WI Web Staff
Queen Elizabeth takes Stand against Discrimination
Tuesday, 12 March 2013 16:25 Published in International
Queen Elizabeth II recently made history when she signed a new charter taking a stand against discrimination.
With the stroke of the pen on March 11, the 86-year-old queen made a symbolic pledge for equal rights for billions of people in 54 countries in the British Commonwealth around the world.
The Commonwealth Charter states opposition to "all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, color, creed, political belief or other grounds."
This is believed to be the first time (in her 61-year reign) she's shown her support of gay rights. That's a big step," ABC News royal contributor Victoria Arbiter said.
The charter is still only a symbolic step for many of the 54 countries because homosexuality is still illegal in 41 of the nations in the British Commonwealth.
Embodying centuries of stuffy royal tradition, Britain's head of state has recently learned to relax a little, showing she's moving with the times. But never in her 61 years as monarch has she done anything like this before.
"The queen has to remain politically neutral," Arbiter said. "While we won't hear her personal views on this, the fact that she is endorsing it publically in front of television cameras, it really does speak volumes."
Reading between the lines, the British papers are also hailing this as a watershed moment for the new rules of succession.
The timing couldn't be any better with the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, giving birth this summer. By signing this pledge, the queen is giving a silent nod to the changes. If Middleton has a baby girl, her daughter will one day be the queen.
(Source: ABC News)
More families received seats at schools of their choice through the 2013 DC Public Schools (DCPS) Online Lottery Application than in 2012, according to results released by DCPS.
This year, DCPS schools received a total 7,213 lottery applications. The results show an increase in early childhood program applicants, up three percent from last year.
"DCPS is on the rise. We're improving our schools, we're putting the right resources in the right places and we're expanding high quality programs," said Chancellor Kaya Henderson. "I'm thrilled to hear that more families are choosing DCPS for the high quality early childhood programs. I'm also glad to see that more families were able to get seats in the schools of their choice."
Overall, about 55 percent of all applicants were placed in one of their requested schools, an increase of four percent from last year. This means that fewer applicants were solely waitlisted.
Additionally, families can expect to see shorter and more accurate waitlists due to a new DCPS policy where families are only waitlisted at schools they ranked higher than the school where they received a seat.
At the early childhood level, about 66 percent of applicants were offered a seat through the lottery. The number of applications for the K-12 lottery were down six percent, from 3,193 last year to 2,994 this year.
"There are a number of reasons why K-12 applications could have decreased. We are still in the process of analyzing the data," said Henderson.
More early childhood seats were made available this year to families at newly expanded classrooms. Expansion sites are Marie Reed Elementary School, Garrison Elementary School, Truesdell Education Campus, Burroughs Education Campus, Browne Elementary School, Kimball Elementary School, Aiton Elementary School, School-Within-A-School, Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan and Turner Elementary School.
Results of the lottery will also be mailed on or before April 1. Applicants who receive a seat in the lottery must turn in their completed enrollment forms by May 1 (including DC residency verification) to the accepting school secure their seat. Enrollment packets are available on the DCPS website, dcps.dc.gov.
More than 100 students who attend Friendship Collegiate Academy, have earned full college scholarships from the D.C. Achievers Scholarship Program, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This year, 152 students -- including a group from the Anacostia partnership campus-- were recognized as D.C. Achievers Scholars, in comparison to 124 last year. All totaled, $7.6 million in student aid was awarded.
"Congratulations to our students at both schools for earning these honors," said Donald Hense, chairman of Friendship Public Charter School. "On behalf of the board of trustees and our staff, we hope they will continue to work hard as they advance their education."
The Achievers Scholarship Program was founded in 2007 by the Gates foundation. To date, it has provided college readiness, mentoring and support, as well as scholarship financial aid, to hundreds of low-income youth in the District of Columbia.
Friendship Collegiate Academy PCS is a college preparatory high school serving students in grades nine through 12. Collegiate has a 91 percent graduation rate and 100 percent of its graduating class is accepted to college. Some 75 percent of its students are eligible for federal lunch subsidies. At the Anacostia campus 95 percent of students qualify for federal lunch subsidies.
More than 200 moms from more than 30 states traveled to the District on Wednesday to participate in "Moms Take the Hill," a grassroots event organized by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Carol Starr, a 67-year-old retired educator from Rockville, Md., Karen Katz, 56, a nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and Suzie Gerakines, 51, of Crofton, Md., with a master's degree in education, will join other moms from the area to demand action on common-sense gun laws.
"In a country where eight children are shot and killed every day, it is imperative that Congressional representatives hear directly and frequently from American mothers," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "As moms, we will remain focused on the safety of our children rather than be influenced or even intimidated by powerful gun industry lobby groups. We will not wait for one more horrific mass shooting of our children for legislators to wake up and finally pass needed laws that we know will make a difference."
Moms Demand Action members will meet throughout the day with their congressional representatives and participate in an afternoon press event.
Moms Demand Action is specifically asking moms to appeal to their congressional representatives to act on common-sense solutions to address the escalating problem of gun violence in the United States:
• Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
• Require background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases.
• Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF, and ban online sales of ammunition.
(Source: Moms Demand Action)
H.D. Woodson girls win the inaugural DCSSA title with a 60-42 victory over Georgetown Day a Verizon Center on Monday, Mar.11/Photo by John E. De Freitas.
Mayor Gray Comments on the Passing of Zora Kramer Brown
Monday, 11 March 2013 23:28 Published in Local
Breast Cancer Awareness Advocate was a Personal Health Ambassador to Thousands of District Women
Mayor Vincent C. Gray released the following statement on the death of breast cancer advocate Zora Kramer Brown, who died on Sunday:
"I was saddened to learn of the passing of Zora Brown, a pioneer in advocating for breast-cancer awareness, research, treatment and support within underserved communities in the District and nationwide. I personally understand her journey with this disease that also touched my family, and I applaud Zora for her more than 25 years of tireless advocacy in the face of her own battle with the disease.
"Zora Brown, a breast-cancer survivor with a family history of deaths from breast and ovarian cancer, used her own experience to try and prevent the same suffering in other black women. Her outreach through churches in the District helped to educate residents about the need for regular medical care and to let them know that a cancer diagnosis was not an automatic death sentence.
"In the District, she founded the Breast Cancer Resource Committee, the Cancer Awareness Program Services and the Rise Sister Rise Saturday morning gatherings. Through these initiatives and others, Zora relentlessly pursued her mission to achieve a 50 percent drop in African-American breast cancer deaths by the end of the 20th century. Her approach was to inform minority women that breast cancer does not choose its victims by race, and that regular mammograms are the best path to both prevention and early detection. Her efforts received recognition from U.S. presidents and members of Congress.
"As we highlight the achievements of women during Women's History Month, Zora Kramer Brown stands out as a giant among women who persevered against the odds while helping others to persevere. My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones and the many whose lives she touched."
The District is among several of the nation's urban cities that have seen a decline in violent crime over the past several years. It's a topic of discussion among government officials who have turned to urban researchers to find out who deserves the credit.
Rightfully so, however, there is little if any credit being given to the community-based and nonprofit organizations that are embedded within the communities they serve and where the problems exist. Sure, the police have done their part, sometimes overzealously, and culprits of drugs and guns also took their toll. But for those who answered the call for mentoring and mediation and counseling, the community-based organizations were effective in providing hands-on intervention.
So no, groups like the Alliance of Concerned Men, Concerned Black Men, Peaceoholics and other grassroots community-based programs, locally, aren't being given their due. Rather than get angry about it or sulk because of it, there's a new objective these groups should be focusing on: education. Keeping children out of trouble is proving to be as difficult as getting them to go to school. But youth advocates, returning citizens and others should take that next step and lead the effort to end the city's high truancy rate. They still might not get credit for making sure more students graduate from high school, but they will benefit from their efforts just like the rest of us.
The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) systems is engaged in a new recruitment campaign aimed at attracting the best teachers and principals in the country to the nation's capital.
"We are in the middle of historic change at DCPS and we need the most talented educators in the nation to help us reach the ambitious goals we've set for ourselves and for our students," said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson. "We are defying expectations about what an urban school system can achieve, and are looking for the best and the brightest to join us."
As part of the campaign, the school system launched a new recruitment website (www.joindcpublicschools.com) featuring more than 20 professionally-produced videos showcasing top teachers, principals, and central office staff in DCPS.
In addition, the school system has doubled the size of its recruitment team, and is launching the "Capital Commitment Fellowship," a prestigious program for the 50 best teacher recruits of the year.
As DCPS launches this new recruitment campaign, it is also committed to retaining its top educators, particularly as it undergoes a district-wide school consolidation process.
"We will do everything possible to keep our best teachers," said Jason Kamras, chief of the Office of Human Capital. "That means the best pay in the nation, supportive principals, exciting new leadership opportunities and an outstanding curriculum."
DCPS offers teachers the opportunity to earn significantly higher salaries than other school districts. Top teachers, for example, can earn up to $100,000 in salary and bonuses by their fourth year.
"We want people who know that education is a game changer. We want people who are willing to deliver on a promise – the promise of a public education," said Henderson. "We treat teachers like the professionals they are, and we reward them accordingly for the outstanding and challenging work they do."
(Source: DCPS)
InterFaith Golf Tournament, Honorary Chair Announced
Saturday, 09 March 2013 00:44 Published in Local
ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The 3rd annual InterFaith (iFaith) Golf Tournament has been scheduled for April 16, and will once again be held at the beautiful Lake Presidential Golf Club in Upper Marlboro, Md.
Last year's event attracted an assortment of area churches who competed for the coveted iFaith Golf Cup and through their participation, a check for $1,000 was presented to the Capital Area Food Bank.
"We are thrilled that our last tournament allowed us to make a meaningful contribution toward the hard work that is being done by the Capital Area Food Bank," said tournament founder Lou Phillips.
The Tournament is designed to foster inter-denominational fellowship and stewardship.
"The game of golf is a perfect way of getting individuals to spend quality time together and thus encourage deep abiding fellowship," said the Rev. Dr. James L. Graham , honorary chairman, and pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Herndon, Va
Dr. Graham has a passion for international missions. He has been privileged to proclaim the Gospel in 26 different countries. Under his leadership, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church has established partnerships in thirteen countries, including Russia, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Sudan, Benin, Ghana, and Liberia.
Graham is a native of Sumter, SC, and the son of Gardenia Graham and the late James L. Graham. He and his wife, Rev. Gloria Graham, have two children, Andrea and James. Dr. Graham is an avid golfer and is equally passionate about the mission of providing assistance to the growing number of people who find themselves suffering from food shortage.
For registration and other information on The Interfaith Golf Tournament, please visit www.ifaithgolf.com or contact Lou Phillips at 703-746-8138. Email inquiries can be sent to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The NAACP has expressed optimism over repeal of Maryland's death penalty, after the Senate took a stand this week for a more effective criminal justice system.
In a vote of 27 to 20, the Senate on March 6 passed legislation in Maryland to repeal its death penalty. Having won bipartisan support, the bill now moves to the House of Delegates in anticipation of approval.
"Today's Senate vote brings Maryland one step closer to fixing a broken justice system," Benjamin Todd Jealous, NAACP president and CEO said on Wednesday. "We are optimistic that the House of Delegates will also vote to repeal and that capital punishment will be relegated to the history books of this state."
Abolition of Maryland's death penalty is part of a larger campaign led by the NAACP and other civil rights organizations. If the legislation gets the House's nod -- according to the Associated Press -- Maryland would become the sixth state in six years to abolish the death penalty, and the 18th to ban it. While the death penalty was banned in Connecticut last year, in recent years it has also been banned in New Mexico, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey.
Overall, 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, do not have the death penalty.
Jealous added that with abolition of the "immoral, ineffective, racially biased and fiscally wasteful practice," Maryland's repeal should be replaced with life without the possibility of parole.
"With the passage of the Death Penalty Repeal, the Maryland State Senate continues to demonstrate the leadership that citizens expect when we vote," said Gerald Stansbury, Maryland NAACP president. "While the African-American community has been disproportionately affected by the death penalty, families of all races are affected and believe the death penalty has no place in our society. Today, they can be hopeful that the great state of Maryland, once again, will be on the right side of equality and justice, and history."
The Senate's vote was the first on whether Maryland should continue death sentences since 1978.
Jane Henderson, executive director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions, said the vote marks a major milestone for the state of Maryland.
"I'm proud of the Senate for recognizing that the only way to strengthen our criminal justice system is to eliminate this ineffective death penalty," she said, adding that "this is not a moral issue of whether or not the worst criminals deserve capital punishment. This is about an arbitrary practice that is racially biased, costly and has a detrimental impact on murder victims' families."
The legislation has received the strong support of Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has made its passage a priority this session. The governor and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown both testified in favor of repeal during recent committee hearings.
(Sources: NAACP.org, Newsone)
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