WI Web Staff
Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge has been elected by the influential Congressional Black Caucus to lead its 113th Congress.
Fudge, who was selected on Nov. 14, will hold the post for two years, setting the political agenda for more than 40 black U.S. House of Representatives members. She will also serve as a national spokeswoman on issues affecting African Americans.
"Marcia Fudge is an exceptional leader," said Chairman Emanuel Cleaver. "She has served her constituents and the state of Ohio with unmatched fervor and has been an outspoken member of the CBC in supporting policies that protect the most vulnerable in our country. With the challenges facing our nation, the Congressional Black Caucus must continue pushing to ensure every American has equal opportunity to achieve their version of the American dream. Rep. Fudge will see to it that the Congressional Black Caucus remains the most vocal when equal opportunity and justice is under attack."
Fudge, who was unanimously elected, expressed her gratitude.
"I am honored and humbled to serve as the next Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and congratulate all other officers elected," she said. "As members of the Congressional Black Caucus, we have been deemed the "Conscience of the Congress" for a reason. We share a commitment to champion the issues of millions of Americans who yearn for a better future. We remain concerned about unemployment, particularly the high rate of unemployment among African Americans."
The Caucus also unanimously elected G.K. Butterfield (NC) to serve as First Vice Chair, Yvette Clarke (NY) as Second Vice Chair, Rep. André Carson (IN) as Secretary and Rep. Karen Bass (CA) as Whip.
Soul Train Music Awards Celebrates 25 Years
Wednesday, 14 November 2012 19:33 Published in Arts & Entertainment
The weekend of Nov 9-10 was a particularly special one for the R&B world.
To celebrate the taping of the 25th annual Soul Train Music Awards, celebrities converged on Las Vegas for a 3-day weekend including a concert, a comedy show and a golf tournament.
Cedric the Entertainer hosted the Awards, George Wallace was honored by fellow comics including Sherri Shepherd, Earthquake, George Wilbon, Chris Spencer and Gary Owen at the All-Star Comedy show and comedian Bill Bellamy, along with Julius "Dr. J" Erving hosted the Celebrity Golf tournament. Newly signed Atlantic Recording artists TGT (Tyrese Ginuwine Tank) made their official debut as part of the weekend's Centric Soul Weekend Live in Concert Event, which also featured crooner Miguel and New Edition, this year's recipients of the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.
This year's presenters and hosts included Tamar Braxton and Tony Rock who did red-carpet and pre-show duties and Keri Hilson, Jody Watley, Anthony Mackie, Bill Bellamy, Flavor Flav, Michael Baisden, Tameka "Tiny"Cottle. Performers included the brand new as well as the legendary with Gladys Knight, Elle Leah Labelle, Varner, Anthony Hamilton, Raphael Saadiq (who is also the show's musical director) Fantasia, John Legend and 2 Chianz.
The show will be broadcast simultaneously on BET and Centric at 9p.m, Sunday, Nov. 25.
Source: Black America Web
Metropolitan A.M.E. hosts "Stop the Pipeline to Prison: Create Education Opportunities, Jobs and Wealth" on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Moderated by Harvard University Professor Charles Ogletree, this forum features a panel of experts who will address the over-representation of minorities in the prison system.
The forum is co-sponsored through the Daniel Alexander Payne Community Development Corporation, the Bethel Literary Historical Society, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. A reception will immediately follow the forum. Dr. Ogletree will also address congregants at both services on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Metropolitan A.M.E. Church is located at 1518 M Street in Northwest. Free [validated at the church] parking is provided at 1615 M Street on weeknights and Saturdays; free parking is available directly in front of the National Education Association on Sundays. By Metro, take the Farragut North [Red Line] or the McPherson Square [Blue/Orange Lines]. For more information visit http://www.metropolitanamec.org%20or call the church office at 202-331-1426.
For more information, contact: Ruby Gourdine, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Greg Johnson, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
A Salute to President Barack Obama
I want to be one of the first to congratulate President Barack Obama for his overwhelming victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. At first, I was a little nervous seeing all of those states turning red at the beginning of election night, but then the states started turning blue and oh boy, what a night! It was just magical. For those who worked so hard to get the president re-elected, the night must have been wonderful.
I pray for the safety of the president and his family. There are those who don't feel that the democratic process has worked, because it didn't work the way they wanted. President Obama is the president for all the people as the vote shows, overwhelmingly electoral and beating Romney in the popular vote. The president has worked very hard to bring America back from near collapse, and he will continue to do what is right for this country.
President Obama is a great American, and I know he will leave a lasting legacy for all Americans to look upon with a sense of pride and admiration. My prayers are with you, Mr. President, and may God bless you always.
Wilma B. Grant
Washington, D.C.
President Obama Wins Four More Years!
If anyone ever doubted that Barack Hussein Obama was pre-ordained to be president of the United States for four more years, one has only to look at the outcome of last Tuesday's election results.
The people have spoken. Even though the popular vote was nearly the same for both candidates, Mr. Obama rose triumphantly to the top of the electoral vote.
Nevertheless, the people have spoken. This country, with its heads-in-the clouds millionaires and its corporate greed and dishonesty, needs a president whose feet are on the ground, and one who can relate to the common man.
Citizens who are struggling to survive in this country see hope in this man whose brown skin and family values mirror their own.
Obviously, his destined achievements could not be completed in one term, and might not be completed in two, but at least we have given him a chance to continue to push for what is right. That's what the people want, and the people have spoken.
Rodney Austin
Washington, D.C.
Nationals' Davey Johnson Named 'Manager of the Year'
Wednesday, 14 November 2012 02:16 Published in Sports
Washington Nationals field manager Davey Johnson has been named National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
In 2012, Johnson's first full season as Nationals skipper, he led Washington to an MLB-leading 98 wins, an NL East title and DC?s first postseason berth in 79 years. The Nationals either led the NL East or shared its top spot for all but 10 days this season, and by season?s end, owned the best run differential (+137) in MLB.
Along the way, the 69 year-old Johnson managed one of baseball?s top rotations (NL-best 3.40 rotation ERA) which employed only eight starting pitchers, five of which started at least 27 games. His lineups produced 194 home runs (second in NL) to establish both franchise (1969-2012) and DC baseball (1901-71, 2005-12) single-season marks. Meanwhile, the Nationals' 51 unearned runs allowed tied for the third-fewest in the NL (as recently as 2010, Washington ranked 29th in MLB allowing 84 unearned runs).
"Davey Johnson's legacy was secure well before he became our manager in 2011, but his performance this season has to rate among his best work? said Mike Rizzo, Nationals executive vice president of Baseball Operations and general manager. "He showed this club how to win despite being engaged in a pennant race for the first time. And he accomplished this with so many young players. It is no coincidence that under Davey's watch, we witnessed breakout seasons from Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler. I would like to offer my deepest congratulations and thanks to Davey and his family on behalf of the Lerner Family and our entire organization."
Since assuming the Nationals? managerial helm on June 27, 2011, Johnson?s Nationals are 138-107 (.563). In that same time span, only the Braves (139) have won more games among NL entries.
The BBWAA Manager of the Year award is the second of Johnson?s career. He won the AL version of the award in 1997 for his work with the Orioles, who posted the Junior Circuit?s top record (98-64, .605) that summer.
The 15-year duration between Johnson?s citations is the largest in the history of the BBWAA?s Manager of the Year Award, which was founded in 1983. Before tonight, Jim Leyland held the previous mark, as he went 14 seasons between earning his second (92 with Pittsburgh) and third (06 with Detroit) career managerial citations.
Johnson has authored six division titles ('12 Nationals, '97 Orioles, '95 Reds, '94 Reds, '88 Mets, '86 Mets), one pennant ('86 Mets) and one World Championship (86 Mets) during his stellar managerial career.
Also in 2012, Johnson registered his seventh 90-win campaign and joined Billy Martin (Twins, Tigers, Yankees, Athletics) as the game's lone skippers to take four different teams to the postseason.
Among those to manage 1000 or more games, Johnson's career winning percentage (1286-995, .564) ranks second among living managers behind his former skipper, Earl Weaver (.583).
Just three days ago (Sat, Nov. 10), the Nationals announced that Johnson will return in 2013 for his final managerial campaign before shifting to a consultant position with the Nationals in 2014.
Nationals' Bryce Harper Named 'Rookie of the Year'
Wednesday, 14 November 2012 02:06 Published in Sports
Harper First National to Win BBWAA Award
Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper tonight was named National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The BBWAA citation is the first bestowed upon a National since the club's arrival in D.C. in 2005.
Harper hit .270 with 26 doubles, nine triples, 22 home runs, 59 RBI, 56 walks and 18 stolen bases in 139 games as a true rookie for the Nationals in 2012. For his efforts, the youngest player in MLB was named an All-Star by NL manager Tony La Russa.
"Upon joining us, Bryce's impact on our lineup and defensive alignment was immediate and came at a great time of need," said Mike Rizzo, Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. "His sustained energy and enthusiasm throughout the summer played a big part in fueling our division title. On behalf of the Lerner Family and the Nationals organization, I'd like to congratulate Bryce on his historic NL Rookie of the Year season."
Upon debuting with the Nationals, April 28 at Dodger Stadium, Harper provided an immediate spark to the Nationals' lineup and by season's end his offensive output was arguably the finest put forth by a teenager in baseball history. Harper established records with 57 extra-base hits and 254 total bases as a teenager, while only Tony Conigliaro (24) hit more home runs before his 20th birthday.
Harper, who turned 20 on Oct. 16, ranked fifth in the National League with 98 runs scored despite beginning the season at Triple-A. He also legged out an electrifying nine triples to rank eighth in the NL.
Defensively, Harper started games at all three outfield positions, but by August, he'd cemented his status as Davey Johnson's starting center fielder on a club that eventually posted the most wins (98) in MLB. Harper's 9.7 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) ranked fourth in MLB among those to play at least 700 innings in center field,
At the plate, Harper paced NL rookies in runs, OPS (.817), game-winning RBI (12) and extra-base hits (57). The 22 home runs ranked second among NL neophytes behind only catcher Wilin Rosario (28) of the Rockies.
When Harper registered at least one RBI in a game, Washington went 30-8 (.789). When he scored a run, the Nationals played .743 ball (55-19). And when the left-handed hitting rookie homered, the Nationals finished 15-5 (.750).
Harper won the NL Rookie of the Month award in both May (.271, 13 extra-base hits, four home runs, .860 OPS) and September (.330, seven doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 14 RBI, 1.049 OPS). His late-season surge helped the Nationals hold off the hard-charging Braves and claim the franchise's first full-season division title.
Harper is the first DC-based player to win a Rookie of the Year citation since outfielders Albie Pearson and Bob Allison claimed consecutive American League awards in 1958 and '59, respectively. Harper joins outfielder Andre Dawson (1977) and Carl Morton (1970) as just the third franchise player to be named NL Rookie of the Year.
Also, 21 year-old Angels outfielder Mike Trout was named the American League Rookie of the Year.
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson has requested public feedback on a proposal to close 20 schools in six wards across the city.
The list includes eight elementary schools, two education campuses, four middle schools, one high school, one STAY program, the CHOICE program and three special education campuses. Most of the consolidations would go into effect for the 2013-2014 school year.
"The challenge we face in DCPS is clear – our buildings are wildly under-enrolled, our resources are stretched too thin and we're not providing the complement of academic supports that our students and families deserve," said Henderson. "Consolidating schools is our best option to better utilize our facilities and work more efficiently for our schools, our teachers, our students and our city."
According to recommendations provided to District officials earlier this year by the Chicago-based Illinois Facility Fund, several of the city's low-performing schools should be merged with high-performing charter schools.
Facilities:
A priority for DCPS is ensuring as many students as possible are in modernized buildings. Since 2007, DCPS has modernized 45 of the current total of 117 school buildings. Taking into account buildings that were previously modernized, 57 schools – almost half of the school system inventory still await modernization. Even after an enormous, city-wide investment of over $1.3 billion since 2007, almost 20,000 students still attend schools that need modernization.
Funds:
Overall, DCPS spends less in large and fully-enrolled schools than it does at small and under-enrolled schools. Because DCPS has many under-enrolled schools, DCPS invests in maintaining these schools when it makes more sense to invest more in programs to help low-performing students, increase opportunities for advanced learners, and develop specialized programs to better engage students.
Staffing:
45 percent, or nearly half of DCPS schools, have only one teacher per grade level, making shared planning time impossible and forcing teachers to work on lesson plans by themselves. With only one teacher per grade level, small changes in student populations at a specific grade can force larger class sizes. In addition, schools cannot provide flexible grouping to meet specific student needs (for example, small groups for struggling learners.)
Consolidation Plan:
"To achieve our goals of a great school for every single student, we have to use all of our resources well – every dollar, every building, and every minute of instructional time. As our schools are currently organized, we can't achieve our goals," said Henderson.
When making the proposed list, DCPS considered student enrollment and demographic trends in the community, building utilization rates, building condition and modernization status and the availability of receiving schools to offer students an improved education experience.
Consolidating these 20 schools will allow DCPS to offer a high-quality education to all students, use all resources more effectively, establish a flexible district that can account for future population growth and ensure the district's long-term financial stability.
The portfolio of schools in DCPS will shift dramatically after these consolidations. The average school enrollment will increase to 432 students, up from 376. Overall building utilization rate will be 84 percent, an increase from 72 percent. Only 26 elementary schools will have fewer than 350 students, instead of 41. 1,700 additional students will have the opportunity to attend school in a modernized building.
Among schools slated for consolidation are:
Francis-Stevens Education Campus in Ward 2 to merge with Marie Reed Elementary School in Ward 1
Spingarn High School in Ward 5 to merge with Eastern High School (Dunbar and Woodson high schools) for wards 6, 5,7
Ron Brown Middle School in Ward 7 to merge with Kelly Miller Middle School in Ward 7
Johnson Middle School in Ward 8 to merge with Hart and Kramer middle schools in Ward 8
Two public hearings where the public can provide input will be held at the John A. Wilson Building in downtown D.C. as follows:
4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15
2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19
Four community meetings will also be held in the coming weeks.
Source: District of Columbia Public Schools Office of Communications
Former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown was spared serious jail time on Tuesday when he appeared for sentencing in U. S. District Court on a felony bank fraud charge.
Brown, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced instead to spend the rest of the day in custody of the U.S. Marshal Service, and will serve six months of home detention under electronic monitoring. The beleaguered married father of two will also serve two years of court supervision and 480 hours of community service.
Brown also admitted in June to a campaign finance violation and vacated his Council post a part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Prosecutors had sought a lengthier jail term, but the judge in Tuesday's case said that in accordance with federal guidelines, the sentencing handed down was appropriate.
District Regains Control over Special Ed Transportation
Tuesday, 13 November 2012 16:28 Published in Local
Move in Petties Litigation Ends 17 Years of Federal Supervision over District
Following 17 years of federal court supervision, control of the city's special education transportation program has been returned to District officials, according to a recent announcement by Mayor Vincent C. Gray.
U.S. Distrct Court Judge Paul Friedman agreed last week to end the supervision and to consider a proposal between the District and lawyers for students and their parents to dismiss the case, for which a hearing is set for Dec. 19.
"This decision to remove federal supervision over special-education transportation is a major accomplishment for the District government – and one my administration has worked hard to achieve," Gray said. "This crucial service will now once again be run exclusively by the District government."
The move is a major milestone in the long-running Petties v. D.C. litigation, a lawsuit that concerns reliable transportation for the District's 3,100 students in specialized education, and timely payments to schools and other partners who provide specialized education services funded by the District.
Under Gray's administration, the District has provided the critically necessary financial and management support to run the specialized education transportation system without court supervision. This support included dedicating a five-year capital investment of $28 million to continue service investments by upgrading the District's fleet.
Previously, the court ended the requirements in the case governing payments to non-public special education schools and related service providers. Working closely with Special Court Master Elise Baach, the District and the parties agreed to a payment and dispute-resolution process to ensure a smooth transition of court oversight back to the District.
"Looking back, we understood that we were facing an enormously difficult task when we took over student transportation services two years ago, but we knew that we had the full support of this administration," said Hosanna Mahaley Jones, State Office of Education superintendent.
"From the very beginning our staff rallied together from every corner of the agency — which included moving my office to our transportation headquarters for a few months. Because of this extraordinary team effort and the commitment to excellent service provided by everyone at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education's Department of Transportation, we are now awaiting a decision that will reassure all of those that have helped us achieve this milestone that their efforts have been formally recognized."
Source: D.C. Mayor's Office
OSSE Releases District High School Graduation Rates
Friday, 09 November 2012 20:18 Published in Local
Results Show Significant Gains among Low-Income and Special-Needs Students
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The District's high school graduation rates for the Class of 2012 showed an increase in comparison to the 2010-2011 school year, according to recently-released results from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Results, which represent both District and public charter schools, are calculated using U.S. Department of Education criteria and are statewide.
"I am pleased to publicize our steady advancement in D.C. public high school graduation rates," District Mayor Vincent C. Gray said. "Ensuring a high-quality public education for all of our students has been one of my administration's top priorities, and these graduation rates show real progress."
In accordance with government-mandated calculations by the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR), 61 percent of D.C. students graduated from high school with a regular diploma within a four-year period in 2011-2012, compared to 59 percent during the 2010-2011 academic year. The 2010-2011 academic year was the first time the District used the ACGR computation. Overall, 21 out of 44 D.C. schools had rates above the state average, with 10 schools graduating over 80 percent of their 2011-2012 cohort class.
Additionally, graduation rates for economically disadvantaged District high school students improved 13 percent in 2011-2012. Specialized education graduation rates from the District's Class of 2012 also grew 9 percent, with both subgroups measured under the ACGR criteria.
"This year's graduation results are indicative of our continued efforts to reach disadvantaged students throughout the District of Columbia, regardless of income or disability," said State Superintendent of Education Hosanna Mahaley Jones, noting that District high school seniors reached five-year highs in 2012 ACT composite scores and participation and improved in ACT college-readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science over 2011. "While we certainly have a steep road ahead, our investments in public education are moving in the right direction."
A complete description of the U.S. Department of Education Adjusted Cohort Rate calculation method, OSSE's Overall Graduation Rate Chart and an illustration of OSSE's Adjusted Cohort Graduation calculation are available for download online at www.osse.dc.gov.
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