VOL. 55, NO. 1 • OCTOBER 17 - 23, 2019
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER CELEBRATES 55 YEARS OF SERVICE
D.C. Celebrates Mystics Title, Nationals Advance to World Series
5 Washington Informer publlisher Denise Rolark Barnes
Washington Informer Publisher Optimistic About Future After 55 Years By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia In an open letter to Washington Informer readers, the newspaper’s publisher Denise Rolark Barnes said the publication’s intention isn’t to swamp them with clutter but to keep them and all D.C. residents informed. For 55 years, the Informer has kept the nation’s capital – mainly it’s African American communities – informed. It’s a mission accomplished, evidenced by recognition awarded the weekly newspaper and the contributions Barnes and her family have made for more than a half a century.
5 The Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez raises the trophy and celebrates with his team in winning the National League Championship series during a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in game 4 at Nationals Park on October 15 at Nationals Park in Southeast. (Photo by John E. DeFreitas)
By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill It may become a “title town” after the Washington Nationals advanced to the World Series Tuesday, Oct. 15 after winning Game 4 of the National League Championship series and sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals. Their win comes days after the Mystics celebrated a WNBA championship following an intense game against the Connecticut Sun at the Entertainment Sports Arena in Southeast. A record crowd of nearly
5 WNBA Commission Cathy Engelbert, right, hands the WNBA trophy to Washington Mystics President Sheila C. Johnson after the team won the championship 89-78 on Oct. 10. (John De Freitas/The Washington Informer)
44,000 dressed in red paraphernalia witnessed how the District will host its first World Series since 1933. Because the Nationals will start on the road, the team will host Games 3, 4 and 5 between Oct. 25-27 against either the Houston Astros or New York Yankees. “Often bumpy roads lead to beautiful places and this is a beautiful place,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said on the field at Nationals Park in Southeast after they won 7-4. Before the game, the Nationals honored the Mystics at Nationals Park. Mystics forward and WNBA MVP Elena Delle Don-
ne threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Zion Foy and Ezra Rich didn’t attend any of the Washington Mystics games this season to hear the raucous crowd, see the redclan paraphernalia and feel the playoff intensity. But the two brothers from Southeast stepped inside the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast for the first time Friday, Oct. 11, and joined several hundred fans to attend a community rally less than 24 hours after the Mystics won its first WNBA championship.
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“When my dad [Dr. Calvin Rolark, Sr.] started the Informer in 1964, he wanted to publish a newspaper with stories for and about black people and to record our history from a local and positive perspective,” Barnes stated. “I worked side-by-side with him and observed his involvement and activism in the community. He wanted a newspaper that mirrored the issues he and others fought for,” she said. A Howard University School of Communications and Howard School of Law graduate, Barnes epitomizes black success and black girl magic. When she took over as publisher
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Officer Charged With Murder in Atatiana Jefferson Shooting in Texas By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia Aaron Dean, the white Fort Worth Texas Police Officer who resigned before brass could fire him for the shooting death of African American pharmaceutical worker Atatiana Jefferson, was arrested and charged with murder on Monday, Oct. 14. Dean posted the $200,000 bond and he will now await a criminal trial. Dean and his unidentified partner were only asked to check on the well-being of the occupants in Jefferson's house
on Friday, Oct. 11. The door was ajar and it was about 2:30 a.m. That concerned Atatiana’s neighbor, James Smith, who made sure not to sound unnecessary alarms. He called a non-emergency number. “This was senseless. It wasn’t the reason I called,” Smith told reporters. Dean and his partner arrived, and without identifying himself as a cop, the officer shouted a command and immediately opened fire through the window Atatiana peaked out of after she heard a commotion outside.
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Celebrating 54 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area