As the DC Public Library opens its latest exhibition &ldquo\;Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See\,& rdquo\; the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library welcomes special guest s and contributors for a discussion on Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley\, and the impact of their story in the fight for Black lives today.
\nWe are honored to also host author and cousin of Emmett Till\, Reverend W heeler Parker Jr.\, who traveled with Emmett from Chicago to Mississippi. He will deliver a keynote address followed by a panel discussion featuring Ayesha Racsoe\, Denise Rolard Barnes and David Johns. \;
\nReverend Wheeler Parker Jr.
\n
Wheeler Parker Jr. \;is the first child born to
Hallie and Wheeler Parker in 1939 in Slaughter Mississippi. In 1947 the Pa
rker family relocated to Summit with the hope of providing better living c
onditions and a better education for their children.
Wheeler retur ned to Mississippi with his grandfather\, Moses Wright during the summer o f 1955. Traveling with him was his 14-year-old cousin Emmett Till. The eve nts of that week changed his life forever. The incident at the store in Mo ney\; the night of terror when Emmett was taken from the home and murdered \, and his return to Chicago alone and in constant fear for his own life\, still causes him to tremble and weep. He always believed he would see Emm ett again\, not being able to accept that the horrific corpse returned to Chicago was Emmett\, and he was able to cope by believing he was not dead. Wheeler is a survivor of this event that sparked the civil rights movemen t. He travels across the country speaking at Schools and Universities\, te lling his story of that night of terror and his survival. He challenges yo ung people to be the catalyst for change and make a difference.
\nWh eeler returned to Summit and completed his education in the Summit school system and graduated from ACHS in 1958. He enjoyed playing the drums in th e marching band and playing percussion in the orchestra\, basketball and f ootball\, and was a member of the track team. He attended Molar Barber Col lege and graduated in 1959. A Graduate of the School of Modern Photography \, he has attended Moraine Valley Community College\, C. H. Mason Theologi cal Bible School\, Global University\, and the Chicago Academy of Fine Art s. He also served two years in the US Army as a Medical Specialists.
\nElder Wheeler Parker Jr. accepted his call to the ministry in 1977\, or dained a Minister in 1978\; he served as an Associate Minister\, was appoi nted Assistant Pastor in 1992\, and appointed Pastor of Argo Temple Decemb er 5th\, 1993. For his outstanding contribution to the youth in the commun ity\, the Summit Park District dedicated its basketball court to him in 19 92. Also honored as Citizen of the Year\, by the Summit Chamber of Commerc e in 1992\, for his work in organizing the Summit Community Task Force\, a n Inter- Faith nonprofit community based organization\; where he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for ten years.
\nMarried for for ty-eight years to Dr. Marvel McCain Parker\, they have enjoyed traveling w orld- wide to places such as Africa\, Egypt\, Israel\, Italy\, France\, En gland\, Switzerland\, Germany\, Central America and the Caribbean. They pr ovide support to Calvary Temple School and Church in Belize City\, Belize.
\n&ldquo\;Learning to Lean\, Learning to Lean\, Learning to Lean on Jesus\, Finding more power than I ever dreamed\, learning to Lean on Jesu s.&rdquo\;
\nAyesha Rascoe
\n
Ayesha Rascoe is the host of \;Weekend Editio
n Sunday \;and the Saturday episodes of \;Up First. As host of the
morning news magazine\, she interviews news makers\, entertainers\, polit
icians and more about the stories that everyone is talking about or that e
veryone should be talking about.
Known for her southern roots and signature wit\, Rascoe has been a mainstay on NPR's programs since joining the outlet in 2018.
\nPrior to her role as host\, Rascoe was a Whit e House Correspondent. She covered three presidential administrations\, ga ining a reputation for her sharp questioning in the White House briefing r oom. Rascoe's reporting included a number of high profile foreign trips\, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi\, Vietnam\, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw\ , Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team\, she was also a regul ar on the \;NPR Politics Podcast.
\nShe's also guest hosted NPR' s \;It's Been a Minute \;podcast and radio show and been a frequen t guest on \;Pop Culture Happy Hour.
\nBefore joining NPR\, Rasc oe spent the first decade of her career at Reuters\, rising from a news as sistant to an energy reporter to eventually covering the White House. Whil e at Reuters\, Rascoe covered some of the biggest energy and environmental stories of the past decade\, including the 2010 BP oil spill and the U.S. response to the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011. She also spent a year c overing energy legal issues and court cases.
\nShe graduated from Ho ward University in 2007 with a B.A. in journalism.
\nDenise Rolark Barnes
\n
Denise Rolark Barnes is the publi
sher and second-generation owner of The Washington Informer\, succeeding h
er father\, the late Dr. Calvin W. Rolark\, who founded the newspaper in 1
964.
The Washington Informer is a multi-media organization serving the African American community in the Washington metropolitan area. Denis e is also president of Washington Informer Charities\, a non-profit organi zation that promotes 21st-century literacy and sponsors writing competitio ns\, internships\, scholarships and other events promoting African America n history\, culture\, and literature.
\nRolark Barnes Rolark Barnes
is past chair National Newspaper Publishers Association &ndash\; the Black
Press of America. She serves on the boards of several local non-profit\,
community and municipal organizations\, including the Washington Conventio
n and Sports Authority (Events DC)\, the DC Martin Luther King Holiday Com
mission\, National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund\, the Maryland\,
Delaware\, DC Press Association\, and the
Association for the Study o
f African American Life and History\, and the Pan African Collective. She
is also a member of Leadership Greater Washington\, as well as an inductee
in the D.C. Hall of Fame.
She is a native Washingtonian and a War d 8 resident. She is married and the mother of two adult sons.
\n
Dr. Amber A. Hewitt\, is the Chief Equity
Officer for the Government of the District of Columbia and the Director of
the Mayor&rsquo\;s Office of Racial Equity. In this role\, Amber advises
Mayor Bowser on policy decisions and works in collaboration with District
leadership and agencies to apply a racial equity lens across government op
erations. In 2018\, she was appointed by Mayor Bowser to the Commission on
Fathers\, Men\, and Boys. Dr. Hewitt has also served as a Director of Hea
lth Equity for a national health advocacy organization and health policy f
ellow in the Office of US Senator Cory Booker. Dr. Hewitt began her career
as a tenure-track professor teaching undergraduate and doctorate-level co
urses in counseling psychology and social justice at the University of Akr
on and Loyola University Chicago.
David J. Johns
\n
David J. Johns is known for his passion\, public policy acumen and fierce
advocacy for youth. He is an enthusiast about equity&mdash\;leveraging his
time\, talent and treasures to address the needs of individuals and commu
nities often neglected and ignored. A recognized thought leader and social
justice champion\, David&rsquo\;s career has focused on improving life ou
tcomes and opportunities for Black people.
On September 1\, 2017\, David Johns began his next life chapter as the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)&mdash\;a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian\, gay\, bisexual\, transgen der and queer (LGBTQ) people\, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC &rsquo\;s mission is to end racism\, homophobia\, and LGBTQ bias and stigm a.
\nIn 2013\, Johns was appointed as the first executive director o f the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African America ns (Initiative) by President Barack H. Obama and served until the last day of the Obama Administration in January 2017. The Initiative worked across federal agencies and with partners and communities nationwide to produce a more effective continuum of education and workforce development programs for African American students of all ages. Under his leadership\, the Ini tiative studied the experiences of students&mdash\;leveraged a partnership with Johnson Publishing Company (EBONY Magazine) to produce a series of A frican American Educational Summits (AfAmEdSummits) at college campuses th roughout the country\, where the only experts who sat in front of the Whit e House seal were students as young as elementary school. The recommendati ons that students made at AfAmEdSummits have been used to improve policies \, programs and practices\, including curriculum\, designed to ensure that students thrive&mdash\;both in school and in life.
\nPrior to his W hite House appointment\, Johns was a senior education policy advisor to th e Senate Committee on Health\, Education\, Labor and Pensions (HELP) under the leadership of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Before working for th e Senate HELP Committee\, Johns served under the leadership of the late U. S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). Johns also was a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow in the office of Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY). Joh ns has worked on issues affecting low-income and minority students\, negle cted youth\, early childhood education\, and Historically Black Colleges a nd Universities (HBCUs). His research as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow served as a catalyst to identify\, disrupt and supplant negative perceptions of black males&mdash\;both within academia and society. Johns is committed to volunteer services and maintains an active commitment to improve literacy among adolescent minority males.
\nJohns has been featured as an in fluential politico and advocate by several publications and outlets\, incl uding TheRoot.com\, NBC\, EBONY and The Washington Post. \; Johns is a prominent strategist who offers commentary for several media outlets incl uding BET\, CNN\, EducationPost and TV One.
\nDavid is currently pur suing his Ph.D. in sociology and education policy at Columbia University. Johns obtained a master&rsquo\;s degree in sociology and education policy at Teachers College\, Columbia University\, where he graduated summa cum l aude while simultaneously teaching elementary school in New York City. He graduated with honors from Columbia University in 2004 with a triple major in English\, creative writing and African American studies. Johns was nam ed to the Root100 in both 2013 and 2014\, selected as a member of the Ebon y Power 100 in 2015\, and received an early career award from Columbia Uni versity\, Teachers College in 2016. He has also served as an adjunct profe ssor at American University.
\nVann R. Newkirk II\n
Vann R.
Newkirk II is a senior editor at The Atlantic\, and the host and co-creat
or of the Peabody Award-winning Floodlines\, a narrative podcast about Hur
ricane Katrina and its aftermath. For years\, Newkirk has covered voting r
ights\, democracy\, and environmental justice\, with a focus on how race a
nd class shape the country's and the world's fundamental structures. Vann
is a 2022 Andrew Carnegie fellow\, and was a 2020 James Beard Award Finali
st\, a 2020 11th Hour Fellow at New America\, and a 2018 recipient of the
American Society of Magazine Editors's ASME Next Award.