District Chronicles V13 Issue 49 by District Chronicles

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Artist, author Gill delves into the stories of obscure Black history in his book Page 8

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July 24 - July 30, 2014

David Grosso bill to curb Pre-K discipline Page 4 www.districtchronicles.com

Volume 13 Issue 49

Editorial

Haven’t I seen these people before

nbcnews.com

Protestors against illegal immigration stop a bus from delivering migrant families to be processed at Border Patrol facility in Murrieta, Ca.

By Lee A. Daniels NNPA Columnist

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or much of this month, I have experienced flashes of déjà vu. It’s come from watching the demonstrators in some towns across the country and reading some of the commentary and reader responses in the newspapers and the blogs protesting the Obama administration’s efforts to temporarily shelter the children fleeing the gang violence ravaging their Central American countries. I’d felt an insistent mental tugging that I’ve seen these people and heard these people and read what these people were saying before. Now I’ve realized I was flashing back to that period from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s – the years encompassing my childhood and young adulthood – when the scene and sound track of American life repeatedly included adults in some cities and towns angrily demanding that children be stopped from “invading” where they lived. Then, of course, the skin color of those children was, by and large, darker – more my shade of brown – than that of the children who’ve fled from elsewhere to America’s southwestern border. And those children, like me, spoke English. And those children, like me, had been born in the United States, de-

scended from parents and grandparents and, most likely, a long line of ancestors who had been born in the United States. The children I’m remembering from those years, in other words, were American citizens of long lineage. But none of that shielded those children from their adult antagonists. Because those adults considered them, and their parents and all the other Americans who looked like them – who looked like me – to not be American citizens in any sense of that concept. They – we – were “illegal” by dint of skin color and previous condition of servitude. Those adults declared that the children who looked like me had “illegally” crossed boundaries to go where they did not belong, where they were not wanted. And, in fact, in some places, like Little Rock, Ark. and New Orleans, La. and Cambridge, Md. and so on, the children who looked like me were breaking what had been “law.” In other places, like Chicago and Boston and so on, they were challenging long-standing customs and bureaucratic rules which had the force of law. As with the “border children” of today, the children of yesteryear who looked like me were also called “criminals,” “diseased,” a “pestilence” by mobs of adults at whose fringes lurked men with guns they carried to buck up the

courage they needed to harass children. Then, as today, it was the task of the pundits and the politicians who agreed with the children’s adult tormenters to speak of obedience to law and custom, and the need to defend property values, and the “tyranny” of Washington in order to simultaneously obscure and justify the spectacle of adults threatening children. Yes, I have seen those adults who’ve been so much in the news this month waging war on children before, because the virus they’re carrying makes all the people infected by it look and sound the same across time and place. But, as I remember happening a half century ago, some Americans today have also chosen kindness over cruelty, decency over indecency. Undoubtedly, they’re the ones who understand that the mid-20th century “invasion” into the rest of America of the children who looked like me and the boundary crossing of the children who came behind them redeemed the American Dream and saved American society by illuminating a fundamental human truth: When you open wider the gates of opportunity, the benefits to all stretch far beyond imagining. Lee A. Daniels latest book is “Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America.”

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Black Chambers and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers (NABHOOD) are formally partnering to make sure a significant portion of the $40 billion African Americans spend each year on travel and tourism remains in Black hands. The partnership was launched at the start of USBC’s professional development conference, held at the Marriott Marquis in the District of Columbia this month. The newly-opened, four-star hotel, next to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is Black-owned. “Today is about more investment in the hotel and travel industry,” Ron Busby Jr., USBC president, said at a press conference. “As African Americans, we have conferences, events, weddings, and vacations, always with Whiteowned establishments. I think we can bring some that money back to us.” A Nielsen study conducted in cooperation with the National Newspaper Publishers Association found that African Americans spent $40 billion each year on the travel and tourism industries last year. But Andy Ingraham, president and CEO of NABHOOD, few of those dollars turn over in the Black community. “I’d rate [concerted Black patronization] as pretty nonexistent,” he said. “We have to create awareness, because most people who come in contact with this idea think it’s a damn good idea.” Interestingly, Nielsen finds that Black Americans are 28 percent more likely than other groups to read financial magazines such as Forbes and Fortune, yet have low levels of participation with mainstream financial products such as purchasing stock or mutual funds. Although Black Americans have yet to truly wield their power as consumers, prominent brands have taken notice, including Marriott International. “We see the power of the African-American wallet, spending, and economic value,” said Apoor-

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Black chambers, hotel owners form partnership to back each other

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USBC’s Busby Jr. wants to see more African Americans use Black-owned hotels.

va Gandhi, vice president of Multicultural Markets and Alliances for Marriott. “It’s really important to us that we are consistently authentic in how we employ – through recruitment and developing executive professionals – and also how we market to, and do business with this segment.” The hotel brand has been named one of Black Enterprise’s top 40 companies for diversity for eight consecutive years. Marriott has also maintained decades-long partnerships with major Black organizations such as the National Urban League, NAACP, and the National Black MBA Association. “One way we try to reach the African-American segment is through our multicultural and diversity partners,” said Gandhi. “One, because these are great organizations doing great things. But also, they are gateway groups to their demographic. We work to support their goals because, frankly, they’re our goals too.” Marriott says it was the first hospitality company to establish a diversity and inclusion program. Today, it is also one of a handful of big-name hotels working to cultivate Black executives and owners. Interestingly, Norman Jenkins, NABHOOD treasurer, and found-

er of Capstone Development, the company that co-financed the Marriott Marquis in D.C., is also a former Marriott executive. Under his leadership, the brand boasted of at least 500 minority-owned or minority-franchised Marriotts around the world in just three years under its Diversity Ownership Initiative. Jenkins represents the other angle of Black economic power: gatekeeping and ownership. By owning a business, African Americans can solve many of their own community problems. “Black businesses still struggle to find funding, either through equity or debt, to let them grow to what they could be,” said Busby. “But we know Black business is the key to the unemployment that is wreaking havoc on our communities.” As Ingraham explained, more business at Black-owned hotels results in more hires and more corporate promotions of other African Americans working within the establishment who can eventually become executives or owners. More business also means that hotels have to buy more goods from suppliers, and can choose to patronize other Black-owned businesses in the process.

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Neighborhood Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington District of Columbia Grosso bill to ban Pre-K suspensions, expulsions

.C. Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) introduced on Monday the “Pre-K Student Discipline Amendment Act of 2014.” This legislation prohibits the suspension or expulsion of a student of pre-kindergarten age from any publicly funded pre-kindergarten program operating in the District of Columbia. It also establishes annual reporting requirements for each local education agency on suspensions and expulsions data. Last month, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education released a report “Reducing Out-ofSchool Suspensions and Expulsions in the District of Columbia Public and Public Charter Schools.” The report found that during the 20122013 school year approximately

10,000 of the District’s 80,000 public school students were suspended at least once. One hundred and eighty one of those students were enrolled in prekindergarten programs. “While I understand that children at times can be difficult, I have a hard time understanding what behavior of a 3 or 4-year old would constitute an out-of-school suspension or expulsion,” said Councilmember Grosso. “We are beginning the school-to-prison pipeline before some students even have the opportunity to fully begin their educational pursuits.” The adverse effects of out-ofschool suspension and expulsion on a student can be profound. Data suggest that students who are involved in the juvenile justice system are likely to have been suspended or expelled. Further, students who experience out-of-school suspension and expulsion are as much as 10 times more likely to ultimately drop out of high school than are those who do not. The District would not be the

first jurisdiction to recognize that when it comes to our youngest students zero tolerance-style school discipline policies are not always appropriate. Just last month, the Chicago Public School Board of Education voted to prohibit the suspension of Pre-K through 2nd grade students except for cases involving extreme safety concerns. In Washington State, students in grades K-4 cannot receive long-term suspensions, and no student in grades K-4 can be suspended for more than a total of 10 school days during any single semester. In 2012, New York City decided that no student in grades K-3 should be suspended for longer than five days. “The conversation regarding student discipline is ripe in the District of Columbia. Regardless of which sector our youngest public school students begin their education, it is in the public interest that the most extreme options with regard to student discipline be age and developmentally appropriate,” said Grosso.

Norton calls gun amendment ‘madness’ for nation’s capital At a hastily organized press conference on Capitol Hill last week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D-DC), D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and other D.C. anti-gun advocates and activists blasted conservative Republicans in Congress for supporting efforts to weaken the city’s gun laws. They were joined by Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Alfred Durham, representatives from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and DC Vote to discuss an amendment to block D.C. from enforcing its gun laws. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), was passed by the House last week as part of the Fiscal Year 2015 D.C. Appropriations bill. Norton called on President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and the Senate

to remove the amendment from the final bill. Norton said that the amendment was so ineptly drafted that it would be virtually unenforceable without years of complicated litigation. However, she warned, “Making a big city, which is also the nation’s capital and a prime terrorist target, one of the most permissive gun jurisdictions in the country would be madness.” The amendment appears to have intended to allow the carrying of a gun, openly or concealed, on streets in the nation’s capital; the possession of assault weapons, including .50 caliber sniper rifles and magazines holding an unlimited number of bullets; the private sale of guns without background checks; the purchase of guns with no waiting period; and, the purchase of an unlimited number of guns in one day. The federal courts have already found D.C.’s postHeller gun laws to be constitutional and consistent with the Supreme Court’s Heller decision.

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Divine Intervention

Obama reaches solution between gay rights, religious freedom

         

           

By David Gibson Religion News Service

         

Pete Souza/whitehouse.gov

ne of the toughest political calculations in Washington is balancing competing claims of gay rights with the traditional prerogatives of religious freedom. After a number of setbacks on that front, President Obama may have finally found a small patch of middle ground with Monday’s move to bar federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. Obama’s executive order shields gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination by companies that do work for the federal government by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to long-standing protections from bias based on “race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” Yet, this action also leaves in place a 2002 order signed by President George W. Bush that gives religious groups with federal contracts some leeway by allowing them to use religious beliefs as a criterion in making hiring and firing decisions. As a candidate in 2008, Obama pledged to overturn that exemption. At the same time, Obama did not expand the exemption to explicitly allow religious groups that receive federal funds to use sexual orientation as grounds for hiring and firing, as some demanded. The result was a split-the-baby solution that largely pleased Obama’s gay rights supporters, while mollifying some religious critics and leaving enough ambiguity to blunt the opposition of more hard-line foes. “If President Obama were an Olympic diver, he would have just scored very high for his flawless performance of a double flip,” wrote National Catholic Reporter columnist Michael Sean Winters. It’s still unclear whether this compromise will help the White House avoid another costly controversy over religious freedom, but initial reactions to the executive order indicated the issue may not necessarily become another flashpoint in the culture wars.





Obama’s split-the-baby solution on gay rights, religious freedom pleases some but not all.

Michael Wear, a former White House official who served as a liaison to the evangelical community, said he was “encouraged” that the president’s action both advanced LGBT rights and respected “the religious identity of organizations serving our nation in partnership with the federal government.” Earlier this month, Wear helped organize a letter signed by a range of religious leaders that urged Obama to expand the religious exemption when he issued his executive order. Although Obama rejected that option, Wear said the outcome “was precisely the hope and request of our letter to the president.” That view was echoed by another signatory, Stephen Schneck, head of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at Catholic University of America, who said the White House “has left open a path that religious groups can work with.” A separate letter from more than 100 liberal religious leaders, sent to Obama a week later, had taken a different tactic by urging the president not to expand the religious exemption to allow discrimination against LGBT workers by faith groups who take federal dollars. Those signers were generally pleased with Monday’s decision, though many were dismayed that Obama left the Bush-era exemp-

tion intact. “No forms of discrimination should be supported with the taxpayer dime, period,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Some of Obama’s conservative foes were either noticeably silent or their criticisms were somewhat hedged. “We don’t know the full implications of this executive order,” said Russell Moore, the public policy point man for the Southern Baptist Convention, in a statement. Don’t expect the relative quiet to presage a wider truce, however. A bill to bar bias against LGBT employees in nearly all workplaces, known as the Employment NonDiscrimination Act (ENDA), has passed the Senate but is stalled in the House with little prospect of success. Some gay rights supporters have withdrawn their support for the bill because they say its religious exemption is too broad, while gay rights opponents argue that the protections for LGBT workers aren’t needed, and could still infringe on religious freedom. As Lanae Erickson Hatalsky, director of social policy for the center-left think tank Third Way, told The Atlantic: “The religious exemption debate has now been polarized to the point where people are saying, ‘All or nothing.’”

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                                                                                                           

     

   

     

     

                                                                                                            

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 

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District Chronicles | Jul. 24 - Jul. 30, 2014 | 5

Cover

D.C. residents back Pope on immigration crisis

By Mackenzie McKey and Whitney Sweetwine

Pete Souza/whitehouse.gov

.C. residents and immigrant advocates are firmly behind Pope Francis’ call for the United States not to deport children fleeing Central America for an opportunity for a better life. Anti-immigrant activists are demanding speedy deportation of any unaccompanied children flooding the U.S.-Mexican border. “I believe allowing illegal immigrants who are minors to gain an education in our country to is a much needed step,” Jordan Wilson, a Latino rights activist, told The District Chronicles last week. “A major reason they flee their countries is to escape the harsh treatment and with a newfound education they could stop the violence.” Elena Stulkakina, an immigrant from Russia said the U.S. should grant these minors work visas and public education. “The U.S. should let these immigrants get an education simply because I believe everyone in the world should have equal opportunities,” said Stulkakina. “Upon completion of school, they can be sent back to their countries with a very powerful tool – knowledge!” These children leave the harsh life they know in hopes of finding a better life, Michelle Ortiz, a Latino living in Washington, D.C., chimed in. “If they risked their lives to get to the United States, what kind of people would turn someone like that away?” she asked. Andrea Davis, another D.C. resident wondered: “Do we want these children suffering and living in poverty? They’re seeking asy-

lum, let’s give it to them.” The generations to come will need leaders to look up to. With a good education on their shoulders, these young adults can return and fight for their countries. They can stand up for their rights and educate others to stand and fight as one, said Davis. Pope Francis on July 15 waded into the controversy of the wave of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, calling for an end to racism against migrants and pushing the U.S. to offer greater protection for young children entering the country illegally, Religion News Service reported. “Many people forced to emigrate suffer, and often, die tragically,” the Pope said in a message sent to a global conference in Mexico. “Many of their rights are violated, they are obliged to separate from their families and, unfortunately, continue to be the subject of racist and xenophobic attitudes.” The Argentine pontiff said a different approach is needed to tackling what he called a “humanitarian emergency” as growing numbers of unaccompanied children are migrating to the U.S. from Central America and Mexico. “I would also like to draw attention to the tens of thousands of children who migrate alone, unaccompanied, to escape poverty and violence,” said the Pope. “They are increasing day by day. This humanitarian emergency requires, as

The pope, who is from Argentina, called for an end to racism against migrants and encouraged U.S. not to deport the high flow of women and children crossing the borders.

a first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected.” The pope has often spoken out

sciousness. New America Media reported on July 16, that the Congressional Women’s Working Group had called on Congress and President Obama to protect women and children – Andrea Davis, D.C. resident who are seeking refuge from sexual violence, abuse, in his support for refugees and and human trafficking in their called for a dramatic change of con- home countries.

They’re seeking asylum, let’s give it to them.

Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard, joined by Congresswomen Zoe Lofgren, Judy Chu and Andrea Mercado, said the decisions Congress makes in response to the humanitarian crisis at the border could effectively result in handing women and young girls back into the hands of human traffickers and lifetimes of sexual violence. “The call to send women and children fleeing violence back to their deaths is simply inhumane,” said Congresswoman Mercado. “It’s un-American.”

NAACP promises voter mobilization for election year battle By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) – With a “pivotal election” coming up Nov. 4, the NAACP kicked off its 105th Annual Convention last week focusing primarily on maximum Black voter turnout for the mid-term elections. “All In for Justice & Equality” is the theme of the convention which started in Las Vegas on July 19. Voter suppression, criminal justice reform, voting rights, economic opportunity and educational equality dominated the venerable civil

rights organization’s agenda. Chairman Roslyn M. Brock said that the 105-year-old organization will escalate its traditional strategies to turn out the largest voting force possible. “In this pivotal election year, it is especially important for us to address voter suppression and the challenges facing communities of color and the nation as a whole,” said Brock. “As we tackle important issues like health care, economic opportunity, education and civic engagement, we know that

6 | Jul. 24 - Jul. 30, 2014 | District Chronicles

we cannot fully recover as a nation unless we are courageous, stand in solidarity and get out the vote. The NAACP will work to ensure every American has unfettered access to the ballot box.” Political analysts say the Republicans Party, which gets only a handful of Black votes, is determined to win back the majority in the Senate that they lost in 2006 elections. Senate Democrats have a 55-45 majority, including two independents who usually vote with Democrats. Republicans will likely

maintain control of the House unless Democrats can pick up at least 17 seats. Democrats have not had a House majority since 2010. A statement from the NAACP stressed that the convention occurred on the heels of the “devastating decision” in Shelby v. Holder, June 25, 2013, which gutted Section IV of the Voting Rights Act. NNPA Columnist Lee A. Daniels has noted the federal court and Supreme Court decisions that justify state and local governments violations of Black Americans rights. And there

are Supreme Court attacks on affirmative action in education and nondiscrimination in the workplace. “We still face several challenges and we must continue to set the tone for those who believe that the struggle for a greater nation must continue,” said NAACP Vice Chairman Leon Russell. “Our Convention must also re-emphasize the importance of civic engagement as we move into off year elections. The ability to cast an unfettered ballot that is actually counted is perhaps our greatest challenge.”

Politics

Bipartisan jobs bill tackles urban and youth unemployment By Marc H. Morial “Supporting education and training for our youth is a smart investment that can help rebuild local economies and pay dividends over the long term.” – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand “The future of our economy depends on an educated, skilled workforce that encompasses all individuals – even the most disconnected and at risk.” – Congressman Chaka Fattah

fattah.house.gov

Just when it seemed Congress was no longer capable of working together on any level to serve the best interests of the American people, members of both parties in the House of Representatives earlier this month, joined forces to pass a new bipartisan jobs bill, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). With the passage of WIOA, millions of unemployed and under-employed workers and urban youth of color can now receive the job and skills training, as well as the support services, they need to chart a path to a better future. The bipartisan vote in the House was 415-6. The Senate passed the bill in June with a 95-3 bipartisan majority, and it is now headed to President Obama’s desk for signing. The decade-plus struggle for Congressional renewal of the nation’s preeminent job training legislation was finally won thanks in large part to the tenacity, commitment and leadership of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania. As co-sponsors of the Urban Jobs Act, a bill advocated and championed by the National Urban League, they helped craft bi-partisan legislation that responds to the education, skills, and employment needs of millions of individuals who are unemployed or under-employed and face multiple barriers to employment. The National Urban League and the advocacy work of our Affiliates on the Urban Jobs Act were the impetus for many of the local youth provisions that are now a part of the WIOA, as well as provisions for funding to nonprofit organizations that operate effective workforce training pro-

Congressman Fattah helped sponsor the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

grams. These include a focus on the needs of youth, aged 16-24, including high school drop-outs, and individuals with multiple barriers to employment, such as ex-offenders, youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system, and the long-term unemployed. Passage of this legislation represents a special victory for communities of color where unemployment continues to outpace the national average. In June, overall unemployment fell to 6.1 percent and the rate for Whites is now at 5.3 percent. But African-American unemployment remains in doubledigits at 10.7 percent. The rate for Hispanics is 7.8 percent. Most disturbingly, African American and Hispanic youth continue to experience extremely high rates of unemployment. According to a joint statement from Sen. Gillibrand and Congressman Fattah, “The average unemployment rate for minority youth in May was almost 24 percent for African Americans and just over 12 percent for Hispanics. Approximately 5.8 million youth, or nearly 15 percent of 16 to 24 year olds, are neither employed nor attending school, and as a result not developing the skills, education and job experience necessary for quality jobs.” Passage of the Urban Jobs

Act provisions in WIOA will help reduce youth unemployment, strengthen our economy and give millions of young people of color access to the education and skills needed for success in work and in life. The legislation also complements the National Urban League’s extraordinary $100 million, five-year Jobs Rebuild America initiative, which is bringing together resources from the government, business and non-profit sectors to help bring jobs and hope back to hard-pressed communities – reducing unemployment, creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity in 50 communities throughout the nation. The reauthorization of WIOA is also a victory for bipartisanship and responsible government action, two things that have been lacking recently in Washington. As President Obama commented, “Today’s vote helps ensure that our workers can earn the skills employers are looking for right now and that American businesses have the talent pool it takes to compete and win in our global economy. I look forward to signing it into law and hope Congress will continue to come together to make progress for America’s working families.” We intend to keep up the fight to see that they do.

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Arts and Entertainment

‘Strange Fruit’ uses the art of cartoon to share history

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

AMG | PHOTOGRAPHY T 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.

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he history books you had in school almost put you to sleep. They were filled with dates, stats, dead people and towns that aren’t even around anymore. Who really cares about that stuff, anyway? Author Joel Christian Gill’s new book “Strange Fruit” provides a more appealing way for readers to learn about that which has made their lives easier. His book teaches readers about people that history books have mostly forgotten. Shortly after grad school, Gill did a series of paintings that he says freed him from the racism that his father and grandfather endured. But he felt something was missing: he was coming up short in terms of storytelling. That’s when he started doing comics, telling stories of “obscure Black history.” One example is the story of Richard Potter, who was born around 1783. After his father ensured his education, Potter spent many years traveling and he became fascinated with magic tricks. He tried, practiced, learned, and tried again until he mastered several tricks and invented some of his own – which eventually made him very wealthy. On his deathbed in 1835, he finally admitted something important: Potter, America ’s first stage magician, was a Black man. Readers will also learn the story of Theophilus Thompson. After his emancipation, he worked as a janitor. One night, he noticed that his employer had a game set up on a table, and Thompson studied it. He figured out how the strange game worked, and it didn’t take long before he was playing competition chess – and winning. He

The graphic novel Strange Fruit tells the obscure stories of African American history.

even wrote a book about it, but one day he vanished. Rumors swirled around his disappearance, but Thompson was never seen again. In this book, you’ll learn about the Black Cyclone who started his biking career due to a great kindness from family and later, lay in an unmarked grave for more than 70 years. You’ll read two letters from a man determined to save his daughter from slavery. You’ll learn about the baddest U.S. Marshall that ever lived that even jailed his own son. And you’ll read the sad, sad story of the Malagites who lost their home off the coast of Massachusetts a mere century ago. Are you always on your child to read something, anything, except a comic book? It’s time to make an exception: “Strange

Fruit” is a graphic novel, and you’ll want them to read it. Through the art of the cartoon, author Joel Christian Gill tells nine stories of African Americans who did astounding things for the time in which they lived, thereby making differences that resonate today. These fascinating tales are somewhat marred by weird minivocabulary lessons, but those stop early on in the book as the tales progressively get more meaningful. Ultimately, I liked this book because I think it speaks to kids who want their learning more on the arty side. There’s really no reason that an adult can’t enjoy this book, but it’s geared towards 12 to 17 year olds. For teens that don’t know enough about history, “Strange Fruit” will wake them up.

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In the Neighborhood

Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington

involved in NABCO for a number of years, and we have seen a great deal of progress. I look forward to continuing that forward momentum during my term as president.” Prince George’s County Council Chairman Mel Franklin (D) – District 9) says the entire Council is excited about their colleague’s new leadership role. “Council Member Harrison has been, and continues to be one

of the leading County officials on the regional, state and national levels, including previously serving as Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors,” said Franklin. “I congratulate her on her latest achievement and tireless advocacy on behalf of the nearly 900,000 residents of Prince George’s County.” Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III also congratulated Harrison on her accomplishment. “As the president of the National Association of Black County Officials, Council Member Harrison will have a prominent role in this national organization and will engage colleagues from around the nation on the interests and issues, successes and challenges we face in Prince George’s County and as local African-American leaders,” said Baker. “As a County, we are very proud of her and are confident that she will serve this organization well.”

in 1941 with Executive Order 8802, which barred discrimination in the federal government and defense industries based on race, color, creed and national origin, well before Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act barred discrimination in the entire country. “The President’s action reminds Congress of its obligation to take the necessary legal action to protect all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans from workplace discrimination, as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would do. ENDA has the overwhelming support of the American people. We should pass the bill before the 113th Congress is finished.” Before signing the Executive Order, President Obama noted the decades of ENDA advocates organizing, speaking up, signing petitions and sending letters and said, “And now, thanks to your passionate advocacy and the irrefutable rightness of your cause, our government will become just a little bit fairer. “It doesn’t make much sense,

but today in America, millions of our fellow citizens wake up and go to work with the awareness that they could lose their job, not because of anything they do or fail to do, but because of who they are – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. And that’s wrong. We’re here to do what we can to make it right –to bend that arc of justice just a little bit in a better direction.” ENDA would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Norton has been pressing for House passage of ENDA since she was first elected to Congress. The bill has special meaning for Norton because it amends Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, barring job discrimination, which she enforced as chair of the EEOC. The bill has 205 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. Norton has been a long-time leader for LGBT rights. After the District of Columbia passed its marriage equality law, Norton was successful in defeating several attempts in the House and Senate to repeal the law.

Prince George’s Council member Andrea C. Harrison installed president of national organization

District of Columbia Norton praises Obama for breathing life into ENDA Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a former chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, has praised President Obama for issuing an executive order on Monday, prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity. There is no federal law prohibiting companies from discriminating against their employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, 18 states and the District of Columbia have laws that ban this form of discrimination. “I applaud the President’s initiative to do what is clearly within his authority to help eliminate discrimination against the employees of federal contractors,” Norton said. “The President is doing what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did

Karen Toles

rince George’s County Council Member Andrea C. Harrison (D – District 5) was installed last week as president of the National Association of Black County Officials during the National Association of Counties 2014 Annual Conference. The fourday conference was held July 11-14 in New Orleans, La. Council Member Harrison, who previously served as first vice-president of the association, looks forward to continued service in this new leadership capacity. “Serving as NABCO president provides an important opportunity to work collaboratively with my colleagues throughout our nation on issues that impact all of us,” said Harrison. “I have been

Harrison became the president of National Association of Black County Officials.

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District Chronicles | Jul. 24 - Jul. 30, 2014 | 11

In the Neighborhood Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington Montgomery County Youth soccer tournament to bring serious dollars to Maryland

tional Championships will elevate the profile of the Maryland SoccerPlex. “Teams from across the country will attend this prestigious event,” said Heffelfinger. “The college coaches and tournament directors who attend will start considering the SoccerPlex for their events, which will bring even more economic development to Montgomery County.” In May, the Conference and Visitors Bureau partnered with the Maryland SoccerPlex on a sports economic impact study conducted by researchers at George Washington University. The study revealed that tournament visitors spent close to $13.9 million dollars while in the Montgomery County area on food, lodging, entertainment, local transportation and retail purchases. The estimated economic impact of the event is around $4 million to $5 million.

usyouthsoccer.org

he Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds is hosting the U.S. Youth Soccer Association National Championship Series July 2227. This event is the country’s most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, bringing together the nation’s top 96 youth soccer teams in the under-13 through under-19 boys and girls brackets. “US Youth Soccer is excited to be back in Maryland for the 2014 US Youth Soccer National Championships at the Maryland SoccerPlex,” said Todd Roby, director of marketing and communications for US Youth Soccer. “The national championships are the pinnacle

of youth soccer for players ages under-13 to 19. Future World Cup, Olympic and collegiate standouts will be in clear sight and we know the local community will appreciate the opportunity to see these future stars make memories that will last a lifetime at one of the country’s finest facilities.” The Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Montgomery County, Maryland Soccer Foundation and the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association worked closely on the bid to host this prestigious event. “This tournament will provide a boost in occupancy during a period when there is less business travel,” said Kelly Groff, president and CEO of the CVB. “In one week, the tournament will generate 8,000 room nights.” According to Trish Heffelfinger, executive director of the Maryland Soccer Foundation, the USYSA Na-

All this week, teams from across the country battle it out in U.S. Youth Soccer Association Championships at the SoccerPlex in Boyd.

Protesters call on President Obama to protect children in U.S. Border crisis

Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles

Robert Eubanks/DistrictChronicles

Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles

Robert Eubanks/DistrictChronicles

Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles

12 | Jul. 24 - Jul. 30, 2014 | District Chronicles

Protestors marched to and gathered at the White House on Thursday July 17th as Congress considers rolling back a 2008 law protecting unaccompanied migrant minors. The event, organized by Amnesty International, We Belong Together and others, puts pressure on the White House because it is open to changes in the law. Protestors claim politicians are sacrificing the kids (Photo Credit: Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles).