Washington Informer

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has named Amani Council as the organization's director of African-American Communications.

In making the announcement on April 23, RNC chair Reince Priebus expressed confidence that Council's presence will assist his goal of making it a priority to reach out to all Americans and their communities.

"[Council] brings a wealth of experience from her time on [Capitol] Hill, in public relations, business, and in issue advocacy," said Priebus."She will work with Deputy Press Secretary Raffi Williams, who joined our team earlier this year, to build relationships with African-American media as we work to earn the trust of more African-American voters."

Council, who has more than 10 years' experience in strategic communications, community engagement, public relations, and organizational development, first began her work in politics in the office of Florida Congressman Clay Shaw and then as a legislative assistant to Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia.

Afterward, Council served as director of government affairs for the District of Columbia-based Family Research Council, where she coordinated lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill regarding a wide range of social and pro-family issues.

Most recently, Council served as director of New Media and Business Development at Bass Public Affairs in Alexandria, Va., where she also worked on ballot initiatives and created media strategies for businesses and non-profit organizations.

Senior White House Advisor, 56, Washington

By Cal Fussman | Esquire Magazine

During an interview in March with Esquire Magazine, Valerie Jarratt, senior White House advisior, provides a glimpse into how she juggles the ins and outs of everyday life and how she feels about having her mentee -- President Barack Obama -- become her boss. 

The interview is published in the May2013 issue of Esquire, but Washington Informers readers can read on for some of the insightful views Jarratt, 56, shared with writer Cal Fusssman:

If somebody's trying to get you angry, the calmer you get, the angrier they'll get.

I try not to keep any ice cream in the house because I can go through a pint pretty fast.

Anytime I was hesitant about taking a chance, my grandmother would say, "Valerie, put yourself in the path of lightning."

I was the first person in my family to become a lawyer. I was working on the seventy-ninth floor of the Sears Tower. I had a great office overlooking the sailboats on Lake Michigan. But I was miserable. A friend advised me to think about city government. I was hesitant—I was on my path and, miserable as I might be, it was my path. But Harold Washington had become the first black mayor of Chicago, and I made the move. I got a cubicle ... with a window facing an alley. That was a little jarring. But as soon as I stepped in that cubicle, I felt This is where I belong. I was working with people who shared a common passion in their love for the city. I thought, Hey, I can get used to this cubicle.

Just because you're nervous doesn't mean you have to look nervous. Nobody can look inside you. Project what you want to project.

I was doing an interview on a panel of women. The question was, Is it more important for a woman to be respected or liked? My view is you can actually be both — if you add being decent.

Children play the same no matter where they come from.

Laughter is very important to health. So I laugh a lot. On the hard days, you try to find a little bit of humor, even if it's macabre.

The president is the kind of person who, the day before the final exam, would open the book, read it, and get an A. The First Lady is the kind of person who, the first day of class when they were discussing dissertations, would plot out how to finish hers.

I spent the first eighteen years of our relationship being the older mentor. I liked our relationship like that. It worked for me. One of the reasons it was so easy to have my mentee become my boss is because I respect him.

When you're an only child, friendship becomes really important.

You can't expect people to put your friendship on hold because you're in a demanding job. Friends require investment. Like a garden, you have to water them. If you don't, they dry up.

I was chairing the board of the Chicago Transit Authority and we were in a terrible budget situation. We were having to shrink the service we were providing, and people started demonstrating outside my co-op. I had just closed on it, and it was still under renovation. The co-op members have to approve you coming in. I hadn't even had a chance to move in yet and give everybody a chance to see how adorable my daughter was and fall in love with us. So here we are, strangers still, and the protesters showed up. So I went and bought them coffee and doughnuts. I'm not sure if it was the coffee and doughnuts or the cold weather, but they dispersed. My daughter was about eleven. She said, "Why do you do this?" meaning why are you chairing the board of the Chicago Transit Authority? I said, "I would rather be the one making the decisions than somebody else because I know I'm going to be as thoughtful as possible."

Someone once said to me that part of being a leader is you have to be able to absorb a lot of pain. The president is able to absorb a lot of incoming fire.

There's nothing worse than boredom.

I'm low on drama. That's one thing I share with the president. Our challenges are too big for us to have to fight among ourselves.

It doesn't mean we don't debate ideas. One of the president's strengths, I think, is his ability to make people feel safe expressing themselves, knowing that if he disagrees with you it doesn't mean that he disrespects you. He simply disagrees with you. A healthy disagreement enables him to make better decisions.

You have to look at people in order to be able to read them.

I did question the president back when he decided to run for the U.S. Senate. I wasn't sure it was the right time for him. That has generated periodic humor at my expense.

As you get older, it gets easier to know who to trust.

If you had asked me on the night when I first met him, could that be possible, I probably would've said yes, but it would've been a fantasy. But to then live it and share it with my daughter, who thinks it's perfectly normal to have your mom's friend become president of the United States...

You can have it all, just not at the same time and in all the proportions that you may want.

Read more: Valerie Jarrett Interview - Valerie Jarrett White House Quotes - Esquire http://www.esquire.com/features/valerie-jarrett-interview-0513#ixzz2RCPKjBAa

The second-hand clothing industry in parts of Africa is big business.

In fact, many charities receive substantial revenue from the sale of these clothes. Why buy a t-shirt for $10 when you can buy one for 32 cents?

These trends should come as no surprise to Americans because consignment shops and thrift stores are plentiful. However, the difference is that in many parts of Africa second-hand clothing is the primary means of buying clothes and is, therefore, inadvertently stifling the growth of local African economies. Sadly, charities are playing a role in killing this growth.

For example, CNN just ran a story about how Americans sending over old clothes is killing Africa's economy:

In the beginning, it appears to be a win-win situation for everyone involved; Western charities receive much-needed revenue, African buyers with weak purchasing power get low-priced, well-made clothing, and merchants find eager customers for their merchandise.

But some experts say that the mass influx of cheap hand-me-downs from the West could have a much more negative impact.

"The long-term effect is that countries such as Malawi or Mozambique or Zambia can't really establish or protect their own clothing industries if they are importing second-hand goods," says Andrew Brooks, lecturer at King's College London and co-author of a study called "Unravelling the Relationships between Used-Clothing Imports and the Decline of African Clothing Industries."

This makes sense.

At first glance, second-hand clothes are meeting immediate and legitimate needs but, in the long-run, when charities are involved at this level it does not help African economies become sustainable.

Brooks rightly observes, "Your T-shirt may be quite cheap for someone to buy, but it would be better if that person could buy a locally manufactured T-shirt, so the money stays within the economy and that helps generate jobs."

According to the CNN story, designer Sylvia Owori, who's been in business in Kampala, Uganda for more than a decade says it's hard to compete second-hand market.

"Probably 90 percent of the clothing people are buying in the whole country are second-hand clothes," says Owori. "It's a multimillion dollar industry — so, as a small fish, how are you going to start to compete with that?"

The competition question is a good one.

So to try to address this many African countries are banning second-hand clothing companies from operating in their countries to eliminate the competition.

Unfortunately, bans will not work either to help African economies develop but will only create a larger black market for these items. After all, people need affordable clothes.

(Source: Anthony Bradley, The Aquila Report)

The Washington Nationals observed Jackie Robinson Day, April 15, in Miami when they took on the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park, with each of the team's players wearing No. 42 as part of a League-wide celebration of the first African-American player in Major League Baseball.

Before traveling to Miami, the team honored Jackie Robinson Scholars in the District at Nationals Park with a Spirit Award during pregame ceremonies on Saturday, April 13. In addition, for the fifth year, the team recognized the finalists of the Washington Informer Spelling Bee on the field and provided 200 complimentary tickets to bee participants, teachers and coaches.

While the team was away for this special commemoration, Nationals fans were encouraged to learn more about Robinson's legacy through the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

For more information, visit http://www.jackierobinson.org.

Finally, Libraries Get Their Due!

I was overjoyed after reading in James Wright's article, "Gray's Plans to Expand Library Funding" (April 11, 2013), that the library system of the District of Columbia is about to receive an infusion of funds. I am particularly happy because the Woodridge Branch has been one of my favorite places since I was a child growing up in the neighborhood decades ago. At last, we are scheduled for a much-needed renovation!

Of all the institutions that are open to the public, a city's libraries are useful for academic research, technology needs, community activities, and, perhaps most important, reading for pleasure. There's something that piques everyone's interests in libraries.

There should always be consideration of funding for the libraries in all discussions about where to spend available money.

In fact, public school funding and library funding should be tied to one another. In that regard, the schools should begin at the elementary level to teach children how to use the library, not just to complete assignments, but also to enjoy checking out storybooks for leisure reading. My children developed their love of books and reading when we went to the Woodridge Branch every few weeks and checked out as many books as we could carry. They are now adults, and continue to love reading.

Thank goodness attention is now being given to our neighborhood branches. Let's keep our libraries well funded, technologically up-to-date, and welcoming to the city's communities.

Estelle Jackson

Washington, D.C.

A New Appreciation for MLK

It was good to see Eve Ferguson's review of the Arena Stage presentation of "The Mountaintop" in the April 11, 2013 edition. I thought the play was great! But I must say in the beginning I was getting a little angry thinking that the playwright was using old rumors and widespread speculations about Dr. Martin Luther King's philandering. Was I ever surprised!

To me it was a brilliant play, extremely thought provoking and inspiring. In the end, I came away with a different kind of appreciation of what Dr. King did as a man, the enormous pressure he must have had on him as a man and the unbelievable burden he had to bear. I wish everyone could see this play because for me it will be one of my all time favorites.

Mark Pierce

Washington, D.C.

The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation (WRCF) and NRG Energy rewarded more than 100 third-graders at Glenridge Elementary School in Prince George's County on for their commitment to reading with an April 16 "Power to Read Pizza Party."

Throughout the 2012 football season, students across the Washington, D.C. metro area participated in the Redskins Read Book Challenge powered by NRG. Students who read 10 or more books during the season were invited to have a parent, guarding or teacher nominate them for a reading certificate.

"We are committed to working with the Redskins excited about this opportunity to celebrate our students and the reading they have done this year," said Glenridge reading specialist Paddy Gordon. "This is a wonderful example of a community partnership that promotes literacy."

From among all the students and schools who completed the challenge, Glenridge's students read the most books and had the most children participate.

"We are passionate about helping our students develop reading proficiency and a love of reading," said Glenridge principal Gloria McCoy. "We are very excited and grateful that the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and NRG Energy share our enthusiasm and will reward the hard work of our students and the encouragement of our teachers."

The Redskins Read Book Challenge was created by the WRCF and NRG Energy to encourage and incentivize kindergarten through sixth grade students to explore the joys of reading.

"Congratulations to all of the students for their hard work!? said Manny Rodriguez, vice president of Sponsorships, Events and Charitable Giving, NRG Energy. "We are excited to be a part of this vital program and are committed to working with the Redskins to promote literacy within the community."

For more information on the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation's programs and events or to donate, visit www.redskins.com/community or follow the Foundation on twitter at @WRFoundation.