baltimore afro-american newspaper - december 01 2012

December 1, 2012 - December 1, 2012, The Afro-American A1

across the board.The Major General has

over 33 years in the Marine Corps Reserve, several positions of national and local leadership, and his own business ventures on his long list of personal accomplishments.

And even though his solid reputation precedes him, only humility surrounds the man who says countless family members and friends have played a part in getting him where he is today.

“It begins with my parents, but it takes a village

to raise a man or a woman,” Williams told the AFRO. “My village was very large and very helpful. It began with my family and then went very quickly to my

church and all the teachers I’ve had the great fortune to learn from in class.”

Though Williams continues to hold many powerful positions, his title as member of Baltimore’s Bethel A.M.E. Church and ties to his home church, Bank Street Baptist, in Norfolk, Va., are at the top of the list.

Williams graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1970 and went on to earn a MBA in 1978 from Southern Illinois University. During his time in the Marine Corps, he served in numerous positions including principle representative to the Joint Requirements Board, Battery Commander and a leader in logistics.

Williams now has education in his own line of vision after eight years of retirement from the Marine Corps and two years of retirement from his position as executive vice president of Medifast, a company that aids in permanent weight loss.

He’s currently a trustee

By Jannette J. WitmyerSpecial to the AFRO

If you’ve passed the corner of Pennsylvania and North Avenues lately, then you’ve caught a glimpse of the new look that Pratt Library’s Pennsylvania Avenue Branch 17 is sporting.

The nearly two-story tall image on the front window of a young Black girl clad in a vividly colored, lime-green dress, sitting cross-legged while reading a book, is pretty hard to miss. What you can’t see are the extensive interior cosmetic enhancements and technological upgrades the branch has undergone.

When Branch 17 held its eagerly anticipated soft opening Nov. 2, after being closed for nearly three months, a gathering of 20-30 enthusiastic patrons lined up outside its doors, anxiously awaiting the opportunity to put their community library back to good use. They were not disappointed.

Freshly painted, with new carpeting and signage and an inspiring cityscape on the wall behind the circulation desk, the library’s new look sparkles. But the real icing on the cake came with the increased number of computers and enhanced computer lab, books borrowed on eReaders, a dedicated career center, hot-spot tables, an overhead projector, improvements to the areas for children and pre-schoolers and other goodies.

According to Willie Johnson, Penn’s branch manager since 2008, would-be patrons of the branch, which usually see 420 to 430 visitors a day, had been knocking on the

door, tapping on windows and peering inside the covered entryway and windows since it closed. He was just as happy as they were to be back at his home branch.

“Penn has always been a piece of me. I love the branch. I love the people. I love the service that we provide for the community,” revealed Johnson, who was first assigned to

Penn as its young adult librarian in 2001.Located at the pinnacle of Pennsylvania

Avenue, Branch 17, which opened at that location in 1953, has served as a beacon in the community to generations of patrons. Kathryn Waters’ memories date back to visits to the branch between 1954 and 1961. She recalls visiting for story hour in her pre-school years, serving as her class’ library aide in third grade and learning the Dewey Decimal System. Waters, who is now vice president for member services at the American Public

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Twitter.com Jamie Foxx

By AFRO Staff

Entertainer Jamie Foxx is in hot water over what he might have thought of as cool

wit, linking President Obama to Jesus Christ.

During the taping of the 2012 Soul Train Awards, Foxx said, “It’s like church over here. It’s like church in here. First of all, give an honor to God and our Lord and Savior Barack Obama.”

The awards show was aired by BET on the Sunday after

Thanksgiving but was taped a few days after Obama’s re-election victory Nov. 6.

Foxx’s remark was not well-received in the blogosphere. “I will be boycotting anything you do,” vowed Carole Sue Buttke, “along with all the other idiots who think Barack Obama is Lord and Savior.”“I am no longer a fan of Jamie Foxx!” She was one of thousands of internet users who descended on Foxx’s Facebook site in protest.

Foxx got a frosty reception from religious organizations, too. “Foxx’s epiphany is startling,” said Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States President Bill Donahue, who had an exchange with Foxx months ago in which

the actor expressed skepticism about God. “It just goes to show that even though

Obama did not succeed in stopping the oceans from rising (as he promised to do in 2008), he did succeed in convincing Jamie Foxx, and no doubt legions of others, that God exists. Whether God can survive an ACLU lawsuit accusing him of violating church and state grounds remains to be seen.”

On the Human Events blog, John Hayward said, “Practicing Christians are not amused by the portrayal of modern secular politicians as replacements for Jesus. But presumably their feelings don’t count, because they won’t burn anything down in outrage.”

Jamie Foxx Faces Penance for ‘Obama’ Remark

A3Jackson

Resignation Leaves District

in Turmoil

A5InaugurationsAfro coverage

Taft - 1909

B4 NBA or NCAA?

Continued on A4

By Zenitha PrinceSpecial to the AFRO

The Supreme Court next year will weigh in on the growing national debate over the collection and use of genetic material from criminal suspects when it considers a case involving Maryland’s DNA law, the justices announced earlier this month.

More than half of U.S. states have laws that allow police to cull DNA from persons who are suspected of violent crime, to search for potential matches to other criminal offenses.

But the laws are controversial. Law enforcement officials argue that DNA sampling is an invaluable crime-fighting tool. According to Maryland officials, in the first two years of the program’s implementation, matches from arrestee swabs resulted in 58 criminal prosecutions.

“We applaud the decision by the Supreme Court to review Maryland’s case regarding DNA collection,” said Gov. Martin O’Malley in a prepared statement. “Allowing law enforcement to collect DNA samples from offenders charged with serious crimes is absolutely critical to our efforts to continue driving down crime in Maryland and bolsters our efforts to resolve

High Court to Rule on DNA

Penn Branch Sparkles After Makeover

Photos by Jannette J. WitmyerThe Enoch Pratt Library branch at North and Pennsylvania Avenues.

Branch manager Willie Johnson at hot-spot table.

By Alexis TaylorSpecial to the AFRO

Still full of the same energy and passion that has fueled decades of service, Maj. Gen. Leo V. Williams III is a strong model of success for young men and women

Major General Strategizes for Health and Wholeness

Courtesy PhotoMaj. Gen. Leo V. Williams III

A2 The Afro-American, December 1, 2012 - December 7, 2012

Robin Roberts Returns Home for Thanksgiving after Battling Virus

Good Morning America (GMA) talk show co-host Robin Roberts returned home for Thanksgiving Day after a virus following her bone marrow transplant landed her back in the hospital.

Roberts, who received the bone marrow transplant from sister, Sally-Ann Roberts, said the latent virus was causing her no pain, and was only a small, commonly occurring bump in the road after her September procedure.

“Our immune systems usually take care of a virus like this ... but mine is only 59 days old,” Roberts said from her blog on the ABC website. “I decided to look at my brief stay as a ‘tune up’ ... and then I would be back on the road to recovery.

By the grace of God, I am! The virus is under control and my numbers are going back up.”

Roberts was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, earlier this year, becoming one of the roughly 10,000 who struggle with the disease annually, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The rare disorders associated with MDS can cause abnormalities in the development of mature red blood cells.

The condition can develop on its own but is

a result of cancer treatments in cases like Roberts’, who was diagnosed after she successfully completed chemotherapy for breast cancer that was found in 2007.

Roberts is expecting to make a full recovery while at her Manhattan residence. The 52-year-old celebrated her birthday on Nov. 23.

Holder to Remain AG in Year I of Obama II

Attorney General Eric Holder will remain in President Obama’s second-term cabinet--at least for a year, according to news reports.

The embattled official had expressed uncertainty about his future with the administration right after the election.

“I have to think about [what] can I contribute in a second term,” Holder told students at the University of Baltimore Law School Nov. 8. “Do I think there are things that I still want to do? Do I have gas left in the tank?”

But Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets are reporting that Holder has enough gas left, at least for a year.

While the Department of Justice has flourished under his leadership—the Civil Rights Enforcement Division has been particularly productive in defending the Voting Rights Act and other equal rights laws—Holder came under political attack from Republicans over the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal and other issues.

But, according to Fox News, a senior administration official said Holder was asked to stay because President Obama does want a mass exodus of senior officials at the beginning of his second term. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signaled, very early on, her plans to retire. And now, the White House national security team is undergoing a shakeup in the wake of CIA

Director David Petraeus’ abrupt departure over a sex scandal.The names of Holder’s potential successors are starting

to emerge, the senior administration official told Fox News. Among those mentioned are Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D- Minn.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a former state attorney general; and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

President Obama Participates in East Asian Summit

President Obama concluded the second year of American participation at the East Asian Summit (EAS) at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Nov. 20.

The three-day Asian conference began Nov. 18 in Bangkok, Thailand, and then moved to Rangoon, Burma, also known as Myanmar, where Obama became the first U.S. president to visit the country. He finished his tour with stops in Cambodia.

“It’s very important that we use multilateral meetings like the EAS to discuss shared regional and global challenges, and I’m committed to working with China and I’m committed to working with Asia,” said Obama. “It’s important that our two countries cooperate to build a more secure and prosperous future for the Asia Pacific region and for the world.”

Obama said that as leaders of the global economy, the two nations have a “special responsibility to lead the way in ensuring sustained and balanced growth” on an international scale.

Wen became premier of the State Council in the 2003 National People’s Congress victory over Zhu Rongji.

According to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. has seen more than $78 million in goods exported to China this year alone, a stark contrast to the more than $310 million spent on importing Chinese goods.

The Chinese premier said that the two countries will operate

out of respect for each other as they build business relationships that benefit the people on both sides.

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A2 The Afro-American, December 1, 2012 - December 1, 2012 December 1, 2012 - December 7, 2012, The Afro-American A3

By Alan KingAFRO Staff Writer

Jennifer Hudson and otherrelatives positively identified

the body of her 7-year-oldnephew Monday, just hoursafter his body was found in a

sport-utility vehicle sought inconnection with the murder ofHudson’s mother and brother.

The white, 1994 ChevroletSuburban with Illinois license

plate X584859 was found onChicago’s West Side afterpolice received a 7 a.m. call

from a neighbor about a suspi-cious vehicle. The man noticedthe vehicle while walking hisdog. According to the ChicagoTribune, the boy had been shotmultiple times in the back seatof the vehicle. The SUV, regis-tered to Hudson’s murderedbrother, was towed with theboy’s body inside and is beingprocessed by evidence techni-cians and workers. The bodywas later removed and taken tothe Cook County MedicalExaminer’s office.

Hudson and other familymembers arrived at the MedicalExaminer’s office mid-after-noon to identify the body.Given the choice between look-ing directly at the body orviewing it on a wall-mounted

video screen, the family chosethe latter. According to theTribune, Hudson said, “Yes,that’s him.”

A spokesman for the officetold the newspaper that Hudson

“remained strong for her fami-ly” and was clearly its leader.“She held hands with her fami-ly,” the spokesman said. “Itwas obviously a very emotionalmoment.”

The boy – the son of JuliaHudson, Jennifer’s sister – hadbeen missing since Friday,when a relative found Julian’sgrandmother, DarnellDonerson, 57, and his uncle,Jason Hudson, 29, shot to deathin his grandmother’s home inthe 7000 block of South YaleAvenue.

An Amber Alert – a desig-nation for high-risk missingchildren – was issued Fridayafter Julian was discoveredmissing after the murders.Police arrested WilliamBalfour, the missing boy’s step-father and estranged husbandof Julia, at his girlfriend’sSouthside apartment severalhours after the murders.Balfour’s mother, Michele, hastold reporters that her son hadnothing to do with the slayings.

Balfour remains a suspect in

the murders but is being held injail for parole violation after

being convicted of attemptedmurder and vehicular hijack-ing. Cook County records showthat he pleaded guilty to bothcharges in 1999. He was alsoconvicted in 1998 for posses-sion of a stolen motor vehicle.He was released from prison in2006 after serving seven yearsfor the attempted murder andcar hijacking charges.

The boy remained missingthrough a long weekend inwhich police and volunteers

posted fliers bearing his photo-graph around the city. OnSunday, Jennifer Hudson askedfor the public’s help in findingher nephew. In her MySpaceblog, she thanked fans and sup-porters for their prayers andoffered a $100,000 reward toanyone who returned the boyalive.

Since the investigation,Hudson – who gained stardomafter appearing on “AmericanIdol,” and then won anAcademy Award for her role inthe movie Dreamgirls – hasstayed out of the public eye.

The Chicago Tribune report-ed that a parade of cars movedslowly past her family’s homeMonday morning, past thenews vans, reporters and curi-

ous onlookers.Neighbors stoodquietly andreflected on the

violence. In front of the Hudson’s

home, men in heavy jacketsand hooded sweatshirts came tokiss the twin white crosses bar-ing the names of Donerson andJason.

“Everybody is sick of goingthrough stuff like this,” ArtishaWest, a former resident of thearea told the Tribune. “We allhave to stick together. All theseyoung children are dying, andfor what?”

By Alan KingAFRO Staff Writer

Presidential candidate JohnMcCain’s attack on ACORN –Associated CommunityOrganization for Reform Now –confirms the success of theorganization, the head of thegroup says.

“This is testimony to the workwe’ve done and success we’vehad,” Maude Hurd, president ofACORN, said in an interviewwith the AFRO.

“When this attack started, wehad just announced that we hadregistered 1.3 million new vot-ers,” she said. “That’s just to saythat someone’s running scaredbecause of ACORN’s success.”

McCain, who is running forpresident on the Republican tick-et, lashed out at ACORN in thefinal debate against BarackObama, contending the group “ison the verge of maybe perpetrat-ing one of the greatest frauds invoter history in this country,maybe destroying the fabric ofdemocracy.”

Factcheck.org, a non-partisanWeb site, found those claims tobe “exaggerated,” with “no evi-dence of any such democracy-destroying fraud.”

Hurd believes the McCaincharges were politically motivat-ed.

She said, “Because it’s low-and moderate-income people,and people of color, I believe theMcCain campaign thinks thosevoters are going to voteDemocratic, which is not neces-sarily true.”

ACORN is no stranger tocontroversy.

For 38 years, the non-partisanorganization has fought for socialand economic justice for low-and moderate-incomeAmericans. With 400,000 mem-ber families organized into morethan 1,200 neighborhood chap-ters in 110 cities nationwide,ACORN has over the years seenits share of criticism while advo-cating for affordable housing,living wages, healthcare for theunderserved— and while organ-izing voter registration drives.But none has been as witheringand baseless as this one.

With the presidential electionless than two weeks away,ACORN’s detractors allege theorganization has engaged in mas-sive voter registration fraud afterthe reported discovery of bogusnames, such as Mickey Mouse

and Dallas Cowboys playersTony Romo and Terrell Owens,among the names submitted toelection officials.

Hurd said those workers, whowere doing those things withoutACORN’s knowledge or permis-sion, were fired.

“The evidence that has sur-faced so far shows they fakedforms to get paid for work theydidn’t do, not to stuff ballotboxes.” ACORN, she said, is thevictim of fraud, not the perpetra-tor of it.

Hurd said the only thingsbogus are the charges them-selves. And factcheck. orgagrees.

It concluded, “NeitherACORN nor its employees havebeen found guilty of, or evencharged with, casting fraudulentvotes.”

The problem came about pri-marily because of the wayACORN operates. Rather thanrely on volunteers, it pays peo-ple, many of them poor or unem-ployed, to sign up new voters.The idea was to help both thosebeing registered and those doingthe registration.

Maud explained, “We have azero tolerance policy for deliber-ate falsification of registration.”

Most news account neglect topoint out that ACORN isrequired by law to turn in all reg-istration forms. And they also failto note that it was the organiza-tion, in many instances, that firstbrought the phony registrationsto the attention of authorities.

The McCain camp apparentlyisn’t interested in those finepoints, preferring to air mislead-ing ads that seek to link Obamato ACORN, thereby undercuttinghis political support.

McCain: I’m John McCainand I approve this message.

Announcer: Who is BarackObama? A man with “a politicalbaptism performed at warpspeed.” Vast ambition. After col-lege, he moved to Chicago.Became a community organizer.There, Obama met MadeleineTalbot, part of the Chicagobranch of ACORN. He was soimpressive that he was asked totrain the ACORN staff.

What did ACORN in Chicagoengage in? Bullying banks.Intimidation tactics. Disruptionof business. ACORN forcedbanks to issue risky home loans.The same types of loans thatcaused the financial crisis we’rein today.

No wonder Obama’s campaign istrying to distance him from thegroup, saying, “Barack ObamaNever Organized with ACORN.”But Obama’s ties to ACORN runlong and deep. He taught classesfor ACORN. They even endorsedhim for President.But now ACORN is in trouble.

Reporter: There are at least11 investigations across thecountry involving thousands ofpotentially fraudulent ACORNforms.

Announcer: Massive voterfraud. And the Obama campaignpaid more than $800,000 to anACORN front for get out the voteefforts.Pressuring banks to issue riskyloans. Nationwide voter fraud.Barack Obama. Bad judgment.Blind ambition. Too risky forAmerica.

Since McCain’s comments,ACORN’s 87 offices have beenbombarded with threats andracist mail.

The day after the presidentialdebate, vandals broke into theorganization’s Boston and Seattleoffices and stole computers.After a Cleveland representativeappeared on TV, an e-mail wassent to the local office saying she“is going to have her life ended.”A worker in Providence, R.I.,received a threatening call say-ing, “We know you get off workat 9” and uttered racial epithets.

A caller to one office left amessage on the answeringmachine, saying: “Hi, I was justcalling to let you know thatBarack Obama needs to gethung. He’s a (expletive deleted)nigger, and he’s a piece of(expletive deleted). You guys arefraudulent, and you need to go tohell. All the niggers on oak trees.They’re gonna get all hung hon-eys, they’re going to get assassi-nated, they’re gonna get killed.”

Another message said, “Youliberal idiots. Dumb (expletivedeleted). Welfare bums. Youguys just (expletive deleted)come to our country, consumeevery natural resource there is,and make a lot of babies. That’sall you guys do. And then suckup the welfare and expect every-one else to pay for your hospitalbills for your kids. I jus’ say letyour kids die. That’s the bestmove. Just let your children die.Forget about paying for hospitalbills for them. I’m not gonna doit. You guys are lowlifes. And Ihope you all die.”

Hurd thinks the hate calls willcease soon.

“In two weeks, I think theseattacks will be over. But I think itwill be harder for us to get ourname back on good gracesbecause they really trashed us inthe last few weeks.”

But ACORN will not bedeterred.

“We’ve been fighting for along time, for over 30 years, forthe rights of low- and moderate-income people all across thecountry,” Hurd said. “We’regoing to continue to fight foreconomic justice in our commu-nities.”

November 1, 2008 - November 7, 2008, The Washington Afro-American A3

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Jennifer Hudson and Relatives Identify Body of Her Slain Nephew

“She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.” Courtesy Photos

Jennifer Hudson and her mom, Darnell Donerson whowas killed, as well as her brother, Jason.

Jason Hudson

Julian King, Jennnifer Hudson’s nephew.

ACORN Fights BackLeader Calls Voter Registration Fraud Charges ‘Bogus’


The resignation of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) from Congress last week created an uncertain political future for the residents of Illinois’ second congressional district and for the once-rising star, political analysts and other observers say.

Since gliding into Congress in a 1995 landslide victory in a special election, Jackson has handily won reelection. Citing his family legacy—his father is a civil rights figurehead—and his attention to local concerns, voters have overwhelmingly supported the congressman.

Even in absentia—Jackson was missing in action for most of this year as he sought medical treatment for bipolar disorder, depression and gastrointestinal issues—and with an ethics probe and campaign finance investigation hanging over his head, the congressman prevailed over his challengers in this year’s election.

His resignation, however, creates a rare opportunity for someone else to represent the district.

“I see a situation where you’ll have an absolute free-for-all,” said Jason Johnson, a political analyst out of Hiram College in Ohio.

Ken Menzel, deputy general counsel of the Illinois Board of Elections, said the governor has to issue a writ of elections to

authorize the special election within five days of the resignation, and the election must take place within 115 days. If the state can’t use already scheduled dates for local elections, a standalone, special election could cost about $5 million.

At least 12 names—including Jackson’s wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson; Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) and Illinois State Sens. Donne Trotter and Toi Hutchinson—have been thrown into the ring.

The list also includes some Republicans. And while it is unlikely that a Republican would win in the heavily-Democratic constituency, redistricting has increased those odds. The district now comprises South Side Chicago neighborhoods, several southern suburbs and some rural areas.

“If you look at that District right now it has changed a lot. It has a lot more Whites and Republicans now,” Johnson, the political science professor said.

The looming change has several implications in both Capitol Hill and Illinois.

“It opens the door for someone other than an African American to represent the district, which is a concern because we in the Congressional Black Caucus are always trying to expand our numbers not shrink them,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md).

And second district constituents also stand to lose from Jackson’s resignation.

“Whoever gets in would not be as

influential as him because they’re new, they will be at the bottom of the totem pole,” Johnson said. “But how much worst can you be than with a politician who spent months in an emotional binge and not doing anything?”

Still, over his years in Congress, the 47-year-old Jackson earned a reputation in his district as a competent representative—he brought home close to a billion dollars over the years—who was responsive to various local needs.

“He earned a good name for being universal in his representation,” Cummings

said, adding that Jackson was particularly attuned to the needs of his most vulnerable constituents.

“It’s going to be hard to find someone who is as sensitive to the needs of the poor as Jesse was. One of his major efforts was to move people from poverty to the middle class,” Cummings said.

The longtime politician, who entered Congress within a year of Jackson under similar circumstances—a special election—said his friend’s resignation is also a blow to Black political aspiration and power.

“For him not to be part of this Congress is something I don’t like to think about. It’s almost like a mourning because I know the hard work it takes to get to this level, particularly when you’re African American,” Cummings said.

“You wonder what more could he have accomplished as a congressman or even as a senator, since many saw him as a good candidate to assume the seat vacated by Barack Obama,” said the Maryland Democrat of Jackson’s star power. “There were some who even saw him as running for president someday.”

Cummings added that despite Jackson’s present troubles, however, he still believes he can fulfill his potential.

“Some people are writing his obituary, but I don’t believe that God is finished with him. I refuse to believe it….Once he gets through this crisis he will land on his feet.”

Jackson Resignation Leaves District in Turmoil

AFRO File PhotoJesse Jackson Jr.


In January 2013, Maryland law professor Sherrilyn Ifill will become the seventh president and director counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She recently inherited the position, which was left vacant in March by the untimely death of her predecessor, John Payton, a brilliant courtroom strategist who led the LDF in resounding legal victories.

Ifill’s appointment is a signature achievement in an already storied career—she is a respected civil rights litigator who has specialized in voting rights and political participation; acclaimed author of “On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century;” an innovative and dedicated academician; and a respected public intellectual who often offers commentary on current affairs.

But she has big shoes to fill and a daunting task to fulfill in leading the nation’s first and foremost civil and human rights law firm, which was founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall.

In an AFRO interview, Ifill discussed her feelings about her new job, her role and her vision for the organization.

What does this appointment mean for you professionally and personally? And what do you feel as you walk in the shoes of the likes of John Payton and take on the responsibility of leading such a revered organization?

It’s a privilege and an enormous responsibility to take the helm of the Legal

Defense Fund. I never think about trying to “walk in the shoes” of a Thurgood Marshall or an Elaine Jones. Those shoes are too big for me to fill. I think instead about maintaining the standards they set: of courage, of excellence, of commitment, of speaking truth to power.

LDF is a great American institution. Notice I said, American institution, not just African American. Because, although LDF is a great African American institution, it’s important for people to recognize LDF’s contribution to this country. LDF lawyers literally changed this country for the better.

Was this a position that you courted or how did this come about?

This was a position I very reluctantly sought. I have been very fulfilled in my life as a law school professor, as a writer, and more recently as the chair of the board of a major philanthropic foundation. It was difficult to imagine leaving that life. Moreover, I knew that serving as LDF President and Director-Counsel would be a huge life-changing challenge.

How will it affect your other work—will you continue to teach, etc?

I am on leave from the university. I do hope to return one day. I absolutely love teaching, and really love the experience of interacting with students. I’ve taught so many great young people over the years. I really do believe that University of Maryland Law School has the best students of any school. Smart, compassionate, ethical, and with a real-world sensibility

that keeps our feet on the ground.

What exactly is your role?

The Director-Counsel is a kind of iconic position within LDF. The responsibilities are broad. Obviously, overseeing our legal program, supporting and managing our staff of amazing lawyers. Raising

funds to keep this organization going is an essential part of the job. I want people who believe in justice and equality to understand why they should -- must -- support the Legal Defense Fund. Most important is leading with a strong strategic vision for what LDF can and should accomplish for African Americans at this moment in time. I view a key part of my job to be serving as a spokesperson for civil rights law in America. Do you think that as the second woman president of LDF that you bring something different to this position?

It matters that I’m a woman holding this position. Elaine Jones was the pioneer and I find myself looking to her example and to that of other woman heads of major organizations. There are definitely challenges involved in being a woman at this level. I like to think

that today there are also advantages. The trick is being able to recognize both.

What are some of the main areas that the LDF will be focusing on under your aegis?

LDF has to work vigorously in those areas where the most difficult barriers to equality exist. Obviously we have always worked in the areas of voting rights and criminal justice. Access to quality education is among the most important issues facing African American families. I regard ongoing barriers to economic advancement for African Americans as a key focus of our work going forward.

Are there any different approaches or untapped advocacy opportunities that you would like to see the LDF take on?

I’d like LDF to spend more time engaged deeply at

the local level -- particularly in the South. We have strong connections with so many communities where the barriers to African American advancement are almost taken as a fact of life. I’d like to see us use those connections to expose and dismantle those barriers.

How would you define the role of the LDF in this modern era?

The challenge for LDF is to become a fully engaged 21st century civil rights law organization. That means looking beyond just litigation. LDF must be in a position to shape the terms of the debate that this nation is having about race and civil rights. That means that public policy, intellectual exchange and engagement, must be a central part of our work. We have to support our litigation and legal representation, by framing the contours of the public debate about civil rights.

AFRO Q-and-AAn Interview with New LDF President Sherrilyn Ifill

Lawrence Guyot to be Honored in D.C., Mississippi By Avis Thomas-LesterAFRO Executive Editor

Lawrence Guyot knew that his days were numbered, but he was fine with that, a close friend said. He had lived long enough to see his beloved family prosper, made his mark in District politics, celebrated several milestones in civil rights history and witnessed the reelection of President Obama.

Dr. Frank Smith, a colleague of Guyot’s in the movement who later founded the African American Civil War Museum in Northwest Washington, said he had spoken to Guyot about his failing health. He last saw the devoted activist the day before he died of complications of kidney and heart disease and diabetes at age 73.

“A minister once told me that God allows people to die slowly sometimes,” Smith said. “He and I had two very long conversations recently.

He knew that his kidneys were failing and he was living on a dialysis machine. He had to be revived on at least one occasion. He was fully aware that his

days were numbered. He was at peace with himself and with his God knowing

Continued on A7

Courtesy PhotoSherrilyn Ifill


Transportation Association and a grandmother, also remembers getting her first library card.

“That was very exciting, as it meant I could choose my own books. The librarians treated us little folks just the same as the big folks; they took every question seriously, and did not mind taking the time to help me find something special to add to my stack of books,” she explained.

Through the years, Penn’s services to the community have grown.

The branch collaborates with organizations like the Creative Alliance, American Visionary Art Museum and Jubilee Arts to provide activities for children and adults, and Penn also holds GED (general educational development) classes through a partnership with Baltimore Reads. There are e-reader clinics, computer classes, a chess club and the Black Renaissance Book Club. Plus, the branch screens movies on Saturdays.

It is truly a community library, which is largely attributed to the influence of its former branch manager, the late Betty Boulware.

Penn’s office supervisor, Marsella Oglesby, who also worked with Boulware at the Forest Park Branch for nearly eight years explained, “She wanted the library to always be a bright spot in the community. Mrs. Boulware set a very good example of how the staff should behave and how the customers should behave. She made clients feel important. She was good with the community, and she had a very high interest in people.”

If Boulware set the standard, then Johnson and his staff can be credited with

keeping it alive. Members of the community love the branch and the services that it offers. And - when their branch began to experience a growing state of disrepair, they complained and set the wheels in motion for the recently completed work to be done.

After the branch’s Nov. 14 grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the hoopla may quiet down but the excitement of the patrons is expected to remain high. They will still be getting used to the new features like the Overdrive Media Station, which will have a listing of

George Stanford, 35 “I live near Reisterstown

and Coldspring. It’s very convenient for me. I could go to Loch Raven, but I’d rather come to this one. I lived around here, and I know it. It’s good for the community. A lot of young people come here, and it’s a helpful tool for the community. I like it. I like the way it looks, and sometimes, I bring my children to let them read books and use the computers. I hope they’re getting more [reference] books. I prefer them to computers. Computer screen give me a headache. Plus, I’m old-fashioned and learn better from books.”

Allen Johnson, 60 “I come to this

library because it’s a very nice library. The people who operate the library are very respectful. If you don’t know or don’t understand, they will help you. So, I come because I get a lot out of the library. I’ve been coming here for 14-16 years. They’re

remodeling, and that’s okay by me. I’m just waiting so I can come right back up in here. I use the library for cultural research to discover more about my culture. I come every day and bring my 13-year-old grandson so he can do his homework and use the computer.”

Bridgette Lawrence, 50 “I come to this

library at least three times a week. I have great-nephews and nieces that my mom is raising, and we don’t have the Internet in the house. A lot of their work requires that they use the Internet. So, I bring them so they can get their reports. They are so excited to

come in and check their books out. Everybody is responsible. I think it is great, especially in this community. There are a lot of elementary schools around, and a lot of people in this area are low-income and can’t afford the Internet. So they [the library staff] give the kids who don’t have it [the Internet] the same opportunity as the kids that do. It’s such a great resource, and this library has a lot of activities for kids, too. You don’t want your kids running around on the corners and out here in the street. Bring them to the library.”


Major General Strategizes for Health and WholenessContinued from A1

Penn Branch Sparkles After MakeoverContinued from A1

High Court to Rule on DNAContinued from A1

open investigations and bring them to a resolution — providing victims long-deserved closure.”

But some in the legal community, along with civil rights activists, contend that the practice violates the accused’s right to privacy and constitutes a warrantless search and seizure. And, according to groups like the ACLU and the NAACP, minorities are disproportionately represented in such DNA databases, creating occasion for further disparity in the justice system.

“Suspects are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, and we are concerned that this collection of DNA is unconstitutional and a human rights violation,” said Jeremy Gruber, president of the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Council for Responsible Genetics, which plans to file a petition in the Supreme Court hearing. “The Supreme Court has taken too long to review these practices.”

Meanwhile, jurists across the country remain divided on the laws’ legality.

The issue is over a Maryland case Maryland v. King, which the high court is expected to review early next year. The DNA Collection Act, Gov. Martin O’Malley’s marquee anti-crime initiative that became effective in 2009, sanctioned police to

take DNA samples not only from convicted criminals—as preceding law dictated—but also those accused, even if not convicted, of violent crime and burglary.

Alonzo Jay King Jr., now 29, challenged that law when police used a DNA swab taken from him during his April 2009 arrest on an assault charge to tie him to an unrelated 2003 rape case in Salisbury. King, who was represented by the Maryland Public Defender’s office, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole. Then in April of this year, the Maryland Court of Appeals overturned his 2010 conviction, saying the use of his DNA violated his constitutional rights.

“Under a balancing test that weighs an individual’s expectation of privacy against government interests, an arrestee’s expectation of privacy to be free from warrantless, suspicionless searches of his/her biological material outweighed, on the facts of this case, the government’s purported interest in using a secondary method to identify King, when, in actuality, the [acquisition] of the biological material was intended by the State to be used for general investigatory purposes,” the opinion read.

But, in late July, Chief Justice John Roberts issued

a temporary stay of the April 24 state appellate court ruling decision, which had overturned King’s conviction and sent the case back to trial court.

In his opinion, Roberts noted that the state appeals court ruling clashed with decisions made by other

courts, including the federal appeals courts for the third and ninth circuits and the Virginia Supreme Court, which had upheld statutes similar to Maryland’s DNA Collection Act.

The chief justice also championed the crime-fighting benefits of the law.

“Collecting DNA from individuals arrested for violent felonies provides a valuable tool for investigating unsolved crimes and thereby helping to remove violent offenders from the general population,” Roberts wrote. “Crimes for which DNA evidence is implicated tend

to be serious, and serious crimes cause serious injuries. That Maryland may not employ a duly enacted statute to help prevent these injuries constitutes irreparable harm.”

The statement seems to suggest what side Roberts may take when the Supreme Court hears Maryland v. King next year. But that, by no means, predicts the case’s outcome. And advocates on both sides seem confident that their arguments will prevail.

“We are pleased by this decision and look forward to the opportunity to defend this important crime-fighting tool before the nation’s highest court,” Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said in a prepared statement on Nov. 9.

The Maryland Office of the Public Defender will offer opposing arguments before the Supreme Court. And Stephen B. Mercer, who heads the public defender’s forensics division, said he, too, is looking forward to having the justices consider the case.

“We are confident that when the court examines the merits of the case, it will agree that persons who are presumed to be innocent should not be subject to the warrantless seizure and indefinite retention of their intensely personal genetic information,” Mercer told Reuters.

“Suspects are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, and we are concerned that this collection of DNA is unconstitutional and a human rights violation.”

— Jeremy Gruber, president of the Council for Responsible Genetics

“We have the answers, and you get smarter.”

–Willie Johnson, branch manager

Comments from the Community

all of the library’s e-books, and they will have plenty of questions, library officials said.

Willie Johnson is looking forward to hearing those questions and providing

answers. An admiration for librarians’ ability to get questions answered is what drew him into the field, he said.

“People come in with all types of questions, and

it’s my job as a librarian to be able to answer those questions. So, whether it’s something that deals with e-books or computers or a reference question, if I can’t give it to you right then and

there, I’ll take your number and we’ll get back to you with the answer. We have the answers, and you get smarter. Every day, you learn something new,” explained Johnson.

for the University of the District of Columbia, and has a consulting company in the works that will oversee leadership training for organizations looking to strengthen their top players.

And who better to get the ins and outs of running a business than the man who spent 25 years as marketing manager for the SUV and Pick Up Truck Division of Ford Motor Company?

Williams says that even after retirement he keeps a full plate simply by finding the bottom line of every organization he’s involved in and diligently working towards that goal at an equal pace.

“In the case of the University of the District of Columbia it’s education- blacks and minorities don’t have the same opportunities. In the case of Medifast it’s health- the disparity among minorities withm diabetes,”

said Williams, who, next month, will finish his term as chair of the board of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Diabetes Association.

“Seventy percent of all adults in the United States are overweight or obese,” said Williams, explaining why he continues to be passionate about teaching long-term healthy eating and living. “What that means is that everyone in that situation is more susceptible to disease, issues with cholesterol and

diabetes.”Williams currently works through the Take

Shape for Life health coaching operation, to help others fight health disparities with the help of his wife.

He said that both his father and mother, 86 and 85, respectively, suffer from mild diabetes, which gives him greater urgency when tackling the issue and informing others how to prevent and treat the condition.


Oct. 10, 1908THE AGE’S TERRIBLE IMAGINATIONThat was a terrible picture which emanated from the editor

of the New York Age. In it is imagined that Bryan is elected, and the Heflin “Jim Crow” car law is enacted, and the Negroes of the Border States are disfranchised before the Presidential election of 1912.

Tillman is pictured as Secretary of State, Vardaman as Secretary of Agriculture, Bailey as Attorney-General, and Jeff Davis as Chief Justice.

This picture is drawn to show Negroes the danger of voting for Bryan and the Democratic party. We must say that The Age has seen better days. Does not The Age know that the Democratic Party must not be judged by such notorious characters?

The Democratic Party has had a reaction from the leadership of the Negro-hating characters.

Vardaman and his doctrines have been defeated in Mississippi. The better element of the Democratic Party has triumphed in Georgia, and Hoke Smith has been consigned to oblivion. Jeff Davis has been repudiated by the Democrats of Arkansas. Tillman is in Europe trying to get his health and the National standard bearer of the Democratic Party has never yet been accused of the semblance of an attack on the Negro of this country. But The Age begins the article with these words: “To abuse our imaginations, let us imagine President Bryan and the Negro.” The Editorial is abuse of the imaginations with a vim.

In this critical period of the Negro’s history facts should count. What are the facts which confront the Negro in this campaign?

Roosevelt has said over his own signature “that he has appointed fewer Negroes to office than any of his predecessors; he had in a public document to the Congress advocated a restricted education for the Negro; he has intimated that Negroes shield their criminals; he has dismissed brave Negro soldiers from the army without trial; he is catering to the South, and appointed Luke E. Wright, who fought to destroy the Union, as Secretary of War; and he has honored Senator Tillman by putting him in charge of his rate bill. These in brief are the policies of Roosevelt so far as the Negro is concerned, and Taft is pledged to carry out to the letter the Roosevelt policies. The Negroes of this country must consider well their duty in the coming election.

Feb. 6, 1909WASHINGTON NOTES

AND TOPICSProminent Colored Men to Be Officially Connected With

President Elect Taft’s Inauguration—Warm Tribute to Dunbar’s Heart Song.

When President-Elect William H. Taft takes the oath of office on the 4th of March at the nation’s capital there will be representative colored men officially connected with the inauguration ceremonies.

Hon. R.R. Horner and Judge Robert H. Terrell have been named by Chairman Stellwagen as members of the important executive committee.

Dr. E.D. Williston has been appointed grand marshal of the division of colored men, and the registrar of the treasury, William T. Vernon, had been appointed chief of staff.

There are a few colored men on the various subcommittees, and the whole arrangement goes to prove that the colored people are being given due consideration.

Feb. 27, 1909THE GRAND INAUGURAL BALL

Delightful Feature of Notable Social Function to Be Held by Washington’s Colored Citizens–Representative Men at Head of the Function.

On Thursday evening, March 4, the great inaugural ball will take place at the pension office building in Washington, but on Friday evening, March 5, at the Convention hall the “beauty and the chivalry” of Washington’s colored population will hold what is generally known as the “colored inaugural ball.”

This colored inaugural ball is in fact a reception given by the Inaugural Welcome club. Dr. W. Bruce Evans, principal of Armstrong Manual Training school, is president of the club; Daniel Murray of the Congressional library is the treasurer, Henry P. Slaughter of the census office is financial secretary, and J.C. Burlis of the capitol is corresponding secretary. Although this Inaugural Welcome club has been in existence for years, yet it is around inauguration time that the club looms into importance, for it must be borne in mind that this quadrennial function is looked forward to by the colored citizens of Washington with as much anxiety as the white people look forward to the Inaugural ball on the 4th of March.

While the incoming president and his wife do not attend the reception given by the Inaugural Welcome club, yet the highest colored men in the civil and military branches of the government service, with their wives, are present in a quasi-administrative capacity. Then there are the leading men in educational circles present with their wives. The business and professional men are present, too, accompanied by their wives and daughters.

Besides these, there is present on that occasion a large contingent of the younger set. Young men fresh from the big colleges, some celebrated in athletics, some ranking high in studies, are there, dancing with the beautiful girls of Washington and of the other cities represented here on that night.

The visitors to Washington are accorded the hospitality of the evening, and they receive marked attention.

As it is an event that occurs only once in four years, the costumes worn by the ladies on that occasion are of unusual beauty and design. And, while the Washington ladies have a reputation for good taste in the matter of dress, yet the visiting ladies, wearing the distinctive gowns of their respective localities, are as beautifully dressed as the Washington ladies.

The Convention hall, where the reception will be held, is, as the name implies, a hall for conventions, and it is by far the largest hall in Washington. It is in this hall that all the great social functions of the whites are given, for its broad and spacious floors are well fitted for such elaborate entertainments.

The arrangements are under the control of Dr. Evans and his efficient corps of assistants, and that in itself bespeaks assurance of good management.

March 13, 1909INAUGURAL FESTIVITIES

Negroes Proud of Part Taken in Great Parade—High Social Functions Surpassed All former Occasions. Honor for Senator Foraker.

The colored man, looking at the Taft inaugural procession in Washington as it wended its way along beautiful Pennsylvania Avenue on the 4th of March, had cause to feel proud of the part taken in the inauguration of an American president by the members of his race.

As the long line of the march passed the faces of colored men appeared, some wearing the brilliant military uniforms, some attired in the conventional garbs of civilians and others the uniforms worn by band musicians.

The Philippine Constabulary band, under the direction of Captain Loving, was one of the attractions not only of the Inaugural parade, but of the entire inaugural week. Besides taking a leading part in the parade this band rendered the music at the two grand inaugural concerts given at the pension office. The District militia had six colored companies, under the command of Major Arthur Brooks. Major Brooks has been confidential man to several secretaries of war and went with Mr. Taft’s Philippine party. He has recently been appointed confidential messenger to President Taft. He has already entered upon his new duties, which are very responsible.

The civic division of the parade had as Marshals of the colored division Dr. E.D. Williston and as chief of staff Hon. William T. Vernon. The colored division was subdivided into three brigades. Colonel Perry Carson was Marshall of the first brigade, Hon. J. Milton Turner was Marshall of the second brigade and Recorder W.L. Marshall of the third brigade. Among the visiting clubs were the Republican club of Richmond, Va., the Wibecan Republican club of Brooklyn and the Israel W. Durham club of Philadelphia. The Jenkins Orphanage band of Charleston, S.C., was also in this division.

The colored battalion of the District militia made a most creditable showing. The officers and the enlisted men seemed to be drilled almost to the point of perfection.

Another attractive feature of the parade was the Colored High School cadets. Students of the M street high school and of Armstrong Manual Training School made an important part of that great parade that passed in front of the president’s reviewing stand.

Never before has Washington’s colored population carried out such elaborate and perfect social festivities as were those during inauguration week. Visitors were carried away with enthusiasm over the many functions which had been arranged for them and Washington once again asserted her claim as the first city of the land as far as society is concerned.

The week’s social festivities began with a dance by the fashionable Monocan club Wednesday night. Next came the banquet of the famous Musolit club, on the night of the 4th. The great inaugural reception, generally known as the “colored inaugural ball,” on Friday night, and the presentation of a silver loving cup to Senator Foraker on Saturday night were the leading events of interest. The following inscription was engraved upon the cup:

“Presented to Joseph Benson Foraker at Washington, D.C., March 6, 1909, by Colored Citizens.” On the base of the cup are inscribed the words of “25th Infantry.” The cup has three arms, and on each arm the letters of the discharged companies, “B,” “C,” and “D,” are inscribed. On the back of the cup is inscribed that eloquent and effective passage of the senator’s speech. “They ask no favors because they are Negroes, but only for justice because they are men.” The money to pay for the cup was raised by popular subscription. The names of the contributors were placed upon parchment and given to Senator Foraker along with the cup.

Besides the social events mentioned there were dozens of smaller events “at homes,” whist parties, musicals, cotillions and dances by private families.

At the Monohan and at the inaugural reception some of the gowns worn may be aptly described as beautiful, some even gorgeous. The wives and daughters of the nation’s noted colored men in business, professional and political walks were there, becomingly and fashionably gowned.

DEC. 12, 1908THE PRICE HE MUST PAY

Ever since he was nominated by the Republican Convention at Chicago it has been patent to every observer that Mr. Taft was making strenuous efforts to get the South to break away from its old and obsolete lines and awake to the fact that it is a part of this great nation and that it should fall in line with progress. To this end he has not only made a number of speeches, but has spent considerable amount of his time in the South.

Recently he made one of his notable speeches in New York which is noted in another article in these columns. But the thing with which we wish to deal in this particular article is the attitude of the South as expressed by an independent newspaper with Democratic proclivities, the Baltimore Evening News. In commenting on Mr. Taft’s speech and also on an interview with Mr. Taft, among other things the News has this to say:

“Of course, we all know that the race question has had most to do with keeping the South solid, but it does not follow that the elimination of this question would immediately see a division of the whites in the South into parties of something like even strength. There is more reason to believe that it would still take a long time to develop independent voting in the South.

“In the meantime, Mr. Taft can help the situation much by not appointing Crums to the most important political place in cities like Charleston, where prejudice against the Negro as an officeholder is most pronounced.

It is with this later paragraph with which we wish to deal. Here is the price Judge Taft will have to pay when he comes into his high office as President of the United States. If he wishes to make any impression at all upon the South he must refrain from appointing Negroes to high political offices. The South, no matter what it needs, will be a long time breaking away from its fondly cherished idols, that the Negro must only be a hewer of wood and a drawer of water. That a Negro should aspire to anything higher than a preacher or teacher of Negro schools is not in the category of what will please the South and cause it to become to any great extent wedded to modern and progressive ideas, more especially the ideas of the Republican party.

There ever arises before the eyes of the Southern bourbon, the bug-a-boo of social equality. Not that there is anything in it, for there is absolutely nothing in the world as social equality between any people, white or black; but this is what keeps the average Southerner awake simply because he believes in it more firmly than he believes in his Bible. It is in his waking thoughts and his midnight dreams, it disturbs him while away and makes troubled dreams for him at night, and until the South awakes to the fact that the Negro does not desire social equality with white or black, only so far as his own intimate relations with either white or black are concerned. Social equality makes it own place and cannot be forced upon any one by law or otherwise. Every man has the choosing of his own companions and his own society, and it is with him and him only as to who they shall be.

We reiterate what we have said time and again, there is no desire on the part of the Negro, either North or South, for social equality. What he does want and what we are contending for and what we shall ever contend for is civil equality; equality before the law and every right that any other man possesses, nothing more, nothing less.

Jan. 30, 1909WILL AGITATE THE SUFFRAGE

QUESTIONResidents of the District of Columbia Want Their Suffrage

Restored to Them.If Granted by Congress an Educational or Property

Qualification Will In All Probability be Prescribed - It will Apply to Both White and Colored-Getting Ready for Inauguration of the next President.

Dr. E.D. Williston, Grand Marshal of the Inaugural parade, is making up his staff, which will include some of the most distinguished colored men in the country. It will be Dr. Williston’s plan to have every state represented. Each member of the staff will be mounted on a “fiery steed,” and will wear a silk hat, a regimental sash and riding boots, and the sight bids fair to be an imposing one.

A committee of 100 is to be appointed by the executive committee of ten in charge of the proposed reception to Senator Foraker, to be given at Metropolitan A.M.E. Church on the evening of March 6th.

L.M. Hershaw and R.W. Tompkins have been appointed on Major Richard Sylvester’s committee on public order for the inauguration.

Feb. 20, 1909IS THE SOUTH IN THE SADDLE?

There seems to be the general impression prevailing in the Southern States that there is a new era dawning upon the people of that section of the country. That at last they are to have their way with the Negro and that without let or hindrance. The impression seems to be gaining ground that in Mr. Taft the South will have a President that will see to it that the traditions of the South shall have full sway, and that the colored people will have to take a back seat and the white people will come to the front in a way that has-not been possible since the days of reconstruction. Or in other words, the Negro as an office holder will now be retired almost altogether, and the offices turned over to the Southern white men. That President Taft, when he is inaugurated, will see to it that the Crums and Lees, and all the rest of the prominent colored men, who have figured in the politics of the South for the last twenty-five or thirty years will be relegated to the rear and none but white men placed in positions of profit, honor and trust.

Whether this idea has gained hold because of the fact that after the campaign ending in the election of Judge Taft, that gentleman felt called upon to take a rest after his arduous campaign in a well-known Southern resort, and after that to spend the balance of his vacation in and around Georgia, and since that time has been feasted, dined and wined from start to finish. It may be that because of the hospitality extended to the President-elect that the South feels that he has been converted to its way of thinking.

We all remember too well how conditions changed after Mr. McKinley was dined and wined in the South, and we also remember conditions after Mr. Roosevelt had been wined and dined how he became a Southerner, although it was hardly known anywhere in the country that he was of Southern extraction before that time, and since that conditions have grown steadily worse, and now even before the President takes his seat he is wined and dined by our friends in the South, no doubt with the expectation that after he has taken his seat there will be no more Negro appointments made in the South, and that thereafter the South will to all intents and purposes be as it was before the days of the “late unpleasantness,” and the Negro will be relegated to “his place.”

Just how this is going to work out we are unprepared to say. The Republican Party elected Mr. Taft to the Presidency. The South voted almost solidly for Mr. Bryan, just what call it has upon a Republican President we are unable to say. Just why it should expect a Republican elected President to abandon the principals of his party, and the party that elected him for the principals of the party that opposed him and would have elected a man of the opposite faith, is one of the things that can be explained only on one ground, and that ground the fact that the President-elect is a white man; on any other ground the explanation would be inexplicable.

In the defeat of the nomination of Collector Crum, and the abandonment of the Republicans of the confirmation, the South has scored first blood, the question now arises will it be sufficiently strong with the incoming President to defeat a nomination and then a confirmation, more especially when it is known that there will be thirteen new Senators in the Senate? At present, it seems, that the South is in the saddle, but we will wait with patience the inauguration of the new President and then see what turn affairs will take.

President William H. Taft

Library of Congress Prints & Photographs LC-DIG-hec-07123

America’s Inaugurations – The AFRO Coverage1909 Inauguration of William Howard Taft

The Black community greeted the March 1909 inauguration of Republican William Howard Taft with a recognizable degree of reservation. Taft had been President Teddy Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, and once Roosevelt announced that he would not seek a third term, he persuaded Taft to seek the office. With a comfortable margin, Taft defeated his Democratic opponent William Jennings Bryan, who garnered a solid block of support from all the southern states.

In spite of the Southern Democrat defeat, the Taft victory was not comforting news for the Black community since Roosevelt, a so-called liberal and progressive Democrat, had not done much, if anything, to improve the civil rights of Blacks who had only been emancipated for 46 years. The elevation of opportunities for Blacks in 1909 was clearly not an important focus of White-Jim Crow America.

The Black community nevertheless eagerly anticipated and prepared for the inauguration of this country’s new president—regardless of the clear limitations of the segregated requirements that at that time were fixtures of the American culture. The air of excitement reflected by the AFRO coverage clearly shows a Black folks sense that the President of the United States was indeed still their president as well.


By Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr.

It was October 1996. I had finished a round of campaigning for an Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) seat in the Pleasant Plains district of Washington, DC. That fall, I served as Volunteer Coordinator for the Howard University Student Association (HUSA) and helped to register over 3000 plus students to vote that year, 1,800 of them within the District of Columbia. My campaign was untraditional for the time being a sophomore political science major. It would be my first time voting and running for office simultaneously.

I remember this particularly day vividly because I felt like quitting based on some community opposition I had received. Some in the community felt I would be a tool of Howard’s administration. As I walked by the Howard Plaza Towers that Sunday evening, I saw an older gray bearded gentleman sitting out front passing out flyers which read, “Vote for Lawrence Guyot for ANC 1B04.” I had no idea I was walking into an institution, a pillar of history. This was not your ordinary campaign flyer. The flyers also listed a number of books and documentaries for students to engage towards increasing their knowledge of the Civil Rights movement. He also gave me a thick packet relating to the Financial Control Board, which he referred to as a “Plantation Board”. I picked up the information and there began a relationship that would change the trajectory of my young political life impacting me into adulthood.

Guyot already knew of my campaign and vowed to support Nik Eames, another fellow Howard student, and myself. “I’m a SNCC veteran, so I must support progressive students,” he said. On Election Day, we marched over 100-plus students from Charles Drew Hall dormitory to Meyer

Elementary School to vote. Several community members attempted to challenge our voting credentials. Guyot was not having it; he stepped in front of us and led us into the polls that day saying, “let the students vote!” His wife Monica loaned me her car to help transport student voters. Their support was critical and vital. The final vote tally was 192 to 181; I had won a seat to the ANC by 11 votes!

That following summer July 1997 Guyot came knocking and calling. I had been elected President of HUSA representing all Howard students. The issue at hand was the Howard Street Privatization bill before the DC City Council. Mayor Marion Barry proposed the bill on behalf of Howard to privatize the internal streets within the main campus. Guyot’s position was clear, if Howard wanted the streets, they must revitalize the run-down dilapidated properties they owned in the LeDroit Part district. Guyot was lobbying me to step out against my own university. I conceded to Guyot my hesitancy in doing this however, Guyot challenged me to have a broader perspective of the university’s relationship to the community and nation at large. Essentially, Guyot was challenging me to be a reformer and not simply one to soak up the rewards of public office for personal gain. I can hear Guyot now, “Jonathan, if you are principled first, everything

else will fall in place.” Guyot won me to his position and masterfully built a coalition with Howard students and local civic leaders to win Councilmember Frank Smith and ultimately Mayor Barry to withdrawing Howard’s street privatization proposal. Today, I see the

LeDroit Park Revitalization initiative, a partnership between Howard University and Fannie Mae, which rehabilitated the university’s properties, as a testament to Guyot’s advocacy.

Race was always primary in Guyot’s advocacy. My political loyalty would be tested summer of 1998 when my political compatriot Nik Eames sought the Ward 1 council seat from the now defunct Umoja Party. Guyot knew the development that was forthcoming to the Georgia Avenue and U Street corridor. He made a bold prediction to Nik and I and pushed strongly for us to support Frank Smith. “Gentleman, you don’t have enough votes to elect yourselves but you have enough of a base to ensure another term for this Ward’s last Black city councilmember.” I could not turn my back on Nik’s campaign nevertheless Guyot was right and we were wrong. Frank Smith lost to Jim Graham by 1,600 votes in the Democratic primary. Nik Eames garnered 1,840 votes in the general election in which Graham took 10,000 plus votes.

Beyond Guyot’s local advocacy in D.C., I was inspired by the deep respect, love and admiration his generation of fellow fighters bestowed upon him. It reinforced to me the movement sense of struggle and not the “Great Man” lens that many in my

generation view the struggle for humanity. Too many in my generation see the Civil Rights Movement as Dr. King and the March on Washington. This movement element was evident to me on Feb. 17, 1998 when we hosted the late Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael) for what

became his last fireside chat from the Mecca. It was in Rankin Chapel that Kwame, feeble and obviously dying from prostate cancer, upon seeing Guyot in the audience literally lifted him off the ground shouting, “Guyot!” That memory will always live with me.

Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr. is a first-year doctoral student in Howard University’s Political Science program. As an undergraduate student, he served with Lawrence Guyot on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B from January 1997 –January 1999.

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Jonathan W. Hutto Sr. and Lawrence Guyot

Lawrence Guyot Continued from A3

Morgan State University Breaks Ground on New Business Complex

Morgan State University broke ground Nov. 28 on the new home of its Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. More than 50 legislators, alumni, faculty, staff and students were on hand to see the university’s first expansion project in the Northwood Shopping Center, an area rich in city and Morgan history. It was a central area for civil rights demonstrations led by Morgan students and graduates.

Courtesy PhotoFrom left, Dr. Otis Thomas, dean; City Councilman Robert Curran, Black Enterprise publisher Earl G. Graves (For whom school is named), MSU President David Wilson, State Sen. Joan Carter Conway and Board of Regents Chairman Dallas Evans.

he had done the best he could for as long as he could. That’s all any of us could want, to be able to say we have done everything we could.”

A memorial service is scheduled at 10 a.m. Dec. 15 at Goodwill Baptist Church at 1862 Kalorama Rd., NW in Washington, D.C. Planning is also underway for memorial services in Pass Christian, Guyot’s Mississippi hometown, and in Jackson, the city where he became an activist, Smith said.

Friends described Guyot as a “fearless” crusader for voting rights, human rights and D.C. statehood. Born in Pass Christian on July 17, 1939, Guyot came of age at a time when African Americans were increasingly pushing back against discrimination. After entering

Tougaloo College in Jackson at age 17, he joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and worked to right racial wrongs.

Guyot threw his mind, body and soul into his activism and bore the scars from being beaten more than once for standing up for what he believed was right.

In 1964, he was named the Hattiesburg director of the Freedom Summer Project and co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, whose activities contributed

to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Margaret Kibbee, 66, of Greenville, Miss., said in an interview that she learned of Guyot’s work after moving south in the 1960s from

California to work in the movement, but they became friends in 2004 when he spoke at a reunion of civil rights workers.

She said Guyot is “honored in Mississippi.”

“He was revved up and anytime there was a big meeting, he had something to say,” she said. “I remember when we were organizing for the congregational challenge in 1965, he was sending out

orders and letters. He was just the way he is now, sending out orders.”

Kibbee, who edited his newsletter, last spoke to Guyot four or five days before he died. She plans to publish one more newsletter. Guyot had provided the material for it.

“It won’t be the same without his opening sermon for the newsletter,” she said. “It won’t have that majesty…”

Long-time friend Dorie Ladner of Northwest Washington met Guyot in 1961 when they were students at Tougaloo. She said it she who took him to his first SNCC meeting.

“He was friendly and had this outgoing personality and aura around him,” she said. Decades later, they still spoke almost every day.

“I would call him and say, ‘What’s on the agenda?’” Ladner said. “We would discuss politics.”

Lawrence Guyot: Soldier of the People, Teacher of Youth

“Friends described Guyot as a “fearless” crusader for voting rights, human rights and D.C. statehood.”

Wikimedia CommonsLawrence Guyot


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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONDec. 3Get Back on the Road to Mortgage Recovery Enoch Pratt Free Library, Forest Park Branch, 3023 Garrison Blvd., Baltimore. 5:30 p.m. A HUD Certified Housing Counselor will guide you through the foreclosure and prevention process. For more information: 410-947-0084.

Dec. 6Associated Black Charities’ Third Annual Girls Night OutFrederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum, 1417 Thames St., Baltimore. 5:30 p.m. Join some of the most successful women leaders in the region for a candid discussion about women and race. For more information: 443-524-7706.

Dec. 7Watoto Children’s Choir of Uganda The Amoss Center, 401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, Md. 7:30-9:30 p.m. The Watoto Children’s Choir of Uganda will perform for one night only at Harford County’s Amoss Center. $15. For more information: 443-910-4097.

Dec. 9100 Black Men of Maryland Holiday Brunch 2012 Martin’s West, 6819 Dogwood Road, Baltimore. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Come out and enjoy good food, fun and music while investing in the community. Support the toy drive and bring an unwrapped toy. $65. For more information: 410-664-6726.

Dec. 10How to Pay for College Seminar Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore. 5 p.m. Don’t miss an opportunity to meet with college admissions representatives and scholarship organizations. For more information: 410-396-5430.

Dec. 12Celebrate Kwanzaa Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore. 5:30 p.m. Come learn about the principles of Kwanzaa. For more information: 410-396-5430.

Segregation and Fair Housing in the Baltimore Area Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore. 6:30 p.m. Antero Pietila, author of Not in My Neighborhood, will discuss the roots of residential segregation in the Baltimore area with civil rights advocates and local housing officials. For more information: 410-396-5430.

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As the Congress returns to Washington from the Thanksgiving district work period, our most urgent responsibility is reaching the compromises on taxes, government programs and the national debt limit that will avoid pushing our nation off the “fiscal cliff.”

If ever there was a time for common sense to prevail in Washington, that time is now.

I stand with President Obama in our understanding that we must do everything within our power to bring our national expenditures and revenues closer into balance. We also understand, however,

that we must do so thoughtfully and fairly - with a surgeon’s knife, and not with an axe.

These issues were at the heart of this year’s electoral contests, elections in which the American people weighed the Democratic and Republican alternatives. A clear majority of the voters supported the President and his vision.

America voted for a budget strategy of shared sacrifice and shared opportunity – a bipartisan agreement that could chart the course toward both a stronger economy and bringing our national books into balance.

We did not vote for proposals that would balance our national books on the backs of middle class working families, government workers and those of us who are just barely getting by.

In a Nov. 20 address to the Economic Club of New York, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged Congress and the president to achieve a budget compromise and, thereby, avoid the serious danger of our falling again into recession.

Chairman Bernanke also stressed that Congress must raise the federal debt limit to prevent the government from defaulting on the “full faith and credit” of the United States.

At the same time that we address these immediate economic dangers, he argued, we also must reduce the federal debt over the long run to ensure economic growth and stability.

I am hopeful that my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives were listening to the chairman’s advice. On balance, that common sense prescription for compromise acknowledges the wisdom of President Obama’s balanced

approach to avoiding the “fiscal cliff.”

Both Wall Street and Main Street are apprehensive about the prospect of a general tax increase (beginning on income earned after Jan. 1), while, at the same time, both military and domestic federal programs are sharply reduced. One would have to be an extreme federal budget cutter, moreover, to relish another slash and burn fight over raising the national debt limit.

We have not forgotten that an ideologically driven attack back in 2011 on what previously was a bipartisan perspective toward the debt limit pushed us into this “fiscal cliff” in the first place.

Most Americans strongly support a bipartisan budget compromise – and I agree.

Fortunately, the United States Senate passed the Middle Class Tax Cut Act (S.3412) on July 25 of last year that could – and should – avoid the fiscal cliff in the immediate term, while also serving as a starting point for further congressional action to address our vexing economic issues.

For one year (2013), the proposed Middle Class Tax Cut Act would extend the current federal income tax rates for individuals earning less than $200,000 annually ($250,000 for married couples). It also would extend tax credits important to middle class Americans and avoid expanding the application of the Alternative Minimum Tax.

These actions would protect 98 percent of America’s tax payers from an immediate increase in our taxes. However, for the most affluent 2 percent of our citizens (primarily those who receive the bulk of their income in capital gains), the tax rate would be increased to 20 percent (which still would be less than the rate most Americans pay on earned income).

President Obama has declared that he would immediately sign this short-term proposal on taxes – as soon as the House of Representatives agrees. I would be inclined to support such a practical action by the House, especially if it were coupled with an increase in the federal debt limit and a reasoned compromise on “sequestration.”

As I have repeatedly explained to my House colleagues, the sequestration budget axe forced upon our country by Tea Party ideologues in the 2011 Budget Control Act would be devastating to our economy as we work to grow our way out of the Bush Recession.

Unless the Congress acts to modify the currently scheduled budget slashing, both military and non-military programs will be harmed – and our overall economy as well.

Maryland’s economy would be among those most devastated. On balance, Marylanders receive about $17 billion more each year from our relationship with the federal government than we are paying in federal taxes. An average Marylander is about $4,200/year better off.

As a result, our local economy would be especially vulnerable to sequestration cuts in federal spending. In fact, according to The Center of Regional Analysis at George Mason University, sequestration could translate into the loss of 100,000 Maryland jobs.

We can avoid that fiscal cliff, but only if common sense, and not ideology, prevails.

Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) represents Maryland’s Seventh Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

COMMENTARYCommon Sense Can Save Us From The Fiscal Cliff

Rep. Elijah Cummings

The 2012 presidential election has raised a challenge for several different interest groups regarding the role of faith communities dominated by people of color. Critical to the Nov. 6 Election Day results were the efforts and voice of the Black Church and the Black preacher.

The Black Church undeniably got the vote out.

Here in Maryland the ballot dealt with issues of justice and empowerment. Not to mention that much of the electorate was divided along racial lines. Few interests failed to solicit the support of faith leaders from the Black community.

Specifically, Black clergy were courted for their support of ballot issues pertaining to same-sex marriage, expanding gambling and educational opportunities for immigrants.

Many of these interests determined early in their campaigns that the support of the faith community was critical. But over the course of several months only one television ad highlighted the support of an Asian, Hispanic, Islamic, Jewish or Caucasian faith leader. Black preachers from various Protestant denominations, many of whom were overwhelmingly democratic in party affiliation were out front and center.

Interestingly enough at various points after the civil rights movement, there have been those that would ask if the Black Church had any relevance in our society. More specifically they wondered aloud if the power of the Black Church died along with the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m reminded that it was during the 1970s, sociologist E. Franklin Frazier asked had the church “died an agonized death in the harsh turmoil” of the 1960s. More recently, Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr. suggested that the Black Church, as we know it, was dead. Still, from the 1970s through the present, as a disproportionate number of Black folk continued to grapple with bias and poverty, many found that the church was the only place to find encouragement and hope.

There is no doubt that the Black Church remains a very dynamic and formidable force for change in American society. Much of that influence and power is autonomy, making it the ultimate social institution in African American history. There is no greater or more powerful institution that exists today for any group of people than that of the Black Church.

But there is work to be done if the Black church wants to retain its power. First, there is the task of establishing a prominent voice in party politics. If you are going to be a true voting block within the Democratic Party the church must demand the absolute resolve of retaining the language of “God” in its platform. The Evangelical church has assured this language in the Republican platform. When Democrats voted to amend their party’s platform to include the word “God” there was chaos at the convention.

The Black Church must remind the Democratic Party that they should never so easily turn their backs on God. Without God there would be no Democratic Party. Without God there would

have been no women sitting in the seats of elevated power within the party. Without God there would be no African, Hispanic or Asian speakers at the convention. Without God there certainly would not have been a Black Man awaiting the re-nomination of his party to the highest elected office in the land. The Black Church cannot afford to get to the Promised Land and forget the promise.

Secondly, the Black Church must bring the devastating chaos of Black violence to the forefront of the public square. No longer should they allow the debate of presidential politics to ignore the enormous loss of life in poor urban communities all across this country. Anytime the number of deaths in one city outnumber the amount of deaths by those engaged in actual war, silence cannot be a viable option.

Now the Black church is faced with forging agenda that address faith principles. The Black Church must demand that the political machinery engage beyond the casual visits to worship services by office seekers. To ensure that the Black Church is never accused of being dead the church must: 1) Engage in community organizing 2) Manage personal influence 3) Establish and solidify coalitions and 4) Lobby lawmakers effectively.

If we fail to heed this prophetic call to transform the world, may we be found guilty of treason against James Weldon’s Negro Anthem.

Kevin A. Slayton, Sr. is the Associate Minister of Social

Justice at the Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore and the Faith-based Liaison to the Mayor of Baltimore. He is also pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Administration at the University of Baltimore.

A Resurrection of the Black Church in Local Politics

Rev. Kevin A. Slayton Sr.

Cancer strikes without regard to politics. One in two men and one in three women will hear the dreaded words:

“You have cancer” and 75 percent of households will care for a cancer patient at some point. No matter their political persuasion, cancer patients and caregivers will benefit from the next stages of Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation.

Cancer poses a plethora of challenges--physical, psychological, emotional, social, logistical, and financial--to both cancer patients and their families. The costs of unreimbursed medical care, even for people who have health insurance, caused 62 percent of personal bankruptcies in 2007, according to a study by Harvard researchers. For patients’ family caregivers, every hour spent agonizing about insurance and financial issues is an hour that’s not supporting the cancer patient’s primary needs: sustaining normalcy, maintaining hope and restoring health.

The future of the ACA has been in limbo since its passage in 2010, leaving cancer families wondering if future treatments would be covered, for how long, and with what financial impact on the rest of the family. Family caregivers bear the brunt of the financial stresses associated with a cancer diagnosis while the patient is otherwise engaged, often fighting

for his or her life. Regardless of the outcome for the cancer patient, research has found that severe and prolonged cancer care giving can measurably shorten a caregiver’s life.

The passage of the Affordable Care Act was intended to ensure access to quality care with maximum quality of life, minimum administrative complexity and significantly reduced financial stress. It will ensure that all Americans will have:

• Health insurance coverage. Access to insurance coverage will be available even for those who change jobs, and coverage must be approved or continued regardless of gender or pre-existing conditions. No one will need to worry about an insurer cancelling coverage or — effective Jan. 1, 2014 —being charged more when they receive a cancer diagnosis.

• Earlier cancer detection. The earlier cancer is detected, the more likely it is to be survivable. Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the act provides for reduced or no-cost preventive and screening services for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer, three of the most prevalent cancers.

• More extensive Medicare drug coverage. The Medicare Part D prescription cap in coverage (known as the “donut hole”) will be narrowed over time and eventually eliminated (by 2020).

• Longer coverage for children. Children up to the age

of 26 can continue coverage under parents’ health insurance policies.

• No lifetime limits (now) or annual limits on payments (by 2014). Patients won’t have to postpone treatments for fear of costs being incurred after an arbitrary limit has been reached.

• Coverage for clinical trials. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, coverage will be provided for anyone eligible to participate in a clinical trial that is appropriate to treat the patient’s condition, which can results in longer life and potential survival.

Uncertainties remain that are important to cancer families as Congress confronts the “fiscal cliff,” mandated budget cuts that are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 if Congress doesn’t resolve the financial stalemate. Under that scenario funding would be jeopardized for cancer research, clinical trials and breast and cervical cancer screening programs.

In spite of the uncertainties, cancer-affected families can now focus on managing their loved ones’ treatment, supporting their living and maintaining their hope for a cancer-free future—the core of effective care giving.

Deborah J. Cornwall is the author of ‘Things I Wish I’d Known: Cancer Caregivers Speak Out.’

Obamacare: What’s Next for Cancer Caregivers?By Deborah J. Cornwall


Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender . Credit and collateral are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend. © 2012 Bank of America Corporation. AR51Y6W1

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December 1, 2012 - December 7, 2012, The Afro-American B1

Brenda Tobe, Kay Hixson and Shirley Rivers Smith

Floren Priolean, Christina Northern and Phillip M. Jones

Kevin M. Briscoe, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Dwight M. Ellis and Edgar Brookins

Sirius radio personality Joe Madison and honoree Jake Oliver, Publisher, Afro American Newspaper

Khalil Abdullah, Editor, New America Media and his wife

Hazel Trice Edney, President, CPC; honoree Jake Oliver, Publisher/CEO, Afro American Newspaper; Cong. Elijah Cummings(D-MD) and Alicia Rodgers Alston, director, Communications, Prudential Insurance Company

U. S. Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)

The Afro team: Edgar Brookins; Avis Thomas-Lester; Jake Oliver and Irie Harris

ABC7/WJLA-TV News Anchor Gordon Peterson and honoree Jake Oliver

Honorees Jake Oliver, Maureen Bunyan, Lon Wells with CPC President, Hazel Trice Edney

Miss Black DC USA, Tecoya Gordon and Leelannee Malin, PhD (left) with student staff members

Dwight Ellis, Hazel Trice Edney, president, CPC presents award to honoree Maureen Bunyan, ABC7/WJLA TV News anchor as Gordon Peterson and Alicia Rodgers Alton looks on.

Honoree Lon Walls, president emeritus of the CPC and long time DC Publicist and Director, Communications, DC Fire and EMS, making remarks to guests.

CPC Leadership Team: Sherrie Lassiter, 2nd VP; Derrick Kenny, president emeritus; Hazel Trice Edney, president; Robyn Wilkes, 1st VP and Joan Davion, treasurer

Photos by Rob Roberts

Photos by Anderson Ward

The Greater Baltimore Leadership Association held its 10th annual Masquerade Ball, Nov. 10 at the Tremont Grand Historic Venue in Baltimore. The group gathered marked its accomplishments and service to the community. It was established in 2002 as

an auxiliary of the Greater Baltimore Urban League and is expressly for

young people, 21-40, who want to make a difference in this

community. Sherria Lovelace served as chair of the event. Eric White is GBLA president.

Babs O, Kinsley, Henry and Tommy

Chele Taylor, Shannon Craig and Zara EdenD. J. Tanz

Delores Edwards, Nolan V. Rollins, Cheron Porter and Jasmine Richardson

Eric White and Best Mask Winner Ronnie Love

Eric White, president, Urban League Greater Baltimore Leadership Association, award recipient Nolan V. Rollins, CEO Greater New Orleans Urban League and J. Howard Henderson, CEO Baltimore Urban League

Erica Bentley and Kenya Vincent

Host, Brian ChristopherKendra Banks, Kim Amprey Flowers and Willie Flowers

Meron Seife, Stephanie Cheek and Keona Wiggins

Monique Jones and Kenya Vincent

Rudy Halim, Jason Bass and Naveen Khambum

Tasha Howard, Jasmine Richardson and Cheron Porter

AFRO-American Newspapers Publisher Jake Oliver, ABC7/WJLA anchor Maureen Bunyan and Capital Press Club President-Emeritus and D.C. Fire and EMS communications director Lon Walls were singled out for excellence in media leadership Nov. 9 by the CPC, the African American alternative to the National Press Club. In a reception at Venable LLC’s conference center in Northwest Washington orchestrated by Club President Hazel Trice Edney, the contributions of the three media leaders were

detailed by presenters Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), ABC7/WJLA-TV co-anchor Gordon Peterson and Bowie State University communications lecturer Dwight Ellis.

B2 The Afro-American, December 1, 2012 - December 7, 2012

“Fashions, Music & Sharing Love”

Hello my dear friends, happy holidays to you. Well, Turkey Day is over and preparations for Christmas are underway. I truly hope your Thanksgiving was as blissful as you wished it to be. Now everyone who loves and believes in Christmas has already begun shopping all over again for home and yard decorations. We are pulling stuff out of the attic, basement and garage and are running to Walmart, the Dollar Store and other retailers to replace or add to decorations to beautify their home. What a wonderful time of the year.

But friends and fans we must remember the less fortunate,

folks who can’t afford decorations, food, clothes or even a home to put decorations on. We should find a way to give back. Don’t just give to the Goodwill. Find a shelter for the homeless, or take a drive around Baltimore and see the individuals and families in parks, under cardboard boxes, tents and lying on

heat grates and give directly to them. Take them a blanket, sweater, hat, gloves and a plate of food, I promise it will make you feel so good inside and I know they will appreciate it, too.

Another suggestion is for all the musicians, singers and entertainers who are within sight of my words to find time to give their talent to nursing homes, senior citizen homes and

homeless shelters. You can do this by performing for them at no cost. Give them a show they will never forget, show them that someone cares. These folks might not be able to come to you at the clubs, cabarets, and social events, but you can go to them. They love music; everyone loves music. It doesn’t matter if you play jazz, blues, gospel, hip-hop, or if you are a comedian or a dancer; just go out and do it. I promise you, good things will come back your way. Rambling Rose says so!

Rambling Rose Gospel and Church Calendar

Celebrate the 44th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Ronald Armstrong and The Armstrong Singers featuring Nate and The New Generation with special guests, Jay Caldwell and the Ambassadors of Wilmington, Del., The Anointed, The Boyd Sisters, The Union Chapel AME Gospel Choir, The New Ebony Gospel Singers and The Christanaires on Dec. 7, 7 p.m. at the Triumph Baptist Church, 2200 E. Oliver Street. The M.C.’s are Heaven 600, Rev. Brad Rogers and Doresa Harvey; Sandra Anderson 1010 Radio Station, Minister Robert Wilson, Bishop Jimmy Hunter and Evangelist Ethel Hill. For more information, call 410-358-9661 or 443-726-1899.

Renown Gospel Recording Artist Helen Baylor will be in concert at Tabernacle of Faith Church, 4845 Belair Road at 8 p.m., Dec. 8. For more information, call Cecelia Dawkins at 443-803-2487.

Lend a hand to the

“Gospel Christmas Toys and Food Drive” for low-income families of the “Letting the Captives Free Prison Ministry.” Bring canned goods, clothing and personal care items to the gospel concert on Dec. 2, at 5 p.m. at the Essex Church of God, 511-C Eastern Blvd., in Essex, Md.

The SBC Outreach

Ministries are sponsoring the “Women’s Conference Extravaganza” on Dec. 8, at the Crown Plaza Hotel, 2004 Greenspring Drive in Timonium. Enjoy breakfast, a fashion show, and worship. For more information, call 443-882-8544.

Start your holiday

shopping with the scholarship ministry of First Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, 1142 N. Fulton Avenue, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Dec. 1. You can shop for ladies hats, caps, cologne, scarves, jewelry, hand bags, children clothing and more. For more information, call 443-540-3756.

Celebrate the 29th

Anniversary of the “Shouting MC” with Minister Robert Wilson Dec. 9 at 3:30 p.m. at the Miracle Deliverance Center, 3108 Walbrook Avenue. Enjoy live performances by the Soul Messengers, The Gospel Pearls, Kenny Davis and the Melodyaires and many others. For more information, call 410-982-3345.

Well my dear fans, it is

about that time. I am out of space and time. Enjoy your week. If you need me, call me at 410-833-9474 or email me at [email protected]. Remember you can also read “Rambling Rose” on line or just get a subscription to the Afro-American Newspaper

by calling 410-554-8200. UNTIL THE NEXT TIME, I’M MUSICALLY YOURS.

Ray Gaskins, renowned saxophonist and recording artist, recently released a new CD, “A Time for Love.”

Shirley Duncan, founder of The Charm City Dancers, hosts her 17th Annual Christmas Ball on Dec. 8, 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the Turf Valley Resort & Conference Center, 2700 Turf Valley Road, Ellicott City. For more information, call 410-370-8489.

Pamela Leak, known as “Ms. Maybelle”, Baltimore’s renowned comedienne, hosts her “Full Figured Fashion Show” on Dec. 8, 6-10 p.m. at the Positive Youth Expressions Educational Institute, 200 N. Bentalou Street. For ticket information, call 443-983-1180.

Tracey Curbeam with her band “Da’Fellas” will be in concert on Dec. 1 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial United Methodist Church, 5114 Windsor Mill Road, from 6-10 p.m. For more information, call 410-218-3268.

Councilman Carl Stokes invites you to his cocktail reception at the Living Well Studio, 2443 N. Charles Street, on Dec. 6, 6-7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call 410-727-0501.


I’m getting old. I know this because I hate almost everything popular in today’s society. Sans my iPhone, iPad and Mac, I’m ready to turn back the clock. Every time I step outdoors, I’m left to ponder when society passed me by.

Men, when did it become okay to wear hats indoors? And why not wear them straight? As a baseball player growing up, I was taught the bill of the cap helped shade your eyes from the sun. You wear hats in a manner to keep the sun out of our eyes and off our necks.

And when did it become okay to wear your pants beneath your behind? This practice is said to have begun in the prison system. So why do you want to look like a prison inmate? Underwear companies must love this because we see more boxers than trousers. Sometimes

Revealing the afRican pResence in Renaissance euRope

600 N. Charles St. / Baltimore / thewalters.org

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Annibale Carracci, attrib. Italian, Portrait of an African Slave Woman, ca. 1580s. Tomasso Brothers, Leeds, England. // The exhibition is supported by funding from the Richard C. von Hess Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Maryland Humanities Council, the Bernard Family, Andie and Jack Laporte, Christie’s, Kathryn Coke Rienhoff, Lynn and Philip Rauch, Cynthia Alderdice, Joel M. Goldfrank, CANUSA Corporation Charitable Fund, Constance R. Caplan, Stanley Mazaroff and Nancy Dorman, the V.A. Reid Charita-ble Fund, Harbor Bank of Maryland, the Flamer Family Fund and other generous donors. The publication is generously supported by the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Publication Fund. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

ARTS & CULTUREMy Take

By Mike Montgomery

The Reality of Being Middle-Agedwe’re treated to the sight of an ashy butt crack instead of boxers. When did this become socially acceptable? And when your pants drop so low that it inhibits your ability to walk, it’s probably time to pull ‘em up. I used to say it was time to get a belt. But apparently now you buy the belts a few sizes too large so they don’t prevent your pants from falling. Do us all a favor. When you’re walking up stairs or riding in escalator up, pull ‘em up!

My lady friends tell me the purpose of thong underwear is to prevent unsightly panty lines. But if your jeans are so low on your hip that we can actually see the thongs and most of what they’re not covering, doesn’t that defeat the purpose? I mean, shouldn’t showing the actual panties be worse than showing panty lines?

And what’s up with the pajama bottoms? That’s what they look like—pajama bottoms. Why are you outdoors in those?

If your cell phone rings aloud in public, and you just have to answer it, must everyone within a 20-foot radius hear your profanity-laced conversation? Remember the days when men would admonish one another for using profanity in public? “Hey man, watch your mouth. There’re women

and children present!” Now the women and children are cursing as much as the men and no one gets admonished.

Don’t mind me. I’m just remembering the good ol’ days—the days when songs were sung, not spoken or yelled. They had words you could understand and none of them were profane. When the only tattoos were anchors or military insignia worn by men who served in our nation’s armed forces. And there was definitely more skin visible on these men than there was ink.

Kids were taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Nobody even knows what arithmetic is these days. They call it math—and you do it with the aid of a smartphone, just like writing. Have you seen what the texting generation has done to the King’s English?

Trust me: u have 2 c it 2 b-leev it. SMDH!

Mike Montgomery is an aging government worker and upright bass player who lives in Anne Arundel County.

My Take is a social commentary feature that allows AFRO readers to share their insight into a range of topics. Please submit your 250-450 word entries, with My Take typed into the subject field, to [email protected]. Include your name, age, occupation and daytime phone number. The AFRO reserves the right to edit or reject any entry.

By Alexis TaylorSpecial to the AFRO

Friends and family packed An die Musik off North Charles Street for an evening of music, good food, and celebration in honor of Ethel L. Ennis, a Baltimore legend.

The internationally recognized jazz vocalist was sure to step into her 80th year in style, complete with outfit changes, catering by Kevin Brown, and entertainment from the Whit Williams Big Band.

Ennis stole the show in a stunning red number with white ruffles down the front, as she pulled in audience members still very much in love with the voice that first captured ears in the late 1940s.

“It feels good to be 80,” Ennis told the AFRO. “I’ve always believed that you can bloom wherever you are planted. I was planted in Baltimore and I’ve never left.”

Born in 1932, Ennis’ love of music began at age seven when she began to learn piano.

According to the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame, soon she was playing in her local church and before long, had ventured into many different genres such as classical, rhythm and blues, and gospel.

By 1958, she was touring internationally through Western Europe with big band leader

Benny Goodman. Other collaborations include work with

legendary band leaders Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Wynton Marsalis.

By 1982, along with husband, Earl Arnette, recognition came from then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer, who named the pair Cultural Ambassadors of the City of Baltimore.

The awards and accolades didn’t stop on the local level, as Ennis was selected

to perform the national anthem at the inauguration of President Richard Nixon a capella and at the First International Music Festival held in Xiamen, China.

Hits to the artist’s name include her 1955 album Lullabies for Losers and 1973’s 10 Sides of Ethel.

Ennis said at this stage in her life, she’s truly “found happiness.”

“I have a happy marriage that has lasted 45 years and in the future I see myself doing

more of the same- but better.”

Friend and organizer of the birthday celebration, Robbye Apperson, said she believed Ennis’ performances over the next year will hopefully jumpstart a new section of the idol’s career.

“She did Jazz in the Sculpture Garden at the Baltimore Museum

of Art in August and I hope this birthday celebration is seen as a both a party and a launch. My hope is that we will carry this energy throughout Ennis’ 80th year.”

Ennis said that in the near future she hopes to write more pieces that are “not just love songs but self-improvement songs.”

“The way we change the world is the way we change ourselves.”

Baltimore Legend Celebrates 80 Years

Photo by Alexis TaylorEnnis, with husband Earl Arnette, says she has finally found “happiness.”


Sunday Meditation in the WORD 9:30 a.m.Sunday Pastor Class 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Morning Glory 11:00 a.m.Wednesday evening Prayer and Bible Class 7 p.m.

3rd Saturdays - Kingdom Classes 8:30 a.m.

Welcome to the Greater Church of The Risen Savior

Founding Senior PastorsDr. Victor FolksDr. Denise L. Folks

Greater Church and Ministries

5615 The AlamedaBaltimore, MD 21239

410-323-4175

The Christmas Season Is Upon Us—Mark Your Calendars And

Support These Exciting Activities!

December 16, 2012—Christmas Concert—3:30 p.m.

December 23, 2012—8:00 a.m. Breakfast —9:30 a.m. Christmas Recitations, Pageant, Singing & Dance Praise—11:00 a.m. Worship Service

December 31, 2012—10:00 p.m.—Watch Night Service

Reverend Emmett C. Burns, Jr., Pastor

Woodlawn: 2211 St. Lukes Lane, Baltimore, MD 21207410-944-4470

SPORTSAFRO Sports FaceoffNBA or NCAA? Which Basketball Brand is Best?By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley AFRO Sports Desk

Earlier this year, members of the AFRO Sports Desk squared off over college football versus the NFL. After a 138-point outburst by Division III Grinnell College’s sophomore guard Jack Taylor the national media and internet searches went crazy. Such prompted a consideration of college hoops versus the pros.

But as spectacular as Taylor’s efforts were, the diminutive point guard’s century explosion went somewhat shunned primarily because of the level of play. College basketball tends to take a backseat to its pro level older brother but should it really have to? March Madness is potentially the biggest draw of any playoff system no matter the level. And considering fan participation during the season, does the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have the edge over its older brother , the National Basketball Association (NBA) or is the talk

simply madness? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports desk debate this issue.

Green: Pageantry, rivalries and rankings give the NCAA the edge over the NBA in my opinion. It’s hard for the NBA to account for the fan participation and emotion that runs through the veins of college basketball. The NCAA will never have the player name recognition that the NBA has but that depends on who you ask. Step onto any campus and any fan or alum can name every player on their school’s roster. Even with the one-and-done rule the NCAA reigns over the professional hardwood.

Riley: Naturally, with an 82-game pro schedule compared to most 30-game college slates, it’s easy for the emotion to show in every college game. Collegiate hoopsters play just a third of the games that the

big boys play so, of course, you can expect some sluggish and downright

boring regular season pro games. But once the NBA playoffs kick in, everything changes. The hustle happens and the effort intensifies. When you mix in what the playoffs provide with players like Kobe,

LeBron James and Kevin Durant then you simply have the best brand of basketball in the world. College can keep you entertained but the NBA just can’t be topped.

Green: How do you match students camping out for weeks in a row for a pair of tickets to a rivalry game?

Riley: Easy, it’s called the NBA Finals.

Green: If it takes the last round of NBA basketball to compare to an ordinary January week of college basketball then my point is proven. Plus, I haven’t even mentioned the “Big Dance,” aka the NCAA Tournament, which probably should be considered the mother of all playoff tournaments. No playoff tournament can match the excitement of the NCAA Tournament, that’s why we call it

March Madness.Riley: Again, your sample size

is much smaller, though. If the NBA was only 30 games a season I’m sure people would camp out, too, for Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers tickets. The NBA could probably go without 50 percent of their regular season slate but marketing politics are in place to ensure revenue.

Between jersey sales, TV time and other marketing tools, the NBA just brings more to the table. If there ever was an NBA star to score 138 points in a game, don’t you think that story would get more press than a grainy video and the five-minute interview that Taylor got?

Green: Absolutely, but I also know if the one-and-done rule for tournament play was eliminated, the NCAA could be light years more popular than what it is now. While we’re on what-if’s, imagine if Derrick Rose, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis and Durant all stayed in college at least three years. Or what if Dwight Howard or LeBron even went to school at all? College basketball would have created a whole new chapter in history. The crazy thing is that the NCAA is doing just fine without the fantasies and the NBA is rolling along, as well. But the NBA is at its best right now while the NCAA could easily be a lot better than what it already is. The advantage goes to the dorms and frat boys.

By Perry GreenAFRO Sports Editor

BALTIMORE -- The Dunbar Poets saw its five game shutout streak come to an end but that still didn’t stop them from blowing away their opponents as they clobbered the Brunswick Railroaders from Frederick County Md, 40-8, in the state 1A football semifinals on Nov. 24 at the Sugar Cane Field in Baltimore, Md.

The Poets haven’t allowed an opponent to score a single point in more than a month of action, but Brunswick, usually known for its highly efficient passing attack, was able to steal a touchdown to end the impressive streak.

Brunswick’s lone score for the game came on a 42-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter by quarterback Collin Nusbaum.

But by that time, Dunbar had already built a 24-0 lead, thanks to a couple of long touchdown sprints by junior running backs Coleman Blackston, and Dominic Miller. In total, the Poets scored five rushing touchdowns in the game to extend their points total to 40 as running backs Paki Brown, a senior, and junior Aaron Savage also ran in a couple of scores.

“This is what we do, we get our running game going and play lockdown defense,” Poets head coach Lawrence Smith said. “That’s always how Poets Football will be.”

The Poets (12-0 overall) have now made Maryland playoff history with the most victories ever in state tournaments.

Dunbar’s stout defense and ground and pound running game will now be tested in the Maryland 1A championship game against New Town (11-2 overall) on Nov. 30 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.

If they win, it’ll be their ninth state title, and seventh title won throughout the past decade.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment all year long,” Coach Smith said, “Now it’s time to handle our business.”

By Kevin PaigeSpecial to the AFRO

BALTIMORE, Md.—Sophomore guard Tracey Carrington scored a game-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, as Morgan State defeated visiting Columbia University, 60-51 in a non-conference game on Nov. 23 at Hill Field House.

The win was the Lady Bears’ second straight in as many games during this current four-game home stand, while extending their all-time series lead to 2-0 over the Columbia Lady Lions.

The Lady Bears held a 46-42 lead after a three-point basket by Columbia’s Lizzy Stachon with 7:23 remaining. Morgan State senior guard Bianca Jarrett, who only played in the second half, then scored the game’s next eight points, including six straight free throws to extend the Morgan State lead to 56-45 with 1:33 left in the game.

Morgan State (3-2 overall) forced 22 turnovers, while also committing 22 of their own. The Lady Bears also recorded 15 steals with senior guard Moneshia Davis recording a team-high three. Morgan State held a 39-36 rebounding advantage with sophomore forward/center Amarah Williams, Davis and Carrington all grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.

Jarrett came off the bench to score 12 points in 14 minutes, including six straight points at one point for the Lady Bears. Junior guard Whitney Southerland added eight points in a reserve role.

Columbia (1-4 overall) was led by Brittany Simmons, who scored 11 points and Baily Ott, who added 10 points. Ott also had a game-high five steals and hauled in seven rebounds. Courtney Bradford pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

Columbia shot 32.8 percent (19-of-58) and went

Courtesy Photo/MSU Sports InformationGuard Tracey Carrington led all scorers against Columbia.

Lady Bears Defeat Columbia U in Baltimore

Dunbar Clobbers Brunswick to Reach State Championship

4-for-18 (22 percent) from three-point range.Morgan State finished the game shooting 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the floor and 21

percent (3-of-14) from three-point range. Morgan State also connected on 17-of-21 (81 percent) from the charity stripe, while the Lions went

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9-of-16 from the free throw line.

The Lady Bears will return to the court on Nov.

28 when they play host to George Washington in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. at Hill Field House.


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Special to the NNPA from The Chicago Crusader

Berry Gordy Jr. may only be five-foot tall in height but he left big shoes to fill when he sold Motown Records nearly 25 years ago.

As founder of the historic record company in 1960, which launched the careers of Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and the groups The Temptations and The Supremes, Gordy, 82, said he had a vision to introduce Black singers to America.

“I knew there was talent beyond just white voices. There were soulful sounds being made by Blacks but no one could hear them because they had nowhere to go to produce the kind of music Blacks wanted to hear,” Gordy told an audience during a tribute to him at the Art Institute of Chicago.

“All I wanted to do was help Black singers recognize their talent and share it with the world.”

He added that he always took the unconventional route to success, regardless what the circumstances were. This was a man who, as a child, could not recite his alphabet from A to Z but could sound them off backwards. He recalled how he was once stopped in Los Angeles by police for suspected drunken driving and was let go after the officer told him to recite the alphabet backwards.

He also talked about what he had to do for the classic movie “Lady Sings the Blues” starring Diana Ross to get made and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie studio had only budgeted $500,000 for what he said they described as a Black movie.

“I told them that this is not a Black film (but) a film with

Black stars,” recalled Gordy.These were some of the memorable stories he recalled

during a PBS-TV taping where journalist Gwen Ifill interviewed him before a live audience. The History Makers, a non-profit organization in Chicago, hosted the tribute. The show is expected to air spring 2013.

Joining Gordy at the tribute was the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Suzanne de Passe, a former Motown Records executive; Los Angeles Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times Publisher Danny Bakewell; Gordy’s daughter Hazel Gordy and son Stefan Gordy.

Audience members were treated to a performance by two cast members of Gordy’s upcoming Broadway show, “Motown: The Musical.” The scene, he said, re-enacted Gordy (portrayed by Brandon Victor Dixon) and Diana Ross (played by Valisia LeKae) falling in love in Paris. The song: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need to Get By.”

Entertainment at the tribute included a performance by singers Kem and Valerie Simpson, who performed “I’ll Be There,” originally sung by the late Michael Jackson and his brothers known then as the Jackson 5.

Berry had dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a boxer before finding his niche in music. Before pursuing music Berry was a lover of boxing. So he dropped out of high school to pursue a boxing career, which lasted until 1950 when the United States Army drafted him for service in the Korean War.

In 1953, he returned home from service and married Thelma Coleman.

In 2001, Berry Gordy established a relief fund for former Motown artists, musicians & writers who are down on their luck.

The Gwendolyn B. Gordy Fund assisted artists from the 60’s and 70’s with Gordy donating $750,000 in the name of his late sister.

Special to the AFRO from the Amsterdam News

Ted Curson, a Montclair, N.J.-based trumpeter who gained international fame as a free jazz contributor playing with Cecil Taylor and leading his own bands, died on Nov. 4 in his Montclair home. He was 77.

The cause was heart failure, as stated by his wife Marjorie.When Curson was not performing, he was promoting the jazz tradition: In 1983, he

established a late-night jam session at Manhattan’s famed Blue Note, which he ran for about 10 years. And for the last decade he has led a jam session at Trumpets Jazz Club one night per

month, in Montclair. “Ted was really wonderful,” says Trumpets owner Enrico Granafei. “He was a person who everybody loved and he always tried to help people.”

He had been scheduled to perform there as usual in recent weeks. “He never stopped practicing,” Marjorie Curson told the Newark Star Ledger. “He’d already chosen the mouthpieces he was going to use at Trumpets that week.”

As a leader, Curson recorded 16 albums and appeared on 300 albums as an in-demand sideman. He also played flugelhorn and the piccolo trumpet. At times, when he really wanted to stretch out, he would take to scatting.

Born in Philadelphia on June 3, 1935, Curson settled on the trumpet early on, although his father wanted him to play alto saxophone. He later took music lessons at Philadelphia’s prestigious Granoff School of Music. Following a few gigs in Philly, he moved to New York in 1956—at the suggestion of Miles Davis.

He recorded a few years later with Cecil Taylor, who was already known as an innovator splashing in the pool of the avant-garde movement. Curson came out of the bebop tradition and was an innovator in his own right; he was a welcome addition to Taylor’s quintet, which included saxophonist Bill Barron. Together they recorded the memorable album “Love for Sale” in 1959. He boldly blew his trumpet on some of the most challenging jazz records of the early 1960s.

Curson later joined Charles Mingus and another exciting mix of musicians that featured Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, Bud Powell and Dannie Richmond. The group is most memorable for the 1960 live album “Mingus at Antibes” (Atlantic Records, 1960).

In 1961, Curson recorded his first solo album “Plenty of Horn,” with his interpretations of songs by Duke Ellington and Richard Rodgers, as well as his own compositions. The saxophonist Eric Dolphy rejoined him for his next album. Curson enjoyed his friendship with Dolphy, whose music was always on the shores of new inventions.

Following Dolphy’s death in 1964, Curson paid tribute on “Tears for Dolphy” (Black Lion Records, 1964), his best-known album. The title track has been used in film soundtracks, including those for “The Brown Bunny” and “Last Date.”

Curson’s great playing ability, his hard-hitting rhythmic flow and his penchant for the avant-garde as well as ballads and blues earned him quite a reputation in the U.S., but it was in Finland where he was acknowledged as a real jazz giant.

In 1966, he played at the opening of the Pori Jazz Festival, which became one of the largest in Europe. Curson never missed a year of the festival as its guest performer. The president of Finland visited his home in Montclair during a visit to the United Nations. He was given the key to the city of Pori in 1998. Earlier this year, he played at the 2012 Festival. Marjorie noted, “Finland loved him—he was a celebrity there.”

In addition to his wife, Curson is survived by his son Ted Jr., his daughter Charlene Jackson, six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Ted Curson, International Jazz Trumpeter, Dies at 77

Wikimedia Commons

Berry Gordy’s Role as a “History Maker” is Solidified

Chicago CrusaderBerry Gordy celebrated with family and friends at the History Makers’ tribute in Chicago.


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TYPESET: Wed Nov 28 12:14:23 EST 2012

IN THE CIRCUITCOURT FOR

BALTIMORE CITYCase No.:

24D12003100IN THE MATTER OFBRITTNI MARIEWILLIAMSAKABRANDON MARTELWILLIAMS-EASLEYFOR CHANGE OFNAME TOBRANDONWILLIAM LOVE

ORDER FORNOTICE BY

PUBLICATIONThe object of this suit is toofficially change thename of the petitionerfrom

Brittni Marie Williamsaka

Brandon MartelWilliams-Easley

toBrandon William Love

It is this 5th day ofNovember, 2012 by theCircuit Court for Bal-timore City,ORDERED, that publica-tion be given one time in anewspaper of general cir-culation in Baltimore Cityon or before the 5th dayof December, 2012,which shall warn allinterested persons to filean affidavit in oppositionto the relief requested onor before the 20th day ofDecember, 2012.

Frank M. ConawayClerk11/30

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Payment Policy for legal no-tice advertisements. Effective immediately, The Afro Amer-ican Newspapers will require prepayment for publication of all legal notices. Payment will be accepted in the form

of checks, credit card or money order. Any returned checks will be subject to a $25.00 processing fee and

mayresult in the suspension of any future advertising at

our discretion.

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fieds are published in 65 newspapers.

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Call(410) 554-8200All ads must be

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20 Words

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BALTIMORE AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER


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IN THE CIRCUITCOURT FOR

BALTIMORE CITYCase No.:

24D12000666IN THE MATTER OFKALYN TAYLORHAUNFOR CHANGE OFNAME TOKALYN TAYLORSHULERBY AND THROUGHHIS/HERMOTHER/FATHER/GUARDIANKELLI LYNN HAUN

NOTICEThe above Petitioner hasfiled a Petition for Change ofName in which he/she seeksto change the name of a mi-nor child from Kalyn TaylorHaun to Kalyn Taylor Shuler.The petitioner is seeking thisname change for the child forthe following reasons:I want my daughter to haveher father’s last name.Any person may file an objec-tion the the Petition on or be-f o r e t h e 2 4 t h d a y o fDecember, 2012. The objec-tion must be supported by anaffidavit and served upon thePetitioner in accordance withMaryland Rule 1-321. Failureto file an objection or affidavitwithin the time allowed mayresult in a judgment by de-fault or the granting of the re-lief sought.A copy of this notice shall bepublished on time in a news-paper of general circulation inthe county/city at least fifteen(15) days before the deadlineto file an objection.

Frank M. ConawayClerk11/30


POCOMOKE CITY, MARYLAND2012 DOWNTOWN SIDEWALK

REPAIR PROJECTPUBLIC NOTICE

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Sealed bids for downtown sidewalk repairs as de-scribed in the specifications and contractdocuments will be received by the Mayor andCouncil at City Hall, Pocomoke City, Maryland until2:00 p.m.. Monday, December 3, 2012 at whichtime they will be publicly opened and read aloud.Contract documents may be obtained at City Hall,101 Clarke Avenue, Pocomoke City, MD 21851, ortelephone 410.957.1333.

Work will involve replacement of concretesidewalks in Willow Street, Clarke Avenue, andother downtown streets, and similar work as perspecifications. City forces will remove existing con-crete sidewalks prior to the reconstruction work.

Pocomoke City reserves the right to reject any andall bids, to waive informalities in bids received, toaccept or reject any items of any bid, and to other-wise act in the best interests of the City. No biddermay withdraw his bid within thirty (30) days of theactual date of the opening thereof. Partial fundingwill be provided by the federal government throughthe State of Md C.D.B.G. program, and federal/state requirements will apply, including federalwage rates. EOE

Bill East, Public Work Superintendent11/30TYPESET: Wed Nov 28 12:14:01 EST 2012

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BALTIMORE CITYINVITATION FOR BIDS

DUKELAND ELECTRICALDISTRIBUTION SYSTEM UPGRADE

IFB NUMBER: B-1709-12R

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City(”HABC”) will issue an Invitation for Bids(“IFB”) for qualified and interested vendors tosubmit sealed bids to upgrade the electricaldistribution system located at Dukeland 1800Blk. Westwood Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland21216.

BIDS WILL BE DUE no later than 2:00 p.m.Eastern Time on Friday, January 4, 2013.

A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be heldon Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 10:00a.m., at the Charles L. Benton Building, 417 E.Fayette Street, Room 401, Baltimore,Maryland, 21202.

HABC has established a minimum threshold oftwenty percent (20%) of the total dollar amountof the proposed contract for Minority BusinessEnterprise (”MBE”) utilization, applicable to allminority and non-minority businesses propos-ing to provide the requested services as theprime contractor. No threshold has beenestablished for participation of Women-ownedbusinesses (“WBEs”), however, HABCstrongly encourages and affirmatively pro-motes the use of WBEs in all HABC contracts.

Bidders shall also comply with all applicablerequirements of Section 3 of the Housing andUrban Development Act of 1968, 12 U.S.C.Section 1701u.

The IFB and all supporting documents may beobtained on or after Monday, December 10,2012 from the following location:

Housing Authority of Baltimore CityOffice of the Comptroller,

Procurement Section417 E. Fayette Street, Room 414

Baltimore, Maryland 21202Attention: John Airey,

Chief of Contracting ServicesTel: (410) 396-3261 Fax: (410) 962-1586

Questions regarding the IFB should be di-rected in writing to the address and individualindicated above, and must include the refer-ence: HABC IFB No. B-1709-12R.


City of BaltimoreDepartment of FinanceBureau of Purchases

Sealed proposals addressed to the Board ofEstimates of Baltimore, will be received until,but not later than 11:00 a.m. local time on thefollowing date(s) for the stated requirements:

DECEMBER 19, 2012SURVIVOR LED FLASHLIGHTS B50002695FLEX CUFFS B50002718

THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTCAN BE VIEWED AND DOWN LOADED BYVISITING THE CITYS WEB SITE:www.baltimorecitibuy.org


BALTIMORE COUNTY, MARYLANDINVITATION FOR BIDS

CONTRACT NO. 12171 WX0 (Re-Bid)PHASE 4 - YORK ROAD 24 WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT

WEST ROAD TO BOSLEY AVENUE ANDWASHINGTON AVENUE

TOWSON - DISTRICT 9 c 5CONTRACT COST GROUP ”E ($2,500,000 to $5,000,000)”

WORK CLASSIFICATION: F-2 with Pre-Qualified A-2Sub-Contractors

BID DATE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013 AT 10:30 A.M. LOCAL TIME

On or after Monday, December 3, 2012, the above contract documentsmay be inspected and purchased from the Division of ConstructionContracts Administration, Department of Public Works, Room 300B,County Office Building (COB), 111 W. Chesapeake Avenue, Towson,MD 21204, upon receipt of payment of $40.00 (FORTY DOLLARS) percontract. All checks should be made payable to BALTIMORE COUNTYMD. NO REFUNDS will be made to anyone. Direct any questions to410-887-3531. Bidders obtaining documents from another source otherthan Baltimore County WILL NOT be allowed to submit proposals to Bal-timore County.

The proposed work consists of:

2,775 (LF) 24” Ductile Iron Pipe and Fittings1,830 (TON) HMA SHA Road Repair 19 mm PG 64-22, Base Course720 (TON) 2” HMA Superpave 12.5 mm PG 64-22, Surface Course1,200 (TON) Contingent - Stage 1 Temporary HMA in SHA Road7,000 (TON) Contingent - (GAB) Graded Aggregate Base

THE PROJECT IS SUBJECT TO A MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISEUTILIZATION GOAL AND FEMALE CONTRACTORS UTILIZATIONGOALS. THESE GOAL REQUIREMENTS ARE MORE FULLY EX-PLAINED IN THE SPECIFICATIONS. THE MBE/WBE FORMS IN THEPROPOSAL BOOKLET MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED ATTHE TIME OF BID OPENING.

Sealed proposals (the entire book) addressed to Baltimore County,Maryland for this contract will be received in the Baltimore CountyPurchasing Division, Room 148, Old Courthouse, 400 WashingtonAvenue, Towson, MD 21204, until the time specified on the contract atwhich time they will be publicly opened and read.

ONLY CONTRACTORS WHO HAVE BEEN PREQUALIFIED BY BAL-TIMORE COUNTY AT LEAST TEN (10) DAYS PRIOR TO THE OPENINGOF BIDS WILL BE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS.

All proposals must be accompanied by a Bid Bond, on the approved formprovided, in the amount as set forth in the ”Information for Bidders”. No otherform of proposal guaranty is acceptable.

The Purchasing Agent reserves the right to reject any or all proposals orbids or parts of bids and to waive technicalities as may be deemed best forthe interest of the County.

Keith Dorsey, DirectorOffice of Budget & Finance


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By Stephanie E. Myers, Ph.D.

At a recent Petersburg, Va., screening of the film Lincoln, hosted by the Virginia Film Office and the City of Colonial Heights, I was curious to see how African-American characters close to the Lincoln family, would be portrayed. My concern was based on experience with historic films when Black characters were often minimized, stereotyped or left out altogether. In June 2011, I contacted the Virginia Film Office (VFO) to express my concern that Black characters be included, and with the assistance of a VFO executive, sent a letter to Steven Spielberg encouraging him to at least highlight a little known woman named Elizabeth “Lizzie” Keckley, who was confidante and friend to Mary Todd Lincoln. Much to my surprise, the Virginia Film Office emailed me a response, “…we did submit your request to Steven Spielberg and his team…it looks promising for Elizabeth Keckley to be included in the film.”

Lincoln is a powerful history lesson that focused on the Civil War leadership of President Abraham Lincoln, brilliantly portrayed by actor Daniel Day-Lewis. The film tells how President Lincoln skillfully maneuvered Congress to pass the 13th Amendment to permanently abolish slavery. And, while the film would have been enhanced by featuring the involvement of Abolitionist heroes like Frederick Douglass, Rev. Henry Highland Garnet and Rev. Francis J. Grimke, I am glad that at least Keckley and a few other African-American characters were portrayed.

Actress Gloria Reuben does a sensitive portrayal of Keckley, a pioneering dressmaker extraordinaire and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln, played by Sally Field. Reuben captures the grace of Keckley, who was born into slavery in Dinwiddie, Va., and overcame brutality, humiliation, and sexual violence and somehow managed to purchase freedom for herself and her son. When, as a free woman, she relocated to Washington, D.C., Keckley opened a sewing business and designed gowns for wives of the most powerful men of the era. Her clients included Varina Davis, wife of then-Senator Jefferson Davis; Mary Custis Lee, wife of then Colonel Robert E. Lee, and many others. A compassionate woman, Keckley also established a re-settlement camp on the land where Howard University now stands, for Black people fleeing slavery.

Although her role is small, Keckley is shown as dignified, well-dressed and in direct conversation with President Lincoln about the plight of Black people. She is seen sitting next to Lincoln, in the balcony of the Congress, where she bears witness to major events in U.S. history, including debates between famous Abolitionist Senator Thaddeus Stevens,

brilliantly portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, and his opponents as they fought over passage of the 13th Amendment. In my view, she is a symbol of the Black working middle-class.

The second little-known Black woman portrayed in the movie is Lydia Hamilton Smith, played by actress S. Epatha Merkerson, former star of “Law and Order.” For 25 years, Smith was the housekeeper and intimate companion of Senator Thaddeus Stevens, powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. She was also the senator’s business partner and managed his properties in Pennsylvania and Washington, DC. And, amazingly for a woman of her era, Smith also owned property of her own, including a boarding house across the street from the Willard Hotel, in Washington, DC.

While I wish Spielberg had put emphasis on the critical contributions Black leaders made in the war to abolish slavery, I still commend him for including scenes with Black Civil War soldiers, Keckley, Smith and others in this highly personal movie profile about Abraham Lincoln. While there are many details missing about the fascinating Black characters in Lincoln, the void leaves opportunities for other producers. In closing, I wish to thank the Virginia Film Office for passing the concerns of a history buff to the Spielberg team.

Dr. Stephanie Myers is Vice President of R.J. Myers Publishing and Consulting; National Co-Chair of Black Women for Positive Change; and a Black history researcher and author. Her website is www.myerspublishing.com; email [email protected]

By Jannette J. WitmyerSpecial to the AFRO

Clifton “Hines” Early’s full and storied life is so compelling that, while working as an advisor on the highly acclaimed HBO series, The Wire, he was encouraged by a friend and writer for the show to write the story of his life. The book, “Had I Listened,” which he describes as “a memoir of sorts,” covers the trials of his childhood and how he survived them.

“It is about a boy growing up in Baltimore City with not enough guidance and not enough love. But with those bad breaks, he took what he had and tried to make a success out of his life,” he said. “I want the book to be an inspiration for others …to encourage them to strive for a better life and to help others along the way. That’s my goal.”

Now, having successfully sold several thousand copies of his book, Hines is producing the story as a play and is focusing on the goal of supporting two causes: prostate cancer awareness and Baltimore’s Arena Players, Inc. The play, which will be directed by actor and stand-up comedian Howard G., well known for his “Kiss my Bumper” ads for an auto insurance company, will be presented at the Arena Players (http://arenaplayersinc.com/) Dec. 1 and 2. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the curtain will rise at 7.

As a 10-year survivor of prostate cancer, Hines is adamant about promoting prostate cancer awareness, especially to young Black men. Proceeds from the play will benefit Martin Luther King Prostate Cancer Awareness (http:www.mlkpca.org), a nonprofit support organization that Hines started at his church, Martin Luther King Jr. United Methodist Church.

“My major motivation was to bring prostate cancer awareness as much to the forefront as I can for young black men because it’s the second leading killer of black men, and early detection is the key to survival. If you catch it early, you can survive it. Most people think prostate cancer is an old man’s disease, but now the [American] Cancer Society and Johns Hopkins are encouraging young men to start getting tested as early as 30,” Hines explained.

He also feels very strongly about presenting the play at Baltimore’s Arena Playhouse, the longest continuously operating African-American community theater in the U.S.

“This is my way of giving back to a historic institution that has always supported young Black playwrights and actors that could now use some support from the community. It’s just another way of carrying forward the intended spirit of the book,” he said.

Because his story has both serious and humorous sides, Hines brought in actors who are comedians. Larry Lancaster stars as a young Hines, and Big Shorty portrays his oldest friend, Shorty Buise. The production is a family affair, and Hines’ son, Rodney, is the production assistant and has several cameos throughout the play.

For advance ticket sales and information, contact E. Hines at 410-952-3538, Howard G. ay 410-808-5805 or Rodney E. at 443-462-0874. Tickets are priced at $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The Arena Playhouse is located at 801 McCulloh Street.

Op-Ed

Spielberg’s “Lincoln” Reveals Two Little-Known Black Heroines

The Black women of Lincoln: Gloria Reuben (top) portrays pioneering dressmaker Elizabeth “Lizzie” Keckley. S. Epatha Merkerson portrays Lydia Hamilton Smith, housekeeper and business partner of Senator Thaddeus Stevens.

OBITUARY

Alice Louise (Hayley) Gilliam left a legacy of strength, grace, and wisdom when she passed on November 1, 2012, surrounded by family and friends.

Known as Louise, she was the youngest girl of seven children. She was born on Oct. 11, 1919; in Winston-Salem, N.C. Louise spent each summer in Baltimore with her sister, Mercedes. The summer after her first year of college, Louise met Jim Gilliam at a garden party in Baltimore County. “I went out there and I saw this beautiful young lady, and I said I’ve got to meet her,” Jim says. “And that’s what I did.” They were both 16.

Louise finished high school and later attended Winston-Salem Teachers College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education. After some time, Louise decided to move to Baltimore to be closer to her sister and began working with child welfare agency. She found that her calling was to help protect the rights of those who could not protect themselves and embarked upon a career in social work.

Jim and Louise married in 1944. The Gilliam’s had two children, Jim Jr. and Patti. While Patti was still a baby, Louise commuted two days each week to Howard University in Washington, D.C. to earn her master’s degree in social work. Jim says he quickly learned to wash diapers to ensure that his wife could achieve her dream.

Louise’s career in social work advanced quickly, and she became head of the foster care program in Maryland Department of Social Service. In 1965, the Gilliam’s moved to Wilmington, where they continued their life of public service - Jim as a noted leader in neighborhood and community development, and Louise as the Executive Director of the Department of Social Work in Cecil County, Maryland.

After Louise retired, she continued to pursue her passion for protecting those who could not protect themselves. This calling, which was based in her strong Christian faith, led her to volunteer with many organizations, including the YWCA, Children and Families First, and Sojourner’s Place, among others. She was also an elder at First and Presbyterian Church and very active with her church family.

Louise was extremely intuitive, and she often gave wise counsel to others, particularly if their intuition was leading them astray. “When you were called to a ‘meeting’ with Miss Louise, you knew it was serious.” recall her daughter Patti.

Louise served innumerable organizations and causes as the “backstop” to her husband’s community activities. During the infamous Wilmington riots in 1968, Jim often brought leaders from warring factions into their home to work through the conflict. Louise would help prepare Him for the discussion, make a meal for the participants, and counsel Jim afterward about next steps.

Family friend Tony Allen notes, “While Jim remains the voice of the family, Louise has always been the rock, heart and conscience.”

Louise chose a life of service to others, but was most proud that she and Jim raised

equally caring children, both of whom followed in their footsteps and became active members of the community in their own right - Patti as a doctor and university professor, and Jim Jr. as an attorney and prominent figure in Delaware law, politics, banking and education.

Louise was predeceased by her parents, six brothers and sisters, and her son Jim Jr. Left to cherish the memory of Louise’s beautiful life are her husband Jim Sr., daughter Patrice Gilliam-Johnson, and grandson Micah Johnson, all of Wilmington; granddaughters Alexis Gilliam-Lerner and Leslie Gilliam, both of Los Angeles; and great-grandchildren Charlie, Asher and Julia, also of Los Angeles. She also leaves a number of nieces and nephews and countless friends who loved her like family.

Alice L.H. Gilliam, 93Executive Director, Cecil County D.S.S.

ALICE L. H. GILLIAM

Photo by Jannette J. WitmyerClifton “Hines” Early: Tells His Story to Promote Prostate Cancer Awareness

Performance Slated for Baltimore’s Historic Arena Playhouse

baltimore afro-american newspaper - december 01 2012

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