HOMEOWNERSHIP SUPPLEMENT
2019
a HOME of YOUR own:
VOL. 54, NO. 35 • JUNE 13 - 19, 2019
It’s Black Music Month – We Honor Those Who Paved the Way
VALUES & VARIATIONS IN BUYING AND IMPROVING PROPERTY
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Throng of Celebrants Salute, Support Gay Pride Festivities Black Men Quiet Reversal of Rights, Rumors of Violence, Cause Some to Fear the Future
Challenge Narratives About Black Fatherhood
Father’s Day Events Celebrate Black Dads and Provide Resources By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
5 Mayor Muriel Bowser and supporters participate in the annual Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 8 before festivities were brought to a halt with reports of gunfire that turned out to be a BB gun at Dupont Circle in Northwest. (Brigette Squire/The Washington Informer)
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir Like the legendary swallows of Capistrano, thousands of those from the LGBTQ community, as well as those who support their incessant demands for full equality in America, swarmed along the streets of the District on Saturday, June 8 for the 2019 Capital Pride Parade. The annual march through Northwest from Dupont Circle to Logan Circle, once again attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators and participants, including DC Mayor Muriel Bowser who led the parade and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) who has marched every year since first being elected to Congress and has long been an ardent advocate for LGBTQ rights, introducing several
PRIDE Page 30
Mendelson, DeWitt Caught Up in Budget Battle By James Wright WI Staff Writer The chairman of the D.C. Council and the District’s financial chief are at odds over the recently passed city budget. On May 28, the council passed on second and final reading the $15.6 billion fiscal 2020 budget that included a provision that diverts money from repaying city debts for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to funding public housing repairs and eliminating a need for a hotel tax favored by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D). Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) led the effort to divert
BUDGET Page 44
5 D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (WI photo)
As Father’s Day approaches, the conversation among some Black fathers in the District has focused on how best to counter the barrage of messages that frame them as negligent, despite recent data that proves otherwise. In the spirit of meeting that goal, upcoming community gatherings will serve as celebratory platforms to examine the social and emotional hurdles that many Black men have overcome in becoming a permanent fixture in their families. For one such father, Antonio Beard, providing an example for his 5-year-old son and three older stepchildren has been his greatest achievement. “I couldn’t allow what was happening with my son’s mother affect my situation with him,” said Beard, a Ward 7 resident and co-founder of the Lead by Example Foundation, co-sponsor of a Father’s Day Sip-and-Paint event taking place on Saturday afternoon at Fort Dupont Stoddert Community Center in Southeast, courtesy of ANC Commissioner Brittany Hughes (SMD 7F05). “Sometimes you both
FATHERS Page 38
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