Washington Informer

Be Beautiful Be Yourself was a fitting theme for the 2013 Global Down Syndrome Foundation Gala held at the Ritz-Carlton in Northwest on May 8.

Approximately 500 guests attended the dinner, fundraiser, and fashion show emceed by CNN news anchor Kyra Phillips and featuring a musical performance by Grammy award winning singer Sheryl Crow.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA5), highest ranking Republican woman in Congress and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD8) were honored as recipients of the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award.

Rodger’s son, Cole 7, was named the Foundation’s 2013 Ambassador.  Past ambassadors include DeOndra Dixon, sister of award winning actor Jamie Foxx, who participated in the fashion show.

Celebrities and Congressmen accompanied 25 models with Down syndrome on the runway in the Hollywood meets Capitol Hill fashion show.  9NEWS NOW anchor Lesli Foster, super model Beverly Johnson, Fox News Channel senior national correspondent John Roberts, and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX32) were just a few of the escorts.

Beverly Johnson, international spokesperson for Down syndrome and a supporter of the foundation for several years, said “It is important that we educate and inform parents how to deal with a child who has Down syndrome.”

It was easy to agree with Rep. Rodgers who said, “People with Down Syndrome are smart, funny, athletic – the same as all of us.”

A celebratory street dedication and sign unveiling of Greater Mt. Calvary Way was held during the Sunday morning worship service at Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church in Northeast on May 5.

Church officers surprised Senior Pastor Archbishop Alfred A. Owens Jr. and Co-Pastor Susie C. Owens with the official ceremony on the church’s 47^th anniversary.

Attending the ceremony were Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Council Member Kenyan McDuffie, At-Large Council Member Anita Bonds, and D.C. Commission on the Aging Commissioner Romaine B. Thomas, wife of the late Ward 5 Council member Harry B. Thomas Sr. and mother of former Ward 5 Council member Harry B. Thomas Jr.

Mendelson praised the work of the church in the community and a resolution issued by the Council of the District of Columbia was read to the 4,000 church members witnessing the dedication.

“The ceremony to dedicate the street unveiling is a great occasion. Greater Mt. Calvary has been a beacon of light and hope in the Ward 5 community,” said Mendelson.

McDuffie said, “Rhode Island Avenue has changed so much over the years in a positive way because of institutions like Greater Mt. Calvary.”  He praised the church for being a pillar in the community for several decades.

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church was established by Owens in 1966 and has grown tremendously representing approximately 8,000 members.

“When we moved here over 20 years ago this [area] was drug and alcohol infested and you couldn’t walk the streets and God used us to clean up the area from 10^th Street all the way down to 4^th Street and we give God the glory for that, He helped us clean this area up so that others can move in and change the community,” said Archbishop Owens.

President Barack Obama joined Pentagon officials on Thursday in welcoming the leaders of four African countries to the White House, where they discussed strengthening democracy among emerging African nations and deepening the U.S.'s partnership with them through the promotion of economic growth and investments.

The visiting dignitaries included President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde.

"The reason that I'm meeting with these four is [that] they exemplify the progress we're seeing in Africa. All of them have had to deal with some extraordinary challenges," President Obama said during the gathering. "Sierra Leone just 10 years ago was in the midst of as brutal a civil war as we've ever seen. And yet, now we've seen consecutive fair and free elections. And under President Koroma's leadership, we've seen not only good governance, but also significant economic growth."

Referring to President Banda, Obama said there was a constitutional crisis in her country just last year.

"And yet, President Banda has not only been able to be in office and make sure that constitutional order was restored, but has also made significant progress on behalf of her people," he said. "And her personal story of overcoming a history of abuse and leading women throughout her country I think indicates the kind of progress that can be made when you've got strong leadership."

Obama further stated that the same was true for President Sall.

"There were some bumps in the road in terms of transition from the previous president," Obama said, "and yet, the Senegalese rose up at the grassroots level and sustained their democracy."

He said that Cape Verde is a real success story.

"We were hearing from Prime Minister Neves about the fact that just in a few decades they have moved from a per capita income of maybe $200 a year to now $4,000 a year," Obama said. [They] are now moving into the middle of the pack in terms of development levels because of good governance and management."

During the meeting, Obama also turned his attention to former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, 94, who was recently re-admitted to a hospital for a lung infection. Reports stated early Thursday that he was responding well to treatment.

"We all recognize that he has given everything to his people, the people of South Africa, to the people of the continent, and he's ended up being an inspiration to all of us," Obama said. "When you think of a single individual that embodies the kind of leadership qualities that I think we all aspire to, the first name that comes up is Nelson Mandela. And so we wish him all the very best."

Approximately 140 guests attended the Black History Month reception hosted by Vice President and Dr. Biden at their home in Northwest on Wednesday, Feb. 27.  Some of the attendees were actress Lynn Whitfield, Attorney General Eric Holder;  members of the Congressional Black Caucus and their spouses, the leadership of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Conference of Black Mayors and National Organization of Black County Officials; as well as other Administration officials.

 Click here to see VP Biden Black History Reception Photo Gallery. /Photos by Shevry Lassiter

Click here to see Washington Informer 2012 Year in Photos