LIMELIGHT – Richard Wilson: Bringing Jackie Robinson and African American art out of the shadows
April 1, 2013
Vaughn Powell
News Writer/Assistant
Limelight
Photos courtesy Richard Wilson
On April 12th, the movie biopic “42” chronicling the life of baseball great Jackie Robinson will hit the theaters. Artist Richard Wilson sat down with the DC Spotlight Newspaper to talk about the movie and one of his most recognizable paintings, “In His Shadow (Jackie Robinson)”, which depicts the memory of Jackie Robinson in art form. He also talks candidly about his hopes of painting the official portraits of President Barack Obama and [...]
LIMELIGHT – David Grosso: Heating Up the Battle for the District’s Future
November 1, 2012
Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Limelight
The campaign shop of D.C. City Council at-large candidate David Grosso is busy and dynamic—much like the man whose name is displayed in large red letters on the front window. On the inside, stacks of posters, campaign signs, and district maps line the four walls of the one-room building, an image that seems to evoke a military headquarters rather than a politician’s command center. For Grosso, the shop has come to symbolize what he hopes to [...]
The Top 10 (#9) Joe Brophy: Inspiring DC Kids through Sports and Poetry
September 1, 2012
Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Top 10 Most Interesting People 2012
Joe Brophy knows how to have fun. It’s in his job description.
Brophy is the elementary program coordinator for the major non-profit company DC SCORES, which supplies over 800 kids in the Metro area with after-school programs focusing on soccer and poetry. Brophy inspires as both a soccer coach and a poetry reader, and also leads summer camps and deals with the logistical side of the organization, including monitoring attendance and communicating [...]
Top 10 (#10) Ephonia Green: A Fairy Godmother for Military Brides
August 1, 2012
By Raquel Reichard
News Writer/Reporter
Top 10 Most Interesting People 2012
Limelight
Most brides-to-be fantasize about their wedding gowns. But for many military brides, the lustrous dresses that should put the finishing touch on their fairytale weddings will never leave the racks of their local bridal shops. Ephonia Green of Prince George’s County hopes to change that.
Green is the owner of Couture Miss Bridal & Formal, a full-service bridal boutique located in downtown Upper Marlboro. For five years, Green and her [...]
TOP 10 (#7) Linda Mahoney: Giving Harriet Tubman a home in the Capitol Building
August 1, 2012
By Raquel Reichard
Reporter/News Writer
Top 10 Most Interesting People 2012
The Nation
The Swinging Sixties was a decade of extremes that altered the lives of women and girls throughout the United States. As a high school student, Linda Mahoney had a front-row seat to the cultural changes taking place. She remembers feminists protesting against domestic violence and sexual harassment. She recalls the growing dissatisfaction among women regarding gender disparities in education, occupations, and salary. Now, more than four decades later, Mahoney [...]
LIMELIGHT – Susan Smith Blakely: Talking glass ceilings, motherhood and career game changers
June 11, 2012
By Marie Dandie, News Writer/Assistant
& Wendy Thompson
DC Spotlight Book Club
(Watch the Book Club video interview.) In a home located about 25 minutes from a major highway, in the heart of Great Falls, Virginia, resides a distinguished woman lawyer, who is just as welcoming as her home. Susan Smith Blakely, who has practiced law for 25 years in both private law firms and the public sector, has made it her life’s work to educate young women lawyers on [...]
Meet Iyanla Vanzant: New, transformed and back on top
January 5, 2012
By Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Limelight
On a rain-stricken evening in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Silver Spring, best-selling author, and inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant arrived at Metamorphosis Boutique for the signing of her latest book “Peace from Broken Peaces,” bearing gifts for her audience and wondering aloud how they can drive in such bad traffic on the Washington beltway.
This, of course, was the evolved Vanzant – the antithesis of Ronda Eva Harris, (her birth name) who grew up in a [...]
Michael Freeman: Bringing the globe within reach through photography
Photos: Courtesy Michael Freeman
December 1, 2011
By Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Limelight
British photographer Michael Freeman has published more than 120 books on photography and is best known for his work in Time-Life and Smithsonian magazines. He is often recognized for his signature style and spectacular photos from around the globe.
His storied career spans 40 years, beginning with his first book Athens, which was published by Time-Life in 1978. In December, Freeman will begin work on his latest book, a photo-tour of the famous [...]
Best Buddies: Don’t look back; leave it on the track
November 2, 2011
By Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Limelight
TANEYTOWN, MD — The motto that drives Special Olympics gold medalist Syd Lea, the 26-year-old cycling star from Taneytown, Maryland is “Don’t look back; leave it on the track”. The motto is taken from the film “Racing Stripes”.
Syd has seven gold medals from four trips to the Olympic Games. He took home three at the Special Olympics in Greece this past July, and in August, he became the first person in Team USA history to [...]
TOP 10 (#7) Dr. Charlene Dukes: How education leads to the White House
October 3, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
On September 21, 2011, when President Barack Obama assembled representatives from 15 of the best community colleges in the United States, Dr. Charlene Dukes, president of Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) was included on the list of invites. Her college, located in Largo, Maryland, was the only institution in the state to receive the high honor. Walking into the White House to meet with the president was a [...]
Top 10 (#4) John Prendergast: How a homeless boy taught him to live
September 30, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
As John Prendergast cautiously approaches a podium to speak at his many engagements, his uncertainty does not reflect his lack of confidence. Instead, Prendergast must time his approach to the podium to coincide with the end of the speaker’s roster. The roster is a list of his many accomplishments. The extensive list begins with his Enough Project, which he co-founded to end genocide and crimes against humanity.
Name-dropping is [...]
TOP 10 (#6) Helga Luest: Coming out of darkness, fighting for victims of violence
September 30, 2011
Ines Rivera
Investigative Reporter
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
Upon entering Helga Luest’s home, a collage hangs on a wall as though it were a greeting. There’s a childlike element in the cut-out eyes and exaggerated nose, contrasting colors and even the story written on its back. Luest points out that it’s created by a survivor of violence and trauma. The collage is both a symbol of the healing process and a representation of the human [...]