washington d.c. afro-american newspaper, august 07, 2010
TRANSCRIPT
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8/9/2019 Washington D.C. Afro-American Newspaper, August 07, 2010
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By Larry Margasak
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)
California Democrat MaxineWaters faces a House trial this
fall on three charges of ethicalwrongdoing, setting the
stage for a second election-
season public airing of ethicsproblems for a longtime
Democratic lawmaker.
The charges focus onwhether Waters broke the
rules in requesting federal
help for a bank where herhusband owned stock and
had served on the board of
directors. She denied thecharges Monday.
Persons familiar with thecase said Waters is accused of
violating:A rule that House
members may not exert
improper inuence that results
in a personal benet.The government
employees ethics code,
which prohibits granting oraccepting special favors,
for the employee or familymembers, that could be
viewed as inuencing ofcial
actions.
A rule that membersconduct must reect
creditably on the House.
The persons were notauthorized to be quoted by
name on allegations not yetmade public.
The House ethics
committees announcement
comes just days after it
outlined 13 charges against
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.,including failing to disclose
assets and income, delayedpayment of federal taxes and
improper use of a subsidized
New York apartment for his
campaign ofce.Rangel, the former House
Ways and Means Committee
chairman who has served for40 years, faces a trial in the
fall.Democrats face certain
losses in the congressional
elections, the rst midterms
for President Barack Obama,
and the high-prole trials
could further damage thepartys political standing.
Republicans quicklyjumped on the latest
news. The GOPs House
campaign committee
released a statement withthe headline: The Dirty
Details: Ethics Ofce Reveals
Waters Charges. Panel HasSubstantial Reason to
Believe Dems Have AnotherEthics Problem on Their
Hands.
Waters is a senior memberof the House Financial
Services Committee, which
handled the recent rewriteof legislation that regulates
nancial institutions and
has strong protections forconsumers.
Rangel stepped aside in
March as the chief House taxwriter following a negative
report on his conduct in aseparate ethics case.
The charges againstWaters were led July 28 bya four-member investigative
panel, but not announced
until Monday. An eight-member subcommittee of
four Democrats and four
Republicans will now conductthe Waters trial. The specics
of the allegations wont bemade public until the panel
hold its still-unscheduled
organizational meeting.
In a statement, Waterssaid, I have not violated
any House rules. Therefore,
I simply will not be forced toadmit to something I did not
do and instead have chosento respond to charges made
by the House Committee on
Standards of Ofcial Conductin a public hearing.
The ethics committee also
released a year-old report bythe Ofce of Congressional
Ethics a separate body of
non-lawmakers that conductsa preliminary investigation.
That report said that in
September 2008, Waters askedthen-Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson to have Treasuryofcials meet representatives
from the National BankersAssociation, a trade grouprepresenting minority-owned
and women-owned banks.
At a meeting andsubsequent follow-up activity
through Waters ofce,
the discussion centered onOneUnited Bank.
Waters husband, SidneyWilliams, had been a board
Boyd has been lobbying for
lawmakers to approve thepayment of a $1.25 billion
settlement in a class action
lawsuit led on behalf of
80,000 Black farmers who
have been victims of loandiscriminations.
Boyd made his case to
Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid in a meeting on Capitol
Hill last week. Reid promisedto put the matter up for
unanimous consenta means
Volume 118 No. 52 www.afro.com 75 CENTS
Copyright 2010 by the Afro-American Company
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AUGUST 7, 2010 - AUGUST 13, 2010
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INSERT
Join theAFROonTwitter and Facebook
BeBe and CeCeStorm PrinceGeorges B1
Dorothy Heights
Final BookUnveiled A2
Black Theatre FestMakes SummerDebut B3
Concerns HoverOver RedskinsTraining Camp B2
Blacks Split withObama OverEducation Reform A7
Opinion
Continued on A3
Continued on A4
Continued on A4
By Jamaal Abdul-AlimSpecial to the AFRO
Same-day voter
registration, early votingand touch screen voting
machines are among a
series of new options that
Washington, D.C. voters
By Dorothy RowleyAFRO Staf Writer
The race for Ward 1 representation in the D.C. City
Council is shaping up as one of the most heated contests
leading up to the Sept. 14 primary if a recent candidatesforum is any indication.
A July 29 forum convened in downtown Washington
to familiarize voters with Ward 1 candidates got off toa contentious start after two of them, Marc Morgan and
incumbent Jim Graham, were criticized by some among acrowd of 150 people for showing up nearly an hour late.But things quickly got back on track as the pair joined
Jeff Smith, executive of DC Voice, and Bryan Weaver, afour-term ANC commissioner in Adams Morgan in making
their cases before voters.
While the biggest hurdle for Morgan, Smith and Weaveris the challenge to unseat Graham, whos been in ofce 16
years, the wards hotbed issue is a lack of affordable housing.
Added to that, a recent and skyrocketing spate of larcenies,
By Zenitha Prince
AFRO Staf Writer
When will the checks
arrive?Thats the question to
which John Boyd, president
of the National Black FarmersAssociation, has been seeking
an answer for more than a
decade. But with a Senatevote slated to take place this
week, the Virginia-basedfarmer said he hopes the
government will nally pay
its debt.This is taking too long;
farmers are frustrated,
he told theAFRO oneday before the vote. We
have a judgment againstthe government and we
cant seem to collect. We
need to talk to someone inaccounts payable because the
government has defaulted on
its bill.With Congress set to go
into a seven-week recess,
Aordable Housing KeyIssue in Ward 1 Race
Continued on A4
Another Black Lawmaker in Hot Water
Entertainer Wyclef Jean has wept and
advocated for his embattled homeland, Haiti,
throughout his near 20-year career. Now, hespoised to take the premier leadership role as
president a massive undertaking for anypolitical faction and especially colossal for
Jean, 37, who has no background in politics.
In an interview with Times.com, the formerFugees star said the January earthquake in
Haiti prompted his decision. If not for the
earthquake, I probably would have waited
another 10 years before doing this, theHaitian-born superstar said Tuesday night.
The quake drove home to me that Haiti cantwait another 10 years for us to bring it into the
21st century.
The Yele Haiti founder continued, If Icant take ve years out to serve my country
as president, then everything Ive beensinging about, like equal rights, doesnt mean
anything.
Jean, left, is seen here being interviewed onthe Varney & Company program on the Fox
Business Network, July 23.
Wyclef Jean Eyes Haitian Presidency
AP Photo/Richard Drew
Fall Voting ProcessMarked by Change
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
John W. Boyd Jr., center, a farmer from Baskerville, Va., and founder of the NationalBlack Farmers Association, is shown in this le photo from Feb. 15. Boyd met with Sen.
Harry Reid on July 28 to see if he could impact movement by the Senate to fund thesettlement and nally help the Black farmers who continue to suer.
Black Farmers: Government a Delinquent DebtorSenate vote postponed
have at their disposal during
and leading up to the Sept.
14 primary election. Thedistrict decided that its time
we become a model for thenation and implement the
kind of reforms that voter
and advocacy organizations
have been seeking, saidAlysoun McLaughlin,
spokeswoman for the D.C.Board of Elections and
Ethics.
The new iVotronicelectronic touch screen voting
machines were available for
the public to try at the TakomaPark Recreation Center. Using
the demonstration equipmentshowed voting using a touch
screen machine is about as
simple as using an ATM.Voter mistakes are unlikely,
since the machine requires
voters to review and conrmtheir choices at least once and
also offers a second time to
AP Photo
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., will face charges ofethical wrongdoing in a trial this fall.
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A2 The Afro-American, August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010
Sherrod Tells NABJ Convention She Will Sue BreitbartShirley Sherrod, the recently red director of the U.S.
Department of Agricultures rural development ofce in
Georgia, has said she will sue blogger Andrew Breitbart, whoused an excerpt of a speech she made to the NAACP out of
context and called it racist along with cable news network Fox
News.In a video posted on CNN.com Sherrod announced that she
intended to sue Breitbart and said while the blogger has notapologized, she also does not want an apology from him. Hehad to know that he was targeting me, she stated.
Answering questions at a panel discussion entitledContext and Consequences: Conversation with Shirley
Sherrod during the National Association of Black Journalists
annual convention July 29, Sherrod said, I knew it wasracism and no one had to tell me that.
After the media frenzy about racism that ensued after the
release of the video excerpt, Sherrod said she now knowshow the media can and should work in helping to get the
truth out.
When asked if she would accept a new position with theUSDA, Sherrod said that she had not and was far from being
able to do that. I havent had a chance to read it, she said.
The offer still says draft. I need to ask them whatdoes that mean.From what I know about that part of the
department, the Ofce of Advocacy and Outreach, I dont
think they have even budgeted the money to operate that partof the program. So I have many, many questions before I can
make a decision.
Deltas Convene in New
Orleans, Participate in
Day o ServiceMembers of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, aninternational non-prot
womens organization,returned to New Orleans
for the third time to
celebrate their 50th nationalconvention. The gathering,
A Sisterhood Called to
Serve: Transforming Livesand Impacting Communities,
not only allowed up to 16,000sorority members to reunite inthe Crescent City, but provided
them an opportunity to aid the surrounding community.On July 30, the organization hosted IMPACT Day, a series
of 22 service projects benetting local non-prot organizations
in New Orleans. According to the group, each service eventhonored of one of the sororitys founders.
Delta Sigma Theta has remained committed to supporting
the city of New Orleans inpost-Katrina recovery efforts
since the very beginning,
said the organizationsnational president Cynthia
M.A. Butler-McIntyre in
a statement. Throughnancial contributions,
donations, rebuilding
houses and opening up ourhomes to the Delta sisters
who lost everything in thestorm, Delta Sigma Theta
has demonstrated our
commitment to rebuilding thegreat city of New Orleans.
IMPACT Day is just one
more way that we hope toimpact the communities of
New Orleans.In addition, civil rights
activist Dr. Dorothy Heights
nal book,Living With
Purpose: An Activists
Guide to Listening, Learning and Leading, was unveiled
at the convention. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor AlexisM. Herman, who wrote the
introduction, described the
book as Heights nal gift ina statement and said President
Barack Obama received the
books rst printed copy.
Police Seek Gunman in
Shooting o Chicago Boy, 13
Chicago police haveidentied a suspect in themultiple shooting death of
eighth-grader Robert Freeman
Jr., 13, The Associated Pressreported. Freeman was shot 13
times on July 29 while riding his
bicycle on the citys South Side, and according to his family,the teen was the victim of mistaken identity.
According to the report, Chicago police said tips fromwitnesses point to a suspect, who has still not been found.
However, police ofcials said dont snitch culture has made
nding the suspect, identied only as a young male, difcult.Statistics posted on the Chicago Polices Web site show
that homicide is a troubling issue, with African Americans
comprising 77.1 percent of the citys crime victims betweenJanuary 2010 and June.
Freeman was the fourth teen killed in area shootings that
week.
Army Salutes National Urban League Women o Power
HonoreesCommand Sgt. Maj. (ret.) Michele S. Jones attended
the National Urban Leagues Women of Power Luncheonon behalf of the U.S. Army. Jones, the rst female in the
Army appointed as the Army Reserve Command sergeant
major, currently serves as special assistant to the secretary ofdefenses White House liaison.
The Army, the nations largest provider of education
scholarships, awarded more than $285 million merit-basedscholarships through the ROTC program in 2009. Army
representatives for ROTC, U.S. Army Recruiting Command
and U. S. Military Academy at West Point, which wasranked the nations top college by Forbes magazine in 2009,
provided conference attendees information on the vast rangeof education benets, more than 150 career specialties and
leadership development opportunities.
Diddy Sounds O on Nightline Host, Cries RacismIn a recent interview with Vibe magazine, music producer
and rapper Diddy called Nightline host Martin Bashira racist for questioning his decision to purchase his son a
Maybach car.
There were times in the interview when I had to givehim an ultimatum, Diddy told Vibe. The questions werent
being handled the right way. In hindsight, when I saw him, Ishouldnt have done the interview because I know the style
of interview that he does The whole thing about giving a
Maybach to my son, thatsreally like a racist question.The media mogul purchased
the silver-hued car, whichcosts about $360,000,
for his son Justins 16th
birthday.You dont ask Whitepeople what they buy theirkids, he continued. And
they buy em Porsches and
convertible Bentleys, and itaint no question. Its really
a racist question and put
things back in perspectivewith money and the way that
people still look at you.
Justins mega-birthdayparty and new car were
featured in an episode of
MTVs Sweet 16.
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Courtesy Photo
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AP Photo
Diddy attends the opening
oGet Him to the Greekwith sons Justin, let, and
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girlriends son QuincyBrown.
CourtesyPhoto
Dr. Dorothy Height's fnal
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August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010, The Afro-American A3
Continued from A1
Black Farmers
By AFRO Staf
Maryland and Washington, D.C., are among 19 nalists
recognized for their bold plans for education reforms,
according to the U.S. Education Department.
The jurisdictions beat out 17 other applicants for more than$3 billion available in the second round of funding in the Raceto the Top program, said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan in a recent speech at the National Press Club, who
called the plans evidenceof a quiet revolution.
This quiet revolution
is driven by motivatedparents who want better
educational options for
their children. Its beingdriven by great educators
and administrators who are
challenging the defeatismand inertia that has trapped
generations of children insecond-rate schools, he
said in a statement.
The nalists willtravel to Washington
to present their plans
for transformingunderperforming schools,
raising standards, improving teachers and using innovative
means to educate students. Based on those presentations andan extended question-and-answer period, the nalists will be
decided and the winners announced in September.Just as in the rst round, were going to set a very high bar
because we know that real and meaningful change will only
come from doing hard work and setting high expectations,Duncan said.
Race to the Top is one among several federal programs,
including the Investing in Innovation Fund, the TeacherIncentive Fund, the School Improvement Grants under Title I,
and the federal charter school program, that will be distributing
almost $10 billion to aid states and local jurisdictions in
comprehensive school reform.As we look at the last 18 months, it is absolutely stunning
to see how much change has happened at the state and local
levels, unleashed in part by these incentive programs, Duncan
said.
On September 14th,We Can Do Better.
Vince Gray will make economic development a citywide priority by capitalizing on existing tools, identifying new
opportunities for job creation throughout the District, and building public, private and civic partnerships.
I Create a long-term, coordinated economic development strategy.We need a bold strategic plan with a
roadmap to achieve specific economic goals.
I Create job opportunities for all. Vince Gray will focus job training on high-demand fields and develop working
industry partnerships with businesses, labor groups, local colleges, public schools, charter schools and the community.
IAttract new businesses and jobs. Vince Gray will enhance the Districts status as a Global Financial Center,
promote the growth of key industries and support small and locally-owned businesses.
I Position D.C. as a leader in the green economy. We can make D.C. a model city with a vibrant green economy
that creates green jobs, reduces our energy consumption, and improves our local environment.
IMake transportation and infrastructure work for residents.We need to create environments where local
retail, cars and people can co-exist while ensuring all residents have access to public transportation.
Vinces full jobs plan is online at www.vincegrayformayor.com/jobs
Vince Grays Plan for Jobs &Economic DevelopmentCreating real economic opportunity for all
Paid for by Gray for Mayor, 1004 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. Betty Brown, Treasurer. A copy of our report is filed with the Director of Campaign Finance.
MD, D.C. Among Raceto the Top Finalists
Courtesy Photo
The U.S. Education
Department is recognizing
the District and Marylandor bold eforts to
improve local schools.
of expediting legislation by
means of a straight up or
down voteon Aug. 2 but itwas postponed to Aug. 4.
The progress of the lawsuit
against the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, known as
Pigford v. Vilsack, through theCongress has been rocky at
best. Attached to a number of
bills, such as the war fundingbill, tax extenders and FEMA
disaster assistance bill, the
settlement funding has beenapproved by the House in
two separate bills. In the
Senate, however, it has beenstymied by Republicans bent
on cutting domestic spending.Of the six times the measure
came up for approval, not one
Republican voted in support,Boyd said.
Reid told the media
in this latest attempt, theBlack farmers claim will be
offered as a stand-alone bill
with costs already offset. Iknow there are too many still
suffering from treatment ofthe U.S. government and we
have an obligation to make
things right, the Gannet
News Service quoted Reid assaying. We have not given up
on passing this legislation.I will continue ghting
Republican opposition to
the rights of Black farmers .. . who are affected by the
stalling of settlements to see
that justice is done.Boyd said he spoke to
Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell, R-Ky., whoassured him of his support.
The Obama administration
also has expressed its support.But Boyd said the level of
support President Obamademonstrated as a senator
has not been evident since he
entered the White House.We need to get more of a
push from the president. We
want him to get involved, the
way he pushed health care,
Boyd said. We were one of therst Black organizations to get
behind the president when themedia and others had counted
him out. We took a chance on
him, and were asking him totake a chance on us.
Pointing to efforts to
save and enact a measure,sponsored by Arkansas
Democrat Sen. Blanche
Lincoln, that would disburse$1.5 billion in disaster relief
to farmers that lost crops in
2009, Boyd said the plightof Black farmers also should
be treated as an emergency.
Many of the plaintiffs
have lost their farms or arestruggling to maintain their
operations. Others have died.
I am concerned thatCongress will not act before
the settlement expires byagreement amongst the parties
it had been extended 50 days
from June 29, 2010, he saidin a statement. This year I
have attended the funerals
of many Black farmers whopassed before ever seeing this
case resolved.
He added, We have to paythe farmers, and we have to
pay them right now.
AFRO Staff Writer
Dorothy Rowley contributed
to this report.
This year I have attended the funerals ofmany Black farmers who passed beforeever seeing this case resolved.
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8/9/2019 Washington D.C. Afro-American Newspaper, August 07, 2010
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member of OneUnited from 2004 through April 21, 2008,
according to the ethics report. Her 2008 nancial disclosure
report said Williams had two investments in OneUnited valuedbetween $500,000 and $1 million.
The report said Waters told Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.,
chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, thatshe was in a predicament because her husband had been
involved with the bank that needed help. Frank told the Ofceof Congressional Ethics, She knew she should say no, but it
bothered her. Frank testied it was clear to him that this was a
conict of interest problem.
His advice to Waters was to stay out of it, the report said.Waters said in her statement, The record will clearly show
that in advocating on behalf of minority banks, neither my
ofce nor I beneted in any way, engaged in improper action orinuenced anyone.
She added that she fully disclosed her assets as required by
House rules, even going above and beyond the requirementsby disclosing my assets at several Financial Services
Committee hearings. In sum, the case against me has no merit.She said the accusations stem from her advocacy work for
minority communities and businesses.
She said it was the National Bankers Association that
requested the meeting with Treasury Department ofcials. Themeeting was held on behalf of the association, not OneUnited
Bank, she said.
I followed up on the associations request by askingthen-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to schedule such a
meeting, as did other members of Congress. Secretary Paulson
recognized that the NBAs concerns about the future ofminority banks were valid and arranged for a meeting.
No benet, no improper action, no failure to disclose, noone inuenced: no case, said Waters, who chairs the Financial
Services subcommittee on housing and community opportunity.
A4 The Afro-American, August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010
Continued from A1
Ward 1 Race
Continued from A1
Another Black Lawmaker
**The AARP Medicare SupplementInsurance Plans carry the AARP name andUnitedHealthcare Insurance Companypays a fee to AARP and its affiliate for useof the AARP trademark and other services.Amounts paid are used for the generalpurpose of AARP and its members. NeitherAARP nor its affiliate is the insurer.
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Continued from A1
Voting Change
review and conrm their choices.
Similar to an ATM printing a receipt, the voting machines
make a paper record of each vote, although unlike with anATM, the paper record is not dispensed at the end of the
process but kept in the machine and rolled up so the next voter
cannot see the previous voters choices.The touch screen voting machines are optional, not
mandatory, and traditional paper ballots will still be available
for those who prefer to use them, McLaughlin said.Besides the new voting machines, other voting changes
are being implemented, including new options and proceduresaround early voting and creating a hassle-free same-day voter
registration process. The changes are the result of the Omnibus
Election Reform Actpast by the D.C. City Council last year inresponse to problems during the 2008 election cycle, including
problems with the citys voting equipment.
The most signicant change related to early voting is that
voters dont have to provide a reason for voting absentee.Previously, voters had to cite an excuse, such as having a
disability or being out of town, for why they could not vote the
regular way. That was done away with, McLaughlin said.Now, voters can request an absentee ballot by mail or via
the D.C. election boards Web site. Early ballots can be cast 15
days prior to the election, starting Aug. 30.Early ballots can be cast in the old Council chamber room at
One Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth St., NW. Additionally, voters
can vote early at four satellite locations from 8:30 a.m. to 7p.m. Sept. 4 to Sept. 11 at Chevy Chase Community Center,
Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, Hine Junior High School,or the SE Tennis and Learning Center. However, all voting
locations will be closed on Sundays, Sept. 5 and 12.
McLaughlin said the sites will be networked to preventvoting at two separate locations.
Same-day registrants may cast a special ballot, but may not
use the new touch screen voting machines. The special ballots
will not be live but will be reviewed in time for the results
to be certied 10 days later. Same-day registrants informationwill be made public, and anyone in the district can challenge
the legitimacy of a same-day registrants vote, according to
McLaughlin. Same-day registrants may appeal if their votes arenot counted.
A toll-free number will be set up for same-day registrants to
check on the status of their votes. In order to register to vote onthe day of the election, voters must provide proof of residency,
which can include any government document that shows the
voters name and address, or a utility bill, bank statement,drivers license, government check or paycheck.
The elections board will take a variety of steps to verify thelegitimacy of same-day registrants, McLaughlin said, including
sending out notices to the addresses provided to make sure the
mail doesnt come back as undeliverable. She said ofcials willalso review voting information in Maryland and Virginia to
make sure no one is voting in the district as well as those two
nearby jurisdictions.
burglaries and thefts, has leftmany residents on edge.
Smith said hes runningfor ofce because he believes
the District is a good place to
live and work. [However],on the trajectory were
headed, its becoming
more expensive, less green,
over developed and under-
employed here in Ward 1, hesaid, and I think we need to
do something about it now.Then, in a swipe at
Graham, Smith said theres
been no leadership onissues of safety, responsible
development and public
education. He also said
Grahams been in ofce has
been far too long.I think that a politician
who has been at City Hallfor more than a decade is too
comfortable, too cozy with
developers that are driving anagenda for Ward 1, Smith
asserted.
Alluding to the
jurisdictions growing
poverty, Weaver said thevalue of people in the ward
has been diminished to anunacceptable level. I believe
that poverty Ward 1 is a moral
crisis . . . and were quicklybecoming a ward of haves
and have nots, Weaver said.
He added politics is not about
power, money or victory for
the sake of v ictory, but aboutthe improvement of peoples
lives and about justice.Said Weaver: If you look
at developers who give massive
checks to campaigns in thiscity, they run the tape on who
ends up getting projects that
are built on city lands, using
city dollarsand the only thing
weve asked for and gottenfrom that is that we get 51
percent of the jobs for Districtemployees and that everyone
who works on those projects is
paid a livable wage.Weaver said that over the
past 12 years, the ward had
lost 24,000 affordable housing
units. As a result, we need tond a way to create workforce
housing which is the moraldilemma that this ward is
facing, he said.
Morgan, who has workedin the public and non-prot
sector, accused the incumbentof failing Ward 1 residents,
saying that the Council
contest was not a race of thepast, but rather a race of
what can happen.
The candidate criticizedwhat he deemed a glaring
lack of transparency in city
government and said that ifelected, one of his rst steps
would be to establish anethics committee.
Theres a need for proper
oversight, he said.Graham, seemingly
unfazed by his opponents
accusations, appearedcondent, boosted by a large
contingent of supporters
who loudly cheered hiseffectiveness.
Renouncing claims of alack of affordable housing, he
said affordable housing has
become more prevalent in thecommunity in recent times,
citing a group of tenants who
are now owners of a building
in the 1300 block of KenyonSt., N.W. We snatched the
building out of the hands ofthe person who owned it, and
this was a great victory for
tenants, Graham said.He added that hes been
diligently working to restoreaffordable units in the ward.
I was there working on the
budget, making sure a safetynet was preserved for housing
programs for the Districts
most vulnerable residents,said Graham, who said hes
running on a solid record of
delivery of services.He also said hes been
one of merely two Councilmembers, who have worked
to advance affordable housing
in the city, recently. As partof the solution, he added,
What we need to do with the
Housing Trust Fund is verystraightforward: We have to
ensure that a larger percentage
of the reincarnation tax goes inthere because we know theres
been a drop off in the amountof money that were raising.
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August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010, The Afro-American A5
By AFRO Sta
Bowie State University has been recognized in the Centerfor Student Opportunitys 2011 College Access & Opportunity
Guide, a comprehensive guidebook created to help rst-
generation college-bound students from low-income familiesachieve their aspirations.
We are proud to be proled in the 2011 College Access &Opportunity Guide, said Don Kiah, assistant vice president forenrollment management at Bowie State, in a press statement.
This provides a signicant opportunity to showcase Bowie StateUniversitys quality programs, affordable cost, comprehensivenancial aid, and scholarship opportunities to prospective
parents and students, assisting them in realizing their dreams ofobtaining a college education.
In addition to beingrecognized by the 2011 College
Access & Opportunity Guide,
the Prince Georges Countyschool is making signicant
strides to ensure its students beatthe odds and graduate. MonicaTurner, director of Bowie States
TRIO-Student Support Servicesprogram, said the school is ndingnew opportunities every day.
As the director of TRIO,a program designed to assist
low-income, rst-generationcollege-bound students, atBowie State University, I am
especially excited about thepartnership with the Center for
Student Opportunity and theprole in the 2011 College Access & Opportunity Guide, saidTurner in a statement.These opportunities, combined with the
recent Walmart Minority Student Success Award granted to theuniversity, will signicantly enhance our efforts to enroll, retainand graduate our students.
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Community
By Gregory Dale
AFRO Staf Writer
In 1910, the average life
expectancy was 50, milk was32 cents a gallon and the
average cost of a brand newcar was $600. This was also
the year that Elmer Harris was
born. Now, 100 years later,Harris is welcoming life as a
centenarian.
It is something to marvelin, Harris told theAFRO,
referring to his age. Very few
people get to see 100 years.Ive had a very good life.
Reared in Northwest
Washington, D.C., Harrisgraduated from Armstrong
High School in the 20sand immediately found
employment following
graduation.I knew I had to work hard
to get where I wanted to be,
he said.Harris rst worked at a
shoe repair shop, often pulling
12-hour shifts until ultimatelysettling at a Navy yard in
the southeast section of theDistrict.
But it wouldnt be long
before Harris was drafted asthe country headed into World
War II.
In December 1941, Harris
was stationed in North
Carolina before later being
moved to Honolulu, Hawaii.But he noted that during
his time in the South, he
witnessed the rampant racismrsthand.
[If you were Black],
you couldnt even go in the
front of a store or restaurant,you had to go around back,Harris said. It was a heck of
a feeling to hear someone tell
me, Im sorry, you have to goaround back, and here I am
putting my life on the line. But
God let me live long enough toovercome all of that.
After serving in the Army,
Harris returned to the Navyyard until nally retiring in
1965.
Now a resident of Takoma
Park, Md., Harris leads a
life that people even 30
years his junior would envy.Despite recurring episodes of
arthritis, he doesnt take any
medication and cites keepingan active mind and body as
his secret to staying well.
In the days leading up to
his 100th birthday on July31, he received a specialletter from President Obama
congratulating him on his
lengthy lifespan and havingthe opportunity to witness
many famous events in
American history.It was a feeling that I
never would forget, Harris
said, speaking about the letter.Ive had some wonderful
memoriesall in all, the old
man is still blessed.
D.C. Native Celebrates Life at 100
By AFRO Sta
Communities east of the
Anacostia River are going
green thanks to the effortsof Project Dream Green,
a group of local youthsdedicated to environmental
conservation.
Ranging from 14 to 21years old, the 72 young
peoplewho come from
Northeast Washingtoncommunities most
impacted by pollution
and other environmentaldegradationare distributing
energy-efcient lightbulbs throughout their
neighborhoods, educating
residents about conservation,picking up trash along the
Anacostia and engaging
in entrepreneurship andadvocacy training.
Im excited to be a part of
Project Dream Green, becausewe all need to go green for
the future of our children andgrandchildren, said Shawnte
Smith, 21, a member of the
Project Green Team, in apress release. Everyone can
take action by recycling,
cleaning up their rivers andparks, and using energy-
efcient products. Going
green is good for the planet,good for people, and good for
your wallet.
Project Dream Green,which was funded by the
District Department of theEnvironment (DDOE), aims
to empower young people to
address the environmentalissues within their own
communities, strengthening
the community as a whole.All communities
should be green, healthy,
and prosperous, said ChrisBradshaw, executive director
of Dreaming Out Loud, whichdeveloped the campaign
along with another nonprot,
Groundwork Anacostia.Dreaming green can start
with just an energy-efcient
light bulb. The end goal isto work to environmental
sustainability and health
for our children andgrandchildren.
D.C. YouthsLead GreenRevolution
Bowie State Lauded in National
College Access Guide
Courtesy Photo
Monica Turner, director ofBSU TRIO-Student Support
Services.
Elmer Harris in a 1945 Army photo and today at 100.Courtesy Photos
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A6 The Afro-American, August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010
By Stephen D. Riley
AFRO Staf Writer
Whats the next step in a
down economy where jobs
arent hiring and salaries
arent climbing? Simple
take a page from Sharan
Nixons playbook and
form your own self-made
conglomerate. The budding
business mogul is a one-
woman building crew. She
manages three businesses
along with three children but
still nds time to masquerade
in a normal life.
The founder of Baltimore
Fashion Week (BFW) is
way too busy right now.
Her annual BFW is fast
approaching its Aug. 19 startdate and her latest nonprot
creation, Nixon Development,
just launched in 2009 with
intentions set on remaking the
worldstarting rst with the
worlds core: its youth.
[Nixon Developments]
sole purpose and goal as an
organization is to save our
youth and guide them down a
pathway to a new normal that
will either introduce or re-
ignite them to a dream once
unfullled, Nixon says.
Its somewhat tting in
a way that Nixons newest
creation revolves around
adolescents. Nixon harvested
childhood dreams of
becoming a teacher because
she liked writing on the
blackboard and making
ditto copies for the class.
Although she didnt quite
make it to the schoolroom,
headlining her own youth-
salvation program is
rewarding enough.
Just like her current
business prole, Nixon had
her ideas in a little bit of
everything as an amateur. A
fashion fanatic as a teenager,
she spent her free time
reading style magazines and
presaging her move into the
industry. That fashion bug
eventually grew into BFW
but it was her work in event
management that sparked her
inner entrepreneur and led to
her rst enterprise, Buttery
Productions.
That was my husband[and] my life and it seemed
as if everything else revolved
around it, Nixon revealed.
Putting her all into her rst
business was rewarding but
success came at a cost for the
mother of three.
One [evening] I was
pulling an all-nighter and
my son came to me and
said Mom, youre always
working and we miss you,
Nixon recalled. I replied,
But Im right here [and] he
replied Its not the same. I
was working from home at
the time [but] it was a major
wake-up call for me whenmy son said that. After that
statement, I returned to being
a mom again.
With her priorities
balanced and family happy,
Nixon takes pleasure in
starring as a self-employed
business woman. The freedom
to come, go and do as she
pleases gives her all the
job security she needs; in
spite of a few life learning
experiences along the way.In the beginning, starting
my own business was a grand
idea, Nixon adds. But then
you have to learn how to live,
love, and work, and you also
have to learn how to separate
the three when the time
comes. Running any kind
of business large or small is
hard, but you need to have a
strong support system and a
grounded spiritual belief.
For upcoming dates
and locations on Baltimore
Fashion Week or more on
Nixons enterprises visit:www.butteryprods.com and
baltimorefashionweek.com
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BusinessHandling it All: Local Woman Moonlights as Mom and Manager
Photo by Jazzy Photos
Behind the ashionably styled exterior is Sharan Nixon:
mother o three and owner o many businesses. Nixons
Butterfy Productions company produces the annualBaltimore Fashion Week, which will run rom Aug. 19-22.
With her priorities balanced and familyhappy, Nixon takes pleasure in starring as
a self-employed business woman.
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August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010, The Afro-American A7
Last March, President
Obama invited me to joinhim at the White House as hesigned our Patient Protectionand Affordable Care Act
(H.R. 3590) into law.While waiting for the
president to arrive at that
historic ceremony, mythoughts went out to the
millions of Americans whose lives will be transformed for the
better because of what we had been able to accomplish.I thought back to July of last year when thousands of our
neighbors dialed into to my Healthcare Telephone Town Hall.They knew that health care reform was a challenge we had to
meet.
My neighbors expressed their deep concerns aboutskyrocketing insurance premiums, losing their coverage, and
being denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
They understood that out-of-control costs and bloated insurancecompany prots were stiing our economy and forcing
thousands into bankruptcy.
Most compelling of all, they testied to an even harshertruth. Tens of thousands of Americans have been dying each
year because they lacked insurance coverage.Our president and I realized that these premature deaths are
an unacceptable blight upon our national morality. Standing
there with him last March, I recalled a press conference I hadheld to project some humanity into a national healthcare debate
that was becoming too abstract.
I will never forget those who spoke then from their own lifeexperience.
Beverly Barkoye had suffered two strokes. Any humane
society would have assured her a regular doctors care but shewas living in fear because she had no insurance.
Mr. George Kelly and Ms. Sandra Teplica had lost theirinsurance coverage while being treated for cancer and, then,
were denied alternative coverage because they had preexistingconditions.
What are we to do? they asked
their nation.Now, we can give them the
answer they deserve.
Aug. 1 was the day our
Affordable Care Actbecame realfor people in Maryland with pre-
existing conditions, a day all of
us should remember and celebrate.Here in Maryland, thanks to
visionary action by Gov. Martin
OMalley and our MarylandLegislature, our state can expect
to receive $85 million in federalfunding to assure that neighbors
like Beverly Barkoye, George Kelly
and Sandra Teplica receive themore affordable, high-quality health
insurance that they need.
It is critical that we pass thismessage on to family and friends
who have no health insurance because of their medical condition.
Now, after being without insurance for six months,Maryland residents with pre-existing medical conditions can
apply for and receive insurance through the Maryland HealthInsurance Plan.
They simply need to call (443) 738-0067 or go on the
Internet to http://www.marylandhealthinsuranceplan.state.md.us. The MHIP Federal Insurance Plan covers a broad
range of health benets, including primary and specialty care,
hospital care and prescription drugs and it does so even whenthe health care treatment is for pre-existing conditions.
This insurance is designed to be affordable, not free.
Premiums range from $141 monthly for individuals under 30 to$354 monthly from persons 65 and older. There also is a $1,500
deductible and a $1,500 out-of-pocket limit.To be certain, this is not the national, single-payer health
insurance system based upon Medicare that I would prefer(and believe this nation will ultimately adopt). However, it is
a life-saver for the nearly 10,000 Marylanders like Beverly
Barkoye, George Kelly and Sandra Teplica whose lives would
be at far greater risk without it.For all of the ranting, partisan opposition, the debate
about health care reform is ultimately based upon a very
straightforward choice: Either we believe that every life hasvalue and that we all are in this life together or we do not.
No humane society can allow between 18,000 and 45,000
human beings to die every year, simply because they cannotafford a health insurance plan. That, however, is precisely what
the greatest nation in the world has been doing and what our
Affordable Care Actis designed to end.After all, our survival and the survival of those we love are
also pre-existing conditions to everything else in life that wehold dear.
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings represents Marylands
Seventh Congressional District in the United States House ofRepresentatives.
(NNPA) At the recentNational Urban League
convention, PresidentObamas speech took aim at
criticisms launched by the
Black civil rights communityover the educational reforms
proposed by Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan.The 17-page document,
Framework for
Providing All Studentsan Opportunity to Learn
through Reauthorizationof the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act,
was put together by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights,the NAACP, the National Urban League, Rainbow PUSH
Coalition, National Council for Educating Black Children
and the Schott Foundation for Public Education. Theseorganizations discovered last year that Duncan was putting
together a draft proposal known as Race To The Top with
little input from the African-American community, and thisdocument stands as an important critique of that proposal from
our point of view.
I knew that something was terribly wrong about the Duncanproposals when Diane Ravitch, an architect of No Child
Left Behind in the Bush administration, wrote a piece in The
Nation explaining why she no longer supports NCLB. In that
piece she says, I expected that Obama would throw out NCLB
and start over. But, on the contrary, his administration hasembraced some of the worst features of the George W. Bush
era.
Specically she was talking about how her view of bothchoice and accountability had changed and her conclusion
that neither would improve American education. A radical pointof view!
So, President Obama at the NUL pointed to the
unprecedented amount of funds for education in theRecovery
Actthat saved the jobs of many teachers and the recent roll
out of the grant program that provided funds for Race To
The Top to the rst 18 states. He defended the criticism thatit was not supportive of minority students by saying that state
proposals had to have a robust minority program.
He spent a great deal of time suggesting that while hesupported teachers, they were, in effect, the lynchpin of
accountability for his new reforms. Again, this view verylittle different from the Bush administrations also goes after
teachers unions as a barrier to the concept of accountability.
Moreover, since civil rights groups criticize the Duncanplan as too charter school top heavy, the president defended
it by saying the bad ones [charter schools] would be closed
down. But this didnt challenge the concept, since a recentauthoritative study by Margaret Raymond at Stanford
University, for the pro-charter Walton Family Foundation,
found that only 17 percent of charters out-performed matchedpublic schools; the other 83 percent were either no better or no
worse.
These ndings are similar to those in Washington, D.C.,which has the largest number of charters in the country.
The support for charters and public funding of privateschools is the modern version of the segregated academies
of the period beforeBrown v. Board of Education. Today,
Whites ee public schools demanding choice as they becomesignicantly populated by Black and Hispanic students and so
the neoliberal paradigm that devalues public education where
most Black children are has become ofcial. Many Blackparents support choice because it has been sold to them as
providing the best education.The Obama administration has put the largest amount of
money on the table for education in the history of the country.
But he needs to change the paradigm of accountability aspunishment if a school doesnt turn around, to emphasize
what Barbara Arnwine, president of the Lawyers Committee,
says should be providing the necessary resources to enrich theacademic culture to enable these schools to succeed.
In this scheme of things, accountability should be changed
to supplement the deciencies in the resources foundation of aschool, not to assume that all the needed resources are there and
the teachers are the main culprit in lack of student achievement.Teachers are but one factor. In a 21st century model of
excellent education, the mountain of research that links
poverty to education suggests that a more rigorous social unitshould be developed for schools. Otherwise, the NCLB model
of blaming teachers is what has led the Washington, D.C.
Chancellor Michelle Rhee to re 241 teachers, with 700 moreon the list because they didnt evaluate well on a questionable
measurement standard.
The president suggests that while Duncan is trying to shakethings up, those who oppose him either resist change or are
comfortable with the status quo. Does he really believe that
these civil rights organizations dont want the best for Blackchildren?
Ron Walters is a political analyst and professor emeritus
of government and politics at the University of Maryland,
College Park. His latest book, with Toni-Michelle Travis is,
Democratic Destiny and the District of Columbia (Rowman
and Littleeld Publishers, 2010).
Racist Picture o Lynching in Your PaperI was appalled to open this weeks edition of theAFRO to nd a
racially insensitive, politically slanderous, and historically incorrectpicture of a lynching by an artist whose name appears to be Ko
Tyus. This picture appeared beside the opinion piece: The GreatAmerican Racial Abyss, which pretended to point out race-baitingon both sides of the political spectrum, but which was clearly slanted
to favor the Democratic Party and its devoted operatives in the Blackcommunity.
The photo which I am referring to features the words, Right
Wing Propaganda over a man in a hood and robe setting re to aBlack woman (Shirley Sherrod) tied to a post or a tree, with the word
FEAR underneath the re. This is an unmistakable association witha lynching, as many of my ancestors were tied to trees and burnedalive by White men in hoods and robes. This is grossly insulting, as
the so-called right wing was never among these types. In fact, ifMr. Tyus had done his research or knew his history, he would knowthat it was the Democratic Party that launched the Ku Klux Klan, and
which lynched Black people for over half-a-century, continuing theirdiscrimination well into the 1960s and beyond. This picture serves to
undo all of the equivocation that the article beside it pretends to do. Itleaves in the mind of the reader the impression that Republicans arelynching Black people. This is not very different from what I see in
your paper every week. Youve done a terric, though sophomoricjob of demonizing your opponent. If you cant compare them toNazis (this has already been done) then compare them to the Klan.
Ignore the truth or the facts, and just demonize, demonize, demonize.The other articles in your paper, especially the front-page article
titled Obama, NAACP Caught by Race Bait written by Zenitha
Prince, also serves to reinforce the Democratic Partys lie that
Republicans are racist, and it also brings the tea party into thesame umbrella, to be hated and vilied by any who dont know theirhistory or cant read between the all the misinformation contained
therein. You also printed a Letter to the Editor which attackedMichael Steele and other Blacks in the Republican Party, or whodefended the tea parties. Reecting back to your papers attempts to
defend the NAACP and the Obama administration, both for cryingracism during the health care rallies when there was no racism and
for ring Shirley Sherrod without checking their facts, it is clear thatyour paper is just a print version of the NAACP, which serves not toadvance the interests of colored people, but to advance and defend
the interests of the Democratic Partythe party that lynched myancestors, enslaved my ancestors, and which continues to persecutemy contemporaries and future generations through a godless, socialist
agenda based on self-hate, race-hate, and hatred of the founding, thehistory, and the continued existence of the United States of America.
We have a house divided once again, and with the continuedbaseless, devotedly partisan attacks like your paper is engaging in, itwill not long stand.
Robert Broadus
Candidate for Marylands Fourth Congressional District
The Tragedy o a Promised Unulflled Still No 40 Acres
and a MuleWhen will government ofcials in Washington keep their
promises to Black Americans? During the reconstruction period afterthe Civil War, government ofcials promised emancipated slaves that
instead of farming for someone else under the conditions of forced
labor, torture and abuse, they would be given the opportunity of fullcitizenship: to own land, protect land and farm their own land fortheir own prot and for the good of the community.
Well over 200 years later, the National Black Farmers Associationis still waiting for the approval of a $1.25 million settlement(probably the sum of the 40 acres and mules freed slaves should have
received in the rst place), as Black farmers have continued to sufferdiscrimination and losses in nancial opportunities and benets from
the very government department created to partner with them Itis important to note that for years, many Black Americans have feltthey were owed reparations for the years of toiling the land in
the slavery system of the United States. No bargains yet. However,it is also important to note that other ethnic groups have receivedreparations (Japanese-Americans due to the internment during
World War II; Native Americans due to lands stolen by the U.S.government). My next question is: when will Black Americans, who
spent over 200 years of slavery farming this land, be compensated?Where is the 40 acres and mule? When will Black farmers be repaidfor the years of discrimination since the Civil War? They dont
need another chief in the civil rights department of the USDA. TheUSDA secretary should use the full force of policy and programs toenforce the policies and share the benets with every farmer in this
country. There is a great need still, for governance in the government.Government ofcials, lets get it right!
Verinda M. Birdsong
Baltimore City, Md.
Letters to the Editor
Opinion
Ron Walters
Blacks Split With Obama Over Education Reform
Life is a Pre-existing Condition
Rep. Elijah
Cummings
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8/9/2019 Washington D.C. Afro-American Newspaper, August 07, 2010
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Gospel music lovers romacross the Washington, D.C.metropolitan area gathered at THE
PLATEAU at National Harbor, PrinceGeorges County, Md., to witness
the long-awaited reunion tour ogospel Grammy-winning duo BeBe
and CeCe Winans. Other notable
gospel perormers includedByron Cage, known as the Prince
o Praise, eight-time Grammy-
nominated saxophonist KirkWhalum and the award-winning a
cappella group Take 6. WHUR 96.3
FM radio personality Jacquie GalesWebb served as the mistress o
ceremonies. Despite the extremesummer heat, concertgoers lited
up their hallelujahs and oot-
stomping praises.
WHUR 96.3FM radio
personalityJacquieGales Webb
served as theofcial host.
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum
perorms at the GospelReunion Tour.
David Thompsono The SoulFactory Church,
springs up romhis audience
seat and singsalong with KirkWhalums Falling
in Love WithJesus.
Take 6 perorms
Saxophonist KirkWhalum, motivational
speaker Willie Jolley andlocal gospel artist JohnStandard
Pamela Harris, Sherry Patton, Monica Curtis,
Mechelle Williams and Sheila TabbsByron Cage and two o his ensemble members
CeCe Winans beltsout a soulul note
BeBe Winans and a backup singer
BeBe and CeCe
PhotosbyDanitaDelaney
More than 400 guests and amily
members gathered at the home
o ormer Washington Redskinsplayer Chris Samuels in honor o his
ormal retirement. Samuels, a six-time NFL Pro-Bowler, played with
the Redskins or 10 years.
The luau-styleparty included
loads o ood,
activitiesand a
perormance rom go-go music legend
Chuck Brown.
Special guests included Samuels motherShirley Samuels, Redskins head coach
Mike Shanahan, Redskins teammates andother NFL stars. Samuels spoke to guests
expressing his
gratitude or allwho helped him
along the way,
especially hismother.
Sheila Stewart, publicist
Chris Samuels and his mother
Shirley Samuels
Kelvin Siegler, Tyrone Madison, Chris Samuels and DejuanShambley
Chris Samuels answers questionsrom the media.
Volunteer models Melise, Teresaand Megan
Guests prepare to eat.
Monique (Hazel) Coxand Trenair Royal
Chris Samuels, Redskins head coachMike Shanahan and his son Kyle
Redskins playerMike Sellers and
his amily
Chuck Brown
Photos by Rob Roberts
On Aug. 7, Vashti-Jasmine McKenzie and Amos Saint-Jean will wedat Ebenezer Arican Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington,
Md. The bride is a graduate o Howard University and the groom
attended the University o Central Florida. McKenzie writes aith-based column GospelFab! and Saint-Jean is a gospel music artist.
CourtesyPhoto
Invited guests enjoy the lavish pool
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B2 The Afro-American, August 7, 2010 - August 13, 2010
By Perry GreenAFRO Sports Editor
Meet Joe Charles, a 6-foot-6-inch,350-pound Silver Spring, Md. native with theprototypical size and talent of a pile-drivingNFL offensive lineman. Unfortunately forCharles, he hasnt received the same exposuremost prospects receive upon entry to the prolevel.
While most of the 300-pounders seencolliding into each other on NFL Sundayscome from powerhouse collegiate athleticconferences such as the SoutheasternConference (SEC) or the Atlantic CoastConference (ACC), Charles dominated on a
much smaller stage.After attending junior college, the 25-year-old played two seasons for the Glenville StateCollege Pioneers under the direction of headcoach Alan Fiddler. Charles helped GlenvilleState win the West Virginia IntercollegiateAthletic Conference (WVIAC) championshipin 2008 and earned All-WVIAC 1st teamhonors in 2009. He led his team with morethan 100 knockdowns in his senior year, whichhelped him rank amongst the top 60 offensivelinemen listed in the 2010 NFL Draft.
But despite being one of very fewDivision II football players listed on theProfootballweekly.com NFL prospects list,Charles wasnt drafted or signed by an NFLteam this offseason. Charles hasnt quit yet,however. He signed earlier this summerwith the Richmond Revolution of the IndoorFootball League after graduating from
Glenville State.Revolution head coach Steve Criswell
coached Charles during the WVIAC All-StarGame and couldnt help notice his talent.Besides his obvious size and skills as a runblocker, Joe has excellent leadership skills,coach Criswell told the AFRO. He was astand-up leader throughout the entire All-Stargame experience, so when I noticed him at oneof our games at the end of the season, I had toget him on my team.
Charles wasnt offered a contract untilJune, but because the IFLs season runs fromspring through summer, he was still able tocontribute to the teams postseason play. TheRichmond Revolution had an outstanding13-1 record this past season led by formerVirginia Tech star quarterback and 2010 IFLMVP Bryan Randall. The Revolution earneda trip to the playoffs, but lost to the RochesterRaiders, 26-24, in the rst round.
Charles says hes already waiting for the2011 season to start. Im ready to get back on
the eld and continue proving why I belong,said Charles, who will more than likely takeon the vital responsibility of protecting hisquarterbacks blindside. The game is a littledifferent than what I played in college, but Ican handle the challenge.
Indoor football is different from standardAmerican football because the eld is only50 yards long and about 85 feet wide. Indoorfootball also allows only eight players fromeach team to take the eld each play versusthe 11-on-11 format of the NFL. With a muchshorter, less-wide eld, indoor football appearsmuch faster than the style of football Charleshas played throughout most of his career. Buthe thinks playing at this speed will help himwhen he does nally make it to the next level.The game is so fast so I have to get out inmy blocking stance quicker and make my runblocks with more explosion, Charles told theAFRO.
He also mentioned how former NFL MVPKurt Warner once dominated indoor footballand how it helped him become a better playeronce he made it to the NFL. Warner is bestknown for his quick passing release, and thatssomething he had to develop just to survive inan indoor football environment, Charles said,
so maybe Ill develop some good habits herethat will help me defenders off quarterbackslike Warner.
No Average Joe on the Path tothe Pros
Courtesy Photo
Maryland native Joseph Charles hopes theIndoor Football League will be a valuable
stepping stone in his path to the NFL.
By Stephen D. RileyAFRO Staf Writer
The Washington Redskinshave entered training campwith excitement before, butnever quite like this.
Redskins training campofcially kicked off lastFriday, and new head coach
Mike Shanahan is expectedto implement some of thesame offensive principles thathelped make him a two-timeSuper Bowl winner as thecoach of the Denver Broncos.
The Easter Day additionof franchise quarterbackDonovan McNabbimmediately put Washingtonback on the map as a teamto be recognized. AprilsNFL Draft brought in TrentWilliams, a young andagile offensive tackle, toman one of the end spots.And a June trade acquiredformer Pro Bowl left tackleJammal Brown to complete
the overhaul of a unit thatstruggled mightily in its lastcampaign.
Additionally, running backClinton Portis is reportedlyin terric shape, down to217 pounds from his normalplaying weight of 230. Aftera concussion ended Portisseason short last year, the
29-year-old is ready to returnto prominence.The prospect of grouping
the aforementioned with adefense that nished 10thoverall last season has severalfootball fans around theDistrict on high alert. Butgridiron groupies may haveto temper their enthusiasm.Despite a series of offseasonacquisitions, much of theRedskins summer wasovershadowed by the actionsof disgruntled defensivelineman Albert Haynesworth.Albert originally balked atthe clubs switch to a 3-4alignment after signing a$100-million contract in 2009under the premise that the
team would stick with a 4-3formatwhich Haynesworthplayed under in each of hiseight seasons in the NFL.Haynesworth then becamethe talk of the locker roomafter accepting a $21-millionroster bonus in April, thenproceeding to miss all of theclubs offseason workoutsand minicamps. The 29-year-old lineman has recentlysaid hes ne with the clubsswitch and reported to theteam the day before trainingcamp last week but failedback-to-back conditioningtests before being set back by
a swollen knee.Aside from Haynesworth,
the club has biggerproblems, including analways-competitive NFCEast division and a table ofremaining questions.
Due to the ood ofupgraded talent, the offensiveline needs to gel quickly in
camp and in the preseason.The unit could potentiallybreak in four new starters, soquickly established continuityis a must. A second receiveroption must emerge betweenthird-year veterans DevinThomas and Malcolm Kelly,who both failed to impressin the offseason accordingto early summer reports.And although the defenseperformed admirably at timeslast season, adjusting to anew scheme could pose as achallenge as well.
How Shanahan faresin his rst season as headcoach could also be timeconsuming. Washingtonunderachieved notoriously
last season and was booedoff its home eld habituallyby irritated fans. Mixingthe hard-nosed coach witha group of underachieverscould be problematic if theteam gets out to a slow start.The talent is denitely therein Washington, however. Theteam is littered with numeroushigh-prole players, butit will be interesting tosee how the club handlesbreaking in a new coach, anew quarterback, and newoffensive and defensiveschemes, along withheightened expectations.
Concerns Hover over RedskinsTraining Camp
AFRO File Photo/Khalid Naji-Allah
Redskins high-priced
defensive tackle AlbertHaynesworth failed back-
to-back conditioning tests
before succumbing to aswollen knee.
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www.aro.com
By AFRO Staf
Desiree Jordan, a growing tour de force
on the Washington, D.C., music scene, is
prepared to showcase her vocal talents and
stage persona likened to Vanessa Williams,
Celine Dion and Dorothy Dandridge by
legendary vocal coach Wesley A. Boyd at
Silver Springs Local Live summer concert
series on Aug. 6.
The singer and pianist was born in
Washington, D.C., and raised in Silver
Spring, Md., and said she developed her
love for music growing up in church. Using
her gospel roots, Jordan went on to perform
with the Washington Performing Arts
Societys Children of the Gospel Mass Choir
and Psalms Ministries before entering her
freshman year of college at the University ofMaryland, College Park. There, she became
an active member of the gospel choir andbecame a youth director at church in the
District.
As an intern during her college years,
Jordan worked behind the scenes as concert
liaison and host of the information and
merchandise tents for the Silver Spring
Regional Centers Thursday night concert
series, Silver Spring Swings. Now, shes set
to make her debut on the foreground with
band DeseJo.
The concert is sponsored by Downtown
Silver Spring, Courtyard by Marriott and
DeseJo Entertainment.
The Silver Spring Friday Local Live
Summer Concert Series takes place 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 916 Ellsworth Drive. For more
information visit downtownsilverspring.comand desireejordan.weebly.com.
Homegrown Talent to HeadlineConcert Series
Courtesy Photo
Desiree Jordan
By Gregory DaleAFRO Staf Writer
The historic components of hip hopan emcee, microphone and disc
jockeychanged as the genre evolved over the years. The latter of the list,
once the fundamental backbone of classic hip hop, eventually started to fade
as music moved into a new era. But hip hop guru Eddie Myles aims to reassert
the DJ as a central gure in this genre and honor the masters of this forgotten
talent through an upcoming award show scheduled to take place in Atlanta.
The annual International DJ Trade Association Awards, founded by Myles,
spotlights DJsthose who are responsible for much of the music we hear today.
Throughout the years, DJs were never really concentrated on or respected
in the game for breaking records, Myles told theAFRO in a recent interview.
DJs dont make as much money as these artists do and DJs are the ones that
put them on the map.
Myles, deemed hip hops youngest forefather, witnessed the
unrecognized contributions of DJs rsthand. Recruited in 1973 by the
famous hip-hop DJ Afrika Bambaataa, Myles was given the duties of ensuring
the safety of Bambaataa and DJs Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Red
Alert. Over a decade later, he founded Edwin Myles Consulting Firm, an
organization that aims to promote numerous independent and major record
labels and artists.
As a veteran in the game and entertainment industry insider for over 25
years, Myles has helped to launch the careers of artists such as Master P, B2K,
Ginuwine and Mack 10, among many others. He launched the IDJ
Trade Association in 2008 and continues to extend his knowledge
to promote and consult artists, DJs, record labels and businesses
worldwide.
The IDJT awards, now approaching its third year, spotlights various
radio DJs on a local, regional, national and international scale. In
addition, club and mixtape DJs are also honored, as they often
play pivotal roles in the industry.
Theres over 3,000 DJs already registered this yearthe
response is overwhelming, Myles said. Its not just a hip-
hop situation; were dealing with all genres. Were honoring
the oldest DJ alive to todays DJ.
The event will also feature a lineup of big names in
the industry including Crime Mob, the Force MDs and
Waka Flocka. Singers Montell Jordan and Angie Stone
are set to host the show.
The three-day event will also feature a trade expo,
celebrity basketball game, empowerment seminars and
an entertainment workshop among many other events.
The Annual International DJ Trade AssociationAwards and Expo will take place on Aug. 8 and
will conclude on Aug. 11 in Atlanta, Ga. For more
information, visit: idjtrade.com.
By AFRO Staf
Black theater has long been a part of Americas
entertainment tradition, with stars such as Cosby Show
actress Phylicia Rashad and media mogul Sean Diddy Combs
frequently making appearances on stage. In honor of the craft,
the rst D.C. Black Theater Festival showcased the works of
more than 70 playwrights, directors and theater companies
from around the world Aug. 1-7.
According to festival Executive Director Glenn Alan, the
event highlighted traditional and urban theater projects that
speak to the Black experience.
The festival included an array of visual presentations,
workshops, a monologue competition and a nightly one-act
competition at various theaters in the District. However, the
highlight of the week-long event was the series of plays
dramedys, comedies, improvisations and more.
Among the featured production was Desi P. SheltonsIKilled My Babys Daddy, a one-woman play examining thejourneys of single mothers; The Black Man-o-logues, which
offers the male perspective on Black love and God is on
By AFRO Staf
Bens Chili Bowl has become an undeniable staple in the Districts food culture.
Chili-laden half-smokes, piquant hot dogs and mounds of French fries have made this
hometown hotspot an international destination.
But nearby Marylanders wont have to go far when the urge for a signature chili
dog strikes. Bens Chili Bowl has announced a partnership with Six Flags Americathat will bring their famed food to two locations throughout the Bowie theme park and
Hurricane Harbor Water Park. The new venue marks the rst theme park location and
only the fth place in the metropolitan area where Bens Chili Bowl lovers can nosh
on the comfort food delicacies crafted by founder Ben Ali more than 50 years ago.
Since 1958, Bens Chili Bowl has been a Washington, D.C. institution, serving
meals for blue-collar workers, students, international leaders and everyone in between.
The restaurant - and its upscale spinoff Bens Next Door is run by Alis sons Kamal
and Nizam.
Photo courtesy of benschilibowl.com
Bens Chili Bowl will now serve itscelebrated chili dogs and hal-smokes
at Six Flags America in Bowie, Md.
D.C.s Bens Chili Bowl Ventures into Maryland
By Kam WilliamsSpecial to the AFRO
After serving his country
in Vietnam, Henry Marrow
(A.C. Sanford) returned to his
hometown of Oxford, N.C.,
only to be murdered in broad
daylight for allegedly leering
at a White woman. On May
11, 1970, the 23 year-old
African-American veteran
left behind a pregnant widow
(Milauna Jemai) and two
young daughters, while the
perpetrators of the heinous
crime were found not-guilty
by an all-white jury, despite
credible testimony of several
eyewitnesses who identied
the perpetrators as Ku Klux
Klan sympathizer Robert Teel
(Nick Searcy) and his son.
The outcome of the trial
was no surprise, after all,
Black-White relations hadnt
changed that much in the tiny
Southern town since it was
founded during the slave days
by Samuel Benton, a wealthy,
politically-connected, tobacco
plantation owner. But what
was unexpected was the
rioting which erupted in the
wake of the verdict when
outraged young African
Americans took to the streets
in protest.
At that juncture, Marrows
cousin, a schoolteacher named
Ben Chavis (Nate Parker),
emerged to play a pivotal
role in ensuring that cooler
heads prevailed in the black
community. He organized a
peaceful, three-day, 50-mile
march joined by thousands
to the steps of the state
capitol in Raleigh where they
petitioned the governor for
both justice and integration.
And that valiant effort, which
kickstarted Chavis career as a
prominent civil rights leader, is
the subject ofBlood Done SignMy Name, a riveting historicaldrama directed by Jeb Stuart.
This harrowing tale of
hope and woe was based on
the moving memoir of Tim
Tyson (Gattlin Grifth) who
was only 10 years old at the
time the events in the story
unfolded. Tims father (Ricky
Schroder) was the pastor of
Oxfords lily-white Methodist
church, and what makes the
lm compelling is the way in
which the narration alternates
back and forth between
the perspectives of little
Timmy and the increasingly
emboldened Ben Chavis.
A bifurcated bio-pic
examining the equally
emotionally-charged points-
of-view of both Black and
White observers of the fallout
of the same ugly incident.
Excellent (HHHH stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity,
mature themes and intense
violence.
Running time: 128
Minutes
Distributor: Image
Entertainment
Riveting, Real-Life, Civil Rights-Era Drama Released on DVD
On aro.comDC Fab! Exposed
All Hail the DJHip-hop pioneers honored at awards showcase
Courtesy Photo
Eddie OG
Eddie Myles
D.C. Black Theater FestivalMakes Summer Debut
the Devil$ Payrollan irreverent production that examines
good versus evil through the eyes of three men following the
earthquake destruction in Haiti.
Visit dcblacktheatrefestival.com for more information.
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES
COLUMBIA PICTURES P R ES E NT S AGARY SANCHEZ/MOSAICPRODUCTION A FILM BYADAM McKAY THE OTHER GUYSEVA MENDES MICHAEL KEATON WITH SAMUEL L. JACKSON AND DWAYNE JOHNSONRAY STEVENSONSTEVE COOGAN
EXECUTIVEPRODUCERS DAVID HOUSEHOLTER CHRIS HENCHY KEVIN MESSICK
MUSICBY
JON BRIONWRITTEN
BYADAM McKAY & CHRIS HENCHYPRODUCED
BY
WILL FERRELL ADAM McKA