Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper, March 20, 2010

8/9/2019 Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper, March 20, 2010

1/20

By Melanie R. HolmesAFRO Staf Writer

People like Leslie Irias

and Mario Ramirez are why

the Maryland ConsumerRights Coalition (MCRC)

is adamantly opposed to

House Bill 1327. In 2006,the conmen tricked an

elderly couple out of $90,000

by posing as licensedcontractors. Instead of adding

another level to RolondoZapatas meager, one-story

home so he would have moreroom to care for his disabledson, Irias and Ramirez took

the money and disappeared.

As of last month both menare incarcerated, but MCRC

fears House Bill 1327 has

the potential to send innocenthomeowners like Zapata to

jail along with the imposters.

Proposed by Del. VictorRamirez, if approved, the bill

would forbid homeownersfrom entering into home

improvement agreements

with unlicensed contractorsand prevent them from

www.afro.comVolume 118 No. 32 75 CENTS

Copyright 2010 by the Afro-American Company

afro.co

m

YourHistoryYourCommunity

YourNews

Join theAFROonTwitter and Facebook B5B3

Female FootballCoach Hired atArea School

Web-Based SeriesSpotlights SingleMothers

Listen to First Edition

Join Host Sean Yoes

Sunday @ 8 p.m. on

88.9 WEAA FM, the

Voice of the Community.

Continued on A3Continued on A6

Continued on A6Continued on A6

MARCH 20, 2010 - MARCH 26, 2010

Clarence Thomas Wie JoinsTea Party Movement

Pictured here at a Federalist Society event with her husband, Supreme

Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Virginia Lamp Thomas recentlyannounced plans to form a political organizi ng group that will appeal to

Americans aligned with the various tea part movements.

By George Barnette

AFRO Staf Writer

The recent announcement that VirginiaThomas, the wife of Associate Supreme Court

Justice Clarence Thomas, is wading into the

conservative brew of the tea party movementhas many within those ranks excited.

Thomas lobbying group, Liberty Central

was formed in January to serve the big tent ofthe conservative movement, according to its

Web site. It has already received the support of

several high-prole conservative leaders. Onthe groups Web site, it features a message from

former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.Ginni can help channel the frustration

felt by millions across America at the current

course of our country, said Rumsfeld.Leaders committed to smaller government,

scal prudence, and a strong national defense

will be returning to Washington, D.C., and I amcondent that Ginni Thomas will be part of the

By Dorothy RowleyAFRO Staf Writer

When it comes to

ensuring an accurate count

of the 2010 census, childrenplay an important role.

To that end the U.

S. Census Bureau hasbeefed up its efforts to

reach communities with a

campaign entitled ChildrenCount Too. The initiative

began last week andalerts households to their

responsibility for counting

infants and youngsters.Children ages 5 and

under have traditionally

been left out of the censuscount, said Washington

bureau spokeswoman

Sylvia Ballinger. But weare encouraging parents to

2010 Census: Dont Forget the Children

Sesame Street walkaround character Rosita meets students at Bancroft Elementary

School during a launch event for Census in Schools in Wilmington, Del. Census in

Schools is designed for students in kindergarten through 12th grade and will reach all118,000 schools and 56 million students nationwide.

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Black Press Week,

March 17-19

183Years othe BlackPressBy Clint C. Wilson IISpecial to the AFRO

(NNPA) In 1827 a

group of prominent free

African-American citizensfrom states along the eastern

seaboard met in the New

York City home of BostinCrummell to discuss means

to communicate their views

on the various social, politicaland economic issues that

commonly confrontedthem and their respective

communities. Although Black

citizens utilized the churchand social and fraternal

organizations as a means of

collective expression anddialogue, the usual channels

of public media particularly

newspapers were deniedto them. Exacerbating the

problem was the fact that

elements of the establishedpress routinely denigrated

African Americans in

print, even to the extent ofquestioning both the integrity

and morality of the entirerace.

The most signicant

outcome of the meetingat Mr. Crummells house

in the winter of 1827

was the decision to beginpublication of the rst

newspaper produced by

Continued on A5

Omega Mardi Gras B1

Opinion

Health Insurance Reform and AfricanAmericans A8

By Gregory DaleAFRO Staf Writer

In an effort to provide affordable and healthy groceries

to the community, the Baltimore City Health Department

(BCHD) and Santonis Supermarket have partnered to createthe Virtual Supermarket Project, which will allow residents

to order groceries online and pick them up at the Orleans and

Washington Village branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.Santonis, one of the rst full-service restaurants in Baltimore,

is providing healthy foods for the initiative.The sites are located in areas considered food deserts, due

to the lack of competitively priced grocery stores. And with

the recent closings of many grocery stores, the problem hasbecome progressively worse.

The driving force [of the program] is knowing that there

are certain areas in the city where theres a lack of access tohealthy, fresh foods, said Olivia Farrow, interim commissioner

of the BCHD. We know that if people cant access healthy,

fresh foods then theyre more likely to eat unhealthy foods.Farrow added that the department hopes the project will

provide some means of access to healthier food options for

those residents that do not have transportation. According tostatistics released by BCHDs

Ofce of Epidemiologyand Planning, communities

surrounding the Washington

Village and Orleans librarybranches are some of the most

Health Department Unveils New Virtual Supermarket

Photo by Anderson Ward

Dr. Carla Hayden, CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library,and Olivia Farrow, interim commissioner, Baltimore City

Health Department, introduced the Virtual Supermarket

to residents this week.

Annapolis

Ofcials OpposeBill to Protect

Homeownersarguing against paying theworkers because they are

unlicensed. Because thecurrent law states that an

unlicensed contractor cannot

legally enforce a contract,the legislation is an incentive

for contractors to become

licensed. To Ramirezsdenial, MCRC Executive

Director Marceline White

also said the bill could sendhomeowners to prison for

six months or ne them $1thousand for unknowingly

hiring unlicensed homeimprovement contractors.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Census Bureau, Public Inormation Ofce

Howard Student fromBaltimore Drowns A6


2/20

A2 The Baltimore Afro-American, March 20, 2010 - March 26, 2010

AFRO National Briefs

Obama Donates Nobel

Prize Money to CharitiesPresident Obama will donate $1.4

million from his Nobel Peace Prizeto several charities, according to a

White House press release.

Obama will donate a total of$750,000 to six groups that assist

students going to college. The

Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, whichhelps to rebuild the devastated

country, will receive $200,000.

Fisher House, which supplieshousing for the families of

hospitalized veterans, will receive$250,000.

These organizations do

extraordinary work in the UnitedStates and abroad helping students,

veterans and countless others in

need, the president said in thestatement. Im proud to support

their work.

Donations to the Fisher House

will help fund new temporarylodgings at Bethesda Naval Hospitaland Dover Air Force Base for

family members of injured and slain

soldiers.Its work that needs to be done

for these men and women who have

served this nation so gallantly,Fisher House Foundation Chairman

and CEO Kenneth Fisher told TheAssociated Press. Its a privilege

to serve these men and women andthese families because they give so

much to this nation.

Donations to Haiti will assistthe relief efforts led by former

Presidents George W. Bush and

Bill Clinton in Haiti, which hasbeen suffering since it was hit by a

devastating quake on Jan. 12.

The United Negro CollegeFund, College Summit, The

Posse Foundation, the HispanicScholarship Fund, the Appalachian

Leadership and Education

Foundation and the American IndianCollege Fund will each receive

$125,000.

We are grateful that PresidentObama has seen t to use the

proceeds from his Nobel Prize to

help seniors at UNCF membercolleges and universities complete

their studies and graduate on time,UNCF president and CEO Michael

L. Lomax said in a press release.

The recession has been hard onthem, and they will be encouraged

that the rst African-American

president of the United States isinvesting in their education and their

future.

AfriCare, which funds HIV/AIDS programs, water resource

development and public healthprograms, will receive $100,000,

as will the Central Asia Institute,

which supports education for girls inPakistan and Afghanistan.

President Obama received the

Nobel Peace Prize in December2009 and was the third president in

U.S. history to receive the award.

N.J. Man Held in Yemen

For Murder and Suspected

TerrorismA New Jersey man is in custody

in Yemen for allegedly killing a

bodyguard and having ties to al-

Qaeda, Newsone.com reported.Sharif Mobley, 26, is suspected of

being a member in the same branch

of al-Qaeda that attempted to bomb aDetroit-bound airliner on Christmas

day. He is accused of killing a guardin an attempt to escape a hospital on

March 10, ofcials said.

Mobley, a former laborer atseveral nuclear power plants in

the United States, is a natural-born

U.S. citizen who is Black and wasclassied by Yemeni ofcials as a

Somali-American. He was one of 11

al-Qaeda suspects who were arrestedafter a security sweep in Yemens

capital of Sana this month.

Fearing that Yemen couldpotentially be the next terrorist

staging area, the Pentagon hasproposed spending $150 million to

help Yemen battle terrorism.

Terrorists often seek to recruitAmerican citizens because they can

travel without raising suspicion.

The U.S. passport is the goldstandard, Fred Burton, a former

U.S. counterintelligence agent, told

Newsone.com.Mobley graduated from high

school in Buena, N.J., in 2002. Helater lived in Philadelphia, Pa. and

Newark, Del.

Mobleys mother, Cynthia

Mobley, described her son to

WMGM-TV in Atlantic City as anexcellent person whos never been in

trouble and a good Muslim.

I can tell you this: Hes no

terrorist, Mobleys father added.Umar Hassan-El, assistant imam

at the Islamic Society of Delawares

mosque in Wilmington, Del., said he

and Mobley were roommates duringtheir pilgrimage to Mecca in 2004.

According to Hassan-El,

the worst offenses Mobley evercommitted at the time were to forget

to pick up clothes or to interrupt

discussions among older Muslims.He gave no indication that he

would join a group that hes allegedto be a part of right now, Hassan-El

told the AP.

Tiger Woods to Return

to Golf in AprilTiger Woods announced Tuesdayhe will be returning to golf April

8. He will play in the Masters

tournament in Augusta, Ga., wherehe won his rst professional victory

in 1997.

The Masters is where I wonmy rst major and I view this

tournament with great respect,Woods said in a statement.

Tiger Woods has hired AriFleischer, former press secretary for

George W. Bush, to help organize his

comeback. They were in his livingroom this week going over a strategy

for how to handle Bay Hill in two

weeks, a source told the Post.Keeping in mind that he will

eventually have to answer the

publics questionssomething hedidnt do in his media address in

FebruaryWoods sought help from

Fleisher, who formed Ari SportsCommunications in 2008.

Fleishers rm is a joint venturewith IMG Sports & Entertainment

and focuses on crisis response and

control. IMG represents Woods.After stepping down from

his position as presidential press

secretary in 2003, Fleisher adopteda career as a consultant, helping

former slugger Mark McGwire with

a scandal over alleged steroid use in

2005.Fleishers list of clients also

includes Major League Baseball and

the NFL. He counseled the Packers

in 2008 on how to cope with thefallout from their breakup with Brett

Favre and advised college footballs

Bowl Championship Series on howto restore its image.

This 2002 photo provided by

Roman Castro shows Sharif

Mobley, 26, at a barbecue inBuena, N.J.

APPhoto/RomanCastro

CourtesyPhoto

President Obama

receives his

Nobel Peace PrizeDec. 10, 2009.

Courtesy Photo

Tiger Woods


3/20

March 20, 2010 - March 26, 2010, The Baltimore Afro-American A3

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reason it will happen.

Thomas attended a rally

denouncing the House of

Representatives health care

reform bill and is scheduled to

attend another rally in Atlanta

on April 15.

Several local tea party

leaders said Thomas

involvement gives the

movement a stamp oflegitimacy.

Of course [her

involvement] helps, said

Tony Passaro, organizer of the

Federation of Maryland Tea

Party Patriots. As the wife

of a Supreme Court justice

she has a lot of visibility.

Her involvement increases

the visibility of the whole

movement.

Ron Wilcox, head of

the Alexandria Tea Party in

Virginia, agreed with Passaro

as he excitedly spoke about

her involvement.

This is wonderful. Im

delighted that shell be doing

such a thing, Wilcox said.

It is one of the number of

steps that has come forward

that has advanced the

credibility and the viability of

the tea party movement.

There is a sentiment,

however, that her move is afurther setback for Clarence

Thomas in the eyes of many

African Americans.

Clarence Thomas

conservative past and

involvement in the Anita

Hill scandal has always

been a source of controversy

within the African-American

community. Some say this

may be the icing on the cake.

[Clarence Thomas] is

already alienated from the

Black community and I dont

know how much further

he can get, said Ronald

Walters, director of the African

American Leadership Center,

and professor of government

and politics at the University of

Maryland College Park. His

wife played a very early role in

his conrmation so this is really

not surprising to me.

Walters added that it

is a little unnerving thatthat the wife of a Supreme

Court Justice is joining this

movement given the vicious

conservatism he believes

dogs the tea party movement.

Given the Thomases contacts

within the Republican Party,

he thinks it could be part of

a Republican strategy to gain

more support.

Theres an attempt on the

part of the Republican Party

to incorporate the tea party

movement, said Walters.

Its possible that shes

becoming involved in that

effort.

However, members ofthe movement dismiss that

concern as they believe shes

just expressing her rights as

a U.S. citizen.

She has every right

to express her political

opinion, said Wilcox.

Shes not a Supreme Court

Justice.

People have their

own interests and want

to advance them. She

shouldnt be hobbled by her

husbands profession.

Thomas Wife Joins Tea PartyContinued from A1

When I askedAFRO

publisher Jake Oliver if he

was interested in me covering

the 2010 session of the

Maryland General Assembly,

my request had as much to do

with proximity as my interest

in reporting on the session.

Earlier this year, I

moved to the small town of

Stevensville on the Eastern

Shore after growing up in

West Baltimore and living

there for the vast majority of

my life.

So, it just made sense for

me to report on Annapolis

again now that I live 15

minutes from the state capital.

Plus, writing a column for

the rst time gives me a

much different perspective

on reporting on Maryland

politics.

Although I had spent

summers on the Eastern Shore

on a few different occasions,

making the move from

Baltimore City to Stevensville

was still a big adjustment.

But, earlier this month

when I found a well-equipped

gym to workout at about 10

minutes from my new home,

I felt like I was slowly, but

surely making the transition

from Baltimore to the other

side of the Bay Bridge.

It didnt take long for me

to receive a rude awakening

to life in small-town, mostly

White America.

My rst week of workouts

at my new gym in fact,

it was the day I paid my

membership for the next

two months I overheard a

conversation between two

people that was somewhat

stunning.

The younger woman and

the older man, both White,

were talking politics and since

I talk politics professionally,

I know more than most how

volatile the subject can be.

But, when the name

Obama was injected into

the previously cordial

conversation, the polemics of

politics and race were soon on

full display.

I honestly believe he

is trying to destroy this

country! argued the older

man, whose name was Will I

discovered and who was 75

years old.

The younger woman

asked, Well, did you vote

for him? She might as well

have asked him if he was a

Communist pedophile.

Are you out of your

godmned mind? old White

Will shot back. I cant stand

to even look at that ahole

on the television.

The woman responded,

My son thinks hes the anti-

Christ.

You know I heard

something about that, I

wouldnt be surprised if he

was, was old White Wills

response.

Now forget the fact it was

clear to me old White Will

didnt even know what anti-

Christ meant, the substance

of their conversation had

me asking myself if I really

wanted to join this gym.

The younger woman,

conscious I was nearby, tried

to mute her voice somewhat.

But of course, old White Will

carried on with vigor and

impunity. He later made a

reference to his son living in

an apartment complex with,

nothing but spooks. Im

certain he wasnt suggesting

his sons neighborhood was

haunted.

Let me be clear.

This is not my rst

experience living in a

community where I was far

outnumbered by my White

neighbors. When I was in

junior high school living

in Baltimore County, I was

called nigger and chased

home on many occasions.

Ultimately, I was far

less bothered by the racism

on display racism is as

American as apple pie than I

was by the pure unadulterated

ignorance I witnessed at my

new gym. Of course, racism

and ignorance often go hand

in hand.

But, now I wasnt

watching MSNBC and

alternately laughing and

screaming at the television

while tea-baggers,

xenophobes and other

assorted right-wing nuts

spewed their venom for the

last couple of years since the

emergence of Barack Obama.

These people were real,

standing just a few feet away

from me and they believed

this stuff.

Welcome to my world,

said my friend and colleague

Kris Broughton during a

taping of the WEAA-AFRO

First Edition. Broughton

blogs on race and politics

under the banner, Brown

Man Thinking Hard.

I go through that just

about every day at the local

Starbucks, added Broughton,

who lives in Georgia.

For the last several years

living in the culturally,

ethnically and racially

monolithic West Baltimore,

Broughtons experience

had not been mine. I had

become insulated by my

old neighborhood. I guess I

had forgotten how pervasive

ignorance and intolerance

is around other parts of the

country, and the state.

Ive always dismissed

President Obamas drivel

about a post-racial America.

Its ridiculous. Privately, he

probably doesnt even believe

it himself. However, like the

president I do believe the

vast majority of Americans

are essentially decent, fair-

minded people.

To that point I was

shopping at the Safeway in

my new neighborhood when I

was approached demurely by

two Girl Scouts pushing their

cookies. They didnt have to

work too hard for the sale.

A little White boy who

was part of the sales team

who couldnt have been more

than 3 years old insisted

on personally handing my

change to me. I said, Thank

you man. and he nodded

and smiled as he proudly

displayed his excellent

customer service skills.

Im encouraged by the

spirit of the little friend I met

at the grocery store.

But, sadly, I believe

old White Will and his ilk

are more than willing to

poison his young mind with

messages of fear and hate.I Aint in West Baltimore AnymoreThe fallacy of post-racial America

Ultimately, I was far less bothered by theracism on display racism is as Americanas apple pie than I was by the pureunadulterated ignorance I witnessed atmy new gym.


4/20


Mued Black Criticisms Refect Racial Pride, PragmatismBy Zenitha PrinceWashington Bureau Chie

African Americans have given President Obama

a racial passthats something on which his Black

supporters and opponents agree.That uncomfortable truth, however, seems to be

creating an increasingly persistent itch within the Black

community, especially in light of the disproportionategrowth of joblessness that plague their neighborhoods

and the presidents unwillingness to consider targetedpolicies to ameliorate that chronic unemployment.

I cant pass laws that say Im just helping Black

folks. Im the president of the United States, thepresident said in a Dec. 21 interview with American

Urban Radio Networks. What I can do is make sure

that I am passing laws that help all people, particularlythose who are most vulnerable and most in need. That

in turn is going to help lift up the African-American

community.But that so-called philosophy of a rising tide

lifts all boats continues to stick in the craw of many,

including Black Capitol Hill lawmakers, who met withthe president last week to discuss jobs.

That stance sparked on-air sticuffs between the

Rev. Al Sharpton and talk show host Tavis Smiley, who

seemed to question the presidents responsiveness to theBlack agenda and accused Black leadersincludingSharptonwho met with the president last month to

talk about jobs of being Obamas chorus. Sharpton

had said in post-meeting comments to The New York

Times that the president was smart not to ballyhoo a

Black agenda.

But some Black lawmakers such as Rep. DonaldPayne, D-N.J., disagree that targeted policies arent

needed.Its just like a patient in a hospital, if youre critical,

youre in intensive care; if youre doing well, youre

generally in a less intensive environment.So if youhave areas that have a very serious problem then you

need to have a more aggressive and targeted program in order

to heal those problems, he told theAFRO.Despite that divergent opinion, lawmakers have shied away

from any sharp remarks on the issue, though CBC Chairwoman

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said the caucus remains the WhiteHousesand Congressconscience.

There will always be a healthy tension between membersof Congress and the presidentand you want that in a

democracywhether the president is Black or not, she said.

I dont think any CBC memberfrom what Ive gatheredisfeeling muddled; weve very open with the president.

But that tension seems to be suppressed outside of closed

doors and any mumblings have been more symbolism than

any real criticism of the president, said political analyst RobertSmith.

One reason why the Black community has chosen to cageits frustrations is that many believe the president is sensitive

to Black issues and dedicated to solving themalbeit in hisown way and in his own time given the deluge of problemsrecession, foreclosures, health care reform, two wars, etc.he

has to tackle.

We know that President Obama is very acutely aware of[our problems], said Stephanie Myers of the grassroots group,

Black Women for Obama. She added, We understand what

hes facing. So, its not a reluctance to criticize him as much

as it is political maturity that African-Americans

recognize that you cant build Rome in a day.

That political maturity also recognizes that shouldObama display even the suggestion of favoritism

towards Blacks, he would get backlash from Congress

and the public and would feed the conservative talkshow machine for months. It was the same for President

John F. Kennedy and Catholics, Smith said.

Nixon would have been a better president forCatholics and it would have been easier for Black

people to bring pressure on Hillary Clinton to closethis gap than on a Black president, said Smith, a San

Francisco State University political science professor.

A White liberal president would have had more roomto maneuver on this issue than a Black president has.

Already, the president has been elding a barrage of

unfair attacks with an undertow of racism, supporterssay, and they wont make things worse.

Some of us feel when you hear people talking

about Lets take our country back that there areracial overtones to some of the criticisms, Payne said.

Therefore we feel a responsibility to insulate him

andof protecting him.Still, while Black leaders may not criticize the

president, theyre not as careful with members of hisadministration.

Were not necessarily pleased with some of hispeople, Payne said. I dont think that some of his keypeople have had the experience of working with the

problems of inner cities and rural areas. Many of them

come from strict business backgrounds.Smith added, I think they take Black people for

grantedand they will continue to do that.

That complacency could affect the presidentssophomore White House campaign.

If he does nothingthough I suspect he willtoattack these problems then that will dampen enthusiasm

in the Black community. He will still get the majority of

the Black vote, but the turnout will be less, Smith said.Payne said he expects Black support to be just as

stalwart in 2012 because of the racial pride invested in Obama

as the rst Black president of the United States.

Its something many of us older people like myself felt it

would not happen in my lifetime, the New Jersey Democrat

said. And, therefore, the fact that its happened, were going todo everything we can to support him and to work diligently for

his re-election.Thats because African Americans see Obama as

representative of the race and as a refutation of the negative

stereotypes that have dogged them, Smith added.For all of useven Blacks who ideologically disagree with

himhis triumph is the triumph of the race as a whole.

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Many Blacks may choose to squelch criticisms of President Obama

because they are still in the throes of race pride as seen here

exhibited by Zeboraqh Ball-Paul as she reacts to the news of his

election in Grant Park in Chicago, Nov. 4, 2008.

By Melanie R. Holmes

AFRO Staf Writer

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncanproposed several revisions within the No

Child Left Behind (NCLB) education reform

initiated under the Bush administration.While he intends to remain focused on

academic gains, he will allow individualschools the freedom to determine how those

improvements will be made, he said during a

press conference on Monday.As we traveled the county over this past

year, a number of clear challenges with the

previous law showed up, Duncan said. Wehave to ip all that.

According to Duncan, the current

NCLB legislation lowered the bar, was tooprescriptive and narrowed the curriculum.

It did nothing to confront an absolutelyunacceptable 27 percent national dropout

rate, overlooked investment in principals andinadequately awarded schools and teachersfor maintaining high standards or those who

had made improvements.

We want to identify [high-performingschools], reward them and give them

increased autonomy, Duncan said.

The secretary said the proposal isdesigned to hold middle-performing schools

accountable for accelerating progress, andpressure will be applied to chronically-

underachieving schools. However, all schools

will be expected to continue interventions forstruggling students, but the methods of those

interventions will no longer be orchestratedfrom the higher-ups.

Well be giving them exibility as to how

they meet their performance targets, Duncansaid. We dont feel we can micromanage

95,000 schools. We have to increase local

exibility and give teachers a chance to

innovate.

But the plan will be tough-minded andpush low-performing schools with a sense

of urgency. Although $3.5 billion could be

allocated to assist these schools up $350million from previous federal funding the

state would be responsible for deciding how

that money should be spent.An increased investment is also suggested

to support principals in order for them to

better meet the needs of their staff.Not only are we focusing on schools,

but were focusing on school districts andon states, Duncan said. Districts and states

werent a part of the previous law but theywould be in our proposal.

A college readiness course for high school

students will also be added across the country

if Duncans proposal receives the green light.Optimistic about the potential program,

he said a college preparatory class could

revolutionize education in this country.We just need to do as a country whats

best for the children, Duncan said. Wethink we have a huge opportunity to improve

the quality of education our children receive.

Were absolutely focused on growth andgain.

Secretary o Education ProposedNCLB Revisions


5/20


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be sure to ll out their census form and to include all of their

children even newborns.The census is a constitutional mandate that is conducted

every 10 years and its goal is to provide the federalgovernment an accurate head count of all people living in the

United States.

Each year, for the next 10 years, the counts will enable

states and communities to derive their fair share of benetsfrom more than $400 billion in federal funding. The less

people counted, the less resources for respective jurisdictions.The census form itself is short, taking just 10 minutes to ll

out. Its 10 questions query households on simple data such as

how many people live in the home and their ethnicities.But according to Census Bureau ofcials, it is particularly

imperative that children be counted because many of theprograms and services funded by federal allocations concern

their well being.

Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said peopleoften express surprise upon learning children are routinely

undercounted.

The rst [thing] is that the adult groups that tend to beundercounted also tend to have more children in their homes

. . . and there has been evidence that the adults lling out the

census questionnaire tendto forget babies and very

young children, Grovessaid via his blog on the2010 Census Web site.

Secondly, this might bedue to the misconception

that the census is designed

more to record adults thanyoung children.

Groves further stated

that if newborns arentincluded in the current

count which launches

this week, by the time the2020 census rolls around those same children will have been

essentially invisible until they reached the fth grade.Ballinger said her agency recently partnered with

Nickelodeon to produce a television spot featuring Dora the

Explorer, the popular childrens character on the networks

award-winning animated preschool series.There are several other partners that are using the

campaign we created as well as a fact sheet to ensure thatchildren are being counted, Ballinger said. We have also

recorded public service announcements in English and Spanish

that are going to be running on Nickelodeon, and were goingto be distributing the PSAs to all the radio stations as well.

The census also helps when it comes to funding,constructing and renovating schools. Therefore, the bureau has

also created the Census in the Schools 2010: Its About Us

program that provides educators with resources to teach thenations students about the importance of the census and help

deliver that message to their families.

Age-specic learning materials include maps displayingpopulation counts and other demographic information as well

as those that integrate census information with social studies

and community participation.School ofcials are also encouraged to present assemblies

that motivate students to go home and tell their parents to llout the census form.

We ask those school districts that are on board to designate

a Census in Schools Day or a Census in Schools Week,Ballinger said. Its all about the children and especially the

children of immigrant families who we want to go to their

parents and say, Hey, Mommy and Daddy, the census is here;you need to ll out the form and you also need to count me.

Phil Pannell, a Ward 8 community activist, agreed.

The important piece is to make sure that the heads ofthe household are including the children, he said. So you

can never leave the children out in terms of the outreach

approach.Pannells ward, which is represented by Councilman

Marion Barry, has long had the distinction of being the poorestin the District. It, along with Wards 5 and 7 are the areas in the

city which stand to gain the most from federal funds as many

are earmarked for programs and services for underprivileged

neighborhoods.Pannell, president of the Congress Heights Community

Association, said that over the past several weeks,organizations in his ward which includes hard-to reach

residents as well as those in Anacostia and Congress

Heights, have been focused conveying the importance ofcensus participation.

Some of the groups involved are distributing T-shirtsalerting residents to be counted, according to Pannell.

We even have materials such as census coloring books

to get young kids involved, Pannell said, adding, Some ofour promotional material is geared to children that they take

home as reminders to their parents to have their households

counted.

By Melanie R. Holmes

AFRO Staf Writer

Not knowing how toreact when the governor

announced him as the

Maryland Youth of the Year,

Najee Banks just stood thereand later recalled, I had to

let it sink in.But he strolled to

the podium to read his

acceptance speech withsuch condence that no

one would have guessedwinning the Boys & Girls

Club of America (BGCA)

state competition came as asurprise to him.

He was so cool and

calm like I do this all thetime, said Deborah Tyson,

unit director of the Franklin

Square BGC of Baltimore.The governor said, Did

somebody tell you you weregoing to win? He said, No,they just told me to be prepared.

The BGCA Youth of the Year awardis the highest honor a BGC member

can receive and recognizes children

for their sound character, leadershipskills and community service while

overcoming personal obstacles. Banks,

16, took home the title earlier in themonth and hopes to win the regional

competition in July.

An honor roll 11th-grader atEdmondson Westside High School,

Banks is a fourth- generation FranklinSquare BGC member and has been

active in the club for 10 years. When

he is not participating in afterschool

activities such as practicing six self-taught instruments during band he

regularly mentors and tutors youngerBGC members.

Theres a lot of bad things around

here gangs, dudes on the streets,drugs, he said, referring to the

neighborhood surrounding the BGC

at 215 N. Calhoun St. [The BGC]denitely gave me a place to go instead

of just hanging around outside. I didnt

want to do anything bad so Id justcome here and have fun.

Banks also had the protective watch

of his grandmother, who ensured hedidnt fall victim to the pressures of

inner city life. Unabashedly, Janet

Flemings said she didnt let hergrandson outside.

This has been his saving grace,she said of the BGC while wiping tears

from her eyes. Hes a good kid, very

respectful and well-mannered.

Banks selected media andcommunications as his trade at

Edmonson, but plans to combine hislove for music and history at St. Marys

College by becoming a musical

archaeologist. He sings, learned thesaxophone in ninth grade, is beginning

to play the drums and taught himself to

play the piano, guitar, bass and ute.Im going to be an archaeologist

with a platinum album, he said.

But in the mean time, he isremaining hopeful about winning the

regional Youth of the Year competition

in New York City this summer. Hewill be up against youth from other

states in the BGCAs northeast region.

If named the winner, he will receivea $10,000 college scholarship and

advance to the nal phase of the contestin Washington, D.C., where President

Obama will install the national victor in

the Oval Ofce.

I dont want to sound cocky andsay, Oh, we got this but, Banks

began.But weve had the vision,

Flemings nished. My dream woke me

up, of him shaking President Obamashand and getting that reward.

Local Teen Named Youth of the Year

Courtesy Photo

Gov. Martin OMalley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown presented Najee Banks with theBoys & Girls Club o Americas Youth o the Year award or the state o Maryland on

March 9.

2010 CensusContinued from A1

Photo Courtesy U.S. Census Bureau, Public Inormation Ofce

Census ocials, who have created a program centered

on Dora the Explorer, remind parents the importance oincluding all children in their households when flling out

the orms that are beginning to appear in the mail.


6/20


Hailing from East Baltimore, Lucille

Gorham has dedicated a considerable

amount of time to serving her community

and helping people. She rst began workin the community as an advocate for the

AFRO American Newspapers Clean Block

Program in 1945. The program assembled

local churches and residents to ensure the

cleanliness and safety in the neighborhood.

Applying the knowledge she gainedfrom the Clean Block program, Gorham

guided another project which addressed the

problem of rats, roaches and chinches on

Baltimores streets.

Since there

were no cityservices to

assist at

that time,

Gorham

and

other

organizers addressed the problem head-on.

Drawing from the experiences she gained inboth of these community projects, Gorham

later became a community activist.

It was rarely a time when somethingwould occur in East Baltimore without

Gorham knowing about it. Constantly

involving herself wherever she could,she became the go-to person to voice the

concerns of the community.

Gorham worked closely with city

government and many local organizations

including City Hall, Johns Hopkins Hospitaland its medical institutions, Baltimore City

Health Department and the Annie E. Casey

Foundation, among many others. Gorham

also worked with the Coalition to End

Childhood Lead Poisoning, a cause shed

been championing since the 60s, when thepublic was not fully aware of its dangers.

Since Gorham was forced to retire in

2006, she is no longer actively involvedin activism in Baltimore, but she still

has an interest in the improvement of the

community. Her legacy and passion for the

development and improvement of

Baltimore will be felt for yearsto come.

On Feb. 14, theAFRO

honored Gorham for her

community activism at the

companys fth annual

Legends and Pioneers

ceremony at the Reginald F.

Lewis Museum.

Lucille Gorham, Community Activist

The fourth annual Legends and Pioneers gala, held

Feb. 24 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland

African American History & Culture, was sponsored by

Coors Light.

Black Americans, FreedomsJournal. Two attendees at the

meeting, Rev. Samuel Cornishand John B. Russwurm,

became the paper s editors.Although well intentioned

White citizens sometimes

defended the honor of African

Americans in public forums,

the editors ofFreedoms

Journalproclaimed in the rstissue, Too long have others

spoken for us We wish to

plead our own cause.During the 183 years

since the appearance of

Freedoms Journal, the

Black Press has chronicled

and commented upon events

as they have occurred and

impacted African Americans.

Throughout that time, the

Black Press has given voice

to the struggles of African

Americans as they have

sought to overcome the

effects of enslavement and

discrimination to attain social

equalityit has continued to

plead the cause.Over the years the list

of contributors to the Black

Press who have lent their

talents as publishers, editors,

journalists, columnists and

cartoonists has included the

greatest names in American

history. Among them are

Frederick Douglass, W.E.B.DuBois, Ida B. Wells Barnett,

Langston Hughes, Romare

Bearden, James WeldonJohnson, Mary McLeod

Bethune and Daisy Bates.

In 1941, under the urging

of John Sengstacke of the

Chicago Defender, a meeting

of leading Black publishersfrom across the nation was

called in Chicago. Sengstackesaid the meeting was designed

for harmonizing our energies

in a common purpose for the

benet of Negro journalism.

At least one representative

from 22 publications attended

the meeting and the group

decided to form the National

Negro Publishers Association.

In 1956, the trade association

of the nations Black Presswas renamed the National

Newspaper Publishers

Association.

Today the NNPA is

comprised of more than

200 Black newspapers

in the United States and

the Virgin Islands. NNPA

newspapers have a combinedreadership of 15 million and

the organization has forged

ahead into the digital age withthe creation of an electronic

news service and the

BlackPressUSA.com web sitethat enables the Black Press

to provide real-time news and

information to its national

constituency.

Thus, into the

communication age of the

new millennium, NNPA

the Black Press of America continues to fulll the

declaration set forth by

Cornish and Russwurm: Wewish to plead our own cause.

Clint C. Wilson II is a

professor with the Department

of Journalism at Howard

University.

AFRO File Photo

In this AFROfle photo, Peyton Gray, let, veteran police/court reporter and Vincent

Tubbs, then-city editor, discuss the news o the day. For almost two centuries, the Black

Press has been crusading on behal o the Black community.

183 Years o the Black Press

New Virtual SupermarketContinued from A1

Continued from A1

Ofcials Oppose BillContinued from A1

underserved food desserts in the city.We know people want healthy foods and

access to full-service groceries, so we think

that this is one way we can provide it.The project is funded with a $60,000 grant

from President Barack Obamas 2009 federal

stimulus package and according to the healthdepartments Web site, plans to open more

virtual supermarket locations are in the works.The Baltimore City Health Department

cites lack of healthy food outlets in thecommunity as one of the primary causes

of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular

disease among city residents. Therefore, the

department believes the imposed method of

the virtual supermarket will be an important

step towards ensuring that all consumers,regardless of location, income levels or race,

can enjoy an assortment of healthy foods at

affordable prices.

Baltimore City Health Department employeesCat Chamberlain (second rom let and) Pooja

Aggarwal (right) show local residents how the

Virtual Supermarket Program works.

It looks like its

protecting contractors but

what it does is penalizehomeowners, White said.

Ramirez became

concerned after learning

some homeowners had taken

advantage of unlicensed

contractors by accepting their

services but refusing to pay

for the job and proposed the

bill as a solution.

But the complaints are

much higher in the other

direction, White said.

Con artists prey on olderhomeowners; they offer to do

work that you cant tell very

easily if its been done, likexing the roof. I think its a

real issue [Ramirez] is raisingbut this is not the tool to

address that problem. This is

far too big a hammer for what

needs a tap.While Ramirez said the

bill outlines common sense

provisions, he said it mentions

nothing about homeowners be

ned or jailed for any reasonand has no idea where White

got such an idea. However,

the bills scal and policynote states that homeowners

may be ned up to $1,000

or imprisoned for up to sixmonths for violating the bills

provisions.

Were not trying to hurtconsumers, Ramirez said.

If anything, were trying tomake sure theres no incentive

for people not to get a home

improvement license. The real

issue is we have homeowners

who go out of their way to do

this. To me, it protects both

sides.

Ramirez said the bill

protects everyday people

by making sure all home

improvement contractors are

licensed by the state. Some

homeowners have been ripped

off by contractors with false

licenses, he recognizes, but

he has also seen the tables

turned.If [homeowners] enter

into a home improvement

contract with a person who is

not licensed, the owner may

not argue with the fact thatthey dont have a license to

say they dont have to pay

the person, Ramirez said.If someone presents to you a

fake [license], then this would

not apply.Investigator John

Creel of the MontgomeryCounty Ofce of Consumer

Protection receives a couple

of cases regarding unlicensed

contractors a month and

thinks the statement withinthe scal and policy noteis ridiculous. He calls

House Bill 1327 the lock up

grandma bill.If this is passed as its

written, grandma goes to jail,Creel said. The argument

that Delegate Ramirez made

is that homeowners takeadvantage of unlicensed

contractors. Ive been in

the job for 28 years and

six months. I can count

on two ngers how many

homeowners have tried totake advantage of unlicensed

contractors.

Photo courtesy www.msa.md.gov

Victor Ramirez said he

proposed House Bill 1327to protect homeowners

and contractors.

The Howard University

family is mourning the death

a 22-year-old student from

Baltimore who drowned over

the weekend.

In a statement issued by

the university, Davon Green

Franklin, a Baltimore native,died in Cancun, Mexico, while

on spring break with friends.

The student body, especially

those knew him well, is

particularly distraught, the

statement read.

Franklin was a member

of Kappa Alpha Si at the

university and was due tograduate in May. He had

been looking to further hiseducation by enrolling in

divinity school. He was a

young man, but he was very responsible, saidNorman Grant, who was Franklins fraternity

brother.

Following word of the drowning, many ofFranklins fellow students cut short their break

to return to campus in his honor. According

to his mother, who was interviewed by a localTV station, at the time of the incident Franklin

had been on some type of oating device and

had gotten a cramp in his leg.

And he basically went

underwater, she said, adding

that, I will remember hissmile. I will remember his

wisdom that was measured

beyond his years.A blogposted by Melanie Denise, a

Howard student from Chicago,states that Franklin drowned

March 14 in the ocean in

Cancun.I didnt know him

personally, she wrote. Ive

only seen him around, but

he was pretty well known

around Howards campus as a

Campus Pal. Melanie Deniseadded that in one of his last

Twitter messages, Franklin hadcommented on the ocean.

Life Lessons from the

ocean water: the waves will pull you out furtherbefore they take you back to shore, Franklins

message stated, according to the blog.

A viewing will be held Monday from 4to 8 p.m. at Morning Star Baptist Church in

Catonsville, Md., and a funeral service will

be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 23 at thechurch.

In addition, HU students are planning a

memorial service following the spring recess.

Photo Courtesy, Kappa Alpha Si fraternity

Howard University studentDavon Green Franklin

drowned March 14 in

Cancun, Mexico, while onspring break.

Howard Student DrownsWhile On Spring BreakTwenty-Two Year Old was from Baltimore

Photo by Anderson Ward


7/20


NAACP Events

March 20

NAACP Baltimore CityBranch- 97 Years andCounting

Maryland HistoricalSociety, 201 West Monument

St. Baltimore 10 a.m.Historical exhibit featuringphotography, documents,posters and more. For moreinformation: 410-366-3300

NAACP Yes We CountCensus Volunteer Meeting

NAACP BaltimoreCity Branch, 8 W. 26thSt. Baltimore. 11 a.m. TheBaltimore branch of theNAACP will be phonebanking, performingcommunity outreach, anddistributing information forthe 2010 Census. For moreinformation: 410-366-3304.

March 23

NAACP Celebration ofthe Boy Scouts 100Anniversary,NAACPGeneral MembershipMeeting

Union Baptist Church,1219 Druid Hill Ave.,Baltimore. 6-8 p.m. Jointhe NAACP Baltimore CityBranch in their celebrationof the Boy Scouts 100 yearsof service. Free. For moreinformation: 410-366-3300.

March 19

Joy Night

Miracle Temple Churchof the Harvest, 1820 N.Calvert St., Baltimore. 7:30p.m. Gospel performing artsfeaturing singing, Christiancomedy and more. For moreinformation: 240-478-9928.

Baltimore ShowcaseCareer Expo

Sheraton Baltimore North,903 Dulaney Valley Road,Towson, Md. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.WBAL-TV and Bmorejobs.com will host job fair eventfor Central Marylandsnest job seekers. For moreinformation: 877-661-1474.

Entrepreneurs Go toCollege Series

Morgan State University,1700 E. Cold Spring Lane,McMechen Building, Room303. Baltimore. 11 a.m.-1p.m. Learn business strategiesfrom todays leadingentrepreneurs on how youcan utilize new ways to startyour business. For moreinformation: 443-885-3261.

Dictionaries for StudentsLyndhurst Elementary

School, 2200 Sinclair Lane,Baltimore.8:30-9:30 a.m.The Baltimore Rotary Cluband Baltimore City CouncilPresident Bernard Jack Youngwill present dictionaries to80 third- and 75 fourth-gradeelementary school students.For more information: 410-323-4948.

Baltimore Green Works2nd Annual EcoBall

Frederick Douglass IsaacMyers Maritime Park andMuseum, 1417 ThamesSt. Baltimore. 7-11 p.m.Escape for an evening oflive music, delicious foodand more in celebration ofthe vernal equinox. $75.For more information:.baltimoregreenworks.com/ecoball/#about

March 20

Baltimore Natural HairCare Expo 2010

Pikesville Hilton,1726 Reisterstown Road,Pikesville, Md. Varioustimes. Baltimore conferenceon natural hair care,featuring holistic beauty andwearable art. $10. For moreinformation: 410-298-0660.

August Wilson and RomareBearden

Reginald F. LewisMuseum of Maryland AAHistory & Culture, 830 E.Pratt St., Baltimore. 2:30p.m. Join the discussion on

the works of August Wilson,playwright and RomareBearden, artist. For moreinformation: 443-263-1800.

Douglass Women byJewell Parker Rhodes

Reginald F. LewisMuseum of Maryland AAHistory & Culture, 830E. Pratt St., Baltimore. 1p.m. Author Jewell ParkerRhodes will discuss her novelabout abolitionist Frederick

Douglass and the twowomen in his life. For moreinformation: 443-263-1800.

Presenting Mr. FrederickDouglass

Avalon Theatre, 40 E.

Dover St. Easton, Md. 6-9p.m. Professional actorand educator Fred Morsellwill portray the historicabolitionist in this production.For more information: 410-770-3751.

Community Calendar

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The public

debate on healthcare has been

aired in hearingsin Congress,

the media, and

in communitiesthroughout the

nation. Both

houses ofCongress have

passed health

insurance reformbills for the rst

time in 70 years. We have made tremendousprogress, and now President Obama is asking

for an up-or- down vote in Washington to give

people the access to health care and the relieffrom rising costs that they desperately need.

Meanwhile, as the ght for reform is

taking place here in Washington, across thecountry insurance companies continue to

blindly raise insurance premiums on families.

Thats what happened to Leslie Banks. Leslie

wrote a letter to President Obama describingher situation. Leslie is an African-American

woman, a single mom, and a self-employed

business owner living in Philadelphia. InJanuary, Leslie received a notice from her

health insurance provider that her plan was

being dropped. To keep the same benets,the premiums for her and her daughter would

more than double. Leslie was told by the

insurance company that it intended to imposean across-the-board premium hike. If she

chose to pay the same monthly premiumamount as before, the deductible would

increase from $500 to $5,000, and they would

no longer have preventive care or prescriptiondrug coverage. For Leslie, this choice was

really not a choice at all. She dropped hercoverage.

Leslies story is why the President is so

determined to see that we get health reformdone, and unfortunately, stories like Leslies

are unfolding in states all across the country

right now. In California we see an insurancecompany increasing its rates by 39 percent.

In fact, premiums for both single and family

policies could more than double by 2020.While families are struggling to absorb these

outrageous costs, the insurance companiesare meeting at fancy hotels in Washington,

D.C., to discuss spending $1 million on ads

to convince Congress to once again turn awayfrom enacting the reform we need now.

Well, enough is enough. It is time to nally

get health insurance reform done.Getting this done is, of course, important

for the entire country, but it is especially

critical to the well-being of African-Americans

who, like Leslie Banks, are spending more oftheir hard earned money on health care, but

getting less in return.

African-Americans are facing these healthcare challenges while recent reports show

that, as a group, they are in poorer health

than other Americans. They are at a higherrisk of suffering from a chronic disease

such as heart disease, stroke and high blood

pressurethan any other group in the country.Seventy percent of African-Americans are

overweight or obese, a gateway to manychronic illnesses. While they are more prone

Letters to the Editor

Valerie Jarrett

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Opinion

Health Insurance Reform and

African Americans

...as the ght for reform is taking place here in Washington,across the country insurance companies continue to blindly raiseinsurance premiums on families.

Statement on Immigration ReformYesterday President Obama reafrmed his

commitment to drive an immigration reformbill forward this spring. We echo the urgencyin the presidents message.

The AFL-CIO and the entire labormovement remain committed tocomprehensive immigration reform and unitedaround the framework for reform that weput forth a year ago. Our framework protectsAmerican workers, secures our borders,ensures that employers hire authorizedworkers and creates a path to citizenshipfor those who came to our country illegally.It also provides a rational and reasonableapproach to future ow, which ties the numberof new foreign workers coming into the U.S.labor market to established labor shortages.Under our approach, the numbers whichwould be established through an independentcommission would be much higher duringrobust economic times than they would be intimes like today. The advocacy community,including the Reform Immigration forAmerica campaign of which we are a member,has adopted this same approach.

American workers are facing aprolonged jobs crisis and nearly 10 percentunemployment, with no sign of recovery insight. If immigration reform is to have anychance of passing this year, the Chamber of

Commerce is going to have to abandon itsinsistence on the creation of a new temporaryworker program and embrace a solution basedon real employment needs. A new temporaryworker program in todays economy would bepolitical suicide, and the Chamber must knowthat.

We need immigration reform now. Themore we delay, the worse the problem

becomes. Its time to move forward and stopplaying politics with a problem we shouldhave xed a long time ago.

Richard TrumkaPresident, AFL-CIO

Fed Up With PoliticiansHad we all listened to OBAMA we all

would have been shot up with the swine uvaccine. Obama attempted to create a nationalpanic so that making such shots mandatorywould have been an easy thing to do.

He also lied about not being for mandatoryhealth insurance to get elected.

And Rep. [Steny] Hoyer and Rep. ChrisCarney still goose step in unison for ObamaCare, which is health care at gun point. HasHoyer ever questioned why 39 other countrieshave higher average life spans than us?President Eisenhower warned us about theMilitary Industrial Complex. A much biggerthreat which Hoyer and Carney bow to is thePharmaceutical Industrial Complex. As bad asCanada is they still live two years longer thanwe do.

Joseph DupontTowanda, Pa.

Marylands Constitutional CrisisMaryland recently recognized same sex

marriages for the purpose of marital benets.

The recognition of same sex marriagesperformed in other states was not enacted bythe Maryland Legislature nor was it mandatedby Maryland courts; rather it was theindependent decision of Marylands AttorneyGeneral Douglas Gansler, released on Feb. 24.

Because this was a blatant attack onMarylands current law that states: Only amarriage between a man and a woman is valid

in this state and because this action is clearlya violation of the separation of powers relatedto the three branches of government, theattorney general was put on public notice thatimpeachment charges were being drafted.

As if the attorney general was not inenough hot water, on March 1 he declaredhimself unimpeachable in an attempt tothwart any attempt by the Legislature to holdhim accountable for usurping their authority.Unbelievably, the attorney general wentto a subordinate member of his staff, DanFriedman to write the letter addressed toMarylands speaker of the House, stating thatthe attorney general could not be removed byimpeachment.

Mr. Ganslers actions have put Marylandin a constitutional crisis. The highest lawofcer in the state who is an elected memberof the executive branch of government hasviolated his oath of ofce and has revealedhis incompetence, and his willful neglectof duty. As a constitutional ofcer, he mustensure that the provisions of the state and U.S.constitutions are upheld in all cases, includinga constitutional charge against him.

Attorney General Gansler testied in hisofcial capacity two years ago in support ofa gay marriage bill. He said that it would behard to not try to correct an injustice in thelaw. His testimony publically revealed his

partial and prejudiced position on the subjectof same sex marriage. Mr. Gansler violated hisoath of ofce in which he swore to performhis duties in an impartial and unprejudicedmanner.

After revealing his bias on the issue,he was asked by a member of the Senateto advise on the legality of Marylandrecognizing same sex marriage contracted in

other states. Despite the fact that the Ofce ofthe Attorney General addressed that very samequestion in 2004, and despite the fact that nocourt ruling, or legislation has overturned that2004 opinion, Mr. Gansler released a newopinion in which he interprets the law assupporting the legality of recognizing out ofstate same sex marriages.

In short, the attorney general decided thata standing Maryland law is an injustice andsubsequently misused the authority of his

ofce to effectively change the law withouthaving gone through the legislative processdened in the Maryland Constitution.

If this goes unchallenged, the next attorneygeneral is likely to follow this precedent andusurp the authority of the legislature based onhis personal bias. As result, citizens will nolonger have the representation that is providedthem under the Constitution.

The stage is now set in Maryland for aconstitutional show down. On March 31 acharge of impeachment will be brought beforethe Maryland House of Delegates at roughly10:05 am. The House speaker has publicallystated that he will rule the charge out of orderciting the opinion that the attorney generalcannot be impeached as the authority for theout of order ruling.

Regardless of your personal view on same

sex marriage, the recent activities of theMaryland Attorney General should give usreason to pause. Again, the Maryland attorneygeneral has taken for himself; the powersvested in the legislature and declared himselfunimpeachable and unaccountable to thecitizens of Maryland?

Delegate Don Dwyer Jr.

Maryland House of Delegates

to suffer these illnesses, African-Americanssuffer from lack of access to quality care and

are twice as likely to use the emergency room

as Whites.With these challenges in mind, the

President has continued to push for health

insurance reform. He has offered a plan thatwill give families and small businesses control

over their own health care decisions and shiftpower away from the insurance companies.

He believes that the citizens who pay the

salaries of those in Congress deserve no lessthan the same health insurance choices, and the

same consumer protections as the Members of

Congress. But if you have insurance, and youlike it, you can keep it.

The plan also ends the worst insurance

company abuses such as discriminating

against people with pre-existing conditions. Itembraces ways to weed out waste, fraud and

abuse. It will reduce the federal decit over

the long-term, and it will extend coverage tomore than 31 million Americans.

The case for health insurance reform has

been made, and starting over, which is code fordoing nothing, is not an option. After a year of

debate, we are closer than we have ever beento enacting real health insurance reform for the

American people. This is not the time to turn

back or give in. This is the time to act. Thisis what Leslie Banks and all Americans

deserve.

Valerie Jarrett is senior advisor to President

Barack Obama for intergovernmental affairs

and public engagement.


9/20


Theres an old saying:Dont bring a slingshot to a

gunght. But thats just whatthe Congress appears to be

doing with its timid approach

to job creation. Last week,the House of Representatives

joined the Senate in passing

a $15 billion jobs bill thatwould hardly make a dent in

the depression-era levels of

unemployment aficting allparts of the country, especially

communities of color.The latest employment gures

from the Bureau of Labor

Statistics are being hailed in some quarters as a clear sign thatthe recession is over. Tell that to the 15 million Americans who

remain out of work or the untold numbers of families teeteringon the brink of nancial ruin.

While the overall jobless rate remained steady in February

at 9.7 percent, African-American unemployment is now at 15.8

percent, a 6.8 percent increase since the start of the recession inDecember 2007. The Hispanic jobless rate of 12.4 percent was

virtually unchanged from January. And when you factor in the

huge number of people who have stopped looking for work andthose who are working part-time only because they cant nd

a full-time job, the total underemployment rate has climbedto a staggering 16.8 percent. Another 36,000 jobs were lost

during the month, a number that was lower than expected, but

still intolerably high. It is abundantly clear - the great recession

rages on.

So what does the Congress do in the face of this crisis?The House passed a scaled-back $15 billion Senate jobs bill

that gives tax breaks to businesses to hire new workers andincludes some needed investments in infrastructure projects.Most analysts say this will create only a few hundred thousand

jobs at a time when 10 million jobs are needed just to get back

to pre-recession levels. Thats why a majority of CongressionalBlack Caucus members, led by Chairwoman Barbara Lee

of California, voted against the measure. And it is why the

National Urban League is calling on the Congress to go backand get it right.

Last November, the National Urban League presented theWhite House and congressional leaders a robust six-point plan

for putting Americans back to work. Our plan places a priority

on help for the chronically unemployed, which includes AfricanAmericans and other communities of color experiencing

unemployment rates signicantly higher than the national

average. It would create 3 million jobs. We are recommendingthat future legislation include:

Funding direct job creation

Expansion and acceleration of the Small BusinessAdministrations Community Express Loan Program and

inclusion of minority contractors for transportation projectsfunded through the stimulus bill

The creation of Green Empowerment Zones

The Expansion of housing counseling programs nationwide The Expansion of the Youth Summer Jobs Program for 2010

The creation of 100 urban job academies to implement andexpand the Urban Youth Empowerment Program (UYEP)The so-called jobs bill as it currently stands is a tiny, timid

step when what we need is a giant, bold leap. It may be good

politics, but its bad policy.

Marc Morial is president of the National Urban League.

Opinion

Marc Morial

Jobs Bill Good Politics, Bad Policy

When I read that EgyptsJournalist Union had punished

two senior Egyptian editors,one a member of the countrys

ruling party and the other an

expert on Jewish affairs for

violating its ban on contactswith Israel, I wondered if

Omar Sharif ever thinks of me.My nemesis wasnt the

once-heartthrob Egyptian

actor but a State Securityofcer in Cairo whose nom de

guerre was Omar Sharif andwho, for six months in 1999,

tormented me for moving to

Jerusalem as a correspondent for Reuters. There is no law thatbans Egyptians from visiting Israel but everyone knows that

once you do, State Security will invite you over for a cup of

tea i.e., an interrogation.I got Sharifs note inviting me for tea during a quick visit to

Cairo the year I lived in Israel. Miss Mona, an ofcer left this

for you, the doormans wife Umm Mokhtar said. An ebullientwoman not easily intimidated, she was unusually subdued as

she handed me the note, which I shoved absentmindedly into ajacket pocket. I was on my way to the airport, late as usual.I did not think of him again until my next trip to Cairo a few

months later, when my brothers very anxious father-in-lawtook me aside. Once he mentioned the name Omar Sharif, I

knew the surreal had kicked down the door into my life.

When I didnt call Omar, he had gone to my apartmentbuilding and dragged Umm Mokhtars husband to the nearest

police station for questioning as to my whereabouts. After the

poor man convinced Omar that all he knew was that I wasabroad somewhere, Omar went back to my apartment building

where he spoke to the man from whom my parents had boughtthe apartment and who acted as de facto landlord.

He told Omar that all he knew about me was that I was ajournalist and he offered the telephone number of my brothers

father-in-law who was looking after any matters regarding the

apartment because my entire family lived abroad.

I told our relative Id go in and see Omar. By the time wehad our cup of tea, Id resigned from Reuters and was back

living in Cairo. Tall and bulky, Omar Sharif wore a shinypurple suit. He had a mustache and every sentence ended in an

exclamation, usually not in my favor.

Mona Eltahawy! Finally! Youre a real character! Omarshouted. Who on earth goes to Israel? I have to meet your

father. If my daughter ever told me she wanted to go to IsraelId break her neck!

Stepping into his ofce, I walked into a thick wall of

cologne one of those Calvin Klein unisex scents fashionableabout 10 years earlier. I didnt know whether to feel attered or

worried.

You see this le, he said, this is all you. Look orders tohave you followed, orders to tap your telephone. Youre a lot of

trouble, you know.

What had I been saying on the phone lately?He left for a few moments to go and say his noon prayers.

I sat alone in the room watching an Arabic language newschannel that had the volume muted. I didnt know if I was introuble or not.

So do you pray? he asked when he came back.I do.

No way! You dont look like the praying kind.

Who said religion had a look? I ventured. Wrong, wrong,wrong. I was falling right into every trap he set for me.

Well of course theres a look to being religious, he said.

Our religion is very specic about whats wrong and whatsright. Take the traveling you like so much. A woman shouldnt

travel alone.I let that bait go. I was learning.

Are you married? How old are you? He continued.Im 31. I joke Im married to my job.

You can never get married. Whos going to want to marry

you with the life you lead, every day in a different city? Youll

end up with a man like my brother, a womanizer, wholl cheaton you, he said.

And so on and so forth till he got up, shook my hand andtold me to call him if I ever needed help.

I tried to forget Omar.

A few months later as I visited my brothers-in-law with myparents and sister in town for a while the telephone rang. It

was Omar Sharif. He knew my father was in town. They spokefor a few moments. The next day, my father and mother said

they wanted to talk to me.

What did he mean when he said you were living a life thatwas not suitable for Egypt? my father asked. After kicking

down the door, the surreal was dancing on the rooftop of my life.

A distant relative, who had recently retired from StateSecurity, was called. Omar Sharifs paternalism had set the men

in motion to save Mona.

Mona, the guys already married, the relative saidafter investigating. I thought he wanted to marry you or

something.I know he showed me his wifes picture, I replied.He gave me the number of Omars supervising ofcer so that I

could call him if Omar ever bothered me again.About a year later, I pressed play on the ashing telephone

answering machine.

Peace be upon you Miss Mona. Im just calling to see howyou are. Give me a call when you hear this message. This is, of

course, your brother, Omar Sharif.

You can read more from Mona Eltahawy at www.monaeltahawy.

com.

Tea with Omar Sharif

The so-called jobs bill as it currentlystands is a tiny, timid step when what weneed is a giant, bold leap. It may be goodpolitics, but its bad policy.

Mona Eltahawy

Send letters to The Baltimore Afro-American, 2519 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218-4602or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to [email protected]

Recently, I lost a goodfriend who always encouraged

me by his wisdom and his

example. The Rev. DavidCrump excelled in his mastery

of that most valuable kind of

wi

Documents

Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper, March 20, 2010