D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton is organizing a community panel Tuesday evening to discuss the perception of black men in society.
The discussion comes in the wake of the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
"The notion of judging a person that you do not know by the fact that he is a black male is very troubling," Holmes-Norton told WTOP.
Hosted by The Commission on Black Men and Boys, the panel will feature four black men from the D.C. region.
WTOP reports that Charles Rawlings—the father of a 14-year-old boy who was killed in D.C. in 2007 by two off-duty police officers—will be on the panel.
The officers involved in the Rawlings shooting were not charged, but the family recently settled with the city for an undisclosed amount.
Norton says the men will discuss, "what we can do about what amounts to the virtual branding of African-American men so that they are sometimes in danger if they step outside their door."
The panel will start at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the D.C. Armory.
* The Washington Examiner reports that budget cuts are creating friction between D.C. Public Schools and its teachers.
The Washington Teachers’ Union plans to march on city hall today to protest proposed budget cuts that would increase class sizes and cut special education positions in the D.C. school system.
The rally is called “Stop Hurting D.C. Kids.”
School officials, according to The Examiner, have responded and said they believe psychologists will better serve students’ with special needs.
"I would have hoped [DCPS] would have discussed matters with folks who actually do the jobs, and not made millions of dollars of policy changes without clearly thinking through the impact on children and workers," said Nathan Saunders, who believes DCPS's plan to cut more than 200 special education coordinator positions and give their duties to psychologists is misguided.
* The nine living Virginia governors will come together in Richmond on April 17 to be honored at the Sorenson Institute’s annual gala, according to The Washington Post.
The nine governors are Linwood Holton, Chuck Robb, Jerry Baililes Doug Wilder, George Allen, Jim Gilmore, Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell.
Each governor will speak for about five to 10 minutes on an issue that is important to them.
McDonnell’s topic, according to The Post, is “The Virginia Way.”
* Prince William County Board Chairman Corey Stewart is expected to announce Wednesday that he is entering the race for the Virginia GOP Lieutenant Governor nomination this Wednesday.
Bearing Drift also reported that northern Virginia businessman Keith Fimian—who was thought to be considering a run—will not enter the race.
* In a room full of gambling lobbyists, the Maryland House fired tough questions during today’s hearing on a bill that would expand gambling in the state.
The Baltimore Sun reported that while the delegates acknowledged the revenue the additional gambling would bring, there were some concerns over the expansion, including whether there was enough clear information on how the additional revenue would be spent.
