MONTGOMERY COUNTY GETS AWARD FOR BEING TECH SAVVY 4
Fans react to the latest chapter in the Redskins name controversy Page 12
Robert Eubnaks/District Chronicles
July 10 - July 16, 2014
Admit it! You text while behind the wheels Page 8 www.districtchronicles.com
Volume 13 Issue 47
6
Editorial
Voting on November 5 is an imperative
By Dr. E. Faye Williams
preme Court. Never before have we seen the overt partisanship as we have with the conservative wing of the Roberts’ Court. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia publicly editorializes about racial entitlements. Justice Thomas’ wife is CEO of a conservative political action committee (PAC). The five justices are often speakers at conservative gatherings expressing support for conservative causes. So what impact do these decisions have on us? In Harris v. Quinn, critics see an incremental effort to disconnect unions from their dues, which is their primary source of revenue. The ultimate goal is union dissolution. This is significant since labor unions are a primary source of funds for Democrats and Progressive initiatives. Weakening unions would also reduce the messaging power to offset the impact of wealthy donors like the Kochs, and serve as an immediate boost to Republicans. Proponents argue that the Hobby Lobby case was about free speech, not birth control. The end
Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Many of us reared in the Christian church remember stories of King Solomon. In his era, kings were the final arbiters of conflict in their kingdoms. Solomon was the epitome of the thoughtful and deliberate judge, and in his most famous trial he used his God-given wisdom to reach a balanced decision that saved the life of a child and reunited it with its natural mother. Solomon was wise and fair. Lacking a monarchy and having a nation too large for a single arbiter of justice, Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution provides for a Supreme Court and such inferior courts as Congress may establish. This law placed nine people as final arbiters of law for a nation that has grown to over 316 million people of varying backgrounds. In our modern era, Chief Justice Earl Warren is held as the epitome of fairness and impartiality. Despite the misgivings of several justices, the Warren Court rendered the unanimous Brown v. Board deci-
sion at a time when the country was embroiled in a transitional period of race relations. The Warren Court’s legacy is one of decisions made in the best interest of the nation, not a particular political or philosophical position. Unfortunately, the current Roberts’ Court can’t be held in the same esteem or trusted to act in a manner as balanced as Warren’s. On June 30, 2014, the Roberts’ Court issued two major decisions with the potential of reshaping our political and cultural landscape for the next century. In Harris v. Quinn, the Chicago healthcare workers case, the Court acted against the collective bargaining activities of unionized workers. In the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, the Court reaffirmed its earlier Citizens United decision that gave personhood and free speech rights to corporations! If one were to only consider these most recent decisions, a generous person might say they were honest judgments of the majority. Looking further, that’s impossible. The hyper-partisanship infesting Congress has also infected the Su-
result was an extension of free speech rights to corporations. The Court subordinated the religious rights of hundreds of workers to the religious will of their employer. This decision elevated the “war on women” to new levels, establishing women’s healthcare issues as being apart from the health concerns of men and, therefore, subject to separate evaluation for need and insurance coverage. The legacies of Reagan and the
Bush’s live on through the decisions of their appointees. If we’ve never felt an incentive to vote, we have one now. Using the wisdom God granted Solomon, we must change the mindset that our vote doesn’t matter. It matters in 2014 and every election. Don’t sit on the sidelines and wake up on November 5 in a world that contradicts the efforts of our ancestors. Their work and their lives must not be in vain.
Reverse “Southern strategy” secured Black vote for Cochran By Raynard Jackson NNPA Columnist
2 | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | District Chronicles
go after Black Democrats who had not voted in the primary. It was a stroke of genius. What angered me about this last-ditch effort is that it took desperation to get the party and the campaign to cultivate the Black vote when it should have a conscious development. I was further angered that prior to the runoff, there was absolutely no mention of the Black vote by either candidate. Neither campaign had any Blacks on their campaign staffs or as consultants in decisionmaking positions. Normally, I blast the Republican Party for doing the right thing even if it’s the wrong way, such as Rand Paul’s visit to Howard University, but in this case they did the wrong thing the right way. The Cochran campaign has spent more time and more money with Black Democrats than they have with Black Republicans. Over the years, I have had heated discussions with conservative and Tea Party members of the Republican Party over the issue of race. I have been told that sometimes I can be hypersensitive on the
CNN
The election results infuriated me and not for the reasons you might suspect. My anger has less to do with the outcomes of the various elections, but more to do with how they got to them. The most watched election of this year was the Mississippi Senate race between Tea Party favorite Chris McDaniel and six-term incumbent, Sen. Thad Cochran. Cochran was forced into a run off last week, which typically doesn’t bode well for an incumbent. According to Professor Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, “In 37 of 40 Senate primary runoffs conducted since 1980, turnout had decreased from the initial primary to the runoff. In these 40 races, the combined turnout dropped by about a third from the primary to the runoff. And yet, this time [Miss. senate race], turnout went up by 18 percent, jumping from about 319,000 in the initial primary to about 375,000 in the runoff.” Astonishingly, there were more
votes cast in the runoff than in the June 3 primary. McDaniel went from 155,000 votes to 184,000 votes, while Cochran went from 153,654 votes to 191,508 votes. Without question, the Black vote saved Cochran. There is universal consensus on that point, liberal and conservative, Black and White, Democrat and Republican. But the analysis of how the Black vote led to Cochran’s win has been totally misunderstood. What saved Cochran was the Republicans use of the “reverse Southern Strategy.” Kevin Phillips, a former Nixon aide, created the Southern Strategy in the 1960s to sacrifice the Black Republican vote in order to pick up the vote of the White Southern Democrats who opposed civil rights. To this day, that keeps Blacks aligned with the Democratic Party. The Cochran campaign did the exact opposite: they sacrificed the conservative White Tea Party vote to pick up the Black vote. They made a political calculation that they had maxed out on their White support and their only way of winning was to expand their base of support. The only option was to
Mississippi GOP incumbent Cochran beat off his Tea Party challenger in a primary run off election where African American Democrats voted for him.
issue of race, or that I’m “overreacting;” or “we just have a different view on this issue than you.” Really? Some unknown group created a robo-call targeting Black voters that said in part, “Hello neighbors. It’s time to take a stand against the Tea Party. The time has come to say no to the Tea Party. No to their obstruction, no to their disrespectful treatment of the first African-American president … If we do nothing, Tea
Party candidate McDaniel wins and causes even more problems for President Obama …” Both campaigns deny any involvement in the making and distribution of the recorded call, and are furious about it. Now that you have experienced the race card being played against you, maybe, just maybe you will be more understanding of my views the next time there’s a discussion about race.
Enjoy
33 off %
*
y Da r’s 1th he y 1 ot a M is M
Congress doesn’t get it, Ikea does
Finance “Mother’s Day Spectacular” Bouquet with FREE chocolates
Feminine and full of color, this bouquet is perfect to wow any Mom in your life!
Site Price:$2999 +s/h
You Pay:
19
$
99 +s/h
E SAV %*
33
E FRE S ET E D G OLAT N A OC CH
Plus, as a special bonus, take 20% off* all products over $29! Visit www.ProFlowers.com/News or call 800.680.8211 *Take 33% off “Mother’s Day Spectacular” and 20% off minimum product purchase of $29. Discounts: (i) apply to the regular price of the products, (ii) will appear upon checkout and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts, unless specified, and (iii) do not apply to gift cards or certificates, international delivery, shipping & handling, taxes, or third-party hosted products (e.g. wine). Discounts not valid on bulk or corporate purchases of 10 units or more. Images in this advertisement may include upgraded, premium containers which are available for an additional charge. Prices valid while supplies last. Offer expires 5/9/2014.
Ikea has announced it will raise it’s minimum wage to $10.76 an hour.
By Julianne Malveaux (TriceEdneyWire.com) – President Obama would like the national minimum wage to increase to $10.10 an hour. By executive order, he raised the minimum wage for federal contractors. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has threatened to sue President Obama for his use of executive order, which he said circumvents Congressional authority. But Ikea and The Gap are not waiting for the political wrangling of Washington to end. Ikea said it will raise the average minimum wage to $10.76 an hour, which is an increase of 17 percent. Ikea says its goal is to offer their workers a living wage, whether their competitors offer it or not. Half of Ikea employees will get a raise, while those who already earn a living wage will not. The chain now provides other benefits, such as a 401(k) match. Ikea has just 38 stores in the United States, which may minimize the impact their wage increase has on its competitors. Still, Ikea has both done the right thing and earned a competitive advantage in the areas where they have stores. The Gap, too, has increased its wage to $9 an hour, and that wage will rise to $10 an hour in 2015. Seattle has raised its minimum wage to $15, and dozens of municipalities have also increase their minimum wage. When employers and municipalities fail to offer a living wage, they shift a wage burden to the rest of us, as those who earn the minimum wage are subsidized
by federal benefits to the poor, which we all pay. This is also true when states refuse to expand the base for Medicaid for the purposes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare). In more than 20 states, people have to earn less than $11,000, or $23,000 for a family of four. With Medicaid expansion, people can earn as much as $15,000 to qualify for Medicaid, and as much as $32,000 for a family of four. Without the Medicaid expansion, some states are saying that poverty and poor health are acceptable for some of its citizens. The moves by Ikea and the Gap put some wage pressure on their competitors. It also makes it clear that these companies understand that raising wages will not significantly affect their profits. These companies also understand that better paid employees are also productive employees. Memo to fast food and big box stores set on paying the minimum wage or little more – pay your workers a living wage. Ikea gets it, so does the Gap. What’s wrong with the Congress? Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, they have constituents who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage. Why are they resisting? Might it be because President Obama has pushed for an increase in the minimum wage? If our President pushed for blue skies it is likely that some obstructionist members of Congress would oppose it. If the minimum wage kept pace with inflation, it would be
$10.90 by now, a bit higher than the amount President Obama has proposed. The same Congress that opposes an increase in the minimum wage gets an automatic increase in their pay. This is the kind of hypocrisy that engenders indifference and contempt for our elected representatives. One in six African Americans and one in five Latinos earn the minimum wage. Nearly 35 percent of minimum wage workers have graduate from high school; another 23 percent have attended college. Some would say that minimum wage workers are mostly youth who are “training” for later work. These workers are not only young people who don’t need to get paid. These are adults with education and training, parents, and people who work in key industries, health and education. During the Great Recession, six-figure executives who needed an income stream accepted the minimum wage or just a little more. There were teachers, laid off, who took a pay cut to shelve books in libraries. They were folks who put their pride aside to earn a little money, money they said was better than the nothing they earned when laid off. It is overtime for our congress to offer working people the same wages they get automatically. It is overtime for our Congress to embrace a living wage, or at least a higher minimum wage. Ikea gets it, why doesn’t Congress? Julianne Malveaux is a DC based economist and author.
24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Visit www.districtchronicles.com.
Call 202-806-9401 to advertise in the districtchronicles.com District Chronicles. District Chronicles | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | 3
Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington
bethedsa365.com
Neighborhood
The county’s BikeShare Station Site and Identification and Property Verification program received a Technology Solutions Award.
Montgomery County County technology programs receive national awards
T Basement Waterproofing Basement Finishing Basement Structural Repairs Basement Humiditytrol & Mold Con y Crawl Spaces too! Nast d ...an
Before
After
800-319-1287 guywithumbrella.com
Call 202-806-9401 to advertise in the districtchronicles.com District Chronicles. 4 | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | District Chronicles
he Public Technology Institute (PTI) honored Montgomery County with a 2013-2014 Technology Solutions Award for its “Bikeshare Station Site Identification and Property Verification” program. This program was recognized as a winner in the Energy/Environment Technology award category. For the second consecutive year, Montgomery was the only county in the state – and the only jurisdiction in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area – to be recognized as an award winner by PTI in its annual technology solutions awards competition. An additional county program was recognized with an award of Significant Achievement: the “Ethics Commission Online Lobbying Registration and Activity Reporting System.” Two county programs received Honorable Mention designations: “Improving Customer Satisfaction on the Montgomery County Website” and “County Cable Montgomery – Social Media Outreach.”
Energy/Environment Technology Category – Award Winner (750,000 population +) < The BikeShare Station Site Identification and Property Verification program allows the county’s Department of Transportation to collaborate with organizations outside of county government to research and identify potential bikeshare station locations in the county. Web Management & e-Government – Award of Significant Achievement (750,000 population +) < The Ethics Commission Online Lobbying Registration and Activity Reporting System provides a vehicle for all persons and organizations required to register as lobbyists in Montgomery County to do so and for them to submit required semi-annual reports on lobbying expenses and activities. Web Management & e-Government – Honorable Mention Designation (750,000 population +) < The County’s Department of Technology Services (DTS) implemented enhancements to the county’s web site that resulted in a 15 percent improvement in customer satisfaction over the course of 2014.
< The County Cable Office used social media applications to expanded public participation in measurable ways and help meet the goals of inclusiveness, innovation, community engagement and transparency. “It is a pleasure to see that Public Technology Institute has deemed several of Montgomery County’s solutions to be worthy of awards,” said Harash (Sonny) Segal, Chief Information Officer for Montgomery County. PTI is a national technology organization created by and for cities and counties. The organization identifies opportunities for technology research, shares best practices, offers consultancies and pilot demonstrations, and promotes technology development initiatives. Every year, PTI recognizes local government technology programs that have demonstrated how, through the use of technology, governments improve service delivery and/or reduce costs. An independent panel of judges identified the winners of PTI’s 2013-2014 Technology Solutions Awards. “This year the competition featured a wide array of interesting and innovative entries,” said PTI Executive Director Alan R. Shark. “I salute and applaud all the participants and their entries.”
Divine Intervention
Hobby Lobby beat contraception mandate; nuns may not
By David Gibson
catholicdigest.com
(RNS) When the Supreme Court on last week issued a split decision narrowly backing the right of forprofit corporations to deny contraception coverage to their employees for religious reasons, many assumed that faith-based nonprofits would have it easy when their own cases eventually reach the high court. “The death knell is sounding for the HHS mandate,” said Lori Windham, an attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of nuns, as well as other religious groups that object to the Health and Human Services Department policy requiring birth control coverage. Windham noted that in two rulings by lower courts last week, several of Becket’s faith-based clients received last-minute relief to shield them from complying with the mandate, which took effect July 1. “The ruling in Hobby Lobby and then these two rulings in quick succession show that the HHS mandate is on its last legs when it comes to religious nonprofits,” said Windham. Yet many analysts say that in fact what worked for Hobby Lobby -the national craft store giant owned by the Green family, who are evangelical Christians -- may not necessarily work for the Little Sisters, who operate nursing homes for the poor around the country. The nuns are the main plaintiff for a range of religious nonprofits and institutions who argue, in cases that paralleled the claims of forprofit businesses, that complying with the Obama administration’s mandate to provide free birth control coverage would violate their religious freedom because they object to contraception. So when those cases reach the Supreme Court, why wouldn’t the Little Sisters eventually receive the same treatment, or even greater deference, than a corporation like
The Little Sisters of the Poor lead the charge challenging the mandate altogether.
Hobby Lobby or Conestoga Wood Specialties, its Mennonite-owned co-plaintiff? The key difference is that the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has already offered an accommodation to faithbased nonprofits that allows them to sign a waiver giving a thirdparty administrator permission to
coverage for the contraceptives at issue here violates their religion and it still serves HHS’s stated interests,” wrote Alito. That, in fact, was the same argument made by Hobby Lobby’s lawyers in oral arguments before the Supreme Court in March -- a move that prompted Michael Sean Winters at National Catholic Reporter to suggest at the time that if the justices accepted that line of reasonReligous Liberty ing, “religious organizations will not have a leg to stand on.” Justice Anthony Kennedy, in a concurring opinion, pointedly noted that “the means to reconcile those two priorities are at hand in the existing accommodation.” And Kennedy is the second factor clouding prospects for the nuns and others, because he is considered the swing vote on the court, and when the Little Sisters’ case comes up he could swing the other way. In fact, the Hobby Lobby decision, Silk predicted, “will prove to be a significant setback for the Catholic bishops and other free exercise maximalists, a good omen for contraception coverage advocates, and a fine result for those interested in a reasonable balance of the interests at hand.”
The death knell is sounding for the HHS mandate – Lori Windham, Becket Fund for
take care of the birth control coverage, with no further involvement by the religious group. The Little Sisters and others argue that even signing such a waiver entangles them in something they view as morally objectionable. (Hobby Lobby and other plaintiffs do not object to contraception per se but are concerned about what they say is mandated coverage of abortion-causing drugs.) But Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority in last Monday’s 5-4 decision, suggested that the accommodation offered to religious groups could have been a fine solution if provided to forprofit corporations as well. “That accommodation does not impinge on the plaintiffs’ religious beliefs that providing insurance
24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Visit www.districtchronicles.com.
Submit
your story ideas, stories and commentaries to lkaggwa@howard.edu
District Chronicles | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | 5
Cover Community conversation with Marion Barry By Amylia Johnson Howard University News Service
M
house.” The young Barry developed a love for learning, especially science. “I don’t know when I started getting that zeal, but I got it.” At Fisk University, he was only a year away from completing a chemistry degree, when he left academia to work in the Civil Rights Movement and fight against segregation. “I was getting tired of chemistry anyway,” said Barry, the first chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. He attributes his success in civil rights and political campaigns to his desire to learn and the scientific logic he gained in college. “It taught me to build,” he explained. “You have to be daring.” The conversation also touched on dark times in his life, his infamous arrest at the Vista Hotel after the FBI videotaped him smoking crack cocaine. Barry was arrested in January 1990 and served a sixmonth jail term in a federal prison. He was serving his third term as mayor (1979 to 1991) when he was busted. The indomitable Barry survived the scandal to win a fourth term as D.C. mayor from 1995 to 1999. As a council member, he says he is committed to improving the economic life of Ward 8 residents, the poorest region in DC.
Amylia Johnson
arion Barry walked down an aisle of the auditorium at the old Congress Heights School in Southeast D.C., stopping to shake hands with those in the audience. Finally, he took the stage, proclaiming Washington the “grandest city in the world.” The former mayor and current Ward 8 representative on the DC City Council was ready for “A Conversation with Marion Barry,” the first in a series of events celebrating the Washington Informer newspaper’s 50th anniversary. The event was also an opportunity for attendees to receive a signed copy of Barry’s book, “Mayor for Life: The Incredible Story of Marion Barry Jr.,” co-authored with Howard University graduate Omar Tyree. But many were just eager to hear from the infamous mayor his account of his life. Barry spoke candidly to the crowd and with the Washington Informer’s publisher, Denise Rolark Barnes, using anecdotes and life lessons to give a small taste of his incredible journey from the cotton field of Mississippi to four-time mayor of the nation’s Capitol his provocative book narrates.
At one point, the “Mayor for Life” described himself as “Black to the bone.” The majority Black audience cheered and laughed in agreement. The audience was full of D.C. residents who have been beneficiaries, supporters and admirers of Barry’s tenure as a public servant. Muriel Bowser, the Democratic nominee in the November 2014 mayoral election and DC City Council member for Ward 4, was one in the audience, standing when Barry called her name. Barry said that Bowser was someone who had come to him to talk and learn from his experiences. Others in the audience benefited from Barry’s summer job and youth leadership initiatives. Some credited Barry with giving them the grants and contracts to start or grow their companies over the years he has been in public office. When it comes to his younger years in Mississippi, Barry said early lessons on honesty, wisdom and courage largely shaped the way he views the world and the Black man’s role in it. These lessons came from his mother to whom he dedicates his book, which one reviewer describes as “a story of courage, empowerment, hope, tragedy, triumph and inspiration.” “I was born on a farm,” he said. “I went to a one-room school
Barry spoke about his life and his book at “A conversation with Marion Barry,” the first in a series of events marking Washington Informer’s 50th anniversary.
“It’s hard to mobilize the city government,” he said. “It’s hard to get them to focus on what needs to be done.” Not only was the night a focus on Marion Barry, but it was also an opportunity for the Washington Informer to bring attention to its charity groups, scholarships and other partners. One partner, Mahogany Books, which co-sponsored the book signing, is a Black-owned online bookstore that is working to collect and provide
books for area youths. The Washington Informer was first printed during the Civil Rights Movement in 1964, the same year that Barry came to D.C. The newspaper has become a symbol for the Black community, so it was fitting that Barry, an enigma in DC politics, be the first guest to celebrate the paper’s milestone. “You can have the best vision in the world,” said Barry. “If you don’t have courage, it won’t matter.”
St. Paul’s College housing deal with feds on hold By Jeremy M. Lazarus Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press It seemed like a done deal. The federal government recently inked a five-month lease for the defunct Saint Paul’s College, enabling it to transform the campus into temporary housing for hundreds of unaccompanied, homeless Latino minors caught illegally entering the United States. The Free Press has been told the agreement called for the government to pay between $90,000 and $100,000 a month to use the Historically Black School’s property located about 80 miles southwest of Richmond, Va., in Lawrenceville, the seat of Brunswick County. It seemed like a win-win deal -- the government would gain desperately-needed space to
house the surging number of border-crossing minors from Central America, and the cash-strapped college would gain a desperatelyneeded infusion of funds to pay debts while still seeking a buyer for the property. However, instead of sending the first wave of youths to the school last week, the government suddenly hit the pause button on its plan to use the school. The reason: A torrent of complaints from the White community and the area’s White congressman, Robert Hurt (R-Va.). In a show of goodwill, government representatives were scheduled to hold a public hearing on the project June 19, in Brunswick County, according to Kenneth J. Wolfe, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Congressman Hurt said
6 | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | District Chronicles
that hearing is needed because he, like so many of his constituents, felt blindsided. Saint Paul’s has long faced opposition or disdain from the White community in this poor rural tobacco area. The college dates to 1888 and was founded by Archdeacon James Solomon Russell to overcome barriers White supremacists had raised to the education of Black residents. The school closed last June after losing its accreditation. ACF, now scrambling to find space to house tens of thousands of youths pouring over the border, noted the closing and approached the school about using its space after the board of trustees put the campus up for sale. According to the deal, up to 500 youths would beat the campus at any time. At least 200 staff would be on the campus to provide se-
curity and work with the youths to find relatives to sponsor them. The ACF planned to take care of the children’s needs, including providing food. The college’s only role would be to provide space. According to sources, college representatives laid out the project to top officials of the town and county. The school was told that it had the zoning to undertake the project without any need to seek approval. College President Millard D. “Pete” Stith could not be reached for comment, but sources said county officials were thrilled about the project that could bring jobs and keep the campus from going completely dark. As Congressman Hurt well knows, the ACF has been mandated by Congress to take care of and place unaccompanied minors since 2002.
From then until 2011, the ACF’s Office of Refugee Resettlement handled about 8,000 youths a year. But the numbers have surged in the past three years, rising to 13,600 in 2012 and to 25,000 in 2013. This year, ACF estimates that it will serve 60,000 youths taken into custody at or near the border, mostly boys ages 14 to 17 and mostly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Saint Paul’s would be one of 100 sites the government has now opened to provide housing, including one in Staunton, said Wolfe. Three military bases also are being used, he said, as the ACF copes with the influx. Figures from ACF show that 85 percent of the youths are placed with relatives within 35 days or reunited with their parents. ACF indicates that it places virtually all of the youths within 90 days of transfer.
Politics
Leading women of color divided on My Brother’s Keeper
Bernice King (right) was among high profile African American women who wrote a letter of support for My Brother’s Keeper initiative shortly after a letter signed by Julianne Malveaux (left) and other prominent women that criticized the program.
By Hazel Trice Edney
A
letter to President Obama late last month from a list of high-profiled women leaders praises his initiatives for women and girls of color, but also asks for a “more targeted” My Brother’s Keeper given the “very bleak” national statistics for Black Males. The June 29 letter, which comes on the heels of a different letter to Obama criticizing his My Brother’s Keeper initiative, saying it should be completely “re-aligned” to include women and girls, indicates a division among leading Black women on the appropriate strategies to address deep social ills and statistics among both males and females of color. “We are writing to you to applaud several initiatives implemented by your Administration to improve the lives of low income and at-risk Americans,” the women leaders said in the letter sent to President Obama on Sunday, June 29. “We are particularly pleased with initiatives which have had a positive impact on women and girls of color. We are also writing to you because we are equally concerned about the special needs of at-risk boys and young men of color. Among the approximately 40 names on the letter are: The Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO, The King Center in Atlanta; the Reverend Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, president, Skinner Leadership Institute; Melanie Campbell, president and CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and
convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable and Shirley Franklin, former mayor of Atlanta. The letter applauded the president’s efforts including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009; the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics; The Affordable Care Act which covers women of color who represent 53 percent of the uninsured females; and, “Girls at Risk,” that provides prevention and education which focuses on the connection between juvenile delinquency and STD/HIV infection.” On the other hand, listing “dismal statistics” on Black males, the June 29 letter asked the president to continue to engage women of color to help strengthen and craft his “My Brother’s Keeper.” The letter states: “The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, reports that nearly 1 in 4 boys of color, (except for Latino and Asian American students with disabilities), have at some point been suspended from school. African American and Latino boys, and young men, are also more likely than their [W]hite peers to have witnessed violence, in or out of the home and have parents who are/ have been incarcerated. African American and Latino males also have a much higher odds of being plagued by chronic health conditions and by contracting diseases which require repeated and consistent care for treatment, including: childhood asthma requiring hospitalization, childhood obesity, and HIV/AIDS.” Describing themselves as “Na-
tional Women Leadership Supporting My Brother’s Keeper”, the letter states, “These dismal figures have only served to increase our enthusiasm and support for your administration’s ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ initiative, launched earlier this year to assist every boy and young man of color, to beat the odds to live high quality lives for themselves, their families and communities. “It is our understanding that after your February 27, 2014, call for support of the initiative, private philanthropies, businesses, governors, mayors, faith leaders, and nonprofit organizations, pledged to invest $200 million over the next five years, in addition to the $150 million already invested. These earmarks are much needed in order to guarantee the success of the initiative.” The timing of the Sunday, June 29, letter to President Obama is particularly significant since a different letter to Obama from a different group of more than 1,000 leading women of color – sent more than a week ago - expressed sentiments that clearly disagreed on some major points. The women on the first letter included, Mary Frances Berry, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist Alice Walker; and actress Rosie Perez. The first letter expressed the need to acknowledge the crisis among Black males, but also listed the crisis-level statistics for women and girls of color, asking the President to “re-align” My Brother’s Keeper.
24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Visit www.districtchronicles.com.
Fighting Addiction? We’re Here To Help 24/7 • • • •
Residential Rehab Intensive Outpatient Medical Detox Relapse Prevention
Medical Director On Staff Therapists/Licensed Personnel At Facilities
Most Insurance Programs Accepted/ PPO Friendly Flexible Payment Options Available State Licensed & JCAHO Accredited NTN National Treatment Network
Confidential & Discreet Counselors Available 24/7
800-902-4929 *Sorry, we do NOT accept Medicare or Medicaid.
The dedicated staff at the District Chronicles can help you grow your business. Call (202) 806-9401 to get our ad rates.
District Chronicles | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | 7
Technology
Texting while driving remains America’s favorite addiction
AMG | PHOTOGRAPHY We photograph concerts, birthdays, weddings, sporting events, portraits and more. E-mail amgunited@ymail.com to receive a free quote on your next event. Messiah and Friends at G2 Lounge 10-21-11. See more photos at flickr.com/amgunited.
YOU Choose The Deal! Promotional Packages Starting At...
mo
Commercial-Free TV
Promotional Packages Starting At
By Steven Ivory Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward-Times
FOR 12 MONTHS
Not eligible for Hopper or HD.
Upgrade to
DISH TODAY!
Join Without a Contract!
NO Contracts. NO Credit Check. NO Commitment.
Get a Hopper from DISH and instantly skip commercials *
Not eligible for promotional pricing
Maryland is among several states that have laws against texting while driving but many drivers still have the bad habit.
Available with qualifying packages. Monthly DVR and receiver fees apply. *Feature must be enabled by customer.
CHOOSE ONE OF THESE GREAT OPTIONS!
CALL NOW - LIMITED TIME SAVINGS!
1-800-370-9350 Call 7 days a week 8am - 11pm EST Promo Code: MB0614
Offers above require 24-month commitment and credit qualification. Remote viewing requires Wi-Fi connection or use of Hopper Transfer feature. Commercial skipping feature available with qualifying packages.
Important Terms and Conditions: Promotional Offers: Require activation of new qualifying DISH service. All prices, fees, charges, packages, programming, features, functionality and offers subject to change without notice. After 12-month promotional period, then-current everyday monthly price applies and is subject to change. ETF: If you cancel service during first 24 months, early termination fee of $20 for each month remaining applies. Activation fee may apply. Additional Requirements: Hopper: Monthly fees: DVR service, $12; Joey, $7, Super Joey, $10. With Prime Time Anytime the AutoHop features available with playback the next day of select primetime shows on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC - Both features are subject to availability. Requires Super Joey to record 8 shows at once. Recording hours may vary; 2000 hours based on SD programming. Equipment comparison based on equipment available from major TV providers as of 6/13/14. Watching live and recorded TV anywhere requires an internet connected, Sling-enabled DVR and compatible mobile device. HD Free for 24 Months: Additional $10/mo HD fee waived for first 24 months. After promotional period, then-current everyday monthly price applies and is subject to change. Premium Channels: 3-month premium offer value is $165; after 3 months, then-current everyday monthly prices applies and are subject to change. Blockbuster @Home requires Internet to stream content. HD-only channels not available with select packages. Installation/Equipment Requirements: Free Standard Professional Installation only. Leased equipment must be returned to DISH upon cancellation or unreturned equipment fees apply. Upfront and additional monthly fees may apply. Miscellaneous: Offers available for new and qualified former customers, and subject to terms of applicable Promotional and Residential Customer agreements. State reimbursement charges may apply. Additional restrictions and taxes may apply. Offers end 1/16/15. © 2014 DISH Network L. L. C. All rights reserved. HBO®, Cinemax® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. SHOWTIME is a registered trademark of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. STARZ and related channels and service marks are property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. All new customers are subject to a one-time processing fee.
8 | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | District Chronicles
W
hile sitting at the light on a backed-up Los Angeles freeway exit ramp one morning, I noticed that one out of every three drivers had their heads tilted into their laps, busily texting, reading a text or dialing a phone number. This is what we do now. It’s not enough that for years we have been distracted by cell phone conversation. Today, behind the wheels of moving automobiles and using one or both hands, we type out messages and conversations. You can usually tell when someone is texting or dialing a number while driving. Their faces are usually aimed just below their steering wheel. They’re driving slowly. They weave. Even after the light has changed or traffic has begun moving, they’re still sitting there. And lots of people do it. The United States Department of Transportation reports that cell phones are involved in 1.6 million auto crashes each year, causing a half million injuries and taking 6,000 lives. Individuals who drive while sending or reading text messages are 23 percent more likely to be
involved in a car crash than other drivers. A crash typically happens within an average of three seconds after a driver is distracted. Despite those figures, people still text and drive. That this is illegal in many states is not a deterrent. Currently, the fines for being caught doing so are laughable. In California, the cost is between $20 and $50. I’ve had an idea on cutting down the number of driving texters: have city municipalities create divisions that track people texting in their cars, similar to parking ticket officers. They’d move among the public in unmarked cars of all makes and models, equipped with cameras that can shoot people in the act – or have technology aboard that can detect texting happening in a vehicle. Using a car’s license number, they send the ticket in the mail with a fine of $1000. The second time you get caught, that fine is doubled, and on and on until you reach ten grand. Get caught after that, your car is impounded, your license is suspended for a year and you go to jail. Texting is dissuaded, and the cities make money. This method seems very “Big Brother”, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Texting while driving is like waving around a gun in public, and it’s not just
teens and young adults doing it. Offenders come in all ages. In deterring this epidemic, the first thing to understand is that texting and driving have nothing to do with one another. The drunk driver who gets behind the wheel has a problem with drinking, not driving. It’s the same with texting. Incessant texting reflects an addiction to it. Those who text while driving do so because they text while doing everything else. Remember the good ol’ days, when technology- distraction in your car amounted to finding a good radio station or reloading the cassette or CD player? Now, people kill people while attempting to text “LOL” or “LMFAO.” It can wait, people. Full disclosure: I’ve texted while driving. Well, tried. More than once. I couldn’t pull it off without the risk of wrecking. And though I do it hands free, I don’t have to talk on the phone while I drive, either. To prove this to myself, I’ve left my phone in my pocket, or put it in my trunk. The first time I did that, it gave me all the calm of transporting a dead body. Now I can do it often without freaking out, which is a good thing. I’ve got enough problems without adding to them the title of “text whore.”
Classifieds JOBS…AUTOS…REAL ESTATE…COMPUTERS…AND MUCH MORE…
TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD CALL 202 806-9401 CLASSIFIEDS MUST BE PREPAID
Announcements
Computers
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Real Estate
All Things Basementy! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs Waterproofing? Finishing? Structural Repairs? Humidity and Mold Control FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1-866-589-0174 DIRECTV starting at $24.95/mo. Free 3-Months of HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME & CINEMAX FREE RECEIVER Upgrade! 2014 NFL Sunday Ticket Included with Select Packages. Some exclusions apply – Call for details 1-800-969-2819 Medical Guardian – Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more – only $29.95 per month. 800-279-4103 SUPPORT our service members, veterans and their families in their time of need. For more information visit the Fisher House website at www.fisherhouse.org [Advertising supported by this publication] JULY IS FREE COMMUNITY PAPER MONTH!!! CELEBRATE WITH US! The paper you are reading is part of a national group of free community papers and shoppers guides. They bring valuable services to businesses and organizations in delivering their message to over 44 million homes throughout the nation each week. Learn more about Free Community Paper Month at www.paperchain.com. Contact MACnet at 800-450-7227 to find out how we can help your business.
DELL LAPTOP Computer. Extremely fast, professional grade model. Excellent condition. Windows 7, Premium software bundle. Perfect for home, school or business. Six month warranty. $399. 717-653-6314
AIRLINE CAREERS begin here Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Housing and Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-453-6204 DISH TV Retailer. Starting at $19.99/ month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 1-800-615-4064 Auto Insurance! Save 70% (Up to $574/year) in 5 Minutes - All Credit Types. Call (888) 287-2130 now. CASH PAID- up to $25/Box for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS. 1-DAYPAYMENT.1-800371-1136 Wants to purchase minerals and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, Co. 80201 Protect your family with term life insurance – free quote – Rates are at all time lows. Shop your current plan and save $$$. $250,000 Or more in coverage available. Smokers rates too. Call 866 519 8376 Join the gold and silver rush. Invest in gold and silver coins. Free investors kit and dvd. 800 978 3903 Do you need advice? Got a relationship problem? Talk to a Psychic advisor. 10 Minutes of talk time is only $10. Call 24/7. 800 568 8299 Buried in debt? Now you can get out of high credit card debt And save thousands. Free consultation. 800 617 5145 Got water problems in your basement? Make it dry and a great Place to live in. Get your free dry basement science book now. Call for details. 800 515 4035 Are your student loan payments too high? You can lower your Payments and save money. Call now for a free student loan Reduction review. 800 291 286 Auto Accident Attorney INJURED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT? Call InjuryFone for a free case evaluation. Never a cost to you. Don`t wait, call now, 1-800-620-9216 Guaranteed Income For Your Retirement. Avoid market risk & get guaranteed income in retirement! CALL for FREE copy of our SAFE MONEY GUIDE Plus Annuity. Quotes from A-Rated Companies! 800-9175490 IS IT HARD FOR YOU TO GET LIFE INSURANCE??? Do you have health issues like Cancer, Aids , or Heart Disease? Call Robin 703-625-6931 for coverage and peace of mind.
METAL ROOFING – REAL ROOF FOR YOUR HOUSE, GARAGE, BARN; ROOF, CEILING, SIDING. TOP QUALITY/CLOSEOUT. LOW PRICES, FAST DELIVERY, FREE Literature, www.abmartin.net 1-800373-3703 A.B. Martin Roofing Supply AIRLINE CAREERS begin here — Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance training. Financial Aid for qualified students. Housing and Job placement assistance. SCHEV certified. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888828-5309. The path to your dream job begins with a college degree. Education Quarters offers a free college matching service. CALL 1-800-375-6219 Safe Step Walk-In Tub Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included. Call 1-800-906-3115 for $750 Off
LENDER ORDERED FARM LIQUIDATION 3 to 61 acre Parcels at 50% of Market Price! 3 hrs NY City Hr Albany! Jaw dropping views, ponds, trout stream, rolling fields, deep woods! EZ terms! Call 888-7386994 for free info! Virtual tour & maps: Newyorklandandlakes.com
Auto Auto Insurance! Save 70% (Up to $574/year) in 5 Minutes - All Credit Types. Call (888) 291-2920 now. TOP CASH FOR CARS, Any Car/ Truck, Running or Not. Call for INSTANT offer: 1-800-454-6951 Need Car Insurance Now? Lowest Down Payment – Canceled? State Letter? Accidents? Tickets? DUI? Instant Coverage! INSUREDIRECT. COM Toll-Free 888-800-2312 CASH FOR CARS: Cars/Trucks Wanted! Running or Not! We Come To You! Any Make/Model. Instant Offer – Call: 1-800-569-0003
Business Advertise to 500,000 Homes with a business card size ad. You choose the area of coverage in free community papers…we do the rest. Call 800450-7227 or visit macnetonline.com
Events Market your event to over 1 Million readers for only $200!!! Visit www.midatlanticevents.net for more details or call 800-450-7227.
Health VIAGRA 100mg, Cialis 20mg. 40 pills +4 FREE Only $99.00! Call Now 1-888-797-9024 VIAGRA 100MG and CIALIS 20mg! 50 Pills $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 1-866-3126061 VIAGRA 100mg or CIALIS 20mg. 40 tabs +10 FREE, $99 including FREE SHIPPING. 888-836-0780 VIAGRA 100mg or CIALIS 20mg. 40 tabs + 10 FREE all for $99 including shipping. Discreet, Fast Shipping. 888-836-0780 Canada Drug Center is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call today 1-800254-4073, for $10.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. SAFE, EASY WEIGHT LOSS! Phentrazine 37.5, a once daily appetite suppressant, boosts energy and burns fat. 60 day supply – only $59.95! To order, call 800-681-2178
Jobs Auto Insurance! Save 70% (Up to $574/year) in 5 Minutes - All Credit Types. Call (888) 296-3040 now.
Miscellaneous CASH FOR CARS, Any Make or Model! Free Towing. Sell it TODAY. Instant offer: 1-800-864-5784 Make a Connection. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call NOW: 1-888-909-9905 18+. CANADA DRUG CENTER. Safe and affordable medications. Save up to 90% on your medication needs. Call 1-800-734-5139 ($25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping.) Baseball cards collection. Album. All time greats. 301-485-1290.
24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Visit www.districtchronicles.com.
Buying classifeds just got easier. Log on to districtchronicles.com and click “Classifieds.” Earn FREE print classifieds when you purchase online. Call (202) 806-9401
Workshops KIDS IN SHOWBIZ WORKSHOP Registering boys & girls, age 5 to 17 to BE ON TV & also learn: < Choreographed Dance, < On Camera Acting, < Song Recording, < & Radio Voice-Overs in a Professional TV Recording Facility. Call 301-244-5174 or register at www.ShowBizKidsTVShow.com
Buying classifeds just got easier. Log on to districtchronicles.com and click “Classifieds.” Earn FREE print classifieds when you purchase online. Call (202) 806-9401 Buy classifieds at districtchronicles.com
Buy classifieds at districtchronicles.com
District Chronicles | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | 9
Classifieds Exclusive Offers
Exclusive Offers
GET MORE TV FOR LESS MONEY.
Announcement Adoption Autos Business Education Jobs Real Estate
TV PACKAGES START AS LOW AS
TTelevision elevision Your Way! • FREE DVR Upgrade
• Over 140 HD Channels Available
800.944.4685
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 9 am – 9 pm EST and Saturday 10 am – 4 pm EST Nationwide Television & High Speed Internet Activation Hotline Same Day Installations in Most Areas
Slow Computers • E-Mail & Printer Problems Spyware & Viruses • Bad Internet Connections Affordable Rates For Home & Business 100% Safe & Secure Friendly & Professional Service from U.S. Based Technicians
Call Now For Immediate Help
800-316-1289
25
STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR WORLD
www.districtchronicles.com 10 | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | District Chronicles
customer based on their location, credit history and viewing habits has different requirements. Let us quote you a price and package that’s best suited for your needs.
CALL NOW!
Solutions For:
Buy classifieds at districtchronicles.com
Per Month
• FREE PRO Installation
With so many options available for satellite television services today, how do you know the one that’s right for your family. At Digital TV, we are an authorized reseller for all the major satellite brands. Each
We’ll Repair Your Computer Through The Internet!
$
99
• NO Equipment to Buy • FREE HDTV Upgrade
Fix Your Computer Now!
19
$
Imagine The Difference You Can Make
DONATE YOUR CAR 1-800-631-0143 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE
00 Off Service Mention Code: MB
Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually
Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!!
Call 202-806-9401 to advertise in the District Chronicles. districtchronicles.com
In the Neighborhood
Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington District of Columbia Local middle school teachers selected for Library of Congress education program
M
District of Columbia Howard University president honored for medical contributions In honor of Caribbean Heritage Month, Interim President Wayne A.I. Frederick has received a Congressional Citation honoring his career as a surgeon, researcher and scholar. Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Library of Congress
iddle school teachers Benjamin Jakubowski and Keelan Lofaro of Alice Deal Middle School have been selected out of a pool of more than 400 applicants to participate in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute. Each year, the Library of Congress provides the opportunity for a carefully chosen group of K-12 educators to attend one of five teacher institutes in Washington, D.C. Beginning Monday, the fiveday program will allow participants to work with library education specialists and subject-matter experts to learn effective practices for using primary sources in the classroom, as well as explore some of the millions of digitized historical artifacts and documents available on the library’s website. The applicants for the program reflect the diversity of the world of K-12 education. Participants in a teacher institute session typically include school library media specialists and school administrators, in addition to classroom teachers. Those selected come from many different states, representing large metropolitan school districts and smaller, rural school districts. Educators attending the teach-
The program will help the teachers learn how to use primary sources, original historic documents available at Library of Congress and online, in their classrooms.
er institutes develop primarysource-based teaching strategies that they can take back to their school districts, apply in the classroom and share with colleagues. Teaching with primary sources is a powerful way to help students ask engaged, probing questions, develop critical-thinking skills, and gain knowledge. The Library of Congress’ website provides all educators with access to classroom materials, teaching tools and strategies for teaching with primary sources. The expertise provided by the
Library of Congress during the institutes benefit every level of K-12 education. Primary sources are the raw materials of history – original documents and objects that were created at the time under study. Students working with primary sources become engaged learners while building critical-thinking skills and constructing new knowledge. Teachers working in the library’s collections will explore the largest online collection of historical artifacts with access to millions of unique primary sources for use in instruction.
(D-CA) expressed thanks and commendation: “Dr. Frederick’s writing and leadership in the area of oncology, especially addressing health disparities among African Americans and other underrepresented groups, is legendary. I salute you. I commend you for contributions to our nation.” President Frederick also served as the keynote speaker at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) annual Caribbean Heritage Month celebration.
“I was humbled by the honor,” Frederick said. “It is our sacred obligation to serve our community. As I shared with the attendees, opportunity is America’s promise. Education is the ink with which that contract was written. Howard University is the inkwell.” With more than 3,500 employees worldwide, the SEC is the federal agency designed to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.
24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Visit www.districtchronicles.com.
Call 202-806-9401 to advertise in the District Chronicles.
districtchronicles.com
District Chronicles | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | 11
In the Neighborhood Fans react to “Redskin” trademark firestorm T
Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles
12 | Jul. 10 - Jul. 16, 2014 | District Chronicles
Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles
he Washington Redskins have officially been ordered to remove their historical trademark after an 82-year-old existence. “The Washington Redskins’ logo is disparaging and needs to be cancelled,” the U.S. Patent and Trademark office wrote in a June 18 ruling. The ruling cancelled the Redskins trademark, calling it “racist” and “disparaging.” Along with losing rights to the Redskin name, the team has also lost exclusivity of the trademark. The team and organization will no longer be able to benefit from the use of the Trademark, but may still use the Redskins name. Fans and athletes in and from the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area have mixed reactions about the trademark cancellation. “In an interview I saw on YouTube, one Native American said the word “Redskin” is similar to the N word. If it’s that offensive, they should change their name,” said Elliot Abernathy, a Silver Spring resident and Redskins fan. “This dispute between the Redskins and Native Americans has been going on for a minute. So I saw this coming.” But, Howard University’s linebacker Ta’Brian Resby doesn’t see what the fuss about Redskins is all about. “I think the Redskins are taking the heat for everybody who has a Native American related mascot” he said. “If the Redskins have to change their name, what about the Braves (MLB), Blackhawks (NHL), Chiefs (NFL), Indians (MLB), Florida State Seminoles (NCAA Football)? None of those are to patronize Native Americans.” Corneilius Richardson didn’t know how to react to the U.S. Patent and Trademark office’s action. “I’ve been a Redskins fan since 2004 when they had Clinton Portis at running back,” Corneilus said, reminiscing on his favorite NFL franchise. “As a fan, it’s hard to see a name that I honestly grew to love go. However at the end of the day, it is racist. I think they made the right choice.” Fred Dean played for the Washington Redskins in 1978-1982 and is now a football coach for the
Howard University Football team. Like Abernathy, he also relates the trademark issue to the N word. “It’s just like the N word. We as African Americans don’t want to be called that or profit being made off something that’s offensive to us,” Dean said. But Dean feels for the older players like himself. “If they change the name, what will we have to identify with?” he asked. “But, at the end of the day, it’s just a name. It’s not going to change our Superbowl rings or the fact that we played. I’m still going to identify with Washington regardless of the name and I’m still going to wear my Redskins everything, and there will still be fans who wear it to the game.” He also thinks the name change won”t affect the past accomplishments of the team. “I feel for the older players like myself. If they change the name, what will we have to identify with?” “But I know why they want to do it. (the name change),” he continued “To me, I was a Redskin and it didn’t bother me. But if it offends a group of people, then they need to change it. At the end of the day, it’s just a name. It’s not going to change our Superbowl rings or the fact that we played. I’m still going to identify with Washington regardless of the name and I’m still going to wear my Redskins everything, and there will still be fans who wear it to the game.” He finished his response by saying, “The name isn’t going to change loyalty, so why does it matter so much? Just make the change.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid backed the decision completely and even went to the Senate floor to call for the team’s owner to change the name. But franchise owner Daniel Snyder has vowed to never change his team’s history. This wouldn’t be the first time a sports franchise has been required to change its because of political controversy. In 1997, NBA’s Washington Bullets changed its name to the Washington Wizards, following high crime rate and gun violence in the Washington, DC area. Former team owner Abe Pollin completely understood the reasons for the request of changing the name and was comfortable with making the official change to the Wizards.
Robert Eubanks/DistrictChronicles
By Kameron Williams and Gesiye Komonibo Contributing writers
Reaction to the Redskins name controversy has been mixed. There are those who have a special attachment to the Super Bowl winning team of the 80s and there are some who think the team can weather the name change (Photo credit: Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles).