C4 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, APRIL 10 , 2022
BY CRAIG SINGLETONF
ollowing Russia’s unpro-
voked assault on Ukraine,
Virginia Gov. Glenn
Youngkin (R) called for
the commonwealth and local gov-
ernments to cut ties with Russian
entities. Youngkin’s entreaty was
intended to show “solidarity with
the Ukrainian people as they
defend their country” from Rus-
sia’s aggression. Youngkin should
not focus solely on cutting the
commonwealth’s troubling ties to
Russia, particularly as other
countries, including China, con-
tinue to provide tacit backing to
Moscow’s illegal invasion.
Elected leaders can and should
take concrete steps to address
China’s malign influence
throughout Virginia, including
divesting state investments in
problematic Chinese companies.
However, having run on a plat-
form centered on reforming Vir-
ginia’s education system, the gov-
ernor should also prioritize neu-
tralizing China’s overt campaign
to steal intellectual property
from Virginia’s college campuses.China has made no secret of its
intention to harness its students
and professors to advance the
country’s military and technolog-
ical modernization. This strategy,
referred to as military-civil fu-
sion, aims to acquire the world’s
cutting-edge technologies — in-
cluding through theft — to
achieve Chinese military domi-
nance. Accordingly, Beijing is fo-
cused on obtaining everything
from foundational knowledge
taught on college campuses to
cutting-edge research, much of
which is not technically classified
but still has potential military
applications.
To support its defense indus-
try, the Chinese government
sponsors Chinese students spe-
cializing in 280 of what Beijing
calls “disciplines with national
defense characteristics” to attend
joint degree and exchange pro-
grams in the United States. These
students then return home to
provide the technology and tal-
ent necessary to prevail in Bei-
jing’s strategic competition with
Washington. Dozens of China’s
civilian universities also host de-fense laboratories where Chinese
students and professors contrib-
ute to classified research for Chi-
na’s nuclear weapons program,
its cyberespionage platforms and
the People’s Liberation Army
(PLA).
Details regarding China’s mili-
tary buildup are well known.
What is less understood is that
many of the United States’ top
universities quietly maintain aca-
demic and research partnerships
with the same Chinese schools
working to give the PLA an edge
over the U.S. military. That in-
cludes at least three of Virginia’s
premier universities: Virginia
Tech, Old Dominion University
and William & Mary.
Just how bad are these part-
nerships?
Virginia Tech maintains long-
standing academic and research
partnerships with Tianjin Uni-
versity, home to two defense labo-
ratories conducting classified
military research on cutting-edge
technologies in fields such as
optoelectronics and propellants.
Tianjin also actively supports
China’s spy agency, the Ministryof State Security, and has received
awards from the MSS for its work
on communication and informa-
tion engineering. Another of Vir-
ginia Tech’s premier partners,
Tongji University, plays a major
role in advancing the PLA’s ma-
rine strategy and, in 2019, was
added to a U.S. government
watch list on account of its ties to
China’s military.
For its part, Old Dominion
collaborates with Beihang Uni-
versity, one of China’s preemi-
nent defense research univer-
sities and a member of the
“Seven Sons of National Defense,”
a grouping of select Chinese
u niversities whose work exclu-
sively supports China’s military.
Beihang’s work includes support-
ing China’s ballistic missile pro-
gram and other elements of
C hina’s defense sector. Old
D ominion also partners with
Minzu University, whose re-
search on facial recognition has
been used to identify and surveil
ethnic minorities in China, in-
cluding the country’s persecuted
Uyghur population. Likewise,
William & Mary’s partner ofchoice, Beijing Normal Univer-
sity, directly supports China’s un-
manned aerial vehicle program
and other m ilitary-civil fusion-
related a ctivities.
And that is just the tip of the
iceberg.
Only a minimal amount of due
diligence is necessary to uncover
what these Chinese schools are
up to. Many of them proudly
advertise their national security
work on their websites. And
yet that did not stop these and
other Virginia universities from
partnering with or accepting mil-
lions of dollars from these prob-
lematic Chinese schools, accord-
ing to Department of Education
d isclosures.
When Chinese leader Xi
J inping says he intends to “ex-
haust all means” to lure tech
talent to China, he means it. That
requires state legislators and
h igher-education leaders to re-
think how they manage risk with-
in the broader research enter-
prise. This is particularly true in
the case of Chinese partnerships
that might compromise demo-
cratic values or policies adoptedby the U.S. government in re-
sponse to threats posed by au-
thoritarian regimes.
Federal, state and local stake-
holders, including alumni associ-
ations, must pressure the leaders
of these and other Virginia uni-
versities to properly vet their
Chinese partners and to termi-
nate any relationships with those
that maintain connections to Chi-
na’s military-industrial complex.
In cases where universities fail to
comply, state leaders should con-
sider potential cuts to each uni-
versity’s state-provided funding.
Not all academic collaboration
with Chinese entities entails risk,
and not all Chinese students are
spies. But common sense dictates
that Virginia’s top schools should
not be engaging in any meaning-
ful way with Chinese universities
that have formal research links to
China’s military.The writer is a senior fellow at the
Foundation for Defense of
Democracies, a D.C.-based,
nonpartisan research institute
focused on foreign policy and
national security.Virginia’s universities should not support China’s military
BY RAMON LOOBY AND JULIE WEAVERT
o improve financial resiliency and build a
brighter and more prosperous future for our
children, the time is now to support expanded
access to financial education for all students in
Maryland.
In its latest state-by-state survey, the American
Public Education Foundation gave Maryland a C grade
for its stagnant implementation of financial literacy
standards in schools. Unfortunately, this mediocre
evaluation did not come as a surprise for many Mary-
land parents with school-age children. Despite being
widely supported by parents and students, only eight
of Maryland’s 24 public school systems have financial
literacy graduation requirements mandating that stu-
dents complete a financial literacy course before grad-
uating from high school.
When someone understands financial wellness and
possesses the tools to navigate the financial market-
place, they have the skills and knowledge necessary to
make educated and effective decisions about their
money and financial goals. This includes personal
financial management, budgeting and investing.
Knowledge equals wealth, which equals financial se-
curity. Any barriers that prevent students from access-
ing valuable information about personal finance are
most certainly detrimental to their financial future.
Schools can break down those barriers by providing
equal learning opportunities.
One major consequence of financial illiteracy is bad
credit. A good credit score is often required to secure
housing and access to lucrative careers, particularly
here in Maryland where jobs in government and
defense can offer a lot of economic mobility. Loading
up a credit card and running into debt at a young age
can lock people out of job and homeownership oppor-
tunities that cost them hundreds of thousands of
dollars over a lifetime.
According to Standard & Poor’s Global Financial
Literacy Survey, the United States ranks 14th based on
the proportion of financially literate adults. The Na-
tional Financial Capability Study by the FINRA Inves-
tor Education Foundation found that nearly half of
adults in Maryland lack a rainy-day fund, and only
32 percent can provide correct answers to a basic
five-question financial literacy quiz.
For many underserved communities across the
state, including Maryland’s substantial immigrant
population, the lack of financial education makes
them particularly vulnerable to economic downturns.
Millions of American families have already found it
harder during the coronavirus pandemic to balance
their budgets. This task is almost impossible for those
without a bank account or a solid understanding of
how financial institutions, including banks, can be
used to help them remain financially secure. With the
world moving toward a digital economy, not having a
bank account can limit a person’s ability to purchase
essential items needed for survival.
Financial education — one of several solutions to
helping our communities make better financial deci-
sions — should begin at a young age. Research suggests
that most families lack the skills or the time to teach
their children about financial wellness and provide
them with the tools to navigate the marketplace. It is
imperative to introduce the foundations of personal
finance early in a school setting, the same way we do
with other subjects.
Knowing how to dissect a frog might prove most
helpful for future biologists and veterinarians. But
understanding the importance of saving, interest
rates, budgeting and the benefits of compound inter-
est is vital for all graduating high school seniors.
Proposed bills in the Maryland General Assembly
aimed at improving and mandating financial educa-
tion in our schools call on the State Department of
Education to create a semesterlong financial literacy
course that could be offered in all public high schools
in the state. Sadly, these bills are not likely to succeed.
Imparting basic financial skills that promote finan-
cial wellness to our children is one of the most
important things we can do to help ensure that they
live a financially secure life.
Maryland’s policymakers should seriously consider
prioritizing expanded access to financial education in
Maryland’s public schools. Doing so would put our
children on a path to a more equitable and stable
future. That is something we should all agree on.Ramon Looby is president and chief executive of the
Maryland Bankers Association. Julie Weaver is executive
director of the Maryland Council on Economic Education.Maryland students
need real economic
education in school
BY JASON JOHNSONF
airfax County’s most dangerous
man is its chief prosecutor:
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Steve Descano.
Descano’s misplaced priorities and
ideologically biased prosecutions are
making Fairfax County — and the en-
tire region — less safe.
Last month, Fairfax County prosecu-
tors put police officer Tyler Timberlake,
who is White, on trial for tasing a Black
man, La Monta Gladney, in June 2020.
Gladney, who was high on PCP and
cocaine at the time, was not cooperat-
ing with medical personnel at the scene
to assist him.
Descano’s office held a news confer-
ence announcing assault charges
against Timberlake only a day after the
incident. But for more than a year, the
commonwealth’s attorney failed to
turn over key evidence to the defense —
a police report, a 911 call, third-party
recordings and an interview with Glad-
ney. A Fairfax County judge slammed
Descano’s action as violating the offi-
cer’s rights and damaging public confi-
dence in the justice system.
Descano’s excuse was that he only
had to do 60 days before the trial, but
prosecutors repeatedly delayed Tim-
berlake’s trial date — attempting to
push it to September 2022, more than
two years after filing charges.On March 25, it took a racially di-
verse jury of Fairfax County residents
just a few hours to acquit Timberlake
on all charges. Descano insinuated that
the verdict by the jurors, two of whom
were Black, was clouded by consider-
ations of race.
As usual, Descano made unsupport-
ed and incendiary claims about polic-
ing in Fairfax County, saying he was
“disappointed in the verdict,” not for
himself but “for my Black and brown
neighbors in this community,” and later
issuing a statement declaring that “true
justice will be achieved when my Black
and brown neighbors don’t have to fear
for their well-being when they leave
their homes.”
His neighbors might have to fear for
their safety — but not because of the
cops.
Justice and safety are simply not
Descano’s top priorities.
Last year, two child sex predators
benefited from Descano’s leniency. One
Fairfax County judge described Desca-
no’s plea deal as “woefully inadequate”
for the years of sustained sexual abuse
an offender inflicted on a young girl.
The judge told the victim, “Make no
mistake, your government has failed
you.” The victim’s family unsuccessfully
sued to have the deal overturned.
In a separate case, Descano gave a
child sex offender a three-year sen-
tence, of which he’d serve less than halfunder Virginia law. Another Fairfax
judge rejected the deal, saying that it
did not “remotely reflect the magni-
tude of the defendant’s misconduct.”
In December 2020, less than a year
after taking office, Descano issued a
memorandum to his prosecutors
directing them to make deals to avoid
“mandatory minimum” sentences,
i gnore the state’s sentencing guidelines
and down-charge felonies to
m isdemeanors.
He boasts his “criminal justice re-
form” agenda is “elevating a holistic,
values-based approach to prosecution
over a reflexively punitive one.”
There’s now a long litany of cases
showcasing Descano’s aversion to con-
sequences and incarceration. Another
case was recently added.
In late 2020, Gerald Brevard III was
accused of attacking a hotel maid and
attempting to force her into a room.
Weeks later, he was accused of trailing a
worker at another hotel. Brevard was
caught the day after Descano issued his
leniency memo. Police charged Brevard
with “abduction with attempt to defile,”
burglary and possession of burglary
tools — all felonies that, in total, made
him eligible for 26 years to life in prison.
At the time of that offense in Fairfax,
Brevard was wanted on 33 charges in
Maryland and was on probation for two
recent cases in D.C. — assault with a
deadly weapon and assault on a policeofficer. Descano dropped the serious
felony counts to two misdemeanors.
Another beneficiary of Fairfax’s chief
prosecutor’s misplaced largesse, Bre-
vard served six months and was freed
last June.
Upon Brevard’s release in Fairfax,
U.S. marshals arrested him for violat-
ing his probation terms on the D.C.
charges, which had been pleaded down
to misdemeanors. A judge there or-
dered Brevard, with only misdemeanor
convictions and pending charges, re-
leased on time served, in a compound-
ing justice system failure. Surely, if the
judge knew the severity of Brevard’s
crimes in Virginia and his risk to public
safety, he would have been held.
Last month, Brevard allegedly shot
five homeless men in New York and
D.C. in cold blood, killing two.
If not for Descano’s policies, there’s
little doubt those men would be alive
today.
The Descano rule is clear: give vio-
lent criminals and sexual predators
sweetheart deals, but throw the book at
cops. Fortunately, the brave jurors and
judges of Fairfax County know that
Descano’s “true justice” is no justice at
all.The writer was a deputy police
commissioner for Baltimore from 2016 to
2018 and is president of the Law
Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.Fairfax County’s miscarriage of justice must end
BY TYRA WILKEST
he Duke Ellington School of
the Arts saved my life, and
after news of possible changes
to the school’s management
brought together decades of alumni, I
know I am not alone.
The Duke Ellington School of the
Arts is known for celebrity alumni, in-
cluding Ari Lennox, Dave Chappelle,
Lamman Rucker and Samira Wiley. For
students, the historic institution helped
them leverage the arts as a sustainable
path to success. The negligence of
adults — primarily the D.C. government
— is undoubtedly guiding the present-
day decision of D.C. Public Schools to
acquire Ellington. Should generations
of young Black artists suffer as a result?
Ellington is the only public arts
school in D.C. It now is operated by D.C.
Public Schools, the Kennedy Center and
George Washington University, but the
city announced it is going to assume full
operation of the school. That’s a grave
concern to students and alumni, who
fear full city control will erode the arts-
based programming at the school.
Nearly all Ellington students — ap-
proximately 70 percent Black, with
30 percent coming from low-income
families — travel by multiple modes of
public transportation to the school’s
affluent Georgetown neighborhood.
Some take two buses and a train to
have a school day that is 50 percent
longer than average to study alongside
other Black artists. Any significant
change to the arts program would neg-
atively affect Black students during
one of the most tumultuous times
D.C. has seen in more than a decade.
In early 2010, the D.C. government
faced backlash from Ellington parents
who opposed plans to relocate the pub-
lic arts school near Union Station and
return the existing site to public school
use. The Ellington community was vo-
cal about its belief that the relocation
proposal was driven by neighborhood
parents’ eagerness to use the school for
their children. In Ward 2, the popula-
tion is 70 percent White. The D.C. gov-
ernment agreed to maintain theGeorgetown site and moved forward
with renovations that exceeded the
initial budget by at least $100 million.
When we talk about reparations for
the descendants of people enslaved on
this land, Black cornerstones such as
the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
should be included. Despite the ex-
treme failures of adults, Ellington has
benefited generations of Black youths,
and maintaining its arts program
should be a priority for all who hold
that power.
Ellington guarantees a free educa-
tion that cultivates interests beyond
the traditional academic landscape.
It ensures that all students have access
to a future beyond what their sur-
roundings have chosen for them.
That’s critically important for those in
underfunded neighborhoods whose
education is largely neglected by city
o fficials.
D.C. surpassed 200 murders in 2021
— its highest murder tally since 2003.
Cohesively, D.C. officials’ plans to ad-
dress the increase in violence empha-
size programs and resources for D.C.youths that reroute their focus to activi-
ties that contribute to their growth and
development and minimize opportuni-
ties for poor decision-making or influ-
ence. In 2020, 17 out of 20 schools that
received budget cuts were in low-
income wards in D.C., and studies dem-
onstrate the correlation between envi-
ronment and overall trajectory. Elling-
ton gives those Black students, the D.C.
children who need it most, an opportu-
nity to receive an education equal to
that of their neighbors.
“Since stepping into 3500 R Street
NW to audition for the Theater Depart-
ment, I gained an entire family filled
with Ellington students, alumni,
teachers and supporters,” said Micha
Green, digital content D.C. editor for
the Afro-American newspaper and a
former Ellington student and instruc-
tor. “Ellington is Ellington outside of
its address in Georgetown. I witnessed
that when the school was displaced.”
Green was an instructor throughout
the renovation, when the school relo-
cated to the U Street Corridor. She
continued, “It has superseded its phys-ical location, because Ellington lives in
every person who walks through its
doors. Nothing can erase the Duke
Ellington School of the Arts legacy
established by its founders, Mike
M alone and Peggy Cooper Cafritz, and
it deserves to be valued and protected.”
If Black lives matter in D.C., prove it
when resources predominantly serv-
ing Black communities are at risk. For
me and many artists I’ve met through
the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
community, creativity is the driver of
our existence. For much of my life, I
thought I was alone. At Ellington, it
was normal to have a notepad full of
puns or to recite lines from August
Wilson’s “Fences.” It was that uninten-
tional quirkiness that, when nurtured,
paved the way for much more. Each
day, the essence of Ellington reaf-
firmed our existence through its arts
curriculum and showed us that it’s
okay to be off the beaten path because,
in the end, there will be more like you.Ty ra Wilkes is a D.C.-based social equity
writer.Duke Ellington is a school like no other
MARVIN JOSEPH/THE WASHINGTON POST
The D uke Ellington Radical Elite Show Band gives an impromptu performance in October 2019.Local Opinions
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