Norton to Host Black History Month Roundtable on Young Black Empowerment to Highlight Black Millennial Success Stories, Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will commemorate Black History Month by hosting a community discussion entitled, “Young Black Empowerment: A Roundtable on Millennial Success Stories” on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School Library (2427 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE). The Black History Month commemoration is open to the public. The roundtable will feature three District of Columbia residents: Tony Lewis, Jr. is an author and local community activist who works directly with children of incarcerated parents; Yasmine Arrington is a student at Howard School of Divinity and is the founder of ScholarChips, a nonprofit that provides college scholarships to children of incarcerated parents; and Clayton Armstrong, a Ward 8 resident and a graduate of Ballou High School, is a staff assistant in Norton’s congressional office and has received awards from organizations such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund and the Mayors Youth Leadership Institute.

“African American millennials are being heard loud and clear on today’s issues affecting young Blacks—from police abuse to college debt that disproportionately burdens them,” Norton said. “I believe that Thurgood Marshall students thinking about their futures will be inspired after hearing from and about local, young Black leaders who have experienced adversity and overcome it. I look forward to hearing these success stories and the discussion from Thurgood Marshall students afterward. Celebrating today’s young Blacks in memory of our historic figures, we believe, is a perfect way to commemorate those who came before them during Black History Month.”