Dr - The Metro Herald

IN THIS ISSUE . . .
COVER/CENTER: BLACK EDUCATORS
CLIMBING THE DREAM . . . . . . . . . . .1, 12–14
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Around the Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4–5
Africa Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6–7
Capital Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Insights and Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10–11
Health & Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Arts & Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16–18
Sports & Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Community News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Business News/Bid & Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21–23
Classified Ads/Bids & Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 7
Carroll County
Howard County
Baltimore
Annapolis
Montgomery
County
Loudoun
County
Fauquier
County
Fairfax
County
Prince
William
County
Anne
Arundel County
D.C.
Arlington County
Prince George’s
County
Alexandria
Spotsylvania
County
Stafford
County
Fredericksburg
Charles
County
Westmoreland
County
Richmond
Imaging the Politics, Culture, and Events of Our Times
February 16, 2007
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Black Educators
Climbing the Dream
Ruth J. Simmons
Brown University
R
uth J. Simmons (1945- ) born in the
Grapeland, Texas, is the 18th president of Brown University and first
black president of an Ivy League institution.
Her students often affectionately refer to her
by her first name and love her red power suits.
Simmons holds appointments as a professor in the Departments of Comparative Literature and Africana Studies. In 2002, Newsweek
selected her as a Ms. Woman of the Year, while
in 2001, Time named her as America’s best college president. She is a native of Texas, graduated from Dillard University, B.A. 1967 in
New Orleans, and got her doctorate in Romance Literature from Harvard University,
A.M. 1970; PhD 1973. She was a professor of
Romance Languages and became a dean at
Princeton University, 1983-1990, became first
African-American woman to head a top ranked
college or university as president of Smith
College (from 1995 to 2001), and ultimately
president of Brown in 2001.
Simmons started the engineering program
at Smith. At Brown, she has launched an ambitious $1.4 billion initiative known as the
Campaign for Academic Enrichment in order
to enhance Brown’s academic programs.
In 2006 at an orientation meeting with parents, Simmons denied interest in the presidency
of Harvard University, which is currently headed
by an interim president, Derek Bok. Nevertheless, coverage has indicated that the Harvard
Corporation, is considering her as a candidate.
Simmons also serves on the boards of Texas Instruments, Pfizer Inc., and Goldman Sachs.
Carol Tecla Christ
Smith College
B
orn in New York City in 1944, Carol
Tecla Christ became the 10th president
of Smith College in June 2002.. Christ
attended public schools in northern New Jersey.
In 1966, she graduated with high honors from
Douglass College and went on to Yale University, where she received the Ph.D. in English.
In 1970, Christ joined the English faculty at
the University of California, Berkeley. As
chair of her department from 1985 to 1988, she
built and maintained one of the top-ranked
English departments in the country. She entered the university’s administration in 1988,
serving first as dean of humanities and later as
provost and dean of the College of Letters and
Sciences. In 1994, Christ was appointed vice
chancellor and provost (and later became executive vice chancellor). During her six years
as Berkeley’s top academic officer, she was
credited with sharpening the institution’s intellectual focus and building top-rated departments in the humanities and sciences. In addition, she helped shape Berkeley’s campus
policy in response to Proposition 209, the 1996
California law barring the consideration of
race in college admissions.
Christ, who was the highest-ranking female
administrator at Berkeley until she returned to
full-time teaching in 2000, has a well-established reputation as a champion of women’s issues and diversity. Her first administrative position was as assistant to the chancellor on
issues involving the status of women. She
Continued in box on page 12
Dr. James C.
Renick
University of
Michigan, Dearborn
J
ames Carmichael Renick, a native of
Rockford, Illinois, is the ninth chancellor
of North Carolina A&T State University.
Dr. Renick earned the Bachelor of Arts degree
in sociology from Central State University in
Ohio, the Masters of Social Work degree from
University of Kansas and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Florida State University.
Dr. Renick, a recognized leader in the area
of corporate/university relations, is a dynamic,
enthusiastic and visionary leader who has accomplished much since becoming chancellor. In
the Chancellor’s Message found in the Chancellor’s Report 2001, he states “the accomplishments we realized reflect our effort to raise the
bar in the areas of teaching, research performance, and growth. The accomplishments include
several “firsts” that will help us to continue to
move the University forward.” These “firsts”
include the awarding of the first NC A&T State
University Medal for Human Rights on February 1, 2001. A&T is the first campus of the
UNC sixteen campuses to take advantage of
new legislation that allows foundations to work
with financial authorities to secure tax exempt
bonds to fund capital building projects. On June
26, 2001, the University and Sit-In Movement,
Inc. signed a collaborative agreement in order to
accelerate the work to develop an International
Civil Rights Center & Museum.
Continued in box on page 12
Visit us on the web at www.metroherald.com
Dr. Albert C. Yates
Colorado State
University
D
r. Albert C. Yates has led a distinguished academic career as a professor and administrator. Dr. Yates earned
his Ph.D. in Theoretical Chemical Physics
from Indiana University at Bloomington.
Following postdoctoral work at the University of Southern California, he returned to Indiana University to join the faculty of the Department of Chemistry.
In 1977 he was named Vice President and
University Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Cincinnati. Dr.
Yates served for nine years as Executive Vice
President and Provost at Washington State
University in Pullman. In July 1990, Dr. Yates
became the 12th President of Colorado State
University.
Dr. Yates’ career reflects his lifelong embrace of the land-grant institution as “the people’s university,” as well as his deeply held
commitment to Western values and ideals.
His speeches, writing and work reflect his
belief in those qualities that characterize the
Western spirit: honesty, integrity, self-reliance,
perseverance and commitment to community.
This conviction has helped to drive his personal and professional involvement in activities that support the interests of children, diversity, academic excellence, and improving
the quality of life for Colorado and its citizens.
Continued in box on page 12
February 16, 2007
THE
METRO HERALD
NEWSPAPER
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2
Editorial
H
istory, especially
Black History has
a way of having us
looking back to
our roots while
looking up at the
branches of hope. There are many of
us who just refuse to let go. For most
black people in general, black history
is replete not just with events but
names and places that allow a certain
dynamic to move events in a very
broad and real perspective. It’s like
climbing a mountain and seeing all
the vistas before you.
I can remember my Dad
unveiling an event of Black History;
it was almost like unrolling this red
carpet for a king to walk on as he
ascends to his throne, sits down, and
very comfortably starts imparting the
gospel of our history. When my Dad
would do this, history not only had a
face, but also a voice. He would
often move his hands and create
facial and body movements worthy
of Paul Robeson’s mundane
performances of Othello or his
singing black religious songs.
It didn’t matter if there were
other kids of different ethnicities; I
think it was my Dad’s intention to
make or create a mode of
commonality . . . a place where we
all could leave from and return to
together, on the same platform.
My Dad would never allow his
thoughts or beliefs to become a
spillway for history’s extraneousness.
Nor would he allow himself to take
excursions into the excavation of
places where so-called histories had
no roots.
I think my Dad also realized that
at some point, history based on
shallow premises become a sort of
folklore, which takes on a life of its
own. He also knew that there was a
certain ex post facto that we always
have to deal with, as he would say,
“in life and law.” He would say
sometimes, if you are a copper miner
and you find gold, you should not
ignore your findings.”
My Dad would often say, “We
are all a part of our own living
history and the chief consignment
officer of our family’s history.”
Évery event—past or ancient—is a
part of the connectivity, of the
linkage of yesterday to tomorrow.
History does not require infusion . . .
what it needs is embellishment.
When the historians started to
put the facts together of the life and
times of Martin Luther King, there
were only a half-dozen or so books .
. . now there are literally thousands
upon thousands of biographies on
him . . .
History
in a sense
creates
new history
of
old history . . .
History, as my Dad would
always say, “comes with its own
apparel, accompanied by its own
a cappella.”
For some reason and by choice,
February is our history month. We
need to pride ourselves on how far
we have come as a people and to
applaud the individual gladiators
who forged progress for the rest of us
in almost every endeavor known to
man. When we look at ours, we are
now just passing through our Age of
Enlightenment . . . not for our souls
or to choose our God . . . but
understanding better the diversity of
our race . . . as we still try to define
ourselves and our passageways . . .
PDD
THE METRO HERALD
February 16, 2007
THE METRO HERALD
3
AROUND THE NATION
February 16, 2007
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
SOUTHERN HERITAGE FOOD EXPO
IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA
T
he National African American
Culinary Arts and Hospitality
Association will hold its National African American Culinary Arts
Museum fundraiser, the 5th Annual
Black History Month Southern Heritage
Food Expo and African American Culinary Arts Awards. The event will be
held on Saturday, February 17, 2007 at
the Holiday Inn Select, 450 Capitol Ave
SE, Atlanta, GA 30312. Museum and
Association Founder Dr. Kenneth Willhoite will celebrate the Museum’s opening and honor the top 100 African
Americans involved in the culinary arts
and hospitality industry across the U.S.
Also, the keynote speaker of the event
will be Mr. George Andrews, President
and CEO of Capitol City Bank in Atlanta, GA. In addition, there will be a
special tribute to James Brown, the legendary entertainer and Edna Lewis, the
late cook who defined Southern cuisine.
The National African American Culinary Arts and Hospitality Association
Museum, located at 210 Auburn Avenue,
Suite 9, Atlanta, GA is now open, with
Phase 2, coming later this year, including
a TV studio and revolving kitchen where
chefs can film their shows. The museum
is the only one of its kind in the world. It
documents via research and exhibits the
400 years of contributions that African
Americans have made in the culinary
arts and hospitality industry. Some of the
noted exhibits include Muhammad Ali
cookies, Gladys Knight’s Georgia Peach
Butter and Smokey Robinson’s New Orleans Gumbo.
Like the entertainment industry honors its best and greatest, The National
African American Culinary Arts and
Hospitality Association looks forward to
honoring its best in the industry, including African American family restaurant
owners throughout America as well as
the African American chefs, cooks,
waitresses, waiters and catering companies throughout America and the world.
“We are building on the legacy of
BLACK FACT
On February 16,
1857 Frederick
Douglass was
elected President
of Freedman
Bank and Trust.
4
our ancestors,” says museum and association founder Dr. Kenneth Willhoite,
who has cooked for people such as
Patti LaBelle, Earth, Wind and Fire,
Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross, Dr.
Dorothy Height, and others. “The primary mission of the National African
American Culinary Arts and Hospitality Association is to build on the 400
year legacy of our ancestors by enabling its members to become fully
functional in all areas of culinary arts
and hospitality and to also research,
collect, preserve, protect, package,
demonstrate and/or disseminate the
rich cultural heritage and pride found
in ethnic cuisine.”
All are invited to attend the 5th Annual Black History Month Southern
Heritage Food Expo and African
American Culinary Arts Awards. For
more information on this event or tickets, contact Dr. Kenneth Willhoite at
(404) 917-2665 or via email at
[email protected]. For information and tickets, go to www.
naacaha.com.
BP, CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE COLLABORATE ON $6.25 MILLION
EMPLOYMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT EFFORT
B
P and BP Foundation announced today an investment of
$6.25 million over three years
in a collaborative effort with Chicago
Urban League. BP and Chicago Urban
League will work together to enhance
and positively impact economic development and job creation for minorities
in the Chicago area.
“Building better, stronger communities in the places we operate is important to BP and to the men and
women who work for us,” said BP
America Chairman and President Bob
Malone. “The Chicago Urban League
is designing innovative, sustainable
economic development programs that
we believe will make a real difference
in the Chicago area, and we are proud
to be part of them.”
“We are pleased to work with BP
on this historic and progressive initiative,” said Cheryle Jackson, President
and CEO of Chicago Urban League.
“Developing entrepreneurs and enhancing education and employment
opportunities are key to driving economic growth in the African-American
and minority communities. This collaboration will prove beneficial to
Chicago, as it will help to create the
kind of wealth that can lift up and
transform whole neighborhoods and
entire communities.”
BP Foundation will make an investment of $3.7 million to support
Chicago Urban League entrepreneurship programs. As part of that commitment, BP Foundation will make a $1
million initial investment in a new
Chicago Urban League Entrepreneur
Venture Fund and $2.7 million for
startup and operation of the new Entrepreneurship Center at Chicago Urban
League, designed to help build capacity
and strengthen and accelerate growth
of minority entrepreneur businesses.
The Kellogg School of Management at
Northwestern University will help develop a skills and training curriculum
for the Entrepreneurship Center.
BP America will make a three-year
investment of $2.4 million in programs
to enhance diversity and inclusion
among BP employees, suppliers, convenience store franchisees and fuels
distributors and marketers. This includes entrepreneur outreach and franchisee training; minority supplier conferences; research on entrepreneurship
and wealth retention; and BP-customized employment and training programs in collaboration with the Urban
TAXPAYERS HAVE UNTIL APRIL 17 TO FILE RETURNS
A
ccording to the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA), taxpayers
in Virginia as well as across the nation
will get a two-day reprieve from the
traditional April 15 federal tax deadline. The Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) announced the 2007 tax deadline
has been changed to Tuesday, April 17.
Taxpayers have an extension because April 15 falls on a Sunday this
year, and the following day, Monday,
April 16, is Emancipation Day, a legal
holiday in the District of Colombia.
Previously, the April 17 deadline applied just to individuals in the District
of Columbia and six eastern states who
are served by an IRS processing facility in Massachusetts, where Patriots
Day will be observed on April 16.
The April 17 deadline will apply to
any of the following:
•
2006 federal individual income tax
returns, whether filed electronically
or on paper
• Requests for an automatic six-month
tax-filing extension, whether submit-
PRISON POPULATION ON THE RISE
G
et-tough policies that lock up
offenders for longer sentences
are propelling a projected increase of nearly 200,000 in the nation’s
prison population in the next five
years, according a private study.
The increase—projected by the
Pew Charitable Trusts study to be three
times faster than overall population
growth in the U.S.—is expected to cost
states more than $27 billion.
“As a country, we have a problem,”
said Susan Urahn, managing director
of policy initiatives for the Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the study by
its Public Safety Performance Project.
The study is the first of its kind to
project prison populations in every
state through 2011, based on state projections, current criminal justice policies and demographic trends.
Urahn said she hopes states use the
study to prepare for the future—either
by building more prisons or by adopting policies to slow the growth through
alternative forms of punishment.
The projections, she said, are not
inevitable. They can be altered by state
policies as well as economic and cultural changes.
“What we have seen is there are a
growing number of states really focused, not on being tough on crime or
soft on crime, but on being smart about
crime,” Urahn said. “Every state faces
unique circumstance and challenges.”
League of Northwest Indiana and area
community colleges.
BP and Chicago Urban League also
have agreed to work together to deliver
various youth education programs. BP
has initially budgeted an additional
$150,000 toward expanding or creating new education efforts with
Chicago Urban League in the next
three years.
BP and Chicago Urban League
began collaboration in 2006 to plan programs to enhance employment and entrepreneur opportunities with BP for
African-Americans and other underrepresented minorities. Consistent with
Chicago Urban League and BP aspirations, the programs are intended to result in sustainable wealth creation in diverse communities. Opportunities have
been identified for enhanced minority
participation in BP employment; professional
services
and
other
supplier/contractor relationships; and
convenience retail and fuels marketing.
The initial focus of the collaboration relates to BP businesses and functions operating in Chicagoland. However, the
collaboration is expected to positively
affect other BP businesses and US geographies. A desired outcome is to develop and test replicable programs.
There are more than 1.5 million inmates in the nation’s state and federal
prisons, a number that is projected to
grow to more than 1.7 million by the
end of 2011, a 13 percent increase. The
nation’s population, by comparison, is
projected to grow by 4.5 percent in that
time.
States are projected to spend up to
$27.5 billion on the new inmates, including $12.5 billion in construction
costs, according to the study.
Men far outnumber women in
prison—nearly 14 to 1. But in the next
five years, the number of women inmates is projected to increase by 16
percent compared with a 12 percent increase for men.
Florida is projected to add the most
prisoners, about 16,000, followed by
California, Texas, Arizona and Ohio.
New York, Connecticut and
Delaware are the only states with no
projected growth in the number of inmates. All three are projected to have
stable inmate populations.
Florida’s prison population has
been growing since the 1980s, when
many inmates had to be released early
because of crowding problems, said
William Bales, associate professor of
criminology and criminal justice at
Florida State University.
Since then, the state has eased
crowding by building more prisons and
changing the way it sentences offend-
ers, Bales said. The state eliminated parole and other forms of early release,
but only 20 percent of those eligible for
prison are sent there, he said. Instead,
many lesser offenders are sentenced to
home confinement and required to
wear electronic monitoring devices.
“But if you go to prison, you will
go for a long time,” Bales said.
In Connecticut, the state reversed
years of crowding problems in part by
investing in programs for inmates who
are about to re-enter society. The state
also increased the number of probation
officers to monitor those who have
been released.
“Truth in sentencing, three strikes
and you’re out—it looks great on
paper, but try to make it work,” said
Connecticut Rep. Michael Lawlor, a
Democrat and co-chairman of the state
legislature’s Judiciary Committee.
Lawlor, a former prosecutor, said
Connecticut lawmakers focused on
ways to reduce recidivism rather than
campaign pledges to get tough on
criminals. As a result, he said, crime
rates have dropped along with incarceration rates.
“There’s a pretty long list of people
who deserve to be locked up forever, but
it’s not the majority of people in prison,”
Lawlor said. “If you can get people into
a room instead of a campaign debate it’s
really easy to come to consensus.”
ted electronically or on Form 4868
• Tax year 2006 balance due payments,
whether made electronically (direct
debit or credit card) or by check
• Tax-year 2006 contributions to a
Roth or traditional IRA
• Individual estimated tax payments
for the first quarter of 2007,
whether made electronically or by
check
• Individual refund claims for tax year
2003, where the regular three-year
statute of limitations is expiring
• Other tax-filing and payment requirements affected by this change
are described in IRS Publication
509, Tax Calendars for 2007, available on the IRS Web site .
Most taxpayers will not have to
change their plans in response to this
announcement, the IRS says. Three out
of four individual filers get refunds,
and typically, returns claiming refunds
are filed early in the tax season. The
Virginia Society of Certified Public
Accountants encourages taxpayers to
avoid mistakes by filing early, taking
advantage of e-filing, choosing direct
deposit for refunds and paying any
taxes due via debit or credit card. For
more guidance, check out the IRS
Q&A on the new deadline.
Virginia taxpayers can contact the
VSCPA with questions about their
2006 federal and Virginia state taxes.
Each year, the VSCPA offers FREE tax
assistance to Virginia taxpayers
through a special Web site called
www.VATaxHelp.com . The Web site
provides consumers with premier tax
and personal financial planning resources, information and services.
In addition, anyone filing federal or
state tax returns in the state of Virginia
can get free online tax advice by submitting e-mail questions through the
Web site to [email protected] .
Experienced, licensed certified public
accountants (CPA) will provide answers to the tax questions within three
business days. Tax questions can be
submitted online from January 31
through April 11, 2007.
THE METRO HERALD
AROUND THE NATION
February 16, 2007
WINTER WEATHER PROMPTS INCREASE
IN LIFE-THREATENING RISKS
H
undreds of people die from
carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning each year and it remains a serious threat no matter the
season, but activities that typically increase with the onset of winter weather
conditions pose an even greater risk.
Recent tragic events throughout the
country have served as sad reminders
that carbon monoxide poisoning can
result in death when it reaches unsafe
levels. The National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) urges the public to
be aware of the dangers of carbon
monoxide and to take measures to ensure safe practices.
Many deaths caused by carbon
monoxide poisoning could have been
prevented by installing carbon monoxide alarms in the home to alert residents of its lethal levels before it is too
late.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless,
odorless gas that enters the body undetected as a person breathes. The gas is
produced by burning wood, coal, charcoal, natural gas, gasoline, propane,
oil, methane, and other common fuels.
It is also produced by automobiles and
other gasoline or diesel engines.
When power outages occur, people
naturally look for other ways to see
and keep warm. As they look for alternatives for electricity and home heating, they should be aware that the risk
of carbon monoxide poisoning is
sometimes elevated with supplemental
equipment that is often used.
“Portable generators are often used
to meet electricity and heating needs in
emergency situations. Homeowners
are sometimes unaware of the risks associated with them like electric shock,
electrocution and the most common
risk, carbon monoxide poisoning,” said
Mark W. Earley, P.E., assistant vice
president/chief electrical engineer.
“Risks associated with portable generators and many alternative sources for
electricity and heat are minimized
when owners are educated about the
potential dangers and equipment is
used properly.”
Carbon monoxide poisoning can be
confused with flu symptoms, food poisoning and other illnesses. Some
symptoms include shortness of breath,
nausea, dizziness, light headedness or
headaches.
For more information on carbon
monoxide poisoning, view Fact Sheets
on
NFPA’s
Web
site
at
http://www.nfpa.org under Research
and Reports. NFPA suggests the following safety tips to avoid the dangers
of carbon monoxide.
• Install carbon monoxide (CO)
alarms (listed by an independent
testing laboratory) inside your
home to provide early warning of
accumulating CO. CO alarms
should be installed in a central location outside each separate sleeping area. If bedrooms are spaced
apart, each area will need a CO
alarm.
• Test CO alarms at least once a
month and replace alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• CO alarms are not substitutes for
smoke alarms. Know the difference
between the sound of smoke alarms
and CO alarms.
• Have fuel-burning heating equipment (fireplaces, furnaces, water
heaters, wood and coal stoves,
space or portable heaters) and
chimneys inspected by a professional every year before cold
weather sets in.
• When using a fireplace, open the
flue for adequate ventilation.
• Never use your oven or grill to heat
your home.
• When buying an existing home,
have a qualified technician evaluate
the integrity of the heating and
cooking systems, as well as the
sealed spaces between the garage
and house.
• If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a
vehicle, generator, or other fueled
engine or motor indoors, even if
garage doors are open. Make sure
the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.
• During and after a snowstorm,
make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear
of snow build-up.
NFPA, publisher of the National
Electrical Code® (NEC®), recommends the following tips for proper use
of portable generators.
• Generators should be operated in
well ventilated locations outdoors
away from all doors, windows and
vent openings.
• The generator should be located so
that exhaust fumes cannot enter the
home through windows, doors or
other building openings.
• Do not refuel the generator while it
is running. Turn the generator off
and let it cool down before refueling.
• Never store fuel for your generator
in your home. Gasoline and other
flammable liquids should be stored
outside of living areas in properlylabeled safety containers. They
should be stored away from any
fuel-burning appliance such as a
gas hot water heater.
• Plug appliances directly into the
generator or use a heavy duty outdoor-rated extension cord. Make
sure the cord is free of cuts or tears
and that the plug has all three
prongs, especially a grounding pin.
Do not try to power the house
wiring by plugging the generator
into a wall outlet.
• If you must connect the generator
to the house wiring to power appliances, have a qualified electrician
install a properly rated transfer
switch in accordance with the NEC
and all applicable state and local
electrical codes.
ORAL RECORDINGS FROM
BLACK FAMILIES
TO BE ARCHIVED BY
PLANNED SMITHSONIAN
BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM
T
he Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced a
new project that hopes to record at least 1,500 oral
histories from black families over the next year to be
placed in the archives of the Smithsonian’s future National
Museum of African American History and Culture.
“One of the greatest treasures of African America is the
stories, the words, the family memories,’’ said Lonnie Bunch,
director of the museum, which is planned for the National
Mall.
“In essence, this is really one of the ways we will help
America to remember by preserving those words,’’ he said.
The audio CD recordings will be produced by the New
York-based nonprofit group Sound Portraits Productions,
which produces the StoryCorps interview series on National
Public Radio.
The first recording sessions are planned for Feb. in Atlanta through a mobile recording studios that will stop in nine
cities over the next year.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is funding the
$1.4 million StoryCorps Griot project. Part of the project’s
name, “griot,’’ is derived from the West African tradition of
storytelling where a respected tribe member, a “griot,’’ is a
living repository of the community’s history.
The mobile recording units also will travel to Chicago;
Clarksdale, Miss.; Detroit; Memphis, Tenn.; Montgomery,
Ala.; Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; and Selma, Ala.
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MONTGOMERY
COUNTY NAMED
TREE CITY USA
I
n honor of its commitment to tree planting and tree care, Montgomery County
has been named a Tree City USA by The
National Arbor Day Foundation. It is the
twelfth year the county has received this national recognition.
“Trees are one of the few truly renewable
and sustainable resources that improve air
and water quality, contribute to a healthier
environment, and ultimately enhance the
quality of life in our communities,” said
Montgomery County Executive Isiah
Leggett. “Montgomery County has a Forest
Preservation Strategy that provides a blueprint for managing and restoring our forests
and trees, and we are proud to be recognized
nationally for our efforts.”
Montgomery County met the four standards
necessary to become a Tree City USA by having a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry
program, and an Arbor Day observance.
“Trees are a vital component of the infrastructure in our cities and towns,” said John
Rosenow, president of The National Arbor
Day Foundation. “A community, and its citizens, that recognize these benefits and provide needed care for its trees deserves recognition and thanks.”
The Tree City USA program is sponsored
by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of
State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
NFPA has been a worldwide leader
in providing fire, electrical, building,
and life safety to the public since 1896.
The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the
worldwide burden of fire and other
hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes
and standards, research, training, and
education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at
http://www.nfpa.org.
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5
AFRICA UPDATE
February 16, 2007
CHAOS AS RIOTERS ROCK GUINEA
ANGLICANS HOLD DIFFICULT SUMMIT
By Will Ross
W
Dr Rowan Williams is fighting to save the Anglican Communion
L
eaders of the Anglican Church
have opened a key summit in
Tanzania which is likely to be
dominated by the divisive issue of homosexuality.
The conservative majority is fiercely
opposed to those who believe the church
should accept gay clergy members.
The controversy threatens to create a
schism in the 38 national churches which
make up the Anglican Communion.
A spokesman for the leader of the
world’s Anglicans said it looked like it
could be a “difficult conference”.
The head of the Anglican Church and
Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan
Williams has said that he fears that the
Church may split over the row sparked
by the appointment of openly gay US
bishop, Gene Robinson, in 2003.
“We have a difficult meeting ahead
of us with many challenges and many
decisions to make,” Dr Williams told
reporters as he arrived in Dar es
Salaam on Wednesday.
Conservative primates are angered
that the recently-installed head of the
American Episcopal Church, Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori, who has
publicly backed Mr Robinson, is attending the meeting.
Supporters of the conservatives
which include representatives from
Africa, Asia and Latin America—
known as the Global South—have
gathered in one hotel while liberal Anglican representatives have congregated in another, reports say.
In December, two of the oldest and
largest parishes in the US broke from
their bishop and become a mission of
the Nigerian Church over the issue.
The head of the Anglican Church in
Africa is Nigerian Archbishop Peter
Akinola, who leads 37 million Anglicans and is increasingly influential.
The BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggott says some
sort of split looks inevitable though
one option for the meeting may be for
them to create a system of full membership of the Anglican church for traditionalists, and a reduced, associate
membership for liberals.
She suffers from a common
eating disorder: lack of food.
Hunger in America is real.
To help, visit feedingchildrenbetter.org
Hunger in America is real
6
eeks of mass protests in the
west African state of
Guinea have seen more
than 100 demonstrators—who want
the country’s president, Lansana
Conte, to stand down—shot dead by
police and troops.
I realized early on this was going to
be an eventful trip. The car broke down
on the way to my hotel from the airport
and, along with half a dozen children, I
was soon pushing a battered Mercedes
Benz through the filthy streets as the
driver tried to jump start it.
“Don’t stop! One more try,” was
the repeated refrain. But I was far from
optimistic when he popped the hood.
I am no mechanic but the sight of
an upturned, punctured can of tomato
puree serving as a part of the engine
would surely look out of place in any
car.
I eventually arrived, drenched in
sweat, at the hotel reception and since
that moment it has often been chaotic.
But Guineans are used to that.
Since independence from France
almost fifty years ago the country has
only had two presidents.
The current leader, Lansana Conte,
a diabetic chain-smoker in his 70s,
seized power 23 years ago, but even as
his health fails, he shows no sign of
stepping down.
Guinea is mineral rich but like so
many African countries, as the raw materials leave the port, the population
sees little benefit. Meanwhile the economy has gone from bad to worse, in
step with the president’s health.
Ministers learn of their fate on the
evening news which usually abruptly
interrupts endless hours of music
videos.
Last May the state television newsreader announced the latest presidential decree, a cabinet reshuffle which
included increased power for the prime
minister. The very next morning the
reshuffle was overturned and the prime
minister was jobless. Guineans have
often wondered who is in charge here.
But with massive unemployment and a
civil servant’s salary barely covering
the cost of getting the bus to work and
feeding the family, people are saying
enough is enough.
I will not forget the name Hamdallaye in a hurry. This suburb was where
demonstrations against President
Conte began over the weekend.
Driving with a BBC colleague, Al
Hassan, we passed groups of angry
young men keen to yell into the microphone a rude word or 50 against their
president. We sat beside a wall as gunfire rang out from not far away. Plumes
of thick black smoke filled the air
where protesters were burning tires.
More than 100 protesters have been killed by police and troops
The army has been ordered to quell protests in Guinea’s towns
Al Hassan and I found ourselves in
looters’ alley. Panting men passed us
with souvenirs from ransacked homes;
air conditioners, glitzy light fittings
and one looter who had not set his
sights too high pulled a light bulb out
of his pocket.
All over the country law and order
was breaking down and it was no coincidence that the homes of several government ministers were targeted.
Hamdallaye did not look like the
best place to spend the night so before
sunset we set off for the city centre. No
way through. People are only allowed
out of their homes between the hours
of noon and six in the evening
Accompanied by a gang of
teenagers, a seven foot giant in an orange T-shirt with eyes as red as traffic
lights stood in our way. His name was
Talaban.
We turned round and found a place
to sleep, or at least try to between the
rounds of gunfire.
Shortly before dawn we tried again.
On the back seat of the car sat a frightened woman we had offered to drive to
safety. The main road was strewn with
boulders and we drove over hundreds
of pairs of second hand women’s
shoes, presumably looted from a truck
the night before.
Then as we turned at an impassable
pile of wood and rocks, three men ran
towards the car. One wielding a machete smashed the back windscreen but
thanks to my colleague’s heavy foot on
the accelerator, we made it away but
not far.
The rocks had caused so much
damage, engine oil was pouring out
and so we had to abandon the car and
walk to safety.
As I prepared to send the report of
the violence to the studios in London,
Al Hassan stopped me. “Do you mind
deleting those bits where you can hear
the lady screaming in the back of the
car?” he asked me. “You see my wife
will worry who that woman was in my
car.”
A bit of careful editing and the
shrieks were gone and Al Hassan
looked a little more relaxed.
As I write this it is increasingly
hard to guess what will happen next.
The president has declared martial
law and the army chief has imposed a
curfew. People are only allowed out of
their homes between the hours of noon
and six in the evening.
In the hotel reception a Moroccan
waitress is bidding a tearful farewell as
her country sends in a military plane to
evacuate her and her colleagues. A
Japanese businessman is doing lengths
of the hotel swimming pool in between
glasses of red wine. An Indian pharmacist who wonders whether his contract with the ministry of health will be
worth the paper it is written on, has approached me with his latest plan. “Ah
Mr Will Mr Will. What about a speedboat?” he asks.
As for eight million Guineans.
They too can only guess what will happen, but they cannot leave.
THE METRO HERALD
AFRICA UPDATE
February 16, 2007
UGANDA’S CATTLE CLASHES KILL 50
ZAMBIA LOSES ‘VULTURE FUND’ CASE
A
bout 50 people
have
been
killed
in
clashes between the
army and Karamojong
warriors in north-eastern Uganda. Four soldiers were killed in an
ambush on Monday,
leading to heavy fighting between the military and the herdsmen,
said army spokesman
Henry Obbo. He said
the clashes started
when
Karamojong
warriors armed with
machine-guns tried to
recover stolen cattle recovered by the army.
Helicopter gunships
have been deployed
against the Karamojong warriors.
Uganda’s government launched a disarmament program in the
region last year, targeting
some
30,000
weapons held by the
Cattle play a key role in Karamojong life
herdsmen.
“We pursued these
people, killed 45 in one battle, bringing the total of those killed to 52,” Mr Obbo told Reuters news agency.
The United Nations has accused the military of using indiscriminate and excessive force and of killing women and
children.
The drought prone Karamoja region has suffered banditry and inter-clan warfare for decades and is known as
Uganda’s forgotten conflict zone.
Heavily armed cattle rustlers frequently raid villages looting livestock and often killing the inhabitants.
The Karamojong herdsmen are often in conflict with the Pokot and Turkana neighbours in Kenya who also practice cattle rustling.
NIGERIA MOVES TO TIGHTEN GAY LAWS
The deputy speaker said Nigerians shouldn’t forget their cultural heritage
N
igeria’s House of Representatives has held a public hearing
on a new bill seeking to outlaw gay relations.
The bill, which could become law
before April’s elections, proposes a
five-year sentence for anyone convicted of being openly gay or practicing gay sex.
Critics say the bill is anti-freedom,
but religious leaders say it will help
“protect society’s morals and values”.
Homosexuality is taboo across
most of Africa, although South Africa
THE METRO HERALD
recently legalized gay marriages.
The committee conducting the public hearing say they have received over
100 petitions from rights groups asking
that the proposed bill be withdrawn.
“The bill is going to seriously violate the rights of people. This bill is
evil and should not be allowed to see
that light of the day,” says Alimi Ademola who heads Independent Project
Nigeria, a gay rights organization. But
the bill will prove popular in a country
where homosexuality is taboo and
elections are looming, says the BBC’s
Senan Murray in Abuja.
Parliamentary insiders say the bill
is likely to be passed by both chambers
of the Nigerian National Assembly by
the end of March, he says.
Speaking at the session, Deputy
Speaker Austin Opara said he did not
want Nigerians to forget their “religious and cultural backgrounds”.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (Can), the umbrella body for Nigerian Christians, called for speedy passage of the law, describing same sex
unions as “barbaric and shameful”.
The National Muslim Centre also
condemned gay relations as “immoral,
and runs contrary to our cultural and
religious values”.
The deputy chairman of the house
committee on human rights Abdul
Oroh says it was hypocritical of proponents of the bill to use morality and religion as basis for their arguments.
“We should not be hypocritical
here. I think we should deal with this
subject dispassionately. While we are
trying to protect morals and values, we
must also remember to protect people’s
rights even if they are a minority,” Mr
Oreh said at the public hearing.
The United Nations has warned that
the bill would promote the spread of
HIV/Aids.
“Failing to acknowledge that sex
between men will only increase the
vulnerability of men—and women—to
HIV infection, since men who cannot
talk about their sexual orientation are
less likely to seek appropriate support
services,” said Dr Pierre Mpele, the
UNAids country co-ordinator in
Nigeria.
Zambia’s infrastructure plans could be threatened
A
High Court judge has ruled
that Zambia must pay a substantial sum to a so-called
“vulture fund”.
British Virgin Islands-based Donegal International paid less than $4m for
a debt the African nation owed, but
sued Zambia for a $42m repayment.
It said its bill was the result of interest and costs, but the judge will decide how much Zambia should pay.
The ruling has angered anti-debt
campaigners, who say it will undermine Zambia’s plans for poverty reduction.
Vulture funds—as defined by the
International Monetary Fund and UK
Chancellor Gordon Brown among others - are companies which buy up the
debt of poor nations cheaply when it is
about to be written off, then sue for the
full value of the debt plus interest.
There are concerns that such funds
are wiping out the benefits which international debt relief was supposed to
bring to poor countries.
A Zambian presidential adviser and
consultant to Oxfam, Martin KalungaBanda, said $42m was equal to all the
debt relief it received last year.
“It means 30,000 children who
would have benefited from going to
school free will not be able to do so,”
he told the BBC.
“It also means the treatment, the
Medicare, the medicines that would
have been available to in excess of
100,000 people in the country will not
be available.”
Mr Kalunga-Banda added that
while the repayment might be legal, it
arose from debts accrued when the
country was under “an undemocratic
system”.
“The consequences of the debt are
impacting on the people of Zambia,”
he said.
“The Zambians at that time did not
even have even the capacity to know
this was happening and that is probably what brings in this issue of unfairness.”
In 1979, the Romanian government
lent Zambia money to buy Romanian
tractors.
Zambia was unable to keep up the
payments and in 1999, Romania and
Zambia negotiated to liquidate the debt
for $3m. But before the deal could be
finalised, Donegal International, which
is part owned by US-based Debt Advisory International (DAI) stepped in
and bought the debt from Romania for
less than $4m.
DAI founder Michael Sheehan was
confronted by the BBC’s Newsnight
programme before the court ruling, but
said only: “No comment. I’m in litigation. It’s not my debt.”
In 2002, Gordon Brown told the
United Nations that the vulture funds
were perverse and immoral. “We particularly condemn the perversity where
vulture funds purchase debt at a reduced price and make a profit from
suing the debtor country to recover the
full amount owed—a morally outrageous outcome.”
Jubilee Debt campaigner Caroline
Pearce said that vulture funds “made a
mockery” of the work done by governments to write off the debts of the
poorest—a key theme of 2005’s Live8
concert.
“Profiteering doesn’t get any more
cynical than this,” Ms Pearce said.
“Zambia has been planning to
spend the money released from debt
cancellation on much-needed nurses,
teachers and infrastructure.
“This is what debt cancellation is
intended for, not to line the pockets of
businessmen based in rich countries.”
7
CAPITAL COMMENTS
February 16, 2007
BARACK OBAMA
ANNOUNCES HIS
CANDIDACY FOR
PRESIDENT
D
emocrat Barack Obama declared himself a candidate for
the White House in 2008,
evoking Abraham Lincoln’s ability to
unite a nation and promising to lead a
new generation as the country’s first
black president.
The first-term senator announced his
candidacy from the state capital where
he began his elective career just 10 years
ago, and in front of the building where in
another century, Lincoln served eight
years in the Illinois Legislature.
“We can build a more hopeful
America,” Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery. “And that is why, in
2 SOUTH CAROLINA
BLACK LEADERS BACK
SEN. CLINTON
T
wo key black political leaders
in South Carolina who backed
John Edwards in 2004 said
they are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s bid for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
State Sens. Robert Ford and Darrell
Jackson told The Associated Press they
believe Clinton is the only Democrat
who can win the presidency. Both said
they had been courted by Illinois Sen.
Barack Obama; Ford said Obama winning the primary would drag down the
rest of the party.
“It’s a slim possibility for him to
get the nomination, but then everybody
else is doomed,” Ford said. “Every Democrat running on that ticket next year
would lose—because he’s black and
he’s top of the ticket. We’d lose the
House and the Senate and the governors and everything.”
“I’m a gambling man. I love
Obama,” Ford said. “But I’m not going
to kill myself.”
Ford said he was swayed by calls
from former President Clinton and
Hillary Clinton. The Charleston lawmaker said she has solid support in his
district, one of the key regions in the
state with a major black Democratic
the shadow of the Old State Capitol,
where Lincoln once called on a divided
house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still
live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of
the United States.”
Obama did not mention his family
background, his childhood in Hawaii
and Indonesia or that he would make
history if elected president.
Instead, he focused on his life in
Illinois over the past two decades, beginning with a job as a community organizer with a $13,000-a-year salary
that strengthened his Christian faith.
He said the struggles he saw people
face inspired him to get a law degree
and run for the Legislature, where he
served eight years before becoming a
voting population.
Clinton’s campaign said it welcomed the lawmakers’ support, but disagreed with Ford’s contention that
Obama could harm a Democratic
ticket. “I think it’s just flat-out wrong,”
said spokesman Mo Elleithee. One
Obama ally rejected Ford’s assessment.
“I think that Senator Ford’s comments were reprehensible,” said Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. “I believe
Democratic prospects would soar, not
slump.”
Later in the day, Ford said he had
been besieged by criticism and apologized for his characterization of
Obama’s chances. If Clinton doesn’t
win the nomination, any of the other
candidates are well suited to take the
White House, Ford said.
“If I caused anybody—including
myself—any pain about the comments
I made earlier, then I want to apologize
to myself and to Senator Obama and
any of his supporters,” Ford said.
Darrell Jackson, who also is the
minister of a large church in the state’s
capital city, said Edwards—a South
Carolina native who won the state’s
Democratic primary three years ago—
had his chance.
“I feel as if he’s had his opportunity,” he said.
Darrell Jackson said Edwards was a
wonderful individual and he considers
U.S. senator just
two years ago.
“I recognize
there is a certain
presumptuousness, a certain audacity, to this announcement,”
Obama said. “I
know I haven’t Senator
spent a lot of time Barack Obama
learning the ways
of Washington. But I’ve been there long
enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
“Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what’s
needed to be done,” he said. “Today
we are called once more—and it is
time for our generation to answer that
call.”
State Senator
Robert Ford
State Senator
Darrell Jackson
Obama a friend, but Clinton “is our
best shot.”
John Moylan, campaign director
for Edwards in South Carolina,
shrugged off the defections and predicted Edwards would win the state.
The endorsements come just days
before Obama and Clinton campaign
in the state for the first time in the 2008
race.
Jackson and Ford took credit for turning out black voters for Edwards in 2004
in a state where half the primary voters
are black. In his only primary victory,
Edwards won 37 percent of the vote,
slightly better than Sen. John Kerry.
Support from black voters is key in
South Carolina, where 49 percent of
the Democratic presidential primary
vote came from blacks in 2004. The
state will host the first Southern primaries for both the GOP and Democrats in 2008.
DEMS SEEK TO LIMIT
U.S. IRAQ INVOLVEMENT
E
ven before they cast symbolic
votes against the Iraq war,
newly empowered congressional Democrats are clamoring for a
chance to limit and eventually end U.S.
involvement in a conflict that has
killed more than 3,000 troops.
“Will I vote for a nonbinding resolution? Yes, but it’s insufficient,” says
first-term Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania, author of one of more than a
dozen competing proposals that would
impose a deadline for the withdrawal
of U.S. troops.
“I think eventually without a question that we will have the House move
to that position,” the former three-star
admiral added. “The country is already
there.”
Sestak spoke in an interview just
off the House floor, which will serve as
a nationally televised stage this week
for a marathon debate over Bush’s war
policy.
A vote is expected by week’s end
on a nonbinding measure that expresses disapproval of the president’s
recent decision to dispatch an additional 21,500 military personnel to
Iraq. The measure also affirms support
for the troops.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,
and the Democratic leadership have
firmed up support for the measure by
repeatedly promising it will be followed by binding legislation. “Our
goal is to end the war,” one Democrat
quoted Pelosi as saying at a recent private caucus.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
of Nevada has pursued the same
course, hoping to enlist a bipartisan
majority behind a measure that expresses disagreement with Bush’s
plans. Republicans have so far blocked
consideration of the resolution.
Two Democrats have said they will
oppose the resolution as too weak,
even as a first step. But Reid’s office
has enlisted the backing of the anti-war
organization MoveOn.org for the strategy and defections have been few.
At the same time, pressure has been
building.
War critics have told Reid they
want to use anti-terrorism legislation
that is expected on the Senate floor in
March as a way of forcing votes on
proposals to end the war.
In the House, the leadership is planning to turn Bush’s request for additional military money into a midMarch debate over the war.
Rep. John Murtha, who heads a
subcommittee with jurisdiction over
defense spending, told reporters he
hopes to add a provision to the bill that
would forbid the Pentagon from sending additional troops “unless they have
adequate training and unless they have
adequate equipment.”
Murtha, D-Pa., said he believes the
Army may have no units that can meet
those standards, meaning Bush’s attempt to increase the number of troops
in the war would be checked.
The measure also may be amended
to forbid creation of any permanent
U.S. military bases in Iraq and razing
the Abu Ghraib facility that was at the
center of a prisoner torture scandal.
Murtha said it is possible the bill
will also call for the closing of the facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, except in the case of several dozen detainees who will stand trial.
In the complicated politics of the
war, the spending bill would face
daunting hurdles.
Democrats determined to end the
conflict have said they will not approve any more money to keep it
going. Republicans who support
Bush’s policy would be unlikely to
support limits on his power as commander in chief.
Unlike a nonbinding measure, legislation is always subject to a presidential veto.
But opponents of the war, their
strength increased in last fall’s congressional elections, say public opinion is moving their way.
“Increasingly, Republicans are uncomfortable and in public disagreement with the president’s plan,” said
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. She said
she favors withdrawing the troops “as
soon as practicable.”
DEMOCRATS RECAPTURE BIG PART OF HISPANIC VOTE
D
emocrats recaptured a big part
of the Hispanic vote in the November midterm election, support that Latino activists caution won’t
necessarily be there in the next contest.
Nearly seven in 10 Hispanic voters
supported Democrats in the congressional elections, according to exit polls.
But that’s not the whole story. Republican candidates in several key states did
well among Hispanics, suggesting that
Latinos could be important swing voters in the 2008 presidential election.
“Part of the defection had to do
with dissatisfaction with the president,
not necessarily satisfaction with the
Democrats,” said Clarissa Martinez de
Castro, state policy director for the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s
largest Hispanic civil rights group.
“The Democrats will have to make
sure they address the concerns of Latinos to keep that support.”
Democrats have long counted on
Hispanic voters as a core constituency,
so they were concerned after President
Bush captured about 40 percent of the
Hispanic vote in 2004. That was the
most ever for a GOP presidential candidate.
8
“I think there was an assumption
that Latinos were becoming more Republican,” said Lionel Sosa, an adviser
on Hispanic outreach for Bush’s campaigns. “But the fact is the Latino is
becoming more of a swing voter—no
longer voting the Democratic Party
line, but not calling themselves Republican, either.”
Hispanics are the largest and
fastest-growing minority group in the
country. But they don’t have proportionate political power in part because
many are non-citizens, making them
ineligible to vote.
In some states, though, Hispanic
voters make up a significant part of the
electorate, including Colorado, New
Mexico, Arizona and Nevada—fastgrowing places that could be important
battlegrounds in 2008. All four states
voted for Bush in 2004, but Democrats
have had recent success in each state.
“That is where both parties need to
focus for the future,” Sosa said.
Republicans in Arizona and Nevada
received significant support from Hispanic voters in November. Sen. Jon
Kyl carried 41 percent of the Arizona
Hispanic vote in his re-election vic-
tory, according to exit polls. In
Nevada, Republican Jim Gibbons won
the governor’s race with 37 percent of
the Hispanic vote.
Analysts say it’s unlikely that a majority of U.S. Hispanics would back a
Republican for president in 2008.
Rather, national GOP candidates can
expect to receive somewhere between
30 percent and 45 percent of the Hispanic vote, said Roberto Suro, director
of the Pew Hispanic Center, a research
organization in Washington. But in a
close presidential race, the difference
between those percentages could be
decisive.
Hispanics “are not swing voters in
the way that white middle-class men
have been for the past 20 years, like the
Reagan Democrats,” Suro said.
Suro said it would take a “seismic
shift” for a Republican to garner 50
percent of the Hispanic vote nationwide. However, he added, Republicans
would be disappointed to get only 30
percent.
Many Hispanics were angered by
the hard line some Republicans took
on the illegal immigration debate, and
it showed at the polls.
“Latinos are no different than anybody else; they don’t want to be used,”
said Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif.,
outgoing chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The outgoing Republican National
Committee Chairman, Ken Mehlman,
said there isn’t unanimity on the immigration issue within his party. He noted
that Bush supported an immigration
bill that would have provided an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal
immigrants.
Mehlman worked hard to reach out
to Hispanic and black voters during his
tenure as party chairman. His successor, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, was
born in Cuba and is expected to continue the effort.
Immigration is a big issue among
Hispanics in the United States, but it’s
not the only one of importance. When
Latinos were asked in a recent survey
to name the most important problem
facing the country, more said the war
in Iraq and the economy than illegal
immigration.
However, when asked about the
most important problem facing the
Latino community, far more said ille-
gal immigration than any other issue.
The survey, called the 2006 National
Latino Survey, was conducted over
nine months by a team of university
professors from across the country.
“To a degree, Latinos understand
the challenges in American society in
ways very consistent with the way the
majority of Americans understand
them,” said Luis R. Fraga, a political
scientist at Stanford University who
worked on the survey. “At the same
time they understand the unique position they hold and the unique challenges they face.”
Latinos tend to be more conservative than most Democrats on social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, according to the survey.
Education and economic issues are
also important — as they are for most
voters. But they can carry extra weight
for Hispanics because they tend to
have lower incomes and lower education levels than non-Hispanic whites.
“There is a phrase, the ‘aspiration
agenda,’” Fraga said. “It appeals to
Latino voters by focusing on their aspirations to move ahead in American
society.”
THE METRO HERALD
INSIGHTS & VIEWPOINTS
February 16, 2007
CHALLENGE TO PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY
BY M. LINDA JARAMILLO
EXECUTIVE MINISTER
T
he Progressive Christian
movement finds itself in
the midst of a radically
changing society that is searching
for an explanation to the chaos of
current culture. Societies’ masses
are hungry for answers and will
accept almost any rationalization
for the miracles of faith, regardless of their sustainability. Immediate gratification seems to satisfy the ever-present search for
truth regardless of whether or not
it is grounded in scriptural examination, historical analysis, or cultural authenticity.
Progressive Christianity is
poised to incorporate liberation
values, but it must resist being
captured by the seductive web of
power that leaves little room for
individual diverse perspectives to
be heard. In order to offer an
emancipating option for religious
practice, Progressive Christian
thinking must incorporate spiritual
liberation. If it does not, Progres-
THE METRO HERALD
sive Christianity is nothing more
than any other religious movement
that attempts to control the questions and the answers without considering each person’s spiritual authority and authenticity.
Diversity is a socially acceptable and culturally popular term,
but there is little evidence of longterm change actually being incorporated into institutions and systems to create liberating and
lasting social transformation.
History has shown that deviation
from the societal status quo is
avoided because change challenges current practice and comfortable thinking even though it
often results in social isolation for
some. However, social isolation
is no longer acceptable in a world
society that is aware of the depth
and breadth of cultural difference.
It is no longer possible in the information age to ignore the devastating impact of elitism and oppression.
Therefore, human
survival desperately needs progressive thinking.
By its very nature, progressive
thinking suggests discomfort and
uneasiness as a way to advance
and promote out-of-the-ordinary
possibilities. The voices of the
historically marginalized and systemically powerless are essential
to the mix. However, voice recovery requires quiet space and
noise-free environments.
In
other words, the always speaking
voices are challenged to listen
quietly for the whispers and murmurs that emerge as the oppressed
regain their courage to speak. In
so doing, all are liberated.
It is true that chaos exists when
new ideas emerge and voices
change, but it can be holy chaos.
It is true that change requires negotiation, but through cooperation
stronger relationships materialize.
It is also true that the powerful
will be stimulated to recover
themselves in ways that will ulti-
mately be liberating and transforming.
Oppressive religious practice is
not a new phenomenon. Spiritual
oppression has existed since the
beginning of the age. Throughout history, the powerless masses
have lost their authenticity in the
quest to find acceptance by the
powers and principalities. In
order to change the course of history, a wave of liberation thinking
must emerge. Liberation that releases both the oppressed and the
oppressor cannot be compromised.
The Church of the 21st Century is called to be relevant in the
times ahead. That relevance must
acknowledge
the
dramatic
changes in the demographic landscape, not only in the United
States but in a world-wide landscape in which ancient spiritual
traditions and rituals are once
again emerging in the people’s
search for truth.
• • •
The United Church of Christ has
more than 5,700 churches
throughout the United States.
Rooted in the Christian traditions
of congregational governance and
covenantal relationships, each
UCC setting speaks only for itself
and not on behalf of every UCC
congregation. UCC members
and churches are free to differ on
important social issues, even as
the UCC remains principally
committed to unity in the midst of
our diversity.
9
EDUCATION
February 16, 2007
APPLICATION DEADLINE
FOR ACPS LOTTERY
A
lexandria is fortunate to have five schools that offer unique programs to students in their neighborhoods and from across the city.
Each of the five schools has a limited number of openings for
students outside of its attendance zone. Students may apply to these
schools through a lottery. The five schools are: Cora Kelly School for
Math, Science and Technology; Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and
Academics; John Adams Elementary Dual Language Program; LylesCrouch Traditional Academy; and Mount Vernon Community School.
Lottery applications must be received by March 2, 2007. Applications
can be downloaded from the ACPS Web site at www.acps.k12.va.us/lottery.php and will be available in schools by mid-February.
Students are assigned to a neighborhood school based on their home address. Every child must register at his or her home school, even if he or she
will attend a different school under the lottery system. Parents who are unsure of the school to which their child is assigned can call 703-824-6710.
Siblings of students enrolled in a school as a result of the lottery will
be granted enrollment to that school at the kindergarten level, and will be
allowed to remain at that school through fifth grade, provided there are no
breaks in enrollment. Siblings of lottery students who wish to enroll in
the school at a grade other than kindergarten must apply through the lottery.
All students in grades K-5 may submit a lottery application. Before
applying for the lottery, it is recommend that parents learn about what
these specialized schools—as well as their child’s assigned school—can
offer. To visit, simply call the school office and request a tour of the
school.
For more information, contact the Department of Information and
Outreach at 703-824-6635.
Scholar of the Week
SUITLAND HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
NADIA SASSO
GRADE: 12
SCHOOL: SUITLAND HIGH SCHOOL
GPA: 4.17
Academics: International Baccalaureate program, National Honor
Society, Spanish Honor Society
Extra Curricular Activities: Spanish Club, Chief of Staff for Class of
2007 Student Government Association, Director for the Presence,
Attitude, Style, Class modeling team, works as an accounting assistant for
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport/Metropolitan Washington
Airports Authority
Future Goals: Her ultimate goal: to work for the United Nations and
promote education on a global level.
Interesting Notes: As a 2006 Posse Foundation Scholarship winner, she
will attend Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania this fall on a
full four-year scholarship. She has traveled to Austria, Switzerland, Italy,
France, and Mexico. She has accumulated 570 community service hours
through her work with Brothers and Sisters United, Inc. (After School
Program) and Heritage Multicultural Youth Program Camp.
10
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM HONORS BLACK LEADER
OF NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
A
s part of Black History Month,
the Education and Research
Foundation of the American
Society of Radiologic Technologists
announced seven students have been
awarded scholarships on behalf of the
2006 Royce Osborn Minority Student
Scholarship Program. The scholarship
program was created to honor Royce
Osborn, R.T., the first black president
of ASRT.
A tragedy actually led to Mr. Osborn’s career in radiologic technology.
Shortly after graduating from high
school in the mid-1940s, he was struck
by a car, leading to the amputation of
one of his legs. Because of his injuries,
he spent several months in and out of
the hospital where he became friendly
with the radiologic technologists taking his x-rays and was impressed by
their professionalism. That inspired
him to pursue a career as a radiologic
technologist.
He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in biology from Xavier
University in New Orleans and completed a year-long training program in
radiologic technology at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. In 1952 he
joined the American Society of X-ray
Technicians, which later became the
ASRT.
At this time, the field of medicine
was segregated in many parts of the
United States, with black physicians
only being allowed to operate out of
all-black hospitals. Despite his qualifications and experience, Mr. Osborn repeatedly faced rejection. When he
couldn’t find work in Boston, he returned to New Orleans and, in 1955,
became chief technologist at a hospital
for black people, Flint-Goodrich Hospital, earning $200 a month. Mr. Osborn knew several of the technologists
from hospitals for white people, but
could not interact with them professionally because he was barred from
participating in their educational meetings. Despite these roadblocks, Mr.
Osborn expanded and improvised his
own learning and became known for
the quality of the images he took.
Mr. Osborn began presenting his
research at ASRT meetings in the early
1960s and also served on many of the
association’s committees. He was
elected ASRT vice president in 1966
and then served as ASRT president in
1969. He also served two terms as
president of the New Orleans radiologic society. Mr. Osborn died of cancer in 1997.
The scholarships created in his
name, worth $4,000 each, are presented annually to outstanding minority students attending accredited,
entry-level radiologic science programs. The scholarship program is
funded by individuals and organizations who contribute to the Foundation’s Scholarship Patron Program.
The largest donor is the American
Registry of Radiologic Technologists,
the world’s largest credentialing organization. “Cultural diversity and academic achievement are important factors in promoting high standards of
patient care,” said ARRT President
Anne C. Chapman, R.T. (R) (N)
(ARRT), CNMT. “The Royce Osborn
Minority Scholarship program helps
our profession achieve those standards,
and ARRT is proud to support it.”
This year’s Royce Osborn Minority
Scholarship recipients are:
• Elsamani I. Abdelfadiel of Richmond, Va. Mr. Abdelfadiel is enrolled in a nuclear medicine bachelorís degree program at Virginia
Commonwealth University.
• Bettina A. Brown of San Antonio.
Ms. Brown is enrolled in a radiography associate degree program at
St. Phillips College.
• Adnan M. Kaiser of Atlantic City,
N.J. Mr. Kaiser is enrolled in a radiologic technology certificate program at Shore Memorial Hospital
School of Radiologic Technology.
• Thanh M. Khong of Boston. Mr.
Khong is enrolled in a nuclear medicine bachelor’s degree program at
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
• Tammi M. Kinchlow of Indianapolis. Ms. Kinchlow is enrolled in a
radiologic technology associate degree program at Ivy Tech Community College.
• Hector A. Navarro of Avon, Ind.
Mr. Navarro is enrolled in a radiography associate degree program at
Indian University School of Medicine.
• Mina H. Tonnu of Gardena, Calif.
Ms. Tonnu is enrolled in a radiography associate degree program at the
Charles R. Drew University of
Medicine and Science.
MULCH SALE BENEFITS
T.C. WILLIAMS LACROSSE TEAMS
T
he T.C. Williams High School girls’ and boys’ lacrosse
teams are selling bags of mulch as a fundraiser. Each 3-cubic
feet, 40-pound bag costs $4.75. Orders must be received by
March 17, with checks made out to T.C. Williams Lacrosse Boosters, c/o Linda Davenport, 206 Elm St., Alexandria, Va. 22301. Pickup will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 24,
at George Washington Middle School, 1005 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria. Delivery is available, in City of Alexandria limits only,
for a $20 additional fee and minimum 10-bag order.
Order
forms
may
be
obtained
at
www.acps.k12.va.us/tcw/mulchsale.pdf or by contacting Bill Garrahan at 703-548-4953 (home), 703-926-0919 (work) or
[email protected]; or Mark Fitzsimmons at 703-5492430
(home),
202-429-8068
(work)
or
[email protected].
“We are thrilled that we are able to
offer the scholarships in honor of Mr.
Osborn,” said Maureen Simmons, the
Foundation’s director of development.
“With the generous support of donors,
such as the ARRT and other committed
individuals and organizations, we can
these help these deserving students
continue his work and dreams.”
For a more information about the
Foundation and its scholarship
programs,
visit
www.asrt.org/
foundation.
PHONE BAN
SOUGHT
FOR SCHOOL
BUS DRIVERS
T
he school bus industry has
a message for bus drivers:
Put down your cell phones.
The American School Bus Council
plans to issue guidelines calling
for a ban on drivers using cell
phones when the bus is moving or
when students are getting on or off.
The group’s co-director, Pete
Japikse, who also is the head of
school transportation in Ohio, said
the council will urge bus companies and school districts to enact
the ban.
He said the research is clear
that cell phones cause drivers to
lose focus. “We don’t want those
distractions to be part of the school
bus driver’s environment,” he said.
Japikse said the group also will
urge state lawmakers to take action. There are at least a dozen
states with laws or regulations prohibiting school bus drivers from
talking on the phone.
The council includes public and
private transportation providers,
school bus manufacturers and state
officials responsible for pupil
transportation.
National PTA President Anna
Weselak applauded the council’s
decision.
“There has been a lot of attention to anyone operating a motorized vehicle and talking on the cell
phone,” Weselak said. “Parents
want their children to be safe at
home and school and on their way
to and from school.”
The council’s recommendation
follows one from the National
Transportation Safety Board,
which said all bus drivers should
be banned from using cell phones
while driving.
The federal panel made that
recommendation after blaming a
driver’s chat on a cell phone for a
2004 crash in Alexandria, Va. that
injured 11 students.
About 25 million students in
the United States ride the school
bus each day, according to the
American School Bus Council.
In 2005, 134 people were killed
in accidents involving school
buses, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Ten were drivers or passengers
on the bus, while 30 were pedestrians. The majority of those killed
were in other vehicles.
THE METRO HERALD
EDUCATION
February 16, 2007
TWO LOCAL STUDENTS ARE AMONG
40 NATIONAL INTEL SCIENCE TALENT
SEARCH FINALISTS
M
ontgomery Blair High School seniors Brian Lawrence and Matt
McCutchen were surprised by yet a second visit from officials in
as many weeks to announce that they have been named finalists in
the 66th Intel Science Talent Search.
A representative of Science Service, which administers the rigorous science competition, presented each student with a $5,000 finalist check—and
the opportunity to go on to the national competition on March 8-13. The top
winners will be announced March 13 at a black tie banquet and awards ceremony.
Only two weeks previously, on January 17, representatives came to Blair
to congratulate the school for having 12 Intel semifinalists, second highest in
the nation. Montgomery County Public Schools also had one semifinalist
each at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walt Whitman, and Thomas S. Wootton high
schools, for a total of 15.
Lawrence earned a finalist award for his mathematics project, Finite
Groups with p2 – 1 Elements of Order p. His work involved classical matrix
groups with the classification theorem of finite simple groups.
Lawrence is captain of the math team at Blair and has earned national and
international mathematical honors, along with being principal cellist in the
Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra and playing in the American Youth Philharmonic. He plans to pursue a career in mathematics because of “the beauty
and structure of the subject.”
McCutchen submitted a theoretical computer science project, Least-Unpopularity-Factor Matching. It addressed the problem of what set of rules
(collectively known as an algorithm) could be used to assign people to jobs,
considering the preferences of each individual and maximizing their happiness.
McCutchen heads the computer club at Blair and has won many awards,
including a gold prize at the 2005 International Olympiad in Informatics in
Poland. His hobbies include music theory and composition and open source
software development. He hopes to continue his studies at MIT or CalTech.
FREE COLLEGE FUNDING WORKSHOP
T
he truth about beating the high
cost of your child’s education
is finally revealed at an exclusive FREE College Funding Workshop. In fact, these almost unheard of
strategies are saving families THOUSANDS of dollars, regardless of their
income or assets. Discover the inside
tips and techniques most others don’t
know about . . . avoid costly mistakes
… and get the most money possible.
“It’s true. Parents of College Bound
High School Students are finally finding out all they need to know about
ways they can beat the high cost of college” says Todd Hughes, the leading
local expert on College Funding.
At this seminar, you’ll learn:
• How to double, even triple, your eligibility for financial aid! (This
technique has increased family’s eligibility by up to $10,000 EACH
YEAR!)
• The right way to position your assets to maximize the aid you’ll get!
(Not one in a thousand financial advisors can do this!)
• Why some middle-class and upper
middle-class parents pay thousands
less than the “Sticker Price” of a
college . . . and you can too!
• How to send your child to an expensive Private University for
LESS than a State School!
• How to pick colleges that will give
you the best financial aid packages!
(More FREE money!)
• How to lower your “out-of-pocket”
costs, and get the maximum
amount of money from each
school!
• How to fill out the complicated financial aid forms accurately and on
time! (The real reason why 90%
fail to fill them out right . . . and get
less money!)
• How to locate and apply for every
need-based scholarship, grant, and
low-interest loan that your child
may be eligible for! (Most aren’t
even aware that many of these
even exist!)
And much, much more!
The next scheduled Workshops are
Wednesday 02/21/07 from 6:30–
8:30PM at the James Lee Community
Center in Falls Church, VA and Saturday 03/03/07 from 1:00–3:00PM at
the Falls Church Community Center in
Falls Church, VA. To make your
Reservation to attend this FREE College Funding Workshop, Call (877)
855-1708, 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a
Week. Reservations are Free BUT
seating is very limited.
BLACK FACT
On February 16, 1957, actor Levar Burton was
born in Landsthul, Germany. Burton won fame
for his acting in the television movie “Roots,”
which was based on the novel by Alex Haley.
He became known once more in the 1980s and
1990s for his recurring role in the “Star Trek:
Next Generation” series.
THE METRO HERALD
PANEL URGES PROGRESS GOALS FOR TEACHERS
A
n updated No Child Left Behind law should track the
progress of teachers as well as
students, a special commission said.
The private commission said
schools should be required to measure
how well teachers are doing at raising
student test scores — one of 75 recommendations in a report meant to guide
Congress as it prepares to rewrite the
5-year-old law this year. The idea came
under immediate attack from the nation’s largest teachers union.
Teachers should be evaluated annually based on progress in the test scores
of their students, the panel said. Reviews by colleagues or school principals also would be part of the equation
for determining teacher quality.
If a teacher has trouble showing
student progress or getting good reviews after two years, that teacher
would begin to get professional development. If that doesn’t lead to a turnaround, then after seven years the
teacher would be prevented from
teaching in a school that receives federal poverty aid.
The current law, which requires
testing in reading and math in grades
three through eight and once in high
school, does not measure the effectiveness of individual teachers. It does require teachers to be certified, have a
bachelor’s degree and knowledge of
their subjects.
“We believe that teachers should
have the opportunity to demonstrate
their effectiveness in the classroom,”
former Georgia Democratic Gov. Roy
Barnes said at a news conference. He
and Republican Tommy Thompson, a
former governor of Wisconsin, led the
commission set up by the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
But Joel Packer, a lobbyist for the
National Education Association, the
largest teachers’ union, called the idea
ill-conceived.
He said it would further encourage
teachers to “teach to a test,” a common
complaint levied against the law, rather
that ensuring students receive a deep
understanding of the subjects taught.
Schools currently must meet yearly
progress goals under No Child Left
Behind. If schools miss those marks,
SCHOOL BOARD
RESCHEDULES
DISCIPLINARY
COMMITTEE
HEARING
D
ue to a cancellation
caused by inclement
weather, the Prince
William County School Board
has added the disciplinary hearing cases that were originally
scheduled for February 14 to the
agenda for the next hearing,
scheduled to take place on
Wednesday, February 28 at
4:30p.m.
School Board Vice Chairman
Michael I. Otaigbe (Coles) and
Members Denita S. Ramirez
(Woodbridge) and Don Richardson (Gainesville) will convene on
February 28 to review all four
disciplinary cases.
they can be labeled as needing improvement and may face consequences.
However, the report calls the current system of measuring progress “a
fairly blunt instrument” and recommended giving schools credit for making strides, even if they fall short of a
specific goal.
The report also recommends closing a loophole under the law that has
allowed states to set aside the scores of
specific groups of students.
States have a lot of flexibility in determining how large those set-asides
should be, and an Associated Press review last year found that nearly 2 million students were not being counted
when schools reported yearly progress
by racial groups.
The commission also is calling for
changes in the way some special education students are assessed. Currently
about 10 percent of students are given
alternate tests and measured against
benchmarks that are different from
those used to assess general education
students.
The report recommends allowing
an additional 10 percent of special education students to also be judged
against different benchmarks.
The commission’s report also said:
• Schools should be judged by how
well students do on science tests, as
well as math and reading exams.
• A new test should be given in high
school to assess students’ readiness
to do college-level work or enter
the job market.
• The federal government should create national standards and national
tests and create an incentive for
states to use those.
The commission members were
joined at the news conference by key
lawmakers, including Massachusetts
Democrat Edward Kennedy, who
chairs the Senate committee expected
to rewrite the education law.
“Many of their recommendations
are going to see life,” Kennedy said of
the commission.
REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIRS
SHOWCASE ACADEMIC TALENTS
T
he Prince William County Public Schools Science Office has
announced the regional science fair dates for the middle/senior
and junior divisions. The Middle/Senior Division of the Prince
William-Manassas Regional Science Fair for students in grades seven
through twelve will be held on Saturday, March 17 at Gar-Field High
School, 14000 Smoketown Road in Woodbridge. The Junior Division
for students in grades five and six will be held on Saturday, April 21
at Stonewall Jackson High School, 8820 Rixlew Lane in Manassas.
SENIOR DIVISION
Participants in the senior division of the science fair are seventh
through twelfth grade students who have earned first place honors in
their categories at their individual schools. The categories are animal
sciences, behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, chemistry,
computer science, earth and space sciences, electrical and mechanical
engineering, environmental sciences, materials and bioengineering,
mathematics, medicine and health, microbiology, physics and astronomy, and plant sciences. Team projects are also eligible for competition.
Registration and project setup for the middle/senior division is on
Friday, March 16 from 4:30 to 7:30p.m. Judging will take place
from 8:30 to 11:30a.m. on Saturday, March 17 with further judging
for selected students scheduled for 11:30a.m. to 1p.m. Displays will
be open to the public for viewing from 2 to 3p.m., then an awards assembly will be held in the school auditorium at 3 p.m. All projects
must be removed at the conclusion of the awards ceremony at
4:30p.m.
JUNIOR DIVISION
Participants in the junior division of the Prince William-Manassas
Regional Science Fair are fifth and sixth grade students who have
earned first place honors in their categories at their individual schools.
The categories are animal sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering and mathematics, earth and space sciences, environmental
sciences, medicine and health, physics, and plant sciences.
Registration and project set-up for the junior division is scheduled
for 4:30 to 7:30p.m. on Friday, April 20. Judging will take place
from 8:30 to 11:30a.m. on Saturday, April 21, with further judging
for selected students scheduled for 11:30 a.m. until 2p.m. Displays
will be open to the public from 2 to 2:30p.m., followed by an awards
assembly in the auditorium scheduled to begin at 2:30p.m. All projects must be removed at the conclusion of the awards presentation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
All students are required to follow the rules and procedures outlined in the 2006-07 Prince William-Manassas Regional Science Fair
Handbook, available on the Web at www.pwcs.edu/science. Click on
“Science Fair” in the left-hand navigation bar and choose “Home,”
then scroll down to access the document. Qualifying students will be
required to pre-register online for the Regional Science Fair with assistance from their teachers and/or school fair coordinators.
Anyone who is interested in being a judge for either science fair is
asked to call the science office at 703-791-7240.
11
BLACK EDUCATORS CLIMBING THE DREAM
February 16, 2007
DR. MURIEL A. HOWARD
BUFFALO STATE
COLLEGE
D
r. Muriel A. Howard became
the seventh president of Buffalo State College on April 24,
1996. She received her bachelor of arts
in sociology from Richmond College,
City University of New York; her master’s of education and doctorate in educational organization, administration,
and policy from the University at Buffalo, and a certificate from the Institute
for Educational Management at Har-
vard University. In 2002, President
Howard received the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from City University of New York City Technical
College. Prior to her arrival at Buffalo
State College, she was the vice president for public service and urban affairs
at the University at Buffalo. Her professional and scholarly interests include
educational leadership and the representation of women and minorities in
the academy.
President Howard is the chair-elect
of the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
Board of Directors. She also serves on
the National Survey on Student Engagement Advisory Board, the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities Board of Directors, where she
chairs the Communications and Public
Relations Committee, and the American
Council on Education (ACE).
She is a member of the State University of New York (SUNY) Advisory
Council on Teacher Education and
serves on the SUNY Board of Directors
of the Center for Russia. She co-chaired
the State University of New York
Provost’s Advisory Task Force on Gen-
eral Education, establishing guidelines
for the institution of a general education
curricula throughout the SUNY system,
and was a member of the New York
State Blue Ribbon Commission on
Youth Leadership.
President Howard’s current community involvement includes membership
on the executive committee for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Niagara University Board of Directors, Buffalo Public Schools Foundation Board of
Directors, and the King Urban Life Center Board of Directors. She also serves on
the corporate boards of directors for Merchants Insurance Company and Farm
Credit of Western New York, ACA.
She is a member of the Erie Community College Board of Trustees
search committee. In addition, she
served on the search committee for the
Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent
and also served as co-chair for City of
Buffalo Mayoral Transition Team.
In 1999, President Howard chaired
the United Way campaign for Buffalo
and Erie County. She served on the
board of directors of that organization
for many years. She has also chaired the
subcommittee on Youth Services and
FROM THE COVER . . .
CAROL TECLA CHRIST—
SMITH COLLEGE
Continued from page 1
describes her undergraduate education
at Douglass, the women’s college of
Rutgers University, as formative and
has, in the words of a colleague, “an
intellectual and emotional commitment to women’s education.”
At the outset of her administration,
Christ launched an energetic program
of outreach, innovation and long-range
planning, including capital planning.
She spoke to more than 7,000 alumnae
across the country, met with congressional and corporate leaders and conducted interviews with national media
on such topics as college costs, minority recruitment and women’s careers.
Working closely with the faculty,
Christ has encouraged the development of coursework emphasizing fluency in American cultures and in the
diversity of experience of American
ethnic groups. She launched a review,
conducted by members of the Smith
faculty and outside scholars, to determine the distinctive intellectual traditions of the Smith curriculum and
areas in which to build in the future.
She shaped dialogue and programs to
address constraints on Smith’s budget
caused by the nation’s economic situation, a process that culminated in a
comprehensive plan to avoid deficits
and bring the college’s budget into
equilibrium, ensuring continued excellence, access and affordability and
funding for new initiatives.
Major building projects have come
to fruition: the renovation of and addition to the Brown Fine Arts Center, a
dramatic new campus center, a renovated Lyman Conservatory, the impressive Olin Fitness Center, new
homes for the Poetry Center and the
Mwangi Cultural Center, and the renovation of Lilly Hall, home of the college’s School for Social Work. Christ
spurred long-range planning for a
comprehensive science center and, for
the shorter term, a state-of-the-art, sustainably designed classroom and laboratory facility for the college’s pio-
12
neering Picker Engineering Program
and the molecular sciences.
In various forums, including the
American Chemical Society, the Chautauqua Institute and the Council for the
Advancement of Education, Christ has
addressed such issues as women’s careers, civil discourse and the expectations and demands of accountability in
the academy. Her op-ed articles have
appeared in the Christian Science
Monitor and the Chronicle of Higher
Education. In 2004, Christ and Mount
Holyoke College President Joanne
Creighton co-hosted an international
conference on issues and challenges in
women’s education, which also examined women’s study of science.
While developing Smith’s ties
across the country and around the
world, Christ is equally committed to
strengthening relations between the
college and its local community. She is
a member of the board of directors of
the Western Massachusetts Economic
Development Council, Clarke School
for the Deaf and Northampton’s
renowned Academy of Music. In addition, she has established a community
advisory board to address such issues
as affordable housing and Smith’s support for Northampton’s public schools.
Christ has an avid interest in music.
She has studied the piano since childhood and learned to play the viola as
an adult.
Her son Jonathan is a graduate of
New York University and lives in New
York. Her daughter Elizabeth is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College.
Christ resides on campus with her
husband, Paul Alpers, a scholar of the
literature of the English Renaissance.
He holds the title of Class of 1942 Professor of English Emeritus at Berkeley
and is Professor in Residence at Smith.
DR. JAMES C. RENICK—
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,
DEARBORN
Continued from page 1
The University has experienced
record breaking enrollments of its undergraduate and graduate students. Institutional records for annual funding
of sponsored research have been set.
The intention of the University has
been formalized through a strategic
planning process called FUTURES
wherein invited members of the university and the community have joined
together to provide institution-wide
thinking about the future direction of
NC A&T. From Generation to Generation: The Campaign for North Carolina
A&T is the $100 million capital campaign that is underway to support A&T
in diversifying its resource base, in enhancing its curriculum to address
changing educational needs and in
building and renovating its physical
plant with state-of the-art classrooms,
facilities, and student housing. The
Aggie Pride Compact, a document that
outlines the standards A&T students
are expected to live by, was written in
2003. Beautiful dormitories and classroom buildings have been erected. The
A&T Four Monument, the landmark
that honors the four freshmen students
who sat-in at the downtown Woolworth in 1960 and Progress, a modern
sculpture that is in the plaza of Craig
Hall, adorn the campus.
DR. ALBERT C. YATES—
COLORADO STATE
UNIVERSITY
Continued from page 1
An active member of the community, Dr. Yates has received many
awards and honors. In commemoration
of his more than a decade of service to
Colorado State University, Dr. Yates
was honored in 2001 as an Honorary
Alumnus of the institution; a CSU
Alumni Association student award was
named in his honor; a University student leadership institute was renamed
as the Albert C. Yates Leadership Development Institute; and the State of
Colorado recognized Albert C. Yates
Day with an official proclamation by
the Colorado General Assembly.
Dr. Yates was honored as the National Western Stock Show 2002 Citizen of the West and has been awarded
an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science, Myongji University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Education for the Erie County Executive’s transition team.
President Howard has received numerous awards for her contributions in
education and service to the community. Among these are the Governor’s
State Division of Women Award for Excellence in Education; Citation Award
from the National Conference for Community and Justice; American Jewish
Committee Institute of Human Relations Award; the University at Buffalo
Distinguished Alumni Award; Staten Island College Distinguished Alumna
Award, The Black Educators Association of Western New York Educator of
the Year Award; the Minority Bar Association of Western New York Award for
Community Service; and the State University of New York at Buffalo, Newman Center, Catholic Campus Ministry,
Distinguished Alumnus Award. She is a
recipient of the State University of New
York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service and was a
charter inductee in the Western New
York Women’s Hall of Fame.
She was listed in the Buffalo News
2001 Leadership Survey as the “Most
Powerful Woman in Western New
York.” In April 2006, she received the
Outstanding Alumni Community Leadership Medal from the University at Buffalo Alumni Association. She most recently was the recipient of the 2006
Athena Award. This award, sponsored by
the Western New York Women’s Fund
and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership,
honors women professionals who have
attained and personify the highest levels
of professional excellence, demonstrate
support for the goals of women professionals, and provide significant and selfless assistance on their behalf.
He has lectured and written widely
on higher education. He serves on the
boards of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Oregon Symphony, and Portland General Electric.
Recognized for his knowledge of
and commitment to diversity, President
Pelton’s opinions and ideas are regularly sought by the national media and
academic publications, particularly in
the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme
Court opinion on affirmative action, issued in the summer of 2003.
President Pelton holds a doctorate
from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree in English and psychology from Wichita State University,
where he graduated magna cum laude
in 1974. His area of academic focus is
in 19th century British prose and poetry.
He served as dean of the college at
Colgate University (1988-91) and Dartmouth College (1991-98). At Harvard
he taught in the English Department
and was the dean of one of Harvard’s 13
undergraduate colleges. He continues to
teach at Willamette in a variety of subjects ranging from 1st century Athens to
post-apartheid South Africa.
DR. FRANK G. POGUE
EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
F
DR. M. LEE PELTON
WILLAMETTE
UNIVERSITY
D
r. M. Lee Pelton was appointed
Willamette University’s 22nd
president July 1999. Under his
leadership, the University has increased
its academic profile, successfully employing strategies to attract the best faculty and the brightest students from the
state, the nation and the world. Since
2001, Willamette University has been
ranked a top tier liberal arts college by
U.S. News and World Report.
Dr. Pelton has accomplished much of
the University’s long-range strategic plan
initiated in 1999. Under his leadership,
Willamette University is now the most
racially and ethnically diverse undergraduate college in the state of Oregon. Students of color represent 19 percent of undergraduates enrolled in the College of
Liberal Arts, an increase of more than 70
percent since his arrival five years ago.
Dr. Pelton is a recognized leader in
higher education. He continues to serve
as a member of several leading national
educational boards and committees, including chair of the American Council
on Education, and vice chair of the Harvard University Board of Overseers.
rank G. Pogue was appointed the
15th president of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on July
1, 1996.
A sociologist, Dr. Pogue holds a
bachelor’s degree from Alabama State
University, a master’s degree from Atlanta University, and a Ph.D. from the
University of Pittsburgh.
Prior to his presidency at Edinboro
University, Dr. Pogue was the vice
chancellor for student affairs and special programs at the State University of
New York (SUNY) Central Administration in Albany, serving in that position
for 10 years. While vice chancellor, he
also served for one year as interim president at the SUNY College at
Cobleskill. Prior to his assignment in
the SUNY Central Administration,
President Pogue was vice president for
student affairs, associate vice president
for research and educational development, dean of undergraduate studies,
and a department chairperson, all at
SUNY at Albany.
Dr. Pogue participates in national,
regional and statewide leadership
groups. He serves as a member of the
American Council on Education (ACE)
Commission on Women in Higher Education which provides counsel to ACE
on policies and concerns related to expanded roles and equal opportunity for
women in higher education. He is a
member of the American Association of
State Colleges and Universities
(AASCU) Millennium Leadership Initiative (Chair), Committee on Professional Development, and Christa
McAuliffe Selection Committee. He
was appointed in 2003 to the International Association of University Presi-
THE METRO HERALD
dents Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution and Peace.
Since 1984, Dr. Pogue has served on the
Commission on Higher Education Middle States Association of Colleges and
Schools (MSA). Currently, he serves on
an advisory panel to address accreditation issues related to “affiliated” candidate and accredited institutions. Recently, he served as President for the
MSA Board of Trustees and as a member of its Executive Committee, and he
is a former vice chair of the Commission’s Executive Committee. Dr. Pogue
also serves on the Board of Directors of
Pennsylvania Campus Compact. He
served for two years as chairperson of
the Pennsylvania State System of
Higher Education (PASSHE) Commission for the Universities and Commission of Presidents Executive Committee. He is a member of the Executive
Board of A Community of Agile Partners in Education (CAPE). In October
1996, Dr. Pogue was appointed by then
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to
the Governor’s Commission on Academic Standards. In November 2002, he
was appointed co-chair of the Higher
Education Committee of Pennsylvania
Governor Ed Rendell’s Transition
Team. In May 2004, he was appointed
to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Higher Education Advisory
Board.
Locally, Dr. Pogue serves on the
Boards of Directors for the Meadville
Area Industrial Commission, the Erie
Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, and the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2005, he was elected to the Executive Committee of the Civic
Coordinating Committee of Erie
County. Additionally, he serves on the
Boards of Corporations for the Hamot
Health Foundation, the Saint Vincent
Health Center, and the Meadville Medical Center. He is a member of the Erie
Martin Luther King Center Scholarship
Committee and an Honorary Member
of the Erie Wolves Club. Dr. Pogue was
chairperson of the Erie County Millennium Commission, the Erie County
State Employees Combined Appeal
(SECA) campaign in 2001 and 2002,
and of the Erie Day School’s Adopt-AScholar scholarship program (2000-01
and 2002-03). He was also a member of
the Erie Mayor’s Task Force on Public
Safety. Dr. Pogue has served on the
boards of directors for the United Way
of Erie County and the Greater Erie
County Chapter of the American Red
Cross.
Dr. Pogue was honored by the Erie
Area Chamber of Commerce with the
Louis J. Tullio Community Service
Award. The Greater Erie Community
Action Committee (GECAC) honored
him in 2004 with the Othello Myers
Johnson Human Services Award and
with the Paul P. Martin Community Service Award in 2000. In 1999, the Distinguished Service Award for Leadership and Vision was presented to him by
the SUNY at Albany Council of
Trustees.
Dr. Pogue has shared his experiences and expertise in Edinboro University classrooms via guest lecturer
presentations. He has also taught a
course titled, “Special Topics in Sociology” for the Department of Sociology.
He continues to enjoy working in the
classroom environment.
Since becoming president, Dr. Pogue
has created the concept and philosophy
of the Edinboro Family, a learner-centered environment where students come
first and are an integral part of a caring
and supportive campus community.
THE METRO HERALD
TONY K. ATWATER
INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA
T
ony K. Atwater Ph.D. is president of Indiana University of
Pennsylvania (or IUP), a public
university in Indiana, Pennsylvania
near Pittsburgh. IUP is the largest member university of the Pennsylvania State
System of Higher Education.
Atwater holds a 1972 A.A.S. in television and radio production from Virginia Western Community College. He
was graduated from Hampton University
with a BA, magna cum laude in 1973.
Entering graduate school at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University he was awarded an MA in education
in 1979. He then earned a Ph.D. in communication research from Michigan
State University in 1983. His dissertation
was titled: “A Market Analysis of Content Diversity in Local Television News.
He completed postdoctoral study in the
Department of Communication at the
University of Michigan in 1989.
During his career he has served as
the Dean of Professional Studies at
Northern Kentucky University; held the
Chair of the Department of Journalism
and Mass Media at Rutgers University;
and been Provost at Youngstown State
University.
Since beginning his tenure at IUP,
Atwater has attempted to change the institution’s “party-school” image. The
university is also launching an ambitious residential hall construction project under Atwater’s leadership.
speak to the students, faculty, and staff
in order for everyone to know what they
can bring to the LHU campus.
“His back ground and his personal
skills is the reason he was chosen over
other great candidates,” said Dr. Craig
Wills, current president of LHU
In 2001, Dr. Miller was the dean at
the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.
Previously, he served as dean of the
College of Business Administration at
Niagara University. He also was director of the Master’s of Business Administration program at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Teaneck Campus.
Dr. Miller has been chief academic
officer at Wisconsin, Oshkosh. While
holding his position he was able to
change the Academic Affairs Division
in order to gain faculty support and he
has helped to give the students more of
an opportunity to participate in research
activities and work with the faculty.
Dr. Miller earned his bachelor’s,
masters and doctoral degrees all from
the University of Arizona. He taught at
Fairleigh Dickinson’s Teaneck Campus
from 1987 to 1991. There, he was the
director of the campus’ MBA program
for three years. On his third year he was
the chair of the Management and Marketing Department.
In 1991, Miller moved to Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Conneticut. He
then held the position of Dean of the
College of Business at Niagara University, until 2001.
He also has participated in several
community activities and has been on
various boards, such as the Learning for
Life Youth Program in Oshkosh, which
he currently chairs, and the Oshkosh
Chamber Development Corporation
Board of Advisors. He has been involved with the Boy Scouts and Girl
Scouts, as well as the Big Brothers Association, YMCA and United Way.
DR. FRANCINE G.
MCNAIRY
MILLERSVILLE
UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA
DR. KEITH T. MILLER
LOCK HAVEN
UNIVERSITY
D
r. Keith Miller, currently the
provost and vice chancellor of
the University of Wisconsin,
Oshkosh, was recently named as the
successor of Dr. Craig Dean Willis who
is retiring this summer. On April 12, the
Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s
Board of Governors chose Dr. Keith
Terrence Miller as Lock Haven University’s new president after Dr. Craig
Willis retires at the end of this semester.
The process of choosing a new president took 10 months. Several candidates, who were chosen by the Lock
Haven University Presidential Search
Committee, visited the university to
D
r. Francine G. McNairy was
named the 13th President of
Millersville University of Pennsylvania on March 28, 2003. As University President, Dr. McNairy serves as the
Chief Executive Officer with oversight
of a $100 million budget, 1000 employees, and 7800 undergraduate and graduate students. The University has been
nationally ranked as one of the top regional public institutions of higher
learning by U.S. News and World Report. Prior to her appointment, Dr. McNairy served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Millersville
beginning in August 1994. During the
1997 Fall Semester, Dr. McNairy served
as the Acting President while President
Caputo was on sabbatical leave.
During her service to Millersville as
Provost, three academic strategic plans
were developed and implemented; the
University added five new graduate degrees: Master of Science in Nursing,
Master of Education in Educational
Leadership, Master of Education in Sport
Management, Master in Business Administration, and Master in Early Childhood Education; graduation and retention
rates of minority students increased; a
Center for Academic Excellence was established designed to provide professional development services for faculty,
students, and staff; the University
launched distance learning in its curricular offerings, and a First-Year Experience
Program for undecided students.
Prior to her appointment at
Millersville, Dr. McNairy served as the
Associate Provost at West Chester University of Pennsylvania from 1988
through 1994. Her career in higher education began at Clarion University of
Pennsylvania in 1973 where she was
originally appointed as a faculty member and ultimately was appointed and
served in the position of Dean of Academic Support Services and Assistant to
the Vice President for Academic Affairs
from 1983 through 1988. In this latter
capacity, Dr. McNairy instituted a minority student retention program, which
successfully increased the rate of retention for minority students.
Dr. McNairy holds a Bachelor of
Arts in Sociology, a Master’s Degree in
Social Work and a Ph.D. in Speech
Rhetoric/Communication with emphasis on interpersonal and small group
communication from the University of
Pittsburgh. She is also a graduate of the
Harvard University Institute for Educational Management (IEM).
Dr. McNairy’s scholarship consists of
publications, presentations and consultations focusing on retention, the freshman
seminar program, outcomes assessment,
Black student retention, minority curriculum development and academic support services. She has been a featured
speaker for the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors,
the Conference on the Minority Student
Today, the National Academic Advising
Association, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the International First Year Conference, Freshman Year Conferences sponsored by the
University of South Carolina, the National Conference on Student Retention,
the National Orientation Directors Conference, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Conference
on Cultural Diversity.
Most recently, Dr. McNairy was
named Outstanding First-Year Advocate by the National Resource Center
for First-Year Students in Transition,
the University of South Carolina, and
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Dr. McNairy is an active member of
the Lancaster County community where
she serves on the Boards of the Lancaster
Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Lancaster General Medical Group, and
Lancaster Country Day School. In addition, she is a member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. She previously served on the boards of the YWCA
and Leadership Lancaster.
DR. HORACE MITCHELL
CALIFORNIA STATE
UNIVERSITY,
BAKERSFIELD
EDUCATION
W
ashington University, St.
Louis, MO: A.B. in psychology (1968), M.A.Ed. in
counseling (1969), Ph.D. in counseling
psychology (1974); Attended the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management (1991), the University of California Management Institute
(1984), and the Danforth Foundation St.
Louis Leadership Program (1977-78).
PROFESSIONAL
BACKGROUND
California State University, Bakersfield: President (2004-); University of
California, Berkeley: Vice Chancellor,
Business and Administrative Services
(1995-2004); affiliated professor,
African American Studies (1996-2004);
University of California, Irvine: Vice
Chancellor, Student Affairs and Campus
Life (1984-95), Associate Dean for Student and Curricular Affairs, College of
Medicine (1980-84), special assistant to
the Vice Chancellor-Student Affairs
(1978-80); Associate Clinical Professor
of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
(1983-95), Assistant Clinical Professor
(1980-83), lecturer in Social Sciences
(1979-80) and Education (1978-79);
Washington University, St. Louis: Assistant Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
(1968-73); Chair, Black Studies Program (1976-78); Assistant Professor of
Education and Black Studies (1973-78)
PROFESSIONAL
MEMBERSHIPS AND SERVICE
American Counseling Association:
Committee on Standardized Testing
(1977-78), Commission on Standardized Testing and Evaluation of Potential
Among Minority Group Members
(1973-77); American Association for
Higher Education; American Association for the Advancement of Science;
American College Personnel Association; American Psychological Association; Association for Multicultural
Counseling and Development: Executive Board (1981-84), National President (1982-83); Association of American Medical Colleges: Chair, Western
Group on Student Affairs (1983-84),
Program Chair (1983); Association of
Black Psychologists: Life Member
(1995- ); Bay Area Chapter (1996-);
President, Southern California Chapter
(1981-82); Co-Chair, National Convention (1978); President, St. Louis Chapter (1976); National Forum for Black
Public Administrators (1995- ); Phi
Beta Sigma Fraternity: President, St.
Louis Alumni Chapter (1976); member
(1969-); Phi Delta Kappa Professional
Fraternity in Education: President,
Washington University Chapter (197172); The College Board: Commission
on Pre-college Counseling & Guidance
(1984-86)
RECENT COMMUNITY
SERVICE
YMCA of the East Bay: Board of Directors (2002- ); Chair, Strategic Planning Committee (2002-); Bay Area Economic Forum: Voting Alternate, Board
of Directors (2002-); Economic DevelContinued on page 14
13
BLACK EDUCATORS CLIMBING THE DREAM
February 16, 2007
Continued from page 13
opment Alliance for Business: Executive Committee (2001-); United Way of
the Bay Area: Senior Vice Chair, Board
of Directors (1999-2001); Chair, Strategy Council (1999-2000); Chair,
County Leadership (1997-99); Chair,
Bay Area Works Committee (19972000); Chair, Alameda County Leadership Board (1996-97); Board of Directors (1995-2002); 100 Black Men of
the Bay Area (1995- ); United Way of
America: Strategic Planning Committee (1994-96); African-American Leadership Roundtable of Orange County:
Founding co-convener (1994-95); Disneyland Community Service Awards:
Awards Committee (1994); Orange
County Together: Coordinating Council/Advisory Committee (1992-95);
Volunteer Center of Orange CountyCentral/South: President, Board of Directors (1988), member (1986-88)v
Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, CA:
Board of Directors (1986-88)
CONSULTATIONS
Private practice in psychology:
Southern California Medical Group of
Human Behavior, Tustin, CA (1980);
Psychologist: Adolescent Care Unit,
Viewpark Community Hospital, Los
Angeles, CA (1978-79); Desegregation
consultant: Midwest Race and Sex Desegregation Assistance Centers,
Kansas State University, Manhattan,
Kansas (1974-80); Licensed trainer:
Effectiveness Associates, Solana
Beach, CA (1973-78); Consultant: Operations Crossroads Africa, New York,
NY and Washington, D.C. (1975)
Berkeley, CA: Cobb and Henry (1991)
Williams, R.L. and Mitchell, H.,
“The Testing Game”, in Jones, R.L.
(ed), Black Psychology, 2nd edition,
Berkeley, CA: Cobb and Henry (1980)
Mitchell, H and Williams, R.L., “A
Critical Analysis of the Testing Game,”
Journal of Non-White Concerns in Personnel and Guidance, Vol. 6, NO. 3,
pp. 110-118 (1978)
Williams, R.L. and Mitchell, H.,
“Whatever Happened to ABPsi’s
Moratorium on Testing: A 1968 to
1977 Reminder,” Journal of Black Psychology, Vol. IV, Nos 1 & 2, pp. 25-42
(1977)
Williams, R.L. and Mitchell, H.,
“The Testing Game,” Negro Educational Review, Vol. XXVIII, Nos. 3 &
4, pp. 172-182 (1977)
Mitchell, H. “The Black Family:
Strengths and Challenges, Proud, Vol
7, No. 2, pp. 22-26 (1976)
Mitchell, H., “Testing and Student
Classification, Conference Proceedings, Desegregation and Beyond: The
Educational and Legal Issues, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, pp. 76-81
(1976)
Dr. Mitchell is a licensed psychologist in California (1980- ) and has been
a licensed psychologist in Missouri
(1979-88).
RECENT HONORS
AND AWARDS
Distinguished Psychologist Award,
the Association of Black Psychologists
(2002); Dean’s Recognition Award,
School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
(2001); Fred B. Whitman Outstanding
Management Volunteer Award, United
Way of the Bay Area (1999, 2000); Excellence in Management Award, UC
Berkeley Staff Assembly (2000);
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Alpha Gamma
Boulé (inducted 1999); Joseph W.
Valentine County Leadership Volunteer Award, United Way of the Bay
Area (1997); Outstanding Black Public
Administrator Award, National Forum
for Black Public Administrators, Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
(1997); Bobby Wright Community
Service Award (national), the Association of Black Psychologists (1995);
Chancellor’s Proclamation, UC Irvine
(1995); Orange County Citizens of
Distinction Award in Community Service, NAACP Orange County Chapter
(1995); Presidential Award, 100 Black
Men of Orange County, Inc. (1994);
Elijah Lovejoy Award, Black Chamber
of Commerce of Orange County
(1994); Honoree, “Rites of Academic
Passaage”—College Bound (1994);
Named one of “The Hottest 25 People
in Orange County” (leaders), Orange
County Metropolitan (Nov. 1, 1993);
Elected Class Representative by the
Class of 1991, Harvard University Institute for Educational Management;
Elected Honorary Member, Golden
Key National Honor Society (1991);
Orange County Citizens of Distinction
Award in Education, NAACP Orange
County Chapter (1991)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Williams, R.L. and Mitchell, H.,
“The Testing Game”, in Jones, R.L.
(ed), Black Psychology, 3rd edition,
14
JAMES M. ROSSER
CALIFORNIA STATE
UNIVERSITY,
LOS ANGELES
D
r. James M. Rosser has served
since 1979 as President of California State University, Los
Angeles, where he also holds academic
appointment as Professor of Health
Care Management. He previously has
held senior administrative positions in
two major universities and one
statewide university system.
A native of East St. Louis, Illinois,
Dr. Rosser earned academic degrees in
health education administration and
microbiology from Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale (Ph.D. 1969,
M.A. 1963, B.A. 1962).
Prior to his appointment at Cal
State L.A., Dr. Rosser served for five
years as Vice Chancellor of the State of
New Jersey Department of Higher Education, and was appointed Acting
Chancellor in 1977.
From 1970 until accepting the New
Jersey appointment, he was Associate
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
at the University of Kansas in
Lawrence and a tenured faculty member in pharmacology and toxicology
and higher education, while also serving as a member of the Editorial Board
of the University Press of Kansas.
From 1967 until 1970, he held several academic and administrative posts
at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. From 1963 to 1966 he was a
researcher at the Eli Lilly & Company
Research Laboratories in Indianapolis.
His background in the field of
health care delivery has resulted in a
number of related appointments - consultant to the National Institutes of
Health’s National Heart and Lung Institute, and member of the New Jersey
Board of Medical Examiners. He has
served on the National Board of Governors of the American Red Cross, as a
member of the National Advisory
Council on Aging, and as a board
member of the National Health Foundation. His published works on health,
health values, and the health profession include An Analysis of Health
Care Delivery, published in 1977 by
John Wiley and Sons, co-author H.
Mossberg.
Dr. Rosser has written or edited a
wide variety of works in the field of
higher education administration, including “Strategic Planning and Management: Methodology for Responsible Change” and “Libraries and the
Establishment of Academic Strategy in
Higher Education,” Journal of Library
Administration, Vol. 13, No. 3 & 4,
1990. He has also served as a consultant to educational organizations, including the Western Association of
Schools and Colleges, the Commission
on Institutes of Higher Education of
the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the Educational Testing Service, and the
Carnegie Policy Council on Higher
Education. Dr. Rosser served as a
member and chair of the Education and
Human Resources Advisory Committee of the National Science Foundation, and currently serves on the Board
of Advisors, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions for the U.S. Department of
the Air Force and has served as a member and chair of the Action Forum on
Diversity in the Engineering Workforce, National Academy of Engineers.
He is active in the American Council on Education, having served on the
Commission on Governmental Relations, the Commission on Academic
Affairs, the Committee on Confidentiality, National Commission on Higher
Education Issues, and its Task Force on
Affirmative Action. He also is an active
member of the American Association
of State Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Rosser has served on the California Achievement Council, the California Postsecondary Education Commission’s Task Force on Women and
Minority Faculty and Staff in Postsecondary Education, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Regional Policy Committee on
Minorities in Higher Education. In addition, Dr. Rosser has served on several select committees of the California
State University, including the Technology Steering Committee, CalStateTEACH, and chairmanship of the
Commission on Telecommunications
Infrastructure. He is currently one of
CSU’s representatives to the California
Department of Education Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan.
His community activities include
appointments to the boards of directors
and/or leadership participation with the
Los Angeles Urban League; Music
Center Performing Arts Council/Education Council; Edison International;
FEDCO, Inc.; United California Bank
(formerly Sanwa Bank); Texaco Task
Force on Equality and Fairness; LA’s
Best; the California Chamber of Commerce; the Los Angeles Theatre Center
Study Group; the Los Angeles “Coalition of 100”; the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation; Americans for the Arts; the Los Angeles
Annenberg Metropolitan Project; the
Governor’s Task Force on Diversity
and Outreach, LAAMP/LEARN Regional School Reform Alliance, and
the Los Angeles Advisory Alliance of
the Pasadena Tournament of Roses;
California Community Foundation;
Community Television of Southern
California (KCET); Los Angeles Philharmonic Association; and Past President of the Los Angeles Area Boy
Scouts of America.
Dr. Rosser’s honors include the
Southern Illinois University Alumni
Achievement Award, the Brotherhood
Crusade’s Pioneer of Black Historical
Achievement Award, an Award of
Recognition in Education from Involvement for Young Achievers, a City of
Los Angeles Human Relations Commission Certificate of Merit, the Leadership Award from the Department of
Higher Education/Educational Opportunity Fund Program of the State of
New Jersey, the Golden State Minority
Foundation’s 1990 Medal of Excellence, the National Science Foundation’s Educator Achievement Award,
and the Institute for the Redesign of
Learning’s 1995 Take Charge of Learning Success. He was an Aspen Scholar
for the 1995 Aspen Institute’s Executive
Seminar, and in the same year received
the Education Award of the Watts Foundation Community Trust. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale selected
him as a Distinguished Alumnus in November 2000 and awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in May
2003. Most recently, in 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University.
JAMES E. LYONS, SR.
CALIFORNIA STATE
UNIVERSITY,
DOMINGUEZ HILLS
letic Association, Division II, Presidents’ Council (2003-07); President,
California Collegiate Athletic Associations (2001-02); Commissioner, American Council on Education, Commission on Minorities in Higher Education
(2001-04); Member, CSU Committee
on Alcohol Policies and Programs;
Member, CSU Commission on Extended University; Member, CSU
Archives; Chair, Accreditation Team,
Middle States Commission on Higher
Education; Member, South Bay Economic and Development Partnership;
Member, South Bay Workforce Investment Board; Member, South Bay Business Roundtable; Member, Citizens’
Scholarship Foundation of America’s
Scholarship Management Services
Subcommittee and Dollars for Scholars Subcommittee; Board of Trustees,
Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of
America (1998); Board of Directors,
Golden Eagle Education and Training,
International Youth Institute (1998);
Member/evaluator, Visiting Committee, Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools, Commission on Colleges
(1998); Member, Council on Education and Human Resources, Mississippi Economic Council (1998-99);
Member, Alcohol Abuse and Misuse
on College Campuses Committee, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, Dept. of Health and
Human Services (1998); Member,
Committee on Standing Rules, the
Mississippi Conference, United
Methodist Church (1998); Member,
Nominating Committee, the Commission on Colleges (1998-2000); Member, Council of Executive Board, Andrew Jackson Council of Boy Scouts
of America (1998); Board of Directors,
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (1997-99);
Member, Committee on Diversity and
Social Change, American Association
of State Colleges and Universities
(1996-99); Member, U.S. Air Force
Board of Advisors for Historically
Black Colleges and Universities and
Minority Institutions (1997)
PROFESSIONAL
MEMBERSHIPS
EDUCATION
American Association of Colleges
for Teacher Education; American Association of State Colleges and Universities; American Council on Education;
Hispanic Association of Colleges and
Universities
niversity of Connecticut: B.A.,
Spanish (1965); M.A., student
personnel (1971); Ph.D., professional higher education administration (1973)
Post-doctoral courses at Harvard
University Institute for Education
Management (1976)
Named Regional Citizen of the
Year 2001, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity;
Peace Corps “Franklin H. Williams
Award” (February 2001); Distinguished Alumni Award, Neag School
of Education, University of Connecticut (April 2000)
U
PROFESSIONAL
BACKGROUND
California
State
University,
Dominguez Hills: President (1999- );
Jackson State University: President
(1992-99); Bowie State University: President (1983-92); Professor of Education
(1983-92); Delaware State College: Vice
President and Dean of Academic Affairs
(1978-83); Professor of Education
(1978-83); Barber Scotia College: Vice
President for Academic Affairs (197578); Fayetteville State University: Professor of Education (1974-75); Kentucky
State University: Associate Professor of
Education (1973-74)
RECENT PROFESSIONAL
AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Member, National Collegiate Ath-
HONORS
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
Lyons, James E., “HBCUs Serve a
Unique Role in Latin America,” World
View, AASCU Office of International
Programs, Vol.II, No. 1, May 1994
Lyons, James E. and Kathleen O’D.
Walton, “Magnetic Attractions: Desegregating a Minority School District,”
Educational Record, Fall 1987-Winter
1988
Lyons, James E., “The Application
of the Constitution of the United
States: A Limited Vision,” Howard
Law Journal, Vol. 30, No. 4, 1987
Lyons, James E., “Meeting the
Challenge to Serve,” Delaware State
College, January 1981
Lyons, James E., “The Case for
Black Colleges,” Journal of Politics
and Education, spring 1979
THE METRO HERALD
HEALTH & WELLNESS
February 16, 2007
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT
HIGH INFANT DEATH RATE AMONG
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
I
n terms of infant mortality, the
United States ranks thirty-fourth
behind every developed nation
and several other countries, including
Cuba and Taiwan. The rates for
African-American babies are a minimum of 2.5 times that of other babies
in every state, making their chances of
survival closer in comparison to Honduras and other developing countries.
With Black History month underway, to raise awareness of the high
number of infant deaths in the Black
community, Birthing Project USA—
www.birthingprojectusa.com, the
only national, community-based
African-American maternal and child
health organization in the country, is
partnering with Dr. Miracle’s (www.
drmiracles.com), the fastest-growing
ethnic hair care company, to implement a national campaign designed to
help recruit volunteers to participate in
its signature “SisterFriends” program.
According to Kathryn Hall-Trujillo,
founding director of The Birthing Project, “The fact that the U.S. buried
more babies than soldiers during the
last century is totally not acceptable
and this inability to save our babies has
to stop ... now!” The Birthing Project
assists communities in organizing
themselves into small groups to provide pregnant teens and women with
one-to-one social support, education
and connection to health care and other
resources. During the last 19 years,
more than 10,000 babies have been
born into 80 projects in the U.S.,
Canada and Honduras.
Dr. Miracle’s co-founders Ollie
Johnson, Nene and Brian Marks, and
Rich Lombardi chose to sponsor the
Birthing Project USA campaign because of the high rate of poor birth outcomes for African-American women.
Like most people, they were surprised
to learn that regardless of their education, income or social status, AfricanAmerican women are at risk of delivering babies that are born too soon and
often too small or sick to survive. “For
the women of color who use our products, infant mortality is an alarming,
yet all-too-frequent occurrence,” said
Marks, president of Dr. Miracles, LLC.
“We at Dr. Miracle’s are proud to support The Birthing Project USA and its
vital work in reducing infant deaths
and we look forward to a meaningful
partnership full of little miracles.”
As the exclusive corporate sponsor
of this nonprofit, built on volunteers
and provides social support to AfricanAmerican women, Dr. Miracle’s is embarking on a range of activities, from
funding and aiding in the establishment of new Birthing Project chapters,
to underwriting and creating educational sessions, volunteer drives, and
online marketing initiatives. Built on
“SisterFriends”—volunteers who provide one to one support to women during their pregnancy and for one year
after the birth of their child—The
Birthing Project USA provides access
to resources and programs, working
closely with such organizations as The
March of Dimes and local and state
health departments. Birthing Project
USA is also financially supported by
Tchaka Muhammed, one of the project founders, and other concerned
individuals.
DISB BRINGS ATTENTION TO THE
HEALTH INSURANCE CRISIS
T
he D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
(DISB) is using the beginning of Black History Month to bring
attention to the disparities in health insurance coverage in the
District of Columbia.
“Health insurance is critical to the peace of mind of most Americans, but it has become increasingly complex and expensive,” said
DISB Commissioner Thomas E. Hampton. “It is especially troubling as
more than 70,000 District residents are without health coverage.”
According to recent research by DiversityData, for the Washington,
D.C., metro area, about 17.2 percent of non-Hispanic Blacks are without health coverage. Non-Hispanic Asians/Pacific Islanders are at 18.5
percent and whites are at 6.8 percent. Alarmingly, Hispanics without
health coverage are at 34.1 percent. The DiversityData project identifies metropolitan area indicators of diversity, opportunity, quality of life
and health for various racial and ethnic population groups. DiversityData’s numbers reflect similar findings by the Census Bureau.
In working to close some of the disparities, DISB, as a member of
the D.C. Department of Health’s HRSA State Planning Grant Health
Care Coverage Advisory Panel, conducted meetings with health insurance carriers to find alternative solutions for the District’s uninsured. In
June 2006, the Council of the District of Columbia enacted the Healthy
DC Act to provide health insurance coverage with a subsidized premium to residents at 400 percent or below the federal poverty level.
DISB sought other means to assist those unable to receive assistance
from the law.
In the meantime, the agency encourages uninsured District residents
to seek alternative health coverage such as the following: Medicaid, DC
Healthcare Alliance, Healthy DC, DC Healthy Families Insurance,
most of which are free or at below-cost, and administered by the D.C.
Department of Health. In addition, residents may consider CareFirst
BlueCross BlueShield’s Open Enrollment Program.
“Across the nation, more than 47 million people are without health
coverage, and are particularly vulnerable as targets by companies selling discount health cards or fraudulent health insurance,” Hampton
said. “All consumers should be aware that discount health cards are not
insurance plans, and therefore aren’t regulated by DISB. Before purchasing any kind of health insurance, all consumers should protect
themselves against scams by taking a few minutes to STOP, CALL
DISB at (202) 727-8000 and CONFIRM that the company offering the
policy is legitimate and authorized to sell insurance in the District.”
HIGH SUGAR, HIGH ACID A
DAMAGING DUO FOR TEETH
W
e all know that too much sugar is bad
for our teeth. What isn’t as widely
known is that the corrosive effects of
sugar are worsened when combined with high
levels of acids, found commonly in foods and
beverages – especially sodas. Working together,
highly acidic, high-sugar foods, when consumed
frequently, can irreversibly erode tooth enamel.
“Although it can go unnoticed for some time,
the erosion of tooth enamel can compromise the
strength of a tooth and lead to sensitivity to hot or
cold foods,” said Max Anderson, DDS, a national
oral health advisor for Delta Dental Plans Association. “Over time, dental erosion can eventually
lead to decay where teeth and gums meet.”
Adults who consumed 30.1 or more ounces of
soda per day, equivalent to about 2-1/2 cans, had
approximately 20 percent more decayed, missing
or filled tooth surfaces than those who drank 6
ounces or less each day. A number of reports
from dentists also indicate that people who frequently drink large amounts of highly sugared,
highly caffeinated beverages often showed signs
of significant dental destruction.
In addition to the obvious approach of avoiding high-sugar, acidic beverages or consuming
them in moderation, Dr. Anderson suggests
working with the body’s natural way of neutralizing acids in the mouth—with saliva.
“Stimulating saliva flow is key,” said Dr. Anderson. “Chewing sugar-free gum or rinsing your
mouth with water after drinking a soda are simple ways to neutralize the acids left on teeth by
certain foods and beverages.” He also urges people to stick with a solid program of oral hygiene,
including brushing after meals, flossing daily
and scheduling regular visits to the dentist.
Delta Dental Plans Association, based in Oak
Brook, IL, is a national network of independent
not-for-profit dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to 47
million Americans in more than 81,000 employee groups throughout the country.
ALL BLOOD TYPES IN SHORT SUPPLY
T
he community blood supply is at a critical low, reports the Greater
Chesapeake and Potomac (GC & P) Region of the American Red
Cross, and without the immediate support of the public, patients
in this area could be put at risk. A liver transplant this weekend put a significant strain on the supply of type O negative blood, and the Region is
issuing a special call to eligible O negative donors, and eligible donors of
all blood types to replenish the supply by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to
schedule a donation appointment right away. Platelet donors should call
1-800-272-2123.
“O negative is considered the universal donor because it can be transfused to virtually any patient” said Dr. Joan Gibble, Medical Director for
the GC & P Region. “Liver transplant surgeries, like the one this weekend, can require several units of blood and can quickly deplete the available supply. Without adequate supplies of all blood types, cancer patients, trauma victims, and premature infants who also depend on the
blood supply could be put at risk.”
The GC & P Region needs to collect approximately 1000 units of
blood each day to meet the needs of local patients. As a special thank
you to the community, the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region of
the American Red Cross is offering all participants a vintage green longsleeve American Red Cross t-shirt.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO GIVE BLOOD?
Donors must:
• Be generally in good health;
• Be at least 17 years of age, or in the state of Maryland only, 16 years
of age with written parental consent;
• Weigh no less than 110 pounds;
• Have NOT received a tattoo within the past year;
• Have NOT donated whole blood within the past 56 days
Members of the community are asked to call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE immediately to schedule an appointment to donate at any American Red
Cross Donor Center or community blood drive. Information about Regional Blood Donor Centers or community blood drive locations and
times can be found at www.my-redcross.org. Business and community
groups that are willing to hold blood drives are asked to call 1-800-7879282, x4925 for information.
THE METRO HERALD
15
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
February 16, 2007
ARENA STAGE PRESENTS
TERRENCE MCNALLY’S BITTERSWEET ROMANCE
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE
other plays include Corpus Christi,
which was named one of the best plays
of 1998 by Time magazine; A Perfect
Ganesh, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize;
Lips Together, Teeth Apart; The Lisbon
Traviata; and It’s Only a Play. Mr. McNally has written books for musicals including Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s
Life; The Full Monty; Ragtime; Kiss of
a Spiderwoman and The Ritz. Earlier
stage works include Bad Habits, Where
Has Tommy Flowers Gone? and Things
That Go Bump in the Night. He has
written a number of television scripts,
including Andre’s Mother, for which he
won an Emmy Award. Mr. McNally has
received two Guggenheim Fellowships,
a Rockefeller grant, a Lucille Lortel
Award and a citation from the American
Academy of Arts and Letters. A member of the Dramatists Guild since 1970,
Mr. McNally was raised in Corpus
Christi, Texas, and makes his home in
New York City.
SPECIAL EVENTS, TICKET
INFORMATION, AND
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
The Salon
Monday, February 26 at 7:00PM
Featuring special guests from
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de
Lune
In the spirit of artistic and literary salons of the past, The Salon features
artistic leaders from Arena Stage in a series of lively, in-depth conversations
with the playwrights, actors, directors,
designers, dramaturgs and audiences
which make Arena Stage so unique. The
Salon is free to Arena Stage subscribers
and donors ($75+), and only $3 for the
general public. Reservations must be
made through the Arena Stage Sales
A
rena Stage welcomes local director David Muse (Associate
Director, Shakespeare Theatre
Company) to stage the poignant love
story Frankie and Johnny in the Clair
de Lune in the Kreeger Theater, February 23 - April 8. Muse departs from his
usual Shakespearean repertoire to bring
his expertise to this intimate and witty
contemporary production. Celebrated
playwright Terrence McNally (Love!
Valor! Compassion!, Master Class) delivers a bittersweet play about the forging of a relationship between two
lonely mid-life lovers. Johnny, a shortorder cook in a diner, goes home with
Frankie, a waitress, for a one-night
stand. Johnny desperately tries to crack
Frankie’s hardened heart before she
sends him home, and they lose their
chance at love. Frankie and Johnny in
the Clair de Lune contains adult
themes, nudity and strong language.
“Terrence McNally’s plays are
some of the most compassionate and
vibrant works written in the last century,” said Artistic Director Molly
Smith. “His characters are real people
in recognizable situations, and he finds
arresting ways to reveal them. One of
D.C.’s young directors to watch, David
16
Muse is a real character specialist,
which serves Frankie and Johnny
beautifully.”
“These are two very particular people—yes—but this is also a play suffused with what McNally once described as ‘fairy tale overtones’,” said
Muse. “Frankie and Johnny represent
different thoughts and feelings about
love that we have all experienced. The
trick with this play is to use the very
particular to reveal the very universal.”
Memorably produced on and OffBroadway, Frankie and Johnny in the
Clair de Lune earned several Tony nominations and was adapted into a 1991
film starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino. It premiered in 1987 at the OffBroadway Manhattan Theatre Club with
Kathy Bates and Kenneth Welsh in the
title roles, and was revived on Broadway
in 2002 with Edie Falco and Stanley
Tucci, earning two Tony nominations for
Best Revival and Best Actor in a Play.
Playwright Terrence McNally won
Tony Awards for best play for Love!
Valour! Compassion! and Master Class.
In addition, Love! Valour! Compassion!
won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award and the New York Drama
Critics’ Circle Award for best play. His
Southwest Night
Friday, March 2 at 8:00PM
A special invitation is extended to
our Southwest D.C. neighbors to buy
$20 tickets for one specially designated
Friday evening performance of each
production. Proof of Southwest D.C.
residency or employment must be presented at the time of purchase. Tickets
are limited to 4 per person and are based
on availability. To purchase tickets, call
or stop by the Arena Stage Sales Office.
Tickets range from $46-66, with discounts available for students, groups,
persons with disabilities and senior citizens. HOTTIX, a limited number of
half-price, day-of-performance tickets,
are available from 90-30 minutes before
curtain prior to every performance.
FIVETWENTYFIVE TICKETS, a limited number of $10 tickets for patrons
aged 5-25, are available for purchase
until 5:25PM on the day of performance. (For matinee weekend performances, tickets can be purchased on the
day before the performance.)
Sales Office (202) 488-3300, TTY
for Deaf patrons (202) 484-0247, Group
Sales Hotline (202) 488-4380, Subscriptions (202) 488-4377, Info for patrons
with disabilities (202) 554-9066
Tickets purchase and performance
times are available online at www.
arenastage.org.
Arena Stage has launched its own
podcast featuring Arena Stage Artistic
Associate David Dower as host. The
Arena Stage podcast on Frankie and
Johnny is available at www.
arenastage.org or the iTunes Music
Store.
GRAMMY AWARD WINNING GROUP
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO TAKES ON
LISNER AUDITORIUM
L
adysmith Black Mambazo, the
South African a cappella group
featured on Paul Simon’s acclaimed Graceland album, will be performing live their latest album Long
Walk to Freedom, a celebration of
songs from its storied career sung in
Zulu and English.
The Grammy Award winning group
takes over Lisner Auditorium—
Wednesday, March 7th. The Group
takes the stage at 7:30PM. Tickets
are $35, $50, and $55. The Auditorium is located at 21st & H Street N.W.
in Washington, D.C. For more information or tickets call 202-785-9727 or
go online at www.wpas.org.
In recognition of the twentieth anniversary of their ascendancy to the
world stage and the dawning of
democracy in South Africa twelve
years ago, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
released Long Walk To Freedom
(HUCD 3109, and on SACD in 5.1
Surround Sound, HUSA 9109) on
Heads Up International on January 24,
2006. The release came just weeks
after a Grammy nomination for Mambazo’s previous Heads Up recording,
No Boundaries, in the category of Best
Contemporary World Music Album.
The album is a collection of twelve
new recordings of classic Mambazo
songs, featuring guest vocal performances by some of the most progressive
voices of the contemporary pop music
scene: Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou
Harris, Taj Mahal, Joe McBride, Sarah
McLachlan, Natalie Merchant and Zap
Mama. Also appearing on the guest
roster is a virtual who’s who of South
African artists: Lucky Dube,
Bhekumunzi Luthuli, Vusi Mahlasela,
Hugh
Masekela,
Nokukhanya,
Phuezkhemisi, and Thandiswa.
For more than thirty years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, assembled in
the early 1960s in South Africa by
Joseph Shabalala, have married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their
native South African musical traditions
to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has
touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious,
cultural and ethnic landscape.
Two decades ago, Paul Simon introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s
musical genius and boundless spiritual
energy to the pop music world via his
groundbreaking 1986 recording Graceland. Eight years later, due in large part
to the efforts of Ladysmith Black
Mambazo and other South African
artists bearing witness to racial inequality in their homeland, the centuries-old practice of apartheid came to
an end in South Africa.
LIFE’S A BEACH ON BET’S
HIT SERIES COLLEGE HILL
L
ife’s a beach when BET’s hit show COLLEGE HILL returns for a
fourth season on Tuesday, March 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT! COLLEGE
HILL 4 is uncensored and completely unrestricted: from the classroom to chaos—cultural clashes to crazy sexual escapades, pranks to strict
consequences—the network’s cameras are there 24/7 to catch all of the action.
WHAT: School’s back in session on COLLEGE HILL 4, TV’s most addictive black reality show. The highly-anticipated fourth season features a
new cast of eight students from the University of Virgin Islands St. Thomas.
COLLEGE HILL is HBCU college life uncensored and completely unrestricted: from the classroom to chaos—cultural clashes to crazy sexual escapades, pranks to strict consequences —the network’s cameras are there 24/7
to catch all of the action. On this season of COLLEGE HILL, four Virgin Islanders live in a tricked-out pad with a group of California transfer students
and it’s not too long before the cultural tension crescendos! This season brings
a new combination of saucy, volatile and eclectic personalities with more of
the on- and off-campus escapades that have marked its ratings success for the
last three seasons. Reality TV reaches new heights as BET’s COLLEGE
HILL exposes real student life - drama and all—in the quest for higher education!
SHOW PREMIERE: Show premieres on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at
10p.m. ET/PT (special one-hour premiere). Show will run for 13 half-hour
episodes.
THE METRO HERALD
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
February 16, 2007
“THE ROAD TO FREEDOM”—BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG
W
ith dynamic reenactments
of some of the most pivotal
moments in the history of
Black culture in America, once-in-alifetime musical performances and
special events throughout the month of
February, Colonial Williamsburg offers parents and children the opportunity to experience Black History
Month in new, exciting ways.
“The history of African Americans
has influenced every aspect of our nation’s development and is an integral
part of the story we tell here at Colonial Williamsburg,” said Rex Ellis,
vice president of the Historic Area.
“We seek to teach American History through multiple perspectives that
help facilitate understanding among all
of our guests regarding the importance
of African- American culture.”
In addition to enhanced programming throughout the month of February, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation hosts a special Black History
Weekend, Feb. 24-25, focusing on the
“road to freedom.” The weekend features gripping scenes of runaway
slaves “Dick” and “Joe,” as well as vignettes about African-Americans’ interactions with the Shawnee Indians
and the impossible decisions slaves
were faced regarding the Revolutionary War.
On Feb. 24, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation also treats guests to a
one-of-a-kind performance by the
artists and historians behind Colonial
Williamsburg’s recently released CD,
From Ear to Ear. The CD features
recreated West African, Caribbean, and
traditional African-American songs.
Also during Black History Month,
guests have an opportunity to experience the State of the Black Union:
African American Imprint on America
program.
For children and young adults unable to take a trip to the Historic Area,
Colonial Williamsburg offers The
JERMAINE DUPRI
TO LEAD NEW MUSIC DIVISION
AT ISLAND DEF JAM MUSIC GROUP
Slave Trade, a live broadcast of Colonial Williamsburg’s Emmy(R) awardwinning monthly Electronic Field Trip
series. The premiere of this broadcast
explores the U.S. law of 1807 that
abolished the transatlantic slave trade.
Viewing is free on subscribing publicbroadcast and cable stations throughout the nation.
For a full list of activities on Black
History Weekend and throughout the
month of February, visit www.
ColonialWilliamsburg.com/visit.
CALENDAR OF SPECIAL
EVENTS AND
INTERPRETATIONS FOR
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2007
ently; Meet the former enslaved cook
for one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as she illustrates
her thoughts on freedom and equality;
Change is Coming!; Participate in worship service and listen as a free Baptist
minister delivers a sermon proclaiming
the American freedom can not thrive
without the end of American slavery
March 16-17: Colonial Williamsburg Equiano Lecture Series; Educational seminar focusing on how scholarship is blending with living history
programming. Anticipated guests include noted scholars James Walden
and Eric Metaxa.
Colonial Williamsburg’s programming for Black History month complements the Historic Area’s year-round
African-American interpretive programs that recognize the struggles and
successes of the 18th-century’s Black
Virginians and their contributions to
America. Additional seasonal programs, historic museums and resources, and interactive events, such as
the interactive Revolutionary City program, make Colonial Williamsburg a
perfect destination for anyone. For
more information, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit www.ColonialWilliamsburg.com.
February 17: Fifes and Drums
March—Performers representing militia field musicians march through
Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area.
BLACK HISTORY WEEKEND
February 24: Special Fifes and
Drums March; White Goes First; Witness a private conversation between
Thomas Jefferson and servant Jupiter;
God Save the King; Talk to enslaved
men, Joe and Dick, and discover their
quest for freedom; The Examination of
Joe & Dick, Black Loyalists; Listen to
the testimonies of Joe and Dick, two
enslaved black loyalists.
February 25: Slavery and The
Law—A Special Focus Tour; Tour the
Capitol and discover how enslaved
African Americans fought to obtain
their freedom; Freedom to Slavery;
Hear the compelling story of an enslaved woman forced back into slavery
after living with the Shawnee Indians;
Created Equal, But Treated Differ-
NAACP’S ANNUAL
LECTURE
I
Jermaine Dupri
H
it producer and sometime rapper Jermaine Dupri has been
named president of Island
Record Urban Music, a newly created
division of Island Def Jam Music
Group.
Dupri, who has produced chart-topping songs for artists ranging from
Usher to Mariah Carey, also reunited
with Island Def Jam Chairman Antonio
“L.A.” Reid.
“We are very fortunate to have Jermaine in our fold,” Reid told The Associated Press today. “There’s a strong
relationship between us already, which
makes this move even better for the
team.”
This is the third senior management
move for Dupri in four years. In 2003
he was named senior vice president of
Arista Records, when Reid headed the
label.
But when Reid was ousted a year
later, Arista folded into the BMG conglomerate. Reid later became chairman
of Island.
Dupri went on to become president
of Virgin Records’ urban-music department in 2005. During his stint he cowrote and produced Carey’s Grammy
Award-winning song, “We Belong Together,” along with other top-sellers
“Shake It Off” and “Don’t Forget
About Us.”
THE METRO HERALD
“Jermaine is a prestigious hit maker
as well as a production wizard. I personally look forward to helping be part
of once again, adding to and continuing his illustrious legacy,” Island president and Chief Operating Officer
Steve Bartels said in a statement.
Dupri also brings his own label, Atlanta-based So So Def, which has been
home to Bow Wow, Dem Franchize
Boyz and other urban acts.
“I’m so excited to be reunited with
L.A. Reid because most of my biggest
hits were when he and I worked together,” Dupri said. “And then to be
working side by side with Steve Bartels—I don’t think there’s a better team
because he’s by far the best in the
game. I can’t wait for us to start
stuntin’ on y’all.”
Among the hits he’s written, produced or had a hand in: “Burn,” “My
Boo” and “Confessions (Part II),” from
Usher; “Tipsy,” from J-Kwon; and
“Damn!” by the Youngbloodz.
In 1992, at 19, Dupri was responsible for the No. 1 smash “Jump” from
preteen act Kris Kross.
“He’s a hitmaker, remains close to
the streets and stays next to the new the
trends,” Reid said. “The beauty is that
he is so young, but he is so experienced.”
n observance of Black History
Month, the Alexandria Branch
of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Alexandria
Black History Museum present the
Annual NAACP Lecture and Soul
Food Tasting. The featured guest
speaker will discuss the 2007 national Black History Month theme,
“From Slavery to Freedom:
Africans in the Americas.” Following the lecture, guests will
sample a variety of African American traditional foods.
This event is open to the general public on Sunday, February
25, 2:00 to 4:00PM at Charles
Houston Recreation Center, 905
Wythe Street, Alexandria.
This event is free to the pubic,
but due to limited seating, reserve
a space by calling 703-838-4356.
BLACK FACT
On February 16, 1923,
Bessie Smith
made her first
recording,
“Down Hearted Blues,”
which sells 800,000
copies for
Columbia Records.
17
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
February 16, 2007
THE 46TH ANNUAL WASHINGTON
BOAT SHOW AT WASHINGTON
CONVENTION CENTER
BROADCASTER TAVIS SMILEY AND
SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LEADER AEG
CREATE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP TO PRODUCE SPECIAL EVENTS
Tavis Smiley
T
avis Smiley, founder of The
Smiley Group, Inc. (TSG), a
multimedia communications
firm, and AEG, leaders in the development and production of live entertainment and special events, announced a
partnership to create a series of projects
that will reach millions through arts and
culture, education and social advocacy.
Beginning in 2008, projects include
a touring museum exhibit on the
African American imprint on our country and culture; and the Table of Free
Voices USA, the world’s largest social
discourse with 113 luminaries from all
fields of human endeavor.
The first joint venture of the new
partnership will be a nationally televised black-tie awards program, Living
the Dream: A Night at The Apollo an
annual event that will honor the legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. broadcast
live from New York’s famed Apollo
Theater. A portion of the proceeds will
benefit the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“Last year The Smiley Group celebrated 15 years of fulfilling our mission to enlighten, encourage and empower people through radio, television,
books, philanthropy and public forums,” said Smiley.
“I am extremely excited that we are
now aligned with one of the most innovative and cutting-edge companies
to reach even larger audiences with
some thrilling projects. AEG has an
impressive roster of high-caliber programs and events and working together
I’m confident we will set a new standard in inspiring and empowering entertainment.”
“Without question Tavis Smiley is a
leading voice for social change and
bringing people together to discuss important issues of our time and solve
problems,” said Timothy J. Leiweke,
President & CEO, AEG. “Like Tavis
and his organization, at AEG we thrive
on creating meaningful works and lasting legacies while setting high goals for
excellence in everything we do. This
strategic alliance will bring two likeminded creative forces together for
some significant work. I’m certain that
these projects will have a great and positive impact on audiences worldwide.”
“In particular, we believe that Living The Dream will become the signature event and the focal point of Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day,” said Tim Swift,
president and CEO of Bounce, an
event production, management and
brand marketing company which will
partner with TSG on the event. “This
‘inspirational’ program will create an
amazing new opportunity to celebrate
a great American legacy, and will also
be a vehicle to help fund this significant memorial and its ongoing work.”
This year America begins a commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of
Jamestown, Va., the first permanent
English settlement in North America. As
an extension of this commemoration,
TSG and Arts and Exhibitions International (AEI), AEG’s museum exhibition
division, will unveil an unprecedented
traveling exhibit America’s 400th Anniversary: The African American Im-
print on America, a vast collection of art,
music, books, documents and memorabilia representing every period of U.S.
history. The exhibit will commence in
2008 and tour for five years throughout
museums in the United States.
“We believe, Americans will attend
and very much appreciate an exhibit of
this nature said John Norman, President
& CEO, AEI. “We are looking forward
to the opportunity to work with Tavis
on this groundbreaking project. He has
a vast knowledge of African American
history and its current impact on American society as a whole.”
Currently, Norman leads production
of the world-renowned blockbuster,
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of
the Pharaohs, (King Tut) the traveling
exhibition that features more than 130
artifacts from the tombs of King Tut.
The partners also will produce the
Table of Free Voices USA event which
is expected to draws tens of thousands
attendees and millions of television
viewers and Internet users worldwide.
A total of 113 selected participants will
spend the day answering questions
posed by ordinary citizens live all day.
The participants will be seated around
a vast, specially constructed table simultaneously answering 100 pre-selected questions. The location and date
will be announced later.
“This project promises to be one of
the most thought-provoking events
we’ve ever done,” said Smiley. “I’m
excited about the possibilities this project can create as Americans ask and
answer pressing questions and engage
in meaningful dialogue.”
“These three projects alone have
the potential to touch so many lives
and we’re just getting started. We hope
this is the beginning of a long relationship between AEG and The Smiley
Group. We’re ready to go beyond the
sky!” said Leiweke.
JAMESTOWN 2007 ANNOUNCES HAMPTON UNIVERSITY AS SITE
OF THE STATE OF THE BLACK UNION 2007
J
amestown 2007, the organizers of
America’s 400th Anniversary, in
partnership with Tavis Smiley
“Presents”, Inc. announced recently
that the “State of the Black Union
2007” will be held at the Hampton
University Convocation Center on
February 10, 2007, as part of America’s 400th Anniversary.
The symposium is free to the public,
and will be broadcast live via C-SPAN.
Anyone interested in attending can register online at www.tavistalks.com or
by calling 213-694-1883. More information about America’s 400th Anniversary can be found at www.
Americas400thAnniversary. com
Originating in 1999 and hosted by
television and radio personality Tavis
Smiley, “The State of the Black Union”
brings together America’s black thought
leaders, educators, public policy makers, religious leaders and community
organizers to examine the AfricanAmerican Imprint on America. The
symposium takes on added poignancy
in 2007 during the international commemoration marking the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Va., and the arrival
of the first Africans in America.
“Jamestown changed the world in
many ways, but perhaps it shaped our
nation most profoundly the day
Africans arrived,” Smiley said. “I can’t
think of a more relevant place to talk
18
about the issues facing our community
today than the place where African culture became American culture.”
Thirty-six of America’s thought
leaders, including Angela Glover
Blackwell, Cornel West, the Rev. Dr.
Otis Moss Sr., Cathy Hughes, Bruce
Gordon, Michel Martin, Tim Reid and
the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, will join
Tavis Smiley and co-host Tom Joyner
to examine the impact of African
Americans on western culture as well
as current issues of importance to the
African-America community.
Jamestown 2007, a sub-agency of
the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, is
coordinating efforts to commemorate
the 400th anniversary of Jamestown,
Va., the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The nation’s first
representative government, free enterprise system and culturally diverse society began at Jamestown. State, national,
and international commemorative
events to salute these legacies began in
May 2006 and continue into 2008.
Major corporate sponsors of America’s
400th Anniversary include Norfolk
Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC),
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and The Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation. Other supporters include Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (NYSE: BUD), AirTran Airways (NYSE: AAI), Dominion, James
City County, Northrop Grumman, Philip
Morris USA, SunTrust, TowneBank and
Wolseley PLC/Ferguson Enterprises,
Inc. Contributors include the City of Poquoson and Rutherfoord Insurance.
More information about the commemoration is available at www.
Americas400thAnniversary. com.
Tavis Smiley “Presents” is an event
production company dedicated to bringing thought provoking discussions, engaging town hall meetings, and consumer expos to communities across the
country. During the last seven years its
programs have reached more than
200,000 conference attendees and attracted millions of television viewers
nationwide. Tavis Smiley is the host of
Tavis Smiley on PBS, a weeknight halfhour talk show and the host of The
Tavis Smiley Show from PRI, a twohour news and opinion program featuring provocative commentary and exclusive interviews. He’s the author of nine
books including the 2006 release, What
I know For Sure: My Story of Growing
Up In America. He founded the Tavis
Smiley Foundation to provide leadership training skills to youth ages 13 to
18. Information: www.tavistalks.com/;
Jamestown 2007, 410 W. Francis Street,
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185-4046.
757-253-4659, Fax: 757-253-4950;
www.americas400thanniversary.com
or [email protected]. gov
T
he “fan”tastic 46th Annual
Washington Boat Show is back
better than ever! This year,
you’ll not only get to see OVER 500 of
the newest and hottest models of
2007—all at special show prices—but
thanks to the Ian Fleming Foundation,
you’ll see four high tech, specialty vehicles from some of the most famous
action scenes and chases in the “James
Bond” film series, including:
• “Thunderball” Tow Sled (1965):
This underwater tow sled—used by
James Bond and the villain
Largo—is one of only two known
to still exist of the14 boats originally built for the production company (the original builder, Jordan
Klein, owns the other.
• “Diamonds Are Forever” Bath-OSub (1971): The underwater batho-sub is one of two featured in the
film. It was used by 007’s nemesis,
Blofeld, to escape from the oildrilling platform that doubled as his
headquarters and can be seen as
Blofeld climbs inside and is lowered over the side of the oil platform.
• “The World Is Not Enough “Q’s”
Jet Boat (1999): Major Boothroyd’s
famous “Q” jet boat performed a
barrel roll stunt in the film.
• “Live and Let Die” Villain’s Chase
Boat (1973): In Roger Moore’s
movie debut as 007, one of the
highlights is a boat chase in the
New Orleans bayou. Bond’s boat in
the speedboat jump scene over the
bayou unintentionally set a Guinness World Record at the time, and
the villain’s boat—which will be on
display—that later made the same
jump unintentionally destroyed
Sheriff Pepper’s patrol car.
The 2007 show also features hundreds of display booths offering every
conceivable accessory, service or
equipment along with the latest in electronics, nautical clothing and boating
gizmos and gadgets. As a complement
to choosing the right boat, the show
also presents opportunities to learn
about financing, insurance, maintenance/repair and how to handle your
dream boat.
The Washington Boat Show—presented by SunTrust Marine Lending—
runs Thurs., Feb. 15-Mon., Feb. 19
(President’s weekend.) Hours are
noon-9p.m. Thurs. & Fri., 10a.m.9p.m. Sat. and 11a.m.-6p.m. on Sun.
& Mon.. Adult tickets are $10, children 6-12 are $5 and kids 5 & under
are free with a paying adult. Advance
tickets can be charged through Ticketmaster (202-397-SEAT (7328).
The Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW) is easily accessible by METRO. The Mt.
Vernon Square/7th Street station (Yellow/Green lines) is located right in the
Convention Center. Parking is free at
METRO-operated lots on weekends.
THE METRO HERALD
SPORTS & RECREATION
February 16, 2007
DAVID BECKHAM
TO HIT EVERY MLS MARKET
GAY CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP APPLAUDS
NBA PLAYER COMING OUT AS GAY
T
John Amaechi
he National Black Justice
Coalition,
www.nbjc.org,
America’s only Black gay civil
rights organization proudly congratulates John Amaechi, a former NBA
player on his courageous step of coming out as gay.
Amaechi, whose autobiography
scheduled to be released next week, reveals that he is gay, making him the
first male basketball player to come
out in US. During his career, Amaechi
played for the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks.
The National Black Justice Coalition proudly includes Amacheci in its
month long Black History tribute series honoring accomplished Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals past and present. Profiles of
other individuals honored this month
can be accessed at www.nbjc.org
along with a list of last year’s tributes.
BARBER TO JOIN NBC IN DUAL ROLE
Tiki Barber
T
iki Barber will work for NBC
next year after spending most
of the 2006 NFL season entertaining bids from various networks for
jobs in both news and sports.
The New York Giants’ Pro Bowl
running back will be introduced Tuesday at a network news conference, according to a person familiar with the
deal who spoke on condition of
anonymity because he is not directly
involved in the contract.
Barber will work both on the
“Today” show and on the network’s
Sunday night football show. It is unlikely he would be in the broadcast
booth with the longtime team of Al
Michaels and John Madden.
Barber, who had worked in the offseason at Fox, had considered offers
from that network and ESPN/ABC for
news-sports roles.
The 31-year-old Barber announced
in October that 2006 would be his final
season after 10 years with the Giants.
He finished fourth in the NFL with
1,662 yards rushing, including a career-high 234 in the season finale, a
34-28 win in Washington that got the
Giants to the playoffs. For his career,
he had 10,449 yards rushing and 5,182
yards receiving, joining Roger Craig
and Marshall Faulk as only the third
player in NFL history with 10,000
yards rushing and 5,000 receiving for
their careers.
Associated Press
D
avid Beckham will visit every
Major League Soccer city
after his U.S. arrival in midJuly, and television viewers will see
lots of him.
The former England captain likely
will make his MLS debut Aug. 5 at
Toronto, according to the MLS schedule released Tuesday. But he could don
his Galaxy shirt for the first time in late
July when Los Angeles plays in the SuperLiga, an eight-team exhibition event
between MLS and Mexican clubs.
The Galaxy play Mexico’s Chivas
on July 24 at home, against Pachuca
on July 28 and travel three days later
to play at FC Dallas, the only MLS
team that will not see Beckham during
the regular season.
Sixteen of the Los Angeles
Galaxy’s final 17 games are scheduled
to be broadcast nationally.
“Adjustments were made to maximize David Beckham joining Galaxy
in mid-July,” said Dan Courtemanche,
MLS’ senior vice president of commu-
David Beckham
league first, and 113 will be televised
nationally—most in league history.
The season opens April 7.
TYRA BANKS TO MARK
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED COVER MILESTONE
Tyra Bamls
T
yra Banks marks a modeling
milestone next week, and is
donning a decade-old bikini to
celebrate the special anniversary.
Ten years ago, Banks became the
first black supermodel to appear alone
on the cover of the Sports Illustrated
swimsuit edition. The 2007 edition,
which has a music theme, features 25year-old singer and “Dreamgirls” actress Beyonce on the cover wearing a
yellow-and-pink bikini.
Sports Illustrated said Beyonce is
the first nonmodel/nonathlete to appear
as the main subject on the cover of the
swimsuit issue.
The inside of the magazine features
scantily clad models posing with
Kanye West, Aerosmith, Kenny Chesney, Gnarls Barkley and Panic! At the
Disco. A five-page spread featuring
model Anne Vyalitsyna was shot at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
Banks, 33, recently returned to the
Bahamas to recreate the shoot that
landed her on the coveted Sports Illustrated cover, even wearing the same
red polka dot bikini—with a few ad-
Visit us on the web at
www.metroherald.com
THE METRO HERALD
nications and marketing. “There was
no major upheaval to ensure every
team will have the Galaxy at home
after mid-July.”
The Galaxy begin a four-game East
coast road trip with the Aug. 5 game in
Toronto, followed by games at D.C.
United on Aug. 9, the New England
Revolution on Aug. 12 and the New
York Red Bulls on Aug. 18.
Beckham announced his transfer to
the Galaxy in January, saying he would
move to the United States when his contract with Real Madrid expires June 30.
The U.S. transfer window doesn’t close
until April 15, however, leaving open
the possibility that Beckham could arrive earlier if he parted ways with Real
Madrid before his contract expires.
After Beckham’s scheduled arrival,
only the Galaxy’s Aug. 5 game won’t
be televised nationally on one of MLS’
four national outlets: ESPN2, Fox Soccer Channel, HDNet and the Univision
Spanish-language channels.
Each of the league’s 195 games will
be broadcast at least regionally—a
justments.
“I was about 140 pounds on that
cover . . . and I’m 161 now,” the 5foot-10 TV host told The Associated
Press on Tuesday. “I’d say I looked
like a stripper when I put it on.”
Banks, who retired from modeling
in 2005, said some extra fabric was
added to make the bikini a little less
itsy-bitsy.
“They covered the sides of my
chest so that it wasn’t so much hangin’
out. And they put some extenders on
the sides of the bikini bottom so it fit,”
she said.
Last month, Banks, who hosts the
syndicated “The Tyra Banks Show”
and the CW network’s “America’s
Next Top Model,” was mocked on the
Internet for unflattering photos showing her in a one-piece bathing suit.
In the AP Radio interview, Banks
said she considered going on a crash
diet before the Bahamas shoot to look
the same as she did 10 years ago, but
then thought better of it.
“I think there’s more power in embracing what I am now and showcasing that,” she said.
“I’m thinking that I should probably do this every 10 years,” she continued. “So, in 2017 maybe I’ll get in the
swimsuit again and I’ll have to get
them to add a little more fabric.
USOC ESTABLISHES
BEIJING TRAINING CENTER
A
merican athletes will prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics at a
headquarters located at the Beijing Normal University. The U.S.
Olympic Committee announced Sunday it has entered an agreement
with the university, located about 15 minutes from the Olympics’ athletes
village. The U.S. team and staff will be provided with housing, training and
restaurant facilities for about 400 Olympians. The games will be from Aug.
8-24.
“This complex at Beijing Normal University will establish a base for our
athletes to prepare in their final stages prior to competition,” said Steve
Roush, USOC chief of sport performance. “It allows the U.S. Olympic athletes to train in conditions that are conducive for high performance, and it
provides the comforts of home with great facilities, good restaurants and
sleeping space for our team before the games.”
During the games, U.S. athletes are scheduled to stay in the athletes village.
Two 400-meter tracks are located on the site, one with a grass infield.
Ground has been broken for a new recreation center with a gymnasium
complex and aquatic facilities. There also are gym facilities for combat
sports.
There will be meeting rooms for coaches; a video setup that provides
quick feedback and scouting for the coaches; and a technology center.
The USOC had a similar site for U.S. athletes in Athens for the 2004
Games at the American University of Greece.
19
COMMUNITY NEWS
February 16, 2007
ALEXANDRIA
MAURY ELEMENTARY
HOSTS OPEN HOUSE
M
atthew Maury Elementary
School, 600 Russell Road,
Alexandria, will host an
Open House from 8:30 to 10:30a.m.
on Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the school’s
Cafetorium.
The event, designed for parents of
prospective students, includes a question-and-answer session as well as a
tour of the school.
For additional information, contact
the school at 703-706-4440.
GADSBY’S HOSTS FREE
PARADE DAY TOURS
C
elebrate George Washington’s
birthday at the place where the
Father of our Country ate,
drank, and influenced history.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum is pleased to
offer free tours on the day of the Annual George Washington Birthday Parade! Enjoy the parade and tour the
tavern for free!
This popular event is open to the
general public on Monday, February
19, 11:00AM–400PM at Gadsby’s
Tavern Museum, 134 North Royal
Street, Old Town Alexandria. Tours
begin at quarter past and quarter to the
hour. Last tour is at 3:45PM.
Visit www.gadsbystavern.org or
call for more information, 703-8384242.
PATRICK HENRY STUDENTS
RECEIVE SURPRISE
FROM SOLDIER
F
ifth-grade students at Patrick
Henry Elementary School in
Alexandria received a big surprise after writing and sending friendly
letters and pictures to 2nd Lt. Isaac
Greenberg and his fellow soldiers at
Jalalabad
Airfield
Station
in
Afghanistan in December.
Lt. Greenberg, a military intelligence officer, is the nephew of Eileen
Greenberg, a fifth-grade teacher at
Patrick Henry. The soldiers were extremely pleased to receive the letters.
Lt. Greenberg wrote back to the children personally, answering one question each child asked. He also purchased an American flag "In Honor of
the Fifth Grade Students at Patrick
Henry Elementary" and had it flown on
Dec. 25, 2006, at the Jalalabad Airfield.
The flag, along with a certificate
certifying its authenticity, arrived at
the school on Jan. 31. In addition, Lt.
Greenberg sent each child a piece of
Taliban money and told them that, "Although the money is not worth any-
20
thing now because the Taliban are no
longer in control of Afghanistan, I am
sure when you are older it will be
worth something because it's very rare
and unique." The children were in awe
of the letter, the flag and the money,
and promised to treasure the money
forever.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
HONOR BLACK HISTORY
MONTH WITH FUN,
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
FOR FAMILIES
F
ebruary marks the 25th anniversary of Black History Month.
While the accomplishments of
African Americans should be celebrated all year long, we focus on their
numerous contributions to society during the month of February. Take time
to expand your family’s knowledge of
black history and culture with fun and
educational activities.
Houghton Mifflin’s Education
Place and McDougal Littell’s ClassZone Web sites provide a variety of
worksheets, games and ideas to help
your family celebrate Black History
Month:
• Children can design a documentary
about an important African American in history by downloading film
frames from Education Place, inserting pictures and writing an accompanying script. You can host a
film showing for kids to present
their work to the family.
• Get out the crayons and have children color images of notable
African Americans available on Education Place. After their art projects are complete, you can discuss
who is featured in each picture, and
why he or she is an important figure
in black history.
• Ask your kids to complete a Black
History Month word find on Education Place. Have an encyclopedia or
computer available to look-up
names of important people and
events that you may be unfamiliar
with.
• For older children (grades 4?6),
read about some important dates in
the civil rights movement, and then
ask them to complete a table with
dates and details. Kids can then cut
and paste the civil rights table from
Education Place into chronological
order.
• Learn about the origin of the Black
History Month and the birth of
African American studies by having your children complete the February internet activity on ClassZone.
All of the worksheets and games
mentioned above are available for free
download from the following Web
sites:
www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/
february/bhm_activities.html
or
www.classzone.com/currentevents/#
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin
Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States,
with more than $1.4 billion in sales.
The Company publishes a comprehensive set of educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to
standards-based assessments for elementary and secondary schools and
colleges. The Company also publishes
an extensive line of reference works
and award-wining fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. In
2006, Houghton Mifflin merged with
Riverdeep, bringing together one of
the most respected print publishers
with the leader in interactive courseware. With origins dating back to
1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its
tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more
about Houghton Mifflin, visit
www.hmco.com.
FAIRFAX
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
T
he Fairfax County Human
Rights Commission is accepting nominations for its 2006
Human Rights Awards from now until
Friday, March 16. The awards recognize individuals, nonprofits or businesses that advanced human rights in
Fairfax County during last year.
To get a nomination form, call 703324-2953, TTY 703-324-2900. Nominations can be submitted by e-mail to
[email protected]; by
fax at 703-324-3570; or by mail to the
Human Rights Commission, 12000
Government Center Parkway, Suite
318, Fairfax, VA 22035-0093.
Nominees should demonstrate accomplishments to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, marital status,
age or disability in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, private education and credit.
These accomplishments can be a single
significant action, long-term activities,
or corporate equality programs of an
extensive and outstanding nature.
The 2006 award recipients, as well
as previous years’ winners, will be
honored at a banquet on May 17. Recipients of the 2005 award were Dr.
Deborah Foreman, Dr. Harrell K.
Fuller, Dr. Young W. Kang, Imam Mo-
hamed Magid, The Committee for
Helping Others, and the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.
The Human Rights Commission
was established in 1974 by the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors to eliminate discrimination on the basis of
race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age or disability in
the areas of housing, public accommodations, employment, private education and credit.
For more information or a nomination form, contact the Human Rights
Commission at 703-324-2953, TTY
703-324-2900, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
FEBRUARY EDUCATIONAL
GENEALOGICAL PROGRAM
O
n Saturday, February 24,
2007, the Fairfax Genealogical Society (FxGS) will present its monthly educational program in
the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Station. The class will start at 10:00a.m.
ends at noon. The class is free and
open to the public. The meeting will
feature a presentation entitled “Pennsylvania Research” The program will
be presented by Elissa Powell.
This lecture will provide an
overview of Pennsylvania records with
an emphasis on Pennsylvania courthouses, which have some unique terms
and an indexing system that may not
be familiar to every researcher. This
lecture will help the attendee gain a
better understanding of those terms,
the Russell Index System, and the
types of records contained in the three
major offices in every Pennsylvania
Courthouse: the Recorder of Deeds,
the Register of Wills, and the Prothonotary, and how to navigate those
offices.
Elissa Powell is the Professional
Genealogy Course Coordinator at the
Institute of Genealogy and Historical
Research at Stamford University; BCG
Booth Coordinator; Western PA Genealogical Society Book Review Editor. She was an APG Director, pastpresident of two societies, co-editor of
tombstone inscription books and appeared in the cemetery episode of Ancestors 2.
The Fairfax Genealogical Society
was established in 1974 as a non-profit
organization to promote fellowship
and cooperation among persons who
are conducting genealogical research,
to further the use of sound genealogical methods, standards of accuracy,
and scholarly research, and to aid those
doing research in our area. We currently have over 400 members, including not only many who live in or near
Fairfax County, but also many who are
searching for information in our area.
We are pleased to also have the membership of several libraries and other
societies nationwide. All genealogists,
amateur and professional, must continually educate themselves to remain
current. Don’t be left behind! Please
take advantage of these free classes,
taught by experts on their given subjects.
Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Station
is located at 2148 Gallows Road in
Dunn Loring, VA 22027. The Dunn
Loring Fire Station, is just 1.5 miles
(toward Tyson’s Corner) from Thoreau
School. This is a great facility, it is
easy to find, and the parking is very
convenient.
Additional information about FxGS
can be found at www.fxgs.org/. Any
questions about the education program
should be directed to Phyllis Legare at
703-787-9458 or [email protected].
ENTRY LEVEL PAYROLL
COURSE OFFERED IN DC
L
earn the nuts and bolts of calculating paychecks at a oneday introduction to basic payroll, calculating paychecks, offered by
the American Payroll Association, the
nation’s leader in payroll education
and training. Course will take place on
March 15, 2007, from 8:00AM to
4:30PM at the Sheraton Reston Hotel,
11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston,
VA 20191; (703) 620-9000.
This one day course provides
hands-on exercises covering the basic
payroll rules, procedures, and calculations that are required to pay employees accurately.
Participants will practice calculating:
•
•
•
•
Gross pay
Withholding taxes
Pre-tax deductions
Net Pay
Participants should include entry
level practitioners, employees with
newly assigned payroll responsibilities, practitioners who lack formal payroll training and supervisors who are
new to payroll.
For further registration details call
(210) 224-6406 or visit: www.
americanpayroll.org/calcpay.html.
On-site registration available.
Registration begins at 7:30a.m. For
more information, contact Erika Hurst
at (210) 226-4600, ext 2230, or e-mail
[email protected].
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
PG COUNTY TO PROVIDE
YARD WASTE COLLECTION
FOR STORM DEBRIS
T
he Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources (DER) announced
today that yard waste collection will be
provided from February 19 through
March 2 for county citizens and residents to dispose of tree limbs from the
aftermath of the ice storm.
“DER is pleased to provide this additional two-week yard waste collection service to residents to help them
with their cleanup efforts from the recent ice storm,” said DER Acting Director Charles Wilson.
Citizens and residents who currently have yard waste collection may
place their tree limbs in securely tied
bundles at the curb on their regularly
scheduled collection day. The limbs
must not exceed four feet in length and
three feet in diameter, and each bundle
must weigh less than 60 pounds. Residents may also bring their tree limbs
and storm debris, free of charge, to the
Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill
located at 11611 White House Road in
Upper Marlboro on Sundays from
7:30a.m. to 4:00p.m.
In addition, the Western Branch
Composting Facility located at 6601
Southeast Crain Highway in Upper
Marlboro will accept tree limbs, Monday through Friday, from 7:30a.m.
to 3:30 .m. However, there will be a
$10 minimum charge for dropping off
tree limbs at this location.
For more information on disposing
of your storm debris, call the DER’s
Waste Management Division (WMD)
at (301) 883-5045. For information on
your yard waste collection day, call
WMD’s Collection Section at (301)
952-7630.
THE METRO HERALD
BUSINESS NEWS
February 16, 2007
OP-ED
D
o you: do without a regular
doctor, have unmet health care
needs, or often forego expensive medicines you need? Access to
health care and facilities in America is
directly related to income and race and
blacks are dying for need of better
health care. As a Black American you
probably get fewer operations, tests,
medications and other life-saving
treatments than whites and as a result
have the nation’s poorest health.
The American health system lags in
activities toward improving African
Americans’ health outcomes. The
country spends $2 trillion - $6,290 per
capita - annually for health care, but
denies access to health care based on
abilities to pay. More than 886,000
deaths could have been prevented from
1991 to 2000 if African Americans had
received the same care as whites.
Five times as many lives can be saved
by correcting the disparities in care between whites and blacks.
No single factor contributes more
to racial and ethnic disparities in health
and access to health care than health
insurance. Forty-seven million Americans are uninsured. Forty-three percent of African Americans are uninsured, compared to 23 percent of
whites. Political proposals for univer- cans get equal care. Recently execusal health care are
promising developtives of a number of large U.S. emBLACK
HEALTHCARE—
ments toward addressing the vast in- ployers joined union leaders in calling
BADAmericans’
AND GETTING
WORSE
equities in African
health for “quality,
affordable” health care for
every American by 2012. The coaliWilliam Reed
tion supports a plan such as the US NaSpecial to The Metro Herald
tional Health Insurance Act (H.R. 676)
introduced in Congress by Rep. John
status.
Conyers (D-MI). The business and
Although America has the highest union partnership goals include unirated equipment, medical doctors and versal health-care coverage and boostprocedures in the world, healthcare ing the value of monies spent on health
among African Americans is at Third care.
World levels. Blacks remain much
Getting universal healthcare passed
less likely to undergo heart bypasses, in Congress and statehouses requires
appendectomies and other common massive actions. As “sick and tired”
procedures. They receive fewer mam- as African Americans are regarding
mograms and basic tests and drugs for healthcare, we need to illustrate to naheart disease and diabetes, and contin- tional and state lawmakers about just
ually fall even further behind whites in
controlling those two major killers.
With America’s documented racial
and ethnic disparities, African Americans would benefit from universal
healthcare coverage as soon as possible. Actually, all Americans will benefit under a universal health care system. Americans annually pay $1,821
more per capita on healthcare than
Switzerland, yet ours is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee
access to health care as a right of citizenship. Twenty-eight industrialized
nations have single payer universal
health care systems.
Universal healthcare has been almost taboo on the national stage for
more than a decade. Now, there needs
to be massive movements to make
changes needed to assure all Ameri-
how “sick and tired’ we are with them
and their lack of action on this subject.
Insurance companies represent the
largest political opposition to a universal healthcare plan. They are against
any regulations limiting their abilities
to make profits. If enacted, universal
healthcare could put health insurance
providers out of business. Therefore,
insurance companies donate millions
to oppose the measure.
Many health care providers feel entitled to the market value for the services they provide and that they should
not be restricted by government intervention. Also adamantly opposed to
universal healthcare are the nation’s
wealthiest taxpayers. They don’t feel
they should be responsible paying for
healthcare for the poor. Congress relies heavily on such contributors and is
reluctant to support universal healthcare.
One way the U.S. Congress sidestepped the issue was by introducing
initiatives onto state ballots and “letting constituents decide directly”. To
date, pushing the issue to state levels
and placing the burden of deciding on
a universal healthcare plan on the voters has resulted in overwhelming voter
rejection.
Get good health care and you will
live longer. All African Americans
must pursue getting universal healthcare legislation passed where they live,
so more of us can live better and
longer.
CCE TO SLASH WORK FORCE
BY 4.7 PERCENT
C
oca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the biggest bottler of Coca-Cola beverages,
said it would cut about 3,500 jobs, or 4.7 percent of its work force, as
it reported a whopping $1.7 billion loss in the fourth quarter.
The Atlanta-based company said it expects to report a corresponding
charge of about $300 million, which will be booked in 2007 and 2008.
The move had been widely anticipated by analysts who said the company
has struggled with higher costs for aluminum and other commodities and a shift
in consumer tastes away from carbonated beverages to juices, teas and waters.
The company said the restructuring would “create a highly efficient supply chain and order fulfillment structure, and improve customer service by
implementing new selling systems for many of our customers.”
“Through this restructuring, we will enhance standardization and consistency in our operating structure and business practices,” CCE said in a statement.
CCE currently has 74,000 employees, spokeswoman Laura Asman said.
The Coca-Cola Co., the world’s largest beverage maker, is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter and year-end 2006 results . It owns a stake in CCE,
which bottles Coca-Cola products and delivers them to market.
CCE’s loss in the fourth quarter, which included a hefty franchise impairment charge, amounted to $3.59 a share, compared to a loss of $57 million,
or 12 cents a share, for the same period a year ago.
Excluding one-time items, CCE said it earned $95 million, or 20 cents a
share. On that basis, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting
earnings of 16 cents a share.
Revenue rose 6 percent in the fourth quarter to $4.79 billion, compared to
revenue of $4.50 billion recorded in the same period a year ago.
For all of 2006, CCE said it lost $1.1 billion, or $2.41 a share, compared
to a profit of $514 million, or $1.08 a share, for the same period a year ago.
Twelve-month revenue rose to $19.80 billion, compared to $18.74 billion
recorded in the same period a year ago.
Also , Coca-Cola Enterprises announced strategic initiatives to expand its
existing product portfolio “in fast growing beverage groups” and to make its
distribution more efficient.
Its shares rose 29 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $20.82 in morning trading on the
New York Stock Exchange.
BLACK FACT
On February 16, 1951,
the New York City Council
passed a bill prohibiting racial discrimination
in city-assisted housing developments.
THE METRO HERALD
21
CLASSIFIED ADS/BIDS & PROPOSALS
February 16, 2007
Only $250 buys a
25-word classified ad in
98 newspapers across Virginia.
Call: The Metro Herald at
703-548-8891
OR
Virginia Press Services at
804-521-7571
to place your ad in the
AD NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS
• • • $700-$800,000 FREE CASH
GRANTS—2007!
Personal
bills,
School, Business/Housing. Approximately $49 billion unclaimed 2006!
Almost Everyone Qualifies! Live Operators Listings 1-800-274-5086 Ext. 230.
HEALTH/BEAUTY/COUNSELING
MEET THE HEALTHY LIVING MATCH
THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU. GO TO
eDiets.com.
ADOPTIONS
PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Talk with caring people specializing in matching birthmothers with families nationwide. EXPENSES PAID. Toll
free 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions 866-910-5614.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
EXCHANGE PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVE—rewarding opportunity working
with high school exchange students.
Responsibilities include recruiting host
families, supervising students and working with schools. Email resume or letter
of interest to AsseUSAeast@asse.
com.
AUCTIONS
AUCTION—Construction Equipment
& Truck, Friday, March 9, 8AM, Richmond, VA, Late Model CAT Equipment,
Excavators, Dozers, Loaders, Trailers,
Dumps & More, Motley’s Auction &
Realty Group, 804-232-3300, VAAL
#16, www.Motleys.com.
HELP WANTED
GENERAL
Part-time, home-based Internet business. Earn $500-$1000/month or more.
Flexible hours. Training provided. No
investment required. FREE details.
www.K348.com.
SEEKING HOST FAMILIES for exchange students. Has own insurance
and spending money. Promotes World
Peace! American Intercultural Student
Exchange. 1-800-SIBLING (1-800-7425464)—www.aise.com.
“Can You Dig It?” Heavy Equipment
School. 3 Week Training Program.
Backhoes, Bulldozers, Trackhoes. Local
Job Placement. Start Digging Dirt Now.
Call 866-362-6497 or 888-707-6886.
Flatbed drivers: 2007 Model Freightliners are Here! Per Diem Pay, Weekly
Home Time, Excellent Benefits. Class ACDL, 22 Years Old, Good Record. Call
Western Express Today!! 866-863-4116.
WANT HOME MOST WEEKENDS
WITH MORE PAY? Heartland’s GREEN
MILE$ program! $.54/mile company
drivers and $1.19 for operators! 12
months OTR required. HEARTLAND
EXPRESS 1-800-441-4953 www.
heartlandexpress.com.
ACT NOW! 21 CDL-A Drivers Needed
• 36-43cpm/$1.20pm • $0 Lease NEW
Trucks. CDL-A + 3 months OTR. 800635-8669.
Need a high paying career? Learn to
drive. Alliance Tractor Trailer Training
Centers, NC. 1-800-334-1203 www.
alliancetractortrailer.com.
garages. Call Woodford Bros., Inc. for
straightening, leveling, foundation and
wood frame repairs. 1-800-OLD-BARN.
www.1-800-OLD-BARN.COM.
Deed Book 257 Page 660 in clerk’s office of Lunenburg County, Virginia. Call
516-326-9354 or lamont73@verizon.
net.
LAND/ACREAGE
LAND FOR SALE
10 Acres mountain property, fantastic
view from building site. Private access
to National Forest, Cowpasture River.
Close to I64, Lake Moomaw, Homestead, Douthat State Park, Skiing,
Regional Hospital, Golf. $65,000 Steve
540-371-1096.
40 MILE MOUNTAIN VIEWS 9 +/ACRES $116,900. Incredible mountain
getaway, private National Forest and
Trout Stream access. Perc, new survey,
near Blacksburg VA Call owner direct at
1-877-202-2727.
37.66 Beautiful Acres in Lunenburg
County, Virginia. Only $2500/acre.
BRAND NEW! LARGE MOUNTAIN
ACREAGE WITH UNLIMITED & ENDLESS MOUNTAIN VIEWS OF 3
STATES! CLOSE TO D.C. & NORTH-
• DRIVERS • IS YOUR COMPANY
Keeping you away from home weeks
at a time? Those days are over! Quit
being treated like a robot! Come to work
for a company that recognizes you as a
person and treats you like family. Plus
earn up to .44cpm. Don’t delay—Call
Today! Howard Transportation. Call
1-877-284-3332, Kenly, NC.
TRUCK DRIVERS
DRIVER—Are you getting a pay increase? Roehl drivers have! Practical
Route and Top 10 Pay. Up to $3,000
Sign-on bonus. Students and O/O
Welcome. Class A required. Call today!
877-774-5313. www.GoRoehl.com.
DRIVER CDL TRAINING—CLASS “A”
or CLASS “B.” Local or O-T-R Job
Placement Assistance. Guaranteed
Financing Available. $38–45K 1st Year.
CDS Tractor Trailer Training 1-800-6462374.
HAS YOUR BUILDING SHIFTED?
Structural repairs of barns, houses and
HOME IMPROVEMENT
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ALL CASH CANDY ROUTE. Do you
earn $800 in a day? Your own local
candy route. Includes 30 Machines and
Candy. All for $9,995. 1-888-745-3354.
MONEY FOR YOUR BUSINESS—
Business Owner? $5K–$250K 72 Hour
Funding. Online approval. www.getcca.
com or call 1-888-213-5744 ext. 304.
MYSTERY SHOPPERS NEEDED—
Pose as customers for store evaluations. Local stores, restaurants &
theaters. Training provided. Flexible
hours. Email Required. Call Now! 1-800585-9024 ext 6462,
COASTAL/
RESORT PROPERTY FOR SALE
Coastal (Ocean Isle Beach) NC.
Affordable four bedroom, four bath brick
home, huge lot, close to beaches and
waterway! Coastal Carolina Realty, Inc.
Call 1-800-754-9019.
EMPLOYMENT LISTING
EARN UP TO $550 WEEKLY Working
through the government. PT No Experience. Call Today!! 1-800-488-2921 Ask
for Department J19. Fee.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
SAWMILLS from only $2,990.00—
Convert your LOGS TO VALUABLE
LUMBER with your own Norwood
portable
band
sawmill.
Log
skidders
also
available.
www.
norwoodindustries.com—FREE information: 1-800-578-1363- Ext:300-N.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
CREDIT CARD DEBT? Stop Collection
Calls, • Cut finance charges. • Cut payments up to 50%. Debt Consolidation.
Fast Approval! No credit check! Avoid
Bankruptcy. National Consolidators
(800) 270-9894.
22
Alicia Harris
Now Styling at
Galaxy Salon
& Spa
Alicia Specializes in
Wraps, Roller Sets, Relaxers,
Children’s Styles,
Women’s Curls and Styles
Galaxy Salon & Spa
St. Charles Plaza • Waldorf, MD
Next to TJ Maxx • (301) 645-7287
$10 OFF WITH THIS AD
THE METRO HERALD
CLASSIFIED ADS/BIDS & PROPOSALS/BUSINESS NEWS
February 16, 2007
ERN VA. GREAT OPPORTUNITY!
VISIT www.MountainAcreages.com.
Coastal North Carolina WATERFRONT BARGAINS—11.5 ACRES—
$129,900 Pristine waterfront parcel w/
deep, boatable water & access to ICW,
Sound & Atlantic! Panoramic views, private setting. 53 acres w/deep waterfrontage- $199,900 loaded w/bear, deer,
turkey, waterfowl & more. Gravel roads,
utilities, perc ok. Excellent financing.
Must see, call now, 1-800-559-9315 x
1698 Charles Watkeys, Broker.
Compare This!!!! West Virginia Sell
Out 1 hour from Winchester, VA. Power/
Perk/H2O. Availability Limited. Romney,
WV 5–18 acres. Call now: 866-3471096.
LARGE TROUT STREAM 17 ACRES
—$199,900—STATE ROAD FRONTAGE A very RARE land offering over
1200 feet of a large private trout stream.
Great low rate financing available. Call
now, new to market. 1-877-777-4837.
Mid Winter Sale! Golf Homesites Just
$89,900. MAKE NO PAYMENTS UNTIL
2008! Pristine wooded homesites.
Spectacular golf community. Mountains
of SC. Limited time offer. Call 866-3343253, x 1193.
MOUNTAIN RETREAT—Owner has
several wooded parcels from 8 to 20
acres overlooking the Potomac River &
Valley, some bordering National Forest.
All- weather road, buildable, near
Virginia/West Virginia line. From
$49,000. 866-386-1508.
RARE! NATIONAL FOREST FRONTAGE & TROPHY TROUT STREAM.
LARGE ACREAGE PARCELS NEW TO
MARKET. www.NationalForestLand.
com.
The most affordable, large acreage
mountain property this close to our
Nation’s Capital! 20+ Acres starting at
$119,900 w/ private river access and
endless mountain views! Long term low
rate financing available. Call 1-800-8881262 now.
VA MOUNTAIN LAND BARGAINS—
West of Lexington, w/private access to
GW National Forest, magnificent views!
17 acres w/views $69,000. Larger
parcels available. Call owner: 866-3632697.
MISCELLANEOUS
Attend College Online from Home.
• Medical • Business • Paralegal • Computers • Criminal Justice. Job placement
assistance. Computer provided. Financial Aid if qualified. Call 866-858-2121.
www.OnlineTidewaterTech.com.
AIRLINES ARE HIRING – Train for high
paying Aviation Maintenance Career.
FAA approved program. Financial aid if
qualified – Job placement assistance.
CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance
(888) 349-5387. (ad is new this week)
MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE
POOLS $755—New 2007 Factory
Specials! Huge 31’x19’ Pools! Pool
Packages Complete w/Deck, Fence,
Filter, Liner, Ladders! Factory Installation Required! Limited Area! Call
24HRS. 1-800-447-7207.
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, VA—Beautiful flat waterfront lot! 100+ ft. of water
frontage. One acre +. Double-slip dock.
Call Amelia Gerner, Prudential Waterfront Properties 800-858-4653 or
[email protected].
STEEL BUILDINGS
BUILDING SALE . . . February/March
delivery or deposit holds till Spring.
25’x40’x12’ $4800. 40’x60’x16’ $12,800.
Front end optional. Rear end included.
MANY OTHERS! Pioneer, 1-800-6685422 or www.pioneersteel.com.
HEED THE TOP 10 YEAR-END TAX TIPS TO SAVE ON 2006 TAXES
I
“
f I had only known about that
new tax law, I would have done
something before the end of the
year!”
This common lament of taxpayers
is often the result of simply not staying
on top of the latest changes to the increasingly complex tax laws. But it
doesn’t have to be that way!
The National Society of Accountants (NSA) is helping taxpayers avoid
surprises and maximize their tax savings with these ‘Top Ten Year-End Tax
Tips?:
1. Take stock of your stocks. Review
your current year stock and mutual
fund sales to determine if you have
a net gain or loss. If you have a net
gain, then selling stocks that
would produce a net loss may
make sense. A net capital loss of
up to $3,000 can be deducted
against other income, such as
salary. Any excess losses can then
be carried forward to future years.
2. Watch out for the estimated tax
penalty. The IRS requires individuals to pay their taxes throughout
the year with quarterly estimates,
tax withholding, or both. If you
don’t pay enough during the year,
you can be hit with an estimated
tax penalty, which is equal to the
interest rate for underpayments.
Although it may be too late for this
year, adjusting your income tax
withholding can eliminate or reduce the penalty.
3. Consider stock donations. If you
want to donate to your favorite
charity but are short on cash,
check out your stock portfolio. If
you own stocks that would produce a large capital gain, consider
donating them before you sell
them. You can deduct the market
value of the stock as a charitable
contribution and you pay no tax on
the appreciation.
4. Reducing the tax on Social Security benefits. People who receive
Social Security benefits can be
taxed on a high percentage of their
benefits. Investing in T-Bills or
CDs that don’t mature until next
THE METRO HERALD
5.
6.
7.
8.
year can lower the provisional income in the current year and lower
the tax rate. Also, investing in
growth stock that produces little
income can have the same result.
“Kiddie Tax” update. The new tax
law raises the age threshold for the
“kiddie tax.” For 2006, any unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gain, etc.) received
by a child under age 18 (previously age 14) that exceeds $1,700
is subject to federal tax at the parents” top marginal tax rate. You
might want to shift investments
into growth stocks that produce little income, tax-free municipal
bonds or municipal-bond funds,
Series EE bonds, or CDs that mature in the next year.
Installment sale of property. If you
are considering the sale of real estate property that was held for investment purposes, you could
spread out the tax hit over several
years with an installment sale. If
you structure the sale into two payments, one in December and one
in January, you spread the tax over
two years instead of one. The second benefit may come from a
lower adjusted gross income.
Shift timing of deductions. Consider maximizing your itemized
deductions by “bunching” deductions. In order to get a tax break
from itemizing deductions, you
must have more in deductions than
the standard deduction allowed by
the IRS. For 2006, this is $10,300
on a joint return and $5,150 on a
single return. If you are close to
the standard deduction each year,
consider accelerating all possible
deductible expenses into every
other year. Shift payments of medical expenses to the year they will
exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, pay two years
of personal property tax and real
estate tax in one year, or double up
on your charitable contributions
into one year.
Watch business expenses. If you
deduct employee business ex-
penses, your deduction is reduced
by 2 percent of your adjusted gross
income and you may lose the deduction totally because of the alternative minimum tax (AMT).
The best strategy is to set up an
“accountable plan” with your employer to cover all your business
expenses in lieu of wages for the
same amount. The reimbursements
you receive will be tax-free, not
subject to payroll taxes or alternative minimum taxes.
9. Defer income until next year. If it
is possible to defer receiving income until the next year, you not
only defer income tax on that income for another year but you may
increase the value of your deductions for the current year if you
have adjusted gross income limitations.
Consider
postponing
bonuses, investment gains, or elective distributions from retirement
accounts.
10. See your tax professional. Make
an appointment with your tax professional BEFORE year end. Opportunities missed can mean cash
in the bank. Don’t be one of the
many taxpayers that look back and
say, “If I only knew about this before the year end.”
“Tax laws change every year, so it’s
always a good idea to review all your
options while there’s still time to take
action,” explains NSA member Paul V.
Thompson, EA, ABA, ATA, ECS, Senior Tax Manager for Shaw & Sullivan, P.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and a
member of the NSA Federal Taxation
Committee. “You should also not assume that your tax withheld from your
W-2 wages or the tax estimates you are
paying are enough to cover your tax liability or avoid a penalty.”
NSA represents accountants who
specialize in serving individuals and
small-to-mid-size businesses. For
more information about NSA and to
find an accountant who can assist with
tax issues, visit www.nsacct.org or call
800-966-6679.
TANNING BEDS FOR SALE
WOLFF TANNING BEDS. Buy Direct
and Save! Full Body Units from $22 a
Month! FREE Color Catalog. CALL
TODAY! 1-800-842-1305. www.np.
etstan.com.
VACATION PROPERTY FOR RENT
ADVERTISE your vacation home to
more than one million Virginia newspaper readers. Your 25-word classified
ad will appear in more than 80 newspapers for only $250. Call this newspaper
or Virginia Press Services at 1-804-5217571.
WATERFRONT PROPERTIES
NC Gated Lakefront Community.
Pleasantly mild climate 1.5 acres, 90
miles of shoreline. Never offered before
with 20% pre-development discounts,
90% financing. Call 800-709-5253.
BLACK FACT
On
February 16, 1970,
Joe Frazier
knocked out
Jimmy Ellis
in the
second round
of their
New York fight
and became the
world heavyweight
boxing champion.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services
(DMAS) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to establish a
contract for Family Access to Medical Insurance Security
(FAMIS) CPU Services. Proposals will be due by 2:00 p.m.,
March 13, 2007. Copies of the RFP 2007-02 can be obtained
from the DMAS web site www. dmas.virginia.gov or Facsimile
(804) 786-9146, Attention: Chris Banaszak.
FAIRFAX COUNTY CLOSES
HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER
PROGRAM WAITING LIST
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority
(FCRHA) will be closing the Housing Choice Voucher
(formerly Section 8) Program waiting list as of March 1, 2007
until further notice. The program serves Fairfax County, City of
Fairfax; City of Falls Church; and the Towns of Herndon, Vienna
and Clifton. Applications for the Fairfax County Housing Choice
Voucher Program (HCV) will not be processed by the FCRHA on
or after March 1, 2007. Applications will continue to be accepted
for the waiting lists for Public Housing, Fairfax County Rental
Program and Senior Housing. Applicants are encouraged to apply
for these programs.
Fairfax County Department of Housing
and Community Development
3700 Pender Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/rha
Equal Housing Opportunity
ENGINEERING CONSULTING
VDOT is seeking Expressions of Interest from engineering firms
to provide engineering services for the design of a grade-separated
interchange for Route 123 (Gordon Boulevard) at Route 1 and
associated roadway improvements. Current plans have been
designed to the RW stage by Prince William County and will be
considered in the continuation of the plan development process.
Responses must be received by 4:00 p.m. on February 28, 2007.
A copy of the RFP may be obtained at http://www.virginiadot.
org/business/rfps.asp. For additional information contact Gisela
Green at (804) 786-6752 (TDD 711).
VDOT assures compliance with
Title VI requirements of nondiscrimination
in all activities pursuant to this advertisement.
23
February 16, 2007
24
THE METRO HERALD