WI Web Staff
Pope Contender Suggests Gay Priests to Blame
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 20:43 Published in International
A firestorm of criticism has erupted involving Cardinal Peter Turkson, who could be next in line to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, all because he has publicly suggested that gay priests are in part to blame for the child sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church that have broken and rippled worldwide.
Turkson,64, who was recently interviewed by CNN about possibly stepping into the highly revered papal spot, discussed the sex scandals and their outreach across the U.S. and Europe — and whether there was a possibility of it reaching African shores.
"Not in the same proportion as we have seen in Europe," Turkson said. "Probably because African traditional systems kind of protect or have protected its population against this tendency. Because in several communities, in several cultures in Africa, homosexuality, or for that matter, any affair between two sexes of the same kind are not countenanced in our society. So, that cultural 'taboo,' that tradition has been there. It's helped to keep this out."
As soon as Turkson made his statement about the Catholic Church sex scandals, he was immediately slammed by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "We hear less about clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Africa for the same reasons we do throughout the developing world — there tends to be lesser funding for law enforcement, less vigorous civil justice systems, less independent journalism, and an even greater power and wealth difference between church officials and their congregants," a spokesperson for the organization said in a statement via the Daily Mail.
(Source: Ruth Manuel-Logan for CNN)
The D.C. Council voted overwhelmingly Monday to reprimand Ward 1 member Jim Graham for his intervention in the city's lottery contract process.
In the unusual action, the council voted 11-2 in favor of the reprimand, with Graham and Councilman Marion Barry casting the only opposing votes. Graham was also stripped of his oversight of alcoholic beverage regulation, which he called an unfair extra punishment. Graham said the reprimand has nothing to do with his oversight of alcohol.
But Council member Tommy Wells strongly disagreed, and was quoted as saying "this action really may not go far enough . . . The idea that we can pick and choose the winners and losers of who gets contracts and who doesn't" foments a pay-to-play political atmosphere."
CBS/DC reported that investigations found that Graham, one of the council's longest serving members, tried to barter with bidders for the city's $38 million lottery contract, and had tried to use the contracting process to advance his political agenda.
The investigations also revealed that in 2008, Graham -- who at the time served on the Metro board -- told a developer that he would support his bid for the lottery contract in exchange for the developer dropping out of a project around a Metro station.
The council's decision marked the second time in the governing body's 38-year history that a resolution has been adopted criticizing the actions of one of its members.
(Source: CBS/DC)
A prominent state assemblyman from Brooklyn who wore blackface to a party he hosted to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, said on Monday that he did not mean to hurt anyone.
Dov Hikind, a Democrat and a longtime power broker in the Orthodox Jewish community, donned an Afro wig, brown makeup, an orange jersey and sunglasses as part of a costume that he said represented a "black basketball player," according to the New Times.
"The main objective that I have is not to be recognizable," Mr. Hikind said in an interview. "Of course the intention was not to offend anyone. That's the last thing that I ever imagined that would happen, to be very honest. It never crossed my mind."
The Post further reported that Hikind had hundreds of guests to his home on Sunday, and as he said he had done in past years, he enlisted a professional makeup artist to help him with his costume. When his grown son, Yoni, asked him if he could post a photograph of the outfit on Facebook, Hikind said saw no problem with it.
But on Monday Hikind, who was quoted as saying, "there is not a prejudiced bone in my body," found himself at the center of an upheaval. He initially brushed off the commotion following The New York Observer's report on the matter, explaining in a blog that it was a product of "political correctness to the absurd."
(Source: New York Times)
Trayvon Martin was killed one ago year on Tuesday by George Zimmerman, the volunteer neighborhood watch guard who claims to have shot the 16-year-old boy in self-defense. Zimmerman was charged with murder and remains in custody while awaiting trial.
To mark the first anniversary of their son's death, Trayvon's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, will participate in a vigil Tuesday evening in Manhattan as they continue to crusade for stricter gun laws. Also on Tuesday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) re-introduced her bill to re-establish a popular federal grant program aimed at reducing racial profiling.
Norton's bill permits states to apply for grants to develop racial profiling laws, collect and maintain data on traffic stops, fashion programs to reduce racial profiling, and to train law enforcement officers.
Nearly half of the states participated in the program when it was in existence, which, Norton said, shows both the need and interest in tackling this civil rights issue.
Norton had the program included in the surface transportation law in 2005, but the program expired in 2009. Norton, a former chairperson of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will try to get her bill included in the surface transportation bill Congress will be writing during this congressional session.
Meanwhile, the case which went on to draw national attention, focusing in part, on race relations. In addition, more photos, evidence and a new lawsuit tied to the case have emerged in recent months.
Trayvon and Zimmerman's paths crossed on Feb. 26, 2012, as the unarmed teenager was walking along eating a bag of Skittles in the moderate Sanford, Fla., community where his father lived. He was approached by Zimmerman and a tussle ensued.
Attorneys for Trayvon's family have accused Zimmerman of racially profiling the youth and shooting him "in cold blood." Zimmerman, who has insisted that Trayvon attacked him, said he is a victim, and that he had no choice but to shoot him.
During an April 29 hearing, Zimmerman's attorney plans to invoke the Stand Your Ground law, where a Florida judge could determine if the law applied to Zimmerman, possibly granting him immunity and averting a criminal trial.
"We just want to have that trial, and let the jury decide," Fulton told CNN. "And whatever decision comes out of that, we're going to accept that. We may not like it, but we're going to accept it."
(Sources: CNN, Reuters), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's Statement)
Meeting Feb. 28 on Location of New Medical Center
Dimensions Healthcare System along with the University of Maryland Medical System, the state of Maryland, and Prince Georges County will hold a community meeting on Thursday Feb. 28 regarding possible locations for the new Regional Medical Center. The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. at the Prince Georges Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
The Regional Medical Center will be a state-of-the-art facility, which is being constructed as a part of a strategy to transform the county's healthcare system into an efficient, effective and financially viable healthcare delivery system, which will improve the health of residents of Prince Georges County and the Southern Maryland region.
To view the map of proposed locations, visit http://cms.princegeorgescountymd.gov/ExecutiveNews/Shared%20Documents/FourHospitalSites.pdf
Janet Jackson and billionaire businessman Wissam Al Mana announced on Monday that they have been officially married since last year. A statement posted on Jackson's website reads that:
"The rumours regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony. Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favourite children's charities. We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy. With love, Wissam and Janet"
The singer said the couple tied the knot in a "quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony," not the over-the-top affair that gossip sites reported would take place. Jackson added that "rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true." There was speculation that Al Mana was planning to splash out millions on a lavish ceremony, even flying Jackson's large family to Qatar aboard private jets.
This is the third marriage number for Jackson, whose union with fellow singer James DeBarge was annulled in 1985. In 1991, she married dancer, songwriter and director Rene Elizondo Jr., but they kept their relationship a secret until their divorce in 2000.
(Source: Wire Reports)
African communities in the District of Columbia continue to face an onslaught of attacks on their public schools, which is essentially a continuation of the attack on African education.
School closures, privatization of public schools, and tracking for the nefarious school to prison pipeline are some of the significant reasons the D.C. chapter of the Black is Back Coalition (BIB) is actively organizing to put a halt to these vicious attacks, starting with the 2013 slated school closings. BIB is unequivocally committed to this issue.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, the BIB coalition will be hosting a vastly important community town hall forum addressing the slated 2013 school closures. This forum will be on the campus of Howard University in the Blackburn Center Digital Auditorium.
We are inviting all concerned community members to attend this forum in an effort to strategize and organize around this vital issue. We must prevent the closing of these schools, as they would have myriad negative effects on students, as well as their families. D.C.'s government officials, including Public School Chancellor Kaya Henderson, continue to show no respect or regard for the youth in these communities and the negative impact the school closings would have on their families. BIB cares about the District's African-American community, which is why we are actively organizing to help stop these closures, as well as to prevent the charter school from metastasizing further within D.C.
For more information please contact us by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone (202) 681-7040.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre Coming to Publick Playhouse
Monday, 25 February 2013 15:18 Published in Life and Style
CHEVERLY, MD—Dallas Black Dance Theatre returns for its 10th year in residence at the Prince George's Publick Playhouse for the Performing Arts, presenting three dance concerts and a series of other programs for all ages.
Master Classes are offered to advanced dance students on Wednesday, April 24 in modern dance, and Thursday, April 25 in liturgical dance. Each master class which costs $15, runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and no observers are allowed.
A one-hour lecture/demo lead by Artistic Director Ann Williams with performances by the company will be presented to school groups on Thursday, April 25 at 10:15 am. Tickets: $7; $6/groups of 15.
The Playhouse Platinum Live series for senior citizens will present one-hour performances by Dallas Black at 12 noon on Thursday, April 25 at 11 a.m., Friday, April 26. Senior programs will include the exotic solo "Awassa Astrige/Ostrich" choreographed by Asada Dafora. Tickets: $7; $6/groups of 15.
Dance concerts will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27; and at 4 p.m. on Sunday Sunday, April 27.
Lamont Peterson holds up the IBF junior welterweight belt after he stopped Kendell Holt in the 8th round in their title bout at the Stadium Armory on Friday, Feb. 22.
President Barack Obama met on Thursday with African-American leaders from various organizations across the country to discuss growing concerns regarding the nation's economic crisis.
During the gathering which focused on inequalities that at tearing apart black communities, Obama restated his commitment to increasing employment opportunities for those affected strongest by the economic downturn.
Among leaders in attendance were Rev. Al Sharpton; Avis Jones-DeWeever, executive director, National Council of Negro Women; Ben Jealous, president, NAACP; Judith Browne Dianis, co-director, Advancement Project; Melanie Campbell, president, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation; Rev Derrick Harkins, 19th Street Baptist Church; Ralph Everett, president, Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies; Wade Henderson, president, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; and Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks, executive director, National Black Justice Coalition.
In a statement, Rev. Sharpton commented on his meeting with the President, saying the group focused on voting rights:
"I and other leaders had a very significant discussion with the President about concerns in the African-American community and the civil rights community in general and most specifically about voting rights.
"Just yesterday the state of Virginia House of Delegates passed strict government photo ID requirements for voting. As states around the country engage in what we feel are voter suppression methods, next week the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about Section 5 of the Voting Rights act."
Alluding to the issues of gun control and unemployment, Sharpton said many black communities go unnoticed but suffer a disproportionate number of casualties from gun violence. "The President engaged us in a spirited conversation and seemed to be listening intently," he said.
Sharpton added that in dealing with unemployment, which disproportionately impacts African-American communities, "we must deal with job creation and job programs."
(Source: Newsone)
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