people of color fairly, others in the court system exhibit implicit or explicit bias – making decisions simply based on race.

The shortage of Black attorneys and judges exacerbates the issue. The American Bar Association reports minimal growth in the percentage of Black attorneys over the past decade.

Of the 1.3 million attorneys nationwide, Black attorneys account for less than 5 percent – hardly enough to adequately serve Black individuals with legal needs across the U.S. Diverse representation is key to improving the justice system and fostering better understanding and respect of the client’s life challenges and legal situation.

This can lead to stronger attorney-client relationships and significantly better legal outcomes.

The child welfare systems in this country often harm families by failing to address structural and cultural causes for the family’s challenges. Reports and

investigations disproportionately target Black families, resulting in children being removed from their homes and, in some cases, the loss of parental rights. In fact, most allegations that result in removal of Black children from their homes stem from neglect due to poverty or discrimination rather than abuse.

Empty refrigerators and pantries, children left alone during work hours due to the inability to afford childcare, or the finding of a room shared among multiple family members can trigger citations that attack the family’s stability. Still, Black families are more likely to be reported and investigated for abuse or neglect than their White counterparts.

Shockingly, 53 percent of Black children face child welfare investigations before the age of 18, often leading to Black children being separated from their families and placed in foster homes or other institutions, which continues to break down the Black family structure and endanger the health and well-

being of the children. Once in foster care, Black children typically receive inferior services and funding, are kept from their families for longer periods of time and are less likely to be adopted compared to White children.

Black parents often face unrealistic employment standards for making reliable child support payments. Child support agencies frequently overlook racial challenges and biases in employment, labeling people of color as “deadbeats” and “failures” because of their inability to find work. These biases often lead to fines and incarceration, perpetuating the separation of families and the cycle of poverty.

Limited access to the court system also hinders low-income Black communities, which was evident during the pandemic.

Despite efforts to enhance accessibility through such things as virtual platforms for remote hearings and electronic filings, individuals with limited means,

members of both parties acknowledge the importance of social isolation– because the only way we’re going to fix this

problem for all of us is to do it together. And maybe we can help heal the soul of our country in the process.

particularly Black individuals, often lack access to broadband services, phones or computers.

Even those with technological access may not understand how to use it or how the court system works.

How do we improve racial equity and fairness and eliminate racial bias in the family law court system?

To ensure fairness, our judicial system must change.

Court standards and practices must be critically examined through the lens of historical structural racism. Implementing training, guidelines and protocols for all judges, attorneys and court personnel to address implicit and explicit bias and their impact on Black families is critical for improving outcomes in family court. Increasing diversity among judges and attorneys is paramount in affording Black families improved representation and outcomes.

Additional solutions involve examining how racial bias impacts the judges who hear

and decide cases, addressing economic disparities that leave far too many Black families navigating court on their own, and evaluating whether virtual hearings disproportionately favor White families.

Courts also can partner with community stakeholders, such as libraries and churches, to provide self-represented individuals access to virtual hearings at these community locations using courtissued computers and technology.

Courtesy photo

Nancy Grimm, Esq., is a family law attorney with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service.

Why a confirmed ambassador and revised strategy are needed to advance U.S. foreign policy interests in Zimbabwe more than human rights abuses, corrupt practices, and antidemocratic actions. Second, the U.S. policy toward Zimbabwe, in the form of the Integrated Country Strategy (ICS), is likewise too broad and unmoored from these political and cultural realities.

The ICS, which is the embassy’s strategic plan for the country of assignment, should consist of realistic, specific, and measurable end-states or objectives that can be achieved within the five-year life of the plan. The ICS for Zimbabwe has a set of objectives that are not realistic and, given the state of the current Zimbabwean government - which is a continuation of the government in power at the time the plan was drafted - incapable of achievement in the foreseeable future, much less the five-year life of the plan. Furthermore, the ICS fails to specify the resources needed to achieve the objectives any more than Senator Risch’s statement does. The

By Charles A. Ray and Michael Walsh Sen. James E. Risch (RID), a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, recently called on the Biden Administration to “abandon any misguided belief that it can negotiate with Zimbabwe’s current leaders.” Referencing “a lengthy history of human rights abuses, corrupt practices, and anti-democratic actions,” Risch argued that the U.S. Government “should use every diplomatic avenue to forge a coalition of regional and global partners to act in support of the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.”

The White House does not appear to share the views of the senator. Even if they were in sync, though, such a plan of action would be far easier said than done for two compelling reasons. First, the senator’s argument is far too general. It fails to take into account the political and cultural environment in which the nation of Zimbabwe is firmly embedded. The context involves

ICS Zimbabwe is not a strategic roadmap. It is a hot mess.

Given the political realities of the southern African region and the current frayed state of the U.S.-South Africa relationship, it is highly unlikely that the U.S. Government will be able to forge a regional or global coalition of partners that are needed to achieve any of our stated strategic objectives in Zimbabwe. Such a coalition might be a reasonable long-term objective, but it would require a lot of other things to happen beforehand. Despite often rocky relations with some of the other members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), like Botswana, it’s unlikely that any of them will break ranks and work with the U.S. or any other western nation against a fellow member.

As for the international community, other nations have their own interests in the region as well as their own relationships with BRICS members like India and China to consider. So, an effective international coalition

is unlikely to achieve anything on its own. The previous international effort to bring about positive change in Zimbabwe, comprising the U.S., EU member states, Japan, and Australia, as well as the AU and some African states, serves as a case in point. It failed to achieve its goal of bringing representative government to Zimbabwe or significantly improving the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans. With the current regime in the country, it would not have access to affect meaningful change. So, there are no prospects on the horizon for such a coalition to achieve anything now.

Any change in the status quo in Zimbabwe will not be an easy or quick thing. It will require a change in action and mindset by all concerned in Washington.

First, Senator Risch’s proscription against talking to anyone in the Zimbabwean government will need to be subjected to scrutiny. Efforts to help the citizens of a sovereign nation require at least minimal coordination with governmental

authorities, or at least noninterference. If there is no interaction with the government, our embassy, and by extension our policymakers, are completely blind to what the government is doing. The idea that we don’t talk to people we don’t like or with whom we disagree is antithetical to effective diplomacy.

Of course, there is a potential

FPRI.org Charles A. Ray is chair of the Africa Program of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) in Philadelphia, and served as U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe and Cambodia.

counter-argument to this point.

The Biden Administration may view Zimbabwe through the lens of a democracy-security paradox. In that case, the U.S. Department of State may intend to forge a very different kind of relationship with the Government of Zimbabwe - one based solely on shared security interests.

See more on afro.com

FPRI.org

Michael Walsh is a senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American ∙ 233 E. Redwood Street, Suite 600G Baltimore, MD 21202 or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to editor@afro.com

January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024 The Afro-American A5

Lincoln alumni Continued from A1

struggles with Moseley and asked for help, only to be rebuffed.

“I think the entire email shows the culture of bullying and go-along-to-get-along, and it is sickening,” Lewis said.

As word of CandiaBailey’s death and her email spread, blame and criticism grew among alumni and students–most of it directed at Moseley, who fired CandiaBailey the week before she died. Her termination letter read, in part, that she “was being fired ‘due to your continued failure to appropriately supervise your staff and continued failure to

potential personnel issues and concerns recently raised regarding compliance with the university’s established policies and procedures.”

In response to requests to interview Moseley as well as a representative of the Lincoln University Board of Curators, the Midwest Newsroom received two statements from the university’s marketing and communications department. One is the same statement released on Jan. 12. The second, dated Jan. 18, provided more details about the review. It said the university has hired attorneys led by Ronald Norwood and Jerina Phillips in the Higher

“The present administration has become a liability to the mission and health of the institution.

I have become compelled to demand a change to the Office of the Presidency of the university effective immediately.” properly supervise the area of student affairs at Lincoln University.’”

Candia-Bailey’s email addresses her firing, admits to mistakes and details the times she tried to work within the university’s processes and seek ways to improve.

Moseley took voluntary paid leave within days of Candia-Bailey’s death, and on Jan. 12, Lincoln University’s Board of Curators announced it would “engage a thirdparty expert to fully review

Education Practice Group of Lewis Rice in St. Louis to conduct the independent review “of recent issues raised regarding compliance with the University’s established policies and procedures.”

Lewis, a 2011 graduate of Lincoln, is eager to learn what the review reveals. Regardless of the findings, however, he thinks Moseley’s voluntary leave is not sufficient and that he should resign immediately.

He referred to Claudine Gay, who stepped away

from the Harvard University presidency in early January amid criticism about her remarks about anti-Semitism and accusations of plagiarism.

“I saw the grace that Dr. Gay showed. She showed a different level of maturity,” Lewis said. “And to see the way that our president is acting shows me the privilege that he thinks he has. I hope he steps down for the betterment of the university.”

Sherman Bonds, national president of the Lincoln University Alumni Association, asked for even more definitive action in a letter he wrote to the Board of Curators president.

“The university’s institutional care has been breached,” he wrote to Victor Pasley. “The present administration has become a liability to the mission and health of the institution. I have become compelled to demand a change to the Office of the Presidency of the university effective immediately.”

Bonds, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln in 1980 and a master’s degree from the school a year later, told the Midwest Newsroom neither Pasley nor anyone else from the Board of Curators has responded to his letter.

Pasley did not respond to Midwest Newsroom requests for an interview.

On Moseley’s watch Lincoln University, one of two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Missouri, has struggled with funding shortfalls and declining

Photo courtesy of Sherman Bonds

Sherman Bonds earned his bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University in 1980 and a year later earned his master’s at the college. He is president of the Lincoln University National Alumni Association.

Photo courtesy of Antonio Lewis

Antonio Lewis serves on the Atlanta City Council and is a 2011 graduate of Lincoln University. He is president of the Lincoln University National Alumni Association, Atlanta chapter.

enrollment. In late 2023, federal officials estimated Missouri had underfunded the college, located in Jefferson City, by almost $361.6 million for three decades.

The Missouri Independent reported that Lincoln University’s funding woes grew “over years of the state not meeting its obligation to match federal funds and school administrators dipping into the university’s other revenue streams.”

Lewis said he was dismayed by the way Moseley responded to his questions about securing money for Lincoln University shortly after he took office.

“I immediately gave him a call,” Lewis said. “I said, ‘Congratulations, President Moseley. Now can we work on getting that Lincoln University funding?’”

Lewis said Moseley made a remark that caught him off guard.

“He told me asking for that funding is like asking for reparations.”

Moseley’s university biography touts the securing of the much-needed funding: “For the first time since it was federally mandated in 2000, the University received nearly $10 million, the full state match for its federal land grant funding, in May 2022 and maintained the full funding following the 2023 legislative session.”

Bonds said it’s no accident that Moseley, who is white, was able to do what Black Lincoln University presidents over decades could not.

“African American presidents came through this

Photo courtesy of Kenlyn Washington

Kenlyn Washington is a political science major at Lincoln University.

She serves as student government president. era where we did not receive this funding,” he said. “The entitlement to the funding was always there. The state just decided to release it on Moseley’s watch.”

Moseley’s biography says he has more than 20 years of higher education experience, “including 14 years on HBCU campuses.”

His LinkedIn profile shows few examples of university administration experience, however. It lists an assistant head basketball coach position at North Carolina Central University, followed by the head basketball coach role at Lincoln. From there, Moseley was the school’s athletic director for nearly six years.

After nine months as interim president, Moseley officially got the job in 2022.

“He just walked out of the gym and into the president’s office,” Bonds said.

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January January27, 27,2024 2024- -February February2,2, 2024 2024 The Afro-American B1 B3

Gov. Wes Moore unveils proposed budget

Associated Black Charities launches Black Leadership Circle to support Black executives

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com

By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com Associated Black Charities (ABC) has announced the launch of The Black Leadership Circle. The thought group aims to provide a progressive, inclusive and supportive safe space for African-American nonprofit and corporate executives in the Greater Baltimore area.

Part of the motivation behind its formation is to create a pipeline for Black professionals to access leadership positions. Although The Black Leadership Circle is not a subsidiary of ABC, the racial equity organization will power the group by providing infrastructure and operational support.

“Associated Black Charities is already very unapologetically committed to breaking down barriers that present for Black people on the heels of racism,” said Chrissy Thornton, executive director of ABC and founding member of the Black Leadership Circle. “Having accomplished, powerful and committed voices behind that work and having the community see the Black Leadership Circle operate in unity and empowerment while advocating to create new opportunities for Black people is going to be a game changer.”

The concept for the Black Leadership Circle arose out of brainstorming sessions between Thornton and Robyn Murphy, CEO of JRM Consultancy. As Thornton embarked on her new role at Continued on B2

BPD makes significant progress in consent decree Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Office of the Mayor / J.J. McQueen

Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott announces that the Baltimore Police Department has reached “full and effective compliance” on two sections of their mandated consent decree.

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) recently filed a joint motion with the Department of Justice (DOJ) announcing that BPD has reached full and effective compliance on two sections of their mandated consent decree.

“Together with the DOJ, we filed a joint motion that BPD has reached a state of full and effective compliance on two sections of our consent decree: transportation of persons in custody and officer assistance and support,” said Baltimore City Commissioner Richard Worley at a live-streamed press conference on Jan. 17. “Reaching full and effective compliance with these two sections of the consent decree not only helps us build trust with our communities but also sends a message to our members that their health and wellness is a priority.”

The BPD Consent Decree Monitoring Team’s report in December 2023 found BPD to be in full and effective compliance with the two provisions.

The decree was spurred in part by the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died after sustaining injuries while being transported by BPD. The death influenced the DOJ to conduct a

comprehensive investigation of BPD’s practices. A consent decree was approved in 2017 and the city complied to resolve inadequacies identified through the investigation.

“Under my administration, I am proud that for the first time in the consent decree’s nearly seven-year history, we are able to join DOJ in jointly recommending the court to find

“Together, we build a safer community where justice, fairness and respect for individual rights guide our path forward.” us in full and effective compliance with whole sections of the decree,” said Scott.

“It is no coincidence that as we make progress in implementing the consent decree, we have also managed to achieve the record-year reductions in violence in Baltimore City. In fact, 2023 was the first year that Baltimore has had less than

300 homicides since the death of Freddie Gray.”

There have been 11 homicides and 22 non-fatal shootings as of Jan. 23, according to BPD. Last year, on this same date, there were 17 homicides and 27 non-fatal shootings.

According to the monitoring team report, BPD still needs to work on systematically documenting services offered to its personnel after traumatic events and the timing of such outreach.

They also need to better document and label protests and demonstration-related activity. BPD must ensure their personnel adhere to supervisors’ instructions when unrest or demonstrations occur.

“Constitutional policing and the reduction of crime are inseparable components of our law enforcement strategy. They are not disparate goals; rather, they are interconnected elements that reinforce each other,” said Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson.

“Today, we affirm our commitment to constitutional principles as the driving force behind our crime reduction initiatives. Together, we build a safer community where justice, fairness and respect for individual rights guide our path forward.”

Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.

Gov. Wes Moore unveiled his fiscal year (FY) 2025 proposed budget on Jan. 17, highlighting his focus on public safety, with increased funding for police protection, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and a new statewide gun violence prevention center.

Moore said that his goal is to “make Maryland safer, more affordable” and “more competitive” all while becoming “the state that serves.”

“We will achieve each of these goals without raising taxes on Marylanders,” said Moore. “Our budget includes a record $127 million for local police agencies. That is a $5 million increase over the last year.”

According to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, an advocacy organization for gun control,

Continued on B3

Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor

Gov. Wes Moore lays out his fiscal year 2025 proposed budget at the Maryland State House on Jan. 17.

Baltimore City receives federal ‘Workforce Hub’ designation

By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer msayles@afro.com Baltimore has been one of five federally-designated Workforce Hubs across the United States for eight months now. President Joe Biden created the initiative as part of his Investing in America agenda to develop the requisite workforce for developments spurred by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act. Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott says the designation stands as an investment in communities that have long been underserved.

“We know that Blacks in cities across this country have been disinvested in like no other American citizens,” Scott told the AFRO. “This is an opportunity to have them join in working in partnership, learning careers and opportunities that

Administration considers the location essential to efforts to upgrade rail infrastructure.

One major project the designation will bolster is the replacement of the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which has become a bottleneck for Amtrak and Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) trains. It’s also grappling with water infiltration, a deteriorating structure and sinking floor.

The project will become known as the Frederick Douglass Tunnel, in recognition of the Maryland-born abolitionist, and will consist of two new, high-capacity tunnel tubes that will predominantly accommodate electric passenger trains. The Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program will also include the construction of new roadway and rail bridges, new rail systems and a new ADA-accessible MARC station in West Baltimore.

Scott said the Workforce Hub designation will enable Baltimore to train hundreds of city residents to take on the construction jobs that will be needed to complete and sustain the new tunnel, among other development projects.

“These are historic things that have been issues in

“This is about us undoing historical wrongs.” no one can take away from them, especially in neighborhoods like West Baltimore.”

Baltimore was identified as a Workforce Hub because of its prime position in the Northeast Corridor. The Biden

Continued on B3

Unsplash/ Brenden Beale

Baltimore is one of five cities across the country named as a Workforce Hub by President Joe Biden. Mayor Brandon M. Scott said the designation will enable Baltimore to create the workforce needed for future infrastructure projects.

7

Past Seven Days

12

2024 Total Data as of Jan. 24

B2 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby seeks change in redistricting process

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer tmcqueen@afro.com Council President Nick Mosby recently introduced a charter amendment, 240473, that would change the decennial redistricting process in Baltimore City.

The amendment aims to make several major changes, such as removing the mayor’s veto power regarding the council’s redistricting plan. It would also require the mayor to Photo by Tashi McQueen hold public hearings, where Council President Nick residents can comment on the Mosby is looking to plan before presenting it to the change the city council council. redistricting process for “The changes I’ve proposed Baltimore City with charter will prioritize three clear, amendment 24-0473. significant improvements: transparency, community input and efficiency,” said Mosby in a statement. “This will align us with how the overwhelming majority of other city governments across the state and country carry out this process and we’re confident it will benefit the people we’re sworn to serve.

The City of Baltimore operates best when its City Hall is operating as efficiently as possible.

Anything less than that is counterproductive and a disservice to our citizens.

We want to ensure the next redistricting cycle does not fail the city again behind a faulty system that allows politics to win the day rather than community input.”

This bill would require the mayor’s plan to be introduced to the council by the first day of July, a year after the census data is released. Currently, the mayor has until the first day of February during the first election year after the census.

The mayor’s office has not responded to the AFRO’s requests for comment.

“The changes I’ve proposed will prioritize three clear, significant improvements: transparency, community input and efficiency.”

In 2023, the council had a 60-day window to either pass, amend or create their own plan after the mayor presented his proposed plan.

During that window, the council made time for several community forums on the mayor’s map before implementing their own version with the public’s concerns in mind. Though passed by the council, their version was ultimately vetoed after the council could no longer override the veto.

Councilman Eric Costello (D-District 11), Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton (D-District 6) and Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer (D-District 5) co-sponsored the charter amendment.

“I am deeply disappointed in how the mayor handled the

redistricting process. He went against several neighborhoods and a majority of the city council,” said Costello. “What the council president has proposed corrects that and ensures that it won’t happen again.”

The council’s version of the redistricting plan was passed by an 8-6 vote.

“We needed more time for community input,” said Middleton. “The timing was just rushed and we can’t have anything happen like that again.”

There’s no set date yet for the proposal to be heard in committee.

Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.

Black Leadership Circle Continued from B1

ABC in 2023, she sought the advice of other Black leaders to support her transition.

One of the strategic thought partners was Murphy.

In their conversations, the pair kept returning to the need for an initiative that would unite local Black corporate and nonprofit executives across all sectors.

“The Black Leadership Circle should exist as a brain trust. It should exist as a peer-networking organization,” said Murphy, founding member of The Black Leadership Circle. “It should have the ability and extension to reach out to other community and elected leaders who are making decisions to see how we can be of support and how we and other Black businesses can be supported.”

The Black Leadership Circle’s Advisory Council comprises local executives, like Deriece K. Harrington,

government affairs director for PepsiCo; Mark Anthony Thomas, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee; and Shelonda Stokes, president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

Chris Simon, founder and CEO of BTST Services and

co-owner of BLK Swan, will chair the council.

“The Black Leadership Circle is not just about gathering professionals, it’s about empowering Black leaders with safe spaces to navigate professional landscapes, leverage their collective voices and drive

meaningful change in our community and workplaces,” said Simon in a statement.

Applications for general membership in The Black Leadership Circle will open in April.

Megan Sayles is a Report For America corps member.

Courtesy photo

Robyn Murphy, CEO of JRM Consultancy (left), Chrissy Thornton, executive director of Associated Black Charities, and Chris Simon, CEO and founder of BTST Services are, leading The Black Leadership Circle. The initiative aims to provide safe spaces for local Black executives and a pipeline for Black professionals to attain leadership positions.

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January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024 The Afro-American B3

Gov. Moore Continued from B1

79 percent of all homicides committed throughout Maryland are done with guns.

About $10 million is set to erect a new Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention, an initiative encouraged by President Biden that Gov. Moore is supporting in the general assembly.

Moore said he “believes in accountability” and “consequences for people that break the law” but does not believe children should be put through a system that “makes them more likely to commit crime.”

“We’re doing it wrong.

That’s why our budget provides an increase of $16 million to programs at the Department of Juvenile Services,” said Moore.

The budget also prioritizes making Maryland more affordable with housing, education and economic development investments.

“Most Marylanders in rental properties put a third of their monthly paycheck towards rent. Mortgage interest rates have more than doubled over the past two years,” said Moore. “If we do not have enough homes, the prices go up. If we build more homes, the prices come down. This is why our budget includes an additional $115 million for housing and community revitalization initiatives under the Department of Housing and Community Development.”

Those initiatives include the Appraisal Gap (Homeownership Works) Program, the Baltimore Regional Neighborhoods

Initiative, the National Capital Strategic Economic Development Fund, Rental Housing Works, Statewide Strategic Demolition and the Project C.O.R.E (Creating Opportunities for Revitalization and Equity).

“Earlier this month, the comptroller released a report highlighting that as child care costs increase, overall female employment decreases by five percent,” said Moore.

“In order to get this economy going, we’ve got to make it

“In order to get this economy going, we’ve got to make it easier for people to participate in the economy.” easier for people to actually participate in the economy.”

Throughout the state, child care can cost $13,000 to $35,000 a year, according to Secretary Helene T. Grady of the Department of Budget and Management.

The Maryland Family Network, a non-profit family and child care advocacy organization, released a study in 2018 that gives greater context to the issue in the state.

“The Maryland Family Network, in 2018, estimated

that Maryland lost more than $2 billion in lost wages, taxes and spending due to challenges with child care,” said Grady. “This budget provides $218 million additional general funds in FY 24, the current year, and $270 million in additional funds, new funding, in FY 25 to support the Child Care Scholarship program at MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education).”

Grady said this funding will also help sustain the program’s rapid growth over the past year.

According to the governor, his budget proposal reduces Maryland’s structural deficit by 34 percent, maintaining the Rainy Day Fund balance at 9.4 percent and overturning the state’s projected cash deficiency of $1.1 billion to a positive balance of over $100 million.

If passed by the general assembly as is, the projected deficit for FY25 would drop from $761 million to $502 million, according to the Maryland Department of Legislative Services in December 2023.

Del. Marlon Amprey (DMd.-40) believes the state is off to a great start with the governor’s proposed budget but said we have to consider the long-term impacts of this year’s budget.

“We got to think more so in the long term. I know we had to make some decisions and move some money to make us not have to raise taxes for this year, but we’re still going to have to figure out some revenue sources to make the budget work for the

future,” said Amprey.

State Sen. Cory McCray (D-Md.-45), who is on the Budget and Taxation Committee in the general assembly, commented on the proposed budget transportation initiatives.

“Some of the things that I just want to monitor and make sure that we push the administration on is things like transportation,” said McCray.

McCray said that though

the state put forward $150 million to help cover some of the $3.3 billion that is planning to be cut from the state’s transportation budget, it’s not enough.

“That’s a temporary fix for this fiscal year and transportation isn’t done on a year-by-year basis. We need to make sure that we close that gap in a six-year period versus a one-year period,” said McCray.

The Maryland

Transportation Administration’s FY 25 capital budget is $656 million, with $319 million, or 49 percent, of it coming from federal dollars.

Major projects funded under the proposed budget include a study for the Baltimore Red Line, $21 million, and the Purple Line Light rail construction in Prince George’s County, Md. and Montgomery County, Md., $95 million.

‘Workforce Hub’ Continued from B1

Baltimore for quite some time. Now, we can help these communities, especially those in West Baltimore that have been disinvested in for years,” said Scott. “We can have young women and men who are descendants of people whose families were displaced for the Highway to Nowhere now working on the Frederick Douglass Tunnel.”

The city of Baltimore has also received $2 million in federal funding to address the damage done by the Highway to Nowhere, which displaced thousands of Black residents during its construction in the 1970s.

The funds came from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Program, which was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. They will be used to support the removal of the historical highway in West Baltimore.

“This is about us undoing historical wrongs,” said Scott. “I think we’re all coming into this work with that understanding and look forward to doing that, while allowing those who were the most directly impacted to benefit from the opportunity.”

In November 2023, Gov. Wes Moore affirmed his commitment to supporting Baltimore’s Workforce Hub. He announced that Maryland’s Department of Transportation (MDOT) would determine workforce investments and policies, including pre-hire

collective bargaining agreements, for all transportation projects totaling more than $20 million in Baltimore.

This includes the $6-billion Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program.

“In the state of Maryland, we will work with the Biden Administration to ensure that federal projects in Baltimore operate under the highest possible labor standards, including the Maryland Department of Transportation’s commitment to labor agreements for a number of strategic projects across the agency portfolio,” said Gov. Wes Moore in a statement. “Partnership drives progress, and we are going to keep moving in partnership with our friends in the White House, in Congress and with our unions to create goodpaying jobs.”

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B4 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

We Empower Women celebrates Black women in executive leadership at annual brunch creeds, colors and professional backgrounds, together, creating an atmosphere but still found ways to unify and come where all felt welcome.

The Executive Women of Color This year’s celebration included an Winter Brunch was held inside of the opening from the Honorable Angela observation gallery at BWI Thurgood Alsobrooks, executive of Prince Marshall Airport on Jan. 13. The George’s County, and a keynote exclusive event, open only to members speech from Dr. Maya Rockeymoore of We Empower Women (WEW), Cummings. A panel discussion, convened women leaders from around featuring Adrienne ‘Gammy’ the area to network, celebrate current Banfield Norris, television anchor accomplishments and look to the Shawn Yancy and WEW founder and future.

CEO LaTara Harris, also took place.

The ladies represented a variety of

By AFRO Staff

Photos courtesy Binny Mwano

Dr. Maya Rockeymore Cummings serves as keynote speaker.

Each year We Empower Women, an advocacy and support organization for women in leadership, hosts an annual brunch to honor ladies who have taken the business world by storm.

Above: LaTara Harris hugs Secretary of the District of Columbia Kimberly Bassett (left).

Sharon Greene Middleton, Baltimore City Council vice chair, attends the 2024 We Empower Women Executive Brunch.

Below: Diana Leon Brown and Keiva Rodrigues snap a photo at the 2024 brunch.

Ria Freeman

Wanda Watts speaks to the crowd.

Caryn York

Women of all walks of life come together for the We Empower Women event, held at the BaltimoreWashington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Jan. 13. Shown here: Shawn Yancy, Diana Leon Brown, Vida Ali, Angela Alsobrooks, Virginia Ali, Keiva Rodrigues, Ronnette Meyers, LaTara Harris and Joy Moore.

Dr. Unique Morris Hughes, director of the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, delivers remarks.

To purchase this digital photo page or photos contact editor@afro.com

January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024 The Afro-American C1

NNPA sponsor Diageo expands global efforts for sustainable glass production with seed funding

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire In a move to accelerate the decarbonization of the glass industry on an international scale, Diageo, a prominent sponsor for the 2024 National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) annual mid-winter training conference, has announced a strategic initiative. Diageo will provide seed funding to facilitate the expansion of Glass Futures activities into North America and India, two of the company’s largest markets.

Glass Futures, a leading glass research and technology organization, is partnering with Diageo to explore effective pathways to decarbonize the glass industry. This collaboration is part of Diageo’s commitment to sustainable practices and environmental

Courtesy of NNPA

Diageo will provide seed funding to facilitate the expansion of Glass Futures activities into North America and India, two of the company’s largest markets. its annual mid-winter training conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at

reflects a commitment to impactful corporate partnerships.

With additional funding

“Partnering on innovative approaches is vital to making a net-zero world a reality, and we are hopeful that this collaboration will bring great results in other markets going forward.” responsibility.

The NNPA, representing 250 African Americanowned newspapers and media companies in the United States, is hosting

the B Ocean Beach Resort.

The theme of the 2024 conference is “Empower the Black Press, the Black Vote, and Black America.”

Diageo’s involvement

from Diageo, Glass Futures aims to delve into new technologies and systemwide approaches. The focus is reducing carbon emissions associated with glass

production in North America and India, where Diageo has significant market influence.

While glass is inherently recyclable, addressing the carbon footprint of its production poses a challenge for the industry.

Technological advancements and the limited availability of renewable energy infrastructure have contributed to this challenge. As a proactive supporter of Glass Futures, Diageo has been integral to driving innovative solutions.

“We’re looking forward to expanding our partnership with Glass Futures into

North America and India to look into lower-carbon glass production,” stated Andy Griffiths, head of Sustainable Procurement at Diageo.

“This is key for the success of Diageo’s and the wider glass industry’s decarbonization efforts.

Partnering on innovative approaches is vital to making a net-zero world a reality, and we are hopeful that this collaboration will bring great results in other markets going forward.”

Officials said that the collaboration between Diageo and Glass Futures

has already yielded positive results in the UK. A 2021 trial involving Glass Futures, Diageo, and Encirc showcased waste-based biofuel-powered furnaces for Diageo’s Black & White Scotch whisky brand. This innovative approach resulted in a remarkable 90 percent reduction in the carbon footprint of the bottlemaking process.

Diageo’s seed investment in Glass Futures’ international expansion reportedly aligns with the company’s broader commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets.

The initiative contributes to Diageo’s goal of reducing Scope 3 carbon emissions by 50 percent, measured against its 2020 baseline by 2030.

Meanwhile, Diageo’s Vice President Stephanie Childes plans to sit with NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. during the NNPA’s popular fireside chat at 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, at the midwinter training conference in Fort Lauderdale. The discussion will center on harnessing the power of community, the Black Press and inclusive corporate leadership.

This article was originally published by NNPA Newswire.

What to know about overdraft fees as the White House cracks down on them

By Cora Lewis The Associated Press

“The fees originated during a time when consumers wrote and cashed checks more frequently — so that the checks would clear instead of bouncing, if there was an issue of timing.”

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed new rules that would lower overdraft fees, with President Joe Biden calling the charges “exploitative.”

Currently, the fee for overdrawing a bank account averages more than $26.

If a bank temporarily lends a consumer money when their account has reached a zero balance, the consumer is typically responsible for paying back both the overdrawn amount and an additional fee, which can be more than the original amount charged. In one example often cited by opponents of the fees, a $3 cup of coffee can end up costing someone $30.

Here’s what to know.

What is an overdraft fee?

When there isn’t enough money in an account to cover a transaction or withdrawal, but the bank allows it anyway, the customer is technically “overdrawn,” and most banks charge them a fee. About 91 percent of accounts have this fee structure, according to the most recent Bankrate research.

Consumer advocates argue this is an extension of credit, and should be regulated as such.

The fees originated during a time when consumers wrote and cashed checks more frequently — so that the checks would clear instead of bouncing, if there was an issue of timing — but banks steadily increased the fees in the first two decades of the 2000s. Eventually, the fees provided financial institutions with billions of dollars in revenue. The fees, as high as $39 per overdraft, disproportionately affect banks’

Unsplash/Eduardo Soares

The federal government is cracking down on bank fees that historically disproportionately affect those customers living paycheck to paycheck. most cash-strapped consumers. A majority of overdrafts (70 percent) are charged to customers with average account balances between $237 and $439, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

How can I avoid incurring overdraft fees?

The simplest way to avoid overdraft fees is to find an account that does not charge them. Online banks, in particular, now offer many accounts without these fee structures.

Capital One and Ally Bank also offer consumers accounts that will not charge overdraft fees.

The second thing to do is to opt out of the service. When opening a new bank account, you’ll be given the option to decline “overdraft coverage.” If you choose not to accept the service, your bank won’t cover overdrafts and will instead return any payments that can’t be covered as unpaid — but you won’t be charged the overdraft fee.

Other steps include setting up an alert for when your balance falls below a certain amount, and linking savings accounts to checking accounts, so that your own money — not the bank’s — will cover any shortfalls. Some banks call this “overdraft protection,” rather than “overdraft coverage.”

Will the bank ever waive or reverse an overdraft fee?

If you overdraw your account for the first time, a call to your bank could get the charge removed. Even on a second or third offense, some banks will work with customers to reverse or waive charges.

There are also app-based services that will negotiate with a bank on your behalf.

In each case, the process can take up to 90 days.

Increasingly, banks are offering grace periods to customers in the event of an overdraft, depending on the account.

In these cases, customers can avoid an overdraft fee as long as they bring their account balance back to a positive amount within a certain time frame, such as 48 hours.

This article was originally published by the Associated Press.

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The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

FAMU athletics searching for stability after Celebration Bowl victory and Que’Shon Sapp. Former Michigan State 3-star linebacker Quavian Carter has also decommitted.

By Mekhi Abbott Special to the AFRO mabbott@afro.com

Bounced from the Bowling Team

The Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattlers haven’t been able to do much celebrating following their victory over the Howard Bison at the Celebration Bowl in December 2023 . In the last month, the Rattlers have lost their head football coach and their head of recruitment.

To start off the new year, Willie Simmons announced that he will be leaving the Tallahassee, Fla. head coach post to become running back coach at Duke University in Durham, N.C. In an interview with HBCU Gameday, Simmons said that “Rattler Nation embraced him as a native son… my wife [and I] will always be Rattlers.”

Simmons went on to explain his decision to leave FAMU after five seasons stems from his desire to become the head coach of a powerhouse program at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.

“It’s been well chronicled that [Black coaches] don’t get these types of opportunities very often. The sad reality of it is that we’re forced to make these types of decisions,” said Simmons. Adding that Black coaches before him “have made similar decisions

“It’s been well chronicled that [Black coaches] don’t get these types of opportunities very often.

The sad reality of it is that we’re forced to make these types of decisions.” to leave head coaching jobs at HBCUs” in order to “navigate” the “waters of minorities being in positions of leadership [at predominantly White institutions].”

The only HBCU head coaches that were able to jump from head coaching at an HBCU to a top job at a Power Five post are Deion Sanders, Jay Hopsin and the legendary Willie Jeffries.

Jeffries was the first Black man to be named the head coach of a program at a predominantly White institution that competes at the FBS level. Jay Hopsin, who Simmons worked with at Alcorn State, was actually the first White head coach of a Southwestern Athletic Conference school – a conference entirely made up of HBCUs. Just a couple weeks later, Devin Rispress, the former Football Director of Recruiting at FAMU announced that he will also be leaving Tallahassee to join Coach Deion Sanders and become a member of Colorado’s Football Player Personnel. Rispress is known for his ability to recruit some of the best high school football players that are from Florida.

In the wake of losing Simmons, Vice President and Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes named associate head coach James Colzie the interim head coach of the Rattlers. Sykes was facing turmoil after it was reported that the head coach of Division II HBCU Fort Valley State Shawn Gibbs was going to be offered the position and replace Simmons. It has since been reported that Gibbs renewed his contract with Fort Valley State.

When speculation had emerged that Sykes was planning on offering Gibbs the head coach position, FAMU’s National Alumni

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons holds the championship trophy after an NCAA Celebration Bowl football game between Howard and Florida A&M. Association (NAA) Executive Board held an emergency meeting which resulted in not only a 19-1 vote of “no confidence” in Shawn Gibbs but also a 18-3 vote of “no confidence” in Sykes.

FAMU NAA cites issues of lack of transparency, a rise in prices for football game packages and a lack of gratitude from Sykes for the financial efforts made to better compensate and retain Coach Simmons. Sykes had asked the FAMU NAA to donate $25,000 in an effort to retain Simmons and the Alumni Association ended up raising over $140,000. However, a source associated with FAMU reported that Sykes had thanked the Alumni Association via email on Jan. 1.

A litany of players have taken to X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) to advocate for Colzie to be named the official head coach. Colzie came out and said that he was “confident” that he is the best and leading candidate for the job. FAMU’s Board of Trustees scheduled another meeting for Tuesday, Jan. 16 to address the coaching search and some of the decisions Sykes have made so far during her tenure. In the meeting, Sykes stated that FAMU will be utilizing a search committee to aid in the selection process for the next head coach of FAMU football. She said that the goal is to have a decision by National Signing Day, which is Feb. 7.

Despite the uncertainty, FAMU football has still received commitments from many highly touted high school athletes and notable transfers, including some from Power 5 programs.

However, some have decommitted in the process, including two former Florida State Seminoles and 4-star prospects, Rodney Hill

On Jan. 17, former FAMU bowling athlete, Shamoria Johnson, posted a video on both Instagram and Tik Tok that has since gone viral. Johnson, alongside several of her FAMU teammates, were removed from FAMU’s bowling roster due to complications regarding academics and turmoil between the new coach and the athletes.

Just two months ago, Johnson was coming off of winning Southwestern Athletic Conference honors for her performance at the Hornet Invitational hosted by Alabama State. Following the Hornet Invitational, the Rattlers went on Thanksgiving break.

Typically, the bowling team is given off until they return for the spring semester to focus on academics as they do not have another tournament scheduled until January. However, that was the practice of former head coach Karen Brown who retired in 2023.

First-year head coach Capri Howard scheduled a practice for Dec. 4, which is the first Monday following Thanksgiving break.

Johnson told the Tallahassee Democrat that “in previous years, we wouldn’t have practice after Thanksgiving break because our coach was high on academics and wouldn’t let us practice on a dead week or finals week.”

On Nov. 29, Johnson texted her new head coach to tell her that she had to write two final essays and that she would not be able to attend Monday’s practice. A few other athletes on the team also called out of the practice citing academic reasons.

Coach Howard responded with an email letting her athletes know that practices are mandatory and that it is the responsibility of each individual to properly manage their time between school and bowling.

Johnson then took it upon herself to respond on behalf of the team and explain to Coach Howard that it is clearly stated in the bowling team’s eighth rule that school takes the number one priority.

As a result, on Dec. 1, Howard decided to remove Johnson from the team, describing her as “disrespectful” and a “cancer to the team,” according to Johnson.

When Johnson was removed from the team, three of her teammates decided to depart with her: Anna and Francesca Olay and Emilea Sturk. It has been announced that Sturk is transferring to Milligan University for the spring semester. She is already enrolled there and will be a member of their bowling team as well.

Johnson completed her bachelor’s degree in English in December and still has one more year of eligibility remaining. The Olay sisters not only are no longer enrolled at FAMU, but also made the decision to retire from bowling, forgoing their final two years of eligibility. They both originally transferred to FAMU from Delaware State University.

The relationship between the FAMU bowling team and Coach Howard proved to be rocky from the beginning, as Francesca Olay claims that the majority of the team felt unsupported by their new head coach and there was an overwhelming consensus of a lack of connection, effort and communication between them and Howard from the start. Only two members of the roster from last season remain.

According to Sykes, all four athletes maintained their season of eligibility and retained their scholarship for the spring semester.

However, Sykes did release a statement that read: “Though it’s always challenging to see our student-athletes dismissed, I support the decision by Coach Howard as the proper procedures were taken before the dismissal.”

Players and coaches demand respect for Africa Cup

By Ciaran Fahey The Associated Press Some of the best soccer in the world is being played at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

But away from the African continent, few seem to be paying attention.

Africa Cup games are mostly not freely accessible for fans in Europe to watch, while news about the biennial tournament featuring 24 of the continent’s best national teams is often overshadowed by news about domestic competitions.

With this edition of the Africa Cup being played at the same time as Europe’s “big five” leagues — in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany — the tournament is in danger of being overlooked.

That’s despite teams boasting star names like Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, Victor Osimhen and Riyad Mahrez, along with a spectacle provided by enthusiastic fans dancing in the stands and on-field passions stirred up by old rivalries. The matches have been exciting, even spectacular — not one of the 24 group games played before Monday had ended in a scoreless draw.

Yet the Africa Cup doesn’t get close to the same attention that a World Cup or European Championship attracts. Players and coaches at the tournament think it’s not shown the respect it deserves.

“This is a fantastic tournament…organized in a beautiful country, with top infrastructure and with all the top players,” Gambia coach, Tom Saintfiet, told The Associated Press.

“People go to the stadium in Manchester or in Liverpool to see these players playing. But why don’t we show this live all over Europe on TV? I think that’s where the respect starts.”

Coaches and clubs in Europe’s top leagues have been known to put pressure on African players not to play for their national teams or to skip the tournament, and it can be a balancing act.

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel asked Morocco not to play Noussair Mazraoui until its final group game because of injury concerns.

Cameroon goalkeeper André Onana joined the team late because he was playing for Manchester United a day before

Cameroon’s opening match against Guinea. He ultimately missed the game despite his rush to make it.

Cape Verde federation president Mário Semedo criticized Portuguese club Portimonense for pressuring Hélio Varela to miss the tournament. It should have been a highlight for the 21-year-old forward. Cape Verde became the first team to clinch its place in the last 16.

“The European coaches have no clue about African football,” Saintfiet said. “They still think we play on a – sorry for my words – on a [expletive] pitch in a [expletive] stadium.

But Africa is developed, Africa is top. Cameroon [the last Africa Cup] was fantastic. This is fantastic. Europe must open its eyes. But also television must open its eyes. These are big tournaments that deserve all respect, not only from the clubs or the coaches, but also from the media.”

Players at the Africa Cup have repeatedly spoken of their passion to play for their countries at the tournament, of the pride they feel when they wear their national teams’ jerseys.

AP Photo/Themba Hadebe

Nigeria’s Semi Ajayi, right, duels for the ball with GuineaBissau’s Dalcio Gomes during their African Cup of Nations Group A soccer match.

Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori says it shouldn’t matter what other people think of the tournament if Africans take pride in it themselves.

“We must all support it as Africans, and then we raise our game, and then we make sure our tournament becomes successful and beautiful,” Ofori told the AP. “That’s the most important thing. What a European nation thinks or whatever they are showing or doing or whatever, it’s not our problem.

The problem for Africans is that we must focus on our game.”

Senegal star Sadio Mané suggested the western media’s

“This is a fantastic tournament… organized in a beautiful country, with top infrastructure and with all the top players.” focus was skewed toward the big leagues in Europe and that fans were missing out as a result.

“For you guys, if you don’t play in Europe, it doesn’t matter.

I’m not around as a football player,” said Mané, who plays club soccer for Saudi team Al-Nassr.

Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly said playing for a country is “something very special” and that players must speak more about the importance of playing at the Africa Cup. “I don’t understand why some people and some players respect the clubs [more] than the country. But you know, Europe is not the same,” Koulibaly told the AP. “Sometimes I might get some coach who didn’t want me to come to AFCON, but I always go against them. It’s my choice. My choice is to play for my country. If they are not happy, I will find another club that respects my country and respects all the work I’m doing.”

This was originally published by the Associated Press.

January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024 The Afro-American

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Updated FAFSA form helps Black students get more aid

By Bria Overs Word In Black

Over one million students applied for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in the first week of its opening. However, this year was different. On Dec. 30, the Department of Education released the updated and redesigned application.

“With the Better FAFSA now live 24/7, we are moving the federal financial aid application into the 21st century and, in the process, putting affordable higher education within the reach of 610,000 students

“We have heard from students and families that the new FAFSA form is a better experience that’s easier to complete.” from families with low incomes who will now be eligible for Pell Grants for the very first time,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement in January.

According to the department, nearly 1.5 million more students will receive $7,395, the maximum award of the Federal Pell Grant, bringing the total to more than 5.2 million students. The new form should take around an hour to complete, and students and their families can skip “as many as 26 questions, depending

Unsplash/ Towfiqu Barbhuiya

The Department of Education expects the updated and redesigned financial aid form to help students get more for their higher education.

on their individual circumstances.”

More questions are skippable because the department previously acknowledged that not all students are “in touch with their parents” and “approximately 300,000 students are experiencing homelessness.” The new form allows users to securely and directly import tax information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instead of manually entering it.

“We have heard from students and families that the new FAFSA form is a better experience that’s easier to complete,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Richard Cordray in a statement.

Congress passed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent

by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act in 2019 and the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2022, allowing changes to the form. According to the 20242025 Better FAFSA Better Future Roadmap, more features will come in the near future.

“Financial aid is a critical part of the college planning process, but many families are unaware of the necessary steps to take or don’t think they qualify for support when they actually do,” said Autumn Caviness, director of Real Talk. Real Talk is a “career and college exploration initiative” for Black students and their families as part of BigFuture, a free online college planning guide.

A 2018 National Center for Education Statistics report found that 72 percent of Black undergraduate students received a Federal Pell Grant with an average annual amount of $4,900, more than any other racial group. Caviness said there has been a lot of interest from Black students and families in their offerings, specifically their event about FAFSA with financial aid experts from colleges and universities.

“We believe that all young people, especially our underrepresented students, deserve access to the necessary information that opens all doors,” she said.

This article was originally published by Word In Black.

For Black kids, underfunded public schools are inequality factories

By Joseph Williams Word In Black

For the Black community, education is considered an investment, the best way for Black children to get ahead in life, and a key to overcoming systemic racism. But a new study indicates states are short-changing the schools Black children attend, worsening the achievement gap.

A study titled “The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems” found that Black students are twice as likely as White students to attend school in districts with subpar government funding and more than three times as likely to live in “chronically underfunded” districts.

At the same time, researchers found that “educational opportunity is unequal in every state — that is, higherpoverty districts are funded less adequately than lowerpoverty districts,” according to the report.

The funding disparities are likely to further increase “opportunity gaps” between Black and White children, creating what one researcher called “inequality factories.” And the disparities are occurring as school districts set academic achievement standards that children in underfunded districts often struggle to meet.

The findings, compiled by a team of researchers from the Albert Shanker Institute, the University of Miami and Rutgers University, evaluated the K-12 school finance systems of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The project analyzed data from 2009 — the depths of the Great Recession, during which revenuestarved states slashed education budgets — to the 202021 school year, roughly a decade after the economy recovered.

A thumbnail measure of education quality, school district spending varies across the country, with some school districts and states spending far more per pupil — and paying teachers more — than others. Yet spending matters: data has linked higher district spending to better student performance, test scores and outcomes.

When the U.S. economy entered a sharp downturn, revenue-starved states slashed education budgets.

But when the economy rebounded, however, not all education budgets bounced back.

“Good school finance systems compensate for factors states cannot control (e.g., student poverty, labor costs) using levers that they can control (e.g., driving funding to districts that need it most),” according to the study.

“We have devised a framework that evaluates states based largely on how well they accomplish this balance.

We assess each state’s funding while accounting directly for the students and communities served by its public schools.”

The framework found that in 2021, 39 of 50 states and the District of Columbia are spending less on public schools — what the researchers call “fiscal effort” — than they did in 2006, according to the report. The

Nappy.co/holisticcare

A new report reveals how hundreds of billions of dollars have been snatched away from the nation’s public schools since 2016.

spending deficit, meanwhile, cost schools “over $360 billion between 2016 and 2021,” the report states.

Yet “most states have increased their expectations for the performance of schools, teachers and students” without increasing funding needed to reach the higher benchmarks, Bruce Baker, a University of Miami professor and one of the report’s co-authors, said in a statement. The “permanent divestment” in public schools, he says, is a mistake by states who “have refused to make their districts whole after the disastrous cuts during that recession.”

The report also found that 20 percent of all U.S.

“The reality is that it costs more to achieve higher educational outcomes, and we’re unlikely to see much return on our investments when we’re not really making those investments.” public school students attend “chronically below adequate” districts, in which actual state funding is the furthest below adequate levels. But 60 percent of those districts are in just 10 Sun Belt states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas.

“The reality is that it costs more to achieve higher educational outcomes,” said Baker, “and we’re unlikely to see much return on our investments when we’re not really making those investments. And that goes double for low-effort states like Florida, Nevada and North Carolina, which have the economic capacity to boost

revenue but are choosing not to do so.”

Not surprisingly, Black students bore the brunt of the funding downturn.

Black students “are twice as likely as White students to be in districts with funding below estimated adequate levels, and 3.5 times more likely to be in ‘chronically underfunded’ districts,” according to the study. The discrepancies between Hispanic and White students, the report states, “are smaller but still large.”

The largest opportunity gaps “tend to be in states such as Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts,” where statewide spending adequacy is relatively high “but where wealthier districts contribute copious amounts of local (property tax) revenue to their schools,” according to the study. “This exacerbates the discrepancies in funding adequacy between these districts and their less affluent counterparts.”

Matthew Di Carlo of the Albert Shanker Institute, who co-authored the report, believes the opportunity gaps “are essentially inequality factories, with affluent districts funded to achieve higher student outcomes than lower-income districts, year after year.” And the inequality, he said, is a feature — not a bug.

“We cannot expect to close achievement gaps,” he said, “when states’ systems are designed to reproduce them.”

Bridging those gaps will require states to make a host of changes to district funding, including revamping district funding targets and increasing revenue, particularly state aid, according to the report.

Researchers also believe the federal government must step up to help states that, due to high poverty and small economies, struggle to meet their students’ needs.

This article was originally published by Word In Black.

C4 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

For More Information Please call the number above LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001483 EKONG ESSIEN AKA EKONG OKON ESSIEN Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs NOEL OKON, whose address is 3 GLEN BURNIE DRIVE SICKLERVILLE NJ 08081 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of EKONG ESSIEN AKA EKONG OKON ESSIEN who died on NOVEMBER 17, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 12, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 12, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 12, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001493 WILBERT SPENCER KNIGHT Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs CHALMERS H. KNIGHT, whose address is 3292 ALPINE DRIVE ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48108 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of WILBERT SPENCER KNIGHT who died on NOVEMBER 17, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 12, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 12, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 12, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001553 DORIS VANCILLIA ROBINSON Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs LARRY C. MONROE AND MAURICE MONROE , whose addresses are 16901 DERRY COURT, UPPER MARLBORO MD, 20772; 12330 CRAIN HIGHWAY, BRANDYWINE, MD. 20613 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DORIS VANCILLIA ROBINSON who died on MAY 18, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

NOEL OKON Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/12, 1/19, 1/26/24 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM1448 JEANETTE C. SIMMS Name of Decedent THOMAS H. QUEEN ESQ, 7961 EASTERN AVENUE SUITE 304 SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs THERESA M. GARZA, whose address is 1517 K STREET, SE, WASHINGTON, DC 20003 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JEANETTE C. SIMMS who died on AUGUST 9, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding.

Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 12, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 12, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 12, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers THERESA M. GARZA Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/12, 1/19, 1/26/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM1487 MARCELLA GREEN Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs JAMAAL GREEN, whose address is 1911 ROSEMARY HILL DRIVE, UNIT R1, SILVER SPRING MD 20910 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MARCELLA GREEN who died on AUGUST 10, 2022 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 12, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 12, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 12, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers JAMAAL GREEN Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/12, 1/19, 1/26/24

CHALMERS H. KNIGHT Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/12, 1/19, 1/26/24 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001500 ALEASE C FIELDS Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs CYD CHERISE FIELDS AND LEON FEILDS JR , whose addresses are 435 PEABODY ST NW WDC 20011; 4308 4TH STREET, NW WASHINGTON DC 2011 were appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ALEASE C FIELDS who died on OCTOBER 25, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers CYD CHERISE FIELDS LEON FIELDS JR. Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001533 BEVERLY J. SHORTS Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs SABRINA SHORTS , whose address is 71 BRYANT ST. NW WASH, DC 20001 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of BEVERLY J. SHORTS who died on NOVEMBER 14, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers SABRINA SHORTS Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24

LARRY C. MONROE MAURICE MONROE Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001475 ELLEN M. BROWN Name of Decedent FRAZER WALTON, JR. 1913 D STREET, N.E. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20002 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs JUDITH E. BROWN , whose address is 742 HILLTOP TERRACE, S.E., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20019 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ELLEN M. BROWN who died on JUNE 19, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding.

Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers JUDITH E. BROWN Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001561 EDWARD ANGELO GRAY Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs DAVID H. JOHNSON , whose address is 11807 EARNSHAW COURT, BRANDYWINE, MD 20613 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of EDWARD ANGELO GRAY who died on JANUARY 1, 2020 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers DAVID H. JOHNSON Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001558 LEROY GARFIELD CLARK Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs JETTIE M BROWN , whose address is 2811 WINTERBOURNE DRIVE UPPER MARLBORO, MD 20774 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LEROY GARFIELD CLARK who died on SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers JETTIE M BROWN Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM1548 MARY FRANCES ROBINSON AKA M. F. ROBINSON AKA MARY ROBINSON Name of Decedent HORACE LEE BRADSHAW JR. 1644 6TH ST NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs SHIRLEY ROBINSON , whose address is 2007 HAYDEN RD, HYATTSVILLE MD, 20782 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MARY FRANCES ROBINSON AKA M. F. ROBINSON AKA MARY ROBINSON who died on OCTOBER 23, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding.

Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

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SHIRLEY ROBINSON Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001510 YVONNE G. DEWS Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs DARRELL WARD DEWS , whose address is 2960 VADEN DRIVE, UNIT 317, FAIRFAX, VA 22031 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of YVONNE G. DEWS who died on AUGUST 29, 2022 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 19, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 19, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 19, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers DARRELL WARD DEWS Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/19, 1/26, 2/2/24

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OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Esti-

mates -ofFebruary the Mayor and2,City CouncilThe of Baltimore and marked forC5 SANJanuary 27, 2024 2024 Afro-American

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LEGAL NOTICES

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CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for BALTIMORE CITY NO. RP22812 TOWANDA & COLDSTREAM POOL RENOVATIONS will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. February 21, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates in Room 215, City Hall at Noon. The proposed Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Dept. of Rec & Parks at 2600 Madison Ave, Baltimore, Md. 21217 by appointment only on Mondays - Fridays, 8:30am – 4:00pm by emailing benitaj. randolph@baltimorecity.gov as of January 26, 2024 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $200.00. A SharePoint link to a PDF of the Construction Drawings will be provided to all prospective bidders. Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact the Committee at 4 South Frederick Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is G90073 Swimming Pool Construction and Repair OR E13001 Three Story and Under. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $10,000,000.01 to $13,000,000.00. A “MANDATORY Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams at 10:30 A.M. on February 1, 2024. Email your contact information to adam.boarman@baltimorecity.gov to receive an invite to the Microsoft Team(video conference meeting) no later than 9:00am EST, January 31, 2024. Principal Items of work for this project are Removal of site improvements, Demolition of one-story buildings, Earthwork, Underground utilities, Storm water facilities, New One-Story Buildings, New Swimming Pools, New Site Amenities including a Playground, Landscaping & Hardscaping.

The MBE goal is 6.23% and WBE goal is 7.24%.

APPROVED: M. Celeste Amato, Clerk, Board of Estimates

NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate, addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for GS16810RRR – Mitchell Courthouse Roof Replacement, will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204, City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2024. Board of Estimates employees will be stationed at the Security Unit Counter just inside the Holliday Street entrance to City Hall from 10:45 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. every Wednesday to receive Bids. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. The bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates in Room 215, City Hall at Noon. Bid opening proceedings can be also viewed live at https://www.charmtvbaltimore.com/live-stream at 12:00 noon. Bid tabulation sheets detailing the bids received will be publicly posted to the Comptroller’s website by COB on the date of bid opening.

The Contract Documents may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $50.00 by contacting Azza Rizkallah at azza.rizkallah@baltimorecity. gov as of FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2024.

Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package.

All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be pre-qualified by the City of Baltimore Boards and Commissions. Interested contractors should call 410 396-6883 or contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 4 South Frederick Street, 4 th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. If a bid is submitted by a Joint Venture (“JV”), then in that event, the documents that establish the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is F07500 – ROOFING INDUSTRIAL. The Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $2,000,000.01 to $3,000,000.00 A “Pre-Bidding information” session will be conducted at the site: 100 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 on THURSDAY, February 08, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

Principal Items of work for this project are: 1. Roofing The MBE goal is 21% The WBE goal is 8% CONTRACT NO. GS16810RRR APPROVED: M. Celeste Amato Clerk, Board of Estimates APPROVED: Berke Attila Director, Department of General Services

CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate, addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for GS23819 – City Hall Roof and Dome Restoration, will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204, City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2024. Board of Estimates employees will be stationed at the Security Unit Counter just inside the Holliday Street entrance to City Hall from 10:45 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. every Wednesday to receive Bids.

Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. The bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimatei in Room 215, City Hall at Noon.

Bid opening proceedings can be also viewed live at https://www.charmtvbaltimore.com/live-stream at 12:00 noon. Bid tabulation sheets detailing the bids received will be publicly posted to the Comptroller’s website

by COB on the date of bid opening.

The Contract Documents may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $50.00 by contacting Azza Rizkallah at azza.rizkallah@baltimorecity. gov as of FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2024.

Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package.

All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be pre-qualified by the City of Baltimore Boards and Commissions. Interested contractors should call 410 396-6883 or contact the Office of Boards and Commissions at 4 South Frederick Street, 4 th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. If a bid is submitted by a Joint Venture (“JV”), then in that event, the documents that establish the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is E13006 – RENOVATION OF HISTORICAL STRUCTURES. The Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $5,000,000.01 to $10,000,000.00 A “Pre-Bidding information” session will be conducted at the site: 100 Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 on TUESDAY, February 06, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

Principal Items of work for this project are: 1. General Conditions 2. Roofing-Slate Shingle; Copper; Standing-seam 3. Wood windows & Metal Frames Skylights 4. Painting and High-Performance Coatings The MBE goal is 19% The WBE goal is 11% CONTRACT NO. GS 23819 APPROVED: M. Celeste Amato Clerk, Board of Estimates Director, APPROVED: Berke Attila Department of General Services

CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for SANITARY CONTRACT NO. 1004-Herring Run Sewershed Inflow and Infiltration Reduction- Area A will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M on March 6, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates and can be watched live on CharmTV’s cable channel 25/1085HD; charmtvbaltimore.com/watchlive or listen in at (443) 984-1696 (ACCESS CODE: 0842939) from City Hall at Noon. The Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at Contract Administration 4 South Frederick Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 on the 3 rd floor (410) 396-4041 as of January 26, 2024 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of 100.00.

Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact OBC at 4 S Frederick St., 4 th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is B02552 – Sewer Construction. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $20,000,000.01 to $30,000,000.00.

A “Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Vendor can call 332-249-0605 Passcode: 281748471# on February 6, 2024 at 10:00 AM. To purchase a bid book, please make an electronic request at: https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/dpw-construction-projects-notice-letting and dpwbidopportunities@baltimorecity.gov. For further inquiries about purchasing bid documents, please contact the assigned Contract Administrator Cynthia.harry@baltimorecity.gov Principal items of work for this contract include, but are not limited to: * Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining of sanitary sewers; * Excavate and replace segments of sanitary sewer via point repairs; * Manhole repair and rehabilitation work; * Sewer house connection (SHC) repair and rehabilitation work; * New manhole and cleanout installation work This project is funded by SRF program The MBE goal is 22%

The WBE goal is 16%

APPROVED: Clerk, Board of Estimates APPROVED: Richard J. Luna Interim Director Department of Public Works CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for SANITARY CONTRACT NO. 1004-Herring Run Sewershed Inflow and Infiltration Reduction- Area A will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M on March 6, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates and can be watched live on CharmTV’s cable channel 25/1085HD; charmtvbaltimore.com/watchlive or listen in at (443) 984-1696 (ACCESS CODE: 0842939) from City Hall at Noon. The Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at Contract Administration 4 South Frederick Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 on the 3 rd floor (410) 396-4041 as of January 26, 2024 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of 100.00.

Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact OBC at 4 S Frederick St., 4 th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is B02552 – Sewer Construction. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $20,000,000.01 to $30,000,000.00.

A “Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Vendor can call 332-249-0605 Passcode: 281748471# on February 6, 2024 at 10:00 AM.

ITARY CONTRACT NO. 1004-Herring Run Sewershed Inflow and Infiltration Reduction- Area A will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M on March 6, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates and can be watched live on CharmTV’s cable channel 25/1085HD; charmtvbaltimore.com/watchlive or listen in at (443) 984-1696 (ACCESS CODE: 0842939) from City Hall at Noon. The Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at Contract Administration 4 South Frederick Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 on the 3 rd floor (410) 396-4041 as of January 26, 2024 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of 100.00.

Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact OBC at 4 S Frederick St., 4 th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is B02552 – Sewer Construction. Cost Qualification RangeNOTICES for this work shall be $20,000,000.01 LEGAL to $30,000,000.00.

For More Information Please call the number above

A “Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Vendor can call 332-249-0605 Passcode: 281748471# on February 6, 2024 at 10:00 AM. To purchase a bid book, please make an electronic request at: https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/dpw-construction-projects-notice-letting and dpwbidopportunities@baltimorecity.gov. For further inquiries about purchasing bid documents, please contact the assigned Contract Administrator Cynthia.harry@baltimorecity.gov Principal items of work for this contract include, but are not limited to: * Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining of sanitary sewers; * Excavate and replace segments of sanitary sewer via point repairs; * Manhole repair and rehabilitation work; * Sewer house connection (SHC) repair and rehabilitation work; * New manhole and cleanout installation work This project is funded by SRF program The MBE goal is 22%

The WBE goal is 16%

APPROVED: Clerk, Board of Estimates APPROVED: Richard J. Luna Interim Director Department of Public Works

CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS NOTICE OF LETTING Sealed Bids or Proposals, in duplicate addressed to the Board of Estimates of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and marked for BALTIMORE CITY NO. RP22812 TOWANDA & COLDSTREAM POOL RENOVATIONS will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. February 21, 2024. Positively no bids will be received after 11:00 A.M. Bids will be publicly opened by the Board of Estimates in Room 215, City Hall at Noon. The proposed Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Dept. of Rec & Parks at 2600 Madison Ave, Baltimore, Md. 21217 by appointment only on Mondays - Fridays, 8:30am – 4:00pm by emailing benitaj.randolph@baltimorecity.gov as of January 26, 2024 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $200.00. A SharePoint link to a PDF of the Construction Drawings will be provided to all prospective bidders. Conditions and requirements of the Bid are found in the bid package. All contractors bidding on this Contract must first be prequalified by the City of Baltimore Contractors Qualification Committee. Interested parties should call (410) 396-6883 or contact the Committee at 4 South Frederick Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

If a bid is submitted by a joint venture (“JV”), then in that event, the document that established the JV shall be submitted with the bid for verification purposes. The Prequalification Category required for bidding on this project is G90073 Swimming Pool Construction and Repair OR E13001 Three Story and Under. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $10,000,000.01 to $13,000,000.00. A “MANDATORY Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted via Microsoft Teams at 10:30 A.M. on February 1, 2024.

Email your contact information to adam.boarman@ baltimorecity.gov to receive an invite to the Microsoft Team(video conference meeting) no later than 9:00am EST, January 31, 2024. Principal Items of work for this project are Removal of site improvements, Demolition of one-story buildings, Earthwork, Underground utilities, Storm water facilities, New One-Story Buildings, New Swimming Pools, New Site Amenities including a Playground, Landscaping & Hardscaping.

The MBE goal is 6.23% and WBE goal is 7.24%.

APPROVED: M. Celeste Amato, Clerk, Board of Estimates

BALTIMORE CAREER CORNER ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Addictions Specialist Animal Care Attendant I Behavioral Health System Provider Coordinator Booking Officer Building & Construction Engineer II COTS Support Lead (Systems Analyst) Combination Code Inspector (Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical) Construction Code Inspector - Electrical Inspector Custodial Worker Detention Officer Environmental Health Specialist I/II - Housing Engineer I Equipment Operator I Equipment Operator II Facilities Maintenance Mechanic I/II Financial Reporting Manager Legal Secretary Legislative Audit Manager Legislative Senior Auditor Maintenance Worker II MICH Case Manager Office Support Assistant II Office Support Specialist Permit Specialist (Planning Technician II) Planning Technician II Police Officer Comparative Compliance Police Officer Lateral Police Records Management Aide Senior Equipment Operator Senior Full Stack Developer (Systems Programmer II) Sign Fabricator Survey Field Technician I Utility Construction Inspector Water System Technician I/II Water/Wastewater System Technician I Visit our website at www.aacounty.org for additional information and to apply on-line. You may access the Internet at any Anne Arundel County library, or visit our office at 2660 Riva Road in Annapolis, MD. Deadlines to apply posted on the website.

6116 EXECUTIVE BOULEVARD SUITE 500 N BETHESDA, MD 20852 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs KAREN M. HAUS, whose address is 4622 43RD PLACE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20016, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DANIEL FITZGERALD HAUS-CLARK, who died on OCTOBER 21, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, LEGAL NOTICES on or before JULY 26, 2024.

Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

C6 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

Washington Classified Continued from C4

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LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2024FEP000002 JUNE 25, 2023 Date of Death CAROLYN M SWEET Name of Decedent NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS LUIS MORALES, whose address is 11943 AUTUMNWOOD LN FORT WASHINGTON, CA 20744 was appointecd representative of the estate of CAROLYN M SWEET, deceased, by the ORPHAN’S Court for PRINCE GEORGES County, State of MARYLAND, on SEPTEMBER 13, 2023. Service of process may be made upon DARIUS HARTSFIELD 4800 NANNIE HELEN BURROUGHS AVE #301 NE WASHINGTON, DC 20019 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 1141 5TH ST NW WASHINGTON, DC 20001 Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper, and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter AFRO-American LUIS MORALES Personal Reperesenative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000014 DANIEL FITZGERALD HAUS-CLARK Name of Decedent ROBERT L. PILLOTE, JR. TYRELL, MASON & PILLOTE, P.C. 6116 EXECUTIVE BOULEVARD SUITE 500 N BETHESDA, MD 20852 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs KAREN M. HAUS, whose address is 4622 43RD PLACE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20016, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DANIEL FITZGERALD HAUS-CLARK, who died on OCTOBER 21, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers KAREN M. HAUS Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

KAREN M. HAUS Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM00002 JOYCE F. LELAND Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs BARBARA HENRY, whose address is 4051 RANCH ROAD, UPPER MARLBORO, MD 20772 , was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JOYCE F. LELAND, who died on NOVEMBER 22, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding.

Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers BARBARA HENRY Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM1546 JAMES W. TIBBS Name of Decedent PAULETTE LUNDY ESQ. 8825 STANFORD BLVD, SUITE 140 COLUMBIA, MD 21045 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs CARRIE KYLE, whose address is 15612 PLAID DRIVE, LAUREL, MD 20707, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JAMES W. TIBBS, who died on MAY 14, 2022 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM1521 MICHAEL OLIVER JENKINS SR. Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs MICHAEL OLIVER JENKINS JR., whose address is 3016 N ST. WASHINGTON D.C. 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MICHAEL OLIVER JENKINS SR., who died on OCTOBER 18, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers

CARRIE KYLE Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001537 JOANNE BRENDA WALLACE Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs JAMAL DONAY CAMPBELL, whose address is 18020 LAKEFORD DRIVE, CULPEPER, VA 22701, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JOANNE BRENDA WALLACE, who died on SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers JAMAL DONAY CAMPBELL Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM001517 MARY H. JOHNSON Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs LINDA D. JOHNSON AND MARIA D. JOHNSON, whose addresses are 6720 BOXWOOD DRIVE, MORNINGSIDE, MD 20746; 5081 JUST ST., NE WASHINGTON, DC 20019, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of MARY H. JOHNSON, who died on MAY 25, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding. Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers LINDA D. JOHNSON MARIA D. JOHNSON Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2024ADM000006 KENNETH CHILES Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs JASON BEST, whose address is 5210 HAYES STREET, NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20019, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of KENNETH CHILES, who died on NOVEMBER 12, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding.

Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers JASON BEST Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

MICHAEL OLIVER JENKINS JR. Personal Representative

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION ADMINISTRATION NO. 2023ADM1536 THELMA A. LANE Name of Decedent WILLIAM A. BLAND ESQUIRE 80 M STREET, SE #330 WASHINGTON DC 20003 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs CHERYL D. MILLER, whose address is 2300 GOODHOPE ROAD SE, WASHINGTON DC 20003 APT. 216, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of THELMA A. LANE, who died on MAY 12, 2022 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance In this proceeding.

Objections to such, appointment shall be filed With the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before JULY 26, 2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before JULY 26, 2024 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: JANUARY 26, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Washington Law Reporter AFRO American Newspapers CHERYL D. MILLER Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY REGISTER OF WILLS 1/26, 2/02, 2/09/24

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WASHINGTON-AREA

January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024 The Afro-American

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, 84, announces run for re-election

Health care officials wrestle with ongoing racial disparities in nation’s capital

By Tashi McQueen AFRO Political Writer Tmcqueen@afro.com

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.-05) announced Jan. 9 that he will seek re-election in 2024, ending speculation that he would step down after representing the state for 23 terms in the House of Representatives.

In an interview with the AFRO, Hoyer said he sat down with his wife, Elaine C. Kamarck, to put some serious thought into whether he should run for re-election or not.

“We sat down and talked about it and the challenges to the country posed by the Trump candidacy and the support, sadly, that Trump has in the Republican Party and the threat that he poses to our democracy, Constitution and our values as a country,”

“It is the honor of a lifetime to represent my community and I ask my fellow Marylanders for their support and counsel.” said Hoyer. “The overall environment is a very concerning one for me and I felt that the priorities that I care a lot about are at risk.

I wanted therefore to stay in the fight.”

Those priorities include securing the funding for the new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, Md. “Over the last 14 years, Angela Alsobrooks both as state’s attorney and as a county executive – we’ve both worked very hard to get the FBI to select [Maryland],” said Hoyer.

“Now we want to fight very hard to make sure that we get the money to have it constructed.”

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D.C. man set on fire near U.S. Capitol, police seek suspect

By Chrisleen Herard Special to the AFRO

Photo courtesy of Unsplash / Tai’s Captures

As racial health disparities continue to affect D.C.’s population, hospitals speak on how they aim to create better health outcomes for patients of color.

By Helen Bezuneh Special to the AFRO

As the U.S. confronts a fresh surge of COVID-19 infections this winter, the ongoing issue of racial health disparities in D.C. continues to show nagging gaps.

While D.C. is home for some of the nation’s highest ranked medical centers, data from the District’s eight wards show uneven health outcomes. Residents in predominantly White Ward 3 have a life expectancy averaging 87.6 years, yet life expectancy is 74.7 years for residents in Ward 7 and 72 years in Ward 8, according to Conduent Healthy Communities’ 2023 Health Equity Index.

“Those living in Ward 8 are 2.5 times more likely to die from cancer, four times more likely to die from heart disease, six times more likely to die from diabetes and, for Black mothers in D.C., the maternal mortality rate is 10 times the national average,” Mara Vandlik, spokesperson for Unity Health Care, largest health care system east of the Anacostia River, said.

Those numbers echo troubling conclusions reached in a 2021 study conducted by AARP District of Columbia and Georgetown University’s Department of Health Administration. The study found that rates for heart failure, diabetes, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma in D.C. were two to three times higher in Black older adults than their white counterparts.

“At Unity, 90 percent of our patients are people of color and approximately 70 percent live below the federal poverty line,” Vandlik said. “We know that the life expectancy difference between Ward three residents and Ward eight residents, where we have a strong footprint, is 16 years.”

D.C. is home for seven general acute care hospitals, two long-term acute care hospitals, two psychiatric hospitals, one pediatric acute hospital, one rehabilitation hospital, two community hospitals and four level-one trauma centers.

But when D.C. health analyzed health care disparities In a 2018 health equity report, it found that clinical care accounts for only 20 percent of what influences health outcomes.

It found that the critical social determinants of health are income, education, transportation, housing and employment.

A shortage of medical professionals may also contribute to the racial health disparities observed in D.C. The District has nine Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and eight Medically Underserved Areas (MUA), areas that are experiencing a shortage of primary health care services, according to D.C. health.

Although social determinants significantly impact the health outcomes of D.C. residents, hospitals have developed specific plans to address and mitigate racial health disparities in the area.

Children’s National Hospital has 10 target areas to measure equity in care, some of which include sickle cell anemia, telemedicine access and pain management in the emergency department for long bone fractures, according to their 2023 diversity report. In July 2020, the hospital established a bias review committee to pinpoint and report bias.

The District of Columbia Hospital Association’s (DCHA) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee have developed strategies to broaden access to care and enhance health outcomes among those disproportionately facing poor outcomes.

Such efforts are aimed at “ensuring accountability, mitigating bias, diversifying leadership, developing workforce pipelines, purchasing and investing locally and addressing the social needs of the community as well as hospital operations and staff,” DCHA president and CEO Jacqueline D. Bowens told the AFRO. “Hospitals report progress through key metrics and shared expertise to facilitate collective learning and improvement.”

MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital recently developed the D.C. Safe Babies Safe Moms (SBSM) initiative, which aims to improve maternal and infant health outcomes –– especially for Black birthing people, who face a higher risk of poor maternal health outcomes compared to their white counterparts. In 2023, the Lown Institute recognized MedStar Washington as the most socially and racially responsible hospital in D.C. Continued on D2

A surveillance camera captured the image of a suspect D.C. authorities are seeking after he set a man on fire along D.C.’s North Capitol Street about a mile north of the U.S. Capitol.

Shortly after 3 p.m. on Jan. 15, the victim was walking at the intersection of North Capitol Street and P Street when an unidentified man approached him and doused him in a flammable liquid before setting him ablaze.

The suspect then ran off and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for serious injuries from the attack.

The identities of the victim and suspect, as well as the possible motive, have not yet been released by D.C. authorities as they continue to investigate the incident.

The Metropolitan Police Department is offering a reward of up to $10,000 as they call upon the public for assistance in identifying the suspect. Anyone who can provide any information that will help lead to the suspect’s arrest is urged to contact the police at (202) 727-9099 or text their tip to the Department’s text tip line at 50411.

Courtesy of MPD

Detectives are asking for the community’s assistance in identifying a suspect who lit a man on fire in D.C. on Jan. 15.

Howard University hosts inaugural seminar on Black economic suppression

By Deborah Bailey AFRO Contributing Editor dbailey@afro.com

Economist, author and public intellectual Julianne Malveaux and Grammy lyricist Maimouna Youssef, also known as “Mumu Fresh,” jointly conducted a thoughtprovoking look at the Black-White wealth gap at Howard University on Jan. 13.

The two launched the university’s inaugural seminar on what the school referred to as an examination of “Structural Violence, Race and Political Economy” framed by what Malveaux called a “critical economic theory.”

The former president of Bennett College described her theory as a way of looking at how the nation’s “laws and structures combined to oppress Black people.”

“We were somebody else’s factor of production. We could not accumulate, although some of us did, and we were rewarded with lynching,” Malveaux said, speaking about the lack of opportunities for Black people to build the wealth they were creating for others.

She said the violence and terror stemming from

widespread practices in America like lynching embedded the structural economic disparities in America that remain in place today.

Her view echoes a 2020 Rand Corporation study of the Black-White wealth gap, which concluded that there are concerns that it “could ever close without significant intervention.”

“Lynching culture still exists today,” Malveaux explained using the example of Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shay Moss, who received death threats after challenging the assertion of Trump attorney and former New York city Mayor Rudy Giuliani spread untrue defamatory statements about the women following the 2020 presidential elections.

“We are here to ask the question about the structure of the capitalist society,” Malveaux said, quoting Martin Luther King. She said King understood the economy needed a reset for Blacks to reach parity with White wealth in America.

“Individual effort alone can’t close the gap,” Malveaux insisted, speaking of Black Americans. “If we saved every penny of our disposable income, we could not close the wealth gap,” Malveaux emphasized.

Singer and songwriter, Youssef, recalled the diverse home schooling experience that enriched her life as she and her siblings were taught by their mother, who was also home schooled.

“We studied Black writers and thinkers. I remember seeing Winnie Mandela being freed. Learning to understand sweat lodges and spiritual baths. I learned about plants, the cycles of the moon, when to grow, when to pray,” Youssef Continued on D2

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2024 Total Data as of January 24

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The Afro American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer

Health care officials Continued from D1

Continued from D1

Hoyer has endorsed Alsobrooks to take the seat to be vacated by the retirement of Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in 2025.

Hoyer is the longestserving current representative in Maryland and waas House majority leader during Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) term as House spearker.

Pelosi similarly announced her run for re-election via X back in September 2023.

“Now more than ever our city needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery,” said Pelosi.

“Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection — and respectfully ask for your vote.”

Hoyer, Pelosi and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.-06) stepped back from their longtime Democratic leadership positions in the House in 2022 to let younger leaders step forward for the Democratic party.

“I imagine it is a difficult call for congressional leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer about whether to retire or not given the stakes are so high right now about which party governs as the majority,” said Nina Kasniunas, an associate professor of political science at Goucher College. “Pelosi and Hoyer have a lot of experience and fundraising prowess that can still benefit Democrats in Congress, while at the same time there is a push for the older members of Congress to

step out and make room for younger leaders.”

Pelosi has been in office for 37 years and Clyburn for 30 years.

Hoyer was celebrated in 2023 at the Maryland Democratic Gala for his 50plus years of political work.

Six candidates have officially filed for the 5th congressional district seat: Quincy Bareebe (D) of Anne Arundel County, Md., Andrea L. Crooms (D) of Prince George’s County, Md., Leonard “Lenny” Proctor (D) of Charles County, Md., Michelle Talkington (R) of Charles County, Md. and McKayla Wilkes (D) of Charles County, Md. Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.

“It is well-documented that health is impacted by racial inequities, economic factors and other structural challenges that disproportionately impact communities of color,” Brendan McNamara, MedStar Health’s director of public relations for the D.C. region, told the AFRO in a written statement.

“MedStar Health is taking action through clinical practice, research and community programs to evolve our organization to deliver equitable care and improve the health of the communities we serve so that all our patients can achieve the best outcomes, regardless of neighborhood, race or creed.”

MedStar Health has also conducted research to examine how and why racial disparities emerge within the varying sectors of their hospital system.

In particular, they have analyzed the prevalence of bias in the process of selecting patients for enlistment in clinical trials.

“Earlier this year, in a first-of-its-kind study, MedStar researchers found that biases in screening potential participants for cardiology clinical trials may account for disparities in clinical trial enrollment,” McNamara added. “Their results illustrate opportunities to make clinical trials

more equitable across the MedStar Health system and other healthcare settings nationwide, including the need for study design to consider diversity with less restrictive criteria, to allow more patients to participate and thus offer findings that are more representative and inclusive to our country’s demographics.”

A recent study conducted

by MedStar researchers

responsible for reviewing serious safety events receive training regarding how discriminatory bias can influence patient outcomes and safety. The MedStar Health process for reviewing serious safety events includes an assessment of the role that implicit bias may have played in the event.”

As documented racial health disparities in the region persist, D.C.’s

“It is well-documented that health is impacted by racial inequities, economic factors and other structural challenges that disproportionately impact communities of color.” explored how systemic racism contributes to patient safety events, exploring how bias and other factors can disproportionately harm patients of color.

“Based on our findings,” McNamara wrote, “MedStar Health is enacting changes to how we approach patient safety and achieve our goal of zero harm: One, we now incorporate patient race and ethnicity data in our voluntary safety reporting to promote transparency; and two, associates

hospitals will continue to design new ways to target racial health disparities, all aimed at hopefully equalizing health care outcomes in the District’s eight wards.

“I want to increase the average life expectancy in the District,” United Health Care’s Dr. Jessica Henderson Boyd says. “ When I think of what success looks like, I’m focused on health equity and improving the outcomes of our patients.’”

AP Photos/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades

Longtime Congressman U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.-05) says he will run for re-election after much speculation that he would step down.

Please Howard University help us get to

AFRO Photo / Deborah Bailey

Economist Julianne Malveaux and lyricist Maimouna “Mumu Fresh” Youssef speak with participants at Howard University structural violence seminar during Martin L. King Day weekend.

Continued from D1

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said, reflecting on how her mother carefully curated lessons.

The disregard shown by the school system toward Youssef’s expansive home schooled experience left a lasting impression on the singer/songwriter.

“She put together a curriculum that was absolutely not recognized by the school board. My mother gave them a transcript of everything I learned and I got a zero for all of it,” she said.

The diverse multi-faceted home schooled lessons taught to Youssef and her siblings were misunderstood by the public school system.

But they have found life by those who gravitate toward Youssef’s Grammy nominated music.

As the day’s event came to a close, the tight knit group of scholars and students gathered in Howard’s Blackburn Center turned to considering next steps for expanding their first time gathering.

“This is the “Mecca” so

it’s important to be here,” said Derrick Hamilton, PhD., director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification and Political Economy, one of the partner institutions co-sponsoring the MLK weekend conference on structural violence.

“It’s not enough for academics to speak among themselves if they hope for change. At the end of the

ways,” Hamilton added.

Michael Ralph agreed. He is the director of Howard’s Center for an Equitable and Sustainable Economy and co-lead of the MLK weekend symposia, agreed.

He added the symposium is the first step of a series of work dedicated to the issue of structural violence.

The scholars plan to produce a publication that will provide guidance

“It’s not enough for academics to speak among themselves if they hope for change. At the end of the day, if you want to effect change you have to translate that thought into action and public engagement.” day, if you want to effect change you have to translate that thought into action and public engagement,” Hamilton said.

“We need all hands on deck. We need to build a movement that people can contribute to in multi-faceted

and discussion on “how structural inequality impacts policing health care, economics and other sectors of society where there are long standing inequities impacting Black people,” Ralph said.

January American D3 January27, 27,2024 2024--February February2, 2,2024 2024 The TheAfro Afro-American D1

Anacostia Community Museum prepares to unveil ‘A Bold and Beautiful Vision’ exhibit

By Michayla Maxwell Special to the AFRO

Just weeks into the new year, the Anacostia Community Museum is ready to celebrate the opening of its new 2024 exhibition.

The Anacostia Community Museum will be opening “A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington D.C.,1900-2000” on March 23. This exhibit will run through the spring of 2025 and celebrates some of Washington, D.C.’s most gifted artists.

Samir Meghelli is the curator of “A Bold and Beautiful Vision” and hopes to tell the story of the teachers and students who made Washington, D.C., a genuinely unparalleled center for Black arts education. He was able to feature both known and not so well known artists including Elizabeth Catlett, Alma Thomas, James A. Porter, Loïs Mailou Jones, David Driskell, Hilda Wilkinson Brown, Sam Gilliam, Thomas Hunster and Georgette Seabrooke Powell.

“Rarely has it been acknowledged that some of the twentieth century’s most gifted artists taught and were educated in Washington, D.C. schools.

The city is home to a long line of African American artist-educators who dedicated their lives to inspiring a love of the arts in young people despite the challenges of a longtime segregated, underfunded education system,” Meghelli said.

Meghelli sees this year’s exhibit as an opportunity to share “rich history” and “international mentorship” with the rest of the D.C. community. The exhibit will include a wide array of arts and artifacts that can showcase the “littleknown, but rich history” of black artist educators.

Included in the showcase are original prints from Elizabeth Catlett’s first-ever solo exhibit which was previously at D.C.’s own Barnett-Aden Gallery, one of the first Black-owned commercial art galleries in the nation. They were a fixture for many years at her alma mater, D.C.’s Dunbar High School. The exhibit will also include a painting Sam Gilliam made while he was a teacher at McKinley Tech High School in the 1960s, a marionette that William Buckner made with his Armstrong High School students in the late 1930s, and silkscreen concert posters that Lou Stovall and Lloyd McNeill made in the late 1960s for the Adams Morgan-based youth arts organization.

Due to so much artistic history in D.C., one of the biggest challenges Meghelli faced was choosing what pieces to include.

“The exhibition

Photo courtesy of Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Artist and art professor Lois Mailou Jones (back, center) (1905-1998) in her classroom at Howard University during the 1930s, where she taught and mentored students for nearly 50 years.

covers over a century of history and the stories of inimitable artists and educational institutions.

Knowing we have the limitations of time and space, we hope that this

artwork, artifacts, photographs and videos to create the theme throughout the exhibit.

The exhibition starts by tracing the rise of art education in Washington’s

“The exhibition covers over a century of history and the stories of inimitable artists and educational institutions.” exhibition will open up space for more and future exhibitions that explore the topics and which can include the work and stories of even more artists,” Meghelli said.

“We began conceptualizing the exhibition by diving into our museum’s archives and art collection, which contain incredible stories of local Black Washington arts communities dating back to our museum’s founding in 1967 and even much further back than that,” he said.

“Inspired by the deeply-rooted and intergenerational relationships among artist educators and their students over so many years, we set out to begin telling the story of that lineage—almost a family tree, in a way—of Washington’s African American art teachers and their influence across the generations.”

Meghelli was able to break down the exhibition into four major sections, which include different hands-on art activities,

segregated public school system in the late 19th and early 20th century and the pioneering work of educators at the city’s first two high schools for Black students: M Street High School (later known as Dunbar High) and Armstrong Manual Training School.

Next comes the work reflecting Howard University’s Art Department and its faculty and distinguished alumni.

The third section examines the impact of school desegregation and the rise of Black power on arts education in Washington.

The final section features the story of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, which Peggy Cooper Cafritz and Mike Malone began as a small program called Workshops for Careers in the Arts in the late 1960s but which has grown into a prestigious pre-professional arts school that has now graduated generations of talented artists of all disciplines.

“The exhibition includes prints, objects and art

materials used by artists and teachers throughout this period,” said Shanita Brackett, acting director of the museum. Once an object that intrigues me demonstrates the lineage and connection between art teachers and students, it’s presented as a lineage or bubble map.”

She believes once someone can understand “the impact of each teacher and the artists they taught, as well as the collaboration between those artists, their genres and art forms,

and their geographic base and work, then they can discover a rich history of reach and influence.”

The Anacostia Community Museum is the first federally funded community museum in the nation, United States.

Brackett said she hopes, “visitors will leave the exhibition with a new appreciation for black arts education, and generations of artists, educational institutions, and communities will look back and appreciate

the profound specialties and skills shared with so many others on various platforms.”

Brackett said community programming is crucial.

“We will host various community-based and family-friendly programs,” she said, “including Earth Day on April 20th, which will also be the launch of our Farm Stand for the season, and Juneteenth on June 19th, which will showcase local artists and musicians.”

D4 The Afro-American January 27, 2024 - February 2, 2024

Zion Baptist Church honors five leaders with Presidential Volunteers Service Awards

By Patricia McDougall

O

n Jan. 20 Zion Baptist Church in Washington D.C., under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Keith W. Byrd Sr., hosted the 2023-2024 Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) Honors Ceremony. Five members of the church were recipients of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, including Rev. Dr. Keith W. Byrd Sr., Mr. Derrick Ruttledge, Marlene Tolson, Regina Ruttledge (posthumously) and Constance Laws (posthumously).“We are eternally grateful to the Zion Baptist Church, DC for hosting the awards program this year,” said Dr. Beverly Kee, executive director of Premiere Coalition Partners Association, a Maryland-based certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award Program. “We had a very impressive list of honorees who are making a meaningful difference in their communities, and this venue was so fitting for such a prestigious event being an historical landmark.”

Kee presented the awards on behalf of the Points of President’s Volunteer Service Award Program. The recipients received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a gold medallion, a presidential pin and a letter signed by the 46th president of the United States, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Established by executive order by George W. Bush, the prestigious honor has been awarded to a select few Americans. The award seeks to recognize more than 4,000 hours of extraordinary community service per year. There were many notable honorees recognized, however, this year their families were also recognized. They were as follows: Honorable Naomi Cox Andrews and her children of which three are presidential award honorees; Dr. Ronald Andrews, State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers, Rawle Andrews, Esq. and Rhonda Reece; Dr. William Dunn and family represented the Dunn Foundation. The Dupar Family was honored and a special pinning took place in honor of their late Grandmother, Lizzie Shannon Kee, who was a 2022 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree.

Maurette Brown Clark, renowned Stellar Award-winning gospel artist, ushers in the spirit after receiving her own award. Shown in back, from left to right: Dr. William Dunn, Ed.D, Dr. Willie Jolley and Rawle Andrews Jr. Esq., who served as master of ceremony.

Dee Taylor-Jolley (left) attends the event with the Honorable Naomi Cox Andrews, who received a gold medallion alongside her Presidential Award.

Dr. Beverly Kee, executive director of Premiere Coalition Partners Association, presents celebrity makeup artist Derrick Rutledge with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Col (Ret.) James E. Paige, a President’s Lifetime Achievement awardee, speaks with the crowd about his life and the choices he’s made over the years.

Rev. Dr. Keith W. Byrd Sr., pastor of Zion Baptist Church, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the community.

Dr. Ronald Andrews (left), Mr. Gregory K. Adams Sr., Dr. Jean Accius, Dr. Marvette Thomas, Dr. Clifford Morris and Manar Swelliam Morales, Esq. enjoy front row seats at the ceremony.

Shown here, Dr. Beverly Kee (left), executive director of Premiere Coalition Partners Association, with Charlyia Smith, Abrey Willams (child) Angela Dupar, Andrelle Williams, Mr. Darnell Dupar Sr., accepting a posthumous award for Lizzie Shannon Kee.

Singer Jayla Norwood, of the Duke Ellington School of Arts’ vocal music program in Washington, D.C., sings for the audience.

AFRO/Patricia McDougall