News and Announcements

Member Edith Buffalow. Photo by the Washington Informer

Metropolitan A.M.E. member Edith Buffalow and her showroom, the Adobe Design Center & Showroom, were recently profiled in the Washington Informer.

African-American Merchant Thrives on H Street

The interior of the Adobe Design Center & Showroom. Owner Edith Buffalow is seen here.Some African-American merchants have disappeared from the H Street,NE corridor. Others such as Edith Buffalow forge on.

Here, at 654 H Street, NE in the showroom of her Adobe Design Center, Buffalow is surrounded by a collection of art and furniture she finds in far away corners of the globe. Her clientele has a taste for the unique which has led Buffalow to many exotic places, such as Indonesia, India, Taiwan, Mexico and South Africa. Read more. . .

On October 29, 2011, Rev. Aisha was honored with Whitman-Walker’s Partner for Life award at the 25th annual AIDS Walk Washington.

Rev. Aisha Karimah is a native Washingtonian, a graduate of Howard University and currently attends Wesley Theological Seminary. Currently, Rev. Aisha is Director of Community Affairs at NBC4, where she has worked since 1969. Over the years, she has championed community campaigns: Beautiful Babies Right from the Start, Drug Free Zones, It Takes a Whole Village, Make the Right Call, Camp 4 Kids, Get Healthy 4 Life and The NBC4 Health & Fitness Expo.

Official Press Release
AIDS WALK ANNOUNCES HONOREES
Awards, Recognitions for 28 People and Organizations Who Have Played  Prominent Role in Fighting Epidemic

WASHINGTON – The 25th annual AIDS Walk Washington will present its annual Courage Award along with Whitman-Walker’s Partner for Life and Community Service awards at the Walk on Oct. 29. In addition, the Walk will recognize “25 for 25,” 25 individuals who have played prominent roles in the fight against HIV/AIDS in DC. Bios of the honorees are attached.

“Each year, Whitman-Walker and AIDS Walk recognize individuals and organizations that are doing outstanding work in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Don Blanchon, executive director of Whitman-Walker Health, the producer and beneficiary of the Walk. “Since this is the 25th AIDS Walk, we also wanted to reflect on the history of the epidemic here in DC and recognize 25 people who played prominent roles in that history. We hope that, through these honors, we will inspire the community to continue this fight until it is won.”

This year’s Courage Award recipient is Justin Goforth, Director of Medical Adherence, Community Health, and the Gay Men’s Health and Wellness Clinic at Whitman-Walker. Whitman-Walker presents the Courage Award annually at AIDS Walk to a person living with HIV or AIDS who has shown remarkable courage and leadership in the fight against the disease.  Aisha Karimah, Director of Community Relations at NBC 4, will receive the Partner for Life award. NBC 4, a partner with AIDS Walk since 1987, will receive the Community Service award.  For more information visit www.aidswalkwashington.org.

Metropolitan member, Gwen Ifill will be one of the National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) inductees into its Hall of Fame, the organization’s highest honor. The ceremony will be held on January 26, 2012. Annually, NABJ pays homage to legendary black journalists who have made outstanding contributions to the industry. Over the last 19 years, NABJ has inducted over 45 journalists.

Gwen Ifill is moderator and managing editor of “Washington Week” and senior correspondent for the “PBS NewsHour.” She is also the best-selling author of “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” Gwen reports on a wide range of issues from foreign affairs to U.S. politics and policies interviewing national and international newsmakers. She has covered six Presidential campaigns and moderated two vice presidential debates. A native of New York City, Gwen graduated from Simmons College in Boston.

Steward Maurita Coley, executive director of Capital Area Asset Builders, a nonprofit leader in Greater Washington, received the 2011 Paul R. Dean Award from Georgetown Law School recently. She was the only female and African American among the five distinguished alumni cited as this year’s awardees by the law school.

The prestigious award is named for the late former dean and dean emeritus of the Georgetown Law School who was often referred to as the “founding dean of the modern Georgetown University Law Center,” Under his visionary leadership, the Law Center was transformed into one of the nation’s elite law schools.

Steward Coley’s Capital Area Asset Builders helps low-income communities build assets by becoming small business owners, homeowners, and improving their education, financial capability, and job skills. She is a former Partner with the Davis Wright Tremaine and the Cole, Raywid & Braverman law firms, and has served as an executive at BET Holdings, Inc.

As an alumna of Georgetown Law School (class of l981), Ms. Coley has served as Vice Chair of the African American Scholarship Endowment and co-chair of the first BLSA/Alumni Reunion Committee and is a former member of the Law Alumni Board. She received the Alumnae Award from Georgetown Law in 2006, and she currently serves as a co-chair of the Georgetown Law Class of 1981’s 30th Reunion Committee.

The Reverend Jonathan V. Newton is an Assistant Minister at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. He joined the church’s ministerial staff at the conclusion of the 61st Session of the Washington Annual Conference in April 2011.

Jonathan V. Newton was raised in the South Bronx, New York and attended New York City Public Schools until he entered ninth grade. At that time, Jonathan earned a scholarship to the Fieldston Ethical Culture School. After high school graduation he began college at Georgetown University and pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Unfortunately, his attention then shifted to fraternity parties, step shows, and Big East basketball games. This led to a much needed, though not entirely optional, academic sabbatical. But God had a bigger plan. Two years later, after enlisting in the Army Reserve and working full-time, Jonathan transferred to the University of Maryland College Park, where he graduated cum laude. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

Two years later, after having enlisted in the Army Reserve and working full-time, Jonathan enrolled at the University of Maryland College Park. He concentrated on studies and graduated cum laude. Jonathan subsequently earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Harvard Law School, and a Master of Divinity Degree from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

Since completing law school, Newton’s career has focused on public interest work. He was accepted into the U.S. Attorney General’s Honors Program at the Drug Enforcement Administration as a law clerk. After completing the clerkship, Jonathan returned to New York City to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County.

Jonathan, for the past fifteen years, has been employed in various positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has served as counsel to the Environmental Appeals Board and Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff. Jonathan was a Congressional Fellow in the office of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. (D-Michigan)

Despite those accomplishments, the most important thing to Rev. Newton is his salvation. He rededicated his life to Christ at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in 1997, where he served faithfully with several ministries including the Usher Board, the Lay Organization, the Ebenezer Bible Institute, the Men’s Season Planning Committee, the Men’s Praise Team, the King’s Men Choir, the Rejoice (Young Adult) Choir, and the Adult Choir. After accepting the call to ministry, Rev. Newton was appointed Minister to Young Adults in 2005, serving under the anointed leadership of Rev. Dr. Grainger Browning, Jr., and Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Browning. He was ordained Itinerant Deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2007, and Itinerant Elder in 2009.

Rev. Newton was appointed Ebenezer’s Minister to Young Adults, serving under the anointed leadership of Rev. Dr. Grainger Browning, Jr., and Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Browning. He was ordained Itinerant Deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2007, and Itinerant Elder in 2009.

He is the proud father of Theodore C. Newton, a student at Frostburg State University.

A favorite scripture of Rev. Newton is 1 Peter 4:8-10, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Read the Metropolitan Spirit’s Interview with Rev. Newton.

Congratulations to Steward Marie Johns, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, who will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters from Howard University during its graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2011.

Johns earned her BS and MPA degrees from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Trinity University in Washington, D.C. She is also the recipient of many awards in recognition of her business and civic leadership.

Morehouse College Announces 2011 Commencement Speakers

Who:   Charles J. Ogletree, Jesse Climenko Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Gwen Ifill, moderator/managing editor, “Washington Week,” Public Broadcasting Service

What:  127th  Commencement Exercises, Morehouse College

When:  Sunday, May 15, 2011, 8:00 a.m.

Where: Century Campus, 850 Westview, Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30314

Approximately 500 men of the graduating class of 2011 will get a treat on Sunday, May 15th when both noted attorney and author Charles Ogletree and award-winning journalist Gwen Ifill deliver the commencement address to the class. Both Ogletree and Ifill will receive honorary degrees.

Also receiving honorary degrees are Billye Aaron, member of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees and wife of baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and attorney Willie “Flash” Davis, chair of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees.

As the nation’s largest, private liberal arts college for men, Morehouse College was recently recognized as the number one liberal arts college in the nation by Washington Monthly; one of 45 “Best Buy” schools for 2011 by the Fiske Guide to Colleges; one of the nation’s Most Grueling Colleges in 2010 by The Huffington Post; the number three HBCU in the nation for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report; and as one of American’s Best Colleges for three consecutive years by Forbes magazine.

Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil and human rights non-violent leader; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General and director of the National Center for Primary Care of Morehouse School of Medicine; Shelton “Spike” Lee, filmmaker and president of 40 Acres & A Mule Productions; Samuel L. Jackson, Academy Award-nominated actor; Maynard H. Jackson, founder of Jackson Securities and the first African American mayor of Atlanta; and Nima A. Warfield, the first African American Rhodes Scholar from an HBCU.

**News Release of the Morehouse College Office of Communications  

Stefani Murray, daughter of Andrew & Janice Murray will perform with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Pre-Professional Residency prog, Sat, April 23, Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, 6:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, 12:00 noon, at Metropolitan A.M.E. Church we will honor the Rev. Johanna Newberry Green at an Appreciation Luncheon.

Rev. Johanna Newberry Green, a native Washingtonian, has over 35 active years in ministry. She has been a Sunday School teacher and the vice president and director of promotion & education for the Sarah Allen Missionary Society here at Metropolitan. Rev. Green is well known for her service with the YPD. She was the YPD Director here at Metropolitan, then YPD Director for the conference, and later on the Episcopal and Connectional levels of the AME church. Additionally, Rev. Green served 15 years on the Board of Trustees for Metropolitan.

Rev. Green retired from the Federal Government where she held progressively responsible senior level management positions in personnel, status of women’s affairs & EEO. Upon retiring, she decided to continue her education by obtaining a BA in sociology and an MA in religious studies from Howard University. She started Green Pastures Ministry, concentrating on spiritual retreats. Rev. Green worked for 6 years as the Protestant Chaplain at Georgetown University in Washington DC and received numerous awards and certificates for her ministerial work, including a certificate from Shalem Institute in Bethesda, MD.

God has blessed Rev. Green with 59 years of marriage to David Green. They have two daughters, Francine & Jackie; 6 grandchildren; and 2 great grandchildren. Rev. Green’s greatest joy is the time that she spends with her loving family. One of the family traditions is enjoying the delicious birthday cakes that Rev. Green bakes for each individual birthday celebration.

We are grateful that GOD has blessed Metropolitan with Rev. Johanna Newberry Green.

Tickets go on sale: March 6, 2011
Price: $25.00
Date: May 21, 2011

Please see Ellen Fizer, Rev. Marie Braxton or Rev. Aisha Karimah

Steward Marie Johns’ story is featured as part of the White House Black History Month series which highlights African Americans from across the Administration whose work contributes to the President’s vision for winning the future.

Marie Johns’ Story: Supporting Small Businesses and Growing the Economy

I come from a family of small business owners and have seen firsthand how important they are to strengthening our communities and our economy.  My grandfather owned a landscaping company in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.  As one of the first African-American owned business in Indiana to win a statewide contract, his company maintained the land around state highways.  After my uncle earned his degree in pharmaceutical science at Howard University, my grandfather helped him start his own pharmacy, which served the city’s African-American community.  Their spirit of entrepreneurship has always inspired me.  Following a 21 year career in the telecommunications industry, I founded my own small business: an organizational effectiveness and public policy consulting practice.

Read more. . .