WI Web Staff
The National Newspaper Publishers Association has announced the appointment of William Tompkins to the post of president and chief operating officer of the 69 year-old trade organization. The appointment was made last week during the NNPA's annual convention in Atlanta.
The selection of Tompkins culminates a nine-month search conducted by Carrington & Carrington, Ltd.
According to criteria that circulated throughout the industry, the new president will be charged with developing a new vision for the organization and implementing strategic plans and programs that serve the needs of the more than 200 Black community newspapers represented by NNPA. The trade group is commonly referred to as The Black Press of America.
Tompkins, 55, currently heads his own consultancy firm, Williams Tompkins Associates, in Los Angeles.
Before starting his company, Tompkins held positions at Eastman Kodak, including General Manager and Vice President of the Motion Picture Film Group and Chief Marketing Officer for the company's Entertainment Imaging division.
Prior to joining Kodak, Tompkins spent 19 years at The Washington Post, last serving as vice president of Marketing. Tompkins has a degree in economics from Tufts University, where he graduated magna cum laude and also earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
Tompkins will report to Clovis Campbell, publisher of the Arizona Informant and chairman of the NNPA board.
In an address to the Conservative Black Forum hosted by Congressman Allen West (R-FL) focusing on the economic empowerment in the African American community, Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies, called for a renewed national discussion on the growing wealth gap which he referred to as a "wealth gap Tsunami threatening African Americans."
Johnson cited a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, which concluded "The wealth gap between white and African American families has more than quadrupled over the course of a generation; the racial wealth gap increased by $75,000, from $20,000 to $95,000; the median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households; and at least 35 percent of African Americans have no assets."
In response to this compelling national crisis, Johnson stated that, "We must admit the harsh reality of a history of institutionalized racism and economic discrimination against African Americans is the primary cause of wealth disparity between Black and white Americans" and "we must be willing to talk about race recognition remedies at the highest levels of government as well as between Black and white Americans."
In his remarks to the Forum, Johnson listed several race recognition policy initiatives that could be discussed. For example, encourage majority-owned businesses to invest in black-owned companies by deferring the taxes on the economic gain similar to the FCC "tax certificate program" which motivated major media companies to sell to minorities and create a Treasury-backed fund to securitize short-term borrowing or emergency loans made by minority banks or other lending institutions to Black families provided these loans are marketed and made in a regulated and transparent manner. The securitized loans would encourage banks and lenders to make short-term or emergency borrowing available at reasonable rates and end "payday" lending as we know it today and break the cycle of borrowing at outrageous interest rates.
"Something has to be done to recalibrate our economic system to address these problems. We need the political courage to propose race-based remedies based on the disparity caused by past and present race discrimination. In the next 25 to 30 years, the majority of Americans will be black and Hispanic. There is a compelling national interest in addressing racial disparity and if we are to be a successful nation and compete globally, we must ensure that all Americans are given an opportunity to fully participate in the U.S. economic system," he concluded.
Over the years, Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene W. Grant has worked diligently to bring partners such as the University of Maryland's Prevention Research Center and School of Public Health into the community and better the lives of residents with free health based events.
Mayor Grant has already hosted the Life's Simple 7 event at Faith Temple #2 Baptist Church, first annual Autism Awareness Conference at Seat Pleasant Elementary School, and the third annual Seat Pleasant Health Summit at the University of Maryland School of Public Health where he brought 50 local area seniors and about 100 students from Fairmont Heights and Central High Schools to a day of health learning activities to educate and improve their quality of life.
"The overall health of my community, and access to health information and services is of the utmost importance in my administration," said Grant. "I am honored to be recognized by our partners at Prince George?s Hospital Center for this prestigious award, and will continue to fight for more health resources and a better quality of life for my community and residents."
Grant is currently serving his 8th year as mayor. During his tenure, he has successfully tripled the size of the police Department, reduced crime by 33 percent, improved the infrastructure of the city, ended each year with a surplus and raised thousands of dollars for the local elementary school.
Grant serves as Chairman of the Board for Health Empowerment Network of Maryland,pof the Maryland Black Mayor's Community Development Corporation, Chief Executive Officer for Global Development Services for Youth, and a member of numerous other organizations both domestically and internationally. Grant can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.
Jerry Sandusky, the former head coach at Penn State who was convicted this weekend on 45 counts of child molestation, has been placed under a suicide watch, according to reports.
The 68-year-old Sandusky, who was revered as a pillar of the Penn State community, was jailed immediately after the jury delivered its verdict on June 22. He was found guilty of molesting at least eight boys over a 15-yer period, and could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
"It's hard to judge character on the stand, because you don't know these kids," one of the jurors said in an interview. "But most were very credible – I would say all. I looked at him during the reading of the verdict and just the look on his face. No real emotion," the juror continued, "because he knew it was true."
Among the boys who accused Sandusky of sexual abuse was his adopted son, Matt Sandusky.
"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici wrote in the statement. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators."
Sandusky is scheduled to be sentenced in about three months. But his attorneys plan on appealing the convictions, saying they didn't have adequate time to prepare their case.
For the second consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign has cited Howard University Hospital -- one of the nation's leading teaching medical institutions -- a leader in the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients and their families.
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, who was joined at a press conference earlier this week by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, made announced on Howard's campus, where other local health care organizations were also lauded.
"I commend the LGBT and healthcare communities for the progress made, and I am proud to be part of an administration that has a historic record of accomplishment for the LGBT community," Sebelius said.
The other area health care leaders include George Washington Hospital, Sibley Hospital, National Rehabilitation Hospital, The Specialty Hospital of Washington, Adventist Healthcare and Bon Secours Health System.
Howard was among 234 hospitals named as leaders from the nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide. The number of leaders with perfect scores increased from the previous year, but not one hospital in 18 states responded at all to the survey.
The index rated the hospitals in four areas.
The hospital's patient non-discrimination policy is publicly available and includes the terms "sexual orientation" and "gender identity."
The hospital's visitation policy explicitly grants same sex couples, partners, spouses and significant others the same access as different-sex couples and grants their minor children the same access as children of different-sex couples.
The hospital's employment non-discrimination policy includes the term" sexual orientation" and "gender identity."
The hospital provides training for key staff members in LGBT patient-centered care.
Dr. Wayne Frederick, provost and chief academic officer for Howard University and formerly senior vice president for Health Sciences, accepted the honor on behalf of the university and said the hospital is proud to be designated as a leader.
"Howard University Health Sciences is committed to improving patient-centered care by removing all barriers to care, whether they involve ensuring patients' rights to determine their health care decision-maker, or training the health care workforce to provide equitable treatment and service to all patients," Frederick said.
To help combat the heat that's expected to continue over the weekend, the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency has opened four cooling centers. Located across the city, the centers will be open from noon until 6 p.m. People who are going to be out in the heat and will need to cool off, can find more comfortable temperatures at:
The Reeves Building at 2000 14th St. NW
Judiciary Square at 441 4th St. NW
The King Building at 3720 MLK Jr. Ave. SE
The Williams Center at 920 Rhode Island Ave. NE
Indiana Fever leading scorer Tamika Catching [15 points] challenges Washington leading scorer Crystal Langhorne [22 points] on Friday, June 15 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. The 67-66 win was the second at home for the Mystics this season. /Photo by John E. De Freitas
Plans to move forward with the design and construction of the street car project along H Street and Benning Road in Northeast have been put on hold over concerns expressed by Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry.
The veteran councilman, who once opposed the project, is reportedly challenging the $50 million contract to build the system and has filed a disapproval claim against Dean-Facchina LLC. As a result, the project faces a six-week stall. In addition to delaying the project, Barry's action could add more costs to the project for which tracks have already been laid on H Street.
"I'm not opposed to the H Street line if it can be shown there are cost benefits," Barry, 76, was quoted as saying. "For $50 million I could get at least three or four recreation centers built in Ward 8."
Meanwhile, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells -- in whose district part of the 37-mile track would be built -- is poised to file emergency legislation next week in hopes of circumventing Barry's opposition.
Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh is also reportedly skeptical about Barry's disapproval, having indicated that he should have raised his concerns earlier rather than at the "eleventh hour."
Event to Include Birthday Bash, Appearances by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson Sr., Others
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Perennial family of businesses, special events are taking place this weekend in D.C. with appearances by Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, Rev. Jesse Jackson, hip-hop impresario MC Lyte, and others.
On Friday, June 22, an exclusive birthday party will take place for lifelong advocate and entrepreneur Lamell McMorris, founder and CEO of the Perennial brand of businesses. The party will featue guest DJ MC Lyte, the legendary lyricist and iconic hip-hop pioneer.
On Saturday, June 23, the Perennial 10th Anniversary Dinner will take place at The Madison Hotel where winner of the Perennial Small Business Competition will be honored.
Lamell McMorris launched his business a decade ago after moving to D.C. with little more than an idea, a Rolodex, a lot of determination, and a high school intern as his only employee.
Today, he's 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.
HIV Testing events 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., June 27-29
Beginning on National HIV Testing Day on June 27 and continuing through June 29, Whitman-Walker Health will provide free rapid HIV testing at one Walgreens store in D.C. daily. The rapid HIV test takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes to administer and process. Test results will be delivered by the local AIDS service organization providing the testing on site.
HIV testing is being provided by health departments and local AIDS service organizations at select Walgreens stores in 20 markets across the nation as part of an ongoing collaboration between Walgreens, the nation's largest drugstore chain, and Greater Than AIDS, a coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the domestic epidemic.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Act Against AIDS initiative and the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS, the official sponsor of National HIV Testing Day, also are supporting the effort.
Whitman-Walker Health will provide free HIV testing at the following Walgreens store in Washington, DC:
• Walgreens 4225 Connecticut Ave, NW
Free, walk in HIV testing will also be available at both Whitman-Walker Health facilities:
• Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St., NW, 9:00 am-6:00 pm, June 27
• Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE, 9:00 am-4:30 pm, June 27
Of the more than 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. today, an estimated one in five, or nearly a quarter of a million people, do not know it. One-third of those who are positive are diagnosed so late in the course of their infection they develop AIDS within one year. Early diagnosis and treatment helps save lives and is known to reduce the spread of HIV. The CDC encourages everyone to know their status.
"One in 20 adults in DC has HIV," said Whitman-Walker Health Executive Director Don Blanchon. "Nine out of every 10 cases of HIV/AIDS in DC is among African-Americans. One in seven gay or bisexual men in DC has HIV and that number drops to one in every three Black gay or bisexual men in DC. With numbers like these, the importance of getting everyone in the District of Columbia tested is evident. This partnership with Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS will allow us to inform new audiences of the importance of getting tested, knowing your HIV status, and taking care of your health."
All totalled, 47 Walgreens stores in 20 markets across the nation are participating, including stores in the following cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Calif., Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach, Fla.
An additional 138 Walgreens stores in the participating communities will help publicize the free testing provided by local health departments or AIDS service organizations through in-store messaging, including posters, post cards and in-store audio. Walgreens also will promote National HIV Testing Day with special messages on June 27 on its Times Square digital display, the largest billboard of its kind in the country.
"These testing events provide valuable and vital opportunities to help the communities we serve," said Glen Pietrandoni, Walgreens senior manager of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. "Walgreens has supported people living with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic through its ability to offer accessible pharmacy, health and wellness guidance to patients, wherever they live. Our pharmacists are developing relationships, listening to concerns and providing education and support."
This marks the second year in a row that Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS have coordinated with local health departments and AIDS service organizations to allow them to provide free HIV testing at select Walgreens stores. This year, more than twice the number of Walgreens stores and markets will participate. More than 50 participating health departments and AIDS service organizations are providing the testing and delivering results on site, as well as supporting outreach.
For more information, including participating Walgreens stores in each city, visit:
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