AFRO BOOKS TAKE CENTERSTAGE AT MAGIC MIRROR FAIR 12
GM’s Ed Welburn gets engineer honor, donates to Howard University Page 8 February 12 - February 18, 2015
V-Day brings boom to Black florists Page 3 www.districtchronicles.com
Volume 14 Issue 25
6
Editorial
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By James Clingman NNPA Columnist (NNPA) – How many times, especially during or just after a tragedy like the killing of Eric Garner, have you heard one of our “leaders” angrily say, “Enough is enough”? They say it as if their angry rhetoric will scare the perpetrators and make them stop mistreating us. More importantly, I believe, they use these words to stir up Black folks to the point of being willing to follow them and do whatever they tell us to do. To that I say, “Enough is enough!” The way we have digressed over the past few decades make it pretty clear that our toothless tiger leaders, our “big dog” organizations, and the shallow and often meaningless gestures by our celebrities have not taken us very far. We have failed to move beyond threatening rhetoric, empty promises, and no-win compromises. Instead those who would have us believe they are leading us to victory are selling us out. They stand behind microphones on stages, under the rubric of “Black Leader” or “Black Spokesperson,” shouting and getting the troops “fired up and ready to go” with no roadmap, plan, end game, or a real strategy to actually accomplish something. Then, they disappear until the next crisis comes along, and we jump on their wheel-less bandwagon once again. It’s time we hold ourselves accountable for the declaration, “Enough is enough.” Do we need to be slapped upside our heads just a little bit harder for us to act more appropriately in response to our mistreatment and the myriad complaints we have lodged? Do we need one more person killed, even before we have resolved Eric Garner’s homicide? Do we need just one more march on Washington, in New York City, and now in Cleveland, before we truly mean “enough is enough?” Just to shout out some tired phrases and walk away as if we accomplished something is insulting and, quite frankly, cowardly. Bombastic rhetoric not followed by appropriate action is nothing
Radio host Bob Law says consumer spending and economic power is key to change.
but a waste of time and resources. Maybe that’s why many young people are so turned off by what they see and hear from “leaders.” How are we going to make a real difference in the way we are treated if we don’t first change the way we respond to it? When we change our behavior, the perpetrators’ behavior will change. But right now we are so predictable, so shallow, and so vulnerable. We are willing to walk 130 miles because we think it will change what happened in Ferguson. We are willing to drive, fly, or ride a bus to a march, while spending thousands of dollars to get there, stay there, and eat there, only to leave no better off than we were before we left home. Is enough really enough? I don’t think so. So what should we do to change our situation and gain a few victories along the way? Here’s one answer: Bob Law and a group of activists in New York City have put out a call for a period of redirecting Black dollars away from businesses that earn tremendous profits from Black consumers. They are calling it, “No Justice, No Profit.” According to Law, “One of the most effective ways to demand justice is to turn our consumer spend-
ing into real power and begin to target and control our spending. Let’s make where we spend our dollars a political decision. Let’s become Conscious Consumers.” Law has no soapbox, no pulpit and no news conference. His proclaims loudly and clearly that enough is truly enough, and here is what we are going to do to show we mean it this time. So what’s it going to be? Another march, or some real economic and political action? The One Million Conscious Black Voters and Contributors provide another possible solution. It is not merely a political effort; it is a major economic movement. If you want to see and be a part of a monumental effort and positive solution that no one else is offering to Black people, you should join by sending an email to iamoneofthemillion@gmail.com. But remember, the key word is “conscious.” James Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is a writer on economic empowerment for Black people. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his website, www.Blackonomics.com.
Neighborhood boom helps bloom local florist shop revenues
Finance
Stacy Lee Banks of Lee’s Flower shop (left) says business is better than it has been in a long time.
By Sarafina Wright Howard University News Service
I
t is a busy time for Lee’s Flower and Card Shop. It’s February, just days before Valentine’s Day, the celebration of love when Americans spend $1.9 billion on flowers and 64 percent of men and 36 percent of women will give flowers to a significant other. And things are humming. The staff in the shop, located on U and 11th Street in northwest, is swamped as workers rush back and forth to fill orders for weddings, Valentine’s Day and other events. Two blocks away on the corner of U Street and Georgia Avenue, workers at Johnnie’s Florist, another Black-owned floral shop in the Shaw neighborhood, are just as hurried. Business is good. And this year, business is better than it has been in a long time as the flood of new residents into the neighborhood, most of them White, have had the cash registers at both florists ringing like never before. “In the past five years, we have seen business grow tremendously,” said Stacy Lee Banks, a third generation owner the store that her grandparents started in 1945.
“People want fresh flowers for their home, for dinner parties, for dates. “Because the people of the neighborhood are changing, you have those with eclectic interest. There are more and more people into plants, herbs and flowers. They have a passion for these things. So they don’t mind spending.” Johnnie Harris, owner of Johnnie’s Florist echoed those sentiments. “We have clients all over the D.C. metro area,” said Harris, “but the new boom in the neighborhood has definitely been a plus.” In the past five years, U Street and Georgia Avenue have undergone tremendous change as new residents, most of them White, have moved in and some AfricanAmerican residents have been forced out. Some Black-owned business have lost business and closed. Expensive condos, renovated homes and businesses, trendy bars, restaurants and lounges have changed the landscape and demographics of the area. Some long-time residents have sold their homes at a profit and moved to the suburbs or to retirement communities. Others, however, have
been forced out by climbing rents or new constructed high-end housing. While gentrification has been bad for some, it has been good for Lee’s and Johnnie’s. “Gentrification has had no effect on my business in a negative way,” said Harris, who has been in business for 20 years. “We have profited for there being changes around the area.” Lee’s has seen profits double over the past five years, said LeeBanks, a business graduate of nearby Howard University who started in the store at age 12. Now, she said, she wants to solidify business with the shop’s new customers. “Business is booming,” she said. “At one point, the majority of our customers were half and half, and now it’s mostly White. There is nothing wrong with it. We accommodate our customers and business is better than ever before.” Even though profits are soaring and business is doing well, LeeBanks said she does have some regrets. “Although I love the new business and customers we receive, it has been bittersweet,” she said, “sweet for us and the business, but bitter for the people of the community who have lost their homes.”
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Neighborhood
Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington District of Columbia Obama budget includes Norton’s D.C. priorities
C
ongresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is elated that President Obama’s fiscal year 2016 budget contains her major D.C. funding and policy priorities, including a provision to allow D.C.’s budget and laws to take effect immediately upon passage by the city. Norton said she was particularly delighted that Obama’s proposed budget recommends full funding for the Department of Homeland Security construction, a new D.C. research and innovation center for St. Elizabeths East Campus in Ward 8, and the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program. However, she said she will oppose a provision in the budget to reduce the annual household income threshold for the tuition assistance program eligibility from $1 million to $450,000 starting in the 2016-2017 school year. The budget also removes the riders included in the fiscal year 2015 Appropriations Bill that prevented D.C. from using its local funds to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana and from spending local funds on abortion services for lowincome women. “President Obama and his Administration have unequivocally supported our major policy priorities, except for the reduction in the income eligibility for DCTAG,” said
Montgomery County County libraries to participate in Library Snapshot Day
4 | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18, 2015 | District Chronicles
Montgomery County Public Libraries will celebrate February as Library Lovers Month by participating in the fifth annual Library Snapshot Day on February 18. The day’s activities demonstrate how residents love and use their libraries and emphasize the value and importance of libraries in communities. On Snapshot Day, the libraries will compile statistics, customer comments, photographs and other data chronicling a typical
Norton. “However, I am grateful for the $10 million increase in tuition assistance funding over the fiscal year 2015 enacted levels. “Without tuition assistance, thousands of current D.C. students would be out of college. But the income reduction would essentially undermine the goal of the program, which is to give D.C. residents the same educational choices and opportunities as Americans who live in states across the country, and would penalize many two-parent D.C. households whom we depend on for local tax revenue. “The funding for consolidation at St. Elizabeths is the clearest sign yet that the Administration recognizes that billions in federal funds would go down the drain if the DHS campus were left incomplete. We are grateful that the President again has demonstrated his support for D.C. to spend its local funds as it chooses and without politically motivated congressional interference.” To date, Norton has secured over $1.7 billion for construction at St. Elizabeths. Also included in the budget is $9.8 million in new funding for the establishment of a Research and Innovation Center on the Districtowned St. Elizabeths East Campus, which the city hopes will attract tech companies drawn by the presence of DHS on the West Campus. The budget provides $40 million, a $10 million increase over the fiscal year 2015, for Norton’s student assistance program, which enables D.C. students to attend eligible public uni-
versities and colleges nationwide at in-state tuition, and has doubled college attendance in the District. The budget also provides $20 million for D.C. public schools and $20 million for D.C. public charter schools. Norton said that the $24.3 million for the DC Water and Sewer Authority, a $10.3 million increase from the fiscal year 2015 level, comes as she and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser were joined by Vice President Joe Biden last month for a tour of DC Water’s new Anacostia River Tunnel Project. The newer tunnel and storm water overflow long-term plan are making the Anacostia River cleanup a national model. Other Norton priorities in the president’s budget include the seventh $150 million installment for Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA), plus an additional $1 million in new funding for WMATA to develop a strategic plan for regional mass transit innovation; $6 million in new funding for construction of transitional housing units for D.C. homeless families; $5 million to combat HIV/AIDS in the District; $1 million for the DC Solar Power Initiative; $750,000 for climate risk management in D.C; and $1 million for D.C.-based fine arts organizations. This is the second presidential budget ever to include both budget and legislative autonomy for D.C. The President’s budget states that, consistent with the principle of home rule, the administration will work with Congress and the mayor to increase and enhance D.C.’s local autonomy.
library day. Special activities will include VIP Read activities at selected libraries. “During the last Snapshot Day, we collected valuable statistics that demonstrated the importance of libraries in the lives Montgomery County residents,” said Parker Hamilton, MCPL director. “But the greatest impact came from the photos and stories that were collected – mothers interacting with their children; seniors accessing the internet; students studying together; preschoolers attentively listening to a story; and in the words of a customer, ‘If it weren’t for MCPL, I would never have become the reader I am today.’ Snapshot Day is about our customers, and
we want them in the picture.” Snapshot Day is sponsored by the Maryland Library Association, under the auspices of the American Library Association. Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Montgomery County Public Libraries, is a collaborative event organized by Montgomery County Public Libraries; the Montgomery County Library Board; the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, Inc.; local Friends of the Library chapters; and the Library Advisory Committees. For more information about related activities, visit the Library Lovers Month graphic on the scroll at www. montgomerycountymd.gov/library.
Divine Intervention Churches in Georgetown hold Black history By Elaina Johnson Howard University News Service WASHINGTON – When Vernon Ricks, 76, looks out at the new Georgetown, he doesn’t necessarily see the high-end stores, scores of tony shops, the expensive restaurants and bars and homes selling for $1 million and more. Instead, he recalls the small apartment at the corner of 26th and P Street where he and his siblings were raised by his mother and father. He remembers The Phillips School, where he and his AfricanAmerican classmates learned the three “Rs” and Rose Park, where they and their friends played baseball games, acted in plays and attended dances on Friday for 25 cents. Ricks recalls walking down the streets past the Black-owned barbershop, the drug store, the cleaners, the shoeshine stand and other African-American business. All of that is gone now, and the building he grew up in has been replaced by one-bed room condominiums selling for over a half a million dollars. “It’s funny,” he said, “I can’t even afford an apartment in the building that I grew up in.” The Georgetown of today is known for expensive homes, stylish boutiques, swanky restaurants, exclusive Georgetown University, and for being overwhelming White in a city where Blacks make up the largest racial group. The only reminders of the community’s long and deep AfricanAmerican heritage are three churches – Mount Zion United Methodist Church at 1334 29th St., First Baptist Church at 2624 Dumarton Ave. and Jerusalem Baptist Church at 2600 P St. Mount Zion United Methodist Church was founded in 1816 and is the oldest of the three. Barbara Thompson is an 81-year-old member of the congregation and has been attending the church for as long as she can remember. “I have been attending the church since birth, but I didn’t join on my own until I was 15,” said Thompson. “I can remember taking part in service, attending Bible school in the summertime, and be-
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Mt. Zion Methodist Church is one of three Black historical congregations Georgetown.
ing involved in the youth fellowship at Rose Park under the direction of Rev. James D. Ford.” Although the bulk of African Americans have left Georgetown, the churches’ members continue to travel from surrounding areas in Washington, Maryland and Virginia area for worship service on Sundays. Glois Johnson, 81, has been a member of Mount Zion United Methodist Church for 55 years. She commutes every Sunday to and from Colesville, Maryland. “After so many years, you get attached to the people,” said Johnson. “As long as I am able to drive the distance, I will continue to attend worship service.” The Rev. Rodney A. Teal, senior pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church, said the Black churches that remain in the neighborhood help the Georgetown community remember its rich history. Teal believes regardless of where the members currently reside, the church’s congregational members still have attachments to Georgetown. “Members who grew up in Georgetown are connected by family ties,” said Teal. “Allowing them to attend church in the neighborhood helps them to retain those memories.” In 1910, Georgetown’s Black population reached a peak of 50 percent. Many of these residents were descendants of slaves or
Blacks that emigrated there shortly after the Civil War. In the 1940s, however, the community began to change as former President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies worked against Blacks in Georgetown. Thousands of wellpaid White government workers migrated into Washington, which created a demand for housing and pushed property values even higher in Georgetown. Black residents moved to more-affordable areas. “The Whites saw an opportunity and wanted to own the land,” said Rick. “Since most AfricanAmericans rented their house, they were pushed out and their properties were condemned.” Georgetown’s population is now less than 4 percent African American. The historic churches have served the community for many decades. Currently, however, their memberships are dwindling as parishioners grow older and the churches are not able to pull from the surrounding mostly white neighborhoods for new members. The pews of Mt. Zion during a recent Sunday service were noticeably sparse and occupied primarily with members in their 60s or older. Khari Zame Johnson, a member of Mt. Zion, is an exception. Johnson is 18. He said he feels a special connection to the church. He will serve as the church’s new historian.
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Cover
Boogie down to commemorate Frederick Douglass
Shannen Hill Howard University News Service WASHINGTON -Somehow, the stern-faced human rights icon and slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Parliament Funkadelic, Sugar Hill Gang, the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Kool and the Gang just don’t seem to go together. Perhaps there’s something about a runaway slave who taught himself to read and became one of the nation’s greatest orators and the Mothership Connection that just don’t match. No matter, because they will all blend together this Friday with plenty of music and dancing when the nation celebrates Douglass’ 197th with a special 1970’s Washington-style Blue Light house party at the Anacostia Arts Center. The free party runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. DJ Scooter Magruder will hit the turn tables to recreate a blue-light house party, where the traditional light bulbs are switched to blue ones, which was popular in D.C. during the 1970’s.
“When [D.C.] celebrates, we have a house party, and this should be a great one for the celebration of Frederick Douglass,” said Magruder, an announcer on WPFW-FM who has been on the D.C. airwaves since the 1970’s. “They should expect some good dance music --everything form James Brown to Usher” Along with the house party, there will be an array of events Friday and Saturday in Douglass’ honor, including scrapbooking and genealogy workshops, gospel performances, oratorical contests and tours of Douglass’ home and neighborhood. Douglass spent the last 18 years of his life living in his Cedar Hill Anacostia Home, and every year, the Frederick Douglass Historic Site puts together birthday celebration events for him. There will be shuttles located at the Anacostia Metro station to take people to Douglass events at the Frederick Douglass Historic Site, the Anacostia Art Center and the Islamic Heritage Center during the events.
“We are really proud to partner with the community, and it’s exciting to us that we can do this and celebrate some of the history of the community at the same time,” said Julie Kutruff, the direct site manager at the Frederick Douglass Historic Site. The official first event will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Anacostia Community Museum. The public will be able to see photos, letters and publications of Douglass that aren’t usually available to the public. Saturday’s events kick off at 10:30 a.m. at the Anacostia Playhouse with an address by historian Leigh Fought, an expert on Douglass and an assistant professor at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, along with speech recitals by the 2014 winners of the annual National Oratorical Contest. There will also be a performance by the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices, a vocal group that will sing and act out traditional spirituals and songs that brought a people from enslavement to freedom.
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Mississippi Ave., S.E. Archer Park Site Work Owner: WC Smith Co. ARCHITECT: SK&I CIVIL ENGINEER: Dewberry
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click on the Archer Park LP Sitework project and you will be taken to a pager where the documents can be downloaded.**
Bids will be accepted by fax: 202-889-8875 or email, fdipietro@wcsmith.com or wmeacombs@wcsmith.com. Contact Fred A. DiPietro 202-903-2267 or Wesley Meacombs 202-9032285 wmeacombs@wcsmith.com with any questions. Please indicate your interest in bidding by logging on to www.wcsconstructionplanroom.com, and select "Accept", "Decline", or "Undecided"; or send back this completed form. Please take time to confirm your information is correct on the "My Info" link on the website. Plans: Electronic Bid Documents are provided free of charge by downloading from our website (see above link). If desired, bidders may purchase printed copies or CDs of the Bid Documents from our plan site after you log in. **Plans are not available for pick-up**
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6 | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18, 2015 | District Chronicles
Meanwhile, there will be a walking tour at 12:30 p.m. at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Participants will be shown different places that Douglass used to visit throughout Anacostia. Actor Darius Wallace, who tours with a one-man show about Douglass, will perform a speech at 1 p.m. also at the historic site that was given by Douglass at Washington’s Metropolitan A.M.E. Church called “Lessons of the Hour: Why the Negro is Lynched.” “Frederick Douglass’ story is one of triumph and the speech has universal message that everyone can relate to,” Wallace said. “It’s about how the country places a lot of blame on Black people. The audience will see a lot of parallels to today with all of the police shootings.” There will also be tours of Douglass’ home, Cedar Hill, from noon to 4:30 p.m. that will have more images than usual, along with a wax figure of Douglass from Madame Tussauds.
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Islamic Heritage Center will also hold events, including a historical map trek at 1 p.m. through Anacostia featuring Tony Thomas, the education programs coordinator of the Anacostia Community Museum. Dianne Dale will present “A Look at Frederick Douglass’ Hillsdale Neighbors,” at 2 p.m., and at the same time in another part of the center, there will be a genealogy workshop for the public to learn how to trace their roots. “[The public] will leave with many different skills on how to do [genealogy], why to do it and the theories behind it,” Tony Burroughs, genealogist and author of Black Roots. Artists from the Ward 8 Arts Council and others will host scrapbooking workshops where people can bring photos of their families and create a scrapbook page from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Anacostia Art Center. For more information on the Frederick Douglass birthday celebrations, visit www.nps.gov.
Politics Supreme Court to review fair housing law By Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist
A
tion before the Supreme Court is a simple one: Will the court stand on the side of justice and fairness by upholding disparate impact as a critical tool under the Fair Housing Act, or will it take a step backwards in our nation’s storied history and allow rampant discrimination in housing and finance markets to go unchecked?” “The answer for the court should be easy,” continued Bailey. “Disparate impact is a longstanding safeguard for fairness – it simply requires that policymakers, banks and other housing service providers pick the fairest option to avoid discrimination.” Myron Orfield, a professor of law and director of the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity at the University of Minnesota, was equally direct on the issue in a recent blog. “If the Supreme Court holds that there is no disparate impact cause of action under the Fair Housing Act, it will remove the single most effective tool available to fight discrimination and segregation,” concluded Orfield. Earlier mortgage research by CRL found that racial disparities really meant that communities of color bore a disproportionately large share of foreclosures, lost wealth, and deteriorating quality of life.
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lthough a series of civil rights laws were enacted in the 1960s, in the 21st century many of these victories continue to face legal challenges. On January 21, one such challenge was heard by the United States Supreme Court. By the time the Justices rule in the case of Texas Department of Housing vs. Inclusive Communities Project, the nation’s Fair Housing Act of 1968 will either be gutted or strengthened. Lawyers argued whether the Fair Housing Act was intended to apply only to intentional discrimination or whether policies and practices that lead to exclusionary racial patterns are within the scope of the law, causing “disparate impact.” In 2008, The Inclusive Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates fair and affordable housing in the Dallas metro area, sued the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. It charged the state agency with perpetuating racial disparities violating fair housing by the way it used an indirect federal subsidy called Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs). The tax credits, used across the country to support permanently affordable
rental housing options for lowincome families, were alleged in Texas to target minority areas while excluding them in predominantly White ones. In March 2014, the U.S. Federal Fifth Circuit of Appeals agreed with The Project. Undaunted by the appellate decision, in May 2014, the Texas agency petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court. Since then, amicus or “friend of the court” briefs have been filed by a number of diverse organizations that include AARP, Hope Enterprise Corporation, Howard University School of Law Housing Clinic, Judicial Watch, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Black Law Students Association, the National Fair Housing Alliance and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). Fair housing advocates have raised their voices and organized protests to mount pressure that conveys just how important fair housing is to the nation’s citizens and its economy. Speaking at a January 21, midday rally organized by the National Fair Housing Alliance and held on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, Nikitra Bailey, senior vice-president with CRL said, “Today, the ques-
The Supreme court decision could disarm the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
African-American and Latino borrowers were, respectively, 2.8 and 2.3 times as likely to receive a mortgage loan with a prepayment penalty – even though many of these borrowers could have qualified for more affordable and sustainable loans. At the height of the foreclosure crisis, borrowers of color were also foreclosed at rates nearly double that experienced by Whites. With such broad and strong support for disparate impact and research revealing its harms, if the Supreme Court takes the more narrow approach of intentional discrimination as it relates to the Fair Housing Act, the multiple and rippling effects may reverse fair hous-
ing’s hard-fought gains. As Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League recently wrote, “I think all fairminded people would agree that we should not allow these types of discriminatory outcomes to persist. Private civil rights attorneys, state Attorney Generals, federal enforcement agencies and others continue to work diligently to ensure that those practices are a part of the past – and not our future.” Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending. org.
Bill introduced to protect Maryland renters from abuse Annapolis – Sen. Victor Ramirez (D-47, Prince Georges County) is introducing a bill that will establish a working group to explore establishing the state’s first Maryland Rental Housing Authority. On the House side, Delegate Sheila Hixson (D-20, Montgomery County) is resubmitting a bill that calls for just-cause eviction protection. Delegate Jimmy Tarlau (D-47A, Prince Georges County) has introduced a bill that would grant access to apartment buildings for candidates seeking office to distribute campaign literature in apartment buildings. “We, as legislators, often ignore our residents who rent,” said Sen. Ramirez. “The statistics indicate a growing population of middle class renters, a majority of whom are retirees, federal government employees, working families and professionals. We simply must
make sure that this growing and important part of the Maryland community is kept stable and secure. That is why it is critical to create a commission to look into protecting renters and the whole rental community from instability and neglect.” Delegate Hixson, who chairs the House Ways and Means committee renters must be able to live free from intimidation and abuse “for seeking promised services and maintenance, or organizing tenants associations.” “Renters make up more than 50 percent of the residents of downtown Silver Spring, Bethesda and Rockville and rental housing construction continues at a hurried pace,” she added. Just-cause eviction law requires a landlord to provide a legitimate reason for not renewing an annual lease. “Renters pay taxes, vote and
participate in the social, economic and political lives of our communities,” said Delegate Tarlau. “We need to ensure that a renter has the same access to information in the political process that all residents have.” According to U.S. Census data, the percentage of Maryland residents living in rental housing has grown from about 10 percent just two decades ago, to more than 30 percent on average. Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are seeing rental populations surging upwards to 50 percent in the urbanizing areas of these counties. Furthermore, rental housing construction statewide continues to expand. In 2014, the Maryland legislature heard testimony on an unprecedented number of bills requiring landlords to provide just-cause before refusing to renew a tenant’s
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lease (SB181/HB0843). In the House, there was a bill to close loopholes in the state’s anti-landlord retaliation laws (HB/1108/HB1143), a bill to end the practice of forcing renters to buy renters insurance naming the landlord as a beneficiary (HB1280) and the Senate companion to the anti-retaliation bill (SB799/SB800). Sen. Ramirez’s original bill to establish the state’s first Maryland Rental Housing Authority within the executive branch was also considered. “As the population of renters in our state continues to grow dramatically, the abuses and intimidation by too many landlords and their property managers can no longer be ignored,” said Matt Losak, executive director of the Renters Alliance. “Renters fear losing their homes due to excessive and unpredictable rent increases and
unjust eviction. They also fear retaliation in other forms such as reduction in building services, maintenance and quality of life.” But, the Apartment Owners and Buildings Association (AOBA), which represents landlords, is opposed to all three bills. The Renters Alliance is a 501C-3 nonprofit organization based in Montgomery County, Maryland. The organization was founded in 2010 in response to a recommendation by the Montgomery County Tenants Work Group report which called for the formation of an organization dedicated to providing tenant education and advocacy. Today, the Alliance includes more than 25 labor, community, religious and civic organizations as well as thousands of renters across the state. For more information about the Renters Alliance, visit www. RentersAlliance.org.
District Chronicles | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18, 2015 | 7
Technology Thank GM’s Edward Welburn for that car By Khari Arnold Special to NNPA from Howard University News Service
puter Sciences, said Welburn’s contribution by example and his donation can point more Howard students to STEM careers. “It’s really important to get our young Black people into the STEM area,” Peace said. “STEM is where it is now. It really is.” Peace added: “Back in 1972, when we first started trying to get young, Black people into engineering, it probably wasn’t even 3 percent of the workforce that was Black at that time.” When Welburn was 11, he wrote General Motors asking for information on how to become a car designer. Eleven years later, he joined General Motors as an associate designer in the Advanced Design Studios. Welburn, who also interned at the company the summer before he graduated, would go on to become the first African-American designer at General Motors. In Weburn’s current position, every car that General Motors develops globally is created under his design direction.
Hayes Senior Center/Courtesy Photo
WASHINGTON – If you love the sexy, sleekness of the Chevrolet Corvette, the elegance and luxury of the Cadillac Escalade, the cool truck/SUV look of the Chevrolet Avalanche or the pure brawn of the Hummer H2, you can thank Edward Welburn Jr. Welburn is not exactly a household name, but for more than 20 years the Howard University graduate and one of the top executives for General Motors, has been overseeing the design of many of the world’s top cars and winning awards and accolades, including from President Barack Obama. For that work, Welburn, the vice president for General Motors Global Design, was honored this past weekend as the Engineer of the Year by engineers from the automobile, space, science and technology industries at the 29th annual BEYA STEM Conference in Washington. The conference is dedicated
to building diversity in the STEM (Science, Technology. Engineering and Mathematics) fields, an issue Welburn has led on during his 43years in the automotive industry. Welburn said while he has received many honors, BEYA’s was truly special. “It’s still sinking in,” he said. “To be recognized for something you love to do, and have fun doing, it’s kind of cool. It’s real cool.” To honor his alma mater and to aid increased diversity and curriculum development in the STEM field, Welburn presented a $110,000 check to Howard University on behalf of General Motors. “In achieving my goals, one of the defining chapters in my life was the time I spent at Howard University,” Welburn said. “There is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t think about the instructors and professors and the guidance that I received from them and what I learned.” LaWanda Peace, the assistant dean of Howard’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Com-
Ed Welburn, (2nd from left) Vice President of Global Design for General Motors presents a check to Howard University and Lorraine Fleming, the dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture & Computer Sciences as Barron Harvey, the dean of the School of Business (far left) and Sherwin Prior, the managing director for GM Ventures look on.
Welburn, the highest-ranked African-American in the automotive industry, said he wants to see more African-Americans and other people of color to follow on his path. “I just want to see Black folks do well,” Welburn said. “I want to see them succeed. Car design was what I wanted, and I know there are people out there who have the
same dreams, whether it’s car design or whatever it is that they’re interested in. We need to do everything we can to open doors and help them realize their dreams.” Welburn concluded: “I know from my many years designing automobiles for General Motors is that having a diverse workforce has huge benefits in developing a design for a car.”
Blacks urged to ramp up involvement in Internet issues By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief
8 | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18, 2015 | District Chronicles
lack access to the highest speed tier or are overrepresented in the lowest tier.” Keenan said that gap will likely expand under some programs, such has those launched by Google, that will target certain neighborhoods with service that will be 10 times faster than other offerings. Although there is universal agreement that the Internet should be open to all, there is sharp disagreement on how that should be implemented. MMTC favors placing consumer broadcast services of the jurisdiction of Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, but others – including President Obama – believe it should be covered by Title II of the act, an older section that initially covered telephones and other utilities. MMTC issued a statement saying, “MMTC and the national minority organizations formed their views on the Open Internet independently of the telecom companies, with no financial quid pro quos. Their position in the Open Internet rulemaking is the same as FCC Chairman Wheeler’s position
Ann Ragland/NNPA
NASSAU, Bahamas (NNPA) – Blacks need to become more involved in what might appear to be arcane debates over “net neutrality – having an open Internet – because the fast-evolving Internet will have a major impact on their lives, including how they consult with medical providers in the future, said Kim M. Keenan, president and CEO of the Multicultural Media & Telecom Council (MMTC). “The next wave is going to be telemedicine,” she said, referring to what the American Telemedicine Association defines as the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications – including smart phones, email, and video – to improve a patient’s clinical health status. “The day is going to come when better care is going to come through telemedicine and if our grandparents don’t have access to broadband – fast broadband – they are going to be left out.” Keenan, who recently assumed her new position after serving as
general counsel and secretary of the NAACP, made her comments here in an address to publishers attending the mid-winter conference of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). The Multicultural Media & Telecom Council, which recently changed its name from the Minority Media & Telecom Council, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media, telecommunications and broadband industries, and closing the digital divide. Keenan said African Americans should be concerned about the elderly, young students and everyone in between, all of whom are affected by a digital divide. According to a study by John B. Horrigan, there is an economic divide that parallels the racial divide. It found that compared to more affluent students, 12.3 percent of all low-income students either lack access to the highest speed tier or were overrepresented in the bottom tier. It also found that “13.8 percent of all African-American students who, compared to whites, either
Kim Keenan speaking at the 2015 NNPA Mid-Winter Conference in Nassau, Bahamas
except that the minority organizations sought stronger consumer protections than the Chairman did – specifically, a fast-track complaint process modeled after Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.” Keenan was still brisling at such criticism when she addressed NNPA publishers. “People have basically said. ‘They bought y’all out. That’s why y’all have this position,’” said Kennan. “It’s so insulting that people think that as Black people, we can be bought or that we don’t care about who will make it right for our community – that we won’t do what’s right like normal people do.”
Keenan praised Jesse Jackson’s push to diversify Silicon Valley. “Much has been said about Rev. Jackson, but if I were to look back over his lifetime and say, ‘What is the most significant thing that he’s done,’ I would point to this,” she said. “A company [Intel] invests $300 million and comes out and say, ‘We’re going to make our workforce look like America, we’re going to make sure we have Black engineers, but not just engineers.’ They need to have Black lawyers, Black accountants. People focus only on so many engineers, but there’s a whole lot of these other people.”
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Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington Montgomery County Montgomery College awarded $20,000 from AstraZeneca and MedImmune
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iopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and its Gaithersburg, Maryland-based global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, have each provided a $10,000 grant to the Montgomery College Foundation to support community college student success. The AstraZeneca grant will support the independent research course, Fundamentals of Scientific Research, which is designed for biotechnology, chemistry and biology students. Participating students will work in small groups with a faculty advisor and will have the opportunity to establish a virtual biotechnology company. They will learn interdisciplinary scientific research skills as well as collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking. A total of 20 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students will
District of Columbia DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities presents contemporary art by local visual artists
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) is proud to announce Some of the District’s finest visual artists, who each were awarded a FY15 Artist Fellowship Program (AFP) grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, will display work during a free and open exhibition. The 24 AFP artists will each exhibit a small body of work that illuminates their unique artistic perspective. The collection of these artworks within the I Street Galleries underscores the importance of establishing the first District government-operated public gal-
benefit from the grant, which will be used to purchase instructional equipment and supplies. The grant from MedImmune will provide program support for the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) initiative, an innovative collaboration between Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Universities at Shady Grove, the three public educational institutions serving Montgomery County. The ACES program offers a pathway from high school to community college to a university. The initiative focuses on underrepresented students as well as those who would be the first in their family to attend college. The program currently serves more than 1,300 students in local high schools and at Montgomery College. “AstraZeneca and MedImmune are important partners in our efforts to prepare Montgomery County students to be successful in college and in the workforce,” said Dr. DeRionne Pollard, Montgomery College president. “We are so grateful for their generous support of our
STEM and ACES programs.” Members of the companies’ leadership teams are also volunteers for Montgomery College. Dr. Bahija Jallal, Executive Vice President, AstraZeneca and head of MedImmune, is serving as an honorary co-chair of the Montgomery College Foundation’s MC 2020 Campaign to raise $30 million for scholarships and programs. “Montgomery College plays an important role in our community, providing a high quality education to thousands of students annually and training individuals to work in high demand areas, such as biotechnology,” said Jallal. “As a company located in Montgomery County, we appreciate the efforts of Montgomery College in helping to make our community a great place to live and work.” In addition to Jallal’s involvement with the college, Dr. Gail Folena-Wasserman, Senior Vice President of MedImmune’s Biopharmaceutical Development division, is a member of its Hercules Pinkney Life Sciences Park Foundation board of directors.
lery, and captures the broad scope of the dynamic, Washington, D.C., art scene. The gallery provides an opportunity for artists to share their work with the public on a daily basis, especially with those that may not visit museums or galleries regularly. While on display, the work will receive exposure from residents, art patrons and the press. Many works are available for purchase directly from the artists. “Our grantees are integral to improving the quality of life in Washington, D.C., and the Commission is pleased to support them,” said Edmund C. Fleet, Chair of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. “Funding is vital, and our support allows these artists to produce quality art and programs for District residents and visitors.” “Promoting excellence is a key part of our mission,” said Lionell
Thomas, Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. “The AFP grant program and this exhibition are prime examples of how the Commission supports diverse artists and artistic disciplines.” The AFP offers grants of up to $10,000 to individual artists who make a significant contribution to the arts and who strive to promote the arts in the District of Columbia. Exhibiting Artists include: Sondra Arkin, Jessica Beels, Anne Bouie, Adam Davies, Anna U. Davis, Christopher Dolan, Nekisha Durrett, Mary Early, Cheryl Edwards, Rik Freeman, Rania Hassan, Ian Jehle, Timothy Johnson, Rachel Kerwin, Gediyon Kifle, Nate Lewis, Alex Mayer, Kathryn McDonnell, EJ Montgomery, Mike Osborne, Marta Perez Garcia, Carmen Torruella-Quander, Joyce Wellman and Martine Workman.
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District Chronicles | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18, 2015 | 11
In the Neighborhood Brown girl, brown girl, what do you see? By Rachel Kersey Howard University News Service
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12 | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18, 2015 | District Chronicles
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From top to bottom: Parents and children flocked to Sankofa Cafe off Georgia Avenue NW last weekend for their annual Magical Mirrors Children’s Book Fair. Author Yasmin Thomas, a graduating Senior from Howard Univeristy, peformed the history of storytelling over the rhythms of a Djembe drum. While local author Cheryl Tighman promoted her children’s book (Photo Credit: Robert Eubanks).
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sk Aliyah DeVille about what books were her favorite as a child and the 20-year-old junior at Howard University launches into a list of books like “Superfudge,” a children’s huge bestseller from the 1980s, or the humorous Ramona novel series. “My favorite book that my parents would read to me was called “Brown Bear, Brown Bear,” and they would read that to me every night,” said DeVille. “It didn’t really have a plot, but it was just like ‘Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a red bird staring at me.’” When asked which books had African-American characters, she paused and blinked three times. “I mean [the bear] was brown, but he was a bear,” she said. “Nothing is coming to mind right now, but I’m sure I had [a book with Black characters]. I had the Barbies and the dolls and the pictures on the walls and the cards and everything, so I’m sure I must have had a book, but maybe there just weren’t a lot out there, because my parents bought Black [versions of] everything else.” It turns out DeVille did have books with Black characters after all. There just weren’t very many. She read the American Girl books about Addy, as well as the Payton Skky series. Her parents read books to her like “The Snowy Day.” But according to LaShawn DeVille, Aliyah’s mother, she had to make a concerted effort to find books with African-American characters. “I think not seeing yourself in books has a negative effect, because I think you start to think you don’t belong in a book,” said LaShawn DeVilled. “I think it’s vital that they see representations of themselves in literature.” Last weekend, Sankofa Video, Books & Café near Howard University offered parents and their children a chance to expand their world of books for AfricanAmerican children with its annual Magical Mirrors Children’s Book Fair. The two-day event included author Cheryl Tilghman, who was scheduled to sign and read from her book, “The Bubble Within,” and author Yasmin D. Thomas
was to present a workshop on the art of storytelling. Shirikiana Gerima is the owner of Sankofa, which specializes in videos and books about people of African descent worldwide. She founded the store in 1997, with her husband, renowned filmmaker and Howard University professor Haile Gerima. The idea for the book fair came from Gerima’s belief that children need to see themselves reflected in literature. “We found a way to let children see their reflection in a book and to let them experience all the magic of that literature,” said Gerima. “Because literature is magical, it takes you on magical journeys. You’re seeing yourself in that mirror, and that book is coming back at you. You’re being transformed by it. “If you only see reflections of one kind of person, you grow up believing there’s something not quite right about you. You grow up thinking there are two groups of people. There are the real humans and there are people who are not real humans. And you may not ever be able to articulate that, but your behavior starts to reflect that belief.” Tensae Berhanu, manager of the Sankofa café, said the greatest gift he received from his parents was the love of reading. He now has a one-year-old daughter, and he plans to pass that same gift on to her in the hopes that she’ll inherit his sense of self-assurance and survival skills. Books by and about people of African descent are often seen as exclusive, according to Gerima. That is another barrier to AfricanAmerican children’s access to books about themselves. “It’s very important for any human on the planet to be able to feel normal and for their culture to be normal,” she said. Simply stated, Sankofa is making is possible for the child who is asked, “Brown girl, brown girl, what do you see?” to see a kid as beautifully brown as she.