Washington Informer

"Stopping the Pipeline to Prison and Ending the Prison Industrial Complex Through Education, Jobs and Justice," is the theme of the Friday, March 29 "Silent March and Call to Action," designed to increase national awareness of the disproportionate rates of arrests and incarceration of African Americans.

Led by the historic Metropolitan AME Church (MAMEC) and its Mighty Men of Metropolitan, in partnership with the NAACP-DC, the Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO, and others, the Silent March is a passionate plea to build coalitions across the nation to put an end to the "Pipeline to Prison" and violence that plagues African American communities.

"African Americans are being imprisoned at four times the rate of other American citizens, largely because of a lucrative 'pipeline to prison system' fueled by a voracious multi-billion dollar 'prison-industrial' complex, and a biased criminal justice system that singles out African American people for prosecution," said the Rev. Ronald E. Braxton, MAMEC senior pastor.

The one-mile march begins at 1 p.m., from MAMEC where it will proceed to Freedom Plaza in downtown D.C. The march will also take place during a time when many Christians around the world will celebrate Good Friday, symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

A March 25 press conference was held at MAMEC to announce the event.

In addition to Braxton, other participants included Michael Eric Dyson (author, radio host and professor of sociology at Georgetown University) and Courtney Stewart, chairman, "The Reentry Network for Returning Citizens."

"The community needs to see the faces of those who are most affected, have been targeted and disenfranchised as a result of the school to prison pipeline," said Stewart. "Ex-offenders] don't have any money, we don't make laws, we don't control the media and many of us can't vote therefore are eliminated from the political process...so it is up to our faith leaders to support us and send a message to the public and city officials."

Dyson added that, subjecting people to the 'life sentence' of a criminal record in order to fill prisons and feed a greedy prison industry has earned America a 'gold medal.

"We're number one in the number of people we put into prison," said Dyson. "This 'cradle to prison' mentality assaults our humanity and is a shame to us as a people and as a nation."

FAIRFAX, VA -- Last month's inaugural Soul Train Cruise lived up to the iconic television show's legacy as "the hippest trip," as the sold-out ship returned to port filled with ecstatic travelers calling the voyage "one of the best in the history of all cruises."

Anchored by an incredible array of concerts by the most iconic acts in R&B history -- including Patti LaBelle, The O'Jays, Kool and the Gang, Jeffrey Osborne, and Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics -- the Soul Train Cruise was also host to exclusive activities and events.

Wine tasting with Jeffrey Osborne, dancing until dawn as special guest DJ Biz Markie spun the hits, stepping up to the legendary Soul Train Line, and playing classic Soul Train games such as the Scramble Board, filled the days and nights.

The cruise was highlighted by the screening of the documentary. "The Hippest Trip in America,?" hosted by Tony Cornelius, the son of founder Don Cornelius, and a Soul Train producer. Tony later joined in panel discussions about his father and the impact his vision had on popular culture throughout the world and multiple generations.

With luxurious vacation amenities ranging from lavish meals to deluxe accommodations, The Soul Train Cruise was such an unprecedented success, that Entertainment Cruise Productions and StarVista Entertainment/Time Life will launch two additional voyages within the next 12 months.

Soul Train Cruise Fall will depart on Oct. 5 from San Diego, Calif., and Soul Train Cruise 2014 will depart on Feb. 23, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Cabins are available now at www.SoulTrainCruise.com or by calling (toll free) 1 855 SOUL TRAIN (768-5872).

Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian author and towering man of letters died on Thursday in Boston. He was 82.

His agent in London said Achebe – who'd used a wheelchair since a car accident in Nigeria in 1990 left him paralyzed from the waist down -- died after a brief illness.

Chinua Achebe (pronounced CHIN-you-ah Ah-CHAY-bay) achieved worldwide acclaim with his first novel, "Things Fall Apart." The 215-page book, published in 1958 when Achebe was 28, would become a classic of world literature and required reading for students, selling more than 10 million copies in 45 languages.

The story was inspired by the history of Achebe's own family, part of the Ibo nation of southeastern Nigeria, a people victimized by the racism of British colonial administrators and then by the brutality of military dictators from other Nigerian ethnic groups.

"Things Fall Apart" gave expression to Achebe's first stirrings of anti-colonialism and a desire to use literature as a weapon against Western biases. As if to sharpen it with irony, he borrowed from the Western canon itself in using as its title a line from Yeats's apocalyptic poem "The Second Coming."

"In the end, I began to understand," Mr. Achebe later wrote. "There is such a thing as absolute power over narrative. Those who secure this privilege for themselves can arrange stories about others pretty much where, and as, they like."

Achebe's political thinking evolved from blaming colonial rule for Africa's woes to frank criticism of African rulers and the African citizens who tolerated their corruption and violence. Indeed, it was Nigeria's civil war in the 1960s and then its military dictatorship in the 1980s and '90s that forced Mr. Achebe abroad.

In his writing and teaching Mr. Achebe sought to reclaim the continent from Western literature, which he felt had reduced it to an alien, barbaric and frightening land devoid of its own art and culture. He took particular exception to "Heart of Darkness," the novel byJoseph Conrad, whom he thought "a thoroughgoing racist."

(Source: The New York Times)

In an ongoing effort to strengthen ties and increase trade and investment with one of the world's fastest-growing economies, Victor L. Hoskins, the District's deputy mayor for Planning and Economic Development, has embarked on a nine-day mission to China.

The mission is follows up to the China trip Hoskins took in June with Mayor Vincent Gray, other city administrators and officials from the private sector, including representatives from Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia.

"Last year, I took part in a similar trade trip to strengthen our business relationships with several cities across China, and I am proud that Deputy Mayor Hoskins will continue that overseas economic-development work to ensure that the District continues to diversify our economy," said Mayor Gray. "As we work to increase the District's profile in the global marketplace, this trip will focus on securing foreign direct investment, attracting technology companies and building academic partnerships."

Hoskins is leading the business-development mission to promote investment, trade, and education opportunities for the District in China.

The delegation will stop in:

• Beijing, where District representatives will meet with government officials, sovereign wealth funds, universities and technology companies;

• Shanghai, where the District will meet with government officials, the local chamber of commerce, and potential investors; and

• Suzhou, where university officials will visit The George Washington University's new satellite campus and learn from its academic expansion efforts.

The trip is meant to continue building on the relationships that have emerged between many District-based businesses, academic institutions, individuals and their Chinese counterparts.

While there, Hoskins and the delegation will work on attracting foreign direct investment into the District, inviting Chinese high-tech companies to open research and development facilities in the District, and establishing new partnership agreements between D.C.-based education institutions and China-based universities.

WASHINGTON, DC— Three months after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama said that the Senate has taken important steps forward to help protect our kids by reducing gun violence. The American people made their voices heard, and the Senate made progress to make it harder for criminals and people with serious mental illnesses to get guns, to crack down on anyone trying to funnel guns to criminals, and to reinstate and strengthen a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons. Each of these ideas deserves a vote. President Obama urges Congress to pass these commonsense measures while affirming our Nation's tradition of responsible gun ownership.

In his weekly address on March 23 from the White House, Obama stated:

"It has now been three months since the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut. Three months since we lost 20 innocent children and six dedicated adults who had so much left to give. Three months since we, as Americans, began asking ourselves if we're really doing enough to protect our communities and keep our children safe.

"For the families who lost a loved one on that terrible day, three months doesn't even begin to ease the pain they're feeling right now. It doesn't come close to mending the wounds that may never fully heal.

"But as a nation, the last three months have changed us. They've forced us to answer some difficult questions about what we can do – what we must do – to prevent the kinds of massacres we've seen in Newtown and Aurora and Oak Creek, as well as the everyday tragedies that happen far too often in big cities and small towns all across America.

"Today there is still genuine disagreement among well-meaning people about what steps we should take to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in this country. But you – the American people – have spoken. You've made it clear that it's time to do something. And over the last few weeks, Senators here in Washington have listened and taken some big steps forward.

"Two weeks ago, the Senate advanced a bill that would make it harder for criminals and people with a severe mental illness from getting their hands on a gun – an idea supported by nine out of ten Americans, including a majority of gun owners.

"The Senate also made progress on a bill that would crack down on anyone who buys a gun as part of a scheme to funnel it to criminals – reducing violent crime and protecting our law enforcement officers.

"Finally, the Senate took steps to reinstate and strengthen a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, set a 10-round limit for magazines, and make our schools safer places for kids to learn and grow.

"These ideas shouldn't be controversial – they're common sense. They're supported by a majority of the American people. And I urge the Senate and the House to give each of them a vote.

"As I've said before, we may not be able to prevent every act of violence in this country. But together, we have an obligation to try. We have an obligation to do what we can.

"Right now, we have a real chance to reduce gun violence in America, and prevent the very worst violence. We have a unique opportunity to reaffirm our tradition of responsible gun ownership, and also do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals or people with a severe mental illness.

"We've made progress over the last three months, but we're not there yet. And in the weeks ahead, I hope Members of Congress will join me in finishing the job – for our communities and, most importantly, for our kids. "