Pat Jones

On April 23, the District of Columbia will hold a special election to fill an At-Large seat on the DC Council. The winner of this election will represent the needs and interests of all District residents. As such, AARP DC created two opportunities for persons to share those needs and interests directly with the candidates.

You could say it was a party with a purpose. Marcus Johnson, musician, wine entrepreneur, publisher, and producer, artfully blended jazz with tips, personal stories and motivational words about starting and running a business, then pointed out some of the principles that lead to success in any endeavor.

Join AARP for a Free Screening of “DuSable to Obama: Chicago’s Black Metropolis” on Tuesday, March 19th, 5:00 - 6:45 pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library, 901 G. Street, NW, District of Columbia.

AARP is targeting AARP members in the District of Columbia who are boomers for a motivational talk and a jazz performance with entrepreneur, motivational speaker and jazz artist Marcus Johnson. AARP Work Reimagined is an initiative dedicated to helping experienced professionals connect to more satisfying careers by connecting them to the contacts, information, and inspiration needed to succeed in today’s ever-changing workplace. One element of the AARP Work Reimagined initiative is entrepreneurship.

Two of the most famous events of the civil rights movement happened in places I have called home. The Freedom Riders, who sat in at “lunch counters” and helped integrate public buses, are legendary in Mississippi, where I spent my childhood and graduated college. And in Illinois, where I was born, the Chicago Freedom Movement called national attention to the plight of Americans forced to live in slum tenements. In both cases, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Black history icon I most admire, brought leadership, hope and inspiration to people by leading marches and by expressing their dreams with riveting oratory. The day we lost Dr. King is scorched in my memory; the south side of Chicago, where I lived at the time, seemed to implode around me. At eight-years-old, I can remember the violence and the anger, but my most poignant memory is the grief. I watched my young mother sobbing. She was inconsolable. In our grief, we thought Dr. King's dreams died on April 4th, 1968.

We're deep into the winter weather season and that reminds us to prepare for power disruptions. Tell us how past power outages - whether recent outages or from storms which happened as long ago as Snowmageddon - impacted you and your family by commenting to this article.

Looking to earn some extra money? Are you a people person? Love baseball? Live in the Washington, DC metro area? Well, we’ve got an opportunity for you!

The District of Columbia has some impressive statistics to describe recent successes. What do these statistics say about the age-friendliness of the District? How are its health and social services? How is community and civic participation? What about its public spaces and transportation like? What about housing? When you think about how the city is making the District more age-friendly for all residents, but especially the age 50+ residents, what rating would you give the District? Choose one: POOR, FAIR, GOOD, VERY GOOD OR You DON'T KNOW, and tell us why you gave the District that rating.

If you or someone you know is planning to attend inaugural activities during this time, here are some considerations to share and use from the District of Columbia Office on Aging:

TIPS FOR SENIORS ATTENDING INAUGURAL SWEARING IN AND PARADE ON Monday January 21, 2013