WI Web Staff
The District of Columbia Branch NAACP has launched its "This Is My Vote" campaign, which is an area-wide initiative to register more than 5,000 new African-American, Latino and minority voters prior to the November presidential election.
The campaign is a non-partisan initiative designed to increase civic participation, education and turn out among minority, young and elderly voters. The NAACP D.C. branch has already begun training and mobilizing volunteers to register and educate new voters in churches, schools, grocery stores and recreation centers across the D.C. area. The campaign will use door-to-door canvassing, registration booths at public events and on-site voter registration stations to help attract, register and turn out new voters.
Conducting a voter registration is easy, according to the District organization, and individuals, churches, sororities and fraternities, interest groups and civic organizations of all sizes are invited to partner in the effort. The Disrict branch will provide training, planning assistance and resources to partner organizations.
"This is our time! We demand our civil rights through exercising our voting rights," said Akosua Tyus, NAACP branch president. District branch Political Action Chair, Brandon Andrews added that, "We must empower our communities to advocate for solutions that best fit the problems they face. Holding elected officials accountable at the ballot is a powerful tool in this process. Join us in our effort."
For more information or to inquire about partnering or holding a registration event please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
For the NAACP, April is a historic month. On April 4, 1968, civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated while advocating against economic injustice, a fundamental tenet of his Poor People's Campaign.
The Campaign called on the federal government to provide a stronger safety net for the poor because Dr. King recognized economic justice as intractably linked to racial justice. He famously stated, "Depressed living standards for Negroes are not simply the consequences of neglect. Nor can they be explained by the myth of the Negro's innate incapacities, or by the more sophisticated rationalization of his acquired infirmities. They are a structural part of the economic system in the United States."
Continuing this call for economic justice, the NAACP re-affirmed economic issues as central to advancing equality, and on April 4, 2011, the orginization opened the Financial Freedom Center (FFC), headquarters for the NAACP Economic Department.
The FFC was birthed out of an agreement between Wells Fargo and the NAACP to work constructively to improve fair credit access, sustainable homeownership and to provide financial education resources to communities of color and other historically disadvantaged communities.
The NAACP Economic Department's work is informed by its three advocacy pillars 1). Empowering local communities with the necessary education, resources and partnerships to develop sustainable economic models that advance diversity and equity; 2.) Ensuring that government and industry are knowledgeable, and committed to bridging racial inequality particularly as it relates to employment, wealth, lending practices, and business ownership; and 3.) Growing a movement of concerned citizens and organizations who work together to produce an inclusive and strong middle class for the 21st century economy. Over the past year, the NAACP Economic Department staff has grown to include nine full time staff members, several interns and four program areas 1) Economic Education; 2) Fair Lending; 3) Diversity and Inclusion and 4) Community and Economic Development.
The NAACP's Economic Department has successfully trained 21 NAACP units nationwide to provide yearlong financial education workshops in their communities. The Department will be inaugurating a new group of units (including youth and college chapters) this spring. The NAACP Economic Department participates in the NAACP national, regional and state conferences presenting on issues such as racial economic inequality and financial education, as well as facilitating brainstorming sessions around economic issues to mobilize communities into action. The Department has participated in external conferences including the Bennett College Invisible Woman Conference, the Color of Wealth Policy Summit and the White House Youth Jobs + Summit. The NAACP Economic Department has also helped organize events like the We Are One Conference and the Gulf Financial Counseling Fairs.
Most recently, the Department launched the Financial Advocacy and Community Tour (F.A.C.T.) at regional conferences throughout the country. F.A.C.T. provided local residents with access to hands-on expertise through financial planners, HUD certified counselors, representatives from financial institutions and non-profit economic advocacy organizations. F.A.C.T. is a continuation of our work to help families and individuals know the facts about racial economic inequality, today's structural economic challenges, repairing credit, increasing and maintaining homeownership and building wealth.
Also, the NAACP Economic Department has strengthened and enhanced its communications tools. The Department's official website, (www.Naacp.org/Econ) is live and highlights our work as well as provides economic resources including reports, PowerPoint presentations, recommended economic websites and much more. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Also, we release our economic update, "The Angle," the 15th of every month and regularly contribute to the Crisis, NAACP's quarterly publication.
Lamelll Mc Morris, CEO of Perennial Strategy Group, a Washington, D.C, based family of businesses, has launched the 2012 Perennial Youth Business Competition which will award 10 District residents enrolled in high school or a high school equivalency program with $1,000 each to start or expand their own businesses.
Later this month, 20 semi-finalists will be selected to compete with their own "elevator pitches" before a panel of local and national business leaders. In June, 10 winners will be announced, culminating in a banquet on June 23,where they will be recognized and awarded their prizes.
McMorris explained his motivations for launching this innovative program: "Ten years ago I moved to Washington, D.C., with little more than an idea, a Rolodex, a lot of determination, and a high school intern as my only employee. Today, I'm fortunate to be the CEO of Perennial Strategy Group, a thriving government and public relations firm; Perennial Law Group, which focuses on the entertainment, sports and media industries, and Perennial Sports and Entertainment, a full service operation with agents representing some of the nation's top athletes." McMorris continued: "As an entrepreneur, I'm pleased to encourage young people to think big and act on their ideas, and with the 2012 Perennial Youth Business Competition, I hope to give 10 D.C. youth a chance to do just that."
To be considered for the prize, contestants must complete an online application detailing their business proposal, financial projections and marketing strategies. For competition details and deadlines, visit: www.perennialsg.com/youthcompetition.
Customers Have Had Fewer Outages
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With fewer outages, and those occurring being shorter in duration, Pepco customers are starting to see benefits from ongoing efforts to improve reliability.
"Providing safe and reliable electricity to our customers is our utmost priority," Thomas H. Graham, President, Pepco Region, said Monday. "We are investing more than a half-billion dollars in reliability enhancements to make sure we can meet our customers' expectations. This is an ongoing effort, but it is starting to pay off."
Customers served by upgraded power lines experienced a 39 percent reduction in the average number of power outages of normal day-to-day service during 2011 as compared to 2010. When outages did occur, they didn't last nearly as long, declining by 56 percent compared to 2010.
Pepco began a strategic initiative in September 2010 to improve reliability including trimming trees and replacing cable along power lines that span thousands of miles. Since then, Pepco has:
· Trimmed more than 3,239 miles of trees along power lines in Maryland and 556 miles in the District of Columbia. Pepco plans to trim another 750 miles in Maryland between now and the end of the year and 242 miles in the District. Pepco increased the number of tree trimmers on its system from 150 in September 2010 to 315 currently. The company also has award-winning arborists on staff who help ensure that the trees that are being trimmed stay healthy. · In 2011 Pepco inspected 63 of its electric lines that provide power to its substations and found that tree trimming was necessary for all of them and improvements were needed for all of them. The improvements should be completed by this summer. The trimming should be completed in 2013 · Renewed or replaced more than 439 miles of neighborhood underground electric cable in Maryland since September 2010 and plans to do the same for another 199 miles between now and the end of 2012.
Beyond trimming trees and replacing or renewing cable, Pepco is also improving the service of feeder lines that bring power into neighborhoods with the poorest reliability and on enhancing the responsiveness of its customer service center.
In Customer Care, the number of representatives who take customer calls has doubled – from 40 to 80, the number of phone lines has more than doubled – from 300 to 644, and the company has made arrangements to tap into more outside customer service help during major outages. All Customer Care representatives have been retrained, and Pepco also provided training for the 275 employees who will provide additional help when needed.
"We have worked hard to identify areas where we can improve our system and our performance, and we are working hard and making the investments necessary to get those improvements made," Graham said. "We are making progress, and we will continue this work to better meet our own expectations and those of our customers."
For more information and updates, visit www.pepco.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PepcoConnect and Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/PepcoConnect
More than 300 District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) teachers have been targeted for pink skips by the end of the current school term, but they have until August 15 to find alternate posts in the system.
School officials announced on May 4 that notices were issued to 333 teachers, as part of DCPS's annual changes aligned with its budget and enrollment.
However, with about 60 percent of the targeted teachers facing rehiring, it's likely that just a third – or 133-- of the them will lose their jobs, according to Washington Teachers Union president, Nathan Saunders. He also said during an interview Monday that the process could have been handled a lot better.
"It's my job to grow that 60 percent to a higher percentage," said Saunders. "We're all interested in having high quality teachers in our classrooms, but to have hundreds of people exit at the end of the school year is really a shock therapy to the public schools system," je said. "[The layoffs] create a tremendous amount of anxiety and a perception that this is not a stable workforce to become part of or to be retained within."
Teachers who fail to attain other employment by August, or those with high performance evaluations will have the choice of a $25,000 buyout or a "grace year" when placed at a school. Teachers with lower ratings face firing.
While Saunders feels that less than 100 teachers will be affected, he said there are important issues like resume writing, portfolio development skills and job interviewing skills that WTU is currently trying to help members with "in order to manage the annual changes and processes."
Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson was not available for comment as of late Monday.
This year, First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver commencement addresses at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T), and Oregon State University (OSU). Mrs. Obama will begin her 2012 commencement addresses at Virginia Tech where she was inspired by the resilience of the student body and community coming together to support each other during difficult times.
The next day, the First Lady will travel to North Carolina to speak at North Carolina A&T, part of the rich legacy of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that have been instrumental in educating generations of African Americans. The President and First Lady both have recognized the important contributions of HBCUs across the country and have delivered commencement addresses to highlight their successes.
In June, Mrs. Obama will deliver the commencement address to OSU graduates. OSU's student body has been recognized for its efforts to promote healthy communities by organizing large scale food donation drives. OSU researchers also have worked to identify factors that lead to childhood obesity and are developing prevention programs for school districts, parents and health care providers to help improve children's' health. Mrs. Obama's brother, Craig Robinson serves as the school's head men's basketball coach.
In 2009, Mrs. Obama spoke at the graduation of University of California Merced's first full senior class. She also addressed the Washington Math and Science Tech Public Charter High School Graduation in Washington, D.C. In 2010, Mrs. Obama addressed graduates of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the George Washington University, and the Anacostia Senior High School. Last year, Mrs. Obama delivered commencement addresses at the University of Northern Iowa, Spelman College, and Quantico Middle High School. The First Lady also spoke to graduates and families at West Point.
Friday, May 11, Blacksburg, Virginia (12 p.m.)
The First Lady will address more than 5,000 graduates of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Mrs. Obama will join U.S. Senator Mark Warner who will also deliver a commencement address to Virginia Tech's graduates.
Saturday, May 12, Greensboro, North Carolina (10 a.m.)
The First Lady will deliver the commencement address at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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New York, NY – Legendary R&B icon R. Kelly makes headlines this week as he finds himself in a familiar spot: atop all of the Urban Adult Radio charts with "Share My Love," the debut single from his upcoming "Write Me Back" album, due out on June 19 (RCA). "Share My Love" is the No. 1 Urban Adult Single on the Mediabase and BDS charts. The single also scored a 'Hot Singles' nod from PEOPLE Magazine.
In this week's Between the Bullets Billboard column Chart Manager Karinah Santiago states, "R. Kelly nabs another No. 1 on Adult R&B as "Share My Love" swims to the top with a healthy 172-detection increase, according to Nielson BDS.
"Love" becomes Kelly's first No. 1 since the title track to 2010's Love Letter soared to the summit. The new single is the first release from forthcoming album Write Me Back, a sequel to Love Letter. "Share My Love' is Kelly's sixth No. 1 on this survey and puts him in a tie with the late Luther Vandross and veteran Brian McKnight for the most leaders among men."
R. Kelly has referred to Write Me Back, his 11th studio album, as the next chapter to his 2010 critically acclaimed Love Letter. That album debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, with first-week national sales scanning over 154,000. One lucky fan who had the privilege of an advance listening session described Write Me Back as a 60s, 70s and 80s audio hologram that celebrates Kelly's rich classic soul influences.
On Love Letter Kelly celebrated the music of 50s and 60s, channeling artists such as Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. Write Me Back is poised as the natural progression of Kelly's musical time machine, featuring several tracks that ride his smooth infectious dance beats as evidenced by the debut and #1 track, "Share My Love." You can hear the influence artists such as Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass and Michael Jackson had on Kelly's production prowess, they literally jump outta the grooves!
In closing Kelly added, "Did you get my love letter? Well, get ready to write me back on June 19th baby!"
Brandi Elzie,anncancer survivor, celebrated her one-year anniversary on May 5. "I walked for myself and for those that could not," Elzie stated.
The 10th Annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer ended with an emotional celebration at the Washington Monument on Sunday, May 6. Over two thousand participated in the walk this year raising over 4 million dollars for Breast Cancer research.
Whether you're looking for a great eatery to treat Mom on Mother's Day or just have a yearning for a scrumptious late Sunday breakfast, here are some top-notch brunch restaurants in the District to consider:
14K Restaurant & Lounge
Downtown | Contemporary American
Acadiana
Downtown | Creole / Cajun / Southern
Art and Soul
Capitol Hill | American
B. Smith's
Capitol Hill | American
Casa Oaxaca
Adams Morgan | Contemporary Mexican
Chef Geoff's Downtown
Downtown | Contemporary American
District Commons
Foggy Bottom | Contemporary American
Georgia Brown's
Downtown | Low Country
Hudson Restaurant & Lounge
West End | American
M Street Bar & Grill
Dupont Circle | American
Stone's Throw Restaurant & Bar
Woodley Park | Steakhouse
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