DC Urban LifeStyle Magazine

' It Starts With You .' The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC)  will be held  Sept. 18-21, 2013 in Washington, D.C. First Lady Michelle Obama, Former President  Bill Clinton,  Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Townsend, Dr. Bernice King, Sherri Shepherd, Rev. Al Sharpton, andTrayvon Martin's family, Isiah Thomas are scheduled to participate during this year's conference which includes over 70 sessions on issues and policies facing the African American experience.  The conference also features a new author and book showcase, job and health fairs. President Barack Obama will be the keynote speaker during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's (CBCF) 43rd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) Phoenix Awards Dinner this Saturday evening. The Awards Dinner is the signature event of a four-day conference It is scheduled from 6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Walter E. Washington Convention C...

Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter will join President Barack Obama to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the historic March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ’s “I Have a Dream” speech in in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 2013. Obama, Clinton and Carter will deliver remarks at the Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action event at the Lincoln Memorial.   Three of the five pictured presidents will attend the 50 th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, August 28th. Obama, Clinton, Carter and King family members, along with coalition members and dignitaries, will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to “Let freedom ring” by ringing bells at 3:00 p.m. EST, a half-century to the very minute after Dr. King delivered his historic address.  Groups across the country will also pause to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s speech by ringing bells at 3:00 p.m. EST in their home states.   “Martin Luther King’s unforgetta...

National Convention Expected to Generate More Than $73.7 Million in Economic Impact for the City   Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the single largest African American women’s organization in the country, will convene in the nation’s capital for their 51st National Convention, July 11 – 17. Attracting nearly 40,000 members, the week-long convention is expected to generate more than $73.7 million to the local economy. Founded on January 13, 1913, Delta Sigma Theta is also celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout the year, which commenced on New Year’s Day then continued in Washington, DC with a Founder’s Day Weekend event.   DC mayor, Vincent Gray, gives the Deltas a street of their own, renaming New Hampshire Avenue, Delta Sigma Theta Way.   “As Washingtonians, we couldn’t be more proud that this impressive organization was founded right here in our city – at Howard University - 100 years ago and has since grown to more than 200,000 members and 900 chap...

When you talk about "karma", items coming "full circle", or the saying "what goes around comes back around", you can appreciate the historic visit by Michelle Obama to the DC's Decatur House, just a short block from where the first African American First Lady of the United States resides.   First Lady Michelle made a stop to the historic home where former slaves built, worked, and lived to deliver an endowment to the preservation of the historic landmark.   First Lady Michelle Obama speaks with children during a Decatur House visit. The endowment was a gift from American Express, presented by the company's African American CEO, Kenneth Chenault.   The Decatur House is now a National Trust for Historic Preservation Site and home to the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History.  The restoration project was made possible by a contribution to the White House Historical Association by American Ex...

The President met with African American leaders yesterday in the Roosevelt Room at the White House to continue their dialogue on his plan to strengthen the economy for the middle class and continue to build ladders of opportunity for those striving to get there. The President reiterated his commitment to supporting policies that will directly impact those hardest hit by the economic crisis by making sure that America is a magnet for jobs, increasing access to job training programs, partnering with high-poverty communities to help them rebuild, and encouraging companies to invest in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The president also reiterated his call to reform education by expanding universal pre-K for every child as a way to significantly decrease the achievement gap.  The president and the leaders expressed a shared concern about the need to implement common-sense improvements to the voting process, reiterating his belief that our democracy works best when every A...

As we mentioned there were several Inaugural Balls going on in the city to celebrate the re-election of President Barack Obama.  Among them, the Illinois State Ball held at the Renaissance Hotel in NW, DC.  The Ball's theme featured the best that Chicago has to offer: from a staging of the Chicago State Fair complete with cotton candy, corn dogs and sheep (yes, sheep), to photos of great Chicagoans (although we didn't see any pictures of Oprah ), to the multi-room live entertainment, this Ball was alive and kicking. Being that Chicago is the town that President Obama claims as his home, several attendees expected him to make an appearance.   Suffice it to say that even well into the early morning hours, the president had not made an appearance (he did have early a.m. Inaugural events the next day, you know), but that didn't stop attendees from celebrating his re-election. Here are a few more pics ...

Several Inaugural Balls took place across the DC Metro area honoring the re-election of our 44th president, Barack Hussein Obama. We have a few pics from the balls we attended.  Check them out.   B. Smith and Omarosa on the Red Carpet at the Move The Dream Forward ball that featured Patti LaBelle and hosted by Angela Bassett. Actor Boris Kujoe on the Red Carpet at the Move The Dream Forward ball that featured Patti LaBelle, hosted by Angela Bassett. Singer Elle Varnen on the Red Carpet at the Move The Dream Forward ball that featured Patti LaBelle and hosted by Angela Bassett. Lance Gross on the Red Carpet at the Hip Hop Inaugural ball that saw rappers MC Lyte and Doug E. Fresh take home Lifetime Achievement awards. The event also featured performances by  Marsha Ambrosius  (one-half of the girl group, Floetry), Yo Yo , and a duo beat box mini rap concert with funny man Wayne Brady  joining Doug E. Fresh on stage for a rendit...

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. He's Yours! Barack Hussein Obama wins re-election as President of the United States of America. President Obama defeated Mitt Romney, winning 303 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the 2012 election in perhaps the closest race, leading up to the election, in presidential history.  Romney with 206 of the electoral votes, in his concession speech during the wee hours of Wednesday morning said, he has been "humbled", while President Obama in his victory speech said to supporters, "You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful. He thanked the country's First Lady, his wife, Michelle and his daughters Sasha and Malia for her support, noting how his daughters were growing up to be fine, smart young women. "Just like their mother", the president said to a roar from the crowd.  The First Family after wining Election 2012. The president has fought hard during his first tenure for...

A PROCLAMATION by President Obama The founders of our Nation's first colleges and universities for African Americans shared a fundamental belief that, with the right education, all people can overcome barriers of injustice to achieve their fullest potential. These pioneers understood that education means emancipation -- a path to freedom, independence, and success. More than 150 years later, America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) carry forward this proud legacy, and this week, we celebrate the profound impact these places of learning have made on the life of our country. For generations, HBCUs have provided students with access to higher education and instilled in them a sense of pride and history. Graduates of these institutions have played an extraordinary role in shaping the progress of our Union by championing equality and changing perspectives through the arts. They have strengthened our Nation by building our economy, teaching our children, h...

On Thursday President Obama signed into law H.R. 6336, which directs the congressional Joint Committee on the Library to accept a statue of Frederick Douglass from the District of Columbia for placement in Emancipation Hall in the United States Capitol Visitor Center. The Douglass statue will take its place in the Capitol with statues from the states, such as Colorado’s statue of Astronaut Jack Swigert, Jr. and Alabama’s statue of Helen Keller. The Joint Committee on the Library has up to two years to complete the move of the Douglass statue from One Judiciary Square to its new home in the Capitol, but Norton is pushing for an early move, complete with a big celebration when the statue arrives, the usual case when states move statues into the Capitol.   Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that she is already at work on plans for a big celebration for the day the District of Columbia’s Frederick Douglass statue comes to the U.S. Capitol, and noted that the...

Several African American pastors of the Coalition of African American Pastors (CAAP) met with the media today to announce their disapproval of President Obama's stance on gay marriage.  (Must see video ). In an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts earlier this summer, the President said that he supports the rights of gay couples to be married.  Since then, that statement has sent a relentless backlash, and division, within the African American religious community. The  national media called the president 'the first gay president' because of his endorsement of gay marriage. Supporters of the Coalition of African American Pastors. While there are those that support the president in his decision, including the Reverend Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, not all African America pastors take that stance.  With an overwhelming number of African American people, in general, against the homosexual lifestyle - especially in the church -the group's speaker, William ...

"We know what we’re fighting for. We can see the America we believe in—a country where everybody gets a fair shot."   --- President Barack Obama Speaking at the opening of the 2012 National Urban League Conference in New Orleans Wednesday night, President Obama touched on several items with a recurring theme of building stronger communities. From touching on the tragedy in Colorado to the shootings on the South Side of Chicago (his first mention publicly of the Chicago shootings) , the president said he vows to "work with both parties to arrive at a consensus on violence reduction, at every step." He said he is open to "looking at everything we can do to keep our children safe. We must leave no stone unturned. We have no greater mission than keeping our children safe." The president did suggest implementing stiffer background checks on gun buyers and restrictions to keep the mentally unbalanced from buying weapons, but did not indicate whether or ...

Talk show host Tavis Smiley, and former Princeton professor, Dr. Cornel West continue their fight for the poor with a new book titled The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto which the two men say is the next step in the journey that began with “The Poverty Tour: A Call to Conscience.” Cornell West and Tavis Smiley's latest venture: The Rich and the Rest of Us.  Photo/CD Brown. "There are nearly 150 million poor and near poor people in America who are not responsible for the damage done by the Great Recession. Yet they pay the price. The poor did not create the deindustrialization of America, unmatched corporate profiteering and greed, more than a decade of foreign wars, and unregulated tax benefits for the wealthy. When the largest economic institutions in the world were brought to their collective knees, they went crawling to the government’s doorstep in search of salvation. The government obliged, allowing Wall Street to socialize its failure on the backs of Ma...

posted also on our Politics blog . President Obama comments on the killing of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin's new hoodie. After 27 days of wondering when, or if, President Obama was ever going to comment on the tragic death of 17 year old Trayvon Martin who was killed by the renegade, wannabe, so-called neighborhood watch person, George Zimmerman, we hear about the matter from the Commander-in-Chief. Speaking today in the Rose Garden, after announcing the nomination of Jim Yong Kim to replace Bob Zoellick as president of the World Bank, the president was asked: Mr. President, may I ask you about this current case in Florida, very controversial, allegations of lingering racism within our society -- the so-called do not -- I'm sorry -- Stand Your Ground law and the justice in that? Can you comment on the Trayvon Martin case, sir? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m the head of the executive branch, and the Attorney General reports to me so I’ve got to be careful ...

White House advisor Valerie Jarrett wrote an op-ed piece today on how the Affordable Care Act is actually helping African Americans.  While many question whether the work of our president has benefited his own people, this may provide at least one article of clarity. The Affordable Care Act: Making a difference for African-Americans By Valerie Jarrett It has been two years since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, and already, the new law is improving the lives of African-Americans. Since March 2009, more than 2.4 million African-American seniors with Medicare have received free preventive services such as diabetes screenings. About 410,000 more African- American young adults who would otherwise be uninsured gained coverage due to the law. In addition, 5.5 million African-Americans with private health insurance now have coverage for preventive services without paying an extra penny at their doctor's office. And 10.4 million African-Americans with pri...

Trayvon 'Slimm' Martin.  Promising student, beloved son. Killed by vigilante gunman without cause. Outrage, shock, and dismay continues to spill out over the senseless death of 17 year old promising high school student Trayvon Martin, who was killed on February 26, 2012 by wannabe vigilanty George Zimmerman (may he rot in some place unpleasant). Zimmerman, disguising himself as some sort of vigilanty neighborhood watch patrol official, followed, chased down, and killed Martin and claimed self defense as he stood over the deceased Martin with a nine millimeter weapon in his hand. Martin, however, was unarmed. The only items in his possession: a pack of Skittles, a beverage, which he purchased that evening at a neighborhood convenience store, and his cell phone used in his final moments on this earth to tell a female friend that he was under seige by Zimmerman. Martin was visiting his father in the Sanford, Florida (a shoot first , ask questions lat...