The Washington Informer - May 21, 2020

NYC Cops Arrests More Blacks Under Coronavirus Policy Page 17 Vol. 55, No. 32 • May 21 - 27, 2020

Prince George’s Businesses Agree With Stay-at-Home Order

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill

Prince George’s County small-business owners such as Mike Silver don’t mind the stay-at-home order remaining in effect through June 1.

Although Silver decreased his personnel from nine employees pre-coronavirus to currently five and his call volume shrunk by 70 percent, the one word he and other merchants uttered: safety.

“I am supporting my officials who are smarter than me in making the right decisions,” said Silver, who acquired McDonald Towing in Hyattsville in 1990. “Although we have suffered, we appreciate County 3 Ardania Williams, vice president of marketing and development for Lendana Construction Co., sits at her computer in the company’s office in Upper Marlboro. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

Virtual HBCU Commencement Celebrates 2020 Graduates

Barack Obama Addresses COVID-19, Injustice and Ahmaud Arbery Murder

By Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer More than a dozen Black luminaries joined in on a virtual celebration to honor the class of 2020 from historically black colleges and universities [HBCUs] in light of most commencement ceremonies being canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, The National HBCU Commencement

Celebration, presented by Chase, live-streamed worldwide Saturday, May 16 featuring speeches and performances from celebrities including Anthony Hamilton, Doug E. Fresh, Steve Harvey, Chris Paul and former President Barack Obama.

Serving as the “commencement” speaker. Obama commended the class for their resiliency.

“So many of you overcame a lot

GRADUATION Page 32

Executive [Angela] Alsobrooks and others doing a phenomenal job in protecting the residents. We are ready and eager to do business as usual.”

Prince George’s, which leads the state of Maryland in most confirmed coronavirus cases, joins three other jurisdictions in Maryland – Montgomery and Charles counties and Baltimore City – in not following the other 20 counties in reopening some businesses after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan lifted the state’s stay-at-home home last week.

Charles County plans to incorporate the first phase of Hogan’s recovery plan on March 29. Officials in Montgomery and Baltimore, which rank second and fourth in the state among confirmed cases, will maintain stay at home policies until further notice.

Hogan instituted the first of the threephrase “Maryland Roadmap to Recovery”

MARYLAND Page 26

Black Woman May Have Discovered Cure to Coronavirus

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged most of the world, but no one has felt the wrath more than African Americans and communities of color.

Now, it might just be an African American woman who has discovered a desperately needed and life-saving drug to defeat the virus.

Darnisha Harrison, founder, and CEO of Ennaid Therapeutics in Georgia, said scientists working for her company had found a drug that is showing promise in laboratories at blocking the continued spread of

CURE Page 32

5 Darnisha Harrison (Courtesy of Burton Wire)

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#VoteSafeDC in the Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Primary Election: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DC Board of Elections is committed to providing a safe environment where every vote is counted. All voters are strongly encouraged to request a mail-in ballot instead of voting in person, unless absolutely necessary. Voting by mail is safe, secure and simple. Ballot request forms are available now at www.dcboe.org. If you must vote in person, 20 Vote Centers will be open throughout the District. Social distancing measures will be enforced, and voters will be required to wear face coverings inside the Vote Centers. Curbside voting will be available.

Only voters affiliated with one of the major parties (Democratic, Republican, DC Statehood Green or Libertarian) will be issued a ballot. Same-day registration will be available at all Vote Centers.

Need to Vote in Person?

If you must vote in person, Vote Centers will open from May 22 through June 1, 2020, from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm. All sites will be closed on Memorial Day, May 25, 2020. Vote Centers will open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on June 2, 2020, Primary Election Day. Voters can cast their ballot at any Vote Center regardless of where they live in the District.

You may visit us online at www.dcboe.org or call us at (202) 741-5283 for more information.

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Women the Cycle of wi hotBreak topics Domestic Violence Black Men to Shine Light Appointment-Free

Coronavirus Sites Opening onthey Mental law enforcement. She said threat,”Health she said. Challenges had come together to bring a Among the programs Marlow in Prince George’s sense of uniformity in the way wants to see implemented are

By Tia Carol Jones WI Staff Writer

When L.Y. Marlow's 23-year- domestic violence victims and stricter restraining order policies, Marylandtold Gov.herLarold daughter the father survivors are treated. more rights for victim's families ry Hogan announced of her daughter threatened her “She's using her own personal to intervene on behalf of a vicTuesday, the child, story, her own personal pain to tim, a domestic violence assesslife, and theMay life 19 of their state will allow people she knew something had to be push forward,” Davis-Nickens ment unit coupled with further who Out may ofhave done. her been frustration said about Marlow. training for law enforcement exposed to others conwith law enforcement's handling Davis-Nickens said anyone agencies, a Child's Life Protecby COVID-19 oftracted the situation, she decided to who reads Marlow's book will tion Act and mandatory counselto get start the tested Saving without Promise cam- “get it.” She said she “puts the ing for batterers. a scheduled appointpaign. case in such a way, the average “If we are ever going to eradiment or doctor’s note. cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we must “It seems to be a vicious that won't a turn my family end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin.

Through statement, loose,” HoganMarlow said said. fourMarlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vicshared her story with thewill audidrive-thru testing sites open this res- violence. loguemonth aboutfor domestic tim and the batterer,” Marlow ence at the District Heights present at the event idents who are asymptomatic – thatAlso is, not showing said.

Thewasnationally-recognized local advocacy group, Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred the Black ex- Fathers, MarlowInc., would likemantra, to see “Ordisigns of contracting the virus. Two testing Muhammad, sites will 100 peralso their onopen Mayin 7 at the District Heights of John Allen programs designed to Prince George’s County, wife the majority Black Muhammad, nary Men Doing Extraordinary Things,”raise will partner Municipal Center. who was confirmed sentenced to sixwith consecamong childrenorganizations in jurisdictions that The have symporecorded the most close toawareness a dozen other non-profit sium by the utiveinspection life termsstawithoutthroughout parole public and private schools. Area She to host cases was in thesponsored state. A vehicle emissions the Greater Washington Family a Maryland jurya for his role inMenfeels children to be educattion willand openYouth Friday, Services May 22 inby Hyattsville with “Black Stepping Upneed to Address Mental Health Center of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence. second slated to reopen next week in Clinton. TestMonth.”

Heights National Hook2002. cost.

Mildred Muhammad is “We takes have place to stop being ing willand be the provided at no out-of-pocket Hogan The Zoom event May 28, 7pasp.m. (MeetUpalso of issued Black Women. the founder After the Trauma, sive-aggressive with poor chilan emergency order authorizing theofstate’s ing ID: 927 6077 0685, Password 356589).

Marlow hastowritten a book, an specimens. organizationThe that helps the dren about domestic violence,” pharmacists order tests and collect The group’s CEO and founder, the Rev. Frank “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a survivors of domestic violence Marlow said. order coincides with federal guidelines to pay pharMalone, said, “with the disproportionate burdens story about four generations of and their children.

Marlow has worked to break macists for Medicare beneficiaries. and health challenges thrust upon and faced by domestic violence. The book is “I lived in fear for six years.

Six the cycle of abuse in her family, “This will help doctors diagnose and treat new cases BlackIt men and boys, mentalthe health remains inspired by her own experiences, years in fear is a long time. is and is confident policies she one of more quickly and it will further increase the safety of the most urgent problems and illnesses that and those of her grandmother, not an easy thing to come out is pushing for will start that must be state forand all citizens.

In addition, we are authorizing confronted.”process. herourmother her daughter. of,” she said. and actively encouraging state’s hundreds of pharHealth Awareness Month She said every time she the reads Mildred Muhammad May saidis Mental “I plan to take these policies to and the macies from to directly ordersheand COVID-19 serves as one of many efforts to increase excerpts her book, stilladminister people who want to Zoom help event a Congress and implore them to tests anotherthe waywords we can make testing more widely victim our must knowledge of the struggles which thoucan not– believe came domestic violence change oursilent laws,” Marlowinsaid. available in our communities,” said. of how theysands of Americans remain from her. “Color Me Butterfly”Hogan be careful go into “I will not stop engaged. until these poliwon the 2007 National “Best the victim's life, and understand cies are passed.”

Books” Award. that she may be in “survival Tia Carol Jones can be reached “I was just 16-years-old when mode”. at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net my eye first blackened and my “Before you get to 'I'm going lips bled,” Marlow said. to kill you,' it started as a verbal WI Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Elaine Davis-Nickens, presireleased Hook-Up the following statement dent(D-DC) of the National upon learning of President of Black Women, said there is noTrump’s intention to nominate new domestic U.S. attorney for the Disconsistency in thea way trict of Columbia: violence issues are dealt with by “The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia prosecutes both federal and local crime, but importantly, the largest part of his jurisdiction is local felonies. Because D.C. has no representation in the Senate, it is customary for the President to consult with me on this nomination, when we are of the same party, or at least to have the nominee visit with me, as [his] first U.S. Attorney, Jessica Liu, and the current Acting U.S. Attorney, Tim Shea, did . . . this nominee, Justin Herdman, has no apparent ties to the District, unlike Tim Shea, who resides in D.C. as required of U.S. attorneys elsewhere. The District needs focused attention from the U.S. attorney at a time when homicides here have been increasing. This appointment comes at the time of unprecedented political interference with the usual independence of officers who administer criminal justice. President Trump has been openly interfering in the Justice Department’s probes of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, both closely associated with Russian interference in the 2016 election.”

Norton has introduced a bill that would allow D.C. to prosecute all local crimes and another bill that would require the U.S. Attorney for D.C. to reside in the District.

Norton Critical of Trump’s Nominee for U.S. Attorney for D.C.

“

We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed.

“

SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

COMPILED BY WI EDITOR D. KEVIN MCNEIR AND WILLIAM J. FORD, WI STAFF WRITER

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L.Y. Marlow

AROUND THE REGION

Boone Principal Fired for Opposing Militaristic Practices, Backers Say

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins For the students, teachers and parents of Boone Elementary School, the end of the academic year has been bittersweet, not only because the coronavirus pandemic relegating young people to their homes, but because Carolyn Jackson-King, Boone’s principal of five years, would be wrapping up her last year.

Jackson-King’s March 23 announcement of what’s called a non-reappointment has incited cries of foul play among Boone administrators and teachers who contend that the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) central office punished their leader for rejecting what had criticized as racist, militaristic classroom management practices.

Some Boone employees, like Marlon Ray, said the writing had been on the wall from the beginning of the school year, when Jackson-King expressed reservations about aspects of the Relay instructional model and sought ways to avoid implementing it.

“Principal Jackson-King was appalled at the things she saw — our Black children being militarized and racist practices being forced upon them,” said Ray, Boone’s director of strategy and logistics. He described watching instructional videos showing teachers cajoling students into a straight line and elicit responses devoid of emotion.

“That doesn’t work for children,” Ray said. “Relay’s practices don’t welcome students with differentiated learning styles.”

During Jackson-King’s tenure at Boone, she garnered a reputation as a leader who cared about children and the community.

Within a few years, the school’s STAR rating rose from two to three, and students experienced gains on ANET, Insight Survey, Affirm, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), iReady and other assessments.

Upon learning of her termination, parents and staff launched an online petition and website in an attempt to galvanize support

for Jackson-King’s reinstatement.

The efforts gained the attention of D.C. Council member Trayon White (Ward 8), who has since sent a letter to DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee questioning the personnel decision and requesting consideration of Jackson-King’s reinstatement.

“These superstar principals are doing what’s right for our children,” said Ray, a Boone staff member of 13 years. “The part of Relay that’s teaching children to respond to hand signals is not part of our culture. The Cluster Two instructional superintendent gave Principal Jackson-King a poor rating because of that pushback.”

A PARTNERSHIP, THREE YEARS AND COUNTING

DCPS declined to comment on the circumstances of Jackson-King’s termination and of Principal Johann Lee at Kimball Elementary School. However, an official confirmed that officials knew of the belief among some people that the Relay instructional model further marginalized Black students from low-income communities.

Even so, DCPS, citing principals’ interest in staying the course, said it will carry its relationship with Relay Graduate School of Education (RGSE) into the 20202021 school year.

Records from the Office of Contracting and Procurement show that, over the last three years, DCPS, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, and the mayor’s office have doled out at least $700,000 to RGSE, for whom the Relay instructional model is named.

By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, all DCPS elementary school principals, and some principals from secondary schools, attended RGSE training sessions preparing them to facilitate weekly data meetings where teachers analyze student data and develop improvement plans. Over the next couple of years, the program would eventually include schools organized into Clusters 2 and 3.

The data-driven instruction aspect of the Relay instructional model continues to serve as a mainstay in public schools across the District, despite some speculation among Boone employees that the Cluster 2 DCPS instructional superintendent — to whom Boone and Kimball report — place a greater emphasis on executing Relay’s classroom management techniques.

This year, Boone counted among 22 elementary schools where teachers received RGSE instructional coaching and professional development. Though teachers and administrators carried out data-driven instruction, some recounted Jackson-King not showing similar regard for the Relay classroom management strategies, choosing instead to maintain a community-centered campus culture.

Through the bevy of personnel changes and the school building’s transition from Orr Elementary to Boone Elementary, Principal

5 Entrance way to Boone Elementary School in Southeast. (Courtesy photo)

Jackson-King had been a welcome retreat from the business-as-usual mindset that some parents, like Tammy Givens, said they often disliked about administrators in years past.

Givens, a Southeast resident and mother of four, enrolled all of her children in Boone Elementary over the last two decades. Her

youngest son, currently a fifth grader, entered a new stage in his scholastic development when Jackson-King started her tenure at Boone.

Givens told The Informer that the woman she and others affectionately call “Principal JK” often

PRINCIPAL Page 15

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 5

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black facts

MAY 21 - 27, 2020 SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB

MAY 21

1862 – Mary Patterson becomes the first Black woman in U.S. history to be awarded a master’s degree. She earned it from Oberlin College in Ohio.

1969 – Police and National Guardsmen open fire on student demonstrators at predominantly Black North Carolina A&T University, leaving one student dead. Five policemen were injured.

2009 – A Black man — James Young — is elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi — a town that, during the 1960s, had the nation’s most racist reputation. Ku Klux Klan members dominated the town and it was known for the mistreatment and unpunished killings of Blacks. One of the most brutal events in the city was the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers. In his 2009 election victory, Young captured 30 percent of the white vote.

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1921 – “Shuffle Along,” the first of a succession of widely popular Black musicals performed for white audiences, opens at the 63rd Street Theatre in New York City becoming the first African American Broadway musical. The musical comedy combined the talents of the legendary team of Euboea Blake and Noble Sizzle.

MAY 24

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rebellious Southern slave states.

1966 – Entertainer Bill Cosby (right) becomes the first African American to receive an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the 1960s television series “I Spy.”

1854 – Anthony Burns, one of the most celebrated fugitive slaves in American history, is captured by deputy U.S. marshals in Boston.

1944 – Legendary singer Patti LaBelle is born Patricia Louise Holte in Philadelphia.

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1878 – World-renowned dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson is born in Richmond, Virginia.

MAY 26

1949 – Pam Grier (top), one of the premier Black actresses and top sex symbols of the 1970s, is born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

MAY 27

PATTI LABELLE 6 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

1958 – Ernest Green graduates from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, becoming the first Black to do so. Green was a member of the “Little Rock Nine,” the group of Black students who first integrated the high school with the aid of federal troops. WI

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 7

The World According to Dominic

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It was just another killing of a Black man – unnoticed and ignored except for one man’s family and friends left behind to mourn his death. That is, until law enforcement recently relented to public clamor and arrested the alleged assailants, albeit nearly three months after the shooting.

Tragically, nonetheless, the African-American community has now added Ahmaud Arbery’s name to an ever-growing list of Blacks murdered on the streets of America simply because of the color of their skin. Like Emmett Till, Jordan Davis and thousands of others, white privilege has reared its ugly head in justification of another heinous act of violence with Black men and boys trapped in the bullseye of hatred, fear and prejudice.

Eight years and three days before the anniversary of the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, another young person of color was stalked and killed – an innocent man whose sole crime was that he too was shackled with the presumption of guilt. Far too many people in America find themselves feared, distrusted and marked because of their race, religion, nationality – even their poverty.

It becomes the reason why Black men are greeted with hateful stares or glances when we enter a store, move through an airport, or enter a neighborhood that is not our own. For generations, Blacks have been in the

life-threatening position of being assumed guilty until proven innocent.

I can only imagine the thoughts running through Brother Ahmaud’s mind – out for a routine jog near his Georgia home on a Sunday afternoon – suddenly being chased by a white father, Gregory McMichael, 64, a former police officer and retired investigator for the Brunswick district attorney’s office, and his son, Travis, 34, for what would be the final four minutes of his life.

Like the murder of Florida teenager Trayvon, Ahmaud was shot and killed, after struggle over a gun wielded by Travis on the assumption that Ahmaud appeared suspicious. Since their arrest, the two have claimed “self-defense” in their failed attempt to make a citizen’s arrest, asserting their belief that Arbery looked like a suspect in a series of robberies.

And so, another Black man bites the dust. But if the past is any proof of the outcome, chances are the two will get little more than a slap on the wrist.

After all, Black men are disposable commodities in the U.S., once property owned by whites and now little more than a hindrance, an obstacle – a beast that must be contained, corralled and controlled.

For Black men, the paradox we face is that while the most economically productive years of our lives, as well as the most opportune time to begin and build a family, is the first 20 years after completing formal education (ages 16 to 36), it’s also the period when Black men are most likely to be killed.

Overwhelmed by a lack of purpose and unable to secure the means to become financially self-sufficient, many young Black men implode, then explode – often using a firearm to kill another Black man who’s equally lost in a maze of hopelessness.

Black males 15 to 34, based on data compiled by the National Center of Health Statistics, have a 1-in-21 lifetime chance of being killed – nine times higher than the odds for white men. And while those of the privileged color and class may contend that Blacks are inherently more prone to violence, thus explaining why homicide is the number one cause of death

for the above-cited demographic, the unjust use of force wielded by whites against Blacks in the name of their alleged “privilege” cannot be overstated or ignored.

In the opening reflections of Dr. Haki Madhubuti’s seminal text, “Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?,” he writes: “The pain is in the eyes. Young Black men in their late 20s or early 30s living in urban America, lost and abandoned, aimlessly walking and hawking the streets with nothing behind their eyes but anger, confusion, disappointment and pain. These men, running the streets, occupying corners, often are beaten beyond recognition, with scars both visible and internal. These men, Black men – sons of Africa, once strong and full of hope that America lied about – are now knee-less, voice-broken, homeless, forgotten and terrorized into becoming beggars, thieves or ultra-dependents on a system that considers them less than human and treats them with less dignity and respect than dead dogs.”

Black men, women and children, victims of the philosophy of white supremacy and domination, live each day in a world where their mental well-being remains under assault.

Thus, Blacks, regardless of their age, education, economic status or gender, must somehow survive the potential of deadly violence both within their own community and at the hands of whites.

Given the dismal life-expectancy for Black men, perhaps Ahmaud was “fortunate” – at least he got the chance to make it to the age of 25. No! That’s absurd but for some Americans not totally far-fetched.

For centuries, Black men have been relegated to the category of “America’s endangered species.”

Even after Brown v. Board of Education, hard-fought battles secured during the Civil Rights Movement, affirmative action, sacrifices made

by Malcolm, Martin and Medgar – even Barack Obama’s unprecedented White House victory, just breathing, walking, talking, or jogging while Black are all that’s necessary to get a brother (or sister) killed. WI

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Endorsements, Voting Changes Ramp Up as D.C. Primary Looms

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @Jamesdcwrighter

The upcoming June 2 primary has produced important endorsements in the ward D.C. Council seat races and changes in the city’s voting system that includes absentee mail-in ballots.

Candidate forums have been taking place throughout the District, including a May 16 virtual event primarily sponsored by the Ward 8 Democrats. The forum featured D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), shadow Sen. Paul Strauss (D), D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At Large), Ward 8 Council member Trayon White (D) and Ward 8 council hopefuls Mike Austin, Yaida Ford and Fred Hill.

Troy Donte Prestwood, president of the Ward 8 Democrats, said the forum aimed to inform voters on the pertinent issues of the day. However, Prestwood said his organization didn’t use the forum as a vehicle for endorsements, breaking with tradition.

“The executive board decided not to do an endorsement forum,” he said. “During endorsement forums, registered Democrats in Ward 8 can come by and vote for the candidate they support. We couldn’t do that because of problems with verification due to the state of emergency in the city and we didn’t want to disenfranchise anyone because of that. Voters in Ward 8 can make up

their own minds whom they want to support.”

In addition to Ward 8, there are council races in Wards 2, 4 and 7 and the candidates have actively sought endorsements from politically active groups in the District. In Ward 8, White has been endorsed by such organizations as the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU), Sierra Club, Jews for Justice, Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO, American Transit Union Local 689 and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1975 and holds a dual endorsement with Austin from the Greater Greater Washington blog.

In Ward 7, Council member Vincent Gray (D), running for his third full term as the ward’s legislator, is backed by the Sierra Club and Greater Greater Washington but one of his opponents, Anthony Lorenzo Green, has won the support of the AFL-CIO, the WTU and DC for Democracy.

In Ward 4, Council member Brandon Todd (D) has gotten the endorsement of business groups such as the District of Columbia Association of Realtors and the Associated Builders and Contractors and unions such as AFSCME and AFGE, as well as the support of council Chair Phil Mendelson (D).

However, one of his challengers, Janeese Lewis George, has received the support of D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, as well as DC for Democracy, Greater Greater

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“Thinking through how to lead D.C. out of this public health and economic crisis into recovery and on to a more equitable, prosperous city for all was the deciding factor,” Silverman said in a statement. “For two decades, Ward 4 has had good constituent services when government falls short on an individual level, but

DC PRIMARY Page 34

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10 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

“It is the duty of the younger Negro artist . . . to change through the force of his art that old whispering, “I want to be white,” hidden in the aspirations of his people, to “Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful!”

– Langston Hughes ‘The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain (The Nation)., [June 23, 1926]. Hughes died May 22, 1967 in New York City.

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AROUND THE REGION 8 Reasons Why You Should Vote for

FRED HILL

DEMOCRAT WARD 8 WRITE-IN CANDIDATE D.C. CITY COUNCILMEMBER 5 A dentist works on a patient. (Courtesy of Howard University)

Don’t Neglect Oral Health During COVID-19 Pandemic, Nation’s Dentists Advise

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @Jamesdcwrighter

While the coronavirus pandemic continues its deadly path in the District, dentists are encouraging patients not to forget their oral health and to continue good practices that will keep their teeth and mouths clean.

“People should always take care of their dental needs,” said Dr. Crystal L. McIntosh-Clarke, associate professor at the Howard University College of Dentistry. “Good dental care includes brushing and flossing their teeth twice a day and if there is gum discomfort, they need to see a dentist as soon as possible.”

In March, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order closing nonessential businesses due to the coronavirus presence in the District. The order limited the services that dentists could offer because of the risk of viral infection that could take place between dentist and patient.

Dr. Steven Guttenberg, president of the DC Dental Society, the District’s chapter of the American Dental Association (ADA), told WJLA-TV on May 1 that “emergencies are all that we can treat.”

“We are not doing any routine dental care or things of that nature,” he said.

Bowser recently extended her order to June 8.

The ADA issued a recommendation on March 16 to its members regarding the pandemic.

“In order for dentistry to do its part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the ADA recommends dentists nationwide postpone elective procedures for the next three weeks,” the statement said. “Concentrating on emergency dental care will allow us to care for our emergency patients and alleviate the burden that dental emergencies would place on hospital emergency departments.” While the statement mentioned three weeks, the recommendation has been tailored to fit the jurisdiction that a dentist practices in. In the District, as Guttenberg said, the mayor’s order stands as the operating procedure for the profession until she lifts it.

McIntosh-Clarke said much has changed in her profession since the advent of the coronavirus in the District.

“Because of the pandemic, dentists in D.C. have to adjust to a new normal,” she said. “Dentists aren’t practicing in their offices nearly as much as during the pre-COVID-19 days.

There is a need to use personal protective equipment for other medical purposes than dentistry at this time.

Patients who don’t have emergency needs may have to wait a while for service.”

McIntosh-Clarke said Howard University’s Dental Clinic hasn’t accepted patients since the pandemic started in the city. Howard’s dental clinic exists as the only one of its type in the District, and with that in mind, McIntosh-Clarke said patients with

DENTIST Page 31

*EARLY VOTING - MAY 22, 2020 AND 2020 PRIMARY ELECTIONS - JUNE 2, 2020 CALL 202.735.5355 FREDHILLWARD8.COM Senior Citizens • Introduce legislation to regulate the high cost of Prescription Drug Prices for Ward 8 Senior Citizens.

Ward 8 Trauma Center • Introduce legislation to provide a full service, first-class health care Trauma Center in Ward 8.

Community Safety • Introduce legislation that mandates Ward 8 Developers and Contractors pay the cost of free security cameras that are located and monitored at intersections throughout Ward 8.

Jobs • Introduce Community Benefit Packages (CBEs) that are negotiated in favor of Ward 8 resident’s verses Developers for redevelopment of public housing units and other large scale economic development projects; Youth • Require all Development partners to contribute 1% of their development budget to create Youth Economic Fund for literacy and business start-up opportunities; • Introduce legislation that mandates Black History courses are taught year-long in all Ward 8 D.C. Public Schools. support free access to colleges and public universities.

• Bring back free vocational training in all Ward 8 D.C. Public Schools.

• Increase minimum wage to a mandated “living wage” that includes health, dental costs, and overtime pay.

Affordable Housing • Introduce affordable housing legislation for Ward 8 residents that reduces the median income limits to promote equal housing opportunities and qualifications.

Returning Citizens • Establish Re-Entry Centers that support advanced education, community involvement, job training and job placement with living wages.

• Require trades training while incarcerated to prepare citizens for job readiness upon release.

• Establish a fast track to affordable housing.

Small Business Development • Legislate the enforcement of three (3) Bills to protect small businesses, “Small Business Procurement Reform Omnibus Act of 2019;” “Chief Compliance Office Establishment Act of 2019;” and “Protecting Local Area Commercial Enterprises Amendment Act of 2019” The Affordable PLACE Act.

WRITE-IN FRED HILL, DEMOCRAT WARD 8 D.C. CITY COUNCILMEMBER CALL 202.735.5355 * FREDHILLWARD8.COM EARLY VOTING - MAY 22, 2020 OR 2020 PRIMARY ELECTIONS - JUNE 2, 2020 *D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) voting options. Call 202.727.2525 to request a ballot, drop off ballots at DCBOE locations, mail in your ballot, or request a ballot online (dcboe.org). Ballots will be ready for distribution by May 1, 2020.

PAID FOR BY FRED HILL WARD 8 CAMPAIGN. FRED HILL, TREASURER

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 11

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY COVID-19 Revelations This novel pandemic has exposed longstanding notions of economic and health inequities. For far too long, many African-Americans and other people of color have lived in deprived communities and, based on their zip code, are subject to health disparities.

According to the Economic Policy Institute “The racial wealth gap is much larger than the wage or income gap by race. Average wealth for white families is seven times higher than average wealth for black families. Worse still, median white wealth (wealth for the family in the exact middle of the overall distribution—wealthier than half of all families and less-wealthy than half ) is twelve times higher than median black wealth. More than one in four black households have zero or negative net worth.” Especially in the Washington Metropolitan Region, people of color tend to work in the retail and hospitality jobs; and, those jobs were instantly shut down due to COVID-19.

Lack of wealth compounded with high instances of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease & obesity make those populations susceptible to pandemics. Further, the occurrences of these diseases are in communities that lack parks, access to healthy foods, and adequate health care. Few can wonder why COVID-19 has hit the African American community and around the Country hit other communities of color where poverty is dominant and health conditions are devastating.

COVID-19 has exposed that inequity determines ill health and, in the case of devastating pandemics, race and inequity matter. Skeptics may attempt to decouple this and instead point to individual choices; however, few can legitimately argue the alignment of race, wealth, and place to health.

Any movement to a new normal must include addressing equity: access to wealth, education, health care and food regardless of place and race. A new normal is when race and place no longer determines health and lifespan.

Not a member? Please visit our website, www.pgcoc.org or drop by for a visit to get started! Membership is good for a full calendar year, so it’s always a good time to join!

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12 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

Maryland Counting Primary Election Ballots This Week

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill As hundreds of thousands of Maryland voters received their presidential primary election ballots, the state board of elections plans to begin counting them Thursday, May 21.

The board posted a notice last week on its social media pages letting voters who still haven’t received a ballot know they are being processed by the U.S. Postal Service and will arrive soon.

As of Sunday, May 17, about 330,000 voters in Baltimore still haven’t received ballots, which may arrive as late as Saturday, May 23.

That’s why Margaret White doesn’t trust the state’s first election to be conducted primarily by mail. White, who receives mail with a Capitol Heights address, has resided in the unincorporated Millwood-Waterford neighborhood since 1964 near the incorporated city of District Heights.

“I think it is a good way to cause a lot of fraud,” White said about mailing ballots. “I prefer going to the polls and that’s what I’m going to do on Election Day.” State officials rescheduled the primary election back from April 28 to June 2 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic with more than 40,000 confirmed cases in the state. Prince George’s County leads the state exceeding 12,000 cases.

Even with the rising cases, state of-

5 The Maryland State Board of Elections posted a message on its website reminding voters of the June 2 presidential primary election.

ficials will allow for limited in-person voting at 57 sites throughout the state.

It’s anticipated fewer than 10 poll workers will work or volunteer at vote centers and must adhere to social distance guidelines.

Prince George’s voters can either vote or return ballots to these four places: Bowie Gymnasium, College Park Community Center, Kentland Community Center in Landover and Southern Regional Technology and Recreation Complex in Fort Washington.

Voters who didn’t receive a ballot in the mail, are unable to mail their ballot, or need special assistance, can vote on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters can also drop off ballots inside a box placed outside those locations and at the county’s Board of Elections office in Largo. All ballots can be dropped off by 8 p.m. through June 2. Mailed ballots must be post-

Census Remains Key in Maryland Amid Pandemic

By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Marylanders appear to be taking the census seriously, according to federal response rate data.

About 63.6 percent of Maryland households have responded to the census as of Monday, May 18, ahead of the national average of 59.6 percent.

“We always want to do well above the national averages [and] national rates because we want to lead and we know what it means for our communities,” said Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Maryland), who led a virtual

“State of the Census” town hall Monday. “Completing the census is a civic duty that ensures our communities don’t get left behind.”

Brown hosted the town hall to not only encourage residents participate in the decennial count, but also provide an update on the census’s impact in the 4th Congressional District he represents that include portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties.

In 2010, Brown said the district recorded a 70.1 percent self-response rate. As of May 13, he said, it stood at 61.4 percent.

MD CENSUS Page 26

marked no later than June 2.

When Grace Pearson Waters of Upper Marlboro received her election ballot, it showed the original April 28 date.

An explanation states the date couldn’t be changed “due to insufficient time to reprint the ballots after the presidential primary election date was changed … due to the coronavirus.”

However, she joined 90,000 other county residents who received those instructions in Spanish. She eventually got an English version last week.

The majority-Black jurisdiction was the only locale affected.

“Just like anything else, it will take some time getting used to voting by mail,” she said. “[State election officials] need to let people know and tell them in different ways because some people may not know about the June 2 extension. Voting is important. People fought and died for that right.”

State lawmakers agree.

The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs and House Ways and Means committees held a recent joint virtual briefing with election officials with an update on the primary election.

Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City) asked how much is planned to be spent on voter education.

Linda Lamone, administrator for the board of elections, said about $1.3 million, including for ad placement in local newspapers and for a public relations consultant to handle the logistics in voter outreach.

State Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-District 22) of University Park said that amount may not be enough.

“It’s a culture change for a lot of people,” said Pinsky, who chairs the Senate’s education and health committee. “More money could assist in getting the message out deeper and broader.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

The M

ard Bo

nd Sta yla te r a

of

Elections

JUNE 2

Maryland’s 2020 Primary Election

Vote Safe. Vote By Mail.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

YOU DON’T NEED TO REQUEST A BALLOT.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO FILL OUT YOUR BALLOT.

BALLOTS MUST BE POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE JUNE 2

Eligible voters will automatically receive a ballot at their registered address.

It is dated April 28th but still valid.

or placed in a voting dropbox by 8pm.

VISIT

elections.maryland.gov/june2 for more information, voter registration, and in-person voting locations.

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 21 - 27, 2020 13

BUSINESS Md. Churches Remain Closed Despite Governor Hogan Easing Restrictions

By Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer Although Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said houses of worship could reopen while maintaining social-distancing measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, pastors of some of the largest congregations Sunday still opted to conduct virtual services from empty sanctuaries via Facebook

Live, YouTube or Zoom.

“In this quarantine season you are getting closer to God,” Bishop Joel Peebles told members of the City of Praise Family Ministries via Facebook Live. “We really miss our City of Praise family. We really miss you all so much. … You might be in seclusion, but God always puts people in seclusion and consecration before he moves.”

While Peebles quoted Romans

8:28 — “And we know that all things work together for the good to those who love God” — he also circulated an open letter to the congregation in response to Hogan’s decision to reopen parts of the state Friday afternoon.

“We are making preparations to worship together in person, [yet] we fully understand the gravity of this season and the critical need to protect our church family and community at large,” Peebles’ letter stated. “We will continue to worship with you virtually, providing Word-based teachings, powerful worship, engaging classes and special moments on the Gratitude Journey.”

From the First Baptist Church of Glenarden to the Temple of Praise in southeast D.C., other pastors of large congregations shared how they missed their congregations as they preached online with prerecorded music or allowed a handful of congregants to minister from their praise teams.

“We are separated from each other, but we are not separated from

DC Housing Authority Public Hearing and Public Comment Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE PROPOSED 2021 MOVING TO WORK (MTW) PLAN The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) is providing notice of a Public Hearing and Comment Period to solicit comments on the agency’s proposed 2021 Moving to Work (MTW) Plan. MTW is a HUD program that allows select public housing authorities to design and implement innovative programs and policies with the intent to: 1) reduce costs and improve efficiencies; 2) encourage residents to obtain employment and become economically self-sufficient; and 3) increase housing choices for low-income families. The Public Hearing will take place online on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 6 p.m. Email MTW@dchousing.org to register.

Comments Written comments will be accepted through Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Email your comments to MTW@dchousing. org. Alternatively, you can mail comments to: Hanna Koerner, Policy Analyst DCHA 1133 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20002

God,” said John K. Jenkins Sr., senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, who preached from his study via Facebook.

Jenkins told those watching the service that he was starting a fourpart series titled “Family Feud” because “too many people don’t know how to get along with each other.”

“You can’t get along at church because you can’t get along at home,” said Jenkins, who quoted Nehemiah 4:7-14.

“What issues are keeping your family from moving forward?” he asked, alluding to unresolved conflict such as money management, sexual derisions and divorce.

Jenkins’ lesson comes days after

Prince George’s County Council members Sydney Harrison and Calvin Hawkins held a town hall meeting where medical professionals and mental health counselors talked about the COVID-19 pandemic and how stress levels and domestic violence in the county have spiked.

In southeast Washington, Bishop Glen A. Staples, Temple of Praise pastor, preached from a transparent podium in the middle of a sea of empty pews.

Staples, who began his message by singing the chorus of “Jesus Loves Me,” reminded viewers that “now is not the time to quit.”

WI

ELSIE WHITLOW STOKES COMMUNITY FREEDOM PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS- Multiple Services

To request a copy of the MTW plan, please call (202) 918-1965; send an email to MTW@dchousing.org; or download from the DCHA website at www.dchousing.org/mtw2.

Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation DCHA is committed to providing equal access to this event for all participants & residents with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter service, please contact our ADA/504/Language Department at 202-535-2737 or ADA504@dchousing.org with your complete request. Please allow at least 3 business days to make the necessary arrangements.

If you need a foreign language translator, please contact our ADA/504/Language Department at 202-535-2737 or email ADA504@dchousing.org. Please allow at least 5 business days to make the necessary arrangements.

Aviso Importante Este documento contiene información importante. Si necesita ayuda en Español o si tiene alguna pregunta sobre este aviso, por favor llame DCHA al (202) 535–1000. Infórmele al representante de atención al cliente el idioma que habla para que le proporcione un intérprete sin costo para usted. Gracias.

14 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

5 Bishop Joel Peebles and The Rev. Ylanda Peebles (Hamil Harris/The Washington Informer)

Elsie Whitlow Stokes PCS invites all interested and qualified vendors to submit proposals for the below services. Proposals are due no later than 12 PM, May 29, 2020. The RFP with bidding requirements and supporting documentation can be obtained by emailing procurement@ewstokes.org.

Information Technology Services and Equipment, Assessment and Instructional Data Support and Services, Classroom Furniture Fixtures and Equipment, Professional Development, Computer Hardware and Software, Curriculum Materials, Legal, General Contracting Services, Education Services, Temporary Staffing, Education Consultants, School Supplies, Consulting Services, Special Education and Therapeutic Services, Special Education Assessment and Textbooks.

Please no calls. All questions should be directed to procurement@ewstokes. org

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

NATIONAL PRINCIPAL from Page 5

she’s one of the people who cares.”

addressed concerns Givens had about her son’s progress.

“Living in our area, you have to be good with people,” Givens said. “If you can’t relate, then it’s not going to work. Principal Jackson-King broke it down to students, even my children. I think that what’s happening with her is wrong, and I pray that DCPS reverses it.

“Principal Jackson-King fights for the rights of these Black kids,” she said. “A lot of these administrators aren’t going to do it, but

THE CLASH OF INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES

As a principal, Jackson-King garnered a reputation as someone dedicated to helping teachers improve their craft, and in turn the quality of instruction and the overall atmosphere. Over the past few years, she encouraged teachers to apply for fellowships that would allow them to travel across the country and learn about innovative instructional practices in

various communities.

Jamila Thompson, a third grade teacher at Boone Elementary and a recipient of such opportunities, told The Informer that she and other colleagues often, and successfully, suggested to Jackson-King that they increase student laptop access, reconfigure classrooms, and coordinate project-based learning projects to immerse young people in real-world issues.

For Thompson and other teachers who attended Relay-sponsored professional development sessions throughout the year, the classroom-management strategy couldn’t produce similar results for young people who’ve been marginalized in every facet of their life.

She said that Jackson-King, sharing that sentiment, curbed Relay’s execution as much as possible, even as other schools in Wards 7 and 8 had been in the thick of the movement.

“We understood Relay to be

militaristic and controlling of Black and brown bodies. Principal Jackson-King didn’t want to do that, and that was her attitude,” said Thompson, who, with Jackson-King’s blessing, also coordinated study-abroad tours to the African continent with Boone students and parents.

“She shielded us [from Relay],

and we were sheltered from having to implement [the classroom management aspect of ] the program,” she said. “We did get pressure from the instructional superintendent and the Relay office.

They did walk-throughs and observations, which were stressful.

What they wanted us to do didn’t fit who we are.” WI

Over the past few years, she encouraged teachers to apply for fellowships that would allow them to travel across the country and learn about innovative instructional practices in various communities.

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 15

HEALTH A CONTINUING SERIES

COVID 19 UPDATE Strategies to Survive, Sustain and Succeed

Parents of DYRS Youth Detainees Demand COVID-19 Response

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins More than a month after a District juvenile corrections officer lost his life to the novel coronavirus, a

group of parents and advocates have coalesced around efforts to ensure the safety of youth detainees at the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services [DYRS] Youth Services Center and New Beginnings Youth Development Center.

The group, known as the Committee of Concerned Parents and Citizens, gathered outside of DYRS headquarters on Mt. Olivet Road in Northeast last week to demand that administrators provide facial masks and hand sanitizers to youth, implement social distancing rules and facilitate the early release of non-violent inmates.

A representative of the committee said concerns arose out of conversations with DYRS employees who recounted several colleagues falling sick and the denial of youth recreation time and masks.

“We are disappointed that non-violent offenders have yet to be released by youth detention centers. This reluctance to act in the best interest of detainees is [seen] as [a] disgrace and must be dealt and handled with dire consequences,” a statement by the Committee of Concerned Parents and Citizens read.

“This is not the time to hold non-violent offenders during a pandemic. Human survival is paramount at this hour. It makes no sense to not release non-violent criminals for their safety. The solitary confinement of youth detain-

ees is another concern. It seems cruel and unusual punishment that youth are not able to have recreation during COVID-19.”

Some of the parents declined The Informer’s request for an interview out of concern for their children’s safety. On Friday, they are expected to testify before the D.C. Council Committee on Recreation and Youth Affairs during a virtual budget oversight hearing centered on DYRS and the Commission on Fathers, Men and Boys.

These events unfold as officials at D.C. Jail continue to fight the spread of coronavirus throughout the facility. By early May, more than 130 inmates and 40 staff members had reportedly contracted COVID-19, prompting calls for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) to improve jail safety.

The mayor has since announced DYRS Director Clinton Lacey as the lead on that project which includes deep cleanings and daily showers for isolated inmates.

As of May 16, more than 7,000 people in the District have contracted the coronavirus, including 274 young people under the age of 18. Bowser recently extended

the District’s public health state of emergency to June 8, saying there hadn’t been a significant enough reduction in cases to warrant a return to normalcy.

Last week, four youth at the Youth Services Center who tested positive for the coronavirus had been relegated to isolation units, while other young people were moved to what officials described as “soft quarantine” units that had been designed to limit youth movement and the potential spread of COVID-19. At the New Beginnings Youth Development Center, located in Northwest, the five youth who had been isolated have since tested negative for coronavirus. No youth are currently in isolation there, a DYRS media relations official told The Informer.

Since the District entered a public health state of emergency, DYRS officials reduced its youth detainee population at the Youth Services Center by 50 percent, via community supervision and communication with parents, guardians and service providers. Youth who’ve since entered the facility have been

YOUTH Page 18

BY STAYING HOME NOW WE WILL SAVE LIVES NOW AND GET BACK TOGETHER LATER

STAY HOME. SAVE LIVES. #StayHomeDC CORONAVIRUS.DC.GOV 16 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

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HEALTH

5 New York City police are arresting Blacks at an alarming rate for social distancing violations. (Screen grab of video from ABC7 New York)

NYC Cops Arrests More Blacks Under Coronavirus Policy

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia From stop-and-frisk tactics to disparities in enforcement of social distancing laws during the coronavirus pandemic, New York City police continue to target Black and brown individuals with seemingly racially motivated policies.

In the past seven weeks, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has arrested and issued summonses for almost 400 people, mostly African Americans and Latinos, for allegedly violating social distancing and other violations, newly released data shows.

The statistics showed that 374 summonses were issued for allegations likely to spread disease and to violate emergency measures.

Of those who received the summonses, 193 are African American, 111 are Hispanic, 51 are white, 14 are Asian, and three are American Indian.

In all, 81 percent of those issued summonses by NYPD were either Black or Latino.

When broken down by the city’s five boroughs — Staten Island made no such arrests or issued any summons — it’s clear that NYPD officers target minorities.

In Brooklyn, there were 206 summonses issued, 121 at 12 social gatherings. In the Bronx, 99 summonses were issued, including 42 at five social gatherings.

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office told CNN they have made 10 arrests and 12 desk appearance tickets related to social distancing, but the

office won’t prosecute violations solely for social distancing enforcement.

“Enforcing emergency measures is just one of the many challenges NYPD Officers are facing during the COVID-19 crisis,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said in a statement. “Whenever possible, NYPD should issue summonses instead of making live arrests.”

Nine of the individuals arrested were Black, seven identified as Black Hispanic, and six identified as White Hispanic, according to the district attorney.

“We recognize that this is a difficult time for everyone, and we need to come together to stop the spread of the coronavirus and help save the lives of our fellow New Yorkers,” Clark said.

Two-thirds of the summonses distributed to white people were in NYPD’s Patrol Borough North, which includes the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in the Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods, according to the data.

The Queens District Attorney’s Office told CNN it had made roughly 20 arrests related to social distancing violations. Of the 20 arrests, 16 of the defendants are Black or Latino, two are Asian, and two are white.

“My office will not be prosecuting social distancing arrests,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz told CNN. “Nobody wants a health crisis to fuel a criminal justice crisis.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it would not prosecute any social distancing arrests and that it is

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 17

EDUCATION Doctors Win Award for Children’s Book About Coronavirus Pandemic

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia What began as a vision has turned into an award-winning literary piece to help children cope with COVID-19.

Dr. Ebony Hilton and her Virginia Health System colleague Dr. LeighAnn Webb were announced as one of five winners of an Emory Global

Health Institute children’s book contest aimed at helping and inspiring young ones during the coronavirus pandemic.

The book, “We’re Going to Be OK,” was illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin, who won the 2020 Ezra Jack Keats Award given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator.

Hilton, a critical-care anesthesiologist and co-founder of Good Stock

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5 Dr. Ebony Hilton, Ashleigh Corrin and Dr. Leigh-Ann Webb (Courtesy photo)

Consulting, and Webb, an emergency medicine physician and founder of The Get Well Company, said the project was inspired by their own children and youth around the world coping with the pandemic.

The story’s purpose is to help demystify the virus for our readers and empower them to know how they, too, can help.

Both doctors said they wanted to provide an outlet for young ones to express their concerns and provide go-to resources that they can keep on hand. They said they understand that young children are impressionable, and the doctors wanted to serve as advocates for their mental health.

“I first heard of the competition on Twitter,” Hilton said. “One of my followers tagged me in a post because they were aware of my community outreach projects and the fact that I have previously written children’s books.

“This seemed like a natural merging of the effort to bring awareness of the impact of COVID-19 was having on the global front, and particularly as it pertained to vulnerable communities like African Americans and Latinos,” she said. “It is for this reason it was important that the main character was a small Black and brown child.

To better speak directly to those hardest-hit in this pandemic.”

Webb said her 8-year-old daughter provided feedback for the book.

“She took the opportunity to give us feedback,” Webb said. “She made an ‘I Get to …’ list, which is included as a worksheet and has been referencing certain things on this list since reading the book. It’s really cool to witness.”

Corrin, whose “Layla’s Happiness” won the Ezra Jack Keats Award, said she was inspired by her experience coping with the pandemic as a new mother, and also observing how her nieces and nephews were experiencing the crisis in different ways.

“I realized that no experience is alike for our children, and resources like this are and will be so important as our society finds its new norm,” Corrin said.

Jeff Koplan, vice president for global health at Emory, said in a press release that he was inspired to launch a children’s book contest by the questions his three grandchildren, ages 5 to 11, have been asking him about the pandemic.

While “social distancing,” “antibody tests,” “herd immunity” and “contact tracing” are familiar terms to public health and global health professionals, the general public has had a crash course in this new language thanks to the pandemic, Koplan said.

The learning curve is steep for many adults, and is undoubtedly even more confusing for children, he added.

“Recognizing this, the Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI) launched the COVID-19 children’s ebook competition to help address some of the questions that children may have about the pandemic and the behavior changes that have come with it,” Koplan said.

“In keeping with EGHI’s track record of marrying global health with other disciplines, including the arts, we thought sponsoring a contest for a COVID-19-related children’s book would be a great way to engage writers of all ages and levels to produce a high-quality book about the disease and provide a resource to children, parents and teachers as they navigate this challenging time,” Koplan noted.

The competition launched April 14 and was open to established writers and illustrators and aspiring writers and illustrators of every age. The winning writer and illustrator earned a $10,000 prize.

“We worked together building this story in an open Google document,” Corrin said. “[Hilton] introduced the

idea to the team and had a general concept in mind. [Webb] built on that concept and crafted this story.

We hoped that readers could relate to the main character’s experience of learning about the pandemic, experiencing fear, and navigating his fears through his parents’ knowledge, support and compassion.” WI

YOUTH from Page 16 tested with technology that officials say produces results within 15 minutes.

In a May 14 statement, Lacey said detainees still at the Youth Services Center and New Beginnings Youth Development Center stay in their rooms and have been given masks. He also noted that staff members, in accordance with recommendations from the DC Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, use infrared thermometers to measure detainees’ temperature and conduct daily symptom checks.

They have also been provided with adequate personal protective equipment at Youth Services Center and New Beginnings for youth detainees and those in direct contact with them.

“Our dedicated staff and leadership have demonstrated a high level of commitment, compassion and professionalism in the face of this public health crisis and in service to our youth,” Lacey said last Thursday.

“I am proud of the DYRS staff for their high level of responsiveness and all of the work that they’ve been doing since the onset of COVID-19,” he continued. “That level of preparedness and their ongoing efforts help us continue to do the work of the agency on behalf of our youth and families.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL

Enjoy Memorial Day but Don’t Party Like it’s 1999

Americans will honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military on Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day. And while there will be plenty of people sporting red poppies, the traditional symbol of the U.S. federal holiday and the American flag will hang proudly from homes, businesses and government buildings, celebrations will be markedly different from the past.

With the coronavirus pandemic still bringing sickness and death to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, Memorial Day observances – those that have not been canceled – will be colored by a shroud of fear and uncertainty.

It’s inevitable that the attention will shift from honoring members of the military who have died in service to remembering our own friends and family who are either struggling with COVID-19 or who have died as a result of the virus.

However, with all 50 states and the District now beginning the partial reopening of businesses and parks, and resuming some services that had been suspended, Memorial Day has the potential of being somewhat normal. That said, it’s important to remember that as we shift from “stay home” to “safer at home” mode, we must continue to observe strict rules on social distancing.

Just last weekend, with the sun shining brightly and temperatures more reflective of a D.C. July than early May, a lot of people threw caution to the wind and gathered in groups far greater than the recommended limit of 10. Many were seen sitting, sipping and chatting without wearing face masks or coverings.

Indeed, they were taking the urgings of the late R&B icon, Prince, partying like it was 1999.

But it isn’t 1999. And we remain in the midst of a health pandemic.

Enjoy the weekend, remember our fallen soldiers but don’t be foolish.

The Mayor’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget Plan With a city that has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic resulting in the loss of approximately $800 million in revenue, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser presented to the D.C. Council this week a Fiscal Year 2021 budget that appears acceptable to most.

Once again, thanks to the support of a fiscally-conservative chief financial officer, Bowser’s budget holds back on cuts to programs and services while dredging funds from the city’s reserves and freezing pay for city workers. Both approaches demonstrate several years of responsible financial management of the District’s vast resources and an effort to save jobs that may have otherwise been lost due to budget cuts.

For some, it’s still a hard pill to swallow. This pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities impacting communities particularly in the poorest parts of the District that were hidden in plain sight. Comorbidity among residents who live in Wards 4, 5, 7 and 8, are areas with the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections and the highest number of deaths, particularly in Ward 8. School shutdowns and stay-at-home orders have heightened a demand on the non-profit sectors, including churches, while draining their resources and threatening their ability to remain sustainable. Students and teachers are fighting to find success in a new education protocol called distance learning, while too many residents are being impacted by an increase in violence in and outside of their homes.

None of these issues have been missed by Mayor Bowser who cannot be commended enough for doing what she believes is best and right to save “her” city and her constituents, despite a leader in the White House who continuously demonstrates his belief that D.C. is unworthy.

What Mayor Bowser presented to the Council is a proposed budget of $8.5 billion that members of the council will pick through and help to shape. Hopefully, a consensus will be reached with input by local residents and workers that are given the opportunity to review it and respond to its proposals, as well. In other words, every District resident must play a role in determining how their tax dollars will be spent during and as we recover from COVID-19. WI

TO THE EDITOR We Need USPS

Armed and Ready In the face of these gun-strapped vigilantes who call themselves some kind of “Boogaloo-jihadeen,” the word “no” will be much more convincing when we position and equip ourselves so that we demonstrate as the martyred Malcolm X reasoned, that “We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us.”

The article states, “Post Office Woes May Hurt Blacks Most,” yet the post office woes “will hurt” America and the world most if the post office is not adequately funded and closes in June. There can be no valid election where absentee ballots mailed/sought-to-bemailed cannot reach the polls and, therefore, are not counted. Residents should be asked to contact U.S. representatives and senators to support P.O. funding.

A Hasan Washington, D.C.

Evanna Powell Washington, D.C.

Readers' Mailbox

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The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@washingtoninformer. com or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you.

MAY 21 - 27, 2020 19

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Julianne Malveaux

Old, Sick and Incarcerated

There were 4,623 incarcerated people over 65 in federal prisons during the first week of May. Until May 12, Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s onetime campaign manager, was one of them. The 71-yearold petitioned the court for release to home confinement because of his age, heart condition and “fear of coronavirus.” Yet the federal correctional institution that housed

Manafort had no coronavirus cases, and Manafort had served fewer than two years of his more than seven-year sentence.

Recently developed federal guidelines suggest at-home confinement for those at risk who have served more than half of their sentence or have less than eighteen months of jail time left to serve. Manafort meets none of these criteria, but he apparently had enough high-priced lawyers to push his case aggressively.

I’m not as outraged at Manafort’s early release as I am disturbed about

Guest Columnist

the other 4,622 elderly inmates, most who lack the resources and access that Manafort had. Nearly 40 percent of those incarcerated in federal prisons are African American, many serving very long sentences for drug-related crimes. Many have some of the same underlying medical conditions and “fear of coronavirus” that Manafort had. How many of them will get an early release and the relative luxury of home confinement? The treatment of a wealthy, older white man and a poor, older Black man is vastly different.

Prisons are a breeding ground for the coronavirus. Prisons are overcrowded with social distancing an impossibility since an average cell, about five feet by five, does not allow six feet of distancing. Recent studies show that the COVID-19 germs from a loud conversation or a cough linger for minutes, sufficient time to infect another person. The notorious Rikers Island jail has eight times the COVID-19 infection rate of the New York City rate. Infection is not a possibility, but a near-certainty.

Prison infections are so widespread

that some activists describe them as “death camps.”

Older people don’t commit violent crimes (although they commit financial crimes and perjury). Releasing those over 65 who were convicted of drug crimes and other nonviolent crimes saves money and has little social cost. But incarceration is an economic driver for some communities. Federal prisons employ tens of thousands of people. In some isolated communities, these prisons

MALVEAUX Page 33

By The Reverend Franklyn M. Malone

Men’s Mental Health Power Session

As we approach Mental Health Month, we must put the Black community’s mental health situation in perspective: Nearly six decades ago, famed psychiatrist Frantz Fanon talked about the lasting effects of oppression on the psyche of oppressed people. His words were relevant for native Africans in Algeria under French rule

in 1961 and they are stingingly true in our communities today. Some 20 years ago, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing clearly emphasized in her book “The Welsing Cress Theory” that racial oppression has spawned poor housing, poor education and resultant unemployment that has directly frustrated Black men, causing misplaced aggression and destruction of themselves and each other. She points out that mutual respect and sensitivity is needed and that hate is not the answer.

Amos Wilson, professor of psy-

Guest Columnist

chology at City University in New York, writes in his book “Black on Black Violence The Psychodynamics of Black Self-Annihilation in Service of White Domination” that traditionally the male is seen as essential to a community’s viability, adaptability, self-defense and liberation from oppression and exploitation, He notes that when their character, credibility and authority is neutralized, it allows the oppressor to override that community’s institutional and organizational integrity, allowing a community to become

dysfunctional. There are those who suffer from these unfair oppressive conditions, known as post-traumatic racial oppression disorder. The effects of prolonged exposure to such conditions eviscerate and emasculate males and inadvertently force some to become instruments unwittingly of oppression by preying upon their own community.

Currently, COVID-19 is causing a rise in the post-traumatic stress disorder rates. Many adults are not dealing well with the invisible deadly opponent, so just think of our

already-challenged children who are unable to understand and feel helpless. This could lead to incidences of suicidal ideation, substance abuse and domestic abuse. We can win because this, too, shall pass as we will ourselves to victory over this opponent. The 100 Fathers will be there to right the ship when help is needed.

The 100 Fathers submits that the need for empowerment of the Black male relies upon funding that

MALONE Page 33

By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

The Murder of Ahmaud Arbery — and Our Continuing Terror Today there is a national outcry about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The public condemnation has forced a belated response.

Those accused of his murder finally have been arrested. His murder has become a global embarrassment for whites.

For Blacks, however, it is another humiliation, a continuing terror. It is the normal silence,

20 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

however, that condemns thousands of African Americans to unjust deaths and millions to shattered lives. When the camera turns away, the savage injustice that embarrasses us becomes simply business as usual.

The horror of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder is now well-known. The 25-year-old Black man went for a jog down the middle of the street in the middle of the day on Feb. 23. Two white men decided he was suspicious, hunted him down and shot him point-blank in the mid-

dle of the street at 1 p.m.

Local law enforcement had video evidence of the crime. Yet no arrest was made until 74 days later, two months and two weeks after the murder. Local authorities chose not to act. Two U.S. senators said nothing. The white church — that had blessed slavery, segregation, apartheid in South Africa — was silent.

Why did the arrests finally take place? Because an intrepid reporter from the New York Times investigated the story and made it public;

the murder video was leaked to the public on the 72nd day after Ahmaud’s murder.

As the public outrage grew, the arrests were made. Never forget, as one commentator noted, they did not make the arrests because THEY saw the incriminating video. They made the arrests because WE saw the video. Embarrassed, faced with an aroused community and an international scandal, they finally acted.

So it goes. African Americans suffer in silence the savage injuries

of institutionalized racism.

We live in northern ghettos — driven there in the early part of the last century by terrorism — most strikingly the Ku Klux Klan and their signature lynchings. The Equal Justice Initiative reports there were 4,084 lynchings of Blacks in the South from 1877 to 1950. The Klan, embraced by and often made up of the white gentry of the South, often gathered at their churches to organize the

JACKSON Page 33

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OPINIONS/EDITORIALS Guest Columnist

By Marian Wright Edelman

A Pandemic Prayer for Children and People Everywhere OH I AM WHO I AM Hear the cries of all Your children young and old everywhere during this scary pandemic Who are threatened and ravaged by a virus we cannot fully

discern or know how to stop with confidence Who still daily face violence, poverty, racism, abuse, and neglect Are scared, profiled, arrested, and imprisoned by those in authority Ignored by those with power as they languish in crumbling schools and neighborhoods all

Guest Columnist

over our nation and world Labeled often by some entrusted with their education as dumb, disruptive, and failures Marginalized by those who vote and are elected because they cannot vote or make campaign contributions Resented by some of those forced to care for them in too often inhumane child welfare and

juvenile justice and adult criminal justice systems Hear our cries for our children all powerful God, by all the names we call You, especially during this dangerous pandemic Protect their bodies and fight their battles during this dangerous threat we don’t yet know how to fully stop And protect them too from the

violence of drugs and guns and poverty Open the Red Sea to their safety and future in this time of unprecedented threat Send them Your manna in the pandemic wilderness And lead us and our children throughout the world into a safe future.

WI

By Roger Caldwell

America’s Choice: Death, Coronavirus or the Economy

Under the direction and management of President Donald Trump and his coronavirus pandemic task force, there has been mass death. With over 90,000 deaths, and over one million cases of the virus, there are still limited masks, limited ventilators, limited gowns, limited test-kits and massive corruption.

Instead of President Trump’s weekly briefing solidifying and

bringing the country together to fight a common enemy, the nation is more divided and broken.

President Trump’s briefings have become a comedy show, where officials tell lies, there’s no coordinated national plan, and there’s madeup facts. In the past few weeks, the president has made a mockery of the country by suggesting that citizens could cure COVID-19 by injecting bleach or tanning.

As a result of President Trump’s statements, major companies have put out statements to customers to not follow the president’s instructions or advice. This strange

Askia-At-Large

behavior is bizarre, and the president’s numbers are getting worse instead of better. After this debacle, many Americans are forced to ask the question, “Do we trust our president and the government?”

The failure is national, and our president sees the coronavirus pandemic in personal and political terms. He is forcing Republican governors to open up the country with limited thought, no strategic plan, and everyone on their own. Trump sees the coronavirus pandemic as a “temporary speed bump” that will magically disappear, and things will go back to

normal.

America will not be just back in business. The virus is highly contagious, and there will probably be more than one wave. With the Republican governors opening their states, we can expect more carnage and death, because there is no drug or vaccine.

“The virus should have united America against a common threat,” says George Parker, reporter for The Atlantic. “With different leadership, it might have.

Instead, even as it spread from blue to red, attitudes broke down

along familiar partisan lines. The virus also should have been a great leveler. You don’t have to be in the military or in debt to be a target — You just have to be human But under Trump and the Republican regime, they have decided that compassion, integrity and truth were character faults that should never be practiced or exemplified. Trump and the Republicans are only interested in making money and the health care system and economy is set up for the rich to keep winning.

CALDWELL Page 34

By Askia Muhammad

GOP Steals Democrats’ Lunch Money

To this day, I can barely swim, even though there was an Olympic-sized public swimming pool with free lessons available, just four blocks from the house in which I grew up.

You see, it cost 15 cents to get into the pool at South Park in Los Angeles. All the thug-boys in the neighborhood knew this, and

they would walk along the line of those waiting for the pool to open and pat the pockets of us squares waiting, to hear the change jingle in our pants. They would take my swimming pool money, so most times, I could not get into the pool.

The same thing happened with lunch money, only I was spared because I carried my lunch to school in one of those colorful metal lunchboxes with a thermos bottle of cold milk, all the way

through junior high, and then in a brown paper bag in high school.

Well today, the modern version of the thug boys taking the lunch money of the dorky little nerds has played out on the trillion-dollar scale on Capitol Hill. The dweebs (Democrats) got fleeced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and President Donald J. Trump, in the form of two coronavirus rescue bills, which largely resulted in buckets of money being shoveled out to the wealthy

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

and to the big corporations, and very, very little going to us average squares.

In the first, $2 trillion stimulus package, the feckless Democrats who have a House majority went along with GOP Senate demands that the District of Columbia be treated like a U.S. territory, instead of like a state as it is for most funding guidelines. That meant D.C. was fleeced of more than $500 billion it should have received. In addition, the U.S. Postal Service

was knocked to its knees, unable to get the $10 billion in loans to keep mail delivery affordable and consistent. Next time, was the promise.

Small businesses which were supposed to get some payroll relief, found all the allocated money had been snatched up by big corporations, whose stockholders were shielded from losses by government bailout money, and ma-

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Aviation Workers Raise Alarm Over Imminent Extinction of Sector Aviation workers have called for the federal government to come to the rescue to prevent the total extinction of the sector, which they described as worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking behalf of the aviation workers, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress, declared that many of the airlines were already on life support prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Lagos-based Nigerian Tribune reported. The union stressed that many of the logistics and other allied companies — such as in-flight catering, flight support services, fuel supplies, etc. — were equally at the verge of winding up.

Ocheme Aba, secretary-general of NUATE, while lamenting the precarious situation in which the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had found itself, cited how the authority had been grappling with the heavy burden of maintaining 23 airports across Nigeria, though only two are viable — a responsibility he said was impossible to shirk due to the socioeconomic importance of maintaining all the airports.

According to Aba, under these circumstances, the pandemic-imposed shutdown cannot but be seen as a killer punch against aviation, to the extent that aviation in Nigeria runs a very high risk of total collapse without urgent and substantial intervention, or bailout, from the federal government.

While admitting that the situation currently faced by aviation was global, which he noted only heightened in Nigeria by historic factors, Aba added: “Based on empirical findings which support the crisis facing aviation organizations, various global institutions such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association, and even the International Labour Organization have all called on governments of all countries to render significant support to their aviation companies to cushion the losses in revenue occasioned by the pandemic.”

“The United States of America, several European countries, including the United Kingdom, have already announced generous bailout packages for their aviation companies in response to the emergency,” Aba said. “These responses signpost the fact that there will be dire consequences should lethargy and indecision hold Nigeria back from towing this global trend.”

The unionist said it was for the purpose of mitigating the imminent disaster that NUATE made an appeal to elicit Congress’ strong support and positive and urgent actions to prevail on federal government to hasten its steps towards releasing a bailout package for the aviation sector in Nigeria.

However, he advised that the federal government should apply methodology that would ensure the mistake of the past is not repeated where airlines could not account for previous aviation intervention that ran into several billions of naira: “It must not be business as usual.”

He noted that there had been two previous such financial interventions in the aviation sector in recent memory, both of which left much to be desired. In those instances, airlines like Arik Air and the now-defunct Kabo Air and Air Nigeria collected billions of naira supposedly for capital injection into their businesses, but the funds were misappropriated.

“The promoters of these airlines then ran away with bloated personal bank accounts and they are walking free until today,” he said. “This was possible because the airlines were individually-owned enterprises without any discernible corporate governance structures. Unfortunately, this particular situation of the airlines, in terms of their ownership and governance structures, remains largely unchanged today. Therefore, if the same methodology as before were to be used, then we fear that the same undesirable result will accrue. This will be most unhelpful.” WI

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caribbean now CARICOM-Member States Plan to Open External Borders by June

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by John De Freitas

at:

 22 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

Oliver Joseph, Grenada’s cabinet minister with ministerial responsibility for CARICOM, said that the plan is for CARICOM-member states to open external borders for regional travel only and not international air traffic for the first phase of reopening borders, which is tentatively set to be enforced in June.

“What we are discussing is to first allow regional travel — that is, travel within the islands such as travel between Grenada and Trinidad or between Trinidad and Barbados,” said Joseph, who recently chaired the 50th meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development, according to a report in Now Grenada. “We are not looking at having international carriers come to the island yet.”

During the virtual meeting, the council approved a strategy for the reopening of economies in the Caribbean community. The council is made up of trade ministers and officials agreed to a framework centered on the development and adherence to defined metrics related to the COVID-19 virus, which will guide in the reopening process.

Grenada’s borders as well as many regional ports of entry and exit were closed in March as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Like Grenada, the contagion was introduced to the country by infected travelers from the United Kingdom and the United States in mid-March. Grenada’s index case was a 50-year-old woman who traveled from the United Kingdom. WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE Winner of First Round of the SLAM COVID-19 Competitions Chosen

Still Time to Enter Second and Third Rounds; Up to $3000 in Prize Monies Offered The Black Coalition Against COVID-19 kicked off its series of virtual poetry slam competitions Monday evening with its elementary school slam.

Simulcast on WPFW 89.3 FM and WeACT Radio, the slam, hosted by Kenneth Carroll III and DJ Lance, produced competitors that spoke to their youthful reflections on the impact of the pandemic on their lives.

The poems were as diverse as the

SLAM Page 31

5 Christian Alvarado (Courtesy photo)

CityDance Phenom Corbin Holloway Shines on ‘Little Big Shots’

Rockland Youth Receives Unexpected Encouragement from Misty Copeland

By D. Kevin McNeir, WI Editor @dkevinmcneir CityDance Conservatory’s Corbin Holloway (13) from Rockville, took center stage on NBC’s “Little Big Shots” on Sunday, May 17. And for his dance prowess and persistence, the talented teen received the surprise of a lifetime – a visit from prima ballerina Misty Copeland who watched Corbin perform and then shared words of encouragement. Copeland also gave the youth several gifts including a signed pair of her pointe shoes and a check for $10,000 courtesy of Copeland and Little Big Shots.

The show, hosted by two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Melissa McCarthy, showcases the talents and 3 Corbin Holloway (Photo courtesy VAM Production Photography)

stories of youth from around the world.

Corbin, who first began dance training at the prestigious Rockville-based CityDance School & Conservatory at seven years old, continues to astound both his instructors and industry professionals for his talent, abilities and achievements which far exceed many within his age group.

In next week’s edition, we will share more about Corbin including how he and other youth continue to adjust their training regiments in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll also hear from Lorraine Spiegler, founding artistic director of the CityDance School & Conservatory and one of Corbin’s teachers and mentors, who accompanied Corbin to the filming of “Little Big Shots” in Los Angeles in January.

Congratulations Corbin! WI

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 21 - 27, 2020 23

LIFESTYLE

Moments of Resilience: ACM Collecting and Sharing the Stories of COVID-19

By Melanie Adams, PhD, Director, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum Like many of you reading this column, I am experiencing a new normal that prevents me from engaging in the everyday activities that, until recently, I took for granted. No longer can we come together to celebrate, commemorate, or mourn the many milestones that measure one’s life. Instead, we are confined to spaces that were never meant to contain our entire lives for a day, let alone weeks on end. And while I can sit at home and lament my lack of mobility during this time, it goes without saying that there are many people in our community who are going to work every day making sure the rest of us remain safe, healthy, and fed.

As the world grapples with the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, the word community is more important than ever. As individuals are thrust into situations they never thought possible, they are finding support from the communities they belong to. These communities understand that in order to get through the tough times, we must work together. Your community could be your family, your friends, your religious institution, your school, or your local barbershop/ hair salon.

The Anacostia Community Museum’s mission is to amplify the collective power of the community. Currently, that collective power is the ability to care for and comfort each other in

24 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

5 Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum is located at 1901 Fort Place SE Washington, DC 20020

this time of need. We at ACM want to hear the stories of how community members are supporting each other on a day to day basis. It could be the story of the young man who volunteered to shop for his elderly neighbor. Or the teacher who created a virtual story time out of her kitchen. Or the small restaurant owner who went from feeding the public to feeding the suddenly unemployed. These actions, large and small, demonstrate moments of resilience and our shared capacity to make a difference.

We are asking you to share these stories of resilience on our website, anacostia.si.edu. Some of the stories will be shared on our social media channels while others may become part of the museum’s collection.

Throughout its 53-year history, the Anacostia Community Museum has focused on telling the stories of the individuals and events of the DC

region that are usually left out of the history books. The stories of conflict, resilience, and most importantly community action that led to a better future for all. ACM is a proud member of the Ward 8 community and we are honored to tell the stories of the DC region.

When all this is over and we settle into a new normal, the records will reflect the facts and figures related to COVID-19; the number of lives taken, the number of jobs lost, the number of years to develop a vaccine. It is our mission at ACM to look beyond the numbers and amplify the stories of the everyday individuals who helped foster a sense of belonging, connectedness, and community during this time of uncertainty in our history.

From all of us at ACM, take care of each other and stay safe.

Visit https://anacostia.si.edu/collection/moments-resilience WI

Suffragist Mary Church Terrell: ‘I Am African American’

By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia This is part of an ongoing Washington Informer series about the Women’s Suffrage Movement and an initiative that includes Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes that will use the lens of history, the fabric of art and culture and the venue of the public square to shine a light into dark places, equipping all with a compass to chart the way forward.

The initiative lives in the institutional home of the Washington Informer Charities.

When there’s any mention of the pivotal role Black women played in the suffrage movement, Mary Church Terrell is often among the first names spoken.

A warrior and a civil rights champion, Terrell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1863 to formerly enslaved parents. Despite their bondage, her parents became successful business owners who could afford to send their daughter to college, according to the National Park Service (NPS), which lists Terrell among the “Suffrage Movement Leaders You Should Know.”

Terrell received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oberlin College in Ohio and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1887, where she taught at the M Street School, later known as Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

According to NPS, her involvement in the early civil rights movement began in 1892 when a white mob in Memphis lynched her friend.

Along with Ida B. Wells, Terrell brought attention to the atrocity of lynching. She was also dedicated to racial uplift and firmly believed that African Americans would be accepted by white society if they received education and job training.

She hoped that if Black men and women were seen as successful, they would not be discriminated against.

She dedicated herself to educating and helping other African Americans.

In addition to serving as president of the National Association of Colored Women, Terrell also supported the Black women’s right to vote. She even picketed the White House, demanding women’s suffrage.

In 1892, Terrell learned that

5 Mary Church Terrell/Courtesy Thoughtco.com

Thomas Moss, a close friend from Memphis, had been lynched. After Terrell’s and Frederick Douglass’ appeals to President Benjamin Harrison failed to produce a public condemnation of lynching, she formed the Colored Women’s League in Washington to address social problems facing Black communities, according to BlackPast.org.

Four years later, Terrell helped create the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and became its first president. The NACW adopted the motto “Lifting As We Climb” and promoted racial uplifting through education and community activism.

During her tenure as president of the NACW, from 1896 to 1901, Terrell became a well-known speaker and writer in the United States and overseas. During a visit to Germany in 1904, she presented a speech to the International Council of Women entirely in German.

“I cannot help sometimes wondering what I might have become and might have done if I had lived in a country which had not circumscribed and handicapped me on account of my race, that had allowed me to reach any height I was able to attain,” Terrell was famously quoted as saying.

She also implored everyone to recognize Black citizens as Americans.

“Stop using the word ‘Negro,’” Terrell said. “The word is a misnomer from every point of view. It does not represent a country or anything else.

I am an African American.”

Terrell died in 1954 in Annapolis, Maryland. WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

LIFESTYLE

wi book review “The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power”

By Deirdre Mask c.2020, St. Martin’s Press $26.99 / 336 pages

By Terri Schlichenmeyer WI Contributing Writer Take a right turn at the church.

If you’ve ever gotten those words in the directions to some business, you know what comes following them: a feeling of being totally, inescapably lost. The feeling of frustration because there were actually two churches. The anger that your GPS app took you somewhere ridiculous. The thought that, as in “The Address Book” by Deirdre Mask, having a good, strong, easy-to-find address matters.

When was the last time you got a letter in the mail?

That’s all Deirdre Mask wanted to do: send her father a birthday card with a letter from her home in Ireland to his in North Carolina. As she pressed a stamp on the envelope, she idly wondered who got the fee — and that led her to the Universal Postal Union in Switzerland, which decides such things, and to An Address for Everyone, an organization that showed her something surprising: “Most households in the world don’t have street addresses.”

That, of course, is not optimal: at the very least, it means difficulty in receiving mail and packages from businesses outside the household’s area.

Worse, economic impacts reach far beyond an individual. Not having an address could prevent access to financial services, credit, and help from government programs. Studies show, in fact, that the no. 1 request from homeless Americans is not a home but an address.

As for you, well, it’s not just the physical address of your customer that matters in the end. Where you place your workplace is equally important and shouldn’t be left to chance, if you can help it.

Because a land address equals power, the street number for your building matters and you can thank the Brits for that. Where you sit on the block makes a difference, for which you can thank Philadelphia’s founders.

Your street name matters, especially if you can manage to get your name on the street sign; it can tell others a lot about the racial makeup of your city and, says Mask, “Street names are, in a way, the perfect propaganda tool.”

Have you ever been told that they name streets after people like you?

You might consider that a compliment, after reading “The Address Book.”

That’s because this book is fun, serious enough to be useful to businessfolks who understand that its subject matter matters, but light enough with plenty of gee-whiz factor. Who, after all, notices this stuff?

You should, but unless your street address is wacky or borders on the profane (and author Deirdre Mask shows that there are those kinds of addresses around) you might’ve shrugged and went back to business when you moved there. Here, you’ll see why that may have been a bad idea, how addresses might influence others, and how you can (maybe) fix it.

Reading this book is like watching someone give directions. It’s great for anyone who’s ever left the GPS at home and gotten truly lost in a big city.

“The Address Book” is lighthearted and, for you, that turns out just right.

WI

horoscopes

MAY 21 - 27, 2020

ARIES Follow your life path even if it’s outside your comfort zone. Take the first step, whether it be through education or meditation, to uncover your purpose. The ideas and creative thinking you do early in the week can take form and shape at the end. It’s time to make it official and announce your plans to the world. Lucky Numbers: 2, 7, 23 TAURUS There are things outside your comfort zone that are worth investigating. it is a good idea to carve out an hour to create a vision board or list of goals to let the Universe know what you want to attract.

Taurus are exceptionally good at attracting what you can envision clearly. In this one hour, you can have a single-minded focus on what you want to attract into your life. Lucky Numbers: 5, 8, 20 GEMINI Reputation is kind of an old-fashioned word for “branding,” it’s how you are seen in the world.

Now creative Venus comes along to help you express who you are. With this aspect, you can be creative, fanciful, or artistic. Consider posting something about yourself on social media. Show the real you and let like-minded others find you. Lucky Numbers: 40, 46, 53 CANCER Find time to take care of others and to take care of yourself. And caring for yourself means expressing what you need to your friends. The love of your life may be heaping praise on you for all you do for the family. The best use of this positive energy is to think about expanding your friendship circle by reaching out to people you care about, but haven’t spoken to in some time. Lucky Numbers: 29, 33, 35 LEO Romantic fantasies are on your mind today. If you’re looking for love, it would be good to reach out to interesting people through online dating services. Or consider invoking the magical route and write a short story of how you will meet the greatest relationship of your life. And then over the next few weeks visit the place you wrote about. Allow the Universe to make the magic happen. Lucky Numbers: 2, 21, 27 VIRGO Be disciplined about your work/life balance. Be aware of the number of hours you put in and where you need to put up boundaries to protect your positive energy. If you’re often saying “yes” to unpaid overtime, it’s time to honor yourself and say “no.” This aspect can give you resolute self-confidence to stand your ground. It is a wonderfully efficient aspect. Lucky Numbers: 39, 43, 55 LIBRA You may need to split your time this week between learning new things and the practical application of knowledge to make money. Time slips through your fingers quite easily this week. Try to keep yourself on a schedule. If you have kids, encourage them to create something today. Join them at the dining room table as they paint, draw or write a play to perform for the family later. Lucky Numbers: 3, 15, 43 SCORPIO This week you may have to step in and convince someone to support you. This may concern a passive income source you believe in. It’s good to understand that different people have different risk tolerances. Also, it’s quite possible you will be dealing with issues of home and finance. You may be talking to banks about loans, debt consolidation or refinancing. It’s quite easy for errors to happen or important data to be omitted. Lucky Numbers: 11, 15, 26 SAGITTARIUS You’re pulled in multiple directions this week. You may be choosing between being there for people in your life and your job responsibilities. Fortunately, if you’re already in a love relationship, you can set the mood and bring a little romance in. This is a good aspect for fantasies and inspiration. It’s not good for dishes and folding laundry. Don’t let a fight over chores start when you could be having so much fun. Lucky Numbers: 5, 13, 25 CAPRICORN This week has you jumping from thing to thing, as you try to balance all of your obligations and the family and friends who want your attention. Keep your eye on the clock, or you may miss an important point of communication or transportation. You have responsibilities you are taking seriously and while others may seem to be standing in your way, you can easily step around them to get to your destination. Lucky Numbers: 1, 19, 34 AQUARIUS Even though the emphasis is on domestic matters, you’ll be eager to continue networking with others whether they are friends or business associates. Joining online groups that cater to your interests can keep you in the loop and be a source of potential opportunities. If you want to start a home-based business, now is the time. Do you feel drawn to learn a new skill? This is the time to do so. But you might also enjoy all kinds of puzzles and games that test your dexterity and coordination. Lucky Numbers: 7, 17, 45 PISCES You’re needed at home, but you may also be needed at work or by a friend’s side. Consider doing the practical parts of spirituality. Collect together your crystals and clear them using salt or smudge. Dust off your feng shui cures to reenergize them. Faithfully do your meditation. Get out your calendar and schedule these things in the future so that they become a regular part of your life. Lucky Numbers: 3, 29, 37

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

MAY 21 - 27, 2020 25

MARYLAND from Page 1 plan based on a decline of hospitalizations. But on Saturday, May 16, the first full day of the reopening of businesses, the state health department reported a one-day increase of confirmed cases to 982.

According to the new “Safe at Home” advisory, some businesses must remain at 50 percent capacity or less. Churches and houses of worship are encouraged to hold outdoor religious services and activities.

Most importantly, employees and customers inside businesses and on public transportation must wear masks and other face coverings.

“For most counties in Maryland, it’s the first full day of Stage One of recovery— and a gorgeous day to practice social distancing,” Hogan tweeted Saturday.

As confirmed cases continue to increase, merchants remain one of the most affected groups losing hundreds of thousands of dollars without customers inside restaurants, lack of male bonding at barbershops and limited retail sales.

Lendana Construction Co., a Black-owned family business of Upper Marlboro, continues to maintain its grind. The business,

MD CENSUS from Page 12 “So we’re behind,” he said.

According to Maryland’s Department of Planning, the response rate in Anne Arundel County ranks sixth in the state at almost 69 percent. In comparison, the Prince George’s County’s rate ranks 14th at almost 61 percent.

The census data that provides about $1.5 trillion annually in federal funding can be used for schools, roads, housing and even determine the state’s representation in Congress.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the bureau to reschedule several

which specializes in brick and block work, usually maintains between four to 36 people on a specific job.

The company currently has a four-man crew for a project at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, certain jobs with a bigger crew must now operate with no more than four people at a time on weekly shifts to maintain social distancing requirements.

“That has been a challenge.

Normally you would have 30 to 40 men on site,” said Ardania Williams, vice president of marketing and development for the construction firm. “We operate in trying to get a job done, but keeping safety first.”

Because Hogan allowed for each jurisdiction local autonomy, a few jurisdictions will follow the state’s new “Safe at Home” advisory that eases some restrictions.

For instance, Baltimore County allowed retail stores to open, but for curbside pick up only. Barbershops, salons and indoor religious services and activities remain close.

Campgrounds and boat rentals remain closed in Howard County, but stores in the Mall at Columbia with outdoor access can open with

curbside pickup or delivery only.

Although the Maryland Chamber of Commerce supports Hogan’s leadership during the pandemic, it expressed concern for each jurisdiction to implement its own set of guidelines.

“This patchwork approach could prove detrimental for employers and their employees, who are already in the midst of navigating a difficult and evolving crisis situation,” Christine Ross, president and CEO of the chamber, said in a May 13 statement. “As we continue to steadfastly advocate for our members, who are anxious to return to work, we continue to urge the governor to actively communicate and engage with members of the business community throughout each stage of the recovery process.”

In the meantime, Olive on Main Street in Laurel continues to receive support in carryout and delivery orders.

Nadol Himsheh, 38, who coowns the restaurant with his brother, said the rising costs of items such as chicken and poultry make it challenging and a bit expensive to operate. Also, they decreased the number of staff currently on payroll from about 16 to six.

However, he supports Also-

in-person operations such as group quarters enumeration, which will now begin July 1.

Thomas Coogan, assistant regional census manager for Maryland, said field workers are set to visit unresponsive households between Aug. 11 and the Oct. 31 deadline.

“We know that there is still plenty of hard work to do,” he said. “The Census Bureau, I’m confident, will be ready to meet that challenge.”

Meanwhile, both Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties established complete count committees to boost participation, organize virtual meetings, post signs and promote the

census through social media.

Harry Freeman, who chairs the census group in Anne Arundel, said about 83,000 flyers were distributed at 40 sites where parents pick up free meals for children. Public schools are closed for the remainder of the school year.

Elizabeth Betty Hewlett, who chairs a committee in Prince George’s, said the county’s Planning Department updated about 41,000 addresses to ensure the correct households receive census forms.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach,” she said.

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread in Prince George’s, which ranks number one in the state with confirmed cases, reaching “hardto-count” areas such as low-income neighborhoods, rural communities and residential locales with those who speak limited English will become more challenging.

According to 2010 census data, Blacks and Latinos were undercounted at 2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.

Before the pandemic hit, the Urban Institute of Southwest published

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26 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

5 Nadol Hishmeh stands behind the bar at Olive on Main, a restaurant he coowns with his brother in Laurel. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

brooks’ decision to keep the stayat-home order in effect. Himsheh’s parents live in the 20783 zip code in the Hyattsville area, which continues to record the highest number of confirmed cases based on zip code in the state.

“I’m a business owner and I want to succeed, but from a comfort level standpoint I can’t open right now,” he said. “I feel our county executive is strong-willed to not open up right now. I am pleased she did that and not pressured to do the opposite.”

WI

For instance, Baltimore County allowed retail stores to open, but for curbside pick up only.

Barbershops, salons and indoor religious services and activities remain close.

5 A look at 2020 census response rates from Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions (Screen grab of video from Maryland Department of Planning)

a report in June 2019 that projected up to four million people could be undercounted in this year’s census.

In Maryland, the overall population that could be miscounted ranges between 28,900 to 89,800.

The report’s lead author, Diana Elliott, said in an email Monday through the institute’s spokeswoman

the coronavirus could produce similar or worse undercount rates.

“With fewer people engaged and a later start to field operations and door-to-door enumeration, the hardto-count will be missed at higher rates in the census,” she said. “In-person enumeration is the best way to count these groups.” WI

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION the religion corner WITH LYNDIA GRANT

The Difficulties of Life Should Make Us Better!

During this worldwide pandemic, my message today is simple: Look for the good in every bad situation. See the glass halffull, not half-empty. When you focus on the negatives in life, you will attract more negatives.

As we watch our death toll numbers rise each day — now approaching 100,000 in the U.S. — it is truly shocking! Some of those lost are your family, friends, coworkers or neighbors. Each and every person who had died is someone special to someone.

But there is a message in this huge mess. When we were born, each of us was assigned a death date. Yes, we are saddened, but always remember that God does not make mistakes.

We cannot shut our lives down and stop living. This is the time to regroup, to change how we use all of the energy we were previously utilizing, driving from here to there, doing this and that! Sit down and THINK, find use of this valuable time that none of us can get back. Grow your spir-

itual life. Though we cannot go to our church houses right now, I personally look forward to participating in my Wednesday night Bible study and hearing my pastor preach or teach the Sunday message. We need our spiritual lives to be strengthened even more during this historic time.

While many states are still under stay-at-home orders, we’re still allowed to take a walk and look at the flowers. You’ve heard the saying, “Smell the roses!” It is now spring, get out and enjoy the leaves on the trees, enjoy the clouds in the sky. When it rains, enjoy the feeling of the falling rain on your face, then thank God that He spared our country a drought.

When the snow comes, the good news is that it’s preparing the earth for spring. The minerals that come down in the snow are supplied by God — snow slowly waters the earth, and it creates what appears to be miracle flowers!

The title of this column gives us something to ponder when awful things like this happens. Look for the message in this mess! There is a message, you know. Only those of us who look for the answers will benefit.

Ecclesiastes 3:3 says, “To everything there is a season, and a time

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die.” As the tragedies pile up, remember that our Scripture tells us that there IS a time for each of us die!

A few years ago, pre-pandemic, I had the opportunity to visit with a friend, and his wife was taking weekly acupuncture due to some severe family matters that occurred more than 25 years ago.

Her sister had been murdered by her husband, and despite the fact that so many years had passed, they caught the killer. Then there had to be a trial, but my friend just couldn’t take the strain of the trial and the recollection of the death of her sister, so she became severely depressed.

She couldn’t get her sister back!

She could have been delighted that they had finally caught the killer, and that her family would get justice! As I looked around her magnificent home, all I could see was the $3 million residence she lived in, and I saw how wonderful her husband was. My heart went out to her, but I thought, “You are very blessed.” These situations should make us stronger, if we keep our minds positive, not negative. The difficulties of life should make us better. WI

John F. Johnson Reverend Dr.

5101 14th Street, NW / Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-726-2220 Fax: 202-726-9089

1306 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005

“A Church with a past to remember – and a future to mold” www.mtzbcdc.org

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Mount Olivet Lutheran Church

Reverend John W. Davis Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service - 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Children’s Church - 11:00 a.m. (1st & 3rd Sundays) Communion - 10 a.m. 4th Sunday Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. (4th Sunday 8:15 a.m.)

Prayer Meeting & Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

(301) 864-6070

Service and Times Divine Worship, Sunday 10:00 a.m.

Communion 1st and 3rd Sunday “Friendliest Church in the City” Website: mountolivetdc.org Email: mtolivedc@gmail.com

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 27

RELIGION The Miracle Center of Faith Missionary Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Bishop Michael C. Turner, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Louis B. Jones II Pastor

9161 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: 301-350-2200 / Fax: 301-499-8724

700 I Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 547-8849

Service and Times Sunday Worship Times : 7:30 AM 7 10:00 AM Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday, 12 Noon Bible Study in homes: Tuesday 7:00 PM Website: www.themiraclecenterFMBC.com Email: Miraclecenterfmbs@gmail.com Motto: “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”

Blessed Word of Life Church

Service and Times Worship Sundays: 7:30 & 11:00 AM 5th Sundays: 9:30 AM 3rd Sundays: Baptism & Holy Communion Prayer & Praise: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 PM www.pilgrimbaptistdc.org

Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ

Church of Living Waters

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church

Rev. Paul Carrette Senior Pastor Harold Andrew Assistant Pastor 4915 Wheeler Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-894-6464 Service and Times Sunday Service: 8:30am& 11:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM Communion Service: First Sunday www.livingwatersmd.org

St. Stephen Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., / Pastor 2498 Alabama Ave., SE - Washington D.C. 20020 Office: (202) 889-7296 / Fax: (202) 889-2198 - www.acamec.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 8:00am and 11:00 AM Sunday Church School - 9:15am & Sunday Adult Forum Bible Study - 10:30 AM 2nd & 4th Monday Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday Jr./Sr. Bible Study: 10:00 AM Tuesday Topical Bible Study: 6:30 PM Tuesday New Beginnings Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Pastoral Bible Study: 6:30 PM Wednesday Children’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Thursday Men’s Bible Study: 6:30 PM Friday before 1st Sunday Praise & Worship Service: 6:30 PM Saturday Adult Bible Study: 10:00 AM “The Amazing, Awesome, Audacious Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church”

Third Street Church of God

Dr. Dekontee L. & Dr. Ayele A. Johnson Pastors

Rev. Dr. Alice Greene Interim Pastor

Bishop Lanier C. Twyman, Sr. Senior Pastor

Rev. Cheryl J. Sanders, Th.D. Senior Pastor

4001 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 265-6147 Office 1-800 576-1047 Voicemail/Fax

3845 South Capitol Street Washington, DC 20032 (202) 562-5576 (Office) / (202) 562-4219 (Fax)

5757 Temple Hill Road, Temple Hills, MD 20748 Office 301-899-8885 – fax 301-899-2555 Services and Times Sunday Early Morning Worship: 7:45 AM Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 AM Tuesday: 7:00pm/Kingdom Building Bible Institute Wednesday , 12:30 PM Mid-Day Bible Study Wednesday: Prayer/Praise/Bible Study-7:30 PM Baptism & Communion Service: 4th Sunday – 10:30 AM

1204 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-347-5889 office / 202-638-1803 fax

Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion Service: First Sunday Prayer Service/Bible Study: Tuesday, 6:30 PM www.blessedwordoflifechurch.org E-mail: church@blessedwordoflifechurch.org

Campbell AME Church Rev. Dr. Henry Y. White 2562 MLK Jr. Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Adm. Office 202-678-2263 Email: Campbell@mycame.org Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 AM Bible Study Wednesday: 12:00 Noon Wednesday: 7:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 PM “Reaching Up To Reach Out” Mailing Address : Campbell AME Church 2502 Stanton Road SE - Washington, DC 20020

Turning Hearts Church Virgil K. Thomas, Sr. Senior Pastor/ Teacher 421 Alabama Ave. SE Washington, DC 20032 Phone: 202-746-0113 Fax: 301-843-2445 Service and Times Sunday School: 10:15 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11;15 AM Children’s Church: 11:15 AM Tuesday Bible Study: 6:30 PM Motto : “A Great Commitment to the Great Commandment” Website: www.turningheartschurchdc.org Email: gr8luv4u2@gmail.com

28 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

Services and Times Sundays: 10:00am Worship Services Bible Study: Wonderful Wednesdays in Worship and the Word Bible Study Wednesdays 12:00 Noon; 6:30 PM (dinner @ 5:30 PM) Sunday School: 9:00 AM – Hour of Power “An inclusive ministry where all are welcomed and affirmed.” www.covenantdc.org

“We are one in the Spirit” www.ssbc5757.org / E-mail: ssbc5757@verizon.net

Services and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Community Worship Service: 8:30 AM “Ambassadors for Christ to the Nation’s Capital” www.thirdstreet.org Live Stream Sunday Worship Service begins @ 12:00 noon www.thirdstreet.org

Crusader Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Alton W. Jordan Pastor 800 I Street, NE - Washington, DC 20002 202-548-0707 - Fax No. 202-548-0703 Service and Times Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday Sunday School: 9:45 AM Men’s Monday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 PM Women’s Ministry Bible Study: 3rd Friday -7:00 PM Computer Classes: Announced Family and Marital Counseling by appointment E-mail: Crusadersbaptistchurch@verizon.net www.CrusadersBaptistChurch.org / “God is Love”

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr.; Senior Bishop & Evangelist Susie C. Owens – Co-Pastor 610 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 529-4547 office • (202) 529-4495 fax

Sunday Worship Service: 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM Sunday Youth Worship Services: 1st & 4th 10:45 AM; 804 R.I. Ave., NE 5th 8 AM & 10:45 AM; Main Church Prayer Services Tuesday – Noon, Wednesday 6:00 AM & 6:30 PM Calvary Bible Institute: Year-Round Contact Church / Communion Every 3rd Sunday The Church in The Hood that will do you Good! www.gmchc.org / emailus@gmchc.org

Isle of Patmos Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Calvin L. Matthews Senior Pastor 1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza, Northeast Washington, DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-6767 - Fax: (202) 526-1661 Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 2nd Sunday at 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Church School: 9:20 AM Seniors Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Noon Day Prayer Service: Tuesdays at Noon Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7 PM Motto: “A Ministry of Reconciliation Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Website: http://isleofpatmosbc.org Church Email: ipbcsecretary@verizon.net

St Marks Baptist Come Worship with us...

Dr. Raymond T. Matthews Pastor and First Lady Marcia Matthews St. Mark's Baptist Church 624 Underwood Street, NW Washington, dc 20011 Services and Times Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wed. Noon Day prayer service Thur. Prayer service: 6:45 PM Thur. Bible Study: 7:15 PM

Twelfth Street Christian Church Reverend Dr. Paul H. Saddler Senior Pastor (Disciples of Christ) 1812 12th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-265-4494 Fax: 202 265 4340 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Communion every Sunday: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 10:00 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 12 Noon Pastor’s Bible Study Tuesday: 6:30 PM Motto: “Discover Something Wonderful” Website: 12thscc.org / Email: Twelfthstcc@aol.com

Mount Carmel Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Paris L Smith, Sr. Senior Pastor 901 Third Street N.W. Washington, DC. 20001 Phone (202) 842-3411 Fax (202) 682-9423 Service and Times Sunday Church School : 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship: 10:10 AM Bible Study Tuesday: 6: 00 PM Prayer Service Tuesday: 7:00 PM Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday 10:10 AM themcbc.org

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

RELIGION Shabbath Commandment Church Bishop Adrian A. Taylor, Sr. Pastor 7801 Livingston Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 301-534-5471 Service and Times Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 AM Service 11:00 AM Praise & Worship Preaching 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Motto: “A Church Keeping It Real for Real.”

Website: Shabbathcommandmentchruch.org Email: Praisebetoyhwh@gmail.com

Zion Baptist Church Rev. Keith W. Byrd, Sr. Pastor 4850 Blagdon Ave, NW - Washington D.C 20011 Phone (202) 722-4940 - Fax (202) 291-3773 Service and Times 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School 10:15 a.m. – Worship Service Wed. Noon: Dea. Robert Owens Bible Study 7 PM Pastor’s Bible Study Ordinance of Baptism 2nd Sunday, Holy Communion 4th Sunday Mission: Zion shall: Enlist Sinners, Educate Students, Empower the Suffering, Encourage the Saints, And Exalt our Savior. (Acts 2: 41-47) www.zionbaptistchurchdc.org

St. Luke Baptist Church Rev. Aubrey C. Lewis Pastor 1415 Gallatin Street, NW Washington, DC 20011-3851 P: (202) 726-5940 Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion: 11:00 a.m., 3rd Sun. Bible Institute: Wednesday - 1:30 PM Prayer Meeting: Wednesday - 12:00 Noon

All Nations Baptist Church Rev. Dr. James Coleman Pastor 2001 North Capitol St, N.E. - Washington, DC 20002 Phone (202) 832-9591 Service and Times Sunday Church School – 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service – 11:00 AM Holy Communion – 1st Sunday at 11:00 AM Prayer – Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Bible Study – Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Christian Education / School of Biblical Knowledge Saturdays, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Call for Registration Website: www.allnationsbaptistchurch.com All Nations Baptist Church – A Church of Standards

Israel Baptist Church

Rev. Daryl F. Bell Pastor 2324 Ontario Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-1730 Service and Times Sunday School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Baptismal Service: 1st Sunday – 9:30 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday – 11:00 AM Prayer Meeting & Bible Study: Wednesday -7:30 PM “Where Jesus is the King”

Dr. Earl D. Trent Senior Pastor

2409 Ainger Pl.,SE – WDC 20020 (202) 678-0884 – Office / (202) 678-0885 – Fax “Moving Faith Forward” 0% Perfect . . . 100% Forgiven!

623 Florida Ave.. NW - WDC. 20001 Church (202) 667-3409 / Study (202) 265-0836 Home Study (301) 464-8211 / Fax (202) 483-4009

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM Baptism/Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Family Bible Study Tuesdays – 6:30 PM Prayer Service: Tuesdays – 8:00 PM www.emmanuelbaptistchurchdc.org

Sermon On The Mount Temple Of Joy Apostolic Faith

Lincoln Park United Methodist Church Rev. Richard B. Black Pastor

Elder Herman L. Simms Pastor

1251 Saratoga Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 269-0288

1301 North Carolina Ave. N E Washington, D C 20002 202 543 1318 - lincolnpark@lpumcdc.org www.lpumcdc.org

5606 Marlboro Pike District Heights, MD 20747 301-735-6005

Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Holy Communion1st Sunday: 10:45 AM Prayer Service: Wednesday at 6:30 PM Bible Study: Wednesday at 7:00 PM Bible Study: Tuesday at 10:30 AM

Mount Moriah Baptist Church Dr. Lucius M. Dalton Senior Pastor

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Holy Communion: First Sunday 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Bible Study: Wednesday @ 12 noon and 6:30 PM Motto: "Faith On The Hill"

Service and Times Sunday Apostolic Worship Services 11:00 A.M and 5:00 PM Communion and Feet Wash 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM Prayer/Seeking: Wednesday at 8:00 PM Apostolic in Doctrine, Pentecostal in Experience, Holiness in Living, Uncompromised and Unchanged.

The Apostolic Faith is still alive –Acts 2:42

New Commandment Baptist Church

Eastern Community Baptist Church Damion M. Briggs Pastor

Rev. Stephen E. Tucker Senior Pastor

1636 East Capitol Street, NE Washington, DC 20003 Telephone: 202-544-5588 - Fax: 202-544-2964

8213 Manson Street Landover, MD 20785 Tel: (301) 322-9787 Fax: (301) 322-9240

13701 Old Jericho Park Road Bowie, MD. 20720 (301) 262-0560

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 7:45 AM and 10:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sundays at 7:45 AM & 10:45 AM Sunday School: 9:30 AM Prayer & Praise Service: Tuesdays at 12 noon & 6:30 PM Bible Study: Tuesdays at 1 pm and 7 PM Youth Bible Study: Fridays at 7 PM

Service and Times Early Morning Message: 7:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 9:00 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday 7:30 AM & 10:00 AM Prayer, Praise and Testimony: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: Wednesday 7:30 PM

Service and Times Sunday Worship: 11 AM Sunday School: 10 AM Wednesday Mid-Week Worship, Prayer & Bible Study: Wed. 7 PM

Rehoboth Baptist Church

Reverend Peter R. Blue Sr. Pastor

Rev. Curtis l. Staley Pastor

2001 Brooks Drive District Heights MD. 20744 240.838.7074

621 Alabama Ave., S.E.- Washington, D.C. 20032 P: (202) 561-1111 - F: (202) 561-1112

Service and Times Sunday Worship Experience: 10:15am Sunday School: 9:00am Holy Communion: 3rd Sunday Morning Noontime Bible Study: Tuesday @ 12:00pm Prayer Meeting/Bible Study: Tuesday @7:00pm Theme: "Building On A Firm Foundation"

Service and Times Sunday Service: 10:00 AM Sunday School for all ages: 8:30 AM 1st Sunday Baptism: 10:00 AM 2nd Sunday Holy Communion:10:00 AM Tuesday: Bible Study: 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting: 7:45 PM

Email: revprbstmbc@gmail.com Website: www.stmatthewsbaptist.org

Motto: “Where God is First and Where Friendly People Worship”

“Real Worship for Real People” Website: www.easterncommunity.org Email: ecc@easterncommunity.org

“A Church Where Love Is Essential and Praise is Intentional”

Foggy Bottom - Founded in 1867 728 23rd Street, NW - Washington, DC 20037 Church office: 202-333-3985 - Fax : 202-338-4958

Shiloh Baptist Church

Matthews Memorial Baptist Church Dr. Joseph D. Turner / Senior Pastor 2616 MLK Ave., SE - Washington, DC 20020 Office 202-889-3709 - Fax 202-678-3304 Service and Times Early Worship Service: 8:00 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM New Member’s Class: 9:45 AM Holy Communion: 1st Sunday, 11:00 AM Church School: 9:45 AM Wednesday 12:00pm Bible Study Prayer, Praise and Bible Study: 7:00 PM Saturday Bible Study: 11:00 AM Baptism 4th Sunday: 11:00 AM “Empowered to love and Challenged to Lead a Multitude of Souls to Christ”

Peace Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Michael T. Bell 712 18th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone 202-399-3450/ Fax 202-398-8836 Service and Times Sunday Early Morning Prayer & Bible Study Class: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Service: 12:00 PM “The Loving Church of the living lord “

4504 Gault Place, N.E. / Washington, D.C 20019 202-397-7775 – 7184 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service : 11:00 AM The Lord’s Supper 1st Sunday Prayer & Praise Services: Wednesday 7:00 PM Bible Study: 7:30 PM Saturday before 4th Sunday Men, Women, Youth Discipleship Ministries: 10:30 AM A Christ Centered Church htubc@comcast.net

Christ Embassy DC

Kelechi Ajieren Coordinator 6839 Eastern Avenue, R1 Takoma Park, MD 20912 (202) 556-7065 Service and Times Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Wednesday Bible Study: 7:00 PM Friday Evening Service: 7:00 PM ; Last Friday “…Giving Your Life a Meaning” www.Christembassydc.org Christ.embassy.dc@hotmail.com

Pennsylvania Ave. Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry Pastor 3000 Pennsylvania Ave.. S.E Washington, DC 20020 202 581-1500 Service and Times Sunday Church School: 9:30 AM Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 AM Monday Adult Bible Study: 7:00 PM Wednesday Youth & Adult Activities: 6:30 PM Prayer Service Bible Study

First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Mt. Horeb Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith Pastor

Rev. Oran W. Young Pastor

Rev. Dr. H. B. Sampson, III Pastor

9th & P Street, N.W. - W. D.C. 20001 (202) 232-4288

602 N Street NW - Washington, D.C. 20001 Office:(202) 289-4480 Fax: (202) 289-4595

2914 Bladensburg Road, NE Wash., DC 20018 Office: (202) 529-3180 - Fax: (202) 529-7738 Service and Times Worship Service: 7:30 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Holy Communion: 4th Sunday 7:30AM & 10:30 AM Prayer Services:Tuesday 7:30 PM. Wednesday 12 Noon

www.stmarysfoggybottom.org Email: stmarysoffice@stmarysfoggybottom.org

Service and Times First Sunday Worship Service (one service): 10:00 AM Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday Worship service: 7:45 AM and 10:55 AM Sunday Church School/Bible Study: 9:30 AM Thursday Prayer Service: 6:30 PM

All are welcome to St. Mary’s to Learn, Worship, and Grow.

Email: sbc@shilohbaptist.org Website: shilohbaptist.org

Service and Times Sundays: 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music and Hymns Wednesdays: 12:10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist

Service and Times Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 AM Sunday Church School: 8:45 – 9:45 AM Holy Communion: Every First Sunday Intercessory Prayer: Monday – 7:00-8:00 PM Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday –7:45 PM Midweek Prayer: Wednesday – 7:00 PM Noonday Prayer Every Thursday

Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Senior Pastor

Email Address: admin@pbc712.org

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church The Rev. E. Bernard Anderson Priest

Holy Trinity United Baptist Church

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

Reverend Christopher L. Nichols Pastor

Rev. Dr. Jerryl V. Moody Pastor-Elect

Web: www.mountmoriahchurch.org Email: mtmoriah@mountmoriahchurch.org

St. Matthews Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church

King Emmanuel Baptist Church

WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM / THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

Service and Times Sunday School for All Ages: 8:00 AM Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 AM Midday Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 11:30AM Evening Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00 PM Laymen's League: Thursday 7:00 PM Email: Froffice@firstrising.org Website: www.firstrising.org “Changing Lives On Purpose “

Email:mthoreb@mthoreb.org Website:www.mthoreb.org For further information, please contact me at (202) 529-3180.

MAY 21 - 27, 2020 29

LEGAL NOTICES In God We Trust ​Declaration of Nationality​​Notice of Special Appearance : I am that I am: ‘’ walker,

LEGAL NOTICES

dejon dwight© ‘’, in full life, in propria persona, sui juris, in solo proprio, by natural issue, the

S UPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

beneficiary and heir of: ‘’ WALKER, DEJON DWIGHT© ‘’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER©

2019 ADM 000762

‘’, having reached the age of majority hereby duly affirms to declare my intention to be as my pedigree subscribes, as an: ani yun wiya Moorish American National , but not a citizen of the United States. I declare permanent, and unalienable, allegiance to: In God We Trust, the Moorish Empire, The united states of America, Republic ( Major ), The Constitution for the united States of America, Article III Section 2, etc.. In harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights

Cherry Baylor Decedent Ethel Mitchell, Esq. 8403 Colesville Road #1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attorney

of Indigenous Peoples, and all Natural laws governing moors, I hereby Declare and Proclaim my nationality as an: ani yun wiya Moorish American National. I am that I am: ‘’ walker, dejon dwight© ‘’, from this day forward, in harmony with my Nationality / Status / Jurisdiction, shall be known as: ‘’ walker-bey, dejon dwight© ‘’. Notice of Merging of Legal Title with Equitable Title : This order is to preserve legal and equitable title , and to reserve all rights, title, and interest, in the property, Re: ‘’ WALKER, DEJON DWIGHT© ‘’, corp.sole Dba.: ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER©’’, to the depositor: ‘’ walker-bey, dejon dwight© ‘’, nom deguerre: ‘’ walker, dejon dwight© ‘’. All property , of the same issue and amount, in like kind and specie, is to be returned fully intact , as a Special Deposit order of the Depositor / Beneficiary / Bailor / Donor / Principal / Creditor: ‘’ walker-bey, dejon dwight© ‘’, nom deguerre: ‘’ walker, dejon dwight© ‘’, as a special deposit order in lawful money. This special deposit is to be used exclusively for the benefit of : ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER BEY TRUST© ‘’, an Unincorporated Divine Grantor Trust. This deposit is not to be commingled with general assets of any bank , nor depositary / trustee / agent / bailee / donee / debtor. This deposit is not limited to, but including: discharge and set off, of any and all outstanding liabilities as accord and satisfaction. Any and All Attorneys with a License from the BAR Association are explicitly prohibited from administrat-

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Gertie Dean, whose address is 5200 Acorn Drive, Temple Hills, MD 20748, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cherry Baylor who died on December 16, 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/14/2020. 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 11/14/2020, 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: 5/14/2020

ing ‘’ DEJON DWIGHT WALKER BEY TRUST© ‘’ property without handwritten consent from each and

Gertie Dean Personal Representative

every trustee, after said Attorneys have furnished their nationality, and Principal for whom’s interest

TRUE TEST COPY

they are working, pursuant to Public Law 75-583, to Trustees in plain writing.​All Rights Reserved. ​​ FDOP 05-07

Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131

2019 ADM 000226

2020 ADM 000100

Sharon K. Foster Decedent

Annabelle Humes Decedent

Aimee Griffin, Esq. 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW Ste. 440 Washington, DC 20015 Attorney

Brett Cohen 7910 Woodmont Avenue, # 1430 Bethesda, Maryland 20814-7047 Attorney

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Aimee D. Griffin, whose address is 1210 Congress St. SE, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Sharon K. Foster who died on September 21, 2017 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/21/2020. 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 11/21/2020, 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: 5/21/2020 Aimee D. Griffin Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

30 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS Brett Cohen, whose address is 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1430, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-7047, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Annabelle Humes who died on July 17, 2019 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., Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before 11/21/2020. 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 11/21/2020, 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: 5/21/2020 Brett Cohen Personal Representative TRUE TEST COPY Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Washington Informer

CL ASSIFIEDS

CL ASSIFIEDS

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DENTIST from Page 11

ARRESTS from Page 17

SLAM from Page 23

dental concerns should go to Howard University Hospital for treatment, “whether it is an abscess or swelling.”

“I am aware that home remedies such as peppermint or garlic can be helpful in dulling tooth pain,” she said. “But those remedies last only a few hours. You need to see a dentist because the pain may be a symptom of something more serious.”

Dr. Dana C. Jackson, who teaches at Howard’s dental college and is the program director for Howard University Hospital’s oral and maxillofacial surgery department, agreed that people who have dental emergencies at this time should come to the hospital.

“We get 10-15 emergencies like that a day,” Jackson said. “We treat people whether they have cavities, toothache pain and infection and abscess. It is important that you come to the hospital for your dental needs when things happen like falling down and breaking teeth or uncontrolled bleeding of teeth occurs.”

Jackson said if a patient has throbbing tooth pain, over-the-counter medicines such as Orajel, Tylenol and Ibuprofen and even a home remedy such as clove oil will help alleviate the pain. He also advised patients to stay away from sweets while enduring pain.

Both McIntosh-Clarke and Jackson stress the importance of maintaining oral health during the pandemic.

“Please stay healthy in general and if you need to see a dentist, come to the hospital where we will help you,” McIntosh-Clarke said. WI

unaware of any being made so far.

But the office noted there are six people whose arrests on other charges may have followed being stopped for an apparent violation of social distancing rules.

Five of these are African American men, and one is an African American and Hispanic woman, according to CNN. “When I saw those numbers, I found them to be an indicator that something’s wrong, and we need to fix it. And we will fix it,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference.

The social distancing arrests and summonses remind many of New York’s controversial stop and frisk law that allowed police officers to stop and search individuals in the city randomly.

Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a report on the city’s stop-and-frisk policy.

An analysis by the ACLU in New York revealed that innocent New Yorkers had been subjected to police stops and street interrogations more than 5 million times since 2002 and that Black and Latino communities continued to be the overwhelming target of these tactics.

At the height of stop-and-frisk in 2011, over 685,000 people were stopped. Nearly 9 out of 10 New Yorkers who were stopped and frisked have been entirely innocent.

The report found that in 2019, NYPD officers stopped and frisked 13,459 people. A total of 8,867 were innocent (66 percent), while 7,981

students themselves. The 1st place winner was Christian Alvarado, a fifth grader from LaSalle-Backus Education Campus. Christian’s poem “Dim Future” reveals to us the angst that our youth are experiencing during this pandemic: “I need a guide, as bright as the sunrise I hear so many cries, as families around the world die And yet, can anyone remember the

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were Black (59 percent), 3,869 were Latino (29 percent), and 1,215 were white (9 percent).

“The disturbing images of arrests for social distancing throughout our city serve to erode the process that has been made in enhancing police accountability and strengthening trust in our criminal justice system,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “My office is reviewing allegations of excessive force during recent Brooklyn arrests and will investigate these incidents to determine if disciplinary recommendations or criminal charges are warranted.”

CNN also reported that New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams had been critical of social distancing measures since officials announced the enforcement regulations in March.

“This virus has disproportionately claimed thousands of Black and brown bodies, and now, in response, it is Black and brown bodies facing the kind of over-policing never seen in other communities,” Williams said in a statement. WI

time where everything was fine?”

Christian will receive $500 in cash and have get a chance to read his poem personally on WPFW. The judges gave Christian a high score based on complex metaphors including, “Life is the wife of endless strife,” and the emotional impact his poem revealed. Christian credits his success to Ms. Hill for her instruction in his afterschool poetry program where he has learned to write over the past three years.

Rahel Tseganeh, a fifth grader at Bruce Monroe Elementary School was the second-place winner and received $250 and Machi Brooks, another fifth grader from LaSalle Backus Education Campus garnered third place honors and $150. The Black Coalition Against COVID-19 celebrates their voices and their educators who helped them craft their poetry.

Christian and his family, originally from Honduras, were excited about his win but it was unfortunately dimmed by the death of his grandmother from liver cancer the night before the slam.

He dedicated his win to her.

The Black Coalition Against COVID-19 continues its poetry slam competition on Friday, May 22 at 5 p.m. on WPFW 89.3 FM and streaming on WeACT Radio.

The competition is still open for submissions in the categories of high school (May 22, 4 – 6 p.m.) and adult (May 25, 7 – 9 p.m.)

Entries should be submitted to: www.blackcoalitionagainstcovid. org.

WI

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32 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

CURE from Page 1 COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Based in Atlanta, her company uses its artificial intelligence, or AI, drug discovery platforms to develop antiviral drugs.

Harrison, a Louisiana State University graduate, said the drug is called ENU200, a repurposed, patent-pending, orally deliverable antiviral drug that was previously approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a different indication.

“The FDA has been very supportive at fast-tracking review every step of the way, and that is true around the world,” Harrison told WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge. “We anticipate the clinical trials could start within 90 days.

The clinical trial itself could take a month. We feel quite optimistic that in the 120-day window, when our clinical material would be ready, we could have a drug that could be safe and effective at treating COVID-19.”

She said the drug shows significant scientific evidence of blocking two proteins that cause COVID-19 from invading healthy host cells and replicating.

In a statement posted on her company’s website on April 27, Harrison noted that the rationale for developing ENU200 arose from a bioinformatic search for in silico identification of prior-approved chemical compounds blocking the CoV proteins, spike S glycoprotein and Mpro.

A key CoV enzyme is Mpro.

The results suggest the use of ENU200 as a current, viable treatment for COVID-19 and other CoV infections, Harrison said.

“ENU200 blocks the S glycoprotein of CoV, which is responsible for host cell attachment and mediating host cell membrane and viral membrane fusion during infection,” she said. “The in silico predictions hint that ENU200 match the receptor-binding domain (RDB) by simultaneously blocking the key residues for binding to ACE2, e.g., Gln493 and Asn501. This function is key to the viral life cycle and a major target for antiviral drugs, such as ENU200 and vaccines.

“The S glycoprotein of the coronavirus is a class I viral fusion protein located on the outer envelope of the virion that plays a critical role in viral infection by recognizing host cell receptors and mediating fusion of the viral and cellular membranes,” Harrison said.

Additionally, ENU200 blocks CoV main protease, and Mpro is not only a key enzyme for CoV replication but is also responsible for transforming the polypeptide into functional proteins.

All available data demonstrate that Mpros are largely conserved structures, Harrison added.

“The combination of such unique features reveals that ENU200 blocks COVID-19 and other coronavirus action by specifically targeting the Mpro active site,” she said. “Before showing specific blocking/antiviral activity against S glycoprotein and Mpro of COVID-19, ENU200 had previously shown protease inhibition of a different virus, indicating that ENU200 interacts with two targets.

“Such simultaneous blockage may consequently result in enhanced antiviral action to successfully and broadly treat COVID-19 and other CoVs by

oral administration,” Harrison said.

The in silico drug discovery platform applied state-of-the-art codes by combining virus targets and a wide range of libraries of compounds, Harrison added.

Computational steps include: - A first geometrical and electronic optimization of the drug-candidates based on quantum chemistry within density functional theory (DFT) methods.

- The resulting refined structures were next implemented in blind docking calculations, an approach that allows to scan the whole protein surface in the search of main binding pockets.

- Only the best poses are retained for the analysis, so that the provided structures correspond to the drug-target interaction with the largest affinity.

Harrison said in vitro work is now being completed.

“Currently, we have in vitro and in vivo data supporting ENU200’s inhibition of a viral protease in a different viral infection,” she said. “Both viruses are RNA viruses. We think it is noteworthy to mention as proof that ENU200 is indeed an antiviral.”

Since ENU200 has a well-tolerated safety profile, Ennaid is confident that being allowed to treat the up to 80 percent asymptomatic, mild/moderate cases of COVID-19 infections will reduce COVID-19 viral shedding and severity, Harrison noted.

“ENU200 would also reduce worldwide fear and allow continued economic and operational development worldwide,” she said.

“ENU200 can mitigate COVID-19 and may even cure coronavirus.” WI

GRADUATION from Page 1 to get here. You navigated challenging classes and challenges outside of the classroom,” Obama said.

“Many of you had to stretch to afford tuition and some of you are the first in your family to reach this milestone. So even if half of this semester was spent on Zoom University, you’ve earned this moment.”

Obama said you typically wouldn’t see rivals like Grambling and Southern University, Jackson State or Tennessee State joining in a graduation ceremony, but these aren’t normal times.

“You’re being asked to find your way in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession.

The timing is not ideal,” he said. “And let’s be honest, a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that Black commu-

5 Celebrities speaking during the 2020 virtual HBCU graduation held on Saturday, May 16. (Courtesy photo)

nities have historically had to deal with in this country.”

“We see it in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our communities. Just as we see it when a Black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.”

Obama said to the graduates that as young African Americans, they’ve been exposed earlier than many others to the harsh realities of the world. But

their HBCU education puts them in a unique position.

“You chose to follow in the footsteps of people who shook the system to its core: civil rights icons like Thurgood Marshall and Dr. King; storytellers like Toni Morrison and Spike Lee,” he said.

“Whether you realize it or not you’ve got more road maps, more role models and more resources than the civil rights generation did. No generation has

GRADUATION Page 34

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

MALVEAUX from Page 20

spreads. Any expansion of food stamps is blocked.

Arrested for leading nonviolent protests against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King penned his letter from the Birmingham jail expressing his grave disappointment with the “white moderate” and the “white church.” He suggested that the “great stumbling block” for African Americans seeking their freedom is “not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate “who is more devoted to order than to justice.”

The virus didn’t discriminate.

The society enforced the discrimination; the virus just preyed upon its victims. We have gone too long, struggled too hard to adjust to the reality that it is dangerous to be Black while jogging or to be Black in a pandemic.

We need leaders and citizens of conscience who will act and not rest until justice is done.

Wi

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public lynchings. They terrorized Blacks to end the fusion multiracial coalitions that grew up in the Reconstruction, and to take back control of their states.

The lynchings and violence were greeted with silence, if not approval. White authorities, white churches, white society turned their heads, if they weren’t applauding in approval.

Fleeing north, Blacks were redlined into ghettos, with jobs hard to get, and discrimination closing doors. To this day, African Americans are last hired and first fired.

We suffer the worst poverty, the highest unemployment, the highest childhood hunger and malnutrition, the most inadequate health care. This reality is sustained by the silence of white elites, the silence of the white church, the silence of the evangelicals, the silence of the best-minded citizens.

Then, the virus hits, and its

most lethal effect is on those who are vulnerable: the elderly, the sick, the hungry, those with asthma and obesity. It hits hardest among the suddenly proclaimed “essential workers” who do the work that previously was largely “invisible: the bus drivers, the grocery clerks, the nurses and medical aides. Not surprisingly, African Americans make up a disproportionate number of those killed or infected by the virus.

The racial disparities are so stark that they gain national and international attention. Pundits express shock and outrage at the reports, as if they were surprised by the results. Politicians call for action.

The informed public is embarrassed.

But little happens: the rescue packages passed by Congress send most of the money to the biggest companies and the most affluent investors. Banks are saved; the post office — with a largely minority workforce — is starved. Hunger

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JACKSON from Page 20

to Address Mental Health: Understanding Our Past, Evaluating the Present and Improving Upon our Future Keynote: Dr. Wayne Beckles Moderator: David Smith, vice president of The 100 Fathers Inc. Panel members: Herb Gray, CEO of Life Enhancement Services; Jeirell Jordan of Jacob’s Ladder youth program; Franklyn M. Malone, CEO The 100 Fathers Inc. Wi

Let us help you develop the communication skills to compete and win!

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enables a cadre of trained and dedicated men and women to engage with the therapeutic community, connection with role models and involvement and exposure to fatherhood leaders and family focused services that can redirect behavior with treatment counseling and improve self-esteem. If we will ever thrive, we must first wash off the stain that

slavery, oppression, and injustice has left on our psyches. The first step in that process is to acknowledge that the stain exists, and then choose to do the work to remove it. Let us begin that work now.

To that end, The 100 Fathers Inc. will sponsor a Zoom event for Mental Health Month on May 28 at 7 p.m. (Find us on www.100fathers. org.)

Black Men Stepping Up Boldly

You Can Say It Like A Pro!

: Sade

MALONE from Page 20

was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

He is not scheduled to be released until 2037! While Kilpatrick certainly deserved to be convicted, a 28year sentence is excessive. Recently an inmate at his Oakdale, Louisiana, prison died from the coronavirus.

I’m sure Kilpatrick is as frightened of the coronavirus as Manafort is. He is not likely to be allowed home confinement.

Unless there is intervention, Kilpatrick will be eligible for Social Security before he is released! What is the purpose of such a long sentence?

How much does it cost to incarcerate someone for 28 years? Is it worth it?

The coronavirus magnified our nation’s inequality. Manafort is out after less than two years’ incarceration. Thousands who are old and poor remain incarcerated and vulnerable to coronavirus. Our criminal injustice system is in dire need of reform. Wi

Photo

are a significant source of employment. Releasing prisoners early may cause layoffs. Is this why we insist on keeping so many people locked up for such long periods?

Parole was eliminated in federal prison in the mid-1980s, allowing “good behavior” only after 85 percent of a sentence has been served.

But Manafort, citing “fear of coronavirus,” ended up serving less than a quarter of his sentence. Can an old Black man get the Manafort treatment and serve the rest of his sentence in a cushy condo in Northern Virginia? Manafort had a lot less to fear at his minimum-security prison than a Black inmate might.

Other countries have reacted to coronavirus crowding by releasing inmates in the tens of thousands.

According to David Anderson of the International Legal Foundation,

Iran released more than half of its prisoners — 100,000 of 189,000.

Palestine is holding emergency court sessions to allow inmates to petition for release. Other countries seem to understand that COVID-19 and crowding don’t work and are releasing prisoners.

Meanwhile, our country, in Anderson’s words, is “addicted to punishment.” In keeping nonviolent inmates incarcerated, we are “prioritizing punishment over public health.” The inmates aren’t the only ones at risk. Correctional officers, lawyers and visiting family members are also vulnerable. We are so committed to getting a “pound of flesh” from those incarcerated that we refuse to consider the high costs of incarceration.

Consider the case of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and other crimes, Kilpatrick

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34 - MAY 21 - 27, 2020

CALDWELL from Page 21

Americans feel better.

The universe is speaking, and all our president can do is lie, lie and lie.

“He never even pretended to be president of the whole country, but pitted us against one another along lines of race, sex, religion, citizenship, education, region and — every day of his presidency — political party. His main tool of governance was to lie,” Parker says.

History is bound to repeat itself,

and the second wave of a pandemic is usually the most fatal and deadly. America is at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and very few Americans are thinking. It is very easy to lie, but COVID-19 will force you to tell the truth.

As Parker says, “The fight to overcome the pandemic must be a fight to recover the health of our country and build anew. Under our current leadership nothing will change.” WI

jor universities with huge endowments also fed their faces at the government trough. For the little guys, that money was all spent before they could even get their applications into the system!

In the second recovery effort, a few more smaller-to-medium-sized businesses got some relief, but the poor, vulnerable workers were squeezed by profiteering businesses like meat slaughterhouses (literal incubators for COVID-19) and required to work in unsafe conditions, so that their wealthy owners could keep their pockets full. The farmers and ranchers were getting less money for their products, while the sucker-customers on the retail end of the equation were paying record-high prices! What a racket!

Then, as soon as the GOP got what it wanted with acquiescence from House Democrats, they said:

“The tap is closed. We can’t afford any more bailouts.” So all the makeovers for the little guys — hazard pay for below-living-wage slaves in dangerous jobs, the Post Office, D.C. and its Metro transit system among them — were literally told to “fuhgeddaboutit” because the tap is now permanently closed.

Instead of going along with the GOP giveaways at the beginning, the Dems should have said “No.” No big-bank bailouts unless they got something for the ordinary folks. They can read. They did not have to wait until that garbage was signed into law and the money was disbursed before they realized that it was another boondoggle for the rich.

So now, here the Democratic leaders — with some complaints from some of their own red-state caucus members — have passed what they call the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion package meant to correct the flaws of the first two hast-

ily passed and signed bills.

Despite the fact that since march, 36 million people have lost their jobs — the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s — the Republicans have said that the Democratic legislation is officially “dead on arrival” in the Senate — just like President Barack Obama’s nomination of federal Judge Merrick Garland to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

The rich bullies got what they wanted from the dweebs, and then said “No.” Now, bars and beaches are rapidly reopening — public health be damned — and some professional sports are issuing that normal-looking pablum to the gullible public via television, and everyone is now supposed to be happy because things appear “normal” on the surface, and the gun-toting “reopen” demonstrators are once again “free” to go to nail salons, bars and restaurants. Bon appetit. WI

GRADUATION from Page 1

DC PRIMARY from Page 9

been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world.”

“Congratulations to the HBCU class of 2020. Michelle and I are so proud of you,” Obama said.

Dr. Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas and who spearheaded the idea for a virtual commencement for HBCUs, said the Black college community had to do something to honor its graduates.

“I am so grateful that this coalition of partners stepped up to answer the call of the HBCU community and stand in the gap for our students and their families,” Sorrell said.

“We want students to know that we saw them, that we heard them, that we love them and that we could not give them the moment that we had planned. But we still found a way to give them a special moment,” he said.

WI

this isn’t a sustainable approach to creating better lives for everyone.”

Endorsements in political races do matter, according to an article that appeared on the website Online Candidate, titled, “Do Candidate Endorsements Matter?”

“Political candidates can increase name recognition and establish credibility by winning endorsements,” the article said. “Some endorsements can be very valuable, as they can carry with them additional campaign support, including contributions, phone banks, volunteers, get-out-the-vote efforts and more.”

As the race for endorsements continues, the manner in which the primary will be conducted has changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. There will be 20 voting centers throughout the city where residents of any ward can

vote in the June 2 primary, as opposed to the usual precincts. The voting centers will open daily from May 22-June 2 with the exception of Memorial Day. The D.C. Board of Elections encourages residents to vote by absentee ballot sent in by mail. Request for mail-in ballots must be made to the elections board by May 26.

Charles Wilson, chair of the D.C. Democratic State Committee, said the manner in which the primary operates has changed but voter participation must continue to be a priority.

“We recognize this is new for everybody,” he said. “We want to make sure that people are voting safely and voting by mail is the most optimal way to do that. We don’t want people to get infected at the polls and that is why social distancing will be practiced at the polling sites.”

WI

There is something wrong with a health care system that is expecting Americans to die, and don’t care if only less than 2% of the population have been tested. The Republican leaders only care about opening up the economy and get as many people as they can off unemployment. The president never talks about death and families suffering, because “happy talk” makes

ASKIA from Page 21

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MAY 21 - 27, 2020 35

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