Baltimore Afro American Newspaper March 7 2015

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Volume 123 No. 31

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Move Clocks Forward Sunday

Blacks Still Underrepresented at all Levels of Politics

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Although Blacks have made tremendous improvement in holding elected office since passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, they remain underrepresented at the federal, state and local levels, according to a report scheduled to be released Tuesday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

“Based on the most recent data, African Americans are 12.5% of the citizen voting age population, but they make up a smaller share of the U.S. House (10%), state

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legislatures (8.5%), city councils (5.7%), and the U.S. Senate (2%),” the report said.

The 38-page report titled, “50 Years of The Voting Rights Act: The State of Race in Politics,” was produced for the center by four prominent political scientists: Khalilah Brown-Dean, Zoltan Hajnal, Christina Rivers and Ismail White.

Joint Center President Spencer Overton said in a message introducing the report, that there is a heated debate over: How much progress have we made since 1965? How much more work is there to do?

He said, “These are contested questions, subject to ideology and opinion. A study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, for example, shows that on average whites and African Americans differ on the amount of racial progress we have made, with whites now believing anti-white bias is more prevalent than anti-black bias. We have

elected an African American president, but studies have shown that some government officials are less likely to respond to inquiries from citizens with seemingly black or Latino names. The questions are also at the core of many ongoing debates about voting rights in the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress, as well as in many states, counties, and municipalities.”

What is not contested is that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed the political landscape for African Americans, with the number of Black elected officials leaping from fewer than 1,000 in 1965 to now more than 10,000.

The change was particularly dramatic in the South, where 55 percent of African Americans live.

“Since the 1870s, white elected officials in many parts of the South had used violence, literacy tests, interpretation tests, poll Continued on A3

“Dorie” Miller for his service to the nation during World War II. The petition was launched on the website Change.org on Feb. 25, and is linked to the AFRO’s Facebook page. At press time, the

By Courtney Jacobs Special to the AFRO The AFRO American newspaper has launched a petition to President Obama to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to Messman Attendant Second Class Doris

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Supreme Court’s Shelby Ruling Makes Selma a ‘Footnote’

By Freddie Allen NNPA Senior Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – As Washington lawmakers, local officials and activists prepare to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to observe the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Ala., some civil rights leaders want them to remember that voting rights are still under attack.

Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., the president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, recently convened a meeting of voting rights advocates and community stakeholders in Washington, D.C. to review the past, present and future of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).

When the United States Supreme Court invalidated the coverage formula (Section 4) of the law

NNPA Photo by Freddie Allen

Jesse Jackson says Supreme Court setback overshadows Selma.

in Shelby County v. Holder in July 2013, the court’s ruling effectively neutered Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. States and jurisdictions with histories of voter discrimination would no longer be forced to preclear changes in their voting laws with the Department of Justice or in federal court in Washington, D.C. In the aftermath of the ruling, Texas and North Carolina passed a series of restrictive voting laws that experts said will make it harder for poor people and Blacks to vote.

“My biggest fear with the movie ‘Selma’ and the excitement around the celebrations this year is that we will go to Selma and think Shelby is the footnote,” said Jackson.

“Shelby is the deal, Selma is the footnote.”

In his typical fashion, Jackson said that events of Selma 50 year ago Continued on A4

Former Baltimorean and Episcopal Diocese Wes Moore Celebrates Unsung Heroes of Long Island Bishop Orris Walker, Dies at 72 for Finding Their Greater Purpose

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO

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‘AFRO’ Launches Petition to Award Dorie Miller Congressional Medal

The Right Reverend Orris Walker Died Feb. 28 after a bout with an undisclosed illness.

The Right Reverend Orris Walker, who served as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island from 1991 to 2009, died on Feb. 28 after a bout with an undisclosed illness. Walker played a historic role in the life of the Episcopal church, and is remembered by his family and others as someone who always put the needs of others before those of himself.

“My brother was a good Samaritan,” said Lance Walker in an interview with the AFRO. “He was always doing things for others, and he’s just a good

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO

Lou Oberndorf, awardee Angelique Smith and Wes Moore at Moore’s Champions of #TheWORK Celebration.

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Photo by Anderson Ward

Wes Moore held his first Champions of #THEWORK celebration in Baltimore honoring a slate of unsung heroes from across the country working diligently to serve their communities. The event was heavily attended by many of Baltimore City’s and Maryland’s movers and shakers, including Mayor Stephanie-Rawlings Blake, former Mayor Kurt Schmoke, and former Maryland attorney general Doug Gansler.

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

NATION & WORLD Denver Workers Awarded $15 Million in Discrimination Suit

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Mahamet Camara, one of a group of warehouse workers given $15 million after a judge ruled that their employer discriminated against them.

Seven Denver area warehouse workers were reportedly awarded nearly $15 million in a discrimination lawsuit filed in 2010, after a federal jury found that they were being segregated because of their race and constantly being racially insulted by their White bosses and colleagues.

The jury found that the managers and supervisors at Matheson Trucking and Matheson Flight Extenders forced Blacks to work on one side of the Commerce City warehouse while Whites worked on the other side, according to CBS Denver. The Sacramento, Calif.-based company transports mail for the U.S. Postal Service and private vendors, including UPS and the Federal Express.

White supervisors and staff were accused of calling employees racial slurs, even going as far as calling them “lazy, stupid Africans,” and using the N-word to refer to Black workers.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuits were Ernie Duke,

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Mahamet Camara, Andre De Oliveira, Bemba Diallo, Salif Diallo, Macire Diarra, and Dean Patricelli. The workers were reported to be immigrants from the African nation of Mali and Brazil, and one White whistleblower from the United States.

The White plaintiff, Dean Patricelli, was fired when he spoke out against the racist practices of the supervisors. Patricelli said he was ostracized by his bosses and peers when he spoke out against the racial segregation and was labeled as the “tribe’s assistant,” according to the Denver Post.

“Basically, I did the right thing,” he told the Denver Post. “This isn’t 1960 anymore.”

The Post also reported that the plaintiffs were able to retrieve internal company memos that proved supervisors were “using a downsizing to target Black employees for firing, including Duke who had been working at the company for nine years and was second in seniority.”

The workers also claimed that their working conditions grew worse in 2007, when Leslie Capra took charge as the station manager. Capra was reported to be more hostile and crude towards the Black employees, and she encouraged supervisors to convey the same attitude.

The lawsuit stated that “under Ms. Capra’s management, Black employees were discriminated against with respect to almost every aspect of their employment.”

The verdict included a $14 million monetary reward in punitive damages, $318,000 in back pay for workers who were fired for being Black, in addition to $650,000 for emotional distress.

America’s Record of Black Lynchings Worse than Previously Thought

Almost 4,000 Blacks—about 700 more than previously reported—were lynched in 12 Southern states during the period between Reconstruction and World War II, according to a new report by the Equal Justice Initiative.

“Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror” is the result of five years of research and 160 visits to sites across the South. The report makes the argument that these killings were a form of racial terrorism aimed at subjugating the Black community and maintaining Jim Crow segregation.

“We’re focusing on lynchings of African-Americans because when Whites were lynched it was really more about punishment — it wasn’t sent to terrorize the White community, it was intended to actually make the White community feel safe,” said Bryan Stevenson, director of the Alabama-based nonprofit in an interview with National Public Radio. “The lynching of AfricanAmericans, on the other hand, was really a direct message to the entire African-American community — it was designed to traumatize and terrorize.”

To put in a modern-day context, the number of Blacks who were beaten, burned and ultimately hung while picnicking Whites cheered, is more than twice the number of Americans who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11, more than twice those who died in the antiterror campaign in Afghanistan and comparable to the number who died in Iraq.

And these acts of terror against Blacks were often state-sanctioned killings, Stevenson added.

The inequalities reinforced by lynching has left its

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mark on the Black community and on public policy as seen in policies of mass incarceration, racially biased capital punishment, excessive or disproportionate sentencing of racial minorities, and police abuse of people of color, the report concluded.

Black Mississippi Judge Delivers Epic Sentencing Speech to 3 White Racist Killers

The stirring words of U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves, read during the Feb. 10 sentencing of three men involved in the hate crime murder of James Craig Anderson, a 48-year-old Black man, in a Mississippi parking lot in 2011, is being hailed as a moral and emotionally moving tour de force.

The young men Deryl Paul Dedmon, 22, John Aaron Rice, 21, and Dyland Wade Butler, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Bryd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act in the killing of Anderson, whom they and other conspirators beat and ran over with a truck while yelling “White power.”

Reeves, who in 2010 became the second African American appointed as federal judge in Mississippi, began his protracted speech—which was posted on NPR’s website—by invoking the phantom of Mississippi’s savage past, including Black enslavement and its “infatuation” with the “carnival-like” public ritual of lynching.

“How could hate, fear or whatever it was transform genteel, God-fearing, God-loving Mississippians into mindless murderers and sadistic torturers? I ask that same question about the events which bring us together on this day,” Reeves said, comparing the state’s past and present.

“A toxic mix of alcohol, foolishness and unadulterated hatred caused these young people to resurrect the nightmarish specter of lynchings and lynch mobs from the Mississippi we long to forget,” he continued. “Like the marauders of ages past, these young folk conspired, planned, and coordinated a plan of attack on certain neighborhoods in the city of Jackson for the sole purpose of harassing, terrorizing, physically assaulting and causing bodily injury to Black folk. They punched and kicked them about their bodies — their heads, their faces. They prowled. They came ready to hurt. They used dangerous weapons; they targeted the weak; they recruited and encouraged others to join in the coordinated chaos; and they boasted about their shameful activity. This was a 2011 version of the nigger hunts.”

And, Reeves added, “What is so disturbing ... so shocking ... so numbing ... is that these nigger hunts were perpetrated by our children.”

The judge reemphasized the fact that Anderson’s death was a hate crime—motivated by the victim’s race, and shot down claims that one or more of the men were, somehow, not “criminals.”

Reeves ended by pointing to signs of success and recommending actions that would keep Mississippi from going backward into the abyss of its ugly past.

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March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

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Proper Role of Government Issue in Debate over Paid Sick Leave Bill

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO Whether government should mandate that employers provide paid sick leave to their employees is at the heart of the debate over the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act. The legislation is currently under consideration in both chambers of the General Assembly.

Proponents of the bill argue that employers and employees benefit economically from the measure, and that the act promises potentially reduced health care costs by helping limit the spread of illnesses. Opponents counter that whatever the economic benefits for an employer, the decision to take advantage a potential benefit should be left up to the employer rather than mandated by the state.

They argue that the employer is in a better position to determine the net effects of a paid sick leave policy on the broader expenditures of her business.

The Act, sponsored by Democratic Majority Leader Sen. Catherine Pugh (D-Baltimore City) in the Senate and by Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) in the House, would require all employers with 10 employees or more to provide paid sick leave to their workers, who would earn one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours (the equivalent of seven eight-hour days) in one year. Employers with nine or fewer employees would have to provide similarly accrued but unpaid sick leave.

“We believe that, in terms of the benefit to business and to employers, we expect there actually would be a positive benefit for employers of $132 million,” said Ben Orr, executive director of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, a nonpartisan nonprofit specializing in research and analysis of policy proposals and a member of the advocacy coalition working towards passage of the act.

“That’s largely due to savings from reduced turnover and increased productivity. Healthier employees make happier employees make more productive employees, and you don’t spread illness throughout the workplace – it’s more contained – so fewer employees have to take sick time off or are working sick.”

Orr said the measure, by putting more money in worker’s pockets, could positively impact Maryland’s economy. He compared the measure to the Supplemental Nutrition

Act. According to Deriece Pate Bennett, vice president of government affairs for the Chamber, concerns range from a private right of action against employers to the fact that employers are not allowed to verify employee claims of sickness, to a concern that increased business costs and liabilities cause companies to leave the state.

Ultimately, Bennett said, the Chamber’s opposition is less about paid sick leave and more of a philosophical difference about the role of government in business. “The Chamber believes that employers should certainly have the flexibility to address their workforce needs without the state intervening,” said Pate Bennett. “Employers don’t want their employees to be sick, we’re not bad guys, we don’t want people to come in sick when they really are sick, but we believe that there needs to be a flexibility because no [two] work place[s] are the same.”

Implied in Bennett’s concerns about employees who “really are sick,” is the idea

$0.34 per hour, and Bennett argues there is no evidence implementing a law like this would actually reduce turnover.

Dr. Jessica Milli, senior research associate with IWPR, notes there is research showing that paid sick leave reduces turnover, citing two studies, one from 1993 and the other from 2012. Both studies indicate an approximately 5 percent reduction in turnover for employees with paid sick leave.

For Ellen Valentino, executive vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors Association Inc. (MAPDA), an association of convenience stores and energy distributors, the Act is well intentioned, but its one size fits all approach strips employers of too much flexibility. She said it fails to take into account that employers may be already providing other types of benefits that negate the necessity of paid sick leave, or that at least need to be considered when thinking about imposing costs on businesses to extend additional mandated benefits (as would be

imposed by the Act).

Ultimately, as with the Chamber, MAPDA’s concern has more to do with the mandate than paid sick leave itself. “I think it would be fair to say that the opposition to the bill is the government mandate and the one size fits all policy that just clearly doesn’t meet the needs of the work place. I think the government’s stepping into a space where employers and employees generally negotiate what their salary is, what their leave is, that type of thing,” said Valentino.

Jessica Cooper, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Maryland, a small-business advocacy organization whose position on issues is determined through direct polling of members, says her organization’s members had “overwhelming strong concern” about government mandated paid sick leave, and noted that the decision to offer paid sick leave is better left to employers operating within the context of market forces. “Those [small businesses] who already offer paid leave, or a version of paid leave, were saying that they do so to separate themselves from the competition, and creating a cookie-cutter benefit means that they’ll have to try to find enough money to try to find another benefit to separate them from the rest,” said Cooper.

Cooper also notes that many small businesses work with their employees to address sick time off, a flexibility she argues should be preserved since many small businesses operate within limited resources, making providing paid sick time off a challenge, and a decision better left to employers responding to conditions in the labor market.

Broome, however, cites survey data showing that one in five women report being disciplined or fired (or knowledge of it happening to a family member) for taking time off for an illness or to care for a loved one. This suggests the market alone may not be sufficient to address the vulnerability of employees without sick leave.

“At the end of the day, we need public policies that reflect the realities of today’s working families . . . and no one should risk job loss or financial devastation because of something as simple as coming down with the flu,” said Broome. ralejandro@afro.com

The merciless beating of children, the elderly and adults was beamed in homes throughout the nation and provided the momentum for President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act into law four months later.

“Only in the wake of the Voting Rights Act did black voter registration in the South begin to approach that of whites. Five years after the passage of the Act, the racial gap in voter registration in the former Confederate states had closed to single digits. By the start of the 1970s, the black/white registration gap across the Southern states was little more than 8 percentage points,” the report stated.

“In Louisiana, the gap between black and white voter registration rates decreased by nearly 30 percentage points from 1960 to the end of 1970s, and it continued to decrease over the next three decades. By 2010, black registration rates in the state of Louisiana and many of the other former Confederate states had exceeded white registration rates for the first time since Reconstruction. The Voting Rights Act had delivered a Second Reconstruction.”

In fact, in four of the 12 presidential elections since 1965, Black Southerners turned out at the polls at a higher rate than their White counterparts. Nationally, Black turnout exceeded White turnout in the 2012 presidential election and possibly in 2008, according to the report.

Activists credit much of that progress to the Voting Rights Act requirement that jurisdictions that previously discriminated against Blacks had to pre-clear voting changes in advance with federal authorities.

However, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby took away that tool and there is a measure pending in Congress that would reverse some of the damage. A House bill sponsored by “Bloody Sunday” veteran John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) would update the act.

“The proposed legislation would apply preclearance to jurisdictions with a record of

voting rights violations within the previous 15 years, would make it easier for courts to block discriminatory rules before they are used in elections and harm voters, and would require disclosure of voting changes nationwide,” the report stated.

Efforts to expand the Black vote is also under attack in others quarters as well. The Joint Center report cited moves to purge voters, requiring proof of citizenship, requiring voter ID, felony disenfranchisement and restricting voting registration drives.

The report also addressed the elephant in the room – race.

“In urban local elections, race is a more decisive factor than income, education … religion, sexuality, age, gender, and political ideology. The 38-point racial gap exceeds even the 33 point gap between Democratic and Republican voters,” the study said.

According to the report, African Americans “were the least advantaged group in America in terms of policy outcomes.”

Not all of the problems were external. The issue of low Black voter turnout, especially in local elections, is a major challenge that warrants further study, the report said.

It noted, “ …In 2014, when there was great unrest over a police officer’s killing of Michael Brown, African Americans made up

67% of residents of Ferguson, Missouri. In 2012, a solid 100% of Ferguson precincts went for President Obama, but during Ferguson’s municipal off-cycle elections voters selected Ferguson’s Republican mayor and six city council members, all of whom except one were white.”

The report shatters the notion that we’re living in a post-racial society.

“Despite discussions about the declining significance of race, over the past few decades, racial divides along partisan lines have actually grown. African Americans have increasingly favored Democrats, and recently Latinos and Asian Americans have become more loyal to the Democratic Party as well. The shift to the left has been particularly pronounced for Asian Americans,” it said.

“On the other side, whites have moved slowly and unevenly – but inexorably – to the Republican Party. Fifty years ago, the Democratic Party dominated the white vote. Today, nationwide, whites are more apt to favor the Republican Party.”

It concluded, “Division is a normal and healthy part of democracy, but when a core dividing line in a nation becomes so closely aligned with race and ethnicity, larger concerns about inequality, conflict, and discrimination emerge.”

Assistance Program, a program research shows generates $9 in economic activity for every $5 spent in benefits.

Like food stamps, the Healthy Working Families Act largely benefits workers at the lower end of the income spectrum, according to Melissa Broome, senior policy advocate with the Job Opportunities Task Force. “Not surprisingly it usually is the workers who can least afford a day without pay who are the most likely to not have paid sick days,” said Broome. “Across the board 40 percent of workers in Maryland do not have paid sick leave, and that works out to over 700,000 Marylanders. But when you drill the numbers down and you look at the lowest wage workers, it’s 80 percent of them.”

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce opposes the Healthy Working Families

that workers might abuse paid sick leave, using the accrued time in ways other than its intended purpose. This is a position, Broome argues, which available data contradicts.

“We have good evidence from other places that have implemented this type of law that . . . in the vast majority of instances, even in places where workers can earn seven paid sick days a year, the average that they take is usually around 2.4 days,” said Broome.

The Chamber and advocates for the bill also differ on the overall costs of implementing paid sick leave. Advocates cite research by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) finding that paid sick leave imposes a cost of $0.21 per hour on employers, while giving them a benefit of $0.24 per hour from reduced turnover. The Chamber estimates implementation costs at

“At the end of the day, we need public policies that reflect the realities of today’s working families . . . and no one should risk job loss or financial devastation because of something as simple as coming down with the flu.”

– Melissa Broome

Underrepresented Continued from A1

taxes, and other devices to exclude African Americans,” the report recounted. “The Justice Department filed 71 voting rights lawsuits in the Deep South before 1965, but cases were typically complex, time-consuming, and expensive. When a court struck down one type of discriminatory device, local officials simply erected a different device that effectively excluded most African Americans.”

Selma, Ala. and surrounding Dallas County was typical. Deploying rigged tests about the U.S. Constitution and a requirement that voters be in “good character,” as defined by White registrars, a White minority was able to suppress the Black majority.

In 1965, more than half of Dallas County was Black. Of the county’s 15,000 voting-age Blacks, only 156 were registered to vote. By contrast, two-thirds of voting-age Whites were registered in the county. Throughout Alabama, only 19.4 percent of African Americans were registered. In neighboring Mississippi, just 6.4 percent of Blacks were registered.

As part of a massive voter registration campaign in 1965, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and local residents launched a Selma-toMontgomery March to dramatize the lack of access to the ballot box.

On April 7, in what became known as “Bloody Sunday,” peaceful marchers in Selma were savagely beaten by Alabama State Troopers and local policemen as they attempted to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to begin the 54-mile journey to Montgomery, the state capital.

Dorie Miller Continued from A1

petition had garnered 750 supporters.

On Dec. 7, 1941 Miller put forth courageous effort when his ship, the USS West Virginia, came under attack by Japanese fighter planes at Pearl Harbor. As the battle between the two began to escalate, Miller lugged numerous shipmates out of the line of fire to safety. Afterwards, he secured a 50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun and shot down a number of attacking aircraft.

“Dorie Miller, one of Pearl Harbor’s biggest heroes has been deprived of recognition far too long,” AFRO Publisher Jake Oliver said. “The Congressional Medal of Honor, while not making up for the discrimination that he and his actions have been subjected to, will nevertheless set the record straight.”

Miller, despite being aware of the racial battlegrounds he was entering, joined the Navy on Sept. 16, 1939, saying “it beats sitting around Waco working as a bus boy, going nowhere.”

Regardless of their educational background, non-white sailors were expected to be messmen, stewards and cabin boys, not trained for combat.

“Dorie Miller sacrificed his life for a country that didn’t respect who he was as an individual,” AFRO Archivist Ja-Zette Marshburn said. “He risked his life for people who didn’t care for him simply because he was a Black man. He is the definition of what the Congressional Medal of Honor is about.”

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

March 7, 2015 - March 7, 2015, The Afro-American

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Racial Disparities in Early Childhood Hurts U.S.

By Jazelle Hunt NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) –Increased investment in early childhood education and care can eradicate many of the racial success gaps that persist throughout society, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP), Early childhood encompasses birth through 3 years old, and children of color are already the majority in this as-yet-unnamed generation.

The report, titled, “Investing in Infants and Toddlers to Combat Inequality,” shows that despite being the majority, children of color are generally faring poorly on a number of social and educational metrics. One -in-three toddlers of color lives in poverty. By 5 years old, children from low-income homes have heard millions of words fewer than their more affluent peers (a vocabulary deficit known as the word gap).

According to an earlier CAP report, even among middle- and upper-class families, 25 percent of all kindergarteners are not schoolready – they may not know any letters, numbers, or colors, for example.

“While the United States as a whole has become an increasingly educated country over time, very significant educational disparities exist between whites and people of color,” the report states. “Since the majority of infants are children of color, improving the continuum of early childhood programs available to children under age 3 and their families provides an opportunity to stifle these disparities before they begin.”

Shelby Ruling Continued from A1

is in the rear view mirror and Shelby is in front of us and it’s getting bigger everyday.

Barbara Arnwine, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan group focused on ending racial discrimination, said that in the wake of the Shelby County decision, it’s much harder to monitor what happens at the local level and that’s really where voting rights advocates miss Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Arnwine expressed concerns that not enough is known about what local officials are doing to protect the right to vote in cities and municipalities that are holding elections for critically important county commission seats, city councils and school boards.

“So much is happening at the local level.

Everyone monitors what happens at the state level, but what we don’t know with clarity is what is happening at the local level,” said Arnwine. “The beauty of [Section 5] was that it stopped discrimination before it happened,

Bishop Walker Continued from A1

person, which you very seldom run into these days. He did for others before he did for himself, and that’s how I remember my brother.”

A popular figure when he was growing up in Baltimore, Walker was also fondly remembered by AFRO Publisher, Jake Oliver. “ ‘Ja’ was like a “big brother’’ to many of us during our formative years, always ready to lend a kind ear, advice, and encouragement when we needed it. He indeed will be missed but always remembered with high regard and deep appreciation.”

Bishop Walker was born in Baltimore on Nov. 5, 1942. A graduate of Baltimore City

Data suggests that without intervention to beef up early education programs, this generation may not be able to meet economic demands to maintain the United States as a world leader. Among 25 to 29 year olds in 2012, only 37 percent of Whites, 17 percent of Blacks, and 13 percent of Hispanics held at least a bachelor’s degree.

According to the report, if current educational attainment trends continue, 5 million jobs over the next decade will go unfilled or be outsourced for lack of skilled, educated American workers.

Further, if racial income gaps had been closed in 2011, national GDP would have increased by $1.2 trillion and an additional $192 billion in taxes would have been generated.

“If the heart doesn’t get us – the importance of helping [the babies]…the other thing that should get us are the economic implications,” said David Johns, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, speaking as part of a panel event connected to the report release. “So many of our communities would be saved if we would just find the time to

make intentional investments in children and families, early.”

The foundation for today’s early childhood programs were the result of largely successful social and educational experiments primarily tested with Black children and families.

Generally, families of color now lack access to affordable, high quality programs. Part of it is cost. The report asserts that the cost of childcare is higher than the median rent in all 50 states. It also asserts that most of the nation’s childcare options are poor or mediocre in quality, despite this high cost.

The federal government offers several provisions for the youngest among us, and their parents. Some are more effective than others. The Child Care Development Block Grant, for example, Bing.com allows states to give low-income families childcare subsidies. But, the report points out, while the subsidies free up low-income parents to attend school, work, or technical training, the subsidies don’t match the cost of high-quality programs; so such programs usually do not accept these vouchers.

There’s also Early Head Start (EHS) and the very popular Head Start program. These

programs, which have benefitted Black families in particular, provide a spread of pre- and postnatal health services, child development, and educational services to low-income infants and toddlers.

“Research on the effectiveness of EHS shows positive effects on development for infants and toddlers, including a wide range of cognitive and social-behavioral out- comes, and on child-rearing practices for mothers,” the report explains. “These beneficial effects were markedly large for African American children, including an increase in parental support for early language and literacy, daily reading, and teaching activities through age 5.”

But, Head Start is “severely underfunded,” serving less than 5 percent of the nation’s infants and toddlers.

During the CAP panel, the speakers explained that parents can bolster early childhood development by spending a lot of face time with their children: talking, reading, and making up stories. The simple activities can go along way toward academic success later in life.

“We spend a lot of time and a lot of resources attempting to catch up, and to close both opportunity and achievement gaps that would not exist if we were to start early – at the time that baby is in utero, and at the time in which the foundation upon which all future learning and development is taking place and is actually being formed,” Johns said.

“There’s so much more work to do to ensure that everyone understand the importance of [early childhood] and then that they’re able to properly invest in it.”

because it required covered jurisdictions to report any changes, and we were able to track those changes.”

Lawyers and voting rights advocates have turned to Section 2 of the voting law to defend voters, which is more costly and time consuming than bringing claims under Section 5.

Aggrieved parties not only have to wait until after the voting law takes effect before filing a lawsuit, they also have to prove that law is discriminatory, a high bar for voting rights lawyers and almost impossible for citizens to reach on their own.

According to research conducted by the Lawyers’ Committee, 72 percent of all successful discrimination claims under Section 2 were in jurisdictions formerly covered by Section 5. Two-thirds of those claims were in jurisdictions in only four states: Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Months before the Shelby County decision, Tanya Clay House, the public policy director for the Lawyers’ Committee, said that voting rights advocates planned for the possibility that the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John

Roberts would strike down the landmark law.

“We have to let go of what we had in Section 5, because we’re not going to get that back,” said Clay House. “It’s unfortunate, but that is the reality we’re faced with right now.”

Clay House said that the Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRAA), a bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and John Conyers (D-Mich.), isn’t perfect, but it’s better than what citizens have now.

The proposed bill includes a new requirement that all states would have to give notice to any voting rights changes and a “rolling trigger” for Department of Justice oversight for states with five voting rights violations, and political subdivisions with three violations in 15 years.

The Sensenbrenner-Convers bill, which never made it out of the Judiciary Committee during the last legislative session, also would allow federal observers in states outside of formerly covered jurisdictions.

But the proposal also includes a special exception for the controversial photo identification requirements some states have

adopted. Further, it includes a carve out for the controversial photo identification requirements some states have adopted.

“We recognize that it’s a compromise bill that does strengthen our position and moves us from having nothing. We have no coverage compared to what we had under Section 5,” said Clay House.

She said that the Lawyers’ Committee will also join other groups to work on issues outside of the proposed bill, including long lines during elections, that have some have dubbed “the time tax” and challenges of early voting.

The most underutilized power that people of color have in this country that we have is economic boycotts, said Arnwine.

“For a nation that hates to talk about race, for a nation consumed by active racial denial, it has been fascinating to watch our nation be rocked by young people protesting the death of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and so many others, it has been fascinating to see this movement take to the streets,” said Arnwine. “Our challenge is to take that same level of energy to the streets on voting rights.”

College and the University of Maryland, Bishop Walker earned his Bachelor of Sacred Theology from General Theological Seminary in 1968, and would later earn his Doctorate of Ministry from Drew University in 1980.

As bishop of the diocese of Long Island, Walker led the Episcopal Church towards greater inclusion of women in the ordained ministry, and was the first bishop to ordain women in the diocese, according to a message from current bishop of the Diocese of Long Island, the Right Reverend Lawrence Provenzano, and posted on the diocese’s website.

Bishop Walker also helped expand the participation of lay members in the diocese’s ministry, including having them serve on diocesan boards and commissions.

“Bishop Walker’s episcopacy covered a difficult and sometimes controversial period in the history of the diocese, nevertheless, his dedication to the people of the Diocese of Long Island will forever stand as a testament to his love for Jesus Christ and his dedication to the ministry of the church,” wrote Provenzano.

After his retirement in 2009, Bishop Walker moved to Baltimore before ultimately settling down in Detroit where he remained actively involved in his community, according to an obituary also posted on the Long Island diocese’s website.

“In Detroit, Bishop Walker was a member of the Executive Committee of the NAACP, President of the Cathedral Terrace, a senior citizen housing complex, the Highland Park Community Relations Board and the Black

Family Development Board,” reads the obituary.

It is that tireless commitment and love of others that Lance Walker will remember most fondly about his brother.

“He just will be sorely missed,” said Lance Walker. “He was a father to me, a brother to me, and my best friend.”

Bishop Walker is survived by his brother Lance, Lance’s daughter Nicole Walker, and cousins Kay Paterson and Marshall Murray.

A requiem mass will be held for the bishop on Saturday, March 7, at 1:30 p.m. at Christ Church in Detroit, MI (960 E. Jefferson Ave.). The Diocese of Long Island will hold a memorial service on March 21, at 11 a.m., at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, NY (50 Cathedral Ave.).

Wes Moore Continued from A1

The red carpet event had its genesis in Moore’s New York Times best-selling book, ‘The Work,’ which details his search for a life of meaning. “We all search for our greatness, because I really feel like all of us have this innate and inherent greatness,” Moore told the AFRO the night of the celebration.

“The problem is, for many people, that we never find it because we let the world cloud our thought process.”

Moore said that two things stand out about people who have managed to find and harness their greatness, a strong passion for the work they do, and a work that is about service to others. “Part of what we wanted to celebrate now is champions of this idea of ‘the work,’ of people who have really found their calling, their purpose, and they’ve found it by basically moving themselves out of the way and giving all they have to somebody else.”

Among the evening’s honorees was Robert Clark, who runs an education and job training program for young people who have dropped out of high school in Newark, NJ. “Newark, very much like Baltimore, has seen a lot of challenges, and there are countless young people in need of services. The work that we do is important to the Newark community, and important to young people being able to understand they can transcend their circumstance,” said Clark.

Former U.S. Marine Corps Captain Christopher Minaya was also recognized for his work serving military veterans as a

Photo by Anderson Ward

Lou Oberndorf, awardee Tyson Sanford-Griffin and Wes Moore.

military ambassador for Cîroc Vodka, where he has focused on aiding veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life. “When you actually come home, and you’re in that position [of having to reintegrate], it’s a very tough position to be in. You feel alone a lot of the times, and that’s why it’s important for things like this – like what Wes is doing, and organizations like what I have going – to bring everybody together and help out,” said Minaya.

The celebration and award ceremony was sponsored, in part,

by Prudential Financial, whose vice chairman Mark Grier said found a natural partnership with Moore’s efforts to encourage a life of meaning. “We pride ourselves on the idea of having a higher purpose as an organization than just earnings per share, or just the stock price, or just the products we sell,” said Grier.

“And Wes (Moore) is a leader and a role model and a fabulous person to be associated with.”

Rawlings-Blake, who attended the event, praised the effort to recognize persons who often work quietly behind the scenes yet have a big impact. “I think it’s wonderful that Wes and his wife are celebrating unsung heroes that without expectation of accolade are serving the community,” said the mayor.

For former attorney general Gansler, the evening was an opportunity to focus on the good that is occurring in our communities. “We so often are critical and cynical about what’s going on in our communities that we don’t take enough time to take a break, take a deep breath, and thank the people that give of themselves to help the community,” said Gansler. ralejandro@afro.com

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 7, 2015

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

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Prospects for Law Enforcement Officers Reform Seem to Fade

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO The empty chairs of members at the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee (JPR) hearing on the Law Enforcement Officers Bill Of Rights (LEOBR) reform measure could be a sign. If Maryland is to see changes to the controversial law, it will have to find a way around the Senate JPR’s objections to reform.

The hearing on Senate Bill 566 (SB 566) – which strips the LEOBR of it’s the provision giving officers 10 days before they can be questioned by superiors about an alleged incident of misconduct, creates new classes of people able to bring forth misconduct allegations, and gives police chiefs an enhanced role in meting out discipline to officers – did not begin until about 7:20 p.m., scheduled to be heard last on a day with testimony on 16 bills.

SB 566’s sponsor, vice chair of JPR Sen. Lisa Gladden (D-Baltimore City), was not in the room when the hearing began. So duties to present the bill’s provisions, normally the responsibility of the sponsoring senator, fell to David Rocah of the ACLU, Maryland. When presenting, senators are generally afforded some defference, being allowed to complete their presentation before fielding questions from their colleagues. This accommodation was not extended to Rocah. He was challenged by JPR chair Sen. Bobby Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) when he suggested the 10-day rule drives a perception that police officers are afforded special treatment.

“That’s 10 days so that [an officer] can obtain council though, right?” asked Zirkin.

“And the reason for that, just to be clear also, the reason for that is because often, if they’re going to be interrogated, or if they’re going to be questioned, this could also lead to criminal charges as well, so the idea, I think, behind that – I’m just trying to be clear on that issue. It’s not just that they are going to the beach for 10 days, it’s 10 days in order to get a lawyer so that they can be advised on their rights, not only within the agency but also any ramifications of a potential criminal charge.”

Rocah said in many jurisdictions in Maryland, counsel is available immediately but that the 10day rule is still adhered to, and that the rule is in play in situations where the alleged misconduct could not lead to criminal charges, making reference to a civil suit against a Maryland State Police officer who accidentally left racist remarks on a woman’s answering machine, something for which he could not be held criminally liable in any way.

Zirkin’s approach to the hearing shifted as the hearing went on, however, and particularly when the myriad heads of police departments and Fraternal Order of Police (the police union) officials began testifying in opposition to SB 566. Opponents treated the LEOBR as little more than a piece of employment legislation, delineating rights of public employees with respect to employer initiated disciplinary proceedings and having no bearing on criminal investigations whatsoever.

“When people are saying that the officers have never

been charged, or have never been in front of a judge, that doesn’t have anything to do with this, does it?” asked Sen. Wayne Norman (R-Cecil and

Harford Counties) of Chief John Fitzgerald of the Chevy Chase police department, representing the Maryland Chiefs of Police, and invoking

earlier testimony by people who had lost loved ones at the hands of police.

“No,” replied Fitzgerald.

“As a matter of fact, typically,

in a very bad case where there could be criminal charges, the entire employment part of this, the LEOBR is stayed, nothing happens. The 10-day

rule – I would like to see perhaps that be shorter – but the point is the 10-day rule is irrelevant.

See more at afro.com

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

The Loud Silence of Rape Survivors

By Jazelle Hunt NNPA Washington Correspondent

Black men vs. Black women

“We in Black communities don’t talk about [sexual assault] because of this pressure FOURTH IN A SERIES to protect the race,” says Aishah Shahidah WASHINGTON (NNPA) – An online Simmons, a survivor, educator, activist, and survey of sexual assault survivors conducted director of “NO! The Rape Documentary,” as part of this series vividly captures the fear an international award-winning film that and reluctance Black women rape survivors explores sexual violence within in the Black exhibit about sharing their community. ordeal with others: The Philadelphia native From a young woman, explained, “[Black women] drugged and raped by a man she are valuable when we’re met at a party at age 21: concerned about protecting “I told someone, but I never our men and our children gave specifics because I felt and our communities, but like they would think it was my when it comes to talking fault.” about the violence that we’ve From a middle-aged experienced at the hands of woman, repeatedly raped by a the men in our communities, classmate’s father at age 6: then we’re traitors.”

“When it first happened, we Many have absorbed this told our teacher and the [school] message, including survivors. nurse. We were told that we For example, Tiffany Perry, were making it up. He told me a native of Jersey City, N.J., that if I told anyone, he’d kill was surprised to hear her Photo by Julie Yarbrough my whole family. I was scared mother’s opinion on the Aishah Shahidah Simmons for weeks after telling my Bill Cosby sexual assault says Black women are good family.” allegations. at protecting everyone but From a young woman, “My mom is in support themselves. raped by her then-boyfriend’s of Bill Cosby, she thinks older brother at age 15: he’s being sabotaged. She’s “I never told anyone, not leaning more on the side of even my boyfriend, until I politics…. And I told her, ‘I can’t believe you, started talking to a therapist on campus during a person who has experienced a rape, would be my sophomore year of college…to this day he in support of him,’” Perry said. doesn’t know.”

“You hear all of these women, particularly From a mature woman, raped at ages 12 Black women – ‘Oh, they should’ve said and 13 and fondled by a pastor at age 15: something a long time ago. They just this, “I never said a word. Because in the end, and gold-digger that.’ But if these women had I blamed myself. How do you know to blame said something, who’s to say these women yourself at 12 years old?” wouldn’t have gotten railroaded then like they Data from the Department of Justice shows are getting railroaded now?” that Black women are less likely than other On top of the expectation to be supportive women to report rape and assaults to police or of Black men, beliefs about what constitutes tell anyone what happened. ideal Black womanhood, including Why? inexhaustible emotional strength and perfect About 80 percent of rapes happen between sexual respectability, can add to the trauma for people of the same race. For Black women Black women. survivors whose assailants are also Black, After Sharita Lee was raped at age 20 by a cultural codes can make it difficult to speak childhood friend, she didn’t know what to do. out.

He had attacked her after hours of reminiscing

and catching up, and immediately after a sudden phone call that brought news of her grandfather’s death. He was so abrupt that he had interrupted his own condolences when he pinned her to the couch.

“A reason in why I never told was because – in his particular case – as he began to rape me, I felt pleasure. And I knew I was not supposed to be feeling pleasure because I was being raped,” she says nervously. “In the moment, I felt confused, I felt stupid, because – you know? It’s almost like, do I just say

something – I’ve observed – that plays a role in Black women being able to be raped without recourse. Because it’s like, ‘We can take it, we’re strong, we’re not vulnerable or fragile.’”

As for law enforcement, Blacks and Latinos are incarcerated at disproportionately higher rates in part because police target them for minor crimes, according a report titled, “Black Lives Matter: Eliminating Racial Inequity in the Criminal Justice System” by the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based

“We were told that we were making it up. He told me that if I told anyone, he’d kill my whole family. I was scared for weeks after telling my family.”

–Survivor ‘forget it’ that he’s raping me, to enjoy it, or not? So for me, I couldn’t even admit it. This is probably the first time I’m admitting it out loud, ever.”

Distrust of mainstream systems

There are other reasons Black women are less likely to vocalize their pain, including a deep distrust law of both the criminal justice system and the medical community.

Much has been written, for example, of J. Marion Simms, “The Father of Gynecology” who developed his technique by experimenting on enslaved women, without anesthesia, arguing that they could bear levels of pain that White women could not.

Perhaps the most notable incident that gave African Americans pause was the famous Tuskegee syphilis study from 19321947 in which treatment for 399 Black men was intentionally withheld even after it was discovered that penicillin was effective in treating the disease.

And there are other reasons for widespread distrust.

The Institute of Medicine report, “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare,” concluded that “(al)though myriad sources contribute to these disparities, some evidence suggests that bias, prejudice, and stereotyping on the part of healthcare providers may contribute to differences in care.”

Furthermore, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a national advocacy and education organization, notes that Black people are less likely to be accurately diagnosed and receive thorough treatment than their White counterparts; are less likely to receive culturally aware care; and are more likely to harbor stigmas about mental illness and treatment.

When Black women develop mental and emotional trouble after an assault, their strength is called into question, as if the pain is a sign of weakness. “[The term ‘strong Black woman’] denies us of our humanity,” Simmons explained.

“This is

organization that works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.

In addition, a recent ACLU report found, “Once arrested, people of color are also likely to be charged more harshly than whites; once charged, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, they are more likely to face stiff sentences – all after accounting for relevant legal differences such as crime severity and criminal history.”

For Tiffany Perry, it was more personal than a philosophical distrust of the criminal justice system. At 21 years old, she was the victim of an attempted rape by a police officer.

The married policeman was also her coworker, and her usual ride home after work.

One evening, he cornered her in a secluded makeshift office and pinned on a couch where officers slept between shifts.

“I’m saying, ‘Stop! Stop, get off of me what are you doing? I’m going to scream!’ And he says, ‘Go ahead, who’s going to save you, you’re in a police station.’ When he said that to me I just froze. I was like, ‘Wow, I am. Nobody’s going to do anything,’” she remembered.

After groping her for a few more minutes, her assailant suddenly changed his mind, releasing her.

“The thing is – when we left there, I got in the car with him. And I tried to explain this…I was so afraid of him that I got in the car with him,” Perry says. “To people, that doesn’t make any sense…but when he said, ‘Nobody’s going to hear you, and nobody’s going to believe you,’ I convinced myself that he was right. I felt like I should’ve known better.”

She never reported the incident. Two years later, she was able to tell her mother, who had been raped and had become pregnant with her at age 15.

“I didn’t want to be scrutinized, I didn’t want to be under the limelight. I didn’t want to relive it. I didn’t want to talk about it,” Perry said. “Even now I have feelings of guilt… what if, because I didn’t say nothing, this guy went further with some other young lady? Or, maybe I wasn’t the first…maybe the person before me, she didn’t seem mad either, so that’s what made him think it was okay to do that to me.

“You say to yourself, you don’t know what’s right or wrong. You just do what you can, or know how to do in that moment.”

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

EDITORIAL

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Boehner, Netanyahu and Israel Have Disrespected Our President Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday is fundamentally a form of personal disrespect for President Barack Obama but it is also a grievous breach of state diplomacy and an attempt to subvert U. S foreign policy. We find it galling that instead of going through the proper diplomatic process, Netanyahu accepted an invitation to speak to this country’s principal legislative body NOT from the American Chief Executive but instead from the Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner whose continuous history of critical and demeaning diatribes about this President we are convinced thinly veil his deep seated racism.

Netanyahu, the Prime Minister (PM) of Israel, opposes the current U.S. policy of negotiating directly with Iran over that country’s attempt to acquire enriched uranium. Iran claims it wants the uranium in order to build power plants while Israel asserts their belief that Iran wants to use the uranium to build nuclear weapons. That Israel maintains its own supply of nuclear weapons but refuses to acknowledge them is never mentioned.

Israel’s economy is allegedly booming, but it still receives reportedly $3.1 billion in weapons and aid money every year from the U.S. In spite of this enormous welfare handout, Israel wants to nevertheless alter U.S. foreign policy by interjecting itself into America’s politics to further bolster its own national interest, which in this case is the satisfaction that a neighboring enemy will be precluded from possibly even indirectly posing a nuclear threat approaching its own nuclear capabilities.

The sheer hubris of Israel’s action in this regard we find to be simply astounding.

Granted, the U.S. past policy of blocking undeveloped potentially hostile countries’ access to nuclear technologies has indeed been the same as what Israel is attempting to

apply presently, in a convoluted fashion, with Iran. However, the nuclear cat is now out of the bag as a result of China, North Korea and maybe Russia’s apparent willingness to share its nuclear capabilities with developing countries and countries hostile to U.S. interests. Therefore where the U.S. could once force its will in a world that accorded only a few powerful countries access to the nuclear monopoly, the present international landscape appears to be far different thus requiring greater diplomatic tactics than those currently reflected by Israel’s tactics in the Iranian situation involving the U.S. Netanyahu is attempting to do something that is not only unprecedented but if the positions were reversed, with Obama trying to inject the U.S.’s national interests into Israel’s domestic affairs, such would clearly elicit howls of immediate outrage.

So who should we believe? Who should we trust?

Neither! Such appears to be the way the game of international diplomacy is presently played. With the U.S. in the middle we believe it is smart to pursue the path the Obama Administration has chosen—to mediate a solution that will reduce, as best as possible, the opportunity of nuclear war through mutual and continuous discussion among the parties having an interest in a peaceful outcome. Refusing to mediate with Iran as Netanyahu is attempting to push the U.S. into doing will only agitate, if not aggravate, the tension in the middle east that is already over-heated with the actions of the newly empowered Muslim extremists. It will also send an unfortunate message to the world’s international community that the American international policy that historically has been represented by one voice, the President of the United States, will instead be represented by a chorus of political voices whose track record of lack of unanimity too often mirrors that of a chaotic

undeveloped country rather than a country that is supposed to be a leader of the civilized world.

We regret the unfortunate circumstances that have given rise to Netanyahu addressing the Congress of our United States. However, having done so, we invite, indeed encourage him to return to his home country of Israel as soon as he can with the added departing comment that his actions have indeed offended the Black American community. Acting as if John Boehner, not Obama, sets U.S. foreign policy is the very definition of disrespect. We resent Netanyahu and we resent the country of Israel for allowing him to insult our president.

As for Boehner, who is responsible for inviting Netanyahu without clearing, or even informing the White House in advance, any repercussions from the Israel PM’s actions will fall squarely on his shoulders. Boehner’s foray into the realm of international policy is a clear example that racism on Boehner’s part has now been accelerated. Until now, the internal differences we have had with respect to international policy issues have always been solely an American debate among Americans. Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu has changed that time-honored custom, an action for which we firmly believe Boehner should be required to pay dearly. We believe his primary mission for the duration of the Obama term, is to embarrass and demean our President at every opportunity. We as a community cannot allow this to happen without making the entire country, indeed now the world, clearly aware’ of our deep objection and resentment of the actions of this man. John Boehner is not a friend of the American Black community and is entitled to every and all the disrespect we can legally throw at him!

Enough is Enough!

COMMENTARY

Giuliani’s Words Do More than Hurt – They Divide “A new expression has entered the Westminster lexicon: dog-whistle politics. It means putting out a message that, like a high-pitched dog-whistle, is only fully audible to those at whom it is directly aimed. The intention is to make potential supporters sit up and take notice while avoiding offending those to whom the message will not appeal.”

– The Economist, March 2005 After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, I brought a delegation of mayors to meet with the city’s then-mayor, Rudolph Giuliani. The delegation’s goal was to help restore confidence in the still-traumatized city and help rebuild what had been so inhumanly destroyed. At the time, I was mayor of New Orleans and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Giuliani – widely acknowledged and praised for his leadership after the attacks – catapulted onto the national stage to become “America’s Mayor.”

Marc H. Morial How times have changed.

During a private New York fundraising dinner for Republican presidential candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Giuliani popped onto the national stage yet again – not for the qualities he displayed as “America’s Mayor,” but for the unfounded accusation that President Obama does not love America.

“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” Giuliani said in response to a question about the president’s foreign policy and counter-terrorism strategies. He added, “He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up, through love of this country.”

Speaking in front of a 2016 Republican presidential contender and a mixed crowd of conservatives and business executives, Giuliani – who failed to win the 2008 GOP presidential nomination – attacked the patriotism of our nation’s president, a man whose grandfather served in World War II, whose grand-uncle helped liberate the Nazi death camp at Buchenwald and who was the chief executive behind the operation to kill 9/11’s mastermind, Osama Bin Laden.

Questioning the president’s patriotism isn’t just inappropriate; it demonstrates a complete lack of respect. It begs the question that as Giuliani continues to seek a prominent role on the national political stage: Will he choose to rehearse only in the Theater of the Absurd?

Giuliani’s response was neither an honest critique of the president’s foreign policy, nor was it a considered analysis of our nation’s ongoing discussion on how to combat terrorism.

It was, however, a veiled attack on the character of our president. It was a better-left-buried relic from 2008 when candidates – including Giuliani – purposely appealed to a particular strain of the GOP base who viewed Obama, the Harvard-educated Black man raised by his White family in Hawaii, as “the other” and “not like us.” It was a rehearsal of the kind of divisive rhetoric that has no place in the 2016 race for the White House.

I am the first to assert that honest critiques of any president, administration and its policies are critical in a functioning democracy. But in this case, there is nothing constructive or relevant in maligning a man because of the way he was raised. Further, Giuliani has yet to explain how the president’s upbringing jeopardizes the national security of our nation. How can personal attacks ever have a constructive place in our conversations about degrading and ultimately destroying ISIL or creating jobs or energy independence?

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “It is sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature and even admiration tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly.”

Without hesitation, I can say that the Giuliani I met with that mayors’ delegation in the smoldering aftermath of the terror attacks – a bridge-builder, a reconciler and a healer – was not the Giuliani I heard last week. It is quite unfortunate that his reappearance on the national stage recasts and squanders that legacy for a new one that limits him to catering to groups animated by the rhetoric of division at best, and veiled hatemongering at worst.

If I agreed with anything in Giuliani’s statement, it is that, yes, it was a horrible thing to say on many levels. I would add, in a word of advice to the former mayor of New York, that whenever you feel compelled to preface a comment with “I know this is a horrible thing to say,” it is likely a comment better left unsaid.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Dr. King’s Bold Case for Economic Equality Black History Month is over, but we should move past the standardized foci and platitudes that mark our commemoration. We have a history that challenges us to address vestiges of intolerance and redress the inequality that still undermines African American upward mobility throughout the year.

Since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seems to be the safe and acceptable embodiment of the best of Black history to those who are wary of more “radical” elements, let us marry King’s visionary brilliance with his practical, bolder prescriptions for racial equality. King was more than a transformative Black preacher. He was a social architect who demanded specific actions to move Black people from the back of the bus to the boardroom. The legendary March on Washington in 1963, for Matthew C. example, was not merely an interracial love-in. It was a call for Whitaker action. Indeed, it was a “March for Jobs and Freedom,” with an emphasis on jobs and the financial independence that comes with economic opportunity at every level.

In 1968, as King delivered one of his last speeches, he passionately addressed America’s failure to acknowledge White privilege and redress the lack of commiserate economic opportunity for Black people.

“At the very same time that America refused to give the Negro any land, through an act of Congress our government was giving away millions of acres of land in the West and the Midwest, which meant it was willing to undergird its white peasants from Europe with an economic floor. But not only did they give them and, they built land grant colleges with government money to teach them how to farm. Not only that, they provided county agents to further their expertise in farming. Not only that, they provided low interest rates in order that they could mechanize their farms. Not only that, today many of these people are receiving millions of dollars in federal subsidies not to farm, and they are the very people telling the black man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. And this is what we are faced with, and this is the reality. Now, when we come to Washington in this campaign, we are coming to get our check.”

This is not the kumbaya King that we are bombarded with every Black History Month. This

is King drawing attention to the history of affirmative action for White people and the need for Black people to have seats at the economic table at every level.

King argued that “practical racists affirm the existence of racism with their lips, and deny the existence of racism with their lives and their actions. They have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.” His “practical racism” can be used as a prism through which racial disparities in the workplace, earnings, and wealth can be illuminated and corrected. Indeed, corporate leaders often affirm the existence of racial inequality and disparity in their offices with their words, and reject their existence in their hiring, promotions, management, and board appointments patterns. The consequences of which include low morale, decreased productivity and attrition, in addition to lost creativity, innovation, intellectually diversity, and goodwill with the larger Black community, whose purchasing power will top $1.1 trillion dollars by the end of this year.

King was very concerned about economic inequality. Indeed, Jobs, upward mobility, and access to the highest levels of influence within the business world, are as crucial to establishing racial parity as the civil rights that King fought and died for. In 2014, however, journalist Michael W. Chapman wrote that the Black American unemployment rate was 11.4 percent, more than twice the 5.3 percent rate for White Americans.

Furthermore, according to sociologist G. William Domhoff, nearly 50 years since King’s assassination, “American wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few [predominantly White] hands. As of 2010 20% of the people owned a remarkable 89%, leaving only 11% of the wealth for the bottom 80%.”

The PewResearchCenter noted that by 2013 “The wealth of White households was 13 times the median wealth of black households” and expanding.

In the aftermath of Black History Month, let us not only bask in stories of African American heroism, framed by King’s faith and soring oratory, let us also remember his calls for financial manifestations of our commitment to equality and opportunity.

Matthew C. Whitaker is ASU Foundation professor of history and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, in the College of Letters and Sciences, at Arizona State University. He is also the owner and CEO of The Whitaker Group, L.L.C., an equity and inclusion, cultural competency, and human relations consulting firm. He can be followed on Twitter at @Dr_Whitaker.

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

BUSINESS

Verizon Hosts Black History Month Celebration at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum

By Sandra Arnett Special to the AFRO Despite the frigid temperatures on Feb. 28, visitors poured into the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore for Verizon’s free Black History Month celebration. This was the sixth consecutive year Verizon welcomed guests from across Maryland to visit the museum.

The museum is a leading resource for information and inspiration about the lives of African-American Marylanders – from the state’s earliest history to the present and future. During the open house, visitors explored the museum, visited vendor tables and participated in a full day of activities. Attendees enjoyed food, door prizes, historical presentations, and arts and crafts, and the first 200 Tony Lewis of Verizon children received educational gifts.

Four youth also won tablets during Verizon’s special program at noon. The program included entertainment, speakers, and a special recognition of community leaders, innovators, and essay contest winners from elementary, middle, and high schools across Maryland.

U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin brought greetings from the federal team for Baltimore – Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Rep. John Sarbanes and Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger. “We are here to help celebrate Black History Month,” Cardin stressed. “Thank you Verizon and the partners for bringing us together today. This is a celebration.”

Maryland Sen. Catherine E. Pugh (D, District 40) – president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and state senate majority leader – said to the standing-room-only crowd, “We celebrate Black history because of all the trials and tribulations that African Americans have gone through, not just for their accomplishments. We must remember what our ancestors went through. We must remember the struggle.” Pugh also thanked Verizon for all it does in the community.

Anthony A. Lewis, Verizon’s mid-Atlantic region vice president of state government affairs, said a longstanding commitment to diversity and giving back to the community are key reasons the company continues to host its Black History Month open house. “We are here today because Verizon is vested in the community,” he added. “We have a responsibility to our customers, the community, this fabulous city and this wonderful state. It’s an absolute necessity that we celebrate this historic month and the community partnerships we’ve formed with some wonderful organizations.”

Some of this year’s event partners included the Afro-American Newspapers; Associated Black Charities; Baltimore City Branch NAACP; Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development; Collective Empowerment Group, Inc.; Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland; Maryland State Conference NAACP; Radio One; Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Alpha Alpha Sigma Chapter; and The Baltimore Times.

Also participating in the black history celebration were Del. Barbara A. Robinson (D, District 40); Del. Nathaniel T. Oaks (D, District 41); Del. Sandy Rosenberg (D, District 41); Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett; Bruce Adams, director of Montgomery County’s Office of Community Partnerships; Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young; Baltimore City Councilman Carl Stokes (D, District 12); Gerald Stansbury, president of the Maryland State Conference NAACP; and J. Howard Henderson, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Urban League.

During the noon program, Verizon announced the following winners of its 2015 Community Innovator awards: * Joy Bramble, owner/publisher of The Baltimore Times * Vince Canales, president of the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police * Wanda Draper, director of programming/public affairs, WBAL-TV 11 * Solomon Graham, founder of Quality Biological Incorporated * Rev. Dr. Cleveland Mason II, president of the United Baptist Missionary Convention * Glenard S. Middleton Sr., executive director of AFSCME Council 67 and president of

Verizon’s 2015 Community Innovator Award Winners

Vendors speak to attendees Maryland Public Employees, Local 44 * Wannetta Thompson, executive director of GVCA Outreach, Inc. * Rev. Dr. Jonathan Weaver, founder of The Collective Empowerment Group * Dr. David Wilson, president of Morgan State University * Janice Wilson, president of the Charles County Branch NAACP A surprise award was presented to Dr. A. Skipp Sanders, executive director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. He praised the partnership with Verizon and noted that the company’s free open house draws record-breaking numbers of guests to the museum each year, including many first-time visitors. “Black History Month is a great opportunity for us to celebrate and honor those individuals who made a significant contribution and commitment in the past and those who continue to make a difference today,” Lewis said.

Hundreds of youth also visited the museum courtesy of Verizon. When six-year-old Zoe Lashley arrived, she was drawn to the children’s arts and crafts room, where a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority helped Zoe write her first autobiography and publish her first newspaper called the Baltimore Black History News with articles on John Henry Murphy Sr., and Vivien Theodore Thomas. Murphy was an African-American newspaper publisher, best known as founder of the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper. Thomas was an African-American surgical technician who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s.

Zoe, a kindergarten student at The H.O.P.E. Academy, left the arts and crafts room with her newspaper proudly tucked under her arm. “By educating our youth on their history, we help ensure that the future remains strong,” Lewis said.

Study: The Great Migration Negatively Impacted Blacks’ Health

By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO A new paper published in the American Economic Review has found that the Great Migration of Blacks from the Deep South in the first half of the 20th century had a negative impact on the health and life spans of those migrants, despite generally higher incomes and levels of education than their non-migrating counterparts (two factors generally associated with improved health outcomes). The paper speculates that increases in smoking and alcohol consumption among those who moved northward may have played a role, in addition to changes in diet and the stress of leaving one’s family and community behind. “[W]hile the Great Migration was surely a means for improving economic opportunities among African Americans—resulting in higher wages and better job prospects among migrants . . . the economic and historical literature also emphasizes that African Americans often faced daunting circumstances in the North, including high costs in discriminatory housing markets and uneven employment prospects,” write the study’s authors, Dan Black, Seth Sanders, Evan Taylor and Lowell Taylor.

“Real economic gains to moving North may have been modest or non-existent for many African Americans . . . thus attenuating improved health prospects associated with increasing prosperity. In any event, any beneficial health benefits due to economic and social improvement were apparently swamped by other forces, such as changes in behavioral patterns that were detrimental to long-term health, including higher propensities to smoke and consume alcohol.”

The authors of the study note that among those in their data set who migrated north, there was a marked increase in chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, as well as cancers of the respiratory organs, suggesting alcohol and tobacco consumption habits in the north played a role in the Great Migration’s effect on mortality for A Black family arrives in Chicago from the South, ca. 1919 those who migrated.

Photo courtesy of Blackpast.org

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

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Impact of Roe v. Wade on Black Community and the Ongoing Debate

By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent This is the first in a series of articles about laws that have significantly impacted Black women in America.

I

n 1967, Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown, the first African-American woman surgeon in the South and a Tennessee state assemblywoman, was the first American lawmaker to sponsor a proposed bill to fully legalize abortion. The proposal failed. But, in 1970, pregnant Dallas-area resident Norma L. McCorvey (“Jane Roe”) sued then-District Attorney Henry Wade, claiming that a Texas law criminalizing most abortions violated McCorvey’s constitutional rights. On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Roe’s favour, asserting that the “right of privacy, whether it be founded in the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty and restrictions upon state action…or… in the Ninth Amendment’s reservation of rights to the people, is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.”

The high court’s controversial ruling in Roe v. Wade, which allowed women to have an abortion in the early stages of her pregnancy without government interference, has reverberated throughout the nation and across the decades. Divisive in nature, it has spawned acrimonious debate, sharp political partisanship and even violence.

Undoubtedly, however, Roe v. Wade has had an undeniable impact on American women, particularly African-American women—though the nature of the effect is, as expected, a source of debate.

“This was a landmark case that absolutely changed the game for women of color in this country,” said Monica Simpson, executive director, Sistersong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. “This is the first case that really helped alleviate reproductive oppression and allowed women to make their own decisions over their body.”

On the other hand, pro-life advocates say the death of millions through abortion, rather than being a source of “justice,” has instead unleashed a “holocaust” and “genocide” in the African-American community.

That idea burst back into the mainstream during 2010’s Black History Month when the Radiance Foundation, a Georgia-based antiabortion group, erected dozens of billboards proclaiming the message, “Black children are an endangered species.” The following year, the group Life Always sparked outrage with a billboard in lower Manhattan that declared, “The most dangerous place for an AfricanAmerican is the womb.”

Both groups, and other anti-abortion activists, have identified Planned Parenthood – the international non-profit and provider of reproductive health services, including abortion – as the villain in this so-called genocide. For example, in New York, the home of Planned Parenthood, more Black babies are aborted than are born alive (1,223 to 1,000), according to the Radiance Foundation, which cited the state’s health department. Activists say the group targets African Americans, pointing to its founder Margaret Sanger’s connection to the eugenics movement—which sought to cull the population of those considered “unfit,” usually the disabled, poor and minorities—and the location of the group’s clinics in poorer, minority communities.

The AFRO reached out to Planned Parenthood but did not receive a statement by deadline.

“As someone who is Black and has worked in the community all my life, I think Roe v.

Wade has had a devastating impact on the Black community,” Ryan Scott Bomberger, chief creative officer and founder of the Radiance Foundation, told the AFRO. He added, “If you go off of the United Nations’ definition of genocide, it is exactly what has happened in the Black community.”

Fuelling these claims is the long-held fact: the comparatively high abortion rates among Black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 (the last year for which information is available),

White women accounted for 37.2 percent of abortions, Black women for 35.5 percent, Hispanic women for 21.1 percent and other races for 6.3 percent.

But, Black women have the highest rates and ratios of abortion – almost four times that of White women: 33.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years and 472 abortions per 1,000 live births compared to 8.7 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years and 140 abortions per 1,000 live births.

Reproductive rights and health advocates attribute the disproportionate number of abortions among Black women to the higher number of unintended pregnancy rates within the group. These higher unintended pregnancy rates reflect the challenge faced by many women of color in accessing high-quality contraceptive services and in using them consistently, they say, and also reflect the broader realities of racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and outcomes.

For example, it was only when President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act that health insurance companies were required to offer free birth control coverage, and Medicaid—the source of health coverage for many low-income, minorities—is still not required to offer free contraceptives.

Sonya Michel, an expert in women’s history, University of Maryland—College Park and senior scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said because of their relatively low incomes and lack of access to quality health care, African-

Protestors of all races at a pro-choice rally in Washington, D.C., January 2012.

Debra Sweet/ Flickr/Creative Commons

American women did not always have the full reproductive freedom other groups enjoyed.

“One of the ironies when you look across the political spectrum, the people who are the most opposed to abortion are also opposed to providing affordable birth control and welfare benefits to African-American people,” Michel said, adding that such detractors are basically saying Black people shouldn’t have sex.

Courtesy Image

Some of the memes and online posters from the Radiance Foundation, which purports that abortion has been a form of genocide in the Black community.

The abortion-as-genocide supporters however, decry those claims, seeing abortion as another in a set of attempts—some government-sponsored—to decimate the Black community. Such fears are grounded in a history of medical—including reproductive health—abuses within the Black community.

“We’ve been accused of promoting conspiracy theories, but it is not conspiracy, it’s history,” Bomberger said.

In her book, Killing the Black Body author Dorothy Roberts outlines the history of the control and manipulation of the Black woman’s womb as a tool of racial oppression in the United States.

“The systematic, institutionalized denial of reproductive freedom has uniquely marked Black women’s history in America,” she wrote. “Considering this history—from slave masters’ economic stake in bonded women’s fertility to the racist strains of early birth control policy to sterilization abuse of Black women in the 1960s and 1970s to the current campaign to inject Norplant and Depo-Provera in the arms of Black teenagers and welfare mothers—paints a powerful picture of the powerful link between race and reproductive freedom in America.”

That tainted history prompted several within the Civil Rights and Black Nationalist movements to view birth control and abortion as a form of “race suicide,” and encouraged Black fertility as a means of empowering the Black race.

Bomberger echoes those sentiments, which—for him—is grounded in a deep personal history. The product of rape—which has long been accepted as a rationale for abortion—Bomberger was instead given up for adoption and raised in a Christian family of 15 children—10 of whom were adopted. He is, himself, the parent of two adopted children.

“It is a huge blow to Black voting power”

and to other aspects of the Black community, he said of the “epidemic” of abortions.

“We’ve heard the term #BlackLivesMatter, but when do they matter?” Bomberger questioned, later adding, “We want to stop the destruction of beautiful possibility in the Black community, not only of the unborn children who are killed, but of potential mothers and fathers…. For a people who have overcome such a heinous past to believe killing our future is something to celebrate baffles me.”

Conversely, pro-choice advocates see the nation’s history of abuse against the Black woman and the costs of involuntary motherhood as even more reason why Roe v Wade is a matter of justice.

Among African female slaves, abortion and birth control methods were part of their heritage—used as part of their basic health care but also as a form of self-determination, protection of potential children from the horrors of slavery and protest against enslavers that viewed them as mere brood mares.

In an 1856 medical essay, Dr. E.M. Pendleton noted complaints by plantation owners that their slaves seemed to be “possessed of a secret by which they destroy the foetus at an early age of gestation.”

But the indigenous knowledge of those African slaves were lost as the gap between the generations grew wider–and as modern-day Black women began to lean more heavily on institutionalized medical care, Simpson said.

And, then-illegal abortion became dangerous.

“Women were taking extreme measures to rid themselves of unwanted pregnancies,” the reproductive justice activist said. “Most of the women who lost their lives before Roe v. Wade were women of color.”

Given those and other socio-political realities, Simpson said it is “completely ridiculous” to “pressure” Black women with these abortion-as-genocide memes void of further discussion about the role of Black men who abandon their families, void of discussions about the economic inequalities Black women face, void of social issues such as police violence against young Black men, void of discussions about the lack of comprehensive sex education for Black boys and girls, etc.

“It is absolutely absurd and cruel to shame Black women in this way because at the end of the day, we don’t know why a woman may choose not to have a child,” she said. “What trips me out is people think women are making these choices lightly. This is never an easy decision for any person to make.”

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The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

On Feb. 19, the Greater Baltimore Urban League hosted its first annual Business Summit at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore. The one-day event provided tools and resources for small, minority, women and veteran-owned business, to excel in today’s business culture. President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Urban League, J. Howard Henderson, said this is the first of many more business summits. Dia Simms, keynote speaker for the business summit, enlightened the audience with tips on believing and keeping the dream of owning, managing and branding a business. “Taking risks are so important, make a decision, you make the right decision and be a student,” she said. Simms is the Executive Vice President of Ciroc Vodka & Innovations and President of Combs Wine & Spirits.

The business summit workshops focused on financial resources and building capacity, maximizing technology to grow a business, building external resources and new supplier diversity. Local business leaders such as LaRian Finney, Zachary McDainels, Stanley Tucker, Paul Taylor Deb Tillet, Gueter Aurelien, Key note speaker, Stacie Price and many others came Dia Simms out in great support to encourage and share their testimonies and

Frank B. Coakley and Gordon M. Outlaw

experiences through panel discussions and one-on-one interviews with future business leaders. The Greater Baltimore Urban League is connecting with neighborhood businesses to impart knowledge to making the business a success.

For more information visit http://www.gbul. org/.

Gueter Aurelien

Stanley Tucker, pres. Meridian Management Group

J. Howard Henderson (CEO BUL) and LaRian Finney (The Finn Group)

Dia Simms mingles with the crowd and answers questions

The audience was attentive Financial Resources Panel

Technology Panel Members J. Howard Henderson (CEO BUL), Dr. Ben F. Chavis Jr. and Zachary McDaniels, event chair

Lenora Howze, AFRO Dir. of Advertising

Photos by Anderson Ward

Darryl Stokes, Executive sponsor, EAARA and Emmett Vaughn

EAARA members are Dawn Alexander, Lily Kuitcha, Calvin Little, Allison Manswell, president

In celebration of Black History Month, Exelon’s African“focusing on professional development, employee engagement and American Resource Alliance (EAARA) hosted a group discussion on community services,” said Allison Manswell, president.

“Career Development Insights from Susan L. Taylor: Nurturing Your The Black History event’s sponsors were Exelon, BGE, and Passion Along Your Career Path.”

Constellation.

Susan L. Taylor, founder and CEO, National CARES Mentoring Donna Richardson and Wayne R. Movement and Editor-in-Chief Emerita of Essence Magazine told Frazier Sr., president, Md. Washington the packed room of employees and executives that “We are Minority Companies Association each other’s keepers; money does not make you happy—there is something deeper—developing a core relationship with ourselves and with each other.” Taylor continued, “We are supposed to leave Sharon Thomas, Jennifer Hale, Angela Strange our children and our community better than we find them now—we are losing the battle of literacy. We have a huge responsibility to help our children.”

EAARA Baltimore is an employee resource group dedicated to demonstrating and developing the business impact of diversity by

Ammanuel Moore, Lawanda Sheppard, Tavanna Cherry, Taiwo Alo

Nikki Bigelow and Erica Woolridge

Allison Manswell, president, EAARA, Exelon's AfricanAmerican Resource Alluiance

Ingrid Woods, Latarsha Carpenter, Alicia Ringgold

Gwen Sullivan, Sanmi Kalesanwo, Wilhelmina Moore

Penny Jenkins, Cynthia Edwards, Keisha Clarke-English

Tamla Olivier, Michael Pechin, Jennifer Lowry

Susan L. Taylor

Susan L. Taylor, Emmett Vaughn, Valencia McClure Maureta Scott, Sharon Davis, Andrea Moore Photos by Dr. A. Lois De Laine

Delali Tsogbe and Wanda Roberts

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

B3

ARTS & CULTURE

Lights, Camera, Catlett!

currently trying to get his film, Griffin off the ground. The project, which is still in the planning stages, will be based on his experiences and people he met in his life, the actor said.

“I was fortunate to have my dad in my life, but a lot of men don’t,” he said. “Some men do have Before he a father in their lives, but he’s was even able to absent in the home. I wanted chase his dreams in to write a story on four guys’ Hollywood, he had perspective of growing up without a to first overcome his father.

It’s kind of along the lines of fair share of obstacles, [the movie] Juice—a story wrapped Catlett said. The 31-yearup in four young men and how old was raised in the they become father figures for each Del Ray neighborhood other.” of Alexandria, Va. He While the fundraiser that he graduated from T.C. started on the crowd funding website Williams High School Indiegogo.com didn’t yield the where he played football finances that he set out for, Catlett and basketball. explained that he remains optimistic “I experienced about the project and counts his [challenges] like any kid setbacks as a “learning experience.” growing up in the inner city, “We’re trying to find the resources Catlett said. “My sister was to fund it. I want to come back home to on drugs all my life. That shoot it because I’m from Virginia and was a challenge. My mother it’s untapped there,” he said. I want to be was always the one who able to hire talent from D.C. who would encouraged me to get an never come out to L.A.” education.”

Becoming the captain of your own ship is After moving to what Catlett preaches. In his opinion, that’s how California to play Blacks can truly change diversity in Hollywood. college basketball, “We want to create our own lane and Catlett said he make our own way…. [And, while doing eventually caught the Photo by Courtney Beckett that], we don’t take ownership or keep acting bug and never Will Catlett believes ownership.

And that’s the problem,” he said. looked back. there is a new “We create dope stuff and then we sell it off.

He recently Black Renaissance I believe that’s what Black and Sexy and appeared in an ESPN underway.

Issa Rae [are trying to change].” commercial and is

Burgeoning Actor Will Catlett Talks DMV Upbringing and the New Black Renaissance in Hollywood

By Gregory Dale AFRO News Editor For Will Catlett, discovering that he wanted to act was like finding the missing piece to a puzzle.

Over the course of time, he had pursued other passions like playing sports and writing poetry, but couldn’t quite figure out what exactly was missing.

“I always knew I wanted to do something else, but I just didn’t know what that something else was,” he said.

After experiencing an “a-ha” moment, Catlett dived headfirst into pursuing his newfound passion. But his rise-to-fame method of breaking into “Tinsletown” was unlike traditional stories heard in the past.

Like many other burgeoning actors, producers and writers of this era, Catlett has built up a buzz and his résumé thanks to Webbased projects. And now, there’s a renaissance of Black Web projects that have come into the national scope.

Among the leaders of the pack is comedian/ writer-producer Issa Rae, who got her big break in Hollywood after her Web series “Awkward Black Girl” exploded in popularity.

Also, the YouTube network Black & Sexy TV has experienced tremendous success, garnering a deal with HBO and implementing their own Netflix-esque paid subscription service.

Catlett burst on the scene in 2012, after

co-starring in the Black & Sexy series, “That Guy.” The project, which ran for two seasons exclusively on YouTube, later spawned an entire movie, which was available for purchase online this past Christmas holiday.

Now, he’s gearing up for the season two rollout of another YouTube Web series he stars in called “First.” The project, which premiered on Feb. 25, follows the adventures (and misadventures) of a 20-something AfricanAmerican couple.

“Creative people are saying, ‘What are we waiting for?’ We have access to the cameras, we have access to the talent and a lot of times, actors are writers, directors and producers anyway,” Catlett said. “So, you can have direct contact with the audience by going to YouTube, Hulu, Amazon, or wherever you want to go.”

Catlett explained that the rules of making it big in Hollywood have changed dramatically, and those who can’t keep up with the times are left in the dust.

“These executives hire people based on how many Twitter followers they have,” he said. “That’s the wave. I did a read at BET and my friend told me the type of questions they ask [include] ‘What is your social currency?

What kind of fan base do you have online?’

That’s the norm. Me and a guy could be going head to head, and I could be the better actor…

But he has 25,000 followers and I have 2,000.

So, they look at it like that.”

Cuba Gooding Sr. Continues to Enjoy a Thriving Entertainment Career

By Timothy Cox Special to the AFRO BALTIMORE — Mention the song “Everybody Plays the Fool,” and an older generation of music lovers will immediately recall that The Main Ingredient, featuring lead singer Cuba Gooding, before he added the “senior” tag to his name, recorded the oncepopular tune.

A younger generation will immediately connect Gooding’s surname with his son, the actor, Cuba Gooding cuba-gooding.com Jr. – famous for starring in several top films such as Boyz N The Hood, Jerry Maquire, Fighting Temptations, American Gangster, Radio and now the recently released SELMA. In an interview from his home near St. Augustine, Fla., the elder Gooding reflected on his successful music career and raising two successful actor sons, including his “baby boy,” Omar Gooding.

At 70, Cuba Gooding Sr. has no problem divulging details about the past and the development of his formidable musical career from his Harlem, N.Y. origins. He notes that his father,Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was a Barbados native with an affinity for the Marcus Garvey “Black Nationalist” movement in the early 1900s. “He told my mother that he would name his first born son Cuba – that’s because he once lived in Cuba and had positive feelings about the country,” said Gooding Sr. He also revealed that his mother (Addie Alston) wanted him to become a solo singer in the mold of Nat King Cole or Brook Benton. “She always wanted me to separate myself from that whole group thing.” In fact, The Main Ingredient had already formed in Gooding’s midst, as some of his boyhood friends started rehearsing in his neighborhood, but Gooding was unaware of their existence.

The original group was called The Poets and later, The Insiders. Before Gooding joined, The Main Ingredient had already recorded a marginal hit, “Spinning Around” in 1970 and scored heavily on the The Impressions’/Curtis Mayfield composition, “I’m So Proud,” in ‘71.

The original group included Tony “Panama” Sylvester, Luther Simmons and Donald McPherson (vocal lead of “Spinning Around” and “Black Seeds Keep on Growing”).

McPherson died in 1970, Gooding recalls. “We were not the typical black soul group from the early 1970s. We recorded on the prestigious RCA-Victor label (now SONY) with the likes of Harry Belafonte and Charley Pride, said Gooding.

But remember, we were young and still wanted to be cool and soulful like our counterparts, The O’Jays and The Delfonics and people like that,” he said.

“I could never compete with the ones who sang in church, like Eddie Levert and the guys from The O’Jays. I don’t even know any spiritual songs, I grew up singing and wanting to be like Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra. I had to teach myself to become a group performer instead of a standup, solo artist,” said Gooding. “I vividly remember standing in Times Square in

New York City – never asking for money, but just singing and working on developing my craft.”

He reflects on a career highlights after being recruited to join The Main Ingredient. “Heck, I was working in credit collections at Sax Fifth Avenue, and had no interest in singing on that level. The guys needed me (after McPherson’s illness and eventual death) so they promised me I could make more money than I did on my two-week salary at the department store. So, the rest is history.”

With Gooding’s magical lead vocals, the group scored heavily on the 1972 single “Everybody Plays the Fool” and two hits from 1974, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” and “Happiness Is Just Around The Bend.”

Comparing today’s music business with the 1970s, Gooding says he will never forget recording album projects live, on sound stages, accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra. “It doesn’t get any better than that. Today, talent and stardom is all dependent on whether American TV viewers call and vote for you, ala ‘American Idol.’”

The golden years also had its share of bad times, he said.

“We found ourselves $250,000 in the hole, after paying for all those recording sessions, for all the musicians, the payola – all that was in RCA’s budget. We never got the lion’s share. That’s why Stevie (Wonder) created Black Bull Music, so he could get his (publishing) share from Berry Gordy and Motown.

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MONDAY, MARCH 16 - 7:00PM AT AMC COLUMBIA Please visit www.gofobo.com/AfroAmerican to download your complimentary passes!

Please arrive early! Seats are not guaranteed and are limited to theater capacity and are first-come, first-served. This theater is not responsible for seating over capacity. THE GUNMAN has been rated R by the MPAA.

IN THEATERS MARCH 20

B4

The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

“SOME BULL & OYSTER ROAST, SOME JAZZ & DANCING FOR YOUR PLEASURE” Hello everyone! Did you get snowed in last weekend? Yeah! Me too, so I decided to go where it was much warmer. My Boo-Boo (Shorty) and I will be cruising away for two weeks, until this white mess goes away. Yes we are leaving on the Carnival Pride to the Southern Caribbean from Tampa, Florida to Panama, Aruba, St. Maarten and some other sunny, sandy islands from March 13 and returning to Baltimore March 29. You know I will be thinking about you, maybe! Because of the snow storm a lot of events were cancelled or rescheduled.

Last Saturday. We were scheduled to do Lou Fields’ Langston Hughes Book Fair last Saturday and checking my email before leaving, I found out it had been postponed until April 4, still from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and at the same location; the Forest Park Senior Center on Liberty Heights Ave. So I Patrons from all over Baltimore support look forward to seeing you all and packing the house the Jazz Expressways Foundation at that time.

Breakfast, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., March 14, at Coming up in the next week or two are some the Forest Park Senior Center, 4801 Liberty

Road. Cabaret style, BYOB and breakfast will be served. For more information, call Howard Easley at 410-323-7295.

interesting entertainment and some nice shows. I most sure, one of these if not all of them will tickle your fancy.

The Johns Hopkins University in partnership with the Peabody Institute has announced its Winter/ Spring Jazz Series, called “Jazz at the Johns Hopkins Club.” I believe this will be an exciting concert experience for many music lovers. The concert will include two sets by the Tarbaby Trio featuring Gary Thomas, 8:30 p.m., March 7. For more details, contact John Hopkins Club, 3400 N. Charles Street, 410-235-3435., I already mentioned to you about the jazz show Shirley Duncan and Leon Epps are at Caton Castle coming up March 7 with Romeir hosting Adult Dance Classes for Hand Mendez, see details with photo. So the jazz lover will Dancing, Urban Line Dancing and Bop love this. at the Howard Recreation & Parks, 7120 Do you like to dance? Well, “Hand Dance Oakland Mills Road in Columbia. For Queen” Shirley Duncan and her partner Leon Epps more information call, 410-313-4635 or are hosting Adult Dance Classes at the Howard

410-313-7275.

County Recreation & Parks, 7120 Oakland Mills Road in Columbia. Experience the traditional and exciting hand dance and bop that will make you stand out socially. Spice up your dance ability in this class designed for all levels. You can learn the basic 6-count, weight change, proper coordination of foot patterns, balance and controlled turns and partners are not required. Shirley will teach you some of the hottest new and old line dances currently being danced in Baltimore’s top spots. Dances are done to the hottest R&B and oldies music around. For more information, registration, call 410-313-4635 or 410-313-7275 and tell them Rambling Rose told you.

An Oyster & Bull Roast is hosted by Cardinal Shehan of Baltimore Council No. 205, 3-8 p.m.. March 8, at the Heritage Parkville Gardens, 7631 Romeir Mendez, bassist and his Harford Road. quintet will perform at the Caton Music will be Castle on Hilton and Caton Ave., provided for 6-10 p.m., March 7. The Quintet your dancing pleasure by DJ includes Tim Green on sax, Duane Eubanks on trumpet, Allyn Johnson Derrick and on piano and CV Dashiell on drums. it is BYOB. For ticket information, call 410-298-0168.

Next weekend the Nomads Van Club of Baltimore is Stanley Jordan, world renowned giving their 42nd Anniversary Bull & Oyster Roast, 8 p.m. guitarist will perform 8 p.m., to midnight, March 14 at Martin’s Eastwind, 9000 Pulaski March 6-8 at the Blues Alley Hwy, in Baltimore, this event is semi-formal and open bar.

1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW, For ticket information, call SWAT at 410-367-7952.

Washington, DC. For ticket Just one more thing. The Baltimore City NAACP information, call 202-337-4141.

Health Committee honoring Women during Women’s History Month which will feature an “All-Male Fashion Show Health Event & Luncheon,” 1-4 p.m., March 14, at the Forum Caterers, 4210 Primrose Avenue in Baltimore. Special Honorees are: Agnes Welch, former City Councilwoman, Annette R. MarchGrier, president & CEO of Roberta’s House and grief counselor of March Funeral Homes. For ticket and information, please contact, Dr. Josephine Ball at 410-664-2489.

Well, my dear friends, I am out of space, but we will talk again soon, even thou I will be far away.

Remember, you can always email me at rosapryor@aol.com or call me at 410-833-9474.

UNTIL THE NEXT TIME, I’M MUSICALLY YOURS.

THE

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N5020247A.indd 1

2/20/15 2:37 PM

March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

B5

SPORTS

What’s Next for the Chicago Bulls? they’ll have to find a way to phase him out as other players are forced to step up to alleviate their Rose-dependency. Center Joakim Noah and swingman Jimmy Butler are excellent puzzle pieces to fit around the team’s next prime time player, and the team could easily make a move in the summer of 2016 when several blue chip free agents are scheduled to hit the market.

They may even be able to use Rose’s final year as a trade chip.

But, whatever they do, they have to rid themselves of Rose’s contract, considering his injury history.

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Writers Another knee injury to their brilliant yet brittle superstar had the Chicago Bulls on front page of sporting publications for much of the week. A successful surgery to remove a torn meniscus from Derrick Rose’s right knee on Feb. 27 was a 10-to-15-minute procedure that brought a sigh of relief into a city and franchise that was still trying to recover from Rose’s latest injury. News broke earlier in the week that Rose would be out with the torn meniscus and several predictions were suggesting that he would be out for the rest of the season, all but killing the Bulls’ chances at contending this year. But Friday’s news brought with it a four-to-six-week recovery period in which Rose is expected to return. After toying with the idea of rebuilding and replacing the still 26-year-old Rose, the options on the table now are all pointed towards finishing this season strong and challenging for a title. But what’s truly next for the Chicago Bulls? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debates the issue.

Riley: Even before Rose’s surgery on Friday, I still firmly believed that Chicago would continue to fit pieces around him in hopes of contending. His injury history has been a stroke of bad luck, but his talent is undeniable. His original injury in 2012 was a torn ACL that he appears to be fully recovered from. A torn meniscus is an injury that numerous athletes have returned from with much success. And, while the last two seasons have revolved around meniscus issues, it was never a fear, at least to me, that Rose couldn’t return from that type of injury. Doctors are suggesting now that he could be back in time for the postseason after his surgery but it will all depend on how Rose feels. The Bulls star has stated in the past that he won’t return to action unless his body feels up to it, but you have to believe this time around that with Rose in the lineup, this might be the best Chicago team that Rose has been on so he’ll put the pressure on himself to return. Chicago’s not scrapping the Rose experiment, and depending upon how he plays when he comes back, Chicago could find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Riley: There aren’t too many full-fledged superstars in the NBA and considering Rose has already given the team a MVP season in 2011, that’s something the franchise will forever hold and remember. You can replace players in the NBA all the time. It becomes harder, however, when trying to replace MVP-caliber players. Rose is still young enough in his career that he hasn’t hit his mental prime yet. His athleticism and explosion obviously continues to dwindle, but he has yet to reach his veteran peek, making him a useful commodity along the Chicago roster. A hometown kid who’s already put in an MVP season is worth hanging on to. Before his injury this year, you could see glimpses of Rose dominating the court like he used to do in his younger years. With Rose coming back, the Bulls are in great shape; and if it’s any team that’s going to seriously challenge Cleveland in the East, then it’s Chicago.

Wikimedia Commons

After news broke about Derrick Rose needing a four-tosix week recovery period following surgery, what does that mean for the Chicago Bulls?

Green: You can’t continue to hinge your hopes around the health of Derrick Rose. The Bulls have been snake bitten over the last three seasons trying to wait on their injured star to return, and doing it again just isn’t a wise business decision.

Rose may potentially come back this season, but going into the summer, Chicago needs to refocus its efforts on finding his eventual replacement. After this season, the Bulls are obligated to only two more years at $20 million apiece, so finding his heir apparent is going to be critical. Even if they retain Rose,

Anacostia Takes Home DCIAA Girls Basketball Title Washington, D.C. High School Basketball – Girls

By Breana Pitts Special to the AFRO The Anacostia Lady Indians defeated the Wilson Lady Tigers, 58-45, to win the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) girls’ basketball championship on Feb. 27 in Washington, D.C. However, for Anacostia head coach Dwayne Shackleford, the win was about more than basketball.

“We skilled them up on the basketball court, but we also skilled them up in life,” said Shackleford, an Anacostia alum. “These kids have grown. Some of them went from getting F’s to 4.0 GPAs. It’s bigger than basketball at Anacostia. To see the progress, it’s just awesome.”

Anacostia senior guard Asisha Greene, DCIAA player of the year, made a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give her team a 27-21 lead. Her teammates kept the momentum going in the second half and pulled away to a double-digit lead.

“We needed to win, so we had to do what it takes to win,” said Greene, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “We needed more.”

With less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson junior guard Tuziah Hall made a three-pointer to cut Anacostia’s lead to just four points. However, Anacostia freshman Mya Moya responded with a floater and crucial free throws to give the Lady Indians breathing room until the final buzzer.

Moya finished with 16 points. For Wilson, Hall led the team with 20 points.

The victory marks Anacostia’s first DCIAA girls’ basketball title since 2000. “[There are] levels to winning,” said Shackleford. “They paid their dues and God blessed them with a championship. It’s awesome.”

Your

nose knows

when gas is leaking.

Livingstone Wins Back-to-Back CIAA Basketball Titles CIAA Championship Game

By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor Junior guard Daryl Traynham scored a team-high 23 points to lead the Livingstone Blue Bears to its second straight Central Interscholastic Athletic Association (CIAA) men’s basketball championship title with a dominating 106-91 win over Winston-Salem State (WSS) on Feb. 28 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Livingstone is now the first school to win back-to-back CIAA basketball championships since Johnson C. Smith pulled off the special feat during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

“This is a great day for Livingstone basketball,” Blue Bears’ head coach James Stinson said, according to Livingstone’s Sports Information Office. “The guys came out with a purpose. I loved their focus throughout the game. Overall, they persevered and did the job at hand. When I walked into the locker room, they were fully tuned in to what the goals were.”

Livingstone had its way with WSS offensively, scoring from any and everywhere on the court. The Blue Bears pounded WSS inside the paint for points and torched them from the outside with hot three-point shooting. Traynham led the way with 23 points, but senior forward Eric Maynor followed up with 22 points. Three other players also scored double digits in points for the Blue Bears, including junior guard Eric Dubose with 18 points and junior guard and CIAA Tournament MVP Ty Newman with 13.

Three players scored at least 20 points for WSS, despite the loss. Senior forward WyKevin Bazemore led WSS with 24 points, freshman guard Terrell Leach scored 23, and senior forward Donta Harper added 20.

Winston-Salem ends its season with an 18-10 overall record, while Livingstone (19-9 overall) moves on to the NCAA Division II basketball tournament, scheduled to start mid-March.

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Green: Rose was barely playing well before he re-injured himself; you can’t seriously expect for him to arrive better than ever by the time April starts. He’s going to have to go all out as this may be the last hurrah for this Bulls team as presently constructed. Even an MVP Derrick Rose wasn’t enough to beat LeBron James, and this year will be no different. Chicago’s at an interesting impasse, no doubt. On one hand they’re still constructed to win now and on the other they have a player – around whom their title revolve – that continues to break down on them. Things are definitely complicated right now in the Windy City, but management will come to realize that as long as it continues to fork over huge dollars to an injured superstar still living off of a four-year-old accomplishment then they’re not going to be winning anything anytime soon.

Advertiser:

BGE

Publication:

Afro American

Insertion Date: September 6 & 20, 2014 Ad Size:

7.28” x 4”

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Become a Foster Parent!

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LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

City of Baltimore Department of Finance Bureau of Purchases

SHERIFF’S AUCTION-Under and by virtue of a Writ of Execution issued out of the District Court for Baltimore City, at the suit of DEER RIDGE TERRACE CONDOMINIUM, INC. v. ELISSA M. WINER, I have seized and taken in execution and will sell at Public Auction to the highest bidder, ALL THE RIGHT, TITLE, INTEREST AND ESTATE OF SAID ELISSA M. WINER in and to Condominium Unit 311, 1040 Deer Ridge Drive, Baltimore, MD 21210 . And I hereby give notice that I will sell on the front steps of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Courthouse West, 100 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD on Monday, March 9, 2015 at 9:00 A.M., ALL THE RIGHT, TITLE, INTEREST AND ESTATE OF ELISSA M. WINER in and to Condominium Unit 311, 1040 Deer Ridge Drive, Baltimore, MD 21210.

John W. Anderson, Sheriff TERMS: $5,000.00 Deposit in cash or certified funds at time and place of Auction Sale. Balance in 30 days.

Jonathan Melnick Auctioneers, Inc. 410-366-5555

Sealed proposals addressed to the Board of Estimates of Baltimore will be received until, but not later than 11:00a.m. local time on the following date(s) for the stated requirements: MARCH 18, 2015 *HYDRAULIC HOSES AND FITTINGS B50003973 *PORTABLE AIR COMPRESSOR WITH TRAILER B50003978 THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION DOCUMENT CAN BE VIEWED AND DOWN LOADER BY VISITING THE CITY’S WEB SITE: www.baltimorecitibuy.org TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:56:20 EST 2015 BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING ON BILL NO. 14-0435 The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the Baltimore City Council will meet on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 1:10 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. 4th floor, City Hall, 100 N. Holliday Street to conduct a public hearing on City Council Bill No. 14-0435.

CC 14-0435 ORDINANCE - Zoning - Conditional Use Conversion of a 1-Family Dwelling Unit to a 3-Family Dwelling Unit in the R-8 Zoning District - 2437 Madison Avenue For the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the conversion of a 1-family dwelling unit to a 3-family dwelling unit in the R-8 Zoning District on the property known as 2437 Madison Avenue, as outlined in red on the accompanying plat.

BY authority of Article - Zoning Section(s) 3-305(b) and 14-102 Baltimore City Revised Code (Edition 2000) NOTE: This bill is subject to amendment by the Baltimore City Council.

EDWARD REISINGER Chair

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CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OFFICE OF ENGINEERING & 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. 902-Improvements to Sanitary Sewers in the Dundalk Sewershed will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204, City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works in Room 6 located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of Friday, March 6, 2015 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 the Committee at 3000 Druid Park Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21215. 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 B02552Sewer Construction or G90099-Cured-in-Place Pipe Lining Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $15,000,000.01 to $20,000,000.00 A ”Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted at 300 Abel Wolman Municipal Building, Large Conference Room on March 12, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. The CCTV videos of the sewers included in this project will be made available for viewing/copying to interested parties at the office of CDM/PEER Joint Venture, One North Charles Street, Suite 1900, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Refer to IB-8 for additional details.

Principal Items of work for this project are: ”Sewer cleaning and closed circuit television (CCTV) inspection *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 installation work This project is a recipient of the State Revolving Loan The MBE goal is 17% The WBE goal is 16% SANITARY CONTRACT NO. 902 APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor Clerk, Board of Estimates APPROVED: Rudolph S. Chow, P.E. Director of Public Works

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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BALTIMORE CITY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FINANCIAL AUDIT SERVICES

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR BALTIMORE CITY Case No.: RFP Number: B-1786-15 24-D-14-003085 IN THE MATTER OF The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (”HABC”) will accept proposals William Ulrich from interested and qualified firms of Certified Public Accountants to audit Mitchell its financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 and at the FOR CHANGE OF option of HABC four (4) subsequent (2016,2017,2018,2019) fiscal years. NAME TO These audits are to be performed in accordance with Generally Accepted William Muhammad Government Auditing Standards set forth in the U.S. General Accounting Office, ”Government Auditing Standards” (1994 Revision), and OMB A-133 ORDER FOR Compliance Supplement, the Single Audit Act Amendments (SAA) of 1996, NOTICE BY the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) numPUBLICATION ber 98-3 issued March 17, 1998, Moving to Work Compliance Supplement The object of this suit is and the PIH Compliance Supplement as applicable, and all current to officially change the accounting and auditing standards and publications. Subject to the HUD name of the petitioner announcements, the audits for FY 2016 or later years may have to be from performed in accordance to 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance issued by OMB. William Ulrich Mitchell PROPOSALS WILL BE DUE no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on to Wednesday, April 15, 2015.

William Muhammad A non-mandatory pre-proposal conference will be held on Tuesday, March It is this 12th day of 24, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. in the Charles L. Benton Building, 417 E. Fayette February, 2015 by the Street, Room 416, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202.

Circuit Court for Baltimore City, HABC has established a minimum goal of twenty percent (20%) of the total ORDERED, that pubdollar amount of the proposed contract for Minority Business Enterprise lication be given one (”MBE”) utilization, applicable to all minority and non-minority businesses time in a newspaper of proposing to provide the requested services as the prime contractor. No general circulation in goal has been established for participation of Women-owned businesses Baltimore City on or (”WBEs”), however, HABC strongly encourages and affirmatively pro- before the 12th day of motes the use of WBEs in all HABC contracts.

March, 2015, which shall warn all Bidders shall also comply with all applicable requirements of Section 3 of interested persons to the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, 12 U.S.C. Section 1701u. file an affidavit in opposition to the relief reThe RFP and all supporting documents may be obtained on or after Mon- quested on or before day, March 16, 2015, from the following location: the 27th day of March, 2015 Housing Authority of Baltimore City Division of Fiscal Operations, Procurement Department Frank M. Conaway 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 414 Clerk Baltimore, Maryland 21202 03/06/15 Attention: John Airey, Chief of Contracting Services Tel: (410) 396-3261 Fax: (410) 962-1586 Questions regarding the RFP should be directed in writing to the address and individual indicated above, and must include the reference: HABC RFP B-1786-15.

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B6 The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015

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March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015, The Afro-American

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 Water Contract No. 1301-On-Call Large Water Main Repairs will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204, City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. 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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, in Room 6 located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of Friday, March 6, 2015 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 the Committee at 3000 Druid Park Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21215. 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 B02551Water Mains 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 in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the Bureau of Water & Wastewater, Abel Wolman Municipal Building on March 19, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. Principal Item of work for this project are: Installation of various size prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) and ferrous metal pipe segments, reinforcement of existing PCCP utilizing external post tension tendon systems, epoxy repairs, and installation of pipe taps for inspection/repair access and installation of corrosion control and monitoring systems at various locations in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

The MBE goal is 7% The WBE goal is (410)936-40411% WATER CONTRACT 1301 APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor Clerk, Board of Estimates APPROVED: Rudolph S. Chow, P.E. TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:55:09 EST 2015 Director of Public Works CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OFFICE OF ENGINEERING & 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 Water Contract 1302-On-Call Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Large Water Main Repairs will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204, City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, April 8, 2015.

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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Room 6 located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of Friday, March 6, 2015 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 the Committee at 3000 Druid Park Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21215. 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 G90133Carbon Fiber Reinforced Repair of Water Mains greater than 48 inches 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 3rd Floor Conference Room of the Bureau of Water & Wastewater, Abel Wolman Municipal Building on March 19, 2015 at 1:00 P.M. Principal Item of work for this project are: Reinforcement of Various size prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) segments with use of a carbon fiber reinforced composite repair system.

CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 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.TR14021R; UTILITY LOCATION TEST HOLES & BORING FOR ENGINEERING PROJECTS CITYWIDE will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M March 25, 2015. 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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Service Center located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of February 27, 2015 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $75.00. 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 the Committee at Room 634, Charles L. Benton Bldg., 417 E. Fayette St., 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 none required. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $100,000.00 to $300,000.00. A ”Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted at 10:00 A.M. onMarch 13, 2015 at 417 East Fayette Street, Room 722, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Principal Items of work for this project are -Test Holes Vacuum Excavation Method (Up to 6ft. Depth per Hole) 350 EA. The MBE goal is 8%; WBE goal is 5% APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor, Clerk Board of Estimates TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:56:02 EST 2015 CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 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.TR15001; RECONSTRUCTION OF FOOTWAYS CITYWIDE will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. March 25, 2015. 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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Service Center located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of March 6, 2015 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $75.00. 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 the Committee at Room 634, Charles L. Benton Bldg. , 417 E. Fayette St., 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 A02601 - Portland Cement Concrete Paving. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $500,000.00 to $1,000,000.00. A ”Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted at 11:30 A.M. on March 18, 2015 at 417 East Fayette Street, Room 702, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Principal Items of work for this project are ”62,500 S.F. 5” Concrete Sidewalk, 47,000 S.F. 5” Concrete Sidewalk damaged by tree roots, and 5000 L.F. Cement Concrete Curb Repair Variable Width. The MBE goal is 27%; WBE goal is 10% APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor, Clerk Board of Estimates

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TYPESET: Wed Feb 25 15:55:27 2015 LEGALEST NOTICES

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TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:54:49 2015 LEGALEST NOTICES

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The MBE goal is 0% The WBE goal is 0% WATER CONTRACT 1302 APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor Clerk, Board of Estimates APPROVED: Rudolph S. Chow, P.E. Director of Public Works TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:55:26 EST 2015 CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 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.TR15011; RESURFACING HIGHWAYS AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS NORTHEAST SECTOR I will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. March 25, 2015. 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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Service Center located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of March 6, 2015 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $75.00. 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 the Committee at Room 634, Charles L. Benton Bldg. , 417 E. Fayette St., 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 A02602 Bituminous Paving and D02620 Curbs, Gutters & Sidewalk. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $2,000,000.00 to $3,000,000.00.

A ”Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted at 10:00 A.M. on March 20, 2015 at 417 East Fayette Street, Room 724, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Principal Items of work for this project are -HMA Superpave 12.5 mm PG64S-22 for Surface Level-2 - 10,870 TON; Paving Removal - Bituminous Material 0” to 3” depth - 80,730 S.Y and 9” Reinforced Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Using Mix 6 - 1,510 S.Y. The MBE goal is 20%; WBE goal is 7% APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor, Clerk Board of Estimates

TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:55:45 EST 2015

CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 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.TR15002; RECONSTRUCTION OF FOOTWAYS CITYWIDE will be received at the Office of the Comptroller, Room 204 City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland until 11:00 A.M. March 25, 2015. 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 Contract Documents may be examined, without charge, at the Department of Public Works Service Center located on the first floor of the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 as of March 6, 2015 and copies may be purchased for a non-refundable cost of $75.00. 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 the Committee at Room 634, Charles L. Benton Bldg. , 417 E. Fayette St., 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 A02601 - Portland Cement Concrete Paving. Cost Qualification Range for this work shall be $500,000.00 to $1,000,000.00. A ”Pre-Bidding Information” session will be conducted at 11:30 A.M. on March 18, 2015 at 417 East Fayette Street, Room 702, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Principal Items of work for this project are ”5” concrete sidewalk 52,500 SF, 5” concrete sidewalk damaged by tree roots 50,000 SF, and emergency repairs for 5” concrete sidewalk by tree roots 6,800 SF. The MBE goal is 27% The WBE goal is 10% APPROVED: Bernice H. Taylor, Clerk Board of Estimates

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410-554-8200

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B8 The Afro-American, March 7, 2015 - March 13, 2015 NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS BALTIMORE CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ANTICIPATED TO BE BID February 2015 to June 2015 Pursuant to 23 CFR 635.110, Subpart A (regarding the timeliness of advertisement for federal-aid construction projects relative to the City’s contractor prequalification process), the City’s Department of Transportation, hereby notifies interested parties of the following projects which may be advertised for construction during the period from February 2015 to June 2015.

Prime Contractors, interested in bidding on any of the projects below, must be prequalified by the Baltimore City Office of Boards and Commission in order to submit a Bid. Subcontractors must be prequalified prior to beginning work on the Project. Potential bidders are advised that the prequalification process may take up to 90 days to complete. For further information, please contact the Commission at 410-396-6883 or michael.augins@baltilmorecity.gov.

PROJECT PREQUALIFICATION CATEGORIES Preston Gardens A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving

D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks

Edison Highway Bridge over C03300 – Concrete Construction AMTRAK D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks

Resurfacing Highways at A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving various locations D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks SW Sector III

Geometric Safety A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving Improvements – Phase II D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks N. Rogers Ave and Liberty Heights Intersection, Frankford Rd and Hamilton Intersection, Frankford and Corse Ave Intersection

Edmondson Avenue Bridge C03300 – Concrete Replacement G90009 – Foundations, Underpinning,

Drilled-in Caissons

COST RANGE $ 4,000,000 – $ 5,000,000 $500,000 $1,000,000 $3,000,000 $4,000,000

$4,000,000 $5,000,000 $30,000,000 – $40,000,000

Central Avenue Bridge and A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving Reconstruction from Harbor C03300 – Concrete Construction Point to Baltimore Street D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks (Design Build)

$ 40,000,000 – $ 50,000,000

East Baltimore Development – EBDI, 2A

$3,000,000 $4,000,000

A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks

CAREER CORNER

TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:50:12 EST 2015

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT COORDINATOR CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE has a full-time, 12 month position as an Institutional Advancement Coordinator.

Additional information may be obtained at www.carrollcc.edu .

EOE/M/F TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:50:35 EST 2015

EDUCATION FINANCIAL AID COUNSELOR CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE has a full-time, 12 month position available as Financial Aid Counselor. Additional information may be obtained at www.carrollcc.edu.

EOE/M/F TYPESET: Wed Mar 04 15:51:00 EST 2015 EDUCATION BASIC IT SKILLS INSTRUCTOR CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE seeks a part-time, BASIC IT SKILLS INSTRUCTOR. Additional information may be obtained at www.carrollcc.edu.

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To advertise in the AFRO Call

410-554-8200

East Baltimore A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving $1,000,000 Development – EBDI, 1-DB D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks $2,000,000

Reconstruct North Avenue - A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving $5,000,000 Aisquith St. to D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks $10,000,000 Washington St.

Harford Road Bridge Replacement C03300 – Concrete

G90009 – Foundations, Underpinning, $20,000,000 Drilled-In Caissons $30,000,000

Downtown Bicycle Network A02602 – Bituminous Concrete Paving

D02620 – Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks

G90029 – All Types of Pavement Markings $2,000,000 $3,000,000 Jones Fall Trail – Phase V C05100 – Structural Steel Erection

$5,000,000 $10,000,000

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Con Man Matches Wits with Former Protégé in Cat-and-Mouse Crime Caper ‘Focus’

By Kam Williams Special to the AFRO

Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie) is an aspiring con artist who picked the worst guy to steal a wallet from when she settled on Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith). She had no reason to suspect that he was a third generation flimflam man descended from a grandfather who ran a crooked poker game in Harlem back in the day.

Nicky was more curious than infatuated when he accepted the seductive stranger’s invite up to her hotel room after sharing drinks at a bar in midtown Manhattan. So, he was ready when an accomplice (Griff Furst) posing as her berserk husband burst in brandishing a fake gun.

Rather than hand over his wallet, Nicky calmly laughs and schools the two in the flaws of their little shakedown, such as not waiting until he was naked to try to rob him. Jess is so impressed that she not only confesses, but begs him to take her on as a protégé, giving him a hard luck story about having been a dyslexic foster kid.

Nicky agrees to show her the ropes, and even invites her to join his team of hustlers about to descend on New Orleans where they plan to pickpocket plenty of unsuspecting tourists.

They’re also set to hatch an elaborate plan to fleece a wealthy compulsive gambler (BD Wong) of over a million dollars.

Though Jess proves to be a fast learner and the plot is executed without a hitch, Nicky is reluctant to include her in his next operation after they become romantically involved.

Instead, he moves on alone to Argentina, where he hopes to bilk a racing car mogul (Rodrigo Santoro) of a small fortune.

The plot thickens when Jess is already draped on the arm of the playboy billionaire by the time Nicky arrives in Buenos Aires. Is she in love with the handsome Garriga or simply staging her own swindle? Will she expose Nicky as a fraud or might she be willing to join forces with her former mentor?

Co-directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love), Focus is an overplotted, cat-and-mouse caper which ostensibly takes its clues from the cleverly-concealed classic House of Games (1987). But where that multilayered mystery was perfectly plausible, this frustrating homage unnecessarily ventures from the sublime to the ridicuWill Smith and Jess Barrett star in ‘Focus.’ lous, thereby sabotaging any chance that Good (2 stars) its promising premise might be played out in serious fashion.

Rated R for profanity, sexuality and brief violence Nevertheless, co-stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie genRunning time: 104 minutes erate enough chemistry to steam up the screen and make the Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures farfetched romantic romp just worth the watch, provided eye candy alone can do for you in lieu of credulity.

To see a trailer for Focus, visit: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6vY9UPiI4eQ