Priceless Vol 8 Number 6


Personal and Professional Empowerment www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


Serving Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach since 2006


Hampton University Professor Interviews Nephew Russell Wilson


Page 12


McAuliffe Silent on Restoration of VA Felons’ Voting Rights


Special Edition African American History Poster


Page 5 Special African American History Month Edition


Navy Celebrates 2014 African American History Month


Adm. J. Paul Reason


2014 Hampton Roads Youth Poetry Slam Season


Page 2


Free February 2014


The Golden Thirteen: the first group of African American servicemen to complete officer training in the Navy


Despite campaign promises, Gov. Terry McAuliffe remains silent on whether he will automatically restore voting rights to non-violent felons.


BY BRE PAYTON PURCELLVILLE, Va. —


Gov. Terry McAuliffe remains silent on whether he will automatically restore voting rights to non-violent felons.


After two house bills (HB


7 and HB 556 ) that would have implemented automatic restoration of rights were killed Monday, the governor remains the only authority able to restore voting rights to felons under current law.


Despite campaign


promises, McAuliffe has made no formal announcement about whether or not he will continue the automated process that former Gov. Bob McDonnell set up in the final months of his administration.


The restoration of rights


webpage on the governor’s website hasn’t been updated since McAuliffe took office, and the hotline goes unanswered.


Advocates remain hopeful despite the governor’s silence.


“All indications from his


new administration and the new secretary of the commonwealth is that they will continue doing what McDonnell has done,” said Hope Amezquita, legislative council and staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.


“Hopefully this governor


finds enough support to issue an executive order to automatically restore the rights of the other 350,000 (disenfran- chised felons),” she said.


SILENT PAGE 13 THIS EDITION’S HIGHLIGHTS


Your Opinion Matters Editorial Health Hampton Roads Upcoming Events Scholarships Watch


Remembering the Past to Ensure the Best Future Who Was Snubbed at the Golden Globes?


Why the Trend of Smoking Hookas Has One Doctor Alarmed Beach Resident Competes for “INK MASTER” Title African-American History Month Gospel Concert CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship


15 4 6


12 13 11


BY LT. CMDR. SHALETHA MORAN The Navy joins our nation in celebrating


the vibrant history and culture of African- American and Black Sailors during African- American/Black History Month throughout the month of February.


Established in 1926 as Negro History


Week, President Gerald R. Ford expanded the celebration in 1976 to include the entire month of February. This year, Navy commands are encouraged to celebrate and reflect on the theme "Civil Rights in America."


African-American Sailors have a legacy of honorable service that permeates our naval


Vice Adm. Michelle Howard


Wesley A. Brown was the first African American graduate of the United States Naval Academy


history through every major armed conflict since the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War, African-American Sailors fought on every kind of Union warship, accounting for 10 to 24 percent of each ship's crew, and included eight Medal of Honor recipients.


During World War II, the Golden


Thirteen were an example of African-Amer- icans breaking new ground in the Navy and in American society. In February 1944, 12 prior-enlisted black servicemen were commissioned as ensigns and a 13th was made a warrant officer. They were the first group of black servicemen to complete officer training in the Navy and led the way for future African- Americans. These 13 officers not only made a


NAVY HISTORY PAGE 3


You’ve Been Turned Down for a Checking or Savings Account. Now What?


You go to a financial institution to


open a checking or savings account and a representative says you aren’t eligible. Why? Because a report shows that an institution previously closed your checking account, perhaps because of unpaid overdrafts.


Can the institution deny you a new


account for that reason? What are your options for getting a new account? And, what if the negative information being reported about you is wrong?


By law, certain “consumer reporting”


companies can collect information from banks and credit unions on aspects relating to a consumer’s checking account, such as the reasons an account was closed. These companies are similar to credit bureaus that track how consumers pay their bills and other debts.


Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act


(FCRA), a checking account closed by an institution because of mismanagement, and most other negative information, can continue to appear in these reports for up to seven years. When a consumer wants to open a new


deposit account, the institution may access such a report.


And just as a negative credit report can


hurt your ability to borrow from a financial institution, a checking account history that shows a closed account can hurt your ability to open a new account. (An institution you are seeking to do business with also may access your credit score, which is based on your credit history, in deciding whether to open a new checking or savings account.)


“While consumers have generally become


more aware of the importance of credit scores and credit reports, relatively few have thought


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