Remember you read this here first: abolishing the death penalty is NOT the primary goal of Maryland’s anti-capital punishment brigade.

The next session of the Maryland Legislature is at our throats again. It hasn’t started yet (at press time), but already there is talk of repealing the death penalty.

Yes, you read that correctly: this state’s Democrats have legalized abortion and even made it so that a woman who can’t afford one gets one with YOUR tax dollars.

Now, those same Democrats are suggesting that we abolish the death penalty because, well, we would NEVER want an innocent person to be put to death.

To these folks, an unborn child doesn’t qualify as innocent, which is why they’re perfectly fine with thousands of them annually being sucked down a tube.

This is why, in the past, I’ve suggested that so-called “pro-choicers” have no part in the capital punishment debate. They haven’t a logical leg to stand on.

Devout Roman Catholics who are in accord with their Church’s position on both capital punishment and abortion— that both are reprehensible because life is precious— are more than welcome in the debate.

So-called “pro-choicers,” consider this an A and B conversation you need to see your way out of.

However, that is not the case. A Legislature dominated by pro-choice Democrats comfy with the practice of abortion will soon repeal a death penalty because they want to celebrate Be Kind To Murderers Week throughout the year.

I’ve already established that this bunch doesn’t want the death penalty repealed because of their reverence for life, whether in the womb or out. So what is their motive?

Why, to feel noble about themselves. Once the death penalty is repealed, trust me, they’ll be strutting around across the state with their chests thrust out.

But beware, people who value feeling noble about themselves can never be satisfied. Once the death penalty is repealed, they’ll want to feel noble about something else.

Life without parole will be the next to go. Those now against the death penalty will hop on this feeble horse and ride it into the ground, contending that life without parole is too harsh a punishment.

In case you think I’m making this all up, I would advise you that there are people who have already advocated banning life without parole.

Google “life without parole opponents.” I did, and here is the first thing my search engine pulled up:

“Life Without Parole: A Different Death Penalty.” That was from the October 26, 2012 edition of The Nation magazine. Third from the top was this: “Life Without Parole Is A Terrible Idea.” That was from the April 27, 2012 edition of The Daily Beast.

This one was next on the list: “Life Without Parole Is Worse Than The Death Penalty.” That was on the website: www.debate.org.

Once Maryland’s noble Democrats get life without parole outlawed, they’ll go after life WITH parole, using the same argument: that a life sentence, even with parole, is too lengthy and too harsh.

Yes, there are people that already support this. Google “life sentence opponents” and you might find this, from the Google news website: “Opponents of Life Sentence Facing Delicate Problem.”

So once Maryland’s noble Democrats— alas, there aren’t nearly enough Republicans in the state to cure their insanity— get life without parole and life with parole banished, what’s left?

How about prison sentences they consider too lengthy? Trust me, with some Democrats, any sentence lasting longer than 90 days is too lengthy.

How about prisons? Yes, there are people who believe society would be best served by not having prisons at all. What they would do with a Darrell Brooks, who torched the home of Baltimore’s Dawson family on October 16, 2002 and killed seven people?

Your guess is as good as mine. But you can be certain of one thing: many of the folks pushing for the abolition of prisons will be some of those same noble Maryland Democrats.

As I have reflected on the year that just ended, I noticed everyone doing their usual year-end lists of the biggest winners and losers of the year. I am not a big fan of these lists, but I will acknowledge that the black community was the biggest loser of 2012.

I have been very critical of how media-appointed groups/individuals have been labeled as the leaders of the black community. It’s funny that the media doesn’t use similar language when referring to the white community. Who are their leaders?

Last year, blacks gave President Obama 93 percent of their vote against Mitt Romney (black women voted 96 percent for Obama), yet they sat quietly by as Obama gave goodies to illegals in the country and created new rights for homosexuals. What did blacks get from Obama?

NAACP President Ben Jealous ignorantly went on national TV last week and stated that newly sworn-in U.S. Senator from South Carolina, Tim Scott did not support civil rights. It would have been more accurate to say Senator Scott does not support “liberal rights.”

Last month, I wrote about the band of black women who courageously took a principled stand in support of Obama nominating Susan Rice to be Secretary of State. Yet, these same principled women were so blinded by Obama’s race that they could not bring themselves to criticize him for throwing Rice under the bus.

A lot of these liberal groups and individuals complain that I am too critical of them. Interestingly, they never complain about the accuracy of what I write, just the fact that I put my thoughts out in the marketplace of ideas.

So, for my first column of the New Year, I will offer some suggestions to these groups, as to how they might begin to become more relevant in 2012.

One way the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) can begin to address the perception that they are a liberal professional organization is by providing at least two college interns to both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee every summer. These students should be given a stipend and living expenses.  I don’t want to hear any excuses about lack of funds for this. If their leadership is not willing to reach into their own pockets to help these students, then why should corporate America?  They need to be what they are looking for.

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) rarely if ever engages in public policy hearings on the congressional level. They have many engineers with relevant expert knowledge, but are totally invisible to most members of Congress. When New Orleans had the oil spill a couple years ago, why was NSBE not contacted and asked to provide a list of chemical and environmental engineers from their membership to testify before Congress? The answer is a very simple one: They have never positioned themselves as an organization that has any value to add to any public policy discussion. Furthermore, why do they not provide interns for their students with Congressional committees that have

oversight over various issues relating to engineering?  Can you imagine a student graduating with a degree in engineering plus internships with the private sector and a Congressional committee on their resume?

The NAACP, The National Urban League, The Congressional Black Caucus still can play a role in our community— if they decide to become relevant. They and other black professional groups can have a bigger impact within our community, but they must be willing to step up and not continue to be viewed as groups that primarily throw a lot of parties.

If any of these groups were hauled into a court of law and accused of being an effective advocate for their respective communities and staying true to their missions as stated in their bylaws— would there be enough evidence to convict them?

The problem with most of these groups is their leadership lacks creative vision for a 21st century world. They have become stale and dated. What does it say about these groups that they are all funded by white corporate America? Do they lack such relevance that their own community sees little value in them?

The days are over where you support a group because it has “black” or has “national in their name. In today’s tight fiscal climate, what is the rationale for anyone to support them? What is the deliverable? What is the call to action? What is the value they provide that can’t be obtained elsewhere?

If these groups don’t have a positive answer to these questions, then they are deserving of being on next year’s biggest loser list.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached at: www.raynardjackson.com.

One measly movie, yet so many reactions!

I spent part of New Year’s Day ensconced in a seat at the AMC theaters in Owings Mills, taking in Quentin Tarantino’s new film “Django Unchained.”

It was either see, Django or “Lincoln,” and I kind of know how the Lincoln story turns out. Not very well for Mr. Lincoln, as I recall.

I went to the 2:00 p.m. show, and at precisely two o’clock— big props to AMC management for punctuality— the trailers started rolling. However, I didn’t see every trailer, which brings me to musing number one:

Balti-morons, is it THAT hard to have your butts in a theater seat BEFORE show time?

At least four different times, I had to stand up and accommodate people arriving after 2:00 p.m. so they could take their seats. That’s annoying enough when it happens only once. After multiple times, it becomes downright infuriating. And it’s RUDE, darn it!

So, my fellow Balti-morons, proper theater-going etiquette requires that you be in a seat BEFORE show time. Would you want someone climbing all over YOU to find a seat?

Once the seemingly endless stream of trailers concluded, viewers finally got to see the movie. What was the very first graphic? (Which I was kind of happy to see, as it promotes literacy.)

“Texas, 1858. Two years before the Civil War.”

This brings me to musing number two:

 So the Civil War— or the War Between the States, or the War for Southern Independence, as the deluded guys in the Sons of Confederate Veterans euphemistically call it— started in 1860?

 No, it did not. It started in April of 1861 and ended in the same month four years later.

 Even Wikipedia managed to get this right. I don’t expect Tarantino, who directed and wrote the film, to be up on historical details. He is what he is, and he’s darned good at it: a writer and director.

 However, does that mean the guy can’t find someone to edit his scripts for accuracy, among other things?

This has been a pet peeve of mine for quite a while: the rise of the Internet age has spawned the notion that editors are no longer necessary. We have people that truly believe that since they have a computer in their homes and can plop their no-writing butts down in front of them, that they are, the next H.L. Mencken.

Go to any website on the Internet— especially those started by those who consider themselves “citizen journalists”— and you’ll find writing that is a hot mess.

On at least one website, President Obama was referred to as our “commander and chief.”

Anybody instructed in even fifth grade civics knows that the president of the United States is also the commander IN chief of the armed forces, not the “commander and chief.” I caught this on Google news just after another New York City subway passenger was pushed off a platform to his death: “Man fatally pushed on to subway tracks.”

I’m sure that whatever else the push was, it certainly wasn’t fatal. What was fatal was the man being crushed to death by an oncoming train.

Google later corrected the egregious gaffe, but the entire point to editing is to correct stuff BEFORE it’s posted, not after.

While Tarantino goofed on the year the Civil War started, I have to give him some props for letting his viewers know that French writer Alexandre Dumas, author of “The Three Musketeers,” was black.

Those viewers who had read J.A. Rogers “World’s Greatest Men of Color” already knew that. Those who did not, have now been informed.

I can only hope that members of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences— the folks that determine who wins or doesn’t win an Oscar— are informed enough about Samuel L. Jackson’s performance in “Django

Unchained” to give him the award they should have, but didn’t, give him for “Pulp Fiction.”

Jackson stole the show— as he usually does— with his portrayal of Stephen, the house slave obsequiously dedicated to his massa, Calvin Candie. Jackson even managed to outdo Christoph Waltz, who played Django’s partner King Schultz, and that takes some doing.

Academy members have a chance to do the right thing this time. Will they?

We’ll know when Oscar time rolls around.

President Barack Obama has won his re-election. That history is clear and the big question now is who in the Democratic Party will succeed him as president in 2016.  Prior to now, it was certain to be Hillary Clinton. However, when looking at the present situation doubts about her prospects rise to the fullest. Let’s consider a few current events that will certainly have consequence in the next presidential election.

During the race for 2004, candidate John Kerry spotted the talent of Barack Obama. He gave him a great debut by allowing him to keynote the Democratic National Convention. The junior senator from Illinois responded with one of his greatest speeches and from that point on the whole world knew the name Barack Obama. The two have been close ever since but make it a point to keep that friendship in the background.

With the exception of his criticism of the Vietnam War and other military endeavors, Senator Kerry’s slate is pretty clean. His strong point is foreign affairs and he chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. When Senator Barbara Boxer botched the attempt to pass cap and trade through the Senate, President Obama asked Senator Kerry to take over the stewardship of the bill. It failed, but President Obama’s trust of John Kerry was apparent. Foreign affairs and environmental issues are Senator Kerry’s strong suit.

Let me also disclose that I like John Kerry as a person. I did not support him in the 2004 campaign but he apparently holds no grudge. We held a convention in New Orleans in 2006 in support of the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

Senators John Kerry and Barack Obama were in the area at the time and we asked both to come and speak.

Obama did not respond at all but Senator Kerry immediately accepted. When I went to his hotel room to meet and escort him to the podium, he asked me to come in for a few minutes. He struck up a conversation and repeatedly stated that he thought I was a “good man.” I was humbled and reciprocated the compliment. From that point on, my opinion of him grew dramatically.

So here we are in 2013, and what is the political climate for Democratic presidential prospects? The 2008 primary race was divisive. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama camps fought bitterly. Obama won and to keep a good monitor on Hillary, he put her in his cabinet as Secretary of State. This was brilliant! She could not go off the reservation, as this would seem disloyal and conniving. She was locked into place.

In retrospect, her tenure at the State Department has been a complete mess. The world is on fire. Our initiative to better relations with Russia has totally failed. In fact, you would have to go back to the Cold War to find worse times. She said she was going to reset Russia. She might as well have thrown a brick at it. The Middle East and Africa are in upheaval and we can’t seem to get a foot forward in solving the raging issues. Revolution, civil war, insurgency and chaos are running rampant in those regions and we don’t have a clue. This all falls into the lap of Hillary Clinton.

The saddest situation involves Libya. The dictator has gone but so has any semblance of peace and governance. We failed our embassy there by turning our back on its safety and we are now trying to cover it up. It is so similar to the security failures of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania during the Bill Clinton administration. Just like then, they identify a fall person to put the blame on.

They insinuated it was Susan Rice during the Clinton administration and then, unbelievably, they threw her under the “bus” once again. It is Clinton 101. Hillary has failed and President Obama will call on his old friend and confidant John Kerry to clean up the mess. I believe he will, and in 2016 he will rise exponentially above Hillary.

He will also play a role in environmental issues such as the Keystone Pipeline and the Kyoto Protocol. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is also toast. The State Department will take full control of these issues. Administrator Jackson or “Richard Windsor,” as she mysteriously calls herself in secret and an illegal email account, has announced her resignation before the illegal emails are released via a court order. John Kerry will have a hand in cleaning this up also. In essence, he is going to be the “fix it guy.” By 2016 he will be regarded as a healer and strong leader. Goodbye Hillary.

Harry C. Alford is the co-founder, President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce® at: ebsite is: www.nationalbcc.org. To contact Harry C. Alford, email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Do you have a child who always completes class assignments on time, in an orderly, systematic fashion? Or does your child frequently have difficulty planning and implementing the steps necessary to finish their schoolwork?

If you answered yes to the first question it’s reasonable to conclude your child has good executive functioning. However, if the second question best describes your son or daughter poor executive functioning skills may be the culprit. Deficits in executive functioning are frequently overlooked as parents and teachers develop strategies to boost academic success.    

The National Center for Learning Disabilities offers the following definition and overview of executive functioning. Their recommendations can help students of all ages.

Executive function is a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action. People use it to perform activities such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space.

If you have trouble with executive function, these things are more difficult to do. You may also show a weakness with working memory, which is like "seeing in your mind's eye." This is an important tool in guiding your actions.

As with other learning disabilities, problems with executive function can run in families. It can be seen at any age, but it tends to become more apparent as children move through the early elementary grades. This is when the demands of completing schoolwork independently can trigger signs of a problem with executive function.

The brain continues to mature and develop connections well into adulthood. A person's executive function abilities are shaped by both physical changes in the brain and by life experiences, in the classroom and in the world at large.

Early attention to developing efficient skills in this area can be very helpful. As a rule, it helps to give direct instruction, frequent reassurance and explicit feedback.

How Does Executive Function Affect Learning?

In school, at home, or in the workplace, we're called on all day, every day, to self-regulate behavior. Executive function allows us to:

• Make plans
• Keep track of time and finish work on time
• Keep track of more than one thing at once
• Meaningfully include past knowledge in discussions
• Evaluate ideas and reflect on our work

What Are the Warning Signs of Executive Function Problems?

A student may have problems with executive function when he or she has trouble:

• Planning projects
• Comprehending how much time a project will take to complete
• Telling stories (verbally or in writing), struggling to communicate details in an organized, sequential manner
• Memorizing and retrieving information from memory
• Initiating activities or tasks, or generating ideas independently
• Retaining information while doing something with it, for example, remembering a phone number while dialing

How Are Problems with Executive Function Identified?

There is no single test or even battery of tests that identifies all of the different features of executive function. Educators, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and others use a variety of tests to identify problems. Careful observation and trial teaching are invaluable in identifying and better understanding weaknesses in this area.

What Are Some Strategies to Help?

There are many effective strategies to help with the problem of executive function challenges. Here are some methods to try:

• Take step-by-step approaches to work; rely on visual organizational aids.
• Use tools like time organizers, computers or watches with alarms.
• Prepare visual schedules and review them several times a day.
• Ask for written directions with oral instructions whenever possible.
• Plan and structure transition times and shifts in activities.

Managing Time

• Create checklists and "to do" lists, estimating how long tasks will take.
• Break long assignments into chunks and assign time frames for completing each chunk.
• Use visual calendars at to keep track of long term assignments, due dates, chores, and activities.
• Use management software such as the Franklin Day Planner, Palm Pilot, or Lotus Organizer.
• Be sure to write the due date on top of each assignment.

Managing Space and Materials

• Organize workspace.
• Minimize clutter.
• Consider having separate work areas with complete sets of supplies for different activities.
• Schedule a weekly time to clean and organize the work space.

Managing Work

• Make a checklist for getting through assignments. For example, a student's checklist could include such items as: get out pencil and paper; put name on paper; put due date on paper; read directions; etc.
• Meet with a teacher or supervisor on a regular basis to review work and troubleshoot problems.

Jayne Matthews-Hopson is a writer and academic advocate. Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are welcomed at: www.baltimoretimes-online.com. 

Homeownership rates have declined in America since the start of the economic crisis in 2008. Nowhere has the homeownership decline been more acute than in the black community. In 2004, 49.1 percent of black households owned their own home. In 2011, that number fell sharply to 44.9 percent.

This may be a now or never last opportunity for many blacks to be able to buy a house and realize the American Dream.

For a myriad of reasons, the homeownership rate for black Americans should not be expected to rise anytime soon— if ever. There are several reasons supporting this hypothesis:

• Housing prices have probably bottomed out. With the costs of homes beginning to rise, this will soon begin to place more and more properties beyond the financial reach of many black Americans.
   
• When the Federal Reserve Board discontinues measures that have held interest rates artificially low— which the Board plans to do in late 2014— interest rates will inevitably rise. This will also likely price many black Americans out of the housing market.
   
• Following the housing bubble that precipitated the economic downturn, requirements for mortgage loan programs were strengthened. Generally, higher down payments and lower debt-to-income ratios are required. This may increase the difficulty now for some blacks to qualify for mortgage loans.
   
• Given that many types of moderate-wage manufacturing jobs lost during the most recent economic downturn are not expected to reappear, blacks who held those jobs may only be able to find employment in lower-wage jobs. With housing prices on the rise, this will prevent them from qualifying for home mortgages or even consider some homes.
   
• College-educated blacks, who traditionally were able to qualify for home loans in the past, may soon find that college tuition— which continues to rise— and increasing college loan debt will become an expense preventing them from qualifying for a home loan.
   
• Increases in the population and the related "demand-pull" inflation could drive up the cost of land. This will add to the cost of new homes, the tax rates of existing homes and become another factor pushing the overall prices of homes beyond the reach of more black Americans.
   
• New and increased concerns about natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes may cause building codes to be strengthened by governments and add to construction costs. These new regulatory burdens, plus new energy saving mandates and the increasing cost of energy in general, can increase the cost of homeownership to rise to a point where some black Americans out of the housing market.

These are among just a few of the more obvious reasons why home affordability and homeownership rates could decline for black Americans in the near future

Given that homeownership is a tried and true tool for building wealth, the unfortunate turn of events described herein portends that the black community can also expect to become less wealthy over time.

Hence this gloomy future suggests that this may be a now or never moment that will have a huge impact on generations of black Americans to come.

Black Americans who are sitting on the fence— wondering whether now is a good time to purchase a home— should decide in the affirmative.

If they can afford it, black Americans should take the plunge now. Otherwise, assuming that this analysis of the economy is correct, black Americans may find there will be fewer opportunities to become a homeowner and amass wealth in the future.

B.B. Robinson, Ph.D., is a member of the national advisory council of the black leadership network Project 21. You can visit his website at: www.blackeconomics.org. Comments may be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Is it over yet? Christmas— that is. Christmas 2012 has come and gone, has it not?

That means— HALLALEUJAH!— another one-year break from Christmas music.

OK, I’m kidding a little. Most Christmas music isn’t that bad. Some is downright superb, in fact.

My favorite Christmas song is “The Little Drummer Boy,” but only the Harry Simeon Chorale’s version will do for me. It’s just human voices accompanied by the striking of a piano. That’s all that is needed to tell the simple tale of a poor boy that can only play his drum as a gift to the Christ child.

there are other versions of “The Little Drummer Boy,” but the one by the Harry Simeon Chorale reaches the level of perfection. And we know what happens when people try to improve on perfection.

Good Christmas music aside, we can agree that there is some Christmas music that absolutely, positively has to go, can’t we?

Yes, I’m thinking Christmas rap songs here. A plea to America’s rappers: PLEASE don’t do this.

And I’m not one of those old “fuddy duddies” that doesn’t like rap. Fact is, I do like rap. As I’m fond of saying, rap helped kill disco; I owe rap and rappers a debt I can never repay them.

Before all you disco fans get your noses out of joint: yes, I am joking. You’ll have to decide for yourselves whether or not my quip was funny. What can’t be denied is my quip isn’t exactly true.

Actually, it was disco that helped rap become a big-time music genre. Wasn’t one, of the first rap mega-hits “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang?

And didn’t they sample heavily from Chic’s disco mega-hit “Good Times”?

OK, total truth be told, the Sugar Hill Gang didn’t just sample from “Good Times.” They ripped it off completely.

But back to the Christmas songs that really, really, REALLY should never be played again. In addition to rap Christmas songs, I’m adding these to the list: ANY Christmas song done by Elvis Presley— and no, unlike disco’s fans, I’m not making apologies to any Elvis fans out there. His Christmas songs have got to go. How bad are they?

The Porky Pig version of “Blue Christmas” is better than the Elvis version. Yeah, I said it. The Pig sounds better than Elvis. There’s a movie that’s currently running on HBO called “Looney Tunes 2: Back in Action.” In it Bugs Bunny sings Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas.”

BUGS BUNNY sounds better than Elvis. Oh, Elvis was kind of good, I suppose. But his contemporaries Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis were better.

And it’s worth noting that there were no “London Elvis Presley Sessions.” Why is that significant?

There were “London Chuck Berry Sessions,” in which British rockers played with the American rock and roll legend.

There are “London Howling Wolf Sessions” and “London Muddy Waters Sessions,” with those limey rockers playing with these legendary American blues artists.

Why didn’t British rockers want to play with Elvis? He wasn’t that good; neither are his Christmas songs.

Rounding out the list of those who should never have their Christmas songs played ever again: THE BEACH BOYS!

Yes, I might have to go into a witness protection program after that one. Offending Beach Boys fans probably isn’t a good idea.

However, there is one thing about the music of The Beach Boys: it probably should have stayed on the beach. That would be the proper place for it. And their Christmas songs aren’t even fit for the beach.

So, for Christmas 2013, radio program executives, please: no more rap, Elvis or The Beach Boys.

Time magazine has named Barack Obama the 2012 Person of the Year. It is the second time the venerable news magazine chose America’s first African American president, saying that Obama was selected “for finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union.”

The 2012 finalist included such well known newsmakers as Hillary Clinton, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Olympic gold medalists Gabby Douglas and Michael Phelps, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Jon Stewart, the sometimes politically incorrect, acerbic host of The Daily Show. 

However, the person occupying the runner-up spot on Time’s list is Malala Yousafzai. While the Pakistani teenager’s name may not be well recognized, her bravery and activism propelled Malala into the world spotlight and literally into the line of fire. Her efforts to secure equal educational opportunities for Muslim girls sparked a movement that could change the course of history in the Middle East. It nearly cost her life.   

The retribution was atrocious, an unspeakable act of brutality. On October 9, 2012, Taliban gunmen boarded her school bus, sought her out and shot her in the head and neck. The bullets were not only meant to deliver a fatal blow to the 15-year-old student, the extremist sought to crush an entire educational movement. Malala, suffered life- threatening wounds and was airlifted to a hospital in Britain for months of intense rehabilitation.

Malala has said she wants to return to home to Pakistan. However, she remains a target for assassination as long as terrorism threatens the country. Immediately following the shooting a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā (an Islamic juristic ruling) against those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban reiterated its intent to kill Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin.

Malala’s activism began quietly in early 2009, at the age of 11, when she “wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley and her views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, the New York Times picked up her story and filmed a documentary about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region prior to a major territorial battle.

Soon, Malala began her rise to prominence, giving interviews in print and on television and taking a position as chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat, a UNICEF foundation established to give young people "a unique opportunity to voice their concerns about children’s right's issues, and to present solutions to address these concerns.” 

She has since been nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Bishop Desmon Tutu and has won Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize. A number of prominent individuals are supporting a petition to nominate Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize.

It is believed that Malala’s high profile has put female students in her hometown at an increased risk of violence. Shortly after her brutal attack the school she attended was renamed in her honor. However, girls from her village fear that attending a school bearing her name may provoke more terrorist attacks. 120 pupils boycotted their classes last week and tore up pictures in protest of Malala’s activism.

Malala, who wants to be a physician took her father’s advice to use her voice to heal a nation torn by violence against girls, “has become an inspiration not only in her native Pakistan— where the culture wars over women's rights and religious diversity have taken many violent turns— but all around the globe” writes the editors of Time magazine.

While Malala Yousafzai may have placed second on Time’s list, this brave teenager is Education Matters Person of the Year. My heartfelt prayers to the families who lost loved ones in Connecticut and a healing, joyous holiday to all.

Jayne Matthews-Hopson is a writer and academic advocate. Education Matters because “only the educated are free.” Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are welcomed at http://baltimoretimes-online.com.