Tuskegee Airmen Harry Stewart (left) and Robert Friend (center) proudly display their Congressional gold medals Thursday, March 29, after a ceremony held in their honor. Stewart’s wife, Delphine, and Friend’s daughter, Debra F. Carter share the moment.
The ceremony included greetings by President George W. Bush.
"O' Grambling, dear Grambling," he sang. "We love thee dear, O' Grambling."
Alzheimer's disease left him with a short memory, but he did not forget a song that he held dear to his heart. Former Grambling State University Coach Eddie Gay Robinson, 88, died April 3 from complications of Alzheimer's.
Robinson's body is to lie in the state Capitol Rotunda in Baton Rouge, La., on Monday, April 9. On April 10, a wake is to be held at New Rocky Valley Baptist Church in Grambling, La. On Wednesday, April 11, the funeral is scheduled for Grambling's newly constructed assembly center.
"In recognition of the outstanding contributions that Coach Robinson made to the University, State, and Nation, all classes scheduled for April 11, 2007 are cancelled," Provost Robert Dixon said in a statement.
Smithsonian Institute Seeking Your Photos for Exhibit
By Joseph Young
WI Staff Writer
This year, the Smithsonian Institute collaborated with the National Zoo and invited African Americans to submit photos from past Easter Mondays at the Zoo for inclusion in an upcoming exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
Metro Gives Local Performers Gigs
By Mercia Williams-Murray
WI Staff Writer
Metro recently legitimized
street performing. Unlike other
metro areas, such New York City, District residents have often
viewed street performers as
a nuisance and found them
to be synonymous with bums
and panhandlers.
more
One Mother Takes On
Prison Couture
By Shantella Sherman
WI Contributing Writer
When ANC Commissioner
Tijwanna Phillips took a glance
at the must-have tennis shoes her son Jonathan had talked nonstop of and finally purchased, she found herself in utter shock. In addition to the non-descript Velcro canvas
shoes being a bit of an anti-climax aesthetically, the name of the shoes, Prison Issue #23, were in fact, designed for and worn primarily by inmates in correctional institutions across the country.
more
Panel Addresses Poverty
Senate Staffer Diedre Henry-
Spires speaks at the Roots
of Poverty in the 21st Century
forum on the roots of poverty held Thursday at the Dirksen Senate
Office Building in Washington DC.
A distinguished and diverse panel
of speakers consisting of (left to right) Hilary Shelton, Washington, D.C. director of the NAACP, Jacqueline Johnson, of the National Congress
of American Indians, and Jocelyn Frye, of the National Partnership for Women and Families participatedmore
The Freddie Mac Annual Hoops for the Homeless Celebrity Basketball Tournament
Washington Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas, a true favorite of the fans, walked around the entire court signing autographs.
Freddie Mac’s Hoops for the Homeless celebrity charity
Basketball Tournament was
once again held at the Verizon
Center, in downtown D.C. on Saturday, June 9. More than
10,000 people turned-out
to see NBA Legend Ervin
“Magic” Johnson and
Washington Wizards
All-Star Gilbert Arenas headline
an effort to raise money to
“defeat” homelessness in the Washington D.C. Area.
more
Race for the Cure March Proves Successful
Photos By Roy Lewis
and Jamie Walker
More than 45,000 turned out for the 18th Annual Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure to raise awareness and research funds for breast cancer. The crowd included many African American individuals, families and organizations
who raised money and joined
the march in honor of loved ones. more
Post-civil Rights Period? – Think Again
By Julian Bond
NNPA Guest Columnist
If you think – as many do – we’re in
a ‘post civil rights’ period where discrimination and bigotry have
been vanquished as ugly artifacts
of a long-ago past, think again.
And read the United States
Supreme Court’s frightening
decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear
Tire and Rubber Company.
more
Grandma vs. City Hall?
Residents Push Referendum on Mayor’s Schools Takeover
A news conference was held at Freedom Plaza , across from the John A. Wilson building Tuesday featuring activist grandmother Mary Spencer and other D.C. citizens. Some say D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty crossed an unforgivable line through deception and arrogance in his efforts to deny basic citizen rights and due process through a public referendum on our schools. Grandmother Mary Spencer is among thousands of citizens behind a petition drive to enforce electoral rights. It has unintentionally become a David and Goliath scenario, or grandma' versus city hall.
Campaign Update
Movements are Built One Household at a Time
Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill), kicks off his local version of Generation BO
(Generation Barack Obama) to highlight his candidacy here in Washington DC.
more
Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club Pays Honor to African
American Civil War Memorial
U.S. Army General John
"Hawk" Hawkins III greets Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club (BSMC) member Dexter Savoy after a
brief program honoring African American veterans
at the African American
Civil War Memorial.
more
Bum Rush the Boards:
Teaching Life Lessons Through Chess
Deanwood Community Resource Center chess club members (left) Wendell Brown, 13, plays Dante Hall, 18, at the Second Annual Bum Rush the Boards Hip-Hop Chess Tournament held celebrating strategic struggle on the Birthday of Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh.
more
Yolanda King:
A Last Interview
Memorial services for Yolanda King, eldest daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, are scheduled for Thursday, May 24 in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the church where her father preached from 1960-1968.
more
Ward 8’s Foxhall Place Residents Fight to Keep Community Gated
The old adage, “Good fences make great neighbors,” is not lost on the residents of Ward 8’s Foxhall Place. Originally designed as a cul de sac community, the quiet, tree-line homes have been a refuge from the near-by crime-riddled streets.
more
Alexander Won
Handedly in
Crowded Race
Yvette Alexander is introduced by Mayor Adrian Fenty to supporters as the new Ward 7 Council member. Also on stage are Ward 7 residents, At-Large Councilman Kwame Brown and former Ward 7 Councilman-turned Council Chairman Vincent Gray. Alexander received 35 percent of the vote in a overwhelming victory.
more
Mayor Fenty Commits
to Quickly Restoring Eastern Market
Early this morning, Eastern Market, a historic staple in the Capitol Hill community, was partially destroyed by fire. In response to the
significant damage caused by the
fire, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty issued this statement:
more
Youth Advocate Uses Book to Help Others with Anger
By Angela Swinson Lee
When Anita Naves was 16, she
was introduced to former Mayor Marion Barry’s Youth Initiative program. more
African American Family Makes
Scouting History
Pictured here is Lillian B. Green (center) and her troop on the steps
of Freedman's Hospital (now
Howard University Hospital) in Washington D.C. in 1946. The
troop was delivering fruit to the patients. Green's daughter,
Gloria, is standing to the far left.
more
Mayor Adrian Fenty warms up and stretches for the 24th Annual Sallie Mae 10K race. The race was won by David Chepkwony, of Kenya, in a time of 29:56.
They were among more than 2,000 participants and volunteers who helped D.C. public high school students come closer to achieving their dreams of higher education.
The market, located at 7th and O streets, Northwest, was built in 1881. It provided a place for residents to sell their goods, shop and socialize. After the Civil War, African Americans began to dominate the space, according to Cultural Tourism D.C., a non-profit organization promoting the District’s history.
But the building began to deteriorate in the 1960s, due, in part to competition from new super markets.
Then the building was destroyed during the riots of 1968.
It was reopened in 1980, and signaled revitalization in the Shaw community. Then a snow storm in 2003 caused the roof to collapse, and the building remains dormant, although plans for its revitalization were approved last year.
Washington residents have ideas about why the O Street Market was not restored as quickly as the Eastern Market likely will be restored.
We want to hear from you. E-mail us your stories and information about the O Street Market. E-mail state@washingtoninformer.com.
Former Congressman Parren J. Mitchell Dies
Parren James Mitchell, a former Maryland congressman and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus died on Memorial Day, May 28, reportedly from pneumonia. He was 85.
Mitchell had been in intensive care, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, according to news reports. The Baltimore Sun reported that he had been living in a nursing home since suffering a series of strokes several years earlier.
Born in Baltimore, Md., April 29, 1922, Mitchell attended Baltimore public schools then Morgan State College. He graduated with an Associated Bachelor’s degree in 1950, then earned a Master’s from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1952. He served in the United States Army, 92nd Infantry Division, and was a commissioned officer and company commander, 1942-1945. He received a Purple Heart award.
Galen Terrace Apartments resident Brenda Thomas shows off the apartment that she shares with her son, Marcus. Thomas banded with other tenants to buy their building to avoid getting displaced by new owners and higher prices.
“Wind Me Up” Chuck was still spry when he arrived for an afternoon interview with The Washington Informer. He had spent the last two hours giving a free lunchtime concert behind the D.C. Lottery headquarters on Martin Luther King Avenue in Southeast. He had danced with his adoring fans, cheered them on, and stirred their souls.
Lottery officials were celebrating the agency’s 25h anniversary. They had a bet that Chuck Brown could draw at least 300 people but more than 500 showed up.
The crowd included workers who wandered away from nearby barbershops, hair salons, and other small businesses, and residents ages five to over 55.
The first D.C. Caribbean Carnival took place in 1993. Since then it has grown to attract well over 300,000 spectators, according to reports. The Carnival, held this year on June 23-24, was held under sunny skies with a gentle breeze.
A crowd comes out for a day at Easter Market last Sunday after a
fire burned through the historic building six days earlier. One merchant is holding of a mirror
as a customer looks it over.
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
co-founder Peggy Cooper Cafritz presents an award to the George Washington University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.
“Premature birth is the No. 1 cause of newborn death,” said Howard University student Alexis Kimbrough.
Over the last few years, well-known Black erotica author Zane has done more than just write books. She’s been working on building a publishing empire.
The Prince George’s County mother of three has established her own publishing imprint, Strebor Books, in partnership with Simon and Schuster.
The imprint has a roster of more than 50 writers, Zane said. So far, she’s sold four million books that were written by authors published under her imprint, to go along with the eight million she has sold under he own name.
While business is obviously the driving force behind her new deal, Zane said she has another motive.“I believe in helping others,” she said. “That’s very important to me. Publishing other people takes up a great deal of my time. But I do think that it’s important to have more than just my books on the shelves. And I believed that from the very beginning.”
The 2007 Poverty in America Initiative is being conducted by King and his nonprofit organization, Realizing the Dream. “I am continuing my father’s Poor People’s Campaign, and what better place to start than on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard,” said King,
NAACP Holds Mock Funeral for the
N-Word
The funeral for the N-Word was held Monday, July 9 in Detroit, Mi. during the 98th NAACP Convention.
District Mayor Adrian Fenty endorsed presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) Tuesday at the Greenleaf Recreation Center in Southwest. Just hours prior to the announcement, police and S.W.A.T. teams were called to the neighborhood to catch suspects involved in a shooting.
Undaunted, Fenty toured the community and met with residents, assuring them of his commitment to improve their quality of life.
more
Last week NAACP Chairman Julian Bond addressed the importance of burying The
N-word. The NAACP led a mock funeral for the loaded word, an event that has
proven highly controversial.
Teen Journalists React Strongly to Burial of the N-Word By Hazel Trice Edney
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
By the time the epitaph had been said over the N-word, symbolically buried by the NAACP last week, youth around the nation had already dug it back up thousands of times.
Obama Visits Southeast Washington with Plans to ‘Change the Odds’
By Taaq Kirksey
WI Staff Writer
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s much touted presence was not lost on a group of mostly Black seniors and teens yesterday, as he outlined his plan to combat urban poverty in a speech at the Town Hall Education, Arts and Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast Washington.
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