January – April 2014
NEWSLETTER
OF THE
NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN
DRUG POLICY COALITION, INC.
1
Introductory Note: This Newsletter for
the first Quarter of 2014 was delayed a month
to include items on the Tenth Anniversary
Summit Conference of the National African
American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. held April 69, 2014 to Celebrate its Tenth Anniversary
which occurred on April 1, 2014, the inception
of the Coalition having occurred in the House of
Representatives’ Office Building with the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation being
the host and the National Bar Association being
the catalyst for proposing that the National
organizations concerned with healthcare issues
and needed reforms in this Nation’s criminal
and juvenile justice systems come together to
work in unison to eliminate disparate treatment
and unlawful discrimination in each of those
systems as they impacted African Americans
and other minorities in the United States. On
that day nine (9) organizations’ representatives
pledged each to sign
a Memorandum of
Understanding to work towards this goal as a
then unincorporated Association, which was
eventually incorporated as a District of
Columbia not-for-profit corporation on January
12, 2006.
Since its creation the National
Coalition has grown now to include twenty-six
(26) Member Organizations with a combined
estimate of over a million African American
professionals and professionals to be of college,
graduate and professional school students.
thoughtful presentation by the Honorable Lee
P. Brown, former Mayor of Houston, Texas and
a former Director of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy in the White House, and former
Commissioner or Chief of Police in several
major cities of this Nation. He presented a
thoughtful and well-balanced presentation on
“Principles and Standards for Law Enforcement
Practices in the 21st Century.”
These two spectacular presentations
were followed by a panel on whether the
Federal Government should “Create a 2-Year
Crime Commission to Review Where We Over
criminalize Human Behavior in the United
States and Whether We Should Resort to a
Civil Penalty Approach on Some of These
Problems; What Should be the Dividing Line
Between Federal and State Responsibilities;
What Reforms are Needed in Our Juvenile
Justice System; How Should We Deal with
Marijuana and Drug Offenses in the United
States; and Are We Too Stringent with
Mandatory Sentencing and Duration of
Sentences; and What Can We Learn from
Experts of Other Countries as to Criminal Law
Policies and Sentencing Practices.” Moderated
by Retired Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., this was
a riveting presentation by Susan Broderick,
Assistant Research Professor, Georgetown
University Public Policy Institute, Nkechi Taifa,
Esq., Senior Policy Analyst for Civil and Criminal
Justice Reform, Open Society Institute
Foundations; Bonnie J. Glenn, Esq., Director of
Community and Parole Programs for Juvenile
Justice and Rehabilitation Administration, State
of Washington and Adjunct Professor at Seattle
University Criminal Justice Department and the
School of Law; and Clarence Edwards, Past
President, National Organization of Black Law
Enforcement Executives.
The Tenth Anniversary Summit
Conference Program: This program was an
outstanding success in the issues presented, the
expertise of the speakers and panelists, and
their recommendations in connection with the
Theme: “Achieving Solutions to the Substance
Abuse, Mental Health, Violence and Crime
Problems in the United States of America.”
The Opening Plenary Session Speaker was the
Honorable Robert C. (Bobby) Scott, Ranking
member of the House Subcommittee on Crime,
Terrorism,
Homeland
Security
and
Investigation, who cogently presented “An
Overview of Needed Changes and Reforms in
Our Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems.”
This was followed by a comprehensive and
This Panel was followed by a dynamic
and challenging Speaker – Wade Henderson,
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights, who gave a spellbinding presentation on
“Criminal Law Impact on Civil and Human
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Rights in the United States.”
This was a
presentation every resident in the United States
should have heard and reflected upon as they
enjoy the freedoms and benefits of living in
America.
recognized expert by the United States
Department of Justice, Co-principal of the
H.E.A.T. Curriculum, Therapist and National
Consultant, and George Garrow, Esq., Executive
Director, Concerned Black Men-National, a
major National Organization of professional and
business Black Men dedicated to saving our
youth from becoming part of the Mass
Incarceration of African Americans in this
Nation.
Our Luncheon Speaker was the
Honorable Will A. Gunn, General Counsel, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs. He discussed
in a thorough and informative manner the
“Programs and Policies of the United States
Department of Veterans in Dealing with
Substance Abuse Issues and Mental Health
Problems of Veterans and the Future of
Veterans Drug Courts in the United States.” In
view of the events this Nation has been
involved in since 9/11 these issues impacting
our veterans are among the most important
issues facing this Nation.
The final Panel for the first day of the
Summit Conference focused on “Interrupting
the School Discipline to Prison Pipeline – What
We Need to Do to Reduce School Drop Outs
and Encourage Educational Excellence; How Do
We Improve Access to HBCUs and Community
Colleges for Minority Youth? What Role Can
Black Social Workers Perform in Working with
Black Families and Youth to Support these
Goals?’
This Panel’s Moderator was Joe
Benton, President, National Association of Black
Social Workers, Inc., a Member Organization of
the National Coalition
This Panel included
Ronald E. Blakely, Associate Director, White
House Initiative, Historically Black Colleges and
Universities; Guy A. Wheeler, former Drug
Counselor and Fatherhood Trainer and National
Consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice.;
Retired Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., National
Executive Director, National Coalition, speaking
on the initiatives of the National Coalition to
reduce school drop outs and to encourage
educational excellence; and William Killibrew,
Founder of William Kellibrew Foundation – an
exceptional miracle in educational achievement
from a troubled childhood and post-traumatic
stress disorder as a teenager to an outstanding
college student and social activist.
Following the Luncheon program, a
second panel dealt with another very important
issue facing the Nation: “Reducing Violence and
Crime in the African American Community in
the United States.”
Susan James Andrews,
Chair, Thurgood Marshall Action Coalition, one
of the Member Organizations of the National
Coalition, gave an eye-opening power point
presentation on “History and Culture of African
Americans from Slavery through Segregation
and Influence on Violence and Crime.” Her
presentation was followed by a presentation by
David Muhammed, one of the preeminent
experts on youth and youth gangs in America
on “Emphasis on Teenage Youth to Change
Their Value Systems and Respect for Life and
Well-Being.” Mr. Muhammad has served as a
Former Director of The Mentoring Center in
Oakland, California, Former Chief of Committed
Services for Department of Youth Rehabilitation
Services for the District of Columbia; and
Former Deputy Commissioner of the New York
City’s Department of Probation and in other
positions involving youth over a period
exceeding more than 20 years. Other panelists
included Matthew Fogg, Former Deputy United
States Marshal, Guy A. Wheeler, CEO of Guy A.
Wheeler Group in Fort Lauderdale, and a
The second day, April 8, 2014 also
involved exciting and most informative speakers
and panel presentations. The Honorable Karol
V. Mason, Assistant Attorney General, Office of
Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
made an exceptional presentation on “Future
Federal Policies of the Office of Justice
Programs, areas of Special Emphasis, and
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Impact on Research and Grants of Current
Federal Government Fiscal Constraints.” She
was followed by the Honorable Michael
Botticelli, Acting Director, Office of National
Drug Control Policy, The White House, who
gave a most informative presentation on
“Current Policies and Areas of Special
Emphasis of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, The White House.” They were
followed by a panel dealing with applying the
U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v.
Alabama holding that automatic Life Without
Parole
for
Juvenile
Offenders
was
unconstitutional under the cruel and unusual
punishment provision of the U.S. Constitution,
and issues of substitution of long term fixed
sentences
to correct this problem and
retroactivity verses prospective application
only. This panel also dealt with the issue of the
application of sex offender registration statutes
to juvenile offenders and the use of innovative
diversion programs such as Youth Court or Teen
Court as a means to shut down the school
discipline to prison pipeline.
The panelists
included Jody Kent Lavy of the Campaign for
Youth Justice; Emily C. Keller, Esq., Staff
Attorney, Juvenile Law Center, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and Retired Judge Arthur L.
Burnett, Sr.
and Past President of
the Washington
Psychiatric Society and Past President of Black
Psychiatrists of America, Inc., Dr. Annelle
Primm, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Medical Director
of the Medical Director’s Office, and Director,
Office of Minority and National Affairs,
American Psychiatric Association; Dr. Charles E.
Lewis, Jr., Ph.D., CEO and Founder,
Congressional Research Institute for Social
Work and Policy; Past President, Mental Health
Association of the District of Columbia; Jamal R.
Nelson, Manager, Government Affairs, Council
of State Governments Justice Center,
Washington, D.C.; and Dr. Benson George
Cooke, Former President, Association of Black
Psychologists, Inc. and Professor, University of
the District of Columbia. This indeed was a
Blue Ribbon panel of experts on this most vital
subject.
The Luncheon Program involved two
speakers. The first speaker, Dr. H. Westley
Clark, M.D., J.D. M.P.H., CAS, FASAM, Director,
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment,
SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, gave a most informative
presentation on the provisions of the
Affordable Care Act as applicable to substance
abuse and mental health issues.
He was
followed by Shannon B. Taitt, MPA, Public
Health
Analyst,
Division
of
Services
Improvement, Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment, SAMHSA, on outreach endeavors
her agency was making to college students and
youth programs to educate and inform them of
the consequences of substance abuse and use
of illegal drugs.
The morning program concluded with a
Panel discussion on “Difficulties in Detection of
Mental Illness before a Violent Act – How Can
We Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Persons
with Mental Illness or Precursor Symptoms
Thereof? What are the Privacy and Civil
Rights?
What are the Privacy and Civil Rights
Implications?”
This Panel’s Moderator was
Dr. Averette Mhoon Parker, M.D., President
and CEO, Access to Racial and Cultural Health
Institute, Inc. and former Senior Official in the
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention,
SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Serving on this panel were Dr.
William B. Lawson, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences of Howard University Medical Center
The afternoon program shifted to a
focus on re-entry programs for former
offenders released from prison and endeavors
to stabilize them upon their return to their
neighborhoods to reduce and prevent
recidivism and make our communities safer.
The first panel focused on the issue of
“Preparation in Prison for Re-entry Back into
the
Community
and
Designing
and
Implementing Effective Re-E\entry Programs.”
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The Moderator of this Panel was Ronald T.
Ashford, Director, Public Housing and Indian
Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, and commentator on
accessibility of public housing to former
offenders. Amy Solomon, Esq., Senior Adviser
to the Assistant Attorney General, Office of
Justice Programs, U.S. Department, gave an
excellent overview presentation on the Federal
Interagency Re-entry Council’s operations and
policies. She was joined by Former Warden
Charles Hinsley, author of a thoughtful and
provocative book on preparing prisoners for
return to society – The Anatomy of Prison Life
(Linguistic Freedom Publications, July 2013).
Also on the panel was Walter R. Ridley, Policy
Director, National Association of Blacks in
Criminal Justice, and former Director,
Department of Corrections for the District of
Columbia, a pre-eminent expert in corrections,
and Gilbert Wayne Hedgpeth, M.H.S., CSW,
CAS, a former prison official in New Jersey and
now an adviser to Pre-Release Re-entry
Program and Mentor, Terminal Island Federal
Correctional Facility in San Pedro, California.
Finally, joining this Panel were two State
Correctional officials who have created
innovative pre-release program for inmates
leaving prison and returning to their
communities. Both of these gentlemen gave
dynamic presentations. Bennie Kelly, Warden,
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction and Jerry J. Williams, Deputy
Commissioner, Mississippi, Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction. The attending
audience listened to these experts with rap
attention.
The final panel for the day focused on
“’Ban the Box Movement’ on Employment
Applications, Obtaining Expunging of Minor
Criminal Records, Promotion of Ex-Offenders
Entering Small Legitimate Businesses, and
Providing Financial Management g\Guidance
and Pro Bono Assistance to Former Offenders
Entering Small Business.” The Moderator of
this Panel was Susan Hoskins, Executive
Director, Coalition for Economic Empowerment
of Washington, D.C.
The Honorable Patricia
Jessamy, Esq., former State’s Attorney for
Baltimore, Maryland described efforts in the
State of Maryland dealing with expunging minor
offenses.
Reverend Joseph Robinson,
President, North Carolina Chapter of the
National Coalition and Promoter of an Energy
Company
providing
opportunities
for
employment of former offenders in North
Carolina described his endeavors to provide
jobs for former offenders in promoting green
energy.
Raphael G. Irving, Western Region
President of the National Association of Black
Accountants, spoke of the potential interest of
his organization members: providing financial
management guidance to former offenders
going into legitimate business so that they
would not have financial accounting problems
or tax problems in becoming legitimate
business entrepreneurs.
It is significant to
note that Mr. Irving has indicated that his
organization is considering the possibility of
becoming a Member Organization of the
National African American Drug Policy Coalition,
Inc. in view of its overall mission, objectives and
goals.
The third and final day, April 9, 2014
began with a presentation by James Rodriguez,
President and CEO, Fathers and Families
Coalition of America, Inc. who spoke eloquently
of the mission of his organization and the
affiliation being established with the National
African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. for
Hispanics and African Americans to join
together to promote emphasis on “The Role of
Fathers, including those Released from
Incarceration, to Strengthen Families and to
Meaningfully Participate in Their Children’s
Lives.” This programming was the beginning
of a collaborative relationship to promote
responsible fatherhood in raising their children
and implanting positive social values in both the
African American and the Hispanic Americans in
this Nation and to promote both of these
groups working together to achieve these
objectives.
5
This presentation was followed by a
Question and Answer session with Retired
Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr. poising the
questions to the Honorable Robert T. Russell,
Jr., Judge, City Court of Buffalo, New York, the
first Veterans Drug Court Judge in the United
States and considered the Founder of the
Veterans Drug Court system now promoted by
the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs. The questions proposed were: “Should
We Extend Veterans Drug and Mental Health
Courts; should they be combined in One Court,
and should we legislatively provide that there
should be such Courts in Every U.S. District
Court in the United States to be handled by
United States Magistrate Judges? What is the
Success Record Now and how effective have
they been? Should such Courts exist in every
Federal District Court since the disease which
resulted is from Military Service where the
underlying criminal offense is under Federal
Law? Should such cases be subject to removal
from State Court to Federal Court where
service connected, like tort actions arising out
of accidents with postal trucks or in a federal
function?
This question and answer session
captured the audience’s intense attention and
resulted in the conclusion that combining drug
courts and mental health courts may be
appropriate in situations where the presiding
judge is expert in both areas, but that such
courts should not be exclusively State or
Federal, but that the system should be a
mixture of both meeting the demographic and
caseload demands in the particular areas of this
Nation. Judge Russell was of the view that the
system is developing in an excellent manner
and should not be approached as a “one size fit
all approach” but should be based on the needs
in that area.
oversaw a portfolio of over 10,000 open grants
in excess of % billion dollars.
The next speaker was the Honorable
Sheila Polk, Yavapai County, Arizona, County
Attorney and former Assistant Attorney
General, Arizona Attorney General’s office. In
addition she is Co-Chair and Founding Member
of Yavapai County Substance Abuse Coalition,
which is closely monitoring the potential
harmful consequences of decriminalization
and/or legalization in neighboring Colorado and
will do so also for the State of Washington. She
urged a reality assessment as to consequences
on youth and young adults of such changes in
policy and the law.
The final speaker for the day was Tanya
Morrison, Esq., grant specialist and author, who
spoke on the subject of achieving sustainability
of non-profit entities by having a subsidiary
business which generates income for the entity.
She spoke eloquently and persuasively on
“Community Investors – Making Money While
Making Social Change.
Establishing
Sustainability of Non-Profit Corporations.
Retired Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., the
National Executive Director, closed the
conference with the observation that the
increasing requests for comments and views of
the National African American Drug Policy
Coalition on major policy issues and laws
require additional financial support from its
Member Organizations, Chapters and individual
persons supporting its mission, objectives and
goals in the form of dues payments and
charitable contribution. He emphasized that
the time has passed simply for talk and protests
We must take action to bring about change,
noting that there is a pressing need for local
chapters to be active at the grass roots level in
bringing about changes in healthcare, our
criminal and juvenile justice systems and as a
result of their impact on education, job training
and employment and access to affordable
housing.
African Americans must put their
money into activities which will promote their
The Conference next heard from the
Honorable Denise E. O’Donnell, Director,
Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department
of Justice, the leader in the development and
implementation of data driven, research-based
criminal justice policy and sound grant
administration. She reported that in 2013 BJA
6
freedoms and opportunities and eradicate all
remaining vestiges of disparate treatment and
unlawful discrimination.
entire conference reduced to DVDs and to make
them available for sale at a modest price to
cover costs of reproduction, handling and
shipping, and the administrative costs in
processing orders, to make the entire set of
DVDs for this 10th Anniversary Summit
Conference available to the attendees and any
interested citizen who sees this Newsletter on
our website for a total of $75.00. Orders may
be submitted now to Ms. Rosalee Morris,
Administrative Assistant, National African
American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. c/o Howard
University School of Law, Holy Cross Hall, Room
400. 2900 Van Ness Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20008. Only a limited number of DVDs is
currently being made to test the market
demand.
Thus, if you are interested, you
should immediately submit your Order now.
The DVDs will be shipped to you within 30 days
after July 1, 2014.
We note three (3) significant
developments with reference to this Summit
Conference.
A Catholic High School in
Baltimore, Maryland on one day made a field
trip to Washington, D.C. to attend this Summit
Conference and to gain a perspective of the
importance of the issues being dealt with as to
their future. Here is a group picture of that
innovative approach to exposing our youth to
these concerns:
Our Spring 2013 Annual Conference
was held April 17-20, 2013 and had as its
Theme: “Taking Action to Prevent Alcohol and
Drug Abuse and Violent Crime, Treating
Related Mental Illness, and Facilitating Fair
and Equitable Healthcare, Criminal and
Juvenile Justice Reform in the United States of
America.” Among the principal speakers were
Dr. Donald R. Vereen, Jr., M.D., M.P.H.,
Director, Community Academy Engagement
Prevention Research Center, School of Public
Health, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor,
Michigan and Former Deputy Director, Office of
National Drug Control Policy, The White House,
who spoke on “A Public Health Perspective on
Drug Usage in America;” the Honorable R. Gil
Kerlikowske, then Director, Office of National
Drug Control Policy, The White House, who
gave a comprehensive presentation on “The
National Drug Control Policy of the United
States = What Will Be the Priorities for the
next Four Years? What Will Be the Major
Challenges and Difficulties to Overcome?; and
Dr. H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., CAS,
FASAM, Director, Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment, SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, who as a Luncheon
Further a large contingent of Army ROTC cadets
attended the Summit Conference on each day
and frequently there were as many as 20 cadets
sitting listening with great attention. Finally, a
number of college and graduate students in the
behavioral sciences attended several of the
sessions. We intend in the future to schedule
our future Annual Spring Conferences at a time
which will encourage even more college,
graduate and professional school students to
attend from the Historically Black Colleges and
Universities in Maryland, District of Columbia,
Virginia and North Carolina as complimentary
registrants, provided we can get substantial
sponsorships to cover our expenses in providing
them with complimentary registration for the
conference.
In view of the outstanding substantive
presentations made by recognized experts in
the field and top level government officials, we
have decided to have the videotape of the
7
Speaker, gave a thorough presentation on
“Future Direction of Drug Treatment Under the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA) and Implementing the Requirement
for Parity as to Treatment for Substance Abuse
and Mental Illness.” Another principal speaker
was the Honorable Robert Listenbee,
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, who spoke on “The
Future of Juvenile Justice in America and Areas
Requiring Improvements both in the Federal
and State systems.”
requirement for educational counseling on the
harmful effects of its usage? How should the
Government deal with prescription drug abuse
and synthetic drugs?” The Moderator of this
not=button panel was Judge Arthur L. Burnett,
Sr., Retired, National Executive Director, and
the Panelists consisted of Eric Sterling,
President, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation,
Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, Open
Society Institute; Jasmine Tyler, then Deputy
Director of National Affairs, Washington Office,
Drug Policy Alliance; Stanford “Neill” Franklin,
Retired from Bureau of Drug and Criminal
Enforcement, Maryland State Police, Executive
Director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition,
and Jesselyn McCurdy, Esq., Legislative Counsel,
D.C. Office of the American Civil Liberties Union.
There were a number of panels on
major issues with outstanding presenters. A
Panel on “Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology,
Counseling and Social Work Concerns of Today
in Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Potential
Actions to Stop the Tide,” included Dr. William
B. Lawson, M.D., Ph.D., PFAPA, Chair and
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences, Howard University, College
of Medicine and Hospital; Dr. Beverly J.
O’Bryant, Ph.D. , LPC, NCC, NCSC, Dean of the
School of Professional Studies, Coppin State
University, and Past President, American
Counseling Association; Dr. Benson George
Cooke, Ed. D., Professor, University of the
District of Columbia and then Immediate Past
President, Association of Black Psychologists,
Inc.; and Rhonda M. Chargois, Esq., Attorney
and Vice-Chair, Houston Chapter, National
African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc.
A third dynamic panel, presided over by
Clarence Edwards, Former Chief of Police,
Montgomery County, Maryland and President,
National Organization of Law Enforcement
Executives, dealt with another very hot button
issue in America today = “Law Enforcement Use
of Stop[ and Frisk Authority to Reduce Gang
Involvement and Violence in Drug Trafficking
and Gun Control.” Panelists included Vincent
H. Cohen, Jr., Principal Assistant United States
Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office,
Washington, D.C.; Andrew Fois, Deputy
Attorney General for Public Safety, Office of the
Attorney General of the District of Columbia
and former Assistant Attorney General in the
United States Department of Justice; and
Professor Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, Assistant
Professor of Law, David A. Clarke School of Law,
University of the District of Columbia, and
prominent author on Fourth Amendment issues
and jury trials.
Another panel dealt with one of the
most controversial issues facing this Nation:
“How Can We Achieve Needed Reforms in Our
Drug Laws and Policies in the United States?
What Adjustments Should Be Made To Achieve
A Balanced Approach? Should Marijuana be
placed in a Lower Schedule under Federal Law,
should recreational use be permitted, and
should Medical Marijuana Usage be
sanctioned by Federal Law? Should first time
arrest for possession of small amounts of
marijuana be treated as an infraction with a
Another Panel which drew considerable
attention and interest was one which focused
on “Alcohol and Drug Abuse on College
Campuses and Consequences of Date Rapes
and Assaults, with Special
Emphasis on
Student Populations at Historic Black Colleges
and Universities” whose moderator was Austin
J. Edwards, J.D. Candidate at Howard University
8
School of Law, May 2015 with several college
students, followed by a presentation by
Shannon B. Taitt, MPA, Public Health Analyst,
Division of Services Improvement, Center for
Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA, who
spoke on the role of SAMHSA in promoting and
implementing evidence-based programs to
improve prevention and reduce drug addiction
and dependency at Historic Black Colleges and
Universities.
experience
and
recommendations.
had
many
valuable
This Annual Conference was also
videotaped in its entirety and a block of DVDS is
currently being prepared in a limited quantity
for sale at a reasonable price also of $75.00 for
the entire set. If a purchaser wishes to obtain
the DVDs for both the 10th Anniversary Summit
Conference of April 6-9, 2014 and the 2013
Annual Conference of April 17-20, 2013 we are
offering a discount as a package deal price of
$125.00 for both conferences.
Again, we
emphasize that we are starting with only a very
limited supply to test the market for these
DVDs, and thus you should submit your Order
now in connection with both of these
Conferences to Ms. Rosalee Morris at the
address indicated above.
Another significant presentation was
one by Dr. Carl L. Hart, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience in the
Department of Psychiatry and an adjunct faculty
member of the Department of Psychology at
Columbia University, and Research Scientist in
the Division of Substance Abuse at the New
York State Psychiatric Institute, who shared
with our attendees his views on the question:
“Does the Science Support a Different
Sentencing Structure for Crack Cocaine and
Powder Cocaine or Should Crack Cocaine and
Powder Cocaine be Treated Identically? He
persuasively presented his views that
scientifically there is no difference between the
chemical composition of crack cocaine and
powder cocaine and no justification for
punishing crack cocaine any more seriously than
punishing an individual for a powder cocaine
offense.
National Executive Director Honored
At The White House as Outstanding Advocate
on Drug Law Policy.
On March 7, 2014
Retired Judge Arthur L. Burnett, sr. was
honored in all day proceedings by the Office of
National Drug Control Policy as one of ten (10)
outstanding Advocates on Drug Law Policy from
throughout the United States from over 200
individuals considered. The narrative for his
Award in the 2014 ONDCP Advocates for Action
publication reads: “Retired Judge Arthur L.
Burnett, Sr. is being honored as an Advocate for
Action for his role in beginning the National
African American Drug Policy Coalition
(NAADPC) program for youth drug prevention.
Judge Burnett designed and implemented a
program through which African American
professions visit schools and talk to young
people about the harmful effects of drug use on
individual health and academic success. Under
his direct leadership the NAADPC works 7 days
a week to prevent youth drug abuse and alcohol
abuse across the country. NAADPC provides
tutors, counselors, and mentors from a coalition
of African American professionals numbering
over 1,000,000 men and women. Judge Burnett
personally appears in schools across the country
Finally, it is significant to note that
there were also interesting and thoughtful
panels on “Ending the School Discipline to
Prison Pipeline and Initiating Programs to
Reduce Truancy, Suspensions and Expulsions,
and Drop Outs and involvement in Juvenile
Delinquent Behaviors”; “The Future of Drug
Courts – Integrating Culture into Drug Courts
and Criminal Justice Treatment Programing;”
and
“Implementing
Effective
Re-entry
Programs to Reduce Recidivism, Increase
Public Safety, and Involve Fathers in the
Upbringing of Their Children as Responsible
Fathers Preventing Juvenile Delinquent
Behaviors.”
The panelists on theses panels
were all very knowledgeable with hands-on
9
to provide inspirational talks about avoiding
youth alcohol and drug use.
His talks
emphasize the value of good citizenship and the
potential for individuals from humble
backgrounds to be a part of the American
dream.
In the course of his work, Judge
Burnett also provides expert advice on drug and
juvenile delinquency judicial issues to members
of the House of Representatives and the
Senate.”
Following opening remarks from
Director R. Gil Kerlikowske, his Award was
presented by Michael Botticelli as Acting
Director after which Judge Burnett made brief
remarks as to his commitment and passion for
working with youth of America to prevent the
waste of human talent and ability caused by
drug abuse and alcoholism in this Nation.
National Executive Director Addresses
Minority Individuals Planning to Attend Law
School:
On April 5, 2014 Judge Arthur L.
Burnett, Sr. was a special keynote speaker at
the First National Diversity Pre-: Law
Conference and Law Fair held in Washington,
D.C. to an audience of over 100 individuals
contemplating going to law school this coming
Fall or soon thereafter.
He came before them to stress that
notwithstanding the press publicity that there is
a glut on the market of too many lawyers, this
assertion is not accurate. He stressed the need
for minority lawyers and others to meet the
needs of those individuals living below the
poverty line and even in the lower middle class
in the public interest to deal not only with
criminal and family matters as prosecutors and
defense lawyers to eliminate unconscious bias
and unlawful discrimination in those areas but
to serve these individuals with entitlements to
social security, veterans’ benefits, disability
claims and legal issues faced by these
individuals which now are ignored.
He
stressed that lawyers in these areas can make
up in volume the high attorney fee hourly rates
one reads about in the press for lawyers
representing corporate interests and the
wealthy or well-off client.
He stressed that
there is a crying need for lawyers of diverse
background who understand the culture and
values of people living in poverty and in the
bottom half of the middle class and who can
serve their interest at a reasonable lawyer fee
and still make a decent living, serving the public
interest and improving the quality of life for all
of our residents in this Nation.
He also provided them with some
“bread and butter” advice on how to study and
The formal presentation followed Director
Kerlikowski’s concluding remarks as the
Director, with the Acting Director Michael
Botticelli thereafter formally presenting the
Certificate of Award to Judge Arthur L. Burnett,
Sr.
10
do well in law school based on his years of
experience as a law school professor both at
Howard University School of Law and at the
Columbus School of Law of Catholic University,
that learning the law and what it means to
practice law is more than memorization of legal
principles, and must also include using one’s
analytical skills and creativity in applying legal
principles to solve a given factual situation to
the benefit of the client, to extent permitted by
the law and creative genius of the lawyer in
crafting his or her arguments and what justice
demands.
behavior, which leads to them becoming adult
criminal offenders, and the cycle repeats itself
where the child as a young adult meets his
father in prison. This Commission is needed to
come up with recommendations to change this
repeated behavior across generational lines. In
our written statement, we stressed that the
Commission should not just focus on the needs
of the child, but also on the needs of these
young fathers, and especially those returning
home from prison, and now want to change, to
prepare them to be responsible fathers to break
the cycle of repetitive spawning of children
without parental guidance and instilling of
positive values for human life and relationships.
Finally, we stressed in our written statement
and orally at the hearing itself that the molding
of the character and the social values of the
child should be a shared responsibility of both
parents, regardless of the relationship between
the biological father and mother. The father
should be equally involved with the mother in
molding the character and values of the child.
Where practical and within the economic
means of both parents, each should be able to
spend quality time with the child and have
equal access and opportunity to influence the
child’s development.
National African American Drug Policy
Coalition, Inc. Provides Testimony Before the
District of Columbia City Council.
The
Coalition presented a written statement and
gave oral testimony by the National Executive
Director urging the creation of a Commission on
Fathers, Men and Boys.
In our written
statement we observed: “In family law cases, I
had experience with many women who had 3or
4 children by 3 or 4 different males, none of
whom were involved in the lives of any of these
children. I also had experiences where many
men called as witnesses in criminal cases would
testify in terms of my baby’s mom as if the
woman was merely a vessel or test tube to get
the baby here, but was providing no financial
support for the baby or quality time in molding
that baby’s character and personality.
The
male father would testify as if the woman was
merely an instrument to satisfy his sexual drive
and to procreate a child, but had no
involvement with the child after the child
arrives in this world. We are told in the written
existing data that as high as 7 children out of
every 10 in African American households are
born without a father in the house and involved
with the rearing of that child.
We need a
Commission to change the cultural dynamics of
male=female relationships in creating children
who then grow up without any significant
parental guidance or molding of positive
character traits and personality, and then
become school discipline problems, suspended
or expelled where they get in juvenile delinquent
The U.S. Department of Justice
Clemency Initiative.
The U.S. Attorney
General has established the following criteria
for considering inmates in Federal Prison for
recommendation to the President for
Clemency:
1. Inmates who are currently serving a
federal sentence imprison and, by
operation of law, likely would have
received a substantially lower
sentence if convicted of the same
offense today.
2. Are non-violent, low-level offenders
without significant ties to largescale criminal organizations, gangs,
or cartels?
3. Have served at least w0 years of
their sentence.
11
4. Do not have a significant criminal
history.
5. Have demonstrated good conduct
in prison; and
6. Have no history of violence prior to
or during their current term of
imprisonment.
aggressive in striking or engaging in what some
have called the pre-emptive strike, thus leading
to felony criminal charges. It has also led to the
internalization that African Americans have to
live in two different worlds and perhaps suffer
more anxiety and depression because of the
mistrust and the need to navigate in life’s
relationships with this duality always
permeating their thoughts and their reactions in
encounters with other individuals, especially of
other races and nationalities. Indeed, these
feelings may lie at the heart of community
mistrust of law enforcement, the refusal to
cooperate with law enforcement, and the
attitudes about snitching, and avoidance of jury
duty if at all possible. African Americans are
always on guard, putting up a protective shield,
because of this history and the culture of
subrogation, and on the watch for unconscious
and implicit biases in their relations with
persons of other races and nationalities.
The National African American Drug
Policy Coalition, Inc. gives its total commitment
to this project and urges each of our Member
Organizations to be as supportive as it’s
financial and human resources will permit.
National Executive Director stated in a response
to President Rowe, the “mission of the National
African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. is to
promote a sense of pride, a positive work ethic,
a desire for self-determination and a striving for
educational excellence to prove that Black
Americans can excel at everything and be
outstanding leaders in advancing the quality of
our civilization in the 21st Century. We must
overcome the devaluation of ourselves and
refute the powerful negative stereotypes and
prove that we are capable of achievements to
the same level of people from any other race or
national origin. Emotional emancipation means
complete freedom – in body, mind and spirit.
The National Coalition from time to time
receives communications from prisoners or
members of their families seeking guidance on
how to take advantage of this initiative. The
National Coalition headquarters’ staff has
several law students serving as Research
Assistants and they will review the information
submitted and where the above criteria appears
to be met, we will refer the matter to ACLU
Office in the District of Columbia to one of its
attorneys to follow up with the inmate to
determine further facts to represent to the
Attorney General, if the representations to be
true in meeting the above criteria.
Association of Black Psychologists
Emotional Emancipation Initiative.
The
National African American Drug Policy Coalition,
Inc. has received a most important
communication, dated May 1, 2014 from the
President of the Association of Black
Psychologists and on behalf of Community
Healing Network, Inc.
In that letter Dr.
Taasogle Daryl Rowe, Ph.D. and Enola Aird, Esq.
on behalf of Community Healing Network, Inc.
cogently note: “For nearly 400 years, we have
been fed toxic lies about our history, worth, and
value as people of African ancestry. Lies about
our beauty, intellect, and humanity. These lies
are all rooted in one lie: the lie of Black
inferiority. That lie was devised to justify the
enslavement, colonization, and subjugation of
African people in the United States and around
the world.
… It is also at the root of our
devaluation of ourselves.” In the experience
of the National Executive Director as a presiding
judge for 31 years hearing cases, this sense of
inferiority also bred the emotional response of
resistance to authority and assault on police
officer cases of young Black men being
Should Imprisonment for Crimes be
Placed in Control of Private Companies by
Contract or should this Deprivation of Liberty
be a Pure and Function solely for a
Governmental Entity? Some thoughtful people
have concluded that liberty is so precious, that
12
only a Government Agency should be in control
of depriving a person of it. They assert that
private prisons are one of the pre-eminent civil
rights concerns of our time. They argue that
the despicable profit motive of these companies
leads to some of the most abusive and
inhumane conditions in this country, which
disproportionately harms Black and Brown
communities due to the discriminatory policies
of the failed War on Drugs. It has recently
been brought to our attention that three
companies – Scopia Capital, DSM, and Amica
Mutual Insurance – have divested nearly $60
million from leading private prison companies
CCA and GEO Group. They assert that this
development signals a turning tide against
private prisons, observing that until recently
only churches and universities have divested
from the industry.
The ultimate question is
whether the people of this Nation should
demand
a
Constitutional
Amendment
prohibiting private prisons and mandating that
all prisons be run by government agencies and
be a pure governmental function. We would
appreciate hearing your views on this subject as
we are considering whether to make such a
project one for our educational and advocacy
role as the National Coalition serving as a united
body
of
National
African
American
organizations concerned with reforms in our
criminal and juvenile justice systems.
treatment, over 37 percent are referred by the
criminal justice system.
The authors there noted that while drug
courts may be a better justice system option
than incarceration, they are still a justice system
approach to a public health issue. They also
claimed that drug courts were not the most
effective way to help people who are struggling
with addiction, and in many ways, only serve to
“widen the net” of United States criminal justice
control, which then stood at about 7 million
people either incarcerated or on probation or
parole.
The enactment of the Affordable Care
Act and its requirement for parity for treatment
for substance abuse and mental illness is
supposed to be a response to this concern. But
in 2014 a serious question has been raised
about the availability of resources by way of
health insurance plans and available personnel
and patient based resources, including inpatient treatment beds.
There are serious
questions of what resources are available under
Medicaid for treatment of substance abuse and
mental illness issues, and a concern that far too
many people are warehoused in our jails and
prisons for nuisance and minor offenses
attributable to substance abuse and mental
illness. There is also the further question as to
what treatment is available to the homeless,
even veterans who do not find their way to
Veterans Hospitals, but merely wander the
streets.
A writer of a recent article in US News &
World Report April 29, 2014 observes that there
are 2.7 million persons in the United States with
serious mental illness.
Provisions of the
Affordable Care Act, along with the 2008
Mental Health Parity Act, represent the latest
attempts to provide preventive services and
comprehensive treatment for mental health
that is to be equivalent to that provided for
physical health. The law makes mental and
behavioral health treatment one of 10 essential
benefits required in new insurance policies sold
on the federal health exchange as well as to
patients on Medicaid. But coverage of care for
disorders including schizophrenia, depression,
How A Growing Dependence on Drug
Courts Impacts People and Communities. The
Justice Policy Institute in March 2011 published
a Report raising the question whether
America’s reliance on drug courts is an
ineffective allocation of scarce state resources,
observing that drug courts can needlessly widen
the net of criminal justice involvement, and
cannot replace the need for improved
treatment services in the community. It then
asserted that of the nearly 8 million people in
the United States reporting needing treatment
for drug use, less than one fourth of people
classified with substance abuse or a
dependence on drugs and/or alcohol receives
treatment, and for those who do receive
13
bipolar disorder, childhood behavioral disorders
and addiction are far from assured for all
Americans.
However for now, healthcare
coverage is rife with state by state disparities,
and within states, attempts to include it from
almost non-existent to a variety of creative
experiments with Medicaid coverage. Once
people are screened and diagnosed, mentally ill
persons and their families, may still run into
shortages of mental health providers and
treatment facilities and gaps in insurance
coverage. And there is the further problem of
a number of States opting out of coverage by
Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and the
availability of mental health care and substance
abuse treatment for persons under Medicare.
It thus appears that we will have considerable
problems in achieving real parity for substance
abuse and mental health treatment as need
under the Affordable Act and we will be faced
with substantial problems over the coming
years until a political consensus can be reached
as to a comprehensive and universal system for
treatment of mental health issues in this
Nation.
Fathers and Families Coalition of America, Inc.
with co-sponsors, National African American
Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. and Mental Health
America – D.C. Chapter July 21-23, 2014.
There will be a 3-day conference program held
in the Armour J. Blackburn Center on the Main
Campus of Howard University, 2397 Sixth
Street, N.W., July 21-23, 2014 focusing on
Policy, Practice and Proposed Legislation
impacting Fathers and Families.
Details
pertaining to Registration have been published
on the website of Fathers & Families of
America, Inc. and hotel recommendations will
be included in the near future.
See
www.fathersandfamiliescoalition.org. We are
encouraging early registration as we are
endeavoring to attract at least 250 attendees
and may have to cut off registration if that limit
is reached early in this process.
Early
Registration Fee through June 24, 2014 is
$125.00; Early Registration Fee after June 24 to
July 14, 2014 is $225.00; thereafter the
registration fee and at the time of the
Conference will be $350.00. The Institute will
involve several three (3) concurrent workshop
sessions in addition to several plenary sessions.
Texas’ Plan to test all State employees
for illegal drug usage. On Monday, April 21,
2014 the U.S. Supreme Court denied the
petition of the Governor of Texas to review the
federal Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
decision that the blanket plan to test up to
85,000 state government employees for drugs
was unconstitutional as written. The Eleventh
Circuit had suspended mandatory, suspicion
less drug testing of public employees until the
district court judge determined which workers
must be tested and who could decline under
the Fourth Amendment. The United States
Supreme Court in December 2013 had refused
to hear the appeal from a similar decision by a
federal judge in Orlando, Florida who struck
down a state law requiring applicants for
welfare benefits to undergo mandatory drug
testing.
Furthermore, we are endeavoring to
arrange for courtesy discount rates for
attendees at the Holiday Inn Georgetown and
at the Comfort Inn at 1201 13th Street, N.W.
which has an advertised room rate for 2
persons occupying the room of $219.00.The
Omni Shoreham Hotel at 2500 Calvert Street,
N.W. has a rate of $175.00. The Holiday Inn
Georgetown at 2101 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
has a rate of $173.00. More details will follow
in further communications.
Fathers & Families Coalition of
America’s Letter of Collaboration and
Expanding the National Coalition’s outreach to
more than 100,000 persons through its
Communication Network. In a “Dear Esteemed
Colleague” letter to its entire membership,
James C. Rodriguez, M.S.W., Ph.D. Candidate,
Chief Executive Officer and President states:
East Regional Fatherhood & Healthy
Families Summer Institute, sponsored by
14
“I want to extend my invitation on
behalf of Fathers & Families Coalition of
America (FFCA) [which] has hosted fifteen (15)
internationally attended Annual Nationally
Fatherhood & Families Conference. Since 2004
we have expanded with smaller summer
institutes formally known as ‘Fatherhood &
Healthy Families Summer Conference” that we
have hosted in Tucson, Arizona, four Indian
Country reservations to include Navajo Nation,
one of many FFCA Affiliates in the United
States.
on policy and the legislation that impacts
opportunities for practitioners to improve
services to children and families. Furthermore,
we have identified over 20 faculty members
throughout the United States who will join us
providing 50 minute sessions that will create
positive learning atmosphere to take the skills
and knowledge imparted to attendees back to
their community and implement or enhance
best practices.”
Those of you interested in attending
may
submit
questions
to
Washington_dc@fathersandfamiliescoalition.or
g or call 424-225-1323.
The summer platform has made a way
for others in our regions where we have
affiliates to participate when travel to our
national conference has been prohibited. We
have been allowed to host the “Fatherhood &
Healthy Families Summer Conferences at the
following locations: Columbia University –
School of Social Work, New York City; Elmhurst
College, II, Malcolm X College, Chicago, Il;
Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA; and twice in
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It is further noted that Judge Arthur L.
Burnett, Sr., in his capacity as National
Executive Director has participated in the
National Conferences of Fathers & Families
Coalition of America for the past three (3) years
as a principal speaker and panelist and in 2013
was given an Award by that organization as the
Outstanding Father of the Year.
 * * Mark your calendar and join
us July 21-23, 2014. We will take our efforts
for a conference for the first time to our
nation’s capital [in a] partnership with our
Washington, D.C. based FFCA Affiliate, National
African American Drug Policy Coalition. I am
looking forward to this collaborative with
Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., Judge-Retired, National
Executive Director of the National African
American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. FFCA has
already drawn the support from The White
House Office of Educational Excellence for
Hispanics and African Americans.
Invitation to Member Organizations to
Submit Comments and Views on Pending
Issues dealing with Substance Abuse, Mental
Health, Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice
Issues and Related Matters.
We invite the
views of your policy leaders so that the National
African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. as
the umbrella non-profit corporation will not be
speaking only for its leadership but also
reflecting in unison the views of a majority of its
Member Organizations and Chapters which
should carry far greater impact with the public
support for the positions we may take on these
matters in 2014. We request that you alert us
as matters come to your attention whether you
desire to submit any views on legislation at the
Federal or State level which may impact your
profession or career field on which we may be
requested to submit our views by Congressional
Committees or by their staff in communications
with them upon request, or on the State level
by way of oral testimony, or in submitting
written statements. On occasions we may also
FFCA will continue its ongoing
partnership with the Administration for
Children and Families to sponsor a unique panel
and several workshops centered on improving
outcomes for children through father
involvement and strengthening families. * * *
We use the platform at Howard
University in our nation’s capital to have a focus
15
get requests from State Legislators or members
of their staff since the National Black Caucus of
State Legislators is also a Member Organization
of the National Coalition.
our Member organizations and chapters for the
administrative and communication services we
provided them. Thus we established the
following structure on a Calendar Year basis:
National Executive Director Inducted
into the District of Columbia Hall of Fame, April
27, 2014.
The National Executive Director,
Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., Retired, was
inducted into the District of Columbia Hall of
Fame, at a formal ceremony held at the Liaison
Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C. with
Legacy Award in Law for his contributions to
improving the legal system and the
administration of justice over a 55 year history
in the legal field. He was recognized especially
for his innovations and leadership in the United
States Magistrate Judge system and his
contribution in innovations on the Bench of the
Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and
for the legacy he has created in the field of law.
 Member Organizations with
1,000 or more individual
members would pay annual
dues of $250; if less than 1,000
members, it would pay annual
dues of $150.
 Individual Chapters of which
there are now eighteen (18)
would pay annual dues of $150.
 Individual persons in the
professions represented by our
Member Organizations for 10
years and longer would pay
annual dues of $100; if less
than 10 years, that person
would pay $60 per year.
Administrative Matters: You should
conclude from this Newsletter that the volume
of work for the National Coalition has greatly
increased over the past ten (10) years and we
now have considerable influence on policy
issues affecting substance abuse and mental
illness, criminal justice and juvenile justice
reforms, and all of those areas impacted by the
laws and policies in these areas, such as
education, employment, access to affordable
housing, and workforce development with
reference to those re-entering our communities
from being incarcerated, and also for our youth
as an alternative to getting involved in the
underground economy of crime.
 All other individuals would pay
annual dues of $45.00 per year.
When sufficient revenue comes in from
these sources and other possible sources of
funding, it is the Plan of the Board to hire up to
two (2) full time administrative staff people to
respond even more timely to all the requests
we get for our views and input on issues as
reflected above.
We would still have the
assistance of Howard University staff persons,
but they must take care of their Howard duties
first and sometimes this result in unwarranted
and extensive delays in getting a prompt
response or action taken.
As a result in the Fall of 2011 the Board
of Directors voted to amend its By-laws to
establish a dues structure in connection with
opening up the National Coalition to individuals
joining the Coalition, without regard to race,
ethnic origin, nationality or other grounds
which have been the basis for unlawful
discrimination, who supported our causes, and
that to make such a dues structure credible, we
had to also impose a nominal dues structure on
Those organizations, chapters and
persons who decide formally to pay the dues
according to the above structure may mail a
check or money order to Ms. Rosalee Morris,
Administrative Assistant, National African
American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc., c/o
Howard University School of Law, Holy Cross
Hall, Room 400, 2900 Van Ness Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20008 or to, Judge Arthur L.
16
Burnett, Sr., Retired, National Executive
Director, National African American Drug Policy
Coalition, Inc. c/o Howard University School of
Law, Holy Cross Hall, Rooms 412-414, 2900 Van
Ness Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008.
Should you have any questions you may call Ms.
Rosalee Morris at 202-806-8600 or e-mail her at
rosaleem@gmail.com or call Ms. Mercedes
Hawkins at 301-466-4619 or e-mail her at
hawkinsm33@aol.com.
seeking Government Grants, many of which will
provide for sub-grantees, and only those
Chapters which are incorporated as non-profit
legal entities, and are in the process of seeking
their Section 501©(3) status as a tax exempt
organization entitled to receive charitable
contributions, will be considered as subgrantees under such umbrella grants which may
be awarded to the National African American
Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. We now have several
individuals with professional grant writing
experience who have come forward and offered
their services to the National Coalition. We are
even contemplating approaching some of our
Member Organizations to be partners in grants
we may seek. We contemplate over the next
year pursuing the possibility of seeking 8 to 10
grants, but we can only do so if the Member
Organizations and Chapters pay their dues
assessments and we have a substantial increase
in individual persons paying to become dues
paying and supporting members for what we
are now doing and hope to be able to continue
doing in the future in order to bring on at least
two full time administrative staff persons. We
also plan to seek aggressively Grants from
Private Foundations and Business Corporations.
But we can only do so if we have your strong
support. Furthermore, the National Coalition is
a Section 501© (3) and charitable contributions
to it are tax deductible. Checks and Money
Orders payable to “National African American
Drug Policy Coalition, Inc.” may be mailed to
Ms. Rosalee Morris, Administrative Assistant at
the address indicated in this Newsletter or paid
through our PayPal Account.
Chapter News Items
Prince George’s County Drug Policy
Coalition, Inc. to Sponsor “Empowering Future
Leaders” Scholarship Breakfast on June 19,
2014. This Chapter will hold its Third Annual
Scholarship Breakfast at the Clarion Hotel, 6400
Oxon Hill Road, in Oxon Hill, Maryland from
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The Coalition will award
15 Scholarships worth $1,000 each to high
school seniors and college students from
District 8 in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
These students have engaged in tutoring other
students in math and science, mentoring,
working in food pantries and nursing homes
and serving the homeless. Since 2012 the
Chapter has awarded $35,000 to students as
part of its mission to encourage educational
excellence and to influence youth not to
become involved in illegal drugs and juvenile
delinquent behaviors.
Administrative Advice to Chapters. We
now urge all of our existing Chapters to move
forward to incorporate as non-profit legal
entities within the State where the Chapter is
located, as the National Coalition plans to
embark upon a far more aggressive pace of
Thanks to our sponsors of the
10th Anniversary Annual Summit Conference
April 6- 9, 2014
17
Silver
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SPONSORSHIP OF SAMHSA
OF THE 10TH ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY SUMMIT CONFERENCE OF THE
National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. April 6-9, 2014
WE ALSO GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SPONSORSHIP OF
OPEN
SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS OF THE 10TH ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY
SUMMIT CONFERENCE OF THE National African American Drug Policy
Coalition, Inc. April 6-9, 2014
18
Bronze
WE
GRATEFULLY
ACKNOWLEDGE
THE
SPONSORSHIP
OF
ALKERMES
OF THE 10TH ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY SUMMIT
CONFERENCE OF THE National African American Drug Policy Coalition,
Inc. April 6-9, 2014
Arthur L. Burnett, Sr.
Vice President of Administration
and National Executive Director
Editor-in-Chief
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND OUR JOINTLY SPONSORED EAST REGIONAL
FATHERHOOD & HEALTHY FAMILIES CONFERENCE JULY 21-23, 2014 IN THE
ARMOUR J. BLACKBURN CENTER AT HOWARD UNIVERSARY AND ASSIST US TO
MOVE TO A HIGHER LEVEL IN OUR SECOND DECADE TO EDUCATE, ADVOCATE
AND INFLUENCE MORE EQUALITARIAN AND EFFECTIVE LAWS AND POLICIES TO
DEAL WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND CRIMINAL AND JUVENILE
JUSTICE REFORMS SO VITALLY NEEDED IN THIS NATION AND RESTORE FAMILIES,
FATHER RESPONSIBILTY, AND EFFECTIVE RAISING OF OUR YOUTH TO CLOSE THE
DOOR TO MASS INCARCERATION OF MINORITY YOUTH IN THIS NATION.
19