Washington Informer

Three generations of gospel music's finest are teaming with McDonald's to give back to communities nationwide through the McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour.

The tour, which kicks off in D. C. on May 9 at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church, is headlined by Grammy-winning gospel sensation Smokie Norful, and among the soulful lineup of singers who will perform hip-hop and traditional/contemporary gospel selections are Tamela Mann, Lecrae, John P. Kee and Vickie Winans. The tour runs through Aug. 30.

"I'm elated to again headline the McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour," said Norful. "From sharing some of my new music to introducing my son Ashton's career on the tour, this is a phenomenal season in life. And, I'm excited to share it with fans across the nation, all in an effort to give back."

Now in its seventh year, the tour emphasizes the importance of giving back and as part of each show, concertgoers will learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) and the important role it plays in helping families and children worldwide. Attendees will also have an opportunity to participate in a love offering to support families served by the Charity, including those in their community.

"Giving back to those around us is crucial, especially with the recent tough times our families and communities have faced," said Winans, who will also host each concert. "Now more than ever, our communities need to know we are there for them, and that's something the McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour has set out to do. I'm honored to take part in the cause, and I look forward to bringing joy and laughter to everyone who attends the concerts."

"I'm humbled to share the stage with legendary gospel artists," said Lecrae, who won the 2013 Grammy for Best Gospel Album. "It's amazing to see a classic brand like McDonald's stand behind a message that's needed in communities everywhere. Gospel fans are in for an experience I believe they'll talk about long after the tour."

The multi-city tour will make stops in nine markets, including: Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Louisville, Newark, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Concerts are free, with the exception of the May 11 show in Newark, which is part of McDonald's Gospelfest.

"For generations, McDonald's has continued its efforts to be deeply rooted — and invested — in the areas we serve, both in restaurants and in the community," said Rob Jackson, McDonald's U.S. marketing director. "McDonald's is committed to giving back and we're honored to bring messages of joy and hope to thousands of our neighbors."

Tour dates and locations are as follows:

•May 9 – Washington, D.C., Ebenezer AME Church

•May 10 – Philadelphia, Sharon Baptist Church

•May 11 – Newark, McDonald's Gospelfest - Prudential Center

•June 6 – Birmingham, Bill Harris Arena

•June 7 – Atlanta, Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church

•June 21 – Detroit, Second Ebenezer Baptist Church

•June 22 – Chicago, Chicago Gospel Music Festival

•July 3 – Louisville, Full Gospel Baptist Conference

•August 30 – Dallas, MegaFest

D.C. Students Deserve Better

Your article "Low Graduation Rates Plague DCPS," by Dorothy Rowley, April 18, 2013, cites the abysmal numbers of high school graduates and how school leaders and administrators are touting what they see as successes in policies they have instituted to increase graduation rates.

I feel these DCPS administrators should be held accountable, not only for poor graduation rates, but for lying to the public for years. We are told year after year that they have a solution, yet we see no results. So what happens to the 50 percent that don't graduate? And for how many years has that number been 50 percent, or is it 60 percent? Who is responsible for all those minds lost? Can it be that we are preparing our young people for prison rather than to compete for jobs?

Why can't DCPS have a system-wide curriculum? Why can't DCPS deliver services to all of its students? Why?

Kenneth Butler

Washington, D.C.

A Budget that Could Help Blacks

For a while I thought President Obama had forgotten that a black community does exist and that we might need a little assistance with some of the problems that we're facing. All of the news coming out of his camp these days, especially when addressing specific needs, never focused on the community that gave him 98 percent of their votes.

I want to thank your staff writer Barrington Salmon for his article in the April 18, 2013 edition, "Budget Strengthens Black Community, Officials Say." Finally, I can sink my teeth into something that the administration is trying to do for our community. For years I kept waiting for our president to say something, anything that we could actually embrace.

Unfortunately, all of this is just budget talk, nothing concrete, because we all know that the Republicans will not let anything President Obama proposes pass. But at least the president recognizes that if a community gives you their votes they are owed something; that's the way politics work.

Lawrence M. Parks

Washington, D.C.

Bruce Johnson has been a reporter and anchor for WUSA-9 in the District for more than 30 years. But it almost didn't work out that way. Johnson suffered a massive heart attack 19 years ago at the age of 42 while on assignment. Had it not been for the emergency care he received at Greater Southeast Community Hospital (now United Medical Center) in Southeast by one of the District's top cardiologists, the Emmy-award winning journalist would not be on a crusade today to save the lives of others, most specifically, African Americans, from the lethal consequences of heart disease.

Author of the book, Heart to Heart, Johnson has joined with the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) to target the church and the clergy to stem the tide of heart attacks and strokes. More than 1 million Americans will die of cardiovascular disease, Johnson notes, and African Americans die from heart disease and stroke at a rate 50 percent higher than other racial groups. African Americans die from heart disease more often than from deaths due to cancer, accidents, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, liver failure, suicide and homicide combined.

At the ABC conference on health disparities held in the District this week, Johnson presented his documentary, "Before You Eat the Church Food." It's a very serious examination of how churches promote the cultural and dietary habits that are killing black people, as well as the efforts many churches are making to improve the health outcomes of their congregants.

We are proud of Johnson for becoming such a hard-charging advocate for healthier lifestyles and we join him and the ABC in urging our readers to watch the documentary at http://www.beforeyoueatthechurchfood.com/ along with making healthier choices beginning today for you and your family.

CBCF Forum Focuses on the Need for More Black Male Instructors

Sixty years after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown vs. Board of Education – the unprecedented civil rights case that dramatically impacted the quality and character of the nation's educational system –black students attending public schools in large urban cities lack diversity when it comes to their teachers.

The panel of education experts who participated in a recent three-hour town hall meeting at Howard University (HU) in Northwest, also noted that inner-city classrooms remain largely segregated, students are being taught by white instructors who have little knowledge of how to reach out to their young charges – and more importantly, due to a shortage of black male teachers as role models, black boys are at risk for dropping out of school.

"We need to know how to make teaching more appealing in order to attract more African-American males," said Amy Wilkins, one of the five panelists who weighed in during the April 18 Diversifying the Nation's Teacher Workforce forum. "And, white students need to see more African-American male teachers as active players in the education system," she said.

Wilkins aligned her comments with myths that black males aren't interested in going into the profession and that black male teachers are becoming extinct. According to a statement issued by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) which co-sponsored the event along with the American Federation of Teachers at HU's Blackburn Center, from among a workforce of six million teachers in this country, there is just one black male teacher for every 534 students.

In addition to Wilkins, a senior civil rights fellow for The College Board, a non-profit organization, headquartered in New York that administers the country's standardized tests, other panelists included Ivy Toldson, senior research analyst for the CBCF, David Johns, executive director, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans; Marietta English, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) vice president; and Chance Lewis, executive director, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Urban Education Collaborative.

Lewis, the author of a book on black male teachers, titled "Black Male Teachers: Diversifying the United States' Teacher Workforce" has endeavored to dispel myths surrounding their presence in the education arena.

He agreed with Wilkins that the shortage of black male teachers is mainly because high schools aren't graduating enough black males who will go on to enroll in college and earn teaching degrees.

"Black men are not avoiding the profession because of lack of interest or finances," said Lewis. "If you look at the number with a bachelor's degree, their No. 1 profession is teaching." Next to that, black males are employed in school systems as administrators and counselors, he said.

Wilkins also condemned the waste of students' classroom time doing too much of "cutting out posters" as opposed to engaging in rigorous studies like reading and math.

"That's how we end up with a bunch of remediation in college," said Wilkins, who added that "there's a lot of cleaning up to be done" by all teachers regarding the manner in which they relate to students.

Toldson, an associate professor for the Counseling and Psychology program at HU, said that not only is there an immediate need to diversify the nation's teaching workforce, stress academic socialization and increase the parental presence in schools, but that teachers' evaluations should be based on their ability to effectively reach students.

"An educator's feelings toward their students and knowledge of their students' cultures have significant impact on the learning process and the overall effectiveness of the classroom environment," Toldson said.

English – who said her son and several of his male friends are teachers – added that in Baltimore City, where teachers can earn a top salary of $85,000, officials have negotiated an "innovative" contract that embraces a new method of paying teachers for being effective in their jobs.

"But our teachers have to produce and students have to [perform]," said English, who alluded to the city's diverse teacher workforce. She said teachers in Baltimore City are hired from all over, including the Philippines.

"We've got to move forward – it can't be like it's been in the past," said English. "Teachers' unions need to look beyond salaries and benefits for educators and [determine] how teachers can work together and collaborate," she said. "We need to negotiate salaries around those kinds of things."

Meanwhile, with attention turned to President Barack Obama's goals for ensuring a quality education for all students, Johns – who assumed his current position at the White House in February – said the president's 2014 budget earmarks a $70 billion investment for public education initiatives.

"And, that total exceeds any amount set aside by any other administration for educational programs," said Johns, a former New York City teacher.

Anita Bonds has been declared the winner in Tuesday's special election for the at-large seat on the D.C. Council.

Bonds, 68, who was in the race with five other candidates, won the election with 32 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns.

The longtime political insider who was an aide to Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, has been serving on the council in an interim capacity since December.

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.