The crowd erupted with excitement and cried tears of joy as Miss Howard University 2008-2010, Kendall Isadore, was crowned and inducted into the Miss National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame 2009-2010. The National Black College Alumni Association (NBCA) Hall Of Fame Founda-tion, Inc. Competition of Black College Queens Pageant hosted 24 HBCU queens and took place Saturday, Sept. 26 in Atlanta, Ga.

The Queens Competition started off with a bang as the Black College Queens took the stage and performed an uplift-ing song and dance number to a gospel piece prepared by Neisha Folkes, a renowned choreogra-pher and alumni of Julliard and Alvin Ailey. Howard students stood out among the crowd dur-ing a solo performance of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” with their fists raised toward the sky, repre-senting the Howard tradition.

The Mistress of Ceremo-nies, daytime television Judge Glenda Hatchett of “The Judge Hatchett Show” kept the crowd entertained with her personal sto-ries about the NBCA, class, and positive energy.

“Judge Hatchett was great. She kept the pageant moving with-out any dull moments and kept us on our toes, I really enjoyed her,

“ said Mr. Bowie State University 2008- 2009 Bryant M. Stewart

This competition was a first for Isadore and Howard Uni-versity. The pageant, along with a host of other weekend events was sponsored by the National Black College Alumni Association Hall of Fame entitled, “HBCU’s…Still Relevant, Still Needed.”

The preliminaries for the competition began on Wednesday, Sept. 23 with all 24 Black College Queens from across the country,

presenting their speeches as apart of the Oratory portion of the competition, worth 35 points, the most out of all segments within the overall score.

The following night, Thursday, Sept. 24 was the Talent Showcase, where audience mem-bers were able to view the talents of all 24 participants prior to pag-eant day. The Induction ceremo-ny took place on Friday, Sept. 25 where the ‘Class of 2009’ participants were inducted

into the NBCA Hall of Fame.Some notable attendees

were the Rev. Bobby Jones, Em-manuel Lewis, and Ms. Donna Richardson-Jordan.

The competition was a tight race as the first 10 queens were picked to move on to the semifi-nals. The audience sat on the edge of their seats, patiently waiting on their queens to be called. Miss Howard University received a

Miss Howard Becomes Miss HBCU

CAMPUSHOWARD IS GOING GREEN. NEW BINS WILL BE PLACED ALL OVER CAMPUS TO HELP STUDENTS RECYCLE.

PAGE 2

NATION & WORLD

DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY INC., HELD A PROGRAM ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING. FIND OUT WHAT WAS DISCUSSED.

PAGE 4

EDITORIALS & PERSPECTIVES

FIND OUT WHAT THE HILLTOP THINKS ABOUT MISS HOWARD’S WINNING THE MISS HBCU PAGEANT.

PAGE 7

NotebookMonday’s

Underneath the 50-foot sky lit atrium of the Galleria at Lafayette Center, actor Blair Underwood accepted the Community Leadership award at the 10th Annual Community Leadership Awards Reception.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., organized the night to celebrate six leaders and activists.

During the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Week on Thursday, Underwood along with Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training Administration for the Department of Labor Jane Oates, were honored.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie Reed, Acting Director Annie Whatley, U.S. Representative Barbara Lee and members of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Calif. 9th District were also honorees of the night.

All six individuals were chosen for the award because of their commitment to public service and serve as role models for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

As Underwood accepted his award, he made sure to thank his parents, wife, and sister who were all in attendance.

“We have the highest rate of AIDS in D.C., and like I [said to.] some members of Alpha chapter Phi Beta Sigma when they came to the opening of the clinic earlier today, we have to stop believing that HIV is a disease that happens to other people,” said Underwood.

Todd Pilot, a graduate of Hampton University and a member of

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. attended the opening of the AHF Blair Underwood Health care Center event.

“Underwood is doing a great job as an AIDS activist for someone who does not have the disease,” Pilot said.

Along with presenting awards, Hennessy, one of the evening’s sponsors, donated a $66,000 check to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which will be split into two four-year scholarships. Eva Marcille, actress and winner of season three of America’s Next Top Model, presented the scholarship check. Hennessy also auctioned off signed bottles of the limited Edition Hennessy 44 for a third scholarship.

BY TRACY KINGContributing Writer

BY LAUREN GASPARDStaff Writer

All Photos by Zelena Williams - Photo Editor

Senior Kendall Isadore captured the Miss HBCU crown on Saturday Sept. 26 in Atlanta, GA as dozens of HU students

Brown Urges Students to Uphold Legacy

Alumnus and Premier of Bermuda, the Honorable Ewart Brown, delivered the 142nd Opening Convocation address in Cramton Auditorium on Friday Sept. 25, 2009. Premier Brown asked the Class of 2013 to question their purpose of attending “the Mecca”, while looking back to his Howard experience.

Before Premier Brown gave his speech, President Ribeau spoke about the importance of convocation, saying he believes that convocation is a chance to remind ourselves that Howard University will endure the obstacles and changes that may come ahead.

“Some things come and go but not Howard University. We are growing stronger and working diligently to remain true to our future,” Ribeau said.

Soon after Ribeau gave his remarks, Premier Brown took the podium. He expressed his gratitude and excitement to have been chosen to speak. Leading up to the core of his message, he spoke about the continuing Howard legacy that exists within his own family.

“In addition Mr. President, there may be two young men that may be here today, simply because they like the family scholarship that they receive every semester and have no intention on loosing it by being absent when their old man speaks on the college campus. They have grown up to my teaching the virtue of a Howard University experience, and not just a Howard University education. There is a distinct difference,” said Brown.

As Brown addresses his message, his children smile at him with delight. Continuing with the deliverance, Brown relays to the freshman the importance of sitting in the seat that they are in.

“The best message that I can leave with you today, is an expression that you may have heard under different circumstances. ‘Somebody is sitting in my seat.’ Today, I use that to trace a journey and to inspire to endless possibilities,” said Brown.

He reflected on some of the great Howard University alumni that have made great contributions to not only America, but also the world. Thurgood Marshall and Toni Morrison are just two alumni who, at some point in time, have sat in a seat that he once sat.

“This seat has many qualities, but I want to focus on three of them. It is a seat of reflection. It is a seat of preparation and it is a seat of commitment,” Brown said.

As Howard students

BY VICTORIA FORTUNEStaff Writer

INDEX Campus 2 Nation & World 4 Editorials &Perspectives 7 Hilltopics 8

This past Saturday the Bison (1-2) football team won their first game of the 2009 season 14-11 against the Georgetown Hoyas (0-4) in the second annual DC Cup game.

The team was led to victory behind a strong defense that forced three interceptions and two sacks.

“There were some things that we saw on film that we could take advantage of,” said head football coach Carey Bailey.

Senior defensive lineman Will Croner played the best game of his collegiate career. He recorded six tackles, two sacks and one interception. Arando Jamison and Lanny Kelly also recorded interceptions.

Senior wide receiver Brandon Sherman led the Bison in receiving. He hauled in four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.

This Saturday Oct. 3 the team will be playing at their home field, Greene Stadium for the first time this season against the Winston Salem State Rams at 1 p.m.

- Deontay Morris, Deputy Managing Editor

Photo Courtesy of Rodney Pierce

HU Bison Defeat the Georgetwon Hoyas 14-11

> See ISADORE, page 3

> See CONVOCATION, page 3

Photo Courtesy of Tracy King

Actor Blair Underwood was honored at the 10th Annual Community Leadership Awards Reception.

Actor, HU Student Receives Honor for AIDS Work

THE HILLTOPVOLUME 93, NO. 25 WWW.THEHILLTOPONLINE.COM

Monday, September 28, 2009

WEATHER7759

Tomorrow: 70

CONGRATULATIONS KENDALL ISADORE!

51 The Daily Student Voice of Howard University 1924Established

E&P PAGE 7

The Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake passionately preached about the abundance of anger that exists within the U.S.

“There are many people searching for something to be an-gry about often times they are to angry to love.”

Flake referred back and forth to Jonah 4:1-11 to reaffirm his conviction.

From families being an-gry about a domestic concern to children being angry at school or

about the nonexistent father in their life, Flake laid it all on the table.

“We are living in angry times. Some of the anger is ger-minated by those who are keeping us angry. We have to learn how to deal with this problem of anger.”

The Reverend often alluded to President Barack Obama and his ability to dust the challenges and angry criticism facing him off his shoulders. He asserted that there are a number of times the President may have been angry, however he manages to never let his anger show on the outside.

“What if Obama got mad every time a newscaster said some-thing about him? There are times in your life when you have to let the enemies in your life know that, ‘I rise on love and I rise on peace. Though I’m hurting right now and though I’m in pain, I will not let that get in front of me,’” Flake said.

As chapel wrapped up, Flake urged the congregation to sit and really think about what God wants his children to do in life.

“We have come too far to let anger destroy us.”

2 CAMPUS September 28, 2009

THE HILLTOP

Recycling Takes the Headline at Howard

BY VICTORIA FORTUNEStaff Writer

“But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew

that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to

live.”But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”

Jonah 4:1-4

Howard has launched a re-cycling plan just in time to paint the University green.

Currently all University dorms have recycling bins for paper recyclables, such as The Hilltop. Ac-cording to an e-mail by Associate Vice President of Administrative Services, Michael Harris, the plan to have bins for glass, paper, cans and plastic in all academic facilities on main, east and west campuses will gradually be implemented over the coming weeks.

While the bins are visible, their purpose is not. Bins that re-semble containers used to return library books, like the three that sit outside Founders’ Library, are in various locations around campus.

However, the bins do not bear any recycle symbols or words; and stu-dents have been spotted throwing trash away in the bins, unaware of their purpose.

For sophomore political sci-ence major Bradley Perkins, the re-cycling program is something that he is happy to see come to Howard but does not see how the program is working so far.

“I feel that it’s not effective because students were not notified of where the bins were placed and they are not visible,” he said. “We have waited so long and it’s not be-ing pushed to the maximum as far as PR around campus.”

A recycling launch event was held on Friday, Sept. 18, but few students attended. Approximately five student government leaders attended the event at the flagpole,

along with some by passers.According to HUSA Execu-

tive Vice President, Jerome Joseph, HUSA has asked Harris in an e-mail to hang posters telling stu-dents what they can and cannot put into each bin.

“We want to educate stu-dents because if you don’t know, you won’t recycle. We want to edu-cate the student body to know what to do,” Joseph said.

Grey bins are used for paper and newspaper; Pepsi, Co. bins are for plastic.

“Whenever I’m in Blackburn I put my Hilltops and whatever ex-tra papers I have in my room, in the bins,” Joseph said. “I have bottles in my room and I’m trying to wait until they put up bins in the Towers so that I can recycle them.”

Currently, only the East

Towers has a bin with visible recycling mark-ers for paper.

The university-wide e-mail from Harris said the support of the University will make this program more ef-fective and eventually other ideas on recycling will surface.

S o p h o m o r e public relations major Brittany Ireland has also been waiting for Howard to implement a recycling plan and in-tends on making use of the recycling bins.

“It’s hard not to use something that is a dire need in our com-munity,” she said.

BY CAMILLE AUGUSTINStaff Writer

Faraday Okoro - Photo Editor

Howard has a recycling plan for paper currently, but other bins are planned to come soon.

Bree Gant - Staff Photographer

THE HILLTOP

NEWS 3

The Hilltop Would Like to wish a Happy 21st Birthday to Jada F.

Smith!!!!!!(from m.o.p)

students to new heights.After the oral presentation,

the audience braced themselves for the announcement of the finalists that will move onto the final round. Miss LeMoyne-Owens College, Miss North Carolina A&T University, Miss Winston-Salem University and Miss Lincoln University of Pennsylvania were all announced first, leaving the audience with butterflies and anxiety as the last queen, Miss Howard University,

took her place with the rest of the queens in the finals.

After the three-part final round that contained talent, poise/projection, and presentation/image, the crowd once again patiently waited, as the judges prepared scores and delivered the envelope to the Mistress of Ceremonies.

The scores were in, placing Miss Lincoln University of Pennsylvania as second runner up, Miss North Carolina A&T as first runner up, and Miss Howard

University winning the grand honor of Miss NCBA. The crowd rose to their feet as Howard students rushed to the front of the room to greet their newly crowned queen.

Associate Director of Student Activities, Lisa Reeves was overjoyed with emotion shouting, “We did it” to the Howard family.

Isadore stood humbled by all of the support that she has received, in conjunction with the new crown she has been given.

“I plan to fulfill every

capacity of the duties that come with being Miss NCBA Hall Of Fame and look forward to the upcoming year, “ she said. “You know, we always talk about how much of a family HU really is, and just to look out and see all of them in the audience rooting for me, and praying for me, it was just such a memorable moment.”

All participants and attendees praised the NBCA for their well-orchestrated program, and congratulated Miss Howard

University for her historical win.LaDerrick Murphy, Mr.

Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, looks forward to the Mr. HBCU pageant that will take place at Lincoln next year.

“This pageant was beautifully put together. I am definitely thinking of new ideas to utilize for the future pageants,” he said. “All of the queens did significantly well, but Miss Howard University definitely did a magnificent job, and deserved her crown.”

First Time is a Charm for Miss Howard at Contestcontinued from FRONT, ISADORE

Convocation Speaker Inspires Class of 2013reflect on the legacy of “the

Mecca”, they were reminded that they also sit in a seat of preparation and commitment. Howard students must prepare to face the challenges of the world, while staying committed and loyal to the legacy of the Howard experience.

Brown spoke about his experience at Howard, specifically

the 1968 protest, leading to the creation of the African

American Studies Department. During his tenure as HUSA President, Brown was committed to making progress on the campus.

Brown urged young ladies to stay focused and not become distracted by young men and vice versa while attending Howard.

“On a very serious note, young ladies consider raising the

cost of your companionship. There are many other ways I could’ve said that. But I think you get the message. If there ever is a chance you have to choose between the social and the academic, choose the academic.”

Agreeing with everything stated in the speech, freshman marketing major Shantae Francois shares her thoughts on the address.

“I really enjoyed the speaker.

He said a lot of good things that can keep freshman like myself encouraged. I realized, that coming to HU, I expect to get an extensive education,” Francois said.

Concluding his address, Brown declares that the Class of 2013 will not use his seat for failure.

“Class of 2013, the baton, my seat, has been passed on to you. What would your journey

be? Where would you stand? We demand that you stand longer than we sat, and that you run faster than we walked…Live your dream,” Brown said.

Following the speech, the audience linked arms as the orchestra and choir lead them in singing The Alma Mater.

continued from FRONT, CONVOCATION

The last weekend of September usually becomes a paradise for readers all across the country, when some of the most prominent authors from around the world come to one location, the DMV area. With the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. and the Baltimore Book Festival in Baltimore, book-lovers from all over were in attendance for the opportunity to interact with various authors and presenters.

Organized by the Library of Congress, this was the ninth year the National Book Festival took place. There were thousands of people gathered on the National Mall and more than 75 famous and diverse authors, poets and illustrators.

Among them were John Grisham, author of “A Time to Kill” (1988) and “The Firm” (1991); David Baldacci, international author of “The Collectors” (2006); and Gwen Ifill, best-selling author of “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama” (2009). Ifill was also the honorary speaker at the Howard University Commencement this year.

The Library of Congress was created in the 1900s as a research facility to Congress, and it still is. It is known to hold the largest number

of books in the world. The Library of Congress prides itself on this event and boasts its ability to invite some of the most diverse “popular and engaging presenters” and writers in various genres such as: Children, Fiction & Fantasy, Poetry & Prose and History & Biography.

Even though the event was

crowded, attendees were able to hear some authors present some of their work in various pavilions. There were also opportunities for people to purchase the books of participating presenters and have them sign the books before they leave.

Twelve year old, Sardea

Abdul, was excited about the op-portunity to meet some of the pre-senters. “You had a lot of authors talking about what they wrote, how they wrote it, and the experiences in writing it,” she said. Abdul, a seventh grader at St. Johns Evan-gelist in Clinton, Md., was ada-mant on getting her book signed by

world renown James Patterson but left the event saying that there were too many people and the lines were long.

This year’s Distinguished Benefactor of the book festival was Target Corp. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were honorary chairs of this national event.

The Baltimore Book Festival was also this weekend, Sept. 25-27. Founder of the Black Arts Move-ment and renowned poet, Amiri Baracka, was among the attendees of this event, along with poets: Nik-ki Giovanni and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. This was the 14th year the festival took place and there were more than 100 exhibitors and booksellers a part of it. There were also book signings/readings, celeb-rity chefs, live music and food.

Some of the most talked about and promoted events of this festival are the poetry slams and readings. This allows local and re-gional authors to come and show-case their work and talent.

Both festivals were geared towards the celebration of literary arts, whether mystery and fiction or poetry and prose. This past week-end was filled with great opportuni-ties to interact, read and talk with some of the most prominent writers in the nation and world. Many are already looking forward to the next time “Book Festival Season” comes around.

4 NATION & WORLD September 28, 2009

THE HILLTOP

Leaders Demand Meeting With Zimbabwe The U.S. embassy and all its government facilities in South Africa have been closed following a security scare from an al-Qaeda faction on Tuesday. The al-Qaeda splinter group had telephoned to the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria on Monday warning of intended attacks of U.S. facilities in the country in response to the killing of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in Somalia - a most sorted after al-Qaeda member - by the U.S. commandos earlier last week. U.S. Embassy spokesperson, Sharon Hudson-Dean, refused to give any word on the allegations as the U.S. facilities are expected to resume with operations on Friday. The August 1998 suicide bombing of the American Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya by al-Qaeda left 224 dead and thousands injured.

Information from www.NewsFromAfrica.org

Gambia Leader Wins Lawsuit Three men are to be hanged in Tanzania for the murder of a 13-year-old albino boy who was killed for his body parts in the country’s northwest. Since 2007, at least 53 albinos have been murdered in the east African region and their body sold for witchcraft. Under the same sun, a Canadian albino rights group was pleased with the courts decision but pointed out that it was just one judgment out of the 53 cases. The government of Tanzania is however working on these cases and have opened at least 15 cases against suspects involved in the killings. They have arrested more than 90 people and among them four police officers who are linked to the murders or trade of albino body parts.

- Compiled by Marquis H. Barnett, Nation and World Editor

BY RILEY WILSONStaff Writer

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. held a program which focused on how people can help stop human traffickingBY Le’DIA J. SMITHStaff Writer

On the evening of Sept. 25 the Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosted an event in the Blackburn Digital Auditorium entitled, “In the Shadows: Abducted, Alone, and Unaware.”

Ending the sorority’s national week long initiative, Delta Week, the event was comprised of a free raffle, video presentation and a guest speaker surrounding the modern-day global phenomenon of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud and coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary bondage, slavery or debt, as defined by the U.S. Department of State.

This modern form of slavery is the third largest and the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, receiving $32 billion each year. At least 700,000 people are trafficked annually within or across international borders - 50,000 women and children trafficked into the United States each year.

Ericka Brownlee, a senior telecommunications management major, was one of the moderators

for the event. Her intended purpose was to inform the audience on the atrocity associated with human trafficking.

“A lot of times, we see prostitution as a victimless crime,” Brownlee said. “We must take an active role on a global level and join a certain effort to stop the dilemma.”

Brownlee has worked as a Foreign Affairs Campus Coordinator in the U.S. Department of State since the summer of 2008. Her duties include informing faculty and student organizations about global issues affecting the world, and identifying opportunities for U.S. Department of State outreach on Howard University’s campus.

The event started with a raffle that gave ten audience members the opportunity to attend a U.S. Department of State event in October. Following was a 20-minute clip from the documentary film by Worldwide Documentaries, Inc. entitled “Not My Life,” which was focused on modern-day slavery and global human trafficking.

Filmed in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, “Not My Life” was composed of several victims describing the story of their abduction and experiences while sex trafficking.

Guest speaker Abraham Lee works for the U.S. government to fight human trafficking. Sparked

by his experience living overseas in China and working with North Korean refugees, Lee currently works as a Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

His office provides the tools to combat trafficking in persons and assists in the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts domestically and world wide. In the past year, they have funded an estimated $79 million for 140 programs in 70 countries.

“Many people are trafficked into sex and labor trafficking by force, fraud or coercion,” Lee said. “This includes prostitution, brothels, child soldiers, sweatshops and the homes of diplomats in the Washington D.C. area. We must raise awareness and become advocates to end this form of slavery.”

Anti-human trafficking has been made a priority for the U.S. government. In 1998, the U.S. government launched a government-wide anti-trafficking strategy that includes prevention, protection and support for victims, and prosecution of traffickers, which led to the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), Lee addressed.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was voted upon unanimously by Congress

and enacted in October 2000 under the Clinton administration to protect victims of trafficking and to prosecute their traffickers. It has been reauthorized in 2003, 2005 and 2008.

In Hillary Rodman Clinton’s Secretary of State confirmation hearing on Jan. 13, 2009, she said, “We’re going to have a very active women’s office - a very active office on human trafficking. We’re going to be speaking out consistently and strongly against the discrimination and oppression of women and slavery, in particular, because I think that is in keeping with not only our American values, but American nation security interests as well.”

Each year, the U.S. Department of State releases a Trafficking In Persons Report, which focuses around increasing global awareness of the human trafficking phenomenon by shedding new light on various factors of the problem and to encourage foreign governments to take action against all forms of trafficking in persons.

In the 9th Annual Report that covers the period of April 2008 through March 2009, it states that 26 countries have enacted new anti-trafficking legislation. Each audience member received a copy of the report.

Senior political science major, Alyse Newhouse, believes that the event shed light on an international

problem that is often ignored.“All too often we hear about

[human trafficking], but we do not hear anything that makes us do something,” Newhouse said. “Not only does it affect the victims mentally and psychologically, but also it has a big impact on national security, spread of HIV/AIDS and the global economy.”

Stop Modern Slavery is a D.C. community group that seeks to gather the community to collectively fight modern slavery and human trafficking.

On Saturday, the organization sponsored a walk that was considered the largest human trafficking event in D.C. history.

Lee and Brownlee hope for people to continue to raise awareness to this global phenomenon.

“I hope the audience will form partnerships to raise awareness,” Lee said. “This includes going to a department chair and advocating for curricula on human trafficking. Forced multipliers can make an impact to raise awareness and advocate ending human trafficking.”

Brownlee also said that people should go abroad and tell students on other campuses to bring in speakers to educate their community on human trafficking.

DST Informs Students on Human Trafficking

Annual Book Festivals Attract Book-lovers to DMV

Oluyomi Sodunke- Staff Photographer

The book festivals in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore included authors and poets such as John Grisham (left), Gwen Ifill, Nikki Giovanni and Amiri Baracka.

THE HILLTOP

NEWS 5

CBC Hosts an ‘Evening Without Politics’

On Friday, Sept. 25, the National Minority AIDS Council held an “Evening Without Politics”, a reception for the Congressional Black Caucus to raise HIV/AIDS awareness and return it to the forefront of the nation’s agenda. The event was held at the Grand Washington Hyatt in downtown Washington, D.C. on the evening of the third day of the 39th Annual Congressional Black Congress Foundation Leadership Conference.

“In this tense political climate, it is heartening to see elected officials, community leaders and students come together to address HIV/AIDS,“ said Paul Kawata, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council.

The reception comes as HIV/AIDS prevention has become increasingly crucial to the sustainability of African American communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that HIV incidence rates in the United States are 40 percent higher than previously estimated, with over 55,000 people newly infected between 2003 and 2006. Half

of these infections occurred in black communities, while other communities of color account for 70 percent of new infections. According to the Department of Health, at least 3 percent of all residents in the District are living with HIV/AIDS.

However, the “Evening Without Politics” was aimed not just at Congressmen, community outreach organizations and the media, but also at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities to take a more active role in fighting the spread of the virus.

Howard University senior accounting major, India Clark, was among those honored at the event for her work with the National Minority AIDS Council’s Peer Education Initiative. Clark serves as the university’s Lead Female Peer Educator, ensuring that students on campus are taking steps to become aware of and prevent the disease, as well as help out the larger community.

“It’s not just about me, it’s about the entire program, and the HIV [and] alcohol outreach program through Howard University,” said India Clark, upon receiving her award. “I feel very proud to represent my school; and I represent for other people that we have here on campus that are doing this. It feels great and my work is going to continue.”

Clark says that while there is room for improvement for HIV/AIDS outreach on campus, it has given purpose to her program. The target’s demographic are freshmen, particularly women. Despite the fact that college students seem aware of the HIV/AIDS crisis, many college students are still heavily affected by the epidemic. Clark hopes the program

will change that. “If I go to Drew Hall,

they can tell me what AIDS is; they can tell me how to get Chlamydia. What they can’t tell me is how to avoid it.”

The strategy of the Peer Education Initiative, Clark explains, is to destroy that “invincible” mind set that many students have. Thus far, she has assisted an HIV/AIDS Information Day on campus, helped launch a Hip-Hop symposium in it’s recognition, and coordinated “Peer Talk” and “Ladies Room”, discussions about abstinence and safe sex.

Other activities allow students to meet people similar to them, who are infected with the disease. This is not an attempt to scare students, but to inform them that they too can be infected.

Representative James Clyburn (D-SC) supports these efforts at historically black colleges and universities and wants them to take a similar approach to what’s being done at Howard.

“The 103 HBCUs that I know exist...owe it to our future to develop as much connectivity among themselves as we can on this subject. Prevention is without a doubt the best way to go.”

Clyburn insists that all colleges need to get active around this issue and continue to stress that the disease is preventable.

Reminiscing on his own experiences, Rep. Clyburn believes awareness needs to begin as early as possible and action must soon follow. Clyburn also said lifestyles and stigmas account for the prolonged affect HIV/AIDS has had on college students and offered advice for the future.

“The best way to take that mindset on will be on college campuses. We can really get all the

taboo out of this and get people comfortable with asking certain questions.”

On the legislative front, Clyburn is hopeful Congress will take action towards the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Amidst concerns in Congress over the War in Afghanistan and a divisive health care debate, the representative said important steps toward prevention are being made.

Some insurance companies do not cover HIV/AIDS treatment if it is a pre-existing condition, while others rescind coverage upon infection. Clyburn says provisions in President Obama’s health care legislation against these measures are some of the “best things we can do for this malady and…will be big contributors to a better quality of life for people who live with HIV/AIDS.”

Angie Stone was the headline of the evening bringing

her soulful demeanor and electrifying energy to loosen up the mood. When the song “Brotha” was sung, Mayor Marian Berry graced the stage with his presence.

According to a 2007 statistic provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, “Blacks accounted for 49% of the estimated 35,962 AIDS cases diagnosed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In 2007, the rates of AIDS diagnoses decreased among blacks, but were still higher than the rates of any other race/ethnicity. The rate of AIDS diagnoses for black adults/adolescents were 10 times the rate for whites and nearly 3 times the rate for Hispanics.”

Although the statistics may be startling the National Minority Aids Council continues to make efforts to raise awareness of the impact of the deadly disease.

BY OLLIE MONTGOMERY & VICTORIA FORTUNEHilltop Staff

Photo Courtesy of Tracy King

The National Minority AIDS Council held an “Evening Without Politics” with the Congressional Black Caucus to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.

“I feel very proud to represent my school. It feels great and my work is going to continue.”

- India ClarkSenior accounting major

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EDITORIALS & PERSPECTIVES 7

THE HILLTOP

Miss Howard Crowned Miss HBCU in Atlanta

D a i l y S u d o k uDirections: Each row, each column and each 3x3 box must contain each and every digit 1-9 exactly once.

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This weekend, Miss Howard University grace-fully snatched the title of Miss HBCU from 24 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) pageant hopefuls at the an-nual National Black Col-lege Alumni Hall Of Fame Foundation, Inc. Com-petition of Black Col-lege Queens pageant, in Atlanta.

Kendall Isadore, Miss Howard Univer-sity 2008-2010, has consequently claimed a place for herself in history as not only the first Miss Howard to serve two terms, but also as Howard’s first winner of the national pageant.

Isadore’s win not only commemorates How-ard’s first victory in the na-tional pageant arena, but surprisingly also marks the first time Howard has ever

participated in the pageant geared towards HBCUs.

The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. Competition of Black Col-lege Queens has been tak-ing place for several years.

Howard’s participa-

tion in the pageant hope-fully worked to dispel some of our unfortunately “bourgeoisie” reputation, as representatives of How-ard competed alongside representatives of countless other HBCUs, vying for a chance to claim the cov-

eted crown of Mr. or Ms. HBCU - a task which our Miss Howard unflinchingly accomplished.

Kendall Isadore win-ning the title of Miss HBCU gives the rest of the How-ard University community something to be proud of;

her crown has pro-jected both herself independently, as well as the Howard Uni-versity name, into a nationally recognized, positive spotlight.

We as a univer-sity community should not only congratulate our Miss Howard for

her accomplishments, but also applaud ourselves as a university for our par-ticipation in an event where we stood with others and proved that Howard can reach out and work togeth-er with students from other HBCUs.

8 HILLTOPICS September 28, 2009

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RHYTHM

PRESENTS:

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Celebrity

Basketball

Game

Kick-off!

3- on-3

Tournament

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Oct 15

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begins Wed.,

Sept 23

Lower

Blackburn

Fee: $20 per

team

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STUDENTS

ARE

WELCOME

The

University

TeleCenter

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students

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For more

informa-

tion,

please

contact

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tor,

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Buy

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We Rise.

The National

Pan Hellenic

Council 2009

Week

Monday 9-28-

09: Not My

Child

Location: Cram-

ton Auditorium

Lower Level

Time: 7:00pm

Tuesday 9-29-

09: How Far

We Have Come

Location: Black-

burn Center

Forum

Time: 7:00pm

Wednesday

9-30-09: Up

from Us

Location: Locke

Hall, Room 105

Time: 7:00pm

Thursday 10-

1-09: He Ain?t

Heavy

Location:

Blackburn West

Ballroom

Time: 8:00pm

Friday 10-2-09:

An Indestruc-

tible Force

Location: Black-

burn Punch-out

Time: 12:00pm

Friday Night:

Glow in the

Dark Party

Tickets are on

Sale now in the

Cramton Box

Office: $10

Location: Black-

burn Ballroom

Time: 9:00pm

Saturday 10-3-

09: AIDS Walk

Washington

2009