The memorial service for Ofield Dukes, the veteran Washington public relations adviser to presidents, civil rights leaders and elected officials, has been moved to a new date and time. Originally scheduled for Jan. 11, 2012, the new date and time is Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 12:00 p.m. The memorial service will take place at Shiloh Baptist Church, 1500 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Confirmed attendees include Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray; former Mayor Sharon Pratt; representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus; Dorothy Leavell, former National Newspaper Publisher Association (NNPA) president and NNPA Foundation chairperson; and former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman. Dukes operated his PR firm, Ofield Dukes & Associates, for more than four decades in the nation's capital. He died Dec. 7, 2011.
During a keynote speech before more than 500 guests at the D.C. Chamber of Commerce's Annual Meeting and Chairman's Inaugural Luncheon held Thursday, Dec. 15, businessman Robert L. Johnson used his companies as a palette from which to draw a compelling picture of the state of the American economy and some of its challenges.
Johnson, 65, formed the RLJ Companies after he sold Black Entertainment Television (BET) for $3 billion to Viacom in 2000.
Johnson made a steady rise professionally before becoming chairman and chief executive of BET. After earning a master's degree from Princeton, he moved to Washington where he worked for the National Urban League and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and served as press secretary to then-D.C. Delegate Walter Fauntroy. He also was a lobbyist for what was then the National Cable Television Association. All the time he was building contacts and a network that would prove invaluable later on. One of Johnson's primary benefactors and supporters in the early days of BET was John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media, who provided Johnson with much of the more than $500,000 seed money which was part-loan, part-equity. And thus BET was born.
Johnson's political friendship with and support of then-Mayor Marion Barry produced dividends as Johnson skillfully pulled the D.C. Council into his corner and it selected his group from among a trio of competing minority-owned companies to start a cable company in the District.
Johnson calls the post-BET phase of his business life his "second act." His company, which manages $5 billion in assets and employs 10,000 people, owns or holds significant interests in 15 portfolio companies which are focused on asset management, creating the climate to enable overlooked or undervalued companies to become profitable, and making inroads into underserved markets. RLJ is based in Bethesda, Md., with operations in New York, Florida, Los Angeles, Monrovia, Liberia and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The title of the event was "Waiting to Exhale" Where is the Business Recovery? and Johnson used the lyrics to poke fun at the Republicans, the Washington Redskins and Herman Cain's much-vaunted and much maligned 9-9-9 plan. Then, he offered a financial forecast.
"The winds? Lehman Bros. collapsing and the world went to hell in a hand basket," said Johnson. "We're still here, so we can exhale."
Johnson said America and the rest of the world is dealing with a number of issues, primarily Europe's debt crisis, while here at home, the country is faced with bringing the unruly twins of the national debt and the deficit under control, sorting out issues surrounding healthcare, as well as "the unintended consequences of other issues."
"We are growing the economy in a competitive global environment," he said. "I think it [the country] will get there but not before the 2012 election."
Johnson, who was born in Mississippi, said he anticipates America's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at between 2 percent and 2 ½ percent in the coming year, with corresponding growth in Asia and a dip in Europe.
The entrepreneur listed a number of formidable challenges which America is grappling with, including a slump in consumer confidence, a moribund housing market, politicians who are unwilling or unable to make hard choices, others who are intimidated by one thing or another, and companies that are hoarding an estimated $3 trillion in cash because of political and economic uncertainty.
Of greater concern, he said, is the growing disparity between whites and people of color.
"There is a $70,000 increase in wealth disparity between blacks and whites, the income gap has increased 10-fold, the average net worth of African-Americans is $11,800 versus $118,000 for a white family, and black unemployment is twice as worse," said Johnson at the event held in the Washington Hilton Hotel in Northwest ... the economic conditions affecting African-Americans has a spillover to Hispanics ... it's not a political, African American or Hispanic problem; it's a problem for all Americans."
As he continues to diversify his business portfolio, Johnson said on Dec. 15, his primary concern is how African-Americans gain access to wealth. He said they are underrepresented in the equity stock market, don't save and fewer of them have the financial means to buy a home, which translates into a "grave problems for all of us."
Johnson, whose company owns or controls a diverse portfolio of companies in the automotive, equity, hotel, real estate, banking/financial services/asset management, film production and gaming industries, applied what he called 'the Bob Johnson perspective' to his take on the country's recent economic highs and lows.
He, by the nature of his involvement and the circles he moves in, is in a unique position to take the country's economic pulse, monitor trends, develop some of his own, and calibrate ways to keep his portfolio of companies profitable and on the cutting edge.
"I'm on a number of boards and three of them touch the economy in special ways," Johnson explained. He focused on KB Homes, Lowe's and his ties to the hotel and automotive industries to illustrate the highs and lows of the American economy.
"This is a still-stagnant housing market," said Johnson. "Possibly, it has reached the bottom. There are signs people are beginning to be interested in buying homes again and there is increased spending in home construction."
He said that with people losing their jobs, others whose jobs are at risk, and with so many people's houses 'underwater,' home improvement giant Lowe's has been forced to reassess its growth plans.
"People are doing a bath or a kitchen as opposed to a whole house. This means a decline in what people spend per visit," he said.
A consequence of the decline in consumer spending has been that Lowe's top brass has scaled back the number of stores they had hoped to open.
On the bright side of his portfolio, Johnson said, are the hotel and automotive industries.
"Business travel is picking up and occupancy is beginning to show signs of growth," he said. "People are traveling to be face-to-face, and business people are back on the road. Optimal hotel revenue will continue to grow and there will be advantages for existing owners in the marketplace."
"(And) in the automobile industry, car sales have been the real bright spot in the manufacturing sector," Johnson said. "Before the crash, sales were between 14 and 15 million (cars sold a year); it's 12-13 million now. That's indicative of two things: people are willing to spend money on durable goods and the government did a good job reinvesting in the auto industry. Credit is available for auto purchases. (Soon), driving auto sales will begin to reverberate in the economy."
Johnson, who has a business relationship with private equity giant, the Carlyle Group, oversaw the creation of a special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC) which is a blind pool. RLJ, which operates hedge and private equity funds, attracted investment funding and as a public trading company raised $143 million. One private equity fund Johnson spoke of "is buying up businesses" and recently pulled together $230 million and set up a mid-sized buyout fund with which to buy various businesses. One recent purchase is a book company that Johnson said he hopes will become a major player in the educational book sphere so he can boost educational development.
Johnson took his hotel company public earlier this year. RLJ owns 140 hotels in the U.S. – with more than 20,000 rooms – three of which are in the District. According to Commercial Real Estate Direct, RLJ, through the fund it has raised, completed $5.7 billion of acquisitions and sales over the past decade.
He has also partnered with Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty III and Stephen J. Landers, Sr., to form RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automobile Holdings, LLC. McLarty is a prominent Arkansas businessman and former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton. Johnson listed gross car sales at $1.1 billion.
Johnson said he remains strongly committed to job creation, increasing employment opportunities and making capital more readily available to people of color, particularly those who live in underserved communities. He is championing what he calls the RLJ Rule, similar to the Rooney Rule that was adopted by the National Football League in 2003.
Johnson's proposal encourages companies to voluntarily implement a plan to interview a minimum of two qualified minority candidates for every job opening at the vice president level and above; and companies would interview at least two qualified minority-owned firms for vendor supplier/services contracts before awarding a new company contract to a vendor.
Johnson said the private sector in the U.S. can solve the problems of job creation and increased minority access to capital by adopting the RLJ Rule which he describes as a "business solution to a social problem."
"The RLJ Rule is principally designed to encourage companies to voluntarily establish a 'best practices' policy to identify and interview the tremendous talent pool of minority individuals and businesses that are often overlooked because of traditional hiring or procurement practices," Johnson said recently in a press release announcing the Congressional Black Caucus's support for his proposal.
"The purpose of this voluntary RLJ Rule is not to suggest quotas or that companies hire any minority individual or firm that is not qualified. The RLJ Rule, if implemented properly, will further enhance a company's already established commitment to diversity and inclusion."
To that end, Johnson said he has also developed an Internet-based platform called Opps Place where major corporations looking for qualified applicants and minorities seeking jobs can link up.
"People always ask me, 'How do you find talented African-Americans? I hire them all the time; they don't live under rocks. Forty Fortune 500 companies who believe in inclusion and diversity have already signed up," Johnson said.
'Find Our Missing' to Debut on TV One
Thursday, 05 January 2012 14:52 Published in Arts & EntertainmentTV One is debuting a new docu-drama series, "Find Our Missing," on Jan 18 that focuses on the cases of black Americans who¹ve gone missing in recent years.
The series brings to the forefront the issue of how stories about missing black Americana do not get nearly the media attention they deserve.
"Nearly one-third of the missing in this country are Black Americans, while we make up only 12 percent of the population. Yet stories about missing people of color are rarely told in the national media," said TV One President and CEO Wonya Lucas. "Find Our Missing will be dramatic television, but we also hope that TV One's combined efforts on air, through digital and social media, and through partnerships will also draw attention to a critical issue and bring new information to light for the loved ones of the missing featured in this series, and for others. We hope these profiles will trigger the memory of someone who might have seen something, and feel compelled to come forward and help these families who have suffered for so long."
The premiere episode kicks off with a story about a D.C. woman, Pamela Butler, who went missing on Valentine¹s Day 2009.
The 10-episode show will be hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson.
About 47 percent of Congress, or 250 current members of Congress, are millionaires, according to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics of lawmakers' personal financial disclosure forms covering calendar year 2010. The Center's analysis is based on the median values of lawmakers' disclosed assets and liabilities.
That lofty financial status is enjoyed by only about one percent of Americans.
"The vast majority of members of Congress are quite comfortable, financially, while many of their own constituents suffer from economic hardships," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics.
"It's no surprise that so many people grumble about lawmakers being out-of-touch," Krumholz continued. "Few Americans enjoy the same financial cushion maintained by most members of Congress – or the same access to market-altering information that could yield personal financial gains."
On the whole, elected officials in the U.S. Senate enjoy cushier bank accounts and portfolios than their counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2010, the year of the most recently released financial data, the estimated median net worth of a current U.S. senator stood at an average of $2.63 million, according to the Center's research.
Despite the global economic meltdown in 2008 and sluggish recovery, that's up about 11 percent from an estimated median net worth of about $2.38 million in 2009, according to the Center's analysis. And it's up about 16 percent from a median estimated net worth of $2.27 million in 2008.
Party doesn't matter
Fully 37 Senate Democrats and 30 Senate Republicans reported an average net worth in excess of $1 million in 2010, according to the Center's analysis. The same was true of 110 House Republicans and 73 House Democrats.
The median estimated net worth among Senate Republicans was $2.43 million, and the median net worth among members of the Democratic caucus in the Senate was $2.69 million, by the Center's tally.
Meanwhile, in the House, the median estimated net worth of a GOP House member was $834,250 in 2010, according to the Center's research, compared to a median net worth of $635,500 among House Democrats.
The median estimated net worth among House members, overall, stood at $756,765 in 2010. That's up about 17 percent compared to the median net worth of $645,500 among House members in 2008, but down about 1 percent compared to 2009, when House members posted a median estimated net worth of $765,010, according to the Center's analysis.
Broad ranges
When members of Congress file these annual reports, they are allowed to list the value of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges. The Center for Responsive Politics determines the minimum and maximum possible values for each asset and liability for every member of Congress and then calculates each lawmaker's average estimated net worth.
Sometimes millions of dollars separate a lawmaker's minimum estimated worth from his or her maximum estimated wealth. That said, members of Congress might be more financially well off than they seem. The annual filings do not include the values of government retirement accounts, personal property – such as cars or artwork – or any non-income-generating property, such as their primary residences.
Moreover, because of the forms' broad ranges for assets and liabilities, it's impossible to know whether some members of Congress are in the black or in the red.
Issa on top
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) ranks as the wealthiest member of the 112th Congress, according to the Center's analysis of 2010 financial disclosures. Issa's minimum estimated net worth in 2010 was $195 million, while his maximum estimated net worth was more than $700 million. That gives Issa an average net worth of $448 million.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) ranks as the wealthiest House Democrat. Polis, who has spent about $7 million of his own money on his campaigns since 2007, has an average estimated net worth of $143 million.
No. 2 is Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas, $380 million), followed by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass., $232 million), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va., $193 million) and Sen. Herb Kohl, the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team (D-Wis., $174 million).
Hastings at bottom
The net worth of Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is below zero. Her maximum net worth is a negative $15,000, while her minimum net worth is a negative $50,000.
A similar predicament afflicts Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), Louis Gohmert (R-Texas), Steve Fincher (R-Tenn.) and Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.).
Notably, Hastings, whose minimum estimated net worth is $7.3 million in debt and whose maximum estimated net worth is $2.1 million in debt, ranks as the poorest member of Congress, by the Center's tally.
None of the 43 Congressional Black Caucus legislators appear in the top 100 wealthiest federal lawmakers. The richest, Rep. Al Green of Texas, has an average net worth of approximately $4.5 million – No. 104 on the list.
The average net worth of CBC members is $411,179 – well below the congressional average of $7.4 million.
Lobbied investors
The most popular company in which members of Congress were invested in 2010 was General Electric, a company that spent more than $39 million on federal lobbying that year and ranked as the No. 3 top spender on lobbying.
Seventy-five different current members of Congress held stock in GE in 2010, according to the Center's research. Collectively, these holdings were worth at least $3.6 million.
Many people made resolutions to live better, save money and be kinder to the earth in the year 2012. In that vein, there's a farm in Prince George's County that just might help you live up to your New Year's resolution. It's called ECO City Farms, located in Edmonston, Md.
Established in 2010 on County park land, ECO City Farms provides healthy produce, eggs, and honey to the Port Towns communities, and offers many hands-on educational and vocational training opportunities, including the first-ever urban agriculture certificate program with Prince George's Community College.
In just two years, the nonprofit organization not only built the first urban farm in the county, but grew and sold vegetables year-round, engaged more than 1, 000 volunteers, held the first ever Chesapeake region urban farming summit with 400 attendees.
In addition, produce from ECO-City is available for sale at the Riverdale Farmers Market.
The Washington Informer recently visited the operation at ECO-Farms. In this interview, lifelong social activist and ECO-City Farm CEO Margaret Morgan-Hubbard talks about how the nonprofit enterprise serves as a prototype for sustainable local farming. ECO City's motto ? We grow great food, farms and farmers.
WI: An urban farm in the middle of Prince George's County is a novel idea. How did ECO City Farm come to be and who does the farm benefit? And by the way, how did Edmonston become the location for ECO-City?
Morgan-Hubbard:
Our urban farm in Prince George's County is a response to the fact that roughly 70 percent of all county residents are overweight or obese, and diet-related diseases amongst Port Town's adults and youth have reached epidemic proportions. There are many pockets of the county that are documented food deserts-- meaning that food access is limited to snack foods at corner markets, convenience stores or take-out restaurants, with few healthy or nutritious options.
Our first farm is intentionally located in Edmonston, one of the poorest and (until very recently) most polluted communities in the inner-Beltway region. Our target population is the almost 15,000 residents of the Port Towns and vicinity. While only 54 percent of county school children qualify for free or reduced meals (FARM), almost 9 out of 10 of Port Towns students are FARM recipients. All of the elementary and middle schools serving the Port Towns are Title One "low-achieving, high poverty" schools.
We located in the Port Towns because of the many ways the residents, non-profits and the municipal governments are committed to altering their communities to produce community wellness.
WI: At Claggett Farm there is a work share program – ECO-City has a volunteer program -- what do volunteers do at the farm and what is the incentive?
Morgan-Hubbard: We are not yet as large or stable as Claggett Farm, so that our produce is limited and initially, there was nothing to share. We did not secure the land in Edmonston until May 2010. Our almost 1,000 volunteers and trainees helped us to build our farm from the ground up. They did so to learn by doing and because they were inspired by our mission.
WI: How important is eco-sustainability to Prince George's County?
Morgan-Hubbard: Prince George's County was largely farm land until quite recently. Rapid transformation of the built environment with loss of open spaces leads to environmental problems such as water and air pollution. Now is the time to rebalance and plan a greener more balanced future for the county. The county used to measure its development by how many farms were replaced by shopping malls, business development and housing. Now it knows that balanced, environmental sustainable development is a necessity for long-term survival.
Interested in learning more about ECO City Farms... visit ecoffshoots.org
HU Women's Basketball Team Achieves 7th Straight Victory
Thursday, 05 January 2012 14:42 Published in Sports
HU finished the month of December with a perfect 7-0 record and improved its overall mark to 8-5 heading into the New Year. The Bison started the contest a little rattled as FDU opened with a 10-4 run. The run was ended with a three pointer by Kara Smith at the 12:30 mark.
From there, HU found momentum as Smith hit another shot behind the arc to put the Bison down by one, 10-9. Howard picked up its intensity and forced the Knights into a turnover. Following the turnover, Smith drowned a jumper which gave the Bison their first advantage of the half. The lead changed as Desiree Crawford scored a layup to give FDU the lead back.
Howard did not back down as Zykia Brown drained a three-pointer to make it 14-12 at the 7:37 mark. By the 2:19 mark, Howard led by 11 (23-12) over the Knights. Both teams scored back to back buckets to finish the last two minutes of the first half strong. HU went into the lockerroom ahead 30-18. Halftime notes: Smith led the Bison at the half with 12 points by shooting 5-7 from the field.
Howard controlled the glass leading with 20 to FDU's 12. The Knights forced HU into nine turnovers and scored eight points from their miscues. FDU shot 1-8 (12 percent) from behind the arc and 7-25 (28 percent) from the field. To open up the last 20 minutes of play, Howard scored a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to spread the led to 19 by the 17:04 mark.
Danielle Pankey gave FDU a spark as she knocked down a basket behind the arc decreasing HU's lead to 16 in just 16 seconds. By the 13:50 mark, Howard pushed its lead to 21 points, 48-27.Both teams swapped baskets until the 10:26 mark as FDU went on a 10-0 run to close the lead to just six points, 52-46, with just 7:36 left in the ball game. Howard found some energy after a three-point basket which ended the Knights run at the 6:09 mark.
Howard held on to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson 66-56. For the Bison, Brown led the game with a season-high of 19 points on shooting 8-11 from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc. Tamoria Holmes contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and four assist. Smith chipped in with a season-high of 12 points in 20 minutes of action. Nicole Deterville grabbed a game-high of nine boards to finish the match. FDU kept Saadia Doyle under double-digit scoring as she chipped in with seven points.
Amina Lillie Gilyard will represent the District of Columbia in the Miss Black USA competition in the summer of 2012. Amina holds a Master's degree in Health Education and a Graduate Certificate in Grief, Loss and Life Transitions Counseling.
Currently, Gilyard works as a Patient Navigator at a local non-profit organization. On her road to "the Nationals," she will continue to use her skills as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) to promote her platform: "Wellness Ambassadors."
ARIES - Call a family member and ask for advice. You know the one to call --the same person who has been level headed in the past. Your head is not as level as it should be. Move forward not on your own understanding. Allow advice to have a great affect on your decisions. Soul Affirmation: I find peace in communing with nature this week. Lucky Numbers: 29, 40, 55
TAURUS - Your suspicions will give you misleading information. Now is a time for trust. Base the trust on the fact that nothing is in danger. No matter what the outcome of current affairs you are going to come out wiser and better. Soul Affirmation: I release internal pressure by enjoying the beauties of the world around me. Lucky Numbers: 1, 26, 34
GEMINI - Ponder your intimate thoughts when you feel that you would rather have stayed in bed. Treasure the remembered image of a friend and play the image over and over to uplift your sleepy spirit.
Soul Affirmation: I make a special effort to bond with old friends. Lucky Numbers: 34, 36, 39
CANCER - Give yourself a break this week. Coast! You might not feel it but you are on the top of a hill. You don't have to work to move forward. Just let your momentum carry you. Smile and things will get done. Spend some time on the phone taking care of social obligations and social diversions. Soul Affirmation: I try to smile more often than usual this week. Lucky Numbers: 8, 15, 20
LEO - This week you're likely to notice that your relationship with your lover has been elevated into a strong friendship as well. Play up the friendship side this week. Don't feel inhibited when the two of you are alone. Act and speak freely. You will be pleasantly surprised at the reception your lover/pal gives you.
Soul Affirmation: I open myself up for a glad surprise. Lucky Numbers: 14, 23, 45
VIRGO - It is true that the universe provides but you are part of the universe and so you have to be a provider for yourself this week. Willful activity is the key this week. Ego matters. Pursue it because you want it and are good enough to get it. Make the changes necessary to add dynamism and excitement to your body of affairs. Soul Affirmation: This week I forgive myself for everything that has happened. Lucky Numbers: 5, 34, 52
LIBRA - You definitely need to ease up on your work schedule and immerse yourself in some good quality quiet time. You have forgotten what it is like to relax hiding behind all those seeming necessities. Let it go. Smell the roses take a stroll in a real or imaginary garden. Chill! Soul Affirmation: There are other fish in the sea waiting for me. Lucky Numbers: 8, 52, 54
SCORPIO - Your popularity is at a personal peak this week! Be sure to pick and choose among your social engagements so that you gather the best from the most. Financial matters, along with family members, will stir your interests in feathering your nest. Your smart business sense will make the most of an unusual opportunity. In your personal life, let your softer emotions speak. Soul Affirmation: I focus on long-range financial security this week. Lucky Numbers: 14, 31, 42
SAGITTARIUS - This week is better than last for financial goals. Put on the thinking cap. Think about money. There is a solution to money problems hidden in the way you conduct your home life. Make the adjustment. Reap the reward. Soul Affirmation: I change who I am by changing where I am going.
Lucky Numbers: 21, 39, 43
CAPRICORN - Think about small stuff. Be petty. Know that details are important. Look not at the bigger picture. Go to the trenches. Get fine points taken care of. Step-by-step movement will help with the grand designs that you are seeking to manifest. Soul Affirmation: I remain adaptable so I can deal with changing circumstances. Lucky Numbers: 2, 35, 45
AQUARIUS - Think hard about the nontraditional ideas that you have been percolating. Speak up. There are others that may be thinking the same thing but don't have the same courage to say. You have more in common with the people you work with than you think. There is strength in numbers. Soul Affirmation: I let my friendships guide my way. Lucky Numbers: 6, 40, 41
PISCES - Others need you. Be a great listener this week. Teach but don't preach. Family members need a vision of the big picture. That's easy for you to give but use charm to give it. Be a cheer-giver. Expect nothing in return. Soul Affirmation: When I give thanks for what I have, I lose all sense of what is missing. Lucky Numbers: 4, 32, 35
Group Protests Barring Notices of Black Men in Public Housing
Thursday, 22 December 2011 22:50 Published in Local
D.C. ACLU executive director Johnny Barnes (center) stands with activists, lawyers and victims protesting barring notices that are designed to keep black men out of public housing complexes in eastern Washington. /Photo by Shevry LassiterThe practice of stopping black men from entering D.C. public housing projects without just cause is illegal and should be stopped, said a group of activists and attorneys recently.
Johnny Barnes, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's chapter in the District, convened a press conference of 15 people at Judiciary Square in Northwest on Monday, Dec. 19, to talk about African-American men who are being prevented from entering public housing complexes.
"Young African-American men are given these barring notices that say they cannot go on certain public housing properties," Barnes, 64, said. "The D.C. housing police and the D.C. police arrest young black men on these properties unfairly."
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