Washington Informer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Bryon Westmorland had a huge night in leading Bowie State to the CIAA championship.

The senior forward scored a career-high 38 points including 26 points in the second half to outduel Livingstone's Mark Thomas and help Bowie State break open a tight game for an 85-74 victory over Livingstone in the CIAA finals at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday. The Bulldogs (16-13 overall) won their second championship, including the first under Head Coach Darrell Brooks, after entering the tournament as the No. 4 Northern Division seed. The latest title comes 10 years and one day after the Bulldogs claimed their first CIAA crown in 2003.

With the victory, the Bulldogs received the conference's automatic bid in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Blue Bears (22-6 overall) are anticipating an at-large bid after reaching the title game as the No. 6 ranked team in the Atlantic Region. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the tournament.

"I'm so proud of my team, especially my five seniors," Brooks said. "They've worked hard. We've had a lot of adversity this year and all through it, they stuck together and we got a great reward for it."

However, the Blue Bears missed out on that elusive first league championship after winning their first Southern Division title and coming into the tournament as the division's top seed. The Blue Bears can blame Westmoreland, the tournament MVP, for that.

The Bulldogs' star sparked a late run which clinched the title for the Bulldogs. Down 53-51 with 14:42 left, the Bulldogs outscored the Blue Bears 34-21 with Westmoreland scoring 18 points during the spurt. The Bulldogs' finish was similar to Friday's semifinal against Winston-Salem State when they went on a late surge to reach the championship game.

The Bulldogs withstood an outstanding effort by Thomas of the Blue Bears, a talented guard who scored a career-high 34 points before fouling out late. Thomas kept the Blue Bears in the game by scoring 18 points in the second half. His layup on a drive cut the Blue Bears' deficit to 75-67. But Westmoreland completed a three-point play of his own for a 78-67 lead with 2:05 left that wrapped up the game for the Bulldogs, who outscored the Blue Bears 42-33 in the second half.

Westmorland finished the night making 13 of 19 shots which ranged from jumpers to layups in transition which resulted in three-point plays at times. He also made 10 of 15 free throws in addition to getting six rebounds and four steals.

Westmorland got support from his inside players. Junior forward Carlos Smith had 11 points and seven rebounds and senior forward Najee White contributed 10 points. Senior forward Dameatric Scott had seven rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Bryan Wilson also helped out on the boards, grabbing six to go along with eight points. The inside play complemented Westmoreland as the Bulldogs scored 46 points in the paint and 16 second-chance points.

"[The] game was kind of what we expected," Brooks said. "It was a war. We thought it was going to be a very physical game. We thought that the team that did the best job defending and on the backboards would be the team that would probably win the game and fortunately, it was us."

As a team, the Bulldogs shot 56 percent. Meanwhile, the Blue Bears shot 38 percent.

Other than Thomas, the Blue Bears struggled from the floor. Thomas was 11 of 21 from the floor and 9 of 13 from the free-throw line in addition to three steals. Darnell Turner added 11 points but he was the only other double figure scorer. Anthony Welch scored nine points on 3 of 4 three-point shooting.

The Bowie State big men impacted the contest from the start by limiting the Blue Bears to one shot and getting inside for easy baskets. A dunk by Smith off a missed layup lifted the Bulldogs to an early 15-7 lead.

Led by Thomas, the Blue Bears came back to pull within 22-19. The Blue Bears led 26-24 on his three-point play.

The Bulldogs reclaimed momentum when Wilson swished a three pointer for a 40-36 Bulldogs lead with under a minute remaining in the half. A three-pointer by Westmorland made the score 43-38 Bowie State, but Thomas answered with a three before halftime to cut the Bulldogs lead to 43-41 at the break.

Thomas scored 16 points in the first half for the Blue Bears. Westmorland scored 12 and Smith with 10 for the Bulldogs. White added eight points for the Bulldogs.

Thomas gave the Blue Bears a 46-44 lead in the second half on a three-pointer, but Bowie State reclaimed the lead at 51-46 on a free throw and layup by Westmorland.

Once again, it was Thomas who brought back the Blue Bears. His free throw and three from the deep corner put the Blue Bears back ahead 53-51. Westmoreland scored five straight points as the Bulldogs regained the lead at 56-53. A dunk by White and a layup by Westmoreland extended their lead to 65-56, giving the Bulldogs the cushion they needed to hold off the Blue Bears. When Scott scored on a tip-in, the lead reached 13 points at 75-62.

The All-CIAA Tournament team featured Westmorland and Scott of Bowie State, and Thomas, Jody Hill and Ethan Anderson of Livingstone. The other All-CIAA Tourney members are Quinton McDuffie of Chowan, Christopher Grier of Virginia State, Justin Glover of Winston-Salem State, Derrick Washington of Lincoln (Pa.), and Angelo Sharpless of Elizabeth City State. Johnson C. Smith won the Team Sportsmanship Award.

The Rev. Lennox Yearwood, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, was one of many speakers and voting rights activist demonstrating in front of the U. S. Supreme Court in D.C., as arguments were heard in the in the Shelby County, Ala., v. Holder voting rights case on Wednesday, Feb. 27./ Photo by Khalid Naji-Allah

Telling Our Story!

What a wonderful surprise to read about James Meredith in one of the Washington Informer's most recent editions. A lot of what people know about civil rights leaders and just average citizens who stood up against racism and injustice is very limited.

The writer, Shantella Sherman did a fabulous job of introducing this icon to many readers and reacquainting him with others who may have forgotten his plight during the civil right era. It's great that Mr. Meredith is still fighting the good fight and looking wonderful at 79. I cannot wait to read Mr. Meredith's new book. I wish him all the best in taking up the cause of our young people. He's a true hero.

Mike Higginbotham

Alexandria, Va.

A Pleasant Surprise!

My family and I recently relocated to the District of Columbia from the Midwest. On several occasions I've had the opportunity to pick up a copy of the Washington Informer at various subway stations and read it on my way to work. I would like to commend the paper and the writers for providing what I find to be insightful news coverage of the community in which we live.

I've read other community newspapers in other regions, but none cover the types of stories and community events quite the same way the Informer does. It's refreshing to read your paper each and every week after being bombarded with all of the horrific news reported by mainstream media. Your paper redirects our attention away from the negative aspects of our community to the positive.

Tony Brown

Washington, D.C.

It's time for some Blacks leaders to end their narrow thinking about the issue of sustainability and the green economy.

Mayor Vincent Gray is not among them. He recently released a forward-thinking plan, which he calls the Sustainable DC Plan (www.sustainable.dc.gov) which includes 32 goals, 31 targets, and 143 specific action items in the areas of the environment, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste and water. In the end, Gray hopes to make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest and most livable city in the nation over the next 20 years.

It's a plan that allows the District to catch up with many cities on the west coast that lead the nation on environmental issues, and it puts the District on par with the environmental movement that's sweeping the country.

President Barack Obama talked about a national plan for sustainability in his State of the Union Address. In the next 20 years, he wants to end the wasteful use of energy and create new sources of energy that are cheaper and more environmentally friendly, as well.

But Gray has his critics. Chief among them is Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry who was quoted in a Washington Post article written by Tim Craig as saying, "Black folks are concerned about the environment, but they are also concerned about jobs. Gardens on roofs are fine, but if you are hungry, it's not enough. You might have clean air to breathe, but it doesn't matter if you are also broke."

Mr. Barry's point is well taken, but it's not well thought through. Gray's plan, as does the president's, calls for jobs and job training which is essential to the success of this drastic environmental overhaul. And, while we respect and acknowledge the role Mr. Barry played in filling hundreds of jobs during his tenure as mayor, the jobs he filled no longer exist. The future for job seekers, including "Black folks" will hinge on the creation of a new green economy.

The focus of any sustainable plan should be in neighborhoods like the ones Mr. Barry represents. Poorer neighborhoods are the ones in which environmental and civil rights advocates have identified as sites where environmental racism is predominant. They tend to be the closest to hazardous waste facilities and other "toxic spots" and where children have the greatest exposure to lead – the areas where asthma among children and adults is rampant.

We encourage Mr. Barry to get on board with this new movement and begin to plant seeds in the schools and communities he serves. His constituents deserve a healthy, green and livable community. They also deserve the jobs it will take to build it.

Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham received a reprimand from his colleagues on the D.C. Council last week. As a result, he was stripped of his authority to oversee the issuance of liquor licenses after it was discovered that he had improperly intervened in a D.C. Lottery contract dispute nearly four years ago.

The bomb that dropped on Graham had been hanging over his head for quite some time. District residents had become frustrated by Graham's apparent escape from justice, unlike his counterparts who include former Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas and At-Large Council member Kwame Brown. Thomas is currently serving 38 months in prison for misusing city funds, and Brown has been sentenced to six months of house arrest for lying on a mortgage application.

Questions about Graham's judgment and involvement in this current debacle, coupled with concerns over another incident involving a payment received by his chief of staff, and whether or not Graham accepted [the money] as a "bribe" continues to circulate throughout the District.

The action the council has taken raises the respect of a collective community frustrated over the lapse in ethical decision making on the part of each council member, and it helps to improve the confidence District residents have for their city leaders.

However, there's reason to celebrate.

Voters have lost faith in their elected officials. Even the willingness by some to police others, comes too late to eliminate the damage done in part by Graham, and others. Without defending himself, Graham essentially said, that he's relieved that it's over but in fact, that's far from the truth. It's not over until voters decide. That day is quickly approaching.

United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) is awarding 22 grants totaling $185,000 to 22 member organizations serving Prince George's County.

The funds came through designations to the Prince George's County Community Impact Fund in United Way NCA's annual workplace giving campaign. Each of the grants directly addresses United Way NCA's focus areas of education, health and financial stability.

In total, nearly $1.65 million was raised through Community Impact Funds in United Way NCA's eight regions thanks to the support of employees from over 800 workplaces with more than 3,000 locations throughout the Washington region.

Specifically, the Prince George's County grantees are: Adoptions Together, American Red Cross, Arts for the Aging, Ayuda, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area, Campfire, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Class Acts Arts, Community Support Systems Inc., End Time Harvest Ministries, Inc., FAME - Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education, Inc., Family Crisis Center of Prince George's County, Inc., Forestville Pregnancy Center, House of Ruth Maryland, Inc., KEYS for the Homeless Foundation, Inc., Latin American Youth Center, Lt. Joseph Kennedy Institute, Inc., Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, Neediest Kids, Prince George's Child Resource Center, SHARE Food Network, and St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth, and Families.

The community impact grant awarded to FAME - Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education will support the Music Technology Program which "provides middle and high school students living and attending school in underserved areas with a comprehensive modern, technology-rich, creativity-based learning environment that they otherwise would not have access to," said A. Toni Lewis, FAME founder and executive director. "Classes are hosted in a university setting – which encourages students to 'see' the possibilities of getting a higher education – and are taught by college professors and professional musicians with state-of-the-art software, equipment and materials found in professional recording studios."

At the end of the program students receive a Certificate in Music Technology which enables them to apply for internships, advance placement in school, and jobs in music studios and stores.

The grant awarded to End Time Harvest Ministries will be used to help fund the Wellness Ambassadors FIT 4 Success program, a health advocacy program where students learn in non-traditional academic ways how to make healthy eating and active living choices for themselves and how to teach their families and others in their community to do the same.

"Thanks to this grant, we can enroll 67 students in our Youth Wellness Leadership Institute," said Rev. Gail Addison, president, End Time Harvest Ministries. "As part of their wellness ambassador training, the students' experiential learning activities include visiting a local urban farm to learn about growing organic foods, learning about local fish and plant life, and working as a team to develop recommendations to improve the health and safety of their community."

Each year, United Way NCA solicits funding proposals from its member nonprofit organizations for specific programs and work in these communities. This year, Prince George's County member organizations submitted 79 proposals totaling $1,543,500. Funding decisions are made by a volunteer, citizen-led task force that works together with area nonprofits, governments, and business leaders to determine where there are gaps in services and where the funds will do the most good.

Mary Dade, President/CEO of Personal Finance Solutions, LLC, served on the Prince George's Community Impact grants selection committee as the team leader for the financial stability focus area.

"This was a great way for me to be involved with health, education and financial stability efforts, as all three are very important to economic development in the county and there is a slice of our population who require services beyond what the government is able to provide," said Dade. "United Way NCA is one funding source that does more than provide funding. I was impressed with the length and breadth of the help provided to the nonprofits including grant writing boot camps and other development and capacity building help."

"The generous contributions from the Prince George's County community, the teamwork of the selection committee volunteers, and the localized, collective power of the Community Impact Fund showcase what Living United is all about," said Bill Hanbury, President and CEO, United Way NCA.