Vol. 55, No. 15 • January 23 - 29, 2020
Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest Winners / Page 32
Thousands Converge in Southeast for 14th Annual MLK Parade 5 Rev. Dr. Timothy Steward (2nd right), president of the Progressive National Baptist Church, presents Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (DTX 18th District) the MLK Award during the Progressive National Baptist Church Mid-Winter Board Meeting in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, January 20. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
MLK, Nannie Helen Burroughs and ‘God’s School on the Hill’ By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins The leaders of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) spent much of this week in San Antonio at a mid-winter board meeting that started on the annual holiday 5 Mayor Muriel Bowser and Martin Luther King III, along with his wife and daughter, lead the 2020 King Parade on Martin Luther King Avenue in Southeast on Monday, January 20. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer The 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk and Parade in D.C. on Monday exceeded expectations as the son of the slain civil rights icon and his family walked through Southeast with Mayor Muriel Bowser and a joyful procession of thousands. The parade, held on the annual national holiday honoring King, featured the city’s elected officials followed by military units, marching bands, veteran cheerleaders and a large contingent of masons from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. Bowser tweeted at the start of the event,
“Today we march for peace, for justice, for equality and for the dream that one day 704,000 Washingtonians will have equal representation.” King’s son Martin Luther King III, who took part in the parade, tweeted, “Today we marched for the rights of all humanity. It was a pleasure to join Mayor Bowser in Washington D.C.” King also placed a wreath at his father’s monument in Southwest after attending the annual MLK breakfast sponsored by the National Action Network. The parade started at noon and proceeded down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue through downtown Anacostia and up the hill to the campus of the old St. Elizabeths Hospital, where it passed a
reviewing stand and joined a health and community fair. Despite freezing temperatures, parade participants young and old marched with vigor while others rode in cars or atop flatbed trucks. There were also military units from Marines and Coast Guard, the latter of which is headquartered in Southeast. “The day is really about reflection — what the dream was and what the dream is, what we have achieved and what we haven’t achieved,” said D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. “And frankly, we have slipped backwards.” The final band in the parade was from Ballou Senior High School, led by alumni pom-pom team members and the ma-
KING Page 35
honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., beloved civil rights figure and pivotal member of the historic organization. While participants, as they have done in years past, paid homage to the late Dr. King,
BURROUGHS Page 29
President Trump’s Contentious Impeachment Trial Begins By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia Impeachment is expected to dominate the news cycle with proceedings officially kicking off in the Senate this week. CNN, among other news outlets, predicted last week that Senate leaders were preparing for a contentious opening session that could send the chamber into a
closed session as Democrats try to force the GOP into accepting witness testimony and documents to be produced during the trial. The outlet cited “multiple senators and other sources familiar with the planning.” They said Democrats would try to amend the organizing resolution offered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Under
IMPEACHMENT Page 38
Celebrating 55 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area