by Todd Sperry

(CNN) -- Young drivers are getting the message that distracted driving can be deadly, but a new study released Monday reports drivers ages 16 to 21 put themselves at far higher risk when driving alone.

FAIRY GOD-MOTHERS—Volunteers and staff members, from left: Nikki Williams, Carolyn Jefferson, Shawna Dark, Lynne Boley, Josie Robinson and Ondrea Burton, helped young ladies find the right prom dress.

  
Prom can be a magical event in a high school student’s life. Many spend four years, looking forward to the occasion. And while it can be memorable, it can be very expensive. According to the USA Today website, families spend an average of between $1,000 and $2,000 on prom, with it increasing each year.
With an economy that is in shambles, many parents are finding it hard to put food on the table, let alone afford the cost of the dress and accessories. So in an effort to help, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services once again gave young women the chance to find that perfect dress at its Project Prom Shop, located in Century III Mall.
For one week, eligible local high school students were given the opportunity to select free trendy, formal attire from hundreds of new and gently used donated items.
“(Project Prom) has grown tremendously. This marks the 10th anniversary,” said Ondrea Burton, event and donations manager for the county DHS. “It’s a really wonderful experience and we’re hopeful that its something they will look back on for a lifetime.”
The girls were partnered with a personal stylist to select the dress and accessories to make that one evening special. Any high school student in Allegheny County who is receiving services or has a family member receiving services through the county DHS was eligible for the event. The donations are made from the general public and local retailers.

THE DRESS--Ondrea Burton assists DeJa Hopkins, of Hazelwood, with the final touches of choosing her prom dress at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Project Prom Shop in Century III Mall. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

“These are things you see on the runway and at other boutiques,” Burton said. “It is more than just getting a dress. It’s a feeling of empowerment.” She explained that not only were girls given a consultation on their outward appearance, the stylists also imparted nuggets of wisdom, which is a service they would not normally receive at a regular boutique.
According to Elaine Plunkett, communications specialist for the county DHS, approximately 250 teen girls were assisted this year.
Michelle Longstreth, who visited the Project Prom Shop with her daughter, Zainah Flanigan, said, “It was awesome. Kudos to them (the individuals who put the event together). I think they should do it again next year.”
On March 30, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the general public will have the opportunity to purchase dresses and accessories at the Project Prom Shop. They promise that no dress will be more than $25.
Now, the county DHS has not forgotten about the young men. Through the Project Prom for Gentleman, every Thursday in April on the lower level of the Human Services building, young men will be given the opportunity to brush up on etiquette and receive a free tuxedo rental. Registration is required through a DHS caseworker.
(For more information on Project Prom and its services, call 412-350-3428 or email EventandDonationsTeam@Alle­ghenyCounty.us.)

FATHER-IN-CHIEF--President Barack Obama, accompanied by first dog Bo, reads "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

by Stacey Anderson

WASHINGTON (AP) — An amused President Barack Obama read a children's book to a gathering of boys and girls at the White House, then peppered them with questions: Had any of them lost a tooth? Had any climbed trees? Had any fallen after climbing?

BEN JEALOUS
National NAACP president

When Jotaka Eaddy was a teenager working at McDonalds she read a newspaper article about a 16-year-old who was going to be put to death. This article inspired her to take action and over the course of the next 10 years she worked with the NAACP leading grassroots efforts to eliminate the juvenile death penalty in numerous states.
The Supreme Court went on to abolish the juvenile death penalty in 2005 and today Eaddy has moved on to become the senior director for voting rights of the NAACP and special assistant to the president and CEO of the NAACP. The organization’s president, Benjamin Jealous, told Eaddy’s story to a group of local high school students on March 13, hoping to inspire them too to join the NAACP movement.
“We believe that in this room are people who will be great leaders,” Jealous said. “Think of all the Black parents listening to their children say I want to be president and knowing that just couldn’t be. Think of all the fathers listening to their daughters say I want to be president and knowing that just couldn’t be. Your generation is the first one where that is possible.”

Jealous’ visit to Pittsburgh was part of a Pittsburgh Public Theater event at the O’Reilly Theater where local high school students attended a performance of “Thurgood,” a play named for Thurgood Marshall, one time chief counsel for the NAACP, and a lawyer in the case of Brown v Board of Education that lead to school desegregation. Marshall later became the first Black U. S. Supreme Court justice. At a forum prior to the play they examined the history of the civil rights movement and were told about the civil rights struggle still being fought today.
“I’m not talking to you about fears that are not still with us,” Jealous said. “I get death threats monthly because I’m fighting for you. We get death threats for fighting for the right to vote; we get death threats for talking about gun control.”
The event was sponsored by Imani Christian Academy whose students attended alongside students from Gateway, McKeesport, Pittsburgh Perry Traditional Academy, Pittsburgh Obama, and Winchester Thurston. Prior to Jealous, Judge Timothy Lewis, an Imani board member, gave the students a history of the struggle to desegregate schools.
“Even today, 58 years after Brown vs. Board of Education we are still trying to breathe life into that promise,” Lewis said. “We have come far but this is unfinished work. Some of that work begins with you students and some of that work begins with you teachers.”
Jealous agreed saying school segregation is more present then ever with inequities in achievement and discipline between White and minority students.
“Our schools are rapidly re-segregating. More than 80 percent of what we call an achievement gap is a resources gap. A large portion of the resources gap is teachers, not having high quality teachers,” Jealous said. “If you’re a Black child, you’re more likely to be punished and be punished harshly. If you feel like its happening at your school, you should have a discussion about that.”
Pittsburgh NAACP President Connie Parker also greeted the students and gave them information on how to become involved in the Pittsburgh Unit. Together with Jealous, the two urged the students to realize the power of their voice.
“Organized people can always beat organized money,” Jealous said. “Rich people can get together and say this is what we want to happen, but you can decide whether or not it happens with your vote.”