The Washington Informer - February 20, 2025 by The Washington Informer

A Deeper Look: The District vs. President Trump

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

As District residents await a Trump executive order that intensifies prosecution for local crimes and further displaces the homeless, Reginald Black continues to express concern about a population still reeling from encampment removals that the Bowser administration conducted.

Last year, Black counted among those who sought

out residents displaced by the destruction of a homeless encampment located near the U.S. State Department in Northwest. He said that President Donald J. Trump’s executive order, if it comes to fruition, could have effects much similar to what he and other advocates witnessed on the federal land located near George Washington University.

“People were disgruntled and abandoned most of their belongings,” said Black, a member of the

Council Report: Contracts, Oversight, and an Upcoming Special Election

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

This edition of The Collins Council Report looks back at two legislative meetings (yes, two meetings) the D.C. Council conducted on Feb. 18.

For nearly two hours, the D.C. Council deliberated on matters involving Title IX sexual assault reporting, returning citizens affairs, and funding of affordable housing providers. Council members also approved legislation firmly designating July 15, 2025 as expiration date of the pre-trial provision of the Secure DC omnibus bill.

AN EXTRA LEGISLATIVE MEETING FOR DHCD

Toward the end of the council’s Feb. 18 legislative meeting, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) announced the start of an extra legislative meeting to finalize what he described as

4 Bishop Reginald T. Jackson calls on faith leaders and activists to introduce a plan of action to combat the Trump administration’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion, hosting a press conference for community members and media at Metropolitan A.M.E on Feb. 17. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)

From Pulpit to Protest: Black Faith Leaders Outline the Path Forward for Democracy

By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow

As Black America grapples with continuous attacks against African American history and inclusion, local faith leaders and activists gathered at Metropolitan A.M.E Church in Northwest, D.C. on President’s Day under one common notion: it’s time

for organized action, and the Black church is ready to lead the charge.

The Rt. Rev. Reginald T. Jackson enlisted the help of trusted advisor Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill, and the Rev. Dr. William Lamar, pastor of Metropolitan A.M.E Church, to host a press conference for community members

Tenant Organizers and Elected Officials Respond to Mayor Bowser’s Comprehensive Housing Legislation

Bowser Administration Continues to Warn of Impending Crisis

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

As D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s affordable housing bill navigates the legislative process, April Jones stands among those demanding that the D.C. Council changes provisions deemed harmful to low-income tenants.

Jones, a community organizer, told The Informer that the final version of Bowser's legislation must reflect the desires of District

5With her new legislation, the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords Act,” or the RENTAL Act, Bowser intends to recalibrate the local housing market. (WI File Photo)

As District residents await an executive order from President Donald Trump that further displaces the homeless, many unhoused Washingtonians are still reeling from encampment removals that the Bowser administration conducted last year. (WI File Photo)

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BY RICHARD ELLIOTT, WI CONTRIBUTING REPORTER; STACY M. BROWN, WI SENIOR WRITER; MICHA GREEN, WI MANAGING EDITOR

U.S. Attorney Erek Barron Resigns

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron resigned yesterday from his position, effectively immediately. He was Maryland’s first Black U.S. Attorney.

“Serving as United States Attorney has been the honor of a lifetime,” stated Barron in his resignation statement on Feb. 12. “The office’s career attorneys and administrative staff are public servants of exceptional caliber. In support of our mission, they perform their responsibilities with excellence while maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct, and working with them has been a great privilege. I am immeasurably proud of the justice we have done together.”

Barron’s resignation coincided with the dismissal of Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys by the Trump Administration.

While it is not currently known who will be appointed to replace him, former gubernatorial nom-

inee and conservative Delegate Dan Cox (R) has expressed interest in the appointment.

The former Biden Senate staffer and delegate was originally sworn into the position on Oct. 7, 2021.

Barron’s tenure focused on prosecuting COVID-19 fraud.

In addition, his partnership with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates (D) helped to reduce Baltimore’s homicide rate to historic lows.

Further, he credited the strategy of pursuing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud schemes as a way to prosecute additional crimes.

“I’m very proud of the leadership that this office’s public servants have shown in coordinating law enforcement and community efforts throughout Maryland and beyond to protect our nation and promote safer communities,” said Barron in a release last month. WI

Kamala Harris, Dave Chappelle, Wayans Family to Receive High Honors at 56th NAACP Image Awards

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Dave Chappelle and the Wayans family are among the many African American artists, content creators, activists and change makers to be honored at this year’s NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 22. An annual celebration of Black excellence, the awards air live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. ET on BET and CBS, and the broadcast has been extended by 30 minutes to run for 2.5 hours.

Before the televised event, the awards ceremony will announce winners in various categories, with non-televised awards presented virtually on Feb. 18 and 19 via the NAACP Image Awards YouTube channel. The Creative Honors ceremony will be held on Feb. 21.

Harris is to receive the Chairman’s Award, which is

presented to individuals who excel in public service and use their platform to drive meaningful change.

“Vice President Kamala Harris is more than a leader— she is a force of change, driven by an unwavering passion to shape a brighter, more equitable future,” said Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors.

“Her legacy is built on courage, compassion, and a profound commitment to uplifting those who need it most.”

Vice President Harris made history as the first woman, Black American, and South Asian American U.S. Vice President. Throughout her career, she has been a champion for reproductive rights, gun safety, voting rights, and economic opportunity.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

Black Artists, Organizations Protest After Trump Seizes Control of Kennedy Center

President Donald Trump has taken control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Northwest, D.C, placing the historic institution under his direct authority; and in response, some Black artists and organizations are canceling performances to protest the decision.

At a Kennedy Center Board meeting on Feb. 12, Trump was elected chairman, replacing financier and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein.

“It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees,” Trump posted on social media. “We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!”

The move has drawn immediate backlash from African American artists and organizations.

Actress and producer Issa Rae also announced she would no longer host the March 16 event, “An Evening with Issa Rae,” at the Kennedy Center.

“Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I've decided to cancel my appearance at this venue," the actress and creator of “Insecure,” wrote in a post.

Further, with the announcement of Trump as chairman, Alfred Street Baptist Church in Northwest, D.C., which hosts its annual Christmas perfeomace at the Kennedy Center, announced on Sunday, Feb. 16 that it too would end its relationship with the national arts venue.

“We believe that the new leadership's opposition to the Kennedy Center's long-standing tradition of honoring artistic expression across all backgrounds is misaligned with our unwavering commission to proclaim and practice the transformative and redemptive love of Jesus, to pursue justice, to promote equality, to embrace the gift of diversity, and to care for all of creation,” the church declared in a statement. WI

In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark

Step Afrika! Sets Guinness World Record for Largest Stepping Dance

By Micha Green WI Managing Editor

For more than 30 years, Step Afrika! has worked to uplift the legacy and tradition of the African American art of stepping, and on Feb. 15, with 268 steppers at the National Building Museum in Northwest, D.C., the celebrated company furthered this mission by setting a Guinness World Record.

“The event was historic,” said Janice Ferebee, one of the many people who joined Step Afrika! to participate in the groundbreaking moment. “The atmosphere was electrifying, fun and powerful. It was wonderful to see the multicultural gathering— although predominantly African American— come together to make history.”

Ferebee has been a longtime supporter of Step Afrika! and the company’s founder C. Brian Williams, having traveled with the group to South Africa in 2004 for the International Cultural Festival’s 10th anniversary, with her Got it Goin’ On Girls Hip Hop Fitness Team. She told The Informer it was “a no-brainer” to join the step challenge for Step Afrika!’s Community Day in D.C.

“The step dancers included step teams of young people from different parts of the country in town for the Step Classic on Sunday, Feb. 16, along with adults like me, church ministry and Divine Nine steppers, parents with their younger children (some performing together, others just in attendance for support), and miscellaneous others,” said Ferebee, who is not only a dance-fitness afficionado, but a proud 45-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

For Ferebee, who is also involved in 40+ Double Dutch activities, participating in Saturday’s challenge was not just a way to continue supporting Step Afrika!, but to further her mission of staying active.

“As a 69-year-old fit and fabulous, two-time fallopian tube cancer survivor, blessed with over three decades in long-term recovery, I'm dedicated to aging with grace, lust for life, and style, and to challenge my body and mind whenever I can. This was the perfect opportunity,” Ferebee told The Informer, noting she was likely the oldest stepper on the floor. “Learning the step routines was a challenge that

I almost didn't take. Once I received the tutorial though, I was able to learn the routines and felt confident I could pull it off.”

The participants were divided into three groups to review the routine with Step Afrika! company members, who led the charge in practice. Then it was time to combine forces with all 268 people to break the record of more than 250 steppers at once. An official Guinness World Records adjudicator was present to count all the participants and ensure they were in sync.

With Black History Month in full swing, Step Afrika!’s Community Day was not only a moment to set a record, but to continue spreading the historic and cultural significance of stepping.

Williams told The Informer, he started Step Afrika! in 1994 with “a strong belief in African American history and culture and trying to bring that forward in new and exciting ways,” as the company celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024,

“The motivation was to really preserve and promote stepping as a uniquely American art form,” he explained. “And, now we’ve preserved and documented [stepping], which is important because we had to do it ourselves. And then the rest of the world kind of caught up.”

With the Guinness World Record set on Saturday for the “largest step-

ping dance,” Williams and Step Afrika are continuing barrier-breaking work that not only offers joy and entertainment, but brings people together in the name of art.

“Although Step Afrika! and this event are exceptional representations of Black brilliance, Black excellence and Black pride, this internationally renowned performance group transcends Blackness and embraces humanity. This event is one way of promoting cross-cultural connection and unity, which is needed in today's political and social climate,” Ferebee said. “Stepping, much like music, becomes a universal language.” WI

4 Step Afrika is celebrating breaking a Guinness World Record on Saturday, Feb. 15 for the largest stepping dance. Held at the National Building Museum in Northwest, D.C., 268 steppers participated in the record-breaking event as part of Step Afrika!’s Community Day. (Courtesy Photo/Instagram, Step Afrika)

5 Janice Ferebee, a proud 45-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., is dedicated to staying active through various fitness activities. At 69, she said she was likely one of the oldest participants in Step Afrika’s! Guinness World Record breaking step at the National Building Museum on Feb. 15. (Courtesy Photo/Janice Ferebee)

black facts AROUND THE REGION

FEB. 20

SIDNEY POITIER (RIGHT)

1895 – Famed social activist and abolitionist Frederick Douglass dies of a heart attack in Washington, D.C., at 70.

1900 – John Frederick Pickering receives patent for the airship.

1927 – Sidney Poitier, the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, is born in Miami.

1937 – Grammy-winning singer Nancy Wilson is born in Chillicothe, Ohio.

FEB. 21

1933 – Singer/songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone is born in Tryon, North Carolina.

1936 – Civil rights leader Barbara Jordan, the first Southern African American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives, is born in Houston.

1940 – John Lewis, longtime U.S. congressman and and renowned civil rights leader, is born in Troy, Alabama.

1961 – Inventor Otis Boykin patents an improved electronic resistor.

1965 – Civil rights activist Malcolm X is assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan at 39.

FEB. 22

1950 – Basketball icon Julius "Dr. J" Erving is born in East Meadow, New York.

1989 – DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince win the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for their hit song "Parents Just Don't Understand."

FEB. 23

1868 – W.E.B. Du Bois, author, sociologist and civil rights activist, is born in Great Barrington, Mas-

sachusetts.

1942 – Haki Madhubuti, author, activist, and founder of the Third World Press, is born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1979 – Frank E. Petersen Jr. is promoted to brigadier general, becoming the first African American general in the Marine Corps.

FEB. 24

1811 – Daniel Payne, author, educator and integral figure of the African Methodist Church, is born in Charleston, South Carolina.

1864 – Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first African American woman to earn a medical degree.

1999 – Rapper and singer Lauryn Hill wins five Grammys including Album of the Year, setting a onenight record for a female artist.

FEB. 25

1903 – Albany State University, a historically Black college, is founded in Albany, Georgia.

1948 – Civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. is ordained as a minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his father was a pastor.

1964 – Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeats Sonny Liston by a 7th-round TKO in Miami Beach, Florida, to win the heavyweight boxing championship for the first time.

FEB. 26

1926 – Boxing great Theodore "Tiger" Flowers becomes the first Black middleweight champion.

1928 – R&B legend Fats Domino is born in New Orleans.

1965 – Civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson dies eight days after being shot by police during a peaceful voting rights march in Marion, Alabama. WI

AROUND THE REGION

P INT

BY SARAFINA WRIGHT

Thousands of federal employees have been notified of their firings as President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk’s downsizing efforts have begun. What are your thoughts?

JAD DOILEY / PHILADELPHIA, PENN.

ROBERT LEDBETTER / NEW YORK, N.Y.

A non-government official not even vetted or voted into his position with the power to cut jobs? That’s not how this country and government are supposed to be run!

Keep up the good work, guys. The taxpayers are pleased, but the thieves and fraudsters are upset.

MINISHA CHESTNUT / WASHINGTON, D.C.

EDWARD RHYNS / WASHINGTON, D.C.

Elon Musk is not even from this country. He’s not a natural-born U.S. citizen, but he has authority over government jobs and at the White House.

Money definitely talks. Elon Musk is the richest man in the world. Why is he so concerned about the USA? What’s in it for him, and who is benefiting from this?

KENDRA JEFFERSON / FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.

It’s sad that people are celebrating people losing their jobs. People who own their own businesses should be worried. If people are unemployed and can’t afford their bills, they may not be able to purchase from your business. It’s a domino effect.

Our staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.

AROUND THE REGION

Food on the Stove Aids First Responders

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

When an American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on Jan. 29– killing all 67 of the passengers and crew involved—first responders from the District, Maryland and Virginia rushed to the scene to assess the accident and clean up the damage.

District firefighter Jonathan Tate also rushed to the banks of the river but for a different purpose.

Tate, a Ward 8 resident who has worked for the District’s firefighting and emergency medical service unit for 12 years, was on the scene for his nonprofit “Food on the Stove.”

“We wanted to be there to provide nourishment for the first responders and the divers,” said Tate to The Informer on Feb. 13. “We set out a tent so that they could have coffee and snacks as they attempted to recover bodies and clean up debris from the accident.”

Tate’s work at the collision site continues the mission of his nonprofit, which he said started seven years ago on the basis of the observation that first responders often do hard work but tend to have bad nutritional habits.

He called the nonprofit “Food on the Stove” because firefighters handle threats caused by food left on stoves — the leading cause of U.S. home fires and fire injuries, as well as the third leading cause of fire deaths.

FIRST RESPONDERS AND MENTAL HEALTH

Tate, 42, has focused on the mental health of first responders.

“A healthy body coincides with a healthy mind,” he said.

According to a Psychiatric Times study examining fire fighters, police officers and EMS professionals published in September 2022, 30% of first responders are more likely to develop behavioral health conditions, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in comparison to 20% of the general population.

In a study regarding suicidality, firefighters were reported to have higher attempt and ideation rates than the general population.

The supplement added that in law enforcement, the estimates suggest between 125 and 300 police officers commit suicide every year.

“First responders see traumatic events every day,” Tate said. “We decided to take a proactive approach in dealing with the stress and trauma by dealing with mental health challenges head-on.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT THURSDAYS

Food on the Stove has established a special program for the month of February, where Tate serves first responders, primarily District firefighters and police officers, a lunch at the Capital Turnaround located in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Ward 8 in Southeast every Thursday.

In addition to meals offered, Tate provides food for the soul. During last Thursday’s event, there were booths sponsored by nonprofits that specialize in mental health services such as

CARE and Wise Choice Counseling.

A Wise Choice Counseling professional was available for consultation while the CARE organization had pamphlets and literature at its booth.

At the venue are five large tables with six chairs surrounding it for first responders who want to eat their food onsite. On Feb. 13, the food, provided by Ama’s Catering Experience, consisted of yellow rice, salmon, baked chicken, celery with a dessert and beverages.

Ama Hammah, the owner of Ama’s Catering Experience, said she has worked with Tate for a few years and finds the effort to be rewarding.

“I like what he is doing for first responders,” Hammah, 43, said. “It is important that first responders eat good, healthy, nutritious meals of meat, seafood, starch and vegetables.”

One of the first responders to stop by to grab a meal was D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, who sat around a table with fellow firefighters and chatted amicably while consuming the meal.

Donnelly said he appreciates what Tate is doing.

“Our department has just been through a lot of trauma,” said Donnelly, 58. “Anything anyone can do to mitigate it is great. It is good to see people get together to share a meal. That is part of the healing process.”

Tate said he looks forward to taking his nonprofit to another level.

“I want Food on the Stove to be a national organization,” he said. “I want to be able to reach out to and help first responders across the country. I’d like to use old unused firehouses for our purposes to help first responders get fed and live healthier lifestyles.” WI @JamesWrightJr10

5Jonathan Tate is the founder of Food on the Stove, a nonprofit that specializes in aiding first responders. (Courtesy Photo/Food on the Stove)

NAACP Sues Trump Administration Over Dismantling of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The civil rights organization argues that the move undermines protections for Black, elderly, and vulnerable consumers, leaving them exposed to financial exploitation.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the administration’s actions, calling them a reckless assault on consumer protections.

“Once again, we are witnessing the dangerous impacts of an overreaching executive office,” Johnson said. “The Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau opens the floodgates for unethical and predatory practices to run rampant. We refuse to stand idly by as our most vulnerable communities are left unprotected due to irresponsible leaders. From seniors and retirees, disabled people, and victims of disaster to so many more, our nation stands to face immense financial hardship and adversity as a result of the elimination of the CFPB. If our President refuses to put people over profit, the NAACP will use every tool possible to put Americans first.”

The lawsuit comes after a series of

drastic actions following the ouster of CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. President Trump replaced Chopra with Russell Vought, who immediately instructed staff not to perform any work tasks and ordered the closure of the agency’s headquarters, taking steps to cancel its lease. Vought also suspended all investigations, rulemaking, public communications, and enforcement actions.

The lawsuit, filed alongside the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the National Consumer Law Center, the Virginia Poverty Law Center, and the CFPB Employee Association, argues that the administration’s actions violate the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act.

According to the complaint, the Trump administration has taken deliberate steps to dismantle the CFPB, including firing 70 employees via form email, canceling over $100 million in vendor contracts, and shutting down the agency’s consumer complaint system, which processes hundreds of thousands of cases monthly.

Government Efficiency,” celebrated the move with a social media post reading “CFPB RIP.”

The lawsuit details the harm already inflicted by the agency’s closure. Among those affected is the Rev. Eva Steege, an 83-year-old pastor with a terminal illness who was seeking student loan forgiveness through a CFPB-facilitated program. Her meeting with CFPB staff was abruptly can-

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celed, leaving her without recourse to resolve her debt before passing.

If successful, the lawsuit could force the administration to reinstate the agency and resume its enforcement actions against financial institutions accused of predatory practices.

“Neither the president nor the head of the CFPB has the power to dismantle an agency that Congress established,” the plaintiffs argue. “With each day the agency remains shut down, financial institutions that seek to prey on consumers are emboldened—harming their law-abiding competitors and the consumers who fall victim to them.” WI

@StacyBrownMedia

4The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

GROCERIES FOR DC SENIORS!

AROUND THE REGION

PNC Bank hosted a Black History Month panel, moderated by Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, discussing the past, present, and future of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), at its headquarters in Northwest, D.C. Pictured: (L-R) Dwight McTizic (PNC), Laila Bey (PNC), Jermaine Johnson (Regional President/PNC Bank), Denise Rolark Barnes, Rosie Allen Herring (President and CEO of United Way National Capital Area), Dr. Tia Tyree (Associate Dean at Howard University), actor Lamman Rucker, Brionna Young (PNC). Front center: D. Howard and M. Emanuel, members of Phi Beta Sigma. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)

Dwyn Griffin, Sara McDonough, and Marsha Quarles read The Washington Informer. (Robert R. Roberts/ The Washington Informer)

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

In the nation’s capital, Washingtonians like to look good when they dress up to go to a reception, a political rally or even a community meeting. Cheryl A. Lofton, the owner of Cheryl A. Lofton Tailoring in Northwest, has helped her customers do just that by altering and improving their suits, jackets and dresses for over three decades.

Tailoring is a part of Lofton’s life and family tradition. She is the granddaughter of one of the District’s most prominent historical Black businessmen, Joe C. Lofton, the proprietor of Lofton Custom Tailoring, founded in 1939, when the District was racially segregated and African Americans could purchase but not try on clothes at such establishments as Garfinkel’s and Woodward & Lothrop.

She said family members during her era helped their grandfather’s business prosper.

“We grew up in it,” Lofton, 67, told The Informer. “We worked every summer in the family tailor shop. We had the chance to make a little money and learn how to sew and how the business works.”

On March 28, The Washington Informer will celebrate its 60thAnniversary with a gala at the Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Library in Northwest honoring District legacy Black businesses such as Lofton’s.

“To be honored along with Lee’s Flower Shop, Ben’s Chili Bowl and Industrial Bank is great,” she said. “We are the children of the founders;we grew up together. We continue to run our businesses; we didn’t sell out.”

JOE C. LOFTON STARTS A LOCAL DYNASTY

With the establishment of Lofton Custom Tailoring in 1939, Joe C. Lofton became the first African American to have a tailoring school in conjunction with a business in the District’s downtown.

A self-taught master tailor, throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he earned a reputation as a talented, dedicated entrepreneur offering

quality tailoring and alteration ser vices to noted politicians, attorneys, entertainers and other businesspeo ple.

It has been noted that Lofton’s skills were so highly regarded that he managed to get a contract from the federal government teaching veterans and people with disabilities how to tailor. This was a major feat as getting a government contract was rare for African Americans for much of the time he operated his business, due to rampant ra cial discrimination.

“We knew about the govern ment contract but did not dwell on it,” said the younger Lofton, who has taken the lessons she learned from her grandfather as she continues the family legacy. “It was not a big deal. It was a part of our business, a part of what was going on.”

CHERYL LOFTON FORMALLY JOINS THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Even though she worked for the business in a limited capacity as a young girl, Lofton joined her grandfather’s business at the age of 12, learning the art of sewing under the tutelage of the master tailor and entrepreneur.

At the age of 18, Lofton started managing one of the two family tailoring shops, working at the establishment while getting a bachelor’s degree from Howard University.

At the shop she managed, she proved herself as a capable tailor providing excellent alterations and custom tailoring to many of the District’s elite.

“One of the most famous people ever to come by was former vice president Spiro Agnew,” said Lofton. “We also tailored for people such William Raspberry, Ron Walters and Marion Barry. I have a photo of Marion Barry holding one of my infants.”

Lofton explained that her grandfather tailored for musician Fats Domino and some of the musical and theatrical star performers that entertained at the Howard Theatre in Northwest.

With her own business, Lofton has made a name for herself as a person who knows how to fit garments properly on women in the District.

In particular, Lofton is passionate about making sure women’s alterations are performed with every curve of their body in mind.

“While a large part of our clientele continues to be male, I urge women to have a personal tailor to ensure they have a properly fitting garment,” Lofton said.

Historically a family venture, the tailor and entrepreneur said her children are involved in the business, but do not sew.

“They mainly focus on social media and getting the word out about what we are doing,” she said.

As a legacy Black business in the District, Lofton has high hopes for the future of the family business.

“My hope will be that my children and my mentees will continue to carry on the business and pass it along to their children,” Lofton explained. She also hopes to change the face of tailoring.

“I don’t have any daughters, but I also don’t want tailoring to always be considered a male dominated profession,” Lofton told The Informer. “That’s why I have two young female assistants, who I mentor, to ensure the presence of a female at the top of my business.” WI

@JamesWrightJr10

5Cheryl A. Lofton is the owner of Chery A. Lofton & Associates, a full-service tailoring company in the District. (Courtesy Photo/Cheryl A. Lofton)

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Maryland Local, Political Updates

By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter

MOORE APPOINTS

DR. MEENA

SESHAMANI AS NEW HEALTH SECRETARY

Shortly after announcing a new Commerce Secretary, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) appointed Dr. Meena Seshamani, as health secretary on Feb. 6. Seshamani is a Hopkins-trained surgeon, Oxford-trained Ph.D.

economist, and was a Marshall Scholar. She previously led the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“Dr. Meena Seshamani is among the nation’s top health leaders – with an extraordinary career spanning expertise in public service, medical practice, economics, academia, and advocacy. She has made our nation's health care system fairer, more affordable, and more accessible to all -- including our most vulnerable, from families in poverty to communities with

disabilities,” said Moore in a press release. “We thank her for raising her hand to serve in this new role.”

Current Health Secretary Dr. Laura Scott will conclude her role on Feb. 28, and Seshamani is expected to be confirmed by the State Senate in early April.

Chamber Forward: A Bold Vision for the Future

By Alexander K. Austin President & CEO

Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce

I believe that economic success isn’t something we wait for, it’s something we create. At the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, I am committed to building an advanced business ecosystem that drives long-term growth and prosperity in our county.

That’s why I’m excited about Chamber Forward—more than just a slogan, it’s a movement. As business leaders, we must be intentional about fostering innovation, equity, and sustainability in everything we do. I want to reengineer how we support businesses, advocate for policies that fuel growth, and create opportunities for entrepreneurs at every level.

For me, innovation means embracing emerging industries, digital transformation, and new solutions that

prepare our businesses for the future. Equity is at the heart of my vision—I want to ensure that minority-owned, women-led, and small businesses have fair access to capital, resources, and contracts. And through sustainability, I am focused on championing industries, workforce training, and economic resilience that will keep our county thriving for generations.

Prince George’s County is at a turning point, and I’m determined to ensure that we don’t just keep up—we lead. Now is the time to build a stronger, more competitive, and more inclusive economy. The future won’t wait—I’m ready to move forward. For information visit: www. pgcoc.org

3Dr. Meena Seshamani is awaiting a Maryland Senate confirmation to learn if she will officially be the new Health Secretary, after being appointed by Gov. Wes Moore. Seshamani is a Johns Hopkins trained surgeon and previously worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Courtesy

Education advocates Liz Zogby and Kalman Hettleman cautioned that the proposed budget will cut state and local Blueprint funding by about $218 million this year, a cut of about 14%, and reduce Blueprint funding by as much as $2.2 billion through 2029.

During this transition, Ryan B. Moran, deputy secretary for health care financing, will serve as acting secretary.

Some Marylanders took to social media to celebrate after Moore’s office announced Seshamani’s appointment.

“Amazing news,” one social media user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Maryland gets the leadership of the incredible Dr. Meena Seshamani, who led Medicare and its drug price negotiation reforms through the Biden years.” WI

GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET TRIMS LONG-TERM FUNDING FOR DISABLED COMMUNITY, EDUCATION

With federal spending cuts and concerns over mass firings looming, the fight to pass a balanced budget is now progressing through Annapolis.

Governor Wes Moore (D) has sent a budget proposal to both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly, and questions remain about how much more new revenue is needed and what budget cuts can be justified.

Senate President Bill Ferguson warned that hundreds of millions of additional cuts may be required due to Republican efforts in Washington to lower taxes for the wealthy, while shifting health care costs to the states.

“Those numbers are not misprints. They’re not absolutely definitive either. But that’s because the governor’s budget this year is unusually complicated with innumerable open questions and will be a moving target until the details and accompanying legislation can be analyzed in the coming weeks,” read an op-ed penned by Zogby and Hettleman. “Still, the big picture is crystal clear: The proposed cutbacks are astonishingly large, putting the future of the Blueprint in grave danger.”

Moore has also proposed $200 million in cuts for the Developmental Disabilities Administration, which hundreds of advocates rallied against in Annapolis.

The Arc, an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has vocalized criticism of the proposed cuts.

“The families just feel like it was a meeting to have a meeting — and their voices were not heard. It’s that simple,” said Maryland Community Connection’s Executive Director Andre Coats, following a call with state officials to discuss the proposed budget cuts.

Coats emphasized the need for clarity on specific cuts.

“It can be challenging for a lot of people affected by these budget cuts to give feedback because it is such a complex system, and we still lack a lot of clarity in the exact nature of what the budget cuts will be,” he continued. “We know, in general, what they’re talking about, but many of us still have questions about the specificity of the proposals — and how those cuts are implemented have a huge impact on peoples’ lives.”

UPDATES

County Council Chair Jolene Ivey

Withdraws from County Executive Race

Braveboy, Hawkins, and Baker Remain Top Contenders

By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter

The special election to replace Senator Angela Alsobrooks had an unexpected shift last week when County Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D- At Large) announced that she withdrew her candidacy for the Prince George’s County Executive seat, citing personal and financial considerations.

“Today I am ending my campaign for Prince George’s County Executive. I want to thank all of my volunteers and supporters for standing with me,” Ivey said in a social media post on Feb. 12. “I look forward to continue fighting for the people of Prince George’s County as a member of the County Council.”

Ivey, who won the At-Large

seat to replace former Councilmember Mel Franklin last year, plans to endorse another candidate but has not yet made her choice public. She is not term-limited in her current role.

Former County Executive Rushern Baker, who is currently running for his old post, weighed in on Ivey’s decision shortly after she withdrew from the race.

“Jolene Ivey and I have been friends for over 30 years, and I have deep respect for her dedication to public service,” Baker wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I know this decision was made with great thought and care for the future of Prince George’s County. I look forward to speaking with her in the coming days about how we can collaborate to uplift our county.”

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

BAKER, BRAVEBOY, HAWKINS AND WASHINGTON REMAIN

Baker, State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D), County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins (D), and Sen. Alonzo Washington (D- District 22) remain in the running for the next county executive.

The four candidates met for a debate on WJLA-7, just hours after Ivey withdrew on Feb. 12.

Braveboy, the presumed frontrunner in the race, cited a general decrease in crime last year, including a 33% reduction in carjackings. She also called for an audit of county spending and suggested investing in local businesses as a means to address the budget deficit.

The state’s attorney, who won the online straw poll following the WJLA debate, was endorsed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Councilmember Tom Dernoga (D- District 1).

“I’m proud to endorse State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy for Prince George’s County Executive,” said Moore via social media on Feb. 17. “I’m confident she’ll make Maryland and Prince

executive. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer) George’s County safer, more affordable, and more competitive.”

Hawkins outlined his three primary priorities if elected as county executive: growing the County economy, enhancing public safety, and investing in public schools.

“To achieve economic growth, we

must work to attract new and developing businesses, such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data centers. To attract new businesses, we must ensure that our county is safe and that we work to reduce crime,” Hawkins told The Informer.

Considering public safety, particularly youth and the National Harbor curfew, Washington advocated for late-night community activities and shifting 150 police officers into community policing roles.

Baker touted his past performance as county executive, particularly in dealing with the 2010 budget deficit during the Great Recession, and said he plans to fill staffing shortages in fire and emergency services to address crime. He was endorsed by multiple police organizations.

“True leadership is measured by the support you garner from those who keep us safe,” Baker wrote in a social media post Feb. 13. “I look forward to working together again to build a safer, stronger Prince George’s County.”

Voters were mailed ballots in the past several weeks, and Election Day is March 4.

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5 Former County Executive Rushern Baker, State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (pictured), County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins, and Sen. Alonzo Washington remain in the running for the next county

BUSINESS

By James Wright / WI Staff Writer

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT PARKING CAPACITY

The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority announced as of Feb. 17, parking capacity in Reagan National Airport’s Economy lot will be reduced by up to 40% to accommodate construction of a new parking structure that, when complete, will add flexibility to the airport’s parking operations.

Initially, about 850 spaces will be unavailable so sitework can commence. At the peak of construction, up to 1,100 of the lot’s 2,680 spaces will be unavailable, temporarily reducing airport-wide parking availability.

Construction, coupled with the temporary loss of parking spaces, will begin in March and extend into 2026. The only way to guarantee a parking space at the lowest price is to reserve well in advance through the airport’s website, FlyReagan.com.

Rates for online reservations will be at or below drive-up prices with discounts of up to 25%, and will fluctuate with demand.

“Following record-breaking demand for airport parking in 2024, customers are strongly encouraged to make advance parking reservations to guarantee a space and secure the lowest price,” said Bill Lanham, Airport Authority com-

briefs

mercial parking director.

A limited number of spaces will be held to accommodate drive-up customers. Customers planning to park without a reservation should check FlyReagan.com prior to departure to determine availability of spaces.

Alternative transportation options to Reagan National include Metrorail, which connects to all airport terminals.

“While we understand the challenges this project might pose for passengers who park at the airport, this construction is necessary to make improvements and expand our airport facilities in line with increasing demand,” Lanham continued. “We apologize for the temporary inconvenience.” WI

HOOD TAPPED AS ACTING COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the appointment of Rodney E. Hood as acting comptroller of the currency, as of Feb. 10, of Feb. 10, designated by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

“I am grateful for the trust of Secretary Bessent and will work diligently to promote a regulatory environment that is effective without being excessive,” said

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Hood. “I remain committed to a balanced framework—one that fosters innovation, expands financial inclusion, and ensures that all Americans have fair access to

the financial services they need to thrive.”

Hood succeeds Michael J. Hsu, who has served in the role since May 10, 2021.

A North Carolina native, Hood holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He was previously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2005 and again in 2019 to serve on the National Credit Union Administration Board (NCUA).

In 2019, President Trump designated him as chairman of the NCUA Board, making Hood the first African American to lead a federal banking regulatory agency. While at the NCUA, Hood also served as a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, as the NeighborWorks America Board chairman, and as vice chairman of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council.

Before public service, Hood held senior roles in retail finance, commercial banking, affordable housing, and community development in the private sector.

“I look forward to leading the dedicated career staff at the [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency], whose expertise and commitment are essential to maintaining a safe and sound banking system.” WI

Corporate America Abandons DEI, But Black-Owned Brands Are the Future Check Out a List

of Black Owned Brands to Support

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

While corporations retreat, Black entrepreneurs continue to build, innovate, and thrive.

According to NBC Select, over three million Black-owned brands are in the U.S., spanning every industry imaginable.

Meanwhile, corporate America’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI is unraveling at an alarming rate.

A staggering number of major corporations have scaled back or eliminated DEI programs: Amazon, Target, Amtrak, Goldman Sachs, Disney, Deloitte, PBS, Google, Pepsi, General Motors (GM), GE, Intel, PayPal, Chipotle, Comcast, Accenture, the Smithsonian Institution, the FBI, Meta, Walmart, Boeing, Molson Coors, Ford Motor Co., Harley-Davidson, and John Deere have all abandoned or severely re-

duced their diversity efforts.

The very companies that once paraded their commitment to racial equity in multimillion-dollar ad campaigns are now quietly erasing those initiatives from their bottom lines.

Not everyone is staying silent.

Dr. Jamal Bryant, the influential pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in metro Atlanta, is leading a 40-day economic fast—or boycott—of Target in direct response to the retailer’s decision to phase out its DEI initiatives.

Bryant calls for 100,000 people to halt their spending at the retail giant as a direct challenge to corporate America’s retreat from racial equity.

“Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” he said. “Because of how many dollars are spent there and the absence of commitment to our community, we are focusing on Target first.”

The boycott, designed to coincide with the Christian season of Lent,

the 40 days and nights leading to Easter, aims to leverage Black economic power to hold corporations accountable.

Meanwhile, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)—the nation’s largest Blackowned media organization—has announced its own national public education and selective buying campaign in response to corporate America’s retreat from DEI.

“We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not be silent or nonresponsive to the rapid rise of renewed Jim Crow racist policies in corporate America,” said NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr. As corporate America abandons its DEI commitments, the power shifts to conscious consumers who invest in businesses that uplift and sustain marginalized communities.

Here are just a few standout Black-

5Dr. Margaret Dureke is the executive director and CEO of WETATi Academy Inc. (Courtesy Photo/WETATi Academy)

owned brands leading the charge:

CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

• Telfar: The brand that revolutionized luxury fashion with its motto: “Not for you—for everyone.”

• Hanifa: A trailblazing womenswear brand founded by Anifa Mvuemba, known for its stunning digital fashion shows.

• Pyer Moss: Founded by Kerby Jean-Raymond, this label merges activism and high fashion.

• Grayscale: A streetwear brand bringing bold aesthetics and social commentary to the forefront.

• Sassy Jones: A standout accessories brand built on bold, unapologetic self-expression.

BEAUTY AND SKINCARE

• Fenty Beauty: Rihanna’s globally inclusive beauty empire that set a new standard for shade diversity.

• Mented Cosmetics: Beauty products created specifically for deeper skin tones.

• The Lip Bar: A Black-womanowned brand disrupting the beauty industry with bold, non-toxic lipstick shades.

• Pattern Beauty: Founded by actress Tracee Ellis Ross, specializing in products for textured hair.

• Alikay Naturals: Natural hair-

care products with a devoted following.

• TPH by Taraji: Created by actress and DMV native Taraji P. Henson, this hair and body brand provides nourishing, protecting and cleansing products.

HOME AND LIFESTYLE

• Estelle Colored Glass – Handblown glassware that brings Black excellence to fine dining.

• Jungalow: A home décor brand from designer Justina Blakeney, blending culture and bohemian flair.

• Linoto: Luxury linen bedding made with sustainability in mind.

• Yowie: A modern design studio curating unique home goods from independent artists.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

• Partake Foods: A Black-owned snack company offering allergen-friendly cookies and treats.

• McBride Sisters Wine Collection: The largest Black-owned wine company in the U.S., run by two sisters redefining the industry.

• Uncle Nearest Whiskey: Honoring Nathan “Nearest” Green, the Black distiller behind Jack Daniel’s original recipe.

• Capital City Mambo Sauce:The D.C. favorite taking over the condiment industry. WI BRANDS from Page 14

5 While corporations retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion, there are many Black-owned brands to support year round, including TPH by Taraji P. Henson, a brand of self-care products that provides nourishing, protecting and cleansing products. (Courtesy Photo)

Listen to Your Heart –Prioritizing Your Heart Health

By: DC Black MBA

The health of our hearts is the foundation of our well-being, yet heart disease remains the leading cause of death for Black Americans. Despite advancements in medicine and awareness campaigns, disparities persist. According to the American Heart Association, Black adults are nearly twice as likely as their white counterparts to develop heart failure before the age of 50. High blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity—often exacerbated by systemic inequalities— are major contributors to this crisis. More importantly, many individuals realize they are at risk after a tragic event.

Dr. LaNysha Adams knows this firsthand. Before experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, she believed that staying active and maintaining a relatively healthy lifestyle meant her heart was in good condition.

“Everything changed,” Dr. Adams shares. “I took my heart for granted. I assumed being active meant I was in the clear. But I’ve learned that heart health isn’t just about exercise—it’s about listening to my body, managing stress, and being intentional about recovery.”

Heart disease is the number one killer of Black women, yet it often goes unnoticed until a major event, like cardiac arrest or stroke, occurs. The symptoms of heart disease in women can be subtle—unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath, or even back pain.

“Too many people—especially Black women—don’t realize they could be at risk until it’s too late,” says Dr. Adams. “We’re often conditioned to push through discomfort, to ignore signs that something is wrong. But heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, and cardiac arrest doesn’t always come with a warning.”

High blood pressure, which disproportionately affects Black women, can quietly strain the heart over time, making it imperative to monitor health closely during and after pregnancy. Adams’ experience underscores the importance of self-advocacy in medical settings. Too often, Black patients’ concerns are dismissed, leading to delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatment.

“We have to ask better questions, push for the care we need, and not just accept ‘you’re fine’ as an answer when we know something feels off,” she urges. “There’s so much we aren’t told, and what we don’t know can hurt us. It’s imperative to stay informed to stay alive!”

This means knowing your numbers—blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels—and having regular check-ups. It means demanding second opinions if feel your health concerns remain unanswered. It means being proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to heart health.

For many, including Adams, adjusting to a new normal after a cardiac event is a difficult process. A former powerlifter, she had to reevaluate what strength truly meant after her cardiac arrest. “I used to believe in ‘powering through.’ If I was tired, I pushed harder. If I felt off, I kept going. I don’t do that anymore,” she says. “Now, I honor my limits. I rest when my body tells me to. I also don’t allow stress to run my life the way it used to.”

Adjusting to these changes requires a shift in mindset. Strength is more than endurance or physical capability; it is also about resilience, adaptability, and prioritizing long-term health over short-term goals. One of Adams’ most crucial messages is simple yet profound: “Your body whispers before it screams. Pay attention to the whispers.”

That random fatigue? That shortness of breath? That strange feeling you can’t quite explain. Those could be warning signs of an underlying heart issue. Ignoring them could lead to devastating consequences.

By embracing preventative care, advocating for better medical treatment, and making intentional lifestyle choices, the statistics can change and ensure that more Black lives are saved. Because in the end, taking care of your heart is about living better and longer.

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n Business Cards

n Banners

n Canvas Bags

n Color Copies

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From Rio to Baltimore: The Fight for Authentic Black Representation

Black Artists in Brazil and the U.S. Redefine Black Identity

By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer

Black artists in Brazil and the United States actively transform depictions of the African diaspora, which typically highlight trauma and poverty, by remaining committed to portraying the joys, beauties and intricacies of Blackness.

Although over a century has passed since slavery’s abolition in both countries, and each constitution asserts that all populations are to be treated equally, their Black communities face the consequences of racism and colonization in modern times. Throughout history, celebrating Black identities has served as a means of resisting the prejudices thrust upon the community.

Because of the diaspora’s shared history, solidarity among Black creatives is essential to changing society and the art community’s perspectives on Black people and creating more spaces for more positive and authentic imagery relating to the Black experience.

“We are able to understand each other in a special way that not only affirms our existence but also allows us to keep going in the struggle for collective liberation and the struggle for artistic freedom,” said Muse Dodd, a Maryland-based photographer.

Dodd, who uses they/them pronouns, considers travel an opportunity to generate empathy and understanding across communities and to appreciate other perspectives to add depth to one’s worldview and artwork.

Due to their deeply rooted love for Brazil, its people and its culture, Dodd has visited Brazil five times since 2014, joking that they are in a “long-distance relationship” with the South American country.

Baltimore-based painter Mark West Jr. shares the same adoration for Brazil, determined to help raise visibility for artwork by Black creatives in his home and abroad. He has done so by featuring Brazilian artists at his art shows in Baltimore and sending other Baltimore-based artists to show their work in Brazil.

“I try to use both communities to help each other,” said West. “There's no other way for us to really be able to boost [ourselves] up with international opportunities so I try to make

that really easy… and boost their confidence.”

After traveling to Brazil multiple times, Dodd and West have recognized the parallels between the Black experience in both countries– from police brutality to systemic racism and depictions of Black trauma. In acknowledging the shared diasporic experience, both artists have broadened their perspectives and boosted connections between global creatives.

“[Brazil] has captured us in a way that is magical,” Dodd told The Informer.

BRAZILIAN ARTISTS COMBAT RACIAL DISPARITIES THROUGH ART

According to the 2010 census, more than half of Brazil’s population is of African ancestry, making it a very diverse country. Due to the South American country’s melting pot of skin tones and cultures, many Brazilians believe in the ideology of racial democracy, a concept that denies racism’s existence in the country.

Many scholars and Black activists have challenged this belief, as racial disparities continue to run rampant in Brazil. A lack of accurate representation comes hand in hand with those disparities– something Rio de Janeiro-based artists Marcos Firmino and Bruno Silva are combating through their artwork.

“I create art to humanize Black people,” Firmino, an actor and filmmaker, told The Informer.

This has been a prevalent theme in Firmino’s work since his debut into the filmmaking community. In 2022,

he helped with the cinematography of the short film “Cachoeira,” which follows an enchanted being who is half woman and half man, using the subject to explore the gender roles surrounding traditional dance.

Firmino concentrates on dismantling white supremacist views and investing in authentic Black narratives, portraying the rich African cultures in Rio. He believes Black representation is the most important thing he considers when creating.

“Something like this inspires other people, and of course for the other Black people in the world,” he said. Silva is also determined to combat demonizing representations of Black people in Brazil’s art scene. He began taking photos in 2014 when Brazilians were protesting increased bus fares, intertwining Black and LGBTQ activism in his artistry.

By doing so, Silva realized that a large portion of Brazil’s Black population rejected their Blackness. This realization pushed the 30-year-old photographer to produce images centered around Black people’s beauty, strength, and triumphs.

“They start to see themselves in that picture,” Silva told The Informer. “They like to see they have beauty to show, and when they started to realize that, they changed how they [felt] about their beauty.”

By devoting their work to uplifting the African diaspora and rejecting detrimental stereotypes, these creatives are working to change the art community and simultaneously unify the global Black population.

“My activism is going to change the world,” Firmino said.

5 “Lost Ones,” taken by Muse Dodd, is part of a series called “How to be Free: A Meditation of Existence as Resistance.” With this collection, Dodd aimed to soothe Black audiences by creating serene imagery. (Courtesy Photo)

NATIONAL

Federal Workers Sue Over Mass Firings as Trump Faces Legal Battles

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

A coalition of civil servants across nine federal agencies has filed a formal complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, alleging the Trump administration terminated them solely because of their probationary status rather than their performance or conduct.

The complaint, the first of its kind, was brought before Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, who was reinstated to his position by a federal court after Trump attempted to remove him. The filing follows a directive from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management instructing agencies to identify employees without full civil service protections and conduct mass terminations. The complaint states that the suit will eventually cover additional agencies.

“The vast majority of the American people—more than 90%—believe that civil servants should be promoted based on their own merit, not on loyalty. Yet, the Trump administration is seeking to undermine that value by purging non-partisan career civil servants and prioritizing partisan loyalists,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing the terminated employees. “Our civil servants do everything from keeping our food and medicine safe, to securing our borders, to improving our communities. We will use all legal tools available to protect them from arbitrary firings designed to politicize our government.”

Michelle Bercovici, a partner at Alden Law Group, which joined Democracy Forward in filing the complaint, called the terminations an “unprecedented and grossly unfair circumvention of the merit principles upon which our civil service is based.”

“These hard-working employees should have the opportunity to let

their work speak for itself,” Bercovici said.

Two days before the filing of that complaint, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) and a coalition of labor unions sued the Trump administration, challenging the legality of the mass firings.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, contests the dismissal of probationary employees, a deferred resignation strategy aimed at pressuring workers to leave voluntarily, and large-scale reductions in force that violate federal statutes.

“The Trump administration’s executive actions to gut the federal workforce are not only illegal but will also have damaging consequences for federal employees and the public services they provide,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “The courts must intervene and hold this administration accountable for violating federal laws before it is too late. Federal workers are your friends and neighbors who have dedicated their careers to serving our country. We cannot let the president disrupt their lives and dismantle critical services relied upon by the American people.”

The lawsuit also accuses the administration of unlawfully undermining Congress’ authority by eliminating federal agencies and positions authorized by the legislative branch. It calls for a ruling declaring the mass terminations and deferred resignation program unlawful.

“If this administration and Elon Musk truly wanted to make our government more efficient, they would have taken the time to understand that these actions will only lead to chaos and poor service for the American people,” Erwin said. “Instead, they are illegally targeting federal agencies, their missions, and workers to pay for proposed tax cuts for the wealthy.

These efforts hurt middle-class Americans who chose to work in service to the public as federal employees. It is unpatriotic and unacceptable.”

New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury added: “We stand with our federal workers and are fighting back.”

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES FILE

SUIT AGAINST OPM, FBI AGENTS SUE DOJ

The legal challenges against the administration’s actions extend beyond mass firings.

A group of federal employees is suing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for allegedly using an unauthorized server to send mass email blasts across the federal government.

The plaintiffs argue the system stores sensitive information, including data on individuals outside the federal executive branch.

3 In separate lawsuits, federal employees are suing President Trump, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Justice Department over mass firings, sharing sensitive information, and the administration’s efforts to compile a list of employees involved in probes of the Jan. 6 attack. (Courtesy Photo)

The lawsuit follows a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss, who denied the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order to halt the operation of the server while the case proceeds. The initial complaint alleged that OPM sidestepped federal law by failing to conduct a privacy impact assessment before launching the Government-Wide Email System (GWES). The agency later issued an assessment but argued it was unnecessary since the system contained only federal employee data. The plaintiffs countered that individuals outside the executive branch received OPM’s mass emails, raising concerns about improperly storing their information.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Agricultural Work Creates

By Micha Green WI Managing Editor

For African Americans, agricultural labor and knowledge has been critical to providing paths toward freedom, innovation, and prosperity.

As the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the creators of Black History Month, examines “African Americans and Labor” for its 2025 theme, The Washington Informer is diving deep into the contributions of Black agriculturists, whose work furthered the nation.

storically, agricultural labor has not just been about working farms or fields. Instead, it’s offered opportunities for discovery, addressed challenges, and improved life, not only for Black people but all Americans.

In a 1938 speech, groundbreaking botanist and inventor George Washington Carver drew the correlation between agriculture and society.

“Whenever the soil is rich the people flourish, physically and economically. Wherever the soil is wasted the people are wasted,” Carver said. “A poor soil produces only a poor people—poor economically, poor spiritually and intellectually, poor physically.”

Carver, like other Black agriculturists, such as Booker T. Washington, viewed agricultural work as a way to not only uplift African Americans, but the entire nation.

“The primary idea in all of my work was to help the farmer and fill the poor man's empty dinner pail,” Carver once said. “My idea is to help the ‘man farthest down.’

This is why I have made every process just as simply as I could to put it within his reach.”

Similarly, Washington—the first president of Tuskegee Institute (now University) who hired Carver to teach and eventually lead the college’s agricultural department— placed incredible value on one’s work helping others.

“There are two ways of exerting one’s strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up,” Washington said.

From the labor of enslaved Africans working in the fields and picking crops, to barrier-breakers like Washington and Carver, to African American farmers of today, Black agriculturalists’ contributions have been critical in shaping the United States as an economic global power.

“Black people have been and are an integral driver in the success of U.S. agriculture. From farming and cultivation to scientific research, the agriculture narrative is

fortified by the many roles played by Black leaders,” according to the 2021 USDA article “Agriculture in America: Deeply Rooted in Black Culture.” “USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the premier food research agency in the world, and it wouldn’t be nearly as successful or impactful if not for its rich, diverse history of scientists.”

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL JOURNEY

This edition dives into the nuances of agricultural work for African Americans, which for many started as forced labor on plantations, shifted to sharecropping, and has evolved over time.

Barrier breaking Black agriculturalists have revolutionized farming, such as Marylander Henry Blair, a free man who, during slavery, patented two mechanical inventions for sowing seeds, and Booker T. Whatley, who inspired modern-day Community Supported Agriculture.

In addition, many influential African American agriculturalists understood the importance of educating people on: tending to land, using crops for multiple purposes and creating opportunities for others through agricultural resources.

With historically Black institutions such as Tuskegee and Hampton Institute (now University) founded in the late 19th century, African American agriculturalists were highly trained and prepared to do groundbreaking, innovative work throughout the nation.

While the number of African American agriculturalists have decreased over the years, lessening the demand for the need for collegiate training programs and departments, some historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) continue to promote the power of studying and working with land and crops. For instance, in November 2024, University of the District of Columbia, a land-grant HBCU, unveiled a new farm for agricultural study and training in Beltsville, Maryland.

Further, current Black farmers

promote the power of agricultural labor as a way to be self-sufficient and help others.

People such as John Boyd Jr., founder of the National Black Farmers Association, and Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” are working to uplift the next generation of Black agriculturalists, while also addressing challenges in the nation that particularly affect African Americans, such as food insecurity.

In continuing the legacies of Black agricultural laborers of the past, African American agriculturalists today are not only tending to and examining crops. They are emphasizing the importance of using natural resources to address health, create careers, and further agriculture in the nation and globe.

As Carver noted, working in agriculture can open a gateway for discovery and a world of opportunities.

“I love to think of nature,” Carver once said, “as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour if we will only tune in.”

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

5 “A Spring Scene Near Richmond, Virginia,” published in Harper’s Weekly May 21, 1870. African American agricultural laborers have been critical to providing paths toward freedom, innovation and prosperity. (Courtesy Photo/Slavery Images)

Mimi's Musings:

John Boyd Jr. Fights for Those in the Black Farm Industry

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

Throughout the history of the U.S., African Americans have predominantly been employed in the various facets of the agriculture industry, largely as the labor force.

However, since the Great Migration—the movement of Black people from the agriculture-based South, to the more industrial North that took place from 1910 to 1970— many African Americans have pursued non-agriculture-based careers.

John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation Black farmer who owns Boyd Farms—based in Baskerville, Virginia— said less African Americans pursuing agricultural work is a big mistake.

“We [as a race] are in big trouble,” Boyd, 59, told the Informer on Feb. 15. “The average age of the Black farmer is 61 years old. Kids have not caught farming fever. It is sad to see older Black farmers work hard to build legacies that they can pass on to their children, but the children are not interested. The next generation needs to step up.”

Boyd’s company consists of three farms on 1,500 acres, where he grows soybean, corn and wheat and presently raises 150 beef cattle. In the past, he has grown tobacco and bred chickens.

Boyd is a nationally known civil rights activist on behalf of Black farmers, serving as the founder and CEO of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA), started in 1995.

Since then, Boyd has led marches in the District to Capitol Hill and the White House. Further, he has filed lawsuits in the federal courts advocating for Black farmers to receive their fair share of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) financing, which has overwhelmingly gone to white farming entrepreneurs.

As the leader of the NBFA, Boyd has been part of the transition team for then-Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine (D), former Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore’s Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, and President Bill Clinton’s (D) tobacco board. It was widely

reported in 2021 that Boyd was in the running to be President Biden’s agriculture secretary.

“Anyone and everyone who is either an ‘underserved’ farmer or rancher owes Mr. Boyd a huge debt,” said Ricardo Salvador in 2016, when the NBFA founder was honored with the 2016 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award. “He is an inspiration for his long record of persistence and obtaining historic results.”

THE SKINNY ON BLACK FARMERS

While the number of Black operated farms declined 8% between 2017 and 2022, according to the USDA’s “Census of Agriculture,” there are still thousands of Black farmers across the United States.

According to the USDA data’s “Black Producers,” the U.S. had 46,738 farmers who identified as Black, either alone or in combination with another race. These Black farmers accounted for 1.4% of the country’s 3.4 million farmers, and they lived and farmed primarily in east Texas and the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.

Despite the decrease in Black farmers, the amount of land they own has increased.

Black farmers operated 5,323,654 acres, up 14% from 2017 and 0.6% of the U.S. total. In Texas, with more Black farmers than any other state, African Americans accounted for 3% of the state’s total.

Most Black-operated farms (84%)—similarly to all U.S. farms (70%)—had fewer than 180 acres with the average size of African American farms at 163 acres.

Nearly half (45%) of Black-operated farms specialized in cattle and dairy production in 2022, with almost all in beef.

Seventy percent of Black-operated farms were operated by farmers who own all the land they operate, 22% by farmers who were part owners (own some land and rent some land), and 8% by farmers who rent all land operated.

BLACK FARM WORKERS

The overwhelming majority of Black farm workers before 1865 were slaves on Southern farms and plantations, with a smaller number as free employees or farm owners.

After Emancipation and passage of the 13thAmendment to the U.S. Constitution, many Black Americans went into sharecropping arrangements with white landowners, because of their lack of financial assets and land ownership.

African Americans in the agriculture industry tended to be

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Greg Carr, Ebony McMorris, Mary Frances Berry, Marc Morial

5John Boyd Jr., is a fourth-generation farmer and founder and CEO of the National Black Farmers Association. (Courtesy Photo/JohnBoydJr.com)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

BLACK FARMER Page 20

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

5 George Washington Carver was one of America’s most distinguished scientists during the first half of the 20th century. (Courtesy Photo/Biography)

George Washington Carver: More Than the Peanut Man

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

Born into slavery, George Washington Carver became one of the United States’ leading agricultural scientists and inventors during the first half of the 20 th century due to his work in mainstreaming the peanut and showing others how crops can be utilized in ways other than consumption.

While his exact year of birth is unknown, Carver was born in Diamond Grove, Missouri in the early 1860s, and over the years managed to get a high school diploma in Minneapolis, Kansas. Through

a series of odd jobs and attending higher education institutions, Carver landed at Iowa State University in 1891 to study botany.

A barrier-breaker throughout life, Carver was the first Black student enrolled at Iowa State University and eventually became the inaugural African American faculty member, also.

Carver’s work caught the attention of Tuskegee Institute Principal Booker T. Washington. In April 1896, Washington offered Carver the chance to come to Tuskegee to continue his academic career.

“I cannot offer you money, position or fame,” Washington said in

WASHINGTON GAS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black History Month Profile #1

Washington Gas is honored to celebrate Black History Month 2025 we will profile a few our employees and what Black History means to them.

Troy Hill Manager, Pressure Operations

For me, Black History Month is a time to celebrate the vibrant, diverse culture that defines African American history. African Americans have played an integral role in shaping the United States. As a country, we should take time to learn more about their contributions—past and present—that have helped cultivate the society we live in today.

My greatest role model has always been my mother. She is the ultimate example of hard work, determination, humility, and empathy. As a single parent raising four children, she faced daily hardships without complaint. Her resilience and perseverance taught me invaluable lessons that continue to guide me in my career and life.

She instilled in me the importance of respect—treating others as you want to be treated. One of the most impactful lessons she taught me was that the loudest person in the room isn’t always the most capable. “Keep your head down, own your craft, and never settle for less” is her advice that still shapes my work ethic and approach to leadership.

the letter. “The first two you have. The last from the position you now occupy you will no doubt achieve. These things I now ask you to give up. I offer you in their place: hard work, the task of bringing people from degradation, poverty, and waste to full manhood. Your department exists only on paper and your laboratory will have to be in your head.”

CARVER AT TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE, MAKING WAVES FOR FARMERS NATIONWIDE

Carver accepted Washington’s initial offer, eventually becoming the chairman of the agriculture department at Tuskegee, and staying at the institution for the rest of his life.

He used his agricultural research to help African American and poor white farmers become more self-sufficient and less reliant on cotton, the major cash crop of the South.

Carver’s work stood out in 1914 when the boll weevil threatened to disseminate cotton, and he came up with alternative crops for Black and poor white farmers to grow.

Dealing with the crop and food shortages as a result of World War I, Carver began developing other uses for sweet potatoes, soybeans, and peanuts according to a February 25, 2014 United States Department of Agriculture blog “More Than a Peanut Man.” Peanuts were used at the time to feed livestock, but Carver developed the crop for use in plastics, syn-

oppressed under land tenure agreements and worked as sharecroppers, tenant farmers and within the crop-lien system. Further, the decades decline of Black Americans in agriculture during the 20th century was not only due to the Great Migration, but the mechanization of the industry that began in the 1940s.

On Jan. 8, the USDA Economic Research Service reported only 3% of farm workers were Black.

Boyd said all his employees are African American but pointed out the preferential treatment that the now majority Latino farm worker

thetic rubber and paper.

With soybeans, Carver invented a process for producing paints and stains, for which three separate patents were issued.

In all, he developed 300 products from peanuts and 118 from sweet potatoes, in addition to new products from waste materials including recycled oil, and paints and stains from clay, the blog reported.

The soybean was also at the center of Carver’s relationship with Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, according to Bob Hovansian, the operations manager at the Richmond Hill History Museum in Richmond Hill, Georgia.

“Being a botanist, as Carver was, and being an enthusiast for the usage of plants in everyday life, his collaboration with Ford was pretty deep in the fact that he actually enabled Henry Ford to offer cars in different colors of paint, believe it or not,” said Hovansian, in a February 2023, broadcast on WSAV-TV in Savannah, Georgia. “He actually had, using soybean oil, invented a binder that allowed multi-pigmented colors to be introduced into that sticky film that you couldn’t get the color to stick to before.”

Hovansian emphasized Carver’s critical contributions for the world.

“No white industrialist at the time would ever think of pairing with a Black man,” Hovansian said, “but he didn’t care because he knew this was going to be a good pair for all of humanity.” WI

@JamesWrightJr10

workforce gets.

“Black people get little or nothing for their work,” Boyd said. “In some instances, Black farm workers live in homes with no running water. On the other hand, Latinos are treated better. They have housing and credit cards.”

While Boyd understands that many African Americans don’t want the sometimes-grimy work that farming entails, he encourages Black people to get into agriculture.

“One can go to a HBCU that is a land grant institution to study farming,” he said. “And they can get with an older Black farmer to be mentored in the field.”

BLACK FARMER from Page

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

Dr. Booker T. Whatley Sows Roots in Modern Agricultural Movement

By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow

As the attempt to erase African American history remains a prominent threat nationwide, countless articles, blogs and even USAID attribute the origins of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs to Japanese and European models first adopted in the United States in 1986. However, in reality, its beginnings can be traced to Dr. Booker T. Whatley in the 1960s, when the African American agricultural professor developed a new wave of sustainable practices for struggling Black farmers.

Whatley’s aspirated model for small scale agriculture served as the genesis of the CSA movement.

With National Community Supported Agriculture Week underway (Feb. 16 - 25), Whatley’s legacy is evident in the CSA structures and farmers that carry the evolution of his work, including the Black Farmers Collective, Blooming Glen Farm, and DC Natives, a local nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the city by creating pollinator habitats.

“His work wasn’t just about farming; it was about empowering Black farmers, building community, and ensuring access to fresh, healthy food,” DC Natives wrote in a Feb. 12 Instagram post celebrating Whatley’s legacy. “During Black History Month, we celebrate Booker T. Whatley, a true pioneer who transformed agriculture and left a lasting legacy on our food systems.”

Born in 1915, Whatley, the oldest of 12 children growing up on his family’s Alabama farm, witnessed the systemic struggles and subsequent decline of Black farms, notably due to racist policies, lack of government funding and land theft that favored industrialized agriculture and left minority farms vulnerable.

After earning a degree in ag -

riculture at Alabama A&M University, and briefly serving in the Korean War where he ran a hydroponic farm providing healthy foods to stationed soldiers, Whatley dove into regenerative agriculture research.

With a doctorate in horticulture from Rutgers University, his attention to local farms piqued as a professor at Tuskegee Institute (now University). There, he studied the work of George Washington Carver, and developed a knack for breeding produce (sweet potato varieties, fruits and honeybees) that led to a lifelong passion to uplift efficient and sustainable farming practices.

“I'm afraid that if I don't do it, nobody else will,” said Whatley in a 1982 interview on his Small Farm Plan. “The time I still have on this earth will be devoted to helping small farmers develop efficient and profitable operations.”

Whatley introduced the clientele membership club, which guaranteed revenue by having customers pay in advance for a season's worth of food–essentially the basis of modern CSA initiatives. His reintroduced approach encouraged “smaller and smarter” as the key to success, leveraging pick-your-own farms and a ‘buy local’ approach to enhance farmers productivity and relationships with consumers.

“The clientele membership club is the lifeblood of the whole setup. It enables the farmer to plan production, anticipate demand, and, of course, have a guaranteed market,” Whatley once stated.

Whatley’s integration of organic farming and social justice continues to inspire local farmers to reshape their agricultural landscape. In 1987, he authored “How To Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres” as a guide to ensure profitable and successful farming for modern practices.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Today, there are more than 12,000 CSA farms nationwide who pass the torch of the pioneering horticulturist, a testament to the longevity and lasting impact of African American contributions.

“[Whatley’s] advocacy for land sovereignty and fostering strong bonds between farmers and communities paved the way for flourishing CSA programs worldwide,” posted California-based Acta Non Verba (ANV) Youth Urban farm in April 2024. “At ANV, we’re inspired by Whatley’s vision, committed to empowering Oakland families and youth through our CSA.” WI

GAS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Washington Gas is honored to celebrate Black History Month 2025 we will profile a few our employees and what Black History means to them.

Monica West Director, Community Engagement

Black History Month holds profound meaning for me, especially during times of political and social uncertainty. Through reflection and resilience, we recommit to the values that have sustained our community through centuries of struggle and triumph. It’s a time to take pride in honoring legacy, affirming identity, and motivating activism.

This month reminds me of the strength and perseverance of those who came before me, highlighting how African Americans have strengthened our nation's fabric and paved the way for everyone. They remind us to stand firm against injustice, just as leaders like Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others did in their times.

My culture has influenced how I view challenges, relationships, and success while building my strong work ethic, values, and approach. I appreciate the importance of community and teamwork, being a mentor, and lifting others as you climb. The “twice as good” mentality of working harder to gain the same recognition has encouraged my commitment to excellence and attention to detail. My personal perspectives and approach shape my professional life.

All of this has helped me succeed even in uncertain environments. Our community has often faced seemingly impossible challenges only to emerge stronger. We will channel our concerns into actions every day of the year: educating, empowering, supporting Black-owned businesses, and advocating for change.

Engaging across our communities has always been crucial, but it has become even more vital over the past decade.

Through unity with like-minded individuals, we can recharge and celebrate the beauty and strength of our culture. Even in times when legislation and integrity are threatened, we will celebrate together and build a path forward.

If I could mentor the next generation of African American professionals entering communications and marketing—or take a trip back in time and speak to my younger self!—my first advice would be to embrace your unique perspective. Use your voice to build a personal brand that is visible, respected, and trusted.

As part of this process, develop skills that create meaningful impact, master strategic thinking, and hone your writing and speaking skills. These strengths will serve you well in building deep networks of mentors, peers, and professional organizations. Use your knowledge to address stereotypes and promote fair, inclusive messaging.

Above all, never stop learning! Dream

WASHINGTON

Black History Month Profile #2

5 Dr. Booker T. Whatley’s aspirated model for small scale agriculture served as the genesis of Community Supported Agriculture programs. (Courtesy Photo)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

UDC Sows Seeds of Growth Across District Communities

Local Agriculture Programs Pour Into The Development of Black Farmers

By Lindiwe Vilakazi WI Health Reporter

While a lot of historically Black institutions were founded with agricultural programming in mind, today many African American students pursue careers outside of agriculture. Aiming to birth a new generation of agriculturists to help improve local health outcomes in underserved communities, University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is providing a bevy of agricultural training through innovative programming.

During a ribbon-cutting at UDC’s Firebird Research Farm, located in Beltsville, Maryland, last November, university officials unveiled the new “agro-tech” classrooms, facilitating a space for students to receive hands-on education to learn the importance of sustainability and nutrition.

“Most of the food desert communities are predominantly Black communities, [which is] the reason why this is so important that we train people from their community to give back to the community by growing food,” said William Hare,

COUNCIL REPORT from Page 1

a process that D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) let fester for far too long.

Minutes later, the council approved the Multiyear Contract No. DHCD2025-50 with Jubilee Housing, Inc. Emergency Act of 2025, legislation that allocates nearly $34 million over a 20-year period to subsidize 18 permanent supportive re-entry housing units that Jubilee Housing manages on Kalorama Road in Northwest.

Minutes before the vote, Mendelson said DHCD dropped the ball in renewing the contract with Jubilee Housing that expired last November. He said this happened even with tax-

associate dean for Land-Grant Programs, at the historically Black university.

Like the African American groundbreaking agriculturalists of the past, such as George Washington Carver and Booker T. Whatley, whose work innovated products, created opportunities for farmers, and addressed challenges, UDC’s program is not only for learning, but finding solutions.

As District residents continue to face insecurity, particularly in Wards 7 and 8– predominantly African American areas— UDC’s program hopes to provide the training needed for Washingtonians to bring fresh food to their neighborhoods and permanent change.

The farmland in Beltsville is a product of UDC’s specialized CAUSES program, which trains area residents to excel as certified farmers in the District. The university farm, a 143-acre space largely run by solar energy, provides opportunities to distribute water, grow food under the panels, and harvest energy.

In an effort to dissolve urban agriculture barriers, Che Axum, agronomist and director of Urban

payer dollars carved out

“For each meeting, we were promised a contract,” the council chairman said. “We even expected it for [the] Feb. 4 legislative meeting. DHCD's tardiness is inexcusable and can’t be justified.

Such actions, Mendelson said, require the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM) to take extreme measures.

“I suggested someone be fired,” he told his council colleagues. “And I’m not speaking of someone low level.”

Last November, after the expiration of DHCD’s contract with Jubilee Housing, an organization that provides services to thousands of low and moderate-income D.C. residents, the council attempted to facilitate the renewal of an arrangement that Mendel-

Agriculture for UDC, underscored the unique opportunity to empower local farmers of color and help improve food and nutrition security in the District.

“We have so much potential in D.C. to really grow a lot more food than we're growing in urban spaces,” Che Axum, agronomist and director of Urban Agriculture for UDC, told The Informer. “The goal of this program is for them to come here and [to learn] how to grow. [After growing] here for a while, eventually they go back into the city to teach other people how to grow. Each one

son said had been funded in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

DHCD, under the purview of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, is tasked with: preserving and increasing the supply of quality affordable housing, increasing homeownership opportunities, revitalizing neighborhoods, promoting community development, and providing economic opportunities.

Mendelson’s remarks come amid concerns council members had long expressed about the Bowser administration’s handling of contracts. While a provision of the D.C. Home Rule charter mandates the timely submission of the contracts totaling more than $1 million, agencies such as

teaches one type of concept.”

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR BLACK FARMERS

Historically, Black farmers have always faced barriers presenting an arduous journey in owning and operating farmland in their communities.

The impact of UDC’s agriculture programs pays dividends for graduating students, as the school provides each farmer a 10th-of-anacre to utilize as an incubator for

Department of General Services and Child and Family Services Agency, two agencies cited for work order mismanagement, haven’t maintained fidelity to the law.

With Colleen Green at the helm, DHCD has allocated millions of Housing Production Trust Fund last year and continues to support landlords whose properties are in disrepair and facing foreclosure due to alleged tenant rent nonpayment.

However, as Mendelson explained, the agency’s delay on the renewed contract with Jubilee Housing jeopardized the nonprofit’s work. Neither DCHD nor the Executive Office of the Mayor immediately returned The Informer’s request for comment.

their growing. The registered space is fundamental to their recognition and benefit from USDA subsidies when they are reported as a farmer, requiring farmers to report sales of $1,000 or more to the IRS and register with USDA for access to build farms in the District and food desert communities.

The Firebird Research Farm is just one of their many local food hubs dedicated to sourcing fresh produce, food production, food preparation, food distribution, and waste and water management to bolster food security and sustainability outcomes across District neighborhoods.

Along with the local grow hubs, the school offers virtual community workshops, and soilless virtual workshops for local residents interested in learning agriculture and gardening education within an urban setting.

Standing as the only public university in Washington, D.C., UDC’s agricultural programs underscore the institution’s commitment to community service and work to better the lives of local people and families alike.

“This is an incredible training opportunity that we're really excited about, and I think it closes the loop in the future of farming and how we integrate technology into farming,” Hare said.

WI COUNCIL REPORT Page 38

5 Aiming to birth a new generation of agriculturists to help improve local health outcomes in underserved communities, University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is providing a bevy of agricultural training through innovative programming. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

5 Henry Blair’s mechanical corn seed planter was said to replace the labor of eight men, according to an 1830s magazine. The horsedrawn planter, which resembled a wheelbarrow, would rake dirt over freshly planted seeds.

(Courtesy Photo)

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• Pharmacy Technician

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4 Henry Blair is the second African-American to be granted a patent. He modernized agriculture when he invented mechanical corn and cotton planters in the 1830s. His inventions made farming significantly more efficient. (Courtesy Photo)

Henry Blair: 19th Century Inventor and Agricultural Pioneer

By Richard Elliott WI Contributing Reporter

With his inventions of the mechanical corn seed planter and mechanical cotton planter, groundbreaking agriculturalist Henry Blair paved the way for future Black inventors and farming nationwide, becoming the only patent recipient ever recorded as a “colored man,” by the U.S. Patent Office.

Born in Glen Ross, Maryland in 1807, there are little details of Blair’s early life. The inventor was a free man and ran an independent business while also working as a farmer.

Blair’s first patent was for the mechanical corn seed planter in October 1834 and the second was for his mechanical cotton planter in August 1836. His corn planter resulted in more efficient crop planting and resulted in greater overall yield for farmers, while his cotton planter effectively removed weeds.

“A free man of colour, Henry Blair by name, has invented a machine called the corn-planter, which is now exhibiting in the capital of Washington. It is described as a very simple and ingenious machine,” read an 1836 article from The Mechanics’ Magazine. “The inventor thinks it will save the labour of eight men.”

Blair died in 1860 in Maryland of unknown causes. In 1871, patent law was changed to allow all American men the right to a patent.

“Blair left an indelible mark on food production facilitating planting as no one had before,” wrote Adelaide Mahler in a post published to Community Harvest SRQ. “Today, we see the effects of Blair’s inventions in most industrial planting devices that carve open the ground, deliver seeds, and reseal the soil. It begs the question: what would our food system, our society, look like without him?

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

Dr. Opal Lee: A Community Advocate Born to Make a Difference

By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow

Many might recognize the name Dr. Opal Lee for her work championing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, including her 1,400-mile trek from Fort Worth, Texas to D.C. which she started in 2016 at the age of 89.

While her Juneteenth mission was accomplished in 2021, when former President Joe Biden (D) officially signed legislation commemorating June 19 as the official end of U.S. chattel slavery, Lee remains dedicated to another goal: eliminating food scarcity through agriculturalism.

Before she was affectionately coined the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” the Texas native grew up spending her summers at her grandparents’ house in Texarkana, which was home to a big garden thriving in fruits, vegetables, and livestock.

Now, Lee, 98, runs Opal’s Farm in Fort Worth, Texas, working to inspire other farmers to invest in home-grown produce, encourage entrepreneurial experience, and eliminate food scarcity in her city.

“You have people who, at a food bank, they’re getting food, [but] how come they don’t know [how] to grow their own food, huh? So you start somewhere. I wish they could do it in their backyard,” Lee said in a February 2024 profile with NBC’s 1st Look.

Born in Marshall, Texas on October 7, 1926, Lee’s passion for community outreach has only amplified with age.

Throughout her decades of civic activism, Lee has served on the boards of many organizations centered around humanitarianism and social justice, including Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity (CCHD), Habitat for Humanity, and the Tarrant County Black Historical & Genealogical Society, dedicated to preserving the history of the Fort Worth Black populace.

As one of the founders and former chairs of the Community Food Bank of Fort Worth, formerly the Metroplex Food Bank established in 1982, Lee sought out the $1.3-million, 33,000 sq. ft. facility that now serves 500 families a day.

According to Unity Unlimited, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering peace and unity through educational activities and resources, she even continues her advocacy of personally delivering boxes of food to the elderly and shut-in, as she did when the former food bank was unable to operate.

“There’s always so much to be done,” Lee told 1st Look. “There’s always something or somebody that needs something.”

Lee currently serves on the board of Unity Unlimited, where she’s continued to bring her agricultural dreams into fruition, including partnering with Tarleton State University to bring forth the Taste the C.U.R.E. (Community Urban Farming Resource Education) campaign. The free six-month program, which began Jan. 25, works to combat food insecurity and health inequities by making nutritious foods more accessible.

Participants will attend Opal’s Farm for a hands-on experience gaining the knowledge and skills to build a sustainable food system using organic and regenerative farming.

“There’s something about farming and working that land that has such a positive impact on people,” Lee once said. “Gardening is so good for your mind and your soul, and the food is so good for your body.”

Today, Lee continues to garden regularly in Opal’s Farm, which is officially recognized as a USDA People’s Garden. In addition to working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to supply healthy food options to the local food bank and

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

5 After decades of civic activism and a 1,400-mile journey from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., Dr. Opal Lee’s dream to see national recognition for Juneteenth became a reality, when former President Joe Biden enshrined June 19 as a federal holiday in 2021. (Courtesy Photo/ Chandler West, White House)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025: AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LABOR

LEE from Page 25

market, she passionately shares wisdom and compassion to local customers and farmers, cultivating a spirit of community on the farm that often inspires others to do the same.

“She’s like a cool celebrity, she’s motivation,” an Opal’s Farm farmer told 1st Look last February. Others described the Texas titan as a “hero” and “the most loving and forgiving spirit.”

CELEBRATING LEE’S CRITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

As Lee’s treasured activism and agricultural contributions remain evident in history, she is living proof of a commitment to serving others and creating lasting impact where needed.

On March 25, Lee will be one of three trailblazers honored in the annual Women Making History Awards Gala here in D.C., an

achievement bestowed to women in various fields who have made a profound impact on society.

“We are incredibly proud to be celebrating this incomparable group of honorees at our gala. They have each made indelible contributions to society that will endure for generations to come,” said Susan D. Whiting, chair of the NWHM Board of Directors, in a press release.

The Grandmother of Juneteenth may be recognized for the 1,400mile journey to Washington, D.C., but her enduring legacy stands as a catalyst for future leaders to carry the torch of passion and commitment.

“I want young people to know that, things that you start, if they are right, if there are things you’re passionate about, then you must continue to do, especially if it’s something that’s going to benefit you, your family or the people in your neighborhood, city, state,” Lee said in a 2023 interview. “Don’t give up. You’ve got to get to the finish line.” WI

Celebrating excellence in every community.

During Black History Month, we honor leaders who consistently dedicate themselves to uplifting and supporting their communities. Through their tireless efforts, they preserve the legacy of those who came before and pave the way for future generations to thrive.

Join us in celebrating fashion entrepreneur Ngozi Okaro, STEM leader Dr. Calvin Mackie, Jamie Aranda, a resilient Air Force veteran, and astronaut Ed Dwight as part of our Everyday Excellence campaign. Their drive and achievements inspire us all, serving as powerful reminders that success is within reach for those who strive for it.

Find career resources to support your own everyday excellence at aarp.org/work

5 Dr. Opal Lee utilizes Opal’s Farm to encourage home-grown produce, entrepreneurial experience, and eliminate food scarcity in Fort Worth, Texas. (Courtesy photo/Dee Ann Littlefield, USDA NRCS)

OPAL

Planting Seeds of Excellence: Hampton University’s Historic Role in Black Agriculture

A Legacy of Knowledge, Leadership and Agricultural Advancement

By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer

Hampton University, established in 1868 as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, has played an indispensable role in advancing agriculture and empowering Black farmers through promoting education, community engagement and sustainable practices. While the historically Black institution discontinued offering extensive agricultural programs in the 1950s, the university continues the legacy of caring for the environment, emphasizing the value of hard work, and furthering opportunities for African American students.

Samuel Chapman Armstrong founded the institution to provide Black communities with practical

education, primarily focused on agriculture and the industrial arts to equip formerly enslaved individuals with the skills necessary for achieving economic independence and self-sufficiency.

Through this mission, Hampton raised generations of Black farmers.

“The thing to be done was clear: to train selected Negro youth who should go out and teach and lead their people first by example, by getting land and homes… and in this way to build up an industrial system for the sake not only of self-support and intelligent labor, but also for the sake of character,” Armstrong once said.

Arguably Hampton’s most esteemed alumnus, Booker T. Washington, shared Armstrong’s vision of economically empowering Black communities by championing agri-

cultural education. Washington graduated from the university in 1875 and was appointed by Armstrong to lead the establishment of Tuskegee University in 1881.

He adopted his alma mater’s educational approach, teaching students skills in the agricultural and industrial sectors, hoping to reach local struggling farmers and help them become land owners.

“At Hampton, I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labour, but learned to love labour, not alone for its financial value, but for labour’s own sake and for the independence and self-reliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings,” Washington said in his book “Up from Slavery.”

Hampton’s curriculum featured

5 Students at Hampton University in 1899 or 1900, according to the Library of Congress. Hampton set up its students for success, as every individual enrolled in the agricultural program was required to take on a small business in crops or livestock alongside their studies for profit. This way, they received hands-on experience in both the agricultural and entrepreneurial sectors. (Courtesy Photo/Library of Congress)

rigorous hands-on work, allowing students to experience the obstacles that came hand in hand with farming, further teaching them how to problem solve and manage any surprises Mother Earth may have. Equipment and livestock available at the nearby Shellbanks

and Whipple Farms made for the ideal learning experience, which covered topics like animal rearing, farm engineering, plant pathology and more.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Where Are the GOP Profiles in Courage in the 119th Congress?

Profiles in Courage is a 1956 collection of short biographies highlighting eight U.S. Senators' bravery and integrity.

The book, authored by then-Senator John F. Kennedy with aid from his assistant Ted Sorenson, profiles senators who challenged the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was right, facing harsh criticism and losing popularity.

“This is a book about that most admirable of human virtues – courage. ‘Grace under pressure,’ Ernest Hemingway defined it,” the senator, turned 35th U.S. president, wrote.

In 1990, the Kennedy family established the Profile in Courage Award to honor individuals who have demonstrated courage like those featured in the book.

Recent award nominees include Michael G. Adams, Kentucky’s Republican Secretary of State, who was recognized for “expanding voting rights and standing up for free and fair elections," and former Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who was acknowledged for “voting to impeach President Donald J. Trump in 2020.”

Last October, Bill Britt, a political reporter from Alabama, wrote: “Today, the Republican Party has stripped away any pretense that virtues such as honesty, dignity, and courage still matter. Winning has become the only goal, with power, not principle, as the guiding star.”

For many members of the GOP in this Congress, such courage is non-existent, consistent, or changes with the wind.

Iowa’s Sen. Joni Ernst (R), a survivor of sexual assault and a combat veteran, was initially skeptical about the nomination of Pete Hegseth, who has faced allegations of sexual assault, for the position of Secretary of Defense. However, after considering the threat of a primary challenger endorsed by President Donald J. Trump, Ernst voted for Hegseth.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana (R), the medical doctor-turned-politician, bowed to political pressure and ensured Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as secretary of Health and Human Services.

Where is the GOP, as Eugene Robinson recently wrote in The Washington Post, “as the president tramples the U.S. Constitution, vandalizes the federal government and trashes our vital international alliances?”

It’s time GOP members of the House and Senate put country and courage over party. Instead of worrying about backlash from GOP colleagues, it’s important to stand up for what is morally right and just for all Americans.

“A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures,” wrote Kennedy in “Profiles of Courage,” “and that is the basis of all human morality.” WI

AmericanShows itsTrue Colors, Opens its Borders to White Afrikaners but not Haitians

Among the latest flurry of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, whose stated intent stands in direct contrast to its apparent reality, is the freezing of aid to South Africa, citing the country’s land expropriation law.

Elon Musk, the right-hand man to the 47th president and head of the president’s newly created Department of Govern -

I’m happy to see that the city-wide Spelling Bee is still going strong! More importantly, our children are participating and advancing. These kinds of events and activities are so important for the youth and experiences they will remember forever. I’m a proud supporter and hope there will be volunteer opportunities!

Mary Ladson Washington, D.C.

whispering in the president’s ear.

TO THE EDITOR

I really enjoyed the story “The Impacts of Love on Heart Health.” People are realizing that your emotional well-being is as critical as your physical. Wherever the mind goes, the body will follow. Emotional security and love are super important for good health and a good life overall, and I’m glad more people are getting the message.

Conya Isom Laurel, Md.

and why is No. 47 so interested?

ment Efficiency (DOGE), has repeatedly mentioned the law in recent social media posts, describing it as a threat to South Africa’s white minority.

Musk was born to an affluent South African family in Pretoria before immigrating to Canada, where he became a citizen through his mother. So, with his roots and significant financial interests based in South Africa, it’s no wonder that he’s been

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act last month, which allows the government to take land where it is not being used or where redistributing the land would be in the public interest. He further cites the goal of addressing some of the injustices from the country’s racist apartheid era, when Blacks were stripped of their land and forced to live in segregated areas designated for non-whites.

But you have to wonder, with white people making up about 7% of South Africa’s population, yet owning more than 70% of the farmland, how much more do white South Afrikaners believe they’re entitled to own,

As for American interests, the White House falsely accused the South African government of doing “terrible things,” and said that land has been confiscated from “certain classes” – also not true. To be clear, the South African government says it continues to protect and respect private property rights and notes that No. 47’s description of the law is rife with misinformation and “distortions.”

The White House wants us to believe that it’s concerned about the impact of the Expropriation Act and how it amounts to discrimination against the country’s white minority. In fact, to illustrate our concern for those who face discrimination, it has even announced a program to

resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees.

If only the president were equally concerned about refugees from Haiti, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Somalia and Sudan.

It couldn’t be their skin color that counts as the reason why they haven’t been invited to wave at Lady Liberty and find safe haven in America, could it?

Closer to home, if only the occupant of the White House were equally concerned about the discrimination that Black Americans have experienced for more than 400 years.

No explanation needed there – we get it.

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Guest Columnist

Are We Funding Our Oppression?

African Americans have about $1.6 trillion in buying power. And we are the ultimate consumers, disproportionately spending on beauty and personal care, apparel and footwear, and entertainment and technology. There are reasons for all of this, many rooted in enslavement and exclusion, but the reasons really don't matter. We spend rather than save, we spend to compen-

sate for structural challenges, we spend because it makes us feel good. When we feel good, we buy. When we feel bad, we buy. New job, we buy because we want to look good. Lost job, we buy because we "need" casual clothes. We buy.

We patronize those who oppress us. Consider Elon Musk, the owner of former Twitter, now X. We're all in with that platform, generating hashtags and sales platforms. To be sure, many a movement has been ignited through the Twitter platform, including Black Lives Matter. It is time to kiss Twitter,

or X, goodbye.

More importantly, African American people must use our dollars strategically, which is why I welcome the Rev. Jamal Bryant's call that we "fast" from Target during Lent. Target was one of the first corporations to back off DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion). The Rev. Bryant has it right. Should we fund our own oppression by patronizing a company that has turned on us?

The Rev. Bryant, the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, is a relatively young (53) and totally revolutionary

faith and civic leader. He comes from "good stock" with both his parents–the Rev. John Bryant and the Rev. Cecilia Bryant, retired African Methodist Episcopal ministers. It is fitting that he would ask us, in the coming Lenten season, to fast from foolishness. Already more than 50,000 people have agreed to join the fast. You can sign up, too, at targetfast.org.

This "fast"/boycott will only be successful if the organizers cause Target pain. Bryant says Black people spend $12 million a day at Target. Refusing economic engagement with Target

could cause the company quite a blow. But who's counting? If we can't document that this "fast" made a difference, we render the boycott tactic impotent. Lots of people are throwing terms like "boycott" around, but if they don't hurt, they don't matter.

Our most successful boycott was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to yield her seat to a white passenger, the Montgomery Black community rallied around her and did not ride buses for

Page 53

Trump Admin's Slash-and-Burn Campaign to Dismantle Education is Disastrous

— U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro

"Presidents Trump and Musk and their billionaire buddies are so detached from how Americans live that they cannot see how ending public education and canceling these contracts kills the American dream. This is not about Democrats versus Republicans. This is about billionaires versus the middle class. If kids from working class families do not have access to schools, how can they build a future?"

It was not very long ago that white parents would storm local public school board meetings demanding that schools ban Critical Race Theory (CRT), a graduate-level academic concept developed more than 40 years ago.

By changing the narrative surrounding CRT, the topic became another means of tapping into under-

The Elon Musk-led slash-and-burn squad euphemistically known as the Department of Government Efficiency has revoked the contracts of researchers who are years into the collection, analysis and study of educational data.

It has pulled about 100 Department of Education employees, including those with even the slightest connection to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, from their jobs.

At her Senate confirmation hearing,

the nominee for secretary of education — an extremist advocate for diverting public funds to private schools — outlined her plan for dismantling her own department.

Meanwhile, extremist allies in the House of Representatives were preparing legislation to divert the resources slashed from educational initiatives to billionaires.

The current administration appears recklessly determined to sabotage our nation's competitiveness in the new technology-based economy by undermining federal oversight and support

for education. Openly mocking its own legal and moral duty to eliminate educational opportunity gaps as "wokeness," the administration will abandon students in underserved communities, shifting ever-more resources toward the wealthiest Americans.

The Department of Education has been a cabinet-level agency for only 46 years, but opponents of educational equity have been trying to eliminate federal oversight and support for education since shortly after the Civil War. Just a year after President Andrew Johnson signed a bill creating the first

Department of Education, resentment over the education of formerly enslaved people led to the demotion of the agency to an office within the Department of the Interior.

Federal support for education remained relatively feeble for nearly a century, until the landmark Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. Part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, the act represented the first significant federal investment in primary and secondary schools and a commit-

lying racism while promoting specific political goals. Although CRT was never previously taught in K-12 education, parents still promoted the idea that CRT was a threat to their children because it challenges racism by tracing America's modern-day systemic discrimination and oppression back to the enslavement of Black people. The ensuing white rage was simply an effective tactic to push emotions and uphold white supremacy.

State legislatures went as far as to introduce bills to prohibit the teaching of CRT and anti-racism training

in public schools. This rage centered around concern that white children would be shamed for their racial identity and made to feel guilty for the legacy of white supremacy. Truthfully, the driving motivation was to protect the shame and guilt experienced by the parents. Every home is a child's training ground in positive and negative ways. Children often learn racism and intolerance at home. The opposition to CRT as a perceived threat further deepens racial division because it ignores the Black child and the Black parent. On the one hand, they want

to hide racism from the past, but each day, their efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion only intensify racial tensions. The current events we are seeing are a continuation of the history they are trying hard to bury.

The cruelty of those within the U.S. government and the Trump administration is not new, nor is the political betrayal. Therefore, understanding the plight of Native Americans and the symbolism of what it means to us today should be another wake-up call to all of us. Including those MAGA parents living in the Appalachian regions

of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, New York and Mississippi who are clueless about how the dismantling of our current government will negatively impact their lives as well.

There is no getting around that America's history is not a pretty story, but it is a true story. There are those who would like to see the displaced and forgotten fate of Native Ameri-

Marc H. Morial

David W. Marshall

Julianne Malveaux

MALVEAUX

Guest Columnist

Racists Want Love, But Not an End to Racism!

As I write this article, I would prefer to be writing about the love sign at the Super Bowl in New Orleans a few days ago. That message was preceded by something even more important: "END RACISM."

No matter how necessary those words about love are, "END RACISM" are words yelling louder.

Ending racism doesn't depend upon loving anybody. It would be impossible to show love to racists — when non-racists have done nothing to harm an entire system. They just want to live their lives with the right to enjoy their lives and have a fair chance to do so. Too often those choosing to be racist are people running all systems, holding the purse strings, running the country with an iron fist determined to take away the rights of those who choose to fight for democracy and the freedoms

Teaching Black History

At the Feb. 13 Senate confirmation hearing on Linda McMahon's nomination to become secretary of education, among the questions about withholding funding from schools teaching some lessons on gender and diversity, equity and inclusion, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) pressed the specific question of whether public schools that offer classes in Black history might

now be at risk of losing federal funding. Her initial answer was: "I'm not quite certain," adding that she "would like to take a look at these programs and fully understand the breadth of the executive order and get back to you on that."

In the middle of Black History Month, this was yet another stark reminder of what has always been at stake in the debate over whether to teach or erase Black history.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, "the Father of Black History," was born in Virginia in 1875 to parents who had both formerly been enslaved. When his family

we thought were settled.

Fannie Lou Hamer, Harriet Tubman, Diane Nash, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks and many more, would be crushed to know that so many are working to crush the freedom they fought for but is being cast aside to please one of the richest men in the world and the other one with 34 criminal convictions! The U.S. Republican side of the House and the Senate are perfectly happy eliminating any progress we've made for humanity.

I'm still trying to understand

what Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina, Rep. Byron Donalds from Florida, and Rep. Burgess Owens from Utah thinks about Social Security for their grandparents and other relatives who already are not fortunate enough to experience the "good life." So many others know because many of them have known nothing but racism and discrimination all their lives. What are they thinking about when their friends could not live without many government programs designed to help

them are being slashed and some totally taken away? How do they feel about slashing the already insufficient budgets from historically Black colleges and universities? How do they feel when the team they're on says their own Black history cannot be taught in public schools — and those who try to teach it will be punished?

I've never met Sen. Scott or Rep. Donalds, but I have met Rep. Owens, and I've found him to be

moved to Huntington, West Virginia, they were close to Frederick Douglass High School, one of the rare high schools open for Black students, but he remained largely self-taught while working in the local coal mines to help support his family first. He finally had the opportunity to enroll at Douglass and attend school full time when he was 20. In between teaching and school leadership jobs that followed, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Berea College, a second bachelor's and a master's degree from the University of Chicago, and ultimately became the

second Black scholar after W.E.B. Du Bois to receive a doctorate from Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in history in 1912. But as a historian and educator, everything in his formal experience showed him Black history was "overlooked, ignored and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them." He was deeply alarmed that as a result, so few people, including Black people, knew anything at all about Black people's achievements, and he dedicated his professional life to correcting this.

Trump's Funding Freezes and Clawbacks: Illegal, Stupid, Dangerous

"Panic, confusion and anger."

That's how BlueGreen Alliance President Jason Walsh described to CNN the state that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant awardees were left in after having their funding frozen (then unfrozen, then frozen again) by the Trump administration.

"Contracts are going to get bro-

ken if this doesn't stop, and workers are going to get laid off," said Walsh. "I didn't anticipate how fully brazen they'd be in ignoring the courts." It is brazen — for its lawlessness and cruelty, as well as its stupidity. There's a lot of lawbreaking going on, from usurping Congress' constitutional "power of the purse" to defying court orders. But administration efforts to freeze funding appropriated by Congress and claw back money already obligated under contracts threatens our national credibility. And now, with EPA Administrator Lee

Zeldin's attempts to pull back $20 billion in money that has already been awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), we are seeing how the administration's tactics could potentially cost taxpayers more in lawsuit damages than the money they are trying to freeze and claw back!

And, of course, in that scenario, Americans would lose out on the purpose of the appropriated funds: to lower energy costs, revitalize local economies and address the climate crisis. The targeted $20 billion in GGRF money

is specifically meant to mobilize financing and private capital into clean energy projects to create jobs. And this comes on the heels of Zeldin's EPA already having illegally frozen funds under contract through the EPA's Solar for All program.

Federal judges are saying the money needs to keep flowing. One in Rhode Island last week reaffirmed his temporary restraining order to block Trump's funding freeze and noted the administration was in violation of the order.

As a former congressman and litiga-

Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (today the Association for the Study of African American Life and History) in 1915, and established the first observance of "Negro History Week" in 1926. Before the observance grew to a full month, he chose the second week of February to coincide with Frederick Douglass' and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays. Dr. Woodson understood just how critical it was to claim our rightful place in the history books

tor, Administrator Zeldin should have at least a basic understanding of the law. And anyone with common sense should realize attempting to claw back already-disbursed funds to help us avoid the very worst of the climate crisis is as illogical as it is illegal. These investments are lowering costs for families, providing more reliable and resilient energy options in communities across the country and helping create good jobs.

If you were to do a quick scan of

Marian Wright Edelman

Ben Jealous

Guest Columnist

E. Faye Williams

HEALTH

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

A disturbing new report reveals that Black men who survive gun violence are often treated as suspects rather than patients, exposing systemic racial biases in healthcare and law enforcement practices.

The findings, compiled by Dr. Cherrell Green, a non-residential fellow at the Violence, Inequality, and Power Lab, examine the structural inequalities that shape how Black men experience trauma, recovery, and medical care.

Through her research, Green, who

serves as the associate director of engagement and assessment at Everytown Community Safety Fund, examined the long-term psychological and systemic harm inflicted on Black male survivors of violence.

“This was really born out of my dissertation that examined the experiences of Black men experiencing trauma and violence,” Green told The Informer. “Over the course of 40 interviews, what I consistently heard was the systemic racism that permeates every aspect of their lives, and violent injury due to guns was a main point of that.”

The report, “Code Blue: How Po-

lice and Healthcare Providers Disrupt Healing for Violently Injured Black Men,” is based on interviews with Black men across the United States who have sustained gunshot injuries. The study details how law enforcement’s presence in hospitals and the prejudices of medical staff contribute to further trauma and racialized harm.

One of the most egregious findings in the report is the extent to which law enforcement officers invade the privacy of Black male patients, treating them as perpetrators rather than victims. Dr. Green detailed instances where police officers entered hospital rooms without consent, questioned patients under duress and even took their fingerprints while they were sleeping or incapacitated.

“Imagine you’re laying in a hospital bed, trying to recover, and you have a police officer standing over you, assuming you’re the suspect,” she explained. “In some cases, they are even coercing medical staff into handing over patient records without authorization.”

This interference not only compromises the healing process but also fosters distrust between Black communities and healthcare providers. The report states that Black men are frequently denied the same level of care and empathy as other patients, with doctors and nurses often minimizing their pain or neglecting their psychological well-being.

Beyond physical recovery, the long-term psychological effects of this treatment are profound. Many of the men interviewed for the study described experiencing nightmares,

where they were shot, sometimes encountering the very individuals responsible for their injuries. With no formal support system in place, these men are often forced to rely on self-protective measures, which can perpetuate cycles of violence.

“There are traumas coming from multiple directions. Black men are walking around here traumatized, not just from fatal injuries but from hearing gunshots and seeing someone shot; all of these things add up and fuel trauma,” Green continued. “There’s no access to care—physical, psychological, or mental. We need healthy communities where people are thriving, not just surviving.”

ADDRESSING THE DISPARITIES IN CARE

flashbacks, and hypervigilance after being shot. Without adequate mental health support, they are left to navigate these traumas alone.

“I ask them, ‘What would you have wanted at the time?’ and every single man said, ‘I just wish I had someone to talk to,’” Green said. “They didn’t call it therapy, but they wanted someone to just listen.”

Green also recounted the experience of a 17-year-old who was shot multiple times, including in the head and chest, yet survived.

He was driven to the hospital by a friend because the ambulance took too long to arrive. When they reached the hospital, police officers stopped them from entering and demanded to search the car for weapons while the young man was bleeding out. Eventually, he lost consciousness but was taken inside just in time for treatment. Incidents like this, she noted, illustrate how Black men seeking medical attention are often met with suspicion instead of care.

“We get to hospitals looking for support, and we’re scrutinized and villainized. We are pathologized and dehumanized,” she said.

One social media user, Dr. Kam Doobay, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to note the discrimination witnessed in the medical system.

“White men have been peacefully brought in by EMS [and] officers to our hospital for care after driving drunk, losing control of their cars, and hitting poles or other cars. Black men are criminalized, feared, targeted, and murdered,” Doobay wrote.

Dr. Green added that many survivors return to the same communities

The Code Blue report recommends establishing clear protocols for police behavior in hospitals to prevent unauthorized interrogations and record-seizing. Expanding hospital violence intervention programs to integrate medical professionals with lived experience in community violence is also among the proposed solutions.

Investing in culturally competent mental health care tailored to Black male survivors is another critical step. Community-based trauma centers providing alternatives to hospitals for those who distrust the medical system are necessary to address the systemic failures that have left so many without proper care.

“Oftentimes, the doctors came in, patched them up, and didn’t even ask how they were doing,” Green told The Informer. “That lack of care reinforces the dehumanization of Black men in medical settings.”

The findings of Code Blue reflect the structural barriers that Black men face in law enforcement and healthcare, Dr. Green asserted further. She said the consequences extend beyond individual patients, affecting entire communities as untreated trauma fuels cycles of violence and distrust.

Addressing these disparities requires immediate policy changes and a shift in how institutions perceive and treat Black male survivors of violence.

“We must recognize that those most harmed by violence are most deserving of support,” she concluded. “Only by acknowledging these systemic failures can we begin to create pathways to real healing and justice.”

WI @StacyBrownMedia

5 A disturbing new report reveals that Black men who survive gun violence are often treated as suspects rather than patients, exposing systemic racial biases in healthcare and law enforcement practices. (AI Photo/Fotor)

EARTH OUR

U.S. Hits New Low in Global Corruption Index as Trump Halts Anti-Bribery Law

Concerns of Corruption Fueling Climate Crisis

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer

The United States has fallen to its lowest ranking ever on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Transparency International reported. The index comes as President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting the enforcement of a long-standing anti-bribery law.

The law, in place for nearly five decades, prohibits U.S. businesses from bribing foreign officials to secure or retain contracts. The White House framed Trump’s decision to suspend enforcement of the measure, which has historically been a cornerstone of America’s anti-corruption framework, as a move to bolster business interests.

“It’s going to mean a lot more business for America,” Trump said as he signed the order, effectively dismantling a key safeguard against corporate misconduct.

Transparency International’s latest CPI report ranks 180 countries and territories based on perceived levels of public-sector corruption. The index relies on independent data sources and a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt, and 100 is very clean.

Denmark remains the least corrupt country for the seventh consecutive year, scoring 90, followed closely by Finland (88) and Singapore (84). Meanwhile, nations plagued by political instability and weak governance— such as South Sudan (8), Somalia (9), and Venezuela (10)—sit at the bottom of the index.

The United States, once among the least corrupt nations, has suffered a steady decline. Falling to a score of 65, it now ranks below several European and Asian-Pacific nations that have

lapsed during Storm Daniel, killing over 11,000 people.

strengthened their anti-corruption efforts.

According to the report, a lack of strong institutions and unchecked political influence are eroding democratic safeguards.

“The absence of effective measures promotes human rights violations and increases the influence of economic and political elites and organised crime in public affairs,” according to the report.

CORRUPTION AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS

The report also details how corruption fuels the climate crisis by diverting critical resources, weakening environmental protections, and allowing industries with vested interests to influence policy decisions.

Transparency International’s CEO, Maíra Martini, called for urgent action to prevent corruption from obstructing climate initiatives.

“It is imperative that urgent action is taken to root out corruption so that meaningful climate action is not undermined by undue influence, theft, and misuse of funds. Governments and multilateral organizations must integrate anti-corruption measures into climate efforts in order to safeguard climate finance and reestablish trust in climate initiatives,” Martini said.

The CPI findings reveal that corruption-driven mismanagement of climate funds is widespread. A recent audit found that millions of dollars meant for climate mitigation in Russia were misappropriated, leading to the failure of emissions-reduction projects.

Libya, one of the world’s lowest-scoring countries on the index, saw deadly consequences of corruption last year when poorly maintained dams col-

In the U.S., a major energy company orchestrated a $60 million bribery scheme to secure a bailout for nuclear plants, shielding them from competition with renewable energy sources.

Transparency International warns that such corruption undermines environmental policy and slows the transition to clean energy.

Corruption is also a growing threat to those advocating for climate action. More than 1,000 environmental defenders have been murdered in the past five years, with many of these killings occurring in countries with low CPI scores, such as Brazil (34) and the Philippines (33).

“Corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development—it is a key cause

of declining democracy, instability, and human rights violations. The international community and every nation must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority. This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free, and sustainable world,” said François Valérian, chair of Transparency International. WI

@StacyBrownMedia

EDUCATION

New Policies Endanger Black Immigrant Students’ Security

Attempts to End Birthright Citizenship and Lift Restrictions on School ICE Enforcement Sparks Widespread Fear

By Quintessa Williams Word in Black

This article was originally published online with Word In Black, a collaboration of the nation's leading Black news publishers (of which the Informer is a member).

Imagine sending your child to school, only to worry that they might not come home — not because of violence or illness, but because their classroom could become the next target of immigration enforcement.

The Trump administration’s push to end birthright citizenship and expand immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in sensitive locations like schools has sparked a constitutional and moral crisis. A federal judge in Maryland has blocked the order, but the mere possibility has sown fear in communities and classrooms nationwide.

“The attempt to end birthright citizenship is a racist attack,” says Amena Elamin, National Youth Organizer for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). “It’s rooted in the same anti-Blackness that has historically denied rights to Black people. This isn’t just about immigration — it’s about who is seen as belonging in this country.”

It’s not just an issue for immigrant students of Mexican, El Salvadoran, or Venezuelan descent, either. Black students also come from immigrant families — or mixed-status families — and they’re caught in the crosshairs of policies that threaten to separate families and destabilize communities.

“Our communities are deeply intertwined,” Elamin says. “There are so many mixed-status families where one parent might be African American and other Sudanese, Jamaican, Haitian — you name it. These policies don’t just impact

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immigrants — they separate Black families, which then disrupts their children’s education. They cause harm that extends beyond immigration status because these communities are already marginalized.”

For Black students who are already over-policed and disproportionately pushed into the schoolto-prison pipeline, these policies compound existing racial inequities, leading to increased absenteeism, disengagement, and long-term setbacks for an entire generation of students.

President Donald Trump, who pushed such efforts early in his second term, said the 14th Amendment, often cited in immigration debates, was intended only for the “children of slaves” and should not have been interpreted as “extending citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.”

SCHOOLS NO LONGER JUST A PLACE OF LEARNING

Schools, once considered safe havens, are now potential sites of immigration enforcement. In Chicago, federal agents mistakenly believed to be ICE officers recently appeared at Hamline Elementary School, sparking panic.

“Our attendance was pretty bad across the city. There was like 50

to 80% attendance,” one Chicago Public Schools teacher told NPR.

Studies from Harvard’s Immigration Initiative show that students from diverse or mixed-status families experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, and school disengagement. In addition, WCPO news recently reported that TriState teachers have witnessed a 50% drop in attendance due to the growing fears of immigration raids.

“In multiple classes, I am missing half of my students,” Kendra Adamson, a teacher in Ohio, told WCPO 9 News. “Our students are living in fear that they will be deported.”

For Black immigrant students, the stakes are especially high: they face multiple threats: racial bullying and harassment in schools, racial profiling by teachers and school security, and deportation, all while trying to get an education.

“School should be a place of learning, not fear,” Elamin says. “Our students are not only just facing incarceration, but deportation, too. How can students focus on their education when their families could be torn apart at any moment?”

HOW CAN WE PROTECT BLACK IMMIGRANT STUDENTS?

Elamin believes schools must take a stand. She offers several recommendations for educators and administrators:

• Refuse to share sensitive information or immigration status with federal authorities. “Schools should not act as an extension of immigration enforcement,” she says.

• Provide “Know Your Rights” training for students, families, and staff so that Black communities understand their legal protections.

• Offer or ensure culturally competent mental health support tailored specifically to Black immigrant students who experience compounded stress from both racial and immigration-related trauma.

LIBERATION IS COLLECTIVE

Elamin also stresses that while schools have a role to play, parents, community members, and allies must also take action.

“Liberation is collective,” she says. “We can’t fight for justice in silos, and our students deserve schools where they can learn and grow without constantly looking over their shoulders. Education should be a tool for freedom, not another battleground for exclusion.” WI

5 Despite a federal judge in Maryland blocking the order, the Trump administration’s push to end birthright citizenship and expand immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in sensitive locations like schools has sparked fear in communities and classrooms nationwide. (WI File Photo/Anthony Tilghman)

Watching and Waiting Leads to a Larger Homeownership Gap for Single Black Women Single

Black Women Aren’t Applying for Home Loans Until Age 45

By Zerline Hughes Spruill WI Staff

It was a hard no when Nicki Mayo’s mother tried to sell her the Baltimore home she grew up in. At age 32, she saw the challenges of living in a neighborhood wrought by theft.

Mayo considered renting it, but she realized managing tenants would be a full-time job. And then there were those pesky, fluctuating interest rates. Instead, Mayo, a journalist, waited more than a decade after that to purchase her first home in Bowie, Maryland. But it wasn’t by choice.

“Journalists, we move all over,” she said. “That hurts our chances of building anything a lender would want. My entire career has been moving around to various places and having the rug pulled under me every two years.”

Mayo added that she was also holding out on another option that she was told by many would be a fail safe: a husband to sweep her off of her feet.

“That Christian husband never showed up,” said Mayo, 45. “‘You’ve got to wait for him to save you. He who finds a good wife finds a good thing.’ This is what I was taught. I am here to be under the umbrella of some mythical husband, and together we will buy the house.”

According to findings from a recent report published by the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) entitled “The W.I.R.E Whitepaper Report 2023: The Landscape for Black Women Investing in Real Estate, single Black women between 35 to 44 are, in fact, watching and waiting to buy a home, with an estimated average age of 45 years old. This leaves Black women with a 30-year house note until they are 65 to 75 years old.

NAREB’s report posited that single Black women are lagging behind when it comes to home buying for a myriad of reasons, including credit challenges, fright of being home poor and simply put, playing the waiting game.

FINANCIAL CHALLENGES, PRIORITIZING OTHERS

BEFORE HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

to college. In other situations, data collected showed single Black women were held back from applying for home loans because of high debt and/or bad credit–but there’s a catch.

African American women often wear many hats at once— from career person, to mother, to caregiver, and more. Report co-author and Texas Southern University Associate Professor Dr. Sheri Smith said some single Black women felt more comfortable diving into homeownership after sending their children

“Oftentimes, it’s not their debt … they extend themselves for the people they care about and love, but when they go for a house, the numbers don’t look right,” said Smith, referring to co-signing a cell phone plan or car loan for a family member which impacts one’s debt-to-income ratio. “Then, there’s school loans. A lot try to wait until their school loan is paid off, but if you’ve been paying on it, it goes in your favor because it shows you know how to manage debt.”

MAKING YOURSELF ATTRACTIVE TO A LENDER VERSUS A SUITOR

Now that Mayo is a two-year homeowner having purchased at age 43, she said she’s never leaving her home unless she gets married or her future family outgrows her home. She’s also thankful she was able to position herself to have a stable income to make her more attractive to a lender.

“I believe in love and I believe in what God has in store for me,” said Mayo, who is also a professor at George Washington University. “I’m also watching a lot of people go through divorces. My 20s and 30s [was a time of] me waiting for the husband to show up. I was supposed to ‘prepare myself’ as a woman of God.’ I was told to go and be educated, and go and do your career because that fantastical God-given man will show up and we will get a house together. That’s what slowed stuff up.”

While cultural norms seem to play a role in delaying home buying for Black women, Cher Castillo, associate broker at the D.C.-based firm Corcoran McEnearney, said about 85% of her clientele are professional Black and Brown single women between the ages of 27 and 35. She also said she bought early.

“I bought my house at 22 and I was single,” she continued. “It was the best decision I ever made. At 25, I sold it, made a $250,000 profit and that was the nest egg to not only purchase another property, start a business and invest in myself and other investments at an early age. If you do get married, you have an additional asset you can use and manage as part of your generational wealth.”

5 The National Association of Real Estate Brokers find single Black women are delayed in home buying for a bevy of reasons. (Courtesy Photo)

5 Cher Castillo says her single Black women clients are not waiting for anything or anyone when it comes to purchasing a home. (Courtesy Photo)

5 Career and relationship goals slowed Nicky Mayo down from being able to purchase her first home until she was 43. (Courtesy Photo)

LIFESTYLE

WASHINGTON INFORMER WEEKEND CHECKLIST

WASHINGTON INFORMER'S

Things To Do, DMV!

By Tait Manning WI Intern

Celebrate the last full week of Black History month with these events celebrating Black art, culture, and history.

From a vinyl record party to a historic guided walking tour, check out a handful of the many events happening in the DMV this weekend.

To keep up with all the fun, don’t forget to check out the Washington Informer Calendar.

THURSDAY, FEB. 20

Hillyer

6:15 p.m. | Free IA&A at Hillyer, 9 Hillyer Court NW, Washington, D.C., 20008

Join Hillyer for their monthly “Third Thursday” program, featuring solo artist Paula Mans in conversation with Dr. Lauren Davidson, an independent curator and founder of Museum Nectar Art Consultancy.

Mans will talk about her exhibition Cotton Flower, which uses portraiture

to center Black women in historical discourse surrounding enslaved resistance.

FRIDAY, FEB. 21

Walking in the Steps of the Bookman 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. | Free Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, 1318 Vermont Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., 20005

A free walking tour from the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS to the Carter G. Woodson Home NHS is offered every Friday in February.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson was affectionately known as “The Bookman” by residents in the Shaw neighborhood, and this walking tour (approx. 45 minutes) retraces routes and places frequented by Dr. Woodson and represents landmarks in Black History.

The tour will be canceled in the event of inclement weather such as a thunderstorm, snow, or extreme cold.

E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Notice of Intent to Enter Sole Source Contract

Student Educational Guided Travel

E.L. Haynes Public Charter School (PCS) intends to enter a sole source contract with EF Explore America for student educational guided group travel. The decision to conduct a sole source agreement was due to the specific needs of the school for a guided student tour during a specific travel period that could accommodate a large group to a specific location. The anticipated cost of this contract is approximately $166,000.

If you have any questions, or for additional information, please email contracts@elhaynes.org no later than 4:00pm on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Council House to Carter G. Woodson’s home. (Courtesy/ National Park Service)

Black History Month Literary Weekend: Meet the Authors

4 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. | Free Barnes & Noble, 15455 Emerald Way, Bowie, MD, 20716

Black History Month Literary Weekend is a special opportunity to get to know and learn from up-andcoming authors.

Join Barnes and Noble in the Bowie Town Center for an exciting Chat and Sign with all 12 of the weekend's featured authors, along with special guests USA Today best-selling author Naleighna Kai and Dr. Regina Jennings, member of the Black Panther Party.

SATURDAY, FEB. 22

2nd Annual Youth

Anti-Racist Film Festival

10 a.m. - Noon | Free AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD, 20910

The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is hosting the inaugural Youth Anti-Racist Film Festival, featuring documentaries created and produced

by Montgomery County Public School students to push for positive change within schools and communities.

Humans of Chocolate City's 1st Year Anniversary Vinyl Party

8 p.m.- 10:30 p.m. | $15

HR Records, 702 Kennedy St NW, Washington, D.C., 20011

Join HR Records to celebrate Humans of Chocolate City’s first anniversary with a night dedicated to music, culture and community!

Dig through crates, swap gems, and connect with fellow vinyl lovers at this buy/sell/trade experience, all while honoring the rich legacy of Black music traditions during Black History Month.

Whether attendees are seasoned collectors or just love a good groove, this is a chance to discover rare finds, make new connections, and support a local black business.

Proceeds from this event will go toward supporting HR Records, keeping vinyl culture alive and thriving.

SUNDAY, FEB. 23

Black History Month Dance Celebration

1 p.m. | Free Maryland Youth Ballet, 926 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD, 20910

Join Maryland Youth Ballet for their sixth annual Black History Month dance celebration with free virtual and in-person events.

The day will include a panel discussion about current perspectives on meritocracy, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and classical dance.

Stay after the panel discussion for a screening of the film Black Ballerina, which tells the story of several Black women who fell in love with ballet, some of whom were pioneers who were instrumental in paving the way for those who grace the stages of the world today.

IN THE BLACK PRESENTS RENAISSANCE [A MUSICAL TIME CAPSULE]

2 p.m.- 5 p.m. | $35+

Silver Spring Black Box, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD, 20910

Step into history and experience the untold story of Philip Payton Jr., the founder of the Afro-American Realty Company and the visionary who paved the way for Harlem to become a beacon of Black culture and creativity.

The Renaissance brings Payton's incredible legacy to life as he journeys through time with a modern-day traveler, exploring the past, present, and future through immersive musical capsules that transports audiences from the 1920s to 2025.

This isn't just a performance—it's a movement. With storytelling, digital art, live music, and thought-provoking discussions, the show celebrates Black Excellence while uncovering the pain, perseverance, and triumph that have shaped the story of Black people. WI

3IA&A at Hillyer, a program of International Arts & Artists, (IA&A), hosts their monthly “Third Thursday” program on Feb. 20, featuring solo artist Paula Mans (pictured) in conversation with Dr. Lauren Davidson, an independent curator and founder of Museum Nectar Art Consultancy. (Courtesy/Paula Mans)

Join The National Park Service on Friday, Feb. 21 for a free walking tour from the Mary McLeod Bethune

LIFESTYLE

‘Beyond the Gates’ to Debut First Predominantly Black Cast in Daytime Television

Soap Opera Laudes Black Culture, History Through Characters, Storylines, and Nod to HBCUs

By Jada Ingleton WI Digital Equity Fellow

Despite continuous national attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Black History Month is beaming with historic ‘firsts’ in entertainment culture, and the upcoming debut of the first predominantly Black daytime soap opera, “Beyond the Gates,” is next on the list.

As the CBS series prepares for its Feb. 24 debut, an exclusive screening and fireside chat in Northwest, D.C. was held last Thursday at The Gathering Spot. There, DMV residents, “Beyond the Gates” cast members and alumni of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) gathered for a sneak peek into the lavishness of Fairmont Crest, the exclusively gated fictional neighborhood in Prince George’s County, where the show is set.

“I feel like in today's time, you see a lot of projects on TV…[that] shows people of color in a negative light. If people have the power to put these stories on screen for people of color, why not make it successful? Why not show that we can be Black kings and queens, we can be rich and wealthy, because we can,” said Jibre Hordges, who stars as Jacob Hawthorne, on Feb. 13.

While guests enjoyed trivia and hors d'oeuvres, Hordges and fellow castmate Colby Muhammad dished character bios, onset relationships, and touted the importance of spearheading diversity at such a vulnerable time for Black Americans.

“With all of this going on, it's infuriating and it's disheartening,” Muhammad said, “but then you have shows like this and other Black shows to remind you that, we're not going anywhere, we're not going away.”

HIGHLIGHTING

BLACK LOVE, BLACK HISTORY, BLACK EXCELLENCE

With a mission to reshape the

daytime television landscape, “Beyond the Gates” is on a journey to champion Black representation in a multitude of ways–from celebrating Black love and wealth, to touting the influence of historically Black institutions.

The hour-long soap opera follows the lives of the Black, wealthy Dupree family as they navigate familial bouts, betrayal and love, featuring a powerful cast of Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis, Karla Cheatham Mosley, and most recently announced soap opera veterans, Jon Linstrom (General Hospital) and Cady McClain (Days of our Lives).

Fresh off the national tour of the Broadway hit “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Muhammad’s network debut as Katherine “Kat” Richardson serves as an opportunity to empower future generations of Black women leaders. Hordges’s character tackles the prompt of amplifying positive Black relationships for young audiences.

“I don't want to give away too much, but…you see a lot of failed marriages, especially within [communities of color]. But Jacob brings a breath of fresh air,” Hordges told The Informer. “To show that, to portray that real Black love on a national and global TV screen, it's huge.”

The fiery pilot was simply rich in Black nuances and colloquialism–from perfectly-timed comedic reactions to moments of sisterhood and cultural references.

Aside from highlighting local Black affluence, “Beyond the Gates” celebrates a variety of aspects of Black culture, such as HBCUs and the historically Black sororities and fraternities of the Divine Nine, many of whom were invited to the screening on Feb. 13.

Muhammad, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater from Howard University, told The Informer that much of the characters backgrounds’ stem from HBCU and Greek affiliation.

“The woman who plays my mom on the show, she has a lot of elephants in her office, so we can't say that she's a Delta, but, you know,” she admitted with a cheeky smile.

Further, “Beyond the Gates,” an inaugural venture of CBS and the NAACP, which will also stream on Paramount+, is not only the premiere of a predominantly Black ensemble. It is also the first daytime soap opera to hit the airwaves in the 21st century, offering a refreshing taste of romance, scandal, and dramatic head turns for audiences.

Washingtonian Tamale Smith, who attended Thursday’s event on behalf of her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) chapter, echoed the significance of uplifting diverse

pilot on Feb. 13. (Cleveland Nelson/The Washington Informer)

on-screen representation, especially when the success of future developments could depend on it.

“I think this is a good time for [Beyond the Gates],” Smith, a member of the District’s Xi Omega Chapter of AKA, told The Informer. “It's important for us to support our people. Very rarely do we get on daytime [television] with a drama such as this.”

With plans to air weekdays at 2

p.m., “Beyond the Gates” is sure to shake up the entertainment landscape with a fresh lens that speaks volumes to the resilience and realities of Black culture.

“You can get rid of DEI programs, but at the end of the day, we're going to still rise to the top. And I hope that this show will remind people that we’re gonna still rise to the top,” Muhammad said.

“Beyond the Gates” stars Jibre Hordges and Colby Muhammad tout the importance of on screen Black representation in a fireside chat following an exclusive screening of the soap opera’s

LIFESTYLE

Easier Travel Guided By ‘The Green Book’

Brenda C. Siler WI Contributing Writer

Historically, the “Green Book,” also known by its full name, “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” was necessary for African Americans seeking safe travel information about lodging, eating and entertainment in a segregated South and racist America. Now, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Northwest, D.C. is remembering the Green Book and honoring the participating businesses in an exhibit on display through March 2.

“The Negro Motorist Green Book”

is a beautifully organized two-part exhibition, with a virtual component as well, that honors the contributions of the guide both locally and nationally.

A vital resource used during the civil rights movement, the exhibition gives a national overview of how the guidebook was created, including maps, photos, and actual mementos.

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service curated the national portion in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian Candacy Taylor.

“The Green Book in D.C.: A Particular Place for Particular People,”

an accompanying exhibition, was produced by the D.C. Public Library (DCPL) to complement the national traveling exhibition. Monica Miller, DCPL exhibits coordinator, led the effort to review materials used in the D.C. portion.

An eye-opening graphic about organizing a car trunk for family road trips appears in the exhibition.

“For Black families, there was a particular method to pack your car when traveling by car,” said Miller. “There was a large ice chest for food and drinks because there were no drive-through fast food businesses, and you would probably not be served at a restaurant. Those items in your trunk were in addition to your luggage and other personal items.”

D.C. BUSINESSES IN THE GREEN BOOK

5Virginia Ali, co-founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street in Northwest, D.C., stands in front of a photo of Victor Green, creator of “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” now on display in the “The Negro Motorist Green Book” exhibition at the MLK, Jr. Branch of the D.C. Public Library. “Ben’s” was featured in an edition of the “Green Book.” (Courtesy Photo/D.C. Public Library)

visitors learn about the businesses and entrepreneurs in the guidebook, but fun facts related to D.C. history.

Featuring Hamilton de Holanda

Sat, March 1

SONA

JOBARTEH

Trailblazing female kora maestro

Tue, March 25

Rodgers & Hammerstein meets jazz, soul, and funk

Sun, March 30

More than 150 businesses and organizations in the District were featured in the “Green Book,” including restaurants, entertainment venues, retailers, barber shops, and beauty salons.

Often, instead of hotels, Black people stayed in homes or large buildings that operated similar to homestay experiences that are common today.

Visiting the exhibit, not only do

COUNCIL

REPORT from Page 22

Since its purchase of the Ritz and Mozart apartment buildings in 1973, Jubilee Housing has provided District families with housing and supportive services. In 2002, Jim Knight joined the nonprofit as an executive director, spearheading initiatives resulting in the development of multi-million dollar properties, delivery of services to youth and families, and the first-of-its-kind housing for returning citizens.

Knight stands among those pushing for a recalibration of the housing ecosystem, as he explained in a 2024 Washington Business Journal op-ed. Through an investment fund, Jubilee Housing continues to purchase and invest in property, yielding hundreds of new units.

Once online, the new 18 units of housing funded by DHCD will be located near 52 other units that serve as an incubator of workforce development opportunities for returning citizens.

“We have a housing crisis and re-

Who knew Pearl Bailey lived in the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast D.C.? There is a photo of the entertainer with one of her three ex-husbands driving in their convertible— an actual star sighting for D.C. residents and visitors.

From stories of the District’s past, to national history, DCPL encourages people to check out the exhibit, which includes interactive events, free

turning citizens are at the back of the line,” Knight told The Informer. “It's part of a continuum of support that Jubilee provides. This is a model that can be used across the city to support this community.”

D.C. COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO AVOIDS RECORD-SEALING CONTROVERSY

On Feb. 14, as District residents awaited President Donald J. Trump’s signing of an executive order to displace the unhoused and intensify prosecution of local crime, D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) submitted the Safety Cluster Resource Alignment and Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 to the council for a vote.

Days later, during its Feb. 18 legislative meeting, Pinto withdrew the controversial emergency bill, which included a provision delaying implementation of a 2022 law that facili-

tours and a virtual component.

“Discover how this guide helped Black travelers navigate mid-century America and celebrate a resilient community,” DCPL wrote on X.

To visit and for more information, on “The Negro Motorist Green Book” exhibition, visit dclibrary.org. Also, visit a participating D.C. Public Library branch location to see a capsule exhibition of the Green Book.

WI @bcscomm

tates the removal of citations, arrests, charges, prosecution, disposition, or conviction from a person’s public record.

While Pinto didn’t speak directly to her rationale in the last-minute bill withdrawal, she hinted at tensions between local and federal elements of the public safety ecosystem.

“The agencies do not feel they can implement or administer record sealing, but now it's the law,” Pinto told The Informer on Feb. 18. “They had time to prepare so we will work with the agencies locally and federally.”

Had Pinto followed through with, and the council approved, the emergency measure, the start date for record expungement processes would’ve been Oct. 1, 2027 instead of March 1. Earlier in the day, before making her announcement, Pinto delved deeper into developments on the federal level that compelled her to introduce the emergency measure. WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

Not for President Harrison!

Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd president, was the first president to have this in the White House. However, he was so scared of it—he never used it! What was it? The letters along the correct path on the maze spell the answer.

Which president had the most kids?

Our 10th president, John Tyler, had the most children. Color the squares with even numbers RED and the odd-numbered squares BLUE to reveal the answer.

How much do you know about presidents of the United States? Did you know the following

First Presidential Email

In 1994, President Bill Clinton was the first president to send an email while in office. He sent it to an astronaut who was in space at the time. Use the code to discover the name of the astronaut.

President Tailor?

“S” in President Harry S. Truman’s name doesn't stand for anything. Unable to decide on a middle name for over a month, his parents settled on the letter “S” in honor of his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, and his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shipp Truman.

Andrew Johnson, our 17th president, was trained as a tailor in his youth. He continued to make his own suits—even while president. Can you find the two identical suits?

Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.

Theodore president, while giving

“I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have been shot,” audience. I do not care shot; not He completed speech with lodged in he went to survived President nicknames. each math those with answers reveal nicknames.

President Herbert Hoover’s son had two pet alligators, which were sometimes allowed to run loose throughout the White House. Hoover was our 31st president.

Presidential Cheer

During his senior year of high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., George W. Bush, who would become the nation’s 43rd president, was captain of the cheerleading team.

WRESTLING ALLIGATOR CHILDREN FREEDOM TAILOR SUITS LATIN WHITE HOUSE TYLER FIRST BUSH HAND BOTH

Presidential Advisor

Imagine you are an advisor to the president on the concerns of your community or neighbor hood. Find articles in the newspaper showing issues your community is facing. Make a list of the ways you think the president could help.

Ambidextrous Super Power!

Our 16th president is one of our most celebrated. But not a lot of people know that he was a wrestler. In 300 matches, he only lost one. He is in the

Celebrate Our Presidents

Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.

Ambidextrous means the ability to write with both hands. Not only was our 20th president ambidextrous, he could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other at the same time. Hold this page up to a mirror to read this president’s name.

Look through the newspaper to see how your community is celebrating Presidents Day. If you don’t find much, write a letter to the editor with your ideas on how the day could be celebrated in your community.

What would you do? How would

What do

Milwaukee.

review wi book

"Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette"

By Jennifer Jones

c.2025, Amistad

$26.99

208 pages

Terri Schlichenmeyer

WI Contributing Writer

Step, step, kick.

Twirl, step, and kick again. Left, right, step. The choreography is all new to you, but you'll get it eventually, no problem. You know what it takes to be a great dancer: getting enough rest, taking care of yourself, practice, and as in the new book "Becoming Spectacular" by Jennifer Jones, you'll need all the perseverance you can muster.

Born in New Jersey in 1967, Jennifer Jones had a relatively happy childhood. The daughter of an interracial couple, her parents worked hard to give their three girls good lives, fun activities, safe neighborhoods in which to live, good schools, and a firm love of the arts.

As a youngster, Jones took twirling classes and tap lessons; she remembers seeing plays on Broadway and imaging she could be the next Stephanie Mills in "The Wiz." Even though Jones was a child then, Mills' iconic performance made it clear that there was a place for little Black girls on the Great White Way.

When Jones was a preteen, her mother paid for dance lessons and Jones found a mentor, Frank Hatchett, co-founder of the Broadway Dance Center. She also entered a pageant and got fourth runner-up but over time, her love of performing began to take a backseat to boys and drugs as she entered her teens.

It didn't help that her parents fought, and they divorced.

At 17, Jones expressed an interest in rekindling her love of dance, but her then-boyfriend scoffed — which she took as a challenge, and she worked her way onto a music video. Seizing her passion, she took classes in Manhattan while attending college, working odd jobs to pay the bills, and attending tryouts as often as possible.

A painful break-up with a different boyfriend sent Jones back to New Jersey, but dance was still in her blood. She'd noticed a listed audition for Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes, and the ad specified that minorities were welcome to try out — so she did.

And in an instant, she was a Rockette.

And that's that, right?

Not so fast. That's what you get in the first half of "Becoming Spectacular," but author Jennifer Jones has a whole lot more to tell. Are you sure you want to read it, though?

Think twice: Jones' basic story and her perseverance are worth cheering about, but readers may sometimes feel uncomfortable in what may seem like oversharing of private matters and parent-child issues in other places in the tale. Jones rushes her early story quite a bit, sometimes barely touching upon areas that might have served to inspire readers, and all her hard-won triumphs are often minimized — especially considering the end of Jones' story, her struggles and the difficulties she experienced as a Black woman. That makes this tale as uneven as a cobblestone street.

Overall, this quick story could've been longer and better but even so, there's inspiration here to be found, if you look for it. Know that, going into "Becoming Spectacular," and you might get a kick out of it.

horoscopes

LIFESTYLE

FEB 20 - 26, 2025

ARIES Dynamic energy flows through your social connections as Mercury activates your networking sector, bringing unexpected collaborations. A chance encounter with an industry innovator could spark a game-changing project, especially in digital or creative fields. Your natural enthusiasm inspires team members to push beyond their comfort zones, though patience may be needed when explaining your vision. Trust your instincts in group discussions, as your fresh perspective attracts attention from influential figures. Lucky Numbers: 7, 23, 41

TAURUS Career advancement opportunities emerge as Venus harmonizes with your professional sector, potentially bringing recognition for past efforts. Your methodical approach to complex challenges earns respect from senior management, opening doors to leadership roles. A property or investment matter shows promising developments midweek. Creative solutions to practical problems showcase your innovative thinking, particularly in matters of resource management. Lucky Numbers: 5, 19, 38

GEMINI Communication channels buzz with activity as your ruling planet Mercury forms powerful alignments, making this an ideal time for presentations or launching new projects. Your quick wit and adaptability help navigate unexpected changes in team dynamics with grace. Multiple opportunities for learning and teaching present themselves, allowing you to showcase your versatile knowledge base. Lucky Numbers: 11, 25, 42

CANCER Intuitive insights guide you through important financial decisions, particularly regarding shared resources or joint ventures. Your natural ability to nurture growth helps strengthen business partnerships during a period of transition. Home-related investments show potential for long-term gains. Family matters reach a turning point midweek, bringing emotional closure or new understanding. Lucky Numbers: 4, 16, 33

LEO Partnership matters take center stage as the Sun illuminates your relationship sector, bringing clarity to personal and professional connections. Your natural leadership qualities attract opportunities for collaboration, especially in creative or entrepreneurial ventures. A romantic relationship could reach a significant milestone midweek, possibly through a shared achievement or public recognition. Networking efforts yield powerful allies who appreciate your bold vision. Lucky Numbers: 2, 20, 37

VIRGO Workplace efficiency improves as your analytical skills identify key areas for enhancement, leading to streamlined processes and improved team dynamics. Health initiatives gain momentum through careful planning and attention to detail. A systematic approach to organization midweek creates space for new opportunities, particularly in professional development. Lucky Numbers: 8, 27, 44

LIBRA Creative inspiration flows as Venus enhances your artistic sector, bringing opportunities for self-expression and romantic connections. Your diplomatic approach helps resolve a team conflict, turning potential discord into productive collaboration. Aesthetic projects or beauty-related ventures show particular promise midweek. Your natural sense of balance proves invaluable during important negotiations. Lucky Numbers: 13, 31, 46

SCORPIO Home and family matters benefit from your focused attention as Mars energizes your domestic sector, bringing resolution to long-standing issues. Your investigative nature uncovers valuable information about a property or family matter that others have overlooked. A powerful transformation occurs midweek through emotional insights or private discoveries. Lucky Numbers: 6, 22, 39

SAGITTARIUS Long-distance connections bring exciting opportunities as Jupiter expands your communication sector, possibly leading to travel or educational adventures. Your optimistic outlook helps bridge cultural differences during an international project, creating valuable networks. Publishing opportunities gain momentum midweek, allowing you to share your wisdom with a broader audience. Lucky Numbers: 10, 28, 45

CAPRICORN Financial strategies yield results as Saturn rewards your careful planning, particularly in matters of long-term investment. Your disciplined approach to resource management impresses potential business partners, opening doors to new ventures. A contract or agreement reaches a crucial phase midweek, requiring your thorough analysis before moving forward. Lucky Numbers: 3, 17, 34

AQUARIUS Personal initiatives gain momentum as Uranus activates your identity sector, bringing unexpected opportunities for self-expression and leadership. Your innovative approach to problem-solving helps modernize outdated systems, though you may need to guide others through the transition carefully. Technological developments midweek align perfectly with your forward-thinking vision. Lucky Numbers: 12, 29, 43

PISCES Spiritual awareness deepens as Neptune enhances your intuitive abilities, bringing clarity to personal goals and relationships. Creative projects flow naturally, especially those involving music, photography, or digital arts. A meditation or artistic practice leads to important insights midweek. Lucky Numbers: 1, 15, 35

SPORTS

Steve Turner Spearheads a Matured Gonzaga as Eagles Aim for Conference Title

By Joshua Heron WI Contributing Writer

After Gonzaga College High School started the second half with a 9-0 run in an early February matchup at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Coach Steve Turner sat and looked at his huddled players during the opponent's timeout with empowering words.

"Be who you are supposed to be,” he told the team.

Turner’s consistent expectancy of selfless effort despite the scoreboard has landed Gonzaga the second seed in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC).

They begin the playoffs Saturday at Gallaudet University. The four-time WCAC champions are seeking redemption after losing last year's final to St. Paul VI Catholic High School.

Turner believes the Eagles exceeded expectations last season as a "young team." Senior starters, guards Derek Dixon, Nykolas Lewis, Will Harper, forward Alex Touomou, and center Christian Gurdak started last year’s championship game as juniors.

"What gives me hope this year is that I got a team that was there last

year," Turner said. "They know what it feels like not to win a game they believed they could have won."

After Monday's 72-55 season-finale upset loss to DeMatha Catholic High School, Harper reflected on this season and trusts the experience the Eagles have garnered this past year will serve them well in the conference playoffs.

"We've been here before and we're ready for the playoffs," said Harper, a University of Richmond commit.

"Now we just got to show it."

With experience comes growth and this season's maturation process included learning new offensive and defensive sets. Assistant coach Roger Garfield revealed that Gonzaga used the 2-3 defensive zone more regularly this season. Turner also added horn sets and the floppy action on offense, a common NBA play call.

The head coach uses basketball camps, his time with USA Basketball, and meetings with other coaches during the summer to acquire fresh concepts. He said he desires to "bring things back to try and help my guys get better.”

However, one's improvement has a direct relationship with one's recep-

tiveness to feedback. To Garfield, the seniors' starters' ability to heed correction distinguishes them from last year.

"They all have thicker skin," Garfield said. "Last year, I think they were a little bit more thin-skinned, and this year, they can take more criticism."

Garfield believes their capacity for accountability from one another increased as well.

"When things wouldn't go our way, we kind of went in five different directions, and we wouldn't really talk," Garfield said. "This year, you're seeing more communication. When we've had tough moments, we are coming together, sharing honest trust (and) holding each other accountable."

Touomou said he gained confidence from his teammates’ continual motivation during practices. The Harvard University commit labeled his improvement alongside his teammates, who he called "his guys," as one of the best components of the season.

Turner has coached at Gonzaga for 26 years, serving five as an assistant and the remaining as head coach. His team's openness and fortified bond encourages the five-time WCAC coach of the year to remain on I Street NW for the foreseeable future.

"Their connectivity makes walking in the gym and coaching them fun," Turner said. "Their ability to listen to us coaches and then go out and show they can execute it instills energy into me daily."

A reciprocal outpour occurs as Turner's energy infuses an ambitious spirit within his players.

"When you have a coach that wants

it just as bad as you do, it makes basketball and off the court even easier," Harper said. "He's given us everything he got every day, so we have no choice but to give the same back to him."

Garfield believes each starter has improved skill wise since last season but applauded Lewis for blossoming into a more effective leader. The Xavier University commit credits Turner for teaching him how to lead.

"He's given me an opportunity at a great school that's taken my game to the next level, not only on the basketball court but making me a better person overall," Lewis said. "I've learned leadership qualities on how to run and lead a team that I'll need for the next level."

Lewis said Turner has also taught him to be a better man in school and pay better attention in the classroom.

"I just want to help young men get an opportunity to use the sport that's going to take them further in life than anything else," Turner said. "And if this can be the avenue to get them to go to college and get a great degree, this is what I want to help them do."

‘NEXT-PLAY MENTALITY’

All five starters have received athletic scholarships to Division I schools, with Dixon committing to North Carolina and Gurdak to Virginia Tech. Before they ultimately set their sights on college, the seniors hope to attain a fifth conference title for Gonzaga.

Turner said the team spent the sea-

son's final few weeks learning "how to understand next-play mentality."

Toward the end of the first quarter in an early February home matchup against Archbishop Carroll High School, Gonzaga forward Carter Meadows was fouled on a successful field goal attempt. Turner briskly walked to Touomou on the bench and said, "Get your head in the game."

Touomou immediately hit a three when he returned to the court.

Moments like Touomou's give Lewis affirmation that adversity won't stifle the Eagles' quest for a conference championship.

"We respond to adversity and turn it around quickly," Lewis said. "Coach Turner gives us a message, and we've taken it, turned it around, and used it for good."

After a lackluster performance Monday, Harper was reminded of his coach's consistent message to always surrender all on the court. Dixon added that his team needed more "energy" come Saturday.

"Last year losing in the championship hurt, so we know the feeling of losing," Dixon said. "We hate losing, so we are going to make sure that's different (in the playoffs)."

Gonzaga's confidence reassures Turner that his team's focus remains resolute.

"This team is on a mission," Turner said. "Stars still have to align, and some favors from God probably have to play into it, but I know this team is going to leave everything they got on the floor to give themselves the best chance to do it." WI

5Steve Turner hopes to secure a fifth Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title when the Eagles begin the playoffs Saturday at Gallaudet University. (Courtesy Photo/Gonzaga Athletics)

5Will Harper says coach Turner’s passion makes basketball and off-court endeavors “easier.” (Courtesy Photo/Gonzaga Athletics)

CAPTURE the moment

Hosted by Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Official Black Love Relationship Ceremony & Ritual of Reconciliation took place at The Episcopal Church of the Atonement on Feb. 13. The Ceremony & Ritual included drumming from Master Drummer Shango Kwame, a Vocal Sound Bath by Miamouna Youssef (Mumu Fresh), and breathing exercises by ”The Breath Sekou.” (Ja'Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer)

RELIGION

Raphael Warnock Delivers Sermon on “God’s Executive Order” of Unity and Inclusion

By Tait Manning and Micha Green

WI Reporting Intern and WI Managing Editor

With Black History Month in full swing, the Washington National Cathedral in Northwest, D.C. honored historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and welcomed the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s Democratic U.S. senator, as a guest preacher on Feb. 16.

With North Carolina Central University performing uplifting songs throughout the service, and a message from Warnock, a graduate of Morehouse College in Georgia, the cathedral not only highlighted HBCUs, but

FAITH from Page 1

and media, driving the beginnings of a pivotal social justice movement with faith-based institutions at the forefront.

“The Black church has got to, once again, become the leader of our people,” Jackson told the crowd on Feb. 17. “We’re fighting against spiritual wickedness in high places. We have to do more than talk…From this press conference, we intend to act.”

With a packed house and impassioned congregation, faithbased speakers stood at the pulpit Monday guided in a mission to affect change amid a spiraling Trump administration. In his first month back in office—and even on his first day— President Donald Trump has signed executive orders working to erase Black history; revert constitutional rights; and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

“We’re here today because what we’re seeing for 30 days is a fore-

emphasized the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from a faith perspective.

“Here we are on this grand Sunday morning— red, yellow, Black, and brown and white— speaking with one voice in this moral moment saying, ‘God chose no partiality,’” Warnock declared during HBCU Welcome Sunday. “The God of the heavens and the earth is a God of diversity and equity.”

In his sermon, Warnock criticized President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive orders.

“Among these executive orders has been a wholesale, unabashed assault on anything and everything that looks like diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist

taste of four years,” Skinner said.

“This is already telling us that if we don’t stop it at 30 days, we won’t have a country. We won’t have a democracy.”

The historic Metropolitan A.M.E Church has been at the forefront of challenging racism.

After a Black Lives Matter banner was stolen and burned during a pro-Trump rally in 2020, Enrique Tarrio, leader of the extremist group Proud Boys, was arrested for the theft and vandalism, and the church, in turn, filed a lawsuit against the organization. Earlier this month, a judge ruled in favor of Metropolitan A.M.E., granting the church the trademark rights to the Proud Boys name.

Continuing the church’s historic role as an impetus for civic reform, faith leaders took to Metropolitan to offer passionate pleas for justice, culminating in a three-point plan of action for Black churches and allies beginning March 5.

The mission highlights corporate boycotts, judicial push back, and

Church in Atlanta Georgia, where the celebrated activist the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also served as pastor. “For those who have made diversity, equity, and inclusion toxic political terms, I want to ask, if you don't want diversity, what’s the opposite of diversity? If you don’t want inclusion, what do you want the world to look like?”

Though Warnock said he wasn’t married to the term DEI, as he “just wants justice,” he noted that “DEI” in Latin means God. Further, considering Trump’s actions, the senator and faith leader explained God’s executive orders to uplift “In God’s vision for the world there is diversity,” Warnock declared. “In God’s vision for the world there is equity.”

strengthening the values of Black institutions.

“This nation has never done anything right because it was right…. We organize. We free ourselves,” Lamar said. “We gathered here today because, before the body can be free, the mind must be.”

TAKING A STAND AGAINST CORPORATE AMERICA

In alliance with Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season (the 40 days and nights leading to Easter), Jackson announced Black churches in the District will commence a 40-day boycott starting March 5 against Target, as one of several companies that have abandoned DEI initiatives.

“If our diversity is not good, our money is not good,” said the bishop. “If corporate America can't stand with us, we’re not going to stand with corporate America.”

WHY HBCU SUNDAY?

The Washington National Cathedral was packed for HBCU Welcome Sunday, filled with a mixture of cathedral parishioners, visiting HBCU students and alumni, and members of the Divine Nine—historically Black fraternities and sororities— to acknowledge African Americans’ resilience despite centuries of slavery and oppression.

“So why do we need Black History Month? Why these HBCUs— these historically Black colleges and universities— because they didn’t let us into other spaces. Somehow we translated our paint into power, our marginalization into music,” Warnock said during his sermon.

Howard University alumnus, the

While the boycott will kickstart in the D.C. area, a collaboration of local Black interfaith leaders has agreed to draft a document to encourage participation from churches nationwide, with potential to extend the boycott, as well as incorporate other DEI-turned corporations.

“I really hope that as we go forward…not only Blacks, but all those who are supportive of justice, will also join us in this effort to seek to redeem all that’s going on,” Jackson said. “‘I want you to do what’s right.’ That’s what we have to be able to say to corporate America.”

Ifill pointed out that the boycott offers a critical opportunity to reinvest directly in Black-owned businesses, and encouraged attendees to shop online to avoid faulting the Black brands who market through Target and other storefronts.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

Rev. Canon Leonard Hamlin, who serves as canon missioner and minister of equity and Inclusion at the cathedral, created HBCU Sunday as a way to extend the church’s outreach to diverse communities and to welcome cross-congregational worship.

“There’s a wonderful witness who said, ‘while we all didn’t come over here on the same ship, we’re in the same boat now.’” said Hamlin. “I think that circumstances are helping many to see how much we need each other. I think of certain individuals who claim faith, but now more than ever, we recognize that we’re all going to rise and fall with each other.”

Evoking the words of King, who delivered his last Sunday sermon in the pulpit of the Washington National Cathedral, Hamlin said he hopes to fulfill the civil rights leader’s vision of the Beloved Community.

“I hope when individuals leave the cathedral, they, first of all, feel a spirit of what heaven may look like. The tapestry, that we’re all together, we’re all going to be there, and on one accord,” he said. “We’re working on it even right now. I hope when individuals leave, they are more encouraged to do the work that needs to be done now, that we’re building and we’re building community.”

Many attendees, both in-person and virtually, were empowered by the service and Warnock's message, including Janet Hailes, a Howard University alumna and D.C. resident.

“We are one and when we work together, amazing things can be done, that’s what matters, is that we are a diverse community. We all come from different backgrounds, social, economic, all of that,” said Hailes. “We all can contribute to the betterment of this world and not let things that are being said tera us down and tear us apart and continue to divide us.”

3Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock greets attendees after his guest sermon at Washington National Cathedral’s HBCU Sunday Service on Feb. 16. (Tait Manning/The Washington Informer)

The mastermind principle teaches how successful people select mentors who have achieved their desired goals — people to emulate, follow, get advice from and learn from. When two or more minds come together, they create a higher mind that's greater than working alone. This collective mind, when harmonious, can truly be called a mastermind.

In any great endeavor, it's beneficial to connect with others of like mind and purpose. The pooling of individual resources proves valuable. An effective marriage exemplifies a mastermind partnership. A wife often stimulates and encourages her husband to achievements beyond his normal capabilities, and many women have succeeded through their husbands' support and understanding. Without such pairing, each would achieve far less.

Many of history's greatest minds freely admit they didn't originate the ideas and creations that made them famous. Rather, they describe it as tuning into a cosmic radio station and gaining inspiration directly from God.

Scripture reminds us in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The mastermind principle functions like an powerful receiving station — a giant radio telescope

WITH LYNDIA GRANT

Life-Changing Principles: The Mastermind Advantage the religion corner

tuned to the heavens, receiving signals pertinent to the goal. Those who utilize this principle become great beyond their dreams. Those who don't face a harder path and may never succeed.

Carefully select people likely to harmonize with your purpose. The importance of group harmony cannot be overstated. Regularly review group membership. If someone isn't in harmony with the common purpose, replace them with someone who is. Meet regularly to discuss and brainstorm ideas. While it's unwise to discuss aspirations with everyone, group members are confidants who can be trusted. Jesus had his team of 12 disciples who worked together.

Your goal must benefit everyone on your team. No one works for free. Offer money, recognition or enjoyable assignments. Don't ask someone to do something that conflicts with their spirit — they'll hate the assignment.

How much will really get done? Make wise selections and don't patronize anyone — they'll feel belittled and unhappy.

My three sisters and I formed our mastermind group, which worked well. We ran a business together, lived together as a family, met over coffee, carpooled to our office daily while planning, and

worked together for 10 years — a true mastermind group.

It worked as we improved the annual Georgia Avenue Day Festival and Parade each year, becoming known as "the Grant sisters." What began with 1,000 attendees grew to more than 200,000, spawning the Caribbean Festival. It can't be all about you. Each member must matter. Show them love and respect. As my pastor says, "I'm not making this up — it isn't coming from me. This is a principle researched by Napoleon Hill. If you don't believe me, read this chapter yourself. You might be surprised and understand the value of partnering with the right people!" WI

In any great endeavor, it's beneficial to connect with others of like mind and purpose.

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All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Rev Kevin A. O'Bryant Pastor

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Service and Times Sunday Worship 10:30 am Zoom: zoom.us/;/2028828331

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SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2024 ADM 001233

Barbara Harris aka Barbara Jean Harris

Decedent

Kevin Judd, Esq.

601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 900-South Building

Washington, DC 20004

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Kevin Judd, Esq., whose address is 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 900-South Building, Washington, DC 20004, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Barbara Harris aka Barbara Jean Harris who died on April 28, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/6/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/6/2025

Kevin Judd, Esq. Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2016 ADM 001462

Estate of Mignon K. Jackson aka Mignon Karen Jackson

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Derek E. Slocum for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

In the absence of a will or proof satisfactory to the Court of due execution, enter an order determining that the decedent died intestate appoint a member of the bar.

Date of first publication: February 6, 2025

Derek E. Slocum #11380-Cove Lake Road

Lusby, Maryland 20657

Petitioner/Attorney:

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2024 ADM 001177

Larry W. Ricks

Decedent

Murray D. Scheel

DC Bar Pro Bono Center 901 4th Street NW Washington, DC 20001

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Rachel Molly Joseph, whose address is 409 Delafield Place, NW, Washington DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Larry W. Ricks who died on 9/2/2021 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/6/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/6/2025

Rachel Molly Joseph Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000019

Patrick F. Scott Decedent

Valerie J. Edwards 1725 DeSales Street, NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Elizabeth I Scott, whose address is 4531 Alton Place NW, Washington, DC 20016, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Patrick F. Scott who died on June 21, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs, whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Elizabeth I. Scott Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000017

Devora Hill

Decedent

Ferguson Evans, Esq. 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 900 South Bldg. Washington, DC 20004

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Erika Rodgers, whose address is 223 O St., SW #30, Washington, DC 20024, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Devora Hill who died on January 16, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/6/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/6/2025

Erika Rodgers Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000030

Beatrice E. Carey Decedent

Krista N. Robertson, Esq. 4520 East-West Highway, Suite 650 Bethesda, MD 20814

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Kirsten Febres, whose address is 14803 Gladebrook Drive, Houston, Texas 77068, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Beatrice E. Carey who died on August 23, 2023 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Kirsten Febres Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2024 ADM 001188

Melvin Craig Wilson Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Misha Slaughter aka Misha Asamoa, whose address is 25360 Grotto Falls Lane Porter, TX 77360, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Melvin Craig Wilson who died on 7/28/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/6/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/6/2025

Melvin Craig Wilson Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000041

Cecil R. Hall Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Gayle Carley, whose address is 4031 South Dakota Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cecil R. Hall who died on December 27, 2010 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Gayle Carley Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 18

Jan Walliser Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Oya Celasun, whose address is 5040 Lowell Street, NW, Washington DC 20016 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jan Walliser who died on June 22, 2018 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/6/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/6/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/6/2025

Oya Celasun 5040 Lowell Street, NW Washington, DC 20016 Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2023 ADM 001309

Dalaneo M. Martin Decedent

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 1825 K. Street, NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Tyrell D. Jones, whose address is 22110 Shortfin Mako Court, Katy, TX 77449, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Dalaneo M. Martin who died on March 18, 2023 without a Will and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Tyrell D. Jones Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000034

Derek Anthony Dyson Decedent

Jeffrey K. Gordon, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW #400 Washington, DC 20015

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Jumaane Dyson, whose address is 313 Janes Way, Chesapeake, VA 23320, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Derek Anthony Dyson who died on 10/2/2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Jumaane Dyson Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2024 ADM 001432

James Edward Thomas Brown Decedent

Isaac H. Marks, Sr. Esq. 11785 Beltsville Drive, Suite 150 Calverton, MD 20705 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Carlene H. Brown, whose address is 1251 Van Buren Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of James Edward Thomas Brown who died on November 6, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Carlene H. Brown Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000024

Donna Maxine Suber Decedent

Bradley A. Thomas, Esq. 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006-1631

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Patricia A. Suber, whose address is 35214 Knollwood Lane, Farmington Hills, MI 48335, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Donna Maxine Suber who died on November 21, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Patricia A. Suber

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2025 ADM 000039

John Walridge Dowell, Jr. Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Antoinette C. Wells, whose address is 5335 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John Walridge Dowell, Jr. who died on June 23, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Antoinette C. Wells Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000071

Edgar Charles Gund Decedent

Edward G. Varrone, Esq. 8807 Bradford Road Silver Spring, MD 20901

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Sharon E. Gund, whose address is 1941 Parkside Drive, Washington DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Edgar Charles Gund who died on July 1, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Sharon E. Gund Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2023 ADM 1455

Pearline V. Davis Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Robert L. Howard, whose address is 2753 31st Pl., NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robert L. Howard who died on September 26, 2023 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Robert L. Howard Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PROBATE DIVISION Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 FEP 000008

June 22, 2023

Date of Death

Emmy L. S. Cordeiro aka Emmy Luis Stahl Cordeiro Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Carlos Cordeiro whose address is 2861 Tischler Rd., Bethel Park, PA 15102 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Emmy L. S. Cordeiro aka Emmy Luis Stahl Cordeiro, deceased, by the Wills/Orphans’ Court Division Court for Allegheny County, State of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on March 11, 2024.

Service of process may be made upon Julius P. Terrell, Esq., 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20004 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate.

2141 I Street, NW #413, Washington, DC 20037. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Carlos Cordeiro Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 0000059

Richard Sellers Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Shirley Sellers, whose address is 1344 Adams St., NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Richard Sellers who died on August 30, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Shirley Sellers Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000055

James E. Hilton, Jr. aka James Hilton, Jr. Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

LaShawn Jones, whose address is 11658 Kipling Drive, Waldorf, MD 20601, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of James E. Hilton, Jr. aka James Hilton, Jr. who died on July 12, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025,

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 46

Margaret B. Wilson Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Alexander Airo Kranz, whose address is 5812 Iron Willow Ct., Alexandria, VA 22310, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Margaret B. Wilson who died on December 10, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/13/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/13/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/13/2025

Alexander Airo Kranz 5812 Iron Willow Ct., Alexandria, VA 22310

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

DISTRICT COURT DIVISION

DUPLIN COUNTY FILE NO: 24 CVD 568

Marco Tulio Obando Montalvan ) Plaintiff, ) ) NOTICE OF SERVICE ) OF PROCESS vs. ) BY PUBLICATION )

Gilda de Carmen Meza ) Defendant, )

TO: Gilda de Carmen Meza, the above named defendant.

TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above entitled divorce action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: The plaintiff is seeking a divorce from the defendant, Gilda de Carmen Meza. You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than 1st day of April, 2025, said date being 40 days from the first publication of this notice, or from the date complaint is required to be filed, whichever is later; and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This is the 12th day of February, 2025.

S. Reginald Kenan Attorney for Plaintiff

106 West Hill Street Post Office Box 472 Warsaw, N.C. 28398 (P) 910-293-7801 (F) 910-293-7437

RUN: Washington Informer

Publish Dates: February 20, February 27, and March 6, 2025.

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2023 ADM 000477

Esau N. Ade

Decedent

Sharon Legall

1325 G Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Roseline Onyia, whose address is 5300 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Esau N. Ade who died on January 11, 2021 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Roseline Onyia Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PROBATE DIVISION

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 FEP 000010

March 2, 2023

Date of Death

Marilyn Black Jackson aka Marilyn B. Jackson

Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Calvin James Jackson Jr. aka Calvin J. Jackson Jr., whose address is 4132 N. River St., McLean VA, 22101 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Marilyn Black Jackson aka Marilyn B. Jackson, deceased, by the Circuit Court for Fairfax County, State of Virginia, on 5/25/2023.

Service of process may be made upon Calvin J. Jackson Jr., 5012 14th St., NW, Washington, DC 20017 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real estate.

800 Capital Square Pl., SW, Washington, DC 20004. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills of the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Calvin James Jackson, Jr. aka Calvin J. Jackson, Jr. Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 74

Michele E. Jackson-Saunders aka Michele E. Jackson Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Chermaine C. Moore, whose address is 1653 Tulip Ave., District Heights, MD 20747, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Michele E. Jackson-Saunders aka Michele E. Jackson who died on September 13, 2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Chermaine C. Moore

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000022

James Williams

Decedent

Yvonne Davis Smith, Esquire 2501 Northampton Street, NW Washington, DC 20015

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Deborah Williams Lofton, whose address is 1919 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of James Williams who died on July 30, 2007 with a Will and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Deborah Williams Lofton Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000080

Sarah Fauntroy aka Sarah M. Fauntroy aka Sarah Kathryn Moore Fauntroy Decedent

Deborah D. Boddie, Esq. ProbateLawDC 1308 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20001 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Michael Fauntroy, whose address is 7601 Morningside Dr., NW, Washington, DC 20012, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Sarah Fauntroy aka Sarah M. Fauntroy aka Sarah Kathyrn Moore Fauntroy who died on 11/5/2024 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Michael Fauntroy

7601 Morningside Dr., NW, WDC 20012 Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2019 ADM 001158

Estate of LaNelle L. Daughtry aka LaNelle Leevette Daughtry

NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE

Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed in this Court by Kaamalah Lucas for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is filed in this Court within 30 days from the date of first publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth.

Order any interested person to show cause why the provisions of the lost or destroyed will dated December 8, 2009 should not be admitted to probate as expressed in the petition

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Anna L. Nathanson 800 14th Street NW, Fifth Floor Washington, DC 20005

Petitioner/Attorney:

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 67

Shane Michael Reeder aka Shane Reeder Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Jeffrey Paige, whose address is 5718 8th St., NW, Washington, 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Shane Michael Reeder aka Shane Reeder who died on October 29, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision.

All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Jeffrey Paige 5718 8th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000076

LeRoy Alfonzo Brannock, Jr. Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Lisa M. Brannock, whose address is 5527 Chillum Place NE, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LeRoy Alfonzo Brannock, Jr. who died on December 18, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Lisa M. Brannock

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2024 ADM 001434

Terrance Maurice Parker Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Tiffany Markeha Parker, whose address is 2451 James Banks Rd., SE, Washington DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Terrance Maurice Parker who died on April 30, 2021 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Tiffany Markeha Parker Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 79

Valerie Ann Gadson Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Richard C. Gadson, whose address is 3459 22nd Street SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Valerie Ann Gadson who died on October 28, 2024 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Richard C. Gadson

Personal Representative

TRUE TEST COPY

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2025 ADM 000058

Shane Casey Welch aka Shane C. Welch aka Shane Welch Decedent

Law Office of Robert P. Newman

Robert P. Newman, Esquire

801 Wayne Ave., Suite 205 Silver Spring, MD 20910

Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Anne Marie Welch, whose address is 5401 Galena Place NW, Washington, DC 20016, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Shane Casey Welch aka Shane C. Welch aka Shane Welch who died on 8/21/23 without a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C., 515 5th Street, N.W., Building A, Third Floor Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 8/20/2025. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 8/20/2025, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address, and relationship.

Date of first publication: 2/20/2025

Anne Marie Welch Personal Representative

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Washington Informer

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS

Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the following classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it s illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. 800 numbers may or may not reach Canada.

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DISTRICT V. TRUMP from Page 1

People for Fairness Coalition. “Now they’re dispersed as far as the National Mall and Rock Creek Parkway, which makes it hard for outreach workers.

We don’t know where to find people. If they move into an area with a different provider, that person has to start over in building that relationship.”

For nearly a decade, Black has frequented homeless encampments in the District, supporting residents along their journey to housing stability by helping them secure identification and vital records. In recent years, he’s also counted among those who’ve helped homeless residents figure out the next steps after the D.C. government destroyed their encampment.

Such was the case in 2021 after the Bowser administration launched Coordinated Assistance and Resources for Encampments, or CARE, which resulted in the demolition of the District’s three largest homeless encampments, during which at least one homeless resident sustained injuries.

Despite assurances that displaced residents would be placed in housing, access to affordable housing continues to be an issue, especially as District officials attempt to repair what they call a broken housing ecosystem. Such circumstances, Black said, don’t bode well for D.C. natives -- a group he deemed most vulnerable to Trump’s executive order.

“When you’re talking about homelessness, you’re talking about Black folks,” Black told The Informer. “The part of displacement people don’t talk about is when people are being pushed around and they don’t feel like they belong so they leave.”

Black said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), in some way, bears some responsibility for Trump’s actions.

“The executive order is centered around public safety,” Black told The Informer. “It’s fear mongering on the Trump administration’s part to garner some cooperation from the D.C. government. And they were successful [because] the mayor met with them on this.”

AMID FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LAYOFFS AND A SPIKE IN VIOLENT CRIME, A YOUNG DISTRICT RESIDENT SPEAKS FOR THEIR GENERATION

By Feb. 17, Presidents Day, the Trump administration still hadn’t confirmed the official signing of the executive order intended to “beautify” the

chairman of the Kennedy Center. She performed at the venue on Feb. 14 as part of the event, “For the Love of Go-Go: Backyard Band and Black Alley.” (WI File Photo)

District. However, thousands of federal government workers are bearing the brunt of policies conceptualized by Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Since the Trump administration announced the impending layoff of probationary employees -- nearly 10% of the federal workforce - last week, many federal government employees have taken their fight for their due process rights to the courts. Meanwhile, the most recent data from the U.S. Labor Department shows that 4,000 federal government employees filed for unemployment benefits since Trump took office. As a matter of fact, the Labor Department recorded a 36% increase in claims filed within the first week of February.

That figure—1,780 claims—represented four times what the Labor Department recorded at the same time last year.

As The Informer previously reported, the Bowser administration continues to monitor Trump’s actions for legal violations.

Trump’s announcement about the executive order follows congressional Republicans’ introduction of the BOWSER Act, which repeals D.C. home rule. Bowser, who’s been reticent in her comments about the president, confirmed that she spoke with Trump administration officials about the executive order, even affirming her desire for support in gun crime prosecution.

“We worked very hard. We spent time with our ecosystem… making sure all parts have what they need to make D.C. safe,” Bowser told reporters on Feb. 12. “There are parts of the system the federal government has control over. I’ve asked federal judges to focus on gun crimes. Civil and criminal matters are bogged down in our courts.”

Metropolitan Police Department reported a 20% year-to-date increase

HOUSING from Page 1

residents struggling to hold landlords and property managers responsible for subpar living conditions.

“The council should listen to the people [because] our voices matter,” said Jones, a Southeast resident and site coordinator at the Frederick Douglass Community Center in Anacostia. “They are responsible for ensuring that all [D.C.] residents are treated equally. Communication is key.”

a property manager that just filed for bankruptcy.

In Northwest, residents at 3003 Van Ness Street also alleged landlord neglect.

However, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said there’s more to the picture when it comes to the subpar living conditions that tenants experience.

in homicides and doubling of arson cases, despite a reduction in the occurrences of other crime types. Recent homicides include that of 36-yearold Nico Rector in Navy Yard and 19-year-old Khamani Hicks in Congress Heights.

Amid the Bowser administration’s engagement with the Trump administration around filling federal court vacancies, the D.C. Council recently approved emergency legislation that extended a provision of Secure D.C. omnibus bill, mandating pre-trial detention for defendants accused of a crime involving a weapon.

On the afternoon of Valentine’s Day, dozens of District activists converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza in opposition to Trump’s executive order and, as a young adult who identified as Ceon said, policies that threaten the livelihood of marginalized people.

“We stand with our peers ... who want a roof over their heads, our immigrant peers trying to build a future for themselves and their families,” said Ceon, an organizer with Black Swan Academy. “We know we need to build a future in which we’re all free.”

Ceon counted among a string of speakers who spoke at the rally coordinated by Free DC Project, a movement centered on District self-determination. Entities that stood in solidarity with this cause on Feb. 14 included Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, GOODProjects, DC Vote, and People for Fairness Coalition. While each organization has been at work since election night, preparing for the string of immigration raids, federal government layoffs, and agency eliminations, Ceon pointed out that she and her comrades have been in the trenches for years, battling forces similar to Trump. WI

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

For three years, Jones has represented the Community Service Foundation (CSF) in a support role that's taken her to Carver Terrace, Congress Park, and now Cedar Gardens -- complexes where tenants have been battling rodent infestation, flooding, and other elements of a crumbling infrastructure.

That's why, while currently at Frederick Douglass Community Center, which serves residents of Cedar Hill Apartments, Jones is helping tenants launch a tenants association intended to hold the property manager at Cedar Gardens more accountable for subpar building conditions.

“Residents have asked [about things] that someone paying rent shouldn't have to deal with,” said Jones, a CSF site coordinator at Frederick Douglass Community Center.

“The new management company has been doing their best to implement new services and prevent problems, but it still needs some work. We want to give residents a voice so their grievances won't go unheard.”

THE TUG-OF-WAR SEEN ACROSS THE DISTRICT

Jones’ endeavor follows that of other tenant organizers across Ward 8, and other parts of the District, who’ve started movements against landlords and property managers they say haven't responded to concerns about their living conditions. Over the last few years, some of those associations, including those representing tenants of Barry Farm, a Bellevue apartment complex , and residences on St. Elizabeths East Campus have elevated residents’ voices in matters involving consistent service and building sales.

In other communities -- Marbury Plaza on Marion Barry Avenue in Southeast for example -- tenants continue to complain about broken elevators, and most recently, as told by a Ward 8 official, a water service cutoff. Tenants are expressing grievances, even after securing a $810,000 settlement and eviction protections against

“The immediate concern is the decline and quality of tenant services in these properties,” she told reporters and developers on Feb. 12. “Most tenants are paying rent, and because people are not paying rent, we see an inability for property owners to invest and provide security and long-term ownership.

In announcing her new legislation, titled “Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords Act,” or the RENTAL Act, Bowser said she intends to recalibrate the local housing market -- primarily by making permanent emergency legislation that the D.C. Council passed last fall to re-establish pre-pandemic rules around eviction and certification for emergency rental assistance.

On Feb. 12, she called the legislation a viable and proactive means of saving D.C.’s housing ecosystem.

“Some elements have come outside of our control -- including inflation and higher interest rates,” Bowser said. “As a government, we must take control of those things that are our responsibility and rightsize our policy environment.”

Last year, amid the tug of war between landlords and tenants, D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) received 69 applications from housing providers -- nearly 20% of the District’s affordable housing units -- for $144 million in financial assistance to avoid foreclosure.

On Feb. 12, DHCD Director Colleen Green said that the influx of Housing Production Trust Fund (HTPF) dollars yielded repairs to nearly 8,000 units of housing, the majority of which are designated as affordable. She then delved into the specifics of a stabilization program through which 30 properties received a total of $6.6 million, with another $8.8 million reserved for 25 other projects.

“We hope this stop-gap measure would be fruitful in preserving homes, in addition to the emergency rental assistance legislative changes we asked for last year,” Green said on Feb. 12.

Read more on washingtoninformer.com.

5Kayce McLain of Black Alley says it’s important artists are still able to express themselves without limitations from President Donald Trump, the new

MALVEAUX from Page 30

more than a year. They were legally and physically attacked, but they persisted and prevailed for more than a year. Their victory led to a Supreme Court decision to desegregate public transportation. It worked, not because the bus company yielded, but because they were losing money — about $30,000 a day in today's dollars, or more than $11 million during the 381-day boycott. There have been other boycotts where oppressive owners have capitulated to popular demands. For example, the United Farm Workers grape boycott lasted more than five years but ended up with major concessions, including union recognition and higher pay, for migrant farmworkers. There have also been successful divestment campaigns, notably against South Afri-

MORIAL from Page 30 ment to closing the achievement gap. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have reauthorized the act over the years, most notably 1994's Improving America's Schools Act under President Bill Clinton, 2002's No Child Left Behind Act under President George W. Bush and 2015's Every

ca during the apartheid regime. Thanks to activists like Randall Robinson and Dr. Frances Berry, South Africa was forced to release Nelson Mandela from his long imprisonment and back down from apartheid.

Boycotts are only effective if they are coordinated, impactful and surgical. The word boycott, bandied about, is ineffective. A boycott that hurts the oppressor is successful. Jamal Bryant and his allies are to be commended for calling for this "fast" from Target. I'm hoping that someone is measuring the impact of this boycott and that it causes Target to reconsider its retreat from DEI and its engagement with Black consumers. In 2021, in the wake of George Floyd's murder, Target pledged to spend $2 billion with Black businesses. There is no data available about how much they spent, but their retreat from

Student Succeeds Act under President Barack Obama.

The Trump administration is drafting an executive order that calls on Congress to eliminate the Department of Education, but members are unlikely to defy the strong public sentiment in favor of it. Only 29% of voters want to see the department eliminated, and nearly 70% support increased funding for education.

DEI initiatives probably nullifies that commitment. In the face of many calls to boycott Target, some of the Black entrepreneurs featured in the stores have asked that Black consumers consider them as they boycott. Most of their products are available online. Black people aren't boycotting innovative Black businesses, we are boycotting an oppressive retailer.

African Americans must use our consumer power to make the point that we will not be erased or ignored. Historically, we had the "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" campaign. We must revive that revolutionary energy. When we support those who are retreating from DEI, we are funding our own oppression. Thank you, Jamal Bryant, for your leadership! Buy Black! Buy online! Fast from economic engagement with the oppressor! WI

A clue to the motivation behind the administration's unpopular and disastrous campaign against education lies in Musk's own publicly declared desire to displace American-born engineers with lower-paid immigrants. He falsely claims that Americans aren't educated enough for the work but seems determined to make that claim a reality. WI

cans also become the fate of people of color, women, the poor, the middle class and the disabled. Before the existence of European immigrants, before the slave trade brought Africans to the Southern colonies, before Chinese and Japanese immigrants populated the West Coast, and before Hispanic immigrants migrated from Central America to North America, the Native Americans were already here. This was their land. Throughout generations, the Choctaw, Seminole, Creek, Chickasaw and Cherokee nations occupied hundreds of thousands of acres throughout North America long before the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants arrived.

Recognizing that the Indian nations were here first, the U.S. policy was to respect the rights of Native Americans. That respect did not last very long due to the growing resentment toward the Native Americans along with the European settlers' pursuit to take over their valuable land. This became especially true after the discovery of gold in Indian territory in parts of northern Georgia.

In short, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, authorizing the removal of MARSHALL from Page 30

the Native American nations from their homelands throughout the Deep South. Federal soldiers forcibly removed the tribes from their homes, incarcerated them in stockades and then made them walk more than 1,000 miles under brutal conditions to an Indian reservation set aside for them in the area now known as Oklahoma. The U.S. government's decision to relocate more than 60,000 Native Americans resulted in thousands of deaths from starvation, exposure and disease. The brutal journey, known as the "Trail of Tears," was particularly hard on infants, children and the elderly. When referencing the harshness of this Native American removal policy, one soldier once wrote in his journal, "I fought in many wars between the states and have seen many men killed, some by my own hands, but the Cherokee Removal was the cruelest work I ever knew." In the end, the Native American culture was devastated.

The "Trail of Tears" is an example of how policies and treaties were rightfully acknowledged and set in place but later taken away in a resentful and cruel power grab driven by control, greed and hate. The diversity, equity and inclusion under attack today is not just racial. It is class diversity, age diversity,

gender diversity and religious diversity that is under assault.

Any policy safeguards and protection extending from the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Disabilities Education Act, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Medicare, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and Obamacare were rightfully extended to the American people, but are now systemically being taken away, including life-saving research programs. The long-standing resentment held against Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's anti-poverty and anti-discrimination policies were motivating factors in dismantling the federal government. Yet, many Trump supporters and white parents who opposed CRT are unaware that they, too, will be hurt, and the betrayal is unfolding. The history those parents are trying to erase will remind them that there was a time when the only people who could vote were wealthy white men. Historically, whites who are poor and politically conservative have always benefited from the anti-poverty advocacy and safety net set up by liberal presidents. Their day of awakening is soon coming.

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WILLIAMS from Page 31

a very nice brother, but every time there's a vote in the House, I can't help but wonder how his name is right there on the same list with Marjorie Taylor Greene!

We, Black women, have always had to be resilient and bounce back quickly from racism and mistreatment from many corners. While I'm sorry about it, I wasn't surprised to hear about the massive crisis liberal women (they would have described them as Black had they been Black) are having under

EDELMAN from Page 31

and teach future generations about the great thinkers and role models who came before us. As he said: "Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history." But he also understood that this was much more than just an academic discussion. He saw the connection between erasing Black history and assaulting Black bodies, and said the crusade to teach the truth about Black history was even "much more important than the anti-lynching movement, because there would be no lynching if it did not start in the schoolroom. Why not exploit, enslave or exterminate a class that everybody is

JEALOUS from Page 31

this administration's actions and statements over its first four weeks in office, you would see a clear list of national priorities it is willing to sacrifice for tax cuts for billionaires: public health, national parks, cancer research, food for starving people (both at home and abroad), the security of our nuclear arsenal and good jobs for working families — just to name a few.

What would also stand out are the lengths to which this administration is willing to go — and the straws at which they are willing to grasp — in their efforts to skirt the law and inflict harm on American communities.

One of the administration's favorite talking points a few weeks ago was that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had, according to President Trump, "identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas." The claim was meant to justify DOGE's government-wide slash-and-burn campaign that had just gotten started with USAID, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion offices

Trump. I can't help but wonder when any women were voting for these MAGA people under the control of Trump and Elon Musk, what did they think they were getting? Did they think they would be exempt from what's going on? Why are the women depressed?

A doctor revealed this massive crisis liberal women (didn't add Black) are having under Donald Trump. We didn't vote for him — so we can't be blamed for what they're going through! The writer said, "They're still coming to grips with Donald Trump being Presi-

taught to regard as inferior?"

In his seminal book "The Mis-Education of the Negro," Dr. Woodson also explained that providing a standard "mis-education" to young Black children in the school system — "the thought of the inferiority of the Negro is drilled into him in almost every class he enters and in almost every book he studies" — was a calculated and insidious attack: "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary."

and Environmental Justice programs.

DOGE head and Trump's co-president Elon Musk fed the claim into the far right's manufactured outrage machine on his X platform, where it snowballed (reminiscent of the racist lie during the presidential campaign that members of the Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, were eating local pets). Trump himself repeated the claim multiple times and even inflated — baselessly — the cost of the supposed condom shipments to $100 million.

Of course, there was not a shred of truth to those claims. A former Biden administration official who worked on Gaza aid called the claim "imaginary" and said, "It's a lie, they are making s--- up." It turns out the Gaza mentioned in the records found by DOGE was probably in reference to HIV and tuberculosis aid to Gaza Province in Mozambique, and there were no massive condom deliveries to there nor anywhere in the Middle East.

Now, in trying to defend his reckless and ideological war on clean energy funding, EPA Administra-

According to a report from Gage Skidmore, another report says, "This is a massive crisis liberal women are having under Donald Trump. They were absolutely devastated."

We, Black women, are sorry about that, but can't be blamed.

One doctor said, since Trump took office, his business is booming with his left-wing patients! That's not us. We have no guilt about our vote! We voted right — as we always do!

He believed teaching students about Black history and Black accomplishments was a crucial corrective step.

Most of us now understand the wisdom behind teaching not just Black children but all children Black history in our increasingly multicultural nation and world. Once again: Black, Native American, Latino, Asian American, LGBTQ, immigrant and women's history are all American history. None of our children and young people can afford miseducation and ignorance about the rainbow of others around them — or forced attempts to make them believe their own history and existence are subversive, marginal, inferior or only worthy of the back door. WI

tor Zeldin and others in the Trump administration are playing the same game. Zeldin and the administration have suggested the contracts with EPA grantees and the process by which funds are administered by Citibank through the GGRF were rushed, not properly vetted and done in some novel and inappropriate way.

But Zealan Hoover, who directed IRA program implementation at the EPA under President Biden, attests the process and institutions involved were thoroughly vetted and pointed out the government has been using similar arrangements with private banks since the 1800s. And Zeldin's "evidence?" A supposed sting video by the group Project Veritas, infamous for dishonest smear attacks using highly edited recordings of its targets. Zeldin cited a recording by the group in a bizarre rant he posted to X last week.

Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin should quit skirting the law and defending their actions with outrageous lies. And we should all recognize their actions as the latest evidence they are willing to sink to any low to do the bidding of their fossil fuels cronies. WI