Urban Views Weekly June 3, 2015

June 3, 2015 Scholar of the Week – Kidajah Johnson

Celebrating Your Success

2015 Scholars

2 Urban Views Weekly | June 3, 2015 www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

Letter ToThe Editor

VOL. 8, ISSUE 22

Urban Views Weekly, LLC6802 Paragon Place, Suite 410Richmond, VA 23230Office: (804) 441-6255Fax: (888) 439-2534

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Should a dream wedding mean delaying a down payment on a home? That’s a tradeoff many couples make these days.

The Knot, a wedding planning and publishing company, recently released its Real Weddings Study (http://www.xogroupinc.com/press-releases-home/2015-press-releases/2015-03-12-the-knot-2014-real-weddings-study.aspx) of average wedding costs for 2014, announcing a national average price tag of $31,213 (not including the honeymoon).

The average cost of a wedding is a good point of comparison against other major financial goals in a new marriage. Considering that the average price of a new home in America is now $200,000, that wedding estimate would cover the majority of a 20 percent down payment ($40,000). Despite getting married to my wife at the family home 15 years ago, I still remember the sticker shock for all the wedding costs – a whopping $10,000 for the entire event from tux, dress, flowers, food and honeymoon.

Here are a few suggestions to plan a wedding that

won’t break the bank:

Marry off-season. The most popular wedding months are now June and October, with longtime leader June losing a bit of ground. The most popular day to get married is Saturday, and nighttime is the most competitive time slot for receptions. Consider

a January wedding when the post-holiday rush is over – cold weather wedding venues are generally empty and priced to move. Weekday weddings have the potential added bonus of guests drinking less on a work night, and weekend brunch weddings can be served buffet-style with more reasonably priced

menu choices.

Find alternative venues. Farms, barns, warehouses, art galleries and, of course, family property can be cheaper venues for a wedding, but make sure such spaces are properly insured for alcohol, food or other party-related risks. Also, in many communities, party venues must be properly licensed and/or zoned to avoid fines or legal action.

DIY if possible.

The DealBy Jason Alderman

continues on page 4

Planning a Wedding on a Budget

Smart Beginnings Campaign Focuses on Health of Young Children

The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and the Virginia Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics have partnered to designate May 10-June 21, 2015, the time period between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, as an opportunity to focus on the health development of young children and to recognize that Smart Beginnings Start with Families: Healthy Children are Ready to Learn.

Both of these partner organizations develop and implement statewide strategies to help parents, family members and caregivers understand the importance of children’s early years, from birth through age five, as a critical time for building a strong foundation for good health and success in school.

Tips for Parents

It’s so important for parents to be active participants in their child’s early learning. After all, parents are a child’s first teacher! Here are some tips to cut and clip to the refrigerator or in another spot as a daily reminder of activities that profoundly impact a young child’s growth and development:

• Play with your child – Play is an essential way for children to learn about their world while developing emotionally, physically, socially and intellectually.

• Create and keep routines – Children do best when they know what to expect. Teach about rules by setting up daily routines, particularly for eating and sleeping.

• Read at bedtime – Curling up with your child to read helps your child settle down after a busy day and sets the stage for a lifelong love of reading.

• Have meals together as much as possible – Mealtimes with your children are great ways to spend more time together and share family values and traditions, while also teaching good eating habits and table manners.

• Take time to talk and listen – Talking to your baby or toddler stimulates brain development and builds a strong foundation for learning. Children feel important and gain confidence when adults take the time to talk with them often. Ask about friendships and activities that your child enjoys. Talk about your own best and worst experiences, and share stories from your own childhood.

• Show respect to gain respect – Children learn by example, so put the cell phone down and turn off the computer or TV to focus completely on conversations or homework with your child. When you cannot stop what you are doing, be honest and tell your child that you’ll be available as soon as your task is completed.

• Unconditional love – Talk through your child’s challenging behavior with guidance and love and without threats. Acknowledge your own mistakes when your child is old enough to understand and engage in conversation with you.

For more information about Smart Beginnings Start with Families: Healthy Children are Ready to Learn, visit www.smartbeginnings.org.

3 www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com Urban Views Weekly | June 3, 2015

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American folk singer, Phil Ochs popularized a song in the 1960s that encapsulated the anti-war sentiment prominent in the struggle for social and political justice at a time when there was bloodshed throughout the streets of U.S. cities nationwide. The song was titled “We Are the Cops of The World”. Here is an excerpt:

We’ll spit through the streets of the cities we wreckAnd we’ll find you a leader that you can electThose treaties we signed were a pain in the neck‘Cause we’re the Cops of the World, boysWe’re the Cops of the World

We own half the world, oh say can you seeAnd the name for our profits is democracySo, like it or not, you will have to be free‘Cause we’re the Cops of the World, boysWe’re the Cops of the World --- Phil Ochs copyright 1966

We stand on a precipice in 2015 within the social-political narratives of our time. We are caught like Prometheus between a rock and a hard place, the conflict between rational thought or reason, and power or violence. The conundrum we find ourselves bound by has some eerily familiar lines and commonalities with the narratives of the 1960s. We are a war-weary nation with an overstretched and exhausted military fighting for the freedom and liberty of people in foreign lands where the politics, culture and will of the people, within the regions where our military is “fighting”, are torn apart by ancient wounds, tribal and religious strife and civil war. The U.S. has interjected itself into nation states and regions without proper historical context or knowledge in the name of spreading freedom and democracy because “American Exceptionalism” demands it.

We always have “good” intentions. But as the old folks say “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” We have built that road to Hell in the Middle East. There are NO good

solutions. So, whatever we do now will be very painful and costly in both lives and treasure, as if we have not already spent far too much money and lost far too many men, women and children to a misguided, misrepresented and mindless campaign to accomplish what in the Middle East?

Our nation’s urban communities are struggling with epidemic dysfunction in the criminal justice system. Racial injustice, economic injustice, and continued systemic and moral

corruption in leadership bring up the ghosts of the civil rights struggle of the 1960s. We saw Black people beaten in the streets, assassinated in public for asserting their right to be treated with dignity and humanity. The Bloody Sunday attack in Selma, Alabama, covered by media sources and projected onto television sets across America, seared the consciousness of the American public, the white American public.

The more recent killings and shootings of unarmed Black men, recorded and posted to social media in the last few months, has once again slapped the unconscious and oblivious into the real world and brought us to a place of decision. We still need social justice reform. We have NOT come as far as we once thought. We, the people, must engage in setting the policy for our nation, through activism and whom we choose to represent us at every level.

Would our “knee-jerk” reaction to insert ourselves all over the world be different if we ALL had “skin” in the game? Let’s bring back the draft so the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of our legislators are also on the frontlines of the wars we fight. That would be as revolutionary as term limits on the U.S. Congress. We MUST decide can we afford to be the cops of the world?

Up Next Week: Daring or Dumbfounded to the Grads of 2015?

ViewPoints By Dr. T

Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Ph.D.Founder and Artistic DirectorThe Conciliation Project andAssociate ProfessorVirginia Commonwealth UniversityDrT@Margins2theCenter.comwww.theconciliationproject.org

We’re the Cops of the World?The Town of Bowling Green Kicks Off Its First Annual John Cephas

Piedmont Blues Festival

Couples with a flair for party planning,

decorating and cooking might be able to slash costs planning and executing their own event with minimal dependence on hired or volunteer help. From flowers to photography, wedding cake to wedding planners, check for affordable options. If a venue allows couples to supply their own flowers and decorations, it is wise to comparison shop. Consider professional photographers or skilled amateurs who meet your tastes and budget.

Use a gift registry to pay for the wedding. Couples can set up online gift registries that allow guests to directly fund honeymoon trips or specific expenses associated with the wedding.

Plan a destination wedding. Resorts around the world and well-known domestic wedding/travel destinations like Las Vegas or Hawaii offer wedding packages that blend a ceremony and vacation getaway.

Planning a winter wedding? Research options for a warmer climate or snowy destination at a ski resort.

Finally, be flexible. Some venues have cancellations, and if a couple is willing to put themselves on a waiting list and move quickly if they get the call, savings might be possible.

Before planning a wedding, it’s wise to start with planning finances. A meeting with a qualified financial advisor might help put wedding costs in perspective with other major financial priorities.

Bottom line: Dream weddings don’t have to put a couple’s financial life on hold. Consider real financial priorities first and build a smart wedding budget from there.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

continues from page 2

The first John Cephas Piedmont Blues Festival will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Bowling Green, Virginia. This event has been an initiative for the Bowling Green Arts Commission since last June, when a historical highway marker was dedicated to Cephas, the legendary blues guitarist and Bowling Green local.

John Cephas was born in Washington, DC, but reared in the Town of Bowling Green. Having a rich history of gospel and blues music in his family, Cephas developed a banjo-like technique of playing guitar. John Cephas and Phil Wiggins teamed up after meeting at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1976, and released several albums through German record label, L+R. Cephas and Wiggins enjoyed their breakthrough to American blues enthusiasts with “Dog Days of August”, winning the W.C. Handy Award for best traditional blues album in 1987. Cephas’ influence on Piedmont Blues was further recognized by The National Endowment For the Arts when he was presented with the National Heritage Fellowship award. Cephas and Wiggins went on to release over a dozen albums.

John Cephas died on March 4, 2009, in his home, just outside of Bowling Green; however, The Bowling Green Arts Commission hopes to keep

his legacy alive through the annual John Cephas Piedmont Blues Festival.

Beginning at 2:00 p.m. and going until 8:00 p.m. on the main stage, festivalgoers and blues enthusiasts will enjoy live music by various artists paying tribute to Piedmont blues, the genre of blues that Cephas is world-renowned for pioneering. Confirmed musicians include Cephas’ longtime partner and harmonica master, Phil Wiggins, MSG Acoustic Blues Trio, Piedmont Bluz Acoustic Duo, Eleanor Ellis, Rick Franklin, and Robert Flowers with Jay Summerour, Warner Williams and Eric Selby. Admission is free.

Performing artists will also be offering hands-on instructional workshops before live performances, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for longtime admirers to meet the artists, and for beginners to learn the fundamentals of playing instruments commonly used in blues music such as harmonica, guitar and banjo. In addition, attendees will enjoy a variety of food vendors, artisan crafts and activities for all ages.

Jo-Elsa Jordan, Town of Bowling Green; Events Coordinator [email protected] (804) 516-5045 www.johncephasfestival.com


Congratulations for Making Honor Roll!

You worked hard this school year and it’s paid off. Stay engaged. Enjoy a good

book. Have a safe and fun summer.

Jennifer L. McClellanVirginia House of Delegates

71st District

Authorized by Jennifer McClellan Paid for by Friends for Jennifer McClellan

Congratulations to our 2014-2015 Scholar of the

Week Graduates

6 Urban Views Weekly | June 3, 2015

2014-2015Scholars ofThe Week

Lamar Greene

of

Richmond

Community

High SchoolGPA: 4.8

College of Interest: Brown University in Rhode Island

Major Community Service: Boys and Girls Club, Folk Festival, and service through the Key Club

Strong Interests: Public Health Administration and Pre-Med

Favorite Activity: Yearbook

Miah Hardy

of

Richmond

Community

High SchoolGPA: 4.6

College of Interest: Spelman College

Major Community Service: Elementary School Tutor, Key Club

Strong Interests: History, African American history, volunteering

Favorite Activity: FBLA

Brianna White

of

Petersburg

High School

GPA: 3.7

College of Interest: Radford University

Major Community Service: Kiwanis Club Yard Sale, Golden Living Center, work with the Key Club

Strong Interests: Science, math, babysitting, Key club

Favorite Activity: Spending time with friends

Erica Pierce

of

Varina

High School

GPA: 3.7

College of Interest: Christopher Newport University

Major Community Service: National Beta Club, National Honor Society, Key Club

Strong Interests: Biology and law

Favorite Activities: Spending time with family, cheerleading, school

Daysia McSweeney

of

Richmond

Community

High SchoolGPA: 4.02

College of Interest: Clark Atlanta University

Major Community Service: Teacher Assistant, Student Tutor

Strong Interests: Social Work, working with children

Favorite Activity: Reading, dancing, listening to music and shopping

Toni Boyd

of

Petersburg

High School

GPA: 3.6

College of Interest: Christopher Newport University

Major Community Service: Work at a nursing home

Strong Interests: Pediatrics, art

Favorite Activity: Playing with her sisters, working, knitting, writing

La’Vonya Wilkerson

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 3.9

College of Interest: Old Dominion University

Major Community Service: Volunteering for church and other events

Strong Interests: Music

Favorite Activity: Music and volunteering

Douglas Smith

of

Open


College of Interest: Virginia Commonwealth University

Major Community Service: Work with his church, work at the library

Strong Interests: Information technology, politics, business

Favorite Activities: Church, robotics, Mayor’s youth academy

Chelsea Crawford

of

Richmond

Community


College of Interest: Spelman College

Major Community Service: Richmond SPCA, 10k events, MARSS

Strong Interests: Reading, volunteering, being a student ambassador

Favorite Activities: Mentoring and reading to students

Austyn Brown

of

Richmond

Community


Major Community Service: Church, Delta Sigma Theta, Highland Park Neighborhood Clean-Up, etc.

Strong Interests: Sports and Physical Therapy

Favorite Activities: Community Service and Cheerleading

Chynna Stewart

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 3.9


Major Community Service: Leaders Club at the YMCA, National Honor Society

Strong Interests: Nursing and English

Favorite Activities: Cheerleading, volunteering at Leaders Club

7 www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

2014-2015Scholars ofThe Week

Jasmine Cousins

of

Richmond

Community


College of Interest: University of South Carolina or University of Richmond

Major Community Service: Visiting the elderly, fed homeless, on her church’s hospitality committee

Strong interests: History, listening to music

Favorite Activity: Reading

Shakera Vaughan

of

Open

High School

GPA: 4.56

College of Interest: Cornell University

Major Community Service: Project Rousseau, Future leaders program

Strong Interests: Politics and derivatives in calculus

Favorite Activity: Volleyball, Building leaders of RVA

Grace Zipperer

of

Richmond

Community


College of Interest: UNC at Chapel Hill

Major Community Service: The Down syndrome Association, Blackwell Elementary Head Start Program

Strong Interests: Journalism, International Studies

Favorite Activity: Swimming, community service and spending time with friends

La’Vonya Wilkerson

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 3.9


Major Community Service: Volunteering for church and other events

Strong Interests: Music

Favorite Activity: Music and volunteering

Charisma Clark

of

Petersburg

High School

GPA: 4.0

College of Interest: Georgia Institute of Technology

Major Community Service: 5k run, feeding the homeless

Strong Interests: Computer engineering

Favorite Activity: Cheerleading and working

Tamia Morris

of

Richmond

Community


College of Interest: University of Virginia

Major Community Service: Minority Health Consortium, The Giving Heart, and the Special Olympics

Strong Interests: Fashion and Kinesiology

Favorite Activities: Work, Cheerleading and volunteering

Christopher Staten

of

Richmond

Community


College of Interest: University of Richmond

Major Community Service: Children’s Miracle Network, Newbridge Baptist Church

Strong Interests: Music, technology and football

Favorite Activities: Playing video games with friends

Chynna Stewart

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 3.9


Major Community Service: Leaders Club at the YMCA, National Honor Society

Strong Interests: Nursing and English

Favorite Activities: Cheerleading, volunteering at Leaders Club

Melissa Smi-therman

of

John Randolph Tucker

High School

GPA: 3.66


Major Community Service: ESL tutor, Henrico Doctor’s Hospital, Big Cats, etc.

Strong Interests: Nursing, traveling and community Service

Favorite Activities: Volunteering, traveling, and spending time with family and friends

Bryce Tyree

of

Richmond

Community


College of Interest: University of Richmond

Major Community Service: Church events, FeedMore, Toys for Tots

Strong Interests: Music, Long Distance running, Health Sciences

Favorite Activities: Marching Band, Swimming, Community Service

Jacqualyn Battle

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 4.4

College of Interest: Virginia Union University

Major Community Service: Boys and Girls Club, Carytown Crunches Cancer

Strong Interests: Psychology, criminal justice

Favorite Activities: Working at the Boys and Girls Club, Fashion

continues on page 8


Congratulations to all Richmond Public Schools

Honor Roll students!

to participants in

Richmond Police

youth initiatives

Have a safe summer!

RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT

CHIEF ALFRED DURHAM

www.richmondgov.com/police

Bre’Ana Coleman

of

Petersburg

High School

GPA: 4.16

College of Interest: Florida A&M University

Major Community Service: Walk for Hunger, Relay for Life, Nursing Home

Strong Interests: Science, Cosmetology

Favorite Activities: Band, Community Service, doing hair, babysitting her nieces

Brandon Dabney

of

Petersburg

High school

GPA: 3.61

College of Interest: Richard Bland College

Strong Interests: Chemical Engineering, manufacturing

Favorite Activities: Writing, Playing Chess

Kidajah Johnson

of

George Wythe

High School

GPA: 3.9

College of Interest: Hampton University

Major Community Service: Food Drives, SunTrust Marathon, Coat Drives, etc.

Strong Interests: Nursing and Business

Favorite Activities: Cheerleading, Softball, spending time with her sisters

Ze’Nya Butler

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 3.0

College of Interest: Norfolk State University

Major Community Service: Children’s hospital, feeding the homeless

Strong Interests: Physical therapy, sports

Favorite Activities: Playing basketball

Konstonza Peerman

of

Cosby

High School

GPA: 3.94

College of Interest: George Mason University

Major Community Service: Feeding the homeless, John Randolph Medical Center

Strong Interests: Health

Favorite Activities: Church activities, Step Team

Kyhiem Banks

of

John Marshall

High School

GPA: 4.3


Major Community Service: Volunteering with a Richmond 10k, helping to clean out a church

Strong Interests: Electrical engineering, landscaping and math

Favorite Activities: Studying, driving, football and basketball

Call: (804) 441-6255 Find out what we can do for your business.

Do you know a Scholar?

We’re accepting applications all summer.

We’re giving away $100.00 every week this summer.

Go to www.UrbanViewsWeekly and apply.

Your Name Hereof Your High School


It’s time for Fathers’ Day. Time to lift up fathers and fatherhood. And time to ask ourselves how we honor fathers in our daily lives, the work of our nonprofits, and through our business and public policies. News headlines spotlight the phenomenon “absent fathers,” seeking to assign blame for the many challenges we face as a country and as communities.

What’s often missing is a discussion of public policies and investments that can impact, support or disempower fathers, as well as the personal decisions we make that can be hard to overcome. We shy away from sensitive issues of how court-ordered child support and divorce decisions can keep fathers from fully engaging with their children, and with fulfilling their financial and emotional obligations. Many of us have perceptions of fathers that don’t match with reality. A father is a father even if he is not in the children’s home and is not the breadwinner. A father is a father regardless of whether he is gay or straight, employed, incarcerated, intelligent, handsome, rich, or poor.

Here’s our suggestion: Let’s focus on restoring the dignity of what it means to be a man and a father. For example, there are deep stigmas associated with incarceration and too many men – especially African American and Hispanic men – are incarcerated. The consequences and stigma of incarceration often continue for a lifetime and impact men’s immediate and long-term ability to father. You can’t vote, you can’t get a job, you don’t earn enough, your birth family may not welcome you back, your children may not know you. You may feel you don’t

have anything to “bring to the table.” Part of being a father is being a man. Supporting fatherhood includes, for example, supporting men’s ability to recover from incarceration, build new lives and engage their children.

As nonprofit leaders and concerned community members, we can encourage schools, nonprofits and faith organizations to look at their programs and explore if and how they are serving fathers – especially young fathers – and encouraging connections between fathers and their children. We can encourage the organizations and institutions we are personally involved in to become part of the solution.

In that process, we need to remember that fatherhood can be expressed in so many different ways. We can’t get stuck on the image of a traditional father: that can hold us back from helping real-life dads be part of their children’s lives. As donors, we can look for organizations – especially grassroots ones – within our communities that are active in supporting men in their roles as fathers. We need to support faith-based initiatives as well as those programs that support fathers who may not have or want a faith affiliation.

For Fathers’ Day, honor your favorite father by making a gift in his honor to an organization that supports fatherhood.

Copyright 2015– Mel and Pearl Shaw. Mel and Pearl Shaw position nonprofits, colleges and universities for fundraising success. For help with your fundraising, visit www.saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.

FUNdraising Good Times

Supporting fathers and fatherhood

Civic Beat

MARTIN’S Food Markets are joining with The Great American Milk Drive, the first-ever national program to help deliver highly desired and nutrient-rich gallons of milk to hungry families who need it most. According to Feeding America®, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, milk is one of the items most requested by food bank clients, yet there is a nationwide shortage because it is rarely donated. That’s because Americans are generous with canned and dry goods, but milk is much harder to donate because it’s perishable. Feeding America clients receive the equivalent of less than one gallon of milk per person per year.

From May 31 through June 27, GIANT/MARTIN’S customers have the opportunity to make a $4 donation, which equates to one gallon of milk to their local food bank. Tear-off pads will be available in the dairy section of all stores. Customers simply tear off one of the Great American Milk Drive scan-cards and bring it with them to any register to make their donation.

“Milk tops the list of food items requested by many of our regional food bank partners and local children and families in need are missing out on the essential nutrients that

milk provides,” said John MacDonald, director of marketing and external communications, GIANT/MARTIN’S. “In honor of National Dairy Month this June, when you pick up a gallon of milk for your family, consider donating one to a local family in need too.”

GIANT/MARTIN’S customers can also make a donation online. With a simple click of a mouse (milklife.com/give), it is possible to buy much-needed milk and donate it for as little as $5 to a family who does not have regular access to it. By entering your zip code, you can ensure that the milk is delivered from the farm to a local Feeding America food bank in your very own community. The Great American Milk Drive is made possible by the nation’s dairy farmers and milk companies.

“June is National Dairy Month, and this month The Great American Milk Drive is on a mission to bring more fresh, nutritious milk to children and families in need in local communities and beyond.” said Althea Zanecosky, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association registered dietitian. “We’re focused on powering the play of those in GIANT/MARTIN’S communities by encouraging much-needed, nutrient-rich milk donations.”

Martin’s Joins The Great American Milk Drive To Bring Milk To Local Food Banks

Easy way for shoppers to give a gallon of nutrient-rich milk to their local food bank


Scholar of the Week

One of the biggest inspirations in Kidajah Johnson’s life is her grandmother. “She was always big on helping other people,” Kidajah said. “I feel like that’s what makes me want to go out into the community and help other people. It’s not always about yourself.” One way she hopes to give back is by one day starting her own assisted living home. When her grandmother got sick, Kidajah did not like that she had to go to a nursing home. She said a better alternative would be an environment where people feel like they are at home and not in a hospital or nursing home.

In order to achieve her goal of owning her own assisted living home, Kidajah plans to major in nursing and minor in business. She said these two subjects will teach her how to not only run her business but also allow her to work in her own establishment. “Being responsible for the overall well-being for someone else’s loved one and also being trusted by that person’s family is something I will take great pride in,” Kidajah said. This fall, she will be attending Hampton University to further her education.

As she prepares for college and works toward owning her own business, Kidajah already gives back to the community while in high school. She worked with an AIDS awareness program on Brown’s Island, Growth for Change, different organizations for breast cancer awareness, food drives for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a coat drive in the winter. With

her cheerleading team, which she said is one of her favorite activities, she was also able to cheer on the sideline of the SunTrust Marathon. Along with cheerleading, Kidajah loves to play softball and spend time with her sisters. Kidajah is a member of organizations within the school such as the National Honor Society and the Team Advisory Board. While continuously staying involved, Kidajah currently has a 3.9 GPA in school.

She was even involved with the community when she was younger as a Girl Scout. “The sisterhood I made while in this organization is something I will cherish forever,” Kidajah said. She enjoyed meeting and spending time with the other girls, working on the different tasks and going on trips. Her family was also able to get involved and her aunt often went on camping trips with them. She hopes to keep this experience close to her and one day be a mentor for the young girls in the program.

After finishing her school and starting the assisted living home, Kidajah desires to travel the world. She wants to go to places such as the Bahamas, Hawaii and countries in Africa. She said these experiences can expose her to different perspectives and cultures that will enhance her creativity and knowledge. With so many aspirations, dreams and plans for the future, Kidajah said her “mind is racing, so eager to accomplish so much.”

By Janeal Downs

Kidajah Johnson

of George Wythe High SchoolGPA: 3.9

College of Interest: Hampton University

Major Community Service: Food Drives, SunTrust Marathon, Coat Drives, etc.

Strong Interests: Nursing and Business

Favorite Activities: Cheerleading, Softball, spending time with her sisters

$100 ScholarshipsAwarded Every Week

Do you know a High School Senior who can meet the following criteria?

1. Have a 3.0 grade point average or better

2. Participates in extracurricular community

service activities

3. Attends public school in Central VirginiaEncourage yourscholar to apply!

Go to UrbanViewsWeekly.com for application and details.

Scholar0of the Week™

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TanyaFree.com/Urban Views Weekly Poll

Half of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice” on abortion, surpassing the 44% who identify as “pro-life” according to a recent poll. This is the first time since 2008 that the pro-choice position has had a statistically significant lead in Americans’ abortion views. What’s Your Take? Would you consider yourself “pro-choice” or “pro-life”?

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Urban Views Weekly June 3, 2015

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Transcript of Urban Views Weekly June 3, 2015